Across Church Street
Respect the breed
Nonbelievers will not (cannot) act like believers. But believers should not act like nonbelievers.
Some days I run past a man walking his dog. Invariably, the dog pulls hard at the end of its leash and barks nonstop until I'm out of sight. A voice in my head asks "WHY WON'T THAT DOG SHUT UP?" Its owner mildly chastises the dog—I suppose to make me see that he cares.
What I and the owner need to realize is it's the dog's nature to pull and bark. It's a Border Collie after all, not a Saint Bernard. The dog's nature is to herd things.
Same with people who stand outside God's kingdom. They have a nature that's well-described in the Bible. We Believers did too, once.
It makes no sense to expect a Border Collie to behave like a Saint Bernard. But when a Saint Bernard acts like a Border Collie, there's a problem. Disciplined training is prescribed. If speaking of Believers, to be trained by Christ.
Living with fictitious names
As Christians, it matters how we present ourselves to the world. We are not ashamed of Christ and the Gospel. Yet we become all things to all people in order to save some.
When we surrender our life to Christ, we're given a new name. Like Abram became Abraham and Jacob became Israel, we're handed a new identity and a new vision.
But we still live in a world far from God—among people who can't comprehend this new identity. So we use fictitious names. We present ourselves in ways people can understand. These fictitious names fall into two categories: 'also known as' (aka) names and 'doing business as' (dba) names.
'Also known as' names are meant to conceal one's real identity. Christians use aka names to hide their new identity in Christ, fearing rejection. Some use an aka name hoping no one will ever discover their true identity. Others use an aka name with the secret hope they can one day spring their real identity on people and 'win 'em to Jesus'.
'Doing business as' names are meant to present one’s true identity in engaging ways. Christians using dba names know that people won't fully understand their real identity until there's a relationship. Their hope is that understanding will come progressively over time.
Aka's are used to obscure. Dba's are used to relate. So we can all ask ourselves:
Am I able to connect with people far from God?
If so, is it by concealment? Or by making my true self more accessible?
Doing the right things for our own reasons
If the wrong people advocate for the right things, can we cheer them on?
Around every issue there are two types of people: People Like Us (PLU) and People Not Like Us (PNLU). When PNLU advocate for change, PLU tend to resist. We dismiss the issue altogether or we fight back. But what if the change is for good?
We may not like what PNLU stand for. We may be wary of them and their agendas. But PLU have the freedom to do right things for our own reasons. We should carry every issue to Christ, surrender it to the Gospel, and act accordingly.
- love
- friendship
- beauty
- thankful
- attunement
- communion
- discipline
- video
- hope
- hania rani
- holiness
- serving
- seth godin
- dean sherman
- across
- covenant
- music
- eternal life
- justice
- embodiment
- wonder
- gracious
- hesed
- welcome
- poetry
- rest
- image
- brokenness
- disruption
- invitation
- companion mode
- resonance
- steadfast
- observer mode
- framework
- pastoral
- oneness
- caritas
- difference
- shalom
- john stott
- worship
- status
- care
I practice the spiritual discipline of rescuing earthworms on paved surfaces. It's a reminder to me that I can pause what I'm doing, get a little dirty, and help. Also, that I've been given the responsibility to care.