An Intro to My Great Struggle in Nouwen's Prologue
Moving from teaching university students to living with mentally handicapped people was, for me at least, a step toward the platform where the father embraces his kneeling son. It is the place where I so much want to be, but am so fearful of being. It is the place where I will receive all I desire, all that I ever hoped for, all that I will ever need, but it is also the place where I have to let go of all I most want to hold on to. It is the place that confronts me with the fact that truly accepting love, forgiveness, and healing is often much harder than giving it. It is the place beyond earning, deserving, and rewarding. It is the place of surrender and complete trust.
Henri Nouwen, The Return of the Prodigal Son (p. 13)
This guy knows. He knows the utter absurdity of trying - trying to control everything including how we approach God and what we receive from him.
It doesn't stop us from trying, though.
Some Thoughts Upon Reading The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe to My Daughter
In the opening chapter of Umberto Eco's book Foucault's Pendulum, a young couple is described by the character Casaubon, having watched them barely breeze by an amazing piece of art and physics, like this: "A moment later the couple went off - he, trained on some textbook that had blunted his capacity for wonder, she, inert and insensitive to the thrill of the infinite, both oblivious of the awesomeness of their encoutner - their first and last encounter - with the One, the Ein-Sof, the Ineffable. How could you fail to kneel down before this altar of certitude?"
This is one of my very favorite sentences in the English language because it describes the way I and many others encounter God: our capacity for wonder blunted, inert and insensitive to the thrill of the Infinite.
O may I be like Lucy Pevensie!
"And Lucy felt running through her that deep shiver of gladness which you only get if you are being solemn and still."
This is one of my very favorite sentences in the English language because it describes the way I and many others encounter God: our capacity for wonder blunted, inert and insensitive to the thrill of the Infinite.
O may I be like Lucy Pevensie!
"And Lucy felt running through her that deep shiver of gladness which you only get if you are being solemn and still."
Annual Conference After Show
Thanks to Andy Ihnatko (yes, I spelled his last name from memory, thank you very much) from MacBreak Weekly, I finally have an iOS blogging client that doesn't make me want to injure myself or anyone else. His "pick of the week" on the show this week was an iPad app called Blogsy and it is fantastic. That takes me one step closer toward being able to abandon my computer for all but about 10% of my tasks (image & video editing, Skype, writing really long pieces, and desktop publishing).
Enough of the tech talk, though, for that is the subject of my other blog.
I returned last night from the Arkansas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. It was a long week. The United Methodist Church meets every four years at General Conference and there we make decisions concerning the polity and structure of the whole church. Ou next General Conference is in 2012 so we elected delegates at our Annual Conference this year who will go next year. The clergy and laity groups each elect 6 delegates, 6 more delegates to Jurisdictional Conference (where new bishops are elected), and three alternates. In all, 30 people were elected in 3 days. This was my first time to vote as I wasn't eligible to vote last time because I hadn't yet been ordained.
OK, enough of the nerd talk, right? Actually, the voting was pretty important because it meant that we had to stay in the conference most of the time so that we wouldn't miss a ballot. I spent less time visiting with people this year than years past because of this. The Asbury Seminary alumni were pleased to host J.D. Walt for our alumni lunch. It was great to visit with him and to hear of some exciting things going on in the world of Wesleyan Methodism.
The Confessing Movement of Arkansas hosted Dr. Chris Bounds from Indiana Wesleyan University. Chris is a great guy and one of the smartest people I've ever met. It was great to catch up with him and hear him speak at both the CMA breakfast and on the floor of the Annual Conference.
We also passed a new and radical direction for our conference called Imagine Ministries. That was a significant deal and am proud of the work the IM team did and look forward to joining in their work for years to come.
Enough of the tech talk, though, for that is the subject of my other blog.
I returned last night from the Arkansas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. It was a long week. The United Methodist Church meets every four years at General Conference and there we make decisions concerning the polity and structure of the whole church. Ou next General Conference is in 2012 so we elected delegates at our Annual Conference this year who will go next year. The clergy and laity groups each elect 6 delegates, 6 more delegates to Jurisdictional Conference (where new bishops are elected), and three alternates. In all, 30 people were elected in 3 days. This was my first time to vote as I wasn't eligible to vote last time because I hadn't yet been ordained.
OK, enough of the nerd talk, right? Actually, the voting was pretty important because it meant that we had to stay in the conference most of the time so that we wouldn't miss a ballot. I spent less time visiting with people this year than years past because of this. The Asbury Seminary alumni were pleased to host J.D. Walt for our alumni lunch. It was great to visit with him and to hear of some exciting things going on in the world of Wesleyan Methodism.
The Confessing Movement of Arkansas hosted Dr. Chris Bounds from Indiana Wesleyan University. Chris is a great guy and one of the smartest people I've ever met. It was great to catch up with him and hear him speak at both the CMA breakfast and on the floor of the Annual Conference.
We also passed a new and radical direction for our conference called Imagine Ministries. That was a significant deal and am proud of the work the IM team did and look forward to joining in their work for years to come.
A Couple of Good Books
Finished two great books today.
The first is Robert Coleman’s The Master Plan of Evangelism. My copy of this book is the same age as I am to the month according to the title page. The book isn’t so much about what we think of in terms of evangelism today but about making disciples. This clearly involves evangelism but contains so much more. The book originally came out in 1963 and isn’t a gimmicky method for evangelism like many books one might read today on that subject. It is concerned with one thing: how did Jesus make disciples and how did he intend for the disciples to make disciples? It is nothing if not thoroughly biblical. That’s what Coleman relies on and what makes the book timeless.
The second is David McIntyre’s The Hidden Life of Prayer. I’ve been devouring books on prayer lately, and this one is good, but I have to admit that it was hard to read. First published in 1891, McIntyre’s style isn’t quite what I am used to and I didn’t labor over the sentences as much as I should have. Also, there are zero footnotes in a book that used quite a few quotations. I would really like to look at the primary sources but, alas, there’s no way for me to find many of them. Still, a very helpful book and one I’m sure I’ll come back to in the future.
The first is Robert Coleman’s The Master Plan of Evangelism. My copy of this book is the same age as I am to the month according to the title page. The book isn’t so much about what we think of in terms of evangelism today but about making disciples. This clearly involves evangelism but contains so much more. The book originally came out in 1963 and isn’t a gimmicky method for evangelism like many books one might read today on that subject. It is concerned with one thing: how did Jesus make disciples and how did he intend for the disciples to make disciples? It is nothing if not thoroughly biblical. That’s what Coleman relies on and what makes the book timeless.
The second is David McIntyre’s The Hidden Life of Prayer. I’ve been devouring books on prayer lately, and this one is good, but I have to admit that it was hard to read. First published in 1891, McIntyre’s style isn’t quite what I am used to and I didn’t labor over the sentences as much as I should have. Also, there are zero footnotes in a book that used quite a few quotations. I would really like to look at the primary sources but, alas, there’s no way for me to find many of them. Still, a very helpful book and one I’m sure I’ll come back to in the future.
Power Through Prayer
In the last three days these things have happened in my life:
(If that last thing seems strange to mention, I have a really hard time apologizing. I’m that wicked.)
So, what’s been going on? It seems like I’m surprised at these good things. I am, a little. What’s been going on is that I recently finished a book called Power Through Prayer by E.M. Bounds. More than anything, that little book is an indictment on prayerless preachers who work so hard to create power and strength in their ministries while neglecting the only true power in their lives - prayer. I have repented and have devoted more - much more - time to prayer than some of the other things that tend to crowd my attention during the day. You know what? God’s been working me over. And it is awesome. The Holy Spirit has moved me in each one of those bullet points. No joke. It’s one of those weird moments in life when I think, “Man, this rebuking by the Holy Spirit is hard and it hurts. Do it some more!” (If this keeps up I’m sure my wife and church will be saying, “Do it some more!”)
I’m not writing to brag but to give those of you who are experiencing prayerlessness either some encouragement or a kick in the pants. Especially you preachers who walk into the pulpit thinking that your three points are going to totally change someone’s life when you haven’t sought the one who is already at work in the lives of those who hear his word.
Here’s three links you can try on for size (You’re in luck if you’re a Kindle-user).
Complete Works of E.M. Bounds on Prayer
The Complete E.M. Bounds on Prayer - Kindle $3.99
Power Through Prayer - Kindle is $0.99!
- I left church on Sunday feeling neither high or low about the sermon I preached. I left confident in the Word of God and God’s power to work in the hearts of people. I was able to rest in that.
- I deleted a couple of tweets. I grew up thinking that giving someone a hard time was a way to show someone you liked them and appreciated them. That’s pretty dumb. About 20 minutes after posting them, I felt this impression in my heart not only to delete those tweets but to start paying attention to how I give people a hard time and to stop doing it. It honors no one.
- I apologized to my wife this morning. Yesterday, I was gruff with her for a moment in the middle of my yard work. It’s no way for a man to speak to his wife who just happens to be a daughter of God.
(If that last thing seems strange to mention, I have a really hard time apologizing. I’m that wicked.)
So, what’s been going on? It seems like I’m surprised at these good things. I am, a little. What’s been going on is that I recently finished a book called Power Through Prayer by E.M. Bounds. More than anything, that little book is an indictment on prayerless preachers who work so hard to create power and strength in their ministries while neglecting the only true power in their lives - prayer. I have repented and have devoted more - much more - time to prayer than some of the other things that tend to crowd my attention during the day. You know what? God’s been working me over. And it is awesome. The Holy Spirit has moved me in each one of those bullet points. No joke. It’s one of those weird moments in life when I think, “Man, this rebuking by the Holy Spirit is hard and it hurts. Do it some more!” (If this keeps up I’m sure my wife and church will be saying, “Do it some more!”)
I’m not writing to brag but to give those of you who are experiencing prayerlessness either some encouragement or a kick in the pants. Especially you preachers who walk into the pulpit thinking that your three points are going to totally change someone’s life when you haven’t sought the one who is already at work in the lives of those who hear his word.
Here’s three links you can try on for size (You’re in luck if you’re a Kindle-user).
Complete Works of E.M. Bounds on Prayer
The Complete E.M. Bounds on Prayer - Kindle $3.99
Power Through Prayer - Kindle is $0.99!
The Heavens Declare the Glory of God
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. (Psalm 19:1)
One of the things that stirred my heart as a college student was a gift that a friend and fellow Wesley Foundation student gave me in my last semester of college. It was a tape of a plenary address that John Piper gave to the Evangelical Theological Society in 1998. Few ideas have stuck with me as much as his exhortation to those professors, that the greatest need in training the next generation of pastors and missionaries is "to know God and to find in him a Treasure more satisfying than any other person or thing or relationship or experience or accomplishment in the world."
I've had a copy of that message both in audio and in print for 12 years and it wasn't until recently that I listened to it again and gleaned another gem which has been a part of my spiritual life or growth or whatever you want to call it for the last few months.
Make that your prayer as you watch this video (via my friend Geoffrey who retweeted Alan Hirsch)
http://vimeo.com/22439234
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. (Psalm 19:1)
One of the things that stirred my heart as a college student was a gift that a friend and fellow Wesley Foundation student gave me in my last semester of college. It was a tape of a plenary address that John Piper gave to the Evangelical Theological Society in 1998. Few ideas have stuck with me as much as his exhortation to those professors, that the greatest need in training the next generation of pastors and missionaries is "to know God and to find in him a Treasure more satisfying than any other person or thing or relationship or experience or accomplishment in the world."
I've had a copy of that message both in audio and in print for 12 years and it wasn't until recently that I listened to it again and gleaned another gem which has been a part of my spiritual life or growth or whatever you want to call it for the last few months.
Plead with God that he not leave you unmoved by the glories revealed every day in the sky and in the Scriptures.
Make that your prayer as you watch this video (via my friend Geoffrey who retweeted Alan Hirsch)
http://vimeo.com/22439234
The Head is Meant to Serve the Heart
I’m reading The Pastor as Scholar & The Scholar as Pastor right now and this quote from John Piper absolutely nails it:
O, yes! If theology doesn’t end up in worship, it’s a waste of time.
Right thinking about God exists to serve right feelings for God. Logic exists for the sake of love. Reasoning exists for the sake of rejoicing. Doctrine exists for the sake of delight. Reflection about God exists for the sake of delight. Reflection about God exists for the sake of affection for God. The head is meant to serve the heart.
O, yes! If theology doesn’t end up in worship, it’s a waste of time.
Links are What You Share
When you just haven't been able to finish a bunch of the stuff you've been working on. It took me nearly two months to write up - ever so briefly - my Acts 29 experience and it's been nearly a month since I attended the Gospel Coalition Conference in April so look for that in June.
Links I Liked Today:
That's just today. So far. I haven't even gone through Instapaper yet.
Links I Liked Today:
- Your Praise isn't the Boss of Me by Jared Wilson. Neither is your criticism, which is a hard, hard lesson for me to get.
- When the Church is a Mistress. We talked about this some yesterday. I didn't get it. I do now.
- And on a similar note. You'd think that after 10 years of marriage and 34 years of life I'd know a thing or two about picking up after myself - both literally and figuratively. You'd be wrong.
- Good advice from Mark Beeson.
That's just today. So far. I haven't even gone through Instapaper yet.
Seminary on your iPhone
My late-friend, Michael Spencer, used to promote The Theology Program on his website and podcast. I never checked it out because, hey, I have a Masters of Divinity and after four years of seminary why would I need something like this? Oh, brother. I've since discovered that if I want theological stimulation, I'm going to have to seek it out and books just aren't enough to keep me sharp.
The price of The Theology Program was a little too steep for me. Until now. They have just released an iPhone app for $6.99 which contains 60 hours of theological training, 1200 slides and 1800 pages of workbooks. On your iPhone. That is simply incredible and a heck of a deal.
I would encourage all of our lay people to try this out. You won't agree with all of the perspectives (indeed, you shouldn't) but if you're willing to think and process, this will be a very valuable tool in thinking theologically. I've already downloaded and am looking forward to giving it a shot.
The price of The Theology Program was a little too steep for me. Until now. They have just released an iPhone app for $6.99 which contains 60 hours of theological training, 1200 slides and 1800 pages of workbooks. On your iPhone. That is simply incredible and a heck of a deal.
I would encourage all of our lay people to try this out. You won't agree with all of the perspectives (indeed, you shouldn't) but if you're willing to think and process, this will be a very valuable tool in thinking theologically. I've already downloaded and am looking forward to giving it a shot.
Site Update
I've added a page called "RECOMMENDATIONS" that I hope to update regularly with books and music suggestions that have been significant to me. It's not an exhaustive list, but it is some of the best stuff I've been reading or listening to. Both of the music recommendations are awesome and hope you'll take the time to at least preview them.
A Late Follow-Up on Acts 29 Boot Camp
I guess now is as good a time as any to write up my thoughts on the Acts 29 Boot Camp I attended on March 10, 2011. I've been slightly hesitant for two reasons. One, I'm sure some of the Acts 29 Network and some of my reformed friends will react with, "Why on earth would you attend?". Two, I'm sure some of my fellow Methodists will react with, "Why on earth would you attend?". Let me answer that second. The first thing I want to say is that I absolutely did not attend with the idea that I would write an undercover story to tell anyone what really goes on. If there is a "really" I don't know what it is and I probably wouldn't tell you about it - I'd talk to the men in charge because airing laundry isn't my thing.
So, why did I go? I'm not called to church planting and I've not the skills or qualifications for church planting. I love church planters and support them whole-heartedly. I want to help and support church planters as much as I can. I watch church planters pour a lot into ministry and I hurt with them if those plants shut down. As a United Methodist, I haven't seen a lot of church plants make it to viability and I'd like to see that change. I've been talking to a seminary buddy of mine about developing a support network for our tradition and so when an opportunity arose for me to observe and learn from a network that has a viability percentage that's directly opposite of ours, I couldn't wait to attend. I emailed them about the viability of church plants and they graciously replied to me. You want to know what it is? "98.4%. I'd have to double check, but for some reason I thought it was 3 years." That's cut and pasted right out of the email I received back. Wow. If you aren't floored by that, you aren't paying attention. I wanted to learn something from them because they clearly have a lot to teach.
What did I learn?
Did they flood attendees with tips and tricks about marketing and miracles? Nope.
The entire first day (the only day I attended) was about the church planter's character. I say this with all the loving sarcasm I can muster - Gee, what a concept. (My sarcastic contempt is for every book, blog, and article I've read that skips right over that component as though it's foundational and doesn't need to be covered.)
There was some righteous anger in some of the talks. I felt like that anger was from a place of deep hurt and sorrow because of some ministry failures within the network that resulted from a lack of character focus. As Scott Thomas, Acts 29 Network President, said, "Some of you are hiding your sins right now." Sam Storms, Matt Carter, and Bruce Wesley also spoke and didn't hold anything back, either. I reflected and prayed because even though I'm not planting a church, I could as easily fail for a number of reasons - particularly self-idolatry.
For me, in spite of the time being terribly lonely for an outsider introvert, it was a fantastic time of prayer, reflection, rebuke, and repentance. At the end of the evening, right before he spoke, Matt Chandler came out and exhorted us to turn our attention away from ideas, tips, and tricks and toward listening to the Holy Spirit. This isn't a direct quote, but he said that if we showed up and missed out on the Holy Spirit, our time was wasted.
My time was not wasted.
If you'd like to listen to the content, it is available here.
So, why did I go? I'm not called to church planting and I've not the skills or qualifications for church planting. I love church planters and support them whole-heartedly. I want to help and support church planters as much as I can. I watch church planters pour a lot into ministry and I hurt with them if those plants shut down. As a United Methodist, I haven't seen a lot of church plants make it to viability and I'd like to see that change. I've been talking to a seminary buddy of mine about developing a support network for our tradition and so when an opportunity arose for me to observe and learn from a network that has a viability percentage that's directly opposite of ours, I couldn't wait to attend. I emailed them about the viability of church plants and they graciously replied to me. You want to know what it is? "98.4%. I'd have to double check, but for some reason I thought it was 3 years." That's cut and pasted right out of the email I received back. Wow. If you aren't floored by that, you aren't paying attention. I wanted to learn something from them because they clearly have a lot to teach.
What did I learn?
Did they flood attendees with tips and tricks about marketing and miracles? Nope.
The entire first day (the only day I attended) was about the church planter's character. I say this with all the loving sarcasm I can muster - Gee, what a concept. (My sarcastic contempt is for every book, blog, and article I've read that skips right over that component as though it's foundational and doesn't need to be covered.)
There was some righteous anger in some of the talks. I felt like that anger was from a place of deep hurt and sorrow because of some ministry failures within the network that resulted from a lack of character focus. As Scott Thomas, Acts 29 Network President, said, "Some of you are hiding your sins right now." Sam Storms, Matt Carter, and Bruce Wesley also spoke and didn't hold anything back, either. I reflected and prayed because even though I'm not planting a church, I could as easily fail for a number of reasons - particularly self-idolatry.
For me, in spite of the time being terribly lonely for an outsider introvert, it was a fantastic time of prayer, reflection, rebuke, and repentance. At the end of the evening, right before he spoke, Matt Chandler came out and exhorted us to turn our attention away from ideas, tips, and tricks and toward listening to the Holy Spirit. This isn't a direct quote, but he said that if we showed up and missed out on the Holy Spirit, our time was wasted.
My time was not wasted.
If you'd like to listen to the content, it is available here.
Shall We Gather?
I'd better get this in before there's another database connection error. Grrrr.
The scene behind the church this afternoon. It started raining, oh, sometime on Saturday and finally let up a little while ago. I saw on Facebook that we got around 15" of rain. Lots of flooding going on around here.
It rained almost all day long yesterday (Easter). I was pretty bummed because last year it was just so beautiful and bright outside. This year was dark and gloomy. Not the way I wanted to celebrate Easter. But, God was working on me and teaching me.
My mood is generally affected by numbers. And by numbers I mean weekly attendance and giving. It's not just my mood but my self-worth, understanding of calling, and all that. I wasn't fired up for Easter this year. I looked at the weather forecasts and knew that it would rain which meant that there wouldn't be as many people on Sunday morning. I was not happy. But, I noticed something as we began to worship yesterday. Suddenly, that concern and burden weren't there. I'm not entirely sure what God did in me, but I knew that as I got up to preach one of my weakest sermons of all time God was stripping away the self-focused concern about numbers. I cared more about clearly presenting the gospel to those gathered than the actual number of people who showed up. What a clear sign of grace to me and how grateful I was to have experienced it!
Slowly but surely, my heart is figuring out that my identity, self-worth, reputation, and all that are actually in Jesus and not me. I wish I figured out things a little more quickly but progress is better than stalling.
Sunday Links - Easter 2011
CHRIST IS RISEN!
HE IS RISEN, INDEED!
Here’s some Easter Sunday links for you. I’m definitely taking a nap this afternoon so enjoy these while I sleep.
Ok, so it was a thin week link-wise. Holy Week was full of activity and almost all of it great. Thank you, Jesus, for dying and rising.
HE IS RISEN, INDEED!
Here’s some Easter Sunday links for you. I’m definitely taking a nap this afternoon so enjoy these while I sleep.
- This is so good I printed it out for the prayer guide I made for our church on Good Friday. The -ations of the cross.
- Sin creates discontentment. Here are some of the lies sin tells us .
- There’s lots to agree with here, but not all of it. The overall point, that we need to be careful in our social media interactions, is spot on. Pastors and Social Media.
- I really wish I had a coffee shop close by. I’d work there. Lots.
- This is mostly true. 10 things you might not know about pastors.
Ok, so it was a thin week link-wise. Holy Week was full of activity and almost all of it great. Thank you, Jesus, for dying and rising.
Bible Software
As it continues to rain and I think about tomorrow’s message, I thought I’d semi-distract myself with some videos. I’ve been meaning to dig deeper into my favorite Bible software, Accordance, so I decided to watch a few podcasts today and learn some stuff I didn’t know before. I’m very glad I did. Oooh. There’s also the entire training video library.
If you’re a Mac user and Bible nerd, Accordance is for you.
If you’re a Mac user and Bible nerd, Accordance is for you.
It's a Rainy Holy Saturday
That's what today looks like. And tomorrow isn't looking too differently. Trouble is, my mind keeps telling me the number of people who worshiped with us on Easter last year before saying, "If it rains, nowhere near that many will come."
As if it were all on me.
So, I'm going to spend some time praying and reading about prayer:
- E.M. Bounds - The Complete Works on Prayer. Specifically, Power Through Prayer.
- David McIntyre - The Hidden Life of Prayer.
- Thomas Brooks - The Secret Key to Heaven.
I won't read them all today, but clearly I need to get my mind on Jesus and I need to talk to him. I think these resources will be a big help.
Maundy Thursday
Here's what I've been thinking about today.
Jesus feeds his disciples. His disciples are Judas, who betrayed him, and everyone else who abandoned him. I've been thinking about how Jesus must have felt in the presence of people who weren't really for him, at least for about four more days. Gethsemane was clearly a difficult experience for Jesus. Knowing what Judas was up to and what he himself was facing that night and the following day was hard.
I know the last thing I want to do when facing a difficult experience is eat. My hunger pangs are barely distinguishable from the knot of anxiety. Yet, Jesus fed his disciples. He fed them in the tradition of the Passover, reinterpreting it's meaning for them the night before he altered it completely and forever on the cross.
For some reason, my mind has been drifting to Psalm 23. I read it aloud at a funeral I officiated on Saturday and the phrase, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies" jumped out in my mind as I read it. Why on earth does that sentence get in Psalm 23? It seems out of place. I mean, I'm not going to eat with or in front of my enemies. But this afternoon, all I could think of was Jesus, serving a meal to his disciples, one betrayer and 11 abandoners. Not friends, but enemies. The lamb that was slain at Passover was eaten by those who slew it. Those gathered around that table, in need of the true Paschal lamb, devoured what he provided.
And so we'll eat that meal tonight. We will devour the body and blood of the lamb who was slain. Enemies no more, by virtue of the death he will die on Good Friday but initiated at this table before his beloved enemies.
Jesus feeds his disciples. His disciples are Judas, who betrayed him, and everyone else who abandoned him. I've been thinking about how Jesus must have felt in the presence of people who weren't really for him, at least for about four more days. Gethsemane was clearly a difficult experience for Jesus. Knowing what Judas was up to and what he himself was facing that night and the following day was hard.
I know the last thing I want to do when facing a difficult experience is eat. My hunger pangs are barely distinguishable from the knot of anxiety. Yet, Jesus fed his disciples. He fed them in the tradition of the Passover, reinterpreting it's meaning for them the night before he altered it completely and forever on the cross.
For some reason, my mind has been drifting to Psalm 23. I read it aloud at a funeral I officiated on Saturday and the phrase, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies" jumped out in my mind as I read it. Why on earth does that sentence get in Psalm 23? It seems out of place. I mean, I'm not going to eat with or in front of my enemies. But this afternoon, all I could think of was Jesus, serving a meal to his disciples, one betrayer and 11 abandoners. Not friends, but enemies. The lamb that was slain at Passover was eaten by those who slew it. Those gathered around that table, in need of the true Paschal lamb, devoured what he provided.
And so we'll eat that meal tonight. We will devour the body and blood of the lamb who was slain. Enemies no more, by virtue of the death he will die on Good Friday but initiated at this table before his beloved enemies.
New Book
I haven't written a review of a book yet, but I'd like to go ahead and promote a book I just started yesterday because it's good and because the content is important.
One of the great things about studying at Asbury Theological Seminary was the Bible classes. (I would say it was the best thing, but I met my wife there so that was the best thing about ATS.) They were all modeled on the inductive method and I learned a ton from those classes. Sadly, I never learned the method as thoroughly as I would have liked but I believe that was due to my own brain and attention and not the professors or the method. I had some great teachers and some great classes. In fact, Exegesis of Jeremiah is still probably one of my favorite classes of all time both because of the content and the teacher.
My very first Bible class was in the Gospel of Matthew and was taught by David Bauer, one of the authors of a new book I'm reading on the inductive method. What I love about this book so far is that it has clarified some things for me that I didn't pick up 12 years ago when I took that class. Dr. Bauer is a 3rd degree inductive black belt and I was just happy to be wearing the uniform. This new book is helping me tremendously and I believe will aid me in becoming the Bible student I want to be and in becoming a better preacher. I'll do a full review when I've completed the book, but until then I recommend you go and buy it.
One of the great things about studying at Asbury Theological Seminary was the Bible classes. (I would say it was the best thing, but I met my wife there so that was the best thing about ATS.) They were all modeled on the inductive method and I learned a ton from those classes. Sadly, I never learned the method as thoroughly as I would have liked but I believe that was due to my own brain and attention and not the professors or the method. I had some great teachers and some great classes. In fact, Exegesis of Jeremiah is still probably one of my favorite classes of all time both because of the content and the teacher.
My very first Bible class was in the Gospel of Matthew and was taught by David Bauer, one of the authors of a new book I'm reading on the inductive method. What I love about this book so far is that it has clarified some things for me that I didn't pick up 12 years ago when I took that class. Dr. Bauer is a 3rd degree inductive black belt and I was just happy to be wearing the uniform. This new book is helping me tremendously and I believe will aid me in becoming the Bible student I want to be and in becoming a better preacher. I'll do a full review when I've completed the book, but until then I recommend you go and buy it.
What is a Good Christian?
This could probably be a much better post but I've never met a first draft I didn't love. No, wait. I've never met a first draft that I didn't submit. Maybe that'll change.
You don't care about that, though. Here's the question of the day: What is a good Christian? Is it someone who prays a lot? Someone who knows their Bible forward and backward? Is it someone who is at the church every time the doors are open? Is it someone who serves the poor? Someone who goes overseas to preach the gospel to unreached people?
I bet if you took some time to think about it and wrote some characteristics down on a piece of paper, you'd come up with some pretty standard attributes. Devotionally consistent, compassionate, servant-hearted, evangelistic, and ministry-committed. That would about sum up Sam the Super Christian who is our good ole American, Good Christian poster child.
Comedian Ricky Gervais shares the same perspective. By that I mean he thinks what makes someone a Good Christian is their ability to live up to something whether the Ten Commandments or our gold standard of Christian goodness. Mr Gervais shares his thoughts on how he considers himself to be a good Christian in this link I found by way of my friend Sam.
Here's the thing - and I know I'm on a Gospel Coalition high - Ricky starting point is just flat out wrong. So is ours when we start with the deeds of a good Christian. We're all wrong for two reasons.
First, we are not good. At all. Psalm 14 and 53 (quoted in Romans 3:10) remind us that we are not good. No one is. In reading a passage about prevenient grace recently it was asserted by the writer of the book that John Wesley almost went so far to say that in our depravity we bear the image of Satan. While Ricky is trying to be funny, he's clearly not obeying the ten commandments all the time. "You shall have no other gods before me." Ricky, you are your own god. Your point for that one is deducted. That's just the first commandment without going through and finding the holes in the rest.
Second, here's what makes me a good Christian - Jesus. Not my inability to keep the commandments, love my neighbor, or love God, but Jesus. This is imputed righteousness. It is Christ's goodness, not ours, that declares us good in our sinfulness. It is Christ's goodness, not ours, that is our basis for hope as we stand in judgment. If I do anything good in this world it is the work of the Holy Spirit for God's glory and not my own.
I'm not a good Christian the way Gervais defines it, but I have a good Christ and that is all I need.
You don't care about that, though. Here's the question of the day: What is a good Christian? Is it someone who prays a lot? Someone who knows their Bible forward and backward? Is it someone who is at the church every time the doors are open? Is it someone who serves the poor? Someone who goes overseas to preach the gospel to unreached people?
I bet if you took some time to think about it and wrote some characteristics down on a piece of paper, you'd come up with some pretty standard attributes. Devotionally consistent, compassionate, servant-hearted, evangelistic, and ministry-committed. That would about sum up Sam the Super Christian who is our good ole American, Good Christian poster child.
Comedian Ricky Gervais shares the same perspective. By that I mean he thinks what makes someone a Good Christian is their ability to live up to something whether the Ten Commandments or our gold standard of Christian goodness. Mr Gervais shares his thoughts on how he considers himself to be a good Christian in this link I found by way of my friend Sam.
Here's the thing - and I know I'm on a Gospel Coalition high - Ricky starting point is just flat out wrong. So is ours when we start with the deeds of a good Christian. We're all wrong for two reasons.
First, we are not good. At all. Psalm 14 and 53 (quoted in Romans 3:10) remind us that we are not good. No one is. In reading a passage about prevenient grace recently it was asserted by the writer of the book that John Wesley almost went so far to say that in our depravity we bear the image of Satan. While Ricky is trying to be funny, he's clearly not obeying the ten commandments all the time. "You shall have no other gods before me." Ricky, you are your own god. Your point for that one is deducted. That's just the first commandment without going through and finding the holes in the rest.
Second, here's what makes me a good Christian - Jesus. Not my inability to keep the commandments, love my neighbor, or love God, but Jesus. This is imputed righteousness. It is Christ's goodness, not ours, that declares us good in our sinfulness. It is Christ's goodness, not ours, that is our basis for hope as we stand in judgment. If I do anything good in this world it is the work of the Holy Spirit for God's glory and not my own.
I'm not a good Christian the way Gervais defines it, but I have a good Christ and that is all I need.
Conference Thoughts
I'm in the second day of The Gospel Coalition. It’s been great. If you are thinking it’s weird that a Methodist would attend this primarily Reformed event, you'd be right: it is weird. (I did hang out with a seminary classmate and fellow UM pastor and one other UM pastor here so I'm not alone.) If you're wondering why I would come to worship and learn with this bunch, I've been trying to articulate why I'm drawn to this crowd and it comes down to this – when I hear or read these people I almost always am drawn to both worship Jesus and desire Jesus. My heart cannot say that about 97% of what I read in my own tradition. I experience this when I read Wesley but very few others after him have inspired such devotion to Jesus. That leaves me with two items to develop and write about for the future 1. How to encourage theology inspired doxology in our tribe and 2. How to encourage people to write in such a way as to inspire these potential authors.
I have received so much at this conference, including free books(!!!), but the very best thing has been meeting some people I've only previously known on-line. This post by Steve McCoy sums up most of what I've been thinking. I have spent time with two pastors from my area who I have met before. I got to tell Jared Wilson that God is using his Gospel Wakefulness talks in a powerful way in my heart and meet his lovely wife who is genuinely sweet, a rare quality. I also got to overhear Jared’s friend, Ray Ortlund, tell a man “You really need to get to know Jared Wilson if you're interested in this.” and then give the blog address to this dude which I know was a beautiful compliment that Jared didn’t get to hear but I did and teared up. I got to meet the aforementioned Steve McCoy and Joe Thorn who are going to be the Matthau and Lemon of the church one day. Oh, and I got to eat dinner at the same table as my favorite productivity blogger, Matt Perman.
I'll have more to write when I return, but that’s what I find spinning around in my head and heart and I'm grateful to God for the opportunity to be here.
I have received so much at this conference, including free books(!!!), but the very best thing has been meeting some people I've only previously known on-line. This post by Steve McCoy sums up most of what I've been thinking. I have spent time with two pastors from my area who I have met before. I got to tell Jared Wilson that God is using his Gospel Wakefulness talks in a powerful way in my heart and meet his lovely wife who is genuinely sweet, a rare quality. I also got to overhear Jared’s friend, Ray Ortlund, tell a man “You really need to get to know Jared Wilson if you're interested in this.” and then give the blog address to this dude which I know was a beautiful compliment that Jared didn’t get to hear but I did and teared up. I got to meet the aforementioned Steve McCoy and Joe Thorn who are going to be the Matthau and Lemon of the church one day. Oh, and I got to eat dinner at the same table as my favorite productivity blogger, Matt Perman.
I'll have more to write when I return, but that’s what I find spinning around in my head and heart and I'm grateful to God for the opportunity to be here.