Borrowing from the column title of one of my favorite sportswriters, Peter King, I thought I might jot down, 5 Things I Think I Think.
1. The Major League Baseball Playoffs are some of the most dramatic theatre known to man. Here in Houston, you cannot escape the buzz of the Astros verses Atlanta Braves playoff series. The series is tied 1-1, with the games coming to Houston this weekend. I want the Astros to do well, but come on, I'm a lifelong Atlanta Braves fan. I knew the Braves starting lineup before I could walk. At present, a Chipper Jones bobble-head doll adorns one of my office bookshelves. At any rate, every pitch in the post-season carries sumo-like weight, which is what makes the playoffs so much fun. I think I'll be happy either way the Houston-Atlanta series ends: Go Braves!
2. People Don't Read Enough. It's not that people are illiterate or don't enjoy reading. People read, but few stay in the message of a book until it has a chance to affect them. In Christian literature everyone is so concerned with reading the next hot book that in a year's time most have forgotten the core message of the first book they read. Here's something to try out: The next book you read that affects your spiritual walk, live in it for a while, ruminate on it, and then read it again. Lessen your quantity, increase your quality.
3. Coke is Better Than Pepsi. Pepsi is nasty. Enough said!
4. 'The Princess Bride' is One of the Best Movies Ever! I saw it as a junior high student and have loved it ever since. No movie--other than 'Tombstone'--provides so many recognizable one liners ("Never go up against a Sicilian when death is on the line.")
5. Election Years Bring Out the Best in America and the Worst in People. We have a tremendous right in this country--we can select our governmental leaders. America is a beacon for freedom. Elections serve to remind us of all the blessings of freedom and makes us mindful of all peoples who suffer under dictators and/or unjust system. Somehow, however, elections bring out the worst in people. Friends fight over this candidate or that issue. What's more, it gets ugly! Lines are drawn, factions gathered, enemies identified and opposition demonized. I just think that there must be a way for our disagreements--serious as they are, I'm not naive--could be dealt with in a more straightforward, intellectually honest, civil way. I just want to remind all of us who hold claim to the cross of Jesus: Civil participation is wonderful and needed, but let's be mindful of the apostle Peter's urging that we live as "aliens and exiles" in this world. Our citizenship is elsewhere.
Friday, October 08, 2004
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Students of the Word
My eyes have glossed over many interesting words the last few weeks. One of the constants of graduate school is that you have more to read than you ever could. This is even more true when, like me, you are simultaneously serving a church full-time. But, alas, reading is part of the game when you enter ministry--what Fred Craddock called, "a lifetime of study."
Interestingly enough though, much of the reading done in theology isn't at all about upholding the Bible. In fact, much of it seems determined to disprove the claims of the Biblical text. Fair enough, believers need to be capable of mounting a rigorous defense of their faith. But what astonishes me is the copious amount of writings concerning the faith have so little faith themselves.
Guess what Mr. Dr. EgyptologistArcheoligistTheologianExcavationist, I never thought you COULD historically prove every event in the Bible. I never would have tried. Perhaps I'm naive, but I have always thought that faith actually meant FAITH. I've believed that at some point all of us--even those who choose not to believe in God--have to have faith that there was something in pre-existence. I've come to believe that trying to explain God, lessens Him. And it can't help but lessen our experience of Him.
I think more students of God's word would be wise to take head of these words of warning from Soren Kierkegaard: "If you are a scholar, remember that if you do not read God's Word in another way (a faith full way), it will turn out that after a lifetime of reading God's Word many hours every day, you nevertheless have never read--God's Word. Then make the distinction (in addition to the scholarly reading), so that you will also really begin to read God's Word or at least will confess to yourself that you, despite daily scholarly reading of it, are not reading God's Word, that you do not want anything to do with it at all."
Interestingly enough though, much of the reading done in theology isn't at all about upholding the Bible. In fact, much of it seems determined to disprove the claims of the Biblical text. Fair enough, believers need to be capable of mounting a rigorous defense of their faith. But what astonishes me is the copious amount of writings concerning the faith have so little faith themselves.
Guess what Mr. Dr. EgyptologistArcheoligistTheologianExcavationist, I never thought you COULD historically prove every event in the Bible. I never would have tried. Perhaps I'm naive, but I have always thought that faith actually meant FAITH. I've believed that at some point all of us--even those who choose not to believe in God--have to have faith that there was something in pre-existence. I've come to believe that trying to explain God, lessens Him. And it can't help but lessen our experience of Him.
I think more students of God's word would be wise to take head of these words of warning from Soren Kierkegaard: "If you are a scholar, remember that if you do not read God's Word in another way (a faith full way), it will turn out that after a lifetime of reading God's Word many hours every day, you nevertheless have never read--God's Word. Then make the distinction (in addition to the scholarly reading), so that you will also really begin to read God's Word or at least will confess to yourself that you, despite daily scholarly reading of it, are not reading God's Word, that you do not want anything to do with it at all."
Friday, September 24, 2004
My Personal Jesus.
Today in history, Laszlo Toth, a 33-year-old Australian geologist, slipped into St. Peter's Basilica in Rome as part of the crowd attending the Whitsunday Mass. As the faithful waited for the Pope's blessing, Toth dashed past the guards, vaulted a marble balustrade, and attacked Michelangelo's Vatican Pieta with a sledgehammer, shouting "I am Jesus Christ!" With fifthteen blows (one for each minute of his fame), he removed the Virgin's arm at the elbow, knocked off a chunk of her nose, and chipped one of her eyelids.
This bit of news reminds me that all of us, at one time or another, wants to be our own personal Jesus. Not many of us would be crazed enough to attempt to destroy a priceless piece of art. Or would we?
I wonder what it means when we try to run our own lives, to live as if we are the ones in charge? What damage do we do to ourselves and others, when we try to manage and control life, hoping that the world will bow to our will. I don't know about you, but when I have tried to run my own life, the results have not been that good. I have often chiseled and hammered away at the people and things that were meant to bring glory and beauty to my life. Too many times I've tried to be my own personal Jesus.
When God created us, he did create a work of art. The apostle Paul, commented that we are God's "workmanship." The Greek word is "poiema," which can be translated "work of art."
The wonder of Michaelangelo's Vatican Pieta is that no matter how chiseled and damaged, it remains a priceless piece of art. In the eyes of the world, the damaged caused by Laszlo Toth, has not diminished the Pieta's beauty.
Fortunately for us, the damage we cause ourselves doesn't change the way God sees us. We are still His work of art!
This bit of news reminds me that all of us, at one time or another, wants to be our own personal Jesus. Not many of us would be crazed enough to attempt to destroy a priceless piece of art. Or would we?
I wonder what it means when we try to run our own lives, to live as if we are the ones in charge? What damage do we do to ourselves and others, when we try to manage and control life, hoping that the world will bow to our will. I don't know about you, but when I have tried to run my own life, the results have not been that good. I have often chiseled and hammered away at the people and things that were meant to bring glory and beauty to my life. Too many times I've tried to be my own personal Jesus.
When God created us, he did create a work of art. The apostle Paul, commented that we are God's "workmanship." The Greek word is "poiema," which can be translated "work of art."
The wonder of Michaelangelo's Vatican Pieta is that no matter how chiseled and damaged, it remains a priceless piece of art. In the eyes of the world, the damaged caused by Laszlo Toth, has not diminished the Pieta's beauty.
Fortunately for us, the damage we cause ourselves doesn't change the way God sees us. We are still His work of art!
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
Now That's A Wedding!
You gotta love Britney Spears. I have always had a special place in my heart for Britney. I'm not sure why. Sure she dresses a little, um, risque--what my mother-in-law would call "trashy". And it's obvious that the girl has never sang a live note in her life--she's taken lipsyncing to a new level. I even saw five minutes of concert footage of her sitting behind a piano. We all know she can't play the piano! But her weekend wedding is the best thing she has ever done!
She, and new hubby, Kevin Federline--who has recently had a child with another woman--were married this weekend in a quickie ceremony in the house of her wedding planner. (How much do you get paid to plan THAT?) In the wedding, the bride wore a strapless satin gown and the groom wore a traditional tuxedo. But that's just the beginning!
After the five-minute ceremony, Britney's maids donned hot-pink track suits emblazoned with "Hot Mama" on the back. Not to be topped Federline, and groomsmen draped on their own tracksuit which read "Pimp", with Federline's reading "Pimp Daddy." And just when you thought the jumpsuits were the best part, for the reception, the couple served chicken fingers and ribs.
That's AWESOME! It all goes to prove: "You can take the girl out of Louisiana..."
Don't get me wrong, I was raised, for a while, in Mississippi. I've been to luxury occasions. Luxury meaning chicken fingers and ribs! I know where Britney is coming from. This is a wedding I can relate to.
I cannot, however, relate to her first wedding earlier this year. If you remember, Britney and Jason Alexander (a hometown friend, not 'George' from Seinfeld) were married in Las Vegas after a night of drinking and stupidity. 55 hours later the union was dissolved. At that vaunted occasion the bride wore a baseball cap and torn jeans down the aisle.
I know what you're thinking: "Britney is classy."
Oddly enough, though, Britney's weddings makes me think of our relationship with God. One of the strongest metaphors in the Bible is that of God romancing us and taking us as his beloved. Unlike Britney, though, it is not a casual affair. He knows that we will not always take him seriously. He knows that we will turn and leave and run to other lovers. He knows that sometimes we make commitments to him, only to want to escape them 55 hours later. Yet he remains steadfast. He remains faithful, even when we are not. God is madly in love with you. He has chosen to be--to keep the metaphor--"married" to you.
I love these words from John Eldredge: "God created us for intimacy with him. When we turned our back on him he promised to come for us. He sent personal messengers; he used beauty and affliction to capture our hearts. After all else failed, he conceived the most daring of plans. Under the cover of night he stole into the enemy's camp incognito, the Ancient of Days disguised as a newborn...What he is after is us--our laughter, our tears, our dreams, our fears, our heart of hearts."
Isn't that incredible? God wants to be with you, not for what you can do, but just for you.
Now that's a wedding!
She, and new hubby, Kevin Federline--who has recently had a child with another woman--were married this weekend in a quickie ceremony in the house of her wedding planner. (How much do you get paid to plan THAT?) In the wedding, the bride wore a strapless satin gown and the groom wore a traditional tuxedo. But that's just the beginning!
After the five-minute ceremony, Britney's maids donned hot-pink track suits emblazoned with "Hot Mama" on the back. Not to be topped Federline, and groomsmen draped on their own tracksuit which read "Pimp", with Federline's reading "Pimp Daddy." And just when you thought the jumpsuits were the best part, for the reception, the couple served chicken fingers and ribs.
That's AWESOME! It all goes to prove: "You can take the girl out of Louisiana..."
Don't get me wrong, I was raised, for a while, in Mississippi. I've been to luxury occasions. Luxury meaning chicken fingers and ribs! I know where Britney is coming from. This is a wedding I can relate to.
I cannot, however, relate to her first wedding earlier this year. If you remember, Britney and Jason Alexander (a hometown friend, not 'George' from Seinfeld) were married in Las Vegas after a night of drinking and stupidity. 55 hours later the union was dissolved. At that vaunted occasion the bride wore a baseball cap and torn jeans down the aisle.
I know what you're thinking: "Britney is classy."
Oddly enough, though, Britney's weddings makes me think of our relationship with God. One of the strongest metaphors in the Bible is that of God romancing us and taking us as his beloved. Unlike Britney, though, it is not a casual affair. He knows that we will not always take him seriously. He knows that we will turn and leave and run to other lovers. He knows that sometimes we make commitments to him, only to want to escape them 55 hours later. Yet he remains steadfast. He remains faithful, even when we are not. God is madly in love with you. He has chosen to be--to keep the metaphor--"married" to you.
I love these words from John Eldredge: "God created us for intimacy with him. When we turned our back on him he promised to come for us. He sent personal messengers; he used beauty and affliction to capture our hearts. After all else failed, he conceived the most daring of plans. Under the cover of night he stole into the enemy's camp incognito, the Ancient of Days disguised as a newborn...What he is after is us--our laughter, our tears, our dreams, our fears, our heart of hearts."
Isn't that incredible? God wants to be with you, not for what you can do, but just for you.
Now that's a wedding!
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