welcome to the story.

Reading: Blue Like Jazz by Don Miller Listening: Weezer, Damien Jurado, Johnny Cash, The Decemberists, Clem Snide, Dolorean, Sufjan Stevens Viewing: Seinfeld Season Four

Patchwork: The Bible as Mosaic Week Three So we�ve proposed that the Bible is closer to a conversation than it is to a detached monologue lecture from God. Closer to being a narrative or a story than it is to being a list of facts about theology. And today we begin a shift towards the actual authority of the Bible. Is it authoritative? Is it 100% right? Is it true? Is it bogus? Is it the made up story of men? What role does it play in our lives? I think if we were all honest, we have at some point asked ourselves questions very similar to these. Skeptic and believer alike, we wrestle with the Bible. For the skeptic in all of us we wonder how a book can be the word of God when a bunch of human authors composed it. For the believer, we wonder why we our lives aren�t as �cut and dry� and perfect as we assume the biblical characters lives are. Deep down we struggle with whether or not words written on a piece of paper over two thousand years ago really carry any weight in our lives today. So how do we answer these questions? How do we remain faithful to ourselves and what the Bible actually says? How can we reconcile the believer and skeptic in ourselves? We have to begin with a verse that most people manipulate into something that its not. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says: �All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God�s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.� All Scripture is inspired by God. The Message Bible says, �Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful.� What this verse does not say is that the Bible is perfect. It does not mean that its not, it just never claims to be. That it claims to have all the answers to every question in life. The author Timothy just makes the simple, deep, and confident claim that the Bible originated with God and it is useful. It is inspired. It is God-breathed. But what does that word inspired mean? Inspired. That�s a huge word. A weighty word. A multi-layered word. A word that requires our attention. The church has turned the word upside down and created a new definition outside of its true meaning. We�ve said the Bible is inspired. And to us that means, �perfect�, �right�, �without wrong�, �inerrant�. I�m not saying the Bible is or isn�t any of those terms. But I am saying neither of those are synonyms of the word inspired. None of those are honest or faithful to the meaning of the word inspiration. Disclaimer/Food For Thought/Rabbit Trail/Aside: The argument is made that because God is perfect and without error, then that means the Bible, logically, would have to follow suit. And again, I�m not saying it is or isn�t any of the above. I am saying that Bible does not claim to be those things. You can make the logical argument that because God is perfect then the Bible must be perfect. But you can also make the logical argument that God likes to slaughter people and children when you go back and look at the story of Noah or the wars of the early nation of Israel. The problem is we always try to assume things with the Bible. Assume it says thing it doesn�t say. Assume it means things it doesn�t mean. And the Bible doesn�t claim assumptions are inspired or useful. It simply says the text of the Bible is inspired and useful. And that is all it says. The Bible does not make the claim that its perfect. It does claim to be inspired and �useful one way or another � showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God�s way�, as the Message puts it. So what does it mean to be inspired? Let me answer that question by asking you a question . . . have you ever been inspired? Inspired to do something. Inspired to say something. Inspired to live a certain way. Inspired to make a change in your life. Maybe it was a person, a movie, a place, an event. But most inspiration comes as a result of seeing something. Hearing something. Believing something. Something that changes us. Something that moves us. Something that gives us a picture of what could and should be. And so we are inspired. A spark goes off within us. Soon the spark turns into a small flame. And that flame consumes us, moves us, causes us to move forward towards something higher. That�s what inspiration is. That�s what the Bible claims to be . . . inspired from God. That�s what God did to the people that wrote the Bible. He inspired them. The authors of the Bible saw God. Saw a picture of something . . . higher . . . grander . . . bigger . . . more beautiful . . . and they began to move toward it. They began to align their lives with this vision of God. And so they wrote. They were inspired. They began to talk about how they had connected with God, related with God and how in turn God was connected back to them, relating to them. That�s what God does. �He works in his people�s lives, and then sets them to talking and writing about it. When the people write down their passions, visions, call to holy life, and their interpretations of how God is working in history, and when the believing community around them says �Yes. This is what God is saying to us�, then God is pleased. He is succeeding. The humanity of the Bible is not a mark against the divine influence in it. In fact, it is proof that God�s mission on earth is indeed going forward. People are willingly joining him � heart, mind, and soul.� � Neil Livingstone That�s why I have no problem with the Bible being written by humans. I don�t see that as an attack on the validity of the Bible. Or on the authority of the Bible. I see it as the affirming of the story of God by imperfect human authors who are simply telling their story of how God is relating to them, speaking to them, inspiring them. And to me that is the point. The point is not to fight over whether the Bible is �inerrant�, �inherent�, or any other big theological word (we get way to caught up and busy fighting and trying to prove things that we can get distracted from the point). The point is that God inspired humans to tell their story. To share with others what he did, is doing, and will do in their lives. What he did do in history, what he is doing in history, and what he is going to do in history. Some would say that this view of the Bible is to loose, to low. I think it�s the opposite. I think it�s a much higher view. I esteem and value the story of God, the inspired Scriptures. They show me truth. They expose my rebellion. They correct my mistakes. They teach me to live God�s way. I stand in agreement with the author of Psalm 119. It�s the longest chapter in the Bible. It�s 176 statements declaring that God�s word, God�s story, God�s heart is the center of the author�s heart. And I affirm those statements. God�s word is at the center of my heart. It�s life to me. It�s water to my soul. A light for my path. It�s food for my journey. And to me, that is a much higher view of Scripture than those who try to make the Bible say something it does not say. Make it into something it is not. At least I�m not assuming. Because we all know how dangerous assumptions are. All of this conversation to me continues to illustrate how the Bible is primarily a story and is very much conversational and contextual and engaging. The very fact that God inspires people to write is so much more aligning with God�s character than it would be if he were to have just dropped the Bible in our laps. Just think of how detached the Bible would be if it were just a set of laws or facts or a book of theology that God dropped from heaven to earth. But he inspired the persons and personalities and contexts of humanity. After all, God has shown himself over and over again to be a God who involves himself on a personal, human, and incarnational way. Why would he all of a sudden shift gears and become impersonal and detached? So he remains true to his nature. He continues in the same way that he has always dealt with humanity . . . personally and relationally. He steps out and speaks to Moses and says, �Moses . . . tell your story.� He looks at David and says, �David . . . tell your story.� He turns to Matthew and Mark, Luke and John and says, �Tell your story.� That�s why Luke begins his book by saying, �This is a recording of things I�ve seen and heard� (paraphrase mine). That�s what the Bible is, people telling their stories. Telling the story of how God related to them and how they related to God. It�s a huge shift from our previous understandings of the Bible as a textbook or weapon or book of theology. But it�s essential that we understand the Bible as a book of story. That�s where we must begin and end in our journey to understand it, to apply it, to learn from it. And we learn by looking at the lives of ordinary people like us. We do not look to them as mythical figures. Or cartoon characters. Or super saints. We look to them as ordinary people who are connecting with God in their lives. And we look to their story, their lives, to see and learn and remember and dream. To be inspired ourselves so that we can begin to model the same type of life that they do . . . the God-life. That�s the point of the Bible. Not facts for us to memorize. Theology to learn. The Bible is not primarily about the mind and right thinking. It is primarily about the heart and right living. Right practice. That�s where the backend of our verse ends up. 2 Timothy 3:17 reminds us that the purpose of Scripture is to �put us together�, to �shape us for the tasks God has for us�. It teaches us about right living. And that begins when we look to the story of those who have gone before us and begin to see how they modeled the God-life. And I�ll stop while I�m ahead.

Excerpts from Blue Like Jazz by Don Miller "I talked to a friend recently who said she liked Ethan Hawke, the actor and writer. He has a couple of novels out and they are supposed to be really good, but I haven't read them. I know he is a fan of Douglas Coupland, which is a good thing if you ask me, so I'd probably like to read his stuff some day. But she was saying how much she liked him as a person, and I asked her why. She had to think quite a bit about it before she answered, bu her answer was that he was an actor and a writer, not just an actor. He is an actor and a writer and that is why you like him? I asked. Yes, she said. I mean do you know what he believes. I looked at her very squarely. Believes about what? she asked. Believes about anything, I said. Well, she told me as she sat back in her chair, I don't know. I don't know what he believes. Do you think he is cool? I asked her. Of course he is cool, she said. And that is the thing that is so frustrating to me. I don't know if we really like pop-culture icons, follow them, but into them because we resonate with what they believe or whether we buy into them because we think they are cool. I was wondering the other day, why it is that we turn pop figures into idols? I have a theory of course. I think we have this need to be cool, that there is this undercurrent in society that says some people are cool and some people aren't. And it is very, very important that we are cool. So, when we find somebody who is cool on television or on the radio, we associate ourselves with this person to feel valid ourselves. And the problem I have with this is that we rarely know what the person believes whom we are associating ourselves with. The problem with this is that it indicates there is less value in what people belive, what they stand for; it only matters that the are cool. In other words, who cares what I believe about life, I only care that I am cool. Because in the end, the undercurrent running through culutre is not giving people value based upon what they believe and what they are doing to aid society, the undercurrent is deciding their value based upon whether or not they are cool. The thing that I have to work on in myself is this issue of belief. Gandhi believed Jesus when he said to turn the other cheek. Gandhi brought down the British Empire, deeply injured the caste system, and changed the world. Mother Teresa believed Jesus when he said everybody was priceless, even the ugly ones, the smelly ones, and Mother Teresa changed the world by showing them that a human being can be selfless. Peter finally believed the gospel after he got yelled at by Paul. Peter and Paul changed the world by starting small churches in godless towns. Eminem believes he is a better rapper than other rappers. Profound. Let's all follow Eminem." . . . . "What I believe is not what I say believe; what I believe is what I do."

Patchwork: The Bible as Mosaic Part Two of My Conversation on the Bible As we continue our conversation about the value of the Bible, I think its important that we remember just how the Bible was put together. And to be more specific, how the Bible was approached by the Israelites in the Old Testament and the early church in the New Testament. The Bible was written over 1500 years, by 40 different people, who lived on 3 different continents, and who wrote in 3 different languages. Hardly sounds like a textbook. The fact that it was not written by one person, in one place, in one context, in one language, validates this fact. It�s not a textbook. But it�s a collection of stories of a diverse group of people relating to God. And the story of God relating to a diverse group of people. This diversity frames the Bible as a mosaic, or patchwork arrangement of stories. These stories originate out of the lives of those who are dealing and relating to God. These stories are birthed from the lives of normal people who attempted to integrate their faith in God into the fabric of their lives. At times these stories are quite extraordinary. And at times they are a simple telling and retelling of how God was a part of the normalcy of their lives. So what is so important about the Bible being written by a bunch of different people, in a bunch of different languages, in a bunch of different locations, in a bunch of different contexts? I believe it shows that the Bible was not written and compiled by a bunch of theologians looking for scientific answers to questions about God. I think it shows that the Bible was written as a narration of how a particular person or community was relating to God and how God was in turn relating to them. The Bible wasn�t even compiled in the form that we have it today until late 300 AD. This is huge because it means that before the books were compiled, they simply existed as stories. They weren�t a part of the Bible. No one could study them. Analyze them. Break them down. Learn theology from them. They were just stories. Biographies, autobiographies, fiction, poetry, prophetic language, dream sequences, songs. They were stories. More importantly I believe, is that most of the stories weren�t even in written form. Outside of the Law (the first 5 books of the Bible) and some of the Psalms, a good majority of the Biblical writings were first passed on as verbal stories. Around the campfires of the nomadic Israelites in the desert. While in exile in Babylon. Books like Job and Ruth, these began as stories passed on from generation to generation verbally. The telling and retelling of how God was relating to them and how they were relating to God. Even after all the mini-stories (books of the Bible) were compiled into one master book (the Bible), the good majority of people did not have access to these writings. This was because books and paper in general were so expensive before the printing press (1500 AD) that people were forced out of necessity to communicate the story of God verbally. Unless you were wealthy or a part of the clergy, the only way to communicate and learn about the story of God was to tell it verbally. More importantly, there were no verses or chapters in the Bible until 1555. So the Bible had no stopping points. No sections. No breaking points. Each book read like a story from beginning to end. Each book became a mini-story about a person, a community, a situation. But then we added verses which helped us to find and locate passages easier. But in doing so, it robbed much of the narrative out of the Bible and turned it from a story into a textbook. We broke the Bible down into verses and chapters. Then the Enlightenment hit with its thirst for rationalism and knowledge. So of course we set off to analyze and explain all the little verses without regard to the overall story. We lifted statements and verses out of their historical and narrative contexts. Like an encyclopedia or textbook with no context, no history, no personality. And in doing so, we lost the mystery, romance. The art, the narrative. The intrigue, the beauty. The heart. The soul. The guts of the Bible. We lost the story. But the Bible is not a textbook. A textbook is full of declarative and imperative statements. A textbook gives you facts and only facts. And that is not what the Bible is. The Bible is a conversation. It is in conversation with us and we are in conversation with it. Think of it like this, if I�m having a conversation with you, I�m not going to simply give you facts or imperative and declarative sentences. In conversations we use a wide variety of literary tools and speech to communicate what we are attempting to say. In a conversation neither person talks in a monotone voice and just gives out facts. That�s not a conversation. That�s not a dialogue. That�s a monologue and you�re probably being lectured to. And the Bible is not like that. Because the Bible�s tone is conversational and communicating a narrative, a story, you see a wide variety of literary devices and speech used to communicate. Just like you would see in a conversation. You see metaphor, metaphors, similes, hyperboles, understatements, rhetorical questions, parallelism, irony, sarcasm, symbolism, puns, mockery, exclamation, declaratives, dream language, and performance language to name a few. The exact same things you use when you are in conversations with people. And because the Bible is not a book of facts and because it is a recording of how God relates to people and people in turn relate to God, you see the exact same things that you would see in a conversation. Textbooks are not like that. But the Bible is. The Bible is story by nature. And the Bible is conversational by nature. It requires characters and plot and conflict and resolution. It�s not simply a monologue. It�s not simply a lecture. It�s a dialogue between God and humanity. God and our hearts. God and our minds. God and his characters, who are immersed in a plot, with an ever-present conflict, a hint and rumor of a resolution, all within the midst of a story. And the point of the Bible is to show you your place in the story. To show you how your mini-story fits into the grand story. It�s main purpose is not for you to break the Bible down into parts to be analyzed. Nor is it for you to correctly memorize and recite certain facts or verses. Nor is it to convince you of a certain theology by means of �scientific� evidence. No, its purpose is to tell you the story of God. Its purpose is to give meaning and validation to your story. To fuse your story with meaning. To give your life a context with which to operate out of. That�s the purpose. The Bible comes to you as a humble (big word) conversational partner (this does not devalue displace the role of authority � we�ll jump into that next week). It comes to you telling a story of how God has related to humanity and how humanity has in turn related to God. And it�s purpose is to invite you into that same type of relationship. That same type of engagement. And approaching the Bible any other way is missing the point.

summer calendar 

Reading: The Last Word and the Word After That by Brian McLaren Listening: Weezer - Make Believe, Weezer - Blue, The Rentals, Sufjan Stevens, Damien Jurado, The Decemberists

Showdown Week One We are beginning a new series about our relationship with our parents . . . a new conversation about parents and about us and how we are supposed to do �life� together. We all have questions like: How do we honor our parents? How do we follow their authority? How can we defuse the tension that exists in our homes? How can we coexist with each other without going nuts or going at each other�s throats? The whole purpose of Showdown is to answer these questions. And we called the series Showdown for a reason. Because for most of you in here, your encounters with your parents, your conversations, your interactions with each other, usually end up in a showdown posture. Where you both end up staring at each other, or yelling at each other, or cussing at each other, and waiting to see who will blink first. You push and push and push for your way or your opinion to be heard. And they push and push and push back to validate their authority. And in the middle of that stare down is a tension that fills the room and an emotion (anger, resentment, bitterness, etc.) that fills your heart. The interesting thing is that none of us are immune to this tension. We�ve all been there at some point. We�ve all stared down the barrel of our parents and refused to blink. And we�ve all pointed our guns at our parents and refused to lay them down. And usually what happens in the showdown 9 times out of 10 is that a shot gets fired. Maybe it�s something physical. Maybe a hand is raised or maybe someone rolls their eyes. Or maybe someone just turns their back. Maybe it�s just a word. But what usually happens is that when that shot gets fired, the bottom drops out. Tempers flare. Emotions get peaked. Words get dropped. And when the dust settles and everything is over with, all that is left is destruction. Damage is done to our relationship with our parents. Damage is done to our self worth. Damage is done to our happiness. Damage is done to our world. You think, in a perfect world none of this would happen to you. You would never be faced with a showdown. You would never get into a war of words with your parents. In a perfect world your parents would both still be married. And they would both be Christians. Your brothers and sisters would be halfway normal. You would all sit down at 5:00 to eat dinner. And they would make you a nice little brown bag lunch every morning complete with a Little Debbie and a Snack Pack. This would be a really easy series to do if there was some framework or a certain mold that I could fit everyone�s family in here into. Where I could say that we all have the same situations, the same family personalities, the same people, the same look. But that�s not reality. And that�s not your family. We all have a different picture of what a family is. We all have a different lens through which we see family. Our perspective is unique for each and everyone us. And nobody really understands your perspective. Our families, plain and simple, are just very different. For some of you, your parents are divorced, while others in here your parents have been married for 20 plus years. Some of you have step brothers and half brothers and quarter brothers, while some of you only have brothers that you wish could be divided up and moved farther away than the flesh and blood that they are. Some of you live in a house where there are no rules and your curfew is anytime before your parents wake up the next morning. While some of you live in a house that fills something like a Cold War regime and a curfew that is before the sun goes down. Some of you haven�t had a home cooked meal in years and live off of fast food and frozen dinners while others in here eat pork chops, fried okra, and green beans every night. Some of you have parents who are deeply involved in your life. They help you with school projects, go to your games, attend your recitals, and encourage you on a regular basis. While some of you have parents who live in other states and you�re just wondering if they are going to remember your birthday this year. And some of us have this perfect Brady Bunch type of family where you do sack races outside every afternoon before your evening barbeque while others of us have our closest encounters with our parents as we awkwardly pass each other in the hall or yell to each other from two different floors in the house. Some of us have parents who are rich and some of us are just begging for our dad to make an alimony payment. That�s because my family situation is unique to me and your family situation is unique to you and we all have different families. But despite all these differences, despite our very different lens and frameworks for dealing with our family, there are some similarities. There are points in which are very different roads intersect and converge with each other. Despite the family differences of the people sitting next to you, there are some similarities. Because what causes arguments with your parents is what causes arguments with my parents and with all of our parents. The showdown inevitably occurs over the same things. Curfew, rules, the computer, time, priorities, school, expectations, responsibilities. That�s where the showdown occurs. That�s what we all end up fighting over, no matter how similar or different our family situations are. But here�s the deal. I don�t think any of us ever really wake up in the morning purposely desiring to disobey our parents. No one wakes up and says, �Blue skies. Sunny and breezy. It�s a beautiful day to dishonor my mom.� But in our pursuit of freedom, dishonor becomes a byproduct. In our pursuit of ourselves, we begin to walk away from authority. There comes a point in our lives where we begin to unplug from our parents, where we begin to separate or distance ourselves from their influence and their authority. This process is called �growing up� and it�s a very natural process. And in the beginning it�s not even a conscious decision. It�s more of a subconscious, natural process. As we begin to become an INDIVIDUAL we begin to think like an INDIVIDUAL. As a child, you don�t think for yourself, act for yourself, even speak for yourself. Your parents assume that role out of necessity. But as we grow up, as we begin to assume the roles that our parents used to occupy, we begin to think and act for ourselves. It�s the process of becoming an INDIVIDUAL. But if we�re not careful, this process of becoming an individual can become confused with or blurred with the idea of individualism. Where we begin to say, I know what I�m doing. I know better. I want to do it my way. My way is better. And so the natural process of growing up and becoming an individual, an adult independent of our parents making the decisions for us, we lose sight of the God-given roles of parents. And in broader terms, the God-given role of authority. What happens when we do this is that we begin to rebel. And we begin to make our choices centered and based off of rebellion. A perfect example is the story of the prodigal son. One of the most multilayered and multidimensional stories in the entire Bible. Jesus tells this story about a man and his son in Luke 15:11-13. "There was once a man who had two sons. The younger said to his father, "Father, I want right now what's coming to me. It wasn't long before the younger son packed his bags and left for a distant country. There, undisciplined and dissipated, he wasted everything he had.� Here is the story of a son and a Father. The story gives you no introduction as to whether or not the father was a good parent or a bad parent. Whether he encouraged his son or ignored him. Whether he treated him fairly or unfairly. But the story begins with the son coming to the father and asking for his inheritance. Asking for his share of the future. The request reeks with selfish overtones. In his request, the son is basically saying, �I don�t need you. I don�t need your provision any more. I don�t need your help. I don�t need your love. I don�t need your authority. I don�t need your perspective. Just give me what I deserve. What I need. What I want. And give it to me now.� Man, that is so incredibly selfish. I mean that�s the way we always look at this story. The story of the selfish son. And we always look down on him for being so self-centered, unwise, and impatient. But how many of us in our own ways interact with our parents much the same way. �You want me to wear my hair short. Ok, I want to grow it out long.� �I can�t have a tattoo. I�ll just get one at Spring Break.� �You want me to major in this. Well, I�ll major in that.� �You want me to be home at 11. Then I�m going to sneak in at 11:30.� �You don�t want me to date him. Well I�m going to do it anyway.� You see all of us at some point have made either a conscious or subconscious decision just like this. We�ve made a decision based on rebellion. That�s the type of decision that the prodigal son made and we all look and frown down on his decision. So why do we continually make decisions just like his. Decisions and choices based off of selfish desires. Decisions and choices rooted in rebellion. We get so wrapped up in doing the opposite of what our parents wants that we never really ask ourselves what we really want. Or better yet, what are parents are even suggesting or why they are suggesting it. We just become dead set on doing the opposite of our parents. And as we grow older, as we try and try to become more of an individual, more of an adult, we instead find ourselves becoming more and more the opposite of our parents than we do becoming more and more like ourselves. The decision and choices that we begin to make as a teenager, as a college student, as a young adult are never really things we necessarily want, but have more to do with choosing the things that we were never allowed to have. Your parents wouldn�t ever let you watch a certain show, so when you move out of the house, the first thing you do is watch the show. Your parents wouldn�t ever let you go to a party or be around alcohol, so the first chance you get, you give it a try. Usually decisions like this are not based on what we want, but on what our parents didn�t want for us. So we choose the opposite. Its ingrained in our spiritual DNA to be rebellious. We were born self-centred. As humans, we rebel. That�s what we do. It�s kind of the thing we are famous for. But have we stopped and asked ourselves why? Why are we being rebellious? Why are we being selfish? Why do we want to do it our way? Why aren�t we interested in listening to our parents opinion and perspective? Why do we not want to obey their rules? We never ask ourselves these questions. We just get stuck in a cycle of rebellion. Where we just rebel because that�s what you do. You fight with your parents. And they fight back. And that�s life. But that�s missing God�s heart. This is going to blow your mind and I�m not sure its even an accurate insight. But while working on this message, this insight kind of hit me. And it has to do with why your parents were given to you. And even on a much broader scale, why was authority put in place, by God, for us? And here�s my accurate (or inaccurate � you decide) insight. The reason God gave us parents. And the reason God gave us authority figures and structures in our lives is for the sole purpose of instructing us and providing us with perspective that we ourselves can not have at a limited age. Sounds simple. Yet most of think God created our parents for the purpose of torturing us. Or grounding us. Or creating off-the-wall rules. We never stop and think that God actually provided us with parents for a reason. That God actually provided authority to us for a reason. And it�s all about perspective. Youth is a very good thing. In our youth, we are very passionate, optimistic, excited, faithful, upbeat. But we are not good at perspective. We do not have the ability to see long term. This is no fault of our own. We just do not have a very large currency of wisdom, maturity, and experience built up. So in our youth, we just lack the ability to see down the road. We lack perspective. We only see our lives in the immediate. And could it be that the reason that God provided us with parents and other authority figures like government, teachers, pastors, and small group leaders is so that we could have valuable resources around us and over us that have the ability to look at for our best interests long term? It�s a good thing that Alan Greenspan is figuring out the financial figures for our country and not me. It�s a good thing that President Bush is making decisions about national security and the economy and not me. And it�s a good thing that our parents our making an effort to provide perspective for us. Authority was not created by God to oppress or us to hold us down or to make us feel inferior. Authority was created, so that if we were willing to submit to it, we would have someone who could provide the wisdom, maturity, and experience that we lack. But what happens is that we step outside of our parents authority. We decide we are smarter than they are. We know more than they do. We have more wisdom on the topic than they do. And we become like the prodigal son saying, �I want to do it my way, on my time frame, and when I want it.� And selfish, selfish, selfish we become. And the showdown becomes less about us submitting to the authority that God has set up over us and becomes more about us being �right�. Do you want to know if you are like the prodigal son? Do you want to know if you truly respect your parent�s authority? Do you want to know if you are honoring your parents? Well ask yourself this question, �How many times am I wrong when I fight with them? How many times do I admit that they were right and I was wrong?� Because for most of us, we are always right and our parents are always wrong. We are never wrong and our parents are never right. And what God wants to teach us is that its not about being right in an argument with your parents. It�s about honoring them in everything you do, even when you disagree. Because the quality of our relationships horizontally determines the quality of your relationship vertically. And the quality of your relationship vertically, determines the quality of your relationship horizontally. I�m not saying you can�t ever have a disagreement. I�m not saying you can�t ever push an issue. But it�s not about being right. It�s saying, �I will honor you. I will value your role in my life. I will value your perspective�. You�re not always going to agree. You will still have arguments. But you have to begin entering a posture of submission, where we humble ourselves and our ability to be right. And shift away from it being about us and towards it being about God. It�s tough. It involves our pride. But pride is most often the source of rebellion. It�s time we lay down our weapons. Walk away from ourselves. And walk towards God.

The Gauntlet & Pamperfest 

=w=

They're back. Weezer's back. No more mediocrity. Only stuff remniscent of days gone by. Fireflies showed up last night too. The first of the year.

Patchwork Week One The Bible. Out of all the things that I�ve talked about over the last few years to students, this is one topic that I�ve never addressed. I�ve talked about sex. I�ve talked about God�s will. I�ve talked about making wise choices. But I�ve never said one word about the Bible. And I�ll be honest, the main reason is because it scares me to death to talk about it and to try and lay out some framework for understanding it. I think the biggest part of my fears has to do with the way I�ve seen the Bible misused and misquoted by pastors, evangelists, cults, friends, etc. And just to let you in on a little secret of mine, it scares me to death to speak to you every week. Not because I�m afraid of speaking in front of people. That doesn�t bother me. Not because I�m afraid of not saying my �r��s right. That only bothers me a little. Its because I�m afraid that I�m going to mis-�explain� the Bible in my pursuit to explain it. I�m afraid that I�m going to make it say something that it doesn�t say. I�m afraid that I�m going to make God say something that he didn�t say. It literally scares me and humbles me to the point where I almost don�t even want to speak at all. Or offer any explanation or an opinion or a perspective. Anna and I were actually talking about this last Sunday night on our way home. When I speak, that�s why I usually spend the majority of my time deconstructing or telling you what a passage doesn�t say. Or what �God�s will� is not. I�m more comfortable making those claims. I�m not as comfortable telling you what a passage does say or does mean. It�s a lot easier for me to tell you what �God�s will� is not, than to tell you what �God�s will� is. Because truth be told, I�m still learning myself. I have an idea. I have a small understanding. I have a fuzzy reflection. And I say that as someone who has a Bachelor of Arts in Relgion and five years of undergraduate and graduate level classes under my belt. I say that as someone who has read close to a book a week for over six years (do the math). It scares me to talk about the Bible. Because what I believe, is that the Bible is the story of God. And I believe it is one of the primary ways that God chooses to communicate to us today. Ultimately, I believe it is a love story about a Father and his children, a Creator and his creation. And what happens more often than not, is that the Bible turns into a weapon in the hands of someone who wants to use it to prove �their� point, whether spiritual or political. It becomes a source of power. Not power for living, but power for control and elitism, where those who �understand� it (Christians) can assume the posture of looking down at those who don�t �understand� it (non-Christians) or those who don�t agree with their �view� (other Christians). I say all of that as a preface as to why it makes me nervous to approach such a weighty subject like the Bible. But I�m going to do it for a few reasons. One, I believe the whole problem of the Bible is one of the primary �walls� that keep most people from following God. So if I can address and resolve the issues that some of you might have, then hopefully you will have one less �wall� to move around or step over (I don�t care which you do by the way). Secondly, I think many God-followers wrestle with some of the same questions that everyone else wrestles with. I believe this becomes a stumbling block in our faith because I think we doubt that the Bible really does provide solutions for many of our problems and answers for many of the life-questions we ask. And finally, and again I�m just going to be honest, I don�t want you to grow up and have a jacked up idea of God because you have a jacked up idea of the Bible. And I don�t want you to go out and join a cult. And I don�t want you to use the Bible as a sword for conquest and power. And I don�t want you to hit your friends over the head with it while quoting John 3:16. And I don�t want you to live your life disconnected from the story of God. With that being said, how do you begin a conversation about the Bible? What direction do you go? How do you try to validate its importance? I feel like I�m almost having to introduce my family. And my family is not normal. When Anna was meeting my family for the first time, I had to explain a lot of things to her before she actually met them. I had to almost give her a disclaimer about certain things. Because without that disclaimer, without that understanding, she wouldn�t be able to �get� my family. Like having to explain why my dad likes to walk around in sweat pants and a v-neck undershirt all the time with his chest hair protruding, all while rubbing his stomach in a very, very weird way. Or my brothers who are equally . . . �interesting�. Or my mom who has extreme difficulty with allergies and has respiratory infections. If I wouldn�t have told Anna about this, she would wonder why my mom sounds like she�s coughing up a lung every morning in the bathroom. Which she probably is by the way. My family is unique. We have a different accent from living in the deep South. We have a different way of doing things. We are altogether weird at times and very difficult to understand unless you know us. It�s the same way with the Bible. Unless you understand it�s purpose, what it was meant for. Unless you understand the context � the location, the geography, the language, the personality of the people and the writers � you won�t understand the Bible. When we say it�s �supper time� in Alabama it means it�s time to eat. But there is no such thing as �supper time� in New York City or Los Angeles. In Alabama, if I say, �Let�s go out to eat�, that means we are going to eat at Shoney�s or the Western Sizzlin. If I say, �Let�s go out to eat�, in Atlanta, it means we are going to eat at Chili�s, Longhorn�s, or Macaroni Grill. In the same way, when I hear the word �justice� in my current American, Republican, postmodern, suburban, middle-class context, it means something totally different than what it would mean in the Bible in it�s ancient, middle-Eastern, primitive, desert context. So we have to understand the Bible�s intent, the Bible�s purpose, the Bible�s context before you can even begin to understand it�s content. And what I would like to submit today is probably drastically different than what you�ve been taught growing up. But if we can shift our understanding in this direction, I think we can begin to make some steps in the right direction. And it is that I believe the Bible is a narrative, a story. I do not believe it is primarily a text book, or a weapon, or a political law book, or a tool, or an Idiot�s Guide to Life. It�s not a scientific textbook where we can look objectively for detached answers. It�s not a tool for us to �use� (as if God�s could be used). It�s not full of ammunition for us to use on others. It�s not even a sword. We�ve ripped Hebrews 4:12 out of context where it says, �The word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword.� Our false understanding of this verse leads us to believe the Bible is a weapon. It�s a seemingly small change in language, but it leads people down a road where their image of the Bible is that of conquest. An almost human like figure, the 4th part of the trinity, a mini-God, that people have used to justify wars (The Crusades, Constantine, etc.) and to approach their friends, neighbors, and world in a militant, hostile, and the very least, �unfriendly� way. The language of �sword� used in Hebrews 4:12 has to do with the word of God being able to cut, shape, mold our own personal lives. It�s a sword to be used inwardly on ourselves not outwardly on others. The Bible is not a scientific text book, a book of laws, a sword. It�s primarily a narrative. A story about how God relates to humanity and how humanity relates to God. The first words in the Bible are, �In the beginning . . .� It reads just like a story. Once upon a time . . . Long, long ago. In a time and place far, far away. In the beginning . . . the story begins. The last word of the Bible is, �Amen�. This basically mans, �I approve�, �I agree�, �I echo�. Almost sounds like "The End". The first and last verses of the Bible serve as bookends to the story of God. John 1:1 reads the same way, �In the beginning was Jesus, and Jesus was with God, and Jesus was God.� The Bible is a story. It�s a story with a beginning and an end. It is a story with characters and plots and subplots. It has its ups and it has its down. It has its conflicts and turmoil. And with plot resolution. It�s a story. Jesus is this story. God is this story. He is the beginning and the end. That�s why the Bible�s purpose is not to serve as a textbook. Instead it tells a story of how God relates to people and people in turn relate back to God. It tells about how God came to earth. Entering into the story. Becoming one of the main characters. Entering into humanity. Inviting us to join him in the story. That�s the purpose of the Bible. To tell us the story of God and then invite us into the story that he is writing. The Bible�s primary purpose was not put together so that we could approach it as abstract scientists or students. It was written to tell us of how God is inviting us into the story. It�s just like any other great story only greater. Only grander. Only better. When we read a great novel. Moby Dick. The Great Gatsby. Charlotte�s Web. Treasure Island. Our primary purpose is to read and enjoy and immerse ourselves in the narrative that the author is writing. The great tragedy is when these books get broken down and ripped apart by students and professors in colleges and high schools. Broken down to the smallest parts and psycho analyzed until there is no mystery or grandeur left. Could that be what our seminaries do to the Bible? Could that be what our churches do? Reduce the Bible to facts, to a textbook with easy answers, to objective/scientific explanations about God. Perhaps we miss the point of why any author writes a good story. Namely, to create a story and world that invokes and calls us to immerse ourselves within the story, with the characters, with the plot. To enter into the world the author created and become a participant in the story. It�s a story. It�s a narrative. It�s where we must begin. And it�s where we must end in whatever conversations we might have about the Bible.

looked at new homes. i'm an adult. bought pinkerton. again. townhomes. listened to ring tones for an hour in my bed under my blanket so as not to make a noise from 11:15 pm to 12:15 am. Couldn't decide on a wide variety of tones. Longview by Greenday. Take on Me by A-Ha. Magnum P.I. theme. The Scientist by Coldplay. i'll make a decision tonight. laid out. to hot. convincing Bev to trim his back hair. making some progress for the 1st time in a year. rode 4-wheelers through swamp mud. it smelt like poo. bad idea. rode 4-wheelers through extremely green grassy field. felt like the pan. green jumped blue as my new favorite color. drove around. dodged birds in courtyard. slow cooked hamburgers that were 8 inches thick. bobby cox does not live there. to hell with the traffic of atlanta. and to heaven with the green grass that i can't quit thinking about. drove around looking for fireflies. it seemed like firefly weather. it wasn't. thought about wearing a girls perfume* (see below). stumbled across an alpaca farm. 100+. mellow mushroom. thought about meehans. thought better. on a tight budget. on a loose diet. booked my honeymoon. rolling the dice on flights. and contemplating taking back a ream of paper. what to do. on the aforementioned perfume. i do not feel as the sentence fragment form i was writing in could do justice to the perfume for which i speak of. precursory remarks: 1) i do not like perfumes of any kind. they stink. they are strong. they are overbearing. and symbolic of many evils in the world such as vanity, pride, and smelliness. 2) i do not like colognes because i do not like the associated evils mentioned above as well as the thought that i feel like a frat boy. 3) they are both highly expensive and overpriced considering it is essentially 4-8 ounces of smelly water. 4) there are certain brands that the people in hollywood wear because of trendiness and monetary reasons. and i do not look at people in hollywood as role models nor do i respect or like 99% of their ambitions, dreams, goals, purpose, or lives. chase the wind my friends. chase the wind. but i digerss. so if i bought this perfume, it would mean that i in a sense condone "the company" and those who wear it, as well as send my hard earned money their way so that they can buy more cheap, worthless %$*&. again i digress. 5) therefore when people smell me, they will automatically assume that i wrapped up and centered in the above 4 points and will arrive at an inaccurate perception of me. 6) since when i have cared before. 7) end points. the perfume is Burberry - Brit. It is the original mix (there are 3 others). It is single handedly the most heavenly scent I have ever smelled in my entire life. Soft, whimsical, light, flowerly (not like the smell but like the look), exploding, imaginative, vivid, provoking, etc, etc. smell I have ever smelt in my entire smelling life. i first smelt it 2 months ago on a 30 year old Texan friend of Anna's at a wedding. it consumed me until we finally called her and found its source. it was Burberry. we went by the perfume stand in the big Mall store. and found it. sprayed it on a cardboard square. it spelt like crap. i put it in my pocket and walked away disappointed that i couldn't have the same experience as i had previously had. an hour later, i pulled it out of my pocket. heaven arrived. if God smelled (not saying he does or doesn't), i think he would smell like this. i carried the card with me for the next 3 days and put in my pocket and smelled it every 5 minutes on the minute. and that is my story. that is my memory. and now i must leave the weekend and begin my work.

Patchwork: The Bible As A Mosaic 

Listening: Damien Jurado, Johnny Cash, Kasabian, Kaiser Chiefs, Beck, The Decemberists Reading: The Gifts of the Jews by Thomas Cahill Viewing: Hotel Rwanda, Wild Boyz