No Hunting Part 4

Blog » No Hunting, Part 4

Friday, June 28, 2013 Nick Cirino



 
Luke 18:37-38 ESV

· a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging... And he cried out, "Jesus, Son of
  David, have mercy on me!" 

Matthew 20:29-30 ESV
· And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and... they cried out, "Lord,    
  have mercy on us, Son of David!" 

Continued from yesterday's blog:
3. The meaning is the same either way. If I say, “have mercy on us,” certainly “have mercy on me” is included in that. The authors of the Bible may not have always recorded the exact words that were said. They may have condensed or summarized at times. But they definitely kept the same meaning of what was said. Isn’t that how we all relay information?  

For example: if Jerry says, “Today I walked to the store and bought granola, milk, and bread” and then I tell you that Jerry said, “Today I went to the store and bought some things,” would you accuse me of misquoting Jerry? Most likely not. I didn’t use his exact words, but I was true to the sense of what he said. I accurately represented what Jerry was trying to communicate. And in a normal conversation like that, we don’t expect each other to be able to quote everything we hear word for word. 

Matthew and Luke probably quoted people this way at times too. And the Holy Spirit was at work to make sure that they recorded exactly what God wanted them to record. They didn’t make any errors of judgment. They never misrepresented what Jesus said. We can be confident that when we read the book of Matthew, we are hearing the true voice of Jesus.

For more:   follow on Twitter @jefflampl

Image from: flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/

No Hunting Part 3

Blog » No Hunting, Part 3

Thursday, June 27, 2013 Nick Cirino

If you read carefully, there are more differences in these two passages than we talked about Wednesday. 

Luke 18:37-38 ESV

     · a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging... And he cried out, "Jesus, Son of
       David, have mercy on me!"               

Matthew 20:29-30 ESV    
     · And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and... they cried out,
       Lord have mercy on us, Son of David!" 

Did you notice that what is said is slightly different?  Is this a contradiction? Here are a couple thoughts I have about this:  

1. It is possible that the blind men said both of these things, and more. They were yelling out so much the crowd was getting annoyed with them and telling them to be quiet (Matt 20:31; Luke 18:39). It could be that one time they yelled out what Luke records, and another time they yelled out what Matthew records. 

2. They were probably speaking Aramaic, the language of the Jews of the day. Matthew and Luke both wrote in Greek, so what they record is a translation. When you translate from one language to another, there is usually multiple ways to do it and still be true to the original meaning (think about how many Bible translations we have!) This probably is not super relevant to this passage, but it can be important in other places in the four Gospels.  

3. Check out tomorrow’s blog for number 3! 

Image from: flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/

No Hunting Part 2

Blog » No Hunting, Part 2

                                              
Wednesday, June 26, 2013 Nick Cirino 

What do we do when Scripture doesn’t seem to line up with itself? Here is an example:       

Luke 18:37-38 ESV
·   As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 And
    hearing   a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant.  They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth
    is passing by." And he cried out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
    
Matthew 20:29-30 ESV ·   And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. And behold, there were two
     blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they
     cried out, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!" 

Did you notice the differences in the way Luke and Matthew record the same event? 

Were there two blind men or only one? Luke records only one blind man, while Matthew says there are two. Is there a contradiction? 

No. 

Luke doesn’t deny there is a second blind man. He only focuses on the one blind man. Luke was probably aware that there was a second blind man at the scene, but chose not to record that detail. He probably left out a lot of other details too. 

I’m glad Luke didn’t tell us every detail he knew. That would be quite a boring read: “Two blind men, one with a slightly darker complexion, the other with a red shirt on, were sitting on the right side of the street as Jesus came up on the left side of the street. They called out to Jesus—the one with the red shirt calling out a little louder than the other, but both were shouting quite loudly....” You get the point.  

The authors of the Bible were selective. They included the details that they felt were most necessary for us to know. Luke’s goal wasn’t to write a textbook or an investigative report. It was to tell us about who Jesus is. 

The point of the story isn’t the exact number of blind people Jesus healed in Jericho. The point is that Jesus did heal. Luke wants us to get Jesus is the Messiah and we should put our faith in. 

Lord, thank you for revealing to us who you are in your word. Help us to trust in you and believe that you are who you say you are! Amen 


Image from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jkfjellestad/6215349193/ 
For More:  follow on Twitter @jefflampl

No Hunting Part 1

Blog » No Hunting, Part 1Tuesday, June 25, 2013   Nick Cirino

 Last week we talked about asking questions when we read the Bible. 

But what do you do when your questions stump you? Specifically, what if you read two things in Scripture that don’t seem to line up on the first reading? 

How do we deal with that? Here are some ideas to get us started: 

1. Don’t shy away from good questions. Ask lots of questions when reading the Bible.

2. Don’t jump to conclusions too quickly. The answer might take a bit of thought and time.

3. Remember that the Bible is not ultimately the words of man. It is God speaking to us! 


“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work”        (2 Tim. 3:16-17 ESV) 


Image from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/

Blog » The Christ Hymn 

Monday, June 24, 2013 Nick Cirino

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/29811338@N05/

Some scholars guess that Philippians 2:6-11 was an early church hymn that Paul was quoting. We can’t be sure if it was or not—but if it was a song, what a beautiful song! I would love to hear these lyrics set to music someday.

Moisés Silva in his commentary on Philippians makes a translation where he tries to preserve the poem-like rhythm of the passage. I wanted to share it with you: 

Who in the form of God existing

Not an advantage considered

His being equal with God 

But nothing he made himself

The form of a servant adopting

In likeness of men becoming 

And in appearance being found as man

He humbled himself

Becoming obedient to death—

And death of a cross 

Therefore also exalted him God

And granted him the name

That’s above ev’ry name 

So that in the name of Jesus

Ev’ry knee may bow of those in heav’n

And on earth and under the earth 

And every tongue may confess

That Jesus Christ is Lord

To God the Father’s glory 


From: Philippians,2nd edition, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Baker: Grand Rapids, 2005), 93-94.     For More:  Follow on Twitter  @jefflampl

Blog » Asking the Hard Questions, Part 4

Friday, June 21, 2013 Nick Cirino

  The past couple days we have been talking about ideas for studying the Bible. Today we’ll finish the series.

(Review)

FIRST, write out the scripture in one column on a piece of paper.


SECOND, start reading through the text and writing down questions.


Here’s what to do today:


THIRD, start looking for answers to your questions. First look at the rest of the book. Then think about other Scriptures that could help you answer your questions.


Still stumped? Talk to someone about it. Sit down with a spouse or a friend and see if you can find some answers together. This is huge! If at all possible, do this!

You can even use internet resources. Beware though, there is much more bad than good on the internet; examine everything critically. I like Got Questions and Ask Pastor John.


You won’t have answers to all your questions. Some will still stump you. But don’t give up. Keep it in your back pocket. Sometimes I’ve gotten the answers to hard questions years after I asked them. But if I hadn’t asked them, I don’t think I would have found the answers.


FOURTH, look through everything you’ve studied and ask yourself, “Out of all of this what is the one or two things that I need to apply most to my life right now?” Let the Scripture not only inform you, but transform you.

Blog » Asking the Hard Questions, Part 3

Thursday, June 20, 2013 Nick Cirino

Did you have time to write out Philippians 2 yesterday and ask some questions? If not, would you have time to today?

Use the “comment” link below to post one the questions you wrote down, whether it’s simple or profound. Both are great!


Here’s my question:


Verse 2. What does it mean to be “of the same mind?”

Blog » Asking the Hard Questions, Part 2

NOTE: For the next few weeks our student intern from Westminster Theological Seminary, Nick Cirino, will be writing the blogs. Nick’s heart for God tremendous and I value his insights into scripture. Keeping digging into Philippians!!!  Pastor Jeff 

 

Wednesday, June 19, 2013 Nick Cirino

So let’s talk about asking questions. 

Yesterday, we talked about how everyone has different methods of studying the Bible. Today I’m going to share one I use, based roughly on the method that uses Observation, Interpretation, and Application. 

My challenge to you this week is to try this method. You may not like it at first or even after finishing it. But then again, you might. And it could be a tool that you use from time to time. It’s not complicated, but we’ll cover it in small steps.

Second, start reading through the text and writing down questions. Ask any question you think is relevant. Ask obvious questions. Ask the hard questions. Make observations. Mark up the page! 

• “How is verse 1 and 2 related?”
• “How can the Philippians make Paul’s joy complete?”

“How do I do NOTHING from selfish ambition or conceit?”

“When he says I should not look out for my own interests, does he mean I shouldn’t take
 care of my stuff? What does he mean?”

“Paul says we should have the same attitude that was in Christ...what does this look  
 like?

”Here’s some (rather rough) examples from my study of Philippians 1 and 2:

 

 

 

 

Blog » Asking the Hard Questions, Part 1
NOTE: For the next few weeks our student intern from Westminster Theological

Seminary, Nick Cirino, will be writing the blogs. Nick’s heart for God is tremendous

and I value his insights into scripture. Keeping digging into Philippians!!! 
Pastor Jeff
Tuesday, June 18, 2013 Nick Cirino

Everyone has different methods of studying the Bible. Observation, Interpretation, Application. Inductive Bible Studies. Discourse Analysis. Rhetorical Analysis. And the list goes on. 

Most of them are very good. I don’t have a consistent method that I use. Sometimes I enjoy studying in a way that I normally wouldn’t. I usually tend to read a chapter or a couple chapters at a time. For a while I changed things up and read through 1 Peter very slowly, trying to soak in everything I could about every sentence.  

More recently I have been reading the Bible less often but trying to read bigger chunks at a time. I read the book of Judges in one sitting (it took about an hour—with some stretch breaks!) and I noticed things I don’t think I would have if I had read the book over the course of a week or two. There was something refreshing about seeing Judges as a whole. The big picture was that Israel was on a downward spiral of unfaithfulness to God and they needed a king to lead them back in obedience to God (that king came, his name is Jesus).

What works for you in studying the Bible? Are you a routine person? Make a routine. You don’t tend to stick to routines (I’m in this camp), then don’t make a routine; get creative and find what works for you. 

The way you study the Bible doesn’t have to look a specific way. Sometimes I think we approach Bible study as if God has said, “Thou shalt read a chapter every morning before breakfast” (he hasn’t!)  

The goal is much bigger than that. The goal is that God’s word would permeate your life and mind. Do you feel the weight of that call? What can you do to move your life in the direction of that goal?             “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another
          in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in     
          your hearts to God.”       (Col 3:16 ESV)

Blog » Welcome to Holland

                                                   Monday, June 17, 2013 Jeff Lampl

NOTE: Yesterday in worship Marty Sarkissisn shared his story of being diverted by God from the life he had planned. As you read Marty’s story maybe you, too, will be able to see the sweetness and beauty of Holland, not under your circumstances, nor beneath them, but in the midst of them.

“I want to share a story of hopeful brokenness today.  It’s a story of a journey that my wife and I experience in the wilderness of parenting a child with special needs and developmental challenges. This is a story of imperfection and mistakes, and one I trust the Lord will use to speak to each of us today in our own trials, and above all to advance the Gospel. 
There's a tale in the world of parenting kids with disabilities called "Welcome to Holland."  It asks you to imagine that you have spent a lifetime planning for a wonderful trip to Italy.  It asks you to imagine your excitement as you plan to see many of the beautiful aspects of Italy - its art, its history, its coliseums, its coastlines, and so on.  It's all you've ever wanted and hoped for.  Midway through the story the writer asks you to imagine the Captain of the plane coming in the intercom to inform you that there has been a change in the flight plan that you cannot influence - and advises you that you will be rerouted to Holland; and says you will never to get to Italy. So the reader is encouraged to answer some tough questions... 
How would you feel?  How would you react?  Most would say, "I'd be angry", or "I'd cry", or "I'd do whatever I had to get to Italy" - and you'd be normal to feel all those emotions.  But in the end, you can't get to Italy.  And In time, the author says, you will learn to appreciate the beauty of Holland: its flowers, people, countryside, windmills, and everything else it has to offer. 

I trust you get the picture.  The itinerary I created about what my child, my son, would be, the things we would do together, how life would go, said something different than where we have landed. And I can tell you that learning to love "Holland" for what it is, is easier said than done. 

- The truth, is that I've been angry at the Captain for years about our situation.
 - The truth, is that my wife and I cry together often about having to live in Holland instead of
    Italy.

- The truth, is that I have been consumed for years by trying to figure out a way to make our   
   situation look and feel more like "Italy".

- The truth, is that Italy isn't coming.

- The truth, is that until the past year or so, I've missed so much of the beauty that Holland has
   to offer because I've never accepted that Holland is the destination.

-  And the truth, is that because I have been so controlled with what IS NOT, on occasion
   I've overlooked the beauty of what IS.

To be clear today, these revelations come not through my own efforts, but by The Lord revealing more of Himself to me through some who sit in this room this morning; through His prompting that what's expected of me is a faithful perseverance in the midst of life's storms; and through His Insight that reminds me that best way to love one with Special needs is to first recognize that I have my own - and that I need to deal with them first and foremost in order to begin to appreciating "Holland" more. 

The men's retreat this year was fertile ground for some real awareness around my own challenges preventing me from more fully accepting who my son is.The Lord spoke to me through Ken Strawhecker around the reality that the Jews took what should have been a short trip, and made it a real long one because of their unfaithfulness and turning away from Him time and time again.  The lesson for me was that my Unfaithfulness - my Golden cow, was NOT that I pursue how to better help my son, but that the pursuit itself comes at the expense of time with God - of seeking more of His wisdom on how to "Father" well through adversity.  And so I've wandered much longer than I've needed to because of ME, not my son or my God.  I remember the moment the insight hit me.  As Ken was speaking, I remember thinking, "boy the Jews were stupid - how could they forget all of God’s blessings that brought them out of Egypt, all the daily provisions, the parting of the Sea,..." (Hey ....wait...that's me!). 

Through Jimmy Herman, the Lord revealed to me that my views of "protection" are an illusion - that I need to put more faith in the belief that the Lord has my son's future in His hand much better than a trust fund ever will.  Not that the latter isn't important, but rather that it shouldn't eclipse the priority of trusting in Gods protection and provision first. 

Through Andy Moran and Skip Cheek - The Lord revealed that being consumed by worry and fear for his future, leads to a stronger urge to control, and that control is, in Andy's words, a "chokehold" that is getting in the way of how The Lord wants to use my son to heal this broken world. 

God's feedback hurts sometimes. 

As I returned from the retreat, we decided to sign our son up for AG little league for the first time. The truth, while it hurts, is that we've avoided leagues until this year for fear of how kids would treat or accept him. But with the Lords prompting, and the words "release your chokehold" in my ears, we forged ahead. 

And lo and behold, God blessed us with a coach who has a boy with similar needs, teammates who encouraged and included our son game after game, and the other players' families who cheered him on game after game. At the end of the season party, The Lord spoke again through a Father of another player. As we talked together, he said "I can’t say enough how much Jake has blessed us all this season". 

I want to share with you some of the sweet fragrance of Holland - some I've noticed since the retreat; some that I missed before but reflected on after. 

1. A Latin American missionary named Reuben came to our home group one night and my son Jake was running around the house, kind of wild, Reuben pulled Jake aside and held Jake’s face in his hands without saying a word. I’ve never seen Jake so still! Reuben didn’t say a word, but then said to me – “I see Christ in his eyes”.
2. At another time I had become sick with the flu and ended up in bed for four days. When Jake was younger I had read scripture to him before bedtime, but as he became older I had gotten away from that. But then I began again to read Proverbs to him, but when I became sick I couldn’t do it. But one night I heard Jake making some noise. He was pulling a chair into my bedroom. He said down and said, “Dad tonight I’m going to read Proverbs to you. ” My friend Fran said it well, “that’s better than a home run”. 

Please hear me - Holland ain't perfect. It has its arguments, stress, disagreements, and failures- many of which are mine. 

But our choice, with certainty, is to stay in Him, to stay together, and to share our story so that His good news can be advanced. 

I stand here today with hope for our situation through God’s wisdom, given through this church family. 

Our stories of trust in God, and perseverance in life matter to each other. There are other people in Holland too I've found; some with similar issues - but some with ones surrounding cancer survival, broken relationships, addictions, unmet expectations, and so on. 

If you look around you - it's likely that the person next to you is not where they expected to be in life, with their jobs, their families, their relationship with The Lord. 

So ladies and gentlemen- this is your Captain speaking through me. It's going to be a long flight. Love God, Serve Each Other, and Share the Gospel. It will make a difference now, and an eternal difference toward the final destination.

Blog » Worthy

Friday, June 14, 2013 Jeff Lampl 

NOTE: Be sure to read Philippians One before going to see “Man of Steel”

“Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ . . . . . . For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake”     Philippians 1:27-39 (ESV) 

Tonight’s the night!  I’m going to see Man of Steel!   Actually no.  My plans changed.  I have to wait until Wednesday.  Bummer.   But my daughter and I are going to the Franklin Instituted to watch it in 3D!    I’m even going to wear the Superman T-shirt my daughter bought me!   Not sure that’s a “manner of life worthy of the Gospel” but I’m wearing mine and she's wearing hers.  Humiliation isn't my favorite thing but that's what dads do for daughters! From the Promo;

          “A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this earth.
           As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was
           sent here to do. But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from
           annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind” 

I wrote down the following quotes from the two trailers I’ve watched (http://manofsteelresources.com).  Note how they are allusions to, pointers toward, hints at, signposts for something much bigger and more real, in fact ultimate.    In the Superman myth we can catch glimpses of God and Christ.    Superman is one of dozens of myths from ancient Greece and Scandinavia to today’s superhero stories.  What is cool to finally realize is that Christianity in some way shape or form is myth having become fact in Jesus Christ.   Here are the quotes . . . .

“He’ll be an outcast”
“They’ll kill him”
“They won’t be able to” (the resurrection)
“He’ll be a god to them”
“What if a child dreams of becoming something other than what society has intended”
“What if a child aspires to something greater”
“You’re the answer son, you’re the answer to who we are alone in the universe”
“I have to believe you were sent here for a reason and even if it takes you the rest of your life”
“For some he is a guardian angel. For others a ghost who never quite fit in”
“You will give the people of earth an ideal to strive towards”
“They will stumble they will fall but in time they will join you in the sun”
“In time you will help them accomplish wonders” (John 14:12)
“Just have to decide what kind of man you want to be Clark”
“Whoever that man is, is going to change the world”“My father was convinced if the world really knew me they would reject me. What do you think?
[Lois Lane = Mary Magdala? Okay . . a little stretching here] 

“Lord it is my prayer, that the Superman story evokes a deep hunger in everyone who views the movie. May it move multitudes to the “aha!” that says, “whoah, could it be? Could it actually be? . . . that one day there actually was a man from the heavens who came to earth . . . . .but this man took all his powers and put them on a cross and in that way saved the world. To amazing to believe? To amazing for human beings to make up? To amazing not to be true! Thank you Lord. Amen”

NOTE:   Just now Googled reviews of Man of Steel.   Incredible how many spoke of the comparisons to Jesus and even Moses, even in the secular reviews.   Check out a few of them before you see the movie!

Blog »  A Purpose for Living

Thursday, June 13, 2013 Jeff Lampl

NOTE: Can you find a way to sneak in one more reading of Philippians chapter one today?

“Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.  . . .. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith. . ."                             Philippians 1:18-26 (ESV) 


Okay, I do believe this. I believe that God will use anything at all for my and your good. Do you believe this? The key is to believe that whatever is happening is being, at any given moment, used by God for good. So I must be able to believe this, stand on this and say this to other people. In that way God is honored and I am living above my circumstances, not under them. It’s important to realize that this is not psychological as in “choose a positive attitude”, rather it is simply acknowledging what is true and aligning your life with that. 

Are you willing and able to align your life with what is true? In what ways do you do so? 

Paul then explains a hard but simple truth. God’s working everything together for good may mean that I die, which means that I will be resurrected with a new body to continue my life on a renewed earth. Actually this is something I practice every day simply by going to bed, losing consciousness, and trusting that I will wake up to the dawn of a new day full of infinite possibility. Furthermore, I go to sleep (the Bible’s way of talking about death), trusting that my loved one are safe and accounted for in God’s trustworthy hands.

So why do Christians seek to continue to live? Of course lots of reasons exist. But here’s the big one: to live for the sake of others’ “progress and joy in the faith so that they will have ample cause to glory in Jesus”.

Blog » Paul’s Letter to the Philippians

Wednesday June 12, 2013 Jeff Lampl 

NOTE: 

Read Philippians chapter one again today. Mark up your Bible. People whose Bibles are worn  out aren’t (get the play on words?)



I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
                                                           Philippians 1:12-14 (ESV) 

Philippi has an interesting history. It was founded by Philip, father of Alexander the Great, in 368 BC. It lies at the juncture of Europe and Asia, where Turkey meets Greece today. More than 300 years later it was the site of a great battle. Julius Caesar had been assassinated by Brutus (“et tu Brute” on the Ides of March). Mark Antony, Caesar’s heir and “boyfriend” of Cleopatra, went after and defeated Brutus, where? At Philippi in 42 BC.  

But Philppi, this city of legendary historical figures, has its greatest glory in the fact that it is here that Christianity found its way to the western world. On his second missionary journey Paul had dream beckoning him to come to Europe (Acts 16). Paul did so, met Luke there (note the first use of “we” in Acts 16) and the rest is history (literally!) 

It is from prison in Rome to this little church that Paul writes words that in a sense rewrite history. He writes that empires and prisons and military power are only pawns in the hands of God to advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Today Philippians is best remembered around the world as a letter of joy, a statement that confidence in God, not in the circumstances of life so dependent on power or lack thereof, is the solid rock of the good life. 

“Salvation is confidence in God” (Dallas Willard), no matter what comes your way.  

Would you say that your life can be described as confidence in God?

Blog »  Do You Delight in Others?

Tuesday, June 11, 2013 Jeff Lampl

NOTE: Read Philippians chapter one over and over this week. Mark up your Bible with notes, highlights and asterisks. Then bring it to worship on Sunday. I promise you that you will grow in your relationship with Jesus. If you don’t I’ll give you your money back.

“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness,  how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God”            Philippians 1:3-11 (ESV)

 Okay,  so I googled “delight” so that I could find a picture for today’s blog that might reflect Paul’s obvious delight in the believers in Philippi. I was surprised to find that the first entries were all about delighting in others’ failures. Here’s the first one that came up.

Schadenfreude i/ˈʃɑːdənfrɔɪdə/ (German: [ˈʃaːdənˌfʁɔʏdə]) is pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others. This word is a loanword from German, the direct English translation is 'Damage-Joy' or 'Fail-Joy', it is the feeling of joy when one sees another fail.

What do you think of that? Do most people delight in others or in others’ failures? How about you?  

Think of how Paul delights in the Philippians;

     “I thank God because of you”
     “I yearn for you with the affection of Jesus”
     “I’m sure what God began in you, He will finish”
     “I remember you in prayer with joy”
     “I pray you stay focused on what is excellent, pure and blameless”
     “I pray you get to enjoy the fruit of your godly living”

Perhaps one of our greatest tasks as Christians is to give others a taste of Christ delighting in them. He is for people, not against them. Paul gives the Philippians this tastes by his (Paul) delighting in them.  

In what ways do you or do you not give others a taste of Christ delighting in them? 

Blog » “Your Family can be Superheroes”

Monday, June 10, 2013 Jeff Lampl

Sometimes I make a visit to a “city” ministry like the Lighthouse in Oxford where one or two poorly paid but highly competent staff plus many but not enough already busy volunteers give of time they don’t have so that kids who are under-resourced both relationally (parents not around) and materially (poor) can get meals, tutoring, an adult who cares and be introduced to Jesus. 

Each time I come away thinking, “those are a real Christians”. They are my heroes. They are on the front lines. It is they who care the most. It is they who are bringing hope and justice to the world one child at a time. 

Philippians 1:6 tells us that God has begun a good work in you and your family and He is working to bring that work to a flourishing finish and one of the important ways that God wants to finish His work in you is  by taking you and your family together beyond yourselves.  

          “There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this
          great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day
          Christ Jesus appears”.     Philippians 1:6 (MSG) 

Just as God intended that Israel would go beyond itself and reach the world,

          “I'm setting you up as a light for the nations so that my salvation becomes global!"
                                                      Isaiah 49:3-6 (MSG)  

God wants every believing family to go beyond itself to reach those who need you.  

Here’s a simple and powerful step you can take as a family.  

     1. Attend the Lighthouse picnic on Saturday. All the details are below.
     2. Tell your family that this picnic is a picture of the Kingdom of God where believers are
         gathered for the purpose of bringing everyone to the Party that God wants everyone to
         get in on.
     3. Tell your family that the money raised will go to building a big building in Oxford where
          kids who don’t have what you have can meet Jesus and have help to make it in life.
     4. Make a pledge of any amount and do it as a family.
     5. Jesus. Family. God. Together. Outreach. Holy Spirit. Giving. Fun. These all go together
          when Families go beyond themselves for the sake of others.

Blog » “These Three Remain”  

Friday, June 7, 2013    Jeff Lampl



“When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.
When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor
reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I
shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. “

1 Corinthians 13:11-13 (NIV) 

 This passage tells us we don’t really know as much as we think we know. Most of us are probably a pretty messy mix of naivete' (childlike) and thinking we know it all (childish).  

The brilliance of this passage (at least as it seems to me today) is that it gives us three windows into reality, three ways to see through and past our temporary “all about us” worlds.  

Hope does not mean, “I hope so”. In the Bible Hope refers lives built on the solid reality that what God has done for Jesus in raising him from the dead, He is now doing and will have done for every believer and for  the entire planet. This is a reality that cannot be undone. On that Hope, on that unshakeable reality, we stand.  

Faith means believing. It means choosing to put all my eggs in God’s basket. Faith is confidence in God. God is good. God is for us. I have confidence that whatever happens God will turn it for good. Faith means I am a true believer, even when, especially when, I doubt. It is then that I choose through gritted teeth to believe . .  and never stop believing. 

Love throughout the Bible (‘agape’ in Greek, pronounced ah-gah’-pay) means caring about the highest good of the other and acting on it. It is not a feeling, even though loving feelings often follow acts of love. It is an act of the will. When I love another I am participating in what I was built for. I am growing up. I am becoming Christ-like.  

Question: Where does one learn these things? Where have you learned them . . . not just academically or as head knowledge, but as internalized realities which connect you with God? My guess is that church helps but that family, when working right, is God’s Plan A for passing on “these three that remain”. Is that your experience? How might you make your family’s experience in the near future?  

“Lord , please lead our family one step closer to becoming this kind of family. Lead us to You . . . together. Lord, please reveal the one next step in prayer or Bible Reading or worship or whatever, that you want for our family. Amen”

Blog » “Family: a Beautiful Mess”

Thursday, June 6, 2013 Jeff Lampl

 
Did you know......... 

· You can rent a grandma? If you yearn for the feel of a traditional family dinner, Rent a  
  Grandma will let you shop, cook, talk, and share a family dinner with an older woman of your
  ethnicity.
· You can hire consultants and facilitators for potty training, love coaches who will help you with
  the tactics of romance, and experts who can organize your kitchen, bedroom, playroom and
  emotional spaces.
· You can hire not only wedding planners but also funeral planners.
· For a fee “Family 360” will come into your home and evaluate your performance as a dad or
  mom.  They will even help you to create memories.

Talk about outsourcing! 

Question: Are your best memories the result of the perfectly planned party or vacation where everything went off without a hitch, where everything happened exactly as planned? 

Not in our house. My family remembers the food fight that I started and which ended with a piece of rice stuck on my forehead more than they remember Disneyworld. We remember the joy of spraying the hose through the window into the  kitchen onto siblings and mom. We remember the camping trips when the water resistant tent got filled with water, or the birthday dinner when everyone was yelling at “poor dad” (I remember it that way too!) 

The following passage makes me think that we are way too hung up on getting life and family mapped out, planned out, and done right. All the impressive how to’s of the world will fade, but love, the joy of imperfect but genuine connectedness to those we love, will not.  

       "Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are
        tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away."  
                                                        1 Corinthians 13:8 (NIV)
“Lord, loosen me up. Make me a catalyst for laughter and joy in my family. Release me to release my family to have fun. I’m tired of the all the requirements of your salvation, bring us the joy of your salvation. Amen”

Blog » “Families Produce 'Chests' "

Wednesday, June 5, 2013 Jeff Lampl

In his book, The Abolition of Man, C.S. Lewis writes that modern society is growing “men without chests”.  

By this he means that we are creating people who value facts, intellect, learning, education and practical outcomes on the one hand and we are catering to all the different kinds of appetites, wants and desires and base instincts of people on the other.  

The head on the one side and the stomach on the other. But can life work this way? Can the world work expecting the head to rule the stomach, expecting reason and education to reign over my base desires? 

Lewis then says that the head rules the stomach through the Chest. The chest is where values are grown; loyalty, character, patience, kindness, endurance, faith, hope, humility, sacrifice, perseverance. It is only the strength of the chest that can reign in or redirect the stomach. These things are not learned in school, nor are they learned by “filling our stomachs”. They are learned in loving, interactive, committed, messy relationships, where we have to learn to get along, to find out the world isn’t all about me, to transcend our appetites, to remain committed when we don’t want, to persevere when we want to quit, to believe when it’s easier to give up. It is where we learn to serve, not use others. It is where we learn to believe in something bigger than myself.  

That happens in families. It is in my family that I learned that there are values and those values have shaped me. They still shape me. I have a “chest” because my parents gave me one.  

It is in family, not from a pastor, not from some great teaching guru, not from a self help book,  that I learned, at least to some modest degree,  all the following things. 

       “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” 
                                          1 Corinthians 13:7 (ESV) 

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but  rejoices with the truth."    1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (ESV)