:: M squared T ::

:: Sunday, March 06, 2005 ::

M Squared T Has Moved

Yes, folks, M Squared T has moved.

The new location is:
http://www.msquaredt.com/blog/

Kindly update your links!

After much deliberation and planning, we have decided to move to our own domain to expand the functionality of the site. In doing so, we are moving from blogger to WordPress.

This page will redirect in 10 seconds.

:: Matt 3/06/2005 06:00:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Successful Return

My trip to Warren, OH to find housing was immensely successful. I found a great house in a nice neighborhood in southeast Warren, within about a 1/2 mile of the church. It's an 1800 ft^2, two-story house, built in 1925 and very well-maintained: all original (refinished) hardwood floors and woodwork, built-in cabinets and a fireplace. It's 3 beds, 2 baths. It'll be a great place to live!

Thanks be to God!

:: Matt 3/04/2005 11:27:00 AM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Apostellein - To Send Out

Sunday morning, before I left for Ohio, I was given the opportunity to say a few words to the congregation at the First Baptist Church of Champaign at Savoy. I thanked everyone for their support and guidance through the years as I grew up in the faith there.

As the service finished, the pastor brought me to the front of the sanctuary and prayed a "sending out" prayer, asking for anointing and joy in ministry. I feel downright "commissioned" and sent out from the congregation to do the work of ministry as I have been called to do.

Thank you, First Baptist Champaign!

:: Matt 3/04/2005 11:19:00 AM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Out of Town

I'm going to be out of town this week looking for housing in Ohio. Please pray that I find something suitable. I'll post when I return.

:: Matt 2/27/2005 09:35:00 AM :: permalink :: comments (3) ::
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I broke my fast

This post could also be titled, "The Continuing Adventures of the TNIV Controversy."

After a period of about 2 1/2 years (about 2 years of that during Seminary), I made my first foray into a Christian Bookstore today. Actually, I went to two. I went because I was looking for some music we'd been doing in church for years on CD so I could play it for some of the folks at First Baptist Warren in the near future.

I couldn't find it at Best Buy (my first attempt for music), and I didn't have time for iTunes and burning the CD, etc. So I went to the Christian bookstore that was just down the parking lot from the Best Buy. I went in, and their music selection was really picked over. I mean, about half the shelves were bare. Others were thinly stocked. I found two of the four CDs I was looking for there. The clerk was only semi-helpful.

I decided that I also wanted to pick up a TNIV today while I was out running errands and read through it to decide if I wanted to use it regularly. After hunting around the "Bibles" section for a while, I finally gave up and went to the checkout counter. There were two clerks there, one working with a mom and 5-year old to get in-store credit for a non-existent VeggieTales item. The other clerk finished up with her customer and closed the aisle. I waited for about 15 minutes for the in-store credit to work, and the other clerk came back.

"Can I help you find something?" she asked. I said I was ready to make my purchases. She started walking away. So then I said that I was looking for a TNIV, did they have any? The busy clerk sort of startled and looked at me, then at the other clerk. I felt like she backed away just a bit. The other clerk said, "I don't think we have that one, we don't carry it here." I said, "Oh, that's too bad." She said, "I'll check with my manager." She got on the phone and came back out.

"We won't be carrying it, because it's too controversial. There's a letter that's posted in the office as to why - something about inclusive language." I said, "That's too bad, I think people need to read it to find out what the fuss is all about." She said, "I agree, but it's not my call." Then she went back into the office. Presently she emerged with a publisher's bound page proof of the TNIV New Testament. She said, "We were given these as samples to give out to people, you can have it if you want."

"Thanks," I said. She started to walk away again, but then thought better of it and said, "well, I guess I could ring you up."

She did, and I left.

I drove all the way to the other side of town, still looking for a couple of CDs, and now, more than ever, interested in tracking down a TNIV. I went into the other Christian bookstore's music section, discovering it to be kind of empty but not as picked-over looking as the other. I still couldn't find what I was looking for, so I went and asked the clerk at the counter. She looked it up - on the complicated text-driven IBM cash register/computer. She found it and we both scoured the shelf in that section until I found one of the two CDs. I gave up on the other one.

So as she was working on looking up another song for me, I asked the other clerk about the TNIV. I said, "I'm looking for something that seems a bit contoversial, so no offense, but do you carry the TNIV?"

"Of course," she said, and helped me find it. I picked up the little pocket-size one. We went back to the counter. The other clerk hadn't found the song I was looking for: it's a new version of "O Love That Will Not Let Me Go" played in a swingin' 2/2 meter with mandolin and guitar. We talked about how I didn't just want to pick up a CD of recycled hymns because the arrangements had the potential to be so awful. We all got a good laugh over that one.

Then I said, "I don't know why this TNIV is so contoversial - it seems like it works well in the campus ministry context, by avoiding the gender questions so much where it's unnecessary." Both clerks agreed with me, shaking their heads along with me.

They were friendly.

I don't think I'll be back to a Christian Bookstore for a while. Amazon.com works for most of the stuff I need (books and music, at least), and CM Almy has a decent website for the rest. I could end up being a full-time solo pastor at a traditional-ish church and not have to venture into a Christian bookstore for a really long time, if I plan ahead.

:: Matt 2/26/2005 11:30:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (1) ::
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George Verwer Speaks Out

This evening I attended All-Campus Worship, an event put on by the University of Illinois Evangelical Christian Union. ACW is a gathering of over 20 evangelical campus ministries at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign held once a semester in the University's largest auditorium, the Foellinger Auditorium.

As usual, it was a powerful two-and-a-half hour event, with music, prayer, an offering, and a speaker. This semester's speaker was George Verwer of Operation Mobilization.

Verwer spoke on Luke 10:25 - 37, known as the Parable of the Good Samaritan. He argued that we have seven different kinds of people that are on the side of the road; as believers in Jesus Christ, as his followers, we are called to care for these.

The seven are as follows:

1. Children at Risk: when war, famine, abuse and other sorts of tragedy hit, the children get hit the hardest. As believers in Jesus Christ we are called to care for children at risk all over the world.

2. Abused Women: One third of American women have been abused; globally (according to Verwer, could someone check this out?) that rate is dramatically higher. One of those ways is Female Circumcision - which, apart from being morally reprehensible, causes the death of many due to poor surgical practices globally. Of course there are many other ways women are abused: another he mentioned was women globally who receive HIV/AIDS through their philandering husbands.

3. Globally Poor: We as Americans do not understand poverty. Verwer encouraged the 2000+ college students to go visit third-world slums - only then would they be able to comprehend the level of poverty at which vast numbers of people live. Moreover, he joins the Liberation Theologians in stating that the Bible has a bias toward the poor, but that the developed world does not. We must be willing to adjust our national policies to deal with that issue.

4. HIV/AIDS: Having traveled extensively in Africa, he says that as big as we think the AIDS Crisis is, it's at least 5 - 10 times larger than any of us can fathom. We are called as believers to work in AIDS prevention globally.

5. Persons Without Pure Water: Lack of pure water causes many preventable diseases and disorders. We are called to respond to help bring safe water to every human being on this planet.

6. Aborted Babies: As believers we are called to speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves. We are called to speak up for the widows and the fatherless, the orphans, the children. We are called to lovingly deal with the abortion issue to stop the meaningless slaughter of millions of children worldwide. Once again, not just an American problem.

7. Planet Earth: God created our world, and called it "good." We are called to care for our environment, to cease our overconsumption of resources, to develop environmentally sustainable life habits - all these things will promote life in the world, something God is genuinely interested in.

This was a powerful message. It is rare for me to hear these seven issues discussed by the same person with a singular goal in mind: that believers in Jesus Christ should act upon all of these together. These are the "moral values" that we Americans must deal with - not just one or two off of the list. I hope that we are all able to hear this message: Christ cares about these things; if we do not care about them we deny Christ.

Kyrie Eleison!

:: Matt 2/25/2005 11:31:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Illini 28 - 0

I received a great gift last night: Dinner at The Ribeye and a ticket to the #1 ranked Illinois Men's Basketball game at the Assembly Hall.

The Illini blew out Northwestern by 36 points and received a share of the Big 10 title for their effort.

The atmosphere was electric: at one point early in the 2nd half, "the wave" went around the whole arena 4 times! Since this was probably my last home game in a while, I did some touristy stuff: recording the halftime stuff on my camera phone and buying a "100 years" sweatshirt. It was cool!

:: Matt 2/24/2005 12:32:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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TNIV, "Inclusive Langugage" and a comment on another's blog

Tim Bednar of E-Church has an interesting post on the relative merits of using the TNIV: a translation that is becoming more well-known for dealing with the masculine pronoun problems of the original NIV.

I think the TNIV could be a translation I use a lot - since I grew up on the NIV. It's one I could memorize and recite without so many of the gender questions being thrust to the forefront when I use it. But I also feel some ambivalence. Here's the comment I dropped on Tim's post.

Tim:
Good thoughts on the TNIV. I grew up on the NIV, but I used the NRSV extensively in Seminary. As a language nerd, I use Greek a lot now for most stuff in the NT. I can't wait to get my hands on a TNIV - it'll be easier than stumbling to fix the gender questions all the time in public reading of scripture.

I would observe one thing that makes me a bit ambivalent about the inclusive language work: Take Galatians 3:26, ff. The NIV, and a bludgeoningly-literal translation of the Greek say "You are all SONS of God through faith in Christ Jesus... there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male and female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus."

Now, the NRSV says "in Christ Jesus you are all CHILDREN of God through faith." Perfectly reasonable inclusive-language translation, and very commendable. Much easier if you want to read it and not have to explain that "sons" means everyone.

But allow me to be the picky scholar for a moment: could it be that by translating "Children" rather than "sons" we have inadvertently dropped some of the radicality of what Paul was saying to his original hearers for the sake of today's hearers?

In Paul's day, only sons (typically) could inherit anything from their father. In this passage (Gal. 3:15 - 4:7), Paul is using an extended inheritance metaphor to describe our relationship to God by faith. By saying to both his male and female listeners that they are all SONS of God he is making the bald-faced declaration that all women have been RAISED to the status of inheritors just like the men. It is a statement of (not merely) equality between men and women but that all women (and for that matter, younger brothers) have the opportunity to receive what only the highest of the hierarchy could hold!

To take it one step further, the Greek for "children" (there are actually several different Greek words that we translate "children" in English) does NOT imply inheritance, only paternity. Of course, such a distinction was profound in the first century. One could (most definately) be one's biological child without sharing in the inheritance.

Perhaps for today, too: instead of being sired by an absentee father who wants us all to get along because we're really all alike, we are being called inheritors of all that God is and has.

All of which gives me pause. I will use the TNIV and NRSV, I speak in terms of "person" and "humankind" rather than "him" and "mankind" in daily speech: I just wonder if by solving one real, important problem, we're causing another.

Further thoughts?

:: Matt 2/22/2005 09:02:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Endgame: Champaign

Am really excited about the new pastoral work I will be doing (i.e., The New Job) at First Baptist Warren (Ohio). I am excited for the opportunity to join the people of Warren in ministry.

But I'm also starting to feel the fear and anxiety join in on the fun. I'm having to leave my hometown - not just the place I've grown up but my family's home town for the last 153 years. even in our transient community of 110 000, I still run in to people I know all the time - people I've known for years, family friends, college friends, neighbors. I know the managers at the grocery store I go to. I knew the waiter at lunch today at the Courier Café. There are streets in this town named after relatives of mine - ancestors, even.

My parents keep telling me that moving away from home (no, I haven't been living with them - they mean away from town) is part of the growing-up process. It's unavoidable, up there with death and taxes. But part of me wants to scream NO NO NO! It doesn't have to be like this!

And then I think, "now what exactly would I do here if I stayed?" I mean, I'm not really entertaining that idea anymore. But really, my training and education means either a) more education (necessarily elsewhere for the caliber of program I want), or b) working as a staff professional in a church. If I want to stay otherwise I have to do something completely different.

But it's also clear that the Call of God has gone out: the invitation that God gives to participate with him in the work of the Kingdom. And for now, this call has brought me into an amazing relationship with people in Warren, Ohio, which I never could have imagined. And they've invited me to lead them in ministry. That's nuts. Good nuts, but nuts. And I want to go. I'm eager to start.

But saying goodbye is so hard!

:: Matt 2/22/2005 08:13:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Belated Birthday

This blog turned 2 two days ago. Happy birthday, M Squared T!

:: Matt 2/17/2005 11:15:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Belated Birthday

This blog turned 2 two days ago. Happy birthday, M Squared T!

:: Matt 2/17/2005 11:15:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Hidden Partiton

I just fixed a hard disk that had been marked "hidden" by the operating system. Any ideas as to the cause? It's fixed now, I'm just curious what might have made that happen...

:: Matt 2/17/2005 03:52:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (1) ::
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Replicating a machine for Uni High

I am in the process of building a P-IV 3.0 MHz 512MB RAM 80GB HDD DVD/CDRW Matrox G550 Intel Pro/100 machine for our school's Assistant Director.

To configure the software properly, we run Symantec's GHOST to clone from a standard machine to the new one. This saves HOURS in terms of setup. Unfortunately, this can cause some difficulties on our aging 10MBPS network. It can take up to 5 hours to copy the standard 14 GB disk images. So we have configured two 100MBPS switches to handle the cloning. One is the "live" network - all of our servers talk to each other at 100MBPS, and then to the rest of the world at 10MBPS. The other is the "blind" network: connected to our Windows Server 2003 machine via a second network card that uses the non-routable address block of 192.168.0.0.

To configure a machine enough to clone it takes several steps.

1. Build the machine. Yes, this involves clamping down the CPU and popping in the DIMMs and screwing in the Motherboard, etc.

2. Install Windows XP pro (Volume License Version).

3. Install the Intel Network Card drivers.

4. Connect to the Windows Server to install the GHOST client.

5. Reboot the machine. Configure the GHOST console to point to the machine to be cloned (the "deploy to single machine" task), and create a new configuration file for the machine. Remember to check the machine's CLIENT tab for proper network card configuration.

6. Switch the network cable from the "live" network to the "blind" network and reconfigure the TCP/IP numbers to point to 192.168... rather than 128.174... (UIUC). This is essential because if GHOST starts while on the live side of the network, the entire network WILL CRASH. It will hang and be unable to do anything. Evidently GHOST uses the TCP/IP multicast protocol that broadcasts on .255, and when it's doing so on a 100MBPS switch to a 10MBPS network, everything grinds to a halt.

7. Start GHOST

8. After Ghostwalker runs, switch the cable back to the "live" network and boot up in Windows. Verify that the correct name and machine account and domain are in place.

9. Install user-specific software.

10. Transfer files from old machine to new.

11. Install new machine in the office or lab.

During the course of this particular installation, I forgot step 6. As soon as I realized it, I tried to switch the cable. All it had done was wipe out the MBR on the client disk. But it hung and I ended up with a non-bootable volume. This was better, of course, than the saturated network we had.

I removed the client HDD and slid it in as an ATA Slave on a working machine. I am currently running chkdsk /r and it has been going for an hour+. We'll see if we have to reinstall Windows.

:: Matt 2/16/2005 11:20:00 AM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Very, very scary

http://www.dannyfast.com/cam.jpg

:: Matt 2/15/2005 09:33:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Sermon 13 February 2005

Text: Hebrews 12:1 – 3

Candidacy Sermon: The Cloud of Witnesses

I. Introduction

When I first encountered members of this congregation as a part of the pastoral search process several months ago, one of the first things they told me was that this church has a two hundred year history. As we have continued our discussions, it is clear to me that history and tradition are very important to people here.

I, too, have long found history important. During my second semester of college, when I realized that I really didn’t like my engineering classes, I gravitated back to history and took it on as my major course of study. I’ve always been interested in how things came to be “as they are” and enjoy telling the stories. My friends know me as a person who always wants to tell a story about my hometown’s “local history” because I find that it explains well how we got where we are today.

The author of this Letter to the Hebrews was writing to a group of Christians who were going through a major transition as a part of their faith and who were starting to come under persecution for it. You see, as the book of Acts tells us, most of the first followers of Jesus thought that the message of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, was only for the Jews. Even after Peter’s experience with Cornelius, the Roman General in Acts 10, and Paul’s journeys throughout the Eastern Mediterranean, the Christian Church was primarily a Jewish movement.

However, with increased missionary activity in non-Jewish areas, and increased resistance to the message by Jewish people, the church’s demographic began to change. Most people who became followers of Jesus were not Jewish anymore. They knew who Jesus was and the salvation he had affected for them, but it is likely that they did not know so much about the Jewish milieu out of which Christianity sprung.

The author of this letter to the Hebrews, then, painstakingly illustrated by example and analogy Christ’s role in the greater salvation history of Judaism – for the benefit of Jewish Christians and non-Jewish Christians alike. And in doing so, he gives us a way of approaching history that allows us to benefit from it without miring ourselves in it so that we become immobile. Let’s take a closer look.

II. Our Past: The History of Our Relationship with God

Scripture readings that begin with “therefore”, such as the one we read today, are naturally problematic – what we read today depends on what precedes. Were we to have read all of chapter 11 as well, we would see in great detail what Hebrews means by “the great cloud of witnesses.” Chapter 11 is a veritable “hall of fame” of faithful people throughout the history of God’s relationship with the people of Israel. In it, we hear a resounding, repeated term: faith. There are a number of vignettes of famous people from the Old Testament, all beginning with the phrase, “by faith.”

By faith – Abraham.
By faith – Moses.
By faith – Abel.
By faith – David.
By faith.
By faith.
By faith.

Over and over again, we hear the stories of those who have come before – not because of their deeds themselves, but because those deeds were the expression of their faith in God and God’s promises. These people demonstrated God’s faithfulness by their faith. Their faithful actions have shaped the present, he says, and have provided an example for us of what faithfulness to God looks like. More than that, he says, all who are followers of Jesus Christ are living out the fullness of the promises of God that past men and women only experienced in part.

And things are similar for us: we could create our own list of people and their activities that have shaped us through the actions of faith.

By faith – Luther.
By faith – Judson.
By faith – Billy Graham.
By faith – Roger Williams, the first Baptist in America.
By faith – the pioneers who started this congregation.
By faith.
By faith.
By faith.

III. Our Turn: Our Past has been good, but God has something bigger for us

Our history of faith has been good. Yes, it has had its ups and downs. But our history of faith is sound. And the great temptation in our celebration of our history is to focus on it, to remember it, to hold tightly to it. But this passage offers a challenge to our view of history.

This passage challenges us to place our focus on Jesus Christ and what he has for us. Our spiritual ancestors, our older Christian brothers and sisters are, in the imagery of this passage, in the stands cheering us on in our race in which we run to follow Christ. They are urging us on, saying, “Live by faith! Keep your focus on Christ! Live out the fullness of the promises of God!”

In this way, we do not apply our history slavishly to today. Instead, we follow the example of the greats of faith who came before us. Let me tell you a story. About 300 years ago, a pastor named Thomas Ken was in charge of the spiritual life of a boys’ school in England. He was trained musician, and he wrote a song to help the boys at the school express their faith in God. Unfortunately, his colleagues and superiors in ministry became quite angry with him for this, since he violated the custom of the time.

(http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/a/w/awakemys.htm) He was very nearly expelled from his pastorate. You see, at that time, all songs sung in church had to be taken exactly from the scriptures: no variation. Rev. Ken’s song did not. However, his song has long outlasted all of his contemporaries’ music, being familiar even to this day, the last verse of which is as follows:

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him all creatures here below,
Praise Him above ye heavenly host:
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.

If Thomas Ken were here today, he would likely be standing in the grandstands, cheering us on: live by faith! Focus on Jesus! By faith! By faith! By faith! We take his example to heart: doing what is necessary in our time to follow the call of God, to live by faith, even it means doing what is new and different.

This passage urges us: we focus on Jesus because he is the author and perfecter of our faith. But what does that mean? Jesus is the source or initiator and the completer or finisher of our faith. Faith is about him from beginning to end: in each of the stories in the preceding chapter, each example person’s faith was left partial and incomplete because it had not been fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Each promise God has made is made complete in Jesus Christ. He makes our faith possible and completes it in ways we could not hope to understand as people with very well-defined limits.

Inasmuch as we, too, like the many who have gone before, live the life of faith, we are reminded by “author and perfecter” that the purpose of what we do is not for ourselves – of course! – nor for others (whether historical others or contemporary others), but to live out the promises God has made about Jesus Christ: including the promises that those who have gone before are valuable to us, not to be forgotten, and that all who are here today are to be loved – even our enemies.

By living in this way, the joy set before him – living God’s life – the eternal life – is available to us as we, too, endure the cross, scorning its shame, allowing us to one day be in the full presence of God – the presence which we taste today only in part.

The others cheer us on. But Jesus makes the life of faith, the race, possible. And he is the one who brings it to completion. The others cheer us on as we pass them in the stands; Jesus is with us from start to finish. Our history is our starting point for powerful, faithful ministry in today’s world.

IV. Our Challenges: Today’s relationship with the Gospel

But what does faithful ministry in these days look like? Here we may draw a parallel to the situation of the letter to the Hebrews. Like them, the cultural context for our Christianity has shifted. In recent years, a significant change has occurred in our society: previously, the (vast, overwhelming) majority of people had some church affiliation or background. They were, in effect, “Christianized.” That allowed for an approach to ministry in the world and a relationship with society that could capitalize upon that “Christianization.”

Now, however, the significant majority of people in society do not have such a “Christianized” background. They’ve never had a Christian background. Probably not been to church. Their parents didn’t raise them to go to church: their parents quit going as young adults. For most, there isn’t even a nominal Christian understanding. This means that our tools that depended on a level of Christianization must adapt to the new situation.

And our spiritual forbearers cheer us on from the grandstands: “keep up the race!” “Live by faith!” “God’s mission is before you!” “Look to Jesus Christ!” They cheer us on, because they know: we must do as they did, taking a look at our contemporary circumstances and proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ as best we know how in the language of the time.

V. Conclusion

Perhaps we take the example of Thomas Ken and write music to communicate the faith we live in. Perhaps we do the work of mission with the poor. Perhaps we invite our neighbors over to dinner with some of our church friends. But one thing is clear. By faith we proclaim the same Christ that Thomas Ken did. The same Christ as the author of the letter to the Hebrews. The same Christ as Paul. The same Christ as all the apostles: because God calls us forth in mission to continue the race, to proclaim the good news that God has come in Jesus Christ to reconcile the entire creation to himself. This is the truth of which we are witnesses. God chose to do it through Jesus Christ, who endured the cross, scorning its shame, and, rising, and ascending, sat down at the right hand of God. And as we strive on through the race, taking hold of Christ’s victory, we hear the great cloud of witnesses behind us: Live by faith! Persevere in the race! Proclaim the good news!

And by God’s grace we will do so.

Amen

:: Matt 2/15/2005 11:58:00 AM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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New Job

I have just returned from Warren, Ohio, where I was elected Pastor of First Baptist Church. I will begin on April 1, 2005.

Please pray for me as I need to find housing now.

:: Matt 2/13/2005 11:56:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (1) ::
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Out Of Town

This weekend, I will be travelling to Warren, Ohio to candidate for the position of Senior Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Warren. As a part of the weekend, I will be looking for a home, participating in a reception put on by the congregation (Saturday) and leading the Sunday service.

Please pray for me in this final step of the interviewing and candidacy process as the church and I decide whether God is calling us together at this time.

:: Matt 2/10/2005 10:27:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Baby's Got Book

Ok, so this has been proliferating around the 'net over the last week or two... but credit to GCT for the inspiration to put it here:

http://www.compfused.com/directlink/615/

Don't watch it unless you want to laugh.


:: Matt 2/10/2005 01:29:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Luke 9:51

As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.

Today begins Lent: the forty-day commemoration of Jesus' journey to Jerusalem and the Cross. This is the time that we set aside our own agendas and walk with him. Some of us are preparing for Easter baptism; we are getting our houses in order, so to speak.

For many of us, this is the time that has circled back around for us to focus on setting aside our agendas, and whatever things entangle us, and run with perseverence the race marked out for us.

"Blessed be God who forgives all our sins:"

"His mercy endures forever!"

Amen.


:: Matt 2/09/2005 09:04:00 AM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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In Case You Missed Them

In case you missed them, here are the best of the SuperBowl ads: http://www.ifilm.com/player/?ifilmId=2664053.

It starts with the "Tazer" one by Ameriquest. Hilarious.

Not an unusual experience for someone in retail to have someone talking on one of those hands-free phone things and feel like they're the ones being talked to. They're really annoying.


:: Matt 2/08/2005 10:32:00 AM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Update on Friday's Post

Friday, I posted about an e-mail invitation I received to join a Yahoo! group called "ministersandevangelists."

Yes, indeed, it is real. I only know a few people who talk in the manner of the message I received. I don't think they're in on it. The group has over 2100 members - so it isn't just a joke. As a part of the group agreement, there are several stipulations regarding banned topics, one of which was "King James vs. all other Bible translations."

Hmmm...

This is really not my crowd. I try hard to respect my Christian brothers and sisters who express the faith differently than I do. But I guess I belie my prejudices when I considered it to be an out-and-out joke to begin with.

I have no idea how they got my name. The e-mail address is my private, personal one; it is not the one I use on this website; nor is that address posted anywhere on the Web that I know of.

Beyond that, I'm at a loss for words.


:: Matt 2/07/2005 08:55:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (2) ::
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Never, never, never

I never should have installed StarCraft and StarCraft: Brood War while in the midst of sermon prep for my pastoral candidacy weekend. It's getting so distracting!!!


:: Matt 2/06/2005 04:46:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Is This For Real, Or Is It SPAM?

I got this e-mail today on an e-mail address that doesn't get so much in the way of SPAM - but I don't know how they found me. Anyone have a clue on this one?

Dear Friend,

It is with great pleasure that I extend to you an invitation to join our group of believers, doers and prayer warriors.Hallelujah to the Lamb of God! Come join our group full of Wide-eyed, Saved, Sanctified, Holy Ghost filled, Blood bought, Spirit taught, Bible totin’, Scripture Quotin’, Satan Bashin’,Sin Trashin’, Christ followin’, Pride swallowin’, Hard prayin’, Truth conveyin’, Faith Walkin’, Gospel Talkin’, Bonafide Big Time Believers.Join us as we praise God for the past and have faith for the future! Remember, Prayer will invade the impossible!

Continued Blessings,

Rev [XXX XXXX]

It sounds really funny to me... like someone's playing a joke on me! I mean, who talks like that? :)


:: Matt 2/04/2005 10:05:00 AM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Related to our dinner conversation tonight

This post brings up a lot of the issues we were discussing tonight at dinner regarding how we can faithfully participate in our political process as believers.

We decided tonight that

1. we were all sick of having to pick the lesser of the two evils in our election process.
2. we feel as trapped by our American Democracy with its (very) limited menu of options (viz. Republican and Democrat) as early Christians probably did when asked to choose between Galba, Otho, Vitellius and Vespasian in 69 AD. (Yes, my classics/history analogy, not everyone's!)
3. we want to find a way to be good stewards of our national rights - right to participate in the political process, etc. to allow for us to be faithful to our beliefs without having to choose between a party that (charictaristically) doesn't mind the incredible slaughter of the unborn and a party that (charictaristically) tramples on the poor. Thus,
4. we are frustrated with having to choose which "voiceless" we are going to stand up for
5. we don't know what we are going to do about it.

Kyrie Eleison!


:: Matt 2/03/2005 09:45:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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A window into Spammer Psych

The Register recently published an article about "link spam" or "comment spam." So far, I haven't seen any on M Squared T. Maybe now I'll be in for it.

The spammer they interviewed has an attitude that is basically "they screwed up and I'm taking advantage of it, so why's it my fault?" Moreover, he sees no problem with supporting the market for "PPC" (porn, pills and casinos - The Register's term).

This sort of attitude was used as an argument in another case I dealt with recently. But it doesn't hold water. Taking advantage of others' weaknesses is not a morally tenable position. Perhaps we should encourage our legal system to create systems to discourage such acts of injustice - even if the injustice is more annoying than dangerous.


:: Matt 1/31/2005 08:54:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (2) ::
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In Case You Wanted to Know

:: Matt 1/21/2005 10:33:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Nakamais Solis

"Nakamais Solis:" that's Latvian for "the next step."

I have been invited by the church I interviewed with last weekend to come "candidate" with them. That means that I will lead the service on Sunday morning, be presented by the committee as their candidate for pastor of the church, and then the congregation will vote. All of this will take place on 13 February, 2005.

Please pray for me in the interim that I may speak the words of God and live without fear of his call.


:: Matt 1/16/2005 08:08:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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The U2-pod

Ok, this iPod's pretty cool, too... U2 rocks!


:: Matt 1/12/2005 06:52:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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The God-pod

Check out the all-new Billy Graham iPod!

It seems really cool!


:: Matt 1/12/2005 06:30:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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Sermon 9 January 2005

As a part of the pastoral job search process, I delivered a sermon today at a sister church in Akron, OH. This was a "neutral pulpit" situation: it was nearby to the church I was interviewing with, and the committee wanted to hear me preach in person, but not before their entire congregation.

The following is the text of the sermon I delivered. This is the "as intended" form, not the "as delivered" form.

Text: Matthew 16:21 - 28.

In the movie “The Matrix,” the protagonist, Neo (played by Keanu Reeves) discovers that “reality” isn’t what it seemed to be. Through a series of adventures, Neo’s world is turned upside-down and inside-out, all for the purpose of living a real, full life.

Neo is a computer programmer working for a large corporation in a large city. He runs into a secret society which promises him a way out of “the matrix,” which as their leader, Morpheus, says is “the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth. That you, like everyone else, was born into bondage … kept inside a prison that you cannot smell, taste, or touch.”

Morpheus holds out two pills, a red one and a blue one. The blue one will take him right back to where he was, no questions asked. The red one will show him the truth – but he will have to give up reality, as he knows it, to discover it fully. It is up to him whether it will be worthwhile. Neo takes the Red Pill and continues into an action-packed adventure.

In many ways, Jesus is asking us to take the Red Pill in this passage from Matthew’s Gospel we just read. He is inviting us to an entirely different way of life – an eternal way of life – but we have to give up “life as we know it” to find that life.

Let’s look into this passage a bit more closely. There are three angles here on “the Red Pill” that I’d like to look at today.

+1
Let’s start with the conversation between Jesus and Peter. This is the second of three conversations between the two of them. In the preceding section to the passage we are hearing today, Peter makes his famous statement, “You are the Messiah, the Christ of God.” And Jesus responds, “You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church.” The third is on the Transfiguration Mountain when Peter starts babbling on and on about shelters for Moses, Elijah and Jesus – silenced by the Father saying “listen to my son!”

At the end of the previous conversation (about Jesus’ status as Messiah), Jesus says “now, don’t tell anyone!”

Well, why not? It seems that Jesus knew what Peter didn’t realize: Peter didn’t get it yet. And this conversation forces him to. Imagine if we skipped from the conversation, “You are the Christ” to the Transfiguration. Peter would still misunderstand the cross. And this is proven by our text today. As soon as Jesus starts talking about suffering and death, Peter says, “you’ve got to be kidding, Jesus. Come on, don’t talk like that, it’s not that bad!”

And Jesus drops his head, nods, and say, “yes, of course Peter… you’re right. I’m just under a lot of stress right now…” NO!

Jesus turns on heel and faces Peter: “You’re out of line! Quit tempting me! You don’t get it! You have more to learn, follow me!”

Then he explains. If we want to be his disciples, then we have to deny our own agendas and take up our cross and follow. We cannot lead Jesus. Peter’s agenda for Jesus did not involve a cross, suffering and all the rest. What it was, exactly, we’re not sure. If he was like most Jews of his time, he expected the Messiah, the Christ, to come in, kick out the secular Roman domination and then rule Israel as king – making everyone followers of the Messiah – or to use a Greek term rather than a Hebrew one, followers of the Christ, or “Christians” and making everyone live lives according to Scriptural principles. A noble notion.

But this was not what Jesus had in mind. Jesus was clear: The cross was before him. THAT was how the world would be transformed. So Peter had to give up his ideas about what Jesus is there to do, and get out of the way! Jesus encouraged Peter to learn what being the Messiah was really about by experiencing Jesus’ life with him: taking “The Red Pill” to give up his notions of “Messiah” for the reality of the Christ.

And the same goes for us. When we first encounter Jesus, we immediately have an agenda for him. We have a certain notion of how Jesus is to interact with the world. We have an idea of what his ministry should look like. We have a list of things we want him to do – oftentimes healing a long list of people. Most of the time, we want him to change just about everyone around us!

But if we really want to be believers in Jesus, we are his disciples – his followers – not his bosses or his managers. (Imagine this: “Ok, Jesus, you have a 10:00 with RuthAnn, to fix her son’s broken arm; you have a 11:30 with Michael, to make sure his boss doesn’t pull the same stunt today that he did last week; you’ve got a working lunch with Lisa… you get the point.)

No, we don’t try to manage Jesus. We relieve him of the role of perpetual problem-solver. Moreover, we give up what we think Jesus looks like. He’s not the teacher, the philosopher, the revolutionary, the Republican, the Democrat, the rich man, the poor man, the monk or the punk we want him to be. He’s not even the pastor we want him to be. He will fill the roles we want him to fill on his terms, not ours. And really, this is a good thing. That way, he shows us how we fit into God’s understanding of the world, instead of how God fits into ours. And that turns out to be a more beneficial discovery.

If we desire to be disciples of Jesus, we give up our agendas for him. We give up our visions for his ministry. We give up trying to control Jesus. This is, in part, what it means to deny ourselves. We take Jesus on his terms. We take “The Red Pill” and give up who we think Jesus is for who he really is. We who believe, follow. No ifs, ands or buts.

+2
This leads us to the second idea this passage addresses: taking up our cross. Jesus says to Peter (and the rest), “You are my followers. I am taking up a cross. To follow me means you must take one up, too.” Now realize what Jesus is asking them to do: he’s asking them to voluntarily pick up the means of their own humiliation and execution and follow him to the place where that humiliation and execution will be carried out. Then, they will be able to say with Paul: “I am crucified with Christ: it is no longer I who live, but Christ living in me!”

What he asks them to do is not easy. It is not without risk to life and limb. For Jesus, the cross shapes all of life: it determines the path he will take, decisions he will make, the things with which he will be concerned. And he asks his disciples to take on this cruciform existence. When he teaches, it is with the cross in mind. When he heals the sick, the cross is before him. When he casts out demons, the cross stands in stark relief.

Clearly, this goes far beyond “putting up with stuff” – beyond “living the moral life” and getting flack for it. The Pharisees and Scribes lived moral lives – and they missed the point entirely! For Jesus, morality was not the purpose of religious instruction but rather the expression and fruit of life lived for God – a cross-shaped life lived for God.

And he asks us to do the same. While this will vary for each of us, he asks us to live our lives with the cross before us. He asks us to base our priorities and decisions on walking with him to the cross. We would like it to be otherwise, but there is no other way. The Red Pill gives up life as we know it and takes up a cross – which one day will lead to Resurrection.

+3
We have given up our agendas for Jesus and taken up his cross. And so the third thing that Jesus tells us is that there is no other way to find life. Jesus says that anything we hold out on could cost us dearly. We want to keep this or that agenda, this or that part of life. But Jesus says that in holding on to life, we will end up destroying our life. We’ve all seen people do this: hold on to something until they become obsessed with it and it dominates their life. So Jesus asks us to surrender even that which is valuable to us for the sake of eternal life. And here’s the hope: if we surrender something truly valuable, he will store it up as a “treasure in heaven” – where nothing can destroy it. Which, in the end, keeps it a lot safer than we could. The Red Pill life gives up everything we hold on to in hope of a fuller life.

So what? You may ask. This Christian life is so much gloom and doom – all this death and crosses and blood of Jesus and all that. But Paul tells us in Philippians 3 that the reason we join with Jesus on the cross is so we can share with him in his resurrection. By denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and giving up life, we can find resurrection life. And that resurrection life can begin in a very basic way even now. So I want to address three people right now:

Maybe you’ve been a believer in Jesus Christ for a long time – years, perhaps. But you’ve had your own agenda for Jesus. You’ve told him what you want. You’ve got things you want to hold on to. I invite you now to offer those things to Jesus: to go back behind Jesus and follow. As you do, I pray that others will join you and help you rediscover the life of a disciple together: lifting you up and supporting you in whatever way God calls them.

Or perhaps you’ve been carrying the cross for a long time. You’ve been living the cross-shaped life, following along behind Jesus. You’ve given up everything you know to give up. Life may still be hard for you. I want to encourage you and invite you to hope. The power of our Resurrected Lord is with you, to give you strength for living life. He hears your prayers and will return as he promised to set everything right. You are not running the race in vain. To you Jesus says, “well done, good and faithful servant.”

Or perhaps you have never chosen to become a disciple, a believer in Jesus Christ. I invite you to listen to Jesus’ invitation: follow me that you may have life. Take the Red Pill. See how far faith in Jesus Christ can take you. He promises life with a power and a joy hardly imaginable to all who follow him.
[Wrap up challenge]


:: Matt 1/09/2005 09:18:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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On My Way

I haven't blogged since Saturday since I'm preparing to leave for a job interview in another state.

Actually, I'm interviewing to be a pastor of a church - to actually do the work my Seminary degree has semi-prepared me for.

Please pray as I will be interviewing and preaching this weekend.

Peace to all of you.


:: Matt 1/06/2005 07:35:00 AM :: permalink :: comments (1) ::
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Blogger Idol Week 4: Resolutions

My post for this week... On Resolutions

For perfectionists, resolutions are particularly difficult. Known for "aiming high," perfectionists often set unattainable goals when resolving to act upon areas of personal improvement. Resolving to "Quit this," or "start that,"perfectionists regularly negate any progression in work by attempting a prematurely targeted finished product.

Invariably, this kind of behavior leads perfectionists down into self-deprecation, feelings of unworthiness, and, at times, malaise and depression.

On the other hand, some perfectionists never set any goals or make any resolutions: a promise never made does not have to be kept; there is no failure when nothing is attempted. Such attitudes shield perfectionists from themselves; with no failure there can be no self-directed wrath.

All that being said, this year, this perfectionist resolves to deal with perfectionism. The first few months will be focused on creating a plan that works: one of spiritual discipline that engages certain aspects of life and abstains from others, hoping to create healthy patterns of living life. The next few months will be lived under the disciplines. Finally, near the end of the time set by the disciplines, the workability of the plan and its execution will be (I hope) graciously examined. Progress will be celebrated!


:: Matt 1/01/2005 07:25:00 PM :: permalink :: comments (0) ::
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