-Hollywood Is Right-

Did you watch the Oscars? Fortunately for me I teach a group of young adults each Sunday night so I wasn't subjected to too much of it. I've never really gotten caught-up in all the hype of celebrities patting themselves and each other on the back during the awards season. However I did catch the last few awards. One of these was "Best Actor" in a lead role and it was won by Sean Penn. Now, I think Mr. Penn is a terrific actor. He blew me away a couple years back with his role in "I Am Sam" and I'd love it if he did another role like his classic Jeff Spacolli in "Fast Times At Ridgemont High." But I found his comments awkward. In one breath he said that people who voted against gay marriage should fell ashamed, and in the next breath he praised our new President, Barack Obama, who has publicly stated on several occasions that he is against gay marriage. It seems that Mr. Penn is being slightly inconsistent. I am not commenting on gay marriage or President Obama here, I'm just pointing out a celebrity blunder that will likely go generally unnoticed.

I think it will go unnoticed because both supporting gay marriage and verbally complimenting the President are popular things to do right now for the Hollywood elite. And their biggest party of the year, the Oscars, is the best place to display how socially relevant you are. They all get dressed up in outfits that cost ridiculous amounts of money, (and claim to care about the poor and starving), then strut there wears on the red carpet for all to ooh and aah. Because in Hollywood, your image is everything. And can I tell you something? They're right about that. Image is everything.

Now before you start cursing me as a heretic hear me out. One day some of the religious leaders of the day figured they could throw Jesus off his game with a trick question. They asked Him if it was OK with Jewish Law for them to pay the taxes to Caesar that Roman Law required of them. So Jesus tells them to bring Him a coin and they did. He held it up to them and asked, "Whose image is this? And whose inscription?" (Matthew 22:20 [TNIV]) They answered Him correctly saying that the it was Caesar's image and Jesus responded saying, "Give back to Caesar was is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." (Matthew 22:21 [TNIV]) What a great answer! What strikes me most about it is His use of the word "image."

Jesus points out that since the currency of the day contained Caesar's image we should feel free to give it back to Caesars. The image on the coin is what determined who it should go to. Caesar's image, Caesar's coin. It's that simple. We give the coin back to Caesar because it has his image on it. But Jesus also said to give back to God what is God's.  How do we determine what that is?  To answer that we need to go back thousands of years before Jesus even said this.

In Genesis Chapter 1 verse 27 it reads, "So God created human beings in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." (Genesis 1:27 [TNIV]) So what is it we're supposed to give back to God? He created our entire being in His image. We bare the image of God just as the coin bore the image of Caesar. Jesus insists that God isn't at all interested in who or what we pay taxes to, He's only interested in who or what we give OURSELVES to. Because He knows whose image is on us.

So what are we supposed to give back to God? Everything that we are! Ou bodies, our souls, our minds. Every breath and every heartbeat. Every fiber of our beings belong to God because we bear His image. His inscription has been on us since the day we began living and Jesus insists that we are to give it back to Him. What does this mean for my life? For yours? What changes must we make in order to pay what Jesus insists are the divine taxes we owe to God because we bare His image? God help me to give back to You what is rightfully Yours. Body, soul and mind. Each breath and each heartbeat. Every fiber of my being. Teach me how to give it back to You. Because I bare Your image. And image... is everything.

-Jesus Must Like Whoppers-

I remember one time when I was living in So Cal and had to use the 91 freeway to get to and from work. If you are unfamiliar with the 91 freeway let me just explain that there is NEVER a good time to take that freeway. Weekends, holidays, work days, mornings, afternoons, evenings, nights, and even in the twilight the 91 is bound to have you in stop-and-go traffic one way or the other. As I was in this traffic stand-still one day returning home from work and talking to God about something that was on my mind and heart for a while, He managed to use a billboard to speak into my life. A Geico car insurance billboard that I passed and read just about everyday all of the sudden became the voice of God. Because God can speak to us in strange ways. I wonder how many times I passed that billboard before I finally realized God was trying to tell me something.

 

Since that day I've always tried to be aware of what God might be using to speak to me. For the most part this has been successful but but other times I have found myself over-analyzing things. (See http://www,johndavidhall.blogspot.com/2008/07/housefly-vacation.html for example of this.) God has used all kinds of experiences and avenues to speak to me since then but Jesus must like Whoppers because last week He was speaking to me at a Burger King drive through. Or maybe he was there for the Chicken Fries. I guess that's not really important. I would like to share with you what He said to me.

 

as I was sitting in the drive-through, I looked up and saw a sign with a picture of that creepy looking King they use as a mascot. It read "Do you have what it takes to work for the King?" Instantly I began a personal inventory of whether or not I have the appropriate qualifications to work for "the King." But not the freaky-deaky Burger King guy. I was thinking about Jesus, the King of all creation. Did I really have what it takes to work for Jesus? Could I live up to that? Can any of us?

 

I let my brain and spirit marinade on these questions for a few days.  I allowed them to work on me and in me and in reality I am still very much trying to get the whole message God has for out of this. So far I have come to the conclusion that whether or not I have what it takes isn't really the issue. Moses, David, Mary, Noah, Peter, Esther, Jacob, Abraham, Sarah; none of them had what it took to do what God was asking them to do. They all felt inadequate and under-qualified and God managed to find a way to some great things through them anyway. So if I look at Scripture, it doesn't matter whether or not I have what it takes. That's not the real question.

 

So, what is the real question then? As I considered this I again began to think about the people God engaged with in Scripture. Moses was an insecure mess, David was just a delivery boy, Peter was a self-deprecating manic-depressant. I mean, God's family seems to be the dysfunctional in history. But as I kept examining these individuals and their actions and attitudes it struck me what the real question was.  It doesn't really matter whether or not I have what it takes.  What matters is whether or not I'm willing to take what He has.

 

Am I willing to grab hold of the life God has for me and hold onto it tightly? Am I willing to deny myself in order to take up the cross He has for me? Am I willing to place my own agenda aside and pick up His agenda in it's place? Who cares whether or not I'm qualified? What difference does it take whether or not I already have what it takes? The question is whether or not I trust that God will give me what I need to live the life He has called me to live. It's not my responsibility to make sure my resume fits the job description God is giving me. I job is ALREADY mine. There was no interview or application process. The decision to hire me was ALREADY made. I don't have to concern myself with having what it takes I just need to take what He has ALREADY given me and get to work.

 

P.S.

Is this making sense to anybody? I often post things that God is speaking to me about personally while I am still digesting it all. Am I simply writing a bunch of incoherent thoughts and trying to connect them or is this actually heading somewhere to people other than me? Let me know.

-I Don't Want To Be A Cheap Copy Of Jesus-

I've been going to church regularly for about 18 years now. I realize that to some people that isn't very long and to other it's an eternity but to me it's just the way my life has unfolded. During that time I have been introduced to an immeasurable amount of "Christian" concepts. Doctrine, theology, dogma, apologetics, essentials, non-essentials, allegorical interpretation, literal interpretation, verse by verse studies, subjective studies, I could go on and on. But if I examine all the concepts I've been taught within these "ologies" much of it seems to be based on an interpretation of the words the Bible says rather than the point these words are trying to make.

 

For example, when Christians get together and pray as a group, one of us inevitably quotes Jesus in Matthew 19 saying something like, "Lord, you told us that where two or more are gathered in your name, you'd be there." We can't resist the urge to quote this verse and claim the presence of Jesus in out little meeting. For some reason we also figure that since He said He'd be there with us He must approve of whatever we're doing or deciding in our little gathering. This can be very dangerous. What makes it worse is that if you look at the context Jesus actually said this in, it could change the point. Jesus was talking about confronting another person if he or she offends you. Christians are good at this. Adding meaning where it may not be. Quoting a quaint little verse with complete disregard for the point that verse was actually making. And to top it all off, we add stuff.

 

Now, when I say we add stuff I don't mean we add self-serving gibberish and try to pass it off as biblical truth. (Although that does happen too.) What I mean is that we devise well intentioned concepts and over time, they become so attached to our theology that we never question them. One of these concepts that I have been re-examining and wrestling with is the idea that God wants us be, and we should strive to be "Christlike." On the surface, this is a beautiful concept. What could be more valuable than trying to emulate Jesus? The problem is that the word "Christlike" isn't found anywhere is scripture. Nor is there any passage telling us we should be "like Christ." The closest thing is found in Philippians 2 where Paul says that our "attitude" should be the same as Jesus'. And in this instance Paul was referring to humility and serving others. Here's what I have come up with so far as I wrestle with this. Maybe God wants me not to be "Christlike' but to be "Johnlike" through Christ's reconciliatory work. I'll try to explain.

 

I don't think God is interested in having a bunch of "Jesuses" running around. First off, He knows there is no way we could ever measure up to that standard. So why would He set such an impossible goal? I don't think He would. What I do think is that God wants me to be like the person He has envisioned ME becoming. We often forget that Jesus was a human. He had a personality and idiosyncrasies and maybe even an O.C.D. or two. So if God wanted us to be just like Jesus, He would have wired us all with the same personality, idiosyncrasies and O.C.D.s. But that isn't what he did. So what does this mean then? What can we assume God wants from us? Who does God want us to be?

I think God is a lover of variety and uniqueness. One look at creation should tell us that. So I think that God's goal for me is to be the version of John that He had in mind from the beginning. I don't have the same gifts and abilities as Jesus and neither do you. So why try to become what I CAN'T ever be? I think I should invest my energy into becoming what I CAN be. "Johnlike" is what I want to be. Not the current version of John but the one God dreams I can be. Of course as I strive for that and make changes to the person I am I will take on certain "Christlike" attributes. Of course my attitude will change like Paul suggested it should. Of course my actions will become more loving like the actions of Jesus were. But I wasn't created to be Jesus, I was created to be John. The best, most loving and humble version of John I can be. The version of John that Jesus makes it possible for me to become. Jesus did not redeem me to God so that I could be a cheap copy of Him. He redeemed me to God so that I could be the unique masterpiece He formed me to be. Help me, God, to become that version of John.

-Hear What I'm Not Saying-

There is a new television series premièring tonight on Fox called “Lie to Me.” From what I can gather together with the fragments of promo-commercials that have been run for it, the show is about a group of people working with law enforcement who are experts in picking up on little nuances and idiosyncrasies that can determine, with a high degree of accuracy, whether someone is telling the truth or simply fabricating their story. (Wasn’t that a long, intelligent sounding sentence? I’m pretty proud of it, which makes me kinda sad really.) What a terrific ability that would be to have. Being able to pick up on even the subtlest signs of deception by simply having a better grasp of nonverbal communication.

Studies suggest that the vast majority of the way we communicate is nonverbal. In fact some studies indicate that up to 93% of communication is done in one nonverbal fashion or another. Gestures, facial expressions, body position, eye contact, voice tone and fluctuation, fidgeting, and even breathing patterns are all forms of communication that we send and receive, often unaware. It’s as if we are subconsciously going out of our way to make sure people can hear what we’re NOT saying.

I wonder sometimes what kind of “nonverbals” we send to God. Many people lift their hands as they sing or pray to God as a sign of surrender. Others bow as they pray with their face down as a sign of humility as they speak to One as vast and endless as the Creator of time space and everything in it. Most people will fold their hands and close their eyes as they pray to show they are focused on their conversation with God. (Even if it is a one-sided conversation.) Still others insist on removing their hats to show reverence and respect. All these, and many others, are very good things to do if you find they help you connect with God at a deeper level than you otherwise would have. But does God pick up on other nonverbal messages we send?

The tone in our voice as we hurry through a prayer so we can get started with the meal. The sighs and frustrated breathing we use as we drag ourselves out of bed because we “have to go to church.” The way our eyes and attentions wander around the room during the message at church when God is trying to speak to us through our pastors. The way we constantly look at our watch to gauge just how much longer this service, or prayer, or song, or meeting is going to last. How about the way refuse to even look at a homeless person; someone who God created and loves and who Jesus died for, because then we might feel compelled to actually help them? What about when we roll our eyes when the visiting missionary asks for financial support in trying to show God’s love in real, tangible ways to people who have so little in countries we’ll never go to? What can God hear us NOT saying?

This awareness of my nonverbal messages to God is something I am only now beginning to explore so I have no real commentary other than to say I think that if I learn more about myself and the messages I may be sending it can only be a positive thing. I think digging deeper into my own thoughts and responses in certain situations will only serve to purge those things in me that prevent me from becoming what I was meant to be. So as I’ve come to realize that God can hear what I’m not saying, I hope He’ll help me discover the things I say that I’m not hearing.