On the Wearing or Display of Crosses

"To wear material crosses as an ornament, to place material crosses on churches and tombs, all this is cheap and easy work, and entails no trouble. But to have Christ's cross in our hearts, to carry Christ's cross in our daily walk, to know the fellowship of his sufferings, to be made conformable to his death, to have crucified affections, and live crucified lives—all this needs self-denial and Christians of this stamp are few and far between. Yet this, we may be sure, is the only cross-bearing and cross-carrying that does good in the world. The times require less of the cross outwardly and more of the cross within."

-Bishop J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on John, p. 214 (written over a hundred years ago)

Suffering and Darkness

I've heard it said that we must approach ministry to each other as "sinners, saints and sufferers." That is a pretty holistic view of our fellow brothers and sisters. We've been going through a rather protracted darkness (maybe a haze) more intensely for the last 15 months or so. There have been feelings of abandonment and darkness. In his book While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks, Tim Laniak's chapter on darkness is riveting.

Many of us have experienced the desperate isolation and cold darkness that Job describes in his memoir. These season of life with out the light of understanding or any sense of God's presence test our faith in an invisible Shepherd. My wife and I journeyed through such deadly shadows for several years when our children were young. Faced with disabilities and the resulting shift in our life's direction, we entered tsalmavet ['shadow of death' or 'deadly darkness']. the light we longed for did not dawn as we expected. Only slowly did we reemerge from this valley as sobered believers and humbled leaders. When a friend recently explained the devastating impact a family tragedy was wreaking on their spiritual life, I couldn't respond like Job's friends. I simply said, "Welcome to the darkness. There are more questions than answers in this place. But you'll find good company among those who understand how little we understand--but still hold on to God's hand. Saint John of the Cross describes a particular kind of spiritually arid experience as the 'dark night of the soul'. This journey through shadows purges the soul of its pride and earthly attachments. Our challenge in dry and dark times is to respond in simple faith--to believe that the unseen Divine Shepherd is with us in our unlit valley. we grope in hope until rays of light begin to push the night away. Eventually, as Job confessed, 'He reveals mysteries from the darkness, and brings the tsalmavet into the light.' These shadows come at unplanned awkward times in our ministries as leaders. Just when we need to show enthusiasm for a vision. Just when our families need us most. Just when we thought we could enjoy the status quo. When we least expect it, the lights go out. and our faith, the only fire in the soul's night, barely smolders. As we remember those segments of our journey that have been covered in deep shadows, can we now see some evidence of the Shepherd's presence? If not, will we continue to walk by faith and not by sight? How do we respond to others who feel destabilized in a dark spiritual wilderness? Do we try to fix their feelings with pat answers, or are we content to sit with them in tsalmavet? If the darkness has settled across our employees, have we looked for ways to replace them with happier or more productive individuals, or have we treasured them as uniquely vulnerable to the deep work of God? Having emerged from some dark valleys, do we now have a more balanced response to the 'mountain tops'? Are we ready for more valleys, should they come--even the 'valley of the shadow of death'? (172-73)

A 2012 Challenge

When people challenge you to something what do you think? Have you ever been challenged to a sword duo and lived to tell about it? Has a close friend or relative challenged you to lose weight or confront some other physical obstacle? Often challenges are wrought and fought in the realm of a community of sorts.

So, if you have stumbled here or through a social media link, would you consider joining me for a challenge this year? What is it?

Memorize a part of the New Testament.

Part= 80 (?) verses or more.

Backstory on the Challenge

Back in 2005 or 2006, I read Juan Piper's book When I Don't Desire God. It's a book, well, about John's favorite subject to write on. In it, he mentioned a resource that he has employed to store up God's Word in his heart. I took it as a challenge. I started memorizing a chapter here and there, but didn't get serious about it. Maybe not as serious as the author of the article. So in mid-2010, I committed to memorize a small book of the New Testament using the tool: An Approach to Extended Memorization of Scripture. Since then, I've stored up 3 mid-size NT books; no big deal; nothing to really be proud about. The effect has been both rewarding and constantly rebuking and the full effect, well, remains to be seen which is the beautiful thing about the Word of God (not returning empty). I don't promise that you'll be a better wife or husband, student or pastor. If anything you'll be a more awakened sinner. Perhaps, you'll gain discernment and wisdom along the way.

Without feeling the need to convince you of the importance of storing up God's Word in your heart and before you read the whole article, let me give you the skinny.

1. Choose a book that is neither too long or too short that stirs your soul. For your first go at it, I would recommend a book that has between 80-120 verses; maybe even smaller for starters.
2. Identify the same time of day that you'll do this (before kids get up, morning commute, before you jump into bed, etc.)
3. Count the verses and add about 10 or 15% more days to give you some space for a break or the occasional miss. So, if you are shooting to memorize 60 verses starting on January 2nd, 2012, then mark that date and Saturday, 3/10/2012 allowing for that 15% fudge space.
4. Learn one new verse a day.
5. Prioritize the review of all old verses before learning new ones.
6. When you finish around the 10th of March, then pause to celebrate and praise God. However, your work has only begun.
7. Commit to a 100-day review of the chunk. Start the day after you finish your regular, daily memory to keep it fresh. Mark your calendar for the finish of the 100-day review (again, I would add a 10-15% fudge factor).

My challenge is for you to join me in memorizing something. I am considering Romans 1-8. You may want to start w/ something smaller. Would you start w/ me on January 2nd? would you even bring someone along in your church or geographic area to do this w/ you? If you're a church leader, how about taking another elder, emerging leader or a deacon and pass the challenge on to him/her?

Would you contact me via email if you are considering this? willpareja [at] gmail.com.

The nice thing about such a challenge is that you and I don't have to live close to each other and say verses to each other. We can pray for one another in the endeavor and check-in regularly that would be the accountability side of the challenge.

Let me relay an example of a way you could bring others along in this even in some modified form. Last year as I was contemplating what book I should take on next, I challenged one of the guys in my community group to memorize one chapter of 1 John with me (for I had decided that that was the next book to memorize). Without telling him my full ambition, he accepted my challenge for those 10 verses. We decided on a 3-4 week space to memorize and set a date to get together for coffee and say these verses to each other. By God's grace, my friend nailed it and so did I. Then, I just kept on going.

Wouldn't it be great if in 2012, we could see a wave or movement of God's people around this country committing to this (or some similar) method? Elections and Olympics, what would the effect be in 2012? over 5 or 10 years?

Pray about this. Think about it.

Email me by December 10th to let me know if you are in for January.

When I'm at My Worst...

As an adult, it becomes easier to become cynical maybe even hopeless. Surely, neither quality is desirable but just a by-product of living in a fallen world.
When I'm at (or near) my worst, I sometimes resonate with Sgt. William James (main character in) The Hurt Locker as he talks w/ his baby boy.
Start watching at about 0:40. "But you know what, buddy? When you get older, some of things that you loved might not seem so special....By the time you get to my age maybe it's one or two things."

Resolved Re: Scripture in 2011

This year, I have some ambitious aspirations regarding the Word of God.
By God's grace in the latter half of 2010, I memorized 2 Timothy and 1 John. I have been employing a tweaked version of this method. My greatest "fears" are pride, forgetfulness and spiritual obesity (if that is even possible or an appropriate analogy). I fear pride b/c of my own propensity to take something given to me and steal the divine "copyright" for my own glory and ambition. I fear forgetfulness because, well, look at God's people Israel in the Old Testament. I fear becoming spiritually obese, that is, I would not in turn apply it and live out its powerful truth. In other words, if I have faith and hope and knowledge and speaking (or memorizing) ability and determination and great self-discipline and not love my wife, kids, God's people and his image bearers, who cares what I memorize. I'm just an intellectually, overweight "spiritual" wanna-be.

In 2011, I hope by God's grace to:
1) Read the New Testament in Spanish.
2) Read the Old Testament in English (probably chronologically).
3) Read through a third of the Greek New Testament. I studied New Testament Greek for over 5 yrs and am not staying as current in the language as I would like. There are right around 7,957 verses in the New Testament. Over the next 1,095 days (3 years), D.V., that would translate into about 8 verses a day. Of course, I need to allow a fudge factor for missed days (about 15% of the total) and that'll put me over 3 years from now. While it could have benefit to my soul as I become more proficient, I should not be disappointed if I miss the mark after 3+ years. If anything, I will just keep pressing forward until it gets done.
4) Continue memorizing and reviewing portions of the New Testament.

Over the years, God has allowed me to get through the Bible a number of times, read it in about 6 English translations, use different "plans", and I have come to the conclusion that sustained exposure to the Word over years and years will not only sharpen my discernment but also will forge the story of Scripture more deeply into my heart and mind. While I do believe that piety and transformation are the effects of exposure to God's voice, I believe that the little-by-little, day-after-day, month-after-month, year-after-year, decade-upon-decade reading will bring about gradually the piety and transformation that (from our consumer mindset to sanctification) we long for NOW. We won't have to work ourselves into a "tizzy" about meditation on the Word of God, b/c we will find that the Scriptures starting seeping into many areas of our thinking and confronting us w/ the need to destroy rationales and every lofty opinion that raises itself against God's knowledge. The amazing thing about Spirit and Word working in concert is that they change my will. I have no boasting outside these gifts of Christ.

Soli Deo Gloria. Really.


For some brief yet helpful thoughts on Bible reading and New Year's resolutions, see:
Matthew Hoskinson series on Bible Reading.
John Piper on the "flexibility" resolutions.
Matt Perman on looking back and looking forward.

A Model Homeless Ministry

Running a non-profit must be a hard business. It must specialize in the art of "friend-raising" and a heart of compassion. I ran across this WORLD magazine article on a Manhattan rescue mission and Ed Morgan, its leader. As someone who witnesses homelessness and disenfranchised people on a daily and more stark basis (say, than suburbia or rural America) and who has tried to get closer to them, I am intrigued by organizations who wear the name Christian and are able to keep the Gospel front and center while not tail-spinning into just mere do-gooder"ness".

Ed Morgan runs his organization like a business so that donors will be attracted to it not just pity it. "Most charities measure process--how many meals are served and how many beds they have, but we measure permanent results. We are outcome-focused."

As an example of that he lists 5 things necessary for the homeless in his mission to graduate from the Bowery Mission recovery program:

1. Connected to Christ.
2. Connected to family.
3. Clean and sober.
4. Employed with a place to live.
5. Have a plan for the future.

It is this kind of commitment to people (note I didn't say poverty) that will avoid either the token, occasional drop of a few coins in a bucket or the relentless giving to the poor thus confirming or sinking them deeper in their poverty. I pray that all of us would grow in our understanding of the Gospel and its radical claim on our time and assets. Not that we are all called to run a homeless shelter, but we are commanded to do good to all men and women. God help us.

"You don't change lives through social services. That's called behavioral modification. Recovery from homelessness is an affair of the heart," Morgan says.

An explanation about the picture:

This is Larry Purnell. I knew him for over a year as we employed him at our office to do so some menial chores (like cleaning the sidewalk around the clinic). We eventually had to let Larry go because he was just not doing the job or even showing up. It was sad for me to see that happen. In this picture, Larry is about 51. I'm not even sure if he is alive today. One of interesting things I got to help Larry with was taking him to a center where people who get arrested get to reclaim their stuff. Larry had been stuck in the clink for a few days and needed to get his effects back. Larry had been in and out of jail and was dependent on his mother. Until she died just a few short years before. This is one of several men I have befriended. I wonder how Kenny, Willie and Mark are doing.

What's a Job Worth to You?

Would you even leave something more comfortable and less strenuous for the less comfortable/more strenuous job?

I've heard it said that if you find a job you love, you never work another day in your life. While I certainly sympathize with the sentiment behind that, I don't agree fully. Work is a privilege given from the Creator God to partner with him in his creation. It was quite ideal and even worshipful before this world got all jacked up. Then it became toil, painful, bloody and death-hastening, but it wasn't devoid of significance. Vocation in this broken world is still significant. It groans for something better; something more enduring--yes. But, it and the paycheck are to be enjoyed, wisely managed and dispersed justly.

Malcom Gladwell said, "Hard work is a prison sentence only if it does not have meaning." See more from my post about his book Outliers.

Work is not only a privilege, but it is also significant. It is very much a part of human identity. All humans were created to work, and all humans have the opportunities to rest both physically and spiritually-eternally.

How important is your work to you? Would you leave a higher-paying job for a more-fulfilling job? Let me know your thoughts.

Why Charities Should Die

From the Clouds of Common Grace...

Nancy Lublin of Fast Company magazine dares to propose that some not-for-profits should just shut down. Not that an external force should come and force them to close their doors but to so clearly envision their mission from the beginning that they know when it has been accomplished. Kind of like knowing when to pull out the troops. That is a noble business model.

Here are a couple notable quotables from her brief article:

"A not-for-profit exists to cure something, address an issue, or elevate the status of a group of people; if and when that's achieved, we should be done."

"The broader principle here is that companies and organizations don't exist simply to exist. A not-for-profit should ideally be not-for-perpetuity. We should not be donor-funded jobs programs. People give not b/c they believe in us as employable human beings but b/c they believe in what we do."

A Healthy Baptist Minimalism

My friend, and newly installed pastor of the First Baptist Church of New York City, Dr. Matthew Hoskinson, has written a helpful article "On Being Baptist." Not totally satisfied with all the definitions of Baptist identity or distinctives, Matt has set out to prove what for him it means to be a Baptist (at a minimum). He clearly spells it out:

Baptists are distinct from other world religions in that they are Christian, Baptists are distinct from the rest of Christendom in that they are Protestant, and Baptists are distinct from the rest of Protestantism in that they are credobaptist in practice and congregational in polity. This essay focuses on the last of these statements.

He really did a good job. For he concludes:

Baptists are credobaptist in practice and congregational in polity. They may be more than this, but one cannot be less than this and still wear the label. Within the wide stream of Baptist thinking there are many different currents, some healthy, some not. But what defines and distinguishes Baptists from other Protestant groups are these two doctrines.

While I'm sure he has not written a new proposal, he is clear on what distinguishes the Baptist church. It would probably do well to subject the B-A-P-T-I-S-T distinctives to this shorter criteria. If we do, our acrostic might look like T-...S. Hmmm.

The Inner-Inner-City: Hamtramck, MI

Some of you know that my family and I spent some formative years in metro Detroit (wait: all yrs are formative). While not in the city proper, we were exposed to different American and ethnic subcultures. While training at the local theological seminary, I met a guy who lived down the street from me who had a bunch of kids (his youngest is the same age of my oldest)- Jay and his better half, Kristin. He actually was in the same seminary. The dude has a great story that another friend Ken Tullos has captured on a video. I hope that Jay keeps reaching people for Jesus in that urban island and that Ken keeps making videos in and around Detroit for the glory of the one true God. The only improvement I would have made to the video was to add a bit of holy hip-hop=+). Even then, the music was cool and compelling. Word!

Hamtramck from Kenneth Tulloss on Vimeo.

Preview of Page CXVI's New Record

02 Be Thou My Vision by PageCXVI

From the Clouds of Common Grace

On occasion at my Twitter page, I have passed along articles or ideas using the phrase "From the Clouds of Common Grace". This comes from the verse in Holy Scripture, Matthew 5:45, part b- "For he [God] makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." This verse shows God's goodness (or grace) indiscriminately poured out on his image-bearing people regardless of their personal relationship to him. This is a very simplistic if not incomplete description of the theological construct called "common grace." It is a concept which I wish to study further and will, d.v.

That being said, I hope to share things under this label that will benefit you regardless of your standing with the one I love and serve who is the Lord Jesus Christ. These posts may take from industries such as business, politics, art & media, etc. I confess that the God who is there has given us all things to enjoy. At the end of the day, I want all who I know to come to grips with the lordship of Jesus and his work on the cross.

Without further ado...
I commend the magazine FastCompany. While the American dream and microwave ideology of success are embedded in the name, this publication offers much. One of the most interesting articles in this last issue was a focus on the TED phenomenon. TED (for Technology, Entertainment and Design) talks are quickly becoming the new "Harvard Business School," argues the article. You can learn a lot from these 18-minute talks, and it is a good way to cross-pollinate outside the hive of your expertise. Check out the TED website.


*One small disclaimer: While God gives his creatures life, creativity, money, food--the list goes on!-- from the storehouse or clouds of his common grace, I fully acknowledge that his creatures tend to pervert or distort these gifts. This, of course, is the essence of idolatry and needs to be confronted. Therefore, I encourage all to use common sense and discernment while scooping up a cup of rain from these clouds.

What is the Gospel?

Recently, I was licensed by my church (Now, I can officially "marry and bury"). In the process, I had to think hard about and formulate in a paragraph an answer to the question: "What is the Gospel?" Greg Gilbert has even written a book on it.

My answer:
A happy God eternally existing in three persons out of his good pleasure creates time and space and fills both with created things. Man, his image-bearer and apex of his creation rebels against his Creator. In his good pleasure, God chooses to redeem his fallen creation. The Gospel particularly is the great news of God's coming promise in the form of Jesus, the Son of God to incarnate, obey the Law's demands perfectly, suffer for sinners to atone for their guilt and satisfy God's rightful wrath. Furthermore, it is the death, the burial and the bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead. It is further good news that this Jesus' death and life (his righteousness) are graciously "imputed" to a believer's account. It is good news that the Holy Spirit is given as a sign and seal of that redemption. The gospel at the end of the day is the hope and joy of eternal life. Amen!

Also, I got the chance to answer this question in a video format:

Going to Church Out-of-Town

I have been thinking about the subject of out-of-town church attendance (especially on vacation). In fact, I just got back from vacation--today. We have the blessing of attending a church that has four congregations spread out across the city of Chicago. Since we got back early afternoon, we knew we would enjoy the fellowship of saints with our brothers and sisters at the North Side service which is at 5pm. Not everyone has this kind of church structure, however.

Some of my friends with whom I have discussed this don't go at all. "There is no church like our church", they say (which loyalty I applause); they are lazy and want a break from church; or they are uncomfortable about being in a strange setting. Other Christian families will hack their own service (foot washings and all! just kidding). I'm sure there are other reasons. Consider the following questions:

What's the purpose of going to church in the first place?
Let me be frank here. I loathe the phrase "go to church." Churches are organized organisms (covering all bases here=+) made of people who have been regenerated by the blood of Jesus Christ. They "go to church" to hear the Scriptures taught, pray, praise God through song, observe the ordinances, give their resources to the work of the church and to the needy w/in the church (Acts 2:42-47). Unfortunately, this is the "rap" that alot of American Christianity has-- the major share of our "going" is to meet with each other. While the Scriptures enforce the need for mutual celebration of the Gospel in praise and Word (Hebrews 10:25), the church is a going entity TO THE WORLD (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8). Perhaps, we should retrain our parlance to include words like "worship Jesus" or "meet with believers for unified praise to the Savior". 'Nuf said for now.

Is community the only consideration in making the decision?
For some people who don't bother going to church when they are out of their own church, their argument rests often on the fact that their "community" isn't the one at which they are vacationing. Therefore, "why bother with going to church where I am not going to have long-lasting community?"... goes the line of thinking. I am glad for the deep fellowship already cultivated on the home front. Well (for one), the subject of "community" is over-hyped and nearly becoming cliche. It is almost like the concept of missional-- it has a lot of different meanings depending on who you ask. While well-intentioned, this particular line of reasoning is myopic. We easily waltz over the passages of New Testament Scriptures that record the instances when displaced or missionary believers were seeking out the fellowship of locals and vice versa. I would dare say that not only is this rationale myopic but very American. And lest I be called out for nationalizing a particular sin, it is quite Adamic. There. If anything, healthy body life in your own local church should arouse such passion and curiosity for how the Gospel is being fleshed out in other assemblies outside of your "Jerusalem."

When you're with extended family, should you attend with them or should you maintain that your one-off/out-of-town attendance be in concert w/ how selective you are on the home front?
For some people, your theology matters a lot, and that is good. However, I would say that if you are concerned with maximizing time w/ your believing family who you are visiting and building unity, you should show how deeply the Gospel runs in you so as to elevate your extended family over your strongly-held preferences. Of course, you could not go at all if it is a heretical church or you could seek another church and meet up for lunch later. But that won't really aid the "unity factor"; it will only remind everyone of certain "wedges" of preference that exist in your family. Some forthrightness or creativity on the front end will help alleviate tension along w/ much love.
How about going to church out of town to hear a certain favorite preacher?
Definitely. You better believe it, but realize that there is real body of hurting and healthy peeps that show up every week to hear your favorite dude preach. Check them out, too.
Just don't do that at your home church. One of the not-so-fondest memories I had of attending one church for a while in Greenville, SC was seeing how many members (!) didn't show up to church when the "rock star" pastor wasn't behind the sacred desk. When you join a church, you are in a sense wedding yourself to that assembly until death, heresy, excommunication or relocation doth thee part.

Here are a few things to reflect on the next time you leave town:
1) If at all possible, try to get back to your own church for Sunday worship.
2) If you are a father with small children and the normal levels of getting out of the house on a Sunday are stressful, you should seek input from your wife on what it would be like for her to get to church on the alien turf. Ask her every time.
3) If possible, stretch yourself and make the effort to worship with believers that you don't know. Remember: Christ is your first commonality; not your geography or ethnicity. Expose your family to the wonderful "thing" that Jesus is doing all around your country and the world.
4) If you vacation to the same place, find a church and keep coming back to it. Extend your community. I know some people from Detroit who do that regularly when they escape away once or twice a year to their regular spot on Florida.
5) Put your "experience" way down on the list. Don't make experience a high priority. If worship is all about experience, then we should all give up on regular gathered worship. This might be simplistic, but I don't think experience as an end should be a driving motivator to attend or not attend church (whether at home or away).
6) Don't just do away from home what you do at home. In other words, join a church at home; stop church hopping. I suspect that if you church hop at home, this little article won't even cross your radar.

Perhaps, I have overthought on this.

Is Christianity Biased Toward Book Lovers?

Interesting question posted at the Desiring God website.
Answered by John Piper in the video here.

Page CXVI Hymns-- Free Music!

You will definitely want to check out an emerging phenomenon in current contemporary hymnody: anonymous, hymn-loving indie rockers. This group or rather project is known as Page CXVI hymns. They have already released one project and are on the cusp of their sophomore record. I haven't gotten the full picture yet as to why they don't release their identities. They actually do if you invite them to your church to play. And they have the requisite Twitter, Facebook and My Space presences. Nevertheless, I appreciate the intentional anonymity of the project's drivers b/c there are way too many "rock stars" in the Christian contemporary music world (pun intended).

This music isn't just skull candy. This is the old stuff w/ some counter-intuitive sounds, yet the new tunes aren't distracting. The substance of the text remains powerful, and most if not all their arrangements can be sung by the English-speaking church. These brothers and sisters are amongst the ranks of those restoring hymnody back to the church. I pray their tribe increases.

Get the whole first album for free just this week only! Then go ahead and download their newest recording which includes among the selections How Great Thou Art, Jesus, I am Resting, Resting and The Battle Hymn of the Republic.

Why the name? From their website:

The name comes from a reference to page 116 in our copy of The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis. It is a poignant passage where Aslan begins to sing Narnia into creation out of a black void.

It starts, “In the darkness something was happening at last. A voice had begun to sing. It was very far away and Digory found it hard to decide from what direction is was coming. Sometimes it seemed to come from all directions at once. Sometimes he almost thought it was coming out of the earth beneath them. Its lower notes were deep enough to be the voice of the earth herself. There were no words. There was hardly even a tune. But it was, beyond comparison, the most beautiful noise he had ever heard. It was so beautiful he could hardly bear it.”

Speak Up!

A clever marketing campaign is going on near my house via a billboard (I'm a student of urban marketing). It is a Greater Than Aids drive. There are race and ideological factors that drive this campaign, but that isn't the purpose of my posting.
The campaign aptly uses the greater than symbol to send a plethora of messages related to AIDS/HIV. This particular board tersely says: Speaking up is greater than silence (in a golden font; I assume after the Chinese proverb that eloquence is silver and silence is gold). The point is two-fold, I believe: speak up if you have HIV/AIDS and speak up against the epidemic.
My American society calls for people to be bold and unashamed about their illness. I totally expect that.
Why, then, do I shut up about Christ, the Savior of the world; the Savior from sin; the Judge of all the earth?

It's time, my friends, that we speak up with the message that truly transforms. Open up your mouth. Speak up!

1 John 4:4- Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.