I pretty much stopped calling myself a Christian in most contexts a while back. It's because of my experiences here in USA and in Europe that I began calling myself a "follower of Jesus."
The whole issue of the testimony of the church is one that is near and dear to the hearts of some of my friends and me... a new book is out which addresses the issue...
I heard an interview last night driving from DC. Some of the author's ideas are that Christianity is seen in America by unbelieving folks as:
1. Judgemental
2. Sheltered (not in the world)
3. Too Political (should we have national flags in churches??? or photos of presidents??? am I against Romney or Huckaby because they are so outspoken about ?)
4. Anti-Homosexual (I think they mean the people not the act)
5. There were more but i can't remember them...
This is a link to a generous sample of the book, click here...
I think this is some important material for those of us who are followers of Jesus to be aware of... how can we possibly present Jesus to folks without understanding them???
Showing posts with label following Jesus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label following Jesus. Show all posts
17 December 2007
20 November 2007
prepared to think and respond v.2.1
I read a little book today which was a tome against Christianity. It was at times compelling. But the author's presuppositions against the existence of God drove his conclusions.
...also driving this guy's conclusions is his failure to understand the purpose of the Bible: God speaks to us to help us understand that we are broken and he offers to fix us.
another observation is that his tome, a letter to Christians, is written as though the sample data he uses, and the texts he chooses to use as representative, to create this massive population who believe what he says they believe is, in reality about 47 people... I say this because the VAST variety of sources that he draws from are 987 (I exaggerate of course) circles in a complicated Venn diagram in which there are (I exaggerate again to push my thought) 47 people in common on the whole planet...
This book though, has compelling arguments that will confuse lots of people who are woefully ignorant of God and His message...
It reminded me of how important it is
to know WHY one believes
WHAT they believe.
...also driving this guy's conclusions is his failure to understand the purpose of the Bible: God speaks to us to help us understand that we are broken and he offers to fix us.
another observation is that his tome, a letter to Christians, is written as though the sample data he uses, and the texts he chooses to use as representative, to create this massive population who believe what he says they believe is, in reality about 47 people... I say this because the VAST variety of sources that he draws from are 987 (I exaggerate of course) circles in a complicated Venn diagram in which there are (I exaggerate again to push my thought) 47 people in common on the whole planet...
This book though, has compelling arguments that will confuse lots of people who are woefully ignorant of God and His message...
It reminded me of how important it is
to know WHY one believes
WHAT they believe.
18 November 2007
C.S.Lewis: part of his journey
about this time each year, because of my curriculum path and, it so happens appropriately enough, the anniversaries of his birth (Nov. 29th) and death (Nov. 22nd), I revisit resources to remind myself of and learn more about Lewis as we get ready to learn about him in class, and then learn from him in Mere Christianity...
This year I have read Vol. 2 of his collected letters which range from 1931 - 1949 and I am now reading vol. 1 which is from 1905 (as a 7 year old?) - 1931. I have discovered that the editor separated the first two by the general time of his conversion process... and it was a process indeed...
his brother Warren had an experience, one in which he had a realization of the process of coming to belief that took place... Warnie (Jack refers to him as such) says about his realization of belief when he was standing in front of the Great Buddha of Kamakura in March of 1930...
"I started to say my prayers again... this was no sudden impulse but the result of a conviction of the truth of Christianity which has been growing on me for a considerable time... The wheel has now made the full revolution - indifference, scepticism, atheism, agnosticism, and back again to Christianity" - from his dairy (I edit from p. 1012 of Vol. 1 of the Collected Letters of CSLewis, ed. W. Hooper)
note the process of the early life... "indifference, scepticism, atheism, agnosticism, and back again to Christianity" an interesting series to think about...
C. S. Lewis says to his friend Arthur Greeves in Nov. 1931 "I, like you, am worried by the fact that the spontaneous appeal of the Christian story is so much less to me than that of Paganism. Both the things you suggest (unfavourable associations from early upbringing and the corruption of one's nature) probably are causes:..." note the words: 'unfavourable associations from early upbringing' and ' the corruption of one's nature' - experience and the fall color our understanding...
they (the Lewis brothers) were (as we are) on a spiritual journey... and there were forces outside themselves at work...
both Lewis men had experienced difficulties in younger life - with the death of their mother in 1908, when they were 10 and 13, and their being subsequently sent to boarding schools which were, at times, very bad experiences - that were couched in the culture of Christianity and this furthered their doubts...
doubts which, in Jack's case, were fueled by his fascination with Norse myth and the apparent occult practices of a "dorm mother" which caused him to arrive at atheism at about 14 (probably in 1912)... in Surprised by Joy (SBJ) he cites the reading of the classics and notes that Virgil "presented... a mass of religious ideas..." finally he says he "became an apostate, dropping my faith with no sense of loss but with the greatest relief." (SBJ IV)
two years or so later, in 1914, Jack began a correspondence with Arthur Greeves who was also from Belfast... they would be friends for life... Lewis describes Greeves a Christian and then describes himself as one who "bombarded him [Greeves] with all the thin artillery of a seventeen year old rationalist" (Lewis in a bio note in Col. Let. #1, p. 994)
an example of Lewis' answers about religion to Greeves is found in letters:
1916 - "...I believe in no religion. There is no proof for any of them, and from a philosophical standpoint Christianity is not even the best. All religions, that is all mythologies to give them their proper name are merely man's own invention..." (Col Let. #1 p. 230-1)
and again later that year...
"...there was once a Hebrew called Yeshua... when I say 'Christ' of course I mean the mythological being into whom he was afterwards converted by popular imagination, and I am thinking of the legends about hi magic performances and resurrection etc. That the man Yeshua or Jesus did actually exist, is as certain as that the Buddha did actually exist: Tacitus mentions his execution in the Annals (see Book 15 sec. 44 in this link). But all the other tomfoolery about virgin birth, magic healings, apparitions and so forth is on exactly the same footing as any other mythology." (Col. #1, p. 234)
he continued down this path for sometime. Though, interestingly enough, he worked hard to keep his non-belief from his father in an attempt to prevent him from hurt and further dispute between them (they often had issues until Jack finished his education and landed his first well paid teaching position in 1925)...
in 1926 Lewis began a dialogue with two Christian colleagues (Tolkien and Dyson) who challenged him to think differently about belief in God...
it was not until 1929 that he "admitted that God was God, and knelt down and prayed"... (SBJ) it is thought by many that Lewis, here, in the spring of 1929, became a theist...
following this was the famous walk before dinner (in Sept of '29) with Tolkien and Dyson followed by a conversation until four in the morning about belief
then as described in SBJ, after a journey with Warnie to a zoo riding in Warnie's side car (yes, a motorcycle with a side car), it was as though he had awakened from a sleep and realized he was awake... except in this case, he awoke and realized that he believed that Jesus was who he said he was... or at least now he was really headed in that direction...
it is worth noting that in the meantime their father had died - this would, it would seem, be further motivation to understand the real nature of life and death and that which follows...
all sorts of experiences showed that the "hounds of heaven" had caught up with CSLewis and now he went "kicking and screaming" into belief in Jesus...
we are all on a journey... we have all had different experiences, mainly through people who have drawn us to following Jesus, or they have, perhaps, repelled us away from Jesus... it is our task to take stock... to examine where we are in Him...
He has invited us, "come unto me, you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest..."
we are invited to walk beside Jesus...
More about Lewis:
PBS series link
BBC bio series
This year I have read Vol. 2 of his collected letters which range from 1931 - 1949 and I am now reading vol. 1 which is from 1905 (as a 7 year old?) - 1931. I have discovered that the editor separated the first two by the general time of his conversion process... and it was a process indeed...
his brother Warren had an experience, one in which he had a realization of the process of coming to belief that took place... Warnie (Jack refers to him as such) says about his realization of belief when he was standing in front of the Great Buddha of Kamakura in March of 1930...
"I started to say my prayers again... this was no sudden impulse but the result of a conviction of the truth of Christianity which has been growing on me for a considerable time... The wheel has now made the full revolution - indifference, scepticism, atheism, agnosticism, and back again to Christianity" - from his dairy (I edit from p. 1012 of Vol. 1 of the Collected Letters of CSLewis, ed. W. Hooper)
note the process of the early life... "indifference, scepticism, atheism, agnosticism, and back again to Christianity" an interesting series to think about...
C. S. Lewis says to his friend Arthur Greeves in Nov. 1931 "I, like you, am worried by the fact that the spontaneous appeal of the Christian story is so much less to me than that of Paganism. Both the things you suggest (unfavourable associations from early upbringing and the corruption of one's nature) probably are causes:..." note the words: 'unfavourable associations from early upbringing' and ' the corruption of one's nature' - experience and the fall color our understanding...
they (the Lewis brothers) were (as we are) on a spiritual journey... and there were forces outside themselves at work...
both Lewis men had experienced difficulties in younger life - with the death of their mother in 1908, when they were 10 and 13, and their being subsequently sent to boarding schools which were, at times, very bad experiences - that were couched in the culture of Christianity and this furthered their doubts...
doubts which, in Jack's case, were fueled by his fascination with Norse myth and the apparent occult practices of a "dorm mother" which caused him to arrive at atheism at about 14 (probably in 1912)... in Surprised by Joy (SBJ) he cites the reading of the classics and notes that Virgil "presented... a mass of religious ideas..." finally he says he "became an apostate, dropping my faith with no sense of loss but with the greatest relief." (SBJ IV)
two years or so later, in 1914, Jack began a correspondence with Arthur Greeves who was also from Belfast... they would be friends for life... Lewis describes Greeves a Christian and then describes himself as one who "bombarded him [Greeves] with all the thin artillery of a seventeen year old rationalist" (Lewis in a bio note in Col. Let. #1, p. 994)
an example of Lewis' answers about religion to Greeves is found in letters:
1916 - "...I believe in no religion. There is no proof for any of them, and from a philosophical standpoint Christianity is not even the best. All religions, that is all mythologies to give them their proper name are merely man's own invention..." (Col Let. #1 p. 230-1)
and again later that year...
"...there was once a Hebrew called Yeshua... when I say 'Christ' of course I mean the mythological being into whom he was afterwards converted by popular imagination, and I am thinking of the legends about hi magic performances and resurrection etc. That the man Yeshua or Jesus did actually exist, is as certain as that the Buddha did actually exist: Tacitus mentions his execution in the Annals (see Book 15 sec. 44 in this link). But all the other tomfoolery about virgin birth, magic healings, apparitions and so forth is on exactly the same footing as any other mythology." (Col. #1, p. 234)
he continued down this path for sometime. Though, interestingly enough, he worked hard to keep his non-belief from his father in an attempt to prevent him from hurt and further dispute between them (they often had issues until Jack finished his education and landed his first well paid teaching position in 1925)...
in 1926 Lewis began a dialogue with two Christian colleagues (Tolkien and Dyson) who challenged him to think differently about belief in God...
it was not until 1929 that he "admitted that God was God, and knelt down and prayed"... (SBJ) it is thought by many that Lewis, here, in the spring of 1929, became a theist...
following this was the famous walk before dinner (in Sept of '29) with Tolkien and Dyson followed by a conversation until four in the morning about belief
then as described in SBJ, after a journey with Warnie to a zoo riding in Warnie's side car (yes, a motorcycle with a side car), it was as though he had awakened from a sleep and realized he was awake... except in this case, he awoke and realized that he believed that Jesus was who he said he was... or at least now he was really headed in that direction...
it is worth noting that in the meantime their father had died - this would, it would seem, be further motivation to understand the real nature of life and death and that which follows...
all sorts of experiences showed that the "hounds of heaven" had caught up with CSLewis and now he went "kicking and screaming" into belief in Jesus...
we are all on a journey... we have all had different experiences, mainly through people who have drawn us to following Jesus, or they have, perhaps, repelled us away from Jesus... it is our task to take stock... to examine where we are in Him...
He has invited us, "come unto me, you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest..."
we are invited to walk beside Jesus...
More about Lewis:
PBS series link
BBC bio series
11 November 2007
points 4 and 5
Christian Humanism
point 4 - The Christian Humanist asserts the rightful place of reason - that Christian theology is rational and the Bible is its main text; with the Story, the Gospel as a rational foundation for knowledge [I hope I have not interpreted him too much].
point 5 - Christian Humanism provides guidelines for Christian Identity which includes education (providing wisdom, not skills - an understanding of Truth - embracing difference while being tolerant of difference - patriotic, but critically - science and technology should serve the common good not themselves... Christianity Identity includes embodied in the world but transcendent in ideals...
point 4 - The Christian Humanist asserts the rightful place of reason - that Christian theology is rational and the Bible is its main text; with the Story, the Gospel as a rational foundation for knowledge [I hope I have not interpreted him too much].
point 5 - Christian Humanism provides guidelines for Christian Identity which includes education (providing wisdom, not skills - an understanding of Truth - embracing difference while being tolerant of difference - patriotic, but critically - science and technology should serve the common good not themselves... Christianity Identity includes embodied in the world but transcendent in ideals...
10 November 2007
Christian Humanism
point 2
Christian Humanists stand in contrast and opposition to that which dehumanizes people.
Christian Humanists stand in contrast and opposition to that which dehumanizes people.
08 November 2007
Christian Humanism
SO, I went to these two lectures sponsored by the local university. The speaker was from S. Africa. The second lecture was titled "Christian Humanism against Fundamentalism and Secularism."
In his talk the speaker (more on him later) gave a manifesto. One point of the manifesto is that a Christian Humanist believes that
Christians are humans first and Christians by choice.
more to come.
In his talk the speaker (more on him later) gave a manifesto. One point of the manifesto is that a Christian Humanist believes that
Christians are humans first and Christians by choice.
more to come.
04 November 2007
a gift that reminds of a promise
my good friends, the "emperor" and "empress" gave me a cool, cool gift... a pen that is made from bullet casings from the 1990s war in the Balkans. There is a cottage industry in Bosnia, in particular, which take the brass(?) from these instruments of war and turns them into works of peace...
back in Feb. I brought home a Turkish Kave set made from the same material. I thought of a prophesy of peace... click here to read of the promise of peace on earth to come...
Thanks, von Lazo, as you see it is my prayer journal instrument now... may His peace be upon us all as He extends His Grace to us through His Son and The Spirit.
03 November 2007
think on this
"...after seeing plenty of poor folks forced into economic crimes by their poverty, and after seeing plenty of rich folks so content in their riches that they forget that they need God or anyone else, I think we are all ready for something new."
- Shane Claiborne, The Irresistible Revolution, (p. 172)
Read Proverbs 30:8-9
I live in a rich town. I am struck by this quote and how the Proverb speaks to me in this culture of wealth...
- Shane Claiborne, The Irresistible Revolution, (p. 172)
Read Proverbs 30:8-9
I live in a rich town. I am struck by this quote and how the Proverb speaks to me in this culture of wealth...
21 October 2007
last post for a while
I think this will be my last post for a while (probably a bit more than a week). I have been pretty wrapped up with the last post and there is more I want to do with it 'cuz i think its important. Anyway, on Tuesday sweet Anna and I board a plane for HU. We are excited about seeing our friends in service to the Lord and we will be staying in our daughter Joanna's flat in Budapest while there. Lots of conversations are lined up for this trip.
'till then, here are some thoughts from the news (I've been a little ill and laying around listening to the news...)
The news from the Iraq-Turkey border isn't good. The PPK is creating a further complication in an already crazy situation...
I read an interesting story about the Kosovo-Serbia situation which describes Serbia as a Russian client state. Read here. I have found this interesting historically but I want to make sure that people realize that there are many folks in Serbia who do not look at Putin as a hero-savior.
A friend and I are discussing God and world events. The question we are wrestling with is how involved He (God, not my friend) is in world affairs and how much He allows humans to take their own 'fallen' course of action. In a similar conversation, a student once said, "if God chooses to do nothing, isn't that still a choice God makes?" Indeed, and the good thing is the assurance that we can have that the ultimate good is going to prevail in the end and that He is with us today, tomorrow and from now on... He will never forsake us. For this I am so grateful.
'till then, here are some thoughts from the news (I've been a little ill and laying around listening to the news...)
The news from the Iraq-Turkey border isn't good. The PPK is creating a further complication in an already crazy situation...
I read an interesting story about the Kosovo-Serbia situation which describes Serbia as a Russian client state. Read here. I have found this interesting historically but I want to make sure that people realize that there are many folks in Serbia who do not look at Putin as a hero-savior.
A friend and I are discussing God and world events. The question we are wrestling with is how involved He (God, not my friend) is in world affairs and how much He allows humans to take their own 'fallen' course of action. In a similar conversation, a student once said, "if God chooses to do nothing, isn't that still a choice God makes?" Indeed, and the good thing is the assurance that we can have that the ultimate good is going to prevail in the end and that He is with us today, tomorrow and from now on... He will never forsake us. For this I am so grateful.
17 October 2007
a great thought about the heart and my job among students
My job is in a high school. I try to teach seniors about God. I have been saying for a good deal of time that quite often, the reason so many young people "leave" the faith (Christian... uh.. evangelical-?ish??) in college is because it was not a real faith of their own to them to start with. This book I'm reading speaks to the point of this topic:
"I would suggest that in most cases he has not forsaken his faith. In reality, his faith was the faith of his parents; he simply lived within its limits while he was still at home. When he went away to school and those restraints were removed, his true heart was revealed. He had not internalized the faith. He had not entrusted himself to Christ in a life-transforming way. He did the "Christian" things he was required to do at home, but his actions did not flow from a heart of worship. In the college culture, he had nothing to anchor him, and the true thoughts and motives of his heart led him away from God. College was not the cause of his problem. It was simply the place where his true heart was revealed. The real problem was that faith never took root in his heart." (Tripp, Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands, p.64)
I have not heard this stated quite as succinctly as this. This is what I have observed and suspected for a long time but not read put quite this way. Herein is the answer to seek to reach hearts with the Gospel. Nothing new here, just affirmation of what we knew to be true. I just wish I could generate some conversation about this. Maybe I can get something started through Facebook with some twenty-somethings. I would love to hear the agreements and disagreements from people who are close to this topic and have been there recently.
"I would suggest that in most cases he has not forsaken his faith. In reality, his faith was the faith of his parents; he simply lived within its limits while he was still at home. When he went away to school and those restraints were removed, his true heart was revealed. He had not internalized the faith. He had not entrusted himself to Christ in a life-transforming way. He did the "Christian" things he was required to do at home, but his actions did not flow from a heart of worship. In the college culture, he had nothing to anchor him, and the true thoughts and motives of his heart led him away from God. College was not the cause of his problem. It was simply the place where his true heart was revealed. The real problem was that faith never took root in his heart." (Tripp, Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands, p.64)
I have not heard this stated quite as succinctly as this. This is what I have observed and suspected for a long time but not read put quite this way. Herein is the answer to seek to reach hearts with the Gospel. Nothing new here, just affirmation of what we knew to be true. I just wish I could generate some conversation about this. Maybe I can get something started through Facebook with some twenty-somethings. I would love to hear the agreements and disagreements from people who are close to this topic and have been there recently.
16 July 2007
62 years ago today
Sixty two years ago today, the atomic bomb was birthed in the Nevada (right?) desert (eleven years later, I was born). This birthed the atomic age, and was, in my opinion a MAJOR factor in the development of the Cold War. (I just returned from the former Soviet Union and am bringing home some memorabilia from the Cold War. I'll post more about that later) I don't know what day July 16th gets... but it's up there... at least in my experience in life, politics, history and reality itself. I think that July 16 is second in the twentieth century after June 28th but I think I already posted about that... hmmm, let's see...
I've never seen a list of the word's most important days. But these two would (on my list) be up there. I do know what #1 would be though... The Thursday or Friday (depending on what you do with the day of Jesus' death) before passover in 29 AD and the Sunday after Passover that year would share #1 (we can argue why the first day of man is not #1 in the comments if you wish (" bring it") on the list. Why? Easy! Cuz, this screwed up world was, with that act of death, burial and Resurrection, offered REAL peace, from Grace!
I've never seen a list of the word's most important days. But these two would (on my list) be up there. I do know what #1 would be though... The Thursday or Friday (depending on what you do with the day of Jesus' death) before passover in 29 AD and the Sunday after Passover that year would share #1 (we can argue why the first day of man is not #1 in the comments if you wish (" bring it") on the list. Why? Easy! Cuz, this screwed up world was, with that act of death, burial and Resurrection, offered REAL peace, from Grace!
11 June 2007
thoughts on quietness
quietness is hard to find... its early in the morning... im in an apartment in Budapest... near the elevator... cars race by outside... the sounds of water running... some sort of motor running... im reminded of a book i read some years ago when these modern guys wound up back in the middle ages... there were none of the above mentioned sounds, no airplanes flying over... it was quiet... silence was easy to find... we need silence as Joanna focused on in her blog... we need to MAKE time for quiet... not just for quiet's sake... for listening to God... peace be unto you, I give you my peace... Jesus said. we can't hear him if we dont listen, its hard to hear him if its too noisy, where can i go where its quiet?
23 May 2007
is it wise?
My friend JR was in town yesterday and spoke to our graduating seniors at last night's Baccalaureate.
He challenged these fine young men and women to seek wisdom.
One practical point that he made was this: Ask yourself, is this wise?
Good advise for us all.
Wisdom: more valuable than rubies.
He challenged these fine young men and women to seek wisdom.
One practical point that he made was this: Ask yourself, is this wise?
Good advise for us all.
Wisdom: more valuable than rubies.
12 May 2007
bono and the naacp
Bono got an award from the NAACP.
his speech is on YouTube.
Its very worth the 7.5 minutes it will take you to watch.
his speech is on YouTube.
Its very worth the 7.5 minutes it will take you to watch.
we should slow the heck down
I have been thinking about boundaries lately...
It is my busiest time of year: school is near an end and thus going at warp 5, the reading of papers (about 750 pages worth), the giving of exams, the organizing of this and that... I enjoy the pace, but it's stressing sometimes... so I'm extra sensitive to the pace of life... so I need to recognize boundaries...
Last week the guy who was speaking at a church we attend mentioned a violinist in the Washington Metro...
I was blown away by the idea...
A leading violinist playing phenomenal music on an amazing violin for 45 or so minutes at a busy Washington D.C. Metro... who would notice? This is the question posed by the Washington Post. An article in the Washington Post Magazine, that I found long but really nicely written and fairly compelling, describes the whole deal in some detail, click here or not.
The bottom line... virtually no one noticed. Apparently one guy made time to slow down and listen. Everyone was just too busy... we should slow down...
Along those lines a friend sent me some words, that someone she knows received, that fit in this theme... think about this little tid-bit of what was said...
"To overextend yourself on any level would require a time of extended recovery" (M. Burns)
This writer then posts Psalm 32.8... I went to Psalm 32 and it really spoke to me... read the entirety of Psalm 32
As a follower of Jesus, I need to slow down... to hear the direction He has for me... I should not be like a horse or a mule... thoughtlessly and without understanding plowing ahead... I must slow down, listen to Him and follow Him... but if I refuse to stop and listen... how can I hear?
we should slow down... if you didn't go to the article above, go now and watch the video, and be warned...
to slow the heck down...
It is my busiest time of year: school is near an end and thus going at warp 5, the reading of papers (about 750 pages worth), the giving of exams, the organizing of this and that... I enjoy the pace, but it's stressing sometimes... so I'm extra sensitive to the pace of life... so I need to recognize boundaries...
Last week the guy who was speaking at a church we attend mentioned a violinist in the Washington Metro...
I was blown away by the idea...
A leading violinist playing phenomenal music on an amazing violin for 45 or so minutes at a busy Washington D.C. Metro... who would notice? This is the question posed by the Washington Post. An article in the Washington Post Magazine, that I found long but really nicely written and fairly compelling, describes the whole deal in some detail, click here or not.
The bottom line... virtually no one noticed. Apparently one guy made time to slow down and listen. Everyone was just too busy... we should slow down...
Along those lines a friend sent me some words, that someone she knows received, that fit in this theme... think about this little tid-bit of what was said...
"To overextend yourself on any level would require a time of extended recovery" (M. Burns)
This writer then posts Psalm 32.8... I went to Psalm 32 and it really spoke to me... read the entirety of Psalm 32
As a follower of Jesus, I need to slow down... to hear the direction He has for me... I should not be like a horse or a mule... thoughtlessly and without understanding plowing ahead... I must slow down, listen to Him and follow Him... but if I refuse to stop and listen... how can I hear?
we should slow down... if you didn't go to the article above, go now and watch the video, and be warned...
to slow the heck down...
09 March 2007
banquet table
the great banquet table mentioned in the Bible.... will it be a square? will it be round? a rectangle? well it will be in heaven so, shape becomes a non-issue... will we use our fork in our right hand prongs up like Americans? left hand prongs down like the Brits? left hand with prongs up like Hungarians? It will not matter... we will just be so glad to be there...
here on earth the worldwide body of Christ is all part of one, the Church... we don't all speak the same language, worship the same, and even those of us who speak the same language have a diversity of style and jargon that we are not always quite sure what is going on... but that's okay... we sit at the table because of the Grace of Jesus... if there is a head to this table, He is sitting there...
I'm just glad to be invited, aren't you?
06 March 2007
did I mention I'm readin Obama?
Back a few months ago, I picked up Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope. It has not been priority reading. But it has gone from a window sill, to bedside table (a worthless place for meeee...zzzzzzzzz) and to the table beside my spot in the living room. So yesterday when I didn't feel like heavy reading I picked it up and began where I left off maybe a month ago... I was in the chapter titled "Faith." I was and am facinated by what the man has to say. It sounds to me like he will be worshiping Him forever. He writes in this chapter what amounts to a "Beliefs Thesis" (my students will get that) without the theological jargon.
"I felt God's spirit beckoning me. I submitted myself to His will, and dedicated myself to discovering His truth." (p. 208)
huh...
capitalized pronouns and all...
can Rush say this? oh, sorry...
further, Mr. Obama says...
"But religion is rarely practiced in isolation; organized religion, at least, is a very public affair." (p. 213)
and
"Our failure as progressives to tap into the moral underpinnings of the nation is not just rhetorical, though. Our fears of getting 'preachy' may also lead us to discount the role that values and culture play in addressing some of our most urgent social problems." (p. 214-5)
"...the problems of poverty and racism and the uninsured... are also rooted in societal indifference and individual callousness--..." (p. 215)
interesting, very interesting...
"I felt God's spirit beckoning me. I submitted myself to His will, and dedicated myself to discovering His truth." (p. 208)
huh...
capitalized pronouns and all...
can Rush say this? oh, sorry...
further, Mr. Obama says...
"But religion is rarely practiced in isolation; organized religion, at least, is a very public affair." (p. 213)
and
"Our failure as progressives to tap into the moral underpinnings of the nation is not just rhetorical, though. Our fears of getting 'preachy' may also lead us to discount the role that values and culture play in addressing some of our most urgent social problems." (p. 214-5)
"...the problems of poverty and racism and the uninsured... are also rooted in societal indifference and individual callousness--..." (p. 215)
interesting, very interesting...
05 March 2007
C.S. Lewis on prayer
I'm plowing through a book of letters by Lewis and in one letter, I found a thought one on prayer worth posting. He was writing to his friend Arthur Greeves who had asked for prayer. On that subject, Lewis said the following about praying for his friend.
"It may not do you any good, but it does me a lot, for I cannot ask for any change to be made in you without finding that the very same needs to be made in me; which pulls me up and also by putting us all in the same boat checks any tendency to priggishness." (p.53)
This makes me think of what I consider one of the most important ideas from Romans, we are all "in the same boat" with the same problem and all need the same solution.
"It may not do you any good, but it does me a lot, for I cannot ask for any change to be made in you without finding that the very same needs to be made in me; which pulls me up and also by putting us all in the same boat checks any tendency to priggishness." (p.53)
This makes me think of what I consider one of the most important ideas from Romans, we are all "in the same boat" with the same problem and all need the same solution.
02 March 2007
unrelated ideas?
"The church's unwitting capitulation to powerful cultural forces has caused it to lose its prophetic, other-worldly voice. We must remember that we are the people of the future formed by the past, and living in the present." - W. Tullian Tchividjian
I got this quote from a missions conference recently... during the same session, I wrote these things down that I heard said...
'We must not be so pipelined (tunnel-visioned?) in our vision to reach the lost that we lose sight of who we are as the Church of Jesus Christ.' - This comment is aimed at causing the church to consider how its tactics to reach the lost have caused it to lose some sight of itself, who she is, and how she should live. I think a good challenge... then I, days later, in reviewing these ideas thought this...
The church should be involved in the world, in culture, flavoring the world, but this should be done in such manners which hold her true to who she is... The spotless bride of Christ.
Thus one must consider what is appropriate for this bride to be a part of? How can this be clearly seen day-to-day? The bride has mandates from her groom. To be holy as he is holy, thus demonstrating she is his. As a bride is set apart at a wedding from the guests, so is the bride set apart from the world by her robes of righteousness. This bride is set apart but not removed, indeed, after the wedding she may walk down the aisle and smilingly acknowledging some of the guests present. At the reception, she and her groom mingle with all present, thanking them for their participation, their presence, their friendship. She radiates happiness and joy. People are happy to meet her because of her joy. The friends that surround her. Some from the past, some new, some will be around in a few years, some will not... What is the impact of this day and its memory on them? How will her reaction to them impact how they view her and her groom? Would they, having seen her, cause them to wish to be friends with them? Consider these questions in light of the fact that if you are a follower of Jesus, you are the part of the bride of Christ...
How does these 'unrelated ideas' inform us about the impact of the church? What lessons can we learn from this? Several, I hope. I hope to consider these ideas in the future... The plan of the wedding. The cost of the wedding. The gown/robe she wears. The joy she shows. Her attractiveness.
I got this quote from a missions conference recently... during the same session, I wrote these things down that I heard said...
'We must not be so pipelined (tunnel-visioned?) in our vision to reach the lost that we lose sight of who we are as the Church of Jesus Christ.' - This comment is aimed at causing the church to consider how its tactics to reach the lost have caused it to lose some sight of itself, who she is, and how she should live. I think a good challenge... then I, days later, in reviewing these ideas thought this...
The church should be involved in the world, in culture, flavoring the world, but this should be done in such manners which hold her true to who she is... The spotless bride of Christ.
Thus one must consider what is appropriate for this bride to be a part of? How can this be clearly seen day-to-day? The bride has mandates from her groom. To be holy as he is holy, thus demonstrating she is his. As a bride is set apart at a wedding from the guests, so is the bride set apart from the world by her robes of righteousness. This bride is set apart but not removed, indeed, after the wedding she may walk down the aisle and smilingly acknowledging some of the guests present. At the reception, she and her groom mingle with all present, thanking them for their participation, their presence, their friendship. She radiates happiness and joy. People are happy to meet her because of her joy. The friends that surround her. Some from the past, some new, some will be around in a few years, some will not... What is the impact of this day and its memory on them? How will her reaction to them impact how they view her and her groom? Would they, having seen her, cause them to wish to be friends with them? Consider these questions in light of the fact that if you are a follower of Jesus, you are the part of the bride of Christ...
How does these 'unrelated ideas' inform us about the impact of the church? What lessons can we learn from this? Several, I hope. I hope to consider these ideas in the future... The plan of the wedding. The cost of the wedding. The gown/robe she wears. The joy she shows. Her attractiveness.
21 February 2007
it was a great trip...
...but there was no time to post... and jet lag is certainly discombobulating (note the time of the post - and I've been at school for 45 min... ahhh jet lag)
Joanna got several job offers, we are so thankful to God for the choices she now has. We are asking HIM to guide her in her decision making process. There is one school that (with human eyes) looks perfert, but they are not sure they will need a new teacher, we pray for that door to be opened by the Lord or left closed.
I was blessed to connect with friends, ministry partners, former students and travel to and meet new ministry friends in Sarajevo, Bosnia CLICK FOR SOME PICS.
I was able to clarify major plans for the June trip to Budapest, Vac, Szeged and Vukovar with my ministry friends and partners.
BELOW, you will find some random pics in posts that I will date for the day of the pic and maybe some thoughts to go with them.
This morning I am reminded of how great it is to serve the LORD. In Central and Eastern Europe, here at Covenant, around C'ville... God is GOOD, all the time.
Joanna got several job offers, we are so thankful to God for the choices she now has. We are asking HIM to guide her in her decision making process. There is one school that (with human eyes) looks perfert, but they are not sure they will need a new teacher, we pray for that door to be opened by the Lord or left closed.
I was blessed to connect with friends, ministry partners, former students and travel to and meet new ministry friends in Sarajevo, Bosnia CLICK FOR SOME PICS.
I was able to clarify major plans for the June trip to Budapest, Vac, Szeged and Vukovar with my ministry friends and partners.
BELOW, you will find some random pics in posts that I will date for the day of the pic and maybe some thoughts to go with them.
This morning I am reminded of how great it is to serve the LORD. In Central and Eastern Europe, here at Covenant, around C'ville... God is GOOD, all the time.
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