My blog is for Losers! The Conversion Investment part 3
When I was in Youth Ministry I came up with the tag line, “Making Losers More Than Conquerors.” Now depending upon how you read that phrase either the ministry was going to be about making Losers more than we make Conquerors, or the ministry was going to be about turning Losers into something more than a Conqueror. In reality, it meant both things.
The phrase is a marriage of Romans 8:37 and 2 Corinthians 12:10. It is the mysterious fusion of two opposites, conquerors and losers; strength and weakness. Life sucks, but yet it is glorious all at the same time.
It is imperative for someone to be converted to realize just how big of a Loser we are apart from Christ. We go about winning a lot of small meaningless battles without Him. We really bring Him nothing worth bragging about other than our brokenness, so that He can be glorified in putting us back together as He intended us to be while looking forward to the eventual finish of that work on the other side of death. It’s the death of Christ that makes us worthy. Without it we are worthless. It’s this admission of our Loserdom that keeps us from really being converted. It’s why time and relationship and truth and love and conflict is necessary to help people not only go from life to death, but to live in the reality of this new life.
Because it is also imperative to realize that NOTHING can separate us from the love of God shown to us through Jesus Christ in order to enjoy the converted life. Nothing can overcome His love. Even if we are led as sheep to the slaughter and it looks as if we should be pitied the reality is that our suffering can produce an immeasurable amount of joy and because of this we more than Conquer fear, failure, and death. In fact, those aren’t even battles for us to win anymore.
Weird, right?
But awesome!
So, what are your losses? Do you feel like sharing them here?
Have you found a way to rejoice in the midst of your loserdom?
“35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?36 As it is written, For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.
37
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Friday Funny
W. Bruce Cameron is one of my favorite satirists. You should laugh out loud at this and begin your weekend well with many unspeakable usherings from your corroborator. I know that didn’t make sense, but it will after you read “Spam-O-Gram.”
Spam-O-Gram
Copyright 2010 W. Bruce CameronI am pleased to announce that I have recently received an offer via e-mail to transfer $25,589,000 directly into my bank account—I’m rich!
I have no idea why I, among the millions and millions of e-mail users, was singled out for such lavish treatment, but I assure you, I will not be selfish—once I have the money, I plan to share it, generously spending it on highly visible luxury automobiles and enormous yachts so everyone can see my wealth and enjoy it.
Lest you doubt the veracity of this deal, allow me to quote verbatim from the e-mail in question:
Dear Sir: I am most unfortunate to thinking you may not suspect me as real for we do not now know or been introduced, but allow me to say I am Song Lou. I work for Heng Suck Banq, Ltd, and have the proposition for you of transferring $25.589 million USD directly to your bank account which will be of mutual benefit to you once we have established cordial cooperation and modality. Please GET BACK TO ME ASAP….Song Lou
Here’s how I know this is legitimate: (a) the dollar amount is very specific—I’d be suspicious of a rounded off figure; (b) he works for a Suck Bank—I’m a customer of a Service Sucks Bank, which is probably a subsidiary; and (c) he needs me to GET BACK TO him ASAP—legitimate business people are always in a big hurry. I responded to his e-mail the day I got it:
Dear Mr. Lou: So delightfully I am partaking of your recent e-mail! I would most cooperatively accept your transfer of $25.589 million because that’s exactly how much I need! With much insomnia I beg for your response….W. Bruce Cameron
He wrote right back!
Dear W: My associates are speaking most excitedly on this matter. We are requiring only of some informational proceedings for rapid facilitation of transfer. Please to forward bank account name, number, routing, and phone for reaching….Song Lou
Great! I decided I just needed a little bit more informational proceeding myself and I’d be good to go.
Dear Song: Most unctuous and florid greetings upon your eyebrows. My concerning is for how the transfer is working. Would you please snorkel your immediate describings of the next notes in the opera? Yours in lasagna….W.
Dear W: Some puzzlement has befuddled us during your last communications. However, we are confident with you as our partner in business for $25.589 million and can lay the goodness of an additional $10 million USD. However URGENT for response with banking informational details preceedingly requested. Yours truly….Song Lou
Dear Song Sung Lou: Blessings upon you and your puppies. I have spoken with high regard to all my appliances of your keen business skills and shavings. Though much of my lust is bestirred by the $10 million, I am requisite of a total of $50 million and am inquiring of any possibility you and your associates may emerge from their medications with this additional transfer. Also, through the subscriptions of their loins my parents have blessed me with a sister through all perplexity, and she, too, would be willing for a limited time only to accept a $50-million transfer.
Dear W.: Though our history suggests you can be trusted with our worthiness, many among us are suspect of you unseriously misdirecting our associations. Please be aware of our availability to the $50 million only if you can be convincing of your honesty! We have no wasting time! Yes, your sister please also bank information with 24 hours for transferring or we will be withdrawn to other matters. Yours truly….Song
Dear Song: All of my follicles are emerging from the dark winter of their trousers and turning their taste buds to your luscious wrists! Most joyously do I face the soup of your embalming of my sister. My beamings are upon all of the Suck companies, with wishes for continued integrity at every turn of the pipe. Yours most impeded….Bruce
They never wrote back, but I’m sure the transfer is coming soon!
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A new lens…”Suffer Well”
Often we see pain as a curse from God, but might it be His grace.
Might it be more cruel to live in a sin infected world without pain?
I follow a few folks that you may have heard of and if you haven’t then you should check them out. Not because I agree with every bit of their theology, but because each of them believe in a powerful, advancing, and beautiful Church led by Christ and gifted by God. If you wonder why we suffer, you are not alone. Why does God allow it? Is it possible to have hope in the midst of suffering?
Take the weekend and check each of these out. We have a great God!
Matt Chandler, pastor of The Village Church in and around Dallas, is a 35 year old husband and father and unashamed Calvinist and Southern Baptist. I first heard him last year preach one of the most powerful sermons I have ever heard at a conference put on by Desiring God. Matt, over Thanksgiving 2009, had a seizure and was eventually diagnosed with brain cancer. His response to that uninvited interruption in his life gained national attention. His blog is worth checking out and his sermons are rich. I’m not a sold out Calvinist, nor am I a sold out Arminian, but I agree with Matt far more than I disagree and I love to be challenged and he does not fear telling it like it is.
Mark Driscoll, is a Catholic turned Calvinist and pastor of a multi-site church based in Seattle. He started a church without seminary training or another job in ministry. He has appeared on Nightline with Depak Chopra and with a converted stripper in order to discuss the reality of Satan. He is preaching through the book of Luke and this week was the story of raising the dead son of a widow from Nain. Two weeks ago his sister miscarried and last week his wife miscarried and he preached quite possibly the most thought provoking sermon on suffering I have ever heard.
Tony Morgan, a United Methodist turned Baptist executive pastor in Georgia shared on Twitter that his friend had just died and linked to this video. It turns out that New Spring Church showed it to their congregation, which was Zac’s congregation 12 weeks ago.