Author: Lisa Spencer

Confessions of a Healing Dichotomist

Lisa Spencer4 Comments

ripping-my-heart-outThe fall semester has started and I’m finally taking that biblical counseling class that I intentionally saved to the end because I was so opposed to taking it. But the last 5 years in seminary have been interesting…um challenging…ok exposing. Now I’m actually looking forward to it! I was reminded of a rather vulnerable piece I did at Parchment and Pen that described my transition and reasoning. More fitting my blog though, so I’m moving it here:

 

Confessions of a Torn Dichotomist (July 26, 2012)

Our humanity matters. It matters to the Lord and it matters in our Christian walk. I have not always recognized this or believed it. Like most Christians, I have been taught through scripture and reinforced through teachers that Christianity meant being more Christ-like, more spiritual, more conformed to who I was called to be. It meant recognizing that I’m a new creature in Christ, redeemed, forgiven, transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God. It meant forgetting those things that were behind and pressing forward to grab hold of why the Lord grabbed hold of me. It meant learning, growing, serving, fellowshipping, giving, and maturing.

Now that’s all fine and good, certainly scriptural and commanded. We have the earnest intent to move forward in the Lord, that is until our humanity gets in the way. And even when it does, it is easy to spiritualize what ails us. It’s an attack of the enemy, a sin that needs removal, a lack of conformity to who we were called to be.  In order to be a good Christian, we keep moving in, keep pressing and holding on.  We rely on the Holy Spirit’s power, yet there is struggle, lots of struggle.  Depending on what kinds of things we are dealing with in our humanity, the struggle can be more severe for some than others. There is a reason for this.

I’ve come to learn that when life happens, things impact us.  The more bad life happens the more badly it impacts us. Try as we might to conform or in same cases, just perform, it can seem like an uphill battle.  But in order to walk fruitfully in our Christianity, the worst thing we can do is ignore the issues that plague our humanity. Why? It is who we are and how we have been impacted by life. Continue reading →

4 Lessons I’ve Learned from Reading Broadly

Lisa Spencer2 Comments

man reading booksIt’s comfortable for Christians to read inside our denomination/tradition. People who think like us, who draw the same conclusions make learning fun. But I think we can become too tribal about Christianity, put our stake in the ground to quickly and use it to battle others in the body, often unfairly.

I’m increasingly realizing the value of reading broadly and by broadly I mean works outside of our denominational/doctrinal perspectives. Actually, I don’t think I read broadly enough. But the more I do, I’ve recognized some characteristics about myself have emerged that reinforces the need to get out of the comfy box.

1.  My discernment: or rather lack thereof. There’s something about having to read through work that doesn’t necessarily align with my doctrinal/denominational perspective that forces an examination of what the author is really getting at. I love that in seminary, some profs intentionally assign books for this purpose. Some even have such troubled theology that sounds really good. I’ve observed that going through the exercise of deciphering what is valuable and what is opposed to historic Christian orthodoxy, sharpens discernment. But if we only read from one perspective, the tendency might be to oppose anything that doesn’t sound like the gurus from our tribe define it.  Reading broadly on the other hand with the intention of understanding, strengthens discernment.

2.  My arrogance: I can place a great deal of confidence in own investigation. And I have. Of course, there were many instances where I claimed to “fairly” evaluate all sides but in reality didn’t really.  Reading broadly confronts that sense of superiority I feel when I think I have everything figured out. It helps me realize that I can learn from others, even those with whom I disagree. When combined with point #1, I’m increasingly finding some valuable nuggets that a more tribal perspective might suppress…and has suppressed. In fact, I can’t even count how many times I’ve dismissed something just because it’s aligned with a certain teacher or doctrinal perspective without giving it a fair shake. Yep, arrogance. Continue reading →

Championship Christianity

Lisa Spencer3 Comments

lebron-holding-up-trophyTony Stone posted this article on Reformed African-American Network lamenting Christians’ lack of discernment over rapper Kendrick Lamar’s verse in the Big Sean’s song, Control. Now I confess that I don’t follow hip-hop much and was unaware of the controversy. But apparently, the song is being construed as an exhortation for rappers to improve their game.

I’m important like the pope/I’m a muslim on pork/I’m Makaveli’s offspring, I’m the king of New York King of the Coast, one hand, I juggle them both

Stone observes that Christians are joining in the promotion of the song without much discernment and consequently, advocating for an attitude of boastfulness

Kendrick was simply being boastful. I know, we all want to herald “good art” and acknowledge God’s common grace in skillfulness present all throughout the world, but “good art” is never a cause to be muted on our grief over sinful boasting. Do we mourn over our own sinful boasting? And should we not mourn over sinful boasting in all the world?

Christians are joining the chorus of the world and saying, ‘Wow, rappers are being challenged to get better in their craft because of Kendrick’s verse!’ as if the advance of culture is spearheaded by bragging and boasting. Babel is a tower built on human boastfulness. New Jerusalem is a city built on the suffering of Jesus Christ. Boasting about the greatness of your skills does not represent progress in culture. This world is inevitably moving towards God’s glory, and His kingdom will come and will be done.

Kendrick Lamar’s verse is out of touch with reality.

Sadly, he is right both about the attitude and the lack of discernment regarding it, thinking that having a boastful attitude is a sign of being victorious.

But I am not surprised… Continue reading →

Christian Life in the Fast Line

Lisa SpencerLeave a comment

highway fast laneThere is a sentiment that  I hear crop up from time to time expressed from Christians and it goes something like this: don’t let others slow you down, don’t get behind people that aren’t moving. I gather from this sentiment something that looks like a highway and in the Christian life, its best to be in the fast lane. If somebody’s blocking traffic, go around them. You’re on a mission and need to move to get to where God is taking you. Christian life in the fast lane.

One problem: this is antithetical to the Christian life. When God calls us into the body of Christ it is for the purpose of being a body, growing together in the Lord. Running around other Christians to get where you’re going is not the one-anothering, bearing each other burdens, love for other that should mark our representation of Christ.

Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the Law of Christ [to love others as self] (Gal 6:2)

If the Christian life is a highway, it is best to remember there are others on the road with us. No doubt there times when we are in the fast lane. But it also means at times getting in the slow lane or even pulling off the road to help someone whose broken down on the side of it.

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interest of others. (Phil. 2:3-4)

Church of the Lonely Place

Lisa Spencer5 Comments

megachurch_2I came across this article You Need a Pastor and a Church, Not Just a Podcast and Speakers. The author draws a contrast between those who participate in the life of a local assembly and those who suppose that streaming in a message is good enough for spiritual food. He rightly states that Christian growth requires more than a good message in individualistic practice, but a gathering together with God’s people;

Church is more than a sermon. It is singing with the saints, speaking and hearing words of encouragement, praying together, serving one another, opening your life and home, giving of your time, treasures and talents, taking communion and celebrating baptism. The preaching of the Word is a fundamental aspect of the local church but not the sole activity in which we engage.

Such reductionism is dangerous to our souls because it removes us from the very mediums through which God sanctifies His saints.

Consider a few of the more obvious costs if your primary church experience is vicarious and virtual:

  1. Deep community is sacrificed, and thus there are limited opportunities to be sanctified through mutual encouragement and exhortation.
  2. The sacraments are sacrificed, and thus there are limited opportunities to be sanctified through regular participation in communion and baptism.
  3. Church discipline is sacrificed, and thus there are limited opportunities to be sanctified through loving correction.
  4. Service and mission are sacrificed, and thus there are limited opportunities to be sanctified through selflessly giving yourself for the sake of others.

Those who seek sanctification primarily through radio, television or podcast ironically reject the very means provided by God to cultivate holiness. They, instead, foster individualism and isolationism, which begets self-centered, new age spirituality, not deep authentic Christianity. Continue reading →