I am Wicked

One of my favorite quotes is by Tim Keller: “In the gospel we discover that we are far more wicked than we ever dared believe, yet more loved than we ever dared hope.”

I find this insight to be extremely helpful and on the mark. I feel that we often try to convince ourselves that we are not that bad, that our sin is not really that big of a deal. Understandably, we want to feel good about ourselves. Yet as we successfully convince ourselves that we are basically good, we also successfully make God's love for us and Jesus' death in our place not all that astounding or wonderful. As we diminish our sin, we diminish God's grace.

But the GOOD news of the Bible continually tells us that we are "wretched" and in need of nothing less than a Savior. We don't merely need a self-help strategy, a new morality, a worldview, a new diet, an ego-boost, etc. We need a Savior to rescue us from our own wickedness, the "cosmic treason" we've committed against our Creator.

And why this news is so GOOD is that we have such a Savior-Jesus.

When we try to diminish our sin and in so doing, diminish God's grace, the result is that we end up living with constant, low-lying guilt. This is because we can't completely shrug the sense that deep down there is more wretchedness than we are willing to admit. But when we are honest about our brokenness and sin, we can find complete freedom and peace knowing that every last part of it was paid for by Jesus' death and resurrection. We can accept the wickedness that dwells within us because we know that we are loved thoroughly and completely by God.

May we see more clearly the seriousness and wretchedness of our sin that we may rejoice more abundantly in the vastness of God's love and mercy.

 
 This song by Derek Webb paints a good picture-"Crooked Deep Down."

Uncertainty and doubt

This season of life has required more trust in God than usual. I often dream about how great it would be to know the future. Living with lots of uncertainty is tough. I just want to know what's going to happen. It would be much easier to put my confidence in a particular circumstance or outcome than to put it in God.

But I don't know the future. And I continue to live with lots of unanswered questions. I am left with only two options: 1) Freak out and learn to live with anxiety or, 2) learn to more fully trust God than ever before.

I have found that there are two beliefs that, if true, make all the difference in life, especially in times like this: 1) God is good, and 2) God is in control. I have always claimed to believe these two statements but that belief is being severely tested. It's tough. I don't always see God's goodness. I don't always see him working. I don't understand why things happen the way that they do.

But I must believe that he is sovereign and that he is good. Always. This is a daily decision.

How sweet are these words! "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)

The words of this are great, too. Link.

LIFE AS MUSIC

I recently wrote an op-ed piece as an assignment for a class I am taking through Mars Hill Church in Seattle. That article can be seen here. The assignment was to interpret and comment on a particular aspect of culture from a Christian worldview. I have invited some of my friends from the Albuquerque portion of the class to share their papers as a guest post on this blog. I will be sharing some of their pieces over the next few weeks. As a side note, several of their papers deal specifically with Albuquerque culture. However, all of them have some great insights that are relevant and applicable to a variety of cultures. Enjoy!

LIFE AS MUSIC

WHAT TUNE DO YOU PLAY WHEN LIFE IS HARD? 

by Stephen A. Mirabal

Recently, living in the northern San Juan Basin has been a roller-coaster of difficulty. In the midst of this hardship, I believe that knowing ‘who we are’ and ‘whose we are’ in this piece of music called ‘life,’ will give us the answer we have all been looking for-Jesus Christ. By allowing him to shape us as musicians, we can be harmonious and effective in this life.

Music is an integral part of my life as well as our beautiful region. Unfortunately for me, music hasn’t always been my forte. My first guitar lesson I was horrible. I would obnoxiously glide my guitar pick against the ridges of the strings to annoy the other students. I’m not sure I even understood what melodies or harmonies were, much less improvisation!

I was sitting in my room playing my guitar along with a CD one day and finally began feeling my role within its flowing ethos of beautiful melody and tonal structures; I finally fit. Merriam-Webster defines harmony as, “the structure of music with respect to the composition and progression of chords”. It was an incredible feeling to have harmonious purpose in playing an instrument rather than a ridiculous unmusical noise. I feel the same about life. Until we have this ‘light-bulb’ moment, we will continue to be out of sync with the players around us. Completely out of tune and off-rhythm.

The difficulties of this area are vast and multifaceted, but pinpointing a few would be helpful for anyone to know how to respond appropriately and learn to play our tune within our cultural musical arrangement.

The first and most obvious trial we are facing as a region is the sinking price of natural gas, which is the economic stream for this area.  Jason Sandel, a local leader in natural gas production, has said, “If we can't find work for the rigs, then the employees will have to be displaced…” For a lot of us, this is bad news, especially when a business leader is predicting lay-offs. When news is not so good, we often find what is important to us in how we respond. Unfortunately, we often respond with fear, which will only lead to more confusion and dissonance. Whenever someone needs to improvise in music, we need to know what chord structure is expected before we can play along. This is the same in life. God, the Composer of Life, has a song for us to play. Active listening is faith and prayer. An orchestra with no faith in their composer is an inharmonious orchestra at best. The role we should play in times of uncertainty is the act of faith. Faith in Jesus Christ to hold things together, and trust in the Holy Spirit to lead.

Another crippling aspect hurting our communities is suicide and related mental health concerns, such as depression. The CDC reports the San Juan Basin to be a critical point of suicide. New Mexico is the 5^th highest in the nation for suicide, with Colorado right behind as 8^th highest. This is heart breaking. A close friend recently told me what we all hear so often before a suicide incident, “He was normal all day. Then I got the phone call. I just don’t understand why he would do it”. So many people around us, made in the image of God, are hurting. The poor response is to quit. We often feel the need to have perfect answers. What tune will we play in the midst of such pain and heartache for those and from those who are affected everyday by death and depression? Where do we begin to understand this arrangement?

We must ask ourselves, “In life’s song, if we are to be harmonious together, who is the author and composer?” I believe God-the triune God of Moses, Abraham, Peter and Paul-is the composer. We must follow His tune. Any other way leads to death.

The truth is that life can only come from the One who has conquered death: Jesus Christ. In 1 Corinthians it says, ^“When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’ ‘O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”  Bringing life into dead places is the role of those who call themselves followers of Jesus Christ. Bringing shalom, order and peace, is the best thing we can do for our broken and hurting world that is full of uncertainty and pain.

Whose music are we playing? What tune are we choosing to play along with? I hope it’s to the tune of Jesus our Lord, the composer of our faith.

Stephen Mirabal is a Worship Minister at First United Methodist Church in Farmington, New Mexico. His beautiful wife of 7 years, Brittany, is a photographer. They share life together with their 3 children; Lillian, Shepherd, and River.

From the Depths of Woe

This song, "From the Depths of Woe," really encouraged me today. See lyrics below. I highly recommend listening to the recording. The arrangement and recording is done by the Indelible Grace group led by Kevin Twit. He was my Sunday School teacher and campus minister while I was at Belmont University in Nashville. This is off their newest CD. The whole CD with lyrics can be heard here.

"From the Depths of Woe"

1. From the depths of woe I raise to Thee, a voice of lamentation.
Lord, turn a gracious ear to me, And hear my supplication.
If Thou iniquities dost mark, Our secret sins and misdeeds dark,
O who shall stand before Thee?

2. To wash away the crimson stain, Grace, grace alone availeth.
Our works, alas! are all in vain; In much the best life faileth.
No man can glory in Thy sight, All must alike confess Thy might,
And live alone by mercy.

3. Therefore my trust is in the Lord, And not in mine own merit.
On Him my soul shall rest, His word upholds my fainting spirit.
His promised mercy is my fort, My comfort, and my sweet support.
I wait for it with patience.

4. What though I wait the live-long night, And ’til the dawn appeareth.
My heart still trusteth in His might, It doubteth not nor feareth.
Do thus, O ye of Israel’s seed, Ye of the Spirit born indeed,
And wait ’til God appeareth.

5. Though great our sins and sore our woes,
His grace much more aboundeth.
His helping love no limit knows, Our upmost need it soundeth.
Our Shepherd good and true is He, Who will at last His Israel free,
From all their sin and sorrow.

A Ba$t@rd's Thoughts on Manhood

I recently wrote an op-ed piece as an assignment for a class I am taking through Mars Hill Church in Seattle. That article can be seen here. The assignment was to interpret and comment on a particular aspect of culture from a Christian worldview. I have invited some of my friends from the Albuquerque portion of the class to share their papers as a guest post on this blog. I will be sharing some of their pieces over the next few weeks. As a side note, several of their papers deal specifically with Albuquerque culture. However, all of them have some great insights that are relevant and applicable to a variety of cultures. Enjoy!

A Ba$t@rd's Thoughts on Manhood

 Growing up in a city just like me     by Brandon Kirk

I was lucky. My mom had a job and worked hard to put a roof over our heads and food on the table. My grandparents were able to care for me while my mom went to school to be a paramedic. My mom and my grandparents were loving, kind, and caring. By all accounts, I had a good childhood. The only problem? I, like 60% of the kids in New Mexico, grew up without a dad.  More than half of the kids in our state will go to bed without a father to hug them, kiss them, and tell them how much he loves them. And many of the other 40% have an absent or abusive dad. Albuquerque has a man problem. 

The Albuquerque Journal is filled with stories about these children. I did not have a childhood like Jayden Smith who, at 11 months old, was beaten by his mom and her boyfriend. If he survives, he will have total paralysis on the entire left side of his body. I did not have a childhood like Alizandra Jasso who, at 3 years old, was murdered by her mom's boyfriend for soiling her pants. She was slammed down on the toilet and, after crying "no daddy, no," was thrown against a shower door and left to die. On top of the rampant child abuse, 45 men have been arrested in the last 8 months in a child sex sting run by Homeland Security and APD. New Mexico has a man problem.

There have been 3 prominent international cases where a girl has been raped while pictures of the assault showed up during the attack on social media like twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Two of those girls have killed themselves. Our world has a man problem.

A prominent New Testament figure, the Apostle Paul, wrote to warn a young pastor named Timothy that "people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God (2 Timothy 3:2-4 ESV)." All it takes is a quick glance through the Albuquerque Journal to know that this description fits our city, as well.

What this city, this state, this generation needs is men who are honorable and willing to protect women and children. We need men who take responsibility for themselves and their families so that women are cared for and children are provided for. We need good single men to marry single moms who have been abandoned by losers parading around as men. We need men to teach their sons that being a man doesn't mean being the opposite of a woman, it means using our strength for other's good. We need men to take their daughters on 'daddy dates' and snuggle so the girls know that they're loved and that they don't have seek the wrong kind of attention from adolescent boys. We need one-woman men who love their wives instead of jumping from girl to girl, leaving a trail of tears, abortions, and fatherless kids in their wake. As men, we need to raise the bar. Ultimately, what we need is men who are bathed in God's Word, forgiven and changed by Jesus, who love Albuquerque like Jesus loves Albuquerque.

But men, you're not alone, you're not too far gone, and you haven't blown it forever. God wants to be a Father to you, to forgive you and show you how to be a father like Him. He wants us to love Him and live in community with other men who love Him. He wants us to share our struggles because being a man isn't about being perfect, it's about being honest and being responsible for ourselves. Being a man is about worshipping Jesus and inviting others to do the same. We hold much power in this city because God has shared His title of 'Father' with men. Jesus wants to heal Albuquerque and He wants to use the men to do that.

I want my wife to know that Jesus is real and that He is good. I want my two sons to know that Jesus is the Perfect Man who loves us even though we are sinners. If God would so bless me with daughters, I want them to know that Jesus is the Great Protector who pursues sinners and makes them saints. I want Albuquerque to know that Jesus is the Great Healer who came to seek and save the lost and he can redeem a person no matter how far off they are from Him.

I grew up without a dad, so I struggle to know what it means to be a man. However, I can look to Jesus as the manliest Man to ever live. He was tough on religious bullies who tore down women and children. He was tender with the outcasts and the broken. He was fun and safe for children. He didn't run from responsibility but, instead, took responsibility for our sin. Though he never sinned, he died with the weight and punishment of our guilt on His shoulders. He is now the Risen King who rides into battle riding a great white horse wielding a fiery sword. He has conquered Satan, sin, and death to protect His kids and display His glory. He will destroy bullies, tyrants, thieves, and abusers. But He also died to offer His friendship and salvation to the worst of us. So, Christian or not, good or bad, come to Mars Hill Church and meet Jesus and men who love Him.

Brandon Kirk is a community group leader at Mars Hill Church. He and Andi, his beautiful wife of three years, have two boys together. He is a computer engineering student at UNM and has lived in Albuquerque his entire life.

Porn, video games, and the demise of guys

There was an ebook that came out last year called "The Demise of Guys: Why Boys Are Struggling and What We Can Do About It" (Also, see TED talk video). I have not read the book yet, but mention it to bring up this issue of the lame-ifying of boys (we can't really call them men) due to pornography and excessive video game usage. The description of this book paints the picture: "an addiction to video games and online porn have created a generation of shy, socially awkward, emotionally removed, and risk-adverse young men who are unable (and unwilling) to navigate the complexities and risks inherent to real-life relationships, school, and employment."

While several preachers have been talking on this subject for quite some time now (See: Video), more and more people are starting to realize that we have a serious problem on our hands, a problem that all people, Christian or not, should be concerned about.

My point in writing this blog is merely to echo what others have already noted: we are losing REAL men, those who take responsibility for themselves, their wives, and their kids, to a never-ending adolescence of porn and video games. We are on a demise as a gender and everybody-men, women, and children-loses when we men neglect our responsibilities.

The world needs REAL MEN. Not perfect men. Not men who have got it all together. Not men who do nothing bad but neither do anything good. But men who are willing to fight. If we are not fighting like men for what is good and right; if we are not taking responsibility for ourselves and others; if we are, instead becoming enslaved to fantasy worlds and fantasy women, then we have no excuse for being labeled as lame and on a demise.

We need Jesus...

Loyalty without covenant, loyalty without commitment!

I recently wrote an op-ed piece as an assignment for a class I am taking through Mars Hill Church in Seattle. That article can be seen here. The assignment was to interpret and comment on a particular aspect of culture from a Christian worldview. I have invited some of my friends from the Albuquerque portion of the class to share their papers as a guest post on this blog. I will be sharing some of their pieces over the next few weeks. As a side note, several of their papers deal specifically with Albuquerque culture. However, all of them have some great insights that are relevant and applicable to a variety of cultures. Enjoy!

Westside 'Til I Die!

Loyalty without covenant, loyalty without commitment!

Burque is my city! I may not live in Albuquerque proper, but should anyone ask, I'm from Burque! This city, my city, is all about loyalty! It's "blood in, blood out" vato!

We won't even consider someone who didn't grow up here their whole life, from Burque! We’re loyal to our ethnicity. As a Hispanic man, it is all about Brown Pride. We're loyal to our high school. When people from other parts of America ask, "What school did you go to?” they mean college. Here we tell them our high school. I went to West Mesa, by the way. We're loyal to our side of town (see title). We're loyal to our family. Don't you dare say something about my family, and don't even come close to saying something about my mom!

A friend of mine said that to understand Albuquerque is to understand contrasts. It's a city of low river valleys and high mountain peaks; A city of cultural contrasts, where you have vestiges of ancient cultures right next to the newest in high technology.            

We say we love local restaurants alone, but we have every chain imaginable.

We mock the "Land of Entrapment", but don't move away.

We say we're, "Born Catholic, Die Catholic", but we don't go to church. Most only go for baptisms, weddings, funerals, and maybe Christmas and Easter. We use the church.

We have old friends that have been together 15+ years, but seem to have no intention of ever getting married.

We say we want kids safe, but we have strip clubs and porn shops next to children's amusement parks.

Moms stick up for dads that are deadbeats, dad’s that don't stick around, don't love, don't serve, don't pay, and yet are still called good dads.

We say we’re about family, but we leave our wives, if we marry them at all, and we abandon our kids to chase pleasure.

We're very vocal about being loyal, yet we're hypocrites.

We may "know" about loyalty, but we know nothing of covenant! We know nothing of swearing to our own hurt! Albuquerque has the second highest rate of divorced adults in the Southwest, as of 2011.  Albuquerque has a huge fatherlessness problem, statistics range from 43-58% among Hispanics in New Mexico. Nearly half of the kids in our state have no dad in their lives. As a father to four wonderful children, that breaks my heart! We know nothing of binding commitment. 

Jesus is more than loyal. Jesus was and is a man committed to covenant. At one point Jesus, "set His face towards Jerusalem", which means He was committed to going to the cross. He was committed to dying for the sins of Burqueños, dying for my sins! Jesus was a man who was willing to give up His freedoms and hobbies and to do what was best for His family. He was committed to doing the will of the Father. He was committed to dying and rising for you and for me. Jesus is the faithful son. He grows up. He doesn't remain the "Baby Jesus" that everyone loves. He grows up to live the life we couldn't live and die the death we deserved to die. He rises again and He is coming to judge the living and the dead! Jesus keeps His covenants! Jesus is the loyal covenant keeper! The Bible says, “When we are faithless, He remains faithful.

Burque needs men who aren't just "loyal", but men who are like Jesus! Burque needs men who are willing to lay down their lives for their friends. Not in a gang fight, but like Jesus did, as a sacrifice for all! Burque needs men who with their dying breath are going to be planning who is going to take care of their moms, just like Jesus did for His mother Mary. Burque needs men who are going to care for the abandoned children and ask that the little children come to them. Burque needs men who are committed to their churches. Burque needs men who are committed to their brides! Let us follow the words of Saint Paul, as he tells us, "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish." Burque needs men who don't just like the idea of family but who love their family. Men who love their wives and who love their kids. Men who love Jesus!

Burqueños can't do this on their own. It is impossible for us to achieve this. Only Jesus can do the things that we need to do. We need the righteousness that Jesus has achieved and we need Him to give it to us. The Bible describes this in 2 Corinthians 5:21, "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." This is called “The Great Exchange." This is where He gets our sin and our false "loyalty" and we get Jesus’ righteousness, His covenantal faithfulness.

Jesus loves Burque and Burque needs Jesus!

Carlos Garcia is a lifelong Burqueño who lives next door to his parents in Corrales. (Contrast!) He has been married to his lovely bride Michelle for 10 years. Together they have four children, two sons and two daughters whom he loves very much. He is a Deacon and Elder Candidate at Mars Hill Church, where he serves as the head of the Premarital Ministry and Coach over Community Groups on the North Westside of Albuquerque.