This is Why I Type

I can't count the times that I have opened up the "Create New Post" page in this blog and just sat there typing. Paragraphs come and go, and most of them never make it to the actual blog. Whether I publish a post or not, I love to type and write my thoughts. Several folders on my computer include Word documents that are gorged with incomplete sentences, questions, thoughts, and rants of frustration. There is something about jotting down what's in my head, despite the difficulty in decoding what's really going on up there, that helps me to process what I have learned. Although there is a lot of value for myself in typing and thinking, I hope that it stretches beyond that. Sifting through my experience teaches me a lot, but what really keeps me typing is the idea that it may mean something to someone else.

As a follower of Christ, I believe there is no experience that is meant just for an individual. Why else would Christ always remind us of loving others? Granted, some events in life directly benefit myself and no one else around me. But, indirectly, if experience and trials occur in order to grow and mature us, then they allow interaction with others that build the kingdom of God more effectively. I don't pretend to ignore or discount the comments people make on the blog here and general comments that suggest what I have to say actually means something to others. Those comments encourage me and give me reason to keep typing. This is why I type. Because I know it means something.

However, as I desire to say something that makes a difference, frequently I realize that words flow and lines fill with phrases and sentences that don’t carry much meaning. Many times I open my mouth to speak and have absolutely nothing to articulate. And for a person who loves to talk and type, studies human communication, and writes endlessly about it, it is humbling to consider my utter inability at times to actually communicate. I don’t know if what follows here will bear the meaning I intend, but it is all I can muster. It is all that comes off these fingers.

Lately, I have been examining passages in Scripture that talk about confession, healing, and restoration with God. Passages like James 5:13-16 that tell us confession leads to healing. And Isaiah 6:1:8 that iterates seeing the Lord for who he is shines light on who we are and reveals our total ruin. The end is restoration to who we were created to be. The paths I have recently traversed all lead to this same conclusion. Confession is necessary for healing, and healing is necessary for restoration.

Confession…

Healing…

Restoration…

I need restoration. The katartizō restoration found in 1 Peter 5:10 that puts things back in order, the restoration that mends what is broken, and makes complete the things unfinished. I need healing—Iaomai healing that brings freedom. I need to confess. The Exmologeō confession from Acts 19:18 that openly admits wrong. Every destination has its journey; every end has its means. Here is how to arrive: Confession. Healing. Restoration.

I confess…

I don’t have it all together, but I act like I do. I struggle, but say all is well. I hurt, and fight to hide the pain. I yearn to teach, but can’t stand being taught. I say I’m not greedy, but I can’t let go of what’s not mine to begin with. I say, “Everything will be fine,” but don’t believe it. I refute that I covet, but want to have what others do. I say I can handle it alone and deny my need for God.

There is so much more to say, I confess.

This message may be from me and directly for me. But maybe somewhere in there is something for you. My experience is not meant just for me. So I share it with you.

I want you to know me. I want me to know me. I want to be real, transparent, and open—with myself, with you, and with others. God, I confess, I need to be healed. I want to be restored. Mend what is broken, put things back in order, and make complete this shattered soul.

This is why I type tonight. For you, Lord.

Chillin' with James

Like I said in my last post, I have been chewing on James 5:13-16. There is so much more to it going through my head than will ever make it down on paper or blog. But, here is a little bit of what I think. The first part consists of a series of notes and commentary that I developed from researching the Greek words and meanings. So, by itself, that section may not make much sense. But, it gives the thought proccess for how I arrived at my interpretation of the passage at the end of this post. If nothing else, digging through this passage helps me tremendously. So, if it only confuses you, then at least it wasn't totally in pointless.

James 5:13-16 "Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and annoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous man is powerful and effective."

The states of a believer and the proper response

In Trouble - v.13 kakopatheo meaning "enduring hardship, to suffer trouble"
Trouble, here, is very vague. But it's vague for a good reason. James does not say, "do you have financial trouble" or "is any one of you having marital trouble?" James leaves specifics behind because prayer is essential in all trouble. A Christian is to pray through every sort of trouble that comes his way. Prayer does not equal the end to hardship. However, prayer is the most powerful mechanism we have to get through hardship.

Happy - v.13 euthymeo meaning "to keep up one's courage, to be cheerful"
A result of happiness in a believer should be to sing praises to God, we call these hymns or worship songs. These are to be sung because of the state of one's life and heart being reconciled to God. Happiness does not come from circumstance, it comes from something deeper, something from the heart. If to be happy means to have courage or to be cheerful, there is an implication that circumstance is irrelevant. One may be cheerful if in a situation that requires no courage. Likewise, one can be courageous, but not necessarily cheerful. The Greek form of happy means to be cheerful while maintaining courage, or faith. A good example of true happiness, of a state of euthymeo, is in Acts 16:25, where Paul and Silas are imprisoned: "About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God." Moments later, the prison quakes violently and the doors fly open. A heart truly happy, one courageously faithful and one cheerful, despite circumstance, prompts God's response.

Sick - v.14 astheneo meaning "to be weak, invalid, or powerless"
The context of this verse rules out that the word "sick" refers to physical health. God gives people talents and gifts so that they may use them to solve problems. To some he gives the ability to speak well, or to others physical strength. And to others, God gives the ability to understand medicine and to be innovative in its application. We call these people doctors. But James does not say that if you are sick, then you should call a doctor. Doctors deal with physical matters, but "elders of the church" deal with spiritual matters. Since James tells a sick man to call the elders, he must then be referring to those who are spiritually weak, invalid, or powerless. In addition, the following verses speak of sinning, forgiveness, confession, prayer and healing--all spiritual matters.

Well - v.15 sozo meaning "to save, to rescue, to deliver, to heal, and by extension to be in right relationship with God"
A spiritually sick person (remember, James is talking about believers) is weak and often powerless. The idea is that sick here is the opposite of well, and wellness is the aim of the believer. To be well, or healed is the reward of a "prayer offered in faith." As the instance with Paul and Silas in prison and Scripture overall show us, faith moves God. The response a believer is to have in states of trouble, happiness, and sickness is to have faith. So, in good times and bad, faith is the answer. Faith leads to healing. But there is more.

Healed - v.16 iaomai meaning "to be healed, freed"
To traverse from sickness to health, or being well, James says, "confess your sins to each other and pray for each other." The healing comes when believers support each other and faithfully rely on God together. Confession and prayer are the key ways for believers to support one another and find healing for each other. The healing we are to receive through confession and prayer is freedom.

Righteous - v.16 dikaios meaning "upright, one who is in proper relationship with God, in accord with God's standards"
The implication of this passage is that elders of a church and those a spiritually sick person confides in to receive prayer to become well are people who live in accordance with God's standards. You don't visit a dentist if you have a heart problem. Likewise, you do not trust a spiritually weak or incapable person to help you become well.



Here is my interpreted version of James 5:13-16:

Is any one of you enduring hardship or suffering any sort of trouble? Then it is essential that he pray to make it through the trials. Is anyone truly happy and strong in faith? Then he should sing to God no matter the circumstance. Is anyone feeling weak, invalid or powerless spiritually? Then he needs to call the those who live upright and in accordance with God's standards and confess openly the sins in his life. Then, when believers pray over him, he will be healed, and he will be freed. Therefore, it is vital that believers trust each other through open confession and support one another with faithful prayer so that freedom and life in Christ can be lived to the full. The prayers of righteous believers prompt God's response.

Pictures and a Preview

The Pictures:
In the habit of taking pictures, I went to the Georgia Aquarium with my dad today. Here are a few of the pictures I took.








This is the skeleton of some big thing. I think it is fake, but still makes for a good picture.













There was a strange green light that I couldn't stop taking pictures of. This one is my favorite.


















This is the aquarium from the outside.


















They had some boat that was built as part of a play area for kids. This is the helm of the boat.
















This fish is just chilling for the camera. I took about five pictures of him before he moved. I'm not sure if it's a "he," but you know what I mean.









The Preview:
James 5:13-16 "Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and annoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous man is powerful and effective."

I've been chewing on this passage tonight, and look for my thoughts on it here in a couple days. Honestly, I need to consider the words of trouble, happiness, sickness, healing, and confession, as much as anything. I hope I'm ready for this.

I'll be back with you soon.

Stairs and Life Lessons

Me and a couple friends went camping at Cloudland Canyon in Northwest Georgia this week. For years I have seen pictures of this state park and have really wanted to go there to see the sights--breathtaking sunsets and sunrises, picturesque ravines and canyon walls, and graceful rivers and waterfalls. But, had you told me what really awaited me there, I don't think I would have gone. Allbeit my breath was taken away, but not as I had anticipated. What did I find that left me breathless? Not sunsets or rises, not ravines or canyon walls, not rivers, not waterfalls. But stairs. Endless stairs, zigging and zagging, stacked one upon another for as far as I could see.

526 stairs to be exact. Not to mention the fact that we hiked over two miles of narrow paths and hills just to be rewarded with daunting stairs. And we went down and then back up EVERY ONE of them. 1052 total steps. To put this in perspective, most staircases for a normal story in a house are about 12 steps. In order to climb 1052 steps, you would have to traverse the up and down of your household staircase 88 times. Go and do it. I'll be here when you get back. And, after you finish, if you don't want to go outside and kick your neighbor's dog, then I count you a saint in my book.

In theory, there was actually a point to these monstrous stairs. On a normal day in Cloudland Canyon, there is a creek. This creek actually helped carve the canyon out over thousands and thousands of years. And as this creek makes its way down the canyon, it forms a waterfall and a beautiful pool where the stairs end. The problem we faced is that there had been a serious shortage of water, some may call it a drought, in this region of the state. Thus, when we got to the bottom of the stairs, there was no waterfall. This was not really a surprise to us because on the way down the steps it began to occur to us that we probably wouldn't see a waterfall, as we had seen no creek. Putting two and two together, no creek or source meant no waterfall.

The idea of turning back before we reached the bottom came up from all three members of this expedition. I mean, the weather was dreary and overcast, it was starting to drizzle, and nightfall was fast approaching. We really had little incentive to go on and stare at a dry rockface and an empty riverbed. But, honestly, there was something inside me that didn't settle when thinking of turning back after coming so far. So we kept going, because turning back would have left regret. I'm not a huge fan of giving up on something. In fact, I will often exhaust myself and others around me simply to complete a task I began. Whether the task is worth completing all the time is another story, but quitting in the middle of something takes something from me. Not to say I never quit, but when I do, I give a part of me up. And I hate doing that.

So, we went on... and on and on and on. Returning up the stairs that seemed simple to travel down was quite a feat. It was on the way back up that the thoughts of returning halfway before began to make a lot of sense. Burning thighs, shortness of breath, and the haunting realization that at 22 I am in terrible shape, seemed to mock me as I struggled up all 526 stairs. But I made it, all the way. And there is nothing that can take that from me. Ever.

The lesson I learned here is not something unheard of, and I won't even say it's not a cliche. But what I was reminded of was to finish what I started. There was a journey I started years ago to pursue what God has called me to be. Along the way, I have looked for markers and snapshots that would satisfy my longing to arrive. We see things, as humans, in instants and moments. Seeing the big picture, and the way things will pan out is impossible for us. But a picture defines a moment, and without a series of moments and pictures, the movie and the process of life never takes its final form and never makes sense. We will not arrive if we do not finish what we started. Or better yet, we will not arrive if we do not let God finish what he started. He sees the finished product, the outcome of a life of following Christ, the whole movie.

The journey may seem long and, along the way, we may wonder, "Why not turn back?" But satisfaction comes in completing the journey, and perfection is found simply in striving for God moment to moment, and the time between the snapshots. There are stairs to climb, many of them. Whether or not we know where they lead or how we will make it are not for us to worry about. What is ours is to trust in the God of the universe, to trust that the one "who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).

Go on, climb those stairs.

Update

So I went to Lynchburg last week, and I must say that I love it up there. The people there are great. Jerry Falwell came into O'Charley's, where I was eating, and everyone just freaked out. Up there, people revere him like unto a god. It's crazy. Anyway, I got to play golf at a really fun course, which is definitely a plus. Also, I checked out the seminary, or at least a building. It's just a building, but there is something about visiting a place to see if it's where God wants you.

I wouldn't say that I went up there and God broke through the clouds and said, "You must come here." But, I will say that there is a part of me, a huge part, that absolutely loves it there. The atmosphere, the school, the people there, all of it just seem right for me. I don't know where I will end up in a year after I graduate UGA, if all goes as planned. I know that often God's call is to "Just go," and he will show up the way as we go. I will just go day to day knowing that God is faithful to his promises. And he promises to never leave us nor forsake us. I will just go trusting in that.

Still, I seek the right path at the right time. I know, however, that no matter where I go or what I do, there is nothing that can take me away from the vast love of God. So I pray and strive to live today the life he has called me to live.