Blogging vs. Paper-writing

I often feel mentally paralyzed when I start to write a paper. The feeling is eerily similar to my experiences with computer programming during my undergrad time at UVa. I usually have the flow of the paper in my mind but I always have a difficult time launching into the actual writing. On the other hand, I do not feel that way when I click over to this blog and start typing away. Last year, I used this as a place to unclog my brain by writing out some initial ideas before I launced into writing an actual paper.

I am currently working on a Romans exegesis paper for Romans 12:1-2. The storyline for the paper is that rational worship is the key for renewing the people of God. These two verses come at a transition point in the letter to the Romans where the apostle Paul transitions from an exposition of the gospel of God to a section of exhortations for the newly formed one people of God. Paul began his exposition of the gospel in chapter 1 after describing it as the "it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." This gospel was everyone who has faith and opens the way for the one people of God.

Paul quickly moved to a picture of all humanity that is able to see God's invisible qualities but does not respond with thanksgiving or praise. The misplaced praise is instead funneled toward the creation as opposed to the Creator. The result of this idoltary is humanity's thinking became futile and it's minds became darkened. Paul lists the outcome of this darkened mind in the form of human behavior that degrades the body and lists of vices that result in a community marked by selfish behavior. The first 11 chapters of Romans show how all of humanity is in need of the gospel that Paul describes because, as he states in 11:32, "for God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all."

After a short doxology that affirms the riches and wisdom of the knowledge of God, the transition verses of Romans 12:1-2 are found. What does Paul accomplish with this transition? Paul asserts that rational worship, as opposed to the irrational worship found in idoltary, reverses the darkened mind and opens the way for the one people of God to discern God's will and live in a community marked by selfless behavior. This can only be accomplished by the mercies of God. These mercies are described in the righteousness of God depicted in the first 11 chapters. The one people of God, both Jews and Gentiles, who exist without the Torah and the temple cult now must offer themselves as living sacrifices in order to live as community that responds to God's grace. The following sections of exhortation (parenesis) only make sense in light of the continual renewing of the mind found in rational worship.

The key words and phrases located in Romans 12:1-2 along with their uses in other parts of Scripture provide the foundation for this assertion.

therefore
mercies of God - II Cor 1:3, Hebrews 10:8
appeal
brothers (and sisters)
present - Romans 6:13; 6:16; 6:19
your bodies - Romans 6:6; 8:11; 1 Corinthians 6:20; Philippians 1:20
living sacrifices - Hebrews 13:15-16; Philippians 2:17; 4:18; 1 Peter 2:5
holy and acceptable to God
rational - 1 Peter 2:2 (spiritual milk)
worship - noun is in Romans 9:4; Hebrews 9:1; verb found in Romans 1:9; 1:25, Hebrews 8:5; participle (one who worships) found in Hebrews 9:9; Hebrews 10:2
do not be conformed - 1 Peter 1:14
this age - 1 Corinthians 1:20; 2:6; 3:18
changed in form - 1 Corinthians 3:18
renewal
minds - Romans 1:28; Ephesians 4:17-25 (similar to Romans flow); Colossians 2:18
approve - Romans 1:28; 2:18; 14:22; Philippians 1:10; 1 Corinthians 16:3
the will of God
good, acceptable, and pleasing


Let's see what happens when I actually put this in a paper that includes my thoughts as well as input from commentaries and articles...

This may be the most dry blog entry you have ever read or it may be the a launching point for your own study of the material. Either way, this is admittedly self-serving because I needed to get something out of my thick head so that I can write this paper before my second child is born (any minute now!)...

Prayer of the Heart

I am learning more and more about the rhythms of my brain during my time at PTS. This year has proven to be a significant challenge with the combination of being a husband, a dad, a future dad of two (baby #2 is due in 2 weeks), a student, an intern, and sometimes a friend... I have been working through some energy management 'practices' with my mentor at PCNP but I am far from consistently practicing them (as I write on this blog when I should be going to sleep). One way that I have learned to relax is by a reading non-school book at night before I go to bed.

I decided to pick up a classic that I have heard about from numerous friends, mentors, and my wife - The Way of a Pilgrim. I was re-introduced to this book a few weeks ago when I led the Gathering @ PCNP in the Jesus Prayer (prayer of the heart most often associated with the Eastern Orthodox tradition). I decided to incorporate this prayer in my life, especially when I could sense that my body was being taken over by stress or anxious thoughts. The basic form of "Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me" is prayed by praying the first part "Lord Jesus Christ" when inhaling and "have mercy on me" when exhaling. I started to do this as a means of the prayer of the heart. The longer version of "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner" was introduced to me last year in Inquiring After God (TH 291) and I have used this longer version as well.

One quote from the book resonated with me when the pilgrim said in response to his time in jail, "All that had happened seemed not to affect me; it was as if I had watched someone else being treated. And when they flogged me, the Prayer strengthened and consoled me and I was oblivous to everything."

I haven't been jailed or flogged but I have experienced this sense of watching my circumstances from afar when I have experienced the peace of Christ in my life. I haven't sensed this recently but maybe as I jump into more times of the interior prayer I may start to experience the "peace that transcends all understanding" that I have often meditated on in Philippians 4:6-7.

Water skiing and Preaching?

I thought about water-skiing today.

I haven't attempted to waterski in years. One of the first things that I wanted to do after learning to swim was to waterski. I was 5 years old then. I attempted to waterski for the first time at Young Life Camp at Saranac when I was 17 years old. I failed miserably! I remember the day clearly. I tried 3x and each time I fell over only seconds into the attempt. Unfortunately, I haven't tried since then.

Why did thinking about water skiing today? I shared my first sermon today for my preaching class and the feeling was similar to my water skiing experience. The excitement was there but it was accompanied by a lot of anxiety. My desire was for my anxiety to be translated into humility and some of that happened. At points in the sermon, I felt like I fell over in the water and wanted to give up. At other times, I felt like I was able to hang with the challenge. Overall, the ride was a humbling experience but one that I am ready to embark on again. Unlike waterskiing, I am not giving up! Maybe one day I will try to water ski again...

Anyone wanna go?

More than an internship

I am currently leading a group of young adults at Presbyterian Church of New Providence (PCNP) for my field education internship. The opportunity goes way beyond an internship for me. I grew up in PCNP and now I find myself back at the church. The church has a completely different feel due to a new senior pastor and numerous changes to almost everything. I have been given the opportunity to lead the most challenging, in my opinion, group in the church - young adults. Young adults are overlooked and, to be frank, ignored in many churches.

Why? I think the real reason is because they are hard to "pin down." Another reason is I have seen that churches do not take them seriously because of their busy lives and lack of tithing. I definitely differ on the tithing aspect because I've seen that individuals in their 20s/30s are more willing than others to support the ministries where they see God at work.

Most churches have 'programs' for youth and for families with young children. The gap between high school graduation and the first kid is a big one. I feel called at this point to be a leader to help address this gap. I am convinced that God's upside down way of working in the church (taking the least and making them the greatest) applieis to this gap.

If anybody is actually reading this, then do you see this pattern in your church? If you don't go to church, then if you ever checked out a church, did you feel like this was true?

Postless blog?

Where are the posts?

I have heard this from some friends who have actually come to this blog. I am currently suffering from postless disease where I often know what I want to post but I rarely do it.

I have been in a valuable dialog with my senior pastor about energy management in ministry. I have been monitoring my daily energy patterns and I have noticed our posts like these definitely require energy. I believe that the energy is worth using especially since I need an outlet for the 30943049830948098 thoughts that I have every day. I can definitely say that I am "theologically drunk" again this year after having a good summer to sober up through reflection.

In that light, I will start to use my creative energy here again and this will not be the postless blog that has existed. My meditations on Romans passages, reflections on Christology, exposure to viewing the church missionally, reworking of my teaching/preaching method, and humbling experiences at Presbyterian Church at New Providence will be here soon.

I may be writing to myself but isn't that what most blogs are anyway... This is a greenhouse for ideas and my desire is that friends and others will post comments as I work through ideas.

Grace isn't for holding

Two of my classes intersect quite often this semester. The one class is a Greek interpretation class of Romans and the other is a introductory course on missional theology. The intersection makes sense since Romans is considered by many to be the greatest description of the gospel and missional theology involves mission (the sending).

I will write more about the specifics of missional theology as I continue in my learning but the main piece that has struck me is how much the Scripture is composed of missio Dei (God's mission) - God's self-revelation as the One who loves the world, God's involvement in and with the world, the nature and activity of God, which embraces both the church and the world, and in which the church is privledged to participate (Transforming Mission by David Bosch, p. 10).

Now back to the intersection. A few days ago, my Romans class focused on Romans 1:1-17. Romans 1:5 states (NIV) "Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith."

The point that jumped out from considering the entire letter to the Romans and the themes of sending (among others) included in it was found in the combination of grace and apostleship. For Paul, in this verse, one does not exist without the other. Grace is not for our keeping. Grace is coupled with apostleship or the sending out. The rest of verse 5 states why we are sent out - to call people from among all the Gentiles...

How much do I focus on God's grace without focusing on the accompanying responsibility of being sent to the world? Grace isn't for holding.

Righteousness of God

I love meditating on Scripture because I always realize the assumptions that I bring to the Bible and then God challenges me to consider if they are true. One example of this type of challenge is my view of righteousness.

I just spent 3 days interacting with Romans 1:1-17. I read it in English, I translated the Greek, I did an inductive study, I formed my own provisional conclusions, I read one commentary, I attended a lecture on the passage, and then I read another commentary. The foremost challenge to my assumptions going in was to my view of the righteousness of God as being for the individual person who stands condemned by God. This is one aspect of the righteousness mentioned.

I started, however, I ask the following questions:
- What is the difference between holiness and righteousness?
- How did the readers of Romans in the 1st century understand righteousness?
- Based on the content of the letter, is this righteousness solely for the individual or is there a larger view that I am missing?

The first question came because I have always read Romans 1:17 as the righteousness of God was revealed so that the unrighteous individual received God's righteousness so that he would be saved and not condemned. Is this the total picture of righteousness that Paul is stating? Am I simply using righteousness as a synonym for holiness where I am now considered holy by the work of Jesus on the cross?

God's righteousness, as viewed by Israel, could be defined as God's right actions based on what they knew about God as revealed through their Scripture and the covenant. The people of God, Israel, had confidence (faith) that God would do the right thing based on his convental relationship with the people.

How does this fit into Romans 1:17? Does the righteousness of God (or from God) mean more than what I stated earlier? I now believe that the righteousness of God that was revealed in Christ Jesus is God's right action in responding to evil and sin in the world. This is what we would 'expect' God to do based on his promises, both to the Jews and to Gentiles.

Maybe the righteousness of God is aimed more at the cosmic struggle between good and evil more than the individual salvation of a soul. Yes, the individual salvation based on faith in work of Jesus Christ on the cross is part of this picture but maybe it isn't the starting point. Maybe starting with the cosmic view is where Paul wants us to start as opposed to the individual "what's in it for me" view that I have often brought to Scripture.

Praise God that the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel!

I'm Lovin' It

I had to adopt the McDonald's slogan for how I am feeling right now. I'm Lovin' It!

Those words are what my entire being felt yesterday as I finished a study session at Starbucks (yes, I am a Starbucks guy and not a Small World guy). I had just finished reading parts of assignments for 3 of my classes.

Last year, I thought to myself, "Why am I here?", regarding Princeton Theological Seminary. I had come to this seminary for a myriad of reasons and one of them was to interact with a postmodern world instead of simply setting it up and shooting it down from a conservative seminary. My experience matched my desire for that interaction even though I didn't feel comfortable most of the time (is being comfortable ever a good thing?). I did, however, question whether I wanted to spend the next 2 years of my life in the land of extreme discomfort. I questioned and prayed about leaving this place.

I know that I made the right decision to stay here. My conclusion is not based on the fact that I am taking courses this semester that appeal more to my high view of Scripture and more conservative positions, even though that definitely is a major factor. I said "I'm lovin it!" yesterday because I know that I am experiencing exactly what I wanted to experience here at PTS - interacting with a postmodern world. Even better, I now see that my faith, that has changed since I've been here, has been rooted in legitimate places and I understand somewhat that there is a place for me in the leadership of God's bride, the church...

I'm lovin it!

Hear the words... They are true today (let's see if they remain true in coming months)

Motivation?

The majority of questions, for those who are outside the situation, surrounding the crisis in Louisiana (and beyond) have not centered on the classic question of "Why would God let this hurricane hit New Orleans?" Instead, a majority of questions have focused on the chaos in the city - looting, shooting at rescue teams, convention center compound, the abandonment of the elderly and children.

The questions come from a wide variety of angles (spiritually, politically, "what the heck is going on"-ally). I cannot even begin to count the amount of questions that I have heard or that I have thought on my own over the past 4 days. I thought about trying to write about one or more of them today but I will, instead, list off as many as come to mind. I will say that the first one has been the one that has been pulling at my soul the most.

- What is the motivation for an individual or a group to be selfless in a situation like the Katrina crisis when all worldly incentives (money, job security, prestige, etc.) are removed? More specifically, why would a police officer stay on staff to help when his/her whole world has also has been destroyed and there is no financial incentive to stay perform his/her duty? This question arose when I heard that almost 40%-50% of the police force simply left duty. This question also applies to every example of looting and the other examples that elicit a "how can people being doing THAT" response.

- Where is the prophetic Christian voice to address the real problem of sinful, selfish actions? I envision millions of paralyzed Americans watching 24-hour news reports about the rapes, shootings, and looting. They are thinking, "How can this happen here and why is this happening?" Columbine, 9/11, and now post-Katrina atrocities all clamor for a voice to speak into the situation. The voice must provide a true Bibilical response that starts from a Biblical worldview that includes how we got to where we are (the Fall) and how we can have hope in Jesus Christ (redemption). This redemption applies at the individual and system levels of society.

- Has the media's portrayal of the U.S. military around the world impacted how our own citizens reacted to the U.S. military in New Orleans? In other words, have the non-stop reports of the U.S. military's failures in Iraq eroded the average U.S. citizen's view of the military to the point that shooting at a U.S. military helicoptor wasn't a big deal in New Orleans?

- What has the Department of "Homeland Security" been doing in the past 4 years? If a hurricane can cause this much anarchy then what will a dirty bomb or a nuclear bomb do to this country?

- How did a hurricane transform a major U.S. city into a place that includes scenes similar to the scenes of Iraq and Rwanda? The references to rapes are the most horrifying.

- What is are the similarities and differences between Katrina and 9/11? Why is my feeling similar but different?

- How much should I watch 24-hour news in order to understand the situation and have a genuine sense of compassion for the people who are suffering? At what point, should I turn it off and find other ways to deal with crisis from afar besides consuming endless reports?

- Is the fear resulting from Katrina rooted in humans facing the reality that they cannot control nature? Humans constantly want to control nature in order to create a predictable, safe space in which to live. How has Katrina's strike at this very assumption of safety and control increased the fear of Americans for the future?

There are at least 3904834098309 more questions but these are the ones that came flying off of my typing fingers right now. If anyone reads this, then I'd love to hear about which question you have asked the most (whether the question is in my list or not).

Strangly Silent...

I have been strangely silent about the disaster in Louisiana because I, like the rest of us, have been trying to wrap my head around what has happened. I came across this picture while viewing a set of picture repositories about Katrina. This picture was taken 1-2 days before Katrina arrived. The men were securing the tree from being blown over. They, like the rest of us, had no idea of the extent of the physical damage that would occur.

The other types of damage have had a lot deeper impact on both those who experienced Katrina first-hand and those who are experiencing the disaster via 24-hour news from afar...

On another note, why did these men think that they could secure the tree with the work of humans (tying it with a rope to the ground) as opposed to putting faith in the roots of the tree?

Matthew 4

I received an indirect challenge from a friend recently when he said that he was trying to read a chapter per day in the Bible and recording an idea. I often jump around Scripture during my times of meditation and journaling but I haven't walked through a book in a long time. I decided to select two sections of Scripture as the focus of my meditations - Matthew and Psalm 119.

Today's meditation is from Matthew 4. The short version (for blog scanners) is the direct annd indirect references to Jesus as the true Moses and the true Elijah point to Jesus as the fulfillment of the law and the prophets as the true Israel (Son of God).

Matthew 4

Three verses, different ones than normal, jumped out at me.
Matthew 4:1 - Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.
Matthew 4:12 - When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee
Matthew 4:17 - From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

Matthew 4 is the classic temptation text where Jesus responds to Satan's three tests. Jesus' use of Scripture, references to Deuteronomy 8:3, 6:16, and 6:13, to combat the devil's temptation is well documented and I won't take time to analyze it here. The one detail that I have overlooked in the past is that all three of Jesus' uses of Scripture are from Deuteronomy, the great book of the Law.

The three short descriptions of Jesus' movements and actions caught my attention this time. These descriptions point to Jesus as the fulfillment of the law and the prophets as the true Israel. Jesus is the tried and true Son of God who is capable to be a blessing and light to all peoples, first to the Jews, then to the Gentiles.

Jesus is led into the desert by the Spirit to be tested. Unlike Moses who disobeyed God by striking the rock to produce water (Numbers 20:9-13), Jesus obeyed God by not giving in to Satan. Furthermore, Jesus refers to Deuteronomy, the great book of the law, for his responses. Moses' disobedience and the grumbling of the hungry, thirsty, and tired Israelites kept them in the desert 40 years. Jesus was done in 40 days.

The next two narrative descriptions that I mentioned above show the beginning of how Jesus fulfilled the prophets. John came before Jesus preaching, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near" (Matthew 3:2). Jesus, up to this point, had not preached. He had only been baptized. Jesus returns to Galilee when John is put in prison and he began to preach the same message (exact same words in Matthew 4:17). Jesus takes over and fulfills the ministry of John.

Jesus points out that John's ministry was Elijah coming first in Matthew 17:10-13. Elijah was a great prophet. In taking over John's ministry, Jesus is fulfilling the ministry of Elijah whose call was to call people back to the one true God, Yahweh.

Jesus said that he did not come to abolish the law and the prophets but that he came to fulfill them (Matthew 5:17). Jesus' 40 days and 40 nights of obedience and Jesus' preaching of John's message reveal Jesus as the fulfillment of the ministry of Moses as law and Elijah as prophet. Later on, Jesus is revealed in the transfiguration with Moses and Elijah in his presence (Matthew 17:1-9). Matthew 4 continues to build the case that Jesus is th true Israel by showing him as the true Moses (law) and true Elijah (prophet) as the fulfillment of the law and prophets as the true Israel (Son of God).

The wisest man in Athens...

Socrates realized something that every person should consider...

I have been reading a book written by a former Princeton Seminary professor Diogenes Allen titled Philosophy for Understanding Theology. The book provides a very helpful descriptions of specific examples of philosophy that have informed theology throughout church history. I have always avoided philosophy but I have come to the realization that the study of philosophy opens doors of interpretation of the Bible, especially the letters of the Apostle Paul.

In the second chapter, Allen describes how the oracle of Delphi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delphi) had said that Socrates was the wisest man in Athens. Socrates did not believe this assertion until he started to question his fellow citizens concerning the nature of virtue. The answers included contradictions and Socrates determineded that they did not know. Socrates concluded that the oracle of Delphi was correct.

Allen describes his conclusion as "he was the wisest man in Athens, for he knew that he knew nothing, whereas his fellow citizens thought that they knew but they did not." (Philosophy for Understanding Theology, 40)

In many ways, I feel like this provides a window into my first year at Princeton Seminary. I am not saying that I am the wisest man in Princeton but I am saying that I feel like I interact with individuals every day who think that they know but they do not. I am one of many who does not know. I do not know theology. I cannot even begin to say that I have "figured it out."

I constantly see how individuals here put on a facade that they are figuring it out when they are just as confused as everyone else. The reality is that most individuals talk past each other without truly interacting. Individuals are in their own silo of thinking because they are scared to appear stupid. The reality is that we are all theological adolescents who have cracking voices when we share our ideas that are far from being finalized.

My sense is that we would learn a lot more from each other and from the individuals teaching us if we were as humble as Socrates and admitted what he admitted. I am not sure what will happen during my second year but I definitely will be looking for others who admit that they do not have it all figured out. From there, we can then more humbly share what we are learning together as opposed to trying to figure it out all by ourselves.

Positive competition?

Is there ever anything positive about competition?

I participate in a wide variety of competitions and I still do not have a final answer to this question. Trash talking is a key component to any male friendship. I often enjoy poking fun at friends and they do not withhold their vitriolic responses. My earliest memories of talking trash go back to my elementary school days when I used to fight off Yankee fans all the time (shhh... I am a Mets fan). I once started a massive food fight in school due to my inability to control my emotions about a comment regarding the inferiority of the Mets!

I have supposedly grown up but now I have the pleasure of owning my own baseball team in the form of a fantasy baseball team. In fact, I own two teams in different leagues. I have been a part of one league for over 7 years and the rivalries are fierce. I haven't won a league championship and, in fact, I haven't come close. The pride of each individual member of the league is very evident in the message board posts and other conversations surrounding the league.

This past week I boiled over when I discovered over 30 messages in my email account that related to the league. A majority of the messages pointed out that I was an obvious favorite to LOSE. The messages included an in-depth analysis of the points and match-ups in the league. The time and energy spent on generating that analysis was significant. My initial thought was, "How can these guys spend THAT much time crunching data to come to these conclusions?"

I reflected on how I used to work at as a software developer and I would have tons of time every day to do the same analysis. Even moreso, I thought about how I used to be paid a lot of money for doing that. I decided to let my fantasy league "friends" know what I thought about the fact that they are getting paid to do a bunch of nothing! I posted a statement that made sure to let them know what I thought about their analysis.

I haven't talked to any of the league members in days...

Is there anything positive about competition?
Should competition lead to broken friendships?
Does competition feed the fire of pride as opposed to putting it to death?
Does competition have any place in the Christian life?

My initial, knee-jerk response is "NO!" Get rid of competition! Remove yourself from all forms of it. If pride is fed by something, then cut it out of your life!

Is this the mature Christian response? Christians are called to maturity and my interpretation of that reality is a life that is not run by simple rules with the expectation that rule-abiding is the solution or the end game. The God of Christianity is the one who initiated relationship with humanity through the calling of the people Israel and then the incarnation in Jesus Christ and the gift of adoption into the family of God in Christ. Simple rules are for toddlers who need to be shown how to live the basics of life and how to respect authority. Simple rules do not apply to complex situations if the person is solely looking to follow the rule "just because" as opposed to living out the true spirit of the rule or guideline. A mature person lives according to wisdom based on the given guidelines and life experiences. The Bible is the source of the guidelines as well as examples of individuals who have made mature and immature decisions.

How does this relate to fantasy baseball and competition? My response now is that competition can be positive if it keeps friends connected through a means that draws them together. I wouldn't be in close contact with 6-7 friends in Virginia (some going back to my days at UVa) if I wasn't in the league. Competition is negative if I let the results (my losing) control me and my interactions with my friends. Again, I cite the example that I haven't spoken with my friends in days. Each person needs to determine how to live in the tension of competition and friendship.

The apostle Paul addresses the mature Christians approach to gray areas like competition when he writes in 1 Corinthians 6:12 "Everything is permissible for me" - but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible to me" - but I will not be mastered by anything.

Go and decide if competition is positive for you?

I would love to hear a feminine perspective on this subject. Competition comes in many forms.

JFK?

A friend of mine who blogs at http://dbcoleman.blogspot.com/ pointed me to what he describes as a pseudo-psychology test that matches you with a leader. The test is located at http://similarminds.com/othertests.html

I took the full 45 question test and I was matched up with JFK...

The result was very disturbing to me not because it was JFK but because of the side description. I do not put a lot of stock in pseudo-psychological tests but this one definitely has made me think...

A True Moment

I have a problem focusing in on the present moment. My mind is often focused on other ideas or plans. I constantly have to resist my tendency to think ahead. The result of this habit is I often am not 100% engaged with the individuals who are right in front of me or the task that I am doing. A break-through moment comes every so often and I have a moment of true clarity and sensitivity of the present.

I had a moment like that last night.

I am currently helping with a small, weekly worship gathering at the seminary (http://tuesdaynightworship.blogspot.com). Each week 20-30 individuals gather near where I live to have a cook-out and a time of prayer and worship. My good friend Alec is the key leader and I am helping with the prayer/worship time.

The focus of this past week's gathering is summarized in Psalm 119:37 which says "Turn my eyes from looking at vanities; give me life in your ways." The prayers, the songs, and the sharing all centered on the action of turning away from anything that gets in the way of us and the Lord.

One of my favorite worship songs is "Give Us Clean Hands" by Charlie Hall. The words are as follows:

We bow our hearts
We bend our knees
Oh Spirit come make us humble
We turn our eyes from evil things
And Oh Lord we cast out our idols

So give us clean hands Give us pure hearts
Let us not lift our souls to another

Oh God let us be a generation that seeks
That seeks your face Oh God of Jacob


This song was the final song in the worship set. Lifting up that song with the group renewed my focus on what is real.

Almost everybody stayed around for 30 minutes or so after the prayer and worship time. I heard laughing. I heard individuals introducing themselves to strangers. I heard strangers become new friends. I heard stories being told. I experienced community. I was not thinking ahead. I was living in the present. I definitely had a true moment.

Breaking bread (or burgers), dedication to the teachings in the Bible, prayer... sound familiar?

pornography makes the transition

what is it about after-school special shows that draws individuals in and doesn't let them go?

i have heard from many how they turn on an after school special on ABC and they can't turn them off. many normally have to do with a person or family who is dealing with a substance abuse issue or a relational abuse problem.

a friend recently shared an observation that pornography was the issue of the day for an after school special on TV. in particular, he noticed how the portrayal of the dad's use of pornography and the resulting marital and overall familial problems was scarily similar to other after-school specials that focused on other addictions.

what does this say about the impact of pornography on the family? in addition, does this show that 'society' is starting to see the negative effects of pornography as it plays out more and more like an addiction instead of a "personal choice" that doesn't hurt anybody?

what does "personal" mean anyway? especially in this example...

open to interruptions?

i heard a description of a servant this weekend that caught my attention. a person described a person who serves as someone who is able to be interrupted.

i have heard this aspect of serving used before but that didn't take away the weight of truth i encountered in the statement. i realized again how much i do not like to be interrupted when i have my plans set. in fact, i get very annoyed when something comes up.

an interruption to my plans just occurred and i already know that i need to be willing to be interrupted in order to truly serve the person who needs my help...

the mysterious prophetic books

why are the books of the prophets intimidating to a majority of Christians?

the normal response to this question is the books seem far distant from the Christian experience located in Jesus Christ. the prophetic books seem to include random references to judgments on nations that mostly no longer exist. they also show the prophets taking part in odd symbolic actions. lastly, the words against social injustice potentially strike too close to home and are ignored.

i stayed away from the books of the prophets most of my life due to these reasons. i attempted to read through the entire book of Isaiah on an InterVarsity retreat but i stopped 1/3 of the way through because i was too frustrated. the references to Manasseh and Ephraim over and over were enough to put me to sleep. i actually fell asleep on my Bible (and probably drooled on the pages).

my appreciation for the prophets only came after i realized that 1 and 2 Kings provides the storyline behind the writings of the prophets. this observation is similar to Acts providing a story behind the founding of the churches to which Paul wrote his epistles. the stories found in 1 and 2 Kings, however, provide more details and reasons for the life and calling of the prophets. i now believe that each person needs to read 1 and 2 Kings before even beginning to wade through the prophets. in particular, the major prophets will remain particularly enigmatic without the background of the practices of Israel and Judah. In addition, the rise and fall of Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, and other nation states needs to be included in order to gain a full picture of the context of the prophets.

the largest obstacle to this understanding is laziness. a strong dedication is needed to gain the high-level and then a lower level view of the history of Israel and the prophets within the history. the first step is to read through 1 and 2 Kings with a map. the next is to locate the prophets prophets on a timeline with their locations (specific king such as Hezekiah, specific location such as northern kingdom of Israel). the third step is to read the prophetic books. finally, the final step is to pull together all the information gained above.

the result (probably after multiple iterations of this) is a better understanding of the story of Israel in which the prophets are set. the message of the prophets at a specific time to a specific audience will make sense. the alternative is to continue to randomly open up prophetic books and hope for the best as you read about the seemingly random judgments and references to Ephraim...

another window into the Old Testament

My first semester at PTS included a high-level introduction to the Old Testament. The main textbook, The Hebrew Bible by John C. Collins included a majority of the same criticisms of the Old Testament that I encountered during my intro to OT class at UVa 8-9 years ago. I walked away from the course with a new set of questions that remained unanswered. I did not have another resource to balance or challenge the questions besides the Biblical text itself.

A friend recommended, indirectly, a book by John Bright titled A History of Israel. The book takes a more balanced approach to describing the history of people of Israel. In particular, the very assertions that remained unchallenged in Collins' book are put in a wider discussion with other perspectives and findings.

The first idea that is put in a larger conversation is the documentary hypothesis (J E D P) - a largely 19th century hypothesis questioning Moses as the author of the Pentateuch and, instead, positing multiple sources pulled together. The description in Bright's book that caught my attention immediately was that numerous archaeological findings have been made since the formation of this hypothesis. One result of incorporating these findings into a conversation about the writings of the Pentateuch involves the discoveries that date to the times of the patriarchs. These show that the very writings of the Pentateuch or the traditions upon which they draw are similar to other writings from that time period. In other words, the Pentateuch cannot be simply dismissed as being written by individuals who lived after the exile of the Israelites to Assyria and Babylon as a way of explaining why Yahweh could let the exile happen to God's chosen people. The sources for the Pentateuch, instead, match closely to the traditions and writings of those near the times of the patriarchs.

Overall, this example, along with many others, shows me that extreme criticism of the Biblical text needs to be put in conversation with other research and writings that challenge these assertions. A quote from a friend sums this up when he stated that "many great minds have also put thought and research into ideas and have come up with different conclusions." Of course, I could jump out into a discussion of the motivations of scholars who hold to extremely critical views that have only been held in the past 100 years (a small breath in the depth of history) but that is for another day.

This entry has been long overdue. I am willing to listen to all perspectives but I have very little patience with perspectives that refuse to incorporate any challenges from others who interact with the same material from other angles.

the "right" kind of church

i recently had a conversation with a friend who says that he wants to find a church community but that he just can't find the "right" kind of church.

i asked him what he meant by that and his response focused on the problem of politics in the church. he cited that he couldn't stand the thought of many people standing around complaining about X or Y and then not doing anything to correct it. he also made a scathing remark about the fact that many pastors preach reconcilation but then are the main initiators of fights.

i had two responses to these ideas.

the first was an internal defensive response that wanted to shout back with the reality that no organization is without fights or multiple opinions. i also wanted to make it clear that being a "solo" Christian is not an option, unless you want to remain in the same place.

the other response was a broken heart for him and for the many, many, many individuals who feel the same thing. unfortunately, the movement to "non-denominational" churches hasn't solved that problem as the same problems are found in those churches as the big "institutions." my heart was broken because this barrier is keeping many individuals from the community that they need, even if the community includes potential and often realized back-stabbing, gossip-happy, competition-driven, self-righteous people.

he stated that he couldn't wait to come to the church that he wants me to start. i quickly responded that i would let him down much like every other pastor has let him down but that i would try my best, in God's grace, to be a servant and shepherd of the people that God puts under my care.

what is the type of church that can be the "right" kind of church for this person?

one aspect is certain. the "right" kind of church must be one that doesn't focus on itself but focuses on following Christ's example of being a servant. Scripture shows over and over how disunity comes when individuals look to their own desires and wants but that unity is present when the people are focused on God and God's work in the form of serving others. maybe one day, the person i talked with will be part of a church that is serving...

classic verse that still rings in my ear --
John 12:26
Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.


i must be months away from my seminary studies because i am actually quoting the Bible in this blog... that comment is enough to get a lot of people talking...