Rick Nier...Woo!

I know that I just recently posted about Mary pouring perfume on the feet of Jesus. You can find it in Mark 14. I want you to think about this story again. Even if you have heard the story before. But imagine, for a moment, in modern day settings, that you are invited to an upscale dinner party. It’s the kind where no one would dream of using a spork. There’s 3 forks, 2 spoons, a knife and some of those after-dinner mints that nobody eats unless you are at one of these parties. You’ve had the formal invite on your fridge for weeks. You meticulously plan out what you will wear. You take extra time to iron your clothes and wear the special perfume or cologne. Maybe you even Googled dinner party manners, just to be sure. You arrive and everyone is decked out. Waiters are in tuxes and everyone is being careful not to snort when a joke is told. And the guest of honor? Everyone is watching him, even when they are part of another conversation. You can see the host making sure all the deta

Then I saw "a new heaven and a new earth," for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  ~Revelation 21:1-3 This is a classic few verses from the last book of the Bible. It is very inspiring and can be very useful, like towards the end of an emotional movie when the hero has been beaten down beyond normal human comprehension, only to come back and achieve victory, even if it is only a partial and emotional victory achieved by getting the attention of a pretty girl. But I digress. These verses are best heard, read aloud by someone with a voice like that guy from the Allstate  commer

Hmmm, have you ever thought about something, had lots of conversations about said topic, then got really excited when someone finally decided to write a book about it? Yeah, me too. The aforementioned topic would be all the years of Jesus' life not talked about in the Bible. Let's face it, we get a birth story full of animals and characters. Then we get one snippet of the childhood of Jesus at age 12. Then, WHAM!, it's Jesus taking down demons and loving on the sinners. For anyone with an imagination, it leaves us wondering what it was like for Jesus, and His family, when He was a child or young adult. Was He always correcting His parents? Did His siblings ever try to get Him in trouble? Did Mary ever lose her patience and use His name in an incorrect manner? If so, was she breaking a commandment? So I was excited to recieve a copy of The Silent Years by Alan W.C. Green. The story was told from the perspective of an Uncle He may have had, but largely fictional ch

The other night my family went to the Y. Jacie wanted to go rock climbing and I said I would climb with her. You have to know, internally, my goal was not to let a 10-year old girl show me up. My competitive side is well known by my kids, because as I was encouraging Jacie on one of her climbs, Luke (8-years old) asked me why I was encouraging the competition. I reminded him that we were on the same team, so it was good to work together. And we did. Jacie reached the top of two different climbs.  Perhaps you're wondering how I did. I thought about telling you. I almost put it down. But then I realized that would make this about me. Whether or not I reached the top does not change who I am. What you think about whether or not I reached the top does not change who I am either. I could tell you. But if all we're doing is comparing, which I started to do, it will get us nowhere.  Nowhere. Let it be known that the family had a good time, so the mission was accomplished. A lot

I think that we love the New Year because we have a romanticized view of what happens when the clock rolls over. We seem to think that we'll make some resolutions and everything will be rainbows and kittens. But then we wake up and realize that old acquaintances are not all forgotten. Relationships that stunk the year before will still stink, unless, of course, we decide to do something about it. Consequences carry over, without caring to look at the calendar. I think this leaves us with a despair that leaves us not wanting to try. Why bother, right? The New Year doesn't actually change anything. If we look closely, we'll realize that the New Year is really just a new day. Sounds kind of discouraging, doesn't it? Well, hold on, because I am actually a big believer in a good night's sleep and a new day making a world of difference. In fact, I could be chief among those accused of romanticizing the New Year, a new month and even just one new day. But for all t

I have spent way too much time considering what other people think about me. From the way I dress, to the way I talk, I've obsessed over too many details of me. Why? Because I've concerned myself with what others think. Earlier this week, I talked about a guy named Simon the Leper who didn't seem too concerned with his identity. His name is only mentioned in passing, because it will be a woman who steals the scene, although it's not really about her either. Mark 14 tells us of a woman who comes in and anoints Jesus' feet with an expensive perfume. From the gospel of John, we know that it's Mary, the sister of Martha. Forget what you know about the argument the disciples have with Jesus about this being a wise or foolish use of money and resources. Forget that this seemed to spur Judas into betraying Jesus. You can even forget about the imagery of this being preparation for Jesus' burial, although it is a beautiful picture. What strikes me is the brave

I recently read Jeff Fulmer's novel Hometown Prophet . The story follows Peter, a classic story of a man who lives with his mom and receives visions from God. Wait, that's not classic? Before you scoff, we don't really know where some of the Old Testament prophets lived. Maybe that was why Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet. You might cry to if you still lived with your mom. Despite it's un-classical nature, Jeff does a good job of thinking through the implications of receiving, and then delivering, messages from God. Especially when you live with your mom and back in your hometown, where everyone knows your flaws. Aside from the obvious supernatural aspect, I think this story flowed very realistically through the consequences to our hero, Peter. Good book. Good story. Good characters, despite their flaws. I do have one minor soapbox of mine to get on. There were a handful of swear words used. I know, I know, there is a huge literary debate about what is

I've had some pretty bad nicknames. When your legal name is Richard, it doesn't exactly make it difficult for name-callers. But even I feel bad for Simon the Leper. Apparently people in the first century weren't very good with last names. And since there were a bunch of people with the same first name, your identity became unique by some other marker. Can you guess how Simon the Leper got his name? It's not difficult. Simon was evidently the only Simon people knew who had suffered with leprosy. But it must have been a thing of the past, because Jesus is at his house. Leprosy was something that made people live outside city limits, with other lepers. With no modern meds and no known cure, it was a segregated life for lepers. So for Simon to be back home, he must have been cured, probably by his house guest, Jesus. What strikes me about this story is that it has nothing to do with Simon or his leprosy. We're merely told where Jesus is at. In fact, the major part

I was playing guitar and singing when my 5 year old interrupts my American Idol-worthy groove to ask what grace is. Now, you know how parents, when they are talking with another, say things they wouldn't say to their kids? Well, sometimes I say those things to my kids. What's grace, my child? It's what God gives you, even though you're a little sinner and don't deserve it. That's grace! It ranks right up there with some advice I got from Jack Handy. He thought it was a good idea that when a kid asked where rain came from, to tell them it was God crying. When they asked why God was crying, he'd tell them it was probably because of something they did. That's parenting at its best. I think of that because of Lamentations 3:22-24. Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fails. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion, therefore I will wait for H

Christmas is in the rear-view mirror, but I have something that's been bugging me for a couple of months. It's our use of the word Grinch. When we call someone a Grinch, we are not normally handing out a compliment. In fact, we even have the song all worked out. You're a mean on, Mr. Grinch. We rhyme and wax poetical about just how insufferable he is. I may stand alone here, but I think this view of Grinch is short-sighted. And as Christians, I think we should re-think this name-calling. First of all, name-calling is just not nice. So let's not be so stupid. Secondly, we are ignoring the whole story of Grinch. Do you remember the end of the story? His heart grew 3 times as large as I recall. He became Dr. Seuss's version of Zacchaeus. Do you remember that guy? He's not just an avid tree-climber that Jesus spotted. He was a tax collector that apparently had a Napolean complex and took care of things by cheating people on their taxes. But after a visit with

2012 is starting out really well as far as my book choices. Last week I reviewed Dug Down Deep by Joshua Harris. I thought this was a good place to start a year because it laid a foundation of truth. Then I jumped right into Sacrilege by Hugh Halter. I must admit, the title had me scared a bit for what I would find inside. But you know what they say about judging a book by its cover. So I jumped in anyways. And... I say jump in with both feet, my friends. What Hugh basically does is to break down the Beatitudes and explain how deviant these words would have sounded to the original audience. Hugh writes in a very easy to follow manner. He explains in the introduction that he is writing as if to his daughters in a letter, so they may know the real Jesus. Also near the beginning he defines how he is using the term sacrilege. It comes don to tipping holy cows. That sounds mean, but these cows had it coming. Really. What we need to understand is that people did not sit through Je

 Do you ever spend time thinking ahead? I don’t mean in the sense of merely looking forward to dessert, although I do that a lot. I’m talking about the kind of thinking that is especially popular at this time of year. You start thinking about what your last year was like and what you want your next year to be like. Perhaps you think about relationships that need to be repaired. In your home, you may ponder the next big home project. In your work, you may scheme on how to attain more paid sick days. Whatever kind of thinking it is, we’re given some guidelines in God’s Word. Hakuna Matata We’re told not to worry about the future. In fact, Jesus compares us to birds and flowers and assures us that we’re worth more to God than those things (Matthew 5:25-34). Whew! In case you become concerned that God might be ok with us being hungry and naked, rest assured, He is not. Jesus tells us that our Father knows we need them. But God also knows that “life is more important than food, and the bo

I'm judgmental. There, I said it. I'm pretty bad about it as well. Oh, I don't often say things out loud, but I'm judging. I can't tell you how many times I've judged a person because of some pattern of living they have, only to be reminded of God's grace. But even in the view of grace, I return to judgment fairly quickly, piously reminding myself that people still have consequences to live with.  There may be consequences, but that really shouldn't be my concern. How I deal with people should reflect God's grace. Period. This was Paul's point in 2 Corinthians.  So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:  The old has gone, the new is here!  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 2 Corinthians 5:16-18 Like all scripture, thi

I must apologize to Carly Simon. I'm sure she has life experience that I don't have. I am positive that she is trying to make a point. But in this one instance, she is just plain wrong. The song is about him! What song, you ask? You must be young. The song is called You're So Vain by the aforementioned Carly Simon. She sings about a guy that she would clearly rather forget. She was hurt. I feel for her, I do. But, like a teenage girl who pretends that she doesn't care what a stupid guy thinks, she tips her hand. Yes, my lady doth protest too much. She tells us this guys is so vain that he probably thinks this song is about him. Well, what is he supposed to think? She describes him in pretty clear detail in 3 verses. Or are there multiple guys leaving her, travelling to Saratoga, then jetting off to Nova Scotia? Maybe I just don't live in the world where every other guy wears hats and apricot scarves. Maybe that's just me. Or maybe the song is about him.

Doctrine and theology can be fun. No, seriously. Joshua Harris has done both serious and light-hearted on this subject of uber-importance. As he writes early on, "all of us are constantly 'doing' theology." Since "all of us have some idea or opinion about what God is like" we might as well 'do' theology properly. See, we all know things about God. But we have to be pushed to make the applications for that knowledge. For instance, it's one thing to know that God is good. But what does that mean for us in a practical sense? Sigh if you must, but it's the working out of in depth questions, like how a good God can allow bad things to happen or even knowing if God can make a burrito so hot that even He can't eat it. Yeah, it's deep stuff. So Joshua tackles all the basics, from reading the Bible, redemption and sanctification to the 3 personalities of God. He even tells us why church is important. As a pastor, I have to give that ch

Ok, now that Christmas is over, we can move on from birth stories and manger scenes, right? Maybe. While we may talk less about baby Jesus we won’t (or shouldn’t) stop talking about Jesus. As annoying as the phrase ‘Reason for the Season’ may be, the simple truth is that Jesus is the Reason for…well…everything! When the Apostle Paul wrote to the Colossian Church, he began by telling them how thankful he was for their faith in Jesus. He tells them how this good news is “all over the world” and is “bearing fruit and growing.” Then Paul tells these Colossians how he is praying that God would fill them “with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” But this not just knowledge for the sake of having knowledge. This knowledge’s purpose is so they “may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way.” This is our faith becoming action. This knowledge is to be shared. It is to be lived. Knowing Jesus is not like checking an item off of our to

Well, happy New Year to those willing to read another year of my blog. (See how I assume that you'll read it all year?) I hope you will. I have some new ideas for posting themes that I will be working on, in an effort to increase our interactions here on the blog.  But one series I'll be continuing starts today. It's God First, Man Second. Every Monday, I'll post a scripture and answer the following questions in the following order. What does this say about God? What does this say about man? I believe the order is important because asking who man is first can get us wrong answers.  Alright, on with it... “Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone,