ZOE, Part 2
Wendy was nice enough to remind me that I missed my 2 year blogiversary. This would be as good a time as any to comment on "blog backlash." I have met a few people who say rather snootily, "I don't read blogs." To which I always reply, "Okay." I don't take time to enumerate the reasons I do read blogs because it would be wasted breath. To each his/her own, I figure. But as with many things, it makes no sense to refuse to do something for the sole reason that other people do. I'm sorry that they are missing out on the communication, the sharing, and the prayer community. But, as George Thoroughgood once said, "That don't befront me." I don't know what that means, but it sums up how I feel. I have been blessed by blogging and by reading blogs. 'Nuff said.Wade Hodges had an excellent session at ZOE. He began by saying that we need to get past being right in our Biblical interpretation. There are good and bad ways to be right, just as there are good and bad ways to be wrong. He reminded us that the Pharisees were right, but in a bad way...just as others, the Samaritan woman at the well for instance, may have been wrong, but were open-minded and thus could be said to be wrong in a good way. Peter was sometimes right in a good way and sometimes right in a bad way. I suppose he may have even been wrong about things in a good way. Confused yet? Wade went on to say that "right and wrong" was a little too "black and white." He suggested that a better way of looking at things was that we can be "wronger and righter" in ways that could be "gooder and badder." Wendy would have visibly cringed. But the point was well taken. How we read scripture is every bit as important as what we interpret it to say.John York expanded on this by defining his approach as "relational." If we always read our Bibles with one eye firmly on the love of God and the grace shown through the gift of Jesus Christ, it becomes much harder to point fingers and pridefully assert out own opinions. I can't stress enough how important I think this is. I have taught so many classes where my viewpoints have been challenged with sentences that begin, "But it says..." Believe it or not, I know what it says. But I choose to interpret what it says with freedom and love. I also believe it is important to put what it says in the proper context. Would Paul have made the same commands to the church in the 21st century? I don't think so.I try to teach with an open mind. It gets easier to do that all the time as I find myself wronger and wronger. But I often feel like I'm not even teaching from the same text as my students'. And I am continually frustrated by dogmatic interpretation of some scriptures but not others. Paul's words about men and women (except for that pesky "there is no longer man nor woman" verse) are taken as absolutes while his words about adornment and hair length are clearly no longer applicable. Pardon me but, HUH?And so our continuing mission is to explore strange new ways to see the Word through fresh eyes...through eyes of love...and through eyes focused on the Word made flesh.
ZOE, Part 1
How can you feel so close to people that you only see once a year?It was so great to be able to spend time with David and Paul and Teresa and Brandon and John and Mike this weekend. And to meet Stephen and Josh and so many others. The ZOE folks are incredibly talented, but we look forward to seeing them mostly because they are family. We learned a lot, sang a lot, (ate a lot), and shared a lot. But there is no way to describe the warmth you feel when you see them again after so long, nor the sadness you feel when they return home. That was multiplied this year as my sweet niece arrived with them and left with them.An added bonus was seeing the Wrays. It was a tad awkward when Randy was sitting in my pew on Friday night, but I made it a point to get there before him for each subsequent session, so I wouldn't be staring bitterly at the back of his head. And yes, he was blogging in his pew.The sessions on Friday were good. The sessions on Saturday were excellent. One of the other great things about ZOE is that all the people are such kindred spirits. Those things we struggle over with our church families don't matter with these folks. Instead, we learn how to deal with such struggles in a way that would make Jesus proud. I always learn more about teaching, more about my relationship with my brothers and sisters and with God, and more about love when I listen to John York and Mike Cope and Randy Gill and Randy Harris. Randy Gill in particular drove a message into my heart. Intimacy is hard for some of us dudes. It's something we are constantly working on.I hope to share some more notes this week. Things that struck me enough to jot down. For now though, I'm still basking in the afterglow of a weekend spent with friends and worship that was intense and beautiful. I wish more people could have been there. I wish ALL of you could have been there. But oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
This Way Lies Madness
Under the category of things I do all the time but seldom admit:This morning I was walking down the hallway towards my classroom. I was reading the mail that was in my box as I walked. Approaching my door, I got my car keys out of my pocket and pressed the "unlock" button. Nothing happened. I put them away, looked around, and got my other keys out.Oh, like none of you have ever done something like that.Two days 'til ZOE!
Football Blues
Being one of those one-sport guys has its drawbacks. Because of my passion for baseball and my, y'know, encyclopedic knowledge about it, everyone assumes I'm your ordinary sports fan. But I'm not. I take six months out of every year off from watching any kind of sports at all. I do watch the Super Bowl every year, but mostly for the commercials.So this time of year I feel like the uncool kid who hears about all the weekend parties on Monday during 1st Period. I even forget there is anything going on. One of our elders (who shall remain nameless but is a diehard Cardinals fan) told me yesterday he couldn't wait to get home after church. When I asked him why he gave me a real funny look. "Oh yeah," I thought to myself. "It's football season."Still, having said that, I like this Peyton Manning fellow. See, I stopped watching football because I couldn't stand the antics anymore. I wanted the fellas to score their touchdowns and then toss the ball to the nearest ref, not run out to the 50-yard line and moon the crowd. The T.O.'s of the game ruined it for me. (Same with basketball...I don't like thugs.) No thank you. I'll take Marcus Allen any day, but they tell me he's not playing anymore. But Manning seems to go about his business with some degree of professionalism. He's also very good at what he does. I like his commercials too.So I've battened down the hatches for the next two weeks of endless hype. Wake me up on Super Bowl Sunday. And "Go Colts!" I guess.
Afterlife Plans
My dad used to say that when he got to heaven, he planned to sit in a rocking chair on the front porch of his mansion. And then, after 10,000 years, he would slowly start to rock.That's as good a way of thinking of an infinity of rest that I can imagine. And I never doubted that he was serious. I figure he's been in that rocker for almost 20 years now. But he still has some 9,980 years before he does any rocking. It's not a bad plan, but it's not mine. I have a few other ideas. One of which is to pull up a rocker next to him and do a little catching up. I'm sure he'd like to meet Lisa and James and they'd like to meet him. Here are some other plans:Meet the people who I only know from their names in the Bible. Sit with them and talk about their stories. Ask questions as I go. In particular, I'd like some face time with Paul.Sing with the heavenly choir. I can't wait to have perfect pitch.Play some golf. I figure the courses might be real nice.Read, read, read. I really believe that my stack of unread books will be there waiting for me when I get there.But before I do any of that, I want to see Jesus. I want to hug him hard. I want to tell him thank you. And have you considered this? Have you ever thought that, as much as you want to see Jesus, as much as you want to sit at his feet and learn and talk and laugh...he wants to see you just as much. He gets a smile on his face when he thinks of that time you will spend together, and it's just as wide as yours.
Birthday Thoughts
It's my niece's birthday today.I remember when she was born. I remember the first time I saw her. I remember the first time I took care of her. I remember the first time she cracked me up. I remember the first time she impressed me. I remember the first time I heard her talk. I remember the first time I heard her play the horn. I remember the first time I heard her sing.On Sunday, I looked up on the stage during our morning worship and saw a beautiful young lady. I've thought this before, but wow was it true this day. I pity the dudes in Texas. I'm serious. I pity 'em. And when she broke out in song...in her song...I pitied 'em all the more.She is going to do great things. Children flock to her. I see so much of Jesus in her when they surround her the way they do. She is bright and talented and beautiful. I know I mentioned that already but, hey, uncle's prerogative. Her mom and dad and brother have done a great job bringing her up. I hope I've helped.Happy Birthday, Ash. I love you.
Tired Typing Fingers
I just posted a memory of a really lousy Bible study experience over at Biblos 4 Theobloggers. Go on over and join the discussion if you'd like.The comment tired out my poor typing fingers and they are too worn out to do much more today. I pray that you all have a wonderful weekend. It's a 3-day special for me. Good thing too, since I'm exhausted from being back at work for an entire week.Sob.
Great Reads
I finished Yancey's book on prayer. It was good, not great. Some chapters were thought-provoking and I think my prayer life is better for having read it. So overall, it was certainly worth the read. It's far from my favorite of his works though. The discussion goes on over at Biblos 4 Theobloggers though it has slowed to a crawl because of the holidays. I'm sure we'll pick it back up again as normality creeps back into our lives.After finishing Yancey, I needed a novel. I've filled up on nonfiction recently and I need to feed the fantasy fire. So I started Stephen King's latest, "Lisey's Story." King is one of my favorite authors and so far this book has reminded me of the old King. As I read yesterday, one of the characters challenged people to think of their first really great reading experience. So I, in turn, tried to think of mine. The first book that leapt to mind was King's own "The Dead Zone." I will never forget Greg Buch giving me his copy during the break in summer school Government class. "I don't read horror," I told him. "Read the prologue," said he. "If you don't like it I won't bug you anymore." I didn't listen to a word the teacher said the rest of the day. Greg got his book back the next day. And the next few months were spent charging through "Carrie," "Salem's Lot," and in one of the greatest reads of my life "The Stand."But I thought again about the question asked by King's character and I realized that, though "The Dead Zone" was the first book I thought about, it certainly was not my first great read. Casting my mind back a bit further, I started remembering all of those trips to the library on my bike. And the first author I thought of in that context was Robert Heinlein. I loved his science fiction aimed at junior readers..."Podkayne of Mars"..."Citizen of the Galaxy"...even "Starship Troopers"...and I went through all of them quickly. Hungry for more (I almost said "thirsty" but we don't get thirsty for books, do we? We hunger.) I went to the old card catalogue, no computers back in the day, and found more Heinlein in the, er, non-kids section. Y'know...books for grown-ups. I swallowed hard and made my way over. "Stranger In A Strange Land" exploded into my hand and it was all over. I'm not sure, but I think I may have become a man that week. A tiny, bike-riding man, but a man nonetheless.But I wasn't satisfied with that answer either. Was that really the first great read? What about C.S. Lewis? That Sunday I spent plowing through "The Last Battle" was the first time I'd ever read an entire book in a day and I'll never forget it. But, before that, what about Beverly Cleary? What about...ah...there it is...what about...Dr. Seuss???And I'm sure that's the answer. My first great love in books came from the Ruth Gibson Elementary School library. Because Dr. Seuss was more than just "Green Eggs and Ham" and "The Cat in the Hat." He wrote stories too, some that rhymed, some that didn't. Remember the Sneetches? The Lorax? Bartholomew Cubbins??? I have great memories of clutching those books in my greedy paws, taking them home and plowing through them. Then returning for more, the librarian chuckling at my wide eyes.And what about you? Any stories to share about your first great read, your discovery of books and Oh, the places they help us go?
Aaaaaaaaaaaaand We're Back
Given the choice between taking two weeks off and taking three weeks off, I have decided that I would rather take three weeks off. My main reason for this is that it's one week longer.Still, given how much I love my job and the fact that I have such great kids this year, coming back wasn't all that bad. However, waking up at 6:00 was, and will always be, a bummer.Upon arriving at work, I quickly found that the smart classroom is not working. I spent about half an hour trying to get it going before giving up. I pulled my laptop out and tried to fire it up, but it wasn't working either. I finally got it going after about 45 minutes, but there are no assurances that, once I turn it off, it will ever turn off again. So the rest of this week, things will probably be old school around here. Back to attendance by hand and writing on the board. Hey, I did the former for over ten years and the latter for almost twenty. So I'm pretty sure I can handle it for a while. Until things get fixed, we'll party like it's 1999.As Roseanne Rosannadanna once said, "If it's not one thing, it's another."
Aaaaaaaaaaaaand We're Back
Given the choice between taking two weeks off and taking three weeks off, I have decided that I would rather take three weeks off. My main reason for this is that it's one week longer.Still, given how much I love my job and the fact that I have such great kids this year, coming back wasn't all that bad. However, waking up at 6:00 was, and will always be, a bummer.Upon arriving at work, I quickly found that the smart classroom is not working. I spent about half an hour trying to get it going before giving up. I pulled my laptop out and tried to fire it up, but it wasn't working either. I finally got it going after about 45 minutes, but there are no assurances that, once I turn it off, it will ever turn off again. So the rest of this week, things will probably be old school around here. Back to attendance by hand and writing on the board. Hey, I did the former for over ten years and the latter for almost twenty. So I'm pretty sure I can handle it for a while. Until things get fixed, we'll party like it's 1999.As Roseanne Rosannadanna once said, "If it's not one thing, it's another."
You're All In The Sermon!
This preaching stuff is easy. I finally figured it out. Just ask a question and let wiser people answer, thus providing you with all you need for a Grade-A sermon!Thanks to everyone who answered the "What if" question. I really am sharing your thoughts (anonymously with a couple of agreed-upon exceptions) with the group this Sunday. I asked it of several other people in person as well. The interesting thing was how quickly everyone was able to come up with one or several answers. It tells me that we are all thinking in terms of the Kingdom and that excites me very much. The perspectives were different, depending on where people are in their study and in their walk. But every single person was genuinely concerned with making the church better.The other thing I asked people to do for me this week was to share a story of a time they were able to help someone, someone helped them, or they knew of someone helping someone else. I don't want to present this lesson only in terms of what we need to do, but also in terms of what is being done. I want to bring some acts of service and generosity out in the light, to give the right hand just a hint of what the left hand is doing. Hopefully, this will encourage people, motivate them, and show how God's love is already being spread in a huge variety of ways. If you would like to share such a story here, that would be great.See there? Just ask a couple of questions, throw in a few pertinent scriptures, rinse, lather, repeat and BAM! Out pops a sermon. The best part is, if people hate it, I can blame it on you!
Christmas Week
Where to begin?I need this to be concise because I'm still not in blogging mode yet. But I am not blessed with a great memory, so if I don't get a few things down now, I never will. So...Christmas was wonderful. I missed having my side of the family around on Christmas morning while James opened his gifts. And I missed being there while they opened each others'. But Lisa's side was all with us and that was wonderful. James got four different remote controlled cars (tractors, jeeps, etc.) so that quickly became a theme. I received an embarrassing wealth of Amazon/Best Buy/Barnes & Noble money, so my next few weeks are going to be a lot of fun. ALL 3 of my nieces were in town and that was one of the best parts of the day. My favorite gift may have been the Sweet Tarts that James bought for me. He picked out a gift for me, for my nephew Avery, my niece Ashley, and one for the whole family. That's right, Lisa got the ol' shafteroo.While I'm thinking of it, Greg, my Christmas Eve sermon was a little less than 10 minutes long. Seriously, there was an announcement afterwards that lasted longer. People were very happy.The week following Christmas was notable for some good friends I got to see. My buddy Jay (who I hadn't seen for a few years) went to breakfast with me on Tuesday and, as those of you who jump to her blog know, Wendy and Rick joined us on Wednesday. I received the yummy jam on behalf of preachers everywhere but I should point out that Randy's name did come up during the breakfast. It was SO good to see these friends who we love so much. Rick and Wendy were on hand to witness my awesome parenting skills as I tripped my son on the way to the bathroom and caused him to bang his head on the tile floor. And there was much rejoicing.The rest of the week held times of golf (it's about 60 here in the afternoon), reading, studying for Sunday's message, TV viewing, playing with my kid's presents, blog lurking, taking out the tree (and cutting it up with my new chainsaw, Aarh aarh aarrrhhhhhh!), picking out a cushy new chair for the office, playing games with friends, and winning a CIV IV campaign as the French because I figure it's the only way they'll ever win a war.This week promises more golf, more reading, LOTS more studying, a long-awaited doctor's appointment, and probably even a massage.I'm out of shape and all blogged out. So I'll leave you with a comment request. Leave me some "What if" questions about the church. For instance, "What if the church were more devoted to prayer?" or "What if the church put more emphasis on our similarities within the body than on our differences?" The floor is yours.
Hit Counters
