I am Loved

Passing Thoughts from a Curmugeon

2011-12-31T09:09:00.000-08:00

It's been almost a year since my last posting. I can't believe had kept my mouth shut for that long. But thanks to a kind friend who has encouraged me to start up again, I decided to attempt this project one more time. I'll not post frequently, because, since I'm still a working man, my time is limited.

I've done a lot of observing this last year. Both in my personal life and in the life of Christianity in general. Today, I want to pass on some random thoughts that have crossed my mind in recent months. It is no secret that Christianity is in crisis. Evangelical has lost much of it's meaning for many people. I dare say, most of those people in the average church haven't a clue as to what I'm talking about. As the old fable goes, many of us are a bunch of frogs, swimming happily in our little pond, not realizing our little pond is a pool of water in a pot being slowly warmed to a boil.

What is my clue? Just sit in the average church today. Where are the Bibles? In the pew rack or in the laps of hungry people anxious to hear what the Lord is saying through the word to us. Worse yet, how many pastors are preaching from an open Bible? How many sermons have you heard that make only passing references to a text to support the thesis of the sermon? How many sermons are drawn more from psychology or science or current events rather than from a careful study of scripture and how that scripture is then applied to life?

You see, I contend we've lost our authority when the Bible ceases to be the central focus of our lives, both in public worship and private worship. How many of us even crack open our Bibles during the week? Why don't we? The Bible has become just another book. An old fashioned reading that seemingly has no authority to speak to our daily lives. The Book has lost it's authority over us. We have become the judge of the value of the book.

What do I mean? We have become the authority that determines the value of the stories, events, and history represented in the Bible. How many of us even read the Old Testament?

Our personal authority grid has told us the blood and guts passages are no longer relevant to the 21st century thinking mind. We have become the gods who determine the value of what is in the Bible. We have become professing Christians who are actually practical atheists. Our practice defines our true belief.

Now before you become offended, mind you, I'm speaking to myself too. I've become quite offended at myself over this many times. So let me be the proverbial pea under the mattress. The stone in your shoe.

Let's just begin with this observation. There are a lot of churches where the Bible is never seen in the hands of those who attend. Why? It's not the important focus of the church or individual Christian. We aren't challenged to think.

On the other hand, how many churches have you attended where the Bible is in the lap of everyone with a pencil and notepad in the other hand ready to grasp at anything the pastor has to say from the word? Which is better? With the Bible or without?

I'm going to surprise you on this one. I learned a phrase many years ago in my line of business. The phrase is, "It Depends." Take first my last scenario. The Bible and notetakers. You see this a lot in many of the conservative churches like the Southern Baptist or Reformed Churches. I think it is a great practice. But in many, and I suspect most cases, what is happening is that the teaching from the pastor's notes passes directly to the note pads of the listener without ever passing through the mind. And so the result is, we get Jr. pastors. We get hero worshippers. We get people who are passionate about their pastor and their shelves are lined with his books or whatever he recommends. The result is a form of idolatry. Or, as Paul puts it, some are of Apollos, some of Cephas, some of Paul. In our day, we have some of R.C. Sproul, some are of Sinclair Ferguson, Some are of J.I. Packer, some are of John MacArthur.

On the other hand, considering the first scenario, where people come to many of the churches today that we may call, "seeker sensitive" or evangelical or big box churches, people are drawn to the music or the pastor is dynamic and preaches a message that appeals to daily living, but the Bible is only an addendum to the messages. The result is often the same as the previous group I covered. Some are of John Ortberg, some are of Greg Laurie, or some are of Zachary Tims, or some are of Rick Warren or whomever. The result is the same. We often end up idolaters. The Bible isn't even considered and the only people who have any influence on is us our pastor. And, often in these latter cases, the service is simply a diversion from daily activities.

Now, I know I'm speaking in generalities, but my point is this. We have to take responsibility for our faith. But authority comes from God. The Bible will have no authority over our lives until we recognize who is the author. Pastor's sermons are only as good as the authority in which they are preached. I'm not talking about the pastor. A sermon has authority when the Holy Spirit delivers it through the Scriptures, via the pastor to the ear of the listener. That authority is based upon the power of God. The pastor has none of that authority until he is possessed by the Spirit of God to deliver the sermon in the authority of the Holy Spirit. And the Bible will only have authority in our lives when we submit to the Holy Spirit who takes the Word and ministers to us according to His power.

I guess what I'm saying with my rambling thoughts is this. Start thinking about what you believe. What has authority in your life? Does the Bible have a prominent place in your daily activities? Do you pray though your Bible on a daily basis? Have you set up a plan to read the Bible through this next year?

Does this make you a greater saint? No. If anything you sense a greater frustration if you think all that work will make you better. God has already done that work for you though the substitutionary work of Christ on the Cross. He makes you a saint by his death, burial and resurrection. Repentance, (which is a change of mind and direction) is an act of obedience according to the faith provided to us by Christ in the cross that brings about changes within us on a daily basis. Allowing the Bible to become the authority in our lives is an act of obedience. Put Christ and his word first and you'll understand authority.

We'll those are some of the scattered thoughts that have been pestering me lately. I hope they pester you too.

O Light That Knew No Dawn

2011-01-14T21:24:00.000-08:00

This year I am highlighting great hymns of the church both past and present. Music has always been a part of the church whether it was in the form of chanting the Psalms or in the grand choirs and organs up to the various instruments used today. God speaks to us through music as well as through the scriptures. I've been asked why I'm doing this. It's because in the great hymns you find the source of all love. God is many things. God is Love. God is Light. God is Just. God is Savior. I don't worship his justness, his light, or even his love. I worship God who is love. I worship God who is light. I worship God who is just. I worship God who is mercy. One of the beauties of these hymns is that we encounter the God who is.... If you want love and to love, the source of that love is God. When you seek first God and his kingdom, he then gives of himself in love. And as James reminds us in his epistle, the result is we love. God comes first. The expression of love in us towards others is the result of our union with him.

As St. John of the Cross and St. Theresa of Avila so aptly remind us. All good things come from him who is love and light. The flame we see coming from a log in the fireplace is not the fire. The fire in the log is what produces the flame. And so, as we are filled with Him, we then, in obedience, touch others as he has touched us.

This hymn today speaks not of the love of God but the Light of God, Jesus Christ. Jesus illumines our hearts so that we might know him and in the process we know God. Meditate on this ancient hymn by one of the earliest of writers, Gregory of Nazianzus. It is translated from the Greek and probably was sung in chant form in the early church. Today several tunes can be sung to it. Try singing it to the tune of Rejoice The Lord Is King. The hymn is a statement of profound faith and was part of Gregory's long battles with Arianism, Nestorianism and many other heresies of those times which threatened to destroy the church. Dwell on the meaning of the words. And meet God.

“God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5

O Light That Knew No Dawn by Gregory of Nazianzus (325-390)

O Light that knew no dawn,
That shines to endless day,
All things in earth and Heav’n
Are lustered by Thy ray;
No eye can to Thy throne ascend,
Nor mind Thy brightness comprehend.

Thy grace, O Father, give,
That I might serve in fear;
Above all boons, I pray,
Grant me Thy voice to hear;
From sin Thy child in mercy free,
And let me dwell in light with Thee.

That, cleansed from stain of sin,
I may meet homage give;
And pure in heart, behold
Thy beauty while I live;
Clean hands in holy worship raise,
And Thee, O Christ my Savior, praise.

In supplication meek
To Thee I bend the knee;
O Christ, when Thou shalt come,
In love remember me,
And in Thy kingdom, by Thy grace,
Grant me a humble servant’s place.

Thy grace, O Father, give,
I humbly Thee implore;
And let Thy mercy bless
Thy servant more and more.
All grace and glory be to Thee,
From age to age eternally.

As Pants The Heart

2011-01-09T20:04:00.000-08:00

Worship style wars are nothing new. Here is an old hymn of the church that caused a major crisis in some of the churchmen of jolly old England. In the late seventeenth century there was a tradition that had been held for many years which prohibited congregational singing except for translated psalms. This hymn proved to be controversial because of the heated hunter's chase in line 2. It was drew too much on the imagination which was could cause a person to have an emotional experience of a great thirst. (They'd have apoplexy today) God forbid we allow our emotions to mix with rational thinking.

However, the writers simply drew on the scriptural tradition of Ps. 42 and Isaiah 44:3 which talks about how God will pour water on him who is thirsty. (spiritually dry) Jesus spoke of seeking as one who looks for a gift when he said in John 4

"Open your heart for the gift I am bringing,

While you are seeking me, I will be found."

Read the words of this hymn and meditate upon the words. Go slowly and let them sink into you. What is a hart? It's a small deer. I say that because I know many who are not familiar with old English will not immediately pick that up. If you are young, pause from your point and click habits and sit on these words for a while. You will find them rich in theology.

The authors of the old hymns wrote many verses of which only a few ended up in our hymnals. (Check out our popular doxology. You'll be amazed at how many verses were and have been written for it) At the end, listen to the hymn played on a familiar tune. You'll pick up the hymn right away.

As Pants The Hart

by Nathum Tate (1652-1715) & Nicholas Brady (1659-1726)

1. As pants the hart for cooling streams,
When heated in the chase,
So longs my soul, O God, for thee,
And thy refreshing grace.

2. For thee, my God, the living God,
My thirsty soul doth pine;
O when shall I behold thy face,
Thou Majesty divine!

3. Tears are my constant food, while
thus insulting foes upbraid:
"Deluded wretch! Where's now thy God?
And where his promis'd aid?"

4. I sigh when'er my musing thoughts
those happy days present,
When I with troops of pious friends
thy temple did frequent:

5. When I advanc'd with songs of praise
my solemn vows to pay,
And led the joyful sacred throng,
that kept the festal day.

6. Why restless, why cast down, my soul?
Trust God, and he'll employ
His aid for thee, and change these sighs
to thankful hymns of joy.

7. My soul's cast down, O God, but thinks
on thee and Sion still:
From Jordan's bank, from Hermon's heights,
and Missar's humbler hill.

8. One trouble calls another on,
and bursting o'er my head,
Fall spouting down, till round my soul
a roaring sea is spread.

9. But when thy presence, Lord of life,
has once dispell'd this storm,
To thee I'll midnight anthems sing,
and all my vows perform.

10. God of my strength, how long shall I,
Like one forgotten, mourn?
Forlorn, forsaken, and exposed
To my oppressor's scorn.

11. My heart is pierd'd, as with a sword,
whilst thus my foes upbraid,
"Vain boaster, where is now thy God?
and where his promis'd aid?"

12. Why restless, why cast down, my soul?
Hope still, and thou shalt sing
The praise of him who is thy God,
Thy health's eternal spring.

13. To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
The God whom we adore,
Be glory, as it was, is now,
And shall be evermore. Amen.

14. ***orig 1st verse****

15. Like as the hart
doth breathe and bray,
The well-springs to obtain,
So doth my soul desire alway
With Thee, Lord, to remain.

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O Sacred Head, Now Wounded by St. Bernard of Clairvaux

2011-01-08T17:15:00.000-08:00

O Sacred Head Now Wounded

attributed by St. Bernard of Clairvaux 1090-1153

O sacred Head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded with thorns, Thine only crown;
O sacred Head, what glory, what bliss till now was Thine!
Yet, though despised and gory, I joy to call Thee mine.
What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered, was all for sinners’ gain;
Mine, mine was the transgression, but Thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior! ’Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with Thy favor, vouchsafe to me Thy grace.
What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever, and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee.
Be Thou my consolation, my shield when I must die;
Remind me of Thy passion when my last hour draws nigh.
Mine eyes shall then behold Thee, upon Thy cross shall dwell,
My heart by faith enfolds Thee. Who dieth thus dies well.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Catholic Doctor was known for his preaching. He was called the "honey tongue doctor". He is remember most perhaps for his sermon series "On The Canticles of Canticles. (Song of Songs) We are more familiar perhaps with it called the Song of Solomon. This was a series of 86 sermons on the first two chapters of the book and the first verse of the third chapter. He's famous for this statement,

"You wish me to tell you why and how God should be loved. My answer is that God himself is the reason he is to be loved."

We Walk By Faith

2011-01-07T20:32:00.000-08:00

Great hymns are born from great theology. I've decided to share with you this year some of the great poems of the faith. Many became great hymns. I'll pull from the deep history of the church. Spend time reading the words, meditate upon them, contemplate what they mean. Work through some of the old language and discover the richness that is there. Keep a dictionary by your side if necessary. It's worth the effort.

Today, I present to you:

We Walk By Faith

by Henry Alford 1810-1871

(public domain)

1. We walk by faith, an not by sight:
No gracious words we hear
of him who spoke as none e’er spoke,
but we believe him near.
2. We may not touch his hands and side,
nor follow where he trod;
yet in his promise we rejoice,
and cry, “My Lord and God!”
3. Help then, O Lord, our unbelief,
and may our faith abound;
to call on you when you are near.
and seek where you are found:
4. That when our life of faith is done
in realms of clearer light
We may behold you as you are
in full and endless sight.
5. We walk by faith, and not by sight:
No gracious words we hear
of him who spoke as none e’er spoke,
but we believe him near.

Henry Alford, Anglican English theologian, textual critic and great scholar was also a writer and poet. He also wrote many hymns. His list of hymns apart from the one I highlighted included "Forward Be Our Watchword," "Come, Ye Thankful People Come," and Ten Thousand Times Ten Thousand."

Eternal Power

2011-01-06T20:57:00.000-08:00

Eternal Power

Isaac Watts 1674-1748

Eternal Power, whose high abode
Becomes the grandeur of a God,
Infinite lengths beyond the bounds
Where stars resolve their little rounds!
The lowest step around Thy seat,
Rises too high for Gabriel’s feet;
In vain the favored angel tries
To reach Thine height with wond’ring eyes.
There while the first archangel sings,
He hides his face behind his wings,
And ranks of shining thrones around
Fall worshiping, and spread the ground.
Lord, what shall earth and ashes do?
We would adore our Maker, too;
From sin and dust to Thee we cry,
The Great, the Holy, and the High.
Earth from afar has heard Thy fame,
And worms have learned to lisp Thy Name;
But, O! the glories of Thy mind
Leave all our soaring thoughts behind.
God is in Heaven, and men below;
Be short our tunes, our words be few;
A solemn reverence checks our songs,
And praise sits silent on our tongues.

Happy New Year 2011

2011-01-01T07:53:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year 2011

It's a new year and a time for new beginnings. On this new day, let me list for you some of the things I'm happy about.

1. Big News!! The great Baptist preacher John Piper is back in the saddle after a long leave of absence. I love Piper for I feel he is a man of the word who has a heart for Christ and his Living Word. He has posted his thoughts on the Desiring God website. I encourage you to read it.

2. How can I not forget to start with the Grand Daddy of all parades and games, the Rose Parade in Pasadena and the Rose Bowl Game.

3. My next choice will be a bit controversial. Today, across the world, is the Celebration of the Motherhood of Mary, the mother of Jesus. This is foreign to most of us Protestants, except perhaps those in the more liturgical churches. This is a day in the celebration of the church year. We tend to downplay Mary's role in the Protestant church. I think this is a bit of a mistake as Mary, in the Gospels is described as "Blessed" for all ages. I personally believe we must honor Mary more than we do.

Here is an interesting review of a book from Ignatius Press regarding Mary in Byzantine Doctrine and Devotion. It is an insight into a church we know very little about.

4. Well, that's a short list of the things I'm thankful for today. I could go on and on, but since my readership is slim to none...I'll stop. But not without mentioning my greatest source of pleasure. My wife Shirley is the joy of my life. God has used her to turn a broken Humpty Dumpty into a man. I owe a lot to her. And then, of course, my Savior Jesus Christ, for whom I worship and adore.

That's it for now. I hope you share some of your favorites.

Happy New Year

Goodbye 2010

2010-12-31T08:23:00.000-08:00

Happy New Years Eve.

Are you happy that 2010 is coming to an end? I'm sure most of us are looking forward to the 2011. So I'll be among the first to say, Happy New Year. Now, having said that, what does that mean to you? Does that mean that you wish a year of nothing but happiness? That would be nice, wouldn't it. No more war, no more poverty, no more arguments with your spouse, no more teenage wars, no more illegal immigration disputes, no more prejudice, no more pain, sickness or death. But that isn't realistic is it?

So what do I mean when I say Happy New Year. I wish for you to discover peace in the midst of the turmoil, love in the face of hate all around you, joy in the midst of tears. But most of all may Christ, who is joy, who is peace, who is comfort, love and harmony, be the source of your strength to persevere through the unpleasant realities of the day. So...Happy New Year. May Christ lead you through the valley of death, the jungle of uncertainty until he walks you through the gateway to eternity.

So now, here's some fun places to visit on this last day of the year.

December Sites to Visit

The Orthodox Christian Network has a marvelous program today discussing Depression. Depression is a major problem that occurs during this time of the year. Mike Trout, introduces two speakers, the second of which discusses the problem of depression. You may find it interesting. Check it out at this link. OCN.

I've been encouraging folks to start a Bible reading plan for the year. Justin Taylor offers some great ideas on his blog. Follow the link highlighted here.

If you enjoy Southern Gospel Music, then you must make The Gospel Greats website and radio program a place to visit. They have a weekly newsletter that keeps you up on the latest in Southern Gospel. Check them out.

An interesting looking new book is coming out from Ignatius Press. Abortion has always been condemned by the Church from the beginning of the early church until around the middle of the 20th century when Protestant churches began to move away from the ancient belief. The value of the baby in the womb is clear in Scripture. The new book is called Unplanned, The Dramatic True Story of the Planned Parenthood leader who Crossed the Life Line to Fight for Women in Crisis. I've read of Abby Johnson and her testimony is riveting. Plan to pick up the story of her dramatic conversion.

Well, that's all for today...except for this pic from the quirky Daily Mail in London. My caption would be, Daddy, Where is this stinkin' outhouse? article-0-0C9C918A000005DC-381_634x799.jpg

I'm Back

2010-12-30T08:05:00.000-08:00

Greetings Everyone. Happy New Year. Well, I'm back. I've decided to start blogging again. However this time, I'll try and refrain from long diatribes, rants and ramblings. I want to relieve my Facebook friends from the multiple postings I enter that fills up space. Instead, I'll use this blog to refer you to sites and people that I find interesting. I'll give opinion here and there, but my main purpose is to simply show that Christ is active in places and events that may be out of your immediate line of vision.

Plus, I'll point to sports stories and other news stories that are interesting or quirky. After all, that's what I am...quirky. I'll not post on a daily basis as time is not a commodity I have to spare.

Today, I want to introduce you to two wonderful Catholic radio programs. They are a part of Renewal Ministries, a Catholic Charismatic organization headed up by Ralph Martin. The first program is Food For the Journey hosted by Sister Ann Shields. Sister Ann is a marvelous communicator and wonderful Christian. I think Protestants can feel very at home listening to her programs. They are available on Itunes as well as her site. Just click link above and listen. Today's program was very good. She highlights the importance of the scriptures.

The second program I enjoy is Fire On The Earth hosted by Peter Herbeck. Peter applies practical theology to the scriptures and often has interesting guests. Today's program covering the scripture readings for the day is particularly good. Click the link to listen. Both Food For the Journey and Fire On The Earth are fifteen minute shows that most often run back to back on the giant Catholic network, EWTN.

Weather goes South.

Out of Los Angeles...Baby it's cold and windy outside. Check out the LA Times.

It's a slow news day so far, so leaving the news for a moment, here's an interesting article about Children Who Refuse to Grow Up. I think it's right on. In harmony with this article, I'd be interested in seeing how many of you have read, The Death of the Grown-Up by Diana West. It looks particularly interesting. Let me know what you think of it.

Well, for the time being, that's all I have for today. My migraine is getting the best of me so I'm going to sign off. I hope you all have a wonderful New Year. Let's pray it's better than this last year for our country.

Goodbye

2010-01-11T07:06:00.000-08:00

This is a Goodbye from my blog. After several months of posting and learning about this tool, I've come to the conclusion I simply do not have time to do it justice. It has been a good exercise of writing for me to improve my skills, but I also realize my writing skills are limited. Also, I am embarking upon some major changes that involve a change in direction in my studies. As you know I've become increasingly alarmed by what I consider to be a sliding away from the foundations of our faith by the current trends taking place in the post-evangelical world. We are no longer a Christian country and have slipped into apostasy. Faith based denominations have slipped into a works based practice of teaching that has stripped the gospel, making it something unrecognizable. We don't know what we believe anymore and no one seems to care. Creed or doctrine is no longer important to the average Christian. The average Christian hasn't a clue what the Bible teaches. We have set ourselves up as gods who determine what the Scriptures teach according to our present whims and situations.
I reject this entirely. So as a result, I will be spending the next several months searching the scriptures and letting them speak for themselves to my current generation.
My non believing friends will care less. My Catholic friends will discover that, for me, the deeper you go into history, the more Catholic you become, is true only in the sense that history shows there was a single church in the beginning. But, the church began to stray into deep errors when it started to turn toward inward spirituality that focused on seeking a God who speaks apart from the Scriptures. But that is for another time.
For now, I'll say goodbye. I will return at a later date, maybe under a new blog with a new emphasis. Until then, Good bye.

Up And Coming

2010-01-05T12:52:00.000-08:00

Occasionally I come across someone who gives me great hope in for the future of the church and great preaching. It is no secret that I believe expository preaching is the most effective way to present the gospel. The young man I ran across today reinforces my belief. Dr. David Platt is the senior pastor at the Southern Baptist Church at The Brook Hills Church in Birmingham, Alabama. If he is any indication of where the Southern Baptist Churches are heading, then there is great hope. This message is part of a series at the church and is one of the most powerful I've ever heard. It is filled with hope and for those Christians who are burdened with works oriented Christianity or deeds over creeds. In this sermon he puts the horse ahead of the cart. He shows Christ comes to serve in order that we might be relieved of the burden of feeling we have to do it all. He shows that obediences is obeying and trusting Christ to serve us enabling us to do good works. This is powerful. It's about 45 minutes of good solid Bible teaching. I hope you enjoy it.
He Came video: HECAME3_VID

Happy New Year and Britt Hume

2010-01-05T10:58:00.000-08:00

I usually don't like news shows because most are now tabloid theatre. However, Britt Hume made a statement this last Sunday and later clarified his statement on the Bill O'Reilly show. I saw this clip on another blog and just had to share it because it is good. Britt Hume really came out with his Christian beliefs on this show which raise my estimation of him by a large margin. Listen and enjoy his comments on Tiger Woods. I think he is right on.

3 Great Bricks for Christmas

2010-01-02T09:53:00.000-08:00

Well, Christmas Day has come and gone. But remember, we're still technically in the Christmas season. We wind up the Octave of Christmas today and tomorrow is Epiphany Sunday. This year I got three great bricks for Christmas. Well, three books as heavy as bricks. I've told you about the first which was the ESV Study Bible. But first, I'm really enjoying The Chronological Bible published by Thomas Nelson Publishers. It is jam packed with a ton of useful information. I'm using it this year as my daily Bible reading plan. It has a nice two year plan to read through the Bible. And of course, it's read chronologically. Or as best as can possibly be done. There are disagreements over the order of reading, but they are minor. Overall, it is a very helpful way to read the Bible as books are read in the context of the eras they were written. It should never be read in place of regular reading, but in this case, I really enjoy reading the Psalms, for instance, within the context of the other books of the Bible. Another plus is the wealth of history this Bible contains. I recommend it highly as a good study Bible. If you want to get a new perspective, try the Chronological Bible. And make sure it's the one published by Thomas Nelson. There are others out available but I can only vouch for this one. And oh, by the way, it's written in using the New King James Version which is quite nice.

My second brick as equally as heavy as my others, is The Lutheran Study Bible. This has only been recently published. I have reveled in the content of this Bible. After spending so many years studying the history and background of Catholic teaching, this has been a delightful and refreshing return to what I consider to be the roots of my belief. This is a marvelous collection of study material with a decided Lutheran emphasis. And while I'm not Lutheran, I find myself more at home in this Bible than many I've read. It is chuck full of great charts, tables and commentary. The version is the ESV which I have come to really love and prefer. I have become increasingly tired of theology light in evangelicalism and this Bible gives me good meat to chew upon. I think the Lutheran's emphasis on the balance of Law and Gospel is refreshing. You would benefit well by having this fine Bible on your library shelf. Or better yet, by your reading chair. What? Don't you have a reading chair? Tut tut. Turn off your blamed TV and you'll have a reading chair. You'll do your brain a favor and you not lose out on anything important.

My third brick which I love and use is the ESV Study Bible. And coupled with the online access to the ESV Study Bible, you can also add your own notes as you read. This Bible is another of the great new Bibles coming out with the latest archeological findings and historical references. And of course, it has a strong reformed slant in it's notes, although not so much as its twin brother, the Reformation Bible. (which I don't have) Anyone want to give me one?

This Bible should be in every home, especially if you love reading scripture. It and the others I've mentioned can help do away with a lot of the clap trap that is out there in the local christian bookstores...if any are left. I know I'm hard on Christian Book publishers and authors. But there is so much misinformation out there, we need books and Bibles like the ESV Study Bible to get our heads screwed on right. Granted I'm talking about the notes. The Bible content speaks for itself and is the same in all the other ESV Bibles. The Bible is the Bible, right? Not necessarily.

I've become very disenchanted with the NIV because of its many, what I believe to be, mistranslation of the original language. Plus, there are so many Bibles published by ministers that are filled with downright error and false gospel which require a sound study Bible like the ESV.

Well, then I go from the sublime to the ridiculous, so to speak. I also got an ESV Pocket New Testament. One of my goals as I grow older is to keep my mind active by memorizing scripture. Specifically a whole book of scripture. I have taken on a real difficult goal of reading the New Testament through each month. I have a specific reading plan which will enable me to do that. If I set aside 30 minutes a day for reading the New Testament following my specific plan, I'll be able to do it.
The memorization may take me until the day I die, because my memory is very out of shape and is affected by natural aging.
The only drawback to this little pocket New Testament is the print is so small, I may soon need quadrifocals to see it. I know...not a real word. But I know my trifocals will never read it if my eyes change.

Why do I do this? Well, don't call me a nut, but, I have a personal belief that it's quite possible our country will get to the point where we may have our Bibles taken from us. I don't say this will happen. I don't prophesy it will happen. I could be very wrong. But I never suspected we'd fall away from the foundations of our faith as we have in the last 40 years. Maybe I'm being negative. And I still have hope for renewal in the church. Godly prayer can change history. But in the natural course of events, I'm convinced Christians will be so ostracized and condemned that we will lose all our religious freedoms. And if the Bible is taken from us, I want it in my brain. Then again, by that time, my brain will be gone too. :) But if it is, somewhere locked up in my senility, I'll still have the scriptures rattling around. And if the brain scientists are right, that might not be a bad thing.

Well, that's it for today. Read, read, read the word. You'll never regret it.

January 1st trivia

2010-01-01T08:11:00.000-08:00

Here are some New Years Trivia for you

Betsy Ross was born today in 1752. I doubt flags were flown for her.

Ellis Island Anniversary is today. It opened on this day in 1892.

It's Le Jour de I'An, the French New Year...whoop de doo.

In case you haven't notice or awakened yet, It's NEW YEAR'S DAY 2010.

Paul Revere was born on this day in 1735.

Now...back to the Rose Parade.

Start The New Year With Prayer

2010-01-01T07:29:00.000-08:00

Do you pray? Did it occur to you that starting the New Year with prayer is a good idea. Lord knows we are going to need it. Just read the headlines in the newspaper this morning...uh...after prayer, course. Or better yet, pray over the newspaper and listen for those gentle little nudges that seem to implore you to pray for that person, event or whatever.

I want to begin this new year by referring you to a marvelous tract by the great J. C. Ryle entitled A Call To Prayer. It's long and will take maybe 20 minutes or longer to read it. Yeah I know, that's a long time. And I've heard some say, I'm not a good reader. Well, sorry, I have no sympathy for that old excuse. Unless you haven't been taught to read, you can read. So it takes you longer. Do something I do which has, in the long run, made me a better reader. Cut up the reading into segments. Take a portion at a time and digest it. Highlight it with a yellow marker or underline the points that strike you as important. Keep a dictionary close at hand. Or use an online dictionary. Write questions that pop into your mind. You'll find many of your questions will be answered later. When you feel you've had enough, lay it down and pick it up later. But read.

Now back to prayer. This is one of the most powerful quotes in the article.

"What is the reason that some believers are so much brighter and holier than others? I believe the difference, in nineteen cases out of twenty, arises from different habits about private prayer. I believe that those who are not eminently holy pray little, and those who are eminently holy pray much."

Now if you wonder what Ryle is talking about, read the article. I'm not going to synthesize it for you. Let me just say, I was told recently of a well known evangelical leader who made the statement to one of his elders, a friend of mine, that he just didn't need to pray everyday. I guess he felt he was walking with God so closely that he didn't need to pray.

Well, if that is true, he is a very unusual person. I think I'll let J.C. Ryle answer that one. He said,

"You may be very sure men fall in private long before they fall in public. They are backsliders on their knees long before they backslide openly in the eyes of the world. Like Peter, they first disregard the Lord's warning to watch and pray, and then like Peter, their strength is gone, and in the hour of temptation they deny their Lord."

Have you ever said,

"I don't know how to pray."
"I just don't have a convenient place to pray."
"I don't have time."
"I just can't pray unless I'm given the heart of prayer and or my faith is weak."

J.C. addresses these excuses and many others in the great article on prayer. I was deeply moved by this article. Also please remember, this is not something to be done to make you better before God. God has already done that for you in the person of Jesus Christ. Prayer is an act of obedience and response to the call of God within you to be what he has designed you to be. You and I were designed for fellowship with God. Prayer is simply fellowship between two parties, you and God. So this is not an act of works or deed. This is part of the ongoing grace of God in our salvation and sanctification.

I'll not have any long obituary after I die. My life is not remarkable and my death will not impact society. I'll just be another statistic. But, I hope that the one thing they can put on my gravestone which will reflect my legacy is simply, "He Prayed." That's all. Nothing more. Somehow I think that prayer is the secret to living. I only hope and pray my prayers will have made some kind of difference after I'm gone.

So now, take a few moments and then go read J.C. Ryle's A Call To Prayer. Take time and make time.

Christ=The Main Thing

2009-12-31T07:16:00.000-08:00

John Calvin had it right. Jesus Christ is the "Main Thing". Not his attributes, not love, not justice, but Him alone. For from him flow love, justice, freedom, grace, mercy and Salvation. And when we live in him, the outflow of that relationship are the above and many other things. Read what Calvin said on this. He was right.

We see that our whole salvation and all its parts are comprehended in Christ. We should therefore take care not to derive the least portion of it from anywhere else. If we seek salvation, we are taught by the very name of Jesus that it is "of him." If we seek any other gifts of the Spirit, they will be found in his anointing. If we seek strength, it lies in his dominion; if purity, in his conception; if gentleness, it appears in his birth. For by his birth he was made like us in all respects that he might learn to feel our pain. If we seek redemption, it lies in his passion; if acquittal, in his condemnation; if remission of the curse, in his cross; if satisfaction, in his sacrifice; if purification, in his blood; if reconciliation, in his descent into hell; if mortification of the flesh, in his tomb; if newness of life, in his resurrection; if immortality, in the same; if inheritance of all blessings, in his Kingdom; if untroubled expectation of judgment, in the power given to him to judge. In short, since rich store of every kind of good abounds in him, let us drink our fill from this fountain, and from no other. (Inst. 2.16.19)

From The Cradle to the Cross

2009-12-26T08:04:00.000-08:00

I'm sure that sometime during this Christmas season, at one time or another, you have heard or sung the carol, Good King Wencelas. Now, you may know who King Wenceslas was, but if you don't let me fill you in. He was a chap of the 10th Century. He was also known as Vaclav the Good but this poor Duke of Bohemia ended up being assassinated by his wicked brother, Boleslaw the Bad. Hmmm, I wonder how he got that name? I know I'd be bad if I had the name BOLESlaw. Anyway, because of his holiness, the good guy, Vaclav, now known as Wenceslas, had his bones interred in St. Vitus's cathedral in Prague. I wonder if that's where the dance stared. But that is another tragic sad story that many today are afflicted with.

On with the story, The song named after Good King Wensaslas was written by J. M. Neale (1818-1866). It has nothing to do with Christmas really, but is based on a story about Wenceslas who befriended a peasant. This poor peasant lived on the edge of a forest and so touched the good king, that he felt impelled to give this poor man a pine log. Now why a peasant would need a pine log is not told. But logic would tell me that probably the forest belonged to the king and anyone who chopped down the kings trees could probably have his head chopped off...or something like that, I surmise.

Nor is there any explanation of the footprints in the snow. But the verse I find interesting is the reference to Steven. What was this "feast of Stephen?" Those of us in the "free church" tradition relegate saints to a dusty corner of our library shelves, but most of Christendom has celebrated this "Feast of Stephen" from the earliest centuries. It is also known as Boxing Day in Europe and England and is celebrated by the Eastern Orthodox Church on December 27 instead of today. It was a day when gifts were gathered and given to the poor, hence, Boxing Day. And since Stephen was noted for his ministry to the helpless in the New Testament he is honored with this tradition.

The other thing we know about Stephen is that he was the first martyr of the church. But why in heaven's name do we celebrate this event the day after Christmas? Well, here's where tradition and the teaching ministry of the ancient church kicks in. One of the teachings of the church down through the centuries has been that Jesus, the babe born in Bethlehem, was born to die. He came to this earth, lived 30 or so years, and then fulfilled his destiny on the Cross in a horrible execution. His life was given in order that we might live. The sin that broke our relationship with God with Adam and Eve was forever destroyed by the death of Christ so that we can have eternal life with God. That has been the teaching of the Church.

And what the church wanted to show was that we too, who have been redeemed by Christ, also go through hardship. What the church is telling us is that the message of Jesus' birth, life, death and resurrection is filled with similarities for us. Jesus himself warned,
"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you...Remember the word I said to you; a servant is not greater than his master: If they persecuted me they will persecute you."

This has been the story of Christianity from day one. Good old St. Augustine said, "Every age is an age of martyrdom...Don't say that Christians are not suffering persecution; the Apostle's words are always true...: All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. (2 Tim. 3:12) All, with no one being excluded or exempted. If you want to test the truth of this saying, you only have to begin to lead a pious life and you will see what good reason he had for saying this."

Jesus said, "Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you."

St. John Chrysostom, the great preacher of the fourth and fifth century wrote: "Don't say that they didn't suffer, but that they rejoiced to suffer. We can see that by the use to which they instantly put their freedom: immediately after the flogging they gave themselves up to preaching with wonderful zeal."

Today, persecution still goes on. Look at the house churches in China. Weep over the Christian Palestinian, Arab, Jordanian churches and all of the churches in the middle Eastern region who are suffering at the loss of their pastors and churches due to persecution. Many of these poor folks have suffered horrible crimes perpetrated against them. And remember, war has also brought pain and suffering to these folks. Yes, even some of our own bombs.

Persecution goes on around the world. It may be the greatest argument for the sinful state of man that I know. Man needs a saviour. I know, I know, this is a message that falls on many deaf ears. But folks, how many of you are suffering from isolation for your faith? The words of Jesus are being fulfilled in our own country. Christianity is still, the most hated and despised religion in the world. How many news reports have you heard about complaints about crosses in public places or in places that can be seen by the public? How many displays of the 10 commandments are pushed into the shadows?
How many of your friends have ignored you on Facebook because you are open in your faith? What about those subtle little references like, "Oh, you STILL believe in a God and go to Church? How ignorant you are to be call yourself a Christian.

Now to be honest, those of us in the church have earned a lot of that scorn for trying to be something we aren't to take credit for the piety we exhibit. But the fact remains, there is a concerted effort to push Christianity back into the home and out of the public sphere. Oh, we can celebrate the muslim days, or the Jewish days, or push all kinds of new age spirituality on the unsuspecting public, but God forbid you wear a cross to work or have picture of Christ in you cubicle at work.

We can be encouraged, and in some companies, compelled to take meditation courses or new age self help classes at work but God help you if you want to have a private Bible Study or Prayer Group in your office. Why, that's a violation of church and state. I'll use my favorite theological term. HOGWASH!!

Face it folks, Christianity will never be popular. I don't care how much you try to package it into theatrical productions, the majority will ignore anything that bases its foundation on the message of the cross of Christ. And as time goes on and our nation sinks more and more into apostasy, we'll be the pariahs of humanity. As long as our churches continue to try to make our services more and more like the local nightclub we'll continue the downwards slide.

The church of Jesus Christ is different. It is counter cultural. It is not like the rest of the world. It is a haven for the lost. A hospital for sinners. Sinners belong in the church because that is where Christ is. He loves sinners. We are all sinners and if we Christians will finally admit to that and realize Jesus Christ is the source of our hope, love and living, then we'll quit trying to be Christians and instead let the Grace of Christ make us the kind of people he wants us to be.

So on this day of St. Stephen, take heart. If you are suffering, your consolation is in Jesus. Your suffering may not end until death, but you will have the hope of his presences with you daily and for eternity. Sing the song Good King Wenceslas on this day and remember Stephen who showed us the cost of being a Christian. It's a life from the cradle to the cross.

One final word. I know some of you will be appalled by what I've just said. Yes, I actually agree with you. The Cross is ugly, was then and is now. Suffering is awful and not to be desired. But it's life. And how you decide to live that life depends on whether you are willing to obey Christ by trusting in him as your Savior.

God bless you and have a Joyous Christmas Season...yes..the season extends into January. And have a blessed New Year.

Good King Wencelas

Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gath'ring winter fuel

"Hither, page, and stand by me
If thou know'st it, telling
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?"
"Sire, he lives a good league hence
Underneath the mountain
Right against the forest fence
By Saint Agnes' fountain."

"Bring me flesh and bring me wine
Bring me pine logs hither
Thou and I will see him dine
When we bear him thither."
Page and monarch forth they went
Forth they went together
Through the rude wind's wild lament
And the bitter weather

"Sire, the night is darker now
And the wind blows stronger
Fails my heart, I know not how,
I can go no longer."
"Mark my footsteps, my good page
Tread thou in them boldly
Thou shalt find the winter's rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly."

In his master's steps he trod
Where the snow lay dinted
Heat was in the very sod
Which the Saint had printed
Therefore, Christian men, be sure
Wealth or rank possessing
Ye who now will bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing

Merry Christmas-Joy To The World

2009-12-25T07:45:00.000-08:00

Joy To The World

Merry Christmas to Everyone

Those in Christ Are Beloved

2009-12-24T09:42:00.000-08:00

This is a great nine minute presentation. Watch it and be encouraged. You are loved.

A Christmas Prayer by Ian Oliver

2009-12-23T07:00:00.000-08:00

Ian Oliver, pastor for the University Church at Yale University wrote a marvelous prayer for Christmas I'd like to share with you. I ran across it in the Magnificat Magazine this month. It's a prayer for the December 24th prayer readings, but it was so good I thought I'd share it with you.

A Christmas Prayer

On that holy night,
Somehow
It happened.

Somehow,
God took a handful of humanity:
Proud, petulant, passionate;
And a handful of divinity:
Undivided, inexpressible, incomprehensible:
And enclosed them in one small body.

Somehow, the all too human
Touched the divine.
And was not vaporized.
To be human was never the same,
But forever thereafter,
Carried a hint of its close encounter with the perfect.
and forever thereafter,
God was never the same,
But carried a hint of the passion of the mortal.

If God can lie down in a cattle-trough,
is any object safe from transformation?
If peasant girls can be mothers to God,
Is any life safe from the invasion of the eternal?

If all this could happen, O God,
What places of darkness on our earth
are pregnant with light waiting to be born this night?

If all this could happen, O God,
Then you could be, and are, anywhere, everywhere,
Waiting to be born this night in the most
unbelievable places,
Perhaps even in our own hearts. Amen.

Ian Oliver serves as pastor fo the University Church, Yale University

This Is A Grand Slam Home Run Program

2009-12-21T06:57:00.000-08:00

I listened to the pod cast this morning of the White Horse Inn and thought it was a Grand Slam Home Run. The program was recorded yesterday December 20th and is titled The Word Made Flesh. The last ten minutes or so is worth the wait. So for those who are tired of milk toast Christianity, here's some good red meat. Just clck on the link and...Enjoy.

Is it me? Or is it something else?

2009-12-19T07:14:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I've notice that the older I get, the more I study and think about life, I realize I know nothing and that life is not about me. Now some of you may agree with the first statement regarding my lack of knowledge. I was always a late bloomer. I don't think I grew up until I was in my thirties and at that, only because I was forced to recognize that I wasn't in control. My college years were, to say the least, less than stellar. I learned how to study long after I was out of school.

But, there were some foundations laid that have carried me through all my rabbit trail theologies. One of those foundations was that there is only one message we have as Christians and that is Christ and the Good News of his victory over death through his death, burial and resurrection. Paul the Apostle said, I preach Christ and him crucified. He said, "For me, to live, is Christ."
It wasn't about Paul, it was about Jesus Christ. It wasn't about what Paul did or didn't do. It was about Jesus Christ working and living and loving through Paul. Christ and the cross was the source of everything in Paul.

So that is the first foundation stone I've always believed in my Christian life. Now, have I lived that? No. All too often I've tried to be rather than obey. Did you get that? When Christ is not the foundation of our life, we try to do something to become like Christ rather than letting HIM be the source of my being. If I focus on being all I can be, I end up with a false works gospel. If Christ is my life then I become like him by his action in my life. He provides the faith to obey. He provides the ability to become what I am and he provides the action to do what he commands.

The second foundation stone I've never abandoned was a firm belief and trust in the validity and authority of the Holy Scripture, The Bible. I believe in the verbal, plenary (complete), inspiration of the Scriptures as given to the authors and assembled by the church. My trust is in what we Protestants hold to as the 66 books of the Bible. As for the Deutero-canonicals, I agree they are important and valid for study, but lack the authority of the rest of the sixty-six books. I firmly hold to what the leaders of the Reformation taught, Sola Scriptura. I know the doctrine of Sola Scripture is debated but I'll just let the debaters debate. I'm not into that dog hunt. It's not up for debate with me.

Now what has all that got to do with me. Well, here's where my use of the term curmudgeon comes that I referred to on Facebook the other day. I'm getting sick and tired of watching the church descend into a works theology. I studied Catholicism for ten years and came to the conclusion it was largely a salvation by works theology. Despite all their protestations to the otherwise, that is the fact. They have confused the works of salvation and sanctification and made them mean the same thing. I fear we Protestants are headed in the same direction.

When I came out of the bins of Catholic theological studies, blew off the dust and brushed the cobwebs of history off my clothes, and stepped into the sunshine of the twenty-first century, I was blinded by what I saw. I had to rub my theological eyes and put on sunglasses to see more clearly what was going on. And what I saw confused me at first, but then as my eyes adjusted I began to wonder, "What is this church I've claimed to be a member of all my life?"

Oh, I've been faithfully attending church, gleefully participating, grousing about cosmetic changes, but mostly chalking it up to my growing older and less flexible. But I'm an introvert and love studying, so I started reading again. And boy, did I get an education. New terms I'd never heard of like, Emergent Church, Emerging Church, Life style evangelism, Ten steps to Holiness sermons, How To Be All You Can Be programs. I heard preached Be The Real You if you just do...You fill in the blank.

I sat back and scratched my bald head and thought...man...what is this. I just left this stuff behind in the church history section of my library. It's the same mistake the Catholic church made, only now in new terminology. And then to boot, I see syncretism seeping into the old theologies with ancient Bhuddist and Hindu practices of meditation being practiced. The reason given is that this is how the early Christian fathers practiced their faith.

In a strong theological term...BALONEY!!! I don't know of any early church father who practiced Bhuddist practices. Yes, they practiced contemplation and meditation, but I just don't see where far Eastern practices were a part of their worship. I know some of my Reformed brethren may disagree with me here because any form of contemplation is held in suspect by many of them. But trust me, I've done my homework on this. I may be wrong, but I don't think so.

But back to my main point. Go online and read through the titles of most of the sermons you find. How many emphasize some kind of verbal statement like, what must I do, or How to (you fill in the blank)? Or "You Can Be A Better Saint by...." Or, Six Ways to Become..., or How to Pray? Or "You Can Be A Better Saint by..." I saw one today called Red Neck Christmas. The lead line was, "We Must Understand God's Holiness and Admit Our Sinfulness"
Now, that sounds innocent enough and it may be a good sermon. But if the lead verb is "I must" or "I need to" rather than how Christ does his work in us to accomplish what we are to be, then you've entered a works theology. And that is a false theology.

Pay attention to what is being preached in your service this Sunday. Make a list. How long did it take for the pastor to say Jesus? Do you know I've sat through an entire sermon without hearing the word Jesus once? What is the lead verb in the message or points of the message? Is it Jesus doing something or is it what you must do or can be? Is the work of the cross in relation to the subject ever discussed? Did you know the cross is swiftly becoming the most despised word in Protestant preaching? (An aside, is it even present in the place of worship) Did you know the cross is off limits because many pastors and church leaders believe that it's too offensive to the one visiting for the first time?

Well, shut my mouth! That sounds like something I read in I Corinthians 1:18 about the cross being foolishness. So, what's new? Of course the cross is foolishness and offensive. But without the cross, we have no message.

Let me expand on one of my questions regarding verbs in the sermon. Is Jesus the subject of the verbs. If he isn't you may have a salvation by works statement or sermon. And here is a bigger question. Are they verbs of Jesus or verbs of pop-psychology?
We are having more sermons based upon psychology than Bible. And that is dangerous. I think, far too often, topics germane to psychology are brought to a text and the text becomes the foundation of the topic brought to it. That is, in my way of thinking, a misuse of scripture. As it's been said often, "A text taken out of context is a pretext". I'm hearing a lot of pretext sermons today. And our people are hurting for it.

Biblical ignorance is at an all time high today. The Bible is no longer given the respect it once had. Church has become a country club rather than a gathering around the altar, the word and sacrament. It's time we return to the preaching of the cross and how Christ is our source of becoming, the one who is the source of our value, love and strength. I believe the most powerful way we can do this is to bring back the readings in the services of the Old Testament, Psalms, New Testament, Gospel and the creeds. When done right, you give the congregation a foundation of belief that provides a source of strength for every day.

One other point and I'm done with being the curmudgeon...at least for today. I want to harp on Discipleship for a moment. We are being bombarded today with the phrase, "Jesus-Follower." People are dropping the word Christian because it is so misunderstood by many and replacing it with "Jesus-Follower." Folks, that is a works based belief. The action of the verb is on me. It is something I do. I am a Christian, pure and simple. You want to know what it means? Ask me. I am one bought, sealed and delivered by Christ. He makes me what I am. That's where the verb belongs.

I am a disciple of Christ. Oh..that makes me a Jesus follower doesn't it? Well, wait a minute. What is a disciple? If I look into my hand dandy little Greek Lexicon I read, disciple, from the word "mathetes" It means pupil. It is one who is taught. And the command in Matthew 28:19 is to go into the world and make "mathetes" pupils. Today, we have added a second meaning to something that is not inherent in the original. We've added follower. What Christ is saying, He the teacher (didaskalos) teaches us "methetes" to go into the world and make "mathetes", students.

We've turned the great commission on its proverbial ear and made it into a works based faith. If we follow Christ we will be rewarded by him. But what he's really saying, is since we are taught by him through the word, we are then to go and teach others, make pupils.

Maybe I'm belaboring the point. Yes, we follow Christ. Of course. But only because he is the source of our life. There is no way I can do enough to totally please my Lord. He told me to be perfect. Well, from this blog, you know that ain't happening!
So I rely on his grace, his cross, his power because on the cross, he made me perfect in him. And while I don't see the full effects of that today, I know he is using daily living to mold me according to his purposes. Sometimes he chips, sometimes he molds, sometimes he stomps, but since I'm his child, it's his work of love to make me like him. As a result, I slowly become more like him. But it's all grace. By grace alone, folks. It's his work.

I'm done.

Christmas Eve Confession

2009-12-15T10:44:00.000-08:00

Now THIS is a real Christmas Eve story worth passing on thanks to Orrologian and Richard Wurmbrand.

My New Five Pound Brick

2009-12-12T07:26:00.001-08:00

I finally did it. I just received my new five pound brick. It's called the ESV Study Bible. For those of you less interested but curious, ESV stands for English Standard Version. It's one of the best versions of the Bible I've seen. And this ESV Study Bible is a gold mine. I love the ESV translation. I've had a regular ESV Bible for a few years now as well as ESV cassette tapes. (remember tapes?) I've never seen so much information packed into a study Bible like this one. It will take years for me to absorb all that is in it.
Why did I buy this particular Bible? Well, first of all, all my other study Bibles, while good, are rather dated. New archeological studies as well as new insights in the original texts have made a new Bible almost a necessity for the student of the Word. Plus, I like some of the reformed thoughts contained in the notes of the Bible.
Am I finished. No, I'd like to add to my collection a Lutheran Study Bible. From what I've seen it contains some great stuff as well. But that won't be for a while. I'd like an Orthodox Bible simply because of the historical insights of the Eastern church that you won't find anywhere else.
Now...I happen to know Santa has also set another Bible under my tree this year. You know how Christmas goes once it's just you and your wife alone at home. She doesn't know how to buy my books so I give her hints, or ...uh...I buy it and she puts the wrapping on it. Ha Ha. Come on now...don't tell me you don't do the same thing. I've talked to enough of you to know this happens all the time.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to studying the Bible in Chronological order in the very near future. Thanks Thomas Nelson.

Well, that's it for now. Not much news. It seems time is slipping away. My time is so limited on the net anymore. I have little time for my blog. But I'll keep up on it now and then and try to stay in touch with my limited contacts. You'll probably find my name on blogs of others more often than not as I try to reach out to others.
In the meantime...get into the word. The Bible is God's love letter to us.

The Real Santa Claus

2009-12-07T07:55:00.000-08:00

Rev. Ken Klaus (yes, that's his real name) presents a marvelous video on the Lutheran Men's Network of the real story behind Santa Claus. St. Nicholas was his name and this video is one of the best I've seen. Enjoy. St. Nicholas.

Love - Jaeson Ma

2009-11-27T13:10:00.000-08:00

This is a great video. Watch Love by Jaeson Ma

Know What You Believe and Why

2009-11-26T09:24:00.000-08:00

Recently, I have taken a bit of a curve. I am on a quest to see the love of God active in my life. But I also know that love is based upon truth. That's the whole idea unsaid in the great commandment of Christ to love God, love others. The premise is first to love God, we must know Him. And to know him we must know what the scriptures say about him. That's the first half of the love command. He brings to fulness of meaning to all the scriptures, the law, the psalms, the prophets, what we call the Old Testament. In order to know him, we learn...learn about him from these scriptures. And the New Testament highlights the old by completing the picture and showing how what we know in Christ is practiced. Without the Scriptures, we are blind to the particulars about God. Without the Holy Scriptures we cannot grasp the fullness of the love of Christ.

So in light of that, I remember an old title I read many years ago early in my journey by Paul Little called Know Why You Believe. It's a classic and a master piece. It's still available and can be purchased at Amazon.

Today, theology and doctrine have been cast into the shadows and as a result we are casting around a lot of shallow experience related belief systems. Just love and others and God will take care of the rest. Well, a half truth has caused a lot of bad doctrine to be taught. Love is the primary focus of the gospel. But that truth is based upon important truths that keep the idea of love in harmony with the love of God. So as a result teachings bordering on outright heresies are being taught.

I know that's not popular, but truth sometimes is hard to take. So, what's my point? Take time to think and don't get sucked into this idea that doctrine and theology are not important. Turn off the television, your computer, your Ipod, or whatever and do some hard thinking. I'm doing that only because I realize the we live in a world that is crumbling into major confusion and disintegration. I know I must know why I believe what I believe.

So, long story cut short. Go to the New Reformation Press and listen to to great lectures. Craig Barton Esq. gives a great lecture on Why Defend the Faith At All. It's a block buster.

The second is an Introduction to Apologetics by Dr. Rod Rosenbladt. It is one of the best talks I've heard on the subject. Both these guys are Missouri Lutheran guys and are dead on.

If you are not used sitting any longer than 15 minutes listening to talks, stop every 15 minutes and try to write down what the guys just said. If you don't understand listen again. These aren't "Dick and Jane" first grade books. They are meat not milk. Folks, it's time to grow up in our faith. These guys will provide good stuff to grow on.

Enjoy.

Thanksgiving Prayer and Videos-My Gift To You Today

2009-11-26T07:17:00.000-08:00

A Thanksgiving Day Prayer

Lord, so often times, as any other day
When we sit down to our meal and pray

We hurry along and make fast the blessing
Thanks, amen. Now please pass the dressing

We're slaves to the olfactory overload
We must rush our prayer before the food gets cold

But Lord, I'd like to take a few minute more
To really give thanks to what I'm thankful for

For my family, my health, a nice soft bed
My friends, my freedom, a roof over my head

I'm thankful right now to be surrounded by those
Whose lives touch me more than they'll ever possibly know

Thankful Lord, that You've blessed me beyond measure
Thankful that in my heart lives life's greatest treasure

That You, dear Jesus, reside in that place
And I'm ever so grateful for Your unending grace

So please, heavenly Father, bless this food You've provided
And bless each and every person invited

Amen!

--Scott Wesemann

Johnny Cash sings a Thanksgiving blessing.

Who can ever forget this?

Thanksgiving sounds and sights by pianist George Winston

Miscellaneous Postings

2009-11-22T19:12:00.000-08:00

Greetings on this day in which much of the Christian world ends the liturgical year with Christ the King Sunday. I hope your day was filled with appreciation for the one who is King.

Today, I list some of the sites I found interesting today. I hope you do as well. Enjoy.

From the Protestant World

1. Ben Witherington on the Bible and Culture, SBL Lecture---Wise and Sagacious Vistas on Matthew.

2. An interesting sermon from one of my favorite Protestant bloggers, Michael Spenser, The Internet Monk. His article On Christless Preaching is a home run in my book.

From the Catholic World

1. From the New Liturgical Movement, Architectural Imagination: Russian Churches

2. If you've never heard these guys sing, you've missed out on a treat. Read about them here in the article on the World of Mysteries website, We trust in the Lord but we still take pills for our health, say classical stars The Priests.

3. From the Vivicat blog, Today's the Solemnity of Christ the King. (some interesting historical explanations here.

From the Anglicans

1. Want an Advent tag for your blog? Try this at Liturgy by Bosco Peters.

Well, that's it for today. It's a slow day today. But this will keep you busy for a while. In the meantime check also check out, The White Horse Inn, one of the best Reformed sites I've seen. Listen to the podcasts and read the articles. It is filled with rich, rich stuff. In the same vein check out Stand To Reason a great site by Reformed apologist, Greg Kouki. One more on the new Reformed views, Reformation 21. These guys will challenge you to think. Great meaty stuff. On this site, particularly check out, Is Idolatry the New Sin? -Reformation 21. It is a blockbuster article and one that needs to be read more than once. I know that I've made some of the mistakes this author spotlights. This is a good one.

As you can see there are tons of choices here. My intent is to find common ground. It's not easy, but it's there.

Enjoy

Nagging Thoughts

2009-11-16T07:59:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while I get the nagging thought that maybe, just maybe, God isn't going to do things the way I think he should. Or could it be, others just don't seem to understand that I'm right? Don't you question yourself, at least a little bit? I do. I'm always asking questions of myself.

Like, if Jesus says we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind, and then love our neighbor as ourselves, then.....why the heck can't I?
I mean, it's so easy to love my wife, my friends and my church but to love my neighbor? Come on...have you seen that jerk?

How can I love a guy I don't agree with? Doesn't he know he should think like me?

Then I get this thought, If I say I love God and don't love my neighbor then the whole mess falls apart. No unity is possible. No harmony is possible and furthermore, I don't love God. I shudder when I think that not to love my enemies tells me I really don't love God.

But...when I know they are wrong and committing grave and serious sin...in my opinion...then how can I love them? Well, does God love them in their sin?
Uh...yeah.
And doesn't God consistently try to reach out to them?
Uh...yeah.
And shouldn't they repent before they are forgiven?
Uh...uh oh...Forgiveness took place on the cross didn't it? Repentance is simple their choice to respond to God's forgiveness through Christ by turning to him.

Folks, I don't love God. I'm learning that to love God means I take on his nature to love others. But in order to love others, I need to fall in love with the Lover.
God is love. I can't make anyone else love. I can't make anyone else be lovers. I can't make anyone become what I think they should become. My job is to be what God wants me to be and that's to be His lover. And when I become his lover, he becomes my lover enabling me to love others. I repeat, my job isn't to MAKE someone love. My job is to love.

I'm not there yet. You'll know when I am before I do, I'm sure. But until then, be patient with me. I goof up.....a lot.

New Look

2009-11-14T09:09:00.000-08:00

As those of you who visit my blog, I've changed the look. Hopefully, it will be easier to read. I'll be making more changes over the ensuing months. Time is my biggest enemy. I only have a few hours a week to spend time on my blog and the bulk of that is early Saturday morning when all is quiet and I have no interruptions. The rest of the week is hit and miss as I'm still working 40 hours a week and then have little time in the evenings due to the necessity of family time.

My plans are to develop everything to match the title of my blog which is I Am Loved. The chief commandment of Christ was to Love God and Love Others and as a result serve the world. I'm woefully deficient in the latter two, so will be addressing those changes as time goes along. I realize that all the talk about loving God is useless unless I love others, friend and foe. That ultimately means sharing that love by touching the lives of others using the gifts given to me.

I'll never be a polished academic author but in my own simple way, I'll use what gifts and writing skills I have to touch the common man. Love does that. I've always been someone who will fight for what I believe. But I've also come to the belief that doctrine and creeds do more to divide and cause division than they unite. Love teaches me that God is more concerned that we share his nature which is love and try to find common ground between the various understandings of truth. It's our understandings of truth that divide us. There is one truth we can rally around and that is Jesus. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. It is in Jesus that we learn who the Father is and it is Jesus that we gain an understanding of love, for he is the reflection of the love of the Father and the Trinity. Trusting in the Holy Spirit, I learn that the Holy Spirit enables me to love, teaches me about love and guides me into love. Jesus prayed that we might be one with the trinity. There is nothing more important.

Jesus is my main focus. Love is the expression of his life. If I focus on Jesus, love will be the result. Sometimes that love is tough, but still, it is love. A.B. Simpson said it well in his great hymn Himself which reads,

HIMSELF

Once it was the blessing, Now it is the Lord;
Once it was the feeling, Now it is His Word.
Once His gifts I wanted, Now the Giver own;
Once I sought for healing, Now Himself alone.

Once 'twas painful trying, Now 'tis perfect trust;
Once a half salvation, Now the uttermost.
Once 'twas ceaseless holding, Now He holds me fast;
Once 'twas constant drifting, Now my anchor's cast.

Once 'twas busy planning, Now 'tis trustful prayer;
Once 'twas anxious caring, Now He has the care.
Once 'twas what I wanted, Now what Jesus says;
Once 'twas constant asking, Now 'tis ceaseless praise.

Once it was my working, His it hence shall be;
Once I tried to use Him, Now He uses me.
Once the power I wanted, Now the Mighty One;
Once for self I labored, Now for Him alone.

Once I hoped in Jesus, Now I know He's mine;
Once my lamps were dying, Now they brightly shine.
Once for death I waited, Now His coming hail;
And my hopes are anchored, Safe within the vail.

Chorus: All in all forever...Jesus will I sing
Everything in Jesus and Jesus everything.

Jesus is the source of true love. If love is to be our message then we begin with Jesus who enables us to love. There is no other message.

Contemplation...AT WORK???

2009-11-13T08:45:00.000-08:00

If you have ever studied and practiced meditation and contemplation, I'm sure it has been in relation to solitude, adoration, quiet places or just simply being alone with God. But have you ever realized that work can be a place of contemplation? Yes, I mean bringing Heaven down here, as my pastor puts it, right into the chair I sit at in front of my computer at work. Or maybe you're driving a bulldozer ripping out the walls of a building that is being destroyed. One of my favorite author's St. Josemaria Excriva, founder of Opus Dei, gave his life to making "Heaven Come Down Here." His books illustrate over and over again that Christianity is not just a look into the Heavens for inspiration, but that it is also a mission here on earth. Our daily activities are an act of worship. Read this article Work and Contemplation that appeared on the Opus Dei website a few days ago on November 4th. It is very well done and can be helpful to Protestants and Catholics alike who want to put feet to their faith. Enjoy...and contemplate.

Musings etc

2009-11-12T13:19:00.000-08:00

It's no secret when you read my blog that I love our Catholic brothers and sisters in Christ. Oh, we have our differences, of course, but if there is one prejudice we Protestants need to get over is our Anti-Catholic prejudices. Most of what I read that condemn Catholicism are rehashes of partial truths and downright lies. Once you research what they actually believe, you find we are more in harmony than not. And my big God sized prayer is that we someday be one in unity and love.

Having said that, I've also said that Catholics couldn't teach their faith out of a paper bag. They are horrible communicators. Their books are dense, full of Catholic shop talk that no one but them understands. And I doubt most of their parishoners understand them either. Just look at the dropout rate from Catholic catechism classes as well as major seminaries and universities. And when you figure that, in their own words, seventy five percent of their parishoners don't attend mass, you know something is wrong in their education.

But there is a slow shift occurring. In the acedemic world there are lights on the horizon that show promise. Former Presbyterian Scott Hahn is the behemoth on the block leading the way. Rather than me writing on the promising future of literature, read the Musings of a Pertinacious Papist. The blog on November 9th describes some of the bright advances that are taking place through Ignatius Press in San Francisco. You'll find this incouraging.

I would continue to argue that most of the books are still above the average reader, but that is slowly changing. Enjoy this blog.

The IMonk and Cowards

2009-11-12T13:07:00.000-08:00

If you haven't read Michael Spenser's blog today, you gotta read this one. He is spot on. Three cheers for saying it right. Read, Gospel Cowards.

If you were brought up in a church that gave you a long list of do's and don'ts to prove your faith,like I was, this is a must read.

Personal Repentence and the Ft. Hood Shootings

2009-11-11T07:59:00.001-08:00

I must admit, I need to repent. As one who has faced losing friends in a violent shooting at my former company in the late 1980's I've always held a bit of bitterness toward mass murderers. Some of you may remember the shootings at ESL in Sunnyvale, California on February 18, 1988. I was just a few buildings away when those shootings occurred that took the lives of some of my friends. It's something you'll never forget. And this bitterness always simmers in the back of my mind especially to those who are Muslims since 9/11. But the article below is one that poked at a little chink in my armor that I know has been festering and bothering me for a long time. Do I really love my enemies? Do I lump all people different than me into the actions of one individual who has committed heinous crimes.

Read this article and see if you face the same questions. The Fort Hood Shootings and The Privelege of Disassociation.

Happy 50th Anniversary Fr. Groeshel

2009-11-10T07:18:00.000-08:00

Happy 50th Anniversary Fr. Groeshel, you are a blessing and an example to all who follow Christ.

Let us all celebrate a man who was a personal friend of Mother Teresa and who most exemplifies the kind of life she led. Fr. Groeshel is a modern day living saint whom God is using in New York and around the world through his exposure on EWTN Catholic TV and radio networks.

May God bless this humble man on this special day. Enjoy this tribute.

Great Video

2009-11-07T09:53:00.000-08:00

Here is a great video that supports my earlier cry.

Do You Know What Solo Scripture is?

2009-11-07T09:37:00.000-08:00

Do you know the difference between Solo Scriptura and Sola Scriptura? Here's an interesting article on a Catholic response to R.C. Sproul on the Called to Communion, Reformation meets Rome blog. This is something I think we need to quit fighting over. I know that will raise the hair on a few people's back, but if we can't get over these biggies, we'll never be united. I think this guy makes some sense when he points out the circular reasoning of the thinking of the Reformationist crowd. But, right or wrong...and by the way...I'm not in full agreement on his conclusions either...we need to get past this argument somehow. I don't know the answer unless it's to agree to disagree and still love one another and respect our differences over this issue.

I Get Passionate

2009-11-07T08:26:00.000-08:00

I get passionate about my beliefs. Gee...no kidding eh?

I make no bones about it. I'm human. I have clay feet. I make mistakes all the time. I goof up, make a fool of myself, slobber when I should spit, bellow to relieve the pressure instead of swallowing my pride. Yep, I sometimes make a fool of myself.

I get passionate about Jesus. He who is love is my love. I'm not ashamed to say that. He is more important to me than any thing in this world or out of it. Jesus is more than a belief to me. He is a person who loved me. Hence the title of my blog. When I screw up, he loves me. When I get angry, he loves me. When I get hurt, he loves me. When I do wrong, (sin) he loves me. And when I recognize that my sin has made me less of a human, he's there to love me and remind me I was made for his love and that repentance needs to be made. There is nothing to stop him from loving me. He is real, he is alive and I love him. Is that schmaltzy? No, simple fact. I know him and love him, period.

I'm also passionate about the church. The church is Christ's body, therefore, I love it. The church is both the invisible universal (Catholic) body of believers and is a visible body of local believers who meet in a specific location. Jesus prayed that we be a unified church. He abhorred division. In his high priestly prayer he prayed that we might be one as he and the father are one. John 17:21-23. I get passionate when I don't see that prayer answered.

Don't think I'm pointing anyone out. When I point my bony broken finger at something, I have three pointing right back at me. I know that I'm contributing to disunity as much as the next person. And I don't love that.

I think this is Jesus' most important prayer. If he prayed for unity then I should pray and strive to make that the number one goal of my Christian life. That's why I harp on this again and again.

We are a broken body. We are divided into thousands of different denominations. We fight over theology, the Bible, each other, liturgy, worship styles and anything else that reinforces what we believe at the moment. And you know what? The rest of the world see that disunity and laughs at us and increasingly considers us irrelevant.

Folks, if our churches are not striving for unity in Christ, then we may as well forget all other programs. If we are not one in Christ or striving for that unity, then all the great preaching we here in the pulpits, all the evangelistic outreaches we ripple out to the community will be worthless.

We need to quit fighting and come together, with all our theological differences and unite under the banner of Jesus Christ. The world will never never take us seriously until we do. Now, the down side of that is, most likely, the world will attack us even more vigorously. I've heard it said the closer you get to God, the more likely you'll get burned. That's the hard part of being unified in Christ. All this talk about love without suffering is nonsense. If we follow Christ, are unified with him and each other, then his love will permeate our churches. It will be a strong love that is exhibited best in suffering and hardship. And it's when the world sees us willing to suffer for the love of them, then we'll see souls come to Christ in abundance.

That's why I get passionate. I don't care a wit about sola scriptura, solo scriptura, infallibility of any magisterium or whatever other doctrines we admire. If we are not seeking unity in Christ and coming together to discover what we have in common and then partnering on those common beliefs, then we are wasting our time. All the mega-churches in the world are nothing if we can't be one in Christ. I keep praying for the day when a Catholic priest can speak in a Protestant church and be loved and accepted as a brother in Christ rather than the enemy. I realize the difference between the Catholic service and the Protestant services. The whole purpose of meeting together is different in a mass. It is not a service but a meeting together for mutual prayer and participation in the Eucharist. The two can't be compared. But, but, somewhere, there should be a place for the Protestant to participate in the mass and not be considered a schismatic.

Now, this is all fine and dandy. Nice thoughts, but utterly impossible for little old me to bring that about. I know, I think that too. But, but..I can find one person to love. One person who is searching. God said not to cast our pearls before swine, meaning, we don't just throw out a big net and hope to build a strong church on whatever the net has entrapped. I think he's implying that he is preparing someone out there for the gospel, and when that one person comes across our path, then there is our ministry opportunity.

My personal prayer is always, Lord, show me that one person who is searching in their own heart for meaning and love and acceptance. That one person who has realized that all the world has to offer just doesn't answer the hunger in their soul. That's the person who has been prepared for me...and you. There is where the rubber meets the road. There is where the church is most effective.

I'm just a lonely voice out here in the blogging world with little or no readership. But, I hope that somewhere, someday, some lonely soul, looking for something different, something with meaning will notice something I've written and will be drawn to Christ as a result. Then, I will have accomplished my goal.

That is why I'm passionate. That is why I bellow and rant now and then. I think the church today has forgotten what the main thing Jesus asked for in his High Priestly prayer. May God do a miracle, for that is what it's going to take, to bring us back together into a fully functioning body of Christ.

Until next time....Be one in love.

Go To Hell!!!

2009-11-02T14:37:00.000-08:00

There are times when my blood boils to over flowing and I want to tell all Christian theologians, pastors, philosophers and faux Christian experts to go to hell!! I don't know if I'll post this or not, but let me tell you. I'm really, really pissed.

Oh...Richard....Christians don't say that word! Christians don't get angry.

THE HELL THEY DON'T!!! This is one who is angry right now.

I just read some blogs of some Frank Viola fans along with other blogs from Catholic to Reformed, from free church to liturgical leaders. From Scot Mcknight to Fr. Thomas Hopko, Orthodox priest. Ana Baptist or wanna be Ana Baptists, (misspelled on purpose) to Reformed Lutherans including one my favorites, Michael Spenser the Internet Monk.

All I read are "everybody is wrong from the first century on, and our group/theology/view of church/the body are the only ones that are/is correct. Rome went wrong with Ignatius so we kick them out of heaven. The reformers were wrong because they carried on the tradition of Rome. The new evangelicals are wrong because they have abandoned the liturgy.

A pox on you all. Not one word of how we can unite under Christ Jesus. Hell, even the liberals who try to make church look like the latest theatre production are more honest than most of our so called worship leaders. At least they admit they want to look like the world to bring in the world. Let me tell you a little secret sports fans, I've seen all this garbage in one form or the other for the last 65 years. There's nothing new under the sun and all this "new" stuff is just rehashed self worship of some kind or another.

Where is Jesus in all this. Sometimes I just want to leave Christianity and throw excrement on it but there's no need because the smell of today's church is sometimes worse than the excrement. I'm sick and tired of a Christianity that doesn't have teeth, a Christianity that is anemic when an honest question comes from a non believer. If they ask at all. Christianity is so irrelevant to the world today, it's no wonder nobody listens to us.

How can we be so dad gummed arrogant to assume we know more than those first century writers?? Do we have some secret time machines where our theologians are traveling back to view the ignorant church fathers who somehow screwed up their understanding of the Aramaic, Greek and Hebrew languages. You mean to tell me that when someone said something that was wrong in that first century no one spoke up and said, "I sat at the feet of the apostles and they didn't mean that."? Phooey!! Take all your degrees and bury them. I think ya'll are nuts.

And don't get me going on the worship wars of "how I can't worship" unless we sing in my tradition. (spit) Or even worse, right wing vs. left wing political nonsense in the church.

Harummph!!! O.K. I've ticked off enough of you to win the Outcast award of the month. I'll just go kick around a few boxes, punch a few holes in the wall, sit in my corner with steam coming out of my ears and pout. Leave me alone, I'll have my pity party by myself. Nobody reads my drivvel anyway.

Maybe someone will appear to me who will look like Jesus. Hmmm, I wonder what THAT will look like. He certainly won't come with the line, "our view is the right view." If he does, I have a size 14 boot that will leave a nasty smear on their backsides.

Important Views

2009-10-31T08:01:00.001-07:00

It is no secret I'm an enormous fan of N.T. Wright, Bishop of Durham. But I also am very aware of many of the controversies regarding his views on Justification. This week the Euangelion website had Michael Horton's review of Wright's book on Justification. It is very, very good. I encourage you to read it.

It is also Reformation Day, the 492nd anniversary of the posting of Martin Luther's 95 thesis. I've said in the past that this is a sad day as it is a day that began all the church splits we've seen since then. But, it is also a day when one man, followed by others, had the guts to stand up against the sins and evils practiced by the Roman church at that time and say "ENOUGH!" Luther didn't want to split from Rome but truth was more important than error. Some stayed with Rome and began the Counter Reformation which continues today with marvelous Catholics who strive for truth. But today, we remember the man who stood in the face of error and, for all his own personal faults, can be considered a saint to remember Sunday on All Saints Day. Thank you Martin.

Listen to a marvelous presentation of A Mighty Fortress Is Our God sung by Steve Green at The Gospel Driven Church website. It will send chills up and down your spine.

Final List 95 Theses

2009-10-30T20:19:00.000-07:00

Here are all five lists of the 95 Thesis For the American Church that Jared Wilson has posted this week. I hope you enjoy them.

Part I Descipleship

Part II Community

Part III The Church

Part IV The Pastorate

Part V The Church

N.T. Wright Invites The Pope To Durham

2009-10-30T09:44:00.000-07:00

I am thrilled that N.T. (Tom) Wright Bishop of Durham has invited the Pope to visit the Durham Cathedral. It's no secret my prayer is for unity with the Catholic Church with Protestants. Tom Wright is one of the world's leading Bishops in the Anglican Church and has a profound respect with Catholic and Protestants alike. His books are some of my favorites. I pray the Pope will accept the invitation and that much will come from this event, should it happen. See the news at Jeffrey Steele's blog de cura animarum.

The Rest of the 95 Thesis

2009-10-30T07:30:00.000-07:00

Today, I finally refer you to the last of Jared Wilson's 95 Thesis for the American Church - Part V. Tomorrow I will repost all the links given this week so that you can copy them all together. This is an excellent list which will bring much discussion and reflection. You may disagree with some of them, but I found them very thought provoking. Enjoy.

That's it for today. Short and sweet.

Continuing the Blitz....

2009-10-29T07:49:00.000-07:00

Today, I continue linking you to Jared Wilson's The Gospel Driven Church. His 95 Thesis today speaks to the role of the pastorate and will create some waves. I find myself agreeing with him. Enjoy and be challenged.

It's Halloween this weekend. For those of you in the Los Angeles area, The 1920's flick, The Golem will be shown at the Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theatre. So for a classical fun and scary evening go and enjoy a great movie.

Growing babies from test tubes with no mommy or daddy? If this is article is true, I see some major ethical issues. Read No men OR women needed: Scientists create sperm and eggs from stem cells

Well, that's all for now...short, quick and sweet.

95 Thesis Part III (and others)

2009-10-28T07:36:00.000-07:00

I'm continuing to point you to Jared Wilson's website this week as he continues his 95 Thesis For the American Church Part III. Here are 19 more on the Evangelical Church and its congregations. Enjoy...again

Once again I turn you to Michael Spenser and his Internet Monk website. Today he tackles the big problem we have in many of our churches as well as in society. Men who abuse women are on the rise everywhere. It's all too often seen in our churches, especially those who misinterpret the scriptures that talk about the husband being the head of the wife. This article is hard hitting and to the point. Men, if your are belittling your wives...stop it. Stop it and get help. There is no excuse for a woman/wife/child abuser. Read When Bad People Need A Crutch. It's good.

Can Protestants learn anything from Catholics? You bet! Read this article and listen to Mark Brumley on the Ignatius website. Mark discusses The Handbook of Catholic Apologetics by Peter Kreeft and Ronald K. Tacelli. I have an earlier edition of this book and it is good. Enjoy.

Finally, a bit of non-religious techy stuff. I own a 24" IMac at home and absolutely love it. Now Apple has gone one step better and come out with a well priced 27" inch model that makes mine look like an antique. Well, not really, but with the new LED screen it "looks" really, really good. Read about it, especially if you want a great trouble free computer. Go to the Mac Daily News link here and read about it, if you haven't already.

That's it for today. Until tomorrow where I'll contine bringing you the 95 Thesis list.....

95 Thesis Continued

2009-10-27T06:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I linked to Jared Wilson's blog The Gospel Driven Church where he began his article, 95 Thesis For the American Church Part I. Today, He continues with Part II. I encourage you to pick up on where he left off. He has some good things to say.

For some years now, I have questioned the young earth theory promoted by many evangelical creation research folks. For many, it has become a measure of your faith. I've heard comments saying our Christianity should be held in question if we believe in evolution or an old earth theory. Well, I'm not a scientist so won't make scientific claims, but the young earth theory just doesn't make sense to me. I'm one of those who believes the Bible is wasn't meant to be a scientific text book but rather, a book revealing God and his encounter with us to restore us to himself. I don't believe the Bible and science conflict with each other when read correctly, and I believe they complement each other. I am firm in my belief that God created the universe. He spoke it into being. The process or how things developed is up for question. Again, this is my personal opinion.
Today, Scot McKnight reviews a book on this subject which you I find intrigueing. The title of Scot's blog today is Evolution and Evangelicals...What Are The Barriers? I encourage you to read this most interesting blog as he reviews a survey done by Bruce Watke, an Old Testament scholar. I hope you enjoy it.

Have you ever wondered what Pope Benedict is all about? What is he really like and what does he really believe? Carl Olson, a reviewer and apologist for St. Ignatius Press highlights the introduction to the book Christ Our Joy, The Theological Vision of Pope Benedict XVI. Pope Benedict is one of the leading theologians of our day who has received a lot of negative press, but continues to have tremendous influence. He is making enormous strides toward bringing the church back together as seen in recent moves with Anglicans. Read and enjoy.

Then, there is one of my favorite writers Michael Spenser. He always challenges me, entertains me and when he has me laughing sticks in the pin to bring me back to reality. Today, he highlights Three Push-Button Words that get him going. Enjoy the Internet Monk. He's worth listening to on a daily basis. Download his Imonk broadcast on Itunes and get a Kentucky accented dialog on what is happening in today's world. Read his blog today and get all the links needed.

Finally, maybe, I don't like Reformation Sunday. Rather than being a triumphant celebration we Protestants celebrate on our separation from the errors of the Catholic Church, I see it as a prime example of failure. We failed to maintain unity in the gospel of peace. And we have been dividing ever since, fighting amongst ourselves over our personal denominational "traditions". Stanley Hauerwas, the Gilbert T. Rowe professor of Theological Ethics at Duke Divinity School speaks to the failure of the Reformation. His message on the tragedy of the Reformation is highlighted on the Call to Communion blog. Before you crow about being a reformed Christian read this article. It may make you angry, but it ought to make us all, Catholic and Protestant, hang our heads in shame for the splintering that has occurred as a result of the reformation. God have mercy on us for our constant fighting amongst our selves. We need to repent and seek unity with Rome where we are all one with Christ, with the liberty given us in Christ. Read...for God sake...read this one.

One More On Celebacy

2009-10-26T08:17:00.000-07:00

Celebacy. Why in the world does the Catholic church insist on celebacy? Jeff Penyan tackles this subject today on his blog, The Cross Reference. While I don't think celebacy is necessary, Jeff presents us with an explanation that makes helps us understand the reasoning behind the this seemingly sexist rule. Remember, you cannot equate the Protestant pastor with a priest in the Catholic church. They are completely different roles. Jeff brings all this out in his article The Church and Priestly Celebacy. Read slowly and try to understand. You still may disagree with his conclusions, as I still do, but you'll have a better understand.

Three Different Sites To Enjoy

2009-10-26T07:42:00.000-07:00

Some links I found interesting today.

1. Jared Wilson gives those of us in the American Church something to think about on his site The Gospel Driven Church today. He reposts his 95 Thesis for the American Church, Part I. It's worth reading.

2. Why would an Anglican Priest want to convert to Catholicism? Jeffrey Steel provides that answer in his interesting article on his blog De Cura Animarum. So if you wonder what drives a man to leave what he loved, read Jeff's reason which is probably multiplied by hundreds of Anglicans now contemplating leaving their church for Catholicism.

3. The next link is one that links to a pair of sermons heard on the Ancient Faith Radio programs heard on the internet. Fr. Stephen, an Orthodox priest refers to a pair of sermons (homilies) by Fr. Thomas Hopko, one of the leading Orthodox scholars and priest of our day. Fr. Hopko presents a fascinating discussion in two sermons on the Wrath of God. Listen to these sermons and be challenged to a viewpoint few of us ever hear. Go to Fr. Stephen's blog Glory to God For All Things and follow the links there.

That's it for now. That should keep you busy.

Enjoy until next time.

Look and Listen

2009-10-23T20:38:00.000-07:00

I am listening to a marvelous message by Dr. Rod Rosenbladt from the New Reformation Press. This is a message on the challenges to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America entitled How the ILCA Got Off The Track. Dr. Rosenbladt is a leader in the efforts for a new Reformation, especially in the Lutheran Church. This is a message that speaks to all Protestants as we face enormous challenges today. I have found much to agree with in this recording. I'll bet you will too or you will react against it. Listen closely and ask yourself if any of this applies to your parish or congregation.

Secondly, I've just finished another book, Beyond Smells and Bells: The Wonder and Power of Christian Liturgy by Mark Galli, Senior Editor of the Christianity Today Magazine. This powerful little 142 page book is filled with explanations and examples of the history and foundation of the liturgy of the church. It traces the origins and reasons for the liturgy and why it is making a comeback today in both mainline churches and many of the new Emerging churches. If you are tired of mindless worship services in your church, take a look at this book. It is easy to read and will fill you with wonder at the majesty of real God focused worship. I think Galli hit a home run on this book. It is a way of worship the many youth are embracing and finding that it pays to leave the common noise of the world to enter a sanctuary apart from daily living that give stability.

Enjoy.

That's it for now.

God Bless

New Blog

2009-10-21T09:38:00.000-07:00

Occasionally, I love to tweak the noses of my fellow Protestant brothers and sisters by highlighting Catholic and Orthodox blogs. I know some feel I'm too Catholic friendly by that's O.K. One of my personal missions in life is to bridge the gap between my Catholic friends and Protestants to develop a positive dialogue and foster (here's the nasty word) ecumenical understanding. The latest First Things magazine has a great article highlighting this effort to find common ground on the subject of Mary, the mother of our Lord. Read it, it is quite good.

But the blog I'm highlighting today is a new one to me. It is called The Catholic Key Blog. It is often filled with ensightful stuff and worth looking at from time to time. This blog is one of the voices in the Kansas City/St. Louis diocese which is noted for its conservatism and faithfulness to God and the church. Folks, there are some fantastic born again brothers and sisters in the Catholic church and they deserve our ears. So enjoy the blog and let them know your thoughts.

And, just leave a note here to let me know you have read my little blatherings. That's what the button is for.

Time for me to move on....God bless!!

Help

2009-10-20T06:35:00.000-07:00

I need your help in some research. Recently I finished an interesting book by the home group guru, Frank Viola called From Eternity to Here. It is a book that is challenging and contains many wonderful ideas and thoughts. Frank has also co-written an earlier book with George Barna called Pagan Christianity. I have found this book quite disturbing as it seems to attack and undermine all, and I mean all, branches of Christianity except his own brand which is small group house churches. He is devastating toward the Roman Catholics and the Reformation maintaining that all of our worship in the church today is based upon pagan resources rather than the New Testament. I've only done a cursory reading of it, but it is filled with so many footnotes, it would take a month of Sundays just to research them. My initial observation is that he has taken a portion of facts and built an entire thesis around partial truths. I may be wrong and will be the first to admit it if I am.
His followup book, called Reimagining Church is his view of what the real church looks like, or so he thinks.
I wonder if anyone of you have read the book by Viola and Barna and have any other background stuff that critiques his works.
Thanks for your help.

Why Study Philosophy and Theology?

2009-10-15T07:23:00.000-07:00

I urge you to read this article by Peter Kreeft, one of America's leading Christian Philosophers of our day. Peter is a Professor of Philosophy at Boston College and is popular amongst Protestants and Catholics alike. He's a profound thinker and well worth reading. This article, Why Study Philosophy and Theology?, is thought provoking and challenging. Take time to read it, absorb it and think about where your son or daughter may be attending a school of higher learning.
Find a school that emphasizes the kind of teaching Dr. Kreeft is talking about. You won't regret it. I wish I had paid more attention to my philosophy professor when I was in college. I'd probably be farther along than I am.
Enjoy

Adding To My Wish List

2009-10-14T08:12:00.000-07:00

I have a pile of books to read, not counting the free ebooks I've downloaded from the web. I love to read. It's a source of relaxation and recreation for me. I also have a wish list. These are a list of books I hope to read someday, but since I don't have direct access to the gold at Fort Knox (I don't know if there is any of that left there or not), I must put the purchases on hold. Plus, I think my floor and wall are already under tremendous strain from the weight of all my books already. Time to cull the chaff and keep the kernals.

My latest additions to the wish list are two books on the book of Revelation. If you know me well, you know I have little patience with the mythology and fantasy of the "Left Behind" series. I'm definitely not a "pretribber". Go look it up if you don't know what I'm talking about.

The two books I've added to my wish list are intriging books. The first is The Theology of the Book of Revelation by Richard Bauckham. Bauckham delves deep into history to give a fresh study of this very difficult book.
The second book is Revelation And The End of All Things by Craig R. Koester. Koester is a professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He weaves both current thoughts on Revelation and current events into his historical study without the excesses of so many of the books we have today in the prophetic arena.

I look forward to adding these books to my library. They appear to really avoid the wild speculations you see in so many of today's books on Revelation and prophecy. I'll let you know down the road someday if I really enjoyed them or not and whether they are relative to anything.

Until my next...irregular post....God Bless

A Lesson For All Jesus Followers

2009-10-13T13:06:00.000-07:00

Frank Viola has written a great blog today so I urge you to go to it and read Reimaging Church. It's too good to pass up.

Wrestle Some With This

2009-10-06T11:36:00.000-07:00

I'd love some of my Protestant brethern and sisters to wrestle with this blog and come back with some good rebuttals, if any. This brother is a Lutheran who has recently become Catholic. Visit his blog and read it. It's interesting. Visit Beatus Vir and then dialog with this gentleman.

Taking A Rest

2009-10-04T14:35:00.000-07:00

Well folks. I'm taking a bit of a break. I'll be around and will post little items now and then, but for now, I need to do some serious reading. I don't spend much on time online and with the books I'm reading, I want to spend some more time reading than generating ideas. Plus, I want to study up on how to add readership to my blog. This is still a new science for me and so need to read up on how to be more effective. Plus, I have a lot of sites on my blog that I haven't been able to read lately. I want to communicate with my friends on those blogs too so that I can know them better and they me. So, for now, my entries will be short and not as often.

Take care and for those few who have written...like Pennyyak and Howard, I'll be on your blogs little more...hopefully. One of the things I promised my wife is I'd never allow my computer to take time away from her. So...need to make sure my priorities are straight.

God bless....

History in Four Minutes

2009-10-01T15:32:00.000-07:00

Now this is clever. Enjoy. http://www.liturgy.co.nz/blog/church-history-in-4-minutes/1701

Ignatian & Sulpician Methods of Meditation

2009-09-30T08:39:00.000-07:00

Now, I dare any of you interested in meditations to chew on this little treatise by the great Adolphe Tanquerey. This is an excerpt from one of his books that will wrap you around the mental axle for quite a while. I love good tough readings and this one is one of those. I like to work and wrestle with an author to squeeze out as much as I can in order to understand these great minds. There is much to learn and much more from where this came from. Enjoy the Ignatian & Sulpician Methods of Meditation.

Shifting Tides

2009-09-28T14:23:00.000-07:00

Once in a while I hear a message that is one of those that carries a great deal of significance.
If you are an evangelical, you NEED to listen and watch to this message. We had an unusual service last Sunday when our pastor John Ortberg shared the pulpit with one of the most influencial men of our generation, Gary Hamel. Gary is a member of our church and recently spoke at Willow Creek for a major conference on church leadership. In a time when the Christian church faces unparalleled challenges this message is a must. Whether you agree with Gary or not, you have to admit we are facing the greatest crisis in since, perhaps, the reformation. I've mentioned often how the evangelical church has lost it's identity. Gary backs that up. So enjoy this message "Shifting Tides". Click the link and sit back for a rough ride.
If you are one of my Catholic friends, come along and listen over my shoulder at something that you are facing as well. Masses of Catholics have left your church to join the Protestant church. I know many Protestants are moving in direction of the Catholic church as well for its richness of tradition. But the numbers of those joining the Catholic church can't compare with those leaving your church simply due to the enormous size of the mother church. You are in crisis too. Your parishes are suffering for the lack of priests. We all face this together.
So let's all listen to Gary's message and then probe our hearts to see what the Spirit is telling us.

Correction

2009-09-26T14:55:00.001-07:00

I made a correction on today's post regarding the author of Did Hitler Win the War? The correct author is Alice Von Hildebrand, not Adrienne Von Speyr, another great philosopher of the last century. Ms. Hildebrand was the wife of the late great Dietrich von Hildebrand, the great Catholic theologian and philosopher of the last century.

Think Out Of Your Box

2009-09-26T07:30:00.001-07:00

One of the reasons I blog is to get people to think out of their own personal little box. All of us are shaped by what we read, think, listen to and watch. People shape us, events shape us, and our thoughts shape us. For many of us there comes a point, either sooner or later, when we get locked into a way of thinking and our learning stops. Oh, we keep reading, listening, watching and living, but, for Christians in particular, we stagnate. I know personally people who have stopped growing theologically and spiritually and are locked in their traditions.

We accuse Catholics of being bound to traditions which blind them to "what the Scriptures really teach." Or we accuse them of never growing spiritually because they can't do anything without checking with "Mother Church." And so many Protestants consider Catholics spiritual babies...always having to be told what to do.

Well, folks, it "ain't" just Catholics. We who call ourselves Protestants are just as married to our personal traditions as any Catholic is to theirs. We just don't call them traditions. We give them names. I'm Presbyterian, or I'm Baptist, or I'm Lutheran, or I'm Pentecostal, or, how about this one, I'm Non-denominational. God help us if a Calvinist Presbyterian is confronts an Armenian Assembly of God member. Whew...feathers fly. Both will say, "well, the Bible doesn't support your premise..etc...etc...etc.

And it gets worse. Many of us, without any former Biblical training, get locked into a tradition of someone who has impressed us most. Listen to them and you'll hear something Chuck Swindoll said, or John Ortberg, or T.D. Jakes or the latest cult hero, Joel Osteen. Their whole theology is based on what they've heard or read from these men (and women, Joyce Meyer). People get locked into these teachings and, folks, they quit thinking.

I discovered this in myself many years ago when my life fell apart. I saw I was locked into one way of thinking. My little theological world was so tight, I couldn't imagine that there was anyone else out there who had a better theology than mine. But when my world crashed, so did my belief system. Fortunately, one thing held me together and that was the Scriptures and a few friends, some special people who surrounded me during my pain. Singing with them wasn't easy. Often I clouded my feelings with other activities with them and alone just to ease the pain.

But then, I met some friends outside my circle. Later I was introduced to the woman who literally shook my world. Through her love, I discovered a whole new world. I began to challenge my beliefs. And I haven't stopped. Over the years since those days of turmoil, I have held loosely my belief system. Oh, there's one thing I have held on tightly to my chest and that is a rock solid belief in Jesus Christ and a profound appreciation for the Scriptures. But, I keep challenging my theology. For I know that no theology born in the heart of man is perfect.

Then I discovered the great Catholic mystics and I became hooked. I had been taught nearly all my life that the Catholic Church was the great whore of Babylon. But what I began reading sure didn't look like the writings of a whore. I was aware of all the mistakes in the history of the Catholic Church, but I soon became aware of a lot of our own sins in the Protestant world too. My soul became fed from Catholic writers. Nothing I'd ever read in all my formal and non-formal Protestant training ever came a light year close to some of the rich red meat I got from Catholic writers. And so my prejudices began to erode.

Today, I don't agree with the Catholics any a number of issues. I haven't become Catholic for many other reasons, which I'll not venture into here. But, my spiritual life has been enriched by their writings, obscure as many of them are. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Catholics can't teach their way out of a paper bag but if you work at it, you'll find great truths hidden in their odd way of saying things.

So, having said all that, I encourage you to think out of your little box or tradition. Read some good Catholic stuff. Last week I wrote about magazines I've enjoyed. This week I want to highlight one and challenge you to learn something that may cause you to think a bit. I've picked some great articles in This Rock magazine that you may find different, yet helpful to you. Read them and think. The first is "Did St. Paul Invent Christianity?". This is a major argument between many liberal and conservative scholars today. This article delves into the issue and presents some powerful statements that a good evangelical can buy into. Enjoy.

The second article from This Rock is written by my favorite currant Catholic philosopher, Alice Von Hildebrand, entitled "Did Hitler Win The War."

I'm going to stop there and will continue later. (Time marches on and I've got to get ready for a contractor)

See you at another time.

Think,

2009-09-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

Great Magazines

2009-09-19T07:50:00.000-07:00

Greetings again. I'm back from a delightful and restful week at Lake Tahoe. My wife and I spent most of the time visiting a few of the tourist shops on the North Shore and then the rest of the time was spent doing absolutely nothing. I had lots of opportunity to get some reading which for me is a vacation in itself. We had a great time visiting the beach where all we did was read and relax. Is there anything better?

Well, I'm not going to share what I read on vacation, but I do want to share some good reading. But this time it isn't books. I want to recommend some great magazines that are well worth your time. The first I want to mention is the leading evangelical magazine, Christianity Today. This is the first Christian magazine I subscribed to when I was in college. There is no better magazine for reading on what is happening in the Christian community. It is well written and covers a broad range of subjects. It is the magazine to go to when you want to know the latest in theological thought, church growth and evangelism. If you are a Catholic, they are largely Catholic friendly, at least many of the authors reach out a warm welcome to Catholics, although you will find it is largely critical of Catholicism. Christianity Today is evangelical as opposed to fundamentalist although there are writers who one can call fundamentalists.

The next magazine I highly recommend is a little known journal called Credenda Agenda. This is a very intelligent magazine, highly intellectual with a distinct classic Protestant understanding of the faith which is mainly Reformed thought. It is a publication with authors primarily from the Confederation of Reformed Evangelical Churches. So it's theology is very much filled with reformation theology. It is tough stuff to read, but well worth your time. It is a good source for all those interested in good solid reformed theology.

The next magazine is a Catholic theological and philosophical journal called First Things. This superb periodical was founded by the late great, Fr. John Neuhaus and is the premier Catholic voice addressing the theological and philosophical issues of our day. It is very much for the serious student of religion and is a very accurate and fair journal. It is the Christianity Today of the Catholic world, only more theologically oriented. Protestants and Catholics alike read this journal for it is Protestant friendly. Fr. Neuhaus and Chuck Colson worked tirelessly together for many years to provide a bridge between Catholics and Protestants. It may be hard to find on the newsstand. I've have seen it at Borders and Barnes and Noble. This really should be on your coffee table.

Another magazine I read is one published by the giant Catholic Apologists out of San Diego, Catholic Answers. The magazine is called This Rock. It is perhaps the foremost magazine on Catholic apologetics and evangelism in the nation, if not the world. Folks, these guys are good and do their research. This rock covers a multitude of topics from a Catholic perspective. It will absolutely destroy many Protestant myths regarding Catholicism. Protestants would do well to read this magazine as we have many incorrect ideas of what Catholics believe.

You'll find their faith thoroughly biblical and sound. I'd include any of the authors who write as profoundly Christian, born again believers. You may disagree with them on the finer points of doctrine, which I do from time to time. They post all back issues after a few months delay. Visit all the years and enjoy. Karl Keating is the founder and has surrounded himself with the best of the Catholic Authors of our day.

I haven't mentioned any of the Charismatic journals, primarily because there is so much error taught in those circles. Almost any of the early church heresies that forced the formation of the early church councils can be found in the modern charismatic community. I realize there are many good sound people in that world and I will highlight some of them from time to time. But for far too long we have tolerated teachings that rip apart the soul of the gospel in this movement. In particular, the health and wealth gospel commonly taught in some major churches of our day. I choose not to give them a spotlight, at least not in this blog today.

Well, there you have it. I've tried to be fair and balanced...to quote some obscure news network...

Catholics need to learn that not all of us Protestants are antagonistic toward them and we Protestants need to learn that much of what we believe and the Bible we read came directly as the result of the hard fought battles and bloody sacrifices of the Catholic church. I hope you read some of these magazines. You will be richly rewarded.

Until next time...love in unity amidst our diversity.

Getting Into My Books

2009-09-13T07:35:00.000-07:00

Book, books, books, so many books, so little time. I'm ratcheting back on pontifications this week due to time constraints and the fact my creative juices need some rejuvenating. So I'll share some good reads.

I'm presently reading a most interesting book by Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange who was one of the greatest Thomist theologians of the Twentieth Century. Fr. Garrigou taught at the Angelicum in Rome from 1909 to 1960. The Angelicum is the Pontifical University in Rome. The book I'm reading is The Three Ages of the Interior Life: Prelude of Eternal Life. This is a massive and difficult read.

In an age of "Bobby Sox" theologians who think they are experts in the area of Meditation and Contemplation this is a must read for them. Many evangelicals today are discovering meditation and contemplation and are diving in without discernment. Much of what I see are practices mixed with Buddhist and other Eastern religious practices and claiming they are following in the traditions of the church fathers. Fr. Garrigou and other notable experts on church history and contemplative practices like Fr. Thomas Dubay, author of many books including the classic, Fire Within would argue otherwise.

Fr. Garrigou's book is one of those books that takes work to read. Many who can't read a sentence beyond five words or words with only one or two syllables will not tolerate this book. I keep a dictionary handy when I read this book. It is deep, hard and highly rewarding. It's one of those "red meat" books. I know some of my Protestant friends may believe I read too many "Catholic" books, but the reason I do so is that our faith has its roots in the Catholic church, whether we like it or not. And in my desire for truth, I must read their books.

I encourage you, if you have interests in meditation and contemplation, take a few lessons from the masters like Fr. Garrigou and Fr. Dubay. You may find that your current practices are not based on the church fathers as you thought, but are more in line with eastern religious thought.

The second book I'm reading is a completely different kind of book. I don't read current event books as often as I should, but they are worth reading and this one promises to be a good read. It was loaned to me by my boss and it looked interesting to me. The title is Golden Bones, An Extraordinary Journey From Hell in Cambodia to a New Life In America. The author is Sichan Siv, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. It is the story of his harrowing journey from the death camps of Pol Pot to freedom. I'm anxious to get into it this week. I'll let you know how I enjoy it. It looks to be a good relaxing kind of read. Relaxing not in subject because it is a heavy subject, but, for me, it is a nice break from difficult reading.

A couple of other books you may enjoy. The Dangerous Act of Worship by Mark Labberton. This book is an excellent and easy read on the subject of God's living call to Justice. This is an area the evangelical church has largely ignored.

I also recommend I Am Not, but I Know Who I Am by Louie Giglio. It is an easy, sometimes too cutesy but relevant read on how God is actively involved in our daily lives. I liked it other than over use of cliches and catchy phrases that really don't add to the book. But it will appeal to the younger element and is an excellent resource for those new in the faith who want to know what God is all about.

Finally, I want to repeat a book that can really help us all. All too often we want to know what is right vs. what is wrong. In the book, The Best Question Ever, Andy Stanley presents a great argument that wrong vs. right are the wrong questions. It is a book on wisdom and should be read by everyone, in my opinion. It is a very easy read. I read it aloud to my wife for several nights as a part of our evening devotional time that we regularly practice. If you are looking for what God's will is in your life, the wisdom questions Andy highlights are profound and could end a lot of the "worship wars" we see in our churches.

Well, I got long winded again didn't I? And all I did was highlight some books. I hope you try some of these and then share back here on this blog, some of your ideas.

Until next week...yep...I'm not blogging for a week again. I think it will take retirement to bore you on a daily basis.

Ta ta.....

Box Store Addendum

2009-09-01T07:29:00.000-07:00

This is my fourth attempt to wind up this discussion. I've scrapped all the other attempts as they became too involved in theology and doctrines. It has been a struggle. So here's my final try.

"Liturgy which becomes ritual is dead religion." Have you ever heard that or similar statements? I have because I've said it. My past four blogs have attempted to build a case for a return to the core of our worship and for our churches to reflect that core. What is that core. Liturgy of the word and bread. Scripture and Communion or Eucharist if you please. I'm going to use the word Eucharist for purposes of this blog. Primarily because it is a good word and it fits with my overall study of Todah. Eucharist means thanksgiving, which is the focus of the Todah.

Now, I know the main objections. We can all give examples of liturgical churches filled with people who listen to the word Sunday after Sunday and partake in the communion/Eucharist on a regular basis and still are as sin ridden as anyone else. There is no passion for Christ or his church. It's just what they do to fill out a duty. There is a reason why 75 percent of Catholics don't go to mass on Sundays or weekday mass. There is something missing. All their talk about having "the fullness of faith" is empty talk when you look at the results.

But I can point to thousands of Protestants, evangelical or otherwise, who forget the sermon of the day the moment they walk out the front door of their churches. Their Bibles will often get as dusty as a Catholic's Bible during the week. We Protestants are notorious for pounding the Bible on the truths of the need to be born again, but are woefully ignorant of peace and justice issues, which, by the way, Jesus harped on more than anything else. And the Catholics are champions on peace and justice issues which put us to shame.

I just erased half of my fourth try and am now going on my fifth. Let's go back to scripture. What makes the Eucharist come alive for us? What gives life to the Liturgy of the Word? How come you can walk into one liturgical assembly and experience deadness and walk into another and sense a holy presence? I think the answer goes back to Scripture. Go to Acts Chapter 2. Stop right now and go to that link or open your own Bible and read the scripture there. Read it and re-read it until it really sinks in. Put yourself in the middle of that upper room with the disciples. Oh by the way, I'd include Mary in that picture as well as a few women. I highly suspect she was there too. And when you get to the end of the chapter read again vss. 42 and following. Go ahead...I'll wait while you read. I'll sit and decide if I need to start all over again. READ and MEDITATE on it.

There is the difference. Here were these Jewish men and women meeting daily for prayer and wondering what in the world was going to happen to them. In case you are wondering where I got the idea that Mary and the women were there, just go back to Chapter 1. And then...AND THEN...a wind, a MIGHTY RUSHING WIND and TONGUES OF FIRE. Jesus fulfilled his promise and the Holy Spirit came. And at that moment, the disciples went from head knowledge to heart knowledge. They knew that they knew that they knew. Their eyes were opened and understanding came and love and power poured forth.

Folks, the difference between dead liturgy (ritual) and liturgy alive is the Holy Spirit. The power does not come with knowledge or correctness. The power of the liturgy is from the Holy Spirit. And so down through the centuries, we've had the liturgy of the word which is pre-imminent, in my view, and the sacrament of the Eucharist displayed in our churches and practices. Where it failed was when the practice became a form of religion without the power of the Holy Spirit. And so we have eras when liturgy was practiced but the hearts of the people were dead. But where the heart was made alive by the power of the Holy Spirit, the liturgy became a window to heaven. But don't forget, the liturgy of the word always stayed. And I think that is a God thing. He didn't want us to forget.

I haven't mentioned Baptism because that is not the focus of this long article. But it also is important. I'll leave that for another discussion some time.

Let's see what happens in a Holy Spirit Liturgy. When the Holy Spirit fell on the disciples, a profound change occurred. Did they stop their liturgical services? No, of course not. Scripture has abundant evidence that they met for... watch it... the reading, teaching and singing of the word. I believe that is important. It's the scriptures that gave them understanding of what Christ did. He fulfilled the Old Testament scriptures they used. And the Holy Spirit gave power to the word they read and taught and thousands came to Christ.

And they broke the bread. They took the traditions they were familiar with and coupled that with what Christ told them to do in order to remember him. They broke the bread and drank the wine in remembrance of Him. And they loved.

Loved?

Loved! For you see, in the teaching of the word and the breaking of the bread, we show love. And because the Holy Spirit was now present, love became a verb. Huh...love became a verb? Yep...Andy Stanley opened my eyes on this one in a sermon I heard recently on a totally different subject. The Trinity is a fellowship of love. God is love. That love is a noun. God is a noun. God is love. Jesus is the expression of that noun, that love. He is the spoken (Word) of the Love of God. When he came to us he came as a verb. His life on earth was love in action. God went from noun to verb. Jesus left his glory behind, he left the noun behind and became a verb. He is love in action.

And when he sent the Holy Spirit, that action, that verb came to us so that we might be verbs to the world. We are to remember what Jesus did on the cross because it was the path for us to become his instruments of action, his verb of love to a needy world. The Eucharist is a reminder of thanksgiving but also a commission to love. So when we celebrate the ministry of the word, which is foremost, and take the bread and cup (todah) of thanksgiving we feed on the body of Christ by his Spirit and become instruments of love. There is no other calling that defines our mission in life as much as the word and sacrament.

And when we go to church, that is what we should be reminded of as soon as we walk in the doors. Why do we call our meeting places a sanctuary? It is a place set apart so that in the spirit of Passover, the general call of the congregation to give thanks for the deliverance from sin by our Lord as well as the individual call of the Todah to give thanks as an individual for our personal deliverance through the sacrifice of Christ. And the word is love to teach us our call is only effective when we are filled with the Holy Spirit resulting in a love of action, a living verb of love to a needy world. The teaching of scripture gives us the reason, the sacrament gives us Christ and the Holy Spirit ties the knot giving us the love to share.

So whether we sing hymns, psalms or spiritual songs, (hymns, gospel songs, and choruses) we do it in a spirit of love knowing that to love is to love God, one another and the world.

So I ask, what does your sanctuary express? Is it designed to entertain you or draw you into God through his word and presence in order to send you out as instruments of love to a broken world. Your answer could end worship wars.

Dr. Timothy George

2009-08-30T16:12:00.000-07:00

I've added the link that I missed regarding Dr. Timothy George in my last blog entry.

Box Store Religion?? Part IV

2009-08-29T14:17:00.000-07:00

So what's all this about the Bible? Aren't you Bible thumpers nothing but a bunch of Fundamentalist radicals who want to take over America and kill anyone who disagrees with you? Well, maybe that's a bit harsh. Most people will probably say, Huh...Bible something or others, get out of my way. I have better things to do.

Well, maybe you do. I'm not going to try and stop you. It's not in my power. But, you may want to think twice. If you ignore the Bible you commit intellectual suicide. You knowingly put yourself under your own rule of law which may make you wince when you discover the payoff for following your own dreams.

O.K. O.K...I'm showing my intolerance. No, just reality. But that is up for argument too. But, what if the Bible is right? If so, does it having anything to say to us and to the subject we've been talking about in this wordy blog?

Let's go back to the historical section of our study. Let's follow this new church as it grows.

We don't have much in writing to give us much to go on in the first 100 years of the church. But we have enough to establish a pattern. We know that there was no New Testament as we know it in the early church. I don't even think writing a book was on the minds of the apostles in those first few years. Paul the apostle is the first of the writers that wrote a letter to the Thessalonians which many now believe was the first of the New Testament books.

But the early believers were primarily Jews. They continued to worship in the temple and synagogues, even after the resurrection and day of Pentecost. It was a Jewish world with Jewish understanding and Jewish scriptures. The Jewish Christians went to the synagogues and temple for worship. They sang and taught the scriptures for the day. It was a tradition not unlike some of the liturgy of the Catholic church today. There was the reading of the assigned scripture for the day, the singing of the Psalm(s) for the day and the various periods of the day when prayers were said. The early Christians continued with that practice from what we can tell.

But what about following Christ's command celebrate the Thanksgiving meal? That couldn't be done in the synagogues, so the next best thing was on the first day of the week, remembering the day of resurrection. Remember, they were not on our calendar. They used the Roman calendar which was a lunar calendar. The next day or first day began at Sundown the night before. Again, you see this in many liturgical churches today that celebrate Sunday Vespers on Saturday night. It is a Sunday service celebrated on Saturday night. Only for the Jews, it was the beginning of the first day of the week and after the Sabbath day.

Read Acts 20:7 for an example of this. It is the first day of the week, but it is really Saturday night. Which gives a little better understanding of why Eutychus fell asleep while Paul droned on. After a Sabbath in the synagogue, a nice Thanksgiving meal, (celebration of the Lord's supper) and having a full tummy and Paul, who by his own words was not eloquent, Eutychus fell asleep and lit on his head.

But note what was happening. Paul was teaching the scriptures. For a few years after the ascension of Jesus, the early church met in the synagogue on the Sabbath and then right after that met for the thanksgiving meal, the Todah, the meal of praise, on the first day of the week. We don't know for certain when or why the church split the meal and the celebration of the cup of thanksgiving, but we can make a good guess. After much turmoil between the Jewish leaders and the early Christians, the early church began to meet on homes.

They met, not because this was the pattern for true church. Many teach that today out of ignorance of the facts. The early Christians were driven out of the synagogues and persecuted. First by the Jewish leaders, and then later the Roman armies. But they grew. They met in homes and what did they practice. They practiced what they knew. They read the law and prophets, sang the Psalms, taught the scriptures in light of the revelation of Jesus the Christ and then followed the command of Christ in celebrating the communion.

At first communion and thanksgiving meal was combined. When it was separated, we don't know. It was probably done over a long period of time and probably done to avoid what occurred in Acts when the the Hellenists complained the needs of the orphans and widows were being ignored. So to avoid abuse, many believe the communion was moved to the early morning of the next day. Plus due to persecution, it had to be separated.

When the Christians became a threat to the empire as it spread to the Gentiles, the communion was considered to be repulsive as well as a violation of Caesar worship. Let's look at the communion for a moment. Acts 2.42 tells us the apostles continued the liturgy of the word and the breaking of bread. These are the main ingredients of the worship of the church. First, the reading and teaching of the word and the breaking of the bread, the communion. Many today call this the "Mass."

The Mass is a Latin term that came many, many years later and is part of a phrase which says "Ite, missa, est" and is translated, Go, it is ended." The whole idea is that now you've received the word and the breaking of bread, now go forth and share that expression of love to others. It is a missions statement. It means after the mass has ended, now the ministry of everyone begins. But that is a Latin term that came many years later in the development of the church. What was known as "the Lord's Supper" was known by several names. The earliest term was merely, "The breaking of Bread." Other terms used were "the offering," "the oblation", and "the sacrifice." Don't get too upset by "the oblation and sacrifice." Remember, this came out of the Jewish understanding of Todah. It was the one and only perpetual sacrifice which has permanent effects for all time.

It is not, I repeat, not a new sacrifice as many claim the Catholics observe. It is the one sacrifice permanent and represent in the act of remembrance.

So where does that leave us? You have a church, steeped in the liturgy of the Old Testament and singing the Psalms and as Paul says, Psalms, hymns and Spiritual songs. Hmmm, there's room for some of those ditties in worship??? Anyway, There's the format. The liturgy of the word and the Lord's supper or altar or chalice.

Circumstances changed the church as it grew. Someone has estimated it grew by 40 percent each decade. As the wealthy were converted, the turned their larger homes into places of meeting. And so larger groups met. The practice of the meal gradually fell away and the communion remained. Through persecution, ups and downs, many things changed.

Where ever the new Christians met, they taught, read and sang the scriptures and had communion. When persecution arose time and time again they were driven underground and into the desert. These became the training centers of worship. What came out of those isolated places was the same thing that went in. As the letters of the apostles were copied and distributed they became a part of the worship of the church. I could go into the development of the pastors, Bishops etc, but that is for another time.

The church became a place of worship and teaching. Since so few could read, the church developed icons, pictures, statues to teach the scriptures. Especially after Constantine and the great cathedrals began to be built, the church became a literal flannel graph of teaching. You could walk into many of these early churches and get a gist of the Bible simply by looking at all the murals, tapestries and statues. It was the You Tube of the middle ages. It was the best way the church had to teach the Bible until more could read.

Sure there were abuses and abuses continue. But one thing has remain the same. The liturgy and the communion. In the Catholic churches and other liturgical unions, it's call the liturgy word and the sacrament of the mass. As the reformation grew things began to change. The preaching of the word took center stage. But what most Protestants don't know is that the early reformers held to the actual "presence" of Christ in the Eucharist. (By the way, the Eucharist means Thanksgiving and is taken directly from the meaning of the Todah sacrifice) I urge you to read Dr. Timothy George and his article on the Baptist View of the Lord's Supper on the Internet Monk webpage. It is a blockbuster article. Dr. George is the founder Dean of the Beeson Divinity School. In that article he literally cries out for us evangelicals to restore the communion to preeminence in the worship of our churches.

Well, I'm almost finished. I think the Worship Wars would come to an end if we put put the liturgy of the word and sacrifice (communion) back front and center. While we can't minimize the fellowship of the body in love, neither can we hide and minimize the reason we love. Some may say, oh, that's been tried and it has the danger of becoming a meaningless ritual. I want to say, "and your point?" What is more meaningless than coming as a consumer to a house of religious entertainment just to get my needs met. And if I don't I'll go to another religious grocery store.

Whether it becomes ritual or not depends on sound teaching, constant reminder, the continual presence of the Holy Spirit bringing life into the assembly and the ever contstant truth that teaches us "the mass has ended". Now go and love one another and your neighbor as Christ has loved you in today's worship.

You'll notice I'm not saying anything about styles of music or structure of the meeting place. What I am saying, restore the centrality of the liturgy and bring the communion back to the fore. Christ is present in the table of the Lord and we need to recognize that. Again...read Dr. George's article. And think.

God bless.

Box Store Religion?? Part III

2009-08-29T12:57:00.000-07:00

Why do you go to church? Why go at all? After all, can't you worship God in the woods by yourself? What is so important about attending church? What is the church? Is a building or a group of people? So what's all this about your church building reflecting your theology Richard? Who cares?

Questions like these dog all of us who go to church. What's so important about church attendance? What is supposed to be there that so all fired important? Well, that's what this blog is all about. I'm simply trying to make sense for myself and hopefully for you a purpose for church. Now, before we continue our trek through history please remember, I'm just an ordinary bloke. I don't have a series of degrees posted after my name. I never attended a seminary although I've had Bible College training and a simple Bachelor's degree. But, I have a deep love for truth, God, the Gospel and the Church. I've studied a lot on my own and have years of training in the school of hard knocks. I suppose were I to start all over, I might study to teach somewhere. But at this stage in life, that seems a bit out of my reach.

But, I can think and I think I can write a fairly well. So let's plunge into our study. I left you with a brief study of the Todah sacrifice and Todah Psalms. The sacrifice was primarily given after a major life threatening event and subsequent deliverance, and the Psalm was a song written to describe the deliverance. Let's take a short closer look at the sacrifice. Read Leviticus 7:12-15 again. Notice what is offered. Bread, a lamb slaughtered and oil. The Todah sacrifice would be offered often at home, the priest would sacrifice the lamb and anoint the bread and bring it to the home. This was the custom. And the Todah Psalm would be sung. Of course, the second half of the Psalm points to the ultimate resurrection and deliverance of the soul.

Now, briefly there was one other facet of the Peace Offering in the Jewish tradition. It is called the Passover Sacrifice. Of course, this refers back to the liberation of the Jews from the Egyptian captivity by Moses. But the Passover Sacrifice had some common elements with the Todah Sacrifice. Both used unleavened bread, (Ex. 12:8 and Lev. 7:12. Both were eaten the same day they were offered. Ex 12:10 and Lev. 7:15. The primary difference between the two was the Todah was given by an individual while the Passover was celebrated annually on the same day by the entire nation of Israel. It is the highest practice of the Todah sacrifice in the Old Testament. It had it's own Psalms which are called the "Hallel" Psalms which move from lament to praise.

Now, let's fast forward to the New Testament. Jesus and his disciples are gathering for the annual Passover meal. Remember, Jesus is a Jew. The disciples are Jewish. They worship in the temple and during this Passover season they now come together in an upper room to celebrate the Passover meal together. And Jesus does a remarkable thing. In the midst of Passover, the ultimate expression of Thanksgiving of deliverance, He offers...the Todah sacrifice. In the midst of the national celebration he gives the individual celebration of the Todah, Thanksgiving sacrifice. It is a major statement of his offering of himself as the sacrifice and deliverer of his people. He becomes the Passover Lamb. It's his body which is to be broken. Luke 22:19 And in vs. 20 he announces the New Covenant.

Everything that had been taught and sung in under the Old Covenant in the worship of Israel was now revealed in light of a new understanding. Jesus was saying everything in the old covenant pointed to him. All the writings of the prophets and psalmists now are understood as pointing to him. To understand the old, he is stating, he is the ultimate fulfillment. He is the ultimate sacrifice that lasts for eternity for men's salvation.

If that doesn't give you a Hallelujah chill, you need an infusion of the spirit.

Then Jesus said something extremely important. "Do this in memory of me." Luke 22:19 Don't ever forget his statement. This is the command of Jesus. It is to be a major, major part of our worship. For in this celebration, this Todah combined with the Passover, in context of the "seder" we are given a lesson in the ultimate love of the Father and his Son, Jesus. And for over a 2000 years this still remains important.

One other thing to maybe seal this truth. It's not in the scriptures but the Jewish teacher taught that during the reign of the Messiah, all sacrifices will cease, except for the Todah. The songs of Praise. It is to be a perpetual sacrifice of Praise. A sacrifice given once and only once, for all and is effective for eternity. This is Jesus. He, in the ultimate expression of Todah, given, once and only once for all and permanently effective throughout eternity. He is the perpetual sacrifice, the only sacrifice, once given and effective now and forever. Need I say it again?

I don't want to over look the bread and wine. This was Jesus foretold in the Todah sacrifice and Passover meal. Don't forget that. Remember it. I'm repeating myself, I know. But folks, what is absent from nearly all Protestant services today? The bread and wine. It's been shoved out. It's no longer central. It's an after thought. And yet, it is the most important testament to our faith. It should be front and central in our worship.

When I go to church, I want that to be thrown in my face. I want to be reminded of that great last supper where Christ offered himself as the great Todah sacrifice. The sacrifice of Thanksgiving and Praise for all eternity. The ultimate sacrifice of love.

When they were finished Jesus and the disciples sang the Hillel hymns of the Passover and went out to confront his destiny.

After Jesus' death and resurrection, he appeared to the disciples and others and opened up the scriptures. Then he left us. But on the day of Pentecost he sent the Holy Spirit and the Church was born. What were the marks of that church?

Next time I'll wind up this study with the other half what our church should reflect.

Box Store Religion?? Part II

2009-08-29T11:52:00.000-07:00

“Don’t mess with my church!” “I prefer the old hymns over the new empty praise choruses!” They’re going to replace our holy pews with WHAT?? THEATRE SEATS?? What are we a theatre or a church?” “I think our pews should be curved rather than straight so that there is better eye contact and fellowship.” “Well, OUR pastor wants a ‘runway’ down the middle of the sanctuary so that he can get up and personal with the congregation. What are we? The Oprah Show?” “I think we need three projection screens up front so that everyone can see our pastor when he preaches.” “Oh, I thought it was because you wanted to see his neat blow dry look or ogle at his waxed spiked hair.” “I hate the drums and guitars, bring back the holy sounds of the pipe organ and let’s sing those hymns.”

Sounds kinda silly doesn’t it when you see it in print? But these are real statements I’ve heard from around the country and even in my own church. We are at war folks. Worship Wars. The face of evangelical Protestantism is changing and we are constantly warring at each other over what is right and wrong in worship and what our churches should look like. We have grand cathedrals, glass palaces, traditional (whatever that means) church buildings, (remember the old “A” frames), warehouse box churches all the way down to the simple home church.

We’ve mucked up the meaning of church so badly that there seems to be no consensus on just what a church is or should look like. We argue over peripherals and ignore the majors. In my first post I referred to our consumer culture that has fueled the “box” stores. I think we are doing the same to our churches.

But for perspective I want to blow some dust off the history books because I believe there is something we are missing. My contention is that wherever we meet, be it a church building or in a home, congregational worship our house fellowships, there are some basic fundamental things that should be reflected in our worship and meeting places. Core truths that even the buildings should reflect. So to discover what this is I want to go all the way back into the Old Testament. All the way to the book of Leviticus.

Yes, Leviticus, that book that most of us skim over because our eyes glaze over when we read it. Laws, laws and more laws. It’s the book you read when you need to take a nap or have trouble sleeping. It can put you to sleep in moments. Or so I used to think. It was Ray Stedman who gave me an insight into the book of Leviticus with his great sermon series on Leviticus he gave many years ago at Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto California. The sermon series eventually was compiled into the book. But I loved the sermons better than the book and still have them in a binder. The sermon series is still available online. Read them and enjoy them. He brought Leviticus to life for me.

In Leviticus, Chapters 1 through 7, we find a list of several types of sacrifices. Over looking all the variations of sacrifices, you come up with major categories of sacrifice. There are Burnt Offerings, Cereal Offerings, Peace Offerings, Sin Offerings, and Guilt Offerings. Each serving a distinct purpose. I won’t go into detail as to what all these sacrifices mean. You can do that on your own. But I want to focus on one.

The Peace Offering is the one I want to focus on for a moment and one part of it in particular. Read Leviticus 7:12-15. This is an important subset of the Peace Offering and has traditionally been called in the Jewish tradition, the Todah Sacrifice.

Todah, means Thanksgiving and was strongly associated with praise. In Jewish worship it was always accompanied by song. In this case, a Psalm. The sacrifice was usually made by a person or celebrated in the Jewish worship after a deliverance of some kind. The celebrants would present the sacrifice and then sing a grand Psalm of praise to express to God their gratitude to him for their deliverance.

The Psalm was usually structured in two halves. The first half was a lament, a deep expression of grief, over an impending an death or tragedy. Something we all face on occasion. The second half of would be an expression of praise over the deliverance from death or tragedy, for which praise to God is given.

Are you still with me? Hang in there and don’t go to sleep on me.

An example of this sacrifice can be seen in the life of King Hezekiah in Isaiah 38. There, Hezekiah falls deathly ill right in the middle of the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem. Hezekiah cries to the Lord for Deliverance. Isaiah the prophet comes with a promise of deliverance from both his illness as well as from the Assyrians. In response, Hezekiah composed a Todah Psalm to be offered in the Todah Peace offering in the temple. In the Psalm you see the lament followed by praise for deliverance. It’s magnificent.

But perhaps the most famous Todah Psalm is Ps. 22. We usually miss this because we are focused on the familiar 23^rd Psalm. But Psalm 22 is a Psalm no Jew would ever forget. It was regularly sung in the Temple and was memorized by anyone familiar with Temple Worship.

It begins with a lament, “My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?” It’s the classic words we remember that Christ said on the Cross. We cannot pass up the significance of this Psalm. Here the Psalmist laments the tragedy occurring and eminent death. Looking back 2000 years we see immediately this is a Messianic Psalm. But many of us New Testament believers miss what Christ was actually doing on the Cross.

Jesus was a Jew. No Jew would miss his reference. He was quoting this Todah Psalm. He was undoubtedly too weak to say the whole Psalm but a Jew would pick up on it. For being a Todah Psalm Christ was singing, yes, death and abandonment were present but deliverance is imminent. The second half of the Psalm is all about deliverance and a prophetic word of salvation. What a powerful statement.

Now what does this have to do with church services, pews, hymns etc?

I’ll get to that. Be patient. I have a long journey here. Stick with me and when I’m done you will be rejoicing with me, I think. Church will no longer be the same for you.

Box Store Religion??

2009-08-29T08:30:00.001-07:00

I'm sure we've all shopped one time or another at one of these big "box" store like Costco, Sam's World and I guess you can throw in Wal-Mart as well. It's a whole new world in there. I'm always amazed at the variety of "things" I could buy if I had the money. I have the credit card with an ungodly limit on it which could chain me to debt for the rest of my life if I ever maxed it out. Put me in an asylum if that ever happens.
Just a week or so ago I went to Costco for a loaf of bread. Now don't snicker. This Costco had a brand that I particularly like that I can't find anywhere else. Anyway, I entered the store and did the usual mouth drop at the gorgeous row of wide screen televisions that stared at me upon entering. Wow..great prices. Better than anywhere else. But then I reminded myself, I'm here for bread. Then there were the computers...not a draw. I'm a Mac man and they don't sell macs. Lots of clothes, but I can't stuff my closet with anymore.
After a half hour or so, I walked out with a box of raisins and some mouthwash. Oh..the bread? They didn't have it anymore. Now I don't know where to get it. Anyway, if I wanted and could afford it, I could have anything I wanted in that store...except for the bread.
It was a consumer's paradise. Then I drove to Wal-Mart to pickup the fifty pound bag of birdseed for feathered friends. Again, tons of stuff I could purchase and apply to my card. I walked out with a twenty pound bag of birdseed and a few groceries. They had run out of the fifty pound bags. Sigh, can't always get what you want I guess.
I hate it when my store quits selling something I like. Makes me want to visit another store out of spite. Or when they bring in a new line of the same thing I use, only it's an inferior piece of junk. Ever notice how that favorite room spray you buy because it smells so good seems to lose it's strength after a year or two. For some reason the new and improved update of the product doesn't have the same amount of scent. That really bugs me. I then have to change brands...again.
Why all these choices in our stores. Because we are consumers. We see something we like and have to buy it. If the store changes something, either the product or the layout, we get upset and want to change. Even logos change. All to lure the new buyer. You notice it especially in the clothes department. Ever notice that stores have forgotten the older generation? What used to be a size 36 waist in a man is now a size 42. Or ladies, how many of you past the age of 30 have noticed all the clothes in the ladies section fit only size zero teenyboppers?I've notice some of you in your forties have purchased some of the shorty things and then go around with that roll of middle age flesh hanging over the low cut jeans. Uh..ladies..not a pretty sight. Oh stop it! I know, we try to squeeze our 44 plus stomachs in these undersized shirts and go around with gaps all the way from our necklines to the waistline.
Where am I going? I'm going to church. Because today, we carry our consumer tastes into the sanctuary and the church is doing it's best to accommodate us. What used to be a sanctuary from the world has become a box store filled with goodies to catch our short term tastes. And what a toll it's taken on us. My follow-on blog will address some of these issues. I want to focus on, just what does corporate worship mean? Does our church reflect our theology of faith, or does it simply try to sell us a bunch of stuff we don't need. Are we being drawn by our own lusts of entertainment or are we coming to worship around a central theme? Has the house of worship become a theatre of entertainment or does it lead the body of Christ into a primary focus of belief that affects our relationships, fellowships and outreach? Until next time, I'll keep you guessing. I'm going to reach back into history to find that one thing that has been present in all church gatherings that is being lost in our churches today.

Robert Novak, RIP

2009-08-22T08:15:00.000-07:00

Robert Novak, fiery conservative columnist passed away this last Tuesday. Whether you liked him or not, Novak left a mark that will never be equaled. He was a giant in the news business. A relentless investigative reporter with a nose for a story no one else was finding. He was someone who would get under you skin, make you angry and leave you with your mouth open when you discover he was right. Oh, there are those who will hate him, call him names and curse him until the day they die, but there is one thing that can't be said about him. And that is that he was lazy. Far from it.

No one worked harder at his craft than Novak. Novak teamed with Rowland Evans to produce one of the most successful news teams in the business. Novak stirred up fire with his reporting of the Valerie Plame spy scandal.

People who worked with Robert report that he expected the best from himself and from those around him. The explosive relationship he had with Evans is well recorded. They fought like brothers but embraced each other as close friends. He had a temper, but that temper was only lit when he felt someone wasn't doing their job.

Novak was Jewish, but late in life, converted to the Catholic faith in 1998. His conversion was profound and changed him forever. He still was the fiery journalist, but his thirst for God was relentless. He was open with his faith but not showy. He felt his work demonstrated his faith.

Novak has entered eternity. I believe he is in the presence of our Lord because of his faith. He was a saint with clay feet. Earthy but faithful to his Lord. Only God knows. I'm not his judge. But people far worse have made it into the heavenly kingdom. Just read the Bible for those scoundrels that made it there. Novak was a saint compared to some of them.

And now...a bit of a mea culpa

Wow.!! There I said it. Yep...my fingers sped ahead of my brain in my last post. I was speaking of those little phrases we Christians often substitute for using the Lord's name in vain or actual swearing. How "wow" got into that list is a mystery to me. But then again, let's look at attitude. Sometimes we'll use slang, swearing or what we used to call, "Baptist" swearing to emphasize a point. The attitude is the same as if we say a cuss word.

Now...I know, I know...minor sin. Right? No big deal, we all do it. No big harm, no big foul. (almost wrote fowl)...Anywhoooooo, God isn't going to love us any less and we aren't going to be booted out of the assembly line to heaven. But, attitude is something we may want to deal with.

If it's a minor thing then just tell the Lord you goofed. He knows it, so simply admit it. He isn't going to ding you for that. If it's major, tell the Lord. He's big enough to wrap his arms around you and tell you he still loves you and has already forgiven you. You may have to do some apologies or fixing up the harm done, but even that is healthy. Catholics call that reparation. We Protestants simply call it confession and repentence leading to doing something to repair the damage done.

When it's all said and done, swearing or "cussing", use of slang is simply lazy speech. It's a filler for something that could be better said. So "Let your speech be always filled with grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may be able to give an answer to anyone." BBE In other words, use words that edify. I need that lesson daily. I'll bet you do too.

Tornado...God's Judgement...NOT!!

2009-08-21T09:50:00.000-07:00

I'm not a big fan of Greg Boyd, but he's dead on on this topic. I think he's right about John Piper on this issue. Sometimes we Christians say the stupidist things. Greg puts it all in perspective. See his blog on Did God Send a Tornado to Warn The ELCS? It's worth your read.

God Is A Four Letter Word

2009-08-20T07:30:00.001-07:00

God is a four letter word. Huh? "Looks like three letters to me." You may answer. But look again. For many, God is a curse word. His name is used as a "fill the blank" term for whatever ticks you off. Even ministers toss this word around carelessly in their conversation like, "Darn" or "Wow" or "God! Haven't you learned anything I taught you?" I'm never comfortable when God's name is used carelessly. So we substitute Gosh instead. That's how we Christians slip by without actually cussing. Hmmm...maybe that's an issue that needs to be discussed someday. But not for today.

But back to my original statement, God is a four letter word. Let me explain. First the Bible tells us that God is Love. Now that takes a lot of unpacking, but for the moment let it stand on it's own. There's another word, God is Lord. Now that is a big one too. So often our faith is in God as a belief, but to worship God as Lord involves adding Love and obedience to the mixture. For someone to be Lord, that involves ownership. But because God is love, that ownership is one of relationship. God is my father who loves me so much I want him to "lord" it over me. I want to obey him because his love is so overpowering. So to make him Lord..."make" may be a bad term, we don't make anyone. God is already Lord and he gives us his grace to enable us to accept his "Lordship" over us. We submit to him, his will and his plans for our lives.

Lordship is what's missing in many of our lives. God is not a deist god somewhere out in the far reaches of space who sits on his lonely throne stroking his long gray beard and sipping his heavenly nectar. He isn't a casual observer. He is active in our lives and wants only the best for us. He loves us too much to allow us to bump around like so many bumper cars in the avenues of life. He is forever shaping us into his likeness which takes a lifetime. Our part is to allow his grace to shape us and mold us into whatever he wants.

In Protestant circles, we call that Sanctification. In Catholic circles it's called working out your salvation. Regardless, it is all an act of grace that allows God to have ownership, control of us in all we say or do. So if God is simply a three letter word of belief or a four letter word of love and Lord, submit to his third four letter word. What is that? The reveal Word who is Jesus Christ. For Jesus is the expression of the Father to us. He is the spoken Word of God. You want to know Love? Get to know Jesus, the ultimate expression of Love. You want him to be Lord? Submit to him who gives you grace to accept him as Lord, Jesus.

Let Jesus help you to work out your salvation through Sanctification (setting yourself apart for his service and pleasure). An old fashion word for that is Holiness. Let Jesus make you into a four letter word. What is that four letter word? Holy!

Now for a few good links. I encourage you to read a good Catholic, Marcellino D'Ambrosio. His column today is good called "Belief in God, The Virtue of Biblical Faith." His website The Crossroads Initiative is always interesting.

Next, speaking of Holiness, consider this article from a Catholic regarding changes in the mass. Protestants would do well to read this and than ask yourself the questions, "Do constant changes in our worship services help or hinder my concentration in worship? On the one hand, "Does sameness breed too much familiarity resulting in lack of concentration?", or "Is my worship enhanced when new things are thrust upon me which breaks my worship in order to figure out what is happening?." My suspicion is that we Protestants have similar concerns as this Catholic worshipper. Think about it.

And then there is the enigmatic Michael Spenser, the "Internet Monk." Michael is a Southern Baptist with strong leanings to Lutheranism and the new Reformation teachings growing there. He has in interesting family His wife has converted to Catholicism and his son is, I believe, Episcopalian or Anglican, I'm not sure. Michael has been doing a series of articles on The Evangelical Liturgy. Today in part 4 he addresses some of the questions I have hinted at above. Enjoy The Evangelical Liturgy Part 4.

Then there is a mystic that has caught my attention. I don't buy into all this guy teaches, but this article on his blog today was quite interesting. He calls himself Yoholo (don't ask me why). He's an ecumenical Catholic and won't be accepted by many of the traditional Catholics. He considers Protestants as brothers and sister. But this article is quite good. Enjoy, The God Bargain-When Christians Act Like Pagans.

Well, that's it for today. I'm home sick and need to go and rest.

Until next time, Jesus is Lord.

Evangelical Liturgy

2009-08-15T08:45:00.000-07:00

This is a must read. I don't have to do the ranting this time. Michael Spencer does it for me on his Internet Monk blog. Read it and enjoy. He is dead on on this issue. Click on the link.

Abortion/Euthanasia - An ancient issue

2009-08-15T07:35:00.000-07:00

I usually try to avoid bringing up controversial issues that often cloud the image of Jesus Christ. Some issues are secondary and when we make them preeminent in our focus we then obscure Christ. Politics often does this. We become more associated with our politics than Jesus. As Mark Driscoll of the Mars Hill Church in Seattle says, "When a good thing becomes a god thing, it becomes a bad thing." Sometimes good things become our focus to the point it becomes our idol and we'll fight like the devil to make sure people will see things our way. That will often become a bad thing because it becomes a thing people see as our god and hence, cause fights.

However, there are issues that requires a voice. I've been hesitant to talk about abortion or euthanasia because it so often becomes an issue that clouds the clear image of Christ. However, it is an issue that the church and ancient Judaism has been very clear on and has always stood against the standards of society.

Rather than repeat what others say, I'll simply point you to a site that offers some of the clearest explanations of why Christians and Jews have stood against this hellish practice. You will notice it is a Catholic site and some of you will automatically turn it off. Don't!! Read it with an open mind. The article refers to a profound writer on the one child issue in China that really puts these issues in perspective. You can read the blog What Does The Prayer Really Say? by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf. Don't ask me to pronounce his name. He's known simply as Fr. "Z".

In this particular blog he refers to an author of the book, Better Ten Graves Than One Extra Birth. The article is very enlightening. I plan to purchase the book which can be acquired for $15 at the author's website, Loagai Research Foundation.

Society has been at odds with both Christianity and Judaism on this issue for centuries. Read and become educated.

God Bless

Stink or Aroma

2009-08-09T13:38:00.000-07:00

O.K. Stink got some attention. But do you know the difference between Stink and Aroma? In today's society of relativism we'd say, it depends on who's stink you believe. Or, maybe, we keep trying to answer right or wrong questions that determine your smell. In my earlier article I tried to show how we who define ourselves as Christians are so ill tempered that we do nothing but present bad smells. We war over doctrine, turf, as illustrated by the Church of the Holy Sepulcher monks, theology, and perhaps most noticed in our generation of right vs. left politics. And so we stink up the place by substituting the love of Christ for our personal gods, which always smell fishy.

One sharp eyed reader agreed with me and than added, but we all stink. His point is that the reason Christians stink, using my odorous metaphor,is because we are human and there is something wrong with all of us. Christians will even argue over this. Those of the Reformed tradition will will argue that we are wicked and desperately evil. Others, like the Catholics will argue, "no, we are made in the image of God and are simply flawed as a result of sin and separated from God." Then there are all those somewhere in the middle.

I agree with my PhD. friend. That was the one thing that I deliberately left unsaid. But that still leaves a question. And that is, what makes us stink and what makes us smell good. I ended the last blog with a question. How do you smell?

Read these words carefully, "For we are a sweet perfume of Christ to God in those who are getting salvation and in those who are going to destruction." 2 Corinthians 2:15 (Bible in Basic English)

So there is a time when we smell good. When is that? First of all, that is when God smells us in Christ. God looks at us through Jesus Christ. His enormous love wipes away our stink. In fact, there is no stink. We are a sweet smelling aroma to God when we follow Christ. But even more we read,

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16

We smell good because even before we decided to follow Christ, God loved us. We smell good to him because Christ bore our stink on Calvary. He who bore no sin, became sin for us on the Cross.

The apostle Paul goes even further, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" "No, In all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." Romans 8:35, 37

So God removes our stink through Christ because he loves us. But, you say, we still stink. We still sin.

Yes, we do. We are always sinning because we are still humans. But, when we allow Christ to be our Lord and Master, we receive his Spirit to become more like him.

So what smells good to God and others? We smell good to God by Grace and we smell good to others only by grace. In our own strength, we can't do it. But when we submit to God, he give us grace to smell good. How?

Let me illustrate.

"Be upright in judging the cause of the man from a strange country and of him who has no father; do not take a widow's clothing on account of a debt." Deut. 24.17 Bible in Basic English

I used the Old Testament on purpose to show how God's love is shown in the Old Testament. Jesus carried this over in his New Covenant. God made this statement because widows, orphans, the poor, the stranger or immigrant (illegal or otherwise, I might add) or any other race or disenfranchised group are to be provided assistance. Here, he hits at a common element in all societies, then and now. There are people in our world that fall into these categories. Political parties of all persuasions will often neglect these people in order to insure they remain in power or "their" rich remain happy. It's called justice and is the most neglected truth in Christianity. Especially Evangelical Christians who are often politically motivated.

We as Christians used to be known for our love for the alienated. All of the early child labor laws, slavery laws, especially in England, and many other social issues were championed by Christians. And the Catholic church probably is the best in providing for the poor. Their relief agencies are everywhere.

This smells good to God. Ask the poor if they appreciate help. When we stand up for them in causes of justice and peace we smell good to them. We no longer stink but are a sweet smelling aroma. When Christ uses us to bless others, we smell good to him and those receiving our love. Not because we did what we did because Christ already loves us. But because we through Christ became a tool of love to those who need love.

Now, will we always smell good? No. We will continue to smell good to those who need love. But as I said in my earlier post, the world will always hate us because they hated Christ. Light overcomes darkness rather than darkness overcoming light. Ever seen a black flashlight obliterating light? Those in darkness prefer darkness and don't like light. And when light shines on them all they see is judgement and right or wrong questions.

So the love of Christ is a threat to them. Which explains why in so many places of the world, Christ and the cross is so hated. And it will always be that way. We live in a nation that is moving farther and farther away from righteousness. Christians are becoming more and more hated. Often for good reasons. But more often, because we shine light in darkness.

So I return to the question in my earlier post. How do you smell? Do you live in the saving love of God? Does he live his love in your life before others? Nothing is more important. Jesus summed up the whole law by his new law. "You shall love the lord your God, with all your heart, soul and strength. And you shall love your neighbor as yourself." That smells good.

God bless

Christian's Stink

2009-08-08T07:42:00.000-07:00

Yep, I said it. Christians stink!! (Now THAT may generate some readership) I bought another book the other day off the Stanford Bookstore sale bin. The book is Holy Fire. The Battle for Christ's Tomb by Victoria Clark. I wanted something light to read rather than a theological tome. The book is about the extraordinary events that surround the gathering of Orthodox and Catholic Christians at Christmas time to witness the so-called Holy Fire that miraculously appears each year from a rock on the site of Jesus' tomb in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. Ms. Clark is a journalist for the Observer in London.

Victoria Clark is not a Christian and the book takes a rather harsh look at the shenanigans of the church in Jerusalem. And she appears to be quite prejudice in her views despite the appearance of fair reporting. But the book is interesting and an easy read. Ms. Clark shines a spotlight on one of the most bizarre events in all of Christendom. She vaults back and forth from the earliest times of the conflict between the Jews, Latin (Roman) Catholics, the Orthodox Catholics with all their factions and Muslims to today. She interviews Copts, Orthodox of all stripes, Catholics (western) and Muslims.

I won't go into the story but you can read it for yourself. Also visit an Orthodox site that supports the Holy Fire at the link. Nor will I argue the veracity of the "miracle". You can decide for yourself. Protestants are basically oblivious of this event. We don't study our church history to even see it on our radar. We should pay attention to it because it is a mirror of modern religious politics today.

Cardinal John Henry Newman wrote many years ago "To be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant". Newman, a convert to Catholicism from the Anglican faith and profound scholar and thinker was making an apologetic argument for the historicity of the Catholic church. And he's right. If you are going to search history, and especially church history, you swiftly become immersed in Catholicism. You can't avoid it. The entire middle ages are all about the Catholic Church. It was the profound leading force in all governments and religion. Our Bible is a Catholic Bible. It was assembled, fought for, argued about and developed into a canon of thought by Catholics. The profound truths we as Protestants base our foundations are taken from a Bible assembled by Catholics minus a few books most of us don't accept as inspired. I won't get into that debate in this either.

But, as I followed Cardinal Newman's advice I also found many other things that really make me think Christians stink. This event that takes place annually in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is an abomination to our Lord. You may remember back in December of 2008, the violence that occurred there where 15,000 worshippers were gathered. Violence broke out when Armenian Orthodox monks and the Greek Orthodox monks began to argue over basically "turf rights." One thing led to another, others joined in resulting in a full scale riot. By the time it was over, one person was stabbed with a knife and many others injured.

Now this event, celebrated each year, is to commemorate the discovery of remnants of Christ's Cross by the wife of the emperor Constantine in the fourth century. The Armenians felt threatened because they are supposedly the guardians of Jesus' Tomb which is literally yards away from the place where the cross was supposedly discovered.

Folks, this is a nasty scene and it's a prime example of when Christians stink. We are always fighting over our turf. While the world looks on, we fight, maim and kill anyone who disagrees with us. The entire Crusades in the Middle ages are all about that. Throw in the extraordinary anti-semitism of the Crusaders and you have another example of how Christians stink.

You think this doesn't happen any more? Let's bring this home. The last 50 years has highlighted this old problem. Whenever we invite politics into our faith we raise the risk of raising a stink. Just look at Facebook. There are many Christians on that page who are standing up for their faith. I have no problem with that. We should be noticed for our faith. But what bothers me is when our politics take front and center and all we see is a political view that simply hides the face of Christ.

God has called us to be the face of Christ to a world who rejects him. Instead, in all too many cases, all people see is the face of whatever political viewpoint we represent. I know I'm treading on sacred cows right now, but I'm sick and tired of Jesus being obscured by our politics. Both sides are guilty and need to face up to the reality that what people see is the same thing seen at the scene in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher each year.

We represent Christ folks and that is who we should reflect. I could go down the first page of my Facebook and illustrate this point.

How many Christians, in the name of Christ, will vilify others, many who are Christians themselves, because they don't take the "right" view. We name call, demonize, and otherwise attack the character of people we don't know because we can't stand their cause. The religious right in the country is maybe the most guilty of this. But the left leaning Christians are just as guilty. The left demonizes the right attacking the same mothers of those on the right with just as nasty statements.

This stinks. It stinks as as bad as those "Christians" in the conflict in Jerusalem. We have abandoned the face of Christ for an idol of our making. We have become idolaters of our ideologies. Our political persuasion has become our god. We are the Christian monks of our generation that are stinking up the world with our hatred for one another.

On the other hand, isn't there a time when stink is good? Isn't there a time when we should raise a holy stink? Can we raise a stink with the face of Christ not being obliterated? I think we can. For you see, Christians are called to stink. Huh? What in the world do you mean Richard?

Consider these words. "Blessed are men when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you, for my sake." Matt. 5.11 ASV

Or "Bear in mind what I said to you 'A servant is not superior to his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also." Weymouth Translation

So there is a time when we stink good. (bad English, on purpose) When we reflect Christ's love as exhibited by Jesus. For instance, when widows were being neglected by the early church. What did the apostles do? In Acts 6 we see the needs of the weak, widows and children were being neglected. So the apostles appointed deacons to care for those who were being neglected. Who were these neglected? The widows. They were the lowest of low in society. Often abandoned and neglected they died destitute and alone. Children. Children were considered as dogs. And on top of that, the complaint was brought by the Hellenists, an immigrant group of people. Gentiles.

So acts of Mercy revealed the face of Christ to the abandoned, the outcast and the hated immigrants. Hmmm...remind you of anything today? How about immigration. A tough nut for which there are no clean answers. But, if we neglect even mercy to the illegals in the name of Christ we may obscure the face of Christ from them. They need to see the face of Christ. Now that brings in the topic of justice.

Well, justice dealt without mercy, is tyranny. I won't try to unravel that problem, but be careful. We as Christians don't represent a nation, we represent the kingdom of God which includes all. My national identity disappears at the cross. The kingdom of God doesn't have these unnatural divisions.

All of these peace and justice issues will raise a stink. The left will accuse us of abandoning the interests of the neglected if we pound on justice too much. The right will lambast us for being too socialistic and too immersed in the social gospel. The world will watch us fight and hold us in derision. And if we follow Christ, we'll please no one. So we stink. But that may be a good stink.

How do you smell?

That's enough to chew on. I wish I had the answers.

Speak or Shut Up Part III

2009-08-01T09:48:00.000-07:00

I continue with my story.....

Paul and Barnabas sat silently for a few moments watching Peter finish lighting the oil lamps. Peter then put the candle back, crossed the room and picked up the pitcher of wine. He gestured to the others. Paul shook his head but Barnabas nodded. Peter poured some wine in the cup Barnabas was holding and stopped when Barnabas waved his hand. Peter poured himself another cup and then sat down.

He spoke, "Brothers, speaking of the Baptizer. If he had not spoken up, he would not have been beheaded. But John was not like that."

"Not like a reed shaken in the wind." Paul quoted.

Peter nodded and continued. He was true to his calling. And he stuck to his principles all the way to his death. You know, if he had just remained silent, he could probably been here with us today."

"And we probably would have not have Andrew with us today." replied Barnabas.

"Among others, yes." answered Peter.

"And possibly more important chimed in Paul, "he wouldn't have fulfilled the prophet Isaiah as the one who prepares the way of the Lord."

"Yes," Peter nodded. "And he would not have fulfilled God's calling on his life. You know brothers, I don't know if God is calling us to martyrdom or not, although I see it as likely, but he is asking us to be courageous. He's asking us to set our minds on him with purpose and refuse to allow the daily demands of life to dictate to us how to live."

"Peter, I think you've touched upon a serious point." Paul said as he stood and began to pace. "He's asking us to not listen to all those voices out there that call us to serve pleasure or selfish indulgence. Not that pleasure is wrong, but to embrace pleasure as a gift from God. But never our master. Our calling is missional. Our calling is to share the good news of the kingdom. We must never forget that. Anything that distracts us from that becomes our idol.

We make so many excuses for not sharing our Lord when there is so much to be done. God help us to be optimistic and not pessimistic, to love the world we have been given and for the good that is in it. Our lives should be spent praising what is good and doing all we can to increase it. This world is our responsibility. We must care for it. But it can only be done as we seek first God's kingdom, and his righteousness, then all these things are possible."

"Hmmm, sounds like something any one of us could have written." Peter mused. "And, I'm sure someone will. Maybe Matthew. He's mentioned he needs to send a letter to some of his followers sometime and that seems to a theme with his ministry."

Barnabas spoke after a few moments of silence. "There's one more thing brothers and then I think I'm going to go to bed. There is one more kind of silence that is a sure sign of cowardice."

"What's that Barnabas?" asked Paul turning to him.

Peter walked up next to Paul as Barnabas began to speak.

"Sometimes we are often with someone very close to us. God has called us to come along side with them."

"Like you to me?" Paul said smiling.

"Yes." Barnabas nodded. Sometimes God has put us with a person to be a light for them. Sometimes it is a lack of courage when we remain silent with each other, especially when we've been called along side someone whom God has called to help us grow in him. If we aren't courageous with ourselves to share both our victories and failures then we commit a sin of silence. If we can't share our inner lives with one another, especially with those more mature in the faith or with a group of fellow laborers, then we lose out on so much grace that will build us up in Christ."

"That's what you've been to me Barnabas." nodded Paul. "I have learned so much from you. I can't begin to tell you of all you've done for me. You have encouraged me so much."

"Yes Paul, and when God decides you or I need to move on, he'll let us know in some way."

"True." said Peter. "It might be a good circumstance or even a personal disagreement, I don't know. But as long as you are together, you hold one another accountable to the gospel and thus help each other grow in Christ."

"And that is what attracts people to the faith." said Paul. "People will know we are followers of Christ by our love for each other."

"Even if we have to die for our friends." said Peter sadly. "We've seen so much of that. Our beloved apostle John really emphasized that to me recently. He said he's learned so much from his care for Mary, our Lord's mother. He says she learned so much of that in her life with our Lord. And John seems to have acquired that same mission of love. I never come away from seeing him without having my heart filled with the love he has for our Lord."

"And that is why he has so many followers." replied Paul. "Well, I don't know about you but I'm getting quite weary. Let's embrace and pray together than in our witness to this lost and dying world, we may know when to speak and when to remain silent."

-----

And with that, I close. Fellow travelers, minding our tongues is so hard. But knowing when to speak and when to remain silent is a gift we must seek. I keep asking, "do my words direct people to Christ or do they obscure him?" I pray we may speak the truth in love and be silent when accusations arise. God be with you and yours.

Speak or Shut Up Part II

2009-08-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

I hope you enjoyed Part I of my little scenario. The topic of discussion now changes focus.

-------

Peter rose from his seat. "It's getting dark." he said quietly. He strode across the room and took one of the lit candles from a small alcove and began lighting oil lamps around the room. Paul leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes in weariness.

"You know Paul," Peter said as he lit a large lamp, "Jesus didn't always remain silent."

Paul opened his eyes and listened. Peter continued, "After the resurrection we were standing on the shores of Galilee. We had just finished a fantastic meal. All of us were gathered around him listening to him explain the scriptures and how the prophets and all the ancient writers spoke about him. I really didn't understand him until after that wild day of Pentecost when we were filled with the Holy Spirit."

"That was really the beginning, wasn't it?" Paul asked, knowing the answer.

"Oh yes. But I'm think about what he told us on the beach. I'll never forget how he drove home the point that there are times when not speaking up and remaining silent can be a collaboration with lying. "

Paul leaned forward. "I think I know what you're going to say, but continue."

About that time there was a sound of sandals shuffling from down one of the dark passage ways. Peter and Paul turned to see who was coming. Out of the dimness strode Barnabus. "Hey guys, what's up?"

"Oh greetings my traveling companion." Paul said with a smile. "Join us. We've been talking about the importance of silence and Peter was just saying something about the times when we must not remain silent."

Barnabus walked over to a counter and poured himself a cup of wine and gestured, "Continue Peter, but don't take all night. Paul and I must journey to the far country early tomorrow."

Paul shook his head and smiled, "Thanks for the reminder Barnabus. We rise when the rooster crows don't we?"

"Yes, Barnabus replied. The caravan will be coming by early."

"Well," replied Peter with a chuckle. "I'll try not to be long-winded. From what I hear, Paul is the one who has the gift of gab."

Everyone laughed heartedly.

Peter then continued. "Silence can sometimes be wrong. It can confirm a lie. It can reinforce cowardly living."

Barnabus interrupted, "You speak the truth Peter. Sometimes we don't want our comfort interrupted or have someone or something complicate our lives."

Paul nodded and responded. "Boy have I seen that Barnabas. Take today, Peter and I were just talking about it. Had I remained silent and closed my eyes to the wrong approach he was taking..."

Peter interrupted, "Had you done that Paul, you would have encouraged a serious lie of misrepresentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I remember when our Master rebuked the scribes and pharisees and called them hypocrites. Now that was a confrontation in which he saw the need to say something. Had he remained silent he would have said in essence that it was alright to devour the widows houses while they uttered their phony long pretentious prayers. He had to confront their injustices done in the name of religion."

Barnabas replied, "I remember the stories of John the Baptizer. Remember, he was the voice crying in the wilderness that Isaiah the prophet predicted. He reminds me that sometimes it feels like we are the only person saying what needs to be said. While everyone else is silent, our voice seems so lonely."

"But our Lord will not let our voices go wasted." Peter said with a strong gesture. Peter leaned against the wall crossed his arms and continued. "Sometimes we need to say what needs to be said and not worry what others may think of us. If we speak the truth in confidence and love in the power of the Holy Spirit, it makes no difference what other think. If we speak in God's power, and speak as one Body in Christ, we could change the world."

"That's why we speak against injustice." replied Paul rising and raising his voice. We can't sit by and remain silent while our society, our emperors, our leaders or neighbors comment acts of murder or injustice against one another. Our society values life so little. Our children are cast aside like mere animals. They have no value to their mothers or families. They are sacrificed to the gods in order to bring peace and prosperity to themselves."

"And husbands treat their wives unjustly as well." reminded Peter.

"All matters of injustice must be seen as inconsistent with Kingdom Living." responded Barnabas.

"And have you heard how now we are being told not to teach our children about our Lord?" replied Peter. "It's scandalous."

"Or even attacks against you my brother in Christ." said Paul. "When our brothers and sisters in Christ are slandered, oppressed or mistreated, we must come to their aid and boldly stand with them and speak up. That is all part of our calling."

Peter paced back and forth. "Not only injustice, but when good is done, we must speak up. We should always act out of hearts of love. So when the emperor, or city or magistrate or neighbor does good, we must speak up and praise them out of love. All good must be spoken well of as that is a reflection of the love of our Lord. We must couple fortitude with love. We must be good citizens, always abounding in love. Good manners are a part of speaking up."

"Oh Peter," said Paul. "You speak so much truth. If we can just get our brothers and sisters in Christ to realize that in this sinful world, even evil doers often do good. We must speak up when good is done and use it as a witness to our Lord. We must always avoid being sour and cynical and always judgmental when our enemies do good."

"Didn't our Lord say, 'Love your enemies?'" Barnabus said with a smile.

"Boy, that's a hard one, but you are so right." Replied Peter. "We must know when to speak, how to speak and when to remain silent."

To be continued....

Speak or Shut Up Part I

2009-08-01T07:27:00.000-07:00

Peter stood by the entrance to the cave and looked out over Antioch and the Orontes River. It had been given to the newly formed church in Antioch by the apostle Luke. The sun was setting, casting a golden glow over the landscape. A fresh Mediterranean Breeze rustled the olive trees outside the cave bringing relief from the muggy heat of the day. Peter sipped silently from his cup of wine and took a deep sigh.

Paul, glanced at Peter, dipped his bread into a bowl of olive oil. He broke off a piece of dried salted fish and sandwiched it between two small pieces of bread and took a bite. He savored the oil, bread and fish in silence. It was the end of a long and contentious day. It was a day where he had rebuked Peter, the leader of the apostles for hypocrisy. Peter in his wisdom after a few moments of anger, had accepted the rebuke. Their friendship, which had begun several years earlier, soon after the conversion of Paul, had now grown to an abiding trust and respect.

Peter turned and said softly, "Paul, I must thank you again for your truthful statements today. I was wrong and you didn't remain silent."

Paul took a sip of wine and replied, "Simon Peter, to do otherwise and remain silent would have been a sin."

Peter smiled and nodded. "So much like the master. Oh, how I miss my Lord."

Peter turned and again took in the fading light of the day.

After a few moments of silence Paul said, "Peter, you are quieter than usual tonight. Are you alright? Are you feeling ill?"

Peter turned and faced Paul and sat down on a ledge. He rolled his cup in his hands and replied, "No Paul, I'm quite well. I was just thinking about our Lord. He knew when to be silent and when to speak. I'm still learning that lesson.

"Yes?" Paul said lifting an amused eyebrow.

"Paul, After the resurrection, Jesus told us what happened at his trial. He remained silent when accused of wrongdoing. John reminded me this afternoon how Jesus stood silent before all those bringing false witness against him. He just remained silent."

"Like a lamb being led to the slaughter." Paul broke in.

"Yes, and before Herod and Pilate, the same thing. And before the chief priests and elders, he made no answer."

Paul nodded and replied, "So much love and patience."

Peter looked at him quizzically.

Paul continued, "Peter, I learned from my journey in the wilderness and subsequently from Barnabas, that in our Lord's trial, he showed us his strength and sense of purpose through his silence."

Peter snorted and began to chuckle. "Oh how true Paul. It is a lesson I'm ever having to learn. I'm always complaining about something or the other. All of us have complained about bad luck. We shout for everyone to hear how bad things are for us. Like this afternoon when you confronted me. I tried to explain my actions and excuse them just to get an approval or acceptance from everyone. How so unlike our Lord, Paul. He said nothing when accused of wrong doing for which he was innocent. "

"How true." replied Paul sitting up and taking another sip of wine. He rose and walked over to Peter and sat down next to him.

"Cephas," he said softly, "We all struggle with this. I know I do. But we must learn from Jesus. Life is what it is. Bad things happen to us. We are often hard pressed, burdened with trials. Yet, with his power, we must accept our duties and worries without complaining. When we have personal problem, we must deal with them squarely and not dump them on someone else. We must face up to them and seek resolution either with God alone or with one another, like you did this afternoon after our confrontation. That's when Jesus gets the glory."

Peter put his arm across Paul's shoulder and said, "You're so right Paul. You know how I must constantly deal with my pride. I'm always the first to bellow something when I should have kept silent. I must constantly rely on my Lord's presence to keep me silent when I'm slandered or when false rumors are told about me. Remember what the prophet Isaiah said? He said "By waiting and being calm you shall be saved." And then he added, "Your strength lies in quietness and trust."

Paul nodded, "So true Peter. Our strength of mind through the power of the Holy Spirit is grounded in silence and in hope."

------------

I hope you enjoy my little journey into what might have been. I like to imagine scenes like this. It makes the Bible come alive for me. This little lesson of those times when silence is the best path to take. So when we are accused of wrong doing, determine if the accusations are correct or not and then take appropriate action. Sometimes that action is to say nothing. In my next post, I'll expand this thought on when to speak up. And, oh, by the way, my apologies to Fr. Francis Fernandez Carvahal editor of the Palabra magazine and priest of Opus Dei. I drawing my scenario from one of his meditations. The story is mine, but the basic outline come from his thoughts.

Until next time remember...Silence is often golden.

Scot McKnight

2009-07-27T14:02:00.000-07:00

I'm not writing anything today so I refer you to Scot McKnight's Blog today. He references some great stuff you may enjoy reading.

I'll be back at another time.

Confessions Of A Bookworm Conclusion..I promise

2009-07-25T08:38:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am again. Me and my library. I left you hanging in the stream of Catholicism. Perhaps one of my greatest dreams is to see once more the church as one church. It would please our Lord to no end to see us united in Christ. I know that is a pipe dream, but still, it's what Jesus would want. One in Christ, one in faith, one in communion. I lamented the passing of Fr. Richard John Neuhaus earlier this year. Fr. Neuhaus was the former editor of First Things magazine, a very heady philosophical and theological journal that was praised by Protestants and Catholics alike. I urge you to read this magazine regularly as it represents the best of religious commentary for the entire church. Fr. Neuhaus teamed with Chuck Colson to promote dialogue between Catholics and Protestants with the hope of breaking down the walls between us. I feel this an essential goal and must be continued. I'm don't know if anyone can fill Fr. Neuhaus' shoes, at least at this point in time. He was a giant among giants.

The Catholic church is a splintered church. Thanks to my study, I probably understand it more now than the majority of the average Protestant church attendee. And, from the questions I often hear on Catholic Answers, I think I know more than the average Catholic. I'm appalled at the ignorance of the average Catholic. (I'm also appalled at the lack of scriptural knowledge by many Protestants as well). As I've said, there is a major splintering within the Catholic church.

On the other hand, there is a handful of wonderful people that are bringing new life back into the Catholic church. You may call them reformers. By the admission of many Catholics themselves, the church is at one of it's lowest points in history. But these reformers, who hold true to the "mother church" have recognized their own shortcomings and are breathing new life back into the church. These people have had the "born again" experience. They shudder at that phrase. For them, they'd call it repentance and "conversion of heart."

Read these folks. And oh, by the way, forget anything you read in news media regarding anything regarding the Catholic church, or any Protestant church as well. The media simply are liars and only tell half truths. Sorry, but after years of study, that's my conclusion. You'll never get the whole truth out of the secular media.

So whenever you read anything in the secular media, go and get the whole story. You can trust some of these sites.

OSV Our Sunday Visitor

Catholic.net

EWTN.com

New Advent

USCCB.org (Be careful on this as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is riddled with bad priests)

Those are just a few. Check out the links on my blog. I've tried to be careful to list the best of the trustworthy Catholic sites.

I spent a lot of time on my Catholic section because that is where the bulk of my renewal has been taking place in the last few years. My faith has been strengthened, and as many of you can attest, I've become bolder in my witness. That brings me to my last section of my library. After several years of burying myself in the dry dust of church history and Catholicism, I pulled my head out of the sand, shook the dust out of what was left of my hair, washed my glasses and was confronted with a new world.

My old evangelical world didn't look the same. New terms confronted me. I had spent so many years of intense study, I'd not paid a whole lot attention to the changes taking place in the evangelical world. Boy, did I get a wake up call. New words like Post-modern, Emergence, Emergent Churches, New Reformation, Process Theology, Seeker Friendly, and on and on. I found an evangelical world that seemed to have lost its way and abandoned its moorings. Doctrine and theology had taken a back seat to an experiential, what ever feels good religion. Our churches went from houses of worship to auditoriums of entertainment. Hallowed halls to basketball stadiums.

It is an everyone for himself movement anymore. No one knows for sure where we are going. Confusion seems to reign. Or at least it seems to me. Tolerance has replaced discipline. Free thinking has replaced obedience. Psychology has provided the basis for scripture exposition. The old ways seem to have been proven inefficient and everyone is struggling to find what works.

In the meantime, the world goes on it's merry way to hell. Oh, there are a few who have awakened to some of the major deficiencies of our church. Peace and justice has emerged into the vocabulary of the evangelical church. It's about time. Jesus' main talks dealt with peace and justice. He is more concerned about how we relate to the poor and disadvantaged than how marvelous our worship services are conducted.

Forgive me for saying this, but the Catholic church has recognized this for centuries. It's greatest ministry has been to the poor and disenfranchised. It's just they forget how to emphasize the fullness of repentance and conversion. So now my library reflects this. I have books from many of the emergent writers. As a result, my library, at present looks a little confused. Just as I am with what is going on in my evangelical world.

But by the grace of God, there is one book left I haven't mentioned in this overly long blog subject. And that is my Bible. It has been the rock and foundation of all I've read. Which Bible? You ask. The Bible of history. I've come to accept the Bible that has was canonized by the early church councils. It includes the Deuterocanonicals. (pass the smelling salts to my Protestant brethren and sisterns) (misspelling on purpose)

Don't get excited. Remember, the Bible of the reformers included those books. They weren't removed from our Bibles until, under pressure from the reformed Protestants, they were removed in the middle 1800's by a bible publisher. I don't hold them in high esteem like the Roman Catholics. I'm more in line with the Orthodox Church that sees the Deuterocononicals as a little less inspired than the rest of the scriptural books. And they add more than the Roman Catholics with other books as well. At best, they are inspired in the sense they convey some spiritual truth, but not fully inspired at the rest of the books of the Bible. They are rich in history and tradition from which we gain enormous understanding of the inter-testament period.

In conclusion, the Bible has and will remain my most trusted source of teaching and learning. I'm gradually learning Lectio-divina which is simply reading, reflecting and praying the word into my heart. I'm not proficient at it yet, but am learning. My favorite versions are the English Standard Version (ESV) which the those of the reformed faith seem to love. The New International Version (NIV) for understanding, the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Catholic Version. Yes..even the gender inclusive version. Don't get me going on that silly argument. And I even like The Message bible. When you understand it was written for Eugene Peterson's kids so that they could relate in everyday language the general principles of the Bible, it is very good.

Well, that's my library and my life. I know I've painted myself into a corner. There are not many of my friends who share my belief or discoveries. It is controversial and will be misunderstood. But one of my gifts is an ability to see both sides of an issue. That is not popular with many people. We live in a polarized society. And as Christians are more and more marginalized, the more we become defensive with our own belief systems.

I hope to avoid that so that should the opportunity ever arise, I will be ready to share Christ to anyone who asks the reason for what I believe.

God bless you all and thank you for taking the time to read my rambling and poorly expressed thoughts. And apologies to Scott Mcknight for breaking every literary rule in the book.

Confessions Of A Bookworm Part 3

2009-07-25T07:27:00.000-07:00

This will be my last installment of my "Confessions." In the first two installments, I described how one could follow my life's story by looking at my library. Last week I ended with my baptism into studying the Catholic faith. Let me explain for my Protestant friends who may be shuddering right now.

I had mentioned that I had discovered the three book set by Phyllis Tickle, The Divine Hours. Those books introduced me to liturgical praying. This is simply praying, chanting and singing the ancient prayers of the church in a formal, structured, and historical manner of praying. For me, it was the thing that began to bring a spark back into my prayer life.

And then a major event happened. My job took a sudden turn when after many years of working in Sunnyvale, my company split into two locations. One section moved to South San Jose and the other to Sacramento, California. Guess where I was sent to? I spent the next four years commuting to Sacramento from Sunnyvale, a suburb of San Jose. (Suburb of San Francisco for you City elitists) For me, this was my exile into the desert. It was, if I may draw an analogy, my Babylonian exile.

I look back on it now and see it was my reformation period. God had to break me down again to bring me up. My spiritual life was tumbling. That may come as a surprise to some of you that are close to me. But I can cover things up pretty well. I would drive up to Sacramento early Monday morning, work ten hour days, and drive home on Thursday's. Every other Thursday, I'd have to rush home, gobble my dinner and then my wife and I would hustle off to our small group meeting for our church. So by the end of the week I was exhausted.

My spiritual life went totally dry. And my work life showed it. In many ways I was the proverbial double minded man, unstable in all my ways. I was up by 3:15 in the morning, at work by 5:00 AM. I was off by 3:30 and in bed by 7:30. I became totally discouraged. But, something happened in those down times.

I kept reading. And when that little lady in the Catholic Bookstore introduced me to some Catholic books, something happened.

Let me back up. There was a Catholic radio station in the Sacramento area, KSMH that actually peaked my interest. Immaculate Heart Radio has stations all over the west now including one in San Francisco, KSFB. I couldn't stand the Protestant station that played some of the dumbest programming I'd ever heard. I began listening to Catholic Answers, a question and answer program out of San Diego. Folks, these guys are good and for real. You don't have to agree with all they say, but you can't deny these folks are born again Christians.

Anyway, that led me to this little bookstore. I bought a couple of books and I was hooked.

I had never read such powerful and profound stuff. It was all new to me and at the same time very confusing. I was a very anti-Catholic person. But I was discovered these writers I was reading were solid. I ended up buying the Magnificat prayer book each month. The Magnificat is a great little guide to daily prayer. In ten or 15 minutes I could pray a hymn, an Old Testament passage, a Psalm, a New Testament passage and a Gospel passage. Included were little homilies (messages for you Protestants) and a description of the life of one of the Saints for that day.

After a year or so I decided that I needed to buy a Catholic Catechism. These Catholics are terrible communicators. The Catechism is the foundational beliefs of the Catholic church. It is an extraordinary book. I recommend it if you are going to have a loving relationship with Catholics. Catholicism is very dense. What is plain to them is gobbledygook to the average Protestant. They speak an entirely different language. If you are ever going to understand them, you need to understand what they mean when they say something like, learn to adore the Sacred Heart. I found out that they weren't worshipping a literal heart, but that the Sacred Heart is simply a symbol of the sacrificial love of God. So when you hear them speaking of the Sacred Heart, think sacrificial love and you'll get the meaning.

And so I started gathering books. I learned that the Catholics are terrible communicators. It's no wonder 75 percent of Catholics don't attend mass. They couldn't teach their way out of a paper bag. With few exceptions, most of what you read is so out of touch with how we communicate daily, it becomes meaningless. A part of the problem is that so much is translated from other languages, like Latin, German and French. The sentence structure is stilted and very formal. The translators are so concerned with interpreting the exact meaning that they ignore how people communicate. It becomes dry dusty prose.

But for me, there is water beneath the desert sands of dryness. God took me into a study that has gone on for nearly ten years. It's taken me that long to really begin to understand how Catholics think. I wanted to think like a Catholic so that I could understand them. Now let me bring you to my library. I now have a collection of some of the best books of today's Catholic church. Has it brought me to consider swimming the Tiber and joining the Catholic Church?

In a short answer, NO. I've spent too many years in foundational study of the Bible to be swayed that easily. Why? I simply can't accept the exclusiveness of the Catholic church. I'll go more into that on another blog, suffice it to say, the Eucharist which is at the heart and core of the Catholic Church, in practice today, violates the universality of the gospel as I see it. I don't deny Christ in the Eucharist. He's omniscient and is present at all times in the Eucharist. But to deny anyone who belongs to Christ from the table of the Lord is simply wrong.

Well, this post has become too long. So, I lied, I guess when I said I'd wind this up. I'll do a part 4 in a few moments to give you a break. I'll discuss where my library stands today. Or should I say, how does my library today reflect my present spiritual walk?

To be concluded in my next post.

Confessions Of A Bookworm Part 2

2009-07-19T14:04:00.000-07:00

I was looking at my bookshelf this morning and mused, "My progress in life can be seen in the books on my shelf."

First, there's the college years. Those years where I began to first collect books. I still have some of my old textbooks and I still refer to them from time to time. After all, who can ignore men like Tasker, Mounce, A.T. Robinson, and Baxter. Books from my Christian and Missionary Alliance days authored by the likes of A.B. Simpson, A. W. Tozer, T.J. McCrossen, and one of my most loved professors, Don Kenyon.

Then there were the years of great preachers that I embraced. The Metropolitan Tabernacle Series by C.H. Spurgeon. Nobody could preach like Spurgeon and he became one of my favorites. But then there was a short span in the 60's and early 70's where I explored the new Charismatic movement. I still have some of those books, but threw away most of them. They were like drinking froth on a carbonated drink. Lots of bubbles and popping and noise, but little of substance.

Expository Preaching caught my eye again and I gathered books by Chuck Swindoll. I must have almost all of his booklets he gave out on his radio program. I loved the guy. He could make scriptures talk and walk. His grace filled books laid a firm foundation that has kept me steady all these years through many hard trials, especially in those years recovering from divorce.

Oh yes, I have books dealing with divorce too. But back then, there wasn't much so they were of little help. It was scripture and great books that brought me through the hard years of rebuilding. Those rebuilding years can be seen by all the books and sermons I gathered from the pens of Ron Ritchie and Ray Stedman in those Body Life years of the late 70's and and 80's.

As my theological vision widened so did my library. I continued to collect books from all sides of the theological spectrum. I went from Pre-Tribulationism to Post-Tribulationism to A-Millenarianism to Pan-Millenarianism. Oh...you don't know what Pan-Millenarianism is? That means I just leave it to God to decide how he comes and it will all PAN out.

Then I got rocked theologically. Actually, I went into a spiritual desert. For several years, I felt a great dryness. I picked up a series of books by Phyllis Tickle called the Divine Hours and became intrigued with praying liturgical prayers. Then my pastor recommended in one of his books a book by Scott McKnight. It was called the Jesus Prayer. That led me to many other books, mostly Catholic. For the first time in my life, I studied books by Catholic authors of all types. A little Catholic bookstore owner in Roseville, California introduced me to books by Scott Hahn, then Mike Aquilina and many other modern day authors as well as early Christian authors. I found myself agreeing with Cardinal Henry Newmann that the deeper you go in history, the more you cease to become Protestant.

I soon learned Catholics speak an entirely different language than Protestants. I knew for me to understand them correctly, I'd better learn to study what they mean rather than what they say on the surface. Many Catholic books use terms we are familiar with but mean something totally different than what we think they are saying. I'll go into that more in another blog entry. Suffice it to say, I discovered they have a lot more in common with Protestants than you think. They also have some dead bones that need eliminating in my opinion. But that is not for this article.

I'll leave you with my spiritual journey in books. I hope this isn't boring to you. It was interesting to me to see that I could chart my spiritual journey by just looking at my library. That's it for now. I hope you stick with me to the end.

See you in Part 3. Maybe next week.

Confessions Of A Bookworm Part 1

2009-07-18T07:13:00.001-07:00

I'm back. It seems I only have time to blog on the weekends right now. So today, I'll throw out some wandering thoughts and then you can respond. Maybe you have some confessions too.

O.K. Here goes. I have a confession to make. I'm a bookworm. Yup..one of those bookish bores. I'd rather have my nose in a book than be in a crowded room full of people. I sometimes wonder if I love my books more than people. Hah. I have a wall full of books, read and unread or partially read. But, I'm proud to say, mostly read.

It all started in my pre-school years. If there's anything positive I've gain from my childhood, it's a love for books. My mother started me off prior to first grade. I never attended kindergarden. The little two room school house in the coal mining town of Mahan, West Virginia only had grades 1 - 6. Everyone from grades 1-4 were in one room and grades 5 & 6 were in the other room.

I began reading on my own in the first grade. And get this parents, my first sex education book was shared with me by my mom in the first grade. Wise woman. She knew what trouble I'd probably get into if I wasn't grounded properly. Lot of good it did me! But, I digress.

Reading became a passion for me. Along came TV in the 1950's and my book reading took a dip. But I never lost my hunger for learning. Our first set of Colliers Encyclopedias in 1953 or 1954 opened the world to me. Oh, and along with that came a ten book set of Lincoln's Letters, and several classic novels, Aesop's Fables and other children's stories. My folks, who are in their late 80's still have those letters of Abraham Lincoln and I drool at the opportunity to crack them open again when I inherit them. I'll never forget having to cut some of the pages of those books because the publisher failed to trim the pages properly.

So reading was a passion early on. I went into debt buying books over the years. Thankfully, my wife who is my total opposite has cured me of that. I don't buy anything I can't pay off right away anymore. Unless it's major like my computer that I had to buy after my laptop went belly before I could save for a new one. After all, today, being without a computer is just a major inconvenience in todays world where you have to be in contact with your job and everyone else in this world. At least I convinced myself of that fact. Besides, I'm paying it off much earlier than expected due to large payments.

Back to my long bookish story. Books are my second love. My wife being my first. Unless you count God, of course. I love the feel of a book in my hand, the smell of the pages and the thoughts that spring from those dead words. Which is remarkable because I tend to be rather flighty. I have a short attention span. My mind wanders easily. I'll often suddenly discover I've read several pages and I can't remember a thing I read because something I read earlier sent me off into another stream of thought totally unrelated to what I was reading.

So I have to go back and pickup where I left off. Sigh...such is the case of one with ADHD. (Well, I don't know for sure about that last statement, but I forget why I wrote it.)

Reading opened my mind up to new worlds. New ideas. It kept me up with current thought. It also locked me in one path as well. I'll explain more, maybe next week or when I have more time. Reading can lock you into a closed system or release you to explore uncharted territories. Stay tuned. I hope I can unlock some of your doors to explore new ideas. (yeah..it could include a Kindle for you techno freaks.)

The Best You Can Be

2009-07-11T07:41:00.000-07:00

Last night, Jonathan Sanchez, pitcher for the San Francisco Giants threw a no-hitter. For me, nothing beats the thrill of a no-hitter in sports. The tension in the ninth inning of a no-hitter can't be paralleled in any other sport. Will he do it? Will the batter spoil the no-hitter at the last minute? I can remember a few games where the pitcher had a no-hitter going into the ninth, with two down only to have it spoiled by a fluke single or a home run. And I'm sure we've all seen how a pitcher can pitch a no-hitter and still lose the game.

No-hitters are tough. There are so many variables. And, despite the fact it's the pitcher who gets the glory, it takes a team. Let's start with the catcher. He's the field general. He's the one calling the pitches or taking direction from the bench. He's the one that goes out to the mound to calm down a pitcher when he starts getting wild or when an error is made. So give credit to the catcher as well.

And what about the coaching? Sanchez was having trouble this year. He was blowing games, getting hit all over the place. He had potential, but wasn't living up to that potential. So Dave Rigetti took him out of the rotation and banished him to the bull pen. Talks of trade rumors filled the air. But Rags had a job to do. His job was to get inside of Jonathan's head, correct his mechanics and get him back on the field. And he did his job. Among other things, he had Sanchez slow down his lower body, bring his leg in higher and closer to his body.

So when Randy Johnson went on the disabled list for an injury, Sanchez was inserted back into the rotation.

And as we can see it paid off.

But what about those guys behind him? Did they have any part in the game? Of course! They are the ones who made the great stops, timely throws and for once, batted in the runs. And who can forget that ninth inning when Edgar Renteria made that great throw from deep in the hole to put out Luis Rodriguez. And how about that great catch in Center by Aaron Rowland to steal a home run or an extra base hit from Edgar Gonzales?

You see, for a no-hitter to happen, it doesn't all depend on the pitcher. It is a team effort. Oh..did I mention strategy? A game plan. Credit the manager, Bruce Bochy. He put all the pieces into play.

So what? So, it's just a game. But you know. That's life as well. And that's what being a follower of Christ is all about too. O.K....stay with me. Don't go away. (at least the one or two of you that stumble over my blog in the dead of night by accident.)

How many Christians do you know who say, I don't need the church. I can worship Jesus on my own anywhere. I don't need to depend on a gathering of hypocrites to worship God. I don't need (you fill in the blank).

Or do you? You see, becoming all we can be in Christ is not just a personal relationship with God. It's not just Jesus and Me. Or the Father and me. Or, to put it in other terms I've seen, papa and me.

Are you becoming all you were created to be? Are you the best You possible? God made each one of us for a purpose. He made all of us as individuals with individual talents, gifts and features. We are all different and individual. There is no one else like you. But, in Christ, we become something else. We become a member of a living, breathing organism called, the Body of Christ. The Church. Yes, Christ is our head. He works in us to conform us to himself. He wants to establish a relationship of love with himself. But, he's called us to a Body as well.

For my hand to be the best hand possible, it depends on the arm, blood vessels, blood, heart, muscles, brain. All are interrelated. The brain sends out signals to direct the hand to pick up a glass. The hand doesn't do the moving. It's the arm that brings that hand over to the glass, at the direction of the brain. But the hand doesn't pick up the glass. The fingers must do their part. They must embrace the glass. But the nerves must do their part. If the glass is hot, the nerves immediately transmit the message back up through the fingers, the hand the arm and ultimately, the brain. The brain immediately sends out the message, pull back!!

tThat's just a simplified version of what happens in a body. The same thing happens in the Body of Christ. If one part of the body is hurting, it affects the entire body. Just stub your toe sometime in the middle of the night and tell me the whole body doesn't react. I've got a couple of odd shaped toes that remind me daily of what happened that night.

For us to become all we can be, we need the manager, Christ, to give us the game plan. He did that with his life and the scriptures that have come down to us. We need the pitching coach, a spiritual director, using the old term. Someone who can hold us accountable. How many of us have someone we can go to for support or someone we respect who can come running out to us on the mound to calm us down or give some needed instruction? I think this is one of the greatest needs in the church. It's one that is largely ignored and forgotten. Find someone you trust to hold you accountable and who will help you become a better Christian. Don't spend time with those who complain and are negative all the time. Develop a relationship with an honest, positive friend who will stand with you through thick and thin.

We need those players in our lives who can save us at the last minute. Who will lift our spirits when we are down or tired and weak. A healthy body of believers such as a small group can be those team members who will support you and help you become all you can be in Christ. Do you belong to a small group like that? This is what I think has made our church, Menlo Park Presbyterian, build a reputation as a church of love. A huge number of our members are in small groups that match various interests and needs.

So you see, even baseball can be a lesson for us. We need each other to become all we can be. But I have one more point. For there to be a no-hitter, it takes the pitcher being on his game. The pitcher takes all his resources given to him, his physical strength, gifts, abilities, along with his support team and must pitch with the goal in mind of putting out that next batter. And in the Christian life, in order for the body to win; in order for the Church of Christ to become all it can me; it requires us to embrace the church, the body, reach out to team members, love them, (I didn't say much about team camaraderie) in order to build the body to become all IT can be.

You see, the church is not "Exclusive". Our communion must be inclusive. Our fellowship must be inclusive. All of us are involved in making us more complete in this life. Yes, in heaven, I'm seen as complete. But heaven has come down here. We are to live out the kingdom on this earth. And that involves each other. God is only uplifted by both adoration of him and living to serve him through others. May God help us to become all we can be by our relationship with both him and others.

Yeah....maybe not a perfect game, but a no-hitter and a win.

Transitioning

2009-07-08T06:42:00.000-07:00

Well, after over a week away from my blog I thought I'd better update it. After my tongue in cheek, so to speak, message last time I thought I'd better get back on track.

I'm transitioning. I don't know what I'm transitioning to, but I know changes are coming. One of the things I promised God and myself was that I would not get stuck into a rut or one way of doing things. I've spent nearly 10 years now studying theology, primarily Catholic theology, because I have so many Catholic friends. I wanted to be able to speak their language and even think in their thought patterns. Along the way, I've gained a great deal of appreciation for the faith, history and dedication of those in the Catholic Church. They are not the bride of Anti-Christ as many Protestants accuse them to be.

However, I've also concluded that there are many things in Catholic teaching that I just can't accept. Not so much the theology. Once I understood the "stock language" I realized they believe pretty much the same things I've been taught in my Protestant heritage. I think what really has kept me from accepting the Catholic concepts hook, line and sinker have been many of the "rubrics", the rules that actually become slavish to absurdity at times. But I respect those who live by them.

Now to my transitions. Like I said, I have been embedded in my thological studies and personal piety for too long. I've reach a point where I have to unleash the dam or else I will stagnate. Once of the things I've learned along the way is if there is not praxis, no transferring of my faith to involve the lives of others, I actually start moving in reverse. Or it seems that way. Because I'm no longer moving forward and am stuck in one way of doing things, the world and the church start passing me by.

My first clue was my resistance to new ways of doing things. You could chalk that up to the fact I'm reaching what is lovingly called "senior citizen." The older we get, the less flexible we become. Thankfully, I've had a good church that has constantly kept me from growing into a log. So, like it or not, I'm going to transition in order to go where God is moving. I don't understand it all yet, but I'm willing to learn. After all, I know I have gifts that can be used for God and he has the power to make them effective in new and exciting ways.

Some of us at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church have signed on to a new descipleship program that welds the best of theology, psychology and technology. It's called Monvee. A number of churches across the country are signed up to this new emphasis that could give a whole new meaning to "making desciples." Research the above link and you will get better idea.

My blog will become less oriented to theological statements and more to explorations into areas of new ways of teaching old concepts that the church has believed for centuries.
So join me in this journey of faith as I try to keep from being a fuddy duddy senior, but one alive and ever growing into a vibrant relationship with God through others.

Subject change...
While I was in San Diego last weekend, Rev. Frank Vanderzwan, our pastor to seniors, gave a message on God, Our Comforter. If you ever want to hear a great message on how God comforts us and uses us to comfort others, I encourage you to listen to or watch his message at the MPPC website. You will be blessed. Just check out the message on Comfort.

That's it for today. Please forgive me for my late postings. My days seem to be more and more filled with activities. Stay tuned for...transitions.

Polemical Flatulation

2009-07-01T13:34:00.000-07:00

Polemical Flatulation. Doesn't that just roll across your tongue and pass across your lips? I wish I could take credit for it, but once again, it's a phrase I borrowed. I think my thoughts are always a condensation of someone elses. My friend Dave Armstrong used that phrase on his blog and it just seemed such a great description of a lot of the hot air that passes for information on the web. How many times have you read someone railing against someone else on a forum with what seems to be highly intelligent arguments, but you know in your mind of minds, they haven't a clue where they got the idea in the first place. You know when someone who has no background in ancient languages and history is just filling the void with air bisquits by quoting every writer they've ever read, usually from one single slant of philosophy or religion.

Now, we all do this. I confess, I'm a professional at gathering information from others to use in my stuff. I admit to not being an authority on much of anything. At least I admit it. Many of these gas bags would much rather throw around their degrees even though their background is nowhere near the subject being discussed. We call these people, "Know-it-alls."

These folks can be very dangerous. On the internet, I'd call them the "Silent-but-deadly" polemicists. You can't hear them, but their printed and unspoken words speak loudly and can destroy others. They are ready to "drop a bomb" on the first person that says something they disagree with. The net calls these folks "flamers". These colonic calliopes will blast a poor person into oblivian just to prove they are the biggest and baddest cheese on the forum.

I saw one of these in action on one of the posts recently where an earnest Anglican Priest had gone swimming in the Tiber to become a Roman Catholic. The blast from the bottom dwellers was deafening. I've never seen such unChristian rhetoric in my life. It wasn't because these people were trying to save this man from self destruction on the steps of the Vatican. It seemed they were more interested in stumbling over themselves to destroy a good man who had made a long thought out decision to throw everything he had ever worked for to pursue what God was calling him to do. You can disagree with his theology if you wish, but we Christians seem to have a bad habit of fouling the air every time someone goes against our theological house of cards.

I think it's time we change our diet and begin eating from the table of the Lord. Maybe we might find the world being attracted to the sweet incense of Christ in our lives. The essence of Love can cover a multitude of sin's rollers.

Speak the Truth

2009-06-27T08:05:00.000-07:00

I read this quote this morning from the Catholic Education Resource Center (CERC) site.

"Shortly after being made a bishop in 1969, Edouard Cardinal Gagnon was in conversation with Pope Paul VI who told his new bishop:

"Error makes it's way because truth is not taught, we must teach the truth whenever we see something which is against the truth. We must teach the truth, repeat it, not attacking the ones who tell errors because that would never end; they are so numerous. We have to teach the truth."

Cardinal Gagnon writes:

"He told me truth has a grace attached to it. Anytime we tell the truth that is in conformity to what Christ teaches and what is being taught us by the Church, every time we say the truth there is an internal grace of God that accompanies the truth. He said error does not have grace accompanying it. It might have all the external means, but it does not have the grace of God accompanying it."

It's a message for our time. - J Fraser Field"

I read this quote and thought it was so appropriate to consider when reading all the stuff on the web. We are bombarded with a host of different ideas, variations of beliefs, theologies and heresies. Yes, I said heresies, that forbidden word that can't be used in many of the "new" evangelicals. After all, we must "love" one another and not offend. Well, excuse me if I say, that is a bunch of bunk. Love sometimes hurts and sometimes divides. And truth spoken in love will sometimes hurt. A good example of this can be found in Mark Driscoll's powerful message on Doctrines From False Teachers from his Trial series from the books of Peter. I don't think there is a toe he doesn't step on there, but it is all truth. I encourage you to listen to the sermon and follow along with his notes. Mark's sermons are long...45 minutes to an hour. But they are full of great theology and truth. I urge you to listen to this sermon as our modern church, both Catholic and Protestant, is being literally ripped apart by false doctrines that have their roots in early church heresies.

I know this may be hard to believe especially for those seeped in the term love, but this is a message of love with steel knuckles.

Enjoy

Disclaimer

2009-06-24T11:02:00.000-07:00

Today's World of Mysteries page on my blog list contains some material that you (and I) may find objectionable. I have no control of what that blog contains. For the most part, the blog is very interesting and a fun diversion from the normal content of the my blog. If they continue to post objectionable material, I will remove them from my site.
Otherwise, except for some of the places they mention, there are some interesting spots to visit.
Thank you.

There's A New Sheriff In Town

2009-06-20T07:12:00.000-07:00

I couldn't help but think of this video when I look at this scenario John, the apostle, lays out for us between the Jewish leaders and Jesus.

Let's review a moment where we've been. Jesus has just cleansed the temple in John 2. He had, by now, gained a

substantial following. The Jewish leaders, who were upset over his actions in the temple as well as disturbed by the cleansing of the temple, decided to confront Jesus.

After all, he was threatening their authority and possibly their relations with the Romans. He had to brought into line or be eliminated. He had to justify himself before them and prove that

he was what he claimed. He had to prove his authority.

But, there's a new Sheriff in town. Jesus threw them a curveball and gave them an answer they didn't expect. They demanded proof to validate their faith.

Jesus reversed the order of things and threw their question back into their faces. They wanted a measuring stick. He answered with love.

Faith is not something dependent upon what is perceived, seen. His answer to these self-righteous townspeople was to put a gun to his own throat, as it were, by exposing

their own sin of unbelief.

John 2:19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

There response revealed their unbelief.

John 2:20 The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?"

As Ms. Speyr says in her book, The Word Becomes Flesh Vol I, "They had asked for a miracle, a sensational one, to balance the Lord's unbelievable demands." They wanted a sign, a sensational miracle to pin their faith upon, in their own terms of belief. Jesus would have none of that. He is a man of a different color. He is the new sheriff. He is now making the rules.

Their question avoids his obvious answer and continues to focus on their expectations. Their measure of faith which is based upon tangible evidence. They looked at the temple around them and focused upon the visible. Jesus sees this and knows what they are thinking.

John then reveals the mind of Jesus.

John 2:21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body.

The next verse explains

"After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken."

I don't think even John at this time fully understood Jesus' words. But I'm not convinced the Jewish leaders didn't understand. I'm sure they did which explains why they avoided Jesus' answer directly. Jesus challenged them. His answer vividly highlights their lack of faith by focusing on the only true question and answer that could be responded by faith.

It's like the townspeople in that absurd scene from Blazing Saddles. They are looking for a young white saviour, a new sheriff that will solve all their problems. Then they see someone totally out of the realm of possibility. A black man. Mel Brooks has always pushed the envelope and here he does it masterfully. The black man comes in and plays a stupid game of on the one hand, appearing to be someone he isn't while at the same time presenting himself as the victim. It's a great scene that confuses the devil out of the public while at the same time showing their absurdity.

Jesus is doing the same thing. It is absurd to think that belief and faith rise from what we understand and see. His offer of his body, using the temple as the backdrop, as the subject that will be torn down and raised to new life in three days is absolutely impossible and absurd to the Jews. So they refuse to bite and believe. But Jesus is saying that faith isn't something you measure by tangible means of reasoning.

Faith first comes to us as a gift of love from God. Here Jesus is offering his body. He's saying to the Jews, tear my body down and in three days I will raise it up. They were being forced to take a step of faith, something offered to them, and return that love by faith to him and ultimately to the father.

Faith is measured by a response of love. Faith is only understood in a response of love. Faith is a response of love to love and the faith and love offered is what has been supplied by the object of faith and love.

The temple was only a symbol. His body was the real offering. That which kept them from understanding and accepting was, as Ms. Speyr says, sin. That three little word that nobody wants to say anymore. But it was unbelief, sin that nailed Christ to the Cross. But it was his resurrection that destroyed sin forever. That made room for faith. Faith is only possible through the resurrection. Now that Christ has risen from the dead, sin no longer has dominion over us. We can, through faith, overcome sin when it rears its ugly head. And that faith is offered to us in love by Christ because of his resurrection. Only then can a person understand and comprehend love in all it's fullness in God.

Ms. Speyr then teaches in later passages that the love given to us by God is then exercised in love by us. First in our adoration of our Lord and through others. The greatest experience of love for God is returning his love in faith through people we encounter daily. When we love others through faith, that faith is received by God in it's fullest sense. We die to ourselves in the lives of others that love may have it's fullest expression before the Father.

As vs 22 we're told the disciples remembered what Jesus had said about his body and it was only then they understood. They remembered after the fact. The remembrance increased their faith. Just so in us, remembering, practicing those things that remind us of what Christ has done for us, strengthens our faith. So Bible reading, prayer, communion, and for Catholics, the Eucharist and Adoration, all add to our faith being strengthened. Remember. And let your faith grow.

And get to know the new Sheriff. He's full of surprises.

Plug for a Friend

2009-06-18T12:54:00.000-07:00

Friends, I'm breaking in the middle of my discussion to plug the website of a good friend of mine. This week is really hectic, so haven't had time to study and develop much of a commentary.
David Armstrong is a well known Catholic Apologist. He and I have debated, discussed and otherwise wrangled with each other over the Catholic faith. I've developed a great appreciation for his knowledge and devotion to the Catholic Church. He studied under the great Fr. John Hardon, one of the great priests of the 20th Century. Dave is a convert from Protestantism and is an able defender of his faith. His books are numerous and very interesting. (I have nearly all of them, I think. His favorite method of teaching is using the Socratic method of questions and answers, debates with often times imagined opponents. However, even though he may be debating an imagined opponent, he tackles questions common to people looking at the Catholic faith.
He is also the staff apologist for Marcus Grodi's Journey Home website and continues to grow in his faith and love for our Lord. Dave is a sound, solid born again believer and a great asset to the growing apologetic movement in the Catholic Church.
There is a renewal occuring in the Catholic Church and Dave is one of it's leaders. Check out his website at http://socrates58.blogspot.com/. You'll be challenged, but you will also learn what the Catholic church really teaches as opposed to many of the false accusations, distortions and downright lies fostered by many Protestants against the mother Church. Dave hasn't convinced me, but he has given me a great respect for him and the RCC despite all her failings.
Enjoy

P.S. Oh...buy his books please!!! A man's gotta make a living you know, and his books are worth the price.

If You Will...I Will

2009-06-13T08:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I broke all the rules and engaged a study of a chapter out of Adrienne Von Speyr's book The Word Becomes Flesh, Vol 1. Most people, if doing a review would begin with Chapter 1. But I began my reflections after reading nearly half the book. Why? Because it's taken me nearly six months to get that far. Partly because I'm always reading other books and partly because Ms. Speyr is so dense in her writing, I need time to reflect on what I've read. Why now? I guess I've reached a point where her thoughts have become so profound, I've found it necessary to put my thoughts in print to try and get a more fuller understanding as well as personal application for my daily life. In a sense I've opened up my thought processes to allow you to look over my shoulder as I wrestle with these concepts.

Also, I guess I'm a bit sensitive about some I've read recently who claim that those of us who blog have problems with narcissism and need to get people to pay attention to us. That may be true, but I can't help feel this new medium is an avenue for many of us to carry on a time honored practice of writing down our beliefs much as countless of nameless men and women have done over the centuries on parchment.

Having said that, I want to return to my thoughts of yesterday.

I ended up reflecting on Ms. Speyr's statement

“A faith that rests only on the calculation of what is seen is not faith.”

Don't we all do this? I mean, isn't this a part of our nature? If you perform (Fill in the blank), then I will (Fill in the Blank)

You even see this in animals. We have adopted, or rather, we have been adopted by a stray cat. She's a gorgeous little critter, a grey kitty we've called "Smokey". For nearly a year we have been working to domesticate this furry feline. We finally captured her one day and took her to the vet to make sure she was healthy. We hope to integrate her with our two black indoor cats someday. We don't believe in outdoor cats.

Anyway, this domestication process is not easy. She obviously was abandoned and so has gone semi-feral, if that is a word. It's a major process to gain her trust. But, she's finally to the point where she welcomes our lap and will spend hours purring and sleeping on our warm laps. But, we have a few scars from learning her limits. Her tummy is definitely off limits. Rubbing her tummy can guarantee a painful bite.

So how did we gain this much progress? You've probably guessed it. Food!

Like all animals, food is the great leveler. We began to feed her. And slowly over time, she allowed us to get closer until we could touch her, then pet her carefully and now, finally to become a very loving cat who cherishes our lap. Or might I say, gives us the privilege of her presence on our laps.

Now what does all this have to do with our subject? Simple. Her measuring stick was, "If you feed me, I'll grace you with my presence."

Don't we play the same game? If you provide my desire for contemporary music at church then I'll be able to worship. Or most likely for us traditionalists, I can only worship if the music is traditional. Or, I'll come to your church, if the pastor is an expository preacher, or a topical preacher, or if he's charismatic or..or...or...

Do you see what we do? We set up measuring sticks, just like our little Smokey. Our faith, our worship, our devotion to each other is contingent on whether or not our personal tastes are met by another.

But here in this verse Ms. Speyr is saying, Jesus doesn't bite. He doesn't play this game.

Faith is not dependent upon a measuring stick.

Faith is a gift of Love from the Lover and our participation of exercising this gift is an equal response of love that is a choice we make regardless of the outcome. Faith doesn't require proof. It simply is a response.

Well, I've milked this more than I'd planned so will continue another time. I want to expand on the implications Ms. Speyr draws from this truth. So until then...maybe six months from now???

No...as soon as I can digest the pages of the book.

Prove It!

2009-06-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

Prove it!!

Who says there is a God? Prove it!
There is no God. I don’t believe what I can’t see. Can you hear him/her? Can you touch God? No you can’t. So prove it.
Only the narcissist believes in a personal God.
I accept you believe in a God, but that’s your belief or idea. It’s not mine.

Ever heard those statements before? I’m sure you’ve heard many like that and more. They all demand some kind of empirical evidence to satisfy our personal belief system. Basically, all are saying, “Prove it.” Prove there is a God. Prove Jesus was crucified and arose from the dead. Prove that he was nothing more than a disillusioned Jew who had grandiose ideas of his mission in life.

These questions have been asked for by millions for centuries. Consider these words penned by the Apostle of Love.

John 2:18 The Jews then said to him (Jesus), “What sign have you to show us for doing this?”

Jesus had just cleansed the temple and the Jewish leaders were furious. They wanted Jesus to justify his actions and speech. What right did he have to go and disrupt the order? What made him so righteous as to pronounce judgment upon them? What made him so great? Prove you are from God.

They set up a measuring stick. If you can prove, visibly demonstrate, intellectually justify, your actions, then we may believe what you say. His actions disrupted their idea of order. It didn’t fit their measuring stick belief. They had to have a defensible reason for his actions. After all, they were the religious leaders of the temple. They had been embarrassed. Their position as the righteous leaders of Judaism had been challenged and shamed by his actions against them.

They needed atonement. Jesus had to pay for his actions by proving he who he was and that he had indeed been sent by God through deeds of justification. How generous!! How Petty!!

Don’t we do the same thing today? Our society demands some kind of tangible, intellectual, work of justification to prove our faith. They want a sign, something that fits our intellectual understanding.

So how does Jesus respond?

John 2:19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

Jesus turns the tables on them. He answers their challenge with a challenge of his own. What a stroke of brilliance! He recognizes they have abandoned faith. As Adrienne Von Speyr, from whom I depend for this meditation, says

“A faith that rests only on the calculation of what is seen is not faith.”

Wow! We know that 1 plus 1 equals 2. 2 plus 2 equals 4. Ms. Speyr points out that faith isn’t something that has an equal answer. Now we can gain faith from miracles or tangible proofs, but faith is never, never dependent on those signs. No one can demand that faith be proved by signs. It is not in our rights. God will not be bartered.

Nor should we who claim to be Christians demand that the evidences of God working in our life proves God. That is not our claim to make. God will not bargain with us for faith. It doesn’t make any difference how God wants to reveal himself to us, God still demands faith. When he offers himself to us, he is the one who provides the faith. But we aren’t the ones to demand he prove himself. This is what Jesus drove out of the temple. People were bartering, to prove their faith. Jesus will have none of that.

Every time Jesus does something, it’s an offering of love. If we overlook that offer we will be refused faith. So when a Christian shares his faith, the only response of love that provides a benefit to the other, is a response of faith. Otherwise, God cannot be known.

I’ll have more to say down the line. But this is a crucial idea. I hope you appreciate my contemplations upon my reading of Adrienne Von Speyr’s book The Word Becomes Flesh.” http://www.amazon.com?

Music Wars

2009-06-11T09:18:00.000-07:00

We are at war. Traditionalists want their hymns. Their cries for traditional worship and music are drowned out by the drums, the clashing and clanging of loud cymbols, electric guitars and loud speakers turn up so high as to guarantee the next generation will insure the wealth of those who sell hearing aids. Should we keep the organ and replace it and the grand piano with a cheesy electronic piano. (careful Richard, your bias may be showing)

Hymns with great theological understanding are being replaced by songs with repetitive phrases ad nauseum containing little theology and absolutely inane narcissisic emphasis. Fortunately, some of the new stuff is quite good containing scripture mingled with occasional music with some kind of harmony.

O.K. O.K. I know. I'm exaggerating. There is some good stuff out there and I'm not totally against contemporary music in the church. There is a time and place for everything. But there is a war going on and it has gone on since the beginning of the church. Each generation has complained about the "new" music being introduced into worship. We've all heard how Martin Luther used bar or tavern tunes to compose his music. However, that idea has been disputed by a number of recent musical historians.

I want to look at one person who made a profound empact on music in the church. He was one of the greatest poets the church has ever seen. Many Christians just celebrated his life this past Tuesday. It is said that he wrote three million lines of poetry...all in long hand, mind you. He is the most prolific poet that has possibly ever lived. Of course, being a Catholic, his life was wrapped up in the love of Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary.

He was a keen observer of what was going on around him, a profound theologian and, as his poetry and songs indicate, a master of prayer. He was an ascetic, but also very socially active. He believed faith and love only has meaning in interaction with humanity. So he fought long and hard for the less fortunate. His music was powerful and comforting, especially to those who suffered under severe persecution.

His name? We know him as St. Ephraim. The doctor of deacons and poets. He died in 373 A.D. Apparently he turned down the opportunity to become a priest, although we are not sure why he never became one. In Syria, his home country, he is known as the "Harp of the Holy Spirit". He is the only deacon in the history of the Catholic Church to have been designated a "Doctor" of the church, a very high honor. Millions of today's Syrians hold him up as a patron saint.

St. Ephraim, as I said, was an astute man. He looked at the people around him, saw and heard the music sung by the population, especially those who were in the "heretical" movements. He then took the common music and the songs of the churches that sang corrupt hymns and exhanged their words for his own. He had tapped into a very important clue for gaining a following and for then teaching the truth. It was a method adopted by musicians down through the centuries until today. He took bad theology with it's accompanying music and exchanged it for good theology and teaching.

If St. Ephraim lived today, he'd be right at home with many of the new musicians of today. The major difference I see, is that his music would teach great theological truths as opposed to empty narcissitic phrases. Oh, probably simplified to meet the generation we have today, of course. That's what he did. The result? Well, history tells us the result. St. Ephraim is remembered today by millions, especially in the East. His poetry has an enduring quality.

We might not enjoy his music today in our heavy metal culture, but we most definitely can enjoy the impact he made on the church universal and down through history.

Oh..just a note for my Protestant friends. Get to know your Catholic heritage. You may not agree with all they say, but these are holy people who compiled, edited, canonized and gave us the Bible and most of our church music. The aberrations and sin many fell into in the Catholic church are acknowledged by the Catholics. We have as many aberrations in Protestantism as well, only we do a better job of covering it up. So learn, open your mind and you will be blessed.

Memorization

2009-06-10T08:55:00.000-07:00

How's your memory? If your like me, it seems to fade occasionally, even more often as I grow older. Have you ever said, "I have a bad memory."? I'm sure we all have from time to time. It has been mentioned to me that my pastor, John Ortberg, has a photographic memory. I don't know about that, but I do know it is phenomenal. He seems to be able to quote anything he has read. But as for me, I'm lucky to remember what I wrote a minute ago.
I've always struggled with memory. Even when I had to memorize long passages to sing and narrate, it was a momentous struggle. And whenever nerves set in, I was at a loss for memory.

Those of us who have grown up in the church are told to memorize scripture. Well, if you are like me, that is the hardest thing to do. I struggled for years to memorize scripture and couldn't get much past John 3:16. But then something happened. I began to pray scripture in the liturgy. I started with Phyllis Tickle's great series of books on liturgical prayers called, The Divine Hours, a trilogy of books containing daily Morning and Evening Prayers that cover all the seasons of the years. After using those books, I found a number of other liturgical prayer books that were even more detailed and uplifting. Presently I'm using the Christian Prayer: The Liturgy of the Hours, commonly used by the Catholic church, but also used by many other faiths as well. As Scot McKnight points out, these are some of the greatest practices for our faith.

But something marvelous has happened. Some of the prayers are prayed on a daily basis. For instance, the Benedictus, The song of Zachary (Zachariah) in Luke 1:68-79. This is the prayer sung by Zachariah regarding his the future of his son John the Baptist. I have prayed this passage in my Office of Readings every morning for several years now. And guess what, I can pray it from memory. It is locked into my head. Oh sure I stumble now and then and have to look, but never-the-less I know it. And other passages have become a part of my memory. I am now close to being able to recite Mary's prayer, called the Magnificat. It is sung every evening in the Liturgy.

So what? You may say. Big deal. Well, it's a big deal with me. I would have struggled for years trying to memorize even one of these verses. But after daily reading and praying these verses they have become a part of me. And because they have become a part of me, something else has happened. My life has been transformed. You see, daily reading of a liturgy is not vain repetition or an empty ritual to be endured. The word has worked its way down deep into my heart and has become the living Word.

Slowly but surely, my life has become more and more Jesus shaped. Oh, there is nothing spectacular. And I'm not Mr. Supersaint. But attitudes and habits have changed without me trying to do anything. God has made the word alive in my interior being and the Holy Spirit has gained more and more of a foothold in my life.

It can for you too, if you are patient. Get a prayer book. Read Scot McKnight's book on Praying With The Church and learn of the many avenues you can take to develop a liturgical prayer life. Who knows, all those verses you struggled with, may end up becoming a natural part of your life without even trying. Try it. I think you'll like it.

Baby Tragedy

2009-06-09T07:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, a four month old baby died. What made it news? The father of t he baby apparently was in a rush to get to work and forgot his little boy was in the car. Daddy was to drop the boy off at a friends house who regularly babysat for them. But daddy, somehow got caught up in his own little dream world and forgot about his son. The boy was locked up in daddys car all day. Now, it wasn't hot here yesterday, but warm enough for the car to approach 100 degrees which was deadly for the little boy.
When the boys mother went to pick up her little boy, she was shocked to discover her baby was not where he was supposed to be. I don't know what prompted her to go to the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) station but she decided to go there to look for her boy. Put yourself in her shoes when she found her husbands car and discovered her little baby inside dying from heat exposure. The tyke died from the heat.

This tragedy is happening more and more. It seems daily, if not weekly, we hear of parents who somehow "forget" their child is in the car. And so they leave the poor infant to die a horrible death. But that is not what hit me as tragic as it is. What hit me even more was the outrage.

Now, I understand the outrage. We ought to be outraged at this kind of thing. What kind of parent would ever, ever forget that a member of their own flesh and blood was with them? The news media is all over this. Talk shows are filled with angry voices at the parent(s) who allow something like this to happen. I'm angry over this kind of carelessness.

But, stop and think. Isn't this a bit hypocritical of our society? Isn't this a natural result of a society that puts little value in life? Isn't this the natural result of a life philosophy that which says all we have is the days we live and then after that there is nothing? Isn't this the natural result of that nihilistic philosophy? Isn't this the pattern of all society, down through the centuries that considers children as commodities or objects to trade, barter or a way to measure how successful we are? Isn't this the natural result self centered thinking that demands that everything and everyone meets my own personal needs, desires or pleasure?

What kind of thinking is it that says we can abort (kill) millions upon millions of pre-born infants and think nothing of it, yet gots all hot and bothered when one little boy fries in a hot car?
I'll tell you. It doesn't come from Christianity. Or at least, it doesn't come from God. The natural man left to their own world, devices, wants, wishes will always, always turn to self destruction and ultimately death making decisions.

Christianity is about life, love, respect for others. Babies are God's gift to us and are precious in his sight. Over and over again in the scripures we read statements like, "You knew me in my mothers womb." Considered the treasure in Elizabeth's womb who jumped for joy when Mary came to visit her. That little baby inside of her was touched by the Holy Spirit long before he breathed his first breath. And consider the words of Jesus who said in a society that looked at children as mere tools or commodities of little value, "Let the little children come to me."

Jesus says that he came to give us life, and life more abundantly. Life is the message of Jesus. Not death. We who follow Christ have a message of life. We put value on life, not death. Oh, sure, we who profess Christ have our death messages. We've made ourselves a stench at times. But Jesus remains the same. He is life and his message is life. When we follow him, life gains purpose. We live for life. Our children have hope and don't need to fear a purposeless death. Parents who follow Jesus treasure their children, because they know that they are precious for who they are...children of God.

What is our answer to this tragedy, to this mother? We weep with you dear mother. Your child was precious and it is a tragedy he had to suffer this horrible death. But there is hope for you dear friend. Your baby is in the arms of a loving saviour and will never suffer again. He lives and is probably skipping around laughing and singing with our Lord. I know that probably doesn't do anything for the hurt and anger. But hopefully, someday, a light of love will shine on you and you will experience a living Christ and a church, a group of loving Christians who will enfold you, love you and give you hope for a future at the end of life where once again, you'll hold that precious child of yours in your arms.

Thoughts on Idolatry

2009-06-07T21:01:00.000-07:00

Just a brief post. I just listened to one of the best theological sermons I've ever heard. You can hear it at John Piper's Desiring God website. The sermon is "Ministry Idolatry" and was given by Mark Driscoll from the Mars Hill Church in Seattle. This sermon was recently given at the Advance09 seminar last week and is typical of Mark's hardhitting, straight thinking, and soundly theological approach. Whatever you may think of Mark Driscoll, this sermon is well worth your time. While Mark speaks the hard truth, his heart is filled with a love for God, the church and especially pastors.

You may not be in the ministry, but these thoughts on idolatry are well thought out and need to be heard.

Enjoy

I am Loved

Passing Thoughts from a Curmugeon

O Light That Knew No Dawn

As Pants The Heart

O Sacred Head, Now Wounded by St. Bernard of Clairvaux

We Walk By Faith

Eternal Power

Happy New Year 2011

Goodbye 2010

I'm Back

Goodbye

Up And Coming

Happy New Year and Britt Hume

3 Great Bricks for Christmas

January 1st trivia

Start The New Year With Prayer

Christ=The Main Thing

From The Cradle to the Cross

Merry Christmas-Joy To The World

Those in Christ Are Beloved

A Christmas Prayer by Ian Oliver

This Is A Grand Slam Home Run Program

Is it me? Or is it something else?

Christmas Eve Confession

My New Five Pound Brick

The Real Santa Claus

Love - Jaeson Ma

Know What You Believe and Why

Thanksgiving Prayer and Videos-My Gift To You Today

More links To Challenge Us To Think

Miscellaneous Postings

Nagging Thoughts

New Look

Contemplation...AT WORK???

Musings etc

The IMonk and Cowards

Personal Repentence and the Ft. Hood Shootings

Happy 50th Anniversary Fr. Groeshel

Great Video

Do You Know What Solo Scripture is?

I Get Passionate

Go To Hell!!!

Important Views

Final List 95 Theses

N.T. Wright Invites The Pope To Durham

The Rest of the 95 Thesis

Continuing the Blitz....

95 Thesis Part III (and others)

95 Thesis Continued

One More On Celebacy

Three Different Sites To Enjoy

Look and Listen

New Blog

Help

Why Study Philosophy and Theology?

Adding To My Wish List

A Lesson For All Jesus Followers

Wrestle Some With This

Taking A Rest

History in Four Minutes

Ignatian & Sulpician Methods of Meditation

Shifting Tides

Correction

Think Out Of Your Box

Think,

Great Magazines

Getting Into My Books

Box Store Addendum

Dr. Timothy George

Box Store Religion?? Part IV

Box Store Religion?? Part III

Box Store Religion?? Part II

Box Store Religion??

Robert Novak, RIP

Tornado...God's Judgement...NOT!!

God Is A Four Letter Word

Evangelical Liturgy

Abortion/Euthanasia - An ancient issue

Stink or Aroma

Christian's Stink