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

I try to avoid discussing eschatology because, to be honest, the subject depresses the heck out of me. It really does. However, with all the earthquakes that have been going on lately, I can’t help but think about Matthew 24:7-8.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to be an alarmist. I hate it when Christians run around saying, “OMG, the end is near! Don’t get left behind!” They sound too much like Chicken Little. Having said that, though, there is a chance that the Second Coming will be sooner than we thought, and the Bible does tell us to be prepared. But let me explain what “being prepared” means, based on my understanding of Matthew chapters 24 and 25.

First, I need to stress this point: WE DON’T KNOW WHEN JESUS WILL RETURN. I don’t know why Christians keep trying to calculate the day and time Jesus will return, because He clearly says that only God knows that day and hour. (Matthew 24:36) So please, put your calculators down!

Second, that whole “pre-tribulation rapture” thing? Yeah, I think Tim LaHaye got that wrong:

“For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.” (Verses 38-41)

Correct me if I’m wrong, but it looks like the “two men in the field” part happens after the Son of Man returns.

Third, because we don’t know when Jesus will return, the Bible does tell us to keep watch. (V. 42) If your boss gives you a specific project while s/he is on vacation, and you don’t do it. Do you think the boss will be happy when s/he returns and finds out you didn’t even start the project? I don’t think so.

Which brings me to my fourth point, which is what we should be doing now. In chapter 25 Jesus tells us two parables. The first one, founded in verses 14 through 30, is about a man who gave his servants certain amounts of money before his journey. When he returned and found that the servant with the smallest amount buried the money, he was thrown “into the darkness.”

The second parable is found in verses 31 through 46. In this parable, Jesus describes Judgment Day as separating the goats from the sheep. The sheep are allowed into the Kingdom because they fed the hungry, clothed the naked, visited the prisoner, etc. “What you did for the least of these brothers of mine,” the Lord says, “you did for me.” The goats, on the other had, didn’t do anything, so they are cast off.

So, to wrap it all up, instead of focusing on when it’s going to happen, let’s just continue doing God’s work. I don’t think calculating the end of the world is going to help all the people who are suffering right now.

I originally posted this on my own blog a few weeks ago.

As you know, I am not a big fan of fundamentalism. To me, it’s theological school yard bullying. However, sometimes my hatred of fundamentalism makes me do stupid things, like hurt people.

First, let me start with my definition of fundamentalism. To me, a fundamentalist is some one who thinks that their interpretation of the Bible is the infallible word of God. Folks who believe that they’re always right and if you don’t fit into their cookie-cutter image then you’re a bad person. Those judgmental, holier-than-thou, authoritative, pious, “I’m right, you’re wrong, get used to it” folks. In the words of Barney Frank, trying to have a conversation with them is like arguing with a dining room table. I’d much rather have a conversation, and rethink a lot of the things Christian culture usually takes for granted.

(Of course when I say “a lot of the things Christian culture usually takes for granted,” I am NOT referring to the three biggies that are, to me, the fundamentals and Christianity: the Divinity of Jesus, His atoning death on the Cross, and His resurrection.)

Maybe it’s just my rebellious punk rock nature, but I always like to question things. If I don’t ask questions, how will I know that what I believe is legit? How can I separate what’s really biblical and what’s just a man-made doctrine? With fundamentalism, however, there is no room for questions. Either you accept everything they believe and fit into their little mold, or you’re not a true Christian.

I’m the first to admit that I am not perfect. I know I’m messed up. I know I haven’t gotten it all figured out. I’m still learning, and I’ll always be learning until the day I die. Yeah, I make mistakes along the way, but I keep learning. Don’t make me feel like a piece of crap just because I haven’t gotten it all together.

Having said all that, though, sometimes I falsely accuse people of being fundamentalist nut jobs. Sometimes I get so angry that I say things that are mean, hurtful, and unfair. I’m so defensive that I refuse to let down my guard and really listen to what the other side has to say. Even though I’m always saying both sides should talk to each other, I secretly don’t believe it.

I’ve been hurt by Christians in the past, but that doesn’t make it right for me to attack people. It’s like the bullied becomes the bully, and then the cycle continues. I need to learn how to stop the cycle, listen to the other side, and make peace with others.

Thanks to the so-called “snowpocalypse,” I am once again cooped up inside my house this morning. Last weekend we received about 3 ft. of snow, and today they’re calling up to 18 inches. Usually I love snow, but this is just ridiculous!

But as my mom reminded me this morning, eventually all the snow will melt and it will be spring again. Which is true. I just wish it would arrive sooner.

This reminds me of other storms in my life: emotional storms. Depression storms. Anxiety storms. When these storms come, they never seem to go away. Even when I pray that Jesus would calm these storms, like He did in Matthew 8:26, the storms continue.

Or maybe I’m interpreting things wrong. Maybe instead of ending the storms, Jesus is giving me peace through the storms. Some preachers like to say that all of your troubles will go away once you have Jesus in your life, but that’s not entirely true. Jesus Himself said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Even though the storms seem to last forever, Jesus’ peace reminds us that they won’t.

Monday’s post got me to thinking about my own history with being cynical. I’ll have to admit that when Conan O’Brian said, “Don’t be cynical,” my immediate thought was, “Well, if I can’t be cynical, what am I supposed to do instead?”

For my cynicism is my way of coping with the b.s. of this world. There’s so much craziness going on that if I don’t put up a cynical front I’ll become overwhelmed. Yet after a while, I end up sounding like a crotchety old grump.

So if not cynicism, then what?

I posed this question (partly in just) on Margaret Feinberg’s blog, and in response she wrote this:

What if instead of thinking, “There’s no way he or she will change!”, we began to pray and hope and love and live for something different? What if instead of concluding, “Why bother?”, we began seeing ourselves as the portal to possibility?

I guess it’s like what we talked about with snarkiness: don’t let it be a lifestyle.

Like you, I’ve been keeping up with the latest Haiti relief news. And like you, my heart breaks with each update. As with this writing, it’s estimated that 100,000 may be dead. The natural question to ask is, “What can we do?”

Should we debate why God would allow such a travesty to happen? Don’t get me wrong, it’s normal to wonder why something like this would happen, if God is so loving. But honestly, I don’t think we can fully know God’s will. I think sometimes you just have to admit that stuff happens.

Should we then make fun of Pat Robertson’s claim that the the earthquake happened because they “swore a pact with the devil?” If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll know that I’ve been having a field day poking fun at old Pat. But while people are dying, what good will it do to make fun of some idiot on TV?

So what then? Well, I have a couple of ideas:

1. Give. Mercy Corps, the American Red Cross, and Compassion International, among others, are currently collecting money for disaster relief. I’m sure they will appreciate any amount.

2. Pray. Pray for those who lost their homes and loved ones. Pray for those who are still trapped underneath the rubble. Pray for the relief workers.

In other words, instead of focusing on ourselves, let’s focus on those who are suffering.

Before I begin, from now on I’ll be contributing to Fractured Saints every other week, instead of every week like I have been. So I won’t update next week, but I will the week after that.

I don’t really believe in “New Year’s resolutions.” It’s always some lofty goal that we never meet. For example, a few years ago when I woke up and suddenly realized I was fat, I resolved to lose weight. For the first month I did well; I counted by points like a good Weight Watcher. By April, however, I ditched the point counting and went on a major buffet binge.

That’s not to say that I don’t believe in making goals. I just don’t limit my goals to 12-month periods. Too restricting.

My goals include:

-Lose weight (I try to spin for about 15 minutes every night)
-Write a book (think of it as “Blue Like Jazz” if Donald Miller had mental issues)
-Get married (I’ve been engaged for almost three years, so I think it’s time to get the proverbial ball rolling

But my biggest goal is to, as we Christians say, draw closer to God. If you’re like me, you’re very easily distracted by the things of this world: individualism, materialism, etc. If I’m not careful, I can easily go so wrapped up in that stuff that I nearly forget who I am. So hopefully I can stay focused both this year and every remaining year after that.

So Happy New Year, everyone!

Lights please . . .

I think there’s something wrong with me.  Christmas is a week away, and yet I don’t feel the way I’m supposed to.  Don’t get me wrong, I am preparing my heart for celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, but something’s missing.  It seems that no matter how hard I try, I just can’t get angry whenever I hear phrase “Happy Holidays.”

Believe me, I tried.  I really did.  I spent hours watching Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity, and listening to James Dobson’s “Focus on the Family,” but it just didn’t work.  In fact, whenever some one wishes me a happy holiday, I automatically smile and say, “Same to you.”

Yeah, I know!

Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I don’t care about keeping Christ in Christmas.  Far from it!  I just think we have bigger things to worry about than the phrase “Happy Holidays.”  For starters, “Happy Holidays” really isn’t such a bad expression.  It’s basically a short way of saying “Merry Christmas,” “Happy Hanukah,” “Happy Kwanzaa,” and “Happy New Year” all at once.  There’s certainly nothing wrong with wishing everyone a happy holiday, whatever that holiday is, is there?

To me, the biggest problem we Christians have to face during the Christmas season is not the phrase “Happy Holidays,” but the increasing consumerism that’s taking over the meaning of Christmas.  On Sunday mornings during the Advent season we sing “O Come O Come Emmanuel,” preparing our hearts for our Savior’s birth.  By Sunday afternoon, however, we’re running around the mall ducking and dodging the other shoppers on our quest to grab the latest hot gift before they’re all sold out (or no longer on sale, whatever comes first).  At church we greet each other with “Peace be with you,” but at Target we grumble “Watch where you’re going!” to each other as our shopping carts nearly collide.  I don’t know about you, but I have a feeling this wasn’t what the angels had in mind when they sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

But then again maybe I just have my priorities mixed up.  Maybe the phrase “Happy Holidays” really is part of the radical Left’s socialist agenda to destroy Christianity, or something like that.  Either way, have a very merry Christmas . . . or a happy holiday.

While browsing my Google Reader’s recommendations page, I came across one Nadia Bolz-Weber, pastor and author of the blog Sarcastic Lutheran. At first I was like, “Okay, tattooed female Lutheran pastor . . . interesting.” But the more I read, the more I realized that she has some amazing insights into the Scriptures.

One blog entry that got my attention was about a certain Lutheran radio talk show host who would often rip her sermons to shreds on air (figuratively speaking, of course). Well, thanks to a strange twist of fate, the two ended up have a conversation.

Excerpt:

Yet God paid this very little attention yesterday when, despite us both, my LCMS detractor – slash – conservative Christian radio host and I had a 30 minute long conversation which was filled with grace and honesty and in which twice he shed tears. We spoke of how desperate we both are for the gospel. Desperate enough to hear it even from each other. It’s weird that beautiful conversation happened at all since it’s basically impossible.

And yet God went ahead and did this for me—Put me and my enemy face to face yesterday. And in the past 6 months God has sent me a bunch of Evangelicals to be my brothers and sisters, to have meals with, to love. This is what happens when God does the impossible and, like the disciples, we get swept up into it. Our Small Catechism says that I believe that I cannot by my own understanding or effort come to my Lord Jesus or believe in him but the Holy Spirit has called me though the Gospel and enlightened me with the spirit’s gifts.

Even though I’m always talking about how we need to talk to one another so we can learn and connect and all that jazz, I secretly don’t believe in what I say. Mostly it’s because I’m too egotistical to let go of my own pride and try to see another’s point of view. But as Bolz-Weber says, “by my own understanding or effort I cannot have beautiful collaborative collegial relationships with Evangelicals, or have grace-filled conversations with my enemies.” In other words, reconciliation can’t happen without the grace of God.

I’m man enough to admit that I still get a little choked up at the end of “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” It’s just as relevant today as it was 40 years ago.

Like many of us, Charlie Brown doesn’t understand what Christmas is about, since he sees so much commercialism surround the holiday. He tries to get in the spirit by directed the annual Christmas play, but no one will listen. Then he decides what they need is a Christmas tree. Unfortunately the only real tree Charlie Brown and Linus can find at the lot is a pathetic little stick with a few pine needles on it. But that doesn’t stop Charlie Brown, because he finally found something real. But then when he brings the little tree back to his friends, they all laugh at him. Once again Charlie Brown is confused about what Christmas is all about.

And then Linus speaks:

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’” That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.

That’s when everything changes.

Advent is a time to remember that Christmas didn’t begin with a department store sale; it began with God coming down to earth as a baby, born in a stable, sleeping in a feeding trough. This year I hope to break from the consumerist holiday mindset, and really prepare my heart for the coming of Christ. And I hope you will join me.