Tag: discipleship

Posted in Different Books, Different Thoughts, Uncategorized

A Wrinkle in Parenting (spoiler alert)

Posted on by Wick

We’ve just returned from the theater, only to verify once more – the book is always better than the movie.  It sounds like such a great homeschool policy – “We’ll only go see the movie if we read the book together!”  Yet every time – the movie ends up falling flat.  It just doesn’t stand a chance.wrinkle.jpeg

Pushing that aside for a moment, I do love the book and so much of the imagery and themes througout: Light fighting back the darkness. Strength discovered in weakness.  You cannot serve two masters.  Hope even in places where we’ve made mistakes.  There are even direct quotes from scripture used imaginatively throughout.

L’Engle presents a Universe much larger than we usually envision, and the invitation for each of us to become warriors on behalf of light.  This doesn’t mean strapping on our weapons, and polishing our armor – it means offering ourselves in places and situations where we aren’t assured of the outcome.  It means loving the other, even when there’s no visible sign that such sacrificial love will be received well.

One of my favorite scenes is toward the end, as the lead character realizes she has been self-centered in her relationship with her Father:

          “I’m – I’m sorry, Father…(tears came to her eyes, their hands together)..I wanted you to do it all for me.  I wanted everything to be all easy and simple…So I tried to pretend that it was all your fault…because I was scared, and I didn’t want to have to do anything myself–“
        “But I wanted to do it for you,” Mr.Murry said.  “That’s what every parent wants.”  He looked into her dark, frightened eyes….
         “No.” Mrs Whatsit’s voice was sterner than Meg had ever heard it. “You are going to allow Meg the privilege of accepting this danger.  You are a wise man, Mr.Murry.  You are going to let her go.”

So many layers to this.

We love our children, and want great things for them.  But we must remember, for them to grow and develop they must be allowed to experience the mystery of holding Gods’ hand into the unknown.  As John Ortberg has written, “Persons of excellent will, judgment and character are formed by having to make their own decisions.” (Focus on the Family, April/May 2018)

We see this same love as God invites humanity with free will to respond to a crucified Messiah, an image of self-sacrificing Love that doesn’t force, demand, or overthrow.  An infinitely compelling revelation of a path we’re invited to follow, not with the promise that all will go well – but with the promise that this is the path of New Creation Love.  This is the way of proclaming Jesus as Lord.  This is the way of light breaking forth into darkness.

So what is the wrinkle? If we want to invite our children to step forward into a faith-filled unknown – we must be prepared to respond to their obvious questions.  “Really mom/dad?  You’re doing this?”  Where are we following Jesus into areas of unknown?  Where are we trusting Him to do something, without which we would sink into the waves of a stormy sea?  Where are we experiencing this as a home/family?

This isn’t meant to be intimidating, but encouraging/inviting.  This isn’t saying every family should sell all things, move into a tiny home in the bad part of town, or other side of the world.  This is simply saying – great distances can be traveled by small and simple acts of sacrificial love.  Great rifts can be overcome by a humble dependence on a Love that reflects the brightest light that has ever shown.

This is how Christ began the ultimate victory.  This is how we continue to proclaim & establish it, empowered by His Spirit even now.   Not by our own power to Love, but as we are transformed by His…

Posted in Uncategorized

smiles.

Posted on by Wick

Back when we were dating, a song emerged as “ours” in the way songs do as couples travel through life together.  It was by a small band that only existed for a short period of time, but whose CD I borrowed from her all the time.   The title was “You Make Me Smile”, and yes…we often got sappy to it.  But it communicated so much of our early relationship and still today.  I often traveled in a band throughout college, and during the time we spent apart there were many moments where the thought of her, or surprise visit would brighten my face in great ways.  I would’ve never imagined it has now become a bit of a “Family Song”, offering a new perspective when sung/heard by or for our children.  But as any parent knows…..our children have the ability to make us smile.

Often in simple ways…

Our 5 year old, as we’re walking up to the playground, singing “Time is tickin’ away!  Tick Tick Tickin’ away!!”  Granted, we’d just ridden in my car where my incredible cassette-player was pumping out incredibly solid standards of Christian rock.  So she doesn’t know all the words to “Jesus is Still Alright” yet….she’s got time.

Our 8 year old, breaking in on a grown-ups version of charades, grabs a slip of paper to write down a name.  She’s giggling like she’s just written down something hilarious.  I’m thinking a vague cartoon character of some sort.  Maybe a common princess.  But she’s so excited to have that name in the mix, she actually stays and joins the game with us.  So who did she write down?  Pavel Datsuk.  One of the greatest Detroit Redwings to ever perform magically with the puck.  Well, actually she wrote “DASUK”, but we’ll give her time.  Those European names can be tricky.

One of the coolest moments from this past week, however, came from our 6 year old.  It was in the midst of dinner, before we began to carve our pumpkins.  The only night all week where we had no commitments, we had looked forward to a nice relaxing family time together.  Sarah had made a pot roast so tender, you could spread it on bread if you needed.  The whole house smelled of comfort and tranquillity.   We were all sitting down, and just barely keeping the girls reigned in to eat together, as they were so excited to be done and move on to dessert and pumpkin carving.  Sophie gets up and runs into the kitchen, I almost yell but realize she’s refilling her water cup and I calm down.  That’s when it happens.

“OH MAN!!  You guys have GOT to come see this sunset!!  It is soo beautiful!!”   And so, just like that, we all collectively sat our forks down, and followed her call to the kitchen.  Sure enough, it was quite pretty.  Pretty enough that we all went upstairs to get a better view above the neighborhood.  image1(2)

It wasn’t long before we all had breathed in enough of the wonder and beauty of a perfectly pink sunset that could never be captured fully by an iPhone.  We slowly made our way back to the table, and back into the rhythms of a busy fall night.  (did I mention this was also bath night?)   But several times this week, I’ve remembered that moment our 6 year old called our whole family to come and appreciate the beauty of what God was painting on the horizon.  These girls make me smile….

Posted in Uncategorized

re-tweeted theology.

Posted on by Wick

2 Timothy 4:3 “For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires.”tweet

I’m sure most of what I say here could be found on some witty list of “Things Christians should stop saying.”  I’ve seen links to those posts all over the place, but haven’t really read them.  So just in case any of you have a similar experience, I really wanted to share a few things today.  I could probably post another one entitled “Gospel Quartet Music Theology“, but I won’t go there for now.  The point is, I think so many of us settle for a thin, re-tweeted, “click share”d, un-inspected theology these days.   We hear a rallying cry (or meme) of someone we have liked in the past, and assume whatever it says should be taken to heart, and passed along.

To write/say something against them can easily be dis-regarded as the common “cynicism” of young adults today.  That’s why I almost didn’t say anything.   But just in case it helps someone to rethink something they’ve heard and grow in their relationship with God…here goes nothing.

1. “Don’t pray for a lighter load, pray for a stronger back!” – It sounds good.  Certainly there are many of us, especially in the US, who need to stop complaining about small inconveniences as if we’re really suffering.  But this phrase was posted publicly on a church sign, in a city where many broken and suffering people drive by.  For a church to basically say to anyone driving by, “Suck it up!” , doesn’t seem like the love of Christ we find in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  So go ahead…pray for a lighter load.  Jesus knows the load you’re already carrying, and offers to hold it for you.

2. “Judge not, lest you be judged” – It was written to a friend who’s trying to clean up his life, and asked people to be more thoughtful about what they post on his wall.  Obviously he was killing a vibe, and the friends who noticed didn’t like it.  I’m reminded here of Matthew 10:34, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.”  Beginning to follow Christ means you’ll probably have people who don’t want to change, who are unwilling to be close to you as you change.  That’s okay.   Show them love, and keep doors of relationship open.  But don’t fall to the “God’s Word says not to judge” routine.  Because actually, the Bible says quite a bit about holding each other accountable.  Yes, in Matthew 7 and Luke 6, Jesus does talk to his followers and tell them not to judge.  He’s pointing out that we cannot have the same expectations of people who don’t know God, as we do for those who do.  It’s also a reminder that we don’t “think of ourselves as above” others, because we are all sinners.  God alone does the judging of worth (we’ve all been declared valuable enough to receive his mercy), and eternity.  But there are so many scriptures about the transformation Jesus wants to bring to our lives, the Love of God that changes our mind and behaviors, and the sin we are called to both be set free from, and proclaim the freedom for others from. )(1 Corinthians 5:12-13, John 7:24, 1 Timothy 4:2, 1 Corinthians 6:2-3)   So go ahead…live a transformed life, and proclaim the freedom from sin God has made available to others…in love.

3. “God will not give you more than you can handle.” – This one’s hard to confess, because I’d love so much for it to be true.  Unfortunately, it’s a false teaching.  One that should be easy for us to realize, as God’s own son was given a death sentence on the cross.  Not to mention it makes it sound like these horrible things are given “by” God, instead of simply allowed as the freedom to sin spreads brokenness throughout our world.  Thousands upon thousands have died for Christ over the years, and it wasn’t because they really wanted to die.  It was because they were willing to follow Christ, even when it WAS more than they could handle.  There is a scripture, 1 Corinthians 10:13, that tells us God will not allow us to be TEMPTED beyond what we can bear.  But that’s a different topic.  Jesus told his followers, “See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves…” (Matt. 10:16)  Not like superheroes, and not like people who can handle any burden easily because of the supernatural abilities given us by the Holy Spirit.  So if the tears are falling lately, as you’re suffering under what seems to be an unbearable burden, take heart.  It doesn’t mean you’re not a good Christian if you feel like things are horrible right now.  It means you live in a broken world where sin and evil are being revealed as the horrible things they are.  There IS hope, and Christ has proclaimed that justice is coming; that redemption is on it’s way; that all the current sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us (Romans 8:18).  But don’t feel pressure to pretend everything is okay…it’s not.  So go ahead, lean on your brothers and sisters…allow yourself to be held by Christ as you suffer…and be there for those who are suffering.  We need Christ to come fully…and until then He is coming to the world even now, through you.

There are quite a few more on this list….but there are plenty of places already calling ’em out.  These are just a few that’ve been on my heart this week. 🙂