Matt Dabbs' Blog

Baby Dabbs!

2008-10-30T20:24:00.000-05:00

Just in case anyone stops by here we just had a baby boy last week! His name is Jonah and he is a real cutie! For more info come on over to wordpress and have a look.

Wordpress

2007-07-19T10:51:00.000-05:00

Things are moving along nicely at Wordpress. When you get a moment head over to my blog at its new address - mattdabbs.wordpress.com

I hadn't posted here since the move so I wanted to stop by for a bit. I hope you are having a wonderful day!

Changing to mattdabbs.wordpress.com

2007-05-08T14:57:00.000-05:00

Well, I am finally making the change to Wordpress. I have finally given in to all the hype and after playing around with the tools there I have decided that it is a better fit for me. There are so many more options and ways to organize things that it makes this blog seem extremely inefficient. So please venture over there and have a look and keep up all of the help you have been to me over the past year! I want to thank you for all your visits and for your comments. Everything has moved so quickly and it really makes me feel blessed because I feel like I have certainly grown in some areas spiritually through blogging this past year. This blog will stay right here for a long time so feel free to still use it as a resource but most of the tools have been duplicated at the new blog. God bless and hope to see you over at Word Press.

If you have linked to this blog could you please update your link to mattdabbs.wordpress.com

Thank you so much for everything.

What Language Will We Speak in Heaven - 2

2007-05-08T07:37:00.000-05:00

In the story of the Tower of Babel the people unite for a common purpose that is not centered on God but it focused on making a name for themselves. As you probably remember, the name of God and being the people bearing his name is a pretty important part of the Old Testament and the New Testament. As a result, God brings their project to a screeching hault by confusing their language. God scatters them all over the earth.

"In the last days the Lord's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills and all nations will stream to it." - Isaiah 2:2. In Isaiah 35 we have a picture of the return of God's people to Zion. The people return whole. The lame are walking and the blind see. The dangers and obstacles are all removed allowing God's people to approaching Zion. Zion is a place where all nations are welcomed in.

And I wonder that if the people at Babel were disperesed due to a plan that was not focused on God but on building a name for themselves that if when all nations are reunited and the Babel experience of dispersing the people from Babel into all the world is reversed, will the languages be reversed as well? Our plan will be refocused on God and those from all corners of the earth will stream into Zion, certainly our language barriers will be torn down as well and we will come full circle and the Babel experience is undone.

Gmail Offer

2007-05-07T20:57:00.000-05:00

I wanted to offer a courtesy to any of my readers who would like a gmail account to let me know and I will send you an offer. Gmail is a great service and a wonderful way to do email. I can only give one to the first 50 takers and we will see from there. Here are some links to check out.

Rob Bradshaw has a 3 part full text of F.F. Bruce on Gospel.
Bob Bliss contemplates better ways to incorporate scripture into worship.
Bob Cohoon talks about being pro-life.
Dee Andrews gives thanks in all circumstances.
Mark Elrod celebrates 10 years of blogging and 200,000 hits.
Mark Goodacre talks about the discovery of Herod's tomb.
Bobby Valentine continues his thoughts on heaven.

I hope you have had a blessed day!

What Language Will We Speak in Heaven?

2007-05-06T20:45:00.000-05:00

There are several questions that I have about heaven. One of them is, what language will we speak in heaven. I think that is a far more relevant question than asking God about UFOs or who shot JFK. If we are going to be in heaven and in community with people from all different countries and generations it seems like it is going to be pretty important to communicate with one another. Now, what I am about to say is pure conjecture but see what you think and let me know what ideas you have about it.

In the Bible God reveals himself to people in their native language. He speaks to Moses on Sinai in Hebrew. God, Jesus, and the angels reveal themselves to John in the book of revelation presumably in Greek or Aramaic. Obviously, God can use whatever language he wants because He knows it all anyway. But what about our communication with each other in heaven?

1 Corinthians 13 talks about the tongues of men and of angels so there seems to be a possiblity of other languages that could be used in heaven that we are not even aware of yet.
In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit comes upon the apostles and they begin to speak in tongues to the crowd of Jews from all over the world. Acts 2:6-8 says, "When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language?"God grants the apostles the ability to speak other languages. Presumably when Peter alone addressed the crowd he spoke in Greek so that everyone present could understand him.
There is no scriptural example of this but I often wonder if when we get to heaven we will all speak our own language and hear each other in our own language. So I speak to Paul in English and he hears Greek. He replies in Greek and I hear his Greek response in English. I am probably going way out on a limb here but I think it is kind of fun to think about how this will work. That would allow us the full range of expression of our native language.
We could all know one language - Hebrew, Greek, etc. This would take away that old scholarly joke about those who know Greek & Hebrew will be the only ones who will be able to have conversations in heaven with those from the Bible.
We could all understand all languages present.

God has used language in a miraculous way in the past and it makes me wonder if there is something coming down the pipe that will blow our minds. Maybe there is an outside the box explanation that there will be something new that blows away everything that we have ever experienced here. We may not know for sure but certainly one day we will. Maybe we will sit around and talk about these comments and see who was closest ;)

Any way you cut it, it is miraculous. Whatever way God works this out I will certainly not take issue with. What ideas do you have?

Creation Sometimes has Teeth

2007-05-04T12:03:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite past times is playing disc golf. If you have never tried it you are really missing out. I have gotten to do some interesting things with disc golf including talk with this guy who was recently on Conan O' Brien (Conan actually does pretty well in this video) who is a former disc golf world champion. However, here in Florida there are a few things that you have to be careful of.

The first thing I figured out you have to be careful of are bees. I had a run in with some bees last summer and I think they won. I had an allergic reaction that was just a little bit scary especially when my face started to swell up and my entire body broke out in hives. Here is a lovely picture of my face about two hours after that attack that should probably go on my profile.

Today I learned another valuable lesson. Not only do you stay away from bees here in Florida but you should also probably avoid the gators too. I was playing the lovely hole pictured here this morning. Notice the sign that warns you not to swim and has the little red gator pictured on it. Well, as you can see you throw over the water and hope to land on the shore about 350 feet away. My friend and I both landed in the water. We walked over and stood on the edge of the water looking down for his disc. About five feet out an alligator surfaced and gave me a look. Thirty seconds difference and there may have been a different result. He wasn't huge but a 5 foot gator can still hurt you pretty badly. I have blogged before about the beauty of creation. Today I want to add to that a note to self - creation is beautiful but it also has teeth sometimes. Here is a slightly smaller sized gator I snapped a picture of on campus at the University of Florida.

Maybe I should take an early retirement from disc golf before it kills me.

New Link - Bible Maps

2007-05-03T19:50:00.000-05:00

http://www.biblemap.org/

I have just added this great site to the sidebar. It is a great tool to use on powerpoint in a Bible class or just for your own study. It combines a verse search of the Bible with links on the locations mentioned. The links take you to google earth satellite images of that location that are interactive. It is really pretty fascinating.

The Lost Art of Blessing - 3

2007-05-02T19:44:00.000-05:00

Jacob and Esau is the old familiar story of a sibling rivalry that even started in the womb. From day one, these brothers were in contention. Esau was firstborn and with that came a great responsibility - dedicated to God, 2nd in command to the head of the household (Isaac), a responsibility to carry on the family lineage, and the birthright, which was a double portion of the inheritance.

In the ancient world all of these advantages of being firstborn were bound together in the blessing. The importance of the blessing has been overshadowed in this story by Jacob's deception of his brother. Nonetheless, the blessing was vitally important in their culture to pass on more than a genetic lineage to their children (which is some people's definition of father in our culture). In their world to be a father meant that it was expected for you to pass on a legacy that is firmly rooted in and united with God. Here are the words Isaac thought he was conferring upon Esau,

"And Isaac smelled the smell of his clothes and blessed him and said,
'See, the smell of my son as the smell of a field which God has blessed.
May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fat of the earth and plenty of grain and wine.
Let peoples serve you and nations bow down to you.
Be Lord over your brothers and may your mother's son bow down to you.
Everyone who curses you be cursed and everyone who blesses you be blessed.'"
- Genesis 27:27-29

These words had far more value than any possession that one could inherit. It was coveted more tightly than the birthright. If given a choice of inheritance today between some words from your father or a double portion of the material possessions, most people today would take the latter. In their view, the blessing was of supreme importance as it was a vision cast of their future by the most important figure in their life, their father.

The NIV doesn't capture the irony of Isaac's words - "See, the smell of my son...". The NIV translates it "Ah, the smell of my son". Remember, Isaac was basically blind at this point. His nose was his eyes and his way of perceiving who he was dealing with (as were his hands - 27:22-23). As Frank Belizzi mentioned in a previous comment these blessings almost have a magical tone. If Isaac accidentally blesses a stranger, it still has weight to it in their culture. So he has to make sure he has the right person. These are powerful words and are not said haphazardly. They have weight and are to be lived out.

Notice that the blessing is rooted in God. God is the one who brings the blessing to fruition (27:27). God is the one who gives abundance (even heaven's dew - see Bobby Valentine's profile for a version of this word). Even his brother being his servant is a reminder that even that was the will of God given in a word from God (Gen 25:23). We talked before about blessing being more about a relationship than about material possessions. In this blessing, material possessions are mentioned. Why? Because Isaac wants his lineage to be passed on but notice that he recognizes where they come from - God.

Our relationship with God is talked about in father-son or father-child terms in scripture. God has a vision for a future for us that is filled with blessing and is centered on Him. He is the one who gives increase. He is the one who has been so close to us he can even recognize us by smell. Even though we are not the rightful recipients of the blessing, God has overlooked that and has given what we have not deserved by adopting us to sonship.

This also challenges parents to understand the importance of casting a vision for your children through a direct blessing. Know how they feel. Know how they smell. Know them. Bless them. Let them know that God will be a part of their life from this moment forward.

God bless.

Established 33 A.D. - 2

2007-05-02T14:14:00.000-05:00

The last humorous post of the day. I mentioned a while back that some churches have a plaque that talks about them being established in 33 A.D. Well, now you can have your own T-shirt to let the whole world know. It sure is hard to pull those buildings around for people to see those plaques. So go here and get one today!

More on blessings tomorrow.

How Much Difference Can One Word Make?

2007-05-02T13:04:00.000-05:00

We have been upgrading our church library for a few months now. A recent purchase finally came in from the UK after waiting over a month for it to arrive. It put a look on my face that I wish I had a picture of when I opened it up. I had ordered Abraham Malherbe's The Letters to the Thessalonians from the Anchor Bible Commentary series. What showed up? Well, all I can say is the first three words were correct but that last word sure makes a difference - The Letters to Penthouse (sorry, no links for that). Now that is a pretty bad mistake! Normally we scan the cover of our new books and advertise updates to the library but I don't think this one will make it any further than the trash can.

$2 million and no warranty?

2007-05-02T08:07:00.000-05:00

And now a break from our regularly scheduled program. The famed General Lee is up for sale on Ebay. Better hurry up while it is a steal at just over two million dollars. Or buy this one for only $1000 complete with exhaust snorkle and wench.

The Lost Art of Blessing - 2

2007-05-01T07:34:00.000-05:00

Let's unpack the blessing found in Number 6:22-27.

This blessing is directed to the people of God - Israel. The ironic thing about the blessing being on Israel is that Israel are those who strive with God and prevail. Israel was Jacob, who wrestled with God and what did he ask for before he would let the heavenly being go? He asked for a blessing (Gen 32:26). How ironic is it that God blesses those who can be so resistent to him? At this point they may not have made that connection but I think it is still a thought provoking point, that though we wrestle and strive with God, he is still willing to give us a blessing.

The structure of this blessing is a progession. In Hebrew the first line has 3 words, the second line 5 words, and the third line 7 words.

Line 1 - "The Lord bless you and keep you."
We tend to think that blessing is all about benefits. That is not the primary way that blessing was thought of in their day. Blessing was about a relationship. The benefits are only the result but are not primarily important. The relationship is primary. The Lord not only blesses them but he also keeps them. This term has to do with keeping watch over his people and preserving them from danger. So not only do we have a special and favorable relationship with God that results in numerous benefits but God is also preserving from harm and destruction. This shows that being blessed by God fills us up with the good and keeps away the bad and it is entirely based on a relationship that we have with him as his people, Israel. That is all couched in a relationship.

Line 2 - "The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you."
This is an expression of intense favor. When the Lord in all his glory reveals himself to his people, not only is the relationship that initiates the blessing upheld, but his people are looked upon with favor. The word for grace here has the same etymology as the name "Hannah." Naming your daughter Hannah in the OT was the same as naming her "Grace" today. Grace is the favor of God. There is that hymn about how God loves us and it has the line, "Grace and favor. Grace and favor." That really like saying, "Grace and grace. Grace and grace."

Line 3 - "The Lord lifts up his face upon you and give you peace."
There is a repetition here of the face of God. When the Lord lifts up his face toward you it is a sign of divine favor/grace and when he withdraws his face it is a sign of divine disfavor (Deut 31:18, Psalm 30:8, 44:25, 104:29). Not only that but God will give us peace/shalom. That is not just absence of war but wholeness in all areas of life.

6:27 - "So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.
To receive the name of the Lord as his people is to be blessed. It is to be identified as his special possession. We have come full circle because like we said at the very beginning the primary focus of blessing is relationship and not abundance of possessions. When we pray and thank God for all our blessings we normally mean our homes, our cars, our things. They were thankful primarily for the blessing of having a relationship with God and bearing his name first and foremost. The rest are all secondary.

In the broader context of Numbers 5-7, the blessing is the basis of purity and why the people will hold to the covenant demands made on their lives. These three lines provide the blessing of God and his commitment and obligation to make good on his side of the covenant. God is committed to watching over his people, to show us favor, and to give us wholeness in all areas of life. We are committed to living lives of purity because we are in a relationship with God. Let us thank God "for blessing us" in our prayers with a whole new understanding of what that really means.

The Lost Art of Blessing - 1

2007-04-30T06:46:00.000-05:00

The next couple of posts are going to be about blessing. It is something we really don't practice in a biblical way any more. I am not talking about blessing the meal. I am talking about casting a vision and an expectation of a future that is inextricably tied to God. To kick it all off, here is a blessing for your day:

"The LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron and his sons, 'This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

"The LORD bless you
and keep you;

the LORD make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;

the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace."

So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them."

Numbers 6:22-27

We will unpack that blessing later. Have a blessed day!

Established 33 A.D. - Hurdles to New Testament Christianity

2007-04-27T08:43:00.000-05:00

You have probably seen those signs on some of our churches displaying a particular church was established in 33 A.D. I appreciate that sentiment. I appreciate the fact that we are striving to be a church that is pleasing to God (although there were several churches in the first century that we wouldn't really want to emulate!). I appreciate our plea to go back to scripture and try to model our worship and lives after the first century church and Christians. In doing so we often turn to Acts, especially Acts 2, to find guidance in how the early church was started.

Here is what characterized the early church - "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved" (Acts 2:42-47).

We do a pretty good job at most of that. Which two of these are most neglected?

"everything in common..."
"Every day they continued to meet together..."

I wonder why that is? We claim to go against culture. We claim to be restoring the first century church (although there are some real problems with that claim in that we cannot fully return to their way of doing things because of major cultural differences like technology, household structures, etc). Do we not do these two things very well because it was a different culture back then? Or do we not do these two things because of just how inconvenient they are. I know I would have a real hard time being the first to sell my home and start sharing everything I have with people. After all, there are people who would just take and take and never give back. Meet together every day? We have too much going on. There is a lot on the agenda and doing that would be too much! You can't expect us to do that! We have a hard enough time making it Wednesday night. They were able to do it because it was important to them.

Hurdle 1 - Inconvenience.
Why were these people so different? Did they just have lots of time on their hands and loads of money to give away? No. They also had jobs. They didn't have welfare systems to fall back on. They had to fight for their survival. They didn't have unlimited time for this but they sacrificed. They didn't have millions of dollars to give away. Many gave out of their poverty but many gave anyway. It wasn't convenient for them but inconvenient for us. Those things don't come naturally to anyone, regardless of culture and yet they did it. Why? Because they had their eyes on Jesus who gave everything. They were so relieved to be forgiven that giving of their lives to one another and to Christ seemed the natural thing to do. They saw each other as their new family and they were there to help each other through thick and thin because that is what family does.

If we are going to pride ourselves on our similarity with the first century church, we have some major hurtles to overcome and it starts with a thorough understanding of Christ and his sacrifice for us. Out of that will flow a deeper investment of our lives with each other. How do you think we could do a better job of giving ourselves to each other sacrifically? In answering that, remember that what we practice is an outflow of who we are and what we believe - how can we better equip people from the inside out to be more serious in their walk with Jesus Christ that it would result in people willing to sacrifice to this degree?

Hurdle 2 - Minimalism
There is a real tendency to do the things that they did in the least intrusive way as possible. They broke bread/took the Lord's Supper as a meal. We make it a tiny crumb and a little cup. Our view has been because we are partaking of what they partook of things are exactly right. There is good evidence to suggest that they didn't have tiny plastic cups and thin little crackers. They had a meal together and probably even had discussions about Christ around the table. That has a completely different feeling and purpose about it than our individualized and self-reflecting take on the Lord's Supper. Where did that start? Minimalism.

They devoted themselves to the apostle's teaching. People today consider you devoted if you go to church Sunday and Wednesday. They called devoted every day. They had everything in common and shared. We give a portion, seperate and apart from the rest of worship. It has been minimalized. They were praising God. We don't know how many songs they sang or what songs they sang. Possibly the psalms? But we do know that today people get upset if we add a song here or there or change the order of things from the usual. Why? We have to get to lunch and beat the other churches to the buffet. We have minimalized it! Why? Because doing more is inconvenient. I don't think Christ died on the cross to get us to lunch quicker or because he wanted us to purchase mass quantities of tiny cups and crackers so we could check off our check boxes. He did it because he wanted us to be changed. It was certainly inconvenient for Jesus to have to do all of that and good thing he didn't minimalize the answer or else we would all be in trouble.

We notice that the first Christians were doing great when they were devoted to each other and to God even if it was inconvenient and to the fullest (rather than the minimum) extent of their lives. Now let's go and do likewise!

Thank You

2007-04-27T07:14:00.000-05:00

I know blogging can be a real time investment. There are so many choices out there and interesting places to visit. I probably have about 50 blogs bookmarked in my favorites and it is really hard to spend much time in places and comment on any kind of regular basis. I am really thankful that I have had the support that I have here. Not because this is a popularity contest but because I really believe that through this medium we can help each other grow and mature in our faith. Thank you!

Fascinated by Grace

2007-04-26T07:26:00.000-05:00

Do you remember this discussion from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation?

Clark: Since this is Aunt Bethany's 80th Christmas, I think she should lead us in the saying of Grace.
Aunt Bethany: [turns to Lewis] What, dear?
Nora Griswold: Grace!
Aunt Bethany: Grace? She passed away thirty years ago.
Uncle Lewis: They want you to say Grace.
[Bethany shakes her head in confusion]
Uncle Lewis: The BLESSING!
Aunt Bethany: [they all pose for prayer] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands/ One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Clark: Amen.

In my opinion, grace is one of the most fascinating aspects of the kingdom of God. It is pretty clear that Paul held it in high regard, starting his letters with "grace and peace" (also known as the greeting on Steve Puckett's blog). This was Paul's unique twist and word play on the typical Greek introduction to letters "Greeting" (chairein) changed to "Grace" (charis). You can find the traditional Greek greeting in two letters recorded in Acts ( Acts 15:23 and Acts 23:26).

If there was anyone who understood grace it was Saul. In his encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus he came face to face with the one he had persecuted for so long. He stood in the presence of the one who had the power to bring an end to his reign of terror by ending his life just as had been done earlier to Ananias and Sapphira. And Christ did just that. He ended Saul's life as he knew it. Christ brought an end to the persecution through grace. Saul didn't get what he deserved. He was spared and reconciled with Christ. After that Saul, now named Paul, preached a message of reconciliation through grace. [By the way, some think his name may have been Saul Paul - first name, last name because "Paul" was always used as a last name at this time and never a first name.]

"For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again...All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." - 2 Cor 5:14-15, 18-21.

While the word "grace" is not present, the concept is. For several generations we have been afraid to talk about grace because we were afraid someone may rationalize sin more easily, after all, God is just going to forgive it anyway. Yet we have not strayed from preaching and teaching reconciliation. If you remove grace from the picture but still teach reconciliation, the question is "reconciled by what?" Are we reconciled by our good works? Is everyone reconciled no matter what? Are we reconciled if our good outweighs our bad? When grace is removed we have an empty and powerless picture of reconciliation that puts all the burden on us and creates a guilt-ridden people who are unable to be sure of their salvation because they might slip up at the last minute and die before they can ask for forgiveness.

Grace. We cannot fear its misuse. It is a greater injustice to remove it from our teaching, preaching, and theology than it is to risk that someone might misuse it as a rationale for sin. When people have the proper understanding of grace, it should compell us to live more holy lives and not the other way around. This is not a new problem. Paul addresses this in Romans 6, "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" (6:1-2). Paul goes on to say, "Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace" (6:13-14).

Paul's point is, the very reason Christians avoid sin is because of grace! This is essential to having a healthy relationship with God. Yet many have tried to remove it because they have feared the opposite would happen. They feared greater grace would lead to greater sin. Paul says that grace is the very reason we are no longer mastered by sin. That is good news. I am fascinated by grace because it flies in the face of everything the world has to offer and even the order that this world operates by. Why? Because we are "longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called [our] God, for he has prepared a city for [us] - Heb 11:16. Let the grace of God compell us all to live more holy lives in response to all that he has done for us!

Grace Destroys...

2007-04-24T08:58:00.000-05:00

Grace tears down the walls of legalism and fear that have been held up for so long as the pattern for the New testament church but have only resulted in a secluded and sterile group of lonely and self-righteous tyrants. Grace destroys the mentality that the criteria for judgment is the proper understanding on all points in scripture and puts the price for our sins and misunderstandings on the one who has already paid it all. Grace dismantles the shackles that have been placed on hearts by well-intentioned men who thought they had cornered the market on God's affection by their own righteousness. Grace breaks down the schemes of the evil one who seeks to distort our view of God and rely on ourselves as the ultimate authority. Grace destroys attitudes of envy and hatred through followers who practice the grace they have received from Christ toward others. Grace breaks all obstacles to the in-breaking kingdom of God and removes all hindrances and excuses making the pathway to God accessible to all regardless of race, social status, or popularity. What is more, grace reconciles all those previously mentioned under one head and puts us all on equal standing in the sight of God. The legalist, the self-righteous, the "wishy washy," the calloused, the proud, the doubtful, the depressed, the tyrant, the manic, the (fill in your worst quality here ________) are all brought together and sanctified by that same grace because God is in the business of making broken people whole.

Sharpening Each Other

2007-04-24T08:12:00.000-05:00

Proverbs 27:17 says, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

Scripture makes it clear that each of us has an important role - to serve as a sharpening agent in the lives of others. In one word - equipping. Just as iron is sharpened for a purpose, our lives are sharpened by each other for a purpose. Sharp iron is not meant to be left on the shelf but to be used for a purpose. But this can only happen once the iron is sharp and that happens through our interactions with each other.

Before we can be sharpened we must be forged. Gordon MacDonald in his book Christ Followers in the Real World talks about his visit to a blacksmith's shop. He talks about the, "dumpy old shack with an open front, bits and pieces of metal stacked or shelved everywhere." When you look at those stacks of metal you cannot help but realize the potential that lies on the shelf. There are so many things the blacksmith can produce from those chunks of metal but first they have to be brought off the shelf, heated intensely and put on the anvil and formed by the blacksmith.

What happens next? What happens when the tool made by the blacksmith becomes used and worn and no longer effectively carries out its purpose? It gets sharpened. It gets retooled and equipped to be used effectively again. We are part of that process for each other. I am sure you could name several people who have served that role in your life. And we are called to pass it on. Iron doesn't sharpen iron without contact. Iron doesn't sharpen iron without some clashes and tension. But in the end both pieces end up sharper than ever before.

The Perks of Youth Ministry

2007-04-23T09:11:00.001-05:00

See what your youth minister is doing while away at conferences. This is hillarious. Warning, satire ahead.

"Old Man Strength"

2007-04-21T20:59:00.000-05:00

There is some kind of superhuman strength that men get at the moment they have their first child. I don't exactly understand why but somehow dad's have something I have always thought of as "old man strength." When I was a kid, no matter how fast I got or how many weights I lifted it always seemed like my dad was still slightly faster and slightly stronger. I could have beat him in the bench press or in number of pounds lifted but he just had this practical strength that I never could quite match.

I think I have finally figured out how men acquire this strength. It is called home ownership. Owning a home really gives you a work out. There are so many things to take care of and things that have to get done. So now instead of letting those things stress me out, I see it as developing my "old man strength," so that someday when I have children of my own they will also be able to learn about and appreciate "old man strength" too.

That got me thinking about spiritual strength. There is an expectation that we will exercise our spiritual muscles and grow strong in our faith. 1 Timothy 4:8 - "For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." 1 Cor 16:13-14 - "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. "Do everything in love."

There is also an expectation that we will have a diet that matures as we grow. Peter talks about beginnning our faith like newborn babies, "Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good" 1 Peter 2:1-3. Milk is the perfect food for infants but imagine how unhealthy it would be if that is all you ate your entire life! We eventually grow into other types of food as we mature. The Hebrew writer talks about this in Hebrews 5:13-14 "Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil."

Once we have been Christians for a while there is an expectation that we will mature. Our prayers will no longer be, "now I lay me" or "guide, guard, and direct us." They will change as our relationship with God changes. We don't tell our loved ones the same thing every time we see them and the same is true with God. We will no longer only read our favorite verses. We will start reading more of what God has to say to us and begin digesting more difficult things. We will no longer see people like we used to. Something happens to our eyes as we mature and we begin to see people as Christ sees them (2 Cor 5:16). Christ didn't look down on people so how can we? When we are mature life will be different. We are either maturing or stagnating and the call is pretty clear which one God desires. So let's exercise our spiritual muscles and mature in our faith. Let's develop some "old man strength" in our faith that comes from years of practical use doing things that make a difference.

Some Things to Enjoy

2007-04-21T07:57:00.000-05:00

Mike Cope has a great post about Richard Hays and Randy Harris.
Bob Bliss on Jack Bauer and cell phones.
Bobby Valentine's take on creation and new creation.
Houston Heflin on another post about creation.
Frank Belizzi has a question about some guy named Herman , last name Neutics.
Neva on handling fear.

Enjoying the Beauty of Creation

2007-04-20T11:39:00.000-05:00

We woke up this morning to a flock of egrets in our backyard and took this picture. If that wasn't enough, we have a lake two blocks south of our house that is the home to thousands of egrets, ducks, and great herons. I was driving around the lake and saw a HUGE turtle basking in the road. He was at least two feet long. I drove home, got the camera, and came back but a taxi driver had stopped and put him back in the water and he was long gone. I am in awe of creation. I am reminded of God's words to Job:

"Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand.
Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it?
On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone-while the morning stars sang together and all the angels ^[a]... "Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, 'This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt'? "Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place...Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death ^[b]? Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this. "What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside? Can you take them to their places? Do you know the paths to their dwellings? Surely you know, for you were already born! You have lived so many years! "Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail, which I reserve for times of trouble, for days of war and battle? What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed, or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth? Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm, to water a land where no man lives, a desert with no one in it, to satisfy a desolate wasteland and make it sprout with grass? Does the rain have a father? Who fathers the drops of dew? From whose womb comes the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens when the waters become hard as stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen? "Can you bind the beautiful ^[c] Pleiades? Can you loose the cords of Orion? Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons ^[d]or lead out the Bear ^[e] with its cubs? Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God's ^[f] dominion over the earth? "Can you raise your voice to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water? Do you send the lightning bolts on their way?Do they report to you, 'Here we are'? Who endowed the heart ^[g] with wisdom or gave understanding to the mind ^[h] "Do you hunt the prey for the lioness? Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens when the dust becomes hard and the clods of earth stick together?and satisfy the hunger of the lions when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in a thicket? Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food? Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn? Do you count the months till they bear?Do you know the time they give birth? "The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully, but they cannot compare with the pinions and feathers of the stork. She lays her eggs on the groundand lets them warm in the sand, unmindful that a foot may crush them, that some wild animal may trample them. She treats her young harshly, as if they were not hers;she cares not that her labor was in vain, for God did not endow her with wisdom or give her a share of good sense...Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom and spread his wings toward the south? Does the eagle soar at your command and build his nest on high?

Job's response:

"I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer—twice, but I will say no more."...I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?'
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. "You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.' My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes."

Job 38:4-42:6

He is God and we are not. Step outside and find the beauty of God's creation even in the most unlikely of places.

Psychology of Blogrolls

2007-04-19T08:12:00.001-05:00

Blogrolls - most blogs have them but how do they reflect on us as people? Let's start with a couple of questions.

1 - Do you predominantly post on blogs that have blogrolls? If yes,

Do you ever go back to those blogs to check and see if they added you to their blogroll due to your insightful and witty comments?
Do you ever add anyone to your blogroll in hopes that that person will see it and add you to theirs?

2 - If you have a blogroll, do you have any blogs on it that are of diverging viewpoints from your own? If yes,

What got you to select those blogs even though you disagree with part of their viewpoint?

3 - Do you tend to comment more on blogs that generate a lot of hits and less on blogs that are more obscure?

Have you ever gone to the topsites and gone to the top couple of blogs to read and comment to see if it would generate more traffic on your own blog?

4 - What was your intention when you first started blogging? Has it changed?

When you finally find a medium to make a difference and to challenge yourself and others to deepen our knowledge of God and relationship with Him I really think that Satan would like to detour us into thinking that the focus is really ourselves. If he can get our thoughts off of God and put our thoughts on to what could generate discussion, what could stir up 100 comments on a post, what could make you more popular then the battle is already won. We are not the focus, He is.

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2

I wonder if what is inside our hearts and motivations in blogging can be seen by our answers to some of the above questions. It is human nature to seek approval and desrie attention. It is natural to want to be heard and to feel significant. But if the truth be told that is probably not the initial reason most of us started blogging. With a few minor changes in attitude and thinking the focus of what we do can change from making a difference for God to making a difference for self. Have you ever had a day when you had many more hits than you have had in a while and it made you feel better, not better because you had made a difference, but better because people were listening?

Jeremiah was a prophet with direct revelation from God. He had an unpopular message that surely wouldn't have generated very many hits if he were here today blogging his message but it was still important. Technorati would not list this guy in the top lists of number of links but he still spoke out faithfully.
Some of the most important blogs and websites out there are not the ones with millions of hits talking in abstraction about minutia and finely-tuned theologies but the ones that are out to make a difference for God in a practical way through service. They may not be noticed by many people or show up in the blogrolls but they are making a difference that will last forever.

Here are some things to try out:

I would challenge all of you to add to your blogrolls blogs that you don't quite agree with but you know have some things that challenge you in difficult areas of your life. One way I have done this is by adding Mark Elrod and Greg Kendall-ball first of all because I know them and respect them as people and second of all because their views on war, nonviolence, and pacifism stretch me and challenge my thinking. If you only surround yourself with people you agree with 100% chances are you won't grow very much.
Remind yourself of why you got into this whole thing and see how your motivations for blogging have grown or regressed.
Examine your motives that determine where you post and where you don't. See if your comments are heart driven out of love for God or driven out of a desire for more traffic

So this post is dedicated to the faithful blogger who posts day in and day out, many comments or few, lots of links or little more than a handful, all because they are trying to make a difference in the lives of others with little concern for popularity, links, or self-promotion. Sorry to end this so soon, I have to go to technorati and sitemeter and see how I am doing!

Thankful in Adversity - Please Pray

2007-04-18T19:58:00.000-05:00

One of our members is really struggling with cancer. She just got some results back that did not look good at all. She has the most amazing attitude and only focuses on everyone else even though she is going through so much. Tonight she told my wife that when she got her results back the first thing she thought was she would never get to babysit our children. Missy and I don't have any kids yet but one day we will and she keeps telling us how much she wants to be a part of their lives. She is one of the most unselfish people I have ever met. Please pray that she will be able to live long enough to babysit our children some day.

Messianic Expectations

2007-04-18T09:14:00.001-05:00

Use your imagination with me for a minute. Let’s say that I told you some details about something that was going to happen in the future:

Across the street in your neighborhood there will one day be a change
There will be no more houses but something larger than anything else in your town.
There will be a place of truth.
They will never know darkness
They will change the world.

What are some possibilities of what that might be? Is it only one thing? More than one?

Before you know the whole story, you develop a whole range of expectations of what might happen. The Essenes at Qumran believed that there might be several Messianic figures because of the conflicting images in the Old Testament (comforter, warrior, deliverer, etc). However, once you learn what all these things are describing, it all makes sense and you begin to realize new things that pointed to that future reality that you never noticed before.

What was being described in the hypothetical example above? A center that is producing Christian literature, training, and transporting missionaries and literature all over the world. They are reaching the lost on a daily basis. It is one building, not many. It never knows darkness because it runs 24/7 and because it is doing its part to be a light to the world. It is a place of truth and is changing the world. Now that you know that, it all makes sense. You begin to realize that some of the possibilities you generated were not quite correct, although they had some correct components.

One difficulty we run into is that some of the information was figurative and others parts were literal. Some parts had both figurative and literal components (no night). The temptation is that once you have had the answer to those details, after a while you begin to think that it all made perfect sense the whole time. But it didn’t. That is like the view of the Messiah. Now that we know it is Jesus, it really changes the way you look at scripture. Now, all of a sudden things jump out that sound like the Messiah that were not recognized that way all the time. It sounds obvious to us because we know about Jesus but it wasn’t as obvious to them.

We read verses like the following as obvious prophesies of Jesus:

Isa 53
Psalm 22
Isa 7:14
Zech 11:12-13 (Mtt 27:9-10)
Jer 31:31-34

These were not so obvious to them. Only in hindsight do these things begin to fall into place from our perspective of knowing that Jesus is the answer. There are all sorts of charts and diagrams on the prophesies concerning the Messiah but one thing is clear, if they had made a chart of what they considered prophesies of the Messiah in 600 B.C. it would certainly have been a lot shorter than the ones we develop today. Why? Because now we can see those things clearly and more pieces begin to fall into place.

The Jew’s had a misunderstanding of who/what the Messiah was supposed to be because they didn't have all of the pieces in front of them and they weren't privy to all the stories about Jesus' life that we are. What do you typically hear that the Jews expected in a Messiah?

Military leader who would free them from the Romans.

Acts 1:6 – Restore the kingdom
Mark 10:35-45, Luke 22:24-27 – sitting by Jesus in the kingdom
John 6:15 – they were going to make Jesus king.
John 19:19 – King of the Jews (irony)

Where does this idea come from?

Who did the Jews live under rule from? Rome.
Was that all fun and games? They were oppressed and had to pay heavy taxes, etc.
What do we do when we want to find out what God has to say about things like that? Turn to our Bibles.
What Bibles did they have prior to Jesus? – Old Testament. So they looked there to see what God did in times like these.
They found verses like the following:

Isa 56:6-8
Isa 61
Hag 2:7
Dan 7:13-28

When God’s people had been in exile and oppression in the past, God promised and sent deliverance. How would Roman oppression be any different?

People started looking for additional fulfillments of Old Testament prophesies, many of which had already had an initial fulfillment in figures like Zerubabel and Cyrus the great in order to make sense of their situation with Rome. Little did they realize that the Messiah that would come would have a greater purpose than freedom from momentary struggles. Therefore, they misunderstood him and eventually killed him, ironically with the sign over his head "King of the Jews."

Another problem and temptation is to read back into the text what is not there. Once you begin looking for Messianic prophesies you start to see them everywhere! But that is not always being fair with the text. Some prophesies had dual fulfillments (Isa 7:14 – the first fulfillment is a “young woman” having Isaiah’s baby in 8:1-4 and the other is in Jesus). Some scriptures that appear to have a Messianic twist may not have any at all except a loose connection by a few common words or themes that may not have been intended. I often wonder if Hosea 11:1 is not one of these. We like to connect this verse with Jesus time in Egypt in infancy. Whether or not that was the intention is highly questionable.

The bottom line is that we have to be honest in trying to understand and appreciate the Old Testament in two ways. First, we need to appreciate it for what it meant when it was written. When Isaiah prophesied about a son being born to a young woman, it was really a message of hope to them because he was using that as an illustration of a time-table for deliverance (Isa 7:14-16) that had significance in giving them hope in their present day circumstances. It is not very hopeful to say that 700 years from now deliverane will finally occur. Did it mean more than that? Of course. Ultimately Jesus was the greater fulfillment of that prophesy. But first we have to appreciate it for what it meant in their day. Second, we appreciate the text in light of the rest of the story. Now we do no about Christ and we should never discount that. He brings a greater light to the story and illuminates parts that have never made sense but are only brought together in an understanding of his life, death, and resurrection.

Code Enforcers

2007-04-17T07:30:00.000-05:00

We got our first "Code Violation Notice" in the mail a few weeks ago because we have a one-lane driveway and have to park the other car alongside of it. We have been asked by the city of St. Pete to voluntarily correct this problem. They say it is a problem because they don't want erosion washing into the street. The solution? Put down mulch next to our driveway and park on that. Wouldn't that cause even more problems with things washing into the street, getting into our neighbor's yard, etc? Our neighbor also got a violation notice. His problem? The front of his trailer was protruding beyond the frontline of his house. His solution? Move it back a couple of feet. Fixed.

I started wondering, who are these people who have nothing better to do than to come by my house and threaten me with punishment if I don't abide by their definition of how my yard should look? They are going to make up some rules and if I don't like it I have to pay them money. What would life be like if we could all just make up some rules and people would have to pay us? It would be chaos! Now, I realize that there are some good rules out there and I am glad that they want our neighborhoods to look nice and everything. But it seems to me that the solution is worse than the initial problem.

Have you ever known anyone like that? Have you ever met someone who had their own set of rules and if you didn't abide by them there would be a penalty? Sounds like St. Pete could use a few pointers on grace. Therefore, the next few posts will be about grace and maybe St. Pete will listen!

Memories of Heaven

2007-04-16T15:52:00.000-05:00

After reading some thoughts on moving here, it got me thinking about how many of our memories are attached to places we have lived. I grew up in a little town called Union, Missouri just west of St. Louis. I spent the first 13 years of my life in a little ranch style house on 20 acres. After we moved, I hadn't been back to that house in over 10 years. My wife and I visited that house a couple of years ago and it was amazing how many memories came flooding back. There were things that I could have never pulled up from my memory had I not been standing in the very places those things had taken place.

My wife and I now live in our very first home that we have ever "owned." Actually Countrywide mortgage owns most of it but we like to call it our own. I am sure years from now we will have many fond memories of life in this house. There will be many more houses and many more memories but eventually we will our final dwelling. We will find peace and rest. In John 14 Jesus talks about a heavenly dwelling that has many rooms.

You know, when we get to heaven we aren't going to be zombies. We will have memories and we will be forming new ones all of the time. Memories are linked to the past and maybe heaven doesn't really have a time element but I am sure we will make memories there. Our past has helped make us who we are and our memory is our only connection to those things. I wonder what that will be like. Heaven is going to be such a wonderful place, I wonder what kind of memories we will have of years gone by in the heavenly courts. I don't really know yet but I sure look forward to finding out!

I look forward to finding out how others felt when they first met Jesus face to face. I look forward to hearing memories of the emotions that were present when loved ones were reunited. I can't wait for tears to be a memory and not a reality. I can't wait to have memories of heaven because that means that life is already how it was always meant to be!

Prayers Needed for Virginia Tech

2007-04-16T12:56:00.000-05:00

Some really bad news today in a tragedy from Virginia Tech. A school shooting at Virginia tech today kills at least 29. Please keep them in your prayers.

Loving God from A to Z

2007-04-15T21:23:00.000-05:00

There are so many things to love about God. The psalms are full of praises of God in all sorts of areas and in all sorts of situations. There are several psalms that are acrostics including psalm 119 that has 8 lines for each of the 22 letters of the "aleph"bet. Other psalms form an acrostic across two sequential psalms (psalm 111-112). The importance of the acrostic was to show the completeness of different aspects of God and his loving kindness. We have a lot to love about God today. Let's do something a little more interactive and create an acrostic of things we love about God. Rhyming is a bonus. I will get it started. I will update the post as you add letters.

Here is what we have so far:

All-sufficiency is one thing we love.
Blessing - He has blessed me with so much.
Cares - He cares so much for all of us that He would give the very best He had to
get us to care for Him too.
Dedication - "God demonstrated His love for us in this, While we were still sinners,
Christ died for us". He keeps pursuing us even when we run away.
Ears - His ears are always open to listen for his children.
Forgiveness - He forgave us our sins.

The Psychology of Blogging

2007-04-13T23:32:00.000-05:00

We all have different blogging styles and that makes me wonder if our personalities show up in the way we blog and the way we organize our blog. If the Today Show can push the idea that swimsuits can reflect our personality, I think we are on safe ground in using blogs to look at how blogs can reflect our personalities. This post will be full of all sorts of technical jargo so be prepared by going ahead an opening this link. Make sure to read the fine print.

Blogging Personality Inventory:

The anxious/perfectionistic blog: Some blogs are nice and tidy. There is not a simple blogroll in the sidebar. There are eight to ten blogrolls, one for several different areas of interest. These may even be subdivided further to make browsing these a breeze. These bloggers may have perfectionistic tendencies and suffer from anxiety and fear loss of control if things are not in their proper place.

The ADD blog: They have no apparent theme. They have had an endless number of series that never quite reach completion. They may say, "Next up, a 10 part series on parenting" but only make it 3 posts in before something else gets their attention, never to return. These blogs have good intentions and have a wide array of interesting information.

The OCD blog: These are the blogs where you post a comment and within five minutes you have gotten an email from the person or a comment in reply. If you have already checked your blog and email and responded to said email within the next five minutes you also may be the owner of your own OCD blog. These are the bloggers who incessently check their statcounters and sitemeters. They know as soon as you have visited and visit your blog in an instant. They have 19,762 profile views because they check to see if it has gone up so many times that they have single-handedly pushed it near the 20,000+ mark. Other warning signs that this might be your blog:

If every other comment is your response to the previous comment. It may be a sign that you check your blog more times than everyone else combined.
If you think about your blog more than 5 times a day and even at inappropriate times, like when your boss is talking to you and all you can do is wonder if someone has left a comment.
If you have more than one blog stat device embedded into your. Isn't one enough?

Any similarities to your blog found in the previous description is not intentional and in no way was meant to offend or cause any harm. The thoughts expressed above are in no way, shape, or form attacking any blog in particular but have been formed on the basis of observing many blogs over a long period of time and are generalities. If you still feel that you have been attacked or defamed in this post you may be the next kind of blogger we will talk about, the paranoid type.

Crazy 911 Call

2007-04-12T18:31:00.000-05:00

This is a local story and I am not sure how much attention it is getting but it is really crazy.
Click here for one crazy and sad 911 call or here for another version. I heard the audio of this today and it would break your heart to hear it. I am not sure what they are going to do about this but hopefully something will be done to make sure this doesn't happen again.

One quote not given in this piece is that when the supervisor heard that she had died he reportedly said, "Another one bites the dust." We are reminded that life is short and the unexpected happens. Maybe this is a reminder that we all could use a little training in some basic life-saving techniques.

Kids Say the Funniest Things

2007-04-12T06:57:00.000-05:00

I have a nephew who is about to turn three who you can see in the picture to the right. My sister-in-law was telling us the other day about a couple of really cute things he said. He was sitting at the table and they were trying to get him to eat some vegetables before he could eat some other things. His response? "Now that's gonna be a problem."

They were at the table another time and they were trying to get him to eat something he didn't like. My sister-in-law left him in the room by himself for a moment and heard him say to himself, "They can't treat me like this."

We were all at my parent's house for Christmas. My nephew loves the Land Before Time (all 46 sequels!). The big green dinosaur is called "Grandpa." We were trying to get him to learn all of our names because we don't see each other often. When it came to learn that his grandfather's name is "grandpa" he got this shocked look on his face and began to shake his head no. I realized my father may have resembled grandpa from the movie just a bit too much with his green sweater on.

What funny things have you heard kids say?

Have a look at these insightful series from around the blogosphere:
Alan Rouse's series on Romans
Bobby Valentine continues his series on Text & Context
James Wood's series on Post-modernism
Wade Tannehill's series on Can God Be Persuaded to Act

Tell a Story - Feed a Family

2007-04-11T06:54:00.000-05:00

Country Crock is sponsoring a program that will give away one meal for every story that is shared on this website. This is not a hoax and is legitimate. All you have to do is go to the website and tell a story about sharing. They will give away one meal up to 1 million meals. You will also be able to read the stories that are posted so that will probably be interesting. I know many of you really love telling stories. Here is a chance to turn that into something really good!

The Potter...the pots

2007-04-10T15:20:00.000-05:00

Jeremiah 18:1-6 - "This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD : "Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message." So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the LORD came to me:"O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" declares the LORD. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel."

Soverignty of God:
I love this passage because it declares the soverignty of God to do with us what he will. God has plans. God has purposes. God is at working forming and shaping people. Even though we are marred, he is willing to shape us "into another pot...as seemed best to him." It all starts with God. The pots don't come about on their own. The pots don't choose what they are made of or how they will look. Only the potter can do that.

How God Shapes Us:
How does God go about shaping people and forming us into who he wants us to be? The rest of Jeremiah 18 focuses on discipline from God. 1 Peter 1:6-7 sheds more light on how God forms us through discipline, "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."

What does the potter do with the pot when it is formed? He puts it under intense heat in order to solidify it into the form that he desires. Why? So that our faith may be proved genuine and result in praise, glory, and honor. What would happen if God didn't do that? Wouldn't it be easier on us to not have to undergo any kind of trials or hardship? How would the pots turn out if they did not undergo these hardening trials? What if the pots resisted or jumped out of the refining fire? It would still carry its impurities. It would not harden. It would not be what the potter made it to be. It would not be what it was desinged to be and it would be unable to carry out its purpose as a pot. Refining is just as much a part of human existence as birth just as refining fire is just as much a part of pot making as molding the clay.

What Kind of Pots?
What kind of vessel does God want us to be? What "seems best"? In 2 Corinthians 4 Paul says we are earthen vessels. Now isn't that humbling! We are frail. We are weak. We often have cracks and holes and imperfections. Paul says, "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." We may be weak but by the grace of God we are going to make it. It reminds us that this is not of our own power but by His.

What Kind of Treasure?
We may be weak containers but our contents are priceless. Paul calls it a treasure. What kind of treasure? Paul says that this treasure is "the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ (2 Cor 4:4)." What is the result of that treasure? The ultimate transformation of these earthen vessels into imperishable ones, "because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence (2 Cor 4:14)."

We may be weak little pots but that is not all that we ever will be. We have the potter on our side and he knows how to form us. He knows how to shape us as seems best to him. He is the one who puts his treasure in us. Doesn't it look a little silly to put treasure in earthen vessels? We would much rather be gold vessels or silver vessels but we are earthen vessels. That is because we don't have any value apart from God and the treasure he has placed inside of us. If we remove the treasure, the value is gone because the pot itself is useless without the treasure.

Let us submit to the potter but not just to his molding and shaping. If that is all we do we still won't really be pots. Let us submit to the full process of becoming the pot he wants us to be and that involves trials of all kinds. Let us realize that we are full of treasure that has been placed there by God and because of that we have value. Let us remember there is more to the story, that the treasure inside us is only the beginning...

UF Owns OSU

2007-04-10T07:27:00.000-05:00

See Philip's post on a unique situation that the University of Florida faces.

Standing Among Giants

2007-04-08T20:45:00.000-05:00

I decided to play on the church softball team this season. We are the Northwest Mules and we have a really talented team. I won't mention our record because as soon as I do things will go in the tank. I am not a very skilled softball player. If it tells you anything, I have filled in for right field and alternate with the catcher. The other 75% of the time I am on the bench. I often get the feeling that I am standing among giants. Not because I am 5'6" but because our team is really good and makes some amazing plays on a regular basis. They really don't have a whole lot of use for me except that they get to feel better about their skills as they teach me some of the fundamentals that I should have known a long time ago.

Another time I felt like I was standing among giants was on a trip to Honduras. I have made a couple of trips to Honduras. The first few were to Trujillo and the last one was to the Baxter Institute in Tegulcigapa. The trips to Trujillo were with the Harding football and track teams. Believe it or not I used to run track at Harding. In Honduras, 5'6" is actually pretty tall but that is not why I felt like I was standing on the shoulders of giants. It was because as we walked through some places that may not have been the safest places on earth I felt really safe because the people who were with me were bigger and stronger than any opposition we could have faced. It was the feeling of being Little Spike in the Tom and Jerry cartoons. Little Spike is not tough in an of himself. He only gets to win because Big Spike is standing right behind him. He just doesn't know it.

In 2 Kings 16:6, Israel was at war with Aram. The king of Aram surrounded Elisha and his servant with a powerful army. "When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked. "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha." (1 Kings 6:15-17). They were standing on the shoulders of giants. They weren't able but God was.

Through Jesus we are standing on the shoulders of giants. He has disarmed and defeated all the principalities and powers of this world. He has conquered death. He has set us free. Ephesians 2:6 says "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus." Because of Christ we are seated in heavenly realms. Notice that this is not some future event or some "not yet." In Paul's language this is an "already." We view life from a higher persepctive because we are seated with Christ in heavenly realms. We are standing on the shoulders of giants. It is critical to realize that we haven't done this on our own.

That is temptation. The temptation is to think that we are standing that tall on our own. Like Elisha's servants, we often get our vision clouded and fail to see God at work in our victories. We get filled with pride and begin to think that we can do this on our own. We win battles that we never could have won on our own and instead of giving God glory, we try to claim it for ourserlves. We are defeated because we don't turn to God for help and fail to realize whose shoulders we are resting on. When you see life from the shoulders of giants, it is really easy to lose sight of how got you there. It is really easy to think that the power is all yours. In Revelation the church in Ephesus was told, "consider how far you have fallen!" Jesus said, "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 18:14). You get to be on the shoulders of giants because God put you there and not because you deserve it.

Remember who you are and whose you are. Remember that it is not by your own power and might that your life is the way it is. Remember that you are standing on the shoulders of One who is more powerful than yourself. He is the one who is doing it and not us. What have you accomplished without God's help? What can you claim to be your own without His assistance? It is all because of Him. Those who are with us are greater than those who are with any opposition we can ever face. So stand tall, you are standing on the shoulder's of giants.

Living Between Good Friday and Easter Sunday

2007-04-06T22:50:00.000-05:00

We recognize "Good Friday" and Easter but what about the day in between? Do you ever wonder what life was like for the disciples the day after the crucifixion? During Jesus' earthly ministry they never quite understood his prophesies concerning his death and resurrection. Even when he rose from the dead they were a little slow to understand. I wonder if they were hopeless that day. It would seem their hope in Jesus had been dashed to pieces by his crucifixion by the Romans and now they are potential targets as well.

Do you think many people today live in the day between Good Friday and Easter? I mean, do you think that many people live in light of shame and agony of death without any hope or recognition of the Good News brought that Easter morning? It is a lot like the Japenese soldier they found on an island in the pacific decades after the end of WWII who thought they were still at war. He had never heard how the story ended. The hope that we have springs from the resurrection of Christ. Without that our lives are meaningless. Unfortunately, many live in the day between with no hope beyond the grave and no understanding of the rest of the story for their lives.

Let us be people who share with others the rest of the story about the hope that is found in Jesus Christ and how God calls them to their own empty tomb as death will no longer have a hold on them. Let us get people past Friday and Saturday and show them the glory of Sunday and abundant life. We often take hope for granted but many people live every day with no hope. They are living on the day between Good Friday and Easter, never having heard that there is more to the story of life than death and degradation. There is a story that will change their lives forever. Let's share our hope with others by telling the Easter story over and over again. Have a great Easter!

The Perfect Answer - Two Seconds Late

2007-04-05T12:39:00.000-05:00

Have you ever thought of the perfect answer for someone just a moment too late? I answered the phone today and someone wanted to know if we needed information on health benefits for the church staff. We had a good conversation and right when I hung up I realized what I should have asked him.

"Does your employer offer you any spiritual benefits? I mean, you specialize in health benefits and we specialize in spiritual benefits. Is there anything we could assist you with today?"

I wonder how that conversation would have gone.

The Body

2007-04-03T20:21:00.000-05:00

Did you know God has a body? Maybe not so much a physical body but in a metaphorical way, scripture communicates to us in words we understand how God operates.
He has arms that are able to remove our obstacles (Deut 33:27).
He has a heart that he draws us as his sheep near to (Isa 40:10-12).
He has a voice that calls us and hands that take us by the arms, teaches us to walk, and lifts the yoke from our necks (Hosea 11:1-4).
He has feet that stand firm (Exodus 24:9-10) and even run after a lost son (Luke 15:20).
He has ears that hear our cries for help (2 Sam 22:6-8& Psalm 18:6).
He has eyes that perceive our worship (2 Chron 6:40) and are on the righteous (1 Peter 3:12).

Even though that language is symbolic of God's mighty acts on our behalf God didn't stop there. If that wasn't enough he was willing to send Jesus, "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phil 2:6-11).

Jesus was willing to take on flesh. He did the totally backward thing and became a man. The tendency of manking is to want to become gods but he was God and was willing to become a man.
He removed our obstacles, even death (Rom 6:23).
He is also the good shepherd who knows how to take care of his sheep (John 10).
He had a voice that calls us to hear (Luke 8:8).
He had hands that were willing to touch the untouchable and embrass the despised (Matt 8:3). His hands were willing to wash the feet of those who would betray him (John 13) and allow powerless men to nail them to a cross (Mark 15:24).
He had feet that could walk on water (John 6:18-20).
He had ears that heard with patience people who never quite understood his message (Matt 16:9).
He had eyes that could look at a disciple that just denied him (Luke 22:60-61) and had a voice that still could call him "friend" (John 21:5).

Now we are left with what Shelley and Harris call the Second Incarnation - the church. We are the body of Christ (1 Cor 12). We are his hands and we are his feet in order to carry out his mission. That doesn't mean God is powerless to do anything today without our help but it does mean that He can still use us to be a part of the kingdom of God in a very active sense.
We are to have the hands to lift the yoke from the necks of others and ease them of their burdens.
We are to have the eyes to see people as Jesus did, with patience and grace.
We are to have a heart for people that loves and values everyone as who God made them to be.
We are to have a voice that calls them to a life devoted to God.
We are to have arms of comfort and draw others toward a heart full of love.

Imagine if God wasn't willing to act on behalf of others what the world would be like. I guess it wouldn't exist. Now imagine what the world would be like if Jesus had been unwilling. He didn't have to do it. But he did anyway. How would things look if he had not acted? God has done His part and Christ His and now they call us to action. What are you going to do about that? Let us carry on God's mission by being active in the lives of others showing them the love of God through action.

Go Gators!

2007-04-02T22:37:00.000-05:00

The Gators are national champs again! I wouldn't mention it but I did attend the University of Florida at one point and have in-laws who live in Gainesville. It has been a great year for UF athletics. I mentioned on Occular Fusion yesterday that I ran into Billy Donovan once on campus. Literally. I was going for a jog and accidentally ran between he and his wife, bumping into them because I wasn't paying attention. I am sure he thought my enormous height and adept agility would fit right in on the team...but he didn't say that. Maybe because I have neither.

Passing On God's Comfort to Others

2007-04-01T18:44:00.001-05:00

I asked our Bible class this past Sunday to write down a time they have received comfort in their lives. I don't know if this is typical or not but it was a real struggle for them to write anything at all. That began a discussion about vulnerability and our outlets to be real about our struggles and share our lives on a deeper level. We live in a culture that teaches us to be private. It teaches us to protect ourselves and pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps. But it also leaves our lives stripped of mutual support and edification as we hold in parts of our lives that show signs of weakness.

In 2 Corinthians, Paul opens his letter of reconciliation (between himself and the Corinthians) with a reminder of their bond together through comfort. He begins with these words of greeting,
"Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."

While the opening sentence is part of his traditional greeting I can't help but think that grace and peace have a lot to do with comfort. Paul says comfort begins with God to us through grace. It comes through grace because we didn't do anything good enough to deserve God's comfort. We received the comfort of God even while we are deserving of death. That brings peace to our lives. It doesn't stop there. We have an obligation to bring that comfort to others through grace to produce peace. There are people in our lives we will want to resist bringing comfort to because of how they have treated us but we will show them comfort through grace because God showed us comfort when we didn't deserve it, "we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."

Isn't it great to know that God knows us well enough to know what we needed comforted about? God isn't distant, He is in touch and He calls us to do likewise to others in our lives. Notice Paul refers to God as Father. While we have not all had the best fathers, God is the perfect Father who is able to provide comfort to His children. Paul refers to Christ as Lord. The Lordship of Christ and His victory over death brings us comfort are a clear call to comfort and peace. Lastly he reminds us of God's seal of ownership on us and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, "guaranteeing what is to come (1:22)." God has done so much to comfort us and He wants us to pass it on.

Put it Into Practice:
Each week in our LIFE group lessons I put a section at the end called "Put it Into Practice" with a challenge to act on the lesson that has just been studied. That is something I want to start incorporating here. So here is the first one.

Take out a piece of paper. On the left side write down any talents, abilities, or personality characteristics that you could use to bring comfort to others. On the right side of the page write down the names of people you know who really need comfort right now. Then connect the two sides together by drawing lines between what you can do with who needs it. Now lets go comfort some people!

Fun With Family

2007-03-31T06:50:00.000-05:00

My parents finally got to come and see us in St. Petersburg, Florida. You don't really realize how different this place is until you take people around who aren't used to this kind of community. The last time they came to Florida was for our wedding three years ago and so we felt really blessed to get to spend time with them here and for them to get to see our new home. I thought I would share a couple of pictures.

Here is St. Pete pier. It is a great place to enjoy sunrises on Tampa Bay or have a great meal. The one time we want to eat dinner on top it is closed for a party for the Honda Grand Prix Indy Car drivers from the race through downtown St. Pete this weekend.

Here is the sunset over downtown St. Pete from the pier.

I hope you have had a blessed week and that all is well with you. May God bless you and your family with wonderful moments together.

Links:
Have a look at Bob Bliss' sermon thoughts.
See Dee Andrews on the discipline of blogging and the challenge to be as disciplined in other areas of life.
A Big Project for Skilled Hands & Big Hearts - John Dobbs
More on context from Bobby Valentine

Speaking the Same Language

2007-03-29T14:13:00.000-05:00

See if you understand any of these sentences:

Ceci ne se comprend pas probablement. (French)
Dieses vermutlich ist nicht sinnvoll. (German)
Ciò probabilmente non ha il significato. (Italian)
هذا ربما لا معنى لها (Arabic)
Isto provavelmente não faz o sentido. (Portuguese)
Esto no tiene probablemente sentido. (Spanish)
This probably doesn't make sense. (English)

Have you ever been in a class and wondered what planet the teacher stepped off of? Or maybe you have been in classes that bored you out of your mind even though the topic you were studying should have been extremelyl interesting. It has been clearly demonstrated that there are a variety of learning styles. The classes and teachers people like best are those that speak their language/use their learning style. Most people do not learn best from lecture. The majority of Bible classes have been taught that way and that means that many people are not learning as effectively as they could. They have been left in classes that resemble the Peanuts kids listening to their teacher drone on with unintelligible nonsense.

Some people are just fine to sit and take notes. They like to contemplate the information, mull it over for a while, and figure out what they think independent of anyone else. They would be perfectly fine receiving all the rest of their Bible lessons on tape in a room by themselves. If you are this type of learning you probably think the Bible classes at church are running just fine and don't need tweaked because you are getting what you like across the board in many churches.

Others prefer interaction. They don't want to listen to one person for an hour. They want to bounce questions around the room. They want to help answer another person's questions and have dialogue rather than monologue. This would involve a Bible discussion where the teacher is prepared with a variety of questions to illicit responses and dialogue within the class. The teacher does not come to class with enough information to make it a full hour. The class is going to provide some of the information, maybe even most of the information.

A third type of learner are those who are hands on (Bodily Kinesthitic). They would like to make unleavened bread and taste it. They would like to march around the church building as if it were the city of Jericho. They would like to stand at the mountain or walk through the wilderness together. They would like to hear the sermons of the Bible read out loud to a group of listeners rather than read them silently. They remember experience.

A fourth type of learner are those who learn best visually. They enjoy a good powerpoint or series of pictures showing the places the events actually took place. They prefer sitting in a circle rather than in rows so that they can see others while discussing.

That leads us to the next point. Learning is more than about the medium. It is also about how we use space. Learning is not always best done sitting in rows. Rows can really hinder discussion. Sitting in a circle can facilitate discussion better than rows. Height can also make a difference. If the teacher is sitting up on a stool and everyone else is down beneath that can be a problem if the goal of the class is for the teacher to only facilitate the discussion.

We want what we teach to be memorable. If you only teach to one learning style all the time you are teaching many things that will not be memorable to a good portion of your class. That means that as teachers we will need to use some variety from time to time in order to reach as many people as possible. That means work. That means investment and often we just don't have time to try something different. It is a real committment but try it out and see what you can do to help people who are hungry to know God get to know Him better.

Learning Style Link Removed - I will post more on how to assessing learning styles later.

The Brick Testament

2007-03-28T06:56:00.000-05:00

If you want a good laugh and an interesting take on some biblical narrative have a look at The Brick Testament. Some of the theology or interpretation behind the stories is a little strange at times. Some of these might make for some fun ways to introduce a story in a college or youth Bible class. Of course it is never a substitute for the real thing! See here for that.

Next up - back to creative approaches to teaching.

Edit - Notice the comments that follow and the disappointment for many areas of this website. I probably should change the humor link to one that says, 'disgrace'

What Are You Doing That Will Last Forever?

2007-03-27T06:56:00.000-05:00

There was a point in my life that I realized that the 80 hours/week I was putting in to chasing my dream was really all about me. I realized that when I died there would be nothing to show for it. No matter how many books I wrote or articles I published or people who knew who I was it really wouldn't matter 100 years from now and despite my best efforts the fruit of all my labor and toil would end up not making a lasting difference. I had to ask myself, "What am I doing here that will last forever?" It opened my eyes to how much I had rationalized the wrong priorities and how self-centered my life had been.

I tell our college students that one of the main goals for their lives should be to live such a life that heaven will never be the same again. Once you reach a lost person and bring them to Jesus heaven will never look the same because they will be there. They can plant and water and watch God make it grow. This means that our lives will fly in the face of conventional wisdom. This means that we will resist the temptation to believe that this life is really all about us. This means that we can live life as it was meant to be, being a part of God's kingdom and being his instruments here on earth to reach a lost and dying world.

How can we better teach our children spiritual priorities? We must live it out ourselves. How can we align our priorities with the priorities of God? Be familiar with the Bible and be willing to live out what you find there. What will you do this week that will last forever?

Sidebar - New Links

2007-03-25T13:14:00.000-05:00

A few new additions to the sidebar:
Jim Martin - have a look at this very insightful blog from a man with some really good roots!
Theological Bibliographies (from Spring Hill College)
Religion Online - this site has some really good full-text resources

One more of a site I frequent - Greg Kendall-ball
Greg went to Harding and is now at ACU. The memory I always have of Greg is going through Supplemental Instruction (SI) training at Harding. This was basically a creative tutoring program to help students in a variety of areas. Greg and I had to work on things as a team and communicate. One of the problems involved me describing a shape and he had to draw it. When we got done it was really tiny. I just couldn't figure out why until we realized that he was thinking in metric and I was thinking in standard. He is a pretty interesting guy with views that will really challenge you to take your faith more seriously. Enjoy.

Invisible People

2007-03-24T08:52:00.000-05:00

Just over a year ago Missy and I started attending a new church while finishing up graduate school. While within just a few weeks we fell in love with this congregation, the first Sunday there was very strange for us. Any church we had ever been to was a place we had connections and relationships with. The first Sunday here we walked through the hallways jammed full of 1000+ people an no one said a word to us. We walked into the auditorium and weren't welcomed by anyone. After the closing prayer we weren't greeted and didn't have a single conversation before leaving.

It was a very odd experience. But in many ways it was one of the most important church experiences I have ever had. It reminded me how many people first feel when they are at a new church. It put me in the shoes of many that I had thought I could relate with but realized that my everyday church experiences and theirs are totally different. How many invisible people do we have in our churches? How many come once or twice and never return?

When you look at the ministry of Jesus he spent lots of his time with the invisibles. The Gospel of Luke is a prime place to experience the side of Jesus that was a sucker for the underdog and was most fulfilled with people we would be least fulfilled with. There is such a BIG challenge for us to make church a place that is comfortable for everyone and not just assume that just because we are comfortable they are comfortable. Jesus did many miracles in his day but one of the greatest was the opposite of making people disappear. He took the invisible people of his day and made them highly visible and showed them how much God really loves them! Let's go and do likewise!

Irony of the Day

2007-03-23T12:00:00.000-05:00

Montel Williams is now the ultimate expert on how to build a healthy family. I think the first step must be to have families stop watching his show. You can have it now for just $44.95!

The Church & Positive Blogging

2007-03-21T20:43:00.000-05:00

One of the tendencies of blogs is to point out the negative. It is easy to critique things and to criticize. It is easy to armchair quarterback and complain about what could be better. We don't always have good avenues to express our concerns and our pet peaves and so we come and vent. That is just human nature. How about some posts by all of you about what you love and appreciate about the church? Wouldn't it be great to be filled up with stories of victory and stories of things gone right?

I love the church and I am so glad to be a part of it. I love coming to a place where there are people I have more in common with than golf or cars. I love being with people who know that they are a work in progress and who are patient with me in all of my own weaknesses. I love talking about Jesus with people who also love him. I love seeing the lost come and find Jesus and a new lease on life. I love seeing those new Christians reach out to their lost friends and watch the cycle repeat itself. The church may not be perfect but that just reminds us how much we need Christ and his grace and that reminds us to be gracious toward each other. No matter how many things we can bicker and argue about over how things should or shouldn't be, I still love the church.

What do you love about the church?

Links That Will Change Your Life

2007-03-21T07:02:00.000-05:00

I attended a dinner for Eastern European Missions last night. Dino Roussos spoke as well as Richard Baggett who I believe was from the Bammel Road church of Christ. God is at work. The former communist countries are begging for Bibles. 1.5 million school children in Eastern Europe/Russia have received Bibles and there are more on the way. Camps that used to be used to indoctrinate kids into communism are now being used to reach children with the Bible! The Muslims are collecting money right now to compete with this effort as Russia and Eastern European countries seek to fill a void that communism left. Their dream and goals of communist society have vaporized and they have been left directionless and with children who have nothing to turn to but crime. They are asking for help. The president of Ukraine has pledged to have Christianity (specifically through EEM) help give his country direction starting with the children. Radio and television programs have been running with a potential listening audience of over 30 million people. The programs give information on how to receive free Bibles and materials. In the first three broadcasts they gave away over 30,000 Bibles! It continues to grow.

Richard made this comment - What if history had been different. What if it turned out that they were the ones who had the Bibles and we didn't. What if we were dependent upon Romania, Ukraine, Russia, and Bulgaria to receive Bibles? Wouldn't you hope they would think it was important enough to find a way to send Bibles to us?

If you are looking for something to support, this is a tremendous effort. They are opening warehouses in various countries to help with supply. They estimate 200-300 churches have sprung up in the last 8 years all over that region. For $30 you can supply one family with a "Bible bundle" - a packet with a Bible and other translated literature to help people start walking with Christ. Keep them in your prayers because the world is changing before our eyes.

The second thing I wanted to point out is The Village of Hope.

Village of Hope

P.O. Box GP 18169

Accra Ghana, West Africa

011-233-244-636280

vofhope@africaonline.com.gh

Teaching - Creating a Safe Learning Environment

2007-03-20T07:35:00.000-05:00

One of the most important factors in having a quality Bible class is creating an environment that is safe for people to express themselves in. We tell our classes we want deep discussion. We want them to feel free to pour our their real feelings and deepest emotions. When they do, how often do the reactions of the teacher and the rest of the class make that person never want try that again? The fastest way to having an open environment to discuss the realities of our lives together is to create an environment where people feel safe.

This starts with the teacher. The teacher must be willing to model a gentle but firm leadership style for the class. We are gentle with people but firm with the truth. Teachers must also be willing to model both sides - the one who tells the class personal information and the one who reacts in a non-critical way when others share such information. No one feels safe to discuss difficult or personal things if the teacher is not personally willing to share. No one feels safe to discuss if the teacher or others are the type to respond critically to what they have said. If Bible class participants see that the teacher is willing to share and discuss and that they are not met with harsh criticism then they might be more willing to share more themselves. That means teachers need to take some risks!

One reason lecture is so popular is because we can play it safe. We can stay on the surface of the text and not have to have those "uncomfortable" kind of discussions. That is not how the Bible was meant to be used. It is meant to pierce our hearts and challenge our lives and all that done within the community of faith. That will never happen unless people know their environment is a safe one and safe environments start with the teacher.

Covenant agreements are another way to ensure a safe environment for people in a class. With these agreements, people understand that what is shared in class is not to be shared with others outside the class. If people know that what they say will be shared with others then they will not be willing to share something personal. But if they know that they will be met by a loving and supporting group of people who all realize that we are all in this together and who will not go out and share those stories with others, then people will begin to open up.

I have shared before the definition for intimacy that Jerry and Lynn Jones share - "Freedom from anxiety in the presence of vulnerability." If our Bible class or small group studies are places people feel a tremendous amount of anxiety about sharing in, we will never develop a sense of deep spiritual intimacy in them.

Create a safe place for people to grow that starts by the teacher modelling both sides of the interaction and assuring people that what they say does not leave the group and watch conversations happen that you would not have ever dreamed could be said at church. This takes a tremendous amount of patience on the part of the teacher. Teachers tend to want to keep everything under total lockdown and controll. These types of discussions will be uncomfortable at first. Be ready to hear some crazy things. Be ready to hold your tongue and keep from your gut instinct to criticize or stop what is being said. As Ed Gray of HUGSR always said, "Let your judgments be gentle." Why? Because once you really get to know someone and find out where they are coming from you will see that if you were in their shoes you wouldn't be doing nearly as well. Let it work itself out even though it will be uncomfortable. Remember, it is uncomfortable because it is different, not because church is not the place to discuss our real lives. We all need safe places to discuss who we really are and reject that surfacy stuff we default into due to a lack of safe environments.

F.F. Bruce fans

2007-03-19T07:15:00.000-05:00

Click here for some resources. I believe there are more articles to come so check again in a few weeks. I have recommended this blog so many times it isn't funny. There are so many good resources there.

Paul Hiebert Passes Away

2007-03-18T21:17:00.000-05:00

See the post on Tall Skinny Kiwi for more information.
Click here to see some of what he wrote on missions.

Samson - Weakness in Power

2007-03-18T14:14:00.000-05:00

One of the favorite characters of the Old Testament that any Sunday School teacher worth their salt will cover is Samson. We always think about Samson as a man of great strength. He was able to kill a lion with his bare hands ("as he might have torn a young goat" - as if tearing a young goat sounds easy). He killed 30 and took their clothes. He killed 1,000 with the jawbone of a donkey. He caught 300 foxes and tied them together (that sounds pretty difficult). He tore city gates and posts off of the wall and carried them outside of the city. He was a pretty tough fellow.

Despite all this strength, the most powerful part of Samson's body was not his biceps. It was not his legs or his back. In Judges 14:1 - "Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman..." Notice only later did he actually speak to her and found out that she was actually likeable for more than her looks (14:7). 14:3 is not captured very well in most translations. Samson says he wants here because "she is right in my eyes."

Samson meets Delilah, whose name is linked with being subdued, just as she will do to Samson. Samson saw her (16:1) and fell into the trap that would mark the beginning of the end. You probably know the story, Delilah eventually tricks him into telling her the secret of his strength. Harris notes that Samson's name is linked with "sun" but he turns out not to be so bright! Samson is subdued and made entertainment by the Philistines. Instead of killing him they gouge out his eyes and force him to do slave labor.

What was the most powerful part of Samson's body? His eyes. His eyes got him into more trouble than his physical strength was able to compensate for. His eyes ultimately led to weakness, downfall and eventually cost him his life. Controlling his eyes would have saved his life and made him a more effective leader. In a culture that surrounds us with visual images that compete for our attention and even our heart, I think we have a lot we can learn from Samson.

More on teaching soon...

Creative Approaches to Teaching - Inductive vs. Deductive

2007-03-16T10:40:00.001-05:00

When we prepare a lesson we investigate. We gather the facts, look into historical backgrounds, lexical issues, theological themes in the book we are studying. The more we study the more questions we ask and the deeper we dig the more we learn. We do not start with all the answers. We put the pieces together and have a sense of ownership over the material and over the opinions we form and the answers we reach. That is called the inductive method. Some of you may disagree with me here but I believe that is how we learn most of what we learn. Through trial and error, asking questions, and investigating we form our views and opinions.

Typically when we teach a class we turn all of that upside down. Instead of starting with where we started in our study and working through the same questions that led to our conclusions, we rob people of the experience of working through the issues and asking the questions. We start with the conclusion and then we tell them the main reasons that conclusion is true (usually in the form of a 3 point outline). That is the deductive process. We expect the student to arrive there from a different direction than we did.

Deductive Example:
Topic: Jesus is the Messiah
I. Jesus is the Messiah because he fulfilled scripture
A - Pentateuch scriptures fulfilled
B - Historical books scriptures fulfilled
C - Prophetic scriptures fulfilled
II. Jesus is the Messiah because he performed miracles
A - Miracles over nature
B - Miracles over death - even his own
C-Jesus forgave sins
III. Jesus is the Messiah because his followers were willing to die for what they saw
A - The apostles saw him risen from the dead
B - All but one (John) were martyred for their beliefs.

Medium - lecture.
This is how it is and here is why

Inductive Example:
Topic: Is Jesus the Messiah?
What would it take for someone to be considered the Messiah?
- They would need to have fulfilled certain scriptures.
Did Jesus do anything that would point toward being the Messiah?
-He performed many miracles
-He was able to forgive sins
Are there any other valid explanations for who Jesus could have been other than the Messiah?
-No, his followers were willing to die for who he said he was because what he said about his resurrection came true.
In the end, when these pieces are sorted through, the class concludes that Jesus was the Messiah.

Medium - discussion (including their questions and concerns)
Working from a question, through the supporting answers to the solution rather than working from the answer backward through supporting information.

This is the natural way people learn but in Bible classes people seldom teach inductively. That is probably because it is discussion and we may fear that people will not come to the same conclusion we do. The deductive method is safe because you have people on lock down and it is hard for any alternatives to be examined (and in this case eventually ruled out!). But it also robs people of their own right to investigate their own valid questions and concerns and deal with those in a safe environment. When we teach deductively we take all that hard work, all the questions, all the investigation and we remove it from the class. As a result we have removed the aha moments from the students' lives as they no longer reach conclusions based on the discussion, they are told the answer first! What we learned inductively we present deductively in outline form. Our investigation didn't have all the answers up front. We had to ask questions and figure things out for ourselves. Wouldn't it make sense that the students in our Bible classes would also benefit from working through the investigation process just as the teacher had to do?
Here is the key - In order to learn most effectively, students need to work through the same process that the teachers (who are also learners) have worked through.

When you start to work on a Bible lesson you don't know all the answers. You were thrilled when you had the "aha!" moment. Why not allow those in your class to have that too? Teaching deductively removes much of the student's participation in the learning event. It removes them from the discovery process and does not allow them to approach the subject with their questions and concerns. When we teach deductively we proceed to answer all relevant questions before they are asked and the learning process is short-circuited.

Isn't it much more powerful to come to the conclusion on your own rather than have someone tell you that is just the way it is? Isn't it more powerful to let the students wrestle with the issues and come up with their own questions and concerns rather than just lay it all on the table at once?

We wonder why people are not very engaged and involved in class. That points us to the next topic -helping people feel safe to participate in discussion.

Creative Approahces to Teaching - Resources

2007-03-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

So far people the following teaching helps have been suggested:
Adam suggests narrative teaching and preaching
Paula mentions Kim Daily's www.sundayschoolsources.com
Steve Puckett mentioned video clips from www.sermonspice.com and www.bluefishtv.com
Frank mentioned Thom and Joani Schultz, "Why Nobody Learns Much of Anything at Church: And How to Fix It"
I mentioned www.rotation.org - workshop rotation for teaching children

Another couple of helpful sources for improving our teaching & preaching:
Parker Palmer's Courage to Teach
Fred Craddock - Preaching
- As One Without Authority
I am going to edit this post with more links later.

Thank You for Your Participation!

2007-03-14T06:59:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to say thank you so much for the participation. I have really been encouraged by what you have said and how we get to sharpen each other that just doesn't work when we sneak in and sneak out with little to say. Keep up the good work here and on other blogs. It sure does make a difference to me and to others. I love when people come by and post things that have never crossed my mind. That really does help me. But don't feel like you have to have something profound to say in order to say something. God bless,

Matt

Creative Approaches to Teaching (Part 1)

2007-03-14T06:49:00.000-05:00

The Acappella Company has come up with a great combination of an album with Bible studies to go along with the songs. See Keith Lancaster's blog for discussion and here for the lessons. I think this is a really neat concept and would like to see more ways this could be used to reach people.

Most people teach the way they learn but there are so many different learning styles it is important to try a variety of things to speak people's learning language. We also tend to teach the way we were taught and that is normally through lecture. That just doesn't speak to everyone in the room any more. The next several posts will be devoted to improving our teaching techniques. What are some creative approaches you have tried or experienced?

Practicing Confession

2007-03-12T21:35:00.001-05:00

There is a pretty clear mandate in scripture that we are to be a confessing people. In the Old Testament, God links confession and repentance with his covenant loyalty toward his people (Lev 26:40). In many other passages the people's confession is a prerequisite to having an intimate connection with God. The New Testament is no different.

James 5:3-16 - "Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

We have known all along that singing is important and we have outlets for that. We have known that prayer is important and we have outlets for people to do that. We have known that confession is important but I do wonder if we are lacking effective ways for people to carry that out?

1 John 1:8-10- "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives."

We live such private lives. We don't know our neighbors. It is very difficult for people to open up on a deeper level. How do we move from, "Hi, how are you?" "Fine." to confessing our sins and becoming vulnerable to each other? We all sin and need outlets for confession yet the invitation is only used for that a few times during the year rather than hundreds. I think we could use a more effective outlet for confession. LIFE groups/small groups are a pretty good outlet for confession if people will take advantage of it. It is less intimidating and you are not confessing before 500 people. It can be done in confidentiality with the group if people finally get comfortable with each other and learn that we have to be vulnerable with God and others if we want to grow closer to both.

What has worked for you? Where do you feel safe confessing? How could we do better in helping people with an area that is essential for their spiritual growth? One thing I would suggest - being ready to accept people once we learn their struggles. If they confess and hear snickers or gasps, it is likely that will be the last time they will try that. And we must remember that at times we will be the one confessing and we don't want people doing that to us. Confessing needs to be safe and safe comes from a supporting environment.

Here is a link to our small group lesson on confessing in prayer.

One More Jesus' Tomb link - Hypotyposeis

2007-03-12T07:38:00.001-05:00

http://www.hypotyposeis.org/weblog/
This post by Stephen Carlson has some information on the statistical likelihood that it is genuine. This is the best done statistical analysis I have seen. I think the odds are pretty telling. This will be my last post having anything to do with this ridiculous documentary. There are people in the pews reading about this stuff and it is good for us to communicate where to find credible information regarding it.

This and That

2007-03-11T15:58:00.000-05:00

Milk & Honey (Thanks to Wiley Lowe for pointing this one out):
In the book of Judges you have the story of Deborah and Jair. Sisera was leading the forces of Jaban the Canaanite king against the Israelites. Deborah, whose name can also mean "bee" calls Barak to defeat Sisera and his men. Barak hesitates and Deborah prophesies that Sisera will be killed by a woman (Judges 4:9). Barak fights Sisera and kills his men but Sisera escapes to the tent of Heber and his wife Jair, whose name can also mean mountain goat. Sisera, thinking he is safe, falls asleep and Jair takes a tent peg and drive it through his head. The Israelites are delivered by two women - bee & mountain goat (each of which produce milk & honey).

The Law and Angels:
Gal 3:19-20 "What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator. A mediator, however, does not represent just one party; but God is one."

Acts 7:37-38 "This is that Moses who told the Israelites, 'God will send you a prophet like me from your own people.' He was in the assembly in the desert, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers; and he received living words to pass on to us."

Acts 7:53 "you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it."

Normally the angel of the Lord was sent ahead of the people to guard them and even drive out the nations in the promised land. Does anyone know what the deal is with the connection between angels and the law (also in Hebrews 2:2)? Only thing I can come up with are the extra-biblical sources Dunn cites (Jubilees 1.29-2.2, Philo Som 1.143, Apoc of Moses preface, or Josephus Antiquities 15.136)

Josephus - "And for ourselves, we have learned from God the most excellent of our doctrines, and the most holy part of our law, by angels or ambassadors..."

Jubilees - "And the angel of the presence who went before the camp of Israel took the tables of the divisions of the years -from the time of the creation- of the law and of the testimony of the weeks of the jubilees, according to the individual years, according to all the number of the jubilees [according, to the individual years], from the day of the [new] creation when the heavens and the earth shall be renewed and all their creation according to the powers of the heaven, and according to all the creation of the earth, until the sanctuary of the Lord shall be made in Jerusalem on Mount Zion, and all the luminaries be renewed for healing and for peace and for blessing for all the elect of Israel, and that thus it may be from that day and unto all the days of the earth. Chapter 2 1 And the angel of the presence spake to Moses according to the word of the Lord, saying: Write the complete history of the creation..."
The angel goes on to tell Moses about creation and all that happened for him to write down.

Anniversary!

2007-03-10T17:00:00.000-05:00

This Tuesday will mark our 3rd wedding anniversary! I am really a blessed man to have such a wonderful wife who is a great Christian example for me and for others. If you know Missy you know that I really am a lucky guy who married above myself (especially since she is taller than I am :)

Missy is the best Christian that I know. I have never seen her intentionally try to hurt someone. She is always looking for ways to brighten people's days and make them smile. She has never met a stranger and that makes for some interesting times! Missy and I met at Harding and again in Gainesville. We eventually both went to Harding Graduate School and ended up getting married. God has been really good to us. I am sure glad God gave us marriage because we can learn so much about Him, others, and ourselves through it. Now, go tell your spouse you love them!

Addition to sidebar - Keith Lancaster

2007-03-08T09:23:00.000-05:00

I have added a link to Keith Lancaster's blog on the sidebar. Stop in and share your thoughts. He also has some links to some very helpful resources that you may be interested in.

Prediction Concerning the "Jesus Tomb"

2007-03-07T15:46:00.000-05:00

While numerous additional articles even from non-Christian sources (including the Washington post and Scientific American) continue to debunk the theory that the tomb and bones of Jesus have been discovered (see here and previous post for links), I am going to go out on a limb and predict that this "documentary" is going to win some sort of award. Remember the Oscars of 2005 when the Passion of the Christ didn't win a single thing even though grossing over 611 million dollars worldwide? Giving James Cameron and his people awards for this pack of distortions would be right up the alley of the A-list people and I wouldn't put it past them because it goes right in line with their agenda - true or false it really doesn't seem to matter. I fully expect to hear of this Discovery Channel special winning some type of award this year.

The Task of Equipping (Ephesians 4:11-16)

2007-03-07T12:38:00.000-05:00

How do children learn what is important in life? In an ideal setting they learn by watching their parents. The things their parents emphasize and talk about and practice will usually make an impact on a child that they will carry with them through adulthood. If parents never talk finances with their children, chances are their children will make mistake after mistake and have a real struggle on their hands by learning from that institution of higher learning known as the UHK - The University of Hard-Knocks.

The same is true in ministry. Members will tend to value the things they see the ministers value. If the minister is a recluse who spends all his time in his office and has little contact or connection with others, members will learn that is what service looks like and will be ambivalent. Members learn from more than just the Sunday sermon. They learn from the actions of the ministers and staff. That means we need to be modeling healthy things. That also means that the things ministers value, speak about, and practice need to be passed on to others. We don't do them in isolation but we bring people alongside us to help teach them how to minister in various ways. Equipping is one the most important tasks of ministry.

In Ephesians 4:11-16 Paul writes, "It was [Christ] who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Paul inextricably links discipleship with equipping. If we are to make disciples it will not be by giving them a bunch of good things to think about and believe (although that is part of it). It will be carried out in everyday life as we walk with people and allow them to walk with us. It will come through constant and consistent interaction with people we are trying to help be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. When you study the Bible with someone, bring someone with you who wants to learn how to do that. Not only does that person learn how to do a Bible study but the person you are studying with sees that when you are a Christian, this is something you learn how to do and actually practice.

We love to diferentiate ourselves from other groups by appealing to 1 Peter 2:5,9 that calls us a "royal priesthood" and we insist on the priesthood of all believers. We tend to emphasize those verses when we talk about prayer and how we don't need any human to intercede on our behalf because we are all priests. That is only 1% of what Peter is saying. The rest of what he is saying is that there is more to being a priest than speaking to God. Priests have obligations and duties. They serve God and others with all of their lives. Somehow many have missed that part when it comes to the priesthood of all believers.

Back to the main point. Let us all try to equip others as we ourselves are still being equipped. It may take longer to get something done when you have someone with you who you are showing the ropes to but in the long run it will be time well spent. Paul names a wide variety of people - apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers but all have one common task - equipping. We have all received so much from godly men and women. Let's pass it on!

What are some things you have done to help equip other Christians?

Tomb of Jesus son of Joseph - links

2007-03-06T15:31:00.000-05:00

I am sure you have all heard the hype by now about the tomb that was found 27 years ago with ossuaries in it that have several biblical names in one family tomb. The Discovery channel and James Cameron have come together to try to sound authoritative in making this out to be the actual tomb of Jesus. There are so many holes in their theory and possibly even some lies that have to be sorted through. Here are a couple of links that are really good to help sort through all of this.

http://bib-arch.org/bswbKCtombmagness.html

http://benwitherington.blogspot.com/

This all turns out to be a bunch of hype and look for publicity and book deals (a.ka. money) over something that was found nearly 30 years ago but the scholars/scientific community knew better than to make a big deal over because there is really nothing significant there.

Appealing to our Senses

2007-03-06T14:15:00.000-05:00

God uses a lot of sensory language to get our attention.

He appeals to our sense of taste by calling us the salt of the earth. What does this saltiness do? It comes into contact with others and becomes a part of their lives.
He appeals to our sense of sight by calling us the "light of the world" (Matthew 5;14) and a reflection of His glory, "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit" (2 Cor 3:18).
He appeals to our sense of smell by calling us the "armoa of Christ" - "For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?" (2 Cor 2:15).
He appeals to our sense of sound by calling Christ the "Word" (John 1:1,14).

1 John 1:1-3 is testimony from someone who walked and talked with Jesus. John said, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched--this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ."

When God really wanted to get our attention and make a difference in our lives He sent Jesus who we could see and touch and hear. If we are going to make a difference to others we also have to be seen and heard. Those we do well but we also have to be touchable and approachable. That is not always easy. Who in your life is in need of a loving touch from someone who has been with God? God has appealed to us in so many ways but the best way was through His Son. Now we are sent. We are to testify. We are to proclaim it. We are to be touchable because our lives are supposed to be very close to those we are trying to reach. God has appealed to us through the full range of human experience and now we are to go and do likewise in a vulnerable way toward those who are perishing.

Making a Difference

2007-03-05T21:57:00.000-05:00

Well, after almost a week since the last post there has been progress made. I don't want to go into all the details but I do want to ask for your prayers for those in the church who are really battling through some spiritual warfare. It is unreal what is happening in the lives of those in the pews. I also want to echo something mentioned by Steve Puckett - try each and every day to make a lasting difference in someone's life. You will never regret it. God bless

Take Action-Evangelism Challenge

2007-02-28T08:11:00.000-05:00

When I started this blog, I wanted it to make a difference. I didn't want it to be a place where we could sit in ivory towers and contemplate things with little spiritual impact on the world. I hoped that it would be a place Christians could be sharpened and hopefully even people reached in some way.

So here it goes...I am offering a challenge to you. I challenge you to post on your blog a committment that you will not post again until you have had a Bible study with a lost person. Ask your readers to pray for that effort. If you want, make your very next post after the study about how it went and any further prayer needs for that individual. I know that is kind of a personal thing and feel free just to pass it up. Or you could let blogging actually change the way you live and not just the way you think.

I am making a committment to not post again until I have sat down with a lost person and had a Bible study. This is not an effort to gain attention for myself but a way to motivate myself to study with some of the people I have been meaning to study with for the past couple of weeks.
Please pray for it to make a difference in the kingdom. God bless.

Evangelism

2007-02-26T17:03:00.000-05:00

Evangelism was the focus of our Statewide Retreat that I made mention of in the last post. Evangelism is something most Christians have heard is important but it really does seem like few Christians practice it. I have heard many sermons on evangelism and not counting this past retreat only one of them was not a guilt-trip trying to make me feel bad for past failures. Do Christians have a negative feeling toward evangelism even though cognitively we know it should be a positive thing? We beat ourselves up over it. Others beat us up over it. I also wonder if there isn't some fear of the unknown involved. The only way to beat fear of the unknown is to get to know it - try it. How are we going to try what we have negative/guilt feelings about?

I really think the answer starts in three places - public/private prayer, the pulpit and in the classroom where a positive image of evangelism can be more regularly cast. Testimony can be powerful in giving evangelism a positive image where we listen to real stories about how others became Christians. We need positive role-models and that starts with our leaders. We need elders, ministers, and deacons who are actively evangelizing. Saying something is important doesn't speak as loud as practicing something we say is important. We need outlets where evangelism is a central focus of what we do - LIFE groups can be one way to accomplish that. We need to put on our spiritual glasses to see the world in a spiritual way. When we do we can't help but understand that there is a need all around us.

I really don't know that the answer is we need to be better informed. While some people do need that, many of us have heard the "plan of salvation" all of our lives and know it forwards and backwards. Yet many people who know it so well say that the reason they don't do it is because they don't know how or are afraid of not having the right answers.

We need to change the focus. We have fear, anxiety, and guilt when we are the focus. The focus of evangelism is God and others, not self. While we are involved in the process we are not the focus. Understanding that can really help someone alleviate their fears because as they say, it is not about you/me.

What do you think are some reasons people don't evangelize and what could we do to do a better job of reaching the lost and having the same passion for the lost as Christ did?

Florida Campus Ministry

2007-02-26T01:35:00.000-05:00

The state of Florida has some tremendous campus ministries. We just finished a weekend at Florida Bible camp in central Florida with campus ministries from around the state. There are some really great things happening that I will share more on later. The speaker was Kerry Cox from the Crossings church near St. Louis and he sure didn't hold back. It was a tremendous blessing and as I said before here - the future is bright. More on this later.

The Gospel is Good for You

2007-02-22T08:47:00.001-05:00

In S.I. McMillen's book None of These Diseases he makes the claim that the laws of God were more than just regulation but that they had tremendous health benefits looking back on them with what we know about medicine and health today. He attempts to make a link between the diseases of Egypt as listed in the Ebers Papyrus, Moses' familiarity with Egyptian wisdom and culture (Acts 7:22) and the Lord's promise in Exodus 15:26 that if they obey God He will put on them, "none of these diseases...which I have brought upon the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you."

I think McMillen makes some interesting points in the book however, I think God's involvement was more than just the physical effects of what they ate or how God taught them to treat lepers. I think God's promise probably included divine protection that no physical remedy could guarantee. Many studies have shown that doing things God's way has a physical benefit.

UC Davis on Forgiveness being good for your health

Duke University and positive outcomes for prayer in healing

Duke University on Prayer and Lower Blood Pressure

There have also been studies on the elderly and church attendance as a positive factor improving their health.

Before I go any further, I need to toss out a warning. Sometimes we have looked at people like Job's friends did. We think if they are depressed or suffer from anxiety that they must be spiritually deficient. That is not always the case and we need to be careful in how we view Christians with mental disorders and not think less of them as if it was due to a weakness in their faith.

When I was studying psychology at the University of Florida (go gators!) we had guest lecturers come in every Friday. One week a fairly well known researcher spoke on her recent study on a large geriatic population and what factors lead to improved health. The number one factor found in the study was church attendance. Not being a spiritual or relgious person, as far as I could tell, she said this was probably due to the effects of social support. Then what she said shocked me. She said that even though this was the number one contributor to their patient's social support, leading to better health and well being that no health professional should ever encourage anyone to go to church. I was floored. If you are an atheist and think God does not exist but practicing religion improves your patients' health (which is their job to do as a health professional) why not encourage them to attend church? What is it going to hurt? She couldn't get past her own presuppositions and give her patients the very best care they could possibly receive.

Study after study has shown that the gospel is good for your health. Obeying God is a healthy thing to do. But never did God tell the Israelites, "worship me because I make you healthy." Even though Jesus healed many he labeled the sick, those who were spiritually sick. We don't seek God for physical health. We don't chase God to strengthen our bones or make our blood pressure go down. We want God because He loves us and He is ready to resurrect our sin sick souls. The gospel is good for you but not because it will help you live to 120. The gospel is good for you because it is the story of how God is transforming our lives into who He wants us to be - whole people.

Paradigm Issues Facing the Church - Scriptural Authority

2007-02-21T16:00:00.000-05:00

At first I wanted this to be a post about honesty with the biblical text but the more I thought about it the more I thought that the real underlying issue was a need to talk about scriptural authority. In life the pendulum swings back and forth from generation to generation. If you have an out of control alcoholic father you may well turn out to be a perfectionistic person with a high need for control in your life. The same can be said about shifting views on how people see the authority of scripture.

In the past scripture has been seen as the ulitimate authority. We said we "Speak where the Bible speaks and are silent where it is silent." We have prided ourselves on being without creeds and all the rest. Past generations have had a high respect for the Bible as the sole source of authority and saw ministers as authority figures/figures of respect in the community.That is slowly deteriorating as scandal gives room for rationalizing an attitude toward ministers as a whole. As with all pendulums, once it swings hard one direction it will inevitably swing back again.

The Bible being seen as a source of authority in our lives is deteriorating in the coming generations. Due to busy schedules, lack of study, cultural and moral influences, scripture is taking a back seat in the amount of influence it exerts on people's lives to so many other factors. Starting with the Baby Boomer generation through today, authority is seen as a negative rather than a positive. People fail to see the positives and health in boundaries. People are trusting ministers less and the world more. People are beginning to emphasize the cultural aspects of scripture in an effort to trivialize the whole thing. In a push for cultural and moral relativity we are left with no anchors but ultimately the pendulum will eventually move toward the middle as people look for some place solid to land.

Where are we headed? What bridges can we build ahead of time to help maintain a healthy respect for God and his word? It seems to me like we are going to have to be very patient with the generation that is on the way as they wrestle with issues that seem very fundamental and simple to us. It also seems to me like there are some healthy things they will learn very quickly that we have never quite gotten a grasp on. Some battles are worth fighting for and keeping a healthy respect for the importance of scripture is one of them. We just need to learn from how past generations used and abused that concept and try hard not to make the same mistakes twice.

Paradigm Issues Facing the Church - Women's Roles

2007-02-19T15:45:00.000-05:00

I am going to open a can of worms on this one but here we go. I am going to throw a couple of questions out there for you to mull over.

1) If God allowed someone to worship Him in various ways, what would God think of someone who tried to stop them from doing so?
2) If the early church met in homes and "broke bread" together, don't you think the women probably helped serve the meal?
3) On a similar note, what is the difference between a woman in a pew passing the bread or the cup and a woman in the aisle passing it across the pews?
4) If deacon means servant and Paul and others recognized some females as deacons/servants, how do we draw the line and abstain from doing that also (Rom 16:1-2 - By the way, TNIV now translates diakonon as "deacon" in this passage)?
5) How do we decide the age at which it is "no longer appropriate" for a woman to teach a male?
6) Where have all the men gone?

Am I pushing for women to be in the pulpit preaching on Sunday? No. I am just wondering what your opinions are on how we draw the lines where we do. I am not one to shake things up just to shake things up or cause controversy and division. I do wonder if women shouldn't be allowed more freedom in the church than is often allowed by various groups of elders. This is, of course, something to be worked out on a church-by-church basis as we study the text for ourselves AND be honest with what we find. What do you think?

P.S. This leads me to the next paradigm issue I want to address - Honesty with the biblical text.

Things to check out

2007-02-18T20:59:00.000-05:00

A few posts and articles to check out.
Bruce Metzger dies at age 93.

Terry Rush on the importance of Criticism.

John Ortberg - Ten Deadly Sins of Preaching.

Wade Tannehill - Series of "Can God Be Persuaded to Act?"

What do we Mean By Biblical Inspiration? - F.F. Bruce brought to you by biblicalstudies.org.uk
This site is an excellent source of biblical scholarship if you have never visited it.

Blogtopsites - Religion

2007-02-17T17:03:00.000-05:00

Here are 3 of the top 7 "Religious" blogs on blogtopsites.com based on number of hits.
ExChristian.net
Exposing Evangelicalism
Daylight Atheism

Does that tell you anything?

Tagged

2007-02-15T20:12:00.001-05:00

This 99th post is about something a little liter than the last one. I have been tagged by Mick Wright. If you have never visited his blog, it is a really good one. He has a great mix of politics and humor that is very insightful and informed. I am glad to be one of Mick's cronies and look forward to see what he will accomplish in his lifetime. Anyhow, here goes...6 wierd things about myself:

1) I once broke my ankle in my sleep. All I know is I woke up and my ankle was broken.
2) I enjoy shooting and once had the local sherriff called on me for "automatic weapons fire." I didn't get in any trouble though.
3) In grad school I worked at a church, was a janitor, and a tutor all at the same time (although none of that occurred simultaneously).
4) I encountered less racism in North Alabama than in St. Louis when I moved in the 8th grade.
5) I enjoy combining Root Beer with 3 Musketeers - try it out. You won't be disappointed.
6) I enjoy a sport that involves throwing small plastic discs at metal baskets 300-700 feet away. It is called disc golf and is a good free way to spend a few hours in nature with some friends. It is also a great outreach. I got a phone call from a previous Disc Golf world champion 2 months ago because he had found one of my discs and gave me a call. How often do you get to speak with the "champion of the world" in anything?

Let's pass it on to Sarah Renoud, Philip Cunningham, Mark Adams, and Bob Bliss

Paradigm Issues Facing the Church - Translations

2007-02-14T11:49:00.000-05:00

On the surface, translation issues don't appear to be a very big deal and all else being equal, they really aren't. But in some cases it can really go much further below the surface to a whole mindset that can be incredibly devastating. Most of this debate goes straight to the KJV vs. a variety of modern translations. That in and of itself is really not that big of a deal. However, the mindset that the KJV is the only appropriate translation to be used in churches is where the real problem occurs. The more we educate ourselves on this issue the better.

I went to interview at a church once that solely used the KJV (and at times even the NKJV). I was preaching from Isa 6. Not knowing the scripture reading would be coming from the 1611, I wondered where I should even start the sermon. Words and phrases like "twain" for two, being "undone" for "ruined", and making the people's hearts "fat" rather than "calloused" caught me a little off guard. I doubt more than a handful of people in that room really understood what those words meant and there I was left with the challenge of making it meaningful when the text that was read was entirely confusing. It was vital to many of them that it be read from a translation that they hardly understood. I really don't know how different that really is than the Catholics having a service entirely in Latin. It used to be and still is in some places mandatory that people pray using thee and thou for God, otherwise they are in danger of judgment. Therein lies the problem.

In writing this I am not implying that everyone who uses a KJV has a problem. I know and love many who are unaware that there can even be a deeper issue involved here. That, I have no problem with. But in some places this is more than a translation issue, it is a paradigm issue. That is, there is much more to it than meets the eye. There is an entire mindset that binds what scripture does not bind (this translation vs. that). In a sense there is an inherent Pharisaicalism in holding any translation over someone else's head (whether that translation be the KJV, NIV, Message, or whatever it is still just as wrong - yes, the Message is actually considered a translation), especially one that is written in a language that is for all practical purposes incomprehensible. If you don't believe that last statement to be true, take a look at the following list (excised from Jack Lewis' Questions You've Asked About Bible Translations):

KJV word - Modern Meaning (Text)
Halt - Lame Mark (9:45)
Lovers - Friends (Psalm 38:11, Lam 1:2,19)
Suffer - Permit (Matthew 3:15, 19:14)
Mean man - Common man (Prov 22:29, Isa 2:9)
Pitiful woman - Compassionate woman (Lam 4:10)
Shambles - Market (1 Cor 10:25)
Wax great - Grow large (Ezek 16:7)
Cockle - Weed (Job 31:40)
Advertised - Advised (Num 24:14)
Hosen - Robes (Dan 3:21,27)
Upbraids - denounces (Matthew 11:20)
Somewhat - noteworthy (Gal 2:6)
Common - unclean (Acts 10:14-15)
Doves' dung - seed pods (2 Kings 6:25)
Besom - broom (Isa 14:23)

These are just a few of hundreds of words that can't just be thrust upon the uninitiated with an authoritarian twist. Not only is it often expected that this be the translation used, it is often demanded. Jack Lewis notes that when the people returned from exile and Ezra and Nehemiah were trying to remind the people about God's Law, Ezra "translated" it to the people (Neh 8:8). He spoke it to them in words they could understand. Go figure, it is biblical to speak the word of God comprehensibly.

Everything besides the Greek New Testament (which even that is a conglomeration of texts based on the best available evidence) is a translation that attempts to communicate the ideas of the underlying text in a readily understandable way. All translations involve some level of interpretation. There are no if's and's or but's about it. I personally would rather trust a translation made from older/more reliable texts with a broader knowledge of cultural backgrounds and extra-biblical occurances of words to help refine the definitions (more on that in just a moment).

Just by looking at the list above it is very obvious that what was clearly understood in 1611 or even 1901 is not so easily understood today. It takes a well studied person to really understand what those words mean. I have been at Vacation Bible Schools where all the children (ages 5-teens) were handed a 1611 KJV Bible and I just don't understand how that is very helpful due to reasons discussed below. Give them one they can understand.

According to “It's All Greek To Me! Clearing Up the Confusion About Bible Translations” in Discipleship Journal, 132, Nov/Dec 2002. Pp. 28-36 by Clinton E. Arnold, the KJV is written at a 12th grade reading level. The NKJV brings it down to a 9th grade reading level compared to the NASB (11th grade) and the NIV (7.8th grade). While I don't think reading level alone makes a translation "inappropriate" (and by the way I wouldn't ever call any credible translation "inappropriate" in a broad sense) to thrust upon the uneducated and the youth, I do think it is one piece of the puzzle that says maybe it isn't such a good idea.

Before I go on I feel the need to say this - the KJV has been used faithfully by generations over centuries with good effect. It has helped people understand God and changed lives. It has an outstanding track record and clearly has a place in the life of the church in communicating God's intent to His people. There are some passages in the KJV that just cannot be matched by any other translation. But does that mean it is the best way or the only way for lives to be exposed to the word of God? I don't believe so.

Another reason the KJV is not adequate to reach the seekers of today and should not be bound upon people as the sole translation of the Bible is the fact that our knowledge of Hebrew and Greek has substantially improved since 1611.

1) In 1611 they did not know the difference between Hellenistic/Koine Greek (that makes up the NT) and Classical/Attic Greek.
2) Even by 1886 Thayer listed 767 words that were at that time distinct to the New Testament. That means they had nothing to compare those words to, no context in extrabiblical literature to help refine how those 767 words were translated. D.A. Carson says there are now less than 50 words in the New Testament that we have not found in extrabiblical literature (KJV Debate, 95). That has a profound impact on the accuracy with which we translate the Greek New Testament.
3) The Dead Sea Scrolls had not been found at the time of the KJV. They were found in 1947 and have shed tremendous light on the Old Testament (over 800 manuscripts were found dating roughly 1000 years earlier than any other OT manuscripts that had been found to that point).

What is more, the manuscripts that were used in translating the 1611 KJV were no where near as sound as what we have today. Here is an excerpt from Carson,

"The first edition of the Greek New Testament to be published was edited by...Erasmus (1469-1536)...To prepare his text Erasmus utilized several Greek manuscripts, not one of which contained the entire New Testament. None of his manuscripts was earlier than the twelfth century. For the Book of Revelation he had but one manuscript, and it was lacking the final leaf, which contained the last six verses of the book. Therefore Erasmus translated the Latin Vulgate back into Greek and published that. Hence in the last six verses of Revelation in Erasmus' Greek New Testament, several words and phrases may be found that are attested in no Greek manuscript whatsoever..." (Carson, 33-34)

Pretty amazing, huh? Erasmus work was reprinted by Stephanus, slightly reworked by Beza and then on to be used by the KJV translators. What Carson did not mention was the fact that Erasmus only had 7 Greek manuscripts to work with. Today we have thousands of texts, some going back as far as the 2nd century, nearly within the lifetime of the apostle John. While the KJV was revolutionary in its day, there are far more resources used in translation today.

Why mention all that? I thought this was about a paradigm? Exactly. I mention all that to say, churches that see the KJV as the only version that should be used are just not looking at the facts. They are binding upon people something that is extremely difficult to understand and based on weak Greek texts at best. I think the root of this paradigm issue goes back to the previous post on fear vs. grace. This issue normally doesn't stop at translations. Translations may be symptomatic of an underlying heart issue that runs out of fear with no balance of grace. Doing something just because that is the way it has always been done is just as dangerous as doing whatever we want, whether or not it has ever been done before. We need to use our common sense when approaching seekers and the uninitiated. We need to be careful what we bind on others. We need to check our motivation for which translation we use and if we expect our congregation to use a specific translation. I would think if you actually expect an entire congregation to use the same translation, then you probably need to check your motives on that one (even if that translation is a newer one). There is not one perfect translation but if there were, I would be willing to bet it would be one that everyone could understand. The English language will continue to change and some day in the next generation or so the NIV, TNIV, you name it, will be out of date and in need of revision. Let us be sure that we don't become a stumbling block to the learning and maturing of others even decades from now as we have our cherished versions that we hold dear. It is easy to point the finger to the past but let us remember that we are also vulnerable to it as well.

One last note, before we think we are the only ones who have gone through this let me give some additional perspective:

Did you know that when Jerome translated the Bible from Hebrew/Greek into Latin (the Vulgate) he was met with tremendous opposition but went on to be regarded as all but sacred for nearly 1000 years. Eventually people would reject anyone translating from his work to English because the Latin was traditionally seen as the language of religious expression.

Did you know that the pilgrims did not like the KJV because they thought it was too modern? The pilgrims preferred the Geneva Bible (known as the "Breeches Bible" because in that translation God made Adam and Eve "coverings as breeches." Today some believe anything but the KJV is too modern.

Did you know that translating the Bible into English from Latin was opposed because some believed Latin was the only proper religious expression? Today some believe that 1611 English is the only proper expression - perhaps they should go back to Latin?

Did you know that people objected to an English Bible because they thought a Bible in the vernacular of the people would lead to unorthodoxy? Now people think the TNIV, which is understandable, will lead to unorthodoxy.

We aren't looking at anything new. We are having the same conversations people have been debating for centuries. People thought Greek was the only way and fought Latin and one day the Latin was embraced as the only way. People fought it being translated into English and that English versions were heretical until eventually that version because the "only true means of religious expression" and anything else too modern. Let us certainly not keep people from seeking God through words that make sense to them and speak to their heart. Let us also be aware of deeper issues (Pharisaicalism, etc) that may just be seen most plainly with this issue but may make themselves into other arenas of our lives.

Thank you for taking time to read all of that.

Jesus and the Gospels - Craig Blomberg

2007-02-13T09:02:00.000-05:00

I just finished Jesus and the Gospels by Craig Blomberg. I was VERY impressed by this book. His structure, exegesis, charts, etc were fantastic. I would highly recommend this book to anyone doing a study of the gospels as a whole or even a particular gospel. He gives a good political, cultural and social background to the gospels. He introduces critical approaches that have been used to interpret the Gospels. He completes the book with a Survey of the Life of Christ that encompasses roughly 200 pages and walks you through each Gospel's account of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. This book is an excellent resource.

Next post - Paradigm Issues Facing the Church - Translations

MSNBC/Today Show Poll - Astrology

2007-02-10T22:29:00.001-05:00

Still working on the translations paradigm post. Until then I wanted to point out an unscientific survy taken on msnbc and announced on the Today Show. The question that was asked, "Do you believe in astrology?" can be found here.

The results? With 1114 responses at the time of this post. The overwhelming answer was "Yes" (78%) and no had only 22%. One thing that may have influenced the poll results was the fact that it was reached through a link on the msnbc website that asked if you wanted to know about your reading. I am sure that skewed the survey just a bit but the results are still surprising. What are the implications? Are people turning more to an external locus of control?

I just can't imagine saying my future is ruled by fate. There is no logic in that. There is no logic in placing your faith in a system that would seem to say someone born in the same location at the same time as yourself should have the exact same life as you do (maybe I am just misinformed about how they see that). I think these results are a little scarey. I wonder how many people in our churches believe in astrology?

There are a couple of passages in the Bible that relate to astrology.
Matthew 2 - the Magi
Isaiah 47:12-14 condemns it indirectly. Isaiah basically says that magic and astrology cannot compare with God.

Some would point to Luke 21:25 - signs of the end but I am not so sure about that one.

The Bible does not support the view that we are all victims of fate. Other religions in the ancient world believed there was a power greater than "the gods" and that was fate, often fate controlled by astrology that even the gods could not escape. Hopefully our members are not affected by this but some of them probably are. I wonder if this is something we should not spend a little more time educating people on. What have you run into and how prevalent do you think this is among Christians?

Paradigm Issues Facing the Church - Facility vs. Identity

2007-02-08T07:58:00.000-05:00

I have mentioned before that we pride ourselves on the first century model but fall short in several of the most important areas they practiced. We have this really bad tendency of making tradition into torah. Once we have done something long enough, somehow, people get the idea that it is the only proper way for it to be done and anything else is sin. It is like the story of the daughter who always cut off the ends of the meatloaf(?) because her mother always did it that way. Only later when she asked her mother why she did that did she find out that was because her pan was too small. I think some people actually believe that the number of songs we have before the prayer is dictated in scripture somewhere.

It is clear in scripture that the early church met in homes and not church buildings (Acts 5:42 as well as plenty of archaeological evidence). They were not focused on where they met but on who/whose they were and what they were doing. You don't hear any sermons about Paul or Peter requiring worship in homes or anywhere else but they do say worship is important. It wasn't until the 4th century that church buildings began to be built. Now, after 1700 years of practice, people think that is the only way God allows for people to worship Him. Churches often have LIFE groups that meet at the building to placate those who think that is the only place to worship. I knew an elder once who said as long as he was alive there would always be a worship service on Sunday night at the building and so that church had BOTH a one hour worship followed by a two hour LIFE group meeting (in homes and a group at the building).

I have seen spiritual growth in people that may have never happened if their worship had been confined to the church building. There have been people brought to Christ all over the world who would have never stepped foot in church but would step foot into someone's home and now they are Christians. I think we have made huge strides in making this adjustment away from the facility way of thinking but I think there is more change ahead. This is just something that people in our churches need to be educated about. They take it for granted that the way they have done it/seen it done/heard it preached is the only right way because they haven't heard anything different. One thing I love about the Church of Christ is that if you can show someone something has a biblical foundation, they are normally very good about it.

I am not saying that we abandoned our buildings and lock the door. I am saying that we should educate people to no longer be bound in their thinking to limiting worship to the building. This has far greater implications than just where we meet - building vs. homes. It is a mindset that affects one's view of God, church, tradition, and a whole slew of other things.

Next up...probably translations

LIFE Group Lessons Online

2007-02-05T20:51:00.000-05:00

I have been hesitant to post this but I will go ahead and do it. I have been developing our LIFE group curriculum at church since the summer. You can download these lessons here. Feel free to use them however you want. We have also implemented another helpful idea for any of you who run a LIFE group/small group ministry. We have an online form for reporting attendance. One of the hardest things to deal with in LIFE group, next to childcare, is attendance reporting. This has really helped our ministry. I would love to hear any feedback from the lessons if you decide to use them. God bless,

Paradigm Issues Facing the Church - Fear vs. Grace

2007-02-04T23:35:00.000-05:00

This is from a comment I made on the internetmonk blog. The more I typed it the more I wanted to talk about some of these issues here.

It seems to me there is a real paradigm issue when it comes to churches that operate either out of fear or out of grace. Churches that operate out of fear tend to micromanage (just to make sure nothing is out of place!). They tend to be harsh and highly judgmental. They tend to operate from a checkbox mentality. This often turns into Pharisaicalism - we did this, this, and this...so we are alright with God this week. This reminds me of Philip's recent comment on "God and...Or God alone?" in wondering if some people think that if our worship is perfect we can force God into doing things the way we think they should be done.

Other churches operate from a grace perspective. These churches tend to leave more room for people to make mistakes = members have more room to grow. They tend to do more sheperding and are more concerned with Christian identity and transformation rather than checkboxes.

While I think we do need a proper fear and respect of the Lord I also think that of the churches I have been around, the healthiest ones were the ones that operated out of grace and not out of fear (1 John 4:18).

Baptism this Sunday!

2007-02-04T14:28:00.000-05:00

I was so happy that we had a baptism today. One of our teenagers decided to become a Christian. We are going to have some follow-up study and involvement opportunities for him this week. Please keep Steven in your prayers as he starts his new walk.

Punxsutawney Phil & Global Warming

2007-02-03T06:12:00.000-05:00

I don't normally bring things like this up but I just couldn't help myself on this one. Looks like Global Warming must be real. That famous prognosticating groundhog Punxsutawney Phil is undeniable proof. For the first time since 1989 he didn't see his shadow. That means spring is on its way early, which certainly points to warmer temperatures.

I am no scientist and know absolutely nothing about environmental science. But I must say this whole Global Warming talk reminds me of the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray. If you have seen the movie you remember the concept - Murray wakes up every morning to relive the same day. His clock radio is playing the same broadcast - "Put your booties on, cause it's cold outside." In decades past we have heard the best experts in the world predict all sorts of ways the world was going to fall apart: acid rain, nuclear winter, Ozone depletion, etc. Now it is global warming. The world's temperature has gone up .6 degrees in the last 100 years. They predict it will go up another 1.4 degrees in the next 100 years. That really sounds devastating.

I do think there is a big issue here though. Regardless of what you think about global warming, we do have a God-given responsibility to take care of the earth.

Our New Slogan

2007-02-02T08:06:00.000-05:00

My wife and I officially have new slogans. I was doing an internet search for slogans and the first thing I found was this website. At sloganizer.net all you have to do is enter a word, name, phrase, or whatever and it generates a "meaningful or meaningless" slogan for you.

Mine was: "I believe in Matt Dabbs." [I think I will opt for a different one!]
Missy's was: "Missy. We build smiles." [That one is pretty appropriate]

Since we are trying hard to get our lawn to grow I typed in Bermuda grass and got - "I want Bermuda grass"

Try it out.

Practicing Hospitality

2007-02-02T07:35:00.000-05:00

Building off of the post on Acts 2, I wanted to give a few more thoughts about hospitality. As I said previously, I think hospitality is one of the most important things that we don't practice very well. It was one of the chief characteristics of the early church. It is kind of hard not to be hospitable when you have a church in your home and Christians there nearly every day of the week. I have been spoiled with hospitality during my lifetime. I have family that loves to have people in their home.

My wife and I love to have people in our home. We have a guest book by our front door that we have had since we got married three years ago. I just took a count through it and it currently has at least 136 names written in it. We try to only get people to sign the first time they visit so there are almost no repeats. You would not believe the blessing we have experienced from having people in our home. We have developed relationships with ministers, elders, teens, 20 somethings, families, neighbors, you name it - that could not have happened otherwise. We are having our new neighbors over tonight for lasagna. They are really an amazing family. They don't really have a church home and we hope to get to know them better. If we just hoped this would happen through a bunch of waving from our backyard to theirs, it would take a million years at best. I am convinced you can do more in two or three hours around the dinner table with someone than in a decade of waves and hi's. Hospitality is important. Here are some comments written in our guest book over the last three years:

"Send us money!" - a couple we were in school with
"We want money too!" - another couple we were in school with
"To new beginnings" - a couple that had been living together for over 10 years and who were trying their best to get a new start through Bible study.
"Thanks for letting us hand out" - a teen in the youth group
"Thanks for loving me" - yet another student in grad school with us
"Wonderful lesson, wonderful people" - a single dad with a one year old trying to get his life back on track.

Many other loves and thank you's along the way. Give it a try and see what great things happen. Get to know your elders. Get to know your ministers. Get to know your neighbors. Your next best friend might be one visit away.

Acts 2 - How are we doing?

2007-02-02T06:54:00.000-05:00

Acts 2:42-47
"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

I appreciate the fact that we see Acts 2 as a good way of doing things. Baptism is one of the most fundamental practices of the early church and so were several other things that are just as important. Acts 2 contains a snapshot of the first "church." I think we really make an attempt to study the Bible together. What about the other things? What about our willingness to sacrifice for each other? How can we better encourage our members to open up in loving generosity toward each other? How about hospitality? Meeting for three hours a week in an alternate location that isn't anyone's home just isn't enough. I really feel like hospitality has nearly been lost even among our members. That is a real shame. If we are going to hold up Acts 2 as a model of the church, maybe we need to be turning to those verses in our assemblies to prove more things than just baptism. There is a lot more there than just baptism.

Your thoughts...

2007-02-01T18:57:00.001-05:00

I want to comment on the balance that I hope to attain with this blog. I hope this is a place you feel like you can come and learn more about God's word. I also hope it is a place you feel safe to write your thoughts and ideas. Here is where the balance part comes in. I hope to have a better balance in the future of practical/application focused Bible study balanced with stories of events in my life or people I know that helped me learn about God or are things I feel I should pass on to help others.

I don't want this to be a place where minutia is the focus (although that is certainly fun from time to time!). We can get so bogged down in pulling things apart that we forget to actually apply the results. I love what Fosdick said about this early in the 20th century - "People do not come to church with a burning interest in what happened to the Jebusites...but with their own questions and problems." I think sometimes I get too interested in the Jebusites and not interested enough in helping myself and others grow closer to God.

So two questions:

Does anyone out there find the posts on the Ancient Near Eastern texts helpful or is that just too much when there is so much in the Bible to explore?
What topics would you like to hear more about. I have had people mention a discussion of the Holy Spirit would be helpful. What suggestions for topics do you have?

I have really been spoiled to have so many people stop by and comment from all over the world. I really feel blessed and I hope it has been a blessing to you. Thank you so much for sharpening me and helping me to grow in my faith. Thank you for correcting me when I have needed correcting. Thank you for opening my eyes to things in scripture I had never noticed were there before, through your comments. It really makes me wonder what is in store over the years. I appreicate you all. God bless,

Matt

Ancient Near Eastern texts - Part 3

2007-02-01T09:17:00.000-05:00

Ra and the Serpent
Date: 2400 B.C. Egypt
From comparing this online translation to others, I am not quite sure how accurate it is but it does get the general idea across. In this story, Ra, the god of the son, was the first thing in all creation. They believed that Ra created everything by speaking it into existence. It starts with a similar line to what God tells Moses at the burning bush - "I am" which Matthews and Benjamin translate "I am who am." Ra creates creatures and then puts the creatures into a deep sleep until Ra can find a place to stand (sounds pretty weak to me). Ra creates Egypt as the center of the universe and brought out beings from the sea. The creation of man has much more sexual overtones than in the biblical account.

What can we learn from this? They believed they were chosen as the center of the universe while the Hebrews were not chosen because they were the greatest but because they were the least. A story created by man would be one that would tend to make man the center of it all. Not so in the Bible. The Egyptian description of creating man resembles procreation, not so in scripture where God creates man from the dust of the ground and the breath (or spirit) of life. Our God does not need a place to stand. Our God did not "appear" as Ra appeared.

"God and" or "God alone"?

2007-02-01T07:53:00.000-05:00

As we have been looking at a couple of ancient near eastern texts that help us see how surrounding cultures tried to explain the world around them I want to mention this quote from Nahum Sarna in Understanding Genesis

Since, according to pagan concepts, man's destiny is controlled by two separate forces, the gods and the powers beyond the gods, it was inevitable that magic became an integral part of pagan religion. Man had to be able to devise the means of activating those forces superior even to the gods. Religion, as a consequence, became increasinly concerned with the eloboration of ritual designed to propitiate the numerous unpredictable powers that be. Anyone who reads the Hebrew Bible, especially the Book of Psalms, is aware that the ancient Israelite was as struck by the majesty of natural phenomena as was any of his pagan neighbors. But unlike them, he did not profess to see God within those prenomena. The clear line of demarcation between God and His creation was never violated...Here we find not physical link between the world of humanity and the world of the divine. There is no natural connection between the Creator and his handiwork. Hence, there is no room for magic in the religion of the Bible. The God of Creation is eternally existent, removed from all corporeality, and independent of time and space. Creation comes about through the simple divine fiat: Let there be!

pp.11-12

There can be no manipulation of our God through natural means. There is no ceremony we can perform to force His hand to act. The surrounding cultures thought that power came through gods and...We believe it comes just through God and that leaves no room for "going over God's head" to a greater power, aka through magic or ritual. God is other than us. He is holy and there is nothing like Him. Sarna is not saying that God has no connection with us. He is saying the connection is intimate but in no way can it be manipulated through natural means. It is humbling that God's power is the only power. It is not God and...it is God alone and nothing else.

Biblical Archaeology Review

2007-01-31T22:50:00.001-05:00

Here is a link to the latest in biblical archaeology. There is also a story on the new find at Stonehenge

Making a Lasting Impression - Mark 14

2007-01-31T09:26:00.001-05:00

They say you only get one chance to make a first impression. But I think God gives you a lifetime to make a lasting one.

The type of impression we make depends on who is at the center of our universe. There are several options people have tried:

Self - this is the most common. Impressions are made by making yourself look good. These impressions don't last forever.
Others - this is seen a lot with families of addicts. Family members often become co-dependent and learn to operate in a dysfunctional atmosphere. Whether it is alcohol, drugs, pornography, etc the family tends to center around the person with the problem. Attention and resources are disproportionately given to that person. These impressions don't last forever.
God - this is handing over the steering wheel to someone who is more powerful and more wise than we are. It is submitting our lives to His will instead of our own. This is the only way to open up our lives and make a lasting impression in the lives of others.

I think you can see this contrasted vividly in Mark 14:1-11

Read this passage and notice where people's focus was.

Self focused - the story is bookended (as Mark often likes to do) by those who are focused on themselves. 14:1-2 tells about the chief priests and teachers of the law looking for a way to arrest and kill Jesus. 14:10-11 tells about Judas' deal with the chief priests and their promise of payment for his services. Judas and the chief priests were clearly focused on self and not on God.
Others focused - "Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money be given to the poor." And they rebuked her harshly" (14:4-5).
God focused - Two people in the story are focused on Jesus/God. Jesus commends her for her focus on himself and his impending death/burial. This woman was clearly focused on Jesus/God. Jesus is also focused on God as His death will reflect the will of God.

The only ones who made lasting impressions were the two who were focused on Jesus/God (14:9) - "Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

How often do we chase our own desires or even serve the poor to make ourselves look good. The only way to make a lasting impression on earth is to fully devote our lives to seeking Jesus (which often does mean serving the poor - Mark 9:41). It means being salt and light. It means having an answer ready for those who ask.

We all want to make a lasting impression but many times the things we chase don't reflect that desire. The biggest blinder Satan has to keep our focus from God is self. He can even use others to distract us if we are not careful. "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." And let us remember that God has blessed us with a lifetime to make a lasting impression, one that is focused on Him.

Profile Update!

2007-01-30T10:45:00.000-05:00

Well, my profile changed and I didn't even do any editing...

Happy birthday to me!

Ancient Texts - Part 2: Enuma Elish & Atrahasis

2007-01-29T20:25:00.000-05:00

Enuma Elish - Mesopotamia

One of the biggest and earliest questions mankind has tried to deal with is "How did we get here?" The question we Americans tend to have today is "Why am I here?" with little concern for the bigger issues. One of the earliest attempts to answer that question was mythologized by the Mesopotamians in Enuma Elish. King Ashurbanipal (of Ezra 4:10) had this text copied and placed in the Assyrian library in the 7th century B.C.

There are several polemics against pagan "gods" in the Old Testament. Some of them are found in the psalms (psalm 148:8 - Yahweh is God of the storm, not Baal). Others are found in our earliest biblical texts, such as Genesis. Genesis tells us how the one true God created everything. In Genesis we learn something of God and we learn something of man. God is eternal, without beginning. He made order out of chaos. He made humanity with a purpose.

The Mesopotamian story of creation starts with nothing except for father and mother gods Apsu and Tiamat. The gods start with two bodies of water and make them one (in contrast to the Genesis account of separating the water - Gen 1:2-6). Unlike our God, their "gods" had origin from the "Divine womb." Marduk is god of the storm and fills the divine warrior motif by taking on bow and arrows. The earth and the heavens were formed from the two halves of Tiamat's corpse, whom Marduk slayed. These gods were granted their divinity and some were made more divine than others. Quite a contrast to our God.

Mankind - They believed that mankind was created to do work for the gods. In essence, mankind was an afterthought to keep the gods from having to labor. "The Aborigines will do the god's work. The savages will set the gods free." This is not the kind of relationship between humanity and divinity that is found in scripture.

Atrahasis - Sumeria:

Mankind aleviating the work of the gods is also echoed in the Sumerian flood story of Atrahasis. The Sumerians believed mankind was made by the gods from a mixture of clay (Gen 2:7), flesh, and blood. Soon mankind multiplies out of control and makes so much noise it disturbs the gods' sleep! The gods decide to send a plague to kill mankind. But the gods fail. So they send drought and famine on the land to make the noisey humans quiet. But the gods' plan fails. In fact it turns out that, "the people are not diminished. They are more numerous than ever." So the gods decide a flood is the only option (Gen 6-8). The plan is revealed to Atrahasis and he is told to build a boat and fill it with animals. The gods are saddened, not because of the loss of life but because there are no more people to carry out their work! The flood subsides and Atrahasis emerges from the boat and makes a sacrifice to the gods. Their reaction? "The gods smelled the aroma. They swarmed like flies around his sacrifice." Not a very pleasing or picturesque portrait of the gods. In Genesis 8, God's reaction to the sacrifice is a promise to mankind.

What do we learn from these tails? When cultures attempt to answer questions about their origin and about the nature of divinity they end up creating gods that look a lot like themselves. When we open the Bible and read about God - we find someone not like us. He is not having relations with other gods. He does not have a beginning. He was not bestowed divinity. Our God does not resemble mankind and that is what gives us hope!

For more on these texts see:
http://www.crystalinks.com/babyloniancreation.html

Answered Prayers

2007-01-29T13:22:00.000-05:00

There have been some prayers God has answered recently that I wanted to mention. The feelings expressed in Wade Tannehill's "Can God Be Persuaded to Act?" post is something we have been able to relate to for some time. I know there are bigger concerns out there than ours but they are still concerns nonetheless.

The first answered prayer is about a couple I know. They have been having marital difficulty for several years. I counseled with them together and individually. About 5 months back they separated and had a restraining order put in place. The wife has struggled with alcohol her entire adult life and has been in and out of rehab at least 8 times. Several of those times she was near death. Well, her husband went to serve her divorce papers last week and he found her sober. She had been sober for four months! Instead of serving her the papers, he brought her home! I saw them last week together. They were so happy. In the sermon that Sunday morning, their first Sunday back, our preacher made the statement how sweet it is to have thought you lost something only to get it back again. It gave me goose bumps! Please pray for them that they will be fully reconciled and that this will not just be a honeymoon phase for a few months.

Second, my wife is going to take on a new full-time job doing marriage seminars in churches and for the community. I really owe God a big "thank you" on this as well. Since finishing her masters in December 2005 she has not had a full time job. She has really had a battle with trying to do the right thing and turned down everything she had been offered because she felt those jobs weren't God's will. She has stuck it out for over a year, doing what is right, and God has blessed it.

We had been praying for both of these things for quite some time and He answered in a big way. We serve an amazing God. He is powerful. He can and will act. Not just in the good times but in the bad times as well (depending on your definition of "bad"). God really came through for this couple that I mention and for my wife and I. Thank you Lord!

Third, please keep Jim in your prayers. He is our preaching minister and he is having surgery on his meniscus as this is being typed.

Looking for a Web Bible? See this Review

2007-01-27T09:38:00.000-05:00

Tyndale has an excellent review of what's out there on the web as far as Bible versions/interactive texts go. I think you will find it quite helpful and add some tools to your repertoire. Click here.

What Can We Learn From Ancient Religious Texts?

2007-01-27T09:11:00.001-05:00

One of the biggest and earliest questions mankind has tried to deal with is "How did we get here?" The question we Americans tend to have today is "Why am I here?" with little concern for the bigger issues. One of the earliest attempts to answer that question was mythologized by the Mesopotamians in Enuma Elish. King Ashurbanipal (of Ezra 4:10) had this text copied and placed in the Assyrian library in the 7th century B.C.

There are several polemics against pagan "gods" in the Old Testament. Some of them are found in the psalms (psalm 148:8 - Yahweh is God of the storm, not Baal). Others are found in our earliest biblical texts, such as Genesis. Genesis tells us how the one true God created everything. In Genesis we learn something of God and we learn something of man. God is eternal, without beginning. He made order out of chaos. He made humanity with a purpose.

Their story of creation starts with nothing except for father and mother gods Apsu and Tiamat.
They start with two bodies of water and made them one (in contrast to the Genesis account of separating the water - Gen 1:2-6). Unlike our God, their "gods" had origin from the "Divine womb." Marduk is god of the storm and fills the divine warrior motif by taking on bow and arrows. The earth is made from the remains of Tiamat, whom Marduk slayed

What Can We Learn From Ancient Religious Texts? - Part 1

2007-01-25T07:53:00.000-05:00

There is a growing body of literature that is being found from the Ancient Near East. Man has always been in a search to understand our origins and to explain the interaction of temporal humanity and eternal divinity. There are numerous helpful resources (books and websites) that have translated these texts and organized them. Here are a couple of good books:

James B. Pritchard's Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament.
Victor H. Matthews & Don C. Benjamin Old Testament Parallels: Laws and Stories from the Ancient Near East

One of the biggest and earliest questions mankind has tried to deal with is "How did we/the world get here?" The question we Americans tend to have today is "Why am I here?" with little concern for the bigger issues. Nearly every culture on earth has wrestled with this and passed on stories that have tried to account for the origin of the things we see. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, their religious texts reflect their wrestling with this difficult subject matter.

The Bible reflects some of this as the biblical writers and even God himself spoke polemics against the other "gods." You can probably see it in the Exodus as each plague may represent God's power over various Egyptian gods (gods represented by frogs, the nile, etc). You can see it in the psalms as God is the one who is Lord of the storm, not Baal. You can see it in Genesis as the one true God is depicted as the creator of all things, not some pantheon of vicious, brutal gods in the heavens. It is all over the pages of the Bible.

In the coming days I want to bring out a few points from these texts and show the difference between views of "the gods" invented by man vs. the view of the one true God depicted in scripture. I look forward to your comments and insights as we learn even more reasons to appreciate God.