erasing hell by Francis Chan

Francis Chan’s latest book’s provocative title, erasing hell, is more a comment on society’s view than his own. Far from erasing hell, Chan ends up ascribing to the scariest option possible—eternal torture—as his final conclusion.

I appreciated Chan and fellow writer, Preston Sprinkle’s in-depth study—diving into the Greek and looking at the Jewish mindset to understand what they would have thought about hell. He does a fine job, I think, of showing that an actual hell—a real place of punishment—is Biblical. Past this point, however, he took a number of important passages out of context, so in the end, didn’t convince me that a God defined by love would torture forever and ever even those who had never heard the gospel.

Chan’s main point, though, is that hell is real, and if we believe that, we ought to live like we do. He contends if we really believed it, we would be bolder in proclaiming the gospel message and more fervent in our prayers for the lost around us.

And in that, he is most definitely right.

Looking again at 9/11

As the tenth anniversary of 9/11 approaches, I'm praying for a little perspective. I'm not one of the "we will never forget" bunch. I think it's time to collectively put the day, the pain, and the horror behind us and move on. Not the people--just the event. Here's why.
As tragic as it was, many other people died that day. Other people lost their parents and grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins due to any number of tragedies. Was their pain less? Did they cry fewer tears because their relatives avoided being in the towers that day? A certain number of firefighters and police lose their lives every day in the line of duty. Are their deaths less important?
My aunt (and several others) died on 8/11 of that year due to faulty filters in a dialysis machine. A tragedy that didn't make the news--even the local news. Someone was at fault, but we don't re-live a play by play of her death every year on 8/11. We remember her life every day.
When we elevate some to mega hero status because they died in a big event, we degrade the status of those who died serving their fellow man in a smaller way.
Some have died fighting a fire in Texas or a house fire in Tonganoxie. Some have died working the floods in Missouri or trying to rescue one child in a pond.
Some have died searching for survivors in Joplin or racing to the scene of an accident on a lonely country road.
Even the grandma who dies in her sleep can be one who leaves behind a legacy of service.
And they leave behind people who loved them.
This Sunday, let's just keep that in mind.

Living Shirtless

Luke 6:29 says this: If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. NIV
Or put another way: If someone grabs your coat, gift wrap your best shirt and make a present of it. The Message

I’ve been pondering this passage for some time and what it would mean to “live shirtless.” Here are some of my thoughts.
*If I’m wearing a cloak, it is probably because I need it—it’s cold.
*If someone is asking for my cloak, I assume he doesn’t have one—he’s cold.
*Would I offer my shirt if he already had one? He’s super cold.
*If I give away my cloak, I will be less warm, but he will be more warm.
*If I give him my coat and my shirt, he will be warm, and I will be cold.

Why would any sane person do this? (I really hate to be cold.)
It is sane to give it all away IF one trusts that they will get another shirt and coat from their supplier.

MT 6:28-30 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Rich kids spend money with no worries. Why? They’ve got a rich dad. They trust in their supplier. (They may have to spend according to his will or get cut off.)

One day when I was thinking about this as I was shopping, I stopped to get some cash at the bank. And the thought occurred to me: what if I made a practice of giving not the smallest bill in my wallet to those who ask, but the largest. What if I gave it all?

So I made a promise right then. The next person I see standing on a corner with a sign asking for money gets it all—everything in my wallet. If you don’t think God takes promises like that seriously, for heaven’s sake, don’t make them. In less than five minutes, there he was, the guy with the sign, in a place I’ve never seen one before or since.

And I had just gotten a hundred bucks in cash.

So I took that hundred dollars and the sixteen I already had, rolled it up and handed it to him. And I went back to my car and laughed, thinking how surprised he’d be when he unrolled that wad. (Or maybe he was an angel and not surprised at all!)

I know my Dad—it’s His will for me to give to the poor. So it’s really no big deal to give.

He’s rich

The Slumber of Christianity by Ted Dekker

Ted Dekker wants Christians everywhere to wake up.

Usually known as a fiction writer, Dekker stepped out of that genre to write The Slumber of Christianity: Awakening a Passion for Heaven on Earth, and he’s hoping that it will serve as an alarm clock for the Church.

Dekker contends that without a passion for heaven, we not only live in fear of death, but live unsatisfied lives while on this earth. It’s only in realizing that the pleasures of this life are but a foretaste of the pleasures of heaven can we be satisfied with what earth has to offer.

Dekker believes that Christians spend too much of their time trying to find happiness and fulfillment on earth when that fulfillment will not really happen until they reach heaven. He wants the Church to develop a passion for heaven by meditating often on the glories of heaven and the love of God.

I believe his point is well taken that our communion services should more reflect the heavenly wedding banquet than a solemn passing of crumbs of bread and a sip of grape juice, but what Dekker only mentions briefly is that God has a mission for the Church while on earth. Yes, there is great value in finding a passion for spending eternity with Jesus, but if we spend all our time in that state of longing, we will miss what God has for us to do in the meantime. The Slumber of Christianity is a good book to jumpstart a passion for heaven if you don’t have one, but be aware as you read it that God has a plan for your life right here and now.

I think there is another, maybe greater, slumber going on in the Christian world--the deep sleep of those completely unaware of the spiritual battle going on all around them. While I agree with Dekker’s alarm, I think his book is a bit out of balance. Yes, we need that passion for the future Light, but we also need to get in the game, pick up a sword and fight the dark.

Third Day--Move

Lift up your face/ Lift up your face/ Salvation is calling/. Salvation is calling your name.

Thus begins Third Day’s latest album, Move.

Just over the horizon/ a new light is shining/ Salvation’s on its way

Once again Mac Powell and friends have created a collection of songs that are passionate and real. Encouragement is at the heart.

They encourage their listeners to take that step…

Well you’ve got love and I’ve got time/ Won’t you make a move before I change my mind/ And I want to believe it’s true/ I’m listening close/ won’t you make your move now

Speak that truth…

We are the saints/ We are the children/ We’ve been redeemed/ We’ve been forgiven/ We are the sons and daughters of God

Surrender it all…

You better give up/ Gotta stop running/ It’s the end of the line/ It’s time to surrender/ Hands up/ Turn it around/ Fall to the ground/ Are you gonna surrender

Always musically interesting, Third Day moves easily between genres. Surrender starts with a country sound, moves into rock, and finishes with strings. That’s versatility.

Mac Powell’s strong vocals lend strength to the words of his songs.

Don’t give up now/ Please, don’t let go/ What can feel like the ending/ Could just be the beginning/ Don’t give up hope

Could be that Third Day knows how important encouragement is…

Well, I’m gone/ It was nice to meet you, but I’m gone/ I’m sure gonna miss you, but I’ve got to keep moving on/ Can’t stay in one place too long/ Say a prayer for me, I’m gone

Encouragement. Soak it in, then MOVE.

Sex God by Rob Bell

“Sex. God. They’re connected. And they can’t be separated. Where the one is, you will always find the other. This is a book about how sexuality is the ‘this’ and spirituality is the ‘that.’ To make sense of the one, we have to explore the other.

And that is what this book is about.”

Rob Bell is known for pushing the envelope of Christian thought. He has been given a gift of thinking outside the box and a boldness to say what he has been thinking. And while the title of this book, Sex God, probably raises some eyebrows (and may make some faint dead away), when you think about it, it’s obvious isn’t it? Sex is THE driving force in creation. Without it, everything living would cease to exist. And God is the author of creation and how it works, so he isn’t at all squeamish about it. God doesn’t blush about sex or the pleasure that goes with it. He designed it. But is there more to it than that? Rob Bell would say yes.

Sex in marriage is a picture of God’s relationship to the Church, also called the Bride. Loving, intimate, intertwined – each looking to satisfy the needs of the other. Over and over God treats His people like His lover, and over and over “wedding language” is used to illustrate the kind of relationship He longs for.

The subtitle is Exploring the Endless Connections Between Sexuality and Spirituality, and there is so much good stuff packed into this little book, I can’t begin to go into all of it. Bell takes his readers through relationships, love, marriage, and how we can complete or destroy the picture God painted for us in sex.

In the last chapter, Whoopee Forever, Bell asks this question: “What does sex now say about life forever?”

Well, I’m not going to tell you Bell’s conclusions...pick up this gem and read it yourself. I think your view of God will be expanded.

Chris Tomlin has done it again.

He’s created a worship experience that is fresh, meaningful, and powerful. And If Our God Is For Us offers the healing balm for what ails us.

Right off the bat, Tomlin declares:
Our God is greater/ Our God is stronger/ God, you are higher than any other/ Our God is healer/ Awesome in power/Our God/ Our God/ And if our God is for us/ Then who could ever stop us/ And if our God is with us/ Then what could stand against

Aw, yes, Tomlin knows how to unlock the Courts of the King and march boldly into His presence.

And he follows up this invocation, with a personal declaration:
Where you go, I’ll go/ Where you stay, I’ll stay/ When you move, I’ll move/ I will follow you

And all through the album, Tomlin pours out his heart in praise of God’s faithfulness, majesty, and beauty. He sings of freedom, redemption, and awakening.

One can’t stay the same singing these songs. The words are healing, transforming. It’s no wonder Tomlin’s songs quickly find their way into modern worship services. Simple, sing-able, and easy to learn, but packed with the kind of truth you can take with you all week long.

The name of Jesus is a refuge/ A shelter from the storm/ A help to those who call/ The name of Jesus is a fortress/ A saving place to run/ A hope unshakeable/ When we fall You are the Savior/ When we call You are the answer/ There is power in Your name

Amen!