Covenant Seminary has launched ‘Covenant Worldwide’, a free online resource
of materials from their seminary…TONS of stuff. Great stuff. Things grad students pay big bucks for.
Go here and check it out.
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Skip Seminary?
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The Arc of The Penguin
In case you haven’t seen this before…my personal best is 310.5.
Beware…it’s addictive.
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Thomas Young Speaks
Some guys make an impression that sticks.
Years ago I ran into a ‘youth communicator’ named Thomas Young. He spoke to students at some camp. But he was a really unique guy–what he taught was not about cute little stories and funny anecdotes, but serious theology. But not theology for theology’s sake, either. Deep, meaty, unapologetic apologetics. The kind of spiritual meal that sticks to your ribs for hours afterwards.
The students hung on his every word. They hungered to know God…and they were filled.
Thomas has begun his blog.
Check it out. Visit often. Drink deep.
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A Sabbath Tuesday…
According to the Jewish Virtual Library:
The Sabbath (or Shabbat, as it is called in Hebrew) is one of the best known and least understood of all Jewish observances. People who do not observe Shabbat think of it as a day filled with stifling restrictions, or as a day of prayer like the Christian Sabbath. But to those who observe Shabbat, it is a precious gift from God, a day of great joy eagerly awaited throughout the week, a time when we can set aside all of our weekday concerns and devote ourselves to higher pursuits.
In Jewish literature, poetry and music, Shabbat is described as a bride or queen, as in the popular Shabbat hymn Lecha Dodi Likrat Kallah (come, my beloved, to meet the [Sabbath] bride). It is said “more than Israel has kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept Israel.”
Shabbat is the most important ritual observance in Judaism. It is the only ritual observance instituted in the Ten Commandments. It is also the most important special day, even more important than Yom Kippur. This is clear from the fact that more aliyahs (opportunities for congregants to be called up to the Torah) are given on Shabbat than on any other day.
Shabbat is primarily a day of rest and spiritual enrichment. The word “Shabbat” comes from the root Shin-Bet-Tav, meaning to cease, to end, or to rest.Why, for the love of Gentiles everywhere, am I posting this?
Because yesterday, Tuesday, was my Shabbat, or Sabbath. I drove a mere 22 miles from my house, and spent the day here. And because it is February… I had the place to myself.
I packed my backpack with a few books, a lunch, my trusty iPOD, and left home early in the morning (but late enough to miss the commuter traffic). I threw some fishing gear and bottled water into the truck and took off for some much needed rest after an exciting and exhausting DNOW weekend. I spent some time reading Romans and 1 John. I read my latest issue of Guitar ONE. Listened to some Ravi Zacharias and EJ’s Bloom. Then went back to the scripture.
It was HARD. Hard not to think about everything on my desktop that needed my attention. Hard not to think about the students who made decisions this weekend. They needed follow-up. And what about the preparation for FUEL Wednesday night? The band practice? The message? The slides for MediaShout? What about all the religious-political discussions (read: battles) online I was missing out on?
Then my mind went back to a conversation at Chuy’s (praise be to God for Chuy’s) last week with my buddy, Pat Cammarata. While talking over green chile enchiladas and shrimp tacos, Pat said, “If you study the Bible, and it doesn’t leave you in wonder and awe, then you haven’t studied the Bible.”
So, sitting next to the waterfall, listening to EJ, and sipping my snooty Pellegrino, the Spirit spoke to me. He seemed to say ‘Being a Christian is more than conquering, it’s about celebrating mystery.’ THERE is my sabbath rest.I neither have now, nor will *ever* have, the answers. But my faith is not bound up in knowing the answers–that’s not faith, but science. The very nature of Orthodox Christianity is that we never come to the end. Our faith begs for more. More discussion. More inquiry. More debate. Question after question. More experience.
People say that the Christian faith has a lot of paradoxes. Not true. The Christian faith is a lot of paradoxes. It can’t be resolved. We must let it be what it is. Grace and judgement. Election and free will. Yin and yang. It is systematically unsystematic. And it drives me bonkers.
On Tuesday, I celebrated the mystery in the Scripture. In creation. In EJ’s interpretation of phyrgian minor as it plays against the pentatonic major of the bass line.
I encourage you to take your Sabbath. Soon. Today if possible. Unplug and log off. Listen to the Spirit-Wind of God. Let Him still your soul. Be still and know the mystery. Know that the God whom you’ll never wrap your head around is madly and deeply in love with you. Why?
I guess that’s part of the Mystery.
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Mindless Fun II
After an exhilirating and exhausting 8 days last week, I’m wiped. I spent yesterday hanging out at a park, enjoying the sounds of the waterfall, and reading while munching on my PB&J. (more on that later)
In the meantime, here are some of last week’s favorite links people have sent me. (I do get by with a little help from my friends…)
I’d Rather Hunt With Dick Cheney
Than Ride With Ted KennedyFind anyone’s Drivers License info (FREE..and scary).
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GROW UP
How many times have we heard that before? How many times have we SAID that before? (That’s how I know I’m getting old…When I open up my mouth and my Dad pops out.)
When we’re babies, all we can do is baby stuff. We cry, eat, sleep, play and poop. We lead a pretty simple lifestyle. As we grow, we learn to walk. Why? Because we see others doing it. We learn to talk. Eventually, we learn to drive, do algebra, play basketball, and surf the internet. Growing up is difficult at times. But at least we know what growing up is supposed to “look like” because we can look around at others.
But what about spiritually? What does it look like to grow up spiritually? We “get saved”, show up a few Sundays at church, sing some songs, go to camp, but then what? How does growing up affect my daily life? We need a fairly good picture of what spiritual maturity looks like in order for us to work toward that. Where’s the payoff for growing up spiritually? Where’s the reward? Wouldn’t it be easier, and less complicated, to just stay in diapers? So, here are the questions that are bouncing around my head this afternoon.- What does “spiritual growth” mean to you?
- What “keeps you going” spiritually?
- Which is more important, what you believe or how you behave?
- As Christians, what do you think is our number one goal?
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Revolution Calling: Mindcrime II
Today is the 62nd birthday of Graham Nash, …yes, of Crosby, Stills, and NASH. Graham is a tremendous songwriter and performer. Feliz Cumpleanos, amigo.
On a bigger (to me) note, it has been announced that Mindcrime II will be released in the spring. The original Operation: Mindcrime (1988) and subsequent live box set, Operation: LIVECrime (2001), is a hallmark of concept albums. Queensryche (minus Chris DeGarmo) may have drifted out of favor with Kurt Loder and the rest of the fascists over at MTV, but their last offering I picked up shows they are still creating great music, great art, and are asking some big questions.
Coincidentally, the story of the album focuses on revealing Sister Mary’s killer and is set to be released worldwide on April 4th…the day Martin Luther King was killed.
You can get pre-release tracks and track listings here.
Oh, and did I mention that Ronnie James Dio will be lending his voice for the part of Dr. X?
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A Heaping Spoonful of Creativity
Hats off to my dear friend Bil Cornelius at Bay Area Fellowship in Corpus. A VERY long time ago (almost 20 years!?!) we met at a summer camp in Waco. A few years ago Bil and Jessica started a church with one other couple—Bay Area now sees thousands of people through its doors every weekend.Bil’s current sermon series is on the topic of ‘Relationships’.
Stop what you’re doing. Click here. (You’ll need a hi speed connection to watch the video.)
Watch the first four minutes of the video!
(I GOTTA get me one of these….)
(Thanks, Pam, for the link! Come see us!) -
Go Ahead…Just Curse God and Die…
I found an interesting story from Rueters, via tg2.
NAIROBI (Reuters) – A starving Kenyan woman placed a powerful tribal curse on God, accusing him of sending famine, and died in her sleep, local newspapers said Thursday.
The woman from eastern Kenya’s drought-ravaged Kangundo district decided to invoke a dreaded oath from the Kamba community, famed for its potent witchcraft, media reports said.
“Whoever brought this famine, let him perish,” the woman chanted, striking a cooking pot with a stick.
“She accomplished the feat at 10 a.m. and waited for the results, but God’s wrath struck at night. She died peacefully in her sleep,” the Kenya Times newspaper said.
…that’s freakin’ AWESOME.
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Openly Straight Christian Activist To Play Gay Part
The funniest thing I’ve run across this week…thanks to Thorn for the link, and to the Mind behind it.Kirk Cameron, actor and Christian activist has been tagged to play the part of Chad Allen in the proposed made for TV biopic “The Start of the Rainbow at the End of the Spear”. This choice has spurred much discussion on GLBT blogs and websites wondering why a gay actor couldn’t be found to act in the role. Gary Winkle, president of GPGOT (Gays Playing Gays On Television) captures the prevailing sentiment well: “Its not so much that he’s straight, but that he is openly straight about his straightness and openly Christian about his Christianity. I definitely am boycotting this movie”.
