The God Who's Not Safe part 1

There are three stories told in this chapter. One is from 2 Samuel, the other is from The Chronicles of Narnia, and the last from Judges.

In 2 Samuel the story of Uzzah is told. Well, it's not really all that long and you really have to understand the law to understand God's reaction. David is kin of Israel, the Ark is brought to Jerusalem and he is dancing before it and worshipping. But the Ark starts to fall off the ox cart and Uzzah, the priest, reaches out and stops it. Then he's dead. Yup, dead! God struck him dead for what?

Well, God told them exactly how to carry the Ark. They were supposed to use poles that priests would lift up and carry the Ark. Notice in the story the Ark starts to fall of the ox cart. Oh, so they weren't following the direction of the Lord. When Saul was king the Philistines captured the Ark and after they kept dying from having it in their town they decided to send it back. They placed it on an ox cart and sent it back. So Uzzah must have thought that was a more convenient way to transport the Ark. The priests didn't have to do any hard work they could just walk beside the Ark.

That is why he was struck dead. Because he decided that the directions, the law, of the Lord was inconvenient and he could do better. The Israelites wanted to be like other nations, remember they want a king like everyone else. Uzzah thought that the Philistines had a better idea then God did so he made a new tradition.

That is one thing that we humans do we make traditions. We get caught up in the traditions or the trying to be innovated, like everyone else around us that we forget to look to and dive into God. We are like Uzzah, who tried to protect the Ark of the Lord from falling and hitting the ground. We make traditions to make God look good. We focus on His mercies, and he is merciful, but we don't focus on His justice. We don't focus on a God who sent His Son to die. I never thought of it this way until a few weeks a go when Clayton King preached at church, but he said God killed His Son. Yes, He killed Him. I can't wrap my brain around that. That doesn't seem like the God I should want to follow. Isn't a safe God better?

No, he's not. That god doesn't give us anything and doesn't ask anything of us. He never brings us to our knees in desperate prayer. He never makes us bold enough to dance or sing or shout or do anything for anyone else. He only tells us nice things, sweet things. He doesn't ask us to give up anything or to even grow up. He likes us stuck in the muck, in the pit, in the borderland.

The second story is from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The children are with Mr. and Mrs. Beaver and they tell them about Aslan:

"Is-is he a man? asked Lucy.
"Aslan a man!" said Mr. Beaver sternly. "Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-Beyond-the-sea. Don't you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion-the Lion, the great Lion."
"Ooh," said Susan, "I thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion."
"That you will, dearie, and no mistake," said Mrs. Beaver, "if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly."
"Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy.
"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver, "don't you hear what Mrs. beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the king, I tell you."

I am thankful that my God is not safe, but He is good.

The Refuge of the Stuck

Okay so it's summer and I'm supposed to have more time to read and blog, but not so far. :) I was at the mall today looking, failing, to find pants for Haiti and passed the Christian bookstore and went in. I wanted to see if they had Sons of Encouragement by Francine Rivers. It is a compiling of 5 of her books The Priest, The Warrior, The Prince, The Prophet, and The Scribe. I loved her book A Lineage of Grace which is also a compiling of 5 of her books. She is an amazing fiction writer! I can't wait to read my new book!!!

Chapter 1 of Your God is Too Safe tells about this amazing place called Busia which is a border town between Kenya and Uganda. When I think of a border town I think of all the times I went to Canada when I lived in NY. There is usually a small space between the two countries and sometimes a bridge, but that is usually it, well at least in NY. This is different in Busia, it's an actual city of sorts. It is about 100 yards wide and 300 yards long but it has residents. People who actually peddle things, hawk things, and beg there.

When you live one of these two countries you have to walk, yup not drive, through Busia to the other country. There are no laws. You could be robbed, beaten, and even killed and no one would do anything about it. The guards at both country's border patrol will do nothing. You are on your own. I can't image the fear of crossing such a place. Yet there are people who live there! They choose to live there. That is what Mark is describing in the first section of this book. The borderland that some of us live in, that fearful place, that we choose to live in.

If you're thinking "no way" really think about it. How many times have you not been able to let go of the past? Hurts? Fears? Even joys? I know I have! I think we all have. As I read this book I realize how many times I have done this. I realize how much I currently am doing this.

Mark says that this place is actually safe. It is familiar, you know what to expect, what to do to survive. He says it takes endurance to live there but not much else. "Life there requires no discipline but falls into neat routines. It's domesticated lawlessness. It's chaotic, but predictable. Borderland might be dangerous, but even more, it's safe." That description sounds like a terrible place, but if you feel stuck, blah, in a rut, that is probably where you are.

In the introduction, Mark talked about becoming a Christian and jumping in enthusiastically, but they it didn't last. The fizzle happened and it just became stuff he did. That's it I guess, we keep doing it. We keep working at that job that we can barely get out of bed for: teaching that Sunday school class with the same stories year after year: being in that relationship where you give and the other person just takes; and so on and so on.Sometimes the thing we are stuck in isn't bad, like Mark said he did. He still taught the youth group and volunteered for church events, but he felt stuck. It's not about the thing we are stuck in but about our relationship with the god we created, the one who is safe.

Mark talks about how some of the most stuck people are those who know a lot about God. They may have gone to Bible colleges, seminaries, theological schools and learned all about God. They have an intellectual view of God. They talk about God a lot. But they don't know who God is and they don't talk to Him. This isn't just for Bible students. We go to church, we sing, we pray, we listen to preaching, we talk about God, we volunteer, etc. But when we step out of the church doors we go back to life as usual.

I love this part so I will just quote it. "Down in our bones, mingles with our blood, silent and potent as instinct, is a dread of God...I'm talking about something more primal: a deep down craven terror, a black hole of unknowing." Mark is talking about how we fear God. Not the fear of the Lord that is mentioned in Proverbs. We know we should want Him, but part of us wants to run from Him. We want to see God works and miracles, but we don't want Him to work us in our lives. We are like the Israelites who wanted to hear from God but they didn't want to do it themselves they wanted Moses to listen to Him and tell them about it. (Exodus 20:18-19) They knew that God is a holy God and they were unholy. We know that too. I know that too.

Jesus came and did the miracles and the people loved Him for it. They wanted to follow Him. And then He did the unpredictable, unsafe thing and said "follow me." He asked people to give up what they knew, and they went back to it instead. He said leave your job, and they headed back to fishing boats and carpentry tables. He said leave your family and they went home. He wasn't safe. They wanted to be lead to freedom, but didn't want to do what was necessary to get there. They didn't want to follow the One who would take them away from the borderland and into the holy wild.

I so understand!

Slow and Burning

I had plenty of time to read the other day when I was traveling from Charlotte to Ithaca. I spent many hours in the airports, with three short flights in between. I finished the Introduction and read the first chapter. I made myself stop after that though. Partly because I don't want to read way beyond what I am blogging about and partly because sitting around airports had made me very sleepy.

Mark tells the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. He tells how they walked with Jesus and tell him all about how Jesus was crucified and now His body is missing. Jesus says, "how foolish you are and how slow of heart." Then goes on the explain the Scriptures of how He had to die to fulfill the prophecies. Then as they have arrived at Emmaus and are eating and Jesus blesses the food they recognize Him. Then He disappears. They say that when He was speaking didn't their hearts burn within them.

Our relationships with Jesus can often be the same as these disciples. He walks the road with us, we are looking right at Him but don't recognize Him. He opens up the Scriptures to us. Then the scales finally fall from our eyes and we see Him. And sometimes we, just like the disciples, say, "didn't our hearts burn within us?"

That is what Mark says our heart condition is like today, well during the stuck in the borderland part of it. Our condition is slow and burning. "The burning heart keeps us going on the journey. The slowness of heart makes the journey wearisome. A burning heart inspires us to run. A slow heart discourages us sometimes from even trudging. And sometimes it tempts us to run, yes, but away....It will usually call for resting when we think we should be striving, and wrestling when we just want to sleep." (I figured I couldn't say it better.)

I don't know about you, but I know exactly what Mark is talking about. I have been there, more often then not. Maybe that is why I felt a longing to read this book again. There are times when I feel so stuck. I want to want more of God. I know I need Him, more of Him. That might be the problem. I "know" I need more of Him. It needs to move more from being something I want in my head to something I want more in my heart.

Your God is Too Safe

I have not abandoned Joshua, but I had a longing to reread this book. I've read it a couple of times before and love it. Do you ever feel stuck? Do you want to go deeper into what God has for you? Yes, well then you may enjoy this book too.

I decided that I need to break it up, because there is so much in this book. So I read just over two pages from the introduction and decided it was a good place to stop and blog.

Mark Buchanan starts the book with "I'm stuck." He wrote this book because he totally understands the being stuck stage. I love author's who are real! I love ones who let you know they are human and struggle with the same things that I do.

He goes on to say that when he gave his life to Christ he was on fire to do whatever he was even a little bit good at. He then goes on to say that the zeal fizzled. He still many of the things he started out enthusiastically, but it just wasn't the same. He was stuck. He mentions that he slipped back into some old patterns, like cynicism.

Ever read about Huck Finn? He was adopted by the Widow Douglas. Huck has to conform to her rules and standards. He does it for awhile and but then he leaves and returns to his old life. He tells Tom Sawyer that to get out, that it just wasn't for him.

That is exactly how Mark felt. He found it easier to gossip and grumble than to praise, easier to be selfish than a servant. He felt that the Christian walk had become legalistic and he couldn't stand it. Like I said he kept doing the church things but he felt tired and fatigued.

He ends the two pages, not the introduction, with "I was stuck, and though I was often lonely in it, I wasn't alone." I know exactly what he means! I often feel lonely in what ever area of struggle I am experiencing, but I am not alone. There are others who have the same struggles.

Now this book is not all a downer, but it does start out making the reader really look at his or her life in the Borderland. But then Mark takes you into the holy Wild. Now that's a place I want to be!

Joshua 11

I find the next few chapters a bit hard to write about. There's a lot of which towns and cities were destroyed. But I will try to write about what I get out of them anyway.

In chapter 11 it begins with the king of Hazor hearing about how the Israelites have wiped out the five kings who came against Gibeonites, who had made a treaty, a deceptive treaty, but a treaty none the less. Joshua and the people wipe them out and then gone on to wipe out a bunch of other cities. Well the result is the same. Joshua hears that the king of Hazor is gathering some other kings to come and attack. God's response is, "don't worry about them. By this time tomorrow they will all be dead."

That is how it is for us. Satan continues to attack us as we are doing what God has asked us to do, posses the land or something that seems a little less major. Sometimes we don't know the attack is coming and other times we hear about it. Regardless if we know it's coming or not God says, "don't worry about it." He has already won the victory!

And of course the story goes on to say that they defeated the Hazor king and the others who came out with him. Then Joshua goes on to take the whole country. We don't need to just defeat satan when he attacks us, we can go on the offensive, like Joshua, and take the enemies territory for the Lord.

I Samuel 10

I am back! The Internet is up and running in the new house. I planned to go back where I left of and blog about Joshua 11, and I will. But today I was reading in I Samuel and came across a story that has always struck a cord with me. So I'm blogging about that today.

The chapter begins with Samuel anointing Saul as the prince of Israel. Then Samuel gives him a list of signs that he will experience as he heads home to his father. He will be offered two loaves of bread and he will prophesy with prophets. Then he is tells him to wait seven days and they will sacrifice offerings together.

In The Message verse 9 goes like this "Saul turned and left Samuel. At that very moment God transformed him-made him a new person! And all the confirming signs took place the same day." I love that! I love that he was transformed at that very moment. That is how it is when we except Christ as our Savior. We are transformed. It doesn't mean we become perfect or all the problems disappear.

Saul goes on and prophesies with the prophets and people are like "what's going on here?" These people knew Saul and were surprised by this and wondered how it happened. Just like us when we begin to show the changes that God has done in us. People will be shocked by the positive, godly changes they see in us.

Then Samuel shows up and goes through the men of Israel to get to the Benjaminites, and then Saul's family and finally Saul, but....where is Saul. He is hiding in the stuff! Here's the part of the story that I love because I totally relate. God anointed Saul prince of Israel, transformed his life, made promises, and even gave him a date when he'd bring it to pass, and Saul is scared. He hides.

God has transformed me, made promises to me, and I go and hide. I start to listen to those people "who is this? what does she think she's doing?" I listen to the fear. I focus on everything but what God has done and what He has promised. I don't love this story because it gives me an excuse to be like Saul, but I like it because it reminds that even the anointed king hid from what God had for him.

The story goes on to say that they found him and brought him to Samuel who anointed him king of Israel. I don't want to have someone come get me from the stuff, but it's also nice to know that God will send others to help me out, out of the stuff I hid myself in.

Missing Blogging :(

I recently moved out of my apartment, in with my Mom and waited 3 weeks until I closed on my house. Those 3 weeks were full of end of the year school stuff, especially paperwork. Then I closed on the house and spent 3 days cleaning and painting. I moved in one week ago and have been busy unpacking. I do not yet have my internet so I haven't been able to blog (I'm visiting Mom and using hers right now). Obviously, I long ago finished reading Joshua, but once I get the internet at home I will go back and continue blogging about Joshua. I can't wait, I have really missed blogging about what I read.