We are at War

I got this from in an email last night and thought I would share it. Its another extract from "Waking the Dead". Although I have read this book a couple of times, it always seems like a light bulb comes on when I get messages like this.... For those of you in the Seattle area, I also received an email from Bootcamp Northwest and they will be hold a 2 session discussion this Friday night at Overlake Christian Church in Redmond. Bootcamp Northwest puts on a retreat periodically (I attended last year here in WA ) based on the book "Wild At Heart". If you can make the sessions, I am sure you will walk away with some level of enlightenment.

(Waking the Dead, Pages 29 - 30)

The Second Eternal Truth brought to us comes like a broken message over the radio or an urgent e-mail from a distant country telling us that some great struggle or quest or battle is well under way. May even be hanging in the balance. When the four children stumble into Narnia, the country and all its lovely creatures are imprisoned under the spell of the White Witch and have been for a hundred years. In another story, Jack and his mother are starving and must sell their only cow. Frodo barely makes it out of the Shire with his life and the ring of power. In the nick of time he learns that Bilbo’s magic ring is the One Ring, that Sauron has discovered its whereabouts, and that the Nine Black Riders are already across the borders searching for the little hobbit with deadly intent. The future of Middle Earth hangs on a thread.

Again, this is exactly what the Scriptures have been trying to wake us up to for years. “Wake up, O sleeper . . . Be very careful, then, how you live . . . because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:14–16). Or as The Message has it: “So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times!” Christianity isn’t a religion about going to Sunday school, potluck suppers, being nice, holding car washes, sending our secondhand clothes off to Mexico. This is a world at war. Something large and immensely dangerous is unfolding all around us, we are caught up in it, and above all we doubt we have been given a key role to play. Do you think I’m being too dramatic?

Waking the Dead....

I have been reading this book called "Waking the Dead". I read in bits and pieces, which is to say, I do not pick it up and read it every day... In light of my upcoming baptism, I thought I would share these passages from the book. I got this tonight.....



Waking the Dead, Pages 56-57

"The Phoenix rises from the ashes. Cinderella rises from the cinders to become a queen. The Ugly Duckling becomes a beautiful swan. Pinocchio becomes a real boy. The frog becomes a prince. The Cowardly Lion gets his courage, the Scarecrow his brains, and the Tin Woodman a new heart. They are all transformed into the very thing they never thought they could be.

Why are we enchanted by tales of transformation? I can’t think of a movie or novel or fairy tale that doesn’t somehow turn on this. Why is it an essential part of any great story? Because it is the secret to Christianity, and Christianity is the secret to the universe. “You must be born again” (John 3:7). You must be transformed. Keeping the Law, following the rules, polishing up your manners—none of that will do. “What counts is whether we really have been changed into new and different people” (Gal. 6:15). Is this not the message of the Gospel? Zacchaeus the trickster becomes Zacchaeus the Honest One. Mary the whore becomes Mary the Last of the Truly Faithful. Paul the self-righteous murderer becomes Paul the Humble Apostle.

And us? I doubt many of us would go so far as to say we’re transformed. Perhaps we have changed a bit in what we believe and how we act. We confess the creeds now, and we’ve gotten our temper under control . . . for the most part. But “transformed” seems a bit too much to claim. How about “forgiven and on our way”? That’s how most Christians would describe what’s happened to them. It’s partly true . . . and partly untrue, and the part that’s untrue is what’s killing us. We’ve been told that even though we have placed our hope in Christ, even though we have become his followers, our hearts are still desperately wicked. And of course, so long as we believe that our hearts remain untouched, unchanged, we will pretty much live untouched and unchanged. For our heart is the wellspring of life within us."

The Next Step in my walk with Him

Baptism. I registered for the next baptism service at OCC last night. In previous blogs, I have explained my baptism as a youth at Hope Lutheran Church. This is a really significant step for me in my walk with God. This will be the first time that I will be baptized through submersion. Baptism in water is an important next step for me since surrendering my life to Jesus Christ. First, it is a public acknowledgment that I am a Christian. Second, it symbolizes Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, and proclaims my new identity in Christ. Third, it demonstrates the fact that Christ has forgiven me and “washed” away my sins. Finally, it is an act of obedience to Christ. I am excited and looking forward to Weds night. My wife, Tammy, and son, Bobby, also registered for baptism Weds.