#257 Who Am I?

I hear a lot of talk about identity and identifying these days. I don't know that this is necessarily a new trend; it's just something that I've noticed. In discussions related to gender and sexuality, identity comes up a lot. In political reporting people are identified as a supporter of this politician or that position. We identify ourselves lots of different ways—by our ethnicity, our hometown, our job, our interests.

I bring this up because the Bible talks about identity as well. For those of us who belong to Jesus, who believe in Him as our Savior and Lord, we have a new identity. We are in Christ. Or to use more everyday language, we are Christians. But here's the thing: God teaches us that being in Christ is not just another piece of the puzzle of our identity. Being in Christ is our primary identity. For God's people, being in Christ is the driving factor in how we live our lives.

Now being in Christ doesn't totally erase the other parts of our identities. I don't stop being, say, an American because I'm a Christian. But being in Christ takes precedence. When it comes to things I don't choose, being in Christ shapes how I live. So, for example, I must think about how God wants to me live as a Christian male. When it comes to things I can choose, I need to consider if they're compatible with being in Christ. Can I live as a Christian and also support this political party or take this job?

Maybe this sounds like pretty basic stuff. But I worry that we Christians are losing this. We're defining ourselves more by things like our generation or nationality or gender than by being in Christ. We're using these other identities to separate ourselves from other people when Christ breaks down the dividing walls between different groups of people. We're worrying about fitting in with these groups we identify with instead of focusing on following Jesus. I see these trends and temptations in myself, not just others. I don't want us to lose our way.

Let me conclude with some questions that I need to think about and that I wonder if we Christians in general need to think about. What do I use to define or identify myself? In what parts of my life am I hiding or ignoring my identity in Christ? What I can do to remind myself that I belong to Christ? How can I live more fully for Jesus? I pray that Jesus, who has saved us and chosen us to be His own will help us embrace and live into the new identity He gives us.

Grace and peace,

BMH

#256 Miracle Monday

Happy Miracle Monday, everyone! It's the third Monday in May, the day of the climax of Elliot S! Maggin's 1981 Superman novel, Miracle Monday.

In the days leading up to the first Miracle Monday, Metropolis (and the world at large) had been terrorized by a demon named C. W. Saturn, who was desperately trying to corrupt Earth's greatest champion of good, Superman. But on Miracle Monday Superman was able to turn the tables on his foe, achieving victory while proving that he would not give in to evil. When Superman triumphed over C. W. Saturn, all the chaos the demon had created was undone, leaving Superman as the only one who truly remembered what had happened. But the people of Earth, sensing that something great and wonderful had happened (even if they couldn't recall or understand what), started to celebrate the third Monday of May every year, naming it "Miracle Monday."

So, yeah, Miracle Monday is a fictional holiday from an obscure superhero novel. But it's also a great Superman story, an exciting tale of the triumph of good over evil, highlighting Superman's greatest strength: the courage to never give up doing the right thing. That strength enables him to often do things that seem impossible and overcome challenges that seem insurmountable. And that makes for stories worth reading and remembering and being inspired by. Plus, what else is a Superman fan with a Monday blog going to write about? Until next time, keep fighting the good fight, even if it seems like a never-ending battle.

Grace and peace,

BMH

#255 Reel Life

After five years of living in a church-owned house, Tess and I bought our own house last August. For the first time in my adult life, I had a lawn to take care of. So I started looking for a lawn mower. After doing some research I decided to get a reel mower. Yes, an old-school human-powered push mower. Tess (and many other people I talked to) thought I was crazy. But after finishing up our mowing last fall and getting things started again this spring, I'm pleased with my choice.

Let's talk about your potential concerns first. My reel mower doesn't seem any heavier than gas-powered mowers I've used, and as long as the grass isn't ridiculously long, it seems at least as easy to push as your average mower without self-propulsion. We'll have to see how difficult it is to find someone to sharpen the blades, but as long as the blades are sharp enough, my reel mower works smoothly.

But the thing I really like about my reel mower is how quiet it is. There's no loud engine noise, just a soft clipping sound. I can talk with Tess or the girls while I'm mowing. When I stop pushing the blades stop spinning. There's also no gasoline smell, and no frustration from having to go fill the gas can before I can start mowing for the week. I'm still working, but it's pretty easy to enjoy being outdoors. And hey, if having a weird lawn mower starts some conversations with my neighbors, that's not a bad thing at all.

Grace and peace,

BMH

#254 Reunion

Last time I blogged about reading The Chronicles of Narnia with Lanie. Lanie LOVED the ending of the series when all the main characters from the seven books are reunited again. I think C.S. Lewis does a wonderful job of envisioning the new creation and God's people spending eternity together with Him, and Lewis does this in a way that makes sense to children. Right now it's Eastertime, so I think it's only natural that I've been reflecting on eternal life lately. Eternal life is one the great assurances Christians receive from Jesus' resurrection. As Lewis captures so wonderfully, part of the beauty of the Christian story is that it doesn't truly end. The return of Jesus and coming of the new creation is only the beginning. And, as in The Chronicles of Narnia, all of God's people will be together again. I'm sure our relationships will be somehow different when we live face-to-face with God in perfection, but we'll all be there forever.

I can't say that I can really envision what that reunion will be like, but it sure sounds fantastic. At this point I'm still pretty young. Most of the people who've made an impact on my life are still alive. But even now I'm separated from a lot of people who are very dear to me. I've moved a couple times since my school days, leaving quite a few friends and family members in different places, and many of them have gone elsewhere as well. Truth be told, I'm a terrible long-distance friend. I'd like to think I'm a decent local friend, but I struggle to stay in touch with people who live a ways away, people I don't get to see somewhat regularly. I don't do social media, and the occasional text message or even video chat never feels like the real thing. So outside of a few visits here and there when one of us is traveling, I don't see a lot of people whom I would really enjoy frequently spending time with. I should try to do better here and now, but when schedules just don't work out or visits are too short, it's comforting to know that reunion is coming. In Christ we'll be together again, and one day there won't be any more good-byes.

Grace and peace,

BMH

#253 The Lion, the Dad, and the Daughter

Last fall I started reading C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia with Lanie. We read one chapter at a time, night after night, with some breaks here and there when I had an evening meeting or we had visitors at our house. Working our way through my one-volume collection, we read The Magician's Nephew and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and The Horse and His Boy and Prince Caspian. Then Lanie started to get a little tired of the books (I think it was mostly that her sister had started staying up later, and Lanie was afraid Mia was having fun without her while I read to Lanie), so we stopped for a while. But this spring Lanie started asking about our "special book" again. We read through The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Silver Chair and, finally, The Last Battle, which we just finished today.

It was a fun journey. I have fond memories of my dad reading these books with me when I was little, so it was a special treat to read them to my own firstborn. Reading chapter books was a bit of a stretch for Lanie and her attention span, but she seemed to follow along pretty well. I think she enjoyed the adventure and fantasy of these stories. Once or twice I carefully helped explain the Christian symbolism in these tales, but at this point in Lanie's life, I was generally content to help her understand the plot and appreciate whatever she picked up on her own—we can explore the deeper meanings when she's a little older. Lanie, for her part, says that Aslan is her favorite character and The Last Battle is her favorite book because of the marvelously happy ending (her dad thinks there's a little recency bias in there as well). Now it'll be on to some new, yet-to-be-determined book. Learning to read is not so far off on the horizon for Lanie. Who knows? If Lanie and I come back to The Chronicles of Narnia, she might be able to read the books herself.

Grace and peace,

BMH

#252 Public Prayer

This Sunday I preached from a Bible passage where Jesus warns His hearers about the teachers of the law, who—among other things—"for a show make lengthy prayers." (See Mark 12:38-40.) I have to say, those words make me a little bit uncomfortable. Leading the prayers of the people (sometimes semi-seriously referred to as the "long prayer") in public worship is a regular part of my responsibilties as a pastor.

I believe this prayer should cover a wide variety of topics. As God's people, we should be praying for each other and all the nations of the world and every sector of society and all creation. After, all our God is God over all, and Jesus Christ is King of the universe. So I try to include a lot of things in my prayers: prayers for particular people with specific needs in and around our congregation, prayers for our local church and the worldwide church, prayers for our community and our nation and the nations of the world, prayers for creation. And based on the types of prayers we read in Scripture, I don't just want to bring a bunch of requests, even if many of those requests are for others. I also want to praise God for who He is and thank Him for what He's done and express trust in Him and confess sins and lament evils. I try to vary my prayers and highlight different things from week to week. I'd like to model good prayer habits and encourage my congregation to broaden their own prayers.

But the whole thing can make me self-conscious. I'm afraid that at times I'm hypocritical. I understand that public prayer and private prayer are somewhat different. I really am working on expanding my own private prayer life to include a wider variety of prayers. But I'm certainly not always as balanced in my private prayers as I am in public. I definitely become self-centered in my own prayers at times. When I lead public prayer, I try to pray things I really mean and avoid rambling, but I know that I do ramble at times, especially when I'm under-prepared or nervous. For now I think the best I can do is to keep working on my praying—both public and private—and ask God to help me grow in speaking honestly and boldly yet humbly before Him. And maybe a little bit of nervousness is a good thing if it makes me a little more reflective and intentional about what and how I pray.

Grace and peace,

BMH

#251 Kid Friendly

When I was a little kid, my pastor was Ron Kok. I loved Pastor Ron. At the time my church owned this big old house. Pastor Ron and his family lived on the main floor, and my family rented the upstairs, which worked as a three-bedroom apartment. Living in the same building meant I saw quite a bit of Pastor Ron. He and his wife, Monique, babysat my sister and me fairly often when my parents went out for dinner. When Pastor Ron came home in the afternoon, I would sometimes be outside shooting hoops or lobbing a football into the air so I could run underneath and catch it. I remember Pastor Ron stopping to toss the football with me. I remember him talking to me about the books I was reading. I remember him playing Mastermind with me in his living room. Pastor Ron made me feel like I mattered, like he cared about me.

I can't say that I often consciously think about Pastor Ron as I go about my work as a pastor, but I'm sure that my good relationship with him made a big impact on me. I really want the children I serve as a pastor to feel like they matter, like I care about them. I do children's messages during our worship services in the hopes that the kids will think that church is for them, and I don't mind at all when they go on tangents. I made sure I learned all the kids' names as quickly as I could, and I try to specifically say hello to them when I see them. I want them to feel comfortable talking to me, so I try to ask questions about school or what they're doing that day. I don't know that I'm as good as Pastor Ron was, but I hope that I can be a postive influence on the children I meet as pastor.

Grace and peace,

BMH