-------
I just returned from a road trip to Northeast Iowa (my old stomping grounds), and return with some random thoughts from the journey.
1) I don't know how many times I've had to learn this lesson, but I never have the "free time" I think I'm going to have to read and pray while I'm visiting family. It just doesn't happen. The bottom line is that I must be "read up" and "prayed up" before ever getting into the car to leave town. The spiritual battle on the home front is nothing to take lightly, and I simply cannot count on having time while I'm there to get to where I need to be in order to fight. Preparations for battle are taken care of BEFORE setting foot on the battlefield!
2) When you drive through the Midwest, you see a lot of "three cross" displays outside of church buildings and homes. They usually look something like this:
1) I don't know how many times I've had to learn this lesson, but I never have the "free time" I think I'm going to have to read and pray while I'm visiting family. It just doesn't happen. The bottom line is that I must be "read up" and "prayed up" before ever getting into the car to leave town. The spiritual battle on the home front is nothing to take lightly, and I simply cannot count on having time while I'm there to get to where I need to be in order to fight. Preparations for battle are taken care of BEFORE setting foot on the battlefield!
2) When you drive through the Midwest, you see a lot of "three cross" displays outside of church buildings and homes. They usually look something like this:
Something always seemed odd to me about these things, but I could never put a finger on what it was until this trip. It's the fact that the center cross, the one the Lord Jesus would have hung on, is always made to stand out in some way. It's usually always taller than the other two and sometimes a different color as well. This seems to me to send a message that is completely opposed to that portrayed by the life of Christ. Jesus' life was one of constant humbling and taking the low position, never being loud or showy, but always taking the low route. Wouldn't it seem odd then, if at the most humiliating point of his life (hanging on the cross), he was suddenly given a position of prominence and exaltation? I'm probably just overreacting here, but it seems like these cross displays would be more accurate if the center cross was actually much smaller than the other two, not sticking out in any way. That would seem to be more consistent with the life of Jesus we have in the New Testament.
3) On the way up to Iowa I was listening to some music when John Mayer's "Heart of Life" came on.
3) On the way up to Iowa I was listening to some music when John Mayer's "Heart of Life" came on.
The basic idea of the song is that, even when times are rough, we need to remember that "the heart of life is good." It's a catchy tune and, to be honest, I like the song. But a couple of thoughts here. First of all, what in the world does "the heart of life is good" even mean? As far as I know "life" doesn't have a "heart" to speak of. Mere existence is just that: mere existence. And if you reject the Bible in favor of, say, evolutionary naturalism, then you're really in trouble because evolution has no heart whatsoever, as it's been taken out and replaced with a "survival of the fittest" ethic where bad things happen to people in order to weed out the weaker elements of society. Hardly something to write a song about!
Secondly, notice the hypocrisy here. John Mayer can sing a song about the heart of life being good, and people go bananas and buy a million albums. But what happens when someone says "God is good"? Suddenly everyone is in an uproar, wondering why there is so much starvation and murder and rape, etc. in the world if God is good. What a joke! I want to see some outrage directed at John Mayer! If "the heart of life" is so good John, then why is there so much starvation and murder and all kinds of suffering in the world? This "heart of life" you talk about must not even exist, because if it did, all this bad stuff would not be happening! But of course, no one is going to object to Mayer's song, because deep down people WANT there to be SOMETHING good behind everything, giving meaning to suffering and direction in times of hopelessness. They just don't want that "something" to be the God of the Bible! Rom. 1:18ff is fulfilled yet again...
4) Outside of Dunkerton, IA I saw a sign that said "Jesus is Lord Over Dunkerton," or something close to that. I appreciate the sentiment, but if Jesus is Lord AT ALL, then He is Lord OF ALL. He is Lord over every single town, village, city, and hamlet in the entire world! Of course, that Lordship is only recognized now in the hearts of believers (Rom. 10), but there will come a day when it is recognized by every part of creation (Phil. 2).
5) While on the trip I read Longfellow's peom "Evangeline," which is one of his most famous and enduring works. It's a tragic love story, which I'm a sucker for. Anyway, I don't know much about Longfellow himself, but I was encouraged to find this quote from him: "Not father or mother has loved you as God has, for it was that you might be happy he gave his only son.—When he bowed his head in the death hour, love solemnized its triumph; the sacrifice there was completed." I love that phrase "love solemnized its triumph." But I like the way Jesus said it even better: "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends."
6) On the way back I stopped to see Vaylard Zupke, a dear man of God in NE Iowa. Among other things, he stressed to me the importance of finding another man (or woman, if you're one of our three female readers) to pray with on a consistent basis. He talked about Peter and John in the book of Acts, going to a specific place at a specific time in order to pray. He said that it has been one of the greatest joys of his Christian life to have someone to pray with at a specific time on a consistent basis. This is advice to act upon brothers and sisters!
Secondly, notice the hypocrisy here. John Mayer can sing a song about the heart of life being good, and people go bananas and buy a million albums. But what happens when someone says "God is good"? Suddenly everyone is in an uproar, wondering why there is so much starvation and murder and rape, etc. in the world if God is good. What a joke! I want to see some outrage directed at John Mayer! If "the heart of life" is so good John, then why is there so much starvation and murder and all kinds of suffering in the world? This "heart of life" you talk about must not even exist, because if it did, all this bad stuff would not be happening! But of course, no one is going to object to Mayer's song, because deep down people WANT there to be SOMETHING good behind everything, giving meaning to suffering and direction in times of hopelessness. They just don't want that "something" to be the God of the Bible! Rom. 1:18ff is fulfilled yet again...
4) Outside of Dunkerton, IA I saw a sign that said "Jesus is Lord Over Dunkerton," or something close to that. I appreciate the sentiment, but if Jesus is Lord AT ALL, then He is Lord OF ALL. He is Lord over every single town, village, city, and hamlet in the entire world! Of course, that Lordship is only recognized now in the hearts of believers (Rom. 10), but there will come a day when it is recognized by every part of creation (Phil. 2).
5) While on the trip I read Longfellow's peom "Evangeline," which is one of his most famous and enduring works. It's a tragic love story, which I'm a sucker for. Anyway, I don't know much about Longfellow himself, but I was encouraged to find this quote from him: "Not father or mother has loved you as God has, for it was that you might be happy he gave his only son.—When he bowed his head in the death hour, love solemnized its triumph; the sacrifice there was completed." I love that phrase "love solemnized its triumph." But I like the way Jesus said it even better: "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends."
6) On the way back I stopped to see Vaylard Zupke, a dear man of God in NE Iowa. Among other things, he stressed to me the importance of finding another man (or woman, if you're one of our three female readers) to pray with on a consistent basis. He talked about Peter and John in the book of Acts, going to a specific place at a specific time in order to pray. He said that it has been one of the greatest joys of his Christian life to have someone to pray with at a specific time on a consistent basis. This is advice to act upon brothers and sisters!
-------
