Crosswalk.com--The Devotional

[Judy Harder]

June 6, 2011
Only One Way to Achieve Patience
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor

The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.
Ecclesiastes 7:8, NIV

Our senior pastor came into the room for a pre-arranged talk with all of us high school senior guys. He wanted to share something with us as we moved off into the next phases of our lives.

Out of all the applications and biblical wisdom at his disposal, what one topic was on his heart? What advice did he wish to impart above all?

He began by asking us to envision where we'd be in five, 10, 20 years. I'm just now coming up on that 20th year; I'm amazed at how differently some things have turned out, and how similar to my goals other things are. But that's not the point.

Our pastor next told us that the one thing we ought to pursue more than any other was... not holiness, not righteousness, not prayer... but patience. "Boys, raise your hand if you want to be a man of patience."

Okay, sure. Sounds good. Patience, yeah, that could be helpful to me. Hand up.

"Great. I'll tell you what, boys, can I pray with you now? But be aware, only agree with me in this prayer if you mean it, if you really want patience. Because do you know what it takes to develop patience? Problems. Only problems - and the way you react to them and trust God through them - can develop patience. Do you understand? So that's what I'm going to ask God for right now, that He'll bring you all problems. Are you ready?"

Sure. Why not?

Oh boy. Looking back, the last 20-plus years haven't been hell on earth by any stretch, but they've sure been full of their share of problems. As of this writing, I've got one that's forcing me to wait... and wait... and wait for an answer. I feel shamed when I go through a study about Abraham and how long he waited and waited for God to fulfill a direct promise, because I can't imagine waiting any longer than I already have. The only reason I continue to do so is because of the patience and wisdom I've built up having passed through earlier problems and trials, the outcomes of which inform me to keep waiting.

What's the moral here? Be careful what you pray for? Hmmm... maybe... but I think I prefer the lesson in today's verse, that patience (trusting God's way and waiting on His promise) is better than pride (my idea of the best way). To me, it's really eye-opening to think of those two concepts - patience and pride - as the opposites of each other. But that's exactly how this verse sets them up. It suggests patience is akin to humility, and pride the brother of instant gratification. And I guess that makes sense. But why is patience better? Especially in this day and age when so much is there for the taking? When the respected thing to do is reach out and go for it? What had my pastor so convinced that doing the opposite was the most important lesson to send young men out into the world?

Honestly I haven't completely figured that out yet. Appropriately, it's something I'm willing to be patient to gain the wisdom of. But I suspect it has something to do with that pesky old verse from James:

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:2-4).

Only problems can bring patience; only trials can test faith and make it real. Only endurance can lead to completion.

And when I am complete, I will lack nothing. At which time I apparently will have superceded even patience, as what would there be to wait for if I lack nothing?

It sounds almost mystical, almost unachievable, at least until the end of my life or when I meet God. Until then, I simply pray that the experience of each problem and the eventual result will steel me into calm, patient submission to God's perfect timing.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you willing to pray a problem into your life? Why or why not? 

Further Reading

Afraid God Will Give You Patience?
Pursue Patience

[Judy Harder]

June 7, 2011



Christ Did Not Ascend into the Realm of Mere Religious Ideas
by Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com

"Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus." Romans 6:11 NASB

We live in a world in which critics of Christianity consider the Gospel accounts of Jesus' life, death, resurrection and ascension completely absurd. They count us, His followers, to be fools. They must. They have no other choice. And we do not live by their opinions.

Rather, we pray and live in such a way so that God might use us to open their eyes to the reality of Christ's resurrection. He is Lord of all and is seeing history through to its appointed end. Nothing can change this.

One way that God opened my eyes to the truth of Christ years ago was by putting me in the company of a Christian who had moved past his fear-of-man issues and was living out the verse above. I remember that he even explained his faith to me, a skeptic, in terms of Romans 6 as if it were true in present history—in real space and time. It was unsettling.

He had mentioned reading Francis Schaeffer, whose book True Spirituality I am currently working through on "Crosswalk the Devotional." This week, in chapter three, Schaeffer dwells upon the Romans 6 message about the necessity of the Christian to believe that he has really been joined in union with Christ. Schaeffer points out from Romans 6 that this is the essential message of the Christian life.

From what I can tell, skeptics and critics who suspect that Christians are just trying to make them conform to a moral or political agenda really don't know what to do with the undiluted message of Christianity—that of being spiritually united with Christ. Quoting Schaeffer:

This is the basic consideration of the Christian life.
First, Christ died in history. Second, Christ rose in history.
Third, we died with Christ in history, when we accepted Him as Savior.
Fourth, we will be raised in history, when He comes again.
Fifth, we are to live by faith now as though we were now dead, as though we have already died.
Sixth, we are to live now by faith as though we have now already been raised from the dead.

What this means to the true believer is that the world's power to conform us to its way of thinking and living is broken. All things look different now.

Paraphrasing Schaeffer:

How can we conform to that which is so marred, so broken, so caught up in revolution against God? The praise of the world is worthless when one has stood in the presence of God. The wealth of the world is worthless when one has seen the treasure of heaven. What is earthly power after one has seen the reality of heaven and the power of God?

And this is not a matter of projecting our imaginations. We recognize that the Lord Jesus Christ indeed lives in the presence of the Father (Rom. 6:10), and this is where we are called to live, alive to God in communion with Him, in communication with Him—saying "thank you" in all the ebb and flow of life.

When I am dead both to good and bad [circumstances that happen to me], I have my face turned towards God. And this is the place in which, by faith at the present moment of history, I am to be.

When I am there, what am I? I am then the creature in the presence of my Creator. It is though I am already in the grave, and already before the face of God. When through faith I am dead to all, and am face to face with God, then I am ready by faith to come back into this present world as though I have already been raised from the dead. It is as though I anticipate that day when I will come back.

Our primary call, then, is to be alive to God moment by moment. Our "doing good" should not become a thing in itself and thus spoil the most basic call of being alive to the presence of God.

Christ was not raised mythically. He did not ascend into the realm of mere religious ideas. He was raised historically in space and time. He lives presently and sustains all things by the word of His power. The dominion of sin is broken. Because He lives, we can live free from conformity to the world and be alive in the presence of our Creator.

Intersecting Faith & Life: 

Are you joined in union with Christ? Is yours a Christless Christianity that is more focused on your own goals, fears and feelings than what is historically and presently true of Christ?

Further Study on the Validity of the Christian Worldview:
Dr. Greg Bahnsen's peerless lectures: "Basic Training for Defending the Faith" (YouTube)

[Judy Harder]

June 8, 2011

The Wedding Day
By Ryan Duncan, Editor for TheFish.com

As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you. - Isaiah 62:5

Last weekend one of my best friends got married. The wedding took place outside at their old college, the place where the two had first met. A few of the groom's friends and I helped raise a white tent on one of the school's grassy fields while the bridesmaids rushed back and forth setting tables, adjusting flowers, and making everything look just right. The ceremony was beautiful. The bride and groom received their parents' blessing, exchanged vows, and kissed with loud applause from the audience.

For me though, the best part came during the reception when the bride and groom had their first dance. As I sat there watching my friend and his wife dance to "You're Beautiful" by Phil Wickham, it struck me why Jesus often used weddings to describe the Kingdom of God.  You see, in that moment the only thing that mattered to the two of them was each other. It didn't matter that the road to marriage had been crazy, stressful and hard. It didn't matter that the weather wasn't perfect or that they had to wait a few days for their honeymoon. The only thing that mattered to my friend was holding the woman he loved in his arms and knowing that she loved him in return.

Life really is like a wedding banquet. The time leading up to the ceremony will be chocked full of mistakes and uncertainty, and there will be moments when we're unsure if we can live up to Christ's expectations. But if we continue to believe in Christ, then on the day when we stand before him, we will realize that none of those mistakes matter anymore. All that will matter is that he loves us, and we love him in return.                         

Intersecting Faith and Life

Married couples, take a moment to appreciate your spouse and reflect on Christ's blessing in your life.

Further Reading 

Jeremiah 33:11

[Judy Harder]

June 9, 2011

Why Lord?
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 2 Cor. 4:8-10, NIV

It happened again just a little over two weeks ago.

Loss.

In Joplin, Missouri, a town of only 50,000, a tornado swept through and leveled about 75 percent of what had been there. Churches, hospitals, shopping centers, homes ... an entire community was nearly wiped out in minutes. And this only added to the previous flooding by the nearby Mississippi River that had already affected this area.

Friends of friends of mine lost almost everything in their home. And relatives of theirs lost everything. Everything but the clothes on their backs. But their lives were spared. And they're now sleeping on cots in a church until they decide how to put the pieces of their lives back together.

Loss due to natural disasters continues to increase as the years go by; earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, tornadoes, wildfires ... it seems like each week there's a report of one of these catastrophic events somewhere in the world.

It can be overwhelming to watch such tragedy happen to others. Will we ever understand? Are we supposed to? Perhaps loss of any kind is simply a reminder to us that God is, and should be, the very center of our lives. And nothing or no one else should take his place of honor.

That's what I've taken away from the major losses in my life. It helps to know that God is orchestrating, that he has a purpose and that he is near in times like these. But that doesn't mean I don't feel or deny the impact of such great loss. The shock, the numbness. And then the pain and the intermittent suffering throughout the years.

We've all gone through loss of some kind in our lives ...

The life-long best friendship that disintegrated over a dumb misunderstanding.

The job that would elevate one to the next level, but was eliminated after a corporate merger.

The marriage destroyed by pornography, unfaithfulness or abandonment.

The college student's dream or hoped-for career path dashed by controlling, overbearing parents.

The promising romantic relationship that just didn't translate to marriage.

The reputation now marred with the careless words or accusations of another.

The death of any family member or loved one held dear.

The burglary of a home and the dashed sense of security and peace of mind.

Loss hurts. In many cases, it can feel like someone is ripping out your heart right from your chest. You can't breathe. You can't feel. You don't even know what day it is. And, at the time, you don't care.

But time gives us perspective and some healing. And, in my own experience, I have found that profound loss can either refine us and draw us closer to Christ or cause us to reject the Creator and lead a life that is in outward rebellion to his leading in our lives.

I don't offer this devotional as a solution or an answer to the loss you have in your life today. But I offer it as a reminder that life is not only what we see and what we cling to here on earth. It is so much more than that.

If we lift up our heads, that is a great place to start. And we will be looking in the right, and most satisfying, direction. Heavenward. Where we can find hope, salvation and everything we could ever want or need. 

Intersecting Faith & Life:

You probably already knew that I'd tie in the book of Job somewhere in this devotional today, right? But where else better can we go in God's Word when we are looking for comfort in the aftermath of loss? Job wanted to understand why God was doing or allowing what he was. But maybe the bigger lesson learned here is that God is God, and we are not. His ways and purposes are higher. And if we never fully understand why we must suffer this side of heaven, we should still praise a sovereign Lord as Job did:  "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised" (Job 1:21-22).

Further Reading:

Psa. 34:17-19, NIV

Rom. 8:17-18, NIV

James 5:10-11, NIV

[Judy Harder]

June 10, 2011     

Crosswalk.com - The Devotional
     

Hoping for the Wrong Escape
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith." Galatians 6:9-10

Well, here we are, aren't we? May 21 came and went without the Rapture, and we're now two weeks closer to the new predicted date of October 21. Many of the thousands of people who spent their life savings in preparation for May 31 are now trying to hang on until fall, when everything will okay because Jesus will come back. I have a lot more sympathy for them now.

On May 22, I was scrounging around the news sites, looking for reactions from the people who had invested their time, money, and faith in forecasted Rapture. I found a quote from a truck driver name Keith Bauer, who drove his family across the country from Maryland to California, stopping at places he'd always wanted to see, like the Grand Canyon. He crystalized the appeal of end times, saying simply, "I was hoping for it because I think heaven would be a lot better than this earth." I have to agree with him there.

You see, Keith Bauer was a man possessed of an idea. It's the same idea that leads little children to knock their heads against the back of dark closets searching for Narnia and sci-fi addicts to write volumes of Star Wars fan fiction. It's the idea that our surroundings are too constricting, and we might experience greater freedom if we can just escape its confines. Like we could discover a world with an added dimension that would let us fly. Bauer uprooted his family in pursuit of a dream that someone else would fulfill for him. It's like someone else was winning the lottery and giving it all to him – no work, all gain.

Except, of course, that's not what happened. Bauer and his family shut their eyes against the naysayers but eventually had to peek, because May 22 dared to show its face. No magic portal to a good life opened up. They're still shackled to daily living. They haven't escaped life's consequences, nor have they escaped their earthly responsibilities. Bauer still has to figure out how to put food on the table and keep a roof over his kids' heads. He'll have to worry when they're out after curfew. He will have to deal with loss, as those he loves will move away over time and even die. Yes, I understand Bauer's furious belief that the escape hatch is within reach, because heaven "would be a lot better than this earth."

Intersecting Faith & Life: Christian escapism appeals to our spiritual certainty of worldly unsatisfaction. After all, the great Christian quotable C.S. Lewis vouchsafed this idea. But longing for Jesus – the heart of heaven – actually leads us in the opposite direction. It demands real interaction and real living on our part. In that sense, the Kingdom of heaven primarily exists on real dirt, not a heavenly beach. We will always long for something beyond ourselves. But there's a world of difference between longing for a promise fulfilled and escaping to our happy place. When we forget that, we fall into the temptation of escapism, a temptation that stands waiting for us every time we think running away from this world is better than loving its people. We need to relearn the difference between escapism and true longing, and get back to living real life. That's the least confining pursuit anyone can dream of.

[Judy Harder]

June 13, 2011

Fiery Faith
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor

And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2: 2-4

This week we celebrate Pentecost, one of the oldest feast days on the Christian calendar. It traditionally falls on the 50th day of Easter, marking the close of the season - and talk about ending things with a bang.

The spectacular scene described here has understandably captured the fascination of countless artists through the ages. While traveling in Spain, I was blessed to encounter one such painting by El Greco which quickly became a favorite of mine.

The vibrant piece, stretching from floor to ceiling, portrays the Apostles and Jesus' mother Mary with rapturous facial expressions illuminated by the brilliant flames of God's Spirit hovering above their heads. The fiery tongues seem to be the only source of light in the room – anything outside the reach of the Holy Spirit's glow quickly fades from dazzling color into shadowy darkness.

And yet for all the glory of that moment, the moments leading up to the descent of the Holy Spirit were, according to Scripture, filled with fear and uncertainty. The disciples had witnessed a roller coaster of events from the devestation of Jesus' crucifixtion to the stunning miracles in the days following Jesus' resurrection to the promise that somehow, Jesus would be with them until the end of the age even after his ascension into heaven. They had experienced doubt, despair, awe, and amazement. Their lives had been turned upside down, and they could only wonder what might happen next.

After a pregnant pause, God came through for this faithul bunch, and the Church was officially born. Pentacost marks the day the apostles received the gifts of the Holy Spirit, allowing them to spread the gospel and baptize all nations.

Pentecost reminds me that even those who witnessed the miracles of Christ firsthand had to face and overcome uncertainty and fear. The disciples weren't perfect, and they weren't always clued into the details of God's bigger plan. Just like the early disciples, we are often called to simply take one day at a time and trust God with whatever the future may bring.

Pentecost also reminds me that while God often works in seemingly ordinary ways, sometimes He bursts through the veil that separates heaven and earth and wows us beyond our wildest hopes and dreams. He doesn't wait for us to be perfect or holy to bless us with His presence, but instead fills our frail selves with His glory and empowers us to do great things.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Do you remember times in your faith when you were truly "on fire" for God? When His presence was tangible and your heart was willing to go wherever He led you? Reflect on those times, and ask God to renew your fire for Him.

Further Reading

1 Corinthians 12: 4-7

John 20: 19-23

[Judy Harder]

June 14, 2011     


Crosswalk.com - The Devotional
     
Armor 'n Enemies
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.
Ephesians 6:13-19

Six pieces of armor. Five primarily defensive, one primarily offensive. And yet...

Have you ever used the chest-bumper of righteousness on someone? How about the head-butter of salvation? The bludgeoner of faith? The shin-kicker of readiness or the gut-puncher of holiness?

Even the sword of the spirit has its proper purpose - to fight our enemies. Which are?

Other Christians? Unbelievers? Mean people?

While we humans can be so hard on each other, no. One verse earlier, Paul tells us what we're fighting:

our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil (v. 12).

Quite convicting, really. Not only do I clearly go into many days without getting completely dressed, even when I do I'm mis-using my equipment, fighting in the dark, swinging blindly, or wounding with friendly fire.

I don't know about you, but for me, the elemental Bible verses I first learned as a youth (like today's verse) are the ones I need to continually reconsider, because they're the ones I tend to just believe without acting upon.

When times come - like these days we're in now - where there is fierce political thought and lines being drawn and opinions spouted as truth, including the opinion that there is no truth - it's just so easy to get drawn in before we remember to put on our armor or be trained in using it. When that happens, we tend to view our enemies as each other, and forget or deny that the war is still spiritual. And therefore more serious, more wearying, not less.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Get dressed this morning, and tomorrow morning. Once equipped, try emphasizing the defensive uses of most of the armor. Stand up for someone. Protect the reputation of another. Shelter someone in loving truth. Run quickly to someone in need. I pray you'll begin to survive your days much less scathed.

Further Reading

Romans 8:38
Fight or Flight? Weighing Your Instincts Against God's Word

[Judy Harder]

June 15, 2011
The Christian Faith Is Not a Leap in the Dark
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com

"...we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
2 Corinthians 4:18 NASB

We can divide the universe into two categories of reality: the material and the non-material; or that which is seen and that which is not seen. In talking about unseen reality, I'm obviously not talking about things that must be relegated to fantasy or pure imagination. Rather, I'm talking about unseen (yet real) fixed concepts which our world operates by constantly. Take, for example...

Moral absolutes (e.g. Child abuse is wrong.)
The uniformity of nature (e.g. We live on the assumption that planets and stars move in a predictable fashion. On this assumption we plan trips not only to grandma's house, but to the moon and beyond.)
Universal Laws of Thought* (e.g. The principle of contradiction: a maxim stated by Aristotle as: "contradictory propositions are not true simultaneously." [cf. Aristotle's Metaphysics, 1011b13-14]) Avicenna is said to have put it more colorfully, "Anyone who denies the law of non-contradiction should be beaten and burned until he admits that to be beaten is not the same as not to be beaten, and to be burned is not the same as not to be burned.
These are all things that are real, yet are unseen. Laws of thought and moral absolutes may not be able to be weighed, measured or stored in a cupboard, but we count on them and live by them every day just the same.

From what I've observed, both children and adults in Christian circles struggle at times with the things they are called to believe in. God seems like a distant idea. Doctrine seems far removed from day-to-day life. At times, you or someone you love may be tempted with the thought, "I wonder if God, salvation, heaven and hell is all just a made up fairy tale."

At that point you should take a step back and remember that everyone has a faith in their particular view of the world. Worldviews need to be evaluated by whether or not they account for the unseen realities mentioned above. Fortunately, biblical Christianity (not to be confused with tainted, politicized, or hypocritical forms of Christianity that bear no resemblance to the life and message of Jesus Christ) is a worldview that is well able to account for these unseen realities. The biblical God (note well, not just general theism) capably undergirds all unseen moral absolutes, natural constants and universals. Other competing worldviews are weighed in the balance and found wanting.

When we are called on to believe in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:5), we should recognize that this is another unseen reality. The truths of Galatians 2:20 belong in the category of the unseen as well...

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." (Gal. 2:20)

Let's not gloss over the fact that we are called to believe in unseen things. But at the same time let's not jump to the wrong conclusion that Christ asks us to take an idiotic leap in the dark. We all believe in well-founded unseen things everyday.

This week in chapter four of Francis Schaeffer's True Spirituality (I'm reading through the works of Schaeffer and posting about it regularly here at Crosswalk the Devotional), he calls our attention to this biblical view of truth by underscoring that there are "two streams, two strands of space-time reality—one in the seen, and one in the unseen..."

"[God] is not asking us merely to act on some psychological motivation, but on what really is... there is a Holy Spirit who has been given to us to make service possible.

"The Christian dead, including my loved ones, are already with Christ now, and Christ really lives in the Christian. Christ lives in me.

"Here is true Christian mysticism—not based on content-less experience, but on historic, space-time reality—on propositional truth. Christian mysticism is communion with Christ. It is Christ bringing forth fruit through me, the Christian, with no loss of personality.

"He is the Christ who has died, whose work is finished, who is raised, who is ascended, who is glorified. It is this Christ. Not simply an idea. It is the Christ who was seen after the resurrection... by Stephen, by Paul, by John."

Let's walk on today, confidently believing in these unseen realities—Christ was not raised mythically; Jesus, the apostles and the Christian martyrs were not liars; and "the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given unto us" (Romans 5:5).

Intersecting Faith & Life:  Are you at a loss for words when asked why you believe in unseen things? Learn how to converse with others in terms of their own beliefs in unseen things (like moral absolutes, etc.), and help them discover the worldview that is charged with the majesty and grandeur of God.

For Further Study:
What Is a Worldview? Dr. James Sire
Introduction to Worldviews (series of lectures) Dr. Greg Bahnsen

[Judy Harder]

June 16, 2011

Appearances
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor

Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin.- 1 Peter 4:1

I was not a very popular kid growing up. For starters, I was a bookworm. I read anything I could get my hands on. I was one of those kids who enjoyed doing book reports and actually looked forward to their summer reading list. Not something that wins you many friends at school. Secondly, I wasn't very athletic. I was slow, uncoordinated, not very aggressive, and had a tendency to catch footballs with my face instead of my hands. On top of everything, I was shy and never took any risks. I mostly just stuck to the background, watching other guys break the rules and do something wild or crazy that earned them respect and admiration.

It always made me jealous -- watching them. There was one guy in particular (I'll call him Jake) who I really envied. Jake was a part of the Church youth group and was incredibly popular. He was athletic, charming, good looking and basically everything I wasn't. Mostly I just tried to ignore him, but occasionally I'd see him surrounded by a group of friends and wonder why he got to be so cool while I was, well, me.

Then, during my sophomore year of high school, our youth group took a retreat to a nearby ski camp. That evening, our pastor gave a lesson about the qualities of a father and how they were present in God, our heavenly father. He was about midway through the sermon when Jake broke down and started to sob. In-between choked tears he told everyone how his own father was an alcoholic and how the two of them fought constantly. Anger and stress had caused him to experiment in a dark lifestyle, and in the end, he's started drinking himself. I sat there, shocked as the guy I had always envied poured out sorrows I couldn't begin to imagine. The worst part though, was when Jake admitted that the reason he'd kept it all a secret was because he didn't wanted to look weak.             

Appearances mean everything these days. We all fear the shame that comes when we admit something's wrong, that we've made mistakes and can't fix things on our own. Sadly, this is pretty common in the Church too. We constantly try to project an image of believers who are happy, strong, and sure in our faith when in reality many of us struggle with personal demons. But the Church was never meant to be a showcase. Instead, its purpose is on par with AA meetings, a place where there are no lies, no excuses, and no illusions. We, the Church, are meant to be a place where we can show our scars and find peace in Christ and in others. Like Brennan Manning says in The Ragamuffin Gospel,

"To live by grace means to acknowledge my whole life story, the light side and the dark. In admitting my shadow side, I learn who I am and what God's grace means."

Integrating Faith and Life

Stop trying to impress those around you and try to live your life with transparency.

Further Reading 

Matthew 6:5

[Judy Harder]

June 17, 2011

Making Faces
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. – Exodus 34:29

Once upon a time, armed with a couple brushes and makeup cakes, I specialized in turning 20-year-olds into 70-year-olds.

My time backstage in the college theater resulted in curious, long-term fascination with age lines and facial features. I more than once found myself ignoring a professor's lecture to study his face – ironically, studying the faces sometimes gave me a clearer insight into who my professor was as a person, and what his expectations might be. I've carried that quirk with me as I meet new people at church, at work, or at massive family reunions.

Here's the thing – sure, everyone gets crows feet as they age, but only some people have the unique quality that upgrades the "wrinkles" into "laugh lines." The eyes in those faces possess a permanent twinkle that makes me wish I had all day to listen to their tales of dare'n'do. Other faces have the stern, vertical jowl lines indicating a person might not have spent enough time smiling. It's easy to spot the people who talk with their eyes just by looking at their forehead and observing how prominent the creases are.

Backstage in college, these observations played an important role in every theater production. As part of the makeup crew, my goal was to create immediate character recognition and visible personality for actors before they even opened their mouths to say their first lines. This was especially important when creating older characters. The artifice of the theater let me speed through the years and imagine – if this sallow character was 50, 60, or 70 years old, what toll would their personality have taken on their expression? Add a line here, a perceived fullness there, a slight curve or shadow, and my college-age friends would (in theory) walk out not as themselves, but as a visual portrayal of a character. The lines served as an outward sign of an inner temperament.

Theater makeup allowed me to put the habits of a lifetime onto someone for just a few hours. After that, an actor could just wash off the brown and crème lines and "old age" foundation. The rest of us wear – and are always creating – more permanent lines.

The visual character sketches I used to create constantly reminded me that people either get "better or bitter" as we grow older. Our attitudes and values subtly reveal themselves on our faces from childhood on. Dorian Gray was a caricature, but actions do tend to work themselves to the surface whether we want the world to know or not.

You can look around to see what a lifetime of self-centered crankiness will do to a person's looks. On the other hand, if your church is like mine, you can also find faces that show a lifetime of peace in Christ. Those faces – and those eyes – are tied to a world that has more than a few difficulties and anxieties, but that's not what shines through. It's the joy of Christ that gives those eyes a constant twinkle.

Intersection of Faith & Life: We ultimately display what's in our hearts right on our faces. Moses experienced this everyday truth in a supernatural way every time he spoke with God (Exodus 34:29-35), when everyone could tell just by looking at his "radiant" face that he had met with God. After his heart had been fully focused on God, his face reflected it. When people look at your face, what do they see? Are you building attitudes and character traits today that you want reflected on your face in a few years time?

Acts 4:13

Proverbs 15:13