The Silence of Idols

A provoking thought from this excellent sermon by Carl Trueman.

"Think very carefully about what you worship because that sums you up. That is all you are at the end of the day."

Identity

Everyone struggles to justify their existence. Although, I think that often our generation just tries to escape. It's fairly easy to live in a world of entertainment--a false reality. But even so, we cannot do this for long. Inevitably, there has to be some meaning in life. We need to have some sense of worth and purpose.

Everyone has their identity in something. The thing that you absolutely cannot live without--a successful career, family, lover, intelligence, money, or friends--whatever that thing is, that is your identity. It is what your life is centered on. It is what makes you feel fulfilled.

Some of these things are good in and of themselves, but as Tim Keller says in his book, Reason for God:

If we take our meaning in life from our family, our work, as cause, or some achievement other than God, they enslave us...The good things that enslave us are good things that deserve to be loved. But when our heart loves become inordinate, then we fall into patterns of life that are not unlike substance addiction. (p. 165)

The problem becomes apparent when one of these things fails you. Who are you then?

If anything threatens your identity you will not just be anxious but paralyzed with fear. If you lose your identity through the failings of someone else you will not just be resentful, but locked into bitterness. If you lose it through your own failings, you will hate or despise yourself as a failure as long as you live. (p. 165)

Biblically speaking, putting our identity in anything other than God is sin. To value something more than Christ is in the truest sense idolatry. I think we often don't realize how much we value something until we are threatened with losing it. If there is something other than Christ that we cannot live without, we are on very unstable ground.

We may think we are independent--that we don't need anyone or anything. But what if our independence is taken away? Who are we then? We always live for something. Whatever that something is controls us. It becomes our master. I know that some people feel that Christ is a hard master and that Christianity is a straightjacket. I couldn't disagree more. As Keller says,

If Jesus is your center and Lord and you fail him, he will forgive you. Your career can't die for your sins. You might say, "If I were a Christian I'd be going around pursued by guilt all the time!" But we all are being pursued by guilt because we must have an identity and there must be some standard to live up to by which we get that identity. Whatever you base your life on--you have to live up to that. Jesus is the one Lord you can live for who died for you--who breathed his last breath for you. Does that sound oppressive?... Jesus is the only Lord who, if you receive him, will fulfill you completely, and, if you fail him, will forgive you eternally. (p.172-173)

Having my identity in Christ brings me so much joy. Jesus has shown me such kindness, compassion and patience. He has gently wooed me and healed me. His great love has melted my heart of stone and replaced it with a heart of flesh. I find it a beautiful thing to rest in Him.

Note: I have referenced Tim Keller in this note because I have recently read him and found him to be remarkably insightful into the inner workings of my heart. However, I really should footnote my beloved husband who has taught me everything I know about having my identity in Christ.

Acceptance

This poem really stirred me. The author writes transparently about feeling low, but also the Christian's call to come out of the valley. Communicated with such compelling and vivid imagery. I highly recommend taking a read if you are feeling low.

For Knox

Sparkling brown eyes full of mischief and life.

You flash your tiny teeth and try to show off.

You are thick like a brick.

There is strength in your arm and determination in your eye.

Will you grow up to be a man of courage?

You fall asleep in my arms,

The most precious of treasures.

Rosy red lips beg to be kissed.

Dark eyelashes fan your silky soft cheek.

You sleep so soundly, securely;

My gentle warrior.

Will you grow up to a world rank with violence?

Will you do the right thing or the easy thing?

Your little voice says, "Mama."

My heart melts.

You race to meet me,

Your soft arms encircle me.

How I wish I could protect you forever,

But you will take flight,

And I will trust in God.

Bifrost Arts

Come O Spirit! An Anthology of Hymns and Spiritual Songs is a beautiful compilation CD put out by Bifrost Arts. According to their MySpace profile, Bifrost is "a sacred music non-profit that exists to enrich the church and engage the world with beauty and truth."

The info I've found about them online is a little patchy at best. It seems like they are trying to provide music that encourages congregational singing in the church. This really appeals to me. The quality of their music is very high, and it seems that good lyrics are a priority. They include many old hymns with new arrangements, but also some new songs.

On a side note, the Kyrie on this album is beautiful, but a little too Roman Catholic for me. I'm a big advocate of church music being in the vernacular so that everyone can understand what they are saying. But apart from this, I love the album. I think the sign of a good album is when it gets better the more you listen to it. And this one does.

The Christmas album is a little darker then your average, but gorgeous in it's own way. Christianity Today says of it, "Think Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas with the life-changing message of peace on earth, goodwill to men." My Kids don't like it as much as I do. When I was listening to Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence, my two year old said, "Mommy, I'm scared!"

I bought my albums on itunes for $9.99 each, but it looks like you can also order them from Amazon.

They have started a blog here, and some interesting reviews here and here.

Yoga: Five Ways of Salvation in Hinduism

I found Vishal Mangalwadi's article here fascinating and enlightening. I have the feeling that most of us in the West have no idea what this trendy new phenomenon is all about. The yoga crowd seems to be beautiful, sophisticated or just really cool. Buzz words like "holistic" and "spiritual" fly around. Christians are divided about whether they should or shouldn't do it. And from what I've heard, most people think yoga's purpose is physical flexibility and stress release.

I appreciated Mangalwadi's perspective on yoga. Although now approaching from a Christian worldview, he has first hand knowledge of the topic. A native of India, he was at one time initiated into Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's brand of Japa yoga (known as TM) in Maharishi's own living room.

Mangalwadi expounds on the global appeal and the religious worldview of yoga, and even the techniques used to alter conscience. (He even explains how to see the 'divine light' through the 'third eye' by gentle manipulation of the eyeball...in case you care to try.)

The problem with yoga according to Mangalwadi is not the exercises themselves, but the philosophy behind them:

Someone may ask, ‘What is wrong with artificially altering consciousness?’ By itself there is nothing wrong with an altered state of consciousness. Sleepwalking, hypnosis, hallucination, even madness are all ‘altered’ states of consciousness. There is nothing wrong with them in a moral sense, even if some of them are deemed undesirable states of consciousness. The problem is philosophical. Is your altered state of consciousness God? If it is not, then does it matter if you consider your own altered state of consciousness God? Is it harmless to call yourself the President of your nation if in fact you are not the President? If your inner self is not God then when you look within could you be looking for God in the wrong place? Is it right to call something spiritual which is in fact physical or psychological? Does it matter if you are mistaken in your beliefs? Well, does it matter if you go on the longest and the most important journey of your life with a map drawn by a person who mistook East for West or North for South?

I was very interested to read his thoughts and observations about the effects of monism. Especially because of his firsthand view of it's effects in India. I sometimes feel that we romanticize things that are foreign and slightly mysterious to us. And yet, this does not help us assess the worth of a worldview. Mangalwadi explains:

The monistic idea that the human self is the same as the divine self and that everything is one, makes our individuality illusory, thereby destroying the very foundation for affirming the unique value of every individual. It should not surprise us that the Indian philosophical tradition, in spite of all its brilliance, could not produce a culture that recognized human rights and the intrinsic worth of the individual. Nor could yogic monism give to Indian society a framework for moral absolutes, a strong sense of right and wrong, fair and unfair. Yogic exercises indeed gave flexibility to our bodies but unfortunately the yogic philosophy gave too much flexibility to our morals – making us one of the most corrupt nations in the world.

Mangalwadi's answer for these problems is biblical. He believes that our problem is moral, not physical or metaphysical.

God is holy – morally pure. We are sinful, not merely ignorant. We have done what we know to be wrong and failed to do what we know to be right. A holy God must judge and punish our sin. God and sin cannot co-exist anymore than light and darkness. Our need is not altered consciousness, but transformed hearts, for the heart is the real core of our being and our character...Our central problem, according to the Bible is that we are sinners. We need a divine Savior who will forgive our sins and transform our hearts – the core of our being.

I found this article informative and sort of a fun read. It also made me appreciate the worldview that has shaped our country and the benefits we enjoy because of it.

NOTE: In case you're interested to hear more from this fascinating man, he is coming to Calgary to speak at our conference Jan. 29 and 30. You can find more info here and here.

Longing to Be Blogging

With the busyness of life and fatigue and babies, I've totally dropped the ball. I am often thinking of things that I would like to write about. Hopefully soon.