Speaking of Truth?

So this is my sermon title for Sunday. It's on John 14:15-21 which is:

¹⁵ "If you love me, keep my commands. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. ¹⁸ I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. ¹⁹ Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. ²⁰ On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. ²¹ Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. Anyone who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them."

This pericope is problematic for me because it has so many sermons in it. I think you could spend at least 3 months on this single section. It has so many complex theological and practical issues in it, so the question for me is which to choose. Do you preach on the parakletos (advocate/holy spirit), keeping commandments, what does love mean, what does it mean that we have the spirit in us?, etc...but I think I'm going to pass by these to preach on verse 17 and the spirit of truth. I want to look at what it means to refer to truth as a person; The spirit of truth and what it means to have a relational idea of truth.

What do you think? What does this passage mean to you?

How do you organize?

So after my weekly meeting with Bruce, he asked me a bunch of questions about how I get things done. It's really an interesting question, because I'm not much on the organizational side (to say the least) and things pretty much get done with either a deadline or inspiration happen. Neither of which you can count on regularly (well some deadlines but not my self-appointed ones).

So I thought I would give this a try and float one out to any of you? How do you get things done? How do you stay organized?

Here are some brainstorming:

- write it down (keeping copious hand written notes that you check regularly)
- use iCal or Outlook (some kind of software package)
- use an online task manger type thingy (yes technical I know) like backpackit.com or rememberthemilk or ta-da list or Todoist

anyways, my current options (not doing anything on purpose or writing it down and not looking at it again) just isn't working anymore.

In Response to Hunger

So as those of you who follow the news (or like me love NPR) then you are probably aware of the rising cost of stock foods, like Rice. This week at church during prayers of the people this issue was brought up. We've seen the price of rice DOUBLE. That's so not go for the millions of people who function every day with this as the staple of their diet. So in response to this prayer request Tiffany shared about freerice.com which is a vocabulary quiz site that is free to play and the advertising of the website donates free rice for every one you answer. So instead of reading this blog...click over here and earn some rice.

Yes, this could almost count as a part time job...

BTW I've only gotten up to 34 so far (and raise a few thousand grains of rice).

Trival...yet important

Movie Meme "borrowed" from Tiffany. Here goes:

Bold the movies you've seen; italicize the ones you've seen part of:

1. The Godfather (1972)
2. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
3. The Godfather: Part II (1974)
4. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966)
5. Pulp Fiction (1994)
6. Schindler’s List (1993)
7. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
8. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
9. Casablanca (1942)
10. Seven Samurai (1954)
11. Star Wars (1977)
12. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
13. 12 Angry Men (1957)
14. Rear Window (1954)
15. Goodfellas (1990)
16. Cidade de Deus (2002) [City of God]
17. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
18. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
19. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
20. The Usual Suspects (1995)
21. Psycho (1960)
22. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
23. Fight Club (1999)
24. Citizen Kane (1941)
25. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
26. North by Northwest (1959)
27. Memento (2000)
28. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
29. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
30. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
31. The Matrix (1999)
32. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
33. There Will Be Blood (2007)
34. Se7en (1995)
35. Apocalypse Now (1979)
36. Taxi Driver (1976)
37. American Beauty (1999)
38. Léon (1994)
39. Vertigo (1958)
40. Amelie (2001)
41. American History X (1998)
42. No Country for Old Men (2007)
43. The Departed (2006)
44. Paths of Glory (1957)
45. M (1931)
46. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
47. Chinatown (1974)
48. The Third Man (1949)
49. Leben der Anderen, Das (2006) [The Lives of Others]
50. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
51. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
52. Alien (1979)
53. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
54. Laberinto del fauno, El (2006) [Pan's Labyrinth]
55. The Shining (1980)
56. Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001) Spirited Away
57. The Pianist (2002)
58. Double Indemnity (1944)
59. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
60. Forrest Gump (1994)
61. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
62. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
63. L.A. Confidential (1997)
64. Boot, Das (1981)
65. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
66. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
67. Untergang, Der (2004)
68. Aliens (1986)
69. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
70. Raging Bull (1980)
71. Metropolis (1927)
72. Rashômon (1950)
73. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
74. Modern Times (1936)
75. Hotel Rwanda (2004)
76. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
77. Sin City (2005)
78. Rebecca (1940)
79. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
80. Sjunde inseglet, Det (1957)
81. All About Eve (1950)
82. Some Like It Hot (1959)
83. City Lights (1931)
84. Amadeus (1984)
85. Vita è bella, La (1997)
86. On the Waterfront (1954)
87. The Great Escape (1963)
88. Touch of Evil (1958)
89. The Prestige (2006)
90. The Elephant Man (1980)
91. Jaws (1975)
92. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
93. The Sting (1973)
94. Nuovo cinema Paradiso (1988)
95. Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
96. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
97. The Apartment (1960)
98. Braveheart (1995)
99. Blade Runner (1982)
100. The Great Dictator (1940)
101. Strangers on a Train (1951)
102. Batman Begins (2005)
103. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
104. Ladri di biciclette (1948) Bicycle Thieves
105. Salaire de la peur, Le (1953) Wages of Fear
106. High Noon (1952)
107. Ran (1985)
108. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
109. The Big Sleep (1946)
110. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
111. Notorious (1946)
112. Back to the Future (1985)
113. Fargo (1996)
114. Oldboy (2003)
115. Unforgiven (1992)
116. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
117. Donnie Darko (2001)
118. Ratatouille (2007)
119. Mononoke-hime (1997)
120. Cool Hand Luke (1967)
121. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
122. Yojimbo (1961)
123. Per qualche dollaro in più (1965)
124. The Green Mile (1999)
125. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
126. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
127. Notti di Cabiria, Le (1957)
128. Gladiator (2000)
129. Battaglia di Algeri, La (1966) The Battle of Algiers.
130. Annie Hall (1977)
131. Die Hard (1988)
132. Into the Wild (2007)
133. Ben-Hur (1959)
134. The Deer Hunter (1978)
135. The Sixth Sense (1999)
136. It Happened One Night (1934)
137. The General (1927)
138. Platoon (1986)
139. Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
140. Life of Brian (1979)
141. The Killing (1956)
142. Smultronstället (1957) Wild Strawberries
143. Amores perros (2000) Love's a B'tch
144. Finding Nemo (2003)
145. Diaboliques, Les (1955)
146. The Incredibles (2004)
147. V for Vendetta (2005)
148. The Wild Bunch (1969)
149. Heat (1995)
150. Children of Men (2006)
151. Brief Encounter (1945)
152. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
153. Juno (2007)
154. The Princess Bride (1987)
155. 8½ (1963)
156. The Graduate (1967)
157. Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
158. Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
159. The Night of the Hunter (1955)
160. The Big Lebowski (1998) Dude.
161. Crash (2004)
162. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
163. Stand by Me (1986)
164. Gandhi (1982)
165. Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
166. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
167. Snatch. (2000)
168. Harvey (1950)
169. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
170. The African Queen (1951)
171. Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
172. The Thing (1982)
173. Trainspotting (1996)
174. Gone with the Wind (1939)
175. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
176. Wo hu cang long (2000) Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
177. Belle et la bête, La (1946)
178. The Gold Rush (1925)
179. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
180. Groundhog Day (1993)
181. The Conversation (1974)
182. American Gangster (2007)
183. Scarface (1983)
184. Patton (1970)
185. Duck Soup (1933)
186. Toy Story (1995)
187. Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)
188. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
189. Twelve Monkeys (1995)
190. The Terminator (1984)
191. Cabinet des Dr. Caligari., Das (1920)
192. Sleuth (1972)
193. The Hustler (1961)
194. Umberto D. (1952)
195. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
196. Stalker (1979)
197. Glory (1989)
198. Ed Wood (1994)
199. King Kong (1933)
200. Grindhouse (2007)
201. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
202. The Exorcist (1973)
203. The Lion King (1994)
204. Hotaru no haka (1988)
205. Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
206. Spartacus (1960)
207. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
208. The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)
209. The Lost Weekend (1945)
210. Stalag 17 (1953)
211. Magnolia (1999)
212. The Lady Vanishes (1938)
213. Lola rennt (1998) Run Lola Run
214. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
215. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
216. Frankenstein (1931)
217. Out of the Past (1947)
218. Big Fish (2003)
219. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)
220. Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
221. Casino (1995)
222. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
223. Toy Story 2 (1999)
224. Mystic River (2003)
225. Du rififi chez les hommes (1955)
226. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
227. 3:10 to Yuma (2007)
228. Hot Fuzz (2007)
229. A Christmas Story (1983)
230. Ikiru (1952)
231. Mou gaan dou (2002)
232. Manhattan (1979)
233. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
234. Young Frankenstein (1974)
235. Dial M for Murder (1954)
236. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
237. Rope (1948)
238. Once (2006)
239. Roman Holiday (1953)
240. Quatre cents coups, Les (1959) The 400 Blows
241. The Searchers (1956)
242. In Cold Blood (1967)
243. Ying xiong (2002)
244. His Girl Friday (1940)
245. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
246. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
247. Samouraï, Le (1967)
248. Strada, La (1954)
249. Harold and Maude (1971)
250. Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes (1972) Aguire, The Wrath of God

Apparently Bible Bread Kicks Ass!

In case you didn't know it yet, apparently the bible isn't just about telling us about God, the history of our faith, or the ever forth coming apocalypse. That's right at your very own neighborhood Trader Joe's you can get a blend of freshly sprouted organically grown grains following the godly recipe.

Ezekiel 4:9 Bread is inspired by our very own Biblical narrative: "Take also unto thee Wheat, and Barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and Spelt, and put them in one vessel, and make bread of it..." Ez 4:9.

If you doubt it just read the packaging...

"We discovered when these six grains and legumes are sprouted and combined, an amazing thing happens. A complete protein is created that closely parallels the protein found in milk and eggs. In fact, the protein quality is so high, that it is 84.3% as efficient as the highest recognized source of protein, containing all 9 essential amino acids. There are 18 amino acids present in this unique bread - from all vegetable sources - naturally balanced in nature."

So yeah, in case you didn't know it. Bible Bread Kicks Ass!

Not to disown the DOC, but...

Some DORK actually developed a meme specifically for Presbyterian Church (USA) folks. So, because he asked so nicely, I guess I'll participate.

The rules are pretty basic

• in about 25 words each, answer the following five questions;
• tag five presbyterian bloggers and send them a note to let them know they were tagged;
• be sure to link or send a trackback to this post;

presbyMEME

1. What is your earliest memory of being distinctly Presbyterian?
   As you may have noticed by the title of my entry, I'm actually not a Presbyterian. But since deciding to attend SFTS I often feel like one. So about the time I got introduced to a new student on campus as being another presbyterian, followed by me correcting them, was about the first time I felt like I was truly on the inside.
   
2. On what issue/question should the PC(USA) spend LESS energy and time?
   I think the PC(USA) should spend less energy fighting over who can do the work of building God's Kingdom. Cause seriously people, you say you believe in the priesthood of all believers, isn't it about time you start practicing it?
   
3. On what issue/question should the PC(USA) spend MORE energy and time?
   IMO the PC(USA) should spend more time and energy figuring out how to give away the massive endowments of its congregations to small start up churches like this one. In case you hadn't noticed the best thing going in the SF presbytery is currently going to be homeless. But seriously I think the PC(USA) should find new ways to reinvest its capital into new movements of the Spirit.
4. If you could have the PC(USA) focus on one passage of scripture for a entire year, what would it be?
   

   Philippians 1:3-11 - I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
   
   It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
   
   And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

5. If the PC(USA) were an animal what would it be and why?
   A sloth, hanging around trying to get to the next branch but moving so slowly you always wonder if she is going to make it.

Extra Credit: Jesus shows up at General Assembly this year, what does he say to the Presbyterian Church (USA)?
Sorry Bruce, I'm running...err standing for Moderator!

So let's see...TAG: Doug. Aric. Evans. Josh. and Heather W. Reichgott

Have you been to MBCC?

Hey Folks. If you've been to MBCC we'd really appreciate your feedback on your worship experience. So if you have 5 minutes go fill out this online survey and let up know what's going on.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=hyX_2bYqeCB74aBfS5xFXHbg_3d_3d

Thanks!

so yeah...I'll make it up to you...but...

So yeah, I know I said I was going to post stuff from Soularize this year but I got extraordinarily busy with this semester. I'm not exactly sure why, but even with the normal 4 class load I found my self way busy for the past 2-3 months. I've heard it had something to do with taking two upper level theology classes.

I know I haven't posted in a while but I'll make it up to you. For those few of you out there the reward for checking an erratic poster out like myself is that when I do post, you get the read the thoughts of a genius.

At least according to these guys...

Cash Advance Loans

But the catch is you never know when they are going to come along...bawww....haha...ha....ha...

Soularize 07

So I have a ton of things to talk about with this (we just got back into town). But unfortunately this is a busy week at school (it's amazingly busy when you come back after purposefully unplugging for a week -- pages and pages of email to sort through).

But to give you bit of a taste...What do you get when you put Bishop Tom Wright, Father Richard Rohr, and me on a boat? About 50 reef sharks who want a visit!

I had a wonderful time at Soularize '07 and I plan on writing more about my talks with Rita Brock about her new book "Saving Paradise," about how she and NT Wright might actually start building off one another's theologies, visiting the local art scene in the Bahamas (www.popopstudios.com) check out John Cox, and even finally meeting folks like BJ Woodworth.

Anyways. Gotta run. More to come I promise!

The Sweetest Thing!

This is the best hockey play I've seen in my 12+ years of watching hockey. This is what makes this game the best sport on earth as far as I'm concerned. And the beauty of it all is this is what the blackhawks have to look forward to for the next decade plus of hockey!

Sentences can contain a lot

One of the classes that I'm taking this fall is on Lectio Divina it's been a really interesting class and very good for me (I do better with spiritual disciplines when I have someone/some group holding me accountable). But I came across a line in "Praying the Bible" by Mariano Magrassi that I was like wow, that for me summarizes the whole lectio process in a very nice, yet not simplistic way. So I thought I would share it.

"Reading enables us to learn what we do not know, meditation enables us to retain what we have learned, and prayer enables us to live what we have retained."

This reminds me very much of the beginning of 1 Thessalonian's where it says "We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."

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.

What do you do with 5 minutes on the Internet?

Read blogs of course. So you must read this because I couldn't help but laughing about it...It's from Jason Boyett and his new book "The Pocket Guide to the Bible" and at least this quote is seriously worth you time.

Nine Miscellaneous Things You Must Not Do, According to the Law of Moses (from p. 175 of Pocket Guide to the Bible)

1. Boil a young goat in its mother’s milk (Exodus 23:19).
2. Eat a bat (Leviticus 11:19).
3. Audibly mock the deaf, or attempt to trip the blind (Leviticus 19:14).
4. Wear a garment that mixes linen and wool (Leviticus 19:19).
5. Disfigure the edges of your beard (Leviticus 19:27).
6. Cut down the trees of a city while you are besieging it (Deuteronomy 20:19).
7. Hide and refuse to help upon seeing your brother’s donkey or ox fall down in the road (Deuteronomy 22:4).
8. Charge interest on a loan, unless it’s a loan to a foreigner (Deuteronomy 23:19-20).
9. Pity a woman who gets her hand cut off because she grabbed the genitals of a man who was attacking her husband (Deuteronomy 25:11).

So for all you wives out there, If you husband is getting attacked you can grab the balls of the guy who's attacking you, but when you loose your hand for it, we can't be sad about it. The joy's our world was/is filled with.

Reconnection Week!

Isn't it great when you can go through a week in your life when you just seem to reconnect with a lot of people from way-back-when? I've loved it. First, Jon Swain a friend of mine who I met through his now wife Emily who knows Julia from sunday school days at Federated. Emily and Jon were also awesome help when we were doing youth ministry together at Federated. I've always really apperciated their help but when you don't connect with someone for a while it makes the heart grow fonder.

Second, I've been trading emails with JC Trombley who is one of those people that I will always have a special place for in my heart. He, Brian, and I used to do literally everything together. Who I am today has so much to do with my relationship with JC over the years. Any sense of self-confidence that I've ever had in my life comes from knowing that no matter what happens or what I do, JC and Brian will always be there for me. Always. JC and I have had a lot harder time staying in touch (no real reason just busyness) so now I've tried to make the extra effort after getting to see JC, Sara, and Luke when I was home for Hannah's wedding it's been cool to regularly trade emails this week.

Third, happened today when I got an IM from Josh McDowell. Who I worked with at Krannert and is a good friend of JC's. He's been working at 3rd Floor Video for Purdue and he does really good work. Josh has always been the guy as far as I'm concerned with the eye for design. Josh's work always impresses me, from the subtle fades and ghosting to bold use of color. Josh and I got a chance to really catch up. It was really nice to catch up and see what he's up to these days. I still can't believe I saw him and his now wife on the letterman show. :)

3 people from the past all in the same week. God is good!

The Joy's of 17 in Worship

So this past week at MBCC we had only 17 adults in worship (SF AIDS walk week) and while we could have probably all just drag ourselves over to AIDS walk (which raised a record $4.5 mil btw). I got a pleasant surprise which is when there are only 17 of you in worship you get a chance to talk to pretty much everyone of them (and much more at length than an average Sunday).

So I wanted to post something about this because my conversation with Ray, Hannah, Phil, Jee, and Joe about how prophecy came to be and what my own teaching perspective is around the least well known books of the bible (we're currently doing a series on that at MBCC). They encouraged me to write without pulling any punches about how we came to get a lot of the stuff that we have in the OT (and really the NT for that matter too). So I'm writing on the evolutionary themes of prophecy in the OT based out of Amos (a lot of my ideas come straight out of Bob Coote's brilliant book "Amos among the Prophets").

Anyways. That is what most of my thinking has been based around this week and it's really interesting to see how God drops all sorts of supporting evidence and stories in my lap when I get to teach. A friend of mine (Don who I still can't believe just turned 40) and I were out to lunch when we got to talking about this idea. He mentioned to me that Einstein wrote on similar subject around the problem of what space is made out of. He said that Einstein used to have to argue over what the density of space was and if it was made out of ether or a vacuum (I have to warn you I don't know much about science).

Basically the story goes that he got so tired of arguing over which it was made out of he just choose one. He then set about using it (I believe he choose vacuum) to do his other research. When he started to present findings he was met with questions about how he had made an assumption. So he showed how he did the math to include either ether or a vacuum, and he discovered that it ultimately didn't matter, which is really wonderful. He discovered that it didn't matter. He did all his calculations over and over again (using both) and discovered that mathematically speaking it was such an insignificant difference that it didn't really matter (yet remember that many at that time were fixated on it). I think this is what I'm going to close my teaching with on Sunday. That we have all of this textual evidence and can see the process of prophecy (I think that might be better than evolving?) and we are left to decipher what we think is right. That we can spend our days arguing over it or we can raise these sorts of questions and observations and see how they can lead us further down the path.

So many people in religious circles are so focused on which is right that they miss that maybe we can see that their is a step in faith beyond this deconstruction that can take us to new territory of changing the world. All of that to basically say that I think that while all this stuff around the development of scripture over the course of human history is interesting and needs to be taught in church, it is also important not to lose sight of where all of it is pointing. Just look at the book of Amos. Amos A (the oldest part) is about condemnation and inevitable catastrophe, which then progresses into Amos B (the first redaction) becomes more f a warning to do justice or else while Amos C (the last redaction -- although it's probably not a simple 3 times) is about a reversal and justice as hope. But after all this deconstruction of the book of Amos, I'm struck with the simplicity of Einstein which is that it doesn't really matter what was intended, that if Amos was indeed written by one guy one day speaking out a specific moment in time that ultimately it's not as important as being able to move past the details and just start doing calculations.

So all that to say. I loved it that my entire sermon shifted gears based on a short conversation I had with the handful of people who came to worship with us on Sunday. Here's hoping God can use my teaching to speak to the lives of people just as 17 in worship spoke to me.

Simpson-mania

The real Nick and Julia Larson.

For your own creative fun go make yourself...

Minutes to Midnight

I don't normally think to do this but I have to say that I've been impressed with Linkin Park's new Album "Minutes to Midnight." It's rhythmic drumming and poignant lyrics have really caught my attention and I can't seem to drive anywhere without flipping over to listen to this verbal anthem. So I thought I would post the lyrics and I invite you to go pick up the CD or run over to itunes to get it (a word of warning there is a bit of cussing).

Turn my mic up louder, I got to say something
Lightweights steppin' aside when we come in
Feel it in your chest, the syllables get pumping
People on the street then panic and start running
Words on loose leaf sheet, complete coming
I jump in my mind, I summon the rhyme I'm dumping
Healing the blind, I promise to let the sun in
Sick of the dark ways we march to the drumming
Jump when they tell us that they wanna see jumping
F*** that, I wanna see some fists pumping
List something, take back what's yours
Say something that you know they might attack you for
'Cause I'm sick of being treated like I had before
Like it's stupid standing for what I'm standing for
Like this war's really just a different brand of war
Like it doesn't cater to rich and abandon poor
Like they understand you, in the back of their jet
When you can't put gas in your tank, these f*****s
Are laughing their way to the bank, and cashing their check
Asking you to have the passion and have some respect
For a leader so nervous in an obvious way
Stuttering and mumbling for nightly news to replay
And the rest of the world watching at the end of the day
In the living room, laughing like, "What did he say?"

Amen

In my living room watching it, I am not laughing
'Cause when it gets tense, I know what might happen
The world is cold, the bold men take action
Have to react to get blown into fractions
At 10 years old, it's something to see
Another kid my age drugged under a Jeep
Taken and bound and found later under a tree
I wonder if he had thought 'the next one could be me'
Do you see the soldiers that are out today?
They brush the dust from bulletproof vests away
It's ironic, at times like this you'd pray
But a bomb blew the mosque up yesterday
There's bombs on the buses, bikes, roads
Inside your market, your shops, and your clothes
My dad, he's got a lot of fear, I know
But enough pride inside not to let that show
My brother had a book he would hold with pride
A little red cover with a broken spine on the back
He hand-wrote a quote inside,
"When the rich wage war, it's the poor who die"
Meanwhile, the leader just talks away
Stuttering and mumbling for nightly news to replay
The rest of the world watching at the end of the day
Both scared and angry, like "What did he say?"

Amen

With hands held high into a sky so blue
As the ocean opens up to swallow you.

The only place I found it at length online is on utube (here's one with subtitles). I love the second verse especially, taking on the perspective of a 10 year old who's trying to live out life in the middle of all of this chaos, searching for answers. This song is also just a taste of the album as a whole. It's still got a bit of that classic LP vibe but this is really a step out for them. It's about complex issues and is dealing with a lot of anger and frustration in the world.

Think...but also enjoy.