Christian living

Should Christians Be Considered ‘Damaged Goods’?

Lisa Spencer2 Comments

broken jarWe’ve all heard this phrase applied to people who have experienced the rough stuff of life – broken or unhealthy relationships, addictions, abuse or devastating losses. We say they are damaged goods. I can’t count how many times I’ve heard this expressions used even of Christians, who have taken some blows from life that have impacted them in various ways. In fact, I confess to feeling that way myself at times.

But…

I question if its a phrase we really should be applying to Christians. On one hand, we do want to be honest about stuff that has impacted us. We don’t want to be divorced from our humanity. When life hurts, we should be able to say ‘ouch’. And when the hurt lingers, we should be open about it and the consequences of that impact. As devastating as life can be for some, I think it is equally devastating to pretend that our humanity is not impacted when it gets harmed.

So there are events that have impacted some so deeply that it changes them. It might change their perspective. It may add a layer of grief that wouldn’t be there. It might make them more prone to despair or depression. It might produce unreasonable cautions where they need not exist. It might, it might….the list goes on. This is reality.

But…

There are a couple of reasons why I think we should not refer to Christians as damaged goods. Continue reading →

My Easter Grief…and Prayer

Lisa Spencer5 Comments

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOn the day that should bring Christians the most hope and joy, I find myself a bit troubled. Not troubled over what we are celebrating mind you. For that I greatly rejoice. The resurrection represents hope and power of the God of this universe who sent his Son to reconcile man to himself. Christ is risen, has expunged the penalty of sin and sits at the Father’s right hand.

But every year as this day approaches, I find a divisiveness exists in his body. The same body that he prayed for in his high priestly prayer;

My prayer is not for them alone (the apostles), I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, just as you and I are Father. May they also believe in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. (John 17:20-21)

While all true believers celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, something creeps in to temper and even hinder that celebration together. This body that Christ calls one experiences tensions over the one day that should unite them.And it hinges on the use of one word – Easter. Continue reading →

Can We Really All Just Get Along? A Look at Conflict in the Church

Lisa SpencerLeave a comment

shouting guys_anger managementWe cannot avoid conflict. As much as we’d like to think otherwise, when sinful humans interact, something is bound to erupt. If you’re a conflict avoider like me, this topic is one to wrestle with.

I recently made a church change and have been attending a 12 week inquirer’s class, which is also a requirement for membership. Today we discussed church discipline. And what ensued from that was a rather convicting discussion on Matthew 18:15-20;

If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be bound in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.

Now when the topic of church discipline typically comes up, it is usually targeted at making sure that people don’t get away with their sins. Broadly it is for the purpose of keeping the church on track and handling situations that may obstruct that. Conflict among members is a pretty widespread scenario. Continue reading →

Filling in the Life Gaps with Wisdom

Lisa SpencerLeave a comment

rock gapsDr. Carl Ellis has posted this insightful article over on the Reformed African-American Network about how to apply the biblical paradigm to our life today.  I think he makes a good case for looking at the overall picture of how God moved on behalf of his people and specifically in various situations with the goal of applying theology with wisdom.

One thing I love about the biblical characters is that they are not so far removed from us. Even for the faithful folks, all kinds of crazy behavior breaks out when people get into hot spots of uncertainty and waiting:  poor decisions, selfishness, accusations, lying, cheating, unfaithfulness, etc. Uncertainty and waiting are hard. It makes us squirm and ask questions. We want details and the knowledge of what to do about our current situations or what is ahead. But something Dr. Ellis writes about details I found kind of striking;

Often, the biblical narratives omit many of the details on purpose because they are designed for us to supply details from our own life situations.  However, bear in mind that your story may not end the same as the corresponding biblical narrative.

The Bible can provide a basic framework for understanding our current situation.  The main purpose of the theological process is to teach us to see things from God’s point of view.  This empowers us to wisely fill in the details.

The Bible is meant to be applied and theology is meant to be done.  Scripture should never be disconnected from application.  God wants us to get into his word to govern our actions according to His principles.  This is how we will gain wisdom.  If we wisely do theology this way, it will make a difference in us and in our community. Continue reading →

Privilege, Pain and the Tragedy of Triumphalism

Lisa Spencer5 Comments

man standing on rockThis is a composite of various thoughts that have been swirling around my head for the past few days. I’ve been in a somewhat disconcerted state, continuing to reel from issues that plague my soul, wanting relief and wrestling with God. The persistent tug of war between despair and hopeful expectation of God’s working all things out gets exhausting at times. Just when peace settles in something comes across my radar that upsets the apple cart, so to speak. Honestly, I’ve gone through a period of feeling abandoned by God and feeling left to my own devices to figure it out. Well of course that is NOT the reality but at times I have trouble convincing my humanity of that. Thank God for the promises of his word.

When I saw this clip from Tullian Tchividjian, it so resonated with some of the things that bothered me regarding how pain and suffering is treated not only in our corporate gatherings but also the wrestling matches with ourselves individually.

What he speaks to is something I’ve encountered throughout my Christian life, the need to look victorious in spite of how circumstances are warring against our soul. Because after all, doesn’t Paul say that we are more than conquerors? Unfortunately, I fell into this mindset at a time when I was taking a pounding from life and detached from how certain realities in my life had impacted me. Because of the Charismatic teaching that I had embraced, there was this philosophy of warring though the difficulties and engaging in radical praise. Be triumphant even when you don’t feel like it. Be strong, when you are weak. The problem with that mindset is that it doesn’t allow a realistic evaluation and may encourage dishonesty in our spiritual walk. Continue reading →