Category Archives: Nate’s Blog

On Tiger and life

Published in Nate's Blog on December 16, 2009
On Tiger and life

“….a now-shattered personal life…”

In a recent piece on ESPN.com, Jason Sobel wrote the preceding words in regards to Tiger Woods.  Unless you were on Jupiter, you might have heard about the scandal that has unfolded in the days following Thanksgiving 2009.  A tabloid reported alleged infidelity on Tiger’s part just before Thanksgiving.  Tiger crashed his SUV early on Friday morning after Thanksgiving in a bizarre one-car accident coming out of his driveway.  The tabloids caught the scent of blood and latched on for dear life, alleging multiple affairs by Tiger with as many as 14 different women over the course of at least 5 years.  Within a few days Tiger acknowledged infidelity on his part, though not in any detail, and just two weeks after he wrecked his SUV he went into total hiding as he announced he was taking an indefinite leave from playing golf (and most likely, from any public appearances for the foreseeable future).

A “now-shattered life” indeed.

I’m never been a Tiger fan.  Of course one might think it’s easy to say that after the events of the past month.  But it’s true nonetheless.  I’ve never liked Tiger’s foul language on the golf course, his tossing of golf clubs, his caddy’s treatment of fans on the course, Tiger’s own attitude toward the fans who are responsible for all of his money, his reticence to sign autographs for those same fans, and so on.

I’d rather follow Vijay Singh, a golfer who gives interviews in which he tells you what he actually thinks instead of what he thinks you want to hear.  Or Tom Watson, a man who has more class in his little finger than most of the guys on the PGA Tour have in their whole being.  Or Y.E. Yang, who showed guts in putting the beatdown on Tiger at the 2009 PGA Championship.  Heck, I’d rather follow Phil Mickelson, whom my wife affectionately refers to as “Gumby” both for his goofy appearance as well as his ability to choke in clutch situations.

I’d rather follow anybody but Tiger.

There’s nothing that would make me happier in terms of my golf fanhood than to see Tiger Woods take a tumble.  And what falls into my fanhood lap but a situation that seems guaranteed to bring down Tiger Woods from his pinnacle of golf dominance.  But somehow I can’t bring myself to celebrate.

I’ve gone through a wide range of thoughts on the Tiger scandal.  In semi-chronological order starting from his SUV accident through my thoughts from just a couple of days ago……..

That’s weird.

Wow.

Why in the world was he leaving his driveway that early in the morning?

That’s crazy.

No, it can’t be true.

It’s just the tabloids doing their thing.

Are you serious?

Oh boy, this can’t be good for Tiger.

He very well may be in deep trouble.

He very well may be in DEEP trouble.

Tiger is hosed.

What a crumb.

Man, do I feel sorry for his wife.

What a jerk and a dope.

How could he have everything he ever needed and get caught up in that?

How could he be dumb enough to get CAUGHT?

What was he THINKING?

Well, he’s gonna get what he deserved.  What a dope.

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That’s a sampling of what has percolated through my mind over the last 3+ weeks.

But in the last several days, more has bubbled to the surface.  A feeling that there may be something deeper here.  There’s more to this story than simply cause and effect.  There’s more to it than crime and punishment, or sin and consequences.  It’s deeper than A + B = C.  There may be more to it than a reckless and unfaithful husband, a shellshocked wife, and a marriage hanging by a thread – though that’s more than enough for the public (and most sportswriters) to be prepared to act as judge, jury, and executioner in the Tiger Woods Trial.

And it was that one short clause in a lengthy article by Jason Sobel on ESPN.com that served as the trigger that brought my latest thoughts to a head…

“…a now-shattered life….”

“…a now-shattered life”?  I don’t think so.  No, here is the ugly, unfettered truth:  Tiger’s life was shattered long before it became public knowledge.

It’s just that we didn’t know about it.

His life was already shattered.  It was already in pieces.  But it was hidden.  It was secret.  It was in the dark.  His broken life was covered up with secrets and hiding places and women and enabling managers (maybe) and accomplices (allegedly) and agents (possibly) and only God (literally) knows what else.

But it was broken nonetheless.  Long before we knew about it, his life was shattered.

And that particular realization brought a whole new set of questions for me.  Questions such as….

~~Wait a minute – how would I like it if MY personal sins were exposed for the public to see?

~~Hmmm, that doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun.

~~I wonder what’s going on in the Woods’ household right now.  Is his wife in shock?

~~Can Tiger look his wife in the face?

~~Was he addicted to his sins?  Was he, deep down, embarrassed and ashamed of his behavior and secretly hoping that he could find some way out of it?  Did he ever feel the twinge of conscience that accompanies failed choices?

~~Did he want to be loved?

~~Does Tiger want to be helped?

~~Does Tiger need condemnation?  Or does Tiger need Jesus?

And how about this one…

~~What would Jesus say to Tiger? And though I don’t know Tiger, how ought I to react to the news of Tiger’s failings?  And how should I react to the failings of people that I actually DO know?

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I can tell you this.  I’ve never slept with anyone except my own wife, and I don’t have any personal sins that are as flashy or headline-worthy as Tiger’s – but I STILL wouldn’t want to have my personal sins paraded around for public consumption.  I know what’s on my inside.  I don’t want you to see it.  Because apart from Jesus, my inside looks just like Tiger’s — broken, shattered, wounded, and battered.

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Roller Rinking

Published in Nate's Blog on December 2, 2009
Roller Rinking

Here’s a few classic pics from our senior high roller skating exhibition on Sunday afternoon.  What a great time.  But man have my feet paid the price for the next 3 days….  (Hat Tip to Kim Helm for the photos)

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Pastor Appreciation

Published in Nate's Blog on November 16, 2009
Pastor Appreciation

Hey, just a quick note to say “Thank You” for the many cards, gifts, thoughts, and prayers during the month of October!  Jenny, Samantha, and I feel very fortunate and blessed to serve with you at Jenison Christian Church.  Thank you so much!  We look forward to working with you for many, many years to come.

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More R.C. Sproul

Published in Nate's Blog on October 26, 2009
More R.C. Sproul

OK, Sunday night during session four of the Truth Project, RC Sproul said (this is paraphrased), “We are living in the most divided time in the history of our country, culturally and ideologically.”

Really?  REALLY???????

Sproul is WAAAAAAAY smarter than I will ever be, and I have learned a lot from the quotes that I have heard from him, but… REALLY?

Maybe he is a better theologian than historian.  To me, 620,000+ deaths in the Civil War constitutes a pretty divided time in our history.  The Civil War was nothing if not cultural and ideological.

Am I way off here?

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Quotes from my preacher

Published in Nate's Blog on October 12, 2009
Quotes from my preacher

My preacher Steve North cracks me up.  Yesterday he was talking about a double-date from his past.  He and his buddy John took two girls out for dinner many years ago.  Steve said, “The two girls spent the whole time talking just to each other, sharing funny stories with each other, that THEY found funny that we DIDN’T find funny, and I was PAYING for this ‘lack of funny!’”

Here’s some of his other strong quotes from the past few months…

“The man who knows ‘how’ will always have a job.  But the man who knows ‘why’ will always be his boss.”

“Too many times, we treat Communion like it’s some sort of ‘Metamucil for the soul.’”

“In America, we substitute ‘being nice’ for using words to preach.”

“Did you ever notice that it’s easy for me to get too busy for God – but God never gets too busy for me?”

“Who controls the content of your mind?”

“We look for answers in the miraculous, while God answers in the mundane.”

(holding up a finger and revolving his other hand around it) – “This is me; this is the world revolving around me – it’s kind of like being a perpetual teenager.”

“We have developed a co-dependent culture where we need to be served and needed more than we need to give or serve.”

“Pride is the most predominant sin in the heart of man.”

“We are the answer to someone else’s prayer.”

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Whose worldview?

Published in Nate's Blog on September 28, 2009
Whose worldview?

We’re working through a curriculum called The Truth Project with our senior high kids this year.  Del Tackett is the virtual facilitator and our own Dave and Amy Barber are our on-site coordinators – they’re doing a great job.

Last night’s session discussed, among other things, two worldviews.  (A “worldview” is simply a way of describing how a person looks at life as they know it, and the parameters by which that person tries to make sense of reality.)

A materialistic worldview sees the universe as a box, and inside the box are three things: matter, energy, and man.  There is nothing outside of the box, and everything in life must be viewed and explained in terms of what is inside the box.  A Christian (or perhaps I should just say “theistic” worldview also sees the universe as a box, with this crucial difference – that there is a God who exists outside of the box, and has chosen to come down into the box at various points in history.  This God is concerned about what happens in the box.

It’s interesting stuff that got me thinking, and as we got into last night’s session dealing with the origin and purpose of philosophy and ethics, a variety of questions came to mind…

~Where do we go to answer the “universal” questions of life?  The answer that most Christians would give (obviously, I think?) is that we seek answers in the Bible.  And yet what interests me about this point is the fact that the Bible was written “in the box” – not outside of the box.  And on top of that, it almost always answers question in terms of particulars – not in terms of universals.  Almost all of the books of the Bible, especially in the New Testament, were addressed to a particular people, in a particular place, at a particular time, and in a particular circumstance!  Dr. Tackett says that we ought to go to God for the answer to these questions – and yet the way God has chosen to speak to us has come THROUGH particular philosophies and particular times and places.

What was the worldview of Jesus?  He grew up in a particular culture, a place, a time, a circumstance.  What impact did his time/place/circumstance have on his worldview?  Would we say he had a Jewish worldview? If so, was that OK?  Or did he need to repent of that worldview in order to grasp a more “godly” worldview?

What was the worldview of a good Jew?  What was the worldview of a true Jew, one who would be saved upon his death?

What was the worldview of a good Gentile proselyte, who would be saved upon his death?

Would Dr. Tackett approve of the modern worldview?  Can the gospel work through the modern worldview?

In referring to post-modernism and its philosophical wake, RC Sproul suggested that this might be the most “anti-intellectual” period in the history of the church.  Really?  REALLY???

Is it possible for the gospel (good news) to work through other worldviews?  Can a Christ-follower also be a Marxist?  Communist?  Socialist? Nazi?  Fascist? Postmodern? Modern?

I’m just asking…….  Discuss.

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Some quotes from NT Wright

Published in Nate's Blog on September 25, 2009
Some quotes from NT Wright

Tuesday I finished reading an interesting paper by Nikolas Thomas Wright entitled “How can the Bible be authoritative?”  It was written originally for a lecture series and presented as a paper for Vox Evangelica in 1991.  Here’s a link to the whole thing.  (It’s about 13,000 words, but it’s worth it.)  And thanks for the FaceBook heads-up, Jas…

I pulled a few of my favorite quotes out of it for your enjoyment…

“It is not enough to translate scripture into timeless truths.”

“This is how the gospels are to become authoritative. They are to become authoritative because, as they tell the story of who Jesus was for Israel in judging and redeeming Israel, so we continue that story—this is the great message of Luke, is it not—in being for the world what Jesus was for Israel. That is how the translation works. And that is why we need narrative, not timeless truth. I’m not a timeless person; I’ve got a story. The world’s not a timeless world; it’s got a story. And I’ve got a responsibility, armed with scripture, to tell the world God’s story, through song and in speech, in drama and in art.”

“We must allow scripture to teach us how to think straight, because by ourselves we don’t; we think bent, we think crooked. “

“The Bible is not an end in itself. It is there so that, by its proper use, the creator may be glorified and the creation may be healed. It is our task to be the people through whom this extraordinary vision comes to pass.”

I remember preaching a sermon maybe 10 years ago that got more funny looks from listeners than any other sermon I ever preached.  The sermon subject was idols – What’s your idol? was the general theme.  We talked about various idols in our lives, and then I remember talking about how we in the evangelical ranks in general, and the Restoration Movement in particular, can so easily tend to fall into some sort of “Scripture-olatry”.  We can begin to worship the Scripture as though it is somehow holy in and of itself.  It’s easy for us who attempt to hold to a high view of Scripture to put too much stock in the actual words themselves.  It was at this point that I began to get the funny looks from the congregation.

[Aaaauuugggghhh, how do I say this right?  The second half of that last paragraph can be so easily misconstrued.  Ummmmm....]

The Bible is God’s word.  It is inspired by Him.  It is breathed by His Spirit.  It is without error in the originals.

But it is God Himself who holds all authority.  It is God Himself to whom belongs the power and the glory.  God does not serve the Scripture; the Scripture is subservient to God.  We live under the Scripture, yes; but only insofar as it illuminates the narrative of God’s ongoing story.  The Scripture does not rule our lives; God rules our lives.

It’s been 10 years, and I still can’t explain it very well without making people think I’m a heretic.  That’s a great commentary on my ability to explicate.  Anyway, I like what NT Wright has to say about it.  Take the time to read that link above if you get the chance.

And as always, I’d love to hear what you have to say.

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29 random thoughts on 40 Days of Acts – part 3

Published in Nate's Blog on September 23, 2009
29 random thoughts on 40 Days of Acts – part 3

Our church is doing 40 Days of Purpose, based on the book of Acts.  Our first homework assignment was to read Acts in one sitting.  Here is Part 3 of my random thoughts on Acts.  Part 1 can be found here….  Part 2 can be found here…

21.  Another comical passage in the Scripture – Paul preaches Eutychus to death at midnight; raises him from the dead; and THEN KEEPS PREACHING UNTIL MORNING.  Strange way to practice church growth….

22.  I love this translation from the NIV – 21:5 – “…there on the beach we knelt to pray.”  It rolls off the tongue, it feels poetic.  I just plain like it.

23.   I love the parts of the Bible that throw wrenches into the thinking of all the systematic theologians.  I like to categorize things just as much as the next guy, but so many times it seems to me that when I read the Bible, I’m always attracted to the parts that don’t fit someone’s pre-supposed agenda – ie. the four unmarried/virgin daughters who prophesied (21:9).  I like the parts that don’t fit, that don’t make sense, that don’t work in the theological charts that we create to make sense of it all.  Sometimes it’s ok to leave the mystery in something, ya know what I mean?

24.  And while we’re at it, here’s another story that I’ve never understood – Acts 21:17-26.  Paul joins in the purification rites of four other men (presumably Jews) and goes to the temple to give notice of when his days of purification would end, and as part of this an “offering” would be made for them.  What sort of offering, that is the question…  Here we have the (arguably) most prominent Jewish Christian who continues to participate in some sort of sacrificial offering system, EVEN AFTER THE SACRIFICIAL DEATH OF CHRIST.  Chew on that one…

25.  Don’t you wonder what King Agrippa decided when presented with the gospel (26:28-30)?  I do.  Also, I wonder if Paul “studied his agrippa.”  LOL.  I love that film.

26.  Acts 27:21 – Is there a better “I told you so” in the Bible than this?  LOL.   I think not…

27.  I seem to remember various commentaries and Bible dictionaries referring to the question of whether or not Paul actually appeared before the Roman Emperor as being unanswerable.  I guess I can’t argue with that, as Acts ends with Paul under house arrest in Rome; other books of the Bible don’t give us a whole lot of chronological help on this part of Paul’s life; and extra-biblical sources aren’t much more helpful on this subject either.  What I DO know is that in 27:24, an angel told Paul, “You must stand trial before Caesar.”  Period.

28.  There’s very few things in the world like arriving at your destination and meeting old friends there who have traveled a long way to get there, and even more – who you had not expected to see.  It’s just pure joy.  (Acts 28:15)  I remember my dad and mom driving several hours to watch me play a basketball game in college – I didn’t know they were coming.  It was AWESOME.

29.  OK, here’s one of the oddest ways to end a book that I could ever have imagined.  Acts 28:26-27, where Paul quotes Isaiah 6.  A book that started with an incredible bang, with miracles, signs, wonders, Holy Spirit sightings, power, conversions, and great numbers – and it ends with a nasty quote aimed at the original people of God, the Israelites – “be ever hearing but never understanding; ever seeing but never perceiving”.

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Random thoughts on Acts, part 2

Published in Nate's Blog on September 22, 2009
Random thoughts on Acts, part 2

Our church is doing 40 Days of Purpose, based on the book of Acts.  Our first homework assignment was to read Acts in one sitting.  Here are some of my random thoughts on Acts.  (Part 1 can be found here…)

11.  Is Cornelius a Greek version of Mary?  10:30 ff. reminds me of the angel appearing to Mary to announce the conception of Jesus – except here the angel announces the impending birth of the Holy Spirit inside the lives of you and I who are, like Cornelius, Gentiles.

12.  Acts 11:12 – the Holy Spirit tells Peter to totally ignore the Old Testament Law.  How bizarre this must have been for Peter.  What if the Holy Spirit prompted one of us to totally ignore the New Testament covenant?  I’m just asking……….

13.  Why did God allow James to be killed, but allow Peter to live — all within the space of chapter 12?

14.  Acts 12:15 – The Jewish believers in Jerusalem are the mirror opposite of the Gentile Cornelius.   Cornelius prayed for guidance, lived out God’s promise, and acted in faith by calling his family together ahead of time to meet Peter.  The Jewish believers were all gathered together to pray for Peter’s release from prison, and then when he was released (miraculously), they were surprised and thought it was his angel at the door!  Good grief…..

15.  Acts 13:38-39 would be an awesome sermon.

16.  Somehow Paul could “see” that a person had the faith to be healed. (14:9)  What the HECK?

17.  Acts 15:40 says that after Paul and Barnabas split up over John Mark, Paul and Silas were “commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord” – but thereby seems to imply that Barnabas, who takes John Mark with him to Cyprus, was NOT commended.  Hmmmmmmmmmm……

18.  Maybe the answer to this is WAAAAAAY simpler than I always suspected – but I always wondered why immediately after agreeing on four simple requirements for new Gentile believers in chapter 15, Paul is recorded as insisting that Timothy, a believing Gentile with a Greek father and a Jewish mother, be circumcised?  And this isn’t even taking into account the fact that Paul insisted that another Gentile, Titus, should NOT be circumcised!

Here’s what John Piper says, FWIW….

19.  Here’s a question for you.  Why did Paul wait “many days” to cast the fortune-telling spirit out of the girl who was following them? (16:18)  Why not do it immediately?  Why not do it after a couple days?  What made him wait “many days”?

20.  Here’s one I’ve never noticed before in this story (16:25ff).  Paul and Silas in jail, the earthquake hits, the doors fly open, the jailer is ready to commit suicide, Paul says “Don’t do it!”, the jailer washes their wounds, God washes his spiritual wounds (how do you like that :-) ), they have a meal at the jailer’s house – but HERE’S the thing.  They’re still prisoners!  He’s feeding a meal to PRISONERS at his house.  And not only that, but this is even weirder – (Is that a word?) – the jail officials KNOW that the prisoners have gone to the jailer’s house, and orders him to release them quietly.  OK, this is just odd.

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Random thoughts on Acts, part 1

Published in Nate's Blog on September 21, 2009
Random thoughts on Acts, part 1

Our church is doing 40 Days of Purpose, based on the book of Acts.  Our first homework assignment was to read Acts in one sitting.  Here are some of my random thoughts on Acts.  Parts 2 and 3 to follow later this week…

1.  The downward progression (digression? regression?) of miraculous, visible, supernatural action on the part of God and His Holy Spirit in the book of Acts is stunning.  The beginning of Acts is “blow your socks off” amazing in its wealth of miracles, signs, and wonders.  By my count, there are at least 12 references to God’s supernatural work just in the first 6 chapters of Acts!  But just as stunning is the last 12 chapters, which include only 6 references to the supernatural – Paul’s work in Corinth referenced in ch. 19, Eutychus’ restoration to life in ch. 20, the prophecy of Agabus in ch. 21, Paul’s vision in ch. 27, the viper episode and healing of Publius’ father in ch. 28.

I ask myself, “why?”

Is it nothing more than a simple observation that the beginning of a life, an organism, an organization, a church, is quite often the most vibrant and growing period of that life/organism/organization/church?  I wonder….

2.  What is the meaning of the second half of 5:20 – “Tell the people the full message of this new life”.

3.  Why is it ok for Peter to commit civil disobedience (5:29), yet Paul commands civil obedience to the authorities (Romans 13)?

4.  The supernatural goings-on in the first 5 chapters of Acts are fantastic – but it’s not until 5:41, when the apostles were all flogged and released, that they are recorded as “rejoicing.”  It’s not the miracles, the healings, the giving of the Spirit that causes them to rejoice – it’s getting beat up!

5.  Stephen was one of those chosen to minister food to the widows – but the only thing he’s recorded as doing is wonders, signs, debating, gospel preaching, and getting killed.

6.  One of my absolute favorite Bible phrases of all time – “YOU STIFF-NECKED PEOPLE, WITH UNCIRCUMCISED HEARTS AND EARS!  YOU ARE JUST LIKE YOUR FATHERS: YOU ALWAYS RESIST THE HOLY SPIRIT!” (Acts 7:51)  That’ll preach….

7.  Stephen, Peter, and John all accuse the Sanhedrin of killing Jesus – but only Stephen is put to death.  What the heck?  Or to put it another way – Why did God allow Stephen to be martyred, but allow Peter and John to live – in spite of the fact that they both did basically the same thing?

8.  What is it that kept the apostles from scattering in 8:1, when every other Christian was scattered to the four winds?

9.  Simon “believed and was baptized” (8:13) – and yet his heart was still “full of bitterness and captive to sin.” (8:21)  What the heck?  And don’t give me the line that “he didn’t truly believe” at first.  That’s hogwash.  It’s difficult to come to any other conclusion to 8:13 than that Simon believed and was baptized.

10.  “Cornelius was expecting them.” (10:24)  He not only prayed for guidance from God, but then lived out God’s promise to him in the vision.  And acted on it by calling his family together even before Peter arrived at his house!

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