Primal – Our Generation Needs a Reformation

Over the past week I’ve had the privilege of diving headlong into one of my favorite author’s newest books. First, he challenged us to run from the comfortable, predictable Christian life so many of us had become used to and chase the lion in his first book In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. Then, in Wild Goose Chase, he invites us to break out of the twisted, upside down cages in which we often dwell and set out on the adventure of following the Holy Spirit. Well, Mark Batterson has done it again. Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity plumbs the depths of the Christian faith and emerges with the most fundamental truth of all Scripture: Love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.

Mark unearths problems the Church all too often keeps buried under dusty hymnals and pious jargon.  “Christianity has a perception problem. At the heart of the problem is the simple fact that Christians are more known for what we’re against than what we’re for” (6). We’ve been shaking our fists at the darkness while all along the world needed us to simply turn the light on.  And my generation has turned from the church for that and a hundred other reasons.  That’s a problem. And if we could stop plastering on our plastic masks and lip-syncing our praise songs long enough to notice, maybe we could do something about it. Now, before you think I’m spitting invectives at the church, know that I am the Church…and I am guilty.  So Primal brings a voice to the concerns I’ve had for many years. But more than that, it provides a solution.

We need to become great at the Great Commandment.

That may not be the best one-sentence summary of the book, but it sets our focus on where the solution lies. If the greatest commandment of all of scripture, then why don’t we spend all of our effort on loving God?  Perhaps we’ve never done a great job at asking the question, “How do we love God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength?”  And that’s exactly what Primal sets out to answer.

The book embarks on the adventure in four different parts, focusing on each of the arenas of life in which God calls us to love him. “Think of it as love to the fourth power” (7).

The heart of Christianity is primal compassion.

The soul of Christianity is primal wonder.

The mind of Christianity is primal curiosity.

And the strength of Christianity is primal energy.

The one qualm I have with the book is the missing half of the Great Commandment which I see, as Jesus put it, as “equally important” (Matt 22:39, NLT). That, of course is, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” It’s only in the past several years that the Gospel, indeed, all of Scripture has come down for me to simply this:  Love God and Love People. From what I’ve seen of Mark Batterson, I can’t hold this against him at all.  I know he holds the second commandment in high esteem.  He may simply be practicing the principle of teaching less for more.  I wouldn’t be surprised in the least if his next book reveals powerful insights into what it means to love our neighbor.  Still, if I must read Primal with a critical eye, this minor issue is just about all I can complain about.

Mark Batterson uses his unique insights and experiences to take us on a journey into the heart of Christianity. You will be moved to compassion. You will experience profound awe at the wonder of God. You will be given all the reason you need to explore creation and knowledge with the curiosity deep inside you. You will see your daily action as an opportunity to love God. And you will set down this book with a primal desire to love God more in every way.

So, let Primal strip away the years of mortar and clay that cover your once fully-alive faith, wipe away the perceptions that have clouded your sight, and take you down the stairway to “rediscover the compassion, wonder, curiosity, and energy that turned the world upside down two thousand years ago.” This is an invitation; an invitation to embark on a quest for the lost soul of Christianity. An invitation to be astonished again.

A Common Conundrum

Reading:  Psalm 119:1-88; 1 Thess. 5

            When I was just a child and learning to walk, I was exploring the house as if I’d never seen it before.  I had to touch every little thing, often bringing a lamp or picture frame down to the ground with a crash.  One day I found the motherload—the button covered, knob spotted, flashing light, tower of technology—the home stereo system.  It was also one of the most expensive items in the house.  Thus, mom watched me carefully while I gazed at the gigantic gadget.  When I decided to go in for the touch, my mother was right there to slap my hand away.  But I was a determined little boy…I reached for it again…SLAP!  Denied again.  Another try and I began to equate the stinging feeling with my touching attempts.  But did that stop me?  Nooo… I closed my eyes, turned my head away, anticipating the slap, and reached out again…

            We as human beings often know what is wrong for us to do, yet we do it anyway.  It’s the same conundrum Paul encountered in Romans 7:15 when he said, “what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate, I do anyway.”  We all, like Paul, have done what we know is wrong, or harmful, or stupid.  There seems to be something deep down inside each of us, like that little boy in front of the stereo, that wants to go against the rules.  We might call it a rebellious streak, or just plain disobedience, but each of us has experienced it.  We just don’t like living by the law, it’s too restrictive, too harsh, too “Old Testament, bro.”

            What would it take for you to love, and I mean REALLY LOVE God’s commandments?  Would the all-knowing God have to change them to fit into your idea of right and wrong?  Or would it take a change of your heart, a change of my heart?  For nearly eighty verses, the author of Psalm 119 asks the Lord to give him that change of heart.  He says repeatedly things like, “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law,” I have put my hope in your word,” and “I delight in your commands because I love them.”  Wow!  What would it take for us to have this kind of attitude?

            My challenge to you today is this:  Fall in love again with the Word of God.  Meditate on it day and night.  Chew on it until its flavor revitalizes you.  Search it like there’s gold in every word.  Soak in it like a warm bath after a day in the snow.  Drink it up like your life depends on it.  Why?  Because it does.  And as you do, as you fall deeper and deeper in love with the Word, you will fall deeper in love with the Word-Giver.  Then you will find yourself saying like the Psalmist, “I have put my hope in your word.” (Psalm 119:81b).

 

Finally, I leave you with the words of Paul from today’s New Testament reading:

Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.

Don’t suppress the Spirit, and don’t stifle those who have a word from the Master. On the other hand, don’t be gullible. Check out everything, and keep only what’s good. Throw out anything tainted with evil.

May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it!

– 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24. (Message)

Reminders of our Dependence

This week, while fighting a terrible virus, I wrestled with the meaning of it all.  One night I wrote in my journal:

I don’t understand why we have to be sick. I suppose it’s one more thing we can chalk up to the Fall. Thanks Adam…thanks a lot! 

Sometimes I wonder if sickness isn’t much unlike a forest fire. A forest becomes overrun and rundown with dead trees and undergrowth.  In many ways, flourishing, but at the same time, choking itself out.

The fire comes through to start things over. The soil is enriched, the air is cleared, and new life begins. In fact, without the fiery conflagration, many of the plants and trees would be unable to reproduce. Pine cones and nuts litter the forest floor…rotting…until heat and pressure cause them to bear their life-giving seeds. And the cycle begins again.

And within our fleshly shells, a never-ending game of balance plays on day by day. When sickness assaults us, our system goes into survival mode. Our symptoms are simply our own body’s response to perceived imbalance. And when the war is done being waged, we stand stronger for the next battle. Once again, heat and pressure bring new life.

Perhaps of even more signficance is the fact that if there was no fire, no earthquake, no disaster: Creation would be without its groaning (Romans 8:20-22); even forgetting its fallen nature.

And so man, in the frailty of sickness is reminded of his death. Of his mortality. And therefore, his utter need for God.

What has independence gotten us? Sickness. Sorrow. Pain. Evil. And ultimately…DEATH.

Not that our loving Father causes us sickness to teach us a lesson. No, that is a result of the Fall. Yet, our Father, in His perfect wisdom and sovereignty, birthes good and truth out of every situation.

So the next time you awaken with a sore throat and stuffy nose, remember your mortality. Remember your humanity. Remember your absolute dependence on the Giver of all Life. May your own weakness drive you into the arms of the only One strong enough to sustain you. May you find rest and healing in his perfect Love.

Life as a Lamb

You know, there’s a reason why we are repeatedly referred to as sheep in the Bible…  Sometimes we just have to realize that we, as the little, feeble lambs that we are, don’t have the perspective that our Shepherd has.  We go around on our stubby little legs watching for wolves…trying to make it on our own…always looking for greener pastures… We can only see what’s right in front of us—that obstacle, that problem, that dilemma.  Nothing else matters…. It’s all about us… Until we’re broken… Yes, broken.  

 When a little lamb would wander off from the flock, the shepherd would take his staff, or crook, and break one of the legs of the little fellow.  This wasn’t out of anger, or sadistic humor, but purely out of love.  You see, if that little lamb didn’t learn his lesson then that wandering from the flock would only bring pain, he would learn it later at the jaws of some wild predator.

It is when we’re broken—a leg gets twisted, a hoof is split, or a painful lesson is learned—that the Good Shepherd picks us up and puts us on his shoulders.  He carries us when we can’t carry ourselves… And then we see everything differently.  Suddenly, we’re seeing from his perspective; the pastures on the other side, the other lambs frolicking, the revitalizing water flowing.  There’s no way we could see this larger picture on our own, in our stunted, pea-brained worldview.  Only on the shoulders of our Shepherd does everything come into focus.

Don’t be afraid of being broken.  Stop trying to make sense of this bleak world in your own human understanding.  God sees the whole picture.  Start trusting in him and seeing yourself, your problems, and your world through His eyes.  Only then will you begin to understand…

Know that he is in control and his ways are best.  I’ll leave you with this well known verse:  “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’“  Most people stop here, but the following verses are perhaps the most important… and my challenge to you today…

“12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jer 29:11-13, NIV)

The Self-Proclaimed Perfectionist

Okay, so you might notice that it’s been difficult for me to get blogs out on a real regular basis. I’ve got close to 10 different posts saved as drafts on my computer, but none of them are complete or ready to post.

I’m a self-proclaimed perfectionist (look at my desk and you’d say I’m wrong), but I find it to be one of my greatest weaknesses. I’m paralyzed by a fear that what I write won’t be good enough.  Not only that, but I find myself wandering back to past posts and making small course corrections.

There you go, just being transparent. One of my core values is authenticity, so I had to share with you why you won’t see me writing a blog every day…at least for now.

I have a few posts to put up in the coming days, so keep your eyes open.

When Life Gives You Manure…

I recently heard a story that goes something like this:

There once was a little bird that was flying south for the winter and got caught in a snowstorm.  As snow landed on his tiny wings, it melted slightly, then quickly froze, causing the bird to fall to the ground.  As he sat helpless and shivering, encased in ice, the bird thought to himself (to be spoken in a little bird voice), This is the end.

To make matters worse, a cow wandered toward the freezing bird and—wouldn’t you know it?—deposited a stinking pile of manure on top of the bird. (I know this is gross, but there is a point to it.  Hang with me).

The bird panicked, horrified at the thought that he was going to freeze to death, covered in manure.

But slowly, the warmth of the manure caused the bird to thaw out.  He fluttered his newly freed wings and began to chirp with joy!

“Chirp! Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!” he sang.

That’s when a cat, drawn by the chirping, ran over, dug out the bird…and ate him.

Maybe you’re reading this and you want to shout at me, “Dude! You’re just weird!”  I understand (but God made me this way).

Or maybe you were reading along and you wanted to shout, “Yeah! That’s exactly what my life feels like.  Just when things start to get better, the bottom drops out or stuff falls on my head.  My life is just one disaster after another.”

I understand, and I hate when life feels that way.  But God promises that He is at work in all things.  Even the bad things.  And if we will trust Him during the dark times, He can bring blessings out of the pain.

Do you believe me?

Well, back to that dearly departed bird.  You see, this story of courage and calamity teaches three very important lessons.  Hope you didn’t miss them:

1.       Not everyone who drops manure on you is your enemy.

2.      Not everyone who digs you out of manure is your friend.

3.      When you are in manure, keep your mouth shut.

Allow God to give you eyes to see His purpose in your experiences—all of them!  It is there if you look closely enough.  And when you see it, you’ll find your experiences pointing the way to God’s plan for your future.  His will for your life is driven by an unconditional, passionate, never-ending LOVE for you.

 

*From Craig Groeschel’s book, Chazown. p. 69-70.