kevins blog

Noah's Ark

2012-01-26T09:38:00.000-05:00

well worth the listen. Listen carefully and think about it... really think.

Brendan: A Novel

2012-01-17T22:36:00.002-05:00

An enchanting story about one man's search for Faith. There are lessons for all, especially for those whose search is over (or so they think).

Adam's Gift

2011-11-25T07:11:00.001-05:00

Adam's Gift: A Memoir of a Pastor’s Calling to Defy the Church’s Persecution of Lesbians and Gays
by Jimmy Creech

This is an inspiring story of faith and courage. Having had the opportunity to meet Jimmy Creech this past summer, and hear him tell his story, I wanted to read more about it. I am so thankful for people like Jimmy Creech who are providing leadership and examples of how to follow Jesus and bring the love and grace of the kingdom of God to ALL those in our lives. I hope that the organized church will leave their petty pious legalism and prejudice behind in favor of true Gospel of love and grace. I highly recommend this well written memoir of one of our generation's giants of faith.

Durham Men's Group

2011-11-04T19:43:00.005-04:00

"This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes." - Morpheus

the gates of hell?

2011-10-28T17:41:00.003-04:00

I would love to hear the story behind this gate! I know there must be one.

Calvary Baptist Church

10310 Chapel Hill Road,

Morrisville, NC 27560

Matthew 16:18

18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

TechRepublic: Steve Jobs' 100-year legacy: Humanizing technology

2011-10-11T08:29:00.003-04:00

Check out this great article by Tech Republic's Jason Hiner. Lots to think about, and act upon. Read entire article here

Steve Jobs NeXT computer...

2011-10-06T21:59:00.003-04:00

I fell in love with the NeXT computer after reading the review in Byte Magazine all those years ago. It was out of my price range, but oh I wanted one so bad. Thank you Steve, for imagining, and then making it so.

Dawes!!!

2011-08-30T05:51:00.000-04:00

My musically astute and very clever wife scored us 2 tickets to see Dawes at Cat's Cradle!!! WOO-HOO! Dawes opened for Alison Krauss at Koko Booth. Check them out on YouTube, they are fantastic!

Readnponder review of The Soul of a Soldier

2011-08-14T19:30:00.002-04:00

I read this book earlier in the summer. It is written by one of my book club buddies. The author's presentation of the letters gives a peek into the mind and heart of a man serving in the Civil War. this is one of several books i've read recently that have piqued my interest in history. I should have paid more attention when I was in school!!!

Read the review here...

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/187302964

Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas

2011-08-09T21:29:00.001-04:00

When Patents Attack

2011-08-01T15:18:00.000-04:00

Something is very wrong with our nation's technology innovation process. Legal does not equal moral. Check out this enlightening yet disturbing story from "This American Life"

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/441/when-patents-attack

Kiva City Launches in Detroit

2011-07-19T22:13:00.001-04:00

We were just in Detroit this past weekend, and we saw some of the areas of great need first hand. After living in the Detroit area for 2 years, I am excited to hear that Kiva is now making possible micro-loans to the people of Detroit. There is much to be done there. This is very exciting, and we are anxious to be a part!

Cheyenne Raiders by Robert Jordan

2011-07-05T20:49:00.000-04:00

Cheyenne Raiders by Robert Jordan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

One of my first ventures into historical fiction. This is a great story. It was also my first Robert Jordan book besides the Wheel of Time series. I recommend this book.

Today

2011-01-18T07:23:00.007-05:00

Today...

"The past is history, the future is a mystery, but the present is a gift, a gift from God. Don't return it unopened."

One of my CS Lewis book club friends heard this from a native Indian (I think Navaho) at a morning presentation while staying in Sedona (AZ).

Godric: A Novel

2011-01-06T06:54:00.002-05:00

Godric: A Novel by Frederick Buechner

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is one of the best books I've read in a long time! To read it feels nearly like reading poetry or music lyrics, it pulls you in and along with a comfortable rhythm that just feels right. The story is rich and many layered; very human and at the same time very holy. It reminded me very much of my favourite novel by C.S. Lewis "Till We Have Faces" in its style, depth, creativitity, and excellent writing. I heartily give this book five stars, I wish there were six to give. I am looking forward to both re-reading it (so much depth there) and also to finding other novels by Buechner (actually, I have a friend who offered to loan them to me, so I won't have to search!). I encourage you to find a copy of this book and savour it. This is a must-read.

View all my reviews

Jesus Is a Liberal Democrat

2010-12-17T20:45:00.001-05:00

There is SO much truth in this...

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Jesus Is a Liberal Democrat

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor & Satire Blog

Video Archive

A Goat!

2010-12-16T07:03:00.003-05:00

Christmas Gift Idea: A Goat!

Give a goat. Goats nourish hungry children and families with healthy milk, cheese, and yogurt. Goats also give a much-needed income boost by providing offspring and extra dairy products for sale at the market.

A healthy dairy goat can give up to 16 cups of milk a day. Goat milk is easier to digest than cow’s milk and is an excellent source of calcium, protein, and other essential nutrients that growing children need. Goats are practical animals — flourishing in harsh climates while producing valuable manure to fertilize crops and vegetable gardens.

This is amazing!

2010-12-13T07:46:00.004-05:00

to read more, go to http://blog.ekklesiaraleigh.org/

843 pages!!!

2010-11-08T20:56:00.002-05:00

in case you cannot make it out in the photo, this is an 843 page behemoth!! Albeit a week late (so much for pre-ordering from Amazon!), the highly anticipated next volume of the Wheel of Time epic is finally here! I cannot wait to get started!!! We miss you Moiraine!!!

Native Americans' Day

2010-10-11T07:38:00.004-04:00

Maybe the traditional Columbus Day is a good time to consider what Columbus' arrival meant to North America and the people whose native home it was and is. Here is something I wrote Sept 2, 2005...

Haiti's first contact with Europeans

I found it very interesting and distressing to read about the first contact between Europeans and the natives (Arawaks) of the island on which Haiti is located. I was reading part of my daughter's AP US History assignment, from a book which tells about the U.S. history that MY generation was never allowed to study.

The island was referred to as Hispaniola when Columbus first arrived there. Out of the timbers of the Santa Maria, which had run aground, he built a fort, the first European military presence in the "new" world. His report to the Court in Madrid included:

"Hispaniola is a miracle. Mountains and hills, plains and pastures, are both fertile and beautiful... the harbours are unbelievably good and there are many wide rivers of which the majority contains gold .... There are many spices, and great mines of gold and other metals..."

Columbus report of the natives:

"[the natives] are so naive and so free with their possessions that no one who has not witnessed them would believe it. When you ask for something they have, they never say no. To the contrary, they offer to share with anyone..."

He promised the Court in Madrid that he would bring them back "as much gold as they need... and as many slaves as they ask." He promised this in the name of "God": "Thus the eternal God, our Lord, gives victory to those who follow His way over apparent impossibilities."

His 2nd expedition returned with 17 ships with the clear goal to bring back slaves and gold. His expedition in Haiti found almost no gold. In 1495, he collected 1500 Arawaks and put them in pens. They picked the 500 "best" slaves and put them on ships for Spain. 200 died enroute. The rest were sold as slaves. Columbus later wrote "Let us in the name of the Holy Trinity go on sending all the slaves that can be sold."

In time however, most of the slaves died in captivity. So instead, Columbus enslaved them on the Island of Haiti and forced them to collect gold for him. He found, however, that the "fields of gold" did not exist. Each slave was given 3 months to collect a certain quantity of gold. If they failed, as most did, since the gold was not as plentiful as they imagined, their hands were cut off and they were allowed to bleed to death.

There are more horrific facts, too many for me to type here. My point is this... after reading these horrible things that OUR ancestors committed, I thought about how the Grace of God is allowing us to pay back just a small amount of the incredible injustice and evil our ancenstors did to the ancestors of our Haitian brothers and sisters. Thank God for his Grace, and for the privilege to do his work and help undo the evil of the past and of this world.

that's my 2 cents, altho probably closer to a dollar :-)

(source: "A People's History of the United States: 1492-Present" By Howard Zinn)

C.S. Lewis: "On the Reading of Old Books"

2010-09-19T00:16:00.009-04:00

Check out C.S. Lewis' "On the Reading of Old Books", the introduction to a translation of Athanasius: "On the Incarnation" (De Incarnatione Verbi Dei). I read it a few years ago and forgot just how good it is!

There is a strange idea abroad that in every subject the ancient books should be read only by the professionals, and that the amateur should content himself with the modern books. Thus I have found as a tutor in English Literature that if the average student wants to find out something about Platonism, the very last thing he thinks of doing is to take a translation of Plato off the library shelf and read the Symposium. He would rather read some dreary modern book ten times as long, all about "isms" and influences and only once in twelve pages telling him what Plato actually said. The error is rather an amiable one, for it springs from humility. The student is half afraid to meet one of the great philosophers face to face. He feels himself inadequate and thinks he will not understand him. But if he only knew, the great man, just because of his greatness, is much more intelligible than his modern commentator. The simplest student will be able to understand, if not all, yet a very great deal of what Plato said; but hardly anyone can understand some modern books on Platonism. It has always therefore been one of my main endeavours as a teacher to persuade the young that firsthand knowledge is not only more worth acquiring than secondhand knowledge, but is usually much easier and more delightful to acquire.

(read complete piece...)

Towers of Midnight Trailer

2010-09-08T20:01:00.000-04:00

Trip of a lifetime with my Dad...

2010-06-20T23:30:00.000-04:00

Trip of a lifetime with my Dad. Thank you Dad, I miss you!
John Muir Trail trip Kings Canyon National Park
July 14-19, 1968

1968-07-14_19_John_Muir_trip

looking forward to new book...

2010-06-06T18:46:00.000-04:00

I'm looking forward to Kester Brewin's new book "Other: Loving Self, God and Neighbour in a World of Fractures", to be released in UK this week. Hope it makes it to the US soon.

peace

2010-04-25T20:00:00.002-04:00

This picture of our new kitty Caterina looking at our gerbil Henry reminds me of the famous painting by Edward Hicks of the "Peaceable Kingdom". It is notable that in this situation, peace is maintained by a sturdy layer of glass between them. Someday, the glass will be removed and they will be the best of buddies!

The wolf will romp with the lamb,
the leopard sleep with the kid.
Calf and lion will eat from the same trough,
and a little child will tend them.
Cow and bear will graze the same pasture,
their calves and cubs grow up together,
and the lion eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child will crawl over rattlesnake dens,
the toddler stick his hand down the hole of a serpent.
Neither animal nor human will hurt or kill
on my holy mountain.

Isaiah 11:6-9 (The Message)

some great finds

2010-04-09T19:58:00.002-04:00

I love the library book sale! We found some really great books this afternoon.... and at $1 each... what a deal! BTW, the sale continues Saturday 10am-5pm in case you want to drop in.

One of the books I was excited to find, one for which I have been searching for a while, is "The Prophets" by Abraham Joshua Heschel. I have read other author's quotes of this book over and over, speaking of need for prophetic vision and message in our times. I'm anxious to look anew at the prophets of the Hebrew scripture, and consider what they have to say to us today, to all peoples of all times.

Spring Book Sale!

2010-04-03T18:56:00.001-04:00

You can find great bargains on gently used books at the Friends of the Durham Library book sale. Held in spring and fall, book sales at Main Library offer thousands of used books categorized for easy shopping, as well as audiobooks, CDs and DVDs.

Paperbacks begin at 50 cents and hardbacks at $1.

Friday, April 9, 4 – 7 p.m. Friends members only—join at the door!
Saturday, April 10, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Everyone welcome.
Sunday, April 11, 2 – 5 p.m. Everyone welcome. $7 Bag Sale.

a Vision of the Kingdom

2010-03-22T21:50:00.002-04:00

I have a rule. It's really more of a guideline than a rule, but I still try to follow it. My rule is this:

Whenever I go to a place at which I think I'll have to wait, I bring a book along, to read while waiting.

Here are some examples: going to the DMV, mailing a package at the Post Office, or going to a doctor's appointment. You get the picture. It's really a brilliant idea (not my own, I stole it from a minister's wife I once knew), an idea which has enabled me to read untold hundreds of pages over the years. It's a really, really good rule... most of the time.

The other day, I broke the rule. Well, not exactly, because I wasn't expecting to have to wait. Silly me. Anyway, in I went, sans-book. I had stopped by the eye doctor to get the nose piece replaced on a pair of glasses. It was a small repair, so I thought I'd be in and out in no time. Again, silly me. It was late afternoon, the office was short staffed, and more than a few folks were already there, at various stages in the fitting of their glasses.

So I sat down to wait. There was a really nice looking iMac computer on the counter (maybe to entertain kids while waiting), so I fiddled with it a bit. But it was not connected to the internet, so my interest quickly waned. "Drat" I thought. What WAS I thinking, not bringing a book in?!?! As I quickly surveyed the other patients waiting ahead of me in the queue, contemplating a trip out to the truck to retrieve my book, my eyes rested on a young dad and his little son, perhaps 7-8 years of age. I watched the optician cleaning a pair of glasses as the man, already wearing glasses, and boy watch. The little boy's eyes were growing wide with excitement and anticipation. It was at this point that the Spirit snuck up behind me and peeled back my Eyelids so that I could See, really See, the wonder and holiness just across the room from me.

The boy was getting his first pair of glasses. His dad wore glasses, and now the son was getting some of his very own. As the optician finished cleaning them and gently fit them on the boy's nose and over his ears, I was overcome by the holiness of the moment. The circumstances that had foiled my obeying my "rule" had provided me an opportunity to be Still and See. I was given a priceless Gift, I was given a Moment of Stillness and Silence in my heart to set aside my agenda, my schedule, my "rule", in order to view something priceless... a proud child taking a step in his father's footsteps and beaming in the Joy of the Moment. It was a moment of Enlightenment for me.

As I sat across the room from this Holy scene, I prayed a prayer of thanks for being given such an undeserved gift. My agenda was to read some pages in a book about God. But instead, I was given a Glimpse of God Himself, and his Holiness. Thank You. I go forward from that day with the determination to open my eyes and ears more to those around me, hoping to catch another Glimpse of the Kingdom right in front of my face!

Grace and Peace

Happy Pi Day!

2010-03-14T13:50:00.003-04:00

Wishing all you fellow Pi fans a happy Pi Day 2010! (see Google's tribute at right) Pi was the first irrational number I met in my mathematical life, and has proven to be a faithful friend and extremely useful. At those times when, try as I may, I cannot maintain a rational mood or worldview, my friend Pi reminds me that rationality is not a prerequisite for success in our beautifully mathematical world. Sometimes one has to walk on the wild side of irrationality to fully describe the circle of life in which we find ourselves. We do not have a perfect circle without the irrationality of my friend Pi. We need to embrace the irrationality in our lives that make us perfectly rounded (if that is not too corny to say). Here's to irrationality! Here's to my friend Pi.

interesting thoughts...

2010-03-12T21:45:00.001-05:00

I really like this guy Kester Brewin. I loved his book "Signs of Emergence". Check out some of his recent postings...

Good stuff!

epidemic of Good?

2010-03-07T21:38:00.003-05:00

The following is taken from a book I'm reading during Lent entitled "Power and Passion - Six Characters in Search of Resurrection". It is written by Samuel Wells, the Dean of Duke University Chapel. This selection describes how Christ turns things upside-down as He brings His Kingdom among us:

"I have claimed that Jesus was a real revolutionary in a way that Barabbas and the Zealots were not. I want now to explain that claim under three headings, the first of which is purity. As I have demonstrated, purity lay at the heart of Jewish objection to Roman rule and at the heart of the way different parties responded to it. The high priests were content as long as their own purity and that of their sacrifices were not compromised. The Pharisees saw the land as polluted by Roman occupation and sought to develop an inner purity. The Essenes believed purity was possible only in a secluded community. The Zealots believed no purity really counted as long as the Romans were still present.
- - -
The transformation in purity Jesus brings is most vividly displayed in his encounter with the woman who had been bleeding for twelve years (Mark 5.25—34). The woman, whose sickness made her permanently unclean, came up behind Jesus and touched the ritual fringes on the hem of his cloak. Immediately she was healed. The significance of this story is the way it shows that, for Jesus, infection works contrary to the expectations of Pharisees or Zealots. It is not that the woman’s disease makes Jesus unclean; on the contrary, it is Jesus’ holiness that cleanses the woman. Jesus’ holiness is highly infectious — the woman only touches the hem of his cloak and she is transformed. No longer is life lived in perpetual anxiety about becoming defiled; with Jesus, life is lived in perpetual anticipation of being transformed.
- - -
So to say Jesus brought a revolution whereas the Zealots did not is to refer to the way Jesus transformed the notion of purity. Holiness is not an achievement secured by keeping oneself unsullied by the world. It is an infectious disease caught by keeping close to Jesus and to the people with whom he spent his time."

This reminded me at once of the "Good Infection" that C.S. Lewis described in his classic work "Mere Christianity".

"Now the whole offer which Christianity makes is this: that we can, if we let God have His way, come to share in the life of Christ. If we do, we shall then be sharing a life which was begotten, not made, which always has existed and always will exist. Christ is the Son of God. If we share in this kind of life we also shall be sons of God. We shall love the Father as He does and the Holy Ghost will arise in us. He came to this world and became a man in order to spread to other men the kind of life He has - by what I call 'good infection'. Every Christian is to become a little Christ. The whole purpose of becoming a Christian is simply nothing else."

My hope is that I can be a part of this infectious movement, this revolution of Good, and that all of us who are smitten by this bug will band together to form an epidemic of Good that cannot be stopped, for which there is no cure, and that transforms our world and our reality.

no ordinary people...

2010-03-03T22:31:00.001-05:00

I long for my eyes always to be open to this Truth:

"There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilization these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit immortal horrors or everlasting splendours. This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption. And our charity must be a real and costly love, with deep feeling for the sins in spite of which we love the sinner no mere tolerance or indulgence which parodies love as flippancy parodies merriment. Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbour is the holiest object presented to your senses. If he is your Christian neighbour he is holy in almost the same way, for in him also Christ vere latitat - the glorifier and the glorified, Glory Himself, is truly hidden."

C. S. Lewis
"The Weight of Glory"
June 8, 1941

lets make a difference!!!

2010-03-03T09:09:00.002-05:00

good question!

2010-02-25T23:17:00.005-05:00

read this post entitled "After The Rapture: Who’s Looking After Your Pets?" by Kester Brewin, the author of the excellent book "Signs of Emergence"

working together!

2010-02-14T10:51:00.003-05:00

The latest issue of Durham Magazine has a great cover story of friendship and working together for the Kingdom: in Durham, as it is in Heaven...

In the Current Issue - February/March 2010
From camps to three faithful friends to one awkward opera audition, we've got an eclectic mix of fare in the latest Durham Magazine.

The three gents who grace our cover – Bishop Elroy Lewis, Rabbi John Friedman and The Rev. Joe Harvard – have built a great friendship over decades of putting aside theological differences to be an active force for good.

clever picture

2010-02-13T12:27:00.001-05:00

this is a clever picture that I got from my daughter...

Donald Miller's Response to Pat Robertson’s Comments about Haiti

2010-02-03T21:21:00.001-05:00

Author Donald Miller's response... worth reading.

http://donmilleris.com/2010/01/13/1513/

echos of The Screwtape Letters

2010-01-24T18:36:00.003-05:00

this letter was published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune...

Dear Pat Robertson,

I know that you know that all press is good press, so I appreciate the shout-out. And you make God look like a big mean bully who kicks people when they are down, so I'm all over that action. But when you say that Haiti has made a pact with me, it is totally humiliating. I may be evil incarnate, but I'm no welcher.

The way you put it, making a deal with me leaves folks desperate and impoverished. Sure, in the afterlife, but when I strike bargains with people, they first get something here on earth -- glamour, beauty, talent, wealth, fame, glory, a golden fiddle. Those Haitians have nothing, and I mean nothing. And that was before the earthquake.

Haven't you seen "Crossroads"? Or "Damn Yankees"? If I had a thing going with Haiti, there'd be lots of banks, skyscrapers, SUVs, exclusive night clubs, Botox -- that kind of thing. An 80 percent poverty rate is so not my style. Nothing against it -- I'm just saying: Not how I roll.

You're doing great work, Pat, and I don't want to clip your wings -- just, come on, you're making me look bad. And not the good kind of bad. Keep blaming God. That's working. But leave me out of it, please. Or we may need to renegotiate your own contract.

Best, Satan

LILY COYLE, MINNEAPOLIS

quote

2010-01-15T09:30:00.000-05:00

It is not bigotry to be certain we are right; but it is bigotry to be unable to imagine how we might possibly have gone wrong.

- G. K. Chesterton

The Gathering Storm

2010-01-01T13:09:00.000-05:00

At the end of time,
when the many become one,
the last storm shall gather its angry winds
to destroy a land already dying.
And at its center,
the blind man shall stand
upon his own grave.
There he shall see again,
and weep for what has been wrought.

- from The Prophecies of the Dragon, Essanik Cycle.
Malhavish's Official Translation,
Imperial Record House of Seandar,
Fourth Circle of Elevation.

from "The Gathering Storm"

Christmas Grace

2009-12-23T13:18:00.008-05:00

I remember Jean Valjean saying in Les Miserables that the real punishment of a convict begins after they are released. This story shows how one man is changing that. It's a great reminder of the Christmas spirit of giving and love and grace toward all people!

Kansas City Star - December 23, 2009 - A1 News

Car wash owner hires ex-convicts when others won't. Jobs are scarce out there, no matter how impressive the resume. If that resume listed time in a state penitentiary, imagine just how much more scarce. Nearly 700,000 people are released from federal and state prisons to their communities each year, about 25,000 between Missouri and Kansas. Where do they go? Some end up with a job and pick up a rag at the bright orange and blue All Seasons Car Wash. Here at 1510 Truman Road is found one of the grittier tales of good will...

(complete article here)

Make Love, not war.

2009-11-27T19:29:00.005-05:00

Make Love, not war. Let's end the myth of redemptive violence.

"Violence is for those who have lost their imagination. Has your country lost its imagination?" (hospital administrator in Iraq)

"Our world is desperately in need of imagination, for we have spent so much creativity devising ways of destroying our enemies that some folks don't even think it's possible (much less practical) to love them. We have placed such idolatrous faith in our ability to protect ourselves that we call it more courageous to die killing than to die loving."

Shane Claiborne - The Irresistible Revolution

"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."

Jesus - Luke 6:27-36

I can relate...

2009-11-22T18:37:00.000-05:00

read the whole article on the "Out of Ur" blog.

the journey continues

2009-11-08T21:01:00.006-05:00

It has been nearly eight months since I wrote about my friend and I completing our fantastic 18 month journey through the 11 books of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series. But our milestone, albeit a major one, was not the journey's end. It gave way to a season of pause... to reflect, to appreciate, to anticipate, and to mourn. Sadly, Mr. Jordan died before completing The Wheel of Time. His passing left a chasm that cannot be filled. He was a unique and special soul, and he cannot be replaced. But, thanks be to the Light, Mr. Jordan passed the torch, albeit indirectly, to Mr. Brandon Sanderson. Mr. Sanderson will take us on the remaining journey, a journey with the characters we know and love, to the fascinating places we have savored, experiencing the amazing events as the Wheel turns toward the Last Battle. He will bring us the story that Mr. Jordan envisioned, all the way through to the ending that Mr. Jordan himself wrote before his passing. As I pick up The Gathering Storm, volume 12 of 14 of The Wheel of Time, I'm filled with excitement. Just finishing the Prologue, I already find myself caught up in this epic tale of good and evil, of humans like us making choices which will affect the outcome of the Last Battle.

Our season of waiting is over this weekend as we set out once again to complete the Journey. Mr. Jordan, thank you for the wonderful journey. I give back to you the words that you wrote so many years ago:

"The Light shine on you, and the Creator shelter you. The last embrace of the mother welcome you home."

- Shienaran eulogy, ch.10 "The Great Hunt"

into Aslan's country

2009-11-02T05:17:00.002-05:00

Our Maisy has gone to join Cassie and Callie (our passed kitties) in Aslan's country, where they are all talking animals now. We will miss her very much, but we are grateful for all the wonderful years she shared with us. The Pinnacles, Wilburn Ridge, the (not so) wild ponies, and Mt. Rogers were just practice for high adventure in Aslan's country. Further in and higher up!

"The creatures came rushing on, their eyes brighter and brighter as they drew nearer and nearer to the standing Stars. But as they came right up to Aslan... they looked in the face of Asian and loved him, though some of them were very frightened at the same time. And all these came in at the Door, in on Asian’s right...

“Further in and higher up!” cried Roonwit and thundered away in a gallop to the West. And though they did not understand him, the words somehow set them tingling all over. The Boar grunted at them cheerfully. The Bear was just going to mutter that he still didn’t understand, when he caught sight of the fruit-trees behind them. He waddled to those trees as fast as he could and there, no doubt, found something he understood very well. But the Dogs remained, wagging their tails...

Aslan said... “The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning.”

And as He spoke He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before."

C.S. Lewis - "The Last Battle" - The Chronicles of Narnia

democracy of the dead

2009-10-24T08:06:00.014-04:00

"democracy of the dead" - that title has a good halloween ring to it. I'm reading a fantastic book by Brian McLaren entitled "A Generous Orthodoxy". I recommend it highly, and I'd love to be a part of a group study of the book. In the chapter "Why I Am catholic", McLaren quotes one of the many brilliant passages from G. K. Chesterton's classic book "Orthodoxy". The wisdom of Chesterton is something we are sorely in need of today. Savour the wisdom in this passage. Read it several times if need be. It is rich.

But there is one thing that I have never from my youth up been able to understand. I have never been able to understand where people got the idea that democracy was in some way opposed to tradition. It is obvious that tradition is only democracy extended through time. It is trusting to a consensus of common human voices rather than to some isolated or arbitrary record...
It is quite easy to see why a legend is treated, and ought to be treated, more respectfully than a book of history. The legend is generally made by the majority of people in the village. The book is generally written by the one man in the village who is mad...
If we attach great importance to the opinion of ordinary men in great unanimity when we are dealing with daily matters, there is no reason why we should disregard it when we are dealing with history or fable. Tradition may be defined as an extension of the franchise. Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about. All democrats object to men being disqualified by the accident of birth; tradition objects to their being disqualified by the accident of death. Democracy tells us not to neglect a good man’s opinion, even if he is our groom; tradition asks us not to neglect a good man’s opinion, even if he is our father. I, at any rate, cannot separate the two ideas of democracy and tradition; it seems evident to me that they are the same idea. We will have the dead at our councils.

G. K. Chesterton in "Orthodoxy", pg 52-53

subtle but huge distinction

2009-10-20T19:03:00.008-04:00

The following is from the Introduction to the book "From Achilles to Christ" by Dr. Louis Markos. This subtle but huge distinction is often overlooked in the way we define Truth, and the way we view the Bible. The more I read and learn, the more I realize the importance of a proper view of scripture and not equating scripture with Truth. As Christians, we believe that the ultimate Truth was revealed to us in Jesus.

"Many Christians, particularly evangelicals like myself, are prone to claim that the Bible is the ultimate source of truth. But that is not technically true. Christ, not the Bible, is the ultimate source of truth; the Bible is but the most perfect and reliable embodiment of that truth which resides in Christ alone. Indeed, in the Gospel of John, Christ tells his disciples that he is the truth (14:6). The distinction here is vital. If it is the living Messiah and not a single book that is the source of truth, then it is possible for that truth (albeit in a lesser, fragmented form) to appear throughout the imaginative literature of the ancient pre-Christian world.

We have all been programmed by our Creator with a desire to seek and yearn after the God who is truth. If it is true, as Paul teaches in Acts 17:26-28, that we were all made in his image, that he is not far from us, that in him we live and move and have our being, then it must also be true that those timeless works of ancient Greece and Rome that record the musings of humanity’s greatest seekers and yearners will contain traces, remnants and intimations of that wisdom which made us.

Truth is limited neither to the Scriptures nor to the sacred tradition; the Bible, though it tells us all we need to know to find salvation in and through Jesus Christ, does not attempt or purport to be an encyclopedia of all knowledge and wisdom. It can lead us to Christ and can instruct us in the rudiments of our faith, but it cannot answer all our questions nor can it satisfy all our deepest desires and yearnings for truth, beauty and understanding. God speaks to us in many other ways and through many other media. Though the Scriptures must ever act as the touchstone against which all such communications are to be measured, we must not allow puritan suspicion of the moral value and doctrinal status of humanistic pursuits to prevent us from accessing these messages from our Creator."

excellent book!

2009-10-11T19:32:00.004-04:00

This past week, I read UNC Professor Bart Ehrman's book entitled "Misquoting Jesus". It is an excellent book! It is not the attack on faith and scripture that I was expecting. Rather, it is a scholarly, yet accessible, work on how our scriptures came to us! I find my faith and understanding of the scriptures strengthened, not shaken! I now have a better understanding of the alternate versions of the text which appear in the footnotes of my study bibles. I have also gained a deep respect for the hundreds of people over the course of history who have dedicated their lives to finding the text of the original manuscripts, helping to bring us closer to the them, and to the authors who penned them. The investigative process that Dr. Ehrman and others use is fascinating, and I'm encouraged that this work has been and is taken very seriously. I recommend this book to anyone seeking a better understanding of the processes through which the Bible has come to us.

Automated Facebook Attack underway

2009-10-02T11:53:00.006-04:00

Automated Facebook Attack underway - AVG Blogs | Roger Thompson

Shared via AddThis

The Great Reversal

2009-09-07T08:51:00.007-04:00

Walking with the crowds
Carried along by the pressing forward.
Each one eager to get ahead
But each one starting the same:

Born as a baby, and from then on, struggling towards meaning, power and influence.
Be someone
Be remembered
Make a big impression.
Leave some indelible mark in your 3 score years and 10.

From birth, a struggle to find eternity, to burst through life with such dazzling intensity, that everyone will remember forever.
But walking the other way, picking out a route against the crowds, a solitary figure passes me... passes all of us - all straining away innocence, to be someone,
And he passes us, a quiet chaos in the crowd.

Christ, eternal, omniscient, creator; beyond time, source of wisdom and beyond petty claims of influence. . . in very nature God, slips into reverse and walks back past us - away from Kingship, away from power, away from influence, away from eternity, away from wisdom. . . towards infancy.
Calmly stepping into the body of a tiny child.

And even as this baby grows, figuring out how to control the body he himself designed, he still walks the
other way, realising that life cannot be found in the struggle for permanence, but in giving it up.

This Great Reversal subverts me. Tired of pressing forward, I realise I need to turn, for what I have been searching for has just walked past me the other way.

Quoted in the book Signs of Emergence from VX23: see www.vaux.net for an extensive archive of Vaux writing.

my neighbor

2009-08-29T13:09:00.007-04:00

Please read this article, "Black man walking", from The Durham News. This story happened in my neighborhood, to one of my neighbors. It saddens me to read that this reality still exists in my city, in my neighborhood, and at this time in our history. I pray for the Unity and Grace and Love of God's Kingdom to overwhelm and snuff out this reality. And I pray for Him to show me, minute by minute, my part in making it so.

Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, in Earth, in America, in North Carolina, in Durham, and right here in my neighborhood, today.

Cassie

2009-07-27T21:54:00.006-04:00

Sweet Dreams Kitty. :-)

Seven Pounds of Guilt?

2009-07-12T13:26:00.011-04:00

Last night, we watched the film "Seven Pounds". It had been recommended to us by many folks, and we were anxious to finally see it.

"Seven Pounds" is a fascinating story of a man doing his best to repay a great debt he had incurred with humanity... the taking of seven lives in a moment of carelessness. The story is presented in many pieces, and I found myself riveted to the screen as I took in as many details as possible, hoping to assemble the pieces into the whole story. This assembly eventually came (but due to my characteristic "slowness" in putting together the whole story, it came near the end of the movie), and when everything clicked into place, I was left disappointed and saddened by the apparent messages of the story.

The primary character, Tim, indeed put forth a remarkable effort toward redeeming himself of the debt he felt he owed to humanity. In essence, he saved seven lives, even at the cost of his own, in order to atone for the seven lives he had taken. He accomplished this atonement by giving life saving gifts, mostly in the form of organ donations, to the fortunate recipients. Which leads me to one of the troubling aspects. I've read in other reviews that these gifts were given in the spirit of grace. But I think they were not. Before each gift was given, Tim carefully and sometimes ruthlessly evaluated each recipient's worthiness of the gift. He even denied the gifts to some he judged unworthy. While this all seems fair and just and noble in our contemporary worldview, it is not a picture of the Grace that we receive from God, the same Grace that we are called to bestow on others. Tim's grace definitely had some strings attached, and was to some degree earned by the recipient. This left me sad.

My other disappointment with the story is that Tim lived the rest of his life under the belief that he alone could atone for his debt. Again, on the surface, this seems very fair and just in the perspective of our contemporary worldview. Tim was willing to pay his debt to society and did so at the cost of his own life. But I see an atonement that depended solely on Tim. His redemption was self earned, and all up to him. And it was driven by the constant weight of guilt and debt that he, presumably, was only able to relieve through the seven life saving gifts he made. Tim lived the remainder of his life under the weight of the Law. He did not experience Grace for himself. Again, I was left saddened, and disappointed by this message in the story.

In "Seven Pounds", I had hoped for a picture of real Grace and Redemption, not a modern day parable of a life under the burden of the Moral Law which none of us can keep. It is nice that Tim took responsibility for his debt and his careless actions. But his lifelong burden and enslavement to make things right by his own efforts paints a powerful picture how badly the world is in need of the perfect Grace and Freedom that is offered us by God. Tim may have "evened the score" in one respect, but he lost more than his physical life in the process. He gave up Joy, true Grace, and perhaps lost his Soul as well.

the temptation of power

2009-07-08T08:29:00.007-04:00

Jacques Ellul wrote:

"We have to say very forcefully that we see here the perversion of revelation by participation in politics, by the seeking of power. The church lets itself be seduced, invaded, dominated by the ease with which it can now spread the gospel by force (another force than that of God) and use its influence to make the state, too, Christian. It is great acquiescence to the temptation Jesus himself resisted, for when Satan offers to give him all the kingdoms of earth, Jesus refuses, but the church accepts, not realizing from whom it is receiving the kingdoms."

This so reminds me of the agenda of the so-called "Christian right" which has been so powerful over the past few decades. It would be wise to note from whom they receive their power and influence.

Jacques Ellul, "The Subversion of Christianity", p.124

it's that time again!!!

2009-06-25T21:05:00.004-04:00

It's that time again!!!

2009 Summer Book Sale
Friday, June 26, 4 – 7 p.m. Friends members only—join at the door!
Saturday, June 27, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Everyone welcome.
Sunday, June 28, 2 – 5 p.m. Everyone welcome. $7 Bag Sale, auditorium only.

blog-worthy

2009-06-03T22:16:00.011-04:00

My recent reading has not been very blog-worthy. (not to be confused with sponge-worthy! Seinfeld has indeed burned itself indelibly on my subconscious. Thanks Elaine!)

Following the elimination of my previous position (and with it, my job) in Texas Instruments' January RIF, I've been focusing most of my energy and attention on starting my own company, and working very hard on my first significant sized job. Part of building a new business is tailoring one's expertise specifically to one's clients' needs. In this case, one of those needs is to install and configure a server running Microsoft Small Business Server operating system. Therefore, my recent reading has been fairly un-blog-worthy. For example...Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 Administrator's Companion
that is a page-turner, let me tell you!

OK, software books and kidding aside, I did read something pretty amazing recently in the back of a book I read last year. The book is entitled "The Ragamuffin Gospel" by Brennan Manning. I loved the book when I read it, but for some reason, I did not read the Appendix which is entitled "19 Mercies: A Spiritual Journey". I still have not read it all, but I stumbled upon one of them that I want to share here. It especially resonated with me after reading "The Shack" twice, and meeting the author a few weeks ago. It is from page 239-240 of "The Ragamuffin Gospel", and it speaks for itself:

8. The God who is love.

A second radical message from Jesus about the Father is that God is love. It sounds almost trite, doesn't it? But a comparative study of world religions will show how striking and novel is the Christian affirmation that God is love.

That means that all God does is love. Not only that God is love, but that God is loving - in fact, the He always acts in a loving way. Just as the sun only shines, conferring its light and warmth on those who will receive them, so God only loves, shedding His light and warmth on those who would receive them.

All changes in the quality of a Christian's life grow out of a change in one's vision of reality. Jesus said, "You will come to know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32)

Therefore, I ask you: Do you really believe that God is unchangeably, unalterably loving? And have you let that change your personal vision of reality .. every hidden corner and embarrassing shadow and intense desire of it? Your personal transformation begins here.

When I was a little boy, I had a naive idea that when I went to confession, God was frowning on me because I had been bad. As soon as I confessed my sins, God would begin to smile again. Somehow my confession implied a change in God. How absurd! My confession only implies a change in me.

Now I understand things differently. More like this: You and I are standing in the middle of a spotlight on the platform of a church; the rest of the church is in darkness, but we are in bright light. To me this scene is a good image of ragamuffins living in a state of grace. Now, suppose that you or I commit grave, deliberate sin. What happens? We step aside into shadows, but the light remains shining. God's love never changes - we have simply chosen to step away from it. When we repent, we come back into the light of God's love, which has always been there.

Reading: I John 4:7-16

Grace is the majesty, the freedom,
the undeservedness, the unexpectedness, the newness,
the arbitrariness, in which a relationship to God and
therefore the possibility of knowing Him is opened up to
man by God Himself ... Grace is God's good pleasure.

Karl Barth

a gem of Wisdom from "The Shack"

2009-05-19T13:13:00.008-04:00

This is a gem of Wisdom from the book "The Shack" which i need to remember more often than I'd like to admit...

"... my love is a lot bigger than your stupidity"

Papa to Mack

I can't believe it!

2009-05-16T18:31:00.012-04:00

I cannot believe it!!! After waiting for years and years... decades actually... I've just discovered that one of my favorite films has FINALLY been released on DVD. The movie is Cannery Row starring Nick Nolte and Debra Winger. This movie is a must see. It is a wonderfully acted and narrated adaptation of John Steinbeck's novels Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday. John Huston's narration is marvelous. The characters are endearing and will wiggle their way into your heart. I haven't been able to watch it for years, because I do not have a copy (YET), but I cannot wait to get my hands on the DVD and savor it anew. This film is a work of art and will always be a classic to me. Get a copy and watch it, you won't be sorry!

Love Shack

2009-05-04T17:28:00.006-04:00

Yesterday was amazing. I am still swimming in the sea of Love and Grace and Healing we experienced together at newhope church. Mr. Paul Young, author of the amazing book entitled "The Shack", shared his story with us. I am still in awe of the Work of Papa in his life. We felt the Spirit move strongly in the house. The message and demonstration of God's healing and re-creative Power that we experienced changed lives. We will never be the same. I encourage you, if you were not present with us at newhope church yesterday, to listen to Paul's story here at newhopenc.org. I hope God's Spirit speaks to you the words you need. You will never be the same again. And once again, I want to share one of my favorite quotes from "The Shack", words that paint a beautiful picture of the Kingdom into which we are called to be a part:

"Mack, if anything matters then everything matters. Because you are important, everything you do is important. Every time you forgive, the universe changes; every time you reach out and touch a heart or a life, the world changes; with every kindness and service, seen or unseen, my purposes are accomplished and nothing will ever be the same again." -- Sarayu

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Amen

springtime beauty

2009-04-22T09:38:00.000-04:00

N.T. Wright on the Resurrection

2009-04-06T19:19:00.016-04:00

I'm reading a book by N.T. Wright entitled "Surprised by Hope - Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church". It is excellent reading, and probably merits re-reading multiple times. I just finished reading Chapter 4 entitled "The Strange Story of Easter". It is a very interesting discussion of the many ways people look at the resurrection of Jesus.

Wright discusses the challenge presented by the Resurrection:

"The challenge is in fact the challenge of new creation. To put it at its most basic: the resurrection of Jesus offers itself, to the student of history or science no less than the Christian or the theologian, not as an odd event within the world as it is but as the utterly characteristic, prototypical, and foundational event within the world as it has begun to be. It is not an absurd event within the old world but the symbol and starting point of the new world. The claim advanced in Christianity is of that magnitude: Jesus of Nazareth ushers in not simply a new religious possibility, not simply a new ethic or a new way of salvation, but a new creation."

The beginning of a new creation! That is exciting! He continues...

"And this is the point where believing in the resurrection of Jesus suddenly ceases to be a matter of inquiring about an odd event in the first century and becomes a matter of rediscovering hope in the twenty-first century. Hope is what you get when you suddenly realize that a different worldview is possible, a worldview in which the rich, the powerful, and the unscrupulous do not after all have the last word. The same worldview shift that will enable us to transform the world."

This is the first book by Wright which I've read, but from what I've read so far, it will not be the last! I think it is cool that I reached this chapter "The Strange Story of Easter" during Holy Week. Very cool.

ps. see also "Easter's Challenge to Empire" (by N.T. Wright)

pps. check out Bishop Wright on the Colbert Report. A friend pointed it out to me...

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Bishop N.T. Wright

colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

NASA Name Contest

major score!

2009-03-27T20:36:00.005-04:00

We are loving the Friends of the Durham Library book sale!

Gordon MacDonald's take on "The Shack"

2009-03-24T14:47:00.012-04:00

Check out this very interesting analogy of The Shack to Psalm 23! I like Mr. MacDonald's insight.

"The Shack" by King David
Why certain stories disturb many and comfort so many more.
by Gordon MacDonald

Soon after William Paul Young's The Shack hit the bookstores, a friend handed me a copy and said, "You need to read this; it's going to be the next best-seller."

I put the book on my "to read" pile, and it remained there for several weeks. Then, in an idle moment, I picked it up and scanned the first few pages. Soon I stopped scanning and started reading.

| Finish the article |

Spring Book Sale!

2009-03-24T06:56:00.004-04:00

It's time for the Friends of the Durham Library Spring Book Sale!!!

2009 Spring Book Sale
Friday, March 27, 4 – 7 p.m. Friends members only—join at the door!
Saturday, March 28, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Everyone welcome.
Sunday, March 29, 2 – 5 p.m. Everyone welcome. $7 Bag Sale, auditorium only.

Bruce on The Daily Show!

2009-03-20T06:32:00.004-04:00

Check it out! Bruuuuuuuuuuce!!!!

weekend of milestones

2009-03-15T13:45:00.018-04:00

This has been a weekend of milestones for me. Two 18 month projects have reached completion, and at the same time, are to be continued...

Last night, I finished reading the last published volume of a truly wonderful fantasy series by Robert Jordan entitled "The Wheel of Time". A friend of mine and I started this journey 18 months ago, in Sept 2007. This series is one of my daughter's favorites (she has read it many times) and I decided that I wanted to share the experience that she loved so much. In 7,564 pages, 3,430,682 words (who's counting? ), Robert Jordan transported me into another world, a world so real, and with so much depth, that I feel that I have been there. I know the characters. I love and care deeply for some of them. I have seen the geography. I have experienced the magic. I have learned of cultures and peoples and historical events which shaped the world of "The Wheel of Time". In short, I have taken an 18 month trip that I'll never forget, a trip that will always be a part of me, for the rest of my life. And what a fantastic journey it was!

I'm so grateful to my daughter for giving me the first two volumes, and then for encouraging me along the way. We've had such great times talking about the story, sharing our insights and feelings about the events, the people, the cultures, the history. It has been a fun, fantastic, enriching experience. In addition, I'm grateful to my friend who embarked on this journey with me. He was hooked not very far into the first volume ("The Eye of the World", pictured above). I have enjoyed all the time he and I have spent talking, e-mailing, and IMing about the story. Taking a trip is fun, but it's so much more fun to travel with a companion. I'm thankful to my friend for sticking with me for this journey so far...

I say "so far" because the journey is not complete. Sadly, Robert Jordan died last year, before completing the twelfth and final volume entitled "A Memory of Light". He suffered an untimely death on September 16, 2007 from cardiac amyloidosis. His passing was a great loss to the world, especially to those of us who love his writing. Brandon Sanderson has taken on the task of completing this final volume from the partially completed manuscript and the detailed notes and recordings that Jordan left behind. I am eagerly looking forward to completing this fantastic journey, that has become a part of my life. To be continued...

My other milestone was this morning. 18 months ago, newhope church began a visionary project to build a new home base for ministry in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina. This morning was our first Worship in our new building. I do not have the words to describe how wonderful this morning was. How Great is our God! The weather was cold and raining, as it has been for the past 2 days, weather in which no one wants to be. Yet the rain was from Above, a rain of Blessings. Both services were packed, the 2nd service being standing room only. The Worship and the Teaching were wonderful. After 18 months of hard work, planning, prayer, and following God's leadership, as of this morning, newhope church has a base from which to reach out in love, grace, and healing to the people of the Research Triangle and beyond. How Great is our God!

(see The Dream of newhope church)

And once again, this morning is not the completion, but is rather a step, a milestone along the way, as God works through His body at newhope. I am excited and anxious to see what lays ahead for us, and to be a part of His Kingdom, on earth as it is in heaven.

To be continued...

Like a Child - Rob Bell

2009-03-04T19:57:00.008-05:00

Check out Rob Bell's great teaching on the John chapter 1. Great stuff!

January 18th, 2009

MP3

Like a Child - Rob Bell

http://www.marshill.org/teaching/

Blinded by the Law

2009-03-02T08:19:00.012-05:00

John 5:1-17 tells the story of a man who was paralyzed for 38 years. The man was lying on a mat by a pool that was believed to possess healing powers for the first person into the water after an angel of the Lord stirred it up.

6) When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?"
7) "Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me."
8) Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk."
9) At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath,
10) and so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat."

The reaction of the Jews, the religious establishment, was to attack the man for not keeping their legalistic view of the Sabbath. Their worldview was so firmly rooted in their interpretation of the Law that, instead of seeing a miracle, all they could see was a man carrying his mat on the Sabbath! They must have known the man, he had been living with this disability in their community for 38 years. He hung out at this public pool, waiting for a chance to be healed. But the Jews, instead of rejoicing with the man and praising God for the miracle of healing, judged and attacked him. Their religion blinded them to the Grace and Healing of God. They were witness to a miracle and blew it. They missed it.

Why does this sound so familiar? I think it is because the Truth in this story is timeless. We so easily fall into the same trap as these religious folks did. When we see hurting people healed, broken people mended, dysfunctional people finding direction, when we see God at work. So often, we critique theology or methods that may differ from our own religious traditions, instead of praising God for His Grace and Healing. We should praise God wherever He is at work. We should praise God no matter who He is working through. We should join God where He is at work. God is so much bigger than the religious boxes we try to force Him into.

I think that when we see God in the box of our traditions and religion, the box is really like the frame of a window, a window in a box into which WE have confined ourselves. God is outside, unconfined, like sunshine and radiance pouring in. If we want to see God, we need to keep our window clean and clear of the smudges and haze that this world deposits on it. We need to draw closer to our window, to gain a wider view of the bright Outside, instead of backing away from it. Backing away only narrows our field of Vision. Better yet, we can work to enlarge our window, to let more of Him into our life. Or best of all, open our window and crawl out into the bright Morning of His Day, freeing ourselves from our religious box. Maybe crawling out is not an option in this life, maybe we will instead be lifted out of the window, in His Hands, when this life is over. In the meantime, my hope and prayer is to draw close to my window, work to keep it clean and clear, and to make it bigger, all with His help. If I get close enough, maybe I'll forget about my box altogether. :-)

(photo by swamprose)

Greater Things

2009-02-27T07:04:00.033-05:00

Marriage at Cana by Giotto

Immediately preceding chapter 2, John tells us how Jesus had told Nathanael:

50) Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that."

I wonder if Nathanael had any idea what Jesus had in mind when he said "greater things".

John goes on to describe in chapter 2 the story of Jesus turning the water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana. John describes this transformation in John 2:11 as the first of Jesus' miraculous signs.

Lately, I've been hearing the phrase "greater things" over and over. The lyrics of Chris Tomlin's (fantastic) song "God of This City" declare:

Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City

After being laid off from my job of nearly 15 years, I've been assured by friends praying for me that greater things are in store. As my church prepares to move into a new, much larger building, we have claimed greater things for the mission of ministry into which God has called us.

"Greater things" sounds great. For my city, I envision better relationships between all the very different people living in our community. For my job, I envision a pay increase, or a position that is better suited to my calling and passion for work. For my church, I envision reaching hundreds more people with the message of God's Love and Grace. I'm not sure what Nathanael envisioned when he heard Jesus promise "greater things". Maybe hope for some relief from Roman taxes and oppression? Maybe a promise of more freedom to worship God instead of bowing to Caesar? Who knows? It doesn't say.

There is no question, those things would have been greater. But I suspect Nathanael wasn't expecting the miracle, the sign from God, that Jesus performed at the wedding. At that wedding party in Cana, Jesus took "greater things" to a "Whole Nutha Level ". Which leads me to wonder... are my expectations for "greater things" measured on my limited scale of "greater", or am I using God's scale?

"Lord, open my eyes, to envision 'greater things' on Your scale, not mine."

John 1 - The Word

2009-02-26T09:18:00.021-05:00

John Chapter 1 is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. The Word of God. Often we hear the Bible itself referred to as the "Word of God". But this seems a bit of a misnomer after some reflection on John 1. As wonderful and truth-filled as our scriptures are, I see the books, the chapters, the sentences, the words, and even the letters all step aside as they testify to and witness to and focus on the True Word of God, Christ. This Word is described so beautifully in John chapter 1.

1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2) He was in the beginning with God. 3) All things came into being through him. And without him not one thing came into being that has come into being 4) In him was life, and the life was the light of all people.

Wow. Then it goes on to say...

14) And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth.

C.S. Lewis writes about this in Mere Christianity:

"He is the self-expression of the Father-what the Father has to say. And there never was a time when He was not saying it."

and from a side-note in my Bible:

Jesus the Word
John used language with special meaning for both Greek and Jewish readers. In Greek philosophy, "word" (logos) was a key term, often referring to the power of reason undergirding all creation. For Jews, too, "word" had great significance, for God spoke his word to create the world and to transform his people. Yet John's meaning passed beyond the Greek and Jewish ideas. An eight-year-old girl expressed it well. When asked why Jesus was called the Word, she said, "Because Jesus is all God wanted to say to us."

Yep. She got it. If we are to know God, we need to know the Word, Jesus.

Something else jumped out at me in John Chapter 1... something that hadn't before. Some priests and Levites were sent to John to find out who he was. After a series of incorrect guesses, they repeated their question:

22) Then they said to him, "Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"
23) He said,
"I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord'"
as the prophet Isaiah said.

Part of John's answer jumped out at me... "I am the voice of one". I'm still computing on that phrase. Seems like it should apply to me too. I have a voice. I feel like I'm in the wilderness at times. Am I crying out? Does what I say and do "Make straight the way of the Lord"? What do I "say" about myself? When asked who I am, how do I answer? Or more importantly, regardless of how I answer out loud, what is the real answer to who I am and what I am saying with my life? Hard stuff.

To be continued...

Lars and the Real Girl

2009-02-14T22:58:00.007-05:00

We watched a really great movie this evening called "Lars and the Real Girl". There are many wonderful, in fact, downright inspirational aspects to this film. I was very moved by the support of Lars family for him, and the unified support of his community. I think that we can all learn from this movie, about how to love and support someone with extraordinary needs, helping them to walk through rough times, and to grow beyond them. I highly recommend viewing this movie if you have the chance. It is available to rent on DVD. (read review)

interview with Adam

2009-02-10T09:08:00.012-05:00

Check out this excellent interview with Adam Hamilton in the Wesley Report. Also, check out his blog, and his sermons at the Church of the Resurrection website. Adam's wisdom, insight, and surrender to God's Word inspire and challenge me. I hope you are blessed as well.

In addition, Adam's new book entitled "Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity" sounds like a must-read. It is reviewed here. I want to get a copy and read it ASAP.

day by day

2009-02-08T07:09:00.006-05:00

"I suppose living from day to day ('take no thought for the morrow?') is precisely what we have to learn - though the Old Adam in me sometimes murmurs that if God wanted me to live like the lilies of the field, I wonder He didn't give me the same lack of nerves and imagination as they enjoy! Or is that just the point, the precise purpose of this Divine paradox and audacity called Man - to do with the mind what other organisms do without it?"

C.S. Lewis in a letter to Mary Willis Shelburne 30 Oct 1958

the edge of the cliff

2009-01-28T14:34:00.007-05:00

A friend sent this to me today. Awesome timing.

I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
Revelation 3:8

When God leads you to the edge of the cliff, trust Him fully and let go, only 1 of 2 things will happen, either He'll catch you when you fall, or He'll teach you how to fly! 'The power of one sentence! God is going to shift things around for you today and let things work in your favor. If you believe, send it. If you don't believe, delete it. God closes doors no man can open & God opens doors no man can close. If you need God to open some doors for you...send this to ten people. Have a blessed day and remember to be a blessing...

A "higher" judge?

2009-01-24T09:36:00.005-05:00

Oh how easy this is to say, but how difficult it is to actually do.

"I think that if God forgives us we must forgive ourselves. Otherwise it is almost like setting up ourselves as a higher tribunal than Him."

C.S. Lewis in a letter to a Miss Breckenridge 19 April 1951

Do It Again!

2009-01-18T17:17:00.011-05:00

"All the towering materialism which dominates the modern mind rests ultimately upon one assumption; a false assumption. It is supposed that if a thing goes on repeating itself, it is probably dead; a piece of clockwork. People feel that if the universe was personal, it would vary; if the sun were alive, it would dance...
...The sun rises every morning. I do not rise every morning; but the variation is due not to my activity, but to my inaction. Now to put the matter in a popular phrase, it might be true that the sun rises regularly because he never gets tired of rising. His routine might be due, not to lifelessness, but to a rush of life. The thing I mean can be seen, for instance, in children. when they find some game or joke that they specially enjoy. A child kicks his legs rhythmically through excess, not absence, of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, "Do it again"; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again" to the sun; and every evening, "Do it again" to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite for infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we."

G.K. Chesterton in "Orthodoxy", Chapter IV, "The Ethics of Elfland"

Cats and Dogs

2009-01-16T15:22:00.008-05:00

From Dogs and Kitties

"We were talking about cats and dogs the other day and decided that both have consciences but the dog, being an honest, humble person, always has a bad one, but the cat is a Pharisee and always has a good one. When he sits and stares you out of countenance he is thanking God that he is not as these dogs, or these humans, or even as these other cats!"

C.S. Lewis on Luke 18:9-14,
in a letter to Mary Willis Shelburne
12 March 1955

The Shack

2008-12-31T18:53:00.016-05:00

http://theshackbook.com/

"Mack, if anything matters then everything matters. Because you are important, everything you do is important. Every time you forgive, the universe changes; every time you reach out and touch a heart or a life, the world changes; with every kindness and service, seen or unseen, my purposes are accomplished and nothing will ever be the same again." -- Sarayu

If you have not read this book, get a copy and read it! It is an exceptional parable on the Person and Nature of God and His relationship with us. I am in awe at the reverence and love the author put into writing this wonderful story. I am inspired and challenged by this story. Please read it, and spread the word to everyone you know. This story will change lives.

Interview with William P. Young
William P. Young's blog
Paul Young’s Short Bio

Ekklesia

2008-12-28T12:07:00.008-05:00

check out this excellent sermon:

Title: Ekklesia
Preaching/Speaking: Rev. Adam Hamilton
Date Presented: Oct 19, 2008
Sermon Series: Illuminate
http://www.cor.org/worship-sermons/sermons/show/sermons/Why-Are-We-Here/

the Month before Christmas?

2008-12-15T22:30:00.014-05:00

You know, after watching the Advent Conspiracy video, reading this little poem included below (which was forwarded to me by e-mail) makes me think that the solution for putting "Christ back into Christmas" is NOT undoing all the politically correct holiday phrases as the poem suggests. Joining together with other Christians to wish "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays" does not put Christ back in Christmas. Instead, as the Advent Conspiracy video points out, we should be putting Christ back into OUR LIVES! Surrendering our lives to Christ and loving and serving others will make Christmas (God wrapped up in human flesh) real again. It takes more than clever bumper stickers, Jesus bling from the Christian bookstore, or singing Christmas carols, to put Christ back in Christmas. "Christians" are the "Christ" who are missing from Christmas. We are to be His body, but instead of giving the love and grace of Christ to others, we are debating what we should call this season and how to spread the word. Talk and words are pretty cheap. The Word of God taking on human flesh is not. The unbelieving world aren't the ones leaving Christ out of Christmas, they don't even know Him. "Christians" are the ones who have dropped the ball on this one. We are the ones who are missing. We are to be the Christ in Christmas!

Subject: Twas the Month before Christmas...

Twas the month before Christmas
When all through our land,
Not a Christian was praying
Nor taking a stand.
See the PC Police had taken away,
The reason for Christmas - no one could say.
The children were told by their schools not to sing,
About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.
It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say
December 25th is just a 'Holiday'
Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit
pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!
CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod
Something was changing, something quite odd!
Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa
In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.
As Targets were hanging their trees upside down
At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.
At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears
You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.
Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty
Are words that were used to intimidate me.
Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen
On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!
At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter
To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.
And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith
Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace
The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded
The reason for the season, stopped before it started.
So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'
Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.
Choose your words carefully, choose what you say
Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS ,not Happy Holiday!
All Christians join together and wish everyone you meet

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Christ is The Reason for the Christ-mas Season!

If you agree forward, if not, simply delete.

ps. I'm going to comment on what I wrote above. I apologize if I was overly critical of folk's efforts to put Christ back in Christmas. I think they are well meaning and that the efforts will be blessed if done in the right spirit. But I don't believe that is the full solution. I believe that the solution to putting Christ back in Christmas is for us to incarnate Christ in our lives, especially at this time of year when we celebrate His Incarnation among us. Immanuel. God is with us.

On Suffering

2008-12-13T16:01:00.007-05:00

We are told that even those tribulations which fall upon us by necessity, if embraced for Christ's sake, become as meritorious as voluntary sufferings, and every missed meal can be converted into a fast if taken in the right way.
- letter to Mary Willis Shelburne Aug 10, 1953

.. you know already the things we have been taught - that suffering can (but oh!, with what difficulty) be offered to God as our part in the whole redemptive suffering: that suffering itself does not fester of poison, but resentment does: that sufferings which (heaven knows) fell on us without and against our will can be so taken that they are as saving and purifying as the voluntary sufferings of martyrs and ascetics.
- letter to Mrs. D. Jessup Jan 5, 1954

taken from "Yours, Jack - Spiritual Direction from C.S. Lewis" Paul F. Ford ed.

I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.
- Colossians 1:24 - NRSV

Advent Conspiracy

2008-12-12T21:09:00.004-05:00

http://www.adventconspiracy.org/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVqqj1v-ZBU

On the Word

2008-12-12T19:56:00.004-05:00

It is Christ Himself, not the Bible, who is the true word of God. The Bible, read in the right spirit and with the guidance of good teachers will bring us to Him. When it becomes really necessary (i.e. for our spiritual life, not for controversy or curiosity) to know whether a particular passage is rightly translated or is Myth (but of course Myth specially chosen by God from among countless Myths to carry a spiritual truth) or history, we shall no doubt be guided to the right answer. But we must not use the Bible (our fathers too often did) as a sort of Encyclopedia out of which texts (isolated from their context and not read without attention to the whole nature and purport of the books in which they occur) can be taken for use as weapons.

-- from a letter written by CS Lewis to "Mrs. Johnson" on 8 Nov 1952.

On Life's Interruptions

2008-10-20T18:34:00.000-04:00

"The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one’s ‘own’, or ‘real’ life. The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one’s real life - the life God is sending one day by day: what one calls one’s ‘real life’ is a phantom of one’s own imagination. This at least is what I see at moments of insight: but it’s hard to remember it all the time - ”

-- C.S. Lewis, in a letter to his lifelong friend Arthur Greeves, Dec 20, 1943

On Disinterested Choice

2008-10-18T18:47:00.001-04:00

"My conversion involved as yet no belief in a future life. I now number it among my greatest mercies that I was permitted for several months, perhaps for a year, to know God and to attempt obedience without even raising that question. My training was like that of the Jews, to whom He revealed Himself centuries before there was a whisper of anything better (or worse) beyond the grave than shadowy and featureless Sheol. And I did not dream even of that. There are men, far better men than I, who have made immortality almost the central doctrine of their religion; but for my own part, I have never seen how a preoccupation with that subject at the outset could fail to corrupt the whole thing. I had been brought up to believe that goodness was goodness only if it were disinterested, and that any hope of reward or fear of punishment contaminated the will." ... “God was to be obeyed simply because he was God.”

-- C.S. Lewis, in “Surpised by Joy”, chapter 15

On Spiritual Efforts

2008-09-22T18:39:00.000-04:00

"We read of spiritual efforts, and our imagination makes us believe that, because we enjoy the idea of doing them, we have done them. I am appalled to see how much of the change which I thought I had undergone lately was only imaginary. The real work seems still to be done. It is so fatally easy to confuse an aesthetic appearance of the spiritual life with the life itself - to dream you have waked, washed, and dressed, and then to find yourself still in bed..."

-- C.S. Lewis, in a letter to lifelong friend Arthur Greeves June 15, 1930

On Gender Hierarchy

2008-04-19T18:44:00.001-04:00

"More theologically, if we return to the Genesis text, we are astonished at the usual misunderstandings: Eve is inferior, it is said, because she is created after Adam. This superb logic makes Adam inferior to the great Saurians after which he was created. Creation is in fact an ascending act, and Eve, who is created last, comes at the climax as its crown and completion. Again, it is said that Eve is inferior because she is not made out of primal clay but out of a part of Adam. This is equally absurd reasoning, for Adam, who carries the name Earth, is made out of inanimate matter, but Eve, who carries the name Life, is made out of animate and hence superior matter."

-- Jacques Ellul, in “The Subversion of Christianity”, ch 4

Little Christs

2006-05-03T18:54:00.002-04:00

p. 190
Men are mirrors, or 'carriers' of Christ to other men. Sometimes unconscious carriers. This 'good infection' can be carried by those who have not got it themselves. People who were not Christians themselves helped me to Christianity. But usually it is those who know Him that bring Him to others. That is why the Church, the whole body of Christians showing Him to one another, is so important. You might say that when two Christians are following Christ together there is not twice as much Christianity as when they are apart, but sixteen times as much.

p. 191-192
And now we begin to see what it is that the New Testament is always talking about. It talks about Christians `being born again'; it talks about them 'putting on Christ'; about Christ 'being formed in us'; about our coming to 'have the mind of Christ'.

Put right out of your head the idea that these are only fancy ways of saying that Christians are to read what Christ said and try to carry it out - as a man may read what Plato or Marx said and try to carry it out. They mean something much more than that. They mean that a real Person, Christ, here and now, in that very room where you are saying your prayers, is doing things to you. It is not a question of a good man who died two thousand years ago. It is a living Man, still as much a man as you, and still as much God as He was when He created the world, really coming and interfering with your very self; killing the old natural self in you and replacing it with the kind of self He has. At first, only for moments. Then for longer periods. Finally, if all goes well, turning you permanently into a different sort of thing; into a new little Christ, a being which, in its own small way, has the same kind of life as God; which shares in His power, joy, knowledge and eternity...

p. 199
... This is the whole of Christianity. There is nothing else. It is so easy to get muddled about that. It is easy to think that the Church has a lot of different objects - education, building, missions, holding services. Just as it is easy to think the State has a lot of different objects - military, political, economic, and what not. But in a way things are much simpler than that. The State exists simply to promote and to protect the ordinary happiness of human beings in this life. A husband and wife chatting over a fire, a couple of friends having a game of darts in a pub, a man reading a book in his own room or digging in his own garden - that is what the State is there for. And unless they are helping to increase and prolong and protect such moments, all the laws, parliaments, armies, courts, police, economics, etc., are simply a waste of time. In the same way the Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose. It is even doubtful, you know, whether the whole universe was created for any other purpose. It says in the Bible that the whole universe was made for Christ and that everything is to be gathered together in Him. I do not suppose any of us can understand how this will happen as regards the whole universe. We do not know what (if anything) lives in the parts of it that are millions of miles away from this Earth. Even on this Earth we do not know how it applies to things other than men. After all, that is what you would expect. We have been shown the plan only in so far as it concerns ourselves.

p. 200
What we have been told is how we men can be drawn into Christ - can become part of that wonderful present which the young Prince of the universe wants to offer to His Father - that present which is Himself and therefore us in Him. It is the only thing we were made for. And there are strange, exciting hints in the Bible that when we are drawn in, a great many other things in Nature will begun to come right. The bad dream will be over: it will be morning.

-- Excerpts from Book Four, Chapters 7 and 8 of C.S. Lewis' "Mere Christianity"