meditations

Roughing It

3/9/2011 · 0 comments

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A slightly different version was posted at a2ObservesLent.com, a Lenten devotional site I’m editing for my church.

Lent originated as a time for believers to follow Christ in His wilderness experience—hence the 40 days from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday. For many modern Christians, Lent as “wilderness experience” becomes what one of my kids described as “roughing it” when I asked what Lent was about. In the “roughing it” approach to Lent, we give up things we like in order to make ourselves suffer for a while. Jesus suffered; I should suffer. He gave up His life, so I should give up my iPad. Roughing it turns Lent into a really long, really unpleasant camping trip at a wilderness resort with no running water or bathrooms. You bear it because you have to, but you can’t wait to get back to all the comforts of real life.

I don’t think that’s what the early church had in mind when they set aside time to prepare for Easter. More importantly, I don’t think that Jesus went into the wilderness with the thought that He was “roughing it.” Yes, Matthew, Mark, and Luke all say that Jesus was led into the wilderness and that there He was tempted or tested. But was He gritting His teeth and wishing the angels would come and whisk Him back to Nazareth? I don’t think so.

Christians of the fourth century used Lent as a preparation for baptismal celebrations that were often associated with Easter; Lent was a spiritual journey. Similarly, Jesus was led (yes, led by the Spirit!) into the wilderness to be tested and to prepare for His ministry. He didn’t suffer for the sake of suffering; He had a purpose. We get a clue into Jesus’ perspective when we hear His response to Satan’s temptation to turn stones into bread so that He could eat:

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)

No doubt Jesus was seriously hungry, but in an important sense, He wasn’t starving. He had been feasting on something better than regular food—time with the Father. I can’t help but think Jesus had in mind David’s words:

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! (Psalm 34:8)

I’m excited by the prospect of Lent, by the opportunity to go on a journey of preparation, to answer the invitation to taste and see for myself that God is indeed good. Yes, I will be giving up some things along the way, but not so I can rough it. No, I choose to give up one thing in order to receive something—Someone—much better.

Do you celebrate Lent? How would you describe Lent to someone else? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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My name is Dan! What’s yours?

1/3/2011 · 0 comments

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Haley Ann ButcherLongtime readers, if you still exist, will no doubt expect that this post is my reintroduction after a long absence—and perhaps it should be, but I’ll save that for another day.

No, I’ve been thinking about names. My dog has many names: she’s Haley, Pookie, Pookienem, Bronto-schnauzer, Sweetheart, Good Girl, and occasionally, when in trouble, Haley Butcher (parents, you know the drill—say the full name to get your kid’s attention; same thing here). One thing she is never, ever called: Bad Dog. As I told Isaac and Anna the other day when they were chastising Haley, “She is not a bad dog; what she did is bad, but we will never call her bad, just like I would never call you bad.”

This thought process started a few weeks ago with a visit to the loldogs site:

I wonder how many of us are secretly, in our heart of hearts, dammitdog? Of course, we wouldn’t actually say it, at least not out loud. But if you’re like me, you say similar things in your head all the time: Stupid, Fat, Loser, Worthless, SOB…the list goes on, and many of the names are much worse, unspeakable in polite society. Some of these names come from family; it’s unfortunate that few of us grow up thinking deep down that we are Whozmysweetboymommylovesyou. (Which makes me very mindful of what I call my children!) Other names come from a spouse, teacher, “friend,” someone we dated, a bully—and often, ourselves. Regardless of the source, we internalize and repeat these names ad infinitum.

In the movie Evan Almighty, Evan Baxter repeats affirmations to himself: “I’m happy, powerful, successful, handsome.” Though it’s played as a joke, his behavior is actually on target; we could all use some daily affirmations—new names—to help us see ourselves differently.

With that in mind, here are a few names you can and should call yourself over and over. Try saying My name is

  • child of God (Jn 1:12)
  • beloved (Eph 5:1)
  • Christ’s friend (Jn 15:15)
  • chosen (Jn 15:16)
  • son of God (Gal 3:26)
  • joint heir with Christ (Rom 8:17)
  • temple of God (1 Cor 3:16)
  • new creation (2 Cor 5:17)
  • saint (Eph 1:1)
  • strong in the Lord (Eph 6:10)
  • righteous and holy (Eph 4:24)
  • citizen of heaven (Phil 3:20)
  • delivered (Col 1:13)
  • rooted in Christ (Col 2:7)
  • holy and dearly loved (Col 3:12)
  • child of light (1 Thess 5:5)
  • holy brother (Heb 3:1)
  • justified (Rom 5:1)
  • free forever from condemnation (Rom 8:1)
  • more than a conqueror (Rom 8:37)
  • sanctified (1 Cor 6:11)
  • God’s workmanship (Eph 2:10)

I’m going to say these aloud to myself for the next week and report back on my findings; I encourage you to do the same. Are there names or passages in Scripture that you use as affirmations? Share them in the comments below.

    Tagged as: affirmations, names, scripture

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    Will the real Mary Magdalene please stand up?

    July 21, 2008

    July 22 is the feast of Mary Magdalene in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Orthodox churches. Because of the popularity of The DaVinci Code, this Mary has received a lot of attention in the last few years, though most of it has been based on poor scholarship or fabrication of “facts” about her (this article in the Wikipedia gives a good run-down of the various ideas about Mary Magdalene and their origins).

    Among Christians, it is commonly–and mistakenly–believed that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute and the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet; she’s also often identified with Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. Much of this conflation of different women is based on a sermon given by Pope Gregory I in 591; as an aside, it’s interesting to note that one man’s misunderstanding of Scripture could have such a widespread acceptance. I remember hearing in Sunday school or sermons that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute who anointed Christ. However, the Gospels don’t support this idea at all. So what do we know about Mary?

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    the gift of hope

    July 19, 2008

    I have had some health problems over the last year or so that have been a little challenging (well, truthfully, more than a little–but that’s for some other time). So my sister Jennifer sent me hope.

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    what brings you satisfaction?

    May 19, 2008

    In reading The Divine Hours, this caught my attention: Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple! (Ps 65:4) The “goodness” of God’s house (some translations say beauty of His house) will satisfy me; and […]

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    getting in the way

    January 16, 2007

    My friend Sandy wrote today about her pushy cat Pepper, describing how she (the cat) gets in the way of being fed. Sandy writes: But as I reflected on my demanding feline, I wondered if I do the same thing when I pray. I beg and plead with God to respond to my needs and […]

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    says the Lord of Hosts

    January 15, 2007

    I was looking at the often-quoted Zechariah 4:6 the other day and noticed something new. I always hear, “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit” or maybe, “…by my Spirit, says the Lord.” But here’s the complete verse: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of […]

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