Citizenship and Identity

Our friends and former teammates, Craig and Merschon Hutson officially became Irish citizens today.  Less than 8 years ago, the Hutsons moved to Dublin as aliens, but today, they have made the Republic of Ireland not only their residence, but their home.  I am thrilled that they've taken this step and I know that it means so much to them and to the North Dublin Christian Community for whom they labor.  There are many Irish Americans in the world, but not nearly as many American Irish.  The Hutsons have joined the few and the proud.

Several decades ago, my grandmother Augusta and her Danish family became Americans.  I'm sure it must have been a meaningful moment for her family to not only embrace their new home, but to be embraced back through the naturalization process.  Immigrants around the world can empathize with the feeling.

Ever since I first moved overseas 19 years ago, I've spent a lot of time thinking about citizenship and identity.  Though I'm proud to be an American, I am more and more convicted that this is only one small part of my identity.  Don't get me wrong, I realize that so much of my world-view and even personality has been shaped by growing up in the United States.  And I have received many blessings as an American.  But more and more, I've come to view myself as a citizen of the world, rather than just one nation on this terrestrial ball.  In fact, though the US is a republic, I have become evermore convinced that monarchy is the way forward.  But not just any old monarchy.  I am convicted that the only kingdom worth living for, and even dying for, is the Kingdom of God.  But it's a kingdom that I will never kill for (our founder has outlawed this).

Thanks to dual nationality, the Hutsons were not forced to renounce their US citizenship today.  They don't have to choose between being Irish or American.  But citizens of the Kingdom of God don't have the option of dual nationality.  Sure, we live and function as Americans, Irish, Venezuelan, Nigerian, Chinese, or Iranian.  We pray for our leaders, as well as other world leaders, we pay our taxes, send our kids to school (or home school them), and try to obey the laws of the land (so long as they don't violate the constitution of Christ's Kingdom).  But our ultimate allegiance must always be given to our only sovereign, King Jesus.  And we have faith that one day, whether soon, or in the distant future, the kingdoms of this world, will become the one and only kingdom of our Lord, and he will reign forever and ever.

Though Craig and Merschon are citizens of two great republics, their most prized possession is their citizenship in a monarchy.  And knowing them both well, I can say without a doubt that the most important "passport" they hold is the one they received years ago when they were baptized into Christ and became a part of his people, being marked and sealed by his Holy Spirit.  Like me, they long for the day when passports will no longer be needed as the nations will bring their glory into the new Jerusalem in God's renewed creation and all of earth's people will be made one.  Come King Jesus! - Shay    

Loving God with Our Minds

During the final week before his passion, Jesus found himself involved in several confrontations with the Jewish religious and political leaders.  A scribe overheard Jesus disputing with the Sadducees about the future hope of the resurrection of the dead and came near to ask Jesus a question.  Mark records it like this: "Which commandment is the first of all?'  Jesus answered, 'The first is, 'Hear O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.'"  

Like everything in the universe, it all begins with the God of Israel.  Not just any god, but the one and only God - the God that is one.  He created all things and by his powerful word, he holds together all things.  And he is the one who will bring all things to completion.  There's nothing that we have that we have not received.  There's nothing we can do to deserve life - we didn't choose to be born - it is simply given to us as a gift.  And our first response to the good gift of life is to love the giver of the gift.  

How are we to love him?  With everything we have and with everything we are.  We are to love God with our emotions and our will.  We are to love him when we feel like it, and maybe even more so when we don't feel like it.  We are to love him on the outside and we are to love him on the inside.  We are to love him through what we say, what we do, and even through what we think.  And we are to love him with every bit of energy and strength that he supplies.  Our love for God cannot be passive, it must be active.  It is something we choose to do.  

The greatest obstacles to our loving God comes from idolatry and selfishness.  The two are linked together.  Humanity's first sin was to love the creation rather than the creator.  We pursued the gift, rather than the giver of the gift, and we did so with selfish motives. 

But just as God has graced us with the breath of life, so he has provided the gift of his Spirit to those who respond in faith to the gift of his Son.  Through the Spirit and the Son, over time, we can learn to love God with everything we have and with everything we are, including our minds.  And of the four ways which Jesus claims we must love God,  I believe that loving the Lord with our minds may be the most important.     

Sadly, I think it is often the most neglected.  The human mind is incredible.  God has blessed this planet with minds that have unlocked the scientific structure of much of the universe (though there's still much that will probably always remain a mystery).  He has given humanity minds that have learned how to treat all manner of illness and disease through modern medicine (though there's still much research to be done).  The engineering marvels of the ancient world blow me away and 21st century mechanics and technology boggle my mind.  Not to mention, philosophy, poetry, music, art, story telling, and creativity of all kinds points us towards the initial creative act of the Creator.  The human capacity to discover and create has made the world an exciting place!  And yet, so many believers, who are otherwise brilliant, choose to use sloppy and shallow thinking when faced with the question of God.  

The single most important question that will ever confront humanity is sometimes not even pondered.  And when it is, more energy and reflection is often given to work, hobbies, partisan political debate, and silly, time wasting distractions, than to faith.  It's not that people are incapable of thinking deeply about such things, it's that they've chosen to put their time and energy elsewhere.  I believe it's also down to the fact that rigorous theological reflection takes time and a healthy attention span.  Many in our world have grown tired of waiting and lack the patience to think critically.  

The result of failing to love God with our minds is that many within the church remain on a perpetual diet of milk - baby food!  They are clueless about some of the basic teachings regarding the life and work of Christ, and have grossly misunderstood such rudimentary teachings as faith, repentance, baptism, and the resurrection of the dead (Hebrews 5:11-6:2).  Isn't it time to move on!

Please, don't misunderstand me.  I do not wish to imply that the legitimacy of our relationship with Jesus is primarily down to our knowledge and understanding of the Bible and theology.  I am simply lamenting the fact that so many of the gifted, talented, and smart people in Christ's church haven't devoted their God given gifts to be used in the service of a more mature and robust faith.  They have not taken the time to think critically about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.  As Anselm of Canterbury said, theology defined is faith seeking understanding.  It only stands to reason that the better we understand our faith, the more likely we are to allow it to penetrate the nooks and crannies of our lives.  Knowing what we believe is important, but knowing why we believe it, is even more important.  Don't forget to love God with all of your heart and soul.  But don't forget to love him with all of your mind and strength as well! - Shay 

Experience and Innocence

When I was a kid, I was exposed to the music of Simon & Garfunkel, Willie Nelson, and Neil Diamond while on road trips with my parents.  Of the three, I'm still a fan of Willie and Simon & Garfunkel, and though I don't listen to Neil Diamond, I respect him as a song writer and singer.  However, I've never seen any of them perform live.  I really need to catch Mr. Nelson soon, as he recently turned 85.  I have no idea how long he'll be around (the herbal remedies seemed to have worked in his case, though I don't think I'd recommend that to anyone else looking to live a long life), but I can't imagine he'll be touring a decade from now.  Paul Simon is about to embark on his farewell tour, so I better catch him while I can too.  My parents have seen Neil Diamond live a couple of times, but I wasn't present and I don't think I've ever attended a major concert with them.  But I am thankful that we hold some musical preferences in common.

For better or worse, I've exposed Ashlyn to quite a bit of my music catalogue.  She's taken a liking to everything from George Ezra, Roddy Woomble, and Idlewild, to Dropkick Murphys and Rend Collective.  But my happiest moment came when Ashlyn told me that U2's new album, "Songs of Experience" is her favorite record of all time.  She claims that she'll never quit loving it (that's up in the air), but I'm just happy she's enjoying it in the present.  And though she's young to attend her first rock concert, she'll join me to see Dublin's finest launch their new tour tomorrow night in Tulsa, OK.  Juli will also be present, so it will be a family affair.  And since this is the Experience + Innocence tour, we'll all be aptly represented.  Don't worry, we'll make sure Ashlyn's wearing earplugs and gets to bed early later in the week! - Shay