David's Blog

Proverbs 3:18

2011-03-28T07:30:00.000-07:00

“She is a tree of life to all those who lay hold of her
Those who hold her fast are called blessed.” (Proverbs 3:18)

I bring nothing Lord, but a foolish heart
And ask for hunger and the yearning
To wrap tight my arms around the trunk
To smell and blossoms bursting around my head
To hear the sounds of spring-time life; the warble
Of birds and buzzing bees and wind, and freshness
Oh the life of wisdom that you hold out
To fools like me,
When you wrapped your arms around another tree
and cried out
In abandon

All Things

2010-08-03T11:45:00.001-07:00

Many of us in the church are recovering “older brother.” At least I am. For these types, the subtle sins of envy and jealous are often more pervasive than out-and-out raw rebellion. Many of us have never “blown up” at someone, and sometimes I wonder what it would be like it I did. But I have certainly coolly nurse grudges and judgments against others; which, if I put myself in others shoes, is much worse of an offense.

Envy is in this category. It rejoices in the deserved loss of others, and it threatened by their undeserving success. The good news is that in the gospel we have one of the most amazing strategies for fighting envy: sinners that we are, God has promised more good to us than we could possible envy from others. This is how Paul attacks the problem in Corinth. They church is bickering over preachers; some like Paul, others Apollos, others Cephas. Strife is stirred up; divisions bring to sprout. How does Paul respond?

He shows them that they are giving too much credit to their preachers, and too little credit to the vast stores of God’s grace. He ends this way:

So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God. 1 Corinthians 3:21-22

His point: don’t envy, because everything belongs to you. And he is not veering off into a version of the prosperity-gospel in which “all things” means that you will have a Mercedes, a Lake Forest home, and a perfect family. He means you belong to Christ, the true king of this world. You are his, and to be his is far better than aligning yourself with a particular church group. This is not less than a Mercedes, it is more, and it is ours. Everything! The world, life, death, all things to come…

So let’s kill subtle mold of envy by opening your heart up to this good news. Let the sunshine in, let the spring breeze blow, and live under the bright future of belonging to Christ.

29

2010-06-30T07:25:00.000-07:00

Today marks 29 years of life. When I was younger I never thought I would make it this far, now that I am here, I realize I will probably live into my seventies. Despite internal protestations, life is a long plod in the same direction and not a dramatic sprint with a pole-vaulting fling in the middle.

Birthdays are a good time to pause and reflect on life and set up an Ebenezer moment that recognizes God’s unfailing grace. Here are a few reflections.

Life is unexpected. I did not anticipate becoming a pastor in a post-Vineyard church in a middle-to-upper class suburb of Chicago. I didn’t even plan on going to seminary, and much less getting a ThM. Two years ago I would not have dreamed of being the Lead Pastor of the church I am at. Be careful if you have a rigid agenda for your life.
God hears prayer. I remember in college praying for a strong community of guys to be a part of who are engaged in front-line ministry. It never really happened and I graduated, left the dorms, and went back to CA to look for a ministry position and my request rolled down below the drivers seat. Now, three years later, due to circumstances I never could have controlled, I find myself living in North Chicago, trying to engage this community in a house of guys who are committed to ministry and love Jesus Christ. It dawned on my the other day: "God, you heard me."
My guess is that finding a life of joy, influence and usefulness to God is less about the big decisions concerning what career we take or where we live or what degrees we have and a lot more about the little decisions that determine who we are becoming. A Christ-like person in a generic suburb with a boring day job will have a much more exciting and full life than the wild adventurous types whose outlook is essential self-absorbed and petty.
The Christian life is a life of hope in what we do not see. Our job is not to rationalize or justify that “we have a better life as Christians” before the very end. The Christian life is a life of sacrifice, cross-bearing, dying to self, and living to be forgotten. All the good things of our life here don’t weigh enough to balance out the scales of the sacrifices that are required. But there is a weight that does balance it out; in fact, it is so much heavier that it makes all the sacrifice and pain of this life seem trivial, “not worthy to be compared.” That weight, the weight of glory, is not for sale in storefront windows downtown nor can it be shown on a four minute video clip at church. It must be apprehended by one of the strangest and most wonderful abilities of the human heart: hope.

Ruth

2010-06-16T07:03:00.000-07:00

“When the judges judged”
Israel spinning out of control
Faithlessness sprouting like weeds
Devouring, leaving a concubine
Hacked, packed, and shipped
In a dozen pieces

In those days, in Moab—
enemy territory, a young woman
lost husband, father-in-law
yet wouldn’t give up
on the one who called herself “bitter”
“my people will be your people
My God, your God,
Where you die, there
I will die too.”

Destitute, empty, hungry
They return to town
and Ruth begins to glean,
the lowest occupation in town

And God turns the tables
And the hesed Ruth showed
Comes back to meet her
And in the field she meets a man
And finds a family
And becomes
the great-great-grandmother
Of Israel’s greatest king.

Flowers and Chocolate on the way to Apostasy

2010-06-08T06:17:00.000-07:00

Judges 17 is about the plunge of Israel into religious sin. It is followed by the inevitable fall into moral sin in chapters 19-20. As verse 6 tells us, it is what ultimately happens without a king, when everyone can be a religious and moral relativist, “doing what is right in their own eyes.”

What is remarkable is how much virtue there is to the whole story.

A son restores stolen silver to his mother
His mother goes from giving a curse to blessing the Lord
The mother dedicates the restored money to the Lord
The son and mother work together in cooperation
The son welcomes a traveling Levite and shows sacrificial hospitality
The son has confidence in his obedience: “Now I know that the Lord will prosper me, because I have a Levite as a priest.”

So much that is good and positive, yet it is all so twisted at the core. They make a carved image, a metal image, and a household god, breaking the first and second commandment. And they set up a satellite campus for Jerusalem worship, strictly prohibited in the law. It’s like a husband bringing home flowers, chocolate and smiles after sleeping with the secretary.

This is what happens without a good king. Good kings bring truth and grace, they don’t compromise like Micah. This is why the fact that the Kingdom of God has come near is such good news; without the Holy Spirit and the authority of Christ, we all start to wander down the road of Judges 17. And we can all be very nice as we wander. Then, "there was no king in Israel." Now, there is a King. And his name is Jesus.

“Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation.”

Samson and Jesus

2010-06-04T07:01:00.000-07:00

Samson demanded his parents, against their will, to get him a foreign woman, Jesus submitted to the will of his Father in everything.
Samson was tempted by woman and exploited them, Jesus served and redeemed women
Samson’s love for a woman made him fall to her deceit, Jesus’ love for women lead him to speak only the truth to them.
Samson used his miraculous strength to solve personal problems in his life, Jesus used his miraculous strength to get him into personal problems (rejection and the cross) for the good of others.
Samson died with a prayer of vindication on his lips, Jesus died with a prayer of forgiveness and trust on his lips.
God used Samson to bring temporary deliverance to Israel, God used Jesus to bring everlasting deliverance to his people.

“Hallelujah, what a savior.”

The gift is not yet opened

2008-12-25T23:22:00.000-08:00

The salvation Christ brings is a gift to sinners--"thank God for his indescribable gift." Eventually, the analogy breaks down. One difference between the gift of salvation and Christmas gifts is that they are fairly irrelevant until we open them, and then we immediately see the full extend of what they are.

The New Testament describes salvation-- not exclusively, but many, many times-- as a future event. Thus, to receive Christ is like receiving a gift and not like receiving a gift. We do not see the full extent of his gift, in fact, we don't even see a tiny fraction: "for who hopes for what he sees?" In the meantime, our hope grows not by shaking boxes and wondering what lies beneath colored paper, but in learning to believed in words and promises that God has given. The gift of God comes wrapped in promises; promises that are both radical and true, promises given not to fuel the anticipation of curiosity and anticipation, but the holy anticipation of hope, joy, and love.

Merry Christmas!

Thankfulness is praise

2008-11-13T21:59:00.000-08:00

In browsing Dr. Pao’s book on thankfulness, I found a helpful perspective on thankfulness. He begins with a few observations of what thanksgiving is not:

1. “Thanksgiving is not offered because of the reception of a certain gift on the part of the author.”
2. “Thanksgiving in Paul is reserved for God and not human beings.”
3. Thanksgiving is not offered for just past acts, and future acts as well.

These observations set the course for the main point of the chapter. At its core, thanksgiving in the New Testament “affirms the supremacy of God the Creator and the might acts he has done on our behalf.” Thanksgiving is worship.

So to say “thanks” to God, but to deny him worship is like buying an engagement ring for a girl you never intend to marry.

This does not make thankfulness simplistic—as if “being thankful is just the same as worship.” Rather, it makes it richer and more joy-inducing because of how this is so different than the way human thankfulness works. When my roommate takes out the trash, I should thank him- but not with praise and worship! However, every time our eyes are opened to see a new perspective on the good things God has done for us, they can always lead us to worship because they always point to an even greater value of God himself.

Hebrews 2:9-10

2008-10-20T19:44:00.000-07:00

"It was fitting"
Strange words to utter
From the mouth of God
Scholars stutter
"strange words indeed”
and writing, proceed
their commentaries

God’s word made fit
Unfittable things
Unstained majesty
Nailed up, and spit
Bedecked
and wrecked
the majesty
To infinite degree
Horrific travesty

What makes some stutter
Makes other sing
or leap, or weep, with deep
Joy, transforming

For what was fitting
For him
Is fitting
For his brothers
And sisters
Flesh and blood
Who find themselves
Bedecked
With spit

Because that travesty
Was not the floor
But the door
That exploded
To majesty
Reloaded

Far better than before.

Hebrews 1:1-3

2008-10-07T17:42:00.000-07:00

Who could have guessed such delivery?
Of theology-a deity’s word and mystery
In cave and straw and then masonry
(or carpentry?) thirty years of sun and sweat
Straightened limbs, lepers clean, the silhouette
Of prophets’ hope alive, fulfilled and then
He wrote more, a cross and nails his pen
Blood the ink, the pages stitched with power
That raised him from death’s cruelest hour

When all time’s critics stand and plead
“You hid yourself -- no signs to read”

Then He’ll say when all is done
“It is not so: I spoke by a Son!”

Responding to Generosity

2008-10-05T17:49:00.001-07:00

Today I returned from the Kern Scholar Retreat. Traditionally, this was the time that we as students were introduced to the Bob and Pat Kern, who made our seminary education possible. Unfortunately, for us they were no able to attend.

But how to say thank you? Sitting in our sessions, hearing all the things the Kern Foundation had done and is planning on doing for us, was moving. I realized then that the best way we will say thank you is not with words but with our life. Sitting there, it made me long to strive harder for the great goal before us-- to be good pastors: loving, preaching, caring, planning and all with a joyful sobriety that comes that we are clay vessels, carrying a great treasure and called for a great purpose.

Gender Talks

2008-09-01T21:34:00.000-07:00

My experience has been that talking about gender is delicate, dangerous, and confusing in our day. Here are some talks trying to get at "What is a Woman" that I found helpful. They are from a one-day conference at my home church.

Five Aspects of a Woman

(Don't mind the long intro to the first talk)

Those who take a complementarian stand on the nature of the gender question come in all levels of quality and insight. We all should remember that to embrace a doctrinal position does not equal seeing the depth of its richness or theological profundity (indeed, it never does!). Here is a quality complementarian with insight, that I think are worth listening for those on either side of the debate.

Become a Future Citizen

2008-09-01T21:28:00.000-07:00

Summer at last is over, and the mental, organizational, and schedule gears are grinding and churning as the crank back up to semester speed.

A thought from yesterday’s sermon:

Jesus’ authority through his word is doing in the “inner man,” the soul, the “deep structures” of a person what his earthly ministry to did to sickness, storms, and demonic possessions.

The Sermon on the Mount ends with the crowds “amazed at his teaching” because he had authority. This authority was not just that he spoke in an authoritative voice, but that he spoke as the King over the hearts and lives of all people.

Then he proves this authority:

He heals a leper who says to him, “if you are willing…”
He heals the centurion’s servant with a word, marveling at how the centurion recognizes his authority
He rebukes the wind and waves, leaving the disciples astounded, “who is this man that even the wind and waves obey him?”

What is the common denominator to his authority? In every case, Jesus is showing glimpses of the New Creation. The healed sick are roadway signs of what is coming down the road in the future when there will "be no more sickness". The sea is calmed to give a foretaste of everlasting rest. And what is happening in nature – the turning a chaotic storm to glassy serenity—and sickness—the turning writhing pain to humble rejoicing—is also happening whenever disciples submit to the authority of his word in the Sermon on the Mount and obey it.

When we obey we are not just following rules and regulations of Jesus. We are becoming a new creation.

And if you have ever seen Christians who model the Sermon on the Mount, you get a glimpse of the wonder that creation holds.

The most attested historical event in the Bible?

2008-08-08T08:52:00.001-07:00

At least according to one of my professors, it is Sennacherib's invasion of Judah, and his attack on Jerusalem in 701 (according to Sennacherib's Prism). We have archaeological evidence in the writings of Sennacherib, and archaeological evidence in Lachish, as well as three versions in the Bible. It also includes one of the most remarkable, God-centered prayers in the Bible, Hezekiah's prayer in 2 Kings 19:15-19. Sennacherib boasted that he has Hezekiah shut up "like a bird in a cage." To paraphrase Churchill, that's some bird, and its song has made quite an echo throughout history.

Supersonic Stealth

2008-08-07T07:10:00.000-07:00

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This weekend I went up to Oshkosh, and got to visit the EAA airshow. This plane was the most impressive: The F-22, the most advanced fighter jet in the world. A few random facts:

They each cost $137.5 million
The plane uses stealth technology and all its weapons are stored internally. The bay doors open in less than a second.
The plane has a top speed near 1,600 mph, (Mach 2.4). Most fighter jets cannot go supersonic.
It can also fly very slowly, and we saw it fly by a 90 knots.
The planes are so advanced they are not for sale to any foreign country.
The planes have only been operational for about three years.

A struggling paper machine

2008-07-30T18:37:00.000-07:00

Right now I am taking an "the Pentateuch and Historical Books" as an intensive summer class. It is a lot of work. We have three eight page exegetical papers to turn in this week and a major mid-term on Monday.

Here is a mildly modified paragraph from one of the papers on Deuteronomy:

"Sometimes the most common words in the Bible end up being the words most difficult to properly understand. Many of us reading the book of Deuteronomy will come across difficult passages, but probably we don't typically think of 6:5 as one of them. The famous verse reads: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart….” However, in the suzerain-vassal structure of the book of Deuteronomy the word "love" takes on an important meaning. Daune Christenson notes that “the command to love belongs to the treaty language of the ancient Near East.” Wienfeld, citing The Vassal Treaties of Esarhaddon, writes that “when a suzerain demands loyalty from his vassal, he adjures him that he shall love (ra’amu) the king as he loves himself.” It is interesting that Deuteronomy is the first book to speak of loving God, and of all the books in the Pentateuch, it bears most distinctive suzerain-vassal format. What is interesting, is that in these treaties, to love meant to be loyal, not the state of feeling a particular emotion. The suzerain lords were not demanding a particular emotional state upon their vassals; instead they were requiring loyalty to their authority alone. This is attested in the treaties and oaths in the both ANE documents and in the Greek, Hellenistic and Roman periods."

New Website Up

2008-07-24T21:41:00.000-07:00

After a number of hours of hard work, Adam and I have launched a new website: CustomSermonSlides.com.

The idea is to provide a place where pastors can send in their outline and title and have a PowerPoint presentation designed within a few days. There are a lot of other websites that offer sermon PowerPoint, but no one else offers custom design with fast turn around, fixed price, and easy to upload form.

Our tagline for the website name is: "freeing pastors to work in the Word, not in PowerPoint." Getting bogged down in the external details of Sunday morning (PowerPoint, announcements, etc) is such a hazard to the deep hard work of study that preaching requires. Hopefully our site will help.

Good readers have good intuition

2008-07-20T17:24:00.000-07:00

Reading, that is getting meaning out of texts, is a wonderful, difficult, and sometimes mysterious thing.

“The primary thesis is that much harm has been done in biblical studies by insisting that there is, somewhere, a ‘correct’ method which, if only we could find it, would unlock the mysteries of the text… The pursuit of method assimilates reading a text to the procedures of technology: it tries to process the text, rather than read it. Instead, I propose we should see each of our methods as a codification of intuitions about the text which may occur to intelligent readers. Reading the Old Testament, with whatever aim in view, belongs to the humanities and cannot operate with an idea of watertight, correct method.”

John Barton, Reading the Old Testament, 5.

Hidden Candy

2008-07-17T10:28:00.000-07:00

Pride is “sniffable.” I can just feel it in my bones when a preacher is proud. This is probably because I struggle with it myself, and I am often proud in a way that is not immediately obvious. It just feels so good to get an ego boost, even when I know it poisons Christian Ministry. Like a piece of candy hidden under the tongue; hidden to all, delicious to one.

The way to grow in humility is not long hours of introspection, but long hours of sweaty service. Don’t ask if yourself if your heart is clean, ask if your hands are dirty. Humble people aren’t all caught up in wondering if they are humble, they are out looking for the next person to serve. Jesus changed their hearts and he changed their eyes—they don’t always have to be looking at what makes them look good, but what makes others look loved.

Home

2008-07-15T21:04:00.000-07:00

Being home is such a different context than school. It takes me a few days to adjust. School I have the company of a nice computer, books, quietness, and solitude. At home I have the company of five sisters, parents, grandparents, cloudless skies, a pool, and a house buzzing with activity. Both carry blessings and challenges. I am enjoying the former here for now.

Preaching Butterfly

2008-07-08T09:14:00.000-07:00

Someone recently asked me a question about brokenness, which I have not thought too much about. Here are a few thoughts.

Speaking strictly of the term, “brokenness,” it is interesting that the Bible never talks about “physical brokenness” (unless, rather ironically that not a bone of his body shall be broken). Brokenness is usually a picture of an awareness of a deep fragmentation that has happened inside. The clearest picture, I think, of the right kind of brokenness is in Psalm 51 in which David does something radical for his day, and declares that his sin has been so great that sacrifices will not cover his great offense. Instead of sacrifices, he substitutes his own heart:

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.” (.17)

What does it mean for a heart to be “broken?” I think it is the opposite of proud, puffed up, and self-confident. David intuitively comes to the realization that the law points to something greater, and that only a heart broken by sin is a heart that can received God’s mercy. This them is later picked up in the prophets, "tear your hearts, not your garments"...

However, the Bible has much to say about physical weakness and pain—so much that it bucks crisp definitions and simple solutions.

For Miriam, she was sick so she would fear her leaders, and the God who appoints them. For Nahum, his sickness was healed that he might glorify the God of Israel. For Job his sickness endured (a painfully long time!) so Satan would know there was a man on the earth who would not curse God. For David, he was sick so he would rely on God’s word, without which he would have “gone astray.” For David’s son, he was “very sick” and then died to show David the gravity of sin. For Jeremiah, his “wound was incurable” because he had been chosen to see the depths of human sin. For Israel in Hosea’s day, she was tore by God so that God could heal and bind her up. For the woman in Luke, she was “bound by Satan eighteen years” until Jesus released her. For Trophimus, his illness meant he was left by Paul, “sick at Miletus.” For Paul his affliction endured so that “he might not trust in himself but in the God who raises the dead.” His thorn endured so he would rejoice in the sufficiency of grace. Others were afflicted so that it would be known they were men “of whom the world as not worthy.” In 1 Corinthians some are sick because they are improperly taking the Lord’s Supper. In Revelation, Jesus threatened to throw some onto a bed of sickness because they tolerate the teaching of Jezebel.

This briefly sampling shows to me that often our sicknesses are hard to interpret. Maybe God tells some of us, like he seemed to tell the Apostle Paul, what their purposes are for. For other, maybe he won’t, until it is healed (Job). After all, He's no tame lion.

But the good news, and what I find most encouraging, is that in every single one of those situations, God was doing something good for his people. Discipline, rebuke, growth in faith, a demonstration of his power to the “heavenly powers” or so that through healing people would glorify “the God of Israel.” None of it was what it might look like at first glance: a malicious God, a forgetful God, a God who does not really care. The Bible joyfully shatters such myths, and shows that indeed, "behind a frowning providence there hides a smiling face."

And where the present is cloudy, the future is not. When “God himself will be among us,” in that place, “there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain.” Both our sickness and our healing (if it occurs) should be like a nail in our boot, urging us on to our eternal home.

Having said all that, I acknowledge that this is all fairly theoretical. I have not been “physically broken” (not even broken bone!). Amy Carmichael, who did endure much physical brokenness, noted that it was those who were well who were often most inept at encouraging those who were ill compared with encouragements from the ill themselves. She writes (quotes?):

"the toad beneath the harrow knows
exactly where each tooth-point goes;
the butterfly upon the road
preaches contentment to the toad"

That makes me a preaching butterfly. If you want to hear from another toad, I recommend her short book, A Rose from Brier.

Fishermen vs. Professors

2008-07-08T08:17:00.000-07:00

“What is needed in not professors, but witnesses. No, if Christ did not need scholars but was satisfied with fisherman, what is need now is more fisherman.” Fisherman who have witnesses the power of Christ are superior to academics who have merely studied the power of Christ.

~Kierkegaard

Guatemala Photos

2008-07-02T10:31:00.000-07:00

I posted a few photos (of the hundreds!) from the trip.

http://davidniblack.com/guatemala/

The Father of Prodigal Love

2008-07-01T21:52:00.000-07:00

This Sunday the sermon is on the prodigal son. The commentaries were starting to put me to sleep when I hit this paragraph. (although the repetition “happen” is a bit clumsy)

“The fathers’ surprising action towards both sons is the literary center where the meaning must be sought. The father shatters the self-identity of both sons. Both define sonship in terms of servile obligations; each in his own way destroys the family. The parables does not allow this to happen, but redefines the conditions under which “family” can happen. A relationship with the father worked out in terms of servility leads to destruction. The relationship as redefined by the father leads to life and joy.”

In religion man approaches God with moral servility. In the Gospel, God approach man with love, embracing sinners as sons and daughters.

Reflections on my 27th Birthday

2008-06-30T21:04:00.000-07:00

June 30^th marks 27 years of God’s faithfulness in my life. It is funny how the American culture treasures youth, and makes us believe that our young years are the best ones we have because our muscles are stronger, or bodies trimmer, and our faces have less wrinkles.

I was jokingly bemoaning to my sister, complaining about feeling like an old, single, unemployed, late-twenty-something. She replied with good words: “I don’t feel that way at all. Am I doing what God put me here to do? Am I serving Him? Am I being faithful to my gifts? If I am, then I am happy, no matter how old, and no matter what to circumstances.” Amen. Joy that is founded in being young, accomplished, or unusually high of the corporate (or other—ministry?) ladder for one’s age is a joy that is thin and feeble compared with joy of knowing that you are doing what God called you to.

A confirming word from Spurgeon. Read, “measure your work” as “measure your years.”

“I pray, moreover, measure you work in the light of God. Are you God’s servant or not? If you are, how can you heart be cold? Are you sent by a dying Savior to proclaim his love and win the reward of his wounds, or are you not? If you are, how can you flag? Is the Spirit of the Lord upon you? Has the Lord anointed you to preach glad tidings to the poor? If he has not, do not pretend to do it, if he has, go in this thy might, and the Lord shall be your strength.” (Lectures to my Students, 317).

Adios, Antigua!

2008-06-29T19:02:00.000-07:00

Arrived back yesterday from Guatemala. Overall a great trip, with many memorable experiences. A few random highlights, insights, and odds and ends.

We spent two weeks in Guatemala, and subtracting the time spent on traveling and “touring” we were able to work six days. Our team was broken into three groups, one at a school, and two at “construction” projects. I was the leader of the groups that helped Hector, a local Guatemalan who uses construction projects to build relationships with the people in spiritually dark villages. For our team, construction included taking a corn-stalk wall and replacing it with corrugated sheet metal, building benches, building a porch, stacking firewood, painting two houses (much easier when the houses are about 10’x 10’!), and repairing a leaking roof.
The trip confirmed the truth of 1 Timothy 3:1-13: what is most important in a leaders is character. A key reason the trip went well was that we had good leaders, and they were good leaders because they had character (I am thinking of the leaders besides me!). They talked about Christ often in relation to the experiences of the trip, they sacrificed their own comfort for the high schoolers, and they were patient with kids who acted spoiled when faced with the challenges of developing-world living standards, and they made decisions with a spirit of prayer.
Playing with molten lava was one of the hottest experiences of the trip. It oozed out of the charred mountainside with a consistency about like cookie dough, glowing bright red in the daytime from its 1,700 degree temperature. We were able to pick up a glob of it on a stick, and wave it around while it burned up the wood. Trying to pose next to it I singed the hair off my leg, and have a while all of our feet were hurting from the heat that was slowly creeping through the rubber soles. Our world is dangerous, unexpected, and wonderful.
“What is the biggest need the church has here in Guatemala?” I asked Hector. “For the church to be different than the corrupt society around it instead of an imitation of it," he said, "and for the church to look outward and reach out where there is needs instead of focusing on itself and expecting the lost to come knocking on the church doors.” There I was working in a area that had a church with a dirt floor, two dilapidated instruments for worship, and one Bible, and the problems are essentially the same as they are here in America. The Missional writers are saying the later, and the Restless and Reformed groups are saying the former.
I remember before leaving both hearing and saying myself: “Trips like this will change your life!” It’s partly true. But thinking about some of the students on the plane home I realized that geographical location is not necessarily a dynamic of change. Some students might only love the materialistic comforts and idols of America more than when they left. Seeing new places, people, and historical sites fills your mind with memories and experiences, but nothing can change a heart like God working through his Word. In the pages of scripture we have something more wonderful than the rich experiences of Timbuktu, Antigua, or Marseilles. And it doesn’t take an airline ticket to see them.

Guatemala

2008-06-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

I wrote these few paragraphs before leaving on my first mission trip, to Kenya in 2002. It is just as true now as it was then.

Ultimately, Missions is not a humanitarian effort to help suffering people, nor is it a frantic and hopeless effort to spread fanatic religious ideas.

Missions is God’s sovereign and unstoppable plan to draw people from all tongues and nations to himself (John 10:16). It is the carrying of the best news in the world; namely that there is reconciliation to God from his wrath, and an adoption to God by his love.

It is our awesome privilege to spend our energies and our lives for this high cause– God does not need us, but rather he chooses to use weak people like us to carry and proclaim this eternally priceless message.

Pray that we do not go to Guatemala because we desire to be exotic tourists or earn stars on our Christian crown. Pray that we go because the message is worth telling at any cost and at any distance. The value that we place in the Gospel is validated by the efforts we exert to see it proclaimed and spread. We hope that this summer- whether in an Guatemalan village or downtown Libertyville- our lives will reflect that we value the Gospel to biblical proportions.

Some suffering is not Apostolic

2008-06-11T20:02:00.000-07:00

For example: the suffering of an overweight person. Overweight is such a powerful illustration for spiritual truth, but one I dare not use from the pulpit for fear of being insensitive to the number of overweight people in the congregation (am I just sacred?). To be frank—overeating is a sin. It is a lack of self control at best, and idolatry at worst, and in most cases a mixture of both. If Christ cannot help us master our love for food, who is to say we can master our love for this world?

If someone overeats to the point of flirting with obesity, there is price to pay on the body. Joints start giving out, the back is strained, and it simply takes more energy and effort to do everyday chores. Life becomes more difficult—an element of suffering is introduced. While we can pray for such things—we should take all our burdens to the Lord in prayer—such suffering is decidedly not the same as the suffering so often mentioned in the New Testament letters. And unfortunately, there is a lot of suffering of this category in the American church.

Guys suffering from singleness because they don’t have the guts to get married to another sinner who is not the latest Miss Evangelical. Girls then also end up suffering (innocently).
Highly moralistic Christians who think that working out salvation with fear and trembling means approaching every moral decision with sweaty-palmed fear and trembling and having a hair-trigger finger on the guilt-gun of moral failure. Sin requires a kind of “evangelical penance” of giving the speech at accountability group, setting new “boundaries” and doing some new spiritual discipline.
Long term laziness and lack of basic life skills. For example, if a seminary students did not grow up in a family that taught him or her how to have a conversation and be responsible, it is likely to introduce awkwardness and possibly rejection from the church.
Having the expectation of living a comfortable, secure life in the suburbs and experiencing the “suffering” when this expectation is not met.

What is the opposite of a cliché?

2008-06-10T21:13:00.000-07:00

Clichés are the fruit of lazy thinking. The way a lazy farmer puts sawdust in flour, so that his sacks look fuller than they are, the “umms”, “like”, “and stuff” slide into conversations, smoothing them out and making them sound like more than they are.

What filler words are to speech, clichés are to thinking. They slide into the way we think about truth, God and the church and soon when people ask us good questions we begin filling their food sacks with sawdust. They might look full when they leave, but in the end they leave them with a stomachache.

What is the alternative?

I am not sure, but I have a hunch. I think the best prescription is hard work and suffering.

Fresh words take mental sweat and muscle. At the local taco joint, the phrase: “we ensure you the freshest ingredients” means they have to transport tomatoes from California. People who have fresh words have thought outside of their little group—transporting thoughts from the early church, from cross culture experience, and from a wide range of gifted writers. Not only that, they know how to really listen to people, and see what interests them from their respective perspective.

But nothing eliminates sawdust from flour like the Calvary road. People who suffer don’t rely on clichés, because they know that they aren’t strong enough of sustain the soul when the soul is submerged in darkness or the body with pain. Paul spoke of the “fellowship of Christ’s sufferings” that went hand in hand with knowing the “power of his resurrection.” Christ’s sufferings hammer out the crud inside us so that we can be filled with the power of his resurrection. When this has happened, it becomes clear how tinny and weak the clean clichés were. They are just too small to hold his richness and love.

Parables

2008-06-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

This summer we are doing a series on the parables of Jesus at church. Kyle Snodgrass, who just published a major work on the parables, shows that parables were nothing new at the time of Jesus. They exist in almost every culture and as far back as texts go. What made Jesus unique was his remarkable mastery of the parable, and how he used them as vehicles of divinely inspired truth.

Good modern parables—convicting and compelling illustrations—are rare. Consider a simple one from Kierkegaard

“Once upon a time there was a rich man. He purchased a team of entirely splendid horses, which he wanted for his own pleasure and the pleasure of driving them himself. A year of two passed by. If anyone who had known these horses earlier now saw him driving them, he would not be able to recognize them. Their eyes were now dull and drowsy, their gain lacked style and precision, they had no staying power, no endurance. Moreover, they had acquired all sorts of bad habits, and though they had plenty of feed, they grew thinner and thinner as each day passed.

So he called the royal coachman. The royal coachman drove them for a month. In the whole countryside there was not a team of horse that carried their heads so proudly, whose eyes were so fiery, who gain was so beautiful. There wasn’t a team that could hold out running as they did, even thirty miles in stretch without stopping. How did this happen? It is easy to see: the owner, not being a coachman, drove the horses according to the horses understanding of what it is to drive. The royal coachman, by contrast, drove the horses according to the coachman’s understanding of what it is to drive.

So it is with human beings.”

(Provocations, 149)

Without being filled with the Spirit, without being drawn to obedience of our master, we languish and grow dull. Submission to the Lordship of our Master does not take away strength and beauty; it engenders them.

Pastor-Scholars

2008-06-05T21:32:00.000-07:00

This is a good article on the temptation and the benefit of PhD studies from an wise teacher. I have been encouraged by meeting several "last group" students here at Trinity.

HT: TB

Small Groups

2008-06-05T09:07:00.000-07:00

I have been asked to help with the small group ministry at church. This is a daunting task for the simple reason that I am not an experienced small group leader (nor am I interested in the topic in the first place!). While I don’t think it is an ideal fit for me, it is a great place to grow.

Some kind of small group atmosphere, where people can “do life together” and exercise the basics of Christianity is essential. In an ideal church, you would not need to prop this up with a “small group program” because members would engage with each other instinctively. When churches are suffering, you don’t need “small group programs” because suffering makes us aware that Christian community is not optional to the Christian faith. Or, when churches are born into communities that are already tightly knit, regimented small groups would be like offering to teach driving lessons at a truck stop. When I was in Africa, community was not something people talked about very much because it was the air they breathed. In the villages they all knew each other, depended on each other, and could not really imagine our North American suburban struggles that are born from the fact that we can go—with the help of an automatic garage door and a tall fence--- for months without seeing, let alone talking, with our neighbor.

But North American Suburban culture in the culture where my church is located. And one of the great struggles is to foster community that is more than an hour and a half on Sunday morning. Pastor Eric has asked me to help head up this ministry with the goal of “re-launching” the small groups in the fall. I plan on posting some of my thoughts in the future on “Small Groups” as I work toward this goal.

Sisters

2008-06-02T19:59:00.000-07:00

One proof to me that a healthy family is God’s best “small group” is sisters. A godly girl I can be honest with, pray with, and ride bikes around Chicago with—all without a moment of awkwardness reveals the brilliance of God’s design.

Laura is heading to Ethiopia next year for a three-year term. "David, you are in the seminary world—what are some good book recommendations?" I point out a few sources, but the question is slightly unsettling as I peruse my bookshelf. How many of these books really build, clarify, sustain, or empower faith that will blossom under the pressures (both the routine and dramatic!) of the mission field that can be more oppressive than the hot African sun?

My eye lands on a book by Amy Carmichael. Oh, wait. Laura recommended that one to me.

To whom do we belong?

2008-05-29T11:20:00.000-07:00

Dr. Josef Tson came and spoke at TEDS in October 1987. He asked to be introduced as “a slave of Jesus Christ.” Murray Harris quotes him as saying:

“There aren’t many people we are willing to introduce me as a slave. They substitute the word 'servant' for 'slave.' In twentieth century Christianity we have replaced the expression 'total surrender' with the word 'commitment,' and 'slave' with 'servant.' But there is an important difference. A servant gives service to someone, but a slave belongs to someone. We commit ourselves to do something, but when we surrender ourselves to someone, we give ourselves up.”

(Murray Harris, A Slave of Christ, 18).

Maturity is growing in insensitivity

2008-05-28T18:18:00.001-07:00

Many view mature spiritual leaders in the church as those who are especially sensitive and aware. And so they are. But sensitivity is ironic—so often becoming sensitive to the right things means become insensitive to the wrong things.

I realize this working with the young group. A good way to broadcast immaturity is to show sensitivity. Sensitive to what she thinks about me. Sensitive what others will think about me. Sensitive about every aspect my future career hopes and plans. Sensitive if my needs (idolatrous or otherwise) will be met in just the way I hope. Sensitive that I won’t look weird or out of sorts. Sensitive that I will look to normal or status quo. Sensitive that I will be safe. etc

Blast it all and grow up. Thicken your skin. Take a few cold showers. Open your eyes to the world—its pain, poverty, randomness, and overwhelming size. Roll up your sleeves and get busy doing what God aims to do with your life. And if you don’t know quite what that is—start dying (to self) trying.

Gold or the Gospel

2008-05-27T17:44:00.000-07:00

"'Gold and silver I do not have, but I give you what I have; stand up and walk," said Peter. Later on the clergy were saying, "Gold and silver we have-- but we have nothing to give."'

~Kierkegaard

Exhortation from Sunday's message

2008-05-26T21:30:00.000-07:00

"Let me put it another way—if you are sitting there, and the thought of obeying your parents is just totally blah, or you don’t want at all, or it just seems impossible—ultimately, your problem is not your parents, nor is it the rule itself, nor is it a legalistic church, nor is that your situation is unique and just too hard, —your problem is your Jesus. He is too small. He is not the real thing."

Desire vs. Expectation

2008-05-26T21:29:00.000-07:00

Dr. Roy helpfully pointed out the difference between desire and expectation. He encouraged seminary students to have big desires for ministry, he warned against having expectations. If desires are not fulfilled, disappointment ensues, but if expectations are not meet, oftentimes the minister falls apart and becomes bitter and dissolutions.

I suppose some expectations are right. The “ earnest expectation” of the apostle Paul was that “Christ.. would be exalted in his body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” If our expectation that life and death are both equally valid stages upon which Christ can demonstrate his glory, it is hard to imagine how we could get bitter over unmet expectations.

Echoing Authority

2008-05-21T19:58:00.000-07:00

Ephesians shows us that authority is a channel of redemption; in all the universe under Christ, and then echoed in the family under the husband, parents, and employers.

On of the accents of the letter of Ephesians is the authority of Christ over all creation. All things are being “summed up under Christ.” He offers “surpassing power” and strength in accordance to the “working of his might.” He is seated at God’s right hand, “far about all rule and authority.” and God has put “all things in subjection under his feet.”

The point is clear: Jesus has supreme authority. Parallel with this idea, is that Jesus uses his authority to bring life and redemption to his people. The Christ that is seated with supreme authority is the same Christ through whom we are “made alive.”

In chapters 5-6, Paul shows how the connection between the new life in Christ and life in the family and workplace. What is interesting is that every one of Paul’s instruction for the family is centered around an authority structure. The chapters show that Christian are called to echo with their authority what God is doing with Christ’s authority—making it a channels of life and peace and joy.

Authority does not rank high in the polls right now. To win people toward embracing authority in the home as husbands, parents, and employers we need to start were Paul starts. Not in the home, but in the reconciliation of the universe under Christ according to the eternal plan of God.

Pastoral Ministry is Awkward

2008-05-19T07:56:00.000-07:00

"Let's stop and pray for that." "Let's talk about our feelings." "Are you struggling right now with sexual purity?" "Let's confess our sins to each other."

Such questions can be awkward to ask. But they can be awkward for one of two reasons-- one good, one bad.

Some pastors ask these questions because they are pop-therapist masquerading in the cloak of a clergy. They tend to be sentimental (def: "effusively or insincerely emotional") or simply like to talk about the touchy-feely inner workings of troubled people. Or, they think that just talking about the problems and "getting them out in the open" is the end-all solution to them.

Other pastors ask these questions because they are true shepherds and know that the wounds in God's people often need to be opened and cleaned before the bandage and medication of truth can be gently and powerfully applied. Truth changes us at our deepest places. Because of this, those deep places sometimes need to be exposed to the light through personal "word ministry" of another Christian.

An earlier post compared a pastor with a doctor. This is an extension on that thought. Going to the doctor can be awkward in the way it exposes parts of our body. Pastors can be awkward in the way they expose the heart and soul. But both of them are aiming at increasing and nurturing life.

We don’t want ministry to be easy

2008-05-15T19:13:00.000-07:00

Today I went gathering of earthen vessels—that is, pastors. Catalyst is a group that organizes gathering for church leaders in the area to work together for the growth of God’s kingdom here in Lake Forest. Overall, my impression was positive.

One thing that struck me was an implicit message of the speakers. Again and again, there was the attitude, follow this and it will make ministry easier. I wonder if they realize how much this message is a turn off to young interns like myself. We are not looking for easier tips for ministry. We are looking for solid, lasting reasons to sustain us in ministry that will be hard.

Of course, efficiency is fundamental to ministry . I use a computer, not pencil and paper; Bibleworks, not BDAG; email, not the postal service. But the point of convenience (ideally) is not to make my life more leisurely, but to free me to labor harder on bigger priorities. Technology should allow us to work harder, and have more impact.

I wonder what the Apostle Paul would say to the question: “Paul, give me some tips for an easier ministry?” He might say, "there isn’t an easy way to carry a cross." Or “bearing about daily the dying of Jesus.” Or “being burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life.” Or “being considered as sheep for the slaughter.” But then he would say that in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer because we carry in us the light of the knowledge of God that shines in the face of Christ.

When pastors get together they should talk about practical ways they can improve their ministry. I just wish they talked more about Jesus, showing us young guys the agony, the power, and glory of it all.

Pond Water

2008-05-13T20:08:00.002-07:00

I drove Adam and James down to the train station this morning at 5:30. On the way back—though tempted to re-crash in bed—I decided to heat out on my bike. The morning was bright and cold, and it was delightful to witness the springtime transformation from dawn to day. Passing by houses with ponds out front, I could see the thick mist from the water, uneven and trance-like, rising from the lake to meet the rays of light filtering through the trees. The way springtime harnesses light, new growth, and the physics of mist to transform muddy pond water into something worthy writing about is a testimony to our Creator. Even manicured, suburbanized, and domesticated properties on the North Shore won’t keep the creation's mouth shut from declaring her Maker's handiwork.

A mark of sacrifical love

2008-05-11T22:23:00.000-07:00

The influence of a godly mother is underrated. Only when all things are made new in the kingdom of God will I be able to see how much of the triumphs and blessings of my life were borne up by the prayers of my parents.

One of the marks of my mom that I appreciate is that she does not shrink from letting us do potentially dangerous and difficult things for Jesus. It saddened me to hear the reason that several of the kids in our church could not go on our youth group’s mission trip to Guatemala: their parents would not let them because they thought it was not safe.

Following Jesus is rarely safe. It does not ensure the expectation that your kids will grow up in the area, settle down in comfortable jobs, get married, and have cute grandkids that live five minutes away. It has not happened in our family. My mom only gets to see the grandkids after a nine hour flight to Europe. Her oldest daughter is heading to Ethiopia to a village so rural communication is limited to email run on a spotty radio signal. The rest of us aren’t sure where we will end up, but for all of us who desire to serve God, we can be sure that wherever it will be it probably won’t be safe.

God bless all the mothers who love their children so much they encourage them to do hard things for Jesus. And if you don’t know of such a mother (I think they are a rare phenomenon) let me know—I can introduce you to one.

Elijah was a man just like us

2008-05-11T11:37:00.000-07:00

Teaching tonight on James 5:13-18. I found the reference to Elijah’s prayer interesting for several reasons.

He prayed “earnestly.” This probably means he prayed over a long period of time.

He prayed according to promises of God:

Deuteronomy 11:16
"Beware that your hearts are not deceived, and that you do not turn away and serve other gods and worship them. Or the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and He will shut up the heavens so that there will be no rain and the ground will not yield its fruit…”
The prayer cost Elijah his own personal comfort. He had to trust God’s provision for his life if his prayer came true.
The prayer was designed to prove that the false gods were powerless, and thus draw the people back to true worship.
The prayer had power over the natural elements—the weather—and James uses it as an example for us today.
Elijah saw one of the most powerful demonstrations of God’s power against the priests of Baal in the history of Israel as the fruit of his prayer.

Kingdom Ambition

2008-05-08T20:50:00.001-07:00

There is an ambition that kills and an ambition that gives life. If you are like me, and most young students in seminary, there is a least some level of ambition for God’s kingdom. The difference between what is healthy and what is deadly is how much of you is involved in the process. Paul’s ambition was the preach the gospel where Christ was not named. When he was thrown in jail, his enemies tried to spite him by “preaching the gospel out of selfishness and ill will.” Paul rejoiced. His joy revealed his ambition. His ambition was that the gospel was preached, not that he would be a great preacher. This is worthy ambition.

Prayer

2008-05-07T10:57:00.000-07:00

The shocking things is not so much that God hears prayer, but that he hears with so much more intensity that we would guess. The shock is that we pray so little to a God that hears so much. The shock is that God—filled with so much more worth and glory—condescends to hear us, when we often don’t bother to ascend to speak to Him.

On Doctors and Preachers

2008-05-06T20:55:00.000-07:00

The analogy between doctors and preachers is not new, but serves as a good reminder:

Practical skills and theoretical knowledge are both non-negotiables for doctors. Would you visit a doctor who had only been trained in a trade-school by copying the surgery techniques of someone he watched, and touted, “Everything I know I learned in a hospital, not a school?”
Doctors don’t make their decisions to please their patients but to save their lives. Oftentimes these two options are not antithetical, but sometimes they are. If a patient was asked about every decision the doctor made, there would be substantial disagreement. But the doctors often have to decide to do things because he has—sometimes through intense effort—acquired the knowledge of what is truly best for the patient. This is why the response, “well, at least the congregation enjoyed the sermon” is helpful (maybe) but not decisive in determining its value.
Doctors require a high level of training because their work has life-and-death consequences. Car mechanics and doctors both use tools, both depend on theoretical knowledge, both diagnose, and both fix things that are broken. But doctors need advanced Masters degrees from quality universities because people are worth more than any Camry, F-150 or Ferraris.
Doctors—at their best—endure messy, bloody, and discouraging situations so others can live longer, better, and healthier lives. I find it curious that some pastors are surprised when exposed to the mess inside of church members. Imagine the nurse—“Help! There is someone bleeding in the emergency room!"

Springtime Sparrow

2008-05-06T20:07:00.000-07:00

The Jolly Rodger was seen fluttering from the TEDS chapel this week. A sign of woe for the Greek students entering their final exams?

"My" is a dangerous word

2008-05-05T18:39:00.000-07:00

Prayer should reflect justification. Edwards never tired of pointing out that no matter how great the hypocrites' joy was, it was ultimately a joy centered on themselves. It looks religions, smooth, authentic and chipper-- all fanned by the fuel of self. It struck me recently how my flesh hijacks human joys, disguising them in the garb of devotional delight. “I am thankful I am not like other men.” fills my mouth without my even realizing it. “My family not like other families, my purpose not like other purposes, my desires not like other desires, my gifts not like other gifts, my hopes not like other hopes…”

God have mercy on us, sinners.

(posted previously)

What the Sanhedrin hated most

2008-05-03T09:59:00.000-07:00

Sometimes those who oppose us are more perceptive than we are about our most powerful weapons. D. M. Lloyd Jones reminded me of this phenomenon in the early church. There was one thing that the Sanhedrin wanted to stop the apostles doing in the early church. They did not mind the healing, or the breaking bread together, or the communal living, or the individual discipling. They wanted to stop the Apostles from speaking in public about Jesus. They wanted to stop the preaching. This was the one thing– “they commanded them not to speak or to teach in the name of Jesus.” (Acts 4:18).

I think the same is true today. Satan is annoyed with healings, with small-group “share times,” with relationship workshops, with people meeting together for fellowship, so long at they are taking place without the people bodly “speaking and teaching in the name of Jesus.” But when the word is opened with power he is undone. When men like Peter, John, James and Stephen begin to boldly declare Christ as Lord — even at the cost of their life– Satan’s deceptive power vanishes like darkness before light. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ. And what is the victory that overcomes the world? Our faith. What makes all other parts of the Christian life- relationships, small-groups, workshops, fellowship, communion– purposeful and effective? Our faith.

So pray for us in seminary. May we become less like most scholars in academia today, who laud detached study that only goes so far as descriptive analysis. May we become like Stephen, men who can proclaim with sensitivity and passion, with precision and humility, with love and truth Christ as Lord today.

(originally posted on my previous webblog)

How to be a dry traditionalist

2008-05-01T17:25:00.000-07:00

Last night was the last class with Yarbrough. I feel a greater love for the truth and power of the Word almost every time I leave the class. Here is a sample from an answer to a student question (not a perfect transcription):

“The idea ‘I just can’t accept the Bible as true is’ the most traditional thing you could possibly say. Even in books that evangelical publishers publish they make it sound like it is this difficult and noble thing that they don't believe the Bible like they used to. So what? Welcome to the mainstream world! What is difficult is to wrestle and understand the Bible in a way that puts you in the stream of tradition of the believing community, a community that that lived and died for the glory of God by believing in his word and thoughtfully engaging with it for the good of those around them.”

Fill with Shouts the Realms of Light

2008-05-01T08:56:00.001-07:00

My sister sent me the words of this hymn, and a printout has been floating around my desk all semester. The first line has a stabbing succinctness to it. No one can rejoice in grace so deeply as sinners.

Sinners, rejoice: your peace is made;
Your Savior on the cross hath bled:
Your God, in Jesus reconciled,
On all His works again hath smiled;
Hath grace through Him and blessing giv’n,
To all in earth and all in Heav’n.

Angels rejoice in Jesus’ grace,
And vie with man’s more favored race;
The blood that did for us atone,
Conferred on them some gift unknown;
Their joy through Jesus’ pains abounds,
They triumph by His glorious wounds.

Or, ‘stablished and confirmed by Him
Who did our lower world redeem,
Secure they keep their blest estate,
Firm on an everlasting seat;
Or, raised above themselves, aspire,
In bliss improved, in glory higher.

Him they beheld, our conquering God,
Returned with garments rolled in blood!
They saw, and kindled at the sight,
And filled with shouts the realms of light;
With loudest hallelujahs met,
And fell, and kissed His bleeding feet.

They saw Him in the courts above.
With all His recent prints of love;
The wounds, the blood! they heard its voice,
That heightened all their highest joys;
They felt it sprinkled through the skies,
And shared that better sacrifice.

Not angel tongues can e’er express
The unutterable happiness;
Nor human hearts can e’er conceive
The bliss wherein through Christ they live,
But all your Heav’n, ye glorious powers,
And all your God, is doubly ours!

Optimistic Misfits

2008-05-01T08:43:00.000-07:00

“But all the optimism of the age had been false and disheartening for this reason, that it had always been trying to prove that we fit in to the world. The Christian optimism is based on the fact that we do not fit into the world.

The optimists’ pleasure was prosaic, for it dwelt on the naturalness of everything; the Christian’s pleasure was poetic, for it dwelt on the unnaturalness of everything in the light of the supernatural. The modern philosopher had told me again and again that I was in the right place, and I had still felt depressed even in acquiescence. But when I heard that I was in the wrong place, my soul sang for joy, like a bird in the spring.”

G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy, 116.

Small Groups vs. Hebrew

2008-04-30T15:51:00.000-07:00

Should the emphasis at seminary be practical or theological? In a recent discussion, a friend advocated for more classes focused on practical ministry skills over ancient languages. His examples was a class on effective small group ministry vs. Hebrew reading skills. Here are a few reasons I prefer Hebrew.

Shelf-Life. Most of the books we read for practical ministry classes are recent publications and don’t stay in print for long. In twenty years, few will remember today’s buzz about Small Groups. Hebrew Grammar (and pronunciation) does not change very fast. Academics make tweaks to the grammars, but knowing Hebrew won’t be passé for a long, long time.
Cultural Specificity. The rural churches in Africa are not very interested in our contemporary small group strategies. But if their churches are growing, and they develop Bible Schools, and those develop into seminaries, they will be interested in Hebrew.
Better Exegetical Investment. This might not be fair, but if Scripture plays a role in developing Small Group strategies, it’s usually (I find) founded on fairly simplistic proof-texting. Leaning Hebrew is not a magic key to understanding the depths of the Bible, but it forces the student to deal again and again with the text of Scripture.
Better long-term preparation in ministry. If I count up the hours I hope to be spending studying the Old Testament text vs. the hours I will be spending on Small Group Ministry over the course of a career of pastoral ministry, the Old Testament wins. This is not always the case, and here it is important we know our calling.
Hebrew is harder. I find reading the practical ministry books much easier than trying to learn an ancient language. Which means that if I have the motivation, freedom, and ability now, I want to focus on what is harder, knowing that when additional stresses come, I may be able to work through practical issues better than struggle through learning an ancient language.

To write, to think, to learn

2008-04-29T18:19:00.000-07:00

Desiring God's posting on Why Pastor's should Blog pushed me over the line of indecision: I will start a blog. To be honest-- this is not so much for others as for myself. I am often muddle-headed about things, and sitting down and writing thoughts out has clarifying power.

There are many things more helpful (and clarifying!) than writing. Prayer, get-out-and-do-it ministry like evangelism and mercy ministries, and reading the Bible are a few. I only hope that if I blog with disappointing irregularity it is because I am involved in better things.

Hello World

2008-04-29T15:10:00.001-07:00

This is a test