:: M squared T ::

:: Monday, December 29, 2003 ::

The Monster Paper's Done

This latest blogging hiatus was to complete the paper that inspired the previous post. It is also the reason that I have not been answering e-mail very often recently. It became a 62-single-spaced-page paper on Evangelical Ecclesiology. Maybe I'll get to publish it!

:: Matt 12/29/2003 11:32:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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How and Why Do I Connect (Church) History and Ecclesiology?

The following is a quote from an e-mail I sent

Short answer: If you don't know where you've come from, you have a heckofa time determining where "here" is. (Church) history is a frame of reference.

Beyond that, I see several essential reasons for seeking and finding connections between history and ecclesiology.

1. The way we describe and define the church is based upon our culture. We must define the church both over against certain cultural elements and in continuity with others. The church throughout history has done this, consciously or unconsciously.

2. We are all in some level of continuity or discontinuity with the church traditions, whether we admit that or not. Each of our churches interprets the New Testament through some tradition, even if it is the tradition of "the Bible as the sole authority." Most of the time this is invisible to us, until it starts to cramp and chafe. Then we have to take a look at not just our current practice, but the history of our tradition, however we define "tradition."

3. The history of the church is rife with statements about the nature of the church. Most of this involves "reading between the lines" - looking through the assumptions and presuppositions about the way life in God is to determine what our older brothers and sisters thought about the church.

4. When we, as "postmodern Christians" (whatever *that* means), choose to create a certain level of discontinuity with the current or former tradition of the church, we are not (or should not be) doing so for discontinuity's sake. We are doing so in an attempt to either recover, rediscover or live out the Faith of the Apostles in this day and time. However, that Apostolic Faith is knotted in a tangled mass with traditional accretions that have, over time, moved from the margins into "that which is essential." History helps us to untangle that knot (insofar as it is possible in the first place) so that we can take the Apostolic Faith and tangle it in a new web of thought so we can understand it and put it into practice for today. But the main point is this: the discontinuity we are intentionally creating with the tradition is only useful inasmuch as it re-forges continuity with the Apostolic Faith.

5. Our ecclesiological traditions, acknowledged or unacknowledged, have created the ecclesiological situation we are now in - both good and bad. Unless we have some sense of what those traditions are (with their fundamental assumptions) we may either never go far enough (changing assumptions behind traditions) or we may go too far and end up losing the message of the Cross.

As you can perhaps see, my presuppositions about history and about what is essential to Christianity mandate that an emerging ecclesiology emerge from the whole history of the church and not just the last 20 - 50 years or so.

:: Matt 12/18/2003 03:59:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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The Return of the King

I saw this cartoon on a web page a few minutes ago.

In advent, one of the two things we're looking forward to is The Return of the King, is it not? Thus, I correct the cartoon for theology - "It could be any day now for the Return of the King!"

:: Matt 12/15/2003 01:15:00 AM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Buy Nothing Christmas

Due to poverty restrictions, I will be joining Buy Nothing Day indefinitely. I will be buying one Christmas gift for someone in my family since that's all the more gift-giving we do.

I was just reading Tertullian and he commented (On Idolatry, 11) that most of what we consider "trade" is just covetousness with a layer of cultural respectability veneered over it. He connects it with idolatry.

Isn't it amazing how powerful visual advertizements are? When we see something advertized, with its photo, illustration or video taken so beautifully, we begin to salivate. The image awakens in us desire - and since it is a "licit desire" - not for p**n and the like - we see no problem serving it!

And serving images - that which we see - is the root definition of idolatry.

Nowhere is this more the point than in our furniture arrangements. Before the advent of television, rooms were set up for conversation or for music or for reading - with a seat or a piano or library table the center of attention. Living rooms, family rooms and parlors were set up with a circular seating arrangement - for the ease of conversation.

But now it has transformed. Our rooms are now semi-circular, with reading and music relegated to the margins. All our seating faces the glowing bulb on one wall. Our lives have been re-shaped to serve the ultimate image - the television.

This physical shift in our interior decorating is indicative of another "interior shift." Our lives, once shaped by respect for people (in conversation), respect for virtue (in reading) and respect for beauty and talent (the arts - especially music), have taken on a new form. We have exchanged the image of God in real people doing real activities whom we respect for a false image - and the couches and chairs of our souls have been turned. We have changed from activities that are substantive to those which exist only invisibly, beaming through the air.

Lord, free us from our service to images - our idolatry.

:: Matt 12/13/2003 07:02:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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SpellCheck

Suggestions for "Tertullian" - "Tortellini" and "Tortilla"
Suggestions for "Galatia" - "Gelatin"
Suggestions for "Irenaeus" - "Irene's" and "Ironies"
Suggestions for "Donatists" - "Dentists" and "Demotists"


:: Matt 12/10/2003 09:25:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Paul Simon, 1928 - 2003

No, not the singer in Simon and Garfunkel.

Illinois lost a legacy yesterday in Paul Simon. Simon was a Liutenant Governor of Illinois under opposite-party leadership and a three-term U.S. Senator. He was widely respected by people of both parties for being a straight-shooting, honest man devoted to the causes for which he stood, no matter which way the wind was blowing. As he wrote in Our Culture of Pandering, "In too many areas we have spawned 'leadership' that does not lead, that panders to our whims rather than telling us the truth, that follows the crowd rather than challenging us, that weakens us rather than strengthening us." In a state where politics on both the right and the left are controlled by big-city political machines, Paul Simon was the man from rural southern Illinois who consistently won the day.

We will miss you, Paul Simon. Rest in peace.

:: Matt 12/10/2003 09:52:00 AM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Piano Tuner

The first thing the piano tuner said today when he put his meter-gadget on the piano was, "It's got about three or four years of flat in it." But it will be brought up to tune - eventually. :)

:: Matt 12/09/2003 02:51:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Two Down, One to Go

I just finished the Galatians Exegesis paper on Galatians 1:6 - 9. In it, I describe how this passage is the "opening summary argument" for the whole letter and how that argument shows the centrality of the term "gospel" for the whole letter.

Tomorrow, it'll be time to write the paper on Ecclesiology in Campus Ministry. At least I have extensive notes.

:: Matt 12/08/2003 12:26:00 AM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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One Down, Two to Go

Whew! The Discipling and Mentoring paper is complete. In it, I analyzed our work at UBC and presented a holistic strategy outline for the professor to review. The staff will read it eventually as well. (That might be scary!)

Now I've got the Galatians Exegesis Paper and the Ecclesiology paper to do. Galatians is due first, and I'm in total writer's block. Ecclesiology I could write in one or two sittings. It'll just flow out of the keyboard.

No more Biblical Studies classes though. I've had enough of them!

:: Matt 12/04/2003 11:39:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Classes over, now paper writing begins in earnest

Yes, I had my last set of classes for this quarter yesterday. Now I have to complete the 50-some pages of papers for the classes. One very well may be done tonight, if I can manage it.

More later.

:: Matt 12/02/2003 01:40:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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1 Advent, Year C

In Advent,
We remember the prophecies pointing to the incarnation of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the one promised.

Yet that is not all.

We look forward in hope to his second Advent, when Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, will return as he promised.

Thus,

Advent is a time of anticipation of meeting our Lord face to face. It is a time of remembrance and hope, a time of preparation for God to set things right.

Let us, then, join Christians throughout history and celebrate Advent as a penitential season, setting our hearts right to meet our coming King.

The peace of the Lord be wtih you all.

:: Matt 11/30/2003 01:11:00 AM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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A lot of reading

I have three 20-page papers to do for 1 Dec 2003, one for each class.

1. Ecclesiology in context: I have been reading all the church fathers' statements on the church as collected in the Ante-Nicene Fathers & Nicene & Post-Nicene Fathers (series 1 and 2). This has now spilled over into the medieval writers (namely Aquinas) and the Reformers (Calvin is dense, by the way). Contemporary ecclesiologies (Ziziolas, Rahner, Kung, Volf, Newbigin, etc.) will be incorporated as well. All of this to address the contemporary distinctions and questions regarding what (and who) the church is.

2. Discipling and Mentoring: In 20 pages, analyze your church context for disciple-making deficit and propose solutions to that deficit. After you have presented this to your professor, present this to your church leaders and hope they take it well.

3. Galatians Exegesis: Write an exegetical paper on Galatians 1:6 - 11. In other words, say as much as you can about Galatians in 20 pages.

:: Matt 11/21/2003 10:00:00 AM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Latest Ministry Event

We had a wonderful time this weekend with the Service Ministry Teams. One of our ministry partners had to call and cancel our time with them this weekend, so M Squared T had to come up with another opportunity so as not to loose our team's enthusiasm.

We ended up working around the UBC building - with a crew of 8. There were four rooms that had been filled with junk left since the dark ages. Most of that junk needed to go. Moreover, there was a wall in there that had nasty, peeling paint and mold growing on it. We set a crew to scraping that down in preparation for painting. The end result was stunning - space, once unusable, was now available as a ministry resource for the Baptist Student Foundation's mission to the University of Illinois Community.

Thanks be to God!

As a part of our work, I had the crew reflect on what we were doing, trying to help them draw connections between the work we were doing and their Christian lives. I am pleased by the level of growth I am seeing among the crew this year. I pray for even more possibilities in the future!

:: Matt 11/18/2003 01:40:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Perseus Mirror

A new mirror has been made of the Perseus Site. At least for those of us in the midwest, it's a lot faster.

About Perseus:

Perseus is an evolving digital library, engineering interactions through time, space, and language. Our primary goal is to bring a wide range of source materials to as large an audience as possible. We anticipate that greater accessibility to the sources for the study of the humanities will strengthen the quality of questions, lead to new avenues of research, and connect more people through the connection of ideas.

I use Perseus for my research in the Classics and Late Antiquity. Perseus contains many tools for Classicists, search tools for the standard Classical Greek and Latin Lexica, and morphological links embedded within texts. Now, if only the TLG were fully online to complement it!

:: Matt 11/13/2003 11:26:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Now THIS is a sign of our rediculous times

Babies named after... cars?

Link via Post-Modern Pilgrim.

:: Matt 11/13/2003 05:56:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Leaf-Raking and the Presence of God

One of the questions I always ask people who go with me on Service opportunities is, "How did you see Jesus today?"

Saturday, our group raked leaves at a property owned by Restoration Urban Ministries (RUM). RUM is a church in Champaign-Urbana that ministers to the needs of the homeless in our community of 110 000. Some are homeless because of bad financial situations. Some are transitioning from prison back to regular life. Some are fleeing domestic violence. Many come, just needing a place to stay.

RUM helps people with their spiritual needs as well as their need for housing, and helps them find jobs and build financial skills as well.

So I asked my fellow workers: how did leaf-raking (something that could be done by anyone whatever their religious affiliation or commitment) become Christian Ministry?

The conversation was quite striking. We did this work as the body of Christ in Christ's name for those strangers who are to be as Christ to us as we assisted our brothers and sisters in Christ at RUM.

Sure, anyone can rake leaves. What made this event explicitly Christian was 1) our attitude and perspective (we are doing this for Christ) and 2) our intentional reflection on how we could draw out (exegete) spiritual truths from the experience that would help us be formed in Christ.

Is there anything we might be forgetting?

:: Matt 11/11/2003 07:14:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Swamped

Yeah... too much schoolwork.

Yeah... too much other stuff.

Need prayer.

:: Matt 11/04/2003 10:28:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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SKUBALA, or the Vicissitudes of Cooperative Living

I took a task today to make about 10 bucks working for our ministry's handyman/contractor to clean up from the water damage earlier in the fall. It was supposed to take a half an hour to pick up paint chips with a shop vac.

Except when I found the shop vac, it was full of, well, excrement.

Raw sewage.

Which had evidently been sitting there for a while.

It took more than an hour to clean it out.

But I'll get paid for that, too, eventually. Nonetheless, it was a bit disgusting.

:: Matt 10/31/2003 06:53:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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PRWJ

PRWJ = Personal Relationship With Jesus

First of all, read the following: J. Smith and Davis for the context.

In my comments to J. Smith, I wrote:

"I think that the worst part of "personal relationship with Jesus" is that we've de-personalized it by disconnecting it from the Kingdom. "PRWJ" becomes a means of securing our own personal salvation (long time from now, far down the road, on the other side of death ONLY) instead of a joining with the work of God in the kingdom.

"I honestly feel that if we stay in the stereotypical "PRWJ" mode, we end up using God for our own ends (our salvation) instead of "living for the one who died and was raised on our behalf." (II Cor. 5:15)"

This tends to make our faith idolatrous. We begin this "Personal Relationship" so we can go to heaven when we die. This can, at times, be attempting to manipulate God to our ends - just like the average pagan.

Ultimately, the kingdom is personal because Jesus, in some mysterious sense, is the kingdom. (cf. Muggeridge in Willard, Divine Conspiracy, 1) Therefore, I choose to retain "PRWJ" because it does speak to the fact that the kingdom is not yet another abstraction (like we have done with "truth"), but is, in fact, intensely personal and related closely to the person of Jesus Christ.

:: Matt 10/29/2003 08:06:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Will the Real Christians Please Stand Up?

Lectio Divina

For the love of Christ constrains us; we believe this: that one died for all, therefore all died. And he died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who died and was raised on their behalf.


II Corinthians 5:14 - 15
Trans. M Squared T

What if we were to make this verse the deciding factor on whether someone was a Christian? Beyond the Rule of Faith of the Gospel, this transformation from "living for ourselves" to "living for Christ" indicts me and many others within the church today.

Living our own dreams - those separate from those of the Gospel - denies the Gospel.

This means our salvation transcends escaping Hell and experiencing Heaven - or "eternal separation from God" and "eternal presence of God" as some like to express it. Salvation is a lifestyle as much as it is an end. The "so that those who live..." phrase above is not so much a command ("you WILL live this way or else") as it is the expression of God granting us the ability to do something we've wanted to do but have been unable due to the reign of Sin, Evil and Death in our lives.

Do we want it?

If we choose to make Eternal Life only an end - only something that will take place after we die, we explicitly and specifically deny that we desire to be in the presence of God. Therefore, we choose Hell, here and now, for the here and now.

Now why on earth would we want to do that?

By choosing to make Heaven only an end, we declare ourselves separated from the presence of God here and now, utterly and completely - therefore, in Hell. Instead, I want to live for God here and now, in his presence, to experience his salvation Today, as a down payment of better things to come in the future.

Thanks Be To God.

:: Matt 10/26/2003 01:23:00 AM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Ah, But I Wish It Didn't Hurt

I've discovered that my job as the coordinator of Service Ministries has gotten a bit personal. I'm involved with a group here in town once a week now, along with some people from my church. And it frustrates me to no end that I am not in charge. This is really what "killing the flesh" is about, isn't it? I've talked a good show, but now when the rubber hits the road, I'm frustrated. My self-importance is being hammered on. I'm not the shining star. I'm working the basic stuff, behind the scenes, away from the glory. And it hurts.

Dare I say it? I need even more of this... bring it on, God!

:: Matt 10/22/2003 10:23:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Google's BlogSpot Ads

I find Google's attempts to provide advertizing relevant to my page amusing. Like when I was talking about my window project, it was all home repair. The more explicitly theological I get, the more Christian websites get put up there. When I talk about random stuff (like baseball) it gets confused and goes blank. What'll it do now?

:: Matt 10/21/2003 12:44:00 AM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Baseball

Ah, poor Cubs.

Ah, poor Red Sox.

Next year, folks... next year.

:: Matt 10/17/2003 06:53:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Busy Days Are Here Again

My days have been busy this week - enough that blogging took a back seat. Here's the rundown:

Sunday: My friend Mark was baptized Sunday morning at University Baptist Church, expressing his commitment to Christ, acting out death to sin and resurrection to life in God. Praise God!

Sunday Afternoon: A relaxing, enjoyable run with my running buddy, then out for a beer to watch the beginning of the Cubs-Atlanta game.

Sunday Evening: Sat down with a friend and housemate to review material from a Bible study we're in - and he decided to become a Christian. We prayed and his life has changed - I'm amazed. This is the first time this has happened like this with me. Praise God!!! (P.S.: The passage we were studying was Philippians 2:19 - 30.)

Monday: Ah, class. Yes... driving 2.5 hours to Chicago, and back. And a minor conversation with a Ford County Sherrif's Deputy about 11:10 PM on Illinois 115. Driving too fast is expensive.

Tuesday: Slept in because I got home late. Worked all afternoon and evening. Went to the King's Club International Ministries to work with kids. That was an experience, let me tell you. Cubs lose 9 - 8.

Wednesday: Schoolwork and meetings. Yum. Bible study on Philippians 3:1 - 11. Cubs win 12 - 3.

Thursday (today): My good friend, John ZuHone, presented "The Search for Extraordinary Intelligence: Evidence for Intelligent Design in Astronomy" to the Illini Christian Faculty and Staff. I will soon be able to say "I knew him when..." John is an Astronomy/Cosmology student at the University of Chicago. His presentation was excellent. Did you know that if you change the gravitational constant by a fraction of a percent, life can't exist? Astronomers agree that there must be some sort of design in the universe - but leave the questions of God to the philosophers and theologians.


:: Matt 10/09/2003 02:36:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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New Research Confirms 20-something Disconnect from the Church

A September 24, 2003 report from the Barna Research Group (www.barna.org) suggests that the dramatic decrease in church attendance by people in their 20s is largely due to two significant factors. First, there is a lack of mentoring by older adults in the congregation. 20-somethings seem disinclined to attend classroom-style discipleship programs. Second, many 20-somethings are "overlooked" in leadership roles within the congregation, perhaps because they are disinclined to be trained in classroom-style leadership seminars. Furthermore, the research indicates that many who were active churchgoers as teens have "dropped out" of church by their 20s.

This fits with my experience. In a paper presented on 21 March 2003 to Dr. Douglas R. Sharp and Dr. Karen Walker-Freeburg at Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, I argued that "[college] students, upon graduation, often have great difficulty finding new churches in their new communities." This statement was based not upon research but upon the experience of my friends and aquaintences from college who were "pillars" of the church in college, but who have had one difficulty after another finding Christian community after graduation.

In that paper, I argued for five major factors in that "disconnect from community" after graduation.

1. Youth Leaders and "Home Church" Pastors encourage a consumer mindset in students by encouraging them to "shop around" until they find a church they like. "While this does help them to broaden their horizons, they do not realize that this is very ineffective for student ministry. Students end up trying many different places and some never settle in anywhere. This negatively affects their commitment level to any ministry – if they become annoyed, upset, or apathetic about the one they are in, they move on to something else. This church shopping mindset puts the students into a position of “looking to be served” instead of looking for ways in which they can serve. This is antithetical to the way of Christ."

2. "Campus ministries do not train students to face graduation effectively... Campus ministries, by their nature, focus on students while they are on campus. Unfortunately, few do much to equip students with skills and tools for life after college in any sort of direct or organized fashion. This tends to perpetuate the perspective that faith and the rest of life are separable, and that faith is not necessarily relevant to the rest of life. Moreover, campus ministries often spend so much time helping students “survive” college as Christians that they do not look much past graduation. When we are in “maintenance” or “survival” mode in ministry, we are not living out the kind of lives that God has called us to live.

3. "Community that exists in campus ministries is not as available outside of the student environment. Students leave college having experienced a lot of high-quality community throughout every aspect of their lives. When most take jobs elsewhere and move away, they make a break with that community they have known and are put into a position where they really need community but do not have the skills to find or make it. They have never had to find a church before in the same way. When they do find a church, their position in it is much more marginal than they had as seniors in a campus ministry. This is disappointing to people who were a leaders throughout their college careers. Few churches encourage the kind of leadership possibilities that campus ministries do for people right out of college.

4. "A massive culture shift has created a gap between the average local church and the faith experience of the students. This is self-explanatory. The Internet really took off starting in about 1994. Freshmen entering college in 2003 were born in 1985. They have grown up on the Internet. Their thought patterns have changed to a more web-based mode of thinking. Those who are new converts do not understand the “worship wars,” for example. The whole discussion makes no sense to them.

5. "Local church leadership resists recent graduates’ participation in leadership positions. We touched on this in section 3, above. Most churches reject the possibility of recent college graduate leadership outright. It is important for recent graduates to continue to learn from those who are older and wiser than they; but those who are older and wiser need to take a better look at the kinds of skilled, quality leaders they have among them in the 22 – 25 year old age bracket."

In the paper I continued with a list of proposals for change and a list of 100 points for discussion regarding ministry in 21st century America.

I would encourage your thoughts and critique.

:: Matt 10/04/2003 10:28:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Interviewing for Apostolic Life

Greg Ogden's new book, Transforming Discipleship: Making Disciples a Few at a Time quotes this "Memorandum" from "Jordan Management Consultants":

Memorandum

TO:
Jesus, Son of Joseph
Woodcrafter Carpenter Shop
Nazareth
FROM:
Jordan Management Consultants
Jerusalem

Dear Sir:

Thank you for submitting the resumes of the twelve men you have picked for management positions in your new organization. All of them have now taken our battery of tests; we have not only run the results through our computer, but also arranged personal interviews for each of them with our psychologist and vocational aptitude consultant.

It is the staff opinion that most of your nominees are lacking in background, education and vocational aptitude for the type of enterprise you are undertaking. They do not have the team concept. We would recommend that you continue your search for persons of experience in managerial ability and proven capability.

Simon Peter is emotionally unstable and given to fits of temper. Andrew has absolutely no qualities of leadership. The two brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, place personal interest above company loyalty. Thomas demonstrates a questioning attitude that would tend to undermine morale.

We feel that it is our duty to tell you that Matthew has been blacklisted by the Greater Jerusalem Better Business Bureau. James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus definitely have radical leanings, and they both registered a high score on the manic depressive scale.

One of the candidates, however, shows great potential. He is a man of ability and resourcefulness, meets people well, has a keen business mind and has contacts in high places. He is highly motivated, ambitious and responsible. We recommend Judas Iscariot as your controller and right-hand man. All of the other profiles are self-explanatory.

We wish you every success in your new venture.

Sincerely yours,
Jordan Management Consultants.

The quote can be found in Transforming Discipleship, p. 77. The original is here.

As a current seminary student, wrestling with "where to go next," this really sounds like the battery of psychological tests and other stuff our denomination and most "solid churches" want us to pass. Could we be banishing Peters and keeping Judases?

:: Matt 10/03/2003 04:03:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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James Manuscript

I got the opportunity to view a very old manuscript from the book of James today. It's a 3rd century papyrus of James 1:10 - 12, 15 - 18. The 15-18 side was up in the display case at the Spurlock Museum at the University of Illinois. For the scholars out there, this is P23, Oxyrhynchus Papyrus 1229.

It's in grade-A condition... all the letters are clear, except where there are some missing along the bottom due to damage. It's a great MS to try reading - the letters are all done in a clear, round hand, and it was written slowly, not like some of the others that run all the letters together in almost a "cursive."

I loved being able to lean over the glass case and read the Bible - written by someone so long ago. We are part of something bigger than ourselves!

:: Matt 10/02/2003 11:32:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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This is just sick and wrong

Heard about this on WLS Thursday as I was driving to the Seminary.

Kyrie Eleison
Christe Eleison
Kyrie Eleison

Article linked via Relevant Magazine.

:: Matt 9/30/2003 09:05:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Morning Surprise

My mini-blinds broke and fell on my head when I tried to raise them this morning. Stink! The window project evolves to the next level... :)

:: Matt 9/24/2003 09:29:00 AM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Long-Distance School

Yesterday I took the 280-mile round-trip to and from Northern for the first time for the year. Only 30 more to go!

I discovered that high speed on the highways only decreases the travel time by 15 minutes each way. So I might as well not risk the ticket and take my time.

:: Matt 9/23/2003 11:45:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Blogging from the Seminary

All right, folks... here I am in Northern Baptist Theological Seminary's Library... waiting for my next class to start at 4. Had a bit of a hiccup today in registration (only signed up for one class for the whole year) but I think we've gotten that straightened out.

This whole commuting thing will make the seminary part of life very different than it was for the past two years. I hope God will be a part of it from start to finish. Graduation is June 5, 2004.

:: Matt 9/22/2003 03:04:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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???

Feeling spiritually weird... please pray for me.

:: Matt 9/21/2003 11:00:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Will the insanity never cease?

I was just in a convenience store at a gas station and saw something mindblowing: a vending machine for McDonald's waffle fries. I'm not kidding. You put in your money and 45 seconds later, the fries come out.

That's just too much!

:: Matt 9/21/2003 12:48:00 AM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Window Project

I started a window project today. Sutton Place is housed in a c. 100-yr.-old former boarding house, and the windows are original. Today, one of the two original windows in my room was re-glazed. The glazing had cracked and fallen out over the years, and I realized that it was going to get a bit cold in here in a few months if I didn't do something about it. Moreover, there is a considerable amount of space around the frame and sill - enough to see light through.

The glazing went well. Unfortunately, I could not complete the project because the putty knife caught in a small crack in the side of the glass in one window and cracked the whole pane. So now I have to replace it. Furthermore, the cheap foam weatherstripping wouldn't stick to the old wooden frames, despite washing and drying them beforehand. I am going to attempt another type.

Windows are labor-intensive. I can see why most people just replace them with the new models rather than putting the time and effort into rebuilding existing ones. But I believe that maintaining old, well-crafted work is good stewardship of resources. And it often looks great in the end!

:: Matt 9/20/2003 09:37:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Busyness and Creativity

Whatever readers I have left may have noticed that I have been blogging more and more infrequently. This does not in itself disturb me; however, I have discovered that I am reflecting less in general than I have previously.

I have found myself so busy with day-to-day activities that my reflection that lies behind my blogging and my journaling has diminished considerably. Over the last three weeks, I have started to take one day off every week: a day where I do not do any work for the church, any schoolwork, and no work for the house.

I thought I would use that time for relaxation and reflection. But then I discovered that I have been so busy that I don't have any activities left that I enjoy outside of work and school. My interests have been re-focused.

This realization left me in a state of shock and perhaps even horror at the fact that I have lost something so integral to my life - the ability to come up with creative pursuits that I can enjoy separate from my academics and church work.

I used to enjoy building things - model railroading, etc.; I used to enjoy reading Greek and Latin and translating it just for fun; I used to enjoy repair projects; I used to enjoy camping; I used to enjoy music.

Now my only relaxation seems to be sleep.

I have lost something, and I must fight to get it back.

:: Matt 9/19/2003 01:50:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Where Were You?

Two years ago this morning, I was getting ready for work (I set my own hours, and I woke up late). As I was getting ready to leave, my mom burst in the door of our house and said, "Someone stopped me on my way in and said a plane just crashed into the World Trade Center!"

My first thought was, "must be a heckofa storm out there for someone to crash into the WTC like that." Then mom flipped the TV on (to CBS - WCIA Channel 3). Seconds later, we saw the second plane hit, out of the clear, blue sky. I'm not sure if it was in realtime or a replay, but that was the first thing we saw.

My heart jumped into my throat, and I went numb. I said, "Wow... one plane, that's an accident... but two, well, that's terrorism!" Little did I know the extent of what would take place.

We watched the TV for a few minutes, and I saw the first tower fall. Then I realized that I still needed to go to work. At the time, I worked as a Computer Systems Administrator in a local high school and thought I could do some "pastoral care" if I were to go to work rather than gawk at the TV. Shortly after I arrived at work, the second tower collapsed.

September 11, 2001 transformed the nation's psyche. Government officials now have to go on TV every time something unusual happens to declare whether it was terrorism or not. Terrorism is now on our list of possible explanations for just about everything.

I pray for peace. I pray for freedom from fear. Come, Lord Jesus!

:: Matt 9/11/2003 03:44:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Wetter House

Yes, the rain is coming through the open roof. Not so much as on Friday, but morale is getting low in the quarters where the steady dripping is reducing the amount of liveable space. Please pray for two of my housemates who are having to sleep elsewhere tonight due to the wetness.

:: Matt 9/01/2003 12:57:00 AM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Wet House

Friday we had a nasty rainstorm. It wouldn't have been so bad, except the roofer, who was supposed to finish roofing the house THREE WEEKS AGO, didn't get the tarp over the stripped part of the roof correctly. Out of 22 rooms in the house, 9 were wet, along with the back stairs and part of the living room. M Squared T and the BSF's odd-jobs contractor went up on the wet roof to reattach the tarp and try to cover up the house as best we could. We stemmed the tide, but not completely. The roofer came back later, and he's paying for the damage... including (I hope) my ruined pair of shoes, which reek to high heaven after getting soaked in the rain reattaching the tarp.

Now the rain is coming down steadily outside my window. So far, so good. The gutters are still bad, but they will be fixed (as soon as the durn roof is done). I hope my housemates are still dry...

:: Matt 8/31/2003 06:24:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Indie Allies Meetup Day

Hey folks: this is for anyone reading from Illinois/Indiana - I just signed up for the Indie Allies Meetup Day sponsored by The Ooze. Looks like I'm the only one so far. Anyone else interested? E-mail me and go to http://indieallies.meetup.com/ to sign up.

Check it out! Don't be shy...

:: Matt 8/31/2003 05:37:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Illini Football!!!!

Ok: just to clarify for the non-Americans who read this... this is the non-round version of football... you use your hands, mostly. :)

Today was the Illini season opener against Mizzou at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. It was a real close game. Unfortunately, Illinois lost. Darn.

But the QB's looking really good. Jon Beutjer completed some amazing passes... just couldn't convert them into points. Next week, we take on ISU!!!

:: Matt 8/30/2003 11:36:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Recruitment, Discipleship or Football?

The last few days have been filled with work attempting to make contact with new students at the University of Illinois. I don't know how it is elsewhere, but I have observed an extremely high level of competion between the various Christian groups here in Champaign-Urbana in the effort to recruit students.

Many groups approach students much like military recruiters or salesmen: here's our product, here's what we have to offer, here's what you can get out of it - so that we can get something from you. There's a numbers race - which group is the biggest (and therefore doing the most effective ministry)? There's a race for workers - we have a job to do and the only way we're going to get it done is to recruit students to do it all, so we better "git while the gittin' is good". There's a certain paranoia that if we don't do recruitment the way everyone else does it (but just a bit better, nonetheless), we'll lose out and our ministry will die - immediately.

Such is the internal dialogue - within each group.

Externally, it begins to look like a football game - the teams lined up against each other, ready for the ball to be snapped. The crowds are cheering for their teams and heckling the other crowd. "Our team's better than yours is!!!" "Go, team, go! Beat the other guys!!!" Everyone's sizing everyone else up.

How can we get the focus off of ourselves and shift to a mission-minded emphasis? Instead of recruiting students so our ministry can be sustained, or get bigger, or beat out the other groups, why not instead take the tack of primarily investing in the lives of students - so that they can mature and (gasp) leave for good! What's wrong with getting them to the point where they don't need us anymore?

Our discipleship must be purposeful. This is no more true than in the first weeks of school at the University. But this will require a shift from "recruitment" to discipleship when the students arrive. And it most certainly means not competing with other Christian groups. That's just bad form.

:: Matt 8/28/2003 12:18:00 AM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Busy days ahead?

All the students moved back to the U of I yesterday and today. Tomorrow and Tuesday we have "Student Recruitment" at the BSF. Looks like I'll be putting my 20 hours in over two days. Whew! I'll let y'all know how it goes.

:: Matt 8/24/2003 10:30:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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A Whole Lot of Mission

Today we printed a flyer for distribution during student recruitment - all about the mission opportunities. We have four real leads locally and there is a diversity of stuff to do. We will be joining with Habitat for Humanity, Restoration Urban Ministries, TALKS Mentoring and one other organization (details still in process). Nationally, we will continue our tradition of sending students to work for Habitat for Humanity over Spring Break. We also have two denominationally-affiliated agencies doing inner city work which we hope we can connect with.

Internationally, we have more opportunities than we can begin to work with. I hope to send people on Xtreme Team Mission Adventures. We will be sending some people to Honduras with the Latin American Mission Project (LAMP). Possibilities abound in other parts of the world. If you would like us to send a group your way, please feel free to e-mail me at the "contact" e-mail address above.

God's working here and it's exciting!!!

:: Matt 8/22/2003 11:04:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Smashing Success

Today Koinonia and Stratford Christian Cooperatives began their "work week" activities. Koinonia (Koin) is the undergraduate men's house run by the Baptist Student Foundation (BSF). It is made up of 36 Christian guys who share all the cooking and cleaning for their house and engage in mutual discipleship. Stratford (Strat) is the undergraduate women's version of the same thing. Each has aspects that look much like the Greek (Fraternity/Sorority) system.

Work Week is the three or so days before the start of classes when all the students return to clean and set up for the semester. Strat's front steps and sidewalk was in need of repair; a crew of Koin guys and a couple of others (including myself and a contractor) took a sledgehammer to the existing concrete and prepared the forms for pouring new steps tomorrow.

I had an excellent opportunity to get to know several of the guys & gals by working alongside them today. In the process, I was able to introduce the new folks to the BSF and explore the ministry possibilities together. Needless to say, it was a smashing success.

We are going to have great opportunities for Christian service to the poor in our community through four local organizations we are partnering with. We have possibilities for regional trips during campus breaks and - even more exciting - several possibilities to send people overseas in the next year for short-term mission/service opportunities.

God is at work here in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois at the Baptist Student Foundation. Continue to pray for willing hearts to serve God and increased leadership development - especially among undergraduates. Praise God for the work he is doing and will do!

:: Matt 8/21/2003 08:03:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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What's Up

I'm back from a blogging hiatus. I've wrapped up work with the hospital (last friday, 15 August), and now I'm beginning work with the Baptist Student Foundation for real. I am staying in the BSF's Sutton Place Christian Cooperative for Graduate Students - home of 22 American and international students studying everything under the sun.

My new position is "Service Ministries Coordinator" and I will be networking college students with mission and service opportunities locally, nationally, and internationally. I hope to have some interesting posts this year.

I'll try to get back here tomorrow for more interesting stuff!

:: Matt 8/18/2003 11:18:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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You're Not Like A Minister, You're Like a Friend

A person I know from church said this to me today. They were struck by how they could talk to me like a friend and "not like a minister."

Are ministers unfriendly? Are they distant? Why does "friend" seem so unlikely a title for a relationship between a professional minister and other church members?

:: Matt 8/04/2003 10:41:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Hugging a Toilet as a Parable to the Atonement

There is no real good way to clean a toilet without hugging the bowl or the tank or both during at least part of the operation. When this is a community toilet - one that others share with you - your perspective on your neighbors changes. All are human - simply human - united by the exigencies of embodied human life.

In reality, we are united by the part of our lives we are often the most private about - the part we consider "dirty". So when the person cleaning the toilet sets to work, he or she must contend with the dirt of the whole community, and risk becoming soiled him- or herself in the process.

In the same way, God in Jesus Christ fully embraced our fallen humanity so that he could purify us. He united with our humanity and did not turn away when it meant his potential defilement - that was how much he loved us. And on the cross, he turned the place of disgrace into holy ground. I think there's a lot more in there, but that's what I've got so far.

:: Matt 8/03/2003 10:02:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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The Mootrix

Check this out!

Linked through Steve

:: Matt 7/31/2003 08:24:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Behind the Scenes When Matt's On Call?



We've been joking about this at work for weeks... here it is!

:: Matt 7/31/2003 05:39:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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The Bourne Identity

I just finished re-reading The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum. I read it sometime during High School, but I decided to re-read it after I saw the movie. The movie was awesome (especially the Mini-chase scene in Paris and the fall down the stairs). The book is also awesome. However, they are two different stories. Really, they are.

I highly recommend reading Ludlum's book. Those who have seen the movie will be surprised at where the story goes by the end.

:: Matt 7/29/2003 10:38:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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The Adventure of Being On Call

Being "On Call" is perhaps a good microcosm of life in general. We have our cycles of life - certain things we expect, certain things we do with regularity. Then, out of nowhere, something unexpected hits us - surprises us - showing us the vulnerability of our position.

We never know whom we might meet. We never know what's going to happen to us. We expect that if we watch our weight, avoid risky behaviours, love our families, and keep up a strong personal piety that nothing will happen to us.

There are no guarantees.

Yet throughout it all God is still at work. God is perpetually present - right with us. I believe that more now than I ever did.

Come quickly, Lord Jesus, come quickly.

"Finish, then, thy new creation, pure and spotless let us be; let us see thy great salvation perfectly restored in thee. Changed from glory into glory, 'til in heaven we take our place, 'til we cast our crowns before thee, lost in wonder, love and praise." (Charles Wesley)

:: Matt 7/26/2003 09:36:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Over-Run?

I cut my evening run short tonight. Yesterday I went most of four miles around town, and about three the day before. Today, I was so sore and stiff that I cut it short after about 20 minutes. Maybe I shouldn't try to go three days in a row with such long distance.

The side benefit was where I stopped. I stopped in the cemetery in the middle of the University campus. There's a GAR (Grand Army of the Republic) plot there. My great-great-great grandfather's buried there somewhere. Probably in one of the spots with the illegible tombstones. I couldn't find his spot.

He fought in the American Civil War in the Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He was in Sherman's army on the March to the Sea. His memoirs (in the Rare Book Room at the U of I library) tell a very colorful tale of his life from the mid-1840s to the end of the war in 1865. Maybe someday I'll find his grave site.

I won't get to run until after the weekend - I've got my little friend, the pager, all weekend once again.

:: Matt 7/24/2003 09:51:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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He Descended Into Hell

Until recently, I never liked that line in the Apostles' Creed. I didn't like the idea of Jesus being in Hell. Theologically, I had a problem with it.

These days, however, that line has given me hope. Whatever it is that we're going through - disgusting crap though it may be, he is there.

And that is enough.

:: Matt 7/23/2003 10:23:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Xtreme Team 2003 to Carle Hospital

This summer has been crazy for me. I have been under a high amount of stress throughout the CPE experience.

CPE is not a controllable experience; you never know what will happen next.

Just today I realized that I have a paradigm for dealing with CPE that could relieve most of the stress. I will apply the Xtreme Team model to CPE.

How is CPE like the Xtreme Team?

- Different Language: No, it's not Latvian (or Lithuanian, Russian, Estonian, Finnish or Swedish). But a quote from a meeting I was at shows that it is: "She's a 85 yr. old who came in with an acute MI. Had a cabbage times 4 about 10 years back. Right now she's recovering from a PE but looks like she might be borderline for CHF. She'll be DC'd in the next 48 to 72."

Yeah, it's English. But... yeah...

- You Never Know What's Next: On the Xtreme Team, we were told not to worry about what was going to happen next. They weren't going to tell us, and when they told us, it would be in the form of a clue we had to solve. So I set my mind not to worry about what would happen. I would just do whatever I was doing until the next round came along. And after the initial stress of culture shock, it worked well. I actually almost became too passive.

This summer, in the hospital, somehow I expected a little more control. I didn't embrace the mystery of the whole thing and the randomness of it all. From here on out, I hope to look at every day as an adventure. I won't assume I know what's going on any more.

- Self-Examination: During the Xtreme Team, we journaled our experiences and had meeting times where we discussed what had taken place during the day. We do the same thing in CPE. It's called "group" and we use "verbatims" to work it out.

- Learning Creative, New Ways of Dealing With New Situations: The Xtreme Team was always presenting us with new situations we had to work through. We often had to be creative in how we solved problems and approached people. Sometime maybe I'll tell the story about the playground with the mis-cut lumber.

This summer, at the hospital, I have not been looking creatively. I've been locked in the mode of "this is what a chaplain does" and I rarely look outside the box to see the rest of life. That's going to change.

- Travel At Strange Times: The Xtreme Team gave us all sorts of crazy travel adventures. Leaving a small town 6 Km from the Russian border at 2:30 in the morning to take a bus back to Riga was only one of the various modes of transportation we took at strange times.

And this summer I get paged when I'm on call, and I whine about it. At least I know where I'm going and how long it takes to get there and I have a reliable automobile!

Therefore I, M Squared T, (being of somewhat sound mind and body) declare CPE this summer to be the Xtreme Team 2003 to Carle Hospital! Hopefully, that will make the process an adventure instead of drudgery.

:: Matt 7/22/2003 09:23:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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CPE's good for something after all...

[Note: CPE is the chaplaincy internship I'm involved in at the hospital here. It's supposed to be an intense learning experience. Intense? Yeah, crazy is more like it!]

There's something a bit daunting about entering a patient's room sometimes. At least that was the way it was for me the first few days of CPE. All the "what ifs" start coming up... all the social phobia stuff.

The first few visits I made I was a nervous wreak. Now I might still be daunted at times, especially by people diagnosed as "confused," but I'm a lot less nervous to just jump in and visit.

Overcoming this social fear has been a great leap forward for me. I have gained the confidence to go up to new people with a lot less fear. This has lowered my general anxiety level, I believe. (This is not to say I don't find other things to be anxious about.) But it has helped me meet my neighbors, whom I have been wanting to meet. And I've discovered that it's thrilling to do so. I'm meeting some really interesting people. As I meet people I can learn how to serve them in the name of Christ. And that will be even more thrilling!

:: Matt 7/11/2003 11:13:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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July 4th

Happy 227th birthday to the United States of America!!!

II Peter 3:18 - "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen."

:: Matt 7/04/2003 01:20:00 AM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Reflections on A Year Ago

Throughout the day, whenever my mind has wandered, I've missed Latvia.

Actually, a year ago today, we were still at Judson College in Elgin, IL, receiving training for what we were going to do.

The trip was set up so that none of the participants knew what was going to happen next - in fact, we were given cryptic clues that we had to solve before we could do whatever the activity was.

Thus, the trip began with me driving to O'Hare International Airport. I received a call the night before (just as I was headed out to celebrate the "last night" with friends) to pick up four people (and all their gear) from the airport. I was to put all of this in my '89 Buick Century. Thankfully, one person's flight was horribly delayed, and I only had three other people to squeeze into the car.

But finding them was tricky. I thought I heard to pick them up at the Arrivals loop. They were waiting at Baggage Claim, in the terminal. All I knew was that they would have large, bright yellow duffel bags with "Xtreme Team" written on them, to match mine. Eventually I went inside and found them.

The most distinct memory of the drive to Elgin was when we pulled through the Toll Plaza west of the Des Plaines Oasis. The girl in the front seat screamed, "There's no lane lines!!! We're going to crash!!!" My cross-cultural experience had begun. Toll plazas are "normal" for people who drive in the Chicago area. Nobody worries about the lack of lane lines at toll plazas. I realized how much others might react negatively to what I thought was "normal."

"Normal" is a loaded term, especially in a cross-cultural setting. "Normal" is often "arbitrary." But since "normal" is also "commonly accepted," it makes sense. I often choose to challenge "normal." But I need "normal" just as much as the next guy.

:: Matt 7/02/2003 07:47:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Xtreme Team

A year ago today I left the safety of my apartment in the Chicago suburbs to be a part of the Xtreme Team 2002 to Latvia. It was an amazing time. If you're lucky, you might get to hear about it, a year after the fact - through this site, or personally.

This year, the Xtreme Teams are going from the US to Japan and Ghana, and from South Africa to the US. Check it out!!!

:: Matt 7/01/2003 10:50:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Jogger Blogger

Andrew Careaga has placed a request for a "jogger blogger" to be used while running. I think it's a great idea. I have discovered that an increased running regimen has caused a proportionate decrease in my blogging this summer (besides the fact that the hospital keeps me really freaking busy. But I suggested the following to Andrew:

This might be a bit too much of Rube Goldberg, but here's a stab at it:

1. Get one of those hands-free headsets (like for a cell phone).

2. Rig the hands-free headset up to a lecture recorder (digital is preferable). A soldering iron may be necessary to make sure the attachment is firm.

3. Wear the headset and carry the recorder like you would a portable radio.

4. Upon returning to the office, upload the "post" to an audioblogger link.

Please note: you might have to edit out the huffing and puffing in between words and sentences.

This is an "open-source" jogger-blogger... what could we add/change to make this work? Wireless Internet port?

:: Matt 7/01/2003 10:08:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Solidarity with Christian Brothers & Sisters

Five churches in Kenya were burned by Muslims last week. Kenyan Muslims, a small minority in the country (6 per cent) are becoming more firm in their demands for Shariah law, according to several news agencies.

My heart goes out to my Christian brothers and sisters in Kenya whose faith is being attacked. I feel helpless when I read news from around the world where Christians are being oppressed and attacked. I am cynical toward the "write your congressman" technique of government lobbying. The only things I know to do are to pray, first of all, and to make as public as I am able the fact that this is going on.

Pray for our sisters and brothers in Kenya!

The following links may be of interest:

http://allafrica.com/stories/200306200072.html
http://allafrica.com/stories/200306240631.html
http://www.ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=18853
http://www.eastandard.net/headlines/news30062003011.htm


:: Matt 7/01/2003 08:10:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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No more pager today

I don't get it back 'til Wednesday.

So in a week, I've had a load of stuff happen. But I think I'm learning. I'm too tired to write it down at this point, but I'll try to keep y'all posted. :)

Who's the chaplain for the chaplains?

:: Matt 6/27/2003 10:11:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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The Pager

I hate the pager. I really, really hate the pager. Let me count the ways:

1. I get paged for major trauma. Major trauma sucks. That sort of s---'s not s'posed to happen to people.

2. I get paged in the middle of the night. I'm freaking tired, folks, can't you tell? I had two all nighters over the weekend and now I've got the durn thing again until 8:00 AM (-05:00 GMT).

3. I'm not free to move around as I'd like or even cook dinner. I have to be ready to be at the hospital within 15 - 20 mins. of the page. It takes 10 to get there by car. No, I don't sleep in my clothes, but it's pushing it to get there on time if I get paged out while I'm asleep. I can't go anywhere loud, where I can't hear the durn thing.

4. I get non-emergency pages at strange times - like the middle of church.

What can I learn from this? A lot, I hope...

:: Matt 6/26/2003 05:47:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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On Call

Well, I had one quiet night on call last week. This night, so far, is different. I had my first Level 1 Trauma. Level 1 means the patient must be operated on within 15 minutes of arrival and must be seen by a trauma surgeon.

I did pretty well remembering what I was supposed to do. But theory really became practice tonight as the things we had discussed in our meetings had to be acted out. And the staff was very helpful. I was anxious, and kept double-checking what I needed to do. But they were patient with me. A trauma team is an amazing group to watch.

I think I'll be less anxious next time. The first one's always a bit exciting, they say.

:: Matt 6/21/2003 12:41:00 AM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Preaching

I will be giving a sermon at University Baptist Church on Sunday, 29 June 2003 during the 11:00 AM service. E-mail for directions.

When I was forced into using the lectionary for text selection, I hated it. I was forced into wrestling with one of the four texts (OT, Psalm, NT Epistle & Gospel) selected by someone else. Now I'm having a heckofa time selecting one text out of the whole Bible. Ironic, eh?

How do people usually select texts when they preach intermittently, and as a "guest speaker"?

:: Matt 6/19/2003 09:43:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Stress

It is very hard to help a family wrestle with bad medical news about a family member. I suppose that goes without saying.

Everyone wants to make meaning out of suffering. Everyone wants to find the way out of it or around it. Death is to be avoided at all costs. Pain is equated with evil.

There are few answers that make sense to the people in the crisis. We cannot answer many of their questions except with, "I don't know."

This is especially the case with "Why did God let this happen?" We may have the most airtight theology in the world on that point. But at the point of their pain, defense of God is senseless. Questions are often more rhetorical than anything else. And if we face it, we, too, the ones who supposedly have the answers, we ask the same questions and come up dry as well.

I've discovered I don't know why God does things. Other times I question whether God is the one acting to cause the situation.

I cannot read God's mind. Thanks be to God.

:: Matt 6/17/2003 10:34:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Why do you want to be a pastor?

Somebody asked me this tonight. I had trouble answering.

Why?

None of the "Christian" answers would do in this conversation. The person who asked did not have a "Christian" vocabulary, so words like "call" were nonsensical.

My first surprise was that I couldn't communicate why I am training for church leadership to someone outside the church. I've been around Christians so much that I've lost my edge. Language of "serving God" and "transforming the church" - language I use often in Seminary and other Christian relationships - seemed irrelevant here.

My second surprise was how long it took me to come up with an answer - and where my mind went in that few seconds. I couldn't come up with a sensible answer - and I began to wonder if I had an answer at all. Somehow, "I just ended up here" (I'd already ruled out "God led me" as something that wouldn't make sense) just wasn't going to cut it.

I stumbled. I floundered. I fished for an answer. "I... I want to h-help p-people..." I squeaked. No, that wasn't going to work.

Somehow I managed to state a case of bettering people's lives by connecting them to Jesus - what he did/does and who he was/is. I was able to expand upon this and ended up having a great conversation. We talked a lot about Jesus - in the practical, day-to-day.

I need to learn a new language. And every language "thinks" differently. The language I need is the language of those around me.

Do you speak "non-Christian?"

:: Matt 6/15/2003 01:33:00 AM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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What I've been up to

I haven't been posting as much as I would like. Our new wireless connection has been really flaky the last week or so (ever since I got here). So sometimes I'll try to post, but it gets screwed up because the connection drops. If anyone has info. on how to troubleshoot wireless systems I'd appreciate it.

But the bad network isn't the only issue. I've been making a major adjustment to working in the hospital - a regular 8 to 5 job that has really changed the way I do business. I'm used to bein g a student and setting my own hours. I'm more tired at the end of the day than I expected. Pastoral care is harder work than people might imagine.

All in all, however, things are going well. I'm getting a good feel for how the hospital runs, and I'm getting to know patients and becoming more comfortable entering rooms and starting conversations. Due to federal regulations, I will not be able to post any stories from the day on this site (so as to protect privacy), but I will be able to post my reflections here. I hope to get into a more regular schedule next week after I've finished opening the boxes that still sit to my right as I type.

The peace of the Lord be always with you!

:: Matt 6/12/2003 09:06:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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It's so hard to leave sometimes...

Sunday was my last day at St. B's. I made the decision long ago to leave and to move on to the chaplaincy I am now in and to work alongside students in a campus ministry setting.

But it's still hard to leave.

I don't know what I'll miss the most. Perhaps it will be the high-church liturgy with all its accoutrements: colors, vestments, incense, the Sign of the Cross (especially at the Trinitarian Benediction - "And now may the blessing of God Almighty the Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you and remain with you always. Amen"), excellence in music, or the beautiful words of the Eucharistic Prayer. There is something incredible about "Joining our voices with angels and archangels who forever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your name: Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty..." And calling down the Holy Spirit never ceases to give me the chills. ("Lord, we pray that in your goodness and mercy your Holy Spirit may descend upon us, and upon these gifts, sanctifying them and showing them to be holy gifts for your holy people, the bread of life and the cup of salvation, the Body and Blood of your Son Jesus Christ.")

Perhaps it will be the good-natured discussions held over points of theology. I will miss the shocked looks on people's faces when I step aside from the lectern and preach with a raised voice. Evidently, "I preach like a Baptist." I suppose I will miss the constant, mutual culture shock.

But I know what will be the most difficult: leaving the people. I will miss working with Fr. M---. It was good to be pushed to reflect on my theology in a host of ways. I will miss the choir; I will miss the people who sat near me during the Rite II service in the pew every week. I will miss the people whom I joined in working with the middle schoolers. I will miss the "Prayer Behind the Altar" crew.

I will definitely miss the youth: High School group, you blew me away. If it wasn't your ability to reference the Donatist Controversy in Bible study and apply it directly to the issue at hand, it certainly was your excitement at discovering what it means to live life "in God" and your intense joy in besting one another at "Pit" and "Chronology."

For a great 20 + months, thank you. For teaching me to worship anew, thank you. Thank you, God, for this great place and great opportunity.

And now, may the blessing of God Almighty the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit be with you and remain with you always. Amen.

:: Matt 6/09/2003 11:23:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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The New Job

I'm working as an intern chaplain in a local hospital this summer. It's part of my seminary curriculum, so there's a 6 credit class involved. I was assigned approximately 60 patients across 4 departments: Emergency (ED), Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Pediatrics (Peds), and InterMediate Care Unit (IMCU). I make rounds from 8 - 5 when I'm not in class and I'm on call once a week and two weekends out of the summer. I get to do my first rounds tomorrow.

So far it's going great. There are four full time chaplains and three students, including myself. It's a great bunch of people to work with. I think I'll learn a lot.

This is the first job where I've worn a tie every day. I don't plan to do that when I'm working with churches. When I was running some errands tonight I got stopped by three or four people who wanted me to help them find something in the store. They were horribly embarrassed when I told them I didn't work there.

Does that mean that hospital chaplains dress like retail managers?

:: Matt 6/05/2003 08:06:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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I'm ba-ack!!!

Well folks, it looks like I'm settled in (sort of). I got my internet connection set up today so now I'm back into the blogs. Can ya believe it's been almost a week?

I'm set up on a wireless network, which makes so much sense for our building, since it's not very wire-able. Good ol' DSL connection downstairs.

Now I can finish my paper that's due Saturday!

:: Matt 6/05/2003 07:55:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Moving On

If you hadn't already gathered by my more oblique references in previous posts, I'm moving from the Chicago area to Champaign, IL to be a part of a ministry to the University of Illinois community. I am going to be developing mission opportunities and student mission leaders over the next year.

So tomorrow I am loading a truck and moving downstate. This means that my blogging will likely be on hiatus until I can get my phone/internet connection figured out. Hopefully, that will be less than a week. Maybe it can get worked out by Tuesday.

Peace be with you all.

M Squared T

:: Matt 5/30/2003 07:50:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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I guess the joke got old...

Anyone who ever had to read my handwriting knows that I engage in micro-writing. When I would take notes in class I could get two or three lines in between the "college rule" on the paper. Ergo, I decided that it would be appropriate to carry my micro-writing out on to the web.

However, after several complaints as to its readability (the latest being from Irene), I have chosen readability over humor and upped the font size. It looks weird to me right now. Maybe I'll reduce it to some sort of median size, but I'll try this for a few days... let me know what you think...

:: Matt 5/30/2003 10:58:00 AM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Ascension

Happy Ascension Day!!!

(Yeah, I know I'm a few minutes late and this'll post like it's Friday.)

Let's not forget the ascension! It's more than just a convenient way to get Jesus from Earth to Heaven.

In the ascension Jesus entered into glory, completing the work of redemption. "In his death he destroyed death, rising he made all creation new," ascending, he brought to fulfilment God's intentions for humanity. Human flesh is in the full presence of God, and it is not destroyed. This is the witness to the ultimate glorification of all who believe, that we, too will be glorified and reign with him. There, he continues the work of re-creating all creation, to be put in place at the end of time. He will come again, in that glory, to set all things right. This is the promise we have. This is good news.

Christ is ascended! Let all creation sing! Our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed!

:: Matt 5/30/2003 01:03:00 AM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Latest adventures

A friend and I decided to drive in to downtown Chicago tonight. It's my second-to-last night as a resident of the 'burbs, and we wanted to enjoy "being in Chicago."

So we went down to a very "Chicago" place: the Billy Goat Tavern, on Lower Michigan & Lower Hubbard. (It's right across Michigan Ave. from Tribune Tower, and underground.) The Billy Goat is a small basement-level bar and grill always showing a Chicago pro sports game on the TV over the bar. It's famous for its "cheezeborgers" (yes, that's how they spell it). Since it's right across from the Trib & WGN, oftentimes reporters from the paper come in on lunch. All the big names are on the walls - having visited regularly. Mike Royco is prominent.

So we were sitting there, eating our double cheezeborgers, and a TV camera crew came in. They started filming various people in the restaurant, and asked if they could film me eating a 'burger. I said, "Sure - who ya workin' for?" They said, "ESPN." Isn't that random? I might get on ESPN. I guess I looked like a typical customer. So while most people get on ESPN for their athleticism, I got filmed eating a very unathletic burger.

What the heck?

:: Matt 5/30/2003 12:16:00 AM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Blogging about blogging II

It's really amusing to watch everyone looking for their own picture on Cre8d's post. And who knows? This blog-world's getting so friendly I might post my own picture sometime soon. :)

As to my economic answer last evening: all affluence needs to mean for now is that we're not likely to be subsistence herders in Kazakhstan spending most of our energy just surviving. Then again, who knows?

I find blogging a great medium for the exchange of ideas. I'm interested in learning to be a disciple of Jesus Christ - so my blog interests are going to be focused in that direction (like everything else, I hope). And I value listening to other people from all around the world - whether they share that interest or not.

Of course, one of the nice things about blogging is that it's a conversational, "unfinished" medium. So I'll leave it at that.

:: Matt 5/28/2003 03:12:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Blogging about blogging

Bene Diction is asking some good questions this evening about blogging and the god-blogs (ooohboy, I said "god-blogs" for the first time).

He references Fred Peatross' rant about blogging, which says bloggers blog for four reasons.

Here is my response to Bene Diction, et al.:

Yeah, people blog for those four reasons. But I think there's more. I, for one, blog to continue some conversations and start others. I also post random stuff I find on the 'net that I find interesting that I think people who read my daily stuff would find interesting. And yes, I "share." Unfortunately, my interlocutors are a bit passive (if they are there at all).

I think your other questions are insightful. I have purposely not published a picture of myself so as not to reveal "age" and "color" so directly. Better to keep people guessing.

I think that the "god-blogosphere" is made up of those who have the money to own computers, the computer literacy (read "education") to publish through blogger or somesuch other publishing tool and the leisure (permitted by some level of affluence) to read, ruminate and respond to life via blogs.


What do you think?

:: Matt 5/27/2003 11:34:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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De Dei Ecclesia

As many of you know, I've been doing a lot of thinking and talking and writing about how changes in the church need to affect Theological Education. I think and write from the perspective of one who is in Seminary, so many of you non-Sem. types might say, "why'd it take you so long to come to that conclusion.

So bear with me.

Two links of interest along those lines. The first is from good ol' Andrew Careaga, with a list of five books on the Internet that I should be reading. They're saying a lot that I am, and I didn't realize they existed. Ay, me. Check them out!

Second, there's a post by a guy I don't know at an unidentified seminary that has read my mind. Check it out. Tell me what you think. This is big.

:: Matt 5/26/2003 11:26:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Whew!

After a crazy few days, I've finally finished one of my two papers. Can't say it's one of my best. Oh well... It's done. One more to go, and I'll be doing that after I move, most likely. For now, it's packing, packing, packing. I really oughta throw some stuff out. I really should. But we'll see how much fits in my new room...

I'm moving out on Saturday morning, moving in Saturday afternoon (right after lunch if possible) and then driving back up here for my second-to-last Sunday at St. B's.

Lord, help me!!!

:: Matt 5/26/2003 10:11:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Hey folks... I just discovered that some people can't get the "comments" to show up on their browsers... If any of y'all are having trouble with that, e-mail me (at the "contact" posted above) and let me know what browser version and system you're using... and comment away while your're at it...

:: Matt 5/22/2003 09:21:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Pilgrim's Progress Revisited

'Nuff said...

:: Matt 5/22/2003 01:11:00 AM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Philip, the Ethiopian and Evangelism

This previous Sunday (18 May 2003) I preached a sermon at St. B's based on the text of Acts 8:26 - 40. In it I argued for a new perspective on evangelism. The evangelical church has discovered that the evangelism modeled by many of our 'street preachers' and our 'contact evangelism' programs where people distribute tracts are no longer effective in getting people to convert to Christianity. In fact, these models have become somewhat of an embarrassment to many (including myself) who often have to live among people turned off by our methodology.

In Acts 8, we see Philip employing a different method. Yet it is more than just a different method; it holds different values entirely. Philip approaches the Ethiopan listening to what he is reading. He connects the Ethiopian's life and questions to the story of the risen Christ. And beyond telling a story, Philip acts as the risen Christ himself for the Ethiopian. All of this elicits in the Ethiopian not just a change of philosophy but in fact new life.

We today are called to engage people around us. We listen to their stories, reflect on our stories, and connect our stories and their stories to the great Story of God in Jesus Christ. In doing so we offer the Resurrection perspective on Jesus' life, thus on our own lives. The Resurrection inherently makes the story "good news" because the Resurrection takes care of whatever evil, sin and death we are dealing with. In the Resurrection of Jesus Christ God destroyed death, sin and the Devil and brought new life - new creation - to all who believe. This is good news for whatever our struggle may be.

Yet at this point we could still just be telling yet another philosophical perspective on life. Who's to say this story is any better than any other?

This is where Luke's artistry as an author comes in. He ties this story structurally to the story of the disciples on their way to Emmaus. In the end, the Ethiopian plays the role of the disciples and Philip the role of the Risen Christ. When we are led by the Spirit to connect our story and the stories of those around us to the story of Jesus Christ, we are acting as Christ. Thus we have power and authority far beyond that which any other story or philosophy can muster. We have the power of the living God active in us and with us.

Therefore, evangelism is a natural part of life - occurring in our typical, natural environments. It is primarily made up of helping people connect their story to Jesus from the resurrection perspective. And when we go, we go as Christ.

That's the gist of the sermon... what do you think?

:: Matt 5/21/2003 12:32:00 AM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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A New Kind of Christian

I just wrapped up reading Brian McLaren's A New Kind of Christian. The dialogue format is classic. From time to time Neo comes off sounding like Socrates in Plato's dialogues: driving the conversation in the direction he wants through the issues and questions he raises. And while it is clear that McLaren has engaged in conversations of the sort reported in A New Kind of Christian, we should not take "Dan" to be more "Brian" than "Neo" may be.

Throughout the book, I could empathize with both main characters, but somehow I identified more with Neo. I don't know if I went through a "modern to postmodern transition," but somehow I made the transition from a more rigid "conservative evangelical rationalism" to something closer to McLaren's "New Kind of Christian" beginning sometime early in college and continuing to the present day.

As I found myself resonating with Neo's perspective, McLaren pushed me to take my philosophical perspectives one step further. Sometimes this evoked a statement such as "I never thought that this was a conclusion we could draw from that. Nonetheless, it makes sense." Other times I was surprised to find that McLaren had stated more succinctly something I had labored to come up with myself. And I thought I had come up something new!

In the chapter entitled "French Fries and the Kingdom of God," McLaren gave voice to my uneasiness with our current practice of evangelism.

[Dan asked,] "Isn't there a time when friendship evangelism has to move on to the evangelism?"

[Neo answered,] "Pardon me, Daniel, but I am not too fond of that expression, 'friendship evangelism.' It can prostitute friendship, which in my mind then invalidates the evangelism. If I'm going to pretend to be somebody's friend just so I can proselytize them, well, I might as well be selling soap. No, it's worse than that. At least when I'm selling soap, I'm not degrading the soap by exploiting the friendship. I can't tell you how much that term bothers me."

"Ok, I see your point. But Neo, won't a new kind of Christian be concerned about sharing the gospel?" I asked.

(Page 104)

Neo answers the question by telling a story. His answer is yes, ultimately. But he redefines what it means to "share the gospel."

The Gospel (can we just say "good news", for Christ's sake?) is Jesus Christ. The Good News is "The Kingdom of God is at hand. The Kingdom of the Heavens is available." When we say that the Good News is Jesus Christ we are no longer limited to an evangelism that merely changes someone's philosophy. It will do that. But evangelism is being Jesus Christ. As we continue as students of Jesus Christ we become more like him, and as we become more like him we are, in effect, the continuing presence of Christ in the world through the Holy Spirit. By grace we are transformed into people who look like Jesus and act like Jesus.

When this happens, we evangelize without even realizing it. We make friends with people because they are worth something to us, not because they are an evangelistic target. We go places where the good news is not known because it is such good news that we want everyone to have it - not to make them like us, but to give them a chance to have the kind of life that God has. And we end up "evangelizing" Christians as well because we engage with them from the perspective of good news.

New kind of Christian, old kind of Christian - whatever! I just want to be like Jesus.

:: Matt 5/19/2003 08:03:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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A Church That's Just Full of Hot Air

A UK company is promoting the Inflatable Church as a venue for weddings and other special events. Nuts, ain't it?

:: Matt 5/17/2003 05:36:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Joel 2:31

North America was treated to a beautiful lunar eclipse tonight. Since it was cloudy over Chicago tonight, we drove out toward DeKalb where it had cleared off. It's always more fun to look at the sky when you have a PhD. student in Astronomy along with you. He pointed out some of my favorite constellations. We work well as a pair. He can point out the constellations, and I can tell him the mythology behind them (well, some of them, at least).

This was the first time I've seen a total lunar eclipse, I think. It's pretty impressive when the moon turns totally black and then suddenly becomes reddish-brown.

:: Matt 5/15/2003 11:53:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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The Matrix Has You

Awesome fight scenes. There's a lot of messing with your head. Go see it.

:: Matt 5/15/2003 01:54:00 AM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Suburban Wildlife

Monday I looked out my window and saw a Great Blue Heron wading in "Lake Soon-Be-Gone" in the field behind our building. For all the camping I've done, this is the first time I saw one up close - really close. I took some pictures of it, and discovered I really ought to have used a telephoto lens or something. They turned out all right, just not spectacular.

Lake Soon-Be-Gone, for those who don't know, shows up every time it rains in the field behind our building. It usually recedes within a day or two (depending on how saturated the ground is). Which makes it all the more surprising that the heron came up with a fish while I watched. How did a 6-inch long fish get in a lake that wasn't there two days ago?

:: Matt 5/14/2003 07:11:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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...and miles to go before we sleep

My 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix just rolled over 90K miles. That's just 2,746 miles since I bought it in January. It's been almost exactly 4 months.



[This isn't my car, but it's a photo of the same model. Mine's green.]

Click here for a review of the various '98 Grand Prix models.

:: Matt 5/14/2003 06:55:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Update on Northbrook

The GlenBrook hazing incident made CNN again today when the school board announced 10-day suspensions for around 30 students. They are recommending expulsion for these students as well. No prom, no graduation, no extracurriculars, no school. They'll have to graduate from an "alternative school," one without as nearly a sterling reputation as GlenBrook North. So, of course, one of the parents of the suspended students is suing the school.

Criminal charges are still pending.

I don't know why this whole thing makes me so mad. It just does. I am a bit befuddled as to why some people think that these girls should get away with no tarnish on their academic reputations. Please explain this to me, if you're one of them.

:: Matt 5/13/2003 12:33:00 AM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Its a small world after all...

I've had a "small-world" experience twice in as many days. In the first one, I discovered that one of the sopranos in the church choir was at UIUC during the time I was, and worked across the street from me. Not only that, but she knew two people I worked with really well. It's really amazing how you can be two blocks from someone for 7 years and never meet them.

Then again today, a guy came to church with his mom wearing an Illini shirt. I talked to him after the service, and he knows some of my friends from Koin. Go figure.

Anyone else out there with University of Illinois connections that I don't know about? Step right up and comment below!

:: Matt 5/11/2003 10:15:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

If you see this, go down to the place that says "comment" and, well, comment!

Sorry I couldn't make it down this year...

:: Matt 5/11/2003 09:57:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Did you know...

...that PepsiCola is an anagram for "Episcopal"?

That's really funny.

While you're at it, check out IBM's purchase of The Protestant Episcopal Church of America. (grin)

:: Matt 5/10/2003 09:53:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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...and they wonder why U of I students party a lot...

By now most of you reading from the USA have probably heard about the rediculous powder-puff football-game-turned-drunken-hazing incident that happened in Northbrook over the weekend. That some parents supplied at least a significant portion of the contraband makes me sick. And then all of the "we're not the ghetto" sorts of comments coming from the "adults" over the news.

The blame game has begun. That the perpetrators are going to be in trouble with the law seems to be a given. But then the young adults (that is what they are, darn it) are left out of the picture completely as the village accuses the county forest preserve police of mishandling the incident, the media and the school administrators blame the parents, and commentators blame the economics and their correlative time restraints of double-income affluence.

I am continually bothered by the suburban affluence all around me. Living among some of the most affluent Western Suburbs while going to Seminary is not a good mix. How can we say that we are concerned for the poor when we don't let them live anywhere near us? There is a pervasive arrogance around here that I didn't see growing up in central Illinois. Despite protestations to the contrary, the "health and wealth" (may I add "youth"?) gospel is part of our suburban backdrop. "We have a right to our wealth," they say.

But then it doesn't stop there. People around here can get "DWB'd." In case you haven't heard, that's being pulled over for "Driving While Black." Or Hispanic. Or, for that matter, when driving a car that sticks out for being older and in worse shape than the others on the road. Some communities pride themselves on being so popular that you basically have to know someone moving out of town to purchase a house in town. Of course, that reduces the possibility of undesirables joining your "quiet, family-oriented community."

So I begin to ask myself: with all my accumulated anger, how do I minister in this context?

Moving at the end of the month will not make it go away. I go to minister among students at the University of Illinois. The overwhelming majority of them come from the Chicago suburbs. Of course those whom I know, I love. It's all the rest of my neighbors that test my discipleship.

:: Matt 5/09/2003 11:45:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Evanescence at It Again

Evanescence made a statement through Billboard and Reuters regarding the controversy stirred up a few weeks ago over their status as Christians.

Ben Moody, the lead guitarist and songwriter emphasizes that they have only said that they aren't a Christian band, not that they aren't Christians. This comes after they declared that "We have no spiritual affiliation with this music."

Christian heads are spinning all over the 'net over this one. It's kinda interesting to watch.

I wonder if Evanescence's band members' heads aren't spinning with the whole going Platinum thing. Moody seems to be defending their status as Christians, but does not want to be classified as a Christian band for reasons as inscrutable as their polysyllabic name selection.

I hope that whatever their band's status is, that faith in Christ will be at the root of all they do - whether writing songs or just living life.

:: Matt 5/08/2003 09:06:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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News From Baghdad

Salem Pax posted to "Where is Raed?" yesterday via a friend. It's kinda amazing to read abou this whole thing from his perspective. I wonder what we've gotten ourselves into...

:: Matt 5/08/2003 07:48:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Break From Blogging

I had a break from blogging the last few days because my nausea (reported earlier) was keeping my activity limited to the basics of reading for class and reclining on the couch trying to feel better. A diet of bread and soda crackers has worn itself thin.

I am pleased to report that I am feeling much better (for the moment, at least) and I am reenergized by a meal tonight that included some protein. I'm still taking it easy, though. Pray for my complete recovery.

:: Matt 5/08/2003 07:23:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Raising [One At] The Bar

I saw an intriguing Relevant Magazine article over the weekend. "God at the Pub" by Jeff Conkin discusses how a group of Roman Catholic priests are bringing Jesus Christ to their local taverns.

I posted a brief comment thanking the author for the inspiration to actually go out and do what I've been talking about doing for a couple of years now. I have seen several comments respecting the "stumbling block" theology to which I would like to respond here.

We have to start with the incarnation of Jesus Christ. The incarnation alone will give the "stumbling block" theology its proper perspective. When God came to earth in Jesus Christ, the "holy" entered the "profane." Jesus lived amidst sin and among sinners his entire earthly life. The expectation of the day was that when something holy touched something impure, the holy thing was profaned (made "unclean") by the contact. "Righteous" people would not touch anything or anyone remotely unclean for fear of contamination.

But then the strangest thing happened: Instead of being profaned by his contact with the unholy people around him, Jesus began to make them holy. He touched people no one else would touch. He took righteousness to a place where no one had ever seen it before. And somehow, in doing that, he didn't come off looking like a stiff. Somehow I don't think that the tax collectors and "sinners" would have liked him nearly so much if he had sat at dinner with them looking embarassed and detached the entire time - embarassed by their bad jokes and detached from their lives.

But then an awful thing happened: The righteous, holy people (along with other un-righteous types) killed Jesus. His holiness and righteousness were overcome by the sin of the world and the sin in the world. Or were they?

Even death - the most poisonous and insidious aspect to people's sinfulness - could not destroy Jesus' holiness and righteousness. Yes, the world's sinfulness destroyed Jesus Christ. But the story didn't end there. God raised Jesus Christ from the dead - proving once and for all that holiness and righteousnes trump sin, evil, and death.

So when we go to a bar, we go in the strength of Christ. We enter a pub in his righteousness and holiness. We do not stand in our own strength.

Is going to a bar to do evangelism dangerous? Yes. Of course!!! Jesus' mission to earth was so dangerous that it got him killed. Why would ours be any different?

:: Matt 5/05/2003 03:25:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Text Interaction "Paper"

Ok, so I just read Growing Up Digital by Don Tapscott for a class. It's kinda cute. It was copyrighted in 1998, which means it's really stinking dated. He makes a lot of the whole anti-internet media frenzy going on at the time. He kinda laughs it off. I guess that's what everyone (well almost everyone) else did, too. Maybe I'm living under a rock but I haven't heard nearly so much fearmongering and grousing about the negatives of the internet in a few years. And we've all happily been overrun by porn and been sucked into the corporate borg. Yeah.

Did anyone check out his website? Kinda text-driven boring. Like this site isn't text driven. So shoot me. It still looks better than his. Anyhow, very much late-90s boring design. Did I say boring twice there? Oh, well. It held my interest for all of about 2 minutes - and that was only because I was trying to give it an unbiased review.

Interact with the text: ok. The 'net has changed our entire way of thinking. E-mail puts us on a first name basis with just about everyone in the world, including distant relatives of Nigerian dictators with loads of cash. Hierarchies don't make any sense to us. "Have and have-not" makes sense to the extent that it is "can and can-not." Climbing the corporate ladder? Nah...

This has implications for how we look at church. Neither the "bottom up" hierarchy of our evangelical-protestant-congregational-democratic churches nor the top-down of some of our other independent-evangelical-pastor-driven churches and the Episcopal structures of the RCC and Orthodox make sense in the same way they once did. We're more ecumenical locally, less ecumenical structurally. We have gained a local focus and a global voice in an inter-networked conversation. Perhaps it is fitting that our structural models of church can't be mapped out on paper anymore. They have to be modeled on computer in some sort of dynamic, 3D, morphable molecular structure.

I think a lot of the naïvté we all originally had about the technological panacea has been shattered. That .com bubble burst hard. I don't know how much the "struggling, sluggish American economy" will continue to affect our technological revolution. I think it was good that the tech sector crashed. A lot of it was "stupidity darwinism." People are going to have to come up with more creative ideas built on more solid bases than before. And that's just fine.

On another front, it was interesting to read about what people were saying about me when I was graduating high school as a computer geek. I spent the next four years during college teaching a lot of my former high school teachers how to use various aspects of computers and information technology. The "generation lap" was bad in 1997. It's not so bad now. There's still a long way to go on that front, but it's not the crazy-divided thing it was.

How's that for interaction?

:: Matt 5/03/2003 03:31:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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