slumdog millionaire.

if you haven't seen this movie, you need too.

roots.

At the end of class today a visiting Briercrest alumni pulled one of the students up to the front, made him stand on a chair, and began to read from Jeremiah 17,

This is what the LORD says:
"Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who depends on flesh for his strength
and whose heart turns away from the LORD.

He will be like a bush in the wastelands;
he will not see prosperity when it comes.
He will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.

"But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.

He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit."

On the students t-shirt was a small tree that looked like it was just planted. But underneath this tiny tree was hundreds of roots. Roots that ran deep and wide in every direction.

And after reading Jeremiah he spoke about how the Lord needs these roots to run deep because of the plans he has for the tree. That, because of the enermous shape the tree will one day attain, the roots must be incredibly strong. And then he said something that kind of caught me offguard, "And that is what God is doing in you, Jake."

To understand this statement I must explain the chapel that we had today before lunch. Jim had decided to set aside two chapels for people to share their experiences and thoughts after coming back from their mission trips (I went to Brooklyn). This was the second day of sharing.

I had made up my mind during the first day of sharing that I would not say anything. For everyone reading right now, this is almost a gurantee that your heart will beat wildly until you share. So, when day two of sharing came around I began to feel the heart beating. Knowing that this symptoms were usually better acknowledged, I decided I did not have enough energy to fight the Holy Spirit and blurted out some noise indicating I would share.

I didn't begin at the beginning, but rather at the end of the trip. As I sat on the ferry and penned these words in my journal:

"I am angry...I feel as if all these people who gave me money, gave in vain. Was it a waste? God, why the hell did I go to New York?"

You see as I sat on that ferry, desperately wishing that the past two weeks meant something, I was utterly stuck in a paralyzing state of despair. I've heard people describe this feeling as being like fighting the mist. And so I returned to camp and I sat and listened as I heard stories of God's provisions, revelations, and majesty. I heard stories of salvation, and I heard stories of hearts breaking for people groups.

And that was what I shared with the group in the chapel. And the same guy who told me that God was building these deep roots in me, just looked at me and said, "I see this Spirit of dispair, and that is a hard place to be."

That is the most encouraging thing anyone has ever said to me. It was Anne Lamott who said the most powerful sermon is, "Me too." And if people were to say,"well I am sure you were of some benefit on that trip" it would take away from the roots God is establishing in me.

Why does everything we do as believers have to be of gain? Why does there exist this tremendous fear of digression? Have we somehow confused Yahweh with the God of progress?

And just today, as I received news of more things that grieve my soul, I find myself feeling very odd. Though my world is crumbling around me, I am realizing something.

My world is crumbling, not God's.

And is that really such a bad place to be in? I remember talking to my brother upon his return from Kaleo and he told me a story. One of the students had lost their best friend in a tragic accident and through immense struggle was posed with the question, is God enough. And though I do not face such extreme circumstances I find myself asking the same question right now.

Is God enough?

I will end with the word of brother Paul to the church in Phillipi, "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Phil. 1:21)

Jacob.

a natural progression...

"The spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become"

-Henry Martyn (Missionary)

I know I am not Catholic. How do I know I am not Catholic, because I don't need to do anything to get into heaven. Good news all you Protestants - we can lounge all day before we are raptured to lounge some more. Too bad for those suckers who worked their butts off...

Lately I have been struggling with this idea of works vs. faith. And now, on the eve of my voyage to Brooklyn to partner with a ministry there, I wonder why this feels so natural - so correct? Why does it feel like this year will be all for naught if I don't go do something about it? Are not I saved by the grace of God, isn't that enough?

I am not sure where this theology comes from.

John Calvin would say we are in a place of total depravity - look around - 'everyone nods their head'. And since we are in this place, it is only be the grace of God that He pulls us from the miry clay and begins to redeem us (with full redemption coming soon, but not yet). Therefore we must conclude that yes, it is our faith in God that saves us, nothing by our own power - all by His.

Now this is where something went terribly wrong.

Somebody suggested that because we are saved by the grace of God we should then respond like as if we were sitting in a lazy-boy eating a good old bag of Lays. Because you've got faith right? Wrong.

"As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." - James 2:26

Jesus also speaks frightening words on this topic,

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit...If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned." John 15: 2, 6

I have said a couple of times on this blog that something feels kind of off. Like I watched the first half of Star Wars but pressed stop just before Luke finds out his father. It is kind of an awkward place to be. Our professor last week made an interesting comment, more like an observation in regards to fourth year students at Bible Colleges. For these students, who have been steeped in academia for so long, there is an incredibly real danger that they will simply fizzle out; that the passion will be gone. Now obviously this is not a rule, more or less a trend that He noticed. But its got to make us think, doesn't it?

Are we living our lives repeating the first half of the movie over and over again? Or is our Father calling us to press play on the incredible things he has in store for us.

Please excuse the cheesiness of that last line, but it remains my conviction that a lot of us (myself included) are getting a little too comfortable with the lines we already know - with a script that we know all to well.

So as I leave for Brooklyn I ask that you would pray for boldness and courage. As I minister to the organizations staff, to the children of Brooklyn, and listen to God as He calls. Also, I would ask that you would pray for obedience, that I would react willingly to the calls of my Father while in Brooklyn; along with that, that I would abide in the Spirit. That no decision would be made outside His perfect wisdom and discernment. And for safety, that would be helpful.

Thank you friends,

Jacob.

of saskatchewan and thirty hour bus rides...

"Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord"

-Ephesians 5:19

Call me fickle, but lately I have found power in the song. As I sat on a thirty hour bus ride away from gorgeous and warm B.C. to the forsaken land of Saskatchewan, I came across such a song. But to understand this scenario better I must provide some contextual information.

Not this weekend, but the one before that, I boarded a bus with nine other Kaleo's heading for Christian Mecca, Caronport (Saskatchewan). Personally I wish we would have borrowed a page from Islam and picked somewhere a little warmer - like Saudi Arabia - but alas we were off.

One ferry ride, five games of catchphrase, thirteen hours of sleep, and one sleezy motel later - we arrived.

You know those times in life when you hear a lot about a place and when you arrive you remark, "Wow, this is nothing like what I expected!" This was not one of those times. Briercrest is in the middle of nowhere. It is very cold. And the people there are amazing. I was reunited with my long lost siblings, won a basketball tournament against people I could babysit (proud of that one), and played pond hockey on a cold Saskatchewan night in the glow of a roaring fire. Life is hard.

I can remember during one of the worship services for YouthQuake (my official reason for being there) we were singing the Christian classic, "How Great Is Our God". And I can remember looking around while the chorus was being sung, people proclaiming the amazing power of God, and I thought to myself, "I wonder what would happened if they actually believed that?"

Now God has really impressed humility on my heart this year, so I should not be surprised at the response that came back to me.

"What If you really believed it Jake?"

This is a quote from A.W. Tozer, "Christians don't tell lies they just go to church and sing them."

I began to realize two things. One - My words need to be in sync with my deeds. I should approach prayer with the same faith that I sing, "Savior, He can move the mountains..." with. Two - that God is working in tremendous ways through music.

I realize that last point does not sound like a profound insight - but to an analyzer like myself, someone who needs a theological dissertation to praise God - this is huge. And my guess is many of you who are reading this blog can relate. You who want to get the fluffy songs out of the way in a service so the "real teaching" can begin.

And the truth is, from a Biblical perspective, this argument does not stand. David found an outlet in the Psalms, Jesus - on the night of his arrest - sung a hymn with his disciples (Matt. 26:30), and Paul commands us in his letter to the church in Ephesus to sing spiritual songs.

I have a feeling that music is more than notes on a page. That, in the same way as prayer, it is a divine way of entering into fellowship with the God of the Universe.

So back to the bus ride...

As I sat with headphones in, driving into the Alberta horizon, a song comprised purely of instrumental goodness, resonated between my ears. And it was in that moment that I felt equipped to love more. Despite my exhaustion, frustration, and general annoyance - God replaced my selfishness with love. Not through a three point theological sermon, but through carefully strung together notes.

I should stop putting God in my understanding box. Because lately He is refusing to stay inside it.

harlotry and hosea...

"When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, " Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of harlotry; for the land commits flagrant harlotry, forsaking the LORD."

Hosea 1:2 (NASB)

And so here I find myself once more, it is Monday night and I am too tired, with too much work to do, on too little of a time frame. But I trust the Lord will work through my incoherent ramblings to produce something of value, and if not I apologize in advance.

This past week I wrote a paper on Hosea for Old Testament Literature. Most of you have probably some vague idea of Hosea, and the symbolic relationship that takes place between Hosea and Gomer that represented God and Israel. But once you get past that story you realize you have 80% of the book left. The remaining 12 chapters contain Hoseas address to the Israelites, condemning sin, calling out leaders.

Frankly, by chapter seven - I'm ready for these Israelites to be smotten in some spectacular fashion. 'Cause lets face it, none of us are that bad.

Right?

If we dig deeper we find that the two main areas of sin Hosea address are idolatry and unauthorized/unsanctioned kingship. Whew, good thing we don't struggle with those things...

Yea, right...

Mark Driscoll once told of a story when he was in India of a conversation he had with a pastors wife planting a church down there. Mark had just come from a rural community filled with literal idols and blood of animals. When Mark asked this pastors wife if she would ever come to America, she replied, " I did once - but I cannot stomach the idolatry."

One of the great lies from the enemy right now in North America is that idolatry is a sin found only in Biblical narratives, or in third world countries.

Secondly, we see the sin of unauthorized kingship permeate Hoseas rebuke. And again, what appears to be solely the problem of those living in Eighth Century (B.C.) Israel, is very much ours.

Who are the rulers of our lives. Are they sports stars, politicians, comedians...your girlfriend, your wife. Maybe they are people who don't even want to be put in that position, a pastor, a mentor. I know personally this year I have struggled with reading more "Christian literature" - than the Bible.

And as I read this I say to myself, "Lord, kill these people...", thus in reality I am saying, "Lord, kill me."

It is a dangerous thing - to turn Biblical narratives into an "us" vs. "them". Seldom is that true.

So when all hope seems lost for the Israelites, when there sins seem to be too staggering to compensate, Hosea chapter 14 happens. And this is where I will end my blog. It is hard to read that chapter and not leave with an overwhelming sense of hope; faith in the One who redeems us.

Love you guys,

Jake

as i stumble out of the week...

“Ah come on, Adrian, it's true. I was nobody. But that don't matter either, you know? 'Cause I was thinkin', it really don't matter if I lose this fight. It really don't matter if this guy opens my head, either. 'Cause all I wanna do is go the distance. Nobody's ever gone the distance with Creed, and if I can go that distance, you see, and that bell rings and I'm still standin', I'm gonna know for the first time in my life, see, that I weren't just another bum from the neighborhood.”

- Sylvester Stallone (Rocky)

I have had the privilege in my lifetime to live with a Rockyholic. In case you are unfamiliar with this term (don’t worry, so is Webster’s), this is someone who not only quotes Rocky quotes but who can incorporate them into real life as if they were that persons original words – spoken for the first time.

This is my best friend Warren.

Now, although I have only managed to see bits and pieces of Rocky, I feel as if I am an owner of the limited edition box set. There is something truly remarkable about the lessons learned from one man who literally rises out of nothing to become a hero to the underdog. As Christians, although I am most definitely not replacing scripture, there is a lot we can learn from Rocky.

This week I had the privilege of directing (along with two other lovely ladies) a film embodying the Old Testament. This was an entire class project – and so early on the stress of accommodating twenty four differing opinions weighed very heavily. Between chopping up scripts, finding locations, and struggling to find some continuity, I found myself dead by Tuesday afternoon. The picture below is of me directing the opening scene (obviously creation).



But – I must digress for a moment. You see, I have talked a lot on this blog about how God has been graciously redeeming me. How he has been changing my desires into His desires. So here I am, in a room full of people talking about the necessity for more fight scenes in the movie and I can just walk out and say, “screw it” right then and there.

Or.

I can surrender to God. I can stop being a prideful arrogant jerk and pass of responsibilities to more my than capable co-directors. I can smile; I can genuinely laugh as I watch some genuinely funny people perform.

I have been training all year – and all I want to do is go the full twelve rounds to prove that I’m not the same bum of a kid who left Newmarket six months ago.

In his letter to the church in Corinth Paul writes, “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” (1 Cor. 16:13)

Act like men.

I can just picture Paul yelling this. The church in Corinth, although known for their debauchery, was experiencing tremendous growth. Congregations full of prostitutes, tax collectors, and...

Bums from the neighbourhood.

As much as I want to tell you I went the full twelve rounds this week - I can’t.
As much as I want to stand with my feet on the turnbuckle and hear the crowd chant my name – I can’t.

Because we know that when Paul says, “be strong”, he does so knowing what David wrote.“The LORD is my strength and my shield.” (Psalm 28:7)

So in the midst of that chaotic room I gave it up to God; desperately wanting to prove myself, like Rocky, that I wasn’t some shmuck. But without God I am a shmuck – and that’s the truth of it.

Long story short, movie gets completed, and once again God proves his awesome majesty and grace in my life. He has been so good. I ask that you would continue to pray that I would be obedient to the calling of God on my life.

Oh, one more thing – Happy Birthday Warren.

Jacob

p.s. the movie I just spoke about “The O.T.” will be up shortly on the main Kaleo Six blog, www.kaleosix.blogspot.com

dear friends.

“Maybe that’s what he means when he says, “Do this in remembrance of me.” The “do this” part is our lives. Opening ourselves up to the mystery of resurrection, open for the liberation of others, allowing our bodies to be broken and our blood to be poured, discovering our Eucharist. Listening. And going. Because when we do this in remembrance of him, the world will never be the same; we will never be the same.”
-Rob Bell & Don Golden (Jesus Wants to Save Christians: A Manifesto for the Church in Exile)

I have a feeling that I might get more responses for the source of my quote (Rob Bell), than for the content of this blog – oh well. Lately I have been feeling that I have become impersonal and stand offish in my blogs, for that I apologize.

It’s been a really hard week for me. Now, my tone when I say that is not “woe is me” but, “praise the Lord.” As I mentioned in last week’s blog, God has been making it continuously obvious to me where I fall short in the area of faith. And now, as I go through the Old Testament (for OT Lit class), I find myself studying a God who couldn’t possibly be the one I worship. Could he?

I tried for the longest time to suppress those doubts – covering them with some lame rational I conjured up in my mind using reason – always reason. Millard Erickson wrote, in one of his introductory level Christian doctrine books, about the gift of reason that distinguishes humans from all other creatures.

Ironic.

That very thing that has been bestowed upon us as a gift is the very thing that deters us from acknowledging the Giver.

An area where a lot of my (very finite) “brain power” has been allocated recently is in the understanding of the Eucharist. One of the blessings I am finding of attending an Anglican Church this year is the weekly observance of the Eucharist. And in that book quoted above, Rob and Don speak on the importance for the Eucharist to not only permeate into a momentary state of remembrance, but into our lives. Paul tells us to, “follow him as he follows Christ.” (1 Cor. 11:1).

I wonder how literal Paul took his following of Christ. Surely we are not called to follow Him to the point of embarrassment, to the point of death?

And so it is beginning to dawn on me, that as I eat of His body and drink of His blood – a feeling of gratitude should be met with an equal feeling of conviction, of encouragement, of sorrow for the oppressed. In the book, Rob and Don told the reader to try and partake in the Eucharist with those who you are holding grudges against – those feelings of animosity wouldn’t last long.

Like other blogs past, I feel as if this blog is best written in few words. So I thank you, for your prayers – I ask that you would continue to persist in your prayers with me before God, come on – I’m quoting Rob Bell – obviously I need them.

Just a joke.