V GENUINE MOTIV TION Sept. 2 0 1 0
YOUNG CHRISTIAN MAN
YOU HAVE A FRIEND REQUEST: BUT IS IT SINCERE?
GOD’S GRACE : BETTER THAN THE M O N K E Y ’ S PAW
DEBT
VS. SAVINGS : Which One To Tackle First?
THE RECAP ON Imaginary Jesus
YOUNG CHRISTIAN MAN 04
Feature Article: Our Father
06
On The Couch: The Illusion of Control
08
Can You Relate: You Have a Friend Request
10
Faith & Finance: Debt vs. Savings
12
Cornered By Grace: Drop the Banana
14
Press On: Praying His Will Be Done
16
The Recap: Book Review: Imaginary Jesus
THE MERRY MONK RANDY KOSLOSKI
THOM MOLLOHAN MATT FRASER ROB BEAMES WILL DOLE
JEFFREY BRIDGMAN
A PUBLICATION OF ON MY OWN NOW MINISTRIES
WWW.ONMYOWNNOW.COM
VISIT OUR ARCHIVES TO VIEW PAST ISSUES OF GENUINE MOTIVATION
SEPTEMBER2010 EDITOR IN CHIEF / ROB BEAMES ART + CREATIVE DIRECTOR / MICHAEL MURO
Our Father
B Y T H E M E R RY M O N K
5
I sat alone in a dark hospital room waiting for news. It had been a long day filled with intense emotion, but time was about to stop. The door slowly opened and a silhouette filled the bright doorway. I anxiously stood up as a smiling nurse approached me. Then she whispered, “Hello, Daddy.” My daughter was born less than an hour earlier and my wife was recovering from a C-section down the hall. I took a deep breath and reached out my arms to hold my firstborn child for the first time. She was so small, so light and delicate. I tenderly cradled pure beauty wrapped in soft blankets as I welcomed her into the world. I don’t know how long we were left alone in that hospital room. I was lost in the moment, overwhelmed by love as I gazed at my little girl. All at once it struck me; this is what it’s like to be a father.
GM : 04
Jesus’ disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray. He instructed them to begin with,“Our Father….” Despite this clear teaching, I spent most of my Christian life praying to Jesus instead. I guess Jesus seemed more approachable to me than the Father. I probably would have sooner prayed to the Spirit than the Father—even He didn’t seem as scary. When you think about it, my fear of the Father wasn’t an altogether illogical conclusion. The Father seems pretty intense in the Bible. Before we finish reading the first book, He’s kicked people out of paradise, flooded the world, destroyed cities with fire and brimstone, and even ordered His chosen people to cut the skin off of their…well…you get the idea. The last book of the Bible is even more fearful, especially if you’re not on the winning side. Despite this threat of extreme retribution, we still manage to give the Father plenty of reason to punish us—but He doesn’t. PHOTO COURTESY OF CHANCEFORBACON.COM
We are great sinners and He is holy, but the Son is a greater Savior than we are sinners. The close relationship we have with Jesus is natural, in a way. As our older brother, Jesus readily stepped in to take the whoopin’ that was rightfully ours. We tend to want to be around someone who does that for us. Now, I also believed there’s only one God and that He doesn’t have Multiple Personality Disorder. Perhaps, that’s why I didn’t think twice about dodging the Father—or even notice I was avoiding Him. I had also learned from a popular radio broadcaster, Steve Brown, that there’s no jealousy within the Trinity and that the important thing about prayer is that we do it. So, I continued to pray…to Jesus. Then one night I had dinner with a good friend and afterward we began talking about prayer. He said that I should be praying to the Father. At first, I wrote him off as being “uptight,” and thought the best resolution was to quit having dinner with him. But then, he reminded me of Matthew 6:9 and Luke 11:2 where Jesus taught us to pray saying, “When you pray, say: ‘Father…’” For days I couldn’t get the words out of my head. Later, it seemed the apostle Paul joined my friend in disrupting my prayer life. In Romans 8:15 Paul wrote, “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” He doesn’t say that we cry “Lord,” “Master” or “Jesus,” but instead, he says we cry, “Father.” Paul also tells us that the spirit of God the Son himself, is within us crying, “Abba, Father” (Galatians 4:6). This is the same way that Jesus addressed God in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:36). Paul is telling us that we are called into the same intimate relationship with God which Jesus has always enjoyed! So, taking the advice of my friend, Jesus, Paul and the Holy Spirit, I tried it. I started addressing God as Father. Although, at first, my sin made me really uncomfortable, I kept at it. This simple change—combined with becoming a father myself—has revolutionized and deepened my relationship with God. The love and bond I have with my three children is overwhelmingly intense. However, it’s only the fallen, creaturely shadow of what the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have always passionately enjoyed. The Trinity is the archetype of all relationship and diversity. Father, Son and Holy Spirit exist in perpetual intimate communion, in need of nothing and overflowing with blessedness. They have experienced this from eternity, except for the period of time when the Father turned His back on the Son as the Son became sin and died for His enemies. This unimaginable event reveals something of the love of God that Jesus’ selfsacrifice does not, and it’s best understood through the eyes of a father.
“Yet, God the Son loved His enemies so much that He laid down His life so that they could join Him in calling God Father.” I think I would take a bullet for my son, and maybe even for a friend, but I don’t think I would take a bullet for an enemy. Yet, God the Son loved His enemies so much that He laid down His life so that they could join Him in calling God “Father.” This imagery is amazing when we think about it. While I might take a bullet for a friend, I certainly wouldn’t sacrifice my son’s life for anyone. It’s absolutely absurd to think that I’d let my son die to save the life of an enemy— even if he was willing to do it, as Jesus was. Yet, that’s what the Father did. He suffered the loss of His beloved Son for the love of His enemies, so that we could be transformed into many sons and daughters joining with Him in glory for the rest of eternity (Hebrews 2:10). As Paul encourages us again, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies” (Romans 8:31-33). It’s madness to question the approachability or love of our Father. How could I have thought that my sin was so dark that the great light of our Father’s love couldn’t consume it? All of His intensity in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation has the purpose of making our union with Him possible. Leviticus 26:12 expresses the Father’s heart for us, “I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.” O. Palmer Robertson appropriately calls this the “Immanuel Principle” of God’s covenants. Now that I understand this concept more fully, I often pray saying, “Thank you, Father, that you’re not who I thought you were.” Although God is pleased for us to use any of the many ways He has revealed Himself to us when we address Him, if we fail to understand our relationship with Him as our Father, we’re seriously missing out. All we need to do is to open ourselves to His Spirit in prayer. When the Spirit possesses us, He unites us with the body of God the Son and gently brings us to the point when we cry, “Abba!”
Erik Guzman is The Merry Monk of Love...a whiskey mystic, a silly son of God, a sword saint and a divine DJ. Visit TheMerryMonk. com for some messy monkery. Erik is also Executive Producer at Key Life Network. He can be heard on the nationally syndicated talk show Steve Brown Etc. and as announcer for Key Life. He has a wife, three children, a BA in Mass Communication and an MBA. He’s also a drummer, 3rd degree black belt in Aikido, and Master of Theology student at Reformed Theological Seminary.
GM : 05
on the couch
THE ILLUSION OF CONTROL by Randy Kosloski
The Gospel of John is the most inspiring book of the Bible for me. I sometimes imagine the author of that piercing, poetic Gospel as some intense early Christian beatnik wearng a goatee and a beaded hat. I look forward to meeting the Apostle John in eternity. His opening verses are soulful ones. One verse says, “In Him was life and that life was the light of men” (John 1:4). I may understand only a morsel of the full meaning of that text—but it’s a tasty morsel. One thing John tells us is that God is intimately connected with us and the world. It is impossible to separate the good “light” of people and God for they are synonymous. In our world today people love to divide things. People tend to compartmentalize work and home, family and friends, or colleagues and clients. Perhaps, we separate things in an attempt to make our life roles more manageable. These categories are actually human inventions though. In reality there is only life—and one chance to live it. A friend named Pat taught me this. I met Pat as he was preparing to leave home for college. Even though Pat was committed to continuing his education and looking forward to college, he was pretty sure his family would fall apart once he left home. The guilt he was experiencing was causing his emotional and mental health to suffer. In mental health and social work fields there is term for people like Pat: parentified. This refers to a child, usually a first born, who has taken on a strong parental role in the family. Most of us have some degree of parentification, but those who are truly parentified become full-time parents to their siblings and even to their own parents. Parentified kids are usually outstanding individuals. They tend to be self-sacrificing, hardworking, considerate and mature—like any good parent should be. And just like Pat, parentified kids usually lack self care and the ability to find their own potential outside of their assumed parentified role. Parentified kids often find it difficult to pursue their own interests and live a typical teenager’s life—which is why Pat found it difficult to attend the college of his choice. Since Pat’s parents were in what he considered to be a loveless marriage, he was confident they would separate once he left for school. In order to keep the family functioning, he became the primary line of communication for his parents. Additionally, he described his older brother as a self-absorbed, inconsiderate, occasionally violent, ego maniac. Pat acted as a social buffer for him. Without his constant intervention, he believed his brother would offend everyone with whom he came into contact. Pat was a peace keeper and his world revolved around keeping his family operating successfully. Also, Pat was a gifted artist and had been accepted to a prestigious architectural school. Once Pat started pursuing this calling, he quickly became excited about the prospects an education promised. Having the freedom to pursue his goals was attractive to him, but still he felt guilty. As his departure for school approached, Pat became increasingly afraid of leaving his family and fearful of what it might do to them. However, God had something else in mind for Pat.
William Barclay’s, The New Dailey Study Bible: The Gospel of John, explains how John’s gospel is trying to create a unified understanding of Jesus for both the Hebrew and Greek. Barclay points out that John explicates Jesus as the personification of God’s Logos, or reason. He goes on to explain this reason as the rationale of God being poured into our world when it was created, and then later encapsulated in Jesus. God’s world is a rational one full of natural consequences—ordained by God and evidence of His control. Pat mistakenly believed that he was in control of his life, and that his family’s success or failings were his responsibility. The illusion of control had a grip on Pat, and he considered himself the god of his own family. Pat needed to learn that sometimes the best help you can offer love ones is to offer no help at all. Sometimes, we all need to experience the aftermath of our choices. Pat needed to allow God, who is God over everything, to inspire change in his family through His natural consequences.
“GOD’S WORLD IS A RATIONAL ONE FULL OF NATURAL CONSEQUENCES.” Together, Pat and I worked through a plan to let his family members realize the cost of their choices without his protection. We wrestled through the idea that this strategy was the best help he could ever offer his family, although he didn’t feel entirely comfortable with it. He began to see that seeking his potential would be the best encouragement for his family members to seek their own potentials. Pat moved along with this plan mostly because he knew he had to find peace with the decision to leave for college. He eventually understood that living out his values would teach his family how to live out theirs—Abram is a good example of this. God had big plans for him and prepared him in advance, starting by renaming him Abraham, “father of many nations,” while he was yet a childless old man. I wonder if he might have had to introduce himself with this title even when it was just him and his old wife. Perhaps the reason Abraham was so successful was because he trusted his God and not his fears. Because of that his witness is eternally etched in the tablet of time. This should tell us that God wants this for us, too. We should passionately follow the path God lays out for us rather than attempt to control our own destinies, or the lives of those around us. Pat needed to demonstrate his trust in God in order to show his family how to choose wisely. When Pat and I parted ways, he was still in turmoil over, what was for him, a monumental decision. Despite all our discussions, he was still not at peace with leaving for college, although he knew it was what he should do. Pat’s situation reminded me that sometimes we must painstakingly overcome our fear in order to follow our God-given passion. By His grace, God will write well-crafted stories with our lives, not only because He loves us, but also so others may learn from them.
GM : 07
You Have A Friend Request Can You Relate By Thom Mollohan
Got a lot of friends on Facebook? In time, I imagine that we will see profound changes in the way that we define friendship. I expect that research will indicate dramatic decreases in fulfillment in friendships even as people reach out wider and wider for meaningful connections with others.
GM : 08
Technology, like cell phones and the Internet and specifically social applications like Facebook, is revolutionizing the way people interact and connect. As the changes unfold before us, there are certain implications we would do well to consider.
Consider the fact that the word “friend” is becoming intricately laced with the Internet experience. Not only has the number of “friends” on Facebook become a status symbol, but one can score “friends” without even knowing who the “friends” are, therefore rendering moot any previous notion of what it means to be a “friend” and diluting what it means to have a true friend.
If a friend’s words have hurt you, stop for a moment and compare those words with the truth of God’s Word. If they don’t measure up, then we discard them and guard our hearts for the next encounter. But if in them, we see God’s truth reflected, however painful, then we should try to swallow our pride and ask God to help us to make the adjustments which He sent this true fiend to reveal as necessary.
As the careless and casual ways of using the word “friend” become more and more integrated into our thinking, the word “friend” itself will likely lose power and significance, possibly obscuring the importance of the kind of relationship that we need and deeply crave. Heidegger, a German philosopher, who may have had Nazi sympathies, once observed that, “Man acts as though he were the shaper and master of language, while in fact language remains the master of man.” While his dubious associations and non-theistic world view may cast dispersions on his general perspective, the fact that language shapes thought is undeniable. Thus, an increasing level of vagueness for the word “friend” will leave us in a quandary when we try to define what it means to truly connect with peers, have trusted confidantes and faithful companions in the journey of life. The words for “friend” in the Bible, however, have similar linguistic challenges. The Hebrew word “rēa” and the Greek “philos” mean friend in just about all the ways that our English word means it, ranging from “colleague” to “bosom buddy.” Nevertheless, the Scriptures talk about a type of friend that epitomizes what friendship is and what it does for us.
“ The word ‘friend’ itself will likely lose power and significance, possibly obscuring the importance of the kind of relationship that we need and deeply crave. ”
*
*
First, there is an aspect of acceptance about friendship—much deeper than being added as a friend on Facebook. Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times.” Genuine friendship is not fickle. Likely, we all have had experiences with fair weather friends who enjoyed our resources when there was much to be shared, but faded from view when need and sorrow came. We therefore should deeply esteem the treasure of those who love us unconditionally and faithfully, and also strive, ourselves, to be faithful to our friends in times of plenty and in need and hurt. Second, a friend is one who both says and does what we need, and not merely pays lip service to us. Proverbs 27:6 says, “Words from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” Enemies rarely come to us with flaming swords and obvious hatred, but often approach with friendly
“One of the highest virtues quickly identified with true friendship is personal sacrifice on behalf of another, even to the point of death.”
*
Third, friends have staying power. “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). We should seek out and treasure true friends. At the same time, we should desire to become a true friend to those whose hearts have been knit together with ours by God. “Do not forsake your friend and the friend of your father, and do not go to your brother’s house when disaster strikes you—better a friend nearby than a brother far away” (Proverbs 27:10). One of the highest virtues quickly identified with true friendship is personal sacrifice on behalf of another, even to the point of death. Of course, Jesus is the very essence of perfect friendship and is the very best friend we can have. Jesus said, “Greater love has no man than this, that He lay down His life for His friends” (John 15:13). For Christ, this meant being beaten and crucified for our sake. How marvelous is the friendship that God has offered to us through Jesus Christ! He laid down His sinless life for us although we were consumed with sin, guilty and stained! True friendship has reached down from heaven looking past our selfish motives and troubled lives. He has offered us hope and healing by releasing us from the power of fear, and the clinging weight of sin. We are placed on a path of fellowship with God Himself. There is no greater friend than Jesus, and no greater calling for us today than to become true friends with Him in obedience as we allow His friendship to flow through us into the lives of those around us who are not only lonely and hapless, but also lost and hopeless. We can trust our perfect Friend to lead us today to become a true friend to someone in need. Not friends with Jesus yet? Why not add Him today!
GM : 09
DEBT
VS.
SAVINGS
FA I T H& E FINANC
by Matt Fraser
Recently a friend posed a question concerning debt and savings. Is it better to pay extra on debt or put more in savings? This is a great question because it gets us thinking about these two very good activities. Unfortunately the answer is a little more complicated than a simple either/or. The answer largely depends on how much debt we have and what our goals are. ears-ready-to-scratch, fun-in-the-sun buddy is gone! First, understand that debt is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s a neutral thing—like a banana or a shirt. Like other things, debt can be bought, sold, marketed, misused, abused, and can also be used wisely. But unlike most bananas and shirts, debt can profoundly affect our lives in the long term. Debt can be used to our advantage, enabling us to purchase things that would otherwise be out of our financial reach, such as a house or a car. It provides businesses with a way to leverage their production as they expand. And yet the downside of debt can be severe. Debt comes with a cost—it’s called interest—and by the time we pay off a large debt and the associated interest, we may have paid much more than the actual value of the item purchased. When we leverage ourselves with debt, we have to count on our income stream remaining steady in order to make our payments. If our income diminishes significantly, we’re in trouble. It’s easy to take on debt hastily and end up at the bottom of a huge financial hole with seemingly no way to get out. In the final analysis, debt should be used like a ladder to help us reach our goals—not a shovel to dig our own pit. Besides the obvious financial aspects, debt can have a spiritual effect on us, as well. It can cause us to become too dependent on material things and limit our opportunities. (Many mission organizations require their missionaries to be debt-free.) Debt can make it so easy to accumulate things that we lose our focus on God and become greedy— always wanting more.
GM : 10
The parable of the seeds in Matthew 13:22 applies well here. “The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.” If we aren’t careful, debt can suck vitality from our lives as it binds us to worldly institutions, focuses our eyes on the next payment, and gives us a taste of the cake before we discover what we actually must swallow. OK, so what about savings? Saving for saving’s sake alone can be just as spiritually dangerous as being in debt; however, saving that is guided by appropriate planning and an open heart can be a very good thing. It’s helpful to divide our savings into four types of funds: short-term, mid-term, long-term and emergency. Short-term savings should be kept to cover expenses anticipated in the next year or two. Mid-term funds should be set aside considering the next five years, like automobile purchases or big trips, and long-term savings should be used in planning for as far ahead into the future as we dare—kids’ college funds, maybe? Arguably the important of these is an emergency fund. If at all possible, we should set aside enough to cover expenses for six months and keep enough available for those unexpected expenses that sometimes catch us by surprise, like a blown transmission. Here’s a good way to create an emergency fund: each month for six successive months, buy a six-month CD at a local bank. If successful in this endeavor, when the seventh month rolls around, we will have funds available, if needed. If the funds are not needed, we can let the CD renew automatically. This way the money is not burning a hole in our pockets, but one of the CDs will be maturing each month in case we do really need it. We all struggle with the discipline of saving. Sometimes, I feel like a miser who would die atop a pile of gold dressed in a worn-out shirt and old pants worried that something might happen to my treasure. But, God asks us to be open with His money—it is all His money,
by the way. In the context of savings, we should be more inclined to forgo saving in order to meet the need of another. Like they say, we can’t take it with us, but we can send it on ahead. Finally, in answer to the original question: If we don’t have an emergency fund then building one should be a high priority for us. Having extra cash on hand when emergencies occur can keep us from falling back on high interest debt, such as credit cards, often the first step into a dangerous debt spiral. After this is established, we can evaluate where our priorities are. If we really want to become debt-free, we should attack our debt with a firm plan and a defined budget. We can easily get discouraged in the process if we haven’t fully thought out our goals. On the flip side, if we’re comfortable with our payments, and we have cash in hand with no immediate purpose, we can start growing our savings, while remaining sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit to give to those in need. However, we should avoid making this type of decision based on how we feel at the moment. It is wise to plan for giving within our budget, and then be busy praying about how God wants us to use it. This minimizes the emotion factor and enables us to make sound decisions based on God’s leading. Sometimes, trying to keep tabs on our finances can feel like wrestling an alligator, but we don’t need to get pulled under by it. God has promised to take care of our needs (Matthew 6:25-34). At the same time, He wants us to be responsible with what He’s given us (Matthew 25:14-30). As we start to think about our goals and what we’ve done in the past. We may find that we haven’t done so well, and we need to change a few things and reprioritize. Or, we may find that we’re in better shape than we thought. The important thing is to go through the process of making goals and structuring a plan. Simply letting these things happen is a greater risk than having lots of debt or no savings at all.
GM : 11
CORNERED BY GRACE // BY ROB BEAMES
DROP TH E
BaNanA
I
don’t want to rush Christmas, but considering the heat wave that is hovering over most of the nation, perhaps it’s not a bad idea to imagine Santa Clause sweeping through a deep, cold Christmas snow. Who knows, it might even be a bit therapeutic. Santa makes me think of a modern remake of the popular Christmas movie “Miracle on 34th Street,” in which an attorney tries to prove that Santa exists by citing the words written on a dollar bill: “In God We Trust.” He concluded that if the United States government can put its faith in an entity without providing any proof of its existence, then by the collaborative belief of the citizens of New York City, the judge should accept that Santa Claus exists in the person of Kris Kringle. In the movie’s climax, the judge is persuaded and the entire city breaks out in a joyous celebration.
GM : 12
In reality, you and I certainly aren’t wrestling with whether Santa exists, and most of us take for granted that God exists too. Rather, the issue we wrestle with is the manner in which God exists in our lives. We might readily believe, by faith, that God’s presence in our life is constant and benevolent toward us. Yet, as we go about our daily lives we may distrust this truth more than we know. Given our past experience, it’s easy to pervert God’s role in our lives to match the flawed authority figures we known, such as a power-hungry police officer, an overbearing parent, a humiliating boss, a cruel landlord, etc. All of these flawed relationships have subtly formed a backdrop for our thoughts about God, even though we may not realize it. A well known English short story writer of the 1930s, W. W. Jacobs, wrote a story that burned an intense imprint on my mind from the first time I read it. As the story goes, a couple find themselves in the possession of a monkey paw, which promises to grant them three wishes. As many of us might do, they spend their first wish asking for a ton of money. The enchanted appendage immediately produces, but only through the death of their beloved, albeit heavily insured, son in a vicious car wreck. After they discover the source of their newly found wealth, the mother hastily wishes her son back home alive. Soon, there is an eerie knock at their front door by the hand of a scarred, partially decomposed, walking zombie! Too afraid to look at their son’s now repugnant existence, the father mercifully uses the last wish to return their son to the grave from which he came. It may be imperceptible to us, but too often, we act as if God deals with us like the wicked monkey paw in the story dealt with that couple—like He’s out to make us the butt of cruel ironies. However, this isn’t the way Jesus described God’s nature:
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; He who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a ta scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:9-13)
Sadly, we often don’t “ask” God, because we fear we will get what we want only at a grave price. We are sometimes afraid to “seek,” because we don’t know if we’ll want what we “find.” At times, we are hesitant to “knock” for fear the “door will be opened” by a hideous creature. Yet, this scripture, as well as many like it, clearly and gently rebuke this counterfeit concept of God. In our sinful state we too readily believe lies about who God is. Since we know we actually deserve a snake, it’s difficult to believe this is not the way God treats His precious children. We may conceive our reward to be a poisonous scorpion, so we don’t want to accept our Father’s loving response to His prized possessions. Ultimately, we can be sure of this fact: God “knows how to give good gifts” to us. He not only knows how to do so, but He continually gives to us in the person and presence of the Holy Spirit. At one time or another we have all wanted God to be like Santa and unload a big, red bag of toys, but He gives us much more than that. He gives us Himself! Only in His faultless wisdom, can He know that this is the best, most treasured gift He could possibly give to us. This truth is difficult to believe at times, especially when we experience pain, loss or brokenness. What we experience at the hand of our loving Father doesn’t always seem to match what He’s revealed about His incredible loving nature toward us. But we can be certain He experiences every minute of what we experience alongside of us. He paid an incredible price for the right to do just that! It’s been said that all one has to do to catch a monkey is to put a piece of fruit in a tree trunk with a hole only big enough for the monkey’s hand to fit. Supposedly, once the monkey has the fruit in his hand, he will refuse to loosen his clinched fist, even to free himself. We can have this kind of absurd tenacity when it comes to holding on to false images of God. Sometimes it’s difficult to let go, even if it means our freedom. Given what Jesus has revealed about God’s character, we should no longer believe that God would try to “set us up,” like some control-hungry villain. No, we can trust in His constant goodness toward us—even if it doesn’t always seem good to us. It’s alright to drop the banana—that one held tightly in the fist of the monkey’s paw. That false, monkey-paw concept of God can go, too. We are now free to grab onto the truth that He’s revealed about Himself—and bask in it! (I believe He wanted me to remind you of this.)
GM : 13
P R AY I N G HIS WILL B E D O N E PRESS ON
BY WILL DOLE
Most of us have read or recited numerous times the words taken from the Lord’s Prayer, “Your will be done,” but how often have we truly pondered what that means? What is the significance of requesting that God’s will be done?
GM : 14
PHOTO COURTESY OF DILLA AWALUDDIN
When we pray, we are approaching God as a child does a loving father. It’s sometimes difficult to associate the fact—especially since we can’t see Him—that God isn’t some faceless, nameless force in the sky. Neither is He the flawed, violent, condescending, harsh, neglectful, cruel, uncaring, mean, or otherwise sinful father we may have in this world. No, He is the perfect Father to us all, especially to the fatherless. Regardless of the type of relationship we have had with our dad here on earth—if we had one at all—we can trust that God will consistently treat us in a loving and caring way. Nevertheless, when we make requests to Him, we should keep in mind that He is sovereign. This means He is allpowerful over all that He has made, and that He has a perfect plan which will be carried out. That may not sound comforting, because it means we are not in control. Yet, because He knows us and has entered intoa relationship with us, His control is the best thing for us.
“ We should also keep in mind that
GOD DEEPLY LOVES US, HE CARRIES OUT HIS PLANS FOR OUR LIVES.
“
AND FROM THIS LOVE
We also should keep in mind that God deeply loves us, and from this love He carries out His plan for our lives. This being true, after a while we may start to wonder if we need to pray. We might think that if God is all powerful and is going to execute His plan anyway, there is no point in praying. Why should we take our cares to God who already knows them? That’s a good question.
Part of the answer lies in the question itself. We should take our cares to God because He already knows them. When we put these two truths together and understand them— the fact that He is both all-knowing and all-powerful—we can truly pray “Your will be done.” Since God will see His perfect will done in the end, we should ask for it, too. It helps us align our heart with His.
“God cares more about the loving relationship He offers us, than about our comfort, success or even our earthly life.”
This is how Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, “Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42). It’s amazing to think that Jesus Christ, God incarnate, the second member of the Trinity, humbled Himself to join us in our human plight. This prayer is lifted up just before Jesus is betrayed by Judas and turned over to be crucified, so He’s pretty desperate. But that’s just part of it. No doubt His greater anguish stems from knowing that something is about to happen for the first and only time in all of history, written and unwritten: the separation of Jesus Christ from God the Father. The excruciating physical pain of the crucifixion is surely secondary to the emotional and spiritual affliction Jesus is about to undergo. So in His moment of extreme distress, what does Jesus do? He prays. Jesus goes to the One who holds the entire world in the palm of His hand, and humbly makes His requests. He acknowledges His pain, His anxiety, and His sorrow. He admits that He would much rather not bear this pain, and if He could take another route, He would. But most importantly He submits to the will of the Father. And after He had done so, God sent an angel to give Him strength. Did God change the path for Jesus? No, but He did provide the means to endure it. God cares more about the loving relationship He offers us, than about our comfort, success or even our earthly life. When we recognize that we have a loving Father who not only created us, but intensely loves us, we can trust that He will always act in our best interest. Sometimes this trust comes by faith alone, because it’s difficult to understand or experience at the time. But, when we ponder God’s true character, we can sincerely pray “Your will be done.” Coming to this place of humility will radically transform our prayer life. It takes God out of the box where our minds so often confine Him, and restores Him to His rightful place on the throne of our lives.
GM : 15
THE RECAP BOOK REVIEW: Imaginary Jesus by JEFFREY BRIDGMAN
Imaginary Jesus by Matt Mikalatos is an excellent book with both serious and funny material. As a depiction of the author’s journey to discover the real Jesus, it confronts some of the darkest questions of the Christian faith. At the same time it is a comedy of bizarre characters, such as a talking donkey, and strange events, such as an inner tube race down a ski slope with a philosophical intent— reminiscent of Calvin and Hobbes. It also contains some exaggerated, fast-paced action, like getting smashed in the face by a metal bar in a fight between two imaginary saviors. The reader can’t help but laugh when the two are subsequently healed by a televangelist also named Jesus— Mikalatos must have drawn on his years of clerking in a comic book store for that one. In any case, this book is never boring and it leaves the reader wanting more at the end of each chapter. The story begins with Matt and a foot-bouncin’, iPod listenin’ Jesus hanging out at a cafe in Portland. Matt’s life takes a turn for the bizarre when a stranger, who we find out is actually the Apostle Peter, walks in and punches Jesus in the face. This helps Matt to realize that the man he was hanging out with was an imaginary, powerless Jesus, who is not capable of saving him from getting a parking ticket. (Although, I think mine may have totally saved me from getting a parking ticket last week.) The story continues with Matt embarking on a wild chase to hunt down and “deal with” this impostor, hoping to uncover the real Jesus. But, you still may be wondering, what in the world is an “imaginary Jesus”? The book does a good job articulating this, so below are some quotes that should help explain what the author means by this term. “They’re constructs that tell you what Jesus will say or do, how he feels, what he thinks, without ever having to get to know him.” “People invent a Jesus for one specific reason and then discard him when they don’t need him anymore.... The real Jesus is inconvenient. He doesn’t show up when you call. He asks for unreasonable things. He frightens people. He can be immensely frustrating.” At one point Matt’s own Imaginary Jesus explains: “You say you want to get rid of me, but every time you send me away you call me back. The first problem you face, the first time you pray and don’t get an immediate answer, you call me back, and extrapolate answers to your own questions. You’re praying to yourself Matt.... But time after time you keep returning to me because deep down you prefer me to the real thing.”
Essentially, the author is describing lies we tell ourselves, and others have told us, about who Jesus is—lies that lead us away from Christ. One of the goals of this book is to point out the concept of error realization. We can’t correct something until we know it’s wrong. If we don’t know that our concept of Jesus is false, we won’t know to “punch him in the face,” and search for the real thing. Matt recounts a time when his wife’s wrists were hurting. He prayed for her and within minutes the pain went away. Then he questioned, “What had just happened? As strange as this may sound, this obvious answer to our prayer frightened me. This was an unexpected and slightly terrifying Jesus.... How do you deal with a God who breaks all the rules such as the one which says, ‘God doesn’t do miracles today,’ that your confident, well-meaning friends have told you he will follow?” Matt eventually concludes he can’t control Jesus, and is frightened by this fact. But this seemingly good, albeit scary, event later becomes the root of Matt’s doubt and causes him to invent yet another imaginary Jesus. It happens during another situation when they need a miracle, and this time God doesn’t act. Matt explains: “Sometimes seeing miracles makes the later lack of them that much harder.” Anyone who reads this book is likely to discover they have created their own false concept of Jesus. I certainly did. In the course of my walk with Jesus, I have to admit I’ve turned my back on Him at times because, “I didn’t want to serve a God like that.” Now I understand that these times of turning away often stemmed from an imaginary Jesus who I created, but was tired of serving. I’ve definitely met Legalist Jesus. He’s the one that speaks lies like, “I don’t know why you expect God to show up. You haven’t been good enough,”or “God doesn’t love you when you disobey Him.” I’ve also met Bargain Jesus—the one that will answer our prayers only if we keep our side of the deal. Both of these gods were so unattractive they almost made me turn away from Christ entirely. But in reality, I was missing the real Jesus, which is why it’s so important to realize we often have these false images hanging around. There are probably more of these false concepts of Jesus in my life that I’ve yet to uncover, but this book helped open my eyes to this critical issue. Following the sound advice of this book, we should seek out these false ideas of Jesus, and send them packing with “a swift punch to their faces and a good kick in their shins.” Don’t worry, the real Jesus will approve.
GM : 16