randomness

- I am the parent of a young lady in middle-school, does this mean I am old?
- The rush of the xmas season is worth fighting because the rush detracts from what could be a peaceful, rejuvenating time.
- Will wooden toys, like Tinker Toys and Lincoln Logs, ever be popular again? All the electronic stores are CROWded.
- I witnessed a college guy serve, and it was totally self-directed. The church was not his outlet or venue of service. This is not uncommon in collegians.
- The balance of talking with people and preparing lessons is not easy to achieve, some weeks yes but other weeks nope.
- Best worst xmas joke: Q: What do you call people who are afraid of Santa Claus? A: Clausetrophobics. (groan)

The Pixar Touch

After getting this book from the library less than two weeks ago, I finished its' 262 pages on the same day as the 132-page challenge I've owned since late August. I know that says something about me but I'll worry about that later.

I enjoyed this look at the people and stories behind entertainment-giant Pixar. Two things impressed me: 1) passionate people can hang onto their vision in spite of crummy circumstances and 2) many types of people (computer geeks, accountants, story-tellers, CEOs, etc) can be driven more by the pursuit of significance/uniqueness than by the love of money.

My favorite Pixar movie is The Incredibles, followed closely by Toy Story 2 and Finding Nemo; everything else is nice but not in the same category. What's yours?

Book burning

I was so frustrated with how long it was taking me to finish reading Trinity & Triunity, I wanted to either finish it or burn it. But I finally reached the end! It'll actually stay on my shelf for awhile. Here is one paragraph that touched the driving idea of the entire book:

'The interrelationships that become evident in the study of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity shed light on the interrelationships of other Scriptural doctrines. This pattern of interrelationships is important in understanding many doctrines of Scripture. In the simple analogy of space (height, width, and length), each dimension is all of space, but without all three there is no space...Likewise, any concept of salvation that lacks the triune aspect of grace, faith, and good works is a denial of the truth' (p.77)

Earlier in the book, Heinze said something I totally agree with. While we may study aspects of salvation, or members of the Triunity, separately, they do not exist separately. These items must be taught, and thought about, in the light/context of each other; just as teaching of the New Testament must be in light of the Old Testament. Narrow doctrinal studies have their place but cannot be the end of doctrinal studies.

I bought the book for $1 and I wouldn't recommend it to everyone looking to learn more about the Trinity. But while it was tough to get through I appreciated the author's thoughts and I know that time looking at God's mysterious, supernatural and distinct nature is not time wasted. I am inspired by the uniqueness of our God! His nature/essence is beyond our comprehension and, yet, is woven into, and often visible, in all that he does.

post-turkey

I cast my vote for Best Thanksgiving Picture here:

miscellany #2

• Saw Britney Spears on GMA this morning. I don't know if I should feel glad for her because she's getting her life, or career, back together or sad that she's repositioned to propogate her version of femininity/sexuality. Also, I wonder if people are into her for who she is or if they are waiting for her to crash again.
• Been reading a little book (132 pgs) at a slow pace (some stuff is heady and has to be read twice). The book is 'Trinity & Triunity: Salvation and the Nature of the Godhead' by E. Charles Heinze. I intend to finish it this week...or I will burn it.
• Started another book on my 2008 to-read list 'The Present Future' by Reggie McNeal. Already encouraged by this thought in the first chapter - We (church leaders) are asking the wrong questions. And things won't change for the better until we do. I'm gonna like this book.
• Also, started reading 'The Pixar Touch'; interesting so far.
• I'm thankful for libraries.
• Love the low gas prices.

miscellany

- i do not like the jonas bros.
- i like eating stuff besides turkey on thanksgiving; it's been a great food weekend.
- i like my family; my wife is great, my kids are good.
- someone got killed when lots of people were trying to get a good deal.
- nd is NOT back yet, c'mon charlie!
- taking it easy on a holiday weekend is a good thing.

it

To me, this book started slowly and didn't really say anything new but had a solid ending.

I appreciated Groeschel's transparency and, most of the time, his humor. The inclusion of other voices in the form of pastors sharing their stories was a nice touch and helped break up the book.

The 11th chapter about having 'it' was convicting. When Jesus is more important than anything else, you have 'it'. That's a challenging truth to stare at and can be a tough one to work on.

Friday Funny #4

Friday Funny #3

It was probably cutting edge back then...but looking back at it, oh boy!!



In a few years the music videos of MercyMe, Fernando Ortega, Bebo Norman, SCC and MWS will be laugh material too!

Sad thing is, the lyrics are a mix of good and really poor. And just as sad, there's a religious station in our area that has music like this for the children's shows - yuck!

Praise God!

Monday night, we tried something I had talked about with the kids the week before. They had to go to bed earlier, no matter what show or game or whatever was going on. They were very excited! Well, maybe not so much. I explained that like Mom and I read the Bible or do Bible study or help others do that, I wanted them to do that. Because Satan wants their hearts and minds to forget about how special Jesus is, we need to make sure we protect our hearts. It's heart medicine. [I know, kinda cheesey.]

I'm happy to report that it's off to a good start. I told the girls to read something in the Bible or one of their FaithGirlz books. I asked Max, a developing reader, what Bible story he wanted me to read with him. He said, "Jesus on the cross." I proceeded like it was no big deal; even though, right now I'm tearing up, how awesome!!!] "Max, each gospel tells about Jesus death. But since you like John 3:16 so much, let's read from John." I read John 19 for him with a few explanations and alterations along the way. "You really like that story Max?" "I like that story dad." What a great heart, what a great son!

Tuesday night timing wasn't as good as Monday night's; so we didn't get heart medicine time. But I recently received Mark Driscoll's book, Death by Love, and put it on Max's dresser before lights out. He looked at it when I steppped out of the room; the cover is an eye-catcher. When I came back, we talked about Wednesday's schedule and he was bummed that, because we get home late from church, we probably wouldn't get to read any of it.

This morning he got ready more quickly than usual so we could read some! We were able to read about Jesus' scourging, walk and crucifixion before he got on the bus.

- I hope his heart is always ready for some medicine.
- What a personal challenge.
- Praise Jesus!

Less Is More

A few years ago, Relient K used this as a title for one of their songs. The idea is very much John the Baptist ('HE must increase and I must decrease') and is a central component of character development -- less of me and more of Him -> less is more.

I've heard the idea in relation to teaching and preaching. I've bought into it. In the same amount of time, one idea can really be driven home better than four ideas.

I've also heard it in regards to organizational/programming stuff. Less activities can mean more in terms of relationship building and so on. Less can equal more. This thought has intrigued me and I think it has real value. Theoretically, if we focus on the essentials, then we could make more progress with them. If we had fewer peripheral activities, then, in theory, we would have better essential activities. I know that not everyone is on board with this thought, and I'm still working it out, but maybe someday this will infect the Church.

On Tony Morgan's blog (http://www.tonymorganalive.com/), he recently shared some good thoughts in the Less-is-More department:

• Fewer meetings equal more meaningful relational connections.


• Fewer commitments equal more time with family.


• Fewer words equal a more focused message.


• Fewer ministry programs equal a clearer path for discipleship.


• Fewer rules equal more time to love God and love others.

Sweet! Well put and succint. Then he asked a fun question, 'Where do you see the “less is more” principle playing out in your life and ministry?' For the full post, http://tonymorganlive.com/2008/10/23/leave-the-awesome/

Postmodernism

I attended a beneficial seminar in Troy on Saturday morning. For nearly 3 hours at Woodside Bible Church, Dr. Grier of Grand Rapids Theological Seminary shared thoughts on the Church and culture. Here are some things that stood out to me:

• He's old but he has a great heart for Jesus, for people. He talked about time with the Church in Zambia this past summer and was quite touched by it. A soft heart in an old body is a beautiful thing!
• He's old but he has a great philosophical and practical understanding of today's culture.
• I was 're-impressed' with his very fair appraisal of Postmodernism; he verbalized how it's impact on the Church is both good and bad. In my circle, most people tend to demonize PM and applaud Modernism.
• The underlying spirit of PM is skepticism.
• PM young people are interested in whole ministry and mystery.
• Spurgeon never preached more than 30 minutes. He wed rationalism and romanticism.
• The language of Matthew 5 ['You are...'] is plural, as in, 'you all' or 'y'all'. The Modern Church has individualized too much Bible teaching.
• Because the Father sent the Son, and the Father and the Son sent the Spirit, and the Father, Son and Spirit sent the Church; the Church can be defined as 'a people sent on a mission.'
• Spiritual formation is the Spirit's work.
• Use the narrative; get away from deductive reasoning and systematic theology.
• Loyalty to Jesus Christ works out to (infects) everything (each piece of our fragmented world).
• PM evangelism requires a review of language. Abandon church cliches, theological terms, church-ese.
• No evaluation = no improvement

Again, it was really refreshing to hear Dr. Grier speak. He shared his heart, mind and observations. I don't know how much longer he's got to go, but praise the Lord for what he has done with him and through him!

Wow.

• It's been almost a month since my last confession, I mean, entry.
• Life is good. God is good. My wife is a super-hard worker; I wish I could do more of her stuff so she could rest a little. I have been on a little push-the-laundry-through-to-help-out spree the last few weeks but I wish I could do more; I think she's irreplaceable. Max finished his soccer season on a high note (scored two goals!) so that's cool. Viola Girl(Zoe) is plugging away and getting more used to private lessons and, in particular, her teacher; plus, tonight was her first GirlScouts meeting. Makenzie is finally settled at the middle school and rockin' the academics.
• I'm really enjoying John Stott's book, Through the Bible Through the Year. I tend to like big overviews and this book is a simple walk through the Bible in one year. I've tried to read 3 chapters a day and all that but I usually fall behind somewhere. This is more manageable and enjoyable for me. It's not for everyone; Norma tried it for awhile but decided it wasn't for her. I'm reading some other things too but this one is the one I choose to start my day with.
• With fall sports over, it'll be interesting to see if teen participation in church stuff will change. I'm convinced that more and more extra-curricular, school-sponsored stuff is filling up a student's week and church/youth group/community is getting squeezed out. I think the best way to combat it is prayer, personal conversations, and some alarm-sounding.
• I held a new baby boy (not mine) last night at church. What a hairy head! Can a kid who is less than a month old sport a sweet fohawk? Ridiculous.

Worst Day of the Week?

Norma and I were talking about how fast someone turned up the speed on this treadmill called life - it's going fast and not slowin' down!! For us, Wed and Thursday seem to be the worst/most busy time of the week. How about you, what's the most hectic day or part of your week?

God's Reputation

Last week, my son Max commented about the number of beer bottles (they were cans/cases) in a neighbors garage. Because he seemed so put off by it, I tried to calm him down a little. Sure, drinking can be or make people get stupid, but God gives them the free choice to do that. I think Max wants everyone to live like we do.

Friday I finally sorted through a growing stack of various papers, things that made me think, "I-like-that-but-I-don't-want-to-or-know-where-to-file-it-right-now." So the stack grew. One piece was an April e-devotion from Daniel Henderson of Strategic Renewal and the title was "God's Reputation -- Our Resolve".

He started by writing about how non-believers attack God, His name, His book, and so on. What I really liked were his first two key ideas regarding this. Idea #1 - God is able to protect His own reputation. "Idea #2 - He is more concerned with how his own people dishonor His name than with how unbelievers mock Him."

I've seen too many adult believers get worked up about things they have no control of and things that, frankly, don't really matter. I tell our youth team to look past the annoying/unwise/goofy behavior of teens and worry about their hearts. I hope we're not expecting unbelievers to act like believers. I think getting worked up about people blowing God off or disrespecting Him is appropriate, but shouldn't be allowed to be a distraction. It shouldn't lead to condemnation either, because I was (and am) in the same 'I'll-run-my-own-life-my-own-way' boat.

One day, I'll learn how to embed the links but, until then, if you'd like to read Henderson's article, click here: http://www.strategicrenewal.com/media/1716/god's%20reputation,%20our%20resolve,%20april%2015,%202008.pdf
or here: http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Daily_Renewal/Article.asp?article_id=1815

Free of Charge

For quite awhile, I've been wanting to read a book by Miroslav Volf, Free of Charge. I don't know what drew me to it: the cover? the subtitle (Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stirpped of Grace)? the author? I really don't know. But I found a used copy while we were on vacation, and I snatched it right up. Although I'm not immersed in it, I am enjoying what I read. I think this paragraph on page 21 (which made it's way into a recent sermon) is eloquent, simple and very true.

'There is God. And there are images of God. And some people don't see any difference between the two.'

I look forward to reading and sharing more of the book as time allows.

Friday Funny #2

Thanks to my brother Daniel for passing along this interesting high-rise.

Vacation's gone:(

Our vacation was good. It was more staycation than vacation but that was fine.
Norma and I went to dinner by ourselves at J. Alexander's. It's not a place we'd normally go but someone had given us a giftcard. It was tasty! And the portions were to big to finish. Although the rest of the night didn't go real smoothly, it was nice to be alone with my bride.

Our first Sunday we spent in Detroit. I really like visiting other churches so my family allowed me the indulgence. We went to Northridge Church in Plymouth. I've become friends with a small groups pastor there and was able to connect with him. The kids loved it and were ready to go back! We went out to eat and did some shopping. Our second Sunday we stayed home and didn't go anywhere. I thought it would be good for us. Turns out, the family was way more 'good with it' than I was. They said I was edgy that morning. Sorry fam!

Later that week we went to Grand Rapids and enjoyed four things: the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum, staying with the Emery's, the Van Andel Public Museum (70 foot whale skeleton!) and Baker Book Store.

Near the end of the vacation, we spent a few hours at a nearby waterpark.

Vacations are good. And we should have more of them. I wonder if fewer commitments to things would make more of life feel like a vacation? We're so busy trying to enjoy all that life has to offer that life becomes less enjoyable. Well, it's back to school and that's a post for another time.

Vacation's coming!

Alright, I've been off the blog for quite awhile. I'm not really ready to return, this is just a token post. Things have been busy and vacation is coming. Getting ready for and executing a full week of great teen programming doesn't happen without some work. My lawn is overly tall. The school year looms in the near distance. And yes, near distance is a kosher term. I don't feel ready to take a vacation but I need to for four good reasons: Norma, Kenzie, Zoe, & Max. I'm looking forward to some sweet family time and some good reading time. I hope our time is great; we haven't decided exactly what we'll do but we've narrowed down our options. Sayonara for now!

Friday Funny #1

That's wack!

Death by hide-a-bed...oh, the dignity.

A Russian woman in St Petersburg killed her drunk husband with a folding couch, Russian media reported on Wednesday.

St Petersburg's Channel Five said the man's wife, upset with her husband for being drunk and refusing to get up, kicked a handle after an argument, activating a mechanism that folds the couch up against a wall. The couch, which doubles as a bed, folds up automatically in order to save space. The man fell between the mattress and the back of the couch, Channel Five quoted emergency workers as saying. The woman then walked out of the room and returned three hours later to check on what she thought was an unusually quiet sleeping husband.

The St. Petersburg Emergency Services Ministry said a private rescue service removed the man's body. Video on the television channel's website showed emergency workers sawing away the side panels of a couch to remove a man in his underwear lying headfirst between teh cushions. Emergency workers said the man died instantly.

Police refused to comment. http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSL0919437820080709

Seth Godin

Seth Godin is a highly regarded guru in the advertising/marketing arena. He is, allegedly, the most popular marketing blogger on the web and I recently picked up three of his books at my local library. No, I'm not looking for a career change, I simply believe that marketers tend to have a good read on culture at large. And studying our culture, by borrowing from their insights, is an okay thing for ministers.

The three books I picked up were Purple Cow, the dip and Meatball Sundae.

I really enjoyed Purple Cow and will share some thoughts from it. It was published in 2002 and the subtitle is Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable. The first 20-25 pages are excellent layouts of some past and present cultural distinctives; I strongly encourage you to read them. What follows are page #s and quotes:

p.4 "This is a book about why you need to put a Purple Cow into everything you build, why TV and mass media are no longer your secret weapons, and why the profession of marketing has been changed forever. Stop advertising and start innovating."

p.6 Here he shares Geoff Moore's idea diffusion curve (innovators, early adopters...) and I had never seen it in print, it's helpful.

p.7 "Instead of accepting that the old ways are fading away (fast), most companies with a product to market are treating these proven new techniques as interesting fads - worth another look but not worth using as the center of their strategy."

p.10 "The world has changed. There are far more choices, but there is less and less time to sort them out."

Miscellaneous: "It's safer to be risky." People are tuning out. Younger people are just automatically wired to tune out mass media. I think his descriptions and assessments of our culture are 'spot on.' I also appreciate how he uses real-life examples and the fact that he barely uses statistics.

Read Purple Cow! It's only 137 small pages and is very interesting; like I said, the first 20-25 pages are excellent! While this book is about marketing and making money and finding the answers within yourself and your strategies, there are some keen cultural insights for church world.

the dip is a book about knowing when to quit and when to tough it out. I liked his basic disagreement with Vince Lombardi ("Winners never quit.") because it made sense. This book is very short and aesthetically attractive but I'm not gonna buy it or recommend it to anyone.

Meatball Sundae didn't grab me like the other two and I didn't finish it. But I sure like the cover and I see an unforgettable eating contest item in the near future.

Time for Truth

Os Guinness' book, Time For Truth, is a short, pointed, and descriptive work about the cultural and spiritual times we find ourselves in. From the jacket: "In the West today it appears that truth in any objective form is dead. At best it is relative and at worst it is created. Where does that leave us?"

Having heard him a few years ago and having read his well-known book, The Call, I have come to appreciate this intellectual's desire and ability to explain his thoughts and observations and, in turn, to call believers to action. Here are some thoughts that caught my attention:

p.67 "We are told that in the weeks before Thomas Jefferson's death on July 4, 1826, he invited all his grandchildren to Monticello and urged them each to "pursue virtue, be true and truthful." Truth, he ssaw with twilight clarity, was essential to freedom. Yet as one historian observes, Jefferson's belief that "Truth is great and will prevail" (an old Irish saying) is today "more prayer than an axiom."

p.75 "Let me underscore again. I am not countering the postmodern view of truth on behalf of the modern. One is as bad as the other; the postmodern is the direct descendant of the modern and the mirror image of its deficiencies. It is the more dangerous today only because it is more current."

p.115 "...on the one hand the Jewish and Christian faiths join the modern thinker to insist on the objectivity of truth, while on the other they stand with the postmodern thinker to acknowledge the subjectivitity we bring to truth, including our own personal distortions. Within the biblical view, humans are truth-twisters as well as truth-seekers."

p.124 "If we would live free, we must not just know the truth, we must live in truth and we must become people of truth. As Kierkegaard wrote in Training in Christianity: 'The truth consists not of knowing the truth but in being the truth.'"

p.125 "...the biblical...view of truth has the strengths of the modern and postmodern views, the weakness of neither, and just one snag: the cost of its unsparing moral challenge."

I have one more batch of quotes from Guinness' book, Time For Truth, that I'll save for another entry. If any of these jump out at you, positively or negatively, let me know because I'm curious. Have a good one!

Summer

Summer is supposed to be a relaxing time away from the routine of the school year -- sez who!? Things don't slow down; it actually feels like quite the opposite.

For YPs, it's intense because we're working out whatever plans we made, trying to enjoy some summer-time-family-time and plan for the fall/next school year. Because the family is so available, it's a great opportunity to be together. But everybody else is more available too. Anyways, it's a challenging season.

I love the weather, the change in routine and the fact that seasonal ice cream shops are open for business. Thank you God for Summer!

Tidbits from The Reason for God #3

Here are some tidbits from chapter 14, The Dance of God.

p. 214 "In self-centeredness we demand that others orbit around us...The inner life of the triune God, however, is utterly different. The life of the Trinity is characterized not by self-centeredness but by mutually self-giving love. When we delight and serve someone else, we enter into a dynamic orbit around him or her, we center on the interests and desires of the other. That creates a dance, particularly if there are three persons, each of whom moves around the other two...Each of the divine persons centers upon the others. None demands that the others revolve around him. Each voluntarily circles the other two...That creates a dynamic, pulsating dance of joy and love."

p.217 "You will nver get a sense of self by standing still, as it were, and making everything revolve around your needs and interests. Unless you are willing to experience the loss of options and the individual limitations that comes from being in committed relationships, you will remain out fo touch with your own nature and the nature of things...We were made for mutually self-giving, other-directed love. Self-centeredness destroys the fabric of what God has made."

p.218 "He has infinite happiness not through self-centeredness, but through self-giving, other-centered love. And the only way we, who have been created in his image, can have this same joy, is if we center our entire lives around him instead of ourselves."

p. 218 Quoting historian George Marsden's summary of Jonathan Edwards' idea: "Why would such an infinitely good, perfect, and eternal being create? The ultimate reason that God creates is not to remedy some lack in God, but to extend that perfect internal communication of the triune God's goodness and love...The universe is an explosion of God's glory."

p.224 "Jesus's life, death, and resurrection was an infinitely costly rescue operation...To be a Christian today is to become part of that same operation..."

I certainly enjoyed the book and will be reaching for it regularly. Let me know if anything stuck out to you.

New Books!

After abstaining from book-buying for what seemed like a looooong time, I made a 7-book purchase on July 3rd from Westminster Books (http://www.wtsbooks.com/) and they just arrived (July 8!). Here they are:

God's Big Picture - Vaughn Roberts
the enemy within - Kris Lundgaard
When Sinners Say "I Do" - Dave Harvey
Heaven and Hell - Edward Donnelly
Self-Image - Lou Priolo
Not the Way It's Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin - Cornelius Plantinga Jr.
Esther & Ruth: Reformed Expository Commentary - Iain Duguid

Since blogging seems to be a good way for me to process or reprocess a book, I'm sure something about these will appear in the near future. So which one's first?!

Jack Reacher

I have recently discovered and greatly enjoyed the written work of Lee Child. In particular, a character he created named Jack Reacher. When I see the opportunity coming, I've been swinging by the library to pick up another story about Jack's adventures.

What I like about Child's style is the short chapters, the constant development of the story and a simple amount of layers. I also appreciate the relatively minor sexual stuff. If my memory serves me correctly (it's been several years since I spent any time with fiction), many books in this genre have sexual scenes that contribute little, if anything, to the story. Let's keep the focus on the crisis and the solution, not the bedroom; thanks Lee Child.

Jack is a former MP; a very observant, powerful and cunning one at that. Since retiring from the service he has drifted around at his own whim seeking to enjoy what unstructured life has to offer. But trouble often finds him and he's man enough to step up and help sort things out. Who doesn't like the tender-hearted giant? The bad guys, that's who!

I started and finished Bad Luck and Trouble over the July 4th weekend. It was fun because it tied in elements from Reacher's typically vague past. And although I don't usually try to figure the story out, I did anticipate a few things and that gave me a tidbit of satisfaction. It also largely took place in California. Before that I read The Hard Way which takes place primarily in New York City but goes out of country and was a fun read.

If you're looking for a solitary hero who works with his hands and his head (not like McGyver, way more violent) check out Jack Reacher in one of Lee Child's fast-paced and not overly complex books.

Tidbits from The Reason for God #2

Part 2 of Keller's book deals with 'The Reasons for Faith'. The seven topics are:

8 - The Clues of God
9 - The Knowledge of God
10 - The Problem of Sin
11 - Religion and the Gospel
12 - The (True) Story of the Cross
13 - The Reality of the Resurrection
14 - The Dance of God

As with Part 1 I really enjoyed Keller's style - quick and substantive; he gives you alot to chew on and talk about. Here are some tidbits from chapters 8-13 that caught my eye; they are listed by chapter #, page # and then the tidbit.

8, p.129 Quoting Francis Collins "I can't imagine how nature, in this case the universe, could have created itself."

8, p.132 "There is something about nature that is much more striking and inexplicable than its design. All scientific, inductive reasoning is based on the assumption of the regularity (the "laws") of nature...Most people find that normal and untroubling...science cannot prove the continued regularity of nature, it can only take it on faith...As a proof for the existence of God, the regularity of nature is escapable. You can always say, "We don't know why things are as they are." As a clue for God, however, it is helpful."

9, p.153 "If there is no god, then there is no way to say any action is "moral" and another "immoral" but only "I like this."...if there is no God, then all moral statements are arbitrary, all moral valuations are subjective and internal, and there can be no external moral standard by which a person's feeling and values are judged."

9, p.156 "If a premise ("There is no God") leads to a conclusion you know isn't true ("Napalming babies is culturally relative") then why not change the premise?"

11, p. 177 "If you are avoiding sin and living morally so that God will have to bless and save you, then ironically, you may be looking to Jesus as a teacher, model, and helper but you are avoiding him as Savior...That, ironically, is a rejection of the gospel of Jesus. It is a Christianized form of religion. It is possible to avoid Jesus as Savior as much by keeping all the Biblical rules as by breaking them."

11, p.177 "Both religion (in which you build your identity on your moral achievements) and irreligion (in which you build your identity on some other secular pursuit or relationship) are, ultimately, spiritually identical courses to take. Both are "sin.""

12, p.187 "...the cost of the damage must be borne by someone. Either you or he absorbs the cost for the deed, but the debt does not somehow vanish into thin air."

12, p.189 "She went through the suffering of costly forgiveness, which at first always feels far worse than before it can be felt, but it does come eventually. It leads to a new peace, a resurrection. It is the only way to stop the spread of the evil."

13, p.205 "If there had been only an empty tomb and no sighting, no one would have concluded it was a resurrection. They would have assumed that the body had been stolen. Yet if there had been only eyewitness sightings of Jesus and no empty tomb, no one would have concluded it was a resurrection, because people's accounts of seeing departed loved ones happen all the time. Only if the two factors were both true together would anyone have concluded that Jesus was raised from the dead."

Cedar Point

Monday, June 23, Cedar Point Amusement Park

A great day at a great park with a great (punctual and obedient) group of students!
Rapid Fire Thots:

• Good ratio of unchurched/churched kids.


• New ride is the Maverick, it should've been named The Flipper.


• Hate the price of in-park food ($14 for 3 chicken strips, fries and 32 oz. of Pepsi goodness).


• Here's a picture of a great guy with a great ride:

• Al is a great friend and he's F.A.T. [Faithful, Available, Teachable].

• A great cell phone picture of another great ride if I do say so myself:


• This food joint made me think of my brother Daniel:

The only way that that day could've been better was to have my family with me. But I'm already getting the 'Not-Interested-Dad' signals from the girls.

Sweet 15!

Wow! Norma and I have been married for 15 years! I definitely got the better end of the deal. Although one blog entry does not have sufficient room to explain how good I've had it, I'll share a few things I love about my wife:

- She's my best friend.
- She's my kid's best mom (so far..jk!) EVER.
- She loves Italian food.
- She is tidy. She was OCD in a former life but has relaxed on that.
- She loves Jesus.
- She loves people who don't know Jesus.
- She is great with people of all ages.
- She remembers cool stuff like names and birthdays.
- She's sexy all over.
- She's a straight shooter.
- She figures out stuff that I should see but don't, and she does it quickly.
- She knows our children.

A few years ago I wrote in a Bible I gave to her "To Norma - my wife, my lover. You have done me good all the days of my life." I have that same feeling today, maybe a little stronger; and I am lucky to be with her.

Hey Babe, thanks for the great life together! How about another 15? 20? Can I get that in writing?

The Devils of Bakersfield

This book caught my eye because my parents and grandparents were Bakersfield people. If you've ever been there you can't forget the dryness of the area or the slow and steady oil pumps found in all sorts of places. Bakersfield always seemed like a nice place to me with my child's eye perspective but author John Shannon tells a different story.

Admittedly fiction, there are 'historical accounts' placed throughout the book to shed light on the present circumstances. As I shared some of the 'accounts' [bigotry, racism, classism] with my dad [my leading authority on B-field], he said there was truth in those facts. It was interesting and weird to learn a little B-field history in a fiction book in Michigan.

I sort of liked the main character, Jack Liffey, and thought some supporting characters had more...character. Vicariously visiting Kern County was fun for me. On the other hand, I didn't like the depiction of a crazy church/cult because I just get tired of religious people being portrayed as dorks. The corruption of civil and religious leaders is not new and wasn't interesting in this book. The alternate endings placed the emphasis on a character besides Jack and I just didn't find it sensible or enjoyable or tidy. I wouldn't recommend this book to very many people; my enjoyment came from a personal link to the location and not from the writing.

Romans

Just finished reading Romans. Paul's final thoughts are very practical and personal; lots of clear cut actions and quite a few names. Here are some phrases that caught my eye:

13.1 "there is no authority except that which God has established."
13.6 "the authorities are God's servants"

chap.14 - in three verses regarding personal choices the phrase 'to the Lord' shows up six times and 'to God' once.

chaps. 14 & 15
- big emphasis on consideration for others, seen in direct commands [14.1-15.13] and Paul's testimony [15.23ff]
- a few words deserve study: 14.2 'weak', 14.3 'look down', 14.3 'condemn', 14.10 'judge', 14.13 'judgment', 15.5 'spirit of unity', 15.7 'accept'

14.12 "each of us will give an account of himself to God." Yikes.

14.17 "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righeousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men." I know I preached this many years ago, it makes it's own outline and the point is pretty clear. If I remember correctly I majored on 'not eating and drinking' but I think I would major on 'righteousness, peace and joy' this time.

15.30 "join me in my struggle by praying to God for me." This verse caused me to join with some far-away friends by praying for them. What an encouraging thought that even though I can't literally walk with someone in trouble, I can join his/her struggle.

chap.16 - Reminds me of 3 John where John doesn't sidestep things, he calls people out by name. The one that stands out to me is in verse 10, "Greet Apelles, tested and approved in Christ." What a sweet compliment!

John's Epistles & Os Guinness

For the teen class that I have the regular privilege and responsibility of teaching, we have been looking at John's Epistles. We just finished.

One thing that stood out to me is that John never got very far from valuing the truth. The first letter is a bunch of excited blurbs. The second letter is both cryptic and specific. And the third one is very personal. In each letter the truth is always important. The truth is our bond. As you read his letters you'll come across the topics of love and discernment and hospitality; you'll read some vague things and some very specific things. But a blatant promotion for the truth is never far from his pen. It's like he can't get over it and doesn't want his readers to either.

In a different fashion, Os Guinness writes with the same impetus. Here are some examples:

p. 76 "...differences between views of truth - far from being purely theoretical and irrelevant - make an enormous difference."

p. 78 "Belief in something doesn't make it true; only truth makes a belief true...without truth, a belief may be only speculation plus sincerity."

p. 79 "Biblical faith...has a robust view of truth. All truth is God's truth and is true everywhere, for everyone, under all conditions. Truth is true in the sense that it is objective and independent of the mind of any human knower."

p. 82/83 "Without truth we are all vulnerable to manipulation."

It was neat how God put my nose in both places [John's Epistles & Guinness' Time for Truth] at the same time. They dovetailed very nicely.

Romans

I am reading through Paul's letter "to all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints." Here are some verses that have stood out to me:

9.8 "...it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring."

9.16 "It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy."

11.29 "for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable."

It's the last verse that I keep looking at and thinking about. I don't usually preach from a single verse, I tend to use a chunk of verses or a story; but that one is too juicy to pass over! It's full of good stuff like a smoked sausage on the grill waiting, begging to be eaten. Or the perfect bowl of ice cream on a hot summer day. Man I'm hungry and I have digressed. I think 11.29 would preach well all by itself.

Tidbits from The Reason for God #1

Part 1 of Keller's book deals with common questions/doubts/reasons that skeptics and unbelievers raise in regards to Christianity. Here are the seven thoughts he deals with:

1 - There Can't Be Just One True Religion
2 - How Could a Good God Allow Suffering?
3 - Christianity is a Straitjacket
4 - The Church is Responsible for So Much Injustice
5 - How Can a Loving God Send People to Hell?
6 - Science Has Disproved Christianity
7 - You Can't Take the Bible Literally

Here are some bits that I marked in my copy. The chapter # comes first, followed by the page # and then the quote.

2, p.25 "If you have a God great and transcendent enough to be mad at because he hasn't stopped evil and suffering in the world, then you have (at the same moment) a God great and transcendent enough to have good reasons for allowing it to continue that you can't know. Indeed, you can't have it both ways."

3, p.39 "The idea of a totally inclusive community is, therefore, an illusion. Every human community holds in common some beliefs that necessarily create boundaries..."

3, p.44 Quoting historian Andrew Walls, "Cultural diversity was built into the Christian faith...There is no "Christian culture" the way there is an "Islamic culture" which you can recognize from Pakistan to Tunisia to Morocco..."

3, p.46 "A fish is only free if it is restricted and limited to water. If we put it out on the grass, its freedom to move and even live is not enhanced, but destroyed. The fish dies if we do not honor the reality of its nature."

4, p.59 "The tendency of religious people, however, is to use spiritual and ethical observance as a lever to gain power over others and over God, appeasing him through ritual and good works."

4, p.61 "The shortcomings of the church can be understood historically as the imperfect adoption and practice of the principles of the Christian gospel."

4, p.67 "When people have done injustice in the name of Christ they are not being true to the spirit of the one who himself died as a victim of injustice and who called for the forgiveness of his enemies."

Overview of Keller's The Reason for God

This book has been enormously popular in certain circles and, imho, for good reason. It's very intelligent and very readable; whatta combo! It is first and foremost an apologetic book for today. While Josh McDowell's Evidence That Demands A Verdict is very factual, aggressive and almost confrontational, Keller's is much more persuasive. There is a gentle tone that strikes me as being much truer to the idea of reasoning with someone, while McDowell's is more argumentative. Granted, there will always be a place for McDowell's factual/historical apologetics but I believe that philosophical apologetics are the sharper sword in today's society.

What convinced me to purchase the book 'hot off the press' and read through it with a friend? The gospel-centeredness and sound reasoning of the author. Keller has only published one other book, Ministries of Mercy, in his pastoral career. But he has written great articles for various publications and his NYC church, Redeemer Presbyterian. And there's a good batch of his free online sermons available at http://sermons.redeemer.com/store/index.cfm. His writings and sermons and the church all seem to have a gospel-centered outlook; it's crazy beautiful! There are some people you read and re-read because it so resonates with your heart and mind. Well, the gospel-centeredness definitely touches my heart and I hope that the repeated exposure will help train my mind and instincts to be gospel-centered.

Well that's enough gushing for one post. I'll move on to some specifics in the next post.

2008 Book List

I made a list of 8 or so books I wanted to read in 2008. Some books I selected because they were good the first time and some because I need to think about their subjects. Also, I selected most because I own them and there's not alot of book money floating around this year. Although I'm not reading them in any particular order, I've finished the first two on this list. In my next post I'll share some things I like in one of them. Here's the list:

The Reason for God by Tim Keller
Fields of Gold by Andy Stanley
Time for Truth by Os Guinness
Creative Marriage by Ed Young
a book by Alistair Begg
a book by John Stott
a book about preaching by Andy Stanley or Bryan Chapell
The Goldsworthy Trilogy by Graeme Goldsworthy
Him We Proclaim by Dennis Johnson
authors I'd like to check out: Francis Bacon, Sidney Griedanus, Reggie McNeal and Bruce Ware.

I'll share some of the stuff I liked, and still do, in Keller's book in the next post.

First thoughts

I commit to not doing this every day. [While I admire folks with that goal and that kind of discipline, that's not my gig.]

I commit to loving my family. (thanks Kenzie!)

I commit to continue hating the moles that seem to like my yard, jerks.

Random reasons I'm blogging:

1) Francis Bacon is credited with saying, "Writing maketh an exact man." Blogging appeals to me because it seems a simple, penless way to 'write' and, in turn, develop some 'muscles'. A private and public way to think through some things.

2) An easy way to share thoughts and convictions. As a pastor, not everything can be tucked into a regular lesson or an after-services conversation; blogging affords an opportunity to voice things wanting to get out.

3) I have no idea how valid this idea is, but another motivation is my kids. A blog can give them more access to their dad's heart and mind.

4) I like to try new things! If this isn't fun or useful, I can stop.

5) The price is right!

6) Finally, I've learned from and enjoyed other bloggers. Whether it's a thought, quote, or book recommendation there are things of value in this kind of 'community'. I hope to pass along the goodness and encourage or help someone else.

Curious concerns about blogging:

1) How much work is it? [time, energy, etc.]

2) How self-centered can this be?

3) You would think for someone who regularly stands in front of people and talks his thoughts that blogging his thoughts wouldn't be intimidating. The private thoughts in public domain is a little intimidating but probably just because it's just new and different.

Well, that's it for now, I'll be back later.

First blog

First blog...what to say? what to say? How about, "Self, welcome to the blogging world!"