In

When I was a single man in my 20’s, I was glad that my kitchen had a fridge.  The microwave was my oven.  The toaster device that the upper crusted man used to hold the plebeians down.  There was no need for a dishwasher-you can’t wash paper and to-go bags, anyway.

Now that I am entering my 36th year, there are some amenities that I find to be rewarding and beneficial to life with three children.

• You don’t have enough room in your refrigerator? Buy a deep freeze.

• Tired of whipping up cake batter by hand? Kitchen Aid has just the device for you.

• Do you need to mop quickly but just don’t have the time?  Let me introduce you to my Swiffer Wet Jet.

Life is much simpler with three children when you have the first world problem of convenience.

Two weeks ago, I was made aware of the essence of health at the fingertips of simplicity.

Hope called me from Costco. It was Saturday and I had chosen not to make the trip because every person who knows four people in the tri-state area shops at Costco on Saturday  (most say that it is to purchase in surplus-honest people acknowledge that samples are out in full force).  Amongst the frozen pizzas bites, chicken pot pie-filled cups, and unidentifiable seafood spread on small crackers, there was a full-on presentation for the Vitamix Blender-on sale.

I drove to Costco and watched the display from beginning to end.  The lady was wearing a Britney Spears/Garth Brooks style head-mic and was dishing out samples at an astonishing rate.  These included:

• An apple smoothie made with apples, lime, and kale
• A chicken (broth) tortilla soup made with chicken broth, celery, and a carrot
• Chocolate ice cream prepared with pistachios, dirt, and a root

Every sample made me want one.  I felt my health returning from one too many stops to Taco Bell.  I have strawberries and a tree full of leaves in the backyard-I would never need  Smoothie King again.

It was all so simple.  Grab the blender-get the benefits.  

And at home, if you have this kitchenary masterpiece and a few random pieces of produce, it is a breeze.  

But I am not home all of the time.  

And sometimes I don’t want any tree bark chips mixed into my food-even if I can barely taste them.

And I can’t plug it into my 2008 Honda Accord...and, even if I could, it can’t blend empty water bottles and make a sippable souffle.  

I am fully aware that I own the blender...and even more aware that the blender doesn’t own me.  I tell the blender when i want its benefits and when I don’t.  

For much of evangelical Christianity, there is awareness that we own Jesus (in our hearts, in our lives, etc).  There is much less of a realization that he owns us. There is even an apathy towards it.   In everyone of us, there is a fierce rebellious streak against the anything that would control us or even ask us to consider the question, “Were you there when I put the stars laid the earth’s foundation?”  as God asked Job.  

The answer is, of course, no.  As one of the quintessential poets of the hair band era, John Bon Jovi, once stated, “It’s my life...now or never...I ain’t gonna live forever.”  The fear in each of us that rears its’ head is that we will not get out of life every ounce of consumer-driven joy that this world offers.  So, we dwindle the concept of Jesus down to somewhat of a luxury item rather than a God who comes with a light burden...but burden nonetheless.  As long as we ‘make’ Jesus ours, when it is convenient for spiritual health, we can blend in a carrot’s worth of prayer  here or pack of spinach at the altar there.

Is there a problem with that?

Yes.

Well, what is it?

Jesus is a person-not a concept.  

He is a person who ‘gives life and breath and everything else.’

He is person who demands that we ‘make disciples of all nations.’

He is a person commands us to ‘carry a cross daily.’

Jesus is a person who definitely makes Himself known to us, reminds us that He is with us, but more importantly than either of those, claims that we are to be:

• ‘In Him’ is life and that life is the light of men (John 1:4)
• We are chosen ‘in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:4)
• We find grace ‘in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 1:9)
• ‘In Him’ we are the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21)
• We know the love of God ‘in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39)

These are only a few of the examples from the Scriptures as to what it means for us to be in Him. There are not enough chips off of the iceberg to make a Sno Cone, yet we see that an infinite God points to our joyous destination for God honoring existence as being in His Son.

So Jesus is fully functional at your home and church and when you are around pastors and what not.  You have confessed with your mouth and believed in your heart and God calls you His child.

And Jesus is in your SUV as you drive down the road reminding you that, more than you ‘got Him’, through His work on the cross He brought you in…

And Jesus is after your heart as everything in you says ‘flight’ when the pressures of the job and the pressures of family and the pressures of pressure push you and tell you that you have every right to be ‘out’, it is the calm (and not so calm) peaceful (yet stern) loving (and disciplined) voice of Jesus that says, ‘No. No. No.  you are in…”

And, for those who are in, He doesn’t even have to wear a microphone for you to hear.

Hopping Dead

“You’re not going to believe what just happened.”

How are you supposed to respond?  How much pressure does that create?  Did someone set the house on fire?  Did you witness someone robbing a bank?  Did you learn parkour from an iPhone app?  

There are not many phrases that are more loaded than that.   But, usually, it is true.

I was away (as I inevitably am during the summer).   However, I was away but close by.  I was speaking at a camp that was close enough for Hope and the kids to come visit.  When she got home, she called, let me know how unbelievable this event was, and left me on the other line to feel flabbergasted.

As they pulled into the driveway, Hope and Shepherd noticed a rabbit. This is not so unbelievable.  This is very believable.  There are rabbits at our house on a regular basis.  In the backyard.  In our front yard. In the line of woods behind our house.  It is like they are known for the rate at which they reproduce.  

However, this rabbit was different.

 He was still.

Motionless.

Dead.  

Yosemite Sam or Elmer Fudd (or possibly the neighbor’s cat)  finally got to him.  

Hope, being the strong, independent woman that she is, knew exactly what had to be done:

• Take small child into the house
• Instruct older child as to what he could do (look)
• Instruct older child as to what not to do (touch)
• Come back outside and remove roadkill from our driveway
• Go to bed

Step one was easy. Hope took Charlie into the house.  When she came back outside, she notice that Shepherd had the look on his face (please raise your hand if you know the look). She asked the question that every mother dreads (if they have ever considered asking, that is).

“Shep, did you touch the rabbit?”

She waits.

“Yes.”

(Pause)

“And I picked him up.”

(Longer pause)

“And I hugged him.”

(Longer pause with realization that this was not in ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting’)

“And I kissed him on the mouth.”

(Where is my disinfectant chapstick?)  

Death is a big deal.  If you’ll watch the news, you will notice that it is full of death. Rarely do we have a ‘birth’ mentioned on the evening news (unless it is an outrageous number of multiples, royalty, or someone complaining about what Obamacare will and will not pay for…)

In the Bible, death is mentioned over 370 times.  It is overwhelmingly tied to sin.

• The wages of sin are death.

• Jesus died for our sins.

Even after what we evangelicals call ‘conversion’, death is still part of our ‘there’ (forgiven by God) but not ‘there’ (still living on this earth and not telling jokes with St. Peter on the Streets of Gold) existence.  

Paul says, “Put to death what is earthly in you.”

The word for ‘put to death’ has a few different translations-none of them ‘good’ for the direct object.

• Abolish
• Terminate
• Exterminate

We are supposed to kill sin.  

“Kill it? What is it?”  

I was always told that sin was ‘missing the mark’.  This is true and a biblical concept. However, I am not an archer and have only watched the Drew Brees ‘Sport Science’ episode twice (he throws a football 40 yards multiple times and hits a bullseye...Google it).   Here is a far from exhaustive list of where sin is in our lives and how it works...

• Sin is how the enemies of God like Satan, Tom Brady, and the guy who changed the iPhone charger work to get us to diminish the value of life in Jesus
• Sin is doing something we should not do
• Sin is not doing what we should do
• Sin is death reminding us that we are still part of a broken world
• Sin is us telling Jesus that ‘his Life...in this life...is not enough

You may ask if you are one of the many people who really examine this oh-so-important aspect of orthodox Christianity,  “I thought that Jesus did that on the cross...right?”

Yes.  Emphatically.  In Jesus, death is done. Life is available in and through Him.  

What Paul is telling us to do is to ‘put to death what is dead.’

In a world where zombies are trendier than their body temperature, this should make sense.  Sin is dead for those who are in Christ Jesus.  Yet, in this world, death is still dangerous.  It is everywhere. It comes from every direction.  If we take this and examine it from the perspective of a certain AMC show (Spoiler Alert), there are still remnants of this death that are present in each of us.

(Your inner conversation may be saying ‘you lost me.’)

Sin, in this life, is present.  Sin has lingering implications on our behavior in this life.  Sin is death and death is sin and when we attempt to find our joy and direction in anything other than Jesus, albeit good and moral and ethical and allowed, we embrace death when Jesus has said ‘since I have given you life, never stop pursuing life.’

Where does the Bible say that?

Scriptures paint the picture of life in Jesus on every page (except those maps-which are non-canonical…), but we find it thoroughly examined in the Gospel of John as Jesus takes everyday temporal ideas to explain eternal life in Him.

• I am the Bread of Life
• I am the Light of Life
• I am the good Shepherd who lays down His life so you can live
• I am the Resurrection and the life
• I am the way, the truth, and the life
• I am the Vine, you are the branches...apart from me, you have no life (can do nothing)

These are just the I Am statements-this does not even include the most famous verse in the Bible.  

• Life is in Jesus. Jesus is life.
• Put sin to death. Be a Reflection of life.

In the biblical narrative, Jesus is adamant about the idea that life is not found in ethical, moral, religious dogma.  Life is found in Him and is a result of Him.  In Him is Life.

By not putting our sin to death, we are allowing barriers to stand that keep us from following Christ in this life...and we leave a trail of apathetic death everywhere we go.

“Shepherd, why would you kiss a dead rabbit?”  

(Whoever expects to ask that question...ever?)

“Momma, just because he is dead does not mean he is not a cute friend.”

Sounds sweet.

• What if momma never finds out about him touching the dead rabbit?
• What if he touches baby brother with ‘dead rabbit’ hands?
• What if he eats a peanut butter sandwich with those little dead rabbit fingers?  
• What if he kisses his momma with those dead bunny lips?

Death that is still dangerous has affected and infected everything in our home.  

Put to death what is dead...

• Personally
• Corporately  
• To remind yourself that life is in Jesus
• To display to others that life is in Him
• If it is easy
• When it is hard
• If it means making a sacrifice

Why? Because death is still dangerous and Life is worth living.  

Often Imitated

There are some voices that are more recognizable than others.  Elvis.  Louis Armstrong.  Marge Simpson.   The Cookie Monster.  John Madden (BOOM!).  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to identify the person who happens to be talking.   Those voices could utter the most mundane of words and anyone who has ever been within 50 feet of a television can quickly connect the dots and say “That is ______.”

Voices that are easy to identify haunt people who love to mimic things. Raise your hand if you have a friend who can imitate voices (It’s more fun if you physically participate and stop acting snooty). We all do.  I have a friend who does a spot-on Scooby Doo.  Another is the master of the Kermit the Frog voice.  There are even some who’ve made careers out of imitating distinct voices (please Google “Frank Calienado” but be forewarned-if there are links to ‘deal with the devil’ or ‘sorcerer’, don’t say that I didn’t warn you).

Most impersonators are just hacks-myself included.  However, I owned a home-burnt Creed CD back in the day (my apologies to Lars Ulrich, Metallica, and anyone within 10 feet of my truck) (THANK YOU, Napster!)  and one may say that the voice of Scott Stapp is ‘unique’ (other adjectives include ‘excruciating’, ‘loathe-worthy’, ‘hardcore’, ‘isn’t that the guy from Nickel Back?’ and ‘I hated when Pearl Jam broke up’).  Stapp’s voice had everything one would want who was in college during the late 90’s, early 2000’s: It has a unique tone, it was easy to attempt to mimic, it had loose contemporary Christian ties (What?!? You don’t want that? Heathen).  Scott’s voice welcomed impersonators with arms wide open.

I still find myself singing in my Scott Stapp voice.  Yesterday, I was singing the ‘Itsy Bitsy Spider’ to my two year old. It wasn’t enough to sing the song (complete with motions)-I channeled my inner-Creed (complete with air guitar riffs) and sang like the two of us were filming a music video (dang, I miss those).  

The only problem (if, in 2013 you would call this a problem) is that I am not Scott Stapp.  I am an inconsistent knockoff.  My range is not there.  My abilities fall short.  My voice doesn’t quite get up the waterspout.  

I have been around church the majority of my life. I have heard doctrines rich and poor.  There are not many unturned pages in my Baptist hymnal.  The arguments over the carpet, song-style, and other well-documented minutia are ingrained in my soul.  If anything is for certain, we as Christians are good at disagreeing (Agree?  Didn’t think so).

There is one phrase that has stood the test of time and, with the exception of outliers, seems to be a consistent part of what we as Christians say a lot.  Yet the ramifications of the phrase and (maybe even more so) how it plays out day-to-day are a bit overwhelming and do nothing more than cause anyone with a brain to ask more questions.

Be Like Jesus. (How???)

You are the only Jesus someone may ever see. (Uh oh...)

Let others See Jesus in you.  (When? Where?)

What Would Jesus Do?  (Do people still wear those?)

These seems to be a phrase that is thrown around when we don’t know how to behave.  The interpretation of it comes with a sandbag of conflicts.  In our ever-so-well intended hearts, we believe we ‘show Jesus’ when:

• We cut someone with language that is infused with literal biblical truth and no literal biblical love.  
• We overlook sin, grin, and nod because we have a misinformed grasp of grace
• We put on the robe and grab the gavel to point out the speck of sawdust in someone else’s life while ignoring the oak tree in our own

As anyone who has ever starred in a Passion play would attest to, ‘Being Jesus’ is tricky.  Far too often, we satisfy ourselves with toss off cliche because we have not considered the immeasurable weight of the words.

Please do not misunderstand me.  I do not want to the throw the baby out with the bathwater (Who does that? Where did the phrase even come from?  Can you imagine the conversation?  “Lucy, where is little Ricky?” “Well, I was giving him a bath and...”(insert well known Lucille Ball suprise face here).  There is something to be said for Christ being present as you choose how to respond to your life situations.  Are we asking questions like:

• Do we show the grace that Christ has shown us?
• Does that grace permeate our decision?  
• Have we prayed?
• Did our prayer come more as an affirmation to our already made-up mind?

The presence of the sacrificed Messiah is with you as you live your life.  He is not a genie in bottle waiting for you to let him out and prove that He exists. If I am the only Jesus someone sees, they are getting  a pudgy distortion.  

In your life situations, you are never Jesus.  God knew that you could not be. If there was ever the ability to be Jesus, you would not need Jesus.  He is with you (Did ‘Footprints in the Sand’ Teach you Nothing?!?) We need remind ourselves that the fields of opportunity that Jesus has given us are saturated by His Spirit alive, well, and at work.  He isn’t going to ‘show up’.  He is there.  And those moments when you feel as if you are standing on the edge of the tallest branch in regards to the responsibilities of your faith, know that when you fall, land on the ground, and roll over, that you are still laying on the root of the same tree.  How else can we say this?

• Jesus turned water into wine; He does not need your cheese platter...
• Jesus fed 5,000; He is not expecting you to show up with hush puppies and those little crunchy things from a cheap fish (I used that in the most general term) restaurant...
• He is the way, the truth, and the life; your GPS is not all that important to His direction...

Not to go all ‘Avatar’, but Jesus is here, there, and everywhere. He is in what we see as significant. He is in the mundane.  He is glorious in your victories and no less than spectacular in spite of your failures.  

You are not Jesus. You really need Him.

So respond like you know that you need Him and act like He is there.  

How?

Be grateful that He has let you in on this little secret.