Wait! What's Backwards "Gisney??"

     I guess there is a part of me that is a little heartbroken that I will probably never share in the triumph of such Beard and Mustache Champions as these:

    

    

    



     And they even dress sharp, too!

     Jeremy, I guess I can't promise anything truly definitive, but my ambition henceforth is to one day contend for Ultimate Beard status in Leogang, Germany- and I'll even give you a shout-out in my acceptance speech if my dream becomes reality.

     If they have acceptance speeches.

     Man, I have to learn German...

Hello? Purposes just got intense!

     I'm a little amazed that Kristin still has anything to do with me when my "beard" (believe me, the quotation marks are necessary) looks as haggard as it does. A motley collection of random, unsightly whiskers doth not a beard make! It's times like these that covenant faithfulness keeps you going- when vigor has long since departed and feelings seek to dominate the will, a good old fashioned berith can keep the spring in your step as you persevere to ultimate victory!

     Even when the victory in question is just surviving No Shave November. But sometimes that's victory enough!  

Jenna's the curtains!

     The Peter who penned the lines, "Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution" (1 Peter 2:13) is the same Peter who said, "We must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29). Clearly, outright rebellion as a rule of life is forbidden for the Christian; believers are not to be one-man Viking raiding crews, charting their own egocentric courses across the seven seas, plundering and pillaging whatever they find personally inconvenient.* On the other hand though, we are not to unthinkingly align ourselves with every program and wind of doctrine that comes our way. Tempest-toss'd sea, anyone? The dividing line is in giving to Caesar what is his and giving to God what is His; Caesar gets his blasted taxes, but not our worship, our hearts, or our minds. Though we find ourselves within a given culture, we do not accomodate ourselves to the culture. Positive submission to God's will rather than self-serving defiance (which is by definition negative) should define our character.     
     The attitude of perpetual defiance is not a mark of regeneration- it is a mark of fallen humanity's desire to be their own authority. This is not to say that we're not swimming against the stream, because we are. The fact of the matter is that we are encamped in enemy territory; we have, by grace, come to recognize and love the values by which the world was first defined, and we are met with the antagonism of a world which redefines those values as it sees fit. This antagonism, however, still finds a home base in that part of our hearts which does not yet submit fully to God- it strikes a chord within us due to that sinfulness that is still a part of us. This is what we have to burn down and walk away from (to repeat my mad ramblings yet again!)- not necessarily always a structure or guild or something over us, but the underlying depravity that is still within us that finds commonality with the institution or whatever the thing is in question. That is what needs to be put to death, the sin we still cling to that finds its corresponding jigsaw puzzle piece in the world.
     Pastor Bob's message yesterday on Ephesians 5:15-21 touched on the many aspects of submission that are manifest in the Christian's life, especially as touches the unity of the church. One of the main thrusts of the message was that submission is a defining characteristic of the believer, as true submission is possible for the first time in the renewed heart and will of one indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Yielding to the authority of the church is the evidence of having yielded to Christ's lordship for salvation! Having been the lone wolf type for many years (and deriving great glee from upsetting everyone along the way), it is both admonishment and encouragement to me to realize that submission is how I demonstrate the reality of my love for Christ. Knowing that I have been empowered to do so joyfully and yet often still do not compels me to pour my heart out to God in prayer and plead for a heart like Christ's, whose greatest joy was in submitting to the Father. Bob reminded us yesterday that He will subject Himself to the Father for eternity- hearing that definitely softened my heart to the idea of surrendering some of the "rights" that I think I have!
     Pictures of Josiah and Jenna from this weekend soften my heart as well- seeing them jump on the trampoline whenever Laurie played the right music was one of the funniest things from the past week for me. A.J. is an adorable little nugget! Jenna wearing Kristin's scarf around her head and wandering around like an itinerant Russian widow with drool all over the front of her shirt was hilarious too! Josiah protesting that Auntie Kristin was sitting in his thinking chair? Priceless. I wonder what he would say if he saw the mass of terrifying growth I've been calling a beard for the last few days.
     I shudder to think.

     Thank you Lord, for nieces and nephews, and for jobs, and for sermons, for supernaturally-gifted humility, for reminders, for S'Mores Pop-Tarts (although they're super unhealthy!), for guitars, for sweaters, for Mexican restaurants less than a block from where you live, and yes... for beards.

*Seriously though, Vikings were a bunch of jerks. For real. And if you want to defend them, well, you're probably a jerk too.

Five Year Winter

     Due to the fairly-recent reference to them a couple of posts ago as well as to the growing influence of the beard, I've had Zao stuck in my head fairly non-stop. Well... let me qualify that. Certainly I've had the tune itself on Repeat within my consciousness, but what has actually been circulating even more is the phrase itself, "Burn it down and walk away." Simple. Exhortative. Brilliant.
     Encumbered by the cares of the world? Burn it down and walk away.
     Ensnared by the fear of man? Burn it down and walk away.
     Strangled by the demands of the workplace? Burn it down and walk away.
     Alienated by political agendas? Burn it down and walk away.
     Mired in the pursuit of possessions? Burn it down and walk away.
     Chained to the desire for approval? Burn it down and walk away.
     Enslaved to pressures of culture? Burn it down and walk away.
     Vexed by the compulsion to over-achieve? Burn it down and walk away.
     Guilt-ridden by the past? Burn it down and walk away.
     Disenfranchised by the currents of popular opinion? Burn it down and walk away.
     So to qualify a bit further, I of course don't mean that armed uprising is in order or anything ridiculous like that, so please don't go join a militia or start stocking up on reverse osmosis purified water and first aid kits. I mean nothing revolutionary in the geo-political sense. What I do mean is something more revolutionary in an eschatological sense. We live now in Christ's inaugurated Kingdom, having been delivered from the domain of darkness (Colossians 1:13). We await the full manifestation of His reign at the end of the present age, when the Kingdom is consummated and the Eternal State is instituted with a new heavens and a new earth. The covenant community lives and works and plays and eats and breathes and does everything else in an era of "now, but not yet" as we enjoy some of the blessings of the Kingdom within the context of a still-fallen world.
     All that to say: we are not a part of a world that is perishing. We die daily to it! So why am I so often bogged down by temporary things that are passing away? Part of it is of course my own fault as I make idols of various things, but some of it is simply due to my losing perspective on God's eternal purposes and instead fixing my gaze upon things that are here today and gone in about three and a half minutes... if it lasts even that long! The commitment of my heart to vain, impermanent things serves in no way to lift me up, it only deprives me of traction and plants me more deeply into a quagmire of worthless fretting!    
     I really need to ask myself why I spend money on what is not bread and why I labor for that which doesn't satisfy (Isaiah 55:1-2). Why bother with idols? God is like an evergreen cyprus, and from Him comes my fruit (Hosea 14:8). With winter coming, idols make for some great firewood, and the warmth will help me in redeeming the time. And even though I won't be joining a militia, it will be a battle. The battle, however, is not against flesh and blood- it is against the powers of spiritual darkness (Ephesians 6:12). The war isn't waged with the weapons of armies but rather with the power of God (2 Corinthians 10:4); and Zao will be my soundtrack at that those perplexing times when the fight rears its not-particularly-pretty cabesa and I need the reminder to just burn it down and walk away.
     Now I just feel pumped to be in a boxing match... but I think that's the beard talking.

    

Well, he wants his coat and he hates him

     Day 6 of my journey into the Heart of Beardness. Only time will tell if this is a futile attempt at ridiculous macho nonsense or if it will in fact be a many-splendoured thing unheralded in the history of my face.
     Either way, God is good.
     The last few days have witnessed enormous developments in my own sanctification as, by God's grace, I've come to grips with several failings on my part with relationships and with the impact my family has had on me throughout my lifetime. God has endeared Himself to me more deeply than ever as a Heavenly Father, for He knows my frame and remembers that I am dust (Psalm 103:14). He knows in particular that I feel a burden for my father and yearn to redress years of heartache associated with our life together, and He knows perfectly that I am too timid to tackle the challenge head-on myself. He knows that though I feel such passion in my heart to speak the truth in love, part of me is still that nervous little boy who fears the revoking of love if his heart is laid bare and people are called to account for their actions.
     God knows that for progress to be made and for this floodwater to be crossed, He will have to take the initiative and lay for me a precise series of stepping stones that I may move forward and not be swept into the deluge; God knows that I need a Sovereign who mercifully leads His children along the way and is with them every moment and every step; God knows that I need a director and a script supervisor to ensure that the words come out right and convey perfectly what needs to be said; God knows that I need a furnace of fortitude in my heart and that He must pump the fuel of courage into it steadily that I will not falter. God knows this all and promises that He will never forsake His people and He will never abandon His heritage (Psalm 94:14).
     God brought me across the waters and kept my feet from slipping, and Monday was simply an amazing day as twenty-six years worth of baggage was discussed and examined. Much was brought to light; understanding was imparted, and a heavy, strangling burden was lifted off of my shoulders. It was so revolutionary, in fact, that I felt like a new man! I had many, many friends interceding in prayer and I can only say thank you from the bottom of my heart. The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous does avail much.
     As tattered strands of relationships are re-sewn and strengthened by grace, humility, and forgiveness, I can only praise God for His many mighty works and wonder at how I should be the recipient of so many blessings. Ponder soon and ponder deeply on what God has blessed you with, marvel at the question of why you should be gifted with these things and not others, and resolve to seek God's enabling power to further His purpose where He has placed you with what He has equipped you with.
     Quick! Name six things to be thankful for!

1. Boss is 23!
2. A.J. has tons of hair!
3. Joel is divebombing with school-owned airplanes out west!
4. Jeremy looks great in scrubs and Wolverine mutton chops!
5. Kristin melts my heart with her smile!
6. I found out how to rotate the tires of our Malibu myself!*

     Shalom!


*Albeit in a time so pathetic I would be disqualified from ever participating in any NASCAR pit crew.**

**Not that I would ever do that anyway. I have this pet peeve for ludicrously stupid things.