Matthew 3:1-6 "In those days John the baptizer arrived on the scene, preaching in the wilderness of Judea. "Repent," he said, "for the kingdom of the heavens has come near..."

Repent is one of those words often either misunderstood or that scare people off. I think it fits into the same category  that "sin" and "saved" fit in to. Those of us who've grown up going to church have certainly heard the word "repent" and for many it may be a word that we don't fully understand. We know that it's probably a good thing... definitely a churchy word that has a lot to do with whether you're going to heaven or hell. There are lots of words and phrases like that in church. Sanctification, transgressions, and frankincense were fun words to pretend you knew the meaning... "Blood of the Lamb" is probably one that freaks newcomers out.

The older I get, the more fun it is to do word studies and to find out what these words and phrases really mean. Why are they used and what does it have to do with my faith? Sanctify is a word I'd heard for years and never really knew what it meant... only until about 5 years ago did I discover it's true meaning and it absolutely did wonders for my faith and walk with God.

So what did John mean when he was preaching repentance? Repent comes from the Hebrew word teshuvah - to turn away from evil and turning or return to God. To the Jew repentance is central to their faith and relationship with God. They believe that "divine forgiveness is never refused to genuine repentance..." Repentance isn't just sentimental sorrow and "feeling bad", but a real change in  the way you're living. Rabbi Eleazar said "The true penitent is he who has the opportunity to do the same sin again in the same circumstances, and who does not do it."


I work with a lot of folks who seem pretty bitter and disgruntled towards God. There's lots of blasphemy that goes on... It kills me because I think in many cases they've been mislead or let down by others. I bet they feel like pursuing Christ is a hopeless cause. I bet they think that the life they live is inexcusable to God. We all know it's easier to not care. It's easier to scorn and make fun of people and things we don't understand. I can't blame the way these folks feel and for the choices they make. I just wish they knew that no case is hopeless for repentance, and no one is beyond repentance.

"God's mercy is open to the person who is so ahsamed that they can tell their shame to no one except God."

Olympics

So Tuesday's parents are out for a visit, so we took them to Park City... a schmancy ski resort town with lots of shops and famous people surrounded by beautiful mountains. Park City was also the location of most of the events in the 2002 Winter Olympics. The Olympic center is still open and heavily used by athletes and a host to events and competitions all year. We took an hour tour that took us up and around the bobsled/luge/skeleton track and then to the top of the ski jump! I've always had a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for Olympic athletes, but seeing all of these apparati up close gave me a newfound appreciation for what they actually do. They really are so dedicated, talented and borderline insane. Their passion and talent is just remarkable. For instance... the two-man luge involved the heavier person to lay on top of the lighter one... the one below cannot see where they are going but is responsible for steering via feeling the direction the fella on top is leaning. They reach speeds of 90+ mph while the guy on bottom is crushed by 800 lbs of pressure that frequently causes broken ribs. Fun!

We also found out that anyone can take a day long course and actually do the bob-sled, luge, or skeleton themselves - on the actual Olympic course! You have to make reservations well in advance and it's not cheap either... but at least I have something new and exciting to start saving for!

Holy Foods

 As you might already know, I've been working part-time for Whole Foods. I work on the one right on the university of Utah campus. Well, a couple months ago the Vice President of Whole Foods made a visit to our store (this is considered a HUGE deal... we spent an absurd amount of time prepping the store for his visit...) The day finally came and our store management was a frantic, hysterical mess. They were so nervous :) When the VP arrived you would've thought that President Obama had come to Whole Foods do a little shopping.... because, hey, who doesn't like to spend $15 for a banana?! Anywho, I couldn't help but laugh at all of the hullabaloo... Then I thought to myself "I gotta meet this guy... What do I have to lose?" So, as the lowly stock-boy, I positioned myself so that when he was walking down the soup aisle with his entourage, I would be there fixing cans of Annie's Organic Chicken Wild Rice. As he approached, I stood up, blocked his way, stuck out my hand, and said "Hello! I'm Dan..." I was pleased to find out that he was one of the nicest and most genuine guys I've met in a long time. I asked him where he lived and when he said “Austin, Texas....” I said “Hey! I’m gonna be in Austin in a month!” “What for?” he asked... “Oh, I’m going to a YoungLife leadership conference... it’s an organization I work for.” Apparently, he knew what YoungLife was and was really excited to learn that a Whole Foods employee also works for a, as he put it, “non-profit, community minded organization” Yeah, sure!

Well, a couple days later, my store manager came and sat with me at lunch (another rare occurrence... apparently he doesn’t sit and gab with the grocery team much) He had caught wind that I had that conversation with the V.P. and he asked me if I would speak at the next all-store meeting...

“Sure!” I said, “What do you want me to speak about?”

He answered “I want you to share about what it is you do for YoungLife...”

“Ok... (insert spit-take here) What? Really!?!?”

I knew for a fact that he had no idea that YoungLife is a Christian based ministry.... and soon I would be speaking to 100+ people about YoungLife... how God loves us, forgives us and wants to be in a relationship with us. I was going to be sharing with one of the most unique and challenging audiences in the U.S. I am amazed by the number of people I meet here who are spiteful and resentful towards God. There are still more who are utterly complacent and have no desire either way.

Been working there 2 months... and already... this.

Cleanliness IS next to Godliness!

 Matthew 3:10 “Therefore every tree which does not produce good fruit is on the point of being cut down, and thrown into the fire.”

One of the hardest things to do in life is letting someone go. Breaking up a relationship, ceasing to pursue a friendship, firing someone at work, letting go and bucking a habit can be one of the most difficult tasks in life too. So why go through with it if it’s so hard? I imagine that’s most people’s attitude. We hate conflict whether it’s internal or relational... we avoid conflict like the swine flu (I don’t think “plague” is relevant anymore...)

Obviously we go through with it because of standards we have set in our lives. We all should have standards, expectations, hopes, dreams, vision and some sort of plan for growth. Those things that hinder this growth need to be cut, pruned, and in some sense, destroyed.

I put some more thought into what makes this process so difficult... Relationships, establishing values, standards and character take investment and time, time that could be spent in a million different ways. We have the ability to pick an choose specific people and things we want to invest time in, and because time is a limited commodity, it becomes one of THE most valuable things around.

I’m sure if we took a good hard look into each of our own lives, we’d all discover several things that need to be tossed. Things that take up valuable space or time. Think of all things you drag around with you when you move. Take a look in your spare room closet or garage... yikes. The only value a lot of this stuff has is sentiment. Is that worth the hassle, space or time? (Matthew 6:19) Talk to anyone who’s taken a carload of stuff to the Goodwill... cleaning out, purging and getting organized... it’s one of the most freeing and therapeutic things people do. There’s something so right about simplifying, cleaning and organizing your life.

Put all this in the context of people in your life... but more importantly the people who hinder. I supposed it’s hard to let go of people for the fear of being lonely and wondering if that person will ever be replaced. That’s why we continue to be in abusive or unhealthy relationships. The fear of being alone. We resign to “well, I’ve come this far with this person... might as well stick it out.” We become dependent on whoever or whatever it is that’s got a hold of you. This goes for relationships, addictions, habits, lifestyles, employees, etc.

I know for certain God’s let me know when I need to get rid of someone or something in my life, and I for one have soaked in that fear of wondering “If I get rid of this person... will anyone else come to be in their place?” I’ve had to let volunteers and employees go, I’ve had to walk away from relationships, and I’ve had to let go of habits and addictions that I knew were destructive... and in every case I’ve wondered how on earth I was going to survive. But I can honestly say, that in every case, God has more than filled the space.

I supposed there’s another group of folks that just don’t know any better. To no fault of their own, they live the way they were brought up and honestly don’t know of any alternative. I think that’s one of the main reasons I’m drawn to a vocational ministry... to let people know an alternative to what or who they’ve resigned themselves to may be the most important job in the world. It’s what we’ve been called to do.