It enchains you.

It oppresses you.

It manipulates you.

It breathes fire upon you.

It is the dragon of religion.

That dragon called self-righteous religion is an enemy of the gospel of grace we find in Jesus.

The dragon controls us with fear.

The gospel compels us with love.

The dragon steals joy.

The gospel brings joy.

The dragon captures.

The gospel frees.

For far too long, we’ve allowed the dragon to dwell among us.

Some even claim the dragon is one of us.

Others say that if we ride the back of the dragon, it will lead us to paradise.

The dragon is sneaky.

Somehow this hideous creature can go unnoticed.

But it leaves a footprint.

It’s shaped like hopelessness or pride.

Some of us will hate ourselves when we don’t think we’re good enough. (Hopelessness)

Others of us will worship ourselves and think we’re better than the rest. (Pride)

Pride is what got the serpent known as satan booted from Heaven.

As recipients, bearers, and communicators of the gospel, we are to be on guard for the dragon.

When we come across that nasty dragon…

Slay it.

With grace.

After all, it’s not about what you’ve done.

It’s about what’s been done for you.

By the King of kings.

In the presence of the King…

Pride is replaced with humility.

Hopelessness is replaced with hope.

And the dragon of religion is replaced by the grace of God.

That’s good news.

Christopher Columbus is often credited with discovering North America.  The only problem was, it was already inhabited with Native Americans who had made the discovery long before he did.  In fact, he wasn’t even the first European to land in North America. Leif Ericson had done so about 500 years before him.

What Columbus did was stumble into a discovery of this discovered land, spread the story across Europe, and the rest is history.

Like Columbus, I made a discovery of something that was always there several years ago. Others had seen it before me but for some reason, I never saw it. When I did, I felt as if I found new land when really my eyes were opened to an already settled land.

What did I uncover?

The grand narrative of the Scriptures.

I had viewed the bible as information and at best, a collection of stories.  That’s true, but it’s so much more than that. It’s all about Jesus. In fact, it’s these words from John 5:39-40 that led me to look at the common thread throughout the bible, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.”

The Scriptures are a narrative of God’s epic story and it all points to Jesus as the hero of the Story and the plot is his passionate pursuit of his people. This is the heart of the gospel.

This has radically shifted my studying and teaching of the bible.  Seeing how particular passages fit into the meta-narrative found in the scriptures has opened my eyes to things I had never seen before.  I had been careful to quote verses in context but had neglected the context of the greater story that verses and passages are embedded in.  Not to mention the context of the story of my life.

This has helped me better connect the Old Testament with the New Testament.  It has opened my eyes to see Jesus in places I never expected in both the scriptures and in culture. It has shaped how I view the church in light of God’s great pursuit of his people.  It has also helped me to gain perspective of my story and how I fit into the greater story.

Since this shift, I’ve sought to write, teach, and preach by storying the scriptures.  I’m learning that stories work better at penetrating the heart and mind than mere information alone. Storying is our way of packaging information so that others can grab hold of its meaning.  When our quest for truth treks through the frontier of our imagination it produces compelling stories.

Within each of us is a longing for a story.  This is why we search and explore and why we tell others about our discoveries. History is full of amazing storyers and is how history has been passed along from generation to generation. This is why we consume books, films, and television.  This why we have conversations over food and drinks.  This is why we even ask others, “How are you doing?”  That’s nothing more than a launchpad for a story (or in most cases, an odd way of saying, “hello.”)

Whimsical writer and thinker G.K. Chesterton wrote, “I had always felt life first as a story: and if there is a story there is a Story-teller.” I agree. Every tale has an author. Every story-casserole is baked in the oven of someone’s imagination. And God is the source of all stories.

His epic story is found in the Scriptures and the epic story he’s called us to live out is wrapped up in His.

This is my great re/discovery and it has awakened my soul, opened my eyes, and changed how I look at life.

I pray it will do the same for you.

Reading through the gospels, it occurred to me that Jesus wouldn’t be accepted by much of the Christian culture of today. Most churches wouldn’t hire him, conferences would overlook him, bloggers would take shots at him, evangelicals would be offended by him.  He would be criticized, rejected, or ignored by the establishment for being too much this or not enough that.

Surely we’ve evolved in the last two thousand years? But alas, it seems the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Here are some things off the top of my head that would get Jesus in trouble today:

• His idea of leadership was to serve. (Matthew 20:20-28, John 13:1-17)
• He mocks and talks harshly to religious leaders in public. (Matthew 23)
• He was alone with a woman he was not married to. (John 4:1-42)
• He befriended and partied with hookers and drunks. (Luke 7:34)
• He was arrested. (Matthew 26:50)
• He wasn’t us vs. them.  (Matthew 5:13-16, John 17:15-18)
• His ministry didn’t launch large in a big city. (Mark 1:16-20, Luke 1:46)
• He let his feelings show. (John 11:35, Mark 14:32-36)
• His passion was more for the one who was lost than for many who were found. (Luke 15)
• He didn’t see politics as the primary way to create change. (John 18:28-40)
• He didn’t choose the best and brightest to be in his circle. (Luke 5:1-11)
• He was homeless. (Matthew 8:20)
• He cared about meeting the tangible needs of this world rather than escaping it. (Matthew 25:31-46)
• He elevated the status of women in society and ministry. (Luke 10:38-42)
• He wasn’t big on dressing up to look more sophisticated and impressive. (Mark 12:38)
• He was more shock jock than he was politically correct. (Matthew 21: 12-13, Mark 8:33, Luke 9:41)
• He didn’t have a five-year plan. (Matthew 6:34)
• His words weren’t always easy to understand. (Luke 18:34)
• He didn’t go to seminary. (Matthew 21:23-27)
• His measure for success was not popularity or attendance. (John 6:60-70, Matthew 25:23)
• He was controversial (Luke 6:1-11)

What do you think? Am I wrong? How do you think Jesus would be treated by the Christian community today? Could he be a pastor in your church? Is there anything to be learned by this?

For years, evangelical leaders proclaimed that Christians shouldn’t read Harry Potter or watch the movies. Lest his superpowers provoke our children to become witches and wizards. (Curiously, the moralists aren’t outraged by the magic in Chronicles of Narnia or the powers of Superman.)

The real issue is a lack of imagination. The ring in Lord of the Rings isn’t really about the ring. The Veggies in VeggieTales isn’t really about the vegetables. The magic in Harry Potter isn’t really about the magic.

It’s art.

Art (and stories) often use symbolism and metaphor to communicate something else. This is what makes the fantasy and superhero genre so popular. People enjoy searching for meaning. And there’s plenty of it in Harry Potter.

That said, I’m not going to say yes or no to Harry Potter. I’m not a moralist. I’m a Christian. I would say go with your conscience.

I do believe God is a big God and that every story, intentional or not, is wrapped up in his story. We just need the eyes to see it.

Besides, the real danger of Mr. Potter doesn’t lie in his magic.

It lies in his influence on culture through fashion:

The dark-rimmed glasses.

Its obvious there’s a grand conspiracy and no one is safe.

Especially the hipsters.

This atrocity must stop.

For the sake of the children.

A couple of years ago, my daughter asked to go for a walk.  We went outside, I reached down my hand to her, and she reached up her hand to mine.  As I glanced down I was struck by this image.  I thought, “What a picture of God and us!”

I pondered this image more and began to see how it was also a beautiful illustration of prayer.  Jesus tells us in Matthew 6 to pray to Our Father.  His hand is always there reaching down to us and all we need to do is reach our hand up to him…and walk.

I love what Dallas Willard said in his great book, The Divine Conspiracy. “I believe the most adequate description of prayer is simply, Talking to God about what we are doing together. That immediately focuses the activity where are but at the same time drives the egotism out of it. Requests will naturally be made in the sharing with God my concerns about what he too is concerned about in my life. And of course he is concerned about my concerns and, in particular, that my concerns should coincide with his. This is our walk together. Out of it I pray.”

The scriptures say, “pray continuously.”  In the rhythm of our life, as we go, all the time. Taking hold of our Father’s strong, yet loving hand, and walking, talking, asking, confessing, venting, and listening.  A divine conversation so to speak.

Let me encourage you to take hold of your Father’s waiting hand and walk (pray).

It’s the most supernatural act we can partake in.