Eisegesis

This is what I call eisegesis...




"WE consider this..." Mark are you the judge, jury, and executioner?

I believe that Mark is speaking out against the recent statistics that continue to come out regarding young men, adolescents, and boys. However, to view men in the way Mark does is very patriarchal and authoritative. The question that Christians must ask, is this biblical? What picture do we observe in Genesis, in Song of Songs, and how does that relate to the marital picture that Jesus and Paul depict?

A believe that it is a little more egalitarian while holding the heart of a servant. When polled I believe that this is much more difficult than being the macho bread winner of the family that Mark starts to paint.

Dying mean Life...

Yesterday, I shared about how I felt that part of my old self has been dying. As I was reflecting on this past week's sermon I was struck that part of the process of the old self dying has to do with baptism and recieving the Holy Spirit. I felt that my reflection (written to my small group) was worth sharing.

In light of yesterday's point I felt like this would be a solid follow up. This post is grounded in the fact that our God is a God of action. Sermons today cannot leave congregations without what it means for their daily encounter with Christ and the world. Part of my critique is an attempt to put to words what "God with us on our journey means."

For those of you who missed Sunday, guest speaker Daniel Chung was back sharing with a message out of Exodus 17. In Exodus 17 we find the Israelites in the wilderness between coming out of the Red Sea and Sinai. Daniel discussed how the Israelites, like us, are often in the in-between places in life. His most concrete example was that we are between the saving grace that God has given us by pulling us out of slavery (us = slaves to sin, Israel = slaves to Egypt), washing us (us = baptism, Israel =the red sea) and the future promises (us = eternal life, Israel = promised land).

Daniel’s sermon mostly dealt with Israel’s question, “Is God really with us? Or has he led us out here to die in the desert?” By the end of the sermon Daniel answered the question affirmatively that YES!!! God is with us and was with the Israelites even through the tough times. He answered this question affirmably by showing that the Israelites acknowledged God’s presence when the water flowed from the rock. While I agree with Daniel that God is with us, I believe he missed an opportunity to share what this means for us today.

As we have learned, and Daniel even touched on, there are many symbols and references in the Bible that when given, draw us back to previous stories and meanings. As Steve as shared sometimes these symbols/references come in the form of standing stones, names, places, etc. What I want focus on is the image of the water coming out of the rock, and what it means for God to be present in the image of water.

If you go back and re-read Exodus 17 the picture that Moses paints is one where he (Moses) goes out to look for God standing on a rock. It is because God is standing on the rock that Moses knows which rock he is to strike with his staff. Upon striking the rock water flows forth. When this mini narrative is viewed in light of the rest of the Scriptures a couple things jump out that have implications for us today.

First, the image that is used again and again throughout Scripture for the Holy Spirit is water. (Jer 2:13. John 7:37-39, Acts 2:33, Luke 3:16, Joel and many more). Daniel indirectly referenced this by reading John 4 which depicts the story of the Samaritan Woman. In the story of the Samaritan woman Jesus offers her spiritual water which he says will quench her thirst. This spiritual water is the Holy Spirit which Jesus again promises in Acts 1:8 and is poured out in Chapter 2.

Even more interesting is the image or the water coming out of the rock, which was struck, while God was standing on top of it. What does it look like? God standing upon Jesus shoulders while Jesus is being struck for our iniquities and the Holy Spirit flowing from him… I could break down all the symbols and references that lead me to this conclusion but Paul does it for me in 1st Corinthians 10:

1 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.

So what does this mean for us today? The spiritual water which the Israelites drank we too can drink. In Acts 2:38 Peter says “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Further implications, we are given the holy water, the holy spirit, which is the way the world might know that God is present in our lives. We are living ambassadors living as representatives sent to the world. The world will know Christ through us.

Over the next 10 weeks I hope I will be finding time to define what those actions as Christ's ambassadors looks like.

Forward: I think The Politics of Jesus is messing me up.

Sports gods

I would say that over the last year I have become less and less attached to sports. Don't get me wrong I enjoy sports, but I have recently noticed that they are taking a lesser role in my life. I have refused tickets (even let them go to waste, which is sacrilegious where I come from), turned down the opportunity for Spring Training(this was a biggy), backed out of my fantasy leagues, said "no" to playing softball in a couple different leagues, and my time spent on the golf course has been drastically reduced in the last 2 years. I don't say this to pat myself on the back, but to acknowledge that I am changing...is the old self is really dying?

What made me really take stock of the changes in my life was an article I read this morning in Sports Illustrated. The SI writer was comparing different kinds of sports fans where he ultimately labeled soccer fans the truest most hardcore fans. He posted a story and praised a group of friends for taking their gunned down friend (in a coffin) to one last soccer match. In the article that the SI writer linked was another original article.

To be honest, I have to admit that I followed the trail of news because in the second article it stated that the pictures were disturbing. I wondered what kind of pictures could be disturbing if the two lead in articles were so light hearted and praise worthy. The picture the followed was very disturbing. I found a web site in Spanish were a mom in agony cried out holding her bloody lifeless son.

Who would look at this picture and read this story to write, "The spill-a-40oz-on-the-sidewalk-for-fallen-homeboy has been replaced, bitches"??? As I started to think about the writer of these words I found myself answering, a person who doesn't look at the loss of human life, but at the actions of a couple friends trying to give their friend one last hurrah. The writer who places sports above all else...creating an idol in something that is meant to be enjoyed. The only reason that this boy's death made the news is because his friends stepped out and did something radical. They took a coffin to a soccer match!!! It wasn't because this boy was gunned down for no reason, it wasn't because the authorities had still not found the killers, it was strictly because these friends had paid tribute to the sports god of soccer.

What have we made sports into? Is it a distraction to what is really going on in the world? Do we purposly avoid the death, poverty, pain, and hardship by keeping ourselves so busy with entertainment? As I am sitting here finishing this blog I just recieved a text asking if I wanted to go to opening day. Free tickets...right behind home plate...what does it mean to not let sports become your idol while engaging the pain of the world?

Was Jesus serious?

I was sitting in Barnes and Nobles yesterday when I read this,

“…Jubilee acts are not simply to be expected in the future, they are to be given as a concrete expression by the people of God in the present…what had been expected in the future can now be experienced in the present because we are now living in the new age,… characterized by Jubilee activity in the believers.”

WOW!!! I have been preaching the Kingdom of God can start in this life for a while now, but does that include the Jubilee? I would say that I have started to become a little more liberal in my theology, but not this liberal. Yet, I found myself asking, “what would it look life if the church, the new Israel, took God’s words about practicing the year of jubilee to heart?

I know that at this point my blog could tail spin in a variety of different directions and/or opinions, but what if someone tried living the Jubilee year in 2011? Where and how would one start? Would 6 years of preparation be needed? As I thought about this a light bulb went off. A new movement, started by Morgan Spurlock with his documentary Super Size Me, has moved into the theological world. That is, documenting trying a hypothesis out. A.J. Jacobs wrote about his experience of living biblically for one year. Most recently this trend is being continued by Rachel Held Evans by taking Jacobs principal of living biblically for one year, but for woman. During his book Jacobs shares his struggles with abiding by all the Biblical rules as he attempts to suceed with one year of biblical living. In the end, through submission he acknowledges how the Sabbath (one of the most difficult items of biblical living for him) turns out to be a blessing. I know from reading Evan’s blog that she is facing her own struggles.

From reading Jacobs, and assuming the constraints from Evans, I am not expecting them to incorporate an entire year to Jubilee. How could they? Living biblically for one year is tough enough. Let alone the Jubilee year only comes along once every seven years. Therefore, I had an idea. A book chronicling one year in which someone, probably not me, lives out the Jubilee year.

Before you think I am off my rocker and think the Jubilee year was only for ancient Israel I challenge you to read John Howard Yoder’s book The Politics of Jesus. In this book, particularly chapter 3, Yoder makes a pretty convincing argument that Jesus announced a time of Jubilee, and this announcement of the Jubilee is what constitutes the Kingdom of God. When I combine Yoder’s beliefs with my own, which the Kingdom of God is at hand, right now, today…I run into problems. The Jubilee year is impractical. We don’t have records of the Jews actually enacting it so why should I. In fact one of the chief Pharisees Hillel found a way around it. He created something called the prosboul. Why? Because the Jubilee year is impractical and un real!! But does all that really mean that it is not what Jesus called us to? Forgiving debtors...sins and monetary items?

As I trailed off in these thoughts and implications I came across another blog. I realized that I often like to read what Jesus said through my personal lens. I like to take the hard stuff Jesus says and read through a spirituality lens. I don’t want to read it as what it means in the here and now. This all leads me to ask what would it mean for me (or someone out there) to live a year in the year of the Lord, the year of Jubilee? What would be year and life look like by leaving the soil fallow, the remission of debts, the liberation of slaves, and returning to each individual what is their family’s property? How would I even start the last one? Return my home to the previous owner, the original landowner, the Native Americans, and if I could not decide whom the land/home properly belonged to would I leave it vacant for whoever wanted it?

This is one of those times when the followers of Jesus said…his teachings are too hard and left him.

Bigger than God's Love?

Bell's book is over something much bigger than God's love, and if it really wins out. Or at least for Christendom that surrounds it. You may be asking what could be more important than God's love, grace, and its ramifications? I don’t’ think much because it deals with our current and eternal forecast as we interact in the day to day. Indirectly, Bell highlights a problem that is sifting beneath the sands of Christianity in America. As anyone up to date on Bell Gate, you will know that all you have to do is Google Rob Bell + controversy and you will be linked to million of opinionated posts. Actually, if you don't have an opinion and have not blogged about it you might as well be using a dial up modem over the phone line.

So what is going on? Ironically much of what Jesus preached against. Power, control, orthodoxy, and the pride that comes with the ego of being right. This all comes at a cost. Sadly Christians are fighting Christians and the whole world is watching(there will be a blog about this upcoming, if my Mac didn't freeze it would have been over the airwaves already…who says Macs don’t freeze?). What kind of message are we sending to the world? We are called to be lamp stands fueled by the Holy Spirit!!! Unfortunately the world looks at the church and doesn't see much difference from secular. We have failed to do what we have been commanded to do, and if we don't do something soon I believe our lamp stand with be snuffed out (Read Rev 2-3).

I have shared some dreams with some friends about somehow uniting the churches in my area, but on a larger scale the churches throughout the world to ultimately become that catholic apostolic church shown in Acts. Disheartened, Bell brings to light of issues within the church, and it isn't if Love Wins, it is the fact that we (Christians) cannot enter into debate about our different beliefs while acknowledging that we both love and serve Christ. It appears to be getting worse. Just read about what is shifting below the sands...

For you more contemporary readers Rachel
For you older folks Roger

I suggest reading both as you prepare your heart for preparing to be willing to enter into the debate with love for your enemy…even if that person is a fellow disciple of Christ.

Want Free Books...I do!!

If you are interested in a free book give away check out Christian Focus Booknotes to find out how to win. I found them through the top 50 biblioblogs and am always interested in free reading material

Slow Boat

The seminary boat that I am traveling on is moving so slow that I often think the current is moving me backwards. Two nights ago I got into a conversation about my role and purpose of seminary as it relates to my local minister’s license (I have applied and might not get it according to this XYZ). It appeared to my conversyee that there were two main options for seminary graduates while working as a local minister. One being a pastor and the other being a theologian (which can be broken down into a variety of formats. I may inter change theologian with professor). I didn’t and don’t see myself as either and yet I wanted to answer both. Let me explain:

I don’t believe that a pastor can be a pastor without being a teacher. Likewise, a theologian/professor of religion (Christianity in particular) cannot be a theologian/professor without being a pastor. The juxtaposition of the two vocations are often contrasted against each other(when they are seperated one or both dies). However instead of putting them in opposition or in two different career paths I believe that they belong side by side. They are like peas and carrots, chips and dip, Bonnie and Clyde, they are two half’s that make a whole. The scale might be tipped by a couple peas or carrots in one direction or the other, but both are needed to complete the meal. All too often seminaries forget that they are preparing men and women for the mission to give lifeblood to their congregations. Seminaries create spiritual leaders. The purpose of seminary is to lay a solid foundation needed to spring these spiritual leaders into the world. The problem is that seminaries often focus on preparing scholars, which is essential to the trade of pastorship, but is secondary to its primary mission of preparing new disciples of Jesus.

As I am sitting and thinking about my purpose in school, I am thinking of my decision to go to Fuller. I am realizing that I chose it because it was the most respectable, well known, and biblically sound seminary around the area in which I reside. I remember my first preview day. The professors touted themselves as belonging to the Harvard of Theology (even though Harvard has their own school of divinity) due to being the most published seminary in the world. As I remember sitting in my seat I got really excited. Why? Because I had gone to a small private school without the notoriety that I desired. The only cool thing about my alma matar was the location. In fact I steered away from mentioning my school’s name because no one knew it. It wasn’t a USD, UCSD, or SDSU…it was the other SD university. When people played the guessing game and couldn’t come up with the answer I had to tell them. There response… a polite puzzled look. My reply, “don’t worry, not many people have heard about it.”

What I find ironic about my desire to obtain an elite degree from the prestigious university to adorn my office is that I want to become one of the "first of these..." so that I can show I am worth something (people today are snobs who don’t care much or give much attention to a project manager from the construction world). What is ironic is the degree I am seeking is one which is supposed to be teaching me to be a servant leader...one of the least of these.

My current diploma is lost, packed away, or under some boxes in my office I am realizing that despite myself conscious feeling towards the name on my degree, He has given me worth and named me worth. God’s Kingdom, which Jesus displayed so uniquely, is very different from the kingdoms currently occupying the area in which I live. My purpose in seminary is to learn how to become a better server, lover, and evangelist for the one true God.

So why am I on this slow boat? What is my role with my local minister's license? I couldn't give you a certain answer but right now I am just trying to figure out how to become one of the least of these while loving, serving, and sharing about this crazy guy named Jesus. Sorry if I cannot differentiate between theolgian and pastor like Rob Bell. My world view only allows me to see an enmeshed view of pastor and teaher/theolgian.

God Speaks...but through Veggies?

I have been in a dilemma lately. To go to School or Not go to School? That is the question. Along with, what am I doing at school? These questions become more haunting for both me and my wife as I continue to make high priced investments in my mind. Along with these investments that are affecting the family portfolio I have been realizing that more and more time is flying by. My children are becoming little people. I sign my daughter up for kindergarten today and my son went to the bathroom all by himself last night (WOOT WOOT!). These two little events have sent ripples across my brain waves. I am getting older, my children are growing up, school takes up a lot of time, and at this pace I won't be done for another 4 1/2 years. I have been trying to figure out if I should take on more of a work load with school to bang it out so that I can have more time with my children or if I should stay on the path that I am on. In the midst of this decision I have this tugging at my heart for ministry. I feel that I should be doing something more but what?

As of recently our church has been going through a transition process. As one seeking to become a local minister I don't know what my role in all of that is. Should I take on a more decisive role or simply remain in the passive role that I am in??? I am a deliberator by skill set...so I ask a lot of questions with not a lot of answers. I say this because in both instances life seems to be passing me by as I observe everyone else in motion.

I can't decide if I should take on a bigger load in school thus letting the church suffer (not saying I can do much help, but we appear to be in dire straights) and my family time dwindle. OR should I take on more of a role at church but taking the long route with school. I am not sure how my family fits into this situation but I am assuming as I give more time in other places something must suffer. I don’t want it to be my family, but they often get the brunt end of the deal.

As I having be pushing of any decisions...hoping for a sign from God my daughter came up to me with a leprechaun hat and orange beard that she made at school and asked if I knew about St. Patrick's Day. As I was responding to her I was reminded of this Veggie Tale video which gives a fresh take on the life of Saint Patrick.


I might be crazy but I feel like Veggies are talking to me about God…or maybe it is my daughter…

Make Me a Billion and 1

As I start my second day of blogging I am met with another powerful blog post on Christianity Today. (http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/marchweb-only/bloggers.html /Note to self, learn how to hyperlink directly into blog) The argument is made, as you can tell from the title, that not many of us should presume to be bloggers, and just because we can, doesn't mean that we should. As far as I can tell this is starting to be a trended subject between well established scholars and writers. Please see James K.A. Smith's blog for March 12th Fors Clavigera: Writing (and) Theology: "There's no dearth of publishing in Christian theology. To the contrary, there has been an expanding universe of theological publishers chur...". As people become more opinionated and we move further away from modernity I can see the educated elite only becoming more frustrated and isolated. Despite me starting my own blog I agree with them. How many times can I read another take on Rob Bell's new book Love Wins? I just pulled up my Google reader and there are another 10 posts having to do with Bell. Charlie Sheen has to be pissed off wondering how he can pull off crazier stunts to get back into the lime light. One would think that professing to drink Tiger's Blood would keep him in the news.

It is upon this note that I take a stand for my blog. I don't want to be the center of attention like Bell or Sheen. It is more of a journal that I will be writing (when possible) to amuse myself...working out what I believe while trying to tie my beliefs to action. Ultimately, does what I believe really matter or affect the way I live and interact within the world?

As I am now wrestling with how to go about this, I have realized that when my beliefs call me to action I avoid it. Particularly when it comes to confrontation!!! How do I espouse my beliefs without stepping on people’s toes...? I enjoy being controversial, rebellious, and saying obscene things...race, religion, sex, patriarchal tendencies...all easy. However, when it comes to the way a Sunday service should ran, relationship advice, or challenging someone's personal walk/life choices I get silent. I see the issues as critical issues that must be addressed…but I don’t know how to do it in love.

I don’t want to be a Mark Driscoll where I am right and everyone else is wrong. I don’t want to be John Piper proclaiming that it is my way or the highway, and if you’re not on my highway you are burning in hell with the rest of the non-elected people. (Please don’t be offended not all Calvinists are bad) To build on this problem, as my wife constantly reminds me…I am socially awkward. So what am I to do?

I have to build trust, be vulnerable, and show that at the heart of it I love him, her, or the organization even if they choose the latter. All tough things tough for men…especially me. In order to accomplish this I am going to implement small actions in my day which force me to reveal vulnerability, grace, love, and trust. The number one person to start with (or that comes to mind as I am blogging) is my wife. I need to call her but all I can do is come up with ways to procrastinate from making the call.


All Kinds of Men Stuggle...at least we are trying

Stepping into the Great Unknown

There are many reasons I have not started blogging. Like using an Apple computer or owning an IPod (instead of just another mp3 player) I desired to rebel against the social movement. I have hoped all three of these items would go out of style and die before I had to drink the apple Kool-Aid and start revealing my life on the internet. Unfortunately and to no avail, about a year ago my mp3 player died and my sister gave me her old IPod. I fell in love with it as I started running periodically. I actually started running more once I had an IPod. Then this last Christmas I ended up with an Apple laptop. I despised who I was becoming because I was increasingly falling in love with overpriced Apple products. By no means am I propaganding for Apple. Rather I am simply hoping that blogging becomes one of these I despised items that I now love.

Part of the reason that I have avoided blogging is because I am self conscious about my poor writing skills. To thrust the dagger a little deeper I HATE BAD WRITTING! I believe that it is for this reason that I avoid writing at all costs. It is the black plague and I am Mary Lennox. With this in mind I have been confronted with the fact that I do a lot of reading but no integrating what I read. I was confronted by this first by Peter Rollins in his short video

I Deny the Resurrection from Peter Rollins on Vimeo.

and then by Will Willimon in his book "Why Jesus?" and then lastly this morning in Clille's blog Ministry, Theology, Reflections: Overcoming Writer's Block. The confrontation of the fact that I am in information dumpster. I read, read, and then read some more. I get all this information and endlessly keep dumping. I realized that of late I am not interacting with what I am reading and it just passes through me. Furthermore, as Clille said what I read "doesn't translate...to articulated thought" or into action. My hope is that this blog is an outlet for what I encounter and in turn process.

So with that...I am stepping off the cliff into blogosphere...