Monthly Archives: June 2012

In my Father’s House

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There is a camp that we go to every summer.  The kids love it.  Years ago it taught me about heaven–

Beautiful place/people kind, generous, helpful/full of joy/few there are afraid to be childlike/exuberant

Good dancing/food/music

This year we brought home a bug which is now besetting my 4 yr old

When he threw up at 2 am he apologized

My poor darling.

I told him that was why I am here.  No problem.  I love him.  I got it.

Jesus said in his Father’s house there are many mansions

Which is not an odd thing for a Carpenter God to say, but a very odd thing for a homeless non-materialist.  Like many things He says it illuminates when a person walks behind Him.

He means shelters

Hangouts

Splendor

He means God giving us His own

Beautiful Heart

dawkins, gervais, and mythologies

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So….the atheists I know have gods.  They tend to be egoism and stimulants, pride, and vanity along with other garden variety idols.  I find these side roads into idolatry particularly sad when dealing with atheistic myopia.

I wonder, do they really not see how important it is for the world to revolve around them?  When you are an atheist this is particularly sad because your life (by your faith’s disposition) has no more significance than a bit of plastic jetsam swirling around in the Pacific.  Idolatry of a plastic toothbrush, let’s call it.

By contrast there is Jesus.  His words are deep, warm, incisive, ironic, profound, and true, often all at once.  His voice resonates over the course of recorded history.  He is the antithesis of egoism.  There is no, “and then Jesus sat down to a satisfying breakfast of fried eggs” verse in the Bible.  There is some interesting stuff about Him NOT eating and casting out demons…oh, and raising the dead.  The dead.

His smallest words matter.  His weeping, His silence, His unbearable pain.  And then there is His advice–keep the eternal, lay up treasure that will not rust or rot.  He shows us how this is done

by dying to our egos and ourselves

by purchasing with our money, our time, and our hearts

treasure in Heaven.

treasure in Heaven…

What does God treasure?

Us.

we are His precious treasure

and just in case we did not see it, He makes His mark on the center of the map of human history

with a Cross

 

Toryn Buckman

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I became a foster parent because of stories like Toryn’s.  I quit foster parenting when I realized that the state of X was not in the business of rescuing the Toryns of the world.

I am not going to tell you what happened to her.  Google her.  I want you to read at least three articles about what happened to this precious little girl.  Then I want you to think about several things.

What is justice for Toryn?

Where does evil like this come from?

Where does it end?

Can we afford to wince and look away?

Are you sorry you read about her?  Was it a downer?  Would you rather have watched a juicy episode of Game of Thrones?  (Please don’t, by the way..)

Please understand me.  It is always easier to expect someone else to take care of the Toryn’s of the world, but it is impossible to believe no one suspected anything was wrong in the life of a child who was beaten to death over the course of at least six months.  What we do know is that no one saved her.

Let me repeat that again.

No one saved her.

 

As a christian I am as appalled by this story as most “normal” people–whatever their creed or belief.  But I have some answers for these questions, hard, difficult, stay up and pray and fast answers, but answers nonetheless.

My answers start with Matthew 18 and end with a River and a Tree for the healing of the nations.

And in the middle is a Man dying on the Cross of history, the rictus of pain for a little girl named Toryn and all of us.

Scarred Savior.  Scapegoat God.