Since my last entry, Bobby and I have been enjoying the company of his mom, younger brother Ben and Ben’s friend Richard. We’ve stayed up late nights playing cards and during the day they had fun out at the Bay and today will be going to Monterey. Due to tax season demands, I am unable to take off of work to join them. But may it be known that I would much rather be visiting with them and possibly seeing the Great White shark at the Monterey Bay Aquarium than talking taxes all day at LS&Co.

Also since my last entry, the renowned band Godsong has written and recorded two all-new shockingly fabulous songs. I think that would be all the detail Bobby will allow, but stay tuned to their website for a new B-side called “Perfect Peace” at www.godsongmusic.com

This week I started reading a book called Seeing With New Eyes: Counseling and the Human Condition Through the Lens of Scripture, by Dr. David Powlison. The chapter I just finished reading was about God’s love. Through it and several conversations I began to be challenged in my view of love. I see an unfortunate belief in people, it is especially sad to see in believers, that we call acceptance “love.” We want to be able to be who we are and be assured this will never bring about negative responses. A love that accepts with no expectations. A love that we can take of leave. I find this to be a disturbingly common misconception of love. No parent loves this way. They want the best for their child. They want him to be safe, healthy, and smart and they expect him to grow and learn. The sad thing I am realizing is that people–even believers–think that God loves His children this way. A love of affirmation, sympathy, empathy, accepting people just as they are with no expectations or plan for change. This is not how God loves. God’s love is compelling, intrusive, and active. He decided to love us, sinful ungrateful creatures. He hates sin. He is jealous. He is holy. His love is a redemptive, vigorous and purposeful. It doesn’t say, “You’re ok as you are, I won’t impose My values on you.” It says, “I accept you, sinful, suffering and lost people…so that I can set you free from all that with My intense life-long plan of change and transformation.” God’s love takes me as I am so that it can completely change who I am to make me new. We like the concept of love as acceptance because it feels so safe. No matter what I do these people will always care, always take me in, and they won’t judge me or say that I’ve done wrong. God’s love is way to big for this. In his book, Powlison says, “The problem with this love is that there is no power to it. When we ascribe this love to God, we are substituting a teddy bear for the King of the universe. There is something wrong with you! From God’s point of view, you not only needed someone to be killed in your place in order to be forgiven, you need to be transformed to be fit to live with…a comprehensive and lifelong rehabilitation, learning ‘the holiness without which no one will see the Lord’.”

“For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all have died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.”(2 Corinthians 5:14-15)

Another good weekend! I’m not sure if Libby would agree with me. On Friday the gardeners unintentionally left the back gate open and Libby got out into the front yard. Luckily Andrew came over just then and she didn’t run away. But later that night she had a fit of tremors and started gagging. We took her to the animal ER around 12:30 in the morning. The doctor on duty said that she was poisoned from snail bait and they had to keep her overnight…IVs and all.

On Sunday, Bobby started a series from the book of Titus. I was profoundly struck by the dynamic things that Paul addresses. He says that we live in a “crooked and perverse generation”(Philippians 2:15) and the only way to turn people to God is to cut straight the Word of God(1 Timothy 2:15). Bobby called it “Spiritual Orthodontia”…making crooked things in life and in our hearts straight with God’s Word. Today many people have this, “I’m trying to live a good life” mentality and when they hit troubles they wallow in doubt. We want proof to believe that God is working but what we really need as proof is a changed heart. Bobby presented the ABC’s of spiritual orthodontia:

1) Above reproach in my personal relationships(Titus 1:6)
2) Blameless beyond selfish living (Titus 1:7)
3) Committed to what is good for all(Titus 1:8)

These points reflect a mentailty that is not, “I’m trying to live a good life” but rather, “My life is God’s not mine.” Bobby called this “gravitas” which means “the weight of life.” Instead of taking life lightly this is a mentality of someone who is dilligent, committed, having nothing in their life to be ashamed of or that is questionable, hospitable, pure and leading others to grow in the Lord. Bobby talked about how God is seeking true disciples. He said, “If God were to test you and me, would we be able, faithful, uncompromising and obedient or would we be disqualified because of something crooked in our lives?” Some people say this is too serious, too “hard core” of a way to live. They wonder why can’t the light and darkness just all get along. They wonder why you just can’t give in to what others want from you. They don’t understand why compromise is such a big deal if it will make everyone happy. But the truth is this: If you are not taking God seriously, you are wasting your life.

It has been a beautiful week. 76 degrees, not a cloud in the sky, birds are singing, flowers blooming…it’s starting to seem like Spring. Work has been slow and I have spent some time gazing out the window in my office wishing I could be somewhere else. So I decided to do something more profitable by writing this…

Last night I had coffee with Missy. We had a good discussion about relationships between believers and un-believers addressed in 2 Corinthians 6. Relationships tend to be such a testing ground of compromise or devotion for a believer. It becomes apparent whether we are more concerned with pleasing people than God when we alter our stand on moral issues, change our mannerisms, and conform our language or plans to please others somehow. Monica and I call this the “Chameleon Complex.” When people laugh, talk, dress, and act differently with various people to feel accepted. It is especially dangerous if a believer changes their behavior to gain acceptance from a non-believer. That is why Paul says, “What does light have to do with darkness? Or a believer with an un-believer?” They have nothing to do with the other becasue despite all common interests or ties at the core of who they are what drives a believer is very different than a non-believer. We can love and reach out to a non believer but we should only be transformed to be like Christ and to please Him, not others.

Proverbs gives many warnings for us to not make close freinds with someone who is hot-tempered, angry, a slanderer or gossip. Ty said in his testimony on Sunday, “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”(Proverbs 18:24) So often we settle for many destructive relationships so that we can merely salve our consciences, feel assured of our bad decisions and create superficial feelings of love through acceptance. But if we are fortunate enough to find one person who will stick with us in hard times, tell us the honest truth, and encourage our spiritual growth…we have found a true friend.