Is God Safe?

I just finished reading a book titled Leaving the Church. It's the story of an Episcopalian priest who resigned due to burnout. As a result, she pursued a career as a college professor. While I disagree w/ much of her theology, I do appreciate a point she made about the church. She wrote about the church as a "mother" who watches over and protects her "children". The church is for keeping her members safe.

Her thoughts reminded me of my life. While I was pastoring or even just attending church, I look back & realize how safe I was. No dangers were really out there to cause us harm. We were in the church with very few risks involved. No real hazards that could hurt us. Except for the occasional prompting to teach a Bible study or to talk to a complete stranger about Jesus, I was quite safe. Then came the invitation to plant a church. At that point, everything changed. My family & I had no safety net or harness. We stepped out onto the wire & started walking by faith. If we failed, then we fell. And we did fall. Burnout tripped me up. And that is when things became even more difficult. The risks became even greater. We risked the loss of a career, of income, even our marriage. It was & still is a difficult season in life. We're following God, but we don't know where.

I wrote all of that to simply say - Following God is not always a safe route to travel. It is a risky venture. Just ask Jesus. Look what He went through. And yet somehow, it seems like we have missed it. One of the most prevalent prayers prayed in churches on Sunday mornings these days is, "Lord, keep us safe." From whence did that prayer arise? Is it possible that the church has mistaken her identity? Are we more interested in keeping people "safe" or in getting people "saved"? There's a huge difference between safe and saved. In fact, when our focus is "safe", then people will not be "saved."

God's inclination is not toward safety. As I read the Bible, my picture of God is one of danger and risk. How many times in scripture is His plan on the verge of falling apart? We read of Abraham offering Isaac, his only son of promise, of Joseph being placed in an Egyptian prison and forgotten, of Jesus' crucifixion and burial (He was dead for 3 days), of the early Christ Followers being arrested & killed. All of these and more were moments when everything hung in the balance and if it did not turn out right, then the plan was over. Turn out the lights & lock the door. God had no alternative course of action. He's a dangerous God who takes great risks.

I guess my point in this blog is a reminder to stop looking for safety (if you are) and start looking for where you can be dangerous. That is where you will find God at work. Following God is a dangerous journey.

The Power of Love

When we hear the word “love”, most of us think of it as a feminine. Our understanding of love has a tenderness to it. We think of love as being kind or gentle. Or else love is about romance, candlelight dinners, and holding hands. In some ways, those descriptions are love. And yet I think that the essence of love goes much deeper than that.

The movie, Spy Game, is a story about two CIA agents Nathan Muir (Robert Redford) and Tom Bishop (Brad Pitt). It ends with a daring raid on a Chinese prison to rescue Bishop and his girlfriend, Elizabeth Hadley. Bishop had gone into the prison earlier to rescue her. It is up to the retiring agent Nathan Muir to get them out. Using his experience and his life savings to bribe a Chinese official to make the rescue happen, the pair are brought out by Navy seals. As the 2 helicopters fly away, the camera pans over the Bishop’s helicopter from the vantage point of his girlfriend’s helicopter. He leans forward to look at Elizabeth and his face is horribly swollen and bruised. It’s the face of love, beaten and battered for the sake of another. And Muir is pictured driving away from CIA headquarters broke from the investment of his life’s savings in the rescue. Such is the picture of true love. It is more than feelings or romance or niceness. There’s a manliness about it that is inescapable. Love is about strength, sacrifice, toughness, courage, perseverance, and pain.

Love truly is the most powerful force in all the world and throughout all of history. Absolutely nothing can stand against love in all its fury. Love backs down to nothing and sacrifices itself when all else around it fails. It has impacted history like nothing else. Love is no wimpy or weak emotion that gives us goose bumps when the right person gives us the right look. Love is a force that stands strong when all of the forces of the universe unite to fight against it, all to no avail. Conquering love is impossible. There have been moments in world history (and perhaps in your personal history) when it looked like love had been defeated, but it was only momentary. Love has lost a few battles, but in the end, love will prevail.