I will not be a lazy blogger

I feel as though I should do lines. "I will write a blog entry three times a week." 100X.
Since I last wrote, I finished a class. I went on a missions trip. I got a raise. I also discovered N.T. Wright which makes me last or near to last to do so. I'm reading "Surprised by Hope" which is about his study and beliefs about the resurrection. I will post a review when I'm finished. I recently finished "Conversation with the Bible" by Markus Barth. It is about a different Hermeneutic which holds bible as authoritative, describing the conversation that God has with man which does not need to be inerrant since man who is recording it is not inerrant but who is talking with and about God who is without error. Its quite a remarkable read and I have to read it again to fully grasp all of it. (I'm a bit slow.)
I haven't kept up (much) on the emergent church. What I have seen appears to be a distillation into several groups 1) trying to establish authenticity in following Christ even within church traditions; 2) trying to recover from bad church experiences; 3) social gospel; 4) all these and more besides. I've been listening to lectures by N.T. Wright (which led to the whole book reading thing). His insight is remarkable. I haven't heard or read enough to comment, but at some future date, I will. I have to confess to listening to the occasional Mars Hill sermon which is sort of a guilty pleasure as I believe that that church's pastor has really strange beliefs about women in the pulpit which demonstrate an unfortunate misogyny. He is also the only pastor I have heard speak effectively and sensibly to single people while emphasizing the importance and sanctity of marriage. He actually talks about sin and how to recognize it in its many forms.
Originally, I wanted to use this blog to talk about stuff at church that drives me up and through concrete walls. However, I'd rather be more constructive and catalog writers and ideas that promote spiritual and intellectual growth. I may digress from time to time, but will keep it to a minimum.

Being Christ-like

We are taught to seek to know Jesus Christ and to be like him. Last night, I really started to wonder -- what does that mean, exactly? I was reading John where Jesus is speaking to the Father for his disciples. For some reason, I thought it was a prayer he says after being crucified. I was, of course, wrong. This was the prayer Jesus speaks to his Father for his followers just before he is arrested. I suppose this is as good a starting point as any in knowing Jesus' character. In the moment when he is suffering under the agonizing prospect before him, when he is in such emotional pain he literally sweats blood, Jesus remembers his friends and speaks for them. He is not too busy or consumed with his own destiny -- as he would have any right to be -- his love for others is so complete that he can put himself aside to commend them to the Father, even though he is about to sacrifice himself for everyone. What is more Christ-like than this?

Writing blogs

I reread the post below. I suck at this kind of writing. Legal writing I can manage. By the way, this is an argument for the Holy Spirit being the real genesis of the Scriptures -- how else would so many people be able to talk rationally and eloquently about God without sounding like asses?

One Person

I'm not very good at doing big things. I've had opportunities to do so, probably many more than my fair share and managed to be useless at them all. What I am good at is doing small things for individual people. When I realized I didn't have the emotional wherewithal for the large things and projects in life, I made a conscious decision to pay more attention to small acts. I realized that each day there were countless opportunities to show love to others. I would be lying if I said I took advantage of more than a few, but each effort builds up my strength to do more. I decided if I can't help thousands, I can:

1) Pray for the people I don't like at the moment I don't like them.
2) Be kind to someone to whom others are inclined to be unkind.
3) Give small gifts of money, time, kind words, a listening ear, etc. Its amazing how many people just want someone to take the time to really listen to them.
4) Be indignant at injustice and try in my small way to confront it whether through conversation or letters to the editor.
5) Remember someone I haven't seen in a while and call or e-mail.
6) Praise someone, encourage someone, grieve with someone.

There are so many ways to touch an individual person.

All of this makes me sound better than I am. I'm not -- but I'm trying.

Blessings at this Christmas season.

Not going to church today

I'm not going to church today. Its 8:40 and I'm still in my pajamas. Every once in a while I wake up and really don't want to go. This is one of those days. Although . . . I was kind of thinking of visiting an Evalgelical Lutheran church. Habits are hard to break.

God's Love

God loves us so intensely, passionately, and completely that he sacrificed his only Son. He didn't even require that of Abraham. To be loved so much in this grossly imperfect state is something I only dimly realize. Even that dim realization is enough to bring me to tears. I wonder if the real reason we can't look at the face of God as we are is because facing His perfect love would make us so aware of our imperfect selves, we would be die from that knowledge.

Loving everyone

Jesus calls on us to love everyone including those who hurt us. This post is about loving difficult people.


Surely, I can't be the only person who has this problem. Its easy to love people for whom everything is a struggle who do bad things, but are only dimly aware of them. Its a lot harder to love the people who are malicious or who are self-righteous. Its complicated by the fact that I am (or can be) extremely self-righteous myself, especially in pursuit of what I think is right. I cannot bear it when I perceive that someone is deliberately hurting another, especially someone who is powerless. God calls us to such a high standard. I could love the person who shrieks obscenities at me from a gutter, but struggle to care about the bureaucrat whose standards are based on a clean kitchen and a relatively untroubled life. Am I passing judgment? Probably. My sin is double.