Vision For Life

What simple, meaningful things can we do to live a “Beyond Me” life? Autumn and Hunter wrap up the Beyond Me conversation series by discussing 5 practical ideas for living a bigger story that aren’t complicated, aren’t always easy, and almost always draw ourselves and others closer to the Kingdom of God.

This week Michael and Autumn respond to this listener question: “So much of the Bible is in poetic form, how can I better understand it if I am not a 'poetry reader'?”

Roughly one-third of the Bible is written in poetic form; therefore, some knowledge of poetic devices commonly utilized by biblical authors can enrich our interaction, as modern readers, with this ancient text. Poetic language in Scripture encourages us to slow down, engages our imaginations, and provides us with a way to process life with God emotionally. Every reader, familiar with poetry or not, can slow down and interact with poetic sections of Scripture with both thought and emotion.

"Freedom" is a value dearly held by Americans. We presume that the best kind of life is one in which we are free to choose, one in which we are "free" to author our own lives. And, while we would not identify "connection" as a value of equal weight, we all also long for meaningful connection.

The biblical model of community encourages us to hold our "freedom" loosely. To ask not "What can I gain," but "What can I give?" What do I have that can be used to create space for someone who is experiencing lack in some way? Do I have financial wealth? Relational connection? The ability to exercise hospitality? Additionally, this understanding of community teaches us that growth occurs in connection to people who are not like us, who challenge us, and who are themselves pursuing life with Jesus.

Adam and Erin Anglin join Autumn to take on the topic of marriage anecdotally, as Adam and Erin share their own experience dating, getting married, and growing through the joining of two lives into one new family unit.

Our inclination as modern Americans is to see everything through the lens of individualism. In order to make sense out of our lives, we place ourselves into a kind of story. Inevitably, we center ourselves in this story. So, if the people, places, and things surrounding us help us to become and express our best, truest, or most authentic selves, they are useful to the story. If they don’t support that central storyline, they are not useful. Expressive individualism encourages this same rationale as a means of assessing marriage.

Adam and Erin's marriage, though, demonstrates a different reality. Their marriage, and the very institution of marriage points to something greater. It points to the love of Jesus. The biblical story prompts those of us who are married to ask "How can we use our relationship to demonstrate God’s love, not only to each other, but also to others"? The meaning of your marriage is actually fulfilled when a love indicative of Jesus’ love, is not hoarded to create a great life for yourselves, but is multiplied to create a home, a place in which others can experience welcome, hospitality, and love.

Autumn and Hunter discuss how the "Beyond Me" story gives meaning to unmarried life.

In our culture, romantic love is often depicted as the key to becoming a complete "me." For some it's even a replacement religion. "You've GOT to get into a relationship," we're told. If you go to church, it's even worse, because now that relationship has to end in marriage for you to enjoy the full fruits of romantic love. This can make singleness feel like hell. Furthermore, the common theology of singleness in many churches is that it's a time of waiting and preparing for marriage. But what about those who have already been married? What about those who might never be married? In this episode, we discuss how "Kingdom of God" is a bigger story that opens up new possibilities for unmarried men and women.

Justice questions are on the front burner of public discourse and debate. The Scriptures contain the most holistic view of justice found anywhere, one that has stood the test of time and transcended cultures. But as Christians, we have to do the hard work of learning it and living it out, and that's not easy when our culture's debates about justice are polarized.

On this episode, Autumn and Hunter respond to a listener question that typifies this tension: How do we hold together two of the most polarized "justice issues" of our day, race and abortion? Our listener writes: "We are living in a moment in history when we are told either you are conservative and care about abortion or liberal and care about racial justice... As believers, whether conservative leaning or liberal leaning, the truth of imago dei unites us and should unite us on both of these issues." Hunter and Autumn pick up the conversation there and discuss how to learn about, engage, and hold together both of these issues.

Additional resources mentioned in this episode:
The Whole Life Project - https://www.andcampaign.org/whole-life-project
The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James H. Cone - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1626980055/
Talking Points: Abortion by Dr. Lizzie Ling - https://www.thegoodbook.com/talking-points-abortion

"Church," in Jesus' conception, indicated a gathering of people, living in proximity to one another, engaging in discussion, collaborating on behalf of a community, working out the teaching of Jesus in all walks of life. Jesus' church was comprised of people who had accepted the efficacy of his sacrifice in repentant faith. They were to demonstrate a unique sort of unity that pointed to the diverse yet unified nature of their God. 1 Corinthians 12 uses the metaphor of a physical body, comprised of many interdependent parts, to describe the diversity and unity of the church - the body of Christ.

The individualistic lenses through which modern Americans view life limit our ability to see the reality and significance of the body. We tend to ask how the whole can benefit the individual rather than how the individual's attachment to the whole enriches and strengthens the body and the individual parts of which it is comprised. The body of Christ is as real and as significant now as it was in the first century. We can acknowledge this reality and cultivate it for the good of many or ignore it to our harm.