The Hole In The Gospel

I just bought the book "The Hole In The Gospel" by Richard Stearns, who is the president of World Vision U.S. It's really good so far, this "paraphrase" of that famous Matthew 25 passage has hit me the hardest so far:

"For I was hungry, while you had all you needed. I was thirsty, but you drank bottled water. I was a stranger, and you wanted me deported. I needed clothes, but you needed more clothes. I was sick, and you pointed out the behaviors that led to my sickness. I was in prison, and you said I was getting what I deserved."

Super Joe Retires.

I was hoping for at least one more year out of my favorite player, but Super Joe is making the announcement this week that he's retiring after 20 years of playing in the NHL.

Here are a few facts that make Joe Sakic stand out from the rest:

1) He played for the same team (Quebec-Colorado) for twenty years, his entire career - which is something not a lot of players can say they've done.

2) He owns the record for most playoff overtime goals (eight), which says a lot about his calmness during pressure packed games.

3) He never complained about anything, was always kind and courteous to the fans, and although wasn't the vocal leader some wanted him to be, was definitely the leader out on the ice.

4) It's Super Joe, not Burnaby Joe - as most of those who aren't from Colorado and who are writing accolades and praises of Joe Sakic are calling him.

If you want to see more opinions on the retirement of Super Joe Sakic, you can find them here.

From The Weird Music and Video Files...

I have a penchant for enjoying strange music. I don't listen to strange music all the time; it's just that every once in a while an artist will come around, like Regina Spektor or Joanna Newsome that intrigues me and so I'll go on a weird music marathon.

Enter this month's weird music: Dirty Projectors. Their new album Bitte Orca is amazing. All kinds of weird instruments, weird singing, fuzzy guitars...awesome.

And of course, weird musicians usually think of weird videos. So, here is Dirty Projector's weird video for their weird musical number called "Stillness Is The Move." No, I don't know what the llama is all about, either.

Questions That Heal

This is from Pete Greig's amazing book "God On Mute". If you've ever struggled with unanswered prayer and the feeling that God is distant, you need to read this book.

Questions That Heal

It's interesting to note how many times after his resurrection Jesus introduced Himself to people by asking them questions. Good Friday had left a mess, and Jesus was systematically dealing with the consequences of chaos in the lives of His friends by provoking them to respond to His presence.

Jesus' question for Mary Magdalene, "Why are you crying?" (John 20:13) targeted her pain. His question for the two men on the road to Emmaus, "What are you discussing...Don't you understand?" (Luke 24:17-25) targeted their confusion. His question to the disciples, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?" (Luke 24:38) targeted their crisis of faith. And then He cooked breakfast for Peter and asked him a question that targeted his guilt: "Do you truly love me?" (John 21:15).

The journey through Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday will create a mess in your life as well. But Jesus loves you too much to leave you for long in pain, confusion, doubt or a state of unbelief. He wants to help you deal with your disappointments. Perhaps your experiences of unanswered prayer have left you hurting and disorientated like Mary Magdalene. If so, He asks you the question He asked her: "Why are you crying?" So, tell Him! Lament. Rant, if you need to. And when you are done, stop and hear the way He speaks your name.

Maybe your disappointments in prayer have left you confused like those earnest men on the road to Emmaus. If this is the case, don't run away from the questions. Allow Jesus to explain the Scriptures to you by His Spirit. He wants to help you make sense of what you're going through. Study and think. Discuss these matters with friends. Perhaps, as you talk, there will be moments when you realize that Jesus has joined the conversation, just as He did on the road to Emmaus...

Maybe unanswered prayer has created a quiet crisis of faith in your life. Like the disciples, who could hardly believe it when Jesus appeared in their midst, your old confidence in God has been eroded. You are older and wiser, which is good, but you are also suspicious and weary. Imagine Jesus stepping through the locked doors of your heart and asking, "Why are you troubled, and why do you doubt?" Tell Him! You would not be the first, of course, to tell Jesus, "I do believe, help me in my unbelief!"

Or maybe in your journey through disappointment you have occasionally given in to the temptation to sin. Like Peter, you have been scared and said things you should not have said and held your tongue when you should have spoken up. Perhaps you too have sometimes felt like giving up and sinned anonymously with servant girls and strangers. Jesus may seek you out in the things you love to do. After all, that is how He sought Peter - on the beach after a long night of fishing - helping him to confess His love again, once for each denial.

When we suffer, Jesus comes with questions to refine and enhance our humanity. He of all people understands that this process of dealing with the mess created by our disappointments in prayer can hurt terribly. He knows that without His help, we will become bitter not better, and that we will lick our wounds like a dog or curl up in a ball of self-protection like a hedgehog. But if, like Mary, we will continue to worship, even at the grave of everything we ever believed in, our grief will turn to gold. The greatest miracle in the world - greater than any healing or any revelation - is the grace unleashed by a life refined through suffering. It is a grace that was first released when Jesus endured abandonment and death so that Mary Magdalene, and millions since, might receive a living hope that can no longer die.