Thursday, November 27, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Monday, November 03, 2008
Landed
This Anderson family feels a bit more like a gaggle of grasshoppers bouncing around Ontario. For the moment, we have landed in Ajax with Heather's parents. The goal is job shopping and house clearing (we have stored a pile of junk here) before we make a leap to Kitchener.
If you were to ask me why Kitchener I might say something like "the prospects of future vocational ministry". And to be truthful, at this point in our journey, we can't be too much more specific than that. I believe God's calling on a person's life is summed up well by Tim Keller's three-fold description: do you love it, do your friends think you are skilled at it, and is there an opportunity to do it. As far as we are aware, these things are all true in relation to Kitchener.
However, as Cowper teaches us: "God moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform..." We ought to remember that all of the plans for our lives are designed to display God to those around us, and even to ourselves that they might come to know him and love him.
So if God's mysterious movings in our lives take us somewhere else, these grasshoppers will stretch their legs and jump again.
If you were to ask me why Kitchener I might say something like "the prospects of future vocational ministry". And to be truthful, at this point in our journey, we can't be too much more specific than that. I believe God's calling on a person's life is summed up well by Tim Keller's three-fold description: do you love it, do your friends think you are skilled at it, and is there an opportunity to do it. As far as we are aware, these things are all true in relation to Kitchener.
However, as Cowper teaches us: "God moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform..." We ought to remember that all of the plans for our lives are designed to display God to those around us, and even to ourselves that they might come to know him and love him.
So if God's mysterious movings in our lives take us somewhere else, these grasshoppers will stretch their legs and jump again.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Make Something Out of Nothing
The College and Careers group at Braidwood is currently studying a selected portion of George Swinnock's writings (thanks Stephen for preparing it) - reading the short and accessible chapters and then discussing it. What a thought provoking book! The following thoughts came to me as I read the portion titled "God is Incomparable in His Works".
Swinnock, in writing that God is incomparable as Creator, says the following:
"Man's work may exceed the matter, but man's work cannot make the matter exceed itself. But God can not only make the matter to exceed itself, - as in man, who is formed of the dust of the earth...[but] looks nothing like his parent earth, the matter of which he was made,- but also make matter: he hath brought something, nay, all things out of nothing." (Trading and Thriving in Godliness, 35-36)
These statements which are helpful in focusing the human mind on God. God is amazing and worth following because he wows us with two things: he takes dust and makes it walk, dance, sing and think, and he takes nothing and makes it into dust. We must immediately fall back on analogies, images and metaphors to help us grasp at these ideas, because the raw reality of it is so heavy. God actually succeeded in making something beautiful, perfect, and good out of nothing. That is power!
This idea of making something out of nothing latched onto my brain and I began to muse and wonder about the difference between this incomparable God which Swinnock was describing, and man. I realized that man too has made something out of nothing. The difference is: man has only succeded in making something ugly, imperfect, bad, and simple out of nothing. In a word, he has only succeded in making sin.
To explain my point it may be helpful to return to the title. I am intending a double entendre here, one which describes what God has done, and one which describes what man has done. In the first case I mean quite simply that God has done what seems impossible (or what is) to man - created matter where there was no matter. In the second case I have in mind the idiomatic sense of the phrase "make something of your life" which people use when they mean "find significance"; make something which has no significance significant in its own right or for its own sake.
This second sense has cleared up my thinking about the origins of sinfulness, and how it relates to God's sovereignty. This idea is not new, and I am certain if I sat down and thought about it I could find authors and texts which say similar things in clearer language - but this angle has been helpful for me and so I share it with you.
People often comment that Pride is the root sin which all other sin flows from, and this seems to be a wise understanding. After all it was Satan's pride which caused him to sin, and become the archetypal sinner (the "head" of sinners as it were). When Scripture describes Satan's pride (Isaiah 14:12-17) it comments on his desire to be above God, and to make himself "like the Most High" (v. 14). It is an attempt to make something out of nothing. Satan was trying to find significance within himself - a place where significance cannot exist. In doing so Satan created sin; he created something in a situation where it did not exist before. He got his wish in the sense that he became a god (an independent being) with significance which flowed from himself. However, no angel or being (as Swinnock discusses in other portions) has the ability to sustain itself any more than branch which is cut from a tree can suddenly sustain itself. Satan's attempts at re-creating himself, that is, his attempts to find a different purpose for his existence, was an excercise in making something out of nothing. However, he failed to rise up to God's standard: instead of beautiful, perfect, and good things - he made ugly, imperfect and bad things.
A weak analogy might be that of the potter. God takes clay and makes beautiful pots out of it. Satan takes clay and not only does he not make a pot, but he ruins the clay so that it cannot be used to make anything. And he did this with himself. He tried to make significance originate in himself, and instead he made himself unable to even reflect God's significance. In essence (as Tim Keller might phrase it) he "totalled" himself. If a car is totalled, it is no longer useful as a car, but it is still a car.
Like Satan, humans have followed suit and tried to make themselves gods - tried to find significance within themselves. The great news is that God has provided us a way to find our significance in Him - by throwing away our inclination to find significance in ourselves and trust that Christ has grounded our significance in God.
Swinnock, in writing that God is incomparable as Creator, says the following:
"Man's work may exceed the matter, but man's work cannot make the matter exceed itself. But God can not only make the matter to exceed itself, - as in man, who is formed of the dust of the earth...[but] looks nothing like his parent earth, the matter of which he was made,- but also make matter: he hath brought something, nay, all things out of nothing." (Trading and Thriving in Godliness, 35-36)
These statements which are helpful in focusing the human mind on God. God is amazing and worth following because he wows us with two things: he takes dust and makes it walk, dance, sing and think, and he takes nothing and makes it into dust. We must immediately fall back on analogies, images and metaphors to help us grasp at these ideas, because the raw reality of it is so heavy. God actually succeeded in making something beautiful, perfect, and good out of nothing. That is power!
This idea of making something out of nothing latched onto my brain and I began to muse and wonder about the difference between this incomparable God which Swinnock was describing, and man. I realized that man too has made something out of nothing. The difference is: man has only succeded in making something ugly, imperfect, bad, and simple out of nothing. In a word, he has only succeded in making sin.
To explain my point it may be helpful to return to the title. I am intending a double entendre here, one which describes what God has done, and one which describes what man has done. In the first case I mean quite simply that God has done what seems impossible (or what is) to man - created matter where there was no matter. In the second case I have in mind the idiomatic sense of the phrase "make something of your life" which people use when they mean "find significance"; make something which has no significance significant in its own right or for its own sake.
This second sense has cleared up my thinking about the origins of sinfulness, and how it relates to God's sovereignty. This idea is not new, and I am certain if I sat down and thought about it I could find authors and texts which say similar things in clearer language - but this angle has been helpful for me and so I share it with you.
People often comment that Pride is the root sin which all other sin flows from, and this seems to be a wise understanding. After all it was Satan's pride which caused him to sin, and become the archetypal sinner (the "head" of sinners as it were). When Scripture describes Satan's pride (Isaiah 14:12-17) it comments on his desire to be above God, and to make himself "like the Most High" (v. 14). It is an attempt to make something out of nothing. Satan was trying to find significance within himself - a place where significance cannot exist. In doing so Satan created sin; he created something in a situation where it did not exist before. He got his wish in the sense that he became a god (an independent being) with significance which flowed from himself. However, no angel or being (as Swinnock discusses in other portions) has the ability to sustain itself any more than branch which is cut from a tree can suddenly sustain itself. Satan's attempts at re-creating himself, that is, his attempts to find a different purpose for his existence, was an excercise in making something out of nothing. However, he failed to rise up to God's standard: instead of beautiful, perfect, and good things - he made ugly, imperfect and bad things.
A weak analogy might be that of the potter. God takes clay and makes beautiful pots out of it. Satan takes clay and not only does he not make a pot, but he ruins the clay so that it cannot be used to make anything. And he did this with himself. He tried to make significance originate in himself, and instead he made himself unable to even reflect God's significance. In essence (as Tim Keller might phrase it) he "totalled" himself. If a car is totalled, it is no longer useful as a car, but it is still a car.
Like Satan, humans have followed suit and tried to make themselves gods - tried to find significance within themselves. The great news is that God has provided us a way to find our significance in Him - by throwing away our inclination to find significance in ourselves and trust that Christ has grounded our significance in God.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Sin Slaying
The Bible - Matthew 18:9
καὶ εἰ ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου σκανδαλίζει σε ἔξελε αὐτὸν καὶ βάλε ἀπὸ σοῦ καλόν σοί ἐστιν μονόφθαλμον εἰς τὴν ζωὴν εἰσελθεῖν ἢ δύο ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχοντα βληθῆναι εἰς τὴν γέενναν τοῦ πυρός
And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the Gehenna of fire. (ESV)[1]
Look at the intensity of this phrase: ἔξελε αὐτὸν καὶ βάλε ἀπὸ σοῦ Both verbs (in bold) are aorist, active, and imperative. The aorist tense lets the reader know that the kind of action which needs to take place must be complete. Jesus is saying that the part of the body which offends must be torn out and thrown away, implying that it cannot be torn out or thrown away again. If I cut my eye out, the usefulness of that eye is at an end. The active voice lets the reader know that the person who lost an eye was the one who took it out. It is not passive. This person is not a victim, and shouldn't wait to be one. Instead they should actively remove the eye if it is a cause of sin. That sounds painful... Finally, the imperative mood lets the reader know that this is a command. The ESV's rendering "tear it out and throw it away" is helpful here. It is not a suggestion, or a plea, but a command. Do it, and do it right away.
Jesus' point is simple for the mind to hold, but difficult for the heart to accept. If you are not willing to maim yourself in an effort to kill sin, your whole being will be eternally maimed.
Understanding the way sin works is a helpful step in keeping the correct perspective toward it - namely that it ought to be shot dead. Continually reinforcing in our minds how subtle, vigorous, tenacious, and untiring sin is as it seeks mastery in our lives will keep us running to Christ for salvation from it and power to overcome it. Note what John Owen said on the subject in his (highly recommended) work Mortification of Sin:
Sin doth not only still abide in us, but is still acting, still labouring to bring forth the deeds of the flesh. When sin lets us alone we may let sin alone; but as sin is never less quiet than when it seems to be most quiet, and its waters are for the most part deep when they are still, so ought our contrivances against it to be vigorous at all times and in all conditions, even where there is least suspicion.[2]
Let us strive to be active in our killing of sin, complete in our aim. Moreover, let us recognize the command of Christ to be rid of it - because it leads us to things which are much less valuable than Christ.
Footnotes
[1] See the Resurgence Greek Project
[2] Chapter 2, II. "Mortification of Sin" John Owen.
καὶ εἰ ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου σκανδαλίζει σε ἔξελε αὐτὸν καὶ βάλε ἀπὸ σοῦ καλόν σοί ἐστιν μονόφθαλμον εἰς τὴν ζωὴν εἰσελθεῖν ἢ δύο ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχοντα βληθῆναι εἰς τὴν γέενναν τοῦ πυρός
And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the Gehenna of fire. (ESV)[1]
Look at the intensity of this phrase: ἔξελε αὐτὸν καὶ βάλε ἀπὸ σοῦ Both verbs (in bold) are aorist, active, and imperative. The aorist tense lets the reader know that the kind of action which needs to take place must be complete. Jesus is saying that the part of the body which offends must be torn out and thrown away, implying that it cannot be torn out or thrown away again. If I cut my eye out, the usefulness of that eye is at an end. The active voice lets the reader know that the person who lost an eye was the one who took it out. It is not passive. This person is not a victim, and shouldn't wait to be one. Instead they should actively remove the eye if it is a cause of sin. That sounds painful... Finally, the imperative mood lets the reader know that this is a command. The ESV's rendering "tear it out and throw it away" is helpful here. It is not a suggestion, or a plea, but a command. Do it, and do it right away.
Jesus' point is simple for the mind to hold, but difficult for the heart to accept. If you are not willing to maim yourself in an effort to kill sin, your whole being will be eternally maimed.
Understanding the way sin works is a helpful step in keeping the correct perspective toward it - namely that it ought to be shot dead. Continually reinforcing in our minds how subtle, vigorous, tenacious, and untiring sin is as it seeks mastery in our lives will keep us running to Christ for salvation from it and power to overcome it. Note what John Owen said on the subject in his (highly recommended) work Mortification of Sin:
Sin doth not only still abide in us, but is still acting, still labouring to bring forth the deeds of the flesh. When sin lets us alone we may let sin alone; but as sin is never less quiet than when it seems to be most quiet, and its waters are for the most part deep when they are still, so ought our contrivances against it to be vigorous at all times and in all conditions, even where there is least suspicion.[2]
Let us strive to be active in our killing of sin, complete in our aim. Moreover, let us recognize the command of Christ to be rid of it - because it leads us to things which are much less valuable than Christ.
Footnotes
[1] See the Resurgence Greek Project
[2] Chapter 2, II. "Mortification of Sin" John Owen.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Rhetorical Observations
I am currently watching the 1st presidential candidate debate between Obama (Demos) and McCain (Repubs), and the follow-up discussion by a group of analysts.
The thing which interests me first in watching these debates is the rhetoric of the two speakers. In particular I am interested in the rhetorical philosophy of the two speakers. Why? Because of James' urgent warning in chapter 3 of his letter:
4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.
The way each of these men spoke revealed their philosophy of governance, particularly when it comes to foreign policy issues (as was the primary concern of this debate before the economic crisis). McCain spoke in accusative and proud tones, while Obama spoke in generative and amiable tones. McCain's strategy seemed to be to demonstrate how inexperienced Obama is and would be if he became President. He then proclaimed that he was ready to take on the Presidency without any "on-the-job-training". These are statements of pride. Obama's strategy is to demonstrate that the future ought to be oriented around families, and open communication. He demonstrates this with clarity and a non-partisan spirit - the analysts thought his most important phrase was "John is right". On the surface this may seem to be a poor rhetorical strategy, but at the heart is Obama's willingness to communicate with his opponent while demonstrating how he has not gone far enough.
Watch carefully the rhetorical philosophy of these men as they move into other speeches, and note how closely it is related to their policies.
The thing which interests me first in watching these debates is the rhetoric of the two speakers. In particular I am interested in the rhetorical philosophy of the two speakers. Why? Because of James' urgent warning in chapter 3 of his letter:
4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.
The way each of these men spoke revealed their philosophy of governance, particularly when it comes to foreign policy issues (as was the primary concern of this debate before the economic crisis). McCain spoke in accusative and proud tones, while Obama spoke in generative and amiable tones. McCain's strategy seemed to be to demonstrate how inexperienced Obama is and would be if he became President. He then proclaimed that he was ready to take on the Presidency without any "on-the-job-training". These are statements of pride. Obama's strategy is to demonstrate that the future ought to be oriented around families, and open communication. He demonstrates this with clarity and a non-partisan spirit - the analysts thought his most important phrase was "John is right". On the surface this may seem to be a poor rhetorical strategy, but at the heart is Obama's willingness to communicate with his opponent while demonstrating how he has not gone far enough.
Watch carefully the rhetorical philosophy of these men as they move into other speeches, and note how closely it is related to their policies.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
That was a deep breath
I feel like a submarine surfacing after a long (and quiet) dive.
Heather and Hannah are well - the former is currently out shopping, and the later is sleeping. My girls... sigh, how quickly the time goes. Hannah is active and adventurous, willing to become involved in anything she can reach. She is very good at saying more and very bad at saying please, but that is expected since we taught her how to say 'more' first. She is very mobile now, which is why her nap time is very precious to Heather and I.
As for me, work is slow and sporadic at the moment, and has been for the past couple of weeks. I have attempted to work on TBS stuff, or job hunt to use the time wisely, but I find it difficult to switch gears from very physical work to very mental work.
Probably the most profound news is that we intend to move to Kitchener/Waterloo/Cambridge by the end of October - which is why I am currently job hunting. This decision has and will continue to test how much we rely on God, as our initial foray into the job scene has been unfruitful thus far, and I imagine the temptation to grow anxious over this and other things will only increase until we actually move.
I hope to get back to regular writing in this space, so please don't give up on me. Hopefully I can produce something of substance for your interest in the coming months. Until then, I plan on staying above water for now...
Heather and Hannah are well - the former is currently out shopping, and the later is sleeping. My girls... sigh, how quickly the time goes. Hannah is active and adventurous, willing to become involved in anything she can reach. She is very good at saying more and very bad at saying please, but that is expected since we taught her how to say 'more' first. She is very mobile now, which is why her nap time is very precious to Heather and I.
As for me, work is slow and sporadic at the moment, and has been for the past couple of weeks. I have attempted to work on TBS stuff, or job hunt to use the time wisely, but I find it difficult to switch gears from very physical work to very mental work.
Probably the most profound news is that we intend to move to Kitchener/Waterloo/Cambridge by the end of October - which is why I am currently job hunting. This decision has and will continue to test how much we rely on God, as our initial foray into the job scene has been unfruitful thus far, and I imagine the temptation to grow anxious over this and other things will only increase until we actually move.
I hope to get back to regular writing in this space, so please don't give up on me. Hopefully I can produce something of substance for your interest in the coming months. Until then, I plan on staying above water for now...
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