The Kingdom Project

A Prayer

2009-06-13T21:09:00.003-04:00

I found this prayer in the novel I'm reading by Susan Howatch, Absolute Truths. Tell me that this isn't your prayer, as well as mine.

Oh God, save me from myself, save me from myself…this masterful self which manipulates your creation…this self which throws the thick shadow of its own purposes and desires in every direction in which I try to look, so that I cannot see what it is that you, my Lord and God, are showing to me. Teach me to stand out of my own light and let your daylight shine. __Austin Farrer, Warden of Keble College, Oxford, 1960-1968__

shalom, matt

Faith in Man

2009-06-06T21:50:00.001-04:00

The great problem in the life of man is whether to trust, to have faith in God. The great problem in the life of God is whether to trust, to have faith in man.

The central issue is not man’s decision to extend formal recognition to God, to furnish God with a certificate that he exists, but the realization of our importance to God’s design; not to prove that God is alive, but to prove that man is not dead; not to prove him, but to prove ourselves. __Abraham Joshua Heschel__

Everybody Here Is a Cloud

2009-06-01T15:08:00.004-04:00

Amazing lyrics from one of my favorite bands, Cloud Cult. The song is called, you guessed it, Everybody Here Is a Cloud.

And everybody here is a cloud

And everybody here will evaporate

You came up from the ground

From a million little pieces, have you found where your place is?

Have you found where your place is?

You've been spending your time

Thinkin' about why you think so much

If there ever was a time

Now would be the time to see your time here is limited

Everybody here is a crowd

We all walk around with a million faces

Somebody turn the lights out

There's so much more to see in the darkest places

In the darkest places

And everybody here is a cloud

And everybody here will evaporate

You came up off the ground

From a million little pieces, have you found where your place is?

Everybody here is waiting for the next creation

They say oh-oh-oh-oh

Everybody here is waiting for the next creation

They say go-go-go-go

Everybody here is a crowd

We each walk around with a million faces

You came up from the ground

From a million little pieces, have you found where your place is?

Have you found where your place is?

What Are We Going to Name That Kid?

2009-05-23T11:56:00.001-04:00

My wife and I are expecting our second child sometime towards the end of October. We’re doing what most parents do during the months of incubation where the former zygote assumes a more human/less tadpole form inside my wife’s ever-expending-but-still-dead-sexy-stomach—we’re trying to name our forthcoming tax break. With our first son, Elijah, we pretty much had his named picked from the start. This bipedal poop factory is turning out to be more difficult to name, especially in the girl’s names department. The difficulty is not so much in finding names we like, but in finding names with meaning (that we like). This is important to us. We want our children’s names to be a declaration of belief. Our son Elijah’s name means, “YHWH is God” or “YHWH is my God.” This is a declaration of our faith. But we don’t want their names to be declarations of our faith only.

We want it to be a declaration of their faith as well. When Elijah is old enough to understand I’ll explain to him that every time he says his name, writes his name, or sees his name, that he is speaking something about his very nature, about his roots and his faith. My only hope is that his life will be a reflection of his name. Names in Scripture defined who you were. Today we define ourselves by what we do, not by who we are, by our accomplishments, not our character. I’m not horribly concerned with what our children do with their respective careers. If they want to work in a diaper wipe factory then so be it. While I of course want the best for them both, all I ultimately care about is that they live up to the names that they are given.

Now do you see why it’s so difficult to pick out a name?

Admire-a-holic

2009-05-08T15:46:00.000-04:00

Unlike the admirer who stands simply aloof, the follower of Christ strives to be what he admires. Without this essential condition all attempts to be a Christian are fruitless. __Soren Kierkegaard__

I’ve probably written about this at some point over the last couple years, but it bears repeating nonetheless. The slow decline of the American church into irrelevancy is due largely in part to the very problem that Kierkegaard points to above. The admirer stands aloof, stands apart as Christ draws near, lauding his message and life, his death and resurrection and the highest of ideals, the loftiest of achievements, but never deigning to enter in and be overcome by them as a follower. It is a false piety, full of flowery language, lofty ideals, academic knowledge, and, perhaps, even a rabid involvement in the programs of the local church. But there is little resemblance to the Christ. This malady is not to be confused with those who genuinely desire and attempt to follow Christ yet struggle and fail to do so more often than not. Attempts to follow that are met with failure in the form of sin are part of the following process, part of our discipleship. Peter may not have been the leader of the Church that he was without his denial of Jesus. Paul’s effectiveness came from acknowledgement and acceptance of his past and present failings. You’ll find this shocking (probably not), but I’ve too often been an admirer of Jesus. I read ravenously, inhaling books and knowledge, like Michael Phelps with a bong (cheap shot, I know). I ooh and aah at the life of Jesus, at his teachings, at the insights of others into his teachings, but I often fail to begin the process of entering in to those teachings, into the life of God-in-flesh. And this life of Jesus is LIFE itself. There is not other life outside of Him. My attempts to be a Christian apart from living the life of Christ are pointless, aimless, and “fruitless.” There is no Christianity without following Christ.

shalom, matt

Jon and Kate

2009-05-02T19:55:00.002-04:00

At one point in this interview the woman being interviewed seems actually happy that Jon and Kate might be in trouble (around 1:22). I don't watch the show because I have a life, but when a potential divorce involving 8 kids is suddenly entertaining and we "can't wait to see what Kate does to him" we have sunk to a big time low.

shalom, matt

Meditational Thought #2

2009-04-29T12:44:00.004-04:00

I found this a very interesting thought. I hadn't ever thought of the Resurrection in quite this way before.

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How is the Risen Christ Seen as Subversive and Hidden?

Jesus is among us now in a new way as the Risen Christ, the Christ who is everywhere, beyond all limits of space and time. On Good Friday we saw the relationship of all humanity to God: We kill what we should love. On Easter Sunday we celebrate Jesus coming back into a world that rejected him.

Jesus knows we didn't like what he had to say the first time. We weren't ready for that much freedom or that much truth. Humankind can't bear that much reality in one moment of history. So God had to come back in a disguised form. God had to come back, as it were, secretly, as a subversive, hidden—the Risen Christ.

Meditational Thought #1

2009-04-16T13:19:00.002-04:00

Recently I've started receiving daily meditations from Richard Rohr and the Center for Action and Contemplation. Rohr is the author of several ridiculously good books and a Franciscan monk. I thought that instead of always sharing thoughts of my own I would share on occasion some devotional thoughts from Rohr.

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How is belief in Jesus different than belief in Christ?

Christ is not Jesus’ last name. Christ is a much more inclusive title, which we so consistently tack onto the name Jesus that we think Jesus Christ is his full name! There is a wonderful and correct phraseology in Peter's first sermon after the Pentecost event; he says "God has made this Jesus whom you crucified into the Christ" (Acts 2:36). That would probably be the correct way of starting to understand what we mean by the Cosmic Christ. Most of us have believed in Jesus, but we have not necessarily believed in Christ.

When we believe in Jesus CHRIST, we’re believing in something much bigger than just the historical Jesus. The entire sweep of the meaning of the anointed one includes us and includes all of creation. Many people have a personal relationship with Jesus, but have almost no relationship with what we had relationship with—which is the full Christ Mystery! Maybe this is the major reason that so much Christianity is so individualistic and sometimes even petty. We know and love Jesus but not Christ.

On Forgiveness...Part Two

2009-04-06T12:46:00.002-04:00

Now, I can hear you up in the balcony section hollering about the Lord’s Prayer and how it isn’t wrong to ask for forgiveness. If you will pipe down for a minute I’ll get to your argument.

First, let me say that out of habit I still ask for forgiveness and I don’t believe God preps the lighting bolts for us when we ask Him to forgive. I don’t believe it’s wrong in the sense that sin is wrong. I believe it is unnecessary and would love us to come to a place of deeper trust in the atoning death of Jesus. I think we ask for forgiveness because it is our way of confessing to God that we have fouled up the works somehow. It is our way of alleviating some of the guilt that comes as a nasty by-product of sin. By asking God to forgive me I’m acknowledging that I’ve sinned. What we are dealing with here is a misunderstanding perhaps of a proper confession—simply telling God what we’ve done and moving on with our lives. Partly I believe we ask for forgiveness because it makes us feel more contrite somehow, more repentant and sorry for what we’ve done. This is why I’ve done it and continue to do it.

Secondly, I would like to quickly address the portion of the Lord’s Prayer where Jesus tells us to pray, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” It has also been translated “forgive us our sins,” which would seem to blow apart my entire train of thought. Honestly, it might do just that. Let me say two things and then I’ll wrap up this overly wordy, two-part post: 1) I’m always a little weary about constructing theological arguments based on one isolated text, instead of looking at the whole of Scripture. Proof-texting doctrine has caused more problems (a lot of them) then it has solved (which is none). Basing an assumption that we need to ask in order to be forgiven by taking one part of one prayer out of context is sketchy at best. 2) Here’s my admittedly unproven, possibly inaccurate, opinion: I think this part of the prayer is about asking for the capacity to forgive others as God forgives. The Lord’s Prayer is a prayer, above all other subjects, about asking God for daily needs. It is a daily need that we ask for the capacity to forgive. I’m no Greek scholar (I actually got a C+ during one semester of Greek in college), and perhaps “forgive us our debts” means exactly what it says. However, I’ve been around the Bible long enough to know that our English translations don’t always convey the whole intent of the writer.

Listen, I don’t have all the answers on this, nor do I pretend to know the mind of God, “whose ways are not our ways.” My point in bringing this up is to make us more aware of the totality of God’s forgiveness. You’ve been forgiven whether you ask for it or not. The confession and repentance of sin is of vast importance because we recognize that a problem exists, that a wrong has been committed and we can begin the process of healing, repairing broken relationships, and living in the bright reality of the forgiveness that was ours before we asked for it.

p.s. props to my brother for the original thought for this post.

shalom, matt

On Forgiveness...Part One

2009-04-01T18:10:00.001-04:00

Few of Jesus’ teachings carry a higher degree of difficulty than forgiveness. This is due mainly to his insistence on, and example of, forgiving the people we would rather curb-stomp and groin-punch. Forgiving people you like is a piece of cake. Forgiving people you despise and who despise you in return is a whole different matter all together.

It’s not a new idea that forgiveness is more about the forgiver than the forgivee. In forgiving, in truly letting go, we are freeing our self from the need to hold on to parasitic bitterness and anger, the need for revenge, and the need to control the outcome. The response of the forgiven is not of the utmost importance (read that last sentence again…I’ll wait…). They may choose to reject that forgiveness, to not live in the freedom of a forgiven reality, but they nonetheless remain forgiven. This is crucial. The value of forgiveness is not based upon the acceptance of the receiving party; it is based upon the character of the offended or injured person.

Let’s examine this in terms of God’s forgiveness. If we hold to the belief that Jesus is the image of God in human flesh (John 1:14); that he is everything God is, a perfect reproduction (Col. 1:15); that, as he told the Apostles, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9), then we have to believe that Jesus’ actions, attitudes, emotions are those of God. So it stands to reason that how and who Jesus forgives is how and who God would forgive also. The following passage is interesting:

Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven." At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, "This fellow is blaspheming!" Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, "Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...." Then he said to the paralytic, "Get up, take your mat and go home." And the man got up and went home. When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to men. __Matthew 9:1-8__

Nowhere in this passage do we find the man asking for forgiveness, yet Jesus gives it to him anyway. In fact we can assume that the man was brought for healing, not forgiveness—he receives both. On one level we can take this as our way of forgiving others: completely, totally, without condition or need for response. On a deeper level this gives us a picture of how God works in the world: unasked for, undeserved forgiveness. Look at the cross, the supreme ugliness of the world’s sins against God and man placed upon one innocent man. On that cross we hear Jesus pleading to God for his executioners, and, I believe, for the world: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Could there be a less deserving group of people than the Roman and Jewish authorities who killed Jesus? Yet, he implores God to do just that: forgive. It was not asked for and we don’t even know if it was received, but it was granted nonetheless.

As disciples we are expected by Jesus to forgive completely and unconditionally (Colossians 3:13), keeping no record of wrongs done to us (1 Corinthians 13:5), and forgiving a limitless number of times (Matthew 18:22). For some reason though we don’t believe that God acts under that same standard. We teach that we have to ask for forgiveness in order for it to be granted by God. Our standard is to forgive without being asked. Doesn’t it stand to reason that God would forgive by the same standard He set for us, or, even exceed that standard? Against logic we have placed a double standard on God, only allowing Him the capacity to forgive when we ask Him. While I don’t have the direct quote on hand, I believe it was Oswald Chambers that asserted our asking for forgiveness shows a tremendous lack of faith in God and is, in effect, an insult to God, who, in His gracious love forgave us through the blood of Christ. Asking Him for forgiveness shows that we don’t really believe the sacrifice of Christ was enough to forgive every freakin’ sin we commit, nor that it dealt with Sin as a whole.

...to be continued...

Ahhh...Truth

2009-03-23T14:10:00.001-04:00

see more pwn and owned pictures

2009-03-21T20:25:00.002-04:00

How could we endure to live and let time pass if we were always crying for one day or one year to come back—if we did not know that every day in a life fills the whole life with expectation and memory and that these are that day?

__from Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis__

2009-03-21T20:23:00.002-04:00

A pleasure is full grown when it is remembered. You are speaking…as if the pleasure were one thing and the memory another. It is all one thing…. What you call remembering is the last part of the pleasure…. When you and I met, the meeting was over very shortly, it was nothing. Now it is growing something as we remember it. But still we know very little about it. What it will be when I remember it as I lie down to die, what it makes in me all my days till then—that is the real meeting. The other is only the beginning of it.

__from Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis__

Evangelism

2009-03-11T19:41:00.004-04:00

Good article on evangelism from the blog Open-Source Theology.

shalom, matt

Methods and Message

2009-03-11T19:13:00.006-04:00

This way of thinking is why most youth pastors (including my-own-self) don't survive in evangelical churches. Whether we can articulate it or not we intuitively understand that the method you use to convey a message IS THE MESSAGE ITSELF. The methods we use to attract people to Jesus do matter because they are the message that people subconciously receive. I might write some more on this later on sometime.

This is genius stuff.

Why Church Bothers Me (Sometimes), or How Not to Suck -- Part Two

2009-03-08T18:53:00.001-04:00

(Fourth): Speaking of conclusions—you can stop making them for me every Sunday. I need something to think about during the week, something to make my own. It’s okay to leave me with some questions. You don’t have to draw everything into a nice neat conclusion, like a Greek tragedy. In fact you under nourish me when you make conclusions for me. I have nothing to wrestle with during the week. I know you’re afraid to let go of that control, being able to determine what I take away from the message. Trust the Spirit to lead honest questioners to the Truth, to the conclusions and discovered implications that He desires me to see. They may be different than what you intended. Great teaching begins the discussion; it does not end it. Jesus was the master of leaving people scratching their heads at what he meant. What he said is instructive here: “He who has ears, let him hear.”

(Fifth): Your worship services are, um, shall we say, less than engaging. Stand. Sing. Sit. Repeat ad nauseum. That’s the extent of the engagement. I want every part of me to be involved in worship, not just my voice: mind, body, spirit, heart. I want my five senses involved. I want to see, touch, smell, taste and hear God. I want to connect with the saints and creeds of the early church I want to light candles in prayer, smell the incense of my praise as it rises to the nostrils of God. I want to meditate on words, images, and icons and hear God speak to me in them. God gave me my five senses, emotions and my mind—engage them.

(Sixth): We claim that nothing is more crucial than the Eucharist, the holy sacrament of communion, the actual presence of God in our hands. However, in our services communion commands the least amount of time and is treated like a ritualistic afterthought, something we mindlessly attend to with little thought as to its reality and depth of meaning. We need communion to be central to our worship. De-emphasize the spoken word (sorry Preacher, most people don’t pay attention much beyond 15 minutes or so anyway). Instead of word-centered services we need Body-and-Blood-centered services. How much more spiritual growth could be achieved by meditation upon the life of Christ as we partake of Him, bring His life into us in the elements?

Here’s the thing: ultimately, church isn’t about you and me. The first followers of Jesus existed for one another and for others. That was church for them. Their singing, praying and instruction were secondary to the life they lived in the world. Following Christ was “church” for them. It was a gathering of people from the known world, Jew and Gentile alike, with the common bond of Jesus Christ and the singular mission of the Kingdom Come.

May our churches be the exact same way.

shalom, matt

Why Church Bothers Me (Sometimes), or How Not to Suck -- Part One

2009-03-05T13:13:00.001-05:00

I have no specific church in mind when writing this because, to some extent or another, every church I’ve been in is guilty of bothering me for some or all of the following reasons. Not every church is guilty of each and every one of the “violations,” nor are they committed every single Sunday. Furthermore, I’m not nearly as arrogant as this makes me sound, nor do I believe that churches exist for the sole purpose of not bothering me. What I’m offering here are some “improvements” that churches could make to better engage our current cultural sensitivities and tendencies. Basically, here’s how you can stop bothering me and/or keep from sucking.

(First): Focus on stuff that matters, theologically and is relevant to my life. Your “proofs” for the Virgin Birth, while of interest to you have zero relevance to my life. Whether God “overshadowed” Mary or Joseph—ahem—took care of it the “old-fashioned way” (and the gospel writers insert the Virgin Birth as a myth to “compete” with Roman mythology of the birth of the Caesars and the gods) is of no consequence to my 6-6 factory life and how I interact with the world. Focus on the resurrection, for instance, and why it still matters today. Don’t “prove” it; tell me that it didn’t just happen but that it still happens today. I want to know what a resurrected life looks like in a factory.

(Second): Stop dealing in nothing but certainties, as if everything in life and faith and Scripture is black and white. Few things are that neat and tidy, especially when it comes to the spiritual. Jesus told Nicodemus, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit" (John 3:8). This is not a God who is not neat, tidy, and so easily pinned down to definition. God is not “certain”; He is wild, untamable and unpredictable (except when it comes to love and grace). The Bible contains contradictions, gray areas, culturally based admonitions now made irrelevant, and parts that are downright confusing, disturbing and weird. My life is too gray and uncertain for you to deal in nothing but black and white. Show me the cloudy, disturbing, confusing gray areas. I need a faith that looks like my life so that my life can look more like my faith.

(Third): In your effort to make everything black and white and certain you inundate me with steps, lists of stuff to “keep in mind,” “take note of,” or “action steps” to undertake. It isn’t uncommon for you to have three points, 5 subpoints for each point, and, for the love of Jehovah, three points worth of conclusion and action steps. Alcoholics Anonymous doesn’t have as many steps and bullet points as your sermons. Stop. Give me one thing to hold on to, one key idea to meditate on throughout the week. If you want, give me options of steps I can take to live out the teaching: “Try one of the following this week…” I can’t remember if I washed my hair while standing naked and soaked in my shower, how can I remember a main idea buried underneath 12 points, sub-points and conclusions? The 1980’s and ‘90’s called and they want their sermon structure back.

...to be continued...

Good Intentions and Ministry

2009-02-27T11:52:00.002-05:00

The old saying I believe is, “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.” I can tell you unequivocally that professional ministry is crammed with good intentions as well. And, having been a victim of these so-called good intentions, I can say that few things are more dangerous than a leadership that uses its good intentions as a sword of influence. Want to know how to enforce your “vision” upon the masses, upon the eldership, the board and the ministry staff? Invoke God’s name as a blessing for your good intentions. Here’s how you do it (pastors, take notes for future reference).

1. Start by going on a retreat, a conference, or, for added emphasis, go on a 3-month sabbatical (so everyone knows that you’ve been super in-tune with the Almighty).

2. On this retreat have a vision of what you believe God wants you to do.

3. Come back and declare that you have received from God a plan for the future (for added points call it a “vision” or “showing”).

4. Formulate your plan into fancy diagrams, charts. Use Power Point or Keynote for more pizazz.

5. This is the most important and essential part of the process: tell everyone it is God’s will. Make sure to include the phrase “I believe” before invoking the God’s-will strategy so as to appear humble and open to error (though neither are a possibility). For added effect it also helps to say, I’ve/we’ve spent a lot of time in prayer over this…” This is especially useful when firing staff or pushing through your agenda.

Okay, all repressed bitterness aside it has become quite en vogue in the church to justify questionable programs and ideas and messages under the guise of good intentions, bolstered by Christian-ese lingo. All manner of bassackwards decisions are made, some terribly contrary to the scriptures and the life of Christ, and more in line with American civil religion and the cult of consumerism, with “good intentions” and supported with words like, evangelism, outreach, and discipleship. If the church does it it must be all right. Right?

Wrong. Good intentions are not our guide for living like Christ as the Body of Christ. The Christ of the gospels is our guide. Now obviously how we interpret His life is essential to the discussion. However, a cursory look at the accounts of His life would reveal what his intentions for His people are: justice for the poor, compassion for the sick, forgiveness for our enemies, freedom for the captives, healing the sick, visiting the imprisoned, etc. These should govern our churches, not useless, resource-consuming, attendance-boosting programs justified by our good intentions and Christian language.

shalom, matt

Systematic Theology

2009-02-17T21:07:00.004-05:00

My brother wrote a couple of decent posts on systematic theology recently on his blog. I highly recommend you read them.

The first one is here.

The second on is here.

shalom, matt

Seriously?

2009-02-14T10:08:00.003-05:00

And the award for the most disturbing video game of the year is...Rapelay.

So who is the watchdog group that thinks this game is okay? And what would a game have to include in order to get banned by this Japanese watch group?

Disturbing, very disturbing.

shalom, matt

On Worship

2009-02-13T21:55:00.005-05:00

I’m sure that none of this will be profound (not that other stuff I say is profound and this discussion somehow differentiates itself), but having participated in a number of dialogues over the last couple weeks on the subject of worship, I feel obliged to jot some thoughts down for the sake of prosperity, if for no other reason.

1. Worship is too narrowly defined. We pray much lip service to the truth that “worship is more than singing,” but we don’t truly live out the maxim. For many it is entirely about Sunday morning song services. When they don’t hear the songs they like, or there are “too many new ones,” then they feel they can’t worship God fully. Without realizing it they turn the song service into their singular vehicle for worshiping God. Worship is more than songs. Deuteronomy 6 says to worship with our heart, soul, and strength; literally, the entirety of our being.

2. People lean to heavily upon the myth that worship is only meaningful if they “felt something.” Emotion is the dominant method of evaluating the authenticity of our time of worship. Not that emotion doesn’t play a role in our worship, because emotions are God-given and Scripture is clear that emotion is certainly involved in our relationship with God. I spent my teen years bouncing from one emotional worship service to another at camps and conferences, grading my worship by if I cried or “felt God” (what does God feel like? Is he leathery, like Jack Palance, or soft, like a babies skin?). I wonder what moments of worship I missed out on because of my narrow evaluation of worship. Ever wonder if the acts of worship that are least pleasing to God are the ones with the greatest emotion?

3. Modern worship is too focused on the individual’s relationship with God to the detriment of a communal emphasis. Now, while many worship artists are swinging the pendulum back toward a communal emphasis there is still an over-abundance of narcissistic worship songs. These songs are not bad in-and-of themselves except where they turn our focus solely on our interior well-being and away from God.

4. Far too often have I heard someone complain, “That worship service was boring,” or “I didn’t like those songs at all.” It usually takes every ounce of will power not to smart of to them “Who cares? Last I checked we weren’t singing them to you or for you” (side note: I’m a hypocrite, because I’ve done this). Would it change anything to realize that when we grade the services or songs, like Dick Clark on American Bandstand, we were stealing—yes, stealing!—from God the worship and attention that is rightfully His? It is a symptom of how much the culture of consumerism and an over-abundance and over-emphasis on personal rights, choices, and freedoms has infected the Church. Burger King let’s us have it our way, so why shouldn’t the worship? When we turn our Cadillac’s on, it’s supposed to turn us on, so why shouldn’t worship excite us. And, if the worship doesn’t suit us then we can go somewhere where it does. This is nothing less than theft of God’s worship.

5. Personally, I truly believe we place way more value on the songs than God does. We’re like the two-year-old who brings their mother a dandelion as a gift. The “flower” is a worthless weed. God has legions of saints and angels singing His praises at all times, for all eternity. What can our songs add to that? Nothing, really. But have you ever seen a mother turn down a dandelion form a beaming toddler? It’s the heart of the child, the intentions, which the mother loves.

With all of our wrong-headedness I still believe that God loves our dandelions.

Radiohead at the Grammy's

2009-02-10T14:01:00.002-05:00

Radiohead. USC Marching Band. The song is 15 Step. Absolute genius. (By the way, the sound quality sucks, but it's still brilliant.)

What Bill Gates is Doing in His Spare Time

2009-02-05T10:44:00.002-05:00

Tell me that every minister in the country wouldn't want to use this as a sermon illustration.

shalom, matt

Why I Like Yahweh

2009-01-31T00:49:00.002-05:00

Seems like an odd premise for someone who grew up in the Church from the time he was but a zygote attached to a uterine wall, doesn’t it? I’ve never not been a “Christian,” so it seems a given that I would bear some consistent affection for my Lord. More and more, though, I realize why I hang on to this God of mine: because He is present and involved. Sure other gods throughout antiquity were involved but only as it suited them. Greek gods and goddesses were involved and present as it suited their needs and desires, acting as chess master over a board of helpless pawns. The ancient gods of earth, sky and sea were moody, aloof and unpredictable. Most civilizations had their versions of these gods, but they were essentially all the same.

Not Yahweh. His involvement has always been for the good of us, not himself. From before the Creation His bent was towards that which he would create. The act of creating itself is proof of this inclination. God did not in a sense need to create; he chose to create. He knew that love only reaches its fullest measure when it is given and returned. So God created in love a world that could love him back. The book of Revelation contains an astounding passage that seems to point to this pre-creation love and involvement. The passage describes Jesus as “the Lamb who was killed before the world was made” (13:8). From the beginning God’s plan for us were in place, and, in a supernatural way, already accomplished.

The opening phrases of the Genesis poem describe the Spirit hovering over the primeval waters (1:2). Here in the chaos is God present to an infantile world, not simply present, but actively involved from the opening word. In Genesis 3 we find God “was walking in the garden in the cool of the day” (3:8), present in his world, and, seemingly, enjoying that which he created. From the text you are drawn to surmise that this was not God’s first saunter through his garden.

Fast-forward a long time from Genesis to 400 years of forced Israelite labor by the Egyptians. God, at least from an enslaved Israelite perspective, has been noticeably absent and uninvolved (wouldn’t you feel that way if you knew nothing but slavery from birth to death over the course of 15 or so generations?). But he wasn’t (and He isn’t…How’s that for spoon-feeding you?). Thus spaketh the Lord: “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering” (Exodus 3:7). Seeing. Hearing. Concerned. This is not a God who is absent and ambivalent; this is a God who is close enough to see, hear, and act on behalf of the misery of his children. Following the exodus from slavery, after laying a celestial smack-down on Pharaoh and Egypt via the Plagues, God himself guides the people of Israel through the wilderness in a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day.

“By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people” (Exodus 13:21-22). “Neither…left its place in front of the people”—God remains ever-present, active and involved with the people of Israel as a guide and protector.

(Skip ahead a whole bunch, but understand that God is doing His ever-present, active and involved routine throughout the history of Israel. I just don’t have the energy to record a whole bunch of examples.)

Enter Jesus, stage right. He comes as the embodiment of the Creator-God of Genesis, the God of the Exodus, the Pillar of Cloud and Fire. It was not enough for God to in cloud and fire, or a disembodied voice on Sinai; it was not enough for Him to come in visions to the Patriarchs; it was not enough for Him to come disguised as “an angel of the Lord” and wrestle with Jacob. God took on flesh. There is no greater involvement in the history of creation than this: God walks among us (John 1:14). Isn’t this the majesty and mystery of the life of Christ? In this one man is the fullness of the Divine (Colossians 1:19)? After his death and resurrection he sends His Spirit as His continued presence in the world. But this Spirit is not just present to us. He is present in us. God is actively at work inside of us, transforming and resurrecting us from the old life of sin and death, bringing us into new life.

Ever-presence. That is why I like Yahweh.

shalom, matt

This Week's Sign of the Apocalypse...

2009-01-18T19:24:00.002-05:00

The Arizona Cardinals are in the Super Bowl. What? Really? Not the Giants? Not...anyone else? Christ's return is imminent. Has to be.

shalom, matt

Pearls and Pigs, part 2

2009-01-16T21:31:00.000-05:00

Dear Body of Christ: Shut up! Love, Matt

Seriously. The Church needs to learn to shut up and listen. It needs to stop speaking pedestrian banalities that have nothing to say about real problems that people face. It needs to stop putting up crappy platitudes on their church signs that only serve to alienate and offend. “Jesus is the answer” may contain a nugget of truth, but if we don’t listen to the “question” then the answer will always be the wrong one. Jesus can only be a solution when we know the problem. And, as I said in part one, we often don’t know the real problem in a person’s life.

Sure this passage can be used in a number of ways, most of them probably valid. Remember this though: context matters, helping to determine what Jesus’ original meaning might have been. Asking, seeking and knocking falls immediately after Jesus’ discussion of planks, pigs and pearls. With the context in mind it isn’t too far of a stretch to tie this passage in with our discussion of throwing holy things before people who aren’t able to receive them and find nourishment from them. In order to be a healing salve we have to stop pushing our holy agenda onto people unable to receive it. Instead we need to ask them what we can do to help. We listen closely to their needs they share and then help appropriately, not half-hazard with our own agenda in mind. Three of the most beautiful words that we can utter for someone else are “I am here.” To be present to the hurts and needs of another human being brings us closer to living fully the life of Christ. The asking, seeking, and knocking primarily is about our relationship to other people, as opposed to our praying to God (the traditional use of that passage). Remember context. Asking, seeking and knocking is first about our relationship to others, not prayer to God. We gently ask to help and then help them in the way that they ask, not in the way that we want them to. In doing this we put the control back into the hands of God where it belongs. I quote again from The Divine Conspiracy:

We can gently but persistently keep our hopeful expectation before them and at the same time before God. Asking is indeed the great law of the spiritual world through which things are accomplished in cooperation with God and yet in harmony with the freedom and worth of every individual.

The church needs to learn to listen, to speak less and hear more. The writer of Ecclesiastes tells us “The more words the less the meaning, and how does that profit anyone?” (6:11). Lose the flippant clichés and come alongside those who mourn and hurt and mourn and hurt with them. In this way we become Christ in the flesh for humanity and then the pearls become real treasure to them.

shalom, matt

Time Waster

2009-01-10T19:24:00.002-05:00

For all of you who have ever nuked a Peep in the microwave...

Quality entertainment. The marshmallows, christmas lights and eggs are the best.

I'll post something of substance in the next couple days.

shalom, matt

New Year's Resolutions, or How I Intend to Keep a Few of These

2009-01-03T13:33:00.003-05:00

1. Work on my beastliness by working on my upper body strength using my Iron Gym that I paid too much for and could've got a lot cheaper at WalMart.

2. Work on lowering my cholesterol by riding the stationary bike quietly festooning the back wall of my garage at the moment.

3. Work on my guitar chops at least once a week. Not asking to be Eddie Van Halen or Stevie Ray Vaughan, but would like to be better than C.C. Deville. I downloaded a video podcast of guitar lessons which should come in handy.

4. Be a slightly more attentive father, which I'm obviously not doing right now since I'm typing this.

5. Attempt to have some sort of relationship with the Almighty, including, but not limited to, opening my Bible on occasion, praying for a reason other than desperation and guilt, and attempting to live like a Christian as opposed to a heathen who goes to church.

I'm only making five, because we all know that I can't multi-task very well.

shalom, matt

On Scripture (from Reallivepreacher.com)

2009-01-02T10:07:00.002-05:00

I haven't read Gordon Atkinson's blog for awhile, so I took a peek at it this morning and his post on the Bible blew my mind. I love his writing and his view of God, etc.

shalom, matt

Pearls and Pigs

2009-01-01T15:40:00.000-05:00

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in someone else’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say, “Let me take the speck out of your eye,” when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from the other person’s eye. Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. __Matthew 7:3-7__

You don’t generally find a lot of people throwing fine jewelry into hog troughs, nor allowing Fido the opportunity to gnaw on your Bible. So that makes these very strange words of Jesus somewhat difficult to wrap our minds around. This passage falls near the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ vision for a world where the Kingdom of god is preeminent in the lives of individual followers. In a word, this is how we live the Kingdom in the everyday. If that is the case indeed then this whole pearls-and-hogs passage has to fit within that framework. The question to ask then is: what is this trying to tell me about the Kingdom life?

I’m a big believer in letting the context and/or placement of a passage help with the interpretation of said passage. The gospel writers were exceedingly strategic and intentional with the arrangement of Jesus’ life and teachings. Writing to specific audiences in antiquity they arranged, summarized, emphasized and edited various details for their specific audiences. For example, Matthew’s use of the phrase “kingdom of heaven” versus “kingdom of God” found in Mark. Mark and John give no mention to the birth of Jesus, while Matthew and Luke give several opening chapters over to the subject. The Sermon on the Mount appears in Matthew alone, with an abbreviated version in Luke, known as the Sermon on the Plain. And on and on the examples go. Here our passage finds itself wedged between Jesus’ admonition to not judge other’s problems before we deal with our own (plank in the eye/speck in the eye) and his appeal for us to “ask, seek and knock.”

We are hopefully all aware that a kingdom life is one that is free from passing unfair, unfounded judgment upon the supposed enormity of someone else’s problems. We know this but don’t practice it as often as Christ would intend. It’s much easier to focus on the “massiveness” of “their” problem (which is probably a “speck”) then on the “minor issue” that we have (which is probably a “plank”). The trouble isn’t just that we are passing judgment on another’s problems without seeing our own. What’s worse is in our arrogance we throw the solution at them when they simply aren’t in a place to hear it. We pass on our judgment of their condition and quickly follow up with the antidote to that condition.

Dallas Willard’s exceptional book The Divine Conspiracy is especially insightful on this subject. I’ll quote liberally from it because he says it better than I can.

The problem with pearls for pigs is not that the pigs are not worthy. It is not worthiness that is in question here at all, but helpfulness. Pigs cannot digest pearls, cannot nourish themselves upon them. Likewise for a dog with a Bible or a crucifix. The dog cannot eat it. The reason these animals will finally “turn and rend you,” when you one day step up to them with another load of Bibles or pearls, is that you at least are edible…. And what a picture this is of our efforts to correct and control others by pouring our good things, often truly precious things, upon them—things that they nevertheless simply cannot ingest and use to nourish themselves. Often we do not even listen to them. We ‘know’ without listening…. The point is not the waste of the ‘pearl’ but that the person given the pearl is not helped (pgs. 228-229).

Remember: we are asking what this has to do with being a follower of Jesus’ way of living. This passage isn’t about them—the swine or the dogs—but about those of us throwing our pearls and holy things to unwilling recipients. We simply aren’t being helpful when we offer these precious things and they aren’t in a position to receive nourishment from them.

Singer/songwriter Don Chaffer penned a song called Long on Diagnosis, Short of Cure. Besides being a ridiculously magnificent song it strikes at the heart of what we do so often: diagnose the problem and offer the wrong cure. We treat them for a head cold while they bleed to death from internal injuries. We half-listen to the problems of others, ready to fire away with our trite, hackneyed clichés: “just trust God to provide”; “just have faith”; “Jesus is the answer”; “let go and let God.” We don’t hear the hurt, the desperation, the angst, anger and bitterness that lay deep behind the words, and, in our ignorance, we offer them the wrong medicine. Do this enough and eventually you will become the target, they will, as Jesus says, “turn and tear you to pieces.”

Part 2 coming soon...

shalom, matt

So...Christmas, Eh?

2008-12-23T19:12:00.002-05:00

So I’m standing here at work, amidst the insipid clatter and clang of machinery, conveyors and saw blades, on the 23^rd of December, realizing that I’ve given little thought to Christmas, true Christmas to be exact, not the manufactured, Hallmark-cliché of rampant materialism that we sold from Thanksgiving onward. I’m talking about Christ’s Mass, the celebration and worship of the birth of Emmanual. Somehow I’ve missed Advent, spending negligible amounts of time preparing my heart to celebrate the Christ child. Part of the fault—okay, most of the fault—lay in my own laziness concerning my soul. For whatever reason I just seem to have a blasé attitude toward Christmas this year. It just snuck up on me, and I never really prepared myself for it. This is troubling. I like Christmas. I like to think about Christmas and anticipate it. I like to think about Christmas and Advent and their relationship to the 2^nd Coming. Somehow I missed it all. I wonder what Christmas Eve will be like for me in my unprepared state…

There are few events in history more engorged with significance than the Incarnation, every aspect of it bleeding the miraculous and declaring the culmination of God’s plan for humanity—He would take on flesh. And I stand here in my factory having given little thought to this grand event. How has it come to this? How have I slipped so far as to miss entirely the celebration of God-with-man?

But all is not lost. On Christmas morning my wife, 5-year-old son, and I will be serving Christmas breakfast in the community where my brother works. Perhaps the greatest way to celebrate the Word-made-flesh is to become Christ in the flesh for our fellow man.

Merry Christmas

Neighbor Next Door

2008-12-16T18:33:00.000-05:00

Marius almost reproached himself with the fact that he had been so absorbed in his reveries and passion that he had not until now cast a glance upon his neighbors. Paying their rent was a mechanical impulse; everybody would have had that impulse; but, Marius, should have done better. What! a mere wall separated him from these abandoned beings, who lived by groping in the night without the pale of the living; he came in contact with them, he was in some sort the last link of the human race which they touched, he heard them live or rather breathe beside him, and he took no notice of them! every day at every moment, he heard them through the wall, walking, going, coming, talking, and he did not lend his ear! and in these words there were groans, and he did not even listen, his thoughts were elsewhere, upon dreams, upon impossible glimmerings, upon loves in the sky, upon infatuations; and all the while human beings, his brothers in Jesus Christ, his brothers in the people, were suffering death agonies beside him! agonizing uselessly; he even caused a portion of their suffering and aggravated it. For had they had another neighbor, a less chimerical and more observant neighbor, an ordinary and charitable man, it was clear that their poverty would have been noticed, their signals of distress would have been see, and long ago perhaps they would have gathered up and saved! Undoubtedly they seemed very depraved, very corrupt, very vile, very hateful, even, but those are rare who fall without becoming degraded… And then, is it not when the fall is lowest that charity ought to be greatest? __from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo__

Quality Products

2008-12-06T10:42:00.001-05:00

I'm not even sure how to make fun of this. It just screams for some sort of mockery, but I can't even begin to find a place to start on it.

shalom, matt

Really?

2008-12-05T16:32:00.001-05:00

I need to rant for a minute here. Since I don’t work in a church anymore I don’t have much motive to rant and rave, like a petulant child in need of a “bah-bah” and a “blanky.” But when I hear about something heretical being taught to students I still love, well, it just raises my fur, flattens my ears against my head, and makes my tail swing wildly to and fro (yes, in this metaphor I am a cat).

A former student of mine told me that in Sunday School class at “church” they were told that they should be only hanging out with Christians. As far as non-Christians go they are to “say ‘hi’ to ‘them’ in the hallways and invite ‘them’ to church but that’s all.” The justification for this thinking was Paul’s discourse in 2 Corinthians about believers and unbelievers being unequally yoked together. You shouldn’t be friends with non-Christians because it yokes you together with them. Now aside from the asinine interpretation of this passage, this idea is dangerous, fundamentalist, anti-Christian, anti-kingdom, and—dare I say it (Dare! Dare!)?—anti-Christ theology.

Say “hi” to them? Invite them to church? Nothing else? No relationship? Are you freaking kidding me? Are we even reading the same Bible or talking about the same Jesus? Think about the damaging implications of such a way of thinking and living. How has this “church’s” theology sunk so low?

So many thoughts and questions race through my mind:

What about the entire ministry of Jesus? He hung out with everyone but religious people, and when he did end up around them he usually rubbed their faces in their own hypocrisy.

What about “I came to seek and save the lost”? Doesn’t the act of “seeking” imply some sort of relational effort and involvement? Saying “hi” isn’t relational involvement anymore than video games are athletic (with the exception of Wii Fit maybe). And don’t get me started on “invite them to church.” Never does Christ ask us to invite people to “church.” Invite them into a Kingdom life, yes, to church, no (and “church” doesn’t always equal Kingdom).

So when Jesus ate with 1^st century IRS agents, whores, low-lifes, the diseased and ordinary, the forgotten and corrupt he did that because Burger King was closed and he had nowhere else to eat? He did it just to be nice? How do you get around him eating with Zaccheus?

So where were the elders when this was being taught, or the youth minister?

Hey, elders, wanna know why your “church is dying? It’s because of this kind of thinking.

Putting myself into that situation as a youth minister I think I would have an awfully hard time not speaking out against that kind of thinking during class. I know it would create a crap storm later on but that kind of destruction can’t go unchecked.

Churches that allow that brand of fear-driven thinking to be taught need to collapse and die for the good of the kingdom. If you attend a church that teaches you to fear and avoid the world—RUN! Get out with your soul in tact before you are brainwashed with anti-Kingdom thinking. Find a church that teaches about the Jesus who said, “Go into the world;” “Do not be afraid for I have overcome the world;” “[the Spirit] will guide you.” Find a church that teaches about a Jesus who chose to eat with the lowly and sinful and expected us to do the same, who called these very people “blessed,” and who shoed them a new way, the True Way, to be fully human, whole and complete. Find a church that values people, not for what they can add (money and higher attendance), but simply because they are, despite the outward exterior actions, language or beliefs, at their core God-breathed bearers of the Image of God.

Jesus’ harshest words were for the uber-religious who looked down upon “those sinners” with snobbish contempt and arrogant pride, not even deigning to associate with “them.”

They accused Jesus of dining with tax collectors and sinners.

May we be accused of the same thing?

shalom, matt

A Nominal Post

2008-12-03T18:54:00.003-05:00

I'll post something of relevance in the next day or so, but until then I would like to pose this query:

Who is more overrated:

A. Elvis

B. The Beatles

Discuss.

A Terrible Weight

2008-11-21T15:08:00.000-05:00

Genesis 3 makes it abundantly clear that sin—disobedience, literally, “missing the mark”—comes with a hefty price. Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit and get booted from Paradise faster than a meat-eater at a PETA convention, thereby ruining the chance of everyone getting to walk around naked and unashamed…dang it. Three chapters later the world makes God sad because they won’t stop killing each other (no modern equivalent to this). So God hits the refresh button and wipes out all but a dozen people and a floating zoo full of animals in the mother of all rainstorms: 40 days and nights of rain, which is like living in Seattle (but without the flannel shirts and Nirvana cover bands). Skip way ahead, a long, long, long time to Exodus. The Israelites are put into 400 years of bondage for no other reason than they are really good at the whole “be fruitful and multiply” thing (you know, sex). Too numerous. Might rise up and overthrow Pharaoh. Solution: slavery. Enter Moses. Leads them out of the slavery after pimp-slapping Egypt for Pharaoh’s hard-heartedness…and for his being kind of a douchebag. Later, Moses strikes a rock in the desert with his staff (inadvertently inventing the game of stickball), water flows and Moses gets locked out of the Promise Land because he made God mad.

Our consequences today wear a different face, but the weight is still more than we were meant to bear. As I’ve become slightly more aged and vaguely wiser I’ve noticed with much trepidation the effect my sins have had and continue to have on other people. We think our sin affects only us, but we don’t live in a vacuum. We live in relationship and community. Scripture says that the effects of sin are felt to the 3^rd and 4^th generation. The life of King David is telling of this truth. And I can tell you that watching your sins affect those around you, frankly, sucks. The only way I can describe it is “heart-sadness.” It’s the kind of sadness that affects your body. Your whole body seems stuck in a state of melancholy. Couple that with an ever-increasing awareness of one’s own shortcomings and you begin to feel like you are buried under a heaping pile of rubble.

But…

There in that rubble with you is Jesus, who understands burdens and the weight of sin, who can lead you out into freedom, life and better days full of hope and a desire for His Way. The road isn’t easy and the gate is exceedingly narrow (and few find it). You want to give up or, worse, live halfway between both realities. But deep down you know you can’t. so with the Spirit working in you, the difficult, arduous task of digging out, rebuilding and repairing begins.

And each day the weight becomes a little less.

shalom, matt

I Leave It To Him

2008-11-10T21:24:00.001-05:00

From Monsignor Quixote by Graham Greene:

“Without much hope [Monsignor Quixote] opened the book a second time, but this time he was rewarded, although the paragraph he had fixed on began discouragingly. ‘Have I have in my life made a good confession? Has God pardoned me? Am I in a good or a bad state?’ He was tempted to close the book but he read on. ‘I at once reply: God wishes to conceal all that from me, so that I may blindly abandon myself to His mercies. I do not wish to know what He does not wish to show me and I wish to proceed in the midst of whatever darkness He may plunge me into. It is His business to know the state of my progress, mine to occupy myself with Him alone. He will take care of all the rest; I leave it to Him.’”

Thoughts on the Day After November 4th

2008-11-05T19:24:00.002-05:00

It was nice to see an election where gay marriage, abortion and religion were not the deciding factors and were barely even mentioned.
James Dobson and the "religious right" were strangely silent during this election year (thankfully and mercifully).
I don't care what side of the aisle you're on, or what state you're from, electing the first African-American president is a huge freaking deal. 50 years ago America was still drinking out of seperate water fountains and shooting civil rights leaders. Slightly historic, wouldn't you say?
Did anyone else notice that the media only seemed to be interviewing African-Americans in regards to Obama during the election coverage? You would think, based on the media coverage, that no one but African-Americans voted for Obama. I found it strange.
I'm sure the media have more info than we do but it was odd that they were calling states with less than 1% of the votes tabulated. Some of the races even showed the projected winner losing based on the tabulated votes to that point. Made me a little nervouse that we'd have a repeat of the 2000 Florida fiasco.
So how long will it take for Sarah Palin to drop back into relative obscurity? Wait...what? You mean she already has? Well, that was quick.
I may dislike McCain but I thought his concession speech was very gracious and heartfelt.
By the way, McCain supporters in Phoenix, the booing at Obama' name was very, very classy. Just the height of maturity. I've seen Bill Belicheck be more gracious about losing than you were.
It says a lot about the pulse of the country that Obama won traditionally "red" states, like Indiana. I think people actually see in him a chance for a new direction in Washington. That's encouraging. God knows what's going on there now isn't working.
I vehemetly dislike Bush as a President but I thought it was kind of him to invite the Obama's to the White House. I get the sense that, while he is a lousy president, George would be fun to drink a beer and shoot skeet with.
Anyone else notice that Obama mentioned humility? We could use some of that in D.C.
I've never seen a man, particularly in politics, with as much of a commanding, energizing, uniting presence as Obama.
Obama's election began instantaneously repairing our standing in eyes of the world. Don't believe me? Check out some internatinale newspapers online and tell me they aren't glad to be rid of the Bush Administration's destructive "we're right/you're wrong" philosophy. One headline from a former ally: Welcome Back, Friend.
May the next four years (eight, hopefully) erase the devastation of the last eight.

shalom, matt

Side Effects

2008-10-27T20:09:00.003-04:00

During lunch at work, between the hours of 11:00-12:00, on the TV in the break room, you will find The Price Is Right (sans Bob Barker). While watching said game show you are inundated with commercials every ten minutes or so. The commercials seem to be of two flavors: 1) that guy who used to sell Quaker Oats but is now trying to hock term life insurance or diabetes testing supplies; or 2) drug companies hocking their latest fix-it-all medication. I’ve noticed that probably around 60-70% of the commercials are for these medications, covering a broad spectrum of illnesses and conditions: depression, anxiety, constipation, asthma, sleeplessness, arthritis, joint pain, erectile disfunction, STDs, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, etc. Pick a problem and there is probably an over-priced drug for it. What is hilarious is listening to the full 20 seconds of warnings and side effects and potential risks involved in taking the medication. Here is a list of some of the effects from various medictions:

Less serious risks include:

Nausea
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Constipation
Sleeplessness
Drowsiness
Headaches
Dry mouth
Acne
Blurred vision
Runny nose
Clogged nose
Half runny, half clogged nose
Bacon cravings
A desire to practice naked yoga in your driveway
Playing possum
Listening to Dido albums

Moderate to severe risks include:

Respiratory infections
Trouble breathing
Low blood pressure
Thoughts of suicide
Heart attack
Stroke
Blood clots
Severe bleeding
Kidney failure
Liver failure
Ulcers
Erections lasting over 4 hours
Weakened immune system
“Fatal condition resulting from…” (seriously, this was a side effect for some medication)
Desire to watch The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
Inexplicable attraction to Bette Midler
Longing to celebrete Michael Bolton’s entire music catalogue

Rare, but really, really nasty risks include:

Pregnancy (especially in males)
Eternal damnation of the soul
Loss of firstborn son (Egyptians only)
Genetic mutation
Decaptiation
Growth of extra limbs
Alien abduction and probing
Increased desire to vote McCain/Palin

If you or a loved one are taking medication and experience any of these side effects, please, consult a physician.

Advertising and the Church

2008-10-20T14:20:00.005-04:00

I haven’t complained about churches in quite awhile, mainly due to the fact that I attend a couple different churches that aren’t corporately retarded and understand that there is more to church than simply getting bigger. But I digress. I don’t intend to complain here, only to make some observations about how the church markets itself to the world in the attempt to make itself more appealing and desirable.

Marketing is an interesting phenomenon. My brother is fond of saying that the goal of advertising is to “polish a turd and convince you it’s a diamond.” But, as he says, “a turd is still a turd even if itwears a tuxedo.” The fact is that marketing works. What the product looks like, where it is placed in the store—in the aisle and on the shelf—and what you perceive the product can do for you is far more important than what the product actually does. The goal is to sell the product. This is what marketing is about.

And to be honest, it works on me sometimes. You, too, I’m willing to guess. I buy chips and mints all the time based on 1) packaging (what catches my eye) and 2) flavor. I just bought a Wii, somewhat impulsively (we’d thought about it for a couple weeks), based at least partly on the advertising I’ve seen on T.V. I started working part-time for a company recently that stocks trading cards at Wal-Marts, near the checkout lanes. The whole section of sports, Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, etc. is arranged in a specific way to highlight popular products. Having spent 3 rather unsuccessful months as a car salesman I realized that much of marketing is about making the customer feel something towards the product, whether it be shampoo, food, or a $45000 Ram 3500. If a salesman or advertiser can make you feel a sense of need ad ownership then they have won 90% of the battle. Whether the shampoo might make your hair smell like a fragrant horse rectum or that car might lose a wheel 3 miles down the road is secondary to how it makes you feel to buy it. Call it form over function or substance.

What seems to be more and more the case (at least I’ve unscientifically discovered) is that the most effective products are often times the least advertised. This isn’t a general sweeping statement as some highly stylized products actually deliver. I recently purchased some lotion to keep in my locker at work. When you work with towel all day and are constantly wiping your hands with sanitizing wipes they get a little on the dry side. Most lotions smell horrid: to strong and fragrant, to womanly, to “lotiony.” This lotion, called simply “Corn Husker Lotion,” is the best, non-smelly lotion I’ve ever used. This is a product with zero advertising and a simply bottle, with a simply label, with a simple lotion that delivers.

Biblically speaking, you could probably make a case for Satan being the first advertising executive (not that all advertisers are Satanic). In the Garden the serpent convinces Eve that she “won’t surely die,” that her “eyes will be opened,” and she’ll “be like God, knowing good from evil.” Never mind the utter destruction that would be wrought by eating the fruit and the fact that God said, “Don’t freaking eat it,” Eve is convinced, seeing that the fruit was pleasing to the eye, she took and ate.

The Church, seeking relevance in an ever-changing, post-modern world, has replaced true discipleship with marketing and programming as the primary means of “reaching” into the world. The goal, despite what may be stated, is not the ushering in of the kingdom, nor the transformation of lives, but convincing the world that “our” church has what you need to complete your life: self-help groups, child care, a “killer” youth ministry, a rocking worship band, and a “pastor who wears jeans” (I actually saw a church advertise this once). It isn’t that these things are bad in and of themselves (though I’m not sure your pastor’s wardrobe has much to do with anything); it’s that they aren’t the point. Churches that advertise the crap out themselves don’t always have the message to back up the boasting. Too often the church is a “turd in a tuxedo.” No substance. All style (bad style). Fancy buildings, slick advertising, expensive youth rooms, free coffee and the like can’t hide for long the “turdiness” of a church. Three of the most effective churches I know of can only be found by those who want to find them. They are found mainly through relationships, disciples reaching out to their neighbors and drawing them into the community of faith. Yes, they have websites telling you what they offer, but the focus is not on convincing you to come to them. Instead they are “going into the world,” bringing people into the community instead of simply waiting to be found, or convincing you that what you need is right through their doors.

I’m certainly not saying that churches shouldn’t let people know what they are doing and what help they offer, nor am I suggesting that churches that advertise are the demon spawn of Satan. What I’m advocating substance over form, depth over dimensions, relationships over billboards. Far to often what is offered varies wildly from what is “given.” Worse, there are times when the means contradict the end. The message of Jesus gets lost or watered down by world-like methods of bringing people into the church.

Here’s the point: the Church has to be more than slick advertising. It has to be about the kingdom come “on earth as it is in heaven.” It has to be about life-giving. It must be live out in its body the death and resurrection of Jesus.

shalom, matt

New Features

2008-10-19T20:25:00.004-04:00

Just added a couple new features to the ol' bloggarino. If you will scroll down you will find under the blog archive two pictures, one from National Geographic Pic of the Day and one from the Astronomy Pic of the Day. Mostly it's pointless but pictures are cool and I was bored.

shalom, matt

Strands Runnin' Through the Ol' Duder's Head

2008-10-16T11:17:00.004-04:00

Was Murdoch really the brains behind the A-Team? Perhaps his sheer genius drove him insane (or perhaps it was the Vietnam War).

For some inexplicable reason I have a craving to wear pants made of velour.

Factory life is getting a bit tedious, predictable, and irritating. Not as glamorous as it seems.

I wonder what God is planning for my future. Maybe I should ask…

Mirrors make you look more muscular than you really are. I like mirrors.

How does the “don’t throw pearls before swine” passage relate to the Church? To the disciple? To the world?

If the government has $700 billion to bail out irresponsible, greedy banks, then why don’t they have it for healthcare?

I’m betraying my vote here but McCain/Palin may be the scarier of a ticket than Bush/Cheney (don’t like them either).

We may well be witnessing the steady downfall of America. Disagree? The Romans didn’t think Rome would fall either. Oops.

I haven’t quite learned to fall asleep standing up but I’m going to keep trying.

When will the Church realize that the U.S. Government is not their Savior, Counselor, Guide, or ________________________.

Just think what would happen if the world’s population actually sought the good of their neighbor over themselves…

I like my new Skechers.

I have no idea where my relationship with God is at this moment. Can’t even begin to explain to anyone how it is.

I miss youth ministry.

I don’t miss youth ministry.

They started playing music over the speaker system at work. I suppose it’s to “boost morale.” I might be boosted if 95% of it didn’t suck.

I’m not sure anything helps boost morale during a 12 hour shift.

There may not be anything more useless than 6-year-olds practicing soccer. It’s like herding crack-addicted baby kittens with hyper-activity.

I’d love a dog, if said dog came with someone who walked it and cleaned up its offal for me.

Waiting

2008-09-24T20:15:00.000-04:00

All throughout the written Word we find psalmists, prophets, and ordinary Joes and Janes declaring that they will wait on God, wait on His salvation, on His help to come and rescue them. The Exodus is characterized by 400 freaking years of waiting, entire generations being born into, living through, and dying in slavery—with no word from God. We sang a song a couple Sundays ago in church that says, “Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord.” This got me thinking and meditating on the concept of waiting, specifically as it relates to overcoming temptations. All of us get caught in moments of temptation. During these times we have two possible responses: 1) give in, or 2) cry out to God for help. Admittedly there are times I choose option one simply because it’s easier than fighting against it. I’ve come to realize something though about option two and, at first, it bothered me until I realized what God might be doing. Have you ever cried out for help, sometimes repeatedly, and after a short while simply given up and returned to option one? Did it feel like no help came, like God was on a smoke break, leaving you to flounder and fail? What if, on the other hand, help was coming, the Spirit revving up to come to our aid, to rescue us with a renewed strength? What if we just didn’t wait long enough? I think that in the waiting God is looking into our hearts, assessing, as it were, our commitment, our passion for holiness. God is asking, so it seems, “Do you really want to overcome? Are you willing to allow Me to wait, to grow you through the temptation? Will you hold on long enough for me to arrive? Or will you give up, never realizing I was preparing to knock on your door?” Like the song says, I think strength starts to rise, to gain strength in us, as we wait. Are we willing to wait for God to show up? Scripture time and again points to a God who shows up in the nick of time, when all hope seems lost, when we are grasping the very last strands of rope, as we wait for one more second (and one more and one more and one more…)

Will you and I wait?

shalom, matt

Darkness

2008-09-24T20:13:00.000-04:00

It is crucial that Jesus is led by the Spirit [into the desert to be tempted]. There are two wildernesses, two darknesses in the spiritual journey. One you go into by your own stupidity, by your sin, blindness, ignorance and mistakes. We all do that. But there’s another darkness that God leads us into, through and beyond. This is a necessary darkness for the journey. In a certain sense, God’s darkness is a much better teacher than light. There comes a time when you have to either go deeper into faith or you will turn back, when you have to live without knowing or you lose faith altogether. So we have the Spirit leading Jesus into the wilderness, to face the essential darkness. __From Jesus’ Plan for a New World by Richard Rohr__

shalom, matt

Fashion 101

2008-09-16T21:14:00.003-04:00

This may be the greatest thing to ever hit a fashion show runway.

Come on, females, you know that you want to rush out to Macy's and buy this for your next dinner party. Am I right? Who's with me?

And the Apocalypse is Just Around the Corner...

2008-09-15T19:24:00.001-04:00

This could be the most disturbing thing I've read in awhile.

(I hope Jimmy is reading this.)

shalom, matt

Lazy, Good-For-Nothing...

2008-09-09T20:46:00.002-04:00

The world is full of lazy people who do just enough not to get fired and to give off the appearance of being a diligent worker. You can be fairly certain that you work with one of these species of human being when you find yourself, day in and day out, not only doing your share of the work but also their share as well. We in the manufacturing industry call this "wiping their butt for them." It goes without much saying that this is patently unfair given that your paychecks still come out equal. While this is certainly not the most heinous of injustices perpetrated upon mankind, it is, nonetheless, annoying as crap if you are the one pulling the extra weight.

It puts the disciple in an interesting (read "awkward") position by forcing him to chose between "screwing the screwer" (also known as taking revenge) and working himself to exhaustion in an effort to make sure the essential tasks are accomplished, even when it means "wiping someone's butt." Every ounce of you wants to exact revenge on them, to leave them hanging out to dry in the hopes they'll get blown away, like a kite in a hurricane. But then your heart conjures up images of Jesus washing dirty feet eighteen hours before his death for something(s) he never did. And as much as you try to shoo those inconvenient images away in order to exact your revenge--they persist. And you relent. And you carry a heavier load that somehow seems lighter when weighed against the load of Jesus. You realize "this too shall pass," that it's only a 12-hour shift. You start to wonder if maybe you're stuck (read "put") in this factory to make someone's day easier, make their load lighter. You sigh because you realize that God is teaching you something about the way of the kingdom. and underneath the sweat and aches you find another emotion rising up--contentment.

shalom, matt

Sigh

2008-09-08T10:50:00.002-04:00

I hope they all lose their tax exempt status. I also wish the church would show a little bit of humility and not think that it is right all the time. Apparently it's okay for the church to break the law now. Guess I missed that memo.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/07/AR2008090702460_pf.html

Poor Diddy

2008-09-01T11:18:00.001-04:00

Diddy: Lower oil prices so I can fly on private jet

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Fuel prices have grounded an unexpected frequent-flyer: Diddy.

Sean "Diddy" Combs complained about the "... too high" price of gas and pleaded for free oil from his "Saudi Arabia brothers and sisters" in a YouTube video posted Wednesday.

The hip-hop mogul said he is now flying on commercial airlines instead of in private jets, which Combs said had previously cost him $200,000 and up for a roundtrip between New York and Los Angeles.

"I'm actually flying commercial," Diddy said before walking onto an airplane, sitting in a first-class seat and flashing his boarding pass to the camera. "That's how high gas prices are. I'm at the gate right now. This is really happening, proof gas prices are too high. Tell whoever the next president is we need to bring gas prices down."

Getting Old(er)

2008-08-25T11:29:00.002-04:00

My son started kindergarten. He started school, real school, like, you're-trapped-for-the-next-17-years school. I now have to tell people what school my kid attends, not what pre-school, day-care, or babysitter he goes to. The calls from the PTA are coming. I can feel them hunting me, as a werewolf hunts that fresh kill. They'll want me to be one of them (shudders).

I went to get my haircut at Great Clips. I looked in the mirror whilst being snipped and shorn. the baggy-eyed, unshaven visage that stared back at me looked more like something that belonged in a, well, in a PTA meeting or a concentration camp (sorry for the redundancy). I have grey hair, too.

Every morning when I wake up my body is a little more sore and stiff than the day before. I worry about my cholesterol, how little I exercise, lamenting my inability to discipline myself to remedy the problem. I have a gut.

It is somewhat disquieting to get older, Not necessarily troubling, nor pushing me to the brink of a midlife crisis 10 years to soon, but disquieting to realize that you really are a grown-up. You realize that you are a heartbeat away from wearing plaid shorts with black socks and white shoes, moving to Florida and eating lunch at 10 AM.

Okay, so it isn't that bad, and I'm not torn up about growing older. Although a midlife crisis might be fun. Maybe I'll get a Harley...

shalom, matt

Why Jesus Came, part 4

2008-08-24T19:16:00.002-04:00

The “Glutton” and “Drunkard”

The Son of Man came eating and drinking. __Matthew 11:19__

I love the fact that Jesus was belittled by “religious” people, lied about, and had ugly rumors spread about him, namely, that he was a raging drunk and notorious over-indulgent eater. I love this fact because it means he liked to have a good time hanging out with “the wrong people.” Take note: you don’t get accused of being a drunk unless you put back a little (or more than a little, perhaps) wine now and then (sorry, all you fundies out there: Jesus was a drinker). And you don’t get accused of being a giant over-eating fatty unless you are a fan of the feast. Jesus desired to be where people were--the “wrong” people, who, incidentally, happen to be the “right” people in Jesus’ view. He was ill-concerned with the opinions and stances of the religious community. Why aren’t more of us being accused of being a drunk and a glutton? Why aren’t more of us getting in trouble with the religious “authorities” for hanging out with the “wrong” people, in the “wrong” places? If Jesus came to eat and drink with tax collectors, sinners, whores, liars, and the outcast of Israel, then why aren’t we, His Body, doing the same thing?

At the end of this passage Jesus says, “Wisdom is proved right by here actions.” I’ve never noticed that part of the passage. Jesus seems to be outright saying, “Look, the wisest thing I can do is hang out with these people, eating their food and drinking their wine. My wisdom is proved by what I’m doing with them.”

May we be this wise. May our actions prove Jesus’ wisdom. May we be “gluttons” and “drunkards” for the sake of the kingdom.

Jesus came to eat and drink with the last and the least.

shalom, matt

Kindergarten

2008-08-13T20:00:00.005-04:00

My kid started kindergarten today. I have some thoughts on this later on. Here are some pics.

Contemplating this foul, new fate we have foisted upon him.

This is his "I'm-stoked-about-this" face.

He found a buddy from day-care. Life is good again. School doesn't suck now.

Rockin' the Mario shirt and the Ironman backpack. (Is that kid getting ready to punch him?)

Rockin' the dashing good looks given to him by his father.

"And here is where I hide my weed stash and my hip flask..."

8.8.98 to 8.8.08

2008-08-09T19:18:00.003-04:00

I've officially been married to my first wife for 10 years now. See how happy she is to be married to me? Can't you feel the love?

God, I can't tell you how much I love this woman. She makes me a better man (although this picture begs to differ).

Here's to 10 more years. I promise to make these ten better than the first ten, Beth.

shalom, matt

Matt's Unofficial and Decidedly Lame Concert Review

2008-08-04T19:11:00.003-04:00

There are few bands on this planet that I would drop $50 to go see: Sigur Ros for sure. Possibly U2. I'd have to scroll through iTunes to see if there are anymore. Radiohead definitely is one of those bands. And if I'm going to drop $50+ (thanks for all the added fees Ticketmaster, p.s., you suck!) then my face had better be melted off by truckloads of throat-punching awesomeness.

Gentle reader, rest assured, Radiohead does not disappoint. My brother jokingly referred to them as the best British band since The Beatles. Radiohead curb-stomps The Beatles, and virtually every other band, British or otherwise. At times melodic, at times dissonant, and sometimes both at the same time; occasionally brooding but simultaneously leaving you with a sense that "everything is in it's right place," Radiohead simply defies classification and comparison. Someone--a non-Radiohead fan (also known as a musical retard)--might ask you, "What do they sound like?" After smacking them around for a few minutes for not owning any albums you would inform them that Radiohead sounds like everything and nothing, and sometimes something else entirely. Radiohead is a paradox.

The concert was nothing short of amazing, unloading wave-upon-bloody-wave of light, noise and English musical genius, plus plenty of close-ups of Thom Yorke's crazy eye, the lead guitarist/beep-boop-sample guy alternately turning knobs and violently strumming/banging on his guitar to great effect, and the entire band going about its business with a casualness that defies the mind because the music assaulting you is so complex that it just couldn't be that easy.

Stuff I Learned at the Radiohead Concert

1. Verizon Wireless Music Center in Noblesville, IN may be the most poorly laid out and located venue in the history of entertainment venues. Gladiators had less trouble escaping the Roman Coliseum than we did getting out of the parking lot and back to the interstate.

2. Corporate sponsorship has gotten out of hand and is beyond ridiculous. Do I really need Taco Bell to sponsor the intermission. Do they realize that intermissions are nothing but dead space between bands? Does this really need a sponsor.

3. $12 for a large can of crappy American beer (read: goat urine). 12 freaking dollars. I wouldn't pay $12 for a good beer, much less one that looks and tastes (I'm guessing) like urinal runoff. $5 for a large pretzel. $2 dollars for a cup of nacho cheese. $2 for 4 oz. of cheese. Absolutely criminal, and yet, people kept downing beer after beer. Amazing.

4. People smell. The stench of weed smoke, cigarette smoke, beer sweat, bad breath and too many under-washed bodies is nauseating.

5. It takes just under an hour or so to come down off a contact buzz from people smoking weed 5 feet from you.

6. There are two types of people in this world: those who will let you ahead of them in traffic (thereby obeying the Golden Rule) and those that won't. The former are wonderful people who understand that one more car in front of them won't make much difference; the latter are dill-weeds that can't stand the thought of losing that one space in line, possibly adding 5-6 seconds onto how long it take them to get out of the lot. May the lighting bolts of Zeus fall upon their Subarus.

Well, that about does it. Go out and buy all of the Radiohead albums you can get your hands on. Start with In Rainbows (the newest one) or OK Computer (perhaps the best album ever). Thank me later.

shalom, matt

Obama

2008-07-31T20:56:00.004-04:00

I REALLY like this guy...

He seems to be really legit in his faith, not just in his prayers, but in the majority of what he talks about and proposes. We could use a President with the sort of humility, honesty and integrity that he seems to have.

I'll bet this just drives the right wing nuts.

(Obama's prayer that he stuck in The Wailing Wall)

(Lord, protect my family and me. Forgive me my sins, and help me guard against pride and despair. Give me the wisdom to do what is right and just. And make me an instrument of your will.)

shalom, matt

Why Jesus Came, part 3

2008-07-24T10:11:00.000-04:00

The Caller

I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. __Luke 5:32__

Okay, I’m a little biased towards this reason. I think this seems to encompass all other reasons that Jesus gives for his Advent. I’m biased because this needs to be the Church’s mission: to be a “doctor” for the “sick.” Too often our message of repentance, i.e., God’s ways and rhythms for a fully human life, is nothing for than hate-filled posturing and politicized messages that further widen the gap between the healing salve of the Church and the gaping wounds of the world. Jesus understood (duh!) that his mission was for those who needed it because they had no other recourse. Too may churches (and I can speak from personal experience here) spend an inordinate amount of time reaching out to the affluent who have little felt need for Jesus. They have all that they need in life; there is no room for Jesus. Or, perhaps even worse, Jesus is simply an accessory, a fad, a part of their life portfolio, something to be cast aside when He becomes offensive or troublesome (as He inevitably does). The Gospel finds its greatest acceptance among the marginalized, cast-out and cast-down of society. They have a felt need; they have no other recourse. Jesus knew where his message and his life would have the greatest reception. He is very much the Savior of the World, but in a very real way he is the Messiah of the outcast, the spiritually sick.

Jesus came to call the worst of us to a better way.

shalom, matt

Mi Familia

2008-07-20T20:23:00.008-04:00

I don't blog much about my family, nor post pics of them. This is not intentionally, simply an oversight on the part of my editorial staff (me). So I thought I would take a moment and post a few pics and random thoughts about them.

This is my son, Elijah. He is five. He took this pictures on our Mac using Photo Booth. By himself. Without any help. Did I mention he is five? He is what we call technilogically savvy. As you can see he is a hundred different kinds of awesome. He has mastered the art of entertaining himself. He is like me in so many ways. This is good. This is also bad. He is also a little like his mother. This is very good. We're hoping her good genes will beat the crap out of my bad genes and he will turn out okay down the road. And by "okay" I mean more like her than like me. He looks like me too, which is unfortunate for his future dating career. I love him.

This is my wife, Beth. We've been married almost 10 years (August 8th, baby!). She is what we call "hot." She is also way out of my league. Always has been, always will be. She is a gift from God, tangible evidence of God's grace upon the ignorant and not-very-attractive (me). There is no one like her. I don't deserve her. There is no one more like Jesus that I know on this earth. She is gracious, loving, giving, serving and sacrificial--and insanely patient with me. I love her more than life itself.

And, finally, there is me. I'm almost 32. I have a unibrow. My goatee is kind of awesome. I love my family. I lean heavily on grace. I try to be like Jesus and sometimes succeed, but most of the time I have to fall back on that grace-thing. I wish I knew what God was doing with me, but, then again, don't we all.

Why Jesus Came, part 2

2008-07-16T21:03:00.000-04:00

The Light

I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. __John 12:46__

The rabbis and sages taught that the Bible could be boiled down to the idea that light overcomes darkness. From the moment of creation, when God himself separates light from darkness and calls the light good (but not the darkness), light has fought an ongoing war with darkness. Jesus not only came as a light but as the Light. There is no such thing in existence as true darkness; darkness, no matter how deep and black, is simply the absence of light. Jesus’ way of living, his way of being fully human, is the light that chases away the darkness found in all other ways of living. All other ways of living are darkness, though they may be varying shades of murkiness, and even, at times, contain reflections of the Light, they are all of them darkness nonetheless.

Jesus came as life-light into our life-darkness.

shalom, matt

Why Jesus Came, part 1

2008-07-12T21:22:00.000-04:00

The Fulfiller

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. __Matthew 5:17__

In Jewish thinking to abolish a law was not about getting rid of a particular law, negating its validity, as we tend to read the word “abolish.” Abolish, in the sense that Jesus is using it, as a first century rabbi, means to interpret or live something wrongly. So, in the context that Jesus uses it here he is saying, “I didn’t come to interpret or live the Torah wrongly.” On the flip side, “fulfill” meant to live or interpret a law correctly. Again, in our present context, Jesus says, “I came to live fully and completely the Torah, the words of God, the will of God for humanity.” Essentially, Jesus’ fulfillment of the Torah is showing us that God’s way of living has existed forever and that watching him, following him, shows us the way to live in God’s rhythm.

Jesus came to show us how to live fully the Way of God.

Why Jesus Came--In His Own Words (with additional commentary from an ever-dulling mind)

2008-07-11T21:04:00.004-04:00

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us...

How many times have you heard a message on why Jesus came to earth? How many of those messages said that Jesus came to die for our sins? I think I’m approaching around 10 million times hearing that message in some form. Not that I’m not okay with that message, mind you, it does seem to be the crux of the whole thing. But here’s the thing: that doesn’t seem to be the only reason that Jesus came. And I’m not sure, heretic that I am, that it was the main reason that He came (though I could be wrong, and probably am). I kind of randomly and not very scientifically dug around on Biblegateway (the lazy man’s Bible) in search of how many different occasions Jesus tells someone why he came to earth. What I would like to do with this is spend some time just sharing my thoughts on Jesus’ own words about his coming into the world.

My initial impressions stem from what can only be described as a kaleidoscopic collection of reasons for the Incarnation from the mouth of the Incarnated One himself. In our human tendency to pigeon hole Jesus and narrow him down to a few trite statements and quirky platitudes we seem to have underestimated (or maybe I’ve just underestimated) the vast scope and breadth of his mission. It seems like he didn’t just come to die. No, it was much bigger than dying. It was about living. Of course, in the paradox that is the Kingdom, there is no life without a death, no resurrection without a crucifixion. It is his death that makes life possible.

What I’m hoping to discover here is a wider understanding of Jesus’ mission. And, in discovering Jesus’ mission we find our own. Consequently (here comes a smack-your-head-and-say-”Duh!” moment), if we have a wider understanding of Jesus’ mission then our mission should grow wider as well.

So, look for forthcoming posts on why Jesus "moved into the neighborhood."

shalom, matt

For Anyone Who Cares...

2008-07-09T12:59:00.003-04:00

I apologize for the sheer laziness of this blog recently. I've been feeling wholly uncreative. I've started a million articles but they seem to fade toward the end and I can't make myself post something that is crap. I haven't forgotten about you, my faithful reader (that's in the singular by the way). I'll be posting some stuff here shortly. Check back once a week or so and you might get the shock of me actually posting something.

shalom, matt

And the Award...

2008-06-30T12:48:00.002-04:00

...for the most dangerous men on earth goes to...(drum roll)...the Bush Administration, starring George Bush and Dick Cheney. January can't come fast enough to get these dangerous men out of office.

shalom, matt

What a Nightmare

2008-06-28T22:21:00.001-04:00

How do you as a youth minister even begin to recover from being the leader on a trip where something like this happens to a kid in your group? How horrible for the family, the youth group and the church.

shalom, matt

Score Another One For Christianity

2008-06-21T19:20:00.001-04:00

And Jesus is surely proud...

shalom, matt

The Flood of '08

2008-06-11T18:58:00.005-04:00

So it rained a crap-load last weekend and my town, along with most of south central Indiana, was buried underneath more water than any one I know could possibly have imagined. Our house was spared, but others weren't so lucky. I was out of town and couldn't get back home to my wife and son who were trapped because the water rose so fast on the streets in our neighborhood. Not a good feeling. Here are some pics my wife took of the flood in our neighborhood.

My son, Elijah, in the middle of our freaking street. Unbelievable.

At any rate, we are doing fine and suffered nothing more than a fridge full of spoiled food. But we needed to clean it out anyway.

shalom, matt

The Cold Front of Doubt

2008-06-10T19:31:00.000-04:00

For many of us easy answers to the tough questions of life and theology wreak, like the putrid stench of a silent fart in a warm car (come on, we’ve all done it and know that stench well). These answers, while sounding like truth to the non-discriminating ear and uncritical mind, leave the rest of us scrambling for the power window button, gasping for fresh, unfouled air. In other words, the answers just stink.

For a number of years I approached my Christianity with doe-eyed innocence, prancing through the golden meadow of faith with my Sunday School answers in tow. Then, one day, sometime during high school, my brain awakened from its comfy slumber and I found myself asking questions in my mind and soul. The questions started quietly, gentle rumbling of a distant cold front of doubt clashing with a warm front of Sunday School faith. As I matured and grew in my discipleship that storm front grew closer, louder, more ferocious. But here’s the rub: I didn’t know it was a normal part of discipleship to have questions. It wasn’t that someone told me explicitly that it was wrong; they just never told me it was okay. So I hid under my poncho and waited for the storm to do its worst.

College came. With college came friends, good, lasting friends. And what I discovered were friends who had come from a little further west, who came already wet from the storm of questions and doubts. And they stood with me in the rain. They helped me shed my protective poncho and allow the storm to overtake me. Soon I was drenched with the questions that had rumbled for years inside me, in my deep places, that, like the waters of the Flood, were now bubbling up and gushing forth. I was soaked from all directions.

What I found, to my surprise and pleasure, were a host of other people with similar inquiries and doubts. I didn’t have to feel overwhelmed by my doubt, by the onslaught of mystery as it overtook my Sunday School assurances. It was okay to ask the questions. And it was equally okay, even healthier, to not have any answers to the questions. By asking those questions I gave my Christianity the space it needed to breathe and grow by soaking in the deluge of questions. I discovered more faith, trusting in a God who is bigger than our inquiries and theological hang-ups. Faith, it seems, is dependent on a probing, prying heart that asks thorny, complex questions without regard for the answer it may or may not receive. In the seeking is the finding. To quote David Crowder in his song Here is Our King, “From wherever searching comes the look itself/ A trace of what we’re looking for/ So be quiet now and wait.”

I have found a deeper faith in God through my probing, wondering, and inquiring, partly due to a new understanding of how deep the mystery of God is: He is inexhaustible. Joy comes in knowing that there is always a new question, a new search just beyond the previous question or answer.

So, take off your poncho. Let the storm wash over you. And find a deeper faith in He Who Is Beyond All Questions.

shalom, matt

Tragic

2008-05-29T12:22:00.002-04:00

I'm not even sure what to say about something this tragic. If the school doesn't fire this teacher then there is something very wrong with the world.

http://www.breitbart.tv/html/103693.html

shalom, matt

I...

2008-05-28T18:07:00.000-04:00

i am: burning discs off my iTunes and working on this list.

i think: the animals are conspiring against us.

i know: that I am a mess right now.

i want: to not be a mess right now.

i have: a dream…oh, wait…Martin Luther King, Jr. already had one. Ummm…I have too many guitar pedals.

i wish: I were living communally.

i hate: the Patriots.

i miss: Arrested Development, and sometimes I miss being a youth minister.

i fear: losing my family.

i feel: like writing a song.

i hear: my son playing video games.

i smell: my wife fixing leftovers, and I think my son just farted.

i crave: a Dr. Thunder.

i search: Amazon for cheap books and music.

i wonder: if I’ll ever grow up and stop being a d-bag.

i regret: one or two bad choices I made as a teenager that are still affecting me.

i love: my wife and son.

i ache: for wholeness.

i care: about the marginalized.

i always: want more.

i am not: doing anything productive at the moment.

i believe: in a better way.

i dance: rarely, but I play a lot of air guitar and air drums.

i sing: constantly in my car.

i don't always: finish my “honey-do” lists. 

i fight: the law…and the law wins.

i write: not as often as I’d like to.

i win: video games against the computer.

i lose: video games against my brother.

i never: listen to rap music.

i confuse: more easily than I should for a 31 year old.  

i listen: to music that doesn’t suck.

i can usually be found: on the computer.

i am scared: that I might not be what God wants me to be.

i need: some help…interested?

i am happy about: my life in general if not all the specifics.

shalom, matt

Dude...Jump!

2008-05-15T12:54:00.001-04:00

http://view.break.com/501813 - Watch more free videos

Someone Is a Genius

2008-05-15T12:46:00.000-04:00

http://view.break.com/502651 - Watch more free videos

Ephesians and Throat Punching

2008-05-15T11:44:00.001-04:00

If I wasn’t a proponent of non-violence and the way of Jesus I would take people who fight over predestination and free will outside, line them up, and one by one punch them in the big throat. Since I am advocating using non-violent means of revolution and persuasion I will instead give them a stern talking to and a vigorous wag of my index finger. You see, few arguments in Christendom irritate me to the point of insanity more than the free-will/predestination argument (end times arguments top the list. Don’t get me started on all the non-violent gesturing and metaphorical throat-punching I would do to those people). It doesn’t take a Rhodes scholar or an honors GED to realize that everyday we make choices based on our free will to choose one course of action over another. Some would argue that those choices are pre-ordained, chosen for us, that God has laid them out on the buffet of life and we are simply grabbing the tongs and making the selection. Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe…sort of. I don’t know, nor do I care really. It’s no that vital to my life to know if I’m choosing or being chosen for. Sometimes it feels like I’m choosing and sometimes it feels like I’m being chosen for. And both of those feel right. Interesting.

I bring this all up for a reason. My house church/group/thingy is studying Ephesians. Chapter one contains some of the most abused passages on predestination/free-will in the Bible. Here is a selection of some of those passages from the NASB:

…just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world… (v.4)

…He predestined us to adoption as sons… (v.5)

…having been predestined according to His purpose… (v.11)

Obviously, quite a bit of chosen/predestined language here. I made the comment while we were discussing this section that maybe this passage isn’t trying to establish a doctrine of predestination at all. Maybe Paul is saying something abut God here, something bigger than doctrine and arguments for predestination. This passage is a doxology of praise of what God has done. Notice the emphasis on God doing in the passage:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms…For He chose us…he predestined us…he has freely given us…In Him we have redemption…in accordance with God’s grace that he lavished on us…he made known to us…which he purposed in Christ… (vv.3-10, emphasis mine, NIV translation used)

“Why all the chosen language?” you may be asking. My theory is that Paul is using limited human language and descriptors to help us get our minds around a great mystery, namely, that it is God who does everything. Later on in chapter 2 Paul writes that we are saved by God’s work (grace) and God gives us the faith to accept that reality (vv.2:8-9). From beginning to end it is God doing it all. The passage at hand here keeps reiterating over and over that it is all God’s doing.

To me the passage is full of beautiful imagery of a God who, through His Son, has chosen the world, the way a pimply-faced 16-year old chooses a girl to ask to the dance (although without the embarrassing, nervous flatulence and flop sweat). And He chooses us in love. For no other reason under the sun does God reach down and take us as His divine dance partner than grace-filled love.

Paul was right in praising Him, eh?

Paul uses chapter one of Ephesians to set the stage for his instructions that follow. He is reminding them of what God has done for them, drawing them to praise, and then offering them instruction in how to live in response to God’s grace. “This is who you are, what God has done; this is how you then live,” Paul is saying. Paul is not establishing doctrine here; he’s not teaching anything; he is leading them in worship.

May we be led also.

shalom, matt

Reasons Why You Should Read Your Bible

2008-04-30T22:01:00.003-04:00

It's either that or watch Dancing With the Stars.
Jesus read his Bible (or course he had it memorized, and, technically, he wrote it...and it was probably the NIV).
Bono wants you to.
George Bush reads his and he's a good, wise Christian.
You can't find your copy of Joel Osteen's book Your Best Life Now so the Bible will have to do.
You aren't getting into heaven unless you read it EVERY SINGLE DAY.
Playstation is broke.
What Would Kirk Cameron Do? (WWKCD)
Because Kim Golden is more spiritual than you are now.
Lost your copy of the Bhagavad Gita and/or can't read Sanskrit.
Song of Solomon.
Book of Leviticus is a good cure for insomnia.
Look up theme verses for your Christian punk band.
Need answers to life's questions and your Magic 8-ball is broken.
Helpful tips on crucifying your annoying sibling.
Donated to John Hagee Ministries and you need to kill time until Hagee's new book (your "free" gift) on Israel and the end times arrives.
Because someone sunk your battleship.
Two words: talking donkey (think Shrek but without the voice of Eddie Murphy).
After 12 hours of making butt wipes anything would be a good distraction.
Because, in some mysterious, incomprehensible way it puts us into a posture of attentive listening (if we let it), where the Spirit of Christ can speak life-change into us (if we let Him), transforming us into citizens of a kingdom-here-yet-coming, whose only prayer is "Your will be done."

shalom, matt

Mystery and More Mystery

2008-04-28T20:35:00.001-04:00

There is always something more beyond, well, nearly everything. There’s always a deeper level (or levels) sitting patiently below the surface, resting on their haunches, silently breathing in and out, waiting to be released. Behind every sin is a deeper problem. Behind every crisis is a legion of smaller difficulties that are at the real root of what is going on.

It is the mystery beyond the mystery.

Too often it seems like when we try and help people through crises by listening and offering wisdom, as well intentioned as our advice may be, we never quite seem to get at the root of the weed. So while we may certainly deal with our friend’s crisis of the moment and send them merrily on their way, we have only led them down a path toward a new, perhaps more tumultuous and destructive crisis event.

I’ve counseled a number of students from 12-20 years of age and so many of them, if you are listening for the story behind the story, are saying something completely different than the simple words coming out of their mouth. Behind the anger is a deeply rooted bitterness that started 3 years ago with a judgmental comment made by a parent, a friend, a sibling, a teacher. Behind the foul language or hateful words is a powerful, controlling fear of intimacy.

This is why relationships are so important in the context of Christian community, or really, just in life as a whole. Until you know a person’s true story you will have difficulty recognizing the roots of their struggle—and the more difficult it becomes for you to enter into that struggle with them, standing at the foot of the cross, and praying for their freedom.

And freedom is what it’s all about, isn’t it?

shalom, matt

Similarities That Make You Sick

2008-04-22T12:22:00.002-04:00

Header from Oprah's official website:

Oprah.com: Live Your Best Life

Joel Osteen's first book (and basically the subject of every sermon he preaches):

Your Best Life Now

And, as an added bonus, for those who didn't live your best life now, there's Joel's new book:

Become a Better You

I'll let all of you draw your own conclusions. Make sure you are sitting next to a toilet or wastebasket because the scary similarities will make you vomit.

shalom, matt

"It's Not Meant to Be Racial"

2008-04-22T09:20:00.004-04:00

Except that it actually is. What a freaking idiot! I hate getting lumped into the same category as redneck racists like this.

Read and be amused...or saddened...or angered...or whatever...

"Look their names are one letter different. They must be related. He's going to bomb the White House. It's a conspiracy. Vote McCain! Vote McCain! Hurry before it's too late!"

shalom, matt

Melody

2008-04-15T19:02:00.001-04:00

I’m just trying to find a decent melody… __from U2’s album All That You Can’t Leave Behind__

(Caution Dad: Metaphor ahead)

I was listening to U2 the other day, during what was one of those warm, sunny, window-down-in-the-car, listening-to-U2-even-though-Bono-is-overly-pompous kind of days. For whatever reason this line struck a chord in me. Maybe it’s because Bono is an amazing Irish wordsmith (sort of…); maybe it’s because U2 rights compelling rock songs that speak about something more than what they speak about (except for songs that end with the lyrics, Ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya…); or, perhaps, it’s because my life is decidedly disordered and that line spoke about something that I would like to find.

Melodies are based on structure. Notes, chords, rests, and the like are brought together into an ordered pattern that (hopefully) form a beautiful tune.

So. If I’m trying to find a decent melody then I must not have a decent melody already. Or, worse, I have a crappy melody, something written by Mariah Carey or R. Kelly perhaps, that has little structure or is simply just unbearable to listen to aurally, something piercing and irritating.

I don’t have much structure or discipline in my life. In fact, it’s kind of a mess, like someone vomited a bunch of music notes onto a sheet, handed it to the conductor and said, “Play it.” It sounds awful. The challenge of finding and a constructing a decent melody is so massive that it borders on overwhelming. I don’t know where to start writing the melody. What note do I start with? Where do I put the chords? How about the rests? How many? How far apart? What key is it in? Where do I begin finding discipline? Where is my starting point? How do I learn to pray again? When you haven’t red Scripture in months where do you start? How do you learn to do it again?

Etc. Etc. Etc.

Sigh.

Like I said, I’m just trying to find a decent melody. Now, if you will excuse me, I’ve got a song to write.

shalom, matt

Paradox

2008-04-11T12:44:00.000-04:00

All the most profound truths lie in paradox—and death itself is a paradox, the end yet the beginning, all quite indescribable but all utterly real—another paradox—and in the end the ultimate reality…lies beyond myth, beyond metaphor, beyond symbol, beyond analogy, beyond words, beyond the breath of life itself…and where there’s paradox there’s eternity, because beyond all the paradoxes lies the eternal truth.

__From the novel Ultimate Prizes, by Susan Howatch

(More on this a little later. I'll let you chew on it for awhile.)

shalom, matt

Put the War in Perspective

2008-04-02T17:19:00.003-04:00

Never mind the human cost of the war in terms of soldiers and Iraqi civilians who have lost their lives, let's put that aside for a moment because it's too tragic to even comprehend. Let's look for a moment at the economic impact, or lack of impact, that the cost of the war is foisting upon the rest of the world. I found this article on the net and thought it worth sharing.

_______________________________

In war, things are rarely what they seem.

Back in 2003, in the days leading up to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the Pentagon adamantly insisted that the war would be a relatively cheap one. Roughly $50 billion is all it would take to rid the world of Saddam Hussein, it said.

We now know this turned out to be the first of many miscalculations. Approaching its fifth year, the war in Iraq has cost American taxpayers nearly $500 billion, according to the non-partisan U.S.-based research group National Priorities Project. That number is growing every day.

But it's still not even close to the true cost of the war. As the invasion's price tag balloons, economists and analysts are examining the entire financial burden of the Iraq campaign, including indirect expenses that Americans will be paying long after the troops come home. What they've come up with is staggering. Calculations by Harvard's Linda Bilmes and Nobel-prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz remain most prominent. They determined that, once you factor in things like medical costs for injured troops, higher oil prices and replenishing the military, the war will cost America upwards of $2 trillion. That doesn't include any of the costs incurred by Iraq, or America's coalition partners.

"Would the American people have had a different attitude toward going to war had they known the total cost?" Bilmes and Stiglitz ask in their report. "We might have conducted the war in a manner different from the way we did."

It's hard to comprehend just how much money $2 trillion is. Even Bill Gates, one of the richest people in the world, would marvel at this amount. But, once you begin to look at what that money could buy, the worldwide impact of fighting this largely unpopular war becomes clear.

Consider that, according to sources like Columbia's Jeffrey Sachs, the Worldwatch Institute, and the United Nations, with that same money the world could:

Eliminate extreme poverty around the world (cost $135 billion in the first year, rising to $195 billion by 2015.)

Achieve universal literacy (cost $5 billion a year.)

Immunize every child in the world against deadly diseases (cost $1.3 billion a year.)

Ensure developing countries have enough money to fight the AIDS epidemic (cost $15 billion per year.)

In other words, for a cost of $156.3 billion this year alone—less than a tenth of the total Iraq war budget—we could lift entire countries out of poverty, teach every person in the world to read and write, significantly reduce child mortality, while making huge leaps in the battle against AIDS, saving millions of lives.

Then the remaining money could be put toward the $40 billion to $60 billion annually that the World Bank says is needed to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, established by world leaders in 2000, to tackle everything from gender inequality to environmental sustainability.

The implications of this cannot be underestimated. It means that a better and more just world is far from within reach, if we are willing to shift our priorities.

If America and other nations were to spend as much on peace as they do on war, that would help root out the poverty, hopelessness and anti-Western sentiment that can fuel terrorism—exactly what the Iraq war was supposed to do.

So as candidates spend much of this year vying to be the next U.S. president, what better way to repair its image abroad, tarnished by years of war, than by becoming a leader in global development? It may be too late to turn back the clock to the past and rethink going to war, but it's not too late for the U.S. and other developed countries to invest in the future.

_______________________

War: always a good investment. Right? Right? Who's with me? (note dripping sarcasm as I end this article)

shalom, matt

Secular Stuff, or What Could Be My Own Personal Highway to Hell (but only if I'm wrong, which I don't think I am)

2008-03-31T20:06:00.001-04:00

I like Harry Potter. I’ve read all the books and seen all the movies. I had the last book on the day it came out. I read it in two days.

Strangely, they didn’t turn me into a warlock, I’ve never tried to cast a spell on someone or perform “the killing curse” on my next-door neighbor.

I like music that you won’t find in a store labeled “Christian” (how can a building made of lifeless stone, wood or metal be “Christian”?). I like Radiohead, Band of Horses, Stereolab, Sigur Ros, Joseph Arthur, The Shins, and I even enjoy some Ozzy Osbourne, Guns-n-Roses, and Metallica on occasion. I generally avoid music that is labeled “Christian” because I generally want to attach another label to it—“crappy” (with the exception of David Crowder Band, Waterdeep, and a couple other random artists).

Strangely, I have not turned into a wife-beating, alcoholic, socio-path who punches random people because he is angry all the time.

I watch movies that have profanity and violence in them, mostly because I like them, and, well, because I can. Movies like The Big Lebowski, Hi Fidelity, and Office Space top my list of desert-island, all-time top five movies.

Strangely, I haven’t turned into a lazy, foul-mouthed, philandering, crazy Vietnam veteran who hangs out in bowling alleys (see those movies and you’ll get my references).

There is an attitude prevalent today that has survived mainly because of evangelical fear and ignorance (funny how those two usually end up together…) that says we should avoid all forms of “secular” entertainment. The rationale being that all of these things are bad and will lead us, to quote AC/DC (another band I listen to on occasion, as does my 5-year old), down “a highway to hell.” I only briefly bought into this attitude, but then I realized something: no matter how many times I watched, listened to, or read “secular” entertainment nothing ever really changed in who I was.

I think fundamentalism has vastly overplayed their collective hand when it comes to the influence of secular entertainment on our “spiritual” lives (by the way the word “spiritual” never appears in Scripture; all of life is “spiritual”). It’s not that these things can’t influence to some degree, but what I think you’ll find is that where there has been influence there will be a whole catalog of problems lurking underneath the surface. When two kids shot up a Colorado high school several years ago everyone started blaming violent video games. Folks, violent video games were only the tip of the iceberg. Video games don’t make people kill other people. Depression, being cast off to the side by classmates, bullying—these lead people to kill other people.

Most people when they watch a movie, read a book, listen to a band, or attend a concert, immediately forget whatever “message” the respective artist, writer, etc. was trying to get across. Most Americans are influenced by ever-changing fads to the extent that nothing is able to take root for any length of time. This is why I think “Christians” are not in nearly as much danger from secular entertainment as "fundies" tend to think they are. There isn’t time to be influenced negatively; something else is coming down the pike before the message is even into your brain. Further, most people, especially teenagers, don’t even realize that there is a message that is being presented to them. How can there be negative influence if there is not even an awareness of the negative influence? You have to let negative influence in. If you aren’t looking for it, then you can’t find it.

Additionally, if you are influenced by this stuff then you already had major problems running through you like an underground river. On the surface it looks like the movie or the music was the problem, when all along there has been a wellspring of hatred, bitterness, anger, malice, rage, depression, anxiety, fear and a legion of other inhabitants from Pandora’s box.

So here’s the thing: I’m not telling you to go out and just go hog-wild watching, listening to, reading, etc. everything and anything that comes into your radar. You aren’t a sponge. Don’t just soak in everything. Discern. Turn your radar on. Know your own weaknesses and avoid what may prey upon those weaknesses. But remember that you are free to enjoy life and that truth can be found in some of the strangest places, places you might never look if you don’t stop watching Left Behind or step foot outside the doors of your local Christian bookstore.

shalom, matt