A Small Fishbowl

So, I am well aware that no one reads this, as I haven't told anyone about it, but it might feel good to write anyway...
I'm almost finished with my first semester at Asbury...It's been challenging and exciting. It' s been amazing to see God work and provide...not a week has gone by that God hasn't continued to provide for all of our needs and we rejoice and give witness to the power of God. Classes have been a challenge, and I continue to plug away (which is what I should be doing right now). Nothing like a little Matthew/Greek/New Testament to fry one's thought processes. I'm looking forward to Reading Week and Thanksgiving Break and I'm finding it very difficult to motivate myself to finish up the semester.

I walked down the street to Clucker's Corner Market the other day. For those unfamiliar with Wilmore, Clucker's is a unique place. It's the local gas station (that was also listed as a grocery store in my Welcome to Wilmore literature...tells you something about Wilmore!) and it's the local meeting place for everyone. One wall of Clucker's is lined with more JellyBellies than I even knew existed, and country music always blares over the radio. I get coffee there (if one can call the dark liquid that they sell coffee), and a few days ago I realized something somewhat profound...Outside of an occasional trip to Clucker's or the Kroger, I don't interract with the world. I walk by a sign in the commons everyday that screams "The World is our Parish," but the only world I meet is full of people like me...Seminary students and their spouses who sit and learn and engage knowledge...People who know Jesus. Rarely do I encounter anyone who doesn't know Jesus and who isn't engaged in a relationship with Him. Never do I share the faith that I have with one who doesn't...in fact, my discussions about faith are with people whose faith has brought them to the same conclusions that I have. I really don't even run into "liberal" Christians...We're all evangelicals here. So where's my world? Is my fish bowl too small, so that I've forgotten that the world exists. Clucker's Corner Market is less than a block from ATS, but it's worlds away. Why am I not in that world?

An ebenezer

I spoke in chapel this morning for the last time. I've had a chance to speak in chapel many, many times over the past five years, but this was the first time that I've spoken in a Common Chapel. I spoke on ebenezers, on remembering God's faithfulness, on building a memorial to God's provision and blessing in our lives. It was an interesting way for me to say good-bye to a place that I have loved and worked, but it also made me think about the ebenezers in my own life. I've realized the importance of remembering, because I think that it serves several purposes:
1. Remembering that God has been faithful reminds us to be thankful
2. Remembering reminds us that we have been changed by a God who never changes
3. Remembering where we have come from allows us to be more mindful of where we are going
4. Remembering that God is faithful pulls us through the wilderness of life.

I never want to forget the times that God has been faithful or the times that I have experienced God's presence...

"Here I raise mine ebenezer, hither by thine help I've come
And I hope by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home"

Evangelicals on CNN

CNN.com - Transcripts

I was reading the transcripts of Larry King's interview with leading evangelicals this morning and I realized what an interesting smattering of people King interviewed. Sounds like the LaHaye's sounded idiotic, like Franklin Graham was out of touch and like McLaren and Jakes were at least compassionate. I'm frustrated that the voice of the Evangelical community, of which I consider myself to be a member, is tainted by people like Tim and Beverly LaHaye who seem to have missed out on grace. I try to live my life ascompassionate conservative, one who votes with my head AND my heart, one who thinks before I speak. I watched the interview with Jim Wallis on the Daily Show as well, and although Wallis raised some concerns, I think that he has it figured out a little more. I'm anxious to read his book and see what I think. I wish that the evangelical church would realize that we MUST not simply preach the Gospel, but we must live our lives as if we care about people. The Gospel must include the birth, death, and resurrection of Christ, AS WELL AS the LIFE of Christ. One without the other is missing something. We must care about social security and the war in Iraq. We must care about the way that the church treats the homosexual community. We must care about poverty, both around in the world and in our own backyard. C'mon Church--think a little bit.

Joel Osteen Controversy

Wesley Blog

So, I've been reading about Joel Osteen, a new name to me until recently. Osteen seems to have a huge church in Houston, but very little real theology. This is NEVER positive. Reading through the interviews at beliefnet.net is just about enough to make me sick. What people don't realize, I think, is that this type of theology divides the church. I've worked closely with students who patterned themselves after Osteen, and in a diverse and wondering community of students, it divides people faster than people realize. WesleyBlog decides that it's pulpit-envy...and he's right...every pastor wants to have a huge church, but more than that, any pastor I've met who's worth his salt wants to have a church that's true to God's Word...not their own.

In the midst of Confusion...

My first post in my blog...I find myself reading the blogs of others and realizing that I may have something to add. In the midst of the questions and confusion that is sometimes a part of my life, I wait for clarity. I'll probably write about the things I read and think about...often the state of the church that I love and baseball. A lot of questions today...a lot of things to make me think. Just as I thought that we had our future figured out, God threw us a curveball. That's OK...God is still good and knows what's going on, even when we don't. Back to work...more thoughts later.