The opening dedication to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe reads:
"My Dear Lucy,
I wrote this story for you, but when I began it I had not realized that girls grow quicker than books. As a result you are already too old for fairy tales, and by the time this is printed and bound you will be older still. But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. You can then take it down from some upper shelf, dust it, and tell me that you think of it. I shall probably be too deaf to hear, and too old to understand, a word you say, but I shall still be
your affectionate Godfather,
CS Lewis"
Lewis taps into a powerful thought in these opening lines: that there comes a time in life when we feel the draw back to children's stories . . . not for the sake of recapturing one's youth or merely for entertainment.
What's in a story? Simple. Profound. Lewis knew that some of the best literature was great not because it was written for the greatest minds but because it tapped into the power of myth. A myth is not the same thing as a legend, a fiction . . . a myth is a story that tells the bigger story of meaning and purpose, origins and destiny. In other words, a myth can be true or false, but a myth's power is in its ability to tie us to something greater than ourselves.
One of the reasons I love CS Lewis' Narnia series is because I have found in it simple stories that captivate the heart and the mind and has given me a window into spiritual truths.
The power of story can be seen in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. In one episode one of the main characters, Lucy (whom we meet for the first time in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) is entering the upstairs home of a magician in order to break a spell. She finds her way up a staircase, wondering what she might find, who she might see, knowing that somewhere the magician's book might be found, and in the book, the spell-breaker. She also knows that somewhere lurks the magician . . . and she must find his book and break the spell without being caught.
She does find the book and reads through a series of spells, enchanted by the book's lettering, its smell, its crisp, smooth pages, and finally its words. She comes to one spell "for the refreshment of the spirit" and she begins to read it. "And what Lucy found herself reading was more like a story than a spell. It went on for three pages and before she had read to the bottom of the page she had forgotten she was reading at all. She was living in the story as if it were real, and all the pictures were real too. When she had got to the third page and come to the end, she said, 'That is the loveliest story I've ever read or ever shall read in my whole life. Oh, I wish I could have gone on reading it for ten years. At least I'll read it over again.'"
The problem was Lucy found that she was unable to turn back any pages: the magic of the book was forbidding her. Moreover, as she realized this she also discovered that she was unable to remember the details of the story. It was as if the story were being erased from her mind; only fragments remained. "And she never could remember; and ever since that day, what Lucy means by a good story is a story which reminds her of the forgotten story in the Magicians Book."
In many ways I have found that all good stories are those that in some way remind me of the Great Story, the one God has been writing and telling since the dawn of time, the story He tells as He writes the pages of history and turns the pages of our lives. The God of the Bible is the a storyteller . . . He uses parable and poetry to capture the hearts of His people and then He inspires authors to write His story, stories to be told and retold so that generations might know Him. Today I find that the books I am drawn to and the movies I watch over and over are those that are but reflections of the themes and characters in God's story.
And there is more . . . I am learning more and more that when Jesus calls God "Father," he is saying more than just a title for the Almighty: he is stating what God does. God is fathering us. God longs to father us. For me that means many things, but one thing I know for sure: God wants to tell me stories. He wants to share His story with me over and over, like a good father would, and he is active in my life even now to remind me of the greatest story ever told. Like Lucy I find a "refreshment of spirit" in the story He tells. I find myself also literally living the story and I am thankful that he has made me a character.
At the end of the chapter Lucy meets the great lion, Aslan, the Christ-figure of the story. Aslan knows that young Lucy has been reading through the Magician's book. Lucy begins to ask him a question:
"Speak on, dear heart."
"Shall I ever be able to read that story again; the one I couldn't remember? Will you tell it to me, Aslan? Oh do, do, do."
"Indeed, yes, I will tell it to you for years and years."
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
CS Lewis, The Silver Chair, and Remembering the Signs
One of my favorite chapters in the entire Narnia series is the second chapter of The Silver Chair. In it one of the main characters, Jill Pole, finds herself having entered another world, a liminal world, face to face with Aslan. Unbeknownst to her she is on the Mountain of Aslan, far away from Narnia, in an almost heavenly setting.
There are many noteworthy things about her conversation with Aslan, but the meat of their discussion sets the tone for the entire book. Aslan explains that in Narnia is a king, King Caspian, who is old and dying and without an heir. His only son, Rilian, has been kidnapped and missing for quite some time. Aslan sets before Jill her quest: “I lay on you this command, that you seek this lost prince until either you have found him and brought him to his father’s house, or else died in the attempt, or else gone back into your own world.”
This is a monumental quest, though Jill is completely unaware at this point what pitfalls and problems lay before her. Still bewildered from her recent fall into this unknown universe, and still unsure of whom this great talking Lion is, she asks how she is to carry out her quest. At this point Aslan give her four signs, four specific things Jill is to look for and do in order to track down and rescue the lost prince. These four signs will guide her path. He has her repeat the signs to him in order, patiently correcting her as she goes, reminding her that her first task is to remember the signs above all else. Once she feels confident that she can remember the signs, he walks with her to the edge of the mountain cliff—Alsan is about to blow her to Narnia on his breath of his mouth.
“But long before she had got anywhere near the edge, the voice behind her said, ‘Stand still. In a moment I will blow. But first, remember, remember, remember the signs. Say them to yourself when you wake in the morning and when you lie down at night, and when you wake in the middle of the night. And whatever strange things may happen to you, let nothing turn you from following the signs. And secondly, I give you a warning. Here on the mountain, the air is clear and your mind is clear; as you drop down into Narnia, the air will thicken. Take great care that it does not confuse your mind. And the signs which you have learned here will not look at all as you expect them to look, when you meet them there. That is why it is so important to know them by heart and pay no attention to appearances. Remember the signs and believe the signs. Nothing else matters. And now, Daughter of Eve, farewell—’”
I love how CS Lewis writes of this final word to Jill: “the voice behind her said . . .” It is a like the promise made by God through Isaiah the prophet: “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it’” (Isaiah 30:21). This verse reflects the heart of a God who longs to lead and guide His people with His voice and walking presence.
But how does God lead and guide? The interaction on Aslan’s Mountain offers a picture of God’s guidance. First, God is a God of revelation. He is a God who speaks. At times He has revealed himself in an audible voice and visible form with His servants the prophets. Much like Moses on the mountain of God, Jill was having a face to face encounter. “With him [Moses] I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord” (Numbers 12:12). Likewise, many of us have perhaps had “mountain-top” moments where the voice of the Lord rang crystal-clear in our hearts and minds, those moments where “the air is clear and your mind is clear” and the direction of God is undeniable. The apostle Paul prayed for a spirit of “wisdom and revelation” for the Christians in Ephesus, so that they might know God more fully (Ephesians 1:17).
But secondly, God invites our obedience simply through the avenue of remembering. “But first, remember, remember, remember the signs. Say them to yourself when you wake in the morning and when you lie down at night, and when you wake in the middle of the night.” Aslan echoes of an ancient Scripture repeated weekly by believing Jews, in a prayer known as the sh’ma: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).
God often gives a huge download of revelation and then invites us to take note of it, remember it, and walk in that revealed truth. As Aslan says, “Remember the signs and believe the signs. Nothing else matters.” To have one’s heart set on remembering the revealed Word of God is the crux of obedience. The Bible places such a huge importance on remembering, and there is such an abundance of stories of God’s people sinning through simple forgetfulness. We are invited to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly (Colossians 3:16) as we set our mind on things above (v.2). Through the basic discipline of renewing and renovating our thoughts we are transformed inwardly (Romans 12:2), as we ponder and dwell on the things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). The fact is that the air in our Narnia is thick and the tasks God has given us do not often look as we expect. Many factors work against us in remembering.
Even in The Silver Chair, Jill is very prone to forget the signs given by Aslan. Her natural forgetfulness comes out many times. More frightening is the Queen of the Underland, the Witch responsible for Prince Rilian’s kidnapping, is working against Jill and her companions. Through a plot of cleverly laid distractions, Jill finds herself off on the wrong track. Then one night, in chapter 8, she has a dream:
“It seemed to her that she awake in the same room and saw the fire, sunk low and red, and in the firelight a great wooden horse. And the horse came of its own will, rolling on its wheels across the carpet, and stood at her head. And now it was no longer a horse but a lion as big as the horse. And then it was not a toy lion, but a real lion, The Real Lion, just as she had seen him on the mountain beyond the World’s End. And a smell of all sweet-smelling things there are filled the room. But there was some trouble in Jill’s mind, though she could not think of what it was, and the tears streamed down her face and wet the pillow. The Lion told her to repeat the signs, and she found that she had forgotten them all.”
Like Aslan, the Spirit of God continually guides and draws us back to the words spoken by Christ. The Holy Spirit, our Counselor, not only teaches us new things (John 14:26) and tells us the things to come (John 16:13), but also reminds us of the things already revealed (John 14:26).
The reminder from CS Lewis is to remember the words of Christ, to repeat them to ourselves day and night; so that we can follow the entire quest he sets before us.
It is interesting that when Aslan appears in Jill’s dream it is not to merely convey words to her, but his presence, and along with it something for all five of her dreaming senses to experience. In fact it is the memory of Aslan’s presence that most stands out to Jill. Even very early in her quest she is asked about the earnestness of her mission. She responds: “‘About the lost prince, you mean?’ said Jill. ‘Yes we’ve got to be.’ For now she remembered the Lion’s voice and face, which she had nearly forgotten during the feasting and storytelling in the hall.” It is the voice and face of Aslan she remembers most, and with this, she remembers the signs.
I find it most helpful, when I am trying to practice the daily, moment-to-moment meditation of God’s word, to not so much focus on literal words on a page, but the story of the Scriptures itself. I like to picture myself there with Jesus, hearing him speak, listening to his words, seeing his face, experiencing his surroundings. As I walk along (on a good day) my aim is to imagine Jesus walking with me. Is this a crutch? Isn’t meditation on God more abstract than this? Perhaps it can be, but until I get to that plain (if it even exists) I remember that God created us with vivid imaginations and we can use them for his glory. This is one simple way to practice the very real presence of God.
Rick Richardson talks about practicing the real presence of God in his book, Experiencing Healing Prayer: “We have immense difficulty practicing God’s presence and keeping God’s reality before our mind’s eye because we have dismissed or denigrated our capacity to intuitively and imaginatively apprehend and encounter God.”
In Lewis’ book, Miracles, he speaks about God’s presence as a very real thing: “The Presence of God is the most real thing we ever encounter. If we are to have an appropriate image of God’s presence, we should envision God’s Presence as something heavier than matter.” How does knowing this change us or renew our minds? Because it reminds us that God is not too far off or far away. That He is a God that is real and really present, operating in space and time, a God who took on human flesh.
Let us be people who dive deeply into God’s word continually to refresh our minds in his great stories and commands.
“The real problem of the Christian life comes where people do not usually look for it. It comes the very moment you wake up each morning. All your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists in shoving them all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letter that other larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in . . . We can do it only for moments at first. But from those moments the new sort of life will be spreading thought our systems because now we are lettering him word at the right part of us.” (CS Lewis, Mere Christianity)
There are many noteworthy things about her conversation with Aslan, but the meat of their discussion sets the tone for the entire book. Aslan explains that in Narnia is a king, King Caspian, who is old and dying and without an heir. His only son, Rilian, has been kidnapped and missing for quite some time. Aslan sets before Jill her quest: “I lay on you this command, that you seek this lost prince until either you have found him and brought him to his father’s house, or else died in the attempt, or else gone back into your own world.”
This is a monumental quest, though Jill is completely unaware at this point what pitfalls and problems lay before her. Still bewildered from her recent fall into this unknown universe, and still unsure of whom this great talking Lion is, she asks how she is to carry out her quest. At this point Aslan give her four signs, four specific things Jill is to look for and do in order to track down and rescue the lost prince. These four signs will guide her path. He has her repeat the signs to him in order, patiently correcting her as she goes, reminding her that her first task is to remember the signs above all else. Once she feels confident that she can remember the signs, he walks with her to the edge of the mountain cliff—Alsan is about to blow her to Narnia on his breath of his mouth.
“But long before she had got anywhere near the edge, the voice behind her said, ‘Stand still. In a moment I will blow. But first, remember, remember, remember the signs. Say them to yourself when you wake in the morning and when you lie down at night, and when you wake in the middle of the night. And whatever strange things may happen to you, let nothing turn you from following the signs. And secondly, I give you a warning. Here on the mountain, the air is clear and your mind is clear; as you drop down into Narnia, the air will thicken. Take great care that it does not confuse your mind. And the signs which you have learned here will not look at all as you expect them to look, when you meet them there. That is why it is so important to know them by heart and pay no attention to appearances. Remember the signs and believe the signs. Nothing else matters. And now, Daughter of Eve, farewell—’”
I love how CS Lewis writes of this final word to Jill: “the voice behind her said . . .” It is a like the promise made by God through Isaiah the prophet: “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it’” (Isaiah 30:21). This verse reflects the heart of a God who longs to lead and guide His people with His voice and walking presence.
But how does God lead and guide? The interaction on Aslan’s Mountain offers a picture of God’s guidance. First, God is a God of revelation. He is a God who speaks. At times He has revealed himself in an audible voice and visible form with His servants the prophets. Much like Moses on the mountain of God, Jill was having a face to face encounter. “With him [Moses] I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord” (Numbers 12:12). Likewise, many of us have perhaps had “mountain-top” moments where the voice of the Lord rang crystal-clear in our hearts and minds, those moments where “the air is clear and your mind is clear” and the direction of God is undeniable. The apostle Paul prayed for a spirit of “wisdom and revelation” for the Christians in Ephesus, so that they might know God more fully (Ephesians 1:17).
But secondly, God invites our obedience simply through the avenue of remembering. “But first, remember, remember, remember the signs. Say them to yourself when you wake in the morning and when you lie down at night, and when you wake in the middle of the night.” Aslan echoes of an ancient Scripture repeated weekly by believing Jews, in a prayer known as the sh’ma: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).
God often gives a huge download of revelation and then invites us to take note of it, remember it, and walk in that revealed truth. As Aslan says, “Remember the signs and believe the signs. Nothing else matters.” To have one’s heart set on remembering the revealed Word of God is the crux of obedience. The Bible places such a huge importance on remembering, and there is such an abundance of stories of God’s people sinning through simple forgetfulness. We are invited to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly (Colossians 3:16) as we set our mind on things above (v.2). Through the basic discipline of renewing and renovating our thoughts we are transformed inwardly (Romans 12:2), as we ponder and dwell on the things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). The fact is that the air in our Narnia is thick and the tasks God has given us do not often look as we expect. Many factors work against us in remembering.
Even in The Silver Chair, Jill is very prone to forget the signs given by Aslan. Her natural forgetfulness comes out many times. More frightening is the Queen of the Underland, the Witch responsible for Prince Rilian’s kidnapping, is working against Jill and her companions. Through a plot of cleverly laid distractions, Jill finds herself off on the wrong track. Then one night, in chapter 8, she has a dream:
“It seemed to her that she awake in the same room and saw the fire, sunk low and red, and in the firelight a great wooden horse. And the horse came of its own will, rolling on its wheels across the carpet, and stood at her head. And now it was no longer a horse but a lion as big as the horse. And then it was not a toy lion, but a real lion, The Real Lion, just as she had seen him on the mountain beyond the World’s End. And a smell of all sweet-smelling things there are filled the room. But there was some trouble in Jill’s mind, though she could not think of what it was, and the tears streamed down her face and wet the pillow. The Lion told her to repeat the signs, and she found that she had forgotten them all.”
Like Aslan, the Spirit of God continually guides and draws us back to the words spoken by Christ. The Holy Spirit, our Counselor, not only teaches us new things (John 14:26) and tells us the things to come (John 16:13), but also reminds us of the things already revealed (John 14:26).
The reminder from CS Lewis is to remember the words of Christ, to repeat them to ourselves day and night; so that we can follow the entire quest he sets before us.
It is interesting that when Aslan appears in Jill’s dream it is not to merely convey words to her, but his presence, and along with it something for all five of her dreaming senses to experience. In fact it is the memory of Aslan’s presence that most stands out to Jill. Even very early in her quest she is asked about the earnestness of her mission. She responds: “‘About the lost prince, you mean?’ said Jill. ‘Yes we’ve got to be.’ For now she remembered the Lion’s voice and face, which she had nearly forgotten during the feasting and storytelling in the hall.” It is the voice and face of Aslan she remembers most, and with this, she remembers the signs.
I find it most helpful, when I am trying to practice the daily, moment-to-moment meditation of God’s word, to not so much focus on literal words on a page, but the story of the Scriptures itself. I like to picture myself there with Jesus, hearing him speak, listening to his words, seeing his face, experiencing his surroundings. As I walk along (on a good day) my aim is to imagine Jesus walking with me. Is this a crutch? Isn’t meditation on God more abstract than this? Perhaps it can be, but until I get to that plain (if it even exists) I remember that God created us with vivid imaginations and we can use them for his glory. This is one simple way to practice the very real presence of God.
Rick Richardson talks about practicing the real presence of God in his book, Experiencing Healing Prayer: “We have immense difficulty practicing God’s presence and keeping God’s reality before our mind’s eye because we have dismissed or denigrated our capacity to intuitively and imaginatively apprehend and encounter God.”
In Lewis’ book, Miracles, he speaks about God’s presence as a very real thing: “The Presence of God is the most real thing we ever encounter. If we are to have an appropriate image of God’s presence, we should envision God’s Presence as something heavier than matter.” How does knowing this change us or renew our minds? Because it reminds us that God is not too far off or far away. That He is a God that is real and really present, operating in space and time, a God who took on human flesh.
Let us be people who dive deeply into God’s word continually to refresh our minds in his great stories and commands.
“The real problem of the Christian life comes where people do not usually look for it. It comes the very moment you wake up each morning. All your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists in shoving them all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letter that other larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in . . . We can do it only for moments at first. But from those moments the new sort of life will be spreading thought our systems because now we are lettering him word at the right part of us.” (CS Lewis, Mere Christianity)
New Job at Covenant Eyes - A Testimony
The Lord does work in mysterious ways. I never could have predicted or expected this turn of events in my life.
Read on . . .
Last August I was asked to take part in a “prayer journey” in the Toledo area. Not knowing the specific purpose of the journey, I agreed, thinking, “I know Toledo could use some prayer. Why not?”
To my surprise it ended up being a small group of concerned Toledoans targeting the strip clubs, massage parlors, and adult entertainment stores in the city. This caught me a bit off guard, and to be honest, when I found out about where we’d be going, I wasn’t too excited.
As someone who has struggled deeply with pornography addiction, I was not eager to return to “old stomping grounds.” Sure, there was a need to pray for the rising addiction to pornography in the city and in the world, but I didn’t want to be one of the crazy activists rising early on a Saturday morning to stand in porn shop parking lots.
Prayer journeys have a way of changing you. I’ve done several around the world, and I know first hand that when you “pray on-site with insight” God has a way of getting your attention.
October 6, the day of the prayer journey, rolled around and I drove from sight to sight, along with several others, crying out to God on behalf of the patrons and owners of these adult entertainment shops. It was a powerful time of prayer for many of us. Overall the whole group visited 18 locations to pray. (We were only asked to leave twice, and told one time that the cops had been called on us.)
I was gripped in my spirit. I knew firsthand that those shops were not “the problem”—they were a small part of a much larger problem in the world, the final outcropping of a silent epidemic that is sweeping the world. Still, praying on-site allowed God the time and place to stir my heart for those caught in the grip of sexual addictions.
I could hear God speak loud and clear, “I want to redeem their sexuality.” It thundered through my heart in a way that only God could speak.
Redeem our sexuality? God is the maker of sex and the one who designed it, and all its powerful pleasures, for the human race. Sin has taken its ugly toll on sexuality and twisted it into something it was never meant to be. I experienced in my heart that day a bit of the heart of God: He desired to rescue people from the destructive path of sexual perversion and give them the gift of sex as it was meant to be.
I wrote this in an email to our prayer coordinator after debriefing from the journey: “I believe God may be calling me to do something about this on the level of raising awareness and speaking to others about redeemed sexuality (perhaps even speaking on a widespread level). I believe the ethic of ‘not even a hint’ (Ephesians 5:3) needs to be lifted up in our churches especially, so the people will be able to embrace the healthy sexuality God is offering to them.”
Little did I know that doors were already opening . . .
As it turns out my girlfriend lives in Owosso, MI, global headquarters for “Covenant Eyes,” a business and ministry that provides software for internet accountability and filtering. I had heard of them before, but my repeated visits to Owosso over the past several months had exposed me more and more to their services and some of their personnel. Covenant Eyes is a resource now used by many thousands of individuals and many churches.
In November, as my ministry position in Toledo was coming to an end, I was looking to move to Owosso to be closer to my girlfriend. I applied at Covenant Eyes, not knowing whether they were hiring, looking for a job that would be local. As it turns out, they had a job description for a new position they had never filled, a position to monitor and market through internet blogs. Not only does this position allow me to target an age group I’ve been working with for years as a campus minister, but it also allows me to work with a ministry that is helping those trapped in pornography addiction.
It is amazing to see the divine timing and circumstances behind this change of vocation. Could it be that years of my own struggle will be an aid to me to identify with others who are struggling? Could it be that my own struggle was fueling a passion in me to help others? Could it be that my ministry in Toledo was ending earlier than expected to make way for me to take this job? Could it be that God had me go on that prayer journey to get my attention and open my mind to this job? Could it be that meeting my girlfriend was for more than just our companionship?
God is doing a new thing in my life! Thanks to everyone whose been praying for me. Soli Deo Gloria – to God alone be the glory!
Read on . . .
Last August I was asked to take part in a “prayer journey” in the Toledo area. Not knowing the specific purpose of the journey, I agreed, thinking, “I know Toledo could use some prayer. Why not?”
To my surprise it ended up being a small group of concerned Toledoans targeting the strip clubs, massage parlors, and adult entertainment stores in the city. This caught me a bit off guard, and to be honest, when I found out about where we’d be going, I wasn’t too excited.
As someone who has struggled deeply with pornography addiction, I was not eager to return to “old stomping grounds.” Sure, there was a need to pray for the rising addiction to pornography in the city and in the world, but I didn’t want to be one of the crazy activists rising early on a Saturday morning to stand in porn shop parking lots.
Prayer journeys have a way of changing you. I’ve done several around the world, and I know first hand that when you “pray on-site with insight” God has a way of getting your attention.
October 6, the day of the prayer journey, rolled around and I drove from sight to sight, along with several others, crying out to God on behalf of the patrons and owners of these adult entertainment shops. It was a powerful time of prayer for many of us. Overall the whole group visited 18 locations to pray. (We were only asked to leave twice, and told one time that the cops had been called on us.)
I was gripped in my spirit. I knew firsthand that those shops were not “the problem”—they were a small part of a much larger problem in the world, the final outcropping of a silent epidemic that is sweeping the world. Still, praying on-site allowed God the time and place to stir my heart for those caught in the grip of sexual addictions.
I could hear God speak loud and clear, “I want to redeem their sexuality.” It thundered through my heart in a way that only God could speak.
Redeem our sexuality? God is the maker of sex and the one who designed it, and all its powerful pleasures, for the human race. Sin has taken its ugly toll on sexuality and twisted it into something it was never meant to be. I experienced in my heart that day a bit of the heart of God: He desired to rescue people from the destructive path of sexual perversion and give them the gift of sex as it was meant to be.
I wrote this in an email to our prayer coordinator after debriefing from the journey: “I believe God may be calling me to do something about this on the level of raising awareness and speaking to others about redeemed sexuality (perhaps even speaking on a widespread level). I believe the ethic of ‘not even a hint’ (Ephesians 5:3) needs to be lifted up in our churches especially, so the people will be able to embrace the healthy sexuality God is offering to them.”
Little did I know that doors were already opening . . .
As it turns out my girlfriend lives in Owosso, MI, global headquarters for “Covenant Eyes,” a business and ministry that provides software for internet accountability and filtering. I had heard of them before, but my repeated visits to Owosso over the past several months had exposed me more and more to their services and some of their personnel. Covenant Eyes is a resource now used by many thousands of individuals and many churches.
In November, as my ministry position in Toledo was coming to an end, I was looking to move to Owosso to be closer to my girlfriend. I applied at Covenant Eyes, not knowing whether they were hiring, looking for a job that would be local. As it turns out, they had a job description for a new position they had never filled, a position to monitor and market through internet blogs. Not only does this position allow me to target an age group I’ve been working with for years as a campus minister, but it also allows me to work with a ministry that is helping those trapped in pornography addiction.
It is amazing to see the divine timing and circumstances behind this change of vocation. Could it be that years of my own struggle will be an aid to me to identify with others who are struggling? Could it be that my own struggle was fueling a passion in me to help others? Could it be that my ministry in Toledo was ending earlier than expected to make way for me to take this job? Could it be that God had me go on that prayer journey to get my attention and open my mind to this job? Could it be that meeting my girlfriend was for more than just our companionship?
God is doing a new thing in my life! Thanks to everyone whose been praying for me. Soli Deo Gloria – to God alone be the glory!
You are more than what you have become
I'd like to state for us what I believe was THE secret of Jesus' obedience to the Father. That may sound like a bold statement, but I think when we look at the New Testament story about Jesus, we begin to learn His secret of how He was able to walk in passion for God, compassion for people and a focused vision of the kingdom of heaven.
The secret is this: Jesus knows who He is.
Jesus knows He is the Son of His Father in heaven and that changes everything. Consider Jesus' baptism experience. See John the Baptist standing waist deep in the Jordan River, a new prophet in Israel with the fire of God in his eyes, proclaiming the coming of the kingdom of God. He announces that one is coming after him who will baptize God's people with the Spirit. Revival is coming, but not just any revival: the long awaited age of the Messiah, the King of Israel.
Enter Jesus. He knows who He is. From the very first record words from Jesus' lips ("Did you not know that I must be in My Father's house?") to His dying words ("Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.") He was conscious of who He was. Yet, this baptism experience at then Jordan River seems to be something special the Father does for Him. "You are My Son, My Beloved. I am so pleased with You." With that Jesus has a spiritual experience that is unparalleled: He sees heaven ripped open above Him and the Spirit of God descends upon Him like a dove. Accompanied by His Father's voice, Jesus emerges from the water with a fresh vision of who He is.
Immediately God desires to test and refine this experience in the wilderness. The Spirit drives Him into isolation for an intense 40 days of fasting. Notice the devil's attacks on Him: "If You are the Son of God . . ." He knows that if He can get Jesus to doubt who He is then he can get Jesus' obedience. Jesus stands up to the devil's assaults on His identity.
The same is true with us. We may say, "But I am not like Jesus. He was the Son of God." True. No one is like Jesus in this respect. And yet we read in the New Testament the mystery of Jesus' identity, fully God and fully man. Divinity putting on humanity. And yet if we read in this mystery that Jesus somehow had an advantage to listening to and following His Father, we miss one of the great points of the incarnation. He did not cling to His equality with God but emptied Himself and took on the likeness of men, and even further, took on the true form of a servant among men (Philippians 2:6-7). The one who was the very radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature (Hebrews 1:3) is the one who entered into human reality in a fully way, with all of our weaknesses and vulnerabilities, and is today still not ashamed to call us brothers (Hebrews 2:11). Imagine it: somewhere, right now, in the heavenly realms, God is seated on the highest and most exalted throne; and who is sitting beside Him? A MAN. A human being! Granted, Jesus is more than a man, but He is not less than one either. He fully entered into our human condition and emerged a spotless lamb.
God's Son came and died so that we might have the privilege of being adopted, but more than this, God also sent His Spirit into our hearts so that we might have the EXPERIENCE of adoption. Jesus called Father "Abba," meaning "Papa, Daddy." He could do so because He was God's Son. But we, who have the same Spirit that Jesus had, the same Spirit that led Him, guided Him, and empowered Him to live the fullest human life, we also can call God Abba.
"For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!' The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him." (Romans 8:13-17)
Can we say with great confidence that God loves us in the same way and manner than He loves Jesus Christ? If we cannot, then we have not entered into a full experience and appreciation of the Spirit's inner witness to our hearts that we are fully adopted children.
Brennan Manning writes it this way: "Jesus' self-awareness and unflagging zeal in His ministry must be seen in direct and unceasing relation to His interior life of growing intimacy with the Father . . . The only way possible may to move out of our obsessive self-awareness and into the life of Christ is to surrender ourselves and let God be God. Such a surrender involves mining the field of our hearts and searching for this pearl of God's truth hidden deep within us: we belong to God. This precious discovery makes security, pleasure, and power look like cheap, painted fragments of glass. . . . In claiming ownership of the divine status as sons and daughters of the Creator of the Universe, we gain a coherent sense of self. We lose ourselves to find ourselves. . . . This loving awareness of being the child of the Father move us out of a life spent pursuing our base desires and frees us to pursue the kingdom of God. We no longer have to live lives bifurcated by our needs. Everything we have and are forms but one self, one heart beating with the lifeblood of Jesus." (Brennan Manning, The Importance of Being Foolish)
Have we lost touch with the gift of the Father, the voice of the Spirit saying, "You are mine. I call you son/daughter. You can call me Abba"? Many of us have and we live lives below the kingdom level. Some of have not, but we have turned that voice into a trite compliment from the Father and so it has lost the impact it is meant to have. Yet Jesus' inner experience of God as Abba was the most important and significant thing in His life.
Do we know who we are?
I have, for your entertainment, a transcript of a famous scene from Disney's The Lion King.
Simba: Isn't this a great place?
Nala: It is beautiful. But I don't understand something. You've been alive all this time. Why didn't you come back to Pride Rock?
Simba: {Climbing into a "hammock" of hanging vines} Well, I just needed to... get out on my own. Live my own life. And I did. And it's great. {He sounds almost as if trying to convince himself as well as Nala.}
Nala: {Voice catching, as though barely under control} We've really needed you at home.
Simba: {Quieter} No one needs me.
Nala: Yes, we do! You're the king.
Simba: Nala, we've been through this. I'm not the king. Scar is.
Nala: Simba, he let the hyenas take over the Pride Lands.
Simba: What?
Nala: Everything's destroyed. There's no food. No water. Simba, if you don't do something soon, everyone will starve.
Simba: I can't go back.
Nala: {Louder} Why?
Simba: You wouldn't understand.
Nala: What wouldn't I understand?
Simba: {Hastily} No, no, no. It doesn't matter. Hakuna Matata.
Nala: {Confused} What?
Simba: Hakuna Matata. It's something I learned out here. Look, sometimes bad things happen . . .
Nala: Simba!
Simba: (Continuing, irritated) . . . And there's nothing you can do about it. So why worry? {Simba starts away from Nala, walking on a fallen tree. Nala trots back up to him.}
Nala: Because it's your responsibility!
Simba: Well, what about you? YOU left.
Nala: I left to find help! And I found YOU. Don't you understand? You're our only hope.
Simba: Sorry.
Nala: What's happened to you? You're not the Simba I remember.
Simba: You're right. I'm not. Now are you satisfied?
Nala: No, just disappointed.
Simba: You know, you're starting to sound like my father. {Walking away again}
Nala: Good. At least one of us does. {Simba is obviously cut by the comment about his father; he tears into Nala with his words.}
Simba: {Angry} Listen, you think you can just show up and tell me how to live my life? You don't even know what I've been through!
Nala: I would if you would just tell me!
Simba: Forget it!
Nala: Fine! {Simba walks off. Camera switch to Simba pacing in a field.}
Simba: She's wrong. I can't go back. What would it prove, anyway? It won't change anything. You can't change the past. {He looks up at the stars.} You said you'd always be there for me! But you're not. And it's because of me. It's my fault. It's my fault.
{He bows his head, choking back tears. The camera backs to a far view and then zooms over to Rafiki in a nearby tree. We hear his chant.}
Rafiki's Chant: Asante sana! Squash banana! We we nugu! Mi mi apana!
{Simba seems slightly annoyed by the chant. He moves away. Rafiki, elated by the sight of Simba, follows him. Simba lies down on a log over a pond. A rock disturbs the water; Rafiki, now in a nearby tree, starts his chant again.}
Simba: Come on, will you cut it out? {Rafiki, laughing, is doing random acrobatics in the trees nearby.}
Rafiki: Can't cut it out. It'll grow right back! {laughs} {Simba starts walking away. Rafiki follows.}
Simba: Creepy little monkey. Will you stop following me? Who are you?
Rafiki: {In front of Simba, then right in his face.} The question is: Whoooooo . . . are you?
Simba: {Startled, then sighing} I thought I knew. Now I'm not so sure.
Rafiki: Well, I know who you are. Shh. Come here. It's a secret. {He pulls Simba's head over to whisper into his ear. He starts his chant into Simba's ear and laughs.} Asante sana! Squash banana! We we nugu! Mi mi apana!
Simba: Enough already. what's that supposed to mean, anyway?
Rafiki: It means you are a baboon--and I'm not. {laughs}
Simba: {Moving away} I think... you're a little confused.
Rafiki: {Magically in front of Simba again} Wrong. I'm not the one who's confused; you don't even know who you are.
Simba: {Irritated, sarcastic} Oh, and I suppose you know?
Rafiki: Sure do; you're Mufasa's boy. {Simba is surprised by this revelation. Rafiki disappears off stage right.} Bye!
Simba: Hey, wait! {Simba chases after him. When we catch up. Rafiki is in a meditative lotus position on a rock.} You knew my father?
Rafiki: {Monotone} Correction--I know your father.
Simba: I hate to tell you this, but... he died. A long time ago. {Rafiki leaps off the rock over to a dense jungle-like area.}
Rafiki: Nope. Wrong again! Ha ha hah! He's alive! And I'll show him to you. You follow old Rafiki, he knows the way. Come on! {Rafiki leads Simba through the brush. Simba has trouble keeping up due to his size.}
Rafiki: Don't dawdle. Hurry up!
Simba: Hey, whoa. Wait, wait.
Rafiki: Come on, come on.
Simba: Would you slow down? {Rafiki is seen flitting through the canopy ahead of Simba, laughing hollowly and whooping. Simba struggles to keep up. Suddenly, Rafiki appears with his hand held up right into Simba's face.}
Rafiki: STOP! {Rafiki motions to Simba near some reeds.} Shhh. {He parts the reeds and points past them with his staff.} Look down there. {Simba quietly and carefully works his way out. He looks over the edge and sees his reflection in a pool of water He first seems a bit startled, perhaps at his own mature appearance, but then realizes what he's looking at.}
Simba: {Disappointed sigh} That's not my father. That's just my reflection.
Rafiki: Noo. Look harder. {Rafiki motions over the pool. Ripples form, distorting Simba's reflection; they resolve into Mufasa's face.} You see, he lives in you. {Simba is awestruck. The wind picks up. In the air the huge image of Mufasa is forming from the clouds. He appears to be walking from the stars.}
Mufasa: {Quietly at first} Simba . . .
Simba: Father?
Mufasa: Simba, you have forgotten me.
Simba: No. How could I?
Mufasa: You have forgotten who you are, and so have forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the Circle of Life.
Simba: How can I go back? I'm not who I used to be. {Shot of cloud-Mufasa, with glowing yellow eyes. He is framed in swirling clouds, radiating golden light.}
Mufasa: Remember who you are. You are my son, and the one true king. {Close up of Simba's face, bathed in the golden light, showing a mixture of awe, fear, and sadness. The image of Mufasa starts to fade.} Remember who you are. {Mufasa is disappearing rapidly into clouds. Simba runs into the fields trying to keep up with the image.}
Simba: No. Please! Don't leave me.
Mufasa: Remember . . .
Simba: Father!
Mufasa: Remember . . .
Simba: Don't leave me.
Mufasa: Remember . . . {Simba is left out in the fields. There is just a cloud left where his father's image was. The wind tosses the grass restlessly. Rafiki approaches.}
Rafiki: What was THAT? {laughs} The weather--Pbbbah! Very peculiar. Don't you think?
Simba: Yeah. Looks like the winds are changing.
Rafiki: Ahhh. Change is good.
Simba: Yeah, but it's not easy. I know what I have to do. But, going back means I'll have to face my past. I've been running from it for so long. {Rafiki whacks Simba on the head with his staff.} Oww! Jeez-- What was that for?
Rafiki: It doesn't matter; it's in the past! {laughs}
Simba: {Rubbing head} Yeah, but it still hurts.
Rafiki: Oh yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it, or . . . learn from it. {He swings at Simba with his staff again. This time Simba ducks.} Hah, you see! So what are you going to do?
Simba: First, I'm gonna take your stick. {Simba tosses Rafiki's staff to the side.}
Rafiki: No, no, no, no! Not the stick! {As Rafiki picks up his staff, Simba starts running off.} Hey, where are you going?
Simba: {Shouting back} I'm going back!
Rafiki: Good! Go on! Get out of here! {laughs, hoots, n' hollers. As he holds his staff above his head, a few shooting stars zing across the sky.}
Like Simba we are true sons and daughters of the Great King. We have an inheritance, our own Pride Lands; it's called the Kingdom of God, and it was the dream of Jesus' life. More than just a heavenly inheritance, Jesus saw the Kingdom as a coming reality right now, an advancing move of God that was stealing back human hearts from the enemy and ushering in the new creation.
Like Simba, because we are heirs of this kingdom and co-heirs with Christ, we have been called by God to go and take what the enemy has stolen.
Like Simba many of us have pasts that have more or less frightened us away from our inheritance. The enemy wants us to stay out in exile, accepting the lie that bad things just happen and that we need to live lives of hakuna matata, no worries. That was a philosophy for our childhood years, but like Paul, when we become men we put away childish things and pick up the dream of Jesus, the Kingdom of God.
As Simba runs into the distance, he runs into his inheritance, to rule as a king in his kingdom. He goes with the encouragement of Nala and the wisdom of Rafiki, and a fresh encounter with the voice of his father. How much we need this as the church! If the Spirit's voice has grown dull in our hearts, let us find the Nalas and Rafikis who will stubbornly call us back to what we are meant to be.
As Simba runs away the musical sound of the Busa theme begins to play. The song sings, "Busa le lizwe, Busa le lizwe, Busa le lizwe," meaning "Rule this land! Rule this land! Rule this land!"
Adopted children of God, have we forgotten who we are?
Remember, remember, remember.
The secret is this: Jesus knows who He is.
Jesus knows He is the Son of His Father in heaven and that changes everything. Consider Jesus' baptism experience. See John the Baptist standing waist deep in the Jordan River, a new prophet in Israel with the fire of God in his eyes, proclaiming the coming of the kingdom of God. He announces that one is coming after him who will baptize God's people with the Spirit. Revival is coming, but not just any revival: the long awaited age of the Messiah, the King of Israel.
Enter Jesus. He knows who He is. From the very first record words from Jesus' lips ("Did you not know that I must be in My Father's house?") to His dying words ("Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.") He was conscious of who He was. Yet, this baptism experience at then Jordan River seems to be something special the Father does for Him. "You are My Son, My Beloved. I am so pleased with You." With that Jesus has a spiritual experience that is unparalleled: He sees heaven ripped open above Him and the Spirit of God descends upon Him like a dove. Accompanied by His Father's voice, Jesus emerges from the water with a fresh vision of who He is.
Immediately God desires to test and refine this experience in the wilderness. The Spirit drives Him into isolation for an intense 40 days of fasting. Notice the devil's attacks on Him: "If You are the Son of God . . ." He knows that if He can get Jesus to doubt who He is then he can get Jesus' obedience. Jesus stands up to the devil's assaults on His identity.
The same is true with us. We may say, "But I am not like Jesus. He was the Son of God." True. No one is like Jesus in this respect. And yet we read in the New Testament the mystery of Jesus' identity, fully God and fully man. Divinity putting on humanity. And yet if we read in this mystery that Jesus somehow had an advantage to listening to and following His Father, we miss one of the great points of the incarnation. He did not cling to His equality with God but emptied Himself and took on the likeness of men, and even further, took on the true form of a servant among men (Philippians 2:6-7). The one who was the very radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature (Hebrews 1:3) is the one who entered into human reality in a fully way, with all of our weaknesses and vulnerabilities, and is today still not ashamed to call us brothers (Hebrews 2:11). Imagine it: somewhere, right now, in the heavenly realms, God is seated on the highest and most exalted throne; and who is sitting beside Him? A MAN. A human being! Granted, Jesus is more than a man, but He is not less than one either. He fully entered into our human condition and emerged a spotless lamb.
God's Son came and died so that we might have the privilege of being adopted, but more than this, God also sent His Spirit into our hearts so that we might have the EXPERIENCE of adoption. Jesus called Father "Abba," meaning "Papa, Daddy." He could do so because He was God's Son. But we, who have the same Spirit that Jesus had, the same Spirit that led Him, guided Him, and empowered Him to live the fullest human life, we also can call God Abba.
"For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!' The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him." (Romans 8:13-17)
Can we say with great confidence that God loves us in the same way and manner than He loves Jesus Christ? If we cannot, then we have not entered into a full experience and appreciation of the Spirit's inner witness to our hearts that we are fully adopted children.
Brennan Manning writes it this way: "Jesus' self-awareness and unflagging zeal in His ministry must be seen in direct and unceasing relation to His interior life of growing intimacy with the Father . . . The only way possible may to move out of our obsessive self-awareness and into the life of Christ is to surrender ourselves and let God be God. Such a surrender involves mining the field of our hearts and searching for this pearl of God's truth hidden deep within us: we belong to God. This precious discovery makes security, pleasure, and power look like cheap, painted fragments of glass. . . . In claiming ownership of the divine status as sons and daughters of the Creator of the Universe, we gain a coherent sense of self. We lose ourselves to find ourselves. . . . This loving awareness of being the child of the Father move us out of a life spent pursuing our base desires and frees us to pursue the kingdom of God. We no longer have to live lives bifurcated by our needs. Everything we have and are forms but one self, one heart beating with the lifeblood of Jesus." (Brennan Manning, The Importance of Being Foolish)
Have we lost touch with the gift of the Father, the voice of the Spirit saying, "You are mine. I call you son/daughter. You can call me Abba"? Many of us have and we live lives below the kingdom level. Some of have not, but we have turned that voice into a trite compliment from the Father and so it has lost the impact it is meant to have. Yet Jesus' inner experience of God as Abba was the most important and significant thing in His life.
Do we know who we are?
I have, for your entertainment, a transcript of a famous scene from Disney's The Lion King.
Simba: Isn't this a great place?
Nala: It is beautiful. But I don't understand something. You've been alive all this time. Why didn't you come back to Pride Rock?
Simba: {Climbing into a "hammock" of hanging vines} Well, I just needed to... get out on my own. Live my own life. And I did. And it's great. {He sounds almost as if trying to convince himself as well as Nala.}
Nala: {Voice catching, as though barely under control} We've really needed you at home.
Simba: {Quieter} No one needs me.
Nala: Yes, we do! You're the king.
Simba: Nala, we've been through this. I'm not the king. Scar is.
Nala: Simba, he let the hyenas take over the Pride Lands.
Simba: What?
Nala: Everything's destroyed. There's no food. No water. Simba, if you don't do something soon, everyone will starve.
Simba: I can't go back.
Nala: {Louder} Why?
Simba: You wouldn't understand.
Nala: What wouldn't I understand?
Simba: {Hastily} No, no, no. It doesn't matter. Hakuna Matata.
Nala: {Confused} What?
Simba: Hakuna Matata. It's something I learned out here. Look, sometimes bad things happen . . .
Nala: Simba!
Simba: (Continuing, irritated) . . . And there's nothing you can do about it. So why worry? {Simba starts away from Nala, walking on a fallen tree. Nala trots back up to him.}
Nala: Because it's your responsibility!
Simba: Well, what about you? YOU left.
Nala: I left to find help! And I found YOU. Don't you understand? You're our only hope.
Simba: Sorry.
Nala: What's happened to you? You're not the Simba I remember.
Simba: You're right. I'm not. Now are you satisfied?
Nala: No, just disappointed.
Simba: You know, you're starting to sound like my father. {Walking away again}
Nala: Good. At least one of us does. {Simba is obviously cut by the comment about his father; he tears into Nala with his words.}
Simba: {Angry} Listen, you think you can just show up and tell me how to live my life? You don't even know what I've been through!
Nala: I would if you would just tell me!
Simba: Forget it!
Nala: Fine! {Simba walks off. Camera switch to Simba pacing in a field.}
Simba: She's wrong. I can't go back. What would it prove, anyway? It won't change anything. You can't change the past. {He looks up at the stars.} You said you'd always be there for me! But you're not. And it's because of me. It's my fault. It's my fault.
{He bows his head, choking back tears. The camera backs to a far view and then zooms over to Rafiki in a nearby tree. We hear his chant.}
Rafiki's Chant: Asante sana! Squash banana! We we nugu! Mi mi apana!
{Simba seems slightly annoyed by the chant. He moves away. Rafiki, elated by the sight of Simba, follows him. Simba lies down on a log over a pond. A rock disturbs the water; Rafiki, now in a nearby tree, starts his chant again.}
Simba: Come on, will you cut it out? {Rafiki, laughing, is doing random acrobatics in the trees nearby.}
Rafiki: Can't cut it out. It'll grow right back! {laughs} {Simba starts walking away. Rafiki follows.}
Simba: Creepy little monkey. Will you stop following me? Who are you?
Rafiki: {In front of Simba, then right in his face.} The question is: Whoooooo . . . are you?
Simba: {Startled, then sighing} I thought I knew. Now I'm not so sure.
Rafiki: Well, I know who you are. Shh. Come here. It's a secret. {He pulls Simba's head over to whisper into his ear. He starts his chant into Simba's ear and laughs.} Asante sana! Squash banana! We we nugu! Mi mi apana!
Simba: Enough already. what's that supposed to mean, anyway?
Rafiki: It means you are a baboon--and I'm not. {laughs}
Simba: {Moving away} I think... you're a little confused.
Rafiki: {Magically in front of Simba again} Wrong. I'm not the one who's confused; you don't even know who you are.
Simba: {Irritated, sarcastic} Oh, and I suppose you know?
Rafiki: Sure do; you're Mufasa's boy. {Simba is surprised by this revelation. Rafiki disappears off stage right.} Bye!
Simba: Hey, wait! {Simba chases after him. When we catch up. Rafiki is in a meditative lotus position on a rock.} You knew my father?
Rafiki: {Monotone} Correction--I know your father.
Simba: I hate to tell you this, but... he died. A long time ago. {Rafiki leaps off the rock over to a dense jungle-like area.}
Rafiki: Nope. Wrong again! Ha ha hah! He's alive! And I'll show him to you. You follow old Rafiki, he knows the way. Come on! {Rafiki leads Simba through the brush. Simba has trouble keeping up due to his size.}
Rafiki: Don't dawdle. Hurry up!
Simba: Hey, whoa. Wait, wait.
Rafiki: Come on, come on.
Simba: Would you slow down? {Rafiki is seen flitting through the canopy ahead of Simba, laughing hollowly and whooping. Simba struggles to keep up. Suddenly, Rafiki appears with his hand held up right into Simba's face.}
Rafiki: STOP! {Rafiki motions to Simba near some reeds.} Shhh. {He parts the reeds and points past them with his staff.} Look down there. {Simba quietly and carefully works his way out. He looks over the edge and sees his reflection in a pool of water He first seems a bit startled, perhaps at his own mature appearance, but then realizes what he's looking at.}
Simba: {Disappointed sigh} That's not my father. That's just my reflection.
Rafiki: Noo. Look harder. {Rafiki motions over the pool. Ripples form, distorting Simba's reflection; they resolve into Mufasa's face.} You see, he lives in you. {Simba is awestruck. The wind picks up. In the air the huge image of Mufasa is forming from the clouds. He appears to be walking from the stars.}
Mufasa: {Quietly at first} Simba . . .
Simba: Father?
Mufasa: Simba, you have forgotten me.
Simba: No. How could I?
Mufasa: You have forgotten who you are, and so have forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the Circle of Life.
Simba: How can I go back? I'm not who I used to be. {Shot of cloud-Mufasa, with glowing yellow eyes. He is framed in swirling clouds, radiating golden light.}
Mufasa: Remember who you are. You are my son, and the one true king. {Close up of Simba's face, bathed in the golden light, showing a mixture of awe, fear, and sadness. The image of Mufasa starts to fade.} Remember who you are. {Mufasa is disappearing rapidly into clouds. Simba runs into the fields trying to keep up with the image.}
Simba: No. Please! Don't leave me.
Mufasa: Remember . . .
Simba: Father!
Mufasa: Remember . . .
Simba: Don't leave me.
Mufasa: Remember . . . {Simba is left out in the fields. There is just a cloud left where his father's image was. The wind tosses the grass restlessly. Rafiki approaches.}
Rafiki: What was THAT? {laughs} The weather--Pbbbah! Very peculiar. Don't you think?
Simba: Yeah. Looks like the winds are changing.
Rafiki: Ahhh. Change is good.
Simba: Yeah, but it's not easy. I know what I have to do. But, going back means I'll have to face my past. I've been running from it for so long. {Rafiki whacks Simba on the head with his staff.} Oww! Jeez-- What was that for?
Rafiki: It doesn't matter; it's in the past! {laughs}
Simba: {Rubbing head} Yeah, but it still hurts.
Rafiki: Oh yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it, or . . . learn from it. {He swings at Simba with his staff again. This time Simba ducks.} Hah, you see! So what are you going to do?
Simba: First, I'm gonna take your stick. {Simba tosses Rafiki's staff to the side.}
Rafiki: No, no, no, no! Not the stick! {As Rafiki picks up his staff, Simba starts running off.} Hey, where are you going?
Simba: {Shouting back} I'm going back!
Rafiki: Good! Go on! Get out of here! {laughs, hoots, n' hollers. As he holds his staff above his head, a few shooting stars zing across the sky.}
Like Simba we are true sons and daughters of the Great King. We have an inheritance, our own Pride Lands; it's called the Kingdom of God, and it was the dream of Jesus' life. More than just a heavenly inheritance, Jesus saw the Kingdom as a coming reality right now, an advancing move of God that was stealing back human hearts from the enemy and ushering in the new creation.
Like Simba, because we are heirs of this kingdom and co-heirs with Christ, we have been called by God to go and take what the enemy has stolen.
Like Simba many of us have pasts that have more or less frightened us away from our inheritance. The enemy wants us to stay out in exile, accepting the lie that bad things just happen and that we need to live lives of hakuna matata, no worries. That was a philosophy for our childhood years, but like Paul, when we become men we put away childish things and pick up the dream of Jesus, the Kingdom of God.
As Simba runs into the distance, he runs into his inheritance, to rule as a king in his kingdom. He goes with the encouragement of Nala and the wisdom of Rafiki, and a fresh encounter with the voice of his father. How much we need this as the church! If the Spirit's voice has grown dull in our hearts, let us find the Nalas and Rafikis who will stubbornly call us back to what we are meant to be.
As Simba runs away the musical sound of the Busa theme begins to play. The song sings, "Busa le lizwe, Busa le lizwe, Busa le lizwe," meaning "Rule this land! Rule this land! Rule this land!"
Adopted children of God, have we forgotten who we are?
Remember, remember, remember.
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