SECURE YOUR COMPUTER!

My job puts me in daily contact with malware ("computer viruses" to the average Joe) and has afforded me a certain amount of knowledge in this area. Based on that, I want to tell you the things you should do to ensure that this doesn't happen to you! Oh, and that's just one example... Banking Trojans are very common now and this kind of action, though not always in this volume, is common too. And if your answer is "we don't bank on our computer", then here's a list of actions performed by malware... maybe one of these would bother you if it occurred to you:

• Webcam control - malware can turn on your webcam and record whatever it's aimed at.
• Password theft - Anything you type into the keyboard can be recorded and sent to criminals to be sold (identity theft)... this gives the criminals access to your online shopping logins, credit cards used online, etc.
  
• Ransomware - Your computer gets locked and everything on it is inaccessible until you pay the ransom
• File infection - Every file you care about gets infected with malware... meaning you have to throw those files away and may, in the meantime, be inadvertently infecting those around you.
• Social media - Your social media account (blog, facebook, etc) gets hijacked and used to send distasteful messages to everyone in your address book.
• Framed! - Distasteful images can be downloaded to your computer, making YOU look guilty of downloading them.
  
• Other - Your computer becomes a tool for attacking others, generating online currency, etc. The result is, at the very least, a slow computer.
  

So, don't freak out and stop using your computer, and don't think this can't happen to you. This kind of attack is prevalent, even lurking on very reputable websites. So, let's try to prevent it... k?

First, the quick and easy stuff....

1. Baselining tools - I recommend that you always have a good idea of what your computer should look like so that when it changes, you know what changed. (and by "looks like" I don't mean aesthetics). To do this, use tools such as the following:

• hijackthis - With both Hijackthis and Autoruns, it's important to save a 'baseline' setting, where you expect the computer to be, so that you can compare against that later. Hit me with questions on that if it doesn't make sense.
• autoruns
  
• Acronis - Acronis is a backup software which takes a snapshot of your entire system and lets you put it back the way it was after an event. So, whether it's because of an infection, just Windows being Windows, or a hardware failure, you need to back up. People tend to put backups off until it's too late. If you store music, photos, etc. on your computer, you'll regret this. You don't have to use Acronis, but you have to back up. Many versions of Windows and Mac come with backup options built in. Use them.
  

2. Antivirus - While traditional antivirus has become less useful in the past several years, it's still important. The best antivirus solutions, in my opinion are:

• Kaspersky - Paid antivirus. Russian antivirus company. If it tells you anything about their quality, this is who the malware team at my company uses.
• Avira - Free antivirus. A good, free, antivirus. It has a bothersome daily popup to deal with in the free version, but I'm cheap and they make good antivirus. This is who I use on my home PC.

3. Keep patched - The huge majority of drive-by infections (ones that occur silently on the Internet, without your knowledge) can be avoided by keeping your system patched. The main culprits, year in and year out, are Java, Flash, Adobe Reader/Acrobat.

Now, the effective stuff...
1. Operating System - If you're not doing anything special (i.e. if you just surf the web and check email) you may be a candidate for using Linux. Without going into too much detail here, Linux is a bit less user friendly, but is almost completely untargeted by malware. If you must use Windows, use Windows 7 and turn User Account Control (UAC) up to the max. (do this by going to Start, and, in the little search field, just type UAC and hit enter... follow the settings in there to tell UAC to always notify you of changes to the system)

2. Sandboxie - Sandboxie is a sandbox. For those of you not familiar with this term, a sandbox is a place where code can be run separately from the rest of your computer. Sandboxie creates a place where your Internet browser(s) can run without fear of infecting the rest of the computer. Each time you close the browser, the slate is wiped clean. (My customized install instructions for Sandboxie and NoScript are here.)

3. NoScript - NoScript is a Firefox plugin which stops scripts from running. Scripts are what most exploits use to infect your system. Sandboxie and NoScript are both a bit clunky and cumbersome to use at times, but it's the price of being secure. NoScript stops most infections, but if, hypothetically, your Sandboxied browser got infected... once it's closed, you're clean and safe again! It's a beautiful thing.

4. Resources - If you have a questionable file (email attachment, or whatever), you can submit it to virustotal.com and every popular antivirus in the business will scan it right there on the spot. Also, use ME as a resource. Email me... call me... if you have questions on malware, contact me.

Lastly, a word on YOU. People are always the biggest threat to their own computers. A savvy person can stop most infections before they start. So, know your situations...

• Don't open attachments that you aren't expecting. If you get an attachment from a friend who wants you to watch a video, visit a link, etc., just know that they may be spreading that message without their own knowledge (if they're hacked)... so, email them back and ask if they meant to sent it. Or have Virustotal.com scan it. Just assume everything is hostile and you'll be fine. :)
• Don't visit websites with questionable content. Most malware is spread on these types of websites. Stick to well known, big-time websites. This is less of an issue if you're using my instructions from above, but still....
• If you see evidence that you're infected, note the websites you've visited (write them down if you must) and files you've run. As soon as possible, get your computer off the internet. That way no data can be transmitted.

Hope all this is helpful and not too overwhelming... feel free to contact me with questions.

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

Humor me here... I just had a thought, and I think it holds water.

Because I have an abundance of food and shelter, that makes me wealthy when compared to the vast majority of the world. And it seems to me that most affluent westerners (again, affluent meaning people who have food and housing) are easily perturbed and stressed by minor events. Why is this? Well, I believe it's because they're not experiencing trials...they're not stuck living from hand to mouth, and thus the small things seem really big.

Unfortunately, I speak from experience here. Things like house problems, the common cold, a malfunctioning pen, can all serve to stress me out. Now, obviously there are varying degrees of stress here, but when I have a pipe that won't break loose during a remodel and I get really upset at it, that's probably a good indication that I don't have a proper perspective on things. If I were struggling to stay alive, struggling to feed myself and my family, or facing severe persecution, then my view on a stuck pipe would probably be different.

You see this in the lives of the suffering. I recall Corrie Ten Boom who recounts stories of her childhood with cheeriness and joy, despite being poor and living during a world war. If you've ever wondered how poor people can live with more joy than the wealthy, maybe this is part of the answer. Not only do we rich seek happiness by trying to find their significance in "things" (that's another topic altogether) but they also find all kinds of minutia to get upset about.

So... so what. Why does this matter since, I'm guessing, most of us won't choose difficulty and suffering? Well, for those of us blessed enough to not be starving or fearing for our lives, I would think we should live our lives differently. This means both recognizing our blessedness, but also putting ourselves around those who suffer. Helping the suffering and hurting should help to give us proper perspective on life's problems. Don't you think?

Our Love/Hate Relationship with Rules

I recently finished reading "Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Jesus". While there were some concepts in there that I don't agree with, and though some of their examples seemed a bit unrealistic (Actually, "superhuman" would be a better word), a couple of the chapters were absolutely fantastic and worth the price of the book. The main one that struck me was chapter four entitled "Jesus Loves All His Little Prodigals and Pharisees".

The main point of this chapter was to point out that although we commonly view rule-breakers as the "sinners in need of Jesus", that rule-keepers are just as in need. Now, before you dismiss this as common sense, read on and see the extent to which we take this. Because, if you're like me, this is the most common trap into which I fall.

The chapter starts with a story about two kids playing in the pool. One, named "David" is a rule-breaker. When things don't go his way, he cheats and/or quits. The other is named "Susan" and she plays by the rules, and when others don't play by the rules she gets upset or proud. So, the kids are playing a game in the pool and David gets angry and quits because he gets called out for cheating. Subsequently, Susan gets angry because David always cheats and then quits while she plays by the rules. And thus we are introduced to the situation at hand. The mother, who is often superhuman in the book (giving the perfect, if not a bit formal and stuffy, answers to her kids) deals with David first, since he knows he sins, and then turns and responds to Susan:

"Yes, Susan, David should follow the rules of the game. But the rules are not the most important thing. There is something that is heavier and of more importance than the rules of Marco-Polo. Do you know what it is? Mercy is more important than the law.” ...“Susan, let me tell you about something called the law of love. The law of love is the law that Christ kept perfectly on your behalf."..."We are all law-breaking rule-haters when it comes to something we want to do. David breaks the rules by cheating, you break the rules by screaming at him, and I break the rules by wanting peace and quiet. We’re all law-breaking rule-haters." ... “So you see, Susan, if you truly believe that Jesus died for your sin, you can love your rule-breaking little brother. After all, you are just like him.”

It's so refreshing, and convicting, to realize that rule-keepers are no different than rule-breakers. The author goes on to say:

Within every household and even within the heart of every person, there is a Susan and a David. There are those who love thinking that they keep the rules, and there are those who don’t care about the rules as much as they care about other things, such as winning or having a good time. The heart of a Susan and a David resides within each of us, and who shows up simply depends on what’s at stake on any given day. Do we want to win? Do we want to rest? Do we want to claim the moral high ground? Welcome, Susan and David. The only power strong enough to transform the selfishly rebellious and the selfishly self-righteous heart is grace. The law doesn’t transform the heart of either Susan or David. It only hardens them in pride and despair.

I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that most parents are like me. I tend to praise my rule-keeping children while working hard to correct my rule-breaking children. In fact, the author speaks to exactly that:

If your parenting is moralistic, like most of ours is, children like David will break your heart, but children like Susan will make you proud. It is only when you parent with grace that the destitution of both children becomes apparent. Children who embarrass you and children who make you proud must both be taught the deeper truth of the welcoming father: mercy trumps law.

But this isn't only at work in my parenting. It's often at work in me! While most Christians would, to some degree, recognize the role of grace and the gospel in their lives, we functionally live as though we don't believe it. We constantly try to prove ourselves "good enough" and to praise others who we view as doing "good enough" all the while subtly chiding those who aren't living up to our false standards. This is the very truth behind the story of the Prodigal Son. It's a point Tim Keller made in "The Prodigal God" and which the author of this book makes as well. Even as we read the story of the Prodigal Son, we tend to judge that "naughty prodigal son" but probably not so much with the "faithful" son.

The Susans of the world are not hoping for their errant brother’s return. No, of course not. They’re out working. And they are filled with proud resentment at the father’s welcome home party for his son. But what is the father’s response to such arrogance? “His father came out and entreated him” (Luke 15:28). The father’s arms are open wide: “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours” (v. 31).

By parenting our kids in this way, we teach them that good behavior wins God's favor....an attempt to disprove the gospel in the process! Why? The gospel says we can't earn God's favor. The gospel says we are weak and in need of His grace. The gospel says all people sin and need God.

But the gospel isn't good news to those who are relying on their own efforts. It's, at best, too good to be true and, at worst, infuriating.

So how do we overcome this in our lives and in our parenting? How about by owning up to our weakness? By making much of God and His grace by making much of our sin and constant need of Him. By recognizing that kind outward acts are not necessarily any more righteous than outward sin. When we tell our kids that they need to be good, like a sibling or another child or like us, we tell them that there is something wrong with them that isn't wrong with everyone else. We encourage them to try harder, or to give up, and we slit the throat of the gospel.

Do you think that rule-breakers need the gospel? Well, rule-keepers may need it even more as they likely have a harder time understanding it. Remember the story of the Pharisee and the sinner? Jesus tells this story in Luke 18:

¹⁰ “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! ¹² I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’

¹³ “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

See it? The sinner recognizes his need for God, while the Pharisee thinks he has it all under control. Note, especially, Jesus statement at the end...the sinner returns home justified.

We all need the gospel all the time. There's no such thing as "sinners" and "saints" in the way that many of us think of it. Let's start living consistently. Let's tell each other, and our kids, the truth. We all need Jesus and nobody, not adults, not "good kids", not pastors, are exempt, or even need Him less. That's the truth. In summary:

Give grace to your children today by speaking of sin and mercy. Tell Susan that she can relax into God’s loving embrace and stop thinking that she has to perform in order to get her welcoming Father to love her. Tell David that he can have hope that even though he really struggles, he’s the very sort of person Jesus loved being around. Dazzle them with his love.

Inspiration From Hollywood

I don't generally like movies...or rather, I like them too much. I think I must have an easily discontented personality, and that is a dangerous thing to expose to movies. You see, as you may well know, Hollywood movies are designed as fantasy worlds. They portray unrealistic lives and situations, filled with only beautiful people, perfect scenarios of sex, adventure, fun, and mystery. Movies don't often show the other side of things. They don't show the handsome/beautiful star taking a poo. They don't show the passionate couple working on their budget. They don't show the star of the show dealing with chronic back pain or digestive problems. They don't show the action sequence where the amazing super spy's car gets t-boned in a chase scene, killing him on impact.

So, movies generally make me discontent. I can watch The Bourne Identity and, while I'd not say I want to run for my life and possess amazing martial arts skills, it makes my task of mowing the yard and doing the budget seem pretty lame. Movies, when compared to real lives, do a great job of making even the most ideal real life seem utterly boring and incomplete. They're an escape from reality. I believe that the attraction, for many movie-goers, is so they can fantasize about the perfect guy/girl, the perfect romance, the perfect adventure, the perfect job, etc.

But occasionally I'm able to get something productive from my cinematic experiences. Largely this comes from the drive to not waste my life...To try to be the man I want to be. The following characters from the cinema are a few examples from which I'd like to glean some character shaping habits:

Elwood P. Dowd from the movie "Harvey" (Played by Jimmy Stewart) - Elwood P. Dowd, though perceived to be a nutjob, is Mr. Niceguy. He's Friendly... making everyone he meets feel that they are important, special and loved. This is a hard one for me, because I'm naturally introverted and, well, selfish. But, in my dreams, I'd love to be more like Elwood P. Dowd.

Jacob Palmer from the movie "Crazy Stupid Love" (Played by Ryan Gosling) - I just saw this last night. The guy is actually a sleazy womanizer, and I don't want to be like him in that manner. The one thing I take away from this character is confidence. Also, not confidence born from "believing in myself", but rather a comfort in your my skin. This obviously doesn't account for faked confidence. I mean, most people who come off as confident are, in reality, very insecure and are trying to make up for it. Genuine confidence seems, for the vast majority of people, to come from one of two places:

A) Pride and arrogance
B) Recognition that your value is not likely to be found in the eyes of the masses

The reason I break it out like this is that I see no other logical means for it. Now, I'm sure I could be persuaded otherwise, but hear me out. If you truly think you are better than everyone else, or at least most people, then you'll probably be pretty confident. Alternatively, if you don't think you're any better than the average joe, then you're going to probably seek the approval of others. We don't live in a vacuum. We interact with others constantly. So it seems that the primary way, outside of arrogance, to become confident is by believing that you have the unwavering and unconditional love of someone who matters to you more than everyone else. So, there may be the occasional odd duck that genuinely believes themselves equal with everyone else, and yet is genuinely confident and comfortable in their own skin, but I tell you it's gotta be rare. Most are wearing a mask...

Dom Cobb from the movie "Inception" (Played by Leonoardo DiCaprio) - This one is more of a stretch. It wasn't so much Cobb's character, though his passion for his wife and kids was admirable, but it was more the scenes of he and his wife having grown old together and his constant attempts to get back to his kids. This reminded me how short this life is and that I should be cherishing and treasuring every moment with my family because it goes by too fast. My kids will be grown and old before I know it... I know that someday I'll look back and say "Wow, they grew up fast" and "This life sure went by fast" and so I want to look back with no regrets about how I spent my time. I don't think I'll look back and wish I had watched more TV, or done more projects... I think that I'll be more prone to looking back and wishing I'd spent more time with my family and invested more in those relationships around me (friends, family, neighbors).

So.... while movies usually just serve to depress me, it's not always that way. I guess I just need to get better at finding truth in movies, as well as doing a better job at cherishing what I do have.... Oh, and it helps to recognize that most movies are promoting a fantasy world just as much as Disney does....

What is a Missional Community?

While I've made a pair of attempts at explaining what I believe church should be, it seems I can never fully express it. I'm sure that's natural, and likely unavoidable, but I'd love to be able to have a succinct description of this new (to me) style of Christian living when others ask me about it. Specifically, I've been very excited about a lifestyle (worldview, whatever you want to call it) seen in a group called Soma Communities. So, when I saw a recent article which had some relevant questions which were answered by Soma founder Jeff Vanderstelt, I read through it. Jeff does a great job of answering a couple of questions in a relatively succinct manner and in a very clear way. Check it out:

Question #1: What is a missional community?

A Missional Community is a Family of Missionary Servants who make Disciples who make Disciples.

Family – First of all a missional community is a group of believers who live and experience life together like a family. They see God as their Father because of their faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ and the new regeneration brought about by the Holy Spirit.

This means they have and know of a divine love that leads them to love one another as brothers and sisters. They treat one another as children of God deeply loved by the Father in everything – sharing their money, time, resources, needs, hurts, successes, etc… They know each other well. This knowledge includes knowing each other’s stories and having familiarity with one another’s strength and struggles in regards to belief in the gospel and its application to all of life.

They speak the gospel truth to one another, regularly building each other up in love. They also love the people around them as if they were part of the family, showing them what the love of the Father looks like and in so doing inviting them to experience life in the family of God.
(John 1:11-13; Rom. 12:10-16; Eph 5:1-2)

Missionaries – God’s family is also sent like the Son by the Spirit to proclaim the good news of the kingdom – the gospel – and fulfill the commission of Jesus. A missional community is more than a bible study or a small group that cares for other believers.

A missional community is made up of Spirit-led and filled people who radically reorient their lives together for the mission of making disciples of a particular people and place where there is a gospel gap (no consistent gospel witness). This means people’s schedule, resources and decisions are now collectively built around reaching people together.
(Matt. 3:16-4:1; Jn. 20:21; Acts 1:8; Acts 13:2)

Servants – Jesus is Lord and we are his Servants. A missional community serves those around them as though they are serving Jesus. In doing so, they give a foretaste of what life will be like under the rule and reign of Jesus Christ.

Living as servants to the King, who serve others as he served, presents a tangible witness to Jesus’ kingdom and the power of the gospel to change lives. A missional community serves in such a way that it demands a Gospel explanation – lives that cannot be explained in any other way than by the Gospel of the Kingdom of Jesus.
(Matt. 20:25-28; Jn. 13:1-17; Phil. 2:5-11; 1 Pet. 2:16)

Disciples – We are all learners of Jesus our rabbi who has given us his Spirit to teach us all that is true about Jesus and enable us to live out his commands. Jesus commanded us to make disciples who believe the gospel, are established in a new identity, and are able to obey all of his commands (Matt. 28:19-20). The missional community is the best context in which this can happen.

Disciples are made and developed: 1) through life on life, where there is visibility and accessibility 2) in community, where they can practice the one anothers, and 3) on mission, where they learn how to proclaim the gospel and make disciples.

Question #2: How is a Missional Community Different From a Bible Study?

During our Missional Community leadership training we start with a definition of missional community. Then, we clarify what it is not. A Missional Community is not primarily a Bible study.

The goal of most Bible studies is to study the Bible. We believe the goal of a missional community is to make disciples who make disciples. We clarify that the mission of making disciples with our missional communities will require studying the bible, but often bible studies don’t require that you make disciples.

In fact, our discovery has been that many people have studied the Bible for years and have never led anyone to faith in Jesus, equipped people for ministry and sent out more to do the same. It’s as if we have come to believe that knowing the Bible equals faith in and obedience to God.

Often when I speak to leaders and people who wish we did more bible studies at Soma, I ask them what was the last book of the Bible they studied. Let’s say they’ve respond with “James”.

I then say something like, “That’s great! I’m sure you’re now caring for widows and orphans, visiting the sick, caring for the poor, etc…!” To which I generally hear, “Well no…not really!?” Then, I say, “But I thought you studied James?” “Well, yes, but I’m not necessarily doing that.”

I go on to explain that the intent Jesus has for studying his word is that we would hear it and do it, not just hear it and know it. The next thing I say is: “So how about getting involved in a missional community and doing what you have studied and know for now? In fact, maybe you should practice obeying what you know with some others for a while before you add more biblical knowledge that you will be accountable to obey.”

The missional community is the best environment to study the Bible because it is only in the context of community that you learn to obey what it teaches and it is while on the mission of making disciples that you come to see how powerful God’s word is for bringing about transformation.

So for us at Soma, we call people to obey the mission of Jesus to make disciples; obey what the Bible teaches; grow as effective ministers of the gospel; get on mission with other believers to reach the lost and build up those who know and believe in Jesus. All of this requires that our people go back to the Scriptures over and over again to inform and equip them for all of this.

Doing mission together pushes our people to study the Bible more intently together. In fact, I have found believers’ hunger for and engagement with the Bible only increases the more they exercise obedience to what it says and also need it to teach others to know, love and obey Jesus.

Can I get a witness?

There are two types of Christians that make me cringe. And before you think I'm about to go all hypocritical on you, hear me out. The first type of Christian is typically a "star"...someone who is in a position of public prominence, like an actor, professional athlete, musician, televangelist, politician, etc. who uses their platform to say stupid things in the name of Christianity. I'm sure that sometimes they're really a Christian, and sometimes they're not.

The second type of Christian that makes me cringe can have, in many cases, a lot of overlap with the first type. This type is the type that completely misrepresents Biblical Christianity. Allow me to describe them.

WARNING! DISCLAIMER! (I.e. confession time) While I still have plenty of issues in my life, many of which I'm likely completely unaware, I have to admit that the Christian I'm about to describe was....me. Okay, maybe not specifically me, but it's the type of Christian I was. So I guess that makes me some kind of expert or something. On to the description.

Many Christians today portray themselves and, more detrimentally, the entire global church as:

Stuffy (aka boring, stiff, anti-fun)
Hateful
Unloving
Judging
Graceless
Legalistic/Anti-pleasure (Seeing sin in things that are not sin: sex, alcohol, card playing, dancing, etc)
Unhappy

The ironic thing is that these ALL are complete antonyms to Biblical Christianity. Jesus was a social radical who flew in the face of religious tradition and leadership by dining with hookers and scum, drinking alcohol, having parties all while loving those who needed loving. He gave grace to those who needed it and rejected those who abused their power. Yet, somehow, many modern American Christians have ignored Jesus' life and have chosen to go the path of the very people Jesus condemned.

So, because of many (probably the vast majority) Christians who have cloistered themselves away in "safe" little bubbles surrounded by Christian culture, all the while looking down upon their neighbors, the world around them has seen them for what they, unfortunately, really are: Stuffy, hateful, judging, graceless, legalistic, and unhappy.

But why?

Why are so many Christians this way? I think these attitudes are typically caused by one of three things:

1) Failure to truly believe the gospel - In order to live with happiness, grace, and love as a Christian, you really need to believe the gospel. This may, on the surface, sound obvious, but functionally I don't think it is. What I mean is that we, by our very nature, are driven to work. The offer of the gospel, of Jesus doing ALL the work with us merely trusting in Him, seems too good to be true. So, whether consciously or not, we find ourselves working. We compare ourselves to others. We try to put on the "mature Christian" mask. We try to hide our suffering and pain for fear that they are indicators that something is wrong with us. Well, in reality, something IS wrong with us. That's why we need Jesus. If there was nothing wrong with us we'd be fine on our own. But we're all broken and this world is broken! I've said it before, but this attitude turns out to be an attempt to disprove the gospel. Why? Well, if you can live a stainless life without Jesus, then you wouldn't need the gospel. And if you don't need the gospel, which itself says you DO need it, then it's a lie!

This whole attitude leads to an "Us vs. Them" mentality. We forget where we came from and we view ourselves as superior, rather than viewing ourselves as we really are: In daily need of Jesus. Recognizing your constant need for the gospel completely changes how you view the people around you. You can't help but love them. When we forget about the gospel, judging and lack of grace alleviates our fears about whether we're doing enough because we can always compare ourselves positively to someone else. It's just like a bully who desperately needs affirmation that they're good enough.

2) Fear of contamination - By this I mean that many Christians live believing that objects contaminate and cause them to sin rather than recognizing that their own heart is the root cause. Really, most things in the world are pretty harmless on their own. Humans are very skilled at taking good things and turning them into focal points. Into idols. Taking God's good gifts (sex, wine, food, relationships, etc.) and replacing God with them. Making them ultimate. Placing their hopes and dreams on those things and hoping that they don't fail. And yet, they do fail. Every time. As long as we believe that the world is full of dirty things which will cause us to sin, then we will likely live a legalistic life which seeks to avoid anything which may trip us up. With this mentality we fail to address the root cause: our own heart. Nobody said this better than Martin Luther:

"We must not…reject [or] condemn anything because it is abused. This would result in utter confusion. God has commanded us in Deut. 4 not to lift up our eyes to the sun (and the moon and the stars), etc., that we may not worship them, for they are created to serve all nations. But there are many people who worship the sun and the stars. Therefore we propose to rush in and pull the sun and stars from the skies. No, we had better let it be. Again, wine and women bring many a man to misery and make a fool of him (Ecclus. 19:2; 31:30); so we kill all the women and pour out all the wine. Again, gold and silver cause much evil, so we condemn them. Indeed, if we want to drive away our worst enemy, the one who does us the most harm, we shall have to kill ourselves, for we have no greater enemy than our own heart."

Jesus didn't hide from the hurting. Why should we? Jesus lived with them and loved them. So should we. Jesus didn't come to establish sets of rules, He came to abolish the law. Ever heard the phrase "freedom in Christ"? Ever heard the apostle Paul say "Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ." I could go on and on... but I think you get the point.

3) They're not a Christian - This is not a condemnation, but you've got to admit that it's hard to not treat your faith as mere religion if you don't really believe it. Not much to say here.

Listen... Christians should be able to recognize that they are no different than the world around them. That we all need Jesus help and that we're no better than anyone else. More than that, Christians have freedom. We've been forgiven of our debts and we have nobody to impress. We can live with complete freedom and peace knowing that the Creator of the universe loved us so much that He gave us His Son and there is NOTHING more for us to do. We are free from the slavery to our idols (and hoping they'll satisfy us...at some point!). We are free to love others openly and to enjoy God's blessings. This truth frees Christians to live peaceful, happy, loving, rule-free lives... I so wish this were the reality for most Christians; but I fear it isn't.

For more detail on how I think this should be played out in our interactions with others (essentially helping them to experience the same restoration and freedom that I've experienced) see my June 29, 2011 blog entry entitled "Why Do Good?"

My "Review" of Blue Like Jazz

Okay, I'm not really going to review Blue Like Jazz... I'm just going to give a short description and endorsement.

My wife read this book a few years back and really enjoyed it. I only recently got around to reading it, but I really liked it. I had heard that some Christians were offended or put off by the book and I cannot understand that. I mean, I can understand it because I know how a lot of Christians can be (self-righteous, scared of liberals, offended by "curse words" and smoking/drinking, etc) but I just don't get it.

The book is written by Donald Miller and is basically just a story of his journey and a compilation of his thoughts. The subtitle of the book is "Nonreligious Thoughts On Christian Spirituality". I didn't find it to be terribly well written, but Miller is very creative and self-aware. By self-aware I mean that he thinks about himself deeply, considers his actions and beliefs, etc. He also thinks deeply about the world around him and doesn't take things for granted... and I think that should be respected. Too often we take our own experiences, or our own understanding, and we assume them to be truth. Miller honestly examines his thoughts and beliefs... he struggles through big questions, like why hippies are more loving than the Christians he knows.

I'm not going to say too much about the book except that it was a fun, easy read and can prod a person to question why they live the way they do.

Oh, and I think this is also a great book for people who aren't Christians to read as it shows that not all Christians fall into the same category. There are plenty of Christians, myself included, who break the mold of "typical" Christians. I think it's probably a topic for a different time, but I'll just briefly say that I'm saddened to think that the image of Christianity portrayed by most Christians is:

• Stuffy
• Angry
• Unloving
• Judging
• Un-gracious (I don't think that's a word)

In reality, Christians SHOULD be the very opposite of those things... but, I think this is a future blog post. Maybe VERY soon...

Why Do Good?

I've always wondered what to tell people when they ask "Why are you doing this kind/sacrificial/loving thing for me?". I mean, first I've wondered if I'll ever hear those words.... but then, if I do hear them, I wonder how I should reply. To some degree I don't even fully understand why I'm doing it. And some of my reasons for doing it, are pathetic. So... let's unpack this more fully. Oh, and please know that I'm answering my own questions as I type. :)

What I have previously thought....
In the past I've believed that God has done good for me and therefore I'm obligated to do good also. A good amount of guilt is involved here and while I'd say that I was doing it to be like Jesus, I don't even think that was really true. Mostly guilt... Besides, I'm not sure that being like Jesus is, in itself, a good reason. It doesn't really answer why I should be like Jesus. (i.e. I can try to "be like Jesus" without loving Jesus or being His follower)

I've also, in the past, had some vague notions about restoring the world, though I've had (and probably still have) a pretty weak understanding of why I'm to restore the world. I've also had some idea that people are made in God's image and so I should love them... again, my understanding of why this is so was/is weak.

What I don't understand....
So we're to restore creation? Why? Who cares? God's going to nuke it and take us all to heaven anyway...right? And even if He isn't going to nuke it, can't He fix it Himself? Well, I guess that for any of this to make sense you have to first believe that God is not going to melt the earth down and beam us all up to heaven someday. The early church, and many biblical scholars today, seem to agree that we're all due to be bodily resurrected someday (of which Jesus was the prototype...aka "first fruits"). So, without delving into a big discussion on that, let's assume the earth will be used for our future resurrection.

So why couldn't God restore the earth Himself? Well, He will have to do this to some degree because some things are just too jacked up for us to fix. BUT, that's not the point! God designed us to be "over" the earth. To be its overseers, its keepers. This makes us God's stewards. We are to be His people on earth, restoring the earth itself (fixing, cleaning, maintaining, beautifying), restoring people (loving, nurturing, mending, serving), and generally creating beauty. We point people to God by creating art, peace, and beauty. We make earth a little more like God intended it when we do these things. This is being God's ambassadors. It's saying "THIS is a glimpse of what God intended... beauty, love, peace." It's this message that will speak volumes to the world around us.

So, the other question: People are made in God's image? So? Why does that matter? We don't use that as reasoning for why we should love others "You know Bill, those kids were made in Tom's image... you should love them." But yet even as I write that, I can see that God is far different than Tom (whoever Tom is), and that God is worth revering and fawning over. God, who is infinitely powerful, created each and every person, and gifted them each in a way that enables them to do, when nurtured and loved, extreme good and to be like Him. So, loving and nurturing people, enables them to live closer to their potential and to make God look better, to show yet another perspective (facet, dimension, face, etc.) of God on earth, and to make the earth more like the place it was intended to be. Yeah... I guess that makes a LOT of sense.

So, not only do I have some reasons to do good, I have no reason to not. Why? 1 John 3:16 says "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters." This verse affirms what true love is, and that love has freed me to love others without fear of loss or a need to protect myself, my time, my possessions, etc. I have all I could ever need and it cannot be taken from me. (Romans 8:38-39)

So what do I say if someone ever does ask me why I'm loving them so sacrificially and so.... well....abnormally? I guess I should say something to the effect of this: "Well, God has shown me that He intended the world to be a lot better place than it currently is... and by loving others, I am, hopefully, helping to make it a little more like He intended it to be and also giving people, including myself, a little glimpse into the world of hope and beauty He intended."

Yeah...that's what I'll say.....

The Tangible Kingdom - My Review

The Tangible Kingdom, by Hugh Halter, is a book about the formation of Adullum, a missional community in the Denver area. The book is quite refreshing and informative for someone, like myself, who is still trying to get his mind around the idea of missional living. Halter expounds upon missional living with lots of good examples and tips.

Rather than writing a full-on book report, I'm just going to break out some key takeaways which I, um, took away from the book. So, pardon the jumbled nature that follows...

First off, Halter starts off by indicating that while the methodology his community has implemented, and which he is promoting, may seem like the latest fad, it's actually very old… several thousand years old. It is, at its heart, what the early church was all about in both form and function.

Halter uses some of the early chapters to demonstrate the inefficacy of our current lifestyle by implying that we (the average church and/or Christian) are likely not as attractive, or different, as we might think we are. When we consider whether or not we are attractive and different, as the apostles indicate we should be, Halter states the following, and he backs it up with some cold, hard facts:

"Yes, we have big churches, churches that grow and do much good in the world, but let’s be honest: Do people take us Christians seriously? Do they respect us and our way of life? Do the spiritually hungry look to the average evangelical church for help, or would they rather go buy a self-help book at Barnes & Noble? How long has it been since you knew someone who came to faith for the first time? I’m not talking about in a youth group setting or in children’s church. I’m talking about an adult who had no idea about God but who has since found faith in Christ and rearranged his or her entire life around his? We’ve been working with pastors of mega-churches, house churches, and many new churches, and the reality of “nonconversions” is staggering. We have churches everywhere, but they smell musty, fussy, clubby, judgmental, mean, punishing, ungenerous, and are not compelling people to come or stay. Almost every statistical reference to the church indicates that we not only can’t draw people, but we can’t even keep the ones we have."

He backs this up with some statistics from the Barna Group:

• “Since 1991, the adult population in the United States has grown by 15 percent. During that same period the number of adults who do not attend church has nearly doubled, rising from 39 million to 75 million—a 92 percent increase.”4
• “Roughly half of all churches in America did not add one new person through conversion growth last year.”5
• “In America, it takes the combined effort of eighty-five Christians working over an entire year to produce one convert"

Quoting Tom Clegg and Warren Bird in regards to the rise of post-modernity and the fall of the church in America: "The inescapable conclusion is that we must throw out any notion that God is truly at the center of the church’s heart in North America. The shift in society’s view of the church has resulted in the marginalization of the church and the secularization of society. Christianity has lost its place at the center of American life. Christians must learn how to live the gospel as a distinct people who no longer occupy the center of society. We must learn to build relational bridges that win a hearing."

Furthermore, Halter believes that even churches who are growing numerically are typically not doing as well as those very numbers might indicate:

"…if you evaluated your statistics objectively, you’d likely come to the conclusion that most of the growth of your church is transfer growth, with new people coming from another church. Is it wrong or less spiritual to meet the needs of Christians who perhaps aren’t growing at other churches, who can move to the next level with Christ under the shepherding of a different church? Sure, this is important. If this is the goal of your church, fine. But be careful about calling this “growth.” Churches can make a difference in some way with some Christians, but it’s unlikely they’re making a dent in culture by reaching the unreached or helping the truly disenfranchised."

Halter suggests that the aforementioned shift to post-modern thinking deserves a shift in our approach to evangelism: "when the culture is no longer looking for a church to go to, isn’t that interested in church music, sermons, or programs, or when they don’t innately value or trust church leaders, the functions of church must be adjusted. And thus the form must adjust in kind.

What is the main function? I hope you now agree that the primary function is to actively move into the culture to embody and enflesh the good news into every nook and cranny of this world. The function of the church is to be God’s missionary hands to a world that is looking for something tangible to grab onto. If that is the function, then the form must allow for this to happen. This means that the incarnational church must have a new structure."

Halter suggests that unbelievers need an optimal environment "in which they can be eyewitnesses to our life without feeling any pressure to be like us." This, again, goes back to the idea that we mustn't judge them or be appalled by their sin. Instead, he believes that unbelievers should be allowed, and encouraged, to participate whenever possible. This includes the "sacred space" we call church: "…some people perceive the church to be sacred space cleansed from all pagan participation. I’m not sure where we got this from, since God told us he doesn’t actually live in temples made with human hands. But there apparently exists today the same three-tiered inner, outer, and “Court of the Gentiles” idea that existed in the temple courts of the time of Christ. People still think the church is a more sacred space than the Barnes & Noble coffee shop. I’d get questions like, 'But what happens if someone from the clubs comes in and sees pagan Pete playing his tuba to ‘This Is the Air I Breathe’ and yet the night before he saw Pete smoking a joint? Won’t that send the wrong message?' My response is, 'What is the message you want to convey?' If you want to convey that someone who is up on the church stage has to prove a certain level of spiritual stability, then fine. That is your choice. But if you want to convey that your community is a place where anybody, in any phase of spiritual curiosity, can be in an environment in which God can touch their hearts, then you may try something like opening up your music group to include some Sojourners. (Though, yes, we’d definitely want the worship leader to be a missional member.) By the way, most of the musicians that we let play did come to faith."

Halter believes the most effective evangelists to be found those who care for souls instead of simply getting someone to "pray the prayer":

"For instance, they are convinced that people need Christ’s atonement for their sin, and that people need to deal with God personally, but they don’t feel that getting someone to “pray the prayer” is the focus of their ministry. They tend to focus more on providing a pathway that is conducive for the Holy Spirit to convert the person. Thus, they don’t focus on who goes to heaven and who doesn’t, but how to help people find heaven. They aren’t sure all evangelical Christians will make it in, including many wing-nut pastors, and they feel that Pharisee-ism is alive and well and will be judged much more harshly than the clueless meth addict who hangs on the forgiveness of Christ while he struggles with his addiction. They don’t put a lot of confidence in sermons or programs to transform a person and tend to prefer a good talk at the pub to influence the heart of a person. These leaders aren’t that bugged by people sinning. They don’t focus much on behavior, believing that if you can win the heart, behavior will follow. They think the homosexuals’ fight for sexual clarity isn’t that much different in God’s sight than the heterosexuals’ struggle against pornography"

The entire book is ripe with the idea that we shouldn't remove ourselves from the world in order to attain holiness and influence, but rather that we should bring our values into the culture.

Halter questions why pagans used to hold the church in high regard, and yet today view it with such disdain. The problem, he suggests, is that we've put an emphasis on communicating a message of truth while paying very little attention to our "posture". He suggests that our posture, or how we appear to the world in our non-verbal communication, plays a huge role. Unbelievers can tell when we're trying to get another notch in our belt vs. genuinely loving them. We've prioritized the verbal message over the non-verbal actions and love.

Functionally, a major implication of loving the world is that we shouldn't attempt to "legislate morality" or worry about the sin of unbelievers. Instead, Halter states that we should leave judgment to God and to focus on communicating God's love to them. He says we should "be like Jesus in the world: to help communicate God’s love and acceptance and to win people’s hearts through close contact and covering. Don’t worry, when they hand their hearts to God, they’ll want to leave sin." Instead, as he says, they typically "see us fighting to keep marriage between heterosexual men and women, fighting against gay rights, fighting against Islam, fighting to keep prayer in schools, and so on." In essence, they see us "struggling hard to keep our way of life."

While this may sound simply like "relational" evangelism, Halter suggests that the problem with most emphasis on "relational" and "friendship" evangelism methods is that they focus on trying to build relationships alone. He says he hears a constant frustration among those trying this method saying that they develop good relationships with people abroad, but "can’t get them to come to church!'”. This complaint betrays the fact that the majority of people still believe that the solution is to get unbelievers to the worship service so they can hear the pastor preach and "pray the prayer". Instead, the real solution is a community of believers in which these unbelievers can find some kind of significance. It is a community being the body of Christ.

Elsewhere, Halter believes in simplifying, to an extreme, the worship service. This is because he doesn't want to create "an environment that is so good that it causes people to feel positioned as observers." instead hoping to grow people who "have time to be incarnational in the world" rather than "working on the church service." As such, they don't have worship service practice and Halter spends "only a few hours a week planning our time together, which includes sermon preparation." He also states "Sometimes, we even cancel our gathering so people can do something alternative to a worship gathering. " Every attempt is made to make it clear that the Sunday service is not the "main thing".

Halter emphasizes that we must be out in our culture, interacting and living. Instead of making the church, or a "Christian" coffee shop, our "third place" (the place we most hang out at other than work or home) we should make regular places our "third place". He lists the following examples of ways to be in culture in a regular, everyday fashion:

• Letting people live with you in your home for extended periods of time. In the five years that we’ve lived in Denver, we’ve had people living with us more than four hundred of those days. Remember, I’m an introvert. Even though I get to stay in my home, for me having house guests is a form of leaving. I’m intentionally giving up my space, my time, my comfort for the sake of connecting with Sojourners.
• Having dinners or doing dinners out with Sojourners. Not rocket science, but I’d almost always rather eat by myself or with just my family. Leaving is committing at least one night a week or one meal a week to Sojourners.
• Doing what you love with others. Matt and I love to golf and mountain bike. We’ve made the habit of trying to do what we love to do with a Sojourner, if possible.
• Going out of your way to build relationships. When I drive home after six meetings and eight cups of coffee, I look to see whose car is in the parking lot at our Starbucks. If it’s a Sojourner I’ve been trying to include in my life, I’ll pull over, go in, buy a quick coffee, try to make some good conversation, and then on my way out, throw my coffee away without even taking a sip.
• Looking for chances to talk. When I have seen a neighbor outside on our street, I’ve specifically gone out to “get my mail” just so I could converse a bit more with him or her.
  

Halter also suggests that we need to alter people's stereotypes of "Christians as glorified Amish or Quakers who only enjoy the intimacy of sex to make a child and whose only hobbies are doing puzzles together" so that we can help them "see the Kingdom in a new light. This is why having fun, enjoying life, and celebrating people, food, wine, art, music, recreation, and rest become so critical in seeing friends find God."

He also says that we need to keep our message, and our lifestyle, consistent. Once relationships are established with a Sojourner (unbeliever who shows interest in God), then we know we can discuss weighty matters with them: "If you feel the need to lighten it up, you’re ripping off both the Sojourner and yourself. Jesus never lightened up his message, even with the most far-out Sojourners, so we probably shouldn’t either."

Overall, a very enjoyable and enlightening book... especially for a recovering fundamentalist like my self.