Dig A Little Deeper
by Alan ScottGod is so good. Over three-fourths of our blue earth is covered in the substance that is precisely needed to sustain life. It points us to a loving God… taste (drink) and see that He is good! God, in his amazing grace and mercy, gave us a way to be pointed to him in the slightest of details… such as quenching our thirst with life-giving H2O. Let the painstaking and unremitting pursuit of His love sink into your soul a bit. Take a drink. Dig a little deeper…
I saw a burly, well-rounded, glowing red, bald-headed father wildly playing with his three sons on the beach. This man’s three sons all looked amazingly like him. I speculated about his connection with God. Did he know the love of a heavenly Father? Couldn’t his raucous beach rousing with his trifecta of DNA give him clues of not just a Grand Designer, but an obvious Grand Lover? Does this dad get it? Does he need to dig a little deeper? I thought about how often God gives us gifts that relentlessly point to him and his love.
All this week through text messages and voicemails, good friends of Sherry and mine from Indiana have been keeping us posted on the last minute and dramatic details of their adoption. All the finer points worked out in beautiful fashion. God is good. It all pointed to a very loving God, and a little girl being saved by these wonderful new parents is more proof of divine love.
I’m confident someone’s difficult journey would pose the question of God’s lack of love. Dig a little deeper…
God is good and loving in giving us the keys to His kingdom. As Blackaby pointed out today, If you are a Christian you, too, have the keys to the kingdom of heaven. You have unobstructed access to God. With that access come all the resources you need to face any circumstance.
The Church needs that access and those keys of the Kingdom now more than ever. There is an ever-increasing population who is cynical and weary of the Church. Listen to how many people describe their perceptions of the church (from “Unchristian”):
- The Titanic --- a ship about to sink but unaware of its fate.
- A powerful amplifier being undermined by poor wiring and weak speakers.
- A pack of domesticated cats that look like they are thinking deep thoughts but are just waiting for their next meal.
- An ostrich with its head in the sand.
- A hobby that diverts people’s attention.
These are hard words for this pastor to absorb. I love the church. I have worked hard to pursue relevance and Kingdom advancement. It’s frustrating that millions upon growing millions of people disconnected from Church believe Christians live in their own world, but not too well in the real one.
David Kinnaman writes: “(People) thrive on unexpected experiences and enjoy searching for new sources of input. Their lives consist of an eclectic patchwork of diversity, perspectives, friendships, and passions. A vast portion of their typical day is spent consuming media and exploring the burgeoning realms of the Internet. Movies, magazines, music, and television transport the into alternate realities with greater frequency and poignancy than any previous generation has experienced. They are exposed to and access more philosophies and ideas about life --- and can get them at a faster pace --- than any generation in history. They are a “pinch of t his pinch of that” generation, always willing to try a little of anything. This is why Christianity, in its sheltered, clueless, non-intellectual form, makes no sense to them. Trained to believe they have control over just about everything and expecting to participate in reality, young adults don’t resonate with a vision of cloistered Christianity. A faith that sidelines them is not tenable. Their existence is anything but bubble-bound.”
I read such forceful words, and there is a part of this 48-year-old that wonders what needs to be done within the Church. What model needs to prevail? What strategies need employed? What books need to be read, and what conferences will unlock the keys to elevate the Church of Jesus once again? In what ways will I dig a little deeper…
As I am coming to the end of this study break, my mind and heart starts trying to tie things together. I find myself capping my highlighter and placing a book I’m reading on my lap --- so I can think, and process and stare at the pounding waves. The waves of water… billions of gallons of H2O (with a little saline added)… proof of God’s love. The answer to the Church rising once again would come from digging a little deeper.
At some point between final chapters of “Unchristian” and staring at the shoreline, I noticed my daughter, Morgan, digging a rather deep hole into the sand. She was probably two feet under when her red, plastic shovel hit something hard. I remarked, “You’ve hit a treasure chest!” She just smiled and kept digging. Within minutes however, Morgan pulled up a wonderful, complete conk shell. She HAD hit a treasure chest. She had dug a little deeper than usual and found something worthwhile and lasting.
She had dug a little deeper…
Although there are some serious challenges the Church is facing, the answers seem to be pointing to digging a little deeper. God and a frustrated, searching culture is pushing US down below the surface for answers. We have the keys to the Kingdom. We have available resources, but we will have to dig a little deeper for God’s answers. My burden and heaviness towards the depravity of the Church shifted from the problem to solutions. Dig a little deeper…
Tomorrow I’ll try to write what I think this entails. It’s coming together. Thanks God.
On a side note: My kids are always great on our annual study breaks. Sherry and I give them each assignments and then pay them big bucks to do so. This probably breaks all the rules of most parenting manuals, but our kids seems to be turning out OK so far.
We told Brooklynn (16) and Lauren (13) they each had to read “The Shack” and memorize twenty verses. They not only had to recite twenty verses and the references, but they were required by parental law to give the “so what” --- the application of each verse. Amount paid to each teenager for assignments: $50 bucks… cold, hard cash.
With Morgan (9), we also gave her twenty verses (including the “so what”) and assigned her to read through the book of James --- including a one-page report on what she learned. Amount paid: $50 bucks… cold, hard cash.
With Michael, our six-year-old… we handed out two verses that he needed to recite and tell what they meant. One verse was Colossians 3:23, and the other (which he acted out with great drama) was Ephesians 6:16-17. Amount paid: $15.
Total payout: $165. Actual cost: Priceless!
Is this horrible parenting? Is it right to use extrinsic motivations to bolster spiritual character? Should this be so forced and rigid? What will be the long-term effects on my kids… these poor pastor kids?
I’m more than glad to pay money for the laughter, conversations, memories, and life we attach to learning these boatloads of spiritual truths. Truth be known, I’d probably even pay more for the chance I get to sit on the beach and go over verses and books and spiritual applications with my kids. How cool is this?
Additionally, and for the record, I’m offering our three oldest kids a bonus of $25 each if they will dig a little deeper and write their own personal, Biblical worldview using Barna's seven suggested questions as a template. (This assignment can be done anytime this summer)
Total payout: $240. Actual cost: you guessed it… eternally priceless.
