WLJ Finale: Zombies

OCT 31 - NOV 6 2010  — WLJ Finale: ZOMBIES — ISSUE 178

WARNING: This issue is not for the squeamish. (Hence the title) So readers beware. <insert eerie Halloween music and maniacal laughter here>

Normally two disciples discussing ministries and their relationship with God is pretty standard at gatherings of the body. Have the female wearing a fake beard, cornrows, baggy clothes and a matching thug walk while impersonating a male, and then have the other dressed head to toe in an authentic FedEx uniform while wearing a glow-in-the-dark biker skull and suddenly this conversation seems a bit off. But such is the way at a church Halloween party. Vampire nurses talk to walking cue-tips, creepy hooded, glowing-eyed monsters get deep with war heroes, and Wonder Woman shares a spiritual victory with two chain-gain workers. Man, I love this Kingdom.

Now onto that squeamish stuff I was blabbering about.

Zombies. Most of us are at lease vaguely familiar with them. Traditionally (ignoring current trends of tampering with their behavior) zombies are the walking dead. Lifeless beings who drag legs, limbs, and whatever else that's hanging, slowly along as they search for a still living victim to devour. They're slow enough a small child could outrun them on a tricycle, and their communication skills are about as good as a newborn lama's. Only a well placed head shot can bring these creatures to a halt permanently, and they can often be found traveling in packs along roads while moaning loudly, or hiding quietly in closets waiting to spring to life (so-to-speak) in the moment you least expect it. They're not that smart, but they can recall certain motor skills at the worst possible moment, allowing to them open doors or windows when you least want them to. They're kind of a terrible party guest, but they are a surefire way to get the military to blow up half your town in case you're looking for a lively Friday night. (So I guess that's a positive?)

As Christians, we understand we have to die to live. Our old selves must be buried in the waters of baptism so we can be raised anew with Christ. (John 3, Romans 6, etc.) For all intents and purposes, we become the living dead. This is where the similarities should stop in our comparisons to those often called the undead, though.

JOHN 10:10 -

Having life to the full doesn't sound a lot like a boring, ho-hum existence. In fact, everything we've been reading through the Gospels about Christ and the way He lived and how His followers are to live should make it abundantly clear that Christians are to be a vibrant color in a world of dull gray. Being "salt" and "light" cannot translate into dull, boring, or indifferent. So why then are Christians often so much like the fictional undead? Him-hawing about, traveling in exclusive packs, aimlessly wandering in search of someone they can try to save, communicating poorly do to underdeveloped faith and a lack of knowledge, attained through study, of how Jesus, or lead example, shared salvation, or lying in wait in some closet hoping someone will wander into their direct path so they can spring out and try to share their faith. Why are Christians often dull, depressed, and seen walking and behaving with no emotional triumph, no eternal security, no real purpose?

We are not zombies. We are to reach out to a lost world who are dying, not act more dead than them. We're to be that light, that salt, that bright spot of positivity on a dark day of worldly stress, that motivated, purpose driven and swift-moving hero in a crowd of helpless, lost and wondering zombies, that poignant and deep conversation in a world filled with useless, meaningless moans and grunts, that glowing skin tone among a sea of pasty, nutrient-deprived faces.

We are Christians, and we want to walk like Jesus. We died to live and live to die. Isn't it time we showed it?

Brett "If you prefer silence over conversation, and don't ever want to hug, hold hands, or slow dance,  you should date a zombie" Hibbler

WLJ wk4: Be Like Jesus

OCT 24 - OCT 30 2010  — WLJ week 4: BE LIKE JESUS — ISSUE 177

This month we've been rolling through the Gospels, dissecting the life of Christ, and gaining insights regarding His character from an author who had clearly delved deep into who Jesus was, during his ministry back in the early parts of the 1900s. The purpose of the month being for us to not only understand more about our Savior, but to be more like Him in every way. So, after four weeks of study I've created a small list of ways we can be like Him, and I'll let you guys decide which of you wants to take which task.

We need someone who wants to be responsible for healing the sick and diseased, someone to cast out demons, to raise the dead, feed thousands with but a few loaves and fish, preach all over the countryside to countless people needing to hear the truth before dealing with tough emotions gained from the loss of a cousin and a close friend, get money out of a fish's mouth, walk on water, control the weather, withstand direct temptation from Satan himself, turn water into wine, answer tricky questions under intense pressure without misspeaking, sneak through angry mobs who want to throw you off a cliff, wither a fig tree, and a few other "light" tasks.

Any volunteers?

Obviously, His shoes are pretty big. Even the things that should be easy are difficult to emulate. Like, say, napping in a boat. Napping seems easy. I think I could handle that. But what's that you say? It has to be during a storm violent enough to scare experienced fishermen while in a not-so-large wooden boat? Guess that just leaves eating with sinners and praying a lot.

LUKE 4:16-21

This is Jesus. This was His purpose. Maybe we won't be able to work all the miracles He did, maybe we won't ever have an audience as large as His, maybe our lives won't look exactly like His did from a "total body of work" standpoint. But His mission statement should not seem out of reach. The Spirit of the Lord is upon us too, we can preach the gospel to the poor, we can proclaim the truth, His truth, to release those held captive in a world of sin, we can open the eyes of the morally and ethically blind to the reality of their situation, we can pass along the same instructions we have received to gain freedom from the oppression of sin and death, and we can proclaim how great it is that we live in a time where the promises of the Savior have been fulfilled, where the price has been paid and the gift of eternal life is ready and waiting.

We can never be Christ. But we can absolutely be like Him.

Brett "I can't even nap like Jesus" Hibbler

WLJ wk3: A Little Help Please

OCT 17 - OCT 23 2010 —  WLJ week 3: A LITTLE HELP, PLEASE — ISSUE 176

I don't know about you, but I'm knee deep in these Gospels, and it is better than laetificants. Or perhaps something more normal sounding for those of you living in Normalville USA. Me? I like living in a land where an author can use words like humbuggery and pettifogger without getting weird looks, head scratching, or causing Google searches for those words to increase 18000%. If you've been reading the campaign book, Jesus The Same, you know what I'm talking about. I can't wait to see what crazy words he slips in next chapter. Abligurition? Balbutiate? Gadzookery?

This week we've been in Mark, and I thought I'd share one particular passage that struck me. You really need to read the passage first, though, and it's a lot of text, so read at your own risk of clocking in late from your lunch break.

MARK 9:14-27

Here we have this man who clearly loves his child, saving him from death on occasions when the demon within acted up and who, with tears in his eyes, begs for healing. There's passion in his request and his heart clearly yearns for his son to be cured. He obviously believed Jesus could heal him, hence the whole reason he came, but notice how he petitions Jesus for help; "But if you can do anything..." We all know He can, and He almost seems to be like "Really? If I can do anything?" in response. (Check the NIV and NASB translations for more of that vibe.) He then challenges the man and reiterates the power of belief, to which the man makes a simple request that hits so close to home at times: "Help my unbelief!"

Whether this man had doubts do to a hard life of challenges and near-death experiences which had worn him down, or doubts from Jesus' Disciples who probably had a reputation for doing extraordinary things but had failed to cast out the demon, or just do to typical human skepticism of miracles, I don't know. What we do know, however, is that his heart was genuine in its desire for his son to be healed, and he knew Jesus held the best odds of helping him. And isn't that so much like us at times?

Don't we sometimes doubt a situation can be helped, cured, taken away, lessened or changed because we've had so many failed attempts throughout our life? Or perhaps because other Christians, Jesus' Disciples, have let us down or been unsuccessful in helping us and now we wonder if God still can? Yet, when we find our belief lacking, doesn't our heart still know deep down that God can solve the problem and take away that burden? Let's take hope from this scripture.

Let's follow this man's lead. With sincerity in our petition, not bitterness from the situation, with humility realizing God can resolve it no matter how large it is and even if we and others have failed, and while acknowledging our need for assistance with our unbelief, let's present our request before God. Take comfort knowing that those who ask, seek, and knock will receive, find, and have it opened; that if we can give good gifts, how much greater God's will be, and if we are persistent, knocking and knocking and knocking, our needs will be taken care of. (Luke 11)

Belief is powerful and unbelief is detrimental. But thankfully with God all things are possible, and a sincere heart can trump a lacking faith.

Brett "If spellchecker has dropped the word you're using out of its nearly unlimited index of words because it's so old, it's time to let it go" Hibbler

WLJ wk2: 10-10-10

OCT 10 - OCT 16 2010 —  WLJ week 2: 10-10-10  — ISSUE 175

I've done 'C's in honor and response to a lot of things over the last few years, but this may be the first I've done simply because I couldn't waste the date. Not the significance of the day, but the numerical alignment itself. Yes, today is October tenth, 2010. Or, as I prefer to write it, 10/10/10. Cool, right?

Well, at least I think it's cool. 'Course, I also laughed uncontrollably when I heard a political commercial for one representative responding to a mudslinging ad by another not by slinging back, but by simply clarifying their record and then ending the ad by saying, I kid you not, "Shame on you [accusing candidates name], shame on you."  Makes me wonder if their next ad will end with "Now go to your room and think about what you've done." That sort of commercial makes me want to declare residency in another state just to vote for them.

This is the second week of our campaign month, and we're now moving into Mark. But, in reference to the date, I'd like to present ten (out of pages and pages of notes) snippets that gut checked me this week from the book of Matthew. Feel free to check out the entire context, and I hope your reading has yielded fantastically deep quiet times as well. In order of appearance:

1) Matthew 6:8 "...your Father knows what you need before you ask Him."

2) Matthew 6:22-23 "...If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"

3) Matthew 6:25 "...Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?"

4) Matthew 6:27 "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"

5) Matthew 7:1-5 "...in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

6) Matthew 9:10-13 "...go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’"

7) Matthew 9:36-38 "But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd."

8) Mathew 10:5-10 "...a worker is worthy of his food."

9) Matthew 10:16 "...be wise as serpents and harmless as doves."

10) Matthew 12:39-42 "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign..."

Brett "I wish someone would send me to my room to think about what I've done so I could take a nap" Hibbler

WLJ wk 1: Own It

OCT 3 - OCT 9 2010  — WALK LIKE JESUS week 1: OWN IT  — ISSUE 174

Well, ladies and gents, it's October again, and we all know what that means. No, not baseball playoffs. And it's not that once-a-year opportunity to justify some hideous outfit you purchased 10 years ago by now calling it a Halloween costume, either. No, October is campaign month in the Church, and this one's all about Jesus, so you know it's gonna' be a good one. The challenges are modest in quantity, but hefty in commitment and filled with the promise of a large spiritual payout.

These campaigns will only affect us if we take them on with a personal conviction, though. If we don't embrace these challenges and goals and make them our own, but instead just "follow suit" or do them to "be a part of the 'team'", we'll undoubtedly fall short of achieving some, if not all of them — excuses come a lot easier when you don't really care about something — and we won't see much personal growth or success. It is only through personal conviction that our faith will stand the test of time, and likewise, challenges such as these will fall victim to our moods, emotions, and physical states if won't don't internalize them. Just ask Ecuador's president, Rafael Correa, if you don't believe me. His beliefs didn't translate to everyone, and when his and the government's goals weren't held by all in the country, pure chaos ensued; the objective fell apart.

This month we focus on Christ, the greatest example ever given for personalizing a goal not of our own brewing. Time and time again He stated this was His Father's will, and that what He spoke was given to Him by God. He struggled with it at times, (you don't sweat drops of blood over a minor inconvenience) but ultimately He made it His own. So it was only by believing in God's cause, in what God was fighting so hard to convey and accomplish for us, that He was able to endure so much ridicule, persecution, and ultimately a violent and terrible death. He took God's goal as far as anyone could, and it was only by making it His that such a feat was possible.

PHILIPPIANS 3:10-15

This month, let's seek to be more like Christ. Let's take every challenge tossed our way, realizing their intention is to bring us closer to our Savior and to shape us ever more in God's image, and make them our own. Let's leave this month knowing we did everything we could to be like Him, not regretting opportunities missed and chances lost.

Brett "I have a goal of cleaning my bathroom, you should really make it your own so I can finally get it done" Hibbler

Dirty Dishes

SEP 26 - OCT 2 2010 —  DIRTY DISHES  — ISSUE 173

Let's talk for a moment about perhaps one of the most well known feuds in the history of cohabitation: dirty dishes. Whether you're the dish dirtier or the clean freak, you've all been on one side of the argument at some point.

We know the scenario, one person leaves the dishes in the sink, rarely if ever cleaning them, and the other person turns red and blows smoke out of their ears every time they see the food-caked, spaghetti stained dishes still in the sink after days of waiting. Having discussed it time and time again, they eventually decide to not "remind" the guilty party, deciding instead to wait and see how long it takes before they wash them on their own. The next thing they know, there's mold on the dishes and the dish leaver is oblivious to the issue, laughing and having a good time. Meanwhile, the person struggling is lying on the floor in the kitchen, twitching and holding their stomach from the ulcer they've now birthed, and praying that they don't have fit of rage in the form of penicillin throwing. (Penicillin comes from mold in case I lost you on that description.)

Aren't you glad God isn't us? What if He stopped "doing dishes" because we kept leaving them in sink and He was tired of cleaning up after us? He wants us to help those in need, to feed the sick and the poor, to care for widows and orphans, to encourage one another daily, to be kind, loving, and caring to enemies and friends alike, to not gossip, hate, have fits of rage, or even to grumble. When we don't do those things, when we leave them unfinished or neglected entirely, we leave dirty dishes in the sink: worldly grime in desperate need of a spiritual cleaning. So again, what if He stopped doing those things for us when we stopped doing it for others? It could be a lengthy time before you ever felt the hand of encouragement or had a loving act done for you if His actions stopped when we do.

ISAIAH 48:9-11

If you've ever been debilitated by sin, feeling totally unworthy doing God's work and hesitant to serve again because of the hypocrisy you see in your own life, only to watch God work powerfully around you or even through you in that very moment, then you know what I'm talking about. Praise Him for it because His cause is so good, His love is so strong, He won't let our sin or neglect hurt others or leave "dishes" unwashed for long.

Yes, there are times of testing and periods where He'll pull back, allowing our "dirty dishes" to lead to hurt, damaged relationships, and to blossom into other issues, and we need to be aware of the repercussions of leaving them in the sink, and especially of constantly procrastinating before doing them.  But if God were us, with all the dirty dishes He puts up with, He'd never come back. Our stubbornness and finite patience would eventually wear out and possibly keep us away indefinitely, having had our fill of lazy, procrastinators with no respect for themselves, for others' property, and for the well being of everyone who uses those dishes.

Like I said, He's not us. His belief in His cause and in Himself surpasses ours, and praise Him for it. Praise Him for continuing to work even though we've given Him every reason not to.

Brett "If you leave dishes in the sink, I'll leave socks on the couch" Hibbler

Self-Seeking Missile

SEP 19 - SEP 25 2010 — SELF-SEEKING MISSILE  — ISSUE 172

"YARGH!" I half muttered as I hung up the phone after a quick conversation with my mother. Why "Yargh?" as my outburst and not something more, well, normal? It's simple. I was deliberately expressing anguish in a very stereotypical fashion given the day's significance. See, today is September 19th, National Talk Like A Pirate Day. Most of you know the odd ways this particularly obscure holiday has popped up in my life, so I'll spare you the re-caps. All you need to know is that even though subconsciously I knew what today was, it never dawned on me until my mother called to remind me. That means I wasted the one day a year when it's cool to talk like an extra on the next Pirates of The Caribbean movie. (I think this is what, the 9th installment of that franchise?) To add to my frustration, I was surrounded by knee nibblers all afternoon who would have totally taken the idea and embraced it, making us the coolest group of kids at the fossil dig.

AAAAAAAAAARGH!

Okay. I think I'm good. For some of you what's coming next will sound familiar, I shared it at Midweek. I haven't expressed the meat God gave me from Luke 14 in written form yet, though, so please indulge me as I get it out in a format I can reference later. It's lengthy, so no hard feelings if you bail and head to this week's agenda for time's sake.

LUKE 14:7-11

After reading this, most of us probably can't think of a time we went some place and deliberately took a seat of honor. We'd never have the guts to head to the wedding party's table at the reception and grab a seat next to the best man just because we wanted food first. (The thought, yes, but the courage to carry it out, no.) But ask yourself about times when you do try to gain honor on your own, trying to get others to take notice of it rather than waiting for someone else to bestow it on you.

So often we do try to get recognition for something we've done by bringing it up or perhaps subtly manipulation conversations, dropping "seeds" through words, statements, or answers, that will prompt a desired reaction from those we're talking to. Maybe it's as simple as just looking giddy or deliberately excited, knowing someone will ask you why you look that way. We do it because most of us have learned that gloating and bragging aren't typically thought of as desirable or likable traits, (think professional athletes) and so we we know we have to get others to talk about us without being so obvious. And maybe it's something small, or perhaps it's some great act of service or deed done for God that we know He's proud of, not anything at all qualifiable as an ego inflating deed.

The problem here isn't the desire for recognition itself. It is, after all, not always an ego thing but simply one way many of us seek to feel love; through verbal affirmation. Being lifted up by someone else feels great and can change our entire demeanor. Solomon knew this (Prov 16:24). And often times we desire to learn people's reactions to what we've said or done, seeing it as an insight into how God hopefully feels about us.

The issue is one a bit more complicated. We know the obvious problem, seeking self glory is not at all humble and an easy way to derail God's importance in our lives; how it was through His gifts of talents, abilities, and experiences we were even able to do whatever it was we did. But it could also be said that our desire to sit at that seat of honor, to force that recognition, is a testament to how God's grace isn't always sufficient for us, that His knowing what we've done doesn't give us the contentment it should. After all, isn't only when people have felt more secure in what God thinks about them than what those around them do, that we see incredibly inspirational acts of faith being performed?

If you remember Jesus' more direct advice on this subject in Matthew 6, He said it's good if our right hand doesn't even know what our left is doing, otherwise the praise of men is all we'll get. But if we put it in God's hands, He will reward us.

Something I've found very helpful and powerful in my life is the lessons He's taught me on this subject. His answering of those small prayers, ones that seem so insignificant compared to larger issues we plead and petition Him for, is but one of the many aspects of God I love so much, and this is an area I've witnessed this time and time again. When feeling that desire for reconnection, I just put it in His hands. I pray that if He finds it fit to gives some praise or adoration, then please help my heart by doing so. But if just the knowledge that He knows what I've done is to be enough, then I pray that He helps ease my heart and, perhaps more importantly, that He will bind my tongue and prevent me from indulging that inner desire. So many times He's sent me emails, phone calls, and even praise in public, and often it comes at totally unexpected times.

Seeking it for ourselves will always cheapen the experience. When it comes when we simply let our deeds stand for themselves and trust God to take care of the reward part, it will feel all the more warming, encouraging, and very much undeserving. Our humility remains in check, our hearts are uplifted, and we see direct, undeniable ways that God pays attention to the little details in our lives, not just the major issues.

Don't sit at the place of honor and gain only shame. Wait for God, and He will move you to the seat far higher than you'd ever feel comfortable asking for yourself.

Brett "Does this mean I can't talk about how I was in the paper last week? " Hibbler