2014 has come and gone and we're over a week into 2015. Whether or not you buy into the whole New Year's resolution thing , a new year, just like a new day and even a new breath offers us all a chance at a new beginning. It's not really a resolution, but I hope and pray that I'll become a better husband and a better father in 2015. That's been an ongoing wish of mine since Juli and I wed 12 & 1/2 years ago and since Ashlyn took her first gasp of air a little over 5 years ago.
The past 4 and 1/2 years have been an amazing experience for our family. This little island nation of Ireland has become a 2nd home to us (a near first home to Ashlyn). They say that once you live overseas for several years, you lose your sense of belonging. I don't doubt that. But, I've come to realize that there is something to be said for living in the land of your birth. We always knew that our stay in Ireland would come to an end and so it is that 2015 will be the last calendar year of our Irish invasion. In fact, we're only 6 months away from returning home. We don't know where we'll live and we don't know exactly what we'll be doing, but we will continue to give of ourselves in the service of Christ, his people, and those around us.
So whatever your plans or your resolutions are for 2015, the Smith family wishes you all the best (as they say here in Ireland) and don't forget that every breath you take is an opportunity for a new beginning. - Shay
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Never Too Old to Learn
It's been nearly 3 months since I last updated this blog. A lot has happened in the meantime. Some dear friends and family from the States have been over to see us. My cousin Brent popped over in September, Juli's mom, Donna, was over in early October, and just last weekend, our friends Steve and Margie McVey and Scott and Renae Click came over for a visit. I've always been amazed that having our friends and family with us in Ireland has felt so natural. I guess it means that this place really feels like home. Still, I'm aware that I'm a stranger and alien here, but I can't think of a better place to be strange or alien!
A group of 7 or 8 of us are consistently meeting on Thursday evenings to read and discuss John's apocalypse (Revelation). With all of the craziness that's happening in the Near East, this is a timely book to be studying. Thankfully, we're all coming to the conclusion that far from being a road map to the end of the world, Revelation is actually a powerful exhortation to Christians living in the eastern part of the Roman Empire in the late 1st century. As they struggled with living out their faith in a society that was increasingly putting pressure on them to compromise their beliefs, they had to decide who was the Lord of the world - Caesar or Christ. Although our immediate circumstances are very different, there are a lot of points of intersection in our lives of faith. In any and every generation, as the world around us puts pressure on us to compromise, we must live out the reality of Jesus' reign and rule.
I also continue to meet with some other good friends on Monday afternoons and evenings to study scripture, pray, reflect, and discuss the big issues in life. We may not have the academic pedigrees of the Inklings (CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, & other big figures of yesteryear), but I believe our discussions must be as relevant and engaging. Speaking of engaging, a few of us are joining a friend of mine for a course titled "Engaging Islam" this evening after our Bible study. This friend was forced to leave his Islamic country after he converted to Christianity and began to share the message of Jesus with others. As our world is becoming increasingly pluralized, it's important that we not only be aware of our own religious beliefs and convictions, but that we also learn to listen to others, see their perspective, and engage with them in genuine dialogue. Because I believe that Jesus is Lord and because I believe that ultimately God desires everyone to come to a knowledge of this truth, I hope to learn how to better love and understand my Muslim neighbors so that if invited, I might be able to share the saving message of Jesus with them.
Here in a few moments I'll be off to teach a conversational English class. I loved discussing literature in school, but I hated grammar. It's ironic that now I get to teach a little grammar, as well as basic conversational skills. Sometimes my students correct me! We're never to old to learn...- Shay
A group of 7 or 8 of us are consistently meeting on Thursday evenings to read and discuss John's apocalypse (Revelation). With all of the craziness that's happening in the Near East, this is a timely book to be studying. Thankfully, we're all coming to the conclusion that far from being a road map to the end of the world, Revelation is actually a powerful exhortation to Christians living in the eastern part of the Roman Empire in the late 1st century. As they struggled with living out their faith in a society that was increasingly putting pressure on them to compromise their beliefs, they had to decide who was the Lord of the world - Caesar or Christ. Although our immediate circumstances are very different, there are a lot of points of intersection in our lives of faith. In any and every generation, as the world around us puts pressure on us to compromise, we must live out the reality of Jesus' reign and rule.
I also continue to meet with some other good friends on Monday afternoons and evenings to study scripture, pray, reflect, and discuss the big issues in life. We may not have the academic pedigrees of the Inklings (CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, & other big figures of yesteryear), but I believe our discussions must be as relevant and engaging. Speaking of engaging, a few of us are joining a friend of mine for a course titled "Engaging Islam" this evening after our Bible study. This friend was forced to leave his Islamic country after he converted to Christianity and began to share the message of Jesus with others. As our world is becoming increasingly pluralized, it's important that we not only be aware of our own religious beliefs and convictions, but that we also learn to listen to others, see their perspective, and engage with them in genuine dialogue. Because I believe that Jesus is Lord and because I believe that ultimately God desires everyone to come to a knowledge of this truth, I hope to learn how to better love and understand my Muslim neighbors so that if invited, I might be able to share the saving message of Jesus with them.
Here in a few moments I'll be off to teach a conversational English class. I loved discussing literature in school, but I hated grammar. It's ironic that now I get to teach a little grammar, as well as basic conversational skills. Sometimes my students correct me! We're never to old to learn...- Shay
Thursday, August 7, 2014
A Better Way: Religion and Politics
People say you shouldn't talk about religion. I say that talking about religion is extremely healthy and is a whole lot better than fighting over it physically (I have no problem with people discussing their faith or lack-there-of with conviction and passion, so long as they remain respectful). People say you shouldn't talk about politics. I personally don't enjoy political conversations very much, but what does it say about people when we eliminate a very real and important aspect of life from our conversational options? Are we incapable of disagreeing with someone in principle, while still remaining civil? Can we maintain a loving and healthy relationship with someone with whom we vehemently disagree? Do our differences not make life much more interesting? Do not our own views become stronger, maybe more nuanced and a bit healthier by being challenged, gracefully, by those who may see things differently?
I've had a few conversations with people recently where my comparison of Christian faith with other world views and religions made some present uncomfortable. Some of the conversations dealt simply with historical facts. Other parts of the conversations dealt with core convictions. In either case, I made it clear that my faith in Jesus leads me to believe that ultimately he will be the final judge in the end. I stressed that in simply comparing the different belief systems, I was not taking my place on the judgment seat. However, I didn't shy away from sharing what the Christian faith teaches, based on Jesus' own words as recorded in the gospels and what the later New Testament writers had to say. I fully recognize that my understanding of my own faith continues to grow and mature as I get older and that many in the world would have vastly different views to my own. However, if we're not free to clearly express our views, what's the point in having them to begin with? We may as well live in a dictatorship without freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, and freedom of speech.
Proverbs states that as iron sharpens iron, so two people sharpen one another. Real differences exist in this increasingly pluralistic and globalized world. There's a real opportunity for people from different faiths, world views, and political persuasions to actually come together and dialogue about their very real differences. There's nothing wrong with this, in fact, it's extremely healthy. However, when I look around the world, whether through the lens of the newspaper headlines or in some of my own conversations, it seems that the culture is increasingly forcing people to extremes. Either we allow our differences to divide so deeply that we become uncivil in our interactions (or worse when we look at the trouble spots of violence scattered across the globe) or we refuse to even engage in dialogue, preferring to "keep the peace" and our opinions to ourselves. Both of these extremes diminish our humanity and prevent us from growing individually and collectively. A better way begins with each and every one of us. - Shay
I've had a few conversations with people recently where my comparison of Christian faith with other world views and religions made some present uncomfortable. Some of the conversations dealt simply with historical facts. Other parts of the conversations dealt with core convictions. In either case, I made it clear that my faith in Jesus leads me to believe that ultimately he will be the final judge in the end. I stressed that in simply comparing the different belief systems, I was not taking my place on the judgment seat. However, I didn't shy away from sharing what the Christian faith teaches, based on Jesus' own words as recorded in the gospels and what the later New Testament writers had to say. I fully recognize that my understanding of my own faith continues to grow and mature as I get older and that many in the world would have vastly different views to my own. However, if we're not free to clearly express our views, what's the point in having them to begin with? We may as well live in a dictatorship without freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, and freedom of speech.
Proverbs states that as iron sharpens iron, so two people sharpen one another. Real differences exist in this increasingly pluralistic and globalized world. There's a real opportunity for people from different faiths, world views, and political persuasions to actually come together and dialogue about their very real differences. There's nothing wrong with this, in fact, it's extremely healthy. However, when I look around the world, whether through the lens of the newspaper headlines or in some of my own conversations, it seems that the culture is increasingly forcing people to extremes. Either we allow our differences to divide so deeply that we become uncivil in our interactions (or worse when we look at the trouble spots of violence scattered across the globe) or we refuse to even engage in dialogue, preferring to "keep the peace" and our opinions to ourselves. Both of these extremes diminish our humanity and prevent us from growing individually and collectively. A better way begins with each and every one of us. - Shay
Monday, July 28, 2014
The Vintage Time of Life?
Like most things in life, age is relative. When we're really young, we think the young, but older than us crowd is sooo old. When I was a teen, the mid 30s seemed like a time when people were really old and mature - fully grownup, fully adult. I turned 37 yesterday and to misquote Garth Brooks, I'm much too old to feel this...young. I do feel grown up, but I've come to realize that maturity is a relative, fluctuating, and multi-layered concept.
One of the things we all discover over the years is that time flies and flies fast. High School and even Middle School doesn't seem like that long ago. College was practically yesterday. Everything after has simply been a blur. But overall, life, at least for me personally has continued to get better with age, not worse. I'm not afraid of growing older, but I have come to accept the limitations that increased mileage has placed on my body. I know, I know...just wait until I'm 50...60...70.
According to a 2013 British survey, age 37 seems to be the happiest time of life for a large percentage of men. I can't think of too many ages that I would prefer to the past few years, so maybe I am peaking. Is this the vintage time of life? I don't think so. I don't see any reason why life can't just keep getting better with age. Either way, we only have today and I plan on making the most of it. - Shay
One of the things we all discover over the years is that time flies and flies fast. High School and even Middle School doesn't seem like that long ago. College was practically yesterday. Everything after has simply been a blur. But overall, life, at least for me personally has continued to get better with age, not worse. I'm not afraid of growing older, but I have come to accept the limitations that increased mileage has placed on my body. I know, I know...just wait until I'm 50...60...70.
According to a 2013 British survey, age 37 seems to be the happiest time of life for a large percentage of men. I can't think of too many ages that I would prefer to the past few years, so maybe I am peaking. Is this the vintage time of life? I don't think so. I don't see any reason why life can't just keep getting better with age. Either way, we only have today and I plan on making the most of it. - Shay
Monday, July 14, 2014
The Simple Gospel
I often engage in Bible discussions with various people from a variety of different backgrounds. Later today I will be meeting with some friends and co-workers for a meeting and part of our time will be spent in sharing some reflections from scripture. A few hours later I'll be meeting some other friends for a chat and biblical discussion in the city centre. Sometimes we write out our reflections through a technique called "Discovery Bible Study". The idea is to write out a text word for word, paraphrase it, and then jot down some reflections. Though the two studies I'll be involved in today are based out of different passages, I believe that they are simply two different angles on the simple gospel. Here goes...
John 16:20-22 - Text: "Very truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy. When a woman is in labor, she has pain, because her hour has come. But when her child is born, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a human being into the world. So you have pain now; but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you."
Paraphrase: Jesus knew that his disciples would not; could not understand his impending death. How could they? A crucified messiah was an oxymoron. Jesus knew that the Sabbath to come would be a black one, even if those in opposition to him would rejoice. But just as the pain felt by a woman in labor ultimately leads to the celebration of new life, so would Jesus' death ultimately lead to resurrection life and the birth of the new creation resulting in an everlasting joy.
Reflections: Pain isn't eternal. It's only temporary, though in its moment it can seem unbearable. Mourning may last longer than a morning, but it too will one day cease to be. Tears of sorrow are nothing to scoff at. They can be as real and raw as any expression of human emotion we ever face. But those tears will one day be wiped dry from every eye and every cheek. Suffering is a reality. We may grin and bear it, but that doesn't make it any less real. But it is only one very small part of reality and it too will eventually be banished forever. Death is not the final word. It's a loud word punctuated with an exclamation mark, but it isn't the final word. I have faith that all of this is true because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the new creation that was birthed on that Sunday 2,000 years ago. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?
2 Corinthians 5:17-21 - Text: "So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us this message of reconciliation; that is in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
Paraphrase: If anyone has been incorporated into the Messiah - new creation! Not just them, but for them every single thing has become new and is in the process of being renewed. This is a gift from God who through the Messiah brought us back into relationship with him and has brought us into a partnership in the ministry of reconciliation. God was in the Messiah, the man Jesus, reconciling the whole world to himself, not counting sins against humanity and trusting those of us in the Messiah Jesus with the message. We represent the Messiah to those not yet in the Messiah - God uses us as his spokespersons. We try to persuade others on behalf of the Messiah to be reconciled to God. God in the Messiah Jesus took on the full force of sin, though he knew not sin within himself, so that all of those in the Messiah might share in Jesus' righteousness.
Reflections: What does it mean to be in Christ? To be in the Messiah? He is our representative before God the Father. By virtue of our incorporation in him, literally being in his body, what's true of him is true of us. We share in his righteousness - his faithfulness - so that we are reconciled to God. We are back in the relationship for which we were always created. And this means that just as Jesus gave birth to the new creation through his resurrection, for us, new creation has already begun to arrive and is in the process of continually coming until it is finally realized in the renewed heavens and the renewed earth. In the meantime, as we partner with the Messiah Jesus, we serve as his mouthpiece, his representative here and now. The universal appeal for reconciliation sounds out from Christ's body, the church, as it engages in worship of Jesus, love of neighbor, and in articulating the hope and forgiveness found in the one who was given for the whole world.
Some things seem too good to be true. Others things, like this, are too good not to be true. Simple, but true. - Shay
John 16:20-22 - Text: "Very truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy. When a woman is in labor, she has pain, because her hour has come. But when her child is born, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a human being into the world. So you have pain now; but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you."
Paraphrase: Jesus knew that his disciples would not; could not understand his impending death. How could they? A crucified messiah was an oxymoron. Jesus knew that the Sabbath to come would be a black one, even if those in opposition to him would rejoice. But just as the pain felt by a woman in labor ultimately leads to the celebration of new life, so would Jesus' death ultimately lead to resurrection life and the birth of the new creation resulting in an everlasting joy.
Reflections: Pain isn't eternal. It's only temporary, though in its moment it can seem unbearable. Mourning may last longer than a morning, but it too will one day cease to be. Tears of sorrow are nothing to scoff at. They can be as real and raw as any expression of human emotion we ever face. But those tears will one day be wiped dry from every eye and every cheek. Suffering is a reality. We may grin and bear it, but that doesn't make it any less real. But it is only one very small part of reality and it too will eventually be banished forever. Death is not the final word. It's a loud word punctuated with an exclamation mark, but it isn't the final word. I have faith that all of this is true because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the new creation that was birthed on that Sunday 2,000 years ago. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?
2 Corinthians 5:17-21 - Text: "So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us this message of reconciliation; that is in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
Paraphrase: If anyone has been incorporated into the Messiah - new creation! Not just them, but for them every single thing has become new and is in the process of being renewed. This is a gift from God who through the Messiah brought us back into relationship with him and has brought us into a partnership in the ministry of reconciliation. God was in the Messiah, the man Jesus, reconciling the whole world to himself, not counting sins against humanity and trusting those of us in the Messiah Jesus with the message. We represent the Messiah to those not yet in the Messiah - God uses us as his spokespersons. We try to persuade others on behalf of the Messiah to be reconciled to God. God in the Messiah Jesus took on the full force of sin, though he knew not sin within himself, so that all of those in the Messiah might share in Jesus' righteousness.
Reflections: What does it mean to be in Christ? To be in the Messiah? He is our representative before God the Father. By virtue of our incorporation in him, literally being in his body, what's true of him is true of us. We share in his righteousness - his faithfulness - so that we are reconciled to God. We are back in the relationship for which we were always created. And this means that just as Jesus gave birth to the new creation through his resurrection, for us, new creation has already begun to arrive and is in the process of continually coming until it is finally realized in the renewed heavens and the renewed earth. In the meantime, as we partner with the Messiah Jesus, we serve as his mouthpiece, his representative here and now. The universal appeal for reconciliation sounds out from Christ's body, the church, as it engages in worship of Jesus, love of neighbor, and in articulating the hope and forgiveness found in the one who was given for the whole world.
Some things seem too good to be true. Others things, like this, are too good not to be true. Simple, but true. - Shay
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
A Relational God
Of all the gospels, John's (although I don't think the apostle John actually wrote it, but that's another story) is probably the most developed theologically. It was written late in the 1st century and was very much rooted in the historical context of John's audience. There had been ample time for followers of Jesus to consider deeply the significance of his teaching and actions during his ministry and with greater time and reflection came greater understanding. So with that in mind, it's appropriate to hear Jesus' teaching and discourses throughout John's gospel as being as much directed to those disciples of the late 1st century as to the original hearers within the story. And of course, there's a message for ourselves in the 21st century too. With this in the background, here are some reflections I take from John 15:12-15 (these verses come from Jesus' "farewell" discourse to his disciples in John 14-17).
Text:"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my father."
My Paraphrase: Jesus invited his disciples to love one another just as he loved them. He explained that the greatest love in life is the willingness to surrender one's life for the sake of one's friends. Friendship with Jesus carries with it the responsibility to obey his commands, chiefly the command to love others. Though Jesus' disciples are his servants, he welcomes them into grater intimacy as he honors them as friends.
Reflections: From Genesis to the maps, the story of God is also the story of God and his people. From the very beginning, God has been and continues to be a relational God. In fact, the crown of his creation, humanity, he made in his very own image. God took it even further when in the person of his Son, he emptied himself, in-fleshing himself in the man Jesus. Jesus did not exploit his divinity, but rather related to humanity as a fully human person with all of the natural limitations that we all endure. Relationally speaking, this man Jesus embraced his disciples as friends and showed us all what humanity was always supposed to be, but had failed to be. After laying down his life for his friends, through the Spirit, Jesus was raised and then exalted to the right hand of the Father. In Jesus' exaltation, God has actually taken humanity into himself, thus taking his relationship with us that much further.
So that brings us to our response to the amazing love of this relational God. Essentially, we are asked to follow in Jesus' footsteps - the footsteps of the one true human who bridged the gap to the one true God. Just as Jesus put his complete trust in his Father, so we put our trust in both the Father and the Son. As Jesus submitted to the Father in baptism and received the Holy Spirit, so too we are born again of the water and the Spirit. And just as Jesus loved his disciples and not only his disciples, but the entire world, by laying down his life, so too are we to love others by putting our own wishes, agendas, and personal preferences to the side for the sake of others and for the sake of Christ. It wasn't easy for Jesus and it's certainly not easy for us. But a life lived in this Spirit is the kind of life that Jesus described in John 10:10 - life abundant. - Shay
Text:"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my father."
My Paraphrase: Jesus invited his disciples to love one another just as he loved them. He explained that the greatest love in life is the willingness to surrender one's life for the sake of one's friends. Friendship with Jesus carries with it the responsibility to obey his commands, chiefly the command to love others. Though Jesus' disciples are his servants, he welcomes them into grater intimacy as he honors them as friends.
Reflections: From Genesis to the maps, the story of God is also the story of God and his people. From the very beginning, God has been and continues to be a relational God. In fact, the crown of his creation, humanity, he made in his very own image. God took it even further when in the person of his Son, he emptied himself, in-fleshing himself in the man Jesus. Jesus did not exploit his divinity, but rather related to humanity as a fully human person with all of the natural limitations that we all endure. Relationally speaking, this man Jesus embraced his disciples as friends and showed us all what humanity was always supposed to be, but had failed to be. After laying down his life for his friends, through the Spirit, Jesus was raised and then exalted to the right hand of the Father. In Jesus' exaltation, God has actually taken humanity into himself, thus taking his relationship with us that much further.
So that brings us to our response to the amazing love of this relational God. Essentially, we are asked to follow in Jesus' footsteps - the footsteps of the one true human who bridged the gap to the one true God. Just as Jesus put his complete trust in his Father, so we put our trust in both the Father and the Son. As Jesus submitted to the Father in baptism and received the Holy Spirit, so too we are born again of the water and the Spirit. And just as Jesus loved his disciples and not only his disciples, but the entire world, by laying down his life, so too are we to love others by putting our own wishes, agendas, and personal preferences to the side for the sake of others and for the sake of Christ. It wasn't easy for Jesus and it's certainly not easy for us. But a life lived in this Spirit is the kind of life that Jesus described in John 10:10 - life abundant. - Shay
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Days Like Yesterday
Yesterday, Juli, Ashlyn, and I welcomed over 50 friends for a BBQ. The weather wasn't the best, but it could have been a lot worse. I think the food was good and the conversations were even better. As I reflect back on our first four years here in Ireland I am so thankful for all of the good friends we've made. When lots of people come together in community you're reminded of how important relationships really are. Sure, we miss our family and friends back home and we're looking forward to seeing many of them soon, but we have made a home away from home in Ireland. I imagine in the new creation in the age to come, the time and spaces and people and places that our separated now will somehow come together in ways that we can't even fathom. But days like yesterday give us a glimpse of what that renewed world will be like. - Shay
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