Have Another Think

The Gimmicking of Christianity

2012-01-24T01:34:00.001-05:00

Why is it that we always seem to need a "thing," a shtick of some sort to keep us talking about the Christian faith? Here are a few recent gimmicks Christians have used to talk about their faith: Tim Tebow (and especially the superstition around his performance against Pittsburgh in the playoffs), the spoken word poem "Why I Hate Religion but Love Jesus" (see it here), Rick Warren's The Purpose-Driven Life (a few years ago), fish car magnets, and many others.

Many of these things are good and helpful, but what bothers me is when these things become the Christian faith of many people. Jesus has been replaced by the latest Jesus-related fad, and Bell, Warren, Osteen, and Chan have become "the author[s] and perfecter[s] of our faith."

It's not just an average Joe problem, either. I saw this in seminary all the time. Love of the Bible was set aside for love of books about the Bible. When asked, "who are you reading these days?", I wish my answer would have been, "God" rather than Alvin Plantinga or some Continental theologian. I love my seminary education, but it took me about 18 months to "thaw out" spiritually from the whole experience. My professors are not at fault in this; I chose not to stay plugged into my church enough, I chose not to pursue a ministry while in seminary, I chose to let my devotional life slide.

My seminary classmates, I imagine, understand. Some of them might scoff, thinking that I just couldn't handle it or something, or perhaps that I chose to take the easy road of not pursuing a PhD and leaning more on practical ministry than systematic theology and philosophy of religion to help the church. There's probably truth to all of those ideas. But for me it just boils down to Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.

We are not called to study about him, as if he were just another quirky historical figure. We are called to know Christ, to learn Christ, to remain in Christ. Many people can destroy me in a debate about biblical scholarship, textual criticism, harmonizing the gospels, reformed theology vs. open theism, and lots of other fascinating discussions. I don't really care. What I want to know is this: are you fixing your eyes on Jesus?

Jesus Christ, not anyone or anything else, is the goal and substance of our faith, and if we get anything right in this life, let it be this: that we lived and died devoted to Jesus and His word, because nothing else really matters.

Not Tim Tebow and his magical 316 coincidences.

Not spoken word poems that are biblically and theologically off-base.

Just Jesus. Philippians 3:8-11

Before They Shut Me Down

2011-12-10T14:58:00.001-05:00

I thought I should post a blog before blogger thinks I've abandoned my blog and deletes it! I always think I'm going to blog more than I actually do, and I constantly think of topics I'd like to blog about. Here's a few things on my mind lately:

We had a baby! Lydia was born November 7th. She is beautiful! Heidi's labor was 1 hour and 55 minutes from water breaking until Lydia was out. It's a good thing we live across the street from the hospital. Heidi is an amazing woman; I don't know how women can do it. Michael is doing very well as a big brother. He is sweet and very gentle with her, and he often says, "I like Tiny Baby Sister" (her alternate name apparently).

After running the marathon in May, I have run about 5 times, which is not good. I've pretty much undone all the weight loss I achieved for the marathon. But hey, if I did it once, I can do it again, right?
I have been searching for a church in which to serve for over a year now, and I'm closer than ever to some real news. Stay tuned.

That's all for now.

It Ain't Always Chariots of Fire

2011-05-08T23:18:00.001-04:00

Last Sunday did not end as I had planned. The marathon was supposed to end with me crossing the finish line in about 4 hours, 50 minutes, triumphant and feeling pretty good for just running a marathon. I mean, it couldn't be any worse than last time, right?

Let's start before the start. Keep in mind, I've been training in Iowa, where my warmest run was about 55 degrees and windy. At the start it was about 60 and raining, and when the rain stopped it remained quite humid. Mentally, I was ready. Physically, I thought I was ready. It didn't take long to learn otherwise.

About 5 miles in, I could tell my legs were more tired than they should be, but I pressed on, thinking they were just settling into a groove. I actually kept my 5 hour pace for the first half of the race, but my quadriceps on both legs began to cramp at mile 11. Two years ago, they waited until mile 15. I adjusted my running to include more frequent and longer walk breaks, determined to, at the least, beat my time from 2009. Sometimes the cramp would seize up and even stretching wouldn't undo it.

About mile 17, I really started feeling bad. I knew I was dehydrated, even though I drank Gatorade (and sometimes water, too) at every fluid station and I wore a Camelbak with 60 oz of water in it to drink between stations. I had a mild headache, I was very thirsty, but I felt full and didn't want to keep eating my gel blocks, even though I knew I needed them. Every time I stopped to walk, my quads would tighten up for a while and if I stopped to stretch my legs or lower back, I felt like I needed to sit down. But I refused to give up and I kept going.

At some point, I couldn't run more than 30 seconds before the cramps would come back, then I would walk for about 90 seconds and try again. This took me through miles 18-26. The final .1 I ran continuously on adrenaline alone, wanting to throw up, cry, and lay down as soon as I finished. But I stayed upright until I made it through the recovery area, chip removal, and food tables. Then I sat down on a concrete bench to wait for Heidi to meet me.

I knew immediately I was in trouble. My hearing started to disappear, my vision began to tunnelize, and I felt my head getting light. Heidi was still approaching as I told the people next to me, "I think I'm gonna pass out." Then it went black and I felt asleep, but woke up about thirty seconds later to a medical crew laying me down on the bench and getting my hyperventilating under control. Heidi said when I passed out, my arms went stiff and straight, my eyes rolled, and I groaned. That's why they think I may have had a very minor seizure. They loaded me onto a golf cart-type thingy and rushed me to the medical tent, where I almost passed out again and my blood pressure was 80/55. After laying on a cot and getting an IV and a bunch of tests, they advised me to go to the hospital, where we spent the next 4.5 hours getting fluids and rest.

What I learned:

- Listen to your body. Mine said stop. I didn't. My body had the last word.

- I am not made for marathons. Half marathons, yes. Full, no.

- It's a good idea to tell someone if you're gonna pass out.

- Hill training is essential. The hills here chewed up my legs, and we just don't have hills like that in Waterloo.

- Always take your ID and insurance card with you when running. I'm glad I did.

Okay, time to sleep.

In the medical tent getting ready to go to the hospital. I got the medal, though.

On the Eve of my Second (and Probably Final) Marathon

2011-04-30T17:12:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow I run Cincinnati's Flying Pig Marathon for the second time. I am a little more anxious/nervous than last time, probably because last time I had no idea of the destruction that awaited me. Perhaps a little recap would help:

May 2009: I ran the marathon at 235 lbs., on two hours of sleep, with a cold, and a day after helping a friend move into a second-story apartment. This added up to both legs cramping at mile 15 and me ending up walking half of the rest of the race. I finished, but not well: 47 minutes later than my goal, exhausted and in pain.

May 1, 2011: I will run the marathon at 204 lbs., on more than two hours of sleep (I'm hoping for at least 6), no cold (but a little sinus congestion), and not helping anyone move. I'm watered up, carbed up, and trying to remain calm.

I feel a connection to this race, and I'm leaning into my training and familiarity to take me through to the end better than last time. I'm wearing the shoelaces from the shoes in which I ran last time, and I'm also wearing the same two shirts I wore for my first (and still fastest) half marathon. As an additional reminder, I'm wearing a pace chart on my left wrist, underneath which is my mile times from 2009, so I'll know if I'm doing better mile by mile.

For me, this is a huge challenge, and I feel like I'm going into a title fight or something. I'm ready. Let's do this.

Rob Bell, Emotion-Driven Theology, and Why It's Nothing New

2011-03-01T09:42:00.006-05:00

If you're a Rob Bell fan (and frankly, what Christian aged 18-35 isn't?), then you are familiar with his Nooma videos and possibly some of his many can't-make-a-normal-looking-book books. You know that in the videos he teaches something using stories, walking down alleys, and a slightly trembling, urgent-sounding voice.
Here is the video and below it is the text of what he has to say after telling a story about a work of art which features Ghandi.

LOVE WINS. from Rob Bell on Vimeo.

Will only a few select people make it to heaven? And will billions and billions of people burn forever in hell? And if that’s the case, how do you become one of the few? Is it what you believe or what you say or what you do or who you know or something that happens in your heart? Or do you need to be initiated or take a class or converted or being born again? How does one become one of these few?

Then there is the question behind the questions. The real question [is], “What is God like?”, because millions and millions of people were taught that the primary message, the center of the gospel of Jesus, is that God is going to send you to hell unless you believe in Jesus. And so what gets subtly sort of caught and taught is that Jesus rescues you from God. But would kind of God is that, that we would need to be rescued from this God? How could that God ever be good? How could that God ever be trusted? And how could that ever be good news?

This is why lots of people want nothing to do with the Christian faith. They see it as an endless list of absurdities and inconsistencies and they say, why would I ever want to be a part of that? See what we believe about heaven and hell is incredibly important because it exposes what we believe about who God is and what God is like. What you discover in the Bible is so surprising, unexpected, beautiful, that whatever we have been told and been taught, the good news is actually better than that, better than we could ever imagine.

The good news is that love wins.
If you're a theology nerd, then you know that this has many Calvinists all huffy and lathered up, claiming that Bell is probably a universalist, and, therefore, unorthodox at best and heretical at worst. He could be an annihilationist, which still leaves an empty hell but upholds that some will eternally be separated from God. I don't think he's gonna be simply an soteriological optimist (a la Clark Pinnock and his A Wideness in God's Mercy, which teaches near universalism through the death of Christ). I think he will be a full-blown universalist, albeit a Christian one (all are saved through Christ) and not a normative religious pluralist (all are saved through their own religion, no matter how unbiblical it may be).
Either way, it's nothing new. Yes, that's right: in this instance, Rob Bell is not original. I'm sure he'll say things in the book that his fans will consider real zingers, and no doubt there will be an emotional appeal to his arguments. But the underlying arguments will not be original. Clark Pinnock argued for a generous, optimistic soteriology before Rob Bell was even born, and liberal theologians have been denying the reality of hell for over a century.
Additionally, though Bell and others who deny the orthodox, historical teaching on hell undoubtedly feel that their understanding is the true biblical one, the reality is that to arrive at such a conclusion requires some impressive hermeneutical sleight-of-hand (in the form of redefining the word for "eternity" and "eternal," reading annihilationism into the text, and using the varied biblical images for hell to conclude that they cannot all be true literally [fire and "blackest darkness" cannot both be literally true at the same time]) and an emphasis on emotional, philosophical questions (such as those Bell asks above) over a better question like, "what does the Bible actually teach on this subject?"
I may actually buy this book for its argumentative value. I know some friends of mine are going to wave this around triumphantly as they eulogize hell once and for all. But I say, not so fast and not so original.

Before You Throw Away Your Hymns

2011-02-09T12:01:00.003-05:00

I don't like all hymns. Let's just get that out there right now. Some are lame and had to be lame even by the standards of the day in which they were written. Most, however, were written out of tremendous challenges and suffering, real life situations that made/make them so relevant to life. Here's one example, "Near to the Heart of God," written over 100 years ago (taken from 101 More Hymn Stories):

"Near to the Heart of God was written and composed by Cleland B. McAfee, in 1901, while he was pastoring the First Presbyterian Church of Chicago, Illinois. He received one day that diphtheria had just claimed the lives of his two beloved nieces, and while in his saddened, shocked state, he wrote this hymn as a comfort for his own soul as well as for the other members of his family. He first sang it with choking voice just outside the darkened, quarantined house of his brother, Howard, the day of the double funeral. The following Sunday, McAfee's choir repeated it as a communion hymn at his own church service. Another brother, Lapsley, was so impressed with the simple buy comforting message of the hymn that he carried it back to his pastorate, the First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley, California. From that time to the present, it has continued to be a source of great encouragement to believers everywhere."

A lot of Christians today don't like hymns simply because they are old. Because they are old, they have an old sound, don't work well with clapping and jumping (at least if you don't play them to an upbeat tempo). More sophisticated critics would argue that such "old music" isn't relevant to today's seekers because "if they don't like the music, they're probably not going to come back, even if the message is good. It has to connect to the 21st-century people you're trying to reach."

What I think lies behind such thinking is a false choice: either play hymns or be relevant. Can't there be a third option: play hymns (in an exciting, modern way) and help people understand the "old" lyrics? Sharing the stories behind the hymns, explaining archaic lyrics, and providing the biblical context that inspired many hymns is not a waste of time or too much work to be worth it. We need modern songs, but not at the cost of excommunicating something because it's old. Progress is not to abandon the old, but to help people worship better and more from the heart. Helping people understand the enduring quality of hymns IS progressive; ditching them just because they are old is chronological snobbery and lazy.

Volkswagen Commercial: The Force

2011-02-07T10:03:00.000-05:00

Favorite Super Bowl Commercial

Slow motion high FPS compilation

2011-02-02T12:35:00.000-05:00

Don't care for the music, but this is some fun stuff. I'd hate to be the dude getting kicked in the face (or the guy getting slapped)!

Reading, Have Read, Will Read

2011-01-31T23:39:00.002-05:00

Reading: Activate: An Entirely New Approach to Small Groups (Nelson Searcy and Kerrick Thomas); Why We Love the Church: In Praise of Institutions and Organized Religion (Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck)- a thorough yet light-hearted response to the growing number of church-is-lame-so-quit-going-and-be-Christians-apart-from-institutional-Christianity; Sticky Church (Larry Osborne); God of the Possible (Gregory Boyd) - Boyd's popular level introduction to open theism.

Have Read: The Christian Atheist (Craig Groeschel); The Ten Dumbest Things Christians Do (Mark Attebury) - currently using this as our small group study; Everyman's Battle (Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker) - my second time through it, full of good reminders.

Will Read/Want to Read: Most Moved Mover: a Theology of God's Openness (Clark Pinnock) - it will be my second time through this book; the first was a little rushed as I read it while doing research for a paper; Appealing to Scripture in Moral Debate: Five Hermeneutical Rules (Charles Cosgrove); The Seven Deadly Sins of Small Group Ministry: A Troubleshooting Guide for Church Leaders (Bill Donahue and Russ Robinson).

What I'm Reading, Want to Read, Have Read

2010-11-22T00:15:00.005-05:00

Usually, when I read a book, I end up reading several books together. Maybe I have trouble finishing what I start when it comes to books; maybe the book starts out boring and I don't want to have to endure it if I don't have to. Somehow, though, I still read a good deal, even after graduating from seminary, when many people would like to take a few years off from reading.

One book I'm reading is The Christian Atheist by Craig Groeschel. The subtitle reveals the gist of the book: Believing in God but Living as if He Doesn't Exist. It's not deep, but it hits right where many (most?) Christians are at.

One book I've barely started but am interested in digging through is the Calvinist classic The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination by Lorraine Boettner. This work is a classic presentation of Reformed theology (5-point Calvinism). Why am I, a non-Calvinist, reading it? A quote I heard long ago comes to mind: before you can say, "I disagree," you need to say, "I understand." There are some things about Reformed theology I don't understand.

I have recently read Glenn Sunshine's Why You Think the Way You Do: the Story of Western Worldviews from Rome to Home. I reviewed this book for the Stone-Campbell Journal, which will come out in the spring. Sunshine traces major ideas from the Roman Empire through modern times and how those ideas affect our ethics, actions, priorities, etc. In short I thought it was too big of a task for a popular-level book of less than 250 pages, and I would refer the reader to the works of Rodney Stark for better stuff in this area.

Then there are many books to which I turn when preparing for lessons, sermons, and answering general inquiries. These books are read a chapter here, a chapter there. Recent shelf pulls include The Kingdom of the Cults, The Quran, The Book of Mormon, The Faith Once for All, Heaven, What the Bible Teaches About Spiritual Warfare, Pagan Christianity?, The Apostolic Fathers, BAGD, NIDNTT, TDNT, NIDOTTE, A Reader's Greek New Testament.

Oh yeah, and The Bible. :)

Quote for Today

2010-05-30T14:51:00.002-04:00

"Grace is not permission to sin without limits, but permission to pursue God without limits in spite of our sin."

This was a key statement in a sermon I preached last Sunday. The sermon was about Romans 1:16-17 and about how the good news about Jesus is the reason for, the motivation for, and the substance of our message to the world. I ended the sermon with a call for Christians to understand their identity in Christ: they are children of God, not employees of God. The difference is remarkable: people who think they have to be a perfect parent/spouse/friend/etc. in order for God to love them are thinking like employees. They think that performance earns God's love. But that thinking misunderstands grace. Grace has multiple sides to it: on the one hand, grace is God withholding from us what we deserve while giving us what we don't deserve, and on the other hand, grace is margin for error in our lives as Christians. God loves us not because we've earned it, not because we're perfect, but because we are his children.

Quote for Today

2010-05-20T22:51:00.002-04:00

"Now faith will totter if the authority of Scripture begins to shake. And then, if faith totter, love itself will grow cold. For if a man has fallen from faith, he must necessarily also fall from love; for he cannot love what he does not believe to exist."

- Augustine, On Christian Instruction, book 1, ch. 35

Quote for Today

2010-04-10T22:05:00.001-04:00

“Jesus asked us to love our enemies. Part of loving is learning to understand. Too few Christians today seek to understand why their enemies think in ways that we find abhorrent. Too many of us are too busy bashing feminists, secular humanists, gay activists, and political liberals to consider why they believe what they do. It’s difficult to sympathize with people we see as threats to our children and our neighborhoods. It’s hard to weep over those whom we have declared enemies.”

John Fischer, “Learning to Cry for the Culture,” Christianity Today, April 2007, p. 41.

On Good Friday

2010-04-02T22:29:00.004-04:00

“Henri Nouwen tells the story of an old man who used to meditate early every morning under a big tree on the bank of the Ganges river. One morning, after he had finished his meditation, the old man opened his eyes and saw a scorpion floating helplessly in the water. As the scorpion was washed closer to the tree, the old man quickly stretched himself out on one of the long roots that branched out into the river and reached out to rescue the drowning creature. As soon as he touched it, the scorpion stung him. Instinctively the man withdrew his hand. A minute later, after he had regained his balance, he stretched himself out again on the roots to save the scorpion. This time the scorpion stung him so badly with its poisonous tail that his hand became swollen and bloody and his face contorted with pain.

At that moment, a passerby saw the old man stretched out on the roots struggling with the scorpion and shouted: ‘Hey, stupid old man, what’s wrong with you? Only a fool would risk his life for the sake of an ugly, evil creature. Don’t you know you could kill yourself trying to save that ungrateful scorpion?’

The old man turned his head. Looking into the stranger’s eyes he said calmly, ‘My friend, just because it is the scorpion’s nature to sting, that does not change my nature to save.’”

- Brennan Manning, The Signature of Jesus, p. 157

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

- Romans 5:6-8

Links to Hot Topic Studies for RECC

2010-03-31T00:17:00.004-04:00

I have finally found a way to create links to the notes for the series of Hot Topics lessons I taught (and will be teaching on the first Sunday of each month in 2010). Here are the links to the lessons (so far):

Homosexuality and Gay Marriage

Missions Issues

Missions Issues Handout

Baptism

Hope this works.

Quote for Today

2010-03-27T15:17:00.002-04:00

"It makes no sense to pray about God's will for our future if we are ignoring God's will for our present."
- Thomas Hale, On Being a Missionary, 21

That statement has always resonated with me, has always convicted me. Too often I worry about the future without worrying about the present.* Jesus tells us to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, which I take to mean seek to recognize and really live like God is your king; seek the kingship of God before you even seek out clothes and food and shelter.

Paul says it this way: "offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing, and perfect will" (Rom. 12:1-2). Knowing God's will comes through us letting go of ourselves as the ones in charge, seeking to remember and live like God is our king, and getting our minds right with the help of the Holy Spirit, moving toward him and away from the way the world does things.

We Christians ought to be subverting American culture: seeking to serve instead of to have authority over; finding peace through contentment, discipline, and devotion, instead of through power, money, and looking out for Number One; loving instead of ignoring or abusing; forgiving instead of "if you get hit, hit back harder," sharing our burdens instead of unionizing our social life ("that's HIS problem; I don't have to do that"), and many other things you can find in that wonderful collection of books called the New Testament.

As for me, I know that seeking God's will for my present isn't always easy. I don't see the point in me working where I work, but I have to trust that, somehow, this will make sense when I finally am working where I want to work. This is preparing me for something later on in life. Following what you believe God wants for you (whether that's some specific, detailed plan for your life or, as I believe, a desire for you to be virtuous and wise as you choose from several good options) does not necessarily mean that you will know what is going to happen. If you did, what room is there for faith, for trust, for appreciation of God's goodness and wisdom?

Moving toward Him in our daily lives is how we learn the will of God for the future.

*"Worry" in the sense of "put emphasis on," not in the sense of "stress about."

Ain't That America

2010-03-22T14:20:00.004-04:00

So I was in Target the other day, and I decided to look at their giant holiday candy section, newly set up for Easter, the second biggest candy holiday after Halloween. I saw this, and I wasn't sure what to think:

I'm probably being too uptight about this, but when I think about Easter as the crown jewel of God's work in Christ, I just wonder why, of all things to turn into chocolate and eat, the cross would be the first choice of religious confectioners and chocolate icon eaters. Does it not just seem a strange mix of the sublime (the cross) and the ridiculous (chocolate as a way to remember the cross)? Then again, it's no surprise that America would lead the way in candy-izing just about anything, including the ultimate symbol of shame, dread, torture, and pain: Roman crucifixion. One hundred years from now, will there be chocolate electric chairs or chocolate guillotines?

The cross is God's supreme act of love and wrath, where Jesus died for our sins in our place, receiving what we deserve so that he can give us what he alone deserves: a blameless standing before God. It's a message that doesn't make sense to some, and a message that some believe evangelical Christians emphasize too much (see, for example, Brian McLaren's A Generous Orthodoxy, 45-50, 64, 86). I would remind such brethren of Jesus' own words: "the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost" (Luke 19:10). Never mind the fact that the prophets of old prophesied that Jesus "had to suffer these things" before he could "enter his glory" (Luke 24:26). It is right to emphasize Jesus' death and resurrection because the rest of the New Testament does, as do many prophecies from the Old Testament.

This is what I believe about Easter: that Jesus' resurrection from the dead is the pivotal event in all of history, without which there is no hope for this life, no reason to be good, no optimism at funerals, and no chance of our own resurrection and glorification (see 1 Corinthians 15). Somehow, a chocolate cross just doesn't seem right in this context.

Now a chocolate empty tomb, now that would be sweet.

Quote for Today

2010-03-15T21:22:00.003-04:00

"All glory and growth were given to you, and then that which is written was fulfilled: 'My beloved ate and drank and was enlarged and grew fat and kicked,' From this came jealousy and envy, strife and sedition, persecution and anarchy, war and captivity. So people were stirred up: those without honor against the honored, those of no repute against the highly reputed, the foolish against the wise, the young against the old. For this reason righteousness and peace stand at a distance, while each one has abandoned the fear of God and become nearly blind with respect to faith in him, neither walking according to the laws of his commandments nor living in accordance with his duty toward Christ. Instead, all follow the lusts of their evil heart, inasmuch as they have assumed that attitude of unrighteous and ungodly jealousy through which, in fact, death entered into the world."
- 1 Clement 3:1-4

What a stunning indictment against the first-century church of Corinth, to which Clement writes from the church of Rome. The letters of Clement are not in the Bible, but they are real and historical and written to address real problems in the Corinthian church. In some ways, what Clement said of the church in Corinth is true of the church in America (and not just the part about being fat). Some questions for American Christians to ponder:

Have we become so self-sufficient (through wealth, success, peace, etc.) that we are "nearly blind with respect to faith in [God]"?
Are you jealous of other Christians' (or other churches') success?
Do we even know these days what it means to fear God?
We talk at great length about how we dislike so much of the culture around us. Why is it true, then, as Philip Yancey says, that "all too often the church holds up a mirror reflecting back the society around it, rather than a window revealing a different way"?

Not every church or Christian is this way. But many of us are truly unaware of how much our culture has negatively shaped American Christianity. This is one area to which I have been giving some thought lately, partly because I am teaching a lesson on this very subject later this year, and partly because I just sense the problem through my experiences and my own life. I don't have many answers yet, but this is as good a place as any to begin thinking out loud on it.

For my Christian readers, your input is greatly appreciated. In what ways is American Christianity negatively affected by culture? Examples would be great.

For my non-Christian readers, just know that not every Christian blindly accepts what their preachers tell them; many sense that things could be better/kinder/more welcoming/less hateful for folks like you who would love to go to church if it weren't for the people inside.

Who Would've Thought That In Five Years . . .

2010-03-13T22:27:00.003-05:00

Have you ever asked yourself that question (finishing it out, of course)? For me, I would invert that question to a statement: It's hard to imagine that it was five years ago this month that we arrived home from India. At the beginning of March 2005, Heidi and I came home and settled in the Cincinnati area while I prepared to start my master's education at Cincinnati Bible Seminary. I still remember a lot of the feelings I had when we came back. Here are a couple of memories that stand out:

Shortly after our move to the Cincy area, some friends hosted a party: grilling out, meeting our friends' friends, and being shocked at some of the things we saw and heard. Realize, we had just spent two years (minus a couple of months' worth of trips) in extremely socially conservative India, where the most PDA you would see is a couple walking or sitting next to each other, and where drinking alcohol for Christians, at least the Christians we hung out with, was taboo (except at weddings when a traditional, homemade wine in a very small amount was allowed). We arrived early, so we saw everyone arrive, one of whom we were told was the youth minister at their church. I kid you not, the first words I ever heard out of this man of God's mouth were, "Hey guys! Where's the beer?" I knew then (as I know now) that there is nothing technically wrong with having an occasional, not-enough-to-get-drunk drink. But it shocked me. I immediately thought: what's his lesson going to be when he talks to the teens about drinking? "Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial" (1 Cor. 10:23).
I felt conflicting emotions when I went to church in the US for several months. Some of the thoughts that went through my head: Christians here care so little about big things and so much about little things; they do realize that there's a world outside the US, don't they?; American Christians ought to cease all short-term missions until they have learned humility and cultural sensitivity [trust me, there are stories there, too]; there is so much potential in the American church!; I'm glad to see people here who care so much about the unreached nations; I'm going to slap the next person who makes fun of Hispanics for not knowing English; and many others. I suppose you could chalk a lot of it up to re-entry culture shock, but life in India has forever changed the way I think about church.

Five years ago . . . and what am I doing now? Hmmm.

Another Quote for Today

2010-03-11T21:49:00.001-05:00

“God’s highest purpose of creation is achieved when his rational creatures are seeking above all else to please him.”

Jack Cottrell, God the Creator, 128

Quote for Today

2010-03-11T21:26:00.004-05:00

"Millions all around us are living the tragedy of meaningless life, the 'life' of spiritual death. That is what makes our society most radically different from every society in history: not that it can fly to the moon, enfranchise more voters, have the grossest national product, conquer disease, or even blow up the entire planet, but that it does not know why it exists."

Peter Kreeft, Heaven: The Heart's Deepest Longing, p. 12

Christian Songs that Inspire Me: In Christ Alone by Stuart Townsend and Keith Getty

2010-03-09T22:49:00.002-05:00

I love this song. It's not perfect, but I love it anyway because it is simple melody, easy to learn, and, most important to me, it has lyrics that are carefully written and full of meaning. Here are the words, and I'll save my comments for the end.

In Christ alone my hope is found;
he is my light, my strength, my song.
This cornerstone, this solid ground
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love, what depths of peace
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease.
My comforter, my all in all,
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, who took on flesh,
fullness of God in helpless babe.
This gift of love and righteousness
scorned by the ones he came to save

'Til on that cross as Jesus died
the wrath of God was satisfied,
for every sin on him was laid -
here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground his body lay:
Light of the world by darkness slain.
then bursting forth in glorious day,
up from the grave he rose again!

And as he stands in victory,
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
for I am his and he is mine,
bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death -
this is the power of Christ in me.
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.

No power of Hell, no scheme of man
can ever pluck me from his hand.
Til he returns or calls me home,
here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

I'm thankful to the Gettys, who wrote this modern hymn (their description of it). From the first time I heard it, it became one of my all-time favorite songs. I would, however, like to clarify a few things about the lyrics, perhaps fine-tune them a bit:

"'Til on the cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied." Yes, this is true, but it was not God's wrath alone that put Jesus on the cross. It was his great love for us that put him there. I agree with Jack Cottrell: it should say ". . . God's wrath and love were satisfied."
Darkness did not slay Jesus, the Light of the world. It is poetic and it balances out the reference to light. Certainly the devil thought he had won a great victory, but even he knew that it was not his doing. God is the one who "made him who had no sin to be sin for us." Basically, God the Father slayed Jesus, pouring out his wrath on him and pouring out his love on us.
I'm not sure that "from life's first cry to final breath Jesus commands my destiny," unless this is a reference to eternal life and Heaven being our destiny (and even then there are some problems with the phrase). This sounds Calvinistic, as if there were no free will. Perhaps we Arminians and our Calvinist friends could agree on this: God foreknew that we would be saved by grace through faith, and therefore it can be said that from birth to death, our "destiny" is settled by God's foreknowledge.

In spite of a few tweaks, I still think this is one of the greatest songs of the last 25 years. I'll post a video of it above this post.

Michael Graunke chatting and being naughty

2010-03-03T14:29:00.002-05:00

From the other day. Michael's definitely starting to push some boundaries, but he's still super cute, and he's getting better at mimicking real words. He understands a lot more than he speaks, and it's great to see him do something by simply telling him to. Look for our other videos on YouTube; search for the user adamheidi.

And the Yo-Yo Goes Down

2010-02-22T18:52:00.002-05:00

Well, I haven't run since the last week of October. I held off at first because of my new job, which was quite physical and had long hours on my feet. I've probably regained most of the weight I've ever lost (haven't weighed myself for about a month, but last time it was 245). That job was a seasonal job, and I was laid off a week and a half ago. I start my new, permanent job tomorrow, which has better hours and is five days a week (the seasonal job was four days a week).

What I need is motivation and a reason to get back on the horse, or the Pig, or whatever. We'll see.

Dr Pepper Commercial - I Would Do Anything For Love

2010-01-30T16:41:00.001-05:00

Fun for today. I love Dr. Pepper!

A Few Theological Thoughts on Natural Disasters

2010-01-16T21:58:00.008-05:00

Any time a natural disaster strikes in the world (especially in the poorer parts of the world like Haiti), someone, somewhere will ask why God allowed it to happen, or why God caused it to happen. Why doesn't God stop the earthquakes, floods, volcanoes, tornadoes, hurricanes, fires, and any other disaster?

Theologians differ on how to answer this question. It depends on a more foundational question: did God know it would happen? (This also give rise to the related question: could God have stopped it?) Orthodox Christianity says yes. Some Christians believe that God knew it would happen because he decreed for it to happen. That is, God predestined it to happen exactly as it did, and that's why he knew about it. Some Christians believe that God knew it would happen because he simply foreknew or foresaw it happening. That is, God sees the future without causing the future. He permitted it. A few Christians believe that God did not know it would happen (at least not until he could calculate future plate tectonics based on his perfect knowledge of the physical world and his infinite ability to figure things like that out). Once he knew it would happen, he could stop it but permitted it anyway.

I embrace the second option listed above, that God knew it would happen, but allowed it without causing it. Fortunately (but sometimes frustratingly), it's not our job to explain why God permits or prevents anything. He is totally sovereign over all of creation. A few thoughts in that direction, however, can't hurt:

Whether you think the movement of the tectonic plates is a result of the fall and cursing of the ground or not, the fact remains that it is a natural, normal event on Earth. It happens all the time. It is the location and timing that make it tragic, not the fact of the occurrence.
As long as people continue to choose to live and build cities along known fault lines, it's only a matter of time for things like this to happen. We can't really be surprised when the next San Francisco or Mexico City earthquake happens, and we shouldn't ask, "how can God let this happen?" We should ask, "how can man let this happen?" "They knew there's a fault line there!"
I can't say for sure, but perhaps one reason God allows natural disasters to happen (and this probably goes for other kinds of suffering and evil) is because for God to prevent every disaster or suffering caused by nature would basically involve God constantly interrupting or overriding things like gravity, trajectory, momentum, and a hundred other factors which are usually predictable. The world would be entirely unpredictable. If I try to light a match, will it work? What if hitting my brakes would have caused suffering; will God cause my brakes not to work? How could I ever confidently do anything? The scientific method, which depends so much on the principle of uniformity (e.g., gravity works the same everywhere in the universe, photons behave the same etc.), would be rendered useless and scientific progress/knowledge would cease.
A certain amount of pain in life is actually very good, and healthy. The fact that your hand hurts when you put it near fire is a good thing; physical pain is a warning that something is going wrong with the body. The lack of sensation of pain (e.g., Hansen's disease/leprosy) shows us this truth.
Without some pain and tragedy in life, such virtues as bravery, self-sacrifice, and forebearance wouldn't mean much.
Just because God is allowing evil and suffering to exist now doesn't mean that evil people are "getting away with it." Don't criticize God when history is not over; he has promised that when Jesus returns, every person will be judged on the basis of what they've done, and if they do not belong to Christ, there is no forgiveness of sins and eternal punishment awaits them.

There are probably a dozen other thoughts that could be added, but the reality for the people of Haiti, and for anyone else suffering, is this: all the reasons in the world can't undo the suffering, can't bring anyone back, can't heal the pains and can't reduce the severity of the experience. Arguments like those listed above may have some value, but to those who are actually suffering, it is cold comfort at best.

Theology must always lead to ministry. Ministry, the living out of one's theology and the application of that life onto the lives of others, is the most profound answer to the question of where God is when it hurts. As Philip Yancey concludes, the answer to the question "Where is God when it hurts?" is another question: where is the church when it hurts?

The answer? The church is in Haiti, has been for a long time. You won't read about it much in the papers or on the major news media, but dozens of ministries like International Disaster Emergency Services are making a difference in the name of Jesus.

As it turns out, the question of why God allows things is important, but perhaps not as important as the question of what the Church of Jesus Christ does in response to all the evil and suffering.

Benny Hinn: Let the Bodies Hit the Floor

2010-01-06T15:52:00.001-05:00

Not my cup of tea musically, but this makes me laugh every time. I can't stand Benny Hinn for a variety of reasons, and this video shows the seriousness with which his claims ought to be taken.

Comet Encounters the Sun

2010-01-06T15:42:00.001-05:00

The sun eats a comet - cool. Thanks, Jared Altic for the link on your blog.

The Prayer Cross: What Would Jesus Think?

2010-01-02T22:13:00.001-05:00

I love how the prayer "almost miraculously" becomes visible. Really?!

The real irony is in how the symbol for the horrific, humiliation-filled execution of Christ is now, in stunning crystal and sterling silver, a "one-of-a-kind spiritual accessory."

It's also "the perfect way to keep the Lord's Prayer close to your heart." Literally, perhaps, but not in the way the Lord's Prayer ought to be close to your heart: by memorizing it (or as Ps. 119:11 says, "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.").

As my nephew Eric would say, "Ay-ay-AY!"

The Conservative Bible Project: All Kinds of Wrong

2009-12-13T15:11:00.009-05:00

MSN.com recently had a link to the Conservative Bible Project, an attempt to "render God's word into modern English while removing liberal distortions." To accomplish this task, the CBP allows for anyone to remove those "liberal distortions" by copying the King James Version text and editing it to make it more conservative. It is then submitted for review (by other "translators") and then is posted on the site. One of the advantages of this, they believe, is "an unbiased and truthful Bible is of immeasurable value to society." The CBP believes that their efforts are leading to an unbiased and truthful Bible.

I am still in process in my thinking on this subject, but liberals shouldn't be the only ones upset by this. A few thoughts (and I reserve the right to add more later):

this process is a mockery of biblical interpretation and Bible translation. The CBP encourages users to click on a link when copying the KJV text that will show them the Strong's concordance number and the lexical form of the Greek word being translated. What's wrong with this? It's backwards: starting with the English and then finding the Greek is simply the wrong way to translate. Further, ignoring the grammar of the Greek and simply translating the dictionary form for each word separately is completely irresponsible. Like any language, Koine Greek is nuanced and meaning can be and often is affected by things like the verb tense, word order, and the case, number, and gender of words (and participles). Putting translation in the hands of anyone with Internet access is naive and dangerous.
One example of the above is the proposed translation of Matthew 1:18: "The birth of Jesus Christ happened this way: His mother, Mary, was engaged to Jospeh, but before they were married, she became pregnant with the child of the Divine Guide." My problem with this is the title "Divine Guide." This is not a translation of pneumatos hagiou ("Holy Spirit" in the genitive case); it is an interpretation and downright ignoring of the Greek. If this kind of result is accepted, what else is acceptable? Yes, the Holy Spirit is a guide, and yes, he is divine. But he is much more than that!
This will not produce an unbiased Bible. It exchanges a Bible with a perceived liberal bias with a Bible having an actual conservative bias. One of the proposed methods is to "identify conservative terms that are omitted from existing translations, and propose where they could improve the translation." How is this NOT inserting bias into the text? The stated goal is a conservative Bible, not an accurate rendering of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
This is a sickening, forced mixing of Scripture and a political agenda. What I hear is "forget accurate translation (and, for that matter, accurate biblical theology), we just want our Bible our way," which is just as bad as what they're accusing liberals of. I also hear "I don't care what those scholars who spend their entire careers translating and interpreting the text say, this is what ____ means."
It is also a conflation of liberal theology and liberal politics. The two are not identical.
It assumes that recent moves by Bible translators (such as the use of "brothers and sisters" when the word adelphoi occurs) is solely motivated by an anti-conservative, feminist bias. This is simply not the case. There are some places where adelphoi probably refers to more than just men; therefore, it's not some shady liberal plot to undermine biblical authority.

The Bible is God's Word for our lives, not something to translate according to your political views.

A Reminder On Halloween

2009-10-31T13:09:00.008-04:00

I'm not too hung up on the whole "Should Christians let their kids wear costumes and go trick-or-treating?" discussion. I'm sure true pagans scoff at our Americanization of their holiday and would claim that there's no real connection with Samhain or whatever else defines old-school Halloween.

However, there are two facts I'd like to point out on Halloween. One is that October 31st is also the anniversary of Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses on the door of the Wittenberg Cathedral, an event widely recognized as the beginning of the Protestant Reformation and all it stood for: salvation in Christ alone on the basis of faith alone in the message of Scripture alone.

The other point is this: we do live in a world largely controlled by evil spiritual forces: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Eph. 6:12). "The powers of this dark world" is better translated as "world-rulers of this darkness," in the sense of "world-rulers over this darkness." Most commentators believe that such powers affect leaders of worldly governments. Christians, however, need not fear such evil IF they "put on the full armor of God" and "be strengthened in the Lord and in his mighty power" (Eph. 6:11, 10). The armor of God is God's armor given to the believer which allows him or her to stand against the "wiles of the devil," that is, the various schemes the devil works to battle against the kingdom of God (Eph. 6:11).

Now, a subpoint to the point above. Spiritual warfare is nearly always defined as something like "taking the battle to the enemy" or "storming the gates of Hell," using the sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) as a justification for making it an offensive, not defensive, endeavor. I think this is incorrect, and I think Ephesians 6 is on my side here. The word for "take your stand against" and the word for "stand" in Ephesians 6:11 and 13 are the same word; "stand your ground" in verse 13 is the same word but has the prefix "anti" attached to it. Primarily these words mean "to stand firm" or "hold one's ground in battle" (BAGD). Harold Hoehner, in his landmark commentary, states that "stand" in this passages means that the church is "only 'to stand,' hold the territory that Christ and his body, the church, have conquered."

Further, "the gates of hell" is a bad translation of pulai haidou. "The gates of Hades" is better, and we need to remember that Hades is the place of the dead, not necessarily the same place as Hell (gehenna in Greek). So when Jesus says, "upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it," I believe the "rock" referred to here is not Peter (Petros) but the confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God (Mt. 16:16). The word "rock" in verse 18 is petra, a feminine form of petros, which means that Peter is not the rock upon which Jesus will build his church. Though the world "confession" (homologia) does not appear, it agrees in number and gender with the word petra, and it is what Peter just did two verses earlier. What this means is this: the church Jesus has built will not be defeated by death because it is built upon a confession of the one who has conquered death, not because it is built on Peter (sorry, Roman Catholics).

All of this to say that Jesus holds the keys to death (the fact of death) and Hades (the place of the dead) (Rev. 1:18). Therefore, when people in the church (and remember the church is made up of people, not buildings!) die, the church is not defeated because the death of the believer is simply the event that ushers them into the presence of the resurrected, death-conquering Lord Jesus! One day, death and Hades (as well as all who once occupied them) themselves will be thrown into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:14, also another clue that Hades and Hell are two different places). The devil and his angels (yes, angels can be evil - Satan is a fallen angel) will one day be thrown into the lake of fire where they will be "tormented day and night for ever and ever" (Rev. 20:10).

The devil is not the King of Hell; he is its chief prisoner! He does not torture people in Hell; he is tortured for ever and ever. He does not enjoy Hell; Hell is not the Devil's paradise; it is his punishment!

Don't be afraid of Halloween. Know the facts: 1. Yes, spiritual forces of evil rule this world. But, 2. All evil spiritual forces will one day be thrown into hell to be tormented for ever.

Christian Songs that Inspire Me: Revelation Song by Philips, Craig, and Dean

2009-10-26T22:55:00.003-04:00

I'm not a total hater. If you've ever clicked on the label at the bottom of the blog that says "Contemporary Christian Music," then you've noticed that nearly every entry is an installment of Christian songs that annoy me. I want to emphasize some songs that I like, songs that actually connect with me existentially. Today I give you "Revelation Song" by Philips, Craig, and Dean. [My comments are in red]

Worthy is the,
Lamb who was slain (Rev. 5:12)
Holy, Holy, is He
Sing a new song, to Him who sits on
Heaven's Mercy Seat (Rev. 4:2, 8)
[Repeat 2x]

(Chorus)
Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come (Rev. 4:8)
With all creation I sing:
Praise to the King of Kings!
You are my everything,
And I will adore You…!
Yeah!

Clothed in rainbows, of living color
Flashes of lightning, rolls of thunder (Rev. 4:5)
Blessing and honor, strength and
Glory and power be
To You the Only Wise King, (Rev. 5:13)
Yeah

(Chorus)
Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come, yeah
With all creation I sing:
Praise to the King of Kings!
You are my everything,
And – I - will - adore You!
Yeah!

Filled with wonder,
Awestruck wonder
At the mention of Your Name
Jesus, Your Name is Power (Phil. 2:9-10)
Breath, and Living Water (John 4:10-15)
Such a marvelous mystery
Yeah...

(Chorus)
Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come, yeah
With all creation I sing:
Praise to the King of Kings!
You are my everything,
And – I - will - adore You!

Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come,
With all creation I sing:
Praise to the King of Kings!
You are my everything,
And – I - will - adore YOU…
---------------------------
This song is based largely on Revelation 4-5, two of my favorite chapters in all of Scripture. The glory! The power and majesty are nearly indescribable. This passage ought to challenge the Buddy Christ, Jesus-is-my-homeboy attitude prevalent in so many Christians' lives and sermons. Jesus is the living Lord of all creation, whose name is above all names, before whom every knee will bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth. The elders who surround the throne, who understand Jesus' identity better than anyone, cannot help but fall before Jesus in worship, laying whatever rewards they have been given (their crowns) before him.

Thank you, PCD, for reminding us that reverence is always relevant.

What I'm Reading and Stuff

2009-10-17T22:52:00.003-04:00

It's painfully obvious that I'm not very good at blogging, and I'm really, really not good at blogging often. I thought I'd share a list of what I've read and what I'm reading these days, and maybe some ideas for future posts.

What I'm reading now:

The Myth of a Christian Nation, by Gregory Boyd. Boyd is my favorite Open Theist, and he has some provocative ideas regarding evangelical Christianity and its (in his words) idolatrous quest for political power. The Kingdom of God was never supposed to be an improved version of any kingdom of the world (even America's!). It is debatable whether America ever really was a Christian nation, so trying to "take America back for God" and many other conservative evangelical hobby horses are wrongheaded and destructive to that which actually is the kingdom of God. It's pretty interesting so far.
Relativism: Feet Firmly Planted in Mid-Air, by Francis Beckwith and Greg Koukl. Moral relativism is a self-defeating philosophy which is impossible to be consistently and honestly lived, let alone defended as "right."
Making Small Groups Work, by Henry Cloud and John Townsend. I'm not very far into this book, but I can tell it will be a gold mine of material for anyone starting, leading, or attending a small group.

Some ideas I'm kicking around:

A Sunday School series on social issues: what does the Bible actually teach about . . . homosexuality (and the Christian's response to it), abortion, multiculturalism (esp. how to react to the growing immigrant population in the US), and any other issue that will probably get a lot of people really mad at me. :) The aim is to use the Bible (and not Fox News, conservative talk radio, or Focus on the Family) as our guide to seeking truth and grace regarding people who behave or believe differently from what we believe. Christians, let's stop being jerks to people who disagree with us. We all know about 1 Peter 3:15a-b ("But in your hearts set apart Christ Jesus as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have."), but how many go on to read 1 Peter 3:15c: "But do this with gentleness and respect"?
Christians Songs that Inspire Me: this would be a counterpart to my several entries under the title "Christian Songs that Annoy Me."

Cold, Hard Cash?

2009-09-14T11:22:00.004-04:00

There are lots of ways for you to receive "cold, hard cash": selling your unwanted gold, winning contests, selling stuff on craigslist (my preferred method of selling, by the way).

I have a question: Why is cash always cold and hard? Is there some advantage to freezing money? Does freezing money really even make it hard? You never hear about a car dealer offering you "warm, limp cash" for your trade-in. "Just send in your broken our unwanted gold in our secure envelope and turn it into room-temperature, flimsy cash!" It just doesn't roll off the tongue as well.

[Interestingly, I found this site, which explains the origin of the phrase. If the explanation given is true (it certainly sounds plausible), then I understand why cash is always cold and hard. But given its modern usage (referring to physical money and not an intangible line of credit), it no longer carries much meaning.]

Steven Curtis Chapman "Heaven Is The Face"

2009-09-10T11:36:00.001-04:00

For those of you who may not know about Steven Curtis Chapman (yes, he always goes by three names), he is a five-time Grammy award winning Christian musician who puts a lot of thought into his music. This song was written about his five-year-old daughter, Maria, who was accidentally killed in the driveway of Chapman's home when her older brother was pulling into the driveway in the family's Land Cruiser. Maria, along with two other Chapman children, were adopted from China.

One thing that sets Christianity apart from other worldviews is the hope of Heaven. This life is not the entirety of our existence; Heaven awaits those who belong to Christ. Because of the resurrection of Jesus after his death on the cross for our sins, Jesus now "holds the keys to Death and Hades" (Rev. 1:18). He has gone ahead "to prepare a place" for his people, and he will return to take us there personally and live there with us forever.

That is why, for the Christian, death is not a wall that marks the end of one's existence. It is a door, on the other side of which is eternal life with Jesus and loved ones who have gone before.

Christian Songs That Annoy Me: "Holy Spirit Come"

2009-09-04T22:35:00.006-04:00

Today I want to whine about a song I occasionally hear during worship at church, "Holy Spirit Come," written by Kate Miner:

Holy Spirit come, Holy Spirit dwell
Fill Your church with joy over flowing
And peace over flowing
And love over flowing
In all of Your glory
Come

What bothers me most about this song is not the fact that it doesn't rhyme (it's the same word repeated three times; though "glory" sort of rhymes with "overflowing" but rhymes better with "overflowy"); what bothers me most is its contradiction of Scripture. I present another song, much older, perhaps, but much more correct:

O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.
You hem me in-- behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,"
even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
(Ps. 139:1-12, emphasis mine)

It cannot be stressed enough: Christian musicians are responsible for the lyrics to their songs. In a way, Christian songwriters are teachers, and music is a powerful tool for teaching Christian doctrine (remember hymns?). Worship leaders and songwriters ought to be very careful in deciding not only how a song sounds (is it worshipful?) but also careful in deciding what the song says (is it true?).

Countdown to the Big Move

2009-09-01T11:16:00.001-04:00

Come Saturday, it will be three weeks until we move. That is crazy!

In other news, Michael turns one this Sunday. And it's a three-day weekend. We're having a party at a friend's house after church.

So many changes. . . .

The Renewed Mind Is The Key

2009-08-22T11:04:00.001-04:00

Yeah, you're not helping Christianity to look better.

Jesus Is My Friend by Sonseed

2009-08-20T11:42:00.001-04:00

This is a YouTube classic. You will be hearing the chorus in your head for weeks!

"He taught me how to praise my God and still play rock 'n roll."
"He loves me when I'm right; he loves me when I'm wrong. He loves me when I waste my time by writing silly songs." Indeed.

Sweet.

A Good Quote

2009-08-06T22:31:00.004-04:00

I feel that my job, my calling, is to help the church understand who they are, who God is, and the difference he makes in their lives. While thinking about this calling, I wonder what I can do to accomplish this three-part task. One of these days, I am going to write a book explaining each part of that calling, which, put another way, explains the doctrine of man, the doctrine of God, and the doctrine of the church/Christian living.

With the who-knows-when-book in the back of my mind, I read books and articles with an eye toward finding quotes that explain what I want to say better than I can say it. Here is one example; it is C.S. Lewis describing the new life Christians have in Christ:

A live body is not one that never gets hurt, but one that can to some extent repair itself. In the same way a Christian is not a man who never goes wrong, but a man who is enabled to repent and pick himself up and begin over again after each stumble- because the Christ-life is inside him, repairing him all the time, enabling him to repeat (in some degree) the kind of voluntary death which Christ Himself carried out.

(From Mere Christianity, p. 64)

Open Theism and 1 Peter 1:20

2009-07-22T22:38:00.006-04:00

I am intrigued by the arguments of Open Theism. This doesn't make me an Open Theist; I am Arminian in my theology, but not Open Theist. For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, here's the gist of Open Theism: God created everything, he gave people free will, he desires genuine relationships with his creatures (code for "we think that God predestining his relationships is not genuine"), so he has chosen to limit himself with regard to certain things, included in which is a comprehensive knowledge of the future choices of free-will creatures. In other words, even God does not know exactly what you or I will choose with regard to many of the choices we make in life. Because he knows the past and present perfectly, though, he can anticipate with a great deal of accuracy, but he cannot know that future perfectly until it happens.

One of Open Theism's most interesting proponents is Gregory Boyd. Known for writing provocative books about a variety of Christian issues (The Myth of a Christian Nation, God of the Possible, Satan and the Problem of Evil to name a few), Boyd's website is the most thorough I've seen when it comes to teaching Open Theism and answering objections. Some of Boyd's explanations are pretty good (because they reveal the close similarity between Open Theism and Arminianism, from which OT came).

Some of his explanations, however, I find unconvincing. Take, for example, his explanation of 1 Peter 1:20:

“[Christ] was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for our sake. Through him you have come to trust in God…” This passage reveals that God created the world with Jesus Christ in mind (cf. Col. 1:15–17). The divine goal was (and is) to acquire a people who freely participate in and reflect the love of the triune God, and the plan to attain this goal was by having people trust in God through Christ. Though it is sometimes cited as evidence in support of the classical view of foreknowledge, this verse actually has nothing to say on the subject.

What I find unconvincing is Boyd's lack of attention to Greek grammar. For those of you who care, here is the transliterated Greek of 1 Peter 1:19-20 (it's important to include v. 19, as we will see):1 Peter 1:19-20: alla timio haimati hos amnou amomou kai aspilou Christou, proegnosmenou men apo kataboles kosmou phanerothentos de ep' eschatou ton chronon di' humas

The key phrase here is hos amnou amomou kai aspilou Christou, proegnosmenou, which I translate as "as of the spotless lamb without blemish, Christ, having been foreknown. . . ." This phrase describes the blood with which we have been redeemed. I believe that the verb proegnosmenou ("having been foreknown," a perfect passive participle, genitive masculine singular) modifies the entire genitive phrase amnou amomou kai aspilou Christou ("of the spotless lamb without blemish, Christ." What God foreknew ("destined" is a poor translation) was not only Christ, but Christ the spotless lamb without blemish, an identity that requires a significant amount of foreknowledge (that there would be an incarnation among the Jews, that the blood of lambs would be used under the law to atone for sins, that Christ would be killed, that he would be killed in such a way as to make the metaphor of lamb meaningful, that he would die in a period of history in which terms like lamb, redeem, and blood made sense in the same sentence).

Remember, all of this was foreknown "before the foundation of the world," which means before Genesis 1:1, before God said, let there be light, before there was anything else in existence apart from God. How did God know Jesus would die? How did God know how Jesus would die? These are questions for which Open Theism has no sufficient answers.

Fetuses found to have memories - Washington Times

2009-07-16T21:09:00.001-04:00

Fetuses found to have memories - Washington Times

Shared via AddThis

I think this shows in yet another way that it is extremely questionable to assume that fetuses aren't human until they emerge from the womb.

Not Yet, But Someday

2009-07-12T23:31:00.002-04:00

I can’t wait to see my child take his first steps.

This afternoon, while watching Michael struggle to stand on his own, I could tell that he wanted to take a step, but he couldn't. As an adult, I know that there's a process of learning how to walk, but with patience and persistence, he would indeed master it one day. He pulled himself up on the sleeve of my shirt like he’s done a hundred times, but this time I wrapped my arm around him and said, "Michael, I know that one day you will walk. I know it seems impossible now, but you will walk. You'll walk, you'll run, you'll dance. You will walk; I promise. Trust me; trust Daddy. I have been where you are and I know the way."

I think God speaks to us like that when we think about death and pain and suffering and how hard this life really is. We know we are made for more than this life. We know that these bodies should be better than they are. Something has gone terribly wrong with us; we were made to run and dance and all we can do is crawl along on the ground in frustration, so to speak. I think Michael senses that he is not supposed to crawl forever; he knows now that he was made to walk, run, dance, jump, play.

Jesus speaks to us from heaven: "I know right now you are stumbling, crawling yet knowing that you were made to walk. Your knees are scarred and scraped. You're tired of falling down and not knowing how to be what I created you to be. But I promise: you will walk, you will run, you will jump, you will dance, you will play. You WERE made for more than this. There IS something wrong with the world, but behold, I was dead and now I am alive forever and ever. And I hold the keys to death and Hades. One day, you will join me, and together we will walk in the kingdom I have prepared for you from the foundation of the world. You will walk. Trust me; I have been where you are and I know the way. Hold on! I am coming soon, and my reward is with me!"

He can’t wait to see his children take their first steps.

Oh, For a Thousand Days to See

2009-07-08T23:49:00.002-04:00

If only I could see 1000 days into the future (or even six months, but "a thousand days to see" fit the adapted hymn title). I would know just what I would be doing, and, hopefully, that it would be something other than working at Fed Ex (no offense, Fed Ex). I feel stuck in a job I still have only because we get our health insurance through it. Six years of college and four years of grad school have prepared me to work in an Ottowa yard switcher for FedEx Ground? I sure don't get much use of my Master of Divinity degree sitting alone in my truck waiting for instructions over the radio. Things are turning out very differently from what I had imagined a year or two ago.

I have sent out resumes to some churches. I have sent my CV to a couple of colleges (one, my undergraduate alma mater, has laid off several full-time faculty and is in a hiring freeze indefinitely, and the other will only consider me for adjunct teaching, i.e., one class occasionally). I need experience to get a job; I need a job to get experience. But I don't want to go into a ministry where I'd feel like I settled for the job just to get out of Fed Ex. And few (if any) Bible colleges are hiring full-time faculty. The ones that are prefer PhDs.

So we stand at a four-way fork in the road. Here are the choices/options:

Try to get into a PhD program. I've wanted to do a PhD anyway, but I'm sure it would help me get considered more seriously.
Stay in Cincinnati and work secular jobs until I find a ministry or get into a PhD program.
Look only for a ministry, no matter how long it takes.
Move somewhere else more beneficial for all three of us (that is, move to Iowa or something) and apply the three options above. We came to Cincy to study, not to live here forever (unless I get a ministry or Bible college professor position here).

There are good things and bad things for each option, mostly having to do with time, level of personal satisfaction, and making the most out of my education. There are also so many unknowns for each one. Would I even get accepted for a PhD program? How many churches say no before I reconsider ministry at this point? Do I want to begin a career at age 36 or so? What if we move and then I find "the church"?

I have rambled enough. Suffice it to say that while I believe God knows what will happen eventually, he has chosen not to reveal it to me. Instead, he asks me to take the harder road of faith and trust in him rather than doing it all myself. Clearly I need the practice.

Christians Aren't the Only Hypocrites

2009-06-25T09:57:00.003-04:00

As I drove home from work today, I passed a Mercury Mountaineer (EPA est. 14 mpg city) whose driver was drinking from a Styrofoam cup. Though not an unusual sight, what made this whole scene interesting was the bumper sticker on his gas guzzler: "Tree-Hugging Dirt Worshiper."

Does this make him a bad dirt worshiper? Maybe, maybe not. Perhaps I caught him in a moment of weakness, when he was, for the first time in months, acting out of accordance with his beliefs. Or he just says one thing and actually lives another. If that's what being a tree-hugging dirt worshiper is, I don't want to be one.

(Now you Christians out there catch my drift, don't you? Sometimes we say things about God or Jesus [whether in our words or on our bumpers] up to which our lives don't measure. While every day ought to be characterized by our continual striving for increased virtue and closer discipleship, the truth is that at times we ARE hypocrites, every one of us, Christian or not. Remember that what counts is our overall trajectory: am I bearing the fruit of the Spirit a little more than five years ago? Ten years ago? Do I get back up every time I stumble?)

A Brief Word About George Tiller

2009-06-01T21:41:00.003-04:00

As a Christian who believes that human life and personhood begins at the moment of conception and lasts until death (which, unfortunately, is also a debatable term), I am immensely disappointed and angry with Scott Roeder (the man who shot Dr. Tiller) and those who approve of his actions. Their logic baffles me: one can be so "pro-life" that they are willing to end a life to prove it? I can understand protesting outside a clinic (peacefully, I might add). I can understand feeling baffled and upset at the thought of a doctor who willingly performs late-term abortions (abortions on unborn babies of 21 weeks and older). But I cannot understand how killing a man helps the pro-life cause.

Apart from the horrific nature of the crime, the irony is profound (killing a man based on your convictions about life, and doing it at a church!), and the PR fallout is certainly not going to help pro-lifers gain a hearing among their pro-choice peers. Of course, it would be unfair to lump all pro-lifers into the same group, as if we all would have done the same thing given the opportunity. This man belongs to a fringe minority segment of the pro-life camp which represents me about as well as Fred Phelps represents all Christians. It might even be safe to call him a terrorist. I don't know if he claimed to be Christian or not, but if so, then I challenge that claim as well. Such actions do not represent the ethics of Jesus, who came to seek and save "the lost" and was a friend of sinners who gave his own life because he values every life and desires to reconcile us all to God.

Killing someone because you don't like what they do (even if you consider what they do as legalized murder) reveals a twisted logic, a moral depravity, and a desire to do God's job of judgment for Him. Dr. Tiller does deserve to stand before God and face his sins, just like all of us do. But it is never the job of another human to arrange that meeting (except for cases of self-defense). I hope that pro-choicers see this for what it really is: a lunatic, fringe extremist whose actions warrant the death penalty (which I believe is consistent with a strong pro-life ethic: I believe that life is so precious that if you intentionally take another life, your life ought to be taken as well).

Miscellaneousness

2009-05-09T23:10:00.003-04:00

Here are a few random things going on here lately:

In six days, I will be a Master of Divinity. (I think the title is a bit of an overstatement of my actual grasp on divinity)
I'm looking forward to visits from family this week.
I wish I knew what I was going to do after graduation career-wise. Right now, I have no clue where we'll be. I love to teach, and I love the church, but it's a huge decision and a slow process.
I want to run another marathon. I'm seriously looking at Indianapolis in October. "Flat and Fast" they say. I like that.
If we're still in Cincinnati (or within 100 miles or so) next year, I might want another crack at the marathon. If you have read about my experience on facebook, then you know it won't be hard to prepare better (at least the day before).

Andrew Peterson - Family Man

2009-04-30T23:17:00.001-04:00

Great song; great message. I love being a family man!

The Deification of Spices, Or, Whatever Happened to Dylan McDermott?

2009-04-18T23:38:00.005-04:00

Heidi and I watched The Mistress of Spices the other day, and I have to admit, I was disappointed. The plot was just, well, lame. Tilo (Aishwarya Rai) is a "mistress of spices," which means that as a young girl, she was trained (in addition to having the ability to see the near future) to know all spices, their uses, and to be able to communicate with the spices. She is not allowed to touch other people, leave her shop, or ever to use the spices for herself.

She lives in Oakland, where she lives at and manages her spice shop, Spice Bazaar. One day, a wealthy architect, Doug (Dylan McDermott) notices Tilo, and (surprise!) love at first sight.
Some time later, he has a motorcycle accident in front of the Spice Bazaar, which necessitates Tilo binding his wounds with a special healing spice mixture. She falls in love with him, too, beginning a time of disobedience to the spices. All her spices have a contrary effect on her customers, so she must repent and re-dedicate her life and service to the spices.

The ultimate conflice arises when Tilo must decide between being faithful to the spices or faithful to her heart in allowing a relationship with Doug.

SPOILER ALERT: Here's how it ends: Tilo chooses Doug, which nearly gets her good friend, Haroun (Nitin Ganatra, one of my favorite Indian actors) killed. She and Doug touch, and she leaves the shop to see San Francisco. Her spices start to die, and in an earthquake, she nearly dies until it is revealed (by the spirit of her spice guru) that she has proven faithful to the spices, so she can be with Doug AND have her successful spice shop.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that there would be eastern mysticism in a movie about a psychic girl trained to communicate with peppers and powders and seeds. I just thought that the whole concept of the spices having a god-like status was strange and a little ridiculous. Throughout the movie, Tilo has a conversation with the spices (presumably as unspoken thoughts) in which she apologizes to them, begs them for mercy, and expresses her devotion to them.

But there is some truth for the Christian to latch onto. Disobedience can lead to unintended consequences (though not in a karmic way as in the movie) such as stained relationships and personal pain. Sinning against the sovereign requires atonement (though, again, the sovereign is not the created, but the Uncreated Creator, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob). And though one may occasionally disobey (even in a major way), what matters most is faithfulness to God and getting up after you fall down.

Anyway, it was okay.

Should We Push for Prayer in Public Schools?

2009-04-15T22:34:00.005-04:00

My brothers and sisters in Christ,

Here are some random thoughts I have about the perceived need many of us have for getting prayer/the study of the Bible back into public schools:

this effort is misdirected. For what purpose are we wanting prayer in schools? So that all those unbelievers will suddenly start sincerely praying to God and will come to Christ? So that revival will break out in schools across the country? Not likely; mandating prayer may only serve to make people resent us more and believe that we want to convert by any means necessary.
perhaps we should work on getting more prayer in church and at home before we worry about the schools, as if that's the place for moral and religious education.
is there not already prayer in schools? Christians can pray anytime, anywhere, and those children who have been taught well will know this and can pray during class, before lunch, and even during conversations with other students.
we use an argument that can be effectively used against us. When we argue that evolution is wrong and should not be taught in part because Hitler used its premise to justify the Holocaust, we are saying, in effect, that teaching something which has been hijacked by people who do evil in the name of evolution is wrong. People could counter with this: the Bible has been used to justify some pretty evil things that go against the teachings and spirit of Jesus Christ. If people do evil in the name of Christ, then the Bible should not be taught in school, either.
the way to persuade people of the validity and effectiveness of a Christian worldview is not to try to make rules getting people to behave like us but to live a life of consistent love of God and of neighbor. Your life is a greater testimony that many, many debates and arguments.

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Randall Balmer has gotten to me (probably not). But it seems that "getting God into public schools again" is a scenario based on misinformation: he never left. It is debatable that Christian fervor really thrived when prayer was in school. Lest I be branded a heretic or something, I will say that there is an anti-Christian bias in public schools, but I affirm that the answer is not to respond with a martyr complex while trying to legislate theology.

Am I wrong?

For This Christ Died? (a repost from last year)

2009-04-10T22:20:00.001-04:00

Easter, like most holidays here in America, tends to be marked

by mixed messages. There is truth, and there is all the crap on sale at Wal-Mart.

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us,

so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor. 5:21)

"Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows,

yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,

and by his wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:4-5)

"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us,

for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.' He redeemed us

in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus,

so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit"

(Galatians 3:13-14)

"And they sang a song: 'You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals,

because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God

from every tribe and language and people and nation. . . . Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,

to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!'"

(Rev. 5:9-10, 12)

The contrast is phenomenal, is it not? Now, the Easter bunny is not the Antichrist, nor is Easter egg hunting a sin. But, as is the case for most holidays, we need to stay focused on the source of the holiday and the true meaning. Easter is a bouquet of truths given to us by God. Lean in and savor them for yourself:

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

"The Son of Man came to give his life as a ransom for many."

"While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

"It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out in a loud voice, 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.' When he had said this, he breathed his last."

"But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep."

"For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him."

"For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. . . . But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him."

"Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades."

Countdown to 26.2

2009-01-22T18:19:00.001-05:00

For anyone interested in keeping up with my training for the Flying Pig Marathon I'm running in May, see my facebook page, where I will be writing notes every week or so to check in on progress.

Countdown to 26.2: 18 weeks

2008-12-31T05:20:00.005-05:00

I realized yesterday that I begin my marathon training regiment in less than two weeks. I am not exactly ready for this, let alone the thought of running 26.2 miles in one day. But for the sake of seeing some actual progress, here are some baseline statistics which will be used for comparison throughout my training.

Starting weight: 240 (yep . . . ouch)

Miles run in December: 24.4

Notable decisions made this month: I realize that food is always going to be my toughest area to control. I love to eat, and, unfortunately, my standards are low, so I'll eat all kinds of stuff I shouldn't be eating. Two days ago, however, I started (once again, see my posts from Jan. 2008) cleaning it up somewhat, not as strictly as before, but focusing on not eating so much at a time, and not eating when I'm bored.

Last year, the half marathon was more of a logical next step in my evolution as a runner. This year, however, I feel that the full marathon is more of a life-changing event, some kind of metaphor for finding oneself in life and conquering fears. Taking a marathon seriously will change your life: you eat differently, you run differently, you face physical and mental challenges you've never had before, you have to invest many, many hours in training, and you must believe in yourself or you will not get past week six or so in the sixteen-week training program.

The timing in all this intensifies the greatness of the moment: my final semester in grad school (which brings its own worries and challenges), my ten-year anniversary, turning 32 next week (and realizing just how mortal I am), and noting that my dad had his heart attack at age 35, and he weighed only about 20 pounds more than I do right now when it happened. Not only do I want to run this marathon; I need to run this marathon.

So I will check in with this countdown every four weeks, or as often as it takes to succinctly yet fully convey this experience to you. For now, however, it's time to sleep.

"Happy Holidays": A Sign of The Coming Anti-Christian Apocalypse?

2008-12-23T13:00:00.008-05:00

Some Christians believe that there has been a war on Christmas, some kind of systematic attack on the religious aspect of December 25 which seeks to accomplish several objectives:

Replace "Merry Christmas" with "Happy Holidays" at retail stores
Remove or ban nativity scenes on government property
Replace traditional, Christian Christmas carols with songs like "Jingle Bells"
Emphasize Santa and de-emphasize Jesus

While the above items have indeed happened in many places, does this constitute some kind of organized, premeditated attack on Jesus and his followers? Do we need to take Christmas back from the evil hands of the far left?

I don't know if it's an organized thing or not, probably not. Even if it were, why do Christians care so much about non-Christian people doing non-Christian things to a tradition about which they neither know much nor care much? I have some random thoughts to help us Christians put this whole "war on Christmas" thing in perspective:

This is primarily a North American thing; few people, including Christians, outside the US care about this at all.
The word "holiday" means "holy day." It's still religious!
Why should Christians get all the attention, anyway? Christmas, technically speaking, is only on December 25; therefore, if we insist that people say "Merry Christmas" at Wal-Mart, shouldn't they only have to do it on the day itself (and Wal-Mart is closed!)? We are being greedy to insist that people greet us the way we want them to on days that aren't even our holiday.
There are four major holidays in December, only one of which is Christian. Dec. 9th is Eid al-Adha, a Muslim holiday. December 21-29 is Hanukkah, a Jewish holiday. December 25th is, of course, Christmas. And December 26-January 1 is Kwanzaa, a non-religious African-American holiday. If we really are a nation whose core value is freedom (even freedom to practice any [or no] religion), shouldn't we say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" alone?
"Xmas" is not an attempt to avoid saying "Christmas." The X is the Greek letter Chi, which is the first letter in the Greek form of "Christ." It's shorthand, not desecration.
Americans need to put their perceived persecution in perspective. Thousands of Indian Christians in Orissa will be celebrating Christmas hiding in forests and jungles because their homes and churches have been burned and destroyed by Hindu radicals. Many of them will celebrate Christmas mourning the loss of family or friends killed in these attacks. And we think that the cashier at Target saying "Happy Holidays" is worth even caring about? "Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering" (Hebrews 13:3).
Who cares if people in our society are trying to take Christ out of Christmas? It's not their job to teach the meaning of Christmas to your kids; it's your job, and it's the church's job.
The way to teach the meaning of Christmas it not to declare war on the war on Christmas. We must give a reason for the hope that we have, but we must do it "with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously about your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of your slander" (1 Peter 3:15-16). Has our behavior in reaction to this "war" been good?

Let Christians be the guardians of Christmas, especially the part about peace on earth.

Christian Songs That Annoy Me

2008-12-20T04:03:00.005-05:00

Today, I present another sour morsel for you to chew on. It is none other than Point of Grace's megahit "How You Live (Turn Up The Music)" [my comments in red]

[Before we begin, can I just say I don't like songs
with two titles? Yes, that includes you, Chris Rice with your
ironically-titled "Untitled Hymn (Come to Jesus)"]

Wake up to the sunlight
With your windows open
Don't hold in your anger or leave things unspoken
Wear your red dress
Use your good dishes
Make a big mess and make lots of wishes
Have what you want
But want what you have
And don't spend your life lookin' back
No harm done so far, just a little sentimental
and nothing overtly Christian.

Chorus:
Turn up the music
Turn it up loud
Take a few chances
Let it all out
You won't regret it (maybe)
Lookin' back from where you have been
Cuz it's not who you knew
And it's not what you did
It's how you live
What does that leave you with? Pretty much all of life
is summed up in "who you knew" and "what you did."
I guess their emphasis is on how you did what you did.

Verse 2:
So go to the ballgames
And go to the ballet
And go see your folks more than just on the holidays
Kiss all your children
Dance with your wife
Tell your husband you love him every night
Don't run from the truth
'Cause you can't get away
Just face it and you'll be okay

Chorus:
Turn up the music
Turn it up loud
Take a few chances
Let it all out
You won't regret it
Lookin' back from where you have been
'Cause it's not who you knew
And it's not what you did
It's how you live

Bridge:
Oh wherever you are and wherever you've been
Now is the time to begin

Verse 3:
So give to the needy
And pray for the grieving
Even when you don't think that you can
'Cause all that you do is bound to come back to you
So think of your fellow man
Stop, stop, Stop! What are you, Hindu or something with
all this karma stuff? This is not Christian. There is
"a man reaps what he sows" (Galatians 6:7), but that is a different context.
Make peace with God and make peace with yourself
'Cause in the end there's nobody else
except everybody else in your life . . . duh.

Apart from the "make peace with God" part, there really is nothing that says "this is a Christian song." I've heard Tim McGraw songs that were more Christian than this ("Drugs or Jesus," anyone?). Heck, I've heard Poison songs that were more Christian ("Something to Believe In"). If this were not intended to be a Christian song, that's one thing and I can accept that. Just because a Christian group records a song, it does not mean that they must always record overtly Christian songs (for example, Sixpence and their "Kiss Me").

But what irks me is that our local Christian station, as well as K-Love, have heralded this song as "song of the year" material for the Dove Awards. It was, in fact a nominee for Country Recorded Song of the Year at the Dove Awards for 2008, which it won.

Long review short, fix up the unbiblical karma stuff, and it's just another sentimental "live life" song. I just like to complain.

When Pigs Fly (aka May 3rd, 2009)

2008-12-10T21:48:00.002-05:00

All right, another update on my progress toward 26.2. Right now, not so good. I've gained about four pounds since I announced that I was going to run in the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon next May. Yep, that puts me at about 235, our about 20 lbs away from my pre-running days weight. I can't believe it: my low this year was about 210!

The hardest part has been re-establishing a post-baby, yet-another-busy-semester running schedule. Heidi works about 20 hours a week, in the mornings, which means that three or four days a week, I don't get enough sleep (reminder: I get home from work about 4am) to want to run when I get up. That and I love food. Food has always been my weak spot. I don't just eat to survive; I enjoy eating. Not to an obsessive, never-gets-enough extreme, but I do love me some Tendercrisp chicken sandwiches.

I'm still running; it's just sporadic and not enough to establish the kind of basline I need to begin formal marathon training NEXT MONTH!

Wish me luck. Ugh.

Christian Songs That Annoy Me (Christmas Edition)

2008-12-05T13:05:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since my last installment in one of my favorite passive-aggressive hobbies: cynically (but somewhat legitimately, I hope) analyzing and rolling my eyes at various Christian songs out there. 'Tis the season for sappy, warm fuzzy songs, and none of them drips with as much tortured emotion and heart string pulling as Christmas Shoes. It's Christian because Newsong does a version of it, and the movie version (starring Rob Lowe?!) and its sequel (!!!) are sold by Christian Book Distributors. So here we go (as always, my comments are in red):

It was almost Christmas time
There I stood in another line
Trying to buy that last gift or two
I'm really in the Christmas mood
Standing right in front of me
Was a little boy waiting anxiously
Pacing around like little boys do
And in his hands he held
A pair of shoes

And his clothes were worn and old
He was dirty from head to toe
Does Daddy not know how to run the bath water? The kid can buy shoes but not operate a bathtub? Maybe he works at the coal mines.
And when it came his time to pay
I couldn't believe what I heard him say

Sir I wanna buy these shoes for my Momma please
It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size
Could you hurry Sir?
Daddy says there's not much time
Here son, go get some shoes while Mommy dies. Priorities.
You see, she's been sick for quite a while
And I know these shoes will make her smile
And I want her to look beautiful
If Momma meets Jesus tonight.

They counted pennies for what seem like years
Daddy lets him go get shoes but doesn't help with the bill?
And cashier says son there's not enough here
He searches his pockets frantically
And he turned and he looked at me
And he said Momma made Christmas good at our house
Most years she just did without
Tell me Sir
What am I gonna do?
Some how I’ve got to buy her these Christmas shoes

So I layed the money down
I just had to help him out
And I'll never forget
The look on his face
When he said Momma's gonna look so great.

Sir I wanna buy these shoes, for my Momma please
It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size
Could you hurry Sir?
Daddy says there's not much time
You see, she's been sick for quite a while
And I know these shoes will make her smile
And I want her to look beautiful,
If Momma meets Jesus tonight.

I knew I caught a glimpse of heaven's love as he thanked me and ran out.
I know that God had sent that little boy to remind me
What Christmas is all about
Buying stuff? Loving a dying parent? Is that limited to Christmas?

Sir I wanna buy these shoes for my Momma please
It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size
Could you hurry Sir?
Daddy says there's not much time
You see she's been sick for quite a while
And I know these shoes will make her smile
And I want her to look beautiful
If Momma meets Jesus tonight

I want her to look beautiful
If Momma meets Jesus tonight

I propose a final chorus, with some modifications:

Sir, I wanna buy these shoes - yes, on Christmas Eve,
I probably should have done this weeks ago.
Could you hurry, Sir?
Daddy says there's not much time.
You see, I should be with Mom right now
And I can't imagine what I'd feel
If I'm stuck here buying Christmas shoes
And Momma meets Jesus tonight.

What are we trying to restore?

2008-11-24T20:25:00.004-05:00

This semester, my favorite class has been Issues in Acts, a study of the various themes and theological emphases of Luke-Acts. It's one of my favorite class formats, too: everyone writes a paper on a chosen topic, and each week two topics (represented by one or two people each) are presented. For each topic, we read the presenters' papers and some assigned chapters in our textbook. Everyone reads everyone's paper. In class, the presenter gives their presentation and the group discusses the presentation, paper, and related topics. I finished my paper and did my presentation early in the semester, so I have been able to sit back and enjoy the other papers and discussions.

One question has come up in various ways as we have studied through Acts: what should church look like in light of ________? (_______ being whatever topic was presented) As a member of a church that is part of the fellowship of churches known as the Restoration Movement, I find this question of special importance.

[For the uninitiated, the Restoration Movement was and is a philosophy of ministry articulated by men in the early 1800s who were disheartened by the depth of division and bitter rivalry among churches in their day. As an example of such foolishness in the church, consider the denomination from which Thomas Campbell (basically the father of the restoration movement) came: The Old-Light, Anti-Burgher, Seceder Presbyterian Church. They thought they were the one true church, and all others were heretics! What Campbell and others sought to do was unite the church (the whole church, all denominations) on the sole basis of the teachings of Scripture. No creeds were necessary because they are the inventions of man. The goal, then, was and is to restore the New Testament church, accomplishing unity, but unity in truth.]

Obviously, we aren't trying to restore everything about the NT church (Acts 5 and 1 Corinthians 5 for example!). The NT church, even the church in Acts, was flawed, not because God's plan is flawed, but because God's plan involves people. Nevertheless, we strive to restore things like open-handed generosity to those in need, deep dependence on God for all we are and all we have, and boldness and confidence sharing the good news about Jesus.

Sometimes, though, it looks like the Restoration Movement is trying to restore baptism by immersion for the forgiveness of sins and local church autonomy, which are great but are only a fraction of what we ought to be restoring. We in the RM should, must, evaluate how we have done over the last 200 years at achieving our goals. I'm not sure the evaluation would be very positive. In our history, three new denominations (Christian Church/Church of Christ, Church of Christ [A Capella], and the Church of Christ-Disciples of Christ) have been formed, and things are just now beginning to heal some of the wounds, a positive step indeed but indicative that we have a long way to go as the movement that promotes nondenominational unity.

Am I being too optimistic? Too pessimistic? What are we trying to restore?

What if Starbucks Marketed Like a Church? A Parable.

2008-11-14T04:02:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Matt Crosser for the post on Facebook. Well-thought out - it hits on the head several things, albeit sarcastically, that the church sometimes does wrong. I'm interested in checking out the website at the end, since "relevance" as a trend in churches is one area of thinking about church that makes me squirm in some deep, unexplainable sort of way.

Matthias: Wrong Man for the Job?

2008-11-12T21:38:00.007-05:00

A hermeneutically funny thing happened lately. Twice in the past couple of months, I have heard an argument that has struck a small nerve with me. What makes this all more interesting to me is that I am taking a class this semester called Issues in Acts, a class in which we have looked at various themes in Acts, including the theme of the apostles and the people of God. First, the argument, then what I don't like about it.

The first time I heard the argument, it came from Andy, our very capable preacher. He began a sermon on who knows what with the scene in Acts 1 of the apostles replacing Judas Iscariot with Matthias. He used this event to bring up the question: is it possible that the 11 apostles acted rashly when they replaced Judas? We see later in Acts how Saul is chosen by the risen Christ to be his messenger to the Gentiles. Andy suggested that the 11 just could not wait on God's will to be fully realized and also suggested that Paul was supposed to be the 12th apostle, if only they would have waited on God. I then heard this argument again in another class in Johannine literature after a discussion on John's understanding of Judas. So the argument is that Paul, not Matthias, should have been the 12th apostle. I assume this means that the 11 just should have waited until Saul was converted before they added the 12th apostle.

Here's the text of Acts 1:21-22 "Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us-- 22 beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us-- one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection."

Here's what I don't like about this interpretation:

The single Greek word (dei), translated "it is necessary" or "must," a word that occurs more in Luke-Acts than in the rest of the New Testament, almost always occurs in the context of the will of God or the work of God, indicating that whatever "it" is that is necessary is necessary by divine will. To see this word in action, see Luke 2:49; 4:43; Acts 4:12; 9:6, 16 and several other places.
This word occurs in 1:21, indicating that the replacement of Judas is the will of God.
The conditions laid out in v. 21-22 would preclude Paul from consideration: he must be one who "accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us - beginning with the baptism of John until the day he was taken up from us." Paul had not done that.
The disciples prayed, asking God to intervene in the process: "show which of these two you have chosen" (1:24). They then cast lots, not an equivalent of rolling dice, but a means of revealing God's will.

This may not be a big deal to anyone out there; there is certainly no important bit of Christian theology at stake here. It is, however, a matter of paying attention to the text and doing a little concordance work, which ought not to be too much to ask of anyone preaching or teaching this passage.

Run, Fat Boy, Run

2008-11-03T19:54:00.002-05:00

So it hasn't been the best year for running, at least not since the Pig. I logged a whopping 8 miles in September and an even less impressive 5.4 in October. For the sake of comparison, last September I ran 68.2 miles and last October I ran 56.1. Ouch. This and the fact that I've let my eating habits return to their undisciplined ways has led to me bulking up to 232 lbs. In June of this year I weighed less than 215. So . . . yeah: it's not been a good few months for running or for eating right.

That's why I have chosen (yet again) to bare my runner's soul to all (two) of you out there. I still plan on running in the full marathon next May, so I've got some work to do. I am basically starting from scratch; my longest run in the last month is three miles, so I have only a minimal endurance left from earlier in the year.

I have an excuse: we had a baby. He has had a way of totally changing our lives, and by that I don't mean he's made our lives worse. Definitely not. But he has most definitely changed every aspect of our daily lives, including what I do with my spare time. Running was an easy thing to push aside as we've tried to reorient ourselves to life as The Three of Us.

There is a plan, however flexible it is. I should be able to run at least twice a week until the semester is over, after which I should be able to run three to four times per week. I will need to start my official training regiment on December 28.

So I will keep somewhat frequent updates, letting you know how things are going.

Here are my goals for the marathon:

Weight: under 200
Finish Time: not really worried about it, but under 5 hours would be nice.

How To Get Jail Time For A Speeding Ticket

2008-10-31T22:12:00.001-04:00

Slight overreaction.

10 Ways for Worship Leaders to Hinder the Church

2008-10-02T12:24:00.001-04:00

Yeah. This pretty much summarizes the things about contemporary Christian worship that can drive me crazy. Most churches don't commit all ten of these, but many churches fall into one or two on a regular basis. Though it's cynical and sarcastic (which is, admittedly, part of why I like it), it hits on some very important yet dangerous trends in contemporary/"relevant" worship.

The Soup: The Mail Nurse with Christian group The Way and Gospel Dancing - 9/19/08

2008-09-27T04:07:00.001-04:00

Thanks to Jared for bringing this to my attention via his blog. Funny stuff.

Thy rod and thy staff shall stay at the gate

2008-08-29T03:45:00.003-04:00

I saw this sign while doing some driving for a temporary job. I'm still not sure what the problem was that necessitated this sign. It's not like there are a lot of shepherds in Milford, Ohio. Actually, shepherd rods are devices used to hang flowers over a grave marker. So it does make sense; it just took me about three weeks to figure it out.

Book Review: 90 Minutes in Heaven (Part Two)

2008-08-26T19:17:00.007-04:00

(Note: this part won't make as much sense unless you read part one below)

Theological Accuracy: 20/40 Why the low score? The question ought to be this: why the high score? The score is not lower because, for once, the low number of pages actually dealing with heaven helps him here. Surely he cannot err too many times in 16 pages?

Here's what makes grading this so difficult: how do you say to someone, "your experience was wrong"? You really can't. You can say, "Your experience is different from the experience of other, more trustworthy, people who claim the same thing you have." And that's what I'm doing here. The "other, more trustworthy" person in this case is the apostle John. But we can say Piper is wrong because when you say something different from what the Bible says (for example, the Bible is the Word of God, but so is the Book of Mormon, the Pearl of Great Price, etc.), that is wrong. The Bible is the standard against which we measure our experiences. Scripture is the filter for experience; experience is not the filter for Scripture. In other words, the Bible tells us what our experiences in life mean. It is not "our experiences tell us what the Bible means," as is the mistake of so many.

Back to Piper. Here are my biggest peeves with his experience of heaven.

1) He believes there is no sense of time in Heaven. Apart from some philosophical objections to finite creatures living in a timeless existence, my concern is biblical. He writes, "I'm not sure if they actually said the words or not, but I knew they had been waiting and expecting me, yet I also knew that in heaven there is no sense of time passing" (25). Here he's speaking about loved ones who came to greet him in Heaven. Piper betrays his own conclusion about there not being a sense of time when he "knew" they had been waiting and expecting him, things no one can do without a sense of time. If we look in Revelation, we see more than once a sense of time: Rev. 6:10-11: the martyrs (in Heaven!) "called out in a loud voice, 'How long, Sovereign Lord, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?' Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed." See also Rev. 8:1 and every reference containing the word "then" (about 53 times in Revelation).

2) Piper believes there are no songs in Heaven about Jesus' death. "As I stood before the gate, I didn't think of it, but later I realized that I didn't hear such songs as 'The Old Rugged Cross' or 'The Nail-Scarred Hand.' None of the hymns that filled the air were about Jesus' sacrifice or death. I heard no sad songs and instinctively knew that there are no sad songs in heaven. Why would there be? All were praises about Christ's reign as King of Kings and our joyful worship for all he has done for us and how wonderful he is" (31). This has to be one of the most mind-boggling contentions in the whole book. A few notes here:

There are indeed songs about Jesus' death in Heaven (Rev. 5:9-14). According to the song in Rev. 5, the reason Jesus is worthy to open the scrolls is "because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation" (5:9)!
Every mention of Jesus appearing as a Lamb is a reference to his death (5:6, 8, 12, 13; 6:3, 5, 7, 16; 7:9, 10, 14, 17; 12:11; 13:8; 15:3; 21:9 to name a few). Even if these are not songs, Jesus being the slain Lamb is a central theme in Revelation. Apart from the OT imagery of sacrificing lambs to atone for sins, this metaphor would not make any sense.
How could there be songs about "all he has done for us" if those songs did not include his death for our sins? The greatest work of Jesus was done on the cross; "all he has done for us" is almost meaningless apart from the cross.
Are songs about Jesus' death really sad? I would submit that songs about Jesus' death are some of the happiest, most joyful songs we sing. His death and resurrection is the good news!

3. Piper did not see Jesus in Heaven. In the 16 pages describing his experience, he makes no mention of seeing Jesus there. Friends and family come out to meet him, he mentions hearing songs praising God, but nothing about Jesus. This does not necessarily disprove his experience, but it does seem strange. What makes Heaven Heaven is that Jesus is there! Otherwise it's just a really nice place. I can't wait to meet family and friends who have gone before, let alone the apostles and other giants of church history. But the one I most want to see is Jesus (Rev. 22:4).

Persuasion: 10/25 I am not persuaded because of two factors: 1) the glaring theological errors, and 2) the self-centered nature of the entire book. Yes, it's autobiographical. Yes, it's about experience. But at times it goes beyond "telling my story" to "promoting my story." Take this excerpt for example: "I'm writing about what happened because my story seems to mean so much to people for many different reasons. For example, when I speak to any large crowd, at least one person will be present who has recently lost a loved one and needs assurance of that person's destination. When I finish speaking, it still amazes me to see how quickly the line forms of those who want to talk to me. They come with tears in their eyes and grief written all over their faces. I feel so grateful that I can offer them peace and assurance" (128-129). Me, me, me, me, me, me. Forget the Bible, I'm just glad my story can help people. How arrogant! Mr. Piper, you can't truly give assurance of anyone's destination; how do you know?

There are other things about this book I just don't like, little statements here and there that get me bent out of shape. He says that "I've changed the way I do funerals. Now I can speak authoritatively about heaven from firsthand knowledge" (129). To me, this says, "I trust my experience more than I trust Scripture. I could never speak authoritatively just using the Bible." Doesn't that sound crazy? Later he talks about knowing that heaven is real because he's been there (195). Pardon me, but I know heaven is real because Jesus said it was. I knew it without having to go there first! Does Piper need to go to hell to know that it, too, exists?

Conclusion: I don't recommend this book to help people cope with death or uncertainty about Heaven. I recommend Scripture for that. It's a somewhat interesting read, but I grew weary of reading about how much pain he suffered in his leg and how depressed he was. I really grew weary of him describing how much he (not God) has helped people with his story.
Something happened to Don Piper that day, but I don't think it was a trip to heaven.

Book Review: 90 Minutes in Heaven (Part One)

2008-08-22T15:59:00.005-04:00

I read Don Piper's 90 Minutes in Heaven as part of my research for a series of lessons I taught on Heaven to my Sunday School class at church. After reading it, I must say I had mixed feelings. On the one hand, I don't think he's lying; I think he had some sort of experience, and as far as we know, he really was dead at the scene of the accident. On the other hand, his experience is not consistent with what the Bible says about Heaven. But we'll get to that in a little bit.

Since this is my first book review, I am devising an arbitrary grading matrix for book reviews. I will give the book up to 100 points, split up into the categories of Readability (15 points), Theological Accuracy (40 points), Accomplishment of Thesis (20 points), and Persuasion (25 points). If I don't like this setup, I'll change it for the next book review.

Here's the basic story of the book: Don Piper, a Baptist minister, was driving home from a convention in Texas on January 18, 1989. While crossing a bridge, a large supply truck from a prison lost control and hit him head-on, crushing his little Ford Escort and killing him instantly. He was declared dead by EMTs at 11:45 am and was left in the car until the coroner arrived. Meanwhile, a fellow Baptist minister and convention attendee came up on the scene and felt a strong burden to pray for the then-unknown man in the car. After persuading the EMTs to let him pray for the dead man, he climbed inside the car and laid a hand on Piper's good shoulder (the left was barely still there) and prayed for quite a while, intermittently singing hymns. At 1:15 pm, during a song, the dead man began to sing along with the minister. Piper was rushed to the hospital and the rest of the book details his time in Heaven, his recovery, and his subsequent ministry.

So here we go. Readability: 10/15. Piper and co-author Cecil Murphy are not the best writers I've read. They're not bad, either. At times, you can sense them struggling for the right words to express what Piper experienced, and sometimes it just ends up summarizing overwhelming experiences with somewhat cliche wording: "I still didn't know why, but the joyousness of the place wiped away any questions. Everything felt blissful. Perfect" (23).

Accomplishment of Thesis: 10/20. The reason for the low score is because when I bought this book, I expected it to be a book about Don Piper's 90 minutes in Heaven. Only 16 out of 205 pages actually describe his time in Heaven, a major bait-and-switch. The book should be called Back From the Dead: One Man's Painful Journey of Recovery After a Fatal Car Accident. Nearly 170 pages chronicle his physical and emotional recovery.

Stay tuned for part two.

On Becoming a Father, Part One

2008-08-14T15:05:00.003-04:00

Assuming our little guy waits until the week of his due date, we have three and a half weeks left until we become parents. This is one of life's milestones that sticks with you and cannot be undone (even if your child dies, you are still a parent to that child, or at least you would say you have been a parent. But let's not be too picky). And it cultivates the kind of love inside you that you did not think you have: complete love for a total stranger. We've never actually met face-to-face, yet I would give my life for him. This love comes bursting out in certain moments, like when I imagine his sleeping on my chest, so small, so innocent, so fragile, so beautiful, so trusting, so lovable - I often cry for joy and love at such thoughts. There are such intense emotions connected to becoming and being parents. One minute I cannot wait to meet him and hold him and hear his coos and touch his face, and the next minute I am terrified that he is completely our responsibility for the next 18 years or so. But I'm sure it will all be just fine.

Responding to Chain Emails #1: Can Muslims Be Good Americans?

2008-06-17T17:10:00.003-04:00

Here is the text of a recent chain email I received, after which I offer the response I gave to the person who sent it to me.

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

CAN MUSLIMS BE GOOD AMERICANS?

This is very interesting and we all need to read it from start to Finish and send it on to anyone who will read it. Maybe this is why our American Muslims are so quiet and not speaking out about any atrocities. Can a good Muslim be a good American? This question was forwarded to a friend who worked in Saudi Arabia for 20 years. The following is his reply:

Theologically - no. . . . Because his allegiance is to Allah, The moon God of Arabia .

Religiously - no. . . Because no other religion is accepted by His Allah except Islam (Quran, 2:256)(Koran)

Scripturally - no. . . Because his allegiance is to the five Pillars of Islam and the Quran.

Geographically - no . Because his allegiance is to Mecca , to which he turns in prayer five times a day.

Socially - no. . . Because his allegiance to Islam forbids him to make friends with Christians or Jews .

Politically - no. . . Because he must submit to the mullahs (spiritual leaders), who teach annihilation of Israel and destruction of America , the great Satan.

Domestically - no. . . Because he is instructed to marry four Women and beat and scourge his wife when she disobeys him (Quran 4:34)

Intellectually - no. . Because he cannot accept the American Constitution since it is based on Biblical principles and he believes the Bible to be corrupt.

Philosophically - no. . . Because Islam, Muhammad, and the Quran does not allow freedom of religion and expression. Democracy and Islam cannot co-exist. Every Muslim government is either dictatorial or autocratic.

Spiritually - no. . . Because when we declare 'one nation under God,' the Christian's God is loving and kind, while Allah is NEVER referred to as Heavenly father, nor is he ever called love in The Quran's 99 excellent names.

Therefore, after much study and deliberation....

Perhaps we should be very suspicious of ALL MUSLIMS in this country. - - - They obviously cannot be both 'good' Muslims and good Americans.

Call it what you wish it's still the truth. You had better believe it. The more who understand this, the better it will be for our country and our future. The religious war is bigger than we know or understand. . ...

And Barack Hussein Obama, a Muslim, wants to be our President? You have GOT to be kidding! Wake up America !

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

Barak is a member of the United Church of Christ, a Christian denomination. Obviously there are many Muslims who love America and function well in society. Remember: not all Islam is radical Islam! The description below only applies to the Al-Quaeda types, the freakishly radical.

Geographically, I'm not a good American either because I look to Heaven, not Washington, D.C., for my inspiration. And frankly, who says America is a Christian nation? Yes it was founded on Christian principles, but have we forgotten one of the key principles, the first amendment of the Bill of Rights: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

I do not recall the Constitution or the Bill of Rights specifically saying that America is a Christian nation. Perhaps I'm wrong. The first amendment gives freedom for Muslims (and Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs, atheists, pagans, Wiccans, etc.) to live here, be citizens AND worship however they like. For there to be a law preventing their theological allegiance to Mecca would contradict the first amendment. So the first four items on his list are irrelevant. Most of the others are based on comparing Osama bin Laden with GI Joe and represent a version of Islam that NOT ALL MUSLIMS ACCEPT.
-----------------------------------

I must admit, I often cringe at the emails sent my way that are supposed to inspire patriotism and attempt to flaunt Christianity as THE religion of America. It often comes across as blind embracing of all Republican policy and a confused hybrid of Christianity and patriotism which accuses you of heresy or treason should you question either. This doesn't make me a liberal (either politically or theologically); generally, I support the war and think it is actually working (to see why I refer you to my capable friend Jared). However, I do think there are people in this world who love Jesus and hate the war, who read their Bibles and yet disagree with President Bush. It's possible, so deal with it.

W. Oregon Sara Tucholsky first HR - ultimate sportsmanship

2008-05-29T16:02:00.001-04:00

Grab some Kleenex for this one. It's great.

New Balance LOVE/Hate Anthem

2008-05-12T13:42:00.001-04:00

A thoughtful friend flabbergastedly states the same thing every time I talk about running in an upcoming race: "I don't see why anyone would pay money to run on streets my tax dollars pay for" or something like that. It's a good question, and I've been thinking about why I run and why I actually pay money (the half marathon was not cheap, by the way) to run in a race when I can run anywhere and anytime I want to for FREE. Here are some of my reasons mixed with some of my followup questions for those who can't understand why:

1. Signing up for a race (which includes paying money) keeps me accountable: I had better train since I paid for the race.
2. It's motivating: I want to finish the race strongly, not wheezing and crawling on my hands and knees.
3. Having a deadline helps me to train on a schedule in a focused way that not having a deadline cannot accomplish. If there's no deadline, no distance goal, no time goal, then what am I running for?
4. Running for purely health reasons isn't enough for me. I would probably quit running if there were no other reason to run. Entering and paying to race is another reason to stick with it.
5. Why pay money to go to a gym when you can exercise (including resistance training) for FREE? Because it's a place to meet other lifters. Because you gain access to experts in the field. Because it keeps you accountable. Because it is encouraging to you as a lifter. Because it is helpful to know that other people are interested in the same thing as you. Because it is invigorating to go to a place where others are cheering for you and are interested in you doing your best. Now, substitute "runner" for "lifter."
6. Anything that's worth anything in life will cost you something. Running is worth a lot: there are many health benefits, it has a calming effect on your mind and body (after the run, that is), it's a place to achieve more than you thought possible. It costs you time, money (shoes and stuff), sweat, occasional pain, energy, and commitment, but it pays you back in joy, sense of accomplishment, visible results (more muscular legs and a thinner waist for starters), measurable results, and a new component to your identity, that of "runner."
7. When else do police block off streets just for you?
8. Because of the pre-race expo, where you can find all things running and meet and speak with experts in shoes, apparel, nutrition, injury prevention and treatment, etc. You don't meet these people on the street.
9. Because always training and never showcasing is boring.
10. How can you criticize it if you've never done it?
I mean these points in all gentleness and respect to my friend and anyone else who don't see running like runners do. Like many things in life, to experience it is much better than to simply witness it. Pro football is much more exciting at the stadium than on TV (this is especially true for baseball). Either way, the same thing happens; it's the experiencing of it in person that makes the difference. When you walk into the stadium, you think Wow, this place is incredible. I can feel the energy. It's like that at a race: you feel an energy, a sense of awe at the magnitude of the event, and a little bit of fear about the race itself that you just don't get running sidewalks by yourself.

For me personally (as you can see from the reasons above) it boils down to the intangibles. Yes, the health benefits are the same whether you run by yourself at the park or run in a race, but the emotional and experiential benefits cannot even be touched by always running by yourself in training mode.
I really like New Balance's new ad campaign for their running shoes. They have tapped into the mind of the runner and their relationship metaphor is spot on. The video posted here is one example.

Half Marathon Training Check-In: Mission Accomplished

2008-05-04T20:28:00.004-04:00

Well, I did it. I ran the half marathon. In addition to the photos (I threw in a couple of pics of Heidi's 5k from Saturday) which speak for themselves, I offer you a few stats:

1. Miles Ran: 13.1

2. Time to Run 13.1 miles: 2 hours, 14 minutes, 5 seconds

3. Number of People who ran the half marathon: 7,353 (I placed 3,322nd)

4. Number of people I saw throwing up: 1 (only three miles in!)

5. Number of people I saw who looked like they were about to throw up or pass out: at least 2

6. Number of gel packs and Sport Beans packets I saw dropped on the road: about 50

7. Money I saw rolled up and dropped by someone: about $6

8. Number of times I've iced my knees in the last 8 hours: 6

Random Photos

2008-04-25T04:31:00.005-04:00

Here are some interesting things I've seen recently:

This happy fella was my chicken sandwich from Chik-Fil-A. What's great is that I totally did not mean to make a smiley face with the honey mustard.

I made this miraculous likeness of the Blessed Virgin Mary during, of all things, Doctrine of God class. It's made from three twisted-together mini-York peppermint patty wrappers.

This is the sign currently displayed at the Burger King next to our apartment complex. Note the misspelled "Steakhouse" and the hand-drawn "R" in "Burgers."

Earthquake!

2008-04-18T13:47:00.003-04:00

So there was an earthquake in Illinois this morning, a 5.2 magnitude quake that I felt this morning about a minute after I lay down to go to sleep. I was lying there when I felt a gentle rocking feeling from the bed, as if someone were at the end of it pushing and pulling for about fifteen seconds. It wasn't anything severe or intense, but it was enough to make me wonder What's going on here? The thought of an earthquake crossed my mind, but I didn't think there were any fault lines around here. My first candidate for an earthquake was the New Madrid Fault in southeast Missouri, the one that was supposed to be "the big one" like twenty years ago but hasn't done anything yet.

Did you feel it?

This is my second earthquake, but the first one I actually felt. The first was in India, when the Sumatra earthquake sent the tsunami that killed more than 200,000 people. We were sleeping when it was felt in India.

Thanks a lot, Skybus . . . Jerks.

2008-04-05T04:59:00.000-04:00

I am committed to speaking at a week of high school camp this summer (where one Jarod Anderson is the dean), and I was all set to fly, round trip, from Columbus, OH, to Kansas City, for $90. How could I accomplish this feat? Skybus, a budget airline that offers really cheap tickets if you book way early.

The only problem now? Skybus announced yesterday that their last day of operations is today. Something about rising fuel costs, blah blah blah. Yeah - they're done, and they are encouraging customers like me who lost money to contact their credit card companies to apply for a refund. They won't even issue the refunds themselves!

So now I have to figure out how I'm going to get to Kansas City and back this June. I really don't want to cancel. So Jarod and Laura, this is probably news to you. We'll figure something out.

Sit Next To Me

2008-03-28T19:27:00.006-04:00

It's not every day that you come to theological realizations at McDonald's.

As I sat alone, eating my double cheeseburger and wondering what I needed to do next on my list of errands, two ladies entered the restaurant, each with one son who was friends with the other. The boys were pretty excited about being at McDonald's, as evidenced by their sprint through the open door and subsequent opening of everything with a handle, starting with the door to the trash bin. While the two ladies ordered lunch, they apparently sent the boys off to secure a table. They scurried about, weaving in and out of several tables before settling on a large, rounded booth with more than enough seating for two little boys and their moms.

One boy said to the other, "Come sit with me."

The other asked outright, "Why?"

Without any hesitation, the first boy said, "Because I love you."

I smiled, and immediately my eyes began to tear up. I tried to hide it: people might have thought, what's this guy's problem? Is the food that bad? It wasn't the food, however, that brought tears to my eyes. It was the nature of the conversation and the sheer honesty on the part of both boys, one wondering why he should sit next to his friend, and the other wanting him to simply because "I love you." You could interpret the conversation this way:

"Come, sit with me."

"Why? What have I ever done to deserve or warrant you, my best friend, wanting me to sit next to you?"

"Nothing. Sit with me because I love you. Isn't that enough?"

I have not had that conversation with any of my friends. At least, not yet. But I know someone who has.

Jesus told the church in Laodicea, "To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne."

Brothers and sisters in Christ, if we overcome life in this sin-filled world, if we escape the corruption of immorality and the manifold temptations waging war on our souls, Jesus will one day say to us (even us who, like the Laodiceans, have at times been lukewarm in our faith), "Come sit with me."

And we'll say, "Why?"

And Jesus will say, "Because I love you."

An Evening with Phillip Johnson

2008-03-27T04:38:00.005-04:00

Last night I attended a presentation called (you guessed it) "An Evening With Phillip Johnson." If you're thinking who is Phillip Johnson, then you should know that he is basically the guy who started the Intelligent Design movement and has been one of Darwinism's fiercest critics. He's also a guy that naturalists (Darwinists) hate because he's not an easy-to-make-fun-of fundamentalist; he's not even a young-earth creationist. In fact, he doesn't even like to be called anything with an -ist at the end. If you're into the literature surrounding the debate, then you will be familiar with his most famous book, Darwin on Trial.

Mr. Johnson, born in 1940, has had at least two strokes in recent years, making walking quite difficult and somewhat slowing his speech. He is still quite sharp, however, and once he got going on a topic, the words flowed quite smoothly.

I arrived a bit early at CCU (where the event was held), and I happened to walk in right behind Johnson and his wife. I introduced myself as he and Jack Cottrell (the interviewer) were meeting. We spoke briefly about Cincinnati in general and the seminary in particular. I must say that Phillip Johnson is a real gentleman. He shows respect for evolutionists and creationists (he made mention of Ken Ham and Answers in Genesis, located just across the river in Petersburg, KY), and he speaks very gently but clearly regarding the fallacies committed by evolutionists.

All in all, the information given was not really anything I haven't heard or read before. It was nice, however, to meet him in person and to experience an event like this while Johnson is still willing and able to travel and speak.

For This Christ Died? (a repost from last year)

2008-03-21T04:27:00.007-04:00

Easter, like most holidays here in America, tends to be marked

by mixed messages. There is truth, and there is all the crap on sale at Wal-Mart.

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us,

so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor. 5:21)

"Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows,

yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,

and by his wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:4-5)

"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us,

for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.' He redeemed us

in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus,

so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit"

(Galatians 3:13-14)

"And they sang a song: 'You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals,

because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God

from every tribe and language and people and nation. . . . Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,

to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!'"

(Rev. 5:9-10, 12)

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

"The Son of Man came to give his life as a ransom for many."

"While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

"But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep."

"For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him."

"Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades."

Tuesday, a Big Day

2008-03-15T16:32:00.000-04:00

I’m really looking forward to Tuesday. It’s Heidi’s birthday, and we are going for our second visit to the doctor, this time to hear the heartbeat! (In case you didn’t know, we’re having a baby! Heidi is due September 16) By then she will be starting week 13.

We really feel blessed by all this. Blessed, but surprised. God’s timing is, it seems, strange. Just when we were at peace with the thought that we may never have our children through natural birth (adoption was certainly on the table), and just when we thought It’s a good thing we don’t have any kids right now, with me being in school another year, maybe more after that, etc., God smiled on us and reminded us in a beautifully poetic way that "in him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). We have jokingly said that if it’s a boy, we’ll name him Isaac, which means "he laughs." Perhaps God laughed (in a "bless your heart" way) at our thinking.

We’re ready. We’ve loved this child for seven years already. That’s about how long it took for us to conceive. And I’ve gotta tell you, it was a profound moment when I first said the words (in a prayer) "our child." Wow. Every parent can identify with that feeling, and with the words of Psalm 139:13-18:

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know them full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.

I've Been Featured . . . Sort Of

2008-03-01T04:17:00.003-05:00

On one of my favorite blogs, Apostrophe Abuse, I've had two photos displayed in their latest entry, "Resident's, Balcony's, Patio's, and Case's." If you've never seen this site, it's a funny collection of instances where people use unnecessary apostrophes. This would be a good time to go over some basics about our friend the apostrophe:

An " 's" never makes a word plural. So please don't write stuff like "Case's of cold Red Bull for sale."
An apostrophe serves a few purposes: signaling contractions (don't, can't, etc.), signaling possession (Mike's book, my parents' names), and, rarely, to indicate the shortening up of a word, usually to represent in writing an accent or unique use of word ('twas, buggin', " 'allo there, 'ow are you?" some Irish guy asked me).
Though not officially an apostrophe rule, its misuse in "its" and "it's" deserves special mention. "It's" always means "it is" or "it has." "Its" always means "belonging to it." It's time for its uses to be clear.

There may be more uses as well as better explanations for the three above (those were off the top of my head). For now, though, class is dismissed.

Christian Songs that Annoy Me (Part 3)

2008-02-26T18:48:00.006-05:00

This installment's (dis)honor goes to Michael W. Smith for his horrendous attempt to garner more charismatic fans with the debacle known as "Healing Rain." Here are the lyrics, interspersed with my biting sarcasm and slightly insightful criticism (my comments are in red):

Healing rain (which is what, exactly?) is coming down

It's coming nearer to this old town

Rich and poor, weak and strong

It's bringing mercy, it won't be long

(good, 'cause we've been without mercy for some time now. . . what?)

Healing rain is coming down

It's coming closer to the lost and found

(Have you not read Heb. 4:16 or Luke 1:50?)

Tears of joy and tears of shame

Are washed forever in Jesus' name

(Yes, but not by some mysterious "rain," but by

the fact of our justification)

Chorus

Healing rain, it comes with fire

(Again, what is this, exactly? And talk about mixing metaphors - rain comes as fire?)

So let it fall and take us higher

(I don't understand what "take us higher" means -

Michael, vagueness does not equal being spiritual or pithy.

It does rhyme with "fire," though)

Healing rain, I'm not afraid

To be washed in Heaven's rain

(All the occurrences of "rain" and "heaven" in the same verse

have nothing to do with Heaven, where we go when we die,

they refer to heaven (small h), another way to say "the sky")

Lift your heads, let us return

To the mercy seat where time began

(Stop the music! "The mercy seat where time began"?? Perhaps I'm being overly literal, but was there not time before the mercy seat existed, say, from Gen. 1:1-Ex. 25:17, where the word for "mercy seat" first appears in the Bible? My vote for where time began is "in the beginning")

And in your eyes I see the pain

Come soak this dry heart with healing rain

And only You, the Son of man

Can take a leper and let him stand

So lift your hands, they can be held

By someone greater, the Great I Am

Healing rain is falling down

I'm not afraid I'm not afraid

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

I'm not a big MWS fan to begin with, so this really didn't hurt to do. Again, Nashville, listen up: pay attention to the meaning, not just the rhyming, of words, especially since what makes Christian music Christian is the meaning of the words! This song doesn't make sense biblically or theologically, so it really can't be helpful to people who stop to think about or try to get what he's saying. Theology matters, and everyone is a theologian. Let us study God's Word, lest we blindly accept songs with all fluff and no substance as "poignant," and "lacking only time to become a classic" (actual comments I found about this song).

Lunar Eclipse

2008-02-24T21:33:00.004-05:00

There was a pretty sweet lunar eclipse the other night. Here's a look:

Not my best work photographically, but I didn't have a tripod.

You may wonder what the difference is between a lunar eclipse and lunar phases such as the crescent and the full moon. I refer you to this article for a good explanation (as well as

a cool animation of the moon's slight wobble).

"Singable Doctrine"

2008-02-07T21:57:00.000-05:00

There's an interesting article in the current issue of Christianity Today called "Singable Doctrine." It's an interview with Keith and Kristyn Getty, songwriters specializing in "modern hymns" that attempt to go deeper (doctrinally and existentially) than the modern worship movement has gone. If you know the song "In Christ Alone" (made popular by the Newsboys), you know the Gettys. Here's a few snippets from CT's interview.

Keith (on his emphasis on doctrine): "I wanted to do two things. One was to write songs that helped teach the faith, and the second was to write songs that every generation could sing. I don't think of music as only teaching, but I do think that what we sing profoundly affects how we think."

(On their success): "If you took a list of subjects, say, attributes of God in the Psalms, probably only 10 percent of them are used in virtually the entire canon of modern worship music. Modern worship songs tend to have a very thin range of subjects. They also tend to explore subjects in a less deep way than traditional hymnody does."

(In answer to "In a worship service, is there an ideal mix between contemporary worship, modern hymns, and classic hymns?") "I don't think there's an answer. You choose great songs that have great words and sing well. Every word you give people on a Sunday has to count for something. The same thing applies to what is sung - in fact, in some ways even more so. . . . If members of a congregation aren't singing, serious questions must be asked, no matter how good the show is at the front."

This was a very good (but short) article, especially for someone like me, who, on this blog, has at times been critical of modern worship and contemporary Christian music. The philosophy of the Gettys resonates with me. They are right: so much of modern worship is shallow and does not really touch on deep thinking or profound doctrine. Don't get me wrong; there is occasionally beauty in the simplicity of a "How Great is Our God" or a "Blessed Be the Name of the Lord," and for that I'm appreciative. But we Christians tend only to go as deep as we are led, and often that's about an inch deep. Emotionally, we go deep, but intellectually, we often don't.

I'll offer more on this another day. For now, I must go to work.

Half-Marathon Training Check In (January)

2008-01-31T13:46:00.000-05:00

I love January, not only because it's the month of my birthday, but also because of the feeling of a clean slate given to each of us for the upcoming year. I know that any day of the year can be like that, but January in particular seems to hold extra promise.

This, my friends, was a good month. When I realized on my birthday (the 6th) that I have not lost a single pound in a year, it dawned on me that the solution to losing weight was not running more, but eating better (not necessarily less). Of course, I have known this for years, but actually doing it is the rub. As you will see, I ate better, and I went ahead and ran more anyway.

Here's how January went (last month's numbers in parentheses):

Miles run: 80 (50.25)

Weight: 213 (225)

Pounds to Goal Weight: 18 (30)

Miles run this year: 80 (last January: 43.5)

Days to the Flying Pig Half Marathon: 93

Basically, I just limited myself with two criteria: 1) eat 1500-1600 total calories a day, and 2) stop eating out...except on Sunday. Sundays were free days, and boy did I take advantage of them. The first Sunday I had IHOP's all-you-can-eat pancakes for lunch (comes with a side of sausage, eggs, and hash browns), and Papa John's for dinner with about 4 cans of Dr. Pepper thrown in as well. (Did you know that one slice of Papa John's chicken BBQ pizza is 340 calories and has 40% of your daily recommended sodium? Yikes...I had five slices that night.)

The calorie limit, although probably not the best way to diet, forced me to make better choices. Salads with a can's worth of tuna on it and fat free Zesty Italian dressing replaced a 1 from Wendy's. Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper (and various other diet drinks) replaced my beloved DP (except on Sundays - don't worry, Doc! I still love you). Water intake went up. And so on happily ever after.

Finally, I think I have settled on this program for my training. I like the days off, and it has good (but not too much) mileage. My first day of training is Feb. 25th.

See you next month!

Some Random Quotes I Like

2008-01-29T03:48:00.000-05:00

“in the final analysis, forgiveness is an act of faith. By forgiving another, I am trusting that God is a better justice-maker than I am. By forgiving, I release my own right to get even and leave all issues of fairness for God to work out. I leave in God’s hands the scales that must balance justice and mercy.”

- Philip Yancey, What’s So Amazing about Grace?, p. 93

"God's love is an action toward us, not a reaction to us. His love depends not on what we are but on what He is. He loves because He is love."

- David Seamands, Healing Grace, p. 115

"The Lima Bean Gospel"

2008-01-29T03:42:00.000-05:00

In the most recent issue of Christianity Today, Mark Labberton wonders whether our gospel is too small and bland, like a lima bean. The church is often bland, he argues, and "the fruit of this vine appears to be lima beans." Here are two paragraphs for you to chew on:

"Rather than seek the God who spoke from the burning bush, we have decided the real drama is found in debating whether to podcast our services. Rather than encounter the God who sees idolatry as a pervasive, life-threatening temptation, we decorate Pottery Barn lives with our tasteful collections of favored godlings. Rather than follow the God who burns for justice for the needy, we are more likely to ask the Lord to give us our own fair share. A bland God for a bland church, with a mission that is at best innocuous and quaint - in a tumultuous world."

And,

"The apparent smallness of our gospel is directly related to the smallness of the church's love. When prominent Christian voices call for protests and boycotts over things like our freedom to say 'Merry Christmas,' the gospel seems very small indeed. If, by contrast, such voices called the church in America to give away its Christmas billions to the poor and needy around the world - as an act of incarnational love - that would leave a very different impression of the faith we profess, and offer a far greater hope for a love-hungry world."

I'll leave it at that, without further comment other than to say that this guy needs to get out more and see what the church is doing in the world. Chew on it and let me know what you think.

Not Sure How to Train

2008-01-21T15:58:00.000-05:00

I've been shopping around various half-marathon training programs, and I'm not sure which one to choose. The one I'm currently planning on using (from coolrunning) looks good but has a high amount of running (peaks at 35 miles a week). Another one has only three days a week of running: one speed day, one tempo day, and one distance day and peaks at about 24 miles a week. And a third site matches up perfectly with the days I want to run and the days I don't want to run (Sunday and Tuesday), peaking at 26 miles a week. Lastly, Hal Higdon has a novice training program that looks easier but still sufficient.

My concern is that if I go with the higher mileage, I might increase the likelihood of injury by over training, especially considering I'm still over 20 lbs heavier than I should be. The second site almost seems too easy; however, it is put forth by RunnersWorld.com, a trusted source, not some guy who thought it would be funny. Hal Higdon's looks good, too, and I'm already running at about the demands of week four.

I'm pretty sure, therefore, that I won't be training with the coolrunning program. It seems a little advanced for me, as well as possibly a little too much running for my knees and hip and lower back.

I've tried taking one-minute walk breaks every mile (as recommended by Jeff Galloway, marathon stud who also has a regular column in RW). This might be the way to go for me. The walk breaks only add about 20 seconds to my mile pace, and they sure make 13 miles seem less intimidating by chopping it into 13 one-mile segments. Knowing that at each mile marker I get to walk for a minute helps psychologically. Galloway says that it also helps speed recovery and lessens the strain on the joints.

So, fellow runners (especially you fellow half marathoners - Shannon and Courtney!), let me know what you think and what plan you are using.

PS - I'm excited about the next training check in. I'm running more and eating better (vegetables, fruits, grains, and lots of protein - and no fast food [except on Sundays, when all bets are off!]). I anticipate some numbers (distance) to go up and some (weight) to go down.

Of Wedding Gifts and Coming to Faith

2008-01-17T19:33:00.000-05:00

I bought a book from Half Price Books the other day, I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist. That I bought this particular book is not important (although it's got a great title); what intrigued me was the card left inside of it. Apparently, Grandma and Grandpa bought Jess and Brian the book as a wedding gift, writing the following in the card: "Hope you'll read this book for yourselves. It is a difficult, tough read/only for the brightest and best. We are so thankful that we could come to your wedding. Hope your honeymoon is full of fun. We love you both. . . ."

It's not difficult to figure out what happened. Jess and Brian read the title (apparently they are atheists or at least not Christians, whereas Grandma and Grandpa are Christians), rolled their eyes, and tossed it in the pile of stuff to take back. They probably kept it in the house, hidden, for a good year or so before deciding to take it to HPB.

This is not the first time I have gotten a used book that had some sort of message in it. Last year, I bought a book from Amazon about the death of children and infants (I worked it into a teaching series on Heaven), and in the front was a message to a lady who had lost a child to miscarriage.

What I get from all this is the fact that sending someone a book does not change much. If giving someone a book to read, or actually reading books, really accomplished what the giver/author intended, there would be very few problems left in the world. The Bible, anyone?

Bringing someone to faith in Christ involves more than a presentation of facts, be it in a book, a discussion, or some other method of sharing the gospel. There must be (caution: trendy word ahead) authenticity, an evident and consistent genuineness of one's faith. The world will know two things when we live what we believe: 1) because of Jesus, new life is available to everyone, and 2) belonging to Jesus really does make a difference. Jesus himself prayed, "I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me" (John 17:20-21).

Half Marathon Training Check-In (December)

2008-01-01T23:13:00.000-05:00

Okay, this photo was taken today, but close enough.

December: not so great. Here's how it breaks down (last month's numbers in parentheses)

Weight: 225 (224)

Pounds to goal weight: 30 (29)

Miles run this month: unsure - stupid coolrunning.com changed to a new sign in system and I haven't been able to access my running log. I changed to logyourrun.com, so I can tell you that from Dec. 13-31 I ran 29.1 miles.

Days to the Flying Pig Half Marathon: 123

See you next month!

What's Next - Kid's First Bowflex?

2007-12-17T17:20:00.000-05:00

Recently at work, I saw a package for Kid's First Treadmill from First Fitness. Here's how it looks once assembled:

Call me crazy, but back in my day, "kid's first treadmill" was the back yard, the playground, the park, or even the inside of the house. What kills me is that the box lists its many advantages, such as: it will help your kids develop muscle conditioning and balance for outdoor sports. So you can pay $110 to help your kid get that muscle conditioning and balance for outdoor sports, or you can, for free, take your kid to the park and play outdoor sports with them. The box also says it helps "promote a lifetime of fitness." Or a lifetime of gym memberships.

Are we that lazy that we make our kids get on a treadmill to get exercise? Here's some ideas that won't cost you much if anything: stop playing so darn much XBox; parents - feed your kids other foods than fried, sugar-filled, and packaged in wrappers; go outside and play with your kids; watch TV less; dust off and ride that bike.

Not Really What Was Meant By "Leaving Your Mark"

2007-12-07T18:56:00.000-05:00

Poor Birdie! :(

I was at Raymond Walters College (a branch of the University of Cincinnati) a couple of weeks ago when I saw something in the window. I thought it was some fake, something an art student had done as a joke. But it was on the outside of the window, so I realized it's probably not a fake. Poor birdie. He (or she) was just flying along one day, saw an "open" window, and went for it, thinking Yes! I'm finally I'm going to get ins--- [SMACK]

No Linguistic Socialism In Church

2007-12-05T04:47:00.000-05:00

I read an interesting article the other day from the Nov. 18 issue of Christian Standard. Paul Williams, who writes the "And So It Goes" column, asked the question, "is keeping it simple always a good idea?" The idea of the article is that in many places and environments, insider language is expected and appropriate. If you don't know it, you will learn it in time.

He writes, "In the world of growing churches we are always encouraged to keep our language seventh-grade generic, the language of the people. Don't speak so you can be understood. Speak so you cannot be misunderstood." And later, "I want to be sensitive to those just beginning the spiritual journey, but there are times I also want to praise God for his omnipotence."

He's onto something here; for a long time, I have bristled at churches that "dumb down" everything for the sake of being relevant and understandable. It seems their M.O. is "small words leads to big numbers." Perhaps that's too harsh, but there is a trend of not using insider language so nobody feels left out or stupid. This trend is ubiquitous in contemporary worship songs. Generally, I don't have a problem with such songs; I often listen to my local Christian station, WAKW. And there are some great songs out there now (by the likes of Matt Redman and Chris Tomlin); they certainly have gotten better since the 90s, showing a renewed passion for worship songs (not just feel-good Christian songs) and songs that don't try to be too dramatic (like the melodramatic Carman) but seek to just tell God how you feel. That said, though, there sure is a lot of fluff out there, too (Trading My Sorrows, I Could Sing of Your Love Forever, and just about anything with "River" in it - thanks Danny for the idea - love it!).

Here's what I offer for your consideration: why don't we use big words, then explain them so people will: a) learn their meaning, and b) benefit from it. We have some great words: propitiation, redemption, repentance, etc. - let's keep using them and explain them to the people. You could have a whole sermon on redemption. And hymns - keep them coming. Explain the words ("here I raise my Ebenezer, hither by thy help I've come"?), but keep them coming. Sure, maybe kick out the organ and jazz up the arrangement a bit, but hymns are often very powerful, memorable, and capable aids to worship. But one thing we should not do is become vocabulary socialists: people who "level the playing field" not by raising up those with a poor vocabulary, but by suppressing those with a rich vocabulary. Or as Mr. Williams suggests, "Maybe what we need to do is make a concerted effort to more quickly turn outsiders into insiders."

Oh, Dear - Oh, Deer! (And Trees)

2007-11-17T13:51:00.000-05:00

I saw this the other day...kind of weird. There were two cars stopped on the side of Miami Road, some broken pieces of plastic on the shoulder. And a deer standing there, motionless, watching the whole thing. I guess someone hit the deer (it was holding its leg up) but not enough to do much damage either to the deer or the car. The cops came (the black SUV), and I drove by before I saw the aftermath (which probably will result in some tasty deer jerky for someone).

And I saw this tree at the park where I usually start my running routes. The color is amazing. Thank you, Father, for making your creation more beautiful than it needs to be.

Shameless Self-promotion

2007-11-01T22:42:00.000-04:00

I wrote an opinion article for the Cincinnati Enquirer last week about that middle school in Maine that started giving away birth control pills to girls as young as 11, and that without parental knowledge.

It's essentially the same as my earlier post about it on this blog. You can read about it here. Hopefully, someone will read it and say, "You know, I'm totally pro-choice, but I get what he's saying and I agree." That's the ideal; they will probably actually say, "what do you know? A fundy's preaching yet again!"

Half Marathon Training Check-In

2007-11-01T22:36:00.000-04:00

Here's what happened in October:

Not the best month! I was sick off and on for three weeks, so I took a week and a half off (which would have been about 18-20 miles). Also, McDonald's had their Monopoly contest, and I got sucked into it yet again (note my weight).

(Note: last month's numbers are in parentheses)

Weight: 220 (219)

Pounds to target weight: 25 (24)

Miles run this month: 34.2 (56.1)

Miles run this year: 494.0 (459.8)

Days until the Flying Pig Half Marathon: 186 (as of the 1st)

See you next month!

Today, Free Birth Control; Tomorrow; Free Abortions?

2007-10-18T18:23:00.000-04:00

In a recent MSNBC.com article, a Maine middle school will now be giving birth control pills to middle-school students confidentially, that is, without their parents finding out. This is in addition to the condom distribution already happening there. Am I crazy, or does the fact that middle schools are giving birth control pills to girls as young as 11 years old just, as one radio talk show host says, "make blood shoot out of your eyes"?

What's next, adding abortion clinics onto the nurse's office at school? This goes back to an earlier post I made regarding condom distribution in schools. If condom distribution was to help curb disease, what is giving birth control good for? It does nothing to stop STDs. One way to look at this is to see that schools like this are removing excuses for "just being a kid" and are in fact encouraging promiscuity by making it easier to fix any potential problems. If we adopt their line of thinking, we should:

distribute bongs, pipes, and Visine at school because "they're gonna smoke weed anyway"
or better yet, set up a safe place to deal drugs so they won't have to go to skanky neighborhoods or dangerous meeting places
teach students the proper use of a beer bong and distribute aspirin and Alka Seltzer on Mondays to hungover students because "they're gonna drink anyway"
host "safe drinking nights" for teens at the school so the kids can "be safe" In fact, why not just cancel Homecoming and Prom and go straight to giving the kids the alcohol and private bedrooms they desire (equipped with condoms and birth control pills, of course) because that's what they're going to do anyway.
give away clean hypodermic needles so at least the student junkies won't get AIDS or hepatitis from dirty needles because (you guessed it) "they're gonna shoot up anyway"

As others have also brought up, why not give the kids trans fats (they're gonna eat them anyway), caffeinated soft drinks, and other things the kids want? Oh yeah, BECAUSE IT'S BAD FOR THEM. Also, because THEY'RE ELEVEN!!! They are too young to be trusted with a lot of personal decisions because their brains are still developing and they cannot properly and rationally think through complicated issues like sexuality.

This is what happens when "what's true/right for you may not be true/right for me." This is the bastard child of Tolerance and Don't Judge Me.

It used to be that there was this place kids could go to learn about how to live life responsibly, be polite to adults, clean their rooms, and learn about the birds and the bees, a little place called "home." Now, we trust the American school system (which ranks near the bottom of school system effectiveness) to do this for us? [Shiver runs up spine]

I think that people whose Christmas wish lists are headlined by XBoxes and stuff from Berkley Girl should not be allowed to have sex at all, let alone be trusted to "come to their own conclusions" about it.

The Strange Case of My Local Burger King

2007-09-18T16:06:00.000-04:00

Things employees said (very loudly) that I overheard on a recent visit to the Burger King next door to our apartment:

"No tickling!"
"Ewwww!"
"It's burning!!!"

Ahhh, the joys of working fast food.

Say Hello to My Little Friend

2007-09-18T15:48:00.000-04:00

Caution: when eating Rolos, check the date, lest this happen to you (on the last one, after I ate nearly the whole thing).This is not the first time something like this has happened. When I was in Albania in July, we were eating some plum-like fruit from a nearby market, and with my third bite I uncovered a still-alive worm in the fruit. I had eaten two of the fruits before this. :(

I have decided to start a file of photos of "things in food that don't belong." So if you would like to contribute, send your photos (nothing staged, but real, nasty discoveries) to

adamgraunke@hotmail.com.

Happy eating!

Ever Wonder "There's Gotta Be More To Life Than This"?

2007-09-06T15:30:00.000-04:00

So I was at the gym today, and the song "I Don't Wanna Be" by Gavin Degraw (the video, actually) started on the gym's many TVs. I like the song, the few years old that it is, but today the words occurred to me in a new way:

I don't want to be anything other than what I've been trying to be lately
All I have to do is think of me and I have peace of mind
I'm tired of looking 'round rooms
Wondering what I've got to do or who I'm supposed to be
I don't want to be anything other than me

The reason I noticed the words is because I paused the song on my Shuffle to watch the video. I was listening to Stacy Orrico's "There's Gotta Be More To Life":

I've got it all but I feel so deprived
I go up, I come down, and I'm emptier inside
Tell me: what is this thing that I feel like I'm missing?
And why can't I let it go?

There's gotta be more to life
than chasin' down every temporary high to satisfy me
'Cause the more that I trip around thinking there must be more to life
Well there's life, but I'm sure there's gotta be more (I'm wanting more)

I've got the time and I'm wasting it slowly
Here in this moment I'm half way out the door
Onto the next thing, I'm searching
For something that's missing
There's gotta be more . . . .

Now, you may not know that Staci Orrico is a Christian, so this song is really her way of inviting people out there who are "tired of looking round rooms wondering what I've got to do or who I'm supposed to be" to search for true meaning in life other than "what I've been trying to be lately."

And since we're using music here to explain some tough issues (funny how music has a power to do that sort of thing better than straight out statements), allow me to explain what I believe is true life and meaning available for each person. This comes from the Newsboys' remake of a classic hymn "In Christ Alone":

No guilt in life, no fear in death -
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry, to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from his hand
'Till he returns or calls me home -
Here in the power of Christ I stand

And why I continue to be a Christian, as expressed in Hillsong's "Made Me Glad":

You have made me glad, and I'll say of the Lord:
You are my shield, my strength, my portion, deliverer,
My shelter, strong tower,
My very present help in time of need

I don't want to be "what I've been trying to be lately" because I screw it up too often. I do want to be what God wants to make of me: gentle, self-controlled, peaceable, strong, gracious, understanding, loving, encouraging, brave, full of hope, not afraid of death, not afraid of life, one who lifts others up, a fantastic husband, brother, son, friend, father (some day!), and slowly becoming all around better than I was at this time last year.

He can make this of you, too. That's the "good news" about Jesus. We don't have to try to get into Heaven on our own efforts; Jesus has done the effort and has paid the penalty we deserve. Paul, one of the writers of the New Testament, says it this way:

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he [or she] is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himselft through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. . . . We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

Eye of the Tiger, Baby!

2007-08-31T04:46:00.001-04:00

All right, I'm committed to running the Cincinnati Flying Pig Half Marathon next year. I haven't paid the registration fee yet, but mentally I'm there. It's a 13.1 mile, uphill-for-8-miles course I am currently totally intimidated by. I'm scared for the following reasons:

1. The longest I've ever run so far is 7.5 miles.

2. The longest race I've ever run is 6.2 miles.

3. One guy died last year after this race.

4. I still weigh 219 lbs. (but I used to be 260!), and I would need to get to 200 or under to handle the distance.

However, I'm optimistic for the following reasons:

1. I have 8 months to train, and I have found a training regiment that is only 12 weeks long (assuming I run about 20 miles a week average before starting the regiment).

2. I should be able to lose 20 lbs. in 8 months. It'll be sweet to get out of the "Clydesdale B" category!

3. The guy who died probably didn't train very well.

4. 5570 other people who did the half didn't die.

I will keep you posted on how training is going. I'm sure there will be highs and lows to share.
This is going to be a huge accomplishment for me, considering I've been a runner only one year and two months.

Here's my training update for August:

Current Weight: 219

Pounds to Goal Weight: 24

Miles Run This Month: 63.2

Miles Run This Year: 406.1

Days Until Go Time: 247

That's it for now. I'll keep you posted once a month until the time gets closer (like in March). Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go run. . . .