Fractured Saints - never beyond mending - a christian blog for the broken ones

I am a little obsessed with the people in the Bible who screwed up.  I think that with stories like Peter’s denial or Saul’s conversion or even Thomas’s doubts we are offered some of our greatest hope.  If the Lord can forgive a man who hunted and killed His followers, then just maybe there is a chance that I can be used by Him for some of His work.

Heading in to Good Friday, I try to imagine what it was like for the apostles when their Master was being brought down from the cross.  I am sure they had expected Him to be rescued by angels or to lift Himself from the cross.  I cannot fathom the disappointment they must have felt to actually see the lifeless, torn body of their teacher.  Judging by their reactions to the death of Jesus, it is as if they didn’t listen to Him at all though His time with them.  Over and over Jesus told them that the Son of Man must be delivered up.

I think my favorite part of the Easter story is that of Peter.  Like Peter, I have denied my Lord.  Maybe not in answer to a direct challenge, but I have definitely denied His authority in other ways.  In John 21, we find out what happened when Peter met the resurrected Jesus.  Jesus doesn’t reveal Himself to Peter by yelling, “Hey, it’s me.  Remember when I said I would come back?  Remember denying me? Well how do you feel now?”  He does it in a pretty funny way, by recreating for Peter the circumstances of their first meeting and filling Peter’s nets full to bursting with fish.  Peter actually jumps out of the boat to greet his Master.  Again, Jesus doesn’t berate Peter, He feeds him instead.  Our Lord has prepared a fire and provided a bounty for a meal.  Even after conquering death, He still serves those who should be serving Him.

Peter was given a second chance.  I think his failures at serving Jesus when He was on earth helped strengthen Peter for his own work after that first Easter morning.  I imagine he never forgot what he did and that he was forgiven.  In short, he screwed up, he repented, he was forgiven and he served.  Isn’t that what we are all supposed to do?

I and so happy we serve a risen Savior.  And I am glad that he keeps forgiving a screw up like me.

Has anyone else looked at the Doable Evangelism website?  I find the idea really intriguing.  I first heard about it on an episode of This American Life entitled “Bait and Switch.”  They were interviewing a guy who described his former involvement with bait and switch evangelism projects through the years.

I’ve always known how important it is to spread the Gospel, but I have never really wanted to evangelize.  When I was a teenager, I remember learning about telling others about Christ using a kind of sales technique.  The problem was that the other person really needed to know the script we were using or they would never get saved!

Most of the other times that I have looked at any evangelism material it all seems like sales programs.  Though instead of selling a product we hope to close the deal and get someone saved.  To tell you the truth, I have never been able to memorize any of the points that you are supposed to use with these approaches.  I remember, there is one where you use the five fingers of your hand, something where you try to get someone to name ten beers and then the ten commandments, and  something with a banana.  It isn’t like I’m dumb,  I have memorized lots of stuff in my life.  I think it is a matter of  my lack of connection with the programs that make it hard for me to learn, much less to actually try.  And don’t even get me started on the tracts!

Anyway, the point is that I like the “doable” approach that is about living intentionally and making ordinary attempts to reach the lost.  One of the ideas that I heard on the radio that suck with me was the idea that we are to make disciples and not just converts.

If you have time, check out the site: http://doableevangelism.com/ and see what you think.

The season of Lent is coming up, and even though I am Baptist it gets me thinking about fasting, or as my friend refers to it “the f-word.”

This year I am taking up a challenge that I want to pass along. Here is how it goes: you fast one meal a week and then donate that meal to a local food pantry or soup kitchen. Pretty simple. I encourage everyone to think about taking up the challenge. Even though we are saved through faith alone, doing a little penance never hurt anyone. Serving others and sacrifice are just a little bonus!

I’ll admit it, I am a sucker for updated versions of hymns and gospel.

Patty Griffin is releasing an album of mostly gospel covers.  I have listened to most of it and think that the album as a whole is pretty wonderful.  But the song that makes me love it is a cover of “All Creatures of Our God and King.”  The traditional hymn credited to St. Francis.

You can listen here (or probably a lot of places):

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122500765

I am currently rereading Les Miserables. Evidently I have a couple of months to spare.  I started because I absolutely love one of the characters, and he has been popping up in my mind quite a bit over the last month or so.

It is easy to love characters in books, isn’t it?  One reason I love fictional characters is the fact that (when done right) they are consistent.  Since an author, or filmmaker, or playwright can edit their actions down to the essential plot points they can be defined with some absolute parameters.  You can never tell what a real person is going to do, but someone in a book or movie has to act in a certain way or we just won’t believe them.

The character I love in this book is the Bishop of Digne.  As written, he really is grace personified.  He is a man who has truly repented his old life.  Unlike the Rich Young Ruler in the Gospels, this man does give up everything to follow Christ.  What jumped out at me this time was just how much this character gives to the Lord.  When I was younger, I of course realized  that he was sacrificing a couple of candlesticks when he gave them to Valjean.  What didn’t truly hit me until the other day was that he doesn’t just give up some property to be nice. He gives the silver away because he realizes that he has to.  He is compelled to follow the commands and example of Christ.  In the book, we are told that his silver is really all that he had kept through the years.  This is a character who has answered the call to give ALL that he has.  Even more, this is an action that is at once voluntary and mandatory.

In reading this, I am torn.  Yes, the bishop is a fictional character, made up in the mind of some old, dead Frenchman who lived very long ago.  But, this character puts in to practice what we are all supposed to do.  He is at once, the very person we are called to be and a person that we can never hope to emulate.  He is a character who has given this life entirely to his Lord.

He reminds me of the Who’s in The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.  I don’t know anyone, Christian or not, who would wake up to an empty house on Christmas morning and run out to sing a song.  I think we would call the cops instead!

There are times when even I can tell that the Lord might be trying to tell me something.

I think I might be a little (or much) too prideful.

At first, it was just a couple of posts (here and here) on FS.  Then we reached the chapter on “The Greatest Sin” in our study on Mere Christianity in Sunday School.  Immediately following, I heard a sermon about “Looking in God’s Mirror.”  Our pastor talked about how we should search our reflections and see how we truly look spiritually.  He mentioned Christians who are too critical, too puffed up in their own spirituality.  I thought he might be talking about me.

I think that sometimes God kind of sneaks up on you and lets a truth be shouted at you.  “You have cancer” can be thought of as “peek-aboo!  Your time is limited and your life should be lived for the Lord!”  Other times, He just lets it build.  Little post here, little lesson there, maybe a conversation that gets you to thinking.  Either way, you just can’t ignore it once you know what is going on.

So now I am stuck with knowing that I harbor too much pride.  It’s isn’t like I am not already trying to be humble!  The problem is knowing the difference between being right and not admitting you are wrong.  Knowing the difference being confident and failing to be gracious.  Or knowing when just to keep my mouth shut AND my mind open.

Other sins can be tackled.  You can stop the action of an addiction and then gradually the mental effects will lessen.  You can avert your eyes and help with lust.   You look at someone you dislike and wish them a good day.  But where do you start with pride?  As Lewis points out, pride is spiritual and it is “straight from Hell.”  Can you will yourself humble?

There is a line that is crossed before you are falling into the sin of pride.  How do we see that line when it is pride that is blinding us?

We have been talking a lot about money on this blog lately.  Thought we could do it once again! Saw this post by the Crunchy Con, and while I liked the post I found the comments to be especially interesting.  Anytime you bring up tithing  you get a whole range of reactions!  I saw a couple of my own excuses in the comments, a couple of people that I thought were right on target, and at least one comment that blew my mind (I hope it was tongue in cheek.)

He was looking for responses to the 10% of net/gross.  What I want to know is “What about tithing at all?”  Do we still need to do it?  If we are supposed to be tithing, then why aren’t we?  Is tithing a minimum or a maximum?   Should we be tithing and giving?  Do any of you have rules that you have set for yourself or your family?

Our pastor has started a new series at church called “If You Only Had One Month to Live.”  Not a new topic, of course, and I will readily admit that I wasn’t excited about it at first.  But hey, when you really start thinking about it, you can’t help but REALLY start thinking about it.

This question can help focus what is important and what is dross.  I know in my head that what we should really worry about if we only have a short time to live is how much of God’s work we can do around us.  We should try to spread the gospel, we  should try to show love to our neighbors and enemies and we should probably even try to examine ourselves  and solidify our own faith.  But I would venture to say that most people would choose something more selfish.  Like so many people on the video we watched, I think I would go for time with family.  I would love to think that I would go do some important work for the Lord, but I am afraid that even faced with a short time to live I would continue to be selfish!

Any takers to say what they would do with One Month?

My Sunday school class is beginning a study on “Mere Christianity.”  It has been a few years since I read it and I am really looking forward to revisiting this wonderful book.   I remember that one of my reactions to the book the firs time I read it was the wonderful sense that there really is a common ground for Christians.  With all of our denominations and different views on scripture, I love the idea that there are certain things on which we can agree.  I also like the fact that there seems to be good, rational thought behind the book.  I get so disheartened when I hear so many of the thoughtless, emotionally driven arguments in society today.

Have any of ya’ll read the book?  If so, what are some reactions that you’ve had?  I would also like to hear other book recommendations, either good apologists or authors that give a good sense of being Christian in our culture.