Change in perspective

Day 8
OT Reading: Genesis 20-22
NT Reading: Matthew 7

For several months I've been meeting with a gentleman currently housed in the Dubois County Security Center (really smart, well-rounded guy who has just made some bad decisions). He's showed an incredible desire to dig in and read the Bible, and as he's started to read Genesis lately he's made a discovery that a lot of people miss or never realize.

Ready for it?

A lot of these people in the Bible are really, REALLY messed up.

After openly telling me about this shocking new revelation of his, I could not have been more thrilled with the next statement out of his mouth. It was simply, "And that makes me believe in it even more..."

You see my friend, like many individuals, had come to believe that the Bible was full of examples of perfect people who NEVER messed up and NEVER strayed from the path that God had set out for them. Then, he started reading and found something quite different.

He went on to say that if he had written the Bible, he would have made it full of perfect examples. But the blatant imperfection of even some of the most well-known characters showed him an honesty and a level of authenticity that he had never seen before.

I'm afraid that too often we revere these men and women we read about as if they had a "special in" with God and didn't ever stray from His will. But as we look through the Scriptures, we see that Jesus alone was perfect. Outside of Jesus let's not forget that no matter how much they wrote, prayed, or were involved in God's plan...let's see them as they were...broken, flawed, and messed up sinners...just like the rest of us.

Playing Favorites

Day 7

OT Reading: Genesis 18-19

NT Reading: Matthew 6

A couple years ago we did a sermon series called "Things I wish Jesus Never Said"¹. Some people were shocked that we'd dare say there were things we wish weren't in the Bible. These are usually the same individuals who, when you ask for their favorite Bible verse, story or book will say, "Well I like all of them."

If we're really honest, there are passages that we really love in the Bible, and those we don't. For example, "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:13, NIV) is one that's very popular and uplifting. However there are also passages like James 4:17 which read, "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." (NIV) Yeah...not a big fan of that one. Don't get me wrong. Just because we may wish it were not there, doesn't exclude us from following God's Word. However, if we're honest, we can all recognize some of those verses that we'd rather just scratch out.

I say all that because of two small verses that showed up today. In Matthew 6:14-15 we read this:

"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

See what I mean? You might not like it...I may not like it. Especially when someone has wronged me in some way. But the fact is, Jesus tells us to forgive...otherwise we will not be forgiven.

It doesn't mean there will be immediate reconciliation. It doesn't mean the wrong-doings are forgotten. It doesn't mean that he or she has "gotten away with it". But it does mean that if I'm a follower of Jesus, I need to be willing to say to someone who has wronged me, "you don't owe me anything...you're forgiven."

This may be one of the hardest concepts to grasp in the Christian faith. And frankly it would seem completely unfair and impossible...if Jesus hadn't done it all first.

So...as you read through this today...who do you need to forgive?

¹This sermon series idea was not original with us at CCJ. We picked it up from Community Christian Church in Naperville, IL.

Simple thought for a Saturday

Day 6

OT Reading: Genesis 15-17

NT Reading: Matthew 5:27-48

Just because it's the weekend doesn't mean we can take a break from following Jesus. That's an every day commitment :-). But just briefly, I'd like to offer something to consider from today's reading.

In Genesis 16:13 Hagar refers to God as "the God who sees me." In Hagar's time this thought would have been pretty radical as most people believed that there were hundreds or even thousands of gods...any of which may be nearby or nowhere to be found. In their minds it would be quite possible to get away with something without a certain god seeing you (think back to when you would sneak cookies so your mom wouldn't notice).

But Hagar had an experience, an assurance that God saw and knew what she was going through. Reading this led me to two brief questions:

1. What are you going through right now? Have you recognized that God sees and knows exactly what's going on...even if you don't see any evidence of his activity? (Look up Hebrews 13:5 if you're in need of a reminder.)

2. How would your everyday language, attitude and actions be different if you kept in the front of your mind the fact that God sees all you do?

That's it for now. Have a great Memorial Day weekend everyone!

Salt and Light

Day 5

OT Reading: Genesis 12 - 14

NT Reading: Matthew 5:1-26

You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:13-16, NIV

Growing up in Sunday School we sang, "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine..." But as I've grown I've found that concept easier to sing and talk about than actually do. Based on nothing but my own personal experience, evangelism in general is an idea that strikes fear into the hearts of many Christians. The idea seems to be that if we're not constantly turing a conversation back to Jesus (I know we were talking about the new overtime rule, but let me ask you, when your time is over do you know where you'll spend eternity?), or if we're not able to answer all the questions someone has...we feel as though we're somehow failing at this.

But then a few years ago I learned something about evangelism in a rather unlikely place. The lesson didn't come in a class or through a book...I'd been through those...I learned about evangelism through...my job. And I don't mean my "I work in a church" job. I mean my "I work for a secular company doing work like any other person" job. It may seem weird, but I learned more about evangelism in my secular job than I ever did from books, Bible College or Graduate School.

You see, from the moment I was hired, everyone knew I was an ordained minister...so my cover was blown before I began. But as I settled into the tasks related to the job itself, I began to see that I didn't need to be "that minister guy who for some reason is working here..." I just needed to be me...an imperfect guy trying to follow Jesus a little more every day. And over the course of the next 18 months a lot of relationships were built, some of them pretty close. During my time there, a LOT of conversations happened...most of them not directly spiritual. But occasionally someone would ask to sit down and talk about something that really mattered. When people began to see me as Mark, and not the aforementioned "minister here for some odd reason" a lot of doors began to open up to truly having serious conversations.

Please understand, not once was did someone fall down at my desk and say, "What must I do to be saved?" And looking back I know I didn't take advantage of every opportunity that came my way...frankly if anything there were too many times that I "put my lamp under a bowl". But one thing I can say, if I had not spent a good bit of time there, I would have little idea of what it means to be salt and light.

A reoccurring story

Day 4

OT Reading: Genesis 9-11

NT Reading: Matthew 4

Today is yet another day where we were introduced to a whole lot of names. In fact, chapter 10 was pretty much all names with small details thrown in. Unless you really enjoy those sorts of things, just skim through them, trying to pick up any of the small details or stories that are sometimes thrown in. You'll likely see me say this a few dozen more times before we're done reading the Bible.

Mark Twain is credited with saying, "History never repeats itself; but it often rhymes."

I'm not sure if you noticed...but that is a pretty accurate picture of the first 11 chapters of Genesis. It all went something like this: Man sinned. God punished man for his sins. God gave man another chance. Think about it. How else would you sum up the story of the garden of Eden? What about the flood? And how about the Tower of Babel? The details changed, so history wasn't repeating itself. But it sure did seem to rhyme.

Yes, man did still have to deal with the consequences of his sin (being kicked out of the garden, having to start over after the flood, etc). But each time God opened another opportunity...another chance...another choice to serve Him or to disobey Him.

The weird part, for me at least, is that we're only four days into reading the Bible, and I know that we are going to see this pattern throughout the Bible. From Abraham to the nation of Israel, to David to Jonah, this will be the story. The details will change but the story will rhyme in much the same way.

And that's much of my story. I mess up, I still do have to deal with the consequences, though thankfully Jesus paid the price in my place, and God gives me another chance. So...here's to the God of second chances.

and third...

and forth...

and fifth...

Uncomfortable moments brought to you by...John the Baptist.

Day 3

OT Reading: Genesis 6-8

NT Reading: Matthew 3

Most things I read tell me that it takes 21 days to build a habit. So if you're reading with me, today is day three and I hope you're still going strong. If you've missed a day, it's not a problem...we're still very early in the process and you can easily make up time or even invite someone to join with you. That will be a little more difficult when we're on day 157 :-). So give yourself a little grace, catch up if need be, and press forward.

In today's reading we came across a man named John the Baptist. He had this name because he was baptizing, not because he was a member of a certain church (e.g. Jim the Methodist, Phil the Presbyterian, etc.). And in the little bit of speech we have recorded, it's apparent that John has some less than flattering words for the religious types of his day. Unfortunately these aren't comfortable ideas to wrestle with...but reading the Bible isn't all about feeling warm and fuzzy (See the list in 2 Timothy 3:16 if you'd beg to differ). I see three quick hits that may make it into sermon form some day:

1. True repentance translates into change. John the Baptist told the most church-going people of his day to "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance." (Matthew 3:8, NIV) Repentance isn't just feeling bad for how I've been living...it's actually changing to live the way God desires. In fact I love how Martin Luther stated it when he said that, "All of a Christian's life is one of repentance.¹" Too often I, and others, have been content to ignore this simple truth.

2. Your religious tradition won't save you. Unfortunately I meet a lot of people who believe that their church attendance, or the fact that they were brought up in a church years ago, or that they have church membership at a certain place assures that they and God are tightlikethis. John told these religious folks that while they flaunted the fact they were Abraham's descendants, God wasn't impressed.

3. John's purpose was ultimately about Jesus. While this idea is in Matthew, this is really clear over in the Gospel of John, where John the Baptist (trying to keep my Johns straight) says, "He must become greater; I must become less." (John 3:30, NIV) John was all about pointing people to Jesus. I know that too often I get those backwards, thinking that I'm the one that must become greater. And unfortunately my actions sometimes begin to reflect that mentality. But John shows that his purpose was to be about Jesus.

Three different ideas, all from John the Baptist. I suppose the question is, which one makes you the most uncomfortable? Because that's probably where God is wanting you to grow the most.

¹Paraphrased from the first of Luther's 95 Theses, available here if you're really interested in reading :-).

Trueish*

Day 2

OT Reading: Genesis 3-5

NT Reading: Matthew 2

"'You will not surely die,' the serpent said to the woman. 'For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.'"

Genesis 3:4-5 (NIV)

According to the definition I just made up while sitting at my desk, the word "trueish" is defined as "A lie wrapped up in just enough truth that it becomes a lot easier to accept."

Consider the following statements:

• It's not like you're hurting anyone.
• God wants you to be happy.
• You deserve it.

Sound familiar? Probably, because these are the sorts of statements that usually come to mind when we're considering doing things our way instead of God's way. And they're all trueish. I mean, God does want me to be happy (though that's not His primary concern...more on that another time). I may not be hurting anyone (at least...not right this moment). And I may feel like I deserve it (of course I'm the only one determining whether I really do or not).

Today's reading shows us that this is exactly how Satan came to Eve...with some trueish claims. Satan said that Eve wouldn't die, and she didn't...at least, not immediately. Satan told Eve that she would be more like God, knowing good and evil, and she did...though Satan didn't mention what she'd be losing with her disobedience. The fact is, Satan loves to use trueish statements in an effort to get any one of us to take a bite (we'll see this again in a couple days when we read Matthew 4).

Funny isn't it? How so often we replace the Truth (see John 14:6) with trueish. So before we get too critical of Adam and Eve why don't we ask ourselves, what have we been wholeheartedly beleiving that's really only trueish?

*To give credit where it's due, I first heard the phrase "trueish" from Lifechurch.tv who did a sermon series by this title.

In the beginning...

Day: 1

OT Reading: Genesis 1-2

NT Reading: Matthew 1

So it begins. I've committed myself to read the entire Bible over the course of the next year. And while I doubt I'll have something witty or profound to say after each reading, I do hope it happens on occasion. But more than anything I hope to be real with who I am, what I'm experiencing and how I'm being impacted by this journey through God's Word.

So to start things out I'll just be up front. I've never been very good about reading the Bible. Sure I study it for my job...I do it when I need to study or come up with an answer, but honestly I've never had a consistent habit of spending time in God's word for personal growth. I know that as a Christian (and especially as a preacher), I should feel like the Psalmist when he says, "I long for your salvation, O LORD, and your law is my delight." (Psalm 119:174, NIV) But the truth is that too often I've just been content to let that part of my spiritual life slide by.

Maybe you find that appalling...maybe you find it encouraging. But that's part of why I'm doing this. That is part of the reason I'm putting this out for everyone to see...even those who listen to me preach on Sundays and may quietly believe I not only have a Bible under my pillow at night, but a waterproof translation so I can make use of those valuable "shower quiet times" as well. Through this I hope that everyone knows that I, like everyone else, am on my own spiritual journey as I try to become more like Jesus...and I'm not there yet.

So about today's passage. Today's reading included a genealogy, a list of a bunch of people all related to each other. Now, to be honest, most of the time I skim through such lists simply because I don't know who many of these people were (and sometimes really have to work to even pronounce their names). But today was different.

If you were at CCJ yesterday, you heard how God's plan to redeem all people back to himself actually began in Genesis 12 with Abram (i.e. Abraham) and continues on today. (If you weren't at CCJ and you'd like to listen to the message, you can go here and find it under the "Recent Sermons" heading with 05.23.2010 as the date.) And as I came to this passage in Matthew I was struck how it began with Abraham, and ended with Jesus. There, right before me was laid out the entire line of how God blessed the whole world through Abraham just like He promised back in Genesis 12:1-3. Maybe it was because I just preached it, but today that stood out to me as pretty cool to be able to see for myself.

So what about you? What most stood out to you from your first day of reading?

NIV? KJV? NLT? RSVP? ASAP?

One of the questions that I hear from time to time has to do with versions of the Bible. And it makes sense because a quick glance at the christianbook.com website lists at least 43 translations of the Bible...and I'm not including anything listed under the title "other." So why are there so many? Which one do you go with? Is one better than another? If you're joining with me and reading through the Bible (beginning May 24, 2010, reading guide available here), this may be a question you're asking...so I wanted to talk about it just a bit.

So you know, I don't have any endorsement deal on a particular version of the Bible...yet (are you listening Zondervan? Thomas Nelson? Holman? yeah...didn't think so). But I do have some standard recommendations. If you're just interested in those, skip to the end.

Why are there so many translations?

Mainly for the same reason that there are so many different pizza places, shoe companies and paint colors...everyone likes something just a little bit different. And each translation has its own specific purpose and approach.

Some translations try to be more literal to the text (i.e. word for word)...while not concerning themselves as much with readability. Others focus primarily on readability (i.e. thought for thought) while not being quite as particular about getting a word-for-word translation. Here is an excellent visual representation produced by Zondervan of how most of the major translations align themselves between these two choices.

Neither approach is "wrong", they're just different and are best suited for different purposes. A translation that's more "word for word" (e.g. ESV, NASB, NKJV) is great for study purposes. While a version more "thought for thought" (e.g. NLT, CEV) can be better suited for devotional purposes. At CCJ we use the NIV which has tried to pit itself in the middle, and (in my opinion) does a fair job of it.

One more comment about translations before I move on. You may also run into something called a "paraphrase", the most popular being The Message. The difference between a paraphrase and a translation is that translations/versions are translated from the original texts (Greek/Hebrew). A paraphrase is looking at an English translation, and trying to put it into common language. Again, not wrong...just a different approach...and one best suited for devotional rather than study-oriented purposes.

Which Bible should I go with?

The simple answer is...the one that you will actually read. If you understand 17th century English and love reading the King James Version -- more power to you! But that's not for me. So find one that's easy for you to read and understand.

So here are my recommendations of ones that I (or others) use:

ESV - Daniel, our worship minister, absolutely loves this translation, and I'm warming up to it. It's good for study purposes.

NASB - A favorite of mine for study purposes.

NIV - My everyday Bible. Used for study, devotion, preaching, etc. If you're around CCJ this is very familiar to you.

NLT - One that I've used for devotional purposes. I picked one up in college and found that using this as opposed to my other Bible helped me to not see the Bible just as a text book.

With that I think I've reached my limit on acronyms for the day. But before I go let me ask, what's your favorite and why?

While on the journey...

Please...please...while on the journey, do not stare directly into the eyes of the local wildlife.

I would, however, encourage you to bring someone along. Someone who you can talk face-to-face with about what you're reading/experiencing. Someone who will know where you are and where you're supposed to be. Someone who can keep you on track just in case you would wander off.

We don't need to do this alone. That's part of why God gave us each other.

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."

1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)

"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another -- and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

Hebrews 10:25 (NIV)

Conversation on the way...

One week from today I will begin working through the Bible in a year. And as I've said previously, I'm blogging about the experience in an effort to not only share thoughts, but maintain accountability.

But as I've been preparing for this experience I've been considering some of the points of conversation that we might talk about. So here are a few ideas that I've had:

1. Things that strike me about the day's reading. Maybe it will be something that God has really been teaching me lately, maybe just something I never noticed before. Things I like, things I don't like (yes...it's ok to admit that), or things that challenge me. Whatever just happens to hit me about the reading.
2. Questions I have. Some people don't like to admit it (or maybe I just don't like to admit it), but sometimes I read something in Scripture and just think, "What was that all about?" There are times that I can do some research and find the answer. However there are also times when no one really knows the answer. But regardless, I just hope to be authentic with some of the questions that I do have...so maybe whoever might peek at this will see that even professional ministerial-types have questions like everyone else.
3. Questions I receive. Have a question about something you read? Ask away! I am more than willing to do some poking around and researching about questions others may have. One of the reasons that I love what I do, is being able to help someone else understand the Bible more clearly. So feel free to ask. I may not know the answer, but I can certainly spend some time looking. If you don't want to ask a question publicly, you can always message me on Facebook, or shoot me an email, and we'll see about answering it.

So that's my plan. But if you're going on the journey with me let me ask you, what would you like to talk about?

My first comment

I had to laugh...I mean what else could you do. My eyes lit up as I saw the little "1" by the comment marker below. There, in that tiny little digitized number was the recognition that my blog had my very first comment. AWESOME!

So I click. Expecting to find someone excited to join me in my journey. Anticipating being able to feel the excitement of impending spiritual discovery just oozing from the words of some enamored individual. And upon the comment opening I read,

"Mark - 'the file is damaged and could not be repaired' - tried to look up your reading schedule"

It was my beloved, beautiful wife...telling me she could not read the PDF I had uploaded. awesome. Let's just say I had a good laugh at how quickly my self-importance faded away into the mudane fixing of an every day tech support issue (but more on my geek side another time). For the record, if you had that problem, it should be fixed now :-).

Over the weekend I plan to post a bit on what I might do here on my blog over the course of the next year. But right now, my cute little man (who coincidentally does think I'm one of the most awesome people in the world) needs to be picked up from daycare :-).

Blog through the Bible

It may surprise you (it's actually kind of a surprise to me), but I've never read through the entire Bible. Now I'm pretty sure I've read all of it at one point or another (I can even quote Habakkuk 3:15 for utter randomness), but in terms of starting and finishing the process of reading all of it in a pre-determined amount of time, that I've never done.

Not to say I think it's a test of how holy a person is. Nor do I think Simon Peter will be sitting at the gates of heaven saying, "Yeah you were close, but if you just could have read through the whole Bible..." But what I do think is that it's a great exercise to undertake for a couple reasons.

One, you see the entirety of Scripture in a more contextual way. You see how the story of God plays out in both the Old and New Testaments. You see how the history of following this God of ours spans across over four millennia of time, and you realize that we're all a part of that same story.

The second reason I think it's important is simply as a matter of discipline. Discipline is something that everyone knows is good for them, yet no one wants to do. Like flossing, eating five servings of vegetables a day and not opening up a bag of chips with your teeth. Yet, when followed through, we never seem to be disappointed of the results that discipline yields in our lives. And while some people insist that spending time with God should be one of those things true Christians just can't get enough of...well, it's not called a spiritual discipline for nothing.

So here's what I'm going to do. Beginning May 24, 2010. I'm going to blog my way through the Bible. Sure it's been done before, but that's not the point. The point is for me to do it. And as a method of accountability, I'm putting this blog out in the "real world" and inviting you to keep me to it.

I don't promise deep spiritual insights, and I can't say that I will post every single day. But I hope you'll stick around, and maybe some of you will even join me in the venture. I've posted my reading schedule here in case you want to join along. Each day will have readings from the Old and New Testaments so we don't get too bogged down.

So what do you say? Why not join me in the journey?