Sudden Comfort

Hmm, you can always tell when I am procrastinating because my blogging becomes more regular ;) I have been all over the asburyblog lately :) Anyway, last night I was rummaging through papers - it is only when you are desparate do you clean that "random paper" drawer.... and I came across the following. It is a poem that my father wrote to me when I graduated from Cal Baptist last December. Enjoy.


Graduating Christian Soldier

Hoo-Rah! Hoo-Rah! Another milestone passed.
A major hurdle crossed in a life long race
against yourself for holy knowledge. What
a happy mouse you are while scurrying down
the halls of theological learning.

Don't worry much about those towering busts
of figures from the past. Although the years
of dedication to the quest for truth
lie clustered round your feet, they know even
a mouse can find a closer place to Him.

Six Months

I received a package from back home in Cali reminding me that I have been here in the blessed bluegrass for six months. I can barely believe it. Last night at prayer meeting I gave a mushy testimony about how much I appreciate my church family and how I am never shy to invite people to visit - and that was followed up by a wonderfully southern baptist sermon on what happens on the day of judgment to nonbelievers - yikes... Anyway, I am overall enjoying my time here. I chatted up an old prof last monday, rambled on about all sorts of things. I miss my old faculty dearly, those guys were so cool. This year I will make an effort to get to know more ATS people. Wow - this is turning into a random post...

Okay, something worth blogging - one thing I am throwing around in my head is what an "ecumenical" spirit means. I was talking to somebody in the dorm about it last night. We brought up the hurt and pain of people who tend to pursue non denominational churches. We also mentioned the difference between things that are salvific or not. Yet, when the dust settles it still comes down to how important your "nitpicking" is. Let me put it this way - of course we all want as many people as possible to have a saving relationship with Christ, but if we feel that our particular tradition is right about certain things why is it then "wrong" to convince someone of all that our tradition entails. I mean, I am not a _____ because the sign is cool - I am a _____ because I believe in the tradition, right?

And in other news, this is more than slightly random. I was reading old blogs of Ben Witherington's off of asburyblog.net and there was this comment: "Are baptist even evangelicals?" Thankfully Dr. Witherington replied with something that calmed me enough not to throw my computer through a window. Anyway, I then thought about this awesome chapel-isk meeting my Christian Studies Dept had with Timothy George where he talked about the 7 points of Evangelicalism or something like that. It was really good - and I couldn't find my notes. So - for any of you CBUers out there... did you have your notes? Did you take notes? I think I can find the same sermon -isk on oneplace.com if I search for it.

Perfection in Isolation

I was going out on a limb the other day talking with my good friend Simon. I told him about this desire in my heart to live out my days in a commune like way. I shared this dream of being married with children and living in isolation far off from the sins of the world. Of course things wouldn't be perfect but -- what I wouldn't give for real accountability. I want this so much - I want sin to be sin and grace to be grace. I want church discipline. I want to know that if I mess up I will be made to apologize to my entire congregation. I want people to really fear bringing sin into their community. If we treated sin for what it was I believe people would be less inclined to do it. We are fallen, weak fleshed people. My question is this: How do we make sin well, sin again?

And yet, as my good friend pointed out -- this would not be pleasing to the Lord. We are called to be salt and light in the world, not from it. I was surprised to hear that my friend also shared this dream -- which made me wonder what other people out there also have it in their spirit.

Randomness

Wow?!?!? It is seriously August already!

This has absolutely nothing to do with this post - but it is my puritan quote of the week:

"Whatever vices and corruptions men see in the lives of their ministers will not be attributed to the depravity of their old nature which still abides in them, but to the gospel" - John Owen

This past week has been random - hard, tough, joyful, good. My dad flaked on coming out next month - this tore me up.... my mother came to visit for one day - this was a learning experience....my church had our revival - this was joyful and good.... I got a whole bunch of books from CBD - this also was joyful and good....

Anybody heard of Valley of Vision? It is "a collection of puritan prayers and devotions" edited by Arthur Bennett. Anyway, here is the opening :

A Valley of Vision

Lord, High and Holy, Meek and Lowly,

Thou has brought me to the valley of vision,

where I live in the depths but see thee in the heights;

hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold thy glory.

Let me learn by paradox

that the way down is the way up,

that to be low is to be high,

that the broken heart is the healed heart,

that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,

that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,

that to have nothing is to possess all,

that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,

that to give is to receive,

that the valley is the place of vision.

Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells,

and the deeper the wells the brighter thy stars shine;

Let me find thy light in my darkness,

thy life in my death,

thy joy in my sorrow,

thy grace in my sin,

thy riches in my poverty,

thy glory in my valley.