Make me new...

Lord, on the outside I may appear righteous,
but that is only because people can neither see my heart 
or know my thoughts.

Make me new, make my heart new.

I say what people want to hear, because it's easy.
But without a foundation of truth there will be no trust.
If I cannot trust, I will struggle to love.

Make me new, make my words true.

How often I forget of your faithful provision,
how easy is it to forget of your unfailing love.

Make me new, restore to me steadfast love and faithfulness.

I say in words, "I forgive you."
But my heart is a fortress of bitter resentment
leaving no room for your radical grace.

Make me new, restore to me your likeness that I may forgive
and respond in love.

Too often I know what is best for me, as well as for others,
yet my knowledge keeps me from giving life-breathing encouragement
and keeps my ears from listening to life-saving perspective.

Make me new, break down my stubborn pride.

You have created me in your image to reflect your likeness.
Yet too often I bear the image of another,
and resemble the likeness of hatred, pride, and a self-centered, conditional love 
of a finite human trying to be God.

Make me new, Lord, created in your perfect image and likeness to do good works
and to reflect your love, joy, peace, and justice among the nations.

Lord, you make all things new.

Make me new, again.


And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new."  
Revelation 21:5 ESV 

Your grace consumes me....

Who am I, Lord,
so imperfectly human yet created
in your perfect image and likeness?

Who am I, Father,
so impatient for your promises
and still your faithfulness remains eternal?

Abba, who am I
that you would love me with an everlasting love,
building me up time and time again?

Oh Lord, how great is your love for me,
how faithful are you to the unfaithful, 
how just are you to the unjust.  
You, Father, are gracious beyond comprehension,
and thus it is your grace that consumes me.

Messengers of your love...

What an honor it is, O God, to be your vessels of peace,
that you have granted us wisdom to overcome conflict.

What privileged do we have, to be your hands and feet of compassion,
that you have created us in your image that we may be sensitive to
the needs of those around us.

Lord I stand humbled, that you have created us for good works,
that we have been granted your courage to be a voice of justice to
the oppressed and the needy.

Your grace and your love are for all ages and have been extended to all people.
What an honor it is to be messengers of this great and amazing truth. 

Everlasting Love

What love is this, that in my imperfections I am not only desired, but pursued in order that I may be restored and made perfect?  What charge does this leave me?  What more could I want than to share what God has made known to me? 

It is funny how perspective may change daily, or ten times in a minute.  But my God has always been, and will forever remain constant... forever building me up, with his faithful and everlasting love for me.

"I have loved you with an everlasting love; 

therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.
Again I will build you, and you shall be built."

Jeremiah 31:3b-4a

Wholly Jesus

Recently the book, Wholly Jesus, by Mark Foreman has found its way into my possession here in South America.  I'm amazed at the books that have been given me in the last two months.  Before, finding a book written in English that offered encouraging insight to my faith seemed like it would take a miracle.  Good thing my God is big, and I believe in miracles.  

I always wonder about how well Christian culture is presenting Jesus to those outside the church, and all to often I feel like they represent the story you will find below of Christy, which Mark shared in his book. 

The underlying argument is that the church was not intended to be separate from culture, and if we continue to pursue church in this manner "we risk losing an entire generation", using Mark's own words.  

Christy grew up in a global, pluralistic, holistic, ecological society for which she was told, “Jesus didn’t care.”  Her youth pastor told her that Jesus didn’t care about world peace, only the apocalypse.  He didn’t care about the wellness of the body, only the soul.  He didn’t care about the people of other faiths, only Christians.  He didn’t care about art and culture.  He didn’t care about ecology; the planet was going to burn anyway.  And he didn’t care about the integration of science and her faith.  And the reason she could be sure Jesus didn’t care about these things is because none of these things were mentioned in the Bible.  Jesus just wanted her to pray, read her Bible and tell others about him.  But eventually the tension between the real world and this fabricated you-pastor’s world snapped.  In order to be true to herself and her passion about these issues, she had to abandon the other-worldly Jesus she’d known.  Christy is an example of tens of thousands of Christians who have learned to disassociate a thin Jesus from their own wellbeing, along with the wellbeing of society and the planet.

I share this because I feel it is relevant.  I don't believe it to represent all churches, maybe there is only one or two things from this story that you recognize in your own life.  Still, these issues are everywhere in the global Christian community and I beg that all in Christian culture to revisit that which we believe to be the love of Christ.  More and more I learn that people respond to love, many people want to believe in the love that Jesus preached about and demonstrated, but the fact is they fail to find it in human relationship.  It is the purpose of the Church to present nothing other than Jesus.  If we wish to glorify God, with one voice, as is the purpose of the church we must be consistent with what Jesus said and did.  Unfortunately, I feel there are far to many people out there who share Christy's story...

Dear friends...  may we let God's love transform us so that we might see where we are lacking in our representation of God in culture, in church, and in the world.  

I hope Paul's words to the Romans challenge you just as much as they have challenged me:

"Who shall bring any charge against God's elect?  It is God who justifies.  Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus the one who died--more than that, who was raise--who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us."
Romans 8:33-34

Amazing Grace

So I tried to find the version of this video without subtitles on youtube, turns out there has to be at least a million videos titled "Amazing Grace".  Either way, it is a great way to get you thinking about grace, or amazing grace.  Enjoy.

Love and Grace to you,

Cyrus

Wellspring of Life

My mind tells me I am finite,
Though physically I am, my heart longs for that which is Infinite.

Life has broken my understanding of Love,
Though broken, my heart desires to be loved.

I desperately long to be accepted,
But money, success, and material nothings still leave me rejected by many.

Why do purpose and significance feel so far from me,
Is it because I pursue the dreams of others, and if I continue will I ever find them?

False pleasures and instant gratifications have a hold on me,
Superficial relationships and artificial highs have broken me in every way.

Why do I refuse to learn from life’s lessons,
Must I break myself one more time?

Can love, acceptance, and purpose be found,
Or does my finite humanity refuse to let me truly live?

If physically I remain finite, and the heart full of infinite potential and desire,
Might I let it lead me towards abundant life.

For this I believe,
From the heart springs wells of Life.
If one fails to lead with their heart,
One will fail to live.

Pursue Life then,
Search deep within the wellspring of your heart.
For that which is Living,
Will not be found among the dead.

Proverbs 4:23
"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”

Empty me...

Lord,

Empty me.

Give me no rest while my heart hurts for

            the pain that exists in this world.

Sustain me, for it is not by my power

            or will that I can make a difference.

Fortify my spirit, so that my pride and selfishness

            cannot keep me from believing in your promises.

O Lord,

Empty me.

Grant me wisdom and discernment to live

            in an uncertain world.

Make me sensitive to the needs of

            this world I live in.

May your unfailing love renew my love

            for others.

Strengthen me with your Spirit,

            so that your will may be done through me.

O Lord,

Empty me…

An Easter story that makes all the difference…

I believe this is the first Easter I have experienced outside of the U.S. and it’s been quite the experience.  Here the Colombian culture has been greatly influenced by the Catholic Church and the celebration of Semana Santa (Holy Week) consists of resting, visiting family, and church processions which back up many of the streets.  Yet Easter appears to be the quietest day of this week-long celebration, no work, no Easter eggs, no bunnies, no candy…  Just Church.  

I enjoyed the rest, even though most businesses were closed when I desired their service or products.  It was good to experience Semana Santa and Easter Sunday differently than what I have been used to, and it certainly encouraged me to think more about the significance of Christ’s resurrection for me and for the Church, and even for those who don’t share my spiritual beliefs.  

A dear friend and mentor used to remind me every Sunday, “Jesus Christ is alive, and that makes all the difference.”  When I came back to what Dave had said, I think this sums up Easter for me, for the Church, and even for those who wouldn’t find themselves in church in twenty years.  If Jesus Christ is alive, that makes all the difference.

I Corinthians 15 says, “For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised.  And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.   If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.”  (I Cor 15: 16-19, ESV)

If Jesus Christ is alive, if he conquered death, this means that God is faithful and his promises are true and that should make all the difference in how we see God.  If not, if Jesus Christ did not conquer death... we are of all people the most to be pitied. 

I hope that this fact brings forth many of the other beautiful and convicting realities of our faith.  God wants to provide for us, sustain us, protect us, and use us to make known His love.  It means that when Christ asked us to make disciples of all nations he didn’t say get people in Church because that is where salvation is, he meant make disciples who make disciples.  

I write this in love, but I think there are many times we must revisit our understandings of scripture.  Making disciples isn’t necessarily about getting people in church to say a prayer of salvation, it is about teaching people to search and know God, empowering them to find understanding on their own, so they can empower more people to search for, to know, and to make visible the invisible attributes of our God.  Unfortunately, I think we fail at this all too often.  Not always, but too often.  If we wish to see the Kingdom of God here on earth in our generation, if we wish to see our message reach all people, all languages, all cultures, then we must return to the source, Jesus.  It is much more than a prayer, it is an understanding that we are a body, we all have different giftings, different passions, and we respond differently to many of life’s pleasures.  Yet, we share the same purpose, that we glorify God with one voice.

This post is not to discourage you from leading people in prayer, proclaiming Jesus lord of our lives.  No, it is to open discussion that salvation can come outside of our reproducible model of evangelism, and that discipleship is more than a prayer.  What good is ‘the prayer’ if we fail to form relationships with the prayers, if we fail to show them Jesus, if we fail to disciple them.  Yes God is good, He is sovereign, and I believe many times he disciples people Himself through his Spirit.  But that is not to say we are not responsible for inviting people to know and experience the life that God has desired for them, beyond a single prayer.  May we not focus so much on cultural restrictions we’ve placed on ourselves in the church.  Salvation comes from faith, and faith alone.  If we fail to remember that our litmus test for discipleship is our fruitfulness, and not only that we bear much fruit but that our fruit should last, then our focus isn’t on creating disciples.  When we accompany someone in their desire to profess that God is real, that people are imperfect, and the Christ died and rose again, that He is faithful, then let us show that Christ’s resurrection makes all the difference by being a church that makes disciples who make disciples, as Steve Saint puts it.

Again, my writings are about concerns that stem from my pursuit and my desire to make and see God known among the nations, to heal wounds from church and religion with people who have been hurt by people professing the name of “God”, and to see the church one day glorifying God with one voice (Romans 15:6).  Is it heresy to ask that what we often see in church may not always be Biblical?  Is it too sensitive to ask that is it possible that many people who are in church may not be saved?  Is it possible that people can find salvation without ever finding themselves in Church?  Am I making you uncomfortable by wanting to challenge truths that appear more cultural than Biblical?  And am I wrong in wondering if we realize that because Christ is alive, which makes all the difference, that we should be drawn to know for ourselves, and not from what we here, who is our God?   Is it wrong to ask if the sole purpose of the Church is to make visible the invisible attributes of God through the process of making disciples who make disciples, and not necessarily through worship music and a sermon?  

Let me say this very clearly, I love the church.  I love going to church.  I love my church communities.  I will support any church as long as it carries the name of Jesus as savior.  There are also many churches out there who are making disciples that make disciples. However, I believe we should challenge that which appears to be a watered down version of salvation, and that which keeps us from truly living and enjoying this life that God desires for not just the church, but for all people.  I will ask and plead people to challenge me, that I myself am not running, or leading others, in a direction which is anything less than the life purposed for His disciples.  I do not wish to pretend I have the answers, I only have questions, but I hope you can join me in better understanding who our God is and what He desires for us.  This is the church, the body of Christ, no?  To challenge and be challenged in love, having been given grace for our imperfectness and an undeserved love for our sinfulness, that one day we may glorify God with one voice in complete harmony (Romans 15:1-6).  

So amidst the chocolate, the presents, the parties, and the Easter bunnies, I hope we return to this simple truth of our faith…  Jesus is alive, and that makes all the difference.

In Grace and Love, and in the celebration of Easter...

Cyrus

Longing for eternity...

Click image to visit more works by, Pablo Jimenez Photography.

Longing for eternity…

I long for that which I cannot explain
As my soul conflicts to forget.
Through toil and struggle it still remains,
The balance of peace and regret.

Maybe this desire we find deep within,
Can only be met at life’s end.
Yet one life ends, and another begins
Stilling desire in the hearts of men.

But what is life, in purpose and meaning;
Are there reasons why we exist?
How can one know life from the beginning,
And will knowing bring significance?

Halfhearted pursuits surely promise pain
As we surrender our humanity.
For some seek, and yet few attain,
For the desire we seek is eternity.

Yet it is not that life may be lost
When eternity calls us by name.
We understand not the absence or cost
Restless we are sure to remain.

Chase eternity, then, through love and good deed;
And find significance and purpose for being.

Do good, yet forget not the desire you seek,
Pursue joy in all you do.
It is here, perhaps, amidst desire and pursuit,
That eternity will find you.

Photograph by my friend, Pablo Jimenez.

The Gift of Giving

This last week I was asked to be featured as a guest blogger for a friend who started an organization called the DAR Project.  I was so encouraged by the offer, and happy to share a few of my own thoughts and experiences on the subject of giving.  Please check out their blog when you have some time! http://darproject.wordpress.com/

The Gift of Giving-

What happens when we give, especially when we give because we know it is in our heart to give?  Something happens, I don’t think anyone will argue that.  The difficulty comes when we try to understand what this gift is that we receive from giving.

During my last two months of traveling my perspective on the subject of ‘change’ has been challenged, and with the challenge came many questions about giving… how should someone give, when should someone give, and even what can we give?  Since I began this trip, I rarely have more to give other than my time, talents, or friendship.  Everything I own fits into my backpack; and when it comes to giving money, I think it needs to be done wisely in order to not create dependence.  Yet in many of my experiences and conversations, I have constantly been reminded that everyone has something to give. 

More and more I feel that in my giving I find myself on the receiving end, instead of simply being the giver.  Even though many of the people I have been blessed to meet have no shoes, no electricity, or no proper place to use the restroom, most of them realize that they all have something to give, and give from whatever they have.  

The trick then is understanding what you have to give, and how you should give it.  We have so much more to give than we realize, and many of us are fully aware of how much we could give yet we don’t.  But what if the challenge wasn’t to give in order to meet the physical needs of others?   Because in my experiences I do not believe my perspective on giving has truly challenge me to understand the humanity we share.  Instead, what if the goal was to fully know what you are giving to, and to express the love that inspired it…  That’s where the giving becomes the gift.  It should be much more than a watered down philanthropic idea of “giving” or “supporting”.  Instead, giving should become, or remain, more about love, care, compassion, and understanding.  

Understanding giving doesn’t mean you have to go to the place to meet the people receiving your gift, or that you can’t donate to a person or a cause you’ve just met.  I believe giving should be as meaningful as receiving, and that is what I hope to explain.  When we give, let’s not give without emotion, or assume we know what other people need.  Let us pursue the gift that comes from giving, the gift given in full understanding that those receiving the gifts are just as much human as you and I, the gift that has the potential to truly change people because it was done with intentions founded in love, and the gift that tells people just how valuable they are.  

We will probably never know the extent of our influence, especially when we give gifts to people we haven’t met.  I do not write to discourage people from being generous, but it is my hope that we pursue the gift that comes from giving, and that we invite other people to experience what we discover.  How?  We start with the desire to know why it feels good to be generous and to question what giving should look like.    It is my hope that we don’t limit what giving might look like, but instead that we pursue all the possibilities of what giving could look like.  Remember, giving is not made possible because there is a need. Giving is made possible because we all have something to give, that’s the gift.

Faithful Friend

Many may be a friend,

But a faithful friend,

Who can be?

Show me love, and yes…

You may be a friend;

But teach me to love myself,

A faithful friend you will be.

Forgive me when I wrong you, and yes…

You may be a friend;

But forgive me when I fail to forgive you,

A faithful friend you will be.

Give to me kindness, and yes…

You may be a friend;

But give, needing nothing in return,

A faithful friend you will be.

Keep me from harm, and yes…

You may be a friend;

But grant me the freedom to experience pain,

A faithful friend you will be.

Encourage me, and yes…

You may be a friend;

But confront me in my destructive ways,

A faithful friend you will be.

Tell me what I want to hear, and yes…

You may be a friend;

But to always speak truthfully, even when it hurts,

A faithful friend you will be.

A friend may share your life’s journey,

And a friend may part ways.

But a Faithful Friend gives your journey life,

And his love always remains.

For many may be a friend,

But a faithful friend…

Which will you be?

Ransomed Hearts

Philipp, our Swiss friend, asked an amazing question last night…

“Why does humanity always desire more?”

After explaining we realized that what he meant was that humans are not okay with just existing, we are constantly looking for purpose, significance, or life after death.  For someone who is not keen on religion or Christianity, yet is willing to admit he doesn’t know life’s purpose, Philipp is very much inclined towards hope, purpose, and significance.   I always admire those who challenge life questions, but I pray that his search for the meaning of life, or even life after death, leads him to Jesus.  

We’ve spoken some about religion, but he has expressed his dislike for the judgment involved and admits he usually stops listening when people mention the Bible.  I have had many experiences like this in the last few years, finding a balance between telling people about the gospel and forcing conversation can be difficult.  For there are so many people, like Philipp, who want to be heard and respected when they hold different beliefs… the last thing they want is another Bible verse.  When someone responds, “I don’t care what the Bible says.”  What then do we do?

A close friend and mentor once told me, “Jesus pursued everyone, but chased no one…”  Sometimes it can be hard to “let go”, but is it wrong of me to think that at times this could be the best witness?

I have been reading through a short book by J. I. Packer, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God.  Though it is short in length, it may be one of the most challenging books I have ever read.  But Packer said something that I think is often overlooked, something he backed with plenty of scripture.  

"Love made Paul warm-hearted and affectionate in his evangelism.  'We were gentle among you,' he reminded the Thessalonians; 'being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but our own selves, because you had become very dear to us" (I Thess 2:7-8).  Love also made Paul considerate and adaptable in his evangelism; though he peremptorily refused to change his message to please men (Gal 1:10, 2 Cor 2:17, I Thess 2:4), he would go to any lengths in his presentation of it to avoid giving offense and putting needless difficulties in the way of men's accepting and responding to it. 'Though I am free from all," he wrote the Corinthians, "'I have made myself a slave to all, that i might win the more.  To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews; to those under the law I became as one under the law ... that I might win those under the law.  To those outside the law as one outside the law . . . that I might win those outside the law.  To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak.  I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some" (I Cor 9:19-22).  Paul sought to save men; and because he sought to save them, he was not content merely to throw truth at them; but he went out of his way to get alongside them, and to start thinking with them from where they were, and to speak to them in terms they could understand, and above all, to avoid everything that would prejudice them against the gospel and put stumbling blocks in their path..."

I don’t know.  I wish I could say for certain I know the answer to this question.  I think too often our forcefulness drives people further away from life in Christ.  Partially because they don’t realize our urgency and persistence stems from love.  I may believe that our desire for “more” is derived from our creator, who created us in His image.  But in that moment, can telling a hardened heart that they are a beloved child of God push them further away from truth?  Unfortunately, I think yes… and I think this happens far too often.  

Maybe then the answer is consistency and presence.  Though Jesus chased no one, he turned no one away when they came to him.  Though Jesus was fully God and fully man, he pursued everyone, chased no one, and was readily available when ransomed hearts returned to him.  Is it here that we preach not using words, but by living the love of Christ through deed and truth (I John 3:18), trusting that through our consistency and through our presence, the ransomed hearts of the Lord will return?  I believe so.  

So in our witness, may we pray for discernment as we pursue everyone while remaining consistent and always present in the lives of those closest to us. 

And the ransomed of the Lord shall return…
Everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Isaiah 35:10