Life Can And Will Be Hard

By John Bryson
Fellowship Memphis

In Stephen Pressfield’s classic “War of Art”, he mentions that the high performers, the creatives, those who produce, those who are effective, etc. eventually have to learn to “be miserable”.

“The artist must be like that marine. He has to know how to be miserable. He has to love being miserable. He has to take pride in being more miserable than any soldier…because this is war, baby. And war is hell.” (68)

I believe this is a powerful idea and one every man, every leader and every change agent must learn in order to perform and push through tough seasons of life and leadership.

Navy Seals teach this...one of my friends at dinner mentioned how two-a-days football practices taught him this...another friend added how Medical school Residency taught him this...I threw in how that was my greatest lesson in training for and running a marathon…you can be miserable, and still move forward, produce and thrive.  God teaches this…see Abraham, Moses, Joseph, David, Paul…take your pick.

What a powerful lesson we should all live!  Could there be a greater gift, on a practical level, to invest in our kids?  How can we train emerging leaders or church planters with this reality?

In our age of spoiled kids, privileged kids, over-indulgence, helicopter parenting, and the lies we tell kids and young men and women that they “can be and do anything they want to be and do”…many are launching “soft” young adults into the world who have no idea how to struggle well or thrive through misery…so they pout and quit and remain a taker, not a giver.

Couple that with ridiculous expectations that a perfect job is waiting on them along with a perfect boss in exactly the city they want to live in along with a paycheck that is more than they’ll need and you have a recipe for a disaster…check most 20-somethings.

The few truly understand, theologically, that we live in a fallen world, this is not heaven (thank God), life is hard, there is much pain, disappointment and misery…but in the midst of that, by God’s grace, we can learn to cultivate and create in the midst of circumstances that will rarely, if ever, be ideal.

A friend once told me to pinch Gen 1 and 2 in one hand and Rev 19 and 20 in the other.  Those 4 chapters are perfection.  The other 1,185 chapters in the Bible teach us to contend in the midst of a fallen world.

Don’t be a whiner, quitter, or baby and quit pouting or being surprised about “how hard” it is to do what you are doing.  Of course it is.  You are limited as a fallen human in a fallen world.  Learn to cultivate and create…all the while, being miserable.  If you can thrive and stay on mission, especially through the worst of circumstances, you are preparing to be a game changer, a true leader, who can adapt, adjust, and endure.

Jesus is still our perfect rescuer and our relentless pursuit of Him is still our greatest joy.

Moralistic Therapeutic Deism

Here are some things I have been learning from Scott Thomas.


Moralistic:  
This is the belief that God can be reduced to improvements in behavior.  This skips the cross for justification and sanctification.  A moralistic person continually hates on those who don't make the grade and finds justification in comparing themselves with those who may be struggling.  But our standing is in Jesus, and we cannot obtain morality without him giving us his righteousness.  Moralism will not ease our pain or find us favor in God.  As Timothy Keller has said, "we are flawed and sinful more than we ever  dared to believe, yet we are loved and excepted more than we ever dared hope."  I saw this at a community church gathering in which a pastor said the answer to all our problems is in voting for all the right people.  He went on to point out how messed up "they" all are.  Moralistic people often get entrapped in political blame-ism rather than practicing personal repentance.

Therapeutic:
This false God is one that says, "your life is all about your comfort and psychological ease."  It's about feeling good, happy, secure, and at peace.  It's about being nice to people and maintaing subjective well being.  These people may have a notecard in their desk that says, "lighten up and smile" in which they pull out from time to time.  Many people never follow their calling in Jesus because of this false God.  We think, "God wouldn't call me to something that is hard would he?"  Life becomes about yoga, listening to enigma, and retreating from conflict.

Deism:
Just do it!  This false view makes God look like a cosmic butler whom you summon when your life takes a bad turn.  Deists picture God as "way far away" but now that I need him, i will summon him.  Highly organized people tend to this.  "It's all up to us and our perfect planning."  These people love corny leadership maxims and pragmatic quick fix ideals.

I believe for the most part that in the Valley most churches are preaching a moralistic, therapeutic, deism.

He Who Has Ears To Hear

I watched The Book of Eli again last night with my wife.  The movie is about a man on a mission to deliver the Scriptures where God is guiding him amidst the chaos of broken humanity.  He has the last Bible in his possession.  There are many foes that cross his path in which he oftentimes must fight for his life and the life of his book.  There is one particular scene that is very stirring to me.  It's when this girl named Solara walks away from her dark town though it is all she has ever known.  She sees something in Eli and follows him.  At one point she experiences the weight lifted off her shoulders as she is walking away from her town.  She places her arm over her face and begins to weep. It's like the reality of the danger of the situation she was in becomes clear to her.  The sudden weight of knowing the danger she was in and the overwhelming knowledge of her present rescue.  It is a touching scene to me, I can relate to Solara because I have experienced a somewhat similar thing.  I was living in Eugene with a bunch of baseball players, and our house was a party house full of darkness.  We were living for baseball, girls, and money.  It was a dog eat dog world.  Throughout my time in Eugene God began to speak to my heart.  I knew there must be a better way, and so I walked away in mid-term.  I didn't know where I was going. I had no money. I just loaded up a car, leaving many of my things behind, never to return to get them.  I didn't know where I was going, so I headed North on I5, and as I was between Eugene and Salem I felt the tangible presence of God with me in my car and I knew without a doubt I would be ok, and that in fact I was going somewhere.  I made a call to the baseball coach at George Fox University where I used to attend and play baseball.  They decided to have me live with them for a period of time.  It was in that time that God brought healing to my life and began to teach me his character in the scriptures.  When I watch The Book of Eli I am reminded again as the scriptures say, "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how he went about doing good and curing all who were under the tyranny of the devil, because God was with him." (Acts 10:38).  Also, "The true light who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world."(John 1:9).  Despite what our post-modern culture is throwing down, it still remains that we are in tremendous need of the "Light of the World".  We are not progressing.  Without a doubt, we all need to have the same experience Solara had.  There are times in our life that we need to walk away from all we have known and follow the voice of the Good Shepherd. It is going to require faith, but you will never regret it.

Perhaps it's time to take His hand and let Him lead you into something radically beautiful today?......

Belonging Before Believing? Believing Before Belonging?

Which is it?  The emerging say belonging is everything, the traditionalists say believing is the only way to be a part of this community.  I believe there is a third way to a deep community, and I see it in the life of the Son of God.  Did people belong before they believed Jesus was the Son of God?  Yes.  Tax collectors, prostitutes, lepers, sick people, drunks, and self-righteous people all were invited and were attracted to Jesus.  Many followed him daily.  One man in particular stands out to me.  He was the rich young ruler.  The rich young ruler believed with all his heart he was in the inner circle of community with Jesus.  He had been following Jesus.  But Jesus showed the man, that though he was in the community, he had not yet committed himself to believing in Jesus.  He still trusted in his money.  The man's reaction includes him leaving the community altogether, and he is no longer part of the community.  Further, the gospel accounts of Jesus' ministry is split into three time periods.  The first part chronicles Jesus ministry to his disciples, the second narrates Jesus travels to the south towards Jerusalem, and the third charts his entrance into Jerusalem.  In the first part of his ministry he trains his disciples to know exactly who he is and what he's about. It's in the second section you see Jesus surrounded by the tax collectors, prostitutes, sick, etc. But in the third section, Jesus begins to ask the community, "but who do you say that I am?"     I pray that our community at West Valley will be deep community where people will belong before they believe, but where we are not ashamed of the only source of life and joy and will travail and labor until we see Christ birthed in the lives of others.  There is a third way between stuffy, rejecting, traditionalism and shallow, watered down, post-modernism.

I Love You Oh Lord, My Strength

Psalm 18 is recorded twice in the Bible.  Once in 2 Samuel 22 and once at Psalm 18.  The beginning line of "I love you oh Lord, my strength" is not in the 2 Samuel 22 passage.  It was added years later after David had seen many more years of God's faithfulness.  David added this line to his song many years later.  His worship was sweetening, and growing more and more in depth as the years went on.  I desire to have this heart of worship, bearing this type of fruit in my life.  Psalm 18 is simply a grateful retrospect as David recalls the Lord showing him mercy in delivering him from his enemies.  Further down in the Psalm he says, "I call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies"(vs.3).  In this verse David believes with certainty that he can sing out in joy and win the battle with a song in his heart.  How awesome it is when we anticipate new trials with a confidence based upon past experiences of God's perfect provision during those times.  To be rescued singing is to be rescued for sure!  Many are rescued mourning and doubting.

"No fearing or doubting with Christ on our side,
 We hope to die shouting, 'The Lord will provide.' "
author unknown

The Lie of Self-Betterment

"When an unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order.  Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there.  And the last state of that person is worse than the first." Luke 11:24-26

If I had had to summarize the Christian faith in one simple phrase I would choose "reliance in Jesus".  Our culture screams "no, I will rely on myself!"  Just as Psalm 14:1 states, "The fool has said in his heart, no God!" So we aim at self-betterment with seven point sermons on how to be better.  The problem is if you are honest, you suck at being better.  You try for awhile and fix some weird area in your life, only to have seven more problems come shake your life to the core.  Unless Jesus is my source of strength and power in my life there is no bettering.  If I become "so called" better on my own, it really isn't better because I am simply doing it to show you how I  am so much more better than you.  The better that Jesus wants for us is love.  Not love like the world thinks, but love like He thinks.

How do you know if you are living independently of Jesus?

1.  Repentance is not your life.  Instead, you seek to have a "good week" and when you think you do it's time for Jesus to hook you up in the blessing compartment.  (All of life is faith and repentance). We don't typically think of repenting from our self-atoning self sufficiency. So when we fail, we distance our selves further to prove to the Lord we are good to go on our own strength.  We do this by beating ourselves up, disciplining ourselves, and putting up fences everywhere.  This looks spiritual to our friends but it is really unashamed pride.

2.  Spiritual disciplines seem like drinking cough syrup.   If I pray, read my Bible, and am in community because I know I should do these things verses seeing them as how I breathe I have ceased to understand my need for Jesus and his grace.

3.  You only believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Bible.  Without the Holy Spirit we cannot live the Christian life.  Jesus made the disciples wait in the upper room to be strengthened by the Holy Spirit.  Jesus lived out his entire earthly life in the power of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 61). Jesus broke away and prayed in order to be strengthened on a regular basis.  He considered it more important than physical food.  Many Christians are simply Christian Atheists when they ignore their need to wait upon the Lord for his direction, strength, and empowerment.

4.  Worship Is Not Exciting.  When you find your righteousness, strength, purpose, value, and direction in Jesus you simply desire to worship him because he is real.  You are encountering him and therefore you are not ashamed to express his name publicly.  You know with certainty that what he said is true, "whoever confesses me before men, him shall the son of man confess before his Father and the holy angels in heaven."

Find The Bright Spots

"Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up"  Romans 15:2

I recently read the story about Jerry Sternin who worked for the internationally organization called Save The Children.  The Vietnam government had invited Save The Children into their country to help deal with the striking problem of child malnutrition.  Sternin, traveling with his wife and ten year old son arrived in Vietnam not knowing a lick of Vietnamese.  They were met with the cold reality of universal poverty, poor sanitation, and very little clean drinking water.  The foreign minister told Sternin that he expected nothing from his program and if nothing changed within six months they were to leave.  All the experts kept cramming T.B.U. information (true but useless) his way.  Yes, there is universal poverty, poor sanitation, lack of drinking water, but Sternin went a different route.  He started looking for bright spots, and he found them.  He found children from some of the poorest families, were more healthy than children from some of the more well to do families.  Sternin started watching these mothers and recognized the bright spots.  Some of the mothers were picking up crabs and shrimps in the rice paddies while they worked in order to put them in the rice for dinner.  He also noticed they would feed the same amount of food the other mothers were using, but spread out the meals in four serving times rather than two.  The children who were eating large quantities of rice twice a day were unable to process that much in their digestive systems.  Sternin began to teach the other mothers by showing them how to make the meals this way.  After six months 65% of the children were better nourished and stayed that way.  Sternin's program reached 2.2 million people in 265 villages.

Looking back to our verse above, we are to build up our neighbors.  Edification is the same word for "building up".  We are not called to tear people down but to find the bright spots and invite them into even more light.  Over 17 different studies were done on how college students journal.  The results were staggering.  All of the studies concluded that the college students were obsessed with the negative things of their days and recorded them in their journals.  In an exhaustive study a psychologist analyzed 558 emotion words--every one that he could find in the English language--and found that 62% of them were negative verses 38% positive.  Others studies showed people who were shown photos of bad and good events spent much longer looking at the bad events.  Many novelists make their fame by writing about jacked up marriages, but there are no successful novels about a happy marriages.  In Phillipians 4:8 we are told to think on "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."  Find the bright spots in the lives around you.  Find the bright spots in your spouses, children, co-workers, and friends.