"Lady Day got diamond eyes
She sees the truth behind the lies
Angel"
9/14/10
9/2/10
Ephesians
what a wonderful book…such a crucial addition to the christian worldview, providing major answers to the nagging question of “who am I?”
Ephesians answers this question with a resounding “you are a child of God, who right now, despite your feelings of brokenness and inadequacy, is filled to the fullest with what is really essential for life…JESUS.” Paul spends much time pounding home the point that we, as believers, have everything we need for “success” in life RIGHT NOW through Jesus. Our identity is secure IN CHRIST, not in our own efforts, strengths and accomplishments. Paul’s words to us through this book take our eyes off of our own accomplishments and failures, weaknesses and shortcomings and put them squarely upon a victorious Jesus, who through his death and resurrection has now ascended to THE HIGHEST place spiritually, and has now taken us there too!
In Christ the striving ceases as we all realize that we are as spiritual, as whole, as complete as we WILL EVER BE in THE area that matters..CHRIST JESUS. HE has given us everything we really need. What an awesome truth, for which I am thankful.
6/2/10
The challenge of Jesus
a few years ago NT WRIGHT wrote a book entitled "the challenge of Jesus" wherein, among other things, he underlines how impossibly difficult it would have been for any first century Jew to accept Jesus' claims to be the Messiah apart from the testimony of His resurrection. I agree completely. Jesus' life, mission, and agenda (aka "his Kingdom") was and is so "not of this world" that its hard to believe a word of it apart from the historical reality of his resurrection. And I'm convinced that his resurrection IS a historical reality. I think Lee Strobel puts it well when he says that he arrived, in his conversion experience, to a place where he realized that given the facts surrounding the resurrection narrative it took more faith to continue in disbelief than to succumb to the evidence. So now having found myself in a similar place, where the evidence overwhelmingly suggests that Jesus WAS and IS exactly who he said he was (living, eternal, God, Messiah) the challenge for me now is to accept the other more peripheral, but equally radical, statements he made...and Matthew's gospel is full of them.
"blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil things about you on my account. Rejoice and be glad..."
"don't worry about what you'll eat, drink or wear...your father in heaven knows that you need these things."
"dont store up treasures on earth...for where your treasure is your heart is there as well."
It occurs to me now that if Im as convinced as I say I am that his claims to be Messiah/God are legitimate, than I'm obliged to live like the rest of what he said is just as certain and trustworthy.
5/18/10
Fasting
Been thinking about the idea of fasting lately. It has come up several times recently as we've been plowing through the Old Testament with the students. Daniel fasted as he prayed for an interpretation for Nebuchadnezzar's dream. Esther fasted and prayed for favor with Xerxes. Isaiah and Joel both speak of fasting. Isaiah mentions it as he tells Israel to "fast" from sin instead of the empty ritual fasts some were engaging in. Joel incorporates fasting into his calls for repentance.
Personally I have never much liked the idea of not eating. "What's the point" I think.."I mean God hears me hungry or not right?" And I've got plenty enough Episcopalian in me to surely deny that there could really be something to the mystery of a fast; something about the power of God breaking into my current reality through ernest and consistent prayer. It's just easy enough to face an uncertain future hoping for the best, and call it good at the end of each day "trusting" that things will all pan out in the end. Whatever that means. My general posture has been to say "Oh, things will work out" and then rubber stamp whatever happens as God's best, and His ideal; His will. For just a moment recently the fog has lifted enough for me to notice that I may have lost the trail, and that if left to my own devices long enough, I'll hike around in circles forever feeling just "productive" enough to keep moving and never realizing that in some areas I'm aimlessly wondering through life without the power of God's presence, and mostly because Im too lazy to ask for it.
Just today I feel as though I've been jarred awake just long enough to notice that Life's doing 70 mph and I've fallen asleep at the wheel. the challenge now is to role the windows of my heart down fast before I slip back into the dangerous slumber that caused me to hit the rumble strips in the first place. I think fasting might be a good way to start. The hungry part of me hates the thought, but then again there's a part of me thats beyond hungry...down right starving...and food can't help me there.
another year over...
hard to believe we're about to end another year with the ESBS. It's been a great year. Worth it for sure! We're going to miss this years students. We've really enjoyed them. This picture was taken a few weeks ago as we all ate dinner together out on the back deck of the henson haus. We're gearing up for a full summer (4 weeks of summer camp work and then preparation for next years school). We have three students enrolled currently for next year's program.
4/18/10
3/26/10
interstate serenade
last week we were on our way to West Virginia when we got stuck in traffic for an hour on the interstate. This bus was stopped next to our car. These students were part of a high school choir, coming home from a concert. They spontaneously began performing for Anna...she loved it.
1/29/10
God let us name the animals
This morning I was up early grading a students work on Genesis. So far I haven't gotten any farther than chapter two. I have been so floored by what I'm seeing in God's character through Genesis 1 and 2. The trip wire for my thinking this morning is this "God let Adam name the animals." I started thinking about that, and it began to occur to me that this one fact reveals the character of God in unimaginably awesome ways. It goes beyond this one fact though. The story continues and we see that God created this fine world, this good world, and then put mankind in the middle of it and told them to "subdue" it.
Here's whats jumping out at me today. God creates this AWESOME world, a world that he's thrilled with. A world full of all sorts of crazy plants ad animals, and then he lets man, a young man, a new man, begin assigning lasting names to them all. Here's what hes saying essentially... "heres my awesome world, now have at it, make it your own." I think this is what God means when he says, "subdue and have dominion" over the Earth.
God does not say "heres my perfect world, ITS PERFECT! so try not to wreck anything."..which is probably what I would have said. No, God knew that there would be some wreckage involved, but he still handed us the keys...and not reluctantly either! He handed us the keys to His world with joy, knowing that one day Michael Angelo would turn a cold block of marble into a masterpiece the world would marvel at forever...and the coolest thing is that God saw that coming...he saw it coming and was excited about it...and is still excited about it...the creative potential of mankind is miraculous, because it comes from a miraculous God in whos image we are made...and praise Him that he lets us learn to paint with beauty on the canvas of his wonderful creation, even when it means we're going to make a mess sometimes .
Here's whats jumping out at me today. God creates this AWESOME world, a world that he's thrilled with. A world full of all sorts of crazy plants ad animals, and then he lets man, a young man, a new man, begin assigning lasting names to them all. Here's what hes saying essentially... "heres my awesome world, now have at it, make it your own." I think this is what God means when he says, "subdue and have dominion" over the Earth.
God does not say "heres my perfect world, ITS PERFECT! so try not to wreck anything."..which is probably what I would have said. No, God knew that there would be some wreckage involved, but he still handed us the keys...and not reluctantly either! He handed us the keys to His world with joy, knowing that one day Michael Angelo would turn a cold block of marble into a masterpiece the world would marvel at forever...and the coolest thing is that God saw that coming...he saw it coming and was excited about it...and is still excited about it...the creative potential of mankind is miraculous, because it comes from a miraculous God in whos image we are made...and praise Him that he lets us learn to paint with beauty on the canvas of his wonderful creation, even when it means we're going to make a mess sometimes .
1/26/10
1/2/10
Job: answers aren't enough
so catchy titles aside, there's some goodness here for anyone who's interested in digging for it. Here's what I mean. the book of Job, in my opinion, is one of the greatest masterpieces of wisdom literature ever produced. From the vivid imagery and poetic beauty right down to the heart of the meaning of the book, its worth every bit of your time and will certainly reward the serious student!
At first glance Job is a book about a guy who questions God during hard times, and who receives all kinds of bad advice from well intentioned friends. It is that, and so much more. As a theodicy, we see Job putting God on trial, questioning his ways, and even accusing Him of injustice. As you think about it though, it is even more a book about God putting man on trial. The prologue tells us that Job's troubles came to him because Satan accused God of receiving devotion simply because of the blessings his followers receive. The trials Job endures were given to him in this sense to put him on trial in front of the court of heaven...and to prove to Satan that man (at least one man) will love God for God alone, and not for His blessings. Wow. Interestingly, Job's friends, and Job to a lesser extent, see the trials as an indication and result of Job's failures and sin in God's eyes. The prologue tells us the opposite. Job's trials came to him, and not to his neighbor, precisely because of his ability to handle them and prove Satan's accusations wrong. God knew that Job would love Him for Him alone, and not just for his blessings. thats some deep water if you ask me.
Another thing to consider when reading is this: Job spends a lot of time looking for a reason for why he has suffered so much. He never really gets one. We, as readers have priviledged information from the narrator. We have the back-story, Job has none of that. All he knows is that his life has fallen apart, and it doesnt seem to be a result of anything he's done. Interestingly, and importantly, God, in his response to Job's questions, never fully explains the backstory to him. God never gives job a full understanding of why his troubles came. In this sense, God doesnt answer the "why" question Job is asking. At least not the way Job wants him to answer it. Instead, God goes deeper, into the heart of the matter, and shows Job that for him at least, the "why did this happen" questions are rooted in pride and a position of feeling as though Job himself knows how to run the universe, and certainly the events of his own life, more proficiently than God. This is the real issue at stake. Its bigger than Job's circumstances. For Job, the challenge is to submit to God and admit that His ways and wisdom far exceed his own. In this sense, having precise and reasonable answers for Job's suffering wont really solve his issue. His peace comes as he submits to God's authority and wisdom, admitting that even if "answers" dont come, God is worthy to be worshiped, and his ways are right and true. This is where Job lands, and this revelation comes to him before his life is repaired....wait a minute...maybe we should say that it was precisely this revelation that WAS the repair that needed to take place, even more so than the physical restoration that would follow....and the coolest thing of it all...the thing that makes me want to just yell yeah God...is that God knew the end from the beginning. He knew that Job would be repaired in this area. He knew Job would submit and love God even when answers dont come..remember, the prologue tells us thats precisely why Job was chosen in the first place.
What can I say...God really does know the end from the beginning. He has no counselor. His ways are far above and beyond our own, and He is worthy of our worship even when, especially when, answers aren't enough.
At first glance Job is a book about a guy who questions God during hard times, and who receives all kinds of bad advice from well intentioned friends. It is that, and so much more. As a theodicy, we see Job putting God on trial, questioning his ways, and even accusing Him of injustice. As you think about it though, it is even more a book about God putting man on trial. The prologue tells us that Job's troubles came to him because Satan accused God of receiving devotion simply because of the blessings his followers receive. The trials Job endures were given to him in this sense to put him on trial in front of the court of heaven...and to prove to Satan that man (at least one man) will love God for God alone, and not for His blessings. Wow. Interestingly, Job's friends, and Job to a lesser extent, see the trials as an indication and result of Job's failures and sin in God's eyes. The prologue tells us the opposite. Job's trials came to him, and not to his neighbor, precisely because of his ability to handle them and prove Satan's accusations wrong. God knew that Job would love Him for Him alone, and not just for his blessings. thats some deep water if you ask me.
Another thing to consider when reading is this: Job spends a lot of time looking for a reason for why he has suffered so much. He never really gets one. We, as readers have priviledged information from the narrator. We have the back-story, Job has none of that. All he knows is that his life has fallen apart, and it doesnt seem to be a result of anything he's done. Interestingly, and importantly, God, in his response to Job's questions, never fully explains the backstory to him. God never gives job a full understanding of why his troubles came. In this sense, God doesnt answer the "why" question Job is asking. At least not the way Job wants him to answer it. Instead, God goes deeper, into the heart of the matter, and shows Job that for him at least, the "why did this happen" questions are rooted in pride and a position of feeling as though Job himself knows how to run the universe, and certainly the events of his own life, more proficiently than God. This is the real issue at stake. Its bigger than Job's circumstances. For Job, the challenge is to submit to God and admit that His ways and wisdom far exceed his own. In this sense, having precise and reasonable answers for Job's suffering wont really solve his issue. His peace comes as he submits to God's authority and wisdom, admitting that even if "answers" dont come, God is worthy to be worshiped, and his ways are right and true. This is where Job lands, and this revelation comes to him before his life is repaired....wait a minute...maybe we should say that it was precisely this revelation that WAS the repair that needed to take place, even more so than the physical restoration that would follow....and the coolest thing of it all...the thing that makes me want to just yell yeah God...is that God knew the end from the beginning. He knew that Job would be repaired in this area. He knew Job would submit and love God even when answers dont come..remember, the prologue tells us thats precisely why Job was chosen in the first place.
What can I say...God really does know the end from the beginning. He has no counselor. His ways are far above and beyond our own, and He is worthy of our worship even when, especially when, answers aren't enough.
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