No.  That isn’t all there is to it.  Luckily, Jesus shed some light on what it is to “give everything to God.”  In the gospel of Luke, Jesus shared his perspective on giving God complete ownership of one’s self:

Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come,

Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation,

nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is

within you” (Luke 17:20-21).

In Greek, the word Jesus used for ‘kingdom’ was ‘basilea,’ which is better directly translated into ‘kingship.’  I am not one for selecting diction across the bibles deriving spectrum of languages, but I think that there is something to be said about God’s ‘kingship.’  When we hold the phrase “giving everything to God” up to the light of what Jesus said we find that Jesus defined the above virtue as “giving God leadership of our kingdom.”  Since Jesus established that no physical place on earth would ever truly be under God’s kingship, He must be saying that God has different real estate in mind, and it’s within us.

Jesus was saying God should have reign over our spiritual identities; that we should give God the very fibers of our inner-person.  Our “everything” is just that, the very core of us to which all things that are exclusive to us burst forth.  God wants to be located at the epicenter of that which is our “kingdom.”

Tragically enough, how many of us have completely disregarded the wellbeing of our kingdom (our core selves) in the name of unselfishness?  Some people live their lives almost on-call to others in such a way that they omit the possibility of needing to be served at that point in life.  Some people stay involved in unhealthy relationships (romantic and otherwise) out of some sense of “extending grace” when all their doing is hyper-extending their compassion.  Ultimately, they lose more then they could’ve given in the first place.  While the process of learning to say “yes” and “more” takes considerable practice, the gift of “no” requires more temperance and spiritual-awareness.  A fear of saying “no” seems to communicate our own lack of trust that God’s work is independent of our own.  It’s as if we fear that if we don’t shoulder a certain workload, God won’t shoulder His.  However, God’s best work is done in the spirits of His followers even though His followers regularly disregard their spiritual identity.

The problem here isn’t the fear of most believers to give God their spiritual identity; the problem is that most believers are giving God a faulty one.  To fully articulate this I must shoot the fear of sounding cynical to the wind and say that if I stripped the most spiritual people I know of their lofty ideas and disciplines (the things that make them look spiritual), they would have no idea who they are and how they would go about finding that out.  They have no problem giving God their kingdom; they actually prefer it because doing so leaves no responsibility for them to even set foot within it’s walls.  Essentially, if they left God in control of their inner person, they never have to do the ‘work’ necessary to understand it.

This is a cop-out, and this isn’t what God wants.

Naturally, God isn’t interested in the polar opposite as well, where we take full ownership of our spiritual development and wait for it to be complete before we allow God to move in.  That simply will never happen.  As almost everything in life points to balance, so does the grotesquely misunderstood act of “giving everything to God.”

Say we did have this balance where we allow God to be the pivot in the spiritual understanding of our Self, while at the same time never shying away from seeking to understand who we are.  This may seem like a very simple middle ground and that this article is stating the blatantly obvious.  However, if we all truly understood this balance then why do we assume responsibility for other people’s relationships?  As men, we think we ‘know’ when relationships are ‘broken’ and mandate repair to which only we can provide.  If we understand this balance, why do we always catch ourselves saying ‘yes’ to too much?  Better too busy than too lazy right?  Wrong.  We don’t want to stop moving.  We hate to be still, and know that He is God.  We want to ‘fix’ things in our world so we don’t have to deal with them being broken.  We are scared children running around trying to make things fit into our single-dimensioned understanding of ‘right.’  We would rather be the caulk that holds the world together than accept things as they are and trust that God’s work will be completed in time.

If we don’t respond to structural flaws of the kingdoms we give to God, these issues will never be dealt with.  And how can we hear what God is trying to tell us when we won’t shut up?  “Quiet time” is what most Christians call it, but I call it “Ben time.”  Basically, I would sit down and calm their mind for a period of time. By setting aside this time to spend in my own skin, God always shows me something involving my spirit.  I bring my journal, and work through things with God that way. Sometimes I do something I love, but do it alone.  Naturally, this isn’t a formula for spiritual success; it’s just more of a suggestion.  Ultimately, one must pursue a deeper understanding of the spirit God works in, and everyone will do this differently.  The ultimate pursuit is the ability to take scenic walks through the kingdoms God gave to us, which we give Him the reins to.

I went with a bud of mine named Josh. Josh is on staff at the same church I work at and oversees the middle school ministry. Josh will be bringing a group of soon-to-be-ninth-graders there this summer. Yikes. Please pray for him.

We went there and scoped things out. Since I have spent some time in Latin America, I also went with to make sure Josh was not left to be feasted on by the Chupacabra. I also had the opportunity to visit some missionaries that our church supports and to see the ministry they are a part of. It is called Esperanza Viva, it is located in Puebla, Mexico and it is quite amazing.

Puebla is about a two hour bus ride away from Mexico City and is surrounded by mountains, there is even an active volcano right close by… the journey there is amazing as long as you can avoid whatever movie is contaminating the environment. We were treated to “peaceful warrior” … Kind of like the karate kid meets gymnastics.. which starred Nick Nolte as Mr. Miagi.

While Puebla is very beautiful… there is one underlying piece of it that complicates things… nobody drinks the water in Puebla. Not even the Chupacabra. Seriously… nobody can drink the water in Puebla. It is far too contaminated. It is not a matter of adjusting to be able to drink the water… Nobody drinks the water in Puebla.

In Puebla, bottled water is more expensive than Coca cola. When this is the case you can start to see how people are changed because of their surroundings. Given enough Coke and enough time your teeth will rot out of your mouth.

Did you know that you can use a Coke soaked cloth in order to loosen a rusty bolt?

It’s also good for cleaning toilets.

So.. we’ve got a bunch of people pouring a tasty and wretched concoction into their mouths instead of something pure, clean, and rejuvenating. This troubles me.

I know I don’t drink enough water. I have access to it, and maybe after writing this, I’ll start drinking it more often.. but I am free to partake in something that is a basic human need, and although I have access to it, I don’t really care about it, or think about it often, or drink it with the thanks that I should. I can get it for free and it is all around me, so why should I care?

When we remember what it is like to be without water… we begin to appreciate it.

After we have been out in the sun and our mouths are dried out… we care.

When we visit a mission and are allotted our 5 gallons to bathe with for the day… we care

when we are dehydrated from vomiting all day and slowly going insane in our concrete prison of a hostel, as we desperately search for just one little drop of water from the bone dry bottles on the floor… we care.. and we are willing to do nearly anything to get the water we need. We flip into survival mode… and we run out into the night looking for water. (some of you know it as the “both ends” story)

Most people reading this are in the same situation that I am right now. We have water and we often take it for granted. I am actually getting thirsty as I write this, so i am going to get some water right now.

refreshing.

I see some serious crossover with this concept though. I think we can take many things fro granted if we forget what it is like to be without them. This has spiritual implications as well. Maybe this is part of why it is so important for us to share our faith with others and invite them into the salvation that Christ offers. Not only is that something that is life giving for others, but it can remind us of what it is like to be “thirsty”.

Now, I am not talking about “making christians” I am talking about living out what we believe. When we operate in the identity of Sons and Daughters of God we drink deep from the salvation that has been given to us. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control… these things are life giving and when we live these out we are sharing our faith.

We are given a choice in all of this. We can drink deep from the life giving water and share this with others.. or we can allow the acidic sweetness to stain our teeth and destroy our bodies.

We need to be intentional.

We need to remember what it means to be “thirsty”, to be separated from God… and we need to live out our salvation by bringing water to those who thirst. In doing this we are reminded of what it means to thirst and we will desire to drink deep.

I think our basic human nature is naturally negative so we tend to look at the bad things in life instead of the good.  Also, it seems to me, we are conditioned by our society. Bad news makes the headlines–we are literally bombarded with all that is wrong with everything–it tends to develop in us the habit of complaining.

But we should be different. Here’s what the Apostle Paul said,

“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.” Philippians 2:14-15

Jesus help us! This tells me we are supposed to live our lives and do our ministries without complaining! Sometimes we ‘whine’ and says things like: “it’s just not fair”, “people don’t really appreciate me”, “I don’t deserve this”, “I shouldn’t have to put up with this or how come the other guy gets all the breaks?”

The truth is, life is unfair and so is ministry but as long as we complain it only makes us more miserable!  This I know; complaining does not work. I have tried it with my wife!  She will just say, “O shut up!” She has a way with words!

Seriously, complaining brought judgment to Israel and it does the same to us today. We miss out on God’s best. If the Scripture says we are to “do everything without complaining…”then perhaps here are some things that may help:

● We have to admit we are guilty. “A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. But if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance.” Prov. 28:13 LB

If our speech was recorded for a week, what would it reveal about our words? Let’s not spend time griping, grumping, complaining, arguing and saying things like “life/ministry stinks.”

● We have to stop blaming others.  Life and ministry is what we make it—plain and simple.  Of course there are trials and people are unreasonable but we are free to make choices, however, we are never free from the consequences of our choices. They may not be immediate but they will be eventual. [Selah]

● We have to realize God uses difficult times to grow us–if we handle them right. Here goes Paul again, “This small and temporary trouble we suffer will bring us a tremendous and eternal glory, much greater than the trouble. So we fix our attention, not on the things that are seen, but on the things that are unseen. What is seen lasts only for a time, but what cannot be seen lasts forever.” 2 Cor. 4:17-18 GN

-Paul is saying that the good we will get out of our problems will be much more long lasting than the problem.  For me, I have noticed the things I complain about the most are often the very things God knows I need the most in order to become all He wants me to be.  It is a warning light of God.  He is saying, “There is something wrong here.  Stop complaining and start changing!”

At a Discipleship Camp years ago, one of speakers shared the following on the results of complaining?

1. It absolutely poisons the air.
2. Deflates morale. People start feeling uncomfortable with each other.
3. Hinders vision. Cuts off what God is trying to do.
4. Shows a lack of trust/faith.
5. Keep you from God’s best–The Promise Land.

Pretty good stuff! One more from Paul–Philippians 2:14-15 needs to be the complainers Rhema Word! “Do everything without complaining or arguing…” then there are 3 results:

1. “…so that you may become blameless…” — nobody can find fault with you! Nobody can point a finger at you.
2. “…and pure…” — Greek word means ‘having integrity.’ Non-complainers are people of integrity. You cannot trust a complainer—they do not tell the full story—facts are they lie.
3. “…children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.” – you become positive in a negative world! A positive person shine likes a star on a dark night—there are plenty of critical, put-down type people in this ole world—we are to be different.

“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thess. 5:18 NIV

“…I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” Phil. 4:11 NIV

Being happy and joyful in spite of circumstance is called maturity.

I’ve noticed that a great deal of most adults end up still being thankful for the recent additions to their toy-chest, an upcoming donation to their name, or how the things they ultimately can’t control going in their favor. Granted, their “toys” are pay-raises, promotions, or the proverbial pat on the back administered by the powers that be. Their “upcoming Christmas season” is better described as an expected change in lifestyle than a hoard of presents under the tinsel clad pine. And their generally pleasant climate has more to do with health in the epidemic and prosperity in the economic ebb.

I don’t mean to say that there is something wrong with appreciating favorable circumstances in our lives; I just think there is something more to be thankful for.

I always used to hear about God reconciling his creation back to Him, and secretly rolled my eyes at the assertion. How can God be reconciling things to Him when things are getting worse? What exactly is God reconciling us to if not a walk off the Southern Col of Everest? I always viewed reconciliation as something blatantly obvious. It had to be a complete one hundred and eighty degree turn-around. The ozone layer has to magically re-appear, cancer cells need to dwindle into oblivion, and my tea doesn’t come out too hot to drink.

However, I am learning that miracles aren’t that simple.

Things were always either strained or disingenuous in my relationship with my father. If I wasn’t feeling excommunicated by his household, I was feeling like a novelty item in his life. A token son, if you will. Though the process was arduous, God’s surgical precision had brought the repair to an apex last spring.

I remember sitting at the table across from my dad ready to deliver the emotionally crushing blow that would justify the pain I had felt over the years by his indifference. I even viewed this experience for him as a cost-benefit analysis: would it be worse for him and suffering for a few hours, or being me and suffering almost all my life? It felt like no matter what I said to him, he was getting off like a bandit.

Fortunately, the God within me wasn’t going to allow that to happen. After a chain of events in our conversation, something larger than myself seemed to be tugging on my persona. God showed me that this time wasn’t about me lowering the boom on my father; it was about both of us experiencing forgiveness. God had shifted my paradigm, and it put the ball back in my court. I had to forgive this man.

Since that talk, the relationship with my dad has changed dramatically. I don’t feel bitterness and “what could have been” towards him. Though I do wish he would show a bit more interest in his life, I am learning to accept the subtle ways he does show care. I always used to think I couldn’t love him before I forgave him; but I have learned that in order to forgive him, I needed to love him. I won’t say I don’t have flickers of anger towards him at times, but I know more today than I did yesterday, and I trust that this process will continue.

God is slowly reconciling me to my father, which in effect will allow me to bring them both honor. I will be able to honor my father in loving him, and God will be brought honor in that I will be slightly more aligned with His vision for my family. Basically, God has been slowly converging my relationship with my dad to the relationship He and I should’ve had from the beginning. Ultimately, God seems to be slowly guiding our characters toward bringing His world back to Him.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the type of stuff people talk about over turkey. It’s not that people aren’t thankful for these processes, which take place in their spirits; some people just aren’t even looking for them. I always catch myself gauging the goodness of something in my life based on my preference. I’m not thankful for the stuff I don’t like, or the projects that don’t seem finished, but I am eternally grateful for health and wealth.

Miracles aren’t easy. They are a process that God takes His time in orchestrating to completion. Though thanksgiving (and more notably, black Friday) has passed, there still needs to be some open dialogue between God and us. Not so much to see the things He is grinding out in lives, but that we trust His involvement regardless of the outcome and how it measures up to what we desire.

God is at work, and He takes his time.

I wish I could be more thankful of that than the weather.

Most of my days are spent understanding what God has called me to do, but too fearful to step into it because of finances and other obstacles. At twenty-four, I believed I could lead the world to Christ, but at thirty-three, I can only see a handful that I have impacted. Most of that is because I was focused on me and my will rather than God’s will for my life, only doing that which was convenient. Could I have done more with these thirty-three years of life? More could have been done if only God had been in control of my life throughout that time.

The most incredible thing about God is that He opens our eyes and helps us to see where we should be going. In Luke 9:51, the Bible says, “When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem.” It was the turning point for Jesus. Today, God has given me the chance to have a turning point in my life and in the ministry that He has given me, where I can stop looking at the temporal and begin focusing on the eternal. Today, I am making that turn in my life, with the help of the Holy Spirit. It is the most exciting time of my life.

As I turn thirty-three, I thank you for reading the pieces that I have written for Prodigal Magazine over the last four years. Today, I ask one thing of you. Will you make the same turn in your life? Will you investigate your life today to see if Christ is truly the Lord of your life or is He simply there when it is convenient? These wasted days of self-indulgence cannot be replaced and will one day leave us feeling empty. As I turn thirty-three, I am turning my gaze to heaven and my heart is set on taking everyone I can with me to spend eternity with Christ. Will you come with me? I want you to be there too.

“The username and password entered do not match. Please enter correct username and password before proceeding”.

How many times have you seen that message, or one like it, splashed across your computer screen?

My mind races, it can’t be the username; I usually use the same one! It has to be the password, what password did I use when I set up this account? For the life of me I can’t remember. I enter one password after another, but none seems to be the right one. What was I thinking?

After some time I resort to the link just below the login box. “Forgot your password?” the helping hand most men avoid as a sign of utter failure. After all, are we that lame, we can’t remember the password WE created?

The next screen asks us to answer a couple of questions:

“What was your Mothers maiden name?” I don’t remember giving that information to this site! “What was the model of your first car?” Why do they care? I cover my sense of failure with sarcasms.

Finally, I get the message; “Your password was sent to the email on record.”

Today’s technology has provided a simple similitude. If we want to experience, or access, the knowledge, tools, pleasures, or relationships offered beyond where we are now, we must have the right password.

Just as passwords open sites in cyberspace, the password, thank you, opens doors for us in our spiritual walk.

The United States is one of only a few countries that have a holiday specifically for the purpose of saying thank you.

Given this emphasis, consider two of my recent experiences:

I stood holding the door as, one after another; the young ladies who made up the cheerleading team, their coaches, and chaperones, stepped off the bus they were traveling on, and passed through the open door into the restaurant ahead of me. Saying not a word, as they passed, they now stood in line, waiting to be seated. There were approximately 30 in the group.

After dinner, my wife and I crossed the street to do a little shopping at the local Target store. There I encountered a young father struggling to load a few 12 packs of soft drinks on his basket without getting too far from the baby resting in the basket. Seeing his struggle, I stepped in and helped by moving the products into his waiting basket as he stood silently and watched. He went on about his shopping as if nothing had happened.

Although not a scientific study, or even a good representative sample, these two incidents reflect a spreading insensitivity, on the part of persons in our western culture, to the need to acknowledge acts of kindness. We have forgotten our password, — thank you.

For the life of us we can’t figure out what it is. We want what is beyond the login screen of our spiritual life. We struggle to open the site with every material activity or gift we can think of, but we can’t think of the simple password.

If we continue to concentrate on our own self-interests, we will never know the wonders that wait beyond our present state.

Romans 15:1-7 gives us clear direction:

Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “How can I help?” That’s exactly what Jesus did. He didn’t make it easy for himself by avoiding people’s troubles, but waded right in and helped out. “I took on the troubles of the troubled,” is the way Scripture puts it. .Even if it was written in Scripture long ago, you can be sure it’s written for us. God wants the combination of his steady, constant calling and warm, personal counsel in Scripture to come to characterize us, keeping us alert for whatever he will do next. May our dependably steady and warmly personal God develop maturity in you so that you get along with each other as well as Jesus gets along with us all. Then we’ll be a choir – not our voices only, but our very lives singing in harmony in a stunning anthem to the God and Father of our Master Jesus! So reach out and welcome one another to God’s glory. Jesus did it; now you do it! (The Message)

As we celebrate our Thanksgiving, think about how we might live up to the charge of Romans 15. Don’t make it easy on ourselves, look inwardly and ask others, “How can I help?”; when someone, even a total stranger, serves us in some way, repay their kindness with acknowledgement.

Think about all the God of all creation has done for us. What sacrifice He made for us, His constant presence doting on children He adores. Acknowledge Him in everything.

We have the choice, we can be a single voiceless “taker” in this world, and remain forever locked in our present state with no hope of entering into something greater, or we can “join the choir – not our voices only, but our very lives singing in harmony in a stunning anthem.”

Remember your password – thank you.

En servicio como Padre

Dave

This song is one most, if not all, of us know very well. “The Itsy Bitsy Spider”. Just mentioning the song has many of you singing it right now.  Like many children, my daughter, when she was first learning the song, replaced some of the correct words she could not remember, with something else so she could continue the song.  In her case she added the words “whumpa whumpa”. Here is how it went:

“The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout.

Down came the rain and washed the spider out.

Out came the sun and dried up all the rain.

And the whumpa whumpa spider went up the water spout

Down came the rain…..”

The effect of this addition was, it created a closed loop that never reached an ending. On long road trips, this became quite annoying for her brothers who had to sit in the back seat and hear the never ending song. Eventually, eliciting a desperate plea to “make her stop!”

It’s funny how we now look back and cherish some of the annoying things our children do because it is part of what has made them uniquely who they are today.

As fathers we sometimes add a “whumpa whumpa” to how we live our lives.

Physically, emotionally, and spiritually we add a “whumpa whumpa” and get locked into a never ending loop of responses, actions, reactions, thoughts, and etc. This “whumpa whumpa” causes those around us, as well as us, to become frustrated with the way our lives are going.

We keep doing the same things over and over without seeing any change in our lives. In fact, like the siblings in the back seat on a long road trip, we find ourselves digressing into destructive or argumentative behavior and not growing in a positive way.

Many of the American Indian tribes believed that life is a great spiral beginning at birth and ending in the afterlife joined with the Great Spirit. The expectation was always that what you see today you will see again in the future. The trick is that as you complete each circle, in life, you should not be seeing things from the same perspective. You must see things from a higher vantage point or you are not moving closer to the Great Spirit.

If we use our Father God as our example of perfect fatherhood, we will find ourselves constantly searching for new pearls of wisdom to become better fathers. As we seek we will learn more about our Father God and be drawn closer to Him. Thus we will spiral ever closer and as we complete each circle in life, we will see the past in a different way,

Like when we look back on the annoying actions of our children and cherish them as part of what makes them uniquely who they are, we will be able to look at the things we face today and cherish them, no matter how bad they seem today, as what is forming us into better fathers who are more aligned with the perfect Father God.

Do not allow the “whumpa whumpa”, in your life’s moments, to lock you into a never ending loop of immature fatherhood.

Break free and climb the water spout again.

Rick’s message was about taking risks and how important it is to be willing to take risks in your life.  There was one statement he made that hit me so hard, it still impacts me today.  He said, “you can change the world…start with yourself, by becoming extraordinary”.

One thing I have learned over the years is it is very difficult to become something unless you understand what it is.

Extraordinary [ik-strawr-dn-er-ee, ek-struh-awr-] adjective

beyond what is usual, ordinary, regular, or established: extraordinary costs.

exceptional in character, amount, extent, degree, etc.; noteworthy: remarkable: extraordinary speed; an extraordinary man.  (Dictionary.com:  http://dictionary.reference.com)

In Hebrew, the word we translate for extraordinary is yotzai dofen; (lit. “go out from the wall.”) Balashan-Hebrew Language Detective, February 16, 2006; it is the word used in the Hebrew language for cesarean section.

Cesarean Section, as you know, is the act of opening the mothers womb and removing the child.  Often this act is performed to save both the life of the child and the mother.

For fathers, this reference to an act performed on a mother takes on an even more significant note when we think of the world around us as having such a significant impact upon who we are.  Both good and bad, the world around us has molded us into the person/personality we are today.

If we continue on in who we are now, with no change, we will not only continue to perpetuate the past, through our children, but we will never grow to a point that we can make a difference in our world.

Cesarean section is not without pain, danger, or complications.  This is where the risk comes in.  As fathers we must be willing to change the world through yotzei dofen. We must “go out from the wall”, for at the wall there is protection, security, even warmth, but we must move away from the wall.  Away from the wall, away from the shadows cast, there the light can shine directly on us and things become much clearer.  We will see things in a new light, the clarity of which has the potential to change the world.

As a society we have walled ourselves in to protect our children and not allow them the exposure to risk.

A wall we fiercely protect and sustain with every financial and physical advantage we can give.  Our children have little opportunity to change the world.  From birth to graduation from college, we maintain the wall and then turn them loose on a world that is in need of extraordinary people to save it.  With few tools at their command, true change is not likely to happen.

Our ancestors did not have the luxury of walling in their children.  They had to learn to adapt.  They had no 401k, no social security, not pension, just extraordinary faith.  Extraordinary faith is the basis for extraordinary risk and thus extraordinary acts.  Extraordinary acts performed by extraordinary men creating extraordinary change that made this world great.

Today, we must “go out from the wall,” for if we do not, we can’t expect to change the world.

Become an extraordinary father

En servicio como padre
Dave

Yesterday I boarded my plane at Gatwick, London, heading for two weeks in Pathos, Cyprus. I had everything sorted, an aisle seat, flip flops, coffee, a Bill Hybels book on leadership, the latest Soul Survivor worship album plugged into my ears, and an ipod freshly updated with pod-cast’s and sermons I was eagerly waiting to listen to.

So there I was sitting in an Easy-Jet 747, flight number EZZE12, looking painfully like the perfect stereotype of a young middle class Christian leader. I think I even had a highlighter in my bag ready to illuminate any classic Hybels leadership wisdom! In that moment I thought I had everything sorted for a “God-centered” four and a half hours, but as usual I missed a bit of the point and God challenged me in a very different way.

Over the top of my book I noticed a guy a few seats ahead turning around to talk to the women who was sitting next to me, they obviously were together but due to the lack of Easy-Jet seat allocation, had been split up, but were making it pretty apparent to everyone in the rear of the plane that they pretty upset about it. And It became clear to me that “I was the solution,” and my seat offered the peace that, by now, the other passengers were looking for. All I had to do was offer my seat to the guy and everyone would be happy. I gave the situation another few seconds of thought and then turned Tim Hughes up a bit and turned the page.

This continued for an hour or so, until the women turned to me and asked me if I would mind moving, and of course, now I had been asked, of course I wouldn’t mind. And I even joked a little that “I had thought of offering it an hour ago!” Her response then completely stopped me in my tracks. She said “Why didn’t you then?” To which of course I didn’t have a response other than to make a kind of awkward embarrassed face at her.

Something hit home in that moment, I was so wrapped up with my christian book, my christian worship album, my coffee and flip flops that I missed the most simple way I could have demonstrated Christ’s love in such a basic way. What’s the point of reading leadership books if we can’t lead ourselves in very basic demonstrations of love. Maybe it’s just me, but i’m sure this applies to many of us. Let’s not let anything get to the point where someone turn’s to us and say’s “Why didn’t you then,” lets get in their first as Christ would have done.

Eight years ago, September 11, 2001, America was attacked by Islamic terrorists. Shortly after, our nation went to war against those who perpetrated this evil. It has been a long and costly struggle. And today, as then, those of us who follow Jesus continually weigh that cost and wonder, “What is the Godly response to violence and injustice?” For 2,000 Christians have debated this question and different streams of our faith have answered it differently. For some, a violent response to violence is never justified. For others, war, while never desirable is sometimes, and under some conditions the better of several bad options.

On, Sunday, September 16, 2001 I addressed the congregation of North Heights Lutheran Church, in St. Paul, Minnesota. Below is manuscript of that message. We’re eight years removed from those terrible days, yet the questions still present themselves. While there are other Biblical perspectives, here is one “Christian” answer to the question, “Is war ever justified?”

Jesus’ words are inconvenient today. As the days pass and the horror of the New York and Washington attacks settle into the cracks in our souls, one bitter question still resounds: how do we love these enemies? In the first days we stumbled through cycles of crushing emotion. That first Tuesday was sat around kitchen tables, or in office cubicles in stunned disbelief. On Wednesday we stood awkwardly over our children’s beds trying to comfort their fears. On Thursday we lay awake into the night, haunting images of falling towers and weeping widows playing in our brains. On Friday we prayed, a nation so awkward on her knees. On Saturday we woke with the bile of rage fuming in our bellies: war, at once everywhere and no-where with each one of us a citizen soldier alongside the tireless firemen in Manhattan and the heroic hostages who stormed the cockpit over Pennsylvania. On Sunday, we walked into familiar worship spaces looking for some stitch to seam up the tatters. And what did we find? Jesus’ words agitating rather than comforting our souls. “Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you.”

The war, we are told is progressing into new theaters. But our rage is still very real. And it is good rage. Anger like ours is a sign of health, for our morally lethargic society is finally calling something absolutely evil. Some wonder, “is this God’s judgment; has our sin removed God’s protective hand?” Perhaps. But God never begets chaos. He is, even now using it to bring about his better purposes, but such carnage is nothing but the spawn of Hell. These deeds were evil and we are right to respond with anger.

But right anger is a dangerous companion. It can so easily turn and pollute our souls. Animals lash back against assault in a chemical, defensive instinct. We know this impulse, for we are, on one level, animals. But we are not mere animals. We are spirit creatures made in God’s image, called by God to rule our instincts with spirit. So we must distinguish righteous anger from vengeful wrath.

And we draw this line with love. Yes, love – the startling marriage of anger and love. Which leads then to a first question: How can I love my enemies when there is not a flicker of natural tenderness within me? In one sense this is the essence of being Christian: we can never do any command of Jesus. In fact the entire Christian life is impossible. Only Jesus can be a Christian, and only Jesus can live his will and way through me. As Dr. Morris Vaagenes is so fond of saying: “I can’t, you can, please do, thank you…”

But then, a second question: how do I love my enemies… or more accurately, how do I let Jesus love them through me? Here we find some surprises.

We bless them. Paul speaks directly: “Bless those who curse you” (Romans 12:14). Now “to bless” is something far more than to simply “wish the best.” Covenant blessing is a supernatural release of grace from one person to another, an unction that the blessed one might fulfill their supernatural destiny. Jacob (Genesis 49) “blesses” his 12 sons that they might each live out their intended purposes. To bless is to literally impart upon someone the presence of God, which will mean goodness as well as judgment. To bless our enemies is to ask that the weight of God’s fullness would be heavy upon them, and that they would submit under the pressure of His holiness, and realize the full potential of their lives.

Now to bless Muslims has particular significance. For our Muslim cousins (even those few who sanction this kind of holy war against the West) are aching for such favor from God. Their bitter hunger goes back to Genesis 21 when Ishmael the son of Abraham not granted the promise of covenant was sent away to the desert to live by his own wits and strength. And in the desert Ishmael’s children remain – the Arabs of today. The good news we bring to them is that in Jesus the same blessing of Isaac is available to all Gentiles – to Ishmaelites as well the rest of us. What they bitterly fight to gain can be theirs by faith! So we bless our Muslim cousins with the knowledge of the favor of God’s covenant for them.

We pray for them. Jesus directs us: “pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). Why pray? Prayer is an act of intentional passivity, asking God to act where we can not. Before Nehemiah confronted Artaxerxes, the Persian King who held the Jews in exile he prayed. As a result, God bent the man’s intention (Nehemiah 1:10, 2:4). We might strike an enemy’s physical life, but no human can reach in to alter the heart or intent of another soul. In fact whenever one soul tries to bend the will of another, the effort ends in bitterness. God however can mold motives and attitudes, even the intentions of our enemies. In this, our greatest weapon against their violence is prayer for their souls.

We forgive them. In the prayer Jesus taught us we utter: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass…” Forgiveness is imperative! In fact if we do not forgive, even the worst offenses against us, we ourselves are not forgiven (Matt. 6:14). But what is genuine forgiveness? It is not a warm emotion. It is not mustering the will to “like” our foes, or overlook their offense. Biblical forgiveness is a legal matter, a covenant agreement. When we forgive we release a justified charge against another and in the process turn the prosecution over to God. He will exact the justice. Paul says it this way: “Leave room for God’s wrath.” And so we shall. By forgiving, we step aside and let God lift his leveling hand. And He does and will. For all his ways are just, and unlike our imperfect vindictive forces, His wrath is strategically redemptive.

We overcome them. Evil begets more evil. But when we intervene to “overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21) we turn evil deeds to an end their perpetrators did not intend. Joseph wept before his brothers saying “you intended to harm me, but God intended it for good” (Genesis 50:20). Paul (Philippians 1:12) claims that the injustice of imprisonment was turned to good because he redeemed the situation and made it an opportunity to share the gospel with Roman soldiers.

But how is this love for our enemies? When we do good in the face of evil we stop some of the affect of wickedness. We cover some of their guilt and lesson their eternal accountability for havoc wrought in God’s order. The heroic deeds of firemen, the blood donated, the financial gifts to families have birthed good in the world that was not here before September 11. And thus heroic love intended for helpless victims turns out, ironically, to be merciful love for the terrorists, for it dims their shame.

We stop them. Love has many faces. And there are times when we must lift a hand and halt the evil. Revenge belongs to God (Romans 12:19). Still, at times we must institute force to stop the chaos of wickedness. Jesus himself was not above using force in his ministry. He did so in the temple when he turned the tables of usury (Luke 19:42). This proves true, even if that force involves death. “Turning the other cheek” is a personal strategy for love. In corporate arena’s love takes on more complicated expressions. In the original language the commandment is “thou shalt not murder” not “thou shalt not kill.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer made a choice to join an assassination plot against Hitler, and he called it love, love for the victims but also for Hitler himself. How? C.S. Lewis, echoing St. Augustine who wrote of “just war” says that love must sometimes act forcefully. If we believe in an eternal judgment then stopping an evil person, even by killing him, can be merciful, for it stops him from further polluting the world and thus incurring darker damnation upon himself and those he influences. Worse things than death can beset a human soul.

Since September 11, 2001, all this dense theology is suddenly starkly relevant for us. We are a nation at war. But we are not the first to face this question of right violent resistance. Every generation of followers of Jesus has wrestled with the reality: some of you in the Second World War, in Korea, in Vietnam, in the Gulf, or as police officers or reservists today. Our purpose, as Christian-Americans is 1) to prayerfully and faithfully support our government and 2) to stand as a prophetic voice reminding our government of the love and mercies of God. Even in the midst of military fury we must insist that militant actions be driven not by vengeful wrath, but by aggressive, persistent, creative love, love in forms that on the surface may not look familiar, but are nonetheless vigilant mercies.

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