A talk from SXSW on the clever things designers put in their design to add pleasure to the experience. I listened to the audio but look forward to viewing the slides since this was a very visual presentation. I would like to think more about the ideas presented here. It goes on usability to adding value to people’s experience and I am really motivated by that in design.

For many people, simplifying means nothing more than “doing less.” But simplifying is not so much about doing fewer things as it is about doing the right things.

…For even the “ideal” simple spiritual life (whatever that is) will still be a busy one. Like Jesus and the apostle Paul, anyone devoted to loving God and people will lead a full and active life. But such a life will also be more focused, fruitful, and satisfying because it emphasizes the right priorities.

– Donald Whitney, Simplify Your Spiritual Life, NavPress, p. 13

I shared this idea with a friend last week and I am brought back to it tonight as I think about my life. I have experienced a lot of frustration and emptiness recently. Life has been full.

• My family welcomed our third child two months ago. Adjusting to being parents of 3 has been a full experience.
• My office is completely different both physically and philosophically. And all of that is still being shaped. And I was away for the first month on baby leave so when I reentered the work environment at the beginning of this month, I felt like I was coming in mid-stream and have gotten swept up in the current.

Over and over again, this concept of simplicity has been ringing in my head as my life has felt full and my spirit has felt empty. I need to be doing the right things. It means that I need to come back and practice priorities.
One reason I like Donald Whitney’s perspective is that when life gets full, I am tempted to want to do less. But that is not how God would have me to respond. He wants me to do the right things. And not in my power but in the power of the Holy Spirit.

I find it ironic that as we approach the 50th anniversary of that event, Budapest is experiencing riots and protests. As I read the reports of what happened earlier this week, it reminded me of the accounts that I read about the first days of the 1956 revolution.

This week, people began demostrating after a tape was leaked in which the prime minister admitted to lying to the public in order to win the election last April. On Tuesday night, the protests became violent as uglier elements of the crowd stormed the state run television station and looted it. Cars were set on fire. There was also a protest in front of the socialist’s headquarters. Today the protesters are not met with tanks and bullets, as in 1956, but by water cannons and tear gas.

The current prime minister made comments at his socialists’ party retreat in May, just after being re-elected. He admitted that the party had not done anything in the government for the previous 4 years and that they had lied about the state of the economy and planned reforms. One of his comments was that, “We lied in the morning, we lied in the evening…” Supposely he made the comments as part of a speech to wake up the party to the economic situation that has been lied about for at least the past four years. A tape of this speech was leaked to the public on Sunday. The prime minister is claiming that his comments did not only include his party but the previous governments of the last 10–15 years.

From what I read, the demonstrations last night were peaceful but there are fears that they could turn violent again over the weekend. I think this current situation highlights the moral crisis in this country. It is a moral crisis with its roots in the communist system and the atheistic philosophies which provide no basis for morality.

One of the reasons that I continue to go back to Hungary is to address this issue with individuals as I explain how the God who created them wants to have a personal relationship with them. Only Christ can transform our corrupt hearts and lives. I just pray that Hungarians will find Christ in the midst of the current turmoil.

• Roughly 45 million Americans have read the book — 1 in every 5 which makes it the most widely read book with a spiritual theme other than the Bible
• Only 5% said that the book changed any of their beliefs or religious perspectives

“Before reading The Da Vinci Code  people had a full complement of beliefs already in place, some firmly held and others loosely held,� explained George Barna, the author of numerous books about faith and culture. “Upon reading the book, many people encountered information that confirmed what they already believed. Many readers found information that served to connect some of their beliefs in new ways. But few people changed their pre-existing beliefs because of what they read in the novel. And even fewer people approached the book with a truly open mind regarding the controversial matters in question, and emerged with a new theological perspective. The book generates controversy and discussions, but it has not revolutionized the way that Americans think about Jesus, the Church or the Bible.�

But what I also found interesting was this quote:

“On the other hand,� the researcher continued, “any book that alters one or more theological views among two million people is not to be dismissed lightly. That’s more people than will change any of their beliefs as a result of exposure to the teaching offered at all of the nation’s Christian churches combined during a typical week.�

Ouch, that hurts.  But I believe it is probably pretty accurate.

I have heard Josh McDowell say that this story only feeds skepticism.  I am more concerned about how it affects Christians than those outside the faith.  I think Brown does a good job of mixing in fiction with fact and it is dealing with Church history which I believe most Christians are not well acquainted with. I also fear that it is more of a subconscious thing that Christians will have some doubts regarding how we got the Bible in its present form and things very subtle that will plant seeds of doubt and skepticism in their heart.

I am interested to see what is going to happen.  My prayer is that this movie will give us a chance to talk about Christ and expose the fiction in the story. I have been thinking about it a lot the past several months as I have worked on GodSquad.com.  There is a special section on responding to The Da Vinci Code that I put together and have been evolving to prepare for this week’s release of the movie.

Here is a challenging passage from the book:

“The acid test of biblical God-centeredness — and faithfulness to the gospel — is this:

• Do you feel more loved because God makes much of you, or because at the cost of his Son, he enables you to enjoy making much of him forever?
• Does your happiness hang on seeing the cross of Christ as a witness to your worth, or as a way to enjoy God’s worth forever?
• Is God’s glory in Christ the foundation of your gladness?”

From God is the Gospel by John Piper, pages 11–12

As I begin this book, my heart’s cry is that I would make much of Him, make much of Jesus. I think about the song,Much of You, from Steven Curtis Chapman’s last album. Piper’s writings inspired this song and it is the desire of my heart that I would live my life to make much of Jesus not look to be made much of myself. The challenge the book has brought forth in my mind is, in what ways do I desire to be made much of by God and how do I desire lesser things above the all-satisfying gift of God Himself?

Reading this book is one more step in the journey I have been making in considering God’s glory and what is means to live for His glory. John Piper has been a big part of that journey and another book, Revolution Within, has been very helpful in understanding on a very practical level what it means to live for God’s glory (see earlier blog entry for more about this).

I have recently been challenged on Group Prayer by someone who believes that the Mathew6v5-15 prohibits one from group prayer, particularly because it was an instruction given to us by Jesus.

Here is my response: You need to consider the context of Matthew 6. Jesus is preaching against doing outwardly religious things to get the attention of others. He is not prohibiting group prayer. If that was the case, why do you see group prayer in the book of Acts? Acts 4:24–31 would be a good example.

The important thing in interpreting Scripture is to always consider the context. You also have to compare it to what the Bible as a whole teaches or sets forth as example. Reading the book of Acts, we see that Christians gathered in groups to pray. Matthew 18:20 says, “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”

I would also add that the Bible teaches that we are to gather in community to encourage and grow. That is the purpose of the church. My thought is that if you take the line of thinking that prohibits group prayer, you could begin to make an argument against gathering together to do any spiritual activity. That is just wrong theology.

I was thinking this morning about a survey to get to students that would tie in. I think this program would be a good starting point for a spiritual conversation. It airs on December 20 which is not a time that will work very well with the college schedule.

One final note: I was disappointed that I could not find any information about this show on abc.com or abcnews.com. I find that to be a big useability problem and a missed opportunity when they promo something but have no information on it on their site. I wanted to see the two questions they asked and when it aired. Nothing on their sites about it. I found more info by Googling “barbara walters and heaven.” I found an article on StarPulse that gave me the basic info I wanted.

“For many people, simplifying means nothing more than ‘doing less.’ But simplifying is not so much about doing fewer things as it is about doing the right things.” — Donald Whitney, Simplify Your Spiritual Life, p13.

I liked this perspective because I have found it to be true. God promises to give us more responsibility as we prove ourselves faithful in smaller things. So I can expect my responsibilities to multiply as I prove myself a faithful leader.

I have been reading Taking Back Your Life and I am trying to live my life more by the right things and investing in the things of most significance.

Both the book and the message have really impacted me this week about living for God’s glory as being the central motivating factor in my life. I liked that Revolution Within had some very practical insights that helped me to think about what focusing first on God’s glory would look like in my marriage, my work, my parenting and my responses to the difficult and challenging things in life. It is hard to describe how this is impacting me but I feel like it is really penetrating my heart and will lead to life change.

This week, I was reading in chapter 3. He talked about focusing on God’s glory as the main motivation in our lives. It was a very practical chapter. Dwight says that there are 2 ways to approach our spiritual lives. The first is to live for God so we can fully exploit His blessings. The second approach is to live for God so we can fully reveal His name. I liked the way Edwards describes the differences in these approaches. The first asks, “what must I do to gain God’s blessing?” The second asks, “what can I do to better reflect God’s glory?”

I pray that God changes me so that I approach my spiritual life with a focus on His glory. I am just beginning to see how this approach would bring a different perspective in response to things like suffering.

For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.

I thought about something I had seen last week on TV. I watched the end of a program that was a tribute to Peter Jennings. One of the things that they highlighted was his curiosity about the historical Jesus. He had suggested having a religious editor several years ago and done several specials centering about Jesus. It seemed that Peter Jennings had a lot of knowledge about Jesus, but sadly it does not seem that he ever combined his knowledge with faith. I came to that conclusion based on a comment that one of his friends made. It is sad to think that Peter was close but it really means nothing apart from faith.

I think this really struck me now because of my experiences in Hungary this summer. It was so good to be back in a situation where I observed students hearing the gospel and then challenged to make a decision on what they were going to do with Jesus. There were many who decided to act on what they heard and asked Jesus to be their Lord and Savior. Others were still in the process and then there were others that just rejected the offer.

As I thought about it this summer, the most important question any human being must answer is “Who is Jesus?” and “What am I going to do in response to Him?”

In the article, Gary mentioned that humility is not such much something that we become as it is something we practice. His gives several practical ways that we can practice humility in our own lives. I always appreciate the stories he shares from his own life that help illustrate his points. I was challenged as I read this article and used it to launch into a time of prayer asking for God’s help to produce the fruit of humility in my life and relationships.

He takes a walk and goes to a bar. He sees a news story that is about him. In the interview, he talks about his love for baseball and why he is pursuing this dream so late in life. The next scene shows him going to a little league field and watching the kids play. In those two things, he reconnects to his vision and his dream.

I share all of this to lead up to this point. The next day, he enters the locker room with a smile on his face. He goes to one of his teammates and says, “You know what we get to do today? We get to play baseball!” His enthusiasm is back.

The other day, I was shaving in our bathroom here in Hungary and the thought struck me. “You know what we get to do today. We get to tell students about Jesus!” As I have had conversations with several students, I have been reminded about how exciting it is to share the most important message that anyone can hear. Yesterday, a student asked me what I did (my work) and I told him about my work with Campus Crusade. He asked me if I enjoy it. I told him that I really like doing something where I am involved in sharing what I believe is the most important thing that people can hear. It is about the most important decision that I have ever made.

I feel like God has used the last couple of days to renew my vision for ministry which is something I have been praying since we first decided to come on this summer project. “Today, we get to tell people about the most important person they can ever know.”