chestnut mountain pottery

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MY RiB

I love my wife. She is so purty. She is happy. She has the happiest smile of all the smiles. She is simple. She trusts. She can't do cart-wheels. She's witty and smart. And she has a big eyeball.

evil and pleasure

The problem of evil is primarily termed what it is termed because the people who promulgate it as problematic have pleasure as their subconscious and deliberate aim. Yes - there are theological, metaphysical, and ontological questions about existence and God that must dealt with in relation to the problem of evil. But what if we started from [or at least attempted to] a neutral frame of reference?

What's on the other side of the equation? Is there a "problem" of pleasure? Why does food have to taste good? Why does freshly cut grass have to smell good? Why does sex have to feel good? Why does music sound so good?!

Many of the needs of life are experientially and sensually satisfying. Why is that so? Does it have to be so? Surely not. Perhaps the rationale behind the over-obsession with the problem of evil and the minimal focus on the "problem" of pleasure is that WE have a problem. Negative focuses often come from negative sources.

What if we have a problem with evil because we are the present problem of evil?! This makes the "problem" of pleasure not only something to be considered, but pursued.

"In your presence is fullness of joy and at your right hand there are pleasures forevermore" [Ps 16.11].

HOPE

I read this quote this morning. It reminded me of the chasm of distinction between the New Testament's meaning of the word "hope" and how we often use it. Ladies and gentlemen, Thomas Adams:

Hope is a virgin of a fair and clear countenance; her proper seat is upon the earth, her proper object is in heaven. Faith is her attorney-general, prayer her solicitor, patience her physician, charity her almoner, thankfulness her treasure, the promise of God her anchor, peace her chair of state, and eternal glory her crown.

i love my family.

My uncle, aunt, and three lovely little ladies [cousins] came and spent the night last night. They laughed for about 10 minutes straight at how funny their faces were in Photo Booth. I thought I'd share.

email discussion on DETERMINISM

There's a pal of mine who is a sophomore in college. He's the man and has a hunger for knowledge and for the Lord. He emailed me this question this week. I was happy with the answer our Father gave me to give him. So, here's nuttin:

FRIEND: "How much of a determinist would you consider yourself? Someone told me today, in a very summarized way, what determinism is and I've just been contemplating it."

MYSELF: "Determinism is more of a scientific and philosophical [and generally post-Enlightenment] category. It is the agnostic version of fatalism. Both are non-theological categories. Some would say that people who are rigid Calvinists are merely spiritual and/or theological determinists. This is looking through a scratched lens. Knowing and cherishing God's beautiful providence and sovereignty [which transcends the puny category of Calvinism] is a relational reality. Determinism and fatalism are are merely theoretical and not relational. They have no capacity for intimacy or fellowship. However, being in love with and being bought by a God who is in control of every falling sparrow and every hair follicle - this is what we were made for and it surpasses all categories and theories. It might have to be described by categories and theology sometimes, but it is most certainly not bound by them."

St Paul First Reformed Bapti-costal Holiness Tabernacle of the Second Coming

Here's a random list of things I believe. I think it is important try to articulate some of this stuff. I try to explain why at the bottom. And if these beliefs had a local church name, I'm hoping it would be the one above :)

Eschatologically, I'm probably an optimistic Amellinialist. People get beat up for that sometimes. But Augustine, Greg Beale, NT Wright, and Tim Keller are decent company. Moreover, we are the temple [1 Cor 3.16, 6.19]. He has made us a kingdom of priests [Rev 1.6-9]. The kingdom is here AND it is coming [Mt 4.17, 6.10].

Ecclesiastically, I am congregational and baptistic. Of course, if we are in Christ, we must all be catholic with a little "c" because this just means universal. When Paul wrote to Thessalonica, he addressed them as the church. He also said that Jesus died for the church. These aren't the same. We are part of A church local and THE church universal and eternal.

Soteriologically, I'm more Reformed. God saves people for the great glory of Jesus. Quit fighting about it already. Just believe and behave the gospel.

Spiritually and affectionately, I have a little charismatic in me. The gifts of the Spirit are still here. He Himself is still here and moving mightily! Get your head out of the theoretical and Dispensational ground. They were not just for the apostles. They are for us too [Rom 8, Gal 3, 1 Cor 12-14, Jn 14-17, 1 Ths 5, Rom 12]! If you abide by a system, you don't abide fully in Christ.

Sacramentally, I believe that baptism should follow faith and repentance. This seems to be the pattern in Acts and the NT. But as far as the weight given to the Lord's Table and Baptism, I'm somewhere between an Anglican and a Baptist [don't worry Presby friends, I understand the covenantal hermeneutic as well]. I enjoy some of the liturgy as well. I also respect how the Free Will Baptist denomination holds a third ordinance: foot-washing [Jn 13, 1 Tim 5.10].

Regarding church polity and church offices, the NT always refers to elders in the plural. I'm all for that. I believe women can and should be deacons [Rom 16.1-5]. I believe the office of elder-bishop-pastor-shepherd should only be held by a man. Call me sexist.

I say all of this for several reasons:

1. I've been thinking for a while about what a theological mutt I am. It makes me laugh.
   
2. Nobody fits a mold. Fitting a mold is arelational and not gospel-centered.
3. I'm not trying to be Brian McLaren and throw everybody's name in the hat so I'll be loved by millions [I'm sure Brian is a nice guy, but he needs to read the pastoral epistles and get a theological backbone].
4. I am saying this because I feel [after being with God, with His church, and in His Scriptures] that these are views that most honor Jesus in some way or another. Go ahead and shoot me for this, but this is what we're called to do - not just give a WHAT we believe, but a WHY we believe it.

SO... to Him and for Him and from Him are all things. To Him be glory in the Church both now and forevermore. Amen.

JESUS is my friend

If this doesn't make you feel outrageously happy and ridiculous, then you need to wake up. It's 1970s-cheese-ska-TBN-gospel music. My favorite part is when he looks in the camera and says, "Zap!"

Or maybe, just maybe, I have a warped and dumb sense of humor. And I like it.

how to follow JESUS [the Southern Baptist preacher]

We have four gospel accounts. Three are very similar. Thus, they are called the synoptic gospels. They share many similar stories and parables, etc. Some of the details, verbiage, and language used in these are slightly different, but it is clear that each gospel writer is retelling the same story. However, there is one particular passage that each of synoptics have that has ravished my attention as of late. Here it is in all three:

• Mt 16.24-27
• Mk 8.34-38
• Lk 9.23-27

Jesus is primarily defining one thing is these texts - what it looks like to come after Him. He says, "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." It kind of appears that there are three parts to this thing:

• Deny yourself. Well, that stinks. I really like feeling nice. But I don't think it means "Go Ghandi" and pleasure is for wimps. I'll go with Dr Piper and say that earthly pleasures will burn and true delight is denial of self and taking great happiness and pleasure in God. That is denial of yourself.

• Take up your cross. Dang again. This is equivalent to "Take up your noose" or "Take up your electric chair." The cross was an instrument of execution for criminals. Also, because this imperative comes from the lips of our Lord, some think this should/could mean to "embrace your purpose" because Jesus' purpose was the cross. Whatever it implies, it most assuredly includes a furthering of self-denial, a firm grip on the reality that the road will not always be pretty, and a contrite elation that "whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, 'It is well. It is well with my soul.'"

• Follow me. St Paul said that his friends should imitate him. That Greek verb is where we get our word "mimic" from. But never could he use the word that Jesus uses here. This kind of "following" encompasses imitating, a joining with, and accompaniment with whom you are following. If we unite the self-denial with the cross-taking and the following of our Lord, we have then arrived at what discipleship looks like. Obviously, this will be easier said than done and will work so much better in theory than practice. But here it lies - true discipleship.
  

So, here's the really cool Southern Baptist part. Like I said, the gospel writers are pretty much united on the general details of the stories they tell. But there is something that must be brought forth from these three passages about what, how, and why Jesus says what he says.

The three verbs he uses [deny, take up, follow] are the same in all three synoptic gospels! Each gospel writer has their own flavor and writing style, but this amount of linguistic agreement is hugely exceptional! But better yet, all three verbs in Greek begin with the same letter [aparneomai, airo, akoloutheo]. All the while Jesus is dissecting for them the intensities of discipleship, he is also employing the rhetorical device of alliteration so that they can remember what he said.

So, like a good Baptist, Jesus makes each point start with the same letter. Apparently, the gospel writers left out his standard poem or tear-jerking story that goes after the three points and before "Just as I am."

At least Jesus didn't forget the invitation, "If anyone wishes to come after me..."

have you heard about Obama's TRUE upbringing?

way too much fun.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the appropriate way to spend your Labor Day - making yourself look like a high school junior in any year since 1950. CLICK HERE! 

My wife and I had a little too much fun with this. Here are some of the classics:

1984

1958

1966

1994

the Bible was not written to you but for you

I was reading through one of John Walton's Genesis commentaries the other day. In it he laid some good hermeneutical foundations. I thought you'd like to read over them. Always good to keep in mind, especially since we generally make the Bible about us and our puny little problems.

1. We must allow the text to pursue its own agenda, not force it to pursue ours.
   
2. We must be committed to the intention of the author rather than getting whatever mileage we can out of the words he used.
   
3. We must resist over-interpreting the text in order to derive the angle we are seeking.
   
4. We must be willing to have our minds changed by the text - that it is at least part of the definition of submitting ourselves to the authority of the text.
   
5. We must be willing to accept the inevitable disappointment if the text does not address or solve the questions we would like answers to.
   

this guy just moved in down the street from me. oh happy day.

WESLEY DiARY DECODED

Charles and John Wesley were brothers. They wrote dozens of amazing songs. You probably know and sing more of them than you realize. They founded one of the biggest denominations in North America - the Methodists. They started it all at Oxford with about 25 guys. These guys called themselves "the Holy Club." They were hugely influential in the Great Awakening in the mid-1700s.

BUT...

An Anglican priest has just decoded Charles Wesley's diary. Charles left out vowels, punctuation, and included other quirky shorthands. The 270-year mystery reveals huge struggles he had with his brother John during their ministry. It says that Charles even attempted to sabotage John's wedding. These dark revelations are astounding.

Read more here.

humble?

I hate, I despise, I loathe masked piety. I detest the jerk in the mirror every morning. The venemous viper of pride seems to always lurk in God's garden of my soul. Why can't other people see?! Are they blind?! Why don't they think?! Am I the only one who knows what's going on here?!?! He resists the Jim, oops, I mean the proud; He gives grace to the humble. I can't be counted among that number - the humble!

Who will deliver me from this body of death?

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! He has done it all! He found me in my sin. He is my substitute. He has given me of His Spirit. He bought me with a price. I am His and He is mine. His mercy is new every morning. I cannot cause the reservoir of "grace upon grace" to every be emptied of the smallest drop. I have died with Jesus. I have risen with Jesus.

Herein lies my humility.

TEACHiNG UPDATE

Well, I've got 1 week down and 35 to go. No biggie. The first week was good. The kids are good. There's a little over 6 trillion 10th graders [at least this is what it feels like]. I've actually got the names down for probably over 100 of my 135 students. That makes me feel good. One thing that irks me though is this:

The kids that you want in your classes, that eat up what you say - they're quiet and well behaved. But the kids that want to talk and gab and carry class discussion because it means that get to flap their yapper - nobody is praying for a class full of them. Anywho. It's just a fun tension to deal with and of course, an over-generalization.



Aside from these things, Lord - please give me more grace. I'm way humbled that my job is the Bible. I get paid for this. How absurd, yet glorious!

"DO NOT FEAR!"

I love reading the Scriptures. It's fun, convicting, hope-giving, puzzling, and enlightening. I specifically love reading the Scriptures when Southern Baptist sermon outlines jump off the page at me. Here's the one that leaped out of Matthew 10 this morning [read the passage here].



Jesus was teaching his disciples about discipleship and about what they would face as they went out. He said that if they "called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign" you [10.25]? But then he commanded them not to fear [10.26]. Those who hate you [10.22] can only kill the body, but God can cast both body and soul into hell [10.28].

Dang.

But then, immediately following his shuttering statement about God throwing people's bodies and souls into hell, he mentions cute little birdies [10.29]. He says that one of them never dies apart from the Father. Then, if his previous transition from hell to cute little birdies wasn't odd enough, he goes from cute little birdies to the Father's precision in counting each hair on your head [10.30]. Finally, he returns to the little birdies by saying, "So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows" [10.31].

The primary thing Jesus is saying to his disciples in 10.24-31 is simple - "Do not fear!" But why the mention of birds and stuff?

[here is where the mighty SBC sermon outline kicks in]

Jesus is etching in the brains of his followers that his Father is sovereign and wise over SOULS, SPARROWS, and SCALPS. He is the one who can throw bodies and souls into hell. He is the one watches over every sparrow. He is the one who know the 740 hairs on your uncle's head and the 20,740 on yours.

So, if the Father is wields His good providence over all things and you are out to make Him known - "Do not fear! He's in control of souls, sparrows, and scalps."

good sources to read on determinism, the problem of evil, etc

This is classic Al Mohler, always providing some sort of culturally nuanced analysis of whatever topic. Excellent read.

This entry has a great PDF that should be downloaded. It's section entitled "What does a biblical approach to the problem of evil include?" is really good.

Here, John Frame gives good insights in an interview. Here are some questions he is asked:

• People often think that the logical problem of evil is a problem primarily for theists. Would you say that it is at least equally problematic for atheists? Why?
• It is not uncommon for people to assert, "God does not cause evil; he only permits it." Why do you disagree with that? What verbs do you prefer to use to explain God’s relationship to evil?
• What advice would you give to Christians who are wrestling with the emotional problem of evil?

EZEKiEL

Ezekiel was in exile with stubborn, rebellious, obstinate Israel. At least that's what God called them [2.3-4]. They didn't want to hear what Zeke had to say. I wouldn't either.



Ezekiel was telling them that they were whores who, spiritually speaking, "spread your legs to every passer-by to multiply your harlotry" [16.25]. He even told Israel that they were so okay with prostituting YHWH's covenant love that they quit charging for their whoredom and gave gifts to their lovers instead [16.33-34]. These are powerful words. If they are offensive it is because you don't understand the gravity of your disposition before apart from His kindness. I'm in this boat. But still, this is a metaphor.

The thing that Ezekiel says that really gets me is not a metaphor or word picture, but a bare reality. Maybe that is why it stings so sharply. It could also be so because it is aimed right at leaders and preachers. Israel's "priests have made no distinction between the holy and profane" [22.26] and her prophets see "false visions and divining lies, saying 'Thus says the Lord GOD,' when the Lord has not spoken" [22.28]. This is why YHWH pours out His indignation and anger. They have long deserved it!

But...

He will remember His covenant [16.60]. And He will be king over Israel [20.33]. YHWH will purge rebellion and transgression from His people [20.38]. He will send His servant shepherd David [34.23] to give new hearts of flesh where hearts of stone once were [36.22-27]. Dry bones will live again [37.3-14].

church planting and male leadership