A Jesus Manifesto

I have not read the books that Sweet and Viola cite, but I think their manifesto is a great reminder of our faith. See what you think...

A Magna Carta for Restoring the Supremacy of Jesus Christ a.k.a. A Jesus Manifesto for the 21st Century Church by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola

Christians have made the gospel about so many things … things other than Christ.

Jesus Christ is the gravitational pull that brings everything together and gives them significance, reality, and meaning. Without him, all things lose their value. Without him, all things are but detached pieces floating around in space.

It is possible to emphasize a spiritual truth, value, virtue, or gift, yet miss Christ . . . who is the embodiment and incarnation of all spiritual truth, values, virtues, and gifts.

Seek a truth, a value, a virtue, or a spiritual gift, and you have obtained something dead.

Seek Christ, embrace Christ, know Christ, and you have touched him who is Life. And in him resides all Truth, Values, Virtues and Gifts in living color. Beauty has its meaning in the beauty of Christ, in whom is found all that makes us lovely and loveable.

What is Christianity? It is Christ. Nothing more. Nothing less. Christianity is not an ideology. Christianity is not a philosophy. Christianity is the “good news” that Beauty, Truth and Goodness are found in a person. Biblical community is founded and found on the connection to that person. Conversion is more than a change in direction; it’s a change in connection. Jesus’ use of the ancient Hebrew word shubh, or its Aramaic equivalent, to call for “repentance” implies not viewing God from a distance, but entering into a relationship where God is command central of the human connection.

In that regard, we feel a massive disconnection in the church today. Thus this manifesto.

We believe that the major disease of the church today is JDD: Jesus Deficit Disorder. The person of Jesus is increasingly politically incorrect, and is being replaced by the language of “justice,” “the kingdom of God,” “values,” and “leadership principles.”

In this hour, the testimony that we feel God has called us to bear centers on the primacy of the Lord Jesus Christ. Specifically . . .

1. The center and circumference of the Christian life is none other than the person of Christ. All other things, including things related to him and about him, are eclipsed by the sight of his peerless worth. Knowing Christ is Eternal Life. And knowing him profoundly, deeply, and in reality, as well as experiencing his unsearchable riches, is the chief pursuit of our lives, as it was for the first Christians. God is not so much about fixing things that have gone wrong in our lives as finding us in our brokenness and giving us Christ.

2. Jesus Christ cannot be separated from his teachings. Aristotle says to his disciples, “Follow my teachings.” Socrates says to his disciples, “Follow my teachings.” Buddha says to his disciples, “Follow my meditations.” Confucius says to his disciples, “Follow my sayings.” Muhammad says to his disciples, “Follow my noble pillars.” Jesus says to his disciples, “Follow me.” In all other religions, a follower can follow the teachings of its founder without having a relationship with that founder. Not so with Jesus Christ. The teachings of Jesus cannot be separated from Jesus himself. Jesus Christ is still alive and he embodies his teachings. It is a profound mistake, therefore, to treat Christ as simply the founder of a set of moral, ethical, or social teaching. The Lord Jesus and his teaching are one. The Medium and the Message are One. Christ is the incarnation of the Kingdom of God and the Sermon on the Mount.

3. God’s grand mission and eternal purpose in the earth and in heaven centers in Christ . . . both the individual Christ (the Head) and the corporate Christ (the Body). This universe is moving towards one final goal – the fullness of Christ where He shall fill all things with himself. To be truly missional, then, means constructing one’s life and ministry on Christ. He is both the heart and bloodstream of God’s plan. To miss this is to miss the plot; indeed, it is to miss everything.

4. Being a follower of Jesus does not involve imitation so much as it does implantation and impartation. Incarnation–the notion that God connects to us in baby form and human touch—is the most shocking doctrine of the Christian religion. The incarnation is both once-and-for-all and ongoing, as the One “who was and is to come” now is and lives his resurrection life in and through us. Incarnation doesn’t just apply to Jesus; it applies to every one of us. Of course, not in the same sacramental way. But close. We have been given God’s “Spirit” which makes Christ “real” in our lives. We have been made, as Peter puts it, “partakers of the divine nature.” How, then, in the face of so great a truth can we ask for toys and trinkets? How can we lust after lesser gifts and itch for religious and spiritual thingys? We’ve been touched from on high by the fires of the Almighty and given divine life. A life that has passed through death – the very resurrection life of the Son of God himself. How can we not be fired up?

To put it in a question: What was the engine, or the accelerator, of the Lord’s amazing life? What was the taproot or the headwaters of his outward behavior? It was this: Jesus lived by an indwelling Father. After his resurrection, the passage has now moved. What God the Father was to Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ is to you and to me. He’s our indwelling Presence, and we share in the life of Jesus’ own relationship with the Father. There is a vast ocean of difference between trying to compel Christians to imitate Jesus and learning how to impart an implanted Christ. The former only ends up in failure and frustration. The latter is the gateway to life and joy in our daying and our dying. We stand with Paul: “Christ lives in me.” Our life is Christ. In him do we live, breathe, and have our being. “What would Jesus do?” is not Christianity. Christianity asks: “What is Christ doing through me … through us? And how is Jesus doing it?” Following Jesus means “trust and obey” (respond), and living by his indwelling life through the power of the Spirit.

5. The “Jesus of history” cannot be disconnected from the “Christ of faith.” The Jesus who walked the shores of Galilee is the same person who indwells the church today. There is no disconnect between the Jesus of Mark’s Gospel and the incredible, all-inclusive, cosmic Christ of Paul’s letter to the Colossians. The Christ who lived in the first century has a pre-existence before time. He also has a post-existence after time. He is Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End, A and Z, all at the same time. He stands in the future and at the end of time at the same moment that He indwells every child of God. Failure to embrace these paradoxical truths has created monumental problems and has diminished the greatness of Christ in the eyes of God’s people.

6. It’s possible to confuse “the cause” of Christ with the person of Christ. When the early church said “Jesus is Lord,” they did not mean “Jesus is my core value.” Jesus isn’t a cause; he is a real and living person who can be known, loved, experienced, enthroned and embodied. Focusing on his cause or mission doesn’t equate focusing on or following him. It’s all too possible to serve “the god” of serving Jesus as opposed to serving him out of an enraptured heart that’s been captivated by his irresistible beauty and unfathomable love. Jesus led us to think of God differently, as relationship, as the God of all relationship.

7. Jesus Christ was not a social activist nor a moral philosopher. To pitch him that way is to drain his glory and dilute his excellence. Justice apart from Christ is a dead thing. The only battering ram that can storm the gates of hell is not the cry of Justice, but the name of Jesus. Jesus Christ is the embodiment of Justice, Peace, Holiness, Righteousness. He is the sum of all spiritual things, the “strange attractor” of the cosmos. When Jesus becomes an abstraction, faith loses its reproductive power. Jesus did not come to make bad people good. He came to make dead people live.

8. It is possible to confuse an academic knowledge or theology about Jesus with a personal knowledge of the living Christ himself. These two stand as far apart as do the hundred thousand million galaxies. The fullness of Christ can never be accessed through the frontal lobe alone. Christian faith claims to be rational, but also to reach out to touch ultimate mysteries. The cure for a big head is a big heart.

Jesus does not leave his disciples with CliffsNotes for a systematic theology. He leaves his disciples with breath and body.

Jesus does not leave his disciples with a coherent and clear belief system by which to love God and others. Jesus gives his disciples wounds to touch and hands to heal.

Jesus does not leave his disciples with intellectual belief or a “Christian worldview.” He leaves his disciples with a relational faith.

Christians don’t follow a book. Christians follow a person, and this library of divinely inspired books we call “The Holy Bible” best help us follow that person. The Written Word is a map that leads us to The Living Word. Or as Jesus himself put it, “All Scripture testifies of me.” The Bible is not the destination; it’s a compass that points to Christ, heaven’s North Star.

The Bible does not offer a plan or a blueprint for living. The “good news” was not a new set of laws, or a new set of ethical injunctions, or a new and better PLAN. The “good news” was the story of a person’s life, as reflected in The Apostle’s Creed. The Mystery of Faith proclaims this narrative: “Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again.” The meaning of Christianity does not come from allegiance to complex theological doctrines, but a passionate love for a way of living in the world that revolves around following Jesus, who taught that love is what makes life a success . . . not wealth or health or anything else: but love. And God is love.

9. Only Jesus can transfix and then transfigure the void at the heart of the church. Jesus Christ cannot be separated from his church. While Jesus is distinct from his Bride, he is not separate from her. She is in fact his very own Body in the earth. God has chosen to vest all of power, authority, and life in the living Christ. And God in Christ is only known fully in and through his church. (As Paul said, “The manifold wisdom of God – which is Christ – is known through the ekklesia.”)

The Christian life, therefore, is not an individual pursuit. It’s a corporate journey. Knowing Christ and making him known is not an individual prospect. Those who insist on flying life solo will be brought to earth, with a crash. Thus Christ and his church are intimately joined and connected. What God has joined together, let no person put asunder. We were made for life with God; our only happiness is found in life with God. And God’s own pleasure and delight is found therein as well.

10. In a world which sings, “Oh, who is this Jesus?” and a church which sings, “Oh, let’s all be like Jesus,” who will sing with lungs of leather, “Oh, how we love Jesus!”

If Jesus could rise from the dead, we can at least rise from our bed, get off our couches and pews, and respond to the Lord’s resurrection life within us, joining Jesus in what he’s up to in the world. We call on others to join us—not in removing ourselves from planet Earth, but to plant our feet more firmly on the Earth while our spirits soar in the heavens of God’s pleasure and purpose. We are not of this world, but we live in this world for the Lord’s rights and interests. We, collectively, as the ekklesia of God, are Christ in and to this world.

May God have a people on this earth who are a people of Christ, through Christ, and for Christ. A people of the cross. A people who are consumed with God’s eternal passion, which is to make his Son preeminent, supreme, and the head over all things visible and invisible. A people who have discovered the touch of the Almighty in the face of his glorious Son. A people who wish to know only Christ and him crucified, and to let everything else fall by the wayside. A people who are laying hold of his depths, discovering his riches, touching his life, and receiving his love, and making HIM in all of his unfathomable glory known to others.

The two of us may disagree about many things—be they ecclesiology, eschatology, soteriology, not to mention economics, globalism and politics.

But in our two most recent books—From Eternity to Here and So Beautiful—we have sounded forth a united trumpet. These books are the Manifests to this Manifesto. They each present the vision that has captured our hearts and that we wish to impart to the Body of Christ— “This ONE THING I know” (Jn.9:25) that is the ONE THING that unites us all:

Jesus the Christ.

Christians don’t follow Christianity; Christians follow Christ.

Christians don’t preach themselves; Christians proclaim Christ.

Christians don’t point people to core values; Christians point people to the cross.

Christians don’t preach about Christ: Christians preach Christ.

Over 300 years ago a German pastor wrote a hymn that built around the Name above all names:

Ask ye what great thing I know, that delights and stirs me so?
What the high reward I win? Whose the name I glory in?
Jesus Christ, the crucified.

This is that great thing I know; this delights and stirs me so:
faith in him who died to save, His who triumphed o’er the grave:
Jesus Christ, the crucified.

—

Jesus Christ – the crucified, resurrected, enthroned, triumphant, living Lord.

He is our Pursuit, our Passion, and our Life.

Amen.

HOPE

For the Thanksgiving edition (Nov. 26) of the Beaverton Valley-Times...

I've been thinking a lot about hope.

Maybe it's because I'll be preaching about hope on Dec. 6, the first Sunday of Advent. Or maybe it's because it is the underlying theme of ur church's Dec. 11 & 12 musical, "I'll Be Home for Christmas."

More likely, though, I'm contemplating hope because of some recent conversations, like the man who told me, "I'd almost given up hope of getting a new job." Or the woman who lamented, "I keep hoping things will get better, but so far they've just gotten worse."

I am fascinated that hope is viewed negatively by some but positively by others. For instance, an old English proverb says, "Hope is a good breakfast but a bad supper." Philosopher Frederick Nietzsche was even more emphatic: "Hope is the worst of all evils, for it prolongs the torment of man!"

Contrast that with Pearl Buck's statement: "To eat bread without hope is still to slowly starve to death." Or what Christopher Reeve had to say, "Once you choose hope, anything is possible."

Why is there such a discrepancy in our perspectives on hope? One reason, of course, is that some people are optimistic and others are pessimistic.

A less obvious reason, though, is that we have widely varying definitions of hope. Hope has two elements--desire and expectation. However, in English, the element of desire usually outweighs the element of expectation. When that is the case, hope becomes little more than wishful thinking. When some people say, "I hope I'll get a job by Christmas," they really mean I'd like to get a job by Christmas; I wish I could."

The Bible's understanding of hope is much different. It includes desire, but the emphasis is heavily on expectation. That's because the focus in not on what we hope for but what we hope in.

For instance, the psalmist counseled, "Put your hope in God" (Ps. 42:5). When he wrote this, he was not arguing that everything would go smoothly if we hope in God. In fact, just before this he said that his tears had been his food day and night (Ps. 42:3). But his hope did not stand on spindly legs; his hope was not a matter of wish fulfillment.

Rather, he modeled the kind of substantial hope that we need--hope that doesn't dissipate when our marriage isn't going well, or when we get laid off, or when our children get in trouble.

You see, hope is only as good as what--or who--we place our hope in.

I remember visiting one of our members who was dying of colon cancer. She assured me, "It's going to be okay, Pastor, however it turns out. I'll be all right. I know where I'm going to be."

She had a hope that wouldn't quit on her. Do you?

I hope so.

Stages of Prayer

Many people tell me, "I'm not good at prayer." However, in most cases, the real problem is not that we are "good" or "bad" at prayer -- those are moral categories. Rather, we haven't learned that prayer is a multifaceted experience.

Just as a baseball player needs to learn several different skills--hitting, throwing, catching, and how to run the bases--so a follower of Christ needs different prayer "skills." Or, perhaps it's easier to think of these skills as natural phases through which we progress.

Too many people have continued to view prayer through the eyes of a small child -- "give me, give me, give me." It is time for us to develop a more mature way of praying, so we can experience the delight of relating to God as our "Abba" (Papa).

Mark Thibodeaux has done a good job of articulating these phases in his book, Armchair Mystic:

• Talking at God -- reciting parents or other authorities taught us to pray, e.g. "Bless these gifts, O Lord, which we are about to receive through Christ our Lord."
• Talking to God -- becoming more comfortable finding our own words to speak to God.
• Listening to God -- When we begin listening to God, we are starting to develop a genuine two-way relationship with Him.
• Being with God -- At this stage, we enjoy simply being in the presence of the God who loves us. Our prayer may have words, or it may be wordless. It doesn't really matter because His presence is what gives meaning to the prayertime.
  

Just Because You Don't See Them Doesn't Mean...

In The Old Patagonian Express, Paul Theroux wrote:

"There were shacks all over these hills, in the most unlikely places, built against boulders and cave entrances, and at the bottom of sand pits. I came to fear them, because at each one there was a mangy dog that ran out and yapped at me, snarling into its paws. I was genuinely frightened of being bitten by one of these mutts: they had a crazy rabid look, and a bark from one excited barks from other dogs hidden all over the stony hillside. Giving these dogs a wide berth, I strayed from the mule tracks. . . .

"I mentioned the dogs to a Columbian that evening. There seemed to be a lot of mutts in the hills, I said. Were they dangerous? 'Some of the dogs are dangerous,' he said. 'But all of the snakes are deadly poisonous.' 'I did not see any snakes.' 'Maybe not. But they saw you.'"

I think that's a parable. How often do we guard ourselves against the dogs we can see when it's the snakes that we don't see that are much more likely to kill us? How often are we blind to the real dangers in life? That's one reason we need to live in community with others. Others can help me deal with some of my blind spots.

What Kind of Prayer?

I love this picture of two hands gripped in fervent prayer. And that is how we often think of prayer -- someone desperately imploring God to perform a miracle, to heal someone they love or get themselves out of a jam.

But doesn't this omit the best part of prayer? Isn't it like children who only come to their parents when they want something? The main goal of prayer should be to grow in our relationship to God. Then, when we ask God to do something, we will ask with confidence because we will truly the know the One of whom we are making the request.

"If I could just sit with you awhile -- I need you to hold me, moment by moment, 'till forever passes by."

The "Now" of Eternity

Sunday I talked about the importance of setting our hearts on "things above" rather than on "earthly things" (Col. 3:1-2). However, I had to explain that this did not mean that we are to ignore life's ongoing demands -- paying the bills and taking care of the house and nurturing our kids. Rather, we need to remember that this is not all there is. In fact, the various arenas of life--work, school, and home--are our arenas of ministry. These areas of life desperately need a "things above" perspective.

Eternal life is not out there after we die. It is present here and now as we entrust ourselves to God. Jesus said, "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent" (John 17:3).

Changing our viewpoint can change everything.

Hard-Earned Wisdom

I like all of Donald Miller's books, but I think A Million Miles in a Thousand Years is his best since Blue Like Jazz. That's partly because, as he ages, he's learning some things about himself and about life, and he's willing to share these things with readers.

For instance, after the devastating breakup with the girl he thought he was going to marry, he realized something important:

...For years I'd thought of love as something that would complete me, make all my troubles go away. I worshipped at the altar of romantic completion. And it had cost me, plenty of times. And it had cost most of the girls I'd dated, too, because I wanted them to be something they couldn't be. It's too much pressure to put on a person. I think that's why so many couples fight, because they want their partners to validate them and affirm then, and if they don't get that, they feel as though they're going to die. And so they lash out. But its' a terrible thing to wake up and realize the person you just finished crucifying didn't turn out to be Jesus.

That's something a lot of people--married and single--need to learn!

Where's Norm?

We had a lot of fun at the "Welcome Back, Norm" event -- the choir sounded great as they sang the National Anthem; we enjoyed watching the Beavers together; and then there was this! Can you spot the Real Norm Langston?

Weddings, Weddings, Weddings!

This was my all-time "wedding month"!

It began with my nephew's July 31 wedding, proceeded to my son and daughter-in-law's wedding on August 15, continued with Nic & Lindsay's wedding on Aug. 23, and culminated with Abe & Renee's Aug. 30 ceremony.

Sunday we had a beautiful location--Timberline Lodge--for the beautiful ceremony of a beautiful couple! Actually, there was more to it than that, since Abe & Renee met on a hike in the Mt. Hood National Forest and eventually climbed Mt. Hood together.

Congratulations to a fantastic couple (as well as the other three couples)!

Ballooning Responsibilities

Have you ever had one of those mornings where it seemed that your responsibilities "ballooned" overnight?

There are many different ways to say "Welcome Back," and we have some very clever teens in our church!

Thanks guys!

They're Married!

August 15 was Paul & Cassey's Big Day!

It was just perfect . . . and can't you see how much these "dancin' Baptists" were enjoying themselves! Everyone went home exhausted but joyful. How could the day have been any better?

The Class Reunion

Baker Bathing Beauties --
Class of '69 . . . I got this "hot" shot on Saturday afternoon of our reunion. It was hot, wasn't it, ladies?

A Nephew's Wedding

O God of Light and Love,

Tonight we rejoice and give thanks to you for Nathan and Ingrid, for the laughter, art, and poetry of their lives. We rejoice because you loved each of us so much that you allowed us to know them as friends and family, and in that way have graced each of us beyond measure.

We thank you because of who Ingrid and Nathan are and who they are becoming. Thank you that they came into each others' lives at just the right time. And thank you for their open hearts and adventurous spirits.

Let their love for each other remind them of how much you love them and how much you want their life together to be filled with joy and purpose. Bless them in the commitments that they express here tonight, so that those commitments can last and so they can face any difficult together...and with overcoming love.

For I pray these things in the name of the One who embodies your love, even Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hot Hiking!

Paul & I have wanted to hike together this summer, but other things kept interfering -- jobs, appointments, etc. Because of the heat, he worked an earlier shift (5 a.m.-1 p.m.) on Tuesday, and we agreed to go hiking that afternoon . . . on the hottest day of the year! Sometimes you've just gotta do what you've gotta do.

We thought we were pretty tough until marathoner Kara Goucher blew past us two times!

A Varied Weekend

After working on our yard Saturday morning, I headed to Eugene/Springfield. That afternoon I enjoyed seeing Grant Giraldi play a great game in the Little League State Tournament (11-12s). After supper I enjoyed a "sentimental journey" as I hiked the north side of the McKenzie River, viewed the new baseball stadium outside Autzen, and surveyed all the changes on campus.

Sunday morning I worshiped with Harvest Community Church and ran into Brian & Amanda Bird and their daughter. They were members of our church for a short time before doing two years of missionary work in Central Asia. Later that morning I was at Eastside Baptist in Springfield. Two elderly members remembered me from 30 years ago, and Wayne Strong, the church's music leader, proudly showed me their plans for a new facility. I had lunch with Corey Zanotti, the pastor, and his beautiful family. What a great weekend!

My Mom

Leona Langston -- "Mom" -- is a very young 92! And today she told me, "I'm just so happy."

And that made me happy.

Bibliophiles, Unite!

While I was in Israel, Susie & Paul conspired on the nicest Father's Day gift I could imagine -- converting Paul's old bedroom into a home office for me. They found bargains on a great desk, lateral file, inn table, and matching artwork! The only inadequacy in the entire arrangement was the small amount of shelving for books. I accused Susie of doing that on purpose, but she won't admit to anything.

Of course, I think there is never enough room for books. Those who don't read a lot--and even some that do--have difficulty understanding this perspective. That's why I was pleased to run across an article by retired pastor Gordon MacDonald yesterday. Allow me to share part of what he wrote:

I dread the town fair because … well, perhaps you'll understand why if I tell you what my wife, Gail, said to me a few days ago: "Next week I want us to donate 500 books from our library to the used-book sale at the fair. So you might want to go through your books and pick out what you don't think you'll need anymore."

If you love your books as much as I do, you understand how impossible it is to imagine any book in your library that you'll not need anymore. Even lending a book to a friend is a personal crisis for me. It tests my Christian generosity. I want to encase a loaned book in something similar to what the banks use when they surrender money to a bank robber--something that explodes with indelible ink if the book is not returned in a week.

Gail raises this book-donation idea about this time every year, and she always increases the culling number. It started at 25 books a decade ago, and now has reached 500. I don't know if this number is thoughtfully calculated, or it simply comes off the top of her head. But it always increases. It never, like John the Baptist, decreases.

I usually protest, but Gail is experienced in the discipline of downsizing. All she has to say is, "Okay, I'll do it." The thought of Gail choosing which of my books are going one-way to the fair is really not thinkable.

Some of you will understand when I say that each of my books is precious to me. When I am among them, I feel as if I'm wrapped in a warm blanket. Like a protective shepherd, I know my sheep (or books) by name. I know where almost every book is located on the shelves. The logic of their placement may defy you. But I know my books!

Gail used to tell our children when they were small, "Books are our friends." I remind her of this when she sets the annual downsizing quota. I say, "Have you become so calloused that you're ready to throw our 'friends' away?"

My question never dissuades her.

The minute I donate even one of my books to the town fair, I find that, within two weeks, I need something from it: a quote, for example, or a story. I may have not cracked that particular book once in ten years. But be assured that I will need that book within two weeks of its sacrifice.

Once or twice I've parted company with a book and then had to re-purchase another copy of that book online a few months later. Once I saw a former book of mine on the used-book table and felt so badly that I bought it back. But I never told Gail that I did this.

(The entire article can be found at http://www.christianitytoday.co/le/currenttrendscolumns/leadershipweekly/ditchingfriendsathefair.html.)

Believe it or not, everything that MacDonald said here made perfect sense to me. However, I made a decision a long time ago that my books--like the rest of my possessions--belong to God, so if you ever want to borrow one or more, don't hesitate. The only thing I ask is that you "check it out" by writing down the name and author of the book, your name, and the date you borrow it. And, if you forget to return it, you will know that you stole it from God!

Incidentally, "bibliophiles" are "lovers of books." About the only people who know that are bibliophiles!

Friends and More Friends!

One of the most enjoyable aspects of our trip to the Southeast was visiting with friends. In Myrtle Beach, SC, we had dinner with Tish's best "long-distance" friend, Jordan, and her husband, Russell. Up the coast in Swansboro, NC, we reconnected with the Roodhouse clan (Jereme, Laura, Liam, Ellie, Keegan, and Ziva). We especially enjoyed celebrating "Belle's" ninth birthday and meeting Ziva Tish for the very first time!

Location, Location, Location!

Before I left for Israel, a couple of people told me that they wanted me to determine exactly where Jesus was crucified. Personally, I don't think it matters where he died, only that he died, and that he died for our sins. Nevertheless I promised to pay attention to the pros and cons concerning the various alternatives.

Some real estate agents say that the top three things that determine the value of a property are "location, location, location." This also applies to Golgotha.

My first picture shows one of the sites. We know from Mark 15:22 that Jesus was brought "to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull), and can't you see the resemblance to a skull? I was told that the resemblance was even greater until an earthquake a few years ago damaged part of the ediface. Since the site is a stone's throw from the "Garden Tomb"--or "Gordon's Tomb", as it sometimes is called--it is understandable that many evangelicals have been persuaded that this is the location of Golgotha.

However, my second picture looks even more like a skull. However, I know it isn't Golgotha since it's part of the Captain Hook Adventure Golf Course in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

And I have the same problem agreeing that the Garden Tomb is where Jesus was buried and that the nearby site was the location of Golgotha. In the first place, at the time of Jesus, there was no city gate near these sites. Second, the Garden Tomb is characteristic of tombs at least a century later than Jesus.

I don't think we can know for certain where Jesus was crucified and buried. The most likely sites are located in the Church of Holy Sepulcher, and this bothers many evangelicals because it is an Orthodox Church and is alien to our experience and sentiments. However, knowing the location isn't the main thing. "I need no other evidence; I need no other creed. It is enough that Jesus died, and that He died for me."

The Best in Southern Dining

Who's With Susie?

We thoroughly enjoyed the contrasting shows we saw in Myrtle Beach, SC -- Good Vibrations and The Carolina Opry. We were surprised and delighted to discover that Calvin Gilmore, the producer/director for both shows -- and Bill & Lu Walker's son-in-law -- had hired "All That!" as dancers for the productions. "All That!" became well-known when they were contestants on NBC's America's Got Talent. They are fantastic.

Doesn't Susie look like she's enjoying herself?

A Hero

Today Kenneth Reusser will be laid to rest, but he always will be my ideal of a patriot warrior. As a Marine flyer, he was shot down during WW2, three times in the Korean War, and once again in Viet Nam. He earned two Navy Crosses, four Purple Hearts, two Legions of Merit, and fifty-two other medals and ribbons throughout his long and dedicated military career.

However, many people do not know that his father was a pastor. And, in the later years of his life, Ken's faith in God strongly asserted itself again. Twice he asked me to help him formulate plans to share Christ with military buddies for whom he was concerned. After some personal financial setbacks, I wondered if Ken & Trudy might become bitter, but, to my delight, these difficulties only drew them closer to the Lord.

On numerous occasions Ken risked his life in battle, so that others might live. In that way, he was like the Lord Jesus, who said: "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends" (Jn. 15:13). I was privileged to call Kenneth Reusser my friend.

Talk about Tenure!

The beautiful St. John's (Lutheran) Church in Charleston, SC was dedicated in 1818. Dr. John Bachman served as the congregation's pastor from 1815-1874. Maybe I'm just getting started in Beaverton!

Besides pastoring the church, Dr. Bachman was influential in the SC Lutheran Synod (1824), the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary (1830), and Newberry College (1856). I'm not sure how he found the time to assist his ornithologist friend, John James Audubon, in publishing his Birds of America and Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America.

Life Is Like a Box of Chocolates!

Yesterday morning we filled a box with favorite chocolates from the Chocolate Tree in Beaufort. And, yes, that is where Forest Gump's box of chocolates was from! Today we dipped our toes in the Atlantic very near the lagoon where the film's Viet Nam scenes were filmed. I have really enjoyed spending several days with Mac, the Williams' 19-mo. old grandson.

Visiting Other Churches

During my sabbatical, I am visiting a wide variety of churches and worship services--eight to date, with two more tomorrow. Each service presents me with a special opportunity: to worship and to observe.

In New York, I twice attended St. Paul's on the Hill, the Journey church, and Metro Baptist. I was in two services in Israel, and, on my only Sunday in our area, I attended Abundant Life Church (Happy Valley and the 1st pic) and Imago Dei Community (Franklin High School). Tomorrow we will visit The Baptist Church at Beaufort (2nd pic), where our friend, Melanie Williams, is the Minister of Music. They now have two morning services. Their 9:00 a.m. "Covenant Service" features classic hymns led by their choir and pipe organ as well as corporate confession, silences, and litanies. In other words, this is their "liturgical" service. Their 11:15 a.m. "Convergent Service" is led by their worship band and incorporates a casual atmosphere.

I have a lot of thoughts and impressions from being a visitor--I prefer the term "guest"--in other churches. Let me share just a few.

1. How you are greeted, seated, and put at ease makes a HUGE difference. Even churches that think they're good at this need to continue working at it. Any number of "small things" make a difference to a first-time guest. And, even if the church doesn't completely have its act together in doing this, one friendly person can make a lasting impression.
   
2. Trying to categorize everything in terms of age is silly. For instance, there were more seniors (55+) than young people in the 8:30 service at Abundant Life, but the music was contemporary and loud--much louder than in our services. No one was holding back; the congregation was very engaged.
   
3. The best preaching is still biblical preaching. At Abundant Life, the message series being introduced that day was "Don't Let Your 'But' Get in the Way"! The message, based on Gideon's experience, was excellent. At Imago Dei, Pastor Rick McKinley preached a good verse-by-verse message from I Cor. 9.
   
4. The variety of worship services is infinite, but there is only One Lord that we worship. Let's speak kindly of our fellow Christ-followers even if we prefer a different type of worship experience!
   

Looking for a Father's Day Gift at Phipps Plaza

"Maserati or Bentley...Maserati or Bentley? Susie has really good taste!"

Time to Slow Down

If you've been reading my Holy Land posts, you may feel like I've given you an awful lot of information. However, let me assure you, what I've shared is just the "tip of the iceberg."

On our first day of class, our coordinator told us that during our three weeks together we would "pack in" more than we could absorb. Then, we would spend the rest of our lives "unpacking" it. I believe she was right.

On August 16, my first Sunday back from my sabbatical, I will have an extended slideshow highlighting my trip to Israel. Of course, even that will be the tip of the iceberg, but it will be a start.

For those of you who have been reading these blog posts regularly, thank you. Writing them has been a way for me to integrate some of my experiences, so you have helped me!

However, during this next phase of my sabbatical, I need to relax a bit more. I will continue to blog, but only once--or perhaps twice--a week, instead of daily. After a busy week at home, Susie and I will head to the Southeast for three weeks. Until then, SHALOM!

On to Amman

On the last day of our course, we began in Amman, Jordan. When I asked the derivation of the city's name, I had one of those "ah-ha" moments. It's called Amman because it is the land of the "Ammonites"! (See Gen. 19:38 and Deut. 2:19 if that doesn't mean anything to you).

Today Amman has a population of 2.5 million. However, after its heyday as a Greco-Roman and Byzantine center, it was struck by several earthquakes. Until the late 1800s, it was just a small village in the midst of magnificent ruins. The picture I'm posting shows part of the restored city gate from the Greco-Roman period. (For the purposes of scale, notice our group on the lefthand side of the pic).

However, as impressive as these ruins were, the finds that most intrigued me were in the nearby Jordanian museum. Although the museum is small, it contains some priceless artifacts -- pieces of the leather Dead Sea Scrolls, for instance. However, the 2nd picture I'm posting, the "Deir Alla inscriptions," was my favorite exhibit.

I know it's not much to look at, but let me tell you the story. In 1967 these inscriptions were found at Deir Alla in the Jordan Valley written in red and black ink on one of the walls. They can be dated sometime between 840-760 BC. The inscriptions relate a previously unknown prediction of the prophet Balaam, son of Beor. In case you skipped over Numbers 22-24 in your morning devotions, Balaam was hired by the Moabites to curse the Israelites. However, God prevented him from doing this and even used Balaam's donkey to rebuke him!

The significance of this is simple: Balaam is the first Old Testament prophet to be specifically named in this type of extra-biblical inscription. Although this doesn't "prove" the story from Numbers, it reminds us that the Bible should be taken seriously as a historical document. That's one of several things that sets it apart from many other religious writings. Unlike the Bhagavad Gita, a famous Hindu sacred text, the Bible is populated by real, not mythological, people. And, unlike the Book of Mormon, my Bible has maps in the back. We can locate many of the places where events in the Bible occurred, but that is not the case in the Book of Mormon.

Please understand: I'm not interested in attacking the religious sensibilities of other people. However, it's important for us to love God with our minds as well as with our hearts. Baseless emotion is as dangerous as arid intellectualism. Didn't Jesus have something to say about that (Mt. 22:36-37)?

The Wonder of Petra

I don't have a "formal" Bucket List, but visiting Petra has been on my informal list for several years. And it exceeded my expectations in every way!

Petra is located in Jordan about three hours south of Amman and in the large valley that runs south from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. Although people had lived in the area for generations, it was the Nabateans who made it famous when they chose it as their capital around 100 BC. As a people group, they likely were an amalgamation of the Bible's Edomites and a group of semi-nomadic tribes, the Nabatu.

Most of Petra was destroyed by an earthquake in 363 AD, but what remains is both spectacular and mysterious. The Nabeteans carved giant tombs into the red sandstone. Look carefully at this picture, and you can see that the little white figures are people! This tomb is not unique. There are dozens and their variety and size are remarkable.

The aspect of our visit that I most appreciated was our hike to the "High Place." According to our guide, this is the best preserved sacrificial altar in the ancient world. After seeing it, I must agree!

It reminded me that the Israelites were constantly tempted to set up their own "high places." It was there that they would worship other gods, or, in other instances, where they would try to blend their worship of Yahweh with the gods of the peoples around them. Through his prophets, God decried their unfaithfulness: "On every high hill and under every spreading tree you lay down as a prostitute" (Jer. 2:20).

When we read of their idolatry and other sins, I think American followers of Christ tend to rhetorically ask, "Isn't that terrible? Why would they ignore their history? Why didn't they repent?" Here is what I think, though. God's people were not intentionally trying to be unfaithful. However, they--like we--were seduced by the influences all around them. Allow me to illustrate.

If the rains were slow in coming and the crops were jeopardized, the Israelites might make a sacrifice to Baal. Why? Baal was the storm god. "If it works for the Philistines or the other Canaanites, maybe it will work for us too. We're not abandoning our worship of Yahweh. He is a great God; He brought us through the wilderness, but we need a god who can help us right now and right here, not a desert god."

And, just like the Israelites, I think American Christians pretend to worship the King of the Universe, while too often we "recreate" God. We want a god who will do exactly what we want, but who will not demand too much of us. We want a god who will give us prosperity and pain-free lives.

Jesus said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23). Ouch! The sole reason I'm willing to do that is because Jesus says that is the way to authentic life.

Jerash (Gerasa)

The highlight of our first day in Jordan was our Jerash visit. This was a Greco-Roman city known in the New Testament as Gerasa. In Jesus' day, it was one of the self-governing cities of the Decapolis. (We earlier had visited Pella and Gadara.) I had heard of these cities, but I was amazed at how large and magnificent they were. In my picture, the "city council" hall is in the background.

Again, though, a simple lesson stands out: wealth, glory, and fame are temporary, but the Word of the Lord remains forever!

Climb, Climb Up Sunshine Mountain

No one should come to the Holy Land unprepared to climb a lot of stairs! Everyday we have climbed somewhere and usually several times a day. To reach the most interesting sites, you've got to climb.

In the first picture, our group is climbing a narrow stairway to the roof of Nebi Samwil, the place that both Muslims and Jews honor as the tomb of Samuel the Prophet. The main part of the building is a mosque, but, once you enter the foyer, you can turn to the right and go into the synagogue in the basement! And, despite all that, it is extremely unlikely that this is where Samuel is buried!

Regardless of the history, from the roof you have a panoramic view of the Central Benjamin Plain and the opportunity to reflect on why so many different groups fought for control of this area.

And, a climb like this, reminds me of two of life's primary lessons:

1. to reach the top, you usually have to begin at the bottom; and
2. the only way to get to the top is one step at a time!

Have a great day; my group leaves this morning at 6:00 a.m. for Jordan.

A Tel of Two Cities

A "tel" or "tell" (if you use the Arabic spelling) literally means "hill" or "mound." In archeology it refers to the site of an earthen mound in which the remains of a city of worship center may be found.

Cities often are built on the ruins of previous cities and typically make use of the materials left at the site. Therefore, it takes a great deal of skill to determine the "story" of a particular site. In some instances, there are twenty or more "stratum"--layers--that must be evaluated and classified.

During our field trips--about 70% of the course--we have visited numerous tels. On the first day of our Galilee outing, we visited Tel Dan, a significant archeological site a few miles from Lebanon.

I'm posting my picture of a very important find: a city gate built around 1750 BC. Some of the gate area is reconstructed, but the mud brick arches were preserved when the gate went out of use and was buried under a later phase as part of the defensive rampart of the city. The gate is called Abraham's Gate because this is the period of the biblical patriarchs and because the Bible tells how the people of this city took Lot captive until Abraham rescued him. So, the first "tel" was Laish, the Canaanite city that existed before it became "Dan."

Although there have been many other significant "finds" at Tel Dan, one outshines them all. In 1994, excavators found three basalt fragments of a memorial "stele" (a tall, narrow slab of stone or wood inscribed or carved with names, laws, pictures, designs, or dedications). Together the three fragments measure 9 inches by 16 inches; the complete stele may measure 39 inches by 19 inches. Here's what's interesting--to me, at least: the stele seems to indicate that the Aramean king, Hazael, was responsible for its erection. This is the same Hazael that is mentioned in 2 Kings 8:7-15 when Elisha visited Damascus and pronounced that Hazael would become the king of what is now Syria. Elisha then wept because God showed him that Hazael would attack Israel.

According to the Bible, Hazael became one of Israel's most dangerous enemies, possibly even reducing Israel to a vassal state for a time (2 Kings 10:32-33). In lines 7-10 of the stele, the text contains the letters 'ביתד וד', the House of David, as a reference to Israel. This is the first time that the name, David, was found at any archaeological site dating before 500 BC. Not only that, the lack of a "dot" as a separation point between the words "house" and "David" implies that the term "House of David" had become a fixed phrase and was still in use 200 years after his death.

Furthermore, a press release issued by the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the time of the discovery stated: "It is reasonable to assume that Jehoash, king of Israel, who fought the Arameans three times and defeated them (2 Kings 13:25) recovering territories previously lost, including the city of Dan, symbolically smashed the stele erected there by Hazael, king of Aram-Damascus."

Perhaps that's too much information for you, but consider this: some scholars have doubted that King David and Solomon ever existed! Their thinking was that these great kings of Israel were mythological, on a par with Britain's King Arthur. The discovery of Tel Dan stele has made it difficult for them to maintain that position. Once again, we see that the Bible should be taken seriously as a historical document. But some of us already knew that, didn't we? (Does that sound too smug?)

There's much more I could say about Tel-Dan. At least, though, you now know something more about Laish and Dan and "The Tel of Two Cities."

Walking on the Sea -- Second Try

It didn't work the second time either. Maybe I would have more luck if Jesus was the one inviting me to walk on the water. "Fools plunge in" and all that sort of thing.

On the other hand, this morning I didn't sink at all. It probably helped that I--we--had a boat underneath our feet.

What a great way to start a day: a quiet cruise to the middle of the Sea of Galilee; then reading the scriptures about Jesus calming the storm. When we docked, we saw the 2000-year old boat that was discovered beside the Sea in 1986. The scientists who worked on the project managed to preserve this astounding find, and we now have a much better idea about the type of boat Jesus and his disciples sailed in. (The pic I've posted is of a reproduction of the boat, but, if you're interested in more info, try http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/galilee-jesus-boat.htm.)

Later that morning, we saw the "Sower's Cove," one of the main spots where Jesus might have taught the people from Peter's boat. Do you remember the miracle that followed and how Peter reacted? If not, read Luke 5:1-11.

Jesus won't call most of us to walk on the water, but he wants all of us to "launch out into the deep and let our nets down for a catch" (Luke 5:4). As followers of Christ, we need to be "fishing" for men and women, boys and girls. Are we?

Walking on the Sea

I tried walking on the water tonight. I was less successful than Peter.

However, I did enjoy walking in the Sea of Galilee. The water was warm, the lights of Tiberias beautifully twinkled from the opposite shoreline, and a half-moon softly illuminated the water. It was wonder-full!

When I considered coming to Israel, I had no idea this would be one of the highlights, but it is. Isn't it interesting how God can blindside us with a blessing?

I didn't walk on the Sea of Galilee tonight . . . but I didn't ride a bike the first time I tried.

I probably just need more practice. Tomorrow night sounds like a good time.

Ups and Downs

So, there was a good reason that this course required anyone over 50 to pass a physical. As promised, the field trips have required lots of strenuous hiking and stairclimbing.

Last Thursday, our group hiked to the top of Massada, Herod the Great's fortress palace near the Dead Sea. Massada also is the site where a group of Jewish Zealots held out against the Romans during the Great Revolt after Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD (as Jesus predicted--see Mark 13). When it was clear that the fortress was about to fall to the Romans, the rebels took their own lives and the lives of their families. Nine hundred sixty members of the community died rather than becoming Roman slaves.

Anyway, Massada rises 1485 feet above the Dead Sea and is 2145 feet long and 990 feet wide. The first picture shows part of our group making the trek to the top.

The second pic is from earlier today when we hiked and climbed down the Cliffs of Arbel. This is part of the panoramic view from the top. If you look in the foreground, you can see the highway that is our destination some 700 feet below. In the third pic, you can see a couple of our college guys using the handholds on the side of the cliff as they're descending.

Some of our hikes have been very challenging. At times I've wondered whether the payoff was going to be worth the effort. But, even when I'm not feeling well or I'm just plain tired, I don't want to give in to my feeling. Why? I don't want to miss out, and each time I've been please with the result.

Life is like that. It has a lot of ups and downs. Can you make your own application?