Enter the Throne Room

NEW BLOG

Ok. Apology over. Visit my new blog! After a long period of reflection on the "focus" of my blog, I have created "Practicing Presence":
http://jonathanbhart.wordpress.com/

Apology

To those who read this with any kind of consistency whatsoever, I have been failing in my own consistency lately with blogging. I find in my own following of blogs that hiatuses of this length of time cause me to question whether the blog is even active anymore, or at the very least, I'm challenged to go back to following so closely. So, I apologize to you if I have caused that kind of reaction. Our life has been tumultuous (yes, that's a good word) over the past month. I have completed two or three drafts of posts that went unfinished and unpublished. I'll try to get back on the horse and do better. Thanks for staying with me.

Grace and peace,
Jonathan

Indwelling and On-dwelling

One of the most powerful realities of the Christian faith is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. How amazing is it that God doesn't just forgive and redeem us through Jesus Christ, accepting us as we are, but He also sends His Holy Spirit, the very Spirit that raised Jesus Christ from the dead, to dwell within us?! (See one of my favorite verses, Romans 8:11) It is more than just wearing a wedding ring representing our marriage to God. Rather, the very God who has saved us from sin's guilt and power is inside us and transforming us every day. Wow.

I reflect on this because I was thinking earlier today about "dwelling." I have heard this word many times in my life, mostly because I have a tendency to dwell on things. Growing up I was the one who worried, over-analyzed, and got preoccupied by things. I would verbalize something to my dad and he would say, "Why are you dwelling on that?" I got a message in that repeated question that I misinterpreted. My misinterpretation was "Dwelling is bad." I shouldn't dwell just like I shouldn't worry. After all, when a parent or mentor figure asks you why you are doing something, often the implication is that you should not be or that you could be doing something better. But dwelling is not bad. Dwelling is something we humans do. In fact, dwelling can be good! I believe dwelling is even a spiritual discipline. Paul in his letters talks a lot about "dwelling in" (God in us). But there is one verse where he focuses on "dwelling on." Philippians 4:8 says:

"And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." (New Living Translation)

Something strikes me about this "on-dwelling." Our indwelling and our on-dwelling are directly related. Who dwells within us should affect what we dwell on. This is convicting. To be confessional for a moment, I dwell on many things frequently each day that do not line up with Paul's exhortation. I dwell on what I would like to buy that may or may not enrich my life. I dwell on failures that God is trying to free me from but that I have trouble letting go of. I dwell on things people have said that they have long forgotten and I would do well to at least forgive if not forget, too. And I dwell far too much on the trivial instead of the things of God that are significant and eternal. Dwelling is a struggle.

So I am asking myself, and I invite you to ask yourself, what am I dwelling on? Yes, perhaps in this moment but more so on a daily basis. If I think about what I dwell on I can begin to be more proactive in pursuing Paul's suggestion - to discipline myself to dwell on things that reflect the One who dwells within. May our on-dwelling reflect our Indwelling. After all, the very Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in us so that we may have new life as well!

Children and the Holy Land

Two weeks ago today, we brought home our second child. I've never been to the Holy Land, but I think having a child might be a little like that experience. You can almost feel the palpable emotion in one telling of the first time. It is a life-changer. There is no way to fully prepare. One can't know the emotions to expect until going through it firsthand. And that first experience is always a unique like-none-other experience. Thus, it's strange to go through an event like that more than once. Maybe I'm peculiar in feeling that way. But one goes through a birth - this big, scary, traumatic, amazing, life-altering event - where on the other side is this unique child you wouldn't take anything for. It's almost bizarre to get to go through that again. It seems like such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Though going back means reliving some of the awe I thought I'd never be able to forget from going through the first time! And yet, it's not a repeat of the first time. This is a paradox: a familiar once-in-a-lifetime experience. And from what I gather, it never stops being that way no matter how many times one gets to have this adventure.

The World Will Never Be the Same

Eden Cynthia Hart born 5/24/12 at 10:13p, 20" long, 7 lbs 5 oz.

East of Eden

If the sun’s path can be a metaphor of life then we are always traveling westward toward its setting. Thus, every event we have yet to encounter is west and we are heading toward it from the east. Liz and I are closer than ever, but still “east of Eden.” We named our daughter for that Paradise where we once walked blamelessly and blissfully with our Maker (Gen.2:8-9) and for the hope of returning to another Garden yet to come where we will do the same forevermore (Rev. 22:1-5). However, the arrival of this Eden will not be the return to Paradise, but rather like the chaos on which God eventually imposed order. It will be traumatic.

It will be traumatic for Eden, because whether we realize it or not birth is the first traumatic event every human experiences. Our birth is our introduction to trauma. It will be traumatic for Liz as this alien who has invaded her body and lived as a parasitic host for 9 months is about to be…delivered. And while I only use on verb for gentle propriety, I am sure you can add other verbs and a host of adjectives to confirm the event as one of trauma. This even will be traumatic for Noah. Before reaching age 2, his home, family, life, and the world as he knows it will be invaded beyond his control and changed forever. And finally, as a spectator and active participant in the entire aforementioned trauma, this event would be traumatic enough for me if I had no trauma of my own. But I will.

I have now preached my 35^th sermon here at Shalimar. I’ve done my first few weddings and my first handful of funerals. I feel as if we are finally getting to know one another. But you have not yet watched me go through an event of this magnitude. I make a special apology in advance for the first sermon I preach after Eden’s arrival. If it is coherent at all I am certain it will contain things for which I will need to apologize and at the very least an untrustworthy level of content. I also apologize for all one-on-one conversations I will have the first days or even weeks into her arrival. If you walk away thinking, “Was it just me?” rest assured it was really me. While I am here to serve you and you owe me nothing, I ask openly and unashamedly for your understanding, love, support, encouragement, and most importantly, for your prayers. For, only God Himself can get families through this! We’ll see you on the west side.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Jonathan