The not so pharisaical scribe

Lately I've considered it a goal to read through the gospel of Mark. If there is a core teaching, a core system, or a heart to the writing that I want to glean from it, its the ways, teaching, and heart of Christ I want to glean. I want the thought of Christ to jump at me from the pages. Like one of the great evangelists and speakers of our day said, Ann Graham-Lotz, "Just give me Jesus." It's true...out of all the characters in the Bible I could study, I want to study the life and teachings of the very man who in this instant is performing his perfect priestly service to me, and has bestowed on me an inheritance greater than I could ever conceive!! I want to know who this is!!
I say this, because I think I found someone in the word someone who might have experienced an emotion much akin to this. He was a scribe, probably one of the scribes in the synagogue who listened more to Jesus' teachings with his heart than his heady counterparts, pharisees and sadducees. Mark says this scribe came to Jesus because he heard how successfully Jesus was teaching to the people there. He was probably intrigued, and maybe experienced how Jesus' words on some matters spoke to his heart. This man was still a scribe, and probably a bit legalistic like many teachers were, obsessing over the law, forgetting altogether the maker of the law in the first place. But like many who have broken free from the chains of legalism into the freedom of Christ, he too was about to begin his life away from the law. So in his legalistic tendencies he approached Christ about a command, and asked what Jesus thought was the most important command. Jesus response was probably so satisfying to him. He chimed back and repeated what Jesus had said to him, affirming it to his own life. "You are right Teacher." What was this command that Jesus gave him. It was the only command that could wean a man off the law itself. It was the greatest verb a man could integrate into his life. The greatest thing he could do to others. Like all commands that revolve around an action, indicated by a verb, Jesus gave him one word....Love! In two forms he gave him this word....1) Love God, 2) Love others.
As the greatest command ever given, this may be the one thing that is hardest for us to carry out. It requires that we look beyond ourselves, it says "be God to that person and love him". In our self-centered society, this is probably top on our list of things that we should entreat prayer in aid for this, and is probably one of the things we pray about least. "Father, even now....teach me to love....to love beyond myself...to love in faith...to love in ways I do not know...that I may be Christ to all who don't know you."

My question is Why does Christ seemo desire his message not be spread, when he says, "make sure you tell no one" or "tell no one of what you have seen here." I'm going to open it up to whomever wants to comment. I know I once I learned the answer, but I forget, and I wanted to hear what you're reactions were. (as a sidenote, I'm about done compiling my thoughts on the word "bless" [ba-rak] as used in the OT) Here are the passages to consider this over.
Mark 7:36
Mark 8:26, 8:30
Mark 9:9
I know there are more, but this is just a sample. So, what do you think?

Worthy of all the energy in the World

Tonight is one of the those nights that I knew what I was going to write all day, since this morning when I read the daily devotional by A W Tozer. I'll post it, and share my thoughts afterward. As a backdrop, every month has a theme, and this month is preaching.

Since I can't find a way to copy and paste into this Blog, I'll sum up his devotional in this statement he makes. "The freshest thought to visit the mind, should be the thought of God". He makes the point that probably one of the absolutes of the event of preaching is the ability to capture the attention of the audience, for their long-term benefit. If a preacher comes up, does not speak well, is mundane, says things which are not very relatable, the intended long-term effect of the authorial intent the preacher had, will not be there.

If you can listen to John Piper's shpeal on preaching, when he talked about George Whitefield. Absolutely amazing! The gist of George Whitfield was, if actors so act to convince you of something fake, how much should we use tools of communication to convince others of what is real. Think about it! What is more deserving of passion, of intellectual input, of rhetoric, of presentation and speaking skills, but the word of God.

It's so interesting! I've told my wife this so many times. "If consumerism were a monster, advertising and marketing would be its arms and legs." Billions and billions of dollars are spent each year......on trying convince you need something you really don't. Buy this new contraption, it will REVOLUTIONIZE your life....buy this doo-hicky for your couch, it will improve your digestive system.....it's all craziness! Advertising is a multi-billion dollar business!

What if we presented the gospel, like these companies try to convince consumers on buying things they don't really need! Just putting it out there....what if? What if God's people got it together, and made campaigns! Now, I know churches like Mars Hill, and Willow Creek, and Harvest Bible Chapel, and Bethlehem Baptist Church do make an effort in this arena. But just what if we pushed the envelope even more. I am not even sure what that would look like to be honest. It's been on my heart, and I'm not sure where it will go from here. Perhaps other peoples hearts will be stirred too. What do you think? Am I crazy? Are city-wide, or nation-wide campaigns feasible? Is the gospel worthy? Is God's glory that worthy to be magnified in people's hearts turning to Him as an outcome of these campaigns?

I'm trying to think of recent history of things of this magnitude. Billy Graham crusades....I know Charles Spurgeon and Dwight L Moody spoke to THOUSANDS in their day.

I'm going to leave it at that for right now....what do you think? What are you thinking?

What's wrong with bosses?

As usual, my writings are fueled from personal experiences throughout the day. Today I had a little frustration with my director, but it slowly sizzled away after I realized something. I'll share that in a bit.

First, what's with all the guff we give our piers? It's so easy to talk down about them, to criticize, and really not respect those over us. Why? You may answer, "were rebellious, we were born to do that" or "they just really aren't good supervisors" or even "they deserve it, mine treats me like crap!" So yeah, everyone is a critic. It's easier to criticize and find something wrong than it is to admonish, and encourage somebody (while I'm on the topic, compliment somebody who is in the room with you right now). I would argue there might be something underlying our views of supervisors and bosses. Let me ask you another question...what is it about leaders that we demand so much from them? Why all of a sudden when someone increases in leadership, we correspondingly increase our expectations for them. I have no answer except this suggestion. We are biologically wired to expect much from leaders! They're leaders! They have responsibilities over others which requires that they have better skills than us, better assets, better minds..... I would further assert that we are hard-wired to behold "perfect" leadership. We desire it...we don't like it when our leaders fail us, or even worse when they're failures affect us. We get a pay cut, we get the grief, or we get more responsibilities and you know what happens....the amount of gossipping that goes on behind that boss's back increases....and its not good things were saying. We sub-consciously expect perfection.

I realized this as I got frustrated. I sat and I thought (as I often do at work in a rather unproductful manner) "Well maybe this guy has never been officially mentored in his position...maybe he really doesn't know what's going on and so he has this austere cold front that makes me feel like I'm the fool and insulates him in being a boss." My expectations for him were automatically very high.

I'm realizing more and more I'm alive, there is only one person in this universe that can quench my desires for perfection, for betterness, for an improved life-style....Jesus Christ. "Oh how cliche Luke..." Oh I mean it with all my heart!! Take for example my lens for viewing reality, mainly the Bible. I take the Bible to be infallibly true, and I trust it. If what it says is true, that God exists, He created the earth, He created it to be sufficient for us, but for His Glory made this earth temporal, and told me that everything in this world has, is but an echo of things to come, including leadership (and I understand if you don't share my worldview, this won't make a bit of sense). So many things will come to its purposed climax, in the world to come after Jesus comes, or I die (which ever comes first). Joy will be fulfilled in heaven (by things to come, I meant this, heaven), the task of work God gave to Adam will be fulfilled in heaven, ultimate love will be fulfilled (in part) by the receiving of the gift of heaven to all who believe in Jesus, and even leadership itself will be fulfilled in heaven when Jesus Christ is named King over the entire earth, and rules in perfection! You see we are actually hard-wired to be ruled over....not in tyranny, not in wrath, or in injustice....but with a ruler who is perfect! Who loves perfectly! Who gives perfectly! Who will govern our lives perfectly!

So remember this....when your boss is giving you a hard time, or you are giving him/her a hard time, and you get frustrated......your boss is an echo of things to come, and is made to remind you of the hierarchy that God hard-wired in you, that will only find its satisfaction in Jesus Christ!

That was a lot I know....leave comments for questions...I'll happily answer them!

PS - My wife added an interesting perspective. She basically added a synomym for the way I was using the term "hard-wired" in terms of desiring perfection. That synonym in Bible-speak is the phrase "image of God". The Bible says we are created in the image of God, and those who don't believe in Christ Jesus simply don't realize that they were created after the image of God (which is why its not that outlandish when Jesus claimed to be God when he walked this earth). We who know this, accept it and embrace it....we pursue being the image of God, the spiritual walk.

The Thrilling Thirty

Today's workout was amazing! I love a great workout, that just works well, keeps my heart rate up, and keeps me pumped! So today I'm going to call the circuit I created, the "Thrilling Thirty", and share it with ya'll. Its a circuit that you repeat three times, 10 minutes each circuit, and it takes about 30 minutes.....yeah you get it.

1. Bench Press

2. Pull-ups

3. Clean-and-press

4. Jumpe rope

The range here was a really good upper chest, and tricep circuit. The goal for me personally, is to complete the Men's Health 300 workout circuit!! Its killer! But the numbers I'm following right now, that will hopefully lead me into a one successful circuit of the 300, are:

1. Bench Press (135 lbs. as 2 sets of 5 reps each set)

2. Pull-ups (2 sets of 3....I know I know, its the body weight, its gotta go)

3. Clean-and-press (35 lbs. as 2 sets of 7 reps each set, each arm)

4. Jump rope (at least 2-3 minutes 70-80% exhertion)

I'm find circuits are a nice and fast way to get a complete intense workout. It's been shown that circuits burn fat like crazy while toning muscles at the same time. They're deceiving...you could take your time with them and get through them no problem, but circuits are meant to be done fast, in high intensity, and with short breaks (I was trying to keep my breaks under 45 sec.'s to a minute).

This summer I'm going for big, but for right now I've got some winter poundage I gotta burn! Try circuits, maybe this one, you might get addicted.

How do you know how you know?

First, off I'm not trying to be deep and profound. Not philosophical, but rather...provocative! It all started when I was talking with a co-worker the other day.

It was a Friday, everyone was in a chipper conversational mood and we got to talking about lunch. "No, I'm going to have to stay at my desk today for lunch" I said reluctantly. I had to, because I was leading our young adults ministry that night and I had to brush up on what we were going to talk about. They were curious what I was going to do that night. "I'll be leading a Bible study tonight." One of the ladies burst out exhuberantly, "Oh brother, religion is great for you! It makes people better..." and she just went on about how good "religion". Inside I cringed....I don't like the word "religion" as it is misguiding to what I want communicate about the Bible. My co-worker just went on and on about how great religion is. We got to talking about marriage (I was the only married guy in the group) and about how religion helps safeguards against marital affairs. I chimed in at that point "Well it really helps your marriage when you realize why God instituted marriage in the first place!" And my co-workers response just baffled me. She said with wide-eyed naive agreement, "Yeah I totally know what you mean." She had just gotten done talking about how in her marriage she sees happening in the future, she just wants to be happy, as she should be. My point was going to be "God instituted marriage not for happiness, but for holiness."

This just got me to thinking and remembering my teachings on epistemology. Epistemology is the basic study of knowledge...how you know what you know. I just want to hone here on the verb, "to know". The way she used that verb is generally the way we use it as Westerners. Well you may say, what do you mean? In the sense between the way Westerners (USA, Europe, etc) use the verb to know versus the way Easterners (Asia, Indonesian Ocean, etc) use that verb. An anthropologst and ethnographer (I think, don't quote me on that one) wrote this in his book "The East and the West". "Western thinking proceeds from particulars to general concepts while remembering that abstractions exist only in the mind of the thinker. It aims at imposing man's will on nature and society." Basically a very "scientific, intellectualistic, aggressive" way of approaching knowledge. Isn't that true? Us Westerners are usually the kings of science, masters of systematizing just about anything. Now consider his viewpoint on Eastern thinking. "Eastern thinking...is concerned with meditative introspection and contemplation rather than logic and induction from observed phenomena. The Oriental wants to feel that he has taken hold of the inner significance of the object of contemplation. Thought is more a form of pleasure than a prelude to action....as a result, knowledge of the natural world has significantly lagged behind that of the West..." (Sidney Lewis Gulick, "The East and The West", P. 128)

We in the West could feel like we stand high over our Eastern brothers, having gone through the Englightenment. I would argue that since we have gone through Englightment we may be missing something. I think the tendency of a scientific, first-glance, survey type of approach to thinking and new topics, may be keeping us going mile deep into ideas, and knowledge in general.

In the case of my co-worker, when I mentioned "It helps why God institutionalized marriaged", and she replied with a "I totally know your talking about", indicates to me that she has adopted this Western way of surveying what was just said, search our mental dictionary to see if merely it's there, and we find a faint checkmark of acquaintence and go "Yup, I know about that" when in fact what we mean, is "Yup I'm familiar with that". It's interesting! What keeps us from saying, "Well, what do you mean by that?" My guess is pride! The pride that says "Not sure what they're talking about...don't want to make it look like I don't know what they're talking about...because afterall I'm a ." Or it could be that we just want to be "in" on the conversation, and by admitting not knowing something, we'll feel "out" of the conversation, and those in it, will look condemingly on us. I don't know. All I know, is that a vulnerable and humble spirit is the tool in increasing in wisdom in knowledge.

If there is anything you get out of this, it is a new perspective on how you might personally approach new concepts, and new ideas. My wish would be that more people would go a mile deep in a few things, than go hardly deep at all in a wide range of things.