Intentional Walk

Mark: Class 2

2010-01-19T15:33:00.001-08:00

Sunday night was a stormy one in Fresno. Still, we had a group of nine for our study of Mark. Determined to make up some time this week, I got us all the way to Chapter 1, Verse 2! Well...technically I skipped some stuff about verse 1 that I want to go back to...but we had some fantastic discussion.

Mark gets busy right away in his Gospel. In the very first verse, he has declared Jesus to be both Messiah and God's son. And in the second verse, he makes a powerful suggestion. By quoting from Isaiah and Malachi, citing verses that proclaim one who will prepare the way of The LORD, Mark sets the reader up for the story of John the Baptist. But wait! John the Baptist is preparing the way for this man, Jesus...not for Yahweh! Could Mark be declaring, already in verse 2, that Jesus has equality with God?? That's a bold statement!

We spent a good deal of time discussing methods of translation and Biblical versions...important stuff. And stuff we need to get at what Mark is saying. Because already in the first two verses we have some significant differences from version to version. We touched on the powerful need for the Holy Spirit in writing, translating, and reading God's Word. I'm finding that the hour flies by as we go deep into the Gospel message.

Mark: Class 1

2010-01-11T08:05:00.000-08:00

We had 10 people for class last night and got all the way to Mark 1:1!

We spent some time talking about our personal experiences with the Gospel. Most of us had never studied it in a church setting before. Mark is overshadowed by the other three Gospels.

Indeed, Mark has been largely disregarded by the church for its entire existence. Early on, it was thought to be nothing more than an abridgement of Matthew. The language is coarse Greek. The transitions are inelegant. In short, Mark has never thought to be much of a writer.

Until, that is, the past century. Scholars started to wonder if perhaps Mark had reasons for writing the way he did. If so, then maybe we've been missing something for a very long time.

Why are the disciples treated so shamefully by Mark? They never seem to get it. And Mark includes none of Matthew's grace notes, redeeming the disciples when they fall short. But it makes sense when we realize that Mark was, in essence, writing Peter's Gospel. In most of the stories, the eyewitness was Peter...Mark was just the recorder. And this was the same Mark who deserted Paul and Barnabas; he could relate with Peter's desertion of Christ.

So the Gospel of Mark becomes a Gospel of redemption, a Gospel of forgiveness. And when we think of our own failures and shortcomings, Mark reminds us that Jesus stands ready to receive us back and forgive us completely.

I Had An Idea

2009-12-17T13:46:00.000-08:00

Sure, okay, I still should write about the Ireland trip in this space. And maybe I'm just trying to revive the blog in the spirit of new year's resolutions. But I had this idea today that might just work.

Next month I am going to start teaching a class on the Gospel of Mark. It's going to be very informal, taught right out of my living room. There will be friends and neighbors, colleagues and fellow seminary students, long-time Christians and some people who are just curious. Truth is, I have no idea who all will be there. I only know that if one person shows up, we are going to search the Word together. I'm excited. I need to teach.

Some people will come every week. Some will come every now and then. Some will probably only come once. Some will be there solely for the discussion of the evening and others want homework so they can search deeper during the week. And some might want a forum to continue the conversation in between classes. To that end, I'm going to open this blog as a place where we can journey through the Gospel of Mark together. I will post some personal insights, but I will be more interested in the insights of others. It will be a conversational study...my favorite kind. All are welcome.

Your first assignment: set aside an hour and a half or so during the holidays to sit and read through the entire Gospel at once. We'll chat about how that went.

Writing!

2009-11-03T09:20:00.000-08:00

One of the reasons I'm in such a blog slog is all of the writing I'm doing. Those of you who have been through seminary remember the preponderance of papers. Not that I'm complaining. I'm one of the odd students that really enjoys writing the papers. I enjoy getting my thoughts out of my head and, since I don't have an outlet for teaching right now, writing is the next best thing.

But it takes a lot of time. And when I take a break from the writing, I find that one of the last things I want to do is write.

So the blog is not dead. I have a lot of Ireland stories to tell and pictures to post. Plus much to report, including a near-miss with Fuller Seminary. But it'll come in fits and starts. All of the papers must be turned in by December 8th. In the meantime....

Ireland: Day 3-6

2009-10-09T08:22:00.000-07:00

After I'm home and rested...which may take some time...I'll blog all the details I can remember about our trip to Dublin. It has been an incredible time, far exceeding our best expectations. The weather has been sunny and beautiful on the days we spent outside and windy and rainy on the days we planned indoor activities. God was smilin' down on us.

I seriously can't shake this accent.

For now, I'll just remind meself...er...myself to write about the Shelbourne Hotel, O'Donaghue's Pub, St. Stephen's Green, Trinity College and the Book of Kells, St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Celtic Whiskey Shop, Hodges/Figgis and Bestsellers book stores, Ballyknocken, Cork, Cobh, Blarney Castle, Foley's Pub, cemeteries and monuments, The Irish Writer's Museum, and shopping, shopping, shopping.

Not to mention whatever I'll remember later and whatever hasn't happened yet. This trip has been a well-timed gift. I'm grateful for the chance to be here and grateful for friends with which to share the stories.

The whole week has been mighty craic!

Ireland: Day 1. (Or 2??)

2009-10-05T12:25:00.000-07:00

13 hours on three different planes. And have I mentioned that I can't really sleep sitting down? We left at 7:00 am Sunday in Fresno and got to Dublin around 8:00 am on Monday. Lisa kept thinking that restaurants were closed and churches should be in session. It weirds you out.

After checking in and sleeping for five hours, we went out for a walk. There are pubs in Dublin! No, there are lots and LOTS of pubs in Dublin. We walked about four city blocks and saw at least 20 pubs. I'm not counting restaurants here. Just pubs. Pubs, pubs, pubs.

The streets were packed. We couldn't figure out why until Lisa pointed out that it was 5:00 pm on Monday. Everyone was leaving work, catching buses, and presumably heading for a pub. There are very few cars, tons of buses, and throngs of people afoot. The street is lined with statues (and pubs) and there is something to see in every direction.

We walked along, in no particular direction, marveling at the architecture, laughing that we passed two Burger Kings in two blocks, and trying to stay out of everybody's way. We saw a beautiful building, took a picture, and realized it was a post office. We passed the Bank of Ireland as we strolled. Finally, we found ourselves along the backside of a long building that was fenced off. We continued around the corner to see where we were. At the gate, we saw a lot of students walking out and discovered that we were at Trinity College. We went into the courtyard and all the sounds of traffice were silenced. We stayed a bit, but we are touring the school later so we headed back to the hotel for some fried haddock.

No Guinness yet but I'll let you know when it happens. It will most likely be in a pub. We are in a beautiful city that uses foreign currency with the nicest people and having an incredible time. More to follow, as we suck it up and decide to pay many euros for wireless charges.

Ireland, Baby!!!

2009-10-02T09:14:00.000-07:00

My wife works hard and earns these cool incentive trips. We stayed at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville. We toured historic Savannah, GA. We had the most incredible week in Hawaii. And now we are headed to Ireland on Sunday.

As I type that, it seems like a pattern...every trip is better than the last. Next year, we may be going to the moon.

We are going to stay at the beautiful Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin. There will be food, excursions, gifts...and yes, we are going to kiss the Blarney Stone. At least I am. Lisa hasn't decided yet. Something about germs.

I doubt if I will do much blogging while I'm there. But I'm excited. If I see Bono, I'll tell him hi.

Act Like A Pastor!

2009-09-30T10:37:00.000-07:00

It amazes me to realize that I preached for over 12 years.

At first, it was only once every few months. Then it was every six weeks or so. By the end, I was part of a three-man rotation and, as a part of the Worship Committee, I was involved in planning pulpit curriculum and much more.

It's interesting to look back on it and see how the role developed. I learned that, if you are preaching that much, some people in the congregation will see you in a pastoral role. That scared me at first, but eventually I embraced it and loved the opportunity to do more for people than just teach them. At my highest level of involvement, I even felt like a pastor myself.

That self-image affected how I lived my life. I believe that church leaders should do everything possible to remain above reproach. I certainly wasn't perfect, but I tried my best to watch what I said, where I went, how I acted at all times. It even affected how I drove, because I was always sure that the person I cut off in traffic would be the person who would be at church the following Sunday watching me preach. I'm not saying that this isn't how every Christian should live; it is. But the thought helped keep me on the straight and narrow.

Lately I've realized that I still try to act the same way. I'm not even within sniffing distance of a pulpit these days, but I still want to comport myself in a way that pleases God. I'm still far from perfect. But I have no idea when or where God will need me next. And when He does, I want to be ready.

Grr

2009-09-27T19:31:00.001-07:00

Stupid Angels.

Clinch Time

2009-09-25T09:26:00.001-07:00

If the Rangers lose the next two games...and the Angels win the next two games...then we will be there to watch them celebrate on Saturday night.

We are heading down tonight to watch the Angels take on the A's. James is more excited than ever. For the first time, he'll be at the game when he really understands what's going on. He knows the players. He's a fan! We even made a sign supporting our favorite Angel, Chone Figgins. If you watch the game tonight or tomorrow, certainly they'd have to put my telegenic boy on camera, holding up his sign. Right?

I love September baseball!

Active Spirituality

2009-09-24T13:24:00.000-07:00

If you want to pursue a richer prayer life, go visit my friend Chris Erdman's new blog. And if you are the type of person who wants to know someone's credentials before you give them your trust, I assure you that Chris lives the life he teaches and walks the walk he preaches.

Check out ChrisErdman.com.

Gospel of Mark

2009-09-23T09:46:00.000-07:00

I am loving my class this year on the Gospel of Mark. As always, Dr. Geddert's insights are amazing. What I have always passed off as the most shallow and boring of the Gospels is coming alive and opening my mind to new understandings of Jesus.

Last night we spent most of our time looking at the miracles in Chapter 5. Jesus cast out demons, healed a bleeding woman, and raised a little girl back to life. In each case, two healings occurred. The demoniac was released from evil spirits...then was restored back to his community. The woman's bleeding was stopped...then Jesus publicly recognized that power had gone out from him. In announcing the woman's cleanness to everyone, he also announced that she could now be accepted back into society. Jairus' daughter was resurrected...and then she was given food to share with her family, an important aspect of Jewish community. Jesus never simply healed a physical condition without also healing the spirit.

When I read about a woman who has been afflicted for twelve years, healed on the way to the home of a dying twelve year old, I can't help but wonder if God didn't set these events in motion with intent. Did the woman actually begin bleeding at the moment Jairus' daughter was born? I don't know, but I do think that it's not too big a stretch to suppose that God may sometimes put us through the fire in order to reveal Himself. With every miracle, Jesus' identity became further established. Why would he not still make his presence known today?

The Blog I've Put Off Writing

2009-09-22T10:10:00.000-07:00

Ah, the sweet smell of procrastination. I've put off the blog for a long time, partly because of Facebook, but mostly because I wanted to be sure I wrote about the events of the summer with the right mindset. Usually getting a little distance from emotional events helps me to discuss them with greater clarity. Most of all, I want to be sure I don't hurt anybody's feelings.

In July, I left my church of 40 years. I left for a number of reasons, some I can get into publicly, some I can't. But mostly I left because it was the right thing to do for my family.

With respect to a tradition and an interpretation with which I am intimately familiar, we personally couldn't support what we came to see as practices that discriminate. Women are not allowed to pray publicly...or preach...or serve as deacons or elders. In some cases they are not even allowed to teach or perform tasks like passing communion trays. A significant percentage of the membership does not believe that divorced men should be allowed to lead. Women like my wife who are blessed with an abundance of spiritual gifts are extremely limited in how they can use them. Men like myself who suffered through the traumatizing and embarrassing ordeal of divorce are given comfort but told they are not welcome to hold office.

My church is leagues above other Churches of Christ in these areas. The men who serve as elders would welcome a divorced man in their ranks. Most of them would like to see women do more. But they are held back by concerns for bringing the membership along at what they deem an appropriate pace. For my family, that pace is too slow. My son is in his formative years, shaped by what he sees as much as what he is taught. After witnessing two sixth-grade boys lead the congregation in Communion one Sunday, he asked his mother why she wasn't allowed to do that. It was a great question.

We had hoped to leave quietly and gracefully. I had hoped to preach one last time. But pride and human nature played their part and, as these things too often do, the whole thing got nasty. Things were said which should not have been said. I was not allowed to preach again and my character was called into question. We were accused by some of abandoning our church, if not our faith. And so on.

The overwhelming response though has been loving. Those who know us well understand our leaving and wish us the best. And we will miss our family like crazy! After the wounds heal, we'll go back and see them as often as we can. But it will take some time.

We covet prayers as we embark on a search for a new home. I am years away still from what I hope will be a new career as a minister. At that time, we'll have a new church home again. But for now, we seek a place where we can serve as a family. We can't replace our old one and we would never try. But we can add to it. May God lead us on.

(I will now read this about eighteen times before publishing. Please read it with love and respond with grace.)

Bloom and Grow?

2009-09-21T13:10:00.000-07:00

Will the plant flourish or will it be consumed by the desert, returning to the ground?

I don't know. This poetic stuff makes my head hurt.

Either way, let's just admire the little plant while we can.

New Beginnings

2009-09-20T19:24:00.000-07:00

Off in the distance, a tiny plant blooms in the desert.

Hello?

2009-07-21T12:03:00.001-07:00

Anybody still there?

I think that's probably the longest I've ever gone between blog posts. And truth to tell, I don't know if this blog is still a going concern or not. Summer vacation usually mellows out my desire to share...Facebook has done its part too. But the next several months are going to be interesting ones, so I'm going to at least try to document them a bit.

First though, a James story.

Weekend before last, I was heading out of town. It was Thursday and I wouldn't be coming back until Sunday evening. So I called my boy to me and gave him a big hug. Then I gave him another. And then another. While he laughed, I explained that I was hugging him for Friday, for Saturday, and for Sunday.

For the next ten minutes, as I walked around the house and tried to accomplish those last-minute tasks before leaving, he followed me everywhere, hugging me every time I came to a stand-still. Finally I said, "Okay, bud, that's enough. You've hugged me for every day I'm going to be gone."

"But, Daddy," he said, "I hug you more than once a day!"

Gotta love that kid.

Summer Begins at Bag End

2009-06-16T14:22:00.000-07:00

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat; it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort."

The Hobbit was published in 1937 and a beautiful hardback edition came out in 1987 to celebrate the 50th anniversary. I was 23 and decided that I would like to read that version of the classic to my kids someday, so I bought it. Last night, I took that old book from the bottom shelf of the bookcase, dusted it off, and sat down with it next to my son's bed as James and I journeyed together to Middle Earth, specifically to a particular hobbit-hole in the neighborhood of The Hill, where we met Bilbo Baggins and a strange wizard named Gandalf. Tonight, we are likely to meet a number of dwarfs.

Truly good things are worth waiting for.

God Will Never Give Us More Than We Can Handle

2009-06-03T10:31:00.000-07:00

A dear friend got me thinking about this verse yesterday:

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. (I Cor. 10:13)

How I hear it all the time is: "God will never give us more than we can handle." I think that's where we run into trouble.

I'm not going to analyze the scripture today. I'm excited that I've learned how, or at least, how to start. But I just want to point out a couple of things. Paul wrote about temptation. And he never said it was from God, at least not in this text. All he was saying to the Corinthians was that God provides us a way...or a Way...to stand up to the temptation we will all encounter.

But as far as the stuff...the really rotten stuff...that is a normal part of life? I don't think this verse has anything to say about it. And I think interpreting it the way we often do is very dangerous. Here's why.

Let's be honest for a minute. Sometimes we get more than we can handle. Maybe this has never happened to you. I pray it never does. But it happens. Sometimes it's just...TOO...MUCH. That's where the church comes in. That's where community comes in, if we can put our pride away long enough to let people share our sorrow. And sharing it isn't going to make it go away, it's just going to mean we don't have to suffer alone. And make no mistake, God is not sitting back enjoying our suffering. He just reminds us that He knows what suffering is...maybe even better than we do.

But when we think that God will never give us more than we can handle...and then we go through times that are definitely...unquestionably...more than we can handle...well, it's perfectly natural to wonder about this God of ours? Was He lying? Are we not good enough for Him? Are we letting Him down by admitting that THIS is too much?? Or, hey, is He even really there at all? Here's a thought I know for a fact that good Christians have (and I say this because I have a GOOD friend...who is a GOOD Christian...and I'm pretty sure he thinks it): "I've always been taught that God would never give me more than I can handle. THIS is more than I can handle. It's either ME or HIM. Maybe it's HIM."

Sometimes life sucks. Sometimes it is loss after loss after loss. Every loss hurts. And sometimes there are too many. And sometimes just one is too much. We lose our jobs...our homes...our friends...our marriages...our minds...our children. Just thinking of those losses brings me incredible sadness, for I know someone who has lost each, sometimes even more than one. But there is a loss greater than any of these, the loss of faith. Watching a friend lose that...or feeling your own slip away...is the last thing any of us want to happen.

For now, for today, can we just all admit this one thing? Sometimes, some people will have more than they can handle. In those times, God has not lied. And He has not deserted us. He is there. And He will still be there when things start to get better, which they inevitably do. In the meantime, He has given us a few things to help.

He has given us Psalms of lament. Read them. Read them aloud. Scream them if you want to. God's children have been hurting for a very long time. And God has been there before, during, and after the hurt.

He has given us the church. There are people to lean on...people to cry with...people to help you do things that you just don't have the strength or will to do...people who share our faith and can give us a little of their own when ours wanes. Only pride keeps us from allowing them to help. Only the feeling that this is my pain and nobody else's. God has put us in community for a reason.

He has given us His Spirit. It's hard to be quiet in pain. But if we can be still for just a bit, we may hear the voice of God's Spirit, giving us assurance that it will end...and maybe even ideas of what to do in the meantime.

If you are going through a time when you have more than you can handle, I have four final pieces of advice. Remember how many people love you (chances are good I'm one of 'em...chances are 100% that God's one). Remember that it will end. See if you can summon something deep inside and go find someone to help. With anything. Just something that will get you out of yourself for a while.

And take an hour and a half and watch "Kung Fu Panda." I'm serious about that.

Hebrews 13:5 -- "God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

Is This The End?

2009-06-01T13:51:00.000-07:00

The time I took off from blogging has taken its toll. I'm finding it extremely hard to get back in the habit. To be honest, Facebook is doing a far better job of keeping me connected and allowing me to share bits and pieces of my life. I also just spent an entire semester writing more than I have ever done in such a concentrated amount of time.

Another truth is that I'm going through quite a valley right now and I don't like sharing those. They bring everybody down and inspire a lot of "hang in there's." And while I appreciate "hang in there's," I don't really like "hang in there's."

I don't believe for a second that the constant succession of things that have knocked me around recently are coincidence. I am both enjoying and doing very well in seminary. I'm starting to get a glimpse of what serving God as a teacher of His Word will be like and I am beyond excited about it. So, sure, the enemy would like to put the kibosh on that. But I've tried to stand in the gap for a large number of people in crisis, all the while sick and a bit "crisised" on my own.

Thing is, my faith is only stronger. My resolve is only deeper. So I know that very good things will come of all this.

I'm sorry for those few of you who waste time clicking over here. I haven't decided if I'll try harder to get it going again. But if I do, I'll try to let you know. For now, to quote a cliche I'm growing to hate, it is what it is.

What I Know Now That I Didn't Know Then

2009-05-19T09:10:00.001-07:00

I can't possibly sum up the last month in a brief (enough) blogpost. Let me try to hit some highlights.

Biblical Interpretation was one of the most work-intensive courses I've ever taken. I learned so much about exegesis and hermeneutics and all that good stuff. But the five books, the weekly lesson notes, the regular posts in the online threads, the four two-page research papers, the outlines and charts, the ten-page portfolio, the fifteen-page final research paper, and the final exam...made me tired. Just typing that made me tired.

The Gospel of Luke was a wonderful journey. What an amazing writer Luke was. I can't wait to teach what I've learned...and continue to learn by doing so.

I put in more tutorial time than ever with my AP class this year. I really hope it pays off. This was the first time I've ever heard the word "easy" used when discussing the test. As in, "most of the mulitple choice questions were pretty easy." Sadly, I won't find out the results until next school year. But my students feel good about it.

Lisa has started working full-time (or "fuller" anyway) at Mt. View. This has made for many nights when we just look at each other and decide that going to bed sounds better than watching TV.

James has been playing on the 8-10 year old team in baseball. For the first time, he's starting to really get the game. He seems to be settling in at second base. His hitting is coming around and he's fielding everything that comes his way. His throwing has always been good, but the catching needs a LOT of work. Fortunately, he still loves going outside with his dad and practicing.

Star Trek was awesome and deserves a post all its own. I know many of you look forward to that.

Kris is going to win American Idol and I'm glad. Not because I don't think Adam is immensely talented. Just because I like them both a lot (even though I like Kris' music better) and I think Adam will be tremendously successful with or without the title. Kris probably needs it a little more. (Sorry Gokey-ites. I fell off that bandwagon even before he slaughtered "Dream On.")

The LOST finale was awesome and deserves a post all its own too.

I missed blogging. Kind of. Mostly. Mainly, I missed having time to blog. The best feeling of turning in that final paper was just knowing that I wasn't going to have to spend every waking moment working anymore. I'm looking forward to reading some books just for the fun of it...watching some baseball games without being distracted by the work I should be doing...playing some mindless computer games...and taking better care of my family.

One more thing for now: one thing that never seems to change is that there are always people who are hurting. I'm grateful for the time to be there a bit more for the people I know. They are always in my prayers, but I'm glad for the chance to be able to listen to them a bit more now, check on them more frequently, remind them of God's great love. In this past semester, I went through one of the toughest stretches of my life. But God was there at all times and I am so grateful for that. Let's all remind each other as well. There is nothing so broken that He can't fix it.

This Space For Rent

2009-04-15T09:15:00.000-07:00

Blogging is obviously not a high priority right now. There's simply too much else going on. I have, as my students say, "a grip of schoolwork" right now. We are also closing in on the AP Calculus test and we are having many tutorials (including the dreaded Saturday Sessions). James is playing baseball and practicing one night a week. And there's, y'know, other stuff.

So I'm thinking a lot about May 17th. That's the last day of the seminary semester. Everything will be turned in by that day (by hook or by crook, as my student's do not say) and then I'll be able to think/breathe/blog again.

I'll try to check in on other blogs as often as I can. But I'll be mostly out of it for the next month. Remember this: it doesn't mean I don't love ya!

Because It's That Time of Year

2009-04-03T07:30:00.000-07:00

Each year I have a group of friends that predicts the winners for each baseball division. I like to have my own predictions on record somewhere so I use the blog. I completely understand if you non-baseball type click away.

AL

West: Angels (duh)
Central: Twins (although a Tigers upset wouldn't shock me)
East: Rays
Wild Card: Yankees

Pennant: Angels

NL

West: Dodgers
Central: Cubs
East: Phillies
Wild Card: Mets

Pennant: Phillies

World Champion: ANGELS!

Why not? I can pick at least a little bit with my heart, can't I? Of course I know that doing so has doomed my team to utter failure and humiliation. But once we get our whole rotation back in May, I think we'll cruise to the playoffs. And since the Red Sox won't see the postseason for a change, they won't be there to thwart us.

Opening Day is upon us. Play ball!

Entropy

2009-03-31T13:05:00.000-07:00

Anyone looking for visual verification of the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics just needs to peek inside the bedroom of an 8 year old boy. I tried to get something out of his closet early this morning and darn near killed myself.

It's Monday Already?

2009-03-30T08:29:00.000-07:00

What a quick weekend!

First things first. Joe's surgery went very well and he's up and walking around. Quintuple bypass surgery and they already have the poor guy hiking! Thanks so much for prayers. God was really looking out for him and his whole family.

Saturday morning was the first day of the boy's baseball season. Unfortunately, they accidentally put my 8 year old on a team of 6/7 year olds. His first liner up the middle almost took a kid's head off. The kid wasn't really paying attention though, so it may not have even bothered him. James is really hitting well and we had our first really good catch before the game. I'm learning that if I throw/pitch the ball on a line, he's much better at catching/hitting it. Time to stop treating him like a little kid with my lobs. They are supposed to move him up to the 8-10 year old league next week. We'll see how that goes. I think it could be great for him to have to be with older kids for a change.

Saturday afternoon the DirecTV was installed and I finally know the wonder that is the MLB Network.

We had good friends for dinner that night. Worshiped and learned on Sunday morning. Tried to do some homework in the afternoon but got caught up in Tiger's charge to victory at Bay Hill. Honestly, I don't know why anything he does surprises me anymore. And then it was off to the Rock & Worship Road Show!

Last night we heard Addison Road, 10th Avenue North, Hawk Nelson, Jeremy Camp, and Mercy Me perform. I'm a big Jeremy Camp fan and he was truly great...the words he said as much as the songs he sang. But Mercy Me stood out among the rest and really led some great worship. I don't mind being entertained at a Christian concert. These are great musicians using their gifts to the best of their ability and singing songs that are about something worthwhile. But I relished the chance to lift my voice along with 13000 others in praise. Mercy Me provided that.

James went and had a great time too. We're all a little tired today (and Open House is tonight...urghhhhh), but it was well worth it.

4 In A Row

2009-03-27T07:59:00.000-07:00

During last night's excellent class on Luke, this oddity occurred: On Jim's right sat Richard, an A's fan...Jim is, of course, a Rangers fan (bless his loyal heart)...I loves me some Angels...and to my left sat a girl in a Mariners shirt. We confirmed after class that she was, in fact, a fan and not just wearing the shirt because of that beautiful (blecch) Mariners logo. So there it was, the entire AL West represented by us four seminary students. I'm sure I don't need to point out that there are NO Mariners, Rangers, or Athletics in Luke...but there are plenty of angels. For the record.

(Let me just nip this in the bud: fishermen are not mariners, temple police are not rangers, and no amount of hiking, running, or tree-climbing qualifies in my estimation as athletics.)

The class got even better at the break when my friend and former student, Vanna, joined us. Vanna is an incredibly hard-working guy with an intense love for Christ and a desire to lead gang members away from sin and into the loving arms of the Father. He is also a reminder to me not to complain too much. In addition to his 8-5 job and his work with his church's youth group, Vanna is taking 3 (!) classes. Of course, he's much younger than I. I had Vanna in my math class as a 7th and 8th grader almost 20 years ago. So to hear him yelling at the professor from the back of the classroom last night brought a tremendous mixture of deja vu and joy.

There were a number of AHA! moments last night. I'll share one of them. Much of Luke is spent with Jesus leading his disciples to Jerusalem. He knew the fate that awaited him there, but he had "set his face" because that's where his work needed to be done. One of the first things Jesus did upon arriving was to cleanse the temple. Now in all likelihood, the temple didn't stay clean all that long. The moneychangers returned shortly and life went on as usual. But the act was symbolic. Jesus had teaching to do in the temple and before he could do it, the place had to be cleansed. I think the more we know about Judaism, the more we can appreciate all of these wonderful things that Jesus did while on Earth.

One more thing for today. My friend and brother, Joe, is having heart bypass surgery today. If you'd lift him up after reading this, it would mean a lot to his family...and to me.

April?

2009-03-25T08:40:00.001-07:00

Ummm...it's almost April.

That's a good thing. April is one of my favorite months. The weather turns nice. There's usually a Spring Break in there somewhere. And, of course, baseball begins!

But is this year passing for anyone else as quickly as it is for me?

I finished both commentaries for my Luke class and now have to begin thinking about my 15-page paper. But it's my Biblical Interpretation class that is taking a lot of time. As ever, I'm truly enjoying the work. But there's a lot of it and it requires a great deal of concentration...at least it does for me. So I find that every now and then I look up and another week or two has gone by.

We were able to slow down this past weekend a little bit and enjoy the beach as a family. I even got the requisite sunburn. James had an absolute blast. He dug a large hole and then ran down to the ocean to jump waves. This became his new favorite thing. That's good news for Daddy because it means his boy is finally ready to boogie board with him. I'm hoping that happens this Summer.

It's probably a sign of my increasing age that my favorite part of the trip was the cajun pan-seared salmon I had at the Pierside on Saturday.

But now it's back to work. I'm afraid to look up. It might be May!

Bad Dad

2009-03-20T09:14:00.000-07:00

The weather has been beautiful lately, highs in the low-to-mid 70's...the kind of days where I hate being cooped up in a classroom.

This morning before work, James asked if he could wear shorts to school. I told him that the mornings were still too chilly for shorts and he'd need long pants and a tee shirt with a jacket or sweatshirt until the day warmed up. He commented that other kids were wearing shorts already. I retorted that I wasn't overly concerned with what other kids were wearing. He started to say something else and I cut him off and told him that arguments were a lousy way to start the day. He stormed off to his bedroom and sighed loudly while I ate my Froot Loops. When I stopped in his room to hug him before leaving, he was still wearing just his tighty whities, staring wistfully at his closet. He was acting like he couldn't decide what to wear, but I was pretty sure he was waiting for his mom to wake up so he could ask her if he could wear shorts.

I gave him a hug, kissed his cheek, and told him to put some clothes on. No shorts.

On the drive to school I remembered that it was his birthday.

Now I'm not saying I would have let him get his way, but I was very sorry that our morning got sidetracked and I had forgotten to wish him a Happy Birthday. Naturally, I called as soon as I got to school (no bluetooth yet, alas) and sang birthday wishes to him by speakerphone along with his mom.

Happy 8th, dude. I'll make it up to you by driving you to Pismo for some Splash clam chowder tonight.

God In My iPod

2009-03-19T10:28:00.000-07:00

The "Road Mix" in my iPod contains about 1000 songs. Less than a tenth of them are "Christian music" as my tastes run more towards Coldplay and Eric Clapton, especially while I'm driving. It's a very rare day that I don't hear at least one Clapton tune on the way to work.

A couple of days ago, just before I left the house for the day, Lisa's alarm was going off and the radio was playing "I Can Only Imagine." I love that song and I thought about queuing it up as I started the car. I decided instead to just let the mix run and set my mind on things above while it played. The first two songs were the Newsboys' version of "Blessed Be Your Name" and "Indescribable" by Chris Tomlin. Then, as I headed east and the sun rose gloriously over the distant ridge of mountains, Clapton's "Sunshine of Your Love" came on. Bending the words to His purpose, God revealed the brilliant splendor of His infinite love for me...accompanied by matchless guitar riffs.

Pure Heaven.

A Gift From My Dad

2009-03-15T15:51:00.000-07:00

My dad was a great student of the Word. He was neither Pastor nor Preacher, but he often taught Bible classes and was constantly studying. He had a large library of books, some of which he never really used but just bought because, well, you just never know. And besides, they were on sale and looked interesting.

When he died over 20 years ago, I got the books. (They were "my third." Only my family will get that.) Some I immediately devoured, some I put away for later, some I stored. Recently, in "The Big Book Move of 2008," I went through everything and added some to my growing theological library. Seminary requires a whole different kind of book, so I put some in the bookshelf that were more resource than reading.

My Biblical Interpretation assignment over the past few weeks has been a word study. We have gone through a lengthy and detailed process of chasing down the meaning of one particular word from a text that we are spending the semester studying. It is tedious, but not without rewards. The fifth step of the five-step process is to verify your findings in an approved text. The only text that is available online did not include my word and I was forced back to the syllabus to find another one. I figured I'd spend some time in the Theological Library at the seminary one day after class checking to see if all my work on this word had paid off.

"But wait!" thought I. "I may as well check my bookcase first. One never knows."

No. One never does. There it was, on the third shelf. The Bauer-Arndt-Gingrich Greek-English Lexicon, one of four approved sources of verification. What in the world my dad wanted with such a book I have no idea. But the thought that he bought it...just in case...did cross my mind.

Thanks, Dad.

As In Heaven, So On Earth

2009-03-12T15:25:00.001-07:00

There's a line in the middle of the Lord's Prayer...if you say it the way it was written, it brings the purpose of the prayer in better focus. It goes like this:

"Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
as in Heaven, so on Earth.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one."

Now I may not have that exactly right, but one thing becomes very clear here. The focus of the prayer shifts from Heaven to Earth.

Divine Jesus teaches about the kingdom. Human Jesus knows our needs. He left behind his Spirit to help us pray, even as he sits at God's right hand in Heaven.

Benediction

2009-03-10T07:39:00.000-07:00

One of the things I really enjoy about our new preaching minister is the fact that he closes each service with a benediction. We leave every Sunday with a doxology, a charge to go, to serve, to love. Besides the nice feeling of closure it brings, there is a sense of purpose...as though we go as one, a community called to do God's work.

Even though I am years away, it's impossible for me not to think about the things I would like to do as a minister some day. This has always been one and it's nice to be a part of it already.

Senior Ditch Day

2009-03-06T09:53:00.000-08:00

Yes, I seem to be missing some students today.

I was SO out of the loop when I was in high school. I rarely knew when anything was happening. And it went beyond the cool parties and senior ditch day. I didn't know when Prom was, fer cryin' out loud!

This is not to say I never ditched. I'll never forget a classic moment in my English class. One of my classmates who didn't care for me too much (I know, hard to believe) ratted me out. He said, "Hey, Thurman was at the movies Friday." The teacher asked, "How do you know?" And this brainiac replied, "I saw hi--, um, I...er..." Yeah. Genius.

Hint to all you high schooler's out there: If you're a C student, never rat out the A student.

Ah well, my classes are much quieter today.

A Thought Per Day: 3/1 - 3/7

2009-03-02T11:20:00.000-08:00

Sunday: I turned in (and got back!) my first assignment for Biblical Interpretation. So far so good. My next goal is to do a word study of "silent," especially in terms of Paul's instruction that women should remain silent. Should be interesting.

Monday: No new assignments for Bib. Interp. means more time to spend on my Luke class this week. I've gotten approval for my Major Project so I've started thinking in terms of that. In a nutshell, I am going to write about some of the women on whom Luke focuses and include a lesson plan for a class on each. The emphasis will be on one major theme, Jesus' inclusion of the marginalized, and one minor theme that will be specific to each woman. I'll share more on that as it develops.

Tuesday: The computer guy is coming over to tell me (hopefully) why my desktop keeps shutting down at incredibly inopportune moments. Stop yelling "Mac!" at me. I can't afford anything new right now.

Wednesday: LOST! 2nd best show ever? I feel a bloglist coming on.

Thursday: Jim and I sit with our backs to the clock at the seminary. We're amazed when it's already breaktime...and when class is over. Time flies when you're learning Biblical truths you never knew.

Friday: I sold my original Watchmen comics to fund my trip in 2000 to the East Coast. It was worth it, but I daresay I could get more for them now. I never thought it was possible to make a movie out of the graphic novel which Time Magazine rated as one of the top 100 books since 1923. We'll find out this weekend.

Saturday: Sleep?

I Got Nothin'

2009-02-26T12:58:00.000-08:00

One day this week, I taught 3 classes, read 60 pages in one of my Luke commentaries, wrote a 3 page "Text Profile" for my Biblical Interpretation class, did some after school tutoring, caught up on some personal correspondance, wrote an Algebra test, and still made my best effort to be some sort of husband and dad when I got home.

It's been a busy week and there have been some frustrations too. Nothing big, just little things that aren't working (and some students who aren't either).

During these times, the blog suffers. The well is dry. The cupboard is bare.

But that doesn't mean I don't love y'all.

12/17/10

2009-02-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

The Green Lantern Movie officially has a release date. I knew you'd want to know.

Monday Morning Fun

2009-02-23T08:35:00.000-08:00

I hoped to get a few things printed before class started this morning, so I started the laptop up first thing and clicked on my browser.

"No connection to Internet." Rats! I did some other stuff and came back.

"You are now connected." Yay! I went to the website and clicked on the manuscript.

"No connection to Internet." Rats! I went and did some more stuff and came back.

"You are now connected." Yay! I clicked again and the manuscript came up. I clicked "Print."

"No connection to Printer." Rats! This happens often and I know I have to reboot. I rebooted. This takes a fair amount of time, so I walked down to the office and came back. I sat down at the computer, opened the browser, went to the website and clicked on the manuscript. It showed that it was printing, so I clicked on the two other things I needed and headed back to the office where the printer is located.

"Printer offline." Rats! I turned it off and then back on because, for reasons far too majestic for my puny comprehension, that sometimes works.

"Printer online." Yay! I pressed the "Go" button.

I wish I had a "Go" button. I digress.

"Paper jam." Rats! I cleared the jam, opened and closed all the appropriate covers.

And lo, suddenly there was a bright light, and I heard the voice of a great angelic choir singing, "Behold, the printer doth feed thy paper through."

And I'll bet you thought it wasn't all going to work out. C'mon! Have a little faith, wouldja?

Happy Monday!

Birthday Wishes

2009-02-20T12:20:00.000-08:00

Lisa is out of town at a Creative Memories convention today. This will be the first birthday that I haven't been there to give her a hug, a gift, a dinner at Yoshino, for many years.

She refuses to get a Facebook account (although I think she's cracking), so if you'd like to leave her a birthday greeting, this would be the place to do it. I'll be giving her a hug...a gift...and a yummy Japanese dinner tomorrow.

Sleep

2009-02-19T10:57:00.000-08:00

The teacher in the classroom next to mine confessed to me this morning that she had a dream last night wherein she smacked one of her students. In the teaching profession we call this "wish fulfillment."

It made me realize that I never dream about school. I dream every night. I dream about church a lot. I dream about the Angels. I dream about whatever show I watched before going to bed. I dream about whatever I spent a great deal of time doing that day. But I can't recall a single dream I've had about teaching. That's weird. And it speaks to how invested I'm not in my job these days. I know I'm going to need to rededicate myself to what I'm doing so that it will continue to be a ministry and not just a way to make a living.

My wife has trouble sleeping. It's very hard for her. Not me. It's a rare night that I take more than five minutes to fall asleep. Her inability to sleep well affects her a lot. Aside from just making her tired all the time, it's a real health issue. She's had every test in the book done, but it still is a problem, one I pray about constantly.

Last night I got a call from one of my best friends. He too has had difficulty sleeping for many months now and it is affecting his attitude. I ask you all to pray today for these two people whom I love. Pray please that God heal them of this and give them what many of us take for granted...a good night's sleep.

Seminary Speak

2009-02-17T09:41:00.000-08:00

One of my seminary classes this semester is on the Gospel of Luke. I am reading four books for the course, mostly commentaries (one of which is over 900 pages long!). There are many parables in Luke and the commentaries often point out the paraboloic nature of the Gospel. The only problem (for me at least) is that the word parabolic does not evoke Jesus' storytelling when I read it. It evokes parabolas...and vertices...and axes of symmetry...and conic sections. Yes, I am finding that math keeps creeping into my Biblical studies.

I think that might be a good thing. Every preacher should have his own unique style and mine just may turn out to be "Math Preacher." Or "Superhero Preacher" or "Star Wars Preacher" or some happy combination of many things. I have quite a few years to figure it out.

In the meantime, I'm adjusting to the new vocabulary. No longer am I awash in Math Speak. Now I rush to my dictionary to better understand exegesis, hermeneutics, ecclesiology, soteriology, pericopes, chiasms, and so on and so on.

I see that this week in my Biblical Interpretation notes, we are paying attention to "the symmetrical structure of parallel phrases around a central idea." Thank goodness!

I speak Math!

5 Reasons I Love My Honey

2009-02-13T13:47:00.000-08:00

5. The way she has supported my choice to begin seminary is incredible. She listens to my post-class stories, tries to help me get study time at home, understands when I come home from work late, and curtails spending so that we can pay for fees and books. Her leap of faith on this has surpassed my own.

4. She provides a home. Taking care of bills, dinner, chores, James' homework, and a hundred other things...I know I can rely on her for everything.

3. She watches Battlestar Galactica with me. And Lost. And Fringe. And not just because I want her to, but because there is a little sci-fi geek inside her too. Most importantly, she remembers everything, so when I have to ask whether the fifth Cylon is Ellen Tigh or Helen Tigh...or whether Jin and Danielle had ever met before...or who "The Observer" is...she knows!

2. She is my favorite person to hug. I mean this by about 1,000,000 percent.

1. Valentine's Day just isn't a big deal to her. I mean this in a very, very good way. She would rather relax and share some peanut M&M's while catching up on Survivor than exchange gifts after a fancy meal out. And I promise, she's not just saying that. She even puts up with me when I say Jeff Probst's lines before he does ("Once again, immunity is back up for grabs...worth playing for?...wait for my go...in this game, fire represents your life...etc. ad nauseum).

Lisa, I love you more than ever. Happy day before V-day!

Face To Face With The Devil

2009-02-12T12:46:00.001-08:00

When Jesus explains his parable of the sower, he says, "The ones on the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. (Luke 8:12)"

We may well wonder about this. Is it fair? Should some be lost just because Satan removes what was sown in them? How does the devil choose when and where to act? Are the hearers of the Word responsible for protecting it from Satan? How can I best guard what I hear?

Two things strike me about this parable. The first is that Jesus is saying that how we hear is just as important as what we hear. He expects us to take the Word seriously...to keep it safe...and to act on it. The other thing is the difference between the storyteller and those who were listening. Jesus had met the devil face to face. He knew him. Those who listened to this story and those of us who read it today only know the devil by his acts. How much more seriously would we take him if we, like Christ, had looked into his eyes and seen the malevolence there?

My Ministry

2009-02-10T11:28:00.000-08:00

Our new preacher delivered a sermon on "The Body of Christ" this Sunday. At one point, he asked us to think about what our particular ministry to the church was. I couldn't help the first thought that sprung to my mind..."You're doing my ministry!"

It is still settling in that my preaching days at College are over. I'll still fill in from time to time, but I need to define my ministry there in new ways. I'll always teach, at least as long as someone will let me. And I don't have time to devote to much more with all the seminary study. But I am very much missing the pastoring that went with preaching. Whether I had a title or not, the mere fact of being in front of the church and delivering God's Message, caused some to treat me and share with me as they would with a full-time preaching minister.

It is that joy in pastoring as much as the delight in preaching that spurred me to begin seminary. And I suppose I am mourning a bit over its current absence.

Luke 1: 5-25

2009-02-06T08:57:00.000-08:00

I learned a lot in my first Luke class last night. We discussed who Luke was, whether he actually wrote the book, who Theophilus was, and many other things.

We also spent time looking at the great themes of the gospel and focusing our attention on Luke 1: 5-25. In this passage (this "pericope"...look at the new word I've learned!), we encounter most of Luke's major themes: The Holy Spirit...God at work...the salvation story set inside world history...joy, singing, and praise...attention given to the marginalized...and lots and lots of prayer.

The mathematician in me enjoys the symmetry of the text. At the beginning, we read about Zechariah's service, then about the temple, and then about the people outside. At the end, we read about Zechariah coming back to the people, then about the temple, then about his service. The passage points from both ends to the middle. It creates a focal point. And at the very center, we read this: "Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God." The focus of the text is God's desire to have His people back.

Nobody knows for sure what Zechariah was praying for when he was in the temple. A personal prayer would have been for a child. A dutiful prayer would have been for the Messiah. God answered both.

The Gospel of Luke

2009-02-05T15:05:00.000-08:00

Tonight I'm starting my class on Luke. I'm excited about the prospect of spending an entire semester on a single gospel.

I have three commentaries that I'm reading for the class. I've read about 450 pages already, trying to get a head start. I will have to read an additional book, once I decide what I will be writing my paper about. I'm leaning towards the role women play in this gospel.

I'm sure there will come a period during the semester when I'm crunched for time, but I've been able to stay on top of things so far. And, since this course will be taught by the same professor who taught the class on the church that I took last semester, I'm confident it will be excellent.

Banquets and Blackouts

2009-02-03T09:47:00.001-08:00

Last night was the father/son banquet at Mt. View Christian School. James was being kind of a putz, so I want to say a few things about his school instead.

We are incredibly blessed since Mt. View has become part of our lives. James has blossomed as a student. He is treated with great respect and love. And he learns about Jesus as part of his curriculum. Lisa has found a wonderful working environment too, and has been blessed with great friendships.

Last night, Lisa was the entertainment at the banquet. The theme was "BUGS!" and the decorations were outstanding. Lisa showered us with corny bug jokes and everybody had a great time. Some parents are not strong in their faith, others really have none at all. Yet they choose to enroll their kids in a place that is safe and educationally respected. Through this, many people are exposed to Christ in a way they would not be otherwise. That is the definition of ministry.

Switching gears...

When we got home, I put on FSN West. They were showing a replay of Game 4 of the 2002 Divisional Series...Angels vs. Yankees. This was the clincher and I was really looking forward to watching it again.

Now, I may have mentioned that we have had some trouble with AT&T's U-Verse program. We do not get the new MLB network (which I have heard great things about). We have learned that they black out games from southern California...assuming, I suppose, that we should drive 4 hours to the game rather than watch it on TV. Customer service has been a nightmare. And there have been a few other problems as well.

Last night, when I put the game on, the screen simply read: "This game has been blacked out in your area."

...

So now, apparently, AT&T expects me to travel over 6 years back in time to watch a game rather than watch it on TV. I give up. We switch back to Direct next month.

Super Monday

2009-02-02T12:02:00.001-08:00

I wasn't planning on watching the game. I figured I'd turn it on and do some reading. But it was captivating. I'm a baseball guy of course, but I enjoyed every minute of this, the first football game I'd seen all season.

My only problem came at the very end. As he was signing off, Bob Costas (who should know better), said something to the effect that the Steelers' 6 championships made them the greatest team in all of professional sports.

Really?

I mean, I'm the furthest thing from a Yankees fan, but they have 26...count 'em...26 world championships. 26 is more than 6. I'm just sayin'.

The Problem(s) With the King James Version

2009-01-29T09:20:00.000-08:00

I was brought up on the KJV. I have enormous fondness for it and still find myself quoting many verses in its Shakespearean prose. When my friend Arthur prays for me, I thank him in the confidence that his prayers will "availeth much." I still feel that God "maketh me lie down in green pastures and leadeth me beside still waters." John 3:16 will always be about "His only begotten son" and I will always ask God to forgive my debts as I forgive my debtors. I love the "thy's" and "thee's" and "yea's" and "ye's." The language is beautiful...and I love beautiful language.

Having said that....

I am working through "How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth" by Fee and Stuart. They devote a chapter to choosing the right translation to study. The ol' KJV doesn't come out all that well. Some reasons, examples, and difficulties follow.

The KJV was based on late manuscripts which had accumulated the mistakes of over a thousand years of copying.

As much as possible, the KJV tries to stay close to the original language. The problem here is that the original meanings of many of those words has been lost or changed. "Holy kisses" and "coals of fire" require some translating which the KJV doesn't do. It is better to use a translation that will stays as close as possible to the original meaning.

Weights, measures, and money have changed in terminology. So homers, ephahs, shekels, talents, and denarii don't mean much to us.

Grammar, syntax, and vocabulary have all shifted, meaning that we have to work harder to get at the original intent than strictly literal translations will allow. In I Cor. 3:9, we read "For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building." Possessive grammar in Greek is sometimes hard to follow. What Paul meant was that "we are God's co-workers; you are God's field, God's building" (TNIV)

Gender is an obvious problem. Even when I was in school, I was being taught that "man" and "he" are proper when writing about either gender. It's no wonder that we have such confusion regarding gender roles when the Bible says so much about men and so little about women. Does anybody really think that when Jesus said, "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone" that the statement only refers to men and boys?

There are many other difficulties as well. Even the now-sacred NIV has its shortcomings. I was gratified to see that the authors highest recommendation was for the TNIV, which is my translation of choice. They warned though, that when doing serious study it is best to have mulitple translations at the ready. As long as one of them is not the King James Version.

P.S. Don't get your hopes up that the New KJV is better. It throws out much of the wonderful language but keeps all the mistakes.

Biblical Interpretation

2009-01-28T13:48:00.001-08:00

One of my two courses this year is in basic Biblical Interpretation.

We all know that there is more to interpreting scripture than just reading. We all bring our own biases, experience, culture, tradition, and mood to the Bible. It doesn't need to be difficult, but we need to do a better job of studying than just reading and deciding what it means for us.

This class will be instrumental in helping me to do that. I was reading the first lesson notes today (it's an on-line class) and was glad to see that the instructor is placing things in a postmodern context. He asks us to think about what it means to interpret the Bible in a time where the mere existence of truth is questioned. How can Scripture apply when everybody is entitled to their own personal truth?

It can, but we need to be aware of our own clouded perceptions, of the pure guidance of Spirit, and of all-important context. It's going to be an incredibly helpful course.

4 years old

2009-01-26T09:01:00.000-08:00

I blame Brandon Scott Thomas. I love him. But I blame him.

It's his fault I started this blog 4 years ago today. His fault I've put you through this for all that time. His fault you had to suffer with me when the car parked in my kitchen. His fault you've had to listen to me whine when I was sick or when things weren't going the way I wanted them to.

Of course, on the other hand, it's because of him that I have met people like Judy, Greg, and Cecil. Because of him that I have reconnected with Randy, Brady, and lately even people like Jenny. Because of him that Wendy, Carolyn, and others have gotten to see pictures of my boy growing up.

It was the ZOE website that led me to BST's blog...which led me to Mike's...which led me to Josh's. And I have been blessed by their words over the years. Truly, I've been as blessed by the blogs as by the annual ZOE conference (which was wonderful and uplifting and life-giving and John York's class was even more instructional and helpful than usual which is saying a lot).

So I guess I don't really blame Brandon after all.

There have been times that I've thought about giving it up...and now with the extra time my study will require my blogging may get spottier than in the past...but I always come back to the community that has developed as a result of it. It has become an important part of my life.

Thanks to all who drop by and give me encouragement. And thanks to all who write your own blogs. You uplift me and enrich my relationship with the church and with the Father.

Happy blogiversary!

ZOE 2009

2009-01-22T11:08:00.000-08:00

It's ZOE weekend in Fresno! It's a time to welcome back people who are like family. It's a time to be lifted up in praise and worship. It's a time for community and sharing the Spirit of God. It's a time to learn from women and men who are gifted students and teachers of the Word. It's a time to sing and pray and eat and fellowship and catch up and laugh and rejoice as children of the King.

It's so cool to be excited for an event that never, ever lets you down.

Humbled

2009-01-20T09:56:00.000-08:00

As I transition from part-time preacher to part-time seminary student, it would be easy to have some bitterness. We've all seen cases of churches treating ministers who are leaving in an awkward manner, wishing they would hurry up and go so that the new guy could get started. I want to share two things that have happened recently that have humbled me beyond words and made me feel both appreciated and loved as a new era begins at the College Church.

A number of people have approached me over the past several months, asking if they could help support my time in seminary. Obviously, seminary tuition is something that we could not afford by ourselves. That brothers and sisters have come to me and asked to help tells me that they believe in the calling God has given me and that they have faith that I will be the kind of minister God wants in His church. There are no words for how that makes me feel and how incredibly grateful I am to them.

Our service on Sunday was so special to me. The three of us who have done the bulk of the preaching over the past 13 years were given time to reflect on what the time has meant to us. Afterward, our precious elders called us to the front and publicly washed our feet. If nobody has ever done that for you, you can't know how the act combines the feelings of being lifted up and being put in your place at the same time. For these men to wash my feet made me feel so loved, appreciated, and proud of what I've done for my church. For these men to wash my feet made me feel so humble and conscious of who I am in relation to them and others. It was a powerful way to transition into what comes next.

It is a wondrous thing to know that you are never alone. Not only do I have the assurance of the Triune God living in me, but I have no question that my church loves me and supports my mission. It is a very, very good feeling indeed.

Facebook Made Me Feel Old

2009-01-16T11:11:00.000-08:00

I love Facebook. I really do. Besides the ability to keep up with many, many people on a daily basis, I am fairly addicted to Word Twist.

I discovered the downside the other day though.

Through a friend, I reconnected with two other friends, people I went to high school with. I was amazed to find out that one of them, a year younger than me, has six children...and the oldest is 20.

20!

How can SHE have a 20-year old when I am clearly not old enough to have one??? Seriously!

A Series of Unfortunate Events

2009-01-14T11:26:00.000-08:00

You know those days where everything is going along just fine...and then 3 or 4 things pile up on you all in a row? Yeah, I had one of those yesterday.

I went by the seminary to talk about some financial options and hit a huge snag. Nothing impenetrable, just some stuff that will have to be worked out.

About three blocks into my drive home a big dog ran right out in front of my car and I hit him pretty good. I was in the middle lane, so it took a while for me to have enough space to pull over and off the road. My car was okay (I guess), but I had traveled quite a ways from where I hit the poor mutt and I couldn't find him when I looked. I consoled myself by imagining he loped away fine.

Then it was some piddly stuff...like going to the drug store for ONE prescription that wasn't filled. In about an hour my day had gone from all right to *sound of bronx cheer*.

Yes, I prayed. Yes, the sun still came out today. And yes, I know that I am more prone to mood swings than others. Still, it always surprises me how one hour of misery can turn things around. Ah well...time to make some phone calls and (hopefully...prayerfully) get everything back on track. Except for that dog. Not much I can do for that dog.

Expectations

2009-01-13T10:50:00.000-08:00

To prepare for next semester's class in The Gospel of Luke, I've been reading ahead in the three commentaries which are required. I've been reading this week about the births of John, the Prophet of God and Jesus, the Son of God.

I can't help but wonder what the childhood and young adulthood of these men were like. When I think of this time of life for Jesus in particular, I wonder what people expected of him. Those privy to the Annunciation, to his birth, and to the signs and wonders which accompanied it had to have pretty high hopes for this boy/young man. After all, this was the Messiah! This was the Deliverer! All of the hopes the Jews had to escape Roman oppression and to reestablish their prominence as God's chosen people rested on his shoulders.

Did he get a lot of looks as a carpenter's apprentice? Did anybody ask outright when he planned to get down to business? Was he treated like a king in a false expectation of his role on earth? Or was he treated poorly when some felt he wasn't carrying out God's will for him?

Many of us grow impatient with God's timing. I wonder if, even after the Messiah had been born, even after centuries of waiting and watching, even then were people anxious about Jesus' activities? And how did he respond? With a smile and an "it's not yet time?" Or with silent understanding, knowing that even when he began his ministry, people would be disappointed.

And how does he respond now, as he intercedes for us? How does his role play out, explaining...and even understanding...the impatient expectations of such temporary souls?

What I Got For Christmas

2009-01-12T09:53:00.000-08:00

Lego Batman, the video game.

A Star Wars moldmaker machine.

A remote-control rocket.

A Nintendo DS.

A Batman slot car race track.

And lots more cool things.

I can't tell you how great it is to have a 7-year-old son around Christmas time. When he's good, he lets me play with his toys. And when he's not good, I can send him to his room and play with them anyway!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T12:10:00.000-08:00

One advantage to putting our annual Christmas letter on-line, is that I no longer have to count my words. If that makes the letter far too long, you can either A) bookmark this page and come back to it later over a cup of hot cocoa and a candy cane, or B) decide that you pretty much have the gist of our year, wish us well, and go back to playing with your new Nintendo DS.

The other advantage is that I can link you to more detailed accounts of our year's highlights. For those of you who may be new to the World Wide Interweb, a link looks like this: LINK! If you click on it, you will travel to a new post which you may read, ignore, or roll your eyes at. You may have to scroll up to read the whole entry, but you'll get the hang of it.

2008 was a year filled with tropical travel. In May, Lisa and I spent a week in Maui (3 links worth). Lisa earned the trip with her hard work for Creative Memories and we were treated like royalty without paying a dime!

In June, the whole family visited San Diego. Despite fun trips to the zoo, to Sea World, and to LegoLand, some of the most memorable moments of the vacation were spent in our hotel room, watching the Fresno State baseball team win the 2008 College World Series! After the final out, we ran outside to whoop it up...only to realize that nobody else in San Diego really cared.

Lisa and I celebrated our 10th anniversary in October with a weekend trip to Pismo. We were both sick, but we still enjoyed the sunsets and clam chowder. Most of all we were both so grateful for the blessing of our marriage, our family, and the remarkable way that God enriches relationships over time.

We continued our celebration with a cruise in November to the Mexican Riviera (6 links worth! Only for diehard link clickers). Lisa and I traveled with our good friends, the Nelson's, and enjoyed a vacation that was a true rarity: the kind where you're actually rested when it's over! We are so grateful for the opportunities to enjoy God's creation, for neighbors who will take care of house and cat while we're away, and for Grammies and Grandmas and PaPas and others who will spend important time with James on those occasions when we sneak away.

James turned 7 this year and he has grown up a lot. He's still a silly, fun-loving kid, but this year he truly became a student. He is in the 1st grade at Mt. View Christian School. His teacher gave him the daunting task of reading 1000 pages this year. We worried about such a large number, but James became so voracious a reader that he completed the assignment during the first quarter! He still enjoys cartoons, video games, and wrestle time, but he's added reading aloud in the car and quietly in his bedroom to his list of favorite activities. He played baseball again this summer and also began karate lessons in the fall. The boy seems to grow an inch every day and he is so much fun to be around. If I could be allowed to use his own fake word to describe him, I would say that he is "Boo-Yahsome!"

Lisa continues to be a whirling dervish of activity. She is full-speed-ahead with Creative Memories. She works part time plus as the bookkeeper at Mt. View. She is mom and wife and cook and nurse and teacher and everything else at home. But above all, she continues to serve God wherever needed. When someone is needed to help with dinners, deliver Christmas gifts, help with Children's Church, put together the directory, run copies, run errands, or just plain run...Lisa always gets the first call. She takes great joy in helping people and honestly (I'm not just saying this) wishes she could somehow do more.

I am in my 10th year of teaching high school at Sunnyside and my 22nd year of my teaching career. Every time I find myself doubting it's actually been that long, I go look in the mirror at all my grey hairs. I enjoyed another year of teaching and preaching at the College Church, but my preaching will be greatly curtailed from here on as College has hired a full-time minister for the first time in 12 years. I'm excited for the church and the new direction. I do still feel the call to preach however and, to that end, I began taking classes at the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary this year. I have never enjoyed schooling more and, even though it will take some 5 years or so, I hope to complete a Masters in Christian Ministry and work full-time for the church some day.

2008 was a year of great blessings. I haven't even mentioned the thrill of watching James ride his bike for the first time...a summer of Indy, Iron Man, and the Dark Knight...an all-too-brief visit from Fabio, our foreign exchange student...watching 100 Angels victories...taking James to his first concert (The Newsboys!)...or the times spent just enjoying life. We're grateful for all of you and pray, as always, that God will bless you in 2009.

"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." (Eph. 3: 14-19)

We're Going Green!

2008-12-23T12:10:00.001-08:00

In an effort to save some paper, the annual Thurman Christmas Letter will appear on this blog later this week. Just one more thing to look forward to during the holiday season!

Meeting Times

2008-12-19T10:22:00.000-08:00

Cecil was writing recently about the danger of changing the meeting time of a Sunday evening service. We take these things so seriously, don't we? His story reminded me of another one related earlier this year by my seminary professor. I may have some of the details wrong but it went more or less like this:

Tim's church had several young families and they were trying to decide whether to move the Sunday meeting time up to accommodate the young children of those families or to move it back for those who wouldn't mind meeting later in the evening. The difference of opinion actually threatened to split the church. Both sides were asked to present their arguments and then the church prayed for a week. When they met again to vote, Tim felt that they weren't ready yet and asked them to make it a point to talk to as many other church members during the week as they could. Finally it came time to make a decision...and here's the part I really remember...and really like.

Instead of voting on which meeting time they preferred, everyone was asked to write down which meeting time they felt was best for the church. The earlier time was written down unanimously. Time, patience, prayer, fellowship, and the Holy Spirit prevailed over selfishness and rushing to a decision.

I wonder how many fights could be avoided if we would take this approach.

Who's Asking?

2008-12-17T13:18:00.000-08:00

"After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers." (Luke 2: 46, 47)

It's the time of year that I always find myself thinking about the human Jesus. When I think about that little baby lying in the manger, it's a far cry from the miraculous, supernatural Christ. I don't know why it's so hard for me to see the "fully man" side of Jesus, but I suspect it has something to do with growing up and going to Sunday school. See, I learned a lot of stories about walking on water, healing the sick, and raising the dead. But I never heard any about being tired or hungry.

Even this 12-year-old Jesus that stayed at the temple when his mom and dad had left for home seems to have more of a Godly persona in my mind than a human one. The way I always heard the story, indeed the way I read it in most commentaries, is that the boy was quizzing the Rabbis. These were the questions he was asking them, and the answers which amazed him were to those queries.

My problem with this is that it steals from Jesus one of the most human qualities there is: the act of learning. Certainly, there had to be a time in his life when Jesus didn't know who he was, just as we know there was a time when he certainly did know. Barclay thinks that his moment of discovery was this day at the temple. I'm really not sure...and I'm even less sure about the accepted interpretation of the question-and-answer session. Couldn't Jesus and the teachers have been asking each other questions? And couldn't their astonishment stem from the realization that this young boy was their peer?

I don't know. But seeing Jesus as learning, as understanding his mission as he grew and matured helps me to see the human side of him. I'd love to hear other thoughts.

Christmas? Christmas???

2008-12-15T11:00:00.000-08:00

I just finished my first seminary class and I don't have my grade yet but I'm clicking refresh on the seminary website about every fifteen minutes or so and I have written the final for my Algebra II class but the printer isn't working so I don't know how I'll give it to them tomorrow and I have my Calculus review assignment done so that they can take their finals Thursday and Friday and I'm finally getting over my cold but now Lisa has it and, oh yeah, I'm preaching Sunday and really excited about it and...

...what? What's that? Christmas? When? Couple months?

WHAT???

It's just been that kind of year. I'll start thinking about it for real next Monday. We did get our tree though. It's decorated and beautiful. Lisa (my incredibly wonderful awesome wife) has taken care of all of the present-buying. But the actual holiday has snuck up on me once again.

Yikes!

Blogging...Slogging...Fogging

2008-12-11T11:19:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I don't blog much when I'm sick either.

During Sunday night's screening of "Kung Fu Panda" (in the wonder of Blu-Ray!) I had that horrible feeling. One minute I was fine and the next I realized I wasn't. There's something really lousy about that instant where you realize you are getting sick. But there was a busy week ahead...buying a Christmas tree...writing my final essay...teaching my class. I didn't have time to be sick! Lisa has been working extra hours too so the net result was lots of tired evenings.

I did miss work on Tuesday and worked on my paper, a 5-page essay due tonight. I was so pleased when I found that elusive conclusion and wrote the last paragraph. Joy turned to despair, however, when I scrolled to the top to begin my first proofread and realized that I had only written four pages. I don't count well when I'm ill. So I added a few thoughts yesterday, ended up with just over 4 1/2 pages, called it good, and e-mailed it in. Instantly, my shoulders lifted and a bit of the fog parted. I suddenly realized that all 7 books had been read, all 7 papers had been finished (for better or for worse) and the only thing left to do was attend class one more time, tonight, and enjoy a final lesson.

I hope to write more about the final book and paper. I learned a great deal about how the church has fallen in line with worldly powers and what we can do (rediscover our weakness) to break free. But those are blogs for another day...when my head is clearer and my pocket is free of cough drops.

One (Almost) Down

2008-12-03T10:58:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that my first semester of seminary is almost coming to an end. I am finishing up the last book and my final essay is due a week from tomorrow. It has been an exhilarating experience and I am so grateful for all the prayers and support.

Yesterday I registered for the Spring semester. I am going to try to take two classes, mostly because I am bending to Jim's peer pressure...(and believe me, calling Jim a "peer" is an honor in itself). Biblical Interpretation will be offered online and I will continue to take a Thursday night class from Dr. Tim Geddart, this time on the Gospel of Luke.

Dr. Geddart is a fantastic teacher. His class this semester on the church has been illuminating. I have learned so much about what the church is and what it can be. I can't wait to start teaching class again at College so that I can pass on some of these great ideas. Teaching the lessons helps them solidify in my poor little brain.

In addition to the great Thursday night lessons, we have read seven different books on various aspects of the church. We are currently reading Marva J. Dawn's Powers, Weakness, and the Tabernacling of God. Jim has already blogged about a couple of sections of the book but I want to add one of my own. Yesterday I read this Timothy Savage quote about the citizens of Corinth:

"When Corinthians evaluated each other they looked for the same symbols of worth which they prized for themselves -- wealth, assertive speech, abusive behavior, a head carried high, anything which might elevate them above their neighbors.

The same values influenced their perspective of religion. It mattered little who the gods were or what the cults taught. What was important was whether one's needs were being met."

Sound familiar?

The more I study, the more I realize that humans never change...that God never changes...and that we have so much still to learn about His awesome love and His purpose for us in this world.

9 Days Off

2008-12-01T10:06:00.000-08:00

I'm not much for blogging when I'm on vacation. The week was very restful and Thanksgiving at Mom's was, as ever, tasty and enjoyable. We got to see the Powers' too, which is always a wonderful treat. We even tricked them into sleeping on our air mattress (Bwah ha hahhh).

I did break down and finally do some things around the house on Saturday and Sunday. A small project turned into something a bit larger.

The basic idea was to use the double bookcase in the computer room solely for my Bible books. That meant moving the graphic novels to the bedroom bookcase.

That meant moving some of the books in back to the bookcase in the front room.

That meant moving Lisa's photo albums to the shelves in the entertainment center.

That meant moving the CD's off of those shelves.

That meant cleaning up the mess of VHS tapes and CD's that had collected on the DVD/CD tower and on top of the CD player. While I was at it, I moved all of the CD's in the entertainment center cabinets, transferred the movie DVD's to their place, gave James his own area for his movies, and reorganized all the TV DVD's back in the tower.

That meant finding a place for all the CD's in storage. That meant cleaning out the closet in the computer room. That meant finding a place for all that stuff. That meant throwing out some things, giving some other things to The Salvation Army, and doing some rearranging of other things.

My back hurts. And the books still aren't where they belong. When all is said and done, I worked for two days to clear off one shelf of one bookshelf. But I'm closer now than I was then. And glad to be back at work so I can rest up a bit.

I missed all you blog buddies. I look forward to catching up a bit. And taking some Advil.

Saturday Highlights

2008-11-23T18:19:00.001-08:00

SATURDAY HIGHLIGHTS: During dinner with the captain on Monday, he invited all of us to come see the bridge later in the week. So on Saturday, we went to join the tour. We expected a lot of people and were surprised to see only 15 or so. We were told later that we were the only group the Captain dined with that week, and that bridge tours were very rare since 9/11. So it was a real treat to get to see how things were run.

The bridge was full of cool gizmos and gadgets. Best of all, there was an actual Captain's Chair, though nobody was sitting in it. We spent over 45 minutes looking around at everything. I have to say that Kevin was looking a little green by the end of the tour; it's a lot easier to feel the rocking of the ship from the very front.

You'll notice that I didn't say that this was the highlight of the day. That's because Saturday's highlight was actually the highlight of the entire cruise, and it only lasted about 30 seconds.

Saturday's highlight was when we went to look at Lisa's e-mail and found out that the surgery and all of the tests on our friend Jim had come back very good. Doctors had found a tumor in Jim's wrist not long ago and he was up in Davis getting everything taken care of. Finding out that the tumor was benign, that the surgery went as well as possible, and that his prognosis was excellent was far and away the best moment of the entire week.

We were blessed to be able to do all of the things we did during this week, but they all paled in comparison to remembering how diligently God cares for His children and seeing how wonderfully He answered all of our prayers for our friend. Lisa and I (and the Nelson's too) would have traded 100 cruises for a healthy friend.

Friday Highlights

2008-11-21T08:45:00.001-08:00

FRIDAY: We spent Friday and Saturday at sea and we were grateful for the time to relax and rest up from our adventures on land. One of the things I really enjoyed about the cruise was that I actually came back more rested than when I left. That's rare for a vacation.

We were blessed to meet some really great people on board. Our favorites were the people we got to see every day who were working so hard. The picture above is of our Assistant Waiter, Enebis, and our Waiter, Dickson. They were great fun to talk to every day.

Our Cabin Steward's name was Steve and he really made the trip for us. I'm not sure if people realize how hard these guys work. Life on board a cruise ship is not fun and games. It's late nights and early mornings and not many breaks in between. All of the workers we met were full of joy and smiles.

So, Friday's highlight? Easy. LOBSTER! Dickson, always on the ball, brought me my second lobster tail before I was finished with my first. The food was very good almost every night, but lobster night was easily my favorite.

Moral of the day: The most important person at your job is often the person who makes the least money.

Thursday Highlights

2008-11-20T09:23:00.000-08:00

THURSDAY: Snorkeling in Puerto Vallarta was Thursday's highlight. We got up early and boated with the Nelson's out to Marietta Islands. The islands are an ecological preserve and are the home to some beautiful birds and other wildlife. The weather was perfect and the scenery was breathtaking.

The snorkeling itself wasn't as good as we experienced in Hawaii earlier this year. The water was a little choppier and a lot murkier. Our equipment wasn't as good either and both Lisa and Marla ended up going back to the boat fairly early. I had trouble getting a good seal on my mask so I went back soon after Lisa. After losing the mask, snorkel, and fins, I had a wonderful idea. We had plenty of time left, the water temperature was ideal, and we were right in the middle of one of the most beautiful areas on the planet. So I jumped in the ocean. The best part of the day was just swimming and floating around in God's creation.

Later, we took a speed boat up onto a stretch of beach, the only area on the islands that humans are allowed to touch. We spent some time relaxing and even more time watching the hermit crabs crawl all over each other. Soon, sadly, it was time to go. We felt so blessed to be able to immerse ourselves in this part of God's handiwork.

Moral of the day: When snorkeling, you spend most of your time face down in the water. Therefore, you will want to reapply your sunscreen!

Wednesday Highlights

2008-11-19T11:00:00.001-08:00

WEDNESDAY: Our second stop on the cruise was Mazatlan. We left the ship in the morning and took an absolutely terrifying cab ride to the "Golden Zone." There we were assailed left and right by many, many (many) shopkeepers. They were willing to sell us lots of things we didn't want for very reasonable prices. We escaped and fled to the beach.

The beach was beautiful, but the merchants followed us. They toted their wares and quoted prices that were only for us. Lisa and I ditched the Nelson's and took a (slightly) less terrifying cab ride back to the ship. We spent the day relaxing and wondering what the highlight would be. Turns out it was later that day...at the magic show!

I should point out here that Kevin is one of my best friends in the world. Lisa likes to call us "BFF's" and I like to pretend I don't know what that means. The first time we met, some fifteen years ago or so, I found out that he liked poker, Star Wars, baseball, and the art of Bev Doolittle. Once I got past the Red Sox hat, we became fast friends.

Lisa and I were so glad that Kevin and Marla took the week off to join us on the cruise. We wouldn't have had nearly as much fun without them. We shared meals together, played games together, and just generally hung out. I even got to see Kevin dance. A little.

As soon as we saw that Ken the Magician was using lots of audience members in his show, we were quick to volunteer Kevin. His reluctance seemed to fade a bit when he was given the task of tying down Misty the Magician's Assistant. After he (and some other dude) secured Misty in place, Ken covered her up and drove a blade through her. Then he thrust several swords through her before pulling her apart. At least, that's what it looked like. And that's what he said. He wouldn't lie to us, would he?

We had a blast watching Kevin up on stage and the show was actually quite good. Later we had another great dinner and played "Apples to Apples." Lisa even took that incredible sunset picture up top, but seeing my buddy in a magic show was Wednesday's highlight.

Moral of the day: If you're ever in a taxi in Mexico, use your seatbelt.

Tuesday Highlights

2008-11-18T10:14:00.001-08:00

TUESDAY: The ship anchored outside of Cabo San Lucas and we took a tender boat to shore. I was a little nervous about the zip-lining excursion. I don't have a bad fear of heights, but I don't consciously seek them out either. A van drove us for about an hour and fifteen minutes up to base camp where we were fitted with harnesses and helmets. Then the adventure began.

We went across seven different zip-lines of distances up to almost 500 feet. They stretched more than 100 feet high over a dry rocky riverbed. We crossed a single-rope bridge, climbed up rock faces, and even rappelled about 80 feet down. We weren't allowed to take pictures (they wanted you to buy their's for 12 bucks each) so you'll just have to take my word for it that we did all this. There was a lot of hiking and we were pretty sore and tired when we got back. But it was easily the highlight for Tuesday.

Moral of the day: When the guide tells you to brake...brake.

Monday Highlights

2008-11-17T08:27:00.000-08:00

Back in my day, when a family returned from a nice vacation they would subject visiting guests to a slide show. It was usually too long, too boring, and full of pictures that only the people actually in the pictures cared about. This blog is just like that except, instead of lasting an evening, it will last a whole week. Probably nobody will care aside from Lisa and I and our friends, the Nelson's, who joined us. But I'll forget all this stuff unless I write it down somewhere. That's sort of the point behind the whole "web log" thingy anyway.

So, with apologies, here are the highlights of each and every day we spent on our wonderful cruise.

SUNDAY: Unbeknownst to us, our friends The Ogle's departed The Vision of the Seas on Sunday morning and we boarded her on Sunday afternoon. During our first of many wonderful dinners, Roscoe the headwaiter asked us to come see him before we left the dining room. We couldn't find him when we were done, figured it was nothing important, and left to tour the ship a bit. Fortunately, Roscoe was persistent, so...

MONDAY: ...the next morning we got a call inviting us to dinner at the Captain's table that evening. I've only cruised twice (Lisa thrice) so most of my knowledge of these things comes straight from The Love Boat. There it seemed like everybody got to eat at the Captain's table at least once (more often for Charo). So we were surprised later to find out that we and the two other couples who joined us were the only people fortunate enough to have this experience all week. And there were about 2400 on board. So these odds were sort of like me winning at slots. Which I also did later in the week! Ten bucks, no big, but still!

Dining with Captain Anders was an amazing experience. It was formal night, so we were dressed to the nines. Lisa was dressed to the tens. Zowie. We were escorted in to the center table, just below the grand piano. The men held the chairs for their ladies and, shortly, stood again when the captain arrived. Everything was incredibly elegant and there was much peeking to see which fork to use. The ladies were always served first and always from the correct side. There was great conversation and even greater food. The filet mignon was probably the best cut of meat I've ever had in my life. The captain shared some liqueur from his private stock. And when dessert came, nine waiters surrounded the table in single file and simultaneously served each of us.

Eventually, Captain Anders made his excuses and we gentlemen again stood as he left. We all chatted a bit before reluctantly acknowledging that the meal was over. I'm proud to say that I wasn't so overwhelmed by the formality of the occasion that I neglected to make the Devil's Tower from Close Encounters out of my mashed potatoes. The couple to our right were from Mission Viejo and were 20-year members of the Saddleback Church. They were on their 55th cruise yet still had no idea why any of us were invited to this incredible meal. We agreed to just accept the blessing as it was. The week was off to a perfect start.

Moral of the day: If your headwaiter ever asks you to see him before you leave, I encourage you to follow up on that.

Oh, Have I Mentioned...?

2008-11-06T15:35:00.001-08:00

Back during the several months that I was paid a stipend for preaching, I socked much of it away to help pay for something special. Next week, my wife will be rewarded for putting up with me during 10 years of marriage with a cruise to Mexico. Part of her reward is that I will be going along as well. A bit of a paradox, isn't it?

We will be leaving Sunday with our good friends, Kevin and Marla. We will stop in Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, and Mazatlan. We will all snorkel together one day. Another day, Lisa and I will get to take some zip lines over the jungle. There will be much eating and relaxing and very little school work.

The actual school week next week is only Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday...so I am actually going to take a week off and miss only three days of work. Upon return, I will have a week of work and then another week off for Thanksgiving. Then three more weeks and three weeks off for Christmas. I've been working very (VERY) hard lately, so I'm not feeling the least bit guilty about all that. Seriously. Not the teensiest little bit.

I doubt if I'll be blogging much from the big boat. But I'll catch up when we get back.

Vaya con Dios!

Important Matters

2008-11-05T13:47:00.000-08:00

Last night my wonderful wife asked me a question that comes up in our relationship every now and then. "When," she inquired, "are you going to update your blog???"

And so today, I take a break from my 5-page essay on Kingdom models and reflect on the world around me. America has an African-American President-elect...a double-hyphenate (triple if you count that last one). We have come a long way and mustn't lose sight of the fact that we have far to go. We are embroiled in two wars and in the midst of a global economic crisis. Our ecology is threatened as never before. And my home state is sharply divided over a proposition concerning same-sex marriage.

It is in that light that I reflect on what deeply concerns me today:

Why was the new Batman movie so good while the new Indiana Jones movie was so bad?

I shall answer that question with several comparisons.

Dark Knight: Amazing performances by Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, and Aaron Eckhart were completely overshadowed by that of Heath Ledger, who made cinematic history with his portrayal of the Joker.

Crystal Skull: I am too biased to objectively assess Harrison Ford's acting. But Cate Blanchett made for a very silly Russian: "I vant to know. I VANT to KNOW!!"

Dark Knight: The corruption of goodness and question of ends vs. means is heady stuff for a superhero movie. Wait, movies can be entertaining AND make you think??

Crystal Skull: Was humankind seeded by aliens?

Dark Knight: There's a guy dressed in a bat costume and he's fighting for justice and all I'm thinking is how we really need some of those guys. Nolan never treated it like a "superhero movie." Start to finish it was just an alternate reality.

Crystal Skull: Indy escaped a nuclear blast by hiding inside a refrigerator. Later, his kid swung through the jungle on vines.

Dark Knight: Great soundtrack. The music played when the Joker was about to do something made the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

Crystal Skull: Yeah, okay, great soundtrack. Whaddaya want? It's John Williams!

Dark Knight: A group of master craftsmen got together and poured their hearts and souls into making a movie about Batman that may very well be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar.

Crystal Skull: A group of master craftsmen got together and made millions of dollars so they could buy new stuff.

It may have been unreasonable to expect the new Indy to be as good as the old Indy's. It may even have been unreasonable to expect it to be as good as what Nolan and Co. are doing with The Bat these days. But it seemed reasonable to think it might be as good as Iron Man...or at least as Kung Fu Panda! Nope. Months later I am still, as Kevin Kline said in A Fish Called Wanda, disaPOINTedddddd!!!

Halloween Humbug

2008-10-31T12:25:00.000-07:00

About half of my students are wearing costumes today.

Most of them will either be going to parties tonight or to the school dance.

They've been eating candy all day.

It's Friday. We're at the end of 11 straight weeks of school with only one day off. And somehow I still need to teach them how to complete a square so that they can take a quiz today.

There's a reason this is my least favorite school day of the year.

A Week

2008-10-30T15:02:00.001-07:00

It's been a week since I blogged. I thought this week would be less crazy than last week. I was wrong.

I just took four pages of notes for a paper I have to write for next week. The paper can only be five pages long. This does not bode well. At least I have the constant problem of having too much to say rather than not enough.

Tonight I get the paper back on the book I struggled through. Anybody wanna wager on the outcome?

Birthdays

2008-10-23T13:41:00.000-07:00

In a couple of weeks, I'll have yet another birthday. I will be the same age as Vice-Presidential nominee, Sarah Palin. Do with that information as you will.

Eight days after that, I will celebrate my other birthday. I was baptized into Christ on Nov. 11, 1979. On that day, I became a new creation.

44 years ago today, my mother was baptized. She was great with child. So I was sorta baptized twice I guess. I don't know why, but whenever I write this date on my whiteboard, I always remember. And I always wish her a happy birthday.

Wouldn't you like to know, in your own Christian community, everybody's New Birthday? I can't think of a better reason for a party.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come" (2 Cor. 5: 17)

Community

2008-10-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

In studying the church recently, I have often found that I am truly studying community, albeit a whole new sort of community.

Wherever Jesus went, new communities sprung up. Communities different from any that existed or had ever existed. These were groups of people who were joined by their faith in God, their belief in His Son, and their common indwelling of the Holy Spirit. These were people bound not by class or ethnicity, but by love.

After Jesus' ascension, the care of these communities was left to men and women. They were specially gifted by God, they had the example of Christ, and they were led by the Spirit...still the awesome responsibility they shared amazes me. Imagine sharing the seed of the gospel, seeing it flower and grow, and then finding a group of Christ-followers who looked to you for constant guidance. It's no wonder that Paul had so much to say about pastoring. He needed good leaders and lots of them! Finding Timothy must have been a dream come true.

2000 years later, everyone who finds him or herself in charge of a community of believers has a duty no less overwhelming. In some ways the care of the church today is more difficult than ever. Our caretakers have the mistakes, the misinterpretations, the mistranslations, the man-made traditions, the cultural differences, and the sheer distance of two millenia to overcome. This is one reason I strive to remind people that God has no interest in us recreating the 1st century church. His desire for us is to be the 21st century church.

So the next time you see a pastor or an overseer or an elder of your church, give 'em a hug, huh?

Good Signs

2008-10-20T08:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I preached about the inclusivity and unity of the church and only received one angry phone call. So that's a good sign, right?

Yesterday the Red Sox lost and the Rays advanced to the World Series. So that's a good sign, right?

Today my students are all studying hard and seemingly concerned with passing Wednesday's quiz. So that's a good sign, right?

This weekend my son played Lego Indiana Jones, watched Star Wars Clone Wars, and looked at pictures from the upcoming Star Trek movie with me. So that's a really good sign.

Right?

Comebacks

2008-10-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

Last night during the break in class, Jim and I walked out to his car to listen his radio for a score of the game. Good ol' reliable Jon Miller, giver of the every-five-minute score told us that it was 5-0 Rays. Given that the game was about 2 1/2 hours old, Jim smiled, turned off the radio, and said, "That's it. It's over." We smiled and went back to class.

Stinkin' Red Sox.

The Beach and Back Again

2008-10-15T07:33:00.000-07:00

Lisa and I both got nasty colds for our anniversary. Wow, thanks! We went to the coast anyway because we figured we could be sick as easily there as here. It was beautiful and we had a time. Not a bad time, not a great time...a time. James had fun digging holes in the sand and we enjoyed watching him. Still, the beach isn't as pretty through kleenex.

I missed a couple of days of work and find myself scrambling to catch up now. I'm preaching Sunday for the first time in a few months and really looking forward to it. Next week holds the real challenge. I'll be preaching again and I'll have a paper due Thursday. I've been staying ahead though, so I'm not too worried. Still, if I'm not very blogalicious for a while, you'll know why.

10

2008-10-10T07:31:00.000-07:00

I met my wife in a bowling alley.

Tres romantique, non?

She was the best looking person in the place, by a factor of about 100. She worked behind the counter and I began to find more reasons to go bowling than ever before in my life.

As God would have it, she ended up joining the league I was in. It took a while, but I eventually asked her out. We went out. Had a great time. It took a while, but she eventually went out with me again.

Rather than give a detailed account of our courtship on this, our 10th anniversary, I thought I would use this incredibly public forum to describe the moment I fell in love with her...truly, madly, deeply.

There was an older couple in our bowling league. Very nice folks. He had a stroke and they were gone for quite a while. When they came back, he was in a wheelchair, barely able to talk, his mouth slightly drawn downward on one side. It was hard to see him like that as he was a big, friendly man. His wife sat with him, smiling, caring for him.

Everyone was happy to see them and there were lots of hugs on their return. But most were uncomfortable spending much time with them and nobody really knew how to talk to him. So, after the initial welcome, it was bowling as usual. They sat in the back, together, watching.

Then Lisa went missing. Nobody knew where she was and it was her turn to bowl. And, in a league, when you're up, YOU'RE UP!! I found her and I'll never forget it and if you've ever met her you already know where she was. If I'd known her then as well as I do now, it's the first place I would have looked.

Lisa was sitting right between the couple, chatting them both up. All three were smiling and sharing and I was just struck by this incredible person and her ability to relate to anybody, including convalescing people three times her age.

That was it. It was all over. And today I'm celebrating the tenth anniversary of the second best decision I ever made in my life. I love you, baby. Happy Anniversary.

Newsboys Pics

2008-10-08T22:02:00.000-07:00

My wife takes very good pictures.

Newsboys

2008-10-08T10:59:00.000-07:00

Last night's Newsboys concert got me closer to happy. It always takes me a while to recover from an Angels elimination and this year, for many reasons, was especially harsh. But even though the band only played for about 1:15, it was a wonderful time. God was praised. The Word was preached. The music rocked. A large group of local Christians came together and raised voices and hands. And my son was there.

He had a tough time. Even with his "monster-truck-goin'" earphones on, the music was too loud for him, especially at first. I like it loud, but the look on his face reminded me of Greg's reaction to a similar show. We discussed taking him out. But just about the time it looked like he'd had enough, it was time for "Breakfast."

As you Newsboys fans know, when the band plays "Breakfast in Hell," a lot of people start throwing Cap'n Crunch around. 'Cause, y'know, when the toast has burned and all the milk has turned, and Captain Crunch is waving farewell...when the big one finds you may this song remind you that they don't serve breakfast in hell. So the family in front of us turns around and shares their big box of Cap'n Crunch with us. James gets great big fistfuls and starts throwing them skyward. 7-year-old bliss. (By the way, I believe that the difference between the "Cap'n" of cereal fame and the "Captain" sung about in the song is attributable to the lead singer's Australianness. And the fact that I spent time pondering that says more about me than about him.)

There were only a couple of songs left after that, including one where the drummers platform rises on hydraulic lifts high off the stage, does a full 90 degree turn so that the top of his head is now pointing straight at the audience, and begins to spin. So now he's drumming and spinning while sitting on what ought to be the wall. James thought that was pretty cool. Heck, I thought that was pretty cool.

As I've said before, I love going to concerts. Getting to share that love with my son for the first time was something I'll never forget. I just hope he remembers the music, the cereal, and the spinning drummer, and not the initial pain in his eardrums.

Angels in 4

2008-10-06T21:10:00.001-07:00

I actually meant that they'd win in 4.

Sheesh. Could the home plate umpire have been any worse? I wonder if he has a nice home in Boston somewhere.

1-2

2008-10-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

This was a rough weekend for Angels fans. Friday night's game felt like old times as K-Rod gave up that 9th inning bomb to JD Drew. Sunday's game got off to a rough start as Hunter and Kendrick let a weak pop fly (which should have been the last out of the inning) drop between them for a 3-run single. I'll say that again: a 3-run single!

My family quietly left the room for a while at that point.

The ship was eventually righted, however, and the Angels showed that they can actually win a post-season game against the Red Sox, for whom Randy is rooting and there can be no valid explanation for that. We're still friends though Randy. Which proves just how MUCH I love you, brother.

So we're still alive. I have at least one more game to truly care about this season. And if, if, we can squeak another one out tonight, we actually go back home tied. I picked the Angels in 4. Angels in 5 anyone?

Meanwhile, the #22 Bulldogs lost to Hawaii. I'll leave it to other blogs to comment on that mess.

As important as the Angels series is to me...and I'm just going to come right out and admit that it is important to me...it fades to complete irrelevance when contrasted with the message we heard from the pulpit yesterday. I know up there in the upper right hand corner it says that I'll always put Bible before baseball, but today I wanted to save the best for last.

A brief history: The Rodriguez clan are a vital part of the legacy of the College Church. I grew up with Larry. Michael is a dear friend and an elder. Dan was my teacher at church camp, and he is now a man I hold in the highest regard. Dan's two sons, M1 and M2, are preaching the gospel in China.

Yesterday, one of the M's shared some stories of their work. It seems that the two major colleges in all of China are across the street from each other. The greatest minds from all Chinese provinces attend these two schools and those who M & M are converting are students there. These are people with bright futures and high levels of potential influence. One of them acted as escort to the Chinese Premier when he toured one of the campuses.

We heard stories yesterday of the excitement in new Chinese converts. We heard stories of people coming up from the waters of baptism praising God. We heard stories of men and women walking up to strangers and asking them if they wanted to learn about Jesus. We heard one story of a rainy day on a Chinese campus, three young men bursting spontaneously into song, drawing a crowd, and then preaching the gospel to them.

Got chills yet? Sound anything like the book of Acts to you? It's 2008 and the good news of Jesus Christ, his current reign, his coming reign, his death, burial, resurrection, promise to return, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and the great love of God for His children is spreading! Chinese students are accepting Christ as Lord and purposing to plant churches in their home provinces. Europeans, hardened to spiritual things, are rubbing shoulders with the redeemed. Americans, prisoners of entertainment and pornography, are learning how to break free. The gospel is still alive and working its way through the ends of the earth!

If that doesn't get your week off to a good start, I don't know what will.

0-1

2008-10-02T08:27:00.000-07:00

Lackey made one bad pitch.
Bay made one great swing.
Ellsbury made one great catch.
Youkilis made one great play.
Vladdy made one dumb mistake.

And I've got that famliar October feeling again.

It ain't over, but I think Friday's game is a huge one for this franchise. A win rights the ship and gives us confidence that the best team in baseball can go all the way. A loss makes a sweep in Fenway a necessity, and possibly gives the front office the idea that all the spending just isn't paying off.

This is going to be an important off-season for the Angels. They have contract decisions to make on Anderson and Rivera, and they have to decide whether to offer K-Rod and Teixeira crazy money. I think they can sign Anderson for less and let Rivera and K-Rod go. But this team needs Tex. A one-and-done postseason gives a lot of people a lot of reasons not to sign him.

Am I putting to much stock in one game?

Nope.

Archive Strolling

2008-10-01T13:06:00.000-07:00

Every now and then, I like to stroll through the archives of this blog. Sometimes I'll do it by searching for a particular word or phrase. More often, I'll check back to see what was happening in earlier years on or around this same date. I did that yesterday, September 30, 2008. I found some interesting things:

September 26, 2007:

It's looking like the 2 best teams in baseball are going to square off in a 5-game series to open the playoffs. This still bugs me. I admit the need for the extra round of games, the Wild Card makes it necessary, and I happen to like the Wild Card. But it doesn't seem fair when the fate of the two best teams is decided by a best-3-out-of-5.

Tonight, 2 of the best teams in baseball (props to the Rays and Cubbies) square off in Anaheim. The Angels won 100 games for the first time in franchise history this year. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention that ESPN's pick to win the West, Seattle, lost 100 games, thus becoming the first member of the 100/100 club: 100 Losses, $100+ million payroll.

The 3-out-of-5 format still frustrates, but I like our chances. The Angels went 8-1 this year against the Red Sox, including a sweem at Fenway. Also, Manny is whooping it up in Dodgertown, while Teixeira is giving much-needed protection to Vladdy. Angels in 4.

September 30, 2005:

Listened to (not watched, mind you, but listened to) my Angels clinch the West for the second straight year. They were playing the A's so the game was blacked out here since, you know, Fresno is in the Bay Area. ... How much would I LOVE to get back to the Series??? Angels/Cards anyone?

As a life-long Angels fan, it's been great seeing my team in the playoffs 5 out of the past 7 years. It's a recurring theme I'm getting used to. Now, of course, we expect to win. Anything less than a World Series appearance will be disappointing. Another World Championship and this blog will write itself for the rest of 2008.

Also in the same blog post was this:

Met with some men I respect a lot who are trying to work on ways to get a pulpit minister again at College. We've been without one for almost ten years now and it's time.

College has officially made an offer to hire a pulpit minister. This, mind you, three years after this entry. I still feel that a full-time minister is best. But I have to admit that the past three years have changed how I feel about preaching. I'm excited for the future of the church, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't going to miss it. I'll still have opportunities, but certainly not as often.

Okay, enough reminiscing. If you don't mind too much, please root for the Angels. Remember, in the Bible, the angels are the good guys.

Happy 10th!

2008-09-30T13:30:00.000-07:00

On 10/10, Lisa and I will be celebrating our 10th anniversary. As big a math nerd as I am, I promise that I didn't plan that. It just worked out that way. So in 10 days (!) we will share a nice evening together, followed by a weekend at the coast, followed next month by a week-long cruise.

Today, I celebrated a different 10th anniversary. The 2008/2009 school year marks the tenth birthday of Sunnyside High School. Today there was a special lunch to honor those of us who were here when the doors opened. There were some fun things planned, but nothing more important than the time devoted to sitting with fellow teachers and reminiscing about the past decade. We shared pictures, stories, favorite (and least favorite) students, and generally had a wonderful time for 35 minutes until the bell rang.

Sunnyside is still a special place. Like every school, we have our problems. But there has always been a high level of respect shown here for teachers and for what we do. It was very nice to have some time today to reflect on that.

Prescriptive or Descriptive?

2008-09-24T09:02:00.000-07:00

During class last week, we were talking about church leadership. We spent some time looking (of course) at I Timothy 3. At the end of our discussion, our teacher casually mentioned that he didn't feel that church leadership, even church eldership, was limited to men.

This led to a few raised eyebrows (a very few...the class is, after all, split almost 50/50 down gender lines) and a brief conversation between Jim and I about the nature of these New Testament texts that have caused so much disagreement over the years. Jim used these terms which I'd never heard before, but helped me distill my own feelings. He said that some looked at these passages prescriptively and some saw them descriptively. In other words, some feel that they are a prescription for how the church is supposed to be and some feel that they are a description of how things were.

It makes a big difference, doesn't it? From one viewpoint, there are ways to do things and ways not to do things. From another viewpoint, there are events which we can use to help us decide how to do things today. I'm interested in input, but first I have to say one more thing which is far more important than either viewpoint. I am so grateful that people can talk about their own perspectives but still appreciate and esteem the perspective of others. In my lifetime, the church has come very far in its ability to coexist with different interpretations. It's wonderful to be able to have these conversations and come away from them without rights and wrongs.

So? Prescriptive? Or descriptive?

Sunday

2008-09-22T10:25:00.000-07:00

Maybe it wasn't the greatest Sunday ever. But it had to be close.

Note: All times are approximate.

7:30 - 1:00 --- Got up. Got ready for church. Went to church. Worshiped. Good stuff. Had spicy, crispy, teryaki chicken at Teryaki Don on the way home. Also good stuff.

1:00 - 4:00 --- Family napped. I watched the Angels win their 96th game of the season on the way (I hope) to home field advantage throughout the postseason.

4:00 - 6:30 --- Family Fun Fest at nearby Trinity Presbyterian Church. Ran into many friends while James went around like this pretty much all evening:

6:30 - 9:00 --- Watched (and fastforwarded a bit through) the final game in Yankee Stadium. I am on record as an avowed Yankee Hater, but it should be known that I have a great deal of respect for the franchise. You don't win 26 World Championships by just sitting around being mediocre. They honor the past and play for the present (but all too often sacrifice the future). Last night was a perfect capsule of the team, from honoring veterans like Reggie, Bernie Williams, and Don Larsen before the game...to talking with Whitey Ford and Yogi in the booth...to the ultra classy Derek Jeter leading his teammates in a salute to their fans and then in a final tour around the park. I hate that they are tearing down this landmark of American History, but at least they showed it the proper respect. Note in the picture below that Jeter and Rivera are nearly eclipsed by Giambi's giganto mustache:

9:00 - 11:30 --- Watched what was possibly the worst Emmy Award Show ever. Whoever thought that following up last year's horrid Ryan Seacrest debaucle with 4 MORE reality hosts should be (as Steve Martin used to say) taken out and maimed. As usual, the only highlights were the self-scripted stuff by people like Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, Ricky Gervais and Steve Carell (who made me laugh so hard I cried) and, as always, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Good news: 30 Rock, the best show on television, wins! Bad news: Everything else.

11:30 - 12:00 --- In bed far too late for a school night. Before we turned in, I took off my baseball cap and found the very best case of "hat hair" I've ever encountered. It was perfectly flat and parted. I liked it so much I combed it while Lisa tried to brush her teeth, "tried" because she was laughing so hard. We took pictures. It took a long time because every time Lisa looked at the view she started laughing, then I started laughing, and you can't be laughing in a picture like this. Finally, we preserved the moment, for your enjoyment:

Heaven on Earth

2008-09-19T08:47:00.001-07:00

I'm not here to start an argument.

I'm really not.

The truth is, all of the following stuff falls under the category of "it really doesn't matter all that much." Then why bother? Because I can think of far worse ways to spend my time than reflecting on the eternity we look forward to spending with our Father in Heaven.

Just where that Heaven might be is a question I've been pondering. The theory has been around for a long time, but has grown in popularity of late, that the paradise we are promised will actually be a remade earth. God will recreate, remake, restore this world to its original intent and He will live here with His people. The "new earth" of which the Bible speaks will be this earth, made new.

I remember a dear old gentleman at church who was presented with this theory. It's the only time I've ever seen him angry. "It says 'a new heaven and a new earth!" he kept saying, and eventually shouting. He walked to his car that day muttering it over and over. But does "new" mean "different?" Might not "new" mean "changed?" Is the idea resisted because it is foreign...because we have such distaste for this earth...or because we just think it's wrong?

Paul told the church at Thessalonica that we will be caught up together to meet our Lord in the air. (By the way, did you know that the Greek word used for "caught up" translates to the Latin "raptus" from which we get the term "rapture?" It has nothing to do with extreme joy, but rather with being caught up to meet our Lord. If you knew it, you're smarter than me. I didn't find out until last night's class.) But once we are "caught up," do we stay up? What if, like meeting a Head of State, we go up to meet and accompany back down? This would actually fit the language and context Paul was using.

And how about the image Luke gives us of two men together in a field on that day: one is taken and one is left behind. Whoever said that we wanted to be the one taken? Might we not rather be the one left? Is being taken preferable? When God last rained judgment down on the world, weren't Noah and his family happy to be the only ones left??

Okay, okay, I don't even agree with everything I just wrote. But I've enjoyed playing around with it in my mind. Because as I do, I am setting my sights on things above (heh, so to speak) and I'm thinking about those promised days to come. Days when we live with our Creator in perfect shalom. Days when we live and move and breathe in the company of our Lord, our Savior, our Friend.

Hyperbole

2008-09-17T10:48:00.000-07:00

The gregarious and spherical former manager of the Dodgers, Tommy Lasorda, was asked recently for his feelings on a potential Angels/Dodgers World Series.

Lasorda responded, "It would be the greatest thing that has ever happened."

I've spent my morning trying to think about all the things that have ever happened and decide if, in fact, any were ever greater than this. I've come up with a few so far.

Full Time Preacher

2008-09-15T11:25:00.000-07:00

The College Church is in the process of hiring a full-time minister. That position has been unfilled for about 11 years. As one of the people who has been preaching during that time, I have conflicting emotions.

I'm excited. I have felt for some time that something is missing when there isn't a single person doing that job. Whomever we hire will have the freedom to preach on whatever he chooses and he can decide whether to preach stand-alone sermons or a continuing series. My friend Jim has spent 2008 preaching on Genesis 1-11. Amazing! What better way to have discussions about the Creation Mandate, about God's love and plan for mankind, about sin and grace?

I'm anxious. I know I shouldn't be...God has the situation well in hand...but we've been doing things a certain way for a long time. The new minister will have to win over a congregation that is used to a variety of voices.

I'm even a tad envious. I've reached the point where I truly enjoy preaching and, even though I'll still have the occasional opportunity, I'll miss it. Fortunately, there are always classes to teach and my seminary work will keep my plenty busy.

Yesterday we had our first candidate preach for us and teach our class afterward. I was so grateful that he began by asking us to talk about what was preached and not just who did the preaching. He knew the Word and definitely had something to say. I don't know if he is the man that God has selected for us, but I certainly enjoyed meeting him and hearing from him. We are likely to have someone else visiting us soon and I look forward to hearing what he has to say as well. It wouldn't be a bad thing to have more than one excellent person from whom to choose.

Please continue to pray.

Angels Clinched Division!

2008-09-11T09:55:00.001-07:00

I don't make many predictions, and even fewer that come true. Imagine my surprise when the Angels actually fulfilled my blog prophesy yesterday! Now they need to get ready for the post-season.

It was a nice celebration as the family went out and enjoyed some great sushi yesterday. Of course, the main reason we celebrated was because yesterday was the penultimate 10th before our wedding anniversary. This year, I've tried to do something on the 10th of each month to show Lisa how special she is to me. Next month will be the ultimate 10th: On 10/10 we will celebrate our 10th year of wedded bliss. At least, it has been blissful for me...Lisa might feel differently.

After dinner I drove James to AWANA and noticed something interesting. We passed Jim G.'s church and there were cars already arriving some 50 minutes before Wednesday night Bible study. I dropped my boy off at Jim W.'s church across the street which was positively bustling with activity as children all over north Fresno were arriving for the first night of AWANA. I drove towards home and only went one block before passing The Well, a local church popular with college students, many of whom were walking in from the parking lot, Bibles in hand, ready to dive into the Word together. Only one block more and I passed another large church where my niece and nephew attended AWANA back in the day (and the fact that they are actually old enough to have a "day" to go back to brings tears to my eyes).

Some might decry this journey as a testament to church disunity. I see it very differently. All of these churches are large and thriving. The Body of Christ is simply too large to be housed in a single building. We need all of these places just to have room to gather, fellowship, and grow together in our walks with God. What a wonderful feeling it was to see all of these churches, active and excited, in such a small geographical area. How powerful it could be if all those Christians would get fired up in their local churches, and then go and spread the Word as the church universal!

Angels Clinch Division!

2008-09-10T07:31:00.000-07:00

Maybe. Hopefully today. If they beat the Yankees and the Rangers lose later in the day, the '08 Angels will be one of the quickest teams to clinch a post-season berth in the history of baseball. What they do once they get there is another story. The middle infield needs to get healthy and we need to get some momentum going, difficult when you've known for over a month that you were headed for October baseball.

Either way, this is probably the best Angels team I've ever seen.

My first paper is due tomorrow so...short post today. A thought before I get to work: who needs your prayer today? Who needs to know you are praying for them?

What Is Important?

2008-09-05T08:01:00.000-07:00

Last night we had our first discussion period in my seminary class. The book we were discussing, "The Reign of God," was in two parts. The first part focused on the active, reigning God and our part in coming alongside Him in his reigning activities. The second part concentrated on the kingdom which is to come. The author spent a lot of time defending his view of "heaven on earth" and almost no time discussing why knowing about the future kingdom is helpful for us in the kingdom of today.

I liked the first part. The vast majority of our discussion was about the second part.

After only two weeks I'm probably oversimplifying this, but it seems to me that seminary students come in two basic types: those who want to know more about God and help others know more, and those who like to argue. I've had my fill of arguing about the Word, so I find myself guiding the discussion towards helping us all build our relationships with God. Even so, there was a 10-minute free-for-all last night regarding dispensationalism.

Our teacher describes God's Kingdom as "already and not yet." I really like that. But I tend to focus more on the "already," figuring that the "not yet" will take care of itself. That's probably naive. Certainly how we see the future affects how we act today. But the last, the lost, and the least often struggle to get through today, this hour, this minute. So I steer away from theology for the sake of theology, I avoid big words in favor of a clear gospel, and I don't honestly give a rat's patootie if I spend eternity with my Lord in the sky or on earth.

(And yet, with all that, it's still fun to know about subjective genitives.)

I feel like I need a seminary mission statement, something I can keep coming back to if I get off track, something my friends can remind me of if I start to stray. I don't have it all worked out yet, but it includes the idea of learning about God so I can share Him more clearly with others.

Meanwhile, my friend Jim has this to say.

About That 17-Game Lead

2008-09-03T13:45:00.000-07:00

"Hey, Steve," you might say. "How come you haven't been writing about the Angels much lately? Aren't you happy about that huge lead?"

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

It's a well-known maxim in baseball: if you start talking about it, bad things will happen.

"The Reign of God" is a Subjective Genitive

2008-08-29T10:22:00.000-07:00

That's one of many things I learned last night in my first class at MBBS. The class is called "The Church and God's Mission in the World" and that is exactly what it is about. We will discuss God's mission from creation, through the Israelites, through Christ, through the apostles, through church history, and up to the present day. The ultimate goal is to determine just what it is we're supposed to be up to.

The teacher is excellent. Three hours flew by. I came out with a great deal to digest and ideas galore for classes I want to teach.

One of the key ideas (for me) was the idea of God's Kingdom being active. We often mistakenly think of the Kingdom as being a place rather than an activity. It helps me to think of it as the "reign of God" rather than the "kingdom of God." As disciples, we are called to join our Creator in His work, not to simply be where He is. This is what Jesus meant when he told the twelve, "I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor." (John 4: 38, NAS)

We enter into the Kingdom just as we enter into this labor. Alongside an active, loving God.

A Gentle Reminder

2008-08-28T11:09:00.000-07:00

If I were to believe everything I read in newspapers and magazines, I would think that Barack Obama was the greatest thing to happen to America since the founding fathers.

If I were to believe everything I saw in some videos I've recently been sent or have seen posted on blogs, I would think that Barack Obama was the antichrist.

I'm sure that the truth lies somewhere in between.

I tend to stay away from the incredibly divisive topic of politics on this blog. I love all y'all and I know full well that you have widely differing views. I don't even leave comments on other blogs (usually) when they are of a political nature. And, this year especially, I find myself idealogically far away from some of the people I love the most. So I doubt if I'll be saying much more as November approaches. I simply want to mention this:

Let's all enter the exciting and frightening political season before us with open eyes, ears, and minds.

First Day of School

2008-08-27T09:14:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is my first day of school. I haven't been this excited in a long time.

Seminary presents a lot of challenges. There is a LOT of reading. There are writing assignments. There is a lot of time that must be invested. Our biggest challenge will be the tuition. It's one thing to trust that God will provide, to know that I'm following His will in this and that He will be faithful. It's another thing entirely to plan a budget around $4000 a year that doesn't exist.

Still, given all that, I can't wait for class to start. I can't even express how much I look forward to discussing these books with other students. And, to add to the excitement, God has designed it so that my friend Jim will be taking my first class with me.

I'm sure that the product of my study will show up in this blog. I know I run the risk of going overboard with how much I share here. I trust y'all will let me know when enough is enough and it's just time to share funny pictures of James again.

Our first book is called "The Realm of the Reign" and was written by Ben Witherington. It discusses the kingdom language of the Bible, a topic I recently have been teaching on. Witherington wonders whatever happened to Kingdomtide and, as someone who never even heard the term before, I'm wondering right along with him.

Tomorrow's the first day of school. It can't come soon enough.

A Very Brady Blog

2008-08-25T11:01:00.000-07:00

We were blessed with an amazing barbecue this weekend, courtesy of the finest barbecuer this side of the Mississippi. Brady's folks cooked up an amazing meal and we got to share it with great friends. We had time to get better acquainted with "Son #1" and "Daughter." I was especially interested in their tales of European education. Guess what? It's different from US education. We had wonderful conversation and enjoyed laughing and sharing together.

On Sunday, Brady shared his third of four sermons on the subject of faith. For some reason, I tend to remember Brady's sermons more than most and this was one I won't forget soon. He spoke bluntly and beautifully of faith in the face of death. There are lots of times that I remember thinking how much a sermon made me want to die, but it was true this time for a different reason. Without death, of course, we can never go home. We would forever remain aliens in a foreign land. I mean the following as a compliment: Brady's words reminded me of a great line by Admiral James T. Kirk. "How we face death is at least as important as how we face life."

But it was that life of which Brady spoke most highly. He challenged me by presenting the idea that death is unnatural. Only life is natural. In a world that tries to help people find peace by explaining that nothing is MORE natural than death, it was of great comfort to hear somebody proclaim the opposite. In Christ we have life, and that abundantly.

Brady and family will leave us all to soon, but what joy it has been to see them and spend time with them.

First Grade

2008-08-21T11:16:00.000-07:00

James is really enjoying his first week in First Grade. His mother and I are dealing with the realities of weekly spelling tests, school days that go until 3:00, and the goal of reading 1,000 pages in a year!

What happened to finger painting and playing in the sandbox?