Writing Down the Jones

Why else would you play…really? Sure you play for fun, friendship, practice, experience…but if you’re not trying to win, what are you doing? Sorry, that was my competitive side coming out…a little ugly, I admit. But in today’s world of 12 year-old Olympians and personal trainers for Pee-Wee football players, that same sentiment seems to be spreading.

In the world of organized competitive sports, the phrase “play to win” means more. It doesn’t just denote your intentions, it’s also a statement of demeanor. When you play to win you’re active, aggressive, and determined. You attack, and you (insert sports idiom here, I prefer “go for the jugular” or “take the kill shot”). But there’s a different kind of play: playing not to lose. Read more

There are a lot of things that we have to do every day. Wake up, brush our teeth, eat, drink, go to the bathroom, watch TV…etc. Sometimes the every day stuff gets so time consuming and, well, blah, that we just trudge through it and never think about the One who makes the everyday possible.

I have too many days that are just average. Nothing good happens, nothing bad happens; these are days that aren’t uncommon in any way. Well, I guess they’re uncommon in their commonness. On those days it sometimes seems that I forget to think about God. I know what you’re thinking: I work in a church, how could I not think about God? OK, I think about Him. But that’s more in the way you think about your teacher when you’re doing your homework. Or about your boss when your filling out a requisition form for pens. And I pray, but on those days it seems like an “Oh, by the way, thanks for all the stuff” prayer. I don’t like those days. Those “everyday” days.

But I learned that those days don’t just go away. It’s not as though they happened on their own. They happen because I try to skate through. Just get to the end of this one, so the next one can start. But I can’t do that. Few things that are worthwhile come to us without any work—even something as simple as a good day. I can’t just hope that each day is extraordinary rather than ordinary. I have to make it so.

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) For the longest time I had no idea what it meant to take up your cross. I understood the concept of crucifixion, and a number of people, such as Peter and Andrew, took up their crosses in that manner and followed Christ. But it was an adverb that got me all messed up: “Daily.” Am I supposed to get crucified day after day?

The short answer is “no”. As I see it, to take up your cross is to do the hard thing because you love Him. Every day you decide to drop the habit, make the change, step in front of the Poser and really remember God. Every day you say, “Christ defeated death, so that I could have life, and I’m going to live my life to the full.” That’s why he came. He said it himself in John 10:10. Remember, the difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra. Cheesy, I know, but if you give that extra every day, every day could be extraordinary.

God is in the room.  It’s an amazing revelation.  Considering the overwhelming feeling of separateness many of us feel when we think of God, it’s incredible to realize that He’s in the room, and He’s waiting for us to notice Him.  What could be more comforting?

Unfortunately, when most people hear that God is in the room, all they can think of is their behavior.  “Uh-oh, I’d better be careful. Don’t want to sin while God’s in the room.”  Even more unfortunate is that the message people are usually trying to convey when using the phrase is the same.  “Remember that God’s always there next time you get angry or tempted.  You don’t want Him to see you doing that.”

Is that the way it really is?  Is God just sitting in the corner taking notes when we screw up?  Is our relationship with God based on our good behavior?  Is the way I talk to my friend or father or son the most important thing to think about when I realize that God is in the room with us?

To take a phrase from Paul, “Certainly not!”  Behavior shouldn’t even be on my radar when I realize the presence of the Holy One.  Neither should fear, or anxiety, or self-consciousness, or insecurity.  Do you know why?  Because God is in the room.  He can comfort us endlessly, and all we have to do is turn to Him.  He’s standing right behind us with his arms open, waiting for the embrace that will fill us and Him alike with joy.

God is in the room.  He’s always there.  He’s there to tell us it’s ok.  He’s there to tell us we’ll do better next time; to tell us that a low grade doesn’t mean low worth, and a high grade doesn’t mean superiority; to tell us that winning isn’t everything, and that the tie goes to the sinner; He’s there to tell us that we’re forgiven.

Maybe if we remember that God is in the room we’ll stop worrying about our ineptitude and start basking in his glory.  If we remember He’s right there next to us we’ll know that we don’t have to be deep in prayer to experience his presence; we don’t have to be in worship to worship; we can be with Him in everything we do.  He sees all of our small successes: the temptation resisted, the kind word shared.  He knows us, He’s with us.  God is in the room.

“Where’d all the good people go?
I keep changin’ channels, I can’t see them on the TV show.”

Jack Johnson: “Good People”

I can think of two natural reactions to those lyrics: (A) “Yeah, people are so rude and selfish these days. There’s no chivalry or politeness. No consideration for others. Society’s going to Hell in a handbasket. And (B) “Hey, I’m good people, and so are my friends and my family. We’re here! We’re here!”

The strange thing about it is that those reactions tend to occur simultaneously. On the one hand, society is becoming increasingly depraved, but on the other, we still feel like good people.

We take care of our kids, obey the law, pay our taxes and buy cookie dough, or magazines, or candy or whatever the neighborhood kids are selling for their school fundraiser. Our kids don’t skip school, they get decent grades, and they don’t swear (at least around adults). We may not be perfect, but there’s always some example of true depravity for us to compare ourselves to so we’ll feel better.

We’re good people. We want to believe that. We want to believe that, though we may not be a perfect example of the Christian life, God is proud of us – because we’re good. We want to believe that way we don’t have to worry. Life is hard enough without having to worry about whether or not you’re a good person. That worry is probably the reason many people accept the idea that all “good people” go to heaven.

If we’re good people we don’t have to worry. And if we don’t have to worry, that must mean we’re going to heaven. Otherwise we’d be worrying. It makes perfect sense. And as Christians we’ve had to deal with this “good sense” for a long, long time.

I always thought, as many others have, that the answer to this lies in John 14:

I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me. (bold and underlines mine).

Easy right? Apparently not. My father-in-law has seen the unbelievable take place in a theological reflection Bible study. This particular study was for people who wanted to be deacons. Somehow, while discussing this verse, someone spoke up saying that they think that all good people will go to heaven. My father-in-law was so astonished that he can’t relate to me the arguments, but he fought it as much as he could, but the person persisted, and even gained support. We’ve discussed the conflict as a family, and we just don’t understand. We can’t figure out an effective response.

So, I’ve decided that the only thing to do is acquiesce. I have finally given in. If you’re a good person, you will go to heaven.

Now, before you start coming after me with holy water and crucifixes (or reaching out to congratulate me on my conversion), let me explain. If you’re a good person, you’ll go to heaven. What does that mean? First, we have to define “good”.

“And God saw that it was good.” This happens in each day of creation. God makes something, and sees that it is good. We’re talking about creation: the Rockies, the Grand Canyon, Mississippi River, Himalayas, Andes, the sky, the stars, lakes and oceans, birds, dogs, and fruit flies. All of creation. Every piece of it is a little miracle in its magnitude or complexity. What words describe it? Words like “amazing”, “awesome”, and “inspiring” come to mind. But what does God think? He thinks it’s good. What about creation in its entirety? That’s very good. I added those italics for emphasis. God actually just thought “very good”.

So it seems that God’s definition of “good” is a little bit different than our own. What if we used His definition in our pronouncement? If you’re a (God’s definition of) good person, you’ll go to heaven. Well that’s true. Remember Enoch? He walked with God, and then he was no more. God spirited him away to heaven. He didn’t even die. Neither did Elijah. Alright. Who were the others? Were there any? Abraham? Isaac? Jacob? Moses? Gandhi? Mother Teresa? Nope. The Bible has this to say about it:

10As it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one;
11there is no one who understands,
no one who seeks God.
12All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.”

18″There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Romans 3)

That creates a problem, doesn’t it? For all of us who think that we just have to be good people to get to heaven, that’s pretty disheartening. This is where the worrying begins. Because if no one is good, and you have to be good to get to heaven, who’s going to make the cut?

We know that Jesus made it. Maybe if he put our names on the list, like at an exclusive restaurant or club…if he could do that we’d surely get in, right? If he went up there and told God that we’re cool, he’d be sure to open up and let us in, right? Hmm, we may be on to something.