Sweep The Leg

If you have ever seen Karate Kid, you will find this very funny. The band is No More Kings. Basically I think this might be my favorite music video of all time.

Something in Your Eyes

Want to hear an amazing love song? Check out David Martin's "Something in Your Eyes" (iTunes). He is a new artist on the same label as Soular (see post below). David is an amazing vocalist and having Sting's drummer, Manu Katche on your track doesn't hurt either. Jamie Kenney is the producer and is one of the most talented producers in Nashville. Buy the track, or the whole record for the matter and support a new artist with a lot of talent.

Book Review - Velvet Elvis

When I lived in Nashville, the church where I attended was spilling over with fans of the book, Velvet Elvis. We were not an "emerging church", but this book often gets lumped into that category and those folks. There were something like three or four small groups that were all reading this book and discussing it. Many people had told me that it was the most life changing book that they had ever read. I did a bit of research about the book online since I was a starving musician and couldn't afford to buy it myself . What I found was that many people think Rob is the anti-Christ and many think he is neigh unto deity. He is a very polarizing figure as is usually the case with very talented leaders who say somewhat radical things.

Recently a friend challenged me to read Velvet Elvis and I took him up on it and bought the audio book on iTunes. It is an interesting book for sure. Basically I take it as a collection of things that Rob feels are very important for Christians to know and he has a huge desire to get these things across to people who claim the name of Jesus. I am not going to give you a blow by blow review but rather make some brief comments concerning the book.

I want to say right off the bat that I think much of what Rob says is very good and very helpful. His discussion of the importance of understanding historical context when interpreting scripture was well done and essential to any attempt at understanding the Biblical text. He also speaks candidly on the pressures of being a pastor of a very large church and the lessons he learned in the process where helpful. Rob writes well on the topic of Christian identity and I believe his discussion of it should be normative in today's Christian culture.

On the other hand, Rob tends to drop little bombs here and there with a phrase or two, but fails to deal with the wreckage of the blast. I assume here that he is just trying to provoke for the sake of drawing attention to his point. Thus, I don't assume too much and give him the benefit of the doubt with these statments that tend to appear in the context of a larger thought idea. These sentiments proved consistent until I got to Movement 5 (chapter 5). Here is what he says near the end of this section:

Notice how many places in the accounts of Jesus he gets frustrated with his disciples. Is it because the are incapable? No, but because of how capable they are. He sees what they could be and could do and when they fall short it provokes him to no end. It isn't their failure that is the problem, it's their greatness. They don't realize what they are capable of. So at the end of his time with his disciples, Jesus has some final words for them. He tells them to go to the ends of the earth and make more disciples and then he leaves. He promises to send his Spirit to guide them and give them power, but Jesus himself leaves. He leaves the future of the movement in their hands and he doesn't stick around to make sure they don't screw it up. He's gone. He trusts that they actually can do it. God has an incredibly high view of people. God believes that people are capable of amazing things. I have been told that I need to believe in Jesus, which is a good thing. What I am learning is that Jesus believes in me. I have been told that I need to have faith in God, which is a good thing. But what I am learning is that Jesus has faith in me. The Rabbi thinks we can be like him.

Now maybe, Rob is not really saying what I think he is saying here. Maybe if we sat down for coffee and I had the chance to question him on this all the smoke would clear and I would not be so quick to disagree with what he says here. If that is the case then I would suggest that (at least in this section) he is being a bit irresponsible as a writer in terms of not being clear (at least to me) as to what he really means.

On the other hand if he really means exactly what he says here, then I would have to say that his driveway is a few feet short of the street, theologically speaking. Do I really need to support my statement here? It seems to me that anyone who actually has a cursory knowledge of the Bible and it's themes would be able to quicky and confidently reject what Rob is saying here about Jesus' belief in us and that we need to believe in ourselves more. It sounds a bit too close to Joel Osteen and his empowerment theology.

I know that Rob is a very intelligent man who knows a lot about the Bible. This is why the statement above is so disturbing to me. Again, I may be wrong to assume this much on Rob, but it sure sounds like he really thinks that people need to believe more in themselves as opposed to believing in God to provide all they need to do whatever it is He has called them to do.

In sum, this book has a lot of good things to say, but a lot of stuff that also makes me go, “What is he really getting at here?" If he is saying what I think he is saying then I have some serious problems with some of the content, but I guess it needs to be qualified before I would send him on down the river. Maybe he is intentionally hard to pin down, or maybe he is just not that great of a writer. I guess I'm not the one to judge that. You'll have to read it yourself and let me know what you think.

For another review you can click here. I don't think this reviewer is being totally fair, but his fourth point is right on.

Pray for Burma

Here is a disturbing story from the other side of the world.

Soular

Here is a band that rocks that you probably have not heard of yet . Check out Soular. They just released their new record on iTunes and it's getting great reviews. They are touring pretty hard right now, so check the website for tour listings in your area.

He Calls Himself God

Meet Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda. He claims that he is Jesus Christ. MSNBC has the story here. From the report:

In the rapturous eyes of his flock, Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda is, in fact, the second coming of Christ. As the head of the Growing in Grace International Ministry, he presides over a sprawling organization that includes more than 300 congregations in two dozen countries, from Argentina to Australia. He counts more than 100,000 followers and claims to reach millions more through a 24-hour TV channel, a radio show and several Web sites. He is supported by the generosity of his devotees, who have launched some 450 businesses to pour cash into Growing in Grace's coffers. Though de Jesus' followers worship him, others denounce him as a charlatan. Everyone, however, agrees on one thing: his teachings are incendiary.

Jim and Pam vs. Dwight

Fans of the NBC hit comedy, The Office, will enjoy reminiscing on this website.

Christian Radio Part 4

Christianity Today posts part 4 of their series on Christian radio.

Anal Retentive State Trooper

Most have you have probably read of my travel woes in the posts below. I am not through with them yet, but I did hear from the rental car company that I don't have to drive up tonight to return the car, so that is good.

I forgot to tell you all a rather weird story that happened to me on the way up to Denver before this whole debacle got started.

It was a beautiful day last Thursday with the sun shining brightly across the big sky of northern New Mexico. We have received a ton of snow this year that has not melted so the contrasting colors of the white snow and the dark trees along the mountains was extremely beautiful to behold. I think I was listening to a seminary lecture or something as I was driving when I noticed a state trooper up ahead driving very slowly. I knew that I was not driving too fast, probably around 82mph in a 75mph speed limit on the interstate. I changed lanes to pass him on the left and then when I got around him I turned on my blinker and simply changed lanes to get back on the right side. He then turned on his lights to pull me over. What?!! I wasn't even speeding!

He pulled me over, and I was pretty confused as to why. When he got to my window I immediately asked, "I wasn't going that fast was I?" He said, "No, your speed was fine, but when you changed lanes to pass me you failed to use your turning signal and then when you changed lanes in front of me after you passed you used your turn signal, but you want to be sure that you give about 3 or 4 blinks to make sure the person in front of you see you before you change lanes"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This guys wasted 10 minutes of my time for this? Crazy.

Things I wanted to say but didn't:

1. Clearly you are a rookie that is dying for something to do out here in the barren land of northern NM.

2. How old are you? You look younger than me. You need to grow up.

3. Usually when you are in the vast expanse of nothern NM and you see a car about every 10 mintues, using your turn signal is not that big of a deal.

4. My drivers ed. teacher was not even this anal!

He didn't give me a ticket, but he did give me his business car just in case I had any questions about driving, etc. Thanks buddy!

In thinking about this incident later that day I was struck by the fact that I think many of us (myself included) think of God as very similar to this state trooper. God is just waiting for the
slightest infraction on our part so that he can pull us over and give us a ticket or drag us off to jail.

Don't worry, if God was like that you'd have been squashed a long time ago.

Here is the good news:
2 Peter 3:9
"The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you"

Ephesians 4:32
"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you".

Psalm 86:5
"For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you".

Sunday Funnies

Anyone remember the late 80's? This should bring you back. Unreal...

Saturday Funnies

Another famous YouTube one...This guy's reaction is classic. It gets funnier the more you watch it.

The Saga Continues

So I called the guys up in Trinidad, CO this morning to make sure the part that they had to order got delivered ok. The plan was for me to drive the rental car back up this afternoon to get the van after it was fixed.

You are not going to believe this... The wrong part got shipped to them.

NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

They won't be able to reorder the correct part until Monday morning which means that they won't fix it until Tuesday. What is really sucky about this is that I had to rent a rental car and now I am going to have to pay three extra days on it due to error on the part of the shop or the parts dealer.

It gets even better...

I just called the rental place in Trinidad where I got the car and they told me that the car I have has been pre-rented out to someone for Tuesday, thus I might have to drive up on Monday night to return the car and stay in a hotel again and wait around all day on Tuesday until they can fix my car. Amazing.

I don't know what to say, this whole situation is getting pretty unbelievable. There has got to be a lesson in here for me somewhere...

Bad News

They can't get the part until tomorrow. I'm renting a car right now and making the three hour drive home and then will have to drive back up here tomorrow and pick up the van after they get it fixed. $1100 to get it fixed. Thanks Dave Ramsey for teaching us to have an emergency fund!

This Rhodes electric piano is getting more and more expensive the longer I stay here. I think it'll still be worth it.

Friday Funnies

Most of you have probably seen this by now, but it's worth posting for those who have not. I think the funniest part is the reaction of the newscasters. Awkward.

"Can" does not imply "Should"

Relevant Mag Blog reports:

A molecular scientist has developed a product that America truly needs: caffeinated donuts. The product, along with "Buzz Bagels," isn't on the market yet, but Starbucks, Krispy Kreme and Dunkin' Donuts have already been approached about carrying it. It's about time!

That is wack - the last thing we need in America is more spazed out, road raging, caffeine addicted, psychopaths.

They Owe Me An Apology...

Anyone who is a serious follower of music and is over the age of 15 will probably find this post kind of funny in a mean sort of way.

More Travel Woes

Remember my post about buying a Fender Rhodes for the church? Yeah, I am pumped about it. What I did not tell you is that I bought it on ebay and had to drive from Albuquerque, NM (my hometown) up to Denver, CO (6 hour drive) to pick it up.

I got up at 4:30am (ouch) this morning so that I could make the trip and be back in time for my rehearsal at 7pm. I got the keyboard, had lunch with my good buddy Eric, and headed home. It was all good in the neighborhood... until the A/C compressor blew up, causing the serpentine belt to snap in half. Not cool.

Since it was late in the day the shop didn't have time to fix it and I have to wait until tomorrow to see if they can even get the part that I need. I am stuck at the Quality Inn in the tiny town of Trinidad, CO, which is about 15 miles north of the Colorado, New Mexico border.

I have been having quite the number of travel woes in the last few months. You can read the painful essays here and here if you are interested in some pretty stressful, yet looking back, pretty funny episodes in my life. Hopefully this one will have a happy ending...

Is the Church Equipped?

David Swanson, writing for the Out of Ur blog reports on seeing a movie at the Sundance Film Festival about homosexual men in Christian deliverance programs. He says,

One of the things that struck me about this film was how the filmmakers (some who are themselves gay as we learned during the question and answer time following the screening) portrayed the motives and stories of the conservative Christians who lead the ex-gay ministry with tenderness and grace. Is it possible that many in the gay community are more gracious in their understanding of Evangelical Christians than we are towards them?

Even more striking were the numerous men in the theatre who wept during the most poignant moments of the film, usually when the men in the 12-step program described the pain and brokenness in their pasts. How well, I wondered when leaving the theatre, is the church prepared to really understand this type of brokenness and this amount of pain? And how willing are we to acknowledge our own role in much of that painful memory?

God, is that you?

iMonk has a very interesting post about subjective spiritual experiences. Here are his twenty (yes twenty) points:

1) Subjective spiritual experience is everywhere in the Bible. It’s an incomplete and distorted Christianity that tries to take away the element of feeling, hearing, sensing, enjoying God and his presence.

2) So the Christian life is a life that believes and trusts in a personal God of objective truth, but this God is experienced.

3) Many Christians automatically make the experience of God a matter of suspicion; often to the point that to say “I felt” or “I sensed….” is to commit the sin of disbelieving and ignoring scripture.

4) Subjective Christian experience is often the critical place where God reveals himself to us, leads us, encourages us and gives us particular directions and assignments.

5) For example, at times in the Bible God revealed himself to individuals through dreams.

6) The argument that God does not give various kinds of subjective experiences today generally depends on the desire to honor the sufficiency of scripture.

7) It is, therefore, important to build into the church a culture that values subjective Christian experience rightly, interprets it correctly, and equips us to minister to one another in ways that honor the work of the Spirit.

8) Crucial to this culture will be inter-relating subjective experience (“God spoke to me through this event”) with scripture (“What does the Bible teach and tell?”), the collected wisdom of the church (“What does the wisdom of church tradition tell us about this kind of experience?”), and the role of spiritual leadership and mentors (“How does a wiser, gifted Christian mentor see this experience?”)

9) The relationship of subjective spiritual experience and human personality is the critical area of study.

10) This awareness of our fallenness does not, however, render subjective experience useless. Abraham was a sinner when God spoke to him.

11) Does this experience validate God and the Gospel as revealed in scripture?

12) Does this experience reveal truth that is validated through reason and the wisdom of others?

13) Does this experience make me more useful in my assignments in God’s Kingdom?

14) Does this experience foster Christian virtues like humility and the despising of sin?

15) Does my critical reasoning ability tell me that such an experience is outside of what the Christian worldview presents as the right interaction between God and the world, and between myself and other persons?

16) Is there any obvious reason to attribute this experience to other factors?

17) It is important for all Christians to remember that subjective Christian experience is a significant part of God’s response to our humanness.

18) An unhelpful emphasis on “hearing God’s voice” as the normal pattern of the Christian life can create havoc in the matrix of Christian experience.

19) A further warned is needed for those leaders who base their leadership upon their own subjective experience.

20) Finally, the subjective experience of Jesus was a sense of the Father’s fellowship and constant love.

Read his whole post where he extends his discussion on these points.

Bob's Book

Bob Kauflin gives an update on his book writing process. I'll be the first in line to buy it when it comes out.

Freaks and Geeks - Bill talks about French Kissing

(HT: Joe Carter)

John and John play Ray

Here is a funky gem that you probably have not heard of yet... Jazz guitar giant, John Scofield playing a cool cover of Ray Charles's "I Don't Need No Doctor" (iTunes) featuring the vocals and guitar playing of John Mayer. These two guitar heros (though some would say that Mayer does not belong in the same sentence as Scofield) and the seriously deep groove make this song a must have. This track appears on a very cool record from John Scofield called "That's What I Say" where he plays the music of Ray Charles.

"I Don't Need No Doctor" is much akin to John Mayer's collaboration with Herbie Hancock here.

Christian Radio 2 and 3

Here are parts 2 and 3 of Christianity Today's series on Christian Radio.

Conan's iPhone Commercial

In light of my recent hype about the iPhone. This is pretty funny:



(HT: Relevintage)

Human Nature

Any child of the 80's (such as myself) will have to admit the Michael Jackson's album, Thriller, was an amazing record to say the least. One of my favorite tracks was the song, Human Nature (iTunes). Recently I discovered that this tune has been remade by a very cool artist named, David Mead. It's a great rendition (iTunes). David has an angelic voice and his more raw treatment of Michael Jackson's classic featuring acoustic guitar and strings it a must have for anyone familiar with the original.

Little Miss Sunshine

Last night, my wife and I watched Little Miss Sunshine. Amazing movie. It has received quite a bit of critical acclaim recently and I think I would tend to agree with the critics. If your family is dysfunctional (aren't they all?) this movie is for you as you will relate with the dysfunction on steroids that is depicted in this poor family.

This movie would be deemed a "dark comedy" and after watching it I think that term definitely applies. "An extremely funny take on some pretty heavy subject matter", is how I would describe it. Artistically it is amazing as all the actors are rather genius in their roles. I especially loved seeing Steve Carroll play someone other than my favorite character on TV, Michael Scott from The Office.



The little girl who plays Olive was probably the most perfect selection that any casting director has ever made for any movie ever made. You have to watch the movie to see what I mean. The little girl is amazing.

Here is a plot synopsis from Rotten Tomatoes.com:

"Little Miss Sunshine" is an American family road comedy that shatters the mold. Brazenly satirical and yet deeply human, the film introduces audiences to one of the most endearingly fractured families in recent cinema history: the Hoovers, whose trip to a pre-pubescent beauty pageant results not only in comic mayhem but in death, transformation and a moving look at the surprising rewards of being losers in a winning-crazed culture. A runaway hit at the Sundance Film Festival, where it played to standing ovations, the film strikes a nerve with everyone who's ever been awestruck by how their muddled families seem to make it after all.

No one among the Hoovers quite has it together, but it's not for lack of trying. Father Richard (GREG KINNEAR), a hopelessly optimistic motivational speaker, is desperately attempting to sell his 9-step program for success -- without much success. Meanwhile, the Hoovers' "pro-honesty" mother Sheryl (TONI COLLETTE) is constantly harried by her family's eccentric secrets, especially those of her brother (STEVE CARELL), a suicidal Proust scholar fresh out of the hospital after being jilted by his gay lover. Then there are the younger Hoovers with their unlikely dreams -- the four-eyed, slightly plump, seven year-old would-be beauty queen Olive (ABIGAIL BRESLIN) and Dwayne (PAUL DANO), an anger-fueled, Nietzsche-reading teen who has taken a staunch vow of silence until he gets into the Air Force Academy. Topping off the family is the grandfather (ALAN ARKIN), a foul-mouthed pleasure-seeker recently kicked out of his retirement home for snorting heroin.

They might not be the picture of perfect mental health, but when a fluke gets Olive invited to compete in the fiercely competitive "Little Miss Sunshine" competition in California, the whole Hoover family rallies behind her. They pile into their rusted-out VW bus and head West on a three-day tragicomic journey filled with madcap surprises and leading up to Olive's big debut -- which will change the entire misfit family in ways they could never imagine.

A Recent Purchase

I just bought one of these for the church:


Run it through a bit of this:


Add a touch of this:


And finish it off by amplification through this:


Daddy likey. It's going to be juicy.

If you don't know what a Fender Rhodes is, you can read about it here.

Singing Lies?

Bob Kauflin answers the often thought, but not too often spoken question of, "Do we lie to God when we sing to Him?" I love his answer,

Let me begin with an analogy. I've been married to Julie for thirty years. I have no longings for another, and I'm truly satisfied in her alone. But there are times when my mind or heart drifts. I don't love her as passionately at one moment as I do another. I get distracted. I find myself drawn to find fulfillment in other things. I imagine I will have that struggle until the day I die.

Is it wrong, then, for me to tell her that I have no longings for another? Or should I always express my commitment with a caveat, a misgiving, a disclaimer? Should I tell her on this coming Valentine's Day, "Julie, I want to love you alone, but I'm not quite there yet. I sure hope I'll do better in the coming year?"

I hope the answer is obvious. My expressions of commitment to my wife both express and strengthen my love for her. They remind me of our vows, my desire to be faithful, and the superior joy I find in loving her alone.

Read the whole post here.

Teaching Historical Theology To Our Children

Augustinianism -

The Runaway Bunny



Pelagianism -

The Little Engine That Could

Admonitions for the Grieving

1. Starting from where you are, do what you can to move toward thanksgiving, submission, and patience.

2. Do not let your grief loosen your grip on the goodness and grace of God.

3. Cry.

4. Tell God your sadness.

5. Pray as you can.

6. Avoid "well-wishers" who try to cheer you up.

7. Talk to yourself or write about the loved one you lost.

8. Know that grieving takes time.

9. Grieve, but do not grieve as people without hope.

-J.I. Packer - from A Grief Sanctified: Through Sorrow to Eternal Hope including Richard Baxter's Timeless Memoir of His Wife's Life and Death

Shameless Self-Promotion

I just figured out how to create a link to personal audio files. Check out supload.com. It's pretty cool and free!

When I was in Nashville I had a publishing contract with Word Entertainment for about 6 months. Looking back, it really wasn't for me, but it was a great opportunity and I learned a lot. I wrote a bunch of songs but came away with only a few that I felt pretty good about.

If you are interested you can check them out below.

Major Disclaimer:
I produced these demo in about five minutes on my laptop which means that the quality is not professional by any means, but you can get a feel for the spirit of the songs. If you want to hear some of my stuff more professionally produced you can do so my clicking here.

You are My God

Church Full of Secrets

This world, not our home

The Christian doctrine of suffering explains "a very curious fact about the world we live in... The settled happiness and security which we all desire, God withholds from us by the very nature of the world: but joy, pleasure, and merriment He has scattered broadcast... Our Father refreshes us on the journey with some pleasant inns, but will not encourage us to mistake them for home".

-C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, p. 115

Where were the white Christians?

Anthony Bradley asks a provocative question in his post today. He says,

Here's a question that continues to raise suspicions about conservative Protestantism among the folks in the traditional black church, especially Protestants of the Reformed flavor: why did white Christians(?) in the South NOT lead the way to abolish slavery or fight against Jim Crow laws? (there were a few individual exceptions of course). Some critics might wonder if the only Christians in the South during that era were in the black churches? Is there a book or article that explains this? Usually you get the shoulder shrug or the "blind spot" explanation. Is that it?

This morning Professor Bradley did our devotional before class started. He is a very powerful and effective communicator and challenged us greatly concerning how the Gospel actually intersects with our daily lives.

What does Oprah believe?

I have long said that Oprah is (sadly) probably more influential than most local church pastors in the lives of everyday people. Here is an article that talks about her beliefs, or lack there of.

Wit

Today in the class I am taking called, Sickness and Suffering, we watched the film, Wit. Here is a description from Netflix:

Emma Thompson stars as Vivian Bearing, a disciplined, esteemed English professor dealing with a sensitive issue -- her health. After being diagnosed with ovarian cancer, Vivian is forced to reassess her life and decide what's really important. Wit also tells the stories of the people Vivian touches, including her healthcare team. Directed by Mike Nichols and adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama by Margaret Edson.

This movie also features a bit of the poetry of 16th century poet, John Donne, who some would say is one of the greatest poets of all time. Emma Thompson is amazing in the lead role. Acting that is certainly worthy of much recognition. The movie is presented in a unique way and the story is quite moving. I would highly recommend it as a story that helps us understand compassion for those who living and those who are dying and the primacy of relationships

Watch the preview here.

Casual Sex is a Con

From Dawn Eden's article called, "Casual sex is a con: women just aren't like men":

But in all that casual sex, there was one moment I learned to dread more than any other. I dreaded it not out of fear that the sex would be bad, but out of fear that it would be good. If the sex was good, then, even if I knew in my heart that the relationship wouldn’t work, I would still feel as though the act had bonded me with my sex partner in a deeper way than we had been bonded before. It’s in the nature of sex to awaken deep emotions within us, emotions that are unwelcome when one is trying to keep it light.

(HT: JT)

Nexflix update.

As a Netflix fan this news is exciting to me. If you like to watch movies, Netflix is the cheapest way to go.

Did He Just Say "Ass"?

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few weeks in the Godblogsphere, you have been brought up to speed on that fact that John Piper said that God sometimes, "Kicks our ass" at a Passion 07 breakout session. He publicly apologized for this and you can read it here.

In response to his apology, Wayne Grudem, author of what I call, The Christian Answer Key, wrote John a personal email that John decided to make public on his website. You can read it here.

In response to all this, it seems that everyone who has a blog and an inclination toward Christianity has made some sort of a comment on this matter. Dan Edelen at Cerulean Sanctum, has in my opinion (which, by the way, is always objectively right) one of the best responses I have read yet. He says,

The unbridled tongue that God hates isn't the one that says, "God kicks our asses." It's the one that says, "The guy in the cubicle next to mine at work is a real ass." There's no cursing in saying, "I will die." On the other hand, "I hope you die!" is a curse before God when said against another human being.

All this hoopla comes off as just another case of Evangelicals missing the point in their rush to appear holy. Do we think that 80 years of never uttering a "dirty word" is going to look good in heaven when every day we tear down another person with our supposedly clean words?

God forgive us for missing the point!

You can read his whole post here.

Google Maps Demo on iPhone

This Week

I'll be taking a class this week at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, thus blogging may be light...

CT on Christian Radio

Christianity Today with the first part of a four part series on Christian radio.

Brant Hansen has an interesting response here.

BTW - if you read the comments in Brant's post you can read a thoughtful reply by Shaun Groves in reference to what Brant quotes him as saying.

I also join in the fun.

More on MacWorld

Ok, I just watched Steve Jobs giving his speech at MacWorld 2007 and I have to say I am blown away. I know my usual PC vs. Mac smack talk is all in good fun, but I'm being a bit more serious (as serious as one can be when talking about computers, which is...not very) when I say to you PC users, download the podcast and watch it. If after watching it you still believe life in your PC world is better, then I have to believe you have some serious issues. Mr. PC man, just switch teams and we'll all make the world a better place.

MacWorld Keynote Address 2007

Mac dorks, here is the link for the video podcast of Steve Jobs giving his keynote address at the MacWorld 2007 convention.

A Different Sort of Bible Reading Program

Dan Edelen is not a big fan of Bible reading programs. He says,

The problem, as I see it, is that all such programs miss the point. While reading through the Bible in a year is a worthy endeavor, it's an artificial one. God's not so much interested in us making it through all 66 books in 365.25 days. What He desires of us is that we understand what we read in His word, ruminate on it, and then do something with what we've read. With some of the plans out there, I could spend an entire year reading the Bible and not remember one whit of it, nor put into practice even one of its commands.

My take: Reading plan or no reading plan is not really the issue. I have tried both. Personally I need the structure of a task to keep me in the Word. I wish I was spiritual enough to not need a structure imposed upon me, but unfortunately I'm not. I require some auxiliary motivation. Call me a sinner if you will and I'll say "Amen". This is just how I am motivated best. For others, I can see how the "check the box on my Bible Reading Plan sheet" approach would seem rather mechanical and counter to good devotional thought. Either way, we agree that the goal is transformation by the Holy Spirit through his Word, rather than just intake of information.


Below is Dan's ideal Bible reading plan. I think he is on to something here.


1. Find a quiet, undisturbed place to read. Start in the New Testament since the New Covenant is necessary for perspective on the Old Testament. Might as well begin with Matthew.

2. Read through one entire book in a single sitting. Obviously, the first five books of the NT are going to require some time. But do it. (You're eternal. Live like it!) These books are whole units and are meant to be read as such. We need to experience their coherence. Trust me; the Holy Spirit will bring the entirety of the book to your mind in the future in a way you've never experienced before.

3. When you've read the book once, don't move on! Read through it again. For the first five books, if you must break them into chunks, go with five or six chapters—whatever maintains the arc of the narrative.

4. Re-read that one book. Note the way the narrative and themes flow. Commit those stories and themes to memory. Note where they exist in the book.

5. Re-read that one book. Pay special attention to the way the Lord is portrayed.

6. Re-read that one book. Examine the relational aspects of the book, God to Man, Man to Man, Man to God.

7. Re-read that one book. Note the Lord's redeeming and salvific acts within the greater arc of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. (This first pass through the NT assumes you have a modicum of OT understanding. After reading the OT through, the second pass through the NT will clarify things further.)

8. Re-read that one book. This time around, note all the Lord's commands and how we're told to practice them. Consider how they might work practically in your daily activities.

(By this point, you've read the same book seven times. Depending on the length of the book, it may have taken seven days or seven weeks. It doesn't matter. This is about changing your life and relationship with Christ. This is about sixty years of discipleship. It's not about getting through the Bible in a certain length of time.)

Now comes the hard (and controversial) part…

9. Take everything you've learned in this book and put it into practice. Take a month to do nothing but concertedly meditate on what you've just read by making it real in your own life. It might mean that the only Bible you read this month are the parts of this one book that you still aren't getting and must re-read. Doesn't matter—do it. (If you absolutely have to read something every day that isn't part of this program, consider a few Psalms or a cycle of Proverbs. They're the most suited to broken-up reading patterns since they are collections of wisdom and less unified than a book like Romans.)

10. After your month, take stock of all that you've learned by reading and practice. Make a mental assessment of the themes of the book and how they apply to your discipleship. If you're confident you've read and practiced this book, move on to the next one. Once the NT is finished, move onto the OT. (I realize some of the OT books are daunting in length for a single read-through. Make a concerted effort to read them in one sitting. Failing this, some of the OT books are narrative, which allows for breaks in the story. Psalms and Proverbs are easily segmented, as noted above. All prophets must be read in one sitting the first time through. A book as enormous as Isaiah is hard to partition, so consider reading it on a weekend day.)

What should we say about Iraq?

As most of you know by now, last night the president revealed his new plan for the future of our mission in Iraq. As I was driving to work this morning it seemed that every radio station I turned to had someone giving their two cents on what is currently going on in Iraq and what the President had to say last night.

I have to ask: Do we really know? Does anyone honestly have enough real information about the situation to make a “THIS is what we should do” statement. I am growing very weary of every average Joe with a mouth having a definitive opinion about what should be going on in Iraq. Mr. Average Joe, tell me all you know about Iraq. Answer: You really don’t know squat. I don’t either. All I see is what the media allows me to see. Not this is completely wrong. I don’t believe the media is out to get me and convert me to flaming liberalism, but it is what is it, a perspective from individuals with presumptions about what the American people need to see. And it would be naïve to think that those presumptions about what we need to see is completely objective.

I am not saying you can not or should not have an opinion, but what I ask this is: If you are going to communicate your opinion about what is going on in Iraq at least temper it with a statement like, “I know I don’t have all the information about what is really going on there so I could be totally off base with this, but here is what I believe about the situation…etc”

Unless you have logged long hours over the course of months on the ground in Baghdad or have sat in many high level leadership meetings with Bush’s administration, then before you give us all your sweeping judgments and imperatives about what should be our nations involvement in Iraq at least show some proper humility with your statements.

And yes, I do see my circular reasoning here. I am making a definitive statement that we should not make definitive statements about Iraq. So yes, I grant that what I say here could be off base, but I think that the ubiquitous voices of opinion on Iraq give me the information I need to make these statements. My point: your information on Iraq is very limited so simply give some qualifying statements when you give your opinion about what should be going on there.

I have written some more on this in the past in more general terms. I’ll reprint it here for those of you who were not taking your Vitamin Z a year or so ago:

My Problem with Politics

In an earlier post called "Kanye and Criticism", I discussed the need to listen and received as much information as possible before making judgments about issues or people. This leads me to a discussion of politics in general. I believe that to live in the USA is an amazing priveledge and I believe that democracy is probbaly the best form of government among all the world political systems, that said, I find myself being fairly skeptical and cynical when it comes to politics.

Is it possible to really make an informed judgment about a certain issue or a certain person without really having the chance to dialogue with them directly about why they voted a certain way on a certain issue, or made a certain statement? Living in a sound byte world means that we need to take great care in coming to conclusion about people and their views, since everything we hear has been edited through various filters before it reaches our ears. That said, I do believe that we can align ourselves with certain people whose beliefs are consistent with Biblical values, for example I would as a rule never vote for a candidate that is pro-abortion. But on issues that are a bit more grey when is comes to what the Bible teaches, (health care, the environment, etc) I think it is very dangerous to assume that we know why a certain candidate believes what he does without having a chance to dialogue with that person or those directly in their sphere of influence. This leads me to my problem: Who gets a chance to sit down and talk with a candidate, or at least have a brief discussion with them? I think this leads me to be thankful, yet apathetic towards our political system. Or maybe I just need to work harder at making contact.

Simply put we don't have all the information about why a certain political candidate votes or speaks in the way that they do. To have our political beliefs about a candidate shaped by an organization (republicans, or democrats) that inherently seeks to discredit the other, in my opinion is not a great way to come to conclusions about candidates or issues. For example, if I sit around and watch Fox News, or CNN exclusively then I am probably going to have my views swayed in a biased way. It would be naive to think otherwise. All this to say, we need real relationships with real people (as opposed to caricatures) to make wise and sound judgments.

The danger lies in believing all the political hype that we constantly ingest. When I get a letter from a certain "Christian" republican organization that clearly does not adequately represent what the other party holds to, I get very jaded and numb to it all. I usually just laugh it off. Both sides just label and characterize the other side. Hype and fear equals dollars which allows the organizations to exist and gives people something to belong to.

The other day I got a piece of mail from a republican organization basically saying that Hillary Clinton is the Anti-Christ. Now I do believe that Hillary holds to some views that are very anti-Bible and I would probably never vote for her, but I got the sense that the intent of the mailing was to scare me into supporting the republican party and to work me into a nice frenzy in order to get my vote. This obviously happens by democrats as well.

When I was much younger I used to think that the republican party was basically a Christian organization. Through discussions with Christians who actually work in this party I have come to know that this is surely not the case. Do a majority of my values concerning, abortion, marriage and family, and other social issues predominately lie with the republicans? Most likely, but to hold to a sweeping assumption that the party on the whole is somehow "Christian" would be horribly incorrect.

Where can real truth be found in politics? I'm not sure there is a great answer here. This probably is just the down side as I see it, to the greatest political system in the world. I would love to hear your thoughts about my evolving thinking on these issues.

Maybe this is why the devil has all the good music

Here's an interesting essay from Mike Mitchell entitled, "Worldly Music and Christian Direction". In it he says,

C.S. Lewis said the central story of his life was to find the source of an acute experience he referred to as “joy.” What he describes is not just the common meaning of the word, but a type of ravenous longing, a sweet, piercing pang. It is an experience that entails “an unsatisfied desire which is itself more desirable than any other satisfaction,” usually brought about by aesthetic experience. Lewis proposed that this longing is a foretaste or scent of Heaven, as if aesthetics are the frequency through which glimpses of the reality of God are transmitted.

God vs. Science

Here is an interesting exchange between Richard Dawkins (atheist) and Francis Collins (theist) concerning God's existence.


(HT: First Theology)

Simon Cowell is Wack

From Relevant Mag Blog:

Just in case you were curious as to what Simon Cowell's music taste was, he thinks Kelly Clarkson is more talented than Bob Dylan. The American Idol producer said, "I've never bought a Dylan record. A singing poet? It just bores me to tears." It's good to know that such a gatekeeper to modern pop music thinks one of America's greatest songwriters is less significant than wannabe pop stars.

C. S. Lewis Quotes from "A Grief Observed"

A Grief Observed is C.S. Lewis' short collection of essays that he wrote soon after his wife died or cancer. It is a painfully honest look at grief from a man who was experiencing the deepest depths of it. As usual, the genius of Clive Staples shines though. These were my favorite quotes:

"Only a real risk tests the reality of a belief"

"The more we believe that God hurts only to heal, the less we can believe that there is any use in begging for tenderness. A cruel man night be bribed-might grow tired of this vile sport-might have a temporary fit of mercy, as alcoholics have fits of sobriety. But suppose that what you are up against is a surgeon whose intentions are wholly good. The kinds and more conscientious he is, the more inexorably he will go on cutting. If he yielded to your entreaties, if he stopped before the operation was complete, all the pain up to that point would have been useless. But is it credible that such extremities of torture should be necessary for us? Well, take your choice. The tortures occur. If they are unnecessary, then there is no God or a bad one. If there is a good God, then these tortures are necessary. For no even moderately good Being could possibly inflict or permit them if they weren't? Either way, we're for it. What do people man when they say, "I am not afraid of God because I know He is good"? Have they never even been to a dentist?"

"If you're approaching Him (God) not as the goal but as a road, not as the end but as a means, you're not really approaching Him at all. That's what was really wrong with all those popular pictures of happy reunions 'on the further shore'; not the simple-minded and every earthly images, but the fact that they make an End of what we can get only as a by-product of the true End. Lord, are these your real terms? Can I meet H. (his deceased wife) again only if I learn to love you so much that I don't care whether I meet her or not?"

"Can a mortal ask questions which God finds unanswerable? Quite easily, I should think. All nonsense questions are unasnwerable. How amny hours are there in a mile? Is yellow square or round? Probably half the questions we ask-half our great theological and metaphysical problems-are like that."

Words in Worship

“I often think of the set pieces of liturgy as certain words which people
have successfully addressed to God without their getting killed.”

—Annie Dillard

What is Your View of Sanctification?

A few days ago, based on a friend's recommendation, I reviewed David Powlison's chapter from Sex and the Supremacy of Christ entitled, Making All Things New: Restoring Joy to the Sexually Broken. These two paragraphs were EXTREMELY encouraging to me:

Too often our practical view of sanctification, discipleship, and counseling is shortsighted. If you memorize and call to mind one special Bible verse, will it clean up all the mess? Will prayer drive all the darkness away? Will remembering that you are a child of God, justified by faith, shield your heart against every evil? Will careful self-discipline and a plan to live constructively eliminate all failure? Is it enough to sit under good preaching and have daily devotions? Is honest accountability to others the decisive key to walking in purity? These are all very good things. But none of them guarantees that three weeks from now, or three
years, or thirty years, you will not struggle to learn how to love rather than lust. Wemust have a vision for a long process (lifelong), with a glorious end (“the day of Jesus Christ”), that is actually going somewhere(today). Put those three together in the right way,and you have a practical theology that’s good to go and good for the going.

Look at church history. Look at denominations. Look at local churches. Look at people groups. Look at families. Look at individuals. Look at all the people in the Bible. They all have a historyand keep making history. Things are never finished. No one ever says, “I’ve made it. No more forks in the road. No more places I might stumble and fall flat. No morehard, daily choices to make.” Look at yourself. Life never operates on cruise control. The living God seems content to work in his church and in people groups on a scale of generations and centuries. The living God seems content to work in individuals (you, me, the person you are trying to help) on a scale of decades, throughout a whole lifetime. At everystep, there’s some crucial watershed issue. What will you choose? Whom will you love and serve? There’s always something that the Vinedresser is pruning, some difficult lesson that the Father is teaching the children he loves (John 15; Hebrews 12). It’s no accident that “God is love” and “love is patient” fit together seamlessly. God takes his time with us.

You can listen to David's message here. It is one of the best messages on sanctification that I have ever heard, especially in the area of healing from sexual sin.

You can watch it here.

You can order the book here.

Passion 07

All of the messages from Passion 07 are back up for listening and watching for free until Friday. I have heard that Francis Chan and John Piper's messages were definitely worth checking out.

iPhone

First of all, if you are not a mac user by now, you have a problem. Seriously, you need to repent. You have seen all the commercials... They are completely true. Take it from a 10 year PC user, Mac is the way to go. With that said, with this new gadget they are setting themselves up for complete world domination.

You knew it had to be coming out soon. I am geeked about this new, soon to be best buddy of mine..

iPhone combines three products — a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls, and a breakthrough Internet communications device with desktop-class email, web browsing, maps, and searching — into one small and lightweight handheld device. iPhone also introduces an entirely new user interface based on a large multi-touch display and pioneering new software, letting you control everything with just your fingers. So it ushers in an era of software power and sophistication never before seen in a mobile device, completely redefining what you can do on a mobile phone.

Watch the video demos. This phone looks pretty amazing, not cheap though...I think it runs between $500-$700. Ouch!

Here are some more pics if you are curious.

Passing Gas in New York

Relevant Mag blog reports:

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has released a statement that said there is no danger from a natural gas odor that is being reported in Manhattan. Residents have been smelling the strange odor all morning, which is apparently from a minor gas leak. "We are waiting for the gas to pass," the mayor said. Yes, that is an exact quote.

Mark Galli on The Liturgy

From this post on Galliblog:

The liturgy, as such, exposes the narrowness and superficiality of our fevered search for relevance, and exposes the youth cult that is the subtext of all relevance. The talk of relevance, of incarnating the gospel in a specific cultural context. is usually talk about twenty-somethings and, at the most, “young families.” You will not find many “missional churches” seeking to craft their worship to reaches the poor, the homeless, welfare moms, drug-addicted men, or those trapped in nursing homes and convalescent hospitals. These are not cool target audiences. These type of people do not shop at Abercrombies, and they are anything but upwardly mobile. In fact, get too many needy people in your church, and you’ll find they may stall the church’s upwardly mobile growth curve.

The liturgy, by contrast, does not target any age or cultural group. It does not even target our century, defying the narcissistic notion on which much of modernity hangs: that this is the most important era in human history. Instead, the liturgy presents a form of worship that transcends our time and place in history. Its earliest forms developed in ancient Israel centuries ago, and its subsequent development took place in a variety of cultures and sub-cultures—Greco-Roman, North African, German, Frankish, Anglo-Saxon—and has been prayed meaningfully by bakers, housewives, tailors, teachers, philosophers, priests, monks, kings, and slaves. As such, it has not be shaped, designed, programmed, fashioned to meet any particular group’s needs. It seeks only to enable people—people in general–to see God, because the liturgy knows something that our age has forgotten: people’s greatest need is for God.

I grew up in a liturgical Lutheran church. I really dig what this guy is saying here and would say a hearty "Amen" to it, but the problem that I see in the liturgy is that for most people it is a raw case of "familiarity breeds contempt". Unless our minds are continually drawn back to the reasons why we do what we do and say what we say in our worship services, we too quickly transform into creed reciting robots that mindlessly muddle our way through the worship service. The responsibility of "drawing back our minds" to the reasons for what we do in worship falls at the feet of the leadership. Unfortunately in the church where I grew up, this rarely happened and I think the result was often times a lack of mental and emotional engagement on the part of the people.

All churches have a liturgy no matter what your church label is. The bigger question is: 1)Do your people know why you are doing what you are doing in your worship service and 2) it what you are doing in your worship service Biblical? I think if the answer to these two questions is "yes" then we are well on our way to God-honoring worship.

iMonk on Worship Trends

iMonk strikes again!!:

Some will always point out that liturgical churches have often gone liberal, while non liturgical churches have a more orthodox view of the Bible. That’s not cause and effect, however; that’s irony. Liberal leaders have hidden behind the liturgy and the Bible, all the while selling the store. Evangelicals have kept the store, but turned it into a Chuck E. Cheese’s.

Christian Music - What's Wrong With It?

Dan Kimball has some things to say about Christian Music. He writes,

For many of the songs, especially praise ones meant for corporate worship, there is also the pattern of the slow build up, climactic and building up repeating chorus which indicates it is the time to raise our hands, then a dramatic drop to quiet - then a big pumping ending.

Also, all the different Christian pop songs seem to basically have the same lyrics over and over and over again. Mostly about Jesus dying on the cross. I fully and absolutely believe the substitutionary atonement is at the heart of the gospel. But the Bible is filled with so many things, not just all verses on the atonement. I wish there were more lyrics in songs that sang about other things about Jesus and the Kingdom and following Him.

I have written about some of these same issues in the following posts:

Timeless Music and CCM

The Sound of Christian Music

More Fiesta Bowl Links

Recently I drew your attention to the Fiesta Bowl featuring Boise St. vs. Oklahoma. Some have heralded this game as the greatest college football game ever. On iTunes you can now purchase the whole game for $2.99 and an edited version 20 minutes version with all the plays for $1.99. I'm not sure which I will get yet...

Francis Chan's Gospel Presentation

Here is a well produced gospel presentation by Francis Chan. It's long, but I would encourage you to watch it. It's very well done. He recently spoke at Passion 07. Here is a link to hear his interview with Louie Giglio in preparation for Passion.



Internet Monk has an interesting commentary here concerning this video. He discusses how we should deal with presenting the gospel in light of some of the realities of Reformed theology. He says,

Chan, like a lot of young pastors who are influenced deeply by John Piper, isn’t frightened by the language of traditional evangelical invitations, and especially isn’t afraid of the language of passionate, pursuing love. I can appreciate that, because in my encounters with Calvinism as a pastor and a preacher, this was a never-ending controversy: What could you say to unbelievers, and how would you say it?

Darfur

For a long time now we have been hearing that there is a major humanitarian crisis going on in the Sudan. Until recently I had not really understood what was behind the conflict in terms of the motives of the perpetrators. On iTunes there is a free NBC news special that you can download that served to help me understand what is going on and why people are calling it genocide. Download the program, watch it, write a letter to your government officials to urge intervention, and pray for the people the are suffering so horrifically in the Sudan.

Piper on Pride

Piper recently spoke at a breakout session for Passion 07 concerning how to fight the sin of pride. Here was his content from the desiringGod.org website:

I call to mind that I am not self-existent; only the triune God is. Only God is absolute, but I am contingent. I remind myself that I am utterly dependent on God for my origin and for my present and future existence. I call this to mind and ponder its truth.

I remember that I am by nature a depraved sinner and that, in all my sinning, I have treated God with contempt, preferring other things to his glory. I take stock that I have never done a good deed for which I don’t need to repent. Each one is flawed because perfection is commanded. Therefore I realize that God owes me nothing but pain in this life and the next.

I ponder that this condition of mine is so desperate that it could only be remedied at the cost of the horrid death of the Son of God, to bear my punishment and provide my righteousness. And I revel in the forgiveness and righteousness that is mine in Christ.

I meditate on those Scriptures that say, “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,” (1 Peter 5:5-6; see James 4:6-10). And, “He who is least among you all is the one who is great” (Luke 9:48; Mark 9:35; Matthew 20:26).

I pray that the eyes of my heart would see these biblical truths for what they really are.

I ask God to make me not just see them but also feel them with a sense of the meekness and lowliness and brokenness that corresponds to their true weight.

I renounce desires for praise and notoriety and esteem when I see them rising. I say, “No! In the name of Jesus get out of my head!” And I turn my mind afresh with prayer toward the beauty and truth and worth of Christ.

I try to receive all criticism—from friend or foe—with the assumption that there is almost certainly some truth in it that I can benefit from. “Be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” (James 1:19).

I strive to cultivate a joy in Christ and his wisdom and power and justice and love that is more satisfying than the pleasures of human praise, with the goal that, by the Spirit, I would be granted the miracle of self-forgetfulness in the admiration of Christ, and in love toward people.

Finally, I turn often to older writers who knew God at depths which most of us modern people seem incapable of. I turn, for example, to Jonathan Edwards whose descriptions of humility awaken the deepest longings in me, as, for example, when he wrote to Mrs. Peperell on November 28, 1751, concerning Christ:

He is indeed possessed of infinite majesty, to inspire us with reverence an adoration; yet that majesty need not terrify us, for we behold it blended with humility, meekness, and sweet condescension. We may feel the most profound reverence and self-abasement, and yet our hearts be drawn forth sweetly and powerfully into an intimacy the most free, confidential, and delightful. The dread, so naturally inspired by his greatness, is dispelled by the contemplation of his gentleness and humility; while the familiarity, which might otherwise arise from this view of the loveliness of his character merely, is ever prevented by the consciousness of his infinite majesty and glory; and the sight of all his perfections united fills us with sweet surprise and humble confidence, with reverential love and delightful adoration. (Works, Vol. 1 (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth), p. cxxxix)

There were theologians before Calvin?

Mark Lauterbach reports on some reading he had been doing lately:

In the providence of God my reading has been taking me back into multiple examples of the early centuries of the church. Here was a huge gap in my education. I have three books by these early fathers on my shelf. But I am now reading Athanasius on The Incarnation plus multiple excerpts from the fathers in defense of the Trinity and the union of God and man in the person of Jesus the Messiah. I am seeing some truths spoken in a way that is fabulous and I am wondering why I have missed these. Up til now I guess my view of church history has been something like this: PAUL (1500 year gap following) . . . Luther, Calvin . . . . Edwards . . . various Reformed writers . . . Warfield, Machen . . . Piper. I act as though the men of the first centuries did not do much!

Read the whole post here.

John 's New Songs

If you read this blog, you know that I believe John Mayer's latest record to be one of the best records' I have ever owned. John has received a ton of critical praise for his latest effort as he well should. On John's blog he talks about going back to the drawing board and starting all over again with some new songs. I love how he describes the process and based on what he is shooting for, I might even like his new record even more.

You can read his post here.

Switchfoot on Letterman

Tonight - Check it.

Favorite Sesame Street Moment Of All time

(HT: Seth Ward)

Hanson

I never thought I would be posting this, but Hanson, (yes the band) has a (ahem) really cool new song that they are promoting here. All proceeds go to help fight AIDS in Africa.

Lauren Winner on Marital Sexual Fulfillment

ThinkChristian.net has a great post here dealing with Lauren Winner's thoughts on the sexual lives of committed Christians. I would encourage you to read the post as it is helps to combat the ubiquitious lies concerning sex that we see everyday in the media. In the post from ThinkChristian.net says,

Winner suggests that the solution may lie in our understanding of what the ideal domestic life is. We ought to see sex as a healthy part of the spousal relationship, whether or not it’s always as thrilling and exciting as you’d like. In other words, we need to see that “normal, routine” sex over the course of a marriage is good sex. Winner is not saying that we ought to lower our expectations for sex, but that we shift them to focus on the joys that come uniquely from married sex. It’s largely a psychological change that’s called for—we need to abandon unrealistic, mainstream-culture ideas of what sex should be, and learn to appreciate the ebb and flow of sexuality between two spouses who are sometimes tired, sometimes romantic, but nevertheless committed to each other. Married sexuality is infinitely more satisfying when it’s free of the pressure to conform to the unrealistic and shallow expectations of mainstream culture.

Middle School Girls Gone Wild

Here is a pretty shocking essay (all parents please read) written in the opinion section of the NY Times dealing with what one parent saw at her 10-year-old daughter's middle school talent show. She says,

It’s hard to write this without sounding like a prig. But it’s just as hard to erase the images that planted the idea for this essay, so here goes. The scene is a middle school auditorium, where girls in teams of three or four are bopping to pop songs at a student talent show. Not bopping, actually, but doing elaborately choreographed re-creations of music videos, in tiny skirts or tight shorts, with bare bellies, rouged cheeks and glittery eyes.

I found this paragraph particularly poignant:

But my parental brain rebels. Suburban parents dote on and hover over their children, micromanaging their appointments and shielding them in helmets, kneepads and thick layers of S.U.V. steel. But they allow the culture of boy-toy sexuality to bore unchecked into their little ones’ ears and eyeballs, displacing their nimble and growing brains and impoverishing the sense of wider possibilities in life.

I Love Jim and Dwight

Click here for a very funny clip from tonight's episode of The Office.

Changes for The Church

Shaun Groves has some thoughts about changes he would like to see in The Church on the whole. He says,

1. Abandon the idea of a tithe.
2. Make membership meaningful by raising expectations
3. Expand our concept of giving beyond finances to professions and time.

You can read his whole post here. I think we would do well to heed his points in this post.

The Glory of God's Human Creation

From Where is God When it Hurts? by Philip Yancey,

The fingertips, for example, shows an astounding difference: it can detect a mere 3 grams of pressure, but not until that pressure exceeds 300 grams will I feel pain there! Why? Think about the fingers' activities. The concert violinist must sense an amazing range of pressures to produce perfect sound and volume. A skilled baker, swishing his hands through batches of dough, can notice as little as a two percent variance in the "stickiness" or consistency. Cloth feelers in textile industries compare the qualities of cloth by touch. The fingertips must be incredibly sensitive to the slightest differences in touch.

But sensitivity to touch is not enough. The fingertips must also be tough in order to withstand rigorous activity. Feel the calloused, scaly hand of a carpenter or a professional tennis player. Life would be miserable indeed if the fingertip fired a message of pain to the brain each time a person squeezed a tennis racket or pounded a hammer. So the design of the body includes a fingertip extraordinarily sensitive to pressure, but relatively insensitive to pain. Hands and fingertips serve us well as the most used parts of our bodies.

I'm not a cessationist, but after reading this I think maybe I should be...

Here is an advertisement for a conference taking place here in my hometown of Albuquerque, NM. I don't mean to poo-poo on the parade here, but this seems a bit extreme. I'm sure these people are well intentioned, but seriously, "golden rain and money supernaturally appearing"? Just read the description of the conference speakers... All I can say is... WOW.

Moving from Information to Transformation

Brant Hansen has posted some interesting reflections on churches that seem to simply promote didactic Bible teaching at the expense of other forms of learning for the sake of change. He says,

And I owe much to gifted teachers in my life. I'd write some fan mail, but a lot of them died before I was born. In high school, a terrific speaker with a brilliant, gifted theological mind, came to be a preacher at our small country church. Everyone said he was a great Bible teacher. I loved him.

But I don't remember a single sermon. Not one. I do remember he came to play football with me when my parents got divorced. I still love him.

This is no knew issue to the church. How do we has church leaders help people move from simply being passive listeners to radical, cross bearing, actualizers of the gospel? I don't know if there is a simple answer to this. Certainly volumes of books have been written already on the topic. I'll let you find those on your own.

Brant says this in answering an imagined objector,

"But Brant, didn't the early believers 'devote themselves to the apostles' teaching?'"

Well, sure. And they had to be taught. Learning was, and is, vital. But imagine if you were given the teaching, "Love your neighbor." What would "devoting your life" to that teaching look like? I now suspect it means having time available to be in my neighbor's kitchen, even at the expense of time in a lecture environment.

As a church are we to value the preaching of God's word? Certainly. In terms of Brant's point, I'm not sure that (I could be wrong here) the fact that I don't consciously remember much of the preaching/teaching that I have sat under in my 30 years means that it has minimized value. My sense is that much of the life change that has hopefully happened in my life has come through sitting under this sort of teaching, but it has been subtly absorbed rather than consciously recalled. I know for sure that I HAVE to be reminded of what God says because my mental default setting is not one that gavitates towards God's truth and his greatness. It gravitates toward sin, but sitting under excellent Bible teaching is one way that I have found helps me to fight the desires of my sinful nature.

But to Brant's point I do think that as a church we need to remember that as humans we need to help people have concrete forms for actualizing James' admonition to not just be "hearers of the word, but doers as well". People need to take this initiative on their own, but as church leaders we will do well to help them in the process.

One thing that I am sure of is that if I don't take risks to actually believe God for something, then I most likely won't experience my faith like He desires me to. He called Abraham to move from his homeland and he "believe God and it was credited to him as righteousness." He believed God FOR something. Do our lives proclaim to an unbelieving world that we are believing God for something? Perhaps as a church we need to figure out ways in which we can help people structure ways in which they can be actually believing God for something. Taking risks of love for the sake of the gospel. But if this is going to happen I am convinced that it HAS to be happening in the leadership first. Sounds like I better start with myself on this one.

I would love your thoughts on how we move people from information to transformation. I take it for granted that the Holy Spirit is the one who initiates our sanctification, but what I refer to here is the human side of the equation.

BTW - there is a good conversation going on in the comment section of his post.