Monday, November 26, 2007
Joy to the World, the Sale is Come
We have taken so many Christ-centered Christmas songs, altered the lyrics, kept the well-known melody and heralded the arrival of our god, Buymore.
The sale has taken on flesh and dwelt among us.
"And Jesus, would you mind dropping us off at the mall?
Same time, same place next year? Great. See you then!"
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Marketing consultants for the church?
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
From a dear brother in Uganda
"For many of our tribes, revenge was esteemed as a virtue. If a family had been violated, the first instinct was to gather the clan, arm them, and seek revenge on the family and clan of the offender. In such realms, the Bible has had a profoundly transforming effect, given the teaching of Jesus on forgiveness. Traditional Ugandan society was driven by family loyalties, with little basis for loving those beyond your blood ties. The Bible brought the teaching of Jesus to love our neighbors and even our enemies. And, while there remain remnants of the old culture, the Bible has given us a moral and spiritual basis for transforming culture.
Traditional African objects of worship were limited to families and clans. This created a context in which no central beliefs could be held or shared beyond the ethnic setting. Yet ancestral spirits and such natural phenomena as earthquakes, lakes, and mountains could not satisfy the Africans’ quest for the living God. The Bible’s revelation of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit brought hope for deliverance from the fatalism that resulted from worshiping created things rather than the Creator and Redeemer.
The gospel of Jesus Christ as revealed to us through the Word of God enables warring tribes to begin to coexist and to embrace neighborliness. Indeed, the Word of God opened the way for the nation of Uganda to be forged. When evangelists from Buganda (in central Uganda) traveled to tribes in the east, west, and north, a new day dawned in our country. Instead of being armed with spears, they came armed only with the Word of God. Instead of a message of war and destruction, they delivered a message of Good News from the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Friday, September 07, 2007
Big man on campus now on the periphery needing humility
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Intoxicated by a North American corporate success model
"It is important for theology and the church to become partners again, even if that partnership challenges the triumphalism lingering around professional emanations of the local church intoxicated by a North American corporate success model. For Christian community to survive the 21st century, it must never forget its Hebraic roots in a suffering God who experienced the public failure associated with dying on a Roman instrument of torture simultaneously displaying the love of God for the world." - Paul Bischoff
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
African-American Spirituals - Teaching Us How to Lament
There is much to learn from African-American spirituals in terms of lament. "'I surely will die?' That's the kind of negative thinking that'll ruin a perfectly good day!" If we are swept away by our present day's refusal to reflect on the gravity (and inevitability) of suffering and death, the following will be tragically lost on us.
I'm Troubled in Mind
Oh, Jesus, my Saviour, on Thee I'll depend
When troubles are near me you'll be my true friend
I'm troubled
I'm troubled
I'm troubled in mind
If Jesus don't help me
I surely will die
When ladened with troubles and burdened with grief
To Jesus in secret I'll go for relief
To help me to bear it, and He gave me His aid
http://www.negrospirituals.com/
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Not Far from the Tree
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Worship - Escape or Engage?
Is worship in the church for the purpose of getting a spiritual fix and escaping the ugly world OR might it be for the purpose of being confronted and engaged by our God, the Lord Christ who takes on flesh and immerses himself in the filth of the world? What if we came not for rose-colored lenses to be polished for another week in our big, bad surroundings, but to encounter the God who cares intensely about his creation? Are we Deists or are we Christians? Is our God aloof and indifferent or is he dynamically involved, calling his people to sacrifice everything that his presence might be seen, heard and felt in the here and now? As tears fill our eyes for the suffering around us are we not in a mindset, a heart-set pregnant with worship of and petitions to our God?
A suggestion: Some American bodies have partnered with churches abroad for mutual encouragement, missions contacts, etc. This is great, but what if it was taken in a direction for immediate impact on the liturgy? Take a church in say
Friday, April 13, 2007
Possible Stupidity
The other day, while playing my $55 piano, I realized just how desperately it needs to be tuned. However, if you know anything about piano tuners, they can be on the pricey side, especially for a full-time student's budget. So, in curiosity, I found this site and am now convinced I have the necessary knowledge to tune my piano. Once I purchase the tools and go to work, I'll let you know how it tunes out.
Friday, March 02, 2007
Hauerwas Interview
Full article