The World will Try, but It can Never Fill

Worship is so much more than what happens on a Sunday morning. Worship in fact applies more to the non-religious than to the average religious person. As Louie Giglio puts it, we may declare that this or that takes our greatest affection, devotion and time, that we value this over that, however, actions do speak louder, and that worship is more about what we do rather that what we proclaim with our mouths. In fact, I can go as far to say that the well known slogan ‘Fact is stranger than fiction because we write fiction to suit ourselves’ is definitely true, of worship, and of the way we live our own lives. Think about it- we love to deny the revealing truth that we are all worshiping something. It happens all the time, to everyone, at concerts, at sporting events, even in the Christian circle, where some may even fall into the trap of placing godly people on the pedestal of Jesus Himself. But we all should know that in the end, we’re selling ourselves short, of something bigger that deserves our attention; that deserves our praise, our honour, our devotion. But that doesn't mean that these things that we devote our time to should be rid of. Not entirely. We are just longing as a society, as a country, and as a planet Earth; to connect, to find purpose, and our 'worship', is our way of showing the world what matters most to us personally.

In the heart of every one of us is a story to be told. Or maybe we are longing for a story to fill a gap within us. We try to identify we anyone that we can, parents, friends, heroes and idols, sporting champions, authoring greats, actors, sometimes even characters in television programs. Eventually, we can even make up stories, writing ‘fiction’ to suit ourselves, if we can't seem to find it anywhere else. That’s not to say that every book that’s ever written, every brilliant idea that has ever been thought of, every masterpiece that has ever been conceived in the realms of music, art, books, literature and the like, has all been just man’s escapism from reality, not at all. Perhaps some of the great literary works have been written by those who want to discover and uncover something in society rather than trying to conceal it up. But we need to be real here. These stories that we hear everyday, that we read in the newspapers, listen to on radio, follow on twitter, or watch on TV; all impact us in many different ways. Some are fact, some are fiction. Nevertheless, these stories are what society needs for us to start thinking of the deeper things that need to be thought about, about purpose, direction, and general clarity in life. Jesus Himself in the New Testament used stories (or parables) to describe just that; what the Kingdom of Heaven looked like. That's why every one of us are yearning for the story that will complete us. And we will not stop until one fulfills.

We need to know that we are hungry, not for a story that is just about ourselves, but a story that is fulfilling from the inside out. And we see everyone around us talking to us, advising us in different areas of our lives. It may be at home, may be at school, and we see on the TV advertisements that we need a new car, we need a new boat, we need a new TV, and then we buy them. But then after a season, something else comes that is beter, and then it's onto the new thing. That's what happens in society, and for me personally, throughout this year of 2012, one of my goals would be to not get caught up in the craze, just for the buzz of it, but I need to make a conscious decision that I need to make everyday. The thing that I am to connect with, needs to impact me to the point where I know that Jesus is speaking through this thing. If not, then...
 

TV provides a realm of escapism. For humans, from reality. We tell our children, we even tell ourselves, that television breeds idleness and slothfulness. But are there things that can be learnt from the humble television series that have eternal qualities? A loaded question, but I really do believe that since we are made in the image of God, and He told stories all throughout history to reflect the glory on Himself, then I truly believe that in each media outlet, whether the directors or actors are consciously knowing it or not, God is most likely working through shows, movies, even secular songs, in any way possible to draw people to Himself. Think about it. Why do you stay glued to a TV show for its entire length of its run? Because you like the 'case of the week'? Definitely not, it is the overarching themes and messages portrayed within the show that hit you to the core, and then you start to think, 'Gee, these themes are impacting me to the core! But it's just a TV show, right?' But remember, Jesus can use any medium that He chooses for you to be drawn to Him. He is God, and who are we to argue with His methods?
 

Just before I wrote this blog, I started to think about the impact that the television characters that I have invested in throughout my TV watching years, has had on my life. Then I roll through the ones that have finished. Adrian Monk, Erica Strange, Chuck Bartowski, Morgan Grimes, Dr. Tom, John Casey, Gene Hunt, Sarah Walker, Sam Tyler, Alex Drake. I glance at all these names that I have think, 'Has Jesus spoken to me through these 'characters'? And I really do believe so. And if you can connect the dots to the shows, 'Monk', 'Chuck', 'Life on Mars', 'Ashes to Ashes', and 'Being Erica'; and research about the shows, and have invested the time into them that I have, you'll know why. These shows have reinforced in my life that this is not our permanent home, and that Jesus will go through great lengths for us to come to Him.
 

At the end of Monk, Adrian fulfils his lifelong dream of catching his wife's killer, thereby reuniting with his step-daughter, and continues on with life as normal as he can with his OCD. I am constantly reminded by this show that even though when Monk solved the murder of his wife, he was truly not satisfied. It was only until he reunited with his step-daughter, that he could find peace. And that is what life is all about. If our passions, what we're good at, define us and shape our identity, no matter how many 'murders' we solve, like Monk, we will still feel empty. The relationships, with God and with each other, are the accomplishments throughout our lives that will stand the test of time. Life can go back to normal, and just like Monk, we can 'sleep in the middle of the bed', not because of what we have done or what we've accomplished, but rather what was done for us. Even though this world is not our home, and that we are destined for the next life, because we have Jesus living in us, heaven can start on Earth, and we can live with the full confidence of knowing that no matter what happens, Jesus will never leave us.
 

The series of Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes was a tear jerker. It was revealed that Gene Hunt was an 'angel', keeper of the gate, between the gates of hell and heaven, and that Alex Drake and Sam Tyler, both cops from present day, were in fact dead, rather than the 'time traveller' theory that held so true for the majority of the series; and they both had to let go of their 'sins', like purgotary, before they could enter 'the pub', heaven. This series should stir up a lot of religious discussion for those who have watched the series. An excellent series and one of my favourite, it is clear that though I believe the creators of this series may not be Christians, God is still working through them to create thought-provoking series that will challenge your mind and maybe even draw even the hardest of hearts to the possibility of the existence of God.
 

'Chuck' just ended today, and is also one of my favourite shows of all time. Throughout the five seasons of the Chuck and Sarah 'to and fro', and the marriage and potential idea of quitting the spy life; Sarah lost 5 years of her life, through a malfunction in the intersect that was in her brain. The end of the series shows Chuck and Sarah sitting on a beach, with Chuck saying to Sarah what Sarah told Chuck at the end of the pilot episode that aired in 2007 (said on that same beach!), that everything will be ok and that he will always be with her, no matter what. If you know the series inside out, then you know that this closing scene is the perfect example of what unconditional love is, that God is continually pursuing us, and no matter what, He will always be there, wooing us to Himself. Everything will be ok, because Jesus is with us. Because He did come down in a manger, because He was fully God and fully man, because He knew and understood the pain that us humans feel. No matter what, Jesus will always be there to be our source of strength, our well that we draw inspiration and hope from.
 

Being Erica is a very quirky relevant series. One of the most ingenious ones ever, dealing with the r word on everyone's lips. Regrets. We all have them. Even though we are told that we shouldn't, we do. What if we did this, or that, then our lives would be different. Right? Erica Strange, a thirty-two year old single woman, is stuck in her life. Filled with tones of regrets, she meets Dr Tom, who sends her back in time to relive her times when she wished things were differently, to choose a different path, and therefore see what could happen, and therefore learn a lession from has occured. Being Erica, even more popular than Doctor Who when it comes to overseas sales by the BBC to all the corners of the globe; it is a very relevant and very eye-opening series, that will definitely force us to look inside ourselves, and think; do we have regrets? Yes, of course we do! But what do we do with them? We work it out. I know we can't go back in time, but we need to know. If we were to go back in time, would we choose the same choices? Do our choices that we make define us? Many do believe so, but in my mind, I know that they shouldn't. Jesus has died so that we may live, and so we are children of God, and therefore not the sum of our choices. We are more than the sum of our fears, our inadequacies, our hardships and failures, and we are more than our hopes, desires, loves, and successes, because of what Christ has done in us!
 

I don't know if you have seen these TV shows that I have described, but you must know that God can speak through anything, even TV. We just need to filter and discern, and the Lord will tell you whether to give it your time and affection. We need to know that spending time in TV doesn't make it what we worship, like how temptation doesn't mean that we are sinning. But rather, we need to make sure that our TV doesn't become our life, doesn't become the well in which we draw wisdom and hope from. Because if that is what happens, then we are drawing from a well that will not satisfy. We are worshipping something that we know will leave us empty. Just the other day, my family went to a Christian concert, where the lead singer, Mark Hall (from the Christian group, Casting Crowns), spoke and reminded us that we need to draw from the well which is Jesus, the source of all things. Not songs, not mission trips, not TV, not even the news! Jesus is the only one that will satisfy us, and yes He will speak through songs, film, other people for us to receive what He wants to tell us; but at the end of the day, we should always go back to Him in whatever we do.
 

There is a line from a song that was sung of the night that sticks out to me; the world will try but it can never fill, so leave it all behind, and come to the well. The world will try to receive our attention, but it will always come out short. It will still leave us yearning for more. Jesus will fill that gap. But only if you take the first step, and come to the well!

Until the next blog,

Jon

We Were Never Meant to Be 'Great'

Looking at the world around me, this design, looking outside and seeing the hills, the valleys, the mountains, the rivers, the lakes, the rainforests, the desert landscapes, not to mention cultures, of every tribe, every tongue and every nation; you can’t help but wonder. We live in a magnificent place, yet, because of all the busyness that everyone experiences, we fail to come to terms with the beauty of the world that we live in. We as a society fail to grasp the question of the purpose of our visit to the planet Earth.

Earth is one of many planets, the only planet in our solar system with any known form of life sustainable on it. And the solar system is one of many systems in the Milky Galaxy, one of the galaxies within the known universe. Scientists even reckon that the universe is expanding, that there are areas that they haven’t discovered yet; that there are areas that they’ll never fully discover. Looking at the awesomeness of the universe makes me stop in awe. Sometimes, generally on a cold winters’ night, as I look up into the sky, while we’re eating dinner, or while I’m in my room studying for university; I just stare up at the stars, and wonder how many of them there are. And from reading my fair share of books, listening to the news; I’ve noticed that everyone is starting to ask the fundamental questions- where did we come from? Where are we going as a society? And most importantly, why are we here on Earth?

Because if we are told that all that there is to life is to build a career, success in the corporate sector in terms of rising up the hierarchical structure at work, if all there is to life is to eat, drink, work, retire, coast along, and then die, then what is the point? I say that because I know, and I’m sure that everyone else knows, that we won’t take anything with us when we cross the grave. Nothing! We will leave this world just as we came, with nothing. So why do we need to ‘make ourselves great’, why do we need to build up our careers, why do we need to work to 65, if we know that it may only take a fall to place us into a coma? And then we’re not going to enjoy the fruits of our labour, we’re not going to take the trips that we’re thinking of doing when we’re retired. Because ultimately, yearning in everybody’s heart, is the wanting for us to be noticed, if not by our parents, then by our friends, or possibly by the media. We see slogans on billboards and ads on TV, and these are designed to appeal to the need that is sitting deep inside of every single one of us, this desire to be great, just like ______. (You can place whoever you idolise in that space). If you eat this food, drink this drink, wear this perfume, or support this charity that your favourite person is involved in, then you can become like them... or so you start to think. The products are being sold because we as a society are responding, we really want to be great, like _________.

But I tell you straight, we are not made to 'make ourselves great'. Sure, we all have talents, but what happens if our talents and passions that we have inside us become our purpose? If it starts to define our existence, then we ought to stand back and evaluate, and think, 'Am I undertaking this task for the right reasons?' Maybe in the beginning, but perhaps along the way, our vision becomes cloudy. We start to lose sight of what God has planned in our lives from the very beginning of time. Those dreams in your heart that you had when you were younger, those ones that over time, were quenched for whatever reason? Chances are, if they are being used as a testimony to your faith, that God has placed them there for you and only you to accomplish. If you love to draw, and drawing brings people to God, then you need to think, is this your calling in your life? But even then, your 'job', your 'family', your 'passion', shouldn't take the place of the One you worship. We need to be aware that even though we say 'we worship God', and of course we do; other indicators may tell us different. Louie Giglio's book 'The Air I Breathe' puts this simply; "...everyone has an altar. And every altar has a throne. So how do you know where and what you worship? It’s easy. You simply follow the trail of your time, your affection, your energy, your money and your loyalty. At the end of that trail you’ll find a throne; and whatever, or whomever, is on that throne is what’s of highest value to you. On that throne is what you worship..."

Think about this as I start writing another post and post it tomorrow... we all have little altars in our lives. But what really matters is this. Regardless of whether we truly surrender our dreams into God's hands (and I pray that each one of you do!), at the end of the day, God always works all things to the good for those who love Him and seek to do His will!

Until next time,

Jon.

What Can God Use to Receive our Full Attention?

Once there was a man who dared God to speak. ‘Burn the bush like you did for Moses, God. And I will follow. Collapse the walls like you did for Joshua, God. And I will fight. Still the waves like you did on Galilee, God. And I will listen.’ And so the man sat by a bush, near a wall, close to the sea and waited for God to speak. And God heard the man, so God answered. He sent a fire, not for a bush, but for a church. He brought down a wall, not of brick, but of sin. He stilled a storm, not of the sea, but of a soul. And God waited for the man to respond. And he waited…and he waited…and he waited. But because the man was looking at bushes, not hearts; bricks and not lives, seas and not souls, he decided that God had done nothing. Finally, he looked to God and asked, ‘Have you lost your power?’ And God looked at him and said, ‘Have you lost your hearing?’

A GENTLE THUNDER- Max Lucado © 1995

Has there ever been a time in your life where you’ve asked God for something but He did something else? Not drastically different, but just like in the passage above, did you ask for something physical but God knew better and sent you something more on the spiritual side? I can remember a couple of instances where I have asked something but God went the other way. Like when I wanted to go to a school with my ‘friends’ from primary school, the guys I thought would have my back and be a true friend in whatever situation I was in. But God sent me the other way; and I praise God for that. Another example would probably be God ‘failing’ me in Extension 2 Mathematics, even though I knew at that time that I probably could’ve handled it, but God knew what I wanted. God knew what I needed. God did what he needed in order for Him to get my attention. That’s been the theme of a book that I’ve been reading through lately, ‘A Gentle Thunder’ by Max Lucado. 

This book asks the question, ‘how far would you let God go in order for you to understand that his way in order how your life should be conducted is the best way?’ Because usually as humans, we ignore the signs that God has given us. We ask for something, and when that happens, we always assume a ‘scenario’ of how God would’ve acted, and usually, what plays out in our lives isn’t how we imagined. Like the man before, sometimes we could be looking for God to answer in the physical, not realising that God has already acted in the spiritual. If we’re not careful, we can become like the Pharisees during Jesus time who thought they knew who the Messiah was, but what came, Jesus; was different to the description that they understood. I mean, Jesus wasn’t rich, and he was just some regular average Joe, a regular guy for his time. If you were there during his time, you could’ve mistaken him for a mad-man, or maybe even a liar. Or perhaps the real deal.


I guess Jesus chose to come at that time; he could’ve come later, or earlier. I mean, let’s just imagine for a moment; that Jesus came not during the 6BC-11 AD mark but around 2000 years later, during the 21^st century. There’s been millions of ideas like that, written in A Gentle Thunder as well as movies being made about Jesus coming to 21^st century America, or Australia or anywhere in the world today. But let’s suppose he came into your life, and you, like the Pharisees; didn’t know who or what he was on about. He’d have to be pretty disguised for us not to recognise him, Jesus did assimilate during his cultural time period; he was a carpenter- like many during his day. So if he were to come during the 21^st century, he’d be let’s say, a computer technician. What if He came up to you after his shift at work, while you were working through your emails, or maybe he was just the janitor cleaning the floors of your office after hours, and he caught you just as you were leaving the office. Whatever the case, he came up to you and said ‘Follow me!’ Would you do it? 

You’d be right out of your mind if you did, some people would say, as there could be a million possible scenarios that could occur. There’s only a slim chance, these people would say, that the guy from your office wanting you to follow him, was genuine, as he could be taking you drug dealing, instead of saving the poor, he could take you to help him deal firearms, instead of preaching the gospel, or he could take you and reprimand you for your work in the company. Why would someone like an office person in today’s day, or a carpenter back in Jesus’ time, want the lowly and the commonfolk to follow him around as if he wasn't the real deal? 


But if you look into the Bible, there have been many different people from Abraham to Peter who obeyed God’s instruction (in Peter’s case, it was Jesus). When Jesus met Peter and his brother Andrew, and brothers James and John when they were fishing on a boat at the Sea of Galilee. And as how the story goes, Jesus saw the fisherman in the water, and told them to go out further in the water to catch fish, even though these fishermen spent all the previous night trying to catch the fish, but with no success. But they obeyed Jesus (after some initial complaining that they didn't catch anything), and because of that, their nets overflowed. After that, Jesus told them to follow Him, and that, from that point on, they'll be catching men rather than fish.


If I was that situation I’d probably tell Jesus to his face that the season’s not right for fishing, we’ve been at it all week, so it’s not going to change any time soon. What makes his authority different to everyone else who’s trying to tell me different? But had I known what I was supposed to be looking for, had I known that it was Jesus I was speaking to, and had I known all of the prophecies that were fulfilled within this carpenter from Bethlehem, I’d have a different perspective and I’d say to him ‘Right on, you’re the boss!’. But therein lies my point. These days, us humans are waiting for a divine appointment and something to happen in our lives and around others that would give us 100% guarantee that this was a sign from God, that this was what was supposed to happen in the next few years. But in these days; it may not work like that. And it’s partly because of globalisation and technology. With the advent of internet shopping, internet banking, internet university, as well as work from home via the internet, and MSN and Facebook, Twitter and other technological applications making our life easier, one theoretically doesn’t need to leave the house to ‘have a good life’. Through technology and the advent of TV’s, DVD’s, CD’s and downloading via the internet, our lives have been very cluttered, our schedules have become very busy, with our work, leisure, hanging out with friends, paying the bills, cleaning the house, raising the kids, buying the latest stuff from department stores, going to church out of ritual... These days, it’s hard to find a sign for anything through our vision, when our minds are completely filled with all of this stuff 24/7. 


A hypothetical example- Wake up at 6:30am, have a shower, pay some bills over the phone before you go to work, make breakfast for the kids and drive your spouse to work, go to the office pretending to do work while you chat on Facebook and Twitter with your friends, take an extended lunch break, clock off at 5:00, buy some takeaway KFC, watch a TV dinner, and then going window shopping on the weekends, and also sneaking in a movie in the cinemas once in a while. That’s the schedule for a hypothetical person in this day and age. I’m not trying to say that by some extent this is our entire fault, by shoving all of these things onto our plate thinking that we can handle it, not at all. What I am saying is that circumstances have thrown our way atrocious schedules that sadly we have to handle in order to survive. Things like paying the bills, cleaning the house, raising a family, and keeping up with our social life are not things that can be done away with. But sadly, our spiritual life, which also is an aspect of our lives that cannot be done away with or compromised, in fact is. We look at our busy schedules and say God, there’s my soccer, my promotion, my kids, my TV, my dentist appointment, my spouse, my birthday, my mates, my social hangout group, my turn at cooking dinner and washing the car, so how can I fit You in?


And then instead of waiting for an answer or a clear definitive direction of where we are supposed to be going, we turn and look the other way, pretending that the conversation never happened. Because society as a whole doesn't want to admit that they need help. Because they always think that help means a psychiatric or psychological sense, they do not want to admit that they are broken, spiritually and relationally. But in each one of our hearts, they know what is true. They may know that they do need help. But then when they look at Jesus, a man who ‘died’ so they could live, they see just a man who died- like a hero, Superman maybe, but nothing else. But then if you think about it, if Jesus was just a man, then why, in the passage before, did Peter say (according to 'The Aussie Bible' by Kel Richards): ‘Fair go! We’ve fished all night and haven’t even caught a tiddler. But, okay, if you reckon- well, we’ll do it.’? Because He was no ordinary man.


In fact, Jesus was a man who fed 5000 people with 5 loaves and 2 fish, Jesus was a man who healed men from the dead, he walked on water, calm a ferocious storm, even declared Peter’s denial at the point of the last supper; but Peter said something like: ‘Never, Lord- I’ll die first!’. But when Jesus was taken away to be executed, Peter did in fact deny Jesus 3 times. The rooster crowed like Jesus said it did, and when Peter heard this, he wept. That very same Jesus that died on that tree on that Good Friday night, proclaiming those last words ‘It is finished!’ was the same Jesus that was raised from the dead, three days later. Now if you’re like me, no one can rise from the dead. Once you’re dead, then you’re dead. But if you’re God, then that is a different story; because nothing is impossible for him. And when I say nothing, I mean NOTHING! The problems that you have? The problems that I have? He can solve them. With just a click of a finger, he can make everything right. He can wipe the pain that disease, hunger, AIDS, family breakdown; he can get rid of all of that. But he doesn't. 


 And then people start to get mad. They start to blame God for their problems, saying something like 'If you're God then why don't you fix everything?' when the question that they should be asking is this, 'OK God, I know that I've asked you for this, but it seems as though You have better ideas than me on this, why don't you show me?' or better still, 'why don't I just trust you that You've got it all worked out?'...I guess it's hard to trust someone, especially when that someone is God. I know I have had trouble wanting to create my own signs to point to my own future, when all I need to do is to look around at his signs. Because even though His signs pointing to the future that's already mapped out for me may be a little out of what I am capable of at this point in time, I know, with all my heart, that when I've reached that place, and I look back, I'll know that God's way was the best way for me. The same God that let Jesus die on that cross, knowing that that way was the only way to reconcile mankind to himself, is the same God that wants you and I to trust that the outcome He's already planned for our eternity is the one that is the best for us, even though in the moment, you'd think that your future will look totally different to what God wanted. In fact, come to think of it, the Kingdom of heaven is in fact the opposite of the Kingdom on Earth.


The kingdom we're ruling over teaches us to perform to be loved; also known as the performance paradigm. However, the kingdom paradigm explains things differently. We are already loved first. Jesus did die on the cross, indeed for everyone's sins. However, that doesn't mean that everyone will go to heaven. Not at all! There will be people who don't go to heaven, simply because they haven't acknowledged that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, that 'yes, I do have a debt and Jesus paid that so thank you, and now I'm going to live my life for you!'; or they are just stuck in this performance paradigm trying to earn God's favour. Once they realise that you don't have to perform, but rather because of the overwhelming grace and mercy that God has shown all mankind through the sacrifice of his only Son, even to the hands of death itself, bearing the punishment of our sins so that we may have life abundantly; then change will come as a result of that. It's not 'change and alter your behaviour and then God may love you.' It's the other way around. You are loved and accepted into God's kingdom, just as you are. 


Once you've responded to that and believe that Jesus died for us, then the natural response would be to live a life that reflects God's glory, in the decisions that we make on a day-to-day basis, through the good times and the bad times, because ultimately, how we live our lives will show people around us God's light, and it is through how we live our lives that the fish come to the fisherman. 


At the end of the day, there's only one thing. That we are faithful to the calling that Jesus Christ has placed upon our heart to do. That when we stand at Heaven's door, we'd want the Lord to know that in whatever we did, we did it unto Him. That, as it says in a song by Chris Tomlin '...at the end of the day, I wanna hear people say, that my heart looks like Your Heart...unashamed I will dance, in Your name, I'll lift my hands, til my heart looks like your heart...'

Until next post;


Jon.