Why I'm sad the world didn't end a year ago

As you may have noticed the world did not end on 12/21/12, and a year later we are still here.  Don't get me wrong, I had no expectation the world would end last year.  The Mayans have joined the long list of people who have incorrectly guessed when the world would end.

But it still makes me kind of sad.  Allow me to explain.

Often we think of the apocalypse as some horrible event, this great disaster which we all live in dread of.  It is very human to see Judgement Day as some terrible day to be feared.  It sounds like a day of punishment and every nightmarish depiction of Hell.  But in truth the Day of Judgement is a day of justice.

For now the wrath of God is being held back and building, waiting for the day of release.  Judgement Day will be the day when every hurt, every wrong, and every sin will be redeemed and washed away.  There will be justice for every crime committed against another.  God is not mute to the sufferings of the world.  It is with this future hope of justice Paul writes Romans 12:19
"Never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord."

Judgement Day will be the day when sickness, cancer, sex slavery, oppression, exploitation, and every other horrible thing which plagues humanity will be defeated.  It will be glorious!  It will be a day of true justice.  No more suffering.

And it's hard to wait sometimes.  This world is a dark and broken place, there are a lot of terrible things happening to people who God deeply loves, and it seems like there is no end in sight.  Humanity will never save itself.  But our great God of Justice will.  And I yearn for that day.

Advent in France: Peace

Every Advent I love contemplating the awesome Truth of Emmanuel; "God with us" (Mt 1:23, Isa 7:14).  I am continually amazed by God; after I had rejected Him and have betrayed him on a daily basis, He still chose to come back and be with someone like me.  It's crazy.

In John 1:9-13 we see the sad truth of God coming back to this beautiful creation of His, now marred  by sin, and not being recognized.  There are examples of darkness all around us and the internet has only heightened this availability.  But the passage does not end here.  In verse 12 and 13 we see hope break through.  We who have become enemies of God have a way back home.  We can have peace with our Creator not based upon our efforts but because of His efforts.

With less than a week to go before Christmas, let us each make room for this awesome gift of peace in our lives.  Emmanuel has come and is coming.  May we celebrate the peace we have in Him.

Advent in France: Hope

For those who don't know we recently moved to France where we will working for the next two years.  It has already been an awesome adventure filled with fun, friends, and culture-shock.

It is also hard to believe we are already eight days into December.  As with each year it seems, Advent is whirling past too quickly.  Or I am too busy sorting out a new life, new ministry, new culture to take the necessary time to ruminate upon the themes of Advent.

I love Advent, I love this season of waiting, darkness, and solemn contemplation.  I love the first Sunday's title of "hope"; Advent begins with hope.  As I have previously discussed in Advents passed, we celebrate Advent not only as remembrance of Jesus's first Advent, but also looking forward to His awaited second Advent.  This is why I have hope, the story is not over.

With this year's Advent season the question I have been pondering is how to embody this hope?  As I am learning to engage with a new culture how do I live in a way that reflects this Advent truth?

The best example I have found to follow is John the Baptist.  Isaiah prophesies about John saying:

A voice cries out:
"In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.  Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.  Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken." (Isa 40:3-5)

We see John went before Jesus and prepared for His first Advent.  John's life was lived to make way for Jesus's coming into the world, and this is our great calling.  We too can live out and live in the Truth of Jesus's first Advent and His second Advent, and by doing so we have the opportunity to prepare the way for His coming.  I love how the Isaiah passage concludes, about the LORD's glory being revealed and all people, from all sorts of backgrounds and beliefs, seeing it together.  What a wonderful image.  We also see John's mission was not dependent upon his abilities, his tactics, but ultimately upon the LORD and His declaration.  The LORD has spoken His Truth and we have the privilege of walking out and embodying this.

So let us go out into this dark world carrying to hope of Advent, let us make a way in this desolate land, and let us live to see His glory revealed and everyone invited in.

A Going Away Party for Who?

 

Emily and I will be moving to Grenoble France on October 28th (6 days from now).  It's a crazy story that has led us to this point, and I know the truly thrilling part is just about to begin.  We will keep you posted, don't worry the internet works in France too.

Last Saturday evening we had a going away party with our Sacramento friends, and it was a really wonderful time to see dear people we have missed as we've been preparing.  Being an extrovert I did not want the evening to end.  As the night progressed I realized this party was not just for Emily and I.

During my seven years in Davis and the last three in Sacramento I have watched as many good friends have come and gone off to do wild and crazy things.  This is a wonderful reality, and I have always been happy for my friends, but the truth is it's hard to be the one remaining behind.  Those leaving have new adventures and new worlds to immerse themselves in, while those left have a world now diminished.

Having time to celebrate together is important; those leaving need it, but those left need it too.  Moving away without saying good bye can be easy for those moving because it avoids the dreaded task of having to say good bye to everyone.  Making time to say good bye and to celebrate friendships is a way to honor those relationships and provide those left behind with some mark of closure.

I have really appreciated every going away party in which I have been able to wish the adventurer the best, and I was glad to have the opportunity to provide others with this as well.

Friends and family, you make life wonderful.  We cherish the memories we have, and look forward to adventures to come.

Music theorist vs. Musician

In college I had two majors: music composition and microbiology.  Of these two degrees music was the more challenging of the two, because rather than simply studying and regurgitating information it required my synthesis of new musical scores and performances.

I thoroughly enjoyed my study of music, but I found my biggest handicap was my lack of musicianship.  To be honest I hate practicing (still do).  Most of my friends in the music department would ideally spend 4-6 hours at the piano or with their violins.  I get bored after 15 minutes, about when I am actually warmed up.  As I learned more as a composer, I realized music theory is no substitute for playing an instrument.  The theory is fascinating, but music is ultimately about performance. It is only when played by a musician, in real time, the countless notes I have written come alive.

Furthermore the validity of academic study of music theory is ultimately derived from the performance of music, both those creating music (musician) and those receiving music (audience/other musicians).  Music theory is proved when the average person can pick up an instrument and over time discover everything taught in the classroom.  Music is art, meaning it should express thoughts, ideas, and emotions which are understood by people, and music is subjective.  With these two qualities come certain risks for educational institutions focused on this subject.  If academia makes statements and preferences about music and music theory which the common person cannot understand or agree with, then the institution has lost its ability to properly engage with people and culture.

Jesus is a musician.  What I mean is Jesus did not come to teach us a new philosophy or to theorize about God’s Kingdom.  Instead Jesus came to Earth, embodied God's Kingdom, and lived a sinless life for us.  Now He welcomes us to join His orchestra and participate.

We have to be careful not to become only Jesus theorists.  It can be easy to convince ourselves because we know the proper theology, ecclesiology, or missiology this somehow qualifies as faith.  The problem is Jesus is not some theory and God's Kingdom is not mere ideas or ideals.  Following His example I have to actually live out my faith.  I enjoy studying theology and see great fruit from it, but only as I am able to apply it in my life.  Faith is not knowledge; a living faith requires action and an embodiment of God's Kingdom.  As scripture describes it, "faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead" (James 2:17).

As individuals we need to be careful not to settle for theory alone, and we as the Church need to guard against this as well.  Just as academia can lose its purpose by isolating itself from people, the Church too can become the haunt of theorists and those already members of the Church.  It is not enough to love the poor in theory.  Instead we need to focus upon engaging with people; reaching out, expressing our faith, and loving the others whom Jesus deeply loves.  We have been called to join God’s ministry of reconciliation, and our mission is to do just this.

If my writing, if our reading, praying, and listening to sermons only increases our Jesus theory and not our embodiment of God's Kingdom, we are wasting our time.

So let us go practice living like Jesus in His Kingdom here on Earth.  I don't know about you, but I feel I am just getting warmed up

Walking Faith

I recently learned I walk incorrectly.  Apparently it is not uncommon for us as adults to learn bad habits in walking, standing, and other common motions.  My poor form was brought to my attention by our good friend Kelsey (who is amazing), who has a newly earned doctorate of physical therapy degree (so she is amazing, smart, and hardworking. She also is very humble which why I like bragging about her).

From Dr. Kelsey I learned my walking stride is amiss; I plant a foot, rock back on it, and let my knee lock before taking the next step.  I'm told this is bad for knees (who needs those?).

To make things worse I am especially prone to this poor form when walking fast, and unfortunately I enjoy walking fast.  In my family we commonly refer to speed walking as "Disneyland mode" because on family vacations you want to be first in line for Space Mountain.

Now I'm trying to walk slower and with proper form, which takes more time.  No longer can I focus my attention solely on the speed of my walking and on reaching my destination, but now have to consider my form and the methods I use to reach it.  

I have found this mirrors other aspects of my life and faith.  One example is how I live within our time oriented society.  A strong symptom of living in a minute conscious culture is a drive for efficiency.  We are so focused on productivity, goal completion, and performance we neglect to consider what means we will employ to achieve this end.  I can pack my day full of tasks to do, maximize my accomplishments, down-size my "wasted" time, and burn myself out in the process.  These advantages and disadvantages are all within the realm of the short-term; the long-term effects only compound over time.

Incorporating this consideration of both method and objective, requires rethinking my schedule and how I schedule.  It prevents me from cramming as much into a work day.  Proper health in my daily work necessitates allowing time to walk slower with proper form: physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually.  By taking the time to contemplate means and ends, and then to choose the more holistic approach, I have the immediate loss of productivity, but I have the long-term benefit of not wearing out my knees and soul over time.  

So where are we rushing through life too busy and too focused on achievement to consider the affects of our chosen methods?  Because of our time oriented culture I find I have to repeatedly consider the balance between my form and goals.  I am also glad to have wise people and a loving God to help me and remind me how best to walk through life.

Thanks Dr. K and Jesus

Scripture Reading like Amino Acids

I love the Bible.  It's an interesting/difficult/confusing/challenging library of books.  There are numerous reasons and explanations of why we should read the Bible and the benefits of daily Bible reading.  Many explanations are well meant, but can be theologically unsound.  For example reading the Bible does not earn you Jesus points.  It just doesn't.  Our desire for control (qualifies as sin when over-prioritized) would love a formula such as the following:

[(X hours reading Bible + Y hours praying + W% tithe given)/168 hours per week] = Jesus Points.

Thankfully faith does not work like this.  Faith is relationship with God and therefore not something which can be quantitatively assessed.

Instead I think reading the Bible functions a lot more like amino acids.  Any introductory Biology course (or Wikipedia) informs us amino acids are the molecular building blocks our bodies and other organisms use to make proteins.  Proteins in turn make up basically everything in our bodies.  There are approximately 25,000 genes in our individual genomes which code for approximately 100,000 proteins that make up us.  We are composed of a lot of proteins built out of tons of amino acids.  But how is reading the Bible like amino acids?

I don't know how God speaks to you during your Bible reading, and it's fun to see how God speaks to people differently, but personally when God speaks through His word it is almost always not while I am reading the Bible.  Instead He usually brings up passages, stories, ideas, etc. from the Bible at other times (during worship, prayer, driving, eating, etc.).  For me reading the Bible is not a time to sit down and chat with God, it is a time to ingest raw materials and have those within me for future conversations.  I read the Bible to acquire building blocks God will later use to speak; each chapter, parable, psalm is like an amino acid which God will have available to bring to mind.

Some memorable examples God has said:
"Remember how I said I AM faithful? I have not changed."(2 Tim 2:13, Heb 10:23) or "An arrogant pharisee and a humble tax collector walk into the Temple (Lk 18:9-14)....which one of them is your religious spirit acting like right now?"

I am glad reading God's word is not a prerequisite for God to speak, but it does help facilitate our hearing Him.  I don't know about you, but I need a lot of help to quiet myself and listen for God's voice.  The Bible also provides a standard or baseline by which I can measure and calibrate my life.  More on calibration in future posts; for now let's go be people of the Word and acquire some more amino acid-like building blocks.

Another lesson from our dear friend Escherichia coli

A while ago I posted about what our dear friend Escherichia coli (E. coli) can teach us about raising up new leaders (click here), and today Escherichia will once again be teaching us another important theological principle; this time on sanctification.

But first an introduction to E. coli and a process known as Bacterial transformation.  Despite the bad reputation E. coli gets in the media, this little gram negative bacteria is essential to the proper health of our intestinal flora.  E. coli plays a key role removing in the toxic O² gas which otherwise would kill many of the obligate anaerobic (cannot tolerate O²) bacteria within us, and we need our intestinal bacteria!  So having E. coli is important.

Bacterial transformation is a process by which bacteria cells are able to find and absorb new DNA fragments from their environment.  This allows for a transformed bacteria to begin expressing novel DNA sequences and novel proteins.  Some bacteria are naturally able to incorporate environmental DNA, this characteristic is known as "competency", while other bacteria like E. coli require a bit of coaxing¹ into DNA uptake.  Transformation for E. coli is contingent upon prior external events, and only then is E. coli able to incorporate and begin expressing new DNA.

Cool, so what does this have to do with us?  I submit to you that we are like E. coli.  Despite all that we are capable of or our best intentions, left to our own devices Humanity will never save itself.  At the Fall we lost our identities, our humanity was warped, and ever since we have been shadows of who we were intended to be.  We are broken and hurting and we cannot change ourselves.  But in Jesus everything changes, He's a game-changer.  Through His work and His grace we are now able to be transformed; His victory is the external event upon which our ability to be transformed depends.  Like transformed E. coli expressing novel DNA, in Jesus we are changed and now able to express an identity which was previously foreign to us.  We are made human, as God intended in the beginning, once again.

I encourage you to allow Jesus to transform you as He alone can, back into who He alone intended you to be.  May we all live as transformed E. coli expressing our renewed identities.

---

1. Ingraham, John L. et al.  Microbe.  ASM Press. 2006. p.187.

Bone Marrow Donation: Two Year Anniversary

May 12th 2011 was a big day in my life.  Several years ago I entered the National Bone Marrow registry, and I have since been occasionally called to do some lab work and see if I am a genetic match for someone needing a bone marrow transplant.  The registry supplies transplants for across the world.

The crazy thing about a bone marrow transplant is they are risky.  The genetic match must be much closer than even organ transplants because the transplanted marrow forms the recipient's new immune system.  If this new immune system rejects the host, known as graft-verses-host disease, the recipient will die and there is nothing modern medicine can do to help.  Even now with the best of our technology 10% of bone marrow recipients die within the first 100 days of acute g-vs-h.  Because bone marrow transplants are so risky they are a last ditch effort.

In the spring of 2011 I was determined to be the genetic match for a woman, and we began the "work up" process to prepare us both for the donation/receiving.  On May 12th 2011 I donated approximately a quart of marrow.  And she lived!!  Praise the Lord she lived.  After a year I have had the opportunity to speak with my recipient and we have exchanged a few cards (which has been so fun).

We just celebrated the two year anniversary of my donation.  What blows my mind is the fact she is alive because of the marrow I gave. Yes it was scary going into the donation and painful coming out, but the fear and pain were temporary.  I was on pain meds for a few days, it hurt to bend at my waist for a week, I could not run for a month; but then I was fine.  4-6 weeks after my donation my body regrew all my bone marrow.  Two months after the only evidence on my body were two tiny scars on my hips.  And a woman is alive because of this.  My temporary pain gave her a new shot at life.  This woman will hopefully get decades of life off of my marrow in her bones.  How awesome is that?!  And it affects her family too.  I just learned she is able to see her daughter graduate from nursing school this month.  Two years ago she did not think she would be alive to see this, and now her daughter gets to have her mother at her graduation because of a simple donation.

This reminds me of Jesus, who endured the agony of the Cross (much worse than bone marrow donation) so that we might have an opportunity at life.  He willingly and gladly endured the Cross to give humanity the opportunity to be saved.  Jesus knew the cost and He knew we were worth it.  How awesome is that?  We have life, hope, joy, and love because He said the temporary pain was worth it.

Jesus is so good.

Restore to Factory Default

You have probably noticed by now people can be pretty messed up sometimes.  Oppression and exploitation, empires, abuse and manipulation.  It's everywhere and it's not just "them"; we all have our moments of failure and selfishness.  Please don't think me misanthropic, I just don't believe humanity left to its own devices will ever save itself.  We were not designed for this; we were not meant to live and operate in sin.  In the Beginning God created us good, whole, and sinless.  

Ever since the Fall humanity has been glitchy; some of our files and systems have been corrupted.  Not only are we born broken into a broken world, but we pick up more bugs along the way (wounds, lies, wrong priorities, etc).  Our sin goes against our programming and slows us down from living as God intended.  In truth we become less and less ourselves as we accumulate more problems and stains of this world.  On our own we all will spiral down to the "blue screen of death."

This is where Jesus steps in.  He came to save us from ourselves and our glitches.  By God's grace Jesus comes into our lives and goes about helping us reboot our system and restore us to our perfect factory defaults of Eden.  Thankfully this does not wipe our memories or personality; instead we are freed up from the burden of harmful thoughts, patterns, and behaviors.  We are made new and renewed.  Praise God for accomplishing what only He can.  With this new freedom we are now able to walk in our true identities.  But this world is still a dirty place and we will continue to pick up glitches along the way.  Thankfully by the same grace of God we can be restored and renewed again and again and again.  I know I need this grace.

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a coffee shop

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a coffee shop;  
A caffeinated retelling of three parables 
(Matthew 13:44-48)

People love stories; it is a part of how we are wired.  There is no coincidence 70% of the Bible is narrative.  Stories are fun, inductive, and memorable.  Good communication requires the audience be able to recall what was told to them, and studies have found stories are well suited for this.  Beyond simple storytelling, parables require the audience not only to listen but to engage with and decipher the story; to wrestle the meaning out of the parable.  This sheds some light on why Jesus purposefully told stories and parables.  With that in mind let's have some fun retelling three of Jesus' parables from Matthew 13:44-48.

1.  "The Kingdom of Heaven is like searching for the best cappuccino in town, and having found it, joyfully not settling for any other drink." (Mt 13:44)

We often read the familiar parable of Jesus declaring "the Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field" and think of it as just that, a treasure, and miss the meaning of the parable.  Is God's Kingdom the object or the verb?  Can we own or obtain the Kingdom of Heaven?  Or do we seek the Kingdom?  

The Kingdom of Heaven is a verb and Jesus is our treasure.  His parable illustrates the only proper Kingdom response to finding such a great treasure as Jesus is to sell everything and surrender all that we are for Him.  The Kingdom is not a prize but a pursuit.  We do not earn God's Kingdom, but we gladly give up everything for what has been offered to us through Jesus.  

2.  "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a barista who shops around to find the best coffee beans, to find the right temperature and timing to make the perfect espresso." (Mt 13:45-46)

Again we often try and make the Kingdom into an object, a pearl of great value, when in reality the Kingdom of Heaven is like the merchant looking for fine pearls.  The Kingdom is an occupation; it is a way of ordering and arranging our lives.  Have we centered ourselves around Jesus?  As promised in Jeremiah 29:12-14 when we search for God He will be found by us.

3.  "The Kingdom of Heaven is like an open wireless internet network.  It is available to everyone, but you have to get connected." (Mt 13:47-48)

Finally, there is no auto login option with God's Kingdom.  God's Kingdom is everywhere and we have the opportunity to respond to what has been offered us, but it requires us to take an active step; there is no passively entering the Kingdom.  Furthermore the Kingdom affects everyone, not only those logged in, and the reality of the Kingdom will affect everyone come Judgement Day.  There are affects and consequences for both those who log in and those who do not.

I hope you have enjoyed this retelling of three parables.  Jesus is the master storyteller.  Cheers!

Dangers of Music Theory and Theology

Studying Music Theory and Theology both share an inherent danger.  As a lover of both disciplines it is important I guard myself from this common risk.  Music Theory and Theology each serve their appropriate roles as means to an end, but have the capacity of becoming ends in and of themselves.

When I became a student of Music Theory I did so to expand my understanding of music.  I love how music ebbs and flows and engages with the world.  Tension and release.  Music is awe-inspiring, and learning some of the theory which undergirds it has only increased my adoration of music.  But studying Music Theory was never meant to overshadow my engagement with music.  I studied key signatures, chord structures, and harmonic progressions not to gain mastery over music, but to learn how to better appreciate it.  I want to go deeper in my love of music.

But a frustration I encountered as a music major was the belief every aspect of music, the nuance and sense of beauty, can be explained away by Music Theory.  Arnold Schoenberg articulated this academic belief succinctly saying "music need not be performed any more than books need to be read aloud, for its logic is perfectly represented on the printed page"(1).  I reject the belief Music Theory is superior to music.  A work of music does not exist in score form; music is a temporal and physical art (2).  We cannot divorce music from performance.  Theory exists to assist music and not the reverse.  To reduce music down to only theory assumes our modern academic beliefs trump the centuries of musical expression which predate written musical notation and academic analysis.

My approach to Theology mirrors my approach to Music Theory.  I study Theology because God is awesome.  God is infinite in ways my finite mind will never conceive, and I love this about God.  I do not read Theology books and ponder aspects of God's character so I can somehow express comprehension or control over God.  I study Theology to grow deeper in my understanding and appreciation of who God is.  Any time my learning does not increase my wonder of God I know I am doing something wrong.  Theology must be rooted in the truth God is God and I am not.  If my Theology ever tempts me to think otherwise my Theology has become an idol.  Finding security in my knowledge, even knowledge of God, and not in God Himself is folly.  Therefore Theology must be studied with great humility and caution to safeguard it remains a true avenue of intimacy with God.

So why study Theology?  Why study Music Theory?  If studying both subjects has this inherent danger why bother at all?  Ignorance is bliss right?  But the danger is not in the learning and discovering; the risk is in my ability to twist this knowledge to my own end.  I do not need to fear Theology, but I should instead be wary of what I may be tempted to do or justify with my Theology.  Theology is not God.  Theory is not Music.

In the midst of all this let us remember God is worth knowing.  God is absolutely worth knowing.  He alone is the Infinite and Independent One.  For every moment of the rest of Eternity (a number I cannot and will not ever understand) I will be in awe of my God and learning more about Him.  The key is for me to ponder the mysteries of His infinitude and of my finitude.  God Himself said it best:
"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:9)

1. Arnold Schoenberg in Newlin 1980: 164.  Spoken in 1940.
2. Jeremy S. Begbie.  Theology, Music and Time. 2000. p 55-56.

Christmas is over, now what?

We are now over one month post-Christmas and life has settled back into our normal routines.  Life continues like nothing happened.  But something did happen; we celebrated Christmas and the mysteries of Emmanuel and the Incarnation.  The whole course of human history changed with Jesus's missions trip to Earth.

If Christmas is not a Civil War reenactment and Jesus has truly come into the world, my life today should look different than it did on 12/24/2012.  But how?  Now what?

We must allow the truth of Jesus' coming, dying, and resurrecting to permeate our lives.  Every aspects; every nook and cranny.  We have to live with the truth our world and our lives will never be the same, nor should we allow ourselves to complacently think so.

Where to begin?  When Jesus was about ready to beam back up to Heaven in Acts 1 He lays out the next stage in His plan for global domination/reconciliation saying "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8).  We see Peter in John 21 trying to go back to fishing, to his old life.  But Jesus follows him there and calls Peter back into the identity Jesus has for him.  Instead of returning to our old lives of 2012 let us seek Holy Spirit and God's power to be His witnesses here, there, and the world.

With this call to be Jesus's witnesses we cannot afford to stay in our Jerusalems.  I don't want to sonud too dramatic, but the Greek word for "witness" is "martyr", and our call is to martyrdom in whatever forms this may take.  Sharing the Gospel is risky.  It has always been risky.  It will always be risky.  We cannot wait for a "better opportunity" because such a thing will never come.

If we are truly honest with ourselves and with God, we will realize God loves us and God cares about us, but God also loves and cares about everyone else around the world too.  God in His goodness never promised His disciples safety.  Jesus never guaranteed comfort.  In fact He assures us of quite the opposite (Mt 24:9-14, Mk 13:9-13, Lk 21:12-19).  But Jesus did promise to be with us.  "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Mt 28:20).  We may lose in life, we may suffer, but we will never be abandoned.  This is the mystery of Emmanuel; even now in 2013 God is still with us.

My motivation is not based on a guilt-trip, it is rooted in my Jesus who is with me.  He has called us not only to be reconciled with Him, but also to be agents of reconciliation.  We are Christ's ambassadors to this world (2 Cor 5:19-20).

We have to take the Gospel to the world.  We have to live to see God's Kingdom advanced.  This Advent season the Lord continually reminded me of the billions of people on Earth who have never heard of Jesus's first Advent.  We have to see the Gospel taken to the unreached people groups and the far corners of the globe.  Jesus said the "Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations(ethnic groups), and then the end will come." (Mt 24:14) and we need to take His statement seriously.

May your 2013 be an excellent and Jesus-y year.  May this year not be just another lap around the Sun, but see God's Kingdom come and His will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.