Sea Cow Hides? Seriously?

In the post Chicken Suit for the Soul I suggest that nearly anything can be used for God's glory and to advance His kingdom. What about the hide of a sea cow?

Sea cow hides turn up in Exodus 25:1-9 for what might be the first shopping list recorded in history:

The Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from each man whose heart prompts him to give. These are the offerings you are to receive from them: gold, silver and bronze; blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; ram skins dyed red and hides of sea cows; acacia wood; olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.

“Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you."

Moses has been on Mt. Sinai with the Lord for forty days receiving detailed instructions for two main things:

1) The Law, instructions for living and worship, which will be the cornerstone for much of the western world's justice system for thousands of years.

2) Blue prints for construction of the tabernacle, God's own dwelling place with man on earth. In the history of blue prints and architectural drawings, this set is arguably the most important among millions of buildings. Because, you know, this is the house for the Almighty Sovereign Lord of the Universe.

But sandwiched between these two monumental set of instructions to Moses, God slips in a shopping list. I'm picturing a dad handing over the minivan keys to his 16 year old son on the way to the grocery store, "Ok Moses, we need gold, silver, bronze, flour, sugar, milk, eggs, sea cow hides..."














And then Moses looks up from scribbling on the back of his envelope.

"Sea Cow Hides??? Seriously???" God nods.

This has always been a chin-scratcher for me. I understand the gold and silver, because you want the living place of God to be dazzling. But sea cow hides? Really? Maybe it has some amazing water-repellent qualities, or wicks moisture, or is super tough. Or maybe God just cracks up at this funky cow/whale/vacuum machine creature as some inside joke with the Trinity.

God intended the sea cow hides to be coverings for some of the holy things of the tabernacle during transport through the desert. So if not an inside joke then I think that sea cows are small link in a huge chain of the theme of coverings in the Bible. Here's just a quick survey of the theme.

Covering After the Fall
One of the first acts of Adam and Eve after the fall was to cover their nakedness (Gen 3:7). Using fig leaves, they sewed together a covering. My guess is that "leaves" are more than a few points lower than sea cow hide on the covering quality scale (CQS). Later, after the curses and consequences were meted out for their sin, God gives them an upgrade in their coverings and makes new ones out of animal skins (Gen 3:21).


Covering in the Desert
When God delivered Israel from Egypt He instructed Moses to build a tabernacle where His holy presence could dwell among a sinful, rebellious nation. In a sense, the tabernacle (along with the elaborate complex of rituals) was a protective covering so that the Israelites would not get torched by the glory of God's presence. Perhaps like heavenly oven mitts to keep the people from getting burned by the all consuming fire. The sea cow hides were just one image of this as the holy thing were set apart, sanctified, by being covered.

But I think that the tabernacle was not just a protective covering for the sake of the safety of the people, but also a picture of God's desire to be wrapped in the people He loves. God surrounded Himself in the desert with tribes of Israelites encamped all around. From the perspective of God, it looks like He is covering Himself with people like a cloak. A filthy, stained garment, but one that He will be making new and cleansing white as snow.


Covering of the Incarnation
In the incarnation, God the Son took on a human nature. Jesus was more than just God in a body. He became fully human while still being fully God. But God took on a covering of flesh and blood, he tabernacled among us in while he walked the earth. We need to be careful because there are a thousand errors to easily fall into when discussing the incarnation. If you put a sandwich into a Tupperware container, the two are still distinct. When Jesus was born, he wasn't just covered with flesh and bones like Saran Wrap, he actually BECAME human while still retaining his divinity.

But there is still a theme of covering: Jesus' glory was veiled, his kingly majesty was covered with humility, his glorious power was hidden beneath his role of suffering servant.

Covering on the Cross
On the cross Jesus took on our sin as a cruel, torturous covering. The sins of all people for all time for all places was placed on him. Then he was covered with the wrath of God to atone for our sin. He was covered with his own blood, shed for our redemption.

Covering of the Holy Spirit
After Jesus returned to his glory at the resurrection, the Father sent the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts. Christians become the temple of the Holy Spirit, we are the covering for God. This is incredible. In the Old Testament the sea cow hide is used to cover the holy things from a sinful people. In the New Testament, sinful people are redeemed then become a covering for the Holy Spirit.


Our Covering in Eternity
When we enter the eternal kingdom there seems to be a reversal. Humans go from being the temple of God the Holy Spirit, to God becoming the temple, our eternal covering. Revelation 21:22-27 is awesome:

I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.

While the infinite God was confined and covered by the cramped desert tabernacle in the Old Testament, limited and finite people will inhabit and be covered by the temple of the eternal God in the kingdom.

Sea cow hides? Seriously? Seriously.

Cliffs Notes for the Proverbs

Not sure if Cliff has gotten around to the Bible yet. (He makes cheat sheets for huge works like Moby Dick, War and Peace, Oxford English Dictionary, etc...). So while reading through Proverbs I thought I'd try my hand at distilling the wisdom of Solomon into a few key themes. Of course this immediately violates #5 below for even thinking I could do anything with Solomon's wisdom. Where did my bag of chips go?


1) Talking/gossip/lying: Shut yer pie hole (Proverbs 4:24; 17:28; 12:17-19; 10:19; 20:19)

2) Your job: Work yer tail off (Proverbs 6:6-11; 10:4-5; 18:9; 20:4)

2a) Your job: But don't work so you got nothin' else to give (Prov 23:4)

3) Sexual temptation: you get burned when yer playin' with fire (Proverbs 4:14-15; 6:27-28; 7:22-23; the entire 5th chapter)

4) Wisdom: worth more than gold (Prov 4:6-7; 8:10-11; and practically every other verse in the book)

5) Humility: Don't think yer "all that and a bag of chips" (Prov 8:13; 3:34)

6) Ill-gotten gains: not worth jack squat (or they are worth just jack squat. Either way). (Prov 10: 2, 15:16-17; 20:17; 28:6,16)

7) Honesty: Don't be a scammer. (Prov 16:11; 20:10; 22:1)

8) Generosity: Give some of what you got. (Prov 3:27-28; 19:17; 21:13; 23:6-8; 28:22)

9) Righteousness: Be that. (Prov 3:33; 4:18; 20:7; 28:12)

10) Wickedness: Don't be that. (Prov 3:33; 4:14; 28:9)

11) Parenting: Yer more than a buddy. (Prov 19:18; 22:6)

12) Anger: Simmer down. (Prov 19:19; 29:11; 30:33)

13) The Fear of God: Yer knees best be knockin'. (Prov 19:23; 22:4; 23:17; 28:14)

14) Honoring parents: treat them like they are all that and a bag of chips (Prov 20:20).

15) Foolishness: Don't be a fool (Prov 26:1-12; throw a dart and you'll probably hit a verse about the folly of a fool)

16) Justice: give a rat's [backside] about the poor (Prov 29:7, 14)

Biblical Numbers [For Geeks Only!]

[Warning: this post is mostly for geeks like me. If you are not a geek stop reading immediately, lest you become one.]

An NIV text note for Proverbs 10:1 tickled my fancy today (sidenote: where and what the heck is my fancy? Seriously.) Proverbs 10 starts a collection and new section in the book. The note mentions that there are 375 verses in this section which runs through Prov 22:16. So what, you say? (Get out the tape for your glasses because the geek factor is going to kick in right about now.). Turns out that the value of the letters in Solomon's name is... 375.

[Hebrews were highly numerical and devised a system of assigning a value to each letter in the alphabet, so that a name and words had a number.]

Some people have taken Biblical numerology to the H.N.L. (whole 'notha level). Kabbala is a mystic sect based on Old Testament numerology and has recently gotten a shot in the arm thanks to Madonna.

And rabid eschatologists spend their holiday weekends trying to determine the name of the antichrist based on 666, the number of his name. And, yes, there's an app for that.

My interest in numbers is not in the mystical or end-times-guessing-game camp. But the geek aspect of how numbers are used in the Bible.

For example, everybody who has watched even a single snap of a football game knows John 3:16 Even Raiders fans.











But there are truckloads of other very cool 3:16 verses in the bible. Check out:
2 Timothy 3:16
Joshua 3:16
Matthew 3:16
Luke 3:16
1 Corinthians 3:16


Sequential Bible Verses
Some key passages in the Bible have cool numeric chapter/verse sequences:

Philippians 2:3-4
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.


Phillipians 4: 5,6,7
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.


Exodus 34:5,6,7
Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.”



Luke 23:45
The sun stopped shining and the curtain of the temple was torn in two [at Jesus death. ]

Ecclesiastes 12:13
Fear God and keep his commands, for this is the whole duty of man.


Repeating Numbers
John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

2 Tim 2:2
And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.
(Not coincidentally this is the basis for a cool mentoring ministry called Lead222)

Proverbs 21:21
He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.

2 Peter 1:21
For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Anagrams
Some great passages have cool number things and have anagrams embedded:

Matthew 7:7
Ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened to you (A.S.K.)



These are the tip of the iceberg. I'd love to hear of other geeky number things you've found in the Bible.

The Center (part 2)

The first part of The Center looked at the arrangement of the Israelite encampment around the tabernacle as an image of God being the center of our lives today.

But there seems to be much more to this image.

The desert tabernacle also is a powerful illustration of how the farther we are from God the less holy and righteous we become in some practical ways.

I think of it like the radiation zone around a nuclear detonation. God's burning holiness is most intense in his presence in the tabernacle, but diminishes the farther one goes from "ground zero".


Holiest of Holies was Ground Zero for God's Presence
When a nuclear bomb explodes the radiation is most intense at ground zero then decreases in radial fashion with distance from the center (geeky math warning... Did God's radiant glory diminish following an inverse square law?) So that when moving away from ground zero the radiation level drops rapidly and eventually there is a point where it reaches zero. For the Israelites, the Holiest of Holies was ground zero, the presence of God resided there like no other place on earth at that time. God's glory and majesty was intense with radiance and power. On the Day of Atonement, once per year, one man, the high priest could enter this place, it would be like walking into the blast area with Geiger counters ticking a million times per second. You can't even distinguish the individual ticks. Entering this most holy place took almost 100 steps of ritual, sacrifice and offering. Perhaps like putting on a radiation suit (picture the space suit guys in the movie ET).

When the high priest was in the Holiest of Holies in the very presence of God how likely was he to sin or fall to temptation? With God thundering before him on the mercy seat, I'm guessing that the priest is going to win most every battle of temptation. Sin and everything unclean is consumed entirely in God's unshielded presence. This is why the high priest had a rope tied to his leg so others could pull him out if he died in there. People wouldn't go in to retrieve the body in the "hot zone". But the Holiest of Holies is a picture of our future eternity with God, where we will be in His literal presence always (not just one day a year), able to see Him face to face in all his glory, and completely free from sin.

When Moses spent 40 days on Mt. Sinai with God his face literally glowed (Ex 34:29-35 Ex 33:18-23) and the people insisted he wear a veil. We are also transformed by the presence of God and radiate holiness when we are in His glorious presence.

(Note that the glow eventually wore off of Moses' face, like what happens to a glow in the dark frisbee eventually. In this life when we are removed from the radiating glory, our holiness likewise diminishes with time. Not our positional holiness and righteousness in Jesus, but our practical righteousness. Ex 24:17 says that to the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire, so the nuclear detonation analogy works well, perhaps more than we suspect.)

With God at the center of our lives we reflect his glory, and the closer we are to him, the more we glow.

The Holy Place
Moving out from ground zero of the Holiest of Holies in the tabernacle, God's radiating holiness diminished somewhat (in the effect on the priests' lives). The geiger counter is ticking along at a steady clip (tick, tick, tick, tick) but not the piercing buzz as in the Holiest of Holies). In the Holy Place the Levitical priests would serve on a daily basis. They were more likely to sin in that place because God's holiness is not as intense (this is where Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu were killed for offering unauthorized fire). These priests were chosen by God, consecrated and set apart from the Levites to serve. They were less "sanctified" than the high priest on the day of atonement. Much of the time I feel like this is where my life is spent. Not in the fiery furnace and blazing presence of God, but the day to day rituals. Going about my life, paying homage to Him but also pretty busy with other tasks. God not exactly the center and full focus of who I am.

Outer Courts
And then God's holiness was diminished even more in the outer court of the tabernacle where the rest of the Israelites and even aliens could come to congregate and make offerings. The geiger counter might tick once every 20-30 seconds. These people were milling about, gathering for social occasions. Not stretching the analogy too far, but there have been times in my life where God is sidelined because the cares and worries of this life move me farther from the center, and I'm more prone to sin and lose the battle.

The Encampment and "Outside" the Camp
Move further out beyond the walls of the tabernacle to the encampment and the effect of God's holiness diminished significantly. The geiger counter is ticking once every 5-10 minutes perhaps. The people had occasional moments of dedication to the Lord (Ex 15 singing the song of Moses, confirming the Covenant in Ex 24:7) But for the most part the Israelites were characterized for 40 years in the desert as stiff necked, grumblers, quarrelers, weak, unfaithful, complaining, sinful, disobedient, covenant breakers, whiners, etc.. Because they were fairly removed from the center of God's presence they were less holy (and visa versa it can be argued. Sort of a chicken and egg issue.) It can be argued that many unbelievers are those in the camp and beyond.

Outside the camp the people considered unclean had to dwell. These were lepers, ceremonially unclean, and various classes of outcasts. These may might be considered the "lost sheep", ones who know God but are far from him. The Geiger counter ticks slowly here. They can be made clean, drawn closer to the center, but some spend their whole lives outside the camp, never fully enjoying the blessings of drawing near to God.

The Gentile Nations
Farthest from the center of God's presence in the Holiest of Holies are the Canaanites, those gentile nations occupying the land promised to Israel as part of the covenant. These people on a whole are not spoken well of in scripture. They are called evil, Molech and Baal worshipers, child sacrificers, practicing every kind of sexual sin and deviancy as a way of life. Maybe a tick on the Geiger counter every couple of years. Maybe. Sin flows like a river, not the milk and honey promised to the Israelites . But these "aliens" are not beyond hope and may partake in the Israel blessings in part if they become circumcised. There have been time in the OT where God directly blesses them. God sent Elijah to a gentile widow in Sidon and blessed her with the bottomless jar of flour and oil during a famine (1 King 17:1-15). Also Elisha cleanses the Syrian military general Naaman of leprosy (2 King 5:1-14).

In fact some of these gentile people of "the nations" are the ones promised by God to be blessed through Abraham's offspring, that is Jesus (Gen 12:3). God doesn't love them any less than the Israelites but their sin is grievous enough to merit punishment, judgement and wrath (as is ours!)

Application
How close to The Center do I live my daily life? Am I living before the mercy seat within the Holiest of Holies? Milling around the outer courts? Living outside the camp? Or assembling firewood for the altar of Molech?

The whole analogy is flawed in some ways, but works in more ways than not. Proverbs 17:3 says, "The crucible for silver, the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart." Our hearts are purified and made clean in this life (sanctification) to the degree we spend time in the holy, burning presence of God. It's a paradox, because if God is omnipresent how can we ever be far from Him? We need to make a choice to enter in, draw near. He's a consuming fire, but His awesome glory consumes the dross in our hearts, purifies us, refines us, so that what is left looks more and more like His image.

The Center

Numbers chapter 2 pictures the order and arrangement of the tribes of Israel encamping around the tabernacle. God is at the very center of their lives, everything emanating from that core, all activity moves out from the very presence of God.

There were three tribes camped on each side of the tabernacle and the Levites scattered around as well.

God's presence was not only the center and heart of the camp, but also the center of the tabernacle. Within the tabernacle there were different levels of access and closeness to God moving from the outer courts to the Holy Place and finally into the Holiest of Holies:

And inside the Holiest of Holies, was the ark. And inside the Ark was the covenant, the tablets given by God to Moses. And on top of the Ark was the mercy seat, where the very presence of God rested.

Mercy was at the heart of the Israelites whole order, resting over the tablets of the covenant, God's very Word. Their whole life was centered on this, literally.

The question is: Shouldn't our lives also be centered on God? With God at the heart of our devotion, our daily lives? Our waking and sleeping? Our thoughts and energies? Life gets busy and we have obligations, but does the Lord get sidelined and the things of this world take center stage, the place of honor, the most sacred space in our lives? What is sacred to us and set apart as special? What do we sacrifice on behalf of that sacred hobby, sacred job, sacred TV show, sacred relationship, sacred obsession?

In the tabernacle everything was bathed with the blood of sacrificed animals as people get closer to the Presence of God, hidden behind a curtain in the most holy place. A sinful people needed almost 100 rules for 1 man once per year to enter the Holiest of Holies to approach the Holy God. Failure to approach God without the protection of the sacrifices was deadly.

But we have been permanently brought near to God by one sacrifice. By even 1 drop of Jesus' blood countless people dwell in the center of God's presence for 100 million years and then some. Do we avail ourselves of the blood of Jesus to boldly approach the throne of grace (Heb 4:16) and find mercy and grace? The veil of the tabernacle has been ripped in two from top to bottom, and we can at any time enter into the center of the throne room, the presence of God.

In the desert some people had to be removed from the camp for various conditions making them unclean: disease, wrong offerings, eating blood of an animal, etc. When they were unclean or disobedient they were moved farther from God's presence, farther from the center.

Some people, like lepers, had to live outside the camp. They were unclean. They were sent away from the center (Num 5:1) so they wouldn't defile the place where God dwells.

And as disgusting as leprosy is, our sin is worse before God. If we were to see our sinful condition in bodily form, it would shock and horrify us. We would seem to be as disfigured as the latest stage leper who is nearly beyond recognition from his intended form.

Jesus healed lepers and touched them. But in a greater miracle, God sees believers through the imputed righteousness of Jesus. He doesn't see a disfigured and corrupted person, but one wholly righteous, clothed in white, and washed by the blood of the lamb. We have been made clean (justified) and are being made clean (sanctified). We are drawn to the center.

But when we sin, we distance ourselves from God. Christians are never assigned to the place of unbelievers but are not always in intimate communion and relationship. We move away from the center.

In the desert some people were aliens, outside of the chosen people, not even within site of the camp. Lost and utterly depraved (Lev 20:1-5 for example). There were whole communities and generations that did not even know that God called a chosen people, that He performed mighty wonders and miracles, that He delivered them from slavery with wondrous powers. How many people lived so far from the center of God's presence that they missed his glory? Never heard His thunder from the mountain? Never knew his name? Never covered their ears from the booming thunder blasts of Sinai, or shielded their eyes from the furious lightning? But instead were sacrificing their children in fire to the demon god Molech? How many? These were the people whose sexual sin was so deplorable that the very land was spoiled and defiled beneath them (Lev 18:25, 27). How bad must one's sin be before the earth that you stand on is corrupted? Like a poison that drips from a cup to the waters of a well, seeping deep, utterly corrupting it. Or, as in the Lev 18:28 text, like a rotten meat in the stomach, so that the stomach will vomit to purge itself clean. These people were very far from the center.

We're tempted to think of sin that bad as belonging to others, in a different time and different place. After all, which of us has sacrificed our child to an idol?

But we often underestimate the revulsion of our own sin to God and its consequences . Consider that the one single sin of Adam (eating fruit) was foul enough to spread death, decay and destruction to all of mankind, infecting billions of souls through thousands of years. That even nature itself and the natural order would be defiled and ruined. So much so that in order to redeem man He would need to destroy his body and give him an entirely new body (corruptible putting on incorruption) and the heavens and earth would need to be reformed.

Yet only by looking through the lens of our sin and its depravity can we fully appreciate the magnitude of the love and grace of God. Where sin abounded, grace super-abounded. We usually look at the arrangement of the camp around the tabernacle from our perspective, teaching us to keep God at the center of our lives. But when you look at it from the perspective of God, sitting on the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies we see that God intentionally surrounded himself with fallen people, those of the would-be redeemed.

Despite the fallen nature of Israel, God the Father placed his majesty in their midst in the Holiest of Holies and surrounded Himself with 12 tribes of sinful men, wrapping them around himself like a dirty tattered cloak after setting aside His royal robes in the heavenly places. A material tabernacle housing God in the center of a sinful but chosen people.

And in the same way God the Son set aside his heavenly glory and wrapped himself in human flesh and lived among the throng of sinful man. Subjecting himself to the weariness, sorrow, pain, temptation in the center of humanity's depravity. A human tabernacle housed God among a sinful world. God the Son dwelling among men.

And then once again, today and in the church age, God the Holy Spirit lives in the hearts of Christian believers whose bodies become the tabernacle (temple) of God, yet still sinful and corrupt though justified and being sanctified. God the Spirit dwelling within a man.

There is a progression of intimacy of the triune God dwelling among man:

1) Father in a Tabernacle in the desert: separation by walls, curtains and ritual; Only one man, once per year could enter the presence of God. God was seen, but only rarely and in limited expression.

2) Son assuming a human body: separation from others by physical distance. Thousands were in the presence of Jesus, the God-man. But most still were not. There was no veil or tabernacle shielding God from sinful man other than his flesh. But people could touch him, crowds pressed in tight. A woman was healed by touching his cloak. For a moment on the mount of transfiguration the veil was pulled back just a smidgeon and the glory of the Son was revealed to Peter an John.

3) Spirit living in the hearts of Christians: millions (billions?) of people have the presence of God inside of them. God dwelling inside the believers in the most intimate arrangement possible. At times we grieve and quench the Holy Spirit by sin in our lives, like covering burning coals with a wet, wool blanket. Not extinguishing the Spirit, but also not fanning into flame.

This whole progression demonstrates the deep loving heart of God, his intense desire to be intimately at the center of humanity. The tabernacle in the desert is a great picture of God dwelling among men. He WANTS DESPERATELY to live among us. How much so? That he would kill His own son that we might be brought ever nearer and closer.

The CS Lewis book "The Great Divorce" has an interesting and relevant image of hell: a community of people that keep moving farther and farther away from each other and from God. Whereas God wanted to draw Israel in tight, the weight and gravity of His love pulling them in, those who reject God drift farther and farther off, severed from the draw of His presence and ever receding into the vanishing distance.

Why should God be the center of our lives? Because He wants to look out and around to see a circle of those He redeemed by Jesus' blood encamped about him.

More in The Center, Part 2.

Chicken Suit for the Soul: Book One

I might have discovered an idea for a book series that could displace the juggernaut of Jack Canfield's series Chicken Soup for the Soul on the NYT bestseller list. (I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin').

I'd call the series "Chicken Suit for the Soul" and book number one would feature lessons learned in the last week of middle school youth ministry. The common thread through all of the stories is how God uses the mundane, the odd, the everyday, the lowly stuff of this earth for His eternal, life-changing, majestic work of building His kingdom.



Chapter 1: Chicken Suit for the Soul
A few weeks ago the middle school youth group found itself in the (un?)enviable position of having a short fall of finances to run a 4 day camp on Lake Samish. So we ran a carwash with proceeds going to the camp. We ended up raising hundreds of dollars that went to sponsoring students unable to pay. The very generous owner of the carwash facility also provided some wacky costumes to attract attention of passing cars including: a grape costume, musical instruments, clown shoes, and, I believe, most importantly a chicken suit. Who can resist a 13 year old dressed up in a chicken suit? It is a recipe for a financial windfall. Having just returned from camp only a few hours ago, I'm blown away by the impact of that weekend in the lives of students. And some of those sponsored students whose lives are now eternally changed can trace the path of salvation of their souls to a chicken suit at a carwash.

The Almighty Sovereign Lord God of the universe used a chicken suit for His glory to build His kingdom. Thinking about this brings me to a question that is sobering:

If God can use anything for His good will, how am I using what He's entrusted to me for His kingdom? All that I have, even things I consider of little worth, might be of eternal value. Am I being a good steward of my stuff?

Colossians 3:17 says:

And what ever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

This weekend at the camp I saw two cans of sardines used in the name of Jesus for a food eating contest. I even saw Spam, arguably a creation of the devil, used to build the kingdom of God in Jesus name.

I spoke to a mom of one of the campers who sponsored two other students to go to camp. She spent $240 and one of those students gave his life to Jesus and his eternal destiny is now changed, his sins completely forgiven. $120 dollars! The "filthy lucre" ascribed to so much greed and ruin in this world was used in the name of Jesus for the salvation of a soul.

I'm reminded of Liam Niessen's character in the movie Schindler's List who realized only too late that more of the stuff of his world could have been used for the ransom and salvation of Jews from Nazi atrocities. He looked at the ring on his finger and was horrified when he understood that it could be used to save a few more people, but the realization came too late. I'm often convicted that I'm not fully using what's been entrusted to me in the name of Jesus for the glory of God to advance His kingdom. How many hours have I wasted on the couch before the TV. How many dollars have been spent on things that ultimately left me empty? How many things have I discarded as junk? And how many souls might have been ransomed by God using that stuff as His means? I know I don't bear the responsibility for anyone's salvation, but I also know that I've missed opportunities to play even a fractional role of eternal worth in people's lives.

Ultimately all of this is good news, if God can use the chicken suit for a soul, he can use you and I as well.

Reflecting on the camp this weekend, here's a possible outline for the rest of the first "Chicken Suit" book:

Chapter 2: Hacky Sack for Holy Lamb
Chapter 3: Slip and Slide for the Savoir
Chapter 4: Culligan Water Bottle for Christ
Chapter 5: Blobbing for the Bright and Morning Star
Chapter 6: Acoustic Guitar for the Alpha
Chapter 7: Oatmeal Fight for the Omega

Do you have any ideas for other chapters? The possibilities are truly endless.

Just Believe??

An entire industry has grown like a mushroom selling products, conferences, posters, coffee mugs, engraved toothbrushes all motivating people to "just believe". This video captures the essence of the "just believers" in all of it's sugary sacharine Care Bear sweetness:

[Caution, viewers may throw up their mouths just a little bit while watching]

I'll preempt any accusation hurled that I'm besmirching some great people by saying I have much respect for many of those people (Joe Pa of Penn State not the least) but we have to admit that you can pour too much sugar in coffee, and can also add too many rainbows to an inspirational video. ["Besmirch" is such an awesome word! I'm tempted to create a Facebook fan club page for the word. Anybody else in?]

The "Just Believing" philosophy falls short on a few levels:
1) Wrong Focus of Faith. Belief or faith without a reliable object as the focus is futile, or sometimes dangerous. If I believe that my dinner napkin is a good substitute for a parachute when I'm sky diving, then I'm going to have a rough landing. No matter how many rainbows, or what kind of feeling I put into that belief in the napkin, I'm going to be very flat and fairly spread out at the end of my jump.

2) No Focus of Faith."Just believing" without any object of faith is also "falling flat". Belief all by itself, divorced from an object, does not lead to success or motivation. To quote the famous, highly respected and revered philosopher and deep thinker Jack Handy, "It’s easy to sit there and say you’d like to have more money. And I guess that’s what I like about it. It’s easy. Just sitting there, rocking back and forth, wanting that money." "Just believing" often tends toward inaction. When I was a small kid, I used to think that pressing your hands together in prayer was kind of like a magical action that got you stuff, and the harder you pressed your hands together the harder you were praying. But belief with no object is the same as a prayer offered to the void, both are to no effect, even if there is fantastically good intentions and lots of sparkles and rainbows.

3) Self-Focus of Faith. I'm not opposed to self-confidence, but if you are believing in yourself, see item #1 above. Any student of history (even a mediocre one barely squeaking by with a C-) knows that people are utterly prone to chaos and evil of all sorts. Again, no besmirching great accomplishments of great people, but the soaring successes of human achievement (space flight, industrial revolution, Roman aqueducts, Starbucks grande americano) have their glory due to the Creator ultimately.

Biblical Belief
When I read the Bible is see two critical aspects of belief and faith:
1) The object of faith is the Sovereign God and Lord;
2) Faith is accompanied by action and gets people out of the comfy rocking chair.

Hebrews Chapter 11 is one of the classic passages about faith in the Bible. It is chock full of actions of faith recorded throughout history. I count almost 40 verbs describing the actions that accompanied and demonstrated faith some of which include: built, spoke, obeyed, lived, offered, blessed, chose, left, persevered, kept, marched, conquered, gained, escaped. And then the unpleasant actions as people of faith were: tortured, flogged, chained, stoned, sawn in two. Not many rainbows, butterflies and unicorns there.

Our faith is active, compels us to action as we believe in the God who didn't just sit back in his rocking chair, but entered history to live, die and be raised from the dead for our salvation. I'm so thankful that God didn't "just believe" in Himself. He gave, sacrificed, loved, died, bled, healed, suffered, prayed, walked, sweated, endured, rose, ascended for us. And now Jesus is reigning, interceding, saving, forgiving, sanctifying, and preparing a place for us. And someday He will return, cleanse, judge, rule, make new, and glorify those who believe in Him.