"Sweet child,
I write you now because I want you to see, I want you to read, I want you to hold before you the words that still fall short of expressing my Love for you. If only you knew how vast the infinite depth of my feelings for you are! My lovely, precious child, the centerpiece of my affection.
Before you existed I saw your perfect face and it made me glad. You have brought joy to me since the first thought of you. I made you just so I could delight in you, and so that I could share that delight as you came to know me.
I know you have made mistakes, but my arms are still wide open for you. Come to me, I am waiting to pour my Love over you. I am excited to bless you! I love to give good gifts to my children.
Cast your cares upon me and I will carry them for you. I never intended for you to carry the burdens you do. I want you to dream and to hope. I want to give you the desires of your heart. Trust in me, and I will always deliver.
I know you have had disappointments, and life has often been hard for you. Do not lose heart for things will get better. You are growing so strong and I am so proud of you! I never wanted for you to go through the hurt you have, but I will always redeem it. In this life and for the rest of eternity, that is my promise to you. You only have to choose to receive.
Dear child, I know things may not always be clear to you, but know that I have a plan for you. A good, pleasing, perfect plan for you! You are not only important to me, but significant! I made you in my image, and I breathe on every good deed you do. You cannot fail as my child, it is impossible.
You have my permission to stop holding onto the past. You have my permission to move away from the shame of your past and present mistakes. When you come to me I not only forgive you, I wipe you clean. I no longer hold those things against you, I don't even remember them! Such is the fullness of my forgiveness and Love for you.
I Love you. I Love you, I Love you, I Love you! Go forth in this. Know that I am with you, that I will never forsake you. Dream big and trust me to help you. What is important to you is important to me, from the smallest thing to the largest. I am a good Father, and I want you to know joy everlasting! My kingdom is one of joy and peace, and I will give you what you need to have both. You only have to look to me! I will cover you and make a safe place for you.
You are not alone, not now, not ever. I will be with you in your sufferings and in your victories. I am with you in the loud and the quiet times. I am here for you to cry with when you need to, and I am always ready to laugh with you!
I am your Father, your Daddy. You are the apple of my eye and the desire of my heart. I believe in you even when you don't believe me or in me. I am always reaching out to you and speaking to you, you only need to pay attention. I Love you, my precious child. I can't say it enough, and I never will stop!
All my Love,
Papa
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Monday, September 8, 2014
Suicidal Thoughts (and Robin Williams' "Choice")
Meanwhile, where is God? This is one of the most disquieting symptoms. When you are happy, so happy you have no sense of needing Him, so happy that you are tempted to feel His claims upon you as an interruption, if you remember Him and turn to Him with gratitude and praise, you will be-- or so it feels-- welcomed with open arms. But go to Him when your need is desperate, when all other help is vain, and what do you find? A door slammed in your face, and the sound of bolting and double-bolting on the other side. After that, silence. You may as well turn away. The longer you wait, the more emphatic the silence will become. There are no lights in the windows. It might be an empty house. Was it ever inhabited? It seemed so once. And that seeming was as strong as this. What can this mean? Why is He so present a commander in our time of prosperity and so very absent a help in time of trouble?
- C.S. Lewis. A Grief Observed.
How does one even begin to describe the process of grief? Especially as a professed Christian? How do we communicate the desolation of the spirit in times of our hardest trials?
For nearly two years now, ever since the death of my parents, I have been in a process of grief. At first it was the deep grieving of losing the two people in my life who had always believed in me and encouraged me more than anyone else. They had been the one constant in my life throughout all the chapters of my life, and I know that without them as an anchor I would not be where I was now. The grieving started the moment they passed and has not yet fully passed. It still comes in waves, although the waves are further apart now.
Then just a few weeks ago I entered into another season of grieving, although a much different one, one much harder to describe. I lost a dream, a belief, an expectation. Over two years ago we decided to give up everything we knew in pursuit of a dream. My dream. We left home, we left community, we left financial stability, and we pursued something bigger. We got tired of playing it safe so we threw all our chips in. And after two years we reached the point where everything told us the payout was coming, until it didn't. And we lost.
Those who have never given up everything in pursuit of a dream will never understand. But when I received the phone call that essentially crushed the house I had been building something snapped within. My dream, my expectation of good things to come from my sacrifice, my faith that God would reward what I gave had been one pillar that had held me up after the loss of my parents. My wife and children had been another pillar. When that first pillar shattered the balance was tipped, and I came tumbling down. My family were no longer a pillar holding me up, but the life-boat which kept me from drowning.
It wasn't until the moment that my hopes for the past few years had been dashed that I finally felt like I had lost everything. I say felt, because it did feel that way, even if it wasn't true. Suddenly the loss of my parents took on much more weight as well. Suddenly it became impossible to see providence in my life. Suddenly I was left scrambling to find something to care enough about to keep pushing forward. The weight of my trials, starting two years before, had finally broken my spirit.
Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. - Romans 12:15
When the apostle Paul wrote these words, I wonder if he knew, even then, how hard they would be to obey. The rejoicing part is easier, but anyone who says they never have a problem rejoicing with someone who receives a victory while we are still in the battle is lying. It is a very difficult thing to do. But as hard as that is I believe it is even harder to come back down into the battle from a place of victory. Mourning with those who mourn is difficult, for there is no party to get caught up into.
In the past couple years I have discovered that the majority of Christians may be the worst at this. While we have been extremely blessed by many believers, I have also found that there are few willing to get into the muck with me when I need them there. Christians are excellent at sending gifts or providing distraction, things which are very helpful to the grief-stricken. But sometimes you just need someone to cry with, someone who says "I know exactly how you feel" and then stop there. Because encouragement is wasted on the mourner. We don't need to hear how God has a plan in all of this. We don't want to hear that it's all going to be ok. We need to know someone understands and won't let us be alone in it.
Yesterday morning I picked up A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis. It is the recording of his thoughts after losing his wife. As I read I began to weep. For the first time since the loss of my parents I was interacting with words of honesty, words of deep grieving that were exactly what I had been feeling. I finally found someone who understood. A part of my soul that had been neglected was finally being touched. Sadly it took a book to get there.
Talk to me about the truth of religion and I'll listen gladly. Talk to me about the duty of religion and I'll listen submissively. But don't come talking to me about the consolations of religion or I shall suspect that you don't understand. - Lewis, Grief pg. 25
'Because she is in God's hands.' But if so, she was in God's hands all the time, and I have seen what they did to her here. Do they suddenly become gentler to us the moment we are out of the body? And if so, why? If God's goodness is inconsistent with hurting us, then either God is not good or there is no God: for in the only life we know He hurts us beyond our worst fears and beyond all we can imagine. If it is consistent with hurting us, then He may hurt us after death as unendurably as before it.
Sometimes it is hard not to say, 'God forgive God.' Sometimes it is hard to say so much. - pg. 27
I would be lying if I said I had been the 'good Christian' during these times. I have struggled, and fought with God. I have felt alone and neglected by Him. I have, at times, wanted to die. If it hadn't been for the goodness in me which cares about my wife and children more than myself, I may have very well found a way. I do not know. I do know that we, as Christians, have far too long neglected mourning with those who mourn. We have expected the rationality of words of faith to keep them afloat and lead them to joy. Words that, through the view of the griever, are empty.
It is in the darkness of the soul one needs to simply not be left alone.
I think recently of the death of Robin Williams. Williams committed suicide for reasons that are not completely clear. Many openly grieved the loss of one of their beloved entertainers. Others derided those grieving for not caring more about the plight of others suffering at the hands of others. Popular blogger Matt Walsh wrote a blog saying "Williams made a choice."
But did he really? What choice is it when life has become so painful one simply cannot face it? Despite his money and fame, something inside Williams was broken. Something inside him considered himself a failure. Who are we to judge that? To judge him you have either a) never experienced such pain or b) overcome and forgotten.
I can speak from personal experience that suicide is only a "choice" in the most horrifying sense of the word. While suicide is, in a general sense, a selfish act, I don't believe that most suicidal thoughts are in the minds of selfish people. Suicidal thoughts go beyond logic, they come from places of intense pain. Do we judge the prisoner of war who finally gives the enemy secrets after suffering much torture? Of course not. Then why would we judge someone under the most mental anguish who isn't thinking clearly? No one wants to die unless the prospect of facing life is too painful.
I had my first suicidal thoughts as a teenager. I last had them just weeks ago. I felt utterly alone in the world for reasons I will not explain here. All that matters is that I was at a place I wanted to die. I was in so much mental and emotional pain that simply being hurt. Life seemed too much, and I too little to deal with it. Was I rational? Absolutely not. It's not rational to want to die when you have your health, you are not poor, you have a good family and friends. But when you don't believe anyone cares or understands what can you really find to live for? Sometimes knowing that you have no right to think such terrible thoughts makes you want to die even MORE.
I sympathize with Robin Williams because I have something he didn't have. I met Jesus at a young age, and that relationship has literally kept me alive. Without Him I don't believe I ever would have found strength to go on in my weakest times. I believe it's because of God that I have chosen life. He is the one who continually shows me why I need to keep going. He is the one that as a teen would not let me go too far in my thoughts without reminding me of future possibilities. He is the one that recently would not let me forget that I have a wife and kids who would suffer greatly without me. Even at my worst, I am valuable to THEM. I believe it is Jesus who speaks to me when I am at my weakest, and gives me strength to go on.
I don't know why I have this struggle other than I have a lot of pain in my life. These are thoughts that have attacked me since I was a young teen. Sometimes I have victory over them for years, sometimes only for days. It is a fight I live with and have to continually stay on guard against. It is a fight I would lose if I didn't have Christ in my life, and I would have lost a long time ago.
So when I hear that Robin Williams had "a choice," I am appalled at the ignorance of those words. If it were that simple, it wouldn't be an epidemic among men aged 15-44. Robin Williams was a victim, a victim of spiritual and mental darkness that only has one answer: Jesus. Anyone who judges him needs to get off their high horse and shut up.
It appalled me to see the backlash against those who grieved Williams. Is not one life worthwhile? Grief defies all logic. Grief attacks our emotions and stifles the mind. To judge an adult grieving is no different than judging a child who grieves. Our emotions remain the same. How did mourning Williams change what was happening to the Iraqis? To think we must choose one or the other is foolishness.
And grief still feels like fear. Perhaps, more strictly, like suspense. Or like waiting; just hanging about waiting for something to happen. It gives life a permanently provisional feeling. It doesn't seem worth starting anything. I can't settle down. I yawn, I fidget, I smoke too much. Up till this I always had too little time. Now there is nothing but time. Almost pure time, empty successiveness. pg. 33
I wish I could contact Lewis and express my gratitude for his honesty. To let him know the exquisite feeling of knowing I am not the only one who loves Jesus and yet still has struggled through my trials. To express to him the joy in finding the permission to just hurt sometimes. To share with him how refreshing it was to not have him say 'it will be ok', but rather just to show me.
When I lay these questions before God I get no answer. But a rather special sort of 'No answer.' It is not the locked door. It is more like a silent, certainly not uncompassionate, gaze. As though he shook His head not in refusal but waiving the question. Like, 'Peace, child; you don't understand.'
Can a mortal ask questions which God finds unanswerable? Quite easily, I should think. All nonsense questions are unanswerable. How many hours are there in a mile? Is yellow square or round? Probably half the questions we ask -- half our great theological and metaphysical problems -- are like that.
To see, in some measure, like God. His love and His knowledge are not distinct from one another, nor from Him. We could almost say He sees because He loves, and therefore loves although He sees.
I once had a great man tell me, 'God would rather you yell at Him than turn away.' I see now the wisdom in that. As hard as my journey has been of late, there is hope. Dreams died will give rise to new dreams. My experience will help me to help others. My battles with God, and His willingness to love me through them, have only bonded me closer to Him.
Suicide and grief go hand in hand. The suicidal is always grieving something. Some grieve without going there, but others cannot avoid it without help. We need to listen to the words of Jesus and stop looking down upon those who can't pick themselves up, no matter what their resources are. We need to come alongside them and love them and meet them where they are at. Lectures are empty talk. Sometimes so is encouragement.
I believe that Robin Williams killed himself because he believed he had failed in his purpose of life, which by all accounts was simply to bring others joy. If Williams had had the one person to meet him where he was at he would probably still be here. One person to constantly show he was appreciated or understood. And if you think otherwise you just don't know. I know because a man dead 50 years was brave enough to bear his soul for us all to see, and the tear stains on the pages are my memory stone of that. Suicide is rarely the person's "choice", it's the choice of all of us who don't reach out to love them.
- C.S. Lewis. A Grief Observed.
How does one even begin to describe the process of grief? Especially as a professed Christian? How do we communicate the desolation of the spirit in times of our hardest trials?
For nearly two years now, ever since the death of my parents, I have been in a process of grief. At first it was the deep grieving of losing the two people in my life who had always believed in me and encouraged me more than anyone else. They had been the one constant in my life throughout all the chapters of my life, and I know that without them as an anchor I would not be where I was now. The grieving started the moment they passed and has not yet fully passed. It still comes in waves, although the waves are further apart now.
Then just a few weeks ago I entered into another season of grieving, although a much different one, one much harder to describe. I lost a dream, a belief, an expectation. Over two years ago we decided to give up everything we knew in pursuit of a dream. My dream. We left home, we left community, we left financial stability, and we pursued something bigger. We got tired of playing it safe so we threw all our chips in. And after two years we reached the point where everything told us the payout was coming, until it didn't. And we lost.
Those who have never given up everything in pursuit of a dream will never understand. But when I received the phone call that essentially crushed the house I had been building something snapped within. My dream, my expectation of good things to come from my sacrifice, my faith that God would reward what I gave had been one pillar that had held me up after the loss of my parents. My wife and children had been another pillar. When that first pillar shattered the balance was tipped, and I came tumbling down. My family were no longer a pillar holding me up, but the life-boat which kept me from drowning.
It wasn't until the moment that my hopes for the past few years had been dashed that I finally felt like I had lost everything. I say felt, because it did feel that way, even if it wasn't true. Suddenly the loss of my parents took on much more weight as well. Suddenly it became impossible to see providence in my life. Suddenly I was left scrambling to find something to care enough about to keep pushing forward. The weight of my trials, starting two years before, had finally broken my spirit.
Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. - Romans 12:15
When the apostle Paul wrote these words, I wonder if he knew, even then, how hard they would be to obey. The rejoicing part is easier, but anyone who says they never have a problem rejoicing with someone who receives a victory while we are still in the battle is lying. It is a very difficult thing to do. But as hard as that is I believe it is even harder to come back down into the battle from a place of victory. Mourning with those who mourn is difficult, for there is no party to get caught up into.
In the past couple years I have discovered that the majority of Christians may be the worst at this. While we have been extremely blessed by many believers, I have also found that there are few willing to get into the muck with me when I need them there. Christians are excellent at sending gifts or providing distraction, things which are very helpful to the grief-stricken. But sometimes you just need someone to cry with, someone who says "I know exactly how you feel" and then stop there. Because encouragement is wasted on the mourner. We don't need to hear how God has a plan in all of this. We don't want to hear that it's all going to be ok. We need to know someone understands and won't let us be alone in it.
Yesterday morning I picked up A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis. It is the recording of his thoughts after losing his wife. As I read I began to weep. For the first time since the loss of my parents I was interacting with words of honesty, words of deep grieving that were exactly what I had been feeling. I finally found someone who understood. A part of my soul that had been neglected was finally being touched. Sadly it took a book to get there.
Talk to me about the truth of religion and I'll listen gladly. Talk to me about the duty of religion and I'll listen submissively. But don't come talking to me about the consolations of religion or I shall suspect that you don't understand. - Lewis, Grief pg. 25
'Because she is in God's hands.' But if so, she was in God's hands all the time, and I have seen what they did to her here. Do they suddenly become gentler to us the moment we are out of the body? And if so, why? If God's goodness is inconsistent with hurting us, then either God is not good or there is no God: for in the only life we know He hurts us beyond our worst fears and beyond all we can imagine. If it is consistent with hurting us, then He may hurt us after death as unendurably as before it.
Sometimes it is hard not to say, 'God forgive God.' Sometimes it is hard to say so much. - pg. 27
I would be lying if I said I had been the 'good Christian' during these times. I have struggled, and fought with God. I have felt alone and neglected by Him. I have, at times, wanted to die. If it hadn't been for the goodness in me which cares about my wife and children more than myself, I may have very well found a way. I do not know. I do know that we, as Christians, have far too long neglected mourning with those who mourn. We have expected the rationality of words of faith to keep them afloat and lead them to joy. Words that, through the view of the griever, are empty.
It is in the darkness of the soul one needs to simply not be left alone.
I think recently of the death of Robin Williams. Williams committed suicide for reasons that are not completely clear. Many openly grieved the loss of one of their beloved entertainers. Others derided those grieving for not caring more about the plight of others suffering at the hands of others. Popular blogger Matt Walsh wrote a blog saying "Williams made a choice."
But did he really? What choice is it when life has become so painful one simply cannot face it? Despite his money and fame, something inside Williams was broken. Something inside him considered himself a failure. Who are we to judge that? To judge him you have either a) never experienced such pain or b) overcome and forgotten.
I can speak from personal experience that suicide is only a "choice" in the most horrifying sense of the word. While suicide is, in a general sense, a selfish act, I don't believe that most suicidal thoughts are in the minds of selfish people. Suicidal thoughts go beyond logic, they come from places of intense pain. Do we judge the prisoner of war who finally gives the enemy secrets after suffering much torture? Of course not. Then why would we judge someone under the most mental anguish who isn't thinking clearly? No one wants to die unless the prospect of facing life is too painful.
I had my first suicidal thoughts as a teenager. I last had them just weeks ago. I felt utterly alone in the world for reasons I will not explain here. All that matters is that I was at a place I wanted to die. I was in so much mental and emotional pain that simply being hurt. Life seemed too much, and I too little to deal with it. Was I rational? Absolutely not. It's not rational to want to die when you have your health, you are not poor, you have a good family and friends. But when you don't believe anyone cares or understands what can you really find to live for? Sometimes knowing that you have no right to think such terrible thoughts makes you want to die even MORE.
I sympathize with Robin Williams because I have something he didn't have. I met Jesus at a young age, and that relationship has literally kept me alive. Without Him I don't believe I ever would have found strength to go on in my weakest times. I believe it's because of God that I have chosen life. He is the one who continually shows me why I need to keep going. He is the one that as a teen would not let me go too far in my thoughts without reminding me of future possibilities. He is the one that recently would not let me forget that I have a wife and kids who would suffer greatly without me. Even at my worst, I am valuable to THEM. I believe it is Jesus who speaks to me when I am at my weakest, and gives me strength to go on.
I don't know why I have this struggle other than I have a lot of pain in my life. These are thoughts that have attacked me since I was a young teen. Sometimes I have victory over them for years, sometimes only for days. It is a fight I live with and have to continually stay on guard against. It is a fight I would lose if I didn't have Christ in my life, and I would have lost a long time ago.
So when I hear that Robin Williams had "a choice," I am appalled at the ignorance of those words. If it were that simple, it wouldn't be an epidemic among men aged 15-44. Robin Williams was a victim, a victim of spiritual and mental darkness that only has one answer: Jesus. Anyone who judges him needs to get off their high horse and shut up.
It appalled me to see the backlash against those who grieved Williams. Is not one life worthwhile? Grief defies all logic. Grief attacks our emotions and stifles the mind. To judge an adult grieving is no different than judging a child who grieves. Our emotions remain the same. How did mourning Williams change what was happening to the Iraqis? To think we must choose one or the other is foolishness.
And grief still feels like fear. Perhaps, more strictly, like suspense. Or like waiting; just hanging about waiting for something to happen. It gives life a permanently provisional feeling. It doesn't seem worth starting anything. I can't settle down. I yawn, I fidget, I smoke too much. Up till this I always had too little time. Now there is nothing but time. Almost pure time, empty successiveness. pg. 33
I wish I could contact Lewis and express my gratitude for his honesty. To let him know the exquisite feeling of knowing I am not the only one who loves Jesus and yet still has struggled through my trials. To express to him the joy in finding the permission to just hurt sometimes. To share with him how refreshing it was to not have him say 'it will be ok', but rather just to show me.
When I lay these questions before God I get no answer. But a rather special sort of 'No answer.' It is not the locked door. It is more like a silent, certainly not uncompassionate, gaze. As though he shook His head not in refusal but waiving the question. Like, 'Peace, child; you don't understand.'
Can a mortal ask questions which God finds unanswerable? Quite easily, I should think. All nonsense questions are unanswerable. How many hours are there in a mile? Is yellow square or round? Probably half the questions we ask -- half our great theological and metaphysical problems -- are like that.
To see, in some measure, like God. His love and His knowledge are not distinct from one another, nor from Him. We could almost say He sees because He loves, and therefore loves although He sees.
I once had a great man tell me, 'God would rather you yell at Him than turn away.' I see now the wisdom in that. As hard as my journey has been of late, there is hope. Dreams died will give rise to new dreams. My experience will help me to help others. My battles with God, and His willingness to love me through them, have only bonded me closer to Him.
Suicide and grief go hand in hand. The suicidal is always grieving something. Some grieve without going there, but others cannot avoid it without help. We need to listen to the words of Jesus and stop looking down upon those who can't pick themselves up, no matter what their resources are. We need to come alongside them and love them and meet them where they are at. Lectures are empty talk. Sometimes so is encouragement.
I believe that Robin Williams killed himself because he believed he had failed in his purpose of life, which by all accounts was simply to bring others joy. If Williams had had the one person to meet him where he was at he would probably still be here. One person to constantly show he was appreciated or understood. And if you think otherwise you just don't know. I know because a man dead 50 years was brave enough to bear his soul for us all to see, and the tear stains on the pages are my memory stone of that. Suicide is rarely the person's "choice", it's the choice of all of us who don't reach out to love them.
Friday, September 5, 2014
The Osteens Aren't the Problem, YOU are
Round and round it goes. When we western Christians get bored of complaining about the current state of our country we decide to go after one of our own. Of course, we don't just go after anyone, we always choose to slander someone who is successful because, God knows, success is an indicator of devilish works. Right?
The latest round is another retread. We have decided to come up in arms against Joel and Victoria Osteen's ministry. The current story is that Victoria Osteen preached recently and said the following quotes*:
"Realize that when we obey God, we're not doing it for God... we're doing it for ourselves."
"Do good for your own self. Do it because God wants you to be happy. When you come to church, when you worship Him, you're not doing it for God, really-- you're doing it for yourself, because that's what makes God happy. Amen?"
While preaching this, Joel was in the audience and nodded along in approval. According to many american Christians, this was the final proof that the Osteens are heretics.
Crazy right? Maybe not. Maybe you are one of those people who thinks that. Famed blogger Matt Walsh certainly thinks so, which he expresses in his latest blog Joel Osteen and His Wife are Heretics, and That's Why America Loves Them. And of course Matt must know since he knows the Osteen's so well on a person level...
Oh wait, he doesn't? Well wouldn't that be um... slander then? And wouldn't that be a sin? Hmm... maybe Matt Walsh should look at the log in his own eye before going after the speck in another's instead of being a judgmental hypocrite. Hey I didn't say it, Jesus did.
But I digress. I don't want to go after Matt Walsh or anyone else on a personal level. I don't believe that's what Jesus wants. In fact, I believe Matt Walsh and others going after the Osteens legitimately love God and feel like they are doing something good for His Kingdom.
Unfortunately in doing so they are not only creating more problems in the church than solving, but they are also showcasing a major problem that already exists in the western church.
Namely, stupidity.
"Whoa that's harsh! Step it back a minute!"
Fine, fine. I'm sorry. I shouldn't use the stupid word, that'd be mean, like, calling someone a heretic or something.
What I really mean is that western Christians in general have committed an atrocious sin. That sin is ignorance. We have fallen into the same trap as the Pharisees did in the time of Jesus. We have made tradition more important than truth. We have stopped exploring the scriptures for ourselves and instead adopted whatever has been spoon fed us through our culture. As a result, we have begun to read the Bible through the lens of tradition and not on its own merits.
As a result we get what is happening with the Osteens. We find someone who thinks differently and we slander them. Why? Because anything countering our tradition scares us. Because we can't really answer what they are saying with truth. Because what they are saying maybe IS the truth and it scares us.
"Wait, WHAT?!"
Yep. I just said it. What Victoria Osteen preached the other day WAS the truth. To be fair, it wasn't ALL of the truth, but there was nothing heretical about her words.
Now before you go start calling me a heretic or a false prophet, let me quote someone we western Christians long ago decided to trust as an authority in the faith. You know, a little guy named C.S. Lewis.
The following are quotes from his book entitled, "Reflections on the Psalms" in the chapter "A Word About Praising."
"(I)t is in the process of being worshipped that God communicates His presence to man."
"In the central act of our own worship of course this is far clearer-- there it is manifestly, even physically, God who gives and we who receive."
"I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation."
"Fully to enjoy is to glorify. In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him."
"The duty exists for the delight."
Ok I'm ready, who wants to call Lewis a heretic? C'mon! I'm waiting... No takers? Huh? Why not? I mean, isn't that basically what the Osteens were saying?
Let me present a question. Does God need us to worship Him?
Anyone? Ok maybe that was too hard. How about; Does worshipping God change Him?
The answer, obviously, is no. So why do we worship God? Why does He command our worship?
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things. Phillippians 4:8
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-- His good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21
The Bible is clear that we are to think about true, noble, right, pure things. What is more true, right, lovely, pure and right than God? Nothing! Worship is turning our thoughts and affection towards the perfect one. It changes us. By worshipping god we make Him our treasure, which becomes where are heart is. As a result our minds are renewed, for by making God our focus we are transformed.
And why do we do all this? We do it FOR US.
WE are the ones who need to be changed. WE are the ones who need to shift our focus. God is perfect and immutable, He won't change if 1 person worships Him or 10 billion. Worship is NOT for God, it is for US. He commands us to worship Him because He knows that it is GOOD FOR US.
This is something the Osteens understand. Notice in Victoria's quote she said, "WHEN we obey GOD." She didn't say, "When we do whatever we want..." She said, "When we WORSHIP God" not, "When we worship ourselves..."
You see what I mean about the problem of stupidity? It is rampant! Her context was clear. The context of the Bible was clear. C.S. Lewis understood it, other great time-tested Christians understood it, why can't we?
But I'm not done! The Bible is full of incentives for worshipping and obeying God. Leviticus 26:1-13 is full of listed rewards for obedience. Here are some others:
The Lord rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness. 1 Samuel 26:23
By them (commandments) your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Psalm 19:11
Trouble pursues the sinner, but the righteous are rewarded with good things. Proverbs 13:21
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him. Hebrews 11:6
And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. Matthew 19:29
This whole notion that we are obeying God for the sake of God is not a biblical concept. God does not NEED us to obey Him. We obey God for OUR sake. We obey God so that we can do good things on earth and be rewarded. We obey God so that we can grow CLOSER to God, which is the ultimate reward! If God needed us to obey Him, why wouldn't He just destroy us and start over? Because He loves us? It's not very loving to have children doing stuff for YOUR sake. Right parents?
God disciplines us for OUR good, not for His (Hebrews 12:10).
God also DELIGHTS in us! He cares about the desires of our hearts! Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4
Why is it so hard for us to get this in the western world? This doesn't mean there won't be suffering and hardship. It doesn't mean we won't go through hard times. It DOES mean that God cares about us and He gives us commands to HELP us.
The Osteens understand this. C.S. Lewis understood it. The western Church is trying hard not to.
Every Christian who has jumped onto the "hating Osteens" bandwagon should be ashamed of yourselves. They are not heretics, they are not false prophets. Everyone who actually knows them loves them and vouches for the sincerity of their hearts. It's only those who don't know them who are attacking them.
Shame on you. All of you. It's time to stop going after people and start focusing on fixing ourselves. The world sees us backbiting each other and wants no part of it. Jesus prayed for unity, and all we're doing is nitpicking those who are in the spotlight when we should be praying for them most of all. THEY are the ones on the frontlines, doing far more good than we are.
And if you're going to resort to slandering someone as a person, you better look deep inside and see why you feel the need to do that. It says nothing about them, it says a whole lot about you.
*I must note that these quotes were gathered secondhand as I could not find a firsthand transcript. Since I'm taking these quotes from a blog that strongly criticizes the Osteens, it is entirely possible that it's a misquote. My response, nevertheless, will be entirely to the quotes as I discovered them.
The latest round is another retread. We have decided to come up in arms against Joel and Victoria Osteen's ministry. The current story is that Victoria Osteen preached recently and said the following quotes*:
"Realize that when we obey God, we're not doing it for God... we're doing it for ourselves."
"Do good for your own self. Do it because God wants you to be happy. When you come to church, when you worship Him, you're not doing it for God, really-- you're doing it for yourself, because that's what makes God happy. Amen?"
While preaching this, Joel was in the audience and nodded along in approval. According to many american Christians, this was the final proof that the Osteens are heretics.
Crazy right? Maybe not. Maybe you are one of those people who thinks that. Famed blogger Matt Walsh certainly thinks so, which he expresses in his latest blog Joel Osteen and His Wife are Heretics, and That's Why America Loves Them. And of course Matt must know since he knows the Osteen's so well on a person level...
Oh wait, he doesn't? Well wouldn't that be um... slander then? And wouldn't that be a sin? Hmm... maybe Matt Walsh should look at the log in his own eye before going after the speck in another's instead of being a judgmental hypocrite. Hey I didn't say it, Jesus did.
But I digress. I don't want to go after Matt Walsh or anyone else on a personal level. I don't believe that's what Jesus wants. In fact, I believe Matt Walsh and others going after the Osteens legitimately love God and feel like they are doing something good for His Kingdom.
Unfortunately in doing so they are not only creating more problems in the church than solving, but they are also showcasing a major problem that already exists in the western church.
Namely, stupidity.
"Whoa that's harsh! Step it back a minute!"
Fine, fine. I'm sorry. I shouldn't use the stupid word, that'd be mean, like, calling someone a heretic or something.
What I really mean is that western Christians in general have committed an atrocious sin. That sin is ignorance. We have fallen into the same trap as the Pharisees did in the time of Jesus. We have made tradition more important than truth. We have stopped exploring the scriptures for ourselves and instead adopted whatever has been spoon fed us through our culture. As a result, we have begun to read the Bible through the lens of tradition and not on its own merits.
As a result we get what is happening with the Osteens. We find someone who thinks differently and we slander them. Why? Because anything countering our tradition scares us. Because we can't really answer what they are saying with truth. Because what they are saying maybe IS the truth and it scares us.
"Wait, WHAT?!"
Yep. I just said it. What Victoria Osteen preached the other day WAS the truth. To be fair, it wasn't ALL of the truth, but there was nothing heretical about her words.
Now before you go start calling me a heretic or a false prophet, let me quote someone we western Christians long ago decided to trust as an authority in the faith. You know, a little guy named C.S. Lewis.
The following are quotes from his book entitled, "Reflections on the Psalms" in the chapter "A Word About Praising."
"(I)t is in the process of being worshipped that God communicates His presence to man."
"In the central act of our own worship of course this is far clearer-- there it is manifestly, even physically, God who gives and we who receive."
"I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation."
"Fully to enjoy is to glorify. In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him."
"The duty exists for the delight."
Ok I'm ready, who wants to call Lewis a heretic? C'mon! I'm waiting... No takers? Huh? Why not? I mean, isn't that basically what the Osteens were saying?
Let me present a question. Does God need us to worship Him?
Anyone? Ok maybe that was too hard. How about; Does worshipping God change Him?
The answer, obviously, is no. So why do we worship God? Why does He command our worship?
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things. Phillippians 4:8
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-- His good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21
The Bible is clear that we are to think about true, noble, right, pure things. What is more true, right, lovely, pure and right than God? Nothing! Worship is turning our thoughts and affection towards the perfect one. It changes us. By worshipping god we make Him our treasure, which becomes where are heart is. As a result our minds are renewed, for by making God our focus we are transformed.
And why do we do all this? We do it FOR US.
WE are the ones who need to be changed. WE are the ones who need to shift our focus. God is perfect and immutable, He won't change if 1 person worships Him or 10 billion. Worship is NOT for God, it is for US. He commands us to worship Him because He knows that it is GOOD FOR US.
This is something the Osteens understand. Notice in Victoria's quote she said, "WHEN we obey GOD." She didn't say, "When we do whatever we want..." She said, "When we WORSHIP God" not, "When we worship ourselves..."
You see what I mean about the problem of stupidity? It is rampant! Her context was clear. The context of the Bible was clear. C.S. Lewis understood it, other great time-tested Christians understood it, why can't we?
But I'm not done! The Bible is full of incentives for worshipping and obeying God. Leviticus 26:1-13 is full of listed rewards for obedience. Here are some others:
The Lord rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness. 1 Samuel 26:23
By them (commandments) your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Psalm 19:11
Trouble pursues the sinner, but the righteous are rewarded with good things. Proverbs 13:21
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him. Hebrews 11:6
And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. Matthew 19:29
This whole notion that we are obeying God for the sake of God is not a biblical concept. God does not NEED us to obey Him. We obey God for OUR sake. We obey God so that we can do good things on earth and be rewarded. We obey God so that we can grow CLOSER to God, which is the ultimate reward! If God needed us to obey Him, why wouldn't He just destroy us and start over? Because He loves us? It's not very loving to have children doing stuff for YOUR sake. Right parents?
God disciplines us for OUR good, not for His (Hebrews 12:10).
God also DELIGHTS in us! He cares about the desires of our hearts! Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4
Why is it so hard for us to get this in the western world? This doesn't mean there won't be suffering and hardship. It doesn't mean we won't go through hard times. It DOES mean that God cares about us and He gives us commands to HELP us.
The Osteens understand this. C.S. Lewis understood it. The western Church is trying hard not to.
Every Christian who has jumped onto the "hating Osteens" bandwagon should be ashamed of yourselves. They are not heretics, they are not false prophets. Everyone who actually knows them loves them and vouches for the sincerity of their hearts. It's only those who don't know them who are attacking them.
Shame on you. All of you. It's time to stop going after people and start focusing on fixing ourselves. The world sees us backbiting each other and wants no part of it. Jesus prayed for unity, and all we're doing is nitpicking those who are in the spotlight when we should be praying for them most of all. THEY are the ones on the frontlines, doing far more good than we are.
And if you're going to resort to slandering someone as a person, you better look deep inside and see why you feel the need to do that. It says nothing about them, it says a whole lot about you.
*I must note that these quotes were gathered secondhand as I could not find a firsthand transcript. Since I'm taking these quotes from a blog that strongly criticizes the Osteens, it is entirely possible that it's a misquote. My response, nevertheless, will be entirely to the quotes as I discovered them.
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