Okay, here's the thing: take a minute, just relax, forget about all the crap that's going on, and do two things today. One, go to www.pandora.com, and create your own radio station. This thing is amazing! You type in an artist you like, and then the thing builds a radio station around that artist with other artists who have similair musical qualities. They get an A++ for mixing it up, and finally, finally there's a radio station that plays Jason Miraz one minute and Chris Rice the next. (If you're wondering what's so amazing about that, Chris Rice typically gets played only on "Christian radio" and Jason Miraz on "secular radio," and just typing those terms makes me want to throw up, but anyway that's for another post.)
The other thing you need to do is download Chris Rice's CD What a Heart is Beating For, and listen to "Here Comes Those Eyes." I've never owned a Chris Rice CD, but thanks to Pandora, I heard "Here Comes Those Eyes" (on my "Eric Hutchison" Station), and was hooked! It's 2:29 of pure fun, romance, and I dare you to listen to this song and keep your foot from tapping the floor. I'm on my fourth time through this morning!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Common to Man
A few weeks ago, in Connecticut, a chimpanzee named Travis attacked the friend of his owner and nearly killed her, ripping her face off and requiring her to need a face transplant. His owner, Sandra Herold, had to stab him to get him to stop, and then he was finally shot by police. The story made national headlines for several days, and as details began to come out about the relationship between Sandra and Travis, the story became even more bizarre. As it turns out Sandra's daughter and husband are both dead, and she and Travis had a very close relationship. Stories about them snuggling in bed together, taking baths together, Sandra serving Travis wine in stemmed glasses, Travis brushing Sandra's hair, made for some very uncomfortable moments as news anchors had to try and transition from this story to the other news of the day.
The more I listened to this story, the more my heart was broken for Sandra Herold. But not because I considered her some demented woman who deserved my pity for having a mental break or not being able to deal with the grief of losing her daughter and husband. Instead, I saw in Sandra myself. On some level, like me, Sandra longed for community, she longed for someone to be there for her, and instead of turning to Christ, she turned to a chimp. Crazy? Well, maybe, and I'd probably love to throne stones of scorn and ridicule at her, but the path to the rockpile is blocked by all the things that I turn to instead of Christ that are just as ridiculous.
Here's the thing: we are all longing for something in life, and we all have painkillers that we turn to to numb us up when we don't get that longing fulfilled. For some people it could be their spouse, for some it's academics, work for others, food for some, shopping, sex, suicide, pornography, sports, etc. I've got mine as well, my own little "medicine chest" full of things that I look to for comfort when life gets too hard and to confusing, and while mine might be more common than Sandra's was and more accepted by society, when you peel back the layers, they are just as pathetic and just as sad.
I hope and pray there's someone around her who will reach out and point Sandra to the one thing, the one person who actually can fulfill her and meet her needs. If not, I can send her some of the things I turn to so often. Unfortunately, I've got plenty to spare.
The more I listened to this story, the more my heart was broken for Sandra Herold. But not because I considered her some demented woman who deserved my pity for having a mental break or not being able to deal with the grief of losing her daughter and husband. Instead, I saw in Sandra myself. On some level, like me, Sandra longed for community, she longed for someone to be there for her, and instead of turning to Christ, she turned to a chimp. Crazy? Well, maybe, and I'd probably love to throne stones of scorn and ridicule at her, but the path to the rockpile is blocked by all the things that I turn to instead of Christ that are just as ridiculous.
Here's the thing: we are all longing for something in life, and we all have painkillers that we turn to to numb us up when we don't get that longing fulfilled. For some people it could be their spouse, for some it's academics, work for others, food for some, shopping, sex, suicide, pornography, sports, etc. I've got mine as well, my own little "medicine chest" full of things that I look to for comfort when life gets too hard and to confusing, and while mine might be more common than Sandra's was and more accepted by society, when you peel back the layers, they are just as pathetic and just as sad.
I hope and pray there's someone around her who will reach out and point Sandra to the one thing, the one person who actually can fulfill her and meet her needs. If not, I can send her some of the things I turn to so often. Unfortunately, I've got plenty to spare.
Sunday School Sneak Peek
Last week in Sunday School, Chad explained to everyone the struggle the church has had trying to find a teacher for EPIC, and he asked you to be praying that someone would become available for the Spring Quarter (that begins this week). Well, God has been gracious in answering our prayers, and Craig Branch--he's Mary's husband, Chip's father, and an elder at OMPC--became available and will begin teaching EPIC this Sunday! What a blessing that God has seen fit to answer our prayers so quickly and by giving us not only someone who's already committed to the Singles Ministry, but is also one of the leading experts on what he'll be teaching.
As a follow-up to the series we finished last week on Acts, Craig will be continuing our look at evangelism from the perspective of Apologetics. Where our study of Acts showed us the heart behind evangelism, and biblical examples of how the early church practiced engaging the lost around them, this series on Apologetics will help us look at practical ways to "make a defense" of the Gospel, not only generally, but to specific groups who believe things counter to the faith. Do you have co-workers who are Muslims? What about your neighbor who, when you invited her to church, told you she is an atheist? Over the course of the next 6 weeks, Craig will be equipping us with specific and practical ways to engage a wide variety of folks we come in contact with everyday.
So, thanks for praying that God would provide someone to teach our class, and we'll see you all Sunday morning at 9:05, in Room S-180. Have a great weekend!
As a follow-up to the series we finished last week on Acts, Craig will be continuing our look at evangelism from the perspective of Apologetics. Where our study of Acts showed us the heart behind evangelism, and biblical examples of how the early church practiced engaging the lost around them, this series on Apologetics will help us look at practical ways to "make a defense" of the Gospel, not only generally, but to specific groups who believe things counter to the faith. Do you have co-workers who are Muslims? What about your neighbor who, when you invited her to church, told you she is an atheist? Over the course of the next 6 weeks, Craig will be equipping us with specific and practical ways to engage a wide variety of folks we come in contact with everyday.
So, thanks for praying that God would provide someone to teach our class, and we'll see you all Sunday morning at 9:05, in Room S-180. Have a great weekend!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Sunday School Leftovers: A View from the Beach
So yesterday I had some of the most fun teaching I've had in a while! For the past week I haven't been able to shake two things from the passage in Acts we looked at:
One, is that ministry, real, normal Christian ministry is ministry of tears and trials. It is not ministry that's easy, clean, or neat. It is ministry that requires much of those who chose to enter into it, because it means entering into the lives of those around you.
The second thing is the image of Paul and the Ephesian elders kneeling on the beach, with the ship just over shoulder, ready to take Paul to Jerusalem. I've wondered all week what the Singles Ministry at OMPC would look like, how it might be different if we viewed our lives as racing the clock. If we kept the perspective that there is a ship just off-shore, waiting to take us to the next port (marriage, a different city).
It's hard for me to look at our group and say, "Well, here are the things we're doing that are 'wastes of time.'" That just seems to me to be a pretty cynical and unmotivating way to encourage ministry. What I can see clearly, though, is a picture of what it would look like if we really lived with these two mindsets at the forefront of everything we did. It's a pretty amazing and terrifying picture, and I pray that I get the chance to be around to see it happen.
Boy! What a view!
One, is that ministry, real, normal Christian ministry is ministry of tears and trials. It is not ministry that's easy, clean, or neat. It is ministry that requires much of those who chose to enter into it, because it means entering into the lives of those around you.
The second thing is the image of Paul and the Ephesian elders kneeling on the beach, with the ship just over shoulder, ready to take Paul to Jerusalem. I've wondered all week what the Singles Ministry at OMPC would look like, how it might be different if we viewed our lives as racing the clock. If we kept the perspective that there is a ship just off-shore, waiting to take us to the next port (marriage, a different city).
It's hard for me to look at our group and say, "Well, here are the things we're doing that are 'wastes of time.'" That just seems to me to be a pretty cynical and unmotivating way to encourage ministry. What I can see clearly, though, is a picture of what it would look like if we really lived with these two mindsets at the forefront of everything we did. It's a pretty amazing and terrifying picture, and I pray that I get the chance to be around to see it happen.
Boy! What a view!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Theology for a Song
Last night at choir we sang the hymn, "Jesus Shall Reign." It's one we sing fairly regularly at my church.
Like many old hymns, there are about 150 stanzas to this song, but I've decided to print a few of the ones that speak most to my heart and mind right now.
Jesus shall reign where’er the sun does his successive journeys run;
His kingdom stretch from shore to shore, till moons shall wax and wane no more.
Blessings abound wherever He reigns; the prisoner leaps to lose his chains;
The weary find eternal rest, and all the sons of want are blessed.
Where He displays His healing power, death and the curse are known no more:
In Him the tribes of Adam boast more blessings than their father lost.
Great God, whose universal sway the known and unknown worlds obey,
Now give the kingdom to Thy Son, extend His power, exalt His throne.
The scepter well becomes His hands; all Heav’n submits to His commands;
His justice shall avenge the poor, and pride and rage prevail no more.
With power He vindicates the just, and treads th’oppressor in the dust:
His worship and His fear shall last till hours, and years, and time be past.
Here's the thing: I need to constantly (and by that I mean, minute-by-minute) be reminded that Jesus is regining, whether it feels like it or not. Wherever the sun touches on this earth, Jesus reigns. And it's not a chaotic reign. It's a reign of order and righteousness. I need to be reminded that, even though it seems like it's gaining ground all around me and in the lives of those I know, even the kingdom of darkness is submissive to his will and reign. I need not to forget that he is healing this world and putting it back right, restoring what the fall has stolen and even more. The circumstances in my life and in the lives of those around me have no bearing on these facts, and this hymn jars me out of my arrogance and self-exaltation, to focus on Christ and stop thinking that because "Jason's life" is a certain way, it must mean that somehow the universe has altered and the truth about Christ has changed.
Like many old hymns, there are about 150 stanzas to this song, but I've decided to print a few of the ones that speak most to my heart and mind right now.
Jesus shall reign where’er the sun does his successive journeys run;
His kingdom stretch from shore to shore, till moons shall wax and wane no more.
Blessings abound wherever He reigns; the prisoner leaps to lose his chains;
The weary find eternal rest, and all the sons of want are blessed.
Where He displays His healing power, death and the curse are known no more:
In Him the tribes of Adam boast more blessings than their father lost.
Great God, whose universal sway the known and unknown worlds obey,
Now give the kingdom to Thy Son, extend His power, exalt His throne.
The scepter well becomes His hands; all Heav’n submits to His commands;
His justice shall avenge the poor, and pride and rage prevail no more.
With power He vindicates the just, and treads th’oppressor in the dust:
His worship and His fear shall last till hours, and years, and time be past.
Here's the thing: I need to constantly (and by that I mean, minute-by-minute) be reminded that Jesus is regining, whether it feels like it or not. Wherever the sun touches on this earth, Jesus reigns. And it's not a chaotic reign. It's a reign of order and righteousness. I need to be reminded that, even though it seems like it's gaining ground all around me and in the lives of those I know, even the kingdom of darkness is submissive to his will and reign. I need not to forget that he is healing this world and putting it back right, restoring what the fall has stolen and even more. The circumstances in my life and in the lives of those around me have no bearing on these facts, and this hymn jars me out of my arrogance and self-exaltation, to focus on Christ and stop thinking that because "Jason's life" is a certain way, it must mean that somehow the universe has altered and the truth about Christ has changed.
Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock
One of the themes that I hit on occassionally with the Singles Group at Oak Mountain is the idea that singleness is a tremendous gift that, for the most part, has been given to folks for a short amount of time. I believe there is clear biblical teaching that once you're married, take vows, and covenant before God with your spouse, your priorities, focus, and primary ministry area change. You're time, body, and longings are no longer for yourself but for your husband or wife. This isn't true in the same way for singles. To be sure, when Paul writes in I Corinthians 6:19, "You are not your own," he's referring to believers both single and married, but clearly there are typically fewer restraints on singles than there are on married couples, and this ought to change our perspective on our lives in two ways.
The first is that we should be exceedingly grateful to the Lord for freeing us up to spend ourselves for the gospel, the chuch, and other people. And the second is that we should be a group of people who are constantly looking at the clock over our shoulders. . . no, not the biological clock, but the clock that says our singleness isn't a gift we're likely to have forever. This freedom, this lack of constraint to do ministry, this time that we have to devote to caring for others and serving may not be here tomorrow. I firmly believe that God has husbands and wives out there for most of the singles at Oak Mountain, and I pray regularly that those relationships will become known, develop, and end in glorious symbols of Christ's relationship to his bride, the Church. In the meantime, I pray regularly, that we will not use our singleness as an excuse or think of ourselves as somehow "second-class Christians" who have nothing to offer the body or the kingdom.
Here's the thing: singles are racing the clock. We don't typically feel that because we're so busy focused on ourselves and how poor and pitiful we are, but we are, the stakes are high, and the clock is ticking.
The first is that we should be exceedingly grateful to the Lord for freeing us up to spend ourselves for the gospel, the chuch, and other people. And the second is that we should be a group of people who are constantly looking at the clock over our shoulders. . . no, not the biological clock, but the clock that says our singleness isn't a gift we're likely to have forever. This freedom, this lack of constraint to do ministry, this time that we have to devote to caring for others and serving may not be here tomorrow. I firmly believe that God has husbands and wives out there for most of the singles at Oak Mountain, and I pray regularly that those relationships will become known, develop, and end in glorious symbols of Christ's relationship to his bride, the Church. In the meantime, I pray regularly, that we will not use our singleness as an excuse or think of ourselves as somehow "second-class Christians" who have nothing to offer the body or the kingdom.
Here's the thing: singles are racing the clock. We don't typically feel that because we're so busy focused on ourselves and how poor and pitiful we are, but we are, the stakes are high, and the clock is ticking.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Sunday School Sneek Peak
This week in Sunday School we're finishing up our series called Life Outside the Body: Studies in Evangelism from the book of Acts. I've so enjoyed this series, and my second time through it, the book of Acts continues to find a solidified place in my heart. This week we'll be looking at Acts 20:17-38. Paul has been in Athens and is leaving. He gives some final words to the Ephesian elders, and then has one of the most touching scenes recorded in Scripture on the beach with them, just before he boards the ship.
What lessons are there for us in this passage? I think many. This Sunday we'll be looking at just a few. Just a word of warning, don't confuse biblical "farewells" with benedictions. Often times they aren't filled with what the world would view as hopeful words. But, as we all grow in our understanding of the Christian life and the gospel, we come to realize just how experientially true they really are.
If you're in Birmingham this weekend, come join us at Oak Mountain Pres., at 9:05am in Room S-180. Hope to see you then.
What lessons are there for us in this passage? I think many. This Sunday we'll be looking at just a few. Just a word of warning, don't confuse biblical "farewells" with benedictions. Often times they aren't filled with what the world would view as hopeful words. But, as we all grow in our understanding of the Christian life and the gospel, we come to realize just how experientially true they really are.
If you're in Birmingham this weekend, come join us at Oak Mountain Pres., at 9:05am in Room S-180. Hope to see you then.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
It Is What It Is
Here's the thing: I really despise the phrase "It is what it is." I mean, really despise. I've had several people try to convince me that really it's a good phrase, a healthy phrase, a phrase of acceptance of the reality of the situation that gives you the ability to think and act from a position of what's really happening instead of thinking and acting about what you want to be true or would like to be true. But, I'm not buying that. To me, whenever I hear it (usually from these same people, by the way) it comes across as fatalistic and hopeless, and an excuse to continue in their own sin. It's not typically used as a starting point for moving forward, but a rationale to just let things be the way they are.
When it comes to matters of faith and Christianity, I'm what is called a Calvinist or Reformed, and one of the things that means is I have a very high view of God's sovereignty, his ordination and control over all events, but in no way does this make me fatalistic or hopeless. I mean, can you imagine if God had adopted this view? The earth is void and formless, well, it is what it is. Man is alone and this isn't good, eh, it is what it is. Adam and Eve will one day sin and condemn the entire human race to hell and they'll have no way of being reconciled to me. Huh, oh well, it is what it is. God is sovereign, and he is in control, but his sovereignty in no way exempts us from fighting the good fight and running the race set before us. We may not be able to choose or control where the punches come from or where the road twists and turns, but we can absolutely decide to take a dive or give up and just walk.
When it comes to matters of faith and Christianity, I'm what is called a Calvinist or Reformed, and one of the things that means is I have a very high view of God's sovereignty, his ordination and control over all events, but in no way does this make me fatalistic or hopeless. I mean, can you imagine if God had adopted this view? The earth is void and formless, well, it is what it is. Man is alone and this isn't good, eh, it is what it is. Adam and Eve will one day sin and condemn the entire human race to hell and they'll have no way of being reconciled to me. Huh, oh well, it is what it is. God is sovereign, and he is in control, but his sovereignty in no way exempts us from fighting the good fight and running the race set before us. We may not be able to choose or control where the punches come from or where the road twists and turns, but we can absolutely decide to take a dive or give up and just walk.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
In the Fire
Have you been reading or keeping up with the wildfires that have killed 180 people in Australia? I gotta be honest, I really haven't been. I've been bouncing around from one thing to the other, too consumed by my own life to be too much concerned with what's happened there. But, this morning, I was thinking about the missionaries and pastors and Christians in Australia, and I was wondering what kinds of doors and opportunities this tragedy is opening up.
See, here's the thing: when something horrific like this happens, it generally causes people who've never thought much about God, to spend a good bit of time with him on their minds, even if what they're thinking isn't that "God is great, God is good," type of things. But when it comes to light, as it has in this case, that humans were "responsible" for the fires, postmodern society really struggles. If everyone's supposed to be basically good and what they do right for them, what do you do with individuals who would start a fire like this that kills a bunch of people and destroys homes, property, and lives that have to be re-built? These are the types of questions that people have at times like these, and sometimes they turn to the church or to Christians to try and find answers. I'm praying that the missionaries and churches are ready to respond. . . not with all the answers, but with the Gospel. I'm praying they'll be there with garbage bags, hammers, saws, and food; arms that can hold, eyes that are wet with tears over the pain, and mouths that are appropriately closed when just being there is what's called for; and I'm also hoping they'll be there with open Bibles, ready to give people the only hope there is when what you believed about human nature is shaken and you're literally standing around in the charred rubble of your life.
See, here's the thing: when something horrific like this happens, it generally causes people who've never thought much about God, to spend a good bit of time with him on their minds, even if what they're thinking isn't that "God is great, God is good," type of things. But when it comes to light, as it has in this case, that humans were "responsible" for the fires, postmodern society really struggles. If everyone's supposed to be basically good and what they do right for them, what do you do with individuals who would start a fire like this that kills a bunch of people and destroys homes, property, and lives that have to be re-built? These are the types of questions that people have at times like these, and sometimes they turn to the church or to Christians to try and find answers. I'm praying that the missionaries and churches are ready to respond. . . not with all the answers, but with the Gospel. I'm praying they'll be there with garbage bags, hammers, saws, and food; arms that can hold, eyes that are wet with tears over the pain, and mouths that are appropriately closed when just being there is what's called for; and I'm also hoping they'll be there with open Bibles, ready to give people the only hope there is when what you believed about human nature is shaken and you're literally standing around in the charred rubble of your life.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Slain in the Dark
It was a council of three, called to order by the Father, and it was done in the dark. The topic of conversation was man's sin. How to deal with and make atonement for the sinful nature that all men would have as a result of the actions of the first man and woman. There was no discussion, there was no other point of view. God had to become man, live as a perfect man, and die for the sins of those he'd chosen. There was no other way it could happen, nothing else that could be done. So, there in the darkness, before the world was created (Revelation 13:8), in the mind of God the Father, his son was slain, thus opening the way for men and women of faith to find life in Christ, even before he came to earth. It happened in the dark. The decision, the settled certainty of the event that would bring more light and more hope to the world than any other in all of history, and it gives us another reason to cherish the darkness.
Monday, February 9, 2009
It Hath Charms
One of the effects of (or perhaps causes of) my nightmares and sleep issues has been extreme restlessness. It's not too hard to imagine that getting 2-3 hours of sleep each night would make it hard to concetrate and focus and be still, or it could be that this is spiritual warfare and demonic activity in my life and that's why I'm having trouble sleeping in the first place. At any rate, the result is I'm restless in body, soul, and mind most of the time. Except when there's music playing. The longer I live with this, the more things get added to the "weird" column, and I almost put this one into that column, until the Holy Spirit brought to mind the passage from I Samuel 16:14-23. It's after God has rejected Saul as king of Israel, and he (God) sends an evil spirit to torment Saul. The passage says that David was brought into Saul's presence and "whenever the eveil spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him."
Okay, I gotta clarify a few things here, before I start getting a bunch of phone calls and e-mails. I'm not saying that God has rejected me as he did Saul. Biblically, I don't think that's possible. And, I'm also not saying that whatever is going on with me is an evil spirit that God has "sent" to torment me. The only parallel I'm drawing between Saul and myself right now is the fact that we both were/are tormented by something, and we both found/find comfort in the playing of music.
Here's the thing: throughout all this, I've found such comfort in music, both as it's played and sung. It's given me brief moments of peace and rest for my soul and emotions. One of the most precious (in multiple senses of the word) hours I've had through all this is each Wednesday night going to choir practice at my church. This past Sunday, as I was looking over my lesson for Sunday School one more time, I went up to the sanctuary where the praise team and band were practicing for the worship service, just so I could be near the music. It may not last forever, and right now it doesn't seem to be a permanent "fix" to the situation. When the music stops, the restlessness returns. But those moments while it's playing I am refreshed and well, and the evil really does seem to depart.
Okay, I gotta clarify a few things here, before I start getting a bunch of phone calls and e-mails. I'm not saying that God has rejected me as he did Saul. Biblically, I don't think that's possible. And, I'm also not saying that whatever is going on with me is an evil spirit that God has "sent" to torment me. The only parallel I'm drawing between Saul and myself right now is the fact that we both were/are tormented by something, and we both found/find comfort in the playing of music.
Here's the thing: throughout all this, I've found such comfort in music, both as it's played and sung. It's given me brief moments of peace and rest for my soul and emotions. One of the most precious (in multiple senses of the word) hours I've had through all this is each Wednesday night going to choir practice at my church. This past Sunday, as I was looking over my lesson for Sunday School one more time, I went up to the sanctuary where the praise team and band were practicing for the worship service, just so I could be near the music. It may not last forever, and right now it doesn't seem to be a permanent "fix" to the situation. When the music stops, the restlessness returns. But those moments while it's playing I am refreshed and well, and the evil really does seem to depart.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Chosen in the Dark
If you haven't read it yet, please take a minute and read the introduction to this series.
God chose me in the dark. Before light was created (Genesis 1:2-3), before the earth itself was created God chose me to be his son (Ephesians 1:4). There may be no better reason to love the darkness than this! It was in the dark, before there was life, before I could sin or do good works, before I had the ability to know God, he chose me, of his own accord, of his own delight. Even though he certainly knows all, he didn't peer through the darkness to see my decision and pre-empt me by picking me first. Instead, in that moment, the quiet, stillness of the dark, when it was only Him, his Son, and his Spirit, he said "yes" to Jason. Here's the thing: nothing any more significant than that could ever take place in the dark, and it is to that I cling when the darkness feels like a prison cell or like it's closing in fast to suffocate. It becomes, not an agent of constriction but one of freedom.
God chose me in the dark. Before light was created (Genesis 1:2-3), before the earth itself was created God chose me to be his son (Ephesians 1:4). There may be no better reason to love the darkness than this! It was in the dark, before there was life, before I could sin or do good works, before I had the ability to know God, he chose me, of his own accord, of his own delight. Even though he certainly knows all, he didn't peer through the darkness to see my decision and pre-empt me by picking me first. Instead, in that moment, the quiet, stillness of the dark, when it was only Him, his Son, and his Spirit, he said "yes" to Jason. Here's the thing: nothing any more significant than that could ever take place in the dark, and it is to that I cling when the darkness feels like a prison cell or like it's closing in fast to suffocate. It becomes, not an agent of constriction but one of freedom.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
A "Dark Theology": Introduction
Okay, here's the thing: I'm a little nervous about posting this for a couple of reasons. One, I don't have all my ideas fully thought through, and there's nothing like putting something in print that you're not totally sure about! The second thing, is I'm a little afraid that folks will misunderstand where I'm coming from on this and will misinterpret what I'm actually talking about. That being said, here goes. . .
One of the things that can happen when you don't sleep is that you end up spending a lot of time in the dark. Over the course of the past few months, I've reflected on and thought about darkness. Darkness is used over and over again in Scripture as a symbol for sin, often times hidden sin (In John 12, Jesus talks about how he's come into the world so that we no longer have to walk in darkness. In 2 Corinthians Paul uses darkness to represent unbelievers and contrasts that to believers who are in the light. I John 1 admonishes believers not to hide their sins in the dark but to bring them into the light where God is). Figurative darkness is used in Scripture with mostly negative connotations.
But what about actual darkness? Is there a difference? Does physical darkness have about it the same secret, closed off, sinful ethos that figurative darkness does? As I've thought about it, I've come to realize that actually, a lot of really amazing and really important things concerning my Christian life and relationship with God happened in literal darkness, and so I've begun to try and reflect on some of these to make the dark that I find myself in more and more these days (and nights), and over the course of a few blogs, I'm going to be sharing and talking some about what I've discovered.
One of the things that can happen when you don't sleep is that you end up spending a lot of time in the dark. Over the course of the past few months, I've reflected on and thought about darkness. Darkness is used over and over again in Scripture as a symbol for sin, often times hidden sin (In John 12, Jesus talks about how he's come into the world so that we no longer have to walk in darkness. In 2 Corinthians Paul uses darkness to represent unbelievers and contrasts that to believers who are in the light. I John 1 admonishes believers not to hide their sins in the dark but to bring them into the light where God is). Figurative darkness is used in Scripture with mostly negative connotations.
But what about actual darkness? Is there a difference? Does physical darkness have about it the same secret, closed off, sinful ethos that figurative darkness does? As I've thought about it, I've come to realize that actually, a lot of really amazing and really important things concerning my Christian life and relationship with God happened in literal darkness, and so I've begun to try and reflect on some of these to make the dark that I find myself in more and more these days (and nights), and over the course of a few blogs, I'm going to be sharing and talking some about what I've discovered.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Sunday School Sneak Peek
This week's lesson is titled, "Evangelism: It's About Asking the Right Questions," and we'll be looking at how questions can be used as a great way to get into spiritual conversations with people.
See you at 9:05 in Room S-180.
See you at 9:05 in Room S-180.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Easy for YOU to Say. . .
One of the funnier side effects of all the sleep issues I've been dealing with is my speech. It typically happens later in the afternoon or at night, and it manifests itself in a few different ways.
The first way is that sometimes I actually can't put a sentence together. The words come out, but they don't come out in order or connected. It sounds a little something like this, "Yeah, it's like me too." Now, that would be fine if I was a surfer from southern California responding to a question and I added a "fur sure" on the end, but since I live in Alabama and am responding to someone who just said, "I really liked that movie" it tends not to make much sense.
The second way it shows up is stuttering. I've never really had an issue with stuttering or stammering, but all of a sudden I can't get the words out! Sometimes it's the first letter, but more often it's the entire word. I get about halfway through and have to start over. It's cu-cu-cu-curazy!
But, here's the thing: the last one is probably my favorite. That's when I start talking 90 miles-an-hour, like I'm on speed. I did this to a friend of mine the other night on the way home from work. I called her, and just went on and on and on, finally taking a breath to hear her laughing on the other end of the phone! Trust me, of the three, you definitely want the guy on speed to show up. It's much more fun and less frustrating than the other two.
So, next time you see me, and it's afternoon or evening, roll the dice and say "hi." Who knows what you'll get?!
The first way is that sometimes I actually can't put a sentence together. The words come out, but they don't come out in order or connected. It sounds a little something like this, "Yeah, it's like me too." Now, that would be fine if I was a surfer from southern California responding to a question and I added a "fur sure" on the end, but since I live in Alabama and am responding to someone who just said, "I really liked that movie" it tends not to make much sense.
The second way it shows up is stuttering. I've never really had an issue with stuttering or stammering, but all of a sudden I can't get the words out! Sometimes it's the first letter, but more often it's the entire word. I get about halfway through and have to start over. It's cu-cu-cu-curazy!
But, here's the thing: the last one is probably my favorite. That's when I start talking 90 miles-an-hour, like I'm on speed. I did this to a friend of mine the other night on the way home from work. I called her, and just went on and on and on, finally taking a breath to hear her laughing on the other end of the phone! Trust me, of the three, you definitely want the guy on speed to show up. It's much more fun and less frustrating than the other two.
So, next time you see me, and it's afternoon or evening, roll the dice and say "hi." Who knows what you'll get?!
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