M squared T

M Squared T Has Moved

2005-03-06T18:00:00.000-06:00

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.

Successful Return

2005-03-04T11:27:00.000-06:00

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!

Apostellein - To Send Out

2005-03-04T11:19:00.000-06:00

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!

Out of Town

2005-02-27T09:35:00.000-06:00

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.

I broke my fast

2005-02-26T23:30:00.000-06:00

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.

George Verwer Speaks Out

2005-02-25T23:31:00.000-06:00

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!

Illini 28 - 0

2005-02-24T12:32:00.000-06:00

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!

TNIV, "Inclusive Langugage" and a comment on another's blog

2005-02-22T21:02:00.000-06:00

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?

Endgame: Champaign

2005-02-22T20:13:00.000-06:00

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!

Belated Birthday

2005-02-17T23:15:00.001-06:00

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

Belated Birthday

2005-02-17T23:15:00.000-06:00

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

Hidden Partiton

2005-02-17T15:52:00.000-06:00

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...

Replicating a machine for Uni High

2005-02-16T11:20:00.000-06:00

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.

Very, very scary

2005-02-15T21:33:00.000-06:00

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

Sermon 13 February 2005

2005-02-15T11:58:00.000-06:00

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

New Job

2005-02-13T23:56:00.000-06:00

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.

Out Of Town

2005-02-10T22:27:00.000-06:00

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.

Baby's Got Book

2005-02-10T13:29:00.000-06:00

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.

Luke 9:51

2005-02-09T09:04:00.000-06:00

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.

In Case You Missed Them

2005-02-08T10:32:00.000-06:00

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.

Update on Friday's Post

2005-02-07T20:55:00.000-06:00

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.

Never, never, never

2005-02-06T16:46:00.000-06:00

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!!!

Is This For Real, Or Is It SPAM?

2005-02-04T10:05:00.000-06:00

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? :)

Related to our dinner conversation tonight

2005-02-03T21:45:00.000-06:00

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!

A window into Spammer Psych

2005-01-31T20:54:00.000-06:00

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.

In Case You Wanted to Know

2005-01-21T22:33:00.000-06:00

Nakamais Solis

2005-01-16T20:08:00.000-06:00

"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.

The U2-pod

2005-01-12T18:52:00.000-06:00

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

The God-pod

2005-01-12T18:30:00.000-06:00

Check out the all-new Billy Graham iPod!

It seems really cool!

Sermon 9 January 2005

2005-01-09T21:18:00.000-06:00

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]

On My Way

2005-01-06T07:35:00.000-06:00

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.

Blogger Idol Week 4: Resolutions

2005-01-01T19:25:00.000-06:00

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!

Like Champaign County

2004-12-31T14:18:00.000-06:00

The South-East Asian Earthquake and Tsunami's death toll has risen to 125 000. That's like taking my entire county and wiping it off the map. There's a little over 100 000 in Champaign-Urbana-Savoy, and about 25 000 in the surrounding few miles, our 30x36 mile rectangle of very flat ground.

This helps bring this all home for me. It gives me a handle on the magnitude of what has happened. The number of people homeless is approximately the size of the Chicago metro area - City (2.7 M.) and Illinois suburbs (4.3 M.).

Imagine finding homes for all of metro Chicago - on 3rd world income.

Wow.

Long Day

2004-12-30T22:20:00.000-06:00

First, the good stuff: Illinois Basketball is still undefeated.

Work Stuff:

It's kinda complicated making a transition from an NT4 domain to an Active Directory Windows Server 2003 domain when you're at a large institution like the University of Illinois. We've been running our own departmental domain for a long time; for a number of reasons it has become important to attach ourselves to the greater University domain.

Then, you move into the switchover phase. You've tested everything, and you think it works. But there's always a lot you don't know. So when you switch to "live production" you get interesting problems. Like, for instance, that passwords that should be synchronized aren't always. Actually, it seems most of the time they aren't. Or your computer cloning software gives strange error messages leaving computers in unbootable states. Or when people need something to be fixed "right now!" and you have to tell them that they need to take a number.

All in all, it's been a long day. But we're making really good progress with the transition.

What will Monday bring?

Yeah, I like that!

2004-12-29T18:53:00.000-06:00

Jonny Baker comments on the new Banksy book.

And related to that, this makes me laugh. Out loud.

To assist with the effort

2004-12-29T18:11:00.000-06:00

http://tsunamihelp.blogspot.com/

International Prayer Request

2004-12-28T22:04:00.000-06:00

It almost goes without saying, but perhaps it needs to be said anyway:

Please pray for the situation in Tsunami-stricken SE Asia.

I'm not sure what to pray for; here's where I'll start; God will lead us beyond this humble beginning:

- That aid and comfort will come quickly to those in need;
- That the sorrowing, the mourners, will be comforted;
- That in lieu of fingerpointing and blaming constructive steps will be taken to design infrastructure means of attenuating future devastation in such cases as Tsunamis
- That God's people will be the city on the hill: good deeds shining so brightly that glory to God is natural - amidst natural disaster
- That those who ask deep questions will find deep answers

Pax omnibus in nomine Domini Nostri Jesu Christi

Blogger Idol "Travel" Top 5

2004-12-27T11:16:00.000-06:00

Ah, the time of the week when I post my Blogger Idol Top 5...

Some diverse posts:

1. The Religious Duty of Travelling
2. Linus and Peanuts
3. Whoa...
4. Been there, done that...
5. I hate commuting too...

Christus Natus Est

2004-12-25T21:25:00.000-06:00

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And in fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in his hand
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Our full homage to demand.

King of Kings yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth he stood,
Lord of Lords in human vesture,
In the Body and the Blood
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for hevenly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of Light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.

At his feet the six-winged seraph;
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the Presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry,
"Alleluia, alleluia!
Alleluia, Lord Most High!"

Keep Watch

2004-12-24T17:50:00.000-06:00

Keep Watch!

Our salvation draws nigh.

This is the night our Lord is born.

From Irenaeus:

Being thirty years old when He came to be baptized, and then possessing the full age of a Master, He came to Jerusalem, so that He might be properly acknowledged by all as a Master. For He did not seem one thing while He was another, as those affirm who describe Him as being man only in appearance; but what He was, that He also appeared to be. Being a Master, therefore, He also possessed the age of a Master, not despising or evading any condition of humanity, nor setting aside in Himself that law which He had appointed for the human race, but sanctifying every age, by that period corresponding to it which belonged to Himself.

For He came to save all through means of Himself — all, I say, who through Him are born again to God — infants, and children, and boys, and youths, and old men. He therefore passed through every age, becoming an infant for infants, thus sanctifying infants; a child for children, thus sanctifying those who are of this age, being at the same time made to them an example of piety, righteousness, and submission; a youth for youths, becoming an example to youths, and thus sanctifying them for the Lord. So likewise He was an old man for old men, that He might be a perfect Master for all, not merely as respects the setting forth of the truth, but also as regards age, sanctifying at the same time the aged also, and becoming an example to them likewise. Then, at last, He came on to death itself, that He might be “the first-born from the dead, that in all things He might have the pre-eminence,” the Prince of life, existing before all, and going before all.

(From Adversus Haereses, II.xxii.4)

Still #1

2004-12-22T22:09:00.000-06:00

The Illini beat Mizzou (barely)... we're still #1!!!

Airlifted to Hong Kong... or not?

2004-12-22T21:34:00.000-06:00

A real adventure awaited me while on a trip to Latvia (Former Soviet Union) during the summer of 2002. I was with the Xtreme Team, a short-term mission trip set up like MTV's "Road Rules."

There were rarely two nights in a row where we slept in the same place. During our second week, we biked over gravel roads (loose sand, really) for three days to get to a church camp on the Russian border.

The camp opened with a night of singing and a bonfire. A couple of other missionaries joined us, and we quickly discovered that they didn't know how to roast sausage over the bonfire. Being a helpful sort, I assisted one Irish missionary in making his sausage, which we then shared. He spent the rest of the night with an incredibly powerful stomach bug - which erupted on 45 minute intervals.

I didn't think any more of this until 4 days later, when we had moved on to Tallinn, Estonia. All of a sudden, while walking around downtown (old town) Tallinn, miles from where we were staying, this stomach bug hit me. Hard.

Less than 24 hours after arriving in Tallinn, we were on the hydrofoil to Helsinki, Finland. While this wasn't nearly as disastrous an experience as it could have been, I was uncomfortable for the whole 45 minutes on A BOAT while nauseated.

I spent the entire next day recovering. After that, I was fine. I really enjoyed the rest of the trip - seeing Lithuania and Sweden as well as Latvia, Estonia and Finland. It is a trip that I will not soon forget.

When I got home, I met with some people from my church. One of the first things they asked was, "How was Hong Kong"?

Thinking that there was some confusion, I said, "I was on a mission trip to Latvia. Was someone from this church in Hong Kong?"

The response was even more confusing than the first question: "But weren't you sick and airlifted to Hong Kong?"

Evidently, the church's "Prayer Chain" ministry, where people call down a "chain" of people relaying prayer requests had had a minor breakdown. Somehow Tallinn, Helsinki, hydrofoil and stomach flu had become so jumbled in the literal game of "telephone" that the story became Hong Kong and airlifted.

No, I was not airlifted from Latvia to Hong Kong.

Blogger Idol Top 5 Week 2

2004-12-22T21:23:00.000-06:00

Ok, here's my top 5...

1. Darren, your humour is very similar to mine: First Dates
2. Well-written, powerful story: Pearls and Dreams
3. Interesting, different perspective: Biscotti Brain
4. Classy guy - like something I'd do...: In that Number
5. Similar experience: Oblation

I Just Don't Understand

2004-12-17T15:57:00.000-06:00

Why do some of the world's most creative, intelligent people spend all their time writing computer viruses, adware and hacking? I'm not sure I understand the mentality.

Most of the last week has been consumed fixing problems caused by the above activities; it is distressing to me that so many (it seems) very gifted and creative people choose to use these gifts in ways that harm others. It just doesn't make sense to me.

Well, on the other hand, it does. It makes a lot of sense. Contrary to popular opinion and current American educational philosophy, to know the good is NOT to do it. In most instances that I have seen, despite Rousseau's protests to the contrary, "The Good" is not so compelling in any given situation as to induce favorable behavior in people and lauding of "the good" as virtuous. Teaching people rules does not mean that the rules will be followed or enforced. Nor are rules really the point, after all.

In most cases, we are satisfied with keeping behavior within certain boundaries. We do not expect everyone to be happy with how things are; but as long as they do not violate the behavioral standards, we permit attitudes, worldviews and thought patterns to crash about unchallenged in social interactions.

What we find, however, is that those attitudes, worldviews and thought patterns do not remain internal. They find expression in behaviors - some minor, some major. Thus, it should not come as a surprise to us that people do whatever they can get away with. We are looking for something deeper: the transformation of the heart.

But how does this come about? Certainly, it does not come about by coercion. That is one of the least effective means. Nor does it really come about by transferring information, or education. In that case the attitudes remain largely the same, but are expressed within the informational/educational paradigm available. We can try reasoning with people: but people can rationalize just about anything.

We can lead by example. Yet even this cannot convince someone to care. This is the most likely scenario to build transforming relationships, but it is, by nature and necessity, non-coercive. We cannot force ourselves on anyone. We cannot enforce transformation. So what can we do?

We begin with a loving invitation for them to experience life beyond themselves. This requires us to actually love them ourselves - not for our own sake - so that they might be better people and thus make our lives better by being less annoying: no. Neither do we love them for their sake: in that case, they become our project, and we their patrons. While that works to a point, even such attitudes build resentment. A patron/client relationship can never develop the closeness that will tranform the heart.

We have to take them beyond themselves, beyond ourselves, beyond their community: we have to invite them to a kind of life that is lived on an entirely different plane. We invite them to experience the love of their Creator - who is tickled with delight over their very existence. This love will so transform those who choose to let him love them that the attitudes and behaviors will become naturally good. Moreover, they will begin to experience life on their Creator's terms - thus becoming resonant with who they were made to be.

So let's quit fooling ourselves. Teaching people that they should act nicely toward others does not mean that they will be good. Only a love that goes far beyond us and far beyond them will be able to make up the difference.

My Blogger Idol Top 5

2004-12-16T17:14:00.000-06:00

From last week...

1. Buzzcrash
2. Cliff Between The Lines
3. Tom Mohan
4. Pearls and Dreams
5. Katie

Yeah, that's them... sorry they're so late!

This Is Profound

2004-12-15T20:15:00.000-06:00

Ave Maria!

Blogger Idol: First Dates

2004-12-15T19:51:00.000-06:00

So the Blogger Idol topic this week is, "First Dates."

I know I didn't post my top five from last week; I'm sorry... it's been a crazy week. I'll try to get that done soon!

First dates for me are always a time of finding out whether I actually want to date the person. In most cases, the first date does not lead to a second. Something isn't quite right. Usually, the first date is very informal; both parties are struggling to determine if this is really a date or if we just like hanging out. Maybe that's why second dates don't happen all that often!

So far, most of my first dates have been fix-ups. I've required a lot of help getting them to happen. So if one happens, I ought to stand up, like an Oscar speach, and thank my best friend, my Mom, Jesus and anyone else involved. They usually do play an integral role.

Right now, I'm looking for another first date... any takers? I'm a single male, mid-20s, Master's degree (pastoral career), outgoing, love the outdoors, love academics, and enjoy starting new stuff. Availability? Now...

The Emergent Conversation

2004-12-13T15:36:00.000-06:00

Andrew Jones has a good blog article out on the current emergent church discussion and its critique by more mainstream church leaders. It's a great summary: check it out!

Presence of God

2004-12-13T13:01:00.000-06:00

Steve has been asking people about their experience with the presence of God.

I left this in his comments:

"How have you experienced the presence of God" was a question I used to ask incoming members of our Christian fraternity in college. At that time, I approached the question from a distinctively Baptist/Pentecostal background. This meant powerful revelations during prayer, speaking in tongues, exorcism, miracles.

As I've continued my journey, this has become more nuanced. An example: A year ago on Good Friday, I was serving in an American Episcopal Church [Anglican Communion]. All incense had ceased for the entirety of Lent. The smell, by Good Friday, had largely vacated. Most of the decoration had been removed as well. As the service began, we came in silently, dressed all in black. The priest, deacon and I all lay prostrate on the floor near the altar, in front of the cross. As we lay on the brick, I realized that I could still smell the residual incense if my face was up against the brick floor. I got the sense that God was saying, "I'm still here. I'm returning. I will rise again."

And, just like that, we stood up, and the priest said, "Blessed be our God."

And we answered, "Forever and ever, Amen."

Somehow both of these contexts describe my experience of the presence of God: sometimes overtly powerful, other times more subtly so. Somehow the later experiences are harder to describe: to tell it does not do it justice.

The Call of God in "SpiderMan 2"

2004-12-12T21:58:00.000-06:00

I just finished watching "SpiderMan 2." The movie is entirely about call.

A few jottings:

"With great power comes great responsibility." This is, of course, the theme of the SpiderMan universe. It speaks of talents put to use; it speaks even more of fulfilling the call of God on one's life - even if one did not ask for it.

The movie deals with living others' dreams: is Parker really supposed to live out his uncle's command?

The movie discusses the sacrifices necessary to fulfill the call; then it says that everything will work out anyway. I'm not sure if that's accurate. But, then again, that might be my fear of success talking.

Most importantly to me, it discusses the question of boundaries. How responsible is Peter Parker? Is he supposed to help everyone? Where are the limits of what he is to do? How does he balance the competing priorities in his life?

I suppose this movie leaves me with more questions than answers. But I see it as a useful tool for thinking about such matters.

Peace in Christ.

Veni Emmanuel

2004-12-12T13:42:00.000-06:00

Veni, veni Emmanuel!
Captivum solve Israel!
Qui gemit in exsilio,
Privatus Dei Filio.
Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel
Nascetur pro te, Israel.

Veni, o Sapientia,
Quae hic disponis omnia,
Veni, viam prudentiae
Ut doceas et gloriae.
Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel
Nascetur pro te, Israel.

Veni, veni Adonai!
Qui populo in Sinai
Legem dedisti vertice,
In Majestate gloriae.
Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel
Nascetur pro te, Israel.

Veni, o Jesse virgula,
Ex hostis tuos ungula,
De specu tuos tartari
Educ et antro barathri.
Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel
Nascetur pro te, Israel.

Veni, Clavis Davidica,
Regna reclude caelica,
Fac iter tutum superum,
Et claude vias inferum.
Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel
Nascetur pro te, Israel.

Veni, veni o Oriens!
Solare nos adveniens,
Noctis depelle nebulas,
Dirasque noctis tenebras.
Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel
Nascetur pro te, Israel.

Veni, veni, Rex gentium,
veni, Redemptor omnium,
Ut salvas tuos famulos
Peccati sibi conscios.
Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel
Nascetur pro te, Israel.

Lyrics via this site

Parents on Strike

2004-12-09T14:34:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure if we were ever threatened with this... but it's creative!

More Squirrels

2004-12-09T13:43:00.000-06:00

In the vein of yesterday's audio clip, here's a bit of Ray Stevens:

Oh the miracles God has wrought in this old world
But the one I'll remember 'til my dyin' day
Is how he put that Church back on the narrow way
With a half crazed Mississippi squirrel

Chorus
The day the squirrel went berserk
In the First Self-Righteous Church
In the sleepy little town of Pascagoula
It was a fight for survival that broke out in revival
They was jumpin' pews and shoutin' Hallelujah!

The Squirrel Cop

2004-12-08T14:09:00.000-06:00

The story of a rookie Chicago cop on his first day on the job. Very funny. It's a RealAudio (grr) clip: scan to 19 min. 50 sec. for the start of the story. It involves trying to apprehend a squirrel for breaking and entering.

Meteor Insurance, Anyone?

2004-12-08T13:16:00.000-06:00

You just never know when you might need it!

Blogger Idol Series 2, Week 1: All I Want For Christmas...

2004-12-07T14:59:00.000-06:00

Well, Darren's re-started the Blogger Idol, so I thought I might join in this time.

This first week, the theme is "All I want for Christmas."

I think that I would like to see a distinction made between Advent and Christmas. Instead of this ever-increasing sound and noise and "holiday spirit" (whatever the heck that is), let's spend the four weeks before Christmas preparing ourselves for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Then, starting 25 December, let's take 12 days and feast and focus upon the Word become Flesh and how amazing that actually is. And besides, 12 days of feasting will be less than we normally do in Advent!

In this way, we do what Bob Webber talks about all the time: we set time free to worship. We re-claim the seasons, the days, the feasts and the fasts for God. We give up being driven by shopping and the push to come up with something I need/want for Christmas.

I always have trouble coming up with Christmas lists. Don't call me a grinch!

I wish this were me...

2004-12-07T14:49:00.000-06:00

Check out this link. Then, think for a minute. Apply it to me and my desire to lead in the church. Draw conclusions.

Am I yelling loud enough yet?!?

A Must-Read for Church Leaders

2004-12-07T13:44:00.000-06:00

This article is from a Minneapolis alternative newspaper describing the author's foray into a Mpls. megachurch. She compares her experience to that of Alice in Wonderland - very real, yet simultaneously nonsense.

It is really interesting to me how contemporary megachurch assumptions of what non-believers need don't line up with this author's viewpoint. I suppose this doesn't surprise me; I've been saying this myself in one form or another for a while.

She wasn't scared off by a firebrand preacher - no! Not that! I think she took issue with something dramatically different: its busyness. She didn't like it when she discovered that it looked like a shopping mall inside.

I see this article as yet another voice we're ignoring. We've gotta listen.

Link via http://www.churchmarketingsucks.com/ through this post on http://www.healyourchurchwebsite.com/

Of Apples and Bananas: Or, A Window Into My Soul

2004-12-07T11:45:00.000-06:00

This Sunday's readings and sermon really caused some things to come into sharp focus for me.

First, there was the sermon, focsuing on Matthew 3:1 - 12, where the question arose, "what kind of fruit are you producing?" The notion is that we are all trees, and we all produce fruit. We produce all different kinds of fruit. Whatever the case, we produce fruit consistent with the kind and quality of tree we are.

This got me to thinking, "what kind of fruit am I producing? What does my life look like on a daily basis? What do I do?" And I realized that there's a lot of bad fruit growing on me right now. Fruit based on fear. Fruit based on need for control. Fruit based on boundaries all out-of-bounds. Fruit coming from fear of rejection. Fruit of self-image issues, fruit of little faith in God.

So Sunday I resolved to make a change. Resolved to allow the pruning of the branches that do that. Resolved to make an effort to feed the branches that produce good fruit. Fruit like generosity. Fruit like mentoring. Fruit like development of Christian community. Fruit like living missionally in the world. Fruit like prayer. Fruit like encouragement. Fruit like humor. Most of all, fruit like hope. Like faith. Like love. Hmmm... that sounds familiar. Faith, hope and love: those seem to be the antithesis of fear, anxiety, bad self-image and bad boundaries.

Second, there was the text from Isaiah 11:1 - 10. This passage embodies the Advent message of hope. That tree that was chopped down - look, something's coming up out of it. And that new branch, that new tree, coming up from the roots of the old one - it will set about the process of making everything right. Those who have been victimized will be restored. Those who have done evil will be destroyed. And after that, creation will be brought to a new level of wonder, where no one lives to the disadvantage of the other.

And all of this has allowed a level of peace to come to me that I have not experienced in months. This reminder that all is well, all will be well could not be more timely. In him we have put our hope. And so in him I stand.

Compare and Contrast

2004-12-06T15:45:00.000-06:00

Compare and contrast these two websites:

Honor The Chief

and

Illinois Chef

Non Sequitur

2004-12-06T11:38:00.000-06:00

So I got a Christmas stocking at work... all the staff got one.

It's cool.

But there's a Hanukkah banner in it.

Santa Claus gives out Hanukkah gifts?

:)

This Nickelback Song is Just Too Funny

2004-12-05T20:11:00.000-06:00

There's a mix of two nickelback songs out on the 'net that is referenced here. Basically they play two songs at once and it doesn't sound bad... that's how alike they are!

Advice Sought

2004-12-04T23:50:00.000-06:00

I'm looking to buy a laptop so I can use it when I preach to do video clips/photos/powerpoint. I'm looking at Toshiba. Anyone heard pro or con?

Illinois Vs. Arkansas

2004-12-04T23:49:00.000-06:00

Illini Win!!!

This was a real hack game - but Illinois manages to keep the lead the entire second half. Maybe we'll be #1 on Monday...

I hope!

Chill Out, Folks

2004-12-02T15:50:00.000-06:00

This is nuts...

Render Unto Caesar

2004-12-02T13:28:00.000-06:00

Yesterday's Daily Office passage was Luke 20:19 - 26, the "Render unto Caesar" passage.

Here it is, from the NRSV:

19When the scribes and chief priests realized that he had told this parable against them, they wanted to lay hands on him at that very hour, but they feared the people.
20 So they watched him and sent spies who pretended to be honest, in order to trap him by what he said, so as to hand him over to the jurisdiction and authority of the governor. 21So they asked him, ‘Teacher, we know that you are right in what you say and teach, and you show deference to no one, but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. 22Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?’ 23But he perceived their craftiness and said to them, 24‘Show me a denarius. Whose head and whose title does it bear?’ They said, ‘The emperor’s.’ 25He said to them, ‘Then give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ 26And they were not able in the presence of the people to trap him by what he said; and being amazed by his answer, they became silent.

All the sermons with the conclusion, "this means you should pay your taxes and your tithe" notwithstanding, I remembered a different angle on this passage presented once by a source I do not remember, reinforced by a careful study of the original [Greek] text.

Jesus asks them, "whose image is on the denarius, and whose inscription?" And they tell him, "Caesar's." In other words, "whose coin is this?"

Jesus' reply, "render unto..." confounds his hearers, but does not really answer the question of taxation in a way that they appreciate. Coins with Caesar's image on them were, in a sense, owned by Caesar.

The implied parallel is significant: the term "eikon," "image, icon" is the same word used in the creation of human beings in the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint. Humans were made "in the image of God." Thus, God's image is on all of us.

By extension, we are all, like it or not, owned by God. Jesus then says, "give to God what is God's." Give Caesar what is rightfully his, but give yourselves (completely) to God.

And they were amazed at his teaching.

Victory Lap

2004-12-02T09:52:00.000-06:00

The University of Illinois Men's Basketball team beat #1 Wake Forest last night - leading by 32 points for a few minutes. The final score turned out to be 91 - 73. Here is the story from AP (off Wake's website, no less!)

The Illini looked good - shot percentages were high, and they played to the level of their opponents (and better). And with only 6 turnovers, it was a really clean game.

Go Illini!!!

The Real Life on the Web

2004-12-01T14:05:00.000-06:00

I've been reading a lot of blogs lately - from my normal reads, those who have some association/affiliation with Jesus Christ - to just clicking the "next blog" button [channel surfing] on the top of my good ol' blogspot blog - and I've started to notice some blog personality.

There seems to be a freedom and openness to speak very frankly and in terms that would not often be superimposed. "I love Jesus" in one sentence is sometimes followed by a four-letter invective. Usually something like "man, that was shit." (Ha ha, now I did it, too!)

Now, honestly, this is often overdone or used for shock value that becomes melodramatic. Thus, it is downright unecessary. On the other hand, I think this bodes well for us to be able to live real life together - life that is not hypersensitive, worried about protecting backsides and keeping well clear of others' toes. For me, this brings freshness to the stale, cautious conversations I can often have where I spend more time fearing the reaction/outcome than actually communicating. Blogs seem to give many of us the room to loosen up and breathe.

Blog communication reminds me of Jesus at Matt the Traitorous Tax Collector's house: God in the midst of off-color jokes, heavy drinking and pure-and-simple irreligiosity. God being told off-color jokes. Maybe God being told jokes that satirized his laws. God being offered more wine than he could handle.

And yet, I don't think he sat in a corner, with his arms crossed, shaking his head. "Oh, these poor lost souls..." There were plenty of others doing that. Nor did he sit there telling religious one-liners like, "so what do YOU think of the Kingdom of Heaven?" I don't think he sat there, wringing his hands, uncomfortable.

So what did he do? How did he handle the guy who got drunk and very philosophical - and didn't make any sense? How did he respond to the women who offered him more of themselves than he knew was good for them? How did he relate to his host, who was just trying on this new life thing for the first time? How did he respond to the "who are you and what do you do" questions? And, importantly in the minds of many, how much did he drink?

Bloggers resist classification. Of course. But it seems like a lot of these Jesus-connected bloggers are trying to figure out how this scene plays out - on the web and in more physical existence. Most of us, I think, have come from an "uptight Jesus" perspective that we are trying to shed. I'm definately in that category.

When I blog, I want it to be real. Real words, real feelings: none of this genetically-modified "nice" that doesn't actually say anything. Don't get me wrong: I'm not here for the shock value of it all. "Love your neighbor as yourself" is still an anchor. But I think genuine and wholesome makes room for the full suite of emotions.

Most of all, I suppose, I want to laugh heartily at things that are genuinely funny.

This Always Happens

2004-12-01T14:01:00.000-06:00

When I've just made a great post with some cool reflections...

...blogger eats it.

Curses.

Yesterday Was Nuts

2004-11-30T10:37:00.000-06:00

It all started off when one of our retired teachers called: her husband had changed something on their computer that meant she couldn't check her e-mail. So over 2 1/2 hours of phone calls, we finally decided that they were going to have to reinstall the mail reader program. Of course, they couldn't be online and on the phone at the same time. This, of course, complicated everything because we would have to hang up and wait for them to log on and test the new changes, fail and get back to me.

That was round 1.

Round 2 began when I called my grandpa, who has been asking me for weeks to work on his computer. He got slammed by several e-mail virii and at the same time got hit with what now appears to be a hardware failure (drive controller). But I didn't know about the second problem when I started. I told him that I had to do laundry last night no matter what - I was out of clothes. So my roommate and I went over to do laundry and fix grandpa's computer.

Sort of. First mistake was overloading the washer. It walked across the room. He was displeased. Second mistake was trying to install WinXP on his computer; his CD-ROM drive and his Hard Drive weren't communicating properly and I ended up with a non-working computer.

But then we had washed three loads and dried one and it was almost 11:00 PM. So I took my roommate home (who didn't want to finish the laundry project), and I went to look for a laundromat.

Begin round 3.

The lady at the laundromat whined at me for coming in so late. I said that I had to dry these, not wash them. I said I'd be done before she had to leave. She meant to leave early, even though the place was supposed to be open longer than that. So she spent the next 20 minutes whining at me. She tried to bum cab fare off of me and I told her I'd take her home. I did and got back after midnight.

I was so jittery, I don't know when I got to sleep. I rolled into work late today, and I'm kinda out of step with the day's work.

Some days are just like that, I guess.

Advent Reflection

2004-11-28T23:45:00.000-06:00

Alan Creech linked this today - thought it was good:

We light a candle today, a small dim light against a world that often seems forbidding and dark. But we light it because we are a people of hope, a people whose faith is marked by an expectation that we should always be ready for the coming of the Master. The joy and anticipation of this season is captured beautifully in the antiphons of hope from the monastic liturgies:

See! The ruler of the earth shall come, the Lord who will take from us the heavy burden of our exile
The Lord will come soon, will not delay.
The Lord will make the darkest places bright.

We must capture that urgency today in the small flame of our candle. We light the candle because we know that the coming of Christ is tied to our building of the kingdom. Lighting the flame, feeding the hungry, comforting the sick, reconciling the divided, praying for the repentant, greeting the lonely and forgotten – doing all these works hastens His coming.

Defining "Geek"

2004-11-28T21:48:00.000-06:00

This is worth reading.

A sample...

Intermediate Geek

Enjoy telling people about how you searched the Web for 3 hours last night to find the best deal on kangaroo burgers
Have friends who constantly ask you questions relating to anything electronic and believe whatever answers you give them
Have written your own computer programs
Write some of your correspondence in Notepad or VI
Know how to code HTML in a text editor
Never turn off your computer

Found while channel surfing... more on that later.

Whew...

2004-11-28T16:14:00.000-06:00

I got that off my chest (see below), and now I'm all smiles!

It's a good day, it really is! In fact, I'm going outside for awhile...

I HATE RealNetworks!

2004-11-28T16:05:00.000-06:00

RealNetworks, I hate you! Let me count the ways:

1. You made me enter everything short of my mother's maiden name to be able to use your product. Your privacy policy said you won't distrubute it. Riiight. If you didn't use it, why do you collect it?

2. Even though you SUCK, you're the industry standard for streaming audio.

3. You put all sorts of crap in the Windows Registry that I have to go in and clean out by hand.

4. You piggyback other programs with the realplayer that I don't want, didn't ask for and will delete promptly.

5. I had to check four boxes to keep from getting your STUPID advertizing.

6. And then you have stupid ads in the realplayer itself. I DONT WANT THEM!

7. You automatically update yourself to new versions that require more entries of personally identifiable information without asking.

RealNetworks, kindly get a life!

(Church) New Year's Eve

2004-11-27T22:44:00.000-06:00

Tonight is the last night in the church year; tomorrow begins Advent.

Advent is a reflective, penitential season, but it is different in tone from Lent: our reflection is to bring us into a heightened awareness of our surroundings. We are preparing for the return of Christ.

Are we ready? Do we want God's rule to come and set right all injustice? Are we ready to greet and celebrate his arrival, or do we wish he just wouldn't bother?

Spam Blogs

2004-11-27T01:43:00.000-06:00

Has anyone else noticed the increasing number of spam blogs out there - especially on blogspot?

I'm not talking about "comment spam" although I'm starting to see that more and more (damn them spammers!), I'm talking about whole blogs which are nothing but spam.

I just wish these folks would use their God-given ingenuity, creativity and engineering sense to better ends.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

2004-11-27T00:09:00.000-06:00

I just watched "The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" with Jim Carrey, Kirsten Dunst, Kate Winslet, Elijah Wood and Mark Ruffalo.

This is a movie that really keeps you thinking. There's so much in it about relationships: why we end up hating the people we initially liked/loved/enjoyed. It reminds brooding types (like myself, at times) to remember the good times so as not to become jaded about the bad.

I recommend this movie highly - one that will speak to everyone, because we've all had relationships that are beautiful and then start to hurt.

More Template Changes

2004-11-26T01:21:00.000-06:00

I just changed my comments over to blogger so that I can get the e-mail about them when they come.

Enjoy!

Cluetrain on Community

2004-11-25T19:53:00.000-06:00

One definition of community is a group of people who care about each other more than they have to.

Hmmm...

Self-Definition

2004-11-25T19:24:00.000-06:00

He tells us to take note, so I have:

You will never know who you are if all you talk about is what you aren't. Church planters take note. Musicians and artists take note. Community development workers take note. Christ-follower... TAKE NOTE!

Most of the time, the churches in our community define themselves by what they're not. And doing so seems to contribute to the constant sheep-shifting between congregations. Maybe if we defined ourselves positively this sheep-shifting could be limited.

Link via Jason Evans.

The ClueTrain Manifesto

2004-11-24T21:58:00.000-06:00

I avoided reading this book for a long time because it seemed so focused on business and marketing - two things I really can't bring myself to pay much attention to.

But I started in on it tonight: and I am having trouble putting it down.

As the authors say, it's probably the first book to be the sequel to a website.

The thing of it is, it makes my argument about why the church's got to change, get a new view on life, take a different approach.

So it's going on the "eccentricities" column to the left.

Tim LaHaye Declares Armageddon Against Tyndale

2004-11-24T18:55:00.000-06:00

Ok, not really. But he's really honked off.

This may be old news to many of you, since it came out on Saturday last, but I couldn't read the full article until today: http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/living/religion/10220385.htm

[Thanks to Rich Clark at http://www.deadyetliving.com/ for the link.]

I don't know what's making him more angry: the fact that Tyndale is offering a different perspective, or the fact that they're calling both book series "fictional."

LaHaye's Left Behind series either borders on heresy or dives headlong into it.

Heresy, you say?

Yes.

How?

Here's how: LaHaye's books are predicated on the notion that every promise made to Israel in the Old Testament must be fulfilled literally. Therefore, any promise regarding land, Jerusalem, Nations Streaming to Jerusalem, victory over enemies, the Temple, David's Kingly Line, etc. all have yet to be completely fulfilled. According to LaHaye (and his dispensationalist cohort), all these promises have to be fulfilled completly to the literal, physical descendents of Abraham/Isaac/Jacob, the Jews. Unless these promises are fulfilled, the end of the world cannot come. Now, why is that so important?

The church and the scriptures have long taught that Jesus Christ must return (in the same way that he left - See The Acts of the Apostles, chapter 1) to complete his work of setting everything right that humanity has somehow messed up, destroyed, derailed or damaged. He will bring all creation back under the reign of God, and, in so doing, bring about the completion of what (St.) Paul calls "the new creation." This new creation was begun in Jesus Christ, and will be brought to fuflillment on the day he returns. At that time, what has been stated about Christ from the earliest days of the church will become literally clear: Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of all the promises of God. All the promises, prophecies and perspectives of God in scripture find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ.

It is at this point that LaHaye and the dispensationalist cohort break ranks with historical Christianity. If all the promises to Israel have to be fulfilled literally to Jews, then Jesus Christ is not the fulfillment of all the promises of God as the letters of (St.) Paul and the church throughout history have attested. Moreover, they believe that the only way anything is going to be "set right" is either (a) by the complete destruction of the current creation (the "it's all gonna burn" theory), or by (b) Jesus Christ literally coming back with an army and smacking people around or otherwise physically overwhelming everyone.

LaHaye et al. see the second coming as important for yet another reason: there's nothing good left here. It's our job to rescue everyone from this burning building and then run for cover before it really gets bad. God wants to get rid of this crappy creation of his and start over. This is the "turn or burn, flee or fry" mentality. And this is precisely the perspective of the New Testament Pharisees which Jesus challenged so often in the gospel accounts. There is a radical discontinuity between the old way of doing things and the new, divided by the actions and event of God's savior/deliverer/messiah coming to straighten things out.

Instead, Jesus and historical Christianity offer a different angle. In Jesus' scenario, the new creation enters and invades the old on the sly. Like a virus, it begins to infect the old and transform it into something different - yet with continuity to the old. Thus, we see a baby in a manger, a cross and a crown of thorns instead of a conquering warrior. The empty tomb, then, gives us a glimpse into what the new creation is like: continuous with the old, yet different. Jesus' body was still his body - it was not in the tomb and it even still bore the scars - yet, it was somehow different enough to be hard to recognize and, better yet, had the ability to pass through locked doors.

In Jesus' scenario, he must return to bring justice to those who are victims of injustice. He waits, showing forbearance and grace to the unjust, hoping they will cease their injustice and turn to him. But he will not wait forever. To do so would deny justice to their victims. He desires to redeem and transform his creation which he originally called "good." Were he to destroy the creation, he would deny the value of embodied existence - which at one point he found so important, so compelling that he became human himself to bring about our new creation.

This has become a much more long-winded explanation than I intended it to be. To explain it fully would take at least a book or two. But I hope that this explains why I'm so cranky when it comes to the Left Behind series. I welcome questions, discussion and critique.

Cheese Sauces and Microwaves Don't Get Along

2004-11-24T18:49:00.000-06:00

While attempting to make myself a one-portion sized helping of Fettucine Alfredo, I decided to violate a rule I knew full well:

Never put a cheese sauce in a microwave.

Why is this?

For one, it is the violation of the 12th commandment: "Thou shalt not put cheese sauce in thy microwave."

Secondly, it burns the cheese sauce on one part while leaving the rest RAW.

Humph.

I Almost Hate To Link This...

2004-11-23T22:51:00.000-06:00

'cause I don't want them to get any more hits than absolutely necessary.

But it's really funny. I mean, funny and sad.

Nevertheless, now for your humor and entertainment, M Squared T now presents:

Jack Chick's "Angels" Tract

...about how rock music is of the Devil.

Link via http://www.liquidthinking.org/

Oh, yeah, and remember to rock on!

This Is My Life

2004-11-23T22:39:00.000-06:00

Check out this online Newsweek article:

Nov. 18 - Next week, millions of college students and young professionals will head home for the Thanksgiving holidays. We’ll sit with our families in warm, candle-lit dining rooms eating stuffed turkey, reminiscing over old photographs, preparing holiday shopping lists and … Please. Let’s be frank. We are going home to fix our parents' computers.

Link via Mike Bishop.

Modified Template

2004-11-23T16:45:00.000-06:00

I've been fussing with formatting over the last couple of days and have made a few changes.

First, you'll notice that my recent posts are listed on the left below the "shortcuts" (yes, my shortcuts since I use this as my home page). They're listed by title.

Second, you'll notice a few changes to the links on the left column. Check them out!

Third, you probably won't notice that the permalinks are now more readable - having their own page and the name of the title of the article.

I suspect a complete overhaul and redesign are on their way. I don't know when they'll show up, however.

Work Irregularities

2004-11-23T11:34:00.000-06:00

I'm wearing a suit to work today. This is highly unusual.

This school is very informal; the teachers wear jeans, and rarely (if ever) wear ties. The students, of course, wear whatever their chosen style or persona desires.

But I'm wearing a suit. I am out of place. It's funny to see people's reactions to this.

(I'm going to a wedding. Geez!)

This is a Test

2004-11-22T22:12:00.000-06:00

View into the Garden of the Gods

This is a picture I took last May in the Garden of the Gods in Shawnee Nat'l Forest. What do you think?

Reflection on Incarnation

2004-11-22T13:20:00.000-06:00

Archbishop Rowan Williams reflects on Christ's coming to earth in his Christmas Message:

Human beings are wrapped up in themselves. Because of that great primitive betrayal that we call the Fall of humanity, we are all afraid of God and the world and our real selves in some degree. We can't cope with the light. As John's gospel says, those who don't want to respond to God fear and run away from the light. But God acts to heal us, to bring us out of our isolation - which is as bizarre and self-destructive as that young man beating his head against the wall. And he does this in a way that is just like the therapist in the video. He does what we do; he is born, he grows up, he lives for many years a life that is ordinary and prosaic like ours - he works, he eats, he sleeps. Here is ultimate love, complete holiness, made real in a back street in a small town. And when he begins to do new and shocking things, to proclaim the Kingdom, to heal, to forgive, to die and rise again - well, we shouldn't panic and run away because we have learned that we can trust him. We know he speaks our language, he has responded to our actions and our words, he has echoed to us what we are like.

Link Via Steve Via Father Jake

This Is Weird

2004-11-21T23:49:00.000-06:00

George W. Bush pulling a Secret Service agent through a bunch of Chilean guards on international television. http://www.dailyrecycler.com/blog/2004/11/taking-charge.html

School Grousings

2004-11-21T23:21:00.000-06:00

Working in an academic world of a local public high school, I often wonder if we really know what we are doing. Some days, in fact, it seems that we have created a monster: a creature made in the image of the ideals of an intellectual élite throughout the centuries - a creature that is, at best, a caricature of fully human life; at worst, well, something infernal.

I'm not sure how to express how I feel on this subject. A dervish of thoughts and ideas swirls around me and make little sense (as yet) in writing. Maybe there's more than one post here.

Jobs and Sermons

2004-11-19T14:35:00.000-06:00

I'm trying to develop a few topics for sermons that I can start using during my "pastoral job search" process.

So I've come up with a few passages so far:

Hebrews 12:1 - 2: the "cloud of witnesses" passage
Matthew 4, 2nd half: the "repent for the kingdom is near" passage
Any of the "take up your cross and follow" passages

Ideas?

Hokey Pokey = Hocus Pocus

2004-11-18T14:31:00.000-06:00

I'm really in to history, so you'd think I'd have seen this one before:

The Hokey Pokey was originally a Puritan parody of the Catholic Mass. See http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/read/OLD-ENGLISH/2001-03/0985552472 for details.

Which brings me back to one I do remember: Hocus Pocus. Hocus Pocus is an imitation of unintelligible Mass-Latin for the phrase in communion where, after much hand-waving, the Priest elevates the bread and says, "Hoc est corpus meum." (This is my body.) It's easy to see how Hocest Corpus became Hocus Pocus.

Link via Steve.

Suicide Bombing = Human Sacrifice?

2004-11-18T13:25:00.000-06:00

At least that's what this author says. I'm not sure I agree with him completely, but it is a very fascinating perspective - especially for the History Nut in me.

Link via Bene Diction.

A Class Act Trying To Deal With Copyright Infringement

2004-11-18T11:45:00.000-06:00

Gary Larson (The Far Side) doesn't want his cartoons illegally copied and distributed on the Internet. In fact, he's got lawyers tracking the 'net for his 'toons.

A web site I visited posted a copy of the note they received when they posted a "Far Side" panel. http://blog.revmike.us/archives/000646.html

Larson's request for sites to remove his material is very respectful; in the case I read, this engendered respect in return. The site removed the cartoon.

As someone for whom copyright law put food on the table for many years, I understand the frustration of artists, authors, musicians and scholars whose work is abused. Whether its name be plagiarism, bootlegging, misquoting or misinterpretation, inappropriate use of copyrighted materials does more than just take money away from the artist, producer, et al. The creator of the work often feels personally injured by inappropriate use. It's not about the money, at least for me. It's a matter of respect.

A Newly-Discovered "Go(o)d Blog"

2004-11-18T10:30:00.000-06:00

Check it out: http://odyssey.blogs.com/odyssey/

I like the "preaching naked" article a lot. :)

Thanks to Kevin (http://kevinrains.com/) for the link!

2004-11-17T22:29:00.000-06:00

Funny Article About Windows XP

http://www.jsonline.com/lifestyle/advice/jan02/10333.asp

2004-11-17T11:48:00.000-06:00

So I went and got myself a massage...

Yesterday I got myself a massage. It was a good massage, about 15 minutes, and not badly priced at that.

Problem is, though, that today I'm totally stiff in my neck and shoulders. Like I can't turn my head.

What the heck?!?

2004-11-16T16:42:00.000-06:00

All-Campus Worship II

Dr. Wright's Talk from All-Campus Worship is now available in MP3 format at http://cfchome.org/mp3s/20041112.mp3

Thanks to our friends at CFC for putting it up!

2004-11-15T13:28:00.000-06:00

This is a HOAX

Someone sent me an IM today in the form of a chain letter saying that AOL was going to start charging inactive AIM users for AIM service.

It's a chain letter that's been circulating since 1998. See http://hoaxinfo.com/imcharges.htm