Motivated by Love

John 14:15 says: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

Okay- now what? Should I learn every law in the Bible, write them down, paste it up on my wall and make sure I do my best to follow them every day?

• Sometimes the focus will become lack of obedience, leading to a negative outcome.

-You may look at that list and think well I didn’t do this, this, this or that today and be left in a state of guilt and despair.

-Next, you may think well I can do better and push yourself into obedience out of obligation. You may wind up having an obligation to obey the law based on some notion that your obedience will justify blessings. Obedience to justify the blessings of God doesn’t seem like it would be pleasing to Him.

• The way I see it- the cross has already justified my blessing.

Ultimately- God’s desire is to pour out his blessing on you, and the desire is based on nothing you do but out of unwavering love for you. We are only able to live in the fullness of God’s blessing by embracing a journey of recognizing His love for us. You might look at it as a journey of full-on acceptance of grace.

Elyse Fitzpatrick writes, “the plain truth is that my love for God (and hence, my obedience) will grow as I cultivate my comprehension of his vast love for me. If we neglect this key by focusing too narrowly on ourselves, our success or failure, then we’ll become mired down in guilt or pride, neither of which will stimulate loving obedience.”

It’s not that I think I can do whatever I want because I am already covered by grace. This is true to some extent- I am covered; my past, present and future sins were bought at the price of the cross. But if I were to do whatever I wanted and essentially live in sin that would cheapen the cross. My recognition of God’s love for me brings me into the greatest love story of all time, therefore motivating me to obey. I am not out to obey because of fear, guilt, or a mindset that my obedience will somehow bless me. Of course, I will continue to struggle- because my love is imperfect.

• My love is weak and wavering

I am only capable of a dim understanding of the love displayed by Jesus on the cross. I am still vulnerable to Satan’s lies and I will be until the day I die. It is only at the moment of entrance into the heavenly presence of God that we are perfected for all time. But God, who goes beyond all of that- all of my mistakes and persona’s, God who knows my innermost thoughts looks at me with perfection and calls me His beloved. “He patiently and gently draws us back into His loving arms and reassures us of His overwhelming compassion, mercy, and grace.” –Fitzpatrick.

When I recognize the depth of my depravity and realize my complete inability to do anything on my own; I don’t feel guilt or failure anymore. But I am able to look at my Savior with such awe because he chose someone like me to be broken, to be a little lost for a while but then be rescued. He redeemed me. The blessings in my life leave me in awe of the obedience of Christ on the cross and motivate me to pursue God out of love.

“If we intently focus on how we’ve been loved, irrevocably, eternally, freely, and without merit, if we contemplate how our obedience (or lack of it) doesn’t faze his love one whit, then we’ll find within our hearts a growing desire to obey. Why? Because love like that changes people.” –Fitzpatrick

Thank you for reading, Laura Ragland

If you’d like to continue the conversation post in the comments or tweet me here, you can also find me on my site Confessions of an everyday, ordinary sinner.

Find Elyse Fitzpatrick’s book Comforts from the Cross on Amazon.

Easter Sunday

Growing up in a Christian home, I have always greeted Easter morning with anticipation. I remember sunrise service, followed by pancake breakfast, then regular service. Say what you want about Baptists, but they appreciate the value of a shared meal, and they can cook! Easter is a time when people feel compelled to attend church, that your bi-annual card will be punched, see you at Christmas, no guilt.

I wish people would realize there’s no guilt, God would have you think about him whenever you please, he is more than Sunday morning, more than Easter and Christmas. Jesus is risen today! And in our own lives, he offers us the freedom and opportunity to arise and change. Today is a reminder that our lives are not our own, and things will not go back to normal, God willing.

Today I simply feel very blessed. It is a lovely day in North Carolina, spring is in high bloom, the dogwoods shining forth in their brilliant white. Pear trees are losing their flowers, casting white petals on the ground like a warm snowfall. The sun travels across the sky, offering shadows and light on the landscape, reminding me of the shadow and light in my life.

There was Easter lunch with family, fresh and delicious. The tea is sweet, praise God, and after the meal we sit overlooking the mountains, continuing to sip and talk. The conversation turns to theology, which is not uncommon. We talk about the sacrifice of God, the power we give earthly constructs, even the good ones like family and church! Everything on earth has the ability to disappoint, and we must accept that. There is only one person who did not disappoint, and even that was in question for a few days! Thomas was not the only one who has doubted Jesus. In the end, the question for all of us is where do we find our identity, our strength?

In the South, we give a lot of power to our close family. In America, we cling to our patriotism, even making it part of our “religion”. God bless America, of course, but we are reminded every Easter that God blesses everyone, and causes the sun to shine on the good and the evil. But since our world is full of brokenness, and even our best intentions will fall short. God has fully loved and forgiven us, and because of that love we are compelled to live for him. We don’t have to be caught up in trying to prove ourselves and please others, because we will disappoint them as easily as they disappoint us. And that is ok. 

The day has carried on, I rested in my hammock, will go on a run with my dog, and catch the back nine of the Masters. As the sun sets I’ll walk back home and beat the cold that blows in with the growing darkness. We need not fear the dark, today we are reminded that the light of the world has overcome.

Happy Easter!

What To Do Next Time You’re Wronged

Creative Commons via Dustin and Jenae

We’ve all been wronged, sometimes by people close to us, people we work with, and by strangers. What is our initial response? Surprise, hurt, thoughts (or actions) of vengeance. I know I do. How about instead, we take these 5 steps:

1. Forgive them
2. Take them out to dinner
3. Apologize for your wrongs
4. Consider ways you’ve neglected them
5. Ask how you can help

Consider September 11th. Instead of war (which I was in favor of at the time, hooray patriotism), what if George W. Bush had personally flown over to the Middle East and tried to have dinner with Osama. He then proceeded to apologize, on behalf of the American people, for turning a blind eye to the suffering and conflict in their countries, and offer aid. Then the American people volunteered in droves to fly over and provide assistance to the Afghani, Iraqi, and Irani people (they shall beat their swords in to plowshares… nation shall not lift up swords against nation… neither shall they learn war anymore – Isaiah 2:3-5). They would give food, help with farming, provide training and education, medical care, and all the while saying, “I’m sorry it took me so long to do this”.

How would that have changed the past 10 years? If we continue to answer violence with more violence, there is no end in sight. Martin Luther King, Jr saw this in the 60s, and organized a non-violent movement, saying “Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that”. Ghandi did the same in India, gaining independence from Britain where years of revolts had not. At the beginning there was Jesus, speaking radical, life-altering words.

• Forgive them not just 7 times, but 70 times 7! (Matthew 18:21-22)
• If someone wrongs you, turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:38-39)
• If someone asks for your shirt, do this and give them your jacket as well (Matthew 5:40-42)
• Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:43-45)

I am not saying that doing any of this condones injustice or violence, quite the opposite. We should actively seek to end them! But not through more guns, bombs, and soldiers. We should fight through love, sacrifice, and courage. To stand up to the oppressor and fight with weapons they know nothing about takes courage that only God can provide. Could we die? Perhaps, but soldiers die every day (God rest them), gun in hand. Matthew 7:1-2 says that judgement is not ours, but belongs to God. When we go to war, even in “God’s name”, we are attempting to secure a peace that we do not believe God can or has already secured for us.

How does this change all of the conflicts, wars, and tension in relationships? What does this mean for Kony? I’m still learning about the situation that has helped form the man that is wreaking havoc in his country, and cannot speak knowledgeably about it. But is military action the answer? I can’t find anything in the Gospels that says violence begets violence. The enduring message is love, love, love.

This is not simply a essay on war, because there are pressing issues in our own homes, communities, and work places. What if you did this next time you were in conflict with another person?  When someone cheats you, insults you, harms you, what if you took the radical step of forgiveness? Not only that, but turned the other cheek, or bought them lunch? That is the really crazy part! Sure forgiveness, fine. But to actively seek them out and improve the relationship? Often our response is to cling to our hurt, and allow that to seep its way in to our soul.

Christians do this, even after verbally forgiving a person, will neglect them and not be a part of relationship healing. We will not let go of our hurt, because it gives us a reason to ignore them. By the way, I am not any better at this than anyone else. I hold grudges, I ignore people, I was for the war in the Middle East, and seek my own comfort first.

But this is not what we’re called to do. We are called to love, forgive, and seek wholeness each day. It is not through our own actions that this is accomplished, but by our openness to having God work in and through us. I woke up this morning with this topic on my mind. I don’t take credit for the essay, God placed it on my heart. I’m stopping here because I feel like everything he wanted me to say has been said, and I don’t need to dress it up anymore with my own words, SEO search terms, or minimum word counts. God’s going to do what God’s going to do. I am a cup that has been filled, and poured out.

What do you think about all of this? Sounds crazy, right? It is. But so is the rest of the Gospel. Let’s talk about it.

5 Christian Writers Who Aren’t Famous, But Worth Reading

A couple weeks ago I posted a list of 5 Christian writers who were breaking the mold of what was expected. Thing is, those guys were pretty famous already. So I wanted to give you a list of writers who are making a difference in their communities, and have thoughts to share on it.

Ryan Taylor – Ryan is the Director of Access Denver, and has great thoughts on the gospel and what it means for us in our daily lives. In his bio, Ryan says what has been driving him the past few years:

In the past few years I’ve been inspired by modern day monastic-like thinkers such as Shane Claiborne who are rethinking the posture and practices of the church in present day culture, seeking to be like Jesus through honest confrontation of injustices, helping the poor and hungry, and doing it all together within Christ centered community.

Check out his blog and work at TallMonasticGuy.typepad.com

Shawn Marler - Shawn is a co-worker of mine, so I’m a little biased. I do believe though that Shawn has a good heart and eye for the scriptures, and is especially good at analyzing the text and being a student of it. Which is good, since he spent the last few year getting his Master’s of Divinity from Erskine. You can read his blog here.

Dave Gardner – Dave is also a friend of mine, and is currently on the 4th month of the World Race. World Race is not a game show or reality TV like The Amazing Race, but it is reality in the freshest sense, because Dave is visiting 11 countries in 11 months, doing God’s work every step of the way. He is a talented writer, interning at Yahoo Sports, writing for various online publications, and even turning down a job out of college in order to follow where God was leading him. Reading his blog of the work God has him doing around the world is inspiring. Follow his journey here.

Mike Todd – I have to admit I haven’t read a ton of Mike’s stuff, but what I have I enjoy. I found him through Ryan’s blog, and have been reading intermittently since then. What really grabbed me was this line in his bio.

What can I say? I have a story like everyone else. After a dozen years on Bay Street wearing a suit, tie and Bostonians, my wife Sue and I sold off, packed up and moved out to North Vancouver. Now the corporate uniform is fleece and hiking shoes. I split my time between Linwood House Ministries, blogging, a little construction work, and hanging out with the whatever - our little faith community where we are trying to figure out what it means to be apprentices of Jesus Christ. We’ve tried being believers, but we’re no longer convinced that’s what He had in mind.

Read more from Mike here.

Rev. Shannon Kershner – Shannon is the pastor of Black Mountain Presbyterian Church, which I have frequented on several occasions. She is a fine teacher of the gospel, and very direct in her sermons. I always feel equally affirmed, questioned, and challenged after hearing her speak the word. Sadly, she doesn’t blog yet, but you can find some of her writings and podcasts here.

Do you have any additional writers or speakers that can be added to this list? I would love to hear about them. Thanks!

Daily Practice: Christianity, you can’t make this stuff up

If you have been reading along with me for the past several weeks, you remember my post on the books that we received and bought over Christmas. The book that has been a daily constant so far this year is A Year with CS Lewis. I have greatly enjoyed it, the daily readings are short, and usually leave me with something good to chew on for the day. Today’s reading was particularly compelling, and I would like to share my initial thoughts on it.

The reading was titled “We Couldn’t Make It Up”. It being Christianity. Lewis points out that the tangible reality we experience is usually odd, not neat or obvious, or something you would expect. I feel that we do fantasize about reality as something that makes sense and is orderly to us, but every day our reality presents something that we did not expect. Whether it be in relationships, work, weather, or any number of things, reality behaves in ways that are not orderly to us. All of those things are just the present reality of what goes on in our own little sphere! What about the videos we watch or scientific and research journals that are available, every issue with news about something unexpected or unexplainable that has occurred! Why do we expect differently from our faith?

Lewis notes that this lack of order as one of the reasons he believes Christianity. It is a religion we would not have guessed, not something you make up.

The God figure comes down from the Heavens and lives among his creation as one of them, turning all their beliefs around. He celebrates the weak and poor, while chastising those in power. Then to round the story out, he dies for all their sins, regardless of their behavior, so they may be saved in him. He rises from that death, and calls us to repeat the process in following him.

Yeah, that’s weird. Lewis goes on to say that if the universe were something you expected, he would feel as if we were just making it up. But just like the universe is a little weird and unexplainable, so is Christianity. In way, that makes sense. That the God who created an unexplainable reality would also have an unexplainable plan for rescuing it.

For a beautiful picture of reality though, here is a picture of the rising dawn over our mountains. I know you can scientifically explain the colors, but it still leaves in awe of how it’s possible. Have a great day!

Rising Dawn at Camp Rockmont

Still Thinking of Haiti – Lespwa Part 2

As I begin, a feeling of tangible fatigue is setting in. I haven’t been feeling well, and benadryl combined with chamomile tea is doing the trick. But I wanted to get this down, especially on Christmas.

Christmas is a day of rejoicing, of remembering and celebrating that Jesus has come down to Earth and taken a very personal interest in our fate. Today, I thought of Haiti (as I have most days since I returned), and remembered Church last Sunday. The people there were full of hope, and worshipped in a way that made you feel the longing they have for Jesus. Whether he returns, or they die to this world and rise to him, they cannot wait. They groan and sing with anticipation, knowing that they do not have much, and life can be hard, but the promise of Jesus is worth everything. Since I’ve been back, I already feel the pull back towards an Americanized way of living, to consume and purchase, to need more and better things. I felt very blessed with the gifts I received this Christmas, my family was very generous, but I continually remembered how little the people in Haiti have, what gifts they might be exchanging, if any. I have been fighting the feelings of guilt, for having so much and be relatively wealthy. The Lord has blessed me, I have a good lot in life and likely will for the remainder of that life. So, it’s a not a feeling of guilt I should have, but of responsibility to be the hands and feet of God to others. The jarring implications that we are all created and loved equally by God cannot be ignored. For he loved us so much, that he sent his only Son, born in a manger, to teenage parents, raised as a carpenter, and anointed in the desert by a hippie; to save us.

Merry Christmas.

The Work of Nicholas

The year had been long. His task was singular, and required much focus. During his vacation, people would ask him “What do you do the rest of the year?” He sighed at the question, because there was much to be done, and not easily explained. He normally lapsed in to a droning half-hearted explanation, only to be interrupted out of their boredom, which is what he hoped for. Nicholas sat at his desk, reading. It was the same book of Advent preparations that he had read since he was a young man, passed down to him by his Father. It was worn, tattered, and filled with notes and small prayers. The book should have turned to dust centuries ago, but has been preserved. That bit of magic was part of the gift.

Nicholas leaned back in his chair and took a draw from his pipe. He thought back over the millennia, remembering the ways that humanity ebbs and flows in to good and evil, coming up with new and creative ways to seize power and make themselves in to little Gods. He also thought of the Saints, those recognized by the Church, or simply recognized by the poor and needy they helped. To the least of these, he thought.

Nicholas walked over to his work table, and looked at the hand carved animals and people that dotted the top. He had picked up carpentry early on, when this was a new job. A nod to his master, and something to busy the hands and mind. Years ago, he had made many of the gifts by hand, but new technology had jaded the recipients to such old-fashioned handiwork. He believed the desire for simpler gifts may still return, that time and skill applied over time would replace gifts bought at the last minute.

These days, many people had grown dull to wonders of the spirit, as other wonders gained popularity. People could speak across the world, fly to the heavens, and access almost anything they desired. But the world that had been created by man was all in front of them, and if it could not be touched or quantified, would not be believed. And some things in life must be believed purely out of the soul and knowledge of what is good.

When Nicholas had been an old man, Jesus visited him in the form of a poor man. Nicholas was kind to him, allowing food and shelter, as the scriptures instructed. As they were eating breakfast the next morning, the man asked what all the small gifts around the house were for.

“The village children” Nicholas replied, “they do not have much, and a small gift brings them great joy”.

The man smiled, and said “Nicholas, how would you like to do that for all children, yea, even all people?”

Nicholas chuckled, “That would be very nice, but in my age, even this small village is enough for me.” He turned back to the tea kettle, and poured himself another cup. He turned and began to pour his guest another cup, but a shimmer of light caught his eye, and he looked up. The man had been transformed, and was now ablaze in light, too beautiful to look at for very long. “Who are you? Lord?”

The man spoke, “You are right to call me Lord, for I am Jesus. I want to make you a giver of gifts to all people who have goodness in their hearts. Your gifts will remind all people of the gift of salvation, the goodness of life, and the promise heaven to come.”

Nicholas responded, “But Lord, I am old, and have no way to reach all people. What about time? Delivering gifts to all the people in world cannot possibly be done!”

“O ye of little faith. I will make your heart strong and your hands skilled. My time is not like the time of man. You will find it all possible through me.”

“I am your servant Lord, let your will be done”

As he bowed his head and dropped to his knees, Nicholas looked down at the cups. The Lord’s was empty. His was overflowing.

So the work began, and Nicholas moved to the mountains. There the Lord made his workshop invisible to human eyes, and angels assisted his work. Each day was simply a  precursor to the Advent season, to those holy days where would read from the book. Countless gifts were made, but they were not all gifts that could be wrapped and placed under a tree. Nicholas helped facilitate the spark of goodness in people, and travelled the globe with the Lord’s Angels, agents of his change in people’s lives. It may be a meal to the hungry, a jacket for cold, or shelter to a family. Nicholas did not busy himself with graphic chips, processors, and batteries. There was work to be done in the heart.

The belief of people in something bigger and more important than one’s self brought joy to Nicholas. He watched as people put aside their differences and loved, and wept when humanity went to war over power, pride, and possessions. He had made his life’s work the joy of others and the goodness of his Lord, and would continue to do so until his time had come.

Of course, Nicholas’ busiest time of the year was Christmas, when people’s hearts were further opened to merriment, love, and forgiveness. As time had progressed, the 25th day of the December became THE DAY, and that was fine. Any day would do, and he prayed that eventually humanity would see each day they drew breath as an opportunity to give of themselves.

So Christmas Eve and Day, full of anticipation followed by unbridled joy, became the most fulfilling. Nicholas flew through the sky, born up by the wings of Angels, the hope of thousands of years and millions of souls rang through him, and he lifted his voice to the sky, crying out with all the vigor and passion he had.

“HO HO HO! MERRY CHRISTMAS! PEACE ON EARTH, AND GOODWILL TO MEN!

Alternative Tithing Methods

My wife and I have been talking a lot about tithing, what God wants us to do with our money, where should it go, how much, how often, etc. The traditional Christian model is rooted in the Old Testament, where you give 10% of what you have to the temple and/or as a burnt offering. Interestingly enough, Jesus doesn’t mention the 10% anywhere in his teachings, and regarding taxes he says “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s”. As for other ways of giving, he says to “sell all that you have and give to the poor”, to “follow me”, and “not to lay up treasure on earth”, all of which we as Americans are quite adamant about. For the early church,  they would sell all they had, pool their resources, and “there was not a single needy person among them” (Acts 4:32-35). So, what do we as followers of Christ do with these guidelines?

Certainly some money should go to the church, hopefully you are a part of a fellowship that is doing God’s work in the community along with the church. A problem with that, is until recently Morgan and I haven’t been members of a church, and honestly have bounced around a bit. So we felt funny about giving our money to the churches we were not a part of. That may not be right, but its what we decided.

Alternatively, we have been giving to organizations that we feel carries on God’s work in the world, especially with the poor, needy, widows, orphans, and outcasts of society. You know, exactly the kind of people Jesus was around on a daily basis, and I am not. Whether right or not, we have given to them and watched them do good work around the world. Not all have been Christian organizations, but I’m also of the thought that any good work has its roots in the Lord.

Here’s who we have donated to in the recent years

• Heifer International
• Kiva
• Mission of Hope Haiti
• Compassion International
• Lespwa International
• World Vision

That’s a good amount, but please don’t think too highly of us. We haven’t given near the 10% the Old Testament asks, or even close to the everything that Jesus asks for. Jesus call is an interesting one, as is most of his message, because when we take it literally, it is probably the most challenging and compelling message in history, and something that I believe a lot of his followers have trouble actually following. But staying on task for the tithing aspect, finding a place where I feel open and full about giving what I have to help others, and relying on God to take care of me, is the place I am striving for. I far too often still treat the tithe as another line item in the budget, one that comes after bills and hopefully before entertainment.

As I started with though, I believe there are other ways to give of our time, money and possessions. Instead of simply giving money (if you’re good at that), let’s also go to the shelters, the streets, and see how the people there are living. Let’s take some of our old (or new) warm clothes to people on a cold night. Buy $20 worth of food and pass it out to the hungry. If we stick to 10%, what if you make it 10% of everything? Time, Money, Possessions, etc? The point I’m driving at is that our giving spirit that God bestows on us is not a static thing, something we should do from a distance. Let’s get in there with the kind of people that Jesus was with, remember he didn’t hang out much with the people in power that had it all together. He had dinner with tax collectors, criminals, prostitutes, and the like.

So what more can we do, how can we follow the teachings and actions of Jesus so that we bring bits of the Kingdom light to our corners of the world? I do know that if we light our communities, the whole world will be brighter.