Quick Question:

On of my favorite professors in undergrad used to make us write position papers where we were forced to "fall off the log" (to be forced to pick sides on an issue, when the solution was somewhere in the middle) on an issue. It was probably the best thing a professor has ever made me do, as I was challenged to actually think about the issues. The point of "falling off the log" is not to pick the right answer, but to fully understand the nature of the issue being talked about.

Question:
If I were to challenge you to fall off the log on the issue of salvation which way would you go? Would you veer towards the universalist side (everybody goes to heaven regardless of the way they have lived their lives)? or would you veer towards predestination (only some go to heaven, they have no choice in the matter as God picks who gets in and who burns)? What are the pros and cons of each side? Let me know!

*try and keep your answer around 100 words

Great Quote:

We must be prepared to make the same heroic sacrifices for the cause of peace that we make ungrudgingly for the cause of war.

- Albert Einstein

Check out....Stephanie's blog!

Stephanie has started a blog called "simply inspired designs" (here)

She describes its intent as:

My blog "simply inspired designs" will, hopefully, be my outlet for putting ideas I have floating around in my head out into the open for me (and maybe others!) to see. From fashion, interior design, gift wrapping, and event/wedding planning, I want to continue my search into exploring and developing my creative self.

I suggest you check it out! She's really creative and her design stuff will be super cool!!!

Hilarious Video:

Maybe the most shocking Letterman interview since Madonna back in the day. Joaquim Phoenix recently retired from acting, has grown a huge beard, and taken up hip hop music. Also, if you watch the clip, it appears that he has also taken up some sort of drug usage; definitely spaceman'd out.

Five Blogs I read (and you should too)

Tim Founds, a M.Div Student at Fuller, is one of the deepest, most thoughtful people I know. I totally recommend following his blog. Reading his thoughts will make you a better person.

My friend Matt Leroy writes a blog, The Other Side of the Lake that plays out like a journal of his life. (at least one with all the big events and thoughts of his life). Matt's a funny guy, he raps and can break dance. Also, rumor is that he plays a mean Kazoo. But seriously, he and Justin Simmons have moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina to start a movement there. They're calling it the City on a Hill Project, and their aim is to Love Chapel Hill. It's such a great concept and a great movement!

Spartansweblog has become my favorite sports blog out there. KJ, puts in tons of time and thought into breaking down the play of the Michigan State Spartans Men's Basketball Team. even if you're not a Spartans fan the way he breaks down the game will make you a better student of basketball.

The Forgotten Ways is a blog by Alan Hirsch. He wrote the book, Search for Things to come (oh yeah, Matt Leroy "borrowed" my copy...then moved to North Carolina.). He is a very good thinker, and his post are always thought provoking. Check it out!

NCAA preview

This week the NCAA tournament begins. Honestly, March Madness is my favorite sporting event of the year; no other event contains the drama, pageantry, intense competition, and year-in year-out relevance as college basketball does. Every year the NCAA tourney performs. Every year its worth watching; you can’t say that about the Super Bowl; you can’t say that about the World Series; you can’t say that about college football; you can’t say that about (pick a championship). For this reason alone, many people turn on TV, print off a bracket, or talk about Cinderella. It doesn’t matter who you are, its an amazing event!

Last year there were four teams that were just better than everybody else: Kansas (the champs), Memphis, North Carolina, and UCLA. This year that’s not the case; there are a number of dominant teams, but its not as definite and clear cut as last year. All the top teams have issues and liabilities, and I think it’s a much more wide-open event as the result. The top 16, or so, teams all have a legit shot at taking home the price.

Final Four picks:
Michigan State (homer pick), UNC, Pitt, Memphis.

Champion: Pittsburg
Final score (65-57)

Why Pittsburg?
They're the toughest team in the country. They play some great defense. They rebound the ball well on the offensive side. They have a couple of freaks. Fields is a great point guard who controls games. Sam Young is a good player.

I reserve the right to change my picks before Thursday. I will note the change with an asterisk indicating that there has been an edit. THANK YOU

All things Michigan!

The University of Michigan is officially in the NCAA's for the first time since 1995! They play Clemson in the 7-10 game as part of the South Bracket. Here is a video for all Clemson fans:


Also, Michigan State got into the dance as a #2 seed in the Midwest Bracket! Since 1995 every player who has used all 4 years of eligablility at Michigan State has made it to the Final Four. This year Travis Walton, in his final year at State, is the player who could be the first 4-year Izzo player to not get to the final weekend of the tourney! Here is a video celebrating the 2000 National Champions:


So what I'm trying to say is, you'd better watch out 'cause all things Michigan are coming to getcha!!!

Steph's 1st Design...aka...seeing what polyvore.com can do!

Steph is trying out a new website (polyvore.com) to get her creative juices flowing. Here is the first collage titled "Summer on the Lake". She might even start a blog with this! Finally!



Happy St. Patrick's Day! - by Twirlsteph on Polyvore.com

Some links:

Why I think Tom Izzo is such a great coach: here

Free NT Wright audiobook here (hat tip to Jeremiah)

Some Brilliant thoughts by Coach Drury (here) about the whole "Octomom" situation.

Creative way to spin the Madoff Ponzi scheme (here) by Mark Cuban. His coverage of Madoff has been really good. I think Cuban is a brilliant person, and it makes sense he has made as much money as he has. This guy knows what's going on!

What! Rob Bell has another book coming out this year? The answer is yes, Drops Like Stars comes out this summer. (I guess this is what happens when you have a sabbatical...two books in one year)

Here is a creative look at Xerox. Their sales pitch is to not try and sell their product. Huh!?! Check out Scott Anthony's Harvard Business column on this (here).

Great Quote:

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

- Martin Luther King Jr.

Why I am a non-violent.

I was looking at my blog tags, and realized that the topic I've written about most is non-violence. I am a big believer in nonviolence, but please don't think it is totally in reaction to any wars that are in progress today. It is in reaction to something that happened a long long time ago.

I believe that as a Christian, the only responsible position to take, is to reject war. I do not think war can be in any way defined as a Christian reaction to any problem in the world. Where do I get this? My answer: Jesus. I believe that Jesus rejected violence. Thus I cannot support violence in any shape or form.

How did God respond to evil? Jesus' death on a cross, that's God's response. Jesus is God's response to injustice. Jesus is God's plan to stop evil from happening. Jesus is the pattern that Christians are to follow. Regardless of the issues my position has with Old Testament issues, Jesus leaves no room for any other position. He point-blank reject violence. His way is not the way of the sword, instead it is the way of humbling himself all the way to death if it meant going that far.

War is about power; one army over powers the other. War is about control; one nation looking to use its military strength to control another. War is about coercion; as political power players us the threat of it to get others to bend to their direction. War is about death; as thousands die as a result of the decisions a few.

Jesus was about humbling yourself. His life showed that God's kingdom is not about becoming powerful; its about laying your life down. His life was a living example of love. Jesus showed that God is not in the business of empire building, instead he's in the business of tearing down evil with the weakness. He showed that weak is the new strong. This mindset is counter-intuitive to the mindset of war, and it if for that reason I must reject war.

Church Planting #2: Spending Time in the Community

The church is the one organization in the world that exists for everybody that is not presently in it.

I don't know who said that or where it came from, but I think it's pretty close to the truth. The majority of the problems in the church today are the result of church members not understanding the truth in that statement. Perhaps you've heard of worship wars? The whole context of the worship war is people arguing for the type of music that they like. Maybe you've seen churches split over stupid issues, like the color of the carpet. I'm pretty sure you've been to a church that has no relevance to the community around it. Why do churches have to deal with these situations? Probably because people think their church gatherings are all about them!

I think as pastors we need to be sensitive to the community around us. Rob Bell, in his book Velvet Elvis, suggests that churches shouldn't need to have signs. People should be hunting for them! They should be as bastion of hope for a community that is dying! The problem is that when churches become self-serving, the purpose of the gathering is no longer present and the group is officially on it way to death.

In order to adjust the mentality of a church, the leaders should be emersed in the community. They should know the types of people they have the possibility to minister to. They should know the issues, concerns, hopes, and dreams of their community. As my friend Matt said, you gotta find the heartbeat of a community. It is when a church knows who it is ministering to, where it can minister at, and how it can be the most effective in its ministries, the church is on a good path towards reaching the place it is living in.

What are some practical ways that your church could get rid of its sign?

• Perhaps your city has a ton of strip clubs...maybe some of the women in your church could go show the love of Jesus to strippers. Give them some dignity, and help them get out of a system that traps them.
  
• Perhaps your church could do something about people in your community who don't have adequate housing. Thus give hope to people who have no hope. 
  
• Perhaps your church could look around its neighborhood and spend all of its time doing things to show just one subdivision in your area what the kingdom of God looks like. 
  

The one thing that all these ideas have in common is that they have looked for ways to actually be a light in their community! They have seen the needs and have let the way they live their lives be the message of the Gospel. If I were to start a church tomorrow, it is actions like these that I would want to be central to the existence of that community.

What do you think?

UK's Billy Gillispie: how bad coaching is...bad!

*This post is not about basketball, even if you may think it is.

I have noticed in the past few years that there is a formula to being a successful college basketball coach, without really being a good coach. I began to notice this when the University of Kentucky picked their new coach, Billy Clyde Gillispie. Touted as an exciting young coach who would return UK to a hotbed for basketball success. Gillispie has recruited well, but his teams have not been very strong. Why? He’s one of the new and upcoming coaching sensations, why hasn’t he turned UK into a national power? (Not that it wasn’t before he got there, but that’s another story for another day.)

As I have watched Gillispie, I realized that he was using a model that is based on recruiting the top skilled players in the country, giving them a basic system to play in, and motivating them to play up to their talent level. It makes sense why someone would do this, because talented players are exciting to watch; talented players will make good plays that make coaches look good; talented players usually win. Thus the strength of this model is in recruiting and motivating; not coaching. This model is everywhere today in college basketball, mostly because it works.

You see if I have big, stronger, faster players, who shoot the ball better than your players, I will win. This does not make me a good coach; it makes me a great recruiter and motivational speaker. I should not be confused with a good coach, if I am just a recruiter and motivator. The results should not be confused with the means (Or just because somebody wins games, or even championships, does not mean they're a good coach!)

Now I say all this, not to dog UK, but to point out how it is easy to allow ourselves to miss the obvious - the fact that these guys cannot coach - because we’re blinded their success. Fans like winning, alumni like winning, athletic departments like winning, but coaching is not about winning. Coaching is about teaching. Coaching is about player development. Winning is a by-product of a well developed, well taught team.

What's the fall-out from the Billy Clyde coaching style? Well, basketball suffers. If players are not being taught the intricacies of how to play the game, then those details never get passed down. Eventually the game will erode and deteriorate. Things that have been learned will cease to be known. This is why good coaching is so important, it passes along the art of the game from generation to generation. This is why we need good coaches. The end result: basketball eventually dies.

This principle translates over into every discipline. The question we have to ask ourselves is, “Are people in a particular discipline more concerned with success or the purpose of that discipline?” This is the root of the problem, when people cease to care about anything other than success, the product will eventually suffer as people look for shot-cuts to success. We should not be deceived by this mindset, because in the end we only hurt ourselves by taking shortcuts.

What do you think?

Saturday Sports post: A game winning dunk

This dunk is near the end of the game with Indiana coming on hard, Michigan State is only up 2 points and the shot clock is beginning to run out. I'm sitting next to Stephanie, who was cheering for Indiana, and when it happened I jumped up and ran in front of the TV jumping up and down flexing like I was actually the one who dunked the ball... what I'm trying to say is take a minute and watch the video.



See, aren't you glad you watched that?

Thoughts about the Drug War in Mexico

Mexico is in the midst of a Civil War. According to CNN last year the murder rate was through the roof, and this year it looks like it's going to get worse. While the issue is a Mexican issue, the responsibility should be placed squarely on the shoulders of the US, as the drug trade is fueled by the American demand for drugs.

Chris Heuertz of Word Made Flesh spoke in chapel last fall spoke about our lack of holiness being the source of evil in the world. His point is that when our private lives are immoral and corrupt, it spawns evil in other places. Or when we privately snort cocain in our living room, somebody in Mexico city gets shot; they are connected. Our sins result in other peoples' oppression.

We are not independent of our neighbor. We do not live lives separate from the world around us. We are all one family! We're a big global village, each impacting one another. (remember that the oil prices were in part the result of China and India now buying more oil)

Well why write about this? Because I think that the other side of the coin is true. If sin results in other people being oppressed, then holiness should result in other people being liberated. If we live the life of Jesus, it should be a good thing for Mexico. Yet, our country may be one of the worst neighbors possible for Mexico...

What do you think? How can we combat the drug traffic coming in and out of our country?

champs...enough said

DARRON CUMMINGS/Associated Press

photo found here

only in Kentucky

My friend Adam pointed me to this video, so hat tip to him. This is possibly the craziest youtube ever!



best quote: "I try not to smile, cause I got my teeth knocked out by a chainsaw"

Great Quote:

Peace is not the absence of chaos; it is the presence of God.

.

-JD Walt

Church Planting #1: pray, pray, pray

I would like to begin a series on church planting. I would like to focus on what I would do, and the theology behind it. I have never attempted to do something like this, but as I have been thinking, studying, and reading about church planting, I have come up with some ideas on how I would like to do it. Thus I would like to offer the following steps on I would take in planting a church.

1.) Pray, Pray, Pray
2.) Spend time building a relationship with a community
3.) Develop a core of people
4.) Not focus on growth, but mission
5.) Place a premium on creativity
6.) Continually push the envelope
7.) Constantly return to center

I would like to over the next few Tuesdays write on these seven steps. So here is my first offering: Pray, Pray, Pray

I have struggled with pray throughout my life. It seems to be a very vague and confusing concept. I have grown up with prayer and I think its safe to say that I have prayed nearly every day of my life. Yet with that said, for the vast part of my life, prayer has not been central to my existence. I’m sure that I’m not alone in this.

I think we often give lip service to prayer. I went on a missions trip in the summer of 2000 to Brazil. Like any other missions trip to another country, it cost quite a bit of money; something like $2,500. I did not have that kind of money, nor did my parents so I sent out ‘prayer letters.’ Perhaps you’ve done something like this. You send a letter asking people to do two things: pray and or send money to help pay for your trip. I put quotes on prayer letters, because I was more concerned with getting the money than the prayer. Let’s be honest, I sent that letter out not because I wanted people to pray, but because I wanted their money; it was just more spiritual to add the prayer piece in. I’m just being honest here.

I hold the belief that as a church we need to pray. Why? Because prayer is calling for God to change our eyes to see reality. Too often our prayers are, "God, I don’t want to go through this hard thing!” or “God I need that thing…” We ask these things as if we forget that God is in control and that He wants good for us. The problem is, like children, we often want things that are not good for us. This is why Jesus begins his prayer in Matthew 5, your kingdom come, your will be done. His prayer is focused on a change in heart.

It is when our hearts are changed, when we can see God’s kingdom that we begin to spread the kingdom. It is then that God begins to spread his kingdom. Bono, had a great quote at the President’s Prayer Conference a few years ago. He said, “Stop asking God to bless what you’re doing. Get involved in what God is doing—because it’s already blessed.” This is the heart of prayer.

Prayer will move the church planter to place themselves in the middle of what God is doing. Prayer will position the planter in God’s plans, and that’s the best place we can be. It is here that God wants to work, and it is here that God does work. As a planter, where else would we want to be? We do not want to be here merely because we want to be successful, but because it is here that we are where we should be.

So the first step when planting is prayer.

Quick Question:

Recently, in my class on Revelation (NT666), the professor was talking about how because the church undermined the Roman empire, they were persecuted. He suggested that this is the model for the church, our values are different than that of the world around us, and the world should hate us.

The values of American culture are so counter to that of the church; yet there is not a complete rejection of the church. Do you think this means that the church is not being faithful? or perhaps the values of America aren't so anti-Christian?

What do you think?

the Lecture: killing education one class at at time.

Lecturing is the least effective way to teach something. (Teachers and Professors know this). They’re aware of it. Yet, for some reason unknown to the rest of the world, they continue to do it. If you have been a student you’ve been there → 25 minutes into a class and you realize you haven’t heard a word the professor has said the entire time! The lecture has failed to engage you, stimulate your mind, or communicate easily and effectively the material for you to digest.

So why do professors still continue to lecture?

(FYI: This is just an observation and not directed at or responding to any particular professor or class.)

Great Quote:

Hope is belief in the plausibility of the possible, not only the necessity of the probable.

- Moses Maimonides,
Jewish philosopher (1135-1204)

Gandhi, what do you think?

If somebody rejects Jesus and Christianity because of the poor example of Christians, how do you think God will judge them? I'm thinking of Gandhi here. I have heard that Gandhi once said that (and I'm paraphrasing) he liked Jesus but not the church he felt that Christians could learn a few things from their master. Thus he rejected Christianity.

A little context: Gandhi grew up in India, during a time when a "Christian nation", England was oppressing his homeland. He moved to South Africa, where Dutch Christians were using a poor form of theology (Calvinism) to literally oppress and de-humanize millions of Africans. Thus, Gandhi rejected Christianity because it failed to be...well...Christian.

Now I'm not God, and neither are you (that clears a few stresses up), so I understand that none of these answers are for sure right, I'm more asking your gut feeling.

Top 10 US Presidents (off the top of my head)

This list is completely subjective. From the knowledge I have about the presidents, here is my list of the 10 ten chief executives of the United States of America. I am putting this list together focusing on the influence that the president has had on the role as chief executive, on their ability to lead through crisis, and shelf value for other presidents to compare themselves to.

10 Abraham Lincoln - While he was a good president, too many people give him way too much credit. The Civil War was started because of his actions against South Carolina. His act that led towards freeing slaves, was politically driven, not ethically driven. He had the worst judgment when it came to picking advisers, as his cabinet redefined the term "power struggle." While a good president, I cannot rank him any higher than 10.

09 Woodrow Wilson - Wilson was responsible for the US's first real attempt at International relations at a large scale. Even if his idea, the League of Nations, fell flat on it back, it still nothing short of a brilliant attempt at civil discourse among the nations.

08 Gerald Ford - He is only getting on this list because he is from Michigan. Ironically, the most athletic president ever, and still he was known as the klutziest. Also, the only president to not have been elected by a national election. Also, did I mention he's from Grand Rapids?!?!!

07 Ronald Reagan - Just like FDR, who was prez 50 years prior, Reagan had an ability to move people. His leadership transformed a depressed, hopeless nation into a super-power that was full of life.

06 John Adams - As much as Washington shaped the role of President, Adams, first as VP and then as the 2nd President, was very influential in his role of developing the office of President of the United States into what it is today.

05 John F Kennedy - The issue here is not production, but the role that this man has played in shaping the White House. Kennedy's leadership was brilliant as he dealt with the Cuban Missile Crisis. He turned the Presidential office into a place for stars. Obama's role was "rock star" president, is very similar to that of Kennedy.

04 Franklin Roosevelt - His 13-year term was the longest of any president (1932-1945). His strong leadership helped the US get through the Great Depression AND World War II. Agree with his economic ideas, he was nothing less than a strong charismatic leader.

03 George Washington - His White House was the first and was on that set many patterns for what the president should act like. If there is no Washington, there is no United States. So he's a pretty big deal.

02 Andrew Jackson - Morally this man made Bill Clinton look like a choir boy; He killed people, was a complete racist, and had a horrible temper. He actually killed the national bank, simply out of spite. Even with these faults, without Jackson, the presidency would not be the position that it is now. Jackson turned the presidency into a policy making position. It is because of him that we see the president as the voice of the people; or his election dictates the policy of the US government. Thanks Old Hickory!

01 Teddy Roosevelt - Teddy was a conservationist; he is the one to establish National Parks. His enthusiasm was noted around the world as he actually had a pretty strict workout routine. It was incredible. To top this off, he actually was the first president to fight greed and corruption; as his administration came up with the anti-trust legislation that eliminated monopolies. Truly a man who was a century before his time.

why do churches start so early?

Since moving to Kentucky, I have been attending Southland Christian Church, a massive mega-church on the southside of Lexington. It has been a really good experience for me, and has taught me in many ways, how to check my preferences when entering a worship service. It has been a good place for me to attend.

One of my favorite things about Southland is not related to the teachings, the plethora of services for the community, or the worship; it is the times of the services. Southland offers services at 5.30pm on Saturday night, 11.30 on Sunday morning, and 6.08 on Sunday night! You don't have to get up early to go to church. In these services it is not surprising to see a large number of people in the 18-35 age bracket; an age group that is very under represented in most churches.

One of the complaints is that church starts too early. If there are people who would be interested in church-but because they like to sleep in don't even consider it,shouldn't we adjust our meeting times? Instead I hear pastors complain that people aren't as dedicated like in the old days.

What is so sacred about 11.00am that people don't want to change their times? Honestly, I love sleeping in until 10.00am. I love it when I can relax in the morning before church; it actually makes going to church more attractive! If I wasn't going to be a pastor, and I could be picky about this issue, I wouldn't go to a church that only had Sunday morning services.

What do you think? Why do you think that churches continue to start so early?

sin makes me human? what!

Is sin inherent or intrinsic (part of the fiber of our beings)? I think that if sin it is then we have some issues.

What does this say about Adam and Eve? Were they human before the fall? Sin could not be intrinsic with their existence, because it would then imply that before they sinned they were not human. This is just plain silly!

It also implies that without sin, one would be less than human. So what does that say about Jesus? Was he less than human? Because if sin is inherent to our existence then Jesus, who did not sin, would be less than human. Which would lead to problems in our theological understanding of Christ. We don't see Jesus as less than human, he is all that is human. If he is all that is human and is without sin, perhaps to fully human is to be without sin.

Maybe sin makes us less human. That while we are in our sin, we are actually less than what our Creator intended us to be.

This is an interesting conversation. What do you think?

(These thoughts came from Dr. David Bauer in class on 1.29.09)

missing two free throws for a good cause!

In basketball, when player not in the official score book enters the game, his team is charged a technical foul. This means their opponent is given two free throws and then possession of the ball. This rarely happens, as coaches are careful to put all the players who possibly could be playing in that official book.

Recently, this came into play as Johntell Franklin of Milwaukee Madison High School, whose mother recently had died of cancer decided last minute that he wished to play in his team's next game against Dekalb High School. Seeing he wasn't expected, his coach didn't put his name in the official book; thus when he entered the game, his team was charged a technical foul. Dave Rohlman, coach of DeKalb informed the refs that his team did not wish the foul to be called. When the refs informed the coach that they had no choice and they must call the foul, Rohlman asked his team who wanted to shoot the shots.

When senior point guard Darius McNeal volunteered for the task, Rohlman said to him, "You realize you're going to miss, right?" Darius walked to the free throw line and proceeded to roll the ball under the basket twice, in support of his opponent who had just lost his mother.

If that doesn't make you smile, what will?

you can find the story here at espn.com

death of an organization

The moment that an organization, or company, or business dies is the moment that its focus turns to on self-preservation. When the business spends more time worrying that it might die, than focusing on how it can live, the business is in the process of dying.

The best way that this can be observed is when the business starts to protect its structures as opposed to looking for the ways that its structures can become more efficient in accomplishing the goal of the organization.

Success means that organizations take risks. They look for creative ways in which their can rethink the way that they are accomplishing their goals.

This applies to the church. How often do we have programs in place that are ineffective in their goals? Church leaders in many instances have been either content with their programs failing to be successful or unwilling to put in the effort into creatively looking for new structures to replace the ones that aren’t working.

What do you think?

Resource: In Search of Excellence

Great Quote

"We are all bound up together in one great bundle of humanity, and society cannot trample on the weakest and feeblest of its members without receiving the curse in its own soul."

- Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Proceedings of the Eleventh Women's Rights Convention (1866)

preaching-pt. 1.

One issue I am personally working through is with the discipline of preaching. I have gone to church my whole life, attended a Christian High School, went to church camp every summer, went to a Christian college, traveled for that Christian college to more Christian camps, and now am going to seminary. In all of these places I have encountered preaching; some good, some bad, some ...ehh. The one big issue I have with preaching is that I feel it is very hit and miss. I feel like the main reason a pastor preaches a particular sermon is, "That's a great idea!", "What church season is this?", or "My people need to hear this!." This leads to scattered preaching, repetitive series, and under-developed listeners. I think we need to re-think our concept of the sermon.

Personally, I feel the big problem is too few pastors do not ask how this week's sermon connect with a sermon from last year, or one from five years ago, or my first sermon. Their preaching is not taking their listeners anywhere! It is merely a Bible teaching that stands alone, or as a part of a series that for the most part stands alone. Here are a few reasons why I think this is so:

• Pastors, at least from my viewpoint, fail to have a plan for their sermons. Here, I'm not talking about short term planning. I'm talking about long term planning. Most pastors develop quality series. They are good at writing powerful sermons, but they seem to be continually circling the proverbial wagons. They don't seem to have a plan for where they want to be taking their people long term. 


• Pastors, at least from my viewpoint, preach from a position of how do my people want to hear this, as opposed to what do my people want to hear. The focus seems to be on creative presentations as opposed to the actual content of what's being presented. Some of the most creative sermons I've been a part of have been the most shallow, but some of the most creative sermons I've listened to have been the most life changing! Creativity does not equal quality, they have no bearing upon each other. Strive for BOTH!


• Pastors, at least from my viewpoint, are merely digging to find something to speak about for next week. They've been at it for so long, they struggle to find something new and profound to say. They are tired and worn out from the endless search to be creative. They feel like they had said it all - and there is nothing new under the sun - so where is my next message going to come from? At some level being creativity has burned them out.


• Pastors, at least from my viewpoint, look up to their favorite preacher (i.e. John Maxwell, JD Walt) and attempt to think like them, communicate like they do, model their sermons with their own. I've been there. The problem is that nobody can be JD except JD. To try and be like someone else, forces one to spend countless hours asking, "How would JD say this?" or "What Would JD Do?" (they actually have wrist-bands that help "JD-ites" focus...), instead of being genuine when on stage.
  

In my quest, I am asking myself (in this order), 'Why preach?', 'What should we be attempting to accomplish?', 'Where does this church need to go?', 'How can I say this in a better way?', 'Who should we be?', 'When should I teach this?'

The Music that Defines my life: John Tesh

I must give the hat tip to Bill Simmons for this beauty. This past summer when I heard this theme again for the Olympics, I was once again taken to the 3rd level of heaven (that's the place where Michael Jordan could only go to).

check it out!

How I think:

I’m a right-brained personality – some might call me Type-B. This does not mean that I am not organized, nor indifferent, it just means that I am not goal-oriented. I’m less driven to have a list of things to accomplish (or if I do, I’m not likely to follow the list…). What does this mean about my personality?

I’ve noticed that I need a support-structure outside of myself. If left to myself, I’d spend the entire day on the couch flipping channels, wondering where the day went. Steph is the exact opposite, her structure is internal; nobody needs to remind her of the chores that she needs to do. As much as I’ve tried to do that - to be that guy – it’s just not who I am.

The way that my life has functioned best is through routine. I very quickly establish a routine, and stick to it. I have found that when my routine gets out of order, things very quickly fall apart in my life; I miss appointments, homework is forgotten, bills go unpaid, I forget things. Literally, I end up looking and acting like my life is a complete unorganized mess; really it’s just my routine off-track.

Through trial and error, more error than trial, I think I’ve found a solution that might help me. Last semester I organized my life - or at least tried to - on a Google Calendar. I literally spend an entire afternoon writing down everything important on this calendar in detail. I found that while it was a great tool, I just did not connect with the function all the time. Translation: I didn’t check it enough.

The answer to this problem, the Google calendar links up with my e-mail account! If the problem with my calendar is that I don’t check it enough, the problem with my e-mail is that I check it way too much. (Probably 2-4 times while I’m typing this) So the answer to my routine problem is that I am going to link my schedule to my e-mail. Hopefully getting e-mails the night before should help prepare me for the next day’s schedule.

I’ll try and check back with you some point in the semester to let you know how my new system works for me.

Great Quote:

Watch how you live. Your lives may be the only gospel your sisters and brothers will ever read.

- Dom Helder Camara,
former Archbishop of Olinda and Recife, Brazil.

Awareness Test

Perhaps you've seen this before, but if not its still good!




Didn't see that coming...

- How to start a Biblical Movement -

Lessons Learned from Abraham's story:

1. Pick an elderly couple
   
2. Make sure this couple does not have children
   
3. Take this couple out of a cultural center and into the fringes
   
4. Make sure this person lies in significant situation
5. If this person has a son, ask him to kill it

Lessons learned from Moses story:

1. Look for somebody who is hiding
   
2. Look for somebody doing the work of young boys
   
3. Look for somebody who stutters
   

Lessons from David:

1. Pick the youngest or perhaps the least significant
   
2. Make him a servant to the King
   
3. Perhaps make in an outlaw living in the wilderness
   

Lessons from Jesus' ministry:

1. Make sure this movement starts away from the cultural center
   
2. Alienate all the power players
   
3. Pick followers who are uneducated, unimpressive, confused by everything you say
   
4. Be considered a threat to the state
   
5. Allow those rejected by society to be your biggest supporters

It so weird to see how churches often look to start movements; they look for those with the biggest resources; places where they can finance their ministry; look for the best, smartest, coolest, most promising talent to take their ministry to "the next level." This way of starting a movement does not seem to be the way that God throughout the Bible starts his movement.

What do you think?

Little Boy

You are looking at a replica of "Little Boy." Ironically, little boy was an atomic bomb that was the the most deadly device ever made. I say "ironically" because little boy is a very cute, cuddly, friendly name, but in reality this little boy was the deadliest man-made creation ever.

Why do we take such dark and evil things and give them such benign names?

So I caved...here's my Top 25

Here’s my list of 25 things about me:

1. I am married to the most amazing woman in the world! Her name is Stephanie and I am not exaggerating, she’s the most amazing woman in the world!
2. I am left-handed.
3. I have one brother named Brent who is 14-months younger than I am.
4. I used to cheer only for the University of Michigan, but because of the fact that Chris Webber took money in order to play there, I now cheer for Michigan and Michigan State.
5. I used to pretend that I was shooting a game winning shot (you know…3,2,1. The crowd goes wild!!! Bellinger wins the game!!!!!!) in the driveway. In high school, I was never able to do that, it took until seminary.
6. When I went to college, I took 2 polo shirts, but did not take a pair of khakis.
7. My favorite food is Mac and Cheese! My second favorite food is steak. My favorite meal is steak with Mac and cheese!
8. I have memorized all the NCAA Men’s Basketball Champions (1939-2008).
9. I’m getting a Masters in Biblical Studies (MA-BS) from Asbury Theological Seminary.
10. I traveled to Brazil for a month in the summer of 2000.
11. I am 6 ft 1 ½ inches tall, both of my parents are under 5 ft 7 inches
12. I think Barry Sanders is the best football player of all time.
13. I love dogs! If you would like to give me a puppy I would like: an English bulldog, a Brittany, a Jack Russell terrier, or a Mastiff.
14. Anne Lamott’s book “Traveling Mercies” changed my life.
15. I dislike Ohio State…and by dislike I mean I hope the school closes tomorrow.
16. I believe that no meal…ever…needs to include Brussel Sprouts.
17. I was home-schooled for two years when I was in middle school.
18. I worked 3rd shift summer of 2003 stocking groceries at Meijer.
19. I graduated from a small conservative Baptist high school in a class of 9.
20. I attended my first pro baseball game on June 6, 1991. In the game the Detroit Tigers beat the Seattle Mariners 5-4.
21. My favorite book of the Bible is Daniel. (not just because its title is my name)
    
22. Mac or PC??? Mac!
23. Steph has taught me about fashion, I like to think I am pretty good at putting together an outfit.
24. I used to want to get a high fade…
25. Once my brother and I got into a fight. I was chasing him around when he grabbed a foam bat (the kind with the plastic core in the middle) and started to defend himself; hitting me like 25 times. I crawled to the house giving my best “I’m dying” look. Mom was horrified and Brent was grounded for 2 weeks – one of the highlights of my childhood! (sorry Brent!)

The Lie: War Can Solve Any Problem

really?

War always, always leads in one of two directions: more war or total annihilation. If you need examples, look at history. You'll find nothing could be more true. War does not solve anything! It only brings death and destruction.

What this sign fails to note is the fact that war does not change the heart of the oppressor. It cannot make the heart of the slaveholder change and view his former slave as a neighbor. It fails to give the dictator the ability to treat his people lovingly. It does not change a the perpetuators of a system that attempts to control all levels of life, into allowing its followers the freedom that each has been created to have.

So while the creator of this sign obviously has gone to great expense and creatively put together a beautiful sign, I must disagree with him.

What about you?

How (not) to Lead: A look at Tony Romo

Tony Romo is the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, the NFL’s most popular football franchise. Literally every action of the team documented and commented on in the local, state, and national media. This is a team where players are literally loved by all. In a sport where the quarterback is a figurehead of an organization, the most crucial player on the field, and naturally the leader of the team. In this situation Tony has constantly come under criticism for his inability to lead his team to a Championship; an unforgivable sin for the man destined to lead America's team to greatness.

As the media, and former greats have criticized him, Tony recently replied by saying, "Leadership sometimes comes from your ability to perform and personality. And some of it comes from experience..." Boy oh, boy! Tony has no idea how to lead.

What Tony seems to be shirking with his comment is the whole idea of responsibility. His main criticism is that in an off-week before a big game, he was seen taking some va-ca in Cobo...with his superstar girlfriend Jessica Simpson. This is the type of distraction that has plagued Romo his entire career, and when he is confronted by this fact, he sidesteps the fact he made a mistake and dodges the issue. The problem is that leadership centered around responsibility, not celebrity, performance, or experience. Leadership is taking the responsibility for what ever is being led.

If we want to be good leaders we must start by being responsible. It is the cornerstone for decision that a leader takes. If a leader places responsibility as their #1 priority, all other decisions will fall into place, because a responsible choice is a good choice. Not taking responsibility proves that one is not a leader. This is why Tony Romo's track record with the Dallas Cowboys will be constantly marked by failure to realize just who good they can be

Awesome T-Shirt

So True...

I found this picture in the Lexington Herald:



It's so true!

Manny being Manny...a video to help you get in the mood for baseball

Possibly the funniest ESPN commercial ever!!!

Great Quote:

"The Christian resolution to see the world as a bad and ugly place has turned the world into a bad and ugly place."

 - Fredrick Dietrich

Jon Stewart on Crossfire '04

This is maybe best political commentary I've heard in years. My favorite line is: "I've said...that this show is bad! and by bad I mean its hurting America..."

5 Blogs I read…and you should too

The Fuerst Shall Be Last – Tom Fuerst is one of the brightest people I know. He also is a fellow non-violent. At this time his blog is going through a period of posts discussing the fact that he is a soon to be father. Check this blog out, put it in your reader, and memorize what he writes. It’s just that good.

The Life and Times Phil Strahm – I went to college with Phil, and for a couple of weeks a few summers ago we worked in the same town. This blog is creative and has a multitude of quality links. When flipping through my reader, I always stop and check out what Phil has written. Also, Phil is a die-hard Cubs fan! GO Cubs Go!

mgoblog – Brian, a former engineer, has found his passion being writing about Michigan sports. Now I know that not everybody is a Michigan fan (not everybody can be perfect), but Brian writes one of the leading sports blog in country, and we can stand to be in the presence of excellence.

Mahfrot – Bob Meeks has made it his task to post a picture of the year! He may miss a few days here or there, but it’s an interesting look at the life of Bob the Counselor.

Don Miller Blog – No, I am not friends Don Miller, but he is a great writer and his posts are very high quality. His post, “However, you are not the wind in the orchard” made me laugh out loud when I first read it, and since its been a few months I thought I’d like it to see the type of material you are likely to find.

Does God have everything planned out?

The next few months are a little up in the air for Steph and I as hopefully (fingers crossed) I’ll be graduating from seminary, and we’ll be moving on to a new place. It’s a really intense time, questioning where we should go, how to know, whether a place will be the right place, and seeking “God’s plan for our life.”

This has led me to think deeply on this point...does God really have everything planned out?

At some level everybody asks this question. Is everything already decided? Is there a perfect path that we need to be looking for? Is God guiding me through life towards a specific destination, with well-defined life goals? If the answer to any of these is yes, my next question is how can we know?

I’d like to take a look at 3 Bible passages: Jeremiah 29, Genesis 2, and Matthew 15. read the rest...

God's Rest...huh?!?!

Once a month I write a brief article for the newsletter at my parent's church.

Here is February's offering. What do you think?

(please excuse the very rough draft you find here)

Wardrobe Malfunction:

I'm not supersticious, but I am quircky. For instance every year when I played High School basketball, I'd wear the same outfit for every game. Same T-shirt under neath, same wrist bands, and same style of socks. Its a routine, that helps create a sense of luck...

I now have a routine when it comes to basketball. I received from my parents for Christmas a package of Michigan State T-shirts; a green, a white, and a grey one. Not only do I love these shirts, but they're part of my new routine. I wear the green one on game day - which tomorrow is a gameday (3.45pm CBS) - the white one if we win and the grey if we lose. Its my way of helping the team, that green shirt is good luck.

Sadly, I constantly forget to wear my green shirt! I'm horrible at this. Take last Saturday: MSU was playing Illinois and they were down (why? because i wasn't wearing my shirt.) I realized this and changed and boom! They pulled the game out. This past week I realized that I wasn't wearing the greenie (as I like to call it) and they lost the game - at home to Northwestern - that was horrible!

So tomorrow, if you see me, I'll be the one wearing the green MSU Spartans! Sparty On!!

A weeks worth of links

Funny:
stuff white people like - a sarcastic, but not p/c blog detailing the things that white people like.

clubtrillion - Ohio State walk-on basketball player, Mark Titus, blogging about his team. He's actually a really good writer with a great sense of humor. Don't read in class, in a meeting, or with a sleeping baby as you may burst into laughter.

Political:
Civic Religion - a look at Civic religion and its place in America. This is some heavy stuff. Totally recommend reading this.

Isareli Occupied Territory on Capitol Hill - a look at the way that the US Congress has blindly sided with Israel.

Ways to Transform the US - an Innovators look at progress into a "new America"

Leadership:
How to write Emails - A great piece by Keith Drury on how to write an e-mail.

Leadership 101 - A great couple of paragraphs by a Bishop on what it means to be a leader

Finance:
Outlawing 401k's - A fascinating look at the downside of the 401k system

2 Great Quotes 1 Blog:

1. First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. 

2. I believe that a man is the strongest soldier for daring to die unarmed.

- Mohandas Gandhi

Wanna start a newspaper??? (thoughts sparked by Seth Godin)

Recently, Seth Godin suggested that a business should start a newspaper. This newspaper would be a compilation of articles that the staff would compile. It would then be sent out to people in the community. Seth’s main principle is to “own your zip-code!” When I first read this I thought it was a great idea! The purpose of the paper is two fold, first to give the community a source of information about the community, second you’re building relationships with the community.

I think that every church should be an expert on its community. It only makes sense. If we’re in the business of transforming the community, why not do everything you can to learn about your zip? If churches spent more time learning about their community then they’d be in a better place to minister to them. I think a church staff spending time researching and being in the community, only good things would come out of this.

The idea of church marketing is for some a big negative. I see it as able to go either way, meaning it can be done in a proper way or it can be done in a negative way. I have seen churches spend thousands of dollars on mailing things to a church or churches attempting to create an image by creating a marketable image. This in some way is deceptive, because either its creating a false image of who the church is in order to bring people in.

On the other hand, I know of a pastor in Lexington who walks around his community, literally going door-to-door. He’s meeting people, inviting them to church, letting them know that if they have any needs his church is there to help. This is marketing. There is no getting around that fact. One could say he is doing it for ulterior motives, and he is, he wants people to be a part of his ministry – he’s just framing his marketing in a proper way.

Have you ever asked yourself why the "Promised Land” is Palestine? Do we realize that this strip of land is half desert, half mountain, half in the middle of no-where without water? It’s not exactly paradise. Egypt and Mesopotamia were both better options, but Palestine had something that they didn’t have – major trade routes. You see God placed his people in the middle of the trade routes between the two major powers of that day. The whole nation of Israel is an attempt by God to market himself to the world.

This is where we come back to the idea of the newspaper. I think that it would work for churches to take this sort of approach to getting to know their community. It is the church showing the community what its values are – we celebrate this type of person. It is the church saying, “We are the type of people who want you to know the people that live near you.” Perhaps it’s the church marketing itself, but is that a bad thing?

Why not make a newspaper for people in your community

Today's Big News:

Today, Mr. Obama will become the President. I hope that his message of hope and change will bring just that to the country. While I think he has the potential to be a great president, I wish this would have been his campaign poster.




I wish this was his campaign poster, because it is only in the message found here that real hope and change are found.

Martin Luther King Jr.

One of my life's heroes:


Some of his best words:

I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counselor or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.

I had hoped that the white moderate would understand that law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and that when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress. I had hoped that the white moderate would understand the present tension in the South is a necessary phase of the transition from an obnoxious negative peace, in which the Negro passively accepted his unjust plight, to a substantive and positive peace, in which all men will respect the dignity and worth of human personality. Actually, we who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. We bring it out in the open, where it can be seen and dealt with. Like a boil that can never be cured so long as it is covered up but must be opened with all its ugliness to the natural medicines of air and light, injustice must be exposed, with all the tensions its exposure creates, to the light of human conscience and the air of nation opinion before it can be cured.

(Letter from a Birmingham Prison)

Thank you Morris Peterson!!!

Mo Pete was one of my favorite basketball players growing up. If you'll remember Mo Pete was left-handed (as am I) so I had a special connection with him. Today at 3.40pm he is getting his jersey retired by Michigan State, and the bloggers in the MSU blogosphere have been talking about this for a week or two, detailing their favorite "Mo Pete moments."

My favorite moment was in 2000 in his senior year, in the regional finals (the Elite 8), Michigan State played Iowa State. The game decided who went to the Final Four, and was a competition between the best team and the hottest team in the tourney. With two minutes to go and down a bucket, State runs a backdoor play for Mo to get the alley-oop.

Joe Rexrode of the Lansing State journal captures the conversation between Coach Izzo, Mateen Cleaves, and Mo Pete, before the play, as going like this:

Peterson: “Coach, they’re overplaying me, I can go backdoor.”
Izzo: “I’m not doing that with two minutes left.”
Cleaves: “Come on!”
Izzo: “OK, fine. But if you hit the tuba player with that pass, I’m going to kill you.”

Brilliant!!!

It goes off without a hitch, and they take the momentum and the game. Oh how I miss the Flintstones!

HIlarious Quote:

While surfing around some sports blogs I found this gem (here):

It has to be satisfying to sane sports fans everywhere that the maniacs of Lexington who ran Tubby Smith out of town get to watch him doing better in Minnesota then his successor is doing at UK.

I'm addicted...

I have an addiction...

There I said it, I'm addicted. I'm addicted to comparing myself to other people.

I'm always comparing myself to my friends. I'm not as athletic as my friend Jon. I'm not as smart as my friend Tom. I'm not as charismatic as Luke. I don't see the world like Paulo. Its a constant addiction, and I need to get over it.

I need to get over it because I'm not Jon, Tom, Luke, or Paulo; I'm Dan. I'm my own person. If I constantly cut myself down because I'm not those people then I'll never be me. I will stunt my potential because I'm not them.

You see my problem is that I want life to be fair. To me my issues result in the fact that its not fair that Jon is bigger and stronger than I am, that Tom is way smarter than me, that Luke's personality is 100 times more explosive and exciting than mine, or that Paulo has experience all over the globe. I somehow reason that if life were fair, somehow my problems would go away. You see I'm blaming my problems on situations, and my hope is in some way the leveling of the playing field; not where it should be, with God.

Like I said, I'm addicted, but I don't have to let that define me. After all, I'm Dan.

Great quote:

I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity.

- Dwight D. Eisenhower

I found this here.

5 blogs I read...and you should too!

Tuesday Column - Keith Drury has been blogging since 1995. Every Tuesday Coach Drury posts a provocative essay that is guaranteed to make your head think so hard, it will most likely explode! 

Seth's Blog - Seth Godin is the one time most popular blogger on the face of planet earth...might be worth checking out his stuff. He writes on business theory, particularly on the marketing side of the equation, some pretty good stuff.

Farmstrong - JD Walt is one of those people who personify profound. His whit, humor, and deep thinking are bound to make you a better person. He is also my boss. Did I mention he's also very good looking?

upSIDEdown - Paulo Lopes is a guy who you should probably begin to read now, and in 15 years when he literally has taken over the world, you might get to keep your job.

(He just started blogging last week, but I'll put him up here just on potential)

Recliner Ramblings - I've known Mike for a number of years now, and he never fails to write a thought provoking piece. Former co-editor of an online magazine, Mike's posts continually create a tension within my head that makes me a better person.

Life in Kentucky: a UK fan gets ahold of the Wal-Mart PA system

When I moved to Indiana to go to college, I really did not notice too much of a difference as everything that surrounded me was pretty standard; the same stores, the same language, people were driving on the right hand side of the road, etc. It wasn’t until I went into JC Pennies that I noticed the difference. If you’ve ever been in a Pennies, you’ll know that somewhere in the men’s section of the store is an area of sports wear (hoodies, ball caps, T-shirts). It’s pretty standard. One day as I was walking around the store I happened to notice a difference – all the teams represented there were from Indiana. It kinda put me in a state of shock.

I know it’s an obvious thing, a store in Indiana selling sportswear with Indiana sports teams’ logos. Duh Dan. But as a 19-year-old college student, it was my realization that I wasn’t at home anymore. And I say this to set up this next story.

Saturday, Steph and I needed to go to Wal-Mart to get some stuff. While I was walking in the store, a voice came over the loud speaker, with a very Kentucky accent, and began to talk. He said, “Attention Wal-Mart shoppers: Kentucky just beat Vanderbilt! Attention, Kentucky just beat Vanderbilt!!” I was sort of annoyed because that information had no relevance to my being in Wal-Mart, if I had cared I would have been watching the game. Now we are passionate about our sports teams in Michigan but Kentuckians are borderline psychotic – he couldn’t help himself. This was evidenced by what he said next.

At first I couldn’t tell what he was doing, but it only took me a second. At the top of his lungs he began to scream: “Meeeeee-ow!” I was shocked. Which is pretty unusual, I’ve been here for two years now, and most aspects of Kentucky culture do not shock me anymore. But 1.) It just seemed counter intuitive to me….A “me-ow” is the sound a house cat makes, not the sound a ferocious wildcat would make. 2.) He did it over the loud speaker of a Wal-Mart store. 3.) He sounded like he had forgotten to take some sort of medicine. 4.) Personal belief: people who do things like that should not be allowed near loud speakers at Wal-Mart.

This is where I live.

Note: If you read this I know you’re a Wildcat fan, please know actions like this are one of the main reasons why I cheer against you so hard.

defining violence

I am in the middle of attempting to develop a logical, holistic view of violence that I can use as a working reference in dialogue concerning the issues that revolve this issue.

I have found that there are many different views and understandings of what violence entails. This creates voids in dialogue, because I most likely view violence differently than you do. So in order to dialogue about something we must share a common language. so...how would you define violence?

Personally, I would begin here:

1. It is physical, emotional, spiritual, & mental.
2. It involves force.
3. It can be done with good or bad intentions

How would you combine, add to, and refine these idea into a basic understanding of violence?

Charity: the Christian mistake

Our response to injustice far too often has been charity.

Charity is not the answer, it feeds into the problem. This is because charity does not involve any change. When mega personalities give to charity they are not down-sizing from their huge houses into something smaller and more cost effective; they're giving a couple bags of money they have sitting in the bank. Yes, its a start, but the answer is changing the way we live our lives.

When the church starts to talk about itself in terms of charity, it has completely missed the point. Charity merely continues to perpetuate the chasim between those who have and those who do not. Look at the story of Lazarus and the Rich man in Luke 16. The rich man is apparently feeding Lazarus table scraps, but Lazarus' condition does not improve. Instead we see that only the dogs come to comfort him by licking his wounds - which really isn't much comfort.

If we are looking to end social injustices we have to change the way we live our lives. The answer isn't to give up on living and being productive, but it definately includes changing our focus in life.

• Perhaps it would look like churches actually living with people who are on the bottom side of society.
• Perhaps it is the congregants of a downtown church leaving the seclusion of the suburbs and moving downtown to live with the people that surround their church.
• Perhaps it is Christians ceasing to hoard their money and possessions but live a generous life, giving to those who have need.
• Perhaps it would include adoption, opening up ones house to single mothers, helping children from lower income familes go to school.
• Perhaps it would mean we reject the "Get rich or die trying" mindset that lurks quietly underneath the "American dream" mindset

What do you think?

Quick Thought on Capitalism

Capitalism is built on the principle of greed. It suggests that greed will motivate people to earn more money, and not make bad decisions because nobody wants to lose everything. In this system obvously there will be rich and poor, because not everybody is as motivated, but according to ones ability and giftedness they will be able to make money.

Communism, often seen as a great evil, is built on the concept that all humans are equal and should be equal. It believes that everybody gets an equal cut of the financial success of the country. This system is usually less productive, but it also attempts to eliminate the divide between those who have and those who do not have.

Now I am not attempting to suggest that we should be communist, or even promote communist princples. I just wonder why as Christians we are so determined on supporting capitalism when it is founded on a principle that is so obviously anti-Christian?

Palestinian Christians

I recently read that there are more Palestinian Christians than there are Israeli Christians. This leads to the question, why has the American Church so passionately supported Israel in this conflict?

Why do you think?

Cats people and Dog lovers

All of the other ways that people define and separate character traits are merely subjective ideas that really do not describe people accurately. To understand the nature of people we must realize there are two types of people out there: cat lovers or dog lovers. This is the true way to understand people

Cats and dogs while both popular pets, have vastly different dispositions. A cat does not need human company –this doesn’t mean cats don’t appreciate people–just a cat can exist without it. Dogs, on the other hand, live for their humans. They cannot live without attention and affection of their masters. One needs their master, one is at best indifferent.

These two different animals require two different types of masters. A cat person is someone who wants a pet, but really doesn’t want to put an intense amount of energy or give an intense amount of attention to. Dog people usually are those who want to own an animal that they can love on. Sometimes there is cross over, a figurative switching of teams, but usually these people stay the same throughout their lives.

Dog people love relationships! They want to build many quality, long, and passionate friendships that will last forever. Cat people are independent people. They like having friends, but really it’s the freedom to do what they want that’s most important.

I am a dog person. I cannot fathom owning a pet, paying for its food, concerning myself with its health, and then have the animal act indifferently to me 90% of the time. Stephanie, my wife, is a cat person and doesn’t like the thought of having an animal who needs constant attention. She likes the idea of having an animal that it would be ok to leave behind for a day or two without worrying about it.

What about you? Are you a dog lover or a cat person?

The Gospel of Life

The book of Acts is devoted to discussing the first 35-30 years of the Christian community. It focuses on St. Peter and St Paul and their work in spreading the church from a community of 120 into a network of believers scattered throughout the Roman Empire. These two men move around the ancient world, and wherever they go, we see one thing in common – they are doing things to get themselves in trouble.

They were constantly getting into trouble because they were promoting a kingdom with different values than the world around it. They threw the places that they lived in upside down. They caused riots. They were arrested. They lived in ways that made people scratch their heads. These stories are filled with actions. These early Christians were not passive.

In Acts 2, after the Holy Spirit comes, we find that the church is characterized by the way that these Christians lived. We see the same thing in chapter 4. They lived in community; giving to each other, providing for each other’s needs. They sold things they didn’t need in order for their leaders to use these resources for the greater good of the community. They appointed people who would be responsible to make sure that the widows were taken care of. Their belief in Jesus has changed the way they live their lives.

They believed that Jesus had come to bring life, and everywhere they went the brought this life with them. Healings, feeding and providing for the poor, the empowerment of women, racial reconciliation were all part of the early churches ministry. The Gospel that the early Christians lived out was so powerful that it could not be ignored. It was so unsettling to the people around them, that people were afraid that the Christians were looking to completely destroy the culture of the Roman Empire; and they were right.

We are the descendents of Peter and Paul. We have been given the task of spreading the Gospel to the world. We have been charged with the task of following in the footsteps of these active, passionate followers of our risen Savior. The question is now how are we going to act? How are we going to spread the message that Jesus has been raised from the dead and now the world can live?

How will we react as a church to the economic crisis that we are now in the middle of? How will we respond to the crisis in the Middle East where both sides are guilty of hating each other? How will we react to the violence that is in our communities? To the children who are growing up with out a good family to support them? How will we react to those who are lonely?

Will ’09 be the year we bring them the Gospel message of Life? I hope so!

Interesting Thoughts on Just-War Theory

How Did We Get so Dumb about War?

Some blame for the facile acceptance and even sanctification of war must go to the venerable and misused “just-war theory.” This theory, developed over centuries, was a noble effort to minimize the harm of war. The theory had some successes and can be used to limit and block wars, but it has tended to be honored in word more than deed. The mischief of the “just-war theory” was that by putting the word war alongside the word just, it baptized war, making it seem rational and moral and good as long as certain rules are observed. It helped to rationalize war.

Just-war talk helped us to hide the reality of human and ecological devastation that war always involves. The abused word war has lost its sting; it is no longer descriptive of the horror we are wreaking when we “go to war.” If the “just-war theory” were called the “justifiable-slaughter theory” or “the justifiable-violence theory,” it would at least be honest. Maybe the slaughter and the human and ecological devastation we are planning are justifiable, but at least we would be honest in admitting what it is we are justifying. It would be language with out legerdemain. In moral matters, the rush to euphemisms is always a sign of bad faith.

Military strategists, and ethicists embedded with them, drape an even thicker tissue of lies and euphemisms around military violence. They like to call it “the use of force.” That sugarcoats it handsomely. Force, after all, is nice. A forceful personality, a forceful argument-these can be quite admirable. But an atomic bomb hitting the population center of Hiroshima or Nagasaki or the brutal leveling of Falluja in Iraq or of settlement camps in Palestine needs a more honest word than force. Force, like war, is a malicious euphemism. It averts our eyes from the horrors described by Archbishop Desmond Tutu: “Some two million children have died in dozens of wars during the past decade…This is more than three times the number of battlefield deaths of American soldiers in all their wars since 1776…Today, civilians account for more than 90 percent of war casualties. ”

We need a fresh look at the “just-war theory,” a principal tool for making war look normal. Its use is widespread, even when not referred to as such, though it is more often used as a cover for stupid military adventures brought on by the failure to do work that makes peace. Transforming that theory so that it truly serves peace is our goal.

This has been taken from Daniel C. Maguire’s book: The Horrors We Bless: rethinking the Just-War Legacy.

Bishop Desmond Tutu’s quote was found in the Washington Post, November 24, 1996 page C7 in an article titled “Stop Killing the Children.”

"why blow yourself up?"

It is amazing just how poorly we can see the “other side” of an issue. This past year has provided ample evidence of this, as both Republicans and Democrats continually fail at understanding each other. While politics is one example of this, another is terrorism. What confuses me is the fact that nobody ever asks, “Why blow yourself up?”

In the never ending Israeli – Palestinian crisis, we see Israel always acting in self defense against terrorist acts. Israeli troops are constantly forced to defend themselves against suicide bombers who run into crowded shopping centers and blow themselves up with nail bombs. Cities in southern Israel are forced to be constantly on guard against missiles being launched into their neighborhoods. Few people ever ask, “Why would people do this?” Typically the answer is, “These are evil men.” Or “They are attempting to destroy Israel, because they hate Israel.” The problem with these answers is that they really do not answer the question. They still do not answer the question, “Why blow yourself up?”

Maybe if we begin to dig into this issue, we’ll find that the people in Palestine live in conditions that a Jew would never consider living in. Maybe we’d see that in an attempt to control terrorism, the Jews have closed off the entire Gaza strip and the people there do not have adequate food or medical supplies. If we begin to see that the Palestinians are suffering under the oppressive hands of a nation who cares little for their rights, maybe we could understand why they would see their only chance for survival is to launch crude missiles into nearby Jewish neighborhoods.

This ongoing violence is a result of a lack of critical thinking about the situation. Israel is content in seeing their Palestinian neighbors as less than human. This is the only way to explain the way that they treat those living in the Gaza strip. The Palestinians in the same, fail to value the lives of the Israelis; the very reason they are committing these atrocious acts. Both Jews and Arabs need to cease treating their neighbors as less than human. This is why somebody would blow themselves up.

You see the problem is if we begin to ask this question, maybe we’ll find a reason we do not want to see. Maybe these people feel that there is no other way to stop an abuse. I recently read this quote from Peter Ustinov, “Terrorism is the war of the poor, and war is the terrorism of the rich.” I cannot defend any acts of terrorism, they are pure evil. I also cannot defend any acts of war, as they are also pure evil. Launching a missile in defense of your nation is just as wrong as sending someone into a crowded intersection with a nail bomb.

SNOW!!!

Since we have headed north, it has been snowing!

1 - We've prolly got a solid foot of snow in the past 4 days!

2 - It was blowing so hard, the news classified the weather conditions here as "near blizzard" (blizzards are caused not as much by the amount of snow but the wind).

3 - Sunday morning, as we tried to get to my dad's church so I could preach, we got stuck in the driveway. My dad called Steph and said, "the roads aren't very good. we had to plow through some drifts..." which made us want to drive there even more.

4 - A friend got his 4x4 truck stuck in our driveway because the snow was soo deep his wheels couldn't touch the ground.

5 - My dad spent 2 1/2 hours blowing out the driveway, and the next morning (or 8 hours later) had to "reopen" the passage.

I know some of you have read these accounts and shivered, but truth be told, it's been pretty amazing. I have seen more snow here in this weekend than I have in the past 2 years in Wilmore. Its annoying to many but to me its home. I don't understand why I'm like this because nobody likes the possibility of having to cancel all ones plans due to bad weather. What can I say, I've been so happy in the midst of all the snow drifts. By the way, the snow drifts in Wal-Mart are big enough to hide a fleet of school buses.

Needless to say, living in a land that only gets 3 inches of snow a year. I feel as if I've been repressed...or I've been a fish removed from water, or a polar bear in the midst of a rapidly shrinking north pole. I'm absolutely loving my Christmas trip home! 

Hopefully, you'll have a very white Christmas, cause I know I sure will!

(incidently I found this picture of Johnson Park in Grand Rapids. It is located about 10 minutes from my grandparents house, and when I was a kid I thought its sled hill was the best in the whole world!)

Quote:

"The hijacking of the concept of morality began, of course, when we reduced Scripture to formula and a

LOVE

story to theology, and finally

MORALITY

to rules. It is a very different thing to break a rule than it is to cheat on a lover. A person's mind can do all sorts of things his heart would never let him do. If we think of God's

GRACE

as a technicallity, a theological precept, we can disobey without the slightest feeling of guilt, but if we think of God's grace as a relational invitation, an

OUTREACH of love,

we are pretty much jerks for belittling the gesture."

-Don Miller

Advent proclamation

The prophetic utterance of Virgil, which Caesar Augustus used in describing himself as the World's Savior:

The turning point of the ages is near at hand. The iron age with its terrors is approaching. The divine destined hour of world history is approaching. The divine king of salvation, for whom mankind has waited since the time of the Pharaohs, is on his way. He will at last fulfill the promises which have not ceased to be heard among the Roman people since the days of Sibyl.

He will annihilate the evil of the past and free the peoples from unceasing fear. He will establish a universal empire of peace and lead in the golden age, for the blessing of a renewed humanity. And in nature, tool, all will be renewed. Poisonous plants and snakes will disappear, the fields will become a paradise, and the ox and the lion will dwell together in peace. Gods, who have been long absent, ages of salvation which are long past, will return to the earth. Saturn, the god of the primeval gold age, will return to power. Apollo and Diana will hold protective say over the new age and its ruler.

The time is ripe: enter on your high course of honor, great son of Zeus. See how the whole world staggering beneath its burden, how lands and seas and depths of heaven will rejoice at the in-break of the new age.

What does this picture mean to you?

Quote:

Terrorism is the war of the poor and war is the terrorism of the rich.

-Peter Ustinov

Two Exams, a 10 page paper, and a final project left

Monday:

• 8am - Final: John Wesley's Theology for Today
• 1pm - Final: Exegesis of General Epistles (Greek Exam)

Thursday:

• 10 page research paper: New Testament (I'm going to be writing on the Greatest Commandment and how we find it being played out in the Early Church, specifically in the rhetoric of the book of James??) 
• 8 am - Final Project: Inductive Bible Study detailed Observation and Evaluation from a paragraph in Mark's Passion Narrative.

All in all, this will will be busy, but after tomorrow I'll be much more relaxed! I've been collecting a bunch of ideas, plus I get to preach at my dad's church on the 21st, so after finals I should have some interesting stuff to publish! So be looking for a rousing series of thought provoking posts! Until then, Auf Weidersehen!

Quote:

Ty Lawson has "Mateen Cleaves' strength and God's quickness."

-Tom Izzo

Quick Post

I know, I said I didn't have time to post anything, but I've got one assignment down and I took a little break to copy and paste this into blogger. (I actually stole this quote from my friend Phil Strahm's blog (here) while my blog is quiet, I highly recommend his! So go check him out!)

"When I feed the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor are poor, they call me a communist."

-Bishop Oscar Romero,

Hitting the Pause button.

Too busy to post anything creative this week or the next as a result of project week and finals week. Hopefully...I'll survive. 

In the mean time, entertain yourself with the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, the best game will be North Carolina @ Michigan State (it'll be a good game, State is a good team, just let them get everything sorted out and you'll see). The Worst game will be the Indiana game. I'm not putting who they're playing because it really doesn't matter. They're awful! So check out the Big Ten/ACC Challenge (unless you're a Hoosier fan, then just bury your head in the sand for a year or two).

Also, who said that college football doesn't have semi-finals. The Big 12 Championship game and the SEC Championship game are both functioning as pseudo-semi-finals. The winner of the SEC Championship game will play either Oklahoma or Texas (depending on whether or not Oklahoma wins the Big 12 championship game). Both should be highly entertaining games, you might want to check that out.

I just might update how my homework is coming...I should survive, but who knows what will happen. I just might need to break my fast on pop (fasting for advent of course)...prolly sometime at 3am I'll get a craving for a cherry coke that might be overcome with temptation. Until next week! I bid you adios!