Take My Yoke Upon You - Meditation from Matthew 11:28-30

The artist is named J D Kelly. He was Canadian and lived from 1862-1958. Many of the subjects of his paintings were from the War of 1812.

This image takes me back to my childhood. We spent many summers and Christmases in the High Sierra Mountains in Northern California. My mother’s father had built a cabin during the depression on forest service property and it was full of nostalgic stuff from before I was born. There were calendars in each room from different years, all of them expired. But they adorned the otherwise bare walls with Coca Cola Girls, Pipe Tobacco Tins, and Sportsman’s Scenes of hunting and fishing. That on one level is why I like this picture. It reminds me of those calendars from those happy days.

On another level, and one that makes me ponder deeply, I hear the words of Jesus as I look at the oxen. In Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Jesus tells us about his heart. It is lowly and gentle. And he asks us, come to him, take his yoke, and learn from him.

Driving a team of oxen is a lost art today. There are a few associations of enthusiasts that compete in pulling events, but beyond that the tractor has taken over. But as I look at this picture I see that the flourishing and prosperity of the family is directly related to the team of oxen. With them they traveled to this place, cleared the land, plowed their field and are now harvesting their crop. This was how my grandparents and great-grandparents lived.

On a spiritual level this painting is a metaphor of relationships. There is a relationship within the team of oxen. One of them is the lead ox. There is a relationship between the team, the farmer, and his family. In order for this family to be successful in their work they need the team. So then if Jesus bids us to come, take up the yoke, and learn of him that makes him the lead ox. Our task is to wear the yoke he gives us. To learn of him while wearing the yoke is easy as we do exactly what he does because we are connected. When the lead ox put his head down so does the other. When the lead ox moves in any direction so does the other. The ox that follows learns to take instructions from the yoke and movement  is then in concert. So we take our instructions from our Lord and as we submit to him teamwork is achieved. So then relationship to my family, my church, is one of being yoked to my Lord. And the purpose is to provide flourishing and prosperity. I hear people in the church complain about their pastor. Why doesn’t he do this or that. Why isn’t it like this or whatever. And I wonder, don’t they see that their pastor needs a team? The work of ministry in the church is not done by the pastor alone. It requires each of us to take up our yokes and pull together.

Good Friday Meditation

Jesus spoke from the cross as he was dying. Seven words as they have come to be known. From these words we can hear whom our Lord addressed in his time of suffering.

First word; “Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing”. This of course is spoken to the Father on behalf of those crucifying him.

Second word; “Today you will be with me in paradise”. This is a surprising word to us. Our Lord suffering as a prisoner of Rome speaks to his fellow inmate. Words of comfort and assurance. Can any more powerful metaphor be given to show us our state and our responsibility to our fellows?

Third word; “Woman behold your son….behold your mother.” A conversation with the one who bore him and the disciple who loved him.

Fourth word; “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This is traditionally taken as Christ’s cry in agony. I don’t dispute it, but I wonder if it could also be the common method of teaching; quoting the first line from the Psalm would in the mind of the hearer recall the entire Psalm. Psalm 22 verse 1 is being quoted and if you were to read the Psalm you would see it describes the crucifixion event to the tee.

Fifth word; “I thirst”. We assume our Lord is thirsty, parched upon the cross. But his consistent compassion echos his earlier words “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” His thirst for the will of the Father as he spoke to the Samaritan woman, “Give me a drink”, answering his disciples he said, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work”.

Sixth word; “It is finished”. This is a continuation of the previous word. “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work” Accomplish and finished are English translations of the same Greek word, teleo.

Seventh word; “Father into your hands I commend my spirit” Another quotation from the Psalms this time Psalm 31:5. An appropriate prayer at such a time. All who know him would know this to be our Lord’s default prayer. Confirmation that his Father was with him. “He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”

Habakkuk 1:13 Misunderstood

“God cannot be in the presence of sin or even look upon it.”

This is one of the most ridiculous statements I have ever heard.

It is based on half a verse in Habakkuk 1:13. “Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity”

God is omnipresent. This is one of the things that makes Him unique. It’s one of the things that makes Him God. No one else has this characteristic.

Take Psa 33:13-15 for instance: “13 The LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; 14 from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, 15 he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds.”

Here we are told that God does indeed look at all people, and all their deeds; good or evil. He sees everyone which is only possible for God, it’s one of the attributes that makes Him God.

Acts 17:27-28: “27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are indeed his offspring.’”

God is not far from each one of us, evil or good, sinner or righteous. For we have our very “being” in Him. All creation is held together by Him. (cf Eph 4:6).

God’s presence can not be limited by sin! That idea is pure nonsense. Omnipresence is present everywhere, in every place and time. With or without sin God is present. The real question is; How is God present with sin? Not whether He is or isn't. 

For Psa 139:7-12 teaches us that is just not so. “Where shall I go from your Spirit?

Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!

If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 9 If I take the wings of the morning

and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 even there your hand shall lead me,

and your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,

and the light about me be night,” 12 even the darkness is not dark to you;

the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

From this misrepresentation a teaching of what Christ was saying from the cross when he spoke the words “My God, My God why have you forsaken me?” in Matt 27:46 (quoted from Psa 22:1) has been totally misunderstood.

The idea that the Father turned His face away from Jesus as he took upon Himself the sins of mankind while upon the cross. This is the explanation that is offered for Jesus’ quoting Psalm 22:1,
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Because from Hab 1:13 it is argued that God can not look at sin, therefore He couldn’t look at Jesus as he took upon Himself the sin of mankind. All that needs to be done is read the entire Psalm, verse 24 says plainly that this idea is just not so. “24 For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him.”

We even sing songs with this misrepresentation.

How deep the Father’s love for us,

How vast beyond all measure,

That He should give His only Son

To make a wretch His treasure.

How great the pain of searing loss –

The Father turns His face away,

As wounds which mar the Chosen One

Bring many sons to glory.

Words from How Deep The Father’s Love For Us by Stuart Townsend.

I love this song but… I can’t say it’s scriptural.

Scripture to reflect on:

Matt 1:23; “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us).

John 14:15-18; “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. 18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

“If you feel far from God… Guess who moved”

When I was a young Believer I found a bumper sticker that said, “If you feel far from God… Guess who moved”. I placarded it across the glove box. I supposed I needed it’s constant reminder. Tim Anderson’s very readable book, Into His Presence a Theology of Intimacy With God, is an awe inspiring work. He takes a common experience that crosses all traditions and shows us all the significance of it and the theology of it. He teaches us to think biblically and theologically about our shared experience.

Chapter one gives us a biblical basis of intimacy with four elements. First there is a scriptural movement towards intimacy; seeking, turning, and coming. Second there is God’s intimate knowledge of us. Some things are known to us and God alone; some things about us are known only to God. Yet God seeks to share with us knowledge of Himself, “He invites worshipful believers into His secret counsel and knowledge of Him (Ps 25:14; Prov 3:32; Jn 7:17; 17:25, 26).” Third there is an intimate place. And it is not a matter of miles but of experience as in brokenness and humility. Fourth is intimate touch as when the father embraces and kisses the prodigal son upon his return.

Chapters four and six were especially helpful in that the exploration of metaphor and symbols are rich in providing what I would call a point of contact. I have always had difficulty as a male with “bride” images. I have found much help in taking another look at how to understand these metaphors.

Chapter eight Suffering and Intimacy is perhaps the capstone chapter and of deep significance to me personally. During our deepest grief and suffering why do we experience God as silent? Anderson uses the examples of Moses, Elijah, Jesus, and Stephen to show how “God reveals His nearness to them, in order for them to bring others near to Him.”

I recommend this book to anyone seeking to be near to God and who desires gain a deeper theological understanding of what that means. It would be a good tool for a group study since reflection questions are at the end of each chapter. I would have preferred a full bibliography but a good scripture and author index is provided as well as footnotes. Thanks to Kregel Publications for a review copy of this book. My views are my own and given in the hope to be an assistance to those pondering whether or not this work would be a good read for them. Happy reading.

HYPER DISPENSATIONALISM

HYPER DISPENSATIONALISM

In a nutshell why I do not accept the view that the Gospel of Matthew is for the "Jews Only" 

Matt 1:1 This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:

This is the book of the "beginning" of the Messiah, this is another way of speaking about the gospel without using the word "gospel". cf Mark 1:1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah

The son of Abraham

This is a major theme all throughout scripture. Ask yourself, who are the sons of Abraham?
This is answered by Paul, Rom 4:11 And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them.

Matt 24:14  And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Which gospel is "this gospel" it is Matthew's! 

cf. Matt 26:13 Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” ;

Mark includes the story but makes a distinction between "this gospel" and "the gospel"
Mk 14:9 Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” ;

John includes the story but makes no mention of Christs comment about her as a memorial.
Jn 12:1-8 1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

This gospel, Matthew's, will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations!

It should become very plain in the great commission. Matt 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Again, all nations (not just Jews) teaching them (all nations not just Jews) everything I have commanded you (that has been recorded in the book you have in your hand that you are reading which is Matthew).

This in a nutshell is why I reject the idea that Matthews teaching is for the Jews only.

Can We Properly Call The Lord's Prayer "The Lord's Prayer"?

Solidarity with Christ

Can we call the Lord's Prayer "the Lord's Prayer" or should it be more properly called "the Disciple's Prayer"? I maintain that we should call it the Lord's Prayer. Here is why I think this way. There is a way to confess sin that is not your own.

1) We Have Solidarity with Christ and He with us. Although He had no sin, yet He took upon himself our sin, and made confession as our Head, our Leader, and Savior of our sin. He became a human being.

There are examples in the Old Testament where leaders repented on behalf of their people even though the leaders themselves were not individually guilty. Here are the ones I have found:

Daniel Repents

Daniel 9:3-5 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.
I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,
we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules.


Ezra Repents

Ezra 9:6-7 saying: “O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens.
From the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt. And for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, and to utter shame, as it is today.

Hosea Repents

Hosea 6:1-3 “Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.
After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.
Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.”

Joshua Repents

Joshua 7:6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, he and the elders of Israel. And they put dust on their heads.


Moses Repents

Exodus 34:9 And he said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us, for it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.”

Nehemiah Repents

Nehemiah 1:5-7 And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,
let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father's house have sinned.
We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses.

Solomon Repents

1 Kings 8:30 And listen to the plea of your servant and of your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. And listen in heaven your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.

There are statements by Christ that I think can be read as confessions. Where Christ makes confession of the sins of others by out their sins. I call these confessions because although he is confronting the sin of others, he does not condemn. He only speaks the truth. Why would he do this? To demonstrate his role as The Servant; (Isa 53:11) Not only by confessing sin but by actually bearing it.

A good example of this is found in Mark 10:38-45 Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 39 And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, 40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” 41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. 42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Luke 23:34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

John 13:27 Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”

Mark 14:30 And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.”

John 4:16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”

John 18:23 Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?”

Matt 3:15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”

2) There is a certain aspect of being in solidarity with others that makes me responsible even if I am not guilty.

In a marriage husband and wife are legally one. The debt of one is the debt of both. So I confess my guilt because of my wife's actions because I consider us one. As a nation I am a member of society. I have solidarity with my countrymen. If they fall under God's judgment I am guilty along with them. This is the condition Daniel found himself in. Today as I think about the abortion laws in the USA I confess "Lord we are a wicked people" "Cleanse our sin and restore our land" Although I have never committed an abortion, I still ask God to forgive us. (not just them) As an American, as a constitutional republic WE are partially responsible WE have allowed it. (I am not suggesting that Christ is taking responsibility for our sin, making himself a cause of it. Rather that Christ as a human being is in solidarity with us in our sin.)

3) A Thought Experiment:

Imagine you are in a locked room and everyone in there with you is an AIDs patient all in various stages of the disease. Every day a man with keys walked past the room. What would you say to him? Would you cry out "Help me!" or "Help us!"?

Jesus was in a similar situation living among us. Here is what he asked the man with the keys (The Father) Jn 17:2 you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And verse 9; I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. And verse 21; that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, And verse 26; that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

In this thought experiment I confess, I would be crying out to the man with the keys "Help me, Get me out of here!" Jesus on the other hand prayed "give them eternal life, make them one with me, lets share our love with them" Christ had solidarity with us as a human being but here in John 17 he is asking for solidarity with us in glory! Is it a small thing for Christ to be with me in my confession of sin? It was "to fulfill all righteousness" in order that I might be with Him in glory. Jn 17:24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

A Poem of Lament

Poetry and Philosophy have always been at odds

Poets declare praises; Philosophers deny the gods

And is it any wonder we've forgotten mystery?

 Revolving, Devolving with scientific history

~fragment by rustymodem, 2019~

"We crossed a Walk to the other Part of the Academy, where, as I have already said, the Projectors in speculative Learning resided.

The first Professor I saw was in a very large Room, with forty Pupils about him. After Salutation, observing me to look earnestly upon a Frame, which took up the greatest part of both the Length and Breadth of the Room, he said perhaps I might wonder to see him employed in a Project for improving speculative Knowledge by practical and mechanical Operations. But the World would soon be sensible of its Usefulness, and he flattered himself that a more noble exalted Thought never sprung in any other Man's Head. Every one knew how laborious the usual Method is of attaining to Arts and Sciences; whereas by his Contrivance, the most ignorant Person at a reasonable Charge, and with a little bodily Labour, may write Books in Philosophy, Poetry, Politicks, Law, Mathematicks and Theology, without the least Assistance from Genius or Study. He then led me to the Frame, about the Sides whereof all his Pupils stood in Ranks. It was twenty Foot Square, placed in the middle of the Room. The Superficies was composed of several bits of Wood, about the bigness of a Dye, but some larger than others. They were all linked together by slender Wires. These bits of Wood were covered on every Square with Paper pasted on them, and on these Papers were written all the Words of their Language, in their several Moods, Tenses, and Declensions, but without any Order. The Professor then desired me to observe, for he was going to set his Engine at Work. The Pupils at his Command took each of them hold of an Iron Handle, whereof there were fourty fixed round the Edges of the Frame, and giving them a sudden turn, the whole Disposition of the Words was entirely changed. He then commanded six and thirty of the Lads to read the several Lines softly as they appeared upon the Frame; and where they found three or four Words together that might make part of a Sentence, they dictated to the four remaining Boys who were Scribes. This Work was repeated three or four Times, and at every turn the Engine was so contrived that the Words shifted into new Places, as the Square bits of Wood moved upside down." ~Jonathan Swift, Gulliver's Travels chapter 5~

40 Day Fast from facebook - Week 4 Prayer for Prisoners

All over Oklahoma inmates inside prison walls are praying this prayer; And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42). What is Christ's answer to them? We know the answer Jesus gave to the prisoner on the cross, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43). That man was condemned to die next to Jesus, and so he received his answer. But what about the thousands of men and women inside who are trying to serve Christ to the best of their ability? What do they hear in answer to this prayer?

Jesus taught us that the righteous who will inherit the kingdom prepared for them are the ones who remembered him. For they ask; “And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:39, 40).

Would you consider praying a prayer of remembrance with me for out brothers and sisters inside the walls of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections?

A Prayer of Remembrance

O Lord please remember those you have chosen behind the walls of prison. Help them to grow, help them to endure to the end. Lord, what you have planted in their hearts, water by Your Spirit and by your word. Strengthen them in heart, mind, and soul. Fill them with Your Peace that passes all understanding and build them up into Your Church, helping them to be fitly joined together. Supply all their needs and make them fruitful unto every good work. In Your Precious Name, Amen.

40 Day Fast from facebook - Week 3

Time Lost on fb is Time Gained Reading Dead Guys

One of the things I like to post on facebook is what I call "Dead Guy Quotes" I do this to help keep myself focused, because, time is short. No I am not talking about the rapture or anything like that. I mean I have lived longer than I expect to continue to live. For me time is literally short. So the time I spend reading I want to get the best bang for my buck. This means "read the dead guys" because the living have not out lasted them yet! The guys that wrote 100 years ago, 250 years ago, 500 years ago and are still getting published, you get the idea. Dems my homies. That said I will now share with you my faithful reader my dead guy quote for week 3 of my 40 day fast from facebook. Please feel free to "Like and Share" Papias of Hierapolis was a contemporary of Polycarp and the Apostle John, so he lived almost 2 millenniums ago.

Days will come in which vines will be grown, each having ten

thousand shoots, and on each shoot ten thousand branches, and on

each branch ten thousand twigs, and on each twig ten thousand

clusters, and on each cluster ten thousand grapes. And each grape,

having been pressed, will yield twenty-five measures of wine. And,

when anyone of these holy ones will apprehend a cluster, another

cluster will cry out, ‘I am a better cluster. Be taking me. Be blessing

the Lord through me.’

~Papias of Hierapolis~

The "holy ones" Papias is referring to are the believing Christians.

Top 10 things I missed this week while on my 40 Day Fast from facebook - Week 2

Week 2 without facebook

What have I missed? 

I can't think of a thing. Wait a minute.....  Top 10 things I missed this week 

1. I didn't get to "like" any cute pics. 
2. I didn't get to respond in my quirky snarky manner to any jokes. 
3. I didn't have to roll my eyes at any posts that I would have been too embarrassed to post.
4. I didn't get to see anyone post a pic of their "totally awesome" dinner. 
5. I didn't get to see that video of that crazy person. 
6. I didn't get disgusted at my overly sensitive friends about their over reaction to some stupidity that has been on the web since 1994!
7. I didn't get the warning from those 2 or 3 friends that are warning me not to accept new friend requests from them because they got hacked. 
8. I didn't get to see the latest pics of misspelled tattoos. 
9. I didn't get an invite to that event that's happening 3 months from now that's 1200 miles away. 
10. I didn't get to click on "hid this ad", not even once.  

Always remember:

40 Day Fast from facebook - Week 1

Greetings! 40 Day fb Fast Week One

Someplace between Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday I felt impressed, had the desire, thought it beneficial, to disconnect from facebook.

Why? Because I wanted to do something Christian? Because I wanted to follow the Church Calendar? Because I was getting too distracted? None of the above.

Disconnect is a word that I hear a lot in prison. (I go inside twice a week to teach inmates) In the prison environment it is hard to be alone. Inmates often tell me that they wish there was some way to get alone short of getting put in solitary confinement. There is always noise, always people in your business, lonely lost souls looking to connect but not quite knowing how. (Sort of like fb) So the inmates shut down, disconnect for self preservation more than anything. They stop talking, stop interacting in any deep real sense. They put on their stoic personas and wait out their time. Many have been doing this for decades, not weeks!

I needed space so I disconnected. When I fill up my time and energy, my thoughts and musings, activities and pastimes, I find myself in a similar situation as my inmate friends. (yes they are inmates, and yes I call them friends) My head and heart are too full of petty minutia to think. It's like swimming in the surf with your eyes open but there is just too much froth and foam to see clearly.

There is always the primary goal, then there are secondary and sometimes tertiary gains. Like tossing a rock into a pond there is more than one ripple. I've reached my primary goal. I am absent from fb. Better yet fb is absent from me. (No, I don't have someone else sending me updates)

Secondary gain: time, time to get out beyond the breakers churning the beach. Gently floating on the swells enjoying the vast horizon and the distance from the noise. When the nonsense is absent the substance can be heard. (yes, the latest fake news is nonsense!)

Tertiary gain: two thoughts, both from scripture. First, "My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad." Psalm 34:2. So in my words, when I make my boasting about Jesus, the humble, the lowly, the oppressed, the forsaken, the ordinary, will hear and by hearing become glad. (not the proud, the haughty, or the cocky; these remain deaf) Second, "But those who wish to boast  should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the LORD who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the LORD, have spoken!" Jeremiah 9:24. Again in my words, boasting in Christ is not about me or my accomplishments but about the character of God! If I am boasting in anything else other than His character then I am posting fake news! Fake news makes no one glad!

An Invitation to Join God in His Work Equipping Christian Inmate Leaders

An Invitation to Join God in His Work Equipping Christian Inmate Leaders

Henry Blackaby in his Experiencing God series of books has told the Church to “Watch to see where God is working and join Him in His work”.

Scripture teaches us that we are “created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand” (Eph 2:10).

Any Christian who has been involved in prison ministry in Oklahoma can testify that God is working inside our prisons and jails. In fact, I have heard reports from volunteers that they can’t imagine not serving inside because of the difference it made in their own life as they served in prisons and jails. My own testimony is the same. As I joined God in His work inside prison I discovered the meaning of Ephesians 2:10. God had prepared this ministry for me to serve in; all my life experiences, all my training, all my desires are fulfilled in what God has prepared for me to do, not what I deemed most fulfilling.

The Need.
Christ is at work. The Holy Spirit is sending men and women into prisons and jails to preach the good news of Jesus Christ. Many come to Christ in prison, many return to Christ in prison. Volunteers go inside prisons and jails on a weekly basis preaching, teaching, and encouraging. This is an ongoing process, but discipleship in the prison context is impossibly hard on just a weekly or monthly basis. Jesus called the twelve disciples to be “with him” 24/7. The need is to train inmates to become fishers of men, disciplers making disciples within their environment. Equip them so that they can independently carry the Gospel into the prison gangs, into the lost, into their prison culture. This is what any missionary society would want, indigenous Pastors, Teachers, and Evangelists growing churches within their own people group. Prison is it’s own culture. Christian inmate leaders inside the prison system need to be identified and trained. The baton must be passed. Disciple makers must make disciple makers. Dependence on Christian media and volunteer programs is short changing the body of Christ inside prison. Missionaries travel to foreign countries to plant churches for Christ’s Kingdom. Their ultimate goal is to train up and release into the ministry the indigenous people they have converted. Until the indigenous people can succeed at the work of evangelizing their own people the work of the missionary is not done.

The Vision.
In order to equip the inmate Church inside the prison walls of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections a Seminary Program needs to be established. This might sound like a radical idea. Why should we provide this kind of education to inmates? The the answer is because they have trusted in Christ and are sincerely living as model inmates. All over the world Churches have started Seminaries to better equip leaders for their communities. God is today calling our nation’s Churches to establish Seminaries inside state prison systems. It started twenty years ago in Louisiana. New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary began to teach seminary level classes inside Louisiana’s Angola prison. Since that time many other states recognizing  the benefits to the prison system have allowed similar programs to begin (see Fig. 1). There are documented tangible benefits to the prison system in adopting a seminary program (see Fig. 2). God is indeed working in the prison system, for the inmates and for the institutions. Will you join Him? 

Fig. 1

Global Prison Seminaries Foundation has been up and running since June of 2016. In just a very short period of time, we gratefully report the current activity in the following states:

Tier I: Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico

Tier I is defined as a prison seminary that is in good standing with all of the four key players; graduating on a yearly basis; students are lifers or have extremely long sentences; accredited, biblical, convictional, Bachelor-level curriculum and four-year degrees; AND systemically sending out Field Ministers in a joint effort with the prison system on a yearly basis and in a timely, well-planned manner with full support on the local prison level.

GPSF’s Role: to continue to touch base with key players in these states and address and on-board transition changes in these key player positions is essential. A state is strongest when it has all four key players in place and accredited, quality, convictional, biblical instruction delivered to lifers with a vision toward active Field Ministry started during their four years of classwork and moves to full-time Field Ministry access upon graduation.

Tier II: Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, West Virginia, Wisconsin

Tier II is defined as a prison seminary that has started and is in good standing with all of four key players but has not yet graduated a class and due to that, has not yet sent out Field Ministers. Global Prison Seminaries’ role in this state.

GPSF’s Role: to advise, educate, and advocate all four key players in their separate roles all toward the same Field Ministry vision. GPSF is uniquely qualified to assist those in the Corrections arena by educating them about moral rehabilitation and how to actually carry out the Field Ministry vision in Corrections — giving lifers access to the prison and to fellow inmates to do peer-to-peer ministry.

Tier III: Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, Oregon

Tier III is a prison seminary that is up and running, but needs strengthening in the areas of leadership, funding, communication, increased number of graduates, OR has no systemic vision for Field Ministers inside of the state’s prison system.

GPSF’s Role: to strengthen this states effort by offering assistance in identifying the key player or players who need support to fully execute the Field Ministry Vision that is the prison seminary movement. The yellow category status is totally dependent on having two key pieces: 1.) the Prison Seminary Model, 2.) Active Field Ministry. If the second piece is missing, the yellow status simply clarifies to us at GPSF that this is a state and prison system that needs strengthening. We believe we can offer strong assistance to a state’s prison system for how to carry out Field Ministry based on the overwhelming success in Texas, proving this is a replicable model.

Tier IV: Georgia, Mississippi

Tier IV is is a state that is showing significant interest in beginning a prison seminary in their state and moving into real development and substantial planning stages for a prison seminary in their state WITH Field Ministry as the vision for the end goal, but has not yet held its first class.

GPSF’s Role: to stay with each of the state’s key players through each phase of development celebrating with them their first day of class. GPSF does not raise funds for the state, rather counsels and supports and encourages the identified non-profit key player in the state who will become the state’s advocate.

Tier V: (not included on this map) – Global Prison Seminaries Foundation has identified a Tier V, not included on this map, but taking place in the following states: Alabama, Illinois, Maryland, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas (two that are not Darrington).

Tier V is a program within a prison often referred to as a prison seminary that has started but is not using the same essential elements of the model that we would subscribe to nor requiring the four key-players. These essential elements are Lifers, Equipped with a four-year accredited bachelor degree anchored in sound Christ-centered doctrine, Transferred to other prisons upon graduation, Living in the prison, Access to the prison given to do ministry, Peer-to-peer inmate-led ministry. The four key players being leaders in the following four arenas: Executive or Legislative elected positions (Governor, Senator, Representative); Corrections; Seminary, and Non-profit catalyst or champion (the project manager).

Fig. 2

Point of View: An innovative solution for Oklahoma's criminal justice impasse

By Joshua Hays, Published: Sun, February 12, 2017 12:00 AM

Just three months after Oklahoma voters approved criminal justice reforms through ballot initiative, state legislators have filed bills to roll back the changes. Despite Oklahoma's prisons operating at 109 percent capacity, these bills would revoke public funds from treatment programs aimed at reducing recidivism. If passed, these bills would directly counter the public's wishes and exacerbate already dangerous prison crowding.

But there is a compromise available to preserve programs while limiting public expense. Oklahoma could learn from its neighbors and allow faith-based, privately funded programs to offer education to inmates, training them for roles of service to one another. Louisiana has operated such a program for over two decades, and Texas has followed suit since 2011. In both states, inmates who volunteer to participate receive a fully accredited, four-year bachelor's degree at no cost to themselves or to taxpayers.

In return, graduates commit to apply their education to serve their peers. Designated “field ministers,” they work as caretakers in a variety of roles including grief counselors, academic tutors, mentors for new arrivals to their units, and instructors for courses on substance abuse, anger management and victim awareness. In other words, these college-educated men replicate as volunteers many of the rehabilitative services that Oklahoma's Legislature seems so loath to finance.

An intensive four-year study by a team from Baylor University found overwhelmingly positive outcomes at Louisiana's Angola Prison. Program participants had the prison's highest levels of mental and emotional well-being and stability, positive attitudes toward staff, and sense of meaning and purpose in life, even while incarcerated. Perhaps even more striking, other inmates who participated in religious congregations with these field ministers but without the same educational advantages outperformed the rest of the general population on these same measures. Preliminary findings from the newer program in Texas have been similarly encouraging. (italics added)

Faith-based education programs also make fiscal sense. Angola's program launched as a response to austerity aggravated by Congress's revocation of Pell Grant eligibility for prisoners. Kris Steele, former Republican speaker of the Oklahoma House and now executive director of The Education and Employment Ministry, a justice reform group, stresses the importance of “positive return on investment.” Angola's inmate ministers show the financial return that allowing faith-based service invites.

The prison employs 30 inmate ministers as “re-entry mentors” for men serving shorter sentences; ministers provide mentees with social and vocational support as they prepare for parole. Wages for these 30 ministers cost the state $34,000 annually, compared with an estimated $1.45 million to replace them with comparably qualified civil service employees. This single program saves Louisiana taxpayers over $1.41 million in direct costs, not to mention the savings and tax revenue generated by parolees who succeed thanks to the influence of a mentor

Rehabilitative services are the right choice for prisoners and the public, but Oklahoma legislators seem unwilling to foot the bill. Why not then allow faith-based schools to offer voluntary education to prisoners and train them for caretaking service

Hays (william_hays@baylor.edu) is a research associate with Baylor University's Institute for Studies of Religion and co-author of "The Angola Prison Seminary: Effects of Faith-Based Ministry on Identity Transformation, Desistance, and Rehabilitation" (Routledge, 2016).

Meditation on the Lord's Prayer

Some folks have suggested that praying the Lord's Prayer leads to just speaking a rote prayer. To counter that idea I offer this meditation based on the Lord's Prayer. As you will see I have used the prayer as a template so to speak. I have placed my meditations in italics beneath each line of text of the Lord's Prayer. This is not intended to be exhaustive by any means. It is just a simple example of how the prayer could be used. I would suggest you try this and see if it is helpful to you. 

Our Father in heaven,

Although You are King of the Universe, Jesus teaches us to address you as Our Father.

Hallowed be Your name.

We ask that we would love you with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength.

Your kingdom come.

Help us to bring the good news of your kingdom to those around us lost in darkness.

Your will be done

Help us to discern your will in all things and to acknowledge your sovereignty.

On earth as it is in heaven.

That Your presence would be near to us.

Give us this day our daily bread.

Help us make good use of all the things you have provided material and spiritual.

And forgive us our debts,

Show us when we stand in need of repentance.

As we forgive our debtors.

Help us to love our enemies as you have shown so that we would be like you.

And lead us not into temptation,

Help us to see your beautiful glory so that we would fear nothing or love nothing more than you.

but deliver us from evil.

Help us remember, Jesus Christ risen from the dead and the power of the Holy Spirit given to us.

Review of "Messiah in the Passover"

Messiah in the Passover by Darrell L. Bock and Mitch Glaser.

Since this book is a work by multiple authors (20+) you can approach reading it as a reference work. It is divided into five parts.

Biblical Foundations

I was looking for background on the Passover and how it informs Christianity. This book does that well and much more. I received my copy just before Easter so the information I appreciated first of all were the chapters on the Gospels and the treatment of the questions around whether or not the Last Supper was a Passover Seder and the chronology of John’s Gospel.

Passover and Church History

The Presidential Message on International Holocaust Remembrance Day (Jan 2018) has been in the news of late, bemoaning the fact that many of our younger generation do not know what the Holocaust was. This book should be on every Christian’s shelf for this reason alone. It contains a wealth of history that is directly related to similar events in the twentieth century that we call the Holocaust. For example, Jews were required to be identified by badges sewn onto their clothing by The Fourth Lateran Council (circa 1215).

Jewish Tradition and the Passover

Although the earliest writings we have on the traditions of the Passover are from the third century, the Messianic Analogies (p. 178) are intriguing and thought provoking.

Communicating the Gospel Through the Passover

The insights and allusions to Messiah in this section are good and communicate well. However more interesting to me is the idea that the words Seder and Haggadah have the meaning of Order and Telling. This answered for my long standing question, how did the Jews as a people survive for millenniums while keeping their identity as a people. I believe this section shows us their calendar and liturgy kept them united. There is a lesson here for Christians.

Celebrating Messiah in the Passover

Practical guidelines for participating in a Passover Seder. Complete with recipes and resources to guide you through your own celebration. I am planning to have one next Passover/Easter.

The end material includes 9 Appendices, 7 indices, a substantial bibliography, a good recommended reading list, a glossary, and abbreviations.

My take away is this, Rom 11:18 “remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you”

My thanks to Kregel Academic for providing me a copy for an unbiased review. 

Hitchhiking Through Mark

This is a review of a book. Mark Through Old Testament Eyes The author is Andrew T. Le Peau. I had never heard of him but two things caught my attention.

1) He has taught the book of Mark for over 10 years at InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. 

2) The offer of reading intertextually, seeing how the Old Testament can illuminate the New Testament.

I can best describe my experience reading this book with a couple of analogies. 

1) Hitchhiking. While traveling dependent upon the goodwill of fellow travelers you are sometimes stuck in places where there has been little traffic. In these places previous hitchhikers inscribe their thoughts and ponderings on the backside of street signs. These texts tell you if you should wait or push off on foot. They give you a sense of not being alone, others have traveled this way before. 

2) Postcards. Everyplace I have visited I like to pick up postcards. They remind me of my visit and they are images I can share with others who have not been to those places.

The book is not technical and not quite devotional. It is a guide for learning and teaching Mark’s Gospel. More of a map with multiple points of interest noted nicely in tables and sidebars. I knew I was traveling in Mark but I didn't know there was so much to see along the way.

The notes the author has built into this commentary are informative and refreshing. You will go through the Gospel verse by verse for the most part. The brilliance of this author is the way he uses the many iterations of his teaching to pass on to the reader a rich experience. It shows. He points out Old Testament references a lot. Some of them I really appreciated, some of them I still need to ponder. All of them are worthwhile. You won’t feel like you've wasted your time with this book. Le Peau pays attention to the structure and passes on his insights. I found this really refreshing.

His bibliography is four and a half pages. Names with more than one entry are Kenneth Bailey, G. K. Beal, Craig Blomberg, Walter Bruggemann, R T France, John Gondingay, Richard Hays, Derek Kidner, Temper Longman, Alec Motyer, Rodney Stark, Mark Strauss, Willard Swartley John Walton, Christopher Writght, and N. T. Wright. As you can see the author has done his homework. My thanks and appreciation to Kregel Academic for providing me with a copy of this book for an unbiased review.

I recommend this work to students, teachers, pastors or anyone wishing to study/travel through Mark. The author, Andrew T. Le Peau, is an excellent teacher/guide. I look forward to future volumes in this series. Like postcards they will be worth collecting and showing to others who wish to travel this journey.

Thy will be done…

Thy will be done…

We have come to the 3^rd imperative in the Lord’s Prayer. But I have to get something off my chest.

I knee jerk at the idea that it is wrong to pray “thy will be done” or that praying the Lord’s prayer is “vain repetition”. I have read some word-of-faith teachers claim that praying “if it be your will” or “thy will be done” is evidence of a lack of faith. The hyper-grace teachers claim that the Lord’s prayer belongs to the old covenant and therefore it is not for Christians. Both of these assertions are ridiculous.

Here’s why. Now I might step on some toes, so if I do I’m sorry. Soapbox mode ON.

Praying the Lord’s prayer is praying scripture not “vain repetition”.

“Use not vain repetitions” is the King James translation, other translations say, “Do not use meaningless repetition” (NASB), “Do not heap up empty phrases” (ESV), or “Do not keep on babbling” (NIV). To suggest that praying the word of God back to God is vain or babbling is nonsense. The word of God spoken is powerful. “But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it” (Deu 30:14). We have been entrusted with the word of God and reading it, speaking it, praying it, meditating on it are all ways of learning it and keeping it in our heart.

Psalm 119 is full of examples:

13 With my lips I declare

all the rules of your mouth.

43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,

48 I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love,

and I will meditate on your statutes.

54 Your statutes have been my songs

in the house of my sojourning.

And here is a New Testament example:

Eph 5:18 &19

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,

Eph 6: 17 & 18

take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.

I would have to say that it is appropriate to worship God with His word in prayer from the passages above.

What about a lack of faith? Does praying “thy will be done” or “if it be your will” demonstrate a lack of faith? Here’s the rub. Insinuating that someone is deficient in faith because they claim not to know the will of God is also insinuating that somehow you are superior in your faith since you don’t pray like that. Well, how convenient for you. So then if you are superior in faith how about you just tell them what the will of God is and they won’t need to pray at all since they are standing in front of you, the prophet that insinuates!

What about the Lord’s prayer being a part of the old covenant according to hyper-grace teachers? Dumb and dumber. The logic goes like this.

1. The portions of the Gospels before the Crucifixion belong to the old covenant because of Heb 9:22, “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”
2. The Lord’s prayer occurred prior to the Crucifixion.
3. Therefore it is part of the old covenant.

See any problem with that logic? (One problem is the first half of Heb 9:22 that says “almost everything” but I’ll leave that for another post.) The logic is built on a weak analogy. Every book of the New Testament was written after the Crucifixion. Every word of every book was breathed out by God after the Crucifixion. So by their own definition (after the Crucifixion) every word of the Lord’s prayer was written down by an Apostle directed by the Spirit, after Pentecost. So where do the hyper-grace teachers get the authority to place these things into the old covenant?

John 1:16 &17, “For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” Grace came through Jesus Christ. Forgiveness came by Jesus Christ. Hyper-grace teachers will tell you that there was no forgiveness before the cross because there was no “shedding of blood”. Well that is just not true.

Here are two New Testament examples of forgiveness without blood (pre-crucifixion).

Matt 9:2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”

3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.”

Lu 7:47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” 50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Soapbox mode OFF.

A review of Leaving Mormonism Why Four Scholars Changed Their Minds

To receive truth is a fundamental principle of Mormonism… Joseph Smith.

This work is the testimony of four scholars, all formerly LDS, contending for truth in a loving spirit of peace. If you are expecting another book about problems with Mormon history or Mormon scriptures this is not that book. You will find references to those things but the thrust here is to tell the how and why of the journey towards truth for these four authors. I encourage you to read on.

Dr Corey Miller CEO of Ratio Christi, searched the faith of his roots for the good life. Dr Miller answers questions most don’t think to ask about the nature and limitations of personal testimony. The implications of which are relevant for traditional Christians and Mormons alike. His exposure to the gospel of traditional Christianity made his Mormon experience feel like a “religious veneer of behaviorism” (p25). His working through these conflicts clarified his faith and he shows how we can have confidence in our testimonies. He clarifies the significant differences between the Mormon and Christian concepts of God and the plan of salvation.

Dr Latayne C. Scott tells of her heartbreaking journey from Mormonism. She was determined to discover the truth. Her journey led her to “Representational Research” a research method for reasoning or perhaps you could call it a hermeneutic for our mind. This tool along with “True Narrative Representations” enables one to rationally discern truth from fiction from error from lies. These tools Dr Scott explains very well and they have implications that are further reaching than just Mormon studies. This is a rich field to glean from for anyone who works with words. This section alone is worth the price of the book.

Dr Lynn K Wilder was a tenured professor at Brigham Young University. She has three sons who all served missions. She believed that the outside world was in opposition to the LDS Church and the Prophet. She never took seriously anti-Mormon literature but dismissed them as lies. However her position at BYU required her to wrestle with some hard questions about racist ideas in the LDS scriptures. This fractured her bubble. She writes that it wasn’t only these difficulties that led her away from Mormonism but rather it was her search for truth in the words of Christ. She doubted everything else. She found these most fully in the New Testament.

Dr Vince Eccles is descended from a well known Utah family. His upbringing was both wonderful and tumultuous. By the laying on of hands, after his baptism into Mormonism, his father prayed “Make him a peacemaker” quoting a section of Matthew 5. His father also instilled in him a rich imagination and a love of rigorous study. As a six year old boy he wondered what he would see if he flew a rocket ship to the edge of the universe. This was a good mix for a future physicist. Disillusioned by the LDS Church his search for the Creator took on a scientific quality. His boyhood rocket became a metaphor in his search for truth. Dr Eccles established criteria for assessing doctrines. He came through with three creed-like statements, God is One, God is Spirit, and God is Love. His journey of faith has been like his childhood both wonderful and tumultuous. Discouragement and a “dark night of the soul” eventually comes to all Christians. The truth Dr Eccles found and his dogged determinism to keep his rocket ship flying has enriched the Christian Church. His insights on the call of Abraham, the meeting with Melchizedek, the Shema, and the Golden Rule are wonderful and edifying. It is this reviewers hope that Dr Eccles will continue to write and share more.

Thanks to Kregel Publishing for a review copy of this book for an unbiased review.