salt the planet

Name all 50 States

2008-03-07T13:09:00.002-05:00

I got hung up in New England. They're all so tiny! I started in the West and worked my way east, but wonder if I should have done the opposite. I also almost forgot Alaska and Hawaii.

Enjoy!

In 2m 59s

Click here to Play

Race and the Digital Divide

2008-01-24T10:33:00.000-05:00

I have recently come across some interesting videos on youtube that led me to the Kansas State University Anthropology website. A professor there, Michael Wesch, focuses on media ecology and specifically how new forms of media are shaping/shaped by culture. I offer up this video for your viewing pleasure.

This particular post/video, which is a revision of this video here, raises questions directly connected with the issue of race and media. I found it interesting and have this site on my webclips above my inbox in gmail. I visit this site and am regularly stimulated in my thinking about a wide variety of topics. I post it here hoping the same for you.

A Story from Stu

2008-01-22T16:27:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Karissa and I attended the 14th Annual Unity Breakfast, where hundreds of people from all across central Kentucky come to celebrate and remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Afterward, many of us participated in a march with some of our friends from Communality, a local church downtown.

During the breakfast, four individuals from the Lexington community shared their personal reflections on Dr. King's life regarding four areas of his life - spiritualism, education, civil rights, and humanitarianism.

Stu Silberman, Fayette Co. Superintendent of schools, spoke about education. His reflection touched Karissa and I both and I hope to share, as best I can, my recollection of his thoughts.

Imaginatively, he began to describe what it would be like to walk in to a local elementary school to pick up his granddaughter and to meet Dr. King standing there waiting to pick up his great-granddaughter. Stu painted a picture of the awe and wonder he would feel in the presence of such a great man.

Stu would tell him what great admiration he had for Dr. King and his efforts, especially in education. Dr. King would then turn and ask Stu what he is doing in Lexington to further the education of children. Stu would share about the ways that they have come so far, and yet also discuss the ways that they have fallen short.

After sharing in this discussion with Dr. King about how much progress has been made and yet how much further they have to go, Stu imagined Dr. King sharing this story:

Two Civil Rights workers' wives were mending their husbands' clothes. The first woman turned to the second and said, "My husband comes home everyday and is always so discouraged. He feels like we aren't making any progress and that we have so far to go."

The second woman turns to the first and says, "My husband comes home everyday and expresses his hope and the encouragement he feels. He believes we are making progress and moving forward in mighty ways."

The women continue their mending...and then Dr. King shares this observation.

The first woman sitting there was mending the seat of her husband's trousers and the elbows of his jacket. The second woman was mending the knees of her husband's pants and the soles of his shoes.

Karissa turned and, with tear-filled eyes, looked at me as shivers went up and down my spine.

Road Trip: Day 5

2007-07-24T12:33:00.000-04:00

We awoke on the 5^th day of our trip and left Vancouver heading east toward Canada's Glacier National Park. It was my first time to drive through the Rockies and with every turn revealing new peaks and more beautiful sights Daniel and I could not help but pull over every 10-15 minutes, jump out of the car and take pictures of all the glaciers and beautiful mountainscapes.

After driving through Glacier, we entered Banff National Park and stopped at Lake Louise, at the urging of my Aunt Janet and Uncle Darry, where we camped for the night. Once we secured our tent site, we drove up to the lake which sits beneath two glaciers on the continental divide. The pristine nature of the lake and surrounding mountains was breathtaking. There is a large hotel at the edge of the lake that was built in the 1920's. It doesn't seem to fit in with the ageless glaciers and mountains surrounding it as they far surpass anything man could construct. The only upside to having the hotel there was that it gave us a reference point to how thick the glacier was (nearly twice the height of the hotel).

After a night surrounded by electrical fence (to keep the bears out), we continued through Banff National Park where the mountains become even more spectacular. We stopped for the day in the town of Banff, nestled in a valley with lakes and streams. Riding the gondola to the top of Sulphur mountain and taking the boardwalk over to Sanson's peak, where the Cosmic Ray Station National Historic Site of Canada, and the historic Sanson's Peak Meteorological Station were located was a fantastic journey. I imagined my Dad spending days and weeks high atop these peaks gathering weather information and living inside the rustic stone cabin. If it were still open, it would be a perfect place for him to retire.

After Banff, we drove straight through Calgary only stopping to take a picture of a gigantic skateboard loop. We stayed our last night in Canada in a small town called Cardston just north of the border. Though I haven't been here long, it is a melancholy experience to hit this milestone of our trip. We are halfway to the end.

Road Trip: Day 4

2007-07-24T12:23:00.000-04:00

Daniel and I remained in Vancouver for one more day of excitement. First, we went to the University of British Columbia's Museum of Anthropology. As we walked through the collections of mostly First Nations artifacts, my studies from college continued to wash over me. It was thrilling to experience the totems, masks, tools, and stories of the First Nations of western Canada. We were also able to see an interesting collection of handmade artifacts from prisoners of the First World War who were kept on the island of Cyprus. These items were sold to finance the opposition and were essentially a form of slave labor. A sign at the display challenged us to contemplate how these items would be categorized in a modern museum, for they seemed to have little in common with one another (sarcophagus statuettes, reptiles made of beads, decorative guns carved of soapstone) and obviously did not fit any traditional museum category. After the museum, we drove northeast across town to a place called Deep Cove where we rented kayaks and paddled around the Indian Arm Fjord for almost 6 hours.

We stopped at Raccoon Island in the fjord for awhile to walk around and explore. As we were trying to find a way down to the kayaks (the sides of the island were steep) we found a tree with a branch that we thought we could use to gently lower us to the shore. Daniel went first and, after getting about 2/3 of the way out onto the branch and about 10 feet off the rocky shore, the tree limb snapped at the base and Daniel went plummeting onto the shore. I called to him to make sure he was alright and after what seemed like 2 minutes (it was really only about 5 seconds) Daniel emerged out from under the downed branch, walking and holding the back of his head. I made sure he was feeling alright before scaling down another part of the side to make my way to him. Upon seeing him, he had several scratches along his left shoulder and arm along with a small cut on the back of his head near the occipital lobe. We made sure that he was feeling alright and, after returning to the kayaks for a brief rest and a banana, pushed off into the water again. We were absolutely exhausted, physically and mentally, by the time we returned (13 miles of kayaking in 6 hours) and we were thankful that we had some of our lunch leftover and didn't need to cook. Click here for an interactive map to see where we paddled. Once you get to the site, click on Power Stations in the interactive map image on the left to see how far we went.

I learned much about perseverance, pain, fortitude, adversity, and continuing on toward a goal with the monotony of what it sometimes takes to get there. I also learned about forward thinking and mentally preparing for whatever may come by running scenarios in my brain. Daniel and I had several conversations after his tumble to discuss what we would have done if something worse had happened. It helped me to at least be more prepared mentally when something like that happens. Though I have experienced it in other ways, especially through training (Lifeguard, CPR, AED, etc.) this was the first time a scenario like this has happened when I was able to talk through it with someone after the fact. It helps to reflect and think about what would happen in situations like this in the future. I hope this is something I will continue doing, not simply to rehearse nightmare situations or increase anxiety over what may happen, but to prayerfully think forward in preparing for what may come in any situation.

Piths in Glass

2007-07-22T23:30:00.000-04:00

These sayings were located in stained glass windows in the British Columbia Legislative Building. What do you think of them?

You can click on the link here to see the pics.

Discretion is the perfection of reason and a guide to win all the duties of life.

The virtue of prosperity is temperance.

Great effects come of industry and perseverance.

Industry hath annexed thereto the fairest fruits and richest rewards.

The virtue of adversity is fortitude.

Without economy none can be rich; with it none can be poor.

I like the second one the best, yet the last one intrigues me the most. Which is your favorite? What do you think they mean (especially the last one)? Any idea where they come from?

Culture Comfort/Confusion

2007-07-21T18:47:00.000-04:00

Its interesting to be so close to the U.S. experiencing things that are so similar, yet happening upon things which are foreign to me. Yesterday, we spoiled ourselves and stopped for lunch at Macaroni Grille, mostly because Daniel used to work at one and he wanted to experience this version. The layout was similar, but the thing that confused us was the prices. We knew we had a lunch menu, but thought that the prices were a little high. We inquired of the waitress who said that the menu was newer, so we chalked it up to higher prices and a new menu. Only later did we realize that we were considering American rather than Canadian dollars. While the exchange rate is nearly identical, we were thrown for a loop and, after checking prices based on the exchange rate in our head, we discovered that they were nearly identical to the ones at the Mac Grille where Daniel worked. In another example, immediately after coming off the ferry on Wednesday, Daniel and I were curious about gas prices since we would be in B.C. for the next several days. We were immediately confused upon encountering several gas stations with the only possible price listed on the sign being 113.9. After much confounded thought, we decided to pull in and ask someone. We discovered that again our brains were functioning in American dollars. Not only that but the gas prices were measured in liters and not gallons. It is strange to me to be in a place so similar to the states and yet only minor apparent shifts in culture surround us. Not only so, but I realized that, while I may be more comfortable with the U.S. system of weights and measures, it makes far less sense to me than does the Metric System. Amazing how a system that is more comfortable to me confuses me more and yet the system I am less familiar with, at least in knowing how to function day to day, makes far more sense to me. I wonder how often I do this in my understanding of theology, different languages, and other places in life. In what other areas does this phenomenon occur?

Road Trip: Day 3

2007-07-21T18:38:00.000-04:00

I woke up early this morning to stroll along the beach again. There was quite a bit of wildlife out: seagulls, herons, an otter and even a bald eagle defending its nest against two other birds. Due to the rain we weren't able to take down the tent until later than expected. Daniel graciously allowed me to post my first blog posts and took down the tent by himself! Thanks bro! We made our way to the ferry and took a HUGE (7 levels!) ferry from Victoria to Vancouver. After getting to our campsite and getting things set up, we mapped out the rest of our time in this gorgeous city. We decided to go to the Capilano Suspension Bridge first, which is Vancouver's oldest tourist attraction (ca. 1889).

It was unreal to walk along the 450 foot span over 200 feet above the canyon floor below. Standing anywhere along the bridge, one could feel each step every person took as we crossed. The trees on the other side were amazing as well. Douglas Fir, Hemlock, and Red Cedar, some as old as 800 years and as tall as 300 feet, surrounded us in what seemed to be a mystical land. After the bridge we went grocery shopping that night and turned in after a wonderful dinner of peanut butter and banana sandwiches with watermelon on the side.

I thought of you today

2007-07-20T18:30:00.000-04:00

I thought of you today
walking along a beach
filled with purple seashells
how could I not keep from
thinking of you
longing for you
desiring to share this with you

Road Trip: Day 2

2007-07-19T12:36:00.000-04:00

Daniel and I awoke Wednesday morning at 4am to pack up and travel to Vancouver Island and the beautiful city of Victoria. It was a joy to see him and catch up on all that he has been doing in the last several weeks. I hope that I will be an amiable traveling partner and provide a respite from the solitary aspects of travel. If nothing else, he looks forward to sharing driving duties! (8800 miles, so far, can have tragic effects on even the most conditioned of lead feet).

After arriving in Port Angeles we departed by ferry to Victoria. On the way over we saw a small humpback whale some distance away. The best glimpse we could catch was when, just after surfacing, it blew air from its blow hole and returned to the deep with its tail coming out of the water. Couldn't quite get a picture of either of these, but it was beautiful nonetheless.

After driving around for a bit in Victoria we visited The Empress Hotel and took a brief tour of its archives, enjoying old photos and stories of its beauty. We then walked to the British Columbia Legislative building and took a brief half hour tour. Both The Empress and the Legislative building were designed by the same man, Francis Rattenbury, who is called the Architect of British Columbia. The Legislative building was his first commission, which he took at the age of 25! Most impressive was the ability to go on the floor where the representatives conduct their debates. In an age of intense security and obsession with terrorist threats, it amazed me to be able to walk onto the debate floor with minimal supervision. I also enjoyed seeing the setup for their debate floor, which has the two primary parties facing each other with the Left tenant governor in the middle. Each person who desires to speak must address the Left tenant governor first, before (or sometimes in lieu of) speaking directly to the person(s) with whom they are debating. This is similar to the British Parliament (which makes sense since we are in British Columbia) but most unlike the U.S. Congressional setup where the leader of each party sits at the front and then each speaker proceeds to the podium to address the entire floor, which is seated in forward-facing rows. It causes me to ponder what influences governments (and even churches) to utilize the setup in they do. (Catholic churches with the Eucharist in the center and forward facing rows, protestant churches with the pulpit in the center where the preacher preaches from with forward facing rows, emerging churches setup in the round with couches and coffee tables). What functions do these setups serve? What do they communicate?

Late in the afternoon we found a campsite and, after pitching the tent, I spent some time walking on the beach nearby. After a four hour nap, Daniel and I cooked dinner, stayed up a bit longer just chatting and then went to bed.

Road Trip: Day 1

2007-07-19T12:20:00.000-04:00

Tuesday I began a 12 day road trip to see much of British Columbia and some of the states between there and Kentucky. I am meeting Daniel Stillwell a good friend who has been on a road trip since the middle of June. This trip culminates in our arrival back to Lexington on July 28^th. I flew out to meet him in the Seattle area and to see my Aunt Janet and Uncle Darry (Dad's sister and brother-in-law), who live in Silverdale, WA. Leaving from Louisville at 7:30am is quite an early morning but, thanks to my buddy Todd Wetzel, I was able to enjoy a great ride and Karissa was able to get a little more sleep, though she did wake up to see us off!

Interestingly, I sat next to someone on the plane from Louisville to Dallas-Fort Worth who lives in Port Townsend, just about half an hour north of Silverdale. She and I had a wonderful two hour conversation and it was strangely enjoyable to share a bit of life with a stranger. I look forward to many other encounters like ours.

After another stop in San Francisco, I arrived in Seattle and spent the rest of the day with Aunt Janet and Uncle Darry. Their hospitality toward Daniel and I, as well as their understanding of my short visit, made the brief time there sweet.

Karissa and I have started a flickr account for photos that can be viewed here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremyandkarissa/

I will be updating it with photos from the trip along the way.

Missionary version of 1 Corinthians 13

2007-04-04T15:45:00.000-04:00

I found this here after linking back through our friends' site.

Brokenhearted under the weight of my own inadequacy, it is something that I need to carry as a regular reminder of who I am and what I have been called to.

If I speak fluently in another language but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

If I wear the national dress and understand the culture and all forms of etiquette so that I could pass as a national, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love endures long hours of language study and does not envy those who stayed home.

Love does not exalt his home country, is not proud of his national superiority, does not boast about the way we do it back home, does not think evil about his new country.

Love bears all criticism about his place of origin and believes the best about his new place of ministry.

Love endures all inconveniences.

Love never fails.

Where there is contextualisation it may lead to syncretiscism. Where there is linguistics it will change. For we know only part of the culture, and we minister to only part. But when Christ is reproduced in this place then our inadequacies will be insignificant.

When I was living back home, I spoke like a citizen of my own country, understood like one, thought as one. But when I left my country I put away these things. Now we adapt to a new culture awkwardly, but He will live in it intimately.
Now I speak a strange accent, but He will speak to the heart.

And now these three remain - cultural adaptation, language study and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Whoa...he must be famous!

2006-09-05T07:45:00.000-04:00

As I was looking at reverb blog I found a facial recognition program online where you can see what famous people you look like. These are just a few of my closest twins. Who do you think I look like the most? Who do you think I act like the most? (any of their real personality traits or fictitious characters are fair game)

Two of my others were Paul Allen, cofounder of Microsoft, and the ever popular almost President in 1996 Bob Dole. Who knows? With all these celebrity look alikes, people might mistake me for someone famous!

Reflecting

2006-08-25T11:51:00.000-04:00

A hiatus from blogging?

Definitely.

Has blogging become a priority again?

Possibly.

Either way, here's my first in awhile.

Some things of significant impact have happened recently that God is using to help shape who I am and who I am becoming. Primarily, I now recognize that its beginning has come from a moment where I began to ponder bridges.

Sometime last semester I was in the computer lab at Southern after my Friday morning class and I began to think on bridges. It made little sense to me why I was expending mental energy on such random things (though I could chalk it up to a number of things: my ADD, the Starbucks coffee I had that morning, or some other randomness). However, in a sense, I felt compelled to begin looking online at information about bridges. I stumbled across one site that captivated my attention for the next two hours.

I began to read about how bridges function, the basic engineering principles of bridges, different types of bridges, special considerations taken in the construction/design of a bridge, as well as the different external forces acting on a bridge.

From that time, I have begun to pray and ask God (for now I recognize that He was the impetus of my search that day) why he would give me such an odd topic to examine. He has been shaping my journey to piece together some of the why that I have asked since that day.

Initially, I have come to understand it in reference to my call as an apostle/missionary: one who is sent from one place to another for a specific purpose or reason. Missionaries bridge the gap. Apostles pioneer into new places. Both serve as a bridge for the gospel.

In addition to that, many of you know I have been meeting monthly with a Spiritual Director. For those of you who didn't know, don't get freaked out like I'm getting into some cult or something. This is just someone who is older, wiser, has significant ministry experience, and helps to ask questions about my the vitality of my life and how I am connecting with God in all things.

As part of our time together I have studied about a personality assessment called the Enneagram (click here for Google search). While taking the test and learning about the different personality types, I have found that I fit best under Type 9, which some call a Peacemaker and others a Mediator.

For me, this has been another step in my journey for God to show me how he is forming me. I believe that this Personality type is another affirmation of God's direction for me as a bridge.

From here, my prayer is that God would continue to reveal himself in how I can be a bridge in every aspect of my life, especially in practical application to daily conversations, tasks, and relationships.

Prayer in Faith

2006-03-24T10:57:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my day to visit people in the hospital. At our church, we divide visits throughout the month among the ministers and I really enjoy visiting people in the hospital and nursing homes. Some may think that's a little weird, but for me its a chance to minister to people and their families: to directly support them, love them, and pray for them, asking for God's peace and presence. Being in a "larger" church context I don't often get this direct ministry opportunity, but rather try to lead others to minister directly. As I visit with different families and spend time with them, listening to their lives, I feel apprehensive at times about how to pray for them, especially if I have not had much time to talk with them. This is often the case for families who are in a dire situation.

Last night I entered the room with a family gathered around their loved one. I could not stay long due to the circumstance, but I was able to pray with them. As I walked from the room, I realized that I had prayed for God's presence, his peace, and wisdom in decision making for the family, but not directly for physical healing. Turning to leave and slowly making my way down the hall, I wondered if that was the right decision (as often happens when I do or do not pray for physical healing). I recognize the scriptural basis for God's answering of prayer and for praying for physical healing, yet many times I am fearful to pray this prayer. If I do pray for it, sometimes I either hedge by praying for "healing in every aspect," i.e. peace of mind, trust in God, and hope or I do not ask in faith that God will physically heal this person.

As I meandered back to the elevator, these questions swirled around my mind and my heart.

Well, I just received word that this person I visited passed away this morning. My thoughts swirl again at this abrupt change from life to death. A person who, just yesterday, was present in body is now present with the Lord. I just saw them last night. Living, breathing, being loved and surrounded. I wonder if I had asked God to heal physically, would this have changed anything?

What I do trust is that, though I doubted my prayer last night, God prompted me to pray those words for those people in that space at that time. I was His conduit, listening to Him so that I could ask those things from Him so the family might receive Him, in fullness. And now, that prayer continues in my heart.

Does this mean that I now fully see God working in me perfectly last night? Not exactly. Its more of a faith thing, that is, something I do not see, but hope for. So, I have to continue to trust that he is working in me to will and to act according to his good purpose, even and especially when I don't see it.

I will still be apprehensive about praying for physical healing when I visit people in the hospital, but I recognize that God loves those families I visit so much, that he can work however he wants to through a young man in constant need of redemption, moving beyond my faults, foibles, and swirling questions and doubt to reveal His presence to the world just a little more.

And I just desire to be a part.

Family Rhyme Time

2006-01-27T16:07:00.000-05:00

My sister recently got engaged and, as my aunt pointed out to us, has fulfilled a prophecy about the man she will marry.

It goes like this.

My Dad (David) has two sisters, Janet and Donna. This is the list of them and their spouses.

David and Mary
Janet and Darry
Donna and Larry

Well, if that isn't weird enough for you, my sister (Erin) and I have two cousins, Clark and Jarred. This is the list of us and our spouses along with Erin's fiancee.

Jeremy and Karissa
Jarred and Melissa
Clark and Karen
Mark and Erin

The CRAZY thing is that we discovered this as Karissa and I were talking about marriage and looking at engagement rings in Thanksgiving of 2001. Erin didn't even know a guy named Mark!!! How crazy is that that we have a rhyming family now! I think its one of the signs of the end times.

Passion06: Party Video and iTunes Bundle

2006-01-27T08:41:00.000-05:00

Check out this 16 second clip of Chris Tomlin's new song, Party. It gives just a taste of the intensity that night at Passion06 as our praises rang out.

Also, be sure to go to the iTunes store and download the Early Session Bundle, which includes:

Salvation is Here (Kristian Stanfill covering a Hillsong song, which is fantastic!)
You are My Joy (David Crowder*Band, who some people say I resemble)
Passion, Purpose, and Designer Jeans (message from Louie Giglio)

If you don't have iTunes, first you are a loser, and second, by clicking on the link above, you can download it (It's Free).

This is a great collection of music and message that draws me back to God's fresh rekindling of my heart during that week.

Raising and Releasing

2006-01-15T23:55:00.000-05:00

In youth ministry, I find one of my primary struggles comes from knowing when and how to raise students up and when to release them. I see it as future preparation for me as a parent (though I know that it will be different then [btw, "then" is still a couple of years off, God willing]) . I also see this struggle with parents who, at various times, do not see the ability within their kids to move beyond to do amazing things. It can be so oppressive from a student's viewpoint, yet so difficult for a parent whose heart is centered on raising their child the best they know how.

Though this post by Steve Argue touches on broader and deeper things, it was what got me started thinking about this.

I pray for our parents, that they may not only realize their call to raise their children, but also their call to release them. I pray that our students will be understanding when these times don't come as they desire. I pray that I will be given the wisdom to discern how to come alongside parents and students in this journey.

Nettles' New Book and SBC Reformation

2006-01-12T23:52:00.000-05:00

Wow! A lot can happen in just one week! If you haven't been following the latest controversy with the International Mission Board's new policies and subsequent attempt to remove a trustee, here are some sites that are a must read before proceeding in this post:

No Emo Poetry Here
Missional Baptist
SBC Outpost
Grace and Truth to You
Founder's Ministries Blog

There are many other who are posting, but you can get to other websites through these guys.

With that said, I think it is interesting that BP news has posted an article about Tom Nettles' new book, "Ready for Reformation." What do you think about this in light of some of the current happenings?

Passion06: Piper contra emerg(ence?)/(ing?)/(ent?)

2006-01-07T00:19:00.000-05:00

During one of the breakout sessions, I went with some of our students to hear John Piper talk about "Teaching the Whole Counsel of God on Campus: A Call for a New Generation of Bold and Brokenhearted Theologians." How could I not go to a breakout session with that title? I mean, come on!

I want to begin by saying that I am trying to work from my notes which are not as complete as I would like them to be. So, I'm trying to be as accurate as possible, but I may get something not exactly dead-on. Don't misread Piper just because you misread me.

Piper began by listing some elements that sociologists are describing about this generation (of which I am a part), which is typified by post-modernism. He prefaced it by saying that he believes many of us rise above these things. He also believes that these things change so fast, that once social scientists publish them, they are already different.

We are not drawn to propositional truth.
We are style conscious.
We choose church by its feel, not its doctrine.
We don't see people as sinners, we see them as people with psychological needs who have need for Jesus in a therapeutic way.

He listed several others, but I couldn't write that fast.

He then proceeded to say that teaching the whole counsel of God has been a struggle for centuries, saying that this message would be partially a biography of the life of Athanasius and partially an elucidation of applications from the church father's life to current theological struggles.

Piper's summary of the life of Athanasius contained two primary points: he defended the deity of Christ against the Arians and, because he was banished at least 5 times (due to the raging theological conflict), his struggle was marked with the phrase "Athanasius contra mundum," which means Athanasius against the world.

Athanasius' struggle eventually led to the first Nicene Creed, which clarified that Jesus was the very substance of God. Though this seems like a minute issue now, it was the raging theological debate of Athanasius' time, leading to the punishment, exile, persecution, and killing of many individuals.

These are the seven lessons Piper pulled from the life of this early church father:

Defending and explaining doctrine is for Christ's glory. We must battle for the gospel.
We must have joyful courage in the defense of the gospel. We must always outrejoice our adversaries. We don't win an argument, we win a person. Our hearts should be filled with joy over the truth.
Loving Christ includes loving true propositions about Christ. This stands in contrast to people who may say, we love Christ, not statements about Christ. The question is what type of Christ? Describe your Christ.
The truth of Biblical language must be vigorously protected with non-biblical language. Some may say "The Bible is our only creed." This cloaks or conceals falsehood with Biblical language. The Alexandrians (those who followed Athanasius) confronted the Arians with traditional scriptural phrases which appeared to leave no doubt to the Son's Godhead. Yet the Arians accepted the biblical phrases by admitting evasions beneath it. I.e. the Bible's truth can be used to cloak biblical error.
A widespread, long held difference by the church does not mean that it is insignificant or that we should cease to assuade others of the truth. Just because the church has been arguing about it for thousands of years, doesn't mean it shouldn't be discussed.
Don't aim to teach/witness only in categories of thought that can be readily understood by this generation. Acts 20:27. (Here he acknowledged the necessity to hold in tension the indigenous principle, referencing 1 Cor. 9:22, and the pilgrim principle, referencing Rom. 12:2.)
We must not assume that old books which say startling things are wrong, but that they actually have some glorious truths.

Piper specifically referenced these points in comparison to the struggle that is arising between post-modernity and the church. While he used the words emerging and emergent interchangeably at times, it was clear his concern was centered around this movement in the church. As he discussed the need for propositional truth, it sounded like he was open to propositions as a great starting place, but not the end goal. This seems to be a thought prevalent in many emerging churches.

He also mentioned emerging issues by giving an autobiographical insight. After college, before he got married and went to seminary (mid to late 60's), many people were questioning the validity of the local church. They claimed that it was on its way out and quickly losing its effectiveness. He said he even felt sympathetic if not drawn to this idea for several months. However, after getting married, he began to think that he and his new bride should go to church. He said that many people are now saying that church is on the way out, specifically referring to the local body of believers. People are drawn to the "universal body," but not the local body. He found it interesting that 40 years ago, people were making the same claim they are today.

These two thoughts about propositional truth and local church along with his comments on emerging churches have caused me further pause in my journey to reflect on the tension between the traditional (evangelical) viewpoint I have been raised in and the emerging conversations that I am so drawn to. I believe that emerging churches are making a stand for the local church. In fact, that is their primary focus as they seek missional living in their context. This is one of the things that draws me to them.

Listening to Piper made me wish I had a little Chris Seay in my pocket to pull out and set on the stage with him so they could have a discussion. I think this would be great, seeing as they both come from some common roots.

I am very interested in hearing what you think of these ideas.

John Piper has Cancer

2006-01-06T11:07:00.000-05:00

Being as I just saw him two days ago, it floored me to read Piper's letter the Bethlehem Baptist Church that he as prostate cancer. You can read the full letter here.

(HT: Justin Taylor)

Passion06: Beginnings

2006-01-04T10:24:00.000-05:00

The conference has been fantastic. I really enjoyed the way that they started off the worship on Monday evening. David Crowder began onstage by himself playing Come and Listen on guitar. Then Chris Tomlin joined him and sang a few songs. After that, Charlie Hall came out and then Matt Redman joined the three of them, all singing and playing acoustically while a cellist and pianist played behind them. It was a very reverent way to approach God in the beginning.

Louie Giglio spoke about the idea/vision/theme behind Passion, which comes from Isaiah 26:8. A great reminder to me as I recalled my first taste of the movement back in 2000.

On our way out of the conference center the last two nights it has been amazing to look up 5th avenue in Nashville and see nothing but people literally filling the street for as far as I can see. It has given me reason for pause, looking forward to the coming kingdom. I imagine all of us filling its streets and moving the same direction: toward Jesus.

John Piper spoke yesterday morning on Jesus' suffering as the integral part of the glory of God, which is the reason for the existence of the universe, since it is the centerpiece of God's glory. The phrase he used will require a lot of chewing for a long time: "We are talking about the greatness of the glory of the grace of God supremely through the suffering of His Son." One of the thoughts that stuck with me was that Jesus suffered all his life from the absence of glory shared with the Father. That is suffering I can never understand but only be thankful for.

Passion06

2006-01-01T23:09:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow I will be heading down to Nashville for the Passion '06 conference with a group of seniors and college students from church. Karissa signed up as a volunteer for the conference (working with the Touch Team) and went down ahead of us tonight. My guess is that I won't be able to blog until after the conference.

I attended the One Day Conference hosted by Passion in 2000 (arial photo above) and it was one of the most memorable worship experiences ever. It affirmed my desire for mission and prepared me for much of what I feel called to today. I am looking forward to the time of personal renewal in God, as well as the changes that He will bring in the lives of our seniors and college students. Please be in prayer that God will make his presence known to us and that we will be catalyzed toward hearts and lives on-mission for Him.

A Decision, not a Resolution: Seeking the Meta-narratives

2005-12-31T11:44:00.000-05:00

My wife and I have decided to try our hand again this year at reading through the Bible in one year. We made it through about three or four months in 2005, but lost steam as our lives got busier. We found it difficult to maintain our focus, keep up with the reading, and pour our hearts into it. Basically, it became a checklist for us and not the means by which we were seeking to approach God.

Recently, I found a website that takes you through the Bible in one year (Tyndale style) with commentary and pictures to boot. Plus you get to see other people's comments on their journey through the Bible as well. I have been pretty excited about this for several weeks and praying that God would truly help us see the big picture in his Word.

That last statement reflects an interesting area of study that I have not been sure where to begin. I feel that by reading through the Bible in one year, I have an opportunity to see what I have only heard others describe: the meta-narratives of scripture. I have some general ideas of what this is, yet I want to dig deeper.

If anyone has any suggestions, please post some suggested resources that discuss meta-narratives in scripture.

Fight for your right to...

2005-12-30T01:47:00.000-05:00

Wade Burleson, IMB trustee from Oklahoma has been taking up the topic of the Board's new policies on speaking in tongues and baptism. There have been numerous conversations going on about this since they passed. Nick has gathered and organized a lot of good resources here and here, if you are new to the discussion.

If you have been up on this already and are interested to move into a Beastie Boys theme: "You gotta fight, for your right, to..." then click on Wade's post and sign your name to the petition by adding a comment.

Seriously, though. This is an issue that affects millions of lives and is a harbinger of what is to come from the IMB unless we (those who care) choose to stand up and be counted.

So please, go to Wade's post and add your name.

(HT: Steve McCoy)

House Swept Clean

2005-12-30T01:43:00.000-05:00

In preparing for our numerous open houses over the Christmas Holiday, my wife and I had much work to do since we had just bought our first house.

As we prepared for the open house, we straightened each room, moved boxes out of the way into the attic and basement, vaccuumed, dusted, mopped, and generally cleaned the more traversed areas.

And yet, we did so much more than that. Preparing for visitors required filling the house as well. My wife cooked some amazing dishes and decorated each room with Christmas cheer (I especially loved our Star Wars tree with the Yoda tree topper)! She also lit candles and created a potpourri mix to cook on the stove, which filled the every portion of every room with fragrant aromas.

Filling our house took all these things: cleaning, straightening, reorganizing, filling the table with food, adorning each room with beautiful decorations, lighting candles for fragrant aromas wafting through the air.

We had created a space for people to enter and know we are honored by their presence.

These images remind me of implications I have learned from Matt. 12:43-45/Luke 11:24-26. The primary implication, which can be especially seen in Matthew's account, is that the house was empty as the evil-spirit returned. It was not full, only swept and put in order. I have discovered the metaphor of my life as a house to be helpful in understanding how I often treat Jesus, who already dwells here. The struggle comes, for me, when I do not make space for Him to fill me completely.

He works to clean, straighten, reorganize, and fill my house with his food, his decor, his fragrant aroma, and yet I make things dirty, hide the overflowing boxes of junk, and would rather find beauty and satisfaction beyond what he offers.

I must make space for Him to let him know I am honored by his presence. I must slow down to enjoy the cleaning, straightening, and reorganizing of my life as well as its fullnes of fragrant aromas, delicious morsels of satisfying food, and the ways he adornes me with beauty.

This is a song that put into words the metaphor upon which I have meditated on many occasions.

Welcome Home
words and music by Shaun Groves

Take me, make me
All You want me to be
That's all I'm asking, all I'm asking

Welcome to this heart of mine
I've buried under prideful vines
Grown to hide the mess I've made
Inside of me, come decorate, Lord

Open up the creaking door
And walk upon the dusty floor
Scrape away the guilty stains
Until no sin or shame remain

Spread Your love upon the walls
And occupy the empty halls
Until the man I am has faded
No more doors are barricaded

Chorus:
Come inside this
Heart of mine it's
Not my own
Make it home
Come and take this
Heart and make it
All Your own
Welcome home

Take a seat, pull up a chair
Forgive me for the disrepair
And the souvenirs from floor to ceiling
Gathered on my search for meaning

Every closet's filled with clutter
Messes yet to be discovered
I'm overwhelmed, I understand
I can't make this place all that You can
(Chorus)

I took the space that You placed in me
Redecorated in shades of greed
And I made sure every door stayed locked
Every window blocked, and still You knocked

Take me, make me
All You want me to be
That's all I'm asking, all I'm asking

And so, my question to you is, what metaphors/verses/images do you use to make space for Him?

Tony Jones at SBTS & Boyce

2005-12-16T10:55:00.000-05:00

While Nick and I were at the YS Convention in Nashville, we talked with Tony Jones after the late night theology dicussion. He told us of his upcoming visit to SBTS to talk with the guys of the International Center for Youth Ministry as well as other individuals from the school. I have prayed that his reception there would be welcome with hearts open to dialogue.

According to his post, God made it so.

Though I am still at the beginning of a long road into what emergence, missionality, holism, and community look like, I am highly encouraged by the fact that some key individuals within the SBTS system are entering the conversation with such graciousness. I look forward to the ripples of this for some time to come. I pray that it will encourage true conversation about the EC and the ideas of missionality on the campus, which will ripple into our churches.

Thankful Rhythms

2005-12-04T17:03:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite CD's ever is Enter the Worship Circle. It's acoustic sounds and earthy rhythms soften my search. As I was playing some of the songs on guitar this afternoon, I stumbled across one that I hadn't played in awhile: Come Fall on Us. With a fast-paced pick keeping time on the strings I found the words coming from my mouth fresher than they did the first time I sang it.

Come fall on us, we fall on you
A thankful heart will be our rhythm

Come fall on us, we fall on you
A thankful heart will be our song

I realize that in the midst of all my searching, wrestling, struggling, trying, I have not taken the time to allow a thankful heart to be my rhythm, my song. I guess I may be moving a little slower than most, since Thanksgiving was two weeks ago. But somehow I just couldn't, or didn't, slow down enough to be thankful and say thanks.

So, here goes (in no particular order, except the first one)

Thanks to my wife. She puts up with more stuff (mostly from me) than any woman I know. Her dedication to me and us is continually inspiring. Yet in the midst of it all, she always speaks so positively and highly about our relationship to others. Her heart makes me thankful.

Thanks to God for continually proving faithful even when I am not. We had 20 visitors in our Sunday Morning small groups this morning during student ministry. Not only that, but even better: one young man chose to place his faith in Jesus for salvation.

Thanks to Nick for being a man of God who draws me back to humility. You keep me grounded in my faith.

Thanks to Matt for being a listener. Man, I talk ALOT!!!! Thanks for not reaching across the table on Tuesday mornings and slapping me upside the head, even though I deserve it most times.

Thanks to my Family (David, Mary, Erin) for allowing me the space to be who I am, while encouraging me to be who God wants me to be.

Thanks to my In-laws (Mike, Pat, Kamille) for bringing an immense amount of laughter and joy into our lives.

Thanks to my Immanuel Family, for continuing to believe in a 25 year old boy whom you have chosen as one of God's leaders in our church.

Thanks again to God, for not allowing me to wallow in my navel-gazing, self-centered, prideful, confusing, escapist, broken life, but drawing me up from the pit of despair and clothing me with your own righteousness. May I continue to BE in it and lead others to do so as well.

What are some ways that you enter the thankful rhythms of life?

Wrestling: Disillusionment and Hope

2005-12-04T00:04:00.000-05:00

Two unbelievable encounters over the past few days on the web. Not a lot of time to represent thoughts here. I had beaucoup turkey with friends and my wife's family. Props to my wife and mother-in-law for the preparation and delivery of some fantastic vittles! But suddenly our hero feels his powers weaking. What could it be? No! NO! NOT THAT! Not the dreaded tryptophan! But...must...deliver...links...

First is a Wrestling with Disillusionment. As happens at times, it comes from within my own denomination (SBC). The IMB has passed a new policy on prayer languages and baptism. I only want to point you in the way of resources to discern for yourself what to think and what must be done. Joe Kennedy is maintaining a great post with a running list of resources for this. I will hopefully be having an extensive conversation with one of the trustees about the guidelines, trying to come to a point of understanding and conversation. Right now, it just isn't making any sense.

Second is a Wrestling with Hope. I "stumbled" across this blog by Alex McManus that I think I have been needing to read for a long time. There was nothing accidental about my staying up late after too much turkey this afternoon. As much as it is may seem like a kowtow (yes that is spelled correctly!) to current pop-culture, it resonates with my being and journey to say that "Aslan is on the move..."

If only...

2005-12-01T21:42:00.000-05:00

As I read this post, I wondered if I could be classified as "emergent." But then I just laughed...

It was one of the funniest posts I have seen in FOR--EV--ER (Squints' style).

YS Movement 5: L.A.

2005-11-20T23:08:00.000-05:00

Chuckie P often jokes about how he tends to some more conservative sides of life, politics, theology, etc. and calls me L.A. - liberal apostate. It is truly a term of endearment as Chuck and I have met every Wednesday for the past two years as accountability partners. So don't take the "label" as anything more than a significant amount of ribbing between friends. We have regular conversations about our different understandings and base this primarily in our friendship.

With that said, Nick and I went to the Late Night Theology Discussion with Tony Jones. It was truly an exercise in humility for me. My greatest struggle was keeping up with all the church fathers and different religious traditions that people discussed. The realization that I know far less than what I think was like a two by four to Tommy Boy's head.

The main idea that I could at least begin to comprehend was that we often refer to theology on the level of second order discourse. Things like talking about a soccer or a car wreck are second order discourse. Things like playing in a soccer or being in a car wreck are first order discourse. Tony said that he is trying to argue that theology is not simply a second level discourse, reflections on the experience of God, but rather a first level discourse, the experience of God as well as its reflection.

Tony himself said few things that reflected his own theological reflections, but rather asked questions to challenge others within the discussion. The only time he spoke up was when someone in the group said their friend came out of a seminar he had led that morning saying this, "I know he didn't say these things, but I know he doesn't believe..." (fill in the blank here, because much was said about what he didn't say and what he really meant.)

I couch this in light of the first two discussions for two reasons:

I struggle with putting words in peoples' mouths based on what I think their presuppositions are (fundamentalists, democrats, upper-class, homeless). Yet, comments made about anyone and their beliefs should never come from the inferences about what they must have meant, even though they didn't say it.
These discussions occur best (between anyone) in the context of relationships, where time, space, and commitment to the person and the work of God in them will allow for respect and redemption on all sides.

YS Movement 4

2005-11-20T03:46:00.000-05:00

Nick and I ate with my peg-legged sister (ask me the story later) and her boyfriend today at the American Cafe. It is crazy how many times I have had to squeeze into a parking place this weekend because apparently Nash-villains (that isn't a typo) have no sense of parking straight or even keeping equidistant between the lines. Today I even had to climb out of the car window just to get out. It made me think of the Dukes of Hazzard, but without Daisy.

After lunch, Nick and I hurried back to the convention center. I was looking forward to hearing from Dave Livermore and Steve Argue after reading Steve's blog just a few nights ago. However, since we were late, I missed the first 30 minutes in which they basically outlined the redemptive meta-narrative of scripture. Nothing major really. I did however get to fill in the blanks on the really cool diagram they had. Truthfully though, it was helpful and I look forward to dialoguing with them about their journey toward this.

The second part was transformative as it truly connected with many of the theologissues I have been wrestling with, especially in connecting these grand ideas and thoughts to the up close and personal everyday. The primary tool given was a matrix that helped to implicate us and our students in the meta-narrative of God's redemptive work.

The guys used a clip from the movie Thirteen (props to Chuckie P.) to allow us to begin understanding how to use this matrix in a practical sense in ministry (By the way, if you haven't seen this movie I would highly recommend that anyone in ministry with students watch this). It was a fantastic exercise to examine how we would minister to Tracy (the girl in the movie) in light of the following four categories: theological reflections, personal formation, missional expression, and contextual awareness. Without giving away too much of the info, I would challenge you gals and guys to check out Argue and Livermore's website. It was enlightening to ensure that we balance our ministry approaches along each of these categories, which helps me not to focus more heavily on the aspects I tend toward, which are typically the theological and personal.

YS Movement 3: I Only Have Two Hips

2005-11-20T02:39:00.000-05:00

While the convention continues to be a fantastic experience and I have yet to enter a seminar through which God did not illumine some part of my journey, the time constraints (aka sleep!) have not allowed me to post on all things in the day. Therefore I will attempt to begin from those things in which I have been most attentive to the movement of God.

In my previous post, I mentioned how I felt as though I have been wrestling with God and had been touched by him as Jacob was: leaving the encounter limping and even affecting the behavior of the entire community of Israel (at least in their eating habits). I pray that my wrestling will similarly affect the community where God has placed me.

Well, doggone wrestling with God has got me in a full nelson, and I'm not quite sure how to get out or even if I want out. I find myself crying to God that I only have two hips and if he "touches" me much more, I won't be able to even get around (which maybe is what he wants).

Nick and I slept in this morning and missed seminar series #2. It was kind of nice though, not to cave to the pressure of doing everything. It was harder to resist than I thought. Anyway, our first experience this morning was Doug Pagitt speaking in general session #3. He did a fantastic job of working with the passages of Acts 10-11. I am going to have to go back and listen to the entire message again, but here are some of the highlights (Doug's statements loosely quoted in blue and my implication of them in green):

For Peter and the 1st Century Jewish church, the Gentiles were the outsiders: unclean and defiling all who were in contact with them. Who are the outsiders now? Who do we define as in and out and how do we define them that way? Why do we define ourselves in that manner? How do we consider ourselves or others as unclean for being in contact with these outsiders?
Even though Cornelius was a Gentile, not only did God hear his prayers and give acceptance to his actions with the poor (verse 4), but he also heard from God. How quick am I to assume that God does not hear the prayers of the outsider (especially those on the "outside" of a relationship with God)? How often do I believe that God does not recognize or accept the actions of the outsider?
Peter asked the question, "Why did you send for me?" He did not come in and begin telling them what he thought they needed. How often do I step into a conversation with an outsider and not listen to their experience but would rather share of the "visions" and amazing things I have seen first. I must seek to posture myself to hear from "outsiders" as God may well have been speaking to them, offering them the completion of the picture.

Update (1/05/06): Doug has added the podcast for this message at this link.

YS Movement 2

2005-11-19T09:37:00.000-05:00

On to the second movement in the world of the YS convention!

In the second part of the Critical Concerns Course, Mark focused less on self and more on dealing with conflict and moving as a team.

He made several primary statements that stuck out to me (None of which seem directly related now outside of context). However, they all revolve around the first one, which sums up a major part of who he portrayed himself as. (None of these are direct quotations, but rather loose summaries, which probably mean they carry more of my biases than they should. Apologies.)

He said that his end is not to show you his way but to let you struggle with yours. Therefore he often makes comments that he may not even hold to himself, but simply serve as a way to make you struggle with what he is saying.
He also said that we have a tendency to manage everyone else and try to control things rather than move alongside with what is happening in the light of how God is working.
How am I going to be the steward of God's image in my life and in the lives of others?

He stated some things that, on the surface seemed contradictory to my being, but rather than post them here (and thus misrepresent a man that I have only spent a number of hours with), I choose to wrestle with them and would encourage any others who may be posting on the Convention to do the same. We can surely give our thoughts, but we must do so with humility in light of the nature of interaction we have had with the presenters. We may try to represent or even quote what has been said, but that will most likely carry with it too many of our own biases. I am going to try and walk nimbly around this as I know it is a danger of the blogosphere, especially when we rarely experience the full context of what was said.

YS Convention: Nashville 2006

2005-11-19T08:50:00.000-05:00

After many broken promises and unfinished posts, here is my first...welcome to the blogosphere!!!

I am attending the National Youth Worker's Convention in Nashville this weekend and have been highly anticipating it as a sabbath for my partner in crime... I mean ministry, (Nick) and myself.

We were a little late in arriving to our Critical Concerns Course but this was more than made up for at the registration table as we received the sweetest man purse (murse) I have ever seen just because we were first timers! Maybe I should be a first timer every year!

After gearing up, Nick and I made our way to the course, led by Mark Dowds called One: Discovering the Power and Freedom of True Community as a Leadership Team.

As we moved through the session, I found that much of what Mark was saying seemed less directed toward how to develop and build a team and more about what I can be as a member of that team.

We discussed the things we are committed to for ourselves, our family and friends, and our community. He also discussed the need to be present in every situation. These made me think about how I am so caught up in my own philosophies, musings, and ideas that I am not present with people in their conversation, their life, what matters to them.

The big picture for me came as Mark began to discuss the idea that we are all made in God's image and how that should shape all of our interactions with anyone. He talked about, instead of seeking out the bad or evil in people, we should seek to find the redemptive workings and reflections of God in their lives in order to illuminate that. This would lead to a person becoming more and more in the image of God, which is what we were intended to be from the beginning.

The primary idea behind Mark's premise was grounded in how we view ourselves in light God's image. According to him, Calvin said that the image of God was effaced within us. The image of God is gone and the work to be done is to put in what our depravity has removed. Mark approached this issue from Calvin's perspective as a glass half emypty type of idea. The glass half full idea, then, is that we are defaced of the image of God: it is distorted, but can be found. Therefore, the work to be done is to draw out what God put in.

I felt like Jacob wrestling with the angel. It has been an accurate picture for my being these past few months. Struggling with new experiences and ideas has become the hallmark of me recently. So when Mark began to illuminate many of the ideas I had not yet been able to fully grapple with, it was like the angel had touched my thigh. (Don't get me wrong, I was not looking at Mark like an angel!) I knew my walking around, going about life would be different yet I am still unsure how. I know that the wrestling and struggle is not over, but I also know that there is something different.