I found a new God! Based on some recent stats from Pew Research, I’m not alone. In fact, a new god is a pretty common thing these days.
Now, before I go into any more details, I should define what I mean by god.
Why I Found A New God
Hating God
I spent most of my life hating God.
Yes, I know as a good Christian (whatever that’s supposed to mean) I’m not supposed to say that and most of the people who know me will be shocked to read it. But there it is.
Honestly, I didn’t realize it until I finally watched The Shack. While watching, three things happened:
- Crying more in two hours than I have in the last two decades.
- Celebrating I’m not the only one who has undergone radical shifts in my understanding of the divine (thus discovering play).
- Recognizing that I spent most of my life hating God.
Let’s explore the third a bit more.
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How Far Can You Go Today?
Today. Who are you and where are you today? Yes, life is a journey. Yes, there’s a destination, but what happens along the road matters more than where you end up. It’s about a process instead of a product. That’s why my life today is all about discovering play. If you want to embrace this adventure, you need to start with three questions:
- Where do I think I’m going? This is your believed destination. It’s where you think you’re going right now. Odds are, this will change. But that doesn’t matter. You just need to know where you think you’re going so you can answer the next two questions.
- What do I need to do to get there? If your believed destination is your final destination, then what do you need to do today to move in that direction? What do you need to say yes to? More importantly, what do you have to say no to? What do you need to learn? Who do you need to spend time with?
- How far can I go today? This is the most important question. It’s also the most painful and demands the most honesty. It insists you admit that this journey will have a tomorrow. And a day after that. Most likely, it requires many days after that. Yes, you want the payoff now, but that’s not how this works. Instead, in time, you will discover that they true reward is in the journey and the process. So, instead of wistfully dreaming of something off in the distance, this is the question you need to focus on.
What does it look like to answer this question? Truthfully? Honestly? Brutally?
Making Sense of the OT Sacrificial System
In response to my Good Friday post, my friend, Pastor Dion Garrett, added the following commentary on Facebook, “We have to read the OT sacrificial system through Jesus. Not the other way around. Jesus reveals the Father. Important read.”
While I said nothing about the OT sacrificial system in my original post, I appreciate Dion making the connection. Why? Because in pop-Christian thought, Jesus’ crucifixion is bound to a variety of sacrificial images from the Hebrew Bible. Moreover, pop-theology forces these images into a narrative of an offering that pays the price for sin. This is true even though these amalgamations taken in their original context present immediate flaws. As two examples, the Passover Lamb was not a sacrifice for sin and the scapegoat on the Day of Atonement wasn’t killed.
So, how should Christians make sense of the OT sacrificial system?
How should Christians make sense of the OT sacrificial system? Click To Tweet
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Christian Landscaping?
At first, Christian landscaping might sound like another form of consumer Christianity. You know, the subculture that offers a Christian variant of everything secular. Music, books, movies, and clothing are a few examples. With landscaping, I see rock features highlighting an empty tomb or three crosses on top of a small hill. For the ambitious, a water feature with carefully placed translucent pads so you can reenact Jesus walking on the water.
But that’s not what I mean by Christian landscaping. Instead, I suggest a faith in the God of the Bible that shapes all of life … including how we landscape and care for the ground surrounding our homes, churches, schools, and businesses. Never thought of it that way before? Honestly, I hadn’t thought either. Then, a couple years ago, a church I used to work had the opportunity to landscape their property.
When the discussion first started, I suggested we develop a theology of landscaping. Some looked at me with confusion, others literally laughed out loud at the perceived absurdity of the idea. But when I rephrased the idea as sort out how our faith informs the use of our “dirt” assets, interest seemed to grow.
The remainder of this post takes the thoughts I developed then, expands on them, and offers thoughts for application beyond churches.
