Death

I wasn’t immediately aware of what I had just saw fall from the shovel of the bulldozer as I began walking toward a large group of people gathered around it in the distance. They were looking for something to be dug up apparently. Within seconds the reality was absorbed into my consciousness and I begin to feel what I had been thinking about all day and seeing all afternoon. Sometimes death seems to be closer than other times, like a person walking a few steps behind you as opposed to a distant relative you only see and give thought to at funerals. This day was one of them.

I wasn’t able to reach the group of people before being called over to another group to pray. I huddled in with everyone else, surrounded by what used to be a village of some few thousand people on the Western border of the Dominican Republic, but what was now a barren wasteland of rocks, destroyed huts, U.N. and other military relief workers, and the kind of desperate weeping that is a means to its own end. I had never seen such devastation, but I knew it existed and I knew it wasn’t going to end that day.

Today in Asia the relief efforts in responses to tsunamis, earthquakes and cyclones/hurricanes make what I saw in May of 2004 in the D.R. look desirable. Efforts to clean up our own country from Katrina are still a concern, and that is just underneath the immediate concerns created by the current death and devastation being cause in tornado alley in the Midwest. On top of all that, today we memorialize the death of military persons, and for some all family and friends who have passed on. This day was created and maintained in order to prevent distractions from ever completely wiping out our recognition of death at some level, and it is honored by nearly all.

Death is the great equalizer. To defeat it is to be officially better than everyone else. Today as we join in the effort to not only memorialize the death of specific people as family and friends or of our military, but memorialize death in general as a common reality for all, do not fail to see behind it. To fail to see Jesus Christ behind this memorial of death is to erase all notions of life, for He is the only one who has defeated death. For the Christian, there is no memorial to death greater than that of Christ’s, and the Christian who is more fervent about the individuals they honor today than they are about Communion has made a grave mistake. The reality of Christ’s death and defeat of death in His resurrection should be memorialized in the life of every Christian daily, and consideration of that reality should stir more passion in the Christian’s heart and soul than any known fact or unknown possibility. Today the Kingdom of God should be noticeably different than the kingdom of man. While the world laments the end they face, or falsely ascribe hope in anything other than Christ, we rejoice knowing death leads to life and are reminded God works all things for the good of those who love Him (Rom. 8:28).

“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” [1 Corinthians 7:10]

“But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” [2 Timothy 1:8b-10]

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.” [Hebrews 2:9]

“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” [Hebrews 2:14-15]

“But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” [Philippians 3:7-11]

“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” [Romans 6:22-23]

Be careful, fellow followers of Christ, not to have a view of death that is ever void of the Gospel, such that you can say and mean these words:

“I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” [Philippians 1:20-21]

Kingdom

I love castles. So as I approached the oldest section of Warwick Castle on a damp July day in 2005, I was full of childish excitement. I ran up steps almost a thousand years old to the ruins of an old tower overlooking a massive landscape. The view began with a small river parted by a narrow island reminiscent of Eden, and continued to endless rolling hills perfectly mowed and raked for harvest. Straight down, fifty yards in front of me, sitting in the middle of my newfound Eden, was a glorious sight. A perfect replica of a trebuchet from the 13th century. I saw it in a different location when I first arrived and was awestruck then, but now something was wonderfully different…it was pulled back and loaded, waiting to be fired. As fate would have it, the stars aligned and I reached the perfect viewing place just in time to see a boulder launched several hundred yards into the distance, landing with a dull and crushing thud that could be ever so slightly felt anywhere on the castle grounds. I told my friends later that if a sword would have been in my hand at that moment, I could have conquered a neighboring country all by myself. It was just that inspiring.

It is said that the Chinese were the first to really master any form of catapult for military superiority in the 11th century. By the 12th century such historical military figures as Richard the Lionheart were laying siege to enemies by smashing their city walls and lobbing various projectiles over them. Trebuchets were a powerful sight in “Return of the King,” the last of the Lord of the Rings series, as they were the most devastating in battle. Through the years it is no surprise that military leaders backed by mighty military machines have inspired so much loyalty and patriotism from their compatriots. The sense of purpose and duty, the promise of power, the solidarity from a common cause all ban together and lead to great and devastating results in any age, from any person.

I remember the evening the “shock and awe” campaign began in Iraq. It was supposed to be a display of the most advanced weapons our US military had to offer. I remember the following day hearing about it in school, and the following Sunday hearing about it in church. Some were upset because their idea of social justice was not satisfied, most were pleased in some form or another. I remember being confused. I stayed confused for a long time. Certain words from the Bible kept clawing at me.

Jesus answered, ” My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” [John 18:36]

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. [1 Peter 2:11]

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. [Matthew 7:21]

While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” [Matthew 12:46-50]

To an American mind, perhaps it is clearest to say that Christians are the Mexicans of the earth (I love Mexican people. The more the merrier, this is just an example). They are immigrants, an alien race setting up camp in someone else’s land. All that matters in the Kingdom of God is following the King. Christ is the Christian’s great inspiring war machine. He is their “shock and awe” to the world. He is the devastating blow that utterly destroys the enemy. He is both the military leader and the military weapon. Surely, for the Christian, Christ would supersede any faint notion of patriotism to an earthly kingdom? Surely, His great and awesome power would be evident to those kingdoms that look in to His, seeing His people standing in stark contrast to their notions of love, war, peace and justice? Surely, these other kingdoms would be amazed at the humility of Christ’s Kingdom since they are commanded: “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.” [1 Peter 2:13-14]? And surely these kingdoms are absolutely frustrated with Christ’s Kingdom, because the same man inspired by the same God said this to earthly leaders when they got in the way of Christ’s Kingdom: “Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” [Acts 4:18-20]? Surely these things are the case?

Surely no one in Christ’s Kingdom is more excited about democracy than Christian Doctrine? Of course, there just couldn’t be those more inspired by the stars and stripes than the bread and wine in Christ’s Kingdom? Those in Christ’s Kingdom always know that they have more in common with foreign Christians than pagan neighbors, that they have more in common with the Arab Christian than the American Soldier who hates Christ; don’t they know that? Surely citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven are most concerned with pointing other kingdoms to their King, not looking to other kingdoms for a king? Surely, for the love of God, it would be clear as day that praying is more important than voting; that prayer would be preached and taught, both at home and in church, more ardently than voting for “the right person?” Surely Christ is the obvious choice as the Christian’s greatest treasure? This simply must be the case, for what fools would trade so great and eternal a citizenship for such a tattered and temporary one?

“Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” [Philippians 3:17-21]

Christ

I’m of the conviction that the worst thing in life is to pay no attention to Christ. As such, the greatest thing is to give Him your full attention. A reality that has washed over me the past year has been the relative ease with which one who really treasures Christ may go about leaving Him in the dust trail of a life unconcerned with Him. A crux was reached one day while I was washing dishes at my advising professor’s home in Findlay Ohio.

Dr. Gary Staats and his wife Janet let two close friends of mine and I stay at their place Monday through Wednesday to take classes as commuting students at Winebrenner Theological Seminary. They are kind, simple living people in their sixties with hearts of pure gold. Being there nearly every week for the past eight months has been a blessing I will never fully comprehend. A trademark my closest friends and I share, aside from being serious about following Christ, is cooking Indian food. Gary and Janet love it, and we have cooked for them every Tuesday for a long time now. We do it early before classes start at 12:30pm and eat it for lunch and dinner. By the end of this past semester we had as many as fifteen guests for dinner between classes. My 12:30 class was Hebrew Exegesis with Dr. Staats. I’d been taking his lunch to him before class because he met early with a few other students with scheduling issues at 10:00am. This one February morning I was cleaning some of the bowls we were using to cook and he was walking out of the door. Janet followed him and they said their goodbyes. I was watching through a window, and as he initially walked out he turned and looked at Janet. With an urgent appeal bearing the innocence of a child he said, “Please pray that I make Christ the center.” She assured him she would and then he left, decaf coffee and books in tow.

Another class I had this semester with Dr. Staats was on the Book of Hebrews. He told the story in class about a time he was teaching this book to a group in Germany on staff with a well known mission organization. One of the leaders stood up and asked him what the practical value of this study was for them and what they were doing. “I told him, ‘This book is practical because it is about Christ and His superiority. What could be more practical for any Christian,’” Gary said to us as he cringed with the memory. I don’t know what that Christian leader wanted from a Bible study, but his sentiment seems to be a growing phenomenon in Western Christianity. That sentiment is that Christ is not enough. He’s not enough to preach about, not enough to think about, not enough to live for, not enough to die for, not enough to study and not enough to teach. And we’ll all sing that “He’s more than enough for me,” but we forget Him. We forget He’s real, He’s God, He created us, He died for our sins, He rose for our lives, He speaks to us, He has an opinion about our everyday decisions, He wants glory from our lives, He said money was the root of all evil, He said to love our enemies, He said don’t worry about tomorrow, He’s going to return, He is the judge over all the world, He wants us to know Him, He wants us to get Him into others lives any loving way we can, He is our great pathfinder to God and we can and should listen to Him more than anything else we do.

I’m of the conviction that giving Christ my full attention is the greatest thing in life or death. This begs the question I’ve begun to ask myself everyday and I now ask you: Is Christ the center of all that you are? Where He is the center, there will be your joy; where He is not, there will be your bane.

“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” [Hebrews 1:1-3]

Why?

There are several reasons why I’m starting a blog. To start it all off, I want to mention them.

1. To consolidate information about my life for those concerned. I would be afraid of that sounding arrogant except for the fact that a lot of blogging is that anyway. I’m getting ready to move away from home, and this will be a place to keep up with me. Due to the nature of my plans, I believe there are enough interested in them to warrant a blog. Also, I’ve spent a lot of money on sending newsletters and a lot of time sending emails when blogging is more cost and time efficient. However, let it be known I have no intention of rambling on about a random day. If I update on life there will be a clear purpose. Even if that purpose is humor, it is going to be hilarious, not the “you had to be there” types.

2. I have ideas and I want good feedback. This has been one of best things I’ve seen from reading blogs. With the ability to approve or deny comments, blogs can be a great source of information for all participants. While being a student, reading a lot in general, being exposed to tons of information, and the endless conversations and podcasts and other blogs, having a place of my own to disseminate ideas and have others tie up loose ends will be practical for me. Sometimes I have ideas and talk about them at length, but have no reason to write them. This can be a reason. In light of that, if you end up commenting on my blog and I don’t allow it to post don’t cry about it, I just don’t feel that it helps the conversation. If it’s really dumb, I’ll let you know privately. One thing I hate about school is all the dumb statements that are taken into account in a classroom and waste valuable time. I’ve estimated, based on tuition costs, that I’ve spent roughly $3,000 on people’s stupid comments and questions. This is my chance to prevent that.

3. I feel the need to write a book eventually, but I don’t know what kind. My thinking is that perhaps this blog will help for several reasons: seeing what others like and don’t like about what I say, getting used to having a wider audience for things I write, getting better ideas from other people, possibly getting the notion that a book is a bad idea, and so on. 

4. To be a resource. I want my blog to be part of the networking I see and like on the internet these days. There are some who will read this without knowledge of the certain resources I find valuable and I want to share and expand on them.

5. There are certain topics I feel are absent from popular discussion that I would like to infuse into it, even if only for a moment. This is a nice way of saying I want to review and critique various things where I feel the need. Again, I would feel this to be arrogant if not an overarching reason for blogging anyway.

6. The purpose above all other purposes is that Christ may get glory through this blog. While I intend for this blog to be for Christian and non-Christian alike, a high view of Christ, and a relating of everything back to Him will be an intentional defining attribute of this blog. If nothing else, I hope after reading this blog one may respond in one of these various ways: “Because I read that, I want to read my Bible.” “For some reason, now that I’ve read this blog, I feel the need to pray to the God of Christian Scripture.” “Jesus Christ is awesome, and I would die for Him.” “Hey honey…I just read this blog and I was wondering, can we go risk martyrdom by taking the gospel to a closed Arab country?” “The Bible is officially better than Harry Potter, Purpose Driven Life, and all the books on Oprah’s book club list combined!” “I was going to sit down with my ‘Teen Vogue’ magazine and watch ‘America’s Next Top Model’, but now that I’ve just read this blog I realize how dumb that is and how dumb I am for wanting to do that. I think I’m going to read the Bible instead, or any number of other better things like jumping off a cliff.” “God created, loved, died for and speaks to me. Maybe I should analyze how much I really care based on how I live?” “Kiel is an absolute dingle berry, but his God must have been the greatest thing before sliced bread.”

I hope to write something worth reading soon.