Let our words be few (my thoughts on the Newtown, CT tragedy)

Names and ages of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, CT, published on the front page of the New York Times.

Friday morning I found myself in a similar place to many people, speechless. “an Unspeakable horror” is the phrase that best captured the events at Sandy Hook Elementary School last Friday. We all know the facts 27 people killed, 20 of who were only 6 or 7 years old, 6 school teachers/ administrators and a [forgotten] mother murdered at her own son’s hands.

There are no words to say.

It seems as if Christians both liberal and conservative do not understand this, there are no words to say. My Liberal friends yelling about gun control, and my Conservative friend’s outcry over God not being in public schools is equally as loud. Though I think both side of this discussion must be heard, and I agree with both to some extent, I’m just not sure that this is the time for it.

The problem lies in everyone’s opinion being propagated on Facebook and other social media streams as if this kind of sin and horrible loss is not absent in the pages of Scripture. Therefore my “Christian” friends that choose to spout there opinions instead of reflecting on what God has said and acting on it is troubling to say the least. It reflects how much we actually hold on to this world instead of living as citizens of God’s Kingdom.

In the book of Job, Job’s family was murdered by the devil, and Job responded with a heart of faith: “The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Next his three friends arrive after Job suffers his “Unspeakable horror”. The Bible says that his friends “began to weep aloud…Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was” (Job 2:12-13).

Additionally, Job asked “why?” as we are prone to do in this time. God never answered Job’s why question, nor did he permit Job to question His wisdom. Instead, God simply pointed Job back to His own glorious character, sovereignty and wisdom. Job found a place of respite when he rested there. I think we want answers, but God does not give us answers. Instead, he reveals his character and glory, and that is faith—leaning on the sovereign hand of God, not knowing why, but knowing who to lean on through the loss. God does not answer our questions; He IS our answer.

Finally, this sickening situation should open our eyes to the opportunity that this is. National crisis like this provide Christians an opportunity to do what we are called to do, to bear witness to the truth. Not in a glib way, not in a dispassionate way that is unaffected by grief, and certainly not in a self-righteous way. As we grieve with the victims, as we mourn the loss of life, we don’t do so without hope. There is an answer to evil and it is the cross of Christ, Christ who came to put away evil and to set all things right.

In suffering, the purpose of God is to lead us to Himself and His sufficiency in Christ. God pointed Job to His revealed glory in creation, yet we have so much more. Job did not know about the cross where God would reveal His glory, grace, and character as He had not done previously. He crushed his Son for [us] sinners. He demonstrated His love in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the ultimate revelation of the character of God. Death is not the end of the story for those who turn to Christ, but eternal life in the Son is. So in this we pray for the victims, their families, the shooter’s family, and all those affected. We grieve with them.

God invites us to be silent before this massacre, acknowledging the severe limits of our understanding.

Our God is good. He is alive on the earth hidden amid all of history’s “Unspeakable horror”.

Let’s remember the three friends who got themselves in big trouble once they started talking, poorly applying Scriptural truth in an attempt to “help” Job and “defend the integrity of God.”

Let us lament and [please] let us be silent.

So you think you know Christmas?

Every year we jump into the Christmas holiday with so much joy, angst, and a lot of preconceived notions of what really happened in the nativity scene and surrounding story. So I wanted to give you a quick quiz (don’t worry if you just finished finals) to see what you know about what really happened that night. Take the quiz and sharer your score below in the comment area, also if you have disputes I will try to address them so leave them in the comment below. Have fun!

[polldaddy type=”iframe” survey=”56487CD214B01ADB” height=”auto” domain=”jelson” id=”christmas-bible-quiz”]

What is holding you back?

I don’t think people fall short of what God has for them because He is not revealing Himself, many (including myself) do so because He does reveal Himself. When He does this we are forced to face several things that MUST be overcome if we are going to achieve what He has for us. Here are some of this things that stop me:

1. Fear

If you do not say “oh crap” when God reveals what He wants for your life, then you probably did not hear from God! As you read through the biblical narrative you see many “oh crap” moments. We will never become who God has called us to be and do what He has called us to do if we do not face our fears.

Moses faced his fear of not being able to speak and went before Pharoah.
Noah faced his fear of not knowing how to build a boat

People that accomplish great things for God MUST fight through their fears because reality is than God has never asked anyone to do anything that was easy (other than receiving Christ).

2. People

When you want to do something great for God there will always be LOTS of people who try to tell you why you can’t do what He said for you to do. I have learned to never listen to anyone who just stands against the wall and does nothing but criticize those who are trying to stay in rhythm with the Father. In fact, despite the pain and hardship the fruit bore from doing what God has called you has been sweet and filling.

3. Procrastination

So many people who swear that “one day” they are going to do what they “know” God has called them to do but “one day” for most people NEVER comes. Why? In their minds “one day” is when everything is in place and doing what God has called them to do does not require any step of faith at all.

“I will do it one day” is a lie that we tell ourselves in order to justify our disobedience. God’s words are not to be considered but to be obeyed.

4. Underestimation

If God has called you then He has also equipped you and will sustain you. Of course the task at hand is large and seems “impossible”. This is why Zechariah 4:6 says it is by HIS Spirit and II Corinthians 12:9 says that HIS power is made perfect in our weakness! He did not call us because we are “able,” we are nothing more than common jars of clay (c.f. II Corinthians 4:7) that He wants to use for HIS glory and He has a history of taking ordinary people and doing extraordinary things through them.

These were just some examples from my life but I would like to know what holds you back, let me know in the comments below.

Only The Good Die Young

A few weeks ago I was supposed to go to a meeting in St. Louis (STL) and as apart of the program they were featuring a young lady named Jackie Hill. Jackie is a poet from the STL who describes herself as someone who was

…molested by a family friend, bullied in school, and fatherless, which accompanied with a inherent separation from God, led her into a lifestyle of rebellion, homosexuality, drug use, porn addiction, and everything wicked. Yet, she was loved and desired by a God who predestined her to know Him… after much debate with God, she BELIEVED all that He told her and made the decision, to turn from her sin and give her life completely to Jesus.

Let me just be honest with you, this young lady is real, simply real. The talents that the Father has given her to use for His kingdom are immense and I am saddened to know that I missed hearing her live but her poetry has blessed me so much that I am compelled to share it with you.

It is only 4:20 long! Take 5 minutes and concentrate on her words, look her in the eyes and listen to real talk because we need it.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k08gjCPePhY&feature=plcp]

Dodging bullets in KC

I have many vivid memories from my childhood that do not reflect current reality. Growing up on the outskirts of the Kansas City Metro (KC) yet consistently interacting with the each part of the city I was given a very unique perspective and love for the whole city. Just like any other metro area, things change, some parts get better and vice versa. One of these areas in KC is called “Bannister” which is named after the road that the area is centered on. While growing up I have so many great memories from this area. After church my parents would take us down the Bannister mall to the SUPER WALMART to shop. I remember seeing the traveling Lego collection (specifically the Lego Statue of Liberty, life changing), filling up on all the samples (don’t judge you’ve done it), and generally having a good time. I also remember the night we were watching the news that there had been a “shoot-out” in the parking lot of the Mall and from that point everything started to go downhill, quickly.

Sunday afternoon my mother and I were trying to find a place on the Southeast side of the city to meet so she could see the kids and I could give her the camera we borrowed from my parents. I pulled off of I-435 and merged onto Bannister Rd, an area I have been to thousands of times. I noticed a gold Mercedes (E-class) coupe flying towards me in the inside lane, so I continued on. A few seconds later this car is next to me and the driver is livid, apparently he felt that I had cut him off (intentionally) and decided that he needed to scream this at me while we drove. I sped up to try to get away (Sienna vs. MB E-class) and he easily kept pace with me so he could keep up his obscenity laced tirade. This is the point I looked over and noticed a pistol laying on his passenger seat as he points to it and then back at me. At this point my inner “Bryan Mills” comes out and quickly begin planning how to safeguard my family if he began to shoot (this is what happens when you grow up with a father who should have been in the CIA). My wife, noticing that something is wrong, asks what is going on, to which I lie to her and say nothing at all is wrong (I repent). Eventually, I [skillfully] found a way to lose him and found a place to meet my mom.

What was the point of this story? Well I want to tell you this for a couple reasons.

I am part ninja…
Ares of a city are just a microcosm of our nation which relish in prosperity, ebb, and then die.
There are broken places everywhere and we were almost another stat for no apparent reason

In this [overly] political season we need to remember that it is our privilege to make the invisible kingdom [of God], visible through our [redeeming] fidelity to it. So how do we begin to encounter these broken people for the glory of God and the good of the city? I’d love to hear your thoughts below.

God needed another angel in heaven?

** This is the final part of my series on Christian cliches. I really hope that you’ve enjoyed the series and if you missed any part of it click here to view all 7 post. I may revisit this concept again in the future but for now I will leave this series here.**

This is an example of another well-meaning but insensitive Christian Cliche that I have heard [primarily] in funerals is “God [just] needed another angel [in heaven]”. Honestly I have heard the argument as an explanation for why people die. I initially did not question this thinking as a child, seeing adults as wise authority figures and religious statements as beyond question. As I grew and became an atheist this sentiment began to deeply disturb me and since I received Christ that sentiment has yet to leave me.

These words are meant to soothe and heal, but they often fall shallow and empty on hurting hearts. Why? Not simply because they are tidy explanations for the confusing mess of tragedy, explanations that don’t ever feel very satisfying in the midst of great grief; but also because these words are resisting or attempting to eliminate the deep pain of sorrow. In our grief, we often don’t need encouragement, or simple answers, and we don’t need to feel “happy” right away; what we need is the open-hearted presence of another and the unspoken assurance that the pain we feel and the confusion we experience have room to find expression. In grief, we need to know that our pain and confusion do not make us unacceptable or unworthy of love. The greatest gift in grief is the permission, the space, and the support to feel what we are really feeling; and to say it honestly in the company of others.

The problem is we as people who care for those who grieve, we have a hard time being with people in their pain; we have a hard time letting them weep, or letting them complain; the wreckage of bitter words unsettles us; so we search for words that will help them figure it all out in their head or that will alleviate their terrible suffering. With our words we stop paying attention to the grief of another and speak out of our own insecurity or discomfort. The path of silent listening and compassionate presence before the pain of another; the path of letting the one who grieves scream, shout, and seek out God on their own; and the revelation that such bitterness and lament is not what we should avoid; but rather, that it may be the very birthplace of hope.

Job did not feel God’s presence. But God had not abandoned Job. God was there as Job screamed and complained. And unlike Job’s friends, God let Job’s words land with all their force.

God makes room for our lament, because God knows when we form words, however bitter, angry, sad or confused; we give birth to hope, if only just a little.