The In Between

I’ve been doing some thinking this week, as I’m sure several churchgoers have, about the similarities between our current situation at that of the disciples after Good Friday. That Saturday – that Sabbath – was meant to be a day of rest. And while the disciples were sequestered, I have no doubt they got physical rest. But I cannot imagine it was restful.

Try to imagine: you’ve been following this leader for three years now. You were absolutely convinced that Jesus was the Chosen One. He even seemed to say so. But when push came to shove, the Roman Empire was just too much and that leader didn’t even put up a fight. You are distraught. You are afraid for your life. You are trying to figure out how you could possibly go back to what you were doing before this whole thing started. To be sure, you have changed and you don’t think you’ll be the same person, even if you do go back to fishing. But today you can’t do any of that. Today is the Sabbath and you rest.

It reminds me of the Doctor Who episode entitled “Human Nature” in which the Doctor must become human in order to evade the detection of the Family, who are trying to consume his life energy to become immortal. He ends up becoming a teacher in 1913 England with Martha, his companion, playing the part of a maid at the school. His essence as a Time Lord has been removed and stored in a pocket watch. Before he went through the transition, however, he left instructions for Martha: that she is bear the responsibility for hiding his secret until the time is right. In a particularly heart-wrenching scene, Martha is reviewing the Doctor’s instructions searching for something to help her as he starts falling in love with the school nurse. In the end, she has to make the decision to reveal who he is without help from anyone else.

That time in between is hard. Martha knows that she will soon be travelling the stars with the Doctor once more. But for now, she must be true to the responsibility given her. Because, after bringing the Doctor back to his true form, Martha wasn’t finished with the in between. There would be a much deeper darkness to come, when the Master entraps the Doctor and it falls to Martha to save the world. Without encountering the despair of her first in between, I’m not convinced she would have been able to withstand the second.

That time in between is hard. The disciples know that life must go on and that the Lord will deliver Israel somehow at some time. But for now, they are left to grieve and process. Because, after Jesus is raised from the dead, He didn’t stay for long. Only 50 days later, he ascended, leaving them to wait again. However, having learned to trust and believe the first time, their second waiting was in expectation more than fear.

That time in between is hard. We know that just as every illness has come and gone, there will be a day when COVID-19 is no longer a threat. But for now, we are called to maintain social distancing. Who knows how the things we are learning in midst of this pandemic will serve us in the future. One thing I hope will happen is that we will take our everyday maladies more seriously and do a better job of protecting those whose immune systems are less effective than ours.

So as we approach Easter with the sombre hearts that are appropriate for Lent, knowing that our celebrations will be less jubilant this year, may we remember the lesson of the in between. May we use this time to reflect on our divine calling. May we prepare to use the things we learn from this difficult time to make the world a better place once we emerge, taking our cold and lonely hallelujahs and turning them into more joyful songs.

Calling Christian Artists

A letter to Christian Artists who live/have lived/will live in or around Winnipeg:

In Acts 2, when the Holy Spirit descends on the disciples, for a short period, there was chaos. These uneducated fishermen (for the most part) were speaking languages they had no business knowing... and fluently. A huge crowd gathered and wild accusations flew... drunk at nine in the morning! In general, people didn't know what to make of this new and strange experience. It was something they'd never seen before. That's when Peter stood up and became their interpreter... not in the language sense, since they could all understand what was being said... but by telling the crowd what God was saying through His Spirit.

Friends and fellow artists, a movement of the Spirit has been prophesied for the city of Winnipeg. I have every reason to believe these prophecies will come to pass. I look forward to it. But, I fear the way it comes will be largely misunderstood. The Spirit will likely come in a way that people haven't seen before and they'll need someone to tell them what's going on in a language they'll understand.

I've been told that in recent years, there has been a shift in the way people understand things. Apparently, as time passes, the questions we ask about information change. Whereas some generations have asked "What is true" or "What is useful," we have recently been asking "What is good?" The theory is that the question is about to change again, with some speculating that the next question will be "What is beautiful?" If that is, in fact, the question people will be asking, who better than Christian artists to interpret the movement of the Holy Spirit for the world?

To this end, I think it is time for Christian artists in Winnipeg to create a community to help us get ready for this task. Together, we can help each other study scripture so we're able to understand what God is saying through His Spirit. We can help each other hone our crafts so we're able to create art that will engage and direct people to understanding. But, in order for us to do this together, we'll have to gather.

And so, I propose the gathering of Christian artists on a weekly basis to spend some time studying scripture together, some time creating with and around each other, some time practicing the skills that will make us better, and some time presenting our creations and receiving feedback. In the process, we cannot help but get to know God better, get to know our crafts better, and get to know each other better as well. And then, when the time comes for the Holy Spirit to come in power to Winnipeg, may God grant us the understanding to recognize His message and the wisdom to interpret it for those who do not.

I don't have anything like details figured out, but I would like to see a group of us meeting weekly, starting no later than January. I'm currently partial to Monday nights, though Wednesdays are also a possibility. I have a few ideas about location, but am definitely open to suggestions. There are many things to figure out before this can become a reality, but I'm committed to working on it as much as necessary.

If you are interested in being part of such a gathering, I would love to hear from you. If you know of artists you think would be interested, please pass this on to them, whether it interests you or not. Don't limit your thinking to just visual art, either. I'm interested in hearing from musicians, actors, and writers, as well as painters, sculptors, and film directors. And don't think I'm just looking for the best artists out there either... if that was the case I probably wouldn't belong. We'll all get better together. I want to see a diverse group of artists working together to speak to the world.

I'm in.

Once Saved

At the beginning of last year, one of the students with whom I was working asked one of those tough questions: once you become a Christian, can you lose your salvation? Unfortunately, when we tackled that question the next week, she wasn't there and she never came again. It really got me thinking, though, that there has to be a good answer to that question. It also reminded me of a sermon I had heard a few years earlier and sent me looking through the scriptures for some sort of an answer. What follows will be my journey as I attempted to satisfy my curiosity.

I started with the parable of the two houses. One built on a rock, the other built on sand. As one might predict, the story ends with the sand shifting in a storm and the house on it collapses. When Jesus told that story he was saying that those who listen to him and do what he says are like the man who built his house on the rock (Matt 7).

The interpretation I've always accepted here is that with Jesus as our foundation, we'll be saved, but otherwise, we'll be caught in the storm and washed away. That's backed up by Paul, who says that having a foundation that is Christ is sufficient to save us, if only by the skin of our teeth (1 Cor 3). But Paul makes an observation that adds to this interpretation. He talks about the materials with which one builds the house.

Often we hear the message that all we need is Christ for us to be saved. That is true. I'm not going to debate that. But, Paul says pretty clearly that being saved shouldn't be where we stop. That got me thinking: how ridiculous would it look for someone to build a foundation and stop there? That person would be an idiot! Maybe not as bad as the guy who builds his house on the sand, but still stupid. I mean, sure, you don't end up being swept into the sea, but you'll be wet, cold and miserable the whole time. Build yourself a house.

But what are the materials with which we are to build? Gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay and straw are out of the question. All we're told, though, is that our reward will come if what we've built survives the test of fire. That's hardly helpful. So, I set out looking for an answer. My attention was caught by another of the major characters in the New Testament: Peter.

Peter tells us that to participate in the divine nature, we should take the foundation that is our faith in Jesus Christ and add goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. He says that these things will keep us from being nearsighted and blind, will keep us from being ineffective and unproductive in our knowledge of God, and will cause us to never stumble and enter the Kingdom of God (II Peter 1). That sounds pretty straightforward.

As I looked through that list, it became clear to me that those things that Peter suggests are the very things that make our lives better. If we have been faithful with that list, we'll be able to seek shelter during life's storms. Those things on their own might keep us dry for a while, but without Christ as the foundation, none of them stand up to the storm. I think that Peter has described the materials Paul suggested when he told us to build the houses about which Jesus told his parable.

Finally, it makes sense, then, to read James as he talks about the relationship between faith and works. The quality of a building's foundation is proved by the standing of the building. Without the house, as I've said before, the foundation is close to useless. While going through a storm, someone sitting on an unused foundation is likely to leave it, looking for shelter. Likewise, without works, faith is dead (James 2).

So, I came to the conclusion that the question isn't "Once saved, always saved?" but rather, "Once saved, what do you do?" because if you work to surround yourself with the list of materials given by Peter, there will be no reason to leave the foundation that Christ has built and you will have made your "calling and election sure."

God First

This one's kinda scary.

I mean, all the other writing I've done here has been purely theoretical, very non-committal and has never required much in the way of action on my part.

This one's different. This one could actually answer one of those small questions that make up my lifelong big question.

A Christian teacher has to put God first. That's the definition of Christian. Putting God first means that in everything we do, we should be working for the Kingdom... including teaching.

In Canada, from what I can tell, the best way of doing that is to be a staff sponsor for an IVCF High School group. Each group needs a sponsor in order to exist in the first place, so it's an excellent place to start.

Too many staff sponsors, however, become staff supervisors. That is something I do not wish to be. I pray that when I find myself in that situation that I will invest my time in the growth of Christian students and the advancement of God's Kingdom. I hope to be fully involved in IVCF even while I teach, even if it means I can only teach part time. That way, I hope, I will be recognized as the "Christian teacher" which will be a witness in and of itself, provided God helps me teach well.

The result would be a teacher who students see as someone they can as tough questions, who will give an honest answer and will help them find the answers for themselves.

That is, after all, what a teacher should do anyway.

On Ф

Phi is a Greek letter: Ф.

Ф shows up all over the place. You've all seen it... you might just not be aware of it.

Supposedly, Ф is the most pleasing ratio to the human eye. Many paintings and buildings have been built, whether on purpose or by coincidence, according to the dimensions of Ф. A rectangle that is drawn according to this ratio will have sides, say, of 10cm and 16.18cm. I could go into how to calculate it, but that would not be exciting for too many and if you really want to know, look up the "Golden Ratio."

The fascinating thing is that this ratio shows up everywhere:

- The head of a sunflower is packed with seeds according to Ф in order to maximize space.

- The leaves on most flowers rotate around the stem according to Ф in order to get the most out of every drop of rain and sunlight.

- The human body is full of golden ratios simply because we perceive it to be pleasant.

- As a result portraits also use the Golden Ratio, especially, the Mona Lisa.

I could mention the pyramids, the Parthanon, various sea creatures and apparently, even the music of Mozart.

What boggles my mind is that our universe was created to fit so perfectly with this one particular ratio in mind and that we have been conditioned to find it pleasant. Truly we have a God who set things up to work in the best possible manner and is pleased to see us be pleased as well!

On Questions

One of my favorite activities is the investigation game where a situation is presented and you have to figure out what happened using yes/no questions. It really forces a person to think creatively and usually by the time you figure it out, you're thinking, "Why didn't I think of that earlier?" The problem most people have in figuring these out is that they try to ask questions that answer the whole thing at once. That rarely works. Instead, to solve these situations, you have to ask specific questions and slowly build your solution.

I've always felt that the most important ability anyone can have is to ask the right questions. No matter what the subject area is, if you can ask the right question, you're well on your way to understanding the subject. For example, an excellent question for grade 10 geography would be, "How does glacial movement in the last Ice Age affect population patterns in Canada?" But to answer that question, you have to first answer a number of smaller questions: How did the glaciers move? What effect did that have on the landscape? What population patterns exist in Canada? etc... You can't answer the big question without breaking it down into smaller chunks.

Thus, the theory would state that any question, no matter how big, can be broken down into a series of smaller questions... but is that really the case?

We were told today that everyone has a question that is so big that it has no business going away... the type of question that defines our dreams... the type of question that nobody really has a definitive answer to, though many try. Like:

How can people successfully live in deep community?
How does a person serve God while working in a secular environment?
and so on...

Now, we all have quick answers for questions like these, but rarely does someone actually live out what the quick answers say. So the answer to a question like these is really more of a lifestyle... a constant commitment to living out what we think the answer should be.

So, what does a Christian teacher look like in a public school?

On Comparisons

On one of the last days of school before Christmas Break the teachers at my school accepted a challenge from the students to play a game of hockey. I signed up to play with the staff team and took the ice for the challenge. As it turns out, there are some teachers on the staff that are not as good at hockey as I am. But there are also some that are far better than me... and as it turns out most of the student players are better than most of the teachers. Their superior skills led to an 8-1 drubbing that most teachers knew was coming.

But, though the students are much, much better than I am at playing hockey, that doesn't necessarily mean they are all that good. They only appear good at the game because they are being compared to me. "Good" is a comparative term. If, instead, one was to compare the students to Sidney Crosby, they would no longer seem so good. That doesn't change the fact that they are better than me, it just changes the way they are described overall.

In life, we have this propensity for comparing ourselves with other people. It's like we need to find some place where we're better than everyone else. This habit of ours comes out especially when we try to compare ourselves, as Christians, to those who don't adhere to our values. We claim that we are better than they are in various moral aspects. For all I know, maybe we are... but that's not my point.

Even if we are better than others in our morals, that doesn't mean, by any means, that we are good. Just like our comparison between me, my students, and Sidney Crosby, our ultimate level of goodness depends on the standard to whom we are comparing ourselves. The standard, in this case, is Jesus. Compared to Jesus, we're no good at all, no matter how many people we're better than. Whether we're twice as good as someone else, or a thousand times better, Jesus is perfect... infinitely better than us. So really, our comparison to that other person doesn't matter at all.

So what are we to do about this?

Well, in the first example, when compared to Sidney Crosby, the comparison is a little different. I'm sure if you asked Crosby, he wouldn't say that he's a perfect hockey player. Though he's considered one of the best in the NHL, he still practices every day and could name the ways he wants to improve. Together with his coach, he finds a hole in his game and works on fixing that. I don't think I'm going too far out on a limb to say that throughout his career he'll ever feel that he's arrived at the perfect hockey player.

Similarly, in our lives, we have to come to the realization that as long as we're living here on Earth, we won't reach perfection. No matter how much better we might be than someone else, we're far from perfect. Therefore, we should find a place that isn't perfect in our lives and work on that. We won't reach perfection, but we can take the next step toward it... and as long as we're doing that, we'll turn into a better person than we were previously, which is the only comparison we should really be making.