Telling the World It's Own Story

This was my article review of Richard John Neuhaus's Telling the World It's Own Story. It is an outstanding piece. Read it if you get a chance. I wrote this back at Bryan College in Contemporary/Cultural Apologetics.

“Even when we are against the world, we must be for the world” (1). I think this sums up the article well. Neuhaus is arguing that the world still needs us and that it is really at a time when people are wanting spiritual help. It is somewhat of a call for the unity of anyone holding Jesus Christ as their personal savior to be aware of the need for Christ in the world. This needs to be done not in an imposing way, but in a proposition. No cramming allowed. Finally, he calls all Christians to follow faithfully who we are; we are the children of the promise who are to persevere.

“When finally our Lord Jesus comes in glory, he is not going to need any PR agents or press releases. Everyone will know, and every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. He will manage it” (3). This makes me examine the whether the need missionaries in the tribes that have not heard or really do not stand a chance to hear of Christ in comparison to the atheist in college is greater than some other ministry anywhere else in a more modern society. I guess the need is the Gospel. Period. But there still seems to be some urgency of reaching those with less of a chance. I am in dilemma.

“I want to tell you the story of the world, which is the story of your life. Let me propose it to you as a lover proposes to a beloved” (6). This is quite a way of putting it. It definitely does seem to be the most effective. I know you can easily back it up scripturally. It really places weight on the whole ‘be holy as I am holy.’

“‘Settle for nothing less than moral and spiritual grandeur’” (7). This hit me hard with all the junk in my life. I have and am struggling with pornography and the like. Anytime I think rationally, spiritually, or biblically about sin, it is so stupid. But when the temptation is there, it is so easy to throw off holiness as meaningless. Even in other areas, why can’t I be content with being blameless before God and putting to death the deeds of the flesh? I long for it. I really do. I also do accomplish in some areas, but not all; so annoying. Then again, I know there are times when I don’t long for it. Therein lies my problem.

a letter to a friend turning 13

Dear Will,

What a glorious occasion this is to mark the first move from being a boy to a man. This marks a transition from being cared for to caring for others. You can now move to a position where more is required of you. You have more responsibility toward your family, friends, and local body of Christ. No more can those around you, in response to some childish action you do, say, “That is just Will being a boy.” You are held to a higher standard now as a young man.

Consider yourself in the stage of life where Timothy and Titus are trained for their usefulness. In a sense, you are where Lois and Eunice were training him up in the faith. This is the important step toward masculinity. In any other part of the world, you would not have this step. You would go from being a boy to a man—none of this adolescence stuff that has only been around for about seventy years. In a day, you would take on courage, valor, and strength. You may even be taken from your house, your mother, and be whisked away with other young men to the house of men. You would not be allowed to return to your house of youth. You would have to think, provide, and fend for yourself. Now, this is not going to happen, but the move, in a sense, does. You now have a sphere of responsibility, action, boldness, and humility.

Be like Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia, Will—wild, but good. Make him one of your heroes. Spend time in nature. Learn how to use a knife. Continue learning how to fight and defend through martial arts. As a young man, you must fight evil. This world is full of evil—evil that kills people and societies, and evil that harms and diminishes life lived fully. The world is at most times “red-tooth and claw.” Unfortunately, the lion cannot lie down with the lamb; the lamb will be eaten. This means that Thomas Kincaid is not a good artist for this world; he only envisions heaven, and heaven is not yet come. We must keep the tension in hand that this world is both fallen and redeemed.

Recognize, also, that evil resides in you—the fleshly nature. You must know yourself. Why are you prone to certain vices? It is because of fallenness and pride. By understanding this, you can see the consequences in the world around you. Pride is the root of sin. Know pride within yourself, and you will know why men around you do what they do. You must develop discipline in your life. Know your tendency toward pride and disrespect. Know how to deal with your anger, for that is only the result of not getting your way.

Don’t see Christianity as a list of dos and don’ts. Remember you were not only saved from something (world, flesh, and the devil, hell) but toward something (life in Christ, freedom, holiness, truth, goodness, beauty, and heaven). Seek to know and act in this way, and you will, as the Psalmist says, “cleanse your path.”

Guard against to the tendency toward peer pressure. You must continue to obey your parents; honor them. Both of them. You ignore your dad; you ignore your Dad in heaven. Learn from him, and you will learn about your Father.

You must continue to read. Master English grammar (putting together sentences and making a complete thought), for this will teach you how language works. Over the next several years and once you master grammar, move to dialectic (how to make sense and form argument). Finally, understand rhetoric (how to write and speak beautifully). If you do this, you will be well on the road to changing the world.

Figure out what your name means. A name is a cup-full of meanings. You may know what your name means from a name etymology, but over time ‘Will’ takes on more meaning. Your father has named you at birth with certain intentions, but for many years now, he has been naming you by telling who are, what you can do, how to be a good child, what you’re good at, and what you’re not good at. This all becomes your identity. Will also means you’re associated with the Plyler family, but it now means you are a part of the global body of Christ. Will has come to mean a louder, witty boy at church, but also one who does well at AWANA and is on a path to sharpness, creativity, and greatness. All these meanings and associations play into the life and meaning of Will.

Now, as you enter the second stage of masculinity, there is a new meaning to your name. Your father, with this event, has knighted you with affirmation. This is another way of showing his love of you and toward you. In a sense, this signifies how God the Father affirmed his Son Jesus at his baptism: “This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.” As a loving and respecting son, you must obey both of your fathers. This new meaning is your responsibility to cultivate.

I’m including with this letter some symbolic items to spur you on toward masculinity. Paul states that we are to be good soldiers for Christ, and at other times, he uses the analogies of a farmer, athlete, and student. All four of these examples show aspects of masculinity. The soldier fights the good fight; the farmer is a hard worker, the athlete trains day in and day out; the student mines for ideas and true knowledge that leads to wisdom and fear of the Lord. The items are yours; use them as you wish. Some are used; some are new. The carabiner represents the athlete who is a rock climber. I have had it for many years and used it for many things. The flower pot, representing the farmer, was intentionally broken to show how sometime we are broken and then built back up. God does a much better job at rebuilding than I do.:) The book of Creeds represents the centuries of the Church from the time of Paul till the present. If you know them, you will know some of the most important ideas in the history of the Church and the Faith. I also included a bookmark that advertises a need to be prepared for the ideas you will face in the world. Finally, water is one of the most important things for good health in the life of the soldier.

I love you, Will. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May his face shine upon you. May you grow in wisdom and understanding into this new realm of life. I look forward to seeing you in the future.

Sincerely,

Your Uncle, Brother, Friend,

Jason

P.S. The Bible reading chart is self-explanatory. Upon reading those passages, you will have a working understanding of the God’s story.

shame in serenity of seasons

The weirdest sensation comes over me when I see fall leaves rustle about behind a moving vehicle. A tension rises in my soul when I walk a road through the woods and their leaves are strewn about in the wind and on the floor. Either it is that I grew up in a wood where there was no season change and nothing changed for new or death, or it reminds me that my life is still constantly changing. In the spring, I will be going to infantry school in Fort Benning, GA. On the other hand, there is a sensation of beauty and sublime that only comes in the West this time of year. Now there are some countries that in which I haven’t lived that hold this changing of seasons. However, for some reason I feel shameful for enjoying and desiring this beautiful serenity of seasons.

Glow-in-the-Dark Paper Wad Fight

So last night I took a gamble. I have been storing up some glow in the dark bracelets and a lot of paper--hoping the paper wouldn't have to just be thrown away. I decided on a paper wad fight in the dark with a bracelet on each wrist for illumination. Thus, after the students went to sleep at 11 pm, I started handing out the bracelets to all of the staff members. We hit the lights and went at it. It was awesome. We were having so much fun, we actually all got called down numerous times. Girls had just as much fun as the guys. We had just enough light from the glow to see all the wads on the floor, pick them up, and huck them at people. No casualties either:) One girl did get hit right in the eye, but she'll live.

What Counts as Sin?

"Whatever weakens your reasoning, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes away your relish for spiritual things; in short, if anything increases the authority and power of the flesh over the Spirit, then that to you becomes sin, however good it is in itself."

Hmm.. this is a powerful statement by Susanna Wesley, the mother of John and Charles Wesley. In case they are escaping your memory, they are some of the founders of the Great Awakening, next to Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfield.

Classics Education

Today I begin my classics education. First, over the next few years or however long it will take me, I will work my way through the 100 classics of Everyman's Library. In general, I am not well read; ergo, I will read. I'm starting with 1984 by George Orwell for a few reasons. 1) I own it already. 2) It is first on Everyman's list. 3) I was born in 1984. 4) I was going to start with Dante's Divine Comedy but figured it would be too hard and archaic to start with that, so I was looking for a bridge to the past.

Second, I have also begun to tear up my fingertips on a guitar. My dream is to learn classical guitar fingerpicking, so I start by learning chords--A, D, G. These two endeavors will be my next big undertakings of life. Wish me luck.

Full Circle...4 Months Later

Darryl,

What a neat surprise to hear from you. I am doing ok. Ups and downs have been a huge part of my life for the past months. With life being in a state of waiting (jobs, choices, etc.), the Lord has been teaching me how to live with purpose amidst unemployment. I was listening to a lecture the other night while hiking a mountain in the snow, and once I got to the top and overlooked my city of Lenoir, NC, it hit me that my picture frame of contentment needs to be this city. Now, I know the Lord has other place and events in store down the road, but for right now, I must be content with this redneck corner of the woods. It has been very difficult to come back to this small city and wait on the next step.

Good news, however, has just reached my ears as of yesterday. First, I got a job as a tutor at an elementary school. I've been desiring a job in education for quite some time now. Also, I should be paid according to my bachelor's, which is another plus even though it is only part time for now. Not to mention, the county in which I live has one of the highest unemployment rates of the entire state. Therefore, this is good news and should go well with driving school buses at some point soon.

Second, I still cannot shake this desire to serve the country in some way. Thus, I am very close to signing as a medic with the Army National Guard and possibly pursuing OCS down the road. This decision is not coming lightly, however, since I know what I'll be getting into:) Either way, it is simply a huge matter before the Lord. Since this tutoring job is only till May, I am debating between doing basic over the summer or doing Summit Ministries again. Any advice?

To be honest with you, I didn't expect to hear from you again. After our last talk and my decision the next day, I was not sure what would happen, if anything, between us from that point forward. I heartily needed your advice and still found the right decision to be to DOR. Either way, I was planning on contacting you at some point down the road...honestly:) I even have a friend from Bryan College, who has completed USMC OCS and will be commissioned at his college graduation in May, who would be a great fit for what you might be looking for down the road. He studied the same thing as I, and I think plans to be pilot--that or Intel, not sure. I've talked with him a bit since dropping, mentioning your name and what you do, and he seems very interested. I told him I would talk to you at some point about it.

So apart from being jobless and deeply seeking the Lord's vision over the last four months, things have been relatively productive. I've worked my way through the Truth Project (gaining a vision for ministry in this area), read many books, started doing things I've been aspiring to do for many years, kindled a new respect for the Marines and military life, been cussed out by my recruiting officers, bought a used Tahoe (I only had a motorcycle before because my sister totaled my Jetta), learned to live on very little money, gotten a tentative job editing a book, filled out too many job applications, ran, biked and hiked many miles, and been given a chance to refine important ambitions in my life before God. I still lie in anticipation as to how I will get out of debt, attend to this military ambition, and get to grad school down the road. Strangely enough, I am confident all of it will be taken care of beyond my expectations. He has given me all that my heart has desired up to this point, which is so surprising but shouldn't be; I am grateful and honored.

Thank you for checking in and praying for me.

Jason