Story

My roommate, Nolan, and I started this thing called Pancakes and Stories at the beginning of the school year. Every week we invited a group of people over to our apartment for a pancake feast and medley of stories. We did this nearly every Saturday morning for the entire Fall Quarter. Pretty much every week we invited a different group of people who brought different stories and unique experiences to share, and we prompted them with questions to invite vulnerability and authenticity.

What is your favorite memory with your parents?

What was the event in high school that had the most significant impact on you?

When was a hard time in your life?

Pancakes and Stories started as an idea Nolan and I had over Skype during the summer. I was enamored with the ideas of "story" and "narrative", realizing that so many people have these experiences that have greatly shaped who they are. Some people have been waiting to share them with others. Some people have been reluctant to give a glimpse into that part of their life. Either way, we wanted to invite people to be more fully known.

The stories we heard were beautiful, and they were written by a Creator who wants to be intimately involved in our lives. Our hope was that Pancakes and Stories would be a way we could allow people to invite others into their personal narratives. We wanted to know people better, to know how their narratives have been shaped, and be able to walk through some of the highs and lows of our memories together. It was a really sweet time of fellowship that I am extremely grateful for. 

Pancakes and Stories was just the pinnacle of my interest in the idea of a story, though. Since high school, I have found this concept intriguing. Donald Miller wrote a book called A Million Miles in a Thousand Years that talks about living our lives as if they are a story. I've read it twice, and I would recommend it. He defines story as a character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it. Pretty vague, but applicable to every story ever written. It got me thinking about what the character in my story (myself) wants and what conflict I will have to overcome to get it. It also got me thinking about the bigger narrative that we are a part of. My story is not an independent entity solely shaped by my desires, but I am a part of the story that God is currently writing. 

It's easy to become very self-centered when I think of my life as a story. What do I want? How will this affect my life? Am I willing to take on the conflict that this will likely result in? One character in the Bible who experienced quite a bit of conflict was Job. He pretty much had everything taken away from him. If there are any things in your life that mean something to you, imagine losing all of it. Now, this is kind of Job's situation. Not easy. Donald Miller had this to say: "Job found contentment and even joy, outside the context of comfort, health or stability. He understood the story was not about him, and he cared more about the story then he did about himself." Job struggled with God, definitely, but he was able to realize the greater narrative. The narrative God is writing is not about us, it is about His glory. But He is a loving God that chose to write a story of redemption that involves unworthy people like you and me. 

With this being Christmas time, I can't help but reflect on how the birth of Jesus fits into the narrative that God is writing. Immanuel means "God with us" and that is exactly what happened when Christ was born. God came down to be with us and become involved in our stories. God intimately and intentionally chose to weave himself into the narratives we are trying to write for ourselves. As I celebrate this season, I fight the temptation to be convinced that Christmas is about fuzzy feelings, presents, and delicious cookies (though I do love those things). I want this season to be one where I can celebrate with joy the fact that God became involved in the life of a wretched sinner (myself) and died on the cross so that I could experience His forgiveness and presence. I want my life to be about bringing glory to my Savior, who has never left me nor forsaken me despite my continuous rebellion from Him. 

Repeat the Sounding Joy! Jesus is born! He invites us to be involved in his grand narrative! He wants us to know Him personally! Repeat the Sounding Joy!

Every Effort

(Wow, it's been a while since my last post.)

My job at the funeral home entails quite a bit of cleaning. While it has never been my favorite thing, I've grown to appreciate the satisfaction of seeing real, tangible change. A dusty shelf becoming clean. Immediate results. My tasks include vacuuming, dusting, and wiping down every object in the washroom, but none is more daunting than washing cars during the winter. As I walk into the garage, I no longer see the blue mini van that usually sits there, but instead, rests a faded white remnant, encrusted in salt, ice, and road grime. However, it is my job to make sure that the van is spotless, returned to it's original state and all of its navy blue glory. As I begin the task, I take careful steps to make sure that every inch of the car has been soaked with water, scrubbed with soap, rinsed, and dried. I want to please my boss, so I take care to check a second time to make sure that I didn't leave any spot blemished. Success. Unfortunately, tomorrow is a new day with a new layer of salt poured on the roads.

If only I spent the same amount of time, energy, and effort in my own life, to present myself spotless to God!

"So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless, and at peace with him." 2 Peter 3:14

The minute I read this verse earlier today, I felt convicted. Make every effort to be found spotless. Every effort. To state the obvious, this is not a call to check in once a day and see how well our fight with sin has been. This is a call to do everything we possibly can in order to be without sin and at peace with God. 

My own life seems wrought with sin at times. Probably because it is. I am a hypocrite. Of course, I'm not alone in this, as we all are hypocritical to some extent, but sometimes it seems to be exponentially worse in my own life. I proclaim that I care about people and want to see the end of injustice, inequality, poverty, and violence in this world, but I never actually take any steps to see that happen, besides signing the occasional online petition or sharing a link on Facebook to alert everyone of how much I care. I tell people that we are saved through our faith in Jesus and his death on the cross, but I struggle to shake the performance mentality that prevents me from fully grasping the grace that God has freely given to me. I would say in a heartbeat that I desire to tell people about the gospel so that they can experience the joy of a relationship with God, but I often cower in fear of what others will think about me, shying away from what I have come to believe is the only source of truth and life. 

If I am willing to go the extra mile to present the van as spotless for my earthly boss at the funeral home, how much more effort should I put forth in presenting myself spotless to the one who holds eternity in his hands? Now, of course, I believe that I am already seen as righteous, clean, and without blemish in Jesus. In putting forth effort to be spotless, I will never succeed in getting rid of all of the sin in my life. The righteousness I will need for salvation can only come from the Passover lamb who willingly died on the cross so that I could stand in the presence of God. But in my love and servitude to God, I still want to do what He commands, no matter how imperfectly I may do it. 

God says to seek justice (Isaiah 1:17). God says he is faithful to forgive confessed sins (1 John 1:9). Jesus says to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28). To go against the will of God is sin, so according to Peter, I should be making every effort to seek justice, rest in God's faithfulness, and make disciples of all nations. 

I can see so much sin in my life, yet there are times when passive indifference is the most attractive approach.  Peter, however, does not leave this as a feasible option. He calls Christians to make every effort to fight the sin in our lives so that we can present ourselves as spotless before God. This is not about performing routine checkups. This is about waging a constant, committed war against the many ways in which the enemy entices us. 

I am thankful for God's grace, that I do not need to rely on my own effort for salvation. I am a hypocrite. I will forget about this post later tonight, tomorrow, and the day after. I won't spend every effort trying to remain spotless. But my prayer is that in His goodness, God will grant me a continued desire to extend every effort in the fight against sin in my life. 

Enjoy

As I walk down the street, the sun is shining and the snow is melting.
It is a beautiful day.
Sin is heavy on my heart, though. Its deceit rearing its head.
I am happy. I am satisfied with the day, the weather.
However, something much deeper lingers within me, and I cannot enjoy it.
Sin grieves my soul, sucking the joy out of me.
As I stare at the sun through the trees, I am unable to enjoy the beauty.
But my enlightenment to this lack of joy brings me back to truth.
I have a God who gives me the freedom to no longer wallow in sin.
A God who gives me the freedom to feel forgiven.
A God who gives me the freedom to be fulfilled.
A God who gives me the freedom to be joyful.
Freedom to enjoy Him.
Despite my rebellious heart, despite my selfish ways, God is unchanging.
He is merciful.
He is just.
He is holy.
He is righteous.
He is faithful.
He is sovereign.
He is gracious.
He is love.
And He has given me the freedom to enjoy Him.

"Enter his gates with Thanksgiving
  and his courts with praise;
  give thanks to him and praise his name.
 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
  his faithfulness continues through all generations."
-Psalm 100:4-5