Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?
--God, played by Morgan Freeman, from the film Evan Almighty
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Conviction
One story from our weekend in Grand Rapids that I did not mention has been wandering in and out of my mind since it happened on Sunday afternoon. Therefore, I felt compelled to share it with you. Take it for what it's worth.
On Sunday afternoon as we were exploring downtown Grand Rapids, we found ourselves confronted by a woman at a park. She approached us and asked if we had any spare change. The woman explained she was homeless and trying to get money to get out of here. She wasn't dressed to the nines by any means, but she also wasn't your typical beggar on the street holding a coffee cup (if that makes sense). Yet, for some reason, my immediate reaction was to avoid eye contact and stall. We all kind of stood there looking at each other before one of us reached in their wallet and gave her a couple bucks. Then, we were on our way.
I instantly felt convicted. Not necessarily guilty, but convicted... there's a difference at least in my mind. Now, I didn't have my purse on me (I had left it in the car while we wandered around downtown), but the issue was not about money. What kind of a Christian am I if I can't even look another human being in the eye? I didn't have to give her any money (though, I probably should have), but I could have asked her about her story. I could have introduced myself and treated her as a person. Who knows how long of a conversation we would have had. I don't think that's the point. Even if it was short and she didn't want to talk, I would have at least had the decency to ask. Instead I fumbled around, avoided eye contact and waited for someone else to do something.
Why didn't I try and start a conversation when I felt so urged to? At the time I felt a bit frozen and didn't know how to react. I think I was also waiting for someone else to step it up first. Also, I would have felt foolish (stupid, I know). But ever since it happened, the incident keeps running through my mind. I have all this knowledge and passion about ministry, but I can't seem to live it out (at least in this one case). Perhaps I am being too hard on myself. Perhaps not. Regardless, I pray that I will be more in tune with the Spirit and more willing to act when He nudges.
Anyone else have a story like this? Where maybe you did what I did? Or maybe you did what I should have done and you saw God act in a big way?
On Sunday afternoon as we were exploring downtown Grand Rapids, we found ourselves confronted by a woman at a park. She approached us and asked if we had any spare change. The woman explained she was homeless and trying to get money to get out of here. She wasn't dressed to the nines by any means, but she also wasn't your typical beggar on the street holding a coffee cup (if that makes sense). Yet, for some reason, my immediate reaction was to avoid eye contact and stall. We all kind of stood there looking at each other before one of us reached in their wallet and gave her a couple bucks. Then, we were on our way.
I instantly felt convicted. Not necessarily guilty, but convicted... there's a difference at least in my mind. Now, I didn't have my purse on me (I had left it in the car while we wandered around downtown), but the issue was not about money. What kind of a Christian am I if I can't even look another human being in the eye? I didn't have to give her any money (though, I probably should have), but I could have asked her about her story. I could have introduced myself and treated her as a person. Who knows how long of a conversation we would have had. I don't think that's the point. Even if it was short and she didn't want to talk, I would have at least had the decency to ask. Instead I fumbled around, avoided eye contact and waited for someone else to do something.
Why didn't I try and start a conversation when I felt so urged to? At the time I felt a bit frozen and didn't know how to react. I think I was also waiting for someone else to step it up first. Also, I would have felt foolish (stupid, I know). But ever since it happened, the incident keeps running through my mind. I have all this knowledge and passion about ministry, but I can't seem to live it out (at least in this one case). Perhaps I am being too hard on myself. Perhaps not. Regardless, I pray that I will be more in tune with the Spirit and more willing to act when He nudges.
Anyone else have a story like this? Where maybe you did what I did? Or maybe you did what I should have done and you saw God act in a big way?
Monday, June 22, 2009
A Weekend in Grand Rapids
Life seems to be moving at a blur. The end of June is fast approaching, and I have no idea how we got hear so quickly. Our weekends have been packed with weddings or wedding related things. And though we did not have a wedding this past weekend, we chose to travel up to Grand Rapids to spend time with friends.
It was really quite a wonderful weekend. Brett, Anthony, and I drove up Friday after work (for them, not me, of course). Board and Dee cooked a fabulous meal for us all and we enjoyed visiting and watching a movie. Saturday, Anthony and I met up with David Reed and Diane Howard for a long awaited graduation present. They gave Anthony a spending spree at a couple of cool Christian bookstores in Grand Rapids. Anthony was able to get some really thick books/commentaries that will be very helpful when it comes to preaching. Though I could admire the deals at Eerdman's, I really loved Baker's Bookstore. It was huge and had a wonderful selection. Not only did they have all the joys of a normal bookstore, but they had a large "factory seconds" section as well as a used section! I enjoyed browsing, though it was Anthony who walked away with some great books.
After our book hunting, we all went to Gun Lake for the rest of the evening. Gun Lake makes me happy. There's just something about being there that brings peace and happiness. lounging on a boat, eating ice cream, going tubing. Ahhh, so wonderful. Sunday, we went to Mars Hill for church. Anthony and I love being able to go there when we visit Grand Rapids, and it was great to hear Rob Bell preach. It was a wonderful sermon on forgiveness. We explored downtown for a while (though not a lot was open on Sundays), and not long after we headed for home.
It was a busy, though good weekend. Unfortunately, we came home Sunday night and realized that the next day was Monday. Too bad we couldn't have 2 weekends... one at home and one in Grand Rapids. Alas, it was not to be.
Today, I am at my parent's house doing laundry. Since I was sick last week, I was not able to do it when I should have. So things have really piled up. I don't even want to think about how many loads it would have been in our tiny washer and dryer at home. We probably would have spent $20 just doing laundry! Thank goodness for generous parents who let their grown and married children use their laundry. I am still fighting off my cold. I thought it was gone, but I woke up this morning and my nose hasn't stopped running since. I do feel better, so I guess that's a plus.
Ok, I think it's time to switch the loads! I must say goodbye for now.
Love,
Emily
It was really quite a wonderful weekend. Brett, Anthony, and I drove up Friday after work (for them, not me, of course). Board and Dee cooked a fabulous meal for us all and we enjoyed visiting and watching a movie. Saturday, Anthony and I met up with David Reed and Diane Howard for a long awaited graduation present. They gave Anthony a spending spree at a couple of cool Christian bookstores in Grand Rapids. Anthony was able to get some really thick books/commentaries that will be very helpful when it comes to preaching. Though I could admire the deals at Eerdman's, I really loved Baker's Bookstore. It was huge and had a wonderful selection. Not only did they have all the joys of a normal bookstore, but they had a large "factory seconds" section as well as a used section! I enjoyed browsing, though it was Anthony who walked away with some great books.
After our book hunting, we all went to Gun Lake for the rest of the evening. Gun Lake makes me happy. There's just something about being there that brings peace and happiness. lounging on a boat, eating ice cream, going tubing. Ahhh, so wonderful. Sunday, we went to Mars Hill for church. Anthony and I love being able to go there when we visit Grand Rapids, and it was great to hear Rob Bell preach. It was a wonderful sermon on forgiveness. We explored downtown for a while (though not a lot was open on Sundays), and not long after we headed for home.
It was a busy, though good weekend. Unfortunately, we came home Sunday night and realized that the next day was Monday. Too bad we couldn't have 2 weekends... one at home and one in Grand Rapids. Alas, it was not to be.
Today, I am at my parent's house doing laundry. Since I was sick last week, I was not able to do it when I should have. So things have really piled up. I don't even want to think about how many loads it would have been in our tiny washer and dryer at home. We probably would have spent $20 just doing laundry! Thank goodness for generous parents who let their grown and married children use their laundry. I am still fighting off my cold. I thought it was gone, but I woke up this morning and my nose hasn't stopped running since. I do feel better, so I guess that's a plus.
Ok, I think it's time to switch the loads! I must say goodbye for now.
Love,
Emily
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Life-In-Transition
It's unfortunate that without even trying, most of life is dictated by money. For instance, I got a really bad cold this week. Now, I always feel like a weenie when I say that I have a cold, because I'm sure to be telling this to someone who is suffering from a hernia or the flu or hair loss. But, it was a really bad cold, I promise, so I took a day and a half off of work. If my life wasn't bossed around by a need for money, I would have taken today off as well, because I'm still sniffly and have a bit of a sinus headache. But my body has a strong desire to eat and bills have a strong need to be paid, so I went to work. I cleaned 2 bathrooms and one extra shower in the course of 8 hours. Bathrooms on Bethel's campus tend to get very dirty.
Anyway, I wonder if I would be a better off person if I had an unlimited source of money. Would I travel the world, become cultured and multi-lingual and study theology, history, geology, and astronomy and become learned? Would I just feed the poor and build houses and let everyone who needed a home stay in one (here's a free house, btw)? Or would I become selfish and greedy and eat myself to 500 lbs and never clean a bathroom ever again?
I suppose the need to work in order to get money is healthy, because it keeps me active and honest. I suppose that could be used as an argument against welfare, but that's another story.
Anyway, life-in-transition is actually treating Emily and I well. I don't believe either one of us has lost weight due to lack of food; we've enjoyed a Silverhawks baseball game (well, we at least attended it; and we enjoyed the people we were with; I'm not sure we actually enjoyed the game); beautiful days outside; wonderful books; and the simply joy of friendship and marriage.
But life-in-transition is a bit wearying. Humans are stuck with the odd need to know the future and the matching inability to ascertain that knowledge. I'm looking for a full-time job in ministry, which in itself is strange. I was talking to a friend at the dunes on Sunday. He had the privledge of being called to a place of ministry (by the Spirit and by a literal phone call). I however have to treat this very much like any other job search--sending resumes, letters of reference, etc. It doesn't seem very spiritual at all. But my friend and I came to the conclusion that God uses all forms of job searching to get people into ministry. Consider Paul and the second missionary journey. They tried to go to Asia but the Spirit would not permit them. They tried to go to Bithynia, but the Spirit would not permit them (Acts 16). Then one day Paul got a dream. So they went to Macedonia.
I guess right now Em and I are in the trying-to-go-to-Asia/Bithynia stage. We're simply looking for where the Kingdom of God needs laborers. If the Spirit does not permit us, we'll keep on trying. But one day we'll get our own vision, go to our own Macedonia, and have a place to belong for a while.
But for now, we belong here in Mishawaka, scrubbing showers, getting colds, and fighting off the dictator called cash.
Anyway, I wonder if I would be a better off person if I had an unlimited source of money. Would I travel the world, become cultured and multi-lingual and study theology, history, geology, and astronomy and become learned? Would I just feed the poor and build houses and let everyone who needed a home stay in one (here's a free house, btw)? Or would I become selfish and greedy and eat myself to 500 lbs and never clean a bathroom ever again?
I suppose the need to work in order to get money is healthy, because it keeps me active and honest. I suppose that could be used as an argument against welfare, but that's another story.
Anyway, life-in-transition is actually treating Emily and I well. I don't believe either one of us has lost weight due to lack of food; we've enjoyed a Silverhawks baseball game (well, we at least attended it; and we enjoyed the people we were with; I'm not sure we actually enjoyed the game); beautiful days outside; wonderful books; and the simply joy of friendship and marriage.
But life-in-transition is a bit wearying. Humans are stuck with the odd need to know the future and the matching inability to ascertain that knowledge. I'm looking for a full-time job in ministry, which in itself is strange. I was talking to a friend at the dunes on Sunday. He had the privledge of being called to a place of ministry (by the Spirit and by a literal phone call). I however have to treat this very much like any other job search--sending resumes, letters of reference, etc. It doesn't seem very spiritual at all. But my friend and I came to the conclusion that God uses all forms of job searching to get people into ministry. Consider Paul and the second missionary journey. They tried to go to Asia but the Spirit would not permit them. They tried to go to Bithynia, but the Spirit would not permit them (Acts 16). Then one day Paul got a dream. So they went to Macedonia.
I guess right now Em and I are in the trying-to-go-to-Asia/Bithynia stage. We're simply looking for where the Kingdom of God needs laborers. If the Spirit does not permit us, we'll keep on trying. But one day we'll get our own vision, go to our own Macedonia, and have a place to belong for a while.
But for now, we belong here in Mishawaka, scrubbing showers, getting colds, and fighting off the dictator called cash.
Friday, June 12, 2009
The Life of the Unemployed
Well, I'm sure by now you have all heard the good news... Anthony is now a credentialed pastor! That's probably the biggest news right now. Anthony is still pursuing some different leads with different churches all the way from Nebraska to North Carolina. The process seems slow to me (I'm anxious to get a move on!), but I am confident that God is leading.
My life has changed dramatically these past couple of weeks. I am no longer in an office from 8-5, and I have been enjoying my time off. I thought I would be dealing with boredom or at least feel a little lethargic, but in actuality, I've been fairly busy. Not that I don't have time for reading or relaxing (I think I've read about 3-4 books since being off...), but I haven't had ny time to be bored. In truth, I guess I'm being a house wife. I've been doing dishes, laundry, and cleaning the house. I've been running errands, fixing lunch, and buying groceries. To be honest, I don't think our house has ever been this consistently clean. haha. With both of us working full time jobs, it was hard to keep up with everything. I'm glad to be able to keep up with everything... it allows Anthony to be able to relax when he comes home from his job at Housekeeping.
Though I have no intentions of permanently being a housewife (at least not in the typical sense), I'm glad that I can be filling that role for this season of life.
Tomorrow marks wedding #3 of the summer. Zach and Courtney are getting married in Angola, and it should be a beautiful wedding. I'm just praying that the weather holds out for them. Weddings are a great reason to celebrate and get together with friends. I'm excited to see Anne and Dee this weekend (along with a lot of other people that will be at the wedding). And then on Sunday we have plans to go to the dunes and celebrate Flag Day (yay Anne!)
Ok I think I'm done rambling for now. :) Have a great weekend!
My life has changed dramatically these past couple of weeks. I am no longer in an office from 8-5, and I have been enjoying my time off. I thought I would be dealing with boredom or at least feel a little lethargic, but in actuality, I've been fairly busy. Not that I don't have time for reading or relaxing (I think I've read about 3-4 books since being off...), but I haven't had ny time to be bored. In truth, I guess I'm being a house wife. I've been doing dishes, laundry, and cleaning the house. I've been running errands, fixing lunch, and buying groceries. To be honest, I don't think our house has ever been this consistently clean. haha. With both of us working full time jobs, it was hard to keep up with everything. I'm glad to be able to keep up with everything... it allows Anthony to be able to relax when he comes home from his job at Housekeeping.
Though I have no intentions of permanently being a housewife (at least not in the typical sense), I'm glad that I can be filling that role for this season of life.
Tomorrow marks wedding #3 of the summer. Zach and Courtney are getting married in Angola, and it should be a beautiful wedding. I'm just praying that the weather holds out for them. Weddings are a great reason to celebrate and get together with friends. I'm excited to see Anne and Dee this weekend (along with a lot of other people that will be at the wedding). And then on Sunday we have plans to go to the dunes and celebrate Flag Day (yay Anne!)
Ok I think I'm done rambling for now. :) Have a great weekend!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
What Makes a Pastor
Going through this whole process got me thinking about a bit about what makes a pastor a pastor. Is it when I feel God's call on my life? Is it when I take one of those spiritual gift personality tests? Is it when I get credentialed? Ordained? When I find a job? Obviously the 1st century church did not have any sort of structure anywhere close to what we have. Credentialing committees, pastoral search boards, little ID cards that let you into hospitals. I'm not saying that any of that stuff is bad. It's pretty necessary, generally speaking. But if the 1st century didn't have it, what did they go by?
I think it's safe to assume that there are plenty of people out there with credentials and ordination from denominations that aren't really pastors, at least in the spiritual sense. They might have the title, the job, the parsonage, and a congregation listening to every word they speak, but they are by no means pastoring, nurturing, or loving their flock. On the flip side, I think there are probably people out there who have little training, no letters after their name, no titles before their name, and yet are the most anointed pastors out there. They know how to love, take care of us, and feed Christ's sheep.
I've chosen the path of letters after my name (B.A., thank you very much) and a title before (Pastor). But I pray that I will never use those as a crutch, as an excuse to assume that I've arrived spiritually and that I get to now go around making spiritual pronoucements. I don't think the pin/certificate/card I receive from Fort Wayne will make my "bless you's" any more holy after a sneeze. I do hope, however, that I will continually seek out the Way that Christ is blazing ahead for us; the Way of loving God and loving people. And I hope that one day, like Paul, I will be able to say, "Imitate me, as I imitate Christ."
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Book Review: Christ in Y'all
Summary: If one is looking for a good explanation of emergent/house church concepts, this might serve as a better summary than an introduction.
***THREE STARS
* Toss
** Skim
*** Good but nothing new
**** Challenging
***** Life Altering
Neil Carter’s Chris in Y’all is a primer to what’s been happening in the small church and emergent church movements over the past couple of years. Carter has little new to say but is pretty decent at saying what’s been said already in an easy to understand—if not always cheerful—way.
The book can be split into fourths: 1) theology beyond justification; 2) an exploration of the church suffering with Christ; 3) the need for community within the church; and 4) an explanation of how to make it all happen. Oddly the book concludes with a brief examination of postmodernity and how it affects the church, but the chapter seems tacked on. It would serve better as a separate essay or perhaps as an appendix.
The opening section briefly summarizes what N.T. Wright’s Surprised by Hope and Dallas Willard’s Divine Conspiracy talk about in terms of Jesus’ message of the Kingdom of God. Carter summarizes well and explains it in a way that should not offend any but the most ardent fundamentalist.
The second section is tenuously connected to the first, but leads very well into the third. Christianity is meant to be lived in community. Therefore it will hurt. But this is what Jesus called us to do.
The final section—the part I was most looking forward to—was a major letdown. After his somewhat bitter explanations of what was wrong with the typical American church model, he leaves only one chapter to explain of how to get out of it. But this chapter lacks personal examples or stories of triumph. We become aware that he is a part of a group that is trying it and hasn’t gotten right yet, but that’s about all we know. He admits that there can be nothing systematic about getting out of a system, but an anecdote or two would have helped.
Though Carter is a fine writer and spoke truth, I found the book only repeating what others have said but in more unhappy fashion. In a lot of ways, he seemed to be very reactionist against rather than action for.
***THREE STARS
* Toss
** Skim
*** Good but nothing new
**** Challenging
***** Life Altering
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