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Here we go again with another “Five Minute Friday” post!  I had a great time trying it out last week, discovered some new writers, and I think a few new people even read my words!  What a great way to share this journey of writing and sharing life.  To learn more about “Five Minute Friday” (FMF), check out the linked image here.
This week’s theme is, “Roots”, so without further adieu…5 minutes of uninterrupted, and unedited writing:

“Roots are your home.   Don’t Deny.  New ideas, are worth a try.  In regards, what’s wrong or right?  We can do this.  Flee or fight.  Prides okay, but understand – no true person, is Superman.  Your domain – called future tense, your environment – your residence.”

It’s a quote from a song called “Residence” from a band called “Everyday Life” back in the 90’s.  A generally grunge-rap-core type band that I listened to when I was upset with the bad stuff in the world.  But it planted seeds for paying attention to the location roots were being put down.   Attention to the role of a parent to know the environment of their family, and change it if necessary.

So it’s with a bit of pride and thankfulness that I look back on the move we made back in 2005.  Far from any family, but wanting to begin having children of our own, we felt like God was calling us to move closer to family.  We moved to where my wife is from, and where much of her extended family still lives.  We also ended up centrally located to where many of my siblings moved to live as well.

But that’s not all.

I’m a youth pastor, and the trend is toward “short-term” living situations for most of us.  We’ve been here almost 7 years, and I still feel like we are only beginning what God has for us here.
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Grr….5 minutes is up.   So that’s what I wrote.  But it’s very true – I feel grateful for all the elements God connected to allow us to put down “roots” that our children can connect to.  Not simply “where we live”, either.  But the identity of our family in Christ, following His call, especially at these early years.

Fun. 🙂

Hebrews 1:3, “He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high..”

There are moments with my children where they are shining with the characteristics of their father. I remember one of the first times we let Addie eat an orange by herself. She sat there, meticulously pealing the orange skin away. Then she separated the pieces of orange one slice at a time. When we came back in the room, she had piled all of the peel together, and lined up the slices in a row, single file. No one had taught her daddy’s love of order, it was something naturally imprinted on her. 🙂

Although what the author is referring to here is much larger, and much more literal. The word used here is the word we get “character” from in English. As in “the characters in a play”, or the “characters of the alphabet”. But what did it mean as it was written then? The root of the word points to something like engraving or imprinting an image onto something else. In most cases, it was used to describe the imprinting of coins. The emperor would find an expert engraver, someone who could create an exact replica of his face to put on the coins used. He would create and cast a “stamp” so that the coin gave the “exact impression” of what was on the stamp.

As NT Wright has said, “It’s as if the exact imprint of the Father’s very nature and glory has been precisely reproduced in the soft metal of the son’s human nature.”  Going back to the first verses of this chapter with the same illustration – it’s as if for a long time, God didn’t have the metal necessary to receive his exact imprint. So he was sending out sketches and drafts on paper and other materials throughout the prophets, priests, and kings. Finally, in Christ, He can reveal what he’d been pointing to for generations.

Jesus has provided “purification for sins”. A way for us to be cleansed from the impact of sin in our lives, and on the world.

So why were the people being written to here tempted to turn away from Jesus?  This book was written about 60 years after the resurrection, and they were no doubt being pressured by family and friends to stop this Jesus-nonsense, and return to things they’ve known for generations.  Things like the Law, and the words of the Prophets.

To see the big picture, an illustration may help. Remember Christmas morning, when the children have unwrapped all the presents, and the floor is just covered with paper and tape and cards and boxes? That frustrating moment, when your 2 year old grabs the most expensive toy they received, dumps it out of the box, and runs away with the box itself, squealing with joy. Imagine God’s frustration and heart yearning, when His people are finally able to receive the gift God has been wrapping in the prophets, the law, and so on for generations….and yet they cling to the boxes and wrapping papers. They cling to the words of the prophets and living by the law, and shove Jesus to the side.

How are we like the audience of this book?  Are we being told to simply “be good people”, and don’t bother with specifics like the words of Jesus?  Are we told that having a vaguely “spiritual” side is “enough”?  Do you know the 10 commandments like the back of your hand, but when it comes to forgiving others, or serving the poor – well….it’s a lot easier to not murder someone.

May we spend some time re-orienting our lives to not simply be “good”, but to be centered on Jesus and on following Him.

“In the beginning was the word…”

Okay, so I’m not really going to spiritualize this post, but I do think this is something incredibly important. Our kids love books. Our oldest daughter is at the point where she is literally devouring new books, and burning through pages including words I never thought she knew. Her younger sisters are following close behind. Their beds are usually hiding a small library under and among the sheets, and even when I go to lay my head – I can usually count on bumping into a book left behind by someone who had taken our bed for a naptime spin.

They’re apples that aren’t falling far from their parents orchard. When my wife and I were dating, at one point she shared her favorite line from her favorite movie, “Ever After”. When the “Cinderella” character is asked to name her favorite book, she says, “I could no sooner choose a favorite star among the heavens.” Needless to say, I had to marry this woman.

I’m not sure where a love for reading developed. It was certainly being planted throughout my life, with trips to the library. When I was very young, of course I remember episode after episode of “Reading Rainbow” (humming “Butterfly in the Sky…..”).   Growing up, I remember leaning toward the “Joke/Humor” books at the public library. My favorite story from Mrs. Connor, the librarian in grade school, was “The Five Chinese Brothers” – a book I now love to read to my children. In middle school, I remember enjoying the “Choose Your Own Adventure” titles, along with some science fiction. When the realities of life got rough, it was a nice to escape for a bit into a carefully crafted alternate reality, where resolutions came before you turned the last page.

In high school, I had a teacher named Mrs. Clarke who sensed I may have an appreciation for the written word, and recommended “Walden” by Henry David Thoreau. I’m not sure how she saw through my class-clown, poor grades, ADD energy self….to the nerd who could dive into the worlds crafted by such a thoughtful author….but I’m thankful she did. It’s a seed that has definitely grown through the years into a giant appreciation for literature – both classic and modern.

So tonight when I tuck my kids in, after story time and prayers, and they ask for – not a stuffed toy to cuddle with – but a book to keep them company….I’ll smile. I love my little bookworms.

(sidenote: I was going to title this post “bibliophilia”, but apparently the bibliophile loves the book for being a book, not so much for it’s content.  According to the expert source of Wikipedia, a “bookworm” is the term used for someone who loves a book for it’s content.)