A Softer, TREMBLING Heart

   The ”Letters to the Editor” section has been a regular fixture in newspapers for as long as I can remember.  I’ve been threatening to start one here on Worship360 because I get some good feedback from time to time about what is printed here.  And again, anyone can comment here at anytime and start a online conversation too!  This week, I decided it was time because the email I received led me to a better understanding of worship and what it means to have a “hard heart”.

   All you ECC-ers out there know that we are going through the book of Exodus and have recently dealt with the issued of a “hard heart” because of the way that Pharaoh hardens his own heart and has his heart hardened by God.  It is in that context that this dropped into my email inbox…

So I’ve been thinking about this “hardness of heart” issue somewhat this week.  I agree with what Pastor Denny said, as I get older I find myself needing to guard more against becoming hard hearted in certain areas.  I’ve concluded that one way to maintain a softer heart is thru “intentional” worship.  It seems when I focus on the words we are singing and get a real sense of who God is thru our singing, it continually brings me to my knees internally before an awesome, holy, yet loving God.  

 

Understanding that and being weekly reminded of that helps keep me soft and open to Him…I’m not one to express emotions easily, but it seems almost each week I am brought to tears when singing one of the songs.  I’m grateful for that as well, because I see it as just one more sign that my heart is soft to the things of God.  

 

I wanted to express that to you while it was still on my mind…

With thanks from a grateful, softer heart,
G.J.

   I sat in my office speechless.

   I closed my eyes and silently thanked God for His calling on my life to be apart of Worship Ministries at ECC.

   I thanked God that he is working at all times and sometimes he even uses me, you, music, drama, lights, creation…and all for His glory.

   And then I started to wonder what it means to have a “hard” heart and how I could foster a “softer” heart.  I think it’s obvious that I don’t want to have a hard heart before God, but what is the opposite?  A quick study brought me to Proverbs 28:14.  ”

Blessed is the one who always trembles before God, but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble.”

   So this seems to indicate that the opposite of a “hard” heart is a heart that trembles with awe and wonder before God.  I tend to think that having a “soft” heart is simply being open to do what God asks me to do.  And that is true.  But this seems to indicate that it comes down to awe, to wonder…to trembling.

   The writer of Hebrews deals with this idea too.  Quoting Psalms, he points back to the wilderness wandering and the Israelites constant grumbling and unbelief.  (We’re going to get to this section at ECC after Easter!).  He writes…

So, as the Holy Spirit says:

“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion,
during the time of testing in the wilderness…

See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.  But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.  We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.  As has just been said:

“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts…”

There is so much here we could unpack…Psalm 95, how sin and unbelief leads to a hard, DEAD heart, the need for daily encouragement among believers in faith, and how sin is inherently deceitful…but we don’t have time.  For now, hear the heart of the both these authors.  Be encouraged to believe and soften your heart.  And may you be blessed as one who always trembles before God.

Psalm 42: Hope in God

And here is the irony…after doing my recent psalm rewrite, I had a nagging throughout, call it deja-vu, that I had done this before.  So after sifting through a few posts I realized that yes, I had done it on April 1st almost one year ago.  And to add injury to insult, last year’s was better.  But I should let you be the judge of that.  Anyway, I had another one fermenting in the back of my mind so I thought I’d pull that one out too.  Wasn’t planning on it, but here it is…

Psalm 42

As the dog next door pants in the heat

so my soul slobbers for you, O God.

Messy, sloppy, broken, I thirst,

but where to find the divine?

My tears taste salty adding flavor

to my empty stomach day and night

as my sinner’s side lobs questions like grenades,

“Where is your healing God?”

And my thoughts return

as my soul starts to burn:

how I praised, arms upraised,

safe and protected,

among the faithful of God.

 

So, why are you so down, my soul?

So anxious of things beyond your control?

Put your hope in God,

because I will praise him again,

forever and ever, Amen.

 

My soul is still down and blue,

but there I will remember you.

From the Midwest plains,

with birds singing of spring,

Robin sings to jay

With creation’s song,

Rising up and around, sweet and strong, loud and long.

 

The sun overhead shines His love,

At night His song is still with me-

Becoming my own prayer to the God of life.

I say to God my Rock,

“Why have you forgotten me?

Why must my son suffer,

oppressed by sin and the enemy?

3:00 AM.  My heart feels worn and weak.

Coughing, he struggles to breathe or speak

and my sinner’s side lobs questions like grenades,

“Where is your God?”

 

So, why are you so down, my soul?

So anxious of things beyond your control?

Put your hope in God,

because I will praise him again,

forever and ever, Amen.

Psalm 16 rewrite

Periodically, I go back to the psalms to reorient my soul to worship.  I find that they always speak to me and help me reset my perspective…especially as I continue to work through the the sovereignty of my God and the brokenness of my son’s mitochondria.  And when I do that, I also rewrite certain psalms to personalize it, but also to insert myself into God’s story.  To many times we think this world revolves around us and our issues, but the truth is that we are telling God’s better story.  Let me encourage you to spend some time in the psalms too.  You don’t have to rewrite them, but make the Word your own…these were prayers and songs of believers hundreds of years before us, but they are directed to the same God.

Psalm 16-Safety is only in God

Help me redefine safety, my God,

for in you only am I safe.

 

I say to the LORD, “You are my LORD;

apart for you I have nothing…”

I say of those who encourage my faith,

(who watch Silas, clean our house, pay for gas to Riley, bring us meals, send cards, give hugs, babysit and pray)

they are the godly ones.

Those who worship things made with their own hands

will suffer more.

So I will not worship things man-made or put my trust in a miracle drug.

 

Lord, you have assigned me my life and my son;

you have made my life secure.

The pieces of the puzzle have fallen in pleasant places;

Yes, I have a life full of snuggles and slobbery kisses.

 

I will praise you God, for re-orienting me;

even at night my heart calls me to trust.

I keep my tear-filled eyes always on the LORD.

With him at my side, I will not be shaken.

 

Therefore my heart rejoices and my mouth praises;

my body will rest secure,

because you will not abandon us in death,

nor will you let Jesus slip away.

You tell me that life isn’t safe;

but you fill me with joy in your presence,

and you give eternal life with you…

without sickness.

Good Art Speaks to Me…

The email conversation this week was about art.  As the emails pinged back and forth between me and this other person who is an advocate for the visual arts here at ECC, I kept thinking about this quote I posted earlier from Robert Webber.

Good art “speaks to me. It makes me listen. It forms me.” . . . Somehow the art in worship surrounds me and gathers me up into itself.

I feel the same way.  I was also reminded of how we think about God.  He is usually associated with words, isn’t he?  We regularly refer to the scriptures as “God’s Word.”  Harkening back to John’s gospel intro, we talk about Jesus as “the Word” or “the Word made flesh.”  We don’t, however, commonly refer to Jesus as the “image” or picture of God, but the idea is found in scriptures itself.  In the Old and New Testaments, God uses visions (sight) to speak to his people, to bring about change.  When this happens, the experience is just as powerful as speech.  God’s words AND his visions are both powerful.  As we’ve studied recently, Moses had more than one of these powerful visions and writes in Deuteronomy 4:35, “You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord is God.”

The ultimate example is Jesus who not only is the Word of God, but also the “Image of God” as seen in Colossians 1:15; 2 Corinthians 4:4 and Hebrews 1:3. The first passage says it this way,

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

All that to say that we can use the visual arts to help us better understand God.  Drama, visual art, signing and video are all ways to do this.  To give us a chance to experience this…check out these pictures taken from the Christians in Visual Arts (CIVA.org) website.  Think of this as an online gallery for God’s glory…

Treasure by Stephanie Green

Gathering by Megan Prospe

Empty hands by Hal Moran

Matthew 6:29-30 by Jennifer Kimbrough

Ehtiopian Nativity by Nancy Goes

 

 

 

Witness by Sarah Jane Gray

‘JOHN’ IS RIVETING!

On November 30th at 6PM, we are going to experience an amazing event in which the gospel of John will come to life on the stage right before our eyes.  I’m thrilled to have professional actor, Brad Sherrill come and perform.  It has been performed over 600 times in theaters, churches and cathedrals from the U.S. to Canada to the U.K.  But don’t just  take my word for it.  Here is a review from Kathy Janich…

“The Gospel of John” is an amazing achievement.

That needs to be said again. “The Gospel of John” is an amazing achievement.

Atlanta actor Brad Sherrill, who created and performs this original piece, has taken the words of the New Testa­ment’s fourth book and, with his voice, his imag­ination and a few props, shaped it into a transforming two hours of theater.

Leaping angrily and overturning furniture, he becomes an enraged Jesus Christ chasing buyers and sellers from his Father’s House.

Sleepy, reluctant and fearful, he becomes Pontius Pilate, the official who would send Jesus to his death.

Cowering and sheepish, he’s the disciple Simon Peter denying his alliance with Jesus at the hour his devotion is most critical.

Sherrill inhabits them all, and many more. And he’s wonderful to see.

His piece is as inventive as it is athletic. Watch him splash water on the stage floor to simulate rough seas. Or turn a rough-hewn rectangular table on its edge to create Lazarus’ tomb. Follow him as he cuts through the space and moves about the audience, touching hands here and shoulders there, spreading  Jesus’ message of love and inclusion.

In short, Sherrill entertains and cajoles, moves us and mesmerizes us. “John” is undoubtedly among the best work he’s ever done. You can tell that it enthralls him as an actor. Just as clear is that it fascinates him as a man. This role, with its 20,000 words and myriad personae, allows him…no, commands him to tap into every resource he has!

The overriding question here is whether the word of God can work as drama. Sherrill proves that it most certainly and successfully can. You need only watch him as John the Bap­tist, testifying to his first sighting of Jesus Christ, to become a believer. And this moment comes less than 10 minutes into the show.

Simple, powerful, provocative. If they’d taught the gospel like this in Catholic school, I might have paid attention. And that is a high compliment, indeed!

You do not want to miss this once in a lifetime event.  This is a chance to see the words of the Bible leap off the page and come to life right in front of you.  Tickets are $2.  If you want to see a low-grade video of Brad in action, his website is here.  I hope to see you on November 30th at 6PM in the ECC Worship Center for an amazing performance.

How Do You Hagah?

…do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.  Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.  -Joshua 7b-8

We’ve talked in the past at ECC about this section of scripture.  To the Hebrew mind, it didn’t mean mediate as in “think on this”, but actually meant “murmur” or “speak out loud on a regular basis”.  As Pastor Denny has pointed out, the actual word in Hebrew is “hagah”.  Isn’t that just a fun word to say?  Hagah, hagah, hagah…We’ve all seen pictures of orthodox Jews at the wailing wall bowing repeatedly as they “hagah” scripture, but I’ve been wondering ever since, “how do you hagah?  Should I stand in my office facing the wall and speaking scripture?  What do you do?

How do you hagah?

Then I started going back to my drama background and one of the exercises that we did at the beginning of the year with the Pledge of Allegiance.  But this time, I want to apply it to scripture…this time, I’m going to hagah!

1. Pick a passage of scripture that you already have memorized or are familiar with.  For me, I’m going to use John 3:16-17.  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Imagine that there is a cross in front of you and say it.  Go ahead.
2. Good.  Now repeat it again…sincerely!  Afterwards, don’t talk.  Just look at the cross.
3. Now imagine the following situation:  you are living in another country where it is illegal to be a follower of Jesus.  Your country regularly persecutes Christians and will arrest them at will.  You hear the cries of torture from a police post right outside of town.  And yesterday, your little sister was picked up and driven away, screaming for help.  That night, you make your way outside and all alone you make a cross out of twigs and facing the cross you make these words your own.  When you are ready, say it again.
4. Keep looking at the cross.  This time, when you come across certain words, think of the definitions or alternatives before you say it and in a sense, choose the same word as is in the verse.  These words might be…”For God so loved”  Think of the greatest love you have experienced.  Think of the love you have for you sister who was taken…what would you do for her?  “the world”  Your whole country who is in desperate need of God’s light, but still persecutes the church?  “one and only Son”  You just had your sister taken away by force and there is a chance you will see her again, but God gave his Son to die willingly.  “Shall not perish”  Your life could be taken away at any time because of your faith, but you will NOT perish.  “eternal life”  Life is hard right now, but eternal life will not only last forever, but you will always be with God OPENLY praising, worshiping and working for HIM.  On your own time, say again.  Go ahead.
5. Keep looking at the cross.  Now you’re going to say it one more time, but this time, as you say “the world” imagine, without looking around, that all believers from the beginning to time til now are standing with you saying these verses together.  You are the redeemed in the world.  Say the last line not just for yourself, but for all believers.  Go ahead.
6. Now one more time.  Take the cross of twigs that you’ve made and hold it up in the air when you say, “he gave his one and only Son”  Then hold it to your chest when you say the last line, “save the world through him.”  Go ahead.

Did you hagah?  What was the difference between the first time you said the verses and the last?  Leave a comment and let us all know what you experienced as you did a little hagah!

Hidden in Our Hearts by Jeff Barker

I have had the honor of knowing Jeff Barker at IWS.  He has challenged me and also helped quite a bit by sharing pieces of his thoughts, work and writing with me.  I grabbed this article from the IWS newsletter and thought I’d share it with you.  I am inspired by Jeff’s dream and I hope you are too.  Enjoy…

I am on sabbatical from Northwestern College—my other school when I am not at IWS. I am living this semester in the Pacific Northwest, where Karen and I are working alongside Pastor Jon who is committed to reclaiming the orality of scripture. For starters, every Sunday Jon speaks his sermon’s scripture text from memory.

We arrived at this church around the same time as Noel, a young worship leader fresh from doctoral coursework (not at IWS, but another fine seminary). Last week I sat in Noel’s office in conversation about presenting the Bible in worship—in particular, God’s Word as testimony, story and drama. I explained that it was natural that I would spend my sabbatical at this church because reclamation of biblical forms often requires one particular starting point: memorization.

“I think this is how my seminary mentor would respond,” said Noel. “He would argue that there is a serious danger in presenting the Bible from memory in public. The memorization itself may be a distraction. People will notice how fascinating and unique it is that the passage has been memorized. But they might stop paying full attention to the scripture. In other words, the form of presentation might obscure the content.”

“Here’s my dream,” I said. “I dream of the day when presenting the scripture from memory will no longer be unique. I dream of people from the culture at large saying, ‘Isn’t it fascinating that Christians place such a high value on Bible memorization? If you go to one of their worship services, you always hear someone speaking whole passages from memory—and not just the pastor or the worship leader. No. Everyone in the church seems capable of speaking straight from the book.’”

I asked Noel, “How will our people catch this vision unless they see it modeled in the church’s most public and formative gathering—the worship service? And how will it be modeled unless the church’s leaders lead the way?”

We do not want scriptural content to be obscured. We want the form of a presentation to support the content. And we want the opposite as well. We want the content to be presented in an appropriate form. What can we learn by reclaiming the forms in which the scriptures were created? What can we learn by following the practices of a people who wrote God’s law upon their hearts?

Before I left Noel’s office, I said, “I’m going to meddle. I offer you this challenge. In your worship planning, are you willing to have at least one verse spoken from memory every Sunday by you or someone on the platform?”

Noel said, “I’m there.”

As pastor of worship and discipleship, Noel will sometimes preach. Yesterday Noel preached his first sermon at this new church. His text was the final seven verses of Jesus’ high priestly prayer (John 17:20-26). He looked us in the eye and spoke the words that Jesus prayed for us. I must admit that I was distracted a bit from the content of Jesus’ words because I was so thrilled that Noel was speaking them from memory. I expect that, after a while, my experience with Noel will be the same experience that the rest of this church has had with Pastor Jon. Jon said to me, “When I first came here eight years ago, people would often say, ‘It’s so fascinating that you speak the scripture from memory!’ Do you know how often I hear that now? Never.”

Today, I got up early and went out to a local coffee shop. As I flipped open my laptop, I glanced over at the next table and noticed a kindly gentleman grinning at me. “I’m Paul,” he said. “I saw you present the Psalm in church yesterday. I’m involved in our pastor’s scripture memory project. When I started, I struggled to memorize a single verse. Now I have whole chapters. It’s changing my life.”

Jeff’s book, The Storytelling Church: Adventures in Reclaiming the Role of Story in Worship will be released and available on Amazon any day now.

Thank you…

Silas had surgery on Monday to have a G-tube installed into his stomach.  The surgery went well so now he won’t have to have a rubber tube down his nose anymore.  We will be able to give him his liquid diet right through the G-tube button into his stomach.  The hope is that the G-tube will keep him from aspirating liquids into his lungs AND the special Keto-diet will help reduce his seizures.

This has meant a number of trips to Riley Hospital in Indy.  I want to say thank you for helping making it happen.  Many of you contributed money to send Sara and out on a date a couple months ago.  We went out to eat and attended a show at the Wagon Wheel Theatre in Warsaw.  It was a great night for us to get away, but apparently there was money left over and Dan Friend decided to give it to us the form of a gas card.  That card, and a couple others we have been given, fully funded our trips to and from Riley this past week.  So, thank you.  You are the hands and feet of Christ to me and my family and I can’t thank you enough…

In the book of James, it says that believers should “not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.”  It goes on to say that

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:  to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

You have done that with the simple gift of a gas card so that we could take care of Silas in the best way we know how.  Please continue to pray for him and others who are in the hospital this weekend.  No one wants to be in the hospital.  Especially on the weekend…and finally…

Brothers [and sisters], as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.  As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered.  You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about.  The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. -James 5:10-11

Down&Dirty Theology: God’s Love vs. Satan’s Hate

Continuing the DOWN&DIRTY THEOLOGY, I want to hit something basic.  At least, I see it as basic:  love and hate.  And that is basic for me because of my son, Silas.  As I said last week, because of sin he has Leigh’s disease.  You could also say because of Satan’s hate he has Leigh’s disease…but because of the love of God, he is apart of our family.

But this face off didn’t start there.  It started before the Fall with the cosmic battle between God/Light/Love and Satan/Darkness/Hate.  The most famous bible verse in all the bible addresses this.  But before we get there, let’s do a quick speed-through the bible to see what we find out about God’s love and Satan’s hate…

First off, part of the Lord’s very name is “slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. (Exodus 34:6)  

He has made a “covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.” (Deuteronomy 7:9)  And you can find similar statements about God’s “covenant of love” in Joshua, Chronicles, Kings and Nehemiah.  Moving on, the Psalms tell us that…

God’s unfailing love is priceless (Psalm 36:7)  and is directed towards us so much so that he sings over us at night.(Psalm 42:8)  Not only that, he listens to our prayers because He loves us (Psalm 66:20) and that love will endure forever! (Psalm 136:26)

Sometimes we may doubt God’s love and ask, “How have you loved us?” (Malachi 1:2)  ”But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)  So much so that nothing, Nothing, NOTHING can separate us from that love (Romans 8:39)  In fact, we are now loved like God’s very own, adopted children.  That is what we are! (1 John 3:1)

And that brings us to the most famous verse in the bible.  You know it, right?…John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

But there is a flip side.  Almost as much as God loves us, Satan hates us.

Satan deceived us in the Garden ushering sin and death into God’s perfect world. (Genesis 3:4)

He afflicted Job, asked to sift Peter like wheat and continues to do so when he can. (Job 2:7)  He continually accuses us of all our sin and shame rubbing it in our faces. (Zechariah 3:1)  And if that wasn’t enough, he still comes and snatches away the gospel message from any person who hears it when he can (Matthew 13:19) leading them astray. (Revelation 12:9)

Now all of this is terrible, so he tries to go undercover as an “angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14) and also “blocks” those who believe. (1 Thessalonians 2:18)  He isn’t able to control or posses those who are children of God, but he does control the whole world (1 John 5:19) and because of that, the world hates us. (John 15:18)

Yes. Satan hates you.  While I don’t like the use of profanity, in this case it just might apply.  I would go so far as to say that while God so loved the world, Satan (insert profanity here) the world.  Now at this point, you may be starting to feel the darkness closing in and wonder if there is hope.

There is always hope.  Remember…Jesus has overcome the world and the greatest of these…is love.

New Song: All Because of Jesus

It’s a little late because we’ve already learned this song and ironically, we will NOT be singing it this weekend.  However, I think it’s a good idea to know what we are singing and the scriptural basis for it.  So try to remember the new song, All Because of Jesus.  Remember?  It’s a rock’in song that reminds us that true life is only found in Jesus.  I especially love the lyric, “it’s all because of Jesus I’m alive / it’s all because the blood of Jesus Christ / that cover’s me and raised this dead man’s life…”  Got it now?  So let’s jump in…can you hear the guitar into?

giver of every breath I breathe

As Genesis 2:7 says, ”then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”  Its basic, but it’s good to remember that we are God’s creation and apart from God’s breathe, we are dust.  You!  Dust!  It’s a little weird, but true.

author of all eternity
giver of every perfect thing
to you be the glory

Despite having more wisdom than any other person ever born, Solomon turned into a bitter old man.  In Ecclesiastes 3:11 he writes,  ”[God] has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.  I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live…”  God’s ways are far above ours…in the  time that we have, we should be joyful that the God of eternity has given us so much SO THAT we can give him glory.

maker of heaven and of earth…no one can comprehend your worth

As Paul writes in Philippians 3:8, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.  For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ…”

king over all the universe
to you be the glory

Isn’t it fascinating to think about Jesus ascending into heaven and being hailed as the conquering hero?  That would be amazing.  Paul gives us the big picture of this…”but in these last days [the Father] has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe…After he had provided purification for sins, he [Jesus] sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” -Hebrews 1:2-3  In other words, Jesus helped make this whole world and now is sitting down beside the Father in perfect glory.

I’m alive because i’m alive in You

Thank you Lord!  ”When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins…”-Colossians 2:13

it’s all because of Jesus I’m alive
it’s all because the blood of Jesus Christ
that cover’s me and raised this dead man’s life
it’s all because of Jesus I’m alive

This is the main point of the whole song…we are the walking dead until we meet Jesus.  You could envision a zombie horror flick with zombies grunting and walking around with stiff arms and legs looking for someone to eat!  On second thought, maybe you shouldn’t envision that…Paul says it a bit better here…”But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.”  -Ephesians 2:4-6  YES!

every sunrise sings Your grace…the universe cries out your praise…i’m singing freedom all my days…now that I’m alive

There are a number of different scriptures to draw from here.  Lamantations and Psalms to name two of them, but check out Galatians 5:1.
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

So many times I take my salvation for granted, but we are alive because Jesus experienced sin, death and even Hell on the cross for us so we wouldn’t have to.  I pray for all of us that we wouldn’t live as zombies, but that our lives would cry out his praise as we experience real freedom and life in Christ.