everything has its price. or...does it?

men can pretty much be bought out of anything. it seems that everything has its price.

my dad tells a story of a man who was driving through the Monterey, CA area. at a ranch he came across a huge wooden water trough with beautiful carvings on the sides. he asked the owner of the ranch how much he would sell the trough for. anything, name the price. he wanted it. no price was too high. "it's not for sale." the owner didn't care about money, the trough was not for sale. the man tried and tried and even offered millions, but he could not convince the owner to sell it. "it belongs on this ranch, i will not sell it and allow it to leave this ranch." but the man was determined. so, what did he do? he bought the entire ranch. trough and all.

the trough did have a price. the man just needed to go high enough.

but this is not true for all things--to the Christian, Christ has no price.

this fact has been proven over and over again throughout history as men have tried and failed to get Christians to renounce their faith. they've been offered money, bribes. they've been threatened with beatings, torture, killing of their loved ones, even their own horrific deaths. but here is one thing that truly cannot be bought out, no matter what the price: Christ cannot be bought, traded, or exchanged.

"I beseech you...after this day, convene all your lovers before your soul; and give them their leave, and strike hands with Christ, that thereafter there may be no happiness to you but Christ; no hunting for anything but Christ; no bed at night (when death cometh) but Christ; Christ, Christ, who but Christ? I know this much of Christ, he is not so ill to be found, not lordly of his love; woe had been my part of it for evermore, if Christ had made a dainty of himself to me; but God be thanked, I gave nothing for Christ; and now I protest, before men and angels, Christ cannot be exchanged; Christ cannot be sold, Christ cannot be weighed." ~Samuel Rutherford

Ulysses vs. Jason

as some of you know, one of my most favorite books is called "One Thing" by Sam Storms. And this is a part of the book I go back to time and time again. I hope it is encouraging to you...A little context: Sam's main idea of the book is that if/when we see God for Who He is (a beautiful, amazing, all powerful God) then we will be captured and captivated by Him, His grace and His beauty, so that sin will be an easy opponent...it will not really even be tempting to us because it is not attractive to us in light of the beauty of Christ. So now, for the quote:

When temptation comes knocking, what good is grandiose talk of beauty and splendor and the God of quarks and quasars?

The answer is found in a story that could change your life. It's about one mysterious island, two heroic men, and a host of 'women' whose beauty was quite literally skin-deep. But mostly its about radically different perspectives on the nature of Christianity and living to the glory of God.

...I've told this story many times...Don't be put off that it comes from Greek mythology. The point it makes is thoroughly biblical.

The first of our two characters is well known to most. Some call him Odysseus, others Ulysses. When I hear his name I close my eyes and envision the craggy features and dimpled chin of Kirk Douglass, the actor who portrayed him in the film version of our story...Ulysses was a devoted husband to his wife, Penelope, adored his son, and agonized at leaving his home of Ithaca. But he was also a Greek, and duty called.

Paris, the prince of Troy, had stolen away helen, the woman 'whose face launched a thousand ships'. She was the wife of Menalaus, the king of Greece. He, together with his brother Agamemnon, Ulysses, and a a mighty Greek army undertook the daunting task of recapturing her and restoring dignity to their beloved land.

To make a long story short, hidden in the belly of a huge Trojan horse, Ulysses and his men gained access to the city, slaughtered its inhabitants, and rescued the captive Helen. But the return voyage to Ithaca, which lasted nearly a decade, would prove to be far more challenging.

...My fascination...has always been with the infamous Sirens. Countless were the unwitting sailors who, on passing by their island, succumbed to the outward beauty of the sirens and their seductively irresistible songs. Once lured close to shore, their oats crashed on the hidden rocks lurking beneath the surface of the sea. These demonic cannibals whose alluring disguise and mesmerizing melodies had drawn them close wasted little time in savagely consuming their flesh.

Ulysses had been repeatedly warned about the Sirens and their lethal hypocrisy. Upon reaching their island, he ordered his crew to put wax in their ears lest they be lured to their ultimate demise. He commanded them to look neither to the left nor right but to row for their lives. Ulysses had other plans for himself. he instructed his men to strap him to the mast of the ship, leaving his ears unplugged. 'I want to hear their song. Not matter what I say or do, don't untie me until we are safely at a distance from the island.'

The songs of the Sirens were more than Ulysses' otherwise strong will could resist. He was utterly seduced byt heir sound and mesmerized by the promise of immediate gratification. One Siren even took on the form of Penelope, Ulysses' wife, seeking to lure him closer on the delusion that he had finally arrived home. Were it not for the ropes that held him tightly to the mast, Ulysses would have succumbed to their invitation. Although his hands were restrained, his heart was captivated by their beauty. Although his souls said 'Yes', the ropes prevented his indulgence. His 'no' was not the fruit of a spontaneous revulsion but the product of an external shackle.

Ulysses' encounter with the Sirens, together with his strategy for resisting their appeal, is all to similar to the way many Christians try to live as followers of Jesus Christ. Like him, their hearts pant for the passing pleasures of sin. Their wills are no match for the magnetic power of sensual indulgence. Although they understand what it at stake, they struggle through life saying 'no' to sin, not because their souls are ill-disposed to evil, but because their hands have been shackled by the laws and rules imposed by an oppressive religious atmosphere. It is the extra-biblical taboo that comes thundering form a legalistic pulpit or a long-standing denominational prohibition that accounts for their external complicity. Their obedience is not the glad product
of a transformed nature, but a reluctant conformity born of fear and shame.

I have no desire to live that way. Neither do you, I suspect. So, how do you account for your 'obedience'? Is it the expression of your deepest heart-felt joy? Is it the product of a passion that spontaneously and urgently springs from the depths of your being? Or are you firmly bound to the mast of religious expectations, all the while yearning for the opposite of what you actually do? What is the most effective scheme for confronting the sinful sounds of Sirens?

A Sweeter Song
Jason, like Ulysses, was himself a character of ancient mythology, perhaps best known for his pursuit of the famous Golden Fleece. Again, like Ulysses, he faced the temptation posed by the sonorous tones of the Sirens. But his solution was of a different sort. Jason brought with him on the treacherous journey a man named Orpheus, the son of Oeager. Orpheus was a musician of incomparable talent, especially on the lyre and flute. When his music filled the air it had an enchanting effect on all who heard. There was not a lovelier or more melodious sound in all the ancient world.

When it came time, Jason declined to plug the ears of his crew. Neither did he strap himself to the mast to restrain his otherwise lustful yearning for whatever pleasures the Sirens might offer. But this was not the reckless decision of an arrogant heart. Jason had no illusions about the strength of his will or his capacity to be deceived. He was no less determined than Ulysses to resist the temptations of the sirens. But he chose a different strategy.

He ordered Orpheus to play his most beautiful and alluring songs. The sirens didn't stand a chance! Notwithstanding their collective allure, Jason and his men paid no heed to the Sirens. They were not in the least inclined to succumb. Why? Was it that the Sirens had ceased to sing? Was it that they had lost their capacity to entice the human heart? Not at all. Jason and his men said 'no' because they were captivated by a transcendent sound. The music of Orpheus was of an altogether different and exalted nature. Jason and his men said 'no' to the sounds of the sirens because they had heard something far more sublime. They had tasted something far sweeter. They had encountered something far more noble.

For many people Christianity is a tedious and ultimately unsatisfying aversion to temptations they would much prefer to indulge. Nothing depresses me more than to think of expending my one life on earth merely suppressing my deepest desires, always acting contrary to what my soul continues to crave. But there is little hope of it being otherwise, so long as I seek satisfaction in something other than God.

Here is my point, both in this story and in the book as a whole. I don't want simply to live the Christian life. I want to love living the Christian life. Ulysses may have survived the sounds of the Sirens. But only Jason triumphed over them. Yes, both men 'obeyed' (in a manner of speaking). Neither succumbed. Neither indulged his desires. Both men escaped the danger at hand. But only one was changed.

Who Made Man's Mouth?

Who But Christ?

I love thumbing through the book "The Loveliness of Christ" which is a collection of extracts from letters written by Samuel Rutherford. There are so many powerful quotes in this book. Here is one which has become one of my favorites:

I beseech you in the Lord Jesus, beware, beware of unsound work, in the matter of your salvation: ye may not, ye cannot, ye do not want Christ. Then after this day, convene all your lovers before your soul; and give them their leave, and strike hands with Christ, that thereafter there may be no happiness to you but Christ; no hunting for anything but Christ; no bed at night (when death cometh) but Christ; Christ, Christ, who but Christ? I know this much of Christ, He is not so ill to be found, not lordly of His love; woe had been my part of it for evermore, if Christ had made a dainty of Himself to me; but God be thanked, I gave nothing for Christ; and now I protest, before men and angels, Christ cannot be exchanged; Christ cannot be sold, Christ cannot be weighed.

...and now I protest, before men and angels, Christ cannot be exchanged; Christ cannot be sold, Christ cannot be weighed.

Can I say the same? Truly, I gave nothing for Christ. I had (and still have) nothing to give! It is only because salvation is a free gift that I now have it. But, now that I do have it, can I honestly say, and protest before men and angels, that I will not exchange Christ for anything? That I will not sell Christ for any price? That no thing, no matter how great, how alluring, or attractive, can outweigh Christ and His beauty? I know that these things are true, but does my life and the way I live moment by moment prove that my heart believes these truths?

Packer on Knowing God

this is an excerpt from J. I. Packer's book Knowing God...

I walked in the sunshine with a scholar who had effectively forfeited his prospects of academic advancement by clashing with church dignitaries over the gospel of grace. 'But it doesn't matter,' he said..., 'for I have known God and they haven't.' This remark was a mere parenthesis, a passing comment on something I had said, but it has stuck with me, and set me thinking.

Not many of us, I think, would ever naturally say that we have known God. The words imply a definiteness and matter-of-fact-ness of experience to which most of us, if we are honest, have to admit that we are still strangers. We claim, perhaps, to have a testimony, ...we say that we know God--this, after all, is what evangelicals are expected to say; but would it occur to us to say, without hesitation, and with reference to particular events in our personal history, that we have known God?...

I think, [rather, that] many of us [would never] naturally say (in the light of the knowledge of God which we have come to enjoy) that past dissappointments and present heartbreaks...don't matter. For the plain fact is that...they do matter. ...Constantly we find ourselves slipping into bitterness and apathy and gloom as we reflect on them, which we frequently do. The attitude we show to the world is a sort of dried-up stoicism, miles removed from the 'joy unspeakable and full of glory' which Peter took for granted that his readers were displaying (1 Peter 1:8).

...But...those who really know God...never brood on might-have-beens; they never think of the things they have missed, only of what they have gained. 'What things were gain to me, these have I counted loss for Christ,' wrote Paul. 'Yea verily, and I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as dung, that I may gain Christ, and be found in Him...that I may know Him...' (Phil. 3:7-10) When Paul says he counts the things he lost 'dung', he means not merely that he does not think of them as having any value, but also that he does not live with them constantly in his mind: what normal person spends his time nostalgically dreaming of manure? Yet this, in effect, is what many of us do. It shows how little we have in the way of true knowledge of God.

We need frankly to face ourselves at this point. ...We can [perhaps] state the gospel clearly...If anyone asks us how men may know God, we can at once produce the right formula...Yet the joy, goodness, and unfetteredness of spirit which are the marks of those who have known God are rare among us--rarer, perhaps, than they are in some other Christian circles, where, by comparison, evangelical truth is less clearly and fully known. Here, too, it would seem that the last may prove to be first, and the first last. A little knowledge of God is worth more than a great deal of knowledge about Him.

As Christians, do we know God? Do we seek to know Christ? Can we say, unhesitatingly, that we have known Him? And do the attitudes, actions and emotions that characterize our lives PROVE that we do truly know Christ?

Cotton Candy

The following story was inspired by a sermon illustration I heard several years ago...

The sun was beaming through the puffy white clouds as the Mills family pulled their blue Grand Caravan into the parking lot at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. This was a day they had been looking forward to for the past month. As they waited in line for their tickets the kids were discussing which ride they would go on first. Emily wanted to go on the Log Ride. Her father, John, suggested they wait until the warmer part of the day so they would be able to dry off without getting too cold in the process. Their mom, Karen, suggested they could hit the Log Ride just before lunch so they could dry off as they ate. The two younger ones, Cathryn and Andrew, wanted to go on Tsunami first. They loved spinning in their cars and Andrew especially enjoyed it when the ride went backwards at the end. So, Tsunami it was.

Throughout the day the kids got to go on any ride they wanted, play any of the carnival-type games, and they even got $5 for tokens at the Arcade. For lunch they could choose to eat whatever they wanted at any of the different restaurants or food carts. This was a day for family fun and enjoyment. The kids laughed and played all day. They had the time of their lives.

As the sun was slipping down into the Pacific Ocean, the family began their walk back to the car, hand in hand, recalling the exciting moments of the day.
"Remember when we went down the last hill on the Log Ride and Dad ducked right as the water splashed up and it hit me right in the face?!" said Cathryn, "that was fun!"
"My favorite part was when the guy on the bumper cars let me stay on three times in a row!" Andrew recalled with a smile on his face. "Hey, look Dad, cotton candy! Can I pleeease have some?"
John thought about it for a second--they were on their way to the car, Andrew probably wouldn't finish the cotton candy by the time they drove away, and even if he did his hands would be sticky and most likely get the candy's stickiness all over the seat, belt buckle and anything else Andrew touched.
"No, son, no cotton candy tonight."
They continued on and made it to their van as the parking lot lights were flickering on.
"Well, kids, did you enjoy your day?"
"Yeah, dad, thanks for taking us!" Emily said.
Cathryn was quick to follow, "Thanks, Dad! It was great!"
"How about you, Andrew, did you have a good time?"
"Well....no," came the response.
"No? Well, why not? Didn't we go on Tsunami first like you wanted? It looked like you enjoyed your corn dog and funnel cake you had for lunch. And you beat me four times on that car racing game! Why didn't you have a good time?"
"'Cause I didn't get any cotton candy," Andrew said, pouting.

"Son, I did not withhold anything from you all day long. I let you do anything you asked during all of the eight hours we were here today. You did politely ask for the cotton candy, but son, cotton candy is very sticky and we need to take good care of our car. Having sticky cotton candy hands inside the car would not be a good thing."

"But Dad! I could have cleaned them off!"

"Son, that is not the point. The point is that I wanted you to have a fun day. That is why we came here as a family. Your mother and I planned this day especially for the three of you because we know how much you like to come here. But if you choose to focus on the one thing you did not get, and you ignore all the many pleasures you enjoyed throughout the day, then of course you will not have a good time. Son, in life so often we experience many many blessings that are gifts from God, but if we ignore His blessings and instead spend our time complaining about the problems that we encounter and the things we do not get, we will miss out on rejoicing for all the good God has given to us in our lives. In the same way, Andrew, you have decided that your day was not a good day simply because you did not get cotton candy in the last few minutes of an otherwise exciting day. Son, when you have all these things, why do you complain about not having cotton candy?"

Summer Camp Romance

It is one of my hopes to put up lyrics to songs by the band Everybodyduck so that they can be online and people can search for them and enjoy them. Everybodyduck is a band that used to play at Hume Lake Christian Camps and also did some touring. They are one of my favorite bands because their songs are fun but also very convicting and Christ-focused.

I just came back from my very first Summer Camp with Community Bible Church of Vallejo, CA. On the way up I drove and had a car full myself plus 4 female students. On the way home the bus was larger so I drove home by myself...and enjoyed listening to Everybodyduck's CD "8 Secons on a Holy Cow" :) One of the songs on there is "Summer Camp Romance." It's a funny song, but really it's an analogy based off of what, I'm sure, the members of Everybodyduck witnessed often at Hume Lake. Pay attention to the comparison made in the last verse. Here are the lyrics:

(guy singing)
Stumbled off the bus dazed by the smell of suntan lotion
[can't make out the lyrics] like some angelic sort of dance
our eyes locked through the haze of bugs transfixed with such emotion
[can't make out the lyrics] but I was in your trance.

(girl singing)
saved you a seat at dinner we held hands under the table
and I sacrificed for love by eating just with my left hand
though I could listen to you speak for hours I found I was not able
yeah, you sounded sweet but smelled so bad I still don't understand

chorus:(both)
I don't want to hear you have a boy(girl)friend back at home
please don't tell me you want to be friends
you're the only (boy/girl) that I could love this week
so come on baby please give love a chance
it's clear to me this year you'll be my summer camp romance

(guy singing)
well your friends said that my friends said you said I said I had kissed you
well I didn't and I haven't but I wish 'cause you're a fox
so I passed your friends a note I wrote I hope that it gets to you.
I wrote, "If you want to go steady, sugar, please just check that box."

(girl)
I successfully convinced you that night I was claustrophobic
hand in hand we snuck off in the dark to talk and get some air.
someone said, "kids these woods are no place to bloom a romance."
we deny the implication and claim we were deep in prayer.

(chorus)

(guy) bags all packed we come too soon to our final farewell
(girl) we're both tempted to lie and say we'll write
(guy) instead I say, "I hate you"
(girl) so then I say that you smell
(both) There's nothing more memorable than that last day break-up fight.

(guy)
As the buses slowly pull away I start to think about things
and I come upon a realization I find rather odd
It's a peculiar kind of love each year that somehow summer can bring
It's the kind of love repeatedly I offer up to God.

(girl)
God, there's things I want so I sweet talk to see if I can get them.
And I make a bunch of promises I've no intent to keep.
In a couple days I break it off and just try to ignore Him.
There's never a chance of drowning 'cause I don't wade in too deep.

(both)
I don't want to say "I'm going to love You all my life."
"Let's be satisfied just being friends."
"I'll be dedicated, but not for more than a week."
"Since You don't change there's nothing left to chance."
"I'll use You and then lose You like a summercamp romance."