recommendation

We had a gathering of college students from our church tonight. We like to try to get them together during the holidays and their breaks and tonight worked out well. We actually have about 40 students who are away at different places and tonight had 11 show up for pizza and a movie. It was great to be around them and see that they really do love their church and the people of the church. I struggle with all of the students I work with at times, but there are definitely times when I feel fortunate to get paid for what I do.

We went to Ocean's Twelve after pizza at Lilly's. I thought the movie was really good. What this sequel does better than many others is it avoids the attempt to recreate the greatness of its predecessor. This film had all of the same characters as the first, but it does something really different with the story. You never feel like you do when you watch other stuff and you know exactly what will happen. You never actually know what has happened. But back to the subject, I enjoy this particular cast of characters and they maintained their quirkyness while pulling off a totally different movie which stands as a good movie, worth seeing, and not completely overshadowed by the first.

peace

decisions

There are times in life when we make decisions that must be made. Career decisions, relationship decisions, and making decisions about our favorite things are such decisions.

Today, I attended the funeral of a church member and the mother of one of my good friends from church. At this funeral service I made a few decisions about my Christmas favorites that I want to pass along.

First, I have chosen my favorite Christmas songs. I have two, O Holy Night, and God Rest ye Merry Gentlemen. I am not sure what it is about theses songs that inspire awe in me but they do. This decisions also marks a shift. My favortie Christmas song was Cheryl Crow's Blue Christmas, but I have definitely changed for good. I still love cheryl's song, but it no longer holds favorite status.

I also chose a favorite Scripture, or at least Christmas Scripture. I have decided to go with Luke 2:21-40, the stories of Jesus being presented in the temple with Simeon and Anna present. I cant imagine what it would be like to be able to say: "Sovreign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace." If you need a context, read Luke 2.

I hope you find my findings intersting, I would be happy ot hear about your favorites as well. God bless and Merry Christmas.

nothing really

I dont really have that much to write about today. I worked all day yesterday and half the day today doing some writing and editing of work I had done in the past at school. I was actually a little bit impressed with what I had written. None of it was earth-shattering, but I did make an A on the paper I wrote for Leander Keck, NT scholar and editor of the New Interpreters Bible Commentary series. For those of you not in these circles, he is a really great person and brilliant professor. The othe paper I was working on was more intersting, it was about the misuse of scripture by a character in Kierkegaard's Stages on Life's Way. I am thinking about re-reading that book.

In other news, my fantasy football season is coming to a crashing end. I have had fun with my first experience but it has also been frustrating. I am right at .500, at 7-7, but I am less than 10 points out of the lead for the total points, which is actually only a statistic that help me sleep better at night. I am frustrated about it though becuase I have won my games by an average of more than 35 points, yet each game I lose is by an average of 10 points. Clearly I have a powerful team, but have gotten beat by everyone on their best day.

But, I just found out that there is a losers backet in the playoffs. So, I am looking forward to being the best loser in the league. I figure, like Ben Stiller says in Keeping the Faith, if you are gonna suck, really, gloriously suck. So I am going to be the best loser in the league. It is all I can do.

instead of tv

I am blogging instead of watching letterman or leno, (I dont have cable). I seem to have been spiritually challenged today. (the fact that I should be most days but avoid or miss it should not inhibit you ability to read and expereince this challenge too, if it is for you)

I have made reservations for 3 apartments at Showshoe resort for three nights in January. We are going to take some of our church's college students to ski at the best mountain on the east coast. The problem is that I am now locked in to about $600 of deposits and I am depending on 8-10 students to come through. I definitely trust these kids, or young adults, but as we all remember, college world where I deal with them is much different than home world, where the money comes from.

In a way I feel like I took a step of faith though. I know there will be more steps to take in the future, I can see that some big ones will probably be coming in the next 6-8 months. This silly reservation process made me more nervous than any other reservation I have ever made for church, and I actually make lots of them.

I was pointed to Mary and Joseph as I reflected on my anxiety. I knew that this could be the most fun I have ever had as an adult on a ski trip. I also knew that taking the step into the commitment was one of the more difficult decisions I have made regarding trips and youth ministry.

Mary and Joseph had it hard. I bet they had a little anxiety. But, they managed to step in to the "great wide open" and overcome anxiety. The result of their faithfulness has changed the world.

Now, I know some $2400 ski trip for 10 wont change the world, but I am thankful that I will bring joy to my world. I hope it will be a blessing to the students who are able to ski and live together for 4 days. I am thankful to be reminded that the steps we take in faith often lead to a great wide open that we could not have anticipated. I think I am more prepared today for a big step of faith than I was yesterday.

PS. that did not come out nearly as cool as it worked in my head, but it works anyway.
Peace this advent.

Check out following the star for advent devotionals

double standard

I really got miffed about the whole ordeal a few weeks ago between Nicolette Sheridan and Terrell Owens on Monday Night Football. I did not really understand anyone's arguments about why is was so bad people needed to be fined or suspended for what happened. If it truly was inappropriate, which it likely was not according to a majority of Americans, a simple apology would be fine. I actually thought it was funny but I am also a fan of Desperate Housewives.

That said, I spent some time watching Oprah last night. I am not sure why, I even listened to enough of the show to know what was going on, but it was a repeat of the days show that aired late at night. I guess I watched for the same reason I sometimes watch the 700 Club during lunch: 1. We dont have cable, and there is nothing on 2. I just wanted to see what nonsense was being spewed this week.

Imagine my suprise when the discussion turned to Brazilian Bikini Waxes and Proper OBGYN etiquitte. The Foreign question was about "if it was good for all parties involved. Would it spice up stuff in the bedroom since we have been married 16 years now." The woman wanted to do this for her husband. The doctors question was whether one should wear socks or not while being examined.

Now, my issues with this: Oprah airs at 4pm. Not at 1am, not at 9pm 4PM!!! Right as our darling elementary school kids are getting home, having a snack of milk and cookies and working on homework or playing gameboy. Can you hear it..."Mom, what is a brazilian bikini wax??? what are stirrups???"

This leads me to my actual issue. All of these middle-aged conservative, God-Fearing women (in our area at least) that run around to Mother's Day out programs, Curves, and Heart to Heart bible Studies are probably the ones who complained about TO and Edie. My question is: do they think twice about Oprah?

Obviously, I think they do not. These women probably love Oprah. The probably even watch DH.

Well, that is my rant for now. Sorry if I have offended. I just hate that people get so mad about the crap that is on TV. It is just TV, if you dont like it, dont watch.

Oh yeah, by the way, there is NO WAY the timberlake/jackson event was not planned. If you think it was spontaneous, I have a really nice brige in San Francisco I would like to make you a deal on.





peace

exciting

Often in my blogs I subtlely drop notes about how no one actually reads the blog, but I actually got a little pumped today when I realized that I have had 147 hits in about a month and they were not all mine. I guess that is cool. I wish more would drop a comment but I understand the blogger comment page is a bit more cumbersome.

In response to the last comment from Jeff, I am definitely going to be more user friendly.

WISH ME LUCK THIS WEEKEND. I have been playing fantasy football online this fall and it has been intersting. The strange thing is that I have the best running back in the league, the best defense in the league, and the second best quarterback in the league but I am still only in 5th place out of 10 teams. The playoffs begin this week and I take on my brother. It is unfortunate one of us will be eliminated this week. I have scored the second most points in the league but not on the right weeks. I win games by 30, 50, or this week 100 points, but lose by 1, 7 and 10. It is a crime I say!!!!

So, I will play this weekend, hoping for great games out of Donovan McNabb, Sean Alexander, Dominick Rhodes, Anotonio Gates, Andre Johnson and Roy Williams. Cheer me on in your hearts. If I win, a matchup against the guy with Peyton Manning should be next.

Also, I would recommend you play Fantasy Football next year. It is enjoyable and makes the NFL watchable and interesting. I will pass along league info here next August. Peace

backing off

I just re-read my last post and it makes little sense. I was going to comment but then realized no one would read the comment. At least there is a chance someone will see this.

My reflection that I was to post is that for some reason I said a few things about the emergent and southern baptists that came off probably more black and white than I realize they actually are. I made a stretch and tried to equate a couple things that dont really need equating.

I guess you can be Southern Baptist and be emergent at the same time, but I think these groups are having different discussions right now.

I hope emergent is a group that wants to talk about church outside of the particular expressions of worship style, and instead deal with the things that go into the creation of particular styles. Thinking about the underlying theological pinnings will allow for a myriad of emergent styles to emerge as faithful expressions of christian worship in a postmodern world.

down the road

I took the GRE today, what a whip of an exam. They put you up in this cubical with an old computer and you have to write two essays, I had two verbal sections and then a math section. I got my scores, not the essays though, and I think I did ok. In the interest of privacy I am not going to share my scores here and I am also not fully sure what I will do with them, but there are only a few possibilities.

It seems the "emergent church" is on the minds of many in christian publishing circles this month. (actually it was on their minds a few months ago and we have now finally got it, but who's counting) Emergert as a noun or adjective, was on the cover of Christianity Today and of the Christian Century. The CT article was OK, more about name dropping and an attempt to critique a "trend" church. CT has no real right to talk about trendy if you ask me, but that could be the white russian talking. The Century article was better but is a bit harder to come by. It seems to me, if this group is going to be viable and last across the long haul, it will have to be more about ways of thinking and beginning to deliniate those thoughts in constructive ways and not just abstractly about the new world beyond modernity. I know we are moving into new thought frontiers, but we must do so and bring other with us as well. We must assist in translating the message and the new language.

What I have found exciting about all of the writing that has been done abou emergent is that most of the reading and thinking that is going on is very similar to what I have spent the last four years of my life doing at Duke. I read Brueggemann for OT, theology and preaching, and I read and wrote on Grentz's Bryond Foundationalism before it showed up as recommended reading for emergent. I know this is tooting my own horn, but everyone of you quit reading long ago, except for my wife of course.

It is intersting what is going on with Guys like McLarens and his 'crew.' I think they are being faithful and far from the left feild that many have put them in. For those who are still calling themselves Southern Baptist and are sending their money to Nashville, either you or emergent are in left field, depending on your point of view, but it seems to me that emergent is tapping into mainling progressive thinking.

Thats my take and I never intended to get here from the GRE but it has been a long week. Christmas is coming though, so is an updated blog. peace
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