I think everything that a minister needs to know is in the movie Patch Adams. It was recently on television and I had not seen it in a while. My favorite scene in the movie is when he is still
in the psychiatric ward and he saves his roomate from the imaginary squirrels. He acts like an idiot, holding imaginary guns, basookas and all sorts of weapons in order to help his roomate conquer his fear. Because of what Patch does, his roomate is able to go the bathroom. He wasn't too proud, too frustrated, or too good to help this guy. He just sees the need and does what he can to help his roomate.
I wish I could say the same about my life. I do try to look beyond myself, but sometimes it is hard because all I can see is the great mound of schoolwork sitting in front of me. It is such a discipline to look beyond your own life to help someone else. Especially in undergrad. Soon that will change, but I think you can catch my meaning.
My hope and prayer for my ministry that I will be able to see the needs of others and be able to help them. It requires good listening skills and recognition of what people need. That can be hard in and of itself. But it is worth learning, because sometimes all people want is someone to care. Or someone to think that they're worth listening to.
I also like Patch Adams because it emphasizes the need to see the value in people. Patch sees the value in helping his roomate in the psychiatric ward. Throughout the moving, Patch sees his patients as people.
I think as Christians that's what we need to do. See the value of a person. No matter who they are and what they've done. Especially the people we aren't comfortable around and the people we as society tend to write off and shut away. All people need to be seen as just that, people. We're all the same and we all hurt the same. Sometimes I think we are just too arrogant and proud to see it.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Knowing that I am loved
Life comes at you so fast. I can hardly believe I'm graduating. I'm thankful for all three and a half years of school here at Virginia Tech, but I'm also ready to move on. I will say that it has been hard to be in a major that I'm not sure that I'm going to use. I know that I am called to preach and that I will be heading to seminary in the next few months. My degree in Spanish
and my other degree in International Studies only mean something to me because I finished. I have finished these degrees and I'm on to greener pastures. Praise Jesus. I'm looking forward to study a subject that not only am I really interested in, but extremely passionate about. Seminary will be good for me.
It does look like I will be staying in state. Richmond will be a better place for me than Texas at this time and I think this is a wise decision. I am planning to take this next semester off and not be a student for a while. I'm planning to substitute teach and work at the YMCA. Fun times. I just need some time away from school and leadership in ministry. I'm looking forward to becoming a regular pew sitter for a little while. This semester has been an emotional whirlwind and I need to rest and recharge before I head off to seminary. Whichever seminary that is. That decision won't be made until I get settled into my new life and away from the stress of school. Right now I don't feel ready to choose a seminary. Too much change has happened.
I feel like life is one big stress management exercise. I feel like everyday is enough and stressful in and of itself. I just know that I can only handle each day as it comes. And as the old saying goes, this too shall pass. This time in my life is the inevitable glare into the real world, and I need to embrace it.
I will say that I have a heavy heart and something lingering in my thoughts. I've been wrestling with God and its been a wild ride. Right now I'm in a situation where I need to be able to understand that its ok for God, my emotions, my reasoning ability to all collide. I've never been this broken and bewildered before. But I'm also really close with God because I just need to hang on to him. I'm learning to trust him even more, and that its ok to ask for what I want. Sometimes it is the desires of my heart that do matter. I believe that God wired me a certain way for his purposes, and that includes the desires of my heart.
Time seems to be the best thing for me because it will show whether I have peace or not. I am looking forward to life slowing down and entering the real world. Sometimes it seems to be a scary prospect but I think this college journey has prepared me for it. I just need the strength to face everyday as it comes. And sometimes that is hard in and of itself.
The one thing I keep telling myself is this: that God still loves me. He hasn't abandoned me, left me, or thinks that I'm not worth listening to. My goal throughout all of this is to see what my faith is made of. I don't want to hide from God. I want to look him in the face and reach out and touch it. I am loved very much and I have to keep telling myself this.
and my other degree in International Studies only mean something to me because I finished. I have finished these degrees and I'm on to greener pastures. Praise Jesus. I'm looking forward to study a subject that not only am I really interested in, but extremely passionate about. Seminary will be good for me.
It does look like I will be staying in state. Richmond will be a better place for me than Texas at this time and I think this is a wise decision. I am planning to take this next semester off and not be a student for a while. I'm planning to substitute teach and work at the YMCA. Fun times. I just need some time away from school and leadership in ministry. I'm looking forward to becoming a regular pew sitter for a little while. This semester has been an emotional whirlwind and I need to rest and recharge before I head off to seminary. Whichever seminary that is. That decision won't be made until I get settled into my new life and away from the stress of school. Right now I don't feel ready to choose a seminary. Too much change has happened.
I feel like life is one big stress management exercise. I feel like everyday is enough and stressful in and of itself. I just know that I can only handle each day as it comes. And as the old saying goes, this too shall pass. This time in my life is the inevitable glare into the real world, and I need to embrace it.
I will say that I have a heavy heart and something lingering in my thoughts. I've been wrestling with God and its been a wild ride. Right now I'm in a situation where I need to be able to understand that its ok for God, my emotions, my reasoning ability to all collide. I've never been this broken and bewildered before. But I'm also really close with God because I just need to hang on to him. I'm learning to trust him even more, and that its ok to ask for what I want. Sometimes it is the desires of my heart that do matter. I believe that God wired me a certain way for his purposes, and that includes the desires of my heart.
Time seems to be the best thing for me because it will show whether I have peace or not. I am looking forward to life slowing down and entering the real world. Sometimes it seems to be a scary prospect but I think this college journey has prepared me for it. I just need the strength to face everyday as it comes. And sometimes that is hard in and of itself.
The one thing I keep telling myself is this: that God still loves me. He hasn't abandoned me, left me, or thinks that I'm not worth listening to. My goal throughout all of this is to see what my faith is made of. I don't want to hide from God. I want to look him in the face and reach out and touch it. I am loved very much and I have to keep telling myself this.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Sermon on Joshua 2
Graduation is coming. Whether I like it or not. This is my sermon that I preached at Blacksburg Baptist on November 26th. It's pretty long for a blog posting, but its all here. Enjoy!
Who are they afraid of?
Read Joshua 2:1-14
To get a better idea of the Baptist Collegiate Ministry identity we as Virginia Tech students decided to create the profile of a typical student at the BCM. We decided that the typical BCM student was Caucasian, upper middle class, had a Baptist background, and was usually from the state of Virginia. We also figured that because Virginia Tech is a science oriented university; most students that walked through our doors were going to be in a science related field. We sat down and discussed this in order to gain a perspective of the group as a whole, and also to make ourselves aware of the students that we were not connecting with.
The story of Rahab in the book of Joshua is a story about connecting with people that are outside the church. Rahab herself lived in the city of Jericho and she was a prostitute. Prostitution for her was a necessity because most likely her family was poor. Since poverty was prevalent in these areas, prostitution was the alternative to starvation. We do know that her house was adjacent to the city wall and that her family lived in the city. Rahab had knowledge of who the Israelites were and had heard all the rumors milling around town about the incredible events that occurred. Little did Rahab know that a few Israelite spies would be knocking on her door. By the end of this story, Rahab protects the very lives of these Israelite spies.
One important aspect of this story is the knowledge Rahab has of the Israelite people. In verses 8-14 she explains to the spies why she is protecting them from the king of Jericho. She knows that the Lord is with these people and has heard all the rumors about the Red Sea and the Jordan River. She has also heard about the defeat of the two kings of the Amorites. She has every right to fear these people because she knows full well the power of their God that leads them. Rahab also sees the inevitable doom of the city she lives in and she sees her opportunity. She wants to save herself and her family from death by pleading with these spies in verse 14. She also sees the opportunity to leave the broken poor life of prostitution by trying to help the Israelites. In other words, she’s poor, desperate, and wants out of the life she’s living. She doesn’t know the God of the Israelites fully, but she knows that there is hope among the Israelites.
The truth of the matter is that most people outside the church are just as fearful of us just like Rahab and the people of Jericho were fearful of the Israelites. One of the reasons why this occurs is that they see us Christians and they assume that we have it all figured out. They see us with our smiles, our Christian T-Shirts, and our perfect family life and they become frightened. Sometimes we let people believe that our lives are going perfectly, when we all know full well that they are not. We see the problems in our lives, the pain, the frustration and all the pressure we face, but to them we could seem like everything is so much better and so unattainable.
Another reason why outsiders of the church could be fearful of us is that we seem to have all the answers. We have our Bibles ready and sometimes non Christians feel like we have all the nice little neat Sunday school answers for all life’s complicated problems. The truth is that life is too complicated for all the neat little Sunday school answers. We all know this full well, but to them we may make it seem like Christianity has neat little answers for everything. Sometimes we don’t allow them to see our struggles with who God is and why he is doing what he is doing. We may have a tendency to hide our vulnerability.
Non Christians may have another fear and that is the fear that Rahab had: the fear of God himself. They may have been told that God himself is so sovereign and so much bigger than we are, that it seems either impossible for them or too good to be true. In our culture today there is an emphasis on the individual and what I can do and who I can be. The idea that we as Christians are supposed to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily is a completely foreign concept to them. To surrender their hopes and dreams to this sovereign God sounds impossible and possibly terrifying.
The last reason I think non Christians are scared of us and the church is that we’ve created an us versus them mentality. We’ve even created special words for this: secular, Christian, and Non Christian. In the US today, Christians have their own subculture: Christian music, Christian books, and Christian conferences. The divide between the church and people outside the church has become ever greater. Because we as Christians have created our own subculture and our own identity apart from the world, we’ve also created a Christian mold. Every church has its own mold, because every church has its own demographic. Certain churches reach out to different communities, whether it is the latino community in Blacksburg or the Causcasian upper middle class of Blacksburg. I believe that there is a mold here in this church, just as there is a mold in the BCM at Virginia Tech. We’re prone to this problem. When it comes down to it, there are some people who are afraid of the church because they don’t feel like they fit the mold of that church.
Going back to the passage from Joshua, we see that Rahab did not fit the mold of the Israelite community. She was not an Israelite, so she did not come from the same religious background. She was also a prostitute, which was an important separating factor in her situation. However, the important message of the story was the fact that the spies and Rahab had something in common. They were both desperate for God. The spies were dependent on God for their safety and their victories in battle. Without God the Israelites were completely powerless. Rahab was desperate for some hope of a better life outside of her poverty. We as Christians and outsiders of the church both have that in common, we are all desperate for God.
So do we how close the gap between Christians and non Christians? I think the first practical way is to get to know people on a personal level. Non Christians need to see us completely with strengths and weaknesses included. They need to know that we do have bad days and that we don’t always have an eternal smile on our face. They also need to know that there aren’t always easy answers to tough questions. We need to be honest with them about the hard questions of our faith. We need to show them that there are sometimes grey areas that are hard to figure out. Besides breaking down the façade of Christianity, we need to represent Christ well. We show non Christians who Christ is whether we realize it or not, and it is important that they know that there is joy in submitting to the will of the most high God. We also need to show them that God is a sovereign God, but is also a God of mercy. I believe that in our honesty and our humility we can help bridge the gap between the church and non Christians.
The apostle Paul addresses this topic in his first letter to the Corinthians. He emphasizes the need for Christians to not be afraid to show their humility and weakness. In 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 it says […]. Verse four of this passage is important because it emphasizes the role of the Holy Spirit in his witness to these people. Paul allowed the Corinthians to see his weaknesses, so that the non believers could see God. In conclusion, we as the church should humble ourselves before non believers so that they can see God. In our weakness they will see God and what our faith is really about.
Who are they afraid of?
Read Joshua 2:1-14
To get a better idea of the Baptist Collegiate Ministry identity we as Virginia Tech students decided to create the profile of a typical student at the BCM. We decided that the typical BCM student was Caucasian, upper middle class, had a Baptist background, and was usually from the state of Virginia. We also figured that because Virginia Tech is a science oriented university; most students that walked through our doors were going to be in a science related field. We sat down and discussed this in order to gain a perspective of the group as a whole, and also to make ourselves aware of the students that we were not connecting with.
The story of Rahab in the book of Joshua is a story about connecting with people that are outside the church. Rahab herself lived in the city of Jericho and she was a prostitute. Prostitution for her was a necessity because most likely her family was poor. Since poverty was prevalent in these areas, prostitution was the alternative to starvation. We do know that her house was adjacent to the city wall and that her family lived in the city. Rahab had knowledge of who the Israelites were and had heard all the rumors milling around town about the incredible events that occurred. Little did Rahab know that a few Israelite spies would be knocking on her door. By the end of this story, Rahab protects the very lives of these Israelite spies.
One important aspect of this story is the knowledge Rahab has of the Israelite people. In verses 8-14 she explains to the spies why she is protecting them from the king of Jericho. She knows that the Lord is with these people and has heard all the rumors about the Red Sea and the Jordan River. She has also heard about the defeat of the two kings of the Amorites. She has every right to fear these people because she knows full well the power of their God that leads them. Rahab also sees the inevitable doom of the city she lives in and she sees her opportunity. She wants to save herself and her family from death by pleading with these spies in verse 14. She also sees the opportunity to leave the broken poor life of prostitution by trying to help the Israelites. In other words, she’s poor, desperate, and wants out of the life she’s living. She doesn’t know the God of the Israelites fully, but she knows that there is hope among the Israelites.
The truth of the matter is that most people outside the church are just as fearful of us just like Rahab and the people of Jericho were fearful of the Israelites. One of the reasons why this occurs is that they see us Christians and they assume that we have it all figured out. They see us with our smiles, our Christian T-Shirts, and our perfect family life and they become frightened. Sometimes we let people believe that our lives are going perfectly, when we all know full well that they are not. We see the problems in our lives, the pain, the frustration and all the pressure we face, but to them we could seem like everything is so much better and so unattainable.
Another reason why outsiders of the church could be fearful of us is that we seem to have all the answers. We have our Bibles ready and sometimes non Christians feel like we have all the nice little neat Sunday school answers for all life’s complicated problems. The truth is that life is too complicated for all the neat little Sunday school answers. We all know this full well, but to them we may make it seem like Christianity has neat little answers for everything. Sometimes we don’t allow them to see our struggles with who God is and why he is doing what he is doing. We may have a tendency to hide our vulnerability.
Non Christians may have another fear and that is the fear that Rahab had: the fear of God himself. They may have been told that God himself is so sovereign and so much bigger than we are, that it seems either impossible for them or too good to be true. In our culture today there is an emphasis on the individual and what I can do and who I can be. The idea that we as Christians are supposed to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily is a completely foreign concept to them. To surrender their hopes and dreams to this sovereign God sounds impossible and possibly terrifying.
The last reason I think non Christians are scared of us and the church is that we’ve created an us versus them mentality. We’ve even created special words for this: secular, Christian, and Non Christian. In the US today, Christians have their own subculture: Christian music, Christian books, and Christian conferences. The divide between the church and people outside the church has become ever greater. Because we as Christians have created our own subculture and our own identity apart from the world, we’ve also created a Christian mold. Every church has its own mold, because every church has its own demographic. Certain churches reach out to different communities, whether it is the latino community in Blacksburg or the Causcasian upper middle class of Blacksburg. I believe that there is a mold here in this church, just as there is a mold in the BCM at Virginia Tech. We’re prone to this problem. When it comes down to it, there are some people who are afraid of the church because they don’t feel like they fit the mold of that church.
Going back to the passage from Joshua, we see that Rahab did not fit the mold of the Israelite community. She was not an Israelite, so she did not come from the same religious background. She was also a prostitute, which was an important separating factor in her situation. However, the important message of the story was the fact that the spies and Rahab had something in common. They were both desperate for God. The spies were dependent on God for their safety and their victories in battle. Without God the Israelites were completely powerless. Rahab was desperate for some hope of a better life outside of her poverty. We as Christians and outsiders of the church both have that in common, we are all desperate for God.
So do we how close the gap between Christians and non Christians? I think the first practical way is to get to know people on a personal level. Non Christians need to see us completely with strengths and weaknesses included. They need to know that we do have bad days and that we don’t always have an eternal smile on our face. They also need to know that there aren’t always easy answers to tough questions. We need to be honest with them about the hard questions of our faith. We need to show them that there are sometimes grey areas that are hard to figure out. Besides breaking down the façade of Christianity, we need to represent Christ well. We show non Christians who Christ is whether we realize it or not, and it is important that they know that there is joy in submitting to the will of the most high God. We also need to show them that God is a sovereign God, but is also a God of mercy. I believe that in our honesty and our humility we can help bridge the gap between the church and non Christians.
The apostle Paul addresses this topic in his first letter to the Corinthians. He emphasizes the need for Christians to not be afraid to show their humility and weakness. In 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 it says […]. Verse four of this passage is important because it emphasizes the role of the Holy Spirit in his witness to these people. Paul allowed the Corinthians to see his weaknesses, so that the non believers could see God. In conclusion, we as the church should humble ourselves before non believers so that they can see God. In our weakness they will see God and what our faith is really about.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Some Thoughts From Isaiah
I’ve been reading in Isaiah lately because it’s one of the books of the Bible that I have not read all the way through. The rest of the Bible I’ve read through, I was just missing Isaiah. Anyway, I came across this verse the other day and it fascinates me.
Isaiah 11:6-The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.
This is written in the future tense and it refers to the time of the ideal king. We as Christians refer to the ideal king as Christ himself. So according to this verse when Christ is in charge peace will prevail. Enemies will no longer exist, because there is only one purpose. Sworn enemies such as the wolf and the lamb will no longer be enemies. They will live together in peace.
The last part of the verse also struck me because of the image of the little child. When I think of a little child I remember the story of Jesus telling his disciples that in order to enter the kingdom of God, they must become like a child. Little children are supposed to lead this unlikely bunch of participants. This shows me that leaders in the church are supposed to be as humble, gentle, listening child that they are called to be.
The hard part of this verse is in the implications it presents. If we as ministers are supposed to portray Christ and become like the little child, are we going to endure all the battling that occurs in Churches and between denominations? This verse is an ideal situation, but it is in no way a reality. The wolf is eating the lambs; not praising God with the lambs. Just read different Baptist blogs. We like to wolf eat just like the rest of them.
I think the point is this: ministers are supposed to be looking beyond the politics and just be the humble servants that they’re supposed to be. There’s no room for pride or arrogance in the ministry. There’s no time or place for it. Our perception needs to look beyond ourselves. We need to be bigger than the ugly politics and fighting, and just be the gentle children like this verse. We need to somehow get the sworn enemies to look beyond the problems and differences and just be one family.
Isaiah 11:6-The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.
This is written in the future tense and it refers to the time of the ideal king. We as Christians refer to the ideal king as Christ himself. So according to this verse when Christ is in charge peace will prevail. Enemies will no longer exist, because there is only one purpose. Sworn enemies such as the wolf and the lamb will no longer be enemies. They will live together in peace.
The last part of the verse also struck me because of the image of the little child. When I think of a little child I remember the story of Jesus telling his disciples that in order to enter the kingdom of God, they must become like a child. Little children are supposed to lead this unlikely bunch of participants. This shows me that leaders in the church are supposed to be as humble, gentle, listening child that they are called to be.
The hard part of this verse is in the implications it presents. If we as ministers are supposed to portray Christ and become like the little child, are we going to endure all the battling that occurs in Churches and between denominations? This verse is an ideal situation, but it is in no way a reality. The wolf is eating the lambs; not praising God with the lambs. Just read different Baptist blogs. We like to wolf eat just like the rest of them.
I think the point is this: ministers are supposed to be looking beyond the politics and just be the humble servants that they’re supposed to be. There’s no room for pride or arrogance in the ministry. There’s no time or place for it. Our perception needs to look beyond ourselves. We need to be bigger than the ugly politics and fighting, and just be the gentle children like this verse. We need to somehow get the sworn enemies to look beyond the problems and differences and just be one family.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
VT-One
This weekend I had the opportunity to attend a university wide gathering that welcomed all Christians to come out and worship together. There is a team of people from the different campus ministries that put their heads together to organize and advertise these events. These events have been going on every semester since the fall of my freshman year. They’ve been well attended and well done. There are a lot of people behind the scenes putting this together and it is easy to see how hard they work. I think the unique aspect of VT-One is that the idea to get all the campus ministries together to worship came from a student. God gave a student the idea to gather all the campus ministries to worship God together and repent of our sins.
What an idea.
I think that VT-One will make a direct impact on the campus of Virginia Tech because all the campus ministries are willing to put aside their differences. This is huge. Just like churches in the local community, there are similar differences and prejudices in the campus ministry community. We as campus ministries are just as competitive. I also think that the campus of Virginia Tech will also reap the harvest of Saturday night because the Christians humbled themselves and got ourselves together spiritually. VT-One is an attempt to refocus our efforts and open our eyes to the non Christian students around us.
My hope and prayer is that events like VT-One will show the greater church community that it is possible to work together. We’re all on the same team and we need to realize it. It would be neat to see that if the Christians of Virginia Tech will take the spirit of VT-One with them when they become full time members of their local churches. What a spirit to take. What a potential impact.
http://www.vt-one.org.vt.edu/?page_id=38
What an idea.
I think that VT-One will make a direct impact on the campus of Virginia Tech because all the campus ministries are willing to put aside their differences. This is huge. Just like churches in the local community, there are similar differences and prejudices in the campus ministry community. We as campus ministries are just as competitive. I also think that the campus of Virginia Tech will also reap the harvest of Saturday night because the Christians humbled themselves and got ourselves together spiritually. VT-One is an attempt to refocus our efforts and open our eyes to the non Christian students around us.
My hope and prayer is that events like VT-One will show the greater church community that it is possible to work together. We’re all on the same team and we need to realize it. It would be neat to see that if the Christians of Virginia Tech will take the spirit of VT-One with them when they become full time members of their local churches. What a spirit to take. What a potential impact.
http://www.vt-one.org.vt.edu/?page_id=38
Thursday, September 21, 2006
My first real preaching gig
I guess that this is my first official preaching gig. Last night I was given the opportunity to speak at the local church I attend here in Blacksburg. The pastor is a fun guy and also a brave guy for letting me do this. I think I will get a few more opportunities in the future to speak before I graduate and head out west. Apparently I was received well and I took a different view on the feeding of the four thousand. I'm posting my notes here for your reading pleasure. I will say that it was nice to see a piece of what my future looks like. I'm completely stoked because last night was awesome. Even though I know that I have a long way to go, I'm so excited for all the new experiences that lay ahead.
With that said, here are my notes:
Mark 8:1-10 (New Living Translation)
Focus on verse 7: A few small fish were found, too, so Jesus also blessed these and told the disciples to pass them out.
Here Jesus is telling the disciples to pass out what little food they had. I can just imagine the thoughts running through their heads. It didn’t add up. A few fish were not going to feed four thousand people. It seemed impossible and crazy. But Jesus told them to give out what little food they had and the disciples obeyed.
Simple obedience is what Jesus was asking the disciples in this story. He asked a very small task of them, just to pass out the food. They weren’t required to do anything dangerous or complicated, just a simple task. Sometimes it is the simple tasks that are the hardest for us, because they don’t always make sense. Passing out the food for four thousand people with just a few fish seemed like such a big task because it didn’t make sense. I think the reason why we as Christians have a hard time obeying God in the little tasks in our lives is because we see God as a big God, a God of big events and of more ‘important’ tasks. Surely God wouldn’t see the little things in life as something important enough to pay attention to.
Another reason why we have a hard time doing small menial tasks for Christ is that there is no recognition for it. When no other Christians see what we are doing then it takes out the personal pride and personal glory that we can receive from doing it. We like to feel important, relevant, and of vital importance to the church. Doing small tasks for God doesn’t make us feel important at all.
1 Timothy 5:25 says this:
In the same way, everyone knows how much good some people do, but there are others whose good deeds won’t be known until later.
This means that some good deeds are not to be seen by others and not recognized by others. This can make simple tasks even harder to fulfill because our pride can get in the way.
What we don’t realize is that little tasks that Jesus calls us to do can make all the difference in the world. He can use our simple obedience in the small things in life as a training ground for bigger problems and decisions. If we are not obedient in the smaller issues in life, then how are we going to respond to something bigger and more complex? He is also able to use our simple obedience in small tasks to affect others around us. People watch us more that we will ever know. He can use our simple obedience in bigger ways that we could ever imagine. That’s exactly what happened to Jesus’ disciples.
The result of their simple obedience is revealed in verse 8:
They ate until they were full, and when the scraps were picked up, there were seven large baskets of food left over.
Every person was fed and their hunger satisfied. The disciples and the other people were amazed. This story is not just about how four thousand were fed in the desert just from a few fish, it’s also about how the disciples obeyed Jesus even when it didn’t make any sense to them. The disciples were also training for other bigger things in life, when obedience could mean death. There are big implications in how we respond to the details of our lives. My prayer is that we will see God in the small things in our lives and recognize that God is still the God of small things. Even when we don’t realize all the implications of our actions.
With that said, here are my notes:
Mark 8:1-10 (New Living Translation)
Focus on verse 7: A few small fish were found, too, so Jesus also blessed these and told the disciples to pass them out.
Here Jesus is telling the disciples to pass out what little food they had. I can just imagine the thoughts running through their heads. It didn’t add up. A few fish were not going to feed four thousand people. It seemed impossible and crazy. But Jesus told them to give out what little food they had and the disciples obeyed.
Simple obedience is what Jesus was asking the disciples in this story. He asked a very small task of them, just to pass out the food. They weren’t required to do anything dangerous or complicated, just a simple task. Sometimes it is the simple tasks that are the hardest for us, because they don’t always make sense. Passing out the food for four thousand people with just a few fish seemed like such a big task because it didn’t make sense. I think the reason why we as Christians have a hard time obeying God in the little tasks in our lives is because we see God as a big God, a God of big events and of more ‘important’ tasks. Surely God wouldn’t see the little things in life as something important enough to pay attention to.
Another reason why we have a hard time doing small menial tasks for Christ is that there is no recognition for it. When no other Christians see what we are doing then it takes out the personal pride and personal glory that we can receive from doing it. We like to feel important, relevant, and of vital importance to the church. Doing small tasks for God doesn’t make us feel important at all.
1 Timothy 5:25 says this:
In the same way, everyone knows how much good some people do, but there are others whose good deeds won’t be known until later.
This means that some good deeds are not to be seen by others and not recognized by others. This can make simple tasks even harder to fulfill because our pride can get in the way.
What we don’t realize is that little tasks that Jesus calls us to do can make all the difference in the world. He can use our simple obedience in the small things in life as a training ground for bigger problems and decisions. If we are not obedient in the smaller issues in life, then how are we going to respond to something bigger and more complex? He is also able to use our simple obedience in small tasks to affect others around us. People watch us more that we will ever know. He can use our simple obedience in bigger ways that we could ever imagine. That’s exactly what happened to Jesus’ disciples.
The result of their simple obedience is revealed in verse 8:
They ate until they were full, and when the scraps were picked up, there were seven large baskets of food left over.
Every person was fed and their hunger satisfied. The disciples and the other people were amazed. This story is not just about how four thousand were fed in the desert just from a few fish, it’s also about how the disciples obeyed Jesus even when it didn’t make any sense to them. The disciples were also training for other bigger things in life, when obedience could mean death. There are big implications in how we respond to the details of our lives. My prayer is that we will see God in the small things in our lives and recognize that God is still the God of small things. Even when we don’t realize all the implications of our actions.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Why people with Bible flailing antics hurt the church
I read the Collegiate Times (The student-run Virginia Tech newspaper) today and saw an article on the opinion page titled, Looking at God in the Age of Terrorism, and was immediately intrigued. The main focus of the article was how the events of September affected how religion is perceived in this country. Many Americans turned to God post 9/11 because they were looking for answers and a hope they couldn’t find anywhere else. What bothered me about this article is how the author perceived Christianity. This particular author proclaimed themselves to be atheist and by the way they described Christianity I wouldn’t blame them:
“Ask any Christian or Muslim for the ultimate truth and they’ll tell you it is in the Bible or the Quran. Many use these texts as a source of morals and a model for how society should be run.” (Caporaletti)
There are two things in my mind that are wrong with this perception: the source of ultimate truth is a loving, amazing God that would sacrifice Himself for a lowly person such as I, and that the Bible is not a blueprint about how to run a society. I’m afraid that this particular person was wrongly informed about Christianity, but I don’t think that there was just one person involved. Unfortunately, the Bible has been elevated to a god-like status which is not something it deserves. The Bible cannot take the place of God Himself, and Jesus Christ is the Word of God. Period. The Bible also cannot become a blueprint for our society, because that is not its purpose. It seems that the author of this article was wrongly informed about the function of the Bible in the religion of Christianity and I’m afraid that there are many Christians at fault.
So what is the Bible then? It is an agent that God uses to reveal Himself to us. The books in the Bible were picked out very specifically because each book speaks to generations past the time they were actually written. There is a message in each book that can be seen and revealed by the Holy Spirit. The Bible’s purpose is to point to Christ and Him crucified:
“You search the Scriptures because you believe they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!” –Jesus (John 5:39)
These words on the page cannot save us folks, only Jesus Christ can. The purpose of the Bible is clear in this passage: to point to Christ. Even though the Scriptures he’s referring to are the Old Testament, it still holds true throughout the New Testament. The Pharisees tried to live their religion with the use of a check list and rule book. It didn’t work for them and it won’t work now. So all you Christians waving your Bibles around, beware of what you are doing. You are hurting the cause of Christ, because Bible waving is pretty pointless. Jesus was not here to take over the government and society and make it his own. He was here to redeem us into His kingdom and bring us back to Him. That’s what Christianity is about: bringing broken people hope and grace. The Bible can’t do that, only Christ can.
Put the Bibles down. Please.
“Ask any Christian or Muslim for the ultimate truth and they’ll tell you it is in the Bible or the Quran. Many use these texts as a source of morals and a model for how society should be run.” (Caporaletti)
There are two things in my mind that are wrong with this perception: the source of ultimate truth is a loving, amazing God that would sacrifice Himself for a lowly person such as I, and that the Bible is not a blueprint about how to run a society. I’m afraid that this particular person was wrongly informed about Christianity, but I don’t think that there was just one person involved. Unfortunately, the Bible has been elevated to a god-like status which is not something it deserves. The Bible cannot take the place of God Himself, and Jesus Christ is the Word of God. Period. The Bible also cannot become a blueprint for our society, because that is not its purpose. It seems that the author of this article was wrongly informed about the function of the Bible in the religion of Christianity and I’m afraid that there are many Christians at fault.
So what is the Bible then? It is an agent that God uses to reveal Himself to us. The books in the Bible were picked out very specifically because each book speaks to generations past the time they were actually written. There is a message in each book that can be seen and revealed by the Holy Spirit. The Bible’s purpose is to point to Christ and Him crucified:
“You search the Scriptures because you believe they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!” –Jesus (John 5:39)
These words on the page cannot save us folks, only Jesus Christ can. The purpose of the Bible is clear in this passage: to point to Christ. Even though the Scriptures he’s referring to are the Old Testament, it still holds true throughout the New Testament. The Pharisees tried to live their religion with the use of a check list and rule book. It didn’t work for them and it won’t work now. So all you Christians waving your Bibles around, beware of what you are doing. You are hurting the cause of Christ, because Bible waving is pretty pointless. Jesus was not here to take over the government and society and make it his own. He was here to redeem us into His kingdom and bring us back to Him. That’s what Christianity is about: bringing broken people hope and grace. The Bible can’t do that, only Christ can.
Put the Bibles down. Please.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
The Necessity of Preaching Christ and Him Crucified
This particular topic has been laid heavily on my heart by God in the last few weeks. Every couple of days I open my Bible and see yet another passage about this particular subject. I believe that it is time for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the Southern Baptist Convention to end the war. I was born in 1984 when the heat of the fight began and I only know about it because of the books written. I have no first hand experience with the events that led to the breakup of the convention. For those of you college students of my age who have no idea what I’m talking about you need to read some books. They are out there. Most Baptist pastors and campus ministers avoid the subject of the breakup of the Southern Baptist Convention because it is a painful subject to discuss.
From reading other Baptist blogs, CBF and SBC alike, there seems to be an ongoing criticism between the two. Don’t we have other subjects and topics that are more pressing? Didn’t the CBF leave the SBC in 1989? That’s over ten years ago. Drop it people. I know that I am very guilty of criticizing the Southern Baptist Convention on this blog, because of some of my adventures and encounters. My goal with this blog is to express some opinions, but I need to keep them in perspective. This particular verse struck me when I was reading:
Mark 3:2-They watched him to see whether he would cure him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him.
This passage refers to an instance where Jesus healed a man’s hand in the synagogue on the Sabbath. These particular people were waiting for Jesus to make a mistake or cause a controversy so they could jump up and criticize them. They weren’t there to hear his teaching, they just wanted to frame him so they could maintain their power. This makes me so sick and apparently Jesus felt the same way:
Mark 3:5-He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart…
This should make us all feel sick. If the majority of what we are writing about is the failings of other Baptists, then what purpose is this serving? Maybe it will make us feel better to get those feelings down on paper, but that is not what we should be all about. I completely understand being frustrated and hurt, because I have felt both. I just think we need to stop criticizing each other so much and just preach what we’re supposed to: Jesus Christ and him crucified. There are reasons for different denominations and breakups, but there is no need to dwell on them if we can prevent it. I just don’t want to be the one waiting around for the Southern Baptist Convention to say something bad about women in the pulpit so I have more fodder for my blog. This just bugs me. If Al Mohler wants to criticize women in the pulpit, then by all means let him. As far as I’m concerned I’ve heard it all and I’m not impressed. What would be really impressive is that moderates wouldn’t react to him and Al Mohler would go back to what he’s supposed to be doing. Let’s keep this in perspective. We need to preach Jesus, not the current hot issue going on. Bitterness isn’t healthy for anyone, and I’m tired of lugging that around in my heart. It can be so heavy.
From reading other Baptist blogs, CBF and SBC alike, there seems to be an ongoing criticism between the two. Don’t we have other subjects and topics that are more pressing? Didn’t the CBF leave the SBC in 1989? That’s over ten years ago. Drop it people. I know that I am very guilty of criticizing the Southern Baptist Convention on this blog, because of some of my adventures and encounters. My goal with this blog is to express some opinions, but I need to keep them in perspective. This particular verse struck me when I was reading:
Mark 3:2-They watched him to see whether he would cure him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him.
This passage refers to an instance where Jesus healed a man’s hand in the synagogue on the Sabbath. These particular people were waiting for Jesus to make a mistake or cause a controversy so they could jump up and criticize them. They weren’t there to hear his teaching, they just wanted to frame him so they could maintain their power. This makes me so sick and apparently Jesus felt the same way:
Mark 3:5-He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart…
This should make us all feel sick. If the majority of what we are writing about is the failings of other Baptists, then what purpose is this serving? Maybe it will make us feel better to get those feelings down on paper, but that is not what we should be all about. I completely understand being frustrated and hurt, because I have felt both. I just think we need to stop criticizing each other so much and just preach what we’re supposed to: Jesus Christ and him crucified. There are reasons for different denominations and breakups, but there is no need to dwell on them if we can prevent it. I just don’t want to be the one waiting around for the Southern Baptist Convention to say something bad about women in the pulpit so I have more fodder for my blog. This just bugs me. If Al Mohler wants to criticize women in the pulpit, then by all means let him. As far as I’m concerned I’ve heard it all and I’m not impressed. What would be really impressive is that moderates wouldn’t react to him and Al Mohler would go back to what he’s supposed to be doing. Let’s keep this in perspective. We need to preach Jesus, not the current hot issue going on. Bitterness isn’t healthy for anyone, and I’m tired of lugging that around in my heart. It can be so heavy.
Friday, September 01, 2006
What Paul and I have in Common
One of the reasons I went home this summer was to rediscover who Paul is and to forgive him. I didn’t know this until after I started reading through the book of Acts and started to really see Paul for who he really was. Since I’ve heard my calling to ministry I’ve had some major problems with some of Paul’s letters. I think this resulted in the misinterpretation of his letters to the extreme. One example of this is 1 Timothy chapter 2. This particular passage has led to needless legalism and a lot of heartbreak. Many women have denied their calling to the pulpit in fear of this passage. Not reverence of the Bible, but because they were afraid. I was almost a victim to this kind of hurtful and wrongful theology.
However, no matter how controversial my comments may be in what I think about 1 Timothy 2, please read on. Paul and I have a lot more in common than I ever thought. For starters, Paul came from a very legalistic religion and was on the top. He was educated by the very best and he was one of the most Jewish of all the Jews. He fought to protect the legalistic, controlling Jewish religion of his time. Then Jesus came into his life and he suddenly had to abandon all of this. This probably did not happen overnight and was not an easy process. It isn’t written in the Bible, but I can only imagine what Paul had to go through when he turned his back on his religion that he had been a part of since childhood. He had to let go of all that he believed about God and rebuild his faith from the ground up. He had to say good bye to life long friends and probably some relatives. He was suddenly forced to give into Jesus’ teaching and take on a new approach of a more free thought and theology. No more legalism for Paul, he had found freedom in Christ. Only at a high price. Yes Paul sat in prison, was shipwrecked, and almost stoned to death, but I think the greatest moment in his life was when he abandoned all of his preconceived notions about God. It takes a lot of guts to let God completely redo a person’s faith. It is a long a painful process, and when I realized Paul had undergone this process I suddenly found a whole new respect for him. I could relate.
It’s not easy to give in and tell God to remake your faith. That’s what Paul and I both had to do. When I first admitted to myself that I was called to preach, my entire world was shaken and turned upside down. All the basics about my faith had to change: how I approach God, how I consider the purpose of the Bible in my life, to exercise the true freedom that Jesus gives, and even how to trust God more. Rebuilding your faith and even denying some elements of it that I had known since childhood is very hard and painful. I wouldn’t recommend it for the faint of heart. I do however, think that it was one of the greatest things that God has done in my life. Somehow Paul wasn’t the bad guy in my book anymore. After considering all of this, he seemed like an old friend.
However, no matter how controversial my comments may be in what I think about 1 Timothy 2, please read on. Paul and I have a lot more in common than I ever thought. For starters, Paul came from a very legalistic religion and was on the top. He was educated by the very best and he was one of the most Jewish of all the Jews. He fought to protect the legalistic, controlling Jewish religion of his time. Then Jesus came into his life and he suddenly had to abandon all of this. This probably did not happen overnight and was not an easy process. It isn’t written in the Bible, but I can only imagine what Paul had to go through when he turned his back on his religion that he had been a part of since childhood. He had to let go of all that he believed about God and rebuild his faith from the ground up. He had to say good bye to life long friends and probably some relatives. He was suddenly forced to give into Jesus’ teaching and take on a new approach of a more free thought and theology. No more legalism for Paul, he had found freedom in Christ. Only at a high price. Yes Paul sat in prison, was shipwrecked, and almost stoned to death, but I think the greatest moment in his life was when he abandoned all of his preconceived notions about God. It takes a lot of guts to let God completely redo a person’s faith. It is a long a painful process, and when I realized Paul had undergone this process I suddenly found a whole new respect for him. I could relate.
It’s not easy to give in and tell God to remake your faith. That’s what Paul and I both had to do. When I first admitted to myself that I was called to preach, my entire world was shaken and turned upside down. All the basics about my faith had to change: how I approach God, how I consider the purpose of the Bible in my life, to exercise the true freedom that Jesus gives, and even how to trust God more. Rebuilding your faith and even denying some elements of it that I had known since childhood is very hard and painful. I wouldn’t recommend it for the faint of heart. I do however, think that it was one of the greatest things that God has done in my life. Somehow Paul wasn’t the bad guy in my book anymore. After considering all of this, he seemed like an old friend.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Communication
I was reading Acts 2 in church this past Sunday and my mind started to drift off during the sermon. I do tend to do this, especially when I see a particular passage and take it a different
way that the sermon does. I don't know where this comes from sometimes, but I know its not from me. It is moments like these that affirm what I am called to in ministry. Weird.
Anyway, I was reading the story about Pentecost and I started to see it in a different angle than before. Maybe what I write down here is something that has been said before, and I just saw it for myself. Who knows? I just thought it was interesting that God chose to use the miracle of allowing the believers to speak other languages. Maybe its because I'm a Spanish major and I just find this story fascinating.
I just pondered this idea for a while, because this particular miracle seemed out of the ordinary.
I think that we may put more emphasis on the flaming tongues part of the passage, but maybe that's because it seems more dramatic and interesting. But the conclusion I came to was this: that God allowed the believers to communicate with people that they couldn't have communicated before. The believers were able to finally connect with people that they otherwise would not have connected with. The cool thing about this is that they could only really reach people with the Holy Spirit.
These believers didn't need a big ministry gimic, or a nice building or good music to connect with people. These believers just needed God and God alone. He bridged the gap between believers and unbelievers, and no one else could take credit for it.
I just thought that this was a neat way to look at this passage and it struck me this past Sunday.
And I don't actually feel that guilty for letting my mind drift off during the sermon. Because God used it.
way that the sermon does. I don't know where this comes from sometimes, but I know its not from me. It is moments like these that affirm what I am called to in ministry. Weird.
Anyway, I was reading the story about Pentecost and I started to see it in a different angle than before. Maybe what I write down here is something that has been said before, and I just saw it for myself. Who knows? I just thought it was interesting that God chose to use the miracle of allowing the believers to speak other languages. Maybe its because I'm a Spanish major and I just find this story fascinating.
I just pondered this idea for a while, because this particular miracle seemed out of the ordinary.
I think that we may put more emphasis on the flaming tongues part of the passage, but maybe that's because it seems more dramatic and interesting. But the conclusion I came to was this: that God allowed the believers to communicate with people that they couldn't have communicated before. The believers were able to finally connect with people that they otherwise would not have connected with. The cool thing about this is that they could only really reach people with the Holy Spirit.
These believers didn't need a big ministry gimic, or a nice building or good music to connect with people. These believers just needed God and God alone. He bridged the gap between believers and unbelievers, and no one else could take credit for it.
I just thought that this was a neat way to look at this passage and it struck me this past Sunday.
And I don't actually feel that guilty for letting my mind drift off during the sermon. Because God used it.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Same Sex Marriage
With all the hub bub of same sex marriage rights I have decided to write down my two cents worth here on this website. Maybe this will make my opinions more concise and clear on the subject. Lately I've had so many opinions but I haven't been able to piece them together yet.
I think the main thing I struggle with is the fact that I strongly believe in the separation of church and state. I think that the church should be its own entity without any regulation from the state government. Likewise, I think the government should be representative of all its constituents, not just one religion. We as Baptists supposedly believe strongly in the separation of church and state as this is a very important component that started our denomination in the first place. I'm not sure all Baptists realize this certain fact, but it's true nonetheless.
With all that being said, homosexuals are pounding at the government's door for equal rights. And I don't blame them, because they haven't gotten stellar treatment over the years. The one thing they're looking for is the legal right to marry. And I don't understand why the church is so huffy about all of this.
The worst case scenario for the conservative right wing folks is that congress does pass a law that permits homosexuals to marry. This does not change the church. This simply means that two homosexuals can go to a courthouse and get married. So what. The church doesn't have to change, we don't have to marry them if we don't want to. That is how this country works. Sheesh people.
Do I support same sex marriage? Well let me say this. They deserve to live legally together and receive the tax benefits that we hetersexual folks have. They deserve to be treated as first class citizens and not second class citizens. I support them because they are people and I am no better than any one of them. But when I'm a minister some day, I don't think I would be able to marry them in the church. My theology doesn't run that far to the left.
I just think this whole issue has been blown way out of proportion and the conservative evangelical Christians need to go back to their day jobs and start preaching the gospel like they're supposed to. Let the government do their job, and let's be responsible citizens, but not an angry overwhelming mob.
Sometimes I think issues like these hurt the church more than help the church. When we get off the topic of preaching Christ and him crucified, then we've lost our purpose.
I think the main thing I struggle with is the fact that I strongly believe in the separation of church and state. I think that the church should be its own entity without any regulation from the state government. Likewise, I think the government should be representative of all its constituents, not just one religion. We as Baptists supposedly believe strongly in the separation of church and state as this is a very important component that started our denomination in the first place. I'm not sure all Baptists realize this certain fact, but it's true nonetheless.
With all that being said, homosexuals are pounding at the government's door for equal rights. And I don't blame them, because they haven't gotten stellar treatment over the years. The one thing they're looking for is the legal right to marry. And I don't understand why the church is so huffy about all of this.
The worst case scenario for the conservative right wing folks is that congress does pass a law that permits homosexuals to marry. This does not change the church. This simply means that two homosexuals can go to a courthouse and get married. So what. The church doesn't have to change, we don't have to marry them if we don't want to. That is how this country works. Sheesh people.
Do I support same sex marriage? Well let me say this. They deserve to live legally together and receive the tax benefits that we hetersexual folks have. They deserve to be treated as first class citizens and not second class citizens. I support them because they are people and I am no better than any one of them. But when I'm a minister some day, I don't think I would be able to marry them in the church. My theology doesn't run that far to the left.
I just think this whole issue has been blown way out of proportion and the conservative evangelical Christians need to go back to their day jobs and start preaching the gospel like they're supposed to. Let the government do their job, and let's be responsible citizens, but not an angry overwhelming mob.
Sometimes I think issues like these hurt the church more than help the church. When we get off the topic of preaching Christ and him crucified, then we've lost our purpose.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
For Girls Only
"I just want a guy to take care of me", or "I want to be taken care of and not have to worry".
These two phrases are very popular amongst the female population, at least the ones I know.
However, I cringe every time I hear a girl say that, especially when they claim to be Christians.
If God is the God that we say him to be, then why in the world are we wanting to be taken care of?
Aren't we already taken care of?
I know that I had to fight against this very issue, and become a more independent person. I've been single for my entire three years of college thus far and I had to learn to take care of myself. I have very good guy and girl friends that look out for me in case anything happens. I have no need for a boyfriend with bodyguard capabilities. Besides, that's not the function of a man in my life.
Why is it that women think they need a caretaker? Can't we use our own heads and hands and figure stuff out? And for the decision making options, isn't God the source of infinate wisdom?
I do understand that girls sometimes have to wrestle with becoming more independent, simply because I was one of them. However, let's not use a cop out and claim that we need to be taken care of.
We already are and we have no reason to doubt it.
These two phrases are very popular amongst the female population, at least the ones I know.
However, I cringe every time I hear a girl say that, especially when they claim to be Christians.
If God is the God that we say him to be, then why in the world are we wanting to be taken care of?
Aren't we already taken care of?
I know that I had to fight against this very issue, and become a more independent person. I've been single for my entire three years of college thus far and I had to learn to take care of myself. I have very good guy and girl friends that look out for me in case anything happens. I have no need for a boyfriend with bodyguard capabilities. Besides, that's not the function of a man in my life.
Why is it that women think they need a caretaker? Can't we use our own heads and hands and figure stuff out? And for the decision making options, isn't God the source of infinate wisdom?
I do understand that girls sometimes have to wrestle with becoming more independent, simply because I was one of them. However, let's not use a cop out and claim that we need to be taken care of.
We already are and we have no reason to doubt it.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Gender roles
Yeah, I'm back. I haven't had the brain capacity to update this site, so my apologies.
But what I would like to write about is gender roles in general. I'm going to try desperately hard to stay objective here, but I can't make any guarantees.
The first idea that I want to argue is that as Christians we are all equal. We are the same no matter our culture, race, crazy families, race, pets, you name it. Men and women are equal too. And we are of equal value in the eyes of God. I don't think there are many people that would dispute this fact.
Paul says it best,
Galatians 3:28- There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all Christians-you are one in Christ Jesus.
So this means that we're all equal and nobody is better than anyone else. I also think that this verse shows a different idea, and in that God cares about the heart. Time and time again Jesus has pointed to the issues of the heart being of utmost importance. So if the heart is the most important aspect of our being, does God really care that I'm a woman?
I truly believe that every Christian has a common call to follow Christ without restraint and to the full. That is who we are. So what then, about gender roles? Is it really important for me to fullfil my duties as a woman as defined by church doctrine, or to follow Jesus? Do the two conflict? I think so. I think there is a tendency to put men in one part of life, and put women in the other, and they are supposed to say in their separate corners. But in the end, does it really matter?
Does it really matter that a man stays home and keeps the kids while his wife works? Does it matter if a woman decides to stay home instead? Does it matter if woman becomes a manager over men? Does it matter if a woman preaches from the pulpit instead of a man?
If God has called us to follow him, then we are to do just that. God doesn't put us in corners and say women should do this, and men should do this. He told us to love him with everything we have, and that's the entire Bible in a nutshell. But in the end does gender really matter?
I guess what I'm trying to say here is that gender roles are man made inventions and we need to be careful not to put ourselves in a box and refuse to follow God on certain issues. Following God should be our number one priority, not following only one view of the Bible.
But what I would like to write about is gender roles in general. I'm going to try desperately hard to stay objective here, but I can't make any guarantees.
The first idea that I want to argue is that as Christians we are all equal. We are the same no matter our culture, race, crazy families, race, pets, you name it. Men and women are equal too. And we are of equal value in the eyes of God. I don't think there are many people that would dispute this fact.
Paul says it best,
Galatians 3:28- There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all Christians-you are one in Christ Jesus.
So this means that we're all equal and nobody is better than anyone else. I also think that this verse shows a different idea, and in that God cares about the heart. Time and time again Jesus has pointed to the issues of the heart being of utmost importance. So if the heart is the most important aspect of our being, does God really care that I'm a woman?
I truly believe that every Christian has a common call to follow Christ without restraint and to the full. That is who we are. So what then, about gender roles? Is it really important for me to fullfil my duties as a woman as defined by church doctrine, or to follow Jesus? Do the two conflict? I think so. I think there is a tendency to put men in one part of life, and put women in the other, and they are supposed to say in their separate corners. But in the end, does it really matter?
Does it really matter that a man stays home and keeps the kids while his wife works? Does it matter if a woman decides to stay home instead? Does it matter if woman becomes a manager over men? Does it matter if a woman preaches from the pulpit instead of a man?
If God has called us to follow him, then we are to do just that. God doesn't put us in corners and say women should do this, and men should do this. He told us to love him with everything we have, and that's the entire Bible in a nutshell. But in the end does gender really matter?
I guess what I'm trying to say here is that gender roles are man made inventions and we need to be careful not to put ourselves in a box and refuse to follow God on certain issues. Following God should be our number one priority, not following only one view of the Bible.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Christian Books vs. the Bible
I'll be completely honest here, I'm not a big Christian book reader. I have read some of C.S. Lewis's stuff, some Henri Nouwen, Max Lucado, Rick Warren, Barbara Brown Taylor, but that's as far as it goes. A few dating books here and there, because that's important. But in some circles my list is pretty short when it comes to reading Christian Books.
One reason for this is plain stubborness. A few years back I bought a Bible that had no foot notes, no application stuff, just the text and cross-references. I refused to have some editor tell me what Jesus was saying, because the text is supposed to speak for itself. So I figured that's what I would do, let the text speak for itself. I began to go on a Bible reading rampage, because I wanted to know more about God and I wanted to hear it straight from him, not from Beth Moore, C.S. Lewis, not some Bible scholar, just the Holy Spirit. I wanted to form my own theology on the basis of what the Bible said, not take someone else's word for it.
And it was the greatest thing I ever did. Honestly. I found so much in the Old Testament that I thought I would never find. To this day the Bible never ceases to amaze me about how much it reveals about the character of God and his desire to know me inside and out. In my life the Bible has done what it has supposed to do: show me good theology and point me to the God of the universe. It has brought me into a deeper relationship with Christ that no Christian author could have done for me, because I was just too stubborn to take their word for it.
I am completely convinced that if a bomb hit every Lifeway, Cokesbury, and all the other Christian bookstores and destroyed all the Christian books we would pull through just fine. Maybe better off, because we would be forced to read the Bible for ourselves. We would be forced to seek God for ourselves and put all the pieces of the Bible together ourselves, which is exactly what the Max Lucados of the world do.
Now I'm not knocking Christian books, because they serve a great purpose. Their purpose is to point us to the Bible and help unlock some of the hardest to understand passages contained in it. But Christian books cannot replace the Bible or become like Bibles to us. I've heard time and time again, "every Christian should have this book on their shelf". Well I would like to counter that and say, "Every Christian should have a well thumbed Bible on their shelf that has been read and completely cherished".
I think another message I would like to send before I close this post is this: Every Christian book is full of opinions. The author has written the book as their take on the subject and what God has said to them about it. But God may have something different to say to you. Not completely different, but God may give you a different angle. The best way to form your own opinions and your own theology, is to sit down and discover God's word for yourself.
I definitely encourage everyone who happens to read this post to think for yourself. Discover the Bible and God for yourself, and be willing to critique other's opinions. The only thing that matters is what is going on between you and God. Nothing and no one else's opinions truly matter.
One reason for this is plain stubborness. A few years back I bought a Bible that had no foot notes, no application stuff, just the text and cross-references. I refused to have some editor tell me what Jesus was saying, because the text is supposed to speak for itself. So I figured that's what I would do, let the text speak for itself. I began to go on a Bible reading rampage, because I wanted to know more about God and I wanted to hear it straight from him, not from Beth Moore, C.S. Lewis, not some Bible scholar, just the Holy Spirit. I wanted to form my own theology on the basis of what the Bible said, not take someone else's word for it.
And it was the greatest thing I ever did. Honestly. I found so much in the Old Testament that I thought I would never find. To this day the Bible never ceases to amaze me about how much it reveals about the character of God and his desire to know me inside and out. In my life the Bible has done what it has supposed to do: show me good theology and point me to the God of the universe. It has brought me into a deeper relationship with Christ that no Christian author could have done for me, because I was just too stubborn to take their word for it.
I am completely convinced that if a bomb hit every Lifeway, Cokesbury, and all the other Christian bookstores and destroyed all the Christian books we would pull through just fine. Maybe better off, because we would be forced to read the Bible for ourselves. We would be forced to seek God for ourselves and put all the pieces of the Bible together ourselves, which is exactly what the Max Lucados of the world do.
Now I'm not knocking Christian books, because they serve a great purpose. Their purpose is to point us to the Bible and help unlock some of the hardest to understand passages contained in it. But Christian books cannot replace the Bible or become like Bibles to us. I've heard time and time again, "every Christian should have this book on their shelf". Well I would like to counter that and say, "Every Christian should have a well thumbed Bible on their shelf that has been read and completely cherished".
I think another message I would like to send before I close this post is this: Every Christian book is full of opinions. The author has written the book as their take on the subject and what God has said to them about it. But God may have something different to say to you. Not completely different, but God may give you a different angle. The best way to form your own opinions and your own theology, is to sit down and discover God's word for yourself.
I definitely encourage everyone who happens to read this post to think for yourself. Discover the Bible and God for yourself, and be willing to critique other's opinions. The only thing that matters is what is going on between you and God. Nothing and no one else's opinions truly matter.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Hypocrisy
One of the most famous statements made by ministers about hypocrites is that when someone complains about the church being full of them, the minister simply replies, "Come join us, because one more hypocrite isn't gonna hurt". I grew up with this saying, and I believed it. Now the more I think about it, I feel like its being used as a cop out.
The more I'm around non Christians and read non Christian articles about religion the more I realize that most people have no problem with Christ. Jesus Christ is pretty well accepted in the secular world, because of who he is. People usually don't complain about what Christ did for us, they usually complain about the Christian church and Christians.
Why is this? Because they have every reason to see us as misrepresenting Christ. Now I'm not saying that we're gonna get it right every time, but what I am saying is that I think we have been too passive. We need to strive to move forward and not be satisfied with where the church is and where our individual Christian lives are.
And yes ladies and gentlemen, the Church does get it right. Sometimes.
When I went on a mission trip to Slidell, LA, I felt like we represented God in the best way we knew how: grabbing hammers and nails and cleaning out houses. That's exactly what Jesus would have wanted us to do, there was no question about it. There were no politics involved, no deep theological arguments, no discussion, this is what Jesus wanted us to do. And we did it. People who lived in Slidell, LA finally got to see what the church is supposed to look like: a community of believers pitching in to represent their God in the best way they knew how.
Sometimes I feel like the church has lost the point and we get way too wrapped up in what the Bible says, who's wrong, who's right, and how 'busy' our lives are. But that's not what we are called to be, because we are called to represent Christ in all that we do. Non Christian people wouldn't call us hypocrites without reason.
The biggest danger of Christianity is the Church when we misrepresent Christ. I'm not saying that we're gonna get it right all the time, but that's something we need to seek and strive for. No more cop outs, let's take responsibility for this. Let's strive to do everything within our power to stop the hypocrite argument and not give them reasons to point fingers.
Can't we just represent Christ and forget the politics? Isn't that what we're supposed to do? Is it that impossible?
The more I'm around non Christians and read non Christian articles about religion the more I realize that most people have no problem with Christ. Jesus Christ is pretty well accepted in the secular world, because of who he is. People usually don't complain about what Christ did for us, they usually complain about the Christian church and Christians.
Why is this? Because they have every reason to see us as misrepresenting Christ. Now I'm not saying that we're gonna get it right every time, but what I am saying is that I think we have been too passive. We need to strive to move forward and not be satisfied with where the church is and where our individual Christian lives are.
And yes ladies and gentlemen, the Church does get it right. Sometimes.
When I went on a mission trip to Slidell, LA, I felt like we represented God in the best way we knew how: grabbing hammers and nails and cleaning out houses. That's exactly what Jesus would have wanted us to do, there was no question about it. There were no politics involved, no deep theological arguments, no discussion, this is what Jesus wanted us to do. And we did it. People who lived in Slidell, LA finally got to see what the church is supposed to look like: a community of believers pitching in to represent their God in the best way they knew how.
Sometimes I feel like the church has lost the point and we get way too wrapped up in what the Bible says, who's wrong, who's right, and how 'busy' our lives are. But that's not what we are called to be, because we are called to represent Christ in all that we do. Non Christian people wouldn't call us hypocrites without reason.
The biggest danger of Christianity is the Church when we misrepresent Christ. I'm not saying that we're gonna get it right all the time, but that's something we need to seek and strive for. No more cop outs, let's take responsibility for this. Let's strive to do everything within our power to stop the hypocrite argument and not give them reasons to point fingers.
Can't we just represent Christ and forget the politics? Isn't that what we're supposed to do? Is it that impossible?
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Creation Science/Intelligent Design-some thoughts
I guess you could say that this is part two of my Religion vs. Science themed entries. This entry is one to bring up important questions and problems with creation science or intelligent design.
I think the one thing that needs to be pointed out is that not all Christians are all on the same page. They tend to fight with each other. The Institute for Creation Research takes a very strict view about creationism by rejecting any compromises to Genesis. The gap theory and the Day Age theory are seen to be compromises to Genesis and they are completely rejected. The gap theory recognizes that there are two accounts of creation and this allows for a long history of the earth and the process of evolution. The day age theory suggests that the 6 days of creation were not 6 twenty-four hour days, but six epochs of creation. Both of these were seen as compromises to what the Bible says according to the Institute of Creation Science. These fundamentalists think that religion has made too many accomodations to science and that religion needs to get back to its roots.
Back to its roots? Since when was science the enemy? Don't we have bigger problems, like the fact that many people in this country have no idea what it really means to have freedom in Christ? Since when is evolution and Darwin the equivalent of Satan? Shouldn't we focus on what Christianity is about, the resurrection of Jesus and emulating the example he set before us? Since when is making science the enemy getting back to the roots of Christianity? I personally think that God is so much bigger than science and science could never take that place that God has in my life. Let science take care of science, and let God take care of his people. That's his job anyway.
What makes me sick is that many Christians donate their money to causes like the Institute of Creation Science when their money can do so much in a local church. Let's help the needy, spread the message of freedom in Christ, and focus on that mission alone. That's what we are called to do as Christians. That's money well spent, not proving that the Bible is absolutely right. What does God have to prove anyway? So why try to prove that his Holy Bible is right? Sheesh people.
Why can't we act like Christians instead of proving that we are right?
I think the one thing that needs to be pointed out is that not all Christians are all on the same page. They tend to fight with each other. The Institute for Creation Research takes a very strict view about creationism by rejecting any compromises to Genesis. The gap theory and the Day Age theory are seen to be compromises to Genesis and they are completely rejected. The gap theory recognizes that there are two accounts of creation and this allows for a long history of the earth and the process of evolution. The day age theory suggests that the 6 days of creation were not 6 twenty-four hour days, but six epochs of creation. Both of these were seen as compromises to what the Bible says according to the Institute of Creation Science. These fundamentalists think that religion has made too many accomodations to science and that religion needs to get back to its roots.
Back to its roots? Since when was science the enemy? Don't we have bigger problems, like the fact that many people in this country have no idea what it really means to have freedom in Christ? Since when is evolution and Darwin the equivalent of Satan? Shouldn't we focus on what Christianity is about, the resurrection of Jesus and emulating the example he set before us? Since when is making science the enemy getting back to the roots of Christianity? I personally think that God is so much bigger than science and science could never take that place that God has in my life. Let science take care of science, and let God take care of his people. That's his job anyway.
What makes me sick is that many Christians donate their money to causes like the Institute of Creation Science when their money can do so much in a local church. Let's help the needy, spread the message of freedom in Christ, and focus on that mission alone. That's what we are called to do as Christians. That's money well spent, not proving that the Bible is absolutely right. What does God have to prove anyway? So why try to prove that his Holy Bible is right? Sheesh people.
Why can't we act like Christians instead of proving that we are right?
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Creation Science-Is it really science? Is it really Christian?
So, I know this post is gonna ruffle some feathers and make people mad. I just want to pass some information about the subject along, and also make you think. There has been this whole debate about evolution and creationism and how God fits into all of it. I will say that I have some background knowledge about creation science because I just took a class called Religion and Science. I have some hard core facts about the Creationist movement. I think I need to shed some light on who the Institute for Creation Science is and what they stand for.
First of all, they were founded in 1972 in California by a guy named H.M. Morris. He was big into creationism back in the 1960s and wrote a book called the Genesis Flood. He was actually a professor of civil engineering and has a connection to Virginia Tech. He was also the author of a creationist textbook that completely rejected evolution.
The goal of this institute is posted on their website and it says:
The purpose of ICR is to serve as an education, research, and communications media institution specializing in the study and promotion of scientific creationism, Biblical creationism, and related fields.
But it goes on to say: As a research organization, ICR engages in laboratory, field, theoretical and library research on projects which emphasize creationism, but are not necessarily limited to it.
"Emphasize" Creationism-aka-If your research does not point to creationism, it's not right. No matter how many times you do your tests or double check it. The outcome must be creationism.
(I wonder if that last clause means that they have had some evolution proved and they won't admit it, sounds fishy)
What kind of science requires a certain outcome? Not any science that I know. If your science points to another theory other than a biblical one, then you're kicked out. That's that.
Another thing posted on their site is this:
The Bible consisting of the thirty-nine canonical books of the Old Testament and the twenty-seven canonical books of the New Testament, is the divinely inspired revelation of the Creator to man. Its unique, plenary, verbal inspiration guarantees that these writings as originally and miraculously given, are infallible and completely authoritative on all matters with which they deal, free from error of any sort, scientific and historical as well as moral and theological.
So now the Bible is not just a theology book, its a biology book and a history book without errors.
Uh huh, sure, that doesn't fly:
There are two creation stories-Genesis 1 and Genesis 2:4b-You've got your six days and a seventh day sabbath, and then the world gets created again right before Adam and Eve. This is because there are two authors of Genesis. (Go look it up in a commentary, I'm not dreaming this)
So if the Bible is infallible, then do we have two worlds? Do Adam and Eve live on Mars? I mean really people, the Bible has problems all in it. Who's to say how the world was created when there are actually two accounts of it?
All that counts is that Jesus died on cross and rose from the dead. That's what we base our religion on, not what the Bible says.
(More posts to come...)
First of all, they were founded in 1972 in California by a guy named H.M. Morris. He was big into creationism back in the 1960s and wrote a book called the Genesis Flood. He was actually a professor of civil engineering and has a connection to Virginia Tech. He was also the author of a creationist textbook that completely rejected evolution.
The goal of this institute is posted on their website and it says:
The purpose of ICR is to serve as an education, research, and communications media institution specializing in the study and promotion of scientific creationism, Biblical creationism, and related fields.
But it goes on to say: As a research organization, ICR engages in laboratory, field, theoretical and library research on projects which emphasize creationism, but are not necessarily limited to it.
"Emphasize" Creationism-aka-If your research does not point to creationism, it's not right. No matter how many times you do your tests or double check it. The outcome must be creationism.
(I wonder if that last clause means that they have had some evolution proved and they won't admit it, sounds fishy)
What kind of science requires a certain outcome? Not any science that I know. If your science points to another theory other than a biblical one, then you're kicked out. That's that.
Another thing posted on their site is this:
The Bible consisting of the thirty-nine canonical books of the Old Testament and the twenty-seven canonical books of the New Testament, is the divinely inspired revelation of the Creator to man. Its unique, plenary, verbal inspiration guarantees that these writings as originally and miraculously given, are infallible and completely authoritative on all matters with which they deal, free from error of any sort, scientific and historical as well as moral and theological.
So now the Bible is not just a theology book, its a biology book and a history book without errors.
Uh huh, sure, that doesn't fly:
There are two creation stories-Genesis 1 and Genesis 2:4b-You've got your six days and a seventh day sabbath, and then the world gets created again right before Adam and Eve. This is because there are two authors of Genesis. (Go look it up in a commentary, I'm not dreaming this)
So if the Bible is infallible, then do we have two worlds? Do Adam and Eve live on Mars? I mean really people, the Bible has problems all in it. Who's to say how the world was created when there are actually two accounts of it?
All that counts is that Jesus died on cross and rose from the dead. That's what we base our religion on, not what the Bible says.
(More posts to come...)
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