The Desert and the Bride

The Desert sucks.

Figuratively and literally.

I know.

I've lived in both.

I won't lie. I've wondered what God was doing during some of these desert times. The times when I am seeking Him and there is nothing but silence. The times when I need to be comforted and I get another thorn in my side (usually my backside!). The times I hoped someone else would understand where I'm at and I get a blank stare.

How do we make sense of this silence? Of this seemingly lack of caring by the God that we've all been told loves us? I'm not saying I've got a total handle on it, in fact, I think I've still got a little desert walking to do, but the only way I can make sense of it is understanding the Bridal Paradigm.

When I look at the end of the Bible, which tells us about the end of all things, this is what I find
(Actually, the Bible is full of Bridal symbolism, and it's a pretty interesting study.) :

Rev 21:1-4 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. And the sea no longer is. And I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of Heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her Husband. And I heard a great voice out of Heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away all tears from their eyes. And there will be no more death, nor mourning, nor crying out, nor will there be any more pain; for the first things passed away.

Rev 21:9 And one of the seven angels who had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, Come here, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife.

Can you sense the excitement in the angel's voice as he shows John the Bride? Have you ever met a bridegroom that was not passionate for his bride?

The culmination of human history will be a wedding ceremony! The final state of God's people will be as a Bride adorned for her Husband. God is preparing us for the ultimate wedding ceremony. It is in this reality that I need to interpret God's dealings with me.

The attitude God has taken toward us has never been one of pity, irritation or impatience. He has succumbed neither to despair nor a performance orientation. His attitude has always been that of the delighted Father, preparing the perfect partner for His perfect Son. The Son's posture has eternally been that of the enthralled Bridegroom, captured by the beauty of one created specifically to be His counterpart. The assurance of the power of God guarantees that at the end of it all we will be what He intended. - Gary Wiens

How does the desert play into this scenario? I think the book of Hosea gives us a sense of God's heart towards His Beloved.

In the context of Israel's "harlotry" as she chases after other lovers:

Hos 2:13-16, 19-20
And I will visit on her the days of the Baals, in which she burned incense to them, and she adorned herself with her nose-rings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers and forgot Me, says Jehovah. Therefore, behold, I will lure her and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably to her. And I will give her vineyards to her from there, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope. And she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt. And it shall be at that day, says Jehovah, you shall call Me, My Husband, and shall no more call Me, My Baal. And I will betroth you to Me forever. Yea, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving-kindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth you to Me in faithfulness. And you shall know Jehovah.

The desert time. The times of silence and despair. The times of confusion and hopelessness. They are a necessary part of the preparation. Our trouble (Valley of Achor) will be turned into a doorway of hope. God is wooing us back. Restoring us. Preparing us for a deeper sense of his presence. Opening the doorway for communication with his heart in deeper, more full ways. And songs will spring forth from our hearts....

Who Is This King of Glory?

Aaahhh. Ain't he cute? Little baby Jesus laying in the manger. Docile animals all around. Sweet little cherub overhead....

Peace and safety.
The world is lullabied by peace and safety.
The church is lullabied by peace and safety.

And the magi bring their gifts. Gently bowing before the tiny baby. Knowing that a great future awaited him....

Peace and safety.
The world is lullabied by peace and safety.
The church is lullabied by peace and safety.


Aaahh. Mary and Joseph looking with love and awe at their little bundle of joy wrapped in swaddling clothes. To bad they had to be run out of town because they had a bastard child.

Who is this King of Glory?

Laying in a barn that stinks like animal crap and wet hay. No room for him in his town. No room for him in a home. No room for him in his people's hearts.

Who is this King of Glory?
Is he still a baby laying in a manger?

NO! He is no longer a baby in a manger! He is no longer cute and cuddly. He has walked this life in the flesh. He loved and lost. He has been beaten, whipped and crucified. He has seen death and conquered it. His eyes are like fire. He wears many crowns. He has a sword in his mouth and rod of iron in his hand. He rides a white horse. No swaddling clothes here, but a garment dipped in blood. He is risen from the dead and full of glory. . .

Who is this King of Glory?

You do not choose to be friends with someone so powerful, so awesome. . . someone like this chooses friendship with you. And he HAS chosen you to be his friend! He has chosen you to be his bride! AND HE IS PASSIONATE FOR YOU!

Who is this King of Glory?

He is Jesus Christ!

Army of the Broken

Our friends from England have been here and gone. Rich is my oldest and dearest friend. We met in Hollywood, CA at music school when neither of us knew the Lord and now we are both followers. Rich is always a breath of spiritual fresh air. He brought two friends this time: Simon and Val who are also gems.

They spent a week at IHOP. Not eating pancakes either. It is the International House of Prayer in K.C. When they arrived here they felt like they had some unfinished business there and that we should join them. I can be spontaneous, but a 5 hour trip with the kids is a stretch for me. We threw some stuff in a suitcase, packed up the kids and a cooler and went. I was a bit skeptical....organized religion.....charismatic prophecy.....and all of that.....

When we got there the worship didn't seem like anything special, other than it has been going on 24/7 for the last 4 years. And it definately was not a show. These people could care less how the people were reacting. They were going for it for God and God only. But I sensed God telling me that I wasn't going to get anymore of Him there than I would anywhere else. I was willing....but no real connection.

At 10:00pm another worship team was taking over (seamless transitions of whole bands by the way). The leader sat down at the piano and played a couple of familar tunes as her band got into place. Then it happened. Misty Edwards began spontaneous prophecying/preaching as she sang. I have never experienced anything quite like it. Quite definately God-led.

The next day we met one of Rich's friends from England (Who "happened" to be there the same week). Paul is an older gentleman with gentleness in his spirit and wisdom in his words. He knew a little of our story and he had been through some similar stuff. A pastor booted out of his church....lost it all....broken...angry.....desperate in the silence....

And as he prayed over us he said:

"What you have been through was not a mistake or a failure. You have been led by God so that you could join an army of the broken."

Hos 2:14-16
Therefore, I am going to persuade her, lead her to the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her vineyards back to her and make the Valley of Achor into a gateway of hope. There she will respond as she did in the days of her youth, as in the day she came out of the land of Egypt. In that day--the LORD's declaration--you will call Me: My husband. . .

The News - One Foot In Front Of The Other

Christmas time is approaching....

I like Christmas. I don't care what consumerism and capitalism have done to it. I like giving and receiving gifts. Guess I'm not spiritual enough to just like giving. Sorry. But have you thought about our role in our relationship with God? He is the giver....we are the receivers. I have a lot to learn about receiving.

In other news.
"Conservative Christians" are going to bat for Christ by putting the "Christ" back in Christmas! I'm glad someone fights the battles that matter. (Insert sarcasm here)

In personal news.
We are coming closer to some decisions about our future. Trish and I both want to finish our degrees. I'm basically an idiot. I have spent most of my life not knowing what I wanted to be when I grew up. I started out as a psychology major. Switched to music. Then compromised for a degree in Organizational Leadership because I could get it done quickly. Funny thing is I am going back to where I started and persuing a degree in Social Work.

Updates to come...

P.S. Thanks for all the moral and spiritual support!

First Day Back

The first day back to school after Thanksgiving.

Yea, it is usually a little stressful with the kids getting back on schedule. But, this is a behavioral disorder classroom. Magnify it. Then magnify it again.

There is a little boy in our class. I'll call him N. He is small for his age. About a head smaller than most. He is witty and can be as cute as they come....when he wants to be. And that ain't often.

From what I gather he spends most of his life being ignored by his family. When he does get attention it is in the form of a big brother's taunts and fists.

As a result, every little thing is a power struggle. EVERY LITTLE THING. In order to feel like he belongs and is accepted N. must be in control. Probably because he feels everyone else controls his circumstances.

Today N. lost it. Not his usual playing gymnastics with the desk and chair, or making loud noises to disrupt the rest of the class. No. We had to restrain him after he started throwing chairs around the room. When the teacher got tired of being hit and kicked we had to do a more restrictive restraining technique. When he realized he was truely powerless he cried like a baby.

To tell the truth it was hard for me not to cry with him. What happens at his home to cause this behavior breaks my heart. Any communication of love is met with complete resistance and defiance. But, I will not give in or give up.

Jesus claimed this as His mission:

Luk 4:18-19
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."

I think it is mine too. Right in my little broken classroom.

Can we get honest here...?

Honestly.

The past five years have been difficult. I won't bore you with the details. The few that read this drivel know most of it anyway.

Trish and I recently had an argument that escalated far beyond what is acceptable. It scared the kids and it scared us too. No, we are not getting divorced. No, we are not separated. Yes, we are getting some help to work through it. . .

This incident has forced me to look at my life and verbalize some things that had been swirling around in my demented head for sometime anyway. As most of you know a series of events began when we left a stable job, good friends, and the church where we started our journey with Jesus in Dallas. I was unhappy with my job and believed God was calling us to "full-time ministry" (whatever that is). We moved to El Paso so I could work at a church as worship and youth leader. It was a complete disaster and we left confused, hurt and disillusioned. We moved to Illinois where I was going to complete a degree in music and be a worship leader at a hopefully healthy church. I changed my major with that in mind. Then the screwball. We began to seriously questions the motives and usefulness of organized religion.

So, during this time Trish, who wants to be a stay-at-home mom has been the primary bread winner. I now have a degree that is worthless. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. The decisions over the last five years have not worked out like we had hoped, and it has left me confused, depressed, disillusioned, angry, and directionless. Any dreams that I had are gone. They need to be replaced with something else. I don't really care what....but I am a dreamer....I gotta have something to shoot for....

I think I have been a functional Agnostic for the past few months. Yea, God is there, but I just ain't feelin' it. I'm fine with that. I've resolved that the next move is His.

Rapid Increase in Alternative Forms of The Church Are Changing the Religious Landscape

Here is an excerpt from an interesting article from Barna that Trish turned me on to.... seems the "alternative" forms of church are more mainstream than most people thought....

A new book by George Barna, entitled Revolution, indicates that since the turn of the millennium there have been major changes occurring in how people experience and express their faith. Based on a regular series of national surveys conducted by his company during the past quarter century, Barna discovered that discontent with congregational churches, changes in lifestyles, and a burgeoning desire to get closer to God, have caused many people to seek new ways of being in relationship with God and other God-seeking people.

In 2000, most of the nation’s organized religious activity took place at or through local churches. Today, Barna’s research points out, the action is shifting to newer forms of corporate religious commitment. In a typical week, 9% of all adults participate in a house church. An even greater proportion – 22% - engages in spiritual encounters that take place in the marketplace (e.g., with groups of people while they are at their place of work or play, or in other typical daily contexts). The Internet serves as the foundation for interactive faith experiences for more than one out of every ten adults, although most of them currently use it in tandem with another form of corporate religious experience.

The Road Less Traveled

I am not very motivated to blog right now, though there are lots of things I could blog about.... Yea, I'm lazy...

I've been reading The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck. It isn't exactly a "Christian" book, but I've been really challenged by some of his concepts and thoughts.

Peck believes that love is at the core of any spiritual change. It is how Peck defines love, and the implications that follow, that I find really interesting.

Peck's definition of love: "The will to extend one's self for the purpose of nurturing one's own or another's spiritual growth."

According to Peck one cannot love someone else without loving their own self. I know. That sounds like modern psychological BS. But think about it. Can you really give someone else something you don't have? Can we impart character or discipline to our children that we don't have? Or, that God is not living in us and through us?

Next, Peck emphasizes the word "will" in his definition of love. "Will is desire of sufficient intensity that it is translated into action." There is a difference between desire and action. We can desire to be loving, and not be loving. This sounds trite, but when I think about my own life, and my "lived-out" definition of love, it tends to be nebulous. This definition forces me to think about love on an individual level rather than the "we are the world" level. Who is God putting right in front of me, right now?

Last, this definition implies that love is work. (I'm sure there are some with a "romantic" view of love who will have problems with this. The romantic view of love is based on feeling so would fall outside of the definition that we are using here.) In Peck's view, love is always a form of work and/or courage because we are extending ourselves to include someone else in our "world". That extension of ourself implies risk and work.

After pointing out the many things that love is not, Peck discusses the "work of attention". The fact is that a large part of love is attention. It is listening. It is entering in to the other person's world. If you have ever really tried to that, you know that it is work. I don't know about you, but my thoughts drift so easily...."What will I say next?"...."Oh, I can fix that."...."Dang, I forgot to put that load of laundry in."....."My kids are being to loud."..... I've thought about how often I truly enter in to my kid's world too. Peck points out that there are many different levels of listening and we need to use each one at certain times. But, how often do I fully enter in to my kindergartener's world with all my attention? Not often enough.

I'll end with a quote from a part of the book about the role of love in psychotherapy. I think it describes a way in which we, as the Church, can and should be present to the broken in our world.

"It is not "unconditonal positive regard," nor it is magical words, techniques or postures; it is human involvement and struggle. It is the willingness of the therapist to extend himself or herself for the purpose of nurturing a patient's growth - willingness to go out on a limb, to truly involve oneself at an emotional level in the relationship, to actually struggle with the patient and with oneself. In short, the magical ingredient of successful deep and meaningful psychotherapy is love."

Am I willing to go to the broken places and broken people of the world and enter struggle?
Who, specifically, am I struggling with?
How am I doing at struggling with my wife and kids?

This is our first Sunday not being part of an institutional church in about 12 years. I didn't miss is it this weekend.... We had a time of reading the OT and Psalms as a family, sang a song or two and chilled out on the couch and enjoyed each other. We had a nice bonfire on Friday night with some good friends....gotta like that....something about friends, fire and a few beers that I really enjoy.... We continue to pray for God to put people into our life that want to journey with us.... We will be having biscuits and gravy "church" at our house in the near future.

Been reading N.T. Wright's "Challenge of Jesus". Really challenges me in putting Jesus in a historical context rather than viewing him as a "supernatural" being that floated his way through life. I'm sure I'll have some more to say at a later time about that....

My job as a teacher's asst. continues to be interesting. I pray for my kids everyday....in a public school even....they don't know it though.....that wouldn't be "legal". My heart breaks for some of these kids. The home life they must have that causes them to act out like they do.... sigh....heartbreak....prayer....

The Midwest Camping Experiment

Reality Show Update:

Can three families whose only contact has been on the internet camp together for a weekend? Will their kids get along? Will they be able to share food and water? Will they be able to share the life of Christ without devolving into petty theological arguements? Will they be able to endure a three mile wilderness hike with meager provisions, little water, and nine whiney children? Stay tuned. . .

The answer to all these questions was a resounding YES! Last weekend we camped with Bob and Amy, and Matt and Amy and their children. Some people might think we were crazy for camping with people we met on the internet. Of course they could have been axe murders, but I can verify that there were hatchets available, and yet, we all came back alive. Physically and spiritually.

It didn't cease to amaze me the whole weekend how easily and effortlessly our children connected. They played like they have known each other for years! It reminded me of a family get-togethers as a kid, which my kids don't get to enjoy due to family strangeness. It was cool to see them share, and mostly get through their small disagreements on their own. My kids couldn't stop talking about the fun they had on the way home!

I think that sense of immediate connection was shared among the adults too. We shared food and spiritual journeys around the campfire. We shared carrying each others children on our wilderness adventure. (Note to self: Never do a three mile hike with children under 8.) We shared songs. From my point of view it just felt "right".

I am reminded how important it is to spend time with others in the family of God. We all have different expriences that shape our theology, ecclesiology and worldview, and I am reminded how much I need my theology, ecclesiology and worldview shaped by others.

It never ceases to amaze me how God connects His people. It was great to have a family outing and we can't wait for the next one.

I would say our "reality show" was a success....

Camping

I just lost two posts about our camping trip this weekend!!!! STUPID BLOGGER!

We had an awesome time camping with Bob and Amy, and Matt and Amy and their kiddos!

That said I'm giving up until tomorrow!

"D"

Her shaggy brown hair covered her face, providing shelter from those who might make fun of her. She dressed in classic second hand clothes. Just out of style enough to stick out. At the start of every day she came to the fifth and sixth grade gym, searched out a place in the middle of the gym where she wouldn’t be noticed, and sat alone. While the other kids socialized, swapping stories about their latest video game, or who the cutest boy in their class is, or what happened at the ball game last night, or even finished their homework . . . she looked at the gym floor.

A bald, directionless, teacher’s assistant who happens to believe that God loves people like this little girl with deep affection enters the picture. He is just stupid enough to believe that God has put this little girl on his heart. He knows enough about feeling alone and left out to not want others to feel the same way, and just naive enough to think that he can make a difference. He introduces himself, asks some general questions and invites her to join his little band of misfits. She smiles and politely declines.

In a conversation with the social worker the next day he points out the little girl sitting alone with her hair in her face. It just so happens the social worker knows another little girl who has some social issues and she introduces them. Can you believe that these two little girls used to be friends a long time ago and hadn’t talked in a long time? Can you believe that they happen to have enough in common to strike up a conversation? I knew you could. . .

The next day the bald, directionless teacher’s assistant walks in the gym with his boys and looks for the shaggy-haired little girl. She isn’t in her usual spot. Scanning the gym he catches sight of her. What a beautiful sight it was! The wilting flower of a girl had gotten a drink of water and was blooming among a group of new friends. Smiling and laughing, and not looking much at all like the girl of the previous day. . .

The bald, directionless teacher’s assistant is learning to measure success in small increments. . .

Reflections

My first week of working with Behavior Disorder students has been challenging, interesting and tiring. Let me see. . . I've been cussed at, threatened and had to restrain a child in my first week. I'm told it will get worse as the kids get more comfortable....Great.....!

I am so grateful for my children, as knuckleheaded as they can be! Our family isn't perfect, but at least there is some love and concern there. Just about every kid has home issues that contribute to their behavior problems. I'm sure that doesn't come as a surprise. But, there is not a kid that I don't have hope for (great grammar). I hope that many of them will return to normal classes in the future.

Speaking of my kids. My middle has been diagnosed with Asperger's Disorder. To be honest, it is a relief. She doesn't have the social debilitating issues that many people have, but it is enough that we have been concerned for awhile about her social growth. This answers a lot of questions for us! I look forward to learning how to help her!

If you've read Trish's blog, you've seen we decided to leave the church where we currently serve. This is a big step in our journey. It has been a long time coming, and if you've read here you know the many reasons. All I can say is that I have peace about it, and I look forward to what God has in store, though we have no clue what that is....

First Day Conversation

My boy had his first day of kindergarten this week. Here is an excerpt of the conversation after his first full day. . .

Me: How was your first day!

Bubba: Good.

Me: Were you nervous?

Bubba: Not really.

Me: You seemed a little scared when I dropped you off at the Gym...

Bubba: Well, maybe half- scared.

Me: Why only half-scared?

Bubba: God is with us wherever we are!

Me: Yeah, you're right dude!

(Silence)

Bubba: Does God make tornadoes?

Me: I guess so.....kind of....

Bubba: Why does God make bad stuff?

My boy has an interesting train of thought here. If God is with us during even the "bad stuff" why would he create the "bad stuff" in the first place.... not bad for a kindergartener!

I love Bubba!

First Day

This is the first day of school, both for me and my youngest. Bubba is excited and a little nervous, but overall I think he is ready for his first day of kindergarten. Kind of makes me sad to think of him as a student now. . .

I have found out some more about the students I will be working with. Most of them have severe behavior disorders. Most come from troubled families. Some have been sexually abused. Some have . . . the list could go on. My first introduction to the school system was a "restraint" class. . . nice . . .

I am going just hoping to reflect the light of Christ. Patience and tolerance with defiant kids are not strong suits of mine, but I am praying that God will give me the power and grace that are His alone to give. . .

Brat Camp

Sorry for the silence. Our internet has been down since a storm Saturday evening.

Trish and I stumbled across the reality show "Brat Camp" this past weekend. They had a marathon to get people up to date. It's about an intense wilderness camp that teaches troubled kids to be responsible and deal with their emotions in healthy ways in an intense environment. It reminded me so much of going through drug treatment as a teenager. My mom and dad should have thrown me in one of those camps. I deserved it. But I also relate to the counselors who give a large portion of their own lives to help these kids. I think that kind of sacrifice is Jesus in action in our world today... It also reminds me of the comraderie and fellowship that I experienced in NA groups for many years that I have yet to find in the institutional church. . .

Silent Fun

We just got back from taking the kids to HolidayWorld. We had a great time! I love hearing my kids laugh! I think we liked the waterpark better than the the regular rides actually. We stayed in a trailer and didn't bring a TV or radio. It was nice to have silence for awhile. You realize how addicted you are to noise when you don't have any around. I like silence. It provides space for conversations...


Now it is time to prepare for school...Part of me is excited, the other dreads it. Part of me is glad to get the kids back in a routine, the other part is going to miss the time with them.

If you get time add your list to the "Seven Great Lies of Organized Religion".

Slinky Job

In our quest to figure out a way to earn some money while not neglecting our kids and other relationships, I got a job at our local school. I am going to be a personal aid to a young man with a behavior disorder. It will be challenging.... I really don't know what to expect.... I am already praying for him though...

The upside is that we finally will have some medical benefits, and I will be off work when the kids are off school! The downside is that the pay isn't great...but I have had some thoughts about getting my Master's Degree at some point...so who knows...

We are doing the music for Vacation Bible School at our church this week. This is probably the only time I truely enjoy playing for the church. 200 screaming kids, who actually enjoy what we do! We've been singing Born To Be Wild and I'm A Believer and everyone's favorite Lions (The Slinky Song)!

Find out more about the song that won the Joh Lennon songwriting award, and happens to be one of the most powerful songs of spiritual warfare ever: The Slinky Song.

OH THEM LIONS THEY CAN EAT MY BODY, BUT THEY CAN'T SWALLOW MY SOUL. THEY KEEP ON TRYING TO CRASH MY PARTY BUT THEY CAN'T GET CONTROL.
NO WAY, BABY.

SATAN PROWLS LIKE A ROARING LION, SEEKING WHOM HE WILL DEVOUR.
YET I KNOW THAT THOUGH HE KEEPS ON TRYING, HE'S NO MATCH FOR JESUS' POWER!

EVEN DEMONS BELIEVE AND TREMBLE, BUT THEY TRY TO RUIN YOUR LIFE THE SAME. YET I KNOW THAT WHEN THE SAINTS ASSEMBLE, SATAN RUNS AT EVERY SIGN OF JESUS' NAME!

Reality Check

I've been accused of focusing to much on the problems and the negative of my institutional church experiences. I'll try to share some of our direction from a positive point of view...

We really desire to have fellowship with a small group of people who desire to see the reality of the Kingdom expressed in our little town. We desire to let God use us in the context of a community to do "mission" (helping people in real ways as part of Kingdom come). We desire to have a couple of close friends who "get" our desires. We desire to be part of a group of people who share and teach each other, in dialogue, the truths they are learning. We desire a community based on deepening relationships with God and each other, rather than a specific meeting time.

The reality is that we've tried. It ain't happening.

I've also been accused of being depressed lately. I don't think I am, but I do know that I don't feel like we are experiencing any of the things I've listed. . . and to be honest, I've given up trying.

Reality Check:

I'm an idealist and a romantic.
I'm a self-centered ass.
I'm a dreamer.
I'm a terrible housekeeper.
I'm an introvert by nature.
I'm never satisfied.
I can the negative side of anything.

Want to be in community with me?

Cardinals!!!!

We took the kids to Busch Stadium last night to witness the greatness that is the Cardinals! It was HOT and HUMID!!! We got to walk on the field with the Highland Parks and Recreation group! Pretty cool!

We ALL had a good time, which is difficult to pull off with 5 people with diverse interests. Hannah's "man" is Albert Pujols and she got to see him smack a two run homer. Abbie's man is Scott Rolen. . .well, he's working through it. . . Brenden loved munching on a giant snow cone and guessing whether the batter would hit or miss.

Is it really necessary to charge $4 for a bottle of water?

It was weird to think that may be the last time I see the Cards in the old Busch Stadium....lots of good childhood memories there. . .progress marches on...

Did I mention the greatness that is the Cardinals?

Thoughts

So, we attended a church service for the first time in a month this past week. Someone asked me if I missed it. . . I can honestly say that I didn't miss the service one bit, but I did miss seeing some of the people.

I find it interesting how many people say that they miss you when they make no attempt to contact you. Seriously, other than our close friends maybe two people got a hold of us. I realize that many of the people in our institution aren't where we are at, but the lack of any resemblance of community is disheartening. I think what they missed was what we bring to the service in way of music. To be honest, that makes me feel a little used, but I guess I already knew that. . .

During our time off I can honestly say that I did not feel any closer to God, or any farther away from God, than I usually do. What I did feel was far less busy. We had more time to spend with our family. No crazy Wed. night running around, and Sunday mornings were actually pleasant for a change!

I know there are a lot of people who don't understand our decisions and our direction. I'm not even sure that I do some of the time. But I know this. God is not relegated to a church building. God does not talk through the same person week after week. God wants people to take responsibilty for their own spirituality. God does not want a building full of consumers.

If you care about us, and really don't understand what the heck we are talking about please read THIS. It probably explains much about how we feel about institutional church better than we could. . .

Recently purchased on Ebay. . . Another reason for my Blog silence. Hopefully the noise you'll hear will be some tunage... Plus, this just goes to show that I have the most awesome wife in the universe! Sorry, all you other wives out there, you just don't compare!!!

Bathroom Silence

Sorry for the silence. Our bathroom drain was draining slowly, our house is old, so I decided to change the drain pipes under the sink. . .now we are remodeling the whole bathroom. . . I love old houses. . .

Pharisees Continued

Sorry for the delay. I got some new gear and I'm getting close to be able to do some halfway quality recordings of my music. I'm looking forward to it!

We are really enjoying our time off of church. All I can say that is that I feel at peace.

So, continuing the Pharisees discussion...

If Jesus was not battling "legalism" when he was dealing with the Pharisees, what was going on? I've always understood the Pharisees to be the bad guys in the story. They were oppressing people with their legalistic interpretations of the Law, right? Forcing people to "earn" their way to heaven by following dietary laws, Sabbath observance etc, right? I'm finding that maybe that's not exactly true.

First, the Pharisees were probably the more liberal of the Jewish sects of Jesus' day. The Sadducees were in control of the Temple. They wanted everything to stay status quo. They wanted everything revolving around the Temple. Next, the Essenes were the radicals who saw the Temple system as absolutely corrupt. So far gone, in fact, that they started their own community in the desert to separate themselves from the world and await the time that God would restore them as the "real Israel". The Pharisees were trying to help the common person be faithful to Israel's traditions without going to either extreme. Not quite the "Darth Vaders" of the First Century that I was taught about in Sunday school. . . Throw in to this mix Herod, who is building palaces and the Temple to try to appease the people while trying to get along with his political bosses, and the Zealots whose goal was a forceful revolution. It becomes pretty easy to see that religion and politics was not as separate as it is in our day.

I am suggesting that the Pharisees, as well as the other religions sects of Jesus' time, had a nationalistic agenda, and at least part of what Jesus was dealing with so forcefully was that Israel's vocation of being a "blessing to the world" could not be fulfilled within that nationalistic agenda. Let's remember Abraham's covenant, which superseded the Mosaic Law:

Gen 12:1-3
Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (Emphasis mine)

I believe that this is the controlling story of the Bible. The vocation of Israel is plain and simple: bless the world. The problem is that all of the symbols that demark Israel as a nation have been co-opted by a nationalistic agenda that wants to overthrow Rome, restore the land, and end the long exile. According the the Scriptures this will be accomplished by the Messiah. Interesting that Jesus was not the first, nor the last to claim to be the Messiah isn't it? Most of the people of Israel were not looking for a spiritual kingdom, they wanted the Roman animals off their backs and out of their land!

I know, you are skeptical. Surely there is more to the story. I'm not saying there isn't, but this is a big part of what Jesus was dealing with. What other Biblical proof is there? Check out Luke 13:

Luk 13:1-9 There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." And he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vinedresser, 'Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?' And he answered him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'"

These verses aren't talking about heaven and hell like I thought when I first read them. They make much more sense in the context I am proposing. If Israel does not repent from their nationalistic rebellion against Rome they will perish. There will be Roman swords in the Temple and falling bricks in Jerusalem. Isn't that exactly what happened in AD 70 when Titus destroyed Jerusalem?

I know. You aren't convinced. Okay, lets look at Luke 19 where Jesus is approaching Jerusalem. This is the pivotal moment in the Gospels. Jesus, the Messiah, is entering the Holy City! There is great expectation that the God's Kingdom will be established. Jesus' followers are singing "Hossanna!" Save now! They a singing from Ps. 118 that were thought to reference the Messiah. Remember his followers were not looking for a spiritual kingdom. . . they wanted to boot Rome out of Israel!

Luk 19:41-44 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, "Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation."

We are getting a clear picture of the judgment that Jesus is declaring on Israel. The writing is on the wall! If Israel continues down the path of nationalistic revolution, Rome will wipe them out!

What does Jesus do next? He marches right into the Temple and begins the judgment on the system. It too has been co-opted by this nationalistic fervor. It is not serving it's original purpose: to be a blessing to all nations. Rather, it is the place where Israel is looking for the restoration from exile. It is the place where the Messiah will return and setup his kingdom. Salvation for Israel will come from the Temple! The revolution will start there! No wonder the people are excited as Jesus is heading into Jerusalem!

This is to long as it is. I'll stop. Next, I'll look at Matthew 21-25 in this context. . .

Pharisees Misunderstood

Isn't it funny when you plan on blogging about a topic and you get beat to the punch? I was planning on doing a couple of posts about Pharisees, but Scot McKnight beat me there, and I'm sure he does a much more thorough job. Also, look here.

When you read the Bible and the Pharisees come into view can you almost hear the Darth Vader music? From the earliest days of Sunday school we are taught that the Pharisees are the "bad guys". Doing some studying the past few months I've discovered that maybe I've misunderstood what was really going on between Jesus and this group of devout Jews. . .

I've always understood the Pharisees to be legalists, plain and simple. This is a group of men that are trying to earn their way to heaven by following the Mosaic Law, and to make matters worse, they are adding their own rules to it! THE HORROR!

The problem is, even if this was true, Jesus really wouldn't have been a threat to them. The issues between Jesus and the Pharisees had more to do with power and nationalism than it did religion.

To be understood correctly, we need to understand that Israel is a nation in exile. Yes, they are living within the boundaries of Israel, but their country is not their own. In truth, they have been in exile since the Babylonian captivity. The Syrians allowed them to come back to the land, but they were still under Syrian authority. They were allowed to rebuild their Temple, but have you noticed that the Shekinah of God never comes back? To make this HORROR even worse, they were being occupied by PAGANS! WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON! WE ARE GOD'S CHOSEN! WE HAVE BEEN IN EXILE FOR 600 YEARS! HELD CAPTIVE BY "DOGS"! WE ARE THE "NEW ADAM" THAT SHOULD BE CARING FOR THE "ANIMALS"! WHEN WILL GOD ACT TO FREE US?!

In this context, the scrupulous attention we see the Pharisees giving to the Law was not about earning their way to heaven, it was about marking themselves as separate from the pagans in their midst. This was a critical issue for Israel! If God was expected to act in their behalf, Israel must differentiate themselves from these pagans! They must remain faithful to the Torah in the midst of temptation, foreign customs, idolatry. . .

To make matters worse it is known that the Pharisees were not just "religious", they had political ambitions as well. They had more in common with the Zealots than with the Essenes. They were not opposed to taking Israel from the Romans by force, and were probably just waiting for a good opportunity, but in the meantime, they had to define who the "true Israel" was. . . They didn't view their strict dietary laws and keeping of the Sabbath as merely a way to get to heaven, but a way to define and separate themselves from the Hellenistic influence that surrounded them. They were nationalistic symbols that determined the true Israel.

N.T Wright says, "The focus of such activity would be the standard symbols of the culture and the culture's hope and aspirations. Did he fly the flag? Was he a loyal Torah observing Jew? (Once again we remind ourselves that this question does not mean, "Did he attempt to justify himself by works, to earn God's favor by good morals?" but rather, "Did he exhibit those symbolic actions by which the loyal Jew would show gratitude to God?')"

So, if the Pharisees were not legalists trying to earn their way to heaven, what was the problem that Jesus had with the Pharisees. . .? The answer lies more in nationalistic fervor than in religious observance. . .

The Four Spiritual Laws. . .

In his critique of the Four Spiritual Laws that Campus Crusade uses in their overused and abused track, Scott McKnight makes the following quote:

Third, it is the diagram, which is the image that was used in the 2d spiritual law as well, that concerns me. Here there is "Man" and "God," and it is the Cross of Jesus that enables the human being to get back to God. Once again, we are dealing here with a truncated gospel: the diagram depicts a gospel in which the problem is separation and the resolution is reconciliation. The gospel is always defined by the problem it depicts, and the Bible describes this problem in a number of ways, including but not limited to separation. In other words, if you define the problem as separation, once separation is resolved in reconcliation, the gospel has run its course. Once a person crosses the Cross to get back to God the gospel's work is done. (Few admit this; but the image seers it into the mind of those who are being evangelized and it leads to Christians who see the Christian life as the "second phase" and not the "gospel" phase; it leads to seeing fellowship/ecclesiology as something in addition to the gospel and not integral to the gospel; it does to the same to holiness, etc..)

Is reconciliation of individuals all there is to it? What then of the Church? What then of the World? Whenever the gospel is understood as an individual person finding his or her way back to God, the gospel is reduced to Individualism -- and anyone who reads the Bible knows that page after page is about the people of God (Israel and then the Church) and that the "plan" of God is to build a people for the good of others and the world.

This is one of my critiques of many of the "gospels" that I hear going around. They are completely individualized and narrowly focused. There is little, or no regard for the Church or the concept of God's Kingdom. Many time it is completely divorced from any concept of historical context. So, the Gospel get's relegated to the improvement of individual "mental health", with very little thought for what God is doing with this world, or where it is going.

Additionally, the focus is usually on reconciliation as the cure for our separation with God. Again, we wind up with a Gospel of "mental health", rather than Jesus' solution which was the "Kingdom of God as Jesus envisions it and as Jesus embodies it and as Jesus teaches it."

Can I Live?

My friend Tom sent this to me. I'm sure THIS is much more approriate than calling people murders at abortion clinics...and probably will do more to sway people that life should be valued... Not exactly my style of music, but I wonder how much airtime MTV will give it?

Talking Ma
I know the Situation is Personal
But it something that has to be told
As I was making this beat
You was all I could think about you heard my voice

Yeah Just think Just Think
What if you could Just
Just blink your self away..
Just Just wait just pause for a second
Let me plead my case
It's the late 70's Huh
You Seventeen huh
And having me that will ruin everything huh
It's alot of angels waiting for their wings
You see me in your sleep so you cant kill your dreams
300 Dollars thats the price of living what?
Mommy I dont like this clinic
Hopefully you'll make the right decision
And dont go through with the Knife Decision
But it's hard to make the right move
When you in high school
How you have to work all day and take night school
Hopping off da bus when the rain is pouring
What you want morning sickness or the sickness of mourning

[Chorus]
I Will Always Be apart of you
Trust Your Soul Know it's always true
If I Could Talk I Would Say To You
CAN I LIVE
CAN I LIVE
I Will Always Be apart of you
Trust Your Soul Know it's always true
If I Could Talk I Would Say To You
CAN I LIVE
CAN I LIVE

I am a child of the king
Ain't no need to go fear me
And I see the flowing tears so know that you hear me
When I move in your womb that's me being scary
Cause who knows what my future holds
Yo the truth be told you ain't told a soul
Yo you ain't even showing I'm just 2 months old
Through your clothes try to hide me deny me
Went up 3 sizes
Your pride got you lying saying ain't nothing but a migraine
It ain't surprising you not trying to be in Wic food lines
Your friends will look at you funny but look at you mommy
That's a life inside you look at your tummy
What is becoming ma I am Oprah bound
You can tell he's a star from the Ultrasound
Our Sprits Connected Doors Open Now
Nothing But Love And Respect Thanks For Holding Me Down She Let Me Live...

I Will Always Be apart of you
Trust Your Soul Know it's always true
If I Could Talk I Would Say To You
CAN I LIVE
CAN I LIVE
I Will Always Be apart of you
Trust Your Soul Know it's always true
If I Could Talk I Would Say To You
CAN I LIVE
CAN I LIVE

It's uplifting foreal yall
I ain't passing no judgement
Ain't making no decisions
I am just telling ya'll my story
My love life
I love my mother for giving me life
We all need to appreciate life
A strong woman that had to make a sacrifice
Thanks for listening
Thanks for listening
Mama thanks for listening

Worldview

You scored as Emergent/Postmodern. You are Emergent/Postmodern in your theology. You feel alienated from older forms of church, you don't think they connect to modern culture very well. No one knows the whole truth about God, and we have much to learn from each other, and so learning takes place in dialogue. Evangelism should take place in relationships rather than through crusades and altar-calls. People are interested in spirituality and want to ask questions, so the church should help them to do this. Emergent/Postmodern 96% Neo orthodox 75% Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 68% Charismatic/Pentecostal 57% Classical Liberal 43% Reformed Evangelical 29% Modern Liberal 29% Roman Catholic 21% Fundamentalist 14% What's your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com

I don't take many of these quizes, but this one is interesting. Doesn't shock me to much...though I refuse to be pigeon-holed! I'll be a Fundamentalist whenever I feel like it!!!

Fourth of July Memories

We had our first "break" yesterday. I had a great Father's Day breakfast on the porch, some great homemade cards from the kiddos, some grilling paraphernalia (to go with my new barrel grill/smoker!), and some new books. We went out to supper with the rest of my family to celebrate with my Dad....very nice.

Camping was interesting. Giant City State Park has some great trails! The kids were not so great on the other hand. It was one of those wake-up calls when God says "What the hell are you doing with your kids!" Parenthood is such an adventure. . .the balance of grace and law. . .or is there any balance?

With the Fourth of July approaching I though I'd share a memory. I like fire. I like things that explode. I like the Fourth of July!

We lived on a large sloaping hill when I was a kid. So everyone had railroad ties for the flower boxes in front of their houses. When I was about 12 years old I was at a neighbors house the next street over. We had scored some M-80's and figured out that we could load it into holes in the railroad tie, pack rocks around it with the wick sticking out and it would shoot the rocks like a cannon! FUN TIMES! We must have done that for awhile before we started blowing up army men and GI Joes and other stuff...

Apparently his railroad ties must have smoldered all day long . . . Around midnight someone driving down the street saw flames shooting up from this poor guy's flowerbox and started banging on his door! He had to call the fire department to put it out. . . OOOPS!

Good memories. . .

Creationism - Some Thoughts

The Hebrew Universe

I really don’t think it matters if we believe in a literal creation story or not. Can someone partake of the salvation offered by Christ and believe in Evolution? I think so. Can someone be completely lost and believe in Creationism? I think so. So personally, I don’t think it is appropriate to make it a big issue in the Church.

Here are a few excerpts from a response I wrote, playing the devil’s advocate. Keep in mind. I am just throwing some alternative points of view out there. I really don’t think it matters what you believe in the scheme of things because the Bible was NEVER meant to be used as science textbook! These are my thoughts, so accept them for the B.S. that they are:

The view that one must either believe “New Earth” Creationism or Darwinian Evolution is at best oversimplified, and at worst creates a false dichotomy. There are many different views of Creationism that do not rely on believing in a literal 6-day creation, or a global flood for that matter, that are not necessarily Darwinian Evolution.

Further, other Middle Eastern creation stories are remarkably similar to the Genesis account, and actually pre-date Genesis. Genesis was a particular creation story, for a particular people, written in a particular time in history. It is the setting for the rest of the Bible, and as such is extremely important. But, it is not the only creation story from the ancient Middle East, it is not completely unique, and is in fact, probably built on previous stories. (It is unique in particular ways, but that’s not really the issue.) These stories do not invalidate Genesis, but it is fairly clear that Genesis was built on these older creation accounts.

As such, Genesis was never meant to be used as a science textbook. Genesis was written in a pre-scientific age to people who had no concern for any of the issues you brought up, by using it as such I believe is misapplying and misinterpreting Scripture. You asked me how I could believe in the Bible, and pick and choose what I take as literal. There are many things about the Bible we don’t take literally because they were never intended to be taken literally, or they were not meant for us. For instance, we don’t take some of the poetic verses in the Psalms literally, we don’t gouge our eyes out, we don’t kill Philistines etc. I say that in reading Genesis the way it was intended, from a pre-scientific point of view, I am taking it literally, and by doing so, keeping myself from arguments that are not necessary.

I am aware that this might lead to a discussion about the “inerrancy” of the Bible (another Fundamentalist topic). Please know that one can still believe that the Bible is “infallible” without believing it is “inerrant”. I believe the Bible is perfect, in that it contains the information I need for life and salvation. However, it is not a science textbook. There are views that are contrary to common sense, and basic science.

One example that comes to mind is that the ancient Hebrew universe was shaped like a giant dome (firmament), that giant dome separated the “waters”, the earth was more or less flat, and stands on pillars... In a literal interpretation of the Bible, do I have to accept this? Science has found those things not to be true at all. So, by looking at Genesis like it should teach science we are put in awkward position.

The following verses explain the picture above: Job 26.11; 37.18; Gen 1.6, 7; Ps 24.2; 148.4; Gen 7.11; 8.2; Gen 1.14-19; Ps 19.4, 6; Num 16.30-33; Isa 14.9, 15

If I am to read the Bible “literally do I have to believe this is how the universe looks? Maybe I have become to “educated” to “believe” the Bible...

I am certainly not one to buy Darwinian Evolution, but neither am I willing to totally discount science. I don’t think justice is done to the issue by discussing a few “scientific” facts that supposedly backs up a “new earth” point of view without giving equal time to the abundance of scientific evidence that refutes it.

Creationism

So, in our last Sunday before our hiatus a brother preached a sermon on Creationism. It was the typical Fundamentalist view: The Creation account must be taken literally. Creation was six literal days. Here is some scientific evidence. If you don't take the creation account literally, you don't have a need for a literal Jesus. . .

I confess. As I got up to sing the closing song I said, "That was B.S." I'm probably going straight to hell for that one. . .

So, what is your take on Creationism? "New Earth"? "Old Earth"? Evolutionism? evolutionism? Does it matter? Why, or why not?

I'll post some of my thoughts in my next post. . .

Floyd

Wish I Was There...

Boundary Markers

From Scot McKnight:

Two final comments: first, we need to admit that we are all involved in covenant parth marking. Sometimes more severely than other times; some more than others; but each of us uses various behaviors to judge ourselves and others.

Second, there are only two "theories" of the Christian life that simply cannot be "marked." You won't be surprised by this, but they are (1) Jesus' use of the Jesus Creed: loving God and loving others. And, (2) Paul's use of the category of "life in the Spirit."

Here's why each is "unmarkable." Because Love is a response and a life that transcends the observable and life in the Spirit is as well. Who can say "I've got love down, give me a challenge" or "I'm always in the Spirit, anything else you want me to do?" These two are unmarkable in part because they are ongoing, responsive, and qualitative features of Christian existence. And they are both almost "unjudgeable": how can we really know if someone is loving? how can we know if someone is really "living in the Spirit"? Only by converting love and Spirit into "objectified" covenant path markers, and when we do that we slip out of the embrace of love and the Spirit.

5 Minute Church

Driven by the efficiency and pragmatism of our culture, the institutional church has lowered the bar yet again. Forget discipleship. Forget "taking up your cross". Forget the Shema. Forget about being the Church. Just give us 5 minutes. . .


Although, for as much as I get out of a typical church service. . . 5 minutes might be just about right. . .

Historical Context of 1st Century Israel

I am reading "The New Testament and The People of God" by N.T. Wright. It's been very helpful to read the NT in light of the context in which it was lived out and written. I happened across this summary which seems to accurately describe what I've read so far:

"The Jews had, of course, returned to the land of Israel after the exile. But nowhere in all second-temple Jewish literature do we have the slightest suggestion that the great promises and prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and the rest – including those of Deuteronomy 30, which were important for Paul – had been fulfilled. Israel had not been restored to her proper position; she was not ruler in her own land; the Temple was not properly rebuilt; YHWH had not returned to dwell in the midst of his people; justice and peace were not yet established in Israel, let alone in the rest of the world. The ‘post-exilic’ prophets such as Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi indicate pretty forcibly that things are still in poor shape; Israel is not yet all she should be, and a further great act of YHWH will be necessary. Qumran proves the point exactly: the self-understanding evident in (e.g.) CD is precisely that of people who see themselves as the advance guard of the real return from exile, which means that everybody else is still in exile, and that they are the first, secret ‘returnees’, who will be vindicated as such when YHWH finally acts. "

"Few will doubt, in fact, that the great majority of Jews in Jesus’ day were looking for a major action of their god within history to liberate his people. Even those who want to minimize this have to allow for a huge groundswell of this belief bursting out in the mid-60s of the first century. The point here is that, in thinking about and longing for this event, they did not merely draw upon patterns and types, such as the Exodus, culled at random, allegorically or typologically, from a past conceived as a scattered bunch of unconnected events. Rather, they saw themselves in sequence with, and continuing, Israel’s whole past story, waiting for that story to reach its promised goal. They were not living in an ahistorical mode, in which the only question of weight were timeless salvation or ethics, with such issues being ‘illustrated’ by ideas taken in a fairly random fashion from her distant past. Rather, they read that past not least as a story; as a story which was continuing, and in which they themselves were characters; as a story with an ending, which can variously be characterized as ‘return from exile’; ‘return of YHWH to Zion’; ‘salvation’; ‘forgiveness of sins’; ‘new covenant’; ‘new exodus’; and perhaps even, for some at least, ‘new creation’ and ‘resurrection’. "

Sadly, that last bolded statement is how many of us have been taught to read the New Testament....

I'll post some more later...for you light readers...

Camping for a month?

Some of us Midwest misfits are going to have a campout soon.... Really looking forward to getting to know some of our blog friends!

In other news: We are taking a month off from leading worship to detox and clear our heads. We are not sure what comes next. . .but God does. . .

Tagged

Trish "tagged" me...I don't like this stuff, but it's interesting to hear about what others are reading...so...

1.Total number of books I own: Too many. I like books...

2. Last book I bought: The Jesus Creed by Scot McKnight

3. Last book I read: The Naked Church by Wayne Jacobsen

4. Five books that mean a lot to me: The Ragamuffin Gospel, Life of the Beloved, The Jesus Style, The New Testament and the People of God, He Loves Me

5. Two major books when I was a kid: The Stand, On The Beach

6. People I want to tag: I don't want to inflict this on anyone else...no offense....

The Law "Unpacked"

I've become aware that how we view the Mosaic Law really matters in how we understand grace. I admit to buying into the Reformation view that Grace was totally contrary to the Law, and that maybe that wasn't what Paul was getting at. So, what was Paul's view of the Mosaic Law? Here are a few things I posted in a discussion about that topic.

"The Mosaic Law is a system of earning God's favor."

After doing some study on that, I think there are some problems with that point of view. I am not saying that Paul would not be opposed to a system of earning God's favor, but correlating the Law with that system is reading to much into the text.

First, when Paul uses the word "nomos" he is referring directly to the Mosaic Law, not a universal principle of earning favor or merit (for two good examples see Gal. 3:15-25 and Rom. 5:13-14).

Second, while Paul believes that the Torah is temporary, he does not casually dismiss it, and even quotes from it to reinforce his argument (1Cor. 9:9 to stay in the letter you are working with here).

Third, in the same letter you are working with we find this:

1Co 9:20 And to the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might gain the Jews. To those who are under the Law, I became as under the Law, so that I might gain those who are under the Law.

Now, if the Law is a system of earning God's favor, is Paul saying that he was pretending to earn God's favor by works, or that he was acting like a Law-observant Jew (ie. observing dietary requirements etc.)?

Fourth, I think you are "demonizing" the Mosaic Law by claiming it as a system of earning God's favor, something Paul didn't do. To him the Law was good, it is sin within us that made the Law ineffective (Rom. 7). Again, this is an example of Paul talking about Mosaic Law and not universalizing it.

Last, I think that Paul's issue with the Law was not that it was a system of legalism, but that it had served it's purpose in redemption-history. Christ is the goal of the Law (Rom. 10:4)! So, if the Judaizers were trying to get the Gentiles to enter it by circumcision (which is the main reason for Galatians, and underlies Romans), it is not legalistic, it is missing the point. By relying on the Law they are now missing the whole point, which was Christ! Faith has replaced Law (Gal. 3:25-26).

I suspect that our intepretation of the Law as a system of earning God's favor comes from Luther and the other Reformers who WERE battling a religious system of legalism. I think it is entirely possible that they read their contemporary issues into the text rather than asking the tough historical questions.

Feel free to poke some holes in this. I'm sure there are things that I'm missing, or have wrong...

Justification - The Heart of the Matter

Romans and Galatians, which speak about Law and Grace more fully than any of Paul’s other letters both have an underlying issue. Who is going to be in the people of God and how does that happen. In Galatians the Judaizers were saying that the Gentiles must be circumcised to be part of the New Covenant. In Romans the historical context is involved, but there was a lot of anti-Semitism in the time, and it is entirely possible that the Gentile Christians in Rome were looking down on the Christian Jews. Either way, Paul is looking at the Gospel as a reconciliation of all people to God and each other, and the “signs” or “badges” of covenant membership have changed. Is it possible that given the theological context of the Law and the covenant, and the fact that Paul was dealing with a situation in which Gentiles were being admitted on equal standing with the Jews in the New Covenant, that when Paul defines justification as being “reckoned to be within the people of God”?

N. T. Wright explains his view from Romans:

Looking back to 3:21-31 (i.e., not merely echoing a randomly chosen pre-Pauline formula), Paul states that Jesus was given up “for our sins” and raised “for our justification.” Sin has been dealt with on the cross (3:24-26); the resurrection of Jesus is the vindication for which Israel, the people of Abraham, had been waiting on the basis of the covenant promises; and now all those who belong to Jesus’ people, who are characterized by faith in the god who raised him from the dead, are assured that the same divine verdict is pronounced over them, too.

Wright goes on to explain that justification has three tenses.

Future – There will come a day when the righteous Creator will put the world to rights, and on that day some will be declared to be in the right. (Rom. 2:1-16)

Past – Justification is the verdict pronounced over Jesus in his resurrection. The resurrection declared that Jesus was indeed God’s Son, so it declares in principle that He is the “true Israel”, the vindicated people of the creator. (Rom. 1:4)

Present – “Justification by faith,” as articulated in Rom. 3:26-30 and undirgirded in 4:1-25 the past verdict over Jesus is brought forward and applied to those who have faith in the god who raised Jesus, and in which the future verdict is brought backwards with the same application and result (cf. 8:1: there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus).

This assumes a few things. First, there will be a “final judgment”. Personally, after studying Rom. 2 again, I don’t know how people can say that there will not be some type of a future, final “setting to rights” of creation. It is plainly in the text and is assumed through Paul's arguements. I think we tend to look at judgment as negative, but essentially it is making the world right again. Second, the present tense of justification brings out the fact that there is a “boundary” for the New Covenant: faith. I am sure this will make some people uncomfortable, but in studying Rom. 1-4 again (I haven't gotten past that yet) I cannot deny it.

What do you think?

Justification within the Covenant

Some of the answers to these questions lay in the concept of covenant, a word that I find rarely used in “relational theology”. Israel viewed themselves as a people of Abraham’s covenant, and the covenant was a controlling factor in how they lived and viewed their world.

The Abrahamic covenant was given before the Law, and was not fulfilled by the Law, but by God’s fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham (Rom. 4, Gal. 3:16-18). This covenant, which was meant to bless “all the families of the earth” (Gen. 12), had been turned into a club for those of Jewish decent by the 1st Century BC. The Gospels tell how Jesus came and passed judgment on Israel and renewed the covenant so it would accomplish the original purpose. In His death and resurrection, Jesus became the mediator of the New Covenant (Heb. 9:15), and as such is the fulfillment of the promise given to Abraham, foreshadowed in the Torah, sung about in the Psalms and looked forward to in the Prophets. In the renewed covenant Jew and Gentile are put on an equal footing, and together, can lay claim to the promises of Abraham .

“ Recent scholarship supports the view that Paul’s understanding of justification had less to do with individual righteousness through keeping the law and more to do with becoming part of a community of faith.” (Heppner) In fact, according to Wright, (The New Testament and the People of God) the 1st Century Jewish concept of covenant was so controlling that they would have even understood the term “forgiveness of sins” primarily as a way of putting away the whole nation’s sins, and only secondarily from an individual perspective. This is quite a different reading than I’ve been taught in the typical Protestant interpretation that exalts the individual’s perspective.

Further, Judaism was never considered a religion where people tried to earn their way into God’s favor (that does not mean that certain sects within Judaism didn’t try to do that). Rather, the Law was a sign that one was already in the covenant. This is called “covenantal nomism” in theological circles. “The meaning of "covenantal nomism" is that human obedience is not construed as the means of entering into God's covenant. That cannot be earned; inclusion within the covenant body is by the grace of God. Rather, obedience is the means of maintaining one's status within the covenant. And with its emphasis on divine grace and forgiveness, Judaism was never a religion of legalism.” (Mattison)

So, what does this have to do with the NT? Jesus died on the cross and rose again justified before God and instituted a New Covenant. This implies that Jesus was interested in a “people of God”, not just individual salvation. Not only that, but Paul probably would not be writing from the context of individual salvation either. Our reading of Paul and what he meant by “justification” takes on a different meaning when we read it from a covenantal perspective, rather than trying to answer the question “How is one saved?” We need to be reading the NT from the perspective of the covenant, and the "people of God" rather than trying to find answers to questions concerning individual salvation.

Additionally, if the Law was a sign of the Abrahamic covenant, and not a system of legalism, as the Reformers have taught us, and Paul was not concerned with addressing legalism, the meaning of "justification by faith" my take on a different meaning too....

This is too long as it is, so it will have to wait for another post...

What did Paul Mean By Justification?

As I work through my beliefs and put them to work in my life I usually go through a process where I know that something “doesn’t fit” and I keep searching until it does. I’ll confess to being a theological hack, but I do see the import of working out what I believe. I’ve been going through that process with the “relational theology” paradigm (I’ll use that term, for lack of a better word, to describe the theology that focuses on a personal relationship with God as the primary focus of the Christian faith, a heavy emphasis on Grace vs. Law, and an individual, spiritualized concept of salvation). There are some points that I really agree and resonate with, but underneath I’ve been uncomfortable about where the theology “ends up” because it does not take into account many key themes of the Bible. So for the next few posts I’m going to attempt to “work out” some of my issues....

Recent scholarship has realized that traditional Reformed understandings of many of Paul’s writings, especially Romans and Galatians, have been removed from their historical contexts. In one of my previous posts I demonstrated one reason to keep the Gospels in the context of the 1st-2nd century Jew. Understanding the context of Paul’s writings gives a very different view of soteriology (the study of how we are saved).

One of the shortcomings in “relational theology” that I’ve run into revolves around the conversation of Law vs. Grace. The argument typically goes: Judaism was a system that tried to earn the favor of God by doing “works of the Law” (Gal. 2:16). This was a legalistic effort to merit God’s favor and thus, was opposed to being “justified by faith” or grace alone.

I’ve noticed that this leads to a view that the Law is evil, and any form of effort or response becomes part of the evil Law. This leads to a passive view of faith that is concerned with “being rather than doing” (I’m not saying that is all bad, but “being” should lead to “doing”, rather than be put up against it.) and suspect of any positive action. Additionally, Biblical responses such as repentance, belief, obedience and faith are discounted and considered as "works".

One argument is that this interpretation of 1st-2nd Century Judaism is totally influenced by Martin Luther and other Reformed theologians who put Judaism in the place of the legalistic 16th century institutional church. I can see why, given the tone of Galatians, and confess that I have made this mistake.

“Since the time of Martin Luther, this has been understood as an indictment of legalistic efforts to merit favor before God. In fact Judaism in general has come to be construed as the very antithesis of Christianity. Judaism is earthly, carnal, proud; Christianity is heavenly, spiritual, humble. It is a tragic irony that all of Judaism has come to be viewed in terms of the worst vices of the sixteenth-century institutionalized church.”

“When Judaism is thus cast in the role of the medieval church, Paul's protests become very Lutheran and traditional Protestant theology is reinforced in all its particulars, along with its limitations. In hermeneutical terms, then, the historical context of Paul's debate lies at the very heart of the doctrine of justification in the church.”

“Traditional Protestant soteriology, focused as it is on the plight of the conscience-smitten individual before a holy God, must be carved out of the rock of human pretentiousness in order to be cogent. Thus it is no accident that the Reformers interpreted the burning issues of Paul's day in light of their struggle against legalism. "The Reformers' interpretation of Paul," writes Krister Stendahl, "rests on an analogism when Pauline statements about Faith and Works, Law and Gospel, Jews and Gentiles are read in the framework of late medieval piety. The Law, the Torah, with its specific requirements of circumcision and food restrictions becomes a general principle of 'legalism' in religious matters." (Mattison)

So, the questions are:

• What was 1st century Judaism if it wasn’t a legalisitic system to merit God’s favor?

• What was the context of Paul’s writings if not a battle against legalism?

• What was Paul really concerned about?

• What does “justification by faith” mean in that context?

I’ll write some more on this later as I try to do this in “bite-size” pieces. I look forward to hearing other points of view....

A taste of Kingdom Come...

Chillin'

Having a good time... 

Trish, Blue, Craig and Ugly 

Birthday girl! 

Handsome and smart too! 

Trish worked harder than me! It's more than half hers... 

A handsome future graduate! 

Nice and Hell

We've had a busy weekend! My graduation, #2's 8th birthday party and a fundraiser for Lindsey's foundation. Lot's of fun! Trish did a great job and a lot of hard work! Darrin and Penny's place is THE place to have an outdoor party. Jamie makes some mean margaritas! I'll try to post a couple of pics tomorrow.

Today. Cut grass and put in an air conditioning unit to keep the young'uns cool. Now I'm off to snuggle my love....see the last post....

Seems like change might be in the air for us...

Oh, yeah! Lots of conversations about hell. I'm not sure I'm really interested....but if you are here, here, here, and here. Much of this is in response to McClaren's new book.

I like this comment:

"The gospel, for McLaren, is about kingdom in the here and now and it is about a community wherein that kingdom vision has its way."

Poll

Has your deepening relationship with God effected your sex-life?

This topic is for married adults, over age 21. I am not liable for the content in the comments of this post. Please read at your own risk.

Celebrate good times, come on!

Bored at work? Try Guess-the-Google! Don't ask, just try it.

I walk the stage to get my diploma Saturday. It's kind of bitter-sweet for me. We had to sacrifice quite a bit for me to finish college, and the payoff has been less than spectacular. Don't get me wrong, I am glad that I finished, but our plans have changed so drastically since we first started this journey that the degree is not exactly helpful....who knows down the road.... Also, as if you didn't know this, I love to learn. I love ideas. So, in that way I miss school....

The good news is that we will be having a little graduation bash for some family and friends, coupled with #2 daughters birthday party! I really look forward to that! Let me run a quote by you that I heard the other day about celebration:

The Church doesn't really have anything to say to the world until we can throw better parties.

This got me thinking...How many church parties have I been to in organized religion? Let's see: I've been to some really exciting potlucks. . . I've eaten a few wild and crazy casseroles in my day. We just had National Day of Prayer at the town square. . .they did give away some free frozen custard (gotta have something for the bait and switch, right?). Our services are supposed to be a party. . . yawn. . .although I have been to some charismatic services where I swore some folks had been sippin' the sauce.

I don't think Jesus was afraid of a good party as I read it. And, he wasn't going to stuffy evangelical Christian parties either! He was turning water in to wine brotha! AFTER people were already getting soused! He was at the "sinner" parties. AND THEY LIKED HIM!

So, with that in mind, we are gonna have some fun to celebrate my graduation. A jumphouse sidewalk chalk, and squirt guns for the kiddos, adult beverages and washers for the adults (after a few adult beverages I may jump in the jumphouse too!), food, friends ...sounds like Kingdom Come to me!

Talents

In exploring my own presuppositions about the Bible I've discovered a few things.

1. I tend to read the Bible according to what it has to say TO ME, or the Church.
2. I've interepreted much of what I've read with very little understanding of the history of Israel or the Jewish people.
3. Because I have not understood the history of Israel, or the 1st Century Jewish worldview, I have tended to remove the NT writings from their original setting and tended toward "over-spiritualized" interpretations.
   
4. I have totally misunderstood some of the narratives and teachings of Jesus because of numbers 1 and 2.
5. If I've misunderstood the narratives and teachings of Jesus, there is a good chance I've misunderstood Jesus.
   

Let's take the Parable of the Talents for instance. The way I've typically interpreted I could sum up the story like this:

Jesus is going to be gone a long time. He gave us all resources to use for His glory. We better use them wisely, for His glory, or we will be judged when He comes back.

This sounds like the typical interpretation I've heard around most churches. Sounds reasonable, and it's a good way to manipulate people into "kingdom work". The trouble is that it is totally wrong!

Instead of asking what these stories tell me, first I'm going to ask: How would the 1st Century Jew hear these stories? THEN I can ask what the story tells me and the Church.

The context: Jesus is leaving the Temple and talking to the disciples about the coming judgement that will fall on the Temple and it's system (Math. 24).

Historical Background: Israel has been under occupation for a long time. They are waiting for the Messiah who will restore the land, and redeem them from the captivity of the pagans. There is a general belief that the time is ripe for the Messiah to free Israel. Messianic fervor is common.

The important part of interpreting this text is that Jesus is Yahweh! Jesus is God. He has come to Israel in a time that they didn't expect and He is judging the religious system. The kingdom of Israel has failed it's mission : To be light to the world (Math 5:15-16), and bless all the families of the earth (Gen. 12:1-3). He is initiating His kingdom, which will be one of love, grace, justice, healing. . . A kingdom full of people who "turn the other cheek", "walk the extra mile", feed the hungry, comfort the stranger, accept the outcast, heal the sick, will be inclusive of all people. . . What has Israel done? Instead of blessing the world, they got hypnotized looking at their own bellybuttons. They turned inward. They kept the light for themselves. They turned what was meant for the world rules for entrance into a club.

Mat 21:43 Therefore I say to you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation bringing out its fruits.

In this background Jesus tells the disciples the Parable of the Talents. Did he tell it to the Church? No. Did He tell it to me? No. He told it to a band of 1st Century Jewish followers who thought they were riding the coat-tails of the next Messiah. A group of guys who had no clue they were following Yahweh.

In this context, the parable takes on a different meaning. It was not about being faithful while Jesus was away, but that Israel was being judged. Israel was the third servant who had done nothing with what he had been given, and was now being judged by Yahweh in the flesh.

Does this parable have any meaning for the Church, or individuals within the Church? Yes. Can the Church, or the individuals who comprise the Church, be guilty of the same thing today? I would say that much of organized religion especially is guilty of looking at their own bellybutton instead of living in the Kingdom. I would say it is just as tempting to relegate the Kingdom to a "just God and me" mentality that also shuts out the world.

This is not as "pretty" of an interpretation as you might get elsewhere. It is not so applicable to "our circumstances". It is not about being ready for the return of Christ. It is not about living in fear that we have done enough. But, it is about judgement. The judgement of a religious system that was being judged by God in the flesh.

I challenge you to read Jesus' Parables with this context in mind. I believe they will begin to make more sense. . .

The God Journey and our journey

The latest conversation at The God Journey is a gem, so give it a listen if you are interested in a non-threatening conversation about "what the church is".... Plus, my bride gets the last word!

We have been thinking about opening up a music store in our little town. Actually, our little town is becoming a medium town. We are taking some initial steps...putting the fleece out, as it were. I feel very at peace about it, which is rare for me when big decisions loom in the near future.

It is no secret that this night job is hard on me and on our family. We are not sure where the money for my student loan will come from, but it is time for me to quit. Last night, I stopped by a new restaraunt in town, Wings-To-Go, and it turns out one of the kid's Dad's from the latchkey program where I work, is co-owner. We got to talking and he is looking for an assistant manager type person and wanted to know if I knew anyone who was available.....hmmm....I like wings too!

I was hoping for some more conversation in my previous post....maybe I write to much....

The Future - Part 2

You might be wondering what any of this has to do with Jesus. I did just post some stuff about Jesus being central, right? Here’s my short answer: EVERYTHING! Christ is THE central figure in this Story. In fact, He is the beginning, middle and end.

In the beginning God created…it was good. Man decided to know good and evil outside of a relationship with the Creator and brought not only a curse on all mankind, but on all of creation (Gen. 3). God set apart a group of people, called Israel, through who God would heal the world. Instead of healing the world, Israel looked at their own bellybutton and “hid their light under a bowl”. God sent His Son, Jesus, to remind Israel of their purpose, redeem the world, and heal creation. Jesus passed His authority on to a new Israel; an Israel comprised of any race who would follow Him, the Church.

In this Five Act Story that we find ourselves in, we are left without a script. But, we have the previous four acts, and we have some clues to how the Story ends that will help us improvise in the meantime. One of the critical clues we have to help us improvise is now this Story will end. I seem to remember being taught in a business class: “Begin with the end in mind.” In this grand Story that is exactly what God has done. So, what if we started thinking about how this Story is going to end… Here is where I want to focus: All creation is in the process of being healed by the Creator and will culminate in a new heaven and new earth. (Rev. 21).

As I read this passage, it sounds like this should be something the Church is looking forward too. A place where God’ rule and reign are done perfectly. A place where everything that was broken, cursed and skewed in the Fall are healed, blessed and set straight in the new heaven and new earth. This is Good News! But, don’t think this is just some future event. “This world is not my home, I’m just a passin’ through”…NOOOO! Jesus said that His Gospel was: Mk 1:15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” The kingdom is here! The kingdom is now! Respond to it! Enter into it! Join the party!

What does Jesus do after he announces access to the kingdom? Jesus was enacting, and then explaining, the kingdom. He begins to cast out demons, give sight to the blind, heal the sick and lame… Why? Was he showing off his power? No! He was implementing this kingdom, which is now available to all who will choose it. He is giving a foretaste of the time when there will be no more death, or mourning, or crying, or pain! He is beginning the implementation of the new heaven and the new earth. Everything Jesus is doing is looking forward to the future.

Now let me put my personal experience, and belief system in this framework. For the past year or so God has been teaching me that this journey is about relationships. My relationship with Him, and my relationships with others. I will admit that my view has been centered around “me and God”, but I don’t think it stops there. If I stop there this whole kingdom project becomes about me. Much of the time, in practice, I act like the world revolves around me anyway, so it’s time for a course correction…. I think the Bible is clear that the Church is here as a little piece of the kingdom on Earth FOR THE SAKE OF THE WORLD.

The BIG STORY going on here is about God and world. It isn’t about the Law. It isn’t about you, and it isn’t about me. Our individual stories are incidental to the Big Story. It’s not that our stories don’t matter, they just need to be seen in light of the big picture. And the big picture is that God, through Jesus, is making all things new in the new heaven and new earth. Everything that went wrong in Eden is set right in the new Jerusalem (Rev. 21).

Does my personal, individual relationship with God matter? Yes! But not just to me. It matters to the world. Why? Because it is a foretaste of the time when Jer. 31:34
No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, "Know the Lord," for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

We’ve all read the “one anothers” in the Bible. Why are our relationships with each other in the Body so important? Because in the new heaven and new earth the consequences of sin are fully removed and true community will exist without the shame of the Fall. We will “cast aside our fig-leaves” and “live naked” before each other and God. Creation will be restored and renewed to the way God originally intended it. We, the Church, are a witness to the world that a new time is coming when that will be reality for everyone!

In this context my transformation into Christ-likeness takes on a new meaning. Sure, God wants me to be complete and whole. But, it is not just for my sake. It is so that those missing from the Family can witness the power of kingdom come. It is so the world can see that there will be a time when “everything is made new.”

Gathering. Hmmm. Here’s one where I’ve been stretched. What are the implications of how we gather in light of the now and future kingdom? Every nation, race, people and tongue will be represented. It’s a very “large gathering”. There is “corporate” worship going on... Does this kind of gathering have a message or purpose for the world?

Anyway, the bottom line is this: The Church exists for the sake of the world. We are a foretaste of the kingdom of God which will be fully revealed in the new heaven and new earth. We are a piece of the kingdom on earth, not just for our sake, for our healing, for our renewal, for our comfort, for our joy, but so the world can see kingdom now! As we improvise our part in the Story, we do so in light of the parts of the script we know, and our story becomes part of The Story...

What other implications do you see in our beliefs and practice in light of the Story?