So last night, my apartment [minus Kaitlyn RIP to homework :(] went to the IU auditorium to see The Wizard of Oz. It was amazing!! I've never been huge in the Wizard of Oz and I haven't seen it in awhile but this my friends was amazing! The special effects, the lighting, the acting, the singing, the dancing, the orchestra--AMAZING! Of course my favorite part was the tornado....it really was cool how they did it though, I PROMISE! haha
It was really interesting what started to run though my mind, though, when the scene came for Dorothy, Toto, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Lion to actually get to Oz and meet with the Wizard. The Wizard, much like in the movie, was this huge totem pole looking deal with a huge, colorful, and glowing face who's eyes lit up and smoke poured out of his head when he was angry--which happened often. For real, this dude looked like he was straight out of a Scooby-Doo mystery!
Watching the terror that took over each of the characters as they were in the presence of this enormously frightening bully, I started to see this as how so many of us, Christians and non-Christians included, look at God. They were cowering together in pure fear in the presence of this "almighty." This poor excuse of a tree instilled this fear in them to make himself feel superior. He delighted in making them afraid and fearful. As he called each of them by name to stand in front of him, and basically mocked and judged them, each person reacted out of this controlling fright. Psssh, I would too! I remember the Tin Man stuttering, "Yee, yeee, yeessss, your Honor..I mean Sir...your Majesty."
So often, we come to God for help, wisdom, understanding, a trip home. We use God as this "Wizard" who we desperately hope will grant our every wish...according to his purpose of course...The thing is, this is exactly how we have a tendency of seeing Him. We see Him as this freaky totem-pole looking creature who is all wise and all knowing who, when we ask for something big, requires us to bring him something back in return in order for Him to return the favor. If you'll recall, when Dorothy and the others tell the Wizard their intentions for coming to Oz--to get a heart, a brain, some courage, back to Kansas--he requires that they must bring back the Wicked Witch of the West's broom first.
God does not, will not, shall not--that's right, shall not--require ANYTHING...let me repeat, ANYTHING...from us in return for Him to love us. God loves without agenda, without fault, without selfish ambition. That's another thing, God LOVES. This distant Wizard, who is actually a phony, is only there to gain power and control over the people and as a result gain respect from those who fear him. God is not like that in any way. God acts out of love, HIS LOVE. He is not distant, we do not have to travel to find Him, He does not glow and blow smoke when He's angry (although that might be kind of cool), He does not require anything in return.
We so many times fall into that trap of seeing God in that light though :/ Because we see God this way, we're afraid to get too close, realizing that it was a scam all along--that really, it was just a man behind the red curtain.
I almost vouch to say that this is what religion is and why it's so easy for us to see God that way. Often times religion claims to have all the answers, the ability to move mountains as long as you get involved, as long as you volunteer at the pitch-in lunches or in the little kids Sunday school. After you "pay your dues" so to speak, you will gain your benefit of God granting your wish. Once we get further enveloped into this scheme, we uncover the fact that it wasn't God all along that was behind the curtain, it was man. Then what are we left with? Anger, shame, hate.
God is right here, right now. God is next to you always and if you're in relationship with Him, He's inside of your heart at every second of every hour of every day of every week of every month of every year, etc. Don't let God become this freaky face that wants to instill fear and boss you around, see Him for who He truly is. We don't need to come to him in a stuttering despair of "Almighty," "Sir," "King of Kings," "Your Majesty."
"Your heart is not judged based on how much you love others, it's based on how much you are loved by [God]."--The Wizard from the Wizard of Oz (I know, I replaced "others" at the end with "God" :)
November 12, 2009
November 04, 2009
Ministry: Lucy's Playground
Today, I had lunch with an awesome friend of mine and we caught up on life and talked about our struggles, our thoughts, our desires. One key topic that continued to thrive in my mind was ministry.
Looking back on it, a lot of my pain and hurts the past few years have definitely been a result of some aspect of ministry. Now before you automatically put up your defenses as you read the rest of this blog, open your heart and your mind and hear me out.
What is ministry? Before reading the "technical" definition, my response would be that ministry is a tool we as people, usually Christians, use to better reach people for God and to determine ways to better serve God. I just looked up the definition according to dictionary.com and got this, "the act of serving; something that serves as an agency, instrument, or means." Hmmmmm, a curious definition I think. Two words I thought were key in that definition were "serve" and "instrument." I especially think "instrument" is an interesting aspect.
Near the end of our lunch today, my friend Tiffany and I were talking about ministry and about the role ministry has played in our lives since we've been at college-- both our frustrations with and our advantages from it. Why does there seem to be so many problems within a church? So much pain and so many disgruntled attenders...Why does there seem to be so many problems in Christian organizations altogether? So much pain and so many disgruntled attenders... I think the answer is a simple yet complex intertwining of things that basically boils down to this: Satan sees us trying to create "spiritual multiplication" thus he introduces "spiritual division."
Lucy, short for Lucifer and much more degrading, is the destroyer. He knows he lost the Christian, Christ's bride, forever and he's mad as hell! So what's he going to do about it, sit down and pout and throw a temper tantrum? HECK YEAH! You better believe he will because he is a ruthless, temperamental, petty little waa-waa who always tries to get what he wants--at any cost. Oh and guess what, YOU ARE HIS TARGET!
If you follow Christ, if you love God, Lucy hates you. Sorry to break it to you but he hates you almost as much as he hates God. Wow, sorry that's a lot. Now here's the kicker: he's a clever little bugger and he loves the twisted irony in situations so of course he's going to try and weasel his little repulsive face in the areas that we as Christians consider sacred. Insert: MINISTRY.
Now, you're probably like, "Whoa, hold up K Lu. Are you trying to say ministry is actually a messed up pawn in Lucy's game?" Uh no. Well, it doesn't have to be but it very well can be made into that if we're not VERY careful.
Pop Quiz:
Lucy's mission in life is to:
a)make sure as few people as possible get to know the true and real Gospel and/or God
b)make a mockery of God's name
c)glorify himself
d)all of the above and much more
DING DING DING, the answer is......D! (Looks like C isn't always right after all ;)
Lucy likes to to mock God's name in such a way that he'll use it against Him, such as in ministry. Okay, now I've gone into why Lucy would want to do this so let's talk about how ey?
Love. Selflessness. Discipline. Growth. All are aspects of a healthy and vibrant ministry that is God-centered and God-favored. Lack of these areas shows an issue with the big picture. All go hand-in-hand really but let's break these apart.
Love is a four-letter word with detrimental reprecussions=> that's right, detrimental. If a person loves well, that person is one of the most, if not the most, dangerous adversaries to Lucy. Love breaks down barriers, illuminates God more than anything else (other than God Himself), provides both grace and truth, and allows for the following three aspects of a healthy ministry to be possible. Have you ever talked to someone who you thought you could trust, wanted to trust, with something really deep and hard in your life just to be brushed aside? I have. I felt like I was worth less than a penny that got ran over 5 times by a steam engine. Have you ever talked to someone who you thought you could trust, wanted to trust, with something really deep and hard in your life just to be overwhelmed with love, hugs, and attempted understanding? I have. I felt like God's very created child. Love is the greatest commandment because love is fundamental to faith. Love is God. God is love. A lack of love reveals a lack of God. If you take on a leadership role you are held to a higher standard. If you are representing Christ and are open about it you are held to a higher standard. Whether you like it or not you are now a role model of Christ. SURPRISE!
Selflessness is impossible without love. This is the order of things AT ALL TIMES--wait, did I say ALL--AT ALL TIMES: God, Everyone else, You. God always comes first no doubt, right? Everyone always comes before you. Please let me repeat, EVERYONE ALWAYS COMES BEFORE YOU. We only get one life to get this right. Only one life to love people like never before. Only one life to help save a person from loneliness. Only one life to be there for someone. Now, comes you. But you're tired, right? But you're hungry, right? But you're sick, right? But you're busy, right? But you're stressed, right? Yeah, me too. Aren't we all. Who cares. Please answer me this, what's more important, you getting 2 more hours of sleep or you taking the time to LISTEN to someone who is dying on the inside and only wants to feel loved? Or, how about a few less hours of sleep to help a person to understand God better when in the process you'll probably come out with a better understanding yourself. We can sleep when we can no longer live so please don't let that be an excuse. Take care of other people and let them take care of you--the heart of selflessness. Get over yourself and carry the burden with your friend or even your foe. I know, it's an abrasive way of putting it but I have to say I'm pretty tired of selfishness. If you take on a leadership role you are held to a higher standard. If you are representing Christ and are open about it you are held to a higher standard. Whether you like it or not you are now a role model of Christ. SURPRISE!
Discipline is simple. If the words come out of your mouth don't you dare let your life give people a whole new, and I must say inaccurate, understanding. If you take on a leadership role you are held to a higher standard. If you are representing Christ and are open about it you are held to a higher standard. Whether you like it or not you are now a role model of Christ. SURPRISE!
Growth is evidence of life. If a child isn't growing then you know there's obviously something wrong with his or her body. If the ministry isn't growing the body is decaying. If there's not "spiritual multiplication" there is "spiritual division" and if you know anything about math in any way you know that one is growing and the other is decaying until it pretty much is no more. If you take on a leadership role you are held to a higher standard. If you are representing Christ and are open about it you are held to a higher standard. Whether you like it or not you are now a role model of Christ. SURPRISE!
If you feel like I was aiming this at a specific group or person you are mistaken. I've seen this all too much with too many people, including myself yes, and with too many Christian organizations, including churches. So, if you feel like I was pointing you out, I wasn't, maybe you have a guilty conscience. This was a little intense I know but warfare is no joke. Make the commitment to step it up, I will too.
Looking back on it, a lot of my pain and hurts the past few years have definitely been a result of some aspect of ministry. Now before you automatically put up your defenses as you read the rest of this blog, open your heart and your mind and hear me out.
What is ministry? Before reading the "technical" definition, my response would be that ministry is a tool we as people, usually Christians, use to better reach people for God and to determine ways to better serve God. I just looked up the definition according to dictionary.com and got this, "the act of serving; something that serves as an agency, instrument, or means." Hmmmmm, a curious definition I think. Two words I thought were key in that definition were "serve" and "instrument." I especially think "instrument" is an interesting aspect.
Near the end of our lunch today, my friend Tiffany and I were talking about ministry and about the role ministry has played in our lives since we've been at college-- both our frustrations with and our advantages from it. Why does there seem to be so many problems within a church? So much pain and so many disgruntled attenders...Why does there seem to be so many problems in Christian organizations altogether? So much pain and so many disgruntled attenders... I think the answer is a simple yet complex intertwining of things that basically boils down to this: Satan sees us trying to create "spiritual multiplication" thus he introduces "spiritual division."
Lucy, short for Lucifer and much more degrading, is the destroyer. He knows he lost the Christian, Christ's bride, forever and he's mad as hell! So what's he going to do about it, sit down and pout and throw a temper tantrum? HECK YEAH! You better believe he will because he is a ruthless, temperamental, petty little waa-waa who always tries to get what he wants--at any cost. Oh and guess what, YOU ARE HIS TARGET!
If you follow Christ, if you love God, Lucy hates you. Sorry to break it to you but he hates you almost as much as he hates God. Wow, sorry that's a lot. Now here's the kicker: he's a clever little bugger and he loves the twisted irony in situations so of course he's going to try and weasel his little repulsive face in the areas that we as Christians consider sacred. Insert: MINISTRY.
Now, you're probably like, "Whoa, hold up K Lu. Are you trying to say ministry is actually a messed up pawn in Lucy's game?" Uh no. Well, it doesn't have to be but it very well can be made into that if we're not VERY careful.
Pop Quiz:
Lucy's mission in life is to:
a)make sure as few people as possible get to know the true and real Gospel and/or God
b)make a mockery of God's name
c)glorify himself
d)all of the above and much more
DING DING DING, the answer is......D! (Looks like C isn't always right after all ;)
Lucy likes to to mock God's name in such a way that he'll use it against Him, such as in ministry. Okay, now I've gone into why Lucy would want to do this so let's talk about how ey?
Love. Selflessness. Discipline. Growth. All are aspects of a healthy and vibrant ministry that is God-centered and God-favored. Lack of these areas shows an issue with the big picture. All go hand-in-hand really but let's break these apart.
Love is a four-letter word with detrimental reprecussions=> that's right, detrimental. If a person loves well, that person is one of the most, if not the most, dangerous adversaries to Lucy. Love breaks down barriers, illuminates God more than anything else (other than God Himself), provides both grace and truth, and allows for the following three aspects of a healthy ministry to be possible. Have you ever talked to someone who you thought you could trust, wanted to trust, with something really deep and hard in your life just to be brushed aside? I have. I felt like I was worth less than a penny that got ran over 5 times by a steam engine. Have you ever talked to someone who you thought you could trust, wanted to trust, with something really deep and hard in your life just to be overwhelmed with love, hugs, and attempted understanding? I have. I felt like God's very created child. Love is the greatest commandment because love is fundamental to faith. Love is God. God is love. A lack of love reveals a lack of God. If you take on a leadership role you are held to a higher standard. If you are representing Christ and are open about it you are held to a higher standard. Whether you like it or not you are now a role model of Christ. SURPRISE!
Selflessness is impossible without love. This is the order of things AT ALL TIMES--wait, did I say ALL--AT ALL TIMES: God, Everyone else, You. God always comes first no doubt, right? Everyone always comes before you. Please let me repeat, EVERYONE ALWAYS COMES BEFORE YOU. We only get one life to get this right. Only one life to love people like never before. Only one life to help save a person from loneliness. Only one life to be there for someone. Now, comes you. But you're tired, right? But you're hungry, right? But you're sick, right? But you're busy, right? But you're stressed, right? Yeah, me too. Aren't we all. Who cares. Please answer me this, what's more important, you getting 2 more hours of sleep or you taking the time to LISTEN to someone who is dying on the inside and only wants to feel loved? Or, how about a few less hours of sleep to help a person to understand God better when in the process you'll probably come out with a better understanding yourself. We can sleep when we can no longer live so please don't let that be an excuse. Take care of other people and let them take care of you--the heart of selflessness. Get over yourself and carry the burden with your friend or even your foe. I know, it's an abrasive way of putting it but I have to say I'm pretty tired of selfishness. If you take on a leadership role you are held to a higher standard. If you are representing Christ and are open about it you are held to a higher standard. Whether you like it or not you are now a role model of Christ. SURPRISE!
Discipline is simple. If the words come out of your mouth don't you dare let your life give people a whole new, and I must say inaccurate, understanding. If you take on a leadership role you are held to a higher standard. If you are representing Christ and are open about it you are held to a higher standard. Whether you like it or not you are now a role model of Christ. SURPRISE!
Growth is evidence of life. If a child isn't growing then you know there's obviously something wrong with his or her body. If the ministry isn't growing the body is decaying. If there's not "spiritual multiplication" there is "spiritual division" and if you know anything about math in any way you know that one is growing and the other is decaying until it pretty much is no more. If you take on a leadership role you are held to a higher standard. If you are representing Christ and are open about it you are held to a higher standard. Whether you like it or not you are now a role model of Christ. SURPRISE!
If you feel like I was aiming this at a specific group or person you are mistaken. I've seen this all too much with too many people, including myself yes, and with too many Christian organizations, including churches. So, if you feel like I was pointing you out, I wasn't, maybe you have a guilty conscience. This was a little intense I know but warfare is no joke. Make the commitment to step it up, I will too.
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