Yesterday was a very weird day for me. It seemed as though I was wearing my emotions on my sleeve - good ones and bad ones. All day long my heart was heavy with decisions I have made that are good, but are potentially hurtful. No matter what I was doing, that was on my mind and several times yesterday I had to fight back tears.
At the same time, talking with a friend and recounting a blessing from over the weekend nearly brought me to tears as well. Then I went home and realizing how much I'm loved by my wife and kids was an overwhelming feeling. Luke, our two year old, gave me a huge hug and a full on the mouth wet kiss. Again, nearly crying in front of my boys (hard to explain to them).
Life is weird, isn't it. A day can be filled with such ups and downs. I'm amazingly unstable (I think we all are). I'm learning more and more how to really be in those moments - how to really feel grief and sorrow when its appropriate. I'm glad, in a way, that the hard decisions I am working through are hard. I'm glad they effect me and that my heart is open to the hurt I could cause. I don't enjoy it, but I'm glad for it. I'm also glad that opening myself up to the hurt and grief also opens me up to greater experiences of joy and comfort. And I'm really glad God sends a mixture of both into our lives.
Yesterday was one of the most prayerful and worshipful days I've had in a while, and it was also exhausting. I wanted to write about it last night, but I was too tired. I fell asleep on the couch and finally moved up to bed with my wife around 1am. I woke up this morning more ready for a the day, more excited for the day, and more rested than I have in months. Life really is weird.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Favorite Music, Christian and Otherwise
I'm feeling bad that I slammed Christian music tonight. Fist, let me clarify I wasn't slamming Christian contemporary worship music. I actually enjoy much of that. I had in mind the Christian pop/rock genre. I dislike it because I hate it when groups mimic popular secular groups sound, but there are a few Christian artists I like and think are original:
1. Jars of Clay
2. Dave Crowder
3. Caedmons Call
4. Waterdeep
5. Delirious
6. Derek Webb
Now I completely understand that this might just reflect my musical tastes. These tastes are, however, incredibly diverse. On the secular side I really enjoy hard rock (Linkin Park, Metallica, Papa Roach, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Live, Alice in Chains, Audioslave, Smashing Pumpkins, Velvet Revolver, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, even Rob Zombie and NIN).
Recently, I've mellowed and have turned to Coldplay, Counting Crows, Dave Matthews Band, Jack Johnson, Ryan Adams (not Bryan Adams), John Mellencamp, Five for Fighting, John Mayer, and James Blunt.
When I'm in a more funky mood, Beck, Moby, Stone Roses, Rusted Root, U2.
And then there are the bands I"m embarrassed to admit I listen to still: Bon Jovi, Journey, Bob Seger, Jimmy Buffet and a few more.
1. Jars of Clay2. Dave Crowder
3. Caedmons Call
4. Waterdeep
5. Delirious
6. Derek Webb
Now I completely understand that this might just reflect my musical tastes. These tastes are, however, incredibly diverse. On the secular side I really enjoy hard rock (Linkin Park, Metallica, Papa Roach, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Live, Alice in Chains, Audioslave, Smashing Pumpkins, Velvet Revolver, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, even Rob Zombie and NIN). Recently, I've mellowed and have turned to Coldplay, Counting Crows, Dave Matthews Band, Jack Johnson, Ryan Adams (not Bryan Adams), John Mellencamp, Five for Fighting, John Mayer, and James Blunt.
When I'm in a more funky mood, Beck, Moby, Stone Roses, Rusted Root, U2.And then there are the bands I"m embarrassed to admit I listen to still: Bon Jovi, Journey, Bob Seger, Jimmy Buffet and a few more.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Pastor Injured During Sunday Morning Sermon
You can file this under 'things you'll never see Dan do'.
KOKOMO, Ind. — A pastor brought out a dirt bike during a church service to demonstrate the concept of unity. Now he's demonstrating the concept of healing.
Jeff Harlow, the senior pastor at Crossroads Community Church, broke his wrist when he lost control of the motorcycle at the start of Sunday's second service, driving off a 5-foot platform and into the vacant first row of seats. He underwent surgery on the wrist Monday.
"Jeff has already laughed a lot, so he's OK. I think his pride was bruised," said his wife, Becky.
Becky Harlow said her husband had recently attended a motorcycle race in Buchanan, Mich."He had this idea that he would bring this bike out onstage and show people how the rider would become one with the bike," she told the Kokomo Tribune. "He was going to just sit on it and drive it out. He was just walking the dirt bike out onstage and somehow it got away from him. It was not intended."
No one else was hurt.
Jeff Harlow had performed the demonstration at earlier services Saturday night and Sunday morning without incident.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Summary and Review of Above All Earthly Pow'rs, Part 2
It has been a long time since I posted part one of this summary and review, but I want to finish what I started, so here is part two and part three will soon follow.
Wells does a great job chronicling the effects of immigration on the American religious scene. For the first century and half of our nations existence, most immigrants came from Europe and shared a common Judeo-Christian heritage. However, in the second half of the 20th century this trend changed and America became a more pluralistic nation.
Alongside the multiplication of religions available on the buffet, a 'new spirituality' has developed. This new spirituality is individualistic, non institutional, therapeutic at its core. This personalized and customizable spritualities have had a tremendous and unfortunate impact on the evangelical church in the last decades. This is especially the case in seeker churches which have exploited this heightened spirituality in our culture. Wells observes, "[The spiritual climate] makes it easy to gain a hearing for what is spiritual but hard to maintain a genuinely biblical posture because that is what becomes a part of 'religion'" (119).
While the new spiritual openness of our culture is an opportunity of immense proportions, it would be a mistake to think the new spirituality is a friend of evangelical faith. Again, Wells correctly asserts, "It is this spirituality that threatens to rumble through evangelical faith in a way more detrimental to it than any Christian engagement with no Christian religions" (126). This new spirituality is in fact, as Wells aptly demonstrates, not that new, but a combination of ancient paganism and ancient gnosticism. This new spirituality is to be confronted, not courted.
Chapter Five of Wells' book is one of the most helpful I've read recently, helpful knowing how to engage with those who have adopted the postmodern understanding of truth (that there is no universal absolute truth) and are left with a meaningless world. So many I have read on this topic give me the impression that everyone in the postmodern world is morose and depressed, wallowing in meaningless and aimlessness. Wells explains the difference between how postmodern nihilism has expressed itself in Europeans, who he sees as more given to melancholy, and Americans, who he explains are more optomistic, cheerful and upbeat. Instead of brooding, Americans have become banal. We have lost the ability (or willingness) to be serious about anything and do everyting with a smirk and a 'shallow snicker' (188). This I see, this I recognize, but not until now did I see it as a defense mechanism - a way of avioding the true meaningless of a wordl without truth.
The next post, part three of this series, I'll share and evaluate Wells' thoughts about how Christ and his church meet the challenges of our postmodern world.
Wells does a great job chronicling the effects of immigration on the American religious scene. For the first century and half of our nations existence, most immigrants came from Europe and shared a common Judeo-Christian heritage. However, in the second half of the 20th century this trend changed and America became a more pluralistic nation.
Alongside the multiplication of religions available on the buffet, a 'new spirituality' has developed. This new spirituality is individualistic, non institutional, therapeutic at its core. This personalized and customizable spritualities have had a tremendous and unfortunate impact on the evangelical church in the last decades. This is especially the case in seeker churches which have exploited this heightened spirituality in our culture. Wells observes, "[The spiritual climate] makes it easy to gain a hearing for what is spiritual but hard to maintain a genuinely biblical posture because that is what becomes a part of 'religion'" (119).
While the new spiritual openness of our culture is an opportunity of immense proportions, it would be a mistake to think the new spirituality is a friend of evangelical faith. Again, Wells correctly asserts, "It is this spirituality that threatens to rumble through evangelical faith in a way more detrimental to it than any Christian engagement with no Christian religions" (126). This new spirituality is in fact, as Wells aptly demonstrates, not that new, but a combination of ancient paganism and ancient gnosticism. This new spirituality is to be confronted, not courted.
Chapter Five of Wells' book is one of the most helpful I've read recently, helpful knowing how to engage with those who have adopted the postmodern understanding of truth (that there is no universal absolute truth) and are left with a meaningless world. So many I have read on this topic give me the impression that everyone in the postmodern world is morose and depressed, wallowing in meaningless and aimlessness. Wells explains the difference between how postmodern nihilism has expressed itself in Europeans, who he sees as more given to melancholy, and Americans, who he explains are more optomistic, cheerful and upbeat. Instead of brooding, Americans have become banal. We have lost the ability (or willingness) to be serious about anything and do everyting with a smirk and a 'shallow snicker' (188). This I see, this I recognize, but not until now did I see it as a defense mechanism - a way of avioding the true meaningless of a wordl without truth. The next post, part three of this series, I'll share and evaluate Wells' thoughts about how Christ and his church meet the challenges of our postmodern world.
Monday, July 21, 2008
What kinda Evangelical are you?
What Kind of Evangelical Are You created with QuizFarm.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| You scored as Evangelical Presbyterian You're an Evangelical Presbyterian, probably a member of a PCA church. Sound theology and reverent worship are important to you, but so are outreach and ministry to the community. You are likely to be from the deep South, and perhaps at one time you were Southern Baptist.
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Wow, pretty accurate. Of course, I took the quiz twice because the first time it said I was a Reformed Baptist even though I said I'd baptize infants - which would rule me out of membership in any Baptist Church I know of. I did live in the south, was a member of many baptist churches, though most were independent. My dad, who was my pastor for 20 years or so) is an evangelist at heart, more than me, but cares less about doctrinal precision than I do. I thought about pursuing ordination in the PCA at one time, but get hung up on one point of the Westminster Confession - avoiding worldly leisure on the Sabbath. Seemed a little Pharisaical to me. I am, on the other hand, attending a PCA seminary. Well, I just wasted 15 minutes of a work day finding out what I already knew - and you just wasted five minutes finding out things about me that I bet you already knew to!
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