tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24585197345322124322024-03-05T12:17:31.664-08:00neighbOURs: expanded or expurgatedthat which was put in or simply that which was left injollybeggarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795539157694277977noreply@blogger.comBlogger108125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458519734532212432.post-65145008338362890522011-03-02T07:23:00.000-08:002011-03-02T20:17:49.962-08:00'It's Time...'<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidghBiOYVDIKeCJgUiFEQoPMqQC5pPITZhkuxRkw2ZQsEmfQ1jwlHPCaf1lbgw2X_6Cj-3CN4z6joFvC2-hVMV0YT4MdqSM9OwAhNqOXfV4F-IPVXpYgp__myCmvlBLaH5L_v35Hc8R2M/s1600/Freddy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidghBiOYVDIKeCJgUiFEQoPMqQC5pPITZhkuxRkw2ZQsEmfQ1jwlHPCaf1lbgw2X_6Cj-3CN4z6joFvC2-hVMV0YT4MdqSM9OwAhNqOXfV4F-IPVXpYgp__myCmvlBLaH5L_v35Hc8R2M/s400/Freddy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579532503766934258" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://northvus.blogspot.com/2005/05/fredd-showdog.html">Fredd was a showdog</a>, plain and simple. Being a showdog, he had been babied and fussed over and the result was that, as an adult dog, he had some fairly significant gaps in his development. This was, of course, well before we got him. By the time he came to live with us he was no longer <span style="font-style: italic;">Aramis, the award-winning canine supermodel</span>, or even <span style="font-style: italic;">Aramis, the gigolo</span>... Nope, for us he was just <i>our dog, Fredd</i>, and came to us late in his wonderful life with a load of irreversable baggage. We want to ensure our new dog, Hef (Hephaestus, blacksmith of the gods, tossed off of Olympus because he was so ugly) doesn't present the same kind of challenges to us as a household, so we’ve been taking him to puppy school. See, there are expectations for a dog that is no longer a puppy...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE8Gg1pn_R7mR2JaxhhRA2AzEMRmPyjwSDcVhVOekKoZEdwqRJstto98bWbprqAa03mpus4J3ZqA-ZeLz2Gr-SvXBPDfl7ujgleSQ6-95Q_-p2pIIcia5J4Xz4mPxFU9EPPi9WIgUexNo/s1600/hef.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE8Gg1pn_R7mR2JaxhhRA2AzEMRmPyjwSDcVhVOekKoZEdwqRJstto98bWbprqAa03mpus4J3ZqA-ZeLz2Gr-SvXBPDfl7ujgleSQ6-95Q_-p2pIIcia5J4Xz4mPxFU9EPPi9WIgUexNo/s400/hef.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579702884978236210" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Paul is exasperated when speaking to the Corinthian church, for many of the same reasons that having a dog can be exasperating. The church has been established for a year a half and yet Paul finds himself not only having to clean up messes that should not be happening, but restricted as to how he can relate to the church in order to help it move forward, beyond mere humanity, into the thing that God desires for her to become...<br /><br />First off, there's a language barrier. Paul says ‘I could not address you as spiritual people, but as worldly...’ The words Paul longs to use have no real meaning because there is a basic cultural difference between himself and his readers: they are still coming at things from a natural, worldly perspective, rather than an elevated, spiritual one.<br /><br />It's like trying to teach algebra to students who have not mastered basic operations. When the foundational learnings aren't in place, the insight and experience available to the students through the teacher never gets beyond superficial levels. This is always frustrating for the teacher.<br /><br />There are also some basic discipleship issues here. When Paul speaks of spiritual people, he uses a word that addresses ‘the aspect of a person who is akin to God and ready to serve as God’s instrument or organ... being higher than man, yet inferior to God... filled with and governed by the Spirit of God... Exposed to the wind”<br /><br />There is no evidence of this in the Corinthian church.<br /><br />So when Paul confesses his frustration, he chooses to illustrate it rather vividly. It's not so much that he is saying 'You're all a bunch of babies- grow up!' as it is that he is saying '<i>You are too big to be breast-feeding.</i> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxv6R9fUO74&feature=related">It's kinda yecch</a>! Just sayin...'<br /><br />There was an expression that was fairly regularly used about ten years ago. It was even part of our present mayor's campaign for election: <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />It's time</span>.<br /><br />There’s a sense that time has passed and change has taken place but is being resisted. Paul is saying “People, it’s time.”<br /><br />Time to move forward.<br />Time to stop making excuses.<br />Time to quit expecting leaders to spoon-feed.<br />Time to quit blaming others for disappointments.<br />Time to release old grudges.<br />Time to drop the shields.<br />Time to stop expecting to receive and start exploring how to give.<br /><br />Yeah, it's time.jollybeggarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795539157694277977noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458519734532212432.post-735332499226149162011-02-01T11:22:00.000-08:002011-02-01T12:32:40.924-08:00Only Fools Rush In<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAVn3R_HQipUjC4mOPkD6cvstbH8zMl4Hxpw5wPCqDcaggKW46tHAZFCY7DY1c9xLyZ9ihZkBKU8tdhA_6SpaRfGCuw8gjprnzgygkHWdaXZYt-AIu4H4DVfp1H9ybjYcITeaP7xgp1YU/s1600/animals_space_07.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 264px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAVn3R_HQipUjC4mOPkD6cvstbH8zMl4Hxpw5wPCqDcaggKW46tHAZFCY7DY1c9xLyZ9ihZkBKU8tdhA_6SpaRfGCuw8gjprnzgygkHWdaXZYt-AIu4H4DVfp1H9ybjYcITeaP7xgp1YU/s400/animals_space_07.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568818627885579618" /></a><br /><i><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></i></div>Arriving at a belief through a rational thought process and espousing it is different from having a belief and then rationalizing it later.</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:arial;">(a facebook status for January 25)</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br />The challenge for us all is to reasonably engage our faith, isn't it? </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Reason and faith do not need to be either/or scenarios, yet we are led to believe that they are diametrically opposed... Some of it has to do with the basic difficulty that we all have believing in things and people that we cannot see, hear, or otherwise experience with one or more of our basic five sense. The reality is that we need a </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">reason</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> to </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">believe</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">- belief doesn’t just happen.<br /><br />In this letter to the Corinthian church, a church that Paul himself has planted just eighteen months earlier, he writes to a group of Christians that have started to form little unity-threatening factions. These are probably not people who have grown up in Jewish households singing psalms and hearing stories of Moses and Egypt or David and the Philistines. They are probably greeks, having their own rich tradition of philosophy and logic, their own famous teachers like Homer, Plato and Virgil, and their own gods and goddesses. The temple of Aphrodite with its 1000 temple prostitutes is right in the middle of town. The Corinthians are a wild and affluent bunch, favouring a life of lasciviousness and justifying it all by worshiping a goddess that is into that kinda thing. The Christians in town are carrying a bit of baggage with them, and their baggage is slowing them down, so Paul sends them a letter meant to redirect them a bit... to share around some of the wisdom afforded him by God. In it, he explores many themes in chunks. One such theme is this idea of </span><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20corinthians%201.18-31&version=NIV"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">wisdom</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">.<br /><br /></span><div><a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/wisdom"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Wisdom</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">: </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Knowlege of what is true, coupled with just judgement as to action<br /></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br />We’re okay with the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">knowledge</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> bit... we have a pretty good handle on the difference between truth and falsity (except for all of the lies that get hurled into our consciousness from hell, designed to cause us to doubt our worth, devalue our gifts and devise ways to approximate joy by embracing worship counterfeits that distract us from the voice of God:<br /></span><ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">entertainments</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">possessions</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">some relationships...</span></li></ol><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Where it breaks down for us is the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">just judgement as to action</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> bit...</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:arial;">We struggle with perspective here because God’s picture of things is from outside of the physical realm while still encompassing it and understanding it; outside of unrighteousness and the calamity of our fallenness while still factoring it in and offering grace and hope.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Jesus is </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">our ziggurat, </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">our Jacob’s ladder, </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">our Mercury space craft,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">our stairway to heaven... </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Jesus is </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"></span><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%2014.6&version=NIV"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">the Way </span></a></div><div><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%2014.6&version=NIV"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">the truth and </span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%2014.6&version=NIV">the life</a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%2014.6&version=NIV"></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">and no man comes to God without passing through him.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Jesus is</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">God’s just judgement to action </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">and this makes no sense to our natural and cultural reason.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Paraphrasing Paul's thoughts as written to the church in Corinth, E J Smith says:</span></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Jesus is the way God sent his wisdom to us.</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">In Christ, </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">forgiveness is offered to even the most notorious of sinners; </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">grace is offered to even the most faithless of the fallen; </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">hope and peace are offered to even the most desperate of the tormented.<br /><br />This kind of just judgement to action is exactly the kind of thing that makes no sense to minds developed within the aftermath of Eden- that great tragedy that tore the holy from the common so that it has become increasingly common to be holy. It makes no sense- this good news is too good to be true, so humankind has created religious structures that allow us to have some boundaries, enabling us to intellectually and emotionally fathom the boundlessness of the love and grace of God by restricting access to it- in short, by making it more difficult to receive these things than God ever intended when he sent Jesus to die for us all and bring new life.<br /><br />Paul addresses this in a letter written to a different church plant a decade later when he challenges his readers in the Colossian church to '</span><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=colossians%202.8&version=NIV"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">see to it that no one holds [them] captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy which depends on human tradition and the forces of this world rather than on Christ</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">.' The same things seem to happen wherever people are involved, whether ten years or two thousand years later.<br /><br />So what’s the simple message- the uncluttered word of God's wisdom?<br /></span><ol><li><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%203.16&version=NIV"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">God loves us</span></a></li><li><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans%203.23&version=NIV"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We all have sinned</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> and </span><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans%206.23&version=NIV"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">sin separates us from God</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">but </span><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans%205.8&version=NIV"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Jesus came to die for us in our sin</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">so what we need to do is </span><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20john%201.9&version=NIV"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">accept this work of Grace</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></li></ol></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">This is the </span><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20corinthians%201.18&version=NIV"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">message of the cross</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> and if I am a fool for believing it then so be it. My own solitary hopelessness is just the beginning of my reasons to believe.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Wise men say only fools rush in</span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">But I can't help falling in love with you</span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Take my hand, take my whole life too</span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Cause I can't help falling in love with you.</span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Can't_Help_Falling_in_Love">(Weiss, Peretti, Creatore)</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div>*click <a href="http://www.northview.sk.ca/media-player">here</a> for podcast</div><div><br /></div></div>jollybeggarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795539157694277977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458519734532212432.post-78632703569998872872011-01-24T07:41:00.000-08:002011-01-25T11:53:03.964-08:00When the Saints Go Marching Out<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC0A2KoN-3_jmsIfGEfSIP3r8xeA7ayLIMQnO5wkkiYbdWK4bcVXp7cZ9wjQoBSAInOBY9a5Q-yLa5UrtRKViWiy-5BN23mMIOnVRMihjfF79pq-MmMRHQq-MDkLaDA1puA6BM8ovOXMA/s1600/head-in-the-sand.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC0A2KoN-3_jmsIfGEfSIP3r8xeA7ayLIMQnO5wkkiYbdWK4bcVXp7cZ9wjQoBSAInOBY9a5Q-yLa5UrtRKViWiy-5BN23mMIOnVRMihjfF79pq-MmMRHQq-MDkLaDA1puA6BM8ovOXMA/s400/head-in-the-sand.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565786974718317986" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>According to the <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/1992-08-07/news/mn-4808_1_dixon-correctional-center">L.A. Times in August 7, 1992</a>, a 48 year old Illinois inmate named Jesse Loden, serving a 30 year sentence for attempted murder and other crimes, filed a $1.5 million lawsuit against the Illinois Department of Corrections claiming that his 1st Amendment freedom had been restricted because he was not permitted to worship in the nude. Other sources elaborated that Loden had wanted to cover his cell door for a few minutes each day so that he could pray in the nude, which he claimed was a requirement of his Technicians of the Sacred religion, described as "neo-African, voodoo-chanting."<br />"I'm not really sure why I have to be naked," Loden told reporters. "It brings me closer to God.")<br /><br /><i>We are living in times marked not only by moral ambiguity, but also with spiritual yearning.</i> (<a href="http://www.woodlakebooks.com/about_mfg.taf?site_uid1=4036&hallway_uid1=14708&search_id=&catalog_uid1=85&link_type_uid1=&person_id=&u_currency_id=127&manufacturer_uid1=67">Don Posterski</a>) <br />***<br /><br />Life is a spiritual journey. Many get lost along the way, having been told that all roads lead to glory and that one’s right to choose a road of his liking is sacred. Whereas the part about the choice IS sacred, we must never just shrug our shoulders and default to the notion that all roads are... that’s just not true.<br /><br /><i>The Corinthian letters are especially suited to give guidance to men and women in today’s religiously troubled times.</i> (<a href="http://www.theopedia.com/Walter_Elwell">Walter A Elwell/</a> <a href="http://testweb.tiu.edu/divinity/academics/faculty/yarbrough">Robert W Yarbrough</a>)<br /><br />Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth is one of his most readable. However, the reason for its readability is that the Corinthian church was having trouble shaking off the residue of the past lives of its congregants. <i>Crazy Corinth</i> was known all throughout the Roman world as Sin City- it was recognized for its decadence and permissiveness. At the centre of town was the temple of Venus, (goddess of love) which employed more than a thousand temple prostitutes to ‘collect offerings from the people.’<br /><br />So Paul, charged by God, had decided to plant a church there on his second missionary journey (circa AD 50-51) The letter we have as 1st Corinthians is probably a composite of two of his letters to this struggling church. In its opening lines, Paul speaks of God’s work within the church and the town that surrounds it, past, present, and future... </div><div><br /><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20cor%201.2-3&version=NIV">1.2-3</a> ‘<i>Sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy...</i>’ We are reminded of what Jesus has done for us AND how we have been called to respond to this with personal purity and holiness.<br /><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20cor%201.4&version=NIV">1.4</a> ‘<i>...because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus...</i>’ In spite of the things that are not as they could be in the Corinthian church, thanks is offered to God for the grace that has been given and is evident.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20cor%201.5-7&version=NIV">1.5,7</a> ‘<i>in EVERY way... not lacking... enriched... gifts and graces</i>’ Here’s the word for the church in Corinth and for us today: You have everything you need to do the task to which God is calling you. Every spiritual gift needed to see God’s redemption dream realized in this moment is right here. (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20cor%2012.4-11&version=NIV">12.4-11</a>)</div><div><br />God has richly furnished his church to do and be his work.<br />But there is little point in all these furnishings if we do not pursue their intended use.</div><div><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="500" height="405" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/x-5zEb1oS9A" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>God is at the beginning, middle and end of it all. </div><div>God calls us at the beginning to live through the middle with the end in mind. </div><div><br /></div><div>His end: The realization of God’s redemption dream for the whole world. He calls us daily as saints to be a ‘<a href="http://www.mcmaster.ca/mjtm/1-6.htm">Future Faith Church</a>’ to go marching out. He has called us, recognizing that we can falter and reminding us that he will be faithful in providing us with all that we need in order to see his future faithfully realized in our lives.</div><div><br /></div><div>When the Saints go marching out, the world will change forever.</div>jollybeggarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795539157694277977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458519734532212432.post-38523856072829318682011-01-06T11:16:00.000-08:002011-02-01T12:34:08.020-08:00transfer of ownership<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX2n-XaNrML8IffG2LtKKzE9b-OjSom8ShiVg260KHjAFs45i46vfk6CCivfzZPKoDKa2DUIcqXPCSlukDhZ8jSYqjadkCbwo4ibLV4VUygc8UmVV1R8HzyKxQ8Az6OOKKWAcdcP3BFRk/s1600/Sister-of-Emancipation-Emma.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 234px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX2n-XaNrML8IffG2LtKKzE9b-OjSom8ShiVg260KHjAFs45i46vfk6CCivfzZPKoDKa2DUIcqXPCSlukDhZ8jSYqjadkCbwo4ibLV4VUygc8UmVV1R8HzyKxQ8Az6OOKKWAcdcP3BFRk/s320/Sister-of-Emancipation-Emma.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560033856795829890" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">For Christmas, a friend of mine gave me a book on a band that I've been a fan of for over 30 years, and in it I read some pop trivia that I had not yet heard. Funny how you can be paying attention to somebody's career for 30 years and still miss something as significant as their heroin addiction. Not funny at all, actually.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The other day I was talking with someone else about her journey out of a nicotine addiction. She had begun smoking again when her marriage broke down, and was now striving to break the hold of it for the second time. Her experience was interesting to me in that her smoking habit had begun again <i>in secret</i> as a coping thing. She had worked very hard to keep the truth of her tobacco use from her friends and her children because she feared their disapproval, and had seen the addiction progress much quicker than it originally had when she had been smoking to fit in with her friends as a teenager.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Thing is, addictions are private matters at first- they begin with dabbling in something, progress through regular involvement to dependency and ultimately slavery. The privacy factor is part of what makes it possible for a person to become addicted to something, I think. The dabbling and regular involvements are well-kept secrets, so that long before the time when a person's dependency has begun to interfere with his or her relationships, work, and other involvements/ responsibilities, there is a definite problem. Part of the problem- part of the slavery- has to do with the need to keep the story from going public. The grip of the disease tightens as the victim struggles to keep the problem hidden.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">There are groups that exist to offer support and accountability to those who identify the hold that this or that addiction has upon their own lives. 12-Step programs afford the recovering addict with a structured, highly organized approach to systematically to break the hold of the addiction and cope with life outside its grip.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">In one sense of the word, churches could be seen as support groups for recovering 'sin addicts.'</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Redemption is a word often used to refer to the freeing of slaves. In the biblical sense, it denotes a transfer of ownership from a mighty master to the incomparable God. Jeremiah, a prophet of Israel commonly referred to as the weeping prophet, speaks of the <i>Lord</i> redeeming his people <i><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=jeremiah%2031.1-14&version=NIV">from the hand of those stronger than they</a></i>. It's important to note that whereas the slave master is, indeed, mighty, this might does not compare with that of one called <i>Lord</i>. Whether we are talking politics and economics or applying homiletics, one called <i>Lord</i> is on an entirely different level than one who simply masters slaves. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">But we mustn't be fools. Addiction to sin- in whatever expression it may take in the lives of people- is a big deal. It is mighty. It enslaves. We’re challenged by Jeremiah's word <i><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=jeremiah%2031.11&version=NIV">redeem</a></i> to embrace the incomparableness of God and accept his Lordship, not to scoff at the spiritual calamity that befalls us on a daily basis. Thinking that sin is no big deal usually just leads to more sinning. However, we are to recognize that there is greater hope in God than there is hopelessness in the slave masters of this realm.<br /><br />Lest we forget this, the Apostle Paul <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ephesians%201.1-14&version=NIV">opens his letter to the Ephesians</a> with an exciting exploration into the incomparableness of God. This past Sunday I rambled through this massive passage allowing very little room to explore any one theme in depth. In truth, this passage probably contains the conceptual outline for six sunday morning talks. For what it's worth, here's the executive summary...<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ephesians%201.3&version=NIV">1.3</a></b></span> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Blessing: The blessings promised are largely Spiritual in nature and in context. There is no promise here of health or riches. We are not to think of God, his Kingdom, nor his Lordship in purely natural terms. Spiritual blessings are incomparable to natural ones.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ephesians%201.4-6&version=NIV">1.4-6</a></b></span> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>God's will and our destiny: Can destiny be contingent upon our will? Definitely. Destiny is a deal requiring two consenting parties. God has made provision for all to both participate in his work and enter into his rest, but the full realization of God’s dream for our lives requires our willing involvement. God will not take us where we don’t want to go. His desire for the world is too great for us to envision, but whereas his will is incomparable with ours, it is essentially compatible. God desires partnership, but it is incomparable to any partnership that we might experience with other human beings.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ephesians%201.7&version=NIV">1.7</a>, <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ephesians%201.14&version=NIV">14</a></b></span> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Redemption: is a buying back- purchasing one’s freedom to choose a life. This is accomplished in Jesus’ sacrifice. He is hope. In him is the hope of being able to truly accept God's offer of Lordship/ partnership in his work. Otherwise our sin addiction keeps getting in the way. God's intervention in Jesus Christ can only be provided by him since his holiness and worth are incomparable to that of any human being.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ephesians%201.9-11&version=NIV">1.9-11</a></b></span> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Mystery of God: What does God want? Relationship with us. “<i>To know and to be known</i>” by his crowned of Creation: Us. Knowing the Creator of the Universe and being known by him is incomparable to any other natural human relationship.<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ephesians%201.12-13&version=NIV">1.12-13</a></b></span> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Belief and Trust: The engagement of our will with the will of God. Up until this point, all of the work has been God's. However, the believing and the trusting requires faith and it is only by faith that we have hope of accepting ‘<i>the demand imposed upon the believer that he shall realize in this life that of the world to come</i>.‘ (H. Chadwick) God requires that of us which no one else has the right to require.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ephesians%201.14&version=NIV">1.14</a></span></b> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>The Guarantee: The greek word translated here as <i>guarantee</i> also has, in its nuance, the promise of an engagement ring... The Holy Spirit’s presence in our life (that deep spiritual connection that we simplify for the theology of our children as ‘having Jesus come live in your heart’) is a right-now taste of the mind-blowing intimacy we will enjoy with God in fullness later...<br /><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">All of this is just some of what makes God incomparable and relationship with God worth proclaiming. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><object width="500" height="306"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gNMV5h2n4zc?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gNMV5h2n4zc?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="306"></embed></object></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i>Redeemed how I love to proclaim it. Redeemed by the blood of the lamb.</i> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">(Fanny Crosby)</span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div>jollybeggarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795539157694277977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458519734532212432.post-90546601720889956522010-12-23T06:55:00.000-08:002010-12-23T07:39:33.797-08:00With?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5amR-BqH5okB9n3h-E0P7zjgReFR7NjoL1kHzeOCHQ78q2O_wpJ6Sg-w799bg1iimocWrhCZDM0pAqFUgBiPn4mF12duTNjNoypodFAr36yBqQeKYTarS_64iH3WQU1lX93CRup_HjPU/s1600/o+come+emmanuel.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 272px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5amR-BqH5okB9n3h-E0P7zjgReFR7NjoL1kHzeOCHQ78q2O_wpJ6Sg-w799bg1iimocWrhCZDM0pAqFUgBiPn4mF12duTNjNoypodFAr36yBqQeKYTarS_64iH3WQU1lX93CRup_HjPU/s400/o+come+emmanuel.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553898074759234786" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy0e_1vSjqujhEgnhjCOELcRYLBVgSKxdU9QVw62GBUYMc-foHP1_PIVb1jWD6JbWfsMjarzFnu2H2TENzrNVAUTvmOQ1NvpTBu5wX1Jd9KH6_e2h-6RZVH16nfHdxCsdRafz5t0A1mcs/s1600/o+come+emmanuel.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy0e_1vSjqujhEgnhjCOELcRYLBVgSKxdU9QVw62GBUYMc-foHP1_PIVb1jWD6JbWfsMjarzFnu2H2TENzrNVAUTvmOQ1NvpTBu5wX1Jd9KH6_e2h-6RZVH16nfHdxCsdRafz5t0A1mcs/s1600/o+come+emmanuel.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "><i></i></span></a><i><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+7:14&version=NIV">Emmanuel</a>...</i><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+1:23&version=NIV">God with us</a> is a title that we struggle to understand. It can mean so many different things, depending on how we read the word ‘WITH’...<br /><br /><div>God <i>has joined</i> us, living, breathing, struggling in the natural?<br /><br /></div><div>God <i>is amongst</i> us, making his presence known, felt?<br /><br /></div><div>God is working to see his redemption dream come to realization and is doing so <i>using</i> Us...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><object width="500" height="306"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/sghwe4TYY18?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sghwe4TYY18?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="306"></embed></object><br /><br /></div><div>If you google,<br />‘man with shovel’ you will get 1,180,000 image results in 0.40 seconds.<br />‘man with hammer’ you’ll get 7,910,00 image results in 0.41 seconds.<br />‘man with saw’ you’ll get 174,000,00 image results in 0.44 seconds...<br /><br />There’s no way of googling it, but if you could somehow load in<br />‘God with man’, the number would presently stand at around 7 billion in this instant.<br /><br /></div><div>God with us.</div><div><br />If we take this thinking further, however, recognizing that every ‘image’ on the internet has been uploaded there over the history of the Net, how great would the number of pictures of God With Us be since that moment when he stated emphatically: “This is very good.”<br /><br />The choice is ours, how actively we mean to be employed by God specifically towards the realization of his redemption dream.<br /><br /><i>'Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel has come to thee, O Israel!'</i><br /></div></div>jollybeggarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795539157694277977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458519734532212432.post-37996601476690040382010-12-02T07:09:00.000-08:002010-12-02T08:18:01.494-08:00spiritual pretending<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZhW5U-SFiaj5NSIblKsoMmQ9v5hP8H7GcDYR16JOeoSE7CizDnqK8TrfdPFMy3YApthZfd2g2wVYCduQVOoLNzRfKAGKjL0MlGHVNVTyPooU1aw4u05R6c9UNkluudD3Kz_NXdIbFWEU/s1600/Dumpster-Kenyon2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZhW5U-SFiaj5NSIblKsoMmQ9v5hP8H7GcDYR16JOeoSE7CizDnqK8TrfdPFMy3YApthZfd2g2wVYCduQVOoLNzRfKAGKjL0MlGHVNVTyPooU1aw4u05R6c9UNkluudD3Kz_NXdIbFWEU/s400/Dumpster-Kenyon2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546118432367604050" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">confession time. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">i take advantage of darkness to do something i would never think of doing in the light. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">in those times when i wake up early in the dark, before the sun comes up even, and am immediately aware of something having gone dreadfully funkified in the kitchen garbage, i will run that garbage out to the dumpster wearing only the boxers and t-shirt that i've been sleeping in... i won't even put on shoes. i do so because i know that no one will see me in the dark.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">interesting how taking the garbage out under cover of the darkness perpetuates the illusion of having created no garbage. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">'those people are so clean. so... NOT wasteful'</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I saw some good intentions at leadership conventions</span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">But intrinsic motivations lead egocentric nations</span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Someone cried 'over here' and where the mud had cleared</span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Were names and dates all written- </span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">drowned like unwanted kittens</span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Don't stray from the rhythm</span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Don't fall out of tune</span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The good book says that dead flies</span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Taint the richest perfume</span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">darkness is something that people have used since the beginning of time to cloak their actions- particularly the less-than-honourable ones. those who hold public office or who are otherwise always under the character scrutiny of the public eye often find the pressure of living up to the expectations implied in their callings burdensome and suffocating. over time, many fall into self-justified 'reward' behaviours which are not only unbecoming, but inappropriate and self-destructive. the whole '</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">holiness by day and hedonism by night</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">' inconsistency has created many a charicatured <i>non-example</i> of how to live life inspiring to man or glorifying to God because this kind of thing always seems to surface. no matter how carefully the esteemed leader, pious preacher or public servant has been at hiding the evidence of his or her folly, eventually garbage day comes, the full dumpster is emptied and the truth is known. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">spiritual pretending is one of the things that drove Jesus crazy.</span></div>jollybeggarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795539157694277977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458519734532212432.post-74649254677782218522010-11-08T11:04:00.000-08:002010-11-09T11:11:49.956-08:00the contrarian way<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-7gVrFjUeiN-Le2e93XOejRGOTuX1UdGk5q78MN1itJDYESJ-pNGJqj2H-bQhdGpDfgYF-79HA5inx8jPSitg90m9XuGUJLXzFjfFQfXSuXL6odwnDO3yAr4gQqnk6puERLW5kR8qBYo/s1600/contrarian.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 169px; height: 169px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-7gVrFjUeiN-Le2e93XOejRGOTuX1UdGk5q78MN1itJDYESJ-pNGJqj2H-bQhdGpDfgYF-79HA5inx8jPSitg90m9XuGUJLXzFjfFQfXSuXL6odwnDO3yAr4gQqnk6puERLW5kR8qBYo/s400/contrarian.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537606303381933970" border="0" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i>Contrarian:</i></span></div></i><ul><li><i>a person with a preference for taking a position opposed to that of the majority </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">(</span><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contrarian" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">wikipedia</span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">)</span></li><li><i>a person who takes an opposing view, especially one who rejects the majority opinion</i> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">(</span><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/contrarian" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">dictionary.com</span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">)</span></li></ul></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br />Jesus was a contrarian. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">his way was and <i>is</i> the contrarian way.<br /><br /><i>It's no accident the New Testament was written in the simple language of the marketplace rather than classical Greek- which was far more eloquent but way beyond the grasp of the common man. </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i>It was all part of God's plan to make the inaccessible accessible. When Jesus burst onto the stage, he confronted a religious system that saw God as anything but accessible. Spirituality was reserved for the elite- those with pedigree, education, and a commitment to rigid self-discipline. He countered this with a different path, one that farmers, fishermen, carpenters, even little children and sinners could follow. He raised the bar of righteousness but he lowered the bar of entry.</i> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">(<span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Contrarians-Guide-Knowing-God-Spirituality/dp/1590527941" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">larry osborne</span></span></a></span>)</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">what we read in Jesus' words of </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" dir="ltr" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%206.17-36&version=NIV" rel="nofollow">blessing, woe and enemy love</a></span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"> is his contrarian manifesto. he is at work establishing a new order- one that is designed by God to supercede the old, taking the spirit of the law handed down to Moses and turning up the intensity and the implication of it. </span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >he challenges those who follow him to go beyond being a people <i>set apart for God</i> to being a people <i>engaged by God</i> to realize his intended order: LOVE. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />Jesus speaks </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" dir="ltr" ><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%206.22-23&version=NIV" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> blessing</span></span></a></span><span style="font-size:100%;"> upon his followers when people hate, exclude, revile and defame them ‘on account of the Son of Man.’ he says his followers should rejoice with dancing when we are attacked.<br /></span><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">why? because there is reward someday?<br />no- Jesus didn’t seem to be much into the whole reward thing. the business of eternal reward seems to be a bonus to sweeten the deal a little.<br /><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">why then? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">why should those who follow him with the desire of participating in the realization of the new kingdom coming dance for joy when people throw stones through their windows or spray paint defamatory remarks or symbols on their houses, cars and churches?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">because this kind of friction is an indicator that his followers are still edgy; </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br />that they haven’t started to blend in; </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">that there is conspicuous difference and that this difference makes others uncomfortable- not because these followers are lording judgement over people or otherwise rubbing others' faces in their own iniquity and selfishness, but because the way of love creates an awkward tension in the loveless... always has.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">could it be that love itself is contrarian?</span></div></div></div></div>jollybeggarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795539157694277977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458519734532212432.post-5009111941294978772010-11-01T21:18:00.000-07:002010-12-23T06:55:36.875-08:00come down from that tree!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_6lvToNda-u9CGKAhrBW_a4hyFotS_Y56hrHt1AYz2CUzJb01UqJbHE1HgByKxfMQ4G9ze32inZjUqlHKc11WerP3aDaR81zmE3vFgLL9fKG2g6GZE01Kdrf7H2VijjPlhS0fvJkUp8/s1600/tree-goats.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_6lvToNda-u9CGKAhrBW_a4hyFotS_Y56hrHt1AYz2CUzJb01UqJbHE1HgByKxfMQ4G9ze32inZjUqlHKc11WerP3aDaR81zmE3vFgLL9fKG2g6GZE01Kdrf7H2VijjPlhS0fvJkUp8/s400/tree-goats.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535748030924241106" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>why do some climb trees?</div><div>depends on who you are...</div><div><br /></div>the incredible tree climbing goats of morocco climb the argan trees searching for food<div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM6LT9DBpS32VemrPtd_N3ZQAUvUKvIs8HVH0JzJcKjLrW4PhCxGxI5QmeI1IYbgPBp9-b9KkEXY2YgHyYdnQwosffCfPxIL-rUcqhyphenhyphenuLCYQ4fI2iCb2aUPIAX5yRSiDhht2oqOcxHLRI/s1600/tree-goats.jpg"></a>i used to read books and eat apples up in a tree.<div><br /></div><div>michael jackson had his ‘Giving Tree’ where he wrote hit songs.<div><br /></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">in a well-known gospel story, <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%2019.1-10&version=NIV" rel="nofollow">zacchaeus</a></span></span></span>, one of the chief tax collectors in jericho, climbs a sycamore-fig tree because he wants to see Jesus. for him, a few issues have piled up on each other and have made seeing Jesus so difficult that he must climb a tree</div><div><div><ul><li>his basic stature: he is vertically challenged.</li><li>his occupation: a chief tax collector would bid against others with the romans for the right to collect taxes from the people, and would probably have employed 'collectors' to do his dirty work- he has power but he probably doesn’t have strength...</li><li>his wealth: even with outbidding other collection agencies and paying his ‘staff’ (all with the taxes collected from everyday hebrews in rome-occupied jericho) he is still described as wealthy, rich, quite rich, or very rich (depending on the translation)</li><li>his social standing: remember the <span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%205.17-26&version=NIV" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">paralytic</span></span></a></span> whose friends carry him up onto a roof and lower him down for healing? zacchaeus has no one. he has to run ahead and climb his own tree. his only peers are other chief tax collectors, and you know how they can be...</li></ul>so, being <i>short</i> on scruples (conscience), caring trustworthy friends (community) and inner peace (comfort), zac establishes a <i>worship scaffold</i> that allows himself to see Jesus without having to change/approach/connect or otherwise interact with anyone, not even Christ...<br /><br />but Jesus seizes the teachable moment- again. he is on his way somewhere else at the time, yet this poor little rich goat up in a tree receives immediate attention. why? </div><div><br /></div><div>main reason: it falls under Jesus’ personal ministry mandate. Christ has come <i>to seek and to save the lost </i>and he's been talking about it for awhile. recently he's shared a pretty memorable series of <span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%2015&version=NIV" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">parables</span></span></a></span> which all deal with something precious lost and someone going to find it because it matters- whether it is a sheep or a coin or a person.<br /><br /></div><div>the encounter between Christ and the guy in the tree plays out famously. Jesus looks up, using his authority voice, calls him by name and makes him a strongly worded offer he cannot refuse: ‘Come down from that tree <i>immediately</i>- I <i>must</i> stay at your house today.”<br /><br />then the drama begins. this outcast comes down and obediently takes Jesus into his house. for all we know, the tree is, like the one michael jackson wrote songs in, in his very own yard. whatever the case, this event is an enactment of a bunch of Christ’s teachings that have been delivered to the same crowd left standing outside zacchaeus' house as sinner and saviour retreat from the sight and earshot of the crowd for an undisclosed amount of time. apparently, when the great shepherd leaves the ninety-nine, they don’t take it well. they begin to mutter among themselves the way they have done previously when the master has shown kindness and mercy to <span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%2015.1-2&version=NIV" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">sinners</span></span></a></span> and <span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%205.27-32&version=NIV" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">others</span></span></a></span>. from the outside, they observe and have opinions about it all.<br /><br />there is no account of what takes place in there. </div><div>Jesus alone is welcomed into zacchaeus' home.<br /><br />however, when zac actually says something that can be heard and written down, he is a new man. he has the strength within himself to rise to his feet and demonstrate through his life from that moment on that salvation has indeed come to his house. no facade need be in place. no scaffold supports him and separates him from real life and real people- from knowing and being known. he stands on his own.<br /><br />the details of restitution are not complicated. they actually fall in line with old testament <span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=numbers%205.7&version=NIV" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">law</span></span></a></span>... what <i>is</i> powerful is that, in front of everybody who knows this man and his treacherous infamy, Jesus welcomes him back into the family and, one by one, the goats in the crowd start hopping down from their own worship scaffolds.<br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oQev3UoGp2M?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oQev3UoGp2M?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></div></div></div></div>jollybeggarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795539157694277977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458519734532212432.post-44920840893369437692010-10-25T15:10:00.000-07:002010-10-27T10:58:38.782-07:00goofus and gallant go to church<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGRoO3PEg1BJmeBopdV304OwDCETyHQ6Ly_xGYJe6mv0pTiyQurXm17h6nFVkCmXEyc0tyNuOthnxLkUay_RDRqse3gciymvRIMOkhrHqrvF09vyv5SZAVWcnWzQmMp_Rqe0K-Z5hY9Hc/s1600/laurelandhardy.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 313px; height: 246px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGRoO3PEg1BJmeBopdV304OwDCETyHQ6Ly_xGYJe6mv0pTiyQurXm17h6nFVkCmXEyc0tyNuOthnxLkUay_RDRqse3gciymvRIMOkhrHqrvF09vyv5SZAVWcnWzQmMp_Rqe0K-Z5hY9Hc/s400/laurelandhardy.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532785944537753170" /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">there's this </span><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%2018.9-14&version=NIV" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">story</span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> that Jesus tells about two guys in church. one is all puffed up and pompous, full of self-justifying contempt for others. just the kind of charicature we're used to seeing portrayed in churches. at first glance, however, the other doesn't seem to really belong there either- he IS a new testament </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">other</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> and approaches God with reverence and fear, for where the first has self-justification, this one has self-knowledge.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">it reminds me of a series of moralist cartoons that appeared in </span></span><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highlights_for_Children" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Highlights Magazine</span></span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> when i was a kid... </span></span><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.iwasahighlightskid.com/2008/10/goofus-or-galla.html" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Goofus and Gallant</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> were two boys who would be placed in the same situation. </span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">goofus</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> always did the wrong thing (which always appeared to be the more natural thing as well) while </span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">gallant</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> always did the right thing. it became a bit too predictable to be entertaining, even for a well-intentioned sunday school kid. however, the whole thing clearly got under my skin because i was quite troubled when the pretty new school librarian who was from australia and probably had limited experience with that particular children's magazine started to call me 'goofus,' even in her comments on my report cards. although it was a term of endearment (how many teachers call their students by a nickname in official communications?) i wondered what negative truths were inherent in this name that somehow, despite my best efforts, i seemed to have earned.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">anyway, Jesus' story is a typical goofus and gallant scenario with the classic Jesus twist: the pious poser is clearly </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">goofus</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">, while the reverent reprobate is </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">gallant. </span></i></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">at least, that's what we were taught in sunday school.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">upon reading this story recently in preparation for a talk, however, i didn't really feel like i was either character in Jesus' story; not specifically. when the circumstances are more general and the lines of life are softer, it can sometimes be tricky to know what to take from scripture. what do we do then?</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">go deeper, i suppose. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">there </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">is</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> still a word there for those of us that feel we're somewhere in between the extremes. it has to do with basic perspective. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">see, the problem with the big self-important guy is, of course, his pride. all that thanksgiving about having not been as bad as other people? all that boasting about fasting and tithing? if Jesus had been a singer, he might have burst into a song that george harrison would write nearly 2000 years later:</span><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4eD2sU8ocA8?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4eD2sU8ocA8?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">All through the day I me mine, I me mine, I me mine.<br />All through the night I me mine, I me mine, I me mine.<br />Now they're frightened of leaving it<br />Everyone's weaving it,<br />Coming on strong all the time,<br />All through the day I me mine.<br /><br />I-I-me-me mine,<br /><br />All I can hear I me mine, I me mine, I me mine.<br />Even those tears I me mine, I me mine, I me mine.<br />No-one's frightened of playing it<br />Everyone's saying it,<br />Flowing more freely than wine,<br />All through Your life, I me mine.<br /><br />I-I-me-me mine,<br /><br />All I can hear I me mine, I me mine, I me mine.<br />Even those tears I me mine, I me mine, I me mine.<br />No-one's frightened of playing it<br />Everyone's saying it,<br />Flowing more freely than wine,<br />All through your life I me mine.</span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">for this guy, life </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">is about him. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">even other people's misfortune, pain or depravity </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">is about him. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">everything that is and everything that isn't</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">is about him</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">placed at a beeblebroxian centre of the universe, he and those like him enjoy viewing the swirling, ever-expanding universe from from its heart. pride is placing oneself there.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">put that way, </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">that's most of us.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">it might even be the other guy- </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">the reverent one,</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">the one that has the word </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">gallant</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> written beneath his mugshot.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">he, like the goofus next to him, sees the world from his own vantage point. however, unlike that guy, from here he sees how unworthy his worship is compared to the eloquently resonant prayers of the saint next to him. from here he sees how unrighteous his life is compared to the piety demonstrated and confessed by the godly man next to him. he is so spiritually and socially intimidated that he laces his reverent humility with caution, lest he approach the throne of grace incorrectly.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">with all this comparison, he is incapable of truly understanding the grace that he seeks.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">comparison rarely offers us the kind of spiritual insight we seek. comparison certainly does not afford us God's perspective because God's perspective is purely objective. God loves all people uniquely and yet equally. God's love is not enhanced or diminished by genuflection or prayer posture or worship dancing or intercessory weeping. God's approval is not gained or lost by the things we do or the things we can do... remember paul's words about </span><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%2012.14-21&version=NIV" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">body parts</span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">God doesn't love me more than you or you more than me. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">It's not like that.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">God loves me as me and you as you.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">free of the need to compare ourselves to each other, we are released from the pressure of those comparisons and, by this release, can enjoy freedom to pursue the realization of God's dream for our own lives.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">***</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1Wh2CruhrKk?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1Wh2CruhrKk?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">lest the point of this video clip featuring 'the tick' be lost, focus on the big blue superhero as he is pressed by the interviewer to identify his super powers... the interviewer lists all these cool things and the tick- very mighty and very very blue- seems to be diminished in his person each time he answers 'no.' any resemblance to real persons living or dead OR spoken of by Jesus is purely coincidental. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"></span></span></div></div>jollybeggarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795539157694277977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458519734532212432.post-17970900096340906262010-10-21T14:35:00.000-07:002010-10-22T08:09:09.091-07:00silly songs from a bygone past<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zdgMo7BjA0Y?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zdgMo7BjA0Y?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i>By the rivers of Babylon where we sat down. </i></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:arial;"><i>There we wept when we remembered Zion. </i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:arial;"><i>When the wicked carried us away in captivity, requiring of us a song. </i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:arial;"><i>Well how can we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?</i> (<span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%20137.1-4&version=NIV" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">psa137.1-4</span></span></a></span>)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><i>May the words of my mouth </i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i>and the meditation of my heart </i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i>be acceptable in thy sight... </i>(<span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%2019.14&version=NIV" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">psa19.14</span></span></a></span>)<i><br /></i><br />it wouldn’t be the first time or the last that a pop song would capitalize on the strength of scripture for lyrics. the psalmist writes of being in exile and having nothing but faith to sustain. the psalmist writes of being chided by the inhabitants of the land to sing the silly songs of a bygone past... primarily because of the hopelessness that nostalgia can bring on. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">BUT... the exiles draw strength from the song. strength to carry on, even in exile, awaiting the time of hope and freedom. awaiting the day of the Lord.<br /><br />what about us? when we find ourselves being chided by the powers of this world, daring us to live a song of worship, do we back down powerlessly? are we intimidated to point of denial? where does my help/hope come from?<br /><br />eugene peterson translates the apostle <span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ephesians%206.10-18&version=MSG" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">paul's words</span></span></a></span> on <span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/exposes/peretti/dark.htm" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">this present darkness</span></span></a></span> this way: </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i>This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting, you’ll still be on your feet.</i><br /><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Q: can’t we just preach <i>Jesus Loves Me</i>?<br />A: yes, but that’s just a piece of the peace.</span><br /></div></div>jollybeggarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795539157694277977noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458519734532212432.post-3880996102721063962010-09-24T15:23:00.001-07:002010-11-04T21:01:35.653-07:00the management that matters<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq2vZRMpW3-amaXk4B6pA43XeWp5xkw5LaVPzUKFM8_8ePr5bjK1P6gZWcljlQCf2gExZm4UswIVu0_r333SD4JpbrSfvmQSirHEHItLjp0ZEgtG8VCKADkFxvKIGn5Pk4ePZVv2_D4To/s1600/manager.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 321px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq2vZRMpW3-amaXk4B6pA43XeWp5xkw5LaVPzUKFM8_8ePr5bjK1P6gZWcljlQCf2gExZm4UswIVu0_r333SD4JpbrSfvmQSirHEHItLjp0ZEgtG8VCKADkFxvKIGn5Pk4ePZVv2_D4To/s400/manager.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521665322620434466" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">(</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">continued from the previous- the story of the film so far...</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">in the last post i kinda went on and on about how to try to apply a meaningful hermeneutic to a confounding passage of scripture... the bit in question was an illustration of Jesus involving a </span><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%2016.1-8&version=NIV" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">shrewd manager</span></span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">so anyway, as far as the narrative of Jesus' life is concerned, he tells this story having already endured a fair bit of bump and grind from the established order. his willingness to </span><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%206.1-10&version=NIV" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">break with some religious tradition</span></span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> regarding holy </span><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%2013.10-17&version=NIV" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">jewish sabbath</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">;</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> to hang out with ceremonially </span><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%205.27-32&version=NIV" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">unclean people</span></span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">; to scandalously </span><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%207.33-34&version=NIV" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">enjoy a good meal and even a drink</span></span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> with these same social undesirables and yet also dine at the </span><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%2014.1-24&version=NIV" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">house of a prominent pharisee</span></span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> does much to remind all present that, as apostle paul would say later, 'God is </span><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans%202.11&version=NIV" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">no respecter of persons</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">' or practices,</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> but desires that this kingdom of God which is so often the main topic of Christ's speaking is to be a place and time of holy levelling. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">so this session with Jesus seems to feature a mixed crowd: up close are 'tax collectors and sinners' but within earshot are the muttering pharisees and teachers of the law. it is in this environment that Jesus launches into one of his most famous talks... the LOST trilogy.</span></div><div><ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">LOST sheep... leaving the righteous, secure already in faithful living, in order to save the lost </span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">LOST coin... searching obsessively for a lost possession because it is of great value and is part of a set which suffers when incomplete</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">LOST son... warmly receiving the repentant while challenging the cold, shortness of sight of those whose righteousness is presumed simply due to their lack of willful rebellion.</span></li></ol><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">see the transition?</span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">this talk begins by targeting the lost, but slowly moves into a message for the righteous who may possibly represent a greater spiritual challenge due to a hardness that has come from years of being religious and faithful to the letter of the law while denying, to some degree, its spirit.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">by the time Jesus moves into the story of the shrewd manager, he has been talking for awhile, and has worked and warmed with words even the toughest clay in the crowd. it's time to address the righteous who have been blessed with incredible grace and have concluded that the blessing has come as </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">reward</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">, rather than as </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">responsibility</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">see, Jesus always preaches 'the kingdom' with special focus on the hope that is afforded the hopeless... a continuous reminder that it is not religion but redemption and realization that God is obsessively pursuing. this odd parable is just part of that lengthy dialogue that is ongoing between God and man through Jesus (as we refer to him at Christmastime: Emmanuel, 'God with Us'.) </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">in this epic love poem from God, intended to woo back to himself his beloved, this parable is but a word in a very well-written line.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">the story of the shrewd manager is challenging because it is almost a bizarro world chronicle- a photographic negative of many of Jesus' other stories involving masters and workers. in this one, the worker is guilty of time theft as well as poor stewardship of the master's resources. he recognizes that he will very shortly be carrying a shoebox full of his personal items out into the parking lot, past his company car which remains parked in what was once his executive parking spot, and across the street to the bus stop. because he has nothing to lose, he calls each of the master's debtors to him and, by misusing the authority entrusted to him, reduces their debts on paper, instantly making friends 'on the outside' in preparation for his dismissal. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">and if this isn't weird enough, in Jesus' story the master commends the guy for it. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">but within Jesus' very large and very consistent message, there are some things that we need to note in order to figure out just what lesson Christ is actually teaching here, lest we become lost in our own defaults.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">first, this is an earthy story. it says that dishonest people do dishonest things and other dishonest people commend them for it. </span><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%2016.8-9&version=NIV" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">the turn</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> is when Christ delineates a difference between being people of the world and people of the light</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">. he elaborates upon this further by tying this light to eternity with a logical thread, urging his listeners to do their investing in commodities that are going to be around for awhile, rather than in those things that are subject to </span><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%206.19-21&version=NIV" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">rust and robbery</span></span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">. this illustration that seems, at first glance to be rather inconsistent, is consistent with the word that Jesus speaks in many other contexts. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">there is another key idea here, though.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">in Christ's story, there is a marked social difference between the manager and the debtors. the master is the master, but there seems to be a line between the 'haves' and the 'have-nots'... the manager is currently on the one side, but seeks to soften his transition to the other rather than seeking to improve his relationship with the master. regrettable, as that seems to be the way things make sense in all places and ways <i>outside</i> the light.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">theologian, john wesley, observed that:</span></div><div><br /></div><div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Verdana"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><i>We are indebted to God for all we have. Although a debtor is obliged to return what he has received, yet, until the time of payment comes, he is at liberty to use it as he pleases. But it is not so with a steward; he is not at liberty to use what is lodged in his hands as he pleases, but as his master pleases.</i></span><i> </i></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Verdana"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Verdana"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">he goes on to say that the master has the right to ask:</span></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Verdana"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Verdana"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Verdana"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><i>How did you employ your soul? How did you employ the body with which I entrusted you? How did you employ the worldly goods which I lodged in your hands? Did you employ your health and strength in a vigorous pursuit of that better part which no one can take away from you? Above all, were you a good steward of my grace, going before, accompanying, and following you? (John Wesley)</i></span></span></p></span><p></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Verdana"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:arial;font-size:medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Verdana"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:arial;font-size:medium;">all the resources available to both sides are the master's first. the key difference is the relationship. whereas the debtor is simply owing, the manager is in the master's employ. the debtor is called to account and to pay, the manager is called to a reckoning and is required to account for how the resources of the master have been directed to do the master's work- the furtherance of his light, his intended way, his kingdom.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Verdana"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Verdana"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">in the kingdom of light, the master seeks to see his grace put to work to build relationship between himself and those owing debts that are impossible to repay. this is what the manager is supposed to be all about. </span></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Verdana"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Verdana"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">this is the only management that ultimately matters. </span></span></span></p></div><div> </div></div>jollybeggarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795539157694277977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458519734532212432.post-67334169288763011982010-09-22T09:55:00.000-07:002010-11-04T21:03:09.985-07:00everything is informed by everything else<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijwlgApJhyphenhyphenEAR2vvvP8owciJSA6zw_hzVhWVzC0BwwBW-1Jg3BSrF5YWI1hYeWZaGJDtI_5rouZJ3O29QPzAh_lH2ey42iESliKfEmgPnQF66PX9AvFBp2C0rjc2XkfkEoWI_Dnbn0hhA/s1600/bible+reading.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 312px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijwlgApJhyphenhyphenEAR2vvvP8owciJSA6zw_hzVhWVzC0BwwBW-1Jg3BSrF5YWI1hYeWZaGJDtI_5rouZJ3O29QPzAh_lH2ey42iESliKfEmgPnQF66PX9AvFBp2C0rjc2XkfkEoWI_Dnbn0hhA/s400/bible+reading.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520612634894812370" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>not everything written in the bible actually happened.</div><div><div>sometimes we forget that.</div><div>sometimes we think that everything Jesus said was true.</div><div><br /></div><div>we forget that Jesus was acknowledged as a <i>rabbi, </i></div><div><i></i>and that r<i>abbi </i>means master teacher.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jesus was such a good teacher- in particular, such a good storyteller- that sometimes we find ourselves reading the stories Jesus told and dissecting them as faithfully recounted historical events, not illustrations told by a teacher to drive home the central idea of a lesson. and because Jesus told so many stories, many of which having similar characters or symbols, we sometimes mistakenly default to some presuppositions about the symbols and characters in <i>this</i> story based on similar ones in <i>that</i> one. </div><div><br /></div><div>in many of Jesus parables (described by my someone in my childhood as 'earthy stories with heavenly meaning') socioeconomic roles are fleshed out as context and example of a lesson about the kingdom of God. in stories about workers and masters, the 'master' is usually God and the workers are usually people who are seeking to live lives glorifying to God. the stories often push back against the social and religious mores of the culture and the day because the lessons themselves are timeless and are meant to have meaning and significance both within the culture Jesus was immersed in and without it.</div><div><br /></div><div>however, there is one story that G. W. H. Lampe calls 'the most difficult of all parables' with 'no interpretation (being) wholly satisfactory.' it is the one about the <span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%2016.1-8&version=NIV" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">shrewd manager</span></span></a></span>.</div><div><br /></div><div>but what do we do with this one? if it fits the template, then the master who commends the manager for justifying the means with the end is God and the manager is any charlatan evangelist who can lie and embezzle in good conscience because the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ is being shared... and if it <i>doesn't</i> fit the template, then we have to find some way of figuring out what it means and why it is in the bible. this one is tough sledding- even illustrious, credentialed scholars like <span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblio.com/9780264668642" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">dr lampe</span></span></a></span> confess. </div><div><br /></div><div>maybe it would serve us to look at something easier first.</div><div><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qgaSmJKR9HM?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qgaSmJKR9HM?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></div><div><br /></div><div>when we, as children, are learning to read and are given a sentence with an unfamiliar word in it, how do we discern its meaning? by context clues, right? in order to pull the meaning of a single unfamiliar word out of a sentence, we look at the words that surround it, gaining a picture of the broader idea first, and then look at the role of this term within that broader idea. context establishes meaning.</div><div><br /></div><div>in order to ascertain the suitability of a house, we look at the surrounding community, recognizing that together all these houses make a neighbourhood, and that it is pointless to consider the house or determine its value in a vacuum.</div><div><br /></div><div>speaking of houses, think of it this way: for us to jump into luke 16 without considering the story so far, in particular the direction of the <span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%2015.1-17.10&version=NIV" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">larger talk</span></span></a></span> that Jesus is delivering at the time (of which this particular parable is only one part about 2/3 of the way in) is like popping in scene 2 of episode 3 of disc 4 of season 5 of <span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.fox.com/house/" rel="nofollow">'House'</a> and trying to figure out what's going on. i mean, we'll pick up some basic plot, but are in danger of missing the significance of many things in the overall story arc. everything is informed by everything else. </span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">so when we look closely at this story told by Christ, taking into consideration the larger message of God as communicated through the life, death and resurrection of Christ, not simply his teachings, what meaning does it hold for us now?</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">(</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span">to be continued)</span></span></div><div><br /></div></div>jollybeggarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795539157694277977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458519734532212432.post-80422288992730125822010-09-13T09:21:00.000-07:002010-11-04T21:03:52.915-07:00bakery<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWTQ8qvsNaje1sh9jo6FjSkbTn-EtZ-AWm80CGlcZR5mxRi2t7yiS-NJgf0Pjo-rOJTq4yJjFab4EU3H8F-3slrlZS69xExHhDp6NrhyphenhyphenUszDKsiSPbGxGhUXhyO6pgiXIYSI2u19MQZjg/s1600/TheLittleRedHen.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 337px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWTQ8qvsNaje1sh9jo6FjSkbTn-EtZ-AWm80CGlcZR5mxRi2t7yiS-NJgf0Pjo-rOJTq4yJjFab4EU3H8F-3slrlZS69xExHhDp6NrhyphenhyphenUszDKsiSPbGxGhUXhyO6pgiXIYSI2u19MQZjg/s400/TheLittleRedHen.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516549700988641602" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div>so i'm going to jump ahead of the backlog of would-be posts that have yet to be finished, and just post this fabulous vid by <span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malvina_Reynolds" rel="nofollow">malvina reynolds</a></span></span></span><div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malvina_Reynolds" rel="nofollow"></a></span></span></span>the story of the little red hen reminds us that if we want to claim any right the enjoyment of the bread, we need to find our place in the bread-making process. </div><div><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JdfvHayuLMo?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JdfvHayuLMo?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20corinthians%209.17-18&version=NIV" rel="nofollow">paul writes</a> of reward, and the fact that the only reward worth worrying about as a believer in Christ is being allowed to offer people hope, free of charge. being that the prophet <span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=micah%205.2-5&version=NIV" rel="nofollow">micah writes</a> that the promised messiah would come from bethlehem to bring peace and hope to all, the fact that </span><span class="Apple-style-span">Bethlehem </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">means 'house of bread' is a rich reminder that when God chooses to analogize, his analogies go deep. </span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div>jollybeggarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795539157694277977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458519734532212432.post-9360906806893076872010-09-11T12:26:00.000-07:002010-11-04T21:04:29.488-07:00ebike<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLfFmvMUO9eO8djmzd9kunVb-Jm-jCLkF1cvwQ1S5FhtWLKt-dJKu_4XkqVI9L8jaIldF8VAPJ07BkrrLuoxHpH29K2M55dLt2Fom94g87-QMVikF4Blg5Ktk0mcLK1m30JDsQJGPBh9U/s1600/e+bike.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 387px; height: 254px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLfFmvMUO9eO8djmzd9kunVb-Jm-jCLkF1cvwQ1S5FhtWLKt-dJKu_4XkqVI9L8jaIldF8VAPJ07BkrrLuoxHpH29K2M55dLt2Fom94g87-QMVikF4Blg5Ktk0mcLK1m30JDsQJGPBh9U/s400/e+bike.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516888580209152018" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">i</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; "> call it the 'anti-hog'</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">it's everything that a hog isn't.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">small, clean, quiet, green, cheap, slow...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">everything a hog isn't.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">still, no one said it was meant to be anything else. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">why is it that we are so good at comparing things and people to other things and other people, rather than simply gauging their worth (if that's what we need to do) by identifying why that person or thing was called into being and then attending to its 'effectiveness' according to that calling.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">we don't like doing that.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">we don't like doing that with an ebike because we have bought someone's rant that anything with two wheels should be a hog or a crotch rocket. it's more fun to just compare the ebike to the touring bike or the cafe racer or the speedster and laugh because it just doesn't measure up. it's comforting, somehow, to find someone or something that seems even more poorly equipped for life in this intimidating world than we are.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">the insecure bully within us all... </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">weird.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">see, i think the ebike is uniquely equipped for life in today's world for exactly the same reasons that we laugh at it. it is small, clean, quiet, green, cheap, slow... everything a hog isn't. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">it is so small and clean that i can park it inside the lobby of the church if the rain clouds are starting to appear on the horizon. very convenient. it is virtually silent because it is battery operated, and as such is environmentally responsible, not contributing to global warming or the depletion of nonrenewable resources like fossil fuels. this has the added bonus of being really cheap to operate. it is emotionally satisfying for one who hates spending money on consumables to silently coast by gas stations with petrol pumping people topping up their tanks with something that they're just going to burn up... my cash can go into things and people that are going to be around for awhile.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">a surprise has come, however, in seeing being slow as an asset. although it is still much faster than walking or even cycling, the pace of the ebike is relaxed. riding it is stress free. put the iPod on 'shuffle' and see how many songs you can fit in before you get to your destination. no point in road raging it up when you can only go a maximum of 37km/h on a straight stretch. you just leave earlier and enjoy the ride... and it's surprising how often, like the tortoise in that old children's story, you find yourself peacefully weaving through the parked cars </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">past</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> the vehicles qeued at lights during rush hour, engines running, clocks ticking, going nowhere.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/w74qDulqv84?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/w74qDulqv84?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">nope. the ebike was never meant to be a hog. its strengths exist in direct contrast to those of a really great motorcycle- it's just that nobody but ebike riders are even aware of them. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">i wish that i had understood this simple </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">joie de vivre </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">much earlier in life. i could have been enjoying inner peace, rather than trying to be someone or something i wasn't.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">see, i have spent most of my life comparing myself to others, coveting their strengths rather than celebrating my own. for some reason, i was always ready to believe that, whereas what others could do was essential, the areas that i excelled were merely ornamentation.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">in an informal show of hands during a talk i was giving recently, i discovered that there were many like me who, in a lifelong quest for legitimacy, had wasted time, energy and emotion trying to somehow measure up to standards that were not reasonable or God honouring. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">God honouring? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">what does any of this have to do with God?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">God has called each of us into existence and has equipped us with some basic gear. beyond this, however, we have each been entrusted with some special equipment and programming that is essential to the realization of the bigger actualization dream: God's desired picture of the world- the restoration of </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Shalom</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">. burned into our </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">DNA</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> is arguably our place in the cosmos and to turn away from this in order to try to be like someone else is to say, in effect, that God doesn't know squat about anything that's really important. hardly God honouring.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">God makes a tree and is glorified when that tree grows and bears delicious apples for kids to eat while they sit up in its branches reading books, dreaming dreams or stealing kisses. unlike tolkien's </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">ents, </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">real trees don't have any thinking, decisions or active involvement. they just are what they have been created to be and in so being, bring honour and glory to the creator. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">so what is a man to be?</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>jollybeggarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795539157694277977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458519734532212432.post-39144226050135242542010-08-03T13:20:00.000-07:002010-09-03T13:23:15.315-07:00when i realize what 'mine' is<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1_d03zZIThQvnLzDAExQbDNTFqZR6yPeVCDSVt8MCp7OSKBkcyb4UtuG1BIMt0rKYpWBhrvZNTEO8gUkt0L9hmRbk-lNEHRCGefpr_OAnOPOKK2_HyVfvLyenyNwdQr7Ni7wVtByPUjI/s1600/the_who_-_tommy2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1_d03zZIThQvnLzDAExQbDNTFqZR6yPeVCDSVt8MCp7OSKBkcyb4UtuG1BIMt0rKYpWBhrvZNTEO8gUkt0L9hmRbk-lNEHRCGefpr_OAnOPOKK2_HyVfvLyenyNwdQr7Ni7wVtByPUjI/s400/the_who_-_tommy2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512781051733020866" /></a><br />apparently, it's an old problem that continues to this day...<div><br /></div><div>in regina leader post, <a href="http://www.leaderpost.com/news/going+kill+neighbour/3346097/story.html">a story</a> ran just tuesday morning about an inheritance dispute that 'exploded into violence.' the fact that one of the scriptural <span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%2012.1-31&version=NIV" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">passages</span></span></a></span> we looked at on sunday includes a person in the crowd audaciously <span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%2012.13-21&version=NIV" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">interrupting</span></span></a></span> Christ's lesson in order to get some help resolving a similar issue just serves to remind us that Jesus' words in response still pertain to our lives today.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jesus, as any great teacher does, recognizes that there is a teachable moment here. he recognizes, as any great teacher does, that this guy (and probably others affected by the same situation or one just like it) won't really hear anything he is trying to say (<i>especially</i> a lesson about the intrinsic value of people and God's provision for them) until the burning question is addressed. he recognizes, as any great teacher does, that if he's paying attention to his pupils then they will ultimately pay attention to him and gain from the interaction.</div><div><br /></div><div>in this case, the burning question is simply:</div><div>'when am i gonna get mine?'</div><div><br /></div><div>in <i>this</i> case? we <i>still</i> have trouble hearing God's words to us about our value and his provision when our entitlement buttons are being pushed by circumstance... even more when they're being pushed by people's decisions.</div><div><div><br /></div></div><div>now, inheritance is a rather hot topic for a 1st century jew to interrupt the rabbi with. the nation has been waiting for an inheritance for awhile- waiting for the promised messiah and the 'day of the Lord' that will accompany his arrival. the fact that someone has to die in order for someone else to inherit anything seems to have escaped many- both before and since.</div><div><br /></div><div>in any event, Jesus responds by telling a story with an unexpected twist. in it, the main character does everything right and knows it. he has attended to everything that is controllable and has set himself up with a solid business plan and some stable investment portfolio options for his retirement. he fails to spot one rather wild piece of quantum data: the number of his days. that's one fairly intense probability factor that remains undisclosed for us all. Jesus wraps up the anecdote with a reminder that our focus should really be outward, rather than inward- that we should be directing our attention and energy towards building God's kingdom, not our own.</div><div><br /></div><div>but we forget this sometimes. especially when we are trying to deal with life left vacant by one deeply loved. amidst the shock, the stages of the grieving process and whatnot, people start looking for compensation. the entitlements that rise to the surface are pretty typical. quite regularly we try to fill a something-shaped hole with a something-else.</div><div><br /></div><div>however, when Jesus resumes his talk on the inherent value of his listeners and the importance of not worrying because of this value in the eyes of God, his words are informed by the interruption and its response. he realizes that everyone has been listening and is now considering the number of his or her own days, and challenges his audience to seek first the kingdom of God, that everything would fall into place within it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Q: when am i gonna get mine?</div><div>A: when i realize what 'mine' is... </div><div><br /></div><div>that it isn't some<i>thing</i> that i can possess, but some<i>place</i> that i am called to occupy, engaging with the world around me and shining the light of God's good news into the faces of those within proximity- illuminating them and affording them greater opportunity to know and to be known by myself and others as a result. it's where i fit in the larger scheme of things. </div><div><br /></div><div>dare i say, it's where we all do?</div>jollybeggarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795539157694277977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458519734532212432.post-47854758440450418552010-07-20T10:51:00.001-07:002010-11-04T21:05:09.258-07:00making the highlight reel<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCYuWLKWoo1rEGCUAYr2whe_JzT236N-vdl7D_b361tArA4CLgd1sJzE9cYbJjNtMjAF2oAwDdfklVTVoetuBJ7J0ie4odAfpYTRNTWoICS8ojkJVBV3IDttAl2B1joAmUR5myKrExzuk/s1600/CFL_Grey_Cup_Footba_603349c.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 286px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCYuWLKWoo1rEGCUAYr2whe_JzT236N-vdl7D_b361tArA4CLgd1sJzE9cYbJjNtMjAF2oAwDdfklVTVoetuBJ7J0ie4odAfpYTRNTWoICS8ojkJVBV3IDttAl2B1joAmUR5myKrExzuk/s400/CFL_Grey_Cup_Footba_603349c.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496048188724811506" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">faith fills the space between believing and receiving...<br /><br /><i><b>Wide receivers</b>... are among the fastest and most agile players in the game, and they are frequent highlight-reel favourites.</i> (Wikipedia)<br /><br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">God’s <span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=hebrews%2011&version=NIV" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">biblical highlight reel</span></span></a></span> begins with some words on faith... all that stuff about 'the essence of things unseen, the substance of things hoped for...' then, as example or evidence to be considered, the writer of the letter reminds his readers of their faith history, giving particular attention to the great patriarch, abraham... the one to whom God made the big promise: to make of him a great nation of descendants of greater number than the sands of the seashore, through whom the hope of the world would be realized.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">abraham receives this promise from God, and is required to act upon it, leaving his home and his people with very little direction as to how it is all going to play out. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">this whole thing can, perhaps, be compared to the work of the wide receiver in a football game. i mean, this player is required to do the ridiculous- to leave the rest of the team brawling at the line of scrimmage and run as hard as he can down the field <i>as if he already has the ball</i>. having run the designated distance, he angles slightly inward or outward, depending on the play called, and turns his head a bit in expectation: he has been told that he will receive the ball here somewhere and resume his run with it in his possession towards the goal line.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">abraham seems to have been one of God's wide receivers- a man of significant faith. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">faith fills the space between believing and receiving.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">just looking at one particular play in the sequence God is calling at the time is fairly telling (<span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis%2018.1-18&version=NIV" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">genesis 18.1-18</span></span></a></span>)<br /><br />this is the 5th time God appears to abraham. each time the ball moves further down the field, and each time momentum builds. however, there is a problem. the clock is running and the team is getting tired. abraham is now a really old guy, with his wife sarah not far behind him in years, and they still don't have children... a fairly large pushback on the whole 'descendants too numerous to count' bit of the promise. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">in their passion to get the ball moving, team '<i><span dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+11:31&version=NIV" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">ben-Terah</span></span></a></span>'</i> has even tried calling a <span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+16:15&version=NIV" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">running play</span></span></a></span> of their own involving a handoff to hagar, one of sarah's servants, but this is whistled down on a technical and results not only in a loss of yards but a fairly significant break in morale and momentum. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">so when three heavenly representatives of Almighty God appear through the heathaze as abraham is in a time out, they are a welcome sight.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">in the huddle, abraham humbly offers some refreshment to them, for he recognizes who has just appeared on the field. sarah, having not yet encountered God in this way, acts out of natural disbelief, laughing out loud (<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">just like Abraham a couple plays back in</span> </i><span dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis%2017.17&version=NIV" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i>genesis 17.17</i></span></span></a></span>) </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">however, the play is called, the huddle breaks and faith fills the space between believing and receiving.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">the ball is snapped and the 100 year-old wide receiver bursts off the line once again, as if he has the ball the whole time. of course we know how the play ends because we've seen the <span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=hebrews%2011.11-18&version=NIV" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">glorious catch</span></span></a></span> on God's highlight reel.<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">faith is the reason the wide receiver makes the big catch, time after time. he runs as though he already has the ball... he acts upon his belief that there is a point to his running. every step is marked with expectancy as he executes his part of the larger play with speed and agility... and because his belief in and commitment to the plan is demonstrated in these steps, he is exactly where he needs to be in order to receive the ball and carry it to the goal...</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br />okay... all football analogizing aside:<br />Q: what are we doing with the promises of God in our own lives and relationships? are we walking blamelessly, doing what is right and speaking the truth from our hearts? (<span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%2015.1-2&version=NIV" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">psalm 15.1-2</span></span></a></span>) or are we testifying with our inner laughter and our cynical perspective that we have either never encountered God, or have forgotten what it was like because it was so long ago?</span></span></div></div>jollybeggarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795539157694277977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458519734532212432.post-53459299432168914482010-07-15T09:16:00.000-07:002010-11-04T21:05:34.503-07:00delores is a beautiful model<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVI5INGhy5-gXkNZoz_TbZZpvHhpOMY7fbZInKTaApf3DEZQijMuApw4CSO2vEnv-kfzwWlm5rMcfh5MbGqmJgcMYgEras9CPpsZRnyEWv7tyb1A2yrVWV3sv-E8K56BSu-ZcLkF4sW6w/s1600/GPS.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 285px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVI5INGhy5-gXkNZoz_TbZZpvHhpOMY7fbZInKTaApf3DEZQijMuApw4CSO2vEnv-kfzwWlm5rMcfh5MbGqmJgcMYgEras9CPpsZRnyEWv7tyb1A2yrVWV3sv-E8K56BSu-ZcLkF4sW6w/s400/GPS.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494168995842699682" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">my family has a nickname for me. my wife started it and the rest of the gang has, over the years, acquiesced. to those who love me, i am known as </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Darryl 'the long way' Dozlaw</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">it's not that i can't find my way around when i'm driving. it's just that i always think that there is a better way to get somewhere... not a silly shortcut that takes us through an alley and a farmer's field, just a more efficient route. however, for all my deliberation and my many alternate passages, it seems as though i am more prone to choose a longer trip over a shorter one 2:1.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">so to quiet things down a bit on trips, my wife bought a GPS for me one fathers' day. i call it </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">delores. </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">no reason, really, other than that this device has a female voice and ever since i heard the monty python sketch </span><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.wepsite.de/novel%20writing.htm" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">novel writing</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> i have found the name to bear silly, voluptuous connotations. </span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">delores does a masterful job of directing me towards my stated objective, and at first i did exactly what i was told. after awhile, however, i began to disagree with her. i knew my way around this or that particular town, and was aware of a more economical route to the place i had keyed in. i began to pretend to not hear when delores would calmly advise to 'take the next left.' i knew where i was going and i knew how to get there, thank you very much.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">delores would take each of my rebellions in stride, triangulating our position and recalculating our course, taking into account my own free will.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">delores is a beautiful model of how God can take into account our free will and the decisions we make, all the while patiently trying to give us directions that will take us where </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">we said we wanted to go</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">: </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">to see the realization of God's dream for our life.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">God never stops hoping for us</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">pulling for us</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">cheering us on..</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">God is lovingly extravagant and generous, but not wasteful. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">he wastes neither our joy nor our pain</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">neither our life nor our love</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">neither our strength nor our song. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">God intends to use all of us for the furtherance of his kingdom and he intends to do so by redeeming our respective journeys... </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">even when we are committed to taking the long way home.<br /></span><br /></span><br /></div>jollybeggarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795539157694277977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458519734532212432.post-43199308673795153622010-06-29T13:06:00.000-07:002010-11-04T21:06:24.699-07:00the complicated transition from coal to diamond<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZToXdPPqgcTNoHYDNel1GZIGzOzco1xF7pOFmBe8N9nrFi5Rt3oTQAAVYy8kteo1i0m9fRmMWj34cy8IMK6OOfgzb4A0FhcqO-TXrTznwqEzbjvs__ULH75IZ8Ha-tRmn2HkvZlvoyBU/s1600/coal_diamond.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 275px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZToXdPPqgcTNoHYDNel1GZIGzOzco1xF7pOFmBe8N9nrFi5Rt3oTQAAVYy8kteo1i0m9fRmMWj34cy8IMK6OOfgzb4A0FhcqO-TXrTznwqEzbjvs__ULH75IZ8Ha-tRmn2HkvZlvoyBU/s400/coal_diamond.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491278336118290274" /></a><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">how many times do we read in scripture about apprentices being blessed by their predecessors as a rite of passage? a lot. the patriarchs, the kings, the prophets- they all speak words of blessing over their young padawans before being released of the work to which they were originally called. it's God's succession plan. even Jesus, baptised by john, prays blessing over his disciples. this moment is a significant passing of the baton, the torch, the scroll or the mantle- you pick the metaphor that works for you.<br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br />in each case the follower(s) encounter an intense challenge early on which frames in the faithfulness that will be required, lest anyone think that following will be a comfortable gig, tailor-made to fit the gift mix and passions of any successor. no servant steps into a preformed role ready to fill it. the servant is shaped by it over time and pressure the way diamonds are created out of lumps of coal.<br /><br />i wonder if we’ve gotten some things a bit turned around a bit in our church culture with all of our talk and training about gift mixes and personal passions. i wonder if we may have even become fickle ministry consumers, trying things for awhile until the thrill, newness and novelty is gone, replaced by an ongoing bumping and grinding that never seems to abate- then wondering if, because we’re no longer passionate about every aspect of the gig, we’re still supposed to be engaged in it.<br /><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">like involvement in work of God towards the realization of the Kingdom of Heaven is going to be easy simply because it’s right... </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">where is that written down? if anything, the opposite is often true: the things that are right seem to encounter some of the greatest friction in life simply because they are right. look it up: even Jesus' ministry years weren't glorious, trouble-free do-gooding... and he was God!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">at my high school graduation commencements, bob chalmers, kamloops city alderman and the father of one of my graduating classmates, was asked to speak a few words about the future to the class of '82. i remember him telling us as we gathered there to celebrate this important life transition that he wasn't gonna lie to us: times were tough and many of us were gonna find ourselves out of work, with families to feed and no hope in the desperation. that there was no point in expecting things to be handed to us because the hands of provision would already be tied up by things like fiscal policy and an uneven and unfair distribution of power and wealth. although it was supposed to be a 'when the going gets tough...' kinda thing, I remember sitting there in the may heat wearing my cap and gown over my three-piece suit, thinking '</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Geez- couldn't you lie to us a little?</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">'</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br />still, it </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">was</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> 1982 and we were in the middle of a recession- the man wasn't being cynical; he was just being real. in the years that followed, his prophetic words resounded and proved to be inspirational for me. we had been aptly warned and the world that we bold and beautiful young people were about to inherit would be instrumental in transforming us from our glib and naive arrogance into the meek and the wise the way a work boot must reshape the foot before being reshaped by it on the jobsite.<br /><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">in his book </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Desire, </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">writer and scout leader john eldredge posits that '...</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">because we have not solved the riddle of our existence, we assume that something is wrong- not with life but with us.</span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">when i delivered this talk in a sunday morning gathering, i showed what i had found to be an </span><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.wimp.com/watchingthis/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">inspiring video clip</span></span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">. featured in it was a man named nick vujicic ('VOY-chik') who has overcome the complex range of human emotions resulting from being born with an overwhelming physical disability: for no medical reason, he has no arms or legs.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">at that time, i had not dug deeper into his story in order to find the source of his seemingly limitless optimism. i shared simply that, in my view, he was doing the work of God because he was inviting everyday people to recognize and embrace their own intrinsic value by modelling it in his own life's journey. with a little further snooping around online, however, i discovered the place fromwhich his inner and outer strength originates. his is a </span><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%205.22-25&version=NIV" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">spirit-filled life</span></span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">. to live by the spirit is to live in faith and service to maturity and to the realization of God’s dream for you within his larger context.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bfkaHKRJEUk&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bfkaHKRJEUk&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div><div><br /></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">"</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The Spirit-filled life is not a special, deluxe edition of Christianity. It is part and parcel of the total plan of God for his people.</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">" (a.w. tozer)</span></div><div><br /></div></div></div>jollybeggarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795539157694277977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458519734532212432.post-9250436255587338092010-06-21T14:10:00.000-07:002010-11-04T21:07:25.003-07:00where's daddy?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9mMPvE7V69rQzzIozIY2fShLXzTFgiqdpkSKzvcE8cKYAj7sUF74dO13CkHacI00eSyC7RMUplmJyu-irf-OwGOiOxjA7ZTqjta6hJSXi6i5ibtze1vYK94W6Qk0tSQjiBh8doZZauE0/s1600/peekaboo.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9mMPvE7V69rQzzIozIY2fShLXzTFgiqdpkSKzvcE8cKYAj7sUF74dO13CkHacI00eSyC7RMUplmJyu-irf-OwGOiOxjA7ZTqjta6hJSXi6i5ibtze1vYK94W6Qk0tSQjiBh8doZZauE0/s400/peekaboo.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485353491093485698" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:arial, serif;"><div><b>Q: why</b> does the rhetoric of the church regarding the character, purposes and actions of God so often default to something that would shock us as abusive or otherwise neglectful if modelled by a parent?</div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:arial, serif;"><div><br /></div><b>A: because</b> we (like <span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2040.18&version=NIV" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">isaiah, the biblical prophet</span></span></a></span>) struggle for words, models and comparisons when it comes to understanding the things of God... especially God's silence.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;">***</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:arial, serif;">in henson's 90's television series <i>dinosaurs, </i>there is an episode which delves into the troubling silence of God in a fun way.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><i>the story of the film so far... </i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;">fran and earl sinclair discover that their child (tellingly named <i>baby</i>) is not their natural offspring due to a nest mixup back when he was hatched. bacause of baby's rather bombastic personality and some marked rejection of earl as 'NOT THE MAMA,' earl has never really bonded with baby. he is very open to a switch because, in his words, they're 'not exactly trading down.' fran will, of course, have no part of it without proof and so, after a battery of tests, the babies are declared to have been regretably switched at birth. baby goes to live with the other family and <i>aubrey</i>, the other child, comes to live with the sinclairs. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;">after a very short time, earl discovers that aubrey has no athletic ability, and so (at approximately 5:25 of the clip posted below) they choose to play a game that is less physical: peekaboo.<br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></span><div><div><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xsdgG9E31DY&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xsdgG9E31DY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">aubrey, however, panics and has an anxiety attack when earl invites him to cover his eyes and then asks 'where's daddy- where'd he go?'</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new', serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';">AUBREY: Father! Father! Where have you gone? Oh! Don't abandon me! Ah! Ah! I'm having an asthma attack! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">after taking a couple puffs from his inhaler, aubrey becomes a bit more lucid...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';">AUBREY: Oh what a cruel, cruel game- I felt so alone! Promise me you'll never play that again, Father!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;">he misses the point. earl is just playing a game, inviting interaction, but with his own hands over his eyes, little aubrey fails to see it. the immediate absence of the father from view preys upon his deepest fears of non-connection and abandonment. in his panic, he is unable to be reasoned with or even spoken to because he is busy putting into words these deep-seeded anxieties.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;">i'm not saying that all the pain and confusion we encounter is just God playing a game with us. i dare not say that. truth is, most days i don't know where a lot of that stuff comes from or why it is permitted here. that's been the subject of debate for greater minds than my own for millennia, with no satisfactory conclusion in sight. however, as i thought of how ready we often are to push the panic button when we lose sight of God, this clip came to mind. silence and darkness challenge our faith like nothing else, enflaming our fears of rejection, abandonment, and helplessness. it could be that we are simply engaging with the silence in the wrong ways.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;">i recently posted a question online:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><i>What do you do when it feels like God is hiding?</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;">a number of responses came back. a friend of mine provided a link to powerful piece of writing by latter-day beat poet, <span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.myspace.com/bradleyhathaway" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">bradley hathaway</span></span></a></span>. his poem <i>silence </i>says much which is consistent with my picture of who God the father is and how he interacts with us, even as we rant and blaspheme like the psalmist on his darkest days... our hands placed firmly over our own eyes.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 10.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 12.0px Verdana; color:#545559;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;">What’s happening here?<br />I was once so alive and now I’m so full of dread and almost dead<br />Show me your wounded head that is lead to communion with the father<br />But where did he go?<br />His presence seems farther and farther away each day<br />but I’m trying so hard to steer his way<br />Yet still lonely and confused on this cold hard ground I lay<br /><br />Speak to me wise mouth and say “it’s all good kid, it’s nothing that you did, and though it feels like I’m not here with you right now just be still and silent and listen for that sound..<br />Shhh..<br />Did you hear it?<br />Listen again.<br />Did you hear it?<br />That silent voice that just spoke nothing, that is me, I’m listening to your plea with open ears Counting all your tears flowing from your irritated eyes<br />Searching the skies looking for that hope that beyond there lies.<br /><br />Oh you young worrisome sparrow, find rest<br />Lay your battered head upon my omnipresent breast and make it your nest<br />No strong cold wind could ever blow and carry you from this your home<br />Look around, see the life shooting up from the ground<br />Spring colors springing fourth and celebration of your trusting<br /><br />It’s a constant process this is<br />Growing you into the man you are to become<br />But when you sense the setting of the sun know it is only rising and has just begun<br />Now go fourth, sing songs of faith, and lift up others in the midst of this race<br />And if you can’t keep the pace or lose sight of my face<br />Know that I’m always near so you need not fear<br />But don’t worry about all that right now<br />Just sit here and enjoy the peace I offer in my silence<br />When I am silent I am listening, and not abandoning.</span></i></span></p><p color="#545559" style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 10.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 12.0px Verdana; "><br /></p></span></div></div></div><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kx1MfnYuHMg&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kx1MfnYuHMg&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>jollybeggarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795539157694277977noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458519734532212432.post-49313609798272859082010-06-16T22:01:00.001-07:002010-11-04T21:08:24.771-07:00cloudbusting<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3zTeKq0HZNi3UPjpAjSpOPmYZndlGQaZA3Xxh3t2nuLs4OI3Lpcy4hcHeoiyVxJlZs4ulW59lXESFiVTHlHYyMPi4xYEC0YSbTHXHVNKBChFkAkKJkpbfxDsOp6Gx1IUHRpQvo26_-hs/s1600/head+cloud.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 310px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3zTeKq0HZNi3UPjpAjSpOPmYZndlGQaZA3Xxh3t2nuLs4OI3Lpcy4hcHeoiyVxJlZs4ulW59lXESFiVTHlHYyMPi4xYEC0YSbTHXHVNKBChFkAkKJkpbfxDsOp6Gx1IUHRpQvo26_-hs/s400/head+cloud.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483463455126594546" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div>every act of human justification comes from a sense of entitlement. just think about it. we give ourselves permission to think or behave in certain ways because we feel we deserve something extra.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><i>L'Oreal</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:arial, serif;"> launched a powerful slogan a number of decades ago that still resonates for many of us today. it even received recognition in 2002 when it was inducted into the <span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.adslogans.co.uk/hof/2top10.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">ad slogan hall of fame</span></span></a></span> (although i must confess, until now i did not know there was such a thing...)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i>because you're worth it</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i></i>this whole business of worth establishment can get rather muddled if we set up our portfolio in relation to the wrong people, places or accomplishments. this muddling can place around our heads a very thick cloud cover that hides some of the most obvious things from us- leaving us with significant blindspots in our field of vision and vocation.<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;">but when does entitlement become a justice issue?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;">when it violates the rights of another.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7ZTh_NxUX1U&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7ZTh_NxUX1U&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">peter gabriel once wrote a troubling song about a little child who, being abandoned by his parents, finds himself alone at home and staring out into the streets. the emotional detachment that is accomplished through his ongoing alienation and loneliness causes the child to play new imaginary games. from his place behind the front door, he plays the assassin, imagining every car going by as part of a motorcade. a chilling lyric says it all:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><i>I don't really hate you. I don't care what you do.</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><i>We were made for each other, me and you.</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><i>I wanna be somebody- you were like that too.</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i>If you don’t get given you learn to take... and I will take you.</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;">we read in scripture, history and today's newspaper of emotionally detached people in positions of power who act out their sense of personal entitlement to the complete disregard of the human rights of those being exploited. human beings are just really good at putting themselves and their personal interests before those of others.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-style: italic; font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; ">to take the enthnocentric edge off, what is needed is an accountability partnership- a bonding together in the pursuit of commonly agreed-upon values; two people who decide to listen to one another in case their own personal perspective gets a little too comfortable. the busting of entitlement clouds is accomplished best within voluntary relationships of trust and vulnerability.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-style: italic; font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; ">back in the old testament, pretty much every king (e.g. <span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Kings%2021&version=NIV" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">ahab</span></span></a></span>, <span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20samuel%2012.1-10&version=NIV" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">david</span></span></a></span>) had a prophet- one who would speak with the king for God.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><i>To us a single act of injustice- cheating in business, exploitation of the poor- is slight; to the prophets, a disaster. To us injustice in injurious to the welfare of the people; to the prophets it is a deathblow to existence; to us an episode; to them, a catastrophe, a threat to the world. </i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><i></i> (Rabbi Abraham Heschel) </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;">a prophet is an entitlement cloudbuster.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;">we all need one of those- not just they who are kings. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>jollybeggarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795539157694277977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458519734532212432.post-79434061840367599062010-06-03T09:52:00.000-07:002010-06-15T09:04:19.635-07:00learning disabilities and revelations<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5-zXDXDy9Fs-_NF0GED0BjzS8OmMW9r4uZ55xvc3LZ32bjZteE75CmTs82OxFDXvr5eQiOr7muvhInUjcSlmC8tXniWvHAFvp_gxL-C5Hv9iP0Ff8MhE-G0fvZNQdnzXdyIhz2_Otd4A/s1600/with+a+little+bit+of+luck.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 263px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5-zXDXDy9Fs-_NF0GED0BjzS8OmMW9r4uZ55xvc3LZ32bjZteE75CmTs82OxFDXvr5eQiOr7muvhInUjcSlmC8tXniWvHAFvp_gxL-C5Hv9iP0Ff8MhE-G0fvZNQdnzXdyIhz2_Otd4A/s400/with+a+little+bit+of+luck.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478665504982855826" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>so i thought it would be a good idea to get involved in the community in a new way- i went out for regina summer stage's production of </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.reginasummerstage.com/upcoming.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My Fair Lady</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">.</span></span></i><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">nobody said anything about dancing. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">it didn't come up at my audition (which felt an awful lot like an american idol sing-through. there were even three people at the table) and i disclosed on my application that i had no prior dance experience or involvement. i mean, my wife won't even dance with me at weddings. just sayin...</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">anyway, over the course of rehearsals- 80% of which have been choreo so far- something very interesting has come to light. i think i have a learning disability.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">not even joking. we will work a sequence again and again, but as soon as we move to something else, the previous work just disappears. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">it's like this: imagine that within a city full of buildings you are commissioned to erect structures in a new subdivision of lots that have been cleared as part of an inner-city revitalization project. so, working together with others, you </span></span></div><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">lay the foundations.</span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">frame in the basic forms.</span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">rough in the walls, and even </span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">mark where the windows are to be cut to correspond with the framing...</span></span></li></ul></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">then you all realize it's lunchtime, so you leave the site to eat. when you return to the construction site, every one of the buildings is just as you left it except yours. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">yours is gone. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">not torn down. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">not vandalized. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">no...</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">it's as if no one had ever worked on your lot. from then on, every time you get together to resume construction, the other buildings progress, but you are back building from the ground up</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">... and falling further and further behind.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">weird.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">i've always known i was not a particularly kinaesthetic learner, but apparently i cannot internalize sequences of movements and then reassemble them in order. who knew? ever since realizing that i didn't have any real dance moves (which is an entirely different problem) i've just avoided dance environments, period.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">whatever the case. i now personally understand the frustration of many of my students in the past who struggled with math. those who </span></span></div><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">did all the homework</span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">came in for the extra help</span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">reviewed prior to exams, and even</span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">took and completed extra assignments...</span></span></li></ul></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">and </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">still</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> went completely blank upon sitting down to write the exam itself. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">on a side note, i'm sure glad i didn't play the sanctimony baloney card back in the day as a math teacher, loading these kids up with guilt and sarcasm when what they really needed was a little grace and perhaps an adaptation or two as simple as taking a sheet with the formulas written on it into the test. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">whatever. here's my point:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">there are things about us that we don't really know are true until we find ourselves in the situation where these are given expression. as long as we steer clear of unknown situations, there are things about us that also remain unknown. our strength or weakness in this area; our ability or disability; our giftedness or lack thereof. these things about us are as unknown as the contexts in which they would come to realization.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">this is the problem with </span><i><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.google.ca/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=spiritual+gifts+inventory&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&redir_esc=&ei=zxwITIiEIYrIMveAsbYE" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">spiritual gifts inventories</span></i></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> and the like</span></span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">. life is a process of self-discovery and these instruments, although very useful in affirming our positive suspicions about ourselves regarding our natural aptitudes for service and ministry, remain silent regarding the things that we don't actually know about ourselves through previous encounters with others and God. if a person has never been in environments where he or she has received opportunity and encouragement to, say, speak in tongues or heal another person or utter a prophetic word, then these spiritual gifts continue to remain undetected just below the surface of experience.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">and who knows what revelations lie just below the surface of experience?</span></span></div>jollybeggarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795539157694277977noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458519734532212432.post-29481408879233996222010-05-28T18:07:00.000-07:002010-05-29T15:57:00.027-07:00wanna see something really scary?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJGnofGpp-0fSbuQmMf-Bu2m6hCA6SuJ5_gv1EWlt0aSTTTezk1Yb4zdtxzdYl1JWpU8E3V7OE0fIuzawYdFwCeanlZbAIsXxLlaWWij3S1LZBL8HcM4uMBXPJQ1diEzaVuMg_6ilhyyw/s1600/north+view.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 271px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJGnofGpp-0fSbuQmMf-Bu2m6hCA6SuJ5_gv1EWlt0aSTTTezk1Yb4zdtxzdYl1JWpU8E3V7OE0fIuzawYdFwCeanlZbAIsXxLlaWWij3S1LZBL8HcM4uMBXPJQ1diEzaVuMg_6ilhyyw/s400/north+view.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476502554721983154" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:11px;"><div class="UIIntentionalStory_Header"><h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" ft="{"type":"msg"}" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: normal; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#777777;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:7;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:56px;"><br /></span></span></span></span></h3></div><form method="POST" action="http://www.facebook.com/ajax/ufi/modify.php" name="add_comment" id="commentable_item_1022326816_124228990929238" class="commentable_item one_row_add_box autoexpand_mode comment_form_124228990929238" ajaxify="1" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><div class="comment_box" ft="{"type":"ufi"}" style="clear: both; font-size: 11px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><div class="like_box"></div><div class="feed_comments"><div class="ufi_section comment_598358 UIImageBlock clearfix" id="comment_659099203_124228990929238_598358" style="display: block; background-color: rgb(236, 239, 245); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(229, 234, 241); clear: left; float: none; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; margin-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 5px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 5px; width: 350px; "><b>Q: what was (or is) the scariest thing about church?</b></div><div class="ufi_section comment_598358 UIImageBlock clearfix" id="comment_659099203_124228990929238_598358" style="display: block; background-color: rgb(236, 239, 245); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(229, 234, 241); clear: left; float: none; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; margin-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 5px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 5px; width: 350px; "><div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content" style="display: table-cell; vertical-align: top; width: 1000px; "><div class="comment_text" style="padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><b>L.G.</b> To quote DCTalk from the 1990's. "The Number one cause of athiesm in the world today is Christians who profess Jesus with their mouth and go out and deny him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world, simply finds, unbelievable" I think the scariest thing about church as a Christian (Christ-like) is that we think we have to be perfect <span class="text_exposed_hide">...</span></div><div class="comment_actions" style="color: rgb(119, 119, 119); padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 0px; ">May 18 at 10:01am · </div></div></div><div class="ufi_section comment_598524 UIImageBlock clearfix" id="comment_659099203_124228990929238_598524" style="display: block; background-color: rgb(236, 239, 245); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(229, 234, 241); clear: left; float: none; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; margin-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 5px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 5px; width: 350px; "><div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content" style="display: table-cell; vertical-align: top; width: 1000px; "><div class="comment_text" style="padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><div id="text_expose_id_4c0068382f06a6b0bd2ef" class="comment_actual_text" style="display: inline; "><b>L.M. </b>Judgement and when you need a place to let your guard down, need to just be yourself, your unable to in fear that you'll be turned away and alone</div></div><div class="comment_actions" style="color: rgb(119, 119, 119); padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 0px; ">May 18 at 10:32am · </div></div></div><div class="ufi_section comment_598744 UIImageBlock clearfix" id="comment_659099203_124228990929238_598744" style="display: block; background-color: rgb(236, 239, 245); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(229, 234, 241); clear: left; float: none; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; margin-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 5px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 5px; width: 350px; "><div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content" style="display: table-cell; vertical-align: top; width: 1000px; "><div class="comment_text" style="padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><div id="text_expose_id_4c0068382f57c19f2d45d" class="comment_actual_text" style="display: inline; "><b>D.S. </b>The first time you enter a new church and you feel like you might not be accepted. The other thing is talking to your friends about yor church exsperience and them not understanding or not wanting to know.</div></div><div class="comment_actions" style="color: rgb(119, 119, 119); padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 0px; ">May 18 at 10:59am · </div></div></div><div class="ufi_section comment_599256 UIImageBlock clearfix" id="comment_659099203_124228990929238_599256" style="display: block; background-color: rgb(236, 239, 245); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(229, 234, 241); clear: left; float: none; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; margin-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 5px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 5px; width: 350px; "><div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content" style="display: table-cell; vertical-align: top; width: 1000px; "><div class="comment_text" style="padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><div id="text_expose_id_4c0068382fab262a3fda0" class="comment_actual_text" style="display: inline; "><b>T.H. </b>I would have to say fear of rejection is one, the other is fear of not being accepted, as weird as this sounds the two can be very different. Many people are at the fringe of church where they show up and a re accepted but still don't feel they can get deeper involved.</div></div><div class="comment_actions" style="color: rgb(119, 119, 119); padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 0px; ">May 18 at 12:22pm · </div></div></div><div class="ufi_section comment_599272 UIImageBlock clearfix" id="comment_659099203_124228990929238_599272" style="display: block; background-color: rgb(236, 239, 245); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(229, 234, 241); clear: left; float: none; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; margin-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 5px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 5px; width: 350px; "><div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content" style="display: table-cell; vertical-align: top; width: 1000px; "><div class="comment_text" style="padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><div id="text_expose_id_4c0068382ffbd71520529" class="comment_actual_text" style="display: inline; "><b>A.L. </b>was: feeling alone and disconnected in a room full of people<br />is: seeing the world impact the church, instead of the other way 'round...</div></div><div class="comment_actions" style="color: rgb(119, 119, 119); padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 0px; ">May 18 at 12:24pm · </div></div></div><div class="ufi_section comment_599782 UIImageBlock clearfix" id="comment_659099203_124228990929238_599782" style="display: block; background-color: rgb(236, 239, 245); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(229, 234, 241); clear: left; float: none; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; margin-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 5px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 5px; width: 350px; "><div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content" style="display: table-cell; vertical-align: top; width: 1000px; "><div class="comment_actions" style="color: rgb(119, 119, 119); padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 0px; "></div></div></div><div class="ufi_section comment_602614 UIImageBlock clearfix" id="comment_659099203_124228990929238_602614" style="display: block; background-color: rgb(236, 239, 245); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(229, 234, 241); clear: left; float: none; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; margin-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 5px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 5px; width: 350px; "><div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content" style="display: table-cell; vertical-align: top; width: 1000px; "><div class="comment_text" style="padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><div id="text_expose_id_4c006838309210f8ca4f7" class="comment_actual_text" style="display: inline; "><b>R.F. </b>Being the only person who doesn't know anyone in a large click. This is made worse by an over friendly welcome crew. I don't imagine it's the same walking in a mega Church</div></div><div class="comment_actions" style="color: rgb(119, 119, 119); padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 0px; ">May 18 at 9:29pm · </div></div></div><div class="ufi_section comment_635230 UIImageBlock clearfix" id="comment_659099203_124228990929238_635230" style="display: block; background-color: rgb(236, 239, 245); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(229, 234, 241); clear: left; float: none; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; margin-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 5px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 5px; width: 350px; "><div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content" style="display: table-cell; vertical-align: top; width: 1000px; "><div class="comment_text" style="padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><div id="text_expose_id_4c00683830d17231134d9" class="comment_actual_text" style="display: inline; "><b>JB </b>no, mega churches are probably comprised of many large clicks ;)</div></div><div class="comment_actions" style="color: rgb(119, 119, 119); padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 0px; ">May 23 at 6:15am ·</div></div></div><div class="ufi_section comment_651947 UIImageBlock clearfix" id="comment_659099203_124228990929238_651947" style="display: block; background-color: rgb(236, 239, 245); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(229, 234, 241); clear: left; float: none; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; margin-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 5px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 5px; width: 350px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">(sadly, i had to remove the names and pictures of our 'panel' because these were all hyperlinks back to their facebook accounts... not really as interesting anymore. sorry, but people's privacy is kinda important, even though Jesus DID say that "</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">t</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family:'Charis SIL', charis, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">here is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">" Luke 12.2-3)</span></span><div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content" style="display: table-cell; vertical-align: top; width: 1000px; "><br /></div></div></div></div></form></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">so i posed this little question on facebook, thinking i would get lots of stories about strange spiritual experiences in churches... chance encounters with the spiritual gifts like tongues, prophecy and healing that left people confused and a little edgy every time they came upon acts 2 in their devotions and whatnot.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:arial, serif;">my plan was to share a couple of my own experiences: one that weirded me out and one that inspired me to explore my own giftings more deeply. however, i never got there. apparently, the folks responding to the simple prompt went a very different direction with it... and did so together.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br />the common denominator in this little thread, and two others like it that i began in different places, was the fear of non-acceptance due to lack of grace. this is troubling, considering the majority of the folks responding were regular 'church folks.' </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">how did the church get this reputation, even among its own people? Jesus certainly didn’t have this in mind when he described the future of his movement in<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%2014.16-27&version=NIV" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">john 14.16-27</span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">.</span> </span><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;">fair enough... but you wanna see something really scary?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;">the church that emerged from that amazing day when the Holy Spirit touched people in the way that Jesus had promised was hardly a religious institution prompting fear and anxiety among those who came looking for truth and hope. sure, the day of Pentecost was absolute mayhem- but it was God’s mayhem, accomplishing major life-change and freedom for thousands the very first day and birthing the new covenant church in the process, entrusting its leadership to uneducated sellouts for Christ. it was a grassroots movement of regular people just trying to sort it out as they went along, but doing so within the safety of intentional faith and fellowship communities that were as committed to the meeting of others' needs as to the progress of their own personal spiritual pilgrimages. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;">the really scary thing is that somehow this beautiful movement eventually turned into a religion. the encouraging thing is that it's not too late to change it back.</span></div>jollybeggarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795539157694277977noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458519734532212432.post-23951924171018386952010-05-25T15:14:00.000-07:002010-06-18T07:25:14.742-07:00find us on facebook, follow us on twitter<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeKvlMJHpdfzClCIj9boZkOYqzrSGj9PZsPnBxmaaZsdtWGzX30l6opqgp5k7ItZOfRD2Oziloy4cfLo371BzDY52hxL-5Vd-GIplVGnj_Wrw-ZxhIGUobcWk1bC3gMj5j2j3LGJDnbFM/s1600/obama+doz.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 284px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeKvlMJHpdfzClCIj9boZkOYqzrSGj9PZsPnBxmaaZsdtWGzX30l6opqgp5k7ItZOfRD2Oziloy4cfLo371BzDY52hxL-5Vd-GIplVGnj_Wrw-ZxhIGUobcWk1bC3gMj5j2j3LGJDnbFM/s400/obama+doz.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475701463666291330" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">i think i want to be like president obama... </span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">not in the power or the celebrity. in the way that he, in his campaign for the presidency, engaged in a collaborative effort, inviting not only support, but active involvement from varying demographics in the movement he was leading. this approach resulted in the mobilization of, among others, an entire generation of young Americans who seemed to be just waiting for someone to invite them into a dialogue about how their country should be run and their resources should be channelled in order to participate in the realization of a better world...</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I got my chance on the South Side of Chicago, as a community organizer, and it was the transformative experience of my career. It allowed me to put my values to work and to see that real change comes not from the top-down but from the bottom up, when ordinary people come together around a common purpose... </span></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">(barak obama 2003)<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%2012.2-3&version=NIV" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;">Jesus said</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#003333;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> that the time would come when it would be possible to network effortlessly, but when it would also become increasingly difficult to be an ordinary, private citizen, keeping anything secret because information would flow so easily. it appears as though we are in a time like that. there is always someone with a cell phone taking pictures that show up in albums on facebook or movies that appear to the masses on youtube.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">it's enough to make you paranoid.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">except we need to remember that nothing in God's creation is inherently evil. all is originally authored by God so all is </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">inherently</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> good. the uses of things are what determines their current righteousness or fallenness.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">take rock music, for example. in the past, it has been mistakenly seen as inherently evil simply because of the misuse of its emotive power and energy by some. generally categorized by generations having gone ahead of us as anything incorporating electric guitars or a drum kit, this fledgling genre was attacked in the 60's and 70's by fundamentalist christians as being '</span><span dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfM8tzhIVCY" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;">devil music</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">' and therefore responsible for the everything wrong with the world of the day. this was made worse by the fact that it seemed to be drawing their apple-pie-faced young people out of the hard pews of the churches and into dark concert halls where their innocence would be assailed by demons having leapt out of many a drum kit and into their youthful hips causing them to gyrate in time with the sinful beat. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">i mean, yeah. there </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">were</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> and </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">are</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> many things going on at shows that are not healthy at all and never have been, but it's not the presence of drums or electric guitars that causes these things to happen, it's people using something created by God to aid their rebellion. this has been happening since the garden, not just since elvis presley sang and danced on tv in 1957, filmed </span><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj_vc389cMg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;">from the waist up</span></span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;">.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">the fact that rock music is used regularly to lead people into an awareness of the presence of God at worship events worldwide should offer some support for this little tangent...</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">so even though there is a lot of garbage on the internet, it isn't inherently bad. we should take advantage of the innovations at our disposal in order to make the good news of Christ known, redeeming this space, this technology.<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">"The goal is to have a conversation in which people become engaged in life, think about issues, get active in improving their communities and mobilize society for positive change. Politicians and citizens alike would become more informed and learn from each other..." (Dan Tapscott, author of </span><span dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.ribbonfarm.com/2007/06/13/book-review-wikinomics/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;">Wikinomics:</span></span></i></a></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> How mass collaboration changes everything</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">.)</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">so many of the things that we address together are more meaningfully explored when we are in dialogue. in addition to the online address of this blog, there is a weekly invitation to 'find us on Facebook (Northview Community Church) and follow us on Twitter (NCCtweets)' within the church program. each of these social media is a means by which we might continue the conversations that begin when we come together on sundays. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">furthermore, we're thinking it would be fun to get the conversations started before we even arrive at the building. we have begun a regular discussion on northview's Facebook page called 'Field Research.' this will be a way to gather thoughts and insights from our people in preparation for our gatherings on sundays. we all grow from knowing one another and hearing from each other.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br />there is also some fairly intense work going into a new WEB2.0 website, targeted for launch late this spring. it will also be a means by which we engage in ongoing interaction.<br /><br />see, this site is not to be viewed as a large online book with information about our church in it. who would go there? although it will have a lot of information regarding where we've been, what we're doing now and where we're going, a more accurate way to see its role in Northview's future is to see it as a wing that is being built onto the church- except instead of being a physical one, this is a virtual one. many of the same things can happen there that happen in a church building: fellowship, discipling, dialogue, laughter, ongoing interaction... except in this case, none of these things are limited by time or space. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">online interaction can never be a substitute for face-to-face engagement with one another, but in those times when the face to face time and space are limited because of the busy lives we lead and the breathing room available in the lobby, the conversations can contin</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">ue in this forum.</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">roger waters quipped in 1990, while staging an all-star presentation of </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The Wall,</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> his landmark work with pink floyd, that "</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us to understand one another better, or will they deceive us and keep us apart?</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">”<br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">recently, in planning to </span><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.rogerwaters.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;">rebuild </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;">The Wall</span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> for audiences this fall, he posted a reflection upon this old soundbyte:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I believe this is still a supremely relevant question and the jury is out. There is a lot of commercial clutter on the net, and a lot of propaganda, but I have a sense that just beneath the surface understanding is gaining ground. We just have to keep blogging, keep twittering, keep communicating, keep sharing ideas.</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">indeed...</span></span></div></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><br /></span></span></div>jollybeggarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795539157694277977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458519734532212432.post-13341952555751122562010-05-22T10:22:00.000-07:002010-11-04T21:09:35.135-07:00i read this and thought this3<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitigEy8YJwQw4yh7gKmWAR6fCuexj-Y_Lgkg_c2dNbzTdYln1o1f1tCyTYsICNrY3CDsfu8SZ15vLrSNSV0FdVXBkgknKga61wvuwg5Ot4sguUo5BnqT7K41Kc3XKRBr8kJ4h5OJvBbPc/s1600/apollo+11+homecoming.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 311px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474148829373366578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitigEy8YJwQw4yh7gKmWAR6fCuexj-Y_Lgkg_c2dNbzTdYln1o1f1tCyTYsICNrY3CDsfu8SZ15vLrSNSV0FdVXBkgknKga61wvuwg5Ot4sguUo5BnqT7K41Kc3XKRBr8kJ4h5OJvBbPc/s400/apollo+11+homecoming.jpg" /></a><br /><div><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div><div><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div><div><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div><div><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div><div><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div><div><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div><div><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div><div><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div><div><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div><div><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div><div><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div><div><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div><div><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div><div><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div><div><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div><div><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div><div><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div><div><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div><div><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i>"Sometime after Apollo 11, I happened to catch Neil Armstrong on TV doing a Chrysler commercial in civvies. Well!! </i></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i>Homo sapiens,</i></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i> peak of evolution, American icon, star of the cosmic drama, in the toils of Madison Avenue!"</i> (herman wouk)</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">sell out... </span></span></span></div><div><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">it's how we establish and maintain our progress</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span></span></span></span></div><div><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">it's what we do best... </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span></span> </span></span></div><div><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">that and kill one another.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">interesting, that the teachings of </span><span style="font-style: italic;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/levinas/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">emmanuel levinas</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> speak fairly specifically of murder... in particular, that to rob another of autonomy is to effectively kill that other.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">so it seems that in both of the things we do best, someone has to die. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">killing another begins foundationally with robbing the other of the autonomy that is rightfully theirs, and selling out is to rob oneself of the same autonomy. <span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">even Jesus speaks of this in the scriptures when he implores me to </span></span><span dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+9:23&version=NIV" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">deny myself, take up my cross daily and follow him</span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">. to surrender to lordship of another is to willfully give up my autonomy and </span></span><span dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2014.7-8&version=NIV" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">die to self</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">where this all breaks for me personally is that i don't feel like i've sold out on anything. i've accepted my role in the murder of Jesus <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">(</span><span dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%205.12-18&version=NIV" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">one life one time for all for all time</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">) and have sought to follow him... even when that following demands more of me than i can fathom, much less articulate.</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div>jollybeggarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795539157694277977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458519734532212432.post-12904035568077627332010-05-20T07:36:00.000-07:002010-05-21T08:59:29.575-07:00click on believe and follow the instructions<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOGiVti5_UxnRs8V5MvHjnENTM-TlhyphenhyphenqjxQGOSG-gNi5uv81fqFGCJ6Jsf5ALRrCy-GIv2Tn-yS-DuxQW7K2SIRHVwQaPIR5YDB5Hv6UxYYp8rZZpeqjMN1z2885ZbHm2LA8aThEfQxig/s1600/believe+button.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 156px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOGiVti5_UxnRs8V5MvHjnENTM-TlhyphenhyphenqjxQGOSG-gNi5uv81fqFGCJ6Jsf5ALRrCy-GIv2Tn-yS-DuxQW7K2SIRHVwQaPIR5YDB5Hv6UxYYp8rZZpeqjMN1z2885ZbHm2LA8aThEfQxig/s400/believe+button.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473732665332214082" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">The doctrine of Redemption is the fundamental mystery of our holy religion- whosoever believeth in it shall not perish but have everlasting life in which to try to understand it. (Ambrose Pierce)<br /></span></div><div><br /></div>Q: What must I do to be saved?<br /><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">indeed, what? as canadians, we can stumble over the answer to this question simply for fear of telling someone else how to live their life. however, when we, for all our stumbling, realize that our own answer is decidedly more cluttered by religion than Jesus’ answer was, or than Peter’s or Paul’s answers were, it is then that we are able to throw off our cultural baggage and move forward in both our understanding and our sharing of God’s grace.<br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">we run hard in our quest for redemption. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">look around: people do amazing things for their community in search of their place in this world. coaching teams, performing in community theatre, organizing hip hop groups in the inner city, serving at camps for the disabled, teaching children bible stories at church- we want to be part of a work that makes the world a better place and establishes a legacy that will somehow live on after we’ve gone. we want to leave a good mark and our quest for purpose, for redemption, drives us.<br /><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;">but sometimes we get things backwards. mistakenly engaging in these community-building activities with the hope of somehow attaining salvation through our involvements. these involvements should be the expression of salvation, not a means of somehow accomplishing it. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">but when asked the big redemption question, paul answers with a hyperlink: 'click on <span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts%2016.29-34&version=NIV" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow">BELIEVE</a> </span> and follow the instructions.'</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">receive hope and then live it out in obedience.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;">that's the redemption deal.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">but remember: </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">the ‘living it out’ is not where the religion comes in- </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">it’s where the light shines out<br /><br /></span></div></div>jollybeggarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795539157694277977noreply@blogger.com6