Don't blow the plan

This is a follow-up to yesterday's message. If you have not read it - just skip ahead, read "Using Jesus as an Example is Dangerous" and then skip back to this one.
One of the highest "credits" to the Bible is its applicability over time. Though more than half of the scripture was written more than 2,000 years ago, the situations and lessons apply to the everyday lives of 21st centurions.

What remains dangerous about using Jesus is not that Jesus was a bad example, because Jesus was a perfect example. What remains dangerous is that we attempt to put Jesus into a small conceptual box, and then apply our own hermeneutics to extract advice.

Here's an example.

If we try to figure out how Jesus would handle the situation if He got His girlfriend pregnant, we can't. It is impossible to ask questions in that form because Jesus would never get his girlfriend pregnant. We are able to extrapolate what action would be best from the situation, but WWJD is the wrong approach.

When we take Christ and give Him a lifestyle in contradiction to His nature, we are using Christ in a way that is impossible. Another example: if we ask WWJD if he was caught stealing funds from the company's petty cash, we would be asking a meaningless question. Jesus would never have been caught because he would have never stolen it in the first place.

We have another question remaining to which we can turn. What would Jesus have me do in this situation to bring Him the glory? This is a very different question than WWJD.

For example, if you told your pregnant girlfriend that you were moving to California and she was on her own, it would not bring glory to Christ. If you told her to get an abortion because you didn't want children at your age, that would not bring glory to Christ. If you told her that would take responsibility for her and her child's welfare because of your role in the matter - Jesus Christ would certainly be honored.

If you denied the truth to your boss about your theft of the petty cash - there is no glory for Christ in that. If you hired a lawyer and used the minutia of the law to escape culpability, that would not bring glory to Christ. If you took responsibility for the sin you had committed, repented and repaid through whatever punishment was given you - that would bring glory to Christ.

Because we are sinful it is difficult to ask WWJD, because most of our problems are based on our own sinful nature. If instead we ask how to give the greatest glory to Christ through our handling of the situation, I think we can find our answers most clearly.

The fact is, being like Christ is difficult. Christ had only a single attribute that we need to emulate, and that is holiness. Holiness is a difference from the sinful world because it is selfless and righteous - something that is not natural. If we seek holiness, we will seek to be different than our sinful self, act in ways that are in the best interest of everyone but ourselves, and in ways that are glorifying to God.

The mental gymnastics required in putting Jesus in our shoes usually stops us before we can get an answer. If instead we ask what we can do to be more in the shoes of Jesus and bring glory to God through our holiness through the power of Jesus Christ - we have already done what is right.

I believe that there is a plan. There is a plan made for each person through all time. At the time we were created, God created a plan for our life. The plan is for our good, and created out of love. I believe that the plan is self-contained and that we can embrace the nuances of the plan through simple faith.

Here's what I mean. When I was born, God had in store a time that I would hear the gospel and come to accept Jesus Christ as my personal lord and savior. However, I was not aware of the plan, and I was not aware of the love God had for me. As a result, I was prone to not only sin, but also not to trust the plan.

When troubles would come into my life, I would handle them in the best way I knew - and not include God. As a result, sin would sometimes be the answer I would select for the question and God never had sin in the plan for my life. As a result of my sin at some juncture in the plan, my path had changed.

God still had a plan for my salvation, but it had to be changed because my sin had altered the plan God had in store for my life. Now, instead of my Sunday School teacher leading me to Christ when I was 11, my 4th grade teacher would lead me to Christ when I was 9. This may not be exactly what happened to me, but it is an example of what might have happened.

Here is a better example.

When I was born, God had in the plan of my life the perfect godly woman who would marry me and make me happy. He would arrange for her to be in my 7th grade history class.

Unfortunately, my future bride's father cheated on and divorced her mother and she and her mother had to move to Florida to live near her grandparents. God never has divorce in His plan. Sin has altered her life. She and her mother would die in a car wreck during the move to Florida.

My plan had to be changed because of the sin in someone else's life. Who God had in store for me, was no longer an option because her father had sinned. But the plan was not set in stone. God knew the plan would be changed due to our sin.

Instantly, and with loving detail my plan was updated. God had the perfect godly woman whom I would marry, and He had arranged for her to my in my 7th grade history class. But I was only 3 years old - it would be a while before we would meet.

Between the age of 3 and the 7th grade, other people's sin - including my own - would impact God's plan for my life. My salvation may be at a different time, but God would always include it in my plan. Eventually, God was able to work through enough lives for me to meet my wife at college, as she served me watermelon on the quad. God remained faithful to me to craft a plan for my life that was thorough and good.

Here's the point I am getting at.

If God has a plan for your life - you know that at every juncture, at every stress point, at every decision or trouble - God has through it through and made a way for you to pass through it. He is counting on you, however. He is counting on you to remember that God has made the universe, he has made the world, he has made you and he has crafted the plan. God is counting on you to have faith and rely on Him - He is never counting on you to sin.

If trials appear in your life and you do not sin through them, God can use your obedience to complete His plan for your life. He is constantly ensuring that His plan for your life is complete and perfect - if we do not mess it up, the plan will deliver us salvation, peace and life abundantly.

Faith in the plan is really faith in God and His reliability to care for us as a father.

God's plan is not a requirement. We can blow the plan again and again. He will never forsake us and leave us to the follies of random chance. He formed us carefully in the womb, giving us the necessary gifts and traits to navigate His plan successfully.

When trials come, remember the plan.

All God is expecting from you is to be faithful and obedient. He has worked out the details. What would Jesus Do? Jesus would remain holy, because even as we sin God is creating for us a way out. Through our holiness, God can use us to complete his plan through any problem or juncture.

When trials come, remember the plan.

On a personal note - I put up Christmas lights last night on my house. This is the first time in my life I ever put up Christmas lights on my house because this is the first Christmas I have ever owned a house (previously I owned a condo).

It was amazing how complicated it was to get it all figured out - where things should go - how to plug them in, which strand continued from which and which direction they should go along the rafters. I realize now that the years I helped my grandfather put up Christmas lights he had had years prior to consider the strategy of his light arrangements.

We also put up our tree. It is a real tree we got from the bottom of our mountain, there was a guy with a bunch of trees and we patronized his business. The tallest tree we have ever owned because our front room is the tallest room we have ever owned.

Kyndall and I get a Christmas ornament from each place we visit. When we decorate the tree it is a trip down memory lane as we reveal the next ornament and remember the times we had there.

There's a tradition for Kyndall to get me the Hallmark Star Trek ornament each year. I have a full armada of ships on the tree from Borg cubes to the original Enterprise. This year, Hallmark didn't come out with an ornament - that was disappointing.

The snow has finally melted away. We didn't even have to put the dog in the garage last night because the temperature didn't get down to the single digits. Her water didn't even freeze.

In two days (Saturday), Kyndall will be hosting a Pampered Chef party. It's a funny thing - people who live in the mountains are very friendly but are not very neighborly. Many people love the solitude and only on rare occasion interact with any of their neighbors.

I think this is unhealthy and it doesn't fit with Kyndall's personality either. We hope that this party - to which we have invited many of our neighbors - will be an opportunity to begin a relationship with our estranged mountain-mates.

Now, back to studying for the SQL 229 exam.

Vacations and Presents

We spent the Thanksgiving holiday in Missouri. I had some extra vacation, holed up from our cancelled trip to New Zealand, so Kyndall and I exercised some Southwest Airlines frequent flier miles and spent the weekend in Southern California.
California is a funny place. It's beautiful in a certain way. It's ugly in another. Not being there at peak season it is not fair to draw too broad a conclusion, but southern California just seems more like an industrialized desert. But again, that's just me.

Thanksgiving dinner at my parent's house was an interesting one this year. I have been breathing for 28 years and somehow still I ended up at the kid's table. They added on an enclosed patio - it's a nice sunroom when the sun is out - and a kid's dining room when Thanksgiving dinner is served.

The best we could find was Sorry. Do you remember Sorry? It's not exactly mental, but as far as board games go, Sorry is not a bad player. We dusted it off, shuffled the cards, and as a friend of mine says, "We started kickin' it old-school style."

Vacation means something to me different than what it means to you. Or maybe it doesn't; let's see. To me, vacation means seeing my family. It also means seeing my wife's family. We're pretty parallel so far, I would guess. It also means not going to work, but more than anything, my vacations are saturated with hours and hours behind the steering wheel.

I don't have the classic television sitcom problems. My in-laws are nosey, but they are very respectful. My mother is demanding, but she lets me live my life. Both families get along, don't pester us about grandchildren, and let us eat dessert first if we want.

I do have what is probably a very common American problem, though. Distance. Getting from my bed in my own house to my bed in my parent's house takes a little more than 9 hours of straight driving across beautiful Kansas. Getting from the dinner table at my parent's house to the dinner table at Kyndall's parents' house takes just a hair over three hours.

That means before I get a chance to see everyone, I have invested 12 hours of rump time into the driver's seat. Moreover, no one wants to sit and visit with each other when family arrives, they want to go for a drive, or go to the city or go anywhere to bump up my exposure to purring motors.

Then, we have to go home. That ups the ante to 24 hours minimum. Imagine. Who has enough CDs in their car to fill 24 hours of driving? I can only keep conversation going for so long until I start to read billboards out loud and sing to myself.

Going home is always worth it though. The outlet malls, the restaurants, the suitcase living and the occasional extended-family tension. I can try all I want to paint it sour, but something keeps pulling me back.

This year, just past the Colorado border, it started to drop in temperature. There is just something wonderful about Colorado. I don't know what it is. It isn't the high school graduation rate. It isn't the drug abuse rate. It isn't the high cost of living. It's something else, something that was here before we started to settle the state. Something natural.

Anyway, as the temperature dropped we started to see the occasional snowflake. Within a few miles it turned to fog. Thick fog. We were not far from Limon, Colorado - the only oasis between Kansas and Denver. We made it and filled the gas tank. I felt the car slip as we pulled away from the pump.

This was crazy - we could barely see more than 20 feet in front of us and it didn't look like the weather was going to improve. So, the ref. Finally ref. made the call - and we pulled into a local motel for the night.

The next day was like Mad Max movie. Driving into Denver that morning along I-70 were dozens of cars spun out into the median, flipped minivans, smashed cars - it was frightening. Kyndall wouldn't let me drive over 40 MPH for the longest time, and even then we were passing everyone.

It was a good call.

This week a certain realization set in. My company is a certified Microsoft partner, and partners have requirements to retain their certification. One of those requirements is to have a certain number of consultants certified on some Microsoft product. All the certifications that had gotten us this far had either left or expired.

I was volunteered and I, in turn, volunteered for the SQL 2000 229 exam. It's not an easy exam, but I felt pretty confident. The material I had ordered before vacation had arrived and I tool a sample quiz and suddenly, the lump in my throat began to tighten.

The time schedule I have to take the test is short - a little too short to be done best, but I will just have to pull through. It's a true test of my vigor and ability to absorb technical information. - and deal with an ulcer! (not really)

Finally, I have started to not hate Christmas so much. This year has promised to be different with Kyndall's family because everyone has opted into the new gift scheme. The basic idea is to limit spending. I am always for such things. As her extended family grew with marriages (her marriage to me included) and children (like Jason's and Carol's) we all began to realize that significant gifts for each person were growing into a small county's yearly budget.

A crippled economy helped solder the deal and time will tell how things really are executed. Some people will have to fight the year's old temptation to splurge, and others will have to adjust expectations on Christmas' returns.

All in all, the lowbrowing of gifts while maintaining the spirit of giving during the Christmas season has to be a positive one.

In the meanwhile, I am busy figuring out how not to rip of Kyndall. Her jewelry bag was stolen at Denver airport last month, and it is tempting to use the replacement of those items as Christmas presents - especially since insurance will be paying for its replacement.

I think buying for a spouse is one of the harder things to do. The good thing is, Christmas allows you to not have to negotiate a purchase. Where you might ask to make a major purchase, during the holiday, we usually give with the idea that, just ask - no negotiation necessary. That's the beautiful part.

What's hard is that the spouse is at your same address, and they will see the bill when it arrives. They will know things that if you just gave it to your mother, you would never have to consider.

I think buying for a spouse is one of the harder things to do. Imagine if you bought your wife the scarf she always wanted. You were proud to remember that she wanted, frankly, but in mid-January she reveals that she is disappointed that you did not pick up on the hints she was dropping on a new dress or anything other than a scarf.

Your bother-in-law would not pull this stunt. But buying for a spouse is hard. You have to be reasonable. You have to be current. You have to be aware, thoughtful, and you have to be clever and romantic. Buying for my nephew, the only thing I have to try and do is remember how old they are.

I think buying for a spouse is one of the harder things to do.

Using Jesus as an example is dangerous

Using Jesus as an example is dangerous.
Man, that's a frightening phrase when my entire faith is based on the notion that Jesus Christ is the perfect example.

But consider with me, for a second, the possible problems in taking that notion too far.

Let's use a classic example. If you are in trouble and don't have a way out - what should you do? Well, what would Jesus do? He set this example by praying in times of stress.

Jesus' life was full, and even though only three short years were chronicled, we have a litany of examples by which we can model our lives.

The evil cartoon character Mr. Burns, on the Simpsons, responded when asked if he would not use the Simpsons' family dog to make a tuxedo because his wardrobe was already full, "Yes, but not completely full."

Jesus set the example for our lives, but the list of examples is not completely full.

It could be argued that all things boil down to a small subset of moral questions. I have made that argument myself on many occasions, but I have begun to review that logic. That argument is valid, but flawed.

All things have to be asked in the context of the question, "How is it in practice?" For example, if you have a religion that says oxygen is poison - in theory it might seem superb, but in practice it is useless.

You can believe anything you want, but its test ends with practice.

Let's use Jesus as our guide - What Would Jesus Do (WWJD)?

Nazis knock on your door and ask if you are hiding Jews in your attic. You are. Do you tell them? Well, what would Jesus do? Surely the Son of God would never lie. Lying is a sin, right? So - send those Jews to their deaths.

What a minute, you mean to tell me that Jesus Christ the Son of God and the most loving being in existence would send Jews to their death at the hands of the Nazis? That's insanity.

It is fair to comment here that death is not all that bad. But just consider that Jews are not saved, so their death means a one-way ticket to the warmer side of Valhalla.

November is approaching. Should I vote? Well, what would Jesus do? You might argue that Jesus implied that we are to partake in the government to the degree required of us and that voting is a requirement of citizenship. Fine, Jesus would vote.

Now that I am voting, for whom should I vote? Well, What would Jesus do? Would Jesus vote democratic? Would Jesus vote a party ticket? Would Jesus write-in His pastor?

While we are on the topic, would Jesus go to church? Would he go to a Baptist church or a Catholic church? Would Jesus have a Christmas tree? Would Jesus own His own car? Would Jesus have a secular job or preach?

This is the nature of the problem. How do contemporary questions relate to historical ones?

Are we to be JUST like Jesus or just as close as we can be comfortable?

Because let me tell you, you would have a long time pushing that Jesus would buy a house when he could feed the poor - you would have a long time pushing that Jesus would work in the secular world and not the mission field. You would have a long way to go to show Jesus driving an SUV to commute to downtown.

Before I go too far down this path, let me back up to the original point. Does Jesus' life give us enough to base our every action with Jesus as an example?

Did Jesus work in the secular world and did he deal with the pressures of promotion, layoffs, corporate evils and salaries? Did Jesus ever accidentally back his car into his neighbor's? Did Jesus drink Pepsi or Coke?

This kind of goes back to that one argument - all actions can be boiled down to a smaller subset of moral questions.

Using Jesus as an example for voting will never work. When you go to vote, you have a decision to make. Jesus gave us an example of how to make a decision.

Using Jesus on how to deal with backing into your neighbor's car will never work. But Jesus gave us plenty to go on for honesty, responsibility and kindness.

So, when I said that using Jesus as an example is dangerous, I was wrong.

And when I said that all things cannot boil down to a subset of morals, I was wrong again.

Jesus' life was not only full, it was completely full.

Let me say it in reverse.

All of life's problems can boil down into a simpler sub-set of moral questions, all of which can be answered by the example in the life of Christ.

Try that in practice and see of it is true.

Later, we'll deal with just how like Christ we are supposed to be.

Wait! So what would Jesus do when the Nazis known on His door? That's easy - he would do what was right.

Money makes the world go 'round

I asked a question today in Sunday School. I thought it was a pretty good question, and it got a little traction in class, but I wanted to flesh it out a little.
The line of reasoning leads like this.

Jesus says to look at the birds of the air; do they worry for clothing and food? No, God provides for them beautifully - and if He provides for them how much more will he provide for humans who matter so much more.

Are we to worry about food or shelter?

The quick answer is no.

If we have faith in God, should believe He will provide regardless?

The quick answer is yes.

Does a faithful Christian need a high paying job?

There isn't a quick answer, but let's go with no.

Should a Christian's endeavors have an eternal perspective?

The quick answer is yes.

Does a Christian's occupation count as an endeavor?

The quick answer is yes.

Should a Christian's occupation have an eternal perspective?

The quick answer is yes, but could go two ways on that.

Based on the belief that God provides. Should a Christian have a profession (high paying or not) that does not have an eternal perspective?

The quick answer is no.

This can be gone into more detail when we consider the amount of our lives that are spent at work - and the value of that percentage of our lives. Incidentally, that percentage is astronomical when you remove sleeping hours.

Here's the question: What occupations have an eternal perspective?

This is fascinating. When you no longer need a job to PRODIVE for yourself because you trust God to provide because He is faithful, your occupation has new criteria - an eternal perspective.

The list of occupations with eternal perspective is not short, but at the same time, it is a fraction of the occupations/vocations out there.

But heated discussions can brew with questions like:

Is being a banker really helping bring about the kingdom of God?

Reliably, someone will bring up the point that these types of occupations place Christians into a secular situation where they have the opportunity to witness to a co-worker who might not otherwise learn of Christianity.

Remind them that God makes a way for everyone.

One might even deduce that this reasoning of co-worker witness is somewhat contemporary, and might be more convenient than it is really applicable. It might be more our desire to justify our lifestyles than it is to confront our society and drastically change our lifestyles.

You might ask:

Is God Almighty bound by secular mechanisms to reach people?

Did Jesus need to get a secular job to reach the multitudes?

Did any of the disciples use their secular positions to witness to co-workers?

Someone will surely say here (or before) that money allows things to be accomplished: such as sending missionaries abroad or building a church.

Ask this: Does God need anything?

Finally, conclude with these questions:

Do Christians grow most in sacrifice or abundance?

Does God desire His people to be wealthy?

In light of trusting God to provide, what is the purpose of Christians to have wealth?

Someone will almost assuredly say here that they know or know of a very wealthy Christian who deals very well with their fortune - and in light of their example, they think wealth might be a great idea.

Do possessions and wealth create a deeper walk with Christ?

Should wealthy Christians give what they have to the poor?

Should Christians own expensive homes / cars / clothes / etc.?

This could go forever if you are not careful - what a Christian should or should not do with wealth. For the people who take it seriously, they will likely conclude that wealth should not be a goal of Christians, but may be a gift from God. Others might conclude that wealth is a curse from Satan.

The final point should be to show that Christians live by faith and ought not set wealth as a goal in their lives. Wealth itself may not be sinful, but setting wealth as a priority can edge out other priorities that belong higher in the pile.

What were Jesus' last words?

Matthew 27

45 From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.
46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah."
48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink.
49 The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him."
50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

Mark 15

33 At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour.
34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah."
36 One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down," he said.
37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

Luke 23

44 It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45 for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.
46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last.

John 19

28 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty."
29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips.
30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.