Life in Vestaburg

The hassle of growth and change...

2011-10-24T12:05:00.003-05:00

“Where no oxen are, the trough is clean; But much increase comes by the strength of an ox.” (Proverbs 14:4, NKJV)

I was reading this verse recently and I was stunned both by the simplicity, and by the depth of it. In farming there is always a problem of keeping stuff clean. It seems as if you spend all of your time cleaning up, you never have time to actually do what you need to do. On the other hand if you never clean up, you might trip over your work!

I love how blunt this passage is. If you want to keep your trough and barn clean, forget the cows. But if you want to grow lots of crops, you might need the "strength of an ox". Without an ox you were limited in your plowing strength. You could only do so much by yourself. But with an ox, you multiplied the plowing and the size of the field and therefore size of the yield. Another "strength of the ox" is in - how do I say this politely - the cow by-products. For some reason crops seem to do just a little bit better when you put manure on them. So an ox increases the yield, but also the hassle!

The moral of this passage is that if you want to accomplish something, sometimes you will have to put up with the mess and the hassle and even the "stink"!

As I look at our church I sometimes see the manure. Sometimes I see the hassle. I see all of people's problems and all of the things people are going through. This past year, has seen an enourmous amount of "manure". But I read this verse and I am so encouraged by the outcome of dealing with all of the hassels. The truth is, if we wanted a perfect church, than all of us would have to leave. If we really didn't want to see the Yield of people coming to Christ, than we wouldn't deal with all of these problems. If we could care less about Christ building His Kingdom, than we wouldn't wade through the manure. If we preferred an easy, clean experience; than we wouldn't do the messy work of being the Body of Christ.

If you wanted everything clean and perfect and tidy, than you are at the wrong church. But if you want to grow with a bunch of pilgrims and sinners than roll up your sleeves and get ready for the mess.

Are you with me?! Let's Go! www.fbcvestaburg.com

What Jesus thinks about being famous on the Internet

2011-10-20T21:48:00.001-05:00

“So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.”

John 7:16–18, ESV

There is a lot of "fame seeking" on the internet. I mean, think about it, how much of what you post is posted to make yourself seem smart, look cool, sound funny, or to just promote yourself? Look at the last 5 posts you made on Twitter or Facebook. (Go ahead and do it... I will wait.) OK. Were they about you and your awesome life? Or about your great ideas or were they about something you thought somebody would click "like" on? It seems like no matter who you are online, it seems like you can't escape this.
The New York Magazine even wrote a ridiculously long blog about the "Microfame Game".

I was thinking about this and how futile this is. Even the post I am writing now, has the potential to be damning to myself. I am writing about the need for attention and recognition on a medium that clamors for fame and recognition.

I came across this passage in John and it plunges my narcissistic heart deep under the sobering waters of God's reality. Here JESUS claims that He is not on His own authority. He claims that it really isn't so much about Him as it is about His father. Just in case you missed that - THE SECOND MEMBER OF THE TRINITY ONLY CARES ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE THINK ABOUT HIS DAD... NOT HIM!

I am so often NOT speaking from God's authority. I am so often NOT seeking the glory of God who sent me. I am so often NOT teaching what He taught me. Instead I am wallowing around with vague attention grabbing words. Or linking to mostly worthless ideas so that SOMEBODY will like me.

I am sick and need to live for someone else's glory but my own...

Which One Should I Read First?

2011-10-17T14:54:00.001-05:00

I am really excited about my new books. I just purchased these books and I wanted to pass my excitement along to you. Below are the titles and authors of these books. Which one should I read first?

"Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy" -- Eric Metaxas

I am excited about this book, because Dietrich Bonhoeffer is an amazing person. Whenever I have read something about him or by him I always run into some of the complexities of his life and have often said, "I wish that I knew more about him". This book promises to reveal the life and hopefully the soul of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

"Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God" -- John Piper

I am excited about this book, because I love John Piper, and I think that he is particularly able to talk about this subject. The subject is the way our thinking enhances our faith. In an age that cries out, "Doctrine divides!" I am hoping that this book gives some good foundation for why thinking about faith even matters at all.

"Note to Self: The Discipline of Preaching to Yourself " -- Joe Thorn

I have been reading this guys blog off and on for a few months and am normally quite encouraged by what he has to say. But the reason that I want to read this book is because I am a pastor, and I really need to develop the critical skill of preaching to myself. I am hoping that this book is like a 2 X 4 to the soul...

"Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream" -- David Platt

I am looking forward to reading this book, because the idea that the American Dream might not be that true or good, intrigues me. It further intrigues me that, the American Dream might actually be an idol that demands our worship over Jesus. Plus this is a book that many Christian people seem to be resonating with.

"Shepherds After My Own Heart: Pastoral Traditions and Leadership in the Bible " -- Timothy Laniak
The reason I am excited about this book, though it is probably the driest of all of these books, is because I heard someone preach about the concept of the pastor as shepherd. This book was recommend and promises to be exhaustive. In a world, where the model for pastoral leadership is mostly a business model, I long for a Biblical way.

"For the City: Proclaiming and Living Out the Gospel" -- Matt Carter & Darrin Patrick

This book might seem like the most unusual choice for a guy who pastors in the country, but my heart really "gets" the city and longs for it's redemption. I have heard Darrin Patrick talk about the church and the need for men to stand up and lead. This idea coupled with a perspective on the city seems really exciting.

So which one should I read first?

Community - A need for Christ (part 1)

2011-10-15T08:26:00.000-05:00

What do we do about messed up community?

It is clear that our world is full of messed up community. You go to work and there are people who are lazy and making you do their job. Or you go to work and there are people stepping on each others throats, trying to take your job! There is so much talk about team building and community and togetherness in the business world, but when you look at the "art work" this world produces you see lame and generic expressions of humanity working together. Corporate clip art that promotes community is so completely void of community that it makes most people want to throw up!

You go to school and you see more arguments and intellectual disagreements there than anywhere else. You go to your neighborhood and your neighbor keeps letting his stupid dog poop in your yard. You go on Facebook and the community there is simply a mirror of your real life, except with Farmville!

And don't even get me started about community in most churches...

So what do we do about broken community?

We replace it with a new community.

A good community demands peace. Peace and harmony is impossible in a community, if you don't have internal peace. This internal peace must have a unifying object. You can try to talk about everyone just having peace and love, but this might mean something different to different people. It did to the hippies. Some hippies meant free sex. Some meant sharing what you had. Some meant stopping the war. But the "peace" everyone talked about in the 60's and the 70's was never realized. We will not be able to "reform" the communities we are in, because they still have the same people, processes and goals. I believe that we need to replace our old communities with a new one. And I am not talking about sweeping revolution. I am talking about gradual and personal change.

A new community demands a new unity. This unity is Christ.
When the Apostle Paul was having trouble with the Corinthian church, he called them out on their lack of unity, their division, their party spirit and their fighting. But what is truly amazing is that Paul doesn't just tell them they are wrong and that they need to get better. Paul insists that if you have a problem with community, you have a problem with Jesus.

"I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, "I follow Paul," or "I follow Apollos," or "I follow Cephas," or "I follow Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?" (1 Corinthians 1:10--13, ESV)

"For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power." (1 Corinthians 1:17 ESV)

Get this. A problem in your community is a problem with Jesus. You can go about trying to fix your community problem, maybe with a new program or new policy or new verbiage. You can try to make people better through classes and seminars and education, but as long as people have no internal peace with Jesus, they will have no external peace with their community.

I will be exploring this idea of community further, looking at the things that break community, and the things that we sometimes think will fix it, but never do. Hopefully I will also offer some follow up ideas on, how to think in this New Community, while retaining your personal identity; how to settle disagreements in this New Community; and how to operate within this New Community.

Below is a videolog of some of these thoughts...

Hitting Thematic Icebergs...

2011-10-08T09:36:00.001-05:00

Have you ever started studying something that turned out to be more than you expected? - I started studying Exodus 20:8-11 about the Sabbath day, and I realized that I was hitting the tip of a giant thematic iceberg... "Rest"

I have gained an enormous amount of insight and help, but I feel that rather, I have simply gained an acute awareness of how little I actually know!

Here are some of the texts about this (this is by no means an exhaustive list!):

Genesis 2:1-2,
Exodus 17:7, 20:8-11,
Numbers 20:13,
Deuteronomy 12:9-10
Psalm 95:7-11,
Matthew 12"1-14,
Luke 23:54-56,
Collisions 2:16,
Hebrews 4:8-11

God who ever works, and yet is at rest...

2011-10-07T15:09:00.000-05:00

CHAPTER XXXVII—OF REST IN GOD, WHO EVER WORKETH, AND YET IS EVER AT REST.

"For then shalt Thou rest in us, as now Thou workest in us; and so shall that be Thy rest through us, as these are Thy works through us. But Thou, Lord, ever workest, and art ever at rest. Nor dost Thou see in time, nor art moved in time, nor restest in a time; and yet Thou makest things seen in time, yea the times themselves, and the rest which results from time."

- Augustine, S., Bishop of Hippo The confessions of St. Augustine

No one wants to die...

2011-10-06T09:15:00.002-05:00

"No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true."

a prayer through the earth

2011-10-04T12:06:00.001-05:00

a prayer-poem

My Lord I feel plunged deep into the earth
Help me to overcome this sin
And through the strata of multi-colored, dank earth
His piercing Light Shines
I grab a hold of this physical ray
burning my hand with a cool white hot insanity
that feels like the energy of 10, 000 stars
Pulling me through millions of grains of sand and earth
The weight crushing my chest to the point of breathless
When I come out I am reborn
Floating in the matrix of the mind of God.
Floating ready to be set to a task, ready to do His will

Facebook and Community

2011-10-01T20:46:00.000-05:00

People absolutely hate the new changes to Facebook...
And the majority of the changes are not even visible yet. http://www.facebook.com/about/timeline

All of this makes me think about the "promise" of social networks. Myspace used to be, "The place for friends". This seems like an utter joke now! Facebook was a little bit more utilitarian with, ""Facebook is a social utility that connects you with the people around you"

Facebook succeeded in connecting you with real people that - for the most part- you were already connected to. This made the Facebook experience instantly more pleasant and interesting. Over time this simplicity became bloated.

But the thing about all social networks is that they take work to have meaning and significance no matter how awesome or amazing they happen to be.

This means that Facebook isn't an automatic community. Nor will it ever be community. It is only an extension of the community that you already have. If you are a lousy friend, Facebook only facilitates your lazy and selfish attitudes towards people. If you make drama everywhere you go, you will soon find that Facebook is nothing but drama. If you value entertainment or video games more than people, than you will never have anything meaningful on your wall. You will just have endless stream of what your life already is.

All of this leads me to think about True Community. I believe that the Bible gives us a blueprint or a framework for forming True Community.

True Community starts with communion to the One who makes human relationship possible. True community starts when we yield to a relationship with Jesus Christ Himself.
1 John 4:15 "Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him."

From here we work outward. Having an actively real relationship with Christ, gives us the ability to form healthy human relationships.

1 John 4:20-21 "If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother."
So use Facebook, but seek to redeem- not just it, but the community that you have been placed in.

The Pulpit is the Prow

2011-09-26T16:10:00.000-05:00

". . . for the pulpit is ever this earth's foremost part; all the rest comes in its rear; the pulpit leads the world. From thence it is the storm of God's quick wrath is first descried, and the bow must bear the earliest brunt. From thence it is the God of breezes fair or foul is first invoked for favorable winds. Yes, the world's a ship on its passage out, and not a voyage complete; and the pulpit is its prow."

-- Herman Melville, Moby-Dick"

Would it be true, that our preachers were so good that the words guided the ways of man! Would people be so receptive that they would hear the Word. And would I myself learn to repent before I preach!

We make these in Vestaburg...

2011-08-30T15:26:00.000-05:00

This is a potatoe harvester made by Advanced Farm Equipment. They make these crazy awesome machines that suck up the dirt and potatoes and spit out the two nicely separated! Amazing! Just watch the video.

The Ten Commandments

2011-08-24T13:30:00.000-05:00

The Ten Commandments

- God's love and sin destroying power in ten perfect commands!

Our next sermon series is "The Ten Commandments". And I think I know what you are thinking, "Oh great, just what I need - more rules!" But hold on just a minute. The Ten Commandments are more than just a bunch of random rules. The Ten Commandments cannot to be ignored, nor are they to be feared as if they were evil. The Ten Commandments are life giving, positive, and good. Every commandment is a little piece of God's grace. Every commandment is a picture of God Himself. Every command shows the love of God. And every command that God gave was followed happily by Jesus. So yeah, God keeps his own commands! So before you think that these aren't worth your time, think again!

In this series we will look at the the Grace that God gives us when He gives us these commands. Hopefully we will see the God behind the commandments. And we will see how the commandments destroy our self righteousness so that Jesus can give us His righteousness. We will see God's love and sin destroying power in ten perfect commandments.

You see, the Ten Commandments are like the rocks on some sea shore; and we are like ships sailing in the seas of self. These Ten Commandments can't bend, move or break, but our fragile ships of self will shatter every time. For when we come to these commandants we come against the very righteousness of God and our self righteousness is shattered and broken beyond all recognition. It is only then that we break through to the very righteousness of God! And when our own selves are put off, than we can put on our new selves in the likeness of Jesus. When we are made small than God can make us new, giving us new ships of self to sail the turquoise sea of God's love. And when the Ten Commandments are finished with us we are given two new commandments, to love God and to love others...

10 Small Group Studies (that just didn't make it!)

2011-07-28T22:57:00.001-05:00

Here are 10 small group studies that just didn't make the cut. It is possible that you may want to buy one of these studies, but these aren't even on pre-pub...

1. "Psalms Blaster, The Rap Battle" - A small group DVD featuring Cross Thug and the lyrical stylings of King David. You will never look at imprecatory psalms the same way again...

3. "Your Breast Life NOW!" - A small group study on the Biblical mandate of breast-feeding.

4. "W.W.J.I.P.D., What Would J. I. Packer Do" - A small group study on the life and habits of a modern day theologian.

5. "Keeping Up With Melchizedek " - A small group study designed to teach the basic elements of popular Christian culture. Features a whole session on acronyms. This study will teach you never to be embarrassed about Christian raves, Christian scream-o, Christian cheese parties, Christian Bobble Heads, or Christian Office parodies...

6. "Judas Is My Homeboy..." - A small group study that looks at the "underdogs" of the Bible. Features the hit Lady GaGa song, "Judas" as a metaphor for spiritual growth.

7. "Live Like a Pharisee" - A small group study exploring the merits of following the laws and traditions of man.

8. "Shibboleth, Your Guide to American pronunciations of ancient Greek and Hebrew words" - Aren't sure of the way to pronounce YAWAH? Thankfully American Christian pop culture has given us a clear understanding of ancient pronunciations.

9. "Thy Mother, 13 Funny ways to Biblically Tell Someone Off" - Get Schooled. Sunday Schooled that is, in this new small group Bible study designed to teach Christians how to say the hard things in absolutely hilarious ways. Don't worry it's Biblical...

10. "Pump Them Out, Kids Are A Blessing From The Lord" - A small group study meant to encourage people to have more kids than the Duggers. Special section on adoption for families that want to go above and beyond...

These are a result of a contest that I entered over here (http://allenwhite.org/2011/07/20/dvd-giveaway/#comments) I don't know if I will win or not, but I figured that if I don't I at least have an amusing blog post to show for it.

My only fear is that someone my think that these are real and will spend precious time googling them to see when they will become available...

Planking...Owling...Cone-ing!?...Ostriching?!?!?! What is Going On?!

2011-07-27T23:11:00.004-05:00

So you have all heard of Planking... You know when people lie down on random stuff as if they were a... um... plank.

Yeah that's real fun.

Oh I forgot the fun part.

You take pictures of it...

Oh yeah, then you put it on Facebook.

And really for my snarky attitude, it is quite fun. I haven't done it or anything but I have friends who have and they had fun so... you know.

Owling...The End of Planking

It's pretty much better than "planking", Instead of laying on stuff, you perch on stuff sort of like an owl...

It seems a lot easier to pull off. You know because is it pretty hard to keep laying on stuff and look cool... And planking has gotten really dangerous...)

But it turns out that Owling has already been done like 60 years ago, so you know it has a "cool" lifespan of about 4 days.

Coneing

According to Urban Dictionary...

1.	coneing	176 up, 11 down
	The art of grabbing a McDonalds ice-cream cone from the ice cream end just to weird out the McDonalds Worker. can also be done various other ways such as scooping the ice cream onto you face for warrior paint Did you see that maccas workers face when we were coneing them the other day!

What is going on here?

I think that the Internet is changing our behavior. But not just our behavior. The Internet is changing us. The nature of it (instant, always on, social, information driven) changes everyone who uses it. Fads and "things that everyone is doing" take literally days to happen. Sometimes some of these memes happen in a few hours (remember "Pants On The Ground"?).

Wisdom is damaged by the Internet. It has to be. Everyone seems to be joining happy arms around the wonderful way that we can share cat videos. Meanwhile some of us who used to read endlessly as little kids, do nothing but stare at the youtubz....

One of the key ingredients to all of these fads is an intense need to be watched. I wonder if the TV screens of a previous generation left us needing some attention? I wonder if this, "Watch-me, Watch-me!" thing is the same as my two year old, who thinks that I am ignoring her if I go upstairs to the bathroom. The only difference, seems to be that we haven't out grown it.

I think that we really need to watch our minds. I am not saying nuke the interwebz, I am saying go outside and walk under the trees for a little while and forget your camera. Intentionally don't wonder what everyone else will think about what you are wearing or doing. Read a book. Pray. Do something that will last for longer than a week.

I am going out to follow my own advice now...

But not u ntil after...

Is there any peace...?

2011-07-23T10:45:00.003-05:00

Photo from BBC News website

First thing I want to say is that this attack on Norway is horrible. It makes me angry that people of peace are violently attacked in their own place. I makes me furious that innocent children are slaughtered. This makes me remember the attacks on NYC with the smoke billowing from the buildings of authority and achievement...

This make my blood boil.

This week I was at a youth camp teaching teens from the Bible. Then to hear how some madman attacks innocent children who are completely not involved in any political or social war of any type. It makes me think of the kids that I was teaching and getting to know. It makes me think of the pure insanity of this. My heart breaks for these kids and their families especially because I have seen the faces of teens here in America...

Then I came across this article:
BBC News - Oslo bomb attack: End of innocence?

It was helpful in seeing the political issues that Norway is currently facing...

But it assumed that peace was possible through human efforts. And this simply is not true.

Peace is always an illusion until the day that the Great King returns.

Genesis 3:9-19

⁹But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" ¹⁰And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself." ¹¹He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" ¹²The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate." ¹³Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." (ESV)

We sinned against God and peace was destroyed from between people and between God and also with nature...

If we want peace we must chose the Peace Maker...

The New Covenant of the Blood of Jesus

2011-04-22T12:57:00.002-05:00

Reflections on Matthew 26:26-29

26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the [1] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.”

What is the covenant of Jesus blood? The new covenant?

It is a new promise made from somebody that is infinitely trustworthy. This new promise replaces the old promise which was not enough.

Parrallels - Banks and insurance companies make new agreements with their customers all of the time. Internet companies are always updating their policy. A policy is an agreement between two parties that get them both to agree to the terms set out by the policy. These terms cannot be broken unless the relationship is broken.
But this is an agreement that we don't trust is for our best interest, because generally the agreement is made for the interests of the one setting for the agreement!

Sometimes agreements get old. Say a son agrees to work for his dad, while he is in college. Dad pays an agreed wage and covers the cost of college. But what happens 30 years later? What if the son wants to keep working for his dad? What if the father wants the son to take over the business? The father would make a new agreement with his son. The agreement could be something like, "If you run this business, I will give you complete ownership of it." This agreement was in the interest of both the father and the son and it was for there good! But the old agreement made in the son's college years, just wouldn't cut it anymore!

Jesus is making a new covenant or agreement with his people, when he dies for us.

No longer is the blood of bulls and rams good enough, because all of that was just a picture of Jesus anyway. The law shows us how broken and messed up we really are, but it just isn't enough. Jesus came and in his coming he made a new covenant. A new promise, to be the covering for sin. That by his blood shed for us he promises to save us eternally. That by his sacrifice he takes our place of judgment and punishment. That he becomes the propitiation for us. That in his dying as a priest, he becomes the Great High Priest, who mediates God and salvation to all people. That now in order to know God, you must know Jesus through his blood. That to be right before God, means to put your faith and trust in Jesus and not keeping the law.

It isn't that the old covenant was a bad covenant. It was only that the old covenant was temporary. It was only meant until the True Sacrifice came. It was only good to show us the direction to look. It was only good to teach us our need for Jesus. It was only a form of the New Covenant bought with the sacrifice of the Son of God and not with the sacrifice of countless cows. It was only good to push us to a humble position before God; to take away our pride and self reliance.

So how does this apply to communion?

When we take communion, we are participating in a picture of the New Covenant. The wine in the cup is the blood of Christ, a symbol of the payment and cost of this New Covenant. So when we drink this wine, we are drinking in the New Covenant. Not as if the wine itself is the covenant, but that it is us agreeing to the New Covenant so completely that we ingest it into our very being. We claim the New Covenant for ourselves. We say that the old covenant was not good enough for us and that the New is what we really need. We say that we cannot save ourselves by following any law, but that Jesus poured out His blood for us and gave us a new way. That way is Grace. We do nothing and God saves us by giving Jesus. We were dead in our trespasses and sins and completely ruined by our depraved heart, but Jesus gave us Himself and we no longer work. We just live. We live new in the New Covenant of Jesus blood.

So as we take communion, let us not just examine how we have failed God. Because to me this seems like we are taking the promise of the New Covenant and following it like it is the Old Covenant. Let us examine how we have failed, and bring that sin and failure to the blood of Jesus. Let us take those sins that we are struggling with and plunge them deep into the blood of the New Covenant. Let us take our lust and ask Jesus how his blood frees us from living under its power. Let us take the way we have spent our money, and bathe it in the blood of Jesus and see how Grace makes us wise and benevolent stewards of God's money. Let us bring our bad tempers before the New Covenant and ask Jesus how his blood makes us peaceful men. Let us bring our gossip and ask Jesus how the pain and suffering and mockery he endured on the cross binds our tongue and cleanses us from the need to speak hurtfully. Let us bring our marriages to the cross and ask Jesus how married people live in Grace with each other. Let us take our fear of people and need for approval and place it on the bloody shoulders of our stricken Savior and find out how love cures us from feeling small and helpless. Let us take our pride about our intelligence, community, abilities, or looks and thrust it into the hole in Jesus side; and ask Him how we can read books without thinking we know everything. And live as a member of the community, without haughtiness. And shoot great shots with out thinking much of ourselves.

Today is the day to live in the New Covenant. Today is the day to throw off your works and live by Grace.

What is Discipline?

2011-03-02T06:37:00.000-06:00

What is Discipline?

It is the ropes that tie down the passions of the heart. It is the anchor in the sea that stays the whole ship. It is a sail that catches the streams of life and love.

Discipline is control. But it is loving control. It is a tool to bind our wild hearts. You bind a tree that wants to grow crooked. This is captivity and control, but also freedom and liveliness for the tree growing according to its true nature. Left to ourselves we are wild and out of control. We will grow, but the growth will be devious and maybe even wicked. Discipline is a tool to channel our wildness into fruitfulness!

Discipline is control for the sake of freedom.

But, I have so many questions:

How does Discipline work in the economy of God? Are we only disciplining the old nature or are we disciplining the whole old and new nature. Or is the new nature the result of the discipline? Are we to discipline the body only or the mind and the body? We have a new heart and new nature. How does discipline work in conjunction with the new nature? What is the line or the continuum of what we do and what God does? We know that it is God's work in us to make us new, but how much is our work. Is our labor in discipline actually an extension of God's very work?

I am thinking about discipline because I want to be disciplined. I am not very disciplined. Not as much as I would like to be. I find that I get better all the time, but I have so much growing to do. This is probably the never ending pursuit, the pursuit of holiness...

My Calling

2011-01-25T15:12:00.001-06:00

My Calling - A list Poem

I look like I am doing my job. I am not doing my job.

My calling is not to surf the internet!

My calling is not to simply administrate.

My calling is not to lust and sin.

My calling is not to comfort and ease.

My calling is not to get sermon prep, "out of the way."

My calling is not to manage a Facebook page.

My calling is not to fun activities with teenagers.

My calling is not to easy formulas or out of the box lazy lessons.

My calling is not to be cool for teenagers or "well liked" in the community.

My calling is not to endless distraction and non commitment!

My calling is to know my God and make Him known.

My calling is to know nothing but Christ crucified.

My calling is to the Word

it's study,

interpretation.

understanding,

communication,

functional application,

beauty,

training,

and replication in the hearts and lives of people.

My calling is to pray:

to the glorifying of God

to the praise of his works,

and for his everlasting realities to be made known.

My calling is for the love of one another to be realized.

The sick to be made well.

The hungry to be fed.

The sinful to be forgiven.

The kingdom to be realized.

Hearts to be changed.

God to be known and wrestled with.

Significance not Intimacy

2011-01-19T16:29:00.000-06:00

(These are notes from a lecture given by: Don Perini, M.F.A. Associate Professor of Youth Ministry & Creativity at Cornerstone University, Donald_P_Perini@cornerstone.edu)

1. Significance (not intimacy) The question is, "How do you create significant relationships with all of the areas of your life?" We often think we need tons of intimate relationships. We think that this will make disciples of Jesus Christ. The church is especially notorious for this lately with the focus on small groups. We believe that getting people close to us and to each other equals spirituality. With God every person should seek an intimate relationship with Him, but this is not the case with every human. We are limited; we can not have intimacy with everyone. God can! God is infinite in his ability to have relationships!

We move through different circles with people. Image a cup that can be filled with all of your relationships and connections...

First there is the Public circle: You can probably have 30 - 64 people that you actually know in this zone. People in this zone include, people you know, but may not know you. (John Piper, blogs, writers, bands, musicians, twitter, books, radio, television, etc. ) You can say that you have a relationship to such and such person in a relationship that will never conceivably be intimate, but might become incredibly meaningful or significant! (I have come to see this circle as much larger than 30 - 64, mostly because of the internet! I think that maybe a new circle should be made that encompasses more people!)

Second is the Social circle: You can probably have 16-20 people in this zone. People in this zone include, people who know you and who you know. (people at church, people on a ball team, neighbors, people @ school, co workers, people you do business with, class mates) This is a pretty wide circle that gives and takes significance to you, while remaining mostly casual!

Third is the Personal circle: you can probably have 4-8 people in this zone. People in this zone include, people who know you and who you know and who do things closely with you. (neighbors, friends, youth leaders, kids in youth group, relatives, family, co-workers) This is a close circle of people that you know well. You share a lot with them and they share a lot with you. There are boundaries in these relationships, but they are small and not many.

Fourth is the Intimate circle: you can probably have 1-3 people in this zone. People in this zone include people who know you and who you know, who do things closely with you, but know pretty much everything about you - the good and the bad! (wife, friend, brother, sister, mom, dad)

2. Harmony comes when our circles are either aligned or not! Disharmony results from lack of intimacy or over intimacy! When we have too many people in the place of our most intimate thoughts and feelings we break the intimacy we have with our wife etc. If we have not intimate relationships we risk loneliness and possible sin through the seeking of intimacy in the wrong place. This is very dangerous. Intimacy and sexuality are closely connected and the lack of good intimacy can lead to destructive sexuality!

One area of disharmony is with parents and children growing up. Mostly this is an intimate relationship, but when you try to hold on to this intimacy you risk ruining the relationships you have with your children. You are not meant to have an intimate relationship with your children forever. Children grow up and leave their parents!

Another area of disharmony is in teen dating. Sometimes we encourage intimacy when teens really should keep it social or personal!

What is Significance in relationships?

Creating significance is an art not a science!

Boundaries - can be the most significant thing for a person. Some people have no understanding of boundaries or why you shouldn't be intimate with them!
Not trying to be liked - Sometimes we look to be liked by others, when really we should be asking, "What does this person need?"
Different Personalities - Significance will look different with different people!
Example - You can create significance by your example to others
Confessing sin
Kindness
Gentleness
Giving / Gifts
Time
Cards
Not a number of people
Constantly ask, "What would be significant to this person?"

Guys and Girls are Spiritually Different!

2010-12-15T10:35:00.000-06:00

Guys and Girls are Spiritually Different!

Girls & Guys - Exploring God's Glory In Our Uniqueness

2010-12-02T13:10:00.002-06:00

Girls & Guys - Exploring God's Glory In Our Uniqueness

This is the name of our current youth lesson series. I am feeling that this topic has a great deal of potential with our students. I hope that it goes well!

The basic concepts we are dealing with is that God made us male and female and this has less to do with our anatomy, and all to do with our souls and spirits. If you want to bring glory to God, it must be according to the nature that He created in you. Masculinity and Femininity are not just random optional choices imposed on us by our parents or culture. They are one of the glories of God wrought in one of his most glorious creatures - humans! God made you man or woman on purpose and there are ways of living (that He has taught us in the Bible) that bring Him glory. In fact men and women each have a special and unique role to play in bringing glory to God!

Here are some of the topics we will cover in this lesson series:

1. The natures of men and women come from the nature of God.

Men were created to be perfectly wild and free...
Women were created to the most beautiful captivating life givers...

2. The Fall and the Curses destroyed the perfection God created in our gender.

The Fall destroyed men and women in uniquely destructive ways!
But the curses serve to lower are Glory and Raise God's!

3. God gave men and women specific roles to teach us the pattern of Christ.

Women submitting like Christ submits to God brings glory to God.
Men lovingly leading like Christ leads the Church brings glory to God.

4. Submission and Leading both bring difficulty

The desire to control. The pain of abusive leadership.
The burden of responsibility, the difficulty of providing.

5. Implications of a Biblical understanding of Girls and Guys

Dating is effected by Biblical view of gender
Purity is especially important when we understand our roles before God
Homosexuality is not a Biblical lifestyle based on the natures God gave us

Run To The Wild One

2010-11-15T15:50:00.000-06:00

Here is a poem I wrote just the other day while out praying in the field...

Run To The Wild One

Go to the Wild One who can handle your every moan whine and complain

Abhor yourself and all the mediocre

Puke out all the distasteful bile of a sinful life

And release your spirit to the Great Ghost who makes you pure.

Love the infinite treasure and desire it like pure gold

Find for yourself the meanings of the deep texts

Pick that fruit which will save

And burn that which will destroy

Run to the Wild One O! You wild heart!

My brother's band - Tango Espejo

2010-09-09T14:22:00.009-05:00

Many of you know that my brother is in a band, but maybe you don't know much about it. His band is called Tango Espejo. And obviously it is a Tango band!

They are having a show this week... You should come out for it!
House Concert Series Lincoln Square, Chicago
The performance will be held at:
5301 N. Sawyer Ave, Apt 1$8 admission

Here are some links.

The Website: http://tangoespejo.com/tangoespejohome.html

The Facebook page: Facebook | Tango Espejo

The Myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/tangoespejo

Radio show, Live and Local with Kevin Kelly: Monday, April 5, 2010
Here is the link to Jonathan's Tango Creature #4:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du5XcXMCsyc
More information about Piazzolla

Freebird Monday... Oh wait it's Tuesday...

2010-09-07T11:05:00.000-05:00

Well it's not exactly Monday, but it certainly feels like it so to all those who feel like a caged bird...

My room mate in college, Berry, always played this song on his computer whenever the homework was closing in. It made everything better, somehow!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wdKRc7MQeg&feature=related

We are blind until we see Jesus

2010-09-07T10:30:00.001-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Hfne82pVjY&feature=channel

We are all blind until God lets us see. Jesus heals a blind man not just to prove that he has power over blindness but to show how He takes away our blindness!

If we never realize our blindness we will never realize who Jesus is and we will continue to live in our blindness.

Jesus needs to become our overwhelming vision. We need to open our eyes and see the LORD who has given us everything that we know. We need to open our eyes and see the Savior ...