Worried about guidance
I'm reading the last chapters of Packer's Knowing God. It is really hard to just flow through this, for me anyway. There is too much to think about. Sometimes I brood about it, like the last chapter on Romans that speaks of God's adequacy to save us. Something about that is hard for me.
But I am mostly sanguine about guidance, finally, after so many years of getting it wrong.
I believe if you are seeking to be a disciple of God you can mostly trust your skills and desires to guide you.
Some people have their life plan lined out for them. At least it looks that way from the outside. Some people will testify to that too. Great for them. I've never been like that. I was hoping someone would tell me what I was called to do. But it never happened. Silly I know. For one thing I'm such a curmudgeon. If someone really did try to tell me I would likely have not listened anyway. I am pretty hard to tell anything. So the concept that some angelic person was going to guide me is ludicrous. And yet it was a fantasy of mine.
My life is not straightforward. I cannot say there has been a logic to my life. I've never been able to see one. But I trust God has led me, most of the time. I think it has been good in God's eyes. He is subtle enough guide me into the paths of his choosing. I have to believe that.
There is scriptural reason for thinking so. Packer lists some. I will give you some of his.
Isaiah 58:11 assures us that if the people repent and obey, "the LORD will guide you always."
Psalm 25 "Good and upright is the LORD, therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way ... " A sinner I am. Humble I am working on.
James 1:5 "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously and without reproaching, and it will be given him." (RSV) Notice God says without reproaching. How wonderful a promise that is. There are no stupid questions. And the answer might be right in front of you.
Over time I have learned not to expect direct words from God. Yes I think I have heard direct words. But often I get logical reasons why I should do so-and-so, not so much a Moses like pronouncement. God is wonderful enough to explain it to me, most of the time. I think this is God's guidance as much as any other oracle might be. It might seem to come from my brain.. But I trust that my commitment to God insures God will often work through what seems a natural means.
The loud disclaimer must be made that we have the Bible as a rule for the limits of what God would call us to. God will not ask me to do something against the ten commandments, as much as from time to time I'd like to pretend to myself. No matter how much I might think it good to lie or steal, it is always sin.
God says in Romans 12:1-2 "Let your minds be remade and your whole nature thus transformed." "Then you will be able to discern the will of God and to know what is good and acceptable and perfect."
We can be confident that God can guide us. He works with us individually. We can be confident God will guide us. Each of us has a unique call for our lives. It will not look like anyone else. Most of us are called to be "regular joes". God needs good regular joe servants. People are watching. You never know who. God is using you.
If you desire to obey, God is able to use you. Psalm 119 is all about God's readiness to teach those of us ready to obey. And God takes whatever we give and keeps it.
Psalm 23:3 "he guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake." Remember God seeks his glory in our lives. He will be glorified in ways that we may never know, at least not before the day of judgment. This passage underscores that God will lead us to act righteously, that is according to the rules of right living the Bible describes. He will never lead us into sinful, hurtful acts.
But people go wrong if they think they must get a direct word from God for everything they do or say. I've tried that too. It will make you neurotic. It will make you much too introspective. Most of the things God calls us to are just prosaic choices we make. They involve inclinations, preferences and such. And yet God is guiding.
Certain jobs would be outside God's will. God tells us to find a believing spouse. Do not be "unequally yoked" means to me to find someone with the same level of commitment to God, not just being a believer. One will save oneself a lot of grief later if you do that, no matter how gorgeous the person you have you eye on. It is not enough if they are simply a Christian. They should be the same level of disciple you are.
Outside of that there is a lot of leeway in choosing a job or a spouse. A lot of that will involve your God given talents and passion and preferences of people of the opposite sex.
You can try demanding that God give you a word about your job or a spouse. If he does great. If he doesn't you can trust your inclinations. If you do get a direct word I think you should get it confirmed by a mature Christian that you trust. If it is a word from God it should line up and others should be able to check you if there is a problem. We should not trust ourselves totally about revelation. We are all so liable to mistakes in hearing God.
All of us should be willing to share these revelations to see if they line up with scripture and with a confirming word by someone who knows us. I may not be altogether too good at this but it makes it no less true.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Gnosis
Gnosis
I just wrote a blog that conjectured about 2 Timothy and it's intent. I am making a conjecture. My professor, for whom I first wrote a paper about that did not agree with me. He thought the words of the letter did not support my contention.
But you know I thought God told me this. I thought it was revelation. I was so excited. I thought I had discovered something new under the sun. God had revealed something to me that no one else knew. I was special.
That is to me how gnosis works. I know something else no one else knows. That makes me chosen, perhaps more "saved" than you. I am tempted to think knowing this confirms that I am closer to God than anyone else.
Putting it like this exposes it for the foolishness that it is. Conjectures about arcane Biblical truths like this one cannot be corroborated. Maybe we can find out in heaven. We can ask Paul. (I bet he gets tired of all the questions, hehe.)
I still think I'm right. But I know it gives me no special status. I hope that I can listen to objections and laugh with anyone who laughs at my idea. Well maybe not that last thing, but truly it is of no eternal import.
When we are in heaven our minds will still be finite. I do not think we will have instant knowledge of all things. In fact I do not think this will be possible. We are, after all, still the created being. We will never be God, maybe like him in some way, but never omniscient like God.
Perhaps we can take classes in Biblical historicity so we can find out all those things not explained in the Bible. I think I will be ready to sign up as soon as I get there.
I just wrote a blog that conjectured about 2 Timothy and it's intent. I am making a conjecture. My professor, for whom I first wrote a paper about that did not agree with me. He thought the words of the letter did not support my contention.
But you know I thought God told me this. I thought it was revelation. I was so excited. I thought I had discovered something new under the sun. God had revealed something to me that no one else knew. I was special.
That is to me how gnosis works. I know something else no one else knows. That makes me chosen, perhaps more "saved" than you. I am tempted to think knowing this confirms that I am closer to God than anyone else.
Putting it like this exposes it for the foolishness that it is. Conjectures about arcane Biblical truths like this one cannot be corroborated. Maybe we can find out in heaven. We can ask Paul. (I bet he gets tired of all the questions, hehe.)
I still think I'm right. But I know it gives me no special status. I hope that I can listen to objections and laugh with anyone who laughs at my idea. Well maybe not that last thing, but truly it is of no eternal import.
When we are in heaven our minds will still be finite. I do not think we will have instant knowledge of all things. In fact I do not think this will be possible. We are, after all, still the created being. We will never be God, maybe like him in some way, but never omniscient like God.
Perhaps we can take classes in Biblical historicity so we can find out all those things not explained in the Bible. I think I will be ready to sign up as soon as I get there.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Acts 10 - Being God's Agents
Acts 10 - Being God's agents
It strikes me that one point about the Centurion's conversion is that people were directly involved. Now that I rethink it perhaps I am laboring the point too hard. I don't want to make it some kind of rule. But somehow it is important that people be involved in conversion of others. We are God's agents.
In modern times usually an evangelist requires that a new Christian declare out loud in the presence of others his acceptance of his sinfulness, his request for forgiveness, his repentance, and his acceptance of Jesus as his savior. Perhaps he does it by repeating a memorized prayer or formula. The Catholic church understands itself to be an essential part of this salvation and sanctification. Anglicans show their acceptance of salvation through the rite of confirmation. Nowadays many have accepted the Anabaptist belief that one must be baptized as a consenting adult. Infant baptism is not effectual and a new convert must be rebaptized.
But when I read Acts 10 over again I was struck this time how Cornelius sees a clear vision (vs. 4-5) of God or an angel. But the angel, instead of instructing him to believe in Jesus, simply tells him to send for a close by evangelist (Peter). Why couldn't the angel tell him directly? Surely he could have. I wonder why not.
We hear that many Moslems and Jews are receiving visions of Jesus. Are they being converted on the spot? Or are they only sealed in their conversion by their reporting this vision to a believer and confessing that they accept the salvation that was offered to them in the vision? I'm sure God knows, I don't. But I suspect that the vast majority do find a Christian to tell the good news to, that they are now a believer in Christ. If they can safely join a church they do. Unfortunately some may have to keep their belief a secret for fear of reprisal.
Saul's conversion on the road to Damascus seems direct. He does not have to confess and declare his faith to anyone. He is instructed by Jesus to wait in Damascus for a man whom he will send. So there is an agent of God involved. Ananias does come to him to heal him of blindness. God does not do it directly. God loves and seems to require us to help one another. After this Saul came before the leaders in Jerusalem seemingly to confirm his conversion. The elders received him in fellowship. Saul may not have confessed like a modern new convert might but he did follow a custom and submit himself to the church through its leaders.
Practically speaking I don't think a vision by itself would be sufficient to save someone. If the person who receives such a clear vision does not share it with someone it will soon be forgotten, snatched away by the enemy of the saints. It would be like most dreams I have. I rarely remember a dream more than a few minutes after I wake up. Dreams, my dreams at least, are soon forgotten if I don't quickly share them or write them down. I think a vision, no matter how vivid, is much the same. If it is not shared and accepted the devil will quickly come and raise doubts in our mind. Satan will distract us. Satan will work to distort it. He will raise questions in our head as to what we really saw. We will become confused as to what really happened. Without the fellowship with and confirmation of another believer the excitement of it will soon be gone.
Cornelius hears the gospel from a man, an agent of God, and in the process God confirms his salvation by gifting the whole assembly with the Holy Spirit. This manifestation is not just for Cornelius, it is for the evangelists as well. They learn how wide is God's mercy. They are incredulous and remain so for quite a while actually. But God uses this as a learning process. In helping one another we learn and are ourselves blessed. God knows what he is doing when he insists that we be agents in bringing God's salvation to others. It is a good and joyful thing! It confirms and strengthens our faith as well as that of the new believer. In God' economy it works for our greatest good.
It strikes me that one point about the Centurion's conversion is that people were directly involved. Now that I rethink it perhaps I am laboring the point too hard. I don't want to make it some kind of rule. But somehow it is important that people be involved in conversion of others. We are God's agents.
In modern times usually an evangelist requires that a new Christian declare out loud in the presence of others his acceptance of his sinfulness, his request for forgiveness, his repentance, and his acceptance of Jesus as his savior. Perhaps he does it by repeating a memorized prayer or formula. The Catholic church understands itself to be an essential part of this salvation and sanctification. Anglicans show their acceptance of salvation through the rite of confirmation. Nowadays many have accepted the Anabaptist belief that one must be baptized as a consenting adult. Infant baptism is not effectual and a new convert must be rebaptized.
But when I read Acts 10 over again I was struck this time how Cornelius sees a clear vision (vs. 4-5) of God or an angel. But the angel, instead of instructing him to believe in Jesus, simply tells him to send for a close by evangelist (Peter). Why couldn't the angel tell him directly? Surely he could have. I wonder why not.
We hear that many Moslems and Jews are receiving visions of Jesus. Are they being converted on the spot? Or are they only sealed in their conversion by their reporting this vision to a believer and confessing that they accept the salvation that was offered to them in the vision? I'm sure God knows, I don't. But I suspect that the vast majority do find a Christian to tell the good news to, that they are now a believer in Christ. If they can safely join a church they do. Unfortunately some may have to keep their belief a secret for fear of reprisal.
Saul's conversion on the road to Damascus seems direct. He does not have to confess and declare his faith to anyone. He is instructed by Jesus to wait in Damascus for a man whom he will send. So there is an agent of God involved. Ananias does come to him to heal him of blindness. God does not do it directly. God loves and seems to require us to help one another. After this Saul came before the leaders in Jerusalem seemingly to confirm his conversion. The elders received him in fellowship. Saul may not have confessed like a modern new convert might but he did follow a custom and submit himself to the church through its leaders.
Practically speaking I don't think a vision by itself would be sufficient to save someone. If the person who receives such a clear vision does not share it with someone it will soon be forgotten, snatched away by the enemy of the saints. It would be like most dreams I have. I rarely remember a dream more than a few minutes after I wake up. Dreams, my dreams at least, are soon forgotten if I don't quickly share them or write them down. I think a vision, no matter how vivid, is much the same. If it is not shared and accepted the devil will quickly come and raise doubts in our mind. Satan will distract us. Satan will work to distort it. He will raise questions in our head as to what we really saw. We will become confused as to what really happened. Without the fellowship with and confirmation of another believer the excitement of it will soon be gone.
Cornelius hears the gospel from a man, an agent of God, and in the process God confirms his salvation by gifting the whole assembly with the Holy Spirit. This manifestation is not just for Cornelius, it is for the evangelists as well. They learn how wide is God's mercy. They are incredulous and remain so for quite a while actually. But God uses this as a learning process. In helping one another we learn and are ourselves blessed. God knows what he is doing when he insists that we be agents in bringing God's salvation to others. It is a good and joyful thing! It confirms and strengthens our faith as well as that of the new believer. In God' economy it works for our greatest good.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Psalm 107
Psalm 107
Read Psalm 107 and meditate on it's meaning for you.
This comes at a great time, after a recent blog about God’s judgment and our responsibility. Two points are filled in well with this psalm. First, four times in the psalm we have this refrain, “Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He delivered them out of their distresses.” (Verses 6, 13,19, 28) There are stories of four groups of people in distress. Sometimes they are in rebellion, sometimes not. But when they cry to God, whatever their situation God hears their cry and delivers them. And no mention is made of their being Israelites or not. One story is about being saved at sea. Israelites were almost never seamen. In our distress as a country let us cry out to the LORD right now.
Then soon after this refrain there is a second repeated verse: “Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men.” (verses 8, 15, 21, 31) After our deliverance it is wise to give God thanks. It is appropriate and necessary, for our own sakes to love and extol our God and remember his loving faithfulness when we ask. We need to look back and remember when he has done good things for us.
Secondly this psalm ends with a parable like admonition. Who is wise? Let him give heed to these things. And consider God’s lovingkindness (hesed). The commentator asks the question “In what practical ways are you gladly dependent on the Lord?” This is such a timely personal question for me. I know my dependence on God. But I am not glad about it. Yet I know God wants me to be glad. To put it in these stark words is helpful for me. I can see the problem more clearly. If I cannot gladly be dependent on God then I have not really understood his lovingkindness and faithfulness. And I have not understood in my heart his power and his presence to me. His nature is such that I can gladly be dependent and find that a good thing.
So where are you gladly dependent on God? Yes God wants us to be responsible. Responsibility is a good thing. But none of us is an island unto himself. We can fantasize that it is possible but in our heart of hearts we know it is not true. (I can see with a horror that my children have taken on my fantasy.) We need others and we need God. Do we chafe about it?
The thing is the only one who is entirely faithful is God. God is only one able to be entirely faithful. People cannot be even if they always wanted to be. They have other issues that do not include you. They cannot be always present as God can.
Without using those words I was asking God to help me with a situation last night. Will I trust God in a situation that I have no control over? I asked God to help me in a place of unbelief. This psalm helps me to see the nature of the problem. It boils down to will I trust God gladly. We all have places where we are not in control. Looking for a job after being laid off is like that. Lots of people are afraid they will soon lose their job and they sense a lack of control. Can we take it to God in our distress and gladly depend on God?
I think we should. Perhaps that has been a question for you. Psalm 107 gives four examples. In them we see God saying we should depend on him in all situations, no matter how bad they look. Call on God and give him the sacrifice of praise gladly when he delivers. So: I will cry out to God in my distress.
Read Psalm 107 and meditate on it's meaning for you.
This comes at a great time, after a recent blog about God’s judgment and our responsibility. Two points are filled in well with this psalm. First, four times in the psalm we have this refrain, “Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He delivered them out of their distresses.” (Verses 6, 13,19, 28) There are stories of four groups of people in distress. Sometimes they are in rebellion, sometimes not. But when they cry to God, whatever their situation God hears their cry and delivers them. And no mention is made of their being Israelites or not. One story is about being saved at sea. Israelites were almost never seamen. In our distress as a country let us cry out to the LORD right now.
Then soon after this refrain there is a second repeated verse: “Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men.” (verses 8, 15, 21, 31) After our deliverance it is wise to give God thanks. It is appropriate and necessary, for our own sakes to love and extol our God and remember his loving faithfulness when we ask. We need to look back and remember when he has done good things for us.
Secondly this psalm ends with a parable like admonition. Who is wise? Let him give heed to these things. And consider God’s lovingkindness (hesed). The commentator asks the question “In what practical ways are you gladly dependent on the Lord?” This is such a timely personal question for me. I know my dependence on God. But I am not glad about it. Yet I know God wants me to be glad. To put it in these stark words is helpful for me. I can see the problem more clearly. If I cannot gladly be dependent on God then I have not really understood his lovingkindness and faithfulness. And I have not understood in my heart his power and his presence to me. His nature is such that I can gladly be dependent and find that a good thing.
So where are you gladly dependent on God? Yes God wants us to be responsible. Responsibility is a good thing. But none of us is an island unto himself. We can fantasize that it is possible but in our heart of hearts we know it is not true. (I can see with a horror that my children have taken on my fantasy.) We need others and we need God. Do we chafe about it?
The thing is the only one who is entirely faithful is God. God is only one able to be entirely faithful. People cannot be even if they always wanted to be. They have other issues that do not include you. They cannot be always present as God can.
Without using those words I was asking God to help me with a situation last night. Will I trust God in a situation that I have no control over? I asked God to help me in a place of unbelief. This psalm helps me to see the nature of the problem. It boils down to will I trust God gladly. We all have places where we are not in control. Looking for a job after being laid off is like that. Lots of people are afraid they will soon lose their job and they sense a lack of control. Can we take it to God in our distress and gladly depend on God?
I think we should. Perhaps that has been a question for you. Psalm 107 gives four examples. In them we see God saying we should depend on him in all situations, no matter how bad they look. Call on God and give him the sacrifice of praise gladly when he delivers. So: I will cry out to God in my distress.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Judgment
Judgment
Do you believe God still punishes today? Many people don't. One man I know was adamant on that score. He based it on God's love. God is a loving God. He knew (admitted) God was also righteous but he felt love was the most important attribute of God. God would never punish people, relying on his love to bring them back.
I have heard others say since Jesus died on the cross for all our sins things are different now. The God of the Old Testament is now relating to us differently. He punished in the old covenant. We are under a new covenant now, a covenant of grace.
But I think if you look at the experience of history you see a different story. I believe still judges individuals because he is righteous. He calls us to be righteous as well. And he still judges nations. Perhaps you can see it more as logical consequences of bad choices.
This country has seen itself as chosen. Many Christians have seen this country as like Israel taking over a promised land. Perhaps it was. But certainly no longer. As we have increasingly rejected God so God will reject us. Some seem to think they can say God does not exist and poof! he is gone. I guess if we are gods then we can create our own reality. What foolishness!
If we look at the record of the original chosen people we see God expected holiness and compassion out of his chosen people. Being special did not come without responsibility. Perhaps it is not punishment as much as it is consequences. As people in this country think they are entitled rather than thinking they are responsible then they will fall like ripe fruit.
People think that if they have an unwanted pregnancy they have the right to kill it because it is inconvenient. They do not have to be responsible for their actions.
If people get over committed financially and feel they have too much debt forget about being responsible for their actions, just declare bankruptcy. Blame it on someone else. Call yourself a victim. Demand that the government bail you out.
If we get sick we have a right to health care. We don't have to pay for it. Get that rich guy over there to pay for it. He won't mind.
If we are hungry we have a right to food, and TV, and transportation, and a nice house. Rather than thinking about working for it, being responsible. Nevermind giving up luxuries, tightening the belt, eating beans and rice for a time, getting a temporary second job. Responsibility would be to abstain for a time to pay off the bills.
If one gets a girl pregnant, be a man, take responsibility, marry her or if she will not support her in carrying the child to term and giving the baby up for adoption. Take responsibility for your actions as far as you can. And you can more than you at first think.
People can persevere more than they might think. The situation often seem the most impossible just before the breakthrough. Trust God to see you through. God loves a man/woman who perseveres.
The same man who said God is mostly love also rejected the idea that our nation was chosen. Perhaps he saw the other side, being chosen come with responsibility. God demanded that his chosen Israel be faithful to him. God told them that if they were not, he would punish them.
The rest of the world is jealous of our country, our lifestyle. Like the nations around Israel it is entirely possible we will be destroyed from without or from within by immigrants who feel disenfranchised. David Wilkerson has recently predicted we will see many fires like a war, in our cities very soon. I am scared.
I feel like Jeremiah, predicting doom. When it happens I will be affected just like everyone else. Jeremiah became a refugee. I don't think it is impossible that I too could be a refugee. I will lose everything like everyone else. I have lose 30% of my retirement nest egg. Many have lost more. But it is probably not over. I hope things get better but things could get much worse. I can imagine it, can you?
Do you believe God still punishes today? Many people don't. One man I know was adamant on that score. He based it on God's love. God is a loving God. He knew (admitted) God was also righteous but he felt love was the most important attribute of God. God would never punish people, relying on his love to bring them back.
I have heard others say since Jesus died on the cross for all our sins things are different now. The God of the Old Testament is now relating to us differently. He punished in the old covenant. We are under a new covenant now, a covenant of grace.
But I think if you look at the experience of history you see a different story. I believe still judges individuals because he is righteous. He calls us to be righteous as well. And he still judges nations. Perhaps you can see it more as logical consequences of bad choices.
This country has seen itself as chosen. Many Christians have seen this country as like Israel taking over a promised land. Perhaps it was. But certainly no longer. As we have increasingly rejected God so God will reject us. Some seem to think they can say God does not exist and poof! he is gone. I guess if we are gods then we can create our own reality. What foolishness!
If we look at the record of the original chosen people we see God expected holiness and compassion out of his chosen people. Being special did not come without responsibility. Perhaps it is not punishment as much as it is consequences. As people in this country think they are entitled rather than thinking they are responsible then they will fall like ripe fruit.
People think that if they have an unwanted pregnancy they have the right to kill it because it is inconvenient. They do not have to be responsible for their actions.
If people get over committed financially and feel they have too much debt forget about being responsible for their actions, just declare bankruptcy. Blame it on someone else. Call yourself a victim. Demand that the government bail you out.
If we get sick we have a right to health care. We don't have to pay for it. Get that rich guy over there to pay for it. He won't mind.
If we are hungry we have a right to food, and TV, and transportation, and a nice house. Rather than thinking about working for it, being responsible. Nevermind giving up luxuries, tightening the belt, eating beans and rice for a time, getting a temporary second job. Responsibility would be to abstain for a time to pay off the bills.
If one gets a girl pregnant, be a man, take responsibility, marry her or if she will not support her in carrying the child to term and giving the baby up for adoption. Take responsibility for your actions as far as you can. And you can more than you at first think.
People can persevere more than they might think. The situation often seem the most impossible just before the breakthrough. Trust God to see you through. God loves a man/woman who perseveres.
The same man who said God is mostly love also rejected the idea that our nation was chosen. Perhaps he saw the other side, being chosen come with responsibility. God demanded that his chosen Israel be faithful to him. God told them that if they were not, he would punish them.
The rest of the world is jealous of our country, our lifestyle. Like the nations around Israel it is entirely possible we will be destroyed from without or from within by immigrants who feel disenfranchised. David Wilkerson has recently predicted we will see many fires like a war, in our cities very soon. I am scared.
I feel like Jeremiah, predicting doom. When it happens I will be affected just like everyone else. Jeremiah became a refugee. I don't think it is impossible that I too could be a refugee. I will lose everything like everyone else. I have lose 30% of my retirement nest egg. Many have lost more. But it is probably not over. I hope things get better but things could get much worse. I can imagine it, can you?
Friday, June 19, 2009
Spiritual Warfare
Wednesday night we had some spiritual warfare. Perhaps it was because our regular leaders were not there. The a/c was out. It was really hot. Rick and I sweat a lot. I think we both lost five pounds. I was tempted to run out of the room. I can, the inmates cannot.
Our TV - DVD setup could not be found. Something about they couldn't find the key. They didn't know where it was. We got conflicting excuses. So we worshiped while we waited.
Then God spoke to Rick. He said this the last song and then Rob will speak. I don't think anyone really paid attention. After the song he said. "No I'm serious, it's time for Rob to speak."
Rob had an inspired message. He spoke of Jackie Pullinger and speaking in tongues as an exercise in breaking strongholds. It was inspired.
As Rob was finishing the TV-DVD cart showed up. We got to listen to the seventh lesson of Alpha's Life Worth Living Course. Unfortunately we did not get to do small groups because we started so late. Rob's lesson substituted for small group time.
Some of the guys missed it. They insisted on writing letters during worship. We asked them to stop. Some did but they continued to have their minds far away. They were not open to receiving the great thing that God had for us all.
Our TV - DVD setup could not be found. Something about they couldn't find the key. They didn't know where it was. We got conflicting excuses. So we worshiped while we waited.
Then God spoke to Rick. He said this the last song and then Rob will speak. I don't think anyone really paid attention. After the song he said. "No I'm serious, it's time for Rob to speak."
Rob had an inspired message. He spoke of Jackie Pullinger and speaking in tongues as an exercise in breaking strongholds. It was inspired.
As Rob was finishing the TV-DVD cart showed up. We got to listen to the seventh lesson of Alpha's Life Worth Living Course. Unfortunately we did not get to do small groups because we started so late. Rob's lesson substituted for small group time.
Some of the guys missed it. They insisted on writing letters during worship. We asked them to stop. Some did but they continued to have their minds far away. They were not open to receiving the great thing that God had for us all.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Travel Day - Belton
Travel day
Yesterday was a travel day. Sorry about no blog. I think the lack of vegetables and fruit in my body disrupted my state. Why? Is that too weak an excuse? That and no exercise. For whatever reason I did not get walking in until Sunday morning. I needed it.
I'm getting scared maybe. That's the wrong word. But I am getting scared of walking. Long walking anyway. I can convince myself to do a one mile walk. I have often done one mile morning and evening. Sunday I did that. This morning, Monday, I did it again. Finally. I talked myself out of gym but walked one mile. God blessed me. I found several unsealed drinks and a one dollar bill. Wow.
SJ needs wood for our camping trip. As I walk I find great caches of wood put out for big pickup. There was one great cache of think hardwood. It would make great bonfire wood. But where was it now? I can't quit remember. It's not far though.
Belton Church
We visited DD3's church Sunday morning. They have a setup like my church VCH. The services are 9:30 and 11:00. The early service has a time limit so the sermon might end up being a little shorter than the later service. But their 9:30 seems to have more families than we do. They did baby dedications and there were about 10 children dedicated.
The pastor is young, dressed in old blue jeans and a t-shirt. They are going through Nehemiah and have done four weeks. Today he covered Nehemiah 3. That is the chapter where Nehemiah lists all the people who were in charge of various parts of the wall rebuilding. He laughed at doing that. We laughed too. He then proceeded to read the chapter before disclaiming his ability to read all the strange names. He actually did well with it.
He managed to make some good comments based on this chapter. This underscores Nehemiah's abilities as a leader and delegater. I mentioned this later to JF and he said the same things. Yes Nehemiah lists all the people responsible for various areas. By doing this he lets everyone know where the buck stops. Now Nehemiah does not get all the credit. This is good leadership. It is good to see the high priest is even getting in the act. Nehemiah also makes clear that certain nobles are refusing to work. There must be a story there. But quite a few leaders are working on areas near their section of responsibility. Nehemiah is quick to give them credit.
I like to think I remember where all the gates were and which section of the wall, north, south, east, or west each of these areas is in. But I don't I got lost. I am pretty sure the Fish Gate is in the north wall or the northeast corner, near the northern side of the Temple. I think that is the gate we entered in on my last trip to Jerusalem in January this year. The Dung Gate would be in the south wall. Anyway some of the areas I think I know. But then at the end of his reading the areas I got lost. But it was interesting to try to picture where the parts of the wall were in relation to the whole city wall.
Yesterday was a travel day. Sorry about no blog. I think the lack of vegetables and fruit in my body disrupted my state. Why? Is that too weak an excuse? That and no exercise. For whatever reason I did not get walking in until Sunday morning. I needed it.
I'm getting
SJ needs wood for our camping trip. As I walk I find great caches of wood put out for big pickup. There was one great cache of think hardwood. It would make great bonfire wood. But where was it now? I can't quit remember. It's not far though.
Belton Church
We visited DD3's church Sunday morning. They have a setup like my church VCH. The services are 9:30 and 11:00. The early service has a time limit so the sermon might end up being a little shorter than the later service. But their 9:30 seems to have more families than we do. They did baby dedications and there were about 10 children dedicated.
The pastor is young, dressed in old blue jeans and a t-shirt. They are going through Nehemiah and have done four weeks. Today he covered Nehemiah 3. That is the chapter where Nehemiah lists all the people who were in charge of various parts of the wall rebuilding. He laughed at doing that. We laughed too. He then proceeded to read the chapter before disclaiming his ability to read all the strange names. He actually did well with it.
He managed to make some good comments based on this chapter. This underscores Nehemiah's abilities as a leader and delegater. I mentioned this later to JF and he said the same things. Yes Nehemiah lists all the people responsible for various areas. By doing this he lets everyone know where the buck stops. Now Nehemiah does not get all the credit. This is good leadership. It is good to see the high priest is even getting in the act. Nehemiah also makes clear that certain nobles are refusing to work. There must be a story there. But quite a few leaders are working on areas near their section of responsibility. Nehemiah is quick to give them credit.
I like to think I remember where all the gates were and which section of the wall, north, south, east, or west each of these areas is in. But I don't I got lost. I am pretty sure the Fish Gate is in the north wall or the northeast corner, near the northern side of the Temple. I think that is the gate we entered in on my last trip to Jerusalem in January this year. The Dung Gate would be in the south wall. Anyway some of the areas I think I know. But then at the end of his reading the areas I got lost. But it was interesting to try to picture where the parts of the wall were in relation to the whole city wall.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Acting Class - Improv
Improv - Acting Class. I sort of dread going now but I would not want to quit, I paid too much for it. Besides how could I show fear and cowardice in front of my wife? She dutifully comes along. I don't even know if she likes it. The class has to challenge the veterans who take this every semester. So it's a bit fast for us the first timers.
The two vivacious young ladies who lead this do not know what to do with me, I don't think. I thought it was me but when I came to think more clearly in preparation for this blog entry I realized it really isn't me it all. It is all of us in the class. They keep their distance from us, the class. Everything is done very professionally. But they do look at me funny.
I was noticing this week when we came in to wait for the class to start. We all sat on the side of the room across the aisle from where the two ladies sit. We have separated ourselves from the teachers. One of the women noticed this. What does it mean? Does it mean anything?
The class ends promptly at nine. It is clear every week that they do not want to interact any more. They go back to their room, the room that we dare not enter. The door might be slightly open but they sit whispering furtively to each other. This is clearly their space.
Sometimes I think they worry that we will rub off them, our lack of talent or something.
Before and after class they sit in their room until we all vacate the building. Last night though as soon as we were out they were too. No talking. They slip to their cars and drive off.
But no it is not me. I think I get it now. Actors have been taught to consider non-actors as potential stalkers. If they ever get famous you cannot have stray pictures or stray stories out their for people to take advantage of. As I am in this class of potential stalker I find this unfair.
But then I remember I do the same thing when I go into the prisons and relate to inmates. I am very reticent to give them personal information. I rarely give out my phone number and then I give my cell phone. Who knows who has access to a cross-ex phone directory? When someone asks where I live I am vague about that. I would never give out my address. So here I am on the other side of it. I imagine many of the inmates think this unfair, an implied accusation. If you think about it long you could get your feelings hurt. They have been understanding.
So I understand how these young ladies feel. This is a class. Better not to get too close to your students. When we do chaplain training for ministry to prison inmates they tell us the same thing. Don't get too close. For persons of the opposite sex, do not get emotionally involved. Do not let yourself fall in love with inmates. You would be surprised. (Then again you might not.)
The two vivacious young ladies who lead this do not know what to do with me, I don't think. I thought it was me but when I came to think more clearly in preparation for this blog entry I realized it really isn't me it all. It is all of us in the class. They keep their distance from us, the class. Everything is done very professionally. But they do look at me funny.
I was noticing this week when we came in to wait for the class to start. We all sat on the side of the room across the aisle from where the two ladies sit. We have separated ourselves from the teachers. One of the women noticed this. What does it mean? Does it mean anything?
The class ends promptly at nine. It is clear every week that they do not want to interact any more. They go back to their room, the room that we dare not enter. The door might be slightly open but they sit whispering furtively to each other. This is clearly their space.
Sometimes I think they worry that we will rub off them, our lack of talent or something.
Before and after class they sit in their room until we all vacate the building. Last night though as soon as we were out they were too. No talking. They slip to their cars and drive off.
But no it is not me. I think I get it now. Actors have been taught to consider non-actors as potential stalkers. If they ever get famous you cannot have stray pictures or stray stories out their for people to take advantage of. As I am in this class of potential stalker I find this unfair.
But then I remember I do the same thing when I go into the prisons and relate to inmates. I am very reticent to give them personal information. I rarely give out my phone number and then I give my cell phone. Who knows who has access to a cross-ex phone directory? When someone asks where I live I am vague about that. I would never give out my address. So here I am on the other side of it. I imagine many of the inmates think this unfair, an implied accusation. If you think about it long you could get your feelings hurt. They have been understanding.
So I understand how these young ladies feel. This is a class. Better not to get too close to your students. When we do chaplain training for ministry to prison inmates they tell us the same thing. Don't get too close. For persons of the opposite sex, do not get emotionally involved. Do not let yourself fall in love with inmates. You would be surprised. (Then again you might not.)
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Pursuit of Happiness
The Preamble of the Declaration of Independence gives us the right to pursue happiness. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal and they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness – That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
It does not give a guarantee. Happiness is defined so differently by each person. And we are given the right to pursue them as we want. There are limitations of course. We cannot hurt others in our pursuit.
Obama overreaches as he tries to micromanage the rehab of big banks. He has no expertise in banking and neither do his advisors. It’s going to backfire. He has already looked foolish in allowing the officers of AIG to take their bonuses and then take it all back by taxing it. That is so childish. And yet many people seem to approve. Do they not see who is ultimately at fault here?
It does not give a guarantee. Happiness is defined so differently by each person. And we are given the right to pursue them as we want. There are limitations of course. We cannot hurt others in our pursuit.
Obama overreaches as he tries to micromanage the rehab of big banks. He has no expertise in banking and neither do his advisors. It’s going to backfire. He has already looked foolish in allowing the officers of AIG to take their bonuses and then take it all back by taxing it. That is so childish. And yet many people seem to approve. Do they not see who is ultimately at fault here?
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
1 Samuel 16:4
1 Samuel 16:4
We are so used to a rule of law. We do not have personal experience with a rule of men. Maybe with Obama we might get to experience it. But that's another story.
Men can be capricious. It is scary when so much power is invested in one man.Israel has come to regret perhaps demanding a king.
Saul, we are going to see later, can be very capricious. By this time have the people already experienced some of it.
So 1 Samuel 16:4 brings a chuckle to my heart. Why? The elders tremble to meet Samuel. This is sort of a meeting of state with a man no longer in power. Samuel is like a former president or a former prime minister. You still give him respect but it is awkward.
But the people of Bethlehem know Samuel is not in favor with the new king. What has occurred between the confrontation described in chapter 15 and the events of chapter 16? Has Saul forbid Samuel from traveling? Saul, as king, has the power of life or death. It is scary for one man to have such power. So that is why the elders of Bethlehem tremble when they meet Samuel and ask if he comes in peace.
What does it mean to come in peace? Do they suspect that Samuel might foment revolution. In a sense, a real sense, Samuel is not telling the truth here. Samuel has come to commit treason. He is planning to anoint a new king. This is certain to be the same as fomenting revolution. He may come in God's peace but it means the opposite of peace to Saul and his descendants.
1 Samuel 16:2 - Samuel also fears Saul. Something must have gone on between the last visit that we read about in chapter 15 and now. We do not know why Samuel would fear traveling. Samuel hears God and responds with a comment. God does not disagree with Samuel's assessment of the situation. God comes up with a solution. He essentially travels with a cover story. He is like a spy in a modern movie.
We are so used to a rule of law. We do not have personal experience with a rule of men. Maybe with Obama we might get to experience it. But that's another story.
Men can be capricious. It is scary when so much power is invested in one man.Israel has come to regret perhaps demanding a king.
Saul, we are going to see later, can be very capricious. By this time have the people already experienced some of it.
So 1 Samuel 16:4 brings a chuckle to my heart. Why? The elders tremble to meet Samuel. This is sort of a meeting of state with a man no longer in power. Samuel is like a former president or a former prime minister. You still give him respect but it is awkward.
But the people of Bethlehem know Samuel is not in favor with the new king. What has occurred between the confrontation described in chapter 15 and the events of chapter 16? Has Saul forbid Samuel from traveling? Saul, as king, has the power of life or death. It is scary for one man to have such power. So that is why the elders of Bethlehem tremble when they meet Samuel and ask if he comes in peace.
What does it mean to come in peace? Do they suspect that Samuel might foment revolution. In a sense, a real sense, Samuel is not telling the truth here. Samuel has come to commit treason. He is planning to anoint a new king. This is certain to be the same as fomenting revolution. He may come in God's peace but it means the opposite of peace to Saul and his descendants.
1 Samuel 16:2 - Samuel also fears Saul. Something must have gone on between the last visit that we read about in chapter 15 and now. We do not know why Samuel would fear traveling. Samuel hears God and responds with a comment. God does not disagree with Samuel's assessment of the situation. God comes up with a solution. He essentially travels with a cover story. He is like a spy in a modern movie.
Friday, April 10, 2009
back from Camp Peniel
Back from Camp Peniel
These are nice people. I don't feel worthy.
High points for me are that we played a very friendly Scrabble game with a couple with last name of Taft. It was very fast. Everyone played common words and The four of us totally over 500 points. I think that is pretty good. Everywhere scored pretty close except the wife who emptied her board for a 92 point word. Very cool. That put her ahead to stay.
Second high point was that DW and I sang a children's song with the motions for our "talent" in the talent show. We sang "I'm a little stone in the house of Jesus". Some might remember that little ditty. We thought about "The Butterfly Song". Maybe next year. DW would have done it. I was afraid we would fumble on the order of the animals.
(Parenthetically some of the "acts" were unbearable.) But the dog acts were good especially the first one. She knew a lot of great tricks.
There were Christian talks that bore on reaffirming our commitment to Jesus. Talks like that confuse me. Am I totally committed? I think I am and at the same time I know I can do better. I think God has me where he wants me and I have to trust he will roust me up if I need to do more. So I am pretty confused to know how to proceed with such talk. Perhaps it is simply to say, "yes Lord". And to aks God to show me what more he wants me to do. But I think we can easily outrun the Lord. We can do things God is simply not calling us to and think we are great people for doing so. And yet ... And yet ... God help me to know your mind on this.
The third high point was to see the UMHB Passion Play Wednesday night 5:00 PM. Well we got lost getting there so we got there for only half of the play. We got there just as the Passion part was starting. The visit to Herod must have just ended. Looked like from the set that we missed the woman at the well and the Upper Room/ Last Supper. Naomi got there at the same time so she filled us in.
Actually God very much blessed us with a miracle parking spot and then Naomi to give us advice as to where to sit. DD3 was playing one of the sorrowful women who cried when Jesus was suffering and dying. She was on the large outdoor set most of the time. Later we got a nice Mexican meal with her. It was great to do some catching up. We also saw here roommates, which include Naomi.
But she had to rush off for more of the festivities. We had to cut it short. We headed back to Camp Peniel. We got there at 10 PM. Some people were having a jam session like they did the night before. More of us stayed up to sing along.
They also use the Celebration Hymnal and like Sam they choose a lot of songs that are famous in Baptist churches. Many of these people are about the same age as the people in Brighton Home.
I peevishly wanted to ask them to sing an old Redeemer song but I refrained. There are several of them in this hymnal. No doubt none of the guitar players nor any of the singers have ever heard of it and would not appreciate my raining on their trip down memory lane. These songs are "heart songs" for them as they are really not for me. But I can sing them.
Eventually there will be pictures of us on the Camp Peniel website of us on horses. But there are not up yet.
These are nice people. I don't feel worthy.
High points for me are that we played a very friendly Scrabble game with a couple with last name of Taft. It was very fast. Everyone played common words and The four of us totally over 500 points. I think that is pretty good. Everywhere scored pretty close except the wife who emptied her board for a 92 point word. Very cool. That put her ahead to stay.
Second high point was that DW and I sang a children's song with the motions for our "talent" in the talent show. We sang "I'm a little stone in the house of Jesus". Some might remember that little ditty. We thought about "The Butterfly Song". Maybe next year. DW would have done it. I was afraid we would fumble on the order of the animals.
(Parenthetically some of the "acts" were unbearable.) But the dog acts were good especially the first one. She knew a lot of great tricks.
There were Christian talks that bore on reaffirming our commitment to Jesus. Talks like that confuse me. Am I totally committed? I think I am and at the same time I know I can do better. I think God has me where he wants me and I have to trust he will roust me up if I need to do more. So I am pretty confused to know how to proceed with such talk. Perhaps it is simply to say, "yes Lord". And to aks God to show me what more he wants me to do. But I think we can easily outrun the Lord. We can do things God is simply not calling us to and think we are great people for doing so. And yet ... And yet ... God help me to know your mind on this.
The third high point was to see the UMHB Passion Play Wednesday night 5:00 PM. Well we got lost getting there so we got there for only half of the play. We got there just as the Passion part was starting. The visit to Herod must have just ended. Looked like from the set that we missed the woman at the well and the Upper Room/ Last Supper. Naomi got there at the same time so she filled us in.
Actually God very much blessed us with a miracle parking spot and then Naomi to give us advice as to where to sit. DD3 was playing one of the sorrowful women who cried when Jesus was suffering and dying. She was on the large outdoor set most of the time. Later we got a nice Mexican meal with her. It was great to do some catching up. We also saw here roommates, which include Naomi.
But she had to rush off for more of the festivities. We had to cut it short. We headed back to Camp Peniel. We got there at 10 PM. Some people were having a jam session like they did the night before. More of us stayed up to sing along.
They also use the Celebration Hymnal and like Sam they choose a lot of songs that are famous in Baptist churches. Many of these people are about the same age as the people in Brighton Home.
I peevishly wanted to ask them to sing an old Redeemer song but I refrained. There are several of them in this hymnal. No doubt none of the guitar players nor any of the singers have ever heard of it and would not appreciate my raining on their trip down memory lane. These songs are "heart songs" for them as they are really not for me. But I can sing them.
Eventually there will be pictures of us on the Camp Peniel website of us on horses. But there are not up yet.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Ministry - in the church and outside the church
For many years the only serving I did for Christ was in the church itself. I've done most everything from sweeping and vacuuming and yard work to preschool childcare for many years. It's hard to believe now I was pretty good at that. Everything I did was inside the church and that's all good.
For the last ten or so years I have been singing in a small choir on Sunday nights. I do that for me. I am very selfish about this. I am never quite sure how much I contribute. But I do try to be a good morale guy. I really do not understand because in most other areas of my life to try to do that brings confusion and failure. But in the church choir I do contribute in that way. It's a specific gift from the Holy Spirit. If there has to be a reason it may be because I am so happy to be a part. But that does not explain it. It is supernatural.
About four years ago I got plugged in with a group starting up Alpha for prisons in Houston. I really recommend this to anyone and everyone. This one is not so selfish on my part. Well yes it is in a different way. There is a very selfish way in which my brain tells me I am fulfilling a specific recommendation given by James in the Bible. True spirituality is visiting those in the jails and in the hospitals. So I am sure this is something God wants us to do. I do not think I am strong enough emotionally to do this on my own. But I can join a group and do it. I hope I never have to try to do this on my own.
If you are at all in need of a ministry that pays you back in many ways you should think about prison ministry. You could get involved with what we do. Or you could contact Prison Fellowship and see how you can plug in with them. They had a whole prison out in Sugar Land so I know they must need people. There is something called Kairos that goes into prisons. I know a couple of people who do that but I know little of how it works except that they go maybe monthly and it involves a lot of cookies.
If you are like me and you have really never been too close to the poor of this world prison ministry can be eyeopening. I tend to judge what is different from me. But these men (and women if you go that way) are people loved by God. Their mindsets are just so different. And yet once you get to know them you can love them as God does. God gives you the ability. This does not mean you do not hate the sin. And you have to understand these people are going to have a hard time staying out once they are released. Habits are hard to break. Often it is very hard to find "good" friends and a living wage job.
But you get to join God in praying and hoping for them. You can help as much as you can. I think you have to understand to keep boundaries though.
I get as much as I get in doing the small bit I do in prisons. It is really better if a lot of people do a little bit rather than a few people trying to shoulder a whole lot. There is lots of frustration. There is temptation to get jaded and negative. So it helps to have others along side.
I suspect it helps the guards to see us come in, fresh faced, optimistic. A bit of our ministry is to the guards, to be friendly to share with them anything we get to share with the prisoners. After a while even I recognize the different guards though I do not know names I know faces. We smile in recognition. At least at the facility I am going to, which is a jail, not a prison, the guards seem very friendly, not surly or belligerent like they are often portrayed. A jail is for short-termers, a prison holds long term prisoners. I understand the atmosphere is quite different. But I haven't been in prisons enough to truly experience it.
There are other ways to help the poor. One can work at Open Door Mission or in a food pantry. A man I know works with a meals-on-wheels group. That is certainly another direct Biblical command, to help the poor. That may be more where your heart lies. If it is go for it. Stick your little toe in and see where it leads. I repeat it would be much better if a lot of people did a little bit than for a few people to do it all, acting more like professionals than amateurs. "Amateur" has as it's root the Greek word for love. Do it for love of the people, for love of God, giving back for what we have been freely given. Make it a part of your ministry.
For the last ten or so years I have been singing in a small choir on Sunday nights. I do that for me. I am very selfish about this. I am never quite sure how much I contribute. But I do try to be a good morale guy. I really do not understand because in most other areas of my life to try to do that brings confusion and failure. But in the church choir I do contribute in that way. It's a specific gift from the Holy Spirit. If there has to be a reason it may be because I am so happy to be a part. But that does not explain it. It is supernatural.
About four years ago I got plugged in with a group starting up Alpha for prisons in Houston. I really recommend this to anyone and everyone. This one is not so selfish on my part. Well yes it is in a different way. There is a very selfish way in which my brain tells me I am fulfilling a specific recommendation given by James in the Bible. True spirituality is visiting those in the jails and in the hospitals. So I am sure this is something God wants us to do. I do not think I am strong enough emotionally to do this on my own. But I can join a group and do it. I hope I never have to try to do this on my own.
If you are at all in need of a ministry that pays you back in many ways you should think about prison ministry. You could get involved with what we do. Or you could contact Prison Fellowship and see how you can plug in with them. They had a whole prison out in Sugar Land so I know they must need people. There is something called Kairos that goes into prisons. I know a couple of people who do that but I know little of how it works except that they go maybe monthly and it involves a lot of cookies.
If you are like me and you have really never been too close to the poor of this world prison ministry can be eyeopening. I tend to judge what is different from me. But these men (and women if you go that way) are people loved by God. Their mindsets are just so different. And yet once you get to know them you can love them as God does. God gives you the ability. This does not mean you do not hate the sin. And you have to understand these people are going to have a hard time staying out once they are released. Habits are hard to break. Often it is very hard to find "good" friends and a living wage job.
But you get to join God in praying and hoping for them. You can help as much as you can. I think you have to understand to keep boundaries though.
I get as much as I get in doing the small bit I do in prisons. It is really better if a lot of people do a little bit rather than a few people trying to shoulder a whole lot. There is lots of frustration. There is temptation to get jaded and negative. So it helps to have others along side.
I suspect it helps the guards to see us come in, fresh faced, optimistic. A bit of our ministry is to the guards, to be friendly to share with them anything we get to share with the prisoners. After a while even I recognize the different guards though I do not know names I know faces. We smile in recognition. At least at the facility I am going to, which is a jail, not a prison, the guards seem very friendly, not surly or belligerent like they are often portrayed. A jail is for short-termers, a prison holds long term prisoners. I understand the atmosphere is quite different. But I haven't been in prisons enough to truly experience it.
There are other ways to help the poor. One can work at Open Door Mission or in a food pantry. A man I know works with a meals-on-wheels group. That is certainly another direct Biblical command, to help the poor. That may be more where your heart lies. If it is go for it. Stick your little toe in and see where it leads. I repeat it would be much better if a lot of people did a little bit than for a few people to do it all, acting more like professionals than amateurs. "Amateur" has as it's root the Greek word for love. Do it for love of the people, for love of God, giving back for what we have been freely given. Make it a part of your ministry.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Luke 15, mostly the last one
Luke 15:11 - 32
The younger son "came to his senses". We would say say he lost his mind. He is going to give up his pride. He is going to grovel before his father. How many of us would continue to resist? We would seek another job before we groveled before our fathers. Or we take the anonymous way and apply for a government handout.
We are quick to think of this as God the Father, the all knowing God. But in this story Jesus never refers to him as God the father. All three of these parables are about the excitement of finding precious things. In this last one it is a precious person. The father knows him as precious. All of us know our children as precious. But many fathers may not be as willing to show it quite as openly or as extravagantly as this father does. I don't think I would. It would be there in my heart I think mixed with other emotions.
But in this story Jesus is using the example of an earthy father. So in this story how much does the father know? How much does he know of his mental state? He does not let him finish his speech. Is he simply very glad to see his son and no more? At least on the surface this is not about salvation. We quickly jump to that. Let us get back to the original story. It is about getting back a son that is lost.
The son went away and has not been heard from. The father has to be afraid he is dead. He has been worrying, perhaps praying. I think about parents who saw their children go off to the New World 200 to 300 years ago. They would be saying goodbye never expecting to see them again. There was no regular mail, communication would be at best slow, taking months. The parents would never know how they got on. How hard that would be!
We think of sibling rivalry to explain the younger son's urge to leave. Did he not really understand how much his father loved him? Did he think he father favored the eldest?
Yes we do see this as Jesus showing us the attitude of God the Father through this small family tragedy. This is about a loving heavenly Father. Perhaps we can never imagine our earthly father doing such things, being so overjoyed to see us, hugging us, giving us a welcome home party. But our heavenly Father is like that. Jesus is telling us so.
Let us keep that in mind and remind one another of it.
Blue Bible version of Luke 15 (NIV)
The younger son "came to his senses". We would say say he lost his mind. He is going to give up his pride. He is going to grovel before his father. How many of us would continue to resist? We would seek another job before we groveled before our fathers. Or we take the anonymous way and apply for a government handout.
We are quick to think of this as God the Father, the all knowing God. But in this story Jesus never refers to him as God the father. All three of these parables are about the excitement of finding precious things. In this last one it is a precious person. The father knows him as precious. All of us know our children as precious. But many fathers may not be as willing to show it quite as openly or as extravagantly as this father does. I don't think I would. It would be there in my heart I think mixed with other emotions.
But in this story Jesus is using the example of an earthy father. So in this story how much does the father know? How much does he know of his mental state? He does not let him finish his speech. Is he simply very glad to see his son and no more? At least on the surface this is not about salvation. We quickly jump to that. Let us get back to the original story. It is about getting back a son that is lost.
The son went away and has not been heard from. The father has to be afraid he is dead. He has been worrying, perhaps praying. I think about parents who saw their children go off to the New World 200 to 300 years ago. They would be saying goodbye never expecting to see them again. There was no regular mail, communication would be at best slow, taking months. The parents would never know how they got on. How hard that would be!
We think of sibling rivalry to explain the younger son's urge to leave. Did he not really understand how much his father loved him? Did he think he father favored the eldest?
Yes we do see this as Jesus showing us the attitude of God the Father through this small family tragedy. This is about a loving heavenly Father. Perhaps we can never imagine our earthly father doing such things, being so overjoyed to see us, hugging us, giving us a welcome home party. But our heavenly Father is like that. Jesus is telling us so.
Let us keep that in mind and remind one another of it.
Blue Bible version of Luke 15 (NIV)
Monday, March 9, 2009
Try it
Try it
I learned an exercise in seminary that I submit to you. You can do it. And it will produce dividends in your understanding.
Pick an epistle and read it through in one sitting. Pick a small one to start with. While you are reading ask God to show you why Paul wrote it. I submit to you that every epistle was written for one reason. Not one reason for most of it, one reason.
It's like unlocking a treasure chest. Once you see what it is you will then see that everything Paul wrote in the epistle contributes to that main idea. If you think that something does not fit then you have not quite gotten it yet. Look further.
You may have to read it more than once. It often helps to read it in different versions. My professor said to read it in three different versions at minimum before you settle on an answer. If you do this you will be richly rewarded.
What you discover will be something you rarely hear from the pulpit. Usually a preacher will "proof text" these epistles. A sermon will be based on one short passage. Or short passages from various places will be patched together to make a point. Doing it this way distorts the message of the letters as a whole. The Bible bears up well to this sort of thing but it is not the same as figuring out why an epistle was written in the first place.
Secondly what you find will be still a great truth for today as well. You will be increasing your depth of knowledge about how God relates to his church.
I just did it with a short epistle, Second Thessalonians. There are several short epistles that make this an easier exercise. Colossians, Ephesians, Philippians are also good. In class we also did Romans, perhaps the most complex Epistle. But it still works with Romans. Romans is a great one to do. But do a shorter one first. I will not give you the answers (as if I could truly say I have it all together). Doing these and discovering for yourself will be better. I got a good answer for 2 Thessalonians. I sort of remember the answer for Romans.
If anyone tries this, please respond to this message and let us know what you find. I'd love to see how your thoughts compare with what I got. My professor does this class often. He repeatedly goes back and does this work over and over. Each time he reworks his thought God gives him a slightly different perspective. He changes, hopefully improves, his answer. I wonder if any other professor takes this view.
I did 2 Thessalonians before but of course I have forgotten what I concluded last time. So it was like doing it all over again.
I learned an exercise in seminary that I submit to you. You can do it. And it will produce dividends in your understanding.
Pick an epistle and read it through in one sitting. Pick a small one to start with. While you are reading ask God to show you why Paul wrote it. I submit to you that every epistle was written for one reason. Not one reason for most of it, one reason.
It's like unlocking a treasure chest. Once you see what it is you will then see that everything Paul wrote in the epistle contributes to that main idea. If you think that something does not fit then you have not quite gotten it yet. Look further.
You may have to read it more than once. It often helps to read it in different versions. My professor said to read it in three different versions at minimum before you settle on an answer. If you do this you will be richly rewarded.
What you discover will be something you rarely hear from the pulpit. Usually a preacher will "proof text" these epistles. A sermon will be based on one short passage. Or short passages from various places will be patched together to make a point. Doing it this way distorts the message of the letters as a whole. The Bible bears up well to this sort of thing but it is not the same as figuring out why an epistle was written in the first place.
Secondly what you find will be still a great truth for today as well. You will be increasing your depth of knowledge about how God relates to his church.
I just did it with a short epistle, Second Thessalonians. There are several short epistles that make this an easier exercise. Colossians, Ephesians, Philippians are also good. In class we also did Romans, perhaps the most complex Epistle. But it still works with Romans. Romans is a great one to do. But do a shorter one first. I will not give you the answers (as if I could truly say I have it all together). Doing these and discovering for yourself will be better. I got a good answer for 2 Thessalonians. I sort of remember the answer for Romans.
If anyone tries this, please respond to this message and let us know what you find. I'd love to see how your thoughts compare with what I got. My professor does this class often. He repeatedly goes back and does this work over and over. Each time he reworks his thought God gives him a slightly different perspective. He changes, hopefully improves, his answer. I wonder if any other professor takes this view.
I did 2 Thessalonians before but of course I have forgotten what I concluded last time. So it was like doing it all over again.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Simply Chrstian - N. T. Wright
Simply Christian - N. T. Wright
I told MP I would not read this book. That was premature. What I really meant was I would not buy it and it is inconvenient trying to park downtown to go to the downtown public library. That would have been oversharing to explain, not to say I have not overshared before. I'm trying to be good.
But where I stayed this weekend was very close to the downtown library so DW and I walked over there Saturday. We saw Louise Alexander which was nice. I was able to pick it up without a problem. I figured by now my card would be expired but it wasn't. It seems like a long time since I have checked out an HPL book. I am so spoiled by the Rice Library. They have a great collection, I like older books, and they let me keep them for 30 days. HPL only allows 14 days, often too short for me.
Plus the workers at HPL have many times not checked my book in when I return it causing me to have to prove to them I do not owe late fees, that it is on their shelves, or already checked out again. This is maddening as you can imagine. So I never put them in the book slot and always insist on watching them swipe the books as returned. This is often inconvenient and they do not appreciate my attitude. So I have tried to stop checking out HPL books.
So I broke my rule this weekend. I got Simply Christian and one of the newer Cat Who books. Rice has none of the Cat Who books. They also do not have much N. T. Wright and certainly not Simply Christian.
DW got two mystery books on spec. The first one was too gross and she did not get far. The second one she liked better and she finished it Saturday night. Friday she finished her Sue Grafton book "I is for Innocent". Because I have not read it yet she gave me some slight teasers but did not spoil it. She did mention a surprise. I'm OK, by the time I start it I will have forgotten what she said, hehe.
I have issues with N. T. Wright that are at best petty. I would love to think I will hate this book. But I probably will not. I will try not to be too annoyed about this. There has to be a reason why Wright is liked by many people that I respect. These people are from all sorts of Christian perspectives. I would like to find glaring problems with his style or theology. But I probably will not. Less certain to me is whether I will find this book helpful to my faith.
I just finished the short introduction. The title of the book reminds one of Lewis', Mere Christianity. It seems he is attempting to do the same thing Lewis was. I am also reminded of Alpha, the series of talks given by Nicky Gumbel. The introduction says he is trying to do what Gumbel is, explain Christianity both to those outside and inside the faith. The subtitle "Why Christianity Makes Sense" implies he as trying to write an apology here. But the introduction never says anything directly about this. Is this British understatement? We shall see I guess.
I told MP I would not read this book. That was premature. What I really meant was I would not buy it and it is inconvenient trying to park downtown to go to the downtown public library. That would have been oversharing to explain, not to say I have not overshared before. I'm trying to be good.
But where I stayed this weekend was very close to the downtown library so DW and I walked over there Saturday. We saw Louise Alexander which was nice. I was able to pick it up without a problem. I figured by now my card would be expired but it wasn't. It seems like a long time since I have checked out an HPL book. I am so spoiled by the Rice Library. They have a great collection, I like older books, and they let me keep them for 30 days. HPL only allows 14 days, often too short for me.
Plus the workers at HPL have many times not checked my book in when I return it causing me to have to prove to them I do not owe late fees, that it is on their shelves, or already checked out again. This is maddening as you can imagine. So I never put them in the book slot and always insist on watching them swipe the books as returned. This is often inconvenient and they do not appreciate my attitude. So I have tried to stop checking out HPL books.
So I broke my rule this weekend. I got Simply Christian and one of the newer Cat Who books. Rice has none of the Cat Who books. They also do not have much N. T. Wright and certainly not Simply Christian.
DW got two mystery books on spec. The first one was too gross and she did not get far. The second one she liked better and she finished it Saturday night. Friday she finished her Sue Grafton book "I is for Innocent". Because I have not read it yet she gave me some slight teasers but did not spoil it. She did mention a surprise. I'm OK, by the time I start it I will have forgotten what she said, hehe.
I have issues with N. T. Wright that are at best petty. I would love to think I will hate this book. But I probably will not. I will try not to be too annoyed about this. There has to be a reason why Wright is liked by many people that I respect. These people are from all sorts of Christian perspectives. I would like to find glaring problems with his style or theology. But I probably will not. Less certain to me is whether I will find this book helpful to my faith.
I just finished the short introduction. The title of the book reminds one of Lewis', Mere Christianity. It seems he is attempting to do the same thing Lewis was. I am also reminded of Alpha, the series of talks given by Nicky Gumbel. The introduction says he is trying to do what Gumbel is, explain Christianity both to those outside and inside the faith. The subtitle "Why Christianity Makes Sense" implies he as trying to write an apology here. But the introduction never says anything directly about this. Is this British understatement? We shall see I guess.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Sir Gibbie original version by George McDonald
Sir Gibbie original version by George McDonald
Sir Gibble is almost done. I cheated and snuck to the end with about forty pages to go. So sue me. I guess I suspected how it would end. Sort of. The girl who is the most liked by the author wins our hero despite his best efforts to push her into the arms of his best friend. Nevermind that they are cousins. Maybe not first cousins, the book never says about that. Did the author forget about that? No I suspect not. He may have thought it was an added plus, keep the marriage (and the money) in the clan so speak. Remember this is Scotland.
Sir Gibbie is the original volume. These books have been "translated". And the translated books have been renamed. I cannot remember the modern name. In the original book dialogue that is carried on in "broad Scotch" is spelled out some of phonetically. It is often pretty hard to get the exact meaning but you can get the gist. In a translation there is a little missed as when the man speaks in his this native tongue when being informal and speaks in good English to put down his hearer. I guess this is explained in the authors comments. So there may be no reason not to go for the translation except that I am reading out of a library full of older books. This library does not have the newer versions.
Gibble has qualities of Pollyanna. Anyone remember Pollyanna? She too was a happy child in the face of circumstances. She too took it upon herself to see to it that people's lives turned out well, happily we might say. Except McDonald is also very interested in people's souls, their salvation as well as their earthly well being. So Gibble works to set people along the right path to God as well as to make them successful and comfortable.
I wonder if it works like that. Not as much as McDonald's romance makes it out. Of course this is a romance, one must never forget that. A romance is as much about what they author would like to see reality be as anything else. McDonald would like an almost Christlike figure like Gibbie be able to influence people to faith.
Do we think God is like that, or Jesus, or the Holy Spirit? Do they influence people towards faith? Is it as active as Gibbie is or is it more passive? Now Gibbie works behind the scenes so to speak. Often people do not know he is setting up situations. For myself I think it retrospect I can see I helped to set up situations a few times. But I was certainly not smart enough to do it myself. God arranged things not me. I only had it revealed to me later. There may be other times that God used me that I certainly will never be aware of, this side of the grave anyway.
There is another character in this book a Donald (Donal) Grant. He is the young man who did not get the girl. McDonald was very interested in him too. We are told inside this book that the author might write about Donald in another book. It seems he did, three volumes full. I will tackle that one soon, if God allows me to.
A lot can be said about Sir Gibbie. According to something I looked at while working on this entry, Gibbie was a favorite character of C. S. Lewis and that Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn was influenced or inspired by Gibbie.
Sir Gibble is almost done. I cheated and snuck to the end with about forty pages to go. So sue me. I guess I suspected how it would end. Sort of. The girl who is the most liked by the author wins our hero despite his best efforts to push her into the arms of his best friend. Nevermind that they are cousins. Maybe not first cousins, the book never says about that. Did the author forget about that? No I suspect not. He may have thought it was an added plus, keep the marriage (and the money) in the clan so speak. Remember this is Scotland.
Sir Gibbie is the original volume. These books have been "translated". And the translated books have been renamed. I cannot remember the modern name. In the original book dialogue that is carried on in "broad Scotch" is spelled out some of phonetically. It is often pretty hard to get the exact meaning but you can get the gist. In a translation there is a little missed as when the man speaks in his this native tongue when being informal and speaks in good English to put down his hearer. I guess this is explained in the authors comments. So there may be no reason not to go for the translation except that I am reading out of a library full of older books. This library does not have the newer versions.
Gibble has qualities of Pollyanna. Anyone remember Pollyanna? She too was a happy child in the face of circumstances. She too took it upon herself to see to it that people's lives turned out well, happily we might say. Except McDonald is also very interested in people's souls, their salvation as well as their earthly well being. So Gibble works to set people along the right path to God as well as to make them successful and comfortable.
I wonder if it works like that. Not as much as McDonald's romance makes it out. Of course this is a romance, one must never forget that. A romance is as much about what they author would like to see reality be as anything else. McDonald would like an almost Christlike figure like Gibbie be able to influence people to faith.
Do we think God is like that, or Jesus, or the Holy Spirit? Do they influence people towards faith? Is it as active as Gibbie is or is it more passive? Now Gibbie works behind the scenes so to speak. Often people do not know he is setting up situations. For myself I think it retrospect I can see I helped to set up situations a few times. But I was certainly not smart enough to do it myself. God arranged things not me. I only had it revealed to me later. There may be other times that God used me that I certainly will never be aware of, this side of the grave anyway.
There is another character in this book a Donald (Donal) Grant. He is the young man who did not get the girl. McDonald was very interested in him too. We are told inside this book that the author might write about Donald in another book. It seems he did, three volumes full. I will tackle that one soon, if God allows me to.
A lot can be said about Sir Gibbie. According to something I looked at while working on this entry, Gibbie was a favorite character of C. S. Lewis and that Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn was influenced or inspired by Gibbie.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Evolution versus Creation revisited
Evolution versus Creation revisited
We were discussing evolution, the beginning of the universe, how long the universe has been in existence. Phillip Collins in his talk a week or so ago mentioned 15.7 billions years as the age of the universe. He stated it categorically as if that date is set in stone. It's as if we had always known this.
In fact as few as ten years ago I know for a fact a different number was being used. Back then that number was the fact according to some.
I recall that God demanded of Job that Job tell him how he made the universe (Job 38+). He asked Job if he was there. Of course the answer is no. We were not there. We cannot ever understand how God made matter out of nothing. We have no idea how God did it. Even if we accept the idea that the universe began 15.7 billion years ago in a big bang, we don't know why. We cannot really know how. It is a unique, unrepeatable event.
Job 38 is interesting. In a parable like way God asks him if he knows why he set gravity the way he did. Why is Avogadro's number such as it is? And so on ... These are questions that scientists cannot begin to answer so mostly they pretend that these questions do not exist.
Science does best when it observes physical events that can be controlled and repeated. Science is at a loss when it dabbles in origin theories. Origins by their very nature are unrepeatable events. We can only hypothesize, guess as it were.
So what we have in the Bible in Genesis is an origin account. Several unrepeatable events are revealed. Most Christians think these things were revealed by God. He explained them to man in a way that he could understand. And don't think we, in our sophistication, are much different than the original readers of these stories. We can take God's word for it or not. If we do not then we have lost some faith.
Someone else, it may have been Colson again, mentioned something else that is interesting. Blind evolutionary forces is such a large universe over such long time periods should have created other worlds with other life forms. Life forms with self-consciousness such as we have. There have been many millions of dollars spent trying to find and contact such life forms. SETI and such endeavors have been absolutely unsuccessful at finding anything remotely likely. In fact I am not aware of anything like our solar system anywhere on any of the stars they have examined. I think they closest thing to planets found to date are some seemingly dead stars rotating around another star. These dead stars are usually pretty big. Now it could be that at such long distances it is hard to see something as small as a planet the size of earth. But it not for lack of trying that they have not found direct or indirect evidence of planetary systems. Most theories of solar system development would as a corollary theorize that lots of stars would have planets around them. But this does not seem to be the case.
It would seem that if blind evolution could product complex life forms like ourselves in one little corner of the universe it could do so in many places. Perhaps they are just too far away to be contacted but so far nothing at all hopeful has come to light. Science fiction likes to ponder many worlds with advanced civilizations and ways to communicate and travel to a fro. But so far reality has proved very different.
We were discussing evolution, the beginning of the universe, how long the universe has been in existence. Phillip Collins in his talk a week or so ago mentioned 15.7 billions years as the age of the universe. He stated it categorically as if that date is set in stone. It's as if we had always known this.
In fact as few as ten years ago I know for a fact a different number was being used. Back then that number was the fact according to some.
I recall that God demanded of Job that Job tell him how he made the universe (Job 38+). He asked Job if he was there. Of course the answer is no. We were not there. We cannot ever understand how God made matter out of nothing. We have no idea how God did it. Even if we accept the idea that the universe began 15.7 billion years ago in a big bang, we don't know why. We cannot really know how. It is a unique, unrepeatable event.
Job 38 is interesting. In a parable like way God asks him if he knows why he set gravity the way he did. Why is Avogadro's number such as it is? And so on ... These are questions that scientists cannot begin to answer so mostly they pretend that these questions do not exist.
Science does best when it observes physical events that can be controlled and repeated. Science is at a loss when it dabbles in origin theories. Origins by their very nature are unrepeatable events. We can only hypothesize, guess as it were.
So what we have in the Bible in Genesis is an origin account. Several unrepeatable events are revealed. Most Christians think these things were revealed by God. He explained them to man in a way that he could understand. And don't think we, in our sophistication, are much different than the original readers of these stories. We can take God's word for it or not. If we do not then we have lost some faith.
Someone else, it may have been Colson again, mentioned something else that is interesting. Blind evolutionary forces is such a large universe over such long time periods should have created other worlds with other life forms. Life forms with self-consciousness such as we have. There have been many millions of dollars spent trying to find and contact such life forms. SETI and such endeavors have been absolutely unsuccessful at finding anything remotely likely. In fact I am not aware of anything like our solar system anywhere on any of the stars they have examined. I think they closest thing to planets found to date are some seemingly dead stars rotating around another star. These dead stars are usually pretty big. Now it could be that at such long distances it is hard to see something as small as a planet the size of earth. But it not for lack of trying that they have not found direct or indirect evidence of planetary systems. Most theories of solar system development would as a corollary theorize that lots of stars would have planets around them. But this does not seem to be the case.
It would seem that if blind evolution could product complex life forms like ourselves in one little corner of the universe it could do so in many places. Perhaps they are just too far away to be contacted but so far nothing at all hopeful has come to light. Science fiction likes to ponder many worlds with advanced civilizations and ways to communicate and travel to a fro. But so far reality has proved very different.
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