Have You Ever Eaten REALLY Strong Cheese?

Have You Ever Eaten REALLY Strong Cheese?

In 1996 I spent a few days at a Trappist Monastery (Gethsemane Abbey) for a spiritual retreat.  Trappists support their work via the sale of various goods.  At Gethsemane, the brothers made fruitcake and cheese.  I know what you're thinking.  There can't possibly be enough people in this world to support a business that sells fruitcake.  Well, this was no ordinary fruitcake -- check that -- is there any such thing as ordinary fruitcake?  Anyway, I'm not interested in talking about fruitcake.  It's the cheese I'm after in this blog.

The cheese these brothers aged was truly something special.  The second you entered the dining hall, it smacked you upside the nose and said, "WAKE UP!"  It wasn't content merely sitting there like those pale yellow squares we've grown accustomed to.  This cheese had some serious personality.  It had that strange quality of being intriguing and repulsive at the same time.  On the one hand I thought, "I've never even come close to eating anything that smells like that!"  On the other hand I thought, "I gotta try that stuff!"

Now, let me preface what I'm about to write by making this clear:  I do not think Jesus is repulsive.  With that being said, I do think Jesus has a "strongcheese-like" quality.  On the one hand he's healing and blessing and casting out demons and saying things like, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light."  On the other hand he's teaching stuff like we heard yesterday, "If any of you would follow me, you must deny yourself and take up your cross."

So, the question I want to hear from you on is this:  Given the incredibly difficult and demanding path Jesus calls his disciples to tread, why do you still want to be his disciple? Please pay close attention to the question.  It has to do with your gut and it's one I've intentionally made personal -- Why do YOU still WANT to be his disciple?  It's not an opportunity to preach.  It's an opportunity to share your heart.

Also, if you have any stories regarding any aspect of DJ08 or ways God has been at work in your life -- big or small -- please take a minute to encourage us by posting those.
 
Oh, and, if you have any recommendations of intriguing and repulsive cheese, don't keep the good news to yourself.
Posted on Mon, February 11, 2008 by Jason Brown

7 comments (Add your own)

1. Taelin wrote:
I want to be Christ's disciple because I'm tired of feeling hopeless. I often feel hopeless when suffering comes.

But in Romans 4, it says we are to "rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." Yet all my life I've been mostly trying to avoid or otherwise escape from suffering.

So God has been showing me that one way I need to now follow Him is to stop running from suffering or fearing hopelessness, and to instead embrace suffering, strive to persevere, let God grow my character, and accept His hope. And as I start to trust God, I also can trust Rom 4:5 when it says that this "hope will not disappoint".

Mon, February 11, 2008 @ 9:30 AM

2. Almita Shivers wrote:
We all know from experience that when we are assaulted with an unusual odor, with time - the offensiveness of that odor diminishes. I was so blessed to be born into a Christian family where the fragrance of Jesus was always present. I, therefore, never was offended by the demands of Jesus for discipleship. However, that does not mean that I do not struggle sometimes with those demands. I want to be His disciple because I have received so many benefits from walking with Him. Beside the hope of heaven, I have His peace, protection, guidance and assurance that He is always with me. But nothing can equal the awareness of His love and presence with me. Actually, I have found that I have developed an insatiable desire to walk ever closer to Him. I guess the only one that can really understand this desire is someone who has already "tasted that cheese" and has found it delicious and beneficial. As Scripture says, "Taste and see, how gracious the Lord is".

Mon, February 11, 2008 @ 10:11 AM

3. Tonya wrote:
Jason, you crack me up -especially cause you are so on about the fruitcake.

Anyways --why do I still follow? I think for 2 basic reasons. The first is, life is going to be lousy whether I follow Jesus or not -- that's guaranteed. So, for example, if I one day come down with cancer (one of my fears), I'm sure I'll be scared and angry and confused. But in the end, if I'm gonna have cancer, I'd rather do it with Jesus than without Him. I think about this a lot -- it's common sense to me.

With that in mind, I come to my second reason. I am finding Jesus' words to be true -- that the more I give my life away, the more I save it. Whenever I slip into living my life with myself as the focus, I'm miserable. When I live to give my life away, I find so much joy. When I live with myself in charge, I screw it up -- heck, I screw it up when He's in charge. But then I get to rest in His ability to redeem my mess-ups. I get peace from knowing He's got a bigger picture in mind. The bottom line is, my biggest motivation for following Jesus is not a spiritual or noble one. It's that I'm selfish -- I want to live the most enjoyable life I can, and I've found that to be in following Him.

Mon, February 11, 2008 @ 11:56 AM

4. Alecia wrote:
Because the alternatives of following some other "savior," self absorption or just "winging it" through life really stink...

Tue, February 12, 2008 @ 1:34 PM

5. Christine Aardema wrote:
I guess this is a DJ08 word of encouragement, especially for those of us with little guys around. Our family has really had our devotion time changed as a result of DJ08 and the bulliten inserts. Our 8 year old son reads the scripture reading for the day (he has the 3rd grade reading level version of the NIV - the NIRV, New International Readers Version - in case any parents are interested, and that has really helped make the Bible more real/accessable to him), and then we read the questions for discussion together (kind of making them a little more geared for our 8 and 5 year olds). We have had some really interesting conversations as a result - what is hard for us in our Christian walk, why do we believe Jesus is who He says He is, and what we do "about Jesus". It has been so eye opening. I always thought we were talking to our kids about things that mattered in their faith, but this is bringing things to a much deeper level. I am so grateful for all the work and thought that has gone into preparing the weekly devotions. They are worth all the effort.

Tue, February 12, 2008 @ 5:50 PM

6. Michael Asmus wrote:
So I've asked myself this question before and I still find myself wrestling at times with why I want to follow Jesus. Sometimes I think it's because I feel like I should do it to be in good standing with God and other times it's because I feel comfortable in the idea of grace (securing my salvation just gets checked off in the "things to do" list). Sometimes it feels just like the "right thing to do," the thing I should do rather than the thing I want to do but that just makes it a burden; then his yoke becomes far from easy and I get confused because then it seems like Jesus is a liar.

But when I really look at what Jesus is saying, what he's doing, and how he is being I realize that he is about more than my salvation, about me appeasing God through my works, or even about just doing it because I feel like I ought to. I see that his way of life, his very being, is the only way that makes sense; it is the only way to bring shalom, a reconciliation, the "Kingdom of God"- a utopia- to earth. That is the only way, the way and truth, for changing this world.

This brings me to realize that Jesus doesn't do these things for any reasons that I can find myself doing them. Instead, he is doing them because he can't help but not do these things. He can't stand to pass by someone who's broken, hurt, or messed up and not do anything about it; he can't contain himself from telling people to pray for their enemies and give everything away; he can't refuse to disciple and invest in the lives of those he encounters. The man is possessed.

That's why I still want to be his disciple. I want to follow a man possessed by the Holy Spirit who can't help himself from healing others. And I come to realize that if I would allow to Spirit to overtake me is just a way where these Jesus actions come from the very essence of me I'd come to realize that the yoke was easy all along.

Wed, February 13, 2008 @ 7:06 PM

7. Gil Alvarez wrote:
I don't know much about cheese, but I completely understand your point. Christianity (unless you're actually living it out) is paradoxical... almost to the point of confusion. But, it is that very paradox that mystifies us and draws us in. The thought of Christ coming down to earth, to suffer and die a horrific death on a cross for "us", is insane... unless it's true and He really does love us that much.

I've walked down many roads in my life. Some were very dark and hopeless. The things I saw and did left holes within me and scars on my heart that I thought would never heal. I embraced the darkness deep inside me and walked hand-in-hand with the shadows that promised to make me feel better. Oh, I bought the snake oil, mixed-it up with some bitterness and rage, threw-in a little loneliness and fear, then drank it down with a big piece of pride. With a smile on my face, I thought I was on top of the world, not even realizing I was going down into a dark pit of self-destruction, self-loathing, and selfishness. But, I was never alone. Christ was always with me down every twisted path weeping over me, longing to pour out His grace and mercy down upon my head. What I stubborn little man I was, and at times, still am. How long I refused to give my life to Him; He so willingly gave up His life for me.

I pray God never lets me forget where I've been, so that I can live-out the rest of my life with great gratitude and joy because of where I'm going... all because of God's abounding love.

So, why did God pick me? I don't know. But, I do know He continues to perplex people with concepts like grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love. It is my hope, through Christ, I can do the same.

Fri, February 22, 2008 @ 1:25 PM

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