2 Timothy 4:1-5

Drastic Change

2010-10-22T09:42:00.003-05:00

The following comes from a book called The Ordeal of Change by Eric Hoffer. No words can express better what I am going through right now as I approach the end of Seminary and the dawning of what is next.

"It is my impression that no one really likes the new. We are afraid of it. It is not only as Dostoyevsky put it that "taking a new step, uttering a new word is what people fear most." Even in the slight things the experience of the new is rarely without some stirring of foreboding.

Back in 1936 I spent a good part of the year picking peas. I started out early in January in the Imperial Valley and drifted northward, picking peas as they ripened until I picked the last peas of the season, in June, around Tracy. Then I shifted all the way to Lake County, where for the first time I was going to pick string beans. And I still remember how hesitant I was that first morning as I was about to address myself to the string bean vines. Would I be able to pick string beans? Even the change from peas to string beans had in it elements of fear.

In the case of drastic change the uneasiness is of course deeper and more lasting. We can never be prepared for that which is wholly new. We have to adjust ourselves, and every radical adjustment is a crisis in self-esteem: We undergo a test; we have to prove ourselves. It needs inordinate self-confidence to face drastic change without inner trembling." Ordeal of Change, 3

When I read his experience of picking peas it reminded me of countless tasks that I have been confronted with while managing Swissaire. When I took this job I had no experience. Everything that I did was new to me. Every time that I took on a new task there was always that initial pause, the fear that maybe I could not do what I was attempting to do. The fear of not knowing whether I would be able to repair any subsequent damage if things did not go as I had planned. No matter how many times I had success, whenever I was again confronted with something new, the fear would return.

Hoffer writes that when facing the prospect of drastic change that the uneasiness is deeper and more lasting. That is where I am at now. Adjusting myself to what will come next, and every adjustment is a crisis in self-esteem. Instead of being able to charge ahead with confidence, I find myself frozen, looking deep in to my heart, getting to know intimately again every wart and wrinkle, each one a potential cause for doubt that the future will be bright.

I can't help but think that my experience of countless mini-crises while managing Swissaire were meant somehow to prepare me for this moment.

Face to Face

2010-07-19T20:56:00.004-05:00

I hope that you can catch the irony of my use of technology to share this quote. I read The Presence of the Kingdom by Jacques Ellul today. A book that was recommended by an adjunct in the theology department whom I affectionately refer to as Dr. T (no longer at DTS). In a chapter titled The Problem With Communication we read:

"There never was a time when people have talked so much about man: there never was a time when so little has been said to man. The reason for this is that people know that it is futile to speak to him. Conditions are such that "man" has disappeared. He remains in the form of the consumer, the workman, the citizen, the reader, the partisan, the producer, or the bourgeois. Some people wave the flag and others are internationalists, but in all this, man as man has disappeared-- yet it is to him alone that one can really speak, it is with him alone that one can communicate.

Finally, we can no longer communicate with man, because the only intellectual method of expression is a technical one. The fact that the intelligence is obliged to use the technical channel breaks personal relations, because there is no possibility of contact between two human beings along this line. Communication transcends technics because it can only take place where to human beings are fully engaged in a real conversation. Now this is precisely what the intellectual technique of the present day both avoids and prevents...

It is impossible to rediscover man artificially and in the exceptional elements of life. Our whole civilization needs to be examined, and by each person, on the plane of his individual destiny, which may not be heroic, but which is certainly a human destiny, and cannot exist without genuine communication with the human beings that surround him...

The form of non-communication is particularly pernicious, particularly invisible: for the men of our day, when they want to meet one another, put their trust in the post office, the railway, or the newspaper (written 1967) that is to say, precisely in that which breaks and kills the very power of finding each other as human beings, in the reality of flesh and blood."
(Ellul, 96)

In a class with Dr. Barry Jones that I took this Spring we talked a lot about technology and communication. In particular the ways in which the use of technology in communication is not neutral but inherently evil (I was particularly vocal in this regard). In his book Ellul associates the dehumanizing influence of technology in communication with, "the 'will-to-death', one of the forms of universal suicide toward which Satan is gradually leading man." (Ibid.)

No use of any technological medium can ever improve communication between human beings. The highest form of communication will always be one human speaking (or signing) to another, face to face. Once technology is introduced, whether it be a pen, a qwerty keyboard, a phone call, or a skype session, the potential power in our communication has been irrevocably compromised.

That's why trends like this are troubling. In fact I would suggest (and you can disagree) that the church must reject the use of technology in communication. Particularly in worship, but also in its common life. Sermons should be spoken without amplification (no mics), video projection, digital recording, or hologramification. Our worship spaces, if they are to be power filled, should be technology free. The electrification of our worship is a poor substitute for dependence upon the Holy Spirit who alone can empower a sermon and communicate truth between persons. Pastors should visit their flock not email them. I'm not advocating technophobia. Our society is so thoroughly saturated by it that it is impossible/stupid to avoid it all together. I am just suggesting that we consider carefully when an where we allow technology to be used.

Profs vs. Preachers

2010-07-16T16:51:00.006-05:00

I started seminary four years ago because I believed that God had called me to preach the word, endure hardship and do the work of an evangelist. At the time that belief was on life support after having been chewed up and spit out working for a church but it was still there none the less. When seminary began I was excited and was hungry to learn a much as I could so that I could be equipped and prepared for ministry.

What was not anticipated was that each year that I was in seminary my desire to go in to the ministry decreased. Fast forward to my final year. As I anticipated graduation the clear calling I had once felt to preaching had all but vanished and I was exploring either starting my own property investing company or a pursuing a PhD as my two options for life after seminary. What happened?

In their book Resident Aliens, Stanley Hauerwas and William Willimon suggest the following:

"Theology, to be Christian, is by definition practical. Either it serves the formation of the church or it is trivial and inconsequential. Preachers are the acid test of theology that would be Christian. Alas, too much theology today seems to have as its goal the convincing of preachers that they are too dumb to understand real theology. Before preachers buy into that assumption, we would like preachers to ask themselves if the problem lies with theologies that have become inconsequential.

Behind the disempowerment of the ministry through the seminary is the hidden agenda of convincing those in the ministry that they are not smart enough to teach in seminary. That is why those of us who take the trouble to get PhD's are paid to continue to teach in seminaries, where we then disempower new generations of ministers by bringing them to seminary in order to convince them that their vocation is not to be a professor!" (Resident Aliens, 165)

This quote may be difficult to relate to for those who have not gone to seminary with the intent of being equipped for ministry. But when I read this I felt that it put words to what I had experienced. Rather than clarifying and affirming my call to ministry my time in seminary taught me that preachers are second class citizens in the world of theology. The message that is not explicit but implicit on the seminary campus is, "If you have any brains at all they either should be used in pursuit of a PhD or in something challenging like business not wasted in something like being a pastor."

They are shepherds after all and everybody knows it doesn't take any brains to be a shepherd right? In fact the less brains the better because no clear thinking individual would dare to take up shepherding if they first thought carefully about it. Shepherds don't get no respect in academia. Nobody wants to read their books, their sermons are clamoring noise, and they can't possibly have anything to contribute that we have not thought about already. right?

Wrong. Either theology serves the formation of the church or it is not Christian. Since preachers are daily on the front lines of forming the church then it follows that they are theologians of the first order. It is time that they are acknowledged as such and empowered to live out their calling instead of lead to question and doubt its significance.

To be fair the above quote is acknowledged by the authors to be slightly hyperbolic. Seminary professors are as essential for doing theology as the preachers. Instead of fighting over who's calling is more significant both must be reminded that their calling ultimately is to build the church.

"As we said earlier, pastors are significant only because of what needs to happen in the church. Now we add that seminary professors like us are significant only because of who pastors need to be." (Ibid.)

June

2010-07-14T11:59:00.014-05:00

At the apartment complex that I manage there is an elderly tenant named June. She moved in to her apartment August 1st 1969 and has lived there ever since. At 86 she is a strong independent woman who takes care of herself. Every day she walks through our neighborhood to buy her own groceries. It is a miracle that June can walk at all.

As a child she contracted Polio and the disease twisted her legs and spine. When she was diagnosed her doctor came in the room and said, "June you have Polio. You are never going to walk again. Don't worry. We will put you in a wheel chair and you will still be able to get around." The doctor then briskly left the room.

June was devastated. As a child the thought of being confined to a wheelchair was almost more than she could bear. Right after the doctor left the room one of the nurses came over to June and said, "June you listen to me. You are gonna walk. Tell me that you are gonna walk."

June: "I'm gonna walk."

Nurse: "louder"

June: "I'm gonna walk!"

Nurse: "June say it again. Like you believe it"

June: "I"M GONNA WALK!"

Nurse: "You will walk June. It will be hard at first. You're going to be like a baby, but you will walk."

Learning to walk again was hard. June first had to master standing without swaying. Then once she could stand on her own she had to learn to shuffle her feet. Slowly she did learn to walk again. As June says, "I may not be graceful but I can walk."

June has told me this story dozens of times. At first I thought to myself this woman is senile, she keeps telling me the same story as if I have never heard it before. To be fair there may be an element of senility but I think something deeper is going on. June's story has given meaning and purpose to her life. She has overcome a lot of adversity. She tells me that her goal now is to live to 100. Something tells me that she probably will. Especially as long as she remembers that story.

When I first took over at the Swiss I intentionally avoided June. Her aged crooked body repulsed me. Her cluttered apartment disgusted me. But as I have gotten to know June she has become one of my heroes. I thank God for her story.

The problem with thinking bi-vocationally

2010-07-10T10:07:00.003-05:00

If you've ever done this you can smell this image

For summer reading I have been going through Creeds of the Churches, one of those books that you skim through while in seminary because you already know it all, but are finally capable of appreciating once your finished (almost in my case) and realize you didn't have a clue your first time through. While reading the Lutheran confessions this week I read the following definition while in the section titled Articles About Matters In Dispute, In Which Account Is Given Of The Abuses Which Have Been Corrected. Under the section regarding monastic vows Luther writes concerning the Christian life:

"For this is Christian perfection: that we fear God honestly with our whole hearts, and yet have sincere confidence, faith, and trust that for Christ's sake we have a gracious, merciful God; that we may and should ask and pray God for those things of which we have need, and confidently expect help from him in every affliction connected with our particular calling and station in life; and that meanwhile we do good works for others and diligently attend to our calling."
(Creeds, 96)

For whatever reason that quote led to the following thoughts. When considering my future in ministry I have generally come to accept that a season, if not a lifetime, of being bi-vocational will be necessary. The term bi-vocational means basically that I would take a "regular" job in addition to working in "ministry" mostly so that we can make ends meet while pursuing that which God has put in our hearts to do. While in seminary I have already been in a sense bi-vocational because I have worked full time while completing my degree. At first that meant cashiering at Whole Foods and for the past couple of years I have been property manager at the magical Swissaire Apartments.

One reason (among many) that Luther raged against monastic vows was that they had they effect in his day of leading the common man to believe that the religious life was beyond their grasp. Luther writes, "When the common man hears that only mendicants are perfect, he is uncertain whether he can keep his possessions and engage in business without sin" (Creeds, 97). As I read this I thought about how similar the culture of the monastery is to our modern culture of the ministry. Those called to the ministry are holy/religious, the one's with a vocation, while the common person simply exists in a necessarily inferior spiritual/religious state, and ultimately without a vocation.

This division between the ministry as the only truly sacred/religious life, and the experience of the common person as somehow profane/irreligious, is one reason behind talking about being bi-vocational, and for that reason I am increasingly convinced that all such talk is more harmful than helpful. (in the spirit of Luther I should probably say something more like..such talk is repugnant, utterly detestable, and of the most pernicious and damnable character fit only for the devils) If I am thinking bi-vocationally the inevitable result is that one vocation will ultimately be revered over the other. One will be considered a divine calling, while the other will be that particular suffering that I must endure to provide for my more profane needs such as food and shelter. In my experience such a dualism necessarily leads to discontent and stress while performing one's so-called profane vocation. Such discontent then leads to many other forms of vice because when I am on the clock at my profane vocation being spiritual or religious is perceived as not necessary or even possible.

So then what is the solution? The solution is to receive all that God has provided as one's spiritual vocation. Both the one called to the ministry and the common man have received their particular calling and station from God and therefore both have a "spiritual vocation". For me what that means is that clearing a clogged sink is as spiritual as studying/writing papers now, and preparing sermons and organizing ministry activities in the future. I don't want to be bi-vocational, I want to be vocational. I want to be as diligent with the mundane aspects of my life as I am with the sacred. I want to learn to receive everything as part of one glorious and beautiful whole. It's not a case of either or, either I am doing the work of the ministry or I am working to pay the bills. It's not a case balancing two distinct vocations, one sacred the other profane. It's about discovering the dignity and significance of all that God has given one to do and to receive it as a unified whole not creating any false separation between the sacred and profane.

Gospel and Sociology

2010-06-27T11:50:00.004-05:00

For my undergrad I studied Sociology. Sociology is basically the studied of human injustice at a macro-level. No other discipline has diagnosed and defined the system of darkness that results in oppression and violence better than sociology. When faced with the sheer magnitude of social injustice an automatic response is rage, passion begins to surge from deep within, passion that then is channeled most often into one revolutionary movement or another. Re-acting to rage through what is perceived to be positive social action such as resistance or revolution is often portrayed as the best response to institutional injustice. The problem with this perspective however is that it ignores completely the depths of darkness that resides within each of our own souls. Even if successful in overthrowing that which seems to be the source of evil we only become the new agents of injustice because all along we ourselves were driven by darkness.

In his book Miroslav Wolf explores the sociological issues of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation from a Gospel perspective. No other book has helped me to make connections between the things I learned in sociology and how they relate to the Gospel better than this book. Below is a quote on the miracle of forgiveness and its power to break the reign of darkness in society.

"For the followers of the crucified Messiah,the main message of the imprecatory Psalms is this: rage belongs before God, not in the reflectively managed and manicured form of a confession, but as a pre-reflective outburst from the depths of the soul. This is no mere cathartic discharge of pent up aggression before the Almighty who ought to care. Much more significantly, by placing unattended rage before God we place both our unjust enemy and our own vengeful self face to face with a God who loves and does justice. Hidden in the dark chambers of our hearts and nourished by the system of darkness, hate grows and seeks to infest everything with its hellish will to exclusion. In the light of the justice and love of God, however, hate recedes and the seed is planted for the miracle of forgiveness. Forgiveness flounders because I exclude the enemy from the community of humans even as I exclude myself from the community of sinners. But no one can be in the presence of the God of the crucified Messiah for long without overcoming this double exclusion, without transposing the enemy from the sphere of monstrous inhumanity into the sphere of shared humanity and herself from the sphere of proud innocence into the sphere of common sinfulness. When one knows that the torturer will not eternally triumph over the victim, one is free to rediscover that persons humanity and imitate God's love for him. And when one knows that God's love is greater than all sin, one is free to see oneself in the light of God's justice and so rediscover one's own sinfulness." - Wolf, Exclusion and Embrace, 124

Keep it simple..

2010-03-17T17:42:00.003-05:00

We read this quote by C.S. Lewis in our Sunday school class and I loved it..

"It is easy to think that the Church has a lot of different objects- education, building, missions, holding services. Just as it is easy to think that the State has a lot of different objects- military, political, economic and what not.

But in a way things are much simpler than that. The State exists simply to promote and to protect the ordinary happiness of human beings in this life. A husband and wife chatting over a fire, a couple of friends having a game of darts in a pub, a man reading a book in his own room or digging in his own garden- that is what the State is there for. And unless they are helping to increase and prolong and protect such moments, all the laws, parliaments, armies, courts, police, economics, etc., are simply a waste of time.

In the same way the Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them like him. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time." (Selected from Mere Christianity for Devotional Classics)

just like us

2010-03-06T09:17:00.003-06:00

"In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek." Heb 5:7-10

I read this last night and it rocked me:

"Speaking of Jesus' vocation brings us to quite a different place from some traditional statements of gospel christology. 'Awareness of vocation' is by no means the same thing as Jesus having the sort of 'supernatural' awareness of himself, of Israel's god, and of the relation between the two of them, such as is often envisaged by those who, concerned to maintain a 'high' christology, place it within an eighteenth-century context of implicit Deism where one can maintain Jesus' 'divinity' only by holding some form of docetism. Jesus did not in other words, 'know that he was God' in the same way that one knows one is male or female, hungry or thirsty, or that one ate an orange an hour ago. His 'knowledge' was of a more risky, but perhaps more significant, sort: like knowing one is loved. One cannot 'prove' it except by living by it. Jesus' prophetic vocation thus included within it the vocation to enact, symbolically, the return of YHWH to Zion. His messianic vocation included within it the vocation to attempt certain tasks which, according to scripture, YHWH had reserved for himself. He would take upon himself the role of messianic shepherd, knowing that YHWH had claimed this role as his own. He would perform the saving task which YHWH had alone said he could achieve. He would do what no messenger, no angel, but only the 'arm of YHWH', the presence of Israel's god, could accomplish. As part of his human vocation, grasped in faith, sustained in prayer, tested in confrontation, agonized over in further prayer and doubt, and implemented in action, he believed he had to do and be, for Israel and the world, that which according to scripture only YHWH himself could do and be. He was Israel's Messiah; but there would, in the end, be 'no king but God'.

I suggest, in short, that the return of YHWH to Zion, and the temple theology that it brings into focus, are the deepest keys and clues to gospel christology. Forget the 'titles' of Jesus, at least for a moment; forget the pseudo-orthodox attempts to make Jesus of Nazareth conscious of being the second person of the Trinity; forget the reductionism that is the mirror image of that unthinking would-be orthodoxy. Focus, instead, on a young Jewish prophet telling a story about YHWH returning to Zion as judge and redeemer, and then embodying it by riding into the city in tears, symbolizing the the Temple's destruction and celebrating the final exodus."
N.T. Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God, 653

I hesitate to add anything. Only that I would invite you to think of Jesus in the garden on the night that he was betrayed. Meditate on the tears that he shed. Go deep into his agony and anxiety. That was real. That was familiar. The struggle of faith. The knowledge that one is loved by God and the risk and danger of living accordingly.

Docetism is the heretical belief that Jesus was not really human but that instead he only appeared that way. A clever and convenient disguise that God put on so that he could lay the smack down and teach us pithy moral maxims and timeless theological truths. The degree to which my own understanding of Jesus' humanity has been influenced by a pseudo-orthodox docetism is perverse.

"We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:16-21

Jesus heard that voice. He knew that he was loved. He knew that his life pleased God. But on the night he was betrayed his agony was such that he shed tears of blood. The 'word of the prophets made more certain' that Peter speaks of is Jesus. The dark place, that he speaks of is this world, this present evil age. The word rendered dark place is the word αυχμηρος and this is the only place in the NT that it occurs. That does not make it significant, but I love the way that it describes the world in which we live. The world that is subjected to the reign of Sin and Death. Where truth and especially the knowledge of God can only penetrate the thick darkness like shafts of light descending into the ocean. The NET Bible translates αυχμηρος as murky place. When Jesus humiliated himself and became one of us, part of his humiliation was subjecting himself to living in this murky place. We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, who doesn't understand what it is like to live in this murky place, where the knowledge of the love of God is distorted, so let us look to him for encouragement and let us "draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:16

love this

2010-02-28T18:45:00.002-06:00

Whitney got this watch for my birthday, and never have I been so crazy for an "accessory". It's automatic so the movement of my body powers the watch. Who thinks of such things? It ticks, and it has windows so you can look inside at the intricacies of the movement. In the Sky Mall magazine I have seen adds for watch cases that resemble humidors. I always thought, who owns a bunch of watches and needs a case to store/display them. Now that I own one I am beginning to feel the itch to add to my collection. Never would have guessed that.

the medium (you and me) is the message

2010-02-22T10:33:00.005-06:00

I guess it is dangerous to quote out of context. I wanted to post the previous quote because I felt that it expressed a very pastoral scholarly sentiment that I not only agreed with, but was very encouraged by. The reality is that when it comes to speaking about Jesus historically, it is very important that we be honest about the data as it exists. When we press it further than it is intended to be pressed (for example no one saying of Jesus or teaching of Jesus in the Gospels ever claims to be word for word what was spoken at a given time or place) we run the risk of misrepresenting the data and ultimately misrepresenting our Lord.

For many evangelicals historical inquiry is considered useful only so far as it can be used as a club with which we can bash the heads in of all who dare to suggest that the words and stories that are contained in our text are not the actual words and actions of the Lord. In order to explain discrepancies in various accounts then we are forced to flatten and bend the text in ungodly ways to make sense of the data. It is much better to receive the texts as they were intended to be received, traditions/memories about Jesus the God-Man who actually existed, and who's life and ministry provide the example for all subsequent communities of faith, communicated through the memory and voice of ordinary un-educated men.

Not factual literal accounts, not audio recordings, not transcripts, not video evidence. If Jesus felt it were in important for us to have word for word accounts of his life and teaching surely he would have included scribes and not fisherman as his confidants. Heck he would have even written stuff down himself. The fact that he didn't seems to suggest that he had faith that the Spirit would recall all that really mattered, and that the voice of the uneducated ordinary men who followed him would be better than his own to communicate his message. Interestingly this seems to follow a pattern found elsewhere in scripture of God choosing ordinary men, empowering them by his Spirit, and then using them as the primary means by which he makes himself known among the nations.

We worship a holy God who lives in unapproachable light and who desires to be known but who chooses to make himself known through the fallible ordinary lives of sinful man. That God created man pre-Fall to be his image bearer on the Earth is easy to accept (apologies to those who find even this ridiculous/unbelievable), that he remains radically committed to them as his image bearers, and primary defenders of his reputation despite them being completely corrupted by Sin is miraculous. Why did he not come in our day when we could have recorded his teaching and miracles in High Definition and mass produce exact copies on Blue Ray DVD's? For real impact we could have even enhaced some recordings with 3-D technology so that those who watched could feel as though they were actually present. I would suggest that it is because the testimony of the Spirit of God breathing life into that which was once dead (me and you) always trumps texts, audio recordings, video etc. as an effective means of communicating the Gospel.

a gentleman and a scholar

2010-02-20T10:26:00.003-06:00

I read this recently in The Historical Jesus Five Views and wanted to quote it in full. It is a quote by James Dunn in his response to Darrell Bock's essay in the book..

"it is well to remember that historical methodology can only produce probabilities, the probability that some event took place in such circumstances being greater or smaller, depending on the quality of the data and the perspective of the historical enquirer...Those who like 'certainty' in matters of faith will always find this uncomfortable. But faith is not knowledge of 'hard facts'; it is rather confidence, assurance, or trust in the reliability of the data. Probability, we now realize, is much more integral to daily living than was previously understood. So the acceptance of the fact that in historical investigation we are dealing with probabilities rather than certainties should not be so alarming to those of faith as it is sometimes thought to be.

It does seem important to me that those who speak for evangelical Christians grasp this nettle firmly, even if it stings!- it is important for the intellectual integrity of evangelicals. Of course any Christian (and particularly evangelical Christians) will want to get as close as possible to the Jesus who ministered in Galilee in the late 20's of the first century. If, as they believe, God spoke in and through that man, more definitively and finally than at any other time and by any other medium, then of course Christians will want to hear as clearly as possible what he said, and to see as clearly as possible what he did, to come as close as possible to being an eyewitness and earwitness for themselves. If God revealed himself most definitively in the historical particularity of a Galilean Jew in the earliest decades of the Common Era, then naturally those who believe this will want to inquire as closely into the historical particularity and actuality of that life and of Jesus' mission. The possibility that later faith has in some degree covered over that historical actuality cannot be dismissed as out of the question. So a genuinely critical historical inquiry is necessary if we are to get as close to the historical actuality as possible. Critical here, and this is the point, should not be taken to mean negatively critical, hermeneutical suspicion, dismissal of any material that has overtones of Easter Faith. It means, more straightforwardly, a careful scrutiny of all the relevant data to gain as accurate or as historically responsible a picture as possible.

In a day when evangelical even Christian, is often identified with a strong right-wing, conservative and even fundamentalist attitude to the Bible, it is important that responsible evangelical scholars defend and advocate such critical historical inquiry and their work display its positive outcome and benefits. These include believers growing in maturity

* to recognize gray areas and questions to which no clear-cut answer can be given

* to discern what really matters and distinguish them from issues that matter little

* to be able to engage in genuine dialogue with those who share or respect a faith inquiring after truth and seeking deeper understanding.

In that way we may hope that evangelical (not to mention Christian) can again become a label that men and women of integrity and good will can respect and hope to learn from more than most seem to do today.

Amen.

A life that pleases God

2010-02-03T11:29:00.004-06:00

"Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more." (1 Thess 4:1)

When leading discussion on 1 Thess 4 this past Sunday I was troubled by this verse. Particularly I was troubled by the thought of living in order to please God. Two questions:

1. is living to please God a right motive for life and action when it feels like a burden?
2. is it possible to live a life that pleases God?

As I reflected on what was troubling to me I realized that the questions that I had were rooted in my beliefs about who God is. Truth be told I have a tendency to conceive of God more as a task master/slave driver, than a Father who is pleased. In fact it is very difficult for me to believe that my life could ever be pleasing to God. So when I read a verse like this instead of holding onto the part where Paul states "as in fact you are living", I pull out my whip, commence with the self-flagellation and fixate on the end "do this more and more", all the while reminding myself that God is not pleased, that no matter how much progress I seem to make it is never enough, and there is always more to do. The God of my heart is very similar (and unfortunately as ugly) the slave driver pictured above.

But the God of the Bible is the same God who when Jesus was baptized spoke with a voice from heaven and declared, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." (Matt 3:17) This is the God who Paul declared to the Thessalonians. A loving Father who is pleased with the lives of his children. A God different than the fickle pantheon they had been accustomed to worshiping. Not a God who demanded endless sacrifices for his own pleasure, but God who genuinely was pleased with their lives and the things that they were doing.

Then it struck me that the motivation for "do this more and more" comes not from the knowledge that God is never pleased, but instead from the joy that comes from fully understanding that one's life "as in fact you are living" is pleasing to God. My prayer is that I would one day be able to hear the voice from heaven that speaks "this is my son Andy, whom I love; and with him I am well pleased" without blushing or being ashamed or making excuses for why it is not true and simply rest in its truth. I think that if I can get to that place then the second part of "do this more and more" will be a joy and not the burden that it has been.

on NDE's and the Resurrection

2009-10-18T14:39:00.003-05:00

I read and article on near death experiences the other day that led to the following thoughts on our hope of Resurrection. One of the common features of a NDE is that the individual experiences the sensation of being out of their body prior to entering into another realm where any number of sensations are reported as being experienced. According to biblical anthropology human beings are spiritual physical beings. The union between our physical body and our soul is so complete that it is an unnatural state of existence for the two to ever be separated. One of the many tragedies of death is that upon the cessation of life our soul is separated from our physical body. What is even more fascinating about NDE's is that as soon as the physical body of the person who had clinically died is resuscitated the disembodied soul immediately returns to that body.

In the same way when we die we will all experience a separation of our soul from our physical body. But at the Resurrection our soul will be reunited with our flesh as God breathes new life into that which had died. We cannot stay eternally separated from our physical body because as humans we are created spiritual physical beings and are necessarily dependent upon embodiment for our existence. A soul with out a body is a soul, but it is not a human. In addition the union between our soul and our body is such that without the hope of the future resurrection of our body there is no hope of future existence beyond death. If our bodies are not raised our soul can never be re-embodied and we will cease to exist.

Where God keeps our souls until the Resurrection, and what that state of existence is like I do not know. But because God has raised Christ from the dead I can say with the church that I "long for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come."

STOKED

2009-10-17T11:45:00.002-05:00

Just bought tickets to go see them with Whitney in Austin @Stubbs Nov. 1st. Gonna bomb down there for one night. Can't wait. If you wanna come just let me know.

It is finished

2009-10-10T10:15:00.003-05:00

The City inspector came by yesterday....for the LAST time. He took some digital pictures of the painting I had done, and that was it. He got back into his natural gas vehicle and drove off. No fireworks, no accolades, no high five.

Painting the dilapidated exterior of Swissaire has been my life since June. Especially these past two weeks as we approached the deadline. Between the painting and the many many air conditioning repairs this summer I have not had much time for just about anything else. I often wonder why this is happening to me. There are moments when I love what I am doing, see the potential for future stability and profits, and think that this could be my life. But then I think about why we came to Dallas in the first place, so I could study theology, and I think what the heck? Who runs a small business while they are getting their ThM?

I don't doubt that I am doing what God has for me to do. I just want to make sense of it. Especially how will what I am doing now play into my future..(fully realizing that I could die tomorrow and that what I have done until now is all that I was created to do). I have several options that I am considering in no particular order:

In the next 10 years I will...

1. Pursue a PhD, become a professor of theology, speak and write books.

2. Purchase a small apartment complex in California, 1-10 units, live off the money generated from operating the apartments, plant a church with a group of friends.

3. Apply for ministry positions and take a job anywhere USA (ok, on the coasts, who am I kidding). Preferably, associate, head or executive pastor...this is probably least likely as I have a track record of not fitting into systems without attempting to alter them significantly.

4. Purchase a small apartment complex in California, 1- 10 units, use the proceeds to purchase other properties, build a small real estate empire that will ensure financial stability for my family, find a great local church, become an elder or member in good standing and take whatever volunteer ministry positions I can.

Maybe I will end up doing one of these, none of them, or I will die this week and will have done all that I will ever do. Either way I hope to not only fulfill the purpose for which I was created, but to have a damn good time doing it, while helping as many people as possible, and enjoying the gift of life to its fullest. Also before I die I hope to vacation with Whitney on the Croatian coast.

rad

2009-09-08T20:35:00.001-05:00

A blessing and a curse....

2009-08-22T20:23:00.003-05:00

Below is a paragraph from one of the five Strengths I discovered I had after taking the Strengths Finder. I am generally skeptical of all assessments, but this thing not only nailed me, it has nailed pretty much everyone I know who has taken it. Below was one of five strength themes that were identified for me: Achiever, Activator, Competition, Strategic, and Belief. I highly recommend everyone buying the book so that you can be assessed yourselves. I'm not kidding, BUY THE BOOK.

I used to think that I had a tendency toward depression because I am generally discontent and always feeling that there is something more that I could be doing or that I could have done. Understanding that I am not depressed, but just naturally supercharged for achievement enables me to better understand why I feel discontent and enables me to seek ways of channeling that energy in positive directions rather than sitting around feeling like I have done nothing of value with my life. I try to compensate by pretending I'm the dude, when in reality I want to kick some serious butt and win in everything no matter what.

"Your Achiever theme helps explain your drive. Achiever describes a constant need for achievement. You feel as if every day starts at zero. By the end of the day you must achieve something tangible in order to feel good about yourself. And by "every day" you mean every single day -- workdays, weekends, vacations. No matter how much you may feel you deserve a day of rest, if the day passes without some form of achievement, no matter how small, you will feel dissatisfied. You have an internal fire burning inside you. It pushes you to do more, to achieve more. After each accomplishment is reached, the fire dwindles for a moment, but very soon it rekindles itself, forcing you toward the next accomplishment. Your relentless need for achievement might not be logical. It might not even be focused. But it will always be with you. As an Achiever you must learn to live with this whisper of discontent. It does have its benefits. It brings you the energy you need to work long hours without burning out. It is the jolt you can always count on to get you started on new tasks, new challenges. It is the power supply that causes you to set the pace and define the levels of productivity for your work group. It is the theme that keeps you moving."

Mogwai - I'm Jim Morrison, I'm dead live

2009-07-23T22:07:00.001-05:00

No don't do that to me......

2009-07-12T13:45:00.002-05:00

This am I sat through an incredibly bad sermon about death and resurrection. It was so bad that it actually helped to clarify somewhat the direction that my life could be heading. I believe that what we say in the pulpit really matters. Therefore I am beginning to believe that the best use of my life might be to teach those who are called to teach others so that they preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and not heresy. NT Wright has helped to point me in this direction and if I could imitate just a fraction of his ministry I would consider it life well spent. Below is just another sample of his work that gets me extremely stoked.

"At this point we need to ward off several frequent misunderstandings. I find myself not for the first time, in full agreement with Ernst Käsemann. In his famous 1953 lecture, which effectively launched the so-called “new quest,” he urged that without serious historical-Jesus study the Church and the world could re-invent Jesuses to suit their every whim.[26] That is the negative reason for engaging, as I believe every generation of the Church must engage, in the historical study of Jesus. Just as the Nazi theologians, Käsemann’s obvious target, had re-invented a non-Jewish Jesus so today people are inventing Jesuses who support all kinds of ideologies. And if we in the Church think we are immune from this, I would urge that we think again. Christians are alas, capable of all kinds of fantasies and anachronisms in reading the Gospels, and to pull the blanket of the canon over our heads and pretend that we are safe in our private, fideistic world is sheer self-delusion. It is demonstrably the case that where the Church has thought itself safe in its canonical world worshipping the ever-present ascended Jesus in prayer and the liturgy, it is capable of massive self-delusion and distortion.[27] Whether or not this reaches Docetism proper, without continuing attention to history we can pull and push the word “Jesus” this way and that and make it serve our own ends. It will not do, again, to sneer that historians always see the reflection of their own faces at the bottom of the well. Those who forswear historical Jesus study will find it impossible, ultimately, to escape seeing the reflection of their own faces in their dogmatic Christs."
Wright, Jesus and the Identity of God, Ex Auditu 1998, 14, 42–56

oops

2009-06-29T10:24:00.004-05:00

"The supposed legalistic Judaism of scholars from Weber to Thyen (and doubtless later) serves a very obvious function. It acts as the foil against which superior forms of religion are described. It permits as Neusner has said, the writing of theology as if it were history. One must note in particular the projection on to Judaism of the view which Protestants find most objectionable in Roman Catholicism: the existence of a treasury of merits established by works of supererogation. We have here the retrojection of the Protestant-Catholic debate into ancient history, with Judaism taking the role of Catholicism and Christianity the role of Lutheranism." E.P. Sanders, Paul and Palestinian Judaism, 57

I cannot tell you how often I have thought about and taught Judaism as a works based religious system in which God was remote and salvation was determined by an accounting of merit. An obviously inferior religious system that was surpassed by Christianity, a religion in which salvation was by grace alone and not something one could earn by meritorious observance of the Law, and whose chief privilege was the nearness of God. To realize how much of that which I regarded as fact, or even historical reality, was really the interpretation of a few scholars whose work I have never read but whose interpretation became widely accepted as the "standard view" is unsettling to say the least.

The church will always struggle to be pure theologically but the least her people can do is to strive to not teach as doctrine the tradition of scholars (or worse: pop-Christian books/music/culture). This is especially important for those to whom the task of communicating doctrine has been entrusted. No one is up to the task but the least one can do is commit themselves wholeheartedly while trusting the Spirit to correct any errors or overemphasis in future generations.

Beautiful words....

2009-06-28T18:19:00.004-05:00

From the introduction to Paul and Palestinian Judaism by E.P. Sanders.

PERSIAN-ASSYRIAN BRUCE LEE

2009-06-26T22:43:00.001-05:00

My hero. I only hope to live with this kind of honesty.

Ultimate Warrior

2009-06-26T13:29:00.001-05:00

Nothin Better

2009-05-28T18:18:00.001-05:00

Just got Wrights new book. I love it when I read a book and literally feel giddy on the inside. I am very grateful for his scholarship. More importantly I am thankful to be alive during such a critical moment in church history. My only hope is that I will be able to catch a ride on one of the many ripples that are going out from his work and stay on it until it becomes a huge wave impacting the church in America in a way that is meaningful and lasting.

What Is Hell Like? Does It Even Exist? NT Wright on 100 Huntley Street (HD)

2009-05-26T10:41:00.001-05:00

Resurrection Of The Body: Has This Belief Changed In Church History? NT Wright Responds (HD)

2009-05-26T10:36:00.001-05:00

rad

2009-05-11T22:12:00.001-05:00

American blues, Tuvan throat singing.

Go to Hell!

2009-05-05T12:27:00.003-05:00

Those who live in the Bay are familiar with the story that this article addresses. (click the stinkin link and then peruse the comments for full effect, or stop reading because without context the rest of this post is gibberish) However, what I found interesting were the comments. I love the SFGATE comment feature because you can get a real feel for the eclectic world view of the Bay Area by reading through the comments on any given article.

The race tinged hatred of many of the comments was telling. But what I would like to focus on is the number of people who either expressed a desire that Lovelle would rot in hell, or stated as fact that he was there now suffering for eternity for the crimes he had committed while in the flesh. I found this interesting because I am sure that the people who were commenting as such would not identify themselves as religious (based on observation of the general attitude of the SFGATE commenting community towards religion), nor would the explicitly identify as Christian. Yet they overwhelming find comfort in knowing or believing that this life is not all that there is and that evil doers will be brought to justice in eternity.

One of the reasons that Christ's eventual victory over our enemy Death is so important is that Death levels the playing field in a manner that is cruel and unjust. If both the righteous and the unrighteous die and then simply cease to exist then God is unjust. Go out and indulge in as much wickedness as you heart desires, destroy other people's lives, and then put a bullet through your own head and you will never have to suffer for what you have done. But if one day all will be raised bodily, the righteous to eternal life, and the unrighteous to eternal torment and suffering, then God is just. What hell is, where it is, or who will be there I do not know. That it does exist is comforting to me because it assures me that one day justice will be served, every tear will be wiped away, every victim will be comforted, and the wicked will be punished.

jams

2009-04-24T17:02:00.001-05:00

Ever have the same conversation 3 times?

2009-04-16T16:45:00.004-05:00

Typically when that happens it is worthwhile to process said conversations and learn from them. Yesterday over pho tai a friend told me about his desire to start an organic faith community modeled after his interpretation of the "early church". He expressed a desire to distance his community from terminology such as Christian, church and practices like meeting on Sunday for worship. For him these terms were too loaded with negative connotations to be helpful in reaching the un-churched. He even suggested that the bowl of pho that we had just shared could substitute for the Eucharist because the important thing is fellowship over food, not the elements of bread and wine. This dude's heart is in the right place, he is aware of the negative stereotypes that those terms conjure up and he feels the best way to get around the issue is to ditch the terms.

I then asked what he would call his community? no answer. How would you describe your own faith and practice? a disciple of christ, or maybe a christ follower...

Then this morning, in my P-Lead class, the instructor talked about thinking of other terms that we could use with similar concerns as my friend. His angle is totally different though..he is more concerned with branding and his primary concern is that Christian as a brand name and church as a retailer were both too loaded with negative connotations to be marketable. He also suggested that we think of better brand names and suggested that he was now trying to use "Christ follower" instead of christian.

Then this afternoon I talked about theses conversations with my friend James and our conversation led to the following conclusions:

I have problems with both of the views and this why...Yes the terms Christian and Church have many negative connotations. But that doesn't mean that we have to disown that which is our central to our identity. In response to those who wish to call themselves Christ followers or disciples of Christ, but who do not want to be associated with the church. NEWSFLASH! all of Christ's disciples (those whom he taught personally during his earthly ministry) are dead. Without the church you would have never known Christ. You would not have been taught the Gospel. You would not have any Scripture. You would not have any spiritual life. The church is Christ's body and you cannot be a follower of Christ without being a part of his body. Separate yourself from the church, the Spirit indwelt worldwide community of faith, and you are not a follower of Christ you are some sort of cult.

If you are a Christian you should gather with other Christians on Sunday. It really matters. It matters because Sunday is the day that Christ was raised from the dead, and without the resurrection your faith is futile and you are still dead in sin. We gather on Sunday because we owe our very existence to the resurrection. Without the resurrection there is no church, no faith, no life, and no hope. Not just any day will do. You can gather in addition to Sunday, but if your faith is in the Son of God who rose from the dead than you should always worship on the eighth day.

Pho Tai is not the Eucharist. If you say that any food can be substituted for the body and blood of Jesus Christ then you are only revealing your lack of understanding of the uniqueness and importance of his substitutionary death on the cross. "unless you eat my flesh, and drink my blood, you have no part in me." Not any flesh and any blood, but Jesus' flesh and Jesus' blood. The church has taught us that the appropriate elements are bread and wine. Anything else is not the Eucharist, and is not in remembrance of Christ for whom the elements are a symbol. If you gather and do not partake of the elements you have not worshiped Christ nor honored his memory, and your worship is not Christian. It is something, but it is not Christian.

Finally, if you believe by faith that Christ's sacrifice provided atonement for your sin and that God will raise you from the dead, are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, associate yourself with the church, read the scripture, and partake of the Eucharist, you are a Christian. Own it. The negative stereotypes are only an issue for those who do not know you relationally and who judge you based on stereotypes that likely do not apply to you. Are there those who claim the name Christian that at best are an embarrassment, and at worse an abomination? Yes. But the best way to confront the stereotypes is to claim the name and then live differently. Those who you impact relationally will not be put off by the title because they will have witnessed your transformed life and will have nothing that they can hold against you.

SO..to the Christian who is ashamed of the terms because of the stereotypes, own the terms and change people's perceptions. Realize that you are either a Christian or you are not, and apart from the church you would not know Christ nor could you follow him for the Church is his body and apart from the church you cannot have fellowship with him.

Fine articulation of the Christian worldview...

2009-04-13T09:05:00.003-05:00

From NT Wright:

Who are we? We are in the "Messiah" , identified solely by our confession and faith in him as the risen Lord; we are the new covenant people, the Torah fulfilling people, the worldwide family promised to Abraham by the one true God.

Where are we? In the good creation of the good God; creation is still groaning in travail, awaiting its own liberation from decay, but is already under the lordship of the risen and ascended Messiah.

What's wrong? The world, and we ourselves, are not yet redeemed as we shall be. Most people in the world, pagans and Jews alike, remain ignorant of what Israel's God has done in Jesus the Messiah. In particular the present world rulers (Caesar and the rest, and the dark "spiritual" powers that stand behind them) are at best a parody, and at worst a monstrous and blasphemous distortion, of the true justice and peace the one God intends for his world. Because sin still has idolatrous humankind in its grip death still acts as a tyrant.

What's the solution? In the long term, the creator's great act of new creation, through which the cosmos itself will be liberated, true justice and peace will triumph over all enemies, all the righteous will be raised from the dead, and believers at that time will be transformed. In the short term, the Gospel must be announced to the world, doing its own powerful work of challenging, transforming, healing and rescuing, and thus creating "resurrection" people in the metaphorical sense.

What time is it? The "age to come" has been inaugurated, but the "present age" still continues. We live between resurrection and resurrection, that of Jesus and that of ourselves; between the victory over death at Easter and the final victory when Jesus "appears" again. This now/not yet tension within which we live is both a catalyst for prayer and a source of hope enabling us to endure our present sufferings.

Wright, Resurrection of the Son of God, 275

The Church is a whore!

2009-04-07T09:20:00.004-05:00

Today in my church leadership class I heard the Bill Hybels quote that always makes my skin crawl, "The church is the hope of the world". I have always had serious issues with this quote. Then this morning I realized why. I hate this quote because the only people that seem to use it are the same people who subscribe to leadership theories like "speed of the leader speed of the flock" etc. The issue that I have is that when we say the church is the hope of the world, and the speed of the church is directly dependent upon me, then by extension what we are really saying is "I am the hope of the world". If there were ever a blasphemous statement I am sure this qualifies.

I prefer Augustine's quote, "The church is a whore, but she is still my mother". I offered this in class, and everyone just laughed. Then one of the students lectured me on how we are the hope of the world because Christ is not here so he has to work through us. blah blah blah....!!! I acknowledge that the primary means by which Christ continues to redeem the world is through his bride, but I am not ok with those who pretend his bride is a trophy wife and not the whore that she is. I would ask that my readers simply meditate upon Augustine's words. I have found that the profundity of his statement has only helped me in cultivating a deeper devotion to the church. I think that the reason my classmates laughed is because they are uncomfortable with the logical extension of Augustine's words, "I am a whore, but Christ loves me and remains committed to my well being". The church is my mother, in her I was given spiritual birth, in her I have been nurtured and cared for. I have seen her ugly side and I can't stop loving her because she is my mother. I know her reputation but true love loves the other including their brokenness.

We like power and glory and get off on being the hope of the world. But when we pretend that the church is somehow the hope of the world we are setting up our people for disaster. What are they supposed to do when the see through our facade and find that the church is the whore that she is, constantly straying from her groom and prostituting herself with the world? Sadly they often get disillusioned and end up leaving....God help us to be honest with ourselves and to appreciate the mystery that you love your church even though she is a whore.

One final thought. When we teach that the Church is the hope of the world we actually end up cheapening Christ's love for the church because it becomes based somehow on the church's (our) loveliness or usefulness in achieving his purposes. But when teach that the church is a whore we magnify Christ's love because it emphasizes the wonder that Christ would remain devoted to his bride in spite of her (our) whoring.

Yes.

2009-04-04T18:25:00.004-05:00

"I once heard a preacher who sorely tempted me to say I would go to church no more. Men go, thought I, where they are wont to go, else had no soul entered the temple in the afternoon. A snow-storm was falling all around us. The snow-storm was real; the preacher merely spectral, and the eye felt the sad contrast in looking at him, and then out of the window behind him, into the beautiful meteor of the snow. He had lived in vain. He had not one word intimating that he had laughed or wept, was married or in love, had been commended, or cheated, or chagrined. If he had ever lived and acted, we were non the wiser for it. The capital secret of his profession, namely to convert life into truth, he had not learned..."
Ralph Waldo Emerson, from a lecture given to the Harvard Divinity School in 1838

"I am persuaded that one reason why our working-men so universally keep clear of ministers is because they abhor their artificial and unmanly ways. If they saw us, in the pulpit and out of it, acting like real men, and speaking naturally, like honest men, they would come around us...The vice of the ministry is that ministers will parsonificate the Gospel. We must have humanity along with our divinity if we would win the masses. Everybody can see through affections, and people are not likely to be taken in by them. Fling away your stilts, brethren, and walk on your feet; doff your ecclesiasticism, and array yourselves in truth."
Spurgeon, from a lecture entitled The Minister's Ordinary Conversation

Why I love the internets..

2009-03-13T19:27:00.002-05:00

I have been reading a book my brother gave me while we were visiting called Lectures to My Students, by Charles Spurgeon. In one of the lectures I was reading today Spurgeon was warning his students to not waste their time. He suggested that they read an a essay called "On the Improvement of Time" by John Foster. I googled it, and sure enough the entire essay, published in 1866, was digitized and free to download as a pdf. I bet I had an easier time getting my hands on a copy than Spurgeons students. Amazing.

The Paradox

2009-03-11T09:08:00.002-05:00

While on the plane to Seattle I read a section of Chrysostrom's commentary on the Psalms. I am about to write a paper on Psalm 8, and while reading his comments on that Psalm I came across this quote:

"whatever you say about God is greatly inferior to that being and is a mark of considerateness. I mean, what would you like to say about God? God is great. But this is a trifling remark in respect to God: greatness as far as it goes is finite, whereas God is infinite. This is a trifling remark in respect to God. I mean, the fact that he is infinite I know, but what he is, or where he is I do not know."

This holy unknowing has resonated with me. The Triune God has revealed himself to mankind, has redeemed humanity and given us access to himself through his Son, and yet remains hidden and unknowable. As I processed this thought with my brother over a coffee I realized that we should always be weary of those who would claim to know our God. A god that is knowable is not a god but an idol. The truth is that which we can comprehend about the Triune God is not comparable to that which we cannot comprehend. I believe that our lack of reverence in our prayer and our worship (my own included) is due in part to a false sense of familiarity with our God that is based upon a presumption that we know him. Maybe we could regain a reverent fear of our God if we could humble ourselves and admit that what we do not know about our God, and especially his will, for ourselves and humanity in general, far outweighs that which we can know.

This of course does not mean that we cannot speak at all about God, or his will, but it simply means that when we do we should do so with a humility and reverence that acknowledges the greatness of our God who dwells in unapproachable light.

Jealous

2009-03-04T21:24:00.000-06:00

2009-02-25T22:01:00.003-06:00

For Lent I am going to learn to pray as prescribed by the Didache 8.2-3. Praying the Lord's prayer 3 times a day.

Polycarp

2009-02-23T09:06:00.001-06:00

Whitney and I learned from our iBreviary today that my birthday happens to also be the feast day of this great saint. Pretty cool.

This modern life...rambling reflections

2009-02-19T09:54:00.005-06:00

The prospect of preaching the Gospel in the modern world is incredibly daunting. We read selected passages of Jonathan Edwards' sermons yesterday in one of my classes. As we listened I could not help but think about how incredibly difficult it is to communicate Biblical truth and historical doctrines to a world that is so saturated with technology, information, entertainment, and activity that even getting people to sit still for 20 minutes is a gargantuan task.

This week I preached a sermon on Hebrews 13:2 and the importance of showing hospitality to strangers. As I walked around downtown I was overwhelmed by the reality that in our mobile society everyone is a stranger, everyone. In many ways even our acquaintances, those who's names we know are strange to us. In then end I was left to define the stranger as those who's status forces them to live on the margins of society, the poor, the elderly, the disabled and the insane etc...In our modern society for the sake of efficiency we in the church have allowed the care and concern for these groups to be taken over by the government and various secular non-profit (as well as for profit- especially the care for the elderly) organizations. Which is convenient because then they don't have to be a part of our community or in our services on Sunday.

In Luke 14:12-14 we read:

Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

During his lifetime with regard to hospitality Jesus played the role of both guest and host. As I reflected upon this passage I thought of the meals which Jesus' hosted. Around his table were often the "strangers" mentioned in Luke 14:12-14. Meals are central to hospitality. The meals that Christ shared were both a picture of the feasting that will take place in the Kingdom as well as a picture of the Eucharist. When the church gathers on the eighth day (Sunday) to partake of the meal of Christ's body and blood it is in a way a reenactment of the meals that Christ shared while on the earth. He remains our host, and we are the strangers, the lame the blind, the prostitutes, the corrupt business men, the perverts, the homeless, the insane, the disabled, and the elderly, with no way of repaying our host for his hospitality.

As I reflected further upon this picture, I began to think of how little room there is in our congregations for those who are strangers. I cannot remember the last time I sat next to someone who was severely disabled, or even mildly for that matter, on a Sunday morning. There is no place for them at our table. Poor people smell, are extremely uncouth and embarrassing, and make horrible dinner guests. The elderly are boring and slow. The blind can't appreciate our power points. Foreigners talk funny and dress weird.

I think that the main reason that we do not allow strangers at our table on Sunday morning is that we have lost touch with our own identity as strangers. We must never forget that we are those who were at Christ's table. We are the ones that he was ridiculed for associating with. When we lose touch with our identity as the stranger, and the humility that accompanies being an invited guest incapable of repaying the host, we fail to then extend the welcome we have received to those who's status as stranger is more obvious than our own. We take our welcome for granted and presume upon the graciousness of our host expecting him to feed us because we have so much to offer him. Even worse we stop taking the meal all together (except on occasion so that we can check it off our list) because we are capable of feeding ourselves and dare not depend upon our host to provide for our needs.

Good Morning!!!

2009-02-17T09:25:00.001-06:00

dig it

2009-02-12T18:20:00.001-06:00

RIght on..

2009-02-07T10:46:00.003-06:00

"'All the creatures of God are good, if they be received with thanksgiving,' this text shows that what God has made is good. Now eating, drinking, marrying, etc. , are of God's making, therefore they are good. Yet the glosses of the primitive fathers are against this text: for Bernard, Basil, Jerome, and others, have written to far other purpose. But I prefer the text to them all, though in popedom, the glosses were deemed of higher value than the bright and clear text. " -Martin Luther, Table Talk.

Colbert's REMIX - FULL VERSION

2009-02-03T14:01:00.001-06:00

the man

2009-02-02T21:38:00.001-06:00

Now I remember..

2009-01-27T15:23:00.003-06:00

Today I remembered why I came to seminary. I wanted to be able to study and then offer insight into that which I studied that would be truly my own insight and not simply the regurgitation of some one else's material. Reminders like these help to keep me moving forward with this endeavor even if at times I feel as though I am walking waste deep through wet cement.

Like bread at the collisuem..

2009-01-22T13:00:00.005-06:00

Hi! My name is William J. Lynn nominee for Deputy Defense Secretary and a lobbyist for Raytheon a major defense contractor. I know that the President signed an executive order regarding not allowing lobbyists to serve in a department of an administration for which they lobbied, but my excellence and qualifications exempt me. Isn't that cool?

When the President signed his initial executive orders it reminded me of Caesar throwing free bread to the people during gladiatorial tournaments. The "highest ethical standards ever set" and yet violated at the time of signing. Just like they will only use the Army field manual for interrogation except when expedient not to.

A Great Day

2009-01-20T15:16:00.002-06:00

Went to Starbucks this morning and the sleeve on my coffee was patriotic. Interestingly the quote emblazoned on the sleeve was a quote from Ronald Reagan. One of the most conservative politicians, indeed the father of modern conservative politics in America and these were his words..."My fellow citizens, our nation is poised for greatness. We must do what we know is right and do it with all of our might. Let history say of us, 'Those were golden years- when the American Revolution was reborn, when freedom gained new life, when America reached for her best.'" The more things change the more they stay the same. The best part about Obama is that he has the same capacity as Reagan to make our nation feel good about itself and that gives me hope that we are in for some very cool things.

My friend Brad said it best on his facebook when he said that he was "looking forward to the day when we realize they need us more than we need them."

Soooo good..but

2009-01-19T10:58:00.003-06:00

Almost finished reading Under the Unpredictable Plant by Eugene Peterson. The best book on pastoral ministry that I have read in eons. The most disturbing part is that it used to be required reading for the pastoral internship at DTS. Obviously it is no longer. That kills me. I wish that I went to that seminary.

Go and do something about it!

2009-01-16T17:09:00.002-06:00

In these difficult financial times I am tired of people asking, "what is the government going to do about this mess?" Why don't we ask instead what are we going to do about it? The last thing we need is another injection of cash that we have already demonstrated we have no idea how to handle. We are like a bunch of spoiled wealthy children who have no idea the value of a dollar. Until we do we should not give any more handouts!!!!! We need to suffer, we need to be poor, we need to see more people (even whole families) on the streets because as was demonstrated in the first depression those who experience suffering dig deep and find a way to pull together and through hard work and innovation build a better future for their children.

Slave Lucky Dube

2009-01-13T19:34:00.001-06:00

The First British Hydrogen Bomb

2009-01-13T18:03:00.001-06:00

2009-01-13T17:22:00.001-06:00

SP09

2009-01-10T14:47:00.003-06:00

So here it comes. Semester 6 of 8. That means that after this there are only two more. Honestly, I am not ready to go at it again. I am tired. I want to stay in bed. From what I have read in my syllabuses I am not going to fully enjoy the hoops that I will be jumping through this semester. This sounds awful but hang in there. I am probably most bummed because the beginning of a new semester means that I must once again put down the stuff that I am stoked on and actually want to study, and submit to teaching that I question and preparation for ministry that I almost completely disagree with. That being said I know that good things are happening. I am gaining tools that will one day be invaluable. The hard part is resisting the temptation to complain and grumble and even give up.

Here are some papers from last semester:

Romans 13
Sanctification 1
Sanctification 2

Is it possible in our day?

2009-01-04T15:26:00.002-06:00

"chivalry was the development of all that was lovely, graceful, and worthy in human nature. A spirit that was so intimately connected with the three great principles- religion, love, and poetry- could not but appear admirable in the eyes of the people who became its eager votaries; a spirit endowed with such qualities, pervading the actions of the noble and the good, could not do otherwise than give a moral tone to the manners of the people at large. Such a high standard of morality set up, even if it was not always reached in practice, necessarily had the effect of purifying men's minds and feelings, restraining vile passions, polishing their manners, and tending to render barbarism and cruelty a thing of the past."

As I think of the sad state of masculinity in our present society I wonder if it would be possible to stem the tide of immorality, apathy, general cowardliness and stupidity that has become characteristic of men in America. What would be the impact on society in general if we regained a sense of manhood that inspired service, acts of courage, and morality. I have even wondered whether it would be possible to establish some sort of initiatory rite similar to knighthood so that boys would have a tangible experience by which they are recognized as becoming men. Our current milestones only contribute to the general degradation of society rather than its betterment- first kiss, first lay, first time getting drunk, etc- and are ambiguous at best.

new book

2009-01-01T22:09:00.003-06:00

Got a book titled The Spirit and Influence of Chivalry, a series of essays published by John Batty in 1890. Hopefully a good read and inspiration for noble deeds such as slaying dragons, rescuing maidens etc.

2008

2008-12-31T20:01:00.002-06:00

My wife posted her five best moment of 2008. That was foreign to me as I typically use the advent of a new year to reflect on the things I regret or failed to accomplish. SO I have wanted to think of my best moments, but I still have a hard time coming up with any....

1. I finished my first year as apartment manager without any major drama, and managed to take the business from being in the hole when I took over, to turning a tidy profit while learning several practical handy man skills in the process.

2. I finally got my wife back.

3. Preparing for my Mark sermon for PM104.

4. Hanging out with friends.

5. San Diego.

Those were all good things.

love it

2008-12-30T18:06:00.001-06:00

Beached Whale

2008-12-29T21:03:00.001-06:00

well said

2008-12-23T10:37:00.002-06:00

On the environment..

2008-12-22T10:49:00.002-06:00

"Let us note how free from anger he is toward all of his creation. The heavens move at his direction and obey him in peace. Day and night complete the course assigned to them, neither hindering the other. The sun and moon and the choir of stars circle in harmony within the courses assigned to them, according to his direction, without any deviation at all. The earth, bearing fruit in the proper seasons in fulfillment of is will, brings forth food in full abundance for both men and beasts and all living things which are upon it, without dissension or altering anything that he has decreed. Moreover the incomprehensible depths of the abysses and the indescribable judgments of the underworld are constrained by the same ordinances. The basin of the boundless sea, gathered together by his creative action "into its reservoirs," does not flow beyond the barriers surrounding it; instead it behaves just as he ordered it." 1 Clement 19:3b-20:6

When I read this this morning I began to think about environmentalism. I believe that Christians who are involved in environmentalist causes should be distinguished from non-Christians by these principles:

1. We care about the earth because the God who created it loves it and sustains it because it is good.

2. The same God who created all things, also holds them together, and governs them by the counsel of his will. Therefore, we need not fear their destruction apart from an act of his will, which he has promised he would never do.

3. We look forward to the renewal of the heavens and the earth at Christ's return.

Wrong motivations for getting involved with environmentalist causes include:

1. Fear- fear of sea level rising, fear the decimation of humanity etc. Fear is never an appropriate motivation for those who are called to walk by faith. Neither does it reflect an appreciation of the sovereignty of the one who brought all things into existence by his word.

2. Thinking more highly of man than we ought. If God has created all things, holds them together, and governs them by the counsel of his will, man cannot possibly bring an end to the earth. (Poor stewardship can damage significantly the environment but cannot ultimately destroy)

3. The obliteration of the earth. This will not happen. Either by nuclear holocaust, meteor, super nova of the sun, over heating...or whatever end game scenario that can be conceived of. Christian belief and hope is that when Christ returns he will renew all things, remove the separation that now exists between heaven and earth, and dwell with man on this planet with animals and all the beautiful things that he created and that make it worth being good stewards of.

Gospel in nature

2008-12-20T21:56:00.002-06:00

A quote from survivor man this afternoon..."usually when you have an organism in an environment that is poisonous there will be an antidote in that same place."

semester done..

2008-12-20T10:30:00.001-06:00

wish I could be here to celebrate.

Question #10 from Ecclesiology final...

2008-12-17T22:44:00.002-06:00

A healthy church is one that meets regularly on the first day of the week to worship the triune God through Jesus Christ, to edify one another by the exercise of spiritual gifts, and to receive the Eucharist.

I plan to minister in the San Francisco Bay Area. The greatest obstacle that I will face is a popular culture that is anti-Christ, anti-organized religion in general and North American protestant evangelicalism in particular.

I hope to overcome this obstacle by establishing a church that is known in the community for its love for the triune God, love for one another, and love for the community. We will preach the gospel of Christ’s death and resurrection. Those who profess Jesus Christ as Lord will be baptized, welcomed into the fellowship of the church, and discipled. Our church will ideally not have a name and no gathering will ever exceed 500 persons.

Do this at work tomorrow...

2008-12-16T22:08:00.001-06:00

GI Joe PSA - Reggae

2008-12-16T20:52:00.001-06:00

Please watch all of these. Whitney brought them back tonight when she was at Whole Foods and creating a meal plan. All of the sudden she thought, "pork chop sandwiches". I would have posted that PSA but I think the Fbombs would offend some of my readership.

Do you have heavy legs?

2008-12-14T10:27:00.002-06:00

stinkin French.

tahged

2008-12-10T21:13:00.002-06:00

5 things I will do before I die:

I will go to India
I will go to Europe with Whitney (for a month)
I will establish a church or ministry in the San Francisco Bay Area
I will learn to shoot/hunt
I will go to Alaska

5 things I can do:

Talk to anyone
Pick up languages at a conversational level pretty quickly
Sprout wings
Change the wax ring on any toilet
Cook

5 things I cannot do:

Enjoy syntax of any language
Wake up
Any sort of computer coding
Hold spiders

5 things that attract me to my wife:

Her eyes
Her thoughtfulness
Her honesty
Her laugh
Her hunger to grow and learn

5 things I say most often:

dude
I'm still here
ask Whitney for others...

Celebrity crushes...
I don't have any that I can name, but I generally like most gorgeous babes.

Peeps I'm tagging

1. Jonathan
2. Barak Obama
3. Samuel L. Jackson
4. Russel Crowe
5. Carl Ratzinger

2008-12-07T13:38:00.002-06:00

"Do not withdraw within yourselves and live alone, as though you were already justified, but gather together and seek out together the common good."

Epistle of Barnabas 4:10b

Thank you Smith's..

2008-11-29T22:44:00.004-06:00

Ryan and Amy let us borrow some of their DVD's, one of them was Gladiator. When this film was in theatre I paid to see it 7 times. I have rented it or watched it countless times since. Every time not only do I get incredibly stoked, I cry. I love this film and its portrayal of the great man.

Watching it this time I was particularly stuck by its portrayal of death. The message being that death is inevitable for every man. Yet each man can choose how he will meet his death, either with strength and honor or as a coward. Finally our death will not come until we have fulfilled the purpose for which we have been placed here. What we do in this life prior to our death will matter in eternity. Wow. May I meet my death with strength and honor and may I fulfill that purpose for which I have been given breath.

George Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation

2008-11-27T12:03:00.004-06:00

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.

This shattered my brain.

2008-11-25T20:23:00.004-06:00

"I believe it is part of the task of the church today to accept the post modern critique of modernity but to insist that it is not the last word. Modernity stands accused of arrogance, with its technology, its philosophy, its economics and its empires - and, in a measure at least, its theology and exegesis. Postmodernity, with Marx, Freud, and Nietzsche in its vanguard, has made its point. The world of the Enlightenment had a lot to do with money, sex, and power. But despite the misplaced enthusiasm of some, postmodernity does not give us a new home, a place to stay. What it provides is a fresh statement of the doctrine of the Fall, which in Christian theology ought always to invite a fresh statement, in symbol and practice as well as word, of redemption. I believe that part of the task of the church in our own day is to pioneer a way through postmodernity and out the other side, not back to modernity in its various, even Christian, guises, but into a new world, a new culture, which nobody else is shaping and which we have a chance to." (Wright, Paul. 173)

MADtv- Razzle Dazzle

2008-11-24T18:13:00.001-06:00

I think I will buy this book..

2008-11-21T10:01:00.001-06:00

To say that I am intrigued would be an understatement.

About Governments..

2008-11-19T22:41:00.002-06:00

I know I have already said before that NT Wright is the man. Seriously probably the most enlightened New Testament scholar of our day. When I read his work I get all stoked and know that he is on to something. Anyways, I am reading his work on Paul and came across this quote that I found to be particularly relevant especially when considering the possibility of ministering in the SF Bay Area. Basically the context for the quote is a chapter on Gospel and Empire, and a subsection regarding Jewish Critique of Pagan Empire where he aims to demonstrate that the modern western political spectrum of division between left and right would have been completely foreign to early Christians when determining a response to pagan rule;

"a classic Jewish position which echoes well into the Christianity of the second and third centuries, seems to us today to play from both ends of the spectrum at once. The rulers are wicked and will be judged, especially when they persecute God's people. But God wants the world to be ruled, rather than to descend into anarchy and chaos, and his people must learn to live under pagan rule even though it means constant vigilance against compromise with paganism itself." (Paul, 66)

Can anyone say it better?

2008-11-17T22:44:00.002-06:00

"If one must read only the new or old books I would advise him to read the old. And I would give him this advice precisely because he is an amateur and therefore much less protected than the expert against the dangers of an exclusive contemporary diet....It is a good rule after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between. If that is too much for you, you should at least read one old one to every three new ones." (C.S. Lewis. Introduction to On the Incarnation by St. Athanasius)

excellent

2008-11-15T21:28:00.001-06:00

iCRACKED

2008-11-14T21:42:00.002-06:00

I was bored and saw two brown bananas....

2008-11-13T13:59:00.003-06:00

so I made this.

Stairway to heaven?

2008-11-13T13:51:00.003-06:00

Of course no angels were ascending or descending, just me and my fellow commuters emerging from deep within the bowels of our beloved Dallas.

Devotchka - How it ends (Everything is illuminated)

2008-11-12T11:29:00.001-06:00

Music to a song I dig, scenes from a movie I love.

How It Ends

2008-11-12T11:23:00.000-06:00

Hold your grandmother's bible to your breast
Gonna put it to the test
You wanted it to be blessed
And in your heart
You know it to be true
You know what you gotta do
They all depend on you

And you already know
Yet you already know
How this will end

There is no escape
From the slave catcher's songs
For all of the loved ones gone
Forever's not so long
And in your soul
They poked a million holes
But you never let them show
Come on its time to go

And you already know
Yet you already know
How this will end

Now you've seen his face
And you know that there's a place in the sun
For all that you've done
For you and your children
No longer shall you need
You always wanted to believe
Just ask and you'll receive
Beyond your wildest dreams

And you already know
Yet you already know
How this will end

You already know (You already know)
You already know (You already know)
You already know
How this will end

BOUGHT IT, YOU SHOULD TOO.

2008-11-07T21:13:00.001-06:00

Gears of War 2

2008-11-07T20:58:00.001-06:00

I don't play video games, but when I saw this I wanted to buy an xbox and start. The music alone is incredibly sick.

Obama episode about last night

2008-11-07T12:01:00.001-06:00

South Park is the jam!!!

2008-11-06T23:10:00.001-06:00

Please find a way to watch the South Park episode "About last night" regarding the election.

Ask the universe...

2008-11-06T08:34:00.003-06:00

Last night I was looking at my site meter deal and discovered that someone in Oberasach Germany had stumbled upon my blog after googling "why is my life so boring". wow. It is amazing what role the internet is increasingly beginning to take in the lives of people. That which connects us to one another also isolates us and when we feel lonely, lost, or depressed we turn to the internet only to be sucked into its vacuous nothingness resulting in further isolation and increased feelings of blahh.

Take for example a site like Facebook, which connects you to people who under normal conditions you would not have any contact with, resulting in the neglect of those with whom you daily interact. There is someting beautiful about losing contact with the people from our past that forces us to develop relationships with the people of our present. When the relationships of the past are not allowed to die as they naturally would under any normal circumstances then the potential relationships of our present are never cultivated. If you ended up in the hospital tonight how many of the 400 people that you are friends with on Facebook would come to visit you? Chances are they would have no idea what you were going through unless of course your cellphone worked and you were capable of mobile updates. (I bet even if you did they still wouldn't come to see you, at best they would post something on your wall)

But you know what is intersting? Very rarely will somebody update when things are not good when they are wounded or when they are sad or hurting or worried. We leave our baggage off our site posting instead pithy statements about how much fun we are having and proving it of course with our countless photo albums of our awesomeness. But it is our baggage, and those with whom we share it that is the substance of real relationships. We are social creatures and the hunger for community is in the fabric of our being. Imagine how much more meaningful the relationships we have with those with whom we interact on a daily basis would be if we channeled the same amount of time and energy into cultivating them as we do maintaining our social networking sites?

I post these observations as one who does not maintain a Facebook page. That is not to say that I have totally awesome deep frienships becuase of it. Also in no way am I suggsting that I have frienship nailed. Quite the contrary! I struggle with real vulnerable relationships. But I do want to be better about caring for those whom God has placed in my life today and to learn how to be vulnerable and to walk with one another through all of life's ups and downs.

taking it back to '96

2008-11-05T18:41:00.001-06:00

Love this...

2008-11-05T18:02:00.003-06:00

I could listen to it every day. In fact I think I do. I feel connected to a part of my soul when I do.

My thoughts on Romans 7:13-25

2008-11-04T08:27:00.002-06:00

By clicking here you can read a paper I recently submitted regarding this passage.

Changed my life

2008-11-02T10:32:00.002-06:00

I am so thankful for the Fox Soccer Channel. Every Saturday and Sunday starts with a cup of coffee and a game. Seriously no better way to relax and get away from papers, plumbing etc.

New best friend....

2008-11-01T13:30:00.002-05:00

Decided to re-finish the front door of one of the apartments that I am turning over this week. Very satisfying work. You start with an ugly weathered piece of junk, and by the third coat of spar urethane you have something beautiful. Nothing beats the belt sander for stripping the old varnish.

speeeeeeeeed

2008-10-12T19:29:00.003-05:00

Another reason that I love my MacBook: I went to Fry's and bought 2gigs of DDR2 ram for $49.95, installed them myself, and now my little computer is insanely quick with its computations etc...I can have multiple windows open, with complex content, and move between them as if each were the only window open at the time.

The best part is...I don't even know the function that ram plays..I just knew that more would be better and Mac made my computer so that I could add more myself. I remember when I bought it back in 2005, I asked what the difference was beteween the $1099 and $1299 model. The employee said, "Nothing really, just a bigger hard drive and more ram, both of which you could upgrade yourself for a lot less." At the time I said, cool yeah I could totally do that..but honestly I thought it would be impossible. I was soooo wrong.

yes

2008-10-10T18:30:00.002-05:00

Many of the questions that we ask God can't be answered directly, not because God doesn't know the answers but because our questions don't make sense. As C.S. Lewis once pointed out, many of our questions are, from God's point of view, rather like someone asking, "Is yellow round or square?" or "How many hours are there in a mile?".

NT Wright
Simply Christian, 122

Intriguing to say the least....

2008-10-01T22:16:00.002-05:00

Please enjoy!

STORMS

2008-09-30T19:05:00.003-05:00

This picture is probably the #1 reason I would live in Kansas. Some of the strongest storms, with the highest wind speeds on the planet. But the picture is also how I feel in light of several recent events that have all been challenging, stressful, and discouraging. I am on the road and there is a storm ahead..

The most recent was learning that an individual whose ministry I respect and who I admire is no longer involved with said ministry because of some sort of moral failure. This was a blow that I have not had an easy time shaking off. (not the moral failure, I am pretty much numb to that having already experienced several of those) It just brings me down when I think about it. I also get angry because I am tired of people getting eaten alive while pursuing God's call on their life. One more gifted person out of the fight. Especially sad for the Bay where taking any ground for the Kingdom is virtually impossible.

What has been weirder is that when I learned about it my first response was that I wanted to somehow get in touch with the guy and let him know that I would still do ministry with him. I hate how sin can so quickly destroy a lifetime of fruitful ministry. After David sinned he was still the king.

Needless to say news like this does not do wonders for those who are preparing with their wives for a lifetime of ministry.

Current Health Practice

2008-09-19T17:17:00.004-05:00

Right now it is a little difficult to get into the gym on a regular basis. Between work and school and other activities I am lucky if I get in 2x per week. SO I decided to get the Perfect Pushup. I get a lot of cardio between walking to school and the work that I do around the complex. Doing 2 minute drills with the Perfect Pushup will enable me to get in some strength exercises. I have always been a sucker for As Seen On TV products and I got a set for $20 at Walgreens. They work great and you would be suprised at what an amazing exercise the lowly pushup actually provides. Between my two minute drills and protein shakes I'm gonna get ripped fast!!!

It works....

2008-09-17T21:24:00.003-05:00

On Whit's B-Day we were on our way to dinner when all of the sudden she yelps and runs to me shouting "a freaking rat just ran into my foot!". Sure enough numerous sightings have been verified of the little guys. So I researched the best/most humane way to kill them and decided on the Rat Zapper. All you need is 4 D batteries and some dry dog food. So cool! Had my first kill tonight and I want to buy more and put them all over the complex.

LEADERSHIP

2008-09-14T21:42:00.001-05:00

2008-09-14T20:26:00.001-05:00

a dream come true

2008-09-11T20:06:00.003-05:00

I cleared the gutters around the complex today in anticipation of a visit from my buddy Ike. My bet is that he will make landfall as a 2, and the impact on DFW will be minimal. But still!!! I love weather and the nastier the better. It could be an interesting weekend.