13 huge ideas from 2 Corinthians – #onemorereasontocometochurch

his week my Everyday Christianity class has been reading through the book of Second Corinthians.

It’s an amazing read, especially if you don’t invest too much effort trying to figure out exactly how the various fragments fit together to form what we understand as chapters 1-13.

BEYOND NIT-PICKING: I acknowledge that the critical/analytical stuff is interesting, and I’m as curious as the next guy when it comes to “Paul’s missing first letter,” the one that makes our First Corinthians really his second transAegean correspondence. And I really am intrigued regarding the possibility that what we know as Second Corinthians may well be bits and pieces from several missives Paul “mailed” to Corinth.

BUT… when it came time to sit down in an easy chair and simply read, it was the richness of the text that just washed over me. God spoke to me through Paul’s words in one beautiful uninterrupted sweep of engaging language and life-charged faith.

I opened my Bible, turned to the first page of 2 Corinthians, and tried to imagine opening an actual letter from Paul. In my mind’s eye, I could see the courageous apostle laboring over his scroll. I could almost hear his voice: “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God that is in Corinth, including all the saints throughout Achaia: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ…” (2 Corinth 1:1-2)

“And grace to you, Derek, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

JESUS is GOD’s YES! The chapters that follow after the initial greeting contain some amazing concepts, not least among them these inspirational and encouraging words from the very first chapter. Listen: “For in [Jesus] every one of God’s promises is a ‘YES!’ For this reason it is through him that we say the ‘Amen’ to the glory of God.”

The enormity, the hugeness, the bodacious audacity of what Paul suggests is almost too much to take in, and yet he goes on, continually, to literally blow my mind time and again through the balance of the thirteen chapters. The following bullet points summarize just one such idea from each chapter:

• For in [Jesus] every one of God’s promises is a ‘YES!’ For this reason it is through him that we say the ‘Amen’ to the glory of God (1:20)
• For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing (2:15)
• All of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another (3:18)
• So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure (4:16-17)
• So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! (5:17)
• As servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God (6:4-6)
• For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death (7:10)
• Now as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you—so we want you to excel also in generosity (8:7)
• Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (9:7)
• Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord (10:17)
• If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness (11:30)
• He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me (12:9)
• Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you? (13:5)

I trust that the above phrases have served as an invitation for you. Especially if you haven’t read the Bible in big chunks like this before. I highly recommend it; God’s word is dramatic, exciting, and always transformational!

- DEREK

My invitation to church (because God is that awesome!)

I love teaching!

ast week I shared a little about this journey through the New Testament I’m taking with my Sunday morning study group. We’re reading the books in the order they were written (according to the best judgment of many scholars).

Consequently we studied 1 Thessalonians the first week of January, then Galatians (awesome book) last week. This morning we plan to talk about 1 Corinthians.

1 Corinthians is an amazing read. Paul uses the letter to address some particular issues and questions in the early church, and the epistle is full with memorable passages. But many of us still only hang around long enough to visit the beautiful words that make up “The Love Chapter” (13), and we fail to introduce our minds and spirits to the rich nuances and astounding insights that populate the balance of the text.

 So this morning, before I head into church to play some guitar and sing with the Praise Band, I first of all want to draw our attention to the following remarkable paragraph from First Corinthians, Chapter One. If you haven’t read these words before, then do yourself a favor and allow your heart and soul a couple of minutes to feast on the remarkable poetry, heart-level insight and compelling wisdom that Paul shares with the church leaders and his friends in the city of Corinth.

Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. (1 Corinthians 1:20-25)

HUMBLED BY GRACE AND MERCY: I may know my way around philosophy; I may be intelligent according to the standards of this world; I may have won awards for my writing; I may be familiar with God’s law; I may be a leader in the church; I may be respected as a teacher and a speaker; and I’m sure I could boast that I’m no stranger to signs and wonders…

… But, God is pleased – through the simple foolishness of my honest belief and the obvious weakness of my struggling faith – to accomplish far more than I could ever hope or imagine when I rely on the reach of my abilities or the power of my arguments.

This gracious God – this God who is always willing to work with me, and through me, as I learn to humble myself and put all that I am and hope to be in his hands – this is the God who I’m heading to church to worship this morning.

How about you? - DEREK 

 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. (1 Corinthians 1:27-30)

personal renovation – like a garden

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! – 2 Corinthians 5:17

Rebekah mulching, and leveling for the patio extension

t’s been another big weekend for gardening here at Maul Hall. Truth be told, we’ve been seriously behind with our yard work, but then the recent amazing weather pretty much took our last best excuse out of play.

However, once we got our hands dirty a couple of weeks back, it was simply a matter of time before Rebekah’s imagination kicked into overdrive and it was “game on.”

GAME ON: So I’ve been to Lowes and back for boat-loads of dirt, masses of manure, extra fertilizer, endless bags of patio-sand, tons of pea-gravel, forests of landscape timbers, and several cubic yards of mulch. On the good side, at least the ripe “wet dog” smell in the SUV has been replaced by earthier tones.

In the process, two facts have stood out:

1. When Rebekah gets excited about something she has more imagination, ideas, energy, creativity and vision than most people in their 30′s.
2. Regardless of Rebekah’s ageless spirit, my body is most definitely not in its 30′s anymore!

The new bed up against the golf course

IT’S ALL GOOD: Mostly, the fact that I’m not in my 30′s anymore is a good thing. Just because I can’t jog from my car to the back of the house with three bags of sand balanced on my shoulder like I used to doesn’t mean I don’t get the job done.

What it does mean is that the work takes a little longer, and – consequently – is done more carefully. Plus I get to deal with some considerable back, neck, shoulder and wrist pain during the evening and then wake up the next morning wondering who beat me up during the night.

Constantly remodeling

WORK in PROGRESS: Rebekah and I have been remodeling this house and digging up this garden a little over 16 years now. On the map, and even according to the original survey, the “footprint” looks exactly the same. However, with new features like a gourmet kitchen, completely remodeled bathrooms, re-imagined living areas, mature landscaping and constant re-invention, Rebekah and I have literally transformed this address.

In similar fashion, and over the same 16 years, both of us have also been remodeled from the insides out: Refurbished, refreshed, rejuvenated, restored, renovated and reequipped. We certainly appreciate everything that we had going for us when we moved here from Pensacola in 1996, but – just like our home – we are a work in progress and I’m thankful for the passage of the years.

There’s a lot to be said for chronological progression. I didn’t publish my first book until I was 51 because I wasn’t ready. I believe it took all five decades to prepare me to say what I said in “GET REAL.” Understanding that truth makes me especially excited about the next few years, because I am confident that God is still preparing me for more transformational experiences to come.

MOVING ON: I honestly don’t want anything to do with the 1996 version of the house and garden we first moved into. The ensuing 16 years have been an amazing shot of life to the property.

Likewise, I really don’t want my 40-year-old self back either.

I love how my life is constantly reinventing, replenishing, and moving forward. This journey is an amazing privilege and a most wonderful ride.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

Life most definitely is, as our son Andrew would most likely say, “EPIC!”

- DEREK

how sweet it is (international love-story covers three continents)

 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Alicia and Andrew (Drew)

So there we were, sitting around the table with some of the wonderful friends who have prayed us through so much in the parenting realm for so many years, and my phone rings. It’s Andrew.

Me: “Hi, Andrew. Mama and I are sitting here with our small group. They all want to know how you’re doing?”

Andrew: “You can tell them she said ‘Yes!’”

Me: “Hey, everyone. Andrew said to tell you Alicia said ‘YES.’”

(Note: If you’re looking for sound effects to go with this post, then imagine LOUD PANDEMONIUM BREAKS OUT right here!)

This, I have to admit, is where the writer part of me simply can’t keep up. I don’t have it. I’m a good writer, I know this, but there aren’t any words that I can type into this post that will more than roughly hone in on the emotion I felt – and Rebekah too – when Andrew passed on the marvelous news.

HISTORY: I could easily go all the way back to middle school and beyond (In fact, this story really begins in Atlanta, in Piedmont Hospital on a Father’s Day). But in the interests of time I’ll fast-forward to Bahrain, where Andrew showed up just a few weeks after a beautiful young mission school teacher named Alicia Pashby moved on to Kiev.

At the base chapel, Andrew was “adopted” by Donna and Bob Hudson (They’re an American family who had also reached out to Alicia during her stay). Before long, the Hudsons told them both they needed to meet. Andrew and Alicia, while deeply respectful of the Hudsons’ advice, did absolutely nothing. They didn’t even exchange an email.

More than a year later, Andrew moved back to Italy.

The weekend Andrew and Alicia first met – the wedding in northern Italy!

THE WHEELS WERE TURNING: In the fall of 2011, Alicia planned to attend a family wedding (second cousins) in northern Italy, somewhere near Venice. She didn’t speak Italian, she knew nobody there. And so, on a whim, Alicia sent Andrew a message. “Hi Andrew, I’m Alicia Pashby. We both know the Hudsons. Do you want to be my escort to an Italian wedding?”

Mr. Adventure said yes.

So he drove the 400-plus miles to northern Italy,”crashed’ the wedding, and introduced himself to Alicia. They pretty-much talked non-stop for 48 hours. He ended up in some of the wedding photos.

A few weeks later Andrew and Alicia met up in Vienna. Their next date was in Kiev. Then it was Tuscany; later, Milan.

Meanwhile they talked on Skype several times a week. Andrew joined Alicia’s Bible-study group and participated via Skype. It was pretty obvious to us that this relationship was not only special, but providential.

In Italy earlier this year

THE SHINY OBJECT: When Andrew came home for the family cruise at the end of April, he was on a quest for – in his words – a “Shiny Object.”

The result was, in a word, spectacular. Andrew has evidently cultivated some highly refined taste over the years!

BEYOND COMPRESSED CARBON: However, what has been priceless to me, and to Rebekah, has been to watch this relationship move forward in the context not only of friendship, love and affection, but of transformational faith.

By the grace of God, both Andrew and Alicia have reached this stage of their lives without compromising their foundational commitment to live as followers of The Way of Jesus. In fact, it is very much evident to those of us who love them that they are both still growing as faithful practitioners of “The Life-Charged Life.”

BLESSING: So I’ll close this most joy-filled of posts with the following blessing:

May the early sweetness of your love move naturally into the rich satisfaction that is a life-long journey. Take the challenges, the opportunities, the graces, the pitfalls, the surprises, the constant adventure… and meet it all head on with the faithfulness and commitment that characterize the kind of relationships that God uses to literally change the world for good. Love is – always – a choice; you have chosen one-another, and you have chosen well. God’s rich blessings and abundant, grace-laden, love.

- DEREK… DAD

Are we ready to grow up? (the 5th day of Christmas)

All wrapped up, because it's way chilly up yonder in CT

Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. – 1 Corinthians 3:1-2

BABY! I’ve been looking back some and, sure enough, I’m sure I haven’t been overloading my readers with the “I’ve got a grandson!” thing. So I’m thinking we’re overdue for at least a small reference.

David Henry is ten and a half weeks now and his parents are enjoying the opportunity to observe some serious growth. His face is shaping into a very recognizable little-boy; he’s packing on a few pounds; he’s developing a schedule that actually includes sleeping at night; he has opinions about everything; and, most importantly, there’s this growing sense of awareness.

He’s responding, interested in the world around him, making connections, beginning to get a little of the “big picture” idea, giving his parents smiles and chuckles along with the more standard “Open my mouth wide, yell, and cry my eyes out because I’m ______________ (hungry, wet, tired, bored, annoyed, etc…).”

"No, not the doctor's office...."

Here’s a nice example (left). It was taken at the doctor’s office this week, where he was scheduled for some more baby shots. No, not happy at all!

MATURITY: I can’t help but watch David grow and think about our lives as immature spiritual beings. So many of us meet Jesus, attend church, even get involved in a small-group experience… and then remain stuck at the “Feed me; entertain me; meet my needs; show me something flashy or I’ll go to some other church where they have more impressive programs…” stage.

But instead, what God has in mind for us is so much more! God wants us to begin to explore our spiritual environment, to respond to God’s invitation to grow and mature, to make connections, and to develop this growing sense of God-saturated awareness.

SCRIPTURE: Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? – 1 Corinthians 3:1-3

Looking forward to what's next!

As I begin to imagine where I’d like 2012 to take me, one thing is for sure; I want to continue to grow. Maybe David Henry can give me some pointers along the way!

Peace, blessings and promise – DEREK

News briefs – written “Spirit on spirit”

Lots going on in today's post!

Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. Christ himself wrote it—not with ink, but with God’s living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives—and we publish it. We couldn’t be more sure of ourselves in this… His letter authorizes us to help carry out this new plan of action. The plan wasn’t written out with ink on paper, with pages and pages of legal footnotes, killing your spirit. It’s written with Spirit on spirit, his life on our lives! – 2 Corinthians 3

Today I’d like to highlight a few details I believe my readers could use, so this post will read more like a series of news briefs:…

# 1 – The new link to the Florida Conference News website (Florida Conference Connection): I believe there’s potential here for some “Cross-pollination.” The United Methodist Church is doing a good job of mixing current news stories (I write some of those) with an invitation to participate in an ongoing conversation around what it means to be a disciple in the day-to-day. Click on the link and take a look around. If you leave any comments anywhere, let them know you came in via my blog.

The new pile!

# 2 – I’m the “guest blogger” at Upper Room Books this week (The Upper Room): I guess interconnectivity must be the theme this morning. A lot of us waste a tremendous amount of time clicking on worthless (or worse) links on our computers. Upper Room Ministries maintains a tremendously useful and interesting website that’s packed with resources and inspiration. You can read a daily devotional, pop over to the bookstore to see what’s available, link to news-sites and more.

# 3 – This weekend at church we’ll begin to occupy the new facility (First Presbyterian Church): Last week’s dedication was inspirational on many levels, but this Sunday all the classes will move into their assigned rooms and the place will begin to pulsate with the kind of life-charged action that has come to characterize this faith community. Very exciting and extremely inspirational. Scroll back to this past Monday’s post for more information. Or, better yet, show up Sunday morning and see for yourself!

David Henry at 17-days

# 4 – Family: Our grandson, David Henry, is full with life and noise and love and joy for his family. Yes, he’s almost three weeks old already. Naomi and Craig can hardly contain their joy. He’s been out-and-about visiting pretty-much everyone Naomi knows in Connecticut, eating non-stop, screaming when he feels it’s necessary, watching his mama do Wii-Fit, and working the camera for his parents (who are completely in love with this awesome new creation).

Meanwhile, Andrew spent last weekend in Vienna (Austria), and then all of this week in Odessa (Ukraine). He should be back in Tuscany sometime tomorrow and ready to meet me in Rome later in the week (More on that another day).

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! Of course, there’s always more, isn’t there? This is the exact point of this “life-charged life” blog. The question is never, “What on earth can I think of to post today?” Instead, it’s always more along the lines of, “Wow! Another rich, action-packed, redemptive day-in-the-life of a Follower of The Way of Jesus; what should I leave out and what should I cover?”

Tell us about it, David Henry!

This is why the scripture I opened with is so appropriate. Our lives really are a letter that anyone can read. And, if we allow the letter to be written by Christ and then have the courage to publish it, that is the life-charged life. Our day-to-day is written with Spirit on spirit, his life on our lives. This really is one awesome privilege!

Peace, love and blessings – DEREK

Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. Christ himself wrote it—not with ink, but with God’s living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives—and we publish it. We couldn’t be more sure of ourselves in this… His letter authorizes us to help carry out this new plan of action. The plan wasn’t written out with ink on paper, with pages and pages of legal footnotes, killing your spirit. It’s written with Spirit on spirit, his life on our lives! – 2 Corinthians 3

Hard hearts; blind eyes; stopped ears (the usual!)

This is where you - the reader - inspires me

“We look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.(2 Corinthians 4:18)

I’ve shared before that this blog is not only a personal devotional experience, but also a way to “start-up” my writing engine for the day. Part of that involves airing out and practicing some of the content I’ll be including in an article, the chapter of a book, or a talk later – kind of a “throwing ideas against the wall and seeing what sticks” exercise.

So, first of all, if you’re a regular reader then “Thanks” for helping me with my work as a writer.

Today, for example:

• the bulk of my time will be spent editing/rewriting a couple of chapters from my new book;
• plus I’ll be preparing for a conference I’m key-noting this weekend;
• and then there’s my Men’s Room small group this evening.
• Additionally, I’m in serious conversation with a state-wide website that is considering a permanent link to this blog. Interestingly, that conversation is (unintentionally) subtly affecting my content even today.

The scripture I cited this morning fits in exactly with a chapter I’m wrestling with in the book. The title is “Clarity”, and I’m discussing how the gift of faith helps us to see more clearly. I make the observation that, even though my eyes are not so sharp any more and I have to wear progressive lenses, and even though the acuity of my hearing is evidently compromised and I have a hard time having conversations in crowded restaurants… “I swear I’ve never seen things this clearly before in my life; and I’ve never before heard with the level of clarity that I do now.”

 ”We look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.”

Learning to see clearly (from Mt. Washington in October)

So how do we look at “what cannot be seen” unless we’re willing to look with new eyes? And what does it mean – practically speaking – to open the eyes of our hearts?

I believe that, in the simplest of terms, this is not such a great mystery. I think it’s more a matter of removing the blinders that inhibit our sight. It’s not so much that seeing God clearly is unnatural as that seeing God is the most natural thing in the world.

What’s unnatural is:

• the way we walk around with our eyes cast down,
• the way we live with blinders strapped to the sides of our heads,
• the way we view the world with dark glasses glued over our eyes when what we really need is to let the light flow in,
• our insistence that God conform to our narrow-minded nearsightedness… when what Jesus calls for is that we become willing to look up, to look beyond ourselves, and step purposefully into belief.

It’s as if our own arrogance and prejudice has the (spiritual) gravitational pull of a black hole that sucks all imagination, wonder, creativity, and clarity of vision back into our own orbit. To the effect that we can’t see anything beyond the walls we have erected, and the limited reasoning we employ, and the preconceptions and predeterminations we impose – on both the people around us and the scope of our god (lower-case “g” intended)…

Sometimes the view is remarkable

Look! see what you did by allowing me to think out loud this early in the morning. Thanks, friends!

- DEREK

“Do you still not perceive or understand?” Jesus said, “Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes, and fail to see? Do you have ears, and fail to hear? And do you not remember?” (Mark 8:17-18).