here at campus house...we are incredibly excited about something we have the opportunity to bring to our campus next week...
...it's called...Something to Eat...
click here to check it out...
Thursday, March 29, 2012
DIG Followw-up...2 Samuel 19-21...
last night we looked at the difference between keeping the peace and creating shalom...
...the difference between being reactive and being proactive...
what do you think the difference is between keeping the peace and creating shalom?
what do you think that difference looks like in your life?
...the difference between being reactive and being proactive...
what do you think the difference is between keeping the peace and creating shalom?
what do you think that difference looks like in your life?
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Relational Lessons from the Life of David...
last night we entered into 2 samuel 15, 16, 17 & 18. it was an epic amount of text...however to creatively and deeply entered into that much text, we encountered it through a rather amazing (if i might say so myself) radio show.
you can listen to the entire teaching here...or you can download it on iTunes here.
we talked about how relationship was and is at the core foundational level of creation. and we looked at how this section in the life of david points to three specific pieces of this relational foundation.
to continue the thinking...here is another bit i have been kicking around about the relational core of creation.
exodus 34:6-7 says:
"And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, 'The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.'"
(the context for these verses is that moses is receiving the ten commandments from the Lord for a second time because, while he was receiving them the first time, the people built and started worshiping a golden calf, and in his anger and disbelief upon discovering their actions, he threw down and broke the original tablets.)
i think many people hear the final phrase of those two verses and think, "how could a loving God punish not only the person who has done wrong, but also the generations to follow".
i wonder if where this thinking gets skewed is we assume that the punishment that is falling on the future generations is some sort of a proactive punishment by God. i don't think it is proactive at all. rather, i think it is a testament, again, to the fact that relationship is at the core foundation of creation. it is in the dna of creation. and therefore God has chosen, and we should be thankful he has, to continue working within the confines of relationship.
it seems harsh to punish future generations. however, i firmly believe that God desires deeply to not punish future generations, but the reality is, if sin is allowed to go unaddressed, it will affect future generations, and that punishment will go on. it is nothing God directly does, it is simply a result of His relational creation. and we need His creation to be relational. however, we can't have our cake and eat it too. but sometimes we think we can...or at least we think we should be able to.
you can listen to the entire teaching here...or you can download it on iTunes here.
we talked about how relationship was and is at the core foundational level of creation. and we looked at how this section in the life of david points to three specific pieces of this relational foundation.
to continue the thinking...here is another bit i have been kicking around about the relational core of creation.
exodus 34:6-7 says:
"And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, 'The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.'"
(the context for these verses is that moses is receiving the ten commandments from the Lord for a second time because, while he was receiving them the first time, the people built and started worshiping a golden calf, and in his anger and disbelief upon discovering their actions, he threw down and broke the original tablets.)
i think many people hear the final phrase of those two verses and think, "how could a loving God punish not only the person who has done wrong, but also the generations to follow".
i wonder if where this thinking gets skewed is we assume that the punishment that is falling on the future generations is some sort of a proactive punishment by God. i don't think it is proactive at all. rather, i think it is a testament, again, to the fact that relationship is at the core foundation of creation. it is in the dna of creation. and therefore God has chosen, and we should be thankful he has, to continue working within the confines of relationship.
it seems harsh to punish future generations. however, i firmly believe that God desires deeply to not punish future generations, but the reality is, if sin is allowed to go unaddressed, it will affect future generations, and that punishment will go on. it is nothing God directly does, it is simply a result of His relational creation. and we need His creation to be relational. however, we can't have our cake and eat it too. but sometimes we think we can...or at least we think we should be able to.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Tabula Rasa...
...is, according to wikipedia, the epistemological theory that individuals are born without built-in mental content and that their knowledge comes from experience and perception.
it is a fascinating concept in so many ways. today i am fascinated by the origin of the word.
again from wikipedia...the term in latin equates to the english "blank slate" but comes from the roman tabula or wax tablet, used for notes, which was blanked by heating the wax and then smoothing it to give a tabula rasa.
i guess it was the first etch-a-sketch...
the origin of tabula rasa, or blank slate, is a perfect illustration of my philosophy of ministry.
there are few people here in the mid-western united stated (where i am a campus minister) that have simply not heard of this guy named Jesus. who know nothing about christianity and the church. the more prevalent problem is people who need to be brought back to "tabula rasa".
many people have been formed by thoughts and ideas that have been passed down generationally, either through a biological family or a church family, giving them a skewed understanding of Jesus and christianity.
colossians 2:8 says, "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ."
in this culture and society, human tradition has a tendency to win out over the ways of Christ. and so, much of the time, i feel like my role is to help people "heat up the wax" to return to the state of being a blank slate, to tabula rasa. because at that point, Christ can get a hold of them and as i love to say, "can mess them up in the best way imaginable".
i believe, in this world of informational overload, that in many different areas of our lives and at many different times, we will be greatly benefited from allowing ourselves to be brought by God to "tabula rasa" so that He can rewrite our "programming" to what He desires.
may we all allow there to be areas of our hearts that are like wax that God heats up and wipes clean.
colossians 2:9-10 says, "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ,"
it is a fascinating concept in so many ways. today i am fascinated by the origin of the word.
again from wikipedia...the term in latin equates to the english "blank slate" but comes from the roman tabula or wax tablet, used for notes, which was blanked by heating the wax and then smoothing it to give a tabula rasa.
i guess it was the first etch-a-sketch...
the origin of tabula rasa, or blank slate, is a perfect illustration of my philosophy of ministry.
there are few people here in the mid-western united stated (where i am a campus minister) that have simply not heard of this guy named Jesus. who know nothing about christianity and the church. the more prevalent problem is people who need to be brought back to "tabula rasa".
many people have been formed by thoughts and ideas that have been passed down generationally, either through a biological family or a church family, giving them a skewed understanding of Jesus and christianity.
colossians 2:8 says, "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ."
in this culture and society, human tradition has a tendency to win out over the ways of Christ. and so, much of the time, i feel like my role is to help people "heat up the wax" to return to the state of being a blank slate, to tabula rasa. because at that point, Christ can get a hold of them and as i love to say, "can mess them up in the best way imaginable".
i believe, in this world of informational overload, that in many different areas of our lives and at many different times, we will be greatly benefited from allowing ourselves to be brought by God to "tabula rasa" so that He can rewrite our "programming" to what He desires.
may we all allow there to be areas of our hearts that are like wax that God heats up and wipes clean.
colossians 2:9-10 says, "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ,"
It's Been Far Too Long...
it seems as if it was forever ago that i last wrote. it has been far too long.
during this lull, i have been incredibly humbled to hear that there are people out there that have actually missed my writing. in one sense that seems crazy to me, and in another sense, i am incredibly honored. and so to you folks, thanks for reading and thanks for getting on my case about writing again. this return to blogging is partially for you.
but more than that, i know that entering into this space is incredibly good for me. it is good for me to be challenged to think and process in a different way. and it is good for me to engage in the process of "unpacking" thoughts. i know it betters me as a person, a minister, a husband, and i believe it will better me as a father.
so in many senses, even if no one was reading this, it would be good for me and be something that i should do...something i need to do. so honestly, in many ways this return to writing is for myself. and yet, it is not just for me, because i realize that what this activity does inside of me has a huge impact on those that surround me. and...if it happens to challenge those of you reading in the process, i cherish that as icing on the cake.
at any rate, i'm back!
that said, i want to tweak my approach to what i am actually writing. the monday, thursday routine got to be far too confining. i will still try to write follow-up thoughts to the wednesday teachings at campus house. other than that, i plan to allow the space to be much more free flowing...writing about where i am and what i am thinking.
during this lull, i have been incredibly humbled to hear that there are people out there that have actually missed my writing. in one sense that seems crazy to me, and in another sense, i am incredibly honored. and so to you folks, thanks for reading and thanks for getting on my case about writing again. this return to blogging is partially for you.
but more than that, i know that entering into this space is incredibly good for me. it is good for me to be challenged to think and process in a different way. and it is good for me to engage in the process of "unpacking" thoughts. i know it betters me as a person, a minister, a husband, and i believe it will better me as a father.
so in many senses, even if no one was reading this, it would be good for me and be something that i should do...something i need to do. so honestly, in many ways this return to writing is for myself. and yet, it is not just for me, because i realize that what this activity does inside of me has a huge impact on those that surround me. and...if it happens to challenge those of you reading in the process, i cherish that as icing on the cake.
at any rate, i'm back!
that said, i want to tweak my approach to what i am actually writing. the monday, thursday routine got to be far too confining. i will still try to write follow-up thoughts to the wednesday teachings at campus house. other than that, i plan to allow the space to be much more free flowing...writing about where i am and what i am thinking.
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