Why Lent?

     Many think of Lent as a Roman Catholic thing, but historically Anglican, Calvinist, Lutheran, Methodist, and some Anabaptist, and evangelical churches have also observed the Lenten season. While many of the Protestant denominations have backed off of that over the centuries, there has been some revival of the tradition in recent years. Like most traditions, its value lies in knowing the purpose behind the tradition and engaging it deliberately, rather than in a rote way. So today I offer you a summery of Lent.

    Lent is a solemn religious observance in the Christian church that covers a period of 46 days (40 regular days + 6 Sundays) which ultimately culminates in the joyful celebration on Easter Sunday. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer through prayer, penance, repentance, charity, and self denial. During Lent, many of the faithful commit to fasting to emulate the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert, where he endured temptation from satan. (Matthew 4:1-11, Luke 4:1-13) When engaging in a traditional food fast, participants would take Sunday's off to replenish their physical strength. (This is where the 40 + 6 comes in) However, contemporary believers often utilize a non-traditional fast of giving up a luxury. Many find this practice just as, if not more valuable in our spiritual preparation. Since our post-modern world offers so many more worldly distractions that interfere with our Christian walk. Plus it does not exclude those not in good enough health to engage in a traditional fast safely. 

     Keep in mind that Jesus taught us that fasting was a highly personal thing between the individual and God. (Matthew 6:16-18) So I would consider the practice voluntary, rather than a requirement. If one chooses to do this, one should consider the Biblical reasons for fasting, rather than do it because that is what you are expected to do at this time. Ultimately fasting is done as a way of disconnecting from the physical world, so that we may better connect with the spiritual one. There are four specific Biblical reasons to fast.

   1.) Atonement (Leviticus 23:26-32) This is the only Biblically required fast, which served to purge ourselves of sin. However it is not considered necessary under the New Covenant because that’s what Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice brought us once and for all. Repentance could be substituted as a the New Covenant equivalent. 

   2.) Mourning (Nehemiah 1:3-4, Matthew 9:15) In times of intense grief one can seek the strength of God’s spirit to endure through fasting. 

   3.) To Petition God. (Ezra 8:23, Daniel 9:1-3) In times when we have big need of God’s guidance or favor, we can seek him through fasting.

   4.) Preparation for a mission. This is what Jesus did when he fasted for 40 days after being baptized by John. Which emulated the Israelites 40 year journey of preparation to the promised land. (Deuteronomy 8)  When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. -Luke 4:13-14

Calendar of lent 

Dates provided are specific to 2015. Easter Sunday is the first Sunday, after the first full moon, after the first day of spring. All the days of Lent are in relation to where Easter lands that year.

   Ash Wednesday (2/18) The first day of Lent, and derives its name from the practice of blessing ashes and placing them on the heads of participants to the accompaniment of the words "Repent, and believe in the Gospel" (based on Mark 1:15) or "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return" (Based on Genesis 3:19) Either way this sign of mourning is meant to remind worshippers of their sinful nature and mortality and thus, their need for a Messiah who can guide and strengthen their hearts to seek repentance. 

   Friday of Sorrows (3/27) A remembrance of Mary mother of Jesus, and the emotional turmoil that Jesus’ sacrifice caused her. Mostly only observed by Roman Catholics, and not other Lent observing denominations. 

   Holy Week (3/29 - 4/4) The last week of Lent before Easter, where a majority of the special days of Lent occur. Many churches that do not observe lent in full will still observe many of the days of Holy week.

   Palm Sunday (3/29) Represents Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem. (Mark 11:1-11, John 12:12-19)

   Holy Wednesday (4/1) Represents the day Jesus was anointed with perfume, which may have served as a turning point for Judas’s betrayal. AKA Spy Wednesday (Matthew 26:6-16, John 12:1-11) 

   Maundy Thursday (4/2) Represents the last supper. (Matthew 26:17-30, Mark 14:12-26)

   Good Friday (4/3) Represents the crucifixion and death of Jesus. (Luke 23:26-49, John 19:16-37)

   Holy Saturday (4/4) It commemorates the one full day that Jesus’ body lay lifeless in the tomb. (Mark 15:42-47, Luke 23:50-56)

   Easter Sunday (4/5) Represents Jesus’ resurrection. Not officially considered part of Lent or Holy Week, but what these special days prepares us for. (Matthew 28:1-10, Luke 24:1-12)

Lent, as presented here represents the most common observation of the churches of the western world. However, there are many variations found around the globe. 

The Visual PARABLEist

Obituary of childhood

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. - Matthew 18:1-5

The obituary of childhood 

Author unknown

Updated by Ravi Zacharias 

In the 1950's kids lost their innocence. They were liberated from their parents by well paying jobs, cars, and lyrics in music that gave rise to a new term; the generation gap. 

In the 1960's, kids lost their authority. It was the decade of protest; church, state, and parents were all called into question and found wanting. Their authority was rejected, yet nothing ever replaced it. 

In the 1970's, kids lost their love. It was the decade of me-ism dominated by hyphenated words beginning with self. Self-image, self-esteem, self-assertion; which all made for a lonely world. Kids learned everything there was to know about sex and forgot everything there was to know about love, and no one had the nerve to tell them there was a difference.

In the 1980's, kids lost their hope. Stripped of innocence, authority, and love and plagued by the horror of a nuclear nightmare, large numbers of this generation stopped believing in the future.

In the 1990's, kids lost their power to reason. Less and less were they taught the very basics of language, truth and logic and they grew up with the irrationality of a postmodern world.

In the new millennium, kids woke up and found out that somewhere in the midst of all this change, they had lost their imagination. Violence and perversion entertained them till none could talk of killing innocence since none was innocent anymore. 

Are even children allowed to be like children anymore in this day of age?

If not what are the ramifications?

The Visual PARABLEist

parasite nation 

New Years?

We don’t normally see New years day as a sacred holiday in America. Which begs the question, how should a believer treat new years day. The obvious place to draw inspiration is how the ancient Hebrews treated the New Year. 

The Hebrews did in fact celebrate the New Year with a ten day festival called the Days of Awe. It begins on the first days of Tishri of the Hebrew calendar. Current Jews refer to it as Rosh Hashanah. (head of the year) However Biblical era Jews called it by, Yom Ha-Zikkaron  (day of remembrance) or Yom Teruah (day of trumpets). The holiday is instituted in Leviticus 23:23-25. The festival ended with Yom Kippur. (day of atonement) Which is described in Leviticus 16. 

This is a time for serious introspection, a time to consider the sins of the previous year and planning the changes to make in the new year. One of the ongoing theme of the Days of Awe is the concept that God has "books" that he writes our names in, writing down who will live and who will die, who will have a good life and who will have a bad life, for the next year. These books are written in on Rosh Hashanah, but our actions during the Days of Awe can alter God's decree. The actions that change the decree are repentance, prayer, and good deeds (usually, charity). These "books" are sealed on Yom Kippur. This concept of writing in books is the source of the common greeting during this time of “May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.”

Among the customs of this time, it is common to seek reconciliation with people you may have wronged during the course of the year. The Talmud maintains that Yom Kippur atones only for sins between man and God. To atone for sins against another person, you must first seek reconciliation with that person, righting the wrongs you committed against them if possible.

How will you spend your new years eve? In serious introspection considering the last year and what kind of foundation it will make for the next? Or will you, engage in empty celebration for celebrations sake?

Visual PARABLEist

The state of Shalom

You have probably heard of the Hebrew word Shalom, and maybe you have heard that it means peace. However, the full definition of the word Shalom designates being at peace with ourselves, health, wealth, fulfillment, satisfaction, contentment, tranquility. In other words, whole in the spirit. The tradition of Shalom goes even further to describe how to achieve a state of Shalom that we all desperately crave.

1. Reconcile with God.

    We reconcile with God by first confessing. (1 Jn 1:8-10) Keep in mind that true Biblical confession involves more than mere admission to our wrongs. It is accepting what God says about sin is true. That it's harmful to self, others, and our relationship with the father. (Rom 6:23) After confessing, we must repent. (2 Cor 7:8-11) Again, true Biblical repentance is more than a change of action, but a change of heart.  Through repentance, we are saying that we believe what God says about holiness and righteousness is true. 

2. Reconcile with your faith Family. 

    Strangely enough there can be considerable conflict within a church. Much of it stemming from the diverse spiritual gifting, personality, maturity, and worship preferences of its members. While scripture reveals that diversity can be a source of great strength. (1 Cor 12:12-31, Rom 12:3-8) We must be committed to God's spirit, and the common good of his children for it to work. (1 Cor 12:7) However, it can become a great weakness if we are only concerned with our own good and try to force people to conform to us, rather than inspire people to emulate Christ. We reconcile, by confessing and repenting of our betrayal of the body of Christ through our selfish behavior, then seeking forgiveness from those we've wronged.

3. Reconcile with your Enemies.

    This can be the hardest point to live up to, for the sinful nature of the flesh compels us to hold onto hatred of those who hurt us. Especially, if these people are clearly in the wrong, yet have no desire to own up to that wrong. So it is no wonder that this point robs more people of the state of Shalom than any other. What we must remember is that forgiveness is about Christ-likeness, for he forgave all us undeserving people of earth. When we do the same, we are living up to the truth we hold sacred. In doing so we let go of the anger that grieves our spirit, which opens the door to forgiveness from God; which is crucial in reconciling with him. (Matt 6:14-15)

    FYI:  Forgiveness in no way rationalizes sin, or has to directly involve the offender. It only means letting go of that spirit of vengeance that was never ours to wield in the first place. (Rom 12:17-21)

    Remember, what Jesus reveled about the way that we treat others is a direct reflection on our respect for God. (Matt 25:31-45) So hopefully, you now realize that these three points are all intertwined enough that if we fail at one, we fail at them all. 

    If we truly commit to reconciliation as outlined here, then, and only then can we hope to reconcile with self and find peace, be at shalom. The sad reality of this is that many of us do it all backwards. We seek peace for and unto ourselves, and never consider how others fit into the picture, let alone God. The world around us even encourages this backwards approach. Yet, they are all wondering why their peace is so easily and continuously disrupted, and feel so lost, broken, and incomplete inside.

The Visual PARABLEist 

The Warrior's Way

The 7 ways of a Godly Warrior

A godly warrior must. . .

   1. Glorify God and God alone. (Ex 34:14, Ps 69:30-33, 119:9-16)

   2. Vanquish evil without resorting to evil. (Rom 12:17-21)

   3. Defend innocence. (Pr 24:11-12)

   4. Help and mentor believers, the lost, and broken. (2 Tim 3:16-17)

   5. Share their strength with fellow warriors, the lost, and the broken; just as God shares His strength with them in their battle with sin. (Gal 6:2, 1 Pete 5:6-7, 2 Pete 1:3-4)

   6. Emulate their master Jesus as a disciple. (John 14:31, 15:9, 

Matt 20:25-28)

   7. hold themselves accountable to the authority they wield, which is the sword of the spirit. (James 1:22-25)

A truly accountable warrior knows the sting of the authority bestowed upon them, and know not to use is hastily with the broken and lost. Warriors can lose their way when they turn on the innocent and broken as if they were evil. Making the lost feel utterly condemned and hopeless, rather than loved. Leading the broken even further astray by their judgmental attitude. (Matt 18:6-9) By engaging in such bad judgement they are defending evil, not destroying it. This ultimately happens when one chooses to glorify self, rather than God.

Remember, not all wars are fought on a battlefield. Not all battles are fought with literal weapons.

Don't hate the way of the warrior, hate the evil that distorts it into something selfish and wicked, which is all to common these days. 

Are you a Godly warrior, or just a squire?

The Visual PARABLEist

Reckless Tongues part 7 - conclusion

I hope you can now see why Christ wanted his church characterized by love rather than condemnation. (John 13:35, 1 John 4:7-13) Yet, this brings up the obvious question, why isn’t this taught on more than it is in the present day church. Simple observation seems to indicate that people become quite defensive when we talk down to them. A defensive person is not really listening to what you say at all, just how disrespectfully you say it. Much like terrorism, people become so reactive to the horrible means used to communicate the message, that the intended message gets lost. 

What we the church need to remember is that true righteousness comes from the heart. So you can only choose to pursue it for yourself, nobody can choose it for you, and you can't choose it for anybody else. Yet, critical people try to choose for others all the time. That is like trying to whitewash someone else's tomb. (Matt 23:27-28) If Jesus thinks it's foolish to do that to yourself, how much more foolish is it to try to whitewash someone else, who hasn't willfully chosen it for themselves, who's hearts are not really in it. 

Since true righteousness comes from the heart, the all too common act of trying to criticize someone into submission is completely and utterly pointless. I liken it to pointing a gun at someone, and demanding that they say I love you, and actually believing that their solicited words are sincere. Oh sure they will say it, but how can you honestly expect someone to believe such expressions are true when the person demanding said words is treating that person so horribly. How self diluted do you have to be to do that? The thing is, critical legalists dilute themselves like that all the time with their forced submission; all because of a lack of Christ like love.

Since this is all true,  all we can really do is inspire people. Sure you can create the illusion of results with various forms of forced submission. However, if you want it to be real, for it to come from the heart, if you want someone to choose to follow Christ of their own freewill, which I hope you do, all you can do is inspire them to. You do that by living it yourself, not by lectures that don't go much deeper than, because the Bible says so. You must give them a reason to believe that the Bible has authority by showing them what it's done for you, rather than point the proverbial gun of legalism at their head. Which has inspired more rebellion than conversion.

 When Christians do the opposite of love, the opposite of what Christ would do, or follow the critical example of the world, we do the work for those who would choose to defame all things Christian. Those who were probably the victim of critical Christians in the first place. I think it would do the church well to take a long hard look at itself, and it’s practices. Specifically how criticism may be adversely acting against our mission. The reality is, we fail at righteousness the moment we choose to be prideful about it. (Psalm 59:12 & 69:26-28) 

 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. - 1 Peter 2:12

The Visual PARABLEist

Whitewashing somebody else's tomb 

Reckless Tongues part 6 - drawing the line between love and criticism

While love and criticism may seem like completely opposite forces on the surface, the truth is people often inflict such verbal abuse on the people we claim to love without even thinking about it. So it is vastly important to know where to draw the line. So that, we know how to act thoughtfully, rather than react thoughtlessly. So when correcting try asking yourself these things.

Are you trying to do what is right, or just be right? 

Are you trying to find a resolution to the problem, or just win the fight? 

Are you really trying to help the person, or strike back at the offender to hurt them?

If you really are trying to help, also ask this.
Who are you trying to help; the other person involved, or just yourself?

These things can determine the difference between criticism and love. But keep in mind, it takes true righteous humility to answer these questions honestly, or even realize there is a difference. The prideful will assume their opinion is right by default and not even consider where the other person is coming from. Or even consider how their actions will possibly affect others in the negative. Prideful Critics go out of their way to find fault in others. Yet they often avoid owning up to their own faults, and never recognize that their loveless attitude is their biggest fault.

Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor? - James 4:11-12 niv

“What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears. -Hosea 6:4 niv

The Visual PARABLEist

Two sides of the same person