Fasting

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

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

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

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

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.