JesseSutherland

Spiritual Clarity April 21, 2008

One thing I have noticed in my Christian life is how rarely I see my life with the kind of clarity that I wish for, and how short of a time it lasts. I often find that I am reading a book, or listening to a sermon, or talking to a good friend during the evening and all of a sudden this big-picture, large scale view of my life, God, and the people around me comes into focus. It’s like realizing that you’ve forgotten to put on your glasses in the morning and you hadn’t noticed it up to this point.

I feel like this tonight after finishing Velvet Elvis, a book by Rob Bell. In his last chapter he paints a big-picture view of Christianity, and of the Gospel message. You know what? It’s really attractive! I want to be the kind of person that is humble, serves others earnestly, gives generously, lives vigorously, and deals with people honestly. I want to be real with people, stop being scared of what they think of me and just love them for who they are. Really the Gospel isn’t as much about telling people about Jesus, as it is showing his love to them. How much more attractive is that? If you could do that really well, people would be banging down your door asking about Jesus.

Yet my challenge is always remembering that clarity that I had the next morning, when all is foggy again and I stumble into my everyday routines. How can I change? How can I stop living selfishly and start living for others? What steps can I take in that direction? What is God calling me to?

If no one else, maybe I can inspire myself with this post tomorrow…

Activism or Evangelism? January 26, 2006

My roommate has been reading “God’s Politics” by Jim Wallis, I can’t say I’ve read the book, but our discussions have been really interesting over the last few days as we’ve been talking about it. As Christians in America it seems we are always trying to defend our way of life, and our right to practice our beliefs. Christians tend to stand against things like abortion and homosexual marriage. We’ll go to rallies, we’ll write letters, and pastors will devote their sermons to these things.

Now, don’t get me wrong right away. I understand the purpose that Politics plays in everyday life and why it is important. I understand and what the Bible says about those issues, and truthfully, I even agree with most of the church folks about them. But I disagree with the pedestal that we put those issues on.

Here’s the deal, why do we spend so much time fighting and worrying about these things when there are much more important things we could be doing? Why activism instead of evangelism? Is it simply because the enemy is clearer and the objective is straightforward? Are we actually being selfish as we march? Looking out only for our comfort and our rights, wanting the world to act in the way that we want it to?

We have to play an interesting balance as Americans. According to our Bill of Rights we have certain rights that we can claim for ourselves. We deserve them as Americans. Yet, in Philippians we find Paul talking about Christ’s humility in spite of his right to equality with God:

“Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death-
even death on a cross!”
Philippians 2:5-8

It seems like we would be much more representative of God if we spent more time telling the people that we disagree with that God loves them and wants to invite them into a personal relationship with himself. Why are we trying to make everyone act like Christians before they even know Christ? I know it’s simplistic, and I know that life is more complicated than the easy answers. But I feel like as Christians we need to have our priorities straight and focus on what brings the most glory to our Father. Spending time at a rally, waving protest signs doesn’t have that same effect. Put aside activism, start evangelism.

It Ain’t Easy November 30, 2005

Several people I’ve run into lately that seem to think following Christianity should be easy. They want desperately to believe that all paths lead to heaven, and that any kind of faith is faith enough. I don’t believe this is true, but it makes it frustrating to talk to them. There’s certainly a part of me which yearns to accept everyone simply because they have faith; I hate being exclusionary. I think the tendency is to want Christianity to be easier. Religion without the conviction.

In the gospel of John we see a particularly disheartening day when many disciples are confused about Jesus’ teaching and desert him. John 6:60 “On hearing it, many of his disciples said, ‘This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?’ ” Many when they are confused and cannot understand God, desert him. ” ‘You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.’ ” Some people walk away when they hear a hard teaching, the rest of us admit we are confused but know that Jesus is truth.

What these people are hoping for is not Christianity. True Christianity cannot be mixed, the result is watered down religion without substance. While appealing, it is utterly false. People expect that they should be able to sit on the dividing line of faith and simply “lean” in one direction or another, hoping that the fact that they are on the fence will save them. Jesus has no time for this, as we read in Revelation 3:15-16. If you are neither hot nor cold then he will spit you out of his mouth.

Christianity is based on making a decision. It is an all-or-nothing (Romans 2:5-10). Many would say that this is exclusionary, but I think if you truly look into Christianity you will find that it is inclusionary. In the sense that we are all rejected God from the beginning, but an all-loving God is reaching out to save as many as will accept and follow Him. God is seeking to include, not exclude, it was our own decision which leads to separation from God.

In our modern day world of “acceptance” and “tolerance” people view Christianity as judgmental and exclusionary. Yet we cannot waver on what we know is true simply because it is a hard teaching, or because people may look badly upon us. No, not everyone will go to heaven, but everyone has the chance to. We cannot waver on this teaching on this as a Christian because it is the crux of Christianity. It is essential to understand and be able to explain clearly and lovingly.

Stop Trying to Be Relevant and Be Relevant October 12, 2005

I have lately noticed a trend in church services, Christian magazines, Christian music, Christian culture, etc… Christians trying to be relevant. To be sure, this is a big step for the evangelical church of our parents generation that wouldn’t dance, watch movies, or step foot in a bar; sometimes they were alienated from the non-christians around them. But I worry that in our modern quest to be relevant we compromise and dilute our faith with secular culture. We try so hard to make Christianity look “cool.”

I think one of my biggest annoyances is that we assume that in order to be relevant to the generation around us we need to simplify our message. We need to “dumb it down.” So we replace pew Bibles with video screens, we interpret the Bible for them, and then we turn it into petty clichés. The argument is always that by doing this we will first capture a non-believers attention and then lead them into a deeper faith afterwards, much like secular advertising. Part of this makes sense to me. But by cutting down God’s word into easy-to-digest tidbits we reduce our message to nothing but more clutter.

Paul was relevant to his generation, without reducing his message in the slightest. You can see his “be everything to everyone” attitude in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. The difference between Paul and ourselves is that while he is finding common ground with people he is following up those relationships by preaching the gospel. An unadulterated, unsimplified, relevant gospel. You can see an example of this in Acts 17:22-34 where he finds common ground with the Athenians, their poets, and how they worship, but then turns the conversation towards the one true God and does not shy away from complications or controversies.

I think that people want depth in faith, they want to see that Christianity is not a mindless bunch of freaks following some tradition they invented. They want to see that it has substance. Now, this may not mean that you start discussing the intricacies of theological matters with a unbeliever, but it does mean that you don’t hold back from explaining things that they have questions on simply because it may confuse them. They are not going to understand the Christian faith in a day. I think the hope is that they will be compelled to pick up a Bible, or ask around and look into it themselves.

I guess as an Advertising major it’s a challenge to myself as much as anyone else. I’m just as guilty. Maybe we just need to stop trying so hard to be relevant and speak truth. Relevance will follow.

Is Passion a Necessity? August 18, 2005

I had a great conversation with some folks awhile back about the topic of passion in our relationship with God. I feel like it was a stalemate, not that we were competing, but because I still don’t fully grasp the idea. What is biblical passion anyway? It’s only mentioned in the bible in a negative light, so why is it such a buzzword in the Christian community? Everybody seems to want passion. Worship albums are named Passion, songs are sung about it, but is it necessary?

Passion is obviously a strong emotion, an attachment to something which you are fixated upon. It certainly sounds like something I’d want in my relationship with God. You see people that are passionate about their careers, about their schoolwork, or their favorite T.V. show and you think “Man, I’d like that…” Passion by its nature is attractive…

“If you believe something, passionately, people will follow you. People hardly care what you believe, as long as you believe something. If you are passionate about something, people will follow you because they think you know something they don’t, some clue to the meaning of the universe. Passion is tricky, though, because it can point to nothing as easily as it points to something”
From “Blue Like Jazz” by Donald Miller

So even though passion is attractive, I guess I don’t want people following me simply because I’m being passionate about something. If they follow me purely as a result of that passion, they will eventually run out of passion for God themselves, get discouraged and turn away. Like the seed that fell on the rocks, sprang up quickly, and eventually withered in the sun because it had no root. (Matthew 13:5-6)

There have been true moments when I have felt passion for my Lord. But they seem few and far between. I want to have those moments more, I want to have people look at my relationship with God and say “Wow, I want something like that.” Not that I’d be showing off, but that God is simply working through my life and people are inspired to be a part of that too. I want to follow God with all my heart, I want to use all of my abilities to give him glory, I want to pursue him with all the strength I have.

But I’m not sure I have enough energy to keep that going all the time. Maybe God could sustain me with that kind of energy. But is passion something that he desires in my life? Is it a requirement for my walk? Or is it merely a fringe benefit?

I don’t want my relationship with God to be an emotional feeling. Emotions are temporary, they never last for very long. I want my belief to endure even when the supporting emotion is not there. My friend Norm once told me that he wasn’t sure that passion was a requirement in your walk with Christ, only dedication. He said some of the wisest Christian men that he knows have not been the most passionate.

So where does this Passion play a role in our Christian walk then? That’s what I’m left wondering. I cannot fully bring myself to say that Passion is unnecessary. Who wants to follow something they never feel strongly about? I suppose the answer hangs in the middle somewhere, like always. There is a certain place for it, but it cannot become the most important issue. I apologize for my stream-of-consciousness post here, I feel like I’m rambling. What do you think? Is Passion a necessity?

Am I Enough? July 28, 2005

I believe that’s the question each of us are asking ourselves. I’ve been asking it for a long time. I’ve been looking for that affirmation from others. Today I’ve been so frustrated that I am not everything I want to be, not everything that I could be. I know amazing men of God that I look up to and that I want to be like. But I don’t measure up to them, I am not always like them. So often I feel like I get back the answer that I am not good enough for anything. Not a good enough Christian, not a good enough friend, not good enough at my job, not a good enough member of society.

I am not enough, I am nothing but a failure. If only I worked harder, was more disciplined, had more friends, and was more spiritual. I try to do all these things, but their needs inundate me and I end up more confused, and more of a failure than before. I strive for my goal which is to be like those people, they have become my standard. This goal that is self made - not God made.

This is when I realize that I take this question to the wrong place. I ask my friends “Am I Enough”? I ask everyone around me, and I ask myself. I will always dissapoint people around me. And their answers are always dissapointing. Yet, when do I take this question to God? Have you ever tried praying to God and sincerely asking his opinion of you?

I don’t think his answer would be, “Well, you haven’t read your Bible in awhile, so I’m not sure what to think about you.” He wouldn’t nitpick your spiritual “problem areas.” No, the first thing he would say is that you are his creation, and that he loves you regardless. If you take that question to God the answer you will get back is a resounding “YES!” Through Jesus we no longer have to be enough. We don’t have to measure up to a standard of anyone else, we don’t have to look to others to affirm us.

The power of grace in action is unfathomable. God is Enough, that’s all that matters.

The Long Run June 27, 2005

At the beginning of this weekend I was ravenously hungry for fellowship. I wanted to talk, laugh, and be with people. Now, at the end of the weekend, I am exhausted. That may have something more to do with the fact that I got an hour of sleep last night, but I also attribute it to spending a lot of time with people in the past 48 hours. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love spending time with friends, I consider conversation an art form, and it is a rare moment when want to be completely alone.

This weekend was particularly hard because I got to see the reality of what some of my friends do when they’re not around me, and it was disappointing. They’re not bad people, I know that. I see the potential of what God could do through them. But there are days like this weekend when I lose hope. I get frustrated at their behavior, when I feel that they make foolish choices, and then end up angry at the world because of it. In these moments I want to tell them off, to just yell at them so that maybe they’ll snap out of it. But I know that it wouldn’t help. That would be the easy route, I believe that God has called me to the long run.

The long run involves waiting patiently. Standing by your friend even while you do not agree with their choices (and they already know that) and still loving them for who they are outside of their behavior. I don’t think refusing to hang out with them simply because you disagree with them is the answer. Instead you set limits to what you are willing to go through with them. And then you wait. You wait until your friend is willing to listen. Willing to let you in and willing to let you speak truth to them.

But this weekend included one of those redeeming moments too. When you’re so utterly frustrated and just want to scream, suddenly a burst of truth comes out of nowhere and takes you by surprise. When you’re friend opens up and shares with you what you had never thought they were going through. And then you realize that it’s all for a purpose. And even though you’re in it for the long run, and change doesn’t arrive overnight, you remember that change can come. Sometimes it’s simply in baby steps. These moments make the exhausting run worth it.

An Epic God June 6, 2005

As I’ve had a lot more time lately I decided that I wanted to start reading more often, but I needed to find something easy that I could easily get into and really enjoy at this point. I came back to my favorites, The Chronicles of Narnia, written by C.S. Lewis. I read them long ago as a kid, and a few years back I read The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe to kids that I had at camp, they were entranced. Reading further into the series, I must say, I think I am too.

These books have been drastically altering my picture of the Christian walk, and that of God himself. They take my walk with Christ out of the normal context. They take away the obligation of following God and give me desire. Instead of a stale experience going to church and talking about God, they challenge me to see life as a battle. A fight between good and evil, a battle of epic proportions. When the Christian walk is put in this context, I believe it makes a lot more sense. The story is not about us, yet we get to take part in it.

Aslan is the God-figure in the books, an enormous lion who is a ferocious as he is good. (”Safe? ‘course he isn’t safe… but he’s good”) Something strikes me about this picture of God. He is someone who I want to follow, someone who I am willing to fight for. He puts skin and bones to a figure who was hard to envision before. He is a dangerous foe, he is wise, he is compassionate, he is mysterious, but never impersonal. (”He comes and goes as he pleases…”) He puts emotion where had trouble seeing it before.

What this says about me I’m not exactly sure… I need to read children’s books in order to understand God? Well, something like that, I guess I can’t deny it. I wish I could read the Bible this way and see God and my walk as C.S. Lewis did, but I thank him that he put down his thoughts for us to read in story form. I think God likes stories, there is something epic about God himself. He’s just asking us to play a part in the story.

How Do I Find Rest? June 1, 2005

I apologize for the lengthy amount of time we have gone without posting here. The school semester is finally over, and I now have some free time to put into this site. Unfortunately Ross is out of the country for awhile on two missions trips this summer. Maybe if we’re lucky he’ll grace us with a post while he’s home for a short time in between.

All I could think about for the past month of school was how much I was looking for some rest. Some free time to get done what I wanted. I was so busy with school projects and other projects that I didn’t have any time for what I wanted to be doing. I had so many great ideas, and so much enthusiasm to get them done, I only lacked the time to actually do them.

Now that I am home, I find myself with the opposite problem. I have all the time in the world, but I can hardly get anything done because I have no motivation or enthusiasm for anything around here. I know of all sorts of stuff that I could be doing, and yet I simply don’t do them. I don’t understand myself. There are times when I long for rest, and yet when I find time to rest I don’t use it constructively, I become a blob that cannot accomplish anything.

What is rest? Some people simply need some sleep, others are looking for some alone time, others are just looking for time where they can do whatever they want. And while there are times when we need to catch up on these things, I think that they won’t give us exactly what we’re looking for. I want to venture that we’re not really looking for rest, but for contentment. If we could only be happy with the situation we’re in, instead of always wishing that we were somewhere else, doing something else, with someone else.

Psalm 62:5 says, “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.” We look in all sorts of places for rest. We long for a little bit more time to sleep, a scrap of time to ourselves, yet it is never enough, and we are never satisfied. Just as Solomon found that all the wealth in the world could not make him content, take it from someone who has all the rest in the world for a time, it hasn’t made me any more content. It has made me lazy, bored, sinful, and avoid God. Quit wishing for what you do not have and be happy in the situation that you are in!

Run to God, for in him and him only, will you find rest.