By Yvette Shin

What if you spent an entire year living as Jesus did? Chances are you would like a lot like the person on your right. He is Dr. Ed Dobson, retired pastor of Calvary Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and author of the new book, The Year of Living like Jesus (Zondervan).

On Wednesday, October 21, Reverend Michel Faulkner and the New Horizon Church of New York hosted a free breakfast and book signing event celebrating the book’s October release at Gospel Uptown (2110 7th Avenue at 125th Street). After providing a brief biography and synopsis his book, Dobson answered questions about his experience.

Inspired by A.J. Jacobs, author of The Year of Living Biblically (Simon & Schuster), Dobson decided to pursue a year-long journey of his own attempting to live as Jesus did—eating kosher, growing a beard, observing Shabbat, and following the teachings of the Gospel. Part personal pilgrimage, part social experiment, Dobson chronicles his year of living “Jesus-ly” with dry humor and thoughtful insight.

The self-confessed lover of bacon describes in vivid detail the agony of keeping kosher, a feat especially troublesome when eating out. Dobson encountered circumstances that were not only challenging but also surprising. A non-drinker, Dobson sometimes found himself in a bar consuming alcohol, discussing spiritual matters. “When you’re sipping a beer, it’s disarming,” he muses. After all, Jesus did consume alcohol.

Dobson delved deep into the intricate world of Judaistic traditions by celebrating High Holy days and wearing the tallit katan (a fringed undergarment). More unexpectedly, he explored Catholic and Easter Orthodox prayer traditions, praying the rosary and the Jesus prayer repeatedly during the year.

By far, the most difficult part was adhering to the Gospel. Dobson often found that obeying the teachings of Christ were counter-intuitive and just plain hard, such as giving money to beggars, keeping the speed limit, and loving one’s enemies. While attending the memorial service for his son’s close friend—a soldier killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb—Dobson struggled to love those who were responsible. He obeyed and prayed for those who made, planted and detonated the bomb. He may not have meant it, but he did it.

Probably the most controversial topic in the book is Dobson’s decision to vote Democratic during the most recent presidential election. A life-long Republican, Dobson decided that Obama’s proposed policies were more aligned with the teachings of Jesus.

When asked by Seed contributor Yvette Shin what his message would be to college students, specifically NYU students, who are in a sense embarking on a journey of their own, Dobson had this to say: “Read, study, and try to obey the Bible.” Dobson himself read the Gospels a total of thirty-five times during the year, often listening to them on his iPod and feeling as if he were on the fringes of the crowd listening to Jesus himself. “It was weird,” he adds with a smile. For more information, please visit http://www.livingjesusly.com

The 2nd Five Loaves and Two Fish Chamber Orchestra Benefit Concert

Date: February 27, 2010
Time: 7:30pm
Place: Kirkpatrick Chapel in Rutgers University

Dinner will be provided by New Jersey UBF for those who arrive earlier than 7:30 PM.
Location of dinner:
NJUBF
54 Ray Street
New Brunswick, NJ, 08901

What are they sorry for? Corporate fraud? The bad economy? Subway fare hikes? High tuition costs?

These placard-toting do-gooders in Washington Square Park are continually asked, “What are you sorry for?” In response, passers-by are quietly handed a card that reads, “Have you ever felt pushed away or like you didn’t fit in at church? As Christians, we are sorry. That was people, not Jesus.”

It’s an effective message that has touched many. About once a month, members of the The Awakening Church (www.theawakeningnyc.com) appear in the park to tell members of the community — atheists, agnostics, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Christians, old, young, every race, every class, those with tattoos and those without, essentially EVERYONE — that they are sorry if anyone has ever felt pushed away from the church.

And the members of the church do not claim to be morally superior or have all of the answers. “The Awakening Church is in the heart of The Village brining spiritual Truth through cultural relevance,” the card reads. “Jesus never candy-coated life and neither do we. We are spiritually messy people following a perfect Savior.”

No hidden messages — just a simple “We are sorry.”

(Download the mp3 for FREE at Bluetree’s official website)

“God of This City” by Bluetree

You’re God of this city,
You’re the King of these people,
You’re the Lord of this nation, You are.

You’re the Light in this darkness,
You’re the Hope to the hopeless,
You’re the Peace to the restless, You are.

For there is no one like our God, there is no one like You, God!

Greater things have yet to come,
and greater things are still to be done in this city!

Greater things have yet to come,
and greater things are still to be done here.

You’re the Lord of creation,
The creator of all things
You’re the King above all kings, You are.

You’re the Strength in the weakness,
You are Love to the broken,
You’re the Joy in the sadness, You are…

For there is no one like our God, there is no one like You, God!

Greater things have yet to come,
and greater things are still to be done in this city!

Where glory shines from hearts alive
with praise for You and love for You in this city.

—————–

Read more about Bluetree’s spontaneous song writing at a sex brothel in Thailand, here.

Peace washed over Taoyang as he sat in the school sanctuary. It was a small room–smaller than any of the classrooms–lined with rows of chairs meant to serve as pews. At the front of the room was a table with a wooden cross and a Bible. There were hardly any lines on the spine of the Bible, since few of the students actually ever came to the sanctuary. Like Taoyang, even though they attended a Christian high school, none of them really took to heart any of the lessons that their teachers spouted at them from the Bible.

It wasn’t that they didn’t believe in the existence of the man-deity Jesus or the miracles that he performed. No, it was simply that this particular deity seemed to have little relevance in Taiwan.

Feathery light angelic whispers seemed to breathe over Taoyang’s skin. He twitched slightly, not sure whether the feeling was welcome or not. Every day after school, he liked to come to the sanctuary to experience the peace that the Christian deity offered. There seemed to be a trade-off, however; he could only feel completely tranquil for a brief period before the voices and the touches began. They seemed to be entreating him to do something, to change something, to cut off a part of himself that he was comfortable with and to jump into something that he was terrified of. They seemed to be urging him to become Christian. And that was something that he could not do.

Taoyang popped in his MP3 player and started to walk home. Every day, he passed a Matsu Temple on his way to and from school. He often accompanied his parents to this temple, where they would pay respects to the goddess Matsu and the other gods that lived within the temple. Recently, however, he started to experience a ringing in his head and more voices whenever he passed by. These voices were different from the voices in the school sanctuary; these were angry, jealous voices.

As Taoyang started to pass the temple, he turned up the volume on his MP3 player. For a moment, it seemed to work, but then it was as if the player skipped a song and now he was listening to a cacophony of screaming whispers. Frightened, Taoyang pulled the earphones from his head and cast his possessed MP3 player onto the side of the road. He thought he saw a shadow moving towards him from the corner of his eye, and he began to run.

Unconsciously, one hand went to his neck, where he wore a Buddhist charm and Christian cross on the same chain. When he felt these talismans against his palm, he could sense the shadow drifting further away from him. As he arrived home, he offered a prayer of thanks to the Goddess of Mercy and to Jesus Christ. Maybe the Christian god did have a use in Taiwan, after all, if He could help drive away evil spirits.

Later that night, after dutifully burning incense at his family altar in the living room, Taoyang prepared to sleep. He made sure to put his Buddhist charm and the Christian cross next to his bed, where he also kept a set of Daoist mirrors and yinyangs.

“The more charms, the better protection I have,” he repeated an idea that had been taught to him.

Not long after he turned the lights off, however, voices began to crowd into his head again. He squirmed, feeling as if he were being pulled in a thousand different directions. Why couldn’t they just leave him alone? Then he felt the weight begin to build on his chest.

A demon was sitting on him, pressing down on him. He had heard about this before from many people, but could not remember what he was supposed to do to drive the demon away. Frantically, his head searched his bedside and came into contact with something cold and round–a yinyang.

“Go away,” he said. “Please, please go away.”

The weight on his chest increased until he could hardly breathe. His fingers limply released the yinyang and groped for something else. The cross–what was it about the cross? Jesus? What had he learned in school?

Suddenly, a flicker of pure faith surged in him, and Taoyang believed–with the all the assurance in the world–that Jesus Christ, above all other gods, could drive the demon away.

With confidence that seemed to flow through him, but not from him, he spoke: “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, get away!”

Instantly, the weight lifted.

Taoyang exhaled sharply, chest heaving.

The next day, Taoyang opened the Bible in his school sanctuary. He spent several days trying to read it and to understand more whole-heartedly some of the things that he was told in school by the Christian teachers. But eventually his enthusiasm began to fade. He still revered the Christian god, in the same way that he revered all Buddhist and Daoist deities. He never forgot that it was Jesus Christ who saved him from the demon that night. But he did forget the momentary conviction he had had that it was Jesus and only Jesus who could save him from evil.

* * *

Taoyang is a very typical teenager in Taiwan. The spirit world is very real to Taiwanese people, even to the educated and “enlightened.” Many normal Taiwanese can honestly recall being possessed, “pressed down on” by demons, or harassed by “voices.”

Christian schools are not uncommon, but many of the students come from non-Christian homes and–although they may not feel the need to actively reject Christianity–they are very resistant to the idea that there is only one God and one way to salvation through Jesus Christ.

To most Taiwanese people, accepting the existence of the Christian god and of Christ are not difficult things to do; Taiwanese are naturally polytheistic, and they feel no qualms about incorporating new gods into their pantheon, which include figures from Buddhism, Daoism, and Chinese folk religions. The monotheistic demands of Christianity are what put off Taiwanese people. Also, like Taoyang, most Taiwanese worship their ancestors as a demonstration of filial piety. To not worship one’s ancestors is perhaps the biggest challenge that Taiwanese face when considering whether to become Christian.

Please pray for Taiwan. They are ready and willing to believe, but to forsake family and social values to exclusively worship the Christian god is something that requires extreme faith.

You can’t hide from your troubles
for they will find you.
You can’t run from your troubles
for they will run after you.

Trouble is not hard to find
for it’s always looking for you.
If you flew to another country
it would be there waiting for you.

Our troubles are like a huge bag we carry around
Although it’s too heavy we won’t put it down.
Cast your troubles upon the Lord
for He knows what to do,

He will remove all your troubles
if you allow him to.

Teach me
How to find your hand
when it’s dark.
Not to laugh when you tell the plans you have for me.
To believe you’ll catch me when I fall.

Teach me how to trust you.

Teach me
How to love in this world of hate
How to show it and not just say it.
To be kind, to those who are mean.
How to smile when
They show me a frown.

Teach me how to love you Lord.

Teach me
How to see great
things in a lump of clay.
How to see the sun,
behind the clouds on a rainy day.
How to see tomorrow, today.
To find the switch in the dark.
How to turn things inside out.

Teach me how to hope.

Teach me
Not to be afraid of great heights.
Remind me!
That I am not the only one
In this battle, and that you won’t
let me wave the white flag.
Not to fight with my fists, but with my sword.
Not to hang my head down because of who I am,
But to stand up tall, for you are on my side…

And Lord, when I lose hope remind me
Of that last chapter in your holy book.

Teach me how to fight.

Teach me
How to ask before I take.
How to wait and not leap.
How to have a long
conversation with you everyday, rather than
cry out in dismay.

Teach me how to pray.

When you
Teach me how to pray,
Teach me how to control my temper, when you say no.
To remember that you know what’s best for me
More than I know.
To give up a few hours of what’s precious to me
and read those letters you wrote to me.
Remind me of the mustard seed.

Teach me how to have faith.

When I
Have faith teach me how to shut up
And let you speak.
To not cut in front of your words with my thoughts.
To not jump into conclusion before
You end your sentence.

Teach me how to listen.

The Veritas Forum was started at Harvard by a group of students, faculty, and ministers as a response to the emptiness on campus. They believed that universities no longer address the most important questions of life, such as, “What does it mean to be human? Why is there evil and suffering? Is there any meaning in death?” In fact, an ongoing UCLA study shows that over 50% of entering freshmen hope to explore and define their beliefs during college. Yet the classroom rarely allows students to engage questions of meaning, purpose or faith. In ignoring such questions, universities fail to create a coherent worldview for their students, making it difficult for many to integrate their academic knowledge with their lives. Veritas steps into this void, creating a space where people of all religious and cultural backgrounds are welcomed to explore ideas. Veritas encourages students to pursue Truth, connect their academic and vocational life to Christ, and emerge with clarity and hopeful vision for our world.”

At NYU the spiritual interest is increasing amongst students. Last year, even the New York Times reported on the “increasing religious life” on campuses across the nation. The Veritas Forum is one of the ways in which the Christian community hopes to continually engage with the campus to respond to this increasing spiritual interest. This year, the theme of Veritas a NYU was an attempt to start conversations which would feed into this year’s theme of “A dialogue of Faith & Love in the Public Sphere.” In the days and weeks before the Forum we asked students to respond to questions about the brokenness of our systems with such questions as: Where has religion gone wrong? What causes poverty? What can you do to help improve the environment?

The first night featured an interview with Dr. Timothy Keller, pastor of Redeemer, a Manhattan church which has been named as one of the most influential congregations in the nation. He spoke on issues he raised in his new book “The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism,” which has broken into the top 50 in Amazon.com’s sales rankings. Keller showed us that any belief we hold, whether atheism, agnosticism, or belief in God, is an act of faith. He addressed the many barriers to the belief in the Christian faith and showed how he felt it was the most reasonable.

The second night featured an interview with Lisa Sharon Harper, who is currently the executive director of a new organization called New York Faith & Justice. Lisa spoke of how the Christian faith in America had split into two different focuses: one which seeks healing only for the brokenness of individuals and one which addresses the brokenness of our systems and society. She discussed how this compartmentalization of Christianity has damaged both the church and the image of Christianity to others. She then shared how these two focuses are again coming together in today’s church. She challenged the Christians in the audience to be a part of renewing the world around them and challenged others to consider the claims of Christ in light of His image being renewed and made whole.

The final night was in the format of a “coffee house,” during which students held meaningful discussions about these topics over coffee and donuts. The hope is that students will continue to have these conversations even after Veritas, to engage the campus and address the most important questions in life.
which has broken into the top 50 in Amazon.com’s sales rankings. Keller showed us that any belief we hold, whether atheism, agnosticism, or belief in God, is an act of faith. He addressed the many barriers to the belief in the Christian faith and showed how he felt it was the most reasonable.

Our second night featured an interview with Lisa Sharon Harper, who is currently the executive director of a new organization called New York Faith & Justice. Lisa spoke of how the Christian faith in America had split into two different focuses: one which seeks healing only for the brokenness of individuals and one which addresses the brokenness of our systems and society. She discussed how this compartmentalization of Christianity has damaged both the church and the image of Christianity to others. She then shared how these two focuses are again coming together in today’s church. She challenged the Christians in the audience to be a part of renewing the world around them and challenged others to consider the claims of Christ in light of His image being renewed and made whole.

Our final night, students held meaningful discussions about these topics over coffee and donuts. We hope that in the future, we can continue to have conversations to engage the campus to address the most important questions in life.

The second night featured an interview with Lisa Sharon Harper, who is currently the executive director of a new organization called New York Faith & Justice. Lisa spoke of how the Christian faith in America had split into two different focuses: one which seeks healing only for the brokenness of individuals and one which addresses the brokenness of our systems and society. She discussed how this compartmentalization of Christianity has damaged both the church and the image of Christianity to others. She then shared how these two focuses are again coming together in today’s church. She challenged the Christians in the audience to be a part of renewing the world around them and challenged others to consider the claims of Christ in light of His image being renewed and made whole.

The final night was in the format of a “coffee house,” during which students held meaningful discussions about these topics over coffee and donuts. The hope is that students will continue to have these conversations even after Veritas, to engage the campus and address the most important questions in life.

More info: http://www.veritas.org

What I told him with my eyes
I told him I was scared
That I was guilty
Yes.. caught in the act
I didn’t care
Not anymore
This was who I was
This sparsely clothes
Half a person before him
I’d heard of him before
His name whispered in awe
And sometimes in disdain
I heard he cured illnesses
Gave the blind sight
But as I stared at him
I saw a normal person
Yet I couldn’t feel fear
His demeanor His manner
His eyes
NO indignance
No righteous anger in them
NO hate
And I felt shame
It was a strange emotion
That I hadn’t felt in a while.
Masked by the scent of sin and sweat
That I bathed in each day
Oh yes
They told him about the law
The Law
Of course I knew about the law
And Yes
I deserved to be stoned
It was a bittersweet moment for me
If I died.. my sorrow would have ended
And my pain would leave
If I lived .. what would happen to me
What would happen to this man
No — I couldn’t live.

What sayest thou?
They said
Yes I thought–
Tell me my destiny.
If I should live or die.
If I should cry or sigh
What sayest thou?
The man before me stooped down and wrote on the ground
I was startled
What is he doing?
Has he gone mad?
We are talking about my life HERE

As he wrote it got quiet
Real quiet

He said something
I wasn’t particularly paying attention
Too busy shifting nervously

He went back to writing
They left
It was him and I.
I waited.
I still wanted to know the verdict.
What sayest thou?

Then I knew who he was.
He was the Lord.
He was my politically incorrect salvation.
MY lord.

And he said unto me
GO and sin no more.

Strange creaking sounds and animalistic cries resounded through the gloomy forest. Ruwin couldn’t see exactly what was happening out there because a thick mist obscured all, even the path ahead of him. With a shiver, he tugged at his damp leather jerkin and shrugged the sword higher on his shoulder. He cursed himself again for ever setting out on this quest, for not being satisfied with his hometown, for wanting more and for seeking out this King who supposedly knew each person’s past and each person’s future.

Something ahead caught his attention. As he neared, Ruwin made out the form of a small girl with wild hair, in a tattered white dress. She was sitting in the dirt, and couldn’t be more than seven years old.

“Hello,” she surprised him by speaking first.

“Hello,” he responded quizzically. “Are you lost?”

“I’m not lost,” the girl assured him in a confident voice. “Are you lost?”

Ruwin was taken aback a moment by her precociousness. Recovering, he laughed embarrassedly and said, “I think I am a little. I can sort of figure out where the path is, but the mist is so thick that I can’t really tell where I’m going, or which direction to take when there’s a fork. Are you familiar with this place?”

“I know everything about this place.”

“Do you know if there’s a King who lives nearby?”

“He lives just up ahead.”

Ruwin looked in the direction that the girl was pointing.

“I can’t see anything,” he said. “Will I be able to reach the Castle if I stick to the path?”

“Oh, no. You can only reach the Castle by going through the forest.”

The blood-curdling cry of some dying creature emanated through the dark woods just as she said this.

“Surely I’ll be able to get there eventually on the path?” Ruwin asked, suppressing a shudder and adjusting the sword on his shoulder. The path may have been shrouded in mist, but it was certainly better than the forest.

“No,” the girl said. “If you really want to reach the Castle, you have to go through the forest.”

Ruwin frowned. He fingered his sword, looked from the path to the forest to the girl. The girl looked back solemnly.

It was absurd. He had been traveling through the forest for a long time now, and nothing very bad had happened to him as long as he stayed on the path. What reason did he really have to believe the words of this odd little girl, dressed in rags and sitting in the dirt?

“Alright,” he said, inexplicably taking a leap of faith.

The little girl smiled, stood up and held out her hand. Ruwin took it automatically, having already submitted himself to her guidance.

As soon as they stepped off the path, the mist thinned just enough so that Ruwin thought he could see a series of lights up ahead.

“Is that where the King lives?” he asked.

“It is,” the girl said. “Step where I step, stay focused on the lights, and don’t get distracted by the forest.”

Ruwin nodded, following exactly behind the girl as they began a dizzying, twisting journey through the forest, crawling over fallen trees and jutting roots, skirting around creepers and pools of pitch. The girl was amazingly fleet-footed and at ease in the environment, skipping, humming and singing blithely.

When they came to a steaming, sulfurous swamp, with only a rotting fallen tree as a bridge, Ruwin let go of the girl’s hand so that he could better balance himself. He gave all his attention to figuring out where to put his feet, but it seemed that concentrating so much on a limited area was affecting him in an adverse way. He fought to keep his balance, failed, and found himself falling headlong into the murky waters. Just as his head was disappearing under the surface, he cried out for help.

The next instant, he felt something clutch his hand. Then he was on land again, coughing up black liquid and gasping for air.

“I told you,” the girl scolded him. “Step where I step, stay focused on the lights ahead, and don’t get distracted by other things!”

They continued when Ruwin had rested and regained enough strength.

As night fell, the forest took on a different, more sinister air. Small glowing creatures began to appear in the surrounding undergrowth, and Ruwin thought he heard sounds from very close behind them. He gripped the hilt of his sword just for comfort, and that was when he realized that many of the small glowing creatures were actually eyes staring at them from the darkness.

Fight instinct taking over him, Ruwin drew his sword. The glint of his weapon against the moonlight attracted the creatures. Something large darted out at them and attacked. Ruwin gave a cry and fended it off, but not without receiving a few injuries of his own. When he was sure that the beast was dead, he ran forward, grabbed the bemused-looking girl and ran quickly through the forest. The girl was trying to say something to him, but Ruwin shushed her as he sensed more forest creatures creeping up on them. He pushed the girl next to a rock for protection, then got ready for the onslaught.

An army of rather small, but sharply clawed, critters launched themselves at him. Ruwin fought with all his might. He had always been able to hold his own in a fight, but now he could feel claws and teeth sinking into him, knocking the sword out of his hands.

As he was being dragged into the shadows, he made a grab for his sword.

Suddenly, the girl appeared in front of him and thrust out her hand.

Ruwin looked, bewildered, from her outstretched hand to his weapon.

Surely she did not expect him to make such a decision? His sword had served him well over the years. It failed him just a moment ago, but if he could only grab hold of it again and reorient himself, he was sure he would be able to fend off the creatures…

“Trust in me!” she entreated, eyes wide and voice shrill, as if begging.

It was ridiculous. But he found himself making the leap. Giving up on himself, on his sword and what he could do with it, he reached out his hand and entrusted himself to the little girl.

Instantly, he felt the claws release him.

Battered, bruised, and bloody, he was able to scramble to his feet with the help of the girl. Feeling weak and more than little ashamed, Ruwin hoped that they would reach the castle soon.

Just as he thought this, he looked up and found himself standing before the shining gates. He went forward, but a pair of guards barred the way.

Helpless, Ruwin turned back to look at the girl.

She smiled at him and held out her hand. He took it automatically.

The guards let them through.

“Do you know the King?” Ruwin asked her as she led him into the hall.

“Yes,” the girl answered. “He’s my Father.”