This commercial cracks me up every time I see it. (Probably because that's how I look when I bust out my ghetto side.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbgA7Lwk9mo&search=XM%20commercial
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Friday, May 19, 2006
A Psalm of Self Delusion
Praise Brent
Praise, all you people who know him,
Praise the name of Brent
Let the name of Brent be praised,
Both now and forever more.
He is fun, and creative, and smart.
Everyone who knows him should
Praise Brent.
Don’t let what he has done go unnoticed.
His deeds are unmatched by any others.
All you people,
Praise Brent.
I can read all the Psalms I want, but in reality, this is the one I come back to over and over again. This is the Psalm I live my life to. Why is it so hard to lay myself aside to serve Jesus Christ?
“Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.”
Praise, all you people who know him,
Praise the name of Brent
Let the name of Brent be praised,
Both now and forever more.
He is fun, and creative, and smart.
Everyone who knows him should
Praise Brent.
Don’t let what he has done go unnoticed.
His deeds are unmatched by any others.
All you people,
Praise Brent.
I can read all the Psalms I want, but in reality, this is the one I come back to over and over again. This is the Psalm I live my life to. Why is it so hard to lay myself aside to serve Jesus Christ?
“Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.”
Thursday, May 18, 2006
The Lord who remains faithful forever
Psalm 146
Praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD, O my soul.
I will praise the LORD all my life;
I will praise the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
Do not put your trust in princes,
Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortal men, who cannot save.
When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD his God,
the Maker of heaven and earth,
the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—
the LORD, who remains faithful forever.
He upholds the cause of the oppressed
He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets prisoners free,
the LORD gives sight to the blind,
the LORD gives sight to the blind,
the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down,
the LORD loves the righteous.
The LORD watches over the alien
The LORD watches over the alien
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
The LORD reigns forever,
The LORD reigns forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the LORD.
This pslam is a glimpse into God’s heart. He is the “LORD who remains faithful forever.” Who does he remain faithful to? The oppressed, the hungry, the imprisoned, the blind, the humble, the righteous, the alien, the orphan, and the widow. Are we faithful to the same people? Or do we only stay committed to those who can pay us back or give us something in return?
This pslam is a glimpse into God’s heart. He is the “LORD who remains faithful forever.” Who does he remain faithful to? The oppressed, the hungry, the imprisoned, the blind, the humble, the righteous, the alien, the orphan, and the widow. Are we faithful to the same people? Or do we only stay committed to those who can pay us back or give us something in return?
Friday, May 12, 2006
Questions of a Subculture
Christians are called to be the salt and light of the world – to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything Jesus has commanded us. We are to live in the world to bring the hope and peace that comes with salvation through a relationship with Jesus Christ.
But, in an attempt to reach the world have we created a subculture that has really alienated us and made us unable to reach others?
Let me explain…
In sociology, a subculture is a culture or set of people with distinct behavior and beliefs within a larger culture. The essence of a subculture, that distinguishes it from other social groupings, is awareness of style and differences in style, in clothing, music, jargon or other interests. (reference.com)
When I look at American Christianity (particularly in the Midwest), I see a large group of believers who look quite similar. They listen to Christian radio, read Christian books, wear Christian t-shirts, have little fish on their SUV’s, speak a unique lingo on Sunday mornings, vote Republican, and speak out against abortion and homosexual marriages. They have their own dating services, rent out entire theaters to support Christian themed movies, and are targeted by marketers in order to harness their purchasing power. (not that any of these things are bad, but collectively speaking, what kind of subculture do they create?)
So, my question is…what should the church look like? Should we have a defined subculture, or should there be Christians at every level and facet in society being salt and light?
Are we sending the message (knowingly or unknowingly) that converts to Christianity really need to be converts to our subculture?
Are we drawing people to Jesus Christ or just drawing them into the subculture of the church?
As modern day missionaries are we making the same mistakes of missionaries past who inextricably connected their culture with the gospel message and forced other cultures to accept it as the gospel?
Has belonging to this subculture become more important than being all things to all people?
Have we created a subculture that the larger culture can tolerate, but never experience?
Have we lost our relevance?
Or, is this subculture a good thing?
Christians have similar values, so wouldn’t they look similar and share a culture?
What do you think?
But, in an attempt to reach the world have we created a subculture that has really alienated us and made us unable to reach others?
Let me explain…
In sociology, a subculture is a culture or set of people with distinct behavior and beliefs within a larger culture. The essence of a subculture, that distinguishes it from other social groupings, is awareness of style and differences in style, in clothing, music, jargon or other interests. (reference.com)
When I look at American Christianity (particularly in the Midwest), I see a large group of believers who look quite similar. They listen to Christian radio, read Christian books, wear Christian t-shirts, have little fish on their SUV’s, speak a unique lingo on Sunday mornings, vote Republican, and speak out against abortion and homosexual marriages. They have their own dating services, rent out entire theaters to support Christian themed movies, and are targeted by marketers in order to harness their purchasing power. (not that any of these things are bad, but collectively speaking, what kind of subculture do they create?)
So, my question is…what should the church look like? Should we have a defined subculture, or should there be Christians at every level and facet in society being salt and light?
Are we sending the message (knowingly or unknowingly) that converts to Christianity really need to be converts to our subculture?
Are we drawing people to Jesus Christ or just drawing them into the subculture of the church?
As modern day missionaries are we making the same mistakes of missionaries past who inextricably connected their culture with the gospel message and forced other cultures to accept it as the gospel?
Has belonging to this subculture become more important than being all things to all people?
Have we created a subculture that the larger culture can tolerate, but never experience?
Have we lost our relevance?
Or, is this subculture a good thing?
Christians have similar values, so wouldn’t they look similar and share a culture?
What do you think?
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
You never know how others really see you until...
they draw a picture of you on a palm pilot.
My Michelangello-esq friend, Brad Conner, painstakingly sketched this portait of me in about 5 minutes. Notice his eye for detail and his delicate brush strokes. I am particularly fond of how accurately he drew my pectoral muscles despite my wearing a shirt! The stylus of a palm pilot is truly a tool of artistic beauty in the hands of Brad Conner.
they draw a picture of you on a palm pilot.
My Michelangello-esq friend, Brad Conner, painstakingly sketched this portait of me in about 5 minutes. Notice his eye for detail and his delicate brush strokes. I am particularly fond of how accurately he drew my pectoral muscles despite my wearing a shirt! The stylus of a palm pilot is truly a tool of artistic beauty in the hands of Brad Conner.
God is trying to teach me...
In our small groups and CE classes we’ll take time to go around the room and share what God has been teaching us. I believe God always has something he wants to teach us. Sometimes his lessons hit us like bricks in the face. But most of the time they are gentle stirrings inside us putting us “back on course.” Too often we don’t take time to recognize these stirrings, and they get drowned out by the noise of life.
So…welcome to my small group. This is what God is teaching me:
Patience
I confess, sometimes I’m not very patient. So God has to constantly remind me to be patient. My struggle is impatience with progress. I want to see things and people changed right now. When working with students I so desperately want to see them grow closer to Christ, I can get frustrated when I don’t notice change immediately. I often forget that this process takes time. One of the maxims of our student ministry is “ministry happens through relationship, and relationship happens through time.” The same is true for our relationship with Christ. It takes time to develop. So when I see a student commit his life to Christ, God reminds me that it will take time for him to “grow up” to where I think he should be. I forget about the year or so it took me to really take hold of my relationship with Christ after my conversion. Even the Apostle Paul went off to Arabia after his conversion to “sort things out.” It’s hard to quantify the internal transformation one experiences after accepting Jesus Christ as the leader of their life. I need to be patient and let the Holy Spirit work through me and other people to help affect change in a student’s life.
Prayer
Real men fight from their knees. Life is short, Pray hard. God answers Knee Mail. You’ve got to pray just to make it today (M.C. Hammer). Insert Cliche here.
There’s a lot of clever statements you can slap on a bumper sticker to express the importance of prayer. And I’d agree with most of them.
But the reality is – Prayer is hard.
I constantly have to be reminded to pray. God is always teaching and re-teaching this to me…but it seems I never truly get it - so he’ll probably be teaching this to me again in the near future. Bottom line: If I want to see God move in my life and ministry, I have to pray.
People
People are the centerpiece of ministry. God’s heart is for people. Saving people so they can be in relationship with their creator is the whole reason for Christ’s atoning sacrifice. But, people can be buttheads. And people are complicated. Sometimes it’s easier to sit behind my computer and avoid people all together. When I do this, God tugs at my heart and lets me know I need to be impacting people for him. I need to be in real relationships bringing the power of God in direct contact with people’s needs. This cannot be done through email, on IM, or on a blog. I have to have face to face relationships with people.
So…welcome to my small group. This is what God is teaching me:
Patience
I confess, sometimes I’m not very patient. So God has to constantly remind me to be patient. My struggle is impatience with progress. I want to see things and people changed right now. When working with students I so desperately want to see them grow closer to Christ, I can get frustrated when I don’t notice change immediately. I often forget that this process takes time. One of the maxims of our student ministry is “ministry happens through relationship, and relationship happens through time.” The same is true for our relationship with Christ. It takes time to develop. So when I see a student commit his life to Christ, God reminds me that it will take time for him to “grow up” to where I think he should be. I forget about the year or so it took me to really take hold of my relationship with Christ after my conversion. Even the Apostle Paul went off to Arabia after his conversion to “sort things out.” It’s hard to quantify the internal transformation one experiences after accepting Jesus Christ as the leader of their life. I need to be patient and let the Holy Spirit work through me and other people to help affect change in a student’s life.
Prayer
Real men fight from their knees. Life is short, Pray hard. God answers Knee Mail. You’ve got to pray just to make it today (M.C. Hammer). Insert Cliche here.
There’s a lot of clever statements you can slap on a bumper sticker to express the importance of prayer. And I’d agree with most of them.
But the reality is – Prayer is hard.
I constantly have to be reminded to pray. God is always teaching and re-teaching this to me…but it seems I never truly get it - so he’ll probably be teaching this to me again in the near future. Bottom line: If I want to see God move in my life and ministry, I have to pray.
People
People are the centerpiece of ministry. God’s heart is for people. Saving people so they can be in relationship with their creator is the whole reason for Christ’s atoning sacrifice. But, people can be buttheads. And people are complicated. Sometimes it’s easier to sit behind my computer and avoid people all together. When I do this, God tugs at my heart and lets me know I need to be impacting people for him. I need to be in real relationships bringing the power of God in direct contact with people’s needs. This cannot be done through email, on IM, or on a blog. I have to have face to face relationships with people.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
That they may be one as we are one
John 17:13,21-23
John 17 is the longest recorded prayer of Jesus in the Bible. In it Jesus prays for himself, that he might bring glory to God through his death on the cross. He prays for his disciples, that they would be protected as they are set apart to spread God’s truth in this world. Then Jesus prays for future believers. The vast majority of Jesus’ prayer deals with unity of believers. “That they may be one as we are one.” “May they be brought to complete unity.” It’s interesting that of all the things he could have prayed for concerning us, he chose unity. Perhaps he had a little bit of insight.
Why Unity?
Why did Jesus pray for unity among future believers? Why not pray that his message would be heard by people all over the world? Or pray against all the other gods that would distract us from the truth? Jesus entrusted his precious message of truth and eternal life in the hands of his followers. He knew that the best way for this message to be spread was through a unified body of followers, thus his focus on unity in his prayer. “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (vs 23). There is power in a unified body of believers. As the world sees followers of Christ living unified and loving lives, they will see Jesus through our community.
What does unity look like?
Love. Unity is more about how we love than whether or not we agree on minor issues. Jesus prays that “they may be one as we are one.” Our unity as a body of Christ is modeled in the unity between the Father and the Son. That unity is a unity characterized by love. “Because you loved me before the creation of the world” (vs 24). Love is the basis for unity.
Can you be unified and disagree on certain doctrines? Yes. Can you be unified if you are from different denominations? Yes. Even if that denomination ordains homosexuals? Yes. Can you be unified with a liberal? Yes. Can you be unified with someone you hate? No.
Perhaps as Christians we need to follow Jesus’ example and begin earnestly praying for unity among believers, instead of praying against all the things we disagree with. Follow the wisdom of the modern lyrical prophets the Black Eyed Peas and ask, “Where is the love?”
OK...I'll step off my soapbox now.
John 17 is the longest recorded prayer of Jesus in the Bible. In it Jesus prays for himself, that he might bring glory to God through his death on the cross. He prays for his disciples, that they would be protected as they are set apart to spread God’s truth in this world. Then Jesus prays for future believers. The vast majority of Jesus’ prayer deals with unity of believers. “That they may be one as we are one.” “May they be brought to complete unity.” It’s interesting that of all the things he could have prayed for concerning us, he chose unity. Perhaps he had a little bit of insight.
Why Unity?
Why did Jesus pray for unity among future believers? Why not pray that his message would be heard by people all over the world? Or pray against all the other gods that would distract us from the truth? Jesus entrusted his precious message of truth and eternal life in the hands of his followers. He knew that the best way for this message to be spread was through a unified body of followers, thus his focus on unity in his prayer. “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (vs 23). There is power in a unified body of believers. As the world sees followers of Christ living unified and loving lives, they will see Jesus through our community.
What does unity look like?
Love. Unity is more about how we love than whether or not we agree on minor issues. Jesus prays that “they may be one as we are one.” Our unity as a body of Christ is modeled in the unity between the Father and the Son. That unity is a unity characterized by love. “Because you loved me before the creation of the world” (vs 24). Love is the basis for unity.
Can you be unified and disagree on certain doctrines? Yes. Can you be unified if you are from different denominations? Yes. Even if that denomination ordains homosexuals? Yes. Can you be unified with a liberal? Yes. Can you be unified with someone you hate? No.
Perhaps as Christians we need to follow Jesus’ example and begin earnestly praying for unity among believers, instead of praying against all the things we disagree with. Follow the wisdom of the modern lyrical prophets the Black Eyed Peas and ask, “Where is the love?”
OK...I'll step off my soapbox now.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Balancing Ministry and Family
My friend Kevin, who is studying at Duke Seminary, wrote this thought provoking post (entitled "we are family") concerning the balance of ministry and family. It has produced some interesting discussion. Check it out: http://justplainwright.blogspot.com/
This is a topic I've been putting a lot of thought into since I'm getting married in almost a month. Which, by the way, I am extremely excited about. (Hallelujah Chorus erupts in background)
This is a topic I've been putting a lot of thought into since I'm getting married in almost a month. Which, by the way, I am extremely excited about. (Hallelujah Chorus erupts in background)
Constant Change
Psalm 103:25-28
In ages past you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. Even they will perish, but you remain forever; they will wear out like old clothing. You will change them like a garment, and they will fade away. But you are always the same; your years never end. The children of your people will live in security. Their children’s children will thrive in your presence.
Addy and I were in Best Buy the other day shopping for a battery charger she had lost for her digital camera. While waiting for someone to come help us, we wasted time by looking at new digital cameras. I was infatuated with all the new technology- more magapixels and more memory in smaller packages. Then I started thinking about Addy’s camera. Last Christmas she bought a 3.2 mega pixel digital camera. Now they don’t even stock 3.2 mega pixel cameras. Today, she could get a 5 mega pixel camera for the same price she paid for hers last year. It hit me - we live in a world that is always changing. From technology, to gas prices, to celebrity marriages everything around us is constantly changing. You could say the only constant is change.
Living in this ever transforming world, do we grasp what David was saying in this Psalm? God is “other”, he is beyond this world, beyond time. For all eternity he is the same. He never stops loving us. He never goes back on his promises. He always keeps his commitments. We can always find him because he is always there. While all we know is the ticking of time, God can see all time because he created it. He is as present 2000 years ago as he is today, and he is as present today as he is in the future. What a mind boggling concept.
But what about me? If an ever-steady God is present in my life through the Holy Spirit, why do I change so much in my commitment to him? It seems I’m constantly vacillating in how I live out my faith. I don’t always keep my promises. I often go back on my commitments. I’m not always there when God calls on me. Since I serve a constant unchanging God, how should my life reflect Him?
In ages past you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. Even they will perish, but you remain forever; they will wear out like old clothing. You will change them like a garment, and they will fade away. But you are always the same; your years never end. The children of your people will live in security. Their children’s children will thrive in your presence.
Addy and I were in Best Buy the other day shopping for a battery charger she had lost for her digital camera. While waiting for someone to come help us, we wasted time by looking at new digital cameras. I was infatuated with all the new technology- more magapixels and more memory in smaller packages. Then I started thinking about Addy’s camera. Last Christmas she bought a 3.2 mega pixel digital camera. Now they don’t even stock 3.2 mega pixel cameras. Today, she could get a 5 mega pixel camera for the same price she paid for hers last year. It hit me - we live in a world that is always changing. From technology, to gas prices, to celebrity marriages everything around us is constantly changing. You could say the only constant is change.
Living in this ever transforming world, do we grasp what David was saying in this Psalm? God is “other”, he is beyond this world, beyond time. For all eternity he is the same. He never stops loving us. He never goes back on his promises. He always keeps his commitments. We can always find him because he is always there. While all we know is the ticking of time, God can see all time because he created it. He is as present 2000 years ago as he is today, and he is as present today as he is in the future. What a mind boggling concept.
But what about me? If an ever-steady God is present in my life through the Holy Spirit, why do I change so much in my commitment to him? It seems I’m constantly vacillating in how I live out my faith. I don’t always keep my promises. I often go back on my commitments. I’m not always there when God calls on me. Since I serve a constant unchanging God, how should my life reflect Him?
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