In case you are wondering if we made it...
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
.: road tripping :.
Alas... we have finally arrived at the Hampton Inn in Santa Clarita, CA... and I am loving it. It has been quite a journey and Mark and I have made some crazy memories. We spent much of Saturday in Gresham, OR., visiting old friends... Sunday morning, we got a chance to hear Stu Weber at Good Shepherd in Boring, OR. We traveled most of Sunday to arrive in Fremont, CA... spent the night and then continued on to Mount Hermon (close to Santa Cruz) to visit the camp (where I potentially may work this summer). We left early this morning and arrived in RAINY Santa Clarita! It was madness coming up and over the Grapevine - luckily, I-5 North was way worse than South... but it was still pretty bad. I have been taking tons of photos and am posting a couple for laughs and possible computer backgrounds. I am loving the opportunity to be with my brother. I have been missing him like crazy, so hopefully the next couple days will go slow... but somehow I doubt it. Anyways... wish you were here!!!
Mark and I have been in the car way too long...
Mark and I have been in the car way too long...
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
.: bonus surprise :.
I have one more large project due tomorrow (my sermon for Preaching and Worship class) and then I am free for a week (and then some). We as Canadian students (by that, I mean people studying in Canada) are blessed with something called "Reading Week", which is a week off in the middle of both our Fall and Winter quarter. Most people use the time to catch up on work and studies... but I am going on a roadtrip to California (Daniel, here I come!!!) with my good friend, Mark. I am hoping to post some while I am going through the various states, but if I am having way too much fun, I may just possibly forget to pass on some verbal photographs. But I will try my best!
Tonight I have been trying to catch up on my Systematic Theology A audio course CD's. The sweet, soft spoken professor, J.I. Packer, is waxing eloquently about Special Revelation... and my mind is starting to wander. So I took a little break and played this simple yet hilarious game. (Click once to have the penguin drop, a second time to hit him across the ice.) My best score is around 320... beat that!!!
The Penguin Game
Tonight I have been trying to catch up on my Systematic Theology A audio course CD's. The sweet, soft spoken professor, J.I. Packer, is waxing eloquently about Special Revelation... and my mind is starting to wander. So I took a little break and played this simple yet hilarious game. (Click once to have the penguin drop, a second time to hit him across the ice.) My best score is around 320... beat that!!!
The Penguin Game
Monday, February 14, 2005
.: because i too forget :.
In the midst of this special day (Valentine's Day), I was brushing my teeth when I was suprised by the gentle reminder of this important truth. (Sidenote: Why is it that I find more spiritual enlightenment in a bathroom than I do in the church?) Here are some of the basic realities and concepts that fell upon my heart in such a way that I felt ever so slightly restored and released.
THE WORLD'S TERMS OF WORTH:
* How handsome or pretty I am (in terms of attractiveness)
* The number of friends that I have
* How much I make (in terms of $$$)
* The size of my house
* What kind of car I drive
* How attractive my spouse or girl/boyfriend is
* My level of education (degrees and titles)
* My level of confidence before others implies greater worth over those who lack such
* My athletic abilities
* My skin color and status determined by race
* My social status amidst my peers and community
* My competance in any given arena or field
* My emotional health (i.e., can keep it all together)
* The number of names I can drop (who I know)
* The type of person that others view me as (kind, mean, popular, wierd, etc.)
* My lack of dependance upon others (independance, in terms of truly needing no one)
MY WORTH AS GOD'S CREATION (IMAGEO DEI)
* The incredible work of God in my heart speaks to worth
* The incredible love of God for me speaks to worth
* The incredible grace poured out upon me grants me worth
* The unique abilities that God has given me implies worth
* My existence as a creation that reflects His creativity reflects worth
* The friendship that I share with the Almighty, which is of infinite worth
* My relational nature, having been created in the image of the Triune God (who at His core is a relational being)
I find the greatest of hope in knowing that my worth lies within who I am - not what I can make myself into. My value is based upon something that is unchangable, for only God truly sees me for who I am. And because of His grace, He sees Christ's righteousness covering all of my shame and disgrace. In the incredible lyrics of Matt Redman, "Friendship instead of disgrace".
Thank you, Father! Thank you for speaking those words when I needed them most!
THE WORLD'S TERMS OF WORTH:
* How handsome or pretty I am (in terms of attractiveness)
* The number of friends that I have
* How much I make (in terms of $$$)
* The size of my house
* What kind of car I drive
* How attractive my spouse or girl/boyfriend is
* My level of education (degrees and titles)
* My level of confidence before others implies greater worth over those who lack such
* My athletic abilities
* My skin color and status determined by race
* My social status amidst my peers and community
* My competance in any given arena or field
* My emotional health (i.e., can keep it all together)
* The number of names I can drop (who I know)
* The type of person that others view me as (kind, mean, popular, wierd, etc.)
* My lack of dependance upon others (independance, in terms of truly needing no one)
MY WORTH AS GOD'S CREATION (IMAGEO DEI)
* The incredible work of God in my heart speaks to worth
* The incredible love of God for me speaks to worth
* The incredible grace poured out upon me grants me worth
* The unique abilities that God has given me implies worth
* My existence as a creation that reflects His creativity reflects worth
* The friendship that I share with the Almighty, which is of infinite worth
* My relational nature, having been created in the image of the Triune God (who at His core is a relational being)
I find the greatest of hope in knowing that my worth lies within who I am - not what I can make myself into. My value is based upon something that is unchangable, for only God truly sees me for who I am. And because of His grace, He sees Christ's righteousness covering all of my shame and disgrace. In the incredible lyrics of Matt Redman, "Friendship instead of disgrace".
Thank you, Father! Thank you for speaking those words when I needed them most!
Friday, February 11, 2005
.: for those with ears to truly hear :.
I have been working through the parable that Jesus told about "the workers in the vineyard" (Matthew 20:1-16) for my Preaching and Worship class. I am one week away from preaching for my second time in my tutorial lab, and my heart is heavy with thoughts revolving around how to best present this text. How can I open up this story so that we all might enter into it (rather than me dragging my own presuppositions and "isogesis" - reading into the text rather than drawing things out of it - into it)? How can I speak to this story in such a way that it is as fresh next week as it was when it was first told by Christ to His listeners? How might I place myself in this scenario and tell my own listeners of what I sense, feel, hear, and see "all around me"?
This is the wonderful power of effective preaching!
Some of my initial stages of thought are as follows; Christ is telling us a story in the form of a parable (heavenly truths hidden within earthly language)... He is addressing Peter's claim in 19:27 ("What then will there be for us?"), a seemingly fair question since he and the other disciples have been with Christ for so long and have not bailed on Him yet... Jesus is emphasizing a principle here (both 19:30 and 20:16; "The first shall be last and the last shall be first")... and in turn, He is explaining it (which I love because rather than giving us detailed facts, He tells a graphic story which infiltrates our "guard" and hits us right in the source of one of our most deeply rooted complaints: "God is not fair!")... the contrast in verse 8 through 10 stir up scenarios in our own hearts and minds of times when we have either been given "too much" or what feels to us as "too little" (which in fact is truly fair, in this story being the price that they agreed upon with the landowner)... and ultimately, we see both God's justice (with the 6AM crew) and God's grace (with the 5PM crew).
Here is where the story enters into my own life - the place that I hope and pray that the Spirit will allow my words, accomplished through His work, to cause my listeners to enter into! This parable that Christ is telling is not just about being thankful as someone who has received God's grace, but even deeper, it is speaking to my deeply rooted longings of wanting what others have. (OUCH!) This parable is giving us a vivid picture of what the Kingdom of God is going to be like... what it is being manifested as even now in our own world. The Kingdom of God is built upon this balance of fairness (justice) and lavishness (grace), especially in terms of eternal rewards (which is at the heart of this story). In contrast to this rich truth, I am a person who consistently lives by comparisons, which Christ is exposing as a value that is not of His Kingdom through telling me this story.
When I live like this... when I take up the cry of the workers in the vineyard and accusingly cry out, "God, this is not fair!", I blame Him and in turn end up (subtly) cutting all ties with Him. And when I live like this, I not only blame God, but I also inevitably lose tremendous amounts of joy. And even more, one element of that joy is being able to enter into the joy of others as they receive portions of God's incredible grace into their own lives. When I enter into this text, I am confronted with the staggering fact that the heart that truly believes that God has ripped it off can justify anything! When in my own life, I believe in the core of my being that the Almighty has somehow held out, or has even somehow scammed me, I am able to justify any kind of behavior! I am certainly well aware of the times in my life that I have made such claims against God. But as I place myself in this story, I am confronted by my own misguided, improper ways of thinking.
Christ is calling each and every one of us, as workers in His own Kingdom, to eagerly and expectantly enter into this reality (of both God and His Kingdom). That begins by focusing on His blessing and grace in my own life, no matter what the circumstances! Even if I feel like God has emptied me out, and has taken away everything that I once held so dear, I am able to (if I so choose, deciding to look beyond my own feelings of comparison to others) see that the Father is still with me. James 4:8 tells us that if we draw near to God, He will in turn draw near to us. As my preaching professor often says, things are not always what they seem (what we expect in our hearts to receive may not be what we truly get in the end). And in light of this passage, we are called to live in this type of life (focused on His grace rather than my own subtle comparisons)... with this kind of God - one who is not just fair, but is truly lavish and extravagant!
This is the wonderful power of effective preaching!
Some of my initial stages of thought are as follows; Christ is telling us a story in the form of a parable (heavenly truths hidden within earthly language)... He is addressing Peter's claim in 19:27 ("What then will there be for us?"), a seemingly fair question since he and the other disciples have been with Christ for so long and have not bailed on Him yet... Jesus is emphasizing a principle here (both 19:30 and 20:16; "The first shall be last and the last shall be first")... and in turn, He is explaining it (which I love because rather than giving us detailed facts, He tells a graphic story which infiltrates our "guard" and hits us right in the source of one of our most deeply rooted complaints: "God is not fair!")... the contrast in verse 8 through 10 stir up scenarios in our own hearts and minds of times when we have either been given "too much" or what feels to us as "too little" (which in fact is truly fair, in this story being the price that they agreed upon with the landowner)... and ultimately, we see both God's justice (with the 6AM crew) and God's grace (with the 5PM crew).
Here is where the story enters into my own life - the place that I hope and pray that the Spirit will allow my words, accomplished through His work, to cause my listeners to enter into! This parable that Christ is telling is not just about being thankful as someone who has received God's grace, but even deeper, it is speaking to my deeply rooted longings of wanting what others have. (OUCH!) This parable is giving us a vivid picture of what the Kingdom of God is going to be like... what it is being manifested as even now in our own world. The Kingdom of God is built upon this balance of fairness (justice) and lavishness (grace), especially in terms of eternal rewards (which is at the heart of this story). In contrast to this rich truth, I am a person who consistently lives by comparisons, which Christ is exposing as a value that is not of His Kingdom through telling me this story.
When I live like this... when I take up the cry of the workers in the vineyard and accusingly cry out, "God, this is not fair!", I blame Him and in turn end up (subtly) cutting all ties with Him. And when I live like this, I not only blame God, but I also inevitably lose tremendous amounts of joy. And even more, one element of that joy is being able to enter into the joy of others as they receive portions of God's incredible grace into their own lives. When I enter into this text, I am confronted with the staggering fact that the heart that truly believes that God has ripped it off can justify anything! When in my own life, I believe in the core of my being that the Almighty has somehow held out, or has even somehow scammed me, I am able to justify any kind of behavior! I am certainly well aware of the times in my life that I have made such claims against God. But as I place myself in this story, I am confronted by my own misguided, improper ways of thinking.
Christ is calling each and every one of us, as workers in His own Kingdom, to eagerly and expectantly enter into this reality (of both God and His Kingdom). That begins by focusing on His blessing and grace in my own life, no matter what the circumstances! Even if I feel like God has emptied me out, and has taken away everything that I once held so dear, I am able to (if I so choose, deciding to look beyond my own feelings of comparison to others) see that the Father is still with me. James 4:8 tells us that if we draw near to God, He will in turn draw near to us. As my preaching professor often says, things are not always what they seem (what we expect in our hearts to receive may not be what we truly get in the end). And in light of this passage, we are called to live in this type of life (focused on His grace rather than my own subtle comparisons)... with this kind of God - one who is not just fair, but is truly lavish and extravagant!
Wednesday, February 9, 2005
.: word of God :.
This morning, in my "Preaching and Worship" class, we worked through 1 Corinthians 14 - a passage linked with the concept of spiritual gifts within the Body of Christ. Our teacher, Darrell Johnson, created an atmosphere for us to respond in worship through both singing, as well as provided a place for people to speak the "Word of the Lord" to the rest of the class. Coming from a Baptist background, some of this was fresh and new. But some of it caused my defenses to subtly rise and I wrestled through some of my presuppositions as I listened to Darrell speak. But when the time arrived, I was one of the handful of people that responded by coming up to the microphone and saying what the Lord had laid upon our hearts as something that we might offer to other people. I will not go into the details about my own comments - just that I bared my heart about my own current feelings and situation, trusting that the Spirit would use my words as He deemed appropriate.
But what spoke to me on an even deeper level (though my own words felt very exposing, yet potentially life-giving) was when Darrell ended the class with a benediction that brought together the general theme of those who had spoken (he dared to speak the Word of God in the form of a benediction). These are the words that offered me life this morning;
"I drew you to Regent College. You may have thought that you chose to come here, and you did to some degree. But I drew you here. And I drew you here so that you would come further into my heart and my mind. Be at peace. I will accomplish my purposes for drawing you to Regent. Go now in assurance that I am at work in your heart and your mind, and I will enable you to do what I have called you to do. Amen."
But what spoke to me on an even deeper level (though my own words felt very exposing, yet potentially life-giving) was when Darrell ended the class with a benediction that brought together the general theme of those who had spoken (he dared to speak the Word of God in the form of a benediction). These are the words that offered me life this morning;
"I drew you to Regent College. You may have thought that you chose to come here, and you did to some degree. But I drew you here. And I drew you here so that you would come further into my heart and my mind. Be at peace. I will accomplish my purposes for drawing you to Regent. Go now in assurance that I am at work in your heart and your mind, and I will enable you to do what I have called you to do. Amen."
Monday, February 7, 2005
.: the biggest laugh of my lifetime :.
Thanks to my good friend, Eli Winslow, I have been introduced to pretty much the funniest thing that I have ever seen in my 27 years of life. I dare you to click on this link below. I literally gave myself a headache laughing at this clip. Enjoy!
The Fat Dutch Kid
A Video of the Original Song
The Fat Dutch Kid
A Video of the Original Song
Thursday, February 3, 2005
.: library life :.
For some time now, I have been stuck in the Regent library, writing papers, looking for articles on-line, going over rough drafts, sorting through commentaries... all of which have served a greater purpose (to turn in assignments, to be informed on certain things, to study the Word, to get good grades). But being sick makes it a ton worse (there is seemingly a flu virus roaming around campus, but it managed to follow me home the other day). I am sure that I am driving everyone crazy with all my sniffing and sneezing... but I have nowhere else to go - the library has the books I need on reserve! So I remain in this little 3 foot by 3 foot cubicle, with the only seat on this side of the building that has no window next to it.
But praise God... I am at a place that I enjoy being... with good friends that I enjoy... a good apartment to come home to... food in the fridge... hot water for the numerous showers that I have been taking during my recent infirmity... way too many good things in my life to complain about having to get a bunch of junk done before the weekend. Perspective... perspective... perspective.
On a lighter note... check out Midsummer's website! An old college friend of mine is in the band. I have been listening to them a bunch lately. (I highly recommend this song, which you can find on their website with a couple other good tunes!) They supposedly have a new release just around the corner. Check 'em out!
But praise God... I am at a place that I enjoy being... with good friends that I enjoy... a good apartment to come home to... food in the fridge... hot water for the numerous showers that I have been taking during my recent infirmity... way too many good things in my life to complain about having to get a bunch of junk done before the weekend. Perspective... perspective... perspective.
On a lighter note... check out Midsummer's website! An old college friend of mine is in the band. I have been listening to them a bunch lately. (I highly recommend this song, which you can find on their website with a couple other good tunes!) They supposedly have a new release just around the corner. Check 'em out!
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