changing our default settings

You know how sometimes you hear something, and then you just can't get it out of your head? In the good way, though, not in the bad way like when it's the tune to "It's A Small World After All" at Disney World. Glenn said something Sunday night that I am so glad he put words to for me, and I can't get it out of my head.

The gap isn't between what we know and what we don't know, it's between what we know and what we do.

Ain't that the truth.

All the knowledge in the world isn't going to change our default settings away from ourselves. James 1:22-25, "And remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to. If you don't obey, you are only fooling yourself. For if you just listen and don't obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you keep looking steadily into God's perfect law—the law that sets you free—and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it."

What we need is life-change. One time during 61, Jon said, "I don't need the idea of God, I need his presence." It's true. God is more pleased with someone who knows only "love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:27)," and actually DOES that—as opposed to a theologian who knows the bible by heart in its original languages yet lives none of it out. Proverbs 16:2 says, "A person's own acts seem right to the doer, but Yahweh is the weigher of souls." Jesus was clear about this in dealing with the Pharisees—he called them whitewashed tombs, saying, "People look at you and think you're saints, but beneath the skin you're total frauds." (Matthew 23:28)

This is one reason I think that it's beautiful that we're reading the Psalms together as a community. We're not reading Levitical law and twelve commentaries on it—we're not seeking to expand our head knowledge with this daily discipline. Instead we're reading the struggles and triumphs of the psalmists—we're seeking to expand our hearts to God's character. And the more of God's character, grace, love, and holiness we have in our hearts...the more we see life-change in ourselves. The more we treat each other with respect and tenderness and truth and love.

As Glenn said, let's pray that as we continue to seek after God's own heart in the Psalms, that God will train our minds to think rightly, and train our hearts to desire righteously.

soy un perdedor

...I'm a loser baby, so why don't you kill me?

I hear the teachings about how the Jewish kids could recite the entire Pentateuch, and I feel sort of dizzy. I mean, so few of us have even READ the first five books of the Old Testament, let alone are able to recite it. It seems like such a daunting task, memorizing so many words. But, as Isaac pointed out Sunday night, we DO memorize so many words. I have track # 1 on Beck's album Mellow Gold (which came out in 1994) queued up and ready in my brain. Along with thousands of other words, past conversations, song lyrics, movie quotes, and commercials. And I can remember them all at the drop of a hat. I get tripped up trying to remember all nine fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), yet I can rattle off the set list of Jimmy Buffett's Domino College Tour from the summer of 1995.

Meditation is something that we are, in reality, quite good at.

In Philippians 4:8 (and yes, I had to look a that up, it wasn't readily available on the tip of my brain), Paul says, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." What could be more true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy than the word of God? Not that I shouldn't have in my memory the lyrics to "Loser" by Beck or "Tin Cup Chalice" by Jimmy Buffett, but shouldn't I—if I have anything—have the word of God committed to memory?

When I realize the amount of information I've given more importance to than scripture (which is "God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" 2 Timothy 3:16), I feel sort of dizzy.

I must say, though, that the scripture that I DO have committed to memory has been a mighty sword in the battle of life (Ephesians 6:17). In difficult times it has been strength, in hopeless times it's been hope, in weak times it's been comfort, in comfortable times it's been firm ground, and in happy times it's been celebration. The bible is a book full of promise, undying love, loyalty, betrayal, lust, war, mystery, suspense, murder, surprise, triumph, back-stabbing, brutal honesty, victory, science, humor, romance, and—well, I could keep going. It's biographical, it's full of miracles better than any fairy tale, full of creatures that rival the best fantasy novel, and riddled with poetry and prose. Moreover, it's the account of why we're here, where we came from, and where we're headed. It's one of the ways our Creator has revealed himself to us. When I stop and think about it, I WANT to memorize scripture. It's infinitely cooler than any song lyric or commercial that I've got running through the crevices of my brain.

Isaac has challenged us to enjoy the books of Psalms during this current series After God's Own Heart. Five a day, six days a week. The psalms are alive with passion, lament, hope, and praise. Let's pray that as we read these and meditate on them as a community that God will open our eyes to the ways in which he's already revealed himself. And that as we see more and more of his beauty and adventure that we will hungrily feast on scripture, meditating on it day and night, and hiding it in our hearts.

For it is you and none other, Yahweh, who make me rest secure. Psalm 4:8b.