My Guest Article for the People of Jesus series: "Sarah's Daughters Do Not Fear Anything." 
I had the pleasure this week of being the guest writer at Redeemed, Reconciled, and Brought to Relationship, a blog by Blake Barber. It is part of the “People of Jesus,” a series with the purpose of depicting a community of believers and their relationships with God. All of that to say, I have only mostly been slacking in the area of blog writing… not entirely.
When we have that assurance of our salvation, we realize that none of the stuff around us matters all that much. When we have assurance of salvation and earthly circumstances go completely awry, we go “You know, that’s okay, I was expecting that, and that wasn’t where my hope is anyway.” When circumstances fail, people fail, things fail, material possessions fail, we say “My hope is in heaven. I’ve known it’s all passing away - that’s not what my life is about.
—Pastor Eric Hinnenkamp, New Hope Bible Church
My ultimate vision is that my vision is always ready to be altered; that I never be a man who lets my vision occupy the place of Jesus. I desire to be a man who is always ready to begin again and again at the beginning. My faith constantly growing and being realigned as I find the path that has Jesus’ footprints on it…
—Blake James Barber
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
—Jude 24-25, Doxology
I halfheartedly tried to escape the dance early this afternoon. I knew that if I didn’t sneak out, I’d take half an hour to say goodbye to everybody. Well, I didn’t make it out the door and down the steps without saying goodbye to at least fifteen people, all asking, “Why are you leaving so early?” These were the people that had just bombarded me with endless questions: “How was your year?” “Are you glad to be back?” “How is your summer?” and of course, the usual, “It’s SO GOOD to see you again. Glad to have you back!”
As I drove home, alone in Mom’s spacious minivan with just my thoughts, I found myself idly wondering why church wasn’t like that. I’m not necessarily talking about my church at home or in Spokane - I’m talking about church in general. I’ve visited my share of churches; “church shopping” was a requirement at Moody. It takes a long time to break into church cliques. It takes a long time to even get noticed, at some places.
So, I drove and I thought. I came up with some reasons why square dancing works - and why their sense of community is so strong.
1. They know something that outsiders do not.
The reason they get together, the thing they have in common, is obviously square dancing. But they know something about it that outsiders do not: they know that it’s ridiculously fun.
2. They don’t just come, go through the motions, and go home.
It’s not necessarily that they square dance that makes it great. It’s that they square dance and LOVE IT. If they came and sat in the chairs along the wall the entire dance, they wouldn’t enjoy it nearly as much. But it’s more than that, too! They aren’t just dancing. They’re smiling, they’re laughing, they’re winking, they’re making mistakes and chuckling at themselves and working to get it figured out and then laughing and smiling some more!
3. They know that others are missing out, and honestly feel that’s a tragedy.
Sometimes, those that are just learning haven’t grasped what fun square dancing can be - but the experienced dancers make sure that the learners get a taste. It’s not that they just want new dancers (although fresh blood is always a bonus), or that they need more money for their square dance clubs, or that they feel some sort of obligation. No, they know that anybody that hasn’t tasted real dancing or real community is missing out, and that genuinely grieves them. “Square dancing is SO MUCH FUN,” they say, and they mean it. “Stick with it. You’ll love it. We promise.”
For this reason, there’s no new learner that gets left out of conversations. I’ve seen the most awkward, smelly, sweaty, and snaggle-toothed square dancers - and I tell you what, at Foot & Fiddle Club, they are still welcomed. When someone is financially unable to pay for the required lessons in order to learn, somebody covers them. When somebody misses more than a lesson or two, they’re called. When someone falls behind, a group meets early to catch them up.
Here’s what it is that makes the difference: They have a genuine love for dancing, and they know how much joy that love gives them. That joy spills over into their interaction with others, and they can’t help but want others to experience it as well.
It seems to me like we’ve got a lot of people at church that are just sitting in the chairs along the wall.
It seems to me like we’ve got a lot of people at church that are dancing, but not smiling or laughing or winking. The caller and the music have become background noise, and they’ve ceased to make eye contact or engage the other dancers. They’re participating, but not really. They haven’t grasped the reason for it. They haven’t figured out what makes it great - or grown to love it.
And that, I think, is what square dancing has that the Church does not - and it SHOULD be the other way around!
We just have too many people coming to church every week that don’t understand the real reason for it. They aren’t participating, therefore they can’t really enjoy it. They do not have a personal relationship with God - which is what it’s all about - or if they do, they’ve allowed it to grow stagnant. They are not spending time in the Word or in prayer, and they have not grasped how amazing it really is.
They have not experienced the peace and joy that accompany real faith and belief - the results of real participation.
And what they have not experienced cannot cause joy, which cannot overflow into their interactions with others. They have no reason to want others to experience it as well. They may encourage others to participate out of a sense of obligation, but without real joy and love behind it, it falls flat.
I might be wrong, I suppose that’s my disclaimer. But I think that the problem is that we’ve been slacking. We’re not doing our homework. We’re not participating in prayer, Bible study, and fellowship like we should. I know from personal experience that if you’re sitting on the chairs by the wall - or if the music has become just background noise - then you are certainly missing out.
3Js Coffee House used to have 15 to 20 customers before noon on the weekdays. Now, with a construction project impeding traffic to the shop, the average is less than 10, and on many days, no more than 5. As a non-profit organization, it cannot afford to lose the customers that it has, and the construction project is not finishing up in the timely manner in which they’d promised. “I think they’re just hoping I’ll stay chill,” Dana said, owner of 3Js. “Tough it out and not throw a fit.” He’s asked the town to reimburse him for the business he’s losing. Just enough to stay afloat, nothing more. But either the town can’t afford it, or won’t. When staying business is costing Dana more than he can afford, and he’s forking more and more out of his pocket just because of a construction project that is out of his control, can others expect him to stand back and watch? Because he represents a Christian non-profit organization, is the expectation that he’ll take every hit with grace - even when it’s costing him personally more than he can afford? Nicely asked questions and politely posed requests have gotten him nowhere. But does “getting mean” ill-represent Christ? Will bringing out the big guns to get it done cause bad publicity for his establishment and for the Christian image that it carries? Situations like these happen all the time. What is the “Christian” response? Verizon, for example, now requires $30/month data packages for internet access with every smart phone - and there are very few texting phones that don’t require a minimum package of $10/month. So I asked questions, such as, “What if I don’t use the internet? Am I still required to pay for the package?” The answer was a polite yes. “This phone really isn’t even built for internet access, and I don’t need it. Can’t I get the fee and internet access capabilities removed?” The answer was a polite no. You can imagine - this went on for awhile. I found different angles, different reasons, and still got the same answers. Finally, I realized that I was going to get stuck with $10 less a month in my wallet if I didn’t change strategies. So I, unfortunately, became “that customer.” I said, “Look, I would prefer not to get angry, but this has been very frustrating. I am politely trying to tell you that I cannot afford $10 a month for something that I don’t even want. I probably can’t even afford $10 a month for something I DO want. I am a poor college student. And unfortunately, eating comes before internet access in my financial priorities. So if, after being with Verizon as a patient and loyal customer for years, I have to switch to a different provider in order to eat, I will do that. What do you recommend?” Yes, I did it. I threatened. And I bluffed. (I would never switch, because I’m on a family plan, and it’s still cheaper that way). But it got me what I wanted. The woman sighed, and gave me a number to call and told me to explain the situation. Sometimes, you cannot get what you want unless you make the situation personally uncomfortable for the other party. In this case, I just threatened to make Verizon lose money instead of gain, and it would have been the representative’s fault. Was it the “Christian” thing to do? I don’t know. But I think there is a difference between grace and getting walked all over. Sucking it up and paying the $10 a month wouldn’t mean anything but a few brownie points for the representative. She wouldn’t feel indebted to me or grateful to me. She would probably just feel relieved I hadn’t put up a fight or caused her any problems. She certainly wouldn’t think that I was a better Christian for it. (In fact, she didn’t even know I was a Christian, and probably would have chuckled if I’d said, “Okay, I’ll pay it, but only because I’m a Christian, just so you know). For Dana to suck it up and take the financial hit wouldn’t mean much to those in charge of street construction in Johnstown, either. They just are glad now that nobody’s throwing a fit, and they can take their time. The fact that 3J’s is “Christian” is just something that they’ve discovered is to their advantage. It’s a relief to them, not for any moral reason, but because it means 3Js is less of a thorn in their side. I don’t think that being a Christian equates to being a doormat. Extending grace is not the same as getting walked all over. Being firm and learning to put your foot down is sometimes as much of a virtue as being relentlessly kind. My conclusion is that we can be firm while not becoming irate, and we can still be Christians that are full of grace without being exploited for our kindness. I can kindly but firmly tell Verizon that I am serious about not being able to afford ten dollars less a month for something I will not use, and now I’m able to spend that money on rent or food in order to go to college. Dana can kindly but firmly explain to them that he could have the law on his side if he wanted to, but that he’d rather not take it to that extent. Now 3Js can continue to serve the town of Johnstown with good coffee, good fellowship, good music, and the Good Message.
This post has sat idle in my documents folder for far too long, mainly because of a statement I keep believing:
“This isn’t the kind of thing that a lot of people can or will understand.”
Well, please. Allow me to describe it to you in a piece of literature I discovered from my past.
I was sick of hearing it.
Never from anyone else.
Always from myself.
“I am disgusting.”
“Pig.”
“Gross.”
“Dirty.”
The struggle.
For once,
I find words inadequate.
You can feel the spread.
It’s like a disease—
Inescapable.
It’s like the angel and the devil,
except infinitely more painful,
and it never takes place on your shoulders.
It’s always within.
Deep.
The devil is prodding your insides with his pitchfork.
The only way to stop the pain is to fall, you know.
And it stops.
It’s bliss.
But only for a few moments.
And then it’s back—not limited to the wounds anymore.
It’s inside.
Outside.
It’s in your mind.
It’s in your stomach.
It’s everywhere.
Jesus is trying to heal the wounds.
But you won’t let him.
Because that hurts more than anything.
It’s that way because you don’t know what it’s like
to be healed anymore.
You don’t know anything other than the pain.
And the pain is the only thing that matters—
because of the thing that provides brief, momentary relief.
And you know it won’t last.
But that doesn’t matter.
It’s your Addiction.
And you will cherish it.
Nourish it.
Feed the Monster.
You love it, and you hate it.
It’s that way because you don’t know what it’s like
to be free anymore.
And even if you thought you could be…
Chances are,
You won’t take it.
I can’t make you understand it. Because in this case, truly understanding is experiencing. If you’ve owned any kind of addiction, you may find within yourself telltale signs of relating to my words. If not, these may fall on deaf ears. I do hope for understanding. If you are looking at it from the outside, I beg you not to stick it in a beaker and treat it as a science experiment or a strange medical anomaly. No, this is not just a sin problem. This is a pain problem, is a heart problem, a love problem. Judging by the statistics, you will be touched by this at some point.
The father of lies, the Enemy, is out to get us, our friends, our children. And he knows how to.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
2 Corinthians 3:17
Yes, I’ve probably told you the verse. You might even be familiar with it. But what does it mean? Am I literally a new creation? Does it refer to salvation? I’m a “new creation”… so what?
It does, actually, have to do with salvation, but it’s more than that. I’ve been “saved” since I was four, but the sins of my three-year-old self are not what have been plaguing me. The problems and actions and guilt of my more recent past - lucid decisions made in full understanding of their moral integrity or lack thereof.
You are one of the lucky ones if God wipes away all of your sins and habits and issues and problems away in one giant sweep. Overnight. Boom. Wow. Awesome.
But normally, being made new takes time. It takes every day. It takes, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts!” It takes getting on your knees, conversation with the Lord, and the Word. It is the transforming power of the Holy Spirit through sanctification.
Every day, though I will continue to make mistakes and though I will most assuredly fail and fall again, I am a new creation.
Every day, I am reminded that I am precious, I am His beloved child, and nothing can separate me from His love - not the deepest darkest part of my past, or the deepest darkest part of my future, whatever lays there. Thank you, Lord.
From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.
Verse 16
Being a new creation doesn’t just affect the way I see myself. It affects the way I see God and the way I see others. God’s got my back, now I can feel free to get others’. It’s a reminder to be unselfish - to regard others as more important than myself. And I am also reminded of God’s character, something too immense and powerful and unworthy of my words - something I couldn’t even describe here, even if I knew all there was to know about Him. Which I don’t. And never will as I am on earth.
Paul had even opposed Christ and His followers because he had regarded Christ from a worldly point of view. He had information about Jesus, but this was not the same as believing in Him. Mere information about Jesus cannot transform a person from self-centeredness to selflessness. Only being made a new creation could effect that, as it had done for Paul.
The old life of slavery to self and sin has gone. The new life of devotion to Christ means that one has new attitudes and actions.
- Bible Knowledge Commentary
So, in being a καινός κτίσις I see the gospel.
This is where love and justice meet:
We had taken what God meant to be beautiful - the world, ourselves, each other - and ravaged it all, marred it, doing with others what was never meant to be done, treating ourselves in ways we were never meant to be treated, and destroying His creation. We deserved His anger, His wrath, and His judgment, which, according to His standards would have sent us straight to Hell. Yet God, for some reason, still loved us so entirely much (an amount that is still unfathomable) that he, rather than even bending His own rules and allowing just a few of us to slide in, devised a plan to instead save us. To satisfy both His deep, deep love, and His desire for justice. So He sent His Son, to take our place in death. And with every lie, every bit of jealousy, every hateful thought, every glance in the direction of pornography, every man or woman other than our wife or husband that we have sex with or even lust after, every idol, every thing we steal whether little or big - with all of these things we get out our hammer and nails and we drive them through perfect, sinless, spotless flesh onto the cross.
Securing our overwhelming need for the only sacrifice that could ever satisfy our God, who is both just and full of grace.
And still He loves us.
God’s plan to make me a new creation was Jesus.
So that when the Father looks at me, he sees not what I have done or what I will do. He sees not who I am in my sin. No, he sees only the blood of Jesus, proclaiming my innocence. Naming me a καινός κτίσις, a new creation.
And praise the Lord, for what I am, He has made me.
Here it is. Are you ready? Something I’m feeling so intense about this morning that I have chosen to divulge a secret. This secret is something that I’ve contained in my novel, one of the many things I am waiting to blow your mind with.
Fear of condemnation.
It will sneak up on you, encroach on your peace of mind before you even have time to recognize it. Most of us haven’t even thought about identifying it yet, because we feel it’s natural. We think it’s right.
We are horribly confused. We have two very vital things completely mixed up: godly brokenness and self-disgust. Guiltiness and sorrow. We’re called to agree with God about our sin, but somehow that always gets confused with hating ourselves.
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