Reckless Raging Fury

Love the Lord's Discipline? -

2009-10-26T21:35:00.000-07:00

This is a follow-up from yesterday's blog, which is posted below this one:

Hebrews 12:5 "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord ,nor be weary when reproved by him.6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” 7.... God is treating you as sons... If you are left without discipline..., then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

What if life were always easy for you or for me? What if we flew through this life with no trials and afflictions, sufferings or hardships? It would mean one simple thing. Jesus does not love you. What an amazing thought. Lack of trials means lack of love. It would mean we are illegitimate children and will not enter his kingdom. If God loves us he must do what is best for us. And what is best for us is our loving discipline. I for one hate discipline, but I know I need it. Just as I needed it from my earthy father and I need it so much more from my heavenly father. Lord - Thank you for bringing about the difficult and unpleasant things in my life - it may sound strange to the world, but it makes me feel loved.

Trusting Him in the Fire

2009-10-25T17:05:00.000-07:00

I was thinking recently on how to deal with disappointments. How should we handle events and circumstances that don't go as planned? What should be our guiding thoughts as we deal with difficult time or things that in general just don't go as planned? As I thought this through, what kept coming back to me over and over again was, "Do you trust Him?" Quite a simple question and yet the answer is powerful. Do I trust him? Do I trust that he is good, that he is wise, that he loves me, and is doing what's best for me? The resounding answer in my soul was very much "I do!" I am thankful for that response, for that is not our natural reaction, it is a supernatural one. And as I thought about how much I trust him, I became increasingly at peace with the circumstances I find myself in. It was a wave of comfort that kept growing stronger and stronger. I believe, in the very core of my being, that he knows what he's doing. He is in control. Not only is he sovereignly in control, but he uses that sovereignty to see that all things work for my good! That is unspeakably precious to me. He has the power to do all things and He works that mighty power on my behalf. Sure things might not be easy at every turn and certainly not always enjoyable. But even those hard times are being carefully orchestrated for my everlasting benefit. I picture Jesus standing with a blow torch. He turns it on me every now and then. It can be extremely painful, often times almost unbearable, but it is not meant to hurt me. It is designed to burn all the garbage off of me me so that one day I "will shine like the sun in the kingdom of my father." He has refining purposes. And oh how I need to be refined. There is much sin that needs cleansing in the fire of his love. It seems the greatest disappointments and the hardest trials are the greatest source of refinement. He is building our faith so that we better realize that one day in his courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.

As I thought more about this I began to think: What is our best evidence that we can trust Him. My first thought and I think the greatest answer is that he was faithful to his promise by sending Jesus to die on a cross. You see seven hundred years before Christ was born, God promised through Isaiah that his "Servant" would be crushed, bruised, and chastised - and this would be for our salvation. And seven hundred years later it came true. There never has been nor ever will there be a greater promise than this. And there has never been an emotionally harder promise to fulfil. To consider God the Father looking down on his Son and watching the mocking, watching the spitting, watching the beating, watching the whipping, watching the crown of thorns, watching the nails in the hands, watching the spear in his side, and hearing the most unbearable words a Father could hear, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me", without breaking his promise is mind blowing. And it MUST be the hardest act of promise keeping in the history of the universe. Never was the the trustworthiness of God's Word so beautifully, powerfully, and preciously displayed than on Calvary. Is he trustworthy? The question almost seems silly given the answer. He is absolutely faithful to his Word. He is always to be trusted and he never breaks his promises. When God says, "No good thing will he withhold from those whose walk is blameless" - He means it. What an amazing source of joy and encouragement. That is why the psalmist can say in Psalm 28:7 "The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart rejoices, and with my song I give thanks to him!!!" Amen.

I end by reminding you and myself - "Don't begrudge the hard times." They are designed for our refinement. And always trust Him. He is faithful to his Word when he says, "All things work together for good." Believe him - He sent his Son to die so that you might know his love, goodness, and never changing faithfulness.

Reflections on a Psalm

2009-03-31T09:29:00.000-07:00

I hate the double-minded,
but I love your Law.

You are my hiding place and my shield;
I hope in your Word.

Depart from me, you evildoers,
that I may keep the Commandments of my God.

Uphold me according to your Promise,
that I may live,
and let me not be put to shame in my hope!

Hold me up,
that I may be safe
and have regard for your statutes continually.

You spurn all who go astray from your statutes, for their cunning in in vain.

All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross,
therefore I love your testimonies.

My flesh trembles for fear of you,
and I am afraid of your judgments.
(Psalm 119:113-120)

As we read Scripture, I think it's important that we put ourselves somewhere in the text. We all do this by nature anyways, so why not make a habit of thinking through where we rightly fit?

My first instinct as I read this text is to insert myself into the place of the Psalmist, but as I thought about and meditated on this text this morning at Starbucks, I realized that the person I have the most in common with is the double-minded, the evildoer and the wicked who truly doesn't fear God as I ought.

But instead of just talking about what I thought through, I'll just share what I wrote in my oft-neglected journal.

"Lord, I am the double-minded, wicked evildoer, and I am not even wise enough for my flesh to tremble before you in fear. I have gone astray from your Statutes and plotted against your Kingship in vain.

My God, my God, why have you not forsaken me? I deserve to be forsaken by you, I know. Your holy righteousness requires that I would be thrown out like dross.

But Jesus, you love God's Law, hide in God, hope in his Word, keep his Commandment, regard his Statutes, love his Testimonies and respond to him rightly--in the splendor of his holiness. Just as you have obeyed in my place, you have also been rejected, forsaken and damned in my place.

Thank you, Jesus, for mending my double-mindedness and hiding my in the wounds of your flesh. Christ, the Word of the Father, I hope in you, and I am confident by your grace that you will not fail me in this hope. Here I stand.

Help me to walk as you have walked--courageously obedient to the Father--because you have bought my life by the blood of your Eternal Covenant.

Amen."

Casey's New Blog

2009-03-21T23:34:00.000-07:00

So I have set up a new blog, recklessragingfaithful. Fear not, I have intentions (if not every intention) to keep contributing periodically to the recklessragingfury, but alas, I have decided to venture out into uncharted waters (wow, that sounds kinda dramatic) and blog specifically about waiting tables and the lessons I learn there.

We'll see how it turns out! Thanks for reading!

Here's the link:

spiritualwaiter.blogspot.com

Passing the Time Part II

2009-03-09T14:13:00.000-07:00

So whatever redeeming the time is, that apparently does not include commenting on the reckless raging fury. But I have been doing some thinking on the subject, so worry not reckless raging faithful.

The phrase 'redeem the time' is found in Paul's letter to the churches in a city called Ephesus. He had been telling them all about the amazing love of God for them. The love of the Father who had chosen them; the love of the Son who had died for them; the love of the Spirit who had sealed them in Him. He had told them about how God's love made them alive when they were dead. He had told them how God was building them up in Him. He had told them what a new life could look like when God changes a life.

Well, if you're like me, and I'm guessing you are since you're still reading, you'd be fine just leaving the letter as I have described. These pesky practical addresses like the one on my mind lately tend to gnaw at me. Paul tells us to walk wisely and this is part of a wise walk. Not wasting time- redeeming it.

Here's what's incredible about all of this. We are not called to do this on our own. Paul's initial encouragement to the people and to us is to 'be imitators of God, as beloved children'. We are talking about life as sons and daughters of God. This is not a burdensome command, to make the most out of our time. This is something that makes perfect sense.

We don't waste time like those around us not because we are any better than anyone else but because we are loved by our Father. And so often when there is nothing to do at work I find myself checking my iphone to see what's new somewhere on the internet when there are image-bearers of God all around me. I am loved by my Father and I should be like him in that I am engaging in conversation and investing in the lives of those around me. I shouldn't compete with those around me but should encourage them on and even pick up their slack when I can, whether it makes me look better or not.

Let's redeem the time. Let's make the most out of our days because they are short. Lets make the most out of our time because we are living in the light of the fact that our Maker loves us so much that He gave Himself for us. Let's not pass the time- let's redeem it!

Passing the Time

2009-03-03T12:32:00.000-08:00

As I sit in class I'm looking to pass the time. Isn't it interesting how we look at time? We are constantly constrained by how much time we have on our hands. I have been waking up late over the past couple of weeks. The snooze alarm somehow has looked extraordinarily attractive and as a result, I've been keenly aware of time.

As followers of Jesus, we are told that we are to make the best of the time. We are encouraged to redeem the time. I don't know about you but when I hear that, I want to do it. I want to redeem the time instead of just passing it.

What does it mean to redeem the time? Any thoughts?

Hearts Aflame: Rated R

2009-02-14T23:04:00.001-08:00

Right now I am in a place I thought only hours ago that I would never be: sitting on the couch with a cold beer in my hand. Today has been an absolute circus. I worked from ten in the

morning to twelve-thirty at night. I can't begin to number the amount of times I either uttered or thought the "f word". I warned those around me to keep me away from sharp objects and explosive things. That's right. Its Valentines day. I work in a restaurant.

Its an odd love-hate relationship restaurants have with single-awareness day. On one hand, of course, we love to take money from our supporters. After all, who can argue with a night that you are continually making money, right? Well, the argument goes something like this: here's a night with continual action from people who have never been to the restaurant (or apparently any restaurant without a large yellow "m" outside) and have no clue how to tip or act on such a night.

Here's a word of advice. If you insist on going out to eat on Valentine's day, be sure to have some clue as to what you want to order. This is not a night that the server particularly wants to walk you through the menu and give you time to overlook the establishment's fine board of fare. We want you in and out because we need to turn your table. Sad. But true. Also, it would be a great idea to tip appropriately. That means between eighteen and twenty percent. That does not mean twelve percent and an atta boy. That means eighteen to twenty percent.

You know, this world is a strange place. I had a table of four last night and there was an old lady that absolutely hated me. I've served her and her husband before and he loves me. We always get along great- but this woman...wow! Anyways, she was going ahead and telling me for the first hour how to do my job. "We need more rolls...I want to the rest of those oysters in a box...we need extra dressing...we need more rolls...I want those oysters in a box...we need extra dressing" (yes, it was that annoying). Well, it was late and I was tired so I had just about enough of somebody telling me how to do my job. I looked her straight in the eye and said, "Ma'am, you know, they pay me to do this!" Believe it or not, this table full of people over twice my age all loved it! Her husband thanked ME for my PATIENCE afterward!!!!

You know, I've said it before and I'll say it again. I think that all aspiring pastors should be forced into the work camp known as the service industry. Being able to put up with people when your rent is on the line is a very helpful initiative. Being able to take abuse straight to the face without responding is par for the restaurant course. Really makes you think about what Jesus did. Becoming a man and humbling himself to the point of death on a cross. That changed the world.

Just wanted to keep you updated recklessraging faithful. Hope you are well and far from any cheese-wheels this Valentine's Day. Much Love.

Casey

2009-02-10T12:45:00.000-08:00

What do you think about when you think about heaven? Are there harps involved? Wings and haloes perhaps? What about those Charmin-soft clouds? When I was young, I distinctly remember imagining God as image of a vase of flowers. Don't ask me why I thought that- I'm sure its nobody's fault! But for some reason, Hank Williams Jr.'s song "If Heaven Ain't alot Like Dixie...I'd just as soon stay home" gains some credence when we picture heaven like this. I mean, really, are you looking for a place with ambient music and soft voices? Are you willing to take up your cross and follow Jesus every day so you can play a golden harp? Probably not.

I've been reading through the book of Revelation lately and I came across something that sparked my imagination. In chapter 21, John is describing this crazy vision he's had of the end of time and he describes the city of God. I must have read over these details fifty times but this time I noticed something a bit odd.

"And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."

Isn't that crazy! One day all things will be new. That doesn't mean that we will go away some place. God is going to renew the heavens and the earth. Everything will be new. But catch this: The city of God comes down to live in the new earth! We will fly away but not to a surreal wimpy, boring world. We will fly away to be glorified- to be made able to live in the same city that God lives in!!!! We will fly away to be made able to see his face!

One more thing stood out to me. Catch this: "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people and he will be with them as their God."

The end of the story of redemption is only the beginning. God will be with us and we with Him. All the former things passing away like tears, mourning, crying and pain are by-products of God and us living in the same city forever and ever!

God comes down, is born of a woman and is obedient to the point of death on the cross (see Philippians 2) so that one day we will live with Him. That day doesn't end. We will live with Him and He with us. What do you think about when you think about heaven?

Musings on Spirituality

2009-01-29T11:47:00.000-08:00

So I'm sitting in a class yesterday called "Early Christian Spirituality" and the professor asked a simple question: "What is spirituality?". 'Well', I thought to myself, 'I am in seminary and I've been studying theology and philosophy for the last seven years. This is kind of a basic question for a dude like me.' I had a moment of thoughts like this until my pen hit the paper. What is spirituality? Wow- that's about as loaded a question as I think I may ever have heard.

Amazingly enough, my classmates and I set down to answer this question, generously sharing our volumes of wisdom with one another. The attempts at an answer to this qu

ery were, to say the least, involved. Once you start to define something like spirituality, you feel the urge to continue to qualify your statement. Yes, it's about God and man and the soul but not only the soul but not only any 'god' but not just any man...whew.

Anyhow, after balking at offering my answer to such a question, I said, "God and man in conversation". I know that's at best a vague statement but in the last day, at least, I haven't come up with anything better. If you can, by all means, let me know because I'm more than willing to re-think it.

Well, you know me, seldom at a loss for words, I awaited my opportunity to say more of what I actually was thinking. Once the discussion started, I put in my two cents. I said "I don't really think spirituality is something that you can define. I think that's why we write poems and songs and books and draw things. I think spirituality is not something we can define so much as something in which to participate."

We have been invited, no, purchased into the life of God. That takes over every aspect of our lives. My spiritual life doesn't turn on and off when I stop singing a worship song or devoting my time to specific prayer. Our connection with God covers our entire lives because Christ bought every part of our lives. Spirituality is life because we are not able to separate the dimensions of our lives like they were parts of a whole.

Life is spiritual. Work is spiritual. Literature is spiritual. Music is spiritual. Art is spiritual. Relationships are spiritual. We live a spiritual life and that means that at every moment we are either moving closer to or further away from God in our relationship with him.

Well, that's my two cents. What do you think?

Amazing Abortion Ad

2009-01-22T11:59:00.000-08:00

Warning: This is not a position paper on the End Times!!!!

2009-01-20T10:35:00.000-08:00

So I am sitting down right now watching Air Force One about to get boarded by Barack Obama, thus proving the fact that he is the 44th president. All the hype can be a bit much and I really hope people don't expect Barack to be Jesus- because, like the rest of us, he is mortal and broken and will let us down. Regardless, I am excited to see Barack take office and captivated to hear him speak.

I don't know how much the rest of you read various nut-jobs on the internet, but there are definitely people on the fine world wide web who are convinced Obama is the antichrist found especially discussed in the oft-abused book of Revelation. Let me say that is RIDICULOUS! Ok, now that that's out of the way, thinking about the antichrist reminds me of something I was reading last night.

In Revelation 13, John describes the "mark of the beast". What stood out to me is the fact that "no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the

number of its name". Now, whatever your position on the end times (I could literally care less), what stood out to me was the fact that following the beast is placed in economic terms. This regime is best framed in the context of money. People following the beast are defined by their ability to buy and sell.

Singer-Songwriter Brett Dennen describes our current ideals with the following words: "People walk around pushing back their debts; wearing paychecks like necklaces and bracelets. Talkin bout nothin not thinking bout death; every little heartbeat, every little breath." Look around you, we are so often defined by what we do and how much money we make.

In the very next chapter, the 144,000 following the Lamb are described. Look at how John describes them:

"And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of the harpists playing on their harps, and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures an before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth."

Look, those following the beast are defined by what they do- how much money they make- while those following the Lamb are defined by a song. For all the things you could say about the difference between followers of Jesus and followers of the beast, I think it is absolutely beautiful to think in terms of economics vs. harmonics. Our God engages us so that we react in worship.

All of us are worshipping all the time. Are you worshipping your ability to buy and sell or are you joining in the underground, growing and swelling song of the Lamb?

Religionless Christianity

2009-01-14T09:50:00.001-08:00

So I was reading on Garrett's blog and I came across a special request (sorry it took me a month to respond) to post my paper on Religionless Christianity for the viewing pleasure of the recklessraging faithful so without further ado, here it is mom:

INTRODUCTION

The world has long been waiting for the possibility of a religionless Christianity. John Lennon wrote about utopian society with these words: “Imagine there’s no countries; it isn’t hart to do; nothing to kill or die for; and no religion too. Imagine all the people living life in peace.”[1] With bated breath, it seems, the on-looking world is waiting for a breed of Christians who are no longer Christians. They are looking for a faith that does not exclude them. They are looking for a faith that throws off the old customs that have long been keeping them from imagining the thought of stepping inside the local church.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, like Karl Barth before him, saw there was coming day when there would be a religionless Christianity. Even the mere mention of this phrase elicits an immediate Evangelical skepticism. After the dust had settled on the Second World War, Bonhoeffer and his fellow German theologians received a close look by the philosophically elite of the world. In an article written in April of 1963 in Time Magazine, the idea of a religionless Christianity was hailed as necessary change. The Right Reverend John A.T. Robinson, a bishop in the Church of England, had attached himself to the theology of Rudolf Bultmann, who had come from the same stream of theological thought of Bonhoeffer and Barth. Robinson was teaching the ever-desirable doctrine that all the mythology of the bible was simply that- mythology. It may have been helpful in the day when folks were uneducated but for the twentieth century?

The article had Robinson, on the fringes of theological responsibility, partnering with the posthumous Bonhoeffer. “Fortified by such insights (as Paul Tillich’s “ground of all being” argument), Robinson believes, the church may grow into what the late German Lutheran Dietrich Bonhoeffer called ‘religionless Christianity”- a spare and stripped-down vital faith.”[2]

In response to this categorization of Bonhoeffer, Baptist theologian Mark Devine summarized the meaning of religionless Christianity with the following statement: “When seen in the context of Barthian dogmatism (Barth’s starting point for all theology was the revelation of God), Bonhoeffer’s call for a religionless Christianity must be seen as a quest for the recovery of true Christianity and of the true church, not their abandonment or abolition as some have argued.”[3]

What did Bonhoeffer, author of some of the most formative material in the past century and modern martyr, had in mind with the term “religionless Christianity”? Could it be that he was trying to strip down Christianity into a user-friendly version? Is it possible that the bold author who berated his own church for their easy-believe-ism and “cheap grace” in The Cost of Discipleship would later recant of his orthodoxy and turn outside to where Bultmann, Tillich and later Robinson lived? Or is it more likely that he was aiming at a recovery of the true church as opposed to some new Enlightenment-inspired thought? This paper will examine the work of Dietrich Bonhoeffer on the topic of religionless Christianity to determine not only his meaning by the phrase but also the post-modern application of religionless Christianity. The paper will lastly include a short review of Bonhoeffer’s understanding of the coming day of religionless Christianity.

BONHOEFFER’S CONTEXT

The main source in the discussion of religionless Christianity in Bonhoeffer was his letters to his best friend Eberhard Bethge. Here Bonhoeffer discusses explicitly what his other works contain and what he was coming to formulate more and more in prison. He was struggling as he spent more and more time in Tegel with the issue that had long driven his theology, namely, what it meant to be a Christian in his own time.

The struggle he was enduring in Tegel had been continuing since the beginning of the Nazi takeover of his homeland Germany. The Barmen Declaration, mainly penned by his theological mentor Karl Barth, dealt with what it would mean to be a Christian in the Third Reich. As was previously mentioned in this work, Barth’s theological starting point was the revelation of God, the prevailing theme in defining the Christian’s place. “The basis for confidence is the discovery that for oneself, for other Christians, and for the Church as enduring and expanding Christian community, the dynamic life of Jesus Christ as revelation of God has become a vital premise for all thought and action that have in view the ultimate significance of human living.”[4] The only thing that mattered in defining the Christian life for Barth and the Confessing Church was the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Bonhoeffer seemed to be constantly thinking through what it meant to be a Christian in his own time. In his most widely read work, The Cost of Discipleship, Bonhoeffer went to great lengths to define the Christian life in his own context. His chapter the Christian’s love for his enemies is a good example of this struggle. It is fascinating that the man who would end up taking direct action to assassinate a major world leader believed what he did about the uniqueness of the Christian life. At one point in this chapter, Bonhoeffer wrote: “From now on there can be no more wars of faith. The only way to overcome our enemy is by loving him. To the natural man, the very notion of loving his enemies is an intolerable offence, and quite beyond his capacity: it cuts right across his ideas of good and evil…Jesus, however, takes the law of God in his own hands and expounds its true meaning.”[5]

It seems as if Bonhoeffer, as he struggled with what it meant to be a Christian in his own context, was never willing to get beyond the simplicity of Barth’s theology. It is God Himself that defines what it will mean to live the Christian life in any context. It will not be a council or a Reich or a human leader. Jesus defines the life of his follower by virtue of His incarnation.

In the final section of The Cost of Discipleship, Bonhoeffer takes great pains to define all of the Christian’s life in terms of the incarnate Christ. He understood the incarnation of Jesus alone to be formative in the life of a Christian. “The only constant factor throughout (the New Testament call narratives) is the sameness of Christ and his call then and now. His word is one and the same, whether it was addressed during his earthly life to the paralyzed or the disciples, or whether it is speaking to us today.”[6]

Bonhoeffer made his view even more explicit as he continued his discussion. He said: “The Scriptures do not present us with a series of Christian types to be imitated according to our choice: they present to us in every situation the one Jesus Christ. To Him alone I must listen. He is everywhere one and the same. To the question- where today do we hear the call of Jesus to discipleship, there is no other answer than this: Hear the Word, receive the Sacrament; in it hear Him Himself, and you will hear His call.”[7] Whatever religionless Christianity would be- if it was any continuation of Bonhoeffer’s earlier theology- it would be a return to the simplicity of following Jesus in whatever context the Christian finds himself.

Bonhoeffer’s struggle with the Christian’s role would continue through his imprisonment years after the Barmen Declaration and the writing of The Cost of Discipleship. He identified to Bethge in his aforementioned letters this ongoing struggle. He wrote: “What is bothering me incessantly is the question what Christianity really is, or indeed who Christ is for us today.”[8] This burning question was the impetus of Bonhoeffer’s religionless Christianity. John Robinson may well have cited him as a source for going back to Bultmann’s original theology, but what was the starting point in the early sixties in England? Certainly, the fact that Bonhoeffer was struggling throughout his life with this question in the context of world war, imprisonment, earth-shaking ethical issues and eventual execution places him in an altogether separate category from an academic’s attempt to weasel his way out of the embarrassment of accepting the virgin birth.

BONHOEFFER’S CONCERN

Bonhoeffer recognized that much of the religious system he inherited as a Lutheran was simply passed down a priori; that is, based upon a previously held idea. Before the Enlightenment of the eighteenth century, the colonization of the nineteenth century and the world wars of the twentieth century, Western man was born into a religious structure. Even in the pre-Constantine days, Western thought came from a religious starting point. Bonhoeffer saw religion a priori as something that was going away. “But if one day it becomes clear that this a priori does not exist at all, but was a historically conditioned and transient form of human self-expression, and if therefore people become radically religionless- and I think that is already more or less the case…- what does that mean for ‘Christianity’?”[9]

Bonhoeffer saw that much of the religious culture he had known was crumbling before his eyes. What would it mean if the tradition that was accepted wholesale by his own society was completely empty of any substance? That certainly was what appeared to be the case. The mainline church in his homeland was speaking in the same way it had been for the past four hundred years. Lutheran liturgy is also rich in the language that Christians have been speaking since the time of Jesus. Although the words of his church were right, the mainline church was complicit in a regime that, in the end, killed six million Jews in addition to the millions of other victims of a mad-man leader.

It stands to reason that the a priori understanding of what it meant to be a Christian was completely useless in the eyes of Bonhoeffer. What good could a religious system possibly be if it turned a blind eye to injustice? As an antidote to this disconnect, Bonhoeffer sought a true and undefiled religion- even if that meant some basic changes. If one had to choose between an empty shell of religion and a living, vibrant life that did not necessarily have the same type of refined gnat-straining that the religious system of his day had, it would only make sense to pursue a religionless Christianity. The entire world was in the best sense of the word ‘religionless’ and becoming more and more so. One had the decision to carry on in an empty religionless religion or to jump ship and follow Jesus reliousless-ly.

BONHOEFFER WRESTLES

“The question to be answered would surely be: What do a church, a community, a sermon, a liturgy, a Christian life mean in a religionless world?”[10] The burning question would begin to find its answers as Bonhoeffer pursued them. He went on to write: “In what way are we ‘religionless-secular’ Christians, in what way are we the ecclesia those who are called forth, not regarding ourselves from a religious point of view as specially favored, but rather as wholly belonging to the world? In that case Christ is no longer an object of religion, but something quite different, really the Lord of the world.”[11]

It is just this sort of statement that has caused Bonhoeffer to be labeled a universalist and a heretic by fundamentalist Evangelicals.[12] It is also this type of statement that makes the heart yearn for something more out of this thing we call Christianity. Bonhoeffer was not speaking of redemption of the entire world apart from Jesus in this context. He was not even speaking of redemption as a concept at this point, but instead what it means to live and think as a Christian in a post-Christian context.

Lest the reader fall under the impression that Bonhoeffer’s struggle was theoretical, he went on to explain to Bethge his solidarity with those outside the faith. “I often ask myself why a ‘Christian instinct’ often draws me more to the religionless people than to the religious, by which I don’t in the least mean with any evangelizing intention, but I might also say, ‘in brotherliness’.”[13] The struggle was real and practical just as the man himself. He was wrestling with the fact that being around the religious and their jargon made him “awkward and uncomfortable”. He felt as if “we are trying anxiously in this way to reserve some space for God; I should like to speak of God not on the boundaries but at the center…”[14]

Christ at the center and substance was what Bonhoeffer was after in religionless Christianity. The problem with Bultmann’s attempt to demythologize, he wrote, was that on two fronts the Christian life had been tamed down into an empty system. “What does it mean to ‘interpret in a religious sense’? I think it means to speak on the one hand metaphysically, and on the other hand individualistically.”[15] Both of these tendencies, posited Bonhoeffer, leads the Christian life into an irrelevancy that fails to address the real issues that men and women are continually enduring. The focus upon the individual, along with the removal of Christianity from the realities of day to day life, were the real issues in Bonhoeffer’s mind, not the form of what had become a dead orthodoxy.

BONHOEFFER’S APPLICATION

There are two places in Bonhoeffer’s works where he directly lays out what it means to follow Jesus in a religionless Christianity. The first place is in his most personal work, Life Together. His final chapter in this short work deals with Confession and Communion. A life that is lived within a religious system is one that is lived apart from freedom. Describing a religious religion, Bonhoeffer wrote: “Many Christians are unthinkably horrified when a real sinner is suddenly discovered among the righteous. So we remain alone with our sin, living in lies and hypocrisy. The fact is that we are sinners.”[16]

The real Christian life, the religionless Christian life, is one that is lived without pretense. The identity of the follower of Jesus is not found in what he says or even what he does but in what Christ has done on his behalf. Because of the follower’s identity, he is free to admit his own struggles. “Anybody who has once been horrified by the dreadfulness of his own sin that nailed Jesus to the Cross will no longer be horrified by even the rankest sins of a brother.”[17]

Religionless Christianity means a new life that is free in the truest sense of the word. The community knows each other and loves each other in the face of their brokenness. “In the presence of a psychiatrist I can only be a sick man; in the presence of a Christian brother I can dare to be a sinner.”[18] Christianity without pretense is what Bonhoeffer was after in this conversation.

The second place Bonhoeffer explicitly describes what this religionless Christianity would look like is in his letter to Eberhard Bethge’s son on the occasion of his baptism. In a sad admission, Bonhoeffer describes the type of world that young Dietrich Bethge was born into in 1944. “Our church, which has been fighting in these years only for its self-preservation, as though that were an end in itself, is incapable of taking the word of reconciliation and redemption to humankind and the world.” The fighting of Christians for one system over another had lead the church to a stagnant point, rendering the message of the gospel cracked and fading on the back shelves of orthodoxy.

Bonhoeffer described the future of the church. He saw a coming church that would again affect the world. He did not think that the darkness of religion could overcome the light of the gospel. He did not think that the enemy would have the last word in the German church. He wrote: “Our earlier words are therefore bound to lose their force and cease, and our being Christians today will be limited to two things: prayer and action for justice on behalf of people.”[19]

Bonhoeffer believed that the future of the church would rest on the prayer and justice-working of the people of God. Mere words, however orthodox, would never revive the dead spirit of the community. In fact, Bonhoeffer wrote of a day coming that would see a completely new language spoken by followers of Jesus. This would not be the innocuous, metaphysical, individualistic language of his day but rather something completely different.

“It will be a new language, perhaps quite non-religious, but liberating and redeeming- as was Jesus’ language; it will shock people and yet overcome them by its power; it will be a new language of a new righteousness and truth, proclaiming God’s peace with people and the coming of God’s kingdom.”[20]

Religionless Christianity means following Jesus as opposed to dead tradition. Words are important for what they convey and not for what they meant at one point or another in the course of human history. The real issue is deeper than form. The word of God is important because of the content it conveys, namely, the revelation of God. His revelation is important because of the ideas behind the words. The language gets us to God’s revelation- if it is translated it is every bit of God’s revelation. The translation may be from Hebrew to English or Greek to German or second century to twenty-first century.

BONHOEFFER’S LEGACY

The discussion of and the desire for religionless Christianity has continued on into this present day. The same concern Bonhoeffer held for the inward-focused church of his day is shared in sentiments such as these: “Often outsiders’ perception of Christianity reflect a church infatuated with itself. We discovered that many Christians have lost their heart for those outside the faith.”[21] Bonhoeffer was concerned that the church viewed the action of God only inside its own walls, which kept God on the fringes of everyday life. God, for Bonhoeffer, was all too seldom at the center. The same problem persists today.

Bonhoeffer was finished with the empty religion of his day that confused life for system and life for religion. He wrote: “Jesus calls people, not to a new religion, but to life.”[22] This problem is alive and well in the church today.

One pastor relates his conversion to Christ in a way that harkens back to Bonhoeffer’s desire to be free from the constraints that dead orthodoxy created. As he tells the story, he was watching a passion play and all of a sudden realized that he wanted what he was seeing. He wanted a new life but when he was escorted backstage to speak with the spiritual guides after the service, he became confused. He and a friend were presented with tracts that laid out the Christian life in terms of a few bullet points. Of this experience he wrote: “From the first page I knew something wasn’t right. I found it hard to accept that the wondrous story of God, the one I had just seen and been changed by, could be boiled down to bullet points and placed in a booklet. I was wondering what happened to the version I’d just witnessed.”[23] Bonhoeffer’s desire for religionless Christianity finds kinship in these concerns to not minimize the gospel into a few words of orthodoxy.

Many in the church today long for a Christianity like the one described by Bonhoeffer in his letter to Dietrich Bethge as well as in Life Together. A community of followers of Jesus Christ who are honest about their mistakes and continually desperate for His grace is still something that is pursued by Christians.

Donald Miller, author of New York Times bestseller, Blue Like Jazz, relates something he took part in with his community as an effort to follow Jesus in a religionless Christianity. His concern was: “For so much of my life I had been defending Christianity because I thought to admit that we had done anything wrong was to discredit the religious system as a whole, but it isn’t a religious system, it is people following Christ; and the important thing to do, the right thing to do, was to apologize for getting in the way of Jesus.”[24]

One year during a local festival, Miller’s community set up a booth at Reed College, a very liberal school in Oregon. On top of the booth they hung a sign that read “Free Confession”. Out of curiosity students came to their booth where there were promptly told something like “we apologize for the Crusades, we apologize for the televangelists, we apologize for neglecting the poor and the lonely…”[25] Religionless Christianity at work in today’s church is that embodiment of Bonhoeffer’s vision of prayer, action and new language of confession.

Could it be that there is a movement today for exactly the changes Bonhoeffer desired? Could religionless Christianity really mean the simple following of Jesus in one’s own generation? Could it be that the type of religionless society Lennon sung of some forty years ago was a looking forward to a day that followers of Jesus would live like Him? Bonhoeffer’s desire for the church to be the church- the body of the incarnate Christ- is the same desire that is found today as men and women strive to be obedient to the call of Jesus to follow Him.

[1] John Lennon. Imagine.

[2] Time Magazine.

[3] Devine, M. Bonhoeffer Speaks Today. Nashville: Broadman-Holman. 2005, p. 118.

[4] “Barmen Declaration (1943)” in Leith, J. ed. Creeds of the Churches. Louisville,

Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press. 1982, p. 526.

[5] Bonhoeffer, D. The Cost of Discipleship. New York: Touchstone. 1995, p. 147.

[6] Ibid, p. 228.

[7] Ibid, p. 228.

[8] Kelly, G., Nelson, F. ed. A Testament to Freedom: Dietrich Bonhoeffer. San Francisco:

Harper-Collins. 1995, p. 501.

[9] Ibid, p. 501.

[10] Ibid, p. 502.

[11] Ibid, p. 502.

[12] See Phil Johnson’s website, linking Bonhoeffer and Barth with the likes of the Campbellites. http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/unorthdx.htm.

[13] Kelly, Nelson, p. 502.

[14] Ibid, p. 503.

[15] Ibid, p. 504.

[16] Bonhoeffer, D. Life Together. San Francisco: Harper-Collins. 1954, p. 110.

[17] Ibid, p. 118.

[18] Ibid, p. 119.

[19] Kelly, Nelson, p. 505.

[20] Ibid, p. 505.

[21] Kinnaman, D. UnChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About

Christianity….And Why It Matters. Grand Rapids: Baker Books. 2007, p. 14.

[22] Kelly, Nelson, p. 509.

[23] Pagitt, D. A Christianity Worth Believing. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 2008, p. 22.

[24] Miller, D. Blue Like Jazz. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers. 2003, p. 118.

[25] Ibid, p. 118.

Whos, Grinches, Cindy Lou Who, and a Redemption Story

2008-12-24T19:39:00.000-08:00

So I woke up this morning and I had an hour or so to kill so I decided to watch Dr. Seuss' classic "How The Grinch Stole Christmas". I wasn't looking for a blog topic (although an update was long overdue); and I wasn't looking for a picture of redemption- for crying out loud I was just going to watch the Grinch!

Let's think about the story of the Grinch, shall we? Here's a guy who is about as vile and contemptible as any dude can possibly get. His heart is full of unwashed socks and he's got termites in his soul! Or to put it another way, his brain is full of spiders and there's garlic in his soul!!! That's pretty bleak!

So this poor soul lives alone in isolation on the top of the mountain with just his co-dependent dog who's willing to go along with whatever shenanigans he comes up with just so he can have a friend. The Grinch is moved to hate those who seem to be selling out to the whole 'joy in community' business. He is so moved to hate that he decides to take all their stuff in attempts to end their good times!!! To put it in the words of a slammin' Tower of Power song, the Grinch thought that the Whos' happiness was like his, after the maxim of "you gotsta get what you want when you want when you need it". The Grinch thought they were as bound by material possessions as he was.

When the Grinch has his conversion on the top of Mount Crump and his heart grows 3 sizes, what is really happening is that the Grinch is being redeemed from his isolation into a real life of community. No more would life be defined by the stuff he had or didn't have but by life in community. He was redeemed from himself to live life with others.

I have been thinking all day about how this would translate into my situation. I need redemption. My circumstances do not at first appear to be like the Grinch's. I want everybody to have a good time. I want Christmas to come and I love being in community with others, especially one that is centered around the gospel.

But I am in a situation that needs redeeming and I am learning that what I really need to continue to do is to let the Redeemer redeem this situation in my life however He sees fit. I am not the redeemer- I am not in charge of buying back any situation or person. God does an incredible job on just that note.

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Are Gay Rights Really Civil Rights?

2008-12-04T13:07:00.001-08:00

I've been following the whole Prop 8 backlash on the news and radio, and have been struck by the sheer illogicality and ignorance being propounded by the opponents of Prop 8.

Of several arguments that I have an issue with, one that popped out to me as self-evidently wrong is the hyperbolic argument linking "Gay Rights" to the overall Civil Rights Movement begun in the '60s.

It's simply an claim that makes no sense and does not correspond with history. At the heart of the Civil Rights Movement was a desire to see all men and women treated equally under the law and by fellow Americans.

While the 19th century was highlighted by the abolition of slavery, the 20th century by the de-segregation of schools, sports and public establishments and the widespread actualization of the equal treatment of each person by the government and (progressively) society as a whole.

Now, the 21st century has an early landmark with Barack Obama as our President-Elect, which is an important marker for civil rights both for those of us who didn't vote for him and for those of us who did.

As for the issue of Civil Rights as it pertains to "Gay Rights", my argument is that is simply does not. That is, the "right" of Gays to marry is both non-existent and non-essential to their equal treatment under the law, therefore striking an essential distinction between "Gay Rights" and Civil Rights.

If that doesn't clarify the my point, maybe these questions will:

Q. When was the last time you saw a gay person forced to the back of a city bus?

Q. When was the last time you saw police spraying down a group of gay protesters with a fire hose in a city square?

Q. When was the last time you saw a gay church building burnt down with little girls inside?

The question is about the definition of marriage, not basic human rights, as was the main point of contention in the Civil Rights movement. For the people of a State (such as California, Florida, Arizona, etc.) to define marriage as valid only between one man and one woman is "not in the same ballpark--not in the same league--not even in the same game" as Civil Rights or discrimination, to paraphrase Samuel L. Jackson grossly out of context.

Further, if the validity of gay marriage must be recognized by the state, then what about polygamy?

That is, if we can't be expected to "discriminate" against two people of the same gender who seek marriage, then how can we possibly discriminate against honest, hard-working, kind people who want to marry more than one person at a time?

I'm not saying that we should be scornful or hateful of Gays and Lesbians--rather, we need to take the opposite stance of standing for truth in a loving, gracious way.

After all, that's how Jesus came from the Father "full of grace and truth"--not that he sacrficed truth for grace, but that he was and is full of both.

These people have wrong-headed ideas about not just marriage but also life, God and truth, but so did we until the love of God was shed abroad in our hearts. Let's be about pointing all people to Jesus, who is our only hope.

I pray that He would break my heart more and more for the lost and that He'd be working the miracle of His grace all around us.

"And from his fullness we received, grace upon grace". (Jn. 1:16)

Mysterious Ways

2008-11-14T11:06:00.000-08:00

It is interesting how God works. I don't mean interesting in the sense of a good science project or an engrossing good book but I mean interesting as in a multi-faceted, wild and relational being. I was just thinking about

William Cowper's great hymn. One of the verses sings like this: Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust him for his grace; Behind a frowning providence, he hides a smiling face.

This week I have seen a frowning providence and I so quickly judge the love of God by what I can see around me. My feeble sense clashes so often with his grace that calls me to trust but I have seen beautiful things all around me this week.

I have seen that my community loves me. I have seen that my family loves me. Most of all, I have seen again that my God loves me. Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust him for his grace.

As complicated, confusing, befuddling and interesting life is, has been and will be, I know that God is right there in my time and space. The intimate love of my Father shows me what I need to see: Behind a frowning providence he hides a smiling face.

though life's trials may come and go

though I may never reasons know

yet I will trust in the One who's hand

will will hold me regardless of if I fall or stand

You Kidding Me? Wash My Feet?

2008-11-07T07:09:00.000-08:00

Last night I was reading John 13 when the Ruler of all creation stoops down to wash his disciples' feet with the same hands that had formed the entirety of the known and unknown universe. Peter, one of my favorite characters in the bible, objects to this treatment. Jesus, "You're not going to wash my feet- ever!" Peter understood what was going on. Jesus himself was serving his disciples in an almost despicable way. Yes I serve tables for a living and that can be a bit humiliating at times but washing somebody's feet?

I remember summer days playing whiffleball with Jay and Dusty and I have always hated wearing shoes so I would wear sandals sometimes. Boy, after a few hours in the dust and the

dirt moving around I could hardly see my own skin. Imagine walking around for eight or ten

hours in the desert with sandals on! These guys must have stunk to high heaven and the high king of heaven stoops down to wash them.

So Peter is right to object in one sense. I was imagining my mentor Tal trying to set up our room at Tapestry. I take some sense of pride in helping him out and would be insulted in one sense to see him take the initiative and take care of some small and inglorious detail. I mean, I've been with him now for two years. Oh yeah, and he's not Jesus! He's just a man and we get angry at each other without cause just like anybody in any relationship does.

Now imagine Peter as his Lord kneels down and pours out the water on his feet. Makes a bit of sense why he would object, doesn't it? Not only is his pride assaulted but his whole world is being played with by Jesus. No, Jesus did not come to be served but to serve. Jesus did not come to institute a new religion of service- he came to serve that we would follow him in this divine mystery of humility.

This puts a new spin on John's opening words in this story. "Having loved his dear companions, he continued to love them right to the end." What kind of love is the love of Jesus? The kind that loves regardless of how it makes him look- the kind that is there right to the very end.

Fall Reflections

2008-10-26T10:23:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the year when the colors change. Autumn in Birmingham is absolutely perfect. Skies are as blue as the ocean and the air is crisp and cool. It's this time of year that I tend to get reflective for one reason or another.

This morning I was driving over to Peggy's apartment (where I am presently sitting) and I was engaged in the dangerous act of thinking. I thought back to two years ago when I was in my first autumn in Birmingham. I knew one person when I moved out here, I was starting a new job in a strange place, starting seminary and on medication for the somewhat random seizure I had earlier that year. I remember that feeling of disconnection. I remember that strange feeling like I was really a stranger in a strange land.

A lot has changed in the past couple of years. I have settled into Birmingham and I actually have begun to like it. I am established at the restaurant as one of the youngest but most able servers. I have settled into seminary and feel comfortable with the work load. I love my church. Tapestry is not a perfect place but it's a place where we are learning to love each other.

Speaking of love, that's another part of my life that has changed a lot. Peggy is not perfect and neither am I but we are learning to love each other like the church loves Jesus and Jesus the church. We have such a great time together and the more we get to know each other the more we enjoy being with the other, which is, I'm pretty sure, a good thing.

I remember a couple of years ago thanksgiving day. I was working that night but in the morning I sat down at Starbucks and wrote down everything I was thankful for. There was so much God was doing in my life and as I kept reflecting, I kept seeing his movement throughout the days. What I was really thankful for was that Jesus, through his Spirit, was living in me and was shaping me.

That's what I was thinking about on the way to Peggy's this morning. My circumstances have been difficult and now my circumstances are fantastic. What is constant is that God is still here. My Hope and my Rock has stayed solid. Not that I have hoped and stayed solid but that He has. He is. And He will.

Thoughts on God's Sovereignty in Salvation

2008-10-17T12:59:00.000-07:00

Last night, I was a little discouraged, thinking about a friend who has been around the gospel for a long time and still resists Jesus on account of pride.

I've had several conversations with him throughout the past couple of years, as have other brothers, but his heart is continually hardened against submitting to Christ as his Savior and King.

Enter: "Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God".

I just finished reading this little book earlier today, and in it, Packer has a great overarching message that no matter what we do, the most important thing we could ever do in evangelism is to first recognize that God is sovereign to save whom He will.

When we start to get our arms around that truth is when we finally realize that our charge as beleivers, as Packer summarizes in the final pages, is "not only to preach, but also to pray; not only to talk to men about God, but also to talk to God about men."

What a challenge to pray for the lost. How much of my evangelistic effort is devoted to prayer and how much of my prayer life is devoted to pleading for the lost?

Finally, here's a quote that stuck out to me about the particular friend who has had the gospel presented crystal clear over and over but still rises up in his heart of hearts and rejects Christ to choose rather to live in pride and arrogance toward the King of Heaven.

However clear and cogent we may be in presenting the gospel, we have no hope of convincing or converting anyone. Can you or I by our earnest talking break the power of Satan over a man's life? No. Can you or I give life to the spiritually dead? No. Can we hope to convince sinners of the truth of the gospel by patient explanation? No. Can we hope to move men to obey the gospel by any words of entreaty that we may utter? No. Our approach to evangelism is not realistic till we have faced this shattering fact (of our natural resistance toward the gospel), and let it make its proper impact on us ... Regarded as a human enterprise, evangelism is a hopeless task.

Judas, Who Betrayed Him, Was Standing With Them

2008-10-10T12:37:00.000-07:00

As I was reading through John 18 this morning, I came across something in the text that stuck out to me like a sore thumb. This is what it says in verses 4-6:

Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, "Whom do you seek?" They answered him, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus said to them, "I am he (literally, 'I AM'." Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground."

What stuck out to me so much in this text is the fact that John leaves the reader hanging for a minute in the middle of a truly climatic moment in his book. The whole book of John, the whole Gospel, the whole Bible comes down to this moment--the betrayal, arrest, execution and resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God.

And John is drawing this out by relating what Jesus says about his own Deity--he calls himself "I AM" and the people coming to arrest him fall to the ground because of the power of that claim.

But John interrupts his own flow, it seems, by drawing our attention back to Judas, whose last name seems to have evolved to "who betrayed him" (cf. 18:2, 12:4). It seems like the point John is getting at should focus on Jesus as the Son of God, but instead, the focus seems to be on Jesus, betrayed by his friends.

Why does he do this? Why is he stopping in mid-narration to remind us that Judas was there with them? After all, he's already said as much in verse three by telling us that Judas got the bad guys together and came along with them to arrest Jesus.

But the more I think about it, the more clearly I see his point--"He came to his own, and his own did not receive him" (John 1:11). He puts Jesus' statement and restatement of his awesome Deity right alongside Judas' betrayal and Peter's confusion and denial.

That's his point, though--the Son of God was betrayed and forsaken by his friends. He came to his own, and his own did not receive him. And that ties in perfectly to John's overall point, in 20:31, "but these things are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."

When we hear Jesus claiming his Deity, we need to submit to it. It needs to get a hold of us and change us so that believing we may have life in his name.

...and he shows up...

2008-10-07T12:46:00.000-07:00

These past couple of weeks have been fantastic and challenging in the life and times of Casey Hobbs. Last week I worked almost forty hours. I know, I know rrf faithful, that in and of itself is no great feat and the made for tv movie will just have to wait (I wonder who it would star...Brad Pitt, Burt Reynolds...). But that, along with my ridiculous load of school work which I am bravely running away from presently, has dramatically severed my relationship with that medicine for sissies that some refer to as "sleep".

It has been a sweet semester school-wise. For all the rrf faithful who have followed the blog since its dramatic inception, you know that this is not something that I'm just saying...I'd refer you to the entirety of last semester's en

tries... It has been sweet because I've been reading Karl Barth (who's incidentally the man), Dietrich Bonhoeffer (who's my daddy) and Eugene Peterson (author of "The Message" translation- also the man) all on creation and it has been so refreshing to see the fact that all of our lives are to be lived together in the rhythm of the creation story. God moves on a rhythm and he has invited us in to that dance! Is that not incredible!

One other thing about all of this talk. Bonhoeffer's definition of the image of God is

essentially that we are free in community for God. We need each other. We are created in community because our God exists in community. The Father loves the Son. The Son loves the Father. The Spirit Loves the Father, is loved by the Son and binds the dance together in a rhythm.

On top of all this reading, it has been incredible to spend time with another one of God's creations (For those who do not catch onto the intuitive hints, that would be my girlfriend Peggy). We are using this time to learn how to love each other the way we were made to- that is, by placing the other above ourselves and using our freedom for submission to one another and the triune God.

So many times we miss out on what life is all about if we are going to stop short and make the "spiritual life" the only thing that is important. I leave you with a quote from Eugene Peterson when he talks about the Passover meal, the celebratory meal after God led the people

of Israel out of Egypt. Check this out:

"The triggering move that sets off this final and definitive burst of wonder, God's salvation act, unprecedented and unsurpassable, is a meal, an ordinary meal, a meat and potatoes meal, prepared and eaten by a family in their own kitchen...This is so characteristic of biblical spirituality: the ordinary and the miraculous on a single continuum. Anything and everything that we believe about God finds grounding in what we do in the course of any and every ordinary day. We are not permitted to segregate our salvation away from the details of getting around and making a living. 'Pass the broccoli' and 'Hear the word of God' carry equal weight in conversations among the saved. The sacraments are served in the kitchen and chancel alike."

Peterson, E. Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. 2005, p. 174.

As far as the east is from the west

2008-10-05T19:55:00.001-07:00

Healer - Live

2008-10-01T16:56:00.000-07:00

Healer

2008-09-30T16:36:00.000-07:00

I was at church Sunday when a new worship song was introduced. The story behind it is pretty remarkable. The author of the song attends Hillsong Church in Australia. About 2 years ago the author announced to the church he was suffering from terminal cancer and only had about 5 months to live. The church sang his song "Healer" and enjoyed an amazing time of worship. The author of the song was clearly sick; he was constantly vomitting and nauseaous from his illness. About 2 weeks ago it was announced that the author of the song had lied about his illness. He was not suffering from his cancer. He had lied to his church, his wife, and his family. The author repented to his church, but even more amazing was the REAL story behind the song. The author had been addicted to pornography for 16 years. He had pleaded and prayed to the Lord to be free, but had not been able to shake his addiction. The author stated this addiction caused such guilt and anguish that he literally became sick - his vommiting and nausea was real. He was so ashamed he couldnt tell his wife or his church that he wrote the song about Jesus enduring love - but under the guise of cancer. What an amazing story - of shame, guilt, and Jesus' love. Below are the lyrics. At first they didnt strike me as extremely deep. But given the circumstances behind it and upon further meditation - i think they express some of the sweetest truths about God and the gospel. Sin is so much worse than cancer and Christ bought that healing on the cross. To die from cancer is bad - to die from Sin is eternally worse. Here are the lyrics.

You hold my every moment
You calm my raging seas
You walk with me through fire
And heal all my disease

I trust in you
I trust in you

I believe
You're my healer
I believe
You are all i need
I believe
You're my portion
I believe
You're more than enough for me
Jesus, you're all i need

Nothing is impossible for you
Nothing is impossible
Nothing is impossible for you
You hold my world in your hands

What's the World Got in Store?

2008-09-17T11:22:00.000-07:00

One of the great songs on Wilco's second album, "Being There", is the eighth song, "What's the World Got in Store?". The lyrics are nothing special; nothing completely out of the ordinary, but for some reason this song and really this ridiculously open-ended question jumped into my mind when I started writing.

Right now I should be reading on Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Those closely affiliated with the conspiracy of RRF, otherwise known as both of our readers, may be shocked to read that I am avoiding reading about one of my favorite guys in the history of the church.

Well, I'm tired, if you were wondering, and I needed to spend a minute processing before I get to the meat (no Upton Sinclaire reference intended). But seriously, I've had some interesting thoughts in the way of this question posed so eloquently by the one, the only, Jeff Tweedy (see previous post for his identity).

What does the world have in store? Am I going to graduate from Beeson Divinity School only to ascend up the ladder at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse? What will come of Tapestry of Hope? And my relationship with Peggy, "What's the World Got in Store?" Simply, I don't know.

Last night the boys and I discussed Martin Luther and prayer over a fine brew (or two), and Luther's main point was just that there needs to be an understanding in prayer that God is going to do whatever he wants (see the definition of God) and it is the task of prayer to have him align our own feeble wills with his all-wise will (see Jesus' prayer in the garden). My ideas don't even have to be sinful to be outside the will of God!

So much of my life so far has been a struggle to trust. Trust that God's ways are higher than my ways (see the book of Isaiah) that his plans are much better and sure than my plans (see the book of Revelation).

What's the World Got In Store for me? For you? Who knows? God knows. He wants us to trust him. As hard as that is, that's what faith is; The conviction of things unseen. I'm just glad He knows where I'm going and He's got my best at heart (see Romans 8:28). Odds are He's got your best at heart too.

Who is this Son of Man?

2008-09-15T21:37:00.000-07:00

Here's something that I wrote after I read through John 12 this morning. It's kinda wierd, but hey, that's what the RecklessRagingFury is all about, so bear with me...

Where is he from? How did he become educated? Who are his parents?

All of the side issues that have arisen throughout Jesus' ministry boil down to this one question, in John 12:34: "Who is this Son of Man?"

The question's immediate meaning has to do with Jesus' self-prophecy that He, like a grain of wheat, must die and that His death would result in "much fruit". In other words, by the lifting up of himself on the cross (His death), many would be drawn to Him (a.k.a. "much fruit). It's the second time in the space of two chapters that Jesus' death is foretold, following up Caiaphas' unwitting prophecy in 11:45-54.

But, back to the question, and back to its answers. In John 12:1-8, two answers are crafted into one stark contrast. Mary, celebrating and honoring her Lord--who she has just seen raise her brother from the dead--is pouring out a lavish, self-impoverishing amount of perfume onto Jesus' feet, wiping his feet with her hair.

Meanwhile, Judas trots out a religious argument to try and conceal the motives of his money-grubbing. It's true greed and self-righteousness contrasted with heart-worship and humility. Who is this Son of Man? Lord or Leverage?

Next, there is the fickle crowd and the hardened religious elite. The crowd sees once-dead Lazarus alive and believes (however temporarily) that Jesus is Messiah, while is the religious leadership sees once-dead Lazarus alive, the people believing, and sets out to un-do both. The crowd hails Him with Hosannas, the religious prioritize their politics and efface their own ineffectiveness. Who is this Son of Man? Coming King of Israel or Enemy of the State?

But there are two more groups and there is one more contrast waiting to be discovered. There are, on the one hand, those who believe because of the miracles and there are, on the other hand, those who believe because of the cross. This is the most subtle contrast of them all.

We all must love our life or hate our live; lose our life or keep our life. We all must serve Jesus and be honored by the Father, or serve self and be honored in the sight of men.

Who is this Son of Man? Well, whose glory do we love--that which comes from man or that which comes from God? Do we see the Son of Man in the true light or do we prefer to walk in darkness?

Who is the Son of Man?
He is the only truly worthy Object of worship--not a means to an end.
He is the only true King of God's People--not an inconvenience.
He is Eternal Son of God.
He is Jesus.

Casey's Album Review #1- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

2008-08-22T07:58:00.000-07:00

Something I've been thinking about doing over the past few months is pulling out an album review every now and again for the rrf crew. Now I know that the faithful readers of this blog have been pining for me to tell them about an album that is six years old but lets just see where this takes us, shall we faithful?

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is an album that is pregnant with depth, honesty and real creativity. Jeff Tweedy's lyrics from front to back on this album display the state of a man's heart as he cries out for something deeper- something that will last.

The album starts out with the melancholy song "I am trying to break your heart", which showcases Tweedy's talent for singing real depth into somewhat obscure text. I am trying to break your heart chronicles the loss of relationship as his insecurities doom what could otherwise be a healthy relationship. This song, coupled with the album's final song, the sedated "Reservations", really plums the depths of a self-destructive personality which doubts the truth in even his closest relationships. Reservations begins with the question "How can I tell you it's me I don't like?" and refrains with "I've got reservations about so many things but not about you".

The album has breaks in its seriousness with the light "Kamera" as well as "Heavy Metal Drummer" which both celebrate the quirkiness of life that allow us to look back on youth as a time of relative levity:"I miss the innocence I've known; playing Kiss covers beautiful and stoned". The album rocks on "I'm the man who loves you" with some characteristic musical breakdowns which, for me, set Wilco apart as a special and unique band which is not afraid to do something different musically.

The middle songs on the album "Jesus, ect.", "Radio Cure", "Pot Kettle Black" and "Poor Places" have Tweedy literally singing his guts out about issues from his relationship with Jesus to a consideration of the difficulties of poverty.

The song that sticks out to me over and over again as I listen to this album is "War on War". This is a song that needs to be heard to be understood, but here's the refrain "You have to lose; you have to lose; you have to learn how to die; if you wanna wanna be alive." For people who follow the God-Man who told us to take up our cross daily and follow him, these words should ring in our ear. We have to die if we want to be alive.

The gospel of Christ is just this. We have to die if we want to be alive- this is not a call that is completely foreign to those who are in touch with the reality of their own lives. The difference as followers of Christ is that we have the command to do just what we know needs to be done- to die. And we follow the One who died for us so that we might really be alive.

This album, in addition to being the product of genius musically, is alive with the gospel if we just listen.

Cold French Press

2008-08-13T22:03:00.000-07:00

Well, I done did it tonight. I made too much French press and now, when I most desire to taste that unmistakable true-to-the-bean taste, it's lukewarm and about the right temperature to spew out of my mouth.

We had Dad over to our apartment tonight, and I 'qued us up some Ribeyes to celebrate. A good time was had by all, and Janelle is chillin' on the phone talking to Mom about blogs, dogs and smog (alright, not smog, but it rhymed).

My real reason for writing is to just chime in a little bit on what God has been teaching me through the book Frankenstein, which I finished on the flight back from Birmingham last night.

Frankenstein created his monster for no apparent reason, no foresight and no actual motive. The creation and endowment of sacred life was given to the creature, who was left absolutely friendless in an angry, hating world.

What's so interesting and gripping about the book is the all-around isolation and abandonment that the monster undergoes because of his creator's lack of foresight and unwillingness to follow through on his creation.

It's the perfect picture of the Enlightenment's view on a Deist Clock-Maker God. It's an anti-Gospel.

So, I've been reflecting on how great our God is, that He created all that is for a great purpose--the outpouring and magnification of His Glory.

The minute I put down Frankenstein, I picked up my Bible and turned to Psalm 33, which contains these words: "For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord."

There's so much more of God's faithfulness and loving kindness toward His creation in this Psalm alone, but I just wanted to get to the essence of what the Bible is about. It's about Gospel. It's about God's love for His creation and His unwillingness to allow it to be abandoned because of sin--unwillingness that caused Him to abandon His Son to the Cross.

That's what I'm thinking tonight, even though some good coffee has gone un-sipped.

What a Great Thing to be Weak

2008-08-09T11:14:00.001-07:00

Is God Better than Sex?

2008-08-06T02:15:00.001-07:00

An Email from My Sister

2008-08-05T12:02:00.000-07:00

Here is an email from my sister, I found it very encouraging, so I thought I would share our personal email exchange. Read my response to her by clicking here or read the next blog below. It would mean alot if you guys read both.

Hey Jare,

So I was just reading your blogs on reckless raging fury. I will be praying for you. I hope things are getting better and that you are getting your priorities straightened out. For one, I am praying that you will get plugged into a good church. It seems like you are always working on Sundays, and I haven't heard you talk much about church. I know you want to do well at your job, but overtime is not always required, and you need to let them know that church is a priority -- and then make it one.

One of the things I was praying about not too long ago was that God would show me that he is wooing me with His love on a daily basis -- that I don't need outside relationships to be complete. I asked God to reveal Himself to me in everyday circumstances and remind me of how He is even revealing Himself to me in nature (I was up at Tahoe at the time kayaking). I began to kayak back to Skyland not 10 minutes later and saw something bobbing in the water. Strange, so I paddled over for a closer look. I ended up finding 6 long-stem roses floating close together! No one was around -- not even boats. It didn't even dawn on me until I made it ashore what had just happened. I asked to be reminded about how much God loves me and instead He sent me a tangible demonstration -- 6 long-stem roses that I took home and put in a vase on my table. God is awesome. He'll reveal Himself to you if you ask.

Also, I went up to N. Tahoe last weekend. We went rafting down the Truckee river starting in Tahoe City. It was such a GORGEOUS day as we drove around the lake. Really, I cannot recall a day quite so beautiful. I couldn't stop commenting on how amazing the scenary was -- sunny blue sky, calm sparkling water, warm... I must have repeated myself like a broken record. Then I remembered a similar occasion in LB. I was watching the most beautiful sunset, and couldn't keep from voicing my awe. And then it hit me -- this is what heaven is going to be like. Sometimes I think that it would get old standing around the throne saying "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty. Worthy is the Lamb" over and over. I mean, we're talking about eternity! Then I pondered the sunset and realized that when something is beautiful, our joy in it is made complete through our adoration of it (I believe you put this more eloquently in one of your lessons). How foolish of me to think that I could stand in awe of a sunset or picturesque lake, and not stand in awe and be in constant adoration of the Creator of it all! We have an infinite, amazing God, and I pray that you will be in constant awe of His power, majesty, and love for you.

"God is so vastly wonderful, so utterly and completely delightful that He can, without anything other than Himself, meet and overflow the deepest demands of our total nature..."
-- A.W. Tozer

Love,
Steph

My Email back to My Sister

2008-08-05T11:59:00.000-07:00

Hey Steph,

Thanks for the letter. I do need it. Ya lately I have been discouraged by a lot things. Not being involved in a local church and not have continuous fellowship with believers definitely has been hard. Its hard because it makes things harder to deal with when you don't have someone who can relate it back to Christ - instead you get worldly solutions to problems, which aren't ultimately helpful. Any solution without Christ is a mere band aid for a life threatening wound.

Thats pretty cool about the roses. I had trouble not crying when reading it. What a vivid great reminder that God loves us and wants us to know that. I have been praying lately to see God work visibly and decisively, especially in the lives of my non-christian friends. I know in my head that God works and that he is powerful, but my heart doesnt feel like He does. I want God to work like that in my life. I feel selfish sometimes, because I know we are to wait upon the Lord, but I feel like I need to see Him in his power - now. But I am trying to be patient - I know God is sovereign and has his reasons for his timing.

Its really easy for me to feel anxious about certain situation, Girls or whatever - mainly girls lol, but I know Jesus has a plan. Sometimes I don't know what God is up to. Ultimately I know He wants me to be satisfied with him - above anything else. Only then will I able to be the man, person, (future) husband, that he wants me to be. Its been hard for me to remind myself of this on a daily basis. I let my circumstances tell me how to feel more than I let the truth that Jesus loves me, died for me, and withholds nothing good from me. The Bible is filled with such amazing truth about what God does for us and who is is for us through Jesus and I ignore them on a regular basis.

I am so proud of you and thank God for what he is doing in your life. I dont get to hear much about it, but it precious to know that you are walking so closely with him - He will bless you beyond measure for trusting him and joyfully following him. Never forget He promises to be with you always - even to the end of the age - and ...He has all authority! It doesnt get better than that. I am happy and blessed that you are my sister - I have not been there for you as I should, but Jesus definitely has been. Thanks again for the letter - I love you alot!! And hopefully I'll see you soon.

Love Jare

Would You Go into a Minefield???

2008-08-04T19:33:00.000-07:00

I really want to be like this.

Change from Within?

2008-08-04T16:40:00.000-07:00

Let me start by saying today is a pretty good day. I had a little Red Robin, bought an Ipod, and have been outside reading my bible and listening to some good music. I read Habbakuk, Amos, Zepheniah, some Ezekial. What has stood out to me the most is how completing undeserving man is for anything good. The analogy of being a whore is rampant in the old testament and it paints a perfect picture of how I act towards Christ. That said I wanted to write about something I have been thinking about since a conversation I had with a friend last night.

My friend made a comment about change being difficult - and expressed confusion on how to even begin change. This made me think about the changes I need to make in my life and I also pondered - where and how should I begin making those changes. One thing that experience hasa shown me is that by and large people don't really change. Change seems almost near to impossible. And then I realized on my own - change is impossible. I can't change one thing about myself. And therein lies the secret. How do I change, for starters I must realize I can't change. I have no power within myself. I am untterly and absolutely helpless. This for me is a frightning thing. I cannot do it. And it is an offensive thing to my pride - I want to be able to control my life - the thought of that not being a possibility hurts my pride. But I know from the Bible and experience that is the case. I'm done for. So how can I change. What hope do I have???

The hope is that the One who changes lives offers to change mine for me. We are not alone! Jesus Christ offers hope in a way that nobody can - not even myself. It would be as futile for me to attempt to make the sun rise or the rain fall as it is for me to attempt to change myself. Yet he who makes light shine out of darkness, who orders the rain upon the grass and commmands the sun to rise every morning is willing to use that power for my good. What kind of grace are we dealing with? What kind of God is this who will help me as undeserving as I am?

So what must I do. First as I said, I must lay down my pride and self-reliance and turn to Jesus and seek his help. God promises in Psalm 32 that "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you." God is not wanting us to go astray. He loves us at the cost of sending his Son to die for our sins and he cares for us. 1 Peter says, "Cast your cares on him - for he cares for you" God cares for us, He cares for me.

For me the changes that I must make relate to sin. I am a lustful, prideful, selfish person. My remedy is to following John's word that "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." So in response to my sin I must acknowledge it, confess it, and God will forgive me. Then I must pray to him that my attitude and heart change about what I have been doing. Second I must renew my mind. It is not enough for me to not dwell on wordly things, but I must dwell on things ultimate realities. Ephesians 4 says But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self,which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

So second I must renew my mind. I need to do this by reading my bible and dwelling on God's truth. Its not enough that I pray for help and do nothing. God has given the answer to all my problems, but I must find them in his word. He will direct me but I must put in my effort.

You know as I'm writting this I just all of a sudden was hit with a sense of what am I doing. Certain things in life just don't seem like they are going the way I want them to or think they should. My priorties are all jacked and I probably need to take my own advice. I also realized how easily destracted I am. All day I have really enjoyed it and now right in the middle of writting about spiritual things I turn to a state of anxiousness and sadness. So what do I need to change? Whats my problem? My problem is I need to be satisfied with all that Jesus is for me and all he offers. Then I will not be a rollercoaster of emotion, but I will be firmly planted in the truth of God's promises. I must confess that, pray for change, turn to God's word and let the power of Christ do the rest. I need to trust Jesus. I need to, as the Bible says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will direct your path." What a promise!!! The ultimate solution to change begins with placing faith and trust in Jesus.

Our Guide

2008-07-29T19:38:00.000-07:00

'Don't you mind him,' said Puddleglum. 'There are no accidents. Our guide is Aslan.' - The Silver Chair by CS Lewis.

Recently I feel like what I know has not been working itself out in how I live, I feel a great disconnect between the two. In writting this post I feel a sense of unqualification (if thats a word) to talk about such things when they have been far from my life - but I will none the less. After a recent email from Casey I have been thinking about recent events/headaches/heartaches of my life this quote I read today really stood out to me. It is very easy for me to lose hope. Not hope that things or circumstances will work out in my favor, but hope that what I'm going through, the struggles, pain, the sadness, and even the joy I experience counts for something - that it has a meaning. For me the loss of purpose or meaning, especially my trials, comes from my failure to dwell on the mind blowing reality that - there are no accidents, there is no chance. Nothing I experience - nothing Casey, nothing Jay experiences is an accident. It is powerfully purposeful, even in the most seemingly purposesless times. How is that so. The answer CS Lewis provides is - Aslan (Aslan is a portrayal of Christ in The Chronicles of Narnia) is our guide! And if Aslan is our guide, there are no accidents.

If there is only randomness, there can be no purpose, only unplanned results, however, if Aslan is our guide, if Christ rules and reigns with loving kindness and plans the sunsents and sunrises of our lives then purpose can be found - more than that - assured!!! What this does for me is reveal a massive ray of hope in my life because now I know that my pain is not wasted, it is not in vain - but has meaning because it is planned. Skeptics will say two things. God does not plan pain. To which I reply; pain is inevitable, what comforts you more, that pain is random and meaningless, or that it planned by a great God for a great Purpose and that none of it is meaningless? It is precisely the knowledge that my pain is planned that gives me hope. There is no hope in an accident, no assurance of meaning, no assurance of purpose - yet we know that God works all things after the counsel of his own perfect, loving, caring, gentle, mighty, powerful, gracious, wise will.

The other objection a skeptic might say is that this belief of God's planning the details of our lives is only made up by us to cope with evil that befalls us. To which I simply say, I could never dream up a reality more precious than the one revealed to me in the Bible. It seems too good to be true, but it is true none the less. For those who trust Jesus all things that happen to them, all events that God has planned, all the non-accidents in life work together for good!!! And it really doesnt get better than that. If we even for a moment try to complain or argue that God does not govern all things in our lives, that he is not responsible for even the hard times - our mouths are simply shut in front of the (almost) too good to be true reality that those ordained things work for our good and our joy, both here and in eternity. God has the final say - he ordains all things, and yet does them in a way that turns even the worst calamity on its head so that ultimately only good befalls the children of God. Absolutely Amazing - what greater truth can there be. There is a hope, there is a purpose - and the hope is that no matter how hard the circumstance, though I may lose a loved one, or even my own life it is for the display of the greatness and glory of Christ and for my good and my joy. Wow!!! Does it really get any better than to live in that reality and to humbly and thankfully submit to it.

Charles Spurgeon so believed this that he said, " I believe that every particle of dust that dances in the sunbeam does not move an atom more or less than God wishes. " There are no accidents!!! Aslan - Christ the King - is our guide - and he works all things out for a great loving purpose - and should we be tempted to think God is mean by planning hard times, never forget God loves us, infinately, and the hardest thing he planned, the most painful thing he ordained, was not against you, it was against his son. God sent his perfect, innocent, precious son to die on a cross, in our place, so that we might be saved. Let any temptation of complaining about our pain, be checked against the pain that Jesus felt on the cross because he loved you so much.

Pray for me that I might display these realities in my life to my friends and at work - I fail miserably, but God is so good. Pray that I do not puruse the temporary, short lived pleasures of this world, but that I would puruse greater, more satisfying pleasures of knowing and sharing Christ. I've been running away from God lately - I'm tired of running.

Couldn't be more true of Casey Hobbs

2008-07-28T13:29:00.000-07:00

"The man declares, I am weary, O God; I am weary, O God, and worn out. Surely I am too stupid to be a man. I have not the understanding of a man. I have not the understanding of a man, I have not learned wisdom, nor have i knowledge of the Holy One. Who has ascended to heaven and come down? who has gathered the wind in his fists? who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, what is his son's name? Surely you know! Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him."

Proverbs 30:1-5

Amen.

Good times in the Ham

2008-07-18T08:20:00.000-07:00

To the loyal masses of Reckless Raging Fury subscribers: My heartfelt apologies to you for the incredible lack of entries. I know for certain that I am alive and I have every reason to believe that Jay and Jarrett are also alive. So today, I got up early and ran with my awesome and very beautiful girlfriend, Peggy.

After we ran a few miles, it was off to drink some coffee and wait for said girlfriend so we could go see the Dark Knight...which, incidentally, was one of the best movies I have seen in a very very long time...

Anyways, after the movie we went to the same restaurant where we have received terrible service in the recent past only to receive...you guessed it faithful, what we call in the service industry "poor service". Anyhow, the Jack Daniels on the rocks tasted slammin' and I was still having a great time regardless of horrific service...Dad and Jamie should be proud...

So I've been telling Peggy, as I have the rest of my circle of acquaintances, to get a Mac and today's the day! Needless to say we're sitting around her on her Mac and me on my Mac having a good old time...

All this to say that it is really good to have a day...its good to blog again and for my part I'll make a point of making it up to you rrf faithful...stick in there little camper.

...and now back to the game...

2008-06-09T12:13:00.000-07:00

So here I am in sunny Southern California and the only thing that's gone wrong in the last week has been the horrific sunburn that I acquired at the beach yesterday. Jay got married, as I assume all of our loyal subscribers were well aware (mainly because odds are you were there), and that was quite an experience.

One thing that has really stood out to me over the past week of pre-wedding arrangements and chore-boy-ing that I have been a part of is the massive break in reality that seems to take place in the days leading up to a wedding. I really felt like reality was put on hold as I woke up and helped paint chairs, string lights and attempted to calm down fellow rrf founder and groom, Jay Hobbs.

I really felt like the real moment at which reality seemed to re-enter my time frame for the week was when Scott Burns, wedding ceremony veteran, spoke of the covenant that Jay and Janelle were making to one another and the meaning of their vows. Far from making the rest of the week's seemingly endless details mundane or meaningless, that moment of clarity seemed to validate all the week's scurrying around.

It was like Vin Scully, the great Dodger announcer, at the end of one of his priceless tidbits when he very smoothly transitions back with a "and now back to the game". Life had been happening all week and I had just been taking some of those moments for granted, like these arrangements that would produce only the inevitable result of the two of them being married. That was definitely true and helpful on the level of making it through this week with our sanity intact but there's a limit to the statement.

It's like our own lives. So many times I devalue the details of my life because I can't see their significance. I feel like one of the Israelites that Jesus talked about, you know, the ones who were always looking for a sign? Yeah, I feel like that.

So the details of my life take on a whole new meaning in the shadow of the cross. THE significant thing has happened before I was on the scene. My whole life is lived in the shadow of the cross and therefore all the details of my life find their validity, their redemption in that one act. Here's to finding meaning in the mundane!

Thankful for 'Everyday' Graces

2008-04-21T21:19:00.000-07:00

Today has been an exhausting day, the beginning of a week of school picking up on the tail end of an exhausting weekend--physically, emotionally and spiritually.

It hasn't been taking a lot to set me off and get me tearing up in the last 24 hours, and I'm trying to get over my pride in that and recognize God's everyday grace in my life that He has provided through the cross. I'm wanting to live a life worthy of the gospel of Christ, and if fighting for joy in my life means looking like a weeping willow every now and then, I want to be game for it.

Among so many things that I'm thankful for through the cross, definitely those that stick out most in my life revolve around my friendship and fellowship with God's people, especially lately. Encouragement from my future wife--I'm incredibly thankful for her--has been combined with encouragement from my brother in a time when I didn't know I needed a word as much as I really did.

Words have such an impact in our lives, just like James 3 is talking about. The tongue is a fire and we seldom realize the force that a word for good or an off-the-cuff comment can have on the lives around us. This weekend I was reminded of that in a way that caused me to thank the Lord for working as He does, through His people, for His glory and their good.

I've also been encouraged to think about the impact that words and attitudes have for the Kingdom since I learned about the death of Professor Marler, who taught at Cal Baptist for 50 years. He was such a kind-hearted man of God and in so many understated and under-appreciated ways, he served the Lord with all of his heart while he lived. Thinking about the encouragement and instruction that he offered me, especially when I was working on my senior project a few years ago, made me just a little glassy eyed as I thought about the legacy men leave behind them.

Finally, I just can't help but be overjoyed and pumped to the bone about Dusty and Jamie and their super-exciting day last Friday, when they not only closed the deal on their first house, but found out that their pregnant with their first child on the same day! In the words of Luca Bratsi, "I hope their first child would be a masculine child."

Anyways, that's what's been on my heart over the past weekend and how the Lord has refreshed my soul with His people even if my body and mind want to cash it in and find a beach somewhere.

Rambling Through Class

2008-04-17T11:09:00.001-07:00

So I'm sitting in class right now wondering what the heck is going on. I've been getting really good at hanging out in a class where I have no idea what's going on, or at least now I have more experience.

Well, recklessragingfury faithful, I am to that point in the semester when I'm pretty much ready to throw in the towel, ride the rails and go fishing. So now I'm wondering why I do the whole class thing. Why is it that I'm 24, work in a restaurant with a degree already and still have homework.

The more I think about this issue that has been coming up in my mind since I got to Birmingham, I am more convinced that there is only one answer. The only real answer can be that God has a plan that includes having me in seminary right now. That may seem like a cop-out or an overly-spiritual answer, but that's all I can come up with. God, the eternal and boundless God has chosen for me to specifically be here at 1:26 on Thursday April 17th, 2008. Maybe I should go back to at least trying to pay attention...

Beholding the Crucified Christ

2008-04-08T17:57:00.000-07:00

As I continue to watch the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe I am stuck with another thought I must write about. I just finished watching the "crucifixion" scene. The great lion Aslan was just mocked, beat, shaved, and then killed upon the great stone. The camera kept focusing on the eyes of Alsan and I wondered, what would it have looked like to stare in to the eyes of Jesus on the cross. Wasn't this the holy and annointed one, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Messiah of the world. And yet he was hanging on a cross experiencing a pain and agony beyond words. And as I looked to into the eyes of Aslan, about to be killed, my only thought was why? Why would pefect, just, righteous God die for me. That can never be pondered enough. And as Lucy kneeled next to the dead Aslan I again thought. What would it be like to have looked upon Jesus, just taken down from the cross. What emotions would go through my mind. Even to me, it almost doesnt make any sense, it seems absurb at best, that the Lion would take my place and yet he did. I should ponder this fact, it is the gospel - that Christ died for sinners...he acutally died, he was taken off the cross. His body was bloody and limp, and lifeless. There was no life in his eyes. That he experienced what I should have experienced and he absorbed wrath that was aimed at me. What love, what mercy, what a God!!! Thanks be to God that he so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoseover believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. And praise him that the grave is empty! The Lion has triumphed over the witch, death has no hold on Him. It almost doesnt make any sense that Christ should do this - and yet we know that because of it every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord - to the glory of God the father.

"Amazing love, how can it be, that thou my God, shouldst die for me?"

In the Beginning was the Word

2008-04-08T17:37:00.000-07:00

I am bored today so I decided to watch The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. What a great portrait of Christ's love for his sheep and that he is truly the Lion of Judah. One of my favorite scenes in the movie is when the White Witch comes to Aslan's camp to inform Aslan that Edmund is a traitor, demanding his blood. The White Witch asks Aslan if he has forgotten the rules that Edmund now belongs to her. Aslan fiercly snaps back, "Do not cite the deep magic to me, I WAS THERE WHEN IT WAS WRITTEN." Oh boy did the phrase hit me. I love it. I was filled with wonderment at Christ - was there from the beginning, who was and is and is to come. I love definate statementse from God about God. Growing up I was always amazed at the phrase in the Bible "I AM." It was so absolute. Jesus wasn't made, he wasn't created. He just is! As one pastor says, "God is, and there is any discussion." I love knowing that when all my reason fails, when my experience doesn't make sense, there is one great truth - Christ IS! Not only does he exist, but he defines reality, he is the source of reality, he just IS!!! It is precious beyond words, let us marvel at the eternal reality of Jesus Christ.

More than Circumstances

2008-04-01T18:16:00.000-07:00

One of the things I hate most about myself (which i think is healthy) is how much I base the way I feel on the circumstances in my life. I was having one of those days where I was anxious about a certain situation and it was bugging me all day. Then I received a text message that changed the way I felt; no longer was I anxious. However it made me realize how disordered my thinking is. How do I wish I was? I wish my emotions didn't blow with the wind. I wish my emotions were rooted in the concrete foundations of the promises of Jesus Christ. I am taken a back at how little my emotions are based in reality, actual reality - the reality of say, Romans 8. That nothing shall separate me from the love of Christ, that the sufferings of the present time are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed, that all things will work together for good, that if God is for us who can be against us, that Christ is interceding for us, and that if God did not spare his own son, but gave him up, he will freely give us all things. I should also base my feelings on the truths of Ephesians 1; that God chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless, that in love he predestined us for adoption, that we have been forgiven, that we have been redeemed through his blood, that we have obtained an inheritance in Christ, and that we were sealed with Holy Spirit, who is the promise of that inheritance.

I am amazed at how little my mind dwells on these eternal realities. I constantly think about trivial things, things that could never compare with what Jesus has done and who he is. And yet I continually live in a state of superficiality, disregarding things of everlasting value for things of short term, temporal value. Why am I like this? One answer is clear to me. I don't bathe myself in what God has to say enough. In writing this I was overwhelmed at the truths in Romans 8 and Ephesians 1 - and those are just 2 chapters in 2 books of the Bible. There is 1000 times more truth where that came from and yet just those two chapters have unbelievable power to ground me and prevent me from blowing away in the wind. I want to be firm, unshakable in who I am in Christ because of what he has done for me. I want to love Jesus more - and I want the reality that I know him to be the greatest joy that keeps me going even though every circumstance fail me.

aimless wanderings concerning spring break and other divinely-ordained festivities

2008-03-18T11:59:00.000-07:00

I am currently on spring break, which means that I have exactly one week to put off the work I had half-heartedly promised myself that I would take care of over my week of freedom.

I took off today through friday at work, which is good because I think I was beginning to feel a bit too much like Charlton Heston, which isn't always a bad thing, I suppose.

So this morning (as if you care about what I did this morning), I slept in until I was good and ready to get my lazy self out of bed and it was fantastic. Then, on downtown to hear the bishop, or the pastor formerly known as "Prince" preach a first-person account of the donkey owner who had Peter walk up to him and take his donkey for Jesus' triumphal entry (that is a weird scene now that I think

about it). So anyways, as I'm on my way downtown to the Cathedral of the Advent, the massive downtown center of Episcopalian life in Birmingham, I was talking to Jason, my good friend, and I saw the Cathedral on my right-hand side. I parked (I know you were desperately wanting me to give you some detailed description) and walked into the building. Much to my confusion, the first sight I see is a nun walking into the door (should've been my first clue), on the other side of which, was a massive processional that looked a bit too formal to even be Episcopalian...you guessed it (or maybe you didn't), I had driven to and parked near the Cathedral of St. Paul, the Catholic nexus of downtown Birmingham. Now, for the regular subscribers to this blog, you are not surprised at all to read about this move, first of all, because you are probably my mom (hi mom!) or my dad (happy birthday) or an administrator (can we please have the link to jmac removed asap?); and second of all,

because my directional sense rivals the guy I'm normally listening to when I am on one of these escapades.

But after I realized my grievous error, I

was able to find the correct Advent, the one without nuns, incense, and the one that Tal was preaching at, and I was blessed (is that the correct usage of that word? Can I use that for a singular event or is that a continuous state of being?...dang it I hate being in seminary sometimes...)

This was one of those posts that I started with a vague direction and, unfortunately, it has gone the way of one or more of my sermons, whose various and sundry rabbits have not contributed to the end goal of having a point.

I guess what I'm trying to say with this post is that I am glad just to have a few days off to sit around and think.

Striving to be Sanctified by the Glory of Christ

2008-03-14T22:18:00.000-07:00

This day has been an interesting one.

I think I broke/fractured my pinky toe on my right foot (I'm sure about which toe, just not about the actual injury) last night at junior high, and had to call off work due to my slightly injured condition. Pray for me, I'm supposed to work tomorrow and the next day.

After spending the first half of the day just relaxing with Janelle and icing my toe, I vegged on the couch for the first time in a really long time, "hot-boxed it" for some quality time with Law and Order and House and cooked up some ravioli in the nastiest homemade cheese sauce I've ever seen, let alone prepared for myself. Working in an Italian restaurant is no place for a curious dude with no cooking skills, evidently...

But my night picked up some steam about an hour ago, when I picked up John Owen's The Glory of Christ and read the first two chapters. I had read a selected chapter from the book for a paper I wrote last week on the mystery of Christ's union with the church, and figured that I could make this book a nice extra-curricular project over the next few weeks. Thank you, Jesus, for my fractured toe!

A couple of things in the second chapter stuck out in my mind: Jesus Christ reveals both the Wisdom and the Love of God.

I've been having an ongoing conversation with this guy, Eddie, at my work, about the uniqueness of Christ as fully God and fully man, and the only Mediator between us and the Father. Through this conversation, I've been brought back to the cross to marvel and worship Jesus as the "Door", the "Way" and the one through which all must come to the Father. It's brought me to worship several times (though not nearly enough) throughout this week, just marveling at the glory of Christ as our Great High Priest, through the torn veil of His flesh we enter into the presence of God the Father.

Jesus is the Wisdom of God! All the wisdom and knowledge of all the world does not compare with the plan of God, which sets forth Jesus Christ as fully God and fully man, providing full atonement for sin in His death and proclaiming new life in Him in His resurrection. No other field or topic should be able to compete with knowing Christ in the glory of His person, work and current mediatorial office.

Jesus is the Love of God! God is love, but the only way we can know that and be certain of it, Owen says, is because He has manifested this love in Jesus Christ (1 Jn. 4:9). In my conversation with Eddie, we talked about how Jesus is the only way to the Father, and this is equally true: we know the love of God fully and uniquely in Jesus. Without knowing Christ, we don't have any assurance that God is love. (Try to answer the problem of evil without interpreting it through Christ, and no answer you give will make any sense.)

I'm praying that The Reckless Raging Fury and all my friends would see and savor the glory of Christ as we never have before, as being necessary to prepare us for the real thing (heaven = beholding the glory of Christ) and comfort and sanctify us here (sanctification = beholding the glory of Christ).

Would this please him?

2008-03-04T01:31:00.000-08:00

Well not to over hype this story, but I got in a fight with a guy at work. Anyway I got a cut on my hand and he had a cut on his wrist. There was a chance that there was blood to blood contact with the suspect. During the booking process he told the nurse he had Hepatitis C. I don't want to over blow this because there was a good chance he was lying. Even if he did have Hep C, it maybe not have touched my blood. And even if it did, there chances are low I would be contaminated. The seriousness of it isn't really the point, its what it made me think about.

I believe in God's absolute sovereignty (his rulership over all - and freedom to do as he pleases). Not one bird falls apart from our Father's will. If I get Hep C, it will be God's will that I get it and I do not begrudge that. However, I know enough about Hebrew to know that the word "will" in the bible is the same word as "pleasure". Meaning if God willed me to get Hep C, on some level God would take pleasure in giving me Hepatitis C. It would please him as it relates to fulfilling his global purposes. Please him? Really? That seems a little much doesn't it. Could God really take pleasure in giving me a terrible disease? For a moment it seemed odd. Until I, by grace, was reminded of where pleasure/will is used in the bible. This one sentence landed on me with tremendous force.

It was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief. In other word - literal translation - It was the Lord's pleasure to crush him. Astonishing! God was pleased to crush his Son. I could get into all the reasons the Father was pleased, because of the glory that would be bestowed on the son, because he would be given a name above all names, because every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of the Father, but my main point is this. God took pleasure in the hardest, most awful thing of all time. Surely then if he had a plan in that and used that for his great purposes, I should not be amazed, offended, but rather hopefully satisfied that If God give me something, and takes pleasure in it, it is not a bad thing , but an amazingly good thing.

Please pray for me, more so that I do not worry during this time as I am prone to. I have to have a series of tests over the next several months. I am ultimately not worried about getting the disease, odds are slim. But I want to as John Piper has put, not rest my hopes on the odds but on Christ.

The Rebel Jesus

2008-02-13T15:45:00.000-08:00

So I'm taking a New Testament Theology class right now and I have to admit that my attitude has sucked. Hey, I've got a degree in this stuff, three semesters of grad work and I've been a Christian for more than sixteen years out of almost twenty-four. We've been reading at the brisk pace of one Gospel a class period- that's been nice. Today I got to John's Gospel. I have always wondered what people mean when they talk about Jesus as a rebel.

He's the only perfect man that ever lived, if that's rebellious, then our definition of rebellious is at least a little bit odd. After reading Mark's run-through, Matthew's careful reconstruction of Jesus' teaching and Luke's powerful description of Jesus', well, power, John stands out yet again.

I was actually amazed this time that Jesus made it three years on the earth talking and acting like he did.

Jesus, if He lived his earthly ministry today, may well have looked different than we like to think of him. It was like Jesus was the guy continually picking a fight and then leaving off before the thing was resolved. Jesus turns water to wine, heals a man who's been crippled since birth, walks on water, feeds 5,000 people with stuff you find in a dude's college dorm room and then has the balls to defend himself by saying, "I did one deed, and you all marvel at it."

Jesus defends himself to the pharisees and teachers of the law after he started to take some heat just for telling them that he was, in fact, the bread of life who held their destinies in his hand. He lets them off the hook by telling them, 'hey don't worry about it because "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him." Are you kidding me? That's what we like to call a good old fashioned 'pimp slap'.

Doubting Thomas gets it- actually gets it- when they're on their way to see a dude that's been dead for four days (right after Jesus has told the most powerful people in his world that He and the Father are one- as in, I'm the second person of the Trinity, sucka!!!). Thomas simply says to his fellow followers, "Let us also go, that we may die with him." Yeah, Doubting Thomas had the right idea!

Jesus, the Rebel with a Cause, probably in the clearest example of his straight-up stickinittothemanness, lets Pilate- who controlled those most powerful people in Jesus' world- off the hook by telling him, "You would have no authority over me unless it had been given you from above (as in, not from your 'god' Caesar)...." This, taken into account with Jesus' statement in chapter 10, "No one takes (my life) from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to take it up again. This charge I received from my Father."

Jesus, the Rebel, the Good Shepherd, the Friend to the Samaritan woman and the lover of his momma, doesn't seem at all safe and sterile, but I surely can't take my eyes off him.

(by the way, Jackson Browne has an awesome song called "The Rebel Jesus"- it's worth the $.99 on itunes- that's a great concept that I sure didn't come up with)

Pitchers and Trainers Report

2008-02-13T13:19:00.000-08:00

Today should be a fantastic day in baseball, and historically, it has. It's the day when pitchers and catchers report to spring training. However, one pitcher and his former employee "reported" today to a congressional panel in what basically amounted to a Saturday Night Live skit gone painfully awry.

I'm going to be late for class, so I'll just point this out. Three years ago, when Rafael Palmerio, Sammy Sosa and several others were questioned on steriods, and as Barry Bonds has been questioned and "witch hunted" we constantly hear the voices of cultural critics from Jessie Jackson to Jose Canseco decrying the issue as one of race.

Well, let's watch as a Texas first-ballot hall-of-famer, white as white can be, undergoes the same scrutiny. My prediction is that Roger Clemens will undergo as much criticism as the aforementioned, and for good reason. It's called lying on top of cheating--we don't like that no matter who you are.

That's my prediction, let's see how it plays out.

Concerning the Gracious Acceptation of Assistance

2008-02-07T17:16:00.000-08:00

(Sorry about the high-flutin' title of this post, I've been around seminary guys too much lately.)

I'm writing with an observation today and a question to the 'Fury faithful as well.

My observation is this: I find it much easier, in my everyday life, to lend a hand than to accept some help.

Over the past few weeks at the Mac Grill, I've been struck with this reality, and it's got me thinking about the true nature of humility. Certainly humility involves much life-laying down in the form of helping someone else even when it is inconvenient to do so. After all, isn't that what the story of the Good Samaritan is all about? I think so.

But there's also this side of humility that must admit a need for help. It's like my unwillingness to ask for or even accept help from someone else while I'm secretly patting myself on the back for the "selfless" helping hand I just lent to another.

"Can you help me run this food, Jay?" Of course I will [I'm a great guy]. "Can I give you a hand with that, Jay?" No, it won't be necessary [I'm a self-sufficient guy].

But God's grace is a grace that calls us to admit up-front that we are totally incapable to please God let alone draw a breath without the abundant, omnipotent love and grace of God in Christ Jesus. His grace calls us to admit our weakness, because it's in that weakness that His love is perfected.

So, I want to be known as a person that is not only willing to help others out of love and the grace of the Lord extended through me, I also want to be known as a person who, at work and anywhere else, is not too proud to ask for help or give someone else an opportunity to extend grace toward me. After all, I'm not the only conduit of God's grace, am I?

My question is this: How do we get better at accepting help from others? I want to know how you, my brothers and sisters, fight for humility in a world full of self-sufficient and self-loving people (among whom we are foremost).

The Greatest Miracle

2008-02-01T03:56:00.000-08:00

The last two days I've been thinking about the reality of miracles. This was spurred on by a conversation with Casey as well as thinking of a girl-friend (not girlfriend) of mine. Lately I've really felt the need to see God work, openly and decisively, in a way that I can physically see - maybe through a miracle or something. Yesterday I was talking to Casey about how some people see signs and tounges as great miracles, vindicating one's salvation. I began to ponder the question "how should I view miracles."

I realized that my desire to see a miracle is greatly misplaced. It is good that I desire to see God work, but what miracles should I expect. Then it hit me. The greatest miracle of all is happening everyday, to thousands of people. The greatest miracle is not someone remarkable being cured of cancer or aids. It is not somone hitting the lottery or unexplainably avoiding a car accident. The greatest miracle of all is when light shines out of darkness. The greatest miracle is the one that says, "in your blood I said to you live." The miracle of all miracles is the miracle of new birth. I love the description of letting light shine out of darkness. Light can't shine out of darkness, thats impossible. To have light shine out of darkness would be - a miracle!!!

So many people, including myself want to see God act in a miraculous way, yet we ingore the miracle of life - spiritual life for dead sinners. Being cured from a horrible disease or even the restoring of a lost limb is nothing in comparison to a dead person being brought to life.

I think the reason I ignore this miracle is because for myself I dont see it as a miracle. I dont understand my own depravity. I think if I realized my depravity, I would understand what a miracle my salvation was and is. If I undestood my position before God as a sinner I would account my salvation as the greatest miracle of all.

So for people like me who want a miracle I would say look around, people are being saved. People are being rescued from diseases far worse than aids, they are being raised from a death worse than physical death. God is causing light to shine out of darkness all around this globe. Lets be amazed at the greatest miracle of all and realize that God is working, powerfully, decisively, and miraculousy, every day, minute by minute. I want to better worship the God that causes something to become out of nothing!!!

A Prodigal's Story

2008-01-30T12:02:00.001-08:00

As an assignment for my World Religions class at Talbot, I had to write my Christian worldview within a page, max. It's been a super helpful exercise for my soul as well. I may fix it up a little bit over the coming week, but here's my best crack at it so far:

My Christian worldview is best summed up by the story of the prodigal son, found in Luke 15. The story, told by Jesus, is the paradigmatic narrative of Christian love and forgiveness. We believe in a God who loves and forgives us as we are, based in no way on our performance or morality. We, as a human race, rejected God as our King and loving Father in the Garden of Eden, and are now loved by God because God Himself is love and His great love is demonstrated in the Cross of Christ, in which sinners are justified and lost sons are reconciled to their Father, who graciously adopts former enemies and slaves to sin as His own.

In the story of the prodigal, there are two sons, a younger and an elder son, and the younger son wishes to take his share of his father’s inheritance and go spend it now, entirely apart from relationship with his father. Amazingly, the father allows his younger son to carry out his desires, and the younger son then takes his share of the inheritance and blows it on loose living and selfish delights. Flat broke and having squandered all of his resources, the younger son decides it’s better to be a slave of his father than to starve to death working odd jobs, and so he heads for home, not desiring a relationship, yet willing to humble himself to the place of a servant out of a basic desire to survive. When he draws near to his father’s house, however, he sees his father running—running—out to meet him, and despite his best efforts, his father overwhelms him with a great expression of love and acceptance and prepares a great feast for his son who “was once lost, but now is found”.

That love and pursuit of the loving father to his son, who literally had nothing to commend himself to his father, is a picture of the story of God’s great love and mercy for his people. We were helpless, dead, in the dominion of darkness, “having no hope and without God in the world”, but in the Cross, we who hope in Christ are loved and forgiven by our Father.

Airport Meanderings

2008-01-27T23:00:00.000-08:00

So as you well know, anytime that a Hobbs' travels begin in Sacramento, they inevitably end up in the airport for no less than two hours prior to take-off time. Here I am. I felt like a king rolling up those moving stairs unsurrounded and at peace. As the screening lady asked me a question and playfully joked around with me, I felt like it was me and her at a fishing hole trying not to disturb the fish. I didn't even feel guilty making a few calls as me and a few friends await the sweet red-eye.

Being in California- first in Sac, then Corona, then Sac, then Greenwood, then Sac (you get the picutre), I realized what a special thing it is that I have been able to call three places home over the past few years. What is becoming cemented in my brain is that I am never truly home and yet I am always home. I am never home because there is something more that I am waiting for. Jesus, hopefully very soon, will come back, split the sky and renew the heavens and the earth. I am always home because it is His Spirit that acts as a down-payment on my soul. I've been bought with a price and the Buyer never goes back on His word!!!

Rich Mullins Screen Door

2008-01-27T19:56:00.001-08:00

Here's the real stuff... You've gotta love the cup action. Once you get over the initial cheesiness of the song itself, you realize it's got a solid message too.

The Official Link to the Official Blog...

2008-01-25T12:29:00.000-08:00

Oh, fear not, Reckless Raging Fury faithful (i.e. Casey and Jarrett), I am by no means abandoning you. However, I do have a new site to tell you about:

http://jayandjanelle.blogspot.com/

It's the official site of the future Mr. and Mrs. Jay Howard Hobbs, with all copyrights and privileges pertaining thereunto.

Baby TD Jakes!

2008-01-15T15:39:00.001-08:00

This is funny!!! and sad....

Boy Like Me, Man Like You

2008-01-14T20:03:00.000-08:00

As just about anyone who’s spent time with me recently can attest, I have been spending a lot of my time thinking about the gospel through the eyes of Rich Mullins, a songwriter who is now with Jesus.

He died in 1997, in a car wreck on an Indian reservation where he had spent his life and money among the poorest of the poor. He had a lyrical soul that produced songs such as “Awesome God”, “Calling out Your Name” and “[The Reckless Raging Fury They Call The] Love of God”.

But this afternoon, as I took a break from reading the Ragamuffin Gospel, a book that inspired and influenced Mullins in his pilgrimage, I watched on of the music videos of Rich singing about the love of God.

There’s a song that he plays on that DVD that is called “Boy like Me, Man like You”, and I’ve yet to make it through the song without getting emotional and at least to the point of choking back tears.

In it, Mullins, in his poetic way, delves into the depths of what Jesus’ humanity meant. What did it mean for the God of the universe to grow up around Galilee the son of a carpenter? Was it anything like how I grew up here in America, or as the song says, “Did you grow up hungry, did you grow up fast, did the little girls giggle when you walked past? Did you wonder what it was that made them laugh?”

Jesus was very human. His hunger, thirst, anger, compassion and passion were just as real as the fatigue and exhaust that I feel at the end of a shift at Macaroni Grill—in fact, he felt fatigue and exhaust too, for that matter!

I’m so glad that we have a Great High Priest who is able to able to sympathize with our weakness and frailty, not—as I was reminded in a conversation with a guy at work the other day—a priest who is lofty and removed from our situation. Thank God that he became a baby and wore swaddling clothes. Thank God that he sympathizes and he saves!

Check out this sweetly ironic line, a question to Jesus, that serves as a chorus in Mullins’ song:

“Did they tell you stories about the saints of old, stories about their faith?
They say stories like that make a boy grow bold, stories like that make a man walk straight.”

aimless wanderings

2008-01-12T12:01:00.001-08:00

so i was up early this morning which has become something of a habit since august, when i started having headaches because my teeth have been a disaster...its a long story. anyways, i was putting around on my ipod and i came across a sermon podcast that i had yet to listen to...

i don't want to post any details at all here about who or what the message was, but let me tell you that i was disturbed by what i heard for a few reasons. i found myself wanting to disagree with everything the guy was saying, both he and the radio interviewer-lady.

of all the people i have heard over the years fight to reclaim the truth of the gospel from the vast and barren wasteland of heretical types like rick warren, billy graham, the beatles and elvis, this guy's problems with the church hit me personally.

two reasons stick out to me. first of all, do we really think that greg laurie or any other preacher of the gospel (who preach and love Jesus) is going to derail the force of Jesus' church in america or anywhere else for that matter? pretty sure when Jesus said that noone could stop his kingdom, that meant that even mtv couldn't stand in his way- as much as they may try...secondly, i am honestly tired of trying to fight those who i disagree with on secondary issues. wouldn't it be more profitable to try and change our system of operation than to fight those who have been in charge previously? listen, we, as bloggers and twenty-somethings are the future of the church. one day, sooner rather than later, we will be the ones in the pulpit, entrusted with the preaching and teaching of the word of God. we have the choice right now if we are going to use that to cry down the men who have had areas of weakness (as we certainly do) or are we going to use that place to lift up Jesus? there really is no way to do both legitimately.

two guys at work this morning were bashing on all of the child molesters out there. they were talking about overly elaborate ways of castrating or otherwise debilitating men who perpetuate these crimes (obviously looking past the fact that this is not a man-only problem). i was in one of those argumentative moods today, so i pointed out the fact that we steep our entire society around sex. we fantasize about it as if it were the point of us being on the earth and every tv show/commercial/talk show/sporting event/video game/cartoon is selling sex. then we are so offended and shocked that some men and women choose to act on these fantasies. lets attack them!

this preacher and my friends have the same problem in common- i know because i spend far too much time there myself. the problem is that we think there is a problem that can somehow be solved by ignoring people or by chopping off their private parts. listen, that makes no sense whatsoever. the problems we deal with are not the people that influence us but the fact that there is so much badness in us that whoever is in charge is going to somehow show that weakness that is the fundamental human condition- namely, that we are broken. preachers show this by sometimes missing the mark in their best attempts to communicate the message of the eternal God to a broken people through a broken vessel- bastards. sexual predators reflect society's obsession with sex and take it too far- acting out the broken desires of a broken people- bastards.

we need to realize that we will always be a broken people and that it does no good to knock others down in their brokenness, but to uphold the gospel of Jesus, which offers freedom, redemption, forgiveness, new life, a true and abiding joy in the God of the universe. preaching the gospel doesn't mean preaching against people- it means presenting something that actually works to make sense and give hope to our desperate situation-

Praise Jesus, who offers himself as the source of all our hope!

Reservations

2008-01-07T15:31:00.000-08:00

Reckless Raging Fury Faithful:

As you well know, I have 1/2 price at Hilton properties. What I need to know from you two is whether or not you would be down with reserving a room, going in 1/3's on it and hanging there for the 19th-22nd. That's checking in on Saturday and out on Tuesday. The rates are looking like they will be around 60 bucks a night. That would be twenty dollars a night a person for those challenged at math. That would be $60 a person altogether for those who are further challenged at math. Do we want to do this?

The only other issue is that we would have to be stationed in Ontario, Chino Hills, or Orange County, or Colton. I guess if it were a hotel, we shouldn't have a problem with that...Let me know what you think in the next day or so...lets have this conversation on the blog if we can..

later

Casey

Great, Great, Great! 2008!

2008-01-02T17:31:00.000-08:00

Now that a new year has been rung in and all those noisemakers and streamers are cleared out of Times Square, it's the perfect time to reflect the resolutions that Jonathan Edwards made nearly 300 years ago.

As I read through the first 30 last night during a break from my second all-day shift in as many days, I came across two resolutions in particular that relate directly to everyday life in Corona, Elk Grove and to the uttermost parts of the earth (i.e. Birmingham).

The two I have in mind are No.'s 14 and 15. First, the fourteenth: "Resolved, never to do any thing out of revenge." What a simple, biblical and Christ-centered statement this is, but how easily we can say that one comment, give that one look, or withold grace from another person who has been created in the image of God yet has fallen, just like we have.

I'm watching Mr. and Mrs. Smith right now with Janelle, the first half of which the two characters act in spiteful revenge against each other before taking vengeance on the bad guys throughout the second half. Good stuff all the way, but it just shows how prone we are to want to take the revenge that only God can. He is jealous to do so all on his own.

The second is No. 15: "Resolved, never to suffer the least motions of anger towards irrational beings." Now, I know that Casey and Tal Prince each hold the definition of stupidity as "Doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result", but I have to say that any definition of stupity that lacks the inclusion of this anger toward irrational beings is somewhat deficient.

I see this anger all around me at work in particular, as I see straws, trays, lingiune, lasagna and bread all seemingly conspiring against my fellow servers. It's absolutely insane, but it's only by the grace of God that I can trust that things are the way they are for a reason: that we might bring glory to him regardless of circumstance.

Well, those are two resolutions that have stuck out to me, and the movie's over, so I guess I'd better get off this confounded uncomfortable couch! (shoot! another resolution broken!)

Looking to Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith,
JH

Lessons from Blue Like Jazz

2007-12-28T13:19:00.000-08:00

I just (literally minutes ago) finished reading "Blue Like Jazz", by Donald Miller. This is not the typical book that I would read. In fact if it were a year ago I would not have read this book. I would have thought this book to be below me. I can be very snobbish. I would have critiqued this book for not having "perfect" theology or using words that on the surface seem wrong. However, having just read it, I must say; I loved it. This book has challenged me in ways that I am not used to - and for that I am thankful. I felt myself disagree with several things in the book, but upon further reflection I realized that my disagreement came from pride in not wanting to be shown wrong. I loved Miller's candid writting. I like his free flow thought that bounced from story to story. More so I loved that Miller is genuinely thoughtful and honest in his writting. It was evident that he loves Jesus.

I must say when I read reviews of this book online, I was dissapointed because so many authors/teachers that I love didn't like the book. Fellow reckless brother Casey recommended the book. When I asked him if it had the gospel he said, "Its all Gospel." Casey loves the gospel - thats why I love Casey. And he was right, it was all gospel, from cover to cover. The gospel is not just for those who are not belivers - it is powerfully for believers. So here is what i learned in a nutshell.

#1. I am not beyond the power of the gospel. The gospel is not just what I was to think about once, before accepting Christ - it is powerful and relevant everyday. It is what gives me hope in all situations. Jesus, God in human flesh, dying on a cross, for my sins, to absorb my justly deserved wrath of God is EVERYTHING. It should be my meditation, day in and day out. It is the lens through which I should view all things. CS Lewis said "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else." Amen.

#2. Loving Jesus - the actually real Jesus, is the main goal of Christianity. All other aims of Christianity serve the end that I would love the Jesus in all of his beauty. I say this confidently because Jesus said it confidently. That we should love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. He even said on these two commandments (also love your neighbor) rests all the law and the prophets. I also say this confidently because as John Piper so aptly says, "God is most glorified in me, when I am most satisfied in Him." The more I love Jesus and am satisfied in Him, the more Jesus is honored and glorified. Which as I am typing I think has become more clear to me than ever before. There really is no competition between the two. God did not set up his glory at the cost of my joy !!! Why oh why do we deserve such grace. God set it up where his glory is shown all the more in my joy and in my love for Jesus. The more I love Jesus the more his "worth and excellency" are show. The one who loves his wife deeply, shows his wife to be deeply valuable and worthy. The same is true with Jesus. It is amazing that I don't have to choose between trying loving Jesus, being satisfied in Him and trying to give him the Glory he is due. They are beautifully tied together.

#3. Loving people - this is the second half of the summary of the law. Love your neighbor as yourself. I don't love people very well. In fact I tend to use peope to satisfy my needs and wants more than I try to satisfy theirs - I am a terrible sinner. I can even think to last night and my dealings with a friend to see how I am not loving as I should be. Miller so cleary pointed out how the church has failed at loving people. Its true and it is sad. People are more accepted and loved by those outside the church. What a condemnation of the church. How can we, who know the love of Christ and have been given grace beyond measure not love others. It is the essense of hypocrisy.

#4. I want to get to know Jesus more. And if anything in the book could be improved or better stressed I would say this. The point of the book is to love Jesus and love people. Loving people comes with loving Jesus. Loving Jesus comes from knowing Jesus. And knowing Jesus comes from learning about Him in His Word. I want to know Jesus, intimately.

I went to church on Christmas Eve and listened to the worship pastor read the entire flow of the service. It seemed so rehearsed, so disgenuine (even though it may have been genuine). As I stood there in the back I realized. Is this how we would talk if we were really talking about the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords - the one who spoke the world into existence with the whisper of his breath. Its been said before and it is true, if we Christians really know the God of the universe as we claim - surely we would talk about him with greater awe and wonder.

I want to be real. I want to know Christ in such a way that I can't contain my excitement to talk about him. I want there to be a humble genuiness when I speak of him. I want there to be a way about me that communicates the truth and greatness of Jesus. I dont want to simply sound like i'm reading from a cue card. That will have no impact on this world. I want to fufil Romans 12:11"Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord." I want to let my light shine before men, that they might see good deads and glorify Christ. I want to speak of Jesus even greater than I will speak of love for my wife. This book has made me want to do this.

Christmas Ponderings

2007-12-25T07:16:00.000-08:00

Jesus was born on this day 2,007 years ago...ok not really, but you get the picture, right? Today is the day we celebrate the day that God wrapped himself in flesh, became a man and begun a life's work that would land him on a Roman cross naked in front of the public eye. It wouldn't quite end there, though. As a display from the Father that this was the authorized work of our God, Jesus rose from the dead, conquering our last and greatest foe, namely, death.

As I write this in Birmingham, I am reminded that there is nothing that can separate me from His love. No distance, no deeds, no discouragements can ever again get between me and my God, who happens to be the only real source of joy.

It is interesting what we think of Christmas, though, isn't it? Even our best thoughts revolve around gathering with family and friends and eating turkey- hopefully deep fried. We miss the fact that Jesus was not only born of a virgin in such lowly circumstances but also that, as one songwriter who I have been liking more and more put it, Jesus was born to bleed. The humble birth of Jesus was a sign and a signal of what was to come- the humble life of the God-Man!!!! That's something to celebrate especially on Christmas.

I love you guys, wish I was there and all, but there should be no pity in my being away this Christmas. I am home this morning. We all have everything we need in Jesus, the man without a home but the God who owns all things. Lets not worship anything but Jesus today!

New Songs

2007-12-22T12:27:00.000-08:00

Below is a link that will take you Casey's Podcast Page where you can listen to the songs he has written.

http://web.mac.com/chobbs9/Site/Podcast/Entries/2007/12/22_Journal.html

John Piper on the problem of evil

2007-12-18T01:18:00.001-08:00

Sunday's Sermon: Journey of Joy

2007-12-17T00:15:00.000-08:00

Click here to get your own player.

Joy, Heaven and the imperfect man

2007-12-12T19:38:00.000-08:00

Right now, I am working on the sermon that I am going to preach on Sunday. There are a few things that I don't know about it so far. There are so many things I am finding out that I don't know about life in general. Guys, remember when we thought we had pretty much every answer and everybody else was kind of obsolete? Yeah, I think reality is setting in a bit!

I have talked to both of the reckless raging fellows about this, but last week I was reading in 1 Thessalonians about the immanent return of Jesus. It occured to me that this was the same hope that they must have had 2,000 some odd years ago. Jesus was coming right back and everything would be changed. Their persecutors would surely see the swift hand of God in justice and things would be made right. I began to wonder if I believed what I was

reading.

Before somebody has a stroke, let me clarify that I totally believe Jesus is coming

back to make things right. In my mind I don't doubt that for one minute. Where the rubber hits the road, in the application of what I believe, I truly do struggle with what it

means to believe all of this. It just seems as Donald Miller put it in Blue Like Jazz- like I have an imaginary friend.

It's just so hard, you know? I'm gonna preach on Sunday to a bunch of people who have been through it. They know heartache. They know pain. They know pain and cancer and loss of children and loss of innocence and loss of freedom. They are just like anybody else.

The tall order of the preacher- that whole 'thus says the Lord' thing, is just a difficult thing to deal with in reality. The task of presenting God to any people is a heavy one. God is the infinite Creator of the universe. Jesus upholds the universe by the word of his power! I have a few minutes to say what he says about himself.

The task of preaching is also beautiful. I get to stand up and declare that our God is the foundation, the fountain, the source, the spring, the essence, the light, the beauty, the ultimate. I get to say that from him and through him and to him are all things- to him be the glory forevermore.

They say a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. I think this only works with things that we can manipulate. A god in the hand is not better than the ultimate Sustainer of the universe over whom I can claim nothing. I think I'll be content with the fact that all of this is true. God is still God and its not up to me to keep that motor running. Its not my job to keep Jesus on the throne in heaven by my spectacular belief- not even a little bit. I will be content to know the Author and praise him. I will be content to love the Just One because He loves me! I will be happy to gaze upon his beauty. BETTER IS ONE DAY IN HIS COURTS THAN THOUSANDS ELSEWHERE!!!

Whether or not I feel like that is true, I know it is! My heart and flesh may in fact fail me but He is the strength of my heart and my portion forever!

Still working through it,

Casey

Jesus from the 31st Floor.

2007-12-11T02:28:00.000-08:00

As it stands it is 2:32 AM. I am slightly tired, but very eager to write this blog. I just got home from a trip with a friend to San Francisco. It was an awesome trip. On my way home I was blasting Chris Tomlin's version of "How Marvelous" on my radio. What a great song. This song really boosted me into worship as I reflected on the events of the day.

While in San Fran, shortly after dark, my friend and I went to the Westin St. Francis hotel to ride the elevators. Now that my sound lame, but these elevators are pretty cool. They are on the outside of the building and made of all glass. As you might expect, it provides a pretty spectacular view, especially from the 31st floor. As we reached the top my first thought was, Wow, look at all the buildings. This is insane." Immediately my mind thought of the accomplishments of man. "Man has really progressed from the 1700's to today," I thought. I was impressed with human ingenuity - isn't man great? As soon as I had completed my thought, the spiritual connection was made. You see I had just been looking at the Pacific Ocean, right over the top of the Golden Gate Bridge. It is powerfully awesome. It spans farther than the eye can see and it is mighty! I then remembered that 2/3's of the earth is covered in watered. Which made me zoom out, so to speak, when thinking about San Francisco. From a few thousand feet up the city looks so tiny, but the ocean is still farther than one can see. From a few miles up, the City is invisible, but again the ocean still is bigger than we can see in moment.

For me the spiritual connection was this. When we look at ourselves up close we seem very important - I seem very important. It is not until I expand my view off of myself to the things around, which God has created that I realize how utterly insignificant I am. God spoke the world into existence with the whisper of his voice. He did not break a sweat, or exert any extra effort to do so. It did not tire him out even for a millisecond and he was never confused about the design. How great is our God!! And the earth itself is only a small part of this universe which has thousands of galaxies, each which has billions and billions of stars. How can I think that I am more important than I am.

No wonder the Psalmist says in Chapter 8:3 "When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,4what is man that you are mindful of him, and he son of man that you care for him?" That is exactly right. Who am I that God should care about me. What kind of God are we dealing with here? Again in Isaiah 40 14"Whom did he (GOD) consult, and who made him understand?Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?15Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales"

God is infinite and we are finite, oh how finite we are. But the condemnation of our self-centeredness goes even further. Not only are we a drop in the bucket compared with God, not only are we mere dust on the scales. We who have nothing to offer and have nothing too give to God are sinners - we have cast him aside for less valuable things. We who are so very insignificant have dethroned Him who is infinitely significant. We have reversed the roles.

Therefore when we read the words of Paul to the Philippians - what amazement, what joy, what hope befalls us, who have sinned so great! Philippians 2:5 ".....Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped (to be held on to), 7but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant,being born in the likeness of men. 8And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." Romans 5:8 "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." God, the righteous one, died for me the unrighteous one. Him the perfect, me the sinner. He the humble, me the proud.

God condescended and died in spite of and for my sin. Why? You know the answer, its the first verse we all learned. The great John 3:16"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" !!!! The story of Jesus' death in the place of sinner's is not called the Gospel for no reason. Gospel means good news and this is the best news ever! I who deserve nothing gain everything by placing my joyful faith and love in Christ. However lets not get puffed up and forget who this all terminates on and is ULTIMATELY about. Let me take us back to Philippians 2. After we read that Christ died for sinful men on a cross, the paragraph concludes this about Jesus - Let us all conclude this about Jesus, because this is the reason he saves and the reason undeserving sinners are set free.

It is obvious why that paragraph ends - Philippians 2:9 "he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (That was our benifit and here is his honor) Therefore God has highly exalted him (Jesus) and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Amen. Jesus gets the glory and I get the joy. He gets the honor and I get the salvation. Let us give him all the credit, for He is worthy to be praised. How Marvelous.

Let me close this by having you hit play on the song below. It is "I Stand Amazed, How Marvelous," by Chris Tomlin. Listen to this song and see if the amazement resonates in your heart.

The Star Wars Saga and the Bible

2007-12-07T17:20:00.000-08:00

Let me start by saying this blog might seem a little scattered in thought. I wanted to get it up and then possibly add to it later.

This post will most likely start off as one of the nerdiest posts the Fury has ever known. As most people know I am a huge Star Wars fan. Whats not to love, dog fights in X-Wings, cool blaster guns, and of course lightsabers (lets be honest they're pretty cool). The Star Wars story is covered in six movies. Throughout the movies there are many different plots and sub plots. Luke must learn to be a Jedi, Han Solo must rescue his princess, and the Emperor plots to control the Galaxy. However, as any true Star Wars fan will tell you these stories all serve to tell the larger story - that of the rise, fall, and redemption of a man named Anakin Skywalker, better known as Darth Vader. Anakin is the promising young Jedi who is seduced by the emporer and the dark side of the force, but later is redeemed by killing the emporer and saving his son, Luke Skywalker. While the other plot lines of the movies are fascinating, they are mainly important because they serve to tell the main story - the story of redemption.

At this point the connection to my title is probably becoming very clear. In the sense I just described, the Bible is just like Star Wars. There are many stories, illustrations, narratives in the Bible. They are all precious and valuable for spiritual growth and insight. However these stories, illustrations, and naratives are to be viewed as serving the main "story." The main story or theme of the Bible is Jesus Christ. I have posted on this topic before, but it has been in my mind recently. Maybe in the culture we live in the Bible should have a subtitle on the cover of the Bible so there is no mistake about what we are talking about. The subtitle could read. "Jesus Christ, the son of God, who is God, suffers, dies on a cross, rises again, so that we, who are dead in our tresspasses in sin, might be made alive, in order that we might forever enjoy the beauty of his glory." I know that is a long sentence, but you get my point. This is what the Bible is about. We must make that sentence, however you want to word it, the focal point when we talk about the Bible. It is not primarily about how to live a good life. It is primarily about Jesus!!! In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The name by which he is called is The Word of God. The Bible is clear in what it is about - Jesus. Its so much about Jesus that Jesus is called the Word of God. We must declare this truth.

Why is this important and what brings this to mind. I have a tendancy to let the Bible be about other things, not only in my conversations with other people but it my own life. My mind is easily distracted from the Savior. When I read, my mind is not often thinking about the cross. However I miss the point if atleast in some fashion I dont relate all that I read back to Jesus. Jesus stands brightly at the center of Scripture. It is all about him! Let us not allow us or anyone else to make it about anything other than Him.

-Trying to focus more on the Savior with you -

(please ignore the typos, i didnt have time to proof read)

Who Cares about Justice?

2007-12-07T00:48:00.000-08:00

"[F]or the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." -Rms. 3:26

I should've gone to bed an hour ago, but let's be real, there are more important things than early bed times.

How 'bout the righteousness of God? Yep, more important than sleep.

As I read through Ezekiel 11 tonight, when I should've been asleep or studying for a final, I was struck again by this large barrier that stands between the sinner and the Lord of Hosts. It's this thing we know as "the righteousness of God."

Prompted by a rather ridiculous conversation in the hallowed halls of Talbot School of Theology early this week, I've been struck all week that our inclination is always to minimize the righteousness and justice of God. It's not too attractive to our hearts because, without the cross, that righteousness is vindicated only in our destruction and eternal banishment from the presence of God.

Ah, but the answer is not to minimize the righteousness of God by saying something like "God loves us so much that He didn't carry out His righteousness on us, but showed us mercy instead." That sounds pretty and all, but it misses the point.

God loves righteousness. More to the point, Jesus loves righteousness--it's a reason that God has anointed him with the oil of joy above his "fellows".

God is not out to minimize his righteousness at all.

The amazing thing, which Luther discovered and we need to keep on rediscovering, is that through the cross, this same righteousness that should have condemned us has instead condemned another. "He who knew no sin became sin..." This carries out justice to such a full degree that we who are in Christ by God's mercy no longer stand in judgment of his righteousness--we stand in Christ, through whom we have been made "the righteousness of God".

The fact that God is just and the justifier of we who have faith in Jesus is amazing because we can have full assurance that when God poured out the fullness of his wrath toward the elect on His Son, He left not a speck of wrath for we who hope in the Son.

Thank God for His justice, praise Him that He prizes justice and in overflowing mercy has offered His Son as the supreme sacrifice for those who would believe.

That's my King! The just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

"God, I thank You that I am not like other people..."

2007-12-04T10:40:00.000-08:00

Ever had one of those vivid dreams that you wake up from and need some extra slapping around before you really believe that it was just a dream?

Last night, I did. I dreamed that I was committing a heinous crime that would've landed me in the Folsom Pen' forever envying trainloads of coffee-drinking cigar-smokers. It was a pretty awful dream, so bad--and realistic--that when it woke me up at 3:45 in the morning, I almost went down to the police station and turned myself in.

But the Lord revealed something deeply hidden in my heart in the moments that followed. As I lay back into bed, I started to pray, "Thanks so much, Lord, that I'm not like a person who would commit a crime like that one..."

Sounds pious, huh?

But in that moment, the Lord did a wonderful and mysterious work in my heart. He brought to mind a similar prayer, from the book of Luke. Maybe you're familiar with it: "God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector."

Ouch! That's not a prayer I want to be echoing! And God is so merciful to his children--even in the middle of the night--bringing repentance and causing our hearts to desire more of Christ and less of our fallen, prideful selves.

In the next few minutes, as I drifted back into slumber, the Lord broke my heart in such a way that I desired to be more like the tax collector. Here's the hero for the Christian: the tax collector that can't even bring himself to look up to heaven; the tax collector who continually beats his breast, saying "God, be merciful to me, the sinner!"

Doesn't this tax collector, this hero of the faith, remind you of David in Psalm 38: "My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness ... I have become like a man who does not hear, and in whose mouth are no rebukes. But for you , O Lord, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer ... I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin ... Do not forsake me, O Lord! O my God, be not far from me!"

And Jesus sums up this thought in a way that only the Matchless Teacher could: "I tell you, this man (tax collector) went to his house justified rather than the other (pharisee); for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Oh, for humility and brokenness over my sin!

The Real Meaning of Christmas

2007-12-03T17:13:00.001-08:00

Concert Meditation- the duece!!!

2007-11-29T21:05:00.000-08:00

First of all, I would like to say thank you to the founder of Reckless Raging Fury. I got a chance to go to his cousin's concert tonight- gratis- with 3 friends...picture a good looking Elvis singing some catchy tunes with equally catchy lyrics. Good times.

So at the last second, I come to find that the three girls that were supposed to be coming along thought that the concert was tomorrow night...

nice. So there I am, after getting turned

around downtown a bit and being an hour late...who needs to see the opening act, right?...and

feeling a bit awkward standing in a crowd that features more estrogen than any man needs to be around in any given hour and feeling a bit awkward standing alone...just me and my Newcastle.

The more I watched the show, I began to realize exactly

what Jarrett has been saying all this time. My priorities are bizarre. I stood there thinking that she's got it made, her guitar players have it made, her bassist has it made, her drummer has it made...you get the point. Why do I operate on such small levels? I want so badly to not get caught up in the things that don't matter, yet I so clearly value circumstances over abundance of life.

And as I began to realize I was the only man in the room whose favorite band is not Air Supply that did not have about a 99% chance of having a biblical time with their date, again I found myself wanting pathetic things...why do I want things that don't satisfy? Its like somebody wanting a cardboard ferrari over the real thing- hey, the cardboard one is red!

Here's the thing, I will always struggle with the feelings of inadequacy that are inside of me. I seriously think sometimes that things and lusts will satisfy me...for just long enough. Then I realize that there is nothing- NOTHING that doesn't pale in comparison to the love that my God has revealed for me in Jesus- I want to trust Him!

Casey

A Concert Meditation

2007-11-25T23:31:00.000-08:00

Before I begin this blog, let me start out by saying I love you guys. I love the fellowship that comes even when we are apart. I have benefited immensely from reading the blog, even though I haven't added to it lately. I love the unique bond of fellowship that only comes through a joint faith in Christ. I identify with Paul who yearned for the Philippians with the affection of Christ. It is sad to be apart, but what joy there is when we see each other.

Recently I attended the concert of my cousin. It was an awesome experience on many levels. It was very weird to see my little cousin, now grown up, on stage performing for a thousand people. It was strange seeing all her fans; people lined up to see her, singing her praises. She has an amazing voice and some profound lyrics. I love music. For me music makes me think - about a lot of things. I think that is one of the intentions of music; to stir the heart and mind. This was especially true during this occasion. During one song I found myself lost in thought. I cannot remember the song. The speakers were loud, mic was hot, but it seemed to me like background music. A soundtrack to the musings of my mind. As I was looking around I couldn't help all the people cheering and applauding my cousin. For some it was almost an act of worship. They loved her. They derived so much pleasure from her. She was their source of satisfaction. Which drove my thoughts upward.

My mind created an image of the throne room of God. I pictured God the Father, reigning from his throne - in all his Majesty. I pictured his Son, Jesus Christ, - his perfectly reflected image, standing at his right hand. It was a sweet scene. Then I pictured them looking down at this concert, watching all the praise and adoration of my cousin. I saw a sad look upon Jesus' face as he turned to his Father and said, "Why don't they feel this way about me? I love them. I laid down my life for them. I would give them my kingdom if they would have me." Jesus' words weren't questions for which he had no answers. It was rhetorical, as if to add all the more condemnation upon our heads.

God the Father and God the Son looked down on the crowd. It was like a scene from a movie. All which would lead the viewer to realize the utter foolishness of the situation. Praise for a singer, and none for the Savior. Love for an artist and hatred for the King.

You see the problem with the people at the concert was not that they loved my cousin. It was not that they adored my cousin or even that they derived satisfaction from her. The problem is that those people do not feel that affection infinitely greater for Christ! It is not wrong to love a singer, it is not wrong to praise others, but it is wrong to cherish anything greater than Jesus. The problem with humanity is that our joy comes from everything but God, when in reality he is the source of true joy. CS Lewis was dead on when he said "God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing. " My cousin's music is only to be treasured as an echo of the glory of God. If it is not treasured as that, it is idolatry.

Our problem is not necessarily that we enjoy certain things in this world. There are many things to enjoy, but oh how we must enjoy Christ all the more and see our enjoyment in other things as an echo and a pointing to our love for Him.

It made me sad to see the crowd at the concert. It was a perfect picture of people playing around with mud pies in the slums because they cannot imagine a holiday at the sea. For most of the people there, they could not even conceive of a joy much higher than what they currently had. It made me sad because in those people at the concert I saw myself. I saw the way I am all too often. I ignore the superior pleasure of Christ and pursue the cheap, fleeting pleasures of sin. I am a sad, sinful creature. I am thankful for my Savior.

If only the people at the concert could taste and see that the Lord is good. The ironic part is they long for more, it is written on their hearts to admire and praise. However, sin gets in the way. Sin says praise my cousin not Jesus. Sin says praise money not God. Sin says praise your wife, your girlfriend, your job, your children, praise anything other than the Lord.

And the even more ironic part to that behavior is that those things are not ultimately worthy. There is only one worthy!! There is only one who will be praised from this time forth and forever more. Let us not spend our praise on secondary things. There are many other things to enjoy and praise, but let Christ be praised foremost and let all other praising be a praising in Him. He is worthy - lest we forget what He has done and how it will be one day.

Revelation 5:8-14
8And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb.......9And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals,for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,10and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth." 11Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" 13And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!" 14And the four living creatures said, "Amen!" and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Amen!!!

New Computer, New Thoughts

2007-11-23T21:06:00.001-08:00

i'm not sure if any other members of the reckless raging guild have heard Green Day's "longview" lately, but thanks to xm radio, i still get to hear it. the pre-chorus goes like this: "where is my motivation, i've got no motivation, i have no motivation". the words resonate with me perhaps too easily. here i am, this week i have worked what will be 25-30 hours tomorrow, i've seen O'Tiel and the Peacemakers play, gone to the mountains and shared the gospel with my buddy. i bought a computer and started to write a paper that will be 8 pages or so. It seems like i have plenty of motivation and yet so often i have felt a lack of drive, a lack of motivation to pursue Jesus with all my heart mind and soul.

why is it that we are so quick to forget how sweet our Lord is? why do we continue to seek after things that will simply not satisfy, however good they may be? there is the obvious answer that is total depravity, but i want something more. i want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering to do whatever it takes to know him and be conformed to his image.

but its so difficult when there are tables to wait on that are simply jerks. it becomes difficult when the bills need to be paid and the truck needs work done on it and the motherboard fries in my computer. i don't know guys, but i'm beginning to see that there is something more than having this feeling constantly present inside of me- an affectual awareness of the presence of Christ.

could it be that the real life of a Christian is that ability to exist in everyday life as one of his people who are living life the way they are supposed to? i'm writing about Ephesians 4:1-6 right now- Paul's plea to them to walk worthy of their calling- is he telling them to stop screwing up? nope. is he telling them to moderate their lives? not really. is he telling them to change their evil ways (baby)? um...no. according to Paul, living worthy of the calling of God in Christ means that we are to be eager to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. simply, we are to love one another. could it be that we have over-complicated the gospel?

living in our world, we need to understand that our lives can be radically kingdom-focused and firmly planted in the real world. there will be times that we feel it. there will be times that we don't. the truth of the gospel, thank God, is not dependent upon how we feel that day. whatever our circumstances, motivation or no, lets at least get motivated to talk with and listen to our God and to talk with and listen to each other. sometimes there is little else we can do.

Love You guys.

Casey

What should the Minister say about Reproductive Technologies?

2007-11-14T08:52:00.000-08:00

Every year across the globe, 46 million babies will be aborted. In the United States, 3,700 abortions are performed every day. Statistically, every woman throughout her lifetime will have an abortion. The causes of such abortions are even more eye-opening. One percent of these occur for reasons related to rape and incest. Ninety-three percent occur for social reasons- the child is unwanted, unplanned, embarrassing to the mother or otherwise unable to be provided for by his or her parents.[1] Across the globe right now, there are an estimated 150 million orphans- that is eight percent of all the children of the world who have been abandoned one way or another. Every day there are over 42,000 new orphans worldwide.[2] The issue of reproductive technologies needs this small background of the children already in this world that are not being cared for to bring an accurate perspective to the issue.
The pain that is associated with barrenness is not a new phenomenon. The story of Hannah, the mother of Samuel comes to mind immediately. So distraught was this woman that she was in the house of God weeping her heart out to the Lord to the extent that Eli the priest thought she was a drunkard. So great was the pain of Sarah that her womb was closed that she and her husband decided to obtain for her a baby by some extra-ordinary (and inadvisable- at least to Abraham) means. Child-bearing is part of the normal God-ordained life of a woman. Paul, in that bastard child of a text, wrote (by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) of women, “Yet she will be saved through childbearing- if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.”[3] Clearly, in a perfect world, women would be fertile and capable to lovingly raise a family in the fear of the Lord. In a perfect world, however, neither would massive amounts of orphans and abortions exist.
Living beyond Genesis 3 and the fall of man, the minister needs to be careful in approaching the issues related with reproductive technologies. I am torn as I think about reproductive technologies because it is not something we ought to rule out immediately. Using the same logic that would discount reproductive technologies, even natural births may be contorted to look irresponsible. The use of reproductive technologies cannot be simply thrown out as something that has no validity. The idea is a good one. The actions which bring wanted children into the world who will be taken care of by a mother and a father whose intentions are only the best for their family seems like something that is worth the cost of even excessive reproductive technology. In counseling a couple who struggles with this issue very personally, then, I would be clear that their intentions may well be commendable. I would also want to be clear to those who have used what technology is available to assist them in producing a child that there is nothing inherently wrong with the idea and even procedure of reproductive technology.
My feelings on this issue may well be obvious to the reader by now. With what I have already prefaced my thoughts, then, I will proceed into what I would advise at this point in my life. Quite simply, without clouding the waters of medicine and technology, I would come from a theological and philosophical basis and bring up the question of the possible implications that arise from God’s working in withholding natural children from well-intentioned lovers of him. Coming from the perspective that all things are in God’s hands and that He intimately cares for everybody He created, and understanding our place in a fallen world, I help them think through the meaning of their barrenness. Leading away from a position of retribution- God is not punishing you for past mistakes; His punishment for the believer came in the death of Christ- I would encourage them that God’s plan is a good plan for them. He is working out everything for their good, whether it seems like it or not.
I would then try to help them think through the massive problems with which I began this essay. I would be trying to have them consider the possibilities of adopting a child who is in need of somebody’s help. One purpose behind some people’s inability to have biological children of their own may well be to rescue children who are alive and in great need. Would it not be a picture of the gospel of Jesus for somebody to love a helpless young boy or girl, to take them into their home and raise them up in the fear of the Lord? What could be more of a fulfillment of loving God and loving others than to take a needy child in and raising him as your own?
In the Church, we really have one of two options when it comes to addressing the needs of society. The first response would be to take a vocal stand against oppression. We can make signs and picket government buildings. We can lobby politicians to change policy. We can make our voice heard in opposition to the bad situations and evils of our world. The second response would be to take action in loving those we so vocally support. I think it would be a picture of the gospel if those whose natural response to being barren- the pain, grief, desperation- was met by a desire to love those in the same situation. The helpless ones of our world need no political aggrandizement or public policy. They need to be cared for by people who love them.
My advise to those who are unable to have biological children of their own would be simply to meet their own need for nurturing by taking a child who would otherwise be orphaned or aborted into their home. The more I think about this issue, the more bizarre it honestly seems. While I reiterate my position that there is not necessarily anything inherently wrong with reproductive technology, I am perplexed that we simultaneously have a massive problem with unwanted children and good people desperately wanting children. It is perplexing that our reaction in the Church is to decry abortion and uphold artificial means of procreation as something that has no ethical implications. At this point in my life, I can see no better display of the gospel than wanting the unwanted. By loving the unloved, we begin to look more like our Father. He opted for adoption rather than producing new people. For this I am thankful.
[1] The Center For Bio-Ethical Reform. As of 2000. Rec. 14 November 2007. http://www.abortionno.org/Resources/fastfacts.html.
[2] Vision Trust International. As of 2007. Rec. 14 November 2007. http://www.theone27.org/orphanfacts.html.
[3] 1 Timothy 2:15. The Holy Bible. English Standard Version. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2002.

Sermon by Tal Prince

2007-11-07T17:31:00.000-08:00

Tal preached this sermon on Sunday....
Its freaking awesome- 1st person narrative of Hosea adapted from E.K. Bailey
Let me know what you think.
http://tapestryofhope.podomatic.com/

Steve Green Singing A Bit O' Luther

2007-10-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

Check out the cheeziest...but also a sweet rendition of Luther's sweet hymn.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRJHKzU_t1M

Rock the Vote

2007-10-25T09:17:00.000-07:00

Last night, Oct. 24 was the Northpoint college group's annual pumpkin-carving contest and today's voting day!

In the words of Chris Farley in "Black Sheep": "You gotta fight... for your right... to vote!" But really, you don't need to fight, but you do need to go to Billy Blakey's blog, Better Together and tip the scales in favor of your's truly.

You really don't have to vote for mine, but I figured I'd put up a link anyways so that you can see the great artistry that was the Northpoint college group p-c contest. Check out Janelle's Mouseketeer pumpkin, it's pretty sweet!

That's all I got!

Unlocking the Secrets of the Universe 1 Step at a Time

2007-10-24T08:39:00.000-07:00

So, like the rest of you, I've been wondering lately just how it was that Osteen is always so slap happy. As Sinead O'Connor said in a Saturday Night Live skit (Ok, so whoever was playing her), "with all the wars and bloody starvation in the world"... Well, I think I have found a link that perfectly traces the underlying theology of the cross that Osteen operates from...without further ado, here's an incredibly sarcastic (and hilarious) look at the roots of his theology...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHPOzQzk9Qo

ID Photos - Conflict Resolution

2007-10-22T14:20:00.001-07:00

If this doesnt make you laugh, what will?

Quandaries of Living in a Post-Genesis 3 World

2007-10-21T21:45:00.000-07:00

So right now, I'm watching a show right now called "To Catch a Predator" on MSNBC. The premise of the show basically, is that a dude sets up an acount online posing as a 14 year old girl and the point of the show is to bring sexual predators into a setup meeting, whereupon they are counseled by a reporter who lets them go into the waiting full-form tackle of our boys in blue (although none, i'm sure, as good as our own, Jarrett Tonn, would execute such a vicious hit).

Anyways, I was thinking about how we, as Americans handle the whole problem of the "sexual predator". As the Reckless Raging community would well know, my church (www.tapestryofhope.com), have several convicted sex offenders who have paid their time and find themselves out of prison and trying to make what they can out of the rest of thier lives. Now, this experience has definitely colored my experience in the matter and I am definitely persuaded that Jesus would have me, and all of us, forgive and love these people who are created in the image of the Most High. I do not mean this to be light and meaningless. We need to love them, whether they are enemies or not...its something like what Jesus said.

Does not the God of the bible have something to say on the matter of justice and defending the oppressed? Of course it does. We ought to outright hate the fact that little boys and girls are being targeted for sex. Our stomachs ought to turn at the mere thought of our little ones being abused. We should hate the fact that countless people are enslaved in the sex trade every day of the year. We ought to be ashamed that the number one destination in the world for sex slaves is the United States of America (www.makewaypartners.org). In theological terms, we should hate the sin.

But grace is not cheap. We should absolutely love the sinner. This is what we are called above all to do. The second great commandment, according to Jesus, is to love our neighbors as ourselves. Statistically speaking, our neighbors would include sexual predators.

So now my question is, what should our response be when we think through how to respond to such a situation? How do we love both the oppressor and the victim in this instance? How are we to love (in obedience to the commands of Jesus) a man or woman preying on our young ones? Suprisingly enough, I really don't know how to answer this question. What I do know is that I think that radically loving while not excusing guilt might be the most radical thing that we can do as 21st Century believers in America.

What if we had communities that first of all addressed the problems that lead to full addiction and predator behavior? What if we "nipped it in the bud"? What if we started with our own lives. What if preachers of the gospel began calling down pornography? What would happen if preachers of the gospel began telling the truth, namely, that intimate love that Jesus Christ offers is so much more satisfying than any kind of sex, cyber, legal or illegal?

Furthermore, what if preachers of the gospel began to love, I mean truly care about, those whose lives have hit such a desperate place that it takes cybersex with a minor and/or real sex with a minor to satisfy their souls, if even for a second. How incredibly radical would the Church of Jesus Christ be at that point?

Instead of trying to "Capture the Predator", lets try to "Love the Predator"- in a radical gospel sense. Instead of hating the sinner and thereby disregarding the sin, lets radically hate the sin and so truly love the sinner, who is made in the image of our Father. That's the radical truth of the gospel, namely, that the more severe we understand sin to be, the more pervasive it is and the more serious we take it, that is also the degree of seriousness that we ought to love them with- because it shows their desperate state in alienation from Jesus.

Trying to love like Jesus,
Casey

Dynamic Duo

2007-10-21T11:34:00.000-07:00

You guys have to listen to this song...it rocks

2007-10-16T20:59:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsxOpyllBvE

The Lord tells me he can get me out of this mess, but he's pretty sure youre #%$^!

2007-10-16T12:30:00.000-07:00

The past few days have been a bit strange. I have been a bit negative and have had a bit of a release seeing the red sox lose two games in a row, but this morning we had our weekly chapel at Beeson and it was, to say the least, uninspiring. On the advice of Tal, I decided that I needed to do a bit of exercising this afternoon. I also wanted to watch Braveheart because, well, its Braveheart.

So my combination workout routine is now being taken care of:
everytime someone is executed- 50 Pushups
everytime killing the English is mentioned- 50 Pushups

So far I've probably done upwards of 300 pushups, and its the first really big battle scene (right after the Sons of Scotland speech). my plan is to throw updates in as the movie progresses...i'm already a big fan of the technique.

So Who doesn't hate the Red Sox By Now?

2007-10-13T22:30:00.000-07:00

Watching the Red Sox getting their clocks cleaned in the top of the 11th, I began to think about the absolute distain I have come to have toward the freakin redsox. For those who do not share this hate, may i recommend this ridiculous article...
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071013&content_id=2264568&vkey=ps2007news&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb.
Man, retribution can be sweet...esp. when the people are leaving in the 11th (although that is a non-negotiable defining mark...sox fans stay all the way man!!!). GO TRIBE!!!

To all those arrogant

(redsox fans)...hear the bell it tolls for thee

Only One October...

2007-10-09T09:58:00.000-07:00

Alright, I admit, the reason I'm posting today is to delay homework just another 20 minutes or so. Not that the homework will be a burden in it's content, but that the task just looks daunting.

This is a special time year for baseball fans. Threats that Joe Torre won't be back in New York, the on-going saga of Alex Rodriguez pulling a Mama Cass in the postseason and--I think George Steinbrenner's office might be bugged.

Wait a second. Let's play some word association. Postseason: Yankees! October: Yankees! Indians: Yankees! Rockies (winners in 18 of their last 19): Yankees! Diamondbacks (aka "Babybacks", best record in baseball): uh.... Yankees!

I guess it shouldn't be too surprising, which it isn't, but it definitely is distracting to hear Chip Caray (pictured) and the rest of the universe trip all over themselves to try and make the postseason all about the Yankees, who, granted have made the playoffs for 12 years in a row and won 4 WS titles during that stretch.

But holy cow, let's move on and talk about some cool series' starting up at week's end. The Rox-D-Backs is going to be a sweet matchup for sure. I think Brandon Webb is starting every game for the 'Backs and ... heck I don't know who's starting for the Col-o-Rad-o Rock-ies... That may be due to my ignorance, but who can blame me?

That's not even to mention an American League Champ Series that pits Beckett-Shilling-Wakefield-Papi-Manny-You Kill Us vs. Sabathia-Carmona-Byrd-Sizemore-Hafner-Peralta. That's gonna be a great series, minus Tim McCarver and Joe Buck.

But speaking of insufferable broadcasting, Chip Caray did give me some solace in last night's game, promising that TBS' focus will now turn to the desert for the NLCS.

As Bobby De Niro (pictured) knows, "a lot of problems [e.g. Chip Caray] are 'taken care of' in the desert."

Almost forgot...

2007-10-03T21:14:00.000-07:00

So I've been meaning to spout off about this the last couple of days. I was listening to XM radio yesterday (which is amazing) and I flipped past a Brooks and Dunn song. If you don't immediatley know who this group is, consider yourself lucky, suffice to say that they are a crappy country group (notice...I didn't call them a band). Anyways, what caught my eye was the title of the song: "God must be busy"

Now, I don't claim theological prowess or anything, but two facts stand in the way of such being the case: 1. God is Omnipotent (that means his power has no real limits). 2. God exists outside of time (as Creator of it, he doesn't have time constraints). I said to myself: "self, that don't make no sense." So I tuned into the station.

Let me tell you, this pissed me off. The song, besides being a pathetically written piece of crap, is all about bad things that happen (an amber alert to his woman being gone) and the tagline of the song is the title itself. As I listened with open-jaw, I was waiting for the cheesy country last verse that makes all things ok throughout the song. It never came. Only the equally cheesy country ending (bu-bu-bu-bu-bummm). HOLY CRAP!!! If God is busy then we are in the ditch to say the least.

Isn't it comforting to know that God is never busy? He never has his hands full. Nothing ever suprises him. I love that about God.

Watching Baseball and Thinking About Jesus

2007-10-03T21:04:00.000-07:00

Two things that I know will always work out for me are the two things I am currently doing. It's the seventh inning of a 2-1 playoff game and I was just reading in the Greek (impressive, huh?) about how Jesus was raised by the power of the Father and seated next to him. Also, Jesus was made head of the Church- his body with all authority and power above all powers.

I complain about so much in my life. Being a single guy in Birmingham and making just enough to skate by month to month while at the same time pulling more school work than anyone should be subjected to gives me plenty to whine about. Here's the thing- watching baseball with the venerable Matt Paetz- who just got up and went to bed- God is good. There is so much in my life that I am able to find joy in...and its not because I'm particularly good at it.

Fellas, Jesus bought our freedom. Jesus paid with his blood so that we could have friendship with God. Jesus spilled his blood so that through his body, we might enter into it. If there's anything more amazing and generally spectacularly worthy of our enthusiasm, I don't know what it is. Baseball is good. God is good and Jesus bought us enjoyment in him in all things.

In the words of a freakin' country song: "Who wouldn't want to be me?"

Steve Harvey Introduces Jesus

2007-10-01T07:37:00.000-07:00

This Video is Flippin Awesome.
YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

Reckless Raging Fury Special Event

2007-09-24T07:28:00.000-07:00

So as you guys know, I dig Derek Webb. I think he's one of the best writers of our time and his passion for Jesus is something special. He is going to be in Hollywood on October 3rd and then he is cruising up to bakersfield and fresno that next week. Seeing Derek in concert is a compulory Reckless Raging event.

I know Jarrett is saying, 'hey, i don't live next to Hollywood, Fresno or Bakersfield'. Well, sacrifices have to be made. you would thank me later. anyways, here's his website, its got all of his tour info on it:

www.freederekwebb.com

And here's a sweet video of him playing 'Wedding Dress'.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvQRd7D9BDM

For those who have "almost slipped."

2007-09-21T17:09:00.000-07:00

Psalm 73

1Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.2But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped.3 For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek.5They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.......

16But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task,17until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.
18Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin.19How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors!20Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.21When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart,22I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you.

23Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.24You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

27For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.28But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.

Talkin Bout a Crazy Night

2007-09-19T00:12:00.000-07:00

Woke up at 1. ever since then, i have been trying to get comfortable and its just one of those nights that that aint happenin. Today was a weird day because i kinda got people-d out yesterday at work and i really didn't want to see anybody today. i avoided people i love and my every weasly move was to crawl into a hole of self-pity. i have been realizing lately that i have a really hard time opening up to people- big suprise when i have dated three girls for a total of about six to eight months, give and take some intermittint breakup time!
Anyways, I have been thinking about what i'm gonna do about my internalizing of everything that i feel like i do alot. so tomorrow, i'm gonna do a couple of things that are definietly outside of my little comfort zone. be praying for me because i really want to make an effort to do a better job at verbalizing what i'm going through- which sounds alot more dramatic than it really should. also, i'm gonna call up our music leader at tapestry and try to schedule a time that i can go over to his sweet studio and record some of my songs. i feel like this will at least help me get something off my chest so i can be a bit free-er in saying what i feel. wow, again that sounds really dramatic, not intended to be, but hey, at 221 in the morning, what isn't dramatic?

That's My King!

2007-09-17T21:59:00.000-07:00

I was reading through Gregory Nazianzen for my theology class this morning, and I came upon this flurry (one might call it a "reckless raging" flurry) of praise for Christ.

It may look like a lot of text, but you can probably read it in a couple minutes--probably 2 1/2 minutes tops. He was one of the Cappadocian Fathers, who were instrumental in defining the Triune nature of God at the Council of Constantinople in 381.

This is an excerpt from his Third Theological Oration, where he he defending and defining the biblical account of Jesus' full diety and humanity.

By the way, you gotta love this picture!

"He was baptized as Man—but He remitted sins as God—not because He needed purificatory rites Himself, but that He might sanctify the element of water. He was tempted as Man, but He conquered as God; yea, He bids us be of good cheer, for He has overcome the world.

He hungered—but He fed thousands; yea, He is the Bread that giveth life, and That is of heaven. He thirsted—but He cried, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink. Yea, He promised that fountains should flow from them that believe. He was wearied, but He is the Rest of them that are weary and heavy laden. He was heavy with sleep, but He walked lightly over the sea. He rebuked the winds, He made Peter light as he began to sink.

He pays tribute, but it is out of a fish; yea, He is the King of those who demanded it. He is called a Samaritan and a demoniac—but He saves him that came down from Jerusalem and fell among thieves; the demons acknowledge Him, and He drives out demons and sinks in the sea legions of foul spirits, and sees the Prince of the demons falling like lightning. He is stoned, but is not taken.

He prays, but He hears prayer. He weeps, but He causes tears to cease. He asks where Lazarus was laid, for He was Man; but He raises Lazarus, for He was God. He is sold, and very cheap, for it is only for thirty pieces of silver; but He redeems the world, and that at a great price, for the Price was His own blood. As a sheep He is led to the slaughter, but He is the Shepherd of Israel, and now of the whole world also. As a Lamb He is silent, yet He is the Word, and is proclaimed by the Voice of one crying in the wilderness.

He is bruised and wounded, but He healeth every disease and every infirmity. He is lifted up and nailed to the Tree, but by the Tree of Life He restoreth us; yea, He saveth even the Robber crucified with Him; yea, He wrapped the visible world in darkness. He is given vinegar to drink mingled with gall. Who? He who turned the water into wine, who is the destroyer of the bitter taste, who is Sweetness and altogether desire.

He lays down His life, but He has power to take it again; and the veil is rent, for the mysterious doors of Heaven are opened; the rocks are cleft, the dead arise. He dies, but He gives life, and by His death destroys death. He is buried, but He rises again; He goes down into Hell, but He brings up the souls; He ascends to Heaven, and shall come again to judge the quick and the dead, and to put to the test such words as yours."

Tal's Blog

2007-09-17T21:23:00.000-07:00

Reckless Raging Fury folk, here is my pastor, Tal Prince's, blog. its good stuff i think you guys will like it.
http://www.talprince.blogspot.com/

I am alive and well.

2007-09-14T18:44:00.001-07:00

I heard the voice of Puff Daddy from a far off distance and realized I've been gone to long! I am indeed alive. For those of you who don't know I am a police officer and have been busy the past month. I have been catching up on the blog and I'm impressed with what I read.

You both have much more valueable insights than I ever have and I'm blessed to read them. I miss interacting on the blog. This blog is a great way for me to not get washed away with career or distracting things and to be able to engage in life-changing conversation. I will be posting regularly now. I will update everyone on my job and how that relates to the "Reckless Raging Fury." I will say my biggest concern is that I don't allow my job to be all consuming, but that I see my job as a way to tell people about our Savior. I have noticed that during the day it is difficult to set my mind on things from above, so pray that I am always reminded of Jesus. Pray that I read my bible and that I grow in knowledge and grace.

Its good to be back among the modern day prophets - your fellowship is one of my greatest joys.

Jarrett!!!! Where are you?!!!

2007-09-13T12:09:00.001-07:00

Our founding father, Jarrett Tonn, has gone MIA on the World Wide Web. Please contact the 'Fury if you know his whereabouts.

Thank God for...Root Canals?

2007-09-13T06:39:00.000-07:00

So the other day, I was feeling bad enough to actually call around for dentists that perform the task of root canals. That same day in chapel, Dr. Robert Smith, who happens to be the best preacher I think I have ever heard, was preaching on Romans 8- From Groaning to Glory. In passing, the Doctor mentioned that in verse 28, the things that happen to us are not necessarily good things. They are more than inconvinences or stubbing our toes (and probably root canals and tooth pain for that matter)- the suffering that we endure is turned into good because God has his plan for his people. He loves us and has a difficult plan for our lives, as we like to say at Tapestry.

So as I sat getting my root canal, I began thinking about what it means that in all things we have a God who is working these things out for his glory and our good. Pain is never inherently a good thing but we have a radically good and powerful God who stops at nothing to see that we are going to be more than conquerers.

Because of these truths, I did something a bit strange. I thanked God for my root canal. I know it sounds really pious and maybe a bit stupid but here's why its really neither: God is working my root canal for his glory and my good. If He is not the God who can work a root canal and financial stress and greek paradigms and arrest warrants out for our good, how can we possibly trust him? Our God has made us more than conquerers- we share in glory with Jesus Christ Himself!!! Thank God for my root canal!!

(En) Titlelist?

2007-09-09T14:17:00.000-07:00

Man, I'm a punk--like, the kind Clint Eastwood blows away in all his movies.

That's pretty much what my thought was this morning during communion at Northpoint. I was taking a bit of a different course during the bread-juice holding time, trying to get inside the minds and hearts of each of the disciples there.

Peter, convinced and emboldened about the truth of Jesus' claims to be the Christ, had actually denied Jesus at the beginning of this scene, the Last Supper. Of course, the first denial wasn't like the second, the first denial comes from a heart longing to see God reign, but still needing instruction on how God meant to take his throne.

"You shall never wash my feet," Peter says. That's an imperative, kids! He's come into this supper as one convinced he's ready to die for Jesus, but again, he just doesn't understand or anticipate exactly who Jesus is and what he means to do. (Who can blame him?)

Peter, of course, is extremely sad later in the scene, when he's told that he will deny Jesus three times before sun-up. But for now, as Jesus takes the bread and presents the wine, Peter does not doubt his allegiance or willingness to suffer for his Friend.

The group has been dwindled down to 11, after Judas takes off and seals the deal to betray the Lord, and John, who'd asked descretly who the betrayer would be, didn't seem that suprised that if anyone was going to be a weasel, it was going to be Judas, who "used to help himself to what was put into [the moneybags]." (Jn. 12:6)

I was thinking about Thomas, the great apologist of the group. He seemed to be a very details-facts oriented guy, and so I picture him scrutinizing every word and motion of his Master throughout the address.

Putting myself as a fly on the wall at this scene helped me to realize two things:

First: When Jesus presents the wine, he actually symbolizing the cutting of a new covenant! Not a new one like it'd just been planned, but that it was now being carried out, inaugurated.
("This is my blood of the covenant!)

Second: I'm quite an "en-titleist". That is, I see myself as entitled to respect, good pay, generosity from others, awareness from others in all circumstances, etc. I feel like I deserve my just due, that which is coming to me.

That second attribute doesn't line up at all with the first. How can I feel entitled to anything as a true disciple of him who bore our transgressions as very real and painful stripes on his back? (Is. 53) How can I feel like people should respect me when I claim to follow the one who was crucified (in all likelyhood, naked) despite being entitled to all worship as heaven's King?

I need to keep this in the forefront of my thoughts this week. If I feel like I'm entitled to something, maybe I am, but that doesn't mean that I as a follower of the rejected Messiah have any need or am enslaved to taking hold of those rights.

They've been given up, and my rights now reside in the life and eternal joy I have in Christ and the daily road of death to my whims and petty hangups laid out before me.

Chuck and Larry

2007-09-08T22:12:00.000-07:00

So we have this beautiful thing in Alabama- its called the dollar theater. The sweet thing about it is that you never feel bad about sitting and watching a movie- hey, its only a dollar and its not a mcdonalds commercial. Tonight, in the spirit of comedy and a good time, my friend and I went and watched Chuck and Larry. For those not familiar with this flick, Adam Sandler and Kevin James pose as gay men to save James' pension for his children. Understanding that it is a movie that will feature a good amount of propaganda, I tried to prepare myself for the dramatic scenes about how it is good to be ok with any amount of gayness.
At the end of the movie (which comes as a great relief), there is a song about freedom. Of course, this is just more propaganda about how we aught to let homosexual people do whatever they want- as if there is anyone stopping them- or able to. What hit me like a ton of lead was the fact that, in the midst of a song about freedom was shackles. There were new chains being placed around the hands and feet of folk that think being gay simply is about orientation or dancing alot. It is not.
Why do we count on the things that bind us down to free us? Why does the married man long for his days of 'freedom'? Why does the Christian secretly wish he weren't a Christian when a smart line comes to our minds or a beautiful girl gives us the eye? Too close to home? Me too. We long for those things that will let us feel free. What a paradox the gospel is when we are freed from being in control. True freedom is found in submission and dependence! If you can make perfect sense of that, do me a favor and explain it to me. If not, lets rejoice in our position as a people freed for the service of the worship of the king.

Clint Time!!!

2007-09-08T00:17:00.001-07:00

What a beast! Notice the sheer constipation in his face when it goes to the close-up!

Jephthah And His Moral Action

2007-09-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

His heart sinks as his eye spots her running to greet her father. Jephthah, the son of a prostitute had little to take joy in up to this point in his life. After one of the highest points of his life, a point that, no doubt, would cement him as one of the all-time great warriors, the lowest point of his life arrived. Words escape his purview. Clear thoughts cease immediately as the tears well up in his tired eyes. In such a moment, explanation is less than vanity. Description is far from catching the scene. For nearly the last two decades, Jephthah’s pride and joy had been this precious daughter who was bounding up to him even as a part of him was dying. At the convergence of life’s high and low, this man of God was faced with a decision that is at least as troubling as the vow he had made days ago with the mighty God of Israel. To keep the vow that he had made, he would have to sacrifice as a burnt offering the first thing that ran up to him upon his return. On God’s part, giving his people a victory over the Ammonites would be an easy decision- He has always been good at keeping his end of the bargain. This essay will deal with the ethical ramifications of what it meant for Jephthah to not only make such a rash vow with God, but for him to follow through on it when the circumstances could not possibly have been more difficult.
There are a few points of clarity that need to be made at the outset of such an essay. First of all, the vow that Jephthah made must be seen as at least foolish. Instead of playing it safe and arguing according to God’s love for himself (As Moses was so adept at) or for his people (Another area Moses excelled in), Jephthah made a deal with God as if he had something to offer Him. This being said, however, Jephthah’s vow cannot be seen as morally wrong. He did not understand the consequences that he was automatically incurring. He did expect his daughter to be the one that ran after him- maybe Mrs. Jephthah had an annoying dog or pet camel that he had in mind. Killing his daughter was the last thing on his mind in the middle of war.
The second area of clarification must be that God certainly had more than one option in exactly who would run out first toward Jephthah. Whatever the view of the scope of God’s sovereignty, one must realize that in a similar situation with Abraham and Isaac, He had once provided a ram in a thicket. God did not choose to work in a delivering way here- He simply lets life run its course and allows this thing to take place.
The third point of clarification that needs to be made is that Jephthah had little choice once the vow had been made to the Lord. In the history of Israel, things did not turn out well for those who chose to forget their vows to their husband. The prophets continually cried down those who carelessly made vows and did not follow through on them. If Jephthah had followed suit, it no doubt would have ended badly for him. If anything is clear about a God who takes his people out of slavery with a strong and mighty hand, it is precisely that He is not a god who is to be taken lightly and “welched” upon in any universe.
What does it mean, then, that Jephthah made a foolish vow that cost him the life of his daughter (not to mention her own obedience that aught not be overlooked)? In what follows, the essay will examine both the vow and its carrying out in their proper order.
Jephthah was a great warrior. He was on commission by the elders of Gilead. Called upon for his prowess, he made a deal with the rulers that he would be their head after the Lord delivered the Ammonites into his hand. Gladly, the elders agreed and must have been pleased to know that the “hand of the Lord was upon him”. Whatever this implied, it is certain that God was with this warrior and this is the point at which he makes his vow with the Lord. The terms are quite simple; if the Lord would give him victory in the battle, he would make a sacrifice of the first fruits of his household on his return. The rashness of this vow gives great pause to the reader, as this might include anyone from a household slave to the animals to his wife and, of course, his daughter. The distressing thing about Jephthah’s vow, apart from its consequences, is the fact that God needed nothing outside of his covenant to defeat Israel’s enemies. Did he not already promise Abraham that his enemies would be His enemies? Had not the God of Israel formed her for Himself? Did he possibly need any motivation outside of Himself? The answers to these questions are impossible to determine, but let the reader beware that this vow is even a disaster in and of itself. Jephthah had looked to what he could give God in exchange for a victory- he was calling the shots and setting the terms of the deal.
The real heart of the story is not Jephthah’s vow but its consequences. The crossroads he had to be standing at when he saw his daughter can be thought as no less than earth-shattering. Essentially, he has to choose between God and his daughter- a choice any right-thinking covenanteer would be horrified at having to decide. He cannot sin against God and spit in His face by refusing to follow through on his vow. Unlike so many of God’s people throughout the centuries, Jephthah understood that you don’t break covenant with the covenant God. At the same time, this is his daughter!!! His little girl that he had held as a baby, nurtured as she grew and longed for her future. What instant regret he must have felt at this moment in time! Family has been elevated to the place of God when His glory is put below even their well-being. This is horrifying even to write, but if the story of Jephthah is to be taken seriously as it is written in Scripture, then this is the moral. God’s glory is more important than even a family member’s good because only when all things are in his hands for his glory can any good come of their lives.
In answering the question of Jephthah’s morality, one thing has become clear. There is no good answer. He clearly could do no other than to kill his daughter. He could have thought through the consequences of making rash vows, but on the same token, the Lord could have also supplied a ram in the thicket. He didn’t. This is what is so troubling about the story- how could God allow this to happen? How could the good God of the Bible possibly accept the terms of this deal knowing full well what would happen if He did? The answer to this question must be that God has a plan going on that makes His glory clear and His goodness a mysterious goodness. He is not small enough or neat enough to pigeon-hole in the same way humans are, and this, above all else, gives men fits.

Movin' on Up

2007-09-06T13:10:00.001-07:00

Alright, it may not be a de-lux apartment in the sky, but my "career" as a server just took a dramatic up-turn.

After two months of working at a small bbq place here in Corona and nearly losing my mind on a daily basis, I've struck it rich! I just returned from my second interview at the Macaroni Grill, and I was hired on as a server!

It's a sweet deal, considering I have about 2 months of waiting experience at a place that holds no reputation in the town. Plus, I'll be working with my friend Hannah, who talked the talk to get me a look from the managers in the first place. To sweeten the pot, "Chuck", who used to work at the Cal Bap. caf, is a chef there! How 'bout that?!

On a more serious note, God has sovereign control over all situations, including this one, so I'm thanking him for what he has given me, and praying that I'd work for his glory all the time I'm working there; that I'd honor my boss in all situations, and be a Christ-like example to my fellow workers.

As the song says, I've "finally got a piece of the pie!" (That may be a bit overboard, but I don't know that many lines from The Jeffersons. C'mon, you name a line from it...)