"Liberty" and the American Church

"I wonder if the Americans do not understand us at all because they are people who left Europe so as to be able to live out their faith for themselves in freedom? ie. because they did not stand fast by the last decision in the question of belief? I fancy that they would understand the fugitive better that the one who stays. Hence the American tolerance, or rather indifference in dogmatic questions." --Bonhoeffer

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Today, many of us look at our contemporary church and we think the brokenness is a newerish development. We look to the conservative resurgence of the 1970's and 80's and say to ourselves that we have seen the star of truth rise once again from the ashes of modern liberalism. We think that the lack of fire and life that has eroded the effectiveness of our evangelical denoms is because of cultural irrelevancy. But I would submit to you (via some thoughts and conversations the hubs and I have engaged in) that the current state of gospel laxity is really traced back to our roots.

Mountain or Valley

I have really been thinking about what many believers call mountain top moments and valley times. I have always heard in spiritual circles that mountain top moments were moments when God's voice was super clear, you felt close to Him, you had a high sense of the nearness of the truth. And conversely a valley was when those things weren't as prevalent; His voice less clear, His leading not as apparent. Somehow I think this is probably a wrong assumption.

My New Foe

Things About Motherhood

Some excerpts from an email sent to a friend in concern to motherhood and dealing with the hardships that job includes.....

Looking Through the Cross

When I say we need to look through the cross at ourselves and others, what exactly do I mean?

I have said this to several people and I wonder if it is a hard statement to understand because it could be pretty ambiguous.

Lets ask this satement in a question.

What did Christ see when he took to the cross?

Or Why did Christ choose the will of the Father?

Or Why did he say "father forgive them for they know not what they do"?

The main thing I mean when I say "Look at ourselves through the cross" is to see ourselves as Christ sees us. See our utter depravity. Feel it clearly. Know it truly. And recognize it rightly. My husband has often likened what Christ did as if we were going to be come a worm to save the worms. Seems rather pathetic, doesn't it? Ridiculous even! But why else would the KING OF THE UNIVERSE come to our world to become a victim of our gross natures?!

Footing #4

The Prophet Jeremiah has been a deep and unending encouragement for me. Not because he was a great success by any measure, but because he was always faithful. When left for days in the mire (picture an outhouse hole) he still spoke the words of truth, when threatened with death a every turn he still preached God's authority above all else, when dragged away to Egypt where he knew God said never to go again lest they be cursed he believed God was enough, when God told him never to marry and that his life would be one of loneliness he didn't pull a Benedict Arnold, when all his work was burned by the king's men (chapters and chapters of parchment(picture ancient scrolls) lost in moments--we are talking a whole lotta work here people) he patiently and carefully rewrote what we know today as the book of Jeremiah(its like 52 chapters and that's in English typed not hand written on parchment), when no one--and I mean NO ONE--believed a word he spoke even as his prophesies came true did he sit down and shut up and lose all hope? No, he kept preaching, kept standing, kept moving, kept trusting. And yes he did have his weaker moments, like when he called God to punish the nations, but he then turns around (like moses) and stood in the gap for his people.

Footing #3

"You like to tell me that things will work out, mom. But mom, what if they don't work out? What if things don't turn around, what if things get more affected by what has happened, what if my life turns into more drama not less? What do you say then?" I spoke these words very solidly and quietly and listened to the silence on the other end of the line. I wondered if I had offended my mother (who is awesome by the way, always trying to look on the bright side) by being as honest as I possibly could in the moment.

"I don't know, Larissa, I just don't know." Was her soft and gentle reply. Since then we haven't spoken in detail about how my life is playing out in worldly standards, but I have perceived that my mom actually is walking nearer to me in these times then she was before, even when she hasn't said I should just buck up and the "luck will change" things lately. I appreciate more than anything that she doesn't try to give me an easy answer, because there are no easy answers...there is enough for today...and that is all.

I know the Lord is actively teaching me the things which disciples throughout history have known; Athanasius, Perpetua, Jan Huss, James Renwick, Jonathan Edwards, Martin Luther, Charles Spurgeon, William Tyndale, John Bunyan, J. Gresham Machen, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Jim and Elizabeth Elliot along with the other members of their group, Stephen and the early disciples, Paul Schneider, Corrie ten Boom, All the Prophets of the Old Testament like Jeremiah and Daniel, Job and so many others who just haven't come to mind (most of these are examples of people I have studied their writings or read biography(ies) on).

These examples of faithfulness in the face of great struggle in this world do not all translate to death, although some do. Some lost their reputations, some their jobs, some their safety and comfort, some were hunted and besieged all their lives, Tyndale and Jeremiah lost all their work: one in Prophesy and one in translation. Many lost loved ones, and several lost their freedom, they endured great hardships including beatings and dehumanization, loss of health, horrible humiliations and all this for the simple fact that they chose to follow and remain close to the Lord; all for love and obedience.

But one thing that sets these believers apart is the fact that none of them were surprised by the Cost this thing called Christianity brought to them. Not one of them (if you read a biography or an actual first person paper) seems to show surprise that living in this world with a passion and abandon for life they way He intended it can cost you a lot. In fact when you read or study many of these followers (for a good example Corrie ten Boom  says "because my sister died, I get to talk about Jesus all the time") you see that these struggles/sufferings made them know they were marked out by Christ because their lives resembled His life on the earth and gave them a reason or ability to speak more about the truth. He was rejected, and so were they; he was beaten, and so were they; he was imprisoned and so were they; he was wrongly accused and so were they; He was punished for doing what was right and so were they; He was criticized and demeaned and so were they; he was unemployed and so were they; he was homeless and at times so were they. Their life because of Christ had taken on the glow of His life.

What choice do we have if things just don't work out? If things are harder? If all you really do only have enough for today? A roof for today, a meal for today, a friend for today? Is it enough?

Can I like Corrie ten Boom say that I don't believe in the rapture because it gives believers a false sense of security and weakens them for the struggles that life holds? Am I willing to struggle for the sake of Christ? Are you?

Even though I do not like to bear up under this obvious struggle that is continually before my eyes I know that bearing these things is a joy for me because it colors my life like His own. I am singled out like He was and I know myself to be "peculiar" like Paul wrote to Titus (Titus 2). I also know, like Paul writes in 2 Cor that I have this treasure (ie. the gospel of Grace) in earthenware vessels (ie. weak little me...highly expendable) and the more battered this vessel is (ie the more beaten and bruised I become...the more I show up less and less) the more the treasure (ie the gospel can be viewed by people looking in on my situation) can be seen. Read 2 Cor 4 for a deeper look at what Paul says about our earthenware vessels (these weak and expendable bodies of ours).