Shaken Up 21st July, 2009
Posted by Scotty in Books, Challenges, Church.1 comment so far
I rarely have rhyme or reason to the books I choose to read, especially over the summer. Throughout the year I gather a stack of books to read but don’t get around to reading them until school is out. So far this summer I have done a great job of clearing over half of that shelf, getting through a pile of books I’ve either picked up or been given. When I get done with a book, I wander over to the book shelf and grab another.
Over the last couple of weeks I have done the best and worst thing someone like me–who is committed to doing whatever God wants, whenever He wants it, whatever the cost–could do: I read the following three books in quick succession:
- Irresistible Revolution by Shane Clairborne
- Crazy Love by Francis Chan
- Revolution in World Mission by K.P.Yohannan
These books have a lot in common, and I find myself identifying with where they are at. All three authors are…
- … passionately in love with the Lord and committed to doing His will, even if it costs.
- … convinced that the Bible outlines the way Christ-followers should live.
- … looking at the Church in the West and seeing a striking difference to the Church the Bible describes.
- … sickened that we are more concerned with our comfort and enjoyment than the souls of the lost and the plight of the poor and oppressed
- … have evaluated their own lives and realized that they too have been caught up in this skewed version of Christianity.
- … committed to causing change, beginning with their own lives.
In reading these books in quick succession I saw the same thing being said in different ways. To make matters better/worse, in my Bible ReadThrough I was going through the minor prophets. I have been significantly shaken up and challenged by what I read.
I have spent the last couple of weeks evaluating my life knowing that I, too, have bought into a comfortable Christianity. Looking at my life and comparing it to other believers’ lives, I have become filled with a subtle form of pride that has blinded me to these things by believing that I am in a better place than most.
I feel like I am doing well because:
- I give more than 10% of my income to the Church. Yet I still have surplus which I use for my own enjoyment.
- I spend less money on non-essentials than others. Yet much of what I label “essential” is actually “luxury”.
- I spend a LOT of time in coffee shops studying the Bible (like now). Yet I am ignoring the very things I’m reading by failing to share the Truth with the lost souls around me.
- I disciple many people in the Church and see great fruit from that labour. Yet I can’t remember the last time I (or someone I have been discipling) was used by God to lead someone to the Lord.
- I long to see people come to the Lord. Yet I have lost the sense of urgency for the souls of others.
- I am committed to doing ANYTHING God wants. Yet I hesitate because I worry about my safety, when God calls us to “lay down our lives”
- I daily work to work at changing my life so it lines up with what the Bible requires. Yet I have a plethora of justifications for the things that don’t.
- etc.
- etc.
- etc…
I went to church in Medford this weekend, and sat close to tears as I thought about all the ways we, the Body of Christ, are falling short of God’s will for our lives. I thought of the believers scattered across the globe who are persecuted for their pursuit of God, and who have barely enough (or not enough) to live on… and I rejoice over the fire that burns in their hearts for the things of the Lord. And I look at the believers who have freedom and abundance and I see complacency.
I have more than I need. Because God wants me to share with those who don’t.
I have religious freedom. Because God wants me to scream His Truth from the rooftops.
I am part of a Body. Because God wants us to sacrifice together to do greater work.
I am at a place in my faith where I am examining my life… and I plead with you to do the same. Ask yourself the question: Do I need this? Perhaps you are robbing God of a change to give to someone in need.
I have begun looking at my possessions and I know that I can live without much of what I have.
I am looking at my budget and I know that I can live on less so that I can give more.
I am searching the Scriptures to see the commands that I have justified my way out of following.
I am examining my theology and the way I do ministry to see how I can both be and make better disciples.
God has me on a crazy journey. I don’t know what the result will be, but I know I can’t carry on living the way that I am.
My heart is broken.
May God be glorified.
2 weeks 18th July, 2009
Posted by Scotty in Life.1 comment so far
I get married in two weeks… that’s just crazy!
San Diego -> Portland 2nd July, 2009
Posted by Scotty in Family, Friends, Fun.add a comment
I flew down to San Diego on Monday to spend a few days with one of my favourite families, the McDonalds. As it turns out, it has not only been refreshing for me to be here with them, but it has clearly been part of God’s plan for me to end up here this week enveloped in their love and support.
Today, we’re packing up their house and filling the u-haul. Later today, I’m gonna take off driving a 30 foot moving truck to Portland. It would take approximately 18hrs if there is no traffic, but I’m going to stop off at a couple of spots in CA to grab coffee with some friends, and will hopefully be back in Portland by Saturday morning.
I have to say, I’m looking forward to the drive. I’ll pass by parts of CA that I’ve wanted to see (including Irvine!). I’ve been thinking of it as a Spiritual Retreat, a few days on my own, driving, praying, and listening to a bunch of sermons. I downloaded the audio book Crazy Love by Francis Chan and am looking forward to listening to that for the first portion of the journey.
It’s the biggest vehicle I’ve ever driven. I can’t wait!!!!
Transformers 2 24th June, 2009
Posted by Scotty in Life, Movies.1 comment so far
So, I just got back from the 00:01 showing of Transformers 2 and it was amazing!
That was my first experience of doing movies the American way… we went to the first screening of the movie, one minute past midnight, but had to arrive at 10:30pm to get seats, since they don’t assign seats over here.
We arrived at 10.30pm to find the centre seating almost completely taken, and then had to sit for 1.5hrs to wait on the movie starting. That’s just insane. People actually bring books to read while they wait.
It was a fun experience to go at such a ridiculous time. We even got the bonus of sitting a next to some of the most odd and obnoxious movie watchers of all time, who hooted and screamed, made odd comments about their attraction to the robots, and cried when a robot died. I took one for the entire cinema when I asked them to keep it down. I was nice about it and thanked them afterward.
Anyway, the movie was great! I think I want to go see it again.
Wedding Bells 23rd June, 2009
Posted by Scotty in Blessings, Family, Friends, Heart, Me.add a comment
It’s hard to believe it’s less than 6 weeks till Mon and I promise to spend the rest of our lives chasing God together. We’re in that crazy place where time is ticking and there is still so much to do. I can’t complain though, Mon and her team of amazing women are carry the brunt of the responsibility while I’m being given the odd task here and there to get done.
We decided to put together a wedding website so that all our details could be kept in the one place:
http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/MonicaBlesse&ScottBurns2009
Feel free to pop on and have a look around!
According to the site… only 39 days to go!
Discover the Power of the Bible 23rd June, 2009
Posted by Scotty in Bible, Books, Challenges, Heart.add a comment
Ron Frost used to be a professor at Multnomah, and Discover the Power of the Bible is a book he wrote about a passion we share: BibleReadthrough Discipleship.
I remember the first day I met Ron Frost. All the students from the 1st year program at the Seminary were at his house for a getting-to-know-each-other event and he was sharing his story with us. It didn’t take long before he mentioned doing Bible Readthroughs and it clicked that this was the professor my mentor Brian heard the idea from which he used to disciple me.
When I heard Dr. Frost had written a book I was keen to read it, although it’s been sitting on my bookshelf for the last two years waiting on me getting the time. I was feeling a little demotivated and lagging a little on my Bible reading and so I grabbed it from my shelf and was wonderfully encouraged.
In the book Frost shares how he was introduced to the Bible Readthrough (by a Scottish Missionary!!!) who had read through the Bible about 150 times. He soon fell head over heels in love with God’s Word, and has used this method of discipleship ever since.
Along with outlining the ReadThrough method, in the second half of the book Dr. Frost outlines two other Bible Study methods that he uses on occasion alongside the ReadThrough, both of which I’m excited to try.
The basic premise is this:
- Find someone to partner with in the process
- Set a deadline to finish by which will determine the amount you need to read each day
- Work through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation
- Underline as you go
- Meet and take 10-15 minutes to read through all that you underlined.
The genius is that the process is extremely simple… and HUGELY impacting. I don’t have to do much, just sit back and watch God challenge someone’s life as they encounter his Word. I’m sold on the ReadThrough for both my personal devotions and for discipleship. In fact, I’m going through the ReadThrough for the 8th or 9th time at the moment and it has hugely increased my knowledge of God’s Word and my passion for sharing Him with others.
Brian and I do our readthroughs a little differently:
- meet (usually) in groups of 3 or 4
- we read a book a week (or more than one if the book is small)
- underline as we go
- and meet to share the three things that you loved the most about the book.
This week I’m about to start the ReadThrough with a new partner. And man… I’m excited! I can’t wait to see how God impacts this man’s life.
Soul Cravings 22nd June, 2009
Posted by Scotty in Books, Musings.add a comment
Soul Cravings by Erwin MacManus is a thought provoking book. The book is a series of reflections or short journal entries on the topics Intimacy, Destiny, and Meaning. Through the book McManus probes these topics and at the same time touches the depths of the longings we all have inside of us that so often drag us away from God. (For Example, see Taking, Faking, Making Love)
It’s a seeker-sensitive book that looks to evaluate the desires we have in us and show that they are God-given and designed to lead us to Him. It would be a great book to give to someone whom you know is “seeking”, although his arguments and musings can be quite circular and won’t stand up to the scrutiny of careful logic.
The book is extremely quotable, packed full of profound statements to get you thinking. Here are a couple of the ones I chewed on for a while:
If the message that God wants to get across to us is just about getting our beliefs right, then he didn’t need to come himself. If God’s entire intent was to clarify right from wrong, no personal visitation was necessary. If the ultimate end was simply to overwhelm us with the miraculaous so that we would finally believe, then even God taking on flesh and blood and walking among us was far from necessary.
There is only one reason for God to come himself, because in issues of love, you just can’t have someone else stand in for you.
Most of us want God to fix every wrong choice we make without taking from us our right to choose wrongly.
Only God can take you where you were born to go.
Let [Jesus] change you at your core, then let your passions fuel your life.
A Simple Truth 15th June, 2009
Posted by Scotty in Bible, Challenges, Church, Heart, Spirituality.add a comment
For the last few weeks I have been ruminating on a phrase my mentor would often say to me during out BibleReadthrough times, and in fact, yesterday I scribbled in down in my journal in red ink to make it stand out:
“if what the Bible says and how you live your life don’t match up… you begin the process of change”
This was one of the most instrumental concepts of my spiritual development and is perhaps the most understated line in discipleship today.
I hear many discipleship strategies today, and I am certain that the most effective way to see someone’s life changed is to journey with them through God’s Word. We want people to read it because is it here that they meet and fall in love with the Creator God, the Saviour of the world, and it is the gospel which is “the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Rom 1:16)
So many people however read the Word and stop there. We come across a Biblical Truth that we don’t like and so we skim it. We shut our spiritual eyes and move on to something more encouraging. But that’s not the way God intended it to be. We’re challenged by the Bible because it is living and active… it searches our hearts and challenges our faulty desires.
When you read the Word, come with a heart that is ready to respond. When you read something that challenges you, begin the hard but rewarding work of change. If you come to a passage that challenges an area of your life you’ve been convicted about before, ask yourself the question… did I begin the process of change?
It is so easy to make excuses to justify the things we do wrong. Let us be people who respond to God’s Word… people who read what it says and cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the process of change.
Making, Taking, Faking Love 15th June, 2009
Posted by Scotty in Life.1 comment so far
Extract from Soul Cravings by Erwin McManus
Entry #7 – Making, Taking, Faking Love
While one person may choose a path of isolation to dull the pain of a loveless existence, others may choose a dramatically different way. Not necessarily a better way, just a different one.
Some lives can be explained only by the maddening effect of love.
I have friends who have virtually sold their souls hoping to be loved. Some mask their pain through indifference, but others through false intimacy. We all long to belong. We all need to be connected to something bigger than ourselves. Whether we like it or not, much of our self-worth is rooted in how others feel or think about us. If we belong to no one, we begin to feel that we are worthless. Because of this, we will do almost anything to belong to someone or to belong to something.
Sex, unfortunately, is used as a shortcut to love.
Sex can be the most intimate and beautiful expression of love, but we are only lying to ourselves when we act as is sex is proof of love. Too many men demand sex as proof of love; too many women have given sex in the hopes of love. We live in a world of users where we abuse each other to dull the pain of our aloneness. We all long for intimacy, and physical contact can appear as intimacy, at least for a moment.
Is there any moment that feels more filled with loneliness than the second after having sex with someone who cares nothing about you?
There is no such thing as free sex. It always comes at a cost. With it, either you give your heart, or you give your soul. It seems you can have sex without giving love, but you can’t have sex without giving a part of yourself.
When sex is an act of love, it is a gift. When sex is a substitute for love, it is a trap.
If We Are His Body… 11th June, 2009
Posted by Scotty in Church, Music, Musings.1 comment so far
On the way over to Starbucks this morning to spend the day reading Jeremiah, praying, journaling, and discipling, I was struck by a song on the radio by Casting Crowns called “If We Are the Body”. I have been pondering these words most of the day, since they pose a great challenge to the Church today, calling us to examine ourselves:
If we are the Body
Why aren’t His arms reaching
Why aren’t His hands healing
Why aren’t His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren’t His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way
There is a way
Jesus is the way
I was challenged. If we are the Body of Christ, then we should be reaching out to the lost, the needy, the “burned”… we should be screaming God’s Words, standing up for the authority of Scripture, since it the power of God for salvation and sanctification… we should be rejoicing over people being set free from bondage and being healed of their issues…
May we, the Body, chase after Him with all our hearts, fixing our eyes on Him, saturating ourselves with His Word and with Prayer, so that we are overflowing with His Spirit, dying to self, and reaching out in love to the world God came and died for.
If we are His Body…
