Has anyone else noticed the way that Mark Driscoll pronounces “Jesus?” It sounds more “G-zis.” I noticed that the worship guy at Mars Hill Seattle says it the same way. Maybe, it’s just a Seattle thing. Oh, well. I guess if I want to get technical, I should just say “Yeshua.”
Reading through Brian McLaren’s end of the year letter gave me a sudden shock. What was so surprising, you ask? I actually agreed with him. Don’t worry, I’m not going to stop affirming absolute truth or start hanging on Rob Bell’s every word. I’m just saying that Mr. McLaren had an interesting point. Here’s a quote from the letter:
“…please don’t respond harshly to criticism. Yes, some people are mean-spirited, but many are simply misinformed or under stress and afraid; some are as yet unready or unable to see the possibility that their current views could be improved; and many are well-meaning and simply disagree. In any case, let’s refuse to respond in kind when mocked, slandered, misrepresented, or simply disagreed with; let’s surprise people with grace and good cheer. Hot religious rhetoric is nothing new in religious history, and in fact, we’ve got it easy if all that’s coming at is us harsh words.”
I’m pretty new to the blog scene, but it doesn’t take long to see that people tend to get a little vengeful and bitter. There’s nothing wrong with theological discussion, debate, and disagreement. However, let’s be careful how we go about it. We can beware of false teaching and speak the truth in love all at once. In the rest of the letter, McLaren gives the impression that the emergent church is suffering from a martyr complex. However, this segment was a good reminder to me. The goal of theological discussion shouldn’t be to win the argument, but to glorify God by growing and standing firm in the truth.
Maybe, temptation is a strange topic to discuss at Christmas time. Maybe, I’m going to talk about it anyway. Jesus Christ came to this earth to rescue us from ourselves. Praise God that, upon conversion, we are justified in His eyes. However, that doesn’t mean we’re perfect in this life. We all face our own unique battles with sin. This clip played during one of Mark Driscoll’s sermons is a great example. Johnny Cash immersed himself in popping pills for years. Even after he dedicated his life to God, temptation was certainly still there. My pastor once said that when we are tempted by a particular sin, we cave in most of the time. Honestly, I’ve never been tempted to abuse perscription drugs. However, I have been tempted by many other things which I have given in to. Dealing with this sinful nature can get a little exhausting (see another sermon by Pastor Driscoll, The Rebel’s Guide to Joy in Exhaustion).
Even if temptation is a topic we want to sweep under the rug, it’s a part of sanctification that’s simply unavoidable. So, how do we handle living for Jesus amid this temptation? Well, we all know that accountability from other Christians helps. The greatest comfort to me is that God Himself helps us through it: “…And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear” (I Corinthians 10:13). Merry Christmas. May we live all year for the King whose birth we celebrate on December 25.
My friend Roscoe recieved a kidney transplant today after a wait of five or six years. Not only did the surgery go well, but the kidney is already working. After the surgery, we asked how he was feeling. His response: “I have a kidney!” Sitting with his wife during surgery and seeing the joy and relief in his face was one of the greatest displays of God’s power I’ve ever seen. Some may say that miracles don’t happen anymore. To them, I say to take one look at Roscoe. Miracles are everywhere. Today, I witnessed a miracle.
My current project consists of writing a poem for my church’s Christmas program on Sunday. In the process of searching for inspiration, I found the poem I wrote for last year’s Christmas program. So, here’s just a little reminder that “Jesus is the Rizzle for the Sizzle” (quote from our church’s sign a year or two ago).
Arrival
In ancient words of hope straight from above,
The prophets told of the Anointed King
Who from His throne would reign with power and love,
Who righteousness and truth to us would bring.
Both sins and sorrows would He soon defeat,
This Man who would redeem depravity.
He death and hell would crush beneath His feet
And bring the nation glorious victory.
As Israel awaits deliverance,
A Star illuminates nocturnal skies.
While shepherds raise their staffs in reverence
And angels sing in one resounding voice.
King David’s City shouts this grand anthem:
“This night the Savior comes to Bethlehem.”
Praise God that in Christ there is no prejudice, favoritism, or divisions. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, male nor female,” according to Galatians 3:28. We are all one united body in Jesus Christ, and we are heirs to the promises given to Abraham (Galatians 3:29). In this life, however, we have certain roles to fulfill. As members of a local church, we all have unique gifts and abilities to contribute (see I Corinthians 12). Historically, males and females have had different roles in the church. I have never questioned the biblical foundation for this distrubution of responsibilities. In my church growing up, the women were responsible for making desserts for our fellowship time and were not permitted to say a simple “amen” during the service or prayer. Imagine the transition to attending a church where women occassionally gave the announcements for the week (gasp!). Recently, the topic of a woman’s role in the church has been floating around in recesses of my mind. As a general rule, any of my views based purely on personal experience are probably flawed. Therefore, I’ve decided to search the Bible to see how God has worked through women of the Old Testament, women involved in the ministry of Jesus, and women in the early church. Stay tuned for later entries about what God teaches me regarding this issue.
Here is a post from my old blog. In light of a couple comments from my last entry, I thought this might clear up my perspective on the role of a Christian in government.
“I am not a loyal American. My loyalties should not lie with any earthly nation…God placed me in this nation for a reason, yes. However, that does not mean that I should support everything that the United States stands for. People say that this is a “Christian” nation based on “Christian” principles. Maybe some of the founding fathers were Christians. Maybe there are a large number of Christians living in the United States today. To say this nation is Christian is hooey. Large areas of the United States are Christianized, but there is so much wrong with this country that to say it’s Christian is embarrassing. I thank God for the freedoms we have here. I can worship God in a church building out in the open without worrying about people busting in and killing me or taking me to jail. Many people try their best to maintain justice. But people are flawed. It goes past mere mistakes; people are naturally evil. And people are running this country. I can do my best as a Christian to vote for people who have principles that line up with God’s principles, and Christians can, in the pursuit of radically following Christ, have an impact on the culture and politics of this country. However, governments will never be perfect. They are necessary, but that doesn’t mean I should identify totally with them. I can understand why people would refuse to say the pledge of allegiance on religious grounds. A Christ follower’s allegiance should be to God, and God alone. If a country contradicts God, then God needs to come first. That said, if our country does something that is in line with God’s word and character, then Christians should support it.”
Presidential hoopla is all around us. Every time I turn on my computer, I am met by a newsbreaking video clip from such and such a candidate saying such and such controversial statements. With all the information out there, you would think that I could find a candidate that fit at least my major qualifications. Mike Huckabee seemed to be my best bet. He has a record that shows that he cares about people, not just keeping up a straight-laced, conservative image. His rare combination of relatively liberal immigration views and a strong pro-life stance made me want to hug him. Now, he’s put out an immigration plan that appears to be an attempt to get more Republican support. Now, I’m back at square one. I remember back to my persuasive speech Freshman year. I said that it’s the responsibility of a Christian to vote. Now, I’m questioning that logic. Instead, this election may result in me fulfilling my “Christian duty” by abstaining. Although, it’s hard to say no to Chuck Norris. Any thoughts?
I stumbled upon Zondervan’s The Bible Experience last night as I was avoiding my last project of finals week. I’m sure I’m way behind the times on this, so everything in this post may be old news. The Bible Experience is a dramatized audio recording of the entire Bible (TNIV) by a multitude of African American actors, church leaders, singers, and other cool people. Just watching the promotional videos could make anyone want to fork out over $100 dollars. Upon further investigation, I found an interview with Denzel Washington and his wife about their decision to record Song of Songs together. I don’t know much about their beliefs (I think I read somewhere that Denzel grew up in the Church of Christ), but the Washingtons’ high respect of scripture comes through in the interview. And a high view of scripture, even among those who claim to be Christian, is getting to be rare these days. http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=2661708n
