Father’s Day Follow-Up June 22, 2009
Posted by James in Christianity, Church of Christ, Faith, Family.add a comment
I had a good Father’s Day. No nap, but a good day. Clearly, my wife and daughters know me well. I got chicken fried steak and friend okra with sweet iced tea for lunch, a piece of cheesecake & coffee in lieu of supper, and season 9 of Seinfeld.
At church, I’ve been teaching a series of lessons from the book of Ecclesiastes. I don’t always do “holiday sermons”–seems a bit too Hallmark for my tastes–but this year I did. In part, I want to know that at least one church in town didn’t one of “those” Father’s Day sermons. You know, the “fathers are dirt” sermons that are always the vogue (I dare you to try something like that on Mother’s Day if you really want to rock the boat!). So, this Sunday we continued in our study of Ecclesiastes, but seeking insight for dads. Here is the “10 things you want your children to learn before you launch them out into the world” list from yesterday:
- A good name is invaluable. (1)
- Sorrow is often a better life-teacher than laughter. (2-4)
- It’s better to be corrected when you need it than to be flattered. (5-6)
- Endings are better than beginnings. (8)
- The one who patient in spirit is better than the one who is proud in spirit. (8)
- Don’t be quick to get angry. (9)
- Nostalgia can be just plain foolish (aka “Remember Lot’s wife.”). (10)
- Wisdom and knowledge are the best safeguards of your future. (12)
- Remember that every day is a day that God has created, and all have a purpose. Learn from them all, and remember He has a better vantage point. (13-14)
- Seek a wise balance in life. (15-18)
Oh, and a bonus: Nobody’s perfect (20; 25-29)
Quote of the Day June 20, 2009
Posted by James in Christianity, Church of Christ, Quotes.2 comments
While the practices of the church are necessary for the people of God to keep the story straight, they are never to be thought of as ends in themselves. When the practices of the church become greater than the story they serve, the church loses its way. Moreover, when one practice becomes the exclusive way the church seeks to keep the story straight, the church can also lose its way. Finally, when one “recipe” of the church is seen as the “complete” or final expression of what it means to live as the people of God, the church loses its way.
Mark Love, Douglas Foster, and Randall Harris. The Heart of the Restoration Series, Vol. 4: Seeking A Lasting City. Abilene: ACU Press, 2005. 92. Print.
The Church of Christ, Gnosticism, Dualism, Platonism, and Fasting June 19, 2009
Posted by James in Christianity, Church of Christ, scripture.2 comments
I always find it fascinating when you have some conversation/thought/discussion and then all of a sudden you are flooded with tidbits from different directions, all related to the same topic, but none coming related sources. For example, you tell somebody a cherry limeade sounds really good, then somebody else tells you that they really miss Sonic (who just happens to have the best cherry limeades), then while googling something else, you find out that Sonic is looking for employees at a newly opened Sonic just down the highway. That happened yesterday, and I love those kinds of intersections of info and thought that bear fruit, almost by serendipity.
A similar thing has happened the past several days on another front. Last Wednesday at our Bible study something came up in our discussion about the Western dichotomy of body & spirit. We were talking about some of the theological ramifications of treating the body as a mere shell of no importance (a common Western idea that worms itself into our beliefs, but not a particularly Biblical one). Our discussion was short because of the schedule, and I’d wished we could have gone further and deeper into the topic. Earlier this week I came across a couple blog posts by Jay Quin, and elder in the Church of Christ, that deal with this very thing. Today, I came across a “twinterview” (that’s a Twitter interview…shouldn’t it be “Twitterview”?) of Scot McKnight, author of The Jesus Creed and The Blue Parakeet, who also recently wrote Fasting. Lo and behold, what is one of the issues Scot McKnight goes into very quickly? Yep. The Western dichotomy of body/spirit. Rather than rehash it all here, I’m going to point you to these two very different, unconnected, but very related resources, and if you have yet more resources to contribute, leave a note in the comments.
- Jay Guin: Backgrounds of the Restoration Movement: Gnosticism, Part 1
- Jay Guin: Backgrounds of the Restoration Movement: Gnosticism, Part 2
- Jay Guin: Backgrounds of the Restoration Movement: Gnosticism, Part 3
- Jay Guin: Backgrounds of the Restoration Movement: Gnosticism, Part 4
- Scot McKnight: “Twinterview” on fasting
Update: Link 4 to Jay Guin’s series now available.
This week’s Sanctify My Heart broadcast June 13, 2009
Posted by James in Christianity, Church of Christ, Evangelism, Faith, baptism, scripture.add a comment
You know the old saying, “Old dogs can’t learn new tricks?” Scripture tends to turn that saying on its head by reminding us that God did not create us as dogs, and that we are capable of learning and growing in our understanding and faith at all stages of life. Starting in Acts 18:24, we find a couple of examples of people who knew well that learning never ends.
Acs 18-19: “Never Too Smart to Keep Learning”
The Maturity Continuum May 8, 2009
Posted by James in Christianity, Church, Church Life, Church of Christ, Faith, Family, Life, Marriage, Misc., Politics, Preaching, Quotes, Unity.add a comment
I’m in a hurry this morning and am getting ready to head to the radio station to record this weekend’s broadcast, but I wanted to post a quote, as we Texans say, “right quick.” There is a concept Stephen Covey writes about in his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, that I think is worth the price of admission just by itself. It is the concept of the Maturity Continuum. I refer to this quite often because it speaks truth, and it runs parallel to several Biblical principles.
On the Maturity Continuum, dependence is the paradigm of you—you take care of me, you come through for me, you didn’t come through, I blame you for the results.
Independence is the paradigm of I—I can do it; I am responsible; I am self-reliant; I can choose.
Interdependence is the paradigm of we—we can do it; we can cooperate; we can create something greater together.
Dependent people need others to get what they want. Independent people can get what they want through their own effort. Interdependent people combine their own efforts with the efforts of others to achieve their greater success.
Conspiracy Exposed — The eggs ARE smaller. April 13, 2009
Posted by James in Food, Humor.4 comments
Tony Blair didn’t want to be thought a nutter. April 9, 2009
Posted by James in Faith, Politics.add a comment
It’s a brief, but interesting interview of the former Prime Minister on his faith while in office.
Confusion or Genius? April 7, 2009
Posted by James in Life, Misc..4 comments
First, if you know me very well, you probably have figured out my strong feelings on shopping carts left loose in the parking lot. Basically, I think when you do that you do the Devil’s work. It would be number 11 on my list of things that found their origin in the bowels of hell. I once parked just one spot from the cart return and waited in the car while Tanya ran into the grocery store. The lady parked in the spot between me and the return left her basket against my front fender. That, my friends isn’t just lazy, it’s born-in-the-bowels-of-Gehenna lazy.
Before you think I’m veering into some long vent or diatribe, let me tell you I’m not. Nope. Instead, I’m trying to figure out if the person who parked the car in the photo below is really confused and accidentally parked their Focus in the cart return, or if this person is an incredible genius, and has outsmarted the lazy cart leavers. After all, if most people aren’t going to put their carts in the return, it may well be the safest parking spot in the lot!
What do you think? Confused? Or Genius!
Funny moments the last couple of days April 3, 2009
Posted by James in Family, Life.2 comments
- Tanya is deathly afraid of snakes. It goes back to two things–she grew up in Texas (aka the Land of Rattlesnakes and Water Moccasins), and her brothers used to chase her around and taunt her with garden snakes. Yesterday, I was glad I keep the shotgun under lock and key or I’d be out of a TV. I had it turned to “Sunrise Earth” and then I forgot to turn it off when I went into the office. Tanya got back from taking Emma to school, walked through the living room….”AAAAUUUGGGHHH!!!!!…apparently after “Sunrise Earth” there was a documentary about snakes…in all their HDTV glory. Worse, when I came to see what was happening she had her eyes closed and was trying to change channels. When she opened them and saw me, she screamed again.
- This morning on the way back from the preachers’ breakfast I was stuck behind a slow semi in the fast lane. just as he finally moved over to the middle lane, I noticed in the rear-view mirror that a car about five back was making a weave into the right lane to pass on the right of the semi. Just as I passed the semi, that car came steaming by and I looked to see if he was changing lanes. As I did I saw the driver sticking his tongue out at me in derision (why, I don’t know…I guess he though it was me and not the semi holding up traffic). He put such angst and gusto into it and thought he was really saying something, and that just cracked me up. I mean really, a grown man sticking his tongue out like that looks too silly to make anyone feel insulted. Even funnier, he looked like he was wearing the hat from the cartoon of Carol Burnett during the opening/closing sequence.
- Emma decided that we needed to play The Quiet Game at supper tonight. I kept loosing because I couldn’t get Tanya and the snakes on the TV out of my head, and nearly sent sweet and sour chicken through my nose.
