Ashudder and Aglow

Changing things up

2009-04-12T17:48:00.001-07:00

So. I obviously haven't posted anything here in a good long time. There are several reasons for this. My computer was broken for the first part of the year, which limited my internet time to what I could squeeze out of my schedule at libraries. This left little time for blogging. Once my computer was fixed, I found that I was out of the habit of blogging.

Not only was I out of the habit, but I was intimidated by the commitment it takes to blog consistently and blog well. I didn't see a way to fit that into my already busy schedule. At the same time, I still see the value of blogging: as a way to stay in touch with friends, to share what I am learning, and to keep track of my own thoughts and interests.

I have spent quite a bit of time thinking about how I can make the blogging experience healthy in my life and helpful in yours. Here is my new plan: I'm going to shift most of my blogging over to notesfromfaraway@tumblr.com. For those who have never heard of this, Tumblr is sort of like blogging in short form (but it is emphatically way more than Twitter). For whatever reason, I feel less pressure to post well-developed, completely thought through posts. Instead, I'll just be posting whatever catches my attention that day: quotes, videos, half-formed thoughts. This will be helpful for me to keep track of my own thoughts. Will it be helpful for anyone else? Honestly? Who knows. It will at least be interesting, since it will be all the things that interest me. So if you share my interests, and/or want to keep track of them, check it out. I've already started posting over there.

If you know my interests are not your interests and this whole things sounds boring to you, no worries. I will still post the occasional developed, well-thought-through, devotional thoughts over here. But I will also post them (or at least link to them) on tumblr. So if you want everything, you only have to check one site. And if you don't want all the personal reflections and random thoughts, you don't need them. You can just hang out here.

Hopefully that makes sense, and this will work out better for me and for you.

Quote of the Day

2008-12-23T19:17:00.000-08:00

"Even if I were not an evangelical Christian, I'd like to think I could see which is the more important matter: stopping the international child sex trade or getting Melissa Etheridge a marriage certificate."

Carl Trueman, discussing the media's single-minded focus on gay marriage.

Looks like I may be taking a J-term class from Dr. Trueman on the life and thought of Martin Luther. Should be good times.

HT: BJ

Lessons from an unlikely source

2008-12-18T20:11:00.000-08:00

Extremely convicting words on evangelism from an atheist. Who happens to be a magician.

Here he is, Penn Jillette (The louder half of Penn and Teller):

"How much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize?"

HT: Vitamin Z

What is he so excited about?

2008-11-25T21:15:00.000-08:00

Pretty much every time I read the Bible, I am reminded of its inspiration. So much of it is so different from anything else I've ever read, or anything I would even think to write. There are theological riches that humans could never think up on their own. There are unflattering details that human authors would not want to include. And then there are passages where, for some reason or another, the writer is focused on something I would probably just glance over. Take this passage, and watch the exclamation point. I'm pretty sure I would be excited about a different part of the story:

Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, two women coming forward! The wind was in their wings. They had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and heaven.

There were two women! They were coming towards me!! The wind was in their wings.

...Oh yeah, did I mention they had wings like storks?

The verse is Zechariah 5:9. You should read the whole chapter, or even the whole book. You'll see visions of judgment, followed by visions of restoration. You'll gain a deeper understanding of the visions of the Book of Revelation. But you still might not understand why Zechariah seems more excited about the women than about their wings.

Transformative Theology

2008-11-11T08:05:00.000-08:00

Chapel was excellent today. Dr. Kruger brought the Word from Psalm 63. Lots of encouragement, lots of challenges, lost to think about. Here is just one quick thought:

"If your study of theology is not transformative, you are not doing it rightly."

Theology (thinking deeply about God) must transform you.

...nobody blasphemes like an evangelical can

2008-10-22T06:42:00.000-07:00

Doug Wilson reviews The Shack, and discusses the "peculiar form of evangelical blasphemy" the book presents:

I remember one time I was at a conference where the group I was with was sharing the venue with another group. So one time I sat in on the chapel services of that other group, and they began singing "Spring Up, O Well," which was fine with me. But since the song involved water, somebody had developed hand motions, and jumpy-up-and-down-motions. So there was this room full of adult Christians jumping up and down while they were singing, splish splashing along. But then they got to a verse where it was all about the blood of Christ instead of water, and they continued right on with the hand motions and the jumping, and the only thing missing was the rubber ducky, and nobody blasphemes like an evangelical can.

What do you bring to the table?

2008-10-21T17:05:00.000-07:00

William Temple:

The only thing of my very own which I contribute to my redemption is the sin from which I need to be redeemed.

JC Ryle:

True faith has nothing whatever of merit about it, and in the highest sense cannot be called "a work." It is but laying hold of a Savior's hand, leaning on a husband's arm, and receiving a physician's medicine. It brings with it nothing to Christ, but a sinful man's soul. It gives nothing, contributes nothing, pays nothing, performs nothing. It only receives, takes, accepts, grasps, and embraces the glorious gift of justification which Christ bestows, and by renewed daily acts enjoys that gift.

October is Pastor Appreciation Month

2008-10-14T17:03:00.000-07:00

One of the best ways to show your appreciation for your pastor is to pray for him. Consider using this guide from Kent and Barbara Hughes' Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome:

Pray that he will be a true success: that he will be faithful, true to God's Word and hardworking; that he will be a servant, following the example of our foot-washing Lord; that he will love God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength; that he will truly believe what he believes about Christ; that he will lead a holy life, and not succumb to the sensuality of our culture; that he will lead a life of deep prayer, following Jesus' example; that he will have a positive attitude free from jealousy.

Pray for his ministry -- for his preaching, for time to prepare, for understanding the Word, for application, for the power of the Holy Spirit in delivery, for Sunday's services, for his leadership, for immediate problems he is facing.

Pray for his marriage -- for time for each other, for communication, for a deepening love, for fidelity.

Pray for his children by name.

Are you successful?

2008-10-14T16:38:00.000-07:00

What is success? What does it mean to be successful in ministry? Are you a successful Christian? We often define our success by worldly measures like numbers and growth. However, the Bible defines success in very different ways. According to Kent and Barbara Hughes, in their book Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome, success involves faithfulness, serving, loving, believing, prayer, holiness, and attitude. They give some related questions to help us evaluate our success based on the Bible's standards, not the world's.

Are you proving faithful in the exercise of your ministry? Specifically, are you obedient to God's Word? Or is there, perhaps, some area, in personal or public ministry, in which you are knowingly disobedient? (This is a telling question because you cannot be a faithful servant and a disobedient servant at the same time.) Also, since there can be no such thing as a faithful but lazy servant, are you truly hardworking?
Are you living your life as a servant, or have you drifted from servanthood into self-service? This question is fundamental for success, for this will move you from success to failure.
The great question for all who want to please God is, Do we love him? After his resurrection, Jesus unforgettably dramatized this question by asking Peter three times, "Do you love me?" Thus, from the lips of Jesus we learn that nothing is of greater importance! There can be no success without loving God.
Do we believe that God's Son is the Creator of everything in the universe, Sustainer of every atom, the Goal of all creation, and the Lover of our souls who died for us? And more, do we believe that as Rewarder he will equitably reward us? We say we believe it. But do we really believe it with all our hearts? Do we believe what we believe? If so, we have the smile of God, and that is true success.
Are we people of prayer? Do we regularly take significant portions of time for an exposure to God, to bare our needs and the needs of our people to God? Is your prayer life moving toward success or failure?
Is your life growing in holiness? Or are you becoming captive to the culture? In respect to holiness, would God classify your life as a success or a failure? There is much to consider here. But this question is so important to the Christian life and ministry; it must be answered.
What is your basic attitude toward your ministry - positive or negative? Some attitudes exclude success, namely negativism and jealousy. Negative people never fully experience success, regardless of their accomplishment. Their negativism taints their work for God and the experience of satisfaction they might have enjoyed. Jealous people envy the good fortune of others and gloat over others' misfortunes. They find it difficult to rejoice with those who rejoice. Such people please neither God nor themselves. But those with positive, encouraging attitudes are a success in themselves for they serve God with a heart that pleases him - and that is success.

So, how are you doing? Are you successful?

What is your comfort?

2008-10-07T12:02:00.000-07:00

What is your comfort? Where do you place your trust? In what do you find security for tomorrow?

As the dollar falls and economic institutions crumble, as wars are fought and lives are lost, we are reminded that the world does not offer us security. Those who place their hope in the world will be disappointed. As Christians, we have only one comfort.

The Heidelberg Catechism (A.D. 1563):

Question 1: What is thy only comfort in life and in death?

That I, with body and soul, both in life and in death, am not my own, but belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ, who with his precious blood has fully satisfied for all my sins, and redeemed me from all the power of the devil, and so preserves that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must work together for my salvation. Wherefore, by his Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life, and makes me heartily willing and ready henceforth to live unto him.

This is our only hope; we have no other. But what a hope it is! This hope is more sure, this comfort is more profound than anything the world can offer.

Let us pray that these present crises remind us that we have only one comfort and one hope, but it is an exceedingly great hope and comfort that surpasses all comparison.

Mystery of Sin - Part 2

2008-09-29T14:24:00.000-07:00

When considering the mystery of sin and sovereignty, the first truth to keep in mind is that God is not the author of sin. He never sins, nor does he make other people sin. We can see this in many verses like these:

James 1:13 - Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.
1 John 1:5 - This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
Leviticus 11:45 - For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”
Psalm 92:15 - to declare that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

This truth is a biblical guideline for us as we try to understand the mystery of sin. This truth is clearly expressed in the Bible: God is holy, there is nor evil in him, and he doesn't make people do evil. In our efforts to reconcile sin and sovereignty, we must make sure that our explanations never contradict this truth.

So, if God is sovereign over everything, and people sin, does that make God sovereign over sin? I think we must say yes. Throughout the Bible, we see God using sin for his own purposes. This is clearly seen in Genesis 50. Joseph's brothers were jealous of him and sold him into slavery. When they finally recognize him in Egypt, they fear his response. But Joseph reassures them, saying, "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today." Because of the sins of his brothers, Joseph was in a position to provide food for many people in the midst of a great famine.

This same principle is seen in the crucifixion of Jesus. This was the greatest evil the world has ever known: the unjust punishment of the only truly innocent man, the murder of God at the hands of mortals, the creation killing its creator. But even this tragic event was within the sovereign will of God. As Peter preaches in at Pentecost, "this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men" (Acts 2:23).

But what does this sovereignty look like? How does God plan and use something without causing it? This is the mystery. Many theologians make a distinction between God's sovereignty causing something and allowing something. For example, Louis Berkhof writes:

If God has decreed sin he must be regarded as the author of sin, and yet this cannot be in view of the fact that He is holy, that He forbids sin, and Scripture stresses His moral purity...It may be said, however, that the decree merely makes God the Author of free moral beings who are themselves the authors of sin. The decree with reference to sin is not an efficient [causing something to happen], but a permissive [allowing something to happen] decree. God did not decree to produce sin by direct, divine efficiency. (Berkhof, Manual of Christian Doctrine, p.88)

The distinction between efficient and permissive decrees may be helpful, but it still doesn't solve everything. Berkhof continues, "This consideration does not fully remove the difficulty. The problem remains a mystery we cannot fully solve." It is good to think through these issues, but in the end they remain mysteries. In the end, where undertsanding stops, we keep on trusting. We trust that God is both holy and sovereign, and remains both holy and sovereign even in the midst of human sin.

The Holy Spirit in the Church

2008-09-28T12:30:00.000-07:00

What role does the Holy Spirit play in the Church? Too often, we treat the Holy Spirit as if he were some kind of optional extra, the icing on the cake of our church. We have a church, and then we talk about the Holy Spirit coming into our church, breathing life into our church. As if we could have a church at all without the Spirit. The Holy Spirit does a lot of things in the church: sanctifying believers, unifying believers with God and with each other, convicting us of sin, applying the Word to our lives, and probably countless others. But he is not optional. Where there is no Spirit, there is no church.

I was reminded of this while researching my paper on the Trinity. An Orthodox minister named John Zizioulas wrote about this in his book, Being as Communion:

The Spirit is not something that "animates" a church which already somehow exists. The Spirit makes a church be. Pneumatology [the doctrine of the Holy Spirit] does not relate to the well-being but to the very being of the church. It is not about a dynamism which is added to the essence of the church. It is the very essence of the church.

The Spirit doesn't just make a church better (although he does do this), he makes the church. Without the Spirit, we are just an organization.

The "Mystery" of Sin

2008-09-26T17:22:00.000-07:00

Last week in Theology we discussed the "problem" of sin in the context of a sovereign God. In other words, if God ordains everything, where does sin fit in?

Our professor, Dr. Kelly, said there are three truths we must keep in mind, even though we may have trouble understanding how they fit together.

God is not the author of sin.
God does not repress the will of human beings.
God's plan does not destroy human responsibility, but rather establishes it.

I have some further thoughts about each of these truths that I will post over the next couple days. For now, I'll just say that I dislike the phrase "the 'problem' of sin." When we talk about the problem of sin, we often give the impression that the message of the Bible has some inconsistency, that there is some fatal flaw in the Gospel. May it never be! The problem is not with God or His revelation, but with our understanding. Just because God chooses not to explain something to us, in a way we understand and to a level we expect, doesn't mean that God has no explanation.

Instead of the "problem," I think it would be more helpful for us to talk about "the mystery." We affirm that the Bible does give us some truths about the issue; we acknowledge that we don't understand how these truths relate to each other; and we trust that God does understand. Paul wasn't afraid to call things that were hard to understand "mysteries": the resurrection (1 Cor 15:51), the salvation of Israel (Rom 11), the salvation of the Gentiles (Eph 3:6), God's will (Eph 1:9), and even marriage (Eph 5:32).

Lets follow Paul's example. When we don't understand what the Bible is telling us, when we think we see some contradictions, lets not think of it as a "problem" that needs to be fixed. Instead, lets think of it as a "mystery" that will one day be revealed.

Something is wrong here...

2008-09-26T13:38:00.001-07:00

You get a gold star if you can tell me what is wrong with these paragraphs from Calvin Miller's The Empowered Leader.

David, in 1 Samuel 17:26, was a person in touch with both his limitations and the unlimited power of God. He turned outward to consider the crisis, not thinking of all his personal weaknesses. No paralysis intimidated David! What was to be done? David was not sure! One thing was sure: wringing his hands would not help.

Then come questions from a foe that David must first process and then reply to: "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?" (1 Sam. 17:26, NIV). David must first answer Goliath's question, not so Goliath will know who David is, but so that David himself will know who David is. Without knowing who he is, David cannot assess his strengths and weaknesses and be reminded of his need to depend on God.

Evidence for what I know

2008-09-26T10:00:00.000-07:00

BJ posted this on his blog quite a while ago, and then it disappeared (or at least I can't find it), so I am re-posting this here. Its from a debate between Christian Doug Wilson and atheist Christopher Hitchens. The debate was published in 6 parts in Christianity Today.

Wilson makes an important point in his response to Hitchens demand for evidence. There is evidence all around, but we don't see it because we don't receive it with grace. Romans says that we "suppress the truth in unrighteouness." We should pray that God would open our eyes to the wonder of creation.

You dismiss the idea that the death of Jesus—the "torture and death of a single individual in a backward part of the Middle East" — could possibly be the solution to the sorrows of our brutish existence. When I said that Jesus is good for the world because he is the life of the world, you just tossed this away. You said, "You cannot possibly 'know' this. Nor can you present any evidence for it."

Actually, I believe I can present evidence for what I know. But evidence comes to us like food, and that is why we say grace over it. And we are supposed to eat it, not push it around on the plate—and if we don't give thanks, it never tastes right. But here is some evidence for you, in no particular order. The engineering that went into ankles. The taste of beer. That Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, just like he said. A woman's neck. Bees fooling around in the flower bed. The ability of acorns to manufacture enormous oaks out of stuff they find in the air and dirt. Forgiveness of sin. Storms out of the North, the kind with lightning. Joyous laughter (diaphragm spasms to the atheistic materialist). The ocean at night with a full moon. Delta blues. The peacock that lives in my yard. Sunrise, in color. Baptizing babies. The pleasure of sneezing. Eye contact. Having your feet removed from the miry clay, and established forever on the rock. You may say none of this tastes right to you. But suppose you were to bow your head and say grace over all of it. Try it that way.

I'm mostly posting this because I like it, and want it in an easy-to-find place in case I ever need the quote. You should check out the whole debate, if you're interested.

The Living Word

2008-09-25T14:39:00.000-07:00

There are more than a few commonly used Christian phrases that bug me. But to be fair, there are more than a few non-Christian phrases that bug me as well. I think words are important, and it bugs me when people are careless with their words and say things they might not really mean.

One of my (least) favorite examples of this is, "______ really makes the Scripture come alive." You can fill in the blank with whatever you want: a pastor, a sermon, a movie, a song. What we really mean is that _______ helps me understand the Bible and how it applies to my life, and this excites me. But _______ doesn't bring the Scripture to life. The Bible doesn't need our help in that department. Hebrews 4:12 tells us that "the word of God is living and active." It would be more true to speak of the Scripture making us come alive.

Assignment List

2008-09-08T11:16:00.000-07:00

Here are the topics for my big term papers this fall. Since this is what I will be researching, expect to see more than a few posts about these.

A biographical leadership profile of Richard I (8 pages)
A personal philosophy of ministry statement (5 pages)
A review of Jeremiah, by Derek Kidner (2 pages)
An expository outline of a passage from Jeremiah (2 pages)
A presentation on the ethics of homosexual marriage (30-45 minutes)
A personal statement of ministerial ethics (2-3 pages)
A paper on the mutual-indwelling of the Trinity (6-8 pages)

Gonna be fun...

I'm not here to learn anything new

2008-08-22T13:43:00.000-07:00

At our orientation on Monday, our president Michael Milton said that we should not expect to learn anything new at seminary. I found a quote in the introduction to Calvin's Institutes that makes a very similar point:

"In theology there is, of course, no room for originality properly so called, for its whole materials are contained in the actual statements of God’s word; and he is the greatest and best theologian who has most accurately apprehended the meaning of the statements of Scripture—who, by comparing and combining them, has most fully and correctly brought out the whole mind of God on all the topics on which the Scriptures give us information—who classifies and digests the truths of Scripture in the way best fitted to commend them to the apprehension and acceptance of men—and who can most clearly and forcibly bring out their scriptural evidence, and most skillfully and effectively defend them against the assaults of adversaries” - William Cunningham

Theology, and pretty much everything else we learn at seminary, shouldn't be new or cutting-edge. These are ancient truths, based on the Word of God that never changes. Whether in school or church or our own personal lives, we get distracted by things that are new. We are looking for some new secret to life, some new key to unlock the truths of the Bible. What we really need is a hunger for the Bible. Only when we know these timeless truths will we be able to apply them to the world around us in timely ways.

Tuesdays are for Quotes

2008-08-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

Here is one of my all-time favorite quotes, from G.K. Chesterton:

Fairy Tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.

Life Update

2008-08-18T14:00:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy couple weeks. After some very busy days packing (which was not fun), having goodbye parties (which were very fun), and saying goodbye (not fun at all), last Tuesday I set off from Tucson. Three loooooooong days of driving later, I made it to Charlotte. I spent the weekend unpacking, exploring, and missing Tucson.

Today was orientation at RTS. It was mostly a lot of not-very-exciting information in a small amount of time. But it was good to meet other first year students. It was also good to get out of the house and get started with seminary, since that is the whole reason I moved.

With orientation finished, I am even more excited to begin taking classes (they start on Wednesday). I was once again encouraged by the caliber of the faculty. They truly seem to be pastor-scholars: leaders in their fields, but still approachable and interested in your life. Everyone, from the faculty to the staff to the students, seems to be passionate about their love for God and their commitment to faithful ministry.

To everybody back in Arizona: I miss y'all already. I appreciate your friendship and support. You are a huge encouragement. I also appreciate your prayers. I am happy to report that my car did not break down; instead, it got the best mileage I've ever seen. Here are some new things to pray about:

That I find a job (this is pretty urgent).
That I find a church (while important, this feels less urgent than the job).
That I glorify God in my studies as learn to love God with all my mind.
That in the midst of my studies, I would not forget to love God with my heart and strength as well.
That I would form meaningful friendships with my classmates and professors.

What a Trip

2008-08-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

Some quick thoughts from the drive:

Texas is big.
2000 miles is a long way.
Hooray for friends-of-friends and parents-of-friends-of-friends opening up their homes.
Texas is big and boring.
There are some states in the country where drivers actually follow the speed limits.
Arkansas is pretty.
Texas is big and boring and not very pretty.
The Great Smoky Mountains actually look smoky when it gets foggy.
While driving cross-country, it is possible to listen to pretty much all of the prophets.
After driving cross-country, it is possible to remember pretty much none of the prophets.

High Point of the Drive (tie):

Driving through the Great Smoky Mountains
Eating fried catfish and corn fritters across the street from the Grand Ole Opry.

Low Point of the Drive:

Texas

The most fun you'll ever have...

2008-08-07T09:43:00.000-07:00

...with punctuation.

I just finished reading Lynne Truss's Eats, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. (That's right. I read a book about punctuation. I enjoy grammar books too.) This book was not what I expected, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. It didn't drastically improve my punctuation skills. I did learn a some interesting facts about the history of punctuation. (Aldus Manutius is credited with the first ever semicolon, and he also invented italics!!!) More than anything else, the book increased my appreciation for well-punctuated sentences.

That would be enough to commend the book, but it is also a lot of fun. Read in wonder as Lynne describes the exclamation point (she calls it an exclamation mark, but she's British) in relation to other forms of punctuation:

Ever since it came along, grammarians have warned us to be wary of the exclamation mark, mainly because, even when we try to muffle it with brackets (!), it still shouts, flashes like neon, and jumps up and down. In the family of punctuation, where the full stop is daddy and the comma is mummy, and the semicolon quietly practises the piano with crossed hands, the exclamation mark is the big attention-deficit brother who gets over-excited and breaks things and laughs too loudly.

Amazing. If you want to have fun with punctuation, read this book.

Tuesday can be Quote-Day

2008-08-05T15:06:00.000-07:00

Here are two lesser-known quotes from the very quotable C.S. Lewis. First, we have Lewis standing up against open theism:

Everyone who believes in God at all believes that He knows what you and I are going to do tomorrow.

Then, we have Lewis engaging in some extreme understatement:

You really lose a lot by never reading books again.

I love Lewis because he combines my love for theology with my love for literature.

The Church on Mission

2008-08-04T15:17:00.000-07:00

Matt Chandler spoke at the Resurgence: Text and Context conference back in February, and I finally got around to listening to his talk. It's called Vision of a Church Planter and was both challenging and encouraging. Here is a quote from his conclusion:

The church on mission is a theologically formed, gospel centered, spirit led fellowship, who seeks to faithfully incarnate the purposes of Christ. The mission of the church is found in the mission of God, who is calling the church to passionately participate in God’s redemptive mission in the world.

Is this what your church looks like? Is this what what my church looks like? I hope so. At The Crossing, we are beginning to develop things like mission statements. I pray that we do not get distracted from God's redemptive mission by our own, man-made mission statements.

Now for something completely different...

2008-07-24T12:30:00.000-07:00

Wow I've been busy traveling and going to weddings and getting ready to move. Eventually, I'll get back to more regular posting. Here's something to keep you entertained in the meantime:

Battle for Western Civilization

2008-07-07T13:11:00.000-07:00

Over at the Ligonier Ministries website, Gene Edward Veith looks back on a historic battle between Muslims and Christians for control of Europe. By asking "What if the Muslims won?", Veith considers the huge impact of our Christian heritage and praises God for his sovereignty over that battle.

"Hope in Real Life"

2008-07-04T10:55:00.000-07:00

I've been listening to a lot of sermons lately, and here is one that really impressed me. Pastor Matt Chandler of the Village Church in Texas preaches about John the Baptist in "Hope in Real Life" from May 25, 2008. You can follow the links and find it in the church media archives, or download it as a podcast from iTunes. Either way, check it out.

God's Humilty and Our Pride

2008-07-03T10:51:00.000-07:00

One more quote from Wells.

Scripture is not only authoritative. It is the Word of God. It is the way God, in all his magnificent glory, as it were, hides himself in very human words in order that we might be able to stand in his presence, listen to him, and learn. It speaks to his humility that his greatness should be so cloaked that we can bear it. It speaks to our pride that we have turned away from hearing him, abandoning serious preaching in our churches. (230)

More from David Wells

2008-07-02T09:15:00.000-07:00

Here is another quote from The Courage to Be Protestant. Wells is making a case for the importance of the objective reality of a transcendent God and His holiness, as well as the subjective reality of an immanent God and His love. When we lose the objective reality of a transcendent God, we lose the power of the Gospel. And what power it is!

What we see at the cross is the white-hot revelation of the character of God, of his love providing the price that his holiness requires. The cross was his means of redeeming lost sinners and reconciling them to himself, but it was also a profound disclosure of his mercy. It is, in Paul's words, an "inexpressible gift" that leads us to wonder and worship, to praise and adore the God who has given himself to us in this way. This is what has led people to give themselves away, too, too give of themselves in service to others, to go to the mission field. It is what has impelled Christian believers to give of their substance, and to reach out in acts of mercy to those who need it, and in acts of courage against the injustices in society.

There is a deep connection between the way we see the Gospel and the way we live our lives. This is why doctrine is important, why we study and preach theology. Not to argue obscure academic points, but to help us see the Gospel more clearly so that we can live lives of increasing "wonder and worship".

The Courage to Be Protestant

2008-07-01T09:56:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading David Wells' The Courage to Be Protestant. In this book, the author distills into 250 pages the enormous research and insight that went into his previous four books. Wells evaluates the culture of (post)modern America and explores how that culture is shaping the culture of the church. As he writes in the beginning:

It takes no courage to sign up as a Protestant. After all, millions have done so throughout the West. They are not in any peril. To live by the truths of historic Protestantism, however, is an entirely different matter. That takes courage in today's context. (1)

It's one thing to call yourself a Christian, and another to live like it. The world doesn't care what you call yourself, as long as you live like the rest of the world. This takes no courage. But to live like a Christian, to live a life that is radically different from the culture around you, this takes great courage. We should identify ourselves as Christians, not just by our labels, but by our lives.

Fall Schedule

2008-06-19T12:22:00.000-07:00

Here is my tentative fall schedule:

Systematic Theology 1 (3 Credits
Pastoral and Social Ethics (3 Credits)
Hebrew Introduction (3 Credits)
Isaiah - Malachi (3 Credits)
Missions (2 Credits)
Leadership (2 Credits)

This puts me at 16 units (see, I can still do math). I didn't really want to be above 15, so I'll probably drop either Ethics or Missions.

I'm back

2008-06-16T15:31:00.000-07:00

First of all, I'm going to update this blog much more regularly in the future.

One more reason I am committed to this blog: It allows me to share things I learn from my sermon preparation and eventually from my seminary studies.

One reason for this blog...

2008-04-29T11:13:00.000-07:00

...but not reason number 1.

By blogging, I hope to develop my writing and communication skills. It never hurts to practice. Particularly, I need to work on being concise.

Welcome!

2008-04-24T16:58:00.000-07:00

Well. Here we are.

The evidence is in, the pros seem to outweigh the cons, and I have become convinced of the value of blogging. Over the next few weeks, I will be posting my reasons and goals for blogging.

This is new to me, so bear with me while I figure this out.