Monthly Archive for June, 2008

What We Live By

Published
by
Dan
on 6/24/2008
in Bible Study
. 1 Comment

v. 32: Jesus was sustained fully by doing the will of the Father. Even when the disciples brought Him food, He still didn’t eat it.
Our bodies were not made to live on food.

1 Cor 6.13: “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food”—but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.”

The body likes food, just like it likes sex, but it wasn’t MADE for that. Every culture has their own ideas as to what dinner looks like. I had south African friends that couldn’t BELIEVE how much food we ate. I had friends from Finland that couldn’t believe what a HUGE breakfast we americans would eat, and then in just 4 hours or so eat lunch again! They would wake up and snack on bread, then snack midday on bread, then have a big meal at night. (and people can say what they want about even-sized meals and weight loss, but the Fins aren’t known for being overweight.)

I think we’ve been taught by our culture that our body NEEDS certain things, that the Bible actually shows that we don’t really need. All the more to distract us from what we REALLY need: to do what God wants, and complete His work.

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John 4.31-38 and What Really Satisfies

Published
by
Dan
on 6/21/2008
in Bible Study
. 1 Comment

When the disciples come back with food for Jesus, it doesn’t say that He ate. He says that He HAS food and the disciples think that someone brought Him some. Here I am at the end of an hour wasted surfing the internet during my only quiet time of the day, and I realize that I’m left hungry. Doing the work of the Father really IS ultimately satisfying, and being distracted from that is ultimately Unsatisfying.

Jesus sent the disciples in to town to get some food, but all they came back with was something to eat. Jesus then sent the woman into town to get some food, and she came back with a town full of people that wanted to follow Jesus. His food is to do the will of His Father.
He is not some sort of weird ghost that doesn’t/can’t eat real food. In v. 6 it says “tired as He was from the journey” so he could get tired. He could also be hungry, but doing the will of His Father filled Him up. It apparently took care of the woman’s need for water too, since she went back into town and back out to the well with no water. The disciples would have had a really really hard time finding food to eat in Samaria, and I can imagine they would be uneasy and disappointed about what they may have found in Gentile markets.
Isn’t that just like the world? It shines and shows and looks satisfying, like the very thing we need, but it really isn’t? I’m glad Jesus didn’t rebuke them, and that He doesn’t rebuke me, when I miss the point and instead of showing up with the will of my Father done and lots of  people to hear and see Jesus, I show up with some flesh satisfying food of questionable quality and cleanliness.
Can’t you just picture the disciples when they realize that they weren’t sent in to town for nasty unclean meat or veggies cut by gentiles, but they could have been satisfied just by going in to town and telling people who was waiting for them at the well? Judas probably grumbled about the money they would have saved. Peter would throw off his clothes and go running back to the city to bring out whoever the woman didn’t bring.
I just smack my forehead with my palm and say, “next time, I’m going pay attention.”

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The Samaritan Woman Gets the Living Water

Published
by
Dan
on 6/16/2008
in Bible Study
. 1 Comment

We have to talk about this Samaritan woman and the living water. Jesus said to her:

John 4:10 ¶ Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
John 4:11 ¶ “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?
John 4:12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?”
John 4:13 ¶ Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,
John 4:14 but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
John 4:32 ¶ But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”
John 4:33 ¶ Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”
John 4:34 ¶ “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.

Jesus tells the lady that He can give her water that will never leave her thirsty, and later He tells the guys that he has food that they know NOTHING about - doing the will of his father and finishing His work. There is a reason why John writes that the woman leaves her water jar in v.28 - SHE HAD RECEIVED THE LIVING WATER She was going to tell the town about Jesus and bring them out there. Knowing Jesus and moving around within His kingdom - doing the will of HIM who sent HIM and to FINISH HIS WORK is food and water and whatever else we need.

There is a reason why Jesus said “Seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness, and everything else will be added.” - because it is true.

I have laid down in a bed in a house that was in the high 40s in the winter, and been warm because I knew I was doing the will of my Father in Heaven. I have eaten food that was full of gardia and water full of YUCK and not gotten sick.

Doing the will of Him who sent me and finishing His work really does fulfill every single need we will ever have.

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Jesus in the the Land of the Samaritans and this Really Unclean Woman

Published
by
Dan
on 6/10/2008
in Bible Study
. 1 Comment
“Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?””
(John 4:28-29 NIV)

Jesus talks to this lady and then she leaves to go tell everyone in town about Him. As she was leaving, Jesus didn’t say, “be sure to describe me like this:” or anything like that. If you take this little conversation and plop it into current teachings on evangelism, Jesus did it all wrong. Here goes this woman, back to a city full of all sorts of twisted beliefs, and she has no training whatsoever on how to talk to them or how to explain Jesus in a doctrinally correct way.

I think Jesus sent her fully equipped, because in that short time, she got to KNOW Him. If you don’t know something, you have to memorize a really good script about it to talk about it. She didn’t have a script, she didn’t have any statements, she just had a conversation with Jesus. Her re-telling of her conversation was skued, but that didn’t keep people from coming to meet Jesus. He did a lot more and said a lot more than all she had ever done, but when she said “He told me everything I ever did” that was enough for the people of Samaria to come out.

They came out and Jesus stayed there for TWO DAYS! I never caught that before. The trip Jesus took would take 2-3 days through the middle of Samaria, but 5-6 days if he would have taken the traditional anti-Samaritan route. Jesus took the 3 day counter-cultural route and then stayed there for an extra 2 days. He didn’t just go through Samaria but He spent the night there, then another day, then ANOTHER NIGHT!

This confirms thoughts I’ve had before: Jesus is crazy.

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Postcard from Cashland

Published
by
Dan
on 6/7/2008
in Urbia
. 1 Comment

So we just got a postcard in the mail for the previous residents of our house. It should be noted that our house was a foreclosure and we bought it from the bank.

The postcard is from CASHLAND, a paycheck loan place in town. It says “Because we have missed seeing you for a while, we are making a special offer that we hope you’ll find atractive. Right now, you may be eligible to get a loan for up to 21 days.

21 days. That means it covers 2 pay periods. So you could go in there on a Monday (after using up your paycheck from friday) and then get a loan. In 2 weeks, when you got paid, you could pay it back, or wait 3 WEEKS to pay it back, and ‘accidentally’ blow your next paycheck!

All of that is Class A disturbing and worrisome. But that’s not the worst part.

At the bottom of the postcard is the fine print.

It lists the interest rates they are able to charge in each state.

First make a note of this:
In Kentucky, 16% of the people live at the poverty rate and in Indiana 11 % of the people do. Only 3 states have higher than 17%, to put that in perspective. Ok here we go.

You can borrow $500 in Indiana at 382% interest. That’s right, You pay $344 and they give you $300. If that is confusing, I’m sorry, but that’s the example on the card. (maybe it’s some intentional confusion!)

But that’s just for Hoosiers. Kentuckians are poorer, and there are more poor people in Kentucky. The limit in Kentucky is lower, only $425. That should help keep people from getting into trouble. HOLD ON! The interest rate in Kentucky? 458%  Their example is that you can get $300 for $352.75.

As I read this I think about taking advantage of the poor, the fatherless and the widow. Who are the most desperate in our community? Who are the people that are going to these places? I know some people would have low mercy for the people that are foolish w/ their money and drink up their paychecks or whatever, but I just wonder how many people that visit CASHLAND would desire some lifestyle help, instead of just a check?

CASHLAND is a business and as a business needs to stay in business. What if we had a SERVICE that would help in this way, but not exploit the poor? What if we gave grocery certificate loans at 5% interest, or actually gave out the groceries? I guess the breakdown would be if the person wrote the check and you cashed it, the bank would then oppress them with a insufficient funds fee.

I’m not sure about the solution to this, but I know the solution is sitting in the Church.

God Isn’t Afraid of Anybody: Scary or Dirty or Unholy

Published
by
Dan
on 6/6/2008
in Bible Study
. 0 Comments

John 4:7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”

I was thinking this morning about Jesus asking the woman for a drink of water. There were several times when we lived in Asia that there would be a kid walking down the street eating some bread or even candy, and they would tear off a piece, or pull out a chunk, and hand it to me to eat. It was not because they thought I was so hungry, or because they had so much that they could share foolishly (which is God’s character, by the way) but because hospitality was a way of them showing love and kindness. There were actually a very very few times that I turned such offers away, though I knew that whatever I was eating might make me sick.
Jesus comes to this lady as a humble man in need. I can only imagine how men have treated her over her life, if she’s had 5 husbands and is with a man now. And here is Jesus asking her, “WILL YOU give me a drink?” – not even commanding her.

Isn’t that just like God? He isn’t afraid of whatever cooties she has, but he immediately gives her a little honor boost. She has a water bucket and he does not. She is able to draw water and He can’t. He made water flow out of a rock, in the desert nonetheless, but now He has limited Himself the point that He has to ask an unclean Samaritan woman for help!

God is not afraid of what is unclean. He isn’t afraid to take it by the hand and walk an unclean woman towards righteousness!

Two Quotes Worth Repeating

Published
by
Dan
on 6/6/2008
in Bible Study, Bookstore and Short Quotes
. 0 Comments

These both appear earlier in my blog from a talk at the Well, but I just came across them on a search and thought they were so good it was worth repeating. They are from

Considering what I represent to that city, it would be wrong for me to focus on the darkness. I don’t ever what to be impressed with the devil’s work. I come as a house of God.
–from p. 140 When Heaven Invades Earth

I don’t care what the devil plans to do. the Great Commission puts me onthe offensive. I’ve got the ball. And if I carry the ball effectively, his plans won’t matter.
Picture a football team in a huddle on the playing field. The coach sends in the play,and the quarterback communicates with his offensive teammates. On the sidelines is the opposing team’s offense. Their quarterback linesup out of bounds with his offensive team, but they don’t have the game ball, nor are they on the actual playing field. Now imagine the real offense getting distracted by the intimidating actions of the other offense. Caught up in their antics, they quarterback runs off the field in a panic, informing the coach tha tthey better put the defense on the field because the other team is about to use a surprise play. - p153

A brief commentary on my current bike rack.

Published
by
Dan
on 6/5/2008
in Family Life and Short Quotes
. 0 Comments

I did not buy you a $300 bike so you could strap a big bucket of kitty litter to the back of it.

My wife, after seeing my latest bicycle rack hack.

Bike Ride Day 1

Published
by
Dan
on 6/2/2008
in Family Life
. 2 Comments

With the closing of N. Greenriver and $4 gasoline, I’m going to try to bike to work today… We’ll see how it goes.

If all goes well, I’ll slip in a detour to the Donut Bank on my way!