Scott Fillmer

Fall is Fire on the Mountain with Yellow Aspen Leaves

Scott Fillmer — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:48:51 +0000

Ok, well maybe not here in Auburn, but right now, the Aspen groves of the Rockies are ablaze with color. After flipping back over some fall photos of the last few years I came across this one, taken at this exact time of year, but at the 11,000 foot range in the Rockies. You can’t see the glorious fall colors that surround these tall pines from the photo, but at the time, it was about 40*F outside and the entire surrounding area was full of yellow aspen trees, like the one shown below. Fall has to be one of my favorite times of year, almost as much color in the fall (if you look closely) as there is in Spring.

Labor Day for Those Still Looking for Full Time Work

Scott Fillmer — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:54:15 +0000

I love Labor Day, mainly because it marks the end of the summer with cooler weather on the way, all the kids are back in school, and football season is about to go into full swing. What I don’t like, and I am sure all those who continue to look for full-time work day after day don’t like either, is the reminder that Labor Day is technically for those who labor (that is labor in that stereotypical means created years ago by that industrial revelation we had), not those who labor looking for labor.

A Labor of Love

For all practical purposes, I have been looking for a full-time labor of love match since we sold our book business about three years ago (see How I Can Save Your Business Money from back in April, or the other articles at the bottom of this post). Although I have a great part time job, work more than full time at graduate school, and my days are busier now than they ever have been, looking for and finding a full-time position that matches both person and company has been one of the most difficult endeavors of my now 20+ year working life.

I have found more jobs and “careers” than I knew existed and made more connections with my resume than I can count. [On a side note, if you are a single college student in or around the Auburn area, there is a company looking for OSHA "inspectors" to work on barges in the Gulf of Mexico, no experience needed, pay is great, 21 days on 21 days off, and you get to fly to work.]

It is the Economy Stupid

After a while you just scratch your head in amazement at this current marketplace. Resumes and 3-piece suits are not what they use to be 20 years ago (thank goodness), but the lack of practical sense in some HR departments is almost comical, and expectations some business owners have is borderline ridiculous. Just for means of example, I give you one from this past week:

I had a company contact me from my blog asking if I would be interesting in writing articles for their website? Why sure, sounds great. I only have about 10-15 years experience writing well researched, SEO packed, properly formatted content, including about 1,000 articles on this blog alone, sounds great. His email to me then gave me a list of things he wanted me to do, including writing two articles for him so he could get an idea of my writing style, then after that, if they were interested, they would be happy to pay me $.007/word for 200-400 word articles? Yeah, that was a whopping $1.40-$2.80 per article. Probably cost me more to power my computer for that length of time than they would pay me. I get those all the time, and never reply to them, but someone out there does I’m sure.

Labor Day for All Labor

So today, at least in my mind, we can take some rest from those things which we do to sustain life. Enjoy what is probably a beautiful day outside since the calendar reads September, and be thankful for the work we are given to do.

Auburn Tigers Football vs Arkansas State Game 1 Photos

Scott Fillmer — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 03:57:38 +0000

Well the 2010 Auburn football season is officially under way. Today Auburn kicked off against Arkansas State and it was one of the most beautiful days weather wise I can remember for an opening day. Usually unbearable, today it was actually in the mid-80′s. The game was great, except for Auburn’s ever changing rules of what you can and can’t take into the stadium.

My favorite shot of the day has to be the girl in the Auburn band with her game face on. Some band mom somewhere knows who she is… just love the character of the shot. Click on any to see the larger size. War Eagle everyone.

Theology the Poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar

Scott Fillmer — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 15:53:15 +0000

This is a followup post to The Pop-Culture Glenn Beck Theology article I published earlier in the week. I came across this poem earlier in the week by Paul Laurence Dunbar called “Theology”, and it struck me on multiple levels; it was hilarious and sad.

Paul Laurence Dunbar published his first book of poetry in 1893, a time late in the Victorian Period where poetry was not at its best and brightest period. Many of his poems were lighthearted and humorous, probably what drew me to this one.

Theology by Paul Laurence Dunbar

There is a heaven, for ever, day by day,
The upward longing of my soul doth tell me so.
There is a hell, I’m quite as sure; for pray,
If there were not, where would my neighbours go?

Toomer’s Corner to be Rolled in Auburn Soon :: Friday Feet

Scott Fillmer — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 00:59:07 +0000

It is about that time, less than 24 hours left before the first kick-off of the 2010 College football season here in Auburn. A time of the year that needs no explanation if you live in the South, certainly not if you live in Auburn itself. Tomorrow, the city with a population of 58,000 turns into one of the largest cities in the state and 87,451 will pile into Jordan-Hare Stadium to celebrate. So our Friday Feet is none other than the greatest college player, Bo Jackson.

The photos here are really the calm before the storm. We decided Friday night would be a good time to roam around and gawk at all the RV’s and people who have come to visit. This was actually our first dinner at Hamilton’s on Magnolia. We have been meaning to visit Hamilton’s for literally years I think and just never had the chance. It was super, highly recommended if you are coming to Auburn.

After I get back from the game against Arkansas State tomorrow night I will post some of the days photos as I have for the past several years. I no longer have my super long telephoto lens, but that just makes getting good shots more thought out. War Eagle!

To see some of the previous few years game photos just click on the links below for each game.

The Pop-Culture Glenn Beck Theology

Scott Fillmer — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:22:23 +0000

Linus in his great wisdom instructs Lucy well, sound theology is a great comfort to the mind, but I wonder how that would be written in the 21st century. I try to read a small dose of poetry every day in my quest to understand this complex and powerful form of literature, and this one, “Theology” by Paul Laurence Dunbar was so funny, sad, and true, I had to share it today. Some days it seems there is such a Christianity culture shift going on in our country that Christians themselves are trying to re-write what it means to be a Christian.

The New Hipster Christian

Each generation sort of does this and re-defines how they see the Church and tries to make it their own, which is fine, better to revive and revitalize the church than leave it all together (which many young people have done too). The danger is when we re-write the Gospel message to meet our pop-culture needs, and turn Christianity into our own personal Jesus (as Depeche Mode put it about a decade ago). Christian theology isn’t something a generation can choose to define, it was defined for us, by Jesus himself.

A recent article in Christianity Today by Brett McCracken entitled “Hipster Faith” (also from his book Hipster Christianity) put it so well. This pretty much nails it.

It’s [hipster Christianity] a world where things like the Left Behind book and film series, Jesus fish, and door-to-door evangelism are relevant only as a source of irony or nostalgia. It’s a world where Braveheart youth-pastor analogies are anathema, where everyone agrees that they wish Pat Robertson “weren’t one of us” and shares a collective distaste for the art for Thomas Kinkade. The latest incarnation of a decades-long collision of “cool” and “Christianity” is in large part a rebellion against the very subculture that birthed it.

It’s a rebellion against old-school evangelicalism and its fuddy-duddy legalism, apathy about the arts, and pitiful lack of concern for social justice. It’s about a rebellion against George W. Bush-style Christianity: American flags in chruches, the Ten Commandments in courtrooms, and evagelical leaders who get too involved in conservative politics, such as James Dobson and Jerry Falwell.

They prefer to call themselves “Christ-followers” rather than “Christians.” They cringe at the thought of an altar call, and the prospect of passing out tracts gives them nightmares.

Nothing is inherently wrong there except I do find that the “hipster Christians” do not give anyone the respect they deserve, like the aforementioned Dobson and Falwell, but I don’t see them giving due respect to hardly any of their “elders” per-say. They may disagree with the method (I always hated the thought of door-to-door myself) but much of their theology is very sound. We all far pray to our own culture, it is just part of being alive. You can follow me and my exploits around on Twitter just like you can McCracken, but where do we get our theology today.

Theology, Get it Wherever You Like

So they/we get theology from CCM (Christian Contemporary Music), and the pop-trends of the day. The latest craze that includes us older generations with Glenn Beck (see Beck Wants to Lead, But Will Evangelicals Follow? and a great article by Dr. Russell Moore God, the Gospel, and Glenn Beck, and for another look, And Glenn Beck Shall Lead Them). Beck calls for a return to God, and then on Chris Wallace’s program (see video) Beck made it quite clear that he totally understands the Gospel message, and the differences between the LDS Church (Mormon Church) and Christianity. Sometimes it seems that the only ones who can’t see the difference, and there are plenty of differences, are us Christians.

I guess the question is, who are we looking to for our theological base and teaching, Beck? I don’t want to just pick on Beck, I like his show. While he is a super pop-culture-talking-head and has many good points, should we really be taking our theology from Beck? He would probably even say that’s not a good idea. Luckily, Christians today can go right to the source and skip all the middle men. The unchanging God of Abraham is still there for us. We are the ones who change, not Him.

I was going to post the poem, “Theology” by Paul Laurence Dunbar here as well but this post is too long already, so look for it in the next post shortly.

Monday Morning Photos of a Sunrise Surprise

Scott Fillmer — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 11:56:24 +0000

This morning just when I opened my eyes this is what I saw above. My face just happens to face east right out a window, and this morning these low clouds turned into a beautiful sunrise. The colors fade so quickly but the brilliance produced in a matter of five minutes is just amazing. As I write this there are virtually no colors in the sky and the sun has retreated behind the thick clouds but what a great surprise to wake up and see the colors of a sunrise.

I was only able to take a few shots and by the time I got over to the pond (last photo) the colors were already just about gone, (time sequence of the shots was about 2-3 minutes). You can click on each photo to see a larger image, hope you enjoy them as much as I did when I ran out in the grass in my bare feet.

Jesus, I need Your Love (I Need Your Love)

Scott Fillmer — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 19:54:37 +0000

Do we recognize how much we need God’s love in our life, or put a different way, how much do we desire that love that only God can fulfill? Our lives are so busy, we tend to just push away this desire or we may not even think about it at all. But even when we do contemplate God’s love, we can only express it in terms that a limited human mind can do (like below), in terms of things that are familiar, but it’s so much more than that.

I came across a familiar poem today that expressed, in worldly terms, how much one can desire the love of another, and it reminded me more of whether we desire God at least like this, or is it only this powerfully expressed for the things of this world? If we can express worldly love “like the hot needs the sun, like honey on her tongue, like oxygen, I need your love”, how much greater is the love God has for us? Without the desire for God’s love, and for His Glory, we are just about in the same shape as my widow pictured above, broken.

I have gone over the words below about twenty times now, it’s pretty powerful (even more when put to music), but how much more should we desire God’s love… probably more than we need to take our next breath.

I Need Your Love

Like a desert needs rain
Like a town needs a name
I need your love
Like a drifter needs a room
Hawkmoon
I need your love

Like a rhythm unbroken
Like drums in the night
Like sweet soul music
Like sunlight
I need your love

Like coming home
And you don’t know where you’ve been
Like black coffee
Like nicotine
I need your love (I need your love)

When the night has no end
And the day yet to begin
As the room spins around
I need your love

Like a Phoenix rising needs a holy tree
Like the sweet revenge of a bitter enemy
I need your love

Like the hot needs the sun
Like honey on her tongue
Like the muzzle of a gun
Like oxygen
I need your love (I need your love)

When the night has no end
And the day yet to begin
As the room spins around
I need your love

Like thunder needs rain
Like a preacher needs pain
Like tongues of flame
Like a sheet stained
I need your love

Like a needle needs a vein
Like someone to blame
Like a thought unchained
Like a runaway train
I need your love

Like faith needs a doubt
Like a freeway out
I need your love

Like powder needs a spark
Like lies need the dark
I need your love

I need all the love in your heart… and I need all the love in your heart…

~ Hawkmoon 269, U2

Edwards Resolved and Acres of Grass to Cut :: Friday Feet

Scott Fillmer — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:18:49 +0000

I thought I would post something a little more lighthearted than my last few posts, and I have wanted to get back into doing my weekly series called Friday Feet, so here it is. My last Friday Feet post was one year ago, almost to the weekend, so I think it is about time to pick it back up again. Seeing that this is the last weekend before football season starts, the push is on over at our place to get as much grass cut as we possibly can so we can skip the process over the football weekend when Auburn plays Arkansas State.

Too bad it doesn’t feel like football season outside… it still seems to be hovering around 100*F every day but I know colder weather is on the way. We do have quite a bit of grass to cut out here so I thought I would get a head start and go out and start cutting today. Some people hate cutting grass but I really don’t mind at all, it gives me time to transfer my studies from in front of the computer to my headphones. Of course I am sitting on various sizes of John Deere tractors that propel me ahead, otherwise I probably wouldn’t like it.

I really find that changing your routine and environment are as important to study, contemplation, and worship, as going to church on Sunday morning. Jonathan Edwards often got on his horse (literally) and went out into greener pastures for several hours at a time to refresh his mind. I know the connection between cutting grass and Edwards’ contemplation is a stretch, but it clears the mind as much as running or cycling does for some.

Jonathan Edwards Resolved #1

Edwards wrote two types of pieces that are now referred to as Miscellanies and Resolutions. His resolutions are one of the most fascinating short pieces he ever wrote. These are not your ordinary resolutions, and today, I am reminded of Edwards’ first “resolved”.

#1. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God’s glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty, and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many and how great soever.

I think I will chew on that over a few hours and a few acres of grass. Have a great weekend.

The High Priestly Prayer of Jesus in John 17:1-26

Scott Fillmer — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:19:03 +0000

John 17:1-26 is often referred to as “The High Priestly Prayer of Jesus”, found only in the book of John, and is the longest prayer given by Jesus presented to us in the New Testament. In a three part series, teacher and preacher Bob Deffinbaugh from Community Bible Chapel in Richardson, Texas, walks through this “Priestly Prayer” for us. Deffinbaugh breaks up this long prayer into three different sections, which became three separate sermons, Part 1 (John 17:1-5), Part 2 (John 17:6-19), and Part 3 (John 17:20-26). These three sections of course also find natural separations within the scriptures; Part 1 being “Jesus’ Requests for Himself” (17:1-5), Part 2 is “Jesus’ Intercession for the Apostles” (17:6-19), and finally Part 3, “Jesus’ Intercession for Future Believers” (17:20-26).[1]

As with everything that was recorded from Jesus by the Apostles, the Priestly Prayer gives us great insight into a life of prayer, how Jesus used prayer himself, and how prayer was also used to immediately benefit those who were standing nearby and heard Him pray. One of the more fascinating points, at least to me personally, is the last, in which Jesus said some prayers so others would hear him praying for them. This can have a very healing effect on those we are praying for, and as seen in scripture here, sometimes praying for those who are present in the room with us is important. Jesus of course did not say all his prayers specifically so others would hear (and this should certainly not be confused with a heretical or pharisaical type praying), like His prayer in Gethsemane, but this is clearly what Jesus did in some cases as seen in John 11:42.

Jesus’ Request for Himself (17:1-5)

In Part 1 of the Priestly Prayer, Deffinbaugh describes the way Jesus speaks to the Father as a “conversational prayer”, a term that was somewhat of a catch phrase in the later half of the 20^th century church. The term used here for “Father” in the Greek is pater, which Jesus uses three other times in this particular prayer. In this case, pater is defined more as the relationship of paternity, the nearest ancestor, or the natural father, than a general male figure. As many others have pointed out in addressing this prayer, pater is an indication that Jesus was in direct conversation with his own Father.

Almost as a side note, Deffinbaugh leaps into a complex conversation that compares the Priestly Prayer with the Prayer in Gethsemane, and briefly examines how the Synoptics handle the Prayer in Gethsemane, while John only records the Priestly Prayer. His conclusion basically comes down to the uniqueness of John’s gospel, but the comparison is well worth the time that more extensive research requires.

Jesus’ Intercession for the Apostles (17:6-19)

Part 2 of the Priestly Prayer reveals how much Jesus cared for his disciples, and to what extent he had gone to make sure they were properly trained by their “master.” As Deffinbaugh explains, Jesus’ method of discipleship was effective and at this point, coming to an end.

In the days of our Lord, there were no printing presses, no Bible concordance programs on CD ROM, no Internet web sites from which to download good Bible study materials… books were exceedingly rare. Much learning took place by means of discipleship. A disciple followed his chosen “master” around, serving him, listening to him, and learning from him. This is the way our Lord taught, or “discipled” His disciples. They accompanied Him virtually everywhere He went. They listened and asked many questions, and they learned.

Jesus provides us here with yet another example of how we should pray ourselves. This was Jesus’ last known prayer before his arrest, but he took this time between the upper room and Gethsemane to show how we can pray without ceasing. Jesus prayed for his disciples before they even were his disciples (Luke 6:12), while they were being discipled (John 6:15), at the end of his ministry here (John 17:6-19), and then even when he was in heaven (Romans 8:34 and Hebrews 7:25).[2]

Jesus’ Intercession for Future Believers (17:20-26)

In the final section of the Priestly Prayer, Jesus prays for unity between the future Believers who will belong to the one body of Christ, the Church. Jesus points out that the ultimate fellowship with God will increase in eternity, whereas the goal of salvation is the future glorification, which is at least in part, to actually be with Jesus in eternity. The Priestly Prayer as a whole gives us many lessons about prayer, but as Deffinbaugh concludes, “our Lord’s prayer reminds us that our faith should be proclaimed and practiced”, just as Jesus does right before he is arrested and executed.

Deffinbaugh’s discussion on the prayer was certainly extensive, and for such a difficult section of scripture provided some good insight, and if you have the chance I would highly recommend at least a quick read through his sermons linked above. His individual sections were at times slightly scattered, as with the brief discussion on the Synoptic Problem, one that is very complex, and something difficult to examine with such a short discourse. Overall a very detailed explanation of John 17:1-26 and he offers very enlightening conclusions after each section.

[1] John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, , The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty, ed. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, Vol. 2, 2 vols. (Chicago, IL: David C Cook Publishers, 1983), 330-334.

[2] Ibid, 331.

Scott Fillmer

Fall is Fire on the Mountain with Yellow Aspen Leaves

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