tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76675632024-03-07T20:38:29.681-06:00Sans ContexteConversations theological, philosophical, cultural and practical without a context.theologienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05999449636939375428noreply@blogger.comBlogger116125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7667563.post-87700255736063899682019-12-20T21:02:00.000-06:002019-12-20T21:10:12.613-06:00Where have you been?<a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZEQfgM8uuUUj4nP1oI1PBECs5mURkRME2lFZv4QLrB2OaSOuoREl2bqcny1esuinUGxfClKrzjq35XO1kVy5ri1bkP4svj0wxhQ6pKiUXWnbjLaZGeUO1NoYG9PVPw6iyocg/s1600/20191123_091249.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1297" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZEQfgM8uuUUj4nP1oI1PBECs5mURkRME2lFZv4QLrB2OaSOuoREl2bqcny1esuinUGxfClKrzjq35XO1kVy5ri1bkP4svj0wxhQ6pKiUXWnbjLaZGeUO1NoYG9PVPw6iyocg/s200/20191123_091249.jpg" width="161" /></a>The last post on this site was 2015, a year or so before we returned to the US from France.<br />
Since then, we've lost my brother, mother, nephew and sister in law. It's been rough.<br />
God is good, and I think I will use this platform to publish some thoughts and ideas as I go along.<br />
Thanks again for checking in.<br />
<br />
howard<br />
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<img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" />theologienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05999449636939375428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7667563.post-88187981011919390842015-10-11T13:35:00.001-05:002019-12-20T20:50:13.288-06:00Community: “Why Should Christians Live in Community in the Church?”<i>A sermon by Claude Rouviere, 11/Oct/2015</i><br />
<a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDo8nX39vY7rpzkw_ab0EXRxdJpvN0kRC8HsRZlr3CDIeBVm7trtY7PrkJUdUjJYZZY-cNHC9M5ew5t1W41PGgNbPcDHcUH3qTBmh8cAud9JjXlbha3a2DwGok0HkiOLX61ICZ/s1600-h/community-Claude%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="community-Claude" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWTlyHBrywTf721QLihXppRIwe-1pgHXAjbv3Xf0GLWKxE9LC6BzpFmFsnUgvm1IY39lhcUedjSPUhxYP_LvNMTyuEgUmVfwISTQ3yucWR6dLf87ABqMDC46nUiEiHYe_NIVP8//?imgmax=800" height="165" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" width="238"></a><br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: small;">Outline</span></strong></div>
<strong>•Early church community as a 'model’ (Acts 2, 42-47)</strong><br />
<strong>•Why community? </strong><br />
<strong>•Brothers and sisters, not friends</strong><br />
<strong>•Community is not THE aim</strong><br />
<i></i><br />
<blockquote>
<i>« They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together at the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. »</i> (Acts 2, 42-47)<i></i></blockquote>
This well-known text describes the first fellowship of believers and gives us a model of how the Church should be but it seems that most communities have drifted from this over centuries.<br />
Francis Chan wrote in ‘<em>Crazy Love</em>’ : « We all know that something is wrong. In the beginning I thought I was the only one concerned. Until the day I asked this question to twenty thousand Christian students : « How many of you, after reading the New Testament, wonder if you haven't missed something? » Almost everyone raised their hands and I was suddenly reassured. At least, I was not crazy »<br />
The life of the early Church could sound like a dream but the Bible never says that there was an early church and then another one. There is only Christ’s Church and God’s Word says all we need to know to be what He wants.<br />
A first point is self-evident from the beginning of this chapter even if Luke didn't think that it was necessary to remind us of it : this Church is born from Pentecost ; it lives fully in the power of the Holy Spirit. To restore confidence in the Holy Spirit, to let Him have all the authority in the Church seems to me the first essential step to come back to the Church that God wanted. But this could be a whole sermon in itself !<br />
This early Church was clearly a community of life as shown by these words : <br />
<blockquote>
« everyone», « all », « together », « in common ». </blockquote>
When Jesus said <i>« For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them »</i> he highlighted something very special about community in His name : it’s a refuge where His presence is assured in a very special way.<br />
Believers lived fully in fellowship not only for spiritual activities. It was just in this manner that Jesus lived with the apostles and He used the word « brothers » to show in what way He wanted His disciples to live. This image of the family means care of one another, help, support, encouragement. Brothers and sisters share what they live ; the young learn a lot from the old … It is what Jesus desires for His Church.<br />
Going to church is really not the same thing as going to the cinema ! It’s being part of a community where people know each other, trust each other, share the joys and difficulties of being a disciple. Everyone knows he can count on others whatever he needs.<br />
But do we dare to revel our needs ? And what about calling for help ? Often we are afraid of bothering people But Jesus Himself called the apostles for help in the garden of Gethsemane. They were not very useful, that’s right but it was before the cross, the resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit that changed them ! But if we support each other especially with prayer, we will see God acting, we will be awed and we will grow up in faith.<br />
No one is strong enough to face disciple life alone. They always will be dark days, days of discouragement when we will need to be reminded about God’s love and faithfulness ; days when we will have no more strength to pray and then others will support us with prayer and on the other hand, days when we will be happy to support and encourage others, sharing the mighty Works of God with them.<br />
This text talks about prayer –and this too could be a whole sermon. Praying for others is good but praying WITH others is very important. This may be difficult for us because the language used in our Church may not be our mother tongue and it is difficult to pray in another language –unless one is perfectly bilingual- because often our heart goes faster than the translation ! And prayer needs to flow in liberty. This is something we could think about together in order to decide what we could do. <br />
A friend shared something very interesting to me. She was at a prayer meeting and someone came with a Dutch friend. She didn’t speak French and so she prayed in Dutch. My friend didn’t try to understand because… it was impossible but she opened her heart to God and then a prayer came and she spoke it out loudly. The lady who came with the Dutchwoman said in her ear : « that is almost exactly what she said ». Prayer is not only human speaking and thinking. God is there !<br />
But there is much more to fellowship as David said in Psalm 133 :<br />
<blockquote>
<i>« How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity !</i><br />
<i>It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe.</i><br />
<i>It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion.</i><br />
<i>For there the Lord bestow his blessing, even life for evermore. »</i></blockquote>
This very short psalm is fundamentally built around these words : « live together in unity » . Everything else describes this fellowship with the words « it is like », « it is as if »<br />
First it is simply good and pleasant as said in verse 1, as human friendship can be but verse 2 compares it to the priestly anointing that was reserved for God. We must remember that some parts of the Temple were forbidden to those who had not received anointing. <br />
In verse 3 the comparison with dew shows fellowship as a gift from God that brings freshness and life. It is rainwater and dew on Mount Hermon that gives life to the Jordan, the vein of life in this desert country<br />
The last verse in a way, summarizes everything : <i>« </i><i>For there</i> –in fellowship<i>- the Lord bestows his blessing, even life for evermore »</i>. If we simply <i>« live together in unity »</i> God can bestow on us<i> </i><i>« </i><i>his blessing, even life for evermore » </i>! ! Have you ever thought about this ?<br />
Could fellowship be a condition for blessing and abundant life ? Could God wait for His children to be united in communion to bestow His blessings ?<br />
This is what David seems to be saying in this Psalm. As with salvation, God gives us the means to enter into the blessing of abundant life but we must accept them and put them into practice.<br />
And this is not about well-being –not so easy to attain- in a small group of chosen friends but about spiritual communion with all the children of God, those who are easy to get on with and all others, even the ones who have hurt us, even those who don’t think the same about how and when Jesus will return : millenarian, premillenarian, postmillenarian, amillénarian… and even those who don’t care ;-)<br />
Could we imagine that it was easier for the early Church ? That they were all kind and gentle ? Do you think that it was easy to live with Peter ? And with Paul ?<br />
We are brothers and sisters because we have the same father. Let us not forget that Jesus taught us to pray « Our father », not « My father ». Why ? Perhaps because of the blessing and the abundant life. Love is not a choice, it’s a commandment.<br />
Sometimes one of my sons came to me saying « he is not my brother anymore! » I explained to him that I understood his anger but that his brother will stay his brother forever. It generally was short but very painful for me. Could we imagine God’s heartbreak every time we find good reasons to avoid loving those who are also His children, not necessarily in our community but in the all Church ?<br />
How can we say « Abba Father » without loving those who are our brothers and sisters in our father’s heart ? Remember <i>: « By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another ».</i> It’s easier to stick a fish on my car… Sometimes the attitude of the Church denies the gospel that it is supposed to announce. The world looks before listening…<br />
Rodney Smith (English evangelist) wrote with great pertinence. : « They are five Gospels : Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Christians. There are some people who have never read the first four »<br />
The text of Acts 2 lists the activities of the early Church and its fruit. I also note a notion of discipline. The verb « to devote oneself » seems to be about the time spent while in Greek the verb indicates more a sustained effort that could be better translated by the word 'persevere'. It is not only a question of presence but it is about making progress, digging deeper, without giving up.<br />
First « <i>the apostles' teaching », the « fellowship », « the breaking of bread </i>» -that could mean Holy Communion- and<i> « prayer </i>» result in<i> « awe at the many wonders and signs». </i>The word translated by<i> « wonder » </i>means in Greek « signs sent by the gods » and the one translated par <i>« signs »</i> speaks about marks which enable us to recognize, about proof. It’s a kind of stamp put by God in order to validate the witness of His Church.<br />
Then, Luke describes the radical and visible commitment of this community : to have <i>« everything in common »,</i> to <i>« sell property and possessions »,</i> to <i>« give to anyone who had need »</i>, to meet everyday at the Temple, again the breaking of bread, to eat together, the joy and praise that resulted in many conversions everyday.<br />
But it is very important to note that God is always the one who acts : the community and the apostles don’t produce wonders or signs. They are only the means and the Greek word « <em>dia</em> » said precisely « through ». They are in no way the principal actors nor the subject of the sentence. It is written : «many wonders and signs happen through the apostles. ». The apostles are exactly like a pipe that drives water to a watering place. <br />
You really need the pipe but it is only the water which quenches and gives life, not the pipe ! Take a pipe, even a new one, a very long one, you will never drink unless water flows through it.<br />
This Church was in some ways the extension of the group of apostles. They lived together with Jesus, they shared the gospel everywhere they went. Jesus is no longer present physically but they aren’t alone ; He is still the centre, the reason for this fellowship, the strength and the light they need to continue the mission and Jesus is still acting through them BY the Holy Spirit.<br />
Paul uses the image of the body. Jesus is the head. In what state is the body that we offer to him ? It seems to me that in this country, we give to him a heap of scattered limbs and organs. What can He do with this ?<br />
Together, around Christ who continues to be, by the Holy Spirit, present and acting through them. It’s very simple and nevertheless not so easy because through the centuries the Church has slidden away from this model.<br />
Could we try to see what could weaken the Church ?<br />
Firstly, community can be such a soft and comfortable cocoon that the spiritual life of others comforts and is enough. No need to seek God. And then, gradually, professionals of the faith have been established (I don’t speak about ministries, but about faith) When Jesus died, the curtain of the Temple was torn from top to bottom but through the centuries, the Church mended it. The strength of the Church is not the number of attendants but the number of people entering God’s presence.<br />
Community is a gift from God for believers and the world but the main danger is to build such a nice community only on human foundations where God is no more the centre nor the main actor. Also, good programs can be based only on human strategies, more like marketing than faith and their results will be very human and won’t show the power of God.<br />
Another big risk is to give priority to activities (even very spiritual ones, even ones that help others) rather than to God himself. They could become idols, like the bronze serpent that Hezekiah must destroy because the people of Israel offered incense to him.<br />
But no activity, even shown to the world in love will give sense to the Church. What I do FOR God will never replace what God wants to do IN us, THROUGH us. We are God’s instruments !<br />
Finally, the image used most frequently in the Bible to express God’s Relationship with His people is the image of a couple. Could you imagine a husband who would like an intimate moment with his wife. She answers : « I do the shopping, I do all the cooking, I do all the washing, I take care of the children, I even help the neighbors… what more do you want ? » It makes you laugh ?<br />
But we say this to God, very often… perhaps not in words but in facts.<br />
No program could take priority over the time of love with God, the time on the mountain, in the tent of meeting, in the silence of prayer. Even with fasting. Individually but also together. Speaking about God will always be less important than listening to God.<br />
Our deeds –even excellent- our work –even very hard- our perseverance are not the objective. Let us remember the letter to the Church in Ephesus :<br />
<i>« I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance… Yet I hold this against you : you have forsaken the love you had first »</i> (Rev 2, 2-4)<br />
We often understand the word ‘<em>protos</em>’ (first) as an indication of time (the love you had first) but in Greek, the main meaning is about priority, value, first place. <br />
<blockquote>
« I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance… Yet I hold this against you : you have forsaken to give me the first place in your love»</blockquote>
Jesus didn't blame this Church for its lack of good works but the lack of desire for Him. Religious activities can easily make us forget God or relegate Him to second place.<br />
But loving God must take precedence over deeds and work !<br />
I believe that the world will be transformed if –and when- the Church will come again to the absolute priority – the intimacy of a loving relationship with God.<br />
The whole Bible tells us about God's desire for a loving relationship with us. <br />
Do you know why we can find in the Bible such a surprising book as Song of Songs ?! So that we never forget God’s burning desire. A fiancé doesn’t desire that his fiancée does things for him but spends time with him. Do we dare to hear what the Bible says through this image of a loving couple that runs throughout all the Bible ? <br />
How can we respond to God’s desire for us ? What we can do for Him will never replace in His heart what he wants to do WITH us, IN us ! This is how the the early Church lived.<br />
If we dare to do the same, TOGETHER, then the world will see that He is God ! There will be wonders and signs and He will add daily to the Church those who will be saved !theologienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05999449636939375428noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7667563.post-15371180711576060532015-02-26T11:36:00.001-06:002015-02-26T11:36:24.813-06:00N. T. Wright and “The Way of the Wilderness”<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4JchgvGOH4c0-lDPQ0FMX48WMcENNoLZT4fa1wPgtjrMnLy-5ufeqx83UXc9Qovj_iWlFgtxYCcYMBNiMSgWiB3cn9zxDKIj05eFq5VaGaxJ00pPCe9rE3bDZHktls2isi85/s1600-h/way%252520of%252520pilgrimage%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="way of pilgrimage" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="way of pilgrimage" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhvq5sI-InkvDwMvWOZ5jAR4PNfMsfPnlBDbkJlPmpBJNq-uzDsB6jX2Y7ZRGGfillAv4zJkStiMo47DTPocl779cXVaEpXQKhbMmNkK_7lYwBdr-URdNMg8rKrrGAA3xVF4qG//?imgmax=800" width="150" align="left" height="232" /></a>I came across this meditation by N. T. Wright, based on his book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Way-Lord-Christian-Pilgrimage-Today/dp/0802871801/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1424970571&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=The+Way+of+the+Lord+Christian+Pilgrimage+Today+N.+T.+Wright">The Way of the Lord: Christian Pilgrimage Today</a> (<em> N. T. Wright, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co</em></p> <p>The wilderness comes in many shapes and sizes, just as the deserts of Judaea and Sinai are by no means uniform. I used to think of deserts as simply miles and miles of flat sands, punctuated by the odd oasis; but the wilderness that surrounds the Promised Land comes in many forms. There are huge crags, like Masada, the last bastion of the revolutionaries after the fall of Jerusalem, an enormous barren rock to the south-west of the Dead Sea. There are gullies and crevasses, great rocky outcrops and hidden valleys. Walk a mile or two off the road and you could get lost quite easily.</p> <p>The wilderness of the spiritual journey is much like that. For some, it is simply a sense that everything has gone very dry. There is no delight in prayer or reading the scriptures. Going to church has become boring and futile. The sacraments seem a pointless ritual. Where before there was a sense of God’s presence as a loving parent, gently nursing and guiding, or of the wise prompting of the Holy Spirit, there now seems to be a great emptiness. The story of Jesus, once so full of interest and stimulation, the scrap-book of the life of a new best friend, seems dull, and even the story of the cross and resurrection has apparently lost its power to sweep the heart. This is the common experience of many, many Christians at some stage in their pilgrimage. Tragically, some at once conclude that what happened at the Jordan was all a delusion, a passing phase, that there really is no Jerusalem to go on to. Others wander blindly without hope, and stumble by accident — or was it an accident? — back on to the right path. But the way of Christian maturity is to recognize the desert path for what it is — another mile on the road called ‘Faithfulness’ — and to tread it with obedience and patience:</p> theologienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05999449636939375428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7667563.post-52039079554230299592015-02-24T07:33:00.001-06:002015-02-24T07:39:34.639-06:00On the Road to Easter<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Y5rnajWj4fIybqjuMzWzcEsnpxtdyA5e4ULgbB2TTmcl2eka6afajIk-i_-9hJBoBrcR01zQr4U9vF12DAqyBqAg7H6vrj566Auf7Z3VAwpfXT13Q92OUmXSxveY965RRW_O/s1600-h/clip_image002%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="clip_image002" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 5px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" hspace="12" alt="clip_image002" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWf88RSJAgPuFumgu6LCLDGWAEHbsi9JyH_U-SRFzkX9DEBl2S7-sQQ1G33aUVAxatxsXdul4qgLnmfSOX7SufivayAomsiZQS8YDeda2iCKaBSKWmTueeONO2XrW9p1Sy-A3G//?imgmax=800" width="171" align="left" height="196" /></a><b>Mark 8:27–30</b> (GNB) </p> <p><sup>27</sup> Then Jesus and his disciples went away to the villages near Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Tell me, who do people say I am?” <sup>28</sup> “Some say that you are John the Baptist,” they answered; “others say that you are Elijah, while others say that you are one of the prophets.” <sup>29</sup> “What about you?” he asked them. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.” <sup>30</sup> Then Jesus ordered them, “Do not tell anyone about me.” </p> <p>Ash Wednesday was celebrated last week, which traditionally marks the beginning of the Lenten season, the 40 days to Easter and the Passion of the Christ. Often times Protestant do not participate in the ceremony, and they do not usually contemplate the meaning of the event. </p> <p>The aim of Ash Wednesday is said to be threefold: </p> <ul> <li>to meditate on our mortality, sinfulness, and need for a savior; </li> <li>to renew our commitment to daily repentance in all of life; </li> <li>and to remember with confidence and gratitude that Jesus has conquered sin and death. </li> </ul> <p>Our daily worship should be filled with the impact of this gospel truth. In order to truly understand and appreciate the impact of these three statements above, we have to start by answering the question that Jesus posed to Peter: “Who do you say I am?” If we can answer whole heartedly to Jesus, as Peter did, “you are the Messiah,” we can then rejoice with the Apostle Paul when he says, </p> <p>“Consider yourself dead to sin and alive in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 6:11).</p> <p><b>To Reflect:</b></p> <p><i>Spend some time being still before God, and ask the Spirit to search yourself: </i></p> <p><i>Psalm 139:23–24 (GNB) </i></p> <p><i><sup>23</sup> Examine me, O God, and know my mind; test me, and discover my thoughts. <sup>24</sup> Find out if there is any evil in me and guide me in the everlasting way. </i></p> <p><b></b></p> <p><em>Picture Credit: The White Crucifixion by Marc Chagall, 1938</em></p> theologienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05999449636939375428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7667563.post-84632160288839387612014-08-22T05:54:00.001-05:002014-08-22T05:54:30.424-05:00Ferguson Police interview the witnesses<iframe height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/gF2WO-JZ0WY" frameborder="0" width="459" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <p>Tthis video has come to light of Ferguson police interviewing witnesses to the shooting of Michael Brown. </p> theologienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05999449636939375428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7667563.post-21690328704263077322014-08-14T04:26:00.001-05:002014-08-14T06:27:46.509-05:00How to Ask?<p><a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/amanda_palmer_the_art_of_asking"><img title="amanda-palmer-2" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="amanda-palmer-2" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3jgTlRyEv3JtfHu8wNyY0ohKaufcZemxS6fn3SAGhdePt1cPO3KIZbJGBnNxtZfUZTFq65KtIm_-iNfoRLVsLiMGYTwBY3sBMmJMYbQsLZwvDF89gSGHNnfLq1hlXyon5jJ9//?imgmax=800" width="244" align="left" height="184" /></a>First, I suggest you watch this <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/amanda_palmer_the_art_of_asking"><strong><em><font color="#0000ff">TED talk by Amanda Palmer</font></em></strong></a>. I did not know who she was (still don’t, really) --she is part of a Band called <strong><em>Dresden Dolls</em></strong>.</p> <p>Her music is interesting, but not necessarily my cup of tea. I don’t endorse many of her beliefs or lifestyle (some of it will raise eyebrows): Such as, in one of her videos she walks up to a girl who is reading a bible, takes it away from her and tosses it over her shoulder; or in another video, she sings about getting an abortion (complete with coat hanger metaphor and some mockery of pro-life Christians).  There is no doubt she is a very creative person. But this post is not about the content of her music, videos or lifestyle.</p> <p>But what she talks about in this video is important. </p> <h3><em>How to relate</em></h3> <p>For example, she says this in the video:</p> <blockquote> <p><font color="#0000ff"><em>“I wrote the songs, and eventually we started making enough money that I could quit being a statue, and as we started touring, I really didn't want to lose this sense of direct connection with people, because I loved it. So after all of our shows, we would sign autographs and hug fans and hang out and talk to people.”</em></font></p> </blockquote> <p>Ouch! That pushes me outside my comfort zone. </p> <p>I wonder how much we think about the idea of a direct connection with people? The very essence of the Christian faith, if you read enough of Paul and the gospels, is connection. Isn’t the basic image of the church that of a body? Think 1 Corinthians 12 and 14.</p> <h3><em>Interdependence </em></h3> <p>But read on to see how she acts to connect with others. She reaches out over twitter and other social media, she will connect with people who will let her “couch surf” in the home, things like that. While the actual events are important, it does imply openness to others and a certain amount of vulnerability. </p> <p>It also implies a certain amount of asking and giving. She will ask for help with different things, and her fans reply overwhelmingly. She has come to rely on her fans in many ways, which amounts to interdependence. There is almost a symbiotic relationship between her and her fans. </p> <h3><em>Asking</em></h3> <p>Yes, <strong><em>asking</em></strong>.</p> <blockquote> <p><font color="#0000ff"><em>“And the media asked, "Amanda, the music business is tanking and you encourage piracy. How did you make all these people pay for music?" And the real answer is, I didn't make them. I asked them. And through the very act of asking people, I'd connected with them, and when you connect with them, people want to help you. It's kind of counterintuitive for a lot of artists. They don't want to ask for things.But it's not easy. It's not easy to ask. And a lot of artists have a problem with this. Asking makes you vulnerable.”</em></font></p> </blockquote> <p>This is really counterintuitive. Asking makes you vulnerable, which is not what we in the west are about. We are about control, power, positioning, et al. But again, read some Paul or one of the gospels. You see a different picture. One of the most counterintuitive words of Jesus is <em><font color="#0000ff">“The son of man did not come to be served, but to serve.”</font></em></p> <h3>Seeing Each Other</h3> <blockquote> <p><font color="#0000ff"><em>“And I think when we really see each other, we want to help each other.”</em></font></p> </blockquote> <p>So, a idea to end with is all about “seeing each other.” I think there are some good ideas here, ideas that we as followers of Christ shouldn’t have to be reminded of. </p> <h3>Now What?</h3> <p>One idea that I continually confronted with comes from a friend who strongly dislikes the basic fundamentalism she encounters in so many churches. To her (correctly), the Christian faith is about transformation, not changing behavior. But too many of the sermons she encounters are more about <strong><em><font color="#c0504d">Stop doing that and start doing this!</font></em></strong> and less about depending on grace. </p> <p>What would happen if we took an interest in someone and ASKED them how they were, and kept asking questions instead of giving them a four step plan to happiness and productivity? We are not the dispenser of grace, but we can be the conduit. </p> <p>So, how do we reach out to others? How can we choose to be vulnerable, open and interdependent with others? </p> <p>If someone outside the church can get these basic principles, why can’t we? </p> <p>What do you think?  </p> theologienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05999449636939375428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7667563.post-44154917935410028322014-07-31T04:04:00.001-05:002014-07-31T04:47:56.432-05:00The “New Colossus” Revise and Updated<p><strong><em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPQaqtsmWUMj-Bhk9962I8_2sKFD3OLOFeRsCp4OmL28y16LuC73ncF8gs5-Z5F3MBxno2PE9XeVWCVXahvJFKal22gyCWYL98IRp73afYBrQT6wgvGBfwXyNqg3x4jnFSq9lS/s1600-h/StatueOfLiberty%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><font size="2" face="Arial"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAwAkEw1amFvTxbsCX3kjtLjDpMC0hpmAwRDb2aEgpWRJbOLlmCZu_mHnuj8DIkeeinHcQf0wQGIGbXxgv6CTo3-mm5j-Ly6tvGkUBztNJLMCM3FqtlChyVIFs1tjjjZO1zERo/s1600-h/StatueOfLiberty%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="StatueOfLiberty" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px 5px 3px 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="StatueOfLiberty" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5t2jglfYEqPrqBYDL8PoYes27ZxtJgEsM15fw7cKoD3hc2zOLZ1tmh5jlO5hJQ_nk3IfVbzh1OYtHe-i5IWDd4aY9_PD9ZJQyXT7VRY7Ehiw3s5ZMl8SJ5zp6X9508Y2PUGB6//?imgmax=800" width="100" align="left" height="158" /></a></font></a><font size="2" face="Arial">"The New Colossus"</font></em></strong><font size="2" face="Arial"> is a sonnet by American poet Emma Lazarus (1849–87), written in 1883. In 1903, the poem was engraved on a bronze plaque and mounted inside the lower level of the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty.</font></p> <blockquote> <p><font color="#666666"><font face="Arial"><font size="2"><em><strong>Paul Auster</strong></em> wrote that "Bartholdi's gigantic effigy was originally intended as a monument to the principles of international republicanism, but 'The New Colossus' reinvented the statue's purpose, turning Liberty into a welcoming mother, a symbol of hope to the outcasts and downtrodden of the world"</font></font></font></p> <p><font color="#666666" size="2" face="Arial"></font></p> </blockquote> <p><font face="Arial"><font size="2"><strong><em></em></strong></font></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><font size="2"><strong><em>"New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus <br /></em></strong>Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, <br />With conquering limbs astride from land to land; <br />Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand <br />A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame <br />Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name <br />Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand <br />Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command <br />The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. <br />"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she <br />With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor, <br />Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, <br />The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. <br />Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, <br />I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"</font></font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Arial">Okay, so I did my own revision of the poem, based on the continual stream of news coming out of the US. </font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><font size="2"><strong><em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDsrT4S9WB_5gLNQaU2i7Jj6AvyYDopS3mvtHDGmgnsmtIa7dpWPr95NpfZRiDvF45keSltww68iYv0vSySxLtIhdlEC5t774zjXxHM5RnZpY7d__uhFaPmjvg4Nn0zwXEpxXP/s1600-h/SOL-tea%252520party%25255B4%25255D.png"><img title="SOL-tea party" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 5px 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="SOL-tea party" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyaMiw8bRRKCqKjfAunqaXQe9RHdHB0S0tG61C_LDluYUBEkLoxwCUUUu50Kd_DWSxPxBBW3AQozXlE_cTGNARpcjQ8CdybKxGO49w4lChLElW2IwJcTSnmvqM3iYbTum42upM//?imgmax=800" width="211" align="left" height="311" /></a>"New Colossus" (revised and updated)</em></strong> <br />Like the brazen giant of Greek fame, <br />With conquering limbs astride from land to land; <br />Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates stands <br />A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame <br />Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name <br />Mother of Exclusion. From her beacon-hand <br />Glows world-wide scrutiny; her fierce eyes command <br />The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. <br />"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she <br />With silent lips. "Don’t give me your tired, your poor, <br />Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, <br />Keep the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. <br />I will send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed back, <br />I lift my lamp beside the closed golden door!"</font></font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Arial"></font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Arial">What pains me is the Scriptures are fairly clear on this issue, but the culture and ethos of that culture have shaped the conversation into a political maelstrom. For example:</font></p> <blockquote> <p><font color="#666666">He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. <em><strong>Micah 6:8</strong></em></font></p> </blockquote> <p>God is looking for three things:</p> <ul> <li>Act justly</li> <li>Love mercy</li> <li>Walk humbly with your God</li> </ul> <p>What happens when the culture emphasizes one over the others? Imbalance. We arrive in the end at something else determining how to interpret and live out these scriptures. In this case, when the emphasis is on Justice at the expense of mercy, you create a place where patriotism and nationalism pre-determine how to interpret scripture. </p> <p>So, now what?</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy565rKuwzFJrPDZCGexjsLq93jtPkMyBH-8TZ9aazBXcHF5XcPjD7QQpXsy1c9bDmFIc2hHyx1wttyK9IRGMco5pSbR-VvBxezodUnvCFo2l4iIHFgZhVv6IPOfCredARZ3ml/s1600-h/theologien%25255B7%25255D.png"><img title="theologien" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 5px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="theologien" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy7hYMdM607_xzK8FXRoVhtVtz3I8h02JRLFygVnQO1wjgOdTcDQ1mDjz4sWwKxb9p-2oRaSSJfIOsV3oWaLoKJS4qGiN950G1FhQjsTZziPEyLtPNrkGr9cjAwpTwW4zJyNyF//?imgmax=800" width="105" height="37" /></a></p> <p> <div id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:7f10ac33-c80d-4e71-ae0f-5422e7a9fdfa" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/poetry" rel="tag">poetry</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/justice" rel="tag">justice</a></div></p> theologienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05999449636939375428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7667563.post-61860736810012265632014-05-06T03:58:00.001-05:002014-05-06T04:05:26.311-05:00Women of God: MARY, MOTHER OF JESUS Luke 1<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEith9h6R5lsqN55ErMd33T49AiPtFYAPGBsIDwIsgYH6mGpMyeKk5lUTuoab8KiL0QPktenp_8Kxj-69ABzzLy6KShHEwdkfEdR3NxCIZV5DOviAX0ZlOz4BsyTWzkIxNDPs6ka/s1600-h/virgin_mary%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img title="virgin_mary" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px 3px 3px 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="virgin_mary" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-rf96t1TwgoW5J1_PCh2u_tNdYzOY-vUvXEn1DBzsRvT-iAB8qeS9Fp-_dPJufWQXNzfgGQrMQu1_9kJUj1uWCr8qExO0XaGpIsrJP45M3jLk_1mOGQy9jEgISmwIvl6fQ4EA//?imgmax=800" width="205" align="left" height="244" /></a><strong><font size="3">God</font></strong> was about to break into the world in human flesh. His plan included working through the life of a teenage girl. It is interesting that in a patriarchal society, the angel visited Mary first. He did not visit Joseph first to get his permission. He did not discuss God's plan with Joseph and ask if he was willing to go along with it. Nor did Mary put the angel's message on hold and go to ask Joseph what she should do before responding. </p> <p>Mary did not need to get Joseph's permission or submit to his authority. She had God's word, God's authority. That was enough for her. Mary was willing to submit to God's will with or without Joseph. She had no idea what Joseph's response would be. She had no idea what he would do. The decision was hers and hers alone to make. She was called on by God to do his work and she willingly submitted. She was willing to face the humiliation, ridicule, and rejection of pregnancy before marriage — alone if need be. </p> <p>That does not mean that Mary did not need Joseph. She needed Joseph's love, his support, his understanding, his willingness to serve God alongside her, his partnership, his protection in a patriarchal society. She needed him to walk the journey with her. But, when she responded with a resounding yes to the angel, she did not have the assurance that Joseph would stand with her when she accepted God's call on her life. But, she did not need his permission to do what God called her to do. Joseph was told after the fact, and he willingly submitted to God's call on <b><i>Mary's life</i></b>. He stood with her, supported her, and encouraged her. Joseph was Mary's "<b><i>ezer kenegdo</i></b>" — her "suitable helper." <em>--dona</em></p> theologienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05999449636939375428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7667563.post-61212818498566018862014-04-01T08:42:00.001-05:002014-04-01T08:42:32.464-05:00Equal, But…??<p><strong><font size="5"><em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFRkJe0d97H1DCpPNxzzebexHEvHEpub81tDj5nQAXgI0TuaO9R5V-OINM852vJ2ygX6KkiIovVN28sUQ6Dsfwg1JlhD-uEjptnLF1Cug9UowTmaExYfoohI0XYX7p9O5cTfn9/s1600-h/spy%252520v%252520spy%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><img title="spy v spy" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 5px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="spy v spy" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2YPHSqRKiXHCGTUDrdsIR4ntW4p4iJ4sNqfLm2BWg7-oCz4U5If9yVVyGy_cp1HdftyVOZxEfYhCJrDR5Ft3EJunWqhyphenhyphen2OMoYx4PYx-aP1aYeGeZCSd6XpSNSg3IWgmgoJFg4//?imgmax=800" width="277" align="left" height="233" /></a>I keep encountering articles </em></font></strong>from various perspectives on the role of women in the church. What is sad is that the perspective for one of the adherents is not, "we agree to disagree," but, "you're wrong and therefore you are (at least) a heretic. So sad. </p> <p>My personal perspective is that the complementarian view does a great disservice to a large part of the body of Christ –Women in Christ. I believe that complementarians often represent a misunderstanding of what a text says. </p> <p>So many of their articles are a Procrustean bed of interpretation, allowing a theological premise to pre-interpret a text without really struggling with the context and to see what it actually says. But I’m not going to go into the morass of interpretation to try to refute and correct this thinking. But let me share a few thoughts:</p> <p>1. <font size="3"><strong><em>Both perspectives argue that they know exactly what God is trying to tell</em></strong></font> us through the various scriptures. But it still comes down to human understanding. When you take your stand on a position, are you certain that you are not guilty of two things? </p> <ul> <li><strong><em>Am I quenching the Spirit?</em></strong> If the Spirit is bringing this topic to the surface, and we shout it down with our interpretation, what are the implications for this? I, for one, would not want to be guilty of quenching the work of the Spirit. </li> <li><em><strong>Am I in danger of Blaspheming the Spirit?</strong></em> If I accuse my opponents of disobeying God (and what that implies), and it IS the work of the Spirit to show God’s will, am I saying that the work of the Spirit is not the work of the Spirit? Jesus was pretty specific on what that all means. </li> </ul> <p>2. <strong><em><font size="3">Do we really understand the historical context of a passage?</font></em></strong> To say that “it is in the bible, and therefore it true for all for all times” can raise havoc with our understanding of what a text says. Paul’s letters are that, letters written to a specific audience for a specific purpose. There are plenty of passages in the Pentateuch that give lie to the point of view that its true for all for all of time. If it is true for all time, why don’t we kill the ox that gores a neighbor after the owner was warned that it was dangerous? Or, why don’t women go outside of town for seven days when they experience their menstrual cycle? But you say, “well, that was the law, we are under grace.” Then what do we do with the Ten commandments? That was Law as well. We can’t pick and choose what we want to obey. I would never think of jumping into a discussion with someone without trying to understand the context and background of the conversation –and believe me, I’ve done it and made a fool of myself. </p> <p>3. <strong><em><font size="3">What is the REAL principle being taught in a passage?</font></em></strong> I once took a class on building codes when I was a property manager in the US. I remember that the instructor said that building codes, whether electrical, plumbing, etc., are the MINIMUM standard for safety, not a standard for excellence. I see much of what is said by Jesus and the NT authors falling into this category. If Paul is laying out a principle for a specific situation in a specific time and place, why should we think that this is the standard for all people in all places and all times? Why do we think that this is the highest standard of faith and expression of God’s will? We have no trouble saying that women wearing head coverings in church was for the church in Corinth at the time, but to spiritualize this concept and make it a standard for all to follow and for women to be properly submitted to their husbands/men/et. al. does violence to the text. </p> <p>4. <strong><em><font size="3">Remember</font></em></strong>, Just because Scripture is inspired and inerrant does not mean that your interpretation is as well. Look at the battles over justification and interpretation of Scripture during the reformation. Not only was there a divide between the Reformers and the Roman Catholics, there were also divisions between the Reformers themselves. At one time Calvin and Luther both called for the suppression of the Anabaptists, imprisoning and executing many of its adherents. Have we convicted and passed judgment on any Anabaptists lately?</p> <p>5. <strong><em><font size="3">God is not using sinners </font></em></strong>(women who desire a greater role in the Body of Christ) to shame the men because they have abdicated their roles somehow. Remember, the Sadducees, the priests and the scribes? They believed that the Temple in Jerusalem was God’s ultimate expression of his will. When he chose to have his temple on earth through Jesus Christ and then in the body of Christ, they missed the point and the boat, so to speak. Their theology was severely trumped by God’s action in Christ and as a result they were by-passed and suffered the destruction of the Temple complex in Jerusalem. </p> <p>And if you are going to “cherry pick” subjects to defend and interpret, why pick just this one? The scriptures have a lot to say about gossip and slander, but if we see someone doing it, we don’t condemn them as a heretic and outside the will of God. Be careful what you wish for.</p> <p>A final thought. Since so many of the passages lend themselves to different interpretations, perhaps we should take that as an admonition to go slowly and grant a lot of grace? </p> <p>And if someone is seeking to find the will of God and serve him, should we stand in their way and condemn them for it? (see #1 above)</p> theologienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05999449636939375428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7667563.post-38675718154161979612014-03-16T14:08:00.001-05:002014-03-16T14:08:18.646-05:00Naaman: Faith and Expectations<p><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG4CVa_t_39AM8eAhfGVd1r_7Frx1J8u742ANN_Yx8ueAMidDVrnHAq1bNW60x_r5eUfDNEuSdNvpocstx1KKDxSgYpD2PX1n7RGGk0M1vBw2aRWfXGVKEMDpuUKEqQe_9YOpu/s1600-h/Naaman%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img title="Naaman" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 5px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Naaman" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMuMixf3yIaPi2WofNwJUJCw5-3P3_AZT1_s5wd3DnaSQFVQ4F9UsnGH6igeU1GZ7gVKgFaG2209uy10w9cZoh8CLbiUaBok9vp_ItuhFvflHE3GjtDmILB3Ws1sV9BvmL6Zu0//?imgmax=800" width="202" align="left" height="244" /></a></b></p> <h3>2 Kings 5:1-15</h3> <p>Halley's Comet passed by the earth in 1985. One person, who had seen the comet 75 years earlier, was disappointed. He said it wasn't like before, he distinctly remembered hearing it go "WHOOOSH!" as it passed by. In 1996 the comet Hyakutake passed close to the earth. Appearing as a blur in the sky, it disappointed those who expected a fiery display. Our expectations of faith often resemble our expectations of comets. We hunger to see God do spectacular things, but instead, God will act is a way much different from our expectations and prayers. </p> <p>1. How have you been blessed by someone in a way that you were not expecting? </p> <p>2. <b>2 Kings 5:1-7</b>. Who is Naaman and what is his situation? What contrasts or differences can you see between Naaman’s social and political positions and his physical condition? </p> <p>3. How did the answer to Naaman's problem present itself (<i>2 Kings 5:2-3</i>)? What are some of the contrasts or differences that can you see in this encounter?</p> <p>4. Why do you think the King of Syria (Aram) sent Naaman to the King of Israel (<i>2 Kings 5:4-6</i>)? What did he expect to accomplish with all this wealth?</p> <p>5. Why did the king of Israel's respond this way? Could it cause problems for Naaman (<i>2 Kings 5:7</i>)?</p> <p>6. <b>2 Kings 5:8-12</b>. Why did Elisha the prophet get involved in Naaman's problem? What was his reason for getting involved in this issue?</p> <p>7. Elisha never appears, he never meets Naaman. You do not see him.  Why does Elisha do this?</p> <p>8. Why did Naaman react to Elisha in such a strong way (<i>2 Kings 5:11-12</i>)? What are his expectations?</p> <p>9. <b>2 Kings 5:13-15</b>. How did Naaman's servants show wisdom (2 Kings 5:13)?</p> <p>10. Naaman begins to immerse himself seven times in the Jordan River (2 Kings 5:14). What principles do these two actions show us? a) He turned around and went back; b) he did what Elisha commanded him to do.</p> <p>11. What are your expectations of God? What do you want him to do? Are your expectations preventing you from hearing and obeying him? </p> <p><b>Ask God for wise friends like the servants of Naaman </b><b>who can give you wisdom and wise advice in your life.</b></p> theologienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05999449636939375428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7667563.post-69815918925927753072013-07-25T22:40:00.001-05:002013-07-25T22:40:13.051-05:00Building A Discipling Culture by Mike Breen<h3>I. HOW DO WE MAKE DISCIPLES?</h3> <h4>A. Very few people have been trained to make disciples. </h4> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEIyg6YqrRjnaUKPHxfZzE_L9FwIXP_gpxn_psUT_Sj6lYILmeSwWqSAalIeq4aOQDsBOlc1E4mIfbOS68Mq-yrr71RGzSYNuCDVePdRA6Fn_Bd4MxrMEihdAiWPPPCFZV_ljJ/s1600-h/Go-Make-Disciples-Framed%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img title="Go-Make-Disciples-Framed" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px 5px 0px 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Go-Make-Disciples-Framed" align="left" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0wHfrS0KtswI9c8EJcdByjrme4eQPU3JLzZi-gm5BpAhHsVJ1KRNa3ek1Splv9mIk621bsmW8s0l_W-_wTU_INp1vKsaprhNYy8BvmGC0GohshUFh64yUbOyi1GoQUfZoNuN1//?imgmax=800" width="197" height="244" /></a>1. With all the people who show up on Sunday to church, can we answer the question, “<i>do their lives look like the lives of the people we see in scripture?</i>”</p> <p>2. Jesus is not interested in numbers, budgets, buildings and attendance.</p> <p>3. Is a disciple just someone who shows up at our stuff, gives money, and maybe feeds the poor or _____?</p> <p>4. Church is the result or the effect of discipleship, not the other way around. (The church is not the cause of growth of the church.)</p> <p>5. If you make disciples, you always get the church. But if you make a church, you rarely get disciples.</p> <p>6. If you set out to build a church, you probably won’t grow disciples; you create consumers who depend on the spiritual services that the religious professionals provide. </p> theologienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05999449636939375428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7667563.post-87907607524020915132013-05-30T00:48:00.001-05:002019-12-20T20:49:46.071-06:00“Follow Me…”<p>What is a disciple? Let’s think of some definitions:</p> <blockquote> <p>JOHN 8:31: "Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, 'If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.'"</p> </blockquote> <p>Abiding seems like a good thing. Am I an abider? how</p> theologienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05999449636939375428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7667563.post-18481302765365140062013-04-26T03:48:00.001-05:002013-04-26T04:06:34.686-05:00Joseph Mangina on Revelation 21<p><strong><a href="http://www.thebrazosblog.com/2013/04/lectionary-reflection-for-the-fifth-sunday-of-easter-2/"><img title="brazos-revelation" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="brazos-revelation" align="left" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilXyLCPFAFbCmzP3Im3SbUeII-pt_eSDk12byHe881l1ZbAZN9-S8AlQRQdeJlGCJ9wC0m9I892gH6OrZDiNMgeO4dKXlJzog5ullw9cjzvIxfD3fMDEfmqEY2cUQuFNnWFaVt//?imgmax=800" width="164" height="244" /></a>This excerpt comes from Revelation (BTCB) by Joseph L. Mangina, commenting on Rev. 21:1-6:</strong></p> <p>The vision in Rev. 21 opens with a great divine act of re-creation. As only God can create, calling suns and stars, water and land into existence at the beginning, so only God can restore, bringing into being a new world in which his will for his creatures is fully realized.</p> <p>Apocalypse recapitulates Genesis. A fresh start is made. The first heaven and the first earth are not said to be destroyed, like death and hades in the previous chapter. John simply says that they “passed away” (<em>apēltham</em>). “The sea was no more,” not because the ocean as such is cursed, but because the sea in Israel’s imagination represents chaos, darkness, the deep. Now chaos yields to cosmos, disorder to peace, death to life.</p> <p>God does this. It is not the outcome of any human scientific or technological achievement. The new city comes “down out of heaven from God,” a sheer miracle, a gift apocalyptically bestowed at the end of history and not the outcome of history itself. The unmistakable apocalyptic signature here is the word <em>idou </em>(“behold”), uttered first by a “loud voice from the throne” (21:3) and repeated by “he who was seated on the throne” (21:5).</p> <p>his unambiguous act of divine speech is the first such we have heard since 1:8. <em>Idou </em>invites us not to act but to see, not to perform but to watch in awe, not to take action but to rejoice, welcoming the city’s gracious manifestation among us. . . .</p> <p>The goal of all this is the establishing of communion: “Behold, the dwelling place [<em>skēnē</em>] of God is with man. He will dwell with them [<em>skēnōsei met’ autōn</em>], and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God” (21:3). The language is drawn from the law (Lev. 26:12) and the prophets (Ezek. 27:27), reminding us that the people of <em>this</em> God can only be Israel and not some generic “humanity.”</p> <p>If grace does not destroy nature, still less does the new creation annul God’s covenant with Abraham! The language bespeaks a covenantal sense of mutuality, God with his people, the people with their God. The long history that reaches from Moses to David to Jeremiah and beyond is not undone.</p> <p>Yet just as in the new creation imagery, John seems to envisage a certain return to the beginning: thus the image of the desert tabernacle, the <em>skēnē</em>, the tent of the divine presence. The tape is being rewound, past the historical Jerusalem with its compromised history, past even the settlement of the land, to the time of Israel’s wilderness wanderings. It is as though God’s new dwelling with Israel will combine the splendor of life in the city with the simplicity of life in the wilderness, when, for Jeremiah anyway, the bride of YHWH was still faithful to her spouse (Jer. 2:1-2).</p> <p>But <em>skēnē </em>is also the language of incarnation. It is the term John the Evangelist uses to speak of the Son of God’s “tenting” or “tabernacling” in human flesh (John 1:14). Not, of course, that the heavenly city is identical with Christ’s historical sojourn in the flesh. But the city inhabits the space of divine-human communion he has established.</p> <p>The “dwelling of God is with man,” first and decisively in Christ himself, then in the church so far as it is joined to his divine-human, life-giving person.</p> theologienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05999449636939375428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7667563.post-44192533043117712952013-04-24T06:11:00.001-05:002013-04-24T06:11:28.630-05:00Follow me–Suivez moi<p>A friend posted this article from Forbes<strong>, </strong><a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/garypeterson/2013/04/23/the-four-principles-of-followership/"><strong><font color="#0000ff">Leadership 310: The Four Principles of 'Followership'</font></strong></a><strong>.</strong> I am reposting the main points with a few comments of my own. </p> <p><strong><font size="3">The four key attributes to strong <em>followership</em></font></strong></p> <p><b> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglivpfdjNax3t8c19ATxWTn2-i2jOLMATOuk3NRBokCF1gBsx4BQyEW87rL38ueWkeQRkWPGCEqoOFA6lZSsGvFE38dmwuyjGzRzo5M3JMdH89uFV4xULfkTQ4roFNj15_HWnA/s1600-h/follow-me%25255B3%25255D.png"><img title="follow-me" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="follow-me" align="left" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjt4uLmI4LD6McBZPFvqCj0Kk7_I_nmjW91NLBIDHOZQFKzYMSAK8wH5EN-4dlGMRde3OVU3Slw0yo_Ug8cqg539By4_e29aJM57k59suNMPXk-X1Ps6WcYgjcM9oxA1Y-Ocub//?imgmax=800" width="157" height="168" /></a></b></p> <p>1) <b>Trust:</b> In everyday behavior, <em>followership</em> requires that the leader provides evidence that they can be trusted.   Do you do what you say?  Do you answer questions honestly?  Are you transparent and share with the team your challenges, obstacles, and needs to achieve your larger goals? </p> <p>2) <b>Stability:</b> Leaders with strong <em>followership</em> remain calm in the face of panic and give a sense of confidence to those around them.</p> <p>3) <b>Compassion:</b> Strong <em>followership</em> leaders have unrelenting passion for people and show empathy when those folks are enduring hard times.</p> <p>4) <b>Hope:</b> <em>Followership</em> requires that the leader has unwavering belief that their <em>product/service</em> will not only succeed, but will change lives.</p> <p>Many times people are placed in leadership roles and inherently believe that their teams will follow them due to the title on their business card and not the substance of their character. Leadership is as much about being the person that people want to follow as it‘s about knowing where the team is headed.</p> <p>I think the biblical corollaries are obvious. But which ones spring to mind for you? And more importantly: </p> <p align="center"><strong><em>Why would anyone want to follow you?</em></strong></p> theologienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05999449636939375428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7667563.post-37618797114050927782012-10-31T03:33:00.001-05:002012-10-31T03:33:05.634-05:00Pastor as Prophet<p><font size="2"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVETuuvTBNyw1vgE5XsmvW7arAMvPEiX3vU0Hnp8U_BR5XE3HfOXiTQdKOeBZFJhrrQB5tA_b4Oh23OBR4hYdYLlUnr33DC5-bTmouFUHZTh4GUcrs1UtQJBb7stLnsIGV4IuE/s1600-h/transformed%25255B2%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: left; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="transformed" border="0" alt="transformed" align="left" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp4oM0bRv3L8iZFZTyRYV5H7Gz1fvND1KoblGPjl2PsMyL4QKdSy6y9iH10LYPICZfMAySWXmF9Wb997UKThHjy-gp8s8XglOk8ttuJDo1qn-sh5xNyuD8Ep-UyAFDZIj5f4NY//?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a><strong><em>An article by Chad Hall on the </em></strong><a href="http://www.transformedblog.com/2012/10/30/pastor-as-prophet/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+thedigitallearner%2FUhEH+%28Trans%C2%B7formed%29"><strong><em>Transformed Blog</em></strong></a><strong><em>:</em></strong></font></p> <p><font size="2">What does the prophetic office look like in today’s church context?  I believe pastors are called to provide prophetic leadership via four specific practices:</font></p> <ol> <li><font size="2"><strong>Preaching.</strong>  There is no substitute for sound, doctrinally solid, Spirit-invoked preaching that has as its aim the connection of God’s intent with God’s people.  In other words, prophets make God’s intent known so that God followers can live rightly.  Much preaching these days is more therapeutic than prophetic.  While prophetic preaching does heal (it’s God’s intent that we find wholeness and healing in Him), it is not merely therapeutic in the most popular sense (aimed at helping people feel good about themselves and/or have felt needs met). </font></li> <li><font size="2"><strong>Decision-making</strong>: Prophetic leadership happens from the pulpit, but it also happens in board meetings, in one-on-one ministry settings, and in the budgeting processes.  Churches need prophetic pastors who challenge their institutional processes, question the status quo, and push for godly change within the church.  Prophetic pastors resist mere pragmatism and opt for decision-making processes that implement God’s intent. </font></li> <li><font size="2"><strong>Vision casting:</strong> A key pastoral role is to inspire a shared vision of who a congregation is to be in the midst of their community and world and what the church is to do in order to live out this vision.  The vision comes from God and is oftentimes first witnessed by mature church members (they catch glimpses of what God is calling the church to be and do).  It is the pastor’s responsibility to listen deeply, discern prayerfully, and then speak compassionately so that the entire church community can see clearly the vision God has for their body and then carry out that vision. </font></li> <li><font size="2"><strong>Community engagement:</strong>  The prophetic pastoral role extends beyond leading the local body of believers to being a God-ordained witness to the world.  As the OT prophets challenged Israel and their neighbors, a prophetic pastor will bring a message of God’s intent to the church, to those who are marginal to the church, and to the community in which the church lives.  This does not mean the pastor calls the unchurched to behave as if they were all Christ-followers.  Instead, this is a specific type of evangelism: sharing the good news of God’s intent with those who are currently far from God in expectation that they will repent and align themselves with God through Christ. </font></li> </ol> <p><font size="2">Food for thought.</font></p> theologienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05999449636939375428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7667563.post-52552914160850598492012-08-07T14:30:00.001-05:002012-08-07T14:30:01.019-05:00If we have an alternative story, who does what?<blockquote> <p><font color="#000080" size="2" face="Arial">‘As we anxiously gaze into the future and delve back into our history and traditions to retrieve missiological tools from the Christendom toolbox, many of us are left with the sinking feeling that this is simply not going to work’ (17). What is needed is a new paradigm: ‘a fundamental change in our thoughts, perceptions, and values, especially as they relate to our view of church and mission’. –<em><strong>Alan Hirsch</strong>, The Forgotten Ways</em>.</font></p> </blockquote> <p>Hirsch believes that we need to put the emphasis on developing the <i>quality</i> of new life in Christ as an alternative to the spiritual and moral bankruptcy of Western culture, rather than on a <i>quantitative</i> program of church multiplication? Why do we not explore what it means to be an effective prophetic community? </p> <p>  </p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: left; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:8747F07C-CDE8-481f-B0DF-C6CFD074BF67:5ea4d9ad-fd08-46f6-ad55-3a5ddde2e6b4" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8tGgnHWJKBMXbdqq5vOs4Zj7RXFF45lv_XHciWlH54Pa-tBJ1imoYoPEd0EU7LP1Ny6H80VxLLTsnH4SXrsO47kTjLuQz4xjk7s7TYm8j2AlhwBD0qhyUf-XrvIZazMTf1T_-//?imgmax=800" title="" rel="thumbnail"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKsSzpsDH_5HvYCQ4pIlCvVRS3fEXDXpCpTu7FLCQuDymhz3USveBw0UoZSAIAyKcAzEpNu4cutnzGHRoa2uyDHWx3ukZCTNtCopUKZZludlWQFGKt8O-KktokWyWsFosCiuDR//?imgmax=800" width="208" height="204" /></a></div> Here is the toolkit for story, i.e., this how we put the plot to work, as it were. <blockquote> <p align="left"><font color="#000080"></font>  </p> <p align="left"><font color="#000080">Eph. 4 11It was he who “gave gifts”; he appointed some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, others to be pastors and teachers. 12He did this to prepare all God’s people for the work of Christian service, in order to build up the body of Christ.</font></p> </blockquote> <h5><em></em> </h5> <h5><em></em> </h5> <h5><em>APOSTLES</em></h5> <p><font size="2"><font face="Arial"><strong></strong>extend the gospel. They ensure that the faith is transmitted from one context to another and from one generation to the next. They are think about the future, establishing the church in new contexts and developing leaders, The shepherding and teaching functions are needed to ensure people are cared for rather than simply used. </font></font></p> <h5><em>PROPHETS</em></h5> <p><font size="2"><font face="Arial"><strong></strong>know God's will. They are particularly attuned to God and his truth for today. They bring correction and challenge the dominant assumptions we inherit from the culture. They call the community to obey what God has commanded and question the status quo.  </font></font></p> <h5><em>EVANGELISTS</em></h5> <p><font size="2"><font face="Arial"><strong></strong>recruit. They communicate the gospel message to recruit others to the cause. They call for a personal response to God's redemption in Christ, and draw believers to engage in the wider mission of growing the church.  </font></font></p> <h5><em>SHEPHERDS</em></h5> <p><font size="2"><font face="Arial"><strong></strong>nurture and protect. As caregivers of the community, they focus on the spiritual maturity of God's flock, cultivating a loving and spiritually network of relationships to make and develop disciples. Shepherds value stability of the of the mission. </font></font></p> <h5><em>TEACHERS</em></h5> <p><font size="2"><font face="Arial"><strong></strong>understand and explain. They communicate God's truth and wisdom and help others to remain biblically grounded to better discern God's will, guiding others toward wisdom, helping the community remain faithful to Christ's word. and constructing a transferable doctrine. </font></font></p> <h2><font size="3" face="Arial"><em>Fill in the blank…</em></font></h2> <p><font size="2" face="Arial"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkZy8U6HnyYW6jIa-QPwyvhz0Fcw7YmAVg4kjEWrzj_01SAHNcATXwEn9EIySUfHSwyJwJDFIO6qJqcx7tGtvI_w0KcTklV90HbaJpuTHLbWpKxDxMXVNjLHzBpUIgDeFovnqx/s1600-h/fill-in-blanks2.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px 5px 2px 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: left; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="fill-in-blanks" border="0" alt="fill-in-blanks" align="left" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzFcn_aTgRddfUFP5dBFOCrjdfuMFVHgASGzFd-MyeXiTCYkzIhd8foRtdPUSIgMvXXoQJUkdlJXGqggAQeJRYX64uIP7oCvEmNTmOVcOgNtqPIqw9i8LamCeQ4mEO9D7Ee72M//?imgmax=800" width="244" height="244" /></a>Paul is telling us that these gifts are given to the church. The context is not on individuals who have these gifts, but the purpose of the gifts in the church. How does the church respond and adapt to resistance from the culture, marginalization, persecution, or even lack of relevance.</font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Arial">Paul is saying that these various gifts are given to the church so that it can know where it needs to go and what it needs to do; to keep on track, as well as to nurture and protect the flock. </font></p> <p>The question is, how does the church recognize these gifts, who has them, how are they used in the ministry of the body of Christ? </p> <p>Finally, how would you define each of these gifts? Do you agree or disagree with the individual synopses? </p> theologienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05999449636939375428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7667563.post-38159705503957621132012-08-06T09:43:00.001-05:002012-08-06T09:43:15.277-05:00More musings on an alternative story.<h4><font color="#000000">What might an alternative story look like?</font> </h4> <blockquote> <h6><font size="2"><font color="#666666"><em><font style="font-weight: normal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwk59ESycqjKHBYvVv6Sc4Dd_yHn-aDP2rDNr7g7bTx_8fuSNqCi2QBw1mGfbuTLmvIQ7tRQHmrU2GauEZao4zQGu6ZDY_8QzDaxnsCBsyt7k0ff3OGDS3z2Mz5PfSGtpAZ1Cx/s1600-h/juggler%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 5px 2px 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: left; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="juggler" border="0" alt="juggler" align="left" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1zg9WFlKpcbhTMtYdJApN1FfMJxFmI5qWmD3kL-cM-KCcWBD9x3eweb94w2dZwp6IKGEdepvOC9wiUDwk1vrWVHLDn2PkEUJGP1kvEmheSqYN641ehh3CQkYYpdaElfwqeZWW//?imgmax=800" width="134" height="179" /></a>“The circus is among the few coherent images of the eschatological realm to which people still have ready access and ... the circus thereby affords some elementary insights into the idea of society as a consummate event. This principality, this art, this veritable liturgy, this common enterprise of multifarious creatures called the circus enacts a hope, in an immediate and historic sense, and simultaneously embodies an ecumenical foresight of radical and wondrous splendor, encompassing, as it does both empirically and symbolically, the scope and diversity of creation. I suppose some ... may deem the association of the circus and the Kingdom scandalous or facetious or bizarre, and scoff quickly at the thought that the circus is relevant to the ethics of society.... To [these people] I only respond that the connection seems to me to be at once suggested when one recalls that biblical people, like circus folk, live typically as sojourners, interrupting time, with few possessions, and in tents, in this world. The church would likely be more faithful if the church were similarly nomadic.”</font> <br /><font style="font-weight: normal">—<font style="font-weight: bold">William Stringfellow</font>, A Keeper of the Word: Selected Writings of William Stringfellow</font></em></font></font></h6> </blockquote> <p>I like the image.</p> theologienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05999449636939375428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7667563.post-37372627082423126672012-08-06T09:03:00.001-05:002012-08-06T09:03:09.939-05:00More on an alternate story - 2<h3>What is a Christian, and what do we think she/he might look like ?</h3> <blockquote> <h6><font color="#646b86" size="2"><font style="font-weight: normal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuOX5dfTudSfbo9cTGGLc8hCbBh9dhKHQh_1FK13jzHrIJPSbgkmnM4MoxeCzBK2agXhOZz2Z6BdYIWEYV6u70d1_L7VKCclIQD3VDez_pZDcRA2SZthWuTEc_lzkOyEndKwNj/s1600-h/Cyberman-the-enemy%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 5px 2px 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: left; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Cyberman-the-enemy" border="0" alt="Cyberman-the-enemy" align="left" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6UEUSUo_4pr-suaU5kKbB1uVoH08m4BKkcgTR0V0A1hyphenhyphenHRhBaAWSBteBjJZFuYQCqxbbVOtaPz4OEFE0u1GA3o-oRDQzmPAZUiJ6vQp_TF0jHcYXq4sno9pylbt43d4FFbhRO//?imgmax=800" width="201" height="125" /></a><em>“To become and to be a Christian is not at all an escape from the world as it is, nor is it a wistful longing for a “better” world, nor a commitment to generous charity, nor fondness for “moral and spiritual values” (whatever that may mean), nor self- serving positive thoughts, nor persuasion to splendid abstractions about God. It is, instead, the knowledge that there is no pain or privation, no humiliation or disaster, no scourge or distress or destitution or hunger, no striving or temptation, no wile or sickness or suffering or poverty which God has not known and borne for [humanity] in Jesus Christ. He has borne death itself on behalf of [humanity], and in that event he has broken the power of death once and for all.</em></font> <br /><em><font style="font-weight: normal">To become to be a Christian is, therefore, to have the extraordinary freedom to share the burdens of the daily, common, ambiguous, transient, perishing existence of [humans beings], even to the point of actually taking the place of another [person], whether he be powerful or weak, in health or in sickness, clothed or naked, educated or illiterate, secure or persecuted, complacent or despondent, proud or forgotten, housed or homeless, fed or hungry, at liberty or in prison, young or old, white or Negro, rich or poor.</font> <br /><font style="font-weight: normal">For a Christian to be poor and to work among the poor is not a conventional charity, but a use of the freedom for which Christ has set [humanity] free.” </font> <br />~~ <font style="font-weight: normal"><font style="font-weight: bold">William Stringfellow</font>, My People is the Enemy</font></em></font></h6> </blockquote> <p>Beautiful answer.  </p> theologienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05999449636939375428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7667563.post-28586230753921125432012-08-06T01:32:00.001-05:002012-08-06T01:45:23.315-05:00More on an alternate story<div><p>“The kind of fasting I want is this: Remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice, and let the oppressed go free.  </p>
<p>Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor. Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear, and do not refuse to help your own relatives. <br>
Isaiah 58:6-7 GNT </p>
<p><b>What do disciples do ? </b></p>
<p>What would it look like in our church if we did this stuff ?<br></p>
</div>theologienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05999449636939375428noreply@blogger.com0Wheaton, Wheaton41.86614 -88.10701tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7667563.post-2990114830287335012012-08-04T19:53:00.001-05:002012-08-21T16:53:38.198-05:00What is an Alternative Story?<div> <blockquote> <p><font color="#333333" size="2"><em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeU_2XbyhYevo7DWBfImKEvrFzkTtZmyAqHP4kQqVZ9tLOlVMDv3g32XF5dFUJaEIU-cTuhAEholeHaE2QoSJ-Xykv7v_z1dTJi_SZlcnLVtnGS0bhx2B-GR76MrvWlHirQFOR/s1600-h/fishers%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: left; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="fishers" border="0" alt="fishers" align="left" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXXKsuQPO-A28MVUKlcJeczkXSMfTiJk2eQ6L3LOES-DvSjtw4fOhYC-yZSInA19P4qfkFGmmrDyxurnXqr_VMOgvBe3XdSyovtDUiJ6s2NpyXNg1pBXD9VAPdwB4W9g2XnwaN//?imgmax=800" width="188" height="192" /></a>“Neither revolution nor reformation can ultimately change a society, rather you must tell a new powerful tale, one so persuasive that it sweeps away the old myths and becomes the preferred story, one so inclusive that it gathers all the bits of our past and our present into a coherent whole, one that even shines some light into our future so that we can take the next step…If you want to change a society, then you have to tell an alternative story.”</em></font></p> </blockquote> <p><font size="2">--<strong><em>Ivan Illich</em></strong></font></p> <p> </p> <h2 align="left"><strong><font size="4"><em>An alternative story</em></font></strong></h2> <p><font size="3">What does an alternative story for the church look like? I think it encompasses three concepts:</font></p> <h3><em><font size="4">1. Jesus said “Seek first the kingdom of God” </font></em><em><font size="3">(-- Why do you call me Lord?)</font></em></h3> <p> </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCIABFOYU8m-1ZbbMi6NOm5xm3AZqphGIv7FrORimVHb3TZ3c76XTeKJtsPzWOtLGiSXEsaG839uDrzexXFV82UNkcynSr86c8j-EaBBpYN6_gEa_DRs7QCtTg5mGUFdoPPbbL/s1600-h/seek%25255B15%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px 5px 0px 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: left; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="seek" border="0" alt="seek" align="left" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirU9lm3_iahlkM1tKV59L_wg-l0sSD5cg-FMV6nxQnnuD1No2xtQBbqnm44E3CULuVW1wyeddRFnKjEcKLSOfVBwoLXca8NrufGvi2TCj6N3t8I-v5keH5Sal0jDZvjbkjF9mn//?imgmax=800" width="120" height="72" /></a><font size="3">Our entry and journey to the father through the son by the power of the spirit is summed up in this phrase: "Seek first the kingdom of God." God desires us to join in fellowship with him, to experience the trinity in fellowship with him as well as with each other. </font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <h5><em><font color="#0000ff" size="3"><font color="#646b86">What does it mean to seek?</font> </font></em></h5> <h5><font size="3"><em><font color="#646b86">What is the kingdom of God?</font></em> </font></h5> <p><font size="3">How do we find it in the noise and bluster of life? How did we make something so great and grand so oblivious to others? </font></p> <h5><em><font color="#646b86" size="3">And how do we allow the seed and the leaven to grow and overtake the world?</font></em></h5> <p><font size="3">We can't make it grow, we can't force it to grow, we have to do what we are called to do and let it do what it is designed to do on its own.</font></p> <p><font size="3">The caveat is the question Jesus asked in Luke 6:46: </font></p> <blockquote> <p><em><strong><font color="#666666" size="2">"Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" </font></strong></em></p> </blockquote> <p><font size="3">The first part is important. What does it mean to call Jesus "Lord"? What does that look like in our day to day lives?</font></p> <h5><font size="3">What does Jesus mean when he asks: </font></h5> <blockquote> <p><font size="2"><em><strong><font color="#666666">"...and not do what I say?"</font></strong></em> </font></p> </blockquote> <p><font size="3">What are the implications for us. For Grenoble, for the Romani, and so on? How do we speak, live and incarnate the message to others?</font></p> <p> </p> <h3><font size="4">2. Jesus said “go into all the world and make disciples of everyone” We tend to think that this means "go and share the four spiritual laws" with everyone.</font> </h3> <p> </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgv0fEcAZtbIv2La043uF-SbsD_BAIk1fPRYIMJEbf9nU35kByfY2J-O50IJ1_1OaJY-lvkZk_zfQDgodhLC8z1pUYJ15AMaiPIFWdMydefoOFiDAQsj8hPbQPVN5K-QaP4va6/s1600-h/go-all%252520the%252520world%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="go-all the world" border="0" alt="go-all the world" align="right" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtGVRXZayieI7Tyhr_y1vaxdkBkFU0EuPTijw_p1-6UFhJWVofEusNlALIWmkzwbf04XbftO78vJryh2WMIcOimV06X8p7SuSA7dgXTDFwY2RwyzgTiuKvOEnXqGZ0j4bzDds3//?imgmax=800" width="170" height="131" /></a><font size="3">According to the parallel passages Matthew, Mark, John and Luke, this is the beginning of our task. Following McKnight and Wright, we see that growing disciples is the "rest of the story," the part we miss. It is more than getting our ticket validated and waiting for our train or flight. This refers us to the next point: "follow me."</font></p> <p> </p> <h3><font size="4">3. Jesus said “follow me”</font></h3> <p> </p> <p><font size="3"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3y3GGJE8TBT6RKBOR8Dkqv5hOmryI1_ZUOABH7pBUFOPOTxB_1MJdQXZSfjkyGO61EKQ8v41ihOKNscif5lYupds9aeZdvbYBJ7iuvuo7o3n69_i2t1iHETtwRfbXsL8LgbVp/s1600-h/Follow-me-Left%25255B2%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 5px 2px 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: left; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Follow-me-Left" border="0" alt="Follow-me-Left" align="left" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUpMWoWzxi4uqIa0S7-GjlH-wT86qQJMj5PH2jP9bbO1zXBa6veSiI-i_CDFl23uMqIU_9bnSVKZgGXkFu3VDXTmVSO3lEAqIuv-L5rJ72pakq1i-bLspYQIg7UjRvMGm_aqjT//?imgmax=800" width="244" height="118" /></a>What did this call mean for Simon, John, Matthew, et. al. to follow Jesus? It seems to mean more than "follow Jesus" in your spare time, or, as a supplement to your everyday life so that you can fill in the blanks where stuff is missing. </font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3">Rather, it is a radical call, and he calls for a radical change in the direction and the way they lives their lives. It is a call to vocation (a vocation is about the gifts and talents that God gives us to orient us toward specific purposes and a way of life; not what we do for a living). What was involved in "follow me"? They had on the job training --on the fly. They watched him, he gave them tasks, learning experiences, etc. If that is the case, then what does that mean for us? As my friend Max shared, it's about inviting people to participate in the kingdom (following Christ is not a spectator sport). We need to put them to work in the kingdom, help them (and us) to figure out their gifts, throw them in the lake if necessary, and see what happens.</font></p> </div> theologienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05999449636939375428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7667563.post-90081138162738602052012-04-06T07:40:00.003-05:002012-04-06T07:40:28.990-05:00Pietà<span style="font-size: large;">O</span><b>kay</b>, so I've been away, distracted, or otherwise enjoying an inexcusable absence. In a memorial to <a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vendredi_saint" target="_blank"><i><b>Good Friday</b></i></a>, I've decided to post some of the art I've encountered for the <i>Art and the Bible</i> class I've been leading at the FEU.<br />
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<a href="http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/459933/Pieta" target="_blank"> Pietà </a>as a theme in Christian art, depiction of the Virgin Mary supporting the body of the dead Christ. The Pietà was widely represented in both painting and sculpture, being one of the most poignant visual expressions of popular concern with the emotional aspects of the lives of Christ and the Virgin.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxFyYuFDhhwRN-zPmVH8kwmTb7OMYjVbFYc5tXK13A04Q0Xxt9Glw09qOewLg96J70kvMi_G3p_oTOPHcQDZvIbloOU-n5eTEGhVNBwTCmhdEAlGQhuYCrFqMojeL97Ml1EFP/s1600/michaelangel-pieta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxFyYuFDhhwRN-zPmVH8kwmTb7OMYjVbFYc5tXK13A04Q0Xxt9Glw09qOewLg96J70kvMi_G3p_oTOPHcQDZvIbloOU-n5eTEGhVNBwTCmhdEAlGQhuYCrFqMojeL97Ml1EFP/s320/michaelangel-pieta.jpg" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pietà by Michaelangelo, 1499</td></tr>
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The theme, which has no literary source but grew out of the theme of the lamentation over Christ’s body, first appeared in the early 14th century in Germany. It soon spread to France and enjoyed great popularity in northern Europe in the 14th and 15th centuries. Although the Pietà remained mostly a Franco-German theme, its supreme representation is that completed by Michelangelo in 1499 and housed in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Influenced by the northern style, Michelangelo draped the figure of Christ across Mary’s lap. Through this pyramidal design and the details of his figures, Michelangelo created a scene that displayed at once agony, solemnity, and heroic resignation.<br />
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The format of the Virgin bearing the body of Christ on her knees was standard until the 16th century, when, influenced by the Renaissance concern with logic and proportions, artists usually depicted Christ lying at the Virgin’s feet, with only his head propped against her knees. This form was adopted by Italian Baroque art and was passed on to Spain, Flanders, and Holland.<br />
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Most religious art suffered a decline after the 17th century, but, because of its special emotional appeal, the Pietà continued to be a vital theme through the 19th century.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2T2lI9tK1PIOcW9h9s-mnrVHH1s9h8h2QkgdVyhfqhCQvjW3iAOoBxMTBfUXxFCIesQuE3TGp5ddPeV-itg4SRQICkpVnKfvOoDJxtmF67E710W_Y-TkCsw41aOYiXpaeOCC_/s1600/BRONZINO,+Agnolo_pieta-1530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2T2lI9tK1PIOcW9h9s-mnrVHH1s9h8h2QkgdVyhfqhCQvjW3iAOoBxMTBfUXxFCIesQuE3TGp5ddPeV-itg4SRQICkpVnKfvOoDJxtmF67E710W_Y-TkCsw41aOYiXpaeOCC_/s320/BRONZINO,+Agnolo_pieta-1530.jpg" width="271" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giovanni BELLINI, <b>Pietà </b>1470-1479</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw5YJeyeWJNM3VBx-kDCeZB20fy4oOFQUN90F6nSGCwutswCJ5rZwgu-S5AYHV7hM52jdAy90imrs46F77w0SY3XN4IyKemaGCBwIj3VHTT2LX2at_x9lK0mdnl0xrtcBe8DJJ/s1600/CHARONTON,+Enguerrand+Piet%C3%A0+de+Villeneuve-l%C3%A8s-Avignon+%28detail%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw5YJeyeWJNM3VBx-kDCeZB20fy4oOFQUN90F6nSGCwutswCJ5rZwgu-S5AYHV7hM52jdAy90imrs46F77w0SY3XN4IyKemaGCBwIj3VHTT2LX2at_x9lK0mdnl0xrtcBe8DJJ/s320/CHARONTON,+Enguerrand+Piet%C3%A0+de+Villeneuve-l%C3%A8s-Avignon+%28detail%29.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Enguerrand CHARONTON, Pietà de Villeneuve-lès-Avignon (detail), 1457</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hf0bsuFThGOHEglx2DUtY_qrFK2ksoWZ8gRxYTizgupNh1Af7xqfPfYqTgibHLBWyDNDFmmsadK4nQgD-_V1NKSx44CVjuNutVfu7TucOqCTj2jz7h0esa7MBrdTCsxBbzVf/s1600/Edouard+Manet,+The+Dead+Christ+With+Angels+1864.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hf0bsuFThGOHEglx2DUtY_qrFK2ksoWZ8gRxYTizgupNh1Af7xqfPfYqTgibHLBWyDNDFmmsadK4nQgD-_V1NKSx44CVjuNutVfu7TucOqCTj2jz7h0esa7MBrdTCsxBbzVf/s320/Edouard+Manet,+The+Dead+Christ+With+Angels+1864.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edouard Manet, The Dead Christ With Angels 1864</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwNnm22604JD0z6kG2Av00_K8jFPGuLqqc3scunTA1YjN2ZbolsWV3dSKINftZ_sFamzJGxU0I01eVp0ME5ZaP25UEgaQTFrvl4hBUrLNG2fd8PD84xdw4NxHrszxY-4f0pWHh/s1600/Giovanni+Bellini,+Dead+Christ+Supported+by+Two+Angels-Piet%C3%A0+c.+1460.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwNnm22604JD0z6kG2Av00_K8jFPGuLqqc3scunTA1YjN2ZbolsWV3dSKINftZ_sFamzJGxU0I01eVp0ME5ZaP25UEgaQTFrvl4hBUrLNG2fd8PD84xdw4NxHrszxY-4f0pWHh/s320/Giovanni+Bellini,+Dead+Christ+Supported+by+Two+Angels-Piet%C3%A0+c.+1460.jpg" width="246" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giovanni Bellini, Dead Christ Supported by Two Angels <b>Pietà</b> c. 1460</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJq4A6Q7dVVH8lklt7l3V6Wkk4tcpMXdbyqHNZBBImOZGo-MtLUjBrShpKHcGt0K53O9rLHtJGE_HVWda0wVBM8duRJl5eFSVUm358GUMxYHGfNiKoQ0m6sUWQDcQij7NE95tP/s1600/Massimo+Stanzione,+Piet%C3%A0+1621-25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJq4A6Q7dVVH8lklt7l3V6Wkk4tcpMXdbyqHNZBBImOZGo-MtLUjBrShpKHcGt0K53O9rLHtJGE_HVWda0wVBM8duRJl5eFSVUm358GUMxYHGfNiKoQ0m6sUWQDcQij7NE95tP/s320/Massimo+Stanzione,+Piet%C3%A0+1621-25.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Massimo Stanzione, <b>Pietà</b> 1621-25</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgq2pLAB_bekpTh75yyi5fNUYohAvoh8zHrPeKi4wfGmHCY3WgF4zjrA20q-dr-AmnF_jursyYlTGrCM6hKwvrgvc94nuxCtqcf0oenO9UCWy1lZ9meBhw5dXVPP0a1SEuAGbC/s1600/Vincent+Van+Gogh+Pieta,+after+Eugene+Delacroix+%28c.+1890%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgq2pLAB_bekpTh75yyi5fNUYohAvoh8zHrPeKi4wfGmHCY3WgF4zjrA20q-dr-AmnF_jursyYlTGrCM6hKwvrgvc94nuxCtqcf0oenO9UCWy1lZ9meBhw5dXVPP0a1SEuAGbC/s320/Vincent+Van+Gogh+Pieta,+after+Eugene+Delacroix+%28c.+1890%29.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vincent Van Gogh <b>Pietà</b>, after Eugene Delacroix (c. 1890)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTo8dKPBaayxh3c7pNQeB0WHlhCV3q7wHJmHnkMhqoO8RmupFuLCxTTz1ZGsnPb6asP0mU3gCV6vjB48ZbEPDbe1bZ-Bt-CRwPSZPXZ8BChc_PaULZbaZULZraNXc5WcP4cY4n/s1600/William-Adolphe_Bouguereau_Pieta_(1876).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTo8dKPBaayxh3c7pNQeB0WHlhCV3q7wHJmHnkMhqoO8RmupFuLCxTTz1ZGsnPb6asP0mU3gCV6vjB48ZbEPDbe1bZ-Bt-CRwPSZPXZ8BChc_PaULZbaZULZraNXc5WcP4cY4n/s320/William-Adolphe_Bouguereau_Pieta_(1876).jpg" width="203" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">William Adolphe Bouguereau, <b>Pietà</b> (1876)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioyUWg-sR-nGU04G12rjBhrfyLVR2eX9zuCCdXyxIY0_luQ4JV_LeYfN4WmdZtBJoe6dtiyEq3m7CXVsJWYP9FQ1lYwn4tu7fbA-xfTnEonIIAGeHAN8xVAWFr8WS_tEnuTyz3/s1600/el-greco-pieta-1587-97.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioyUWg-sR-nGU04G12rjBhrfyLVR2eX9zuCCdXyxIY0_luQ4JV_LeYfN4WmdZtBJoe6dtiyEq3m7CXVsJWYP9FQ1lYwn4tu7fbA-xfTnEonIIAGeHAN8xVAWFr8WS_tEnuTyz3/s320/el-greco-pieta-1587-97.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">El Greco <b>Pietà</b> 1587-97</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAxZ6dOnndsgmAzWKIoqM1wHDob4nBJqjMmDMhpESpN0384b8aLJVUxEXZDP1sir6G9Q3Zk28DBUNVRCnrzd543CRiQPGGQoQHq0g34PtE9QTZyrT9ZOWPYYMZynY19wXMspQV/s1600/paula-rego-pieta-2002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAxZ6dOnndsgmAzWKIoqM1wHDob4nBJqjMmDMhpESpN0384b8aLJVUxEXZDP1sir6G9Q3Zk28DBUNVRCnrzd543CRiQPGGQoQHq0g34PtE9QTZyrT9ZOWPYYMZynY19wXMspQV/s320/paula-rego-pieta-2002.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paula Rego <b>Pietà</b> 2002</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2IipBKg6AnL5gCi8UQlDAbBDVf1w3uTPZa9VdZlXBMh7TzNOekzeRsSxlB4B1Ej_28RPfeLXhoejAhHSSOx8SOrGPFeJ5TkSszVi3wWsT4gkbenGV0AjKnHQ2YMeXd8_PvL0g/s1600/marc-chagall-red-pieta-1956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2IipBKg6AnL5gCi8UQlDAbBDVf1w3uTPZa9VdZlXBMh7TzNOekzeRsSxlB4B1Ej_28RPfeLXhoejAhHSSOx8SOrGPFeJ5TkSszVi3wWsT4gkbenGV0AjKnHQ2YMeXd8_PvL0g/s320/marc-chagall-red-pieta-1956.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marc Chagall Red <b>Pietà </b>1956</td></tr>
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<br />theologienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05999449636939375428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7667563.post-46865047700025442012011-05-03T04:59:00.001-05:002011-05-03T05:00:33.699-05:00Why a Victory Dance?<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzCQajUudatn3wpewnzTa_cs_NyRjtF303YfXznNOM7KJ5DWUjb_gi8hFsHYxBBb3755Q2Hs2DToSDjdiCmF5xctNMHNT3xfTo6_j4JFeWN5TKq9fGmbmhecRb1xHSQtqR-zG4/s1600-h/Osama%5B3%5D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: left; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Osama" border="0" alt="Osama" align="left" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiZWlSVegtSTjUbEKZg3jyKkZeZSzDJiiLXqJ8kPl5IpuItAxhg1qZsv2kJFbVm3cbHZARQXhdbMsCDVFc773prjHzbp8aaWMcIe2B69o7mttx3YdglUJEVzQKw_7SiRQabfFo//?imgmax=800" width="138" height="101" /></a>Matt 5:43 “You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. <br />How do we square this verse with the victory celebration that has poured out over the news of the death of Osama bin Laden? I shed no tears for the death of this man; he sowed much evil in his life. </p> <p>Should we not ask if it was right to use violence to end a person’s reign of violence? After all, if you live by the sword,  will you not die by the sword? </p> <p>I do think there are times when we are to sell our cloak and buy a sword:</p> <blockquote> <p>Luke 22<sup> 36</sup> He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.</p> </blockquote> <p>It still remains that I am troubled by the hatred I’ve seen displayed at the news of his death.  People dancing and waving a flag is one thing, but to rejoice and shout “rot in hell” or something like this, I find no justification for it. </p> <p>Some will say, “well, they would do the same if it had been George Bush or Barak Obama.” My response to this is, “well, we are not them.” Where is our moral high ground if we react as we say they would? And, if we purport to be a follower of Christ, how can we justify this reaction?</p> <p>I suppose a little good news is welcomed when the world seems rather dark, but I still am troubled over the response I have seen.  </p> <p>I would like to ask the question, Is there any time or place where when it is okay to react like? Seriously. </p> <p>These are the thoughts that I am giving daylight to as I ponder this situation. It is a complicated issue, and there are no easy answers, but I think that we need to pull back from an emotional response and look seriously at the impact of this event, and consider carefully what our response should be. </p> <p>Any thoughts? </p> theologienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05999449636939375428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7667563.post-36800912960899008372011-04-25T14:45:00.001-05:002011-04-25T14:51:29.242-05:00Jacques Ellul on Social Justice<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfKn16KO3W12WaVIJfLU3oL6E9-kgjjii7wwkKMqCoxzDasNxRUBfOWHLJCKiPHmPjXVRsQbxMUjbgXyO6nqtJIc_b1Y470RsWEGRtYVQesVhry2Kud_90eMc2HkBmjX1I47rb/s1600-h/Jacquesellul7.jpg"><font size="3"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg9V4nmXeMuGP0CBBQXgM_sbo_BI3CwhBzp5evpeZlfO_E4HTCCr9yUhqBoirRqxAXa15bLxRzDaOZRYt1Vf-6Yr7i3e_aKIIs6xhaAHfnjgIamDdhT_GmCzGjLf7T4fgW6fs5/s1600-h/Jacquesellul%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: left; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Jacquesellul" border="0" alt="Jacquesellul" align="left" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlc_V2VOFAqvZUB2QDUSN_CSdYf9UHVXz5inm90C4dJrRk24SalzShPtTkGL1ngxeGNPibQnbocuLG3vDjz-h5yv8ts-zOw0m0z-_QZo897Dot_NnEPXonPyLy_ZRZobjt5EDy//?imgmax=800" width="134" height="211" /></a></font></a><font size="2">...Jesus Christ has not come to establish social justice any more than he has come to establish the power of the state or the reign of money or art. Jesus Christ has come to save men, and all that matters is that men may come to know him. We are adept at finding reasons-good theological, political, or practical reasons, for camouflaging this. But the real reason is that we let ourselves be impressed and dominated by the forces of the world, by the press, by public opinion, by the political game, by appeals to justice, liberty, peace, the poverty of the third world, and the Christian civilization of the west, all of which play on our inclinations and weaknesses. Modern protestants are in the main prepared to be all things to all men, like St. Paul, but unfortunately this is not in order that they may save some but in order that they may be like all men.  <em>The Ethics of Freedom </em>(Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company), 254-255</font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> theologienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05999449636939375428noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7667563.post-43039780341119348052010-11-29T07:15:00.001-06:002010-11-29T07:17:03.736-06:00Five thought traps—the foundations for hunger, poverty and environmental catastrophes<p><em>Below and in the next few posts I want to share some thoughts from authors Frances Moore Lappe </em>and <em>Anna Lappé, </em>in their book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hopes-Edge-Next-Small-Planet/dp/">Hope's Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet</a>. The short exposure to this book as impacted my thinking in a lot of ways. Most importantly this line of thoughts is something that should be inherent in Christian thought and theology, but unfortunately it isn’t. Let me introduce the <strong><em>Five Thought Traps</em></strong> first. </p> <p><strong><em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuVhu6CmA2haVhKkwKFScdIdAF-OhYfUO8evZQm6GOyib_TIt5moAKhbDtCQ5vMsFe584OydSufR8sBsj-yEyJHAofDEDyvjyCgsyOsTqtkTz64u4ncYZ6E9eEx_JDiGVybOK2/s1600-h/scarcity%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: left; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="scarcity" border="0" alt="scarcity" align="left" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi06msHQBw1mCWQFvJ-Y95kjPhl2Us_QYbLLmf_msYabCCcXQWuxShw5Hu7L_-YBeIMNgIauSzus61yxqTxBL4UzWFN-OizuqAuS5a2AymuFdokzc9Meo_XEvH42lkw4QT5rFxU//?imgmax=800" width="186" height="152" /></a>1. The enemy is scarcity; production is our savior.</em></strong></p> <p>With the human population doubling every fifty years or so, there just isn't enough stuff to go around...like land, food, and water. To survive, we have to produce more and more.</p> <p>“In the original <i>Diet for a Small Planet</i>, (the authors) set out to explode the scarcity myth with mountains of evidence showing the abundance—and the waste—in our food system. </p> <p>For me, discovering that here in the US we feed sixteen pounds of grain and soy to cattle to get one pound back in meat was the first real wake up call. Because so much of our harvested acreage goes to feed livestock, the waste is staggering. I calculated that the grain we annually feed livestock could provide the equivalent of a bowl of food for every person on earth every day of the year! So, I thought, anyone who simply looked at the facts would be spurred to make big changes. </p> <p>But I guess I didn’t appreciate the strength of this thought trap’s grip. Even now, thirty years later, the US Department of Agriculture sees no problem at all. Its economists maintain that the grain to beef ratio is “only” seven to one—as if seven pounds of feed to get only one pound back is some mark of efficiency. (To get their seven-to-one ratio, government analysts must credit grain and soy feeding with all the meat produced, although they know that more than half comes from grass, hay and other things cattle eat.)”</p> <p><strong>Next Time: <b>2) We are all selfish and the only thing that counts is the survival of the fittest.</b></strong></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:43a1a893-305e-4bba-9631-26d4a2a18c4b" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Kingdom" rel="tag">Kingdom</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Spiritual+Formation" rel="tag">Spiritual Formation</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/community" rel="tag">community</a></div> theologienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05999449636939375428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7667563.post-58235117588286129972010-07-17T13:32:00.001-05:002010-07-17T13:33:45.500-05:00Worship – A Dialogue on the Purposes of the Church Part 3<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaYCHr9KqIZJrVnlrMAmu6j_RzWTaHXvLcS-NM3wHMNZHeNkQt6Zrc_nSgEuDgqplpkcoNQpFJ1OmanQfG0O2yeF8St8CM1xMgHdEVTsgf2s77I7NiJ6JjXwI7AYXCxDAABFd1/s1600-h/cymbals%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="cymbals" border="0" alt="cymbals" align="left" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMhvrcsUNl-jn7yIFUKV5UD7jGqrbiwuvRG5onDEwl2QydsFNsBLBPG_CEDltUaR2vRcI1FaFqyP8we9BMqf7cYFSRsGPRS1khEcexRIW-NO1H1_3EnHMpw_rcVtwm2AtIjudR//?imgmax=800" width="240" height="202" /></a> Ever watch a group of people who will stand and shout when their favorite team makes a great play or wins a hard fought game? Or how the audience at a concert will stand and applaud a talented musician who just gave a great performance? </p> <p>I once attended the matinee of a mediocre Mozart opera with a friend. When it came time for the tenor to come on stage, Plácido Domingo came out to sing the role. Everyone stood and gave him a standing ovation--before he even sang!</p> <p>Compare this reaction to the picture that John gives us in Revelation 4 and 5, of the One seated on a throne surrounded by 24 Elders and angels, and the response of all creation to the Lamb seated on the throne in chapter 5. </p> <p>Note what <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Simply-Christian-Christianity-Makes-Sense/dp/0061920622/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1279390433&sr=1-7" target="_blank">N. T. Wright</a> says about this scene:</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7S76Beqpoq_7kdCWQ1y1-ez3LeeoG6cx6xQdCuAFiv4WNf9_2td_taW3ykkBWfzIDEi9gaLr2l8mZ6cnoxnQwNaRlcNeaIAQZuSRCJM4vQfkmUlnLT2PxD57oRMN3EoCy9SiM/s1600-h/image%5B7%5D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" align="right" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip3FMq3R9q5w0VvFeWxZ9PYZn9CvBdZeseRPFfs4CaUTSICqQC4fCpSIklQEz2OCCaueeZW8060R4r0ePZ5RMFRsUoeGu0X1QZw94I_26nTXET0G2-U2QRhLOeFjJDt0PnGmho//?imgmax=800" width="652" height="223" /></a> </p> <p> </p> <p></p> <p></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>There are a few ideas in this quote from Wright that resonate with me:</p> <ol> <li>Worship means, literally, acknowledging the <em>worth</em> of someone or something. All creation worships God, humans, animals, birds, et. al. because he <em>deserves</em> to be praised. </li> <li>Humans have something more to say when they join in the song of worship: They know <em>Why</em> God should be praised. He has made all things, and he has ransomed saints from all languages, people and nations. </li> </ol> <p>I like what Wright says: This is God’s world as it should be, and the way it is in heaven already. I get goose bumps every time I read these two chapters of the Book of Revelation.</p> <p>The question is, then, how do we worship here and now in our lives that somehow hearkens beyond us and replicates this heavenly scene? </p> <ol> <li>How can our worship acknowledge the worth of the one we worship? Who does that work out in a practical way? </li> <li>Do we fully understand the <em>Why</em> of worship? Do we grasp the full implications of what it means to say that God created all things, creature, nature and human, and that he has ransomed saints from all nations, tongues and peoples, to be a nation of Priests?</li> </ol> <p>For me, the practical question is how can I experience or enter into worship that is worthy of God the father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.</p> <p>Again, Wright gives us two ideas:</p> <blockquote> <p><em>First, you become like what you worship. </em></p> </blockquote> <p>What happens when you worship money, sex or power? We are shaped by our desires to conform to these objects of worship. What happens when we begin to truly worship the God who created all things and has redeemed us for himself through his son Jesus Christ by the power of his spirit?</p> <blockquote> <p><em>Because we are made in God’s image, worship makes us truly human</em>.</p> </blockquote> <p>You discover more fully what it means to be human as well as you begin to shrink as a human; you are no longer the center of the universe. </p> <p>Good start, but a long journey. I think <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mentoring-Leaders-Developing-Character-Competency/dp/080109187X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279390291&sr=8-2" target="_blank">Carson Pue</a> (p30f)  has given me some insight on this journey. He has stated that we often fall into two camps in our approach to following Christ. </p> <p>The first group is similar to power-boaters, for whom the destination is of primary importance. The primary concern is to get to the destination as quickly and as safely as possible, and once there, concern shifts to having fun and enjoying the destination. This is what makes the journey worthwhile.</p> <p>The second group are the sailors. The journey is as important as the destination. They enjoy the various aspects of the journey along the journey as the proceed toward the destination.</p> <p>I’ve discovered that I need to become more of a sailor and less of a power-boater in my walk with Christ.</p> <p>I won’t dwell on the implications of the two metaphors, but hopefully they are food for thought. </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7jZGjxXR1IkdiAO3i9aJiAmFgXUio-JyIgs_RB2LN_4VWG2pr6dhyU4gfWWZs4NoOC7-ytSGlNvPQ3SiVJ8Lj3AjVirGm98bW9ieI_Pep6_Jan8no80MYQ5D6kmkezk38jxcl/s1600-h/signature%5B4%5D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="signature" border="0" alt="signature" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMHdwpp7Okyd3gLxw5vl23MoJYidWXGiBO0aR4czzt0CXGGKtp1gfcdhGT5hsPcg2zt-__60ujIq0ENSNb8-vtTomGb9udJnghIz8ypa4iCX_t6sUEj9q0kybC7y8Hec-MsBf//?imgmax=800" width="129" height="39" /></a> </p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:e645d3c6-60cd-411d-9f1b-7a9aacbe2b29" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/worship" rel="tag">worship</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/kingdom" rel="tag">kingdom</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Emerging" rel="tag">Emerging</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/France" rel="tag">France</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/spiritual+formation" rel="tag">spiritual formation</a></div> theologienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05999449636939375428noreply@blogger.com1