CoffeeSwirls

Hogs, Toll Ways, and Smilies

I didn't take many notes from the church service yesterday, choosing rather to just take it all in on emotional level, and not so much on the intellectual level. What can I say, I needed more than just theology yesterday. In light of that, I'll share just a few things I took home from church.

It was our first annual "Blessing of the Bikes" and several leather-clad riders stayed for the service. Most of them publicly declared their personal faith in God, in fact, they tended to declare themselves more enthusiastically than the members/regular attenders/visitors that are usually in the sanctuary. Um... are the rest of us missing something here? Pastor Host talked about how, in general, bikers tend to enjoy the freedoms of life, rather than feeling oppressed by the barriers we set up before ourselves. I think we're onto something here...

Side note: According to George Carlin, the term "first annual" means nothing more than "we may decide to do this again in a year," so he avoids all first-annual events, no matter what they are. I believe a commitment to this blessing of the bikes is a good thing, and would like to see it again next year! Nice bikes, nice people, good food, energetic worshipers, who could ask for more?

The sermon centered around justification, how our sins are charged to Jesus while His righteousness is credited to us. Christianity is truly a win-win proposition. It's a shame so many people are content for the small pleasures they settle for. But that's another post, isn't it?

One illustration Pastor Host used was a toll booth. You don't see those in Iowa, but the idea is to drive so far, and then you need to pay a toll to continue on your way. He was following his father down the toll way and went behind him through the booth. When he pulled up to pay his toll, the man in the booth told him that his toll had already been paid by the car ahead of him. His response was, "Thanks, Dad." That is, in essence, what Christ did for us as we go down the toll way of life. We sin and the toll must be paid, when we get to the final toll booth, though, we will find that the toll is paid in full. I have been forgiven for tomorrow’s sins as well as today's and yesterdays. "Thanks, Father!"

To explain the smilies, they come from another illustration he used to describe the transactions that took place on the cross. Our sins (skull and crossbones) were taken from us and transferred to Jesus. That took care of the price, but not the anger and distrust that God must have for us, as sinners. The second act was the transfer of righteousness from Jesus to us, as believers. Transfer may not be the best term to use, as Jesus did not lose His righteousness. Perhaps it was reproduced or copied over to us? I'm not sure what the best term for this is, to be honest with you.

Anyway you look at it, when God looks at a believer, He doesn't see the sins of that person. I sin every day, less than I used to as I'm more mindful, but I sin nonetheless. When God looks at me, he doesn’t see the stain upon me, though. He sees the righteousness of His son upon me. Pastor Host used a smiley face to illustrate this.

Smiling bikers, a smiling pastor and smiling faces up on the screen. How could anybody leave church without feeling uplifted from their emotional level they entered with?

Glossary of Verbage

I have a tendency to make up my own verbage from time-to-time. I also am on the lookout for other sayings that depict scenarios that could be defined with a sentence, but a word gets the point across.

1°: This usually refers to a weak message. Ideally, one would attend a church as a new member, and be started out with a diet of spiritual milk. Later, they would move on to the meat. 1° is the grade of milk between skim (children's church) and 2° (children's Sunday School). When used to describe a sermon, it is a strong complaint.
Example: "That sermon was barely even 1°! Let's try another church next week."

Contrail: When a jet passes overhead, the exhaust that is visible is referred to as the contrail. Sometimes you can see the contrail long after the jet has passed over the horizon. A contrail in a spiritual sense is the lingering examples of your former self.
Examples: swearing, using the Lord's name in vain, lusting after people other than a spouse, a refusal to forgive.

Cotton Candy: Anything that seems good at the time, but leaves you feeling cheated, sick and dirty. Cotton candy is often used to fill the God-shaped hole, but when put to the test, it dissolves, leaving you empty inside.
Examples: "That sermon was pure cotton candy. What a bunch of meaningless fluff!" and "Don't fall for the cotton candy of sinful pleasures."

God-shaped hole: The longing for something fulfilling in a person's life. Many people will try to fill this hole with the pleasures of the world, only to find that they do not fit their needs. Only a lucky few ever find the correct match for this void, and since God fits the hole perfectly, the ballast that was used to provide sustanence begins to be chased out as there is no room for these things any longer. Currently under review for accuracy
Example: "There's a God-shaped hole in all of us."
Credit: many sources.

Saltshaker: A person who spreads salt around him or her. See Matthew 5:13. A saltshaker is used to share the gospel with the world around them and to make a pleasing living testimony to the power of the Lord.
Example: That person is a true saltshaker. Look at how they are caring for others around them!

Spiritual Limp: Much like the contrail, but this is a lingering reminder of what your iniquities have wrought for you. Oftentimes, the limp is never fully gone until you are restored at the side of Jesus.
Example: "To this day, I still walk with a spiritual limp that reminds me to stay close to the Good Shepherd."
Credit: Gettin' There by Steve Farrar.

Wingman: A person who will stick by you during a difficult time in your life. They offer prayer and moral support. Often, you will find that the difficulties in your life are not unique to you and you can build each other up.
Examble: "This is a difficult problem in my life for me to tackle alone. I don't know if I can stay true to my task alone. I need a wingman."

Did I mention that I am seeking more terms like this? Let me know of any goodies that come to mind!

Hidden Trail Markers

So here I am at my PC when it would be more adventurous to be going down a snowy hill right now without any steering mechanism. Some would argue that the internet is a riskier pastime, and I could certainly agree in some respects, but when I sit in 72° degree comfort with Delirious singing History Maker in the background, a steaming cup of java at my left hand and a mouse at my right, I feel like I'm in my element.

And where's everybody else? Tina's mother is turning... 40 in a few days (You owe me one, Cathi!) and Tina had arraigned a play date with Ben's cousin Seth with her younger sisters and their friends babysitting while the older sisters taking their mother out to some girlie venue. Hmm. I could go to that wine and cheese place, I could hang out with a bunch of young teen girls who like to run the asylum or I could work on my newsletter for tonight's release (which I'm obviously not doing at the moment). Sounds like a no-brainer.

So I dropped Tina and Ben off at Toni's house in nearby Altoona and was pressed into service to get Burger King for the kids. I guess they have cooler kid's meal toys this month than McDonald's. So I got in the car with two of the girls who would be staying with the boys and we headed out. A few blocks down the road, Chelsea or Courtney (whatever her name is) shouted out, "My door is open!" You'd think after fourteen years of riding in cars, she'd have door-closing on her resume as a mastered skill, but apparently not. I decided to take the car over to the shoulder of the road so she could safely make sure her door was closed.

And the car leaned to the right a bit more than expected.

With all of the recent snow, I couldn't see this, but there is no shoulder on the road we were on. I rocked the car back and forth. I pushed while Camerin tried to help by driving the car with my pushing. Before long I was a mess of dirt and grime that was thrown up and down me. The girls started back to Toni's home with the bad news and I stayed behind to try a few other tricks, like driving out backwards instead of forwards, but only managed to entrench the car worse than before. Luckily, it wasn't long before some nice guys came with a pickup and a chain and pulled the car out.

And what did I learn from this excursion? Well, there is no shoulder on that road, and car doors are meant to be closed before the car is put into motion. That's about it. But there are parallels to this story.

Proverbs 22:28:
Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your forefathers.

The trail of life is one that is treacherous, and boundary stones are those markers that tell you that you are on the right path. Those markers are found throughout the Bible. This is how it has been for generations upon generations as the role of husbands among their family members has been a time-honored rule. And then in the last 50-60 years, these markers have been intentionally attacked by our culture. They are hidden as much as possible as the culture tries to invalidate them and eventually destroy them.

We can be assured that the destruction of the rules set by God and spoken to us in His Word will never be invalidated or destroyed, but just as I was unable to see that there was no shoulder on that road because of the snow, the roles of men are hidden by the mixed signals that are thrown our by the media, which continues to build a monopoly on our culture.

Don't believe me? When did you last see a popular TV show that showed the man as a capable, intelligent, loving husband and father, leading his family by sacrificing his desires for their good? What's the last show you watched that portrayed a husband as a person who runs into an issue that is bigger than him, and confidently makes a decision after seeking the council of his Bible? How long has it been since that show portrayed a healthy family at all? What message is the next generation of husbands and fathers receiving about what is to be expected of them?

The result of these attacks on our boundary markers is a generation of confused men who don't know what it means to be a man.

The Biblical concept of a father is actually quite simple, while the execution is difficult, and hampered by the culture all around us. We are to be the teachers of our children, not the "boob tube" (figuratively and literally). Our role as teachers is to raise our children to walk the same Godly path so they will place their trust in God as well. Such a simple role! And yet so many failures are out there, teaching their children and the children of others to make their own path of destruction.

When we miss the hidden trail markers that were warning us against the danger ahead, what do we do? In my example from today, I tried to get out of it on my own, and ended up in a worse situation than I had been in before. David tried the same kind of tactic when Bathsheba became pregnant. His fix for the situation resulted in lies and murder, and only God could pull him out of the snowy ditch of his trouble. What do you do when a situation is beyond your control? Do you go back to God in prayer and read His love letter to us all or do you take matters into your own hands?

Me? I'll make every effort to watch for the true trail markers, and when I've missed them, I'll ask God to get out his heavy chain and pull me from the depths.

Gettin' There

I mentioned a few days ago that I'd write about some things that can console a person when you are greiving, but what I have is really meant to encourage you, no matter your state of mind. Right now, I'm reading Gettin' There by Steve Farrar... for the 4th time. (Dad, I'll return your book soon, this time I mean it!) And why have I read the book 3 times already? Because it's darn good!

Gettin' There is a book about the Psalms and how they can be used as trail markers on the trail we call life. When you get off the narrow path, you can look to the Psalms and find out how to get back on. That is an incredible gift from our Lord and King!

Chapter 3 is called "A Nice Piece of Work" and begins with Steve talking about classic cars and his handmade briefcase as pieces of work that were created for specific purposes with care in how they were put together. Ultimately, the same can be said of you and me. This concept takes us all the way back to Genesis 1:1.

Now I do realize that you weren't around to see this happen, but that is no reason to believe in some flavor of evolution. There are people out there who think that God created the Big Bang or the primordial ooze and then sat back and watched creation unfold over millions of years with a sense of excitement to see what would happen next. These same people are counting on the promises of other verses, such as John 3:16 to see them to glory.

The trouble with this logic is that you can't build a house on a faulty foundation. If the very first verse in the Bible can't be trusted, how can the second? Or any of them, for that matter? Either God is in control or He isn't. It's really as simple as that.

I'll continue on this theme in another day or so.