Every Rule? You said every Rule right?

Biblical Living

It's a really interesting article about a man who lived the Bible as best as he could for an entire year. I'm so interested, I'll be buying his book. Check it out it was a great read!

Personality Tests, love'm or hate'm?

So after being in one of those re-fresher meetings about the leadership at church it reminded me I'm a 7. That's right a 7. Now what is a 7 you ask. Well good question. Here is what a 7 can hope to be and a what a 7 can try to avoid being.

Level 1 (At Their Best): Assimilate experiences in depth, making them deeply grateful and appreciative for what they have. Become awed by the simple wonders of life: joyous and ecstatic. Intimations of spiritual reality, of the boundless goodness of life.

vs.

Level 9: Finally, their energy and health is completely spent: become claustrophobic and panic-stricken. Often give up on themselves and life: deep depression and despair, self-destructive overdoses, impulsive suicide. Generally corresponds to the Manic-Depressive and Histrionic personality disorders.

Which do you say I am? I guess that would depend largely on the context in which you know me. Are you familiar with my grumpy moments in which I can't articulate a single issue except for the fact that I'm pissed off? or are you more familiar with me when I am ecstatic about a new or fresh idea and the wondrous opportunities that lay before us on our journey to discover?

Well I guess that's why I'm writing this post. To explore me...yes, that odd endeavor that feels very selfish yet the very one that can lead to great peace and fulfillment.

Maybe I'm more like a Level 5: Unable to discriminate what they really need, become hyperactive, unable to say "no" to themselves, throwing self into constant activity. Uninhibited, doing and saying whatever comes to mind: storytelling, flamboyant exaggerations, witty wise-cracking, performing. Fear being bored: in perpetual motion, but do too many things—many ideas but little follow through.

I think that's where I stand right now. I'm taking 14 credit hours (including two doctoral level seminar systematic theology classes -- hey it sounded fun) and a part time internship. I'm feeling a bit hyperactive at the moment. You would think after a semester at 12 credits, a twice-as-much-as-I-am-now internship, and co-managing an on-campus coffee shop would have made this semester a cake walk. I guess either the summer made me weak or I have a much better view of myself now.

Either way, I'm looking forward to going to Soularize. I haven't been before but my wife and I couldn't honestly turn down a conference in the Bahama's that happened to fall directly onto my fall-break week and her needing to be in Florida the week after the event.

What the heck is a Meme?*

I've been tagged by a meme? So I guess this is one of those online things to get the conversation going, so here it goes...

Current reading list:
Organic Community: Creating a Place Where People Naturally Connect by Joseph Myers
The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason by Sam Harris
This Beautiful Mess: Practicing the Presence of the Kingdom of God by Rick McKinley
Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading by Eugene Peterson
Church Dogmatics, Volume VI, part 1 & 2 by Karl Barth

Total number of books in my library:
I have no idea. I have 2 tall bookcases overflowing with books plus two shorter bookcases and a stack of boxes in my closet. That's all not counting the 3-4 larger boxes that I left in Indiana with my parents.

Last book read:
The Changing Shape of Church History by Justo, L. González

Last book bought:
2020 Vision for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) by Richard Hamm

An aside:
Halo 3, only hours at this point!

Five meaningful books I've read in the last 6 months:
The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations by Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom
Atonement and the Incarnation by Vernon White
An Emergent Manifesto of Hope edited by Tony Jones and Doug Pagitt
Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense by N.t. Wright
Obey: Supply & Demand : The Art of Shepard Fairey by Shepard Fairey

Five books you should read:
The Bible by follower of God (ok, ok, I get it)
Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality by Donald Miller
Messy Spirituality by Mike Yaconelli
The Search to Belong: Rethinking Intimacy, Community, and Small Groups by Joseph R. Myers
Contemplative Youth Ministry: Practicing the Presence of Jesus (Youth Specialties) by Mark Yaconelli
A New Kind of Christian: A Tale of Two Friends on a Spiritual Journey by Brian D. McLaren



*Official warning, some of these book may be required readings for classes...but mostly I tried to keep those on the DL...oh yeah, and I really need to get out of seminary so I can read books that are read by real people ;-)

Theology thoughts...

Following Bruce's lead I'll take part in Heather's game.

This week's topic, The Commitments of Theology.

Finish these sentences. (And explain why you say what you do, if you like giving explanations!)

• Theology exists to ________________.
• If someone reads my theological writing and only remembers one thing afterwards, I want it to be ___________________.
• No matter what topic we're dealing with, theologians must take into account ___________, because we ignore it at our peril.

Here are mine . . .

• Theology exists to help us navigate the world between the finite and the infinite.
• If someone reads my theological writing and only remembers one thing afterwards, I want it to be there are more people in the world that this matters for than them, basically it's not about me it's about God.
• No matter what topic we're dealing with, theologians must take into account our lived experiences and their ability to shape our world, because we ignore it at our peril.