The Christian Life is like an Italian Dinner

Tonight at church the youth group hosted our annual Valentine's Dinner.  This is the third year that we've decorated the fellowship hall and served a delicious meal to those who purchased tickets for a fun and romantic evening to raise funds for the youth group.  The students always help set up, cook the food, serve the guests, and clean up after.

This year we decided to serve homemade lasagna for dinner.  I had never made lasagna from scratch before, so I made a trial batch a few weeks ahead of time, and then tinkered with the recipe a bit until I got it right.  That's one of the things I love most about cooking.  Every time you make something, no matter how many times you've made it before, you can always do something a little different and make it better (or sometimes worse).  I never believe that a recipe is perfect.  Now that doesn't mean that I never think a dish I make is delicious or successful.  In fact, I do a lot of cooking and I think that most of the things I make are pretty good, and some are certainly delicious.  But I never think I'm done with a recipe.  I always wonder what it would be like if I did something different.  A little less of this or a dash more of that.

I think that's how it is with life sometimes too.  Even when something goes well or I think I have something figured out, there's always more to learn.  I can't tell you how many times I've gone through some sort of life experience and thought I learned the lesson God was teaching me through that, only to look back years later and realize that there were other lessons from that which I hadn't figured out yet.  I know there are also times where I think I've learned my lesson, only to repeat the same mistakes later on, or make new ones.  The same is true when I read scripture.  There are times when I read and I have a great epiphany, or hear an inspiring sermon and glean a new insight.  Every time something like this happens I think I have the meaning of that passage figured out.  Inevitably though, some times later, I'll reread that passage or hear it preached on by someone else, and discover something new about it that I had never realized before.

The scriptures are so deep and nuanced that no matter how many times I read a passage, it is fresh and new every time.  That's because the scriptures aren't some basic dish served out of a box, they are layered.  Just like a plate of lasagna.  With each bit of a good lasagna you discover a new flavor or texture from the layered dish.  And each batch of lasagna you make will be slightly different from the ones you've had before.  That's how it is with God's Word.  Every reading is slightly different.  Each one brings some new insight to light.

I think that people are similar to this as well.  It's often been said that people are like onions, and you have to get to know them by peeling back one layer at a time.  While I like this metaphor, I think that comparing people to lasagna is better (and not just because lasagna is delicious!).  I think people are more like lasagna because each layer is different.  Some have more cheese, others have more sauce, and more have thicker noodles.  And each time you spend time with someone and talk to them you learn something new about them.  And just like with a lasagna recipe that's never quite finished, we can never know another person completely.  With an onion every layer is still just onion, and there is the perception that you can eventually get to the core where you would know everything there is to know about someone.

The great thing about lasagna, like a person, is that the recipe is never finished, and God isn't finished with us until we're united and perfected with Him in heaven.  God never stops working on us.  He never stops making us better.  He never quits perfecting us.  Just as we have to be open to try variations in our recipes in order to make a dish better, we need to be open to God's work in and through us in order for Him to make us better.

It is my prayer that I remain open to God's intervention in my life.  I pray that I recognize God's movement in my life and invite Him to daily make me better than I as yesterday.  If He's not working on me and making me better than I might end up at the back of the shelf getting stale.  Father, work in me daily, and help me to see your work in others.  Allow me to realize that other people are layered as well, and that I can learn something new and exciting about other people though every interaction I have.  Amen.

The Lent Project: Redux

Last year I made a commitment to post a blog every day during Lent.  I lasted five days and then gave up.  Unfortunately my grandmother had gone into the hospital and she passed away a week later so I did not fulfill my lenten goal.

This year I am taking up that goal again and dedicating it to my grandma Tata who we lost almost one year ago.  To start I am just reblogging what I posted on Ash Wednesday last year, and will post a new blog every day through Easter.  For me, committing to the discipline of writing will be far more fruitful than giving something up during this season, and I am looking forward to what I learn about God and myself during this challenge.  It should be quite the adventure!

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.  The word Lent comes from English and German roots meaning long or spring, but the original Latin term for this period of the Christian calendar meant fortieth, as in, the fortieth day before Easter.  Ironically enough, Ash Wednesday occurs 46 days before Easter (next Tuesday marks the fortieth day before Easter).

The period of forty days, however, is a significant period in scripture.  It rained for forty days at the beginning of the great flood (Genesis 7-8).  Moses spent forty days on Mount Sinai as he received the covenant from God (Exodus 24, 34).  The spies were sent into the Promised Land for forty days to explore the land (Numbers 13).  Goliath challenged the Israelite army for forty days before David stood up to him (1 Samuel 17).  After killing the prophets of Ba'al, Elijah traveled for forty days before reaching Horeb where the Lord appeared to him in a gentle whisper (1 Kings 19).  Jonah gave the people of Nineveh forty days to repent and turn to God or be destroyed (Johan 3).  Jesus spent forty days fasting in the wilderness before being tempted by Satan at the onset of his public ministry (Matthew 4, Mark 1, Luke 4).  Christ also spent forty days on earth after his resurrection before assenting into heaven (Acts 1).  This period of time is clearly significant throughout the Bible and it is fitting that we should set aside this period of time to draw closer to God.

The season of Lent and the practice of marking believers with ashes in the form of a cross on the forehead dates back to the very early days of the church.  Traditionally this serves as a day for confession and repentance (similar to Yom Kippur in the Jewish tradition).  On this day people typically fast, confess their sins, repent, and ask for forgiveness in order to refocus on their relationship with Christ during the Lenten season leading up to the Easter celebration.

As an American Baptist, it has never been my practice to celebrate this season with any special significance.  While Lent is not part of my tradition, this year I have decided to celebrate in my own way.  In order to better focus on my relationship with God I have decided to sacrifice some of my time (time that would normally be spent watching television, napping, reading sports articles, goofing around on Facebook, watching YouTube videos, etc.) and practice the discipline of writing.  This will allow me to read and reflect, and put my thoughts down in a concrete way.  Hopefully this will spark conversation and engage others in this pursuit of growing closer to Christ through writing and reflection.

A Selfish Revelation

Yesterday while I was at work at my “other job” (waiting tables at an Italian restaurant) I came to the realization that I’m an incredibly selfish person.

When food is up in the window I will skip over other people’s orders that have been there longer than mine in order to take my food out to my table (even though we are supposed to run food for everyone and in the order that it came up).  I get annoyed when a fellow server reaches over me for the ice scoop and begins filling glasses with ice while I’m still at the drink machine filling my glasses, even though I often do the same thing.  My concern for the success of my fellow employees or for the company as a whole only goes as far as it directly impacts me and the amount of money that I make.

My selfishness extends far beyond the workplace and my desire to maximize my income, regardless of how it affects those around me.  My selfishness extends deep into my spiritual life.  I want to be spiritual and grow closer to God for my own sake, but not for the sake of others.  My desire to help others grow spiritually really only goes as deep as my desire to make myself feel good for helping them.  It’s not the least bit altruistic, but rather it is incredibly selfish.

I’m reminded that, as the prophet Isaiah said, our “righteous acts are filthy rags” to God.  Even my good deeds are an extension of my selfishness, and as such, God doesn’t see them as good, he sees them as filthy rags.  Indeed some good may be done through my actions, but it is in spite of myself, not because of me.  It is only by the power of God through me that good comes of my selfishly motivated spirituality.

I’m so selfish that I often keep the good news of Christ to myself.  I have been saved by God’s grace, but instead of sharing this with others and introducing them to Christ so that they also might be saved, I keep quiet.  If I truly loved and cared for those around me, I would be sharing the message of Jesus Christ every chance I got.

As a human, I have a sin nature and I am motivated by a desire to do what benefits me.  Being humble and acting selflessly is not a natural thing to do.  I need to learn to consider the needs of others and place them above my own.  I can’t do this on my own.  Only God can transform me and help me to become the being that He desires for me to be.

Heavenly Father, help me to overcome my selfishness.  Help me to see people and care for them and their needs, instead of placing all of their value in how they can help me.  Make me to be more like your son Christ, who put others ahead of himself.  Allow me to see the needs of others and give me a desire to help people for their sake, and not for my own.  Make me into the person you want me to be, motivated by love, and not by selfishness.  In Jesus name, amen.

Pray, Then Act

Our church has been going through a series called "The Story."  It's a book that takes readers through a 31-week journey from Genesis through Revelation in chronological order.  It takes selected passages from scripture and adds transitions to make the Bible read as one complete story.  As a church we have been reading a chapter a week, which our pastor them preaches on each Sunday.  Today was the final day spent in the Old Testament, as we read passages from Ezra, Nehemiah, and Malachi.

What struck me during the sermon today (which I didn't pick up on while doing the reading myself) was that Nehemiah spent time in mourning and prayer before approaching King Artaxerxes about returning to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls.  When the king asked him why he looked sad, Nehemiah prayed before he responded.  Throughout the book, Nehemiah always takes time to pray before responding, speaking, or acting.

Often today we act first and think later (or we act first and pray later).  I know that personally I rarely spend enough time in prayer before acting on something on I feel called to do.  I needed this reminder to take adequate time to pray and listen, before acting.  It is vitally important to connect with God and wait for His confirmation before acting.

Through scripture we are reminded to wait and pray.  In Psalm 46 we are told by YHWH to "Be still and know that I am God."  In Isaiah 40 we are told that "Those that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength."  Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5 that we should "Be joyful always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstance."  Waiting to act and relying on God through prayer is so important and something i often forget to do.

Prayer is easily the most overlooked and underused tool we have at our disposal as Christians.  I needed to be reminded to spend time in prayer on a regular basis.  I need to make prayer a bigger priority in my life.  Prayer can't simply be something I leave for the end of the day, but it needs to be something I start the day with and dwell in throughout the day.  Today when armies go into battle, they first send in air support to bomb the enemy and survey the opposing army.  This is what prayer can do for us.

I'm going to make a commitment to make prayer a priority.  Is this a commitment you need to make in your life too?  Have you experienced the power of prayer in your life?  If you have, leave a comment and share that.

Spiritual Growth Through Gardening

First, an apology.  It's only the second day of Lent, and I didn't get a blog post.  In my defense, it was written on Thursday, but I was having issues getting it to format and post correctly, so I went to bed and posted it this morning.  Please forgive me.

My church recently purchased two properties behind our campus with the intent of eventually demolishing the houses and planting a community garden.  When this first of these properties became available to us at an almost unbelievable price, we considered purchasing it simply because of how inexpensive it was, with no real vision or purpose for the property.  While discussing the possibility of purchasing this land, our pastor read an article about community gardens, and while doing so developed a vision to see this property turned into our own community garden.  Now with a vision, we moved forward with the purchase.

While we had a vision for this newly acquired land adjacent to our boarders, we still didn’t have a firm plan as to how to move forward.  Very shortly after this, however, a new family came to our church with a passion and clear direction for a community garden.  God took a church with a vision for a garden, and a family with a plan for one, and married them together.  A few months later we were able to purchase the property next to the one we had already obtained, to give us two lots that we could develop.

While this project is still in its infancy (both houses are still standing) it is exciting to see how God is moving and how he has already moved in the project.  The thing that I am most excited about is the way that life transformation can come through a garden.

A community garden truly is a communal effort.  It will be built and maintained not only by members of the church, but also by people who live in the neighborhood around the garden.  The surrounding neighborhood is one of the poorest in one of the poorest areas in Columbus.  Almost all of the people who live on the street rent the houses they live in, and many of the houses are vacant and boarded up.  This is an area with very little hope, and gardening teaches hope.  When you plant something, it doesn’t appear the very next day, or even the day after.  Growth takes time, and you have to have hope that what you plant will eventually grow into a fruit of vegetable.  If you don’t have hope, you won’t take the steps necessary for growth.  You won’t pull the weeds, water the plant, or prune the branches.  If you have faith that what you planted will grow then you will put in the work necessary to aid in that process.  People who have no hope of ever improving their situation similarly won’t put in the work to make improvement happen.  If we can teach people hope, we can teach them to put in the necessary work to see their hope come to fruition.

The garden is an important motif throughout scripture.  Jesus even compares the spread of the gospel to a man who goes out to plant a garden.  Some of the seed he scatters is devoured by birds, some begins to grow but soon dies because it has no root structure, and some sprouts quickly but is choked out by weeds.  Some, however, falls on good soil where it grows and thrives, producing a harvest much greater than what was sown.  This is like the gospel where many will hear, and some will sprout up, but will quickly fall away because of the cares of the world or a lack of depth in their faith.  However, some will grow and thrive, and will even lead to a greater harvest as they take the message of the gospel that brought them life and share it with others.

 

Paul also speaks of spiritual growth in terms of a garden.  He talks about how some are called to plant seeds, some are called to water, but it is God’s Holy Spirit that causes growth.  We see this same principal at work in an actual garden.  We can plant a seed, water it, and do all of the necessary things for growth to happen, but we cannot make the plant grow.

Life is always seen as beginning in a garden in the Bible.  When God created man he placed him in a garden.  Jesus' resurrection happened in a tomb that was found in a garden.  Just as life appears anew in a garden every spring, new life in Christ comes through the garden.

I am excited to see the change that happens at my church and in my community in the coming months and years as we plant a garden together.