Though I hate the title "Christian Music," I'm thinking it has gotten a bad rap in recent years. Tomorrow morning I leave to spend five days at Creation West, Washington's biggest Christian music festival. Honestly, I'm not super-excited about the music, but that's partly because I just don't like concerts.
Any musician who is trying to use his or her gifts in order to praise God is alright with me. Yes, there is the whole issue with people getting famous and making bank off of worshipping God, which is frustrating to say the least, but the overall thrust of the scene is still good. I think many in the postmodern scene have ripped on this scene because it is corny and therefore an easy target...okay, I've often been one of them...but the truth is that we should be singing along with it and enjoying it, just as the ancient Israelites chose to sing David's songs rather than some trendy Jebusite tune that could be twisted to be about God. Let's not let the negatives of Christian music take away something great.
Just some thoughts from a guy who doesn't typically listen to Christian music but is thinking about starting.
Peace, and see you in a week,
Matt
Currently Reading: The Sacrament of the Present Moment by Jean-Pierre De Caussade.
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Sunday, July 24, 2005
What's New
Just an FYI for those (if any) who check-out this blog: there are two new links, both of which are incredible. Check them out, but be ready to spend a TON of time looking through all the amazing information they contain!
Peace,
Matt
Just Read: Velvet Elvis, the first book ever written by Rob Bell. It was great, though much of it was stuff he's used in sermons through the years. He does write some thoughts on the Bible which, though they aren't new, are great to hear from him. He is a non-foundationalist, meaning he doesn't believe somebody can just "do what the Bible says," but he is somebody who believes the Bible is vital for anybody seeking to follow Christ. Anyway, it's a good, quick read.
Peace,
Matt
Just Read: Velvet Elvis, the first book ever written by Rob Bell. It was great, though much of it was stuff he's used in sermons through the years. He does write some thoughts on the Bible which, though they aren't new, are great to hear from him. He is a non-foundationalist, meaning he doesn't believe somebody can just "do what the Bible says," but he is somebody who believes the Bible is vital for anybody seeking to follow Christ. Anyway, it's a good, quick read.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Food For Thought
I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down other-centered can build up. I still believe that one day mankind will bow before the altars of God and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and nonviolent redemptive goodwill will proclaim the rule of the land. "And the lion and the lamb shall lie down together and every man shall sit under his own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid." I still believe that we shall overcome.
-From Martin Luther King Jr.'s Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech.
-From Martin Luther King Jr.'s Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech.
A New House
It is official...Effie and I are buying a house! Technically we are doing the inspection this morning, and if everything turns out okay, we are buying the house. Close enough. I am very excited, though it means we will be moving to the thriving metropolis of Ferndale. It's not that bad of a drive, though, and it gives me an excuse to buy a motorcycle. Can't complain there.
Other than the house, life is pretty much consisting of me working my butt-off right now. We are taking a group of students to Creation next week, and I have to have a budget in this week for our Fall retreat, which isn't until the end of October! It'll be good though--I think we are doing a 90's theme, and spending the weekend focusing on worship (especially if I can convince Mr. Ron Pie to come). Life is busy - - so much for focusing on Sabbath this summer.
Peace,
Matt
Currently Reading: Teresa of Avila : The Progress of a Soul by Cathleen Medwick. I bought it at a thrift store for $2. It's a good start if you want to understand this strange mystic, but I would add that it isn't exactly the most thrilling book, even though it involves a woman who is visited by God and Satan on a very regular basis.
Other than the house, life is pretty much consisting of me working my butt-off right now. We are taking a group of students to Creation next week, and I have to have a budget in this week for our Fall retreat, which isn't until the end of October! It'll be good though--I think we are doing a 90's theme, and spending the weekend focusing on worship (especially if I can convince Mr. Ron Pie to come). Life is busy - - so much for focusing on Sabbath this summer.
Peace,
Matt
Currently Reading: Teresa of Avila : The Progress of a Soul by Cathleen Medwick. I bought it at a thrift store for $2. It's a good start if you want to understand this strange mystic, but I would add that it isn't exactly the most thrilling book, even though it involves a woman who is visited by God and Satan on a very regular basis.
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Faith After Christendom
I feel like I've been a bit more candid on this blog lately, causing me to dig into the Bible a bit, as well as my unorthodox theology and political views. I guess the gloves are off, but I think I'll try to be a bit more discreet today... That being said, let's talk about Christendom.
A few months ago I had a long conversation with a friend who tried to persuade me that Christendom, and particularly Constantine and the U.S., was and is the greatest thing that has ever happened since Jesus, and because it was/has been allowed to last so long, it is obviously God's will that it happened.
I don't want to get into the whole issue of what is and isn't God's will (maybe later), but I do want to talk about Christendom. I believe that the most important issue at the heart of this is the differentiation of the old and the new covenant. Most people who talk to me about Christendom speak in Old Testament terms, such as "It is our divine duty to uphold God's moral standards in this nation," or "It is an obligation on our Christian nation to punish those who would violently attack God's people," etc. I think we in the U.S. are lucky that we really aren't God's chosen nation. Israel was God's original chosen people, and he judged them very severely when they disobeyed Him. As the richest country in a world where millions are starving, we should thank our lucky stars, if not our God, that we are not a chosen nation.
The truth is, God is not the God of any particular nation even if every person in that nation claims otherwise. YHWH is not a tribal deity, but the creator and sustainer of all living things. When a nation claims any sort of right to God, creating a Christendom of sorts, it sets itself up as judge. The problem is, Israel committed war as an act of worship in which God directed the people specifically how to act. No nation since has recieved a direct order from God concerning who and how to attack another nation. Instead, we have recieved Christ's direct order to love, judge not, and turn the other cheek. Moreover, he stated that we should not be like the kings of this earth who lord their power over others, but must instead become everybody else's servants. That's much different than the Christendom model.
I guess what I am trying to say is that every nation that has claimed to be "under God" has stood directly against everything God really stand for. When a person commits a terrible act and then thanks God for His help, this isn't a righteous act but a self-righteous act.
A God-fearing nation in the post-resurrection world would choose to cancel the debts of poor nations, donate medicine to those who need it, and have only the neccessary army to defend those who cannot defend themselves.
Christendom was and is a joke. It is like the baptism of a turd. Think about that...
Peace,
Matt
Currently Reading: The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton.
A few months ago I had a long conversation with a friend who tried to persuade me that Christendom, and particularly Constantine and the U.S., was and is the greatest thing that has ever happened since Jesus, and because it was/has been allowed to last so long, it is obviously God's will that it happened.
I don't want to get into the whole issue of what is and isn't God's will (maybe later), but I do want to talk about Christendom. I believe that the most important issue at the heart of this is the differentiation of the old and the new covenant. Most people who talk to me about Christendom speak in Old Testament terms, such as "It is our divine duty to uphold God's moral standards in this nation," or "It is an obligation on our Christian nation to punish those who would violently attack God's people," etc. I think we in the U.S. are lucky that we really aren't God's chosen nation. Israel was God's original chosen people, and he judged them very severely when they disobeyed Him. As the richest country in a world where millions are starving, we should thank our lucky stars, if not our God, that we are not a chosen nation.
The truth is, God is not the God of any particular nation even if every person in that nation claims otherwise. YHWH is not a tribal deity, but the creator and sustainer of all living things. When a nation claims any sort of right to God, creating a Christendom of sorts, it sets itself up as judge. The problem is, Israel committed war as an act of worship in which God directed the people specifically how to act. No nation since has recieved a direct order from God concerning who and how to attack another nation. Instead, we have recieved Christ's direct order to love, judge not, and turn the other cheek. Moreover, he stated that we should not be like the kings of this earth who lord their power over others, but must instead become everybody else's servants. That's much different than the Christendom model.
I guess what I am trying to say is that every nation that has claimed to be "under God" has stood directly against everything God really stand for. When a person commits a terrible act and then thanks God for His help, this isn't a righteous act but a self-righteous act.
A God-fearing nation in the post-resurrection world would choose to cancel the debts of poor nations, donate medicine to those who need it, and have only the neccessary army to defend those who cannot defend themselves.
Christendom was and is a joke. It is like the baptism of a turd. Think about that...
Peace,
Matt
Currently Reading: The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton.
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Guilt and Carelessness in the Face of a Too-Small God
This morning I was meditating on Psalm 32, particularly verse 5, which says:
Suddenly the pressure was gone-
my guilt dissolved,
my sin disappeared.
I think God made this passage stick-out to me because I have a hard time letting go of things I have done. When it comes to my own life, I choose guilt over grace.
When I was done praying, I got to thinking about God's grace and how our reactions to it effect our lives. For those of us who let guilt run our lives, we are too quick to forgive and forget, believing we are the chief sinners and nobody has messed-up as bad as us, the unforgivable. We believe in God's grace for everybody except ourselves. At the same time there are those who accept grace too quickly, relying on grace at the expense of any sort of life change in which sin is eradicated from their lives. These people are often too slow to forgive, never really realizing how huge their own forgiveness really is in the scheme of things.
I believe both of these extremes come from a belief in a too-small god. We believe in a god who is either too weak to forgive every sin, or is too meek to be taken seriously. God is the definition of love and of strength. He can be kind and angry. We have to be able to hold both sides together in our hearts and minds if we are to begin coming to terms with our huge God. He is our gracious, intimidating, mysterious LORD. That is why YHWH is so awe-inspiring.
I for one no longer wish to worship a small god.
Peace,
Matt
Currently Reading: Postmodern Youth Ministy by Tony Jones and The Radical Bible, which was adapted by John Eagleson and Philip Scharper.
Suddenly the pressure was gone-
my guilt dissolved,
my sin disappeared.
I think God made this passage stick-out to me because I have a hard time letting go of things I have done. When it comes to my own life, I choose guilt over grace.
When I was done praying, I got to thinking about God's grace and how our reactions to it effect our lives. For those of us who let guilt run our lives, we are too quick to forgive and forget, believing we are the chief sinners and nobody has messed-up as bad as us, the unforgivable. We believe in God's grace for everybody except ourselves. At the same time there are those who accept grace too quickly, relying on grace at the expense of any sort of life change in which sin is eradicated from their lives. These people are often too slow to forgive, never really realizing how huge their own forgiveness really is in the scheme of things.
I believe both of these extremes come from a belief in a too-small god. We believe in a god who is either too weak to forgive every sin, or is too meek to be taken seriously. God is the definition of love and of strength. He can be kind and angry. We have to be able to hold both sides together in our hearts and minds if we are to begin coming to terms with our huge God. He is our gracious, intimidating, mysterious LORD. That is why YHWH is so awe-inspiring.
I for one no longer wish to worship a small god.
Peace,
Matt
Currently Reading: Postmodern Youth Ministy by Tony Jones and The Radical Bible, which was adapted by John Eagleson and Philip Scharper.
Sunday, July 10, 2005
Lectio Divina
Reading Tony Jones' book Read, Think, Pray, Live was a wonderful reminder to me of how important it is to develop some sort of prayer/meditative rule for my life. It is a book aimed more at students than adults, but it was still very helpful for me. My job typically leaves me feeling stressed to the point of feeling an ulcer in my stomache that makes it feel as if an alien is about to pop out of me! When I practice lectio, which I have begun to do this past week, things feel better.
I don't want to promote this as some sort of "fix all your problems" solution to life, but it is amazing. I need a reminder to chill, rest in God's presence, and grow in faith in a way that is beyond simply learning more stuff about God. Dwelling in His presence is much more profound than knowing the "facts" about what being in His presence is like. One grows our brain, but the other transforms us. This week I am starting a lectionary to go with my lectio times, so we'll see how that goes...
Peace,
Matt
Currently Reading: Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders.
I don't want to promote this as some sort of "fix all your problems" solution to life, but it is amazing. I need a reminder to chill, rest in God's presence, and grow in faith in a way that is beyond simply learning more stuff about God. Dwelling in His presence is much more profound than knowing the "facts" about what being in His presence is like. One grows our brain, but the other transforms us. This week I am starting a lectionary to go with my lectio times, so we'll see how that goes...
Peace,
Matt
Currently Reading: Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders.
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Silence
I believe it was Rage Against the Machine who once said, "Silence. Something about silence makes me sick. Because silence can be violence..." Why am I so quick to praise silence, yet so slow to practice it?
The desert fathers escaped the hustle and bustle of city life to seek refuge and silence in the wilderness (check out Nouwen's The Way of the Heart or Merton's Wisdom of the Desert for more), seeking out and hearing God in an unprecedented way. Benedict and Ignatius were the same way, and the people around them, as well as the world both past and current, gained immeasurable wisdom and peace through their long endurance seeking the Lord. I know this was greatly beneficial to them and those they ministered to. I know this would do wonders in my relationship with God. Yet I rarely do it.
The truth is painful. I make myself too busy to seek God in quiet. I'm often too lazy to make the effort to find a quiet place where I can listen to God without distraction. Most of all I'm fearful of what may actually happen. I'm afraid of having to change or be confronted with realities I do not want to deal with, though in my heart it means transformation. I want silence, I want to be transformed, yet I don't act like it.
What I don't understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. -Paul
Seeking Peace,
Matt
Currently Reading: Read, Think, Pray, Live by Tony Jones.
The desert fathers escaped the hustle and bustle of city life to seek refuge and silence in the wilderness (check out Nouwen's The Way of the Heart or Merton's Wisdom of the Desert for more), seeking out and hearing God in an unprecedented way. Benedict and Ignatius were the same way, and the people around them, as well as the world both past and current, gained immeasurable wisdom and peace through their long endurance seeking the Lord. I know this was greatly beneficial to them and those they ministered to. I know this would do wonders in my relationship with God. Yet I rarely do it.
The truth is painful. I make myself too busy to seek God in quiet. I'm often too lazy to make the effort to find a quiet place where I can listen to God without distraction. Most of all I'm fearful of what may actually happen. I'm afraid of having to change or be confronted with realities I do not want to deal with, though in my heart it means transformation. I want silence, I want to be transformed, yet I don't act like it.
What I don't understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. -Paul
Seeking Peace,
Matt
Currently Reading: Read, Think, Pray, Live by Tony Jones.
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Globalization...not just for those darn globe trotters anymore
With the G8 Summit going on these days, globalization is in the air. Of course, that air is so polluted I can barely breathe, thanks especially to our presidents brilliant choice to not sign the Kyoto Protocol.
Last night I watched The Yes Men. It is a documentary following a group of guys who speak at conferences posing as WTO spokespeople. They say terrible, outrageous things about slavery, sweat shops, etc., but nobody ever bats an eye. People are saying that our world is getting smaller, but I wonder if that's a good thing...
I've heard terms thrown around like "global community," but that isn't what I see. I see global cliques and outcasts (look at the history of NATO, not to mention the quasi-demonic WTO), with each country representing a middle schooler, only instead of getting picked on for acne or braces, millions starve while thousands do laps in their heated pools. Global community? Try global catastrophe.
It's at a time like this that the Gospel has to come in with something better than pie-in-the-sky faith or health, wealth and prosperity. The Gospel has moving and profound things to say to this situation. Our God is speaking, but we don't like what he is challenging us to do, so we ignore him. What are we going to do with the fact that there are wealthy Christians in a shrinking world in which others are starving to death? Or others are being systematically raped, abused and/or murdered? The neglected are closer than ever...what do we do? Is Bono the only one that is going to do something?
It is definitely time for us to start living intentionally. No more letting life happen to us. I think the Gospel tranforming our lives causes us to happen to the world. If we let it, that is...
Peace,
Matt
Currently Reading: Queen Bees and Wannabes. I can't remember the author's name, but it's the book that the movie Mean Girls was based off of.
Last night I watched The Yes Men. It is a documentary following a group of guys who speak at conferences posing as WTO spokespeople. They say terrible, outrageous things about slavery, sweat shops, etc., but nobody ever bats an eye. People are saying that our world is getting smaller, but I wonder if that's a good thing...
I've heard terms thrown around like "global community," but that isn't what I see. I see global cliques and outcasts (look at the history of NATO, not to mention the quasi-demonic WTO), with each country representing a middle schooler, only instead of getting picked on for acne or braces, millions starve while thousands do laps in their heated pools. Global community? Try global catastrophe.
It's at a time like this that the Gospel has to come in with something better than pie-in-the-sky faith or health, wealth and prosperity. The Gospel has moving and profound things to say to this situation. Our God is speaking, but we don't like what he is challenging us to do, so we ignore him. What are we going to do with the fact that there are wealthy Christians in a shrinking world in which others are starving to death? Or others are being systematically raped, abused and/or murdered? The neglected are closer than ever...what do we do? Is Bono the only one that is going to do something?
It is definitely time for us to start living intentionally. No more letting life happen to us. I think the Gospel tranforming our lives causes us to happen to the world. If we let it, that is...
Peace,
Matt
Currently Reading: Queen Bees and Wannabes. I can't remember the author's name, but it's the book that the movie Mean Girls was based off of.
Monday, July 04, 2005
Happy 4th of July
So it's that day again. I'm glad we have freedom. And it was giving indeed for all those soldiers to go to their own deaths to retain that freedom.
My problem: every year I sit in church on 4th of July weekend and hear thunderous applause for America. I hear "God bless America" ringing throughout the building. I see men with tears in their eyes. I see all of those who served in the armed forces honored and applauded.
When was the last time you saw people get that excited about what God has done and continues doing? It's ironic that the most excited I ever see people in a church building is during the 4th of July. What about the church martyrs who continue being murdered for the sake of the gospel throughout the world? What about the men and women in the church who are daily taking up their crosses and making incredible sacrifices for the gospel? When do we stand up with tears in our eyes and applaud these people?
Maybe some tougher questions...Where do we get off saying things like "God bless America"? That statement is so nauseating I don't even know where to begin. Let's read the Sermon on the Mount together as a nation and then try saying that phrase.
"God blesses those who work for peace" 5:9
"Let your good deeds shine for all to see" 5:16
"If you are angry with someone, you are subject to judgment" 5:22
"Be reconciled" 5:24
"Come to terms quickly with your enemy" 5:25
"Anyone who even looks at a wome with lust in his eye has already committed adultery" 5:28
"Don't resist an evil person! If you are slapped on the right cheek, turn the other, too" 5:39
"Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! If you love only those who love you, what good is that? But you are to be perfect" 5:44-48
"Don't store up treasures on earth...store your treasures in heaven" 6:19-20
"You cannot serve both God and money" 6:24
"Stop judging others and you will not be judged" 7:1
"Why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own" 7:3
"Do for others what you would like them to do for you" 7:12
"A healthy tree produces good fruit, and an unhealthy tree produces bad fruit" 7:17
"Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as 'Lord,' but they still won't tner the Kingdom of Heaven" 7:21
Happy 4th!
Peace (and I mean that),
Matt
Currently Reading: The newest issue of Mother Jones magazine, as well as Friedrich Nietzsche's Thus Spake Zarathustra and Doug Fields' Your First Two Years in Youth Ministry.
My problem: every year I sit in church on 4th of July weekend and hear thunderous applause for America. I hear "God bless America" ringing throughout the building. I see men with tears in their eyes. I see all of those who served in the armed forces honored and applauded.
When was the last time you saw people get that excited about what God has done and continues doing? It's ironic that the most excited I ever see people in a church building is during the 4th of July. What about the church martyrs who continue being murdered for the sake of the gospel throughout the world? What about the men and women in the church who are daily taking up their crosses and making incredible sacrifices for the gospel? When do we stand up with tears in our eyes and applaud these people?
Maybe some tougher questions...Where do we get off saying things like "God bless America"? That statement is so nauseating I don't even know where to begin. Let's read the Sermon on the Mount together as a nation and then try saying that phrase.
"God blesses those who work for peace" 5:9
"Let your good deeds shine for all to see" 5:16
"If you are angry with someone, you are subject to judgment" 5:22
"Be reconciled" 5:24
"Come to terms quickly with your enemy" 5:25
"Anyone who even looks at a wome with lust in his eye has already committed adultery" 5:28
"Don't resist an evil person! If you are slapped on the right cheek, turn the other, too" 5:39
"Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! If you love only those who love you, what good is that? But you are to be perfect" 5:44-48
"Don't store up treasures on earth...store your treasures in heaven" 6:19-20
"You cannot serve both God and money" 6:24
"Stop judging others and you will not be judged" 7:1
"Why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own" 7:3
"Do for others what you would like them to do for you" 7:12
"A healthy tree produces good fruit, and an unhealthy tree produces bad fruit" 7:17
"Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as 'Lord,' but they still won't tner the Kingdom of Heaven" 7:21
Happy 4th!
Peace (and I mean that),
Matt
Currently Reading: The newest issue of Mother Jones magazine, as well as Friedrich Nietzsche's Thus Spake Zarathustra and Doug Fields' Your First Two Years in Youth Ministry.
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