The Discipline of Suffering: Taking up my Cross

I've been thinking alot lately about the purpose of suffering. In today's world, we have "advanced" everything, including advanced pain avoidance. We can avoid pain and suffering in hundreds of ways (from entertainments to numbing drugs). We have our best and brightest minds getting Phds and writing books on how to avoid and remove it.

But how is the Christian to respond to suffering?? For a long time, I instinctively agreed suffering was to be avoided at all cost. Run from suffering and anything that is painful was my life's motto.

But as I've been talking recently with my friend Thomas, he's given me a whole new perspective. You see Thomas sees all of life as suffering. He keeps reminding me that Jesus said, "Deny thyself, take up thy cross, and follow Jesus." If that's not a recipe for suffering I don't know what is. First, it is always painful to "deny self." Even the most humble among us find denying self to be the most painful means of living. Comfort is having my way. Suffering then is anything or anyone who does not promote my having my way. Secondly, taking up crosses is never fun in the moment. Jesus knew his command meant pain and suffering. When Jesus commanded his followers to take up their cross, he was saying, "My kingdom is a road of suffering, with rewards later." That was Jesus experience with the cross: indescribable pain now; infinite reward later. So, when Jesus commands us to take up our cross, we shouldn't water it down to mere word play. Jesus said you must suffer for me.

21st century American Christians squirm at this verse, because it reveals how ingrained our culture's comfort-worship has invaded our lives. I read alot of books by really old dead people. Jonathan Edwards, John Owen, Thomas A Kempis, St. John of the Cross, and Andrew Murray to mention a few. Almost all of them focus most of their writings on how to grow in Christ. If you got them all in a room, I think they all would tell you horrible personal stories of suffering. Each of them could have you weeping at their pain and loss in life. And each of them, would point to these sufferings as the means of their intimate relationship with Christ. Each would tell of how they turned to Christ and depended on his comfort over the world's comforts. Each of them would call suffering a necessary evil for the Christian.

I come away from this scared and confused. What does this say about my relationship with Christ. My suffering has been minimal and my comfort has been high. Many days fly by and I have not depended on Christ. And I have not suffered. Is their a path to intimacy with Christ that avoids all suffering?? If there is, I haven't found it. Perhaps one of the should-be sufferings of the church today is living in the world, but not being in love with the world's toys. No one will be bragging in heaven about how comfortable their life on Earth was. No one will be talking about video games. Movie trivia will not be big. I fear comfort may equal shame in glory.

Cooking as an Exact Science

One of my passions in life is preparing good food for friends and family. Recently, I found a cooking show on PBS I really enjoy called America's Test Kitchen. These folks approach good cooking like good science; every recipe must have a best recipe. When I heard they had come out with a huge cookbook, The Best New Recipe, I had to get one. And it has not failed to impress thus far.

The genius of America's Test Kitchen is they test, tweek and retest recipes over and over until they all agree they have reached culinary perfection. And they go through this process with over 1000 differenct recipes. The cookbook is also a very helpful technique resource from making a pie, to carving a turkey. Another bonus is their little comments on best food products to use, based on blind taste tests. Best of all their recipes are solid and explanations very insightful. Each recipe is its own lesson in food science. May it bless you like its blessing me!!

Jason Upton: Racing Ahead in Worship

Recently, I was introduced to an up and coming worship leader emerging on the scene today. His music and heart have been ministering to me these last couple weeks. Jason Upton is a thoughtful, God-centered worship leader in both the music he writes and the way he leads. New to me, he has put out several alblums which each show his depth of faith and deep desire for intimacy with God.

I'm drawn to worship leaders that are drawn to God. I look for a heart that gets lost in the presence of God, whose very worship style screams, "Please, come and go with me into the presence of the Lord!! But if you won't, I'm going anyway." This is what I long for and see less and less. Worship is about what the Holy Spirit is doing in our hearts and how we are responding. It has so little to do with the songs or leader or music. A worship leader can only lead us as far as he/she has been themselves.

Under this criteria, I admire the pliable heart of Jason Upton. May the Holy Spirit continue to minister under his leadership in worship.

www.jasonupton.com

What Am I Still Here For?

Yesterday, I pulled a book off my shelf I've been meaning to read for about a year. I tore through it in a matter of hours and it has had a powerful impact. The book is One Thing You Can't Do In Heaven by Mark Cahill. Throughout the book, Mark presents a wealth of wisdom from his experiences in evangelism (which is the "one thing you can't do in heaven"). I have been thinking and praying about evangelism ever since. Why is it that I have been formally trained in it several times in my life, but rarely witness to people??

Don't get me wrong, Mark's purpose in writing the book wasn't to shame believers into sharing their faith. But as he shares stories about his experiences, you can't help but see God blessing him for stepping out in faith!! One of my favorite chapters is the one on common excuses Christians give for not evangelizing. Here's his list:

1. Fear of Being Rejected
2. Don't Know How
3. Fear of Losing a Friend
4. They Have Already Heard
5. I Am Just Lazy
6. I'd Rather Just Be Their Friend
7. I Don't Know Enough
8. They Won't Want to Talk About It
9. I Can't Answer Their Questions

Mark does a masterful job of showing each of these are weak sauce in God's kingdom and under His power. Here's a great quote from the book:

"If God gave you a thousand dollars every time you shared your faith in Jesus Christ, would you share your faith? Let's be honest; many of us would quit our day jobs and become full-time evangelists! Every one of us, including me, ought to repent of the fact that we would share Jesus for a measly dollar bill, instead of sharing Him because of the unconditional love that He has for each one of us. Would you be more zealous for money than for God? Would you deal with your laziness problem for the love of money when you won't deal with it for the love of God?

So, today as I was getting my haircut, I very nervously asked God to give me courage to share with the woman cutting my hair. I was really nervous, but I saw God leading the conversation. She looked depressed to me at first, not wanting to talk. So I made small talk, all the time hoping for an opportunity to share with her. Well, she started telling me about the recent death of a relative. So I started asking about death and how hard it was. Finally I worked up the courage to ask her, "Where she would be if she died today?" She said, "Heaven, of course." In my heart, I thought, "Here it comes: I'm a good person." But she responded, "I have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ." I was floored. I assumed this woman was in the occult and here she is worshipping at Monument Baptist. We had a great conversation and were able to encourage each other. I look forward to sharing with those who truly need it as well. It might not always be easy, but I know it will always be worth it!! I'm convinced that if God didn't want me to share my faith, I would already be in heaven. Why else would I still be here??