Jroddy's World

I Am a Follower: A Review

2012-02-03T11:20:00.000-05:00

My latest offering from the Booksneeze bloggers program is "I Am A Follower" by Leonard Sweet. In this book Sweet is taking on the leadership culture that is dominating the culture of the church and asking if this is what the church is to be about. As you might can guess from the title he is seeking to call us away from leadership models and into what he terms followership. Instead of seeing ourselves as leaders he claims that we are to become first followers. The reason being that much of the leadership culture that is present within the church can lead us away from following after our own whims instead of listening to the Spirit and following after Jesus. After an opening section that makes the case for followership, the book is then broken up into three subsequent sections that take a deeper look at Jesus being the way, the truth and the life for those that follow after him.

I will have to admit that I loved this book. As someone who has worked in the church for the past ten years and has been indoctrinated in the leadership culture, although with a great measure of discomfort, I am happy that someone is finally speaking up. I only wish that this book had been written ten years ago to save me so much heartache and to help put some of my own thoughts into a more coherent form. I felt that this book was a very easy read and was clear and understandable. I think that this book is accessible to all audiences, but I think its biggest impact would be had on pastors and lay people who are in charge of ministries. There will be a measure of controversy surrounding this book as I know of many a pastor who have sold out to the leadership paradigm to the point where they would turn a deaf ear to Sweet's message in this book. But there is an important message here for the church and those who have been called by God to be the first followers that help to point others to the way, the truth and the life that Jesus is calling us to live. Thank you Leonard Sweet for reminding me.

December 1941: A Review

2012-01-10T11:50:00.000-05:00

My latest BookSneeze title was December 1941 by Craig Shirley. In this book Shirley seeks to paint a picture of what was going on in America during this pivotal month of World War II. He does this by researching any and all resources that he could get his hands on from local newspapers to memos straight from the oval office. I can only imagine how long and tedious of a process that was but it worked. Aside from the occasional overabundance of information, this book was well written and very informative. The book is split up by the days of the month with Shirley doing his best to paint the overarching view of the country on that particular day. I highly recommend this book, especially for any history buffs or those interested in a glimpse at the past. Get this book!

The Silent Years: A Review

2012-01-03T11:03:00.000-05:00

My latest Speak Easy selection was the little novel "The Silent Years." It is essentially the story of Jesus from before birth through the beginning of his ministry as told by his uncle, who was Mary's brother and a Pharisee. It is also important to note that the story is told through the progressive Christianity theological lens as well. I have been finished with this book for a few weeks now, but am still struggling with some of its content. The story does follow the narrative of the gospel accounts, but their interpretation is where I am having the most difficulty. Let me explain a little. I consider myself to be a fairly open minded person, even about things where Christianity is concerned, but I do believe that there are a few things that are crucial to our faith. One that I feel this book, and progressive Christianity, take that always makes me pause is the divinity of Christ. This book seems to deny the full divinity of Christ and in turn make him out to be a regular guy who was full of the light of God. Now I can maybe go there if the book was solely from the perspective of the uncle speaking about Jesus, but the book included many pages of dialogue between Jesus and the uncle both in child/teenage years and as adults. Through my reading of scripture I just believe that Jesus had an understanding of his identity as he began his earthly ministry. Another thing that I had a problem with is the portrayal of how Jesus called the fishermen to be disciples. In scripture we read that Jesus asked them to follow and the dropped their nets and did so. In this novel Jesus first sets up a trade union to improve their work conditions and profits. I very seldom speak aloud when I read, but this made me do so. I felt this was a ploy to insert a certain political agenda into Jesus' story, but I guess you get that license when you write a book.

Overall I felt the book was well written. The story flowed well and was engaging. My biggest issues were with the interpretation of scripture but I guess I am not a progressive Christian in this sense.

Church Outside the Walls: A Review

2011-11-30T15:35:00.001-05:00

In Church Outside the Walls, Raj Samuel seeks to help the reader to break free from what could be considered the traditional conception of church within the evangelical circle. That being that the church exists to be the center of our world and the end of our identity as Christians. Instead Samuel is making the case that Christians are called to be faithful in all aspects of our lives and not just when we show up on Sunday and/or Wednesday. I found this book to be a very easy read as it is, I believe, targeted towards the regular Joe and Sally in the church pew. The concepts are not academic in nature but he does build his ecclesiology in a sound way. By that I mean that he uses Scriptural support as well as early church context and thinking in his formulation. Because of this his conception of church is more in line with a pre-Christendom view than what most churches exemplify in todays world, especially in the West. One that does not put an emphasis on things such as a building or formal structures in organization. Instead to a member of the church is to have your identity found in God's kingdom which extends to all areas of one's life.

I thought this was a pretty good book. I did not learn anything new or find anything that I have not previously read before, but I think that Samuel would be a little more accessible than some other authors who write about the church in similar ways.

Decision Points: A Review

2011-11-15T13:33:00.001-05:00

I have recently finished George W. Bush's book, "Decision Points." I was very intrigued to read this book and find out a little more about this very controversial, love him or hate him figure from recent American politics. Instead of this being a day by by or month by month journal or memoir of his presidency, this book follows some of the main decisions that he had to make during his time in office. The format that follows is to present the problem or situation that arose and how Bush and his team came to their decision and ultimately how it played out after the decision was made. I found this to be a very candid look at how Bush came to make many of the decisions that he was both praised and persecuted for making. While I don't agree with every decision that he made, I would have to say that my admiration for anyone who is elected president grew through reading this book. One cannot fully imagine the full scope of what it means to be the president until you are in those shoes, although you could argue that this Bush would have a good idea since his father was also president. Be it resolve or just plain stubbornness, Bush was definitely willing to stay that course of his decisions no matter what political fallout was sure to come.

I felt the book was well written and it captured my attention all the way through. I enjoyed the candid look at his presidency that covered both the good and bad decisions that he made, in his own words even. It will be interesting to see how history will remember George W in the long term. One can definitely say that he endured some tough decisions throughout his 8 years in office and I personally do not envy the responsibility that comes with making such decisions. I would definitely recommend this book.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Expanded Bible NKJV: A Review

2011-11-10T17:03:00.001-05:00

I just received an ebook copy of "The Expanded Bible" from the BookSneeze bloggers program and I will admit that I am fairly impressed. I was intrigued to find out how they would incorporate some of the alternate translations and more in depth notes differently than a normal study Bible, which is ultimately what sets this Bible apart. As you probably know, most study Bibles will put those things in a footnote where you have the option to glance down if you choose. The difference with "The Expanded Bible" is that those notes are embedded in the text. The translation team has come up with a few ways to denote the differences between what they are embedding. It is fairly confusing at first, but the more I read the more I got used to it. I would recommend reading the introduction to find out more about this.

I do not foresee The Expanded Bible as being my main Bible to read, instead I think this will be a study reference. While the embedded information is very helpful, it is a little too cumbersome for simply doing a reading and not a study. The main translation that is used is NKJV which I do not use regularly, but I appreciate the alternative translations listed. I would recommend The Expanded Bible for those looking to do a more in depth look at scripture, especially in the area of how words are translated.

Kissing Fish: A Review

2011-11-10T16:33:00.001-05:00

Have you heard of the new movement within Christianity that is seeking to break free from the chains of modernity? No, I'm not talking about the emergent/-ing church, but instead I'm speaking of Progressive Christianity. If you are unfamiliar with this movement I would recommend "Kissing Fish" by Roger Wolsey as a starting point. In this book Wolsey lays out the view of Progressive Christianity vs that of Traditional Christianity. It is written in a very non-condescending style and should be easily accessible. The biggest hang up I think that readers would have with this book depends on their view of traditional Christianity and how open they are to new ways of thinking. Wolsey uses some of his own personal life experiences from growing up, being in school and in ministry to show how each phase has led to the shaping of his theology. Progressive Christianity takes seriously postmodern thinking and therefore calls into question many of the widely held beliefs of Traditional Christianity. I enjoyed this book very much even though I did not agree with the author on every point. Make sure that you come to this book with an open mind and if you do I think that you will be challenged to think about Christianity in new ways.

Thanks to the Speak Easy bloggers group for a copy to review. Keep 'em coming guys.

The King Jesus Gospel: A Review

2011-09-23T15:49:00.001-04:00

Scot McKnight in "The King Jesus Gospel" dares to ask if we have somehow managed to misinterpret the full meaning of the gospel, and I for one am glad that he did. McKnight claims that we have shrunk down our understanding of the gospel to include only the plan of salvation and have thus missed out on the full understanding of the gospel in our lives. I don't know about you, but this seems like a risky proposition. We in the church do not handle people who come along and claim that we have missed the point to well. In fact, we usually call them heretics and create smear campaigns across all forms of media about them. But I hope that those who would first throw stones will give the message of McKnight's book a chance. For his desire is not to throw out our previous assumptions of the gospel, but to reframe them in light of apostolic teachings.

The meat of this book is centered around looking at what a fuller understanding of the gospel is and where it is found in the teachings of the apostles and even Jesus himself. Central to McKnight's definition of the gospel is that Jesus is the fulfillment of the story of Israel. The incarnation was not a random event that occurred in a vacuum, instead it was a continuation of the work that God had already been doing in the world that began with His calling of Israel. It is through this lens that we begin to understand that the gospel is not just a saving story, but a calling story. The story of Jesus as the fulfillment of the story of Israel gives us insight as to this calling that God has for us. As McKnight says at the end of the book, "The gospel propels us into mission, into the holistic mission of loving God, loving self, loving others, and loving the world." (pg 160)

I highly recommend this book as it is both well written and thought provoking. Allow its message to reframe what we proclaim the gospel to be and in turn how we are shaped by it.

I received this book from Zondervan in exchange for a review on this blog.

Enemies of the Heart: A Review

2011-09-18T00:25:00.002-04:00

"Enemies of the Heart," by Andy Stanley, a book about the four emotions that control us. Through this book Stanley seeks to examine what these four emotions are, how they affect us and ultimately propose habits that we can incorporate into our lives to help break free from these emotions. He identifies the four emotions as being: Guilt, Anger, Greed and Jealousy. These particular four emotions become controlling in our lives because they all are connected to a certain indebtedness in our heart. Guilt leads to the thinking of "I owe you." Anger leads to the thinking of "You owe me." Greed leads to the thinking of "I owe me." And finally, jealously lead to the thinking of "God owes me."

After the author unpacks the four emotions and the control they have in our lives, he moves to a section that focuses on a habit that will lead to freedom from that particular bondage. Freedom from guilt comes through confession, not just to God but also to others. Freedom from anger comes through practicing forgiveness. Freedom from greed comes through practicing generosity. Freedom from jealously comes through celebrating others. Being habits that need to be formed, each one of these freedom-giving practices is to be exercised regularly. They are not just one time events, instead they are to become who we are.

I found this book to be very well written and easy to understand. I thought the content was very appropriate for the subject matter and that this would be a useful book for those who are looking for reasons why they are not maturing in their faith or able to move past certain attitudes or habits. I found this to be a very good and practical Christian living book and would recommend it. There are discussion questions in the back for use in groups and I feel that the material presented does lend itself to further discussion if one chooses. All in all, this is another solid book by Stanley.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

With: A Review

2011-08-04T01:28:00.000-04:00

My latest BookSneeze title is "With" by Skye Jethani. In this book Jethani seeks to call attention to how we as Christians view the role of God in our lives. At first glance this sounds like it could lead to a fruitless outcome, but I believe that Jethani does a pretty good job of laying out the major ways that Christians view the role of God in their lives. He offers different ways that are as follows:

Life Under God: which holds to the belief that as we follow God faithfully, God will in turn reward us with the blessings we need or desire in our lives.
Life Over God: seeks to figure out how the world works with God and implement those principles in their lives.
Life From God: God exists to give me my heart's desire.
Life For God: Any worthwhile life has to be lived in a predetermined "ministry" paradigm, in others words we are wasting our life if not working full time in the church or on the mission field.
Life With God: Life is spent in relationship with God because God's eternal nature is relationship which is found in our understanding of the Trinity.

As you can probably tell by the title of this book, Jethani is making the claim that the last view is the one we should be striving to embody. I appreciated his connecting point within the life of the Trinity and the understanding that we were created to exist within that relationship. The author does press on and talk about issues such as letting go of the fear that drove the other four scenarios to action and in turn to learn what it means to live by faith. In addition the author makes the claim that our full understanding of living life with God is found in how our lives are formed by prayer.

I found this to be a very well written and easy to understand book that has challenged me to think about which role I try to allow God to do in my own life. I would highly recommend this work to any and everyone with no hesitation. May we carefully consider the material being presented and be open to being honest about the place that we allow God to have in our lives.

The Seraph Seal: A Review

2011-07-14T18:47:00.000-04:00

My lastest Book Sneeze selection was The Seraph Seal by Leonard Sweet and Lori Wagner. This is a fictional look at the end times that is radically different from previous books in this genre. The book is set in the year 2048 and the main cast of characters are on a journey to put together a variety of clues that they have recently discovered. Little do they know but they are the ones who have been chosen to help humanity follow after God at the end of times. They are of course opposed by a man who is looking to dominate and rule over humanity. What unfolds is an adventure that brings together history, religion, philosophy, biology, chemistry, economics, technology, philanthropy and so much more. I felt that Sweet and Wagner told a good story, but it was a little slow in the beginning and also was a tad bit on the complex side. But I think that was necessary to fully explain how the world of 2048 is different from 2011. In order to fully grasp it you almost need to be thinking in terms of science fiction, or just fully engage your imagination. Overall I enjoyed this book and it only took around a week to finish. I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars and would recommend it. Just remember to push out your own preconceptions about the end times while reading this book and I'll think you'll enjoy it for what it is.

The Next Story: Review

2011-07-05T16:00:00.000-04:00

The Next Story, by Tim Challies, is a look into the impact that technology has on our lives. Challies looks at how technology has evolved over the course of time, especially in the last century, and how it has become an integral part of our lives both for the positive and negative. Specifically he focuses on how we communicate, how our identity is formed by technology, how much distraction we have because of technology, the result of having so much information at our fingertips, how truth is seen and shaped through technology, and how much more visible our lives are with more advanced technology. In each one of these areas Challies is careful to think critically about how our spiritual lives have been affected. I appreciated that each chapter is closed with a few questions to think through in reference to the given topic that it covered.

All in all I found this to be a very well written book and would recommend it highly. In fact, I wish this book had been written a few years earlier when I was still a youth pastor as I feel there is good material to talk to both teens and parents about in the area of technology and what impact it has on our spiritual growth and development. I appreciated the candid confessions that Challies makes of his own technology consumption and how he has begun to change some of his own personal habits through his research and the writing of this book. Reading this book has caused me to look at my own personal habits and take inventory of the role that technology has in life. Here's to trying to break the cycle!

Read this book!!

Revise Us Again: A Review

2011-05-17T13:15:00.000-04:00

My latest offering from the Speak Easy bloggers network was "Revise Us Again" by Frank Viola. In this book Viola is seeking to look at a few thoughts and behaviors of those in the church and encourage us to put them under revision. I do not feel that this is written in a malicious way or in a way that seeks to prop Viola up as holier than thou. Instead I feel that through this work Viola is wanting the church to fully examine all that they do and ask how what we do and think brings glory to Christ and supports our mission. Here are the issues that he brings up in this book.

Revising our awareness of the Divine
Revising Christian code language
Revising the Holy Spirit's Ministry
Revising Christianeze
Revising the Lord's voice
Revising Our Spiritual Expectations
Revising Our Attitudes
Revising Our Chief Pursuit
Revising Our Message
Revising Our Semantics

Most of these issues are approached in a tongue in cheek manner that reminded me a little of reading a post from "Stuff Christians Like." But Viola moves past the humor and gets to an honest look at what harm or damage is produced from these areas that need revising. If you have read any of Viola's work recently, you know that he is very concerned about how we are lifting up Jesus and many of these revisions will lead to the church lifting up Jesus in a more complete way than before. One of the strengths of this work is the personal experience that Viola has had in being a part of many different denominations and Christian groups. He does not discount the work that God is doing in each group in light of these needed revisions, but still celebrates the things that he learned from each group.

All in all I found this to be a very easy read that also challenged me to rethink some of my own thoughts and behaviors around those in church. I think this book would best be digested in a small group setting as it definitely lends itself toward good dialogue. What would be more interesting is to read this in an interdenominational setting as different backgrounds would take the revisions in their own unique way.

Lastly, I want to give credit to the graphics department for the design of the cover of this book. I know it is simple but for some reason I love the idea of having a yellow legal pad as the design for this book. I guess that comes from one too many meetings at church where ideas are made and then revised or scrapped based on the collaboration from those in the meeting. Anyways, for what it is worth I love the cover.

A faith that needs to be Unleashed

2011-05-03T11:56:00.001-04:00

My latest BookSneeze offering is "Unleashed" by Erwin McManus. In this book McManus is spreading the message that God desires for his people to live with an untamed faith. By this he means a faith that is not civilized and scared but instead one that is bold and willing to take risks. Throughout the book he weaves in personal stories of his family and how they have set out on what he calls the barbarian way. He mostly takes cues from his daughter and wife, but throws in stories about his son and himself as well. His main point is that too often we have been bound to what is supposedly the "correct" way to live a Christian life, but in truth trying to follow this way has caused many people to lose their ability to recognize the promptings of the Spirit. Here's a sample quote on this thought. "Perhaps the tragedy of our time is that such an overwhelming number of us who declare Jesus as Lord have become domesticated - or, if you will, civilized. We have lost the simplicity of our early faith. Beyond that, we have lost the passion and power of that raw, untamed, and primal faith."

All in all I think this is a great book and would recommend it to anyone. The writing is very engaging and accessible. In fact I almost felt like the four chapters were four sermons in a series. You can tell that McManus is that type of communicator and it works well.

Radical Together: A Review

2011-04-29T17:47:00.001-04:00

Radical Together, by David Platt, is a continuation of his previous work titled Radical. The message of both books is very similar with the difference being in to whom the message is intended. Radical was intended to shake up the faith of the individual in light of what the gospel says to the American Dream. Radical Together is intended to shake up the faith of the church and to encourage them to live out this radical faith in community together. I believe that the strength of Platt's message is found in the stories of those from his church who are living this out. Platt is not just talking in ideas and dreams but in how real lives have embodied these ideas and dreams. I believe that this is a very inspirational book that also asks very important questions to the church in America today. I admire the courage that it takes to go against the flow of American Christianity and be a "voice in the wilderness," but there is a certain level of credibility that comes from pastoring a large church that is faithfully living out this message.

I would definitely recommend this book for everyone. The writing is very engaging and the message is one that needs to be pondered by all Christians. I would encourage everyone to read Radical first in order to fully grasp the totality of the message. There are six sessions of small group discussion questions at the end of the book that would prove to be very helpful for such a group to talk through the message of the book. I pray that the church in America could become radical together for the gospel in the world.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

If Darwin prayed

2011-04-06T17:02:00.000-04:00

It is not too often that I come across a book that baffles me theologically, but my latest offering from the Speak Easy network did just that. "If Darwin Prayed" is a collection of prayers that are written for use in the liturgical worship of the church by a pastor in Vancouver in the United Church of Canada. The book is laid out well and divided up by the various seasons and special Sundays in the liturgical calendar. Each section contains a brief overview of the theological emphasis that particular season or Sunday is to use. The prayers are beautifully written and each has the scripture reference that was used in crafting each prayer. I believe these prayers would work well in both a corporate and personal setting.

Now to the theology. I think was most baffled by the total acceptance of Darwin's theory of evolution in the theological framework of these prayers. I do not consider myself to be fiercely conservative in the debate between creation and evolution, but I have never come across a total acceptance of the evolutionary theory in Christian thought. It does seem that process theology is the most prominent influence and I will admit to just a basic understanding of the intricacies found in process theology. I think I was most caught off guard at how all of creation was regarded in the same light. There was no one part more important than the other. Here's a sample quote in the introduction.

What if our image of God were informed by evolution as both a biological and spiritual impulse? The great story of the universe reveals that there is no disconnection anywhere in the universe. We are cousins with the stars, giraffes, amoebas, bananas - let alone monkeys! We share an unbroken lineage with all of life. To modify the central image of Jesus' teaching, we are kin with all that is in the kin-dom of God. This is a stunning revelation. Mystics has intuited it, but now science has revealed it to be fact. We share a single energy with every form and every mode of consciousness in the universe. This knowledge should be the cause for great celebration in our churches every Sunday and in our prayer life throughout the week.

There is a certain beauty to the harmony of creation that is painted but I don't know if I'm ready to fully go there just yet. There are biblical passages that point to the elevated status that humans have in creation and I would be curious how these are interpreted in this theological framework. There are many other similar questions that arise theologically and because of that I would urge those interested to be open to new ideas or well versed in this theological framework to appreciate what is being attempted.

The Corruptible

2011-03-31T11:51:00.000-04:00

I will have to admit that I am a sucker for a good mystery book. I found "The Corruptible: A Ray Quinn Mystery" to be just that, a good mystery book. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either. I didn't get bored with this book, but it did move at a fairly slow pace for a mystery book. Part of that may be due to my love for TV shows of the same genre that move quickly and take several episodes or seasons to develop their characters. This is the second book in a series, and I have not read the first one, so there may be some background information that I am missing.

The basic premise of the book is centered around an ex-cop, Ray Quinn, who was injured in the line of duty and now is working as a Private Investigator. His carrer as a PI was helped by a previous case that he helped to solve and now afforded him certain perks as a consultant with the police force. His partner is a wanna be cop by the name of Crevis, who is good hearted but cannot seem to pass the written cop exam. Ray is hired to recover some stolen materials by a very wealthy investment firm that is run by Armon Mayer. Ray is told that he was hired because the suspect was a dirty ex-cop, Logan, who had been working as a security guard for Mayer. As Quinn begins his search Logan is found dead with the stolen goods no where to be found. Quinn finds himself working alongside the police force in both the murder investigation as well as his own investigation into the stolen goods. The case seems to go round and round while running into many dead ends but Quinn does end up solving the case in the end, which as it turns out was an inside job for the theft and a revenge of sorts for the murder.

With this being a "Christian" mystery novel there is a hint of evangelism on the part of one of the characters who desires to help Ray. In the end Ray does finally start listening to her and begins a journey toward sobriety that the author leads open for subsequent books.

All in all this was a good read. There were a few things that seemed unbelievable from time to time, but I chalk that up to a work of fiction.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

The Nature of Love: A Theology

2011-03-16T14:21:00.002-04:00

In The Nature of Love: A Theology, Thomas Jay Oord sets out to construct a theology that features love at its center. While this doesn't seem like an incredibly novel idea, I think that as one digs deeper into this stream of thought they will begin to understand that too many of our theologies put love as one of the many attributes of God. But for Oord this is the essential understanding that we should have of God. One of the first problems that arises from this line of thinking is how do we define love, especially in light of how our culture has distorted the meaning of this word. The working definition that Oord uses is as follows, "to love is to act intentionally, in sympathetic/empathetic response to God and others, to promote overall well-being."

With this working definition in hand Oord turns to the biblical witness of love and reframed my understanding of the three Greek words that we translate into love: agape, philia, and eros. I had always thought that agape (self-sacrificial love for the good of the other) was the best understanding of biblical and Godly love. But Oord redefines agape as "loving responses to evil" and notes other instances where the biblical writers not only use the terms philia and eros but also use agape to express the concepts of philia and eros. Not being someone who has studied Greek I will take Oord at what he says here and have to rethink and study up on these concepts and uses of love in the New Testament. Beyond my own discovery in this area I really loved the landing point of Oord on understanding the full meaning of saying that God is love. "Not only should contemporary Christians embrace agape, eros, and philia as legitimate forms of love for creature to express, but they should also accept the biblical witness that God expresses these forms of love. Rather than one-dimensional, God's love is full-orbed" (52). This opens us up to understanding God in terms of relationship and also how we as creatures are able to act in ways that are loving.

This in turn leads Oord to make the case that a theology of love affirms open theism. This is due to the picture of a relational God that open theism paints in contrast to the 'totally other' God of classical theism. I appreciate the emphasis on relationship that open theism paints between God and creation but I will admit that I got a tad lost in the discussion on theodicy. I understand the basic assumption that open theism helps to explain away the culpability of God in view of the freedom that God has given to creation but Oord's assertion that creation ex nihilo is both unbiblical and wrong still has me thinking. I can totally see where it is an idea that is not fully supported by the biblical witness, but I am struggling with this idea that something existed apart from God in the beginning and how God will redeem that something without being at least a little coercive. Any help here would be appreciated.

Oord finishes the book with a fleshing out of what he calls Essential Kenosis which means that it is essential in God's nature to come near to creation in love (well being). This was modeled by Jesus and is pointed to in the New Testament writings. Ultimately the picture of essential kenosis is one of hope that God, and love, will win in the end. I appreciate the full picture of love, God and eschatology that essential kenosis presents to us but I still feel like I've been drinking from a fire hydrant as I process this idea.

All in all I enjoyed this book and would recommend it. I understand that not all will receive this view well but I feel that there are very good thinking points made by Oord in this book.

I read and reviewed this book as a member of the Speak Easy bloggers program.

Hope with the Next Christians

2011-02-21T19:26:00.001-05:00

When observing the Christian landscape in America today it is easy to get disenfranchised. It is pretty obvious that the world as we know it is changing and that the church is trying to figure out how to faithfully present the gospel in this new world. And you might imagine, this is taking on different looks depending on where one is trying to minister. Thankfully we seem to be moving away from a cookie cutter ten step process in how to grow a mega church with the end result being more fannies in the seats to a holistic look at how we make actual disciples that will make a difference in the world. In "The Next Christians," Gabe Lyons is describing what this latter emphasis looks like. Instead of being bogged down by the intricacies of post modernity and how it may or may not affect our theology, Lyons is taking a look at how many present day Christians are living, moving and having their being in the world. He brings up how many of the outlooks of Christians today have changed from those of generations past, especially in how they choose to engage the world around them. They seek to be agents of restoration in the world who join God in the work that is already being done in and around them.

I really enjoyed not only the content of what Lyons had to say, but also the stories of those who are actually living out being an agent of restoration. I felt this offered the most tangible form of hope because these shifts in lifestyle are not just good theories but realities for those who are seeking to follow God in this way. Their stories offer a way forward to those who would choose to follow God in the same manner. I would hope that as this book is read that it peaks our imagination to what our life with God could be like and where we can join in the work that God is already doing. I hope that my story can one day be found in the pages of "The Next Christians" and that as a minister I have been able to help others do the same.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

The Lion, the Mouse and the Dawn Treader

2011-01-29T12:35:00.000-05:00

Ever wanted a spiritual take on C.S. Lewis' The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, then The Lion, the Mouse and the Dawn Treader is for you! In this book Carl McColman takes an deeper look at the spiritual implications found in each chapter of the Dawn Treader. Thankfully McColman does a great job summing up the plot line as I have not read Lewis' book in a few years. I thought this book was very well written and easy to understand. I also felt that there was a cliff notes kind of feel to this book in that each chapter was summed up and then the spiritual lessons were expounded upon. This format helped to further the message of the book especially since there were a few spiritual lessons that I was unfamiliar with, namely those with a mystic point of view. All in all I learned quite a bit from this short book and would easily recommend it to those wanting a deeper look at The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Thanks to the Speak Easy network for a copy of this book to review.

Looking for an audacious faith?

2011-01-22T17:13:00.000-05:00

In "Sun Stand Still" Pastor Steven Furtick challenges us to develop an audacious faith. I was a little skeptical at first as to where this might lead, but upon reading his book I wholeheartedly agree. Furtick is taking the basis of his book from the story of Joshua. Joshua had the pleasure of leading the people of God after Moses had died, a task that I'm sure not too many envied. But Joshua was the leader that was able to lead the people of God into the promised land after wandering in the desert for forty years. During one of the many battles that he lead the army into, he had the audacity to pray that God would make the sun to stand still in the sky, and God granted this request which allowed Joshua and his army to gain victory. It is this simple prayer that Joshua prays that Furtick uses to awaken his reader to the promises that God wants to unleash on His people. This does not refer or in any way mimic the slick packaging of the prosperity gospel, but instead Furtick is concerned with how the people of God can make a difference in the world around them.

I think the strength of this book is found in the ease and clarity of the writing and the stories that Furtick shares of those in his church that have prayed Sun Stand Still prayers in their lives and how God answered them. I really appreciated his emphasis at the end of the book on how the journey is just as important as the destination and that getting to the destination is always a process. It is easy to read a book like this and then get caught up in the success stories and lose sight of the process and journey that it took to get there. There are many resources on the website for the book that will help with small group discussions and other messages from the author.

On a personal note, one of my best friends from college attends Elevation church in Charlotte and has nothing but positive things to say about his church and the work they are doing in the Charlotte area. If the basis of the ministry of Elevation church is founded in the frame of mind that this book portrays I can totally see why this is the case. I believe there are even greater things in store for this pastor, his church and those who will join in the movement of God with an audacious faith.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

The Jesus Inquest

2011-01-14T12:10:00.000-05:00

My latest read from the BookSneeze bloggers program was "The Jesus Inquest" by Charles Foster. Foster is a barrister (lawyer) in England and he presents two sides to the resurrection through the eyes and arguments of two fictitious barristers (X and Y). The format of the book is that X presents evidence opposing the truth of the resurrection and Y rebuts the evidence. This format helps to keep the main arguments on topic and not going off in the many different rabbit trails that this subject matter could lead one down. I thought this book was very well written and easy to understand. It exposed many new theories about the resurrection, mainly against, that I had not previously been exposed. Some of these theories were really far fetched and some of them made logical sense, but they were contrary to what is found in scripture. It was also interesting to read an apocryphal New Testament writing, the gospel of Peter, and to learn the similarities and differences from the writing found in the canon.

All in all I thought this was a great book and would have no problem recommending it to people. It was an easy read and not very long.

Fasting

2010-12-29T12:29:00.000-05:00

My latest book from the Book Sneeze bloggers program is called "Fasting" by Scot McKnight. While this might seem a curious title to read around the holidays, I did enjoy reading the e-book version on my new Kindle. This is the fourth title that I've read in the Ancient Practices series and probably one of my favorites. I really love McKnight's writing style and how he weaves in teaching about the ancient Jewish understanding of his subject as well as the early church understanding and how it has evolved over time. As an associate pastor, I have often taught on and lead groups through various fasts, especially through the season of Lent. But after reading McKnight's book I have a slightly different take on fasting. Most of that is through his assertion that fasting, in the Biblical sense, can only be defined as refraining from food and/or water. He made the distinction of abstaining from certain things (caffeine, TV, etc) is not really a Biblical fast. Probably the biggest revelation for me is his central thesis of how a fast "works." I put works in quotations because fasting is not some formula that we plug certain things into and then expect a certain result from God, although many do feel that way. McKnight brought to my realization that fasting is a response from a God event, where the one experiencing the event is moved to repentance and a further longing for connection with God, and in some cases there is a result that does occur. He diagrammed this as a movement from A > B > C. Of course there is more to his point and I will leave that to the book to explain. I would definitely recommend this book.

Chazown

2010-12-24T11:20:00.000-05:00

The latest book that I have had an opportunity to read is "Chazown: Define Your Vision. Pursue Your Passion. Live Your Life on Purpose." by Craig Groeschel. I picked this book for two reasons, the first is the unique title and the fact that I am interested in Hebrew concepts of the faith (which this book really did not address) and second I have never read anything by Groeschel. As you can probably guess from the subtitle, this book is about finding the purpose for your life. I had expectations of this being a somewhat dense book that delved into the dense fabric of a spiritual life and instead what I found was a very practical and easy approach to life. At first I was put off by the simplicity, but as I reflected on what Groeschel was presenting and how I have heard it talked about previously; I really appreciated the simplicity. As someone in vocational ministry I have talked to many people about this topic and am amazed at the many different approaches that people take to find meaning or purpose. What I like the most about this book is how he emphasizes that our purpose is largely wrapped up in how we have been gifted by God and what passion God has instilled in each of us. I also appreciated that Groeschel believes that living a life in balance is key to this whole thing working. I don't want to give away the content of the book because you should really read this book. It is easy to understand and well written. I would suggest that this book is most effective if read through in community. The sections of the book lend themselves to discussion and most importantly, accountability.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Revelation of the Magi

2010-12-14T11:49:00.000-05:00

I recently had an opportunity to read "Revelation of the Magi" as a part of the Patheos Book Club roundtable. I was very intrigued by this title because of the subject matter of the Magi. We really do not have many resources on who they were and what the meaning of their presence in the story of the birth of Christ represents. But here is a seemingly lost account of Magi. The author, Brent Landau, found this writing stored away in the vaults of the library at the Vatican and now he has translated this ancient document into English for the very first time.

The book opens up with a very long introduction where Landau summarizes the story by hitting the high points of interest that are found in the story. Some of those high points include a better understanding of who the Magi are (a religious group in the East who are descended from Seth, the third son of Adam and Eve), what their religious practices were (they prayed silently and were waiting for a sign that God would send), where they were located (the land of Shir, somewhere in the East), what caused their journey (they saw a light enter their sacred cave and were told by Jesus to travel to Jerusalem to find him and worship him), the experience of their journey (they were guided by a light and found that the terrain was leveled and their provisions were constantly replenished), their experience with the child (they were commissioned to spread the news of God's work of salvation to their people), their arrival home (journey home similar to the one to Bethlehem, but upon arriving home they fed people the food from their sacks and had their eyes opened to this new reality), and finally the experience of the apostle Thomas (he baptized the people and then Christ descended from heaven and served them communion). There are a few other things in the story, but I do not want to ruin everything for you.

All in all I found this a very fascinating read. I will admit that I do not have much knowledge when it comes to apocryphal writings, so I cannot comment on some of the texts that Landau references in his notes. Coming from a protestant, evangelical perspective I do not have a very good frame of reference when it comes to texts not found in the canon of scripture. Thankfully I am in a place of asking those questions, but it is a place where I am treading carefully. So one question that I would have for the author is where would one begin in trying to discern the place that the apocryphal writings have in the formation of our faith and understanding of scripture?

Another question that I have been wrestling with is connected to Landau's conclusion that this text has something to say about religious pluralism. If I understand him correctly, he believes that this is evidence that God has spoken in the past to groups other than the Jews. While I do not doubt this, especially with a firmly held belief of prevenient grace that I as a Wesleyan hold on to, I for some reason do not see how this would lend itself to a speaking on religious pluralism. From what I could tell the message to the Magi was pretty much an explanation of the gospel as we know it today. How does what we see in this text inform us as to how God might be speaking to those of Islam or Hindu faith? I ask this question with a limited understanding of the position of those with a robust understanding of religious pluralism, but my curiosity is peaked.

Finally, my last question is about the Magi themselves. Is there any reference to them in history past this document? Did they get swept up into Christian missionary movement to the East to the point where they lost this historical identity as a people? Or is their mention of them in other early Christian writings out of the East that speak of this particular group of people?

Chasing Francis

2010-12-13T20:27:00.000-05:00

You know how sometimes you read a book and it just resonates deep inside of you? Well "Chasing Francis" is one of those books for me. I cannot recommend this book enough. The basic plot line of this book is of a mega church pastor who finds that the faith that he has built his life upon is crumbling around him. Essentially the author is describing a person moving from a modern faith worldview to a post-modern faith. This change culminated in an extremely honest moment from the pulpit that had the pastor in trouble with the elders and other staff at the church. He ends up taking a leave of absence and joins his uncle in Italy who is a Franciscan monk. During his time away he gives himself over to studying who Francis of Assisi was and how he lived and taught others to live. In doing so he began to discover a new way to be Christian that was not so much about how big a church he could grow, but how he could truly serve the world around him. He eventually has to return home and face the music but with a new vision of what his local church could become. Predictably it does not end with the whole congregation changing, but with the pastor forming a fellowship to walk out his latest discovery.

I think I enjoyed this book so much because I can identify with it. I have gone through a transition in my faith but yet I still find myself in the midst of those stuck where I used to be. It can be frustrating at times but I very much liked the discoveries that were made from the life and teachings of St. Francis. This novel has really peaked my interest in learning more about what Francis wrote and trying to figure out how our current ministry contexts can implement his message.

I read this book as a part of the Speak Easy bloggers network and hope to read more great titles in the future. Go get this book!

Thoughts on the empire

2010-12-02T15:23:00.000-05:00

Just to be clear up front, this is not a Star Wars post about the empire. I'm preaching this weekend on Jesus and the empire in power when he was born. My message fits into a broader look at the Christmas story and how we have lost some of the deep meaning found in this revolutionary story. But as I've been thinking about my message this weekend, I am wondering if people understand the concept of an empire being in control. We live in a free democratic society where one simply has to wait out a leader they don't care for, because history shows that our leadership pendulum never stays with one party/viewpoint for too long. But what was it like to live in a time where you did not have a say whatsoever in who would rule over the land? What was it like to live in a time where disagreement with the King could cost you your life? And how radical is it that the Kingdom of God is good news for all people and that it will bring a peace where swords are beat into plowshares?

I find myself challenged to see this Advent season in the light of this already here but still coming Kingdom of God. I feel challenged because it seems that we have turned the Christmas story into this nice and neat little story that makes us feel good for the weeks leading up to December 25th. But the Christmas story is so much more than something that makes us feel good. It is God's pronouncement that there is another way to live in the world. This way is of peace and righteousness that bring life and light to the world. It is a call to come out of the way of the world and into the way of God. May our eyes be opened to see that the kingdoms of the world are not the Kingdom of our God and may we eagerly await the final consummation of God's Kingdom here on this earth.

The Gospel According to Jesus

2010-11-19T22:36:00.000-05:00

The most recent book that I have read through the book sneeze program is "The Gospel According to Jesus." It is written by Chris Seay, who is the founding pastor of Ecclesia Church in Houston. I know that there are a lot of books going around on the subject of the gospel, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The thing that I most appreciated is that Seay talked about the gospel in holistic terms. Too often we only speak of the gospel in terms of salvation in the end and we miss out on the implication of what God wants to do through us in the here and now. Coming from a holiness denomination this is a very frustrating view that I hear all too often. But Seay reminds us that the gospel is also about joining in what God is doing in the world around us. His book is a call for us to wake up and join in this very work. This is not a works based social gospel, which I'm sure some are accusing him of promoting, but a call to understand that God has called us for a purpose in the here and now.

This is a very easy read and could easily be used in a small group setting. I believe that Seay writes in a way that not only makes his point, but also nudges you to think beyond his point. This is a call for the community of the people of God to dream about what God can do and for us to get out of our church buildings and actually do those things. Read this book!

Beyond Opinion

2010-09-16T12:48:00.000-04:00

I have recently read "Beyond Opinion" as a part of the book sneeze bloggers program. This book is a modern day apologetic of the Christian faith and they are tackling issues that rise from other world religions, atheism and the post-modern paradigm. I felt that each essay was well constructed and that the authors were successful in stating their case. I personally am not a huge proponent of apologetics, but do feel that they are an important arm in our understanding of the evangelistic calling that we have as the people of God. But in saying that I don't think that apologetics are the ultimate answer. I do however feel that this book is a great resource for a considered response to many of the issues that are challenging Christianity in the world today. I would recommend this book for someone looking for help in addressing those areas.

And: The Gathered and Scattered Church

2010-08-17T13:58:00.000-04:00

I recently finished the book "And: The Gathered and Scattered Church." I must first apologize to the good people at Zondervan who sent me the book to review. My only excuse is that ministry life prevented me from completing this on time.

Let me begin by saying that I really enjoyed this book. I have found myself caught in the tension of the church being a gathering place or a sending place for some time and had never investigated if the two could co-exist. Most of the people that I have read or heard talk about the subject were in staunch favor of making the hard choice between the two scenarios. I appreciated the view point of both authors in this book and how both of these scenarios are very important. I won't go into their argument here, but you should pick the book up and read it for yourself. I believe this is a good middle ground for us in the church world to consider in shaping the form and function of our churches in light of the mission that God has called us to be about. A book like this gives me hope that the church can both be a special place in the lives of our congregation and also the place where we discover together the mission that God has for us.

Once again, I highly recommend this easy to read and understand book and encourage you to prayerfully think through what they have to say to the local church.

Missing the point

2010-06-22T00:59:00.000-04:00

So last week during the closing prayer at our church softball game, one of our members ended the prayer in a very interesting way. His last line was, and I quote, "See ya on Sunday God!" Now I should confess that I think opening and closing prayers at church softball games are a joke to begin with, mainly because the one praying usually spouts off some pop theology and something about keeping us free from injury, etc; but this line really made my skin crawl. And it did so for two reasons. First, half of our teams players do not come to our church regularly and they play because they are friends of or work for our coach. So playing with the few of us that do go to the church should be something of a good influence on them, hopefully that is. I was not surprised to hear one of these guys say to our coach, "Aren't you guys supposed to have like daily interaction with God or something?" To which I piped in with, "yes, that is the general point." Which brings me to my second reason, the frustration that some people just don't get it. We can preach and teach till Jesus comes back, and we probably will, but for some reason people just don't seem to get the point of what we are trying to say. I guess this is just one way where we can identify with Jesus in those following you do fully grasp your message. Jesus, grant us the grace we need to serve like you did.

Jesus Manifesto

2010-06-01T20:00:00.000-04:00

I recently finished reading "Jesus Manifesto" as I got a copy from the BookSneeze bloggers program. I did enjoy reading this book and felt that the authors did a good job of stating their case. The writing style is very accessible for any reader and their message is definitely for the church and those who call themselves Christian. My only minor irritation with the book is that I pretty much knew where they were going after the first few pages, but this book only has one subject in Jesus Christ.

All of that being said, I think this is a timely message for the church to get back to Jesus. As someone who preaches from time to time and is involved in sermon discussions for our church, I was convicted about how many of our sermons point back to Christ. I feel that we do a good job of that, but still something to think about. I also really enjoyed the chapter that they wrote on justice and mercy and how they find their fulfillment in Christ. I won't go into any detail as to ruin it for you, but I resonated with much of what they said in that particular chapter.

I do believe that Jesus Manifesto is worth a read and I hope and pray that it's message will cause all of us who claim Christ as Lord to really think about if we live as if Christ is Lord in our lives.

The Sacred Journey

2010-05-14T22:28:00.000-04:00

I am reviewing this book as a part of the booksneeze blogger program. This is the fourth title in the Ancient Practices series that I have read, and I would have to say that this was the hardest. Not because it wasn't well written, that is not the case, but because I figured out early on that the message of this book would be tough to swallow. Or maybe I should say that the message that spoke to me was a little hard to swallow. The major message that I heard in this book is the necessity for the journey and moving that God has always seemed to call his people to be about. One cannot discount that the narrative of Scripture leads us to discover that God's people always seem to be on the move, whether by force or choice. But as I navigate through my comfortable, middle class American life, I can't help but think about how I am so resistant to being on the move. In fact, I cannot wait until this current phase of the life of my family is over and we can actually set down roots and fully invest in the community in which we live. I would so like to equate the physical journey to a spiritual journey, and in some respects I think there is a correlation, but I don't know if that's what the author had in mind. I did appreciate the many accounts of being on the move that the author shared and found the willingness to engage in that very fascinating. Because of this I believe the author does have a unique perspective to share on the subject. I would definitely recommend this book, but beware that it might mess with you in a good way.

The Orthodox Heretic: The Believer

2010-04-29T14:50:00.000-04:00

This tale is about a man named Leon who was never interested in religion or religious activities. One day one of Leon's friends was walking by the church that was in the middle of the town and noticed that Leon was kneeling at the altar and praying. The friend knew that Leon had fallen on hard times and believed that Leon was probably praying about that particular situation. As he went in and got closer to Leon he recognized that he was praying a folk prayer that was thought to bring both health and wealth. He then interrupted Leon and asked him why he was praying such a prayer since he didn't believe in such things. Leon replied that he indeed did not believe in it, but that the priest had informed him that the prayer worked even if one didn't believe in it.

In his commentary on this tale, Rollins talks about how this kind of thinking is found in many areas of our lives. We may have things that we vehemently disagree with, but because they have become an acceptable part of our culture we participate in them. He emphasizes the importance of having practices and structures that inform our lives but that sometimes they take over the basis of our beliefs. So in effect to convince someone of the existence of God doesn't mean that we talk to them directly, but we must converse with their belief system.

After You Believe

2010-04-22T14:40:00.001-04:00

I recently finished N.T. Wright's new book, After You Believe, which I received from The Ooze Viral Bloggers program. This book is a sequel to two of his earlier writings, Simply Christian and Surprised By Hope, and while you do not need to read the earlier books to make sense of this one, I would recommend it because they are good books. On that note I will have to proclaim that I loved this book. I thought that it was really well written and could be easily understood by persons from varying academic levels. There is a tad bit of redundancy, but that did not bother since he is constantly pointing to the theme of his book. I also loved the book for the content of what he had to say. I am currently ministering in a holiness denomination that is very concerned about the transformation that takes place after we come to a belief in Christ. But I feel that Wright's insights in this book can speak to much of the discussion that is currently being held over how holiness is manifested in our lives. I appreciated how he equated the possession of virtue to a habit and how one needs to make conscious decisions based around a virtue until they take hold in our life and become second nature. There is a much larger discussion in the book that I will not get into here.

Another key theme that I loved is how Wright talked about the point of Christian virtue being to show what the Kingdom of God looks like. The end is not in displaying said virtues, but the end is about becoming who we will be for all of eternity. It is about looking forward and not being content with the present and thinking that we have fully arrived. I especially like this since this kind of thinking should prevent us becoming apathetic, which many in my denomination internally struggle.

Lastly, as I usually feel reading one of Wright's book, I'm reminded how little I look at Paul's writing holistically. This is more my own personal issue, but I love how Wright is able to take the full scope of Paul's writing and make it palatable for his readers. I love this approach to scripture, instead of seeing it only through the broken parts (chapters, verses or passages) that I have used in the past. Slowly I am getting there and am thankful for the way that Wright presents this approach through his writing.

Get this book!

The Orthodox Heretic: Betrayal

2010-04-01T11:15:00.003-04:00

This tale is about a temple master who has poured his life and teaching into a young disciple but was concerned that he would not reach enlightenment. One day he pulled this young disciples aside and told him that he was worried that one day he would betray his teachings. The young disciple vehemently denied this accusation by saying that there was not a time in the day when one of the teachings of the master were not on his mind. In fact he studied the teachings of the master so that he could be faithful to them at all times. The master replied that the fact that he has never betrayed his teachings and swears to never do that, is in fact to betray him.

Here we are encountered with the interplay between teaching and letting go. Any good teacher wants their students to surpass them and forge their own way. The teacher is in fact wanting the student to exhibit a faithful betrayal.

The Orthodox Heretic: God Joins the Army

2010-04-01T10:41:00.002-04:00

This tale is about an independent island who was on the verge of being attacked by a neighboring nation and their dictator. The dictator had a massive army and the people of the island began to worry about the seemingly inevitable battle with this army. The inhabitants of the island were deeply religious people and never did anything without first consulting the oracle in the community. So they went to her house to see what wisdom she could impart to them. In anticipation of this she had spent the previous day in mediation. Unfortunately she had bad news for the island. In her meditation she had found out that God was on the side of the invading army. The people flew into a panic and were only settled down by the chief who was well respected by everyone. The next morning he assembled every man who was able to fight. He sent home those that had children or who had been married for less than a year. All in all they were left with about a thousand men to fight this many army. The battle was very bloody but for some reason the invading army lost the fight. Upon returning home the people asked the chief how they won against an army that over matched them so heavily. He said that whenever God was involved the oppressed always win.

In his commentary Rollins brings up a few places in scripture where God is defeated by people we wouldn't normally think about. (ex. Jacob, Jesus with the Samaritan woman seeking healing for her daughter) We see in scripture that God has a soft spot for the oppressed even to the point where God is willing to take defeat. This is the God that we serve.

The Orthodox Heretic: The Agnostic Who Became An Atheist

2010-04-01T10:22:00.002-04:00

This tale is about a philosopher who took up the task to once and for all prove that God did not exist. He began to read the many arguments that have been given over the years in order to fully understand the scope of his project. He even began to publish a series of volumes that dealt with the subject as well. Needless to say the philosopher was very respected by his many peers. Upon completion of his final volume he was not fully satisfied with his life's work and so he set out and studied and researched for another 16 years. Then one night in his study he felt a deep stillness descend on the room. He then heard the voice of God speak to him. God said that he was very impressed with the diligence of the man but that he could not complete the task without the help of God. So God said that he would let the man in on a secret which was that God did not exist. A smile crept across the philosophers face and he never returned to his study. In its place he dedicated his life to serving the poor.

In the commentary section Rollins expounds on his reason for this tale. Jroddy's paraphrase of it goes something like this. One cannot truly be an atheist because they have to reject some particular view of God. But the problem that lies in our arguments is that they are both bound by temporal and spatial factors. We cannot conceive of a God outside of these presuppositions that we bring to the argument. But the hope is that once we can get to that place we will stop arguing about God and in turn become the manifestation of God. That is what happens to the philosopher in this tale.

The Orthodox Heretic: The Mission of Judas

2010-03-23T13:47:00.003-04:00

This tale is about a dream that Judas has. It begins with Judas seeing himself and the other disciples sharing the Passover meal. Then Judas sees himself meeting with the religious authorities and planning to betray Jesus with a kiss in the garden. Then he sees the events of the garden playing out along with the arrest, trial, beating and crucifixion of Jesus taking place. But the dream did not end there, it continued with Judas seeing the sorrow that would afflict him and his subsequent suicide. He was then in a courtroom with the disciples with them hurling insults and condemnation at him. But it didn't end there either. He saw the resurrection and ascension of Jesus and how his message would spread to the whole world. He woke up in a cold sweat and remembered a few teachings that Jesus had recently given to his disciples. In this teaching Jesus talked about the one who wants to gain their life must first lose it. As he contemplated these words a sadness began to well up in his heart because he now knew what was his destiny in life.

This is of course a fictitious scenario that paints the betrayal of Jesus in a new light. The idea is that without Judas following through with his side of the betrayal, none of it would have happened. Of course there is way more to this than I have the time and or mental capacity to get into now. If you would like to dive into this, I suggest that you check out Rollins' book "The Fidelity of Betrayal." This is an interesting notion that betrayal can be used for a good thing. My head has been swimming ever since I finished his book about a year ago. Check it out!

The Orthodox Heretic: The Orthodox Heretic

2010-03-19T20:19:00.002-04:00

This tale is set in a town where the people are very fervent followers of God. They settled every decision with reading of Scripture and prayer. One night a young man from a neighboring town sought shelter at the local church. The caretaker took him in, fed him and gave him new clothes to wear. He then learned that this young man was on the run from the authorities because he had been critical of the government and the church. When the priest learned of this he gathered the other leaders of the town to begin to discuss what should be done about the matter. They decided that he should be turned over to the authorities in case they might incur some sort of wrath for harboring the young man. But the caretaker refused to do so. He even told the town leaders that he would turn himself in if they gave up the young man. The town loved the caretaker and did not want to see this happen. So the leaders began to pray and search through the Scriptures to try and find an answer that might sway the caretaker's mind. They came to him and said that the Scriptures tell us to follow the authority of the land and so they should give up the young man. He replied that it also tell us to take care of those in need. The leaders began to pray and ask that God would somehow change the caretakers mind. They asked God to show up and speak just like he did to men in the Old Testament. So God came and told the caretaker exactly what the leaders said. The caretaker replied that if that were the case then he would refuse the command of God. He knew what God had already commanded him and what God had written and that when he looked at this young man he was reminded of these things. So in order to remain faithful he would have to refuse. God looked at the leaders and explained that if they couldn't change his mind, then neither could he. God smiled and then left knowing that the matter had been solved.

Rollins explains that this is adapted from an old Jewish legend in which God is grieved that people claim to know God, yet don't follow what God has said to do. God wishes that they would do what he said and claim to not know him. This points us to consider whether knowing God is really about gaining knowledge or from actually living out the Word of God. I'm finding more and more that Rollins is bringing up good things for us to think about, but they are going to require a major paradigm shift in order to live them out. May we have the courage to allow God to reshape our paradigm.

The Orthodox Heretic: Sins of the Father

2010-03-19T16:07:00.002-04:00

This tale is about the day of judgment. On that day all of those who were dead were summoned to the throne of God. An angel stood up and called forth the first person to be judged. After entering him into the docket all of humanity stood up and in one voice said, "We were hungry and you gave us nothing to eat. We were thirsty and you gave us nothing to drink. We were strangers and you did not invite us in. We were naked and you did not clothe us. We were sick and in prison and you did not look after us." They all then waited in silence because judgment had been passed on God and they were now awaiting his defense.

In his commentary Rollins talks about the unique position in Judeo-Christian religion where we can pass judgement on God. He mentions a passage in Jeremiah (15:18) and also Job (7:12-21) where this happened. He also references the story of Jacob where he wrestled with God and had his named changed to Israel. I have always found this interesting especially since we are taught to not question God, or at least that's what my sunday school teachers told me. But yet many people question God and pass judgment and they are not struck down. In grad school I took a class on the subject of theodicy, which is God's role in pain and suffering, and was amazed at the many theories on the subject. I don't want to go into all of them here, but the one thing that I did learn from the class is that God is present no matter the situation. But because God won't violate the freedom that we've been given we just have to trust that God knows and understands and is working to redeem all things. Easier siad than done.

The Orthodox Heretic: The Last Trial

2010-03-19T14:54:00.002-04:00

This tale is about someone who dies and is suddenly at their final judgment. Soon they are standing in front of an imposable figure who identifies himself as Lucifer. He tells the person that he has overthrown God and banished Christ to eternal death. He is the one who holds the keys to the kingdom and decides who will be able to enter the kingdom. All the person has to do to enter the kingdom is to bow down before him. If they refuse they will be banished with Christ for all of eternity. Lucifer then asks the person, "which will you choose?"

In light of this tale we are to think about faith and what its rewards might be. Is the reward of faith only what we might gain in the end? Or is there a reward wrapped up in living out our faith in the present life? This question has been debated within evangelicalism for the past few years. I personally don't think that we can discount the reward in the end, but that should not dominate the mission we are called to in the here and now. I hope that we can begin to learn that we have a reward in the here and now because in my opinion I think we in the church have a hard time accepting that fact. Grant us the grace O Lord!

Chronological Guide to the Bible

2010-03-19T11:07:00.004-04:00

I recently received and have read through the Chronological Guide to the Bible as a part of the Book Sneeze program through Thomas Nelson Publishing. I chose this book for two reasons. First, I was curious about the premise of a chronological order to the Bible. I have known for quite some time that the Bible was no fully in chronological order, but never really knew where to start in reading the Bible in that way. Second, I thought it might be a good reference tool for my library and I believe I was right.

Let me first say that I love the layout of the book. They have divided history into nine epochs and the introduction to each epoch includes some of the major events and developments in history as well as in the Biblical narrative. After this introduction there is a reading list in order to follow along in chronological order which allows this book to be compatible with any translation of the Bible. There are then a few little articles highlighting various thing in certain passages that might correspond to events in history. These articles are very easy to read and understand and really help the reader gain a deeper understanding.

Overall I am very pleased with this product and am looking forward to digging into more and more of the content found inside. In just the week or so that I have been looking through it, I've gained some deeper understanding. I would definitely recommend this book. Just make sure that you read the introduction to the book so that you will understand some of the decisions that were made in putting this book together.

Steering Through Chaos

2010-03-18T10:36:00.003-04:00

Man am I a sucker for a free book. I recently read "Steering Through Chaos" because I read on Shane and Shane's twitter page that their pastor had a new book out and had some available for free if you promised to read and review on your blog. So I signed up to read this book in spite of it being a church strategy book.

I guess I should let you in on why that's such a big deal to me. I have been an associate pastor for the last nine years and am now under my fourth different pastor. I have been very surprised to find that most pastors do not have the same philosophy of ministry even though we are all in the same denomination. That being said, my first assignment was with a pastor that shoved church growth propaganda (my term) down our throats. Success was wrapped up in numbers and as an associate pastor my job was to sell the propaganda to all those who fell under my ministry. Needless to say I was not a huge fan of this kind of ministry or those that championed it. So for most of my ministry I have been trying to figure out how to navigate this world of church growth and still somehow remember what I felt ministry was about, real people with real feelings and not just numbers.

So I was interested in reading what Scott Wilson had to say on the subject. I did not know anything about Scott other than he was Shane and Shane's pastor. I will admit that I began reading this book with my sarcastic goggles on and ready to have a good time with this book. But I will have to say that I was pleasantly surprised with what I found inside. Yes there were moments of church growth strategy, which I'm not fully opposed to, but they were balanced by a real plea for spiritual direction in the midst of the strategies. This is what I found lacking in my previous experiences in 'church growth'. I appreciated so much how Scott shared with us the stories of his ministry and how he was able to steer through the chaos of church change. I resonated with how he challenged his staff and elders to prayer and fasting on a regular basis in order to discern whether God was actually leading them or if they got caught up in a dream of man. I like how his leadership style is about getting everyone to see where God is leading them and not trying to divide those who get it and those who don't. I could go on and on but am afraid that I've given too much away already.

All of that being said, I definitely recommend this book to any pastor or leader who is trying to figure out how to steer through the chaos. I'm not naive enough to think that his story will work in every situation and with every kind of leader, but I do think there are good enough principles that everyone can gain some sort of new insight into what it will take to accomplish our God sized dreams.

The Orthodox Heretic: Awaiting the Messiah

2010-03-09T14:48:00.003-05:00

This tale is about the second coming of the Messiah. He arrived one dull and regular Monday with no fanfare. He noticed that there was the same suffering and injustice in the world as when he had left. No one seemed to pay him much attention as he lived among the sick and unwanted in the area. One day he decided to reveal himself to a few faithful followers. He showed up in their gathering and found them praying fervently for the day of the Lord. Slowly they began to feel something different and realize that the Messiah was in fact in their presence. The leader of the group approached the Messiah and fell at his feet and told him how they had waited for many years for his return. She then stood up and asked him one question. "When will you arrive?" The Messiah did not answer, but instead smiled and joined them in their prayers and tears. It is said that he is still there serving in that unknown church on the outskirts of the city.

This was a hard tale for me to wrap my head around. In his commentary Rollins talks about how our desire is deepened in the arrival of the one we've waited for. The idea being that we do not know fully what we've waited for until the arrival happens. In this season of Lent I think this speaks to us in a few different ways. As we anticipate the resurrection do we fully know what it is we are waiting for? Or even do we need to know fully? Maybe we just need to be open to where it will lead us and transform us. On another note maybe we need to reexamine our understanding of having a Savior. Do we take advantage of that in a way where it has lost its meaning or does it continue to refresh and renew our lives? Good things to ponder this day.

The Orthodox Heretic: The Prodigal Father

2010-03-04T13:22:00.003-05:00

This tale is about a rich father who had two sons. One night he packed a few items and left quietly. The first son awoke and after discovering that his father had left, got to work doing all of the chores for which he was responsible. Days turned to weeks, weeks to months, and months to years and still no word from the father. Gradually the son began to repress the hurt that came with the father abandoning he and his brother. Instead of dealing with the pain, it began to fester deep in his being. The other son also refused to deal with the pain and took his portion of the inheritance and went abroad. Throughout everything that he did and tried he could not get rid of the fact that his father was gone. One day he realized that he needed to face the fact and returned home with nothing to show for his time gone. He found his brother caring for the property just as when he left and now holding animosity for him since he left. The younger brother didn't care and spent each day with a calf ready to slaughter and his father's robe set out for the day when he returned.

This tale speaks about the reverse of the parable of the lost son. Rollins talks about writing this while at a Quaker meeting and experiencing what it feels like to be in a room of people that are content to wait on God to show up. But one of the mysteries of our faith is that there are times when God does not seem present. Our response to this situation tells about our faith. Do we continue in our 'good' work and harbor ill will towards God? Or do we turn our back on God and begin to do our own thing? Or do we wait patiently for God to return? I think this is a very important thing for us to consider especially in this season of lent as we are coming to terms with our own sinfulness.

The Orthodox Heretic: Being the Resurrection

2010-03-04T12:51:00.003-05:00

This tale is about a group of people who followed Jesus and after his crucifixion left Jerusalem in order to set up a community where they could faithfully follow the teachings of Jesus. They set out and found such a place and lived without contact from outsiders. One day a group of missionaries found them and realized that this group of people thought that Jesus was still dead. They eagerly began to tell them of the resurrection and a celebration broke out. During the celebration one of the missionaries noticed that the leader of this group was no present. He set out to find this man and the reason he was not celebrating. He found him in a hut at the edge of the village on his hands and knees weeping and praying. The missionary told this man that this was a day to celebrate and questioned his current disposition. The leader of the community said that yes this was a day to celebrate but he was troubled about the affect this news might on subsequent generations. He explained that his community had given up everything to follow the teachings of Jesus knowing that one day they would meet the same fate as the one they followed. It was a sacrifice. But now with this news those that come behind might only follow to ensure salvation, not because it is a sacrifice. He did leave to join the celebration, but the missionary stayed behind pondering his words.

This tale strikes a chord in me personally as I have tried to raise this same subject in ministry many times. Too often we are quick to jump to the end and miss out on what it takes to get there. Part of it is my makeup, but part of it is a reaction to the apathy that I see in many people. There is a cost to following Jesus and it should not be diminished just because we know the final outcome. What a very appropriate thing for us to ponder during lent.

The Orthodox Heretic: Finding Faith

2010-03-03T16:40:00.004-05:00

This tale is about a preacher who found out from a very early age that he had an unusual gift. Every time he prayed for someone they lost all of their religious convictions and faith. Once he learned this he committed himself to solely preaching and not praying for others. One day he met a very successful businessman who began to talk about how the world he was engaged in was not a godly one. He admitted that the business world was cut throat and that he couldn't always follow his Christian convictions but that he felt he made up for it by work in the church. The preacher realized the reason for his gift and asked if he could pray for the man. The man agreed and after the prayer he renounced his previous Christian convictions. As he went back to work he realized that he was just another horrible person caught up in a system that he didn't like, so he quit and gave all of his money to those less fortunate. He even began to work against the system that he was formally a part of on behalf of those that it took advantage. One day while walking through town he saw the preacher and fell at his feet and thanked him for helping the man find his faith.

This tale talks about how we sometime confuse our faith with doing 'things.' The important thing to note here is that true faith will change something deep within us. Ministry and various activities that you do with the church are important, but it should only be the tip of the iceberg. Truth like this hits me between the eyes because I have been guilty of this in my life and ministry. Lord, open my eyes to seeing the possibilities of my faith.

The Orthodox Heretic: The Payoff

2010-03-03T16:17:00.003-05:00

This tale is about an old and wise priest who is know throughout the land as a good and giving man of God. He resides in a kingdom ruled by an elderly king whose son is jealous of the priest because he feels that people give him the respect that he deserves. The prince has an intense disliking for all religious people because he thinks that they are all hypocrites and liars. He has even had many leaders thrown in jail. So one day he devises a plan to expose the priest and gain the respect he deserves. One night he goes to the priests home and offers him a large sum of money to write a letter declaring that he is a hypocrite and a liar that will be distributed throughout all of the kingdom. The priest, who has always been poor, considers the offer for a few minutes and he replied that he would do so but on three conditions. The first is that the prince will leave the church and its leaders alone. The second is that all of the leaders who have been imprisoned will be released. The third is that the priest will need some time to raise the large sum of money required.

I'll have to be honest, I needed to read Rollins' commentary to fully get this tale. His point is that the humble priest found it a great honor to be exposed as a hypocrite and liar that he would pay for it. In essence, the knowledge of the prince is turned upside down by the reaction of the priest. The prince hoped this would crush the priest, but the priest saw this as an opportunity to teach the whole kingdom about the values that he tries to live by. Growing up in a pietist tradition like I did, I have rarely seen this kind of humility displayed. We find our piety or righteousness as more of a measuring stick of holiness, instead of our humility and honesty. I have a feeling that I will be thinking about this tale for quite some time.

The Orthodox Heretic: The Invisible Prophet

2010-03-02T15:15:00.003-05:00

This tale is about God sending one of the greatest prophets to earth and the devil being scared of the message. The devil began to hatch a plan to hide the prophet's message. After thinking through many situations, the devil decided to hide the prophet's message in beauty. The prophet was a woman of great beauty who spoke with an eloquence that everyone adored. The prophet's beauty was legendary throughout the land and everyone was so entertained by her words. But they did not hear her message of warning and moved closer to their own destruction in celebration and dancing.

Here we are reminded of the power of words, not just in how they can entertain us, but in their message to us. Too many times we are entertained by communicators or musicians that we fail to hear the message. I know I have been guilty of this. On the flip side, communicators can fall in the trap of watering down their message to make it more entertaining. But with the guidance of the Holy Spirit we should be able to get through these issues and to the heart of the message.

The Orthodox Heretic: The Third Mile

2010-03-02T15:01:00.003-05:00

This tale is based off of Jesus' teaching on carrying a soldiers pack a second mile. The law stated that one had to carry the pack a mile if ordered but Jesus wanted his followers to go above and beyond the law. So they eagerly anticipated a chance to show kingdom values to Roman soldiers. Soon they began to build a relationship with the soldiers and even became known in that region for going the extra mile. They became so proud of how they followed this command of Jesus. One day when Jesus was passing by their community he spoke to his group of followers. He told them that he was impressed with their commitment but that he had another teaching to give to them since they misunderstood the first. He told them to carry a pack three miles.

This tale hits at how we handle scripture. Many Christians seek to gain the rules and regulations of Scripture so that they may follow them to the letter. In this way they can know what it takes to be faithful. But most of Scripture is not meant to be taken that way. It is more about the heart of the issue as opposed to the letter of the law. The danger is that this can get messy but if Scripture is lived out in community it shouldn't be impossible.

The Orthodox Heretic: Great Misfortune

2010-03-02T14:45:00.003-05:00

This tale is about a man who endure much suffering and pain in his life from death and other calamities. During the first instance the village blacksmith, who many people in town did not know much about, comes to the man and is present with him. They cry together. They talk about the situation but most importantly the blacksmith is there. This relationship continues through the various situations that arise throughout the man's life. One day the man decides to visit a priest to try and make sense of the whole thing. After listening to the man's stories the priest tells the man that these things have happened to forge character in his life and that without these situations he would not be the man he is today. That evening as he is pondering the words of the priest the blacksmith stops by. The man tells the blacksmith what the priest had said and he tells the blacksmith that maybe he doesn't need to continue to stop by. The blacksmith replied that if the priests words were true, then he needed to stop by all the more because of the great misfortune that his life had turned out to be. The two men enjoyed each others company the rest of the evening as they shared life together.

This tale talks about the importance of presence in the time of suffering and not answers. I believe this is a much needed lesson for the church today. Too often we want to say the right words to make the situation better or to bring clarity, but we often wind up making things worse. We spew bad theology in favor of platitudes. We shortchange the person of the thing they need the most, community. Just to know that someone is walking with you through a difficult situation means way more than having the right answer.

The Orthodox Heretic: Pearl of Great Price

2010-03-02T14:29:00.003-05:00

This tale is about Jesus talking about the Kingdom of God. He says that it is like a man who sells everything he has in order to purchase a pearl of great price. He sacrificed everything that he had in order to get his hands on the pearl. Those in attendance like this idea especially a man who had great wealth because he could identify with the value of this pearl. There was a woman in attendance though who seemed to grasp this idea differently than the others. Jesus even told her so. Her reply is that the sacrifice to get the pearl would reduce someone to poverty in order to possess it but the pearl is worthless unless there is someone willing to buy it and if you do find someone, then you will no longer possess the pearl. Her question to Jesus is then "what good is the pearl." Jesus replied that the pearl has no value if you only seek value, but if you give up everything because you are captured by its beauty then you will discover its true beauty.

In his reflection on this tale Rollins talks about how we fall into the trap of giving up everything for the reward of heaven and not the beauty of the kingdom of God. As I have reflected on this I have to agree. For quite some time our method of evangelism has been centered around enticing people with the reward and not about the beauty of the here and now. There is nothing wrong with this because the reward is a great thing but we are not saved just for fire insurance in the afterlife. No we are saved to do the good word of God and to proclaim that the kingdom of God is here among us.

The Voice of Psalms

2010-03-01T15:38:00.004-05:00

My latest book from the Book Sneeze program is entitled "The Voice of Psalms." It is the book of Psalms "retold by the friends of Ecclesia Bible Society." (Their words on the title page.) If you have never been exposed to the voice project, I encourage you to look them up here. While I know that many people will have problems with the voice translation, I on the other hand enjoy what they are doing. For the most part, their translation is pretty similar, but there are some differences. They have added words in italics to help with understanding, which do not bother me one bit. In most cases I found that this was helpful. They have also substituted the words God and Lord with Eternal One. Here again, this does not bother me greatly but I know there will be some who are outraged about this. There are also reflections after most of the psalms for a little bit of a deeper understanding, which are always welcomed in my opinion.

I would probably never use the voice translation as my primary text to preach from, but have used it as a reference from time to time. I also own the New Testament version of the voice and cannot wait for them to put out a full canon edition. I tend to reach for my voice translation in personal reading just as I do the various other translations that I own. For me it is how I gain a better overall picture of the text.

I would totally recommend "The Voice of Psalms" for someone who would like another perspective on one of the most beautiful and poetic books in the Bible. I personally am using one of their reading plans during this season of Lent and have enjoyed spending this time in Psalms as a part of my journey. Keep up the good work Ecclesia Bible Society. I do look forward to hopefully having a full Bible one day from your project.

The Orthodox Heretic: Salvation for a Demon

2010-02-23T17:04:00.003-05:00

Isn't this an interesting title for this tale? This tale is about a priest who is known for this loving and giving nature all throughout the land. His generosity is known to attract people from far and near. One night while he is in the middle of his prayers there is a knock at the door. He rushes to answer it and finds a demon waiting for him. The demon asks to come in and the priest allows him to do so. As the priest returns to his prayers, the demon begins to break every religious artifact that he can see all the while spewing curses at loud as possible. When the priest was finished praying he started for home and the demon asked if he could come along too. The priest didn't hesitate and welcomed the demon into his own house. Once inside the demon once again began to rip down every religious artifact and spew curses as loud as possible. As they ate the demon asked the priest for one more thing, to come into his heart, and the priest without hesitation invited him in. The demon left defeated because by the priest giving him everything he robbed the demon of the one thing he wanted, his kindness, hospitality and generous spirit.

This tale speaks of hospitality and to whom we offer it. Too often in my own life, my hospitality was only offered to those who were safe. But that is not the way that Jesus lived. Jesus modeled hospitality to everyone that he came in contact with, especially the sinners and those deemed unclean. So why is it that we usually take the easy way out? Maybe during Lent we can begin to really examine such matters in our life.

The Orthodox Heretic: Turning the Other Cheek

2010-02-22T12:30:00.003-05:00

Our next tale is about Jesus giving the famous Sermon on the Mount but at the end he turns to the West and says that this teaching was not for us, instead we will be the ones that people will turn their cheek to and who carry our packs and give us their cloak. He closes out the teaching by saying that these people will be his message to us and that if we heed it we will live, if not we will perish.

I will have to admit that these are the kind of stories that really haunt me sometimes. I live a comfortable life right now. I have a nice roof over my head, too many gadgets and things to occupy my time and thinking, too many books that I hope to one day read on my shelves and debt that I'm trying to pay off as a result of trying to capture aspects of the American Dream. But where I'm usually struck is that in my comfort I have continued the plight of some of the least of these in the world through the things I buy and the people that I support. I think one of the greatest tragedies in the world is how simply looking for a lower price we in turn perpetuate systems that do violence to others in the world. As a Christian I so want to rectify the situation but do not know where to begin. It seems that education is a good starting point but how about juggling wise choices with a fledgling bank account? No one ever said it was easy. God give us the ability to do without from time to time.

The Orthodox Heretic: Translating the Word

2010-02-20T21:58:00.003-05:00

This tale is about a woman who has a vision of God in which she is asked to distribute the Word of God to her native land. She lives in a time when the Bible is only in latin and there are very few printing presses available. So in order to complete the request that she believes that she's been given, she will need to raise a lot of money. So she begins to raise the money necessary to complete the task, but winds up giving it away to those in need who lived in a nearby town and had been afflicted by a flood. She once again set out to raise the money again and just when she almost had finished a plague struck her town and she spent her money on medicine and food for the sick and land for the dead to be buried. She once again started her quest to raise the necessary funds and just before her death she was able to finish the task she set out to do. It is said that she actually translated and distributed the Word of God three times in her life.

Here Rollins is wanting us to think about what it really means to translate the Word of God and distribute in our homeland. While it is great to give someone a Bible so they can read the Word of God, it is far more valuable to live it out each and every day and in each and every situation. Yes it is difficult to embody the Word of God, but that is what we are called to do. In this season of lent we are called to turn from our sin and cling to Christ. In doing so we should be reminded that Christ was the very embodiment of the Word of God.

The Orthodox Heretic: Jesus and the Five Thousand

2010-02-18T20:43:00.003-05:00

Today's tale is a twisted retelling of Jesus feeding the five thousand. It is twisted in that instead of Jesus and the disciples distributing the food amongst those in attendance, they in turn eat a full meal right in front of them. To top it off there isn't a crumb left to fit in the hand of anyone in attendance.

Rollins is wanting us to understand how Christianity is viewed by those outside of power in this tale. To much of the world this is what Christianity looks like. We are perceived as greedy and as if we could care less about the poor and needy around us, much less the world. It has been my experience that most of the church in the West is apathetic towards this issue. It seems that our comfort has gotten the best of us in that regard.

The Orthodox Heretic: No Conviction

2010-02-18T20:26:00.003-05:00

Today's tale is about a person who is put on trial for being a Christian. This person lives in a land where it is illegal to be a Christian and there is a lot of evidence to condemn this person. They have pictures of them being in church, of leading prayers and the most damning evidence of all is a well used Bible. After a time of deliberation the judge gives this person a verdict of not guilty because even through all of this evidence the life this person leads does not stand as a threat to the state.

This was a heavy first tale to reflect on. I have thought about such things many a times but yet don't know where to start. I'm not by nature a person who rocks the boat. I usually try to pick my spots that will knock the boat off of center from time to time. I don't think that Rollins is telling us to be rebels about everything, but instead to understand that belonging to the Kingdom of God is different from the kingdom of the world. What we have to wrestle with is why do we so easily sell out to the kingdom of the world. I think that is a good question to ponder today.

Journey through Lent

2010-02-18T20:17:00.003-05:00

This year my journey through Lent will be centered on two things. The first is I will be reading a parable a day from Peter Rollins' "The Orthodox Heretic" and I will be following a reading plan found in "The Voice of Psalms" that is geared for lent. If you have never heard of Peter Rollins I suggest that you do. His work stretches my mind, in a good way, and I recommend everything that he has written. It should be an interesting time of reflection and I'm excited for what God may reveal in my life.

The Sacred Meal

2010-01-27T21:38:00.002-05:00

I recently finished the book, "The Sacred Meal", as a part of the book sneeze blogger program. I chose this book because the practice of Communion is one that I take very seriously and am always up for a fresh perspective. For all of my life I have been a part of a denomination that doesn't know exactly what to do with Communion. Each church basically chooses how frequently and in what manner they engage this ancient practice of the church. I really did not have a problem with this until I began to take my faith more seriously and even entering into vocational ministry. Through education and personal experience I began to have a greater appreciation for the deep meaning that Communion provides on our faith journey. So from that perspective I was eager to read what the author had to say on the matter.

I found "The Sacred Meal" to be an easy read that is truly geared for the everyday Christian. The author speaks from an Episcopal background and has served the Eucharist in her church for many years. I found myself underlining many sentences for further reflection as the author reaffirmed what the practice of Communion celebrates and how it affects our communal life together. I was personally affected by the perspectives of the practice that the author described as waiting, receiving and afterward. I won't spoil what the author writes, but I will say that the idea of waiting was a fresh perspective for me. I am used to taking the bread instead of receiving the bread. Unfortunately this is mainly due to issues of convenience or making the practice as less Catholic as it can be. I believe there is something that we can learn from waiting to receive.

Lastly, I appreciated how the author connected the Eucharist to our mission in the world. Too often we have tried to separate our worship from our mission which has led to many Christians living a sort of bi-polar kind of life. But in seeing how the aspects of our worship inform our mission, we can begin to see how we live a fully abundant life. May we fully be able to live this out in every area of our life and begin to see the kingdom of God here on this earth in new ways and in new places.

God's sense of humor

2010-01-19T21:45:00.001-05:00

I don't know about you, but I am not a big fan of the phrase "God's sense of humor." It is usually used by Christians who find themselves doing something that they never set out to do. For example, don't ever say that you will not go to Africa, because God in his sense of humor will send you there. Or never say that you hate working with kids because God in his sense of humor will have you volunteering at the first opportunity. Or this one if for my wife, never say that you will not marry a pastor because God in his sense of humor will have you fall in love with one. There are many more examples that I could use, but I'll spare you.

Here is my beef. I do not think God is just waiting for us to make such statements so we can be proven wrong. I think what happens is usually this. We make such statements because deep down we have a life affirming connection to those situations, but are afraid to admit it. And what happens is that as we are being discipled and molded by God, those life affirming connections begin to become more apparent to us. Here is another example. I never in a million years would have imagined becoming a youth pastor. I am an introvert who is largely impatient when it comes to childish behavior from people that know better. But yet five years ago I found myself interviewing for a youth pastor position. Now little did I know that decision would lead to a situation that would profoundly shape my life and view of ministry due to the connections that I would make with colleagues. But because I was moved outside of my comfort zone, I learned more about myself and my calling that I ever would have if that step had not been taken.

Is that God's sense of humor, or is it just irony?

A Day to Remember

2010-01-18T16:02:00.002-05:00

As someone who was born after desegregation, I do not have a personal frame of reference in which to appreciate who Martin Luther King, Jr was and what he helped to accomplish. But I have grown up in the south and experienced racism first hand in the words and actions of people I have come across. My mom tells me a story of a question I asked shortly after we moved to Tennessee when I was in the second grade. Evidently I came home one day and asked my parents 'why are we supposed to hate black people?' From that point on I know that I dealt with the issue on a frequent basis. My prayer is that we will continue to strive towards the dream that Dr. King had and I will try my best to instill that in my daughter as she grows up in this incredibly diverse world we live.

Who are We?

2010-01-18T10:10:00.003-05:00

I, like many other UT Vol Football fans, have been on a roller coaster the past year and a half. It started when it became evident that our beloved coach, Phil Fulmer, was losing his touch in putting together a competitive team in the SEC. What ensued was an ugly firing of a great human being who didn't deserve the way in which he was let go. Out of that situation came the hiring of an unknown to our part of the country, Lane Kiffin. Kiffin brought energy and a great track record as a recruiter and up and coming name in the coaching ranks, not to mention his famous father as our D coordinator. He brought a swagger that we hadn't seen ever at UT in the football program and for the most part we liked it. Our team came close to beating both Alabama and Florida and showed improvement over the course of the season, bowl game excluded. Things seemed to be looking up for the Vols. But Pete Carrol decided to jump ship to the NFL and the carousel began. I remember thinking, 'man, if this happened a few years from now I bet Kiffin would go there.' Little did we know that he'd go now.

Now I don't want to dead horse that is Kiffin in these parts, but I do want to say that he left at the worst possible time for our program. It would be near impossible for us to poach a head coach from another program because of the timing. Who would want to be branded as that kind of guy? But for four days we all held our collective breath as candidate after candidate turned down the opportunity to be head coach at UT.

As you can imagine, talk radio was a buzz at the news of each candidate turning down the job and who we may or may now have been going after. But I was amused at the number of people who called in and exclaimed, "We are the University of Tennessee, coaches should be salivating at coming here." I am a huge UT fan, but even I had to laugh at that one. I will be blindly loyal to UT football until I breathe no more, but my glasses aren't orange colored enough to not be a realist. Yes we have a good program and a lot to offer, but we have our fair share of warts and a few open sores that were caused by the timing of the whole situation. It has been 12 years since we won the National Championship, which is two-thirds of the lifespan of the kids we are recruiting. So let's be realistic about our situation.

So I hope that we will continue to be the great program that we have been throughout our history. Maybe we won't have the arrogance of the USC's, Alabama's, Florida's, etc and that is fine with me. I am not willing to sell my soul for a quick score but instead want to see our program restored to what it once was. So coach Dooley, you have your work cut out for you. I know nothing about you, but am cautiously optimistic about that job you can. That has no reflection on you, it's a result of the actions of your predecessor. Just please don't write checks with your mouth that you can't cash just yet. I hate being accountable for the stupid things that coaches say. So start playing Rocky Top in your office, because you are going to hear it a bunch and Go Big Orange.

Welcome readers!

2010-01-17T19:56:00.002-05:00

Hello readers both from my old blog and those who may have stumbled on this new blog. Whatever the case may be, know that you are welcome in jroddy's world. I will do my best to offer stories, as they happen, and opinions, as they come to me, to you. My hope is that keeping up with this blog will give me something to look forward to doing each week. So check back frequently and be entertained or educated by all that is going on in jroddy's world.

The Justice Project

2010-01-17T11:36:00.001-05:00

I recently finished "The Justice Project" and would have to say that I found it a very easy but challenging read. I appreciate the wide range of authors of each essay and how they each brought a perspective that is radically different from mine in middle class suburbia. I appreciate that each author is living out justice in their particular situation. It lends some credibility to their situation that wouldn't be there if a single author tried to write on the broad scope of justice in the world.

I was challenged mostly by the wide range of injustice that is happening all around me. Reading these essays has caused me to begin to rethink the way that I live and what more I can do to not perpetuate the injustice that I unconsciously promote through my actions based on what and where I buy goods and who I may or may not vote for among other things.

I would hope that the message of the Justice Project would be heard by fellow Christians who are trying to figure out what the kingdom of God is all about. May be begin to 'do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God.'

The Search for God and Guinness

2009-11-10T19:50:00.000-05:00

I just finished my latest read as a part of the blogger review program with Thomas Nelson. The book was titled "The Search for God and Guinness." I picked this book for a few reasons and really enjoyed this book. The first reason that I chose this book is to figure out if beer and God could coexist in the same sentence and not be opposing each other. This stems from my holiness roots and the way it causes me to look down on certain practices. God is working on me in this area and I'm happy to report that I am more open than in previous years. The second reason I chose this book is that one of my best friends is a huge fan of Guinness. There is not too much in this world that brings him more happiness than being able to down a pint of Guinness. He does so in moderation and not as frequently as he would like, but I became intrigued by this drink that always seemed off-limits to me. The last reason that I chose this title is due to a quick version of the Arthur Guinness story that I read in the book "Exiles" by Michael Frost. I was really impressed by the kingdom mindset that Frost talked about in reference to Guinness that it peaked my interest in learning more.

Now on to the review. I found this book to be a fairly easy read, especially considering that it is a history book. There were a few times that I got lost in the family tree, but I think that points more to the great heritage of Arthur Guinness. I am thoroughly impressed with the legacy that one man left and how it was carried on by his many heirs. I believe this is a testimony of the importance of serving God faithfully in all that you do. I am also impressed by the compassion that Guinness and his heirs showed to their fellow-man. This is something that we need to hear in this day and time.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an entertaining and interesting read at a remarkable family over the last 300 years. I echo one of Guinness' current commercials for totally different reasons when I proclaim, "To Arthur!!"

A Lover's Quarrell with the Evangelical Church

2009-07-27T17:37:00.000-04:00

Below is a quick review that I did of a book that I recently finished.

I chose to read this book solely based on the title. I also feel like I am in a lover’s quarrel with the evangelical church and I wanted to find out how someone else was getting along in the scuffle. I must admit that I enjoyed reading this book and did so in only a matter of days, which is fast for me. I found it very fascinating to read about the rise of a few mega churches and also much of Christian media.

This book confirmed for me much of what I struggle with in the evangelical church, namely that we have replaced our mission of discipleship and life transformation with “body count evangelism” (the author’s term) and that the only measure of success is numerical growth. I do feel that the author did a good job of stating some of the more glaring holes that many in the evangelical circle seem to ignore. I only hope that people can grasp the bigger picture that Smith is trying to paint.

I do however wish that Smith would have tried to encompass more of the broad scope of evangelism. I think there is more going on in some of the lesser denominations that are not of the Reformed/Calvinistic persuasion than Smith gave attention. I also wish he would have studied more of what’s going on in the Emerging/Emergent conversation than just to dismiss them as nihilists.

I will conclude by affirming that I do agree with Smith’s assertion that we have an understanding of history and how the medium of our message should line up with our theology. I would encourage others to read this book as I feel that it is a good conversation starter, especially for those who find themselves disenfranchised from the modern evangelical circle.

Let me add a few extra points as well. I almost feel like Smith had a vendetta to promote Calvinism/Reformed theology and that of course rubs me wrong being a Wesleyan. I don't know the authors theological background, but for someone who is a journalist I wish there had been more of a generous spirit here. On a positive note, I really did appreciate that he was critical of the megachurch movement in a sense than that of someone who is jealous or has been slighted by it. I can't tell you how many times I have witnessed pastors hoping to rise to be the next Bill Hybels or Rick Warren. I would hope that more pastors would take a look at Smith's treatment of their rise and begin to ask a few more questions about trying to imitate these men and their ministry.

Feel free to ask any further questions as I'd love to discuss the book more.

Loss of Community

2009-07-24T03:52:00.000-04:00

I have undergone some big changes in my life over the past couple of months that have me in a place that I'm unfamiliar with. My wife and I moved closer to home after she graduated from med school in part to be closer to family for us and our daughter and also so that she can start making connections for where she will ultimately practice medicine in the future. The biggest change for me is in regards to my vocation. For the past four years I have been a co-youth pastor to an amazing youth group and now I am a stay at home dad. Now I want to make absolutely clear that I love staying at home with my daughter. I love seeing how she changes almost from day to day. I love making her laugh and my heart melts almost every time she flashes a big grin when she recognizes me. I hold the "job" that I'm doing now as an even higher calling than working for the church. I had a former pastor always use the phrase "family is your first parish" and I believe that with all of my heart.

But in light of the many changes that I have personally undergone, I find myself struggling a bit in different areas of my life. Let me explain a bit about myself. I am totally a creature of habit. I like having patterns and routines and predictability in my life. I am OK with a little bit of unpredictability but not too much. Working in the church and having a set office time each day gave me the opportunity to set up patterns and routines, and I did. These patterns and routines helped me to stay in the word and pray on a regular basis. They helped me to accomplish the various ministry tasks that I was responsible for each week. But now that I am not in the office each day and my life is largely defined by an unpredictable baby, I am having to adjust on the fly. Karis is starting to get into a daily pattern of sleeping, eating and playing which is allowing me to look at how I pattern my own day. Thankfully I am finally starting to prioritize a few things in my life that have fallen by the wayside in the midst of my new responsibilities. Please pray that I can stay faithful to them.

The biggest change though has come in the loss of community. I know and understand the importance of community and have even spoke on the topic a time or two, but you never fully grasp the impact of community until you are no longer immersed in said community. Over the past 4 years I have been serving next to some of the finest ministers that I have encountered. People who brought so many different gifts to the table and who shaped and challenged my conception of what a church staff could become. Around two years ago a major change occurred when our leader left to pastor another community. Those of us on staff seemed to rise to the occasion during the void in leadership and forge ahead to the vision that we believed God had given our community. Then a new leader came in with a different vision and slowly I saw many of those that I was close to gone. I don't want to debate here the reasoning behind the leaving or termination of my friends, we can do that later. I only want to highlight the fact that my community was drastically changed in a matter of months. Thankfully the person that I was closest to and worked with was still around. Our brotherhood continued to grown stronger as we shared our hurts, fears, joys and dreams with each other. This is what I miss the most. I currently find myself in a place where I am flying solo most of the time. My wife works a ton, which we knew would be the case, and my daughter is not speaking just yet. I am not involved in a church just yet and haven't even decided where we will attend.

But community cannot be forced and it develops in an organic way. So as I find myself mourning the loss of something very great and meaningful in my life, I look forward to what God has in store for us here in this time and in this place. I just pray that we will walk with eyes open to what God places in front of us. To all of those that I have been in community with, I miss you greatly and the time that we shared together and I treasure each and every minute.

the life of Jared (7/12)

2009-07-12T07:19:00.000-04:00

So I think the layout of these posts need to change a bit since I'm not in the office with free time. I'll try to experiment with it a bit and hopefully land on something.

The weeks that have been:

Busy. I have a new found respect for single parents. I never thought ill of them or looked down upon them before, but now my respect level for them goes way up. It has been quite an adjustment juggling Karis' varying schedule with the things that I hope to accomplish in a day. The first thing to suffer has been my blog and any reading time that I had. I am slowly working that back into my rotation. Karis is changing almost by the day whether it be new noises or new dexterity. She has recently discovered the mid part of her range and is constantly exercising it along with the high and low range from before. Another big change is that she is now grabbing for things, especially toys. She is just about ready to teeth so most everything she gets her hands on goes straight to her mouth. I get a kick just out of watching her grow up everyday.

Holly has officially started and has hit the ground running. She is in one of the hardest rotations that she will have in this program right off of the bat. This is both good and bad though. Good that she gets it out of the way, but bad that her first month is very hectic. We have heard that her next month is a bit more relaxed, so we look forward to that. The thing that I've had to adjust to is her being on call. Before this wouldn't have mattered too much to me, but now that means that I'm alone with Karis for at least 30 hours. I'm not worried about that nor do I not look forward to it, I really do, it's just that it can be a bit overwhelming at times. Luckily I'm slowly getting the hang of it.

One new thing that we have recently acquired is an elliptical machine. It came as a graduation gift for Holly from a few of her family members. We are both very excited about this as I hate to run outside and Holly (and I) prefer the elliptical over a treadmil. One funny/frustrating thing is that everytime I go to work out on it, Karis wakes up from her nap. It's a very quiet machine, but it never fails. I get about 5-10 min into my workout and she wakes up. I guess that's just a part of life with a baby.

What I'm reading now:

I'm working through two books that I have started. One is called "Recovering the Scandal of the Cross" and the other is called "The Evolution of God." The former is a book on the atonement which seeks to look at other metaphors beyond the penal substitution theory as a means for understand what exactly happened on the cross. The latter is a look at how the concept of God has evolved over time and I believe that he will culminate in the three Abrahamic faiths in hopes that they can find some sort of common ground. I'll be doing a review on this when I finish as it is a part of another blogging program.

Misc stuff

Does anyone out there know of something that I could do to make a little bit of money from home? I will kindly take suggestions.

The Hole in our Gospel

2009-07-12T06:46:00.000-04:00

I recently finished the book "The Hole in our Gospel" by World Vision President Richard Stearns. I selected this book as a part of the Thomas Nelson bloggers program purely because of the title. I was curious to see what hole someone else saw in the gospel that many of the churches in North America promote. Now I must say that I do believe that Jesus loves us and died to save us from our sins, but I think that's only the beginning. I believe that the love of Christ compels us to share that love with everyone that we come in contact with. That is truly good news and that is what Stearns wants his reader to understand. I won't ruin the book for you but I do want you to understand that Stearns was considered a very successful person in both the Christian and secular business world. He had climbed to the top of the corporate ladder and was still living his life for God. But God began to move Stearns in a different direction and in that process Stearns learned about the hole in our gospel. I appreciated the openness of his personal story of transformation as I believe that there are many in the pews of North America who share in his story. Just as Shane Claiborne and others are calling the new generation to opening their eyes to see the poor and hurting around them, I believe that Stearns is a voice for an older generation that is less likely to take Claiborne and friends too seriously. May we have the ears to hear and the courage to act upon this message that should in no doubt convict and motivate us to do our part no matter how big or small. I would highly recommend this book to all. Enjoy!

the life of Jared

2009-06-21T17:10:00.000-04:00

The month that has been:

Sorry that I haven't posted anything in about a month. With all of our unpacking, saying goodbye, moving and subsequent unpacking I haven't had too much free time. Here's what I can remember us doing. Holly's graduation week was quite the whirlwind. It started off on Sunday with a going away reception at church in between services where I talked to a bunch of random people that I don't know that I even met in my four years on staff. I really don't like those things because of that, but I guess you have to do them. We finished packing the rest of that week and then had a staff going away lunch on Thursday. Funny thing, as I looked around the cafe I could only truly say that I was close to a few people that are left on staff. After an awkward "share your favorite Jared story" time with people that didn't hardly know me, we went home to change and then head to a formal dinner/dance for Holly's school. We had a great time at this event. I got to meet some of Holly's med school friends that I hear her talking about from time and time. It was good to also put faces to names as well.

Friday we had a graduation party for Holly at the home of some of our dear friends that we used to serve on staff with. We had a great evening hanging out with some of our closet friends in PA. The evening came to a close with the group praying over Holly and I. It is interesting to note that this evening felt like my staff going away reception as five of those present were ones that I had served at FVCN with. Man, we had some good times together. I left that event to pick up one of my best friends from the airport. He was flying in to help us with the move by driving my car back to TN on Sunday. Many, many thanks go out to "gangsta." On Saturday Holly's family flew in to PA to be present for the graduation ceremonies and help us finish packing. Sunday was the big graduation day! I can't begin to tell you how proud I am of my wife. She has put in so much time, energy and effort to get to this point. (And I've only been around first hand for the past 5 years.) I can honestly admit that I teared up as the med school class processed into the theatre. After an interesting and fairly lengthy ceremony, my wife is now an official doctor! Here an interesting tidbit, Holly's dad was able to hood her since he was a doctor as well.

That evening was perhaps one of the hardest nights that I have experienced in my ministry life. Saying goodbye to a great youth group. During the evening a few students stood up to share a few stories about me, some funny and some serious. We were surprised with a Wii as a going away present and some cash to put toward some things for Karis and our move. One other huge surprise came from our youth band. I had worked with these guys when they were sophomores and now they were graduating seniors who had really come into their own as a band. Anyways, last year when Doug was on sabbatical the guys wrote me a song on the last Sunday night that I was "on my own" as youth pastor. As a going away gift the guys made a music video of said song and played it for us. I'll have to say, they did an amazing job. I'll try to post it on here sometime soon. The evening concluded with me having many heartfelt goodbyes with both students, parents and leaders. I am truly going to miss the FVCN youth group.

On Monday I took Holly and her family to the airport, said my official goodbye at the church, picked up the moving truck, packed said truck with the help of a few awesome friends, cleaned up the apartment, painted it back to white, and then drove 90 min down the road. Sounds busy? Well it was. I arrived at my in-laws on Tuesday and spent the night there. We left on Wednesday to drive the final 90 min to Chattanooga and then proceeded to unload the truck and start the unpacking process. Once again I had some awesome help with that.

Our time here has consisted of all the normal moving requirements, Drivers License, new tags, utilities and the like. We have yet to spend a full weekend here due to birthday parties, golf scrambles and graduation parties. Holly starts her orientation tomorrow and her residency officially begins on July 1st. We are in the process of settling down and finding what our normal routine will be here in Chattanooga. Thanks for your patience in my blog posts, hopefully I will be able to carve out some regular time to blog in the future.

Last thing, I need to find some type of employment while staying at home with Karis. Any ideas?

the life of Jared (5/24)

2009-05-26T10:08:00.000-04:00

The week that was:

Packing boxes and wasting time. That's my life right now. We did have a going away reception at church on Sunday morning that was nice. I talked to quite a few people that I don't think I've said too many words to in my 4 years at the church. Needless to say that some of the conversations were a bit awkward. I spoke for the last time at Solomon's Porch on Sunday night.

The week that is:

Busy. We have to finish packing, which is currently kind of hard because we ran out of boxes. I'll get more tomorrow from my buddy Sam at Chick-fil-a but as of now I'm at a stand still. But here's how the end of the week is shaping out. Thursday is our going away luncheon with the staff at church. Thursday night we are going to a Dinner Dance for Holly's graduation. Friday is Holly's graduation party at some of our dear friend's house. Friday night by buddy Ryan is flying into town as he is driving my car back to my in-laws on Sunday, which saves us like $400 in shipping costs. Saturday Holly's family is flying into town for her graduation on Sunday. Sunday is Holly's graduation and our going away party with the youth on Sunday night. Monday I take Holly and her family to the airport as they are all leaving me. Monday afternoon I pick up the truck and have a few guys coming over to help me load it up. I then leave Tuesday morning to drive to my in-laws place where we have our washer/dryer a few other things in storage. Wednesday I'll leave from there and pull into our new place and unload the truck.

What I'm reading:

I'm reading a book called "the Hole in our Gospel" right now in between packing.

What I'm listening to:

Nothing in particular.

What I'm looking forward to:

Being finished with all of this. I probably won't post next week due to the crazy schedule that I just talked about.

Talk to you in a few.

the life of Jared (5/18)

2009-05-20T05:54:00.000-04:00

The week that was:

Packing, packing and more packing mixed in with a little bit of lazy unmotivated time. My office at the church is about 95% finished and we are making progress at home.

We also attended 2 cookouts last weekend. The first was with our former pastor and another family that used to be on our staff. It was a great time eating and hanging out together and catching up. I think we all lament that fact that we are spread out now, but we (or at least I) treasure the time that we spent together on staff.

The other cookout was with our small group. 3 of the 4 couples in the small group are moving away this summer and so this was our last time to be together. One of the couples moving away is trying to use up the meat in their freezer so we had pork and beef ribs that night. Now let me tell you about these ribs. They were not the wimpy ribs that you might get at your local chain restaurant. No, these were ribs on steroids and they were amazing. Thanks Gregg and Lisa.

The week that is:

Packing, packing and more packing. I hope that we are pretty much finished with packing by the end of this week. Our following week is going to be nuts, but I'll let you know about that in my next update post. I am taking my 9th grade small group to shady maple on Saturday morning. That will definitely be good.

What I'm listening to:

Nothing specific right now, mostly genius playlists.

What I'm reading:

I'm slowly working through the book, "The Hole in our Gospel." I hope to have a review of it after we get settled in Chatty. I definitely recommend this book, especially for those who are older and might be turned off by a Shane Claiborne or someone like that.

What I'm looking forward to:

Settling down. I'm sad to leave this place, but I hate seeing boxes everywhere. Also there is a new DMB album releasing on the day that I leave PA. Hopefully I'll be able to download it and listen to it as I make the trek to TN.

the life of jared (5/11)

2009-05-11T17:30:00.000-04:00

The weeks that were:

2 weeks ago I was at our middle school retreat. I'll have to honest, most of the time I dread those weekends, but I really enjoyed this trip. The theme that Doug and I had come up with had great potential to be very meaningful for our students and we had some really cool activities planned at a different retreat center.

Our theme was centered around the fact that we are clay in the hands of the potter. We talked about how we were made by God and that God declares that we are good. In this session Doug took the kids outside and forced us to notice our surroundings and all that God had created. This is especially meaningful to many of our students because we were in the middle of the woods which is radically different than where most of them live. In our next session, we talked about how God readies us to be put on the wheel and then begins the process of shaping and molding us. We found an actually potter's wheel and Doug did a quick demonstration on how a potter had to center the clay in order to lay the ground work for the piece that they have in mind to make. We talked about how God wants us to be centered on the wheel and ready for how God wants to shape us. The next session was geared around how God can take the mess that we sometimes make in our life and is able to still make it into something beautiful. For this session we asked an art teacher from our local high school to come a do a real demonstration. Thankfully she goes to our church and was happy to come out and help us. She was awesome and it was amazing to see the students captured by her movements and how the clay was being shaped in her hands. Our last session briefly talked about how God shapes and molds us for a purpose to be used for the kingdom. Just how a plate, cup, bowl or vase has a certain purpose, so we have a purpose as we are being transformed by God.

All in all the retreat was awesome and our students were so well behaved. This was my last retreat with this group and it kind of made me sad. I have been so blessed to serve a great group of students. I will miss them and our awesome youth leaders greatly.

On Monday we boarded a plane to TN for the sole purpose of finding a place to live in Chattanooga. Karis slept the whole time at the airport and on the plane. Holly and woke up early on Tuesday morning in order to get to an appointment at 10:30 with a real estate agent. We saw several townhomes and actually wound up leasing the first one we saw. Here are a few pictures.

[caption id="attachment_258" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Kitchen"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_259" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Backyard"][/caption]

The rest of week we just spent hanging out in the 'boro with Holly's family and we flew home on Friday.

Lastly, this was Holly's first Mother's Day and we had a great time. We went on a family picnic to Valley Forge National Park, at Holly's request, and overall just had a lazy day.

The week that is:

Packing. I'm hoping to have most of my office packed up by the end of the week but the house is not packing itself like we want it to. We also have 2 cookouts with friends and our small group this weekend. Looking forward to that.

What I'm listening to:

Nothing in particular. I have listened to the latest Lincoln Brewster album quite a bit lately. It's a good one!

What I'm looking forward to:

All of the packing to be done and the move to be over. I'm not ready to say goodbye, but I dread this waiting process.

What I'm reading:

Nothing really. Pretty much all of my books are in boxes.

the life of Jared (4/27)

2009-04-27T08:37:00.000-04:00

The week that was:

Where to begin? My mom and dad flew in for the weekend on Wednesday and they got to see Karis for the first time in person, which was cool. My sister and brother in law flew in on Friday for the weekend as well, and they also got to see Karis for the first time.

Saturday was my 30th b-day and my lovely wife planned a surprise party for me with a few friends. It was a great time hanging out with good friends. The highlight was probably when Stephen Porter walked into the room. He came all the way from South Africa, though not totally for me. He is in town for a couple of trips to DC to hopefully secure visas for his family so they can return to Angola and the missionary assignment they have there.

Sunday was a really busy day. It was our 30 hour famine Sunday at church which meant that Doug and I team preached in "big" church. We were both satisfied with the message that we challenged our church to be a part of the solution. I don't know if everyone "heard" what we said, but hopefully a few did. We called the church to a time of prayer at the end of the service in order to begin to dream about being a part of the solution and in both services the altars were full.

Also on Sunday Holly and I dedicated Karis. That was the main reason that my family came into town, and it was good to have them there. Doug dedicated her and prayed over her. It was cool to have him do that since I had dedicated and prayed over both of his kids. Man, I'm going to miss that guy when I move.

After lunch at a local Italian place we returned home to snap a few more pictures and then I took my family to the airport. I returned home for about an hour to only go back to church for Solomon's Porch, where I spoke again. In addition the kids had brought in a bunch of cupcakes to celebrate my birthday and one of our leaders painted a caricature of me that I'll take a picture of when I get it back. She wants all of our students to sign it.

The week that is:

I am currently gearing up for Middle School retreat this weekend. We are focusing on the Potter's house passage in Jeremiah. I'm really excited about this weekend and the impact that it'll have on our students. I just hope that they are open to hear what God has laid on Doug and my heart.

What I'm reading:

I'm finding it really hard to read right now. I don't know why, but I keep looking at the same 3 books and not making any progress with them. Because of that I'm putting off the Romans study until life gets a bit more steady. I promise that I will pick it up!

What I'm listening to:

Right now, Hillsong United. I like them, but can only handle em in doses. This will be my dose for the week. I really wish they would write more communal songs instead of everyone of them focusing on the individual. I listened to a little bit of Crowder this morning as well. I really like the Remedy album and the live one is great as well.

What I'm (Not) looking forward to:

Packing. I don't like packing at all. I need to start purging some clothes that I don't wear anymore and other junk that I've accumulated over the past few years. I'm going to try my best to get that done here in the next 2 weeks.

Housing. Do you know how hard it is to find a house when you are hundreds of miles away? We are blessed with my sister being in the town that we are moving to and my in laws a couple of hours away and willing to go on road trips, but this is really stressing me out. It seems like when we find something fairly good online, it's either in a bad area, not as good as the pics they posted, or too far away for Holly to commute. We are going down there next week and hope to come back to PA knowing exactly where we will be moving. Please pray that we can work out these details.

Update on Karis:

I can't believe how much she is changing. She is really starting to interact with us well. We have a few trigger words that always seem to bring a smile when she is in a good mood. I love my little girl no matter how much she screams in the middle of the night.

the life of Jared

2009-04-20T12:50:00.000-04:00

The week that was:

Highlighted by our 30 hour famine event Friday over Saturday. It was amazing! It's funny how we can put all of this time, effort and energy into putting something together and then God does something totally different. Truthfully I was kind of bummed on Friday night as many of our kids came to check in and hadn't raised any money at all. In fact, as a group we had about 20 more people than last year and raised only half of the money. But over the course of the weekend many of our students became convicted of their lack of effort and have now decided to do anything they can think of raise money. It's great to hear feedback from our students about how God has been wrestling with them over simple things as our lifestyle and the things we eat. I'll try to put some of my many thoughts into a post sometime soon.

The week that is:

My parents, sister and brother in law are coming to town this weekend! This is a big weekend as my 30th birthday is on Saturday, Karis is being dedicated on Sunday and I'm team preaching on Sunday with Doug in "big" church. Needless to say my time is going to be pulled in many different directions.

What I'm reading:

Same few books. Nothing new here.

What I'm listening to:

I'm on a serious DMB kick lately. I've probably plowed through a few of his live albums both in my car and in the office.

What I'm looking forward to:

Well this past weekend I announced an upcoming move that Holly and I are making to our high school students and our youth leaders. For the most part everyone was very supportive. There were a few students who were totally caught off guard and are still processing through the news. This coming weekend the announcement will be made to the whole church, so on top of preaching and Karis being dedicated it should be a roller coaster day. All of that to say that we are now looking for housing in Chattanooga and it's turning out to be a difficult proposition. Please pray that we can find a place that we are comfortable with and that will be good for Karis to grow up in for the next 3 years. Also we are now starting to purge some of our junk and pack what we are going to take and I always hate this part of life.

Karis update:

She's over 8lbs now, which is awesome! She's also had a few long nights lately which is making things difficult for mom and dad. Hopefully this is just a phase and will pass soon, but we'll see.

the life of Jared

2009-04-13T10:26:00.000-04:00

The week that was

Holy week was filled with both some good down time and also a few events. This has been a challenging lenten season and I'll blog about it sometime this week. The first part of the week was pretty uneventful with the latter part of the week being fairly busy. I have switched my day off from Friday to Monday to accommodate Holly's schedule with her last rotation. This has been a bit of an adjustment, but one I'm taking fairly well. On Thursday we had an open communion time where Doug (my co-youth pastor) and I manned a station. I love having the chance to connect with families in this way. We were able to serve communion to and pray with many of the families that either work with us or that we directly serve. On Friday our youth ministry held a tenebrae service at the same time one was going on in the main sanctuary. It was a very good service as we reflected on the death of Christ. The thing that I liked the most is that our students actually left the room in silence. I don't know if that has ever happened before! We had good services on Sunday as well. It was weird to be in the back and not involved, but it is also a welcome change.

The week that is:

Our student ministry is participating in the 30 hour famine this weekend in conjunction with another church. So this week is going to be spent mostly in preparations for that and Sunday. Our past two famines have been a huge success and I'm praying for the same again. I'm also in the process of securing housing for our family when Holly starts residency. This process is starting to stress me out a bit so please keep this in your prayers if you remember.

What I'm reading:

Ok, so I have a bit of ADD when it comes to reading lately. I'm still reading the book on the atonement, "Recovering the Scandal of the Cross". I have also started two others though. The first one is called "The Sacredness of Questioning Everything." The second one is called "The Hole in our Gospel." The last one is by the president of World Vision and he is writing about his own journey but also about how we in the western church aren't really living out the whole gospel. I picked this book up through a program that Thomas Nelson offers to bloggers. It's free, all I have to do is write a review on here and a place like Amazon.

What I'm listening to:

Nothing consistently. I've been taking advantage of the genius feature on iTunes lately. Man, I love that feature.

What I'm keeping an eye on:

I have a big and tough announcement to make this weekend. It's one of those bittersweet things that pop up in life. I just pray that God will be glorified in all that we say and do.

the life of Jared (4/6)

2009-04-06T11:47:00.000-04:00

The week that was:

Dominated by a quick trip to Charlotte for one of my college friends wedding. This trip/wedding was big for a couple of different reason. First, it was the first time that I have been away from Karis overnight. And it was two nights at that! It was really hard to leave but my friend only gets married once. Second, my friend who got married is the last of my close group of friends to do such. So we are all married now and many of us have begun to have kids as well. Third, I really love seeing all of my college friends and catching up with them. I so miss the community that I had with those guys and even some of the ignorance that comes with youth.

The week that is:

Well it's Holy Week that that means I have something going on Thursday and Friday night. Thursday we are having drop in communion at our church that the pastors are staffing and Friday we are doing a Tenebrae service with our youth. I really enjoy having the freedom to put together and execute a Tenebrae service. I only hope that the youth that do come will appreciate what we are remembering on that evening.

What I'm reading:

I'm all over the place with what I'm reading right now. I started reading a book on the atonement called "Recovering the Scandal of the Cross" and I'm enjoying it. I'm still kind of reading through "Crazy Love" but can only take the reformed theology in doses. I have decided to do a pretty extensive study of the book of Romans after Easter which I'm looking forward to. I'll try to blog on the things that I will learn.

What I'm listening to:

On my plane ride I listened to some DMB and John Mayer. I like listening to live albums on trips as it helps the time to pass quicker.

What I'm looking forward to:

UNC is playing in the national championship tonight. They completely destroyed MSU last time they played them, but I don't think this game will have the same outcome. The only thing that kind of scares me is that this is basically a home game for MSU. But I think our talent and execution will eventually give us the advantage.

On another note, I correctly picked 3 of the 4 final four teams which includes the match-up tonight. Aren't I smart?

the life of Jared 3/23

2009-03-23T11:22:00.000-04:00

The week that was:

Sleep, sleep and more sleep. Holly's mom was here from Sunday thru Thursday so that meant that Holly and I got more sleep than usual. Thanks Brenda! It's funny what more sleep does to you after you've learned how to live without it. I found that my body didn't fully catch up to "normal" until Wednesday, but then it was back to business as usual on Thursday. Additionally we had our annual Volunteer Appreciation Banquet at church last Friday night. Our theme was "The Greatest Church on Earth" and we ultimately put on a circus. That's right, I said a circus. I had a couple of parts to play in the whole shebang. I was the "6 ft. man eating chicken" (the important part of my costume was a box of Chick-fil-a chicken strips) and I was also a construction clown. We had a fun night entertaining our volunteers and showing them thanks for the many sacrifices that they make.

The week that is:

Nothing much going on here. Holly's cousin is coming at the end of the week for a quick visit and we have a Middle School event on Friday night as well.

What I'm looking forward to:

Vaguely, the future. As our families future is coming into more focus, Holly and I are looking forward to what the future holds. It's amazing that Holly is about to graduate med school and that she will be starting residency this summer. We are one step closer to functioning as a "normal" family that doesn't have to worry about schooling and not being settled. That is unless I go back to school in the near future like I want to do. But more on that in the future.

What I'm reading:

Since my class is finished I'm now free to read what I want. I'm thinking about plowing through Missional Church. Any other suggestions.

What I'm listening to:

I've been listening to some DMB lately as well as U2 and The Fray's new albums.

Angry Conversations with God

2009-03-17T17:03:00.000-04:00

That's the name of a book that I've been recently reading. It's by an author named Susan Isaac's and I recommend that you check out her story. Here is a link to her blog as well. I won't give away too much of her story but I will say that unfortunately too much of Susan's story is found in the world today. We construct our concept of God based on our fathers and the people who are found in churches. I was luckily blessed with a good father who never cheapened my concept of God, but I have come across too many people that have messed up views about who God is because their fathers were not very godly. As Susan points out at one time, it wasn't her fault, and it's not; but it's the church's fault. Now I don't want to trash the church too much here, but I think too many times we get in the rut of saying things that we have either heard or we just hope might be true in some sense. All of this to say that I was caught up in Susan's story of taking God to marriage counseling and recounting her life and how God was working through these various experiences. Thank you Susan for being transparent about your "marriage" with God, may others be encouraged by your journey.

The life of Jared (3/16)

2009-03-16T10:05:00.000-04:00

The weeks that were:

Nothing much has happened lately. My sister-in-law and brother-in-law came up for a quick Karis visit at the beginning of last week. My last class session was on Saturday. I'm kind of glad that it's over because I don't seem to have a ton of free time to put towards preparing for class, but I do enjoy teaching and the conversation that is sparked from what I prepare. This last session was on eschatology which is always an interesting topic.

The week that is:

My mother-in-law is here this week helping out. Karis has been really high maintenance lately with having her days and nights mixed up. I know that all babies go through this phase, but it's killer when they are going through it. Here's the funny thing though, Karis isn't consistent with her mix ups. Some days everything is normal, and then the next two will be flip flopped. Also this week is our annual volunteer appreciation banquet at the church. This year we are doing something brand new in that the staff is putting on a circus to honor our volunteers. It's gonna be pretty crazy and your truly is going to be a construction clown. Hopefully it will go off well but most importantly that our volunteers will feel very appreciated.

What I'm reading:

"Angry Conversations with God" I will be doing a post on Wednesday of this book which I recommend. I might even do a giveaway if you're lucky. I'm trying to finish Crazy Love since our students are having to read this for the summer mission trip.

What I'm listening to:

The new Fray album, the new U2 album and random DMB.

What I'm keeping an eye on:

Holly and I find out where she matched for a residency program on Thursday. We are on pins and needles with anticipation about knowing where our next journey will be to. Once we do find out, then we have to start our preparations to move out of our crappy apartment. Now that I'm really looking forward to!

Karis update:

Other than the day/night mix up she's doing awesome. She's growing like crazy and is now starting to interact a bit with you. She won't focus too long on your face, but she will turn and look at you from time to time when you speak to her. I love seeing her develop right in front of our eyes. I know this is only the beginning of the many first that she will have.

The life of Jared (3/1)

2009-03-03T04:31:00.000-05:00

The week that was:

Fairly uneventful. Mostly my week looks like this. I work up until 1 and then head home and Holly goes to her rotation site. One of us is always at home right now with Karis. It is amazing how fast time flies when I'm taking care of Karis. Especially since she is spoiled and loves to be held. It's almost impossible for me to get any reading done.

We did have some friends over on Saturday night. That was a good release for Holly and I to have other adults to hang out with, plus they were loving on Karis the whole time.

The week that is:

Not much here again. Karis has a Dr.'s appointment to get a shot. Yuck. I need to keep pace on preparing for my class. Our last session is on the 14th. I really need to get on my taxes. I keep putting that off, but I know that's one of those things that will sneak up on you if you let it.

What I'm reading:

Two main things: "Surprised by Hope" by NT Wright. I am loving this book and the call that he is making to the church. "Angry Conversations with God" by Susan Isaacs. This is a book that I got a prerelease copy in order to write up a review when it is released. I am having fun with this one and you should really pick up a copy when it comes out in a couple of weeks. I'll do a formal write up then.

What I'm listening to:

Right now, the new U2 album that came out today. First impression is that it's pretty good. Kind of chill, but still solid. I also thinking about picking up an album that Don Miller recommended from a group called The Alternate Routes.

What I'm keeping an eye on:

Carolina has two big games this week. They can wrap up the ACC regular season title with a win on Wednesday of Va Tech. Of course I'd also love for them to pound Duke. I'm a little concerned about their defense when it comes tourney time, but hopefully things will click here in the last week.

We are also now in the Lenten season. I will be doing a devotional blog on my church's website for our youth. Feel free to check it out and leave some comments.

The Life of Jared (2/22)

2009-02-24T07:19:00.000-05:00

The week that was:

Taught class on Saturday where we talked about worship and the sacraments. We had a great discussion, especially about infant baptism. It's so much fun to be an integral part in helping people formulate their theology and helping them to rethink past positions. I also sold our living room set on Craigslist last week. I put all four pieces for $50 because I wanted to make sure it was sold by Friday when we picked our new sofa. Let's just say that I had a lot of interest since they were in such good shape. I wound up selling the set to a family who had refinished their basement for their two girls who are 15 and 10. The set sold for $100, because demand was driving the price up, and they pitched in another $20 when I helped them load it up. They seemed to be a nice family and I hope the girls enjoy the furniture as much as Holly and I did. Lastly, we picked up our new sofa and it is awesome! I feel so grown up with a new baby and a new sofa.

The week that is:

Lent starts tomorrow so I've been preparing for our Ash Wednesday service and our first week's message on Sunday. Hopefully things will settle down a bit, but with a newborn I don't think that's possible.

What I'm listening to:

Lots of different albums. Passion: God of this City, Downhere: all 3 of them, Chris Tomlin: Hello Love, DMB: Live at the Mile High Music Festival, The Fray: The Fray.

What I'm looking forward to:

I'm really anticipating lent this year as I'm fasting from something totally different than I normally do. I'll put up a separate post on it tomorrow, just know that it will stretch me quite a bit. I have also put together a lenten devotional for our students that I'd love for you to use if you need something. You can find it on our church website. Once it's up tomorrow I'll post a link. I will also be blogging through lent on the church website to try and generate some discussion there.

Karis update:

Here's a new category. Karis is doing really well. She's starting to learn to swat away things from her face that she doesn't like. Namely the suction bulb thing that we use to get boogers out of her nose. She's also starting to turn when you speak to her. She has also outgrown a few of her preemie outfits!

The Life of Jared (2/16)

2009-02-16T13:12:00.000-05:00

The week that was:

Not a whole lot happened. My in laws came in for the weekend to see Karis and help out, which was appreciated. Holly and I were able to go out by ourselves for the first time since Karis came home. We went to a wedding of two of our youth workers, which was awesome. Then we went to a place called the Dump and bought a sofa! I led worship with Doug and spoke on Sunday night and enjoyed both very much. I hadn't played the guitar in over a couple of months and really missed it. I was also very please with my message on Sunday night in talking about God disciplining us. I just hope and pray that our students heard it!

The week that is:

My mother in law is here until Thursday helping out with Karis, so therefore Holly and I are working later to try and get caught up with other things. I am working to get our Lenten devotional together and starting to study for our lent series. We are going to be following the lectionary for the rest of the year, which I think will be fun. I also have class on Saturday so I've gotta get that all together as well. Our new couch will be here on Friday and I'm trying to sell our older pieces on Craigslist right now. So far I've had 3 bites!

What I'm reading:

Same old things for class and a secondary source called Ancient-Future Worship. I really like that book a lot! I'm also enjoying my new Wesley Study Bible.

What I'm listening to:

Today I was listening to a band that a friend of mine used to be in called Kurios. I was walking down memory lane.

What I'm looking forward to/keeping an eye on:

Sitting on my new couch. Teaching on Saturday. Lent beginning. Carolina creeping up to #1. Phillies starting Spring Training. Holly going through the residency match.

Good quote

2009-02-16T10:23:00.000-05:00

I'll try to post my weekly update soon, but I came across this quote as I prepared for our Ash Wednesday service and thought you might like it.

By virtue of who we are, we will sow in tears; by virtue of who God is, we may reap in joy.

Words to build a life on

2009-02-12T11:41:00.000-05:00

So I've been listening to the Mike Crawford and His Secret Siblings album in my car again. I've really been captured by the last song called "Words to Build a Life On." Here is the a link to their myspace page where you can give it a listen to and below are the lyrics, what do you think?

These are words to build a life on
These are Your words how can they be mine
These are words to build a life on
These are Your words I want them to be mine

Blessed are the poor
Blessed are the weak
Blessed are the ones
Who can barely speak

Blessed in your hurt
Blessed in your pain
Blessed when your teardrops
Are falling down like rain

Blessed when you’re broken
Blessed when you’re blind
Blessed when you’re fragile
When you have lost your mind

Blessed when you’re desperate
Blessed when you’re scared
Blessed when you’re lonely
Blessed when you’ve failed

Blessed when you’re beat up
Blessed when you’re bruised
Blessed when you’re tore down
Blessed when you’re used

These are words to build a life on
These are Your words how can they be mine
These are words to build a life on
These are Your words I want them to be mine

Blessed when you’re heartbroke
Blessed when you’re fired
Blessed when you’re choked up
Blessed when you’re tired

Blessed when the plans
That you so carefully laid
End up in the junkyard
With all the trash you made

Blessed when you feel like
Giving up the ghost
Blessed when your loved ones
Are the ones who hurt you most

Blessed when you lose your
Own identity
Then blessed when you find it
And it has been redeemed

Blessed when you see what
Your friends can never be
Blessed with your eyes closed
Then blessed you see Me

These are words to build a life on
These are Your words how can they be mine
These are words to build a life on
These are Your words I want them to be mine

Blessed when you’re hungry
Blessed when you thirst
Cause that’s when you will eat of
The bread that matters most

Blessed when you’re put down
Because of me you’re dissed
Because of me you’re kicked out
They take you off their list

You know you’re on the mark
You know you’ve got it right
You are to be my salt
You are to be my light

So bring out all the flavor
In the feast of this My world
And light up all the colors
Let the banner be unfurled

Shout it from the rooftops
Let the trumpets ring
Sing your freaking lungs out
Jesus Christ is King!

Jesus is my Savior
Jesus is divine
Jesus is my answer
Jesus is my life

These are words to build a life on
These are Your words how can they be mine
These are words to build a life on
These are Your words I want them to be mine

Give us ears that we may hear them
voice that we may sing them
life that we may live them
hope that we may give them
hearts that we can feel them
eyes that we can see them
thoughts that we may think them
tongues that we may speak Your words

How would your church handle the line, "sing your freakin' lung out that Jesus Christ is King!"

The life of Jared (2/9)

2009-02-09T10:35:00.000-05:00

The week that was:

Not much went on last week. I'm still getting adjusted to life with a baby at home. I'm the one who gets up in the middle of the night and changes/feeds her since Holly is pumping. The problem is that we aren't on the same schedule so we wind up waking the other up at various points in the night, especially if Karis happens to be fussy. I also taught on Saturday and had a great discussion over the philosophy of the church. It's amazing for me to think about how far we have gotten away from the vision that is found in the early church. I'll try to post a little more on that later.

The week that is:

Same old, same old here. Juggling job, baby, wife, class, etc all at once. It's fun and tiring. Karis has her next Dr's appointment on Thursday, hopefully she's still gaining a good amount of weight. Speaking of Karis, she's on my chest sleeping right now as I type. Pretty cool, pretty cool.

What I'm listening to:

I just picked up the new album from The Fray and it's pretty good. I usually have to listen to an album a few times to make a good informed judgement about it. But so far, I like this one.

What I'm reading:

Same old stuff for class but also at least one new book, Ancient-Future Worship by Robbert Webber. If he's able to deliver on this book what he claims in the opening introduction, I'm going to really like this book. Here's the cover and a link to amazon.

What I'm keeping an eye on:

North Carolina and Duke play on Wednesday, that's always a huge game. Go Heels! Other than that I'm out of touch with the happens of the world.

Totally Dependent

2009-02-04T11:11:00.000-05:00

So Karis has been home for two nights and I'm so fascinated by her. What I'm the most fascinated about is the fact that she is totally dependent upon Holly and I. Her very well being and survival is contingent upon us feeding her, keeping her warm and discerning certain warning signs that might indicate that something is wrong. Lucky for Karis, Holly and I have so much love for her that we will probably overprotect her until we are confident that she is fully healthy.

You can probably see where I'm going with this, but I'll say it anyways. I'm appreciating my own dependency upon God a bit more lately. I can totally see how I mirror Karis in my relationship with God. How God is always watching over me and trying to lead me in my journey. I am so helpless on this journey with finding the right path, knowing which way to go, even having provision to make it to completion. It kind of makes the portion of the sermon on the mount which says not to worry about what you will eat, wear, where you will sleep, for the future, etc. stand out in a new way. We cannot fully live into this until we are OK with being totally dependent on God. Able to soak up the love, grace and provision that comes our way from a God who cares more about us that the lilies of the field and the birds of the air.

God grant me the grace to accept my total dependence upon you and the strength and knowlege to take care of this precious baby that you have blessed us with.

The life of Jared (2/2)

2009-02-02T05:24:00.000-05:00

I guess I should date these things for the few of you who care.

The week that was:

Not much happened last week. Time in the office, at the NICU, etc. We did have a snow day which was pretty cool, but Karis wasn't with us so that sucked a bit. I had a Middle School event on Friday night that went really well. Doug is battling a persistent form of strep so I told him to stay away. Besides he's covered for me a lot lately.

The week that is:

The doctors keep talking like Karis will come home sometime this week. Holly and I trying not to get our hopes up too much because they've talked like this before and then have said, "We want to keep our eye on her for a few more days." As I said in an earlier post, I want her to come home now, but also when she is ready. That's more important. I think I'm speaking for our high school kids this week on the topic of 1st temple Judaism, which I'm calling the Ultimate Home Court Advantage. Should be fun!

What I'm listening to:

Right now, Starfield. I've also listened to Los Lonely Boys alot last week. I love those guys. Wouldn't you like to create a whole new genre of music? There's is called Texican rock.

What I'm reading:

Still stuff for class, but one book in particular is called "Missional Church." It's awesome, pick it up and plow through it. I've also updated my book page on this blog. Pretty soon I'll get around to talking about each book, if you care.

What I'm keeping an eye on:

Other than Karis coming home, not much else. Things are on cruise control in the youth ministry until March so I'm going to take advantage of that. I'm teaching again on Saturday which will be fun, assuming that I can get fully prepared.

A little dose of patience

2009-01-29T18:28:00.000-05:00

I truly think that patience is a four letter word to most Christians. Think about it, how many sermons do you hear on the subject of patience? Sure the pastor may talk about and use the concept of patience to support a point, but patience is usually never the focal point of a sermon. Truth is, patience is hard on us humans. We are inundated with so many commercials that brain wash us into thinking that having patience is the old way of doing things. We were originally sold on the idea that credit cards were the answer to the problem, or taking out a 2nd and/or 3rd mortgage on the house, but in the end that has gotten most of us nowhere. In fact, most of us are worse off than when we started.

I speak of all this because Holly and I are enduring a little dose of patience with our daughter Karis. She is so close to coming home from the NICU, but it seems that every time we get a little excited about what could happen in the next couple of days, those hopes get deflated by one thing or another. The latest round was centered around the feeding tube. One of the prerequisites for her coming home is doing 100% of her feeds by bottle or nipple. For a couple of days we would feed her a little bit by bottle until she fell asleep and then they would put the rest down her feeding tube. So on Wednesday, Karis' 3 week birthday, Karis pulled out her feeding tube and the nurse said she wouldn't put a new one in unless she proved that she needed one. The good news is that she showed she didn't need it, but tonight while Holly and I were visiting she had a little relapse. Now my definition of relapse is that she spit up a portion of her feed. It wasn't enough to get up in arms over, but enough to become frustrated. Our hope is that when she starts to do something that she will continue on in this upward trajectory toward "normalcy", whatever that is. The truth is Karis is a preemie and all of our best intentions, and plans for her to progress need to happen in the right time. We don't need to bring Karis home and then have to take her back to the hospital a few days or weeks later.

So we need to exercise a little patience. We have to trust that Karis is in God's hands and that she will progress in the right time and while we are so ready for her to come home, she needs to come home when she is ready. So please pray for us and our little dose of patience. I will leave you with Paul's description of the fruit of the Spirit, what we are to model as we become more and more like Christ.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23

The life of Jared

2009-01-27T05:26:00.000-05:00

Trying another name for this update thingy.

The week that was:

Not much went on last week. My time in the office was spent on preparing to speak to our youth after a few weeks absence and preparing for class on Saturday. I thought class went really well. Our topic was on Salvation/Sanctification and I think I helped to clear up a few misunderstandings/bad definitions that had been thrown around to my students. Every time I read John Wesley I am more and more disappointed at how we have twisted his thoughts and intentions. But I guess we do the same to the Bible, so why should Wesley be any different.

My in-laws flew in for the weekend too. We had a great time with them, even though it was short. They got in around 11PM on Friday and after we picked them up at the airport we took them to the hospital to see Karis. I taught on Saturday so Holly took them on Saturday to the hospital and then we went again after class was over. They went again on Sunday morning as I had to come to church so that I can still collect a paycheck. They flew out Sunday afternoon and then Holly and I spent the evening just hanging out. I love having downtime with Holly. She usually falls asleep and I watch TV or read, but I love just being close to her.

The week that is:

Pretty much nothing new this week either, except that Karis may come home later in the week. If she continues to take all of her feeds by bottle and shows that she doesn't need the feeding tube anymore, then they will consider sending her home with us. Holly and I will be happy when that whole ordeal is over. We both hate leaving her at the hospital, especially if she's awake. But we understand that she is getting the best care there right now.

We have a middle school event on Friday night that I will attend unless Karis comes home and there's a little thing called the Super Bowl on Sunday. I would love to watch that with Karis in my arms.

What I'm reading:

I have started reading "Missional Church" by Darrell Guder and others, for my class. I'm only part of the way through the 1st chapter and can already tell that I'm going to like this book. I'll post some thoughts as I work my way through it.

What I'm listening to:

Right now I'm listening to Shane and Shane, all of the albums that I have. I don't know why, I'm just in that kind of mood. Those guys are really talented and I especially love worshipping with them in person. They led one of the sessions at YS this year that was amazing.

What I'm keeping an eye on:

Other than Karis, there's not much on my radar. Can you tell that I want her home?

Sanctification

2009-01-21T09:30:00.000-05:00

So I'm teaching a class on Saturday where we are covering the way of salvation and sanctification. The latter idea is a big distinctive of the tribe that I belong to, but as I'm doing research on what John Wesley taught and believed I'm finding that we are way off. In fact, the way that most people are starting to think of sanctification is more in tune with Wesley than the way that I remember it being taught to me.

The argument conversation basically boils down to process. Wesley argued that we are cleansed from sin and then begin a process whereby our love is perfected into the love of God, or we are made into the imago Dei. In the early 1800's a woman by the name of Phoebe Palmer started convincing people that they could have the whole kit and caboodle at one time. No need to wait, just come to the altar, pray through, believe, and bam your sanctified. The latter began to emerge as the standard view of the process of sanctification and I believe led many to a state of spiritual apathy. You see, Wesley was very intentional about teaching that we were not through after the moment of sanctification. We were still to grow in grace and in learning how to love God and neighbor perfectly.

I am perceiving that the Wesleyan view is once again taking hold in light of the many shift in thinking thanks to postmodernity. Now if only we would stop preaching felt needs, self help sermons, etc and get back to a strong conviction of our tribe.

Church as the New Humanity

2009-01-19T15:34:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking over Rob Bell and Don Golden's new book lately as I listened to it as I drove down to TN before Christmas. The name of the book is "Jesus Wants to Save Christians." Like most of Rob's teaching, it stretched and challenged me a lot. I'm going to quote a little bit from the last chapter to hopefully spark some discussion among us. But before I begin, I totally recommend this book.

A church is where peace has been made. Because in the Eucharist, in Jesus' body and blood, everything has been reconciled to God. Paul calls this the "new humanity." The Eucharist is about the new humanity. People who previously had nothing in common discover that the only thing they now have in common is the one things that matters. People who had previously found themselves on opposite sides of a wall find out that the wall has been distroyed. People who had fought over an endless array of issues realize that peace has been made and there is nothing left to fight about.

In the new humanity, you hear perspectives you wouldn't normally hear, you walk in someone else's shoes, you find out that the judgments you had previously made about that group of people or that kind of men or that kind of women or all of those kids simply don't hold up because now you're getting to know one of "those" and it's changing everything. You learn that your labels for different people groups are insufficient, because people are far more complex and unpredictable and intelligent and creative.

You used to have a rigid stance on a particular issue, but now you've heard the other side and it's impossible anymore to categorize them all as stupid and uninformed and heartless, because you realize that they have thought about their position and they have weighed the consequences and they have good points that you must consider.

In the new humanity our world gets bigger, our perspective goes from black and white to color, our sensitivities are heightened, we're rescued from sameness and uniformity, because the wall has come down and peace has been made. A church is the new humanity on display. She's in graduate school, and he's in his nineties; and one couple has a million dollars, and another doesn't have enough money for dinner; and he arrived in this country three years ago with a small suitcase, and they've never been out of the country; and they have a son fighting in the war, and they're going to a war protest later today; and he's got serious doubts about what he was taught growing up, and she's just decided that God might even exist.

All of these people-who are divided, who never sit down and listen to each other- in the new humanity, in the church, they meet, they engage, they interact, they begin to feel what the other feels, and the dividing wall of hostility crumbles. In the new humanity, them becomes us, they becomes we, and those become ours.

Sounds a lot like being generous doesn't it? Is it possible for our protestant churches in this day and time to look like this? Especially established churches? I'll post a few more quotes from this chapter in the next few days.

A peek into my world

2009-01-19T09:49:00.000-05:00

Still not sold on the name of these posts. I will gladly take any suggestions.

The week that was:

I went back to work last week which was somewhat of a bummer. Doug was out sick the first couple of days so other than braggin on my baby I didn't have too many people of too many subjects to talk about. Holly's mom left on Tuesday to go back to TN and will return when Karis comes home. Holly went to the hospital twice each day and I went mostly once since I had to be in the office. We are still trying to adjust our schedules to Holly pumping which I think will help us once Karis does come home. I just think that we will be more responsive to a baby crying as opposed to an alarm clock going off.

Holly had a baby shower on Saturday with some people from the church and we got a lot of great outfits to Karis and other odds and ends and also the jogging stroller that we registered for. That is huge. Thanks ladies. While Holly was at the shower I took a good friend of mine, Petey as I call him behind his back and with Wendy and sometimes Doug, down to the NICU to see Karis. Petey and I used to have offices next to each other and developed a great relationship through deep discussions and working through sermons together. I really miss our rich conversations over theology and what is going on in the church, especially since he brought a conservative reformed background to the conversation. Anyways, we had a great time catching up on life and the craziness of his families life in response to him being let go from our staff. We also got to see Karis at one of her most alert times which was fun. Hang in the Petey, God is not through with you yet my friend.

The week that is:

Not much going on except for class on Saturday. I'm really behind on my reading and preparing for class so I've got to get busy. This session we are talking about salvation and sanctification so it should be very interesting. Other than that my days are going to be at the office and a part of the evening will be in the NICU. Man, I can't wait for Karis to come home!

What I'm listening to:

I listened to a great sermon by Rob Bell today. He is working through a series on Philippians and he did a sermon as Paul speaking to his congregation. It was really great. It was the sermon from Sept 7th if you are interested. Other than that I'm using the genius feature on iTunes which means that random things are popping up.

What I'm reading:

Stuff for class. Nothing special right now. I will be doing a review of a book that will be released in March sometime in Feb. Should be interesting.

What I'm keeping an eye on:

Tomorrow is the presidential inauguration, no matter what your beliefs are on politics you should be interested in this historic occasion. Today is MLK, Jr. day. I know that I wasn't alive during his time, but what an impact he made on the social landscape of our nation. Hopefully we can continue his work to racial equality.

Karis' world:

Karis is over 4lbs now! She is steadily gaining weight. Hopefully they will begin to work on her suck and swallow reflexes this week. As soon as she can master those things she will be home with mommy and daddy. Let me leave you with a picture of her. She melts my heart.

A Peek into my world

2009-01-13T06:50:00.000-05:00

Be careful peeking into my world, this has been a crazy week.

The week that was:

I became a father on Wednesday!!!! Does anything else top that? It was a crazy ride that brought Karis Olivia into the world which you can read some of my ramblings about that situation on this blog. Karis is doing well but in the NICU at Bryn Mawr instead of being home with Holly and I. Holly came home from the hospital on Sunday and now we are heading down to the NICU a couple of times a day to see our baby.

The week that is:

I came back to work on Monday, which I wasn't too happy about. I think I'm going to like being a stay at home dad when that happens. Holly has been going down to the hospital around 11AM to be there for that feeding. Then she and I plan to go for either the 5PM or 8PM feeding. They do this thing called cluster care where every three hours they change her, take her temp and feed her. We get to be hands on during that process as they want to make sure we know what we are doing when she finally gets to come home with us. Another cool thing is that we get to do what's called kangaroo care. It's where we hold Karis skin to skin for about an hour. It helps her to adjust to life outside of the isolette and also helps with bonding between baby and parents. Holly and I have been alternating doing this and it's great!

What I'm listening to:

With the craziness of last week I didn't listen to much. I did listen to a little Dave Matthews when I would go back to the apartment. For some reason their music calms me.

What I'm reading:

Stuff for class mainly. I'm also working through Wesley's "A Plain Account of Christianity" for class. Our next session is about salvation/sanctification. Should be fun!

What I'm keeping an eye on:

My baby of course! Plus football season is reaching it's peak towards the Super Bowl. There's this team up here that has exceeded most people's expectations. I don't know if that's a good thing or not. Most people were crying for some sort of change all through the season, but I doubt that one will come now. Also Carolina has lost their first two ACC games. I don't know what's going on there but they better turn it around.

What's new in the world of Karis:

This is a new category that I will be adding. Well she was born so that's new. She's doing well and it was great to see them take off the CPAP machine so we could see her full face. The nurse last night said that she'll probably progress alot in the next few weeks as her IV is taken out and she moves to a regular crib and then the slow process of growing and learning how to eat and breathe at the same time become the focus.

Truly amazing

2009-01-08T16:05:00.000-05:00

So today I went to visit Karis in the NICU at the hospital. She was in the hard plastic, incubator thing but I found myself just staring at her. A nurse and a doctor came over to talk to me about her situation and to say that she was doing great. They use big words, abbreviations and what seems to be a bunch of random letters when trying to explain her situation. Anyways, as I was talking to the nurse I said that I couldn't wait to hold her, especially because I thought it would be around a week or so before we could do that. The nurse then informed me that if I came back at 1:45 they would get her out for us to hold. So Holly, my mother in law Brenda, and myself went to the NICU today and held Karis for about 30-40 min. Holly went first and I will never forget the way that she teared up. I can't imagine all that went through her head at that moment. I know what went through mine but I wasn't carrying Karis around and having to deal with the complications that we experienced for the past couple of days. About 5 min before we had to leave Holly let me hold Karis and I finally really started to feel like a real dad. I held my baby today. I held my baby today! I HELD MY BABY TODAY!!!!!

In case you can't tell I'm pretty excited about that.

Life's unexpected surprises

2009-01-07T16:48:00.000-05:00

So I had hoped to have a great number of posts done on a few of my favorite things and random things that I thought about on my 13 hr trek down to TN for Christmas alone. I'll still get around to them, but I have to reflect a bit on the craziness of the past few days. For those of you that don't know, or haven't seen my facebook status update on the right column, my daughter was born today at 10:01 AM 8 weeks premature. Before I tell you how great she is doing and how adorable she is, let me tell you a bit about our journey to this place.

Holly woke up with kidney pains at midnight on Saturday. These have been fairly normal throughout her pregnancy as she has to use the bathroom quite a bit with a living thing growing inside of her. Around 2 AM I finally snapped out of my sleeping funk and we called Holly's OB who suggested that we come to the hospital. So we loaded up the car and drove to the hospital while Holly's pain grew more intense. We got here and they took us to a labor and delivery room where they hooked up a fetal heart rate monitor to Holly to keep an eye on the baby and figure out what was causing the kidney pain. During the course of the next few hours while Holly was being questioned about health history, drugs she was taking, history of the pregnancy, etc, one of the nurses noticed that the baby's heart decelerated for a few minutes. So we waited and a couple of hours later, it happened again. Then again a couple of hours later. Each time when it happened the nurses came in and Holly had to roll around on the bed in order to get the baby to move so they could find the heartbeat. The first really bad episode happened while I was on my way back from running to the apartment to pack an overnight bag.

So Sunday was spent trying to figure out what the heck was going on and trying not to freak out with the fact that our baby's heartrate was slowing down for no apparent reason. I'm glossing over quite a bit of details for the sake of my wife, but this was a pretty stressful day. (If only we knew.) Holly's mom flew up on Sunday evening to be with us and help out with trying to keep us both sane and also in case anything happened. I was very thankful for her presence as it gave me the opportunity to not be on the edge all of the time. From my memory, Sunday night was filled with more decells and the rolling over and such at ungodly hours of the night. The worst part about Sunday night was the possibility that in the midst of one of these decells that they might have to do an emergency c-section to get the baby. Luckily, our baby came out every one looking great according to the monitor and so the docs weren't too on edge about it.

Sometime early Monday all of this craziness stopped and Holly started dealing with contractions. We had a consult with the perinatologist (high risk pregnancy) and neonatologist (premature babies doc) which didn't really help matter too much. The perinatologist wasn't too concerned about it because the baby tested great on every ultrasound and the heartrate monitor, except for the decells. The neonatologist came in to just describe what would happen if the baby was delivered in the next few days. Through another ultrasound, they figured out that's Holly's kidney pain was because of a spasm that forced urine from the bladder back into the kidney. They gave her some medicine that helped that out and we had a great afternoon. In fact we went 14 hours without a decell and thought that we might actually get to go home and forget this whole ordeal.

Needless to say that didn't happen. About 5 that night the baby started to decell and did so about every 3 hours through the morning. We did another consult with the perinatologist, on Tues morning, who discovered that baby had the chord wrapped around her neck. Which is not uncommon because 1 of every 3 babies born have that occur. The difference is that certain movement that our baby made caused the chord to compress and thus slow down her heart. Luckily for us our baby is a fighter and she always responded beautifully from each of these episodes but after Tuesday, which we will call the night from hell, we were all spent emotionally, physically, you name it. (I think I also forgot to mention that Holly's dad flew up on Monday evening as well.) Tuesday night consisted of a decell at about every 2-3 hours. Some of them were very long and at least once we thought that they were going to take Holly back to get the baby.

So on to this morning. We were visited again by the perinatologist who was not acting too serious about the situation until he discovered that the baby had decelled 14 times in a 24 hour period. After a consult with him and one of the OB/GYN's from our practice we decided to schedule a c-section to get the baby out. She appeared strong and healthy and no one wanted to chance another day with that many decells. So in a matter of 45 min I found myself in an OR holding my wife's hand while our baby was born via c-section at roughly 32 weeks!

I will never ever forget our baby's first cry. It was such a huge relief because she sounded normal and gave a really strong cry. Holly and I both started to cry ourselves as the whole experience had finally come to this incredible moment that we will forever share as husband and wife. We had created a living human being! Amazing is the only word that comes to my mind.

Now on to the truly amazing things. Our baby was born 8 weeks premature. One of the last things to develop in a baby is the lungs and so it's usually pretty touch a go with a newborn at the stage in development. Luckily, Holly was given 2 steroids shots to help with that development and I'm glad that was able to take hold. Our baby weighed 3 lbs 14 oz which is fairly big for that stage in development, or so I'm told. She measured 17 1/4". She is breathing with very little assistance and for the most part on her own. Every test that they have done on her shows that she is actually a little ahead of her development. I've seen her twice but not been able to hold her as of yet. She will be in the NICU for about 3-4 weeks depending on how she continues to develop. Hopefully three weeks though.

We have named her Karis Olivia. Karis is the greek for grace, although it's spelled with a ch, we liked the K better. Olivia just seemed to flow with it. I can't believe that I could love something more than I do that little one. We had a lot of scares the past few days, but now we are on a journey of excitement and more of the unexpected. I believe that Karis is going to be alot like her mom. She's moving just as much now as she was inside the womb. She's fiesty and ultimately I think that is what brought her through this whole ordeal. Well that and the faithfulness of our awesome God.

Thanks to all of you who have prayed for us in past 3 days or so. The community of God's people are an amazing bunch. All of the encouraging texts and those that went out of their way to pick up my in laws (Doug and Pegge, Darren and Ashleigh), do our laundry (Doug and Mear) and those that lifted us up in prayer. Sorry to those that I wasn't able to contact in the madness, I hope that you'll understand. I have so much more to say, but I think I'll stop here.

God is good.

All the time.

All the time.

God is good.

Thank you God for your grace and the gift of this precious little one in our life.

What the church should be about

2008-12-29T07:13:00.000-05:00

Read this story by Rick Reilly who now writes for ESPN the magazine. If only the church did stuff like this.

Personal listening device

2008-12-27T08:29:00.000-05:00

Has anyone else seen the commercial for the personal listening device that allows you to spy on your neighbors? They market the device to help you hear the TV when you get old so as to not disturb your spouse or those that you live with. You can also hear wild game coming up on you when you are hunting. You can use it in church to amplify what the preacher is saying. But the most disturbing thing is that they show a lady wearing one listening in to her neighbors or someone in a public place hearing others talk about them.
Here are a few questions:

Is it really that important to hear what others are potentially saying about you?

What if you hear a piece of juicy gossip while wearing said device, how would you use that?

Or if someone said something about you, would you confront them on it or just hold a grudge against them?

In case you are interested it comes either as a device that is a little bit smaller than a credit card or as an earpiece that looks much like a bluetooth earpiece. That way you can fake people out while you are spying on them.