Final Attack

I wrote this last year and found it this morning.

Sin and me go way back to before I was born, before dad even cut the cord. It went back to Adam and his dame when they launched humanity into shame.

You see, sin had a choke hold on my reality, controlled what I said, spoke and saw, but that’s not all; I slowly grew to like this beast called sin and started letting it in.

It had me from the start. It entwined its gross fingers all over my heart. Then one day it reached the point where just one move of sin’s digits changed the way I was living. I got tired of the constant failing so I started calling.

I called on my own strength, pride, and virtues for awhile but all I could ever do was fall, so I called out to The One I now love and drowned that sin in the power of the Blood.

You see Jesus never went amiss, never fought, stole, or kissed. He was blessed by His Father above and never, never stopped showing love. He loved me all the way to the cross where He took what I could never escape and finished it with one final breath.

But that’s not the end of this story.

You see, my Jesus rose, bringing victory for me. So back to the cross I gaze on the hardest of days, I see Him there with a cross on His back, going in for the final attack.

Blue Like Jazz Movie Review

First let me say I am a huge Donald Miller fan; I read all the books, blog entries, tweets…etc. I like to compare him to C.S. Lewis. Miller is a practical, or as I would say, a “barstool theologian”. Obviously, I am going to like the movie he help make. I first read Blue Like Jazz as a freshman in college. I had recently been hurt multiple ways by a fundamental, independent, Baptist church during that time in my life. I was searching for answers as my whole worldview collapsed and was being rebuilt on a much more biblical basis rather than man made rules made to control. I do not write that to get your pity, I write that to say that I can identify with this movie/book a little bit on a pretty deep level. I did not know how to love God outside of what I wore, how I talked, what kind of music I listened to or just a list of rules in general. When I got out of legalism, I learned that religious activity does nothing to draw someone to God, it pushes them farther away from God because it is based on what man can do for God, not what God has done for man. Now I did not go crazy and drink, get high, have sex, but I did get angry. I hated some fellow Christians because I had been hurt by them. This was wrong. I am not saying that BLJ was my ultimate source of spiritual direction because the Bible was, but I am saying that it taught me a lot about how to have a relationship with God. I do not agree with some of the theology in the book/movie but there is much that I do agree with.

(Spoiler Warning for those who have not seen the movie)

This movie is NOT A “CHRISTIAN” MOVIE!! It does not claim to be, the author and producer pushed for it not to be in the “Christian” film category, and no, it does not have the Gospel in it. But, why should the absence of a clear presentation of the Gospel prevent us from seeing the benefits of it? Here are a few other movies that have been big in the “Christian” arena that do not have the Gospel in them: Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, Soul Surfer…etc. I never heard/read any problems with any of those movies not having the Gospel in them. When did lack of the Gospel become such a concern for viewing a movie? This would cut out 99% of movie viewing by Christians in my circles if it was based on whether or not the movie had the Gospel in it. Also, many songs that we sing in my Christian circles would be cut for lack of the Gospel in them if that was the criteria.

The point is that BLJ is not a movie about the Gospel nor is it a movie about the main character’s systematic theology, it is a story about a kid looking for answers and finds out religion is not the answer but loving God and loving others is. The main character is assumed to be a Christian already. At one point in the movie he quotes Romans 1:16, even though he says it without really meaning it at first. It is evident in the final scene when he basically says, “I apologize for not being a good testimony and for being ashamed of God and not showing others how to love Him.” The movie does not show how the character got saved, how the Gospel was presented or what the character believed about the Gospel. He just knew that he had a sin problem, people have been hurt by religion, and that he had not been living out loving God in front of others so he did what could to resolve those things. In life, we will frequently have to work to break down the walls people have built around their hearts – often after being hurt by religion – in order to get them to the point where they will be receptive to the Gospel.

There is a big presence of social gospel in the movie and the book. The first time I read the book I noticed that and was sure to tell any conservative friends that it contained some social gospel stuff. No, social acts of kindness cannot get you to heaven. Yes, social work can be used to present the Gospel. Argue Jesus about that if you have a problem with it.

There is sex (no sex scenes but references to), drugs, homosexuals, humanistic worldviews, liberal worldviews, mocking of religious practices, doubt about the existence of God, cursing, drinking, book burning, blasphemy… etc. in this movie. It is PG-13 but it almost had a R rating. So, if you do not want to see/hear any of the above list, DO NOT SEE THIS MOVIE. Also, do not talk to any sinners who have done any of those things. This is a movie that displays true life in all of its honest messiness, much like some of David’s Psalms. Most of the movie is set on the most liberal college in America so that stuff is to be expected. I really didn’t have a problem with seeing everyday life on the big screen. That stuff really happens outside of our Christian bubbles. In choosing to ignore that it happens, many Christians find themselves unable to communicate with those outside of the Church, disabling them in leading missional lives.

The movie was very well made. The  cinematography is excellent, the story flows well and is coherent, the storyline is also clear. The main characters are developed well and I assume people will be able to identify with them. It presents a raw look into a life of a Christian guy who is ashamed of God (or the idea of God that he’s seen Christians live out). Not a very good Christian movie. It is however, a movie about life. It is not cheesy, like some (most), specifically “Christian” genre movies usually are. It is a believable movie, like it could be happening any place, any time. There is a lot of conflict in the movie. Not as in arguing but tensions. The character is faced with many different problems and how some of them resolve. Not all of them resolve, which makes the movie great because it is left to the view to decide if the problems will eventually resolve or not. Perhaps, even, leaving many Christians (like myself) feeling challenged to apologize for the ways I may have falsely portrayed Christ in my life, and start doing a better job at it.

Many Christian genre movies are too fluffy, like a fairy tale, they are too polished and not very believable. Plus, the actors are pretty rough in most Christian movies too, almost like they asked for volunteers out of a church or something. BLJ also contains elements that will make conservative Christians squirm a little bit, which is always fun to witness. The movie is set on one of the most liberal colleges in America so the party scene (sex, drugs, cursing, dancing) is what is in most of the movie. Do not see this movie if that will make you uncomfortable because there is a lot of partying in the movie. BLJ is a PG-13 rating and it deserved that rating, it was almost an R rating. This is a movie where I could take someone who is wrestling with following God, or has never followed God and the door would be opened to talk about God because of the questions the movie brings up. It is a great movie to discuss. Use it as a tool to talk about the Gospel, but do not depend on it to present the Gospel. Non-Christians might even enjoy this movie, so this is a great way to open the door to talk about where a person is at spiritually in their life. It is not intended to present a way to heaven, it is intended to be a story about a character who falls in love with the One, True God because of other people.

My lovely, brilliant girlfriend, Rachel, contributed to this post also.

Integrity in Loss: Thoughts on the Bobby P. Scandal

You may have heard the news about Bobby P. getting the boot from Arkansas University as the head coach of the excellent football team, if not, you can read it here.

I applaud the leadership at UA for a commitment to integrity. They have the guts to stand for what is right in a culture that generally doesn’t give a rip about another “man” cheating on his WIFE and FOUR kids! After the Penn State scandal, UA is sending a great message of morality and value. Granted, Bobby P. was not abusing kids but he was with a girl that could be his child based on her age. He also lied to cover up his poor choices, multiple times. He should have known that was not going to get him anywhere, again, he should have looked at the Penn State scandal. There is no doubt this guy can coach a football team and win in the strongest conference (SEC) in the NCAA but that still does not cancel out his poor off-field choices. He hurt his family. I am talking devastation. Just because he can coach a team does not mean a darn thing to his wife and kids right now. He spent the last 7 months (or longer) cheating on his family.

On another miniscule note compared to hurting his family, his poor choice of character hurt the University. Petrino at one point gave $20,000 of the University of Arkansas’ money to indulge in his own sin. So not only did he lie and cheat on his wife and kids, he basically stole twenty grand from the hands that fed him and his family. While UA will have to scramble to find another head coach and may spend years trying to get one that can coach as well as Bobby P. they did what is right and called him out for being spineless. It may cost them a few seasons but good call Arkansas. Way to make a stand Arkansas, no matter what the cost, you have integrity in your loss.

I Fly

I stand on the edge of the unknown with the desire to fly into its mouth, wild and free.

The bonds that hold are slipping as the anxiety of anticipation grips me from my core. My heart spreads its wings from the inside me forcing their way through the flesh of falseness while another strand of fear falls and the unknown calls my name as my wings break the final chord.

I lunge forward, scared as can be but suddenly, I am free! Without thought, at the command of my heart, I step, bend my knees, and explode into something that could affect my mortality. I open my eyes and…

I FLY!!

With wings outside of my fear, they steer me into the unknown.

-Ben Dotson

Quantity vs. Quality

A few weeks ago I had an epiphany and boiled it down to as simple as possible and then I tweeted it. It may have been said before but I could not find anything on it. Here is the phrase:

“Quantity covers the feet while quality jumps in deep”

In the following few days I mulled this thought over in my head, had a few conversations with some friends, and then I started writing. Here are my thoughts on this phrase.

If we apply this to friendships it makes a lot of sense. Using the metaphor of water to  represent relationships with friends works in many ways. I don’t know about you but  there are people who I spend considerable amounts of time around but nothing  meaningful is said, nothing meaningful is done, and most of the time we are just  existing together. We are not jumping in to who the other people really are, we just sit  with our “feet in water”.

When we sit, the water comes to us and we do nothing for it. We do not ask for it, we  do not work for it (besides being present), and we have no intentions of working for the  water to cover our feet. When the water moves away from us sometimes we are quite  content to stay where we are at. In the chair, sweating, and we can become aware of the  smell of our feet if we sit too long. We will also get burned.

Swimming is much harder than just sitting with feet in the water.

For most people, we may not know how to swim in deep waters. It can be a scary experience when learning to swim in deep waters because in deep waters you can’t just stand up and walk out, you have to keep swimming. As you start to move into deeper waters you do not know what is beneath you because you cannot see what is down deep. You have to put on something that helps you see and then you can  dive deep. Once you can see, a beautiful world is opened for you to explore, one deep  breath at a time. Deep waters are always dark and silent, at first. It can be scary but when you come up out of the water you can hear much better. Shallow waters are nice to wade around in and you can see the bottom with no problems. The deep water is the fun part once you get past the fears and doubts of swimming in it.

Applying this to friendship… I think that we all have at one time or another been a “sit  with the feet in the water friend.” We wait until someone comes up to us to start a  conversation, we have no intentions of working for the friendship. We never move  deeper than the surface when there is ALWAYS something deeper going on in a  person’s life. We do not care to move from where we sit. We get burned because we do  not understand where the other person is coming from or how they communicate. They  move away (physically or otherwise) and we realize how much we enjoyed it while it  was here but we sit and wonder why the friendship died so quickly instead of running  to plunge into the deep water of who the other person really was/is.

To keep a close friend I think it is necessary to learn to swim in the deep waters.

It is scary at first because asking the hard questions brings hard answers. Once you  have started asking the questions, you either sink or swim with them. Getting to know  someone on a deeper level is a very enjoyable experience, as is swimming in deep  water. It is unknown at first causing fear but once you have seen their life from their  point of view, we look at them differently and usually with more respect. We see their  beauty in their brokenness. Many refuse to look into the deeper parts of people because  there is too much darkness that may have happened in the past or is happening now.  Sometimes we don’t even have to talk to be a good friend, we just have to be present  with them.

We all have a side of us that we hide on the surface level, so take a deep breath, get a  different view, and learn to swim in deeper waters.

I am still learning to swim in deeper waters, I have been that person who has just sat  with my feet in the shallows and I have felt the burn of it. Swimming in deep water  takes practice, so start a conversation with me and we can learn together. I will also to  be trying to start those kinds of conversations with more people as I come in contact  with them. These are just a few of my thoughts, if you have some on this please  comment below.

Lessons of Assurance

This is a sermon I preached in Homiletics class a few weeks ago. Thanks for reading!

 

What is assurance? Where do we get it from? What do we get from it? It is defined by dictionary.com as: a positive declaration intended to give confidence. Dictionary definitions are so bland.  Let me tell you about what assurance is to me.  When I think of assurance I think of the song Blessed Assurance. I probably cant sing the first verse all the way through but the reason why I love it is because when I was a boy every time I was sick or had a birthday, my mom would put me in her lap and she would always sing that song to me as she held me in her arms and rocked me. As long as I live I will never forget that. When I was in my momma’s arms I knew I was safe. I knew that she was holding me close to her, that she would do whatever she could to protect me, nobody would take me away from her. I knew that I was loved no matter what was going on around me. That is how God is with us and I want to show you a few lessons of assurance.

Why should we learn the three lessons of assurance? Because Assurances teaches us these three things:

1.  Assurance teaches us hope- Roman 8:35-39

Paul has been presenting a comprehensive statement of the Gospel in Romans to this point. In this chapter he writes about living life in the Spirit and not as a slave to sin. He has called us sons of God, co-heirs with Christ, and saints. In the chapter preceding Paul writes about tribulation and that Christians should hold on to the hope that Christ will come back and give us a new, glorified body.  Paul then argues that nothing can separate us from the love of God in these verses.

In the chapter preceding Paul writes about tribulation and that Christians should hold on to the hope that Christ will come back and give us a new, glorified body. To conclude Paul gives 5 verses on how God loves us in a relentless way. These verses tell us that no matter what or who comes our way, God’s love still holds us.

1.                                    i.         He loves us in our trials- 35-36
2.                                  ii.         He loves us in our weakness- 37
3.                               iii.         He loves us in whatever we face- 38-39

This kind of love has to give hope. Confidence is another word for hope. If we know that there is a God that is powerful enough to just speak the universe into existence yet, cares about us enough to make a way for us to be with him through his son’s death and then he promises that he loves us no matter what we face in life or in death shouldn’t that give us an unmatchable confidence in what we do for him? If God says something then it is truth. God says through the writing of Paul that we will never be separated from his love. Ever.

Many a story or a tall tale is written on the very idea of assurance of love that gives hope or confidence. Example: fairy tales. The knight in shining armor falls in love with the princess. The king says in order to marry the princess then you must slay some kind of mythical creature or find a priceless treasure. Because the knight is assured that the princess loves him (because she gave him a ribbon or strand of hair or a kiss or something mushy) he is going to have full confidence that he can slay the beast or find a treasure. He will move mountains to get the princess. Now God is not like the princess, nor is he like the king. People are not knights in shining armor, they are more like beggars in rags parading as knights in shining armor. God gives his love and assurance freely to all who believe. We do nothing for it.

We have love from an all powerful God who cannot lie that says that we cannot be separated from him no matter what happens. That is assurance. That is hope. That is confidence. The confidence should make us go to the other beggars parading and say come and dine at the table full of love and assurance. We should have no fear in proclaiming that “God loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” We can go through trials, weakness, pain, suffering, loss, because we have the assurance that one day we are going to see our love.

 

2. Assurance teaches us God’s faithfulness – John 10:28-29

In the passage Christ is claiming to be God to the Jews. He noted their unbelief. These two verses are the result of believing in Christ or being one of the sheep that heard His voice.These have the hope of eternal life that cannot be taken away. They cannot be stolen or snatched from the hand of the Father. Jesus claims that God is greater than all and that he and his Father are one in the same. John 1:1

Remember the Titans is my favorite movie. There is one scene where Petey fumbles the ball and the coach makes him run. Why did Petey fumble the ball? Because he wasn’t holding onto it. You don’t hold a football out to the side because it will get knocked out. You hold in close with both hands so that when you cross the goal line you are sure that you have possession of it so you can get the score. If you don’t have possession of it you lose.

God is holding us in close and heading for the goal line. Nobody is going to make him fumble because he is greater than anybody else. Nobody is going to strip us out of his hands at the last yard before the goal. The ball is not going to get up and move around to get out of that grip. We will not be coming out of God’s grip on us.

 

3. Assurance teaches us contentment- Hebrews 13:5-6

This book was written to persecuted Christian Israelites that were thinking of returning to Judaism. The book is written to show the superiority of the Lord. The writer was telling them in these verses to be content because they have the Lord.

The author writes to show Christians that they are not to trust themselves to be content. True contentment only comes from God. The author then quotes Psalm 118. Psalm 118 has a phrase that runs through the whole Psalm and many other Psalms and that is “His steadfast love endures forever.” This phrase is a comfort to many people and was a comfort to David. David had assurance from this knowledge of God. The Hebrews author tells us that because of God’s faithfulness we have a confidence to say that the Lord is on our side. If we have the Lord on our side, what else do we need? Man may take away what we have because of what we believe but they cannot take away our God. They cannot take away the fact that God provides for his children.

When I was growing up I was never concerned with what I was going to eat during the day. In the morning there was always a Pop tart or a piece of fruit to eat. At lunch, there was always a jar of PB and J and bread to make a sandwich with. At night I had a hope that Momma was going to make dinner and she always did. Never have I had to think, “I wonder what meal will I get to eat today and how much will I be able to eat?” I trusted my parents to provide for me, dad worked to get the food and momma prepared it for me. I was always well- fed and provided for. I had confidence that when I needed food my parents would give it to me. You know that feeling after you eat a big meal and get drowsy? That’s contentment.

Contentment in God is almost the same thing. When we are confident that God is holding us in his hands, we can rest in him. It does not matter what is going on in our life we know that he will provide. In Matthew chapter 7 Jesus says these same things. We are evil and we try to provide for our children what do you think that a holy, powerful God can do?

 

Conclusion:

People have said that experience is the best teacher. Can anyone attest to that? I believe that is true. I find that in life when my world is shaken up by a Sovereign God, He teaches me something.

Every time he does I am assured because I know that he is teaching me a lesson in assurance.

He teaches me hope by showing that you may be in a trial right now in this life but that is not where the journey ends. I have something better for you.

He Teaches me His faithfulness because He never leaves me hanging, he always breaks me just to build me up stronger in my faith in Him.

He teaches me to be content because when he handles whatever the situation may be I can’t do anything to make it better or worse. He teaches me to have confidence in what He can do and not what I can.

Have you ever known the love of God that produces hope for our lives? If you have does this hope produce enjoyment of assurance that God has a hold on you and will not let you go? If you don’t know true peace and hope let me share with you the enjoyment of assurances in Christ Jesus.

 

First Blog Post!

I just set this up  blog for a class I have at Piedmont Baptist. I have been thinking about setting a blog up for a while now to share the story that I am living.

I have been really accessing the story that I am living because of a book by Donald Miller called, “A Million Miles in a Thousand Years”. The book shares how the author looked at his life and then decided that there was not really anything in his life that made a good story so he changed that. The author proceeded to hike a mountain in Peru, bike across America and some other stuff (read the book!). As much as I would like to do those things, I do not see myself doing them anytime soon. The call to live a better story has resonated with me to live every day as one that may be my last, treat people right, live out what you believe (in my case, be a follower of Christ), and to make life a story that is written as you go. With this blog I hope to share parts of my story and what God is teaching me as He is writing my story. Please comment on posts to help me think outside of myself, challenge what is said if it is un-biblical, and correct me in kindness. Thanks!