Fridays Are For One Question
Posted by MK | Filed under Fridays Are For One Question
Last night, Joshua had one of his first experiences at overeating. We were at a fine local establishment, a “Meat n 3″, which if you’re not in the south, basically means you choose a meat and 3, um “vegetables.” Of course, the vegetables range from fried corn, to corn nuggets, to french fries, to squash casserole. I think there may be some green beans in there too.
Anyway, Joshua killed his plate. Destroyed it. And then, after his second glass of fruit tea, shared a piece of chocolate-fudge-meringue pie. It was about 7 inches tall.
When we got home, he kept saying, “My belly won’t stop being big. It hurts when I breathe.”
I fully believed him.
The same thing has happened to me on a number of occasions. Like the time in 4th grade when I polished off a whole pack of Nutter Butters. Or the first time I had ribs at Dreamland BBQ in Birmingham. So many meals, so much pain.
It made me think, and so now I pose the question to you:
“When was the last time you ate so much that it physically hurt?”
Dogs of Glory
Posted by MK | Filed under Just for Fun, Videos
I think it’s safe to say that if my children saw this live, they would be terrified.
Should Going to Church Be Easy?
Posted by MK | Filed under Church
Going to the movies is easy for me.
I pick the movie and the time (um, after checking with my wife).
Then I buy the tickets online.
Then I go to the movie theater with the printed tickets.
I get the tickets torn and go to the appropriate theater.
Then I sit there for 2 hours.
Then I get up and leave.
I’ve gone to the movies in a sleeveless shirt before (much to my wife’s chagrin). I’ve gone there in flip flops. I’ve gone there after a workout when I stink. I’ve gone there when I’m upset and when I’m happy. And when I just want to be lazy.
It’s very easy. I can complete the entire experience without really checking in emotionally or intellectually, depending on the movie. I can do the whole thing without saying one word to another human being. And I can be entertained while I’m there.
So I wonder – should going to church be that easy?
We have tried to make it so, in all sorts of ways. You’d be hard pressed to find a church with a dress code any longer. It doesn’t cost anything (at least at most churches), but if you want to give, you can do so from a kiosk in the lobby or through your computer at home. You can sit in a large crowd of people of which you really don’t know anyone. You can sing songs that require very little emotional or intellectual engagement, songs that sound remarkably similar to anything you’d find on the radio. You can listen to a message with entertaining stories and stirring statements. And then you can go home.
So I’m wondering – should going to church be that easy?
Maybe so in some ways. I want to believe that dress, or lifestyle, or smell, or skin color, or intelligence level – that none of these things should be prohibitive when entering a church. They shouldn’t. You shouldn’t be wringing your hands becasue your suit hasn’t been dry cleaned for Sunday services.
But in other ways, I think church shouldn’t be that easy. We shouldn’t have the option of not being engaged at a deep level by the songs of worship. We should have to think about the implications of what we are singing. We should be afflicted and comforted at the same time by the strong preaching of God’s word. And we should leave different than when we came in.
The church service, as the corporate gathering of the people of God, should be both easy and hard. We’ve erred in the past in accentuating one over the other. We need balance.
Maybe the balance is this: It’s easy to come to; it’s hard when you’re there; it’s even harder to get away from it.
Steak on a Paper Plate
Posted by MK | Filed under Church
Now here’s a provocative article about the nature of worship in contemporary churches. Trevin Wax writes:
When it comes to the atmosphere of worship services in the next generation, something’s got to give.
More and more churches are focusing on the centrality of the Word in worship. The resurgence of Reformed theology among younger evangelicals, the reestablishment of a rock-solid belief in the inerrancy and inspiration of the Scriptures in the Southern Baptist Convention, the revival of expository preaching… this wave that we’re riding is about to collide with an even bigger wave: the dominance of contemporary worship styles across the U.S. and the world.
For many churches, the biggest requirement for a “worship set” is novelty. We’re aiming for an experience. So we put together a worship service that is more influenced by the latest hits on Christian radio than by theology or history.
We also try to put people at ease. “Good morning… Let’s try that again, GOOD MORNING!” There’s a chatty, street-level style of worship that has become prevalent in evangelicalism. And I’m not sure how our pursuit of novelty and casualness in worship is going to mesh with hearing the Word of God expounded upon in all its glory.
Can a contemporary, casual service bring worshippers face to face with the glory of God in a way that buttresses and upholds the magnificent truths being expounded from the Word? I think the answer is yes, but not always.
It’s like eating steak on a paper plate.
Read the rest here. Love to know what you think about this.
Virtual Models of the Temple
Posted by MK | Filed under Bible Study, Videos
These videos were fascinating to me. I can’t get over the immensity of the structure.
What follows are virtual models showing what the Temple Mount and Herod’s Temple would have looked like in the time of Jesus. The models were constructed by UCLA’s Urban Simulation Team in a collaboration with the Israel Antiquities Authority.
Fridays Are For One Question
Posted by MK | Filed under Fridays Are For One Question
On the wall on my office hang 2 piece of plywood. On there, I use a Sharpie to write quotes that I think are particularly meaningful. And here’s my thing about quotes – I don’t have to agree with everything the person says to like this one, little nugget of truth.
I think I’ve got a pretty diverse group on there. I’ve got a quote from Rocky Balboa next to one from Anne Lamott next to GK Chesterson Next to Martin Luther next to Ralph Waldo Emerson next to Albert Einstein next to John Calvin next to M Night Shylaman. Ecclectic, I know.
But that’s the nature of today’s question:
“What one quote would you frame and hang in your home or your office?”
The First First Day of School
Posted by MK | Filed under Parenting
And there he goes. Joshua is off for his very first first day of school. And I’m trying to hold it together.
Both Jana and I though we wouldn’t be “those” parents. But guess what? We are them. Big time. Those parents that cry when their kid steps into the classroom. Those parents who sit by the phone during the morning in case they get a call from the administration. Those parents who can’t believe that six years has already come and gone.
Along with the first day of school, there come alot of questions at least in my mind:
Is he prepared for the challenges of being in the world, but not being of the world?
How will he handle the fact that not everybody he meets is going to be nice to him?
Did we make the right choice in choosing public school over home or private school?
How is this experience going to change him and our family?
How long is it going to be before he is simply too cool for all the things he used to do?
So as I reflect on his little room in our home, still filled with stuffed animals and pictures and toys that he might soon decide he’s too old for, I’m trying to sort through, with a spirit of wisdom, all the emotions. And for me, I think it comes down to this:
I suddenly feel very out of control. And that’s hard for me, especially with Joshua.
It was almost four years ago that my son was diagnosed with leukemia. Close to a year ago that he went off of chemotherapy. But throughout those four years, the control thing has been a constant battle for me. Today I’m feeling the same thing I have felt many times over the course of these past few years whenever Joshua has entered something new.
His first baseball practice.
His first overnight sleepover.
Even the times when I’ve taken him to play on the playground. I’ve had to make a conscious effort to let him go and play with the other kids instead of hovering over him to make sure he is protected. Maybe that’s the fear of losing him that comes from cancer coming out in me. Maybe not. Regardless, it seems to be about control.
This, I choose to believe, is where the gospel is brought to bear on the first first day of school. We’ve tried our best to prepare Joshua. To teach him about Jesus. To raise him in love and faith. But have we done enough?
Unquestioningly, no. We have not. I have not.
I have not been the perfect father.
I have not been the perfect teacher.
I have not been the perfect example.
But the gospel? Well, the gospel is God making up for what we lack. And in parenting, as in all cases, we lack very, very much. The gospel doesn’t excuse our lack; it assumes our lack. Because of Jesus, in this situation where I can’t do much else, the only avenue left for me is to believe.
Which ironically, is where I should have started to begin with.
In your grace, Father, take care of our son this morning.
The Parable of the Sea
Posted by MK | Filed under Church, Videos
Sea Parable from ilovepinatas on Vimeo.
More Holy Vocabulary Reviews
Posted by MK | Filed under Books
The first from Trevin Wax over at Kingdom People:
In all, this is a very helpful resource. If you’re looking for solid theology in a creative package, you’ve found it.Holy Vocabulary is faithful to Scripture and current to our cultural setting. It’s by far one of the best Threads Bible studies that I’ve come across. You won’t be disappointed.
This one from Becky Dietz:
This book would fit any small group–from the baby or carnal Christian all the way to the Greek scholar–and any age group. In fact, I had my own small group in mind as I read, knowing it would hit the broad spectrum of that group.
And from Heather Thompson:
Overall this was an interesting book that I would especially recommend to those new to the faith, but does offer some insights to old hats like myself.
Be sure to click over to read the reviews in their entirety. You can order Holy Vocabulary: Rescuing the Language of Faith by clicking here.
The Awesome-ness Driven Church
Posted by MK | Filed under Church
Jared Wilson with a cutting, and accurate, post here:
It is widely repeated that a Korean pastor once visited the United States and remarked at the end of his stay, “It’s amazing what you people can do without the Holy Spirit.”
Yesterday I watched a video of a motocross bike jumping over a pastor on stage. Now, I’m not saying that church or its pastor don’t have the Holy Spirit, but I am saying that setting up a dirtbike track in your sanctuary is profoundly stupid.
What is profoundly stupid is the sheer amount of innovation, creativity, energy, ambition, and astounding levels of human wherewithal that go into crafting the most amazing worship experiences Americans have ever seen inside churches where the gospel isn’t preached. I can say this because there’s only one thing we hold that the New Testament calls “power,” and that’s the gospel.
Read the rest here. God, wake us up to the inherent power of the spoken word. We don’t need to “sweeten” the gospel. It does find on its own.