Breakneck Update

It's been a few weeks since I've been out here in Blogland.  Here's a quick update as to what's been going on in Wisconsin...

1.  Spent last weekend at the National Youth Workers' Convention.  It was an awesome time of learning and refreshing and hanging out with other youth workers.

2.  Jess has a new job as an in-home therapist for autistic children.  This is something she's been wanting to do for a while.

3.  We went apple picking this past Saturday!  What a great time of spending time with my beautiful wife.  We also bought some apple cider, apple cider doughnuts (good, not good for you), and a pumpkin.  We are officially decked out for fall.

4.  We've been having some difficulties with health, both physically and mentally.  We're both feeling like God is taking us through a wilderness to shape us and refine us.  It's just hard being in the wilderness when you aren't sure what's coming.  Pray for us.

For anyone who reads this, thanks for your prayers.  We love you and hope that the God of the universe who loves us would bless you!

Flying Sola or Why Sola Scriptura doesn't mean "only scripture"

I was listening to a sermon by Mark Driscoll (who gives hour long sermons, so be thankful for your 30 minute-ish pastor) and he was talking about why Protestant American churches worship the way they do and how they decide that.  One point he makes in the grand scheme of this lesson is a difference between "Sola Scriptura" and what he calls "Solo Scriptura."  The latter, he says, is when you treat Scripture as the only measuring stick.  For me personally, it's when you say the Bible is purely objective.  The former is treating Scripture as the "supreme court" of decision making with several other lesser courts.

Being emergent-esque (since it's still emerging), I'm thinking the idea of Sola Scriptura presented by Driscoll is something I can grasp and say is true.  There are a lot of emergents out there you see Sola Scriptura as something to be avoided, but I think they're throwing the baby out with the bath water.  If we look at the way the supreme court in the United States is set up, we can see that there's more than just "my interpretation" needed when making a decision.  The SC is made up of nine justices who hear cases and decide together.  Right there is a perfect example for the need for community.  We don't leave our biggest cases to be decided upon by just one person because we see the fallacy and arrogance in that.  Maybe Sola Scriptura is meant to be a call to community as we work through understanding what the Scripture speaks to us today in our life instead of a call to fly solo.

How Constantine Defiled the Church

It was a grandiose arrangement.  Constantine, emperor of the Roman Empire, had a vision of Christ then won a decisive battle.  What other conclusion would one draw than to make Christianity a government-recognized entity?  And everyone was happy... (insert apathetic "Yay!")

One of my main beefs with history is what Constantine did when he married church and state.  He paved the way for civilization.  Okay, maybe a lot of this has to do with the fact that I'm reading The Barbarian Way by Erwin McManus.  Personally, I really agree with his idea that Christianity is a call to a barbarian lifestyle.  He's not talking about "eating the heads off living chickens" barbarianism, mind you.  His message is simple:  God calls us to a road of risk and trial.  This is completely counter-cultural in America today, especially where the "prosperity gospel" is so prevalent.  We believe in feeling good, being rich, and living well.  God calls us to love Him with our whole being and love our neighbors like we love ourselves.  The way I see it, we currently love God when it's convenient and love our neighbors even less than that.

What does Constantine have to do with this?  Simply put, he made it civic duty to be a Christian.  When the Roman Empire recognized Christianity as the official religion, it became a mark of citizenship to join the church, only the wrong kind.  It was no longer a mark of being a citizen of God's kingdom, but of Rome's.  This union allowed corrupt men to come to power in the church and the government, using both to push a wholly sinful agenda.  She stopped listening to God's voice and began listening to another's.  Constantine took much of the risk away from being a Christian and domesticated the church.

Which path will you choose:  the one marked by risk and passion guided by God's voice or the other, more comfortable, easier path of domestication?

My Heart Is Pierced

I just finished the two most monumental chapters in The Reason for God by Timothy Keller. All I can say is that my brain and my heart are overloaded with love, awe, wonder, and just "holy camoly"-ness. Grace is a beautiful thing. I'm glad I don't have to save myself from being a slave to myself, especially since that is totally paradoxical. I'm humbled by what God did for me and think about how many times I try to look like I'm saving myself by doing all the right things. Don't get me wrong. I'm still gonna do the right things, but because I love God, not to get His love. How many times do we do spiritual things to "get God's approval?" Guess what. We're flawed, and Jesus HAD to die for us. You can't do it on your own. Guess what else. You're loved and valued, and Jesus WANTED to die for us. Personally, I'm thankful.

Back in the Lunchroom

Today marked my first lunchroom experience at Waunakee High School.  It was a great time of seeing some of the teens in their own setting.  I will admit, I was scared out of my mind about 15 minutes before I went.  It wasn't nearly as bad as I had thought.  A quick prayer and already knowing the principal helped a lot.  It wasn't like I had to jump through a bunch of hoops to get into the school.  I also got to meet the study hall supervisor, Trevor.  It was a great experience.  I hope to get to the Late Lunch early next week and hit the Middle School tomorrow.

Racing for Perfection... or is it 'against'?

How many times do we get discouraged and give up? Probably more than we would like to answer. It's especially true when it comes to living virtuously. Why is it the case that when it comes to living a virtuous life that we get so easily discouraged?

I was reading an excerpt from The Life of Moses by Gregory of Nyssa. It was a good read. He puts Paul's words about running a race into a more philosophical perspective. Here's a smaller portion:

"Coming to a stop in the race was not safe for [Paul]. Why? Because no Good has a limit in its own nature but is limited by the presence of its opposite, as life is limited by death and light by darkness. And every good thing generally ends with all those things which are perceived to be contrary to the good. Just as the end of life is the beginning of death, so also stopping in the race of virtue marks the beginning of the race of evil."

He goes on to say that we strive for perfection, which we cannot attain. Perfection is limitless just as God is limitless because God is Perfection. This is why it can be a struggle to continue the race of virtue. How can one be expected to run a race when an end is never in sight? It sounds pretty depressing. However, Ol' Greg give us some hope: "For in the case of those things which are good by nature, even if men of understanding were not able to attain everything, by attaining even a part they could gain a great deal." There you have it. Our goal is not to make it to the finish (which is unattainable as corporeal meatsacks) but simply to run. As Greg says, "For the perfection of human nature consists perhaps in its very growth in goodness."

May you run with great zeal, knowing that your perfection in virtue comes with each step and not by crossing the finish line.

ATROPHY!!!

My brain feels like it's going to atrophy soon.  With no prospect of mountains of books to read or miles of papers to write, I feel like something in life is missing... Wait.  I'm writing a new Leader's Handbook for our youth ministry and still reading lots of books.  Why does my brain still hurt?  I need a nap.