Unka Glen

Anonymous asked: I’ve been “living in sin” for a while - you know - but lately listening to worship music, and listening to sermons, and I’m almost ready to jump back in - but then I feel this intense wave of dread as I remember how horrible it was trying to live holy - and how miserable it made me, and how lonely I was. It just doesn’t make sense to me why I would put myself through so much. I know it’s for God, but it feels so terrible.

Unka Glen answered: Yeah, I love those churchy terms like “living in sin”. I’ve been living in sin since I was born, and of course I still do. As for “living holy”, that’s not a phrase I would self-apply to any part of my life.

I don’t think you should “jump back into” trying to sin less. You dread it for a reason: because the idea sucks. 

I’ll bet that there are people in your church who live a much more straight and squared away lifestyle than I do, and they’re putting some pressure on you to live that same “sinless” way. By contrast, if you hang around me you’d eventually hear more than one curse word (sometimes artfully woven into a poetic string of multiple curse words), and you’d eventually see me being the naughty little scoundrel I actually am.

However, just as the people in your church “live holy” in a way I don’t, I bring certain things to the table that they likely don’t. For example, I’d bet that I actually get more done for the Kingdom, by accident, than they get done on purpose. I’ll bet that I’ve got more determination to follow the Lord in the tip end of my little pinky toe, than they have in their whole body.

And I have ample evidence to support both of those assumptions.

So it’s worth asking yourself, what kind of Christian do you want to be? On the one hand, you can look right, talk right, and act right, or on the other hand you can DO RIGHT, regardless of how it sounds or looks. In the end, the second choice is where all the fun is.

For what it’s worth, it’s possible to sin less without ever doing anything right, but by contrast, if you set out to do right, you will end up sinning less.

ohbaooo asked: I’ve been thinking about spiritual highs (the ones you get from a conference or praise concert etc.) lately. On one hand, for some reason, some people regard it as something negative, but I feel that it’s a good thing to go through, because it leads a person closer to God, and also to get a better understanding of who He is. What are your thoughts on spiritual highs?

Unka Glen answered: Well, let’s get one thing straight off the top: wherever there’s something popular in Christian culture, there’s someone, somewhere attacking it with all they’ve got. And that’s of course more about jealousy than actual analysis. On the other hand, I think it’s sad that praise concerts and conferences are where most people think to go, to experience a spiritual high, but more on that in a bit.

The real question here is whether the “high” you’re experiencing is an emotional high or a spiritual high. Both are good to have, I suppose. You paid good money for that praise concert, it should be uplifting. So there’s that. But emotional highs tend to be very short lived. Nice as they surely are, emotional highs simply aren’t solid enough to build a walk on. 

I imagine that these concerts and conferences do, for most people, involve a certain amount of spiritual growth, and that there is a certain giddy spiritual joy associated with being set free from the fear and pain that often grip us. There’s nothing like that feeling of casting off the sin that entangles you and running that race for real.

I would beware of any situation where your emotions are being manipulated, even in a positive way, and if someone wants to get in your wallet at that same moment, then it’s time to head for the exit. 

But all of this is different from a so called “mountaintop moment” that people often have on retreats. That’s where a certain amount of teaching and getting away from the everyday routine allows you to be ALONE with God, and be open to Him in a way you ordinarily wouldn’t. And maybe you receive an insight and a breakthrough you never had before. 

Those mountaintop moments are, I find, much more important, and can be even more joyful and satisfying over the long-term than sort-term emotional highs. 

But all of this is about the internal, where I’m the center of attention. If you want a lasting spiritual high, you point that focus outward. To illustrate that point, let me use my brother and fellow blogger Joon Park. 

Joon came to Chicago to hang with our ministry, and on two hours notice we asked him to preach in front of a room of ex-cons, gang members, and addicts. This is our weekly worship service called THE BRIDGE. Trust me when I say, this is one of the most demanding rooms you’ll ever preach in. 

When it comes to preaching at THE BRIDGE, it had better be good. They’re hurting, and they’re doing everything they can to follow the Lord, and they need all the help they can get. If you say something to help them, they will literally tell you so right on the spot, if you don’t, it gets really quiet in that room. And if you, God forbid, say something to make things worse, well, you might want to go ahead and make your way to you car. And do so at least at a slow trot.

Joon got up there, and as we all knew he would, he got after it, digging deep for nuggets of truth, exposing the lies that were holding everyone back, and insisting that they see that they are not alone in their struggles. Amens and applause greeted nearly every point he made.

Talk about a spiritual high! This brother’s feet didn’t touch the ground for the next hour! The first thing he said to me was, “my fingers are tingling, and I’m pretty sure I’m not going to sleep tonight.” I know just how he feels. I get to experience that high every week, and plenty of times in between.

Whether it’s through your tumblr, or something you do with your church, or some project you come up with on your own, serving the Lord and making a difference in people’s lives is the ultimate high. When you know you’re a part, no matter how small, of the work of the Kingdom, well, there’s nothing like it. 

Some Christians look to be right, and some look to do right. You would think that those who look to first be right would end up eventually doing right, but it seems as though they often end up focusing on themselves, and their sin, then on the sins of others, and they become the kind of Pharisees that Jesus rebuked.

But for those who seek to do right, they seem to somehow become infected with all that goodness they pass on from God to others. By seeking to do right, they seem to understand righteousness in a real, practical, and balanced way. They become good, not to satisfy themselves, or other Christians, but because they must change and improve in order to meet the challenge at hand. 

The factory worker on the line knows why production is slow, in a way that the well-educated boss in his office does not. The mechanic covered in grease knows why your car isn’t running right, in a way you don’t, even though you drive it every day. Likewise, when it comes to my walk, let me hear about it from a Christian with calloused hands. 

- Unka Glen

 Follow Unka Glen on Twitter here.

Christianity is not a belief system.
Christianity is how I got rescued from being lost in darkness for all eternity.
Christianity is how I was sought by God, ransomed, and freed.
Christianity means I owe God everything. And more. So I’ve given Him myself.

Christianity is not a religion.
Rules and rituals had nothing to do with my rescue.
I was ransomed by the blood of the only Son of God Himself.
Rules and rituals did not save me, and they can’t keep me saved.

Christianity is what I do.
In ancient days, sometimes when a slave was freed, he decided to stay with his master anyway.
That slave would press his ear to the doorpost and his master would pierce his ear.
This would tell the world: I am free, but I choose to serve.

Pierce my ear, oh God.
Let me dwell in your house, and show you my thanks.
This is what a Christian is.
It’s not just something I chose to believe in, it’s the life I live in my Master’s house.

Source: godsradicaldaughter

hamnchicken asked: Hi Unka! I was talking to a friend about believing in God. He admitted to me that the reason he did not believe in God was because he didn’t like the idea of thinking that he didn’t do anything himself and that everything was God’s plan. He didn’t think God should have all the credit. I didn’t really know what to say after that, and at the same time didn’t want to come across as one of those “pushy Christians.” I was wondering what you would say about this? Thanks! -Christie

Unka Glen answered: This is a very old problem. Isaiah 14:13-15 “You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly… I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;  I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit.”

This is the story of the angel Lucifer, and his fall from Heaven. Should we call it pride? Yeah, there’s some pride there. Should we call it arrogance? Yeah, that’s there too. But there’s more to it than that. Dante maybe put it best, when he writes of Lucifer saying that he would rather “reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven”. It’s like an anti-servanthood attitude.

I think it’s really cool that this friend of yours would see Christianity as a servant’s life, fulfilling a destiny he was created to fulfill (Ephesians 2:10). In fact there are plenty of people already in the church who don’t have the least interest in serving God, and no desire to be ruled by anyone or anything. Every suburban pastor I know, faces a nearly constant barrage of people attacking their leadership.

It’s a major mistake to think of the enemy as red, ugly, and carrying a pitchfork. The enemy was once an angel of light, and he still comes disguised that way. 2 Corinthians 11:14b-15a says “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness.” 

We are being told, don’t look for niceness, politeness, and outward displays of cultural Christianity, because that’s how Satan presents himself. We’re being told, look for a humble servant. How disturbing it is that the church today does not celebrate people who perform great acts of servanthood, they celebrate those who succeed at making themselves the center of large gatherings. 

Ah well, what can we then say to your friend? Yes, God has a plan and a purpose for his life. Yes, he is utterly powerless to succeed in this purpose unless he receives strength and wisdom from the Lord towards that goal. It would be a bit rude to point out to your friend that his spiritual destiny is likely to be infinitely more grand than anything he could do in his own human existence, and in his own strength.

But maybe he could look at this like a video game. Does one play the game, and say, “I didn’t rescue the princess, Super Mario did”? No, because, actually, YOU did do it. You chose the path that led to victory. The path may have already been laid out, but you made the choices that allowed you to safely navigate it.

Likewise, the choices we make end up being the difference between being the hero or the selfish chump. God doesn’t make that choice for us, He gives us that choice. God isn’t “playing” us in the game of life, because we make our own choices, instead it’s we who “play” a physical version of our spiritual selves in this world.

God gets the glory, but we can take the credit for making the choice. And if you want to seize that victory, the choice is yours. 

mkdrb asked: I feel like I’m in a serious hole here. Over the past two years I’ve neglected some essentials in my spiritual life: Bible reading and prayer. I mean, I do these things, but not on a daily basis, and sometimes I’ll go a week and barely open up to God at all. I consider my sin laziness, but at the same time, when I do pray, I encounter what feels like a wall. If it is a wall, no doubt I put it there, but I just don’t know. Is there any way for me to be the man God wants? Or is it too late?

Unka Glen answered: As long as you’re on the green side of the grass, it’s never too late my brother. And I’m not sure laziness is a good diagnosis. This sounds more like… complacency. This sounds like two people in a relationship who have grown apart, and have less and less to talk about. Either way, in term of the root cause, I think you’re looking at two possibilities here:

Possibility #1 is that you’ve gone through a tough time, and something about that didn’t sit right with you. Maybe you felt an anger against God. Maybe you felt shortchanged by God. Maybe it made you doubt something about God. But then…who can actually say all those things to God? If He found out all that ugly stuff about you, He’d probably be so shocked that He’d just smite you into a little greasy spot on the sidewalk.

Okay, I got a little sarcastic there at the end, but you get the point, sometimes things happen, and where do you go to complain about God? The answer is, you go to God to complain about God, and life, and the unfairness of it all. If you don’t, your relationship will be as shallow and lukewarm as an inflatable kiddie pool on a hot day. God knows it all anyway, and besides, He’s tough, he can handle your fussy tantrums and your cranky little rebellions.

Possibility #2 is that you don’t really feel you need God. Maybe you’re motoring along in your own strength, and things appear to be going well with that…for now. You’re making the grades, following the rules, paying the taxes, being really super-straight and holy. So, ya know, God is just the sprinkles on the top of the really awesome cupcake that is your life.

But, in my case, God has brought me though: crushing poverty, desperate heartbreak, and some very, very serious physical danger. And in all those moments, my main prayer is: I need you God, so much. God is my whole cupcake. If my life goes well, okay, there’s your sprinkles on top. Ironically, the more I grow in Christ, the more I depend on Him. How else can I maintain this growth, and rise to the challenges He puts before me?

Believe this, if you cried out to God in desperation, and you saw Him do His thing, then nobody would have to sell you on the value of prayer. If you were at the end of your rope and you read a verse that so utterly applied to you, it read like someone slipped that line into scripture just for you, well, we wouldn’t have to convince you to keep reading.

Serve the Lord in such a way that you get in over your head. Serving the Lord often creates an urgency that forces us to cut through all the shallowness and be real with God. And scripture is a whole new experience after you start serving God. That sounds weird, but it’s really true.