Saturday, November 12, 2011

Emotions in Limbo

Some of you may be wondering how it feels to be daily setting Cru's record for the longest visa delay. I could turn the question around and ask how it feels while you are waiting for Christ's second coming, but that isn't a direct answer--though hopefully it is convicting.

What's a more immediate illustration of what being in visa limbo feels like? Here are a few snapshots from today:

It's having two of my pastor's adorable little daughters sitting in my lap, playing with my shirt and offering me Play-Doh cookies, then remembering that I can't commit to doing kid's ministry because I could be gone any Sunday now.

It's overhearing the Christmas choir practicing in the sanctuary and wanting to join them, but knowing that I can't when Incarnation Day outreaches are perhaps the year's biggest assignment for my Tokyo team.

It's being somewhat embarrassed to admit to a friend that I don't have solid Thanksgiving plans, and probably won't be able to say for such if I'll be there until a week prior (and not 100% even then).

It's having to ask another friend for their car keys so I can drive someone needing a ride to the BART station, because I've divested myself of the automobile.

It's seeing planning happen for various long-term ministries and wanting to be part of things beyond prayer, but learning to say 'no.'

In short, it's a waxing & waning form of tension. Thanks to the dear friends & family I have in Oakland, Granite Bay, Auburn and Sacramento, it has been much more bearable than in the first few weeks. When deep in conversation with them, I almost forget that I'm 'supposed' to be somewhere else.

It is truly odd to hope almost against hope that you won't see your 'til-now favorite people in the world and make memories with them during the holidays. What makes it less odd is remembering that God is in control and His Fatherly care & timing are best. And because of His Lordship in all things, I am truly supposed to be here for now--my desires notwithstanding. They need to learn to yield to Him in faith, and His promises will hold true at last.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Rest: Witness to the World

The previous two posts focused on God's command and our gospel-based obligation to rest. Now I'd like to highlight a third function of rest: its testimony to those who have not rested their trust on Jesus that life under His Lordship is different.

This is quite appropriate in connection with Japanese evangelism, as in the testimony of the famous author 三浦綾子 [Miura Ayako]. She has been called "the Japanese C.S. Lewis," as she's written both bestselling fiction with Christian themes and reflective essays on the Bible. The verses that she describes as first impressing her were those of Jesus: "Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

Submitting to Christ, though it does involve work in obeying Him, is here described in clear contrast to the burdensome work of slavery to sin and self. Though Miura-san may not have initially thought of herself as a slave to sin, she realized that Jesus was clearly promising a different life--and doing so with the authority to grant it to those who obeyed His word.

Here are three facets of the lightness of His yoke, which all stand in clear contrast to life apart from Christ.

1) "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

"So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

"Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." (Matthew 6:25-34)

This passage, familiar to many in the church, is more revolutionary than we think. A life free from temporal anxiety? Yes, if you are resting in the confidence that God your Savior is also able to provide everything you need as you go about doing His will. Jesus uses humor in comparing his followers to plants & birds, which are clearly taken care of by their Creator, and dismissing the need to fret over the future. A similar lightheartedness can be enjoyed by those who have taken His yoke upon them (repented of their sins and trusted in His death & resurrection on their behalf) and are stepping out in faith that He has done all the work for them to be saved and restored into the image of their Creator.

2) "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" (1 John 5:1-5)

Earlier in 1 John, the "disciple Jesus loved" (as he referred to himself in his account of Christ's earthly life, so enamored was he with his Savior's nearly unbelievable care for him) said that the clear commandment of God was to love one another, even as Jesus loved us. This command, like the other commands God gives us, is described as "not burdensome"--leading rather to rest.

When we obey God's revealed will in the Bible, we experience life as it was meant to be lived. Though our own corrupt hearts tempt us with thoughts of sin, though there is a spiritual realm that is partially in rebellion against God and influences events unseen by us, though others assume that we should all go our own independent way, these things can be "overcome" by faith--resting in the truth God has spoken about His only Son. Living by the Creator God's guidelines not only leads the believer into experiential rest, but also demonstrates to the world that God's commands can shape a visibly different life.

3) "Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load." (Galatians 6:1-5)

Paul, writing by the Holy Spirit, commands brothers and sisters in the faith to help each other in difficulties. If we are not overburdened with our own sins and worries through faith in Christ Jesus, we are free to share someone else's trials--some of which are far too large to be dealt with alone--as we continue confessing sin and obeying Him in daily life ("his own load").

This also challenges the very individualistic view of rest many people hold, having been raised in cultures where rest is equated with doing leisure activities, often solo. Rest in Christ is both individual, as no one can escape the necessity of personally repenting and having faith in God through Him, and corporate, in that we are able to spur one another on to love and good works as His return draws ever closer (Hebrews 10:24-25).

I hope this mini-series has provoked new thoughts for you on how God defines rest and blesses His people with it in Jesus. Feel free to comment below, but I pray most of all that you engage with the truth of His word in this matter.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Book Review #3: Once A Runner

Third in a series of 8. The book for this review is courtesy of Albert Li: John L. Parker Jr.'s Once a Runner.

~

I have an affinity to running. This doesn't mean I am one, at least not in the athletic sense. I habitually run for exercise, but I have only once run a 5K--and that because I had Cru friends running that same race with me, not for a competitive time. Some of my good Bay Area friends take it seriously, though, and one of my best friends helps coach a Sacramento track team, so in their wake I've begun to step up my involvement. A book that promised further inspiration? Why, sure.

The book concerns one Quenton Cassidy, mile runner at Southeastern U in the Vietnam-protest era. He is the track team's captain and enjoys all the perks of living fraternity-style with the team (while describing house in-jokes, Parker occasionally lost me in obscure prose). His left-wing views and relaxed attitude toward life are juxtaposed with the stodgy conservatism of the athletic department's leaderships, but the real contrast is one of dedication. The football team captain is painted as a flabby, nepotistic cad; Cassidy as a lean, stoic competitor.

His drive attracts the eye of graduate student and Olympic medalist Bruce Denton, who mentors him through the "Trial of Miles": daily long, repetitive jogs. Denton's encouragement becomes more individual when Cassidy runs afoul of the athletic department by offering him the chance to live as a jogging hermit and train obsessively while he still has a shot at record-setting glory.

The book's clear strength is its grasp on Cassidy's mental game, culled from the author's personal experience as a 4:06 miler in his youth. Some of the expressions were beyond my grasp, but the import was clear: dedication to the uttermost, to the point that it becomes routine. Parker apparently sees this as an almost animal drive, and repeated metaphors attempt to drive this point home, so much so that I wondered whether this was an indirect case for mankind's macro-evolution from beasts. But the skillfully handled relationships, particularly those among runners, humanize the zeal and sometimes affected prose. As in real life, it's the camaraderie that proves the most compelling case for athletic endeavors.


SUMMARY

Appreciated the psychological description of competition-grade athletic training and well-written bonds of friendship.

Disliked the extreme subtlety of certain chapters and overuse of animal imagery.

I would recommend this book to people who are at least sympathetic to sports, enjoy introspective writing and are either experienced readers or willing to read large chunks at a time.

Disclaimer: This book contains strong profanity and sexual immorality.