Thus Begins Joy

C.S. Lewis has been my go-to (in addition to the Bible, of course) for describing joy:


"it is that of an unsatisfied desire which is itself more desirable than any other satisfaction. I call it Joy, which is here a technical term and must be sharply distinguished both from Happiness and from Pleasure. Joy (in my sense) has indeed one characteristic, and one only, in common with them; the fact that anyone who has experienced it will want it again. Apart from that, and considered only in its quality, it might almost equally well be called a particular kind of unhappiness or grief. But then it is a kind we want. I doubt whether anyone who has tasted it would ever, if both were in his power, exchange it for all the pleasures in the world. But then Joy is never in our power and pleasure often is." C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life, chapter one


Between now, November 14, 2016, and January 1, 2017, all postings on this blog will spotlight joy. They will envelop and espouse the joy Lewis tasted in all its flavors: giddy, sad, melancholy, wistful, confident, beautiful, tragic and ultimately and always, Godly, because God is the source. 

In everything, we cannot muster up joy in its fullness, capability and comfort without the Triune God of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And for that, I am joyfully thankful. While all of my efforts to conjure, talk myself into and sappily ride the coattails of some human construct of joy disappoint, tapping into the reservoir of God through the Spirit of Christ results in, as Lewis surprisingly discovered, joy:


"It may be asked whether my terror was at all relieved by the thought that I was now approaching the source from which those arrows of Joy had been shot at me ever since childhood. Not in the least. No slightest hint was vouchsafed me that there ever had been or ever would be any connection between God and Joy. If anything, it was the reverse. I had hoped that the heart of reality might be of such a kind that we can best symbolize it as a place; instead, I found it to be a Person. For all I knew, the total rejection of what I called Joy might be one of the demands, might be the very first demand, He would make upon me. There was no strain of music from within, no smell of eternal orchards at the threshold, when I was dragged through the doorway. No kind of desire was present at all." C.S. Lewis, describing the early days of his conversion, in Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life, chapter fifteen. 


"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-25

Sixty-two Percent of Americans Wish They Read the Bible More

According to the American Bible Society’s State of the Bible 2016, powered by Barna Group:

"Seventy-five percent of Americans believe the Bible contains everything a person needs to known in order to live a meaningful life, according to The Bible in America, a new report from American Bible Society and Barna Group.

The report, which considers six years of annual research from American Bible Society's State of the Bible survey and four years of annual research from the Bible-Minded Cities report, indicates that Americans hold the Bible in high regard. Eighty percent of Americans view the Bible as sacred literature, 64 percent believe the Bible has more influence on humanity than any other text and 75 percent believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God. And although just one-third of Americans profess to reading the Bible at least once per week, the majority of Americans (62 percent) express a desire to read the Bible more often."

Hell "Begins With a Grumbling Mood"

C.S. Lewis, describing hell, in The Great Divorce:

"...it begins with a grumbling mood, and yourself still distinct from it: perhaps criticising it. And yourself, in a dark hour, may will that mood, embrace it. Ye can repent and come out of it again. But there may come a day when you can do that no longer. Then there will be no you left to criticise the mood, nor even to enjoy it, but just the grumble itself going on forever like a machine." C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce ("the timeless novel about a bus ride from hell to heaven), pages 77-78. 

Tony Dungy on the Difference Between Pride and Confidence

Tony Dungy, writing in Uncommon Manhood:

"Pride is all about me, but confidence is a realization that God has given me abilities and created me to fill a unique role that no one else is called to fill. Borne in humility, confidence is a recognition that life is not about me but about using the gifts and abilities I have been blessed with to their fullest to help my team, my coworkers, my family, and others." Tony Dungy, Uncommon Manhood



"Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly;" Romans 12:6a

"Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you you have been called, with all humility and gentleness,..." Ephesians 4:1-2a

When Someone Is Seeking Christ

Everyone needs Christ, but not everyone seeks Him. And while I do believe there is a time in life where each person is drawn to Him and can observe and begin to know Him (Romans 1:20), they don’t all stay the course or get to salvation.

That is the Parable of the Sower (please read all of Matthew 13. The verses below are Jesus’ explanation of the parable):

“Listen to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” Matthew 13:18-23.

We see this also in the verses for which this blog is named:

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13-14

Once someone actively pursues Christ in response to the effective call of God (even unbeknownst to them), it has been my experience that often something about that person begins to change:

*They may take up a sudden or unexplainable interest in literature or “spiritual” writings (that are frequently New Age in content).

*They may put confidence in horoscopes or rote prayers.

*Antsy for self-improvement or self-worth, they may sign up for music lessons, art classes or studies in history.

*Some may seek to assuage that “Is this all there is to life?” wanderlust through travel or learning about another culture.

*A renewed or even first commitment to exercise and physical fitness may kick in, even providing the endorphins for a fresh outlook and hope in life.

*Some may feel the tug of philanthropy or theological universalism.

These activities and pursuits—along with the authors, experts and inspirational heroes/heroines associated with them—tend to become worshipped and adored for their intellectual or sacred essence. 

But alas, the person searching remains unquenched.

I, too, found myself on this vision-quest-of-relevance at one time. For many years I journeyed as a roving groupie to poets, Taoism, Trek Bicycles, environmentalists, symphonic composers, rock musicians and the latest cause celebre. And yet, as Bono so succinctly crooned, I still hadn’t found what I was looking for.

Whether God intended such a circuitous route, I can’t say. All I know is that that’s the itinerary I created for myself. And as each fad, passion, bike trip, running race, fine wine, grand vacation and educational accomplishment came and went, I was no further along in contentment, joy, worthiness or answers.

God, in His mercy and illogically-seeming perfect timing, was there with me through it all. As each hobby, counterfeit passion and self-imposed resolution inevitably lost its staying power, I finally came to the end of myself. Only then did I see God. And once I saw Him, I desired to know Him. And in coming to know Him, He revealed Christ.

And because only Jesus, thankfully, is the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), it follows that it’s not up to me to create, devise, conjure-up or self-actualize God.

What sadness that I had tried to formulate, force and be my own god when the true God was waiting for me! What joy that He did wait! What relief that my eyes, at last, opened! What peace that my identity is Christ and that I know that and am affirmed in Him (I no longer have to go looking for His affirmation and identity in other things)! What love! What forgiveness!

I am home! It is Christ!

copyright Barb Harwood

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” 1 John 3:1

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.” Ephesians 1:18-21

Testimony as Idol

One of the subtlest roadblocks to a progressing maturity in Christ is an initial testimony.

And by testimony, I mean testimony as I have witnessed it practiced by the evangelical community.

That testimony goes to great lengths to build the case for how bad an individual was before Christ, and how the initial salvation in Christ saved them from all that. I call this the “Bad-A” testimony (you know what the “A” stands for).

The lead-in to salvation during these testimonies usually takes up 90% of the presentation, with the brief remainder dedicated to the freedom experienced in Christ. All in all, the general take-away is, “I’m not the Bad-A I used to be, praise God!”

This is unfortunate, since, with so much emphasis on the rascal we used to be, we can lose the listeners whose struggles are not remotely like our own, and who thus sit and listen to these testimonies as nothing other than really fascinating stories.

Or, there’s someone who does relate--all too well--so that they say to themselves, 

“Yeah, that dude was really messed up, but he doesn’t come near to where I’m messing up! Glad that worked for him.”

So there’s the first risk in testimony: too much baggage in front and not enough unpacking of Christ Himself and the specifics of what a post-conversion life looks like.

The second potential problem with testimony as I’ve witnessed it is that I've heard individuals give the same exact testimony year after year after year. Whether it is a positive testimony about how meeting their future spouse was a  “God thing,” or a cutting edge testimony about life in the gutter 25 years ago, the testimony never changes, and is, in fact, their only testimony.

And repeating that same front-loaded attestation, especially to a youth group where the same student may hear it more than once, could cause a student to idolize the personal sharing to the point that they want a dramatic testimony too. 

I have heard of students who embellish their conversion accounts for this very reason. I call it the Curse of the Bad-A Testimony.

To the person who is still giving a play-by-play of their first testimony as their only testimony, to an audience of mostly saved Christians, I would ask, 

“What has God done lately?”  

The third danger in testimony is that the continual slapping of ourselves on our Christ-saved backs for that one big initial victory may blind us to sin that remains.

Sometimes people think that since they have been freed of a major sin in their life, they are off the hook for what in comparison may seem to be smaller, inconsequential sin. They cut themselves some slack because they feel as though they’ve practically attained Sainthood for no longer being homeless, a drug addict, or an adulterer!

Yet resting on the laurels of a first, albeit tremendous victory in Christ, is not God’s will.

I believe that the current state of testimony borders on idolatry: the recounting of an experience has become bigger and more important than Christ Himself, and thus, an idol.

That's not to say that testimony itself is a bad thing. Everyone has a testimony. Hopefully more than one, and hopefully one that isn’t limited to the 1980’s. 

But it's not a one-time portrayal. 

And the before isn't more important than the after. 

And whether current or more dated, whatever we are imparting needs to be handled and conveyed with humility and sensitivity to the particular audience at hand. We do not just whip out our same-old testimony like a worn out deck of cards before poker.

Yes, we must never forget what Christ did for us in initially rescuing us from the fiery furnace of dysfunction. Yes, we must give Him credit and praise for our salvation.

But when we are dying to self every day, there is salvation, and thus, "testimony." 

When we are victorious over sin every day, there is rescue, and thus, "testimony." 

We can still discuss how we were initially saved, but on a more selective, need-to-know basis (perhaps one-on-one), divulging only the personal details relevant to the person we are sharing with. 

But we mustn’t stop there. The person listening must come away with the truth that Christ is still at work in our lives today, and that what He did back then was just the tip of the iceberg. 

They must see the follow-through, the staying power—the today of Christ. But we must see it first.

copyright Barb Harwood

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” Hebrews 12:1-2a

Willy Wonka: "Don't. Stop. Come Back."

When I enter daily life following my bucolic morning quiet
time with the Lord, I often find myself quickly forgetting Him and everything
I’ve just read and meditated upon. 

For instance, as soon as I'm on the phone with the
business personnel of my local health clinic, “discussing” why the
powers-that-be won’t honor my insurance discounts, or when I log on to Google
News and begin reading about how, in my estimation, the world is going to hell
in a hand-basket, or when I react (instead of thoughtfully respond) to a
statement made by my husband, it’s as if I had never spent time in relationship
with the Triune God at all.

Time and time again, I am disingenuous as to how I could possibly, yet again, allow--completely, voluntarily and of my own
volition—my thoughts to go down an ungodly path: thoughts that, when not
taken immediately captive under the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians
10:5) materialize into ungodly words and/or actions.

Now, thanks be to God for His indescribable gift of Himself,
I don’t always forget Him, nor
forsake Him. But any time that I do
forget Him is one time too many.

Saying “I’m only human” doesn’t cut it anymore, since, as
born again Christians we’re no longer “only” human: we are in the world as the
people of God’s kingdom, not of the world’s kingdom.

Yes, it’s true that “all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God” (Romans 3:23), but that doesn’t mean we accept that truth as a determiner and excuser of our actions!

One of the joys of our salvation is that God now makes us
aware of sin, and in fact warns us of
its imminence. But we have to listen to His voice in order to not act on our
own inclinations. I liken this process to the scenes in the original 1971 motion picture Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory:

“Stop. Don’t. Come back.”

That is what God will say to us when we decide to dwell on ourselves (or on other people in the context of ourselves) instead of on Him.

Philippians 4 is pretty straightforward:

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good
repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you
have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and
the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9

Not difficult to understand during our reverent commitments
to God to “do His will,” but very difficult to remain steadfastly and
unwaveringly dedicated to when the rubber hits the road. 

Why is that?

I think it’s because, instead of dwelling on the glass half
full components of Philippians 4—within a right understanding of the fear of
the Lord—in which we humbly acknowledge that, outside of the Lord, all have
turned aside and become useless, and
there is none who do good, not one (Romans 2:12), we dwell on anything and everything else.

Even Christians can step
outside of the Lord, not salvation-wise, but self-wise. It all depends on what
we choose to dwell on.

So whatever is true—not
imagined, supposed, expected to happen, surmised, feared, speculated, desired—is what
we dwell
on.  

Whatever is honorable—not
lusted after, vengeful, levels the playing field, gets even,
disrespectful, coarse, vulgar, shallow, hurtful—is what we dwell on.

I think we get the picture: whatever is not of God is
what we eradicate, beginning with our thoughts. 

God is always present,
always warning, always re-directing, always guiding. 

We have to want Him, not more than our anger, but instead of. Not more than our need to defend our rights (or desire to be
right), our need to be the parent, our need to be
understood, our desire to have people commiserate with us, our desire to dig in our heels, our need for human affirmation, our desire for popularity, our obsession for a million “likes” on
Facebook, our desire to prove others wrong, our compulsion to find
fault, our habit to be critical, our wish to be pretty, our wish to be handsome, our need or desire to be______________________ (ill in the blank) but instead of.

We have to want Christ, not more, but instead of. 

Christ has given us His kingdom in which to thrive. And yet,
we so often go our own way and do our own thing, perhaps not living terrible
lives, but incurring struggles, stress, conflict and victimhood where Christ’s
peace and contentment could reign, even in the midst of catastrophes, tragedies
and confusions beyond our control. 

There is one thing with Christ that leads to
all else and it is this, Christ Himself:

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will
give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

Sometimes it helps to have a man-made hook on which to
initially hang our trainee hat. So with the caveat that this is an entirely
secular portrayal, I do find value in the Wonka movie, often hearing Gene
Wilder’s voice corroborating that of the Holy Spirit when the Holy Spirit says, “Stop. Don’t. Come back.”

The ending of the Willy Wonka movie also contains rather

close parallels (albeit cute and sentimental) to obedience to Christ, heavenly attributes and joy in the journey. And while I’ve never been a fan of
“happily ever after” I am a fan of having life, and having it to the full (John
10:10). 

I think that’s what Willy Wonka is talking about, and I know it’s what
Christ is about.  

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Preview YouTube video Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory - Glass Elevator Scene [Ending] R.I.P Gene Wilder

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory - Glass Elevator Scene [Ending] R.I.P Gene Wilder