Dee Doo

Saving the Planet One Meal at a Time (or why/how I'm a vegan)

2011-07-11T14:08:00.009-04:00

Recently the gentlemen of ESM had a special Food & Fellowship (the themed fortnightly gathering) dedicated to Creation Care (what happens when the Gospel overtakes a hippie). I feel that one of the clearest calls we have from God throughout the Bible is to be stewards of that with which He has blessed us, and this includes caring for His creation rather than living as functional hedonistic parasites that slowly erode the resources with which we have been blessed and must rely for survival, and as such I have made various life choices to reflect that conviction of the Holy Spirit.

One of the fastest, most effective, and easiest ways to curtail our negative impact on the planet (as well as the "least of these" for whom Christ calls us to care!) is by adjusting our diet.

I began my vegan journey early in 2009 when I was challenged by some statistics regarding the consumption of meat and the impact that eating it has on the environment and the poorest nations and people groups. Around the same time my conscience was being pricked about this area of selfishness in my life, I received an email from Meat Free Monday which encourages people to voluntarily give up meat one day a week. This can have a huge impact on CO2 and methane emissions, as well as a myriad of other benefits to the planet and its peoples!

After a little while I realized that meat free Mondays were turning into meat free Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, and... well, you get the idea. This eventually turned into a meat free lifestyle.

After about three years as a ovo-lacto vegetarian (one who does not eat meat but will eat eggs and dairy products; the most common type of vegetarian) I was challenged yet again, this time by the practices of the dairy industry. I had originally dismissed veganism (and for a while vegetarianism) because of the unfortunate pagan connotations of earth worship and a misunderstood anthropology (the nature/purpose of humanity) where the argument is "animals are people too", something clearly contrary to the special place in creation to which humanity has been assigned. We are the only creature to bear God's image (the Imago Dei) and have clearly been given dominion over plants and animals (Genesis 1:26). That does not, however, mean that we are to abuse that power by taking advantage of God's creation. You have dominion over your children as a parent, but this is not a license for abuse, rather a call to serve and sacrifice and focus outside of your own interests.

One of the hardest parts about going vegetarian or vegan is the learning curve requisite to overcome a lifetime of meat and dairy eating. Most of our meals center around some meat dish and there is a lot of learning that has to be done to figure out a new way to cook. The good news is that, once you get going, you realize that you actually will have MORE options and dishes from which to choose. I have expanded my horizons and discovered all sorts of foods that I now count among my favorites that I would not have even tried were I not a vegetarian/vegan!

As such, since I have climbed this learning curve, I want to share my experiences and knowledge that I have learned so that it might be easier for you to explore this option and maybe try giving up meat for at least one day a week!

As far as recipes go, I use online resources to find them and never underestimate the power and importance of experimentation!

If you have an iOS device (iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad) then there are some GREAT apps that can help out. My favorite one is the Wholefoods app that has tons of recipes and the option to search based on the ingredients you have on hand. It also will keep your shopping list for you when you find a recipe you like (it will add the ingredients to your list for you so you don't forget it!).

Eating out is going to be tough. Italian is not your friend; almost all of it has egg (pasta), butter (pasta, bread, even sauce), cheese, meat, etc. Mediterranean, Indian, and "hold-the-sour-cream-and-cheese" Mexican are good options to consider. I also enjoy Thai and other Asian foods that use tofu for stir-fry options.

One of the most helpful books for me when I started was (I'm almost too chagrined to admit it!) The Kind Life by Alicia Silverstone. It has great recipes, easy to follow logic for why to go/stay vegan, and it really helped me get up and running.

Here is a list of resources I find helpful for vegan living. Keep in mind that not all of them are espousing the lifestyle for the same reasons I do, but I try to chew the meat and spit out the bone (if you'll pardon the ironic idiom). I love PETA for their recipes, but not their "animals are people too" stance. There are some good films out there as well that can be very helpful, as well as articles from various non-profits and news organizations.

http://www.thekindlife.com/

http://sierraclub.typepad.com/greenlife/2009/09/for-vegetarians-and-vegans-who-love-to-dine-out-opposing-views-has-launched-an-interactive-restaurant-databasethe-database.html

http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/two-week-vegetarian-menu.aspx

http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/recipes/default.aspx

http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/making-the-transition-vegetarian.aspx

http://www.vegetariantimes.com

http://karmachow.com/

http://creationcare.org/

http://www.creationcareforpastors.com/

http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/environment.html

http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/a0701e/a0701e00.htm

http://www.all-creatures.org/articles/env-sobering.html

http://www.enviroveggie.com/

http://www.vegansa.com/veganism-and-the-environment.php

http://www.foodincmovie.com/about-the-issues.php

http://www.beautiful-vegan.com/2010/04/documentaries-and-videos_9347.html

http://www.trianglevegsociety.org/resources/index.html

http://vegraleigh.blogspot.com/

http://www.happycow.net/north_america/usa/north_carolina/raleigh/

http://www.meetup.com/Triangle-Christian-Vegetarian-Supper-Club/profile/

If you have questions, comments, or just want some more advice, please don't hesitate to contact me and I'll be more than happy to help you out in whatever way I am able!

Be blessed,

Daniel

No Longer Good News (or why I reject "anonymous Christians")

2011-04-02T12:21:00.006-04:00

Many people, when confronted with the doctrine of exclusivity (that is, that Christ is the only way to God and there is no salvation apart from His name alone), rightly wrestle with “the fate of those who never hear the Gospel.”

Recently Rob Bell released a rather controversial book entitled “Love Wins” in which he challenges the traditional orthodox understanding of Heaven and Hell and salvation. Despite the current hullabaloo surrounding his borderline (if not outright) heretical statements, this is nothing new. Over the years this argument has come up over and over. Rob Bell is not the first person who’s conscience was burdened over the prospect of people going to Hell “unjustly” who then decided to abandon Scripture and tradition After all, how could God damn to Hell a person who never heard the Gospel or had an opportunity to respond? What if this is a good person who worships god as they know it and lives a moral life within the confines of their given worldview (Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, etc.); wouldn’t God recognize their effort and redeem them apart from Christ? They make the argument that God’s love is bigger than His own name.

I have heard this referred to as “anonymous Christians” because they are saved by Christ, they just don’t know it yet.

This sounds really good, right? People try hard and God rewards them for it. But this isn’t how Scripture defines the Gospel, humanity, or grace.

While the doctrine of exclusivity is exceedingly difficult (I resonate with the Psalmist of Psalm 131!), it is necessary to maintain a consistent character of God that balances His love/mercy/grace with His justice/holiness/righteousness. I might do a series defending the doctrine over upcoming weeks, but for this post I just wanted to touch on a comment I Tweeted that seemed to cause some confusion.

The word “gospel” literally means “good news.” This is what Christ called it, what Paul called it, what the early church called it, so it seems they understood the life and message of Christ as something positive and freeing. Christ commanded us to share this message with all peoples in all places.

Let’s reason this through.

if the Gospel = good news;
And
not hearing the Gospel but living morally or worship your understanding of God = salvation;
But
introducing the Gospel to an unreached people group now means they can go to Hell;
therefore
the Gospel = bad news

I would rather live in ignorance leading to salvation than knowledge leading to damnation. If this is the case, wouldn’t that make Christ a jerk for telling us to go and spread condemnation to the ends of the earth? Can you imagine a physician so concerned about the plight of AIDS that he finds a cure and wants to make sure everyone has access to it so he goes to places where AIDS is not present and starts injection the “cure” into people, thereby introducing AIDS to a previously uninfected area. Not only that, but not everyone will take advantage of the cure! Unfortunately, all will be touched by the disease. There is no good news in a cure that only heals you after infecting you in the first place. I’d rather just stay disease-free to begin with, thank you very much.

That is what I meant by my tweet. Sending missionaries to unreached people groups is not good news for those people if the missionaries’ presence only breeds responsibility before God leading to damnation apart from Christ where there previously was “anonymous” grace. This seems patently antithetical to God’s character and thus I must reject such a theory.

Like I said, I will try to write more soon about other reasons I hold to a doctrine of exclusivity, but for now, maybe this will help to show my concern with undermining evangelism and missions by deluding ourselves into thinking people are not currently dying and going straight to Hell all over this world because we are more focused on our next car than with sacrificing of ourselves to be Christ’s love to someone helpless and in need of rescue. This is insidious, evil, and unproductive. Which is more useful, denying the thief outside the door or calling the police to arrest him?

All You Need is Love (or the best reason to love)

2010-08-11T12:31:00.004-04:00

Sometimes I find it hard to love my brothers, much less my enemies. Yet, 1 John tells us that God is love and we ought to therefore love one another because love is from God.

4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

I put this song together as a reminder that I am called to love, not because of anything in me that can do so, but because God in me allows me to love. I am unlovable, a child of wrath who deserves nothing but punishment. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved me, even when I was dead in my trespasses, made me alive together with Christ! It is not that I loved God, but that He loved me; how can I not, therefore, love my brothers, love my enemies, love those whom I have never met? God loved me when I was at enmity with Him. I therefore will love. After all, it is the new command that Jesus gave us, is it not?

I hope this encourages you to love.

I love you.

...or download it here.

Paul was Anti-Patriotism (or why I stopped saying the "Pledge of Allegiance")

2010-07-12T15:25:00.010-04:00

I recently tweeted a comment that, given the fact that he could not possibly know my thought process leading up to it, offended someone.

Let me elaborate. I had been watching the film Brothers, a story about two brothers whose lives have taken seemingly different paths in response to an alcoholic, abusive, "former" military father; one has joined the Marines, like his father before him, while the other responded to their father's abuse differently, taking to an unsuccessful life of petty crime.

At a family dinner that takes place in the brief window between when the Marine deploys (again) and when the ne'er-do-well is released from prison, the father expresses his displeasure with the son heretofore incarcerated by the state by comparing him to his brother who suffers under a different, more voluntary form of imprisonment by the United States armed forces.

The father makes the statement that the Marine is a "hero" by sheer virtue of "fighting for his country" as though there is an inherent value in murdering someone who was born outside of whatever imaginary lines inside of which you were born as long as you wear a uniform.

As if for the first time I was struck by the absurdity of our society's willingness to automatically make military personnel heros if for no other reason than that they sign away their lives to possibly kill or die for the stars and stripes.

My tweet was this:

I really feel like by now humanity should have evolved past nationalism/patriotism as being seen as something noble rather than provincial.

The retort from the offended party accused me of being anti-patriotic as part of a fad. Being "hip" is not why I am anti-patriotic. I don't know that I would even consider myself "anti-patriotic" at all. Maybe "post-patriotic."

My concern, as a Christian, is the same as that of the Apostle Paul to the church in Galatia. Why are we so caught up in trivial and temporal conditions like whether or not we are Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, American or Iraqi?

I am glad to be an American, don't misunderstand me. There are a lot of great things about this country and I am afforded a lot of privileges having been born and raised here. I know it's easy for me as a white middle class male to wax philosophical from the comfort of my iMac. However, that being said, this is not a perfect country and I am not willing to delude myself into some sort of nationalistic trance that translates into anybody who does anything in the name of "America" as therefore being intrinsically heroic or laudable.

I want to break down invisible "us" vs. "them" lines drawn on maps by people long dead in favor of bringing the Gospel to all nations and all peoples by sheer virtue of their imago dei, not the color of their passport. I think we should stop worrying about green cards and focus more on red hearts. Christ has called me out of a country and into a Kingdom.

Here is my latest offering of Scripture that makes you want to dance. I hope you enjoy God's words through Paul and allow them to challenge how you think about nationality and allegiance.

And here is the higher quality version to download!

I Call it "Ambient Gospel" (...but you can call it a Moby rip-off)

2010-07-07T16:05:00.006-04:00

I've been really enjoying how much more I can do in GarageBand with my new iMac since I don't have to wait years for tracks and effects to process (thank you, Quad-Core i7 processor and 8 gigs of RAM!) so here is another installment of what I do late at night instead of sleeping...

Oh, and, once again, you can download the m4a from my iDisk!

For the record I think it sounds way better with headphones on...

Hope for Havana (...or how I spent my Saturday night)

2010-07-03T21:49:00.014-04:00

I have about a half dozen half written posts sitting waiting to be finished and published, but, alas, this is not one of them. I promise I'll get back to it soon. I feel like I missed out on the increased traffic my previous post got me, but last semester was crazy and I never had a chance to follow up.

I have been playing with GarageBand lately, though, and writing music instead of writing blog posts. I put this together tonight in honor of the Fourth of July. I know that might sound strange (once you listen to it), but I was thinking about what freedom means and those who not only don't have it, but risk their lives to obtain it by coming to this country to work in terrible conditions just to try to make life better for their families.

So, Arizona, put this in your iTunes and listen to it.

Wow, that didn't have nearly the impact I had hoped for. But, since smoking is forbidden at Southeastern and I'm already on thin ice, I figured I'd censor the saying.

I hope you enjoy!

Europe Saved My Life (...or why I have the best dad ever!)

2010-06-09T17:31:00.005-04:00

This is one of those posts that I started (back at the beginning of June right after returning from Europe) but never finished. So, here it is:

I'm sitting on my parent's three-season porch in Summit, New Jersey, listening to jovial rain drops serenade the trees with a chorus of early summer melody as my body struggles to know when and where it is. I have returned from a brief holiday to Europe with my father that was exactly what I needed after this hectic semester. For those of you who may not know, I have spent the last six months working upwards of 80 hours a week and taking a full time graduate course load, trying to juggle work, school, relationships, and sanity to varying degrees of success. I spent most nights napping for a couple hours here and there, tending to Lou's needs, never really sleeping for any extended period of time and subsequently paying the price for this lifestyle in the currency of physical, emotional, and spiritual dollars; I nearly bankrupt my soul.

I tell you this, not to solicit your pity or come across as some sort of Superman, a compliment some people have falsely ascribed to me, but rather to give a frame of reference for my state when departing on this trip. I guess you could argue it was having consistent sleep, eating fresh food, or just being with my dad taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of Europe, but I believe God showed up big for me to restore my soul. I felt like angels came and were ministering to me.

I know this might sound like a little thing, but we had perfect weather the entire time! We had sun in London, breezes in Bavaria, snow in Switzerland, and thin crisp air in the alps. The rain in Oberammagau, where the Passion Play took place (the climax of the trip), had been constant every day until the day we arrived (according to Gündi, our wonderful little old B&B host) and then was gorgeous while we were there.

Watching the Passion Play itself was restoring also. I've seen more Jesus films than I can count, but there is something deeply different about seeing a huge stage packed full of people waving palm branches at a German Jesus and calling desperately for peace to come.

I took a heap of video that I am working on putting together into a movie of the trip. In the meantime I have a few photos online.

The Drinks We Don’t Drink and the Lives We Take (or why the Church should apply the same logic to military as they do to alcohol)

2010-02-27T20:29:00.003-05:00

*ADENDUM* I would like to start this off with a preface that apologizes for the misunderstanding that occurred when I originally posted this essay and to make it unequivocally clear that I both love and respect Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary as an institution, Dr. Danny Akin, our faithful president, and the faculty and staff of my seminary who serve King Jesus tirelessly. I have been inspired, edified, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit through their faithful exposition of the Word and constant challenge to live a life that reflects the Great Commission and the gospel of Jesus Christ. The only reason I bother in writing these articles is because I care enough about SEBTS and the SBC to take the time and effort to challenge the things I see as out of line with Scripture rather than throwing my hands up and just walking away, as some are prone to do (as we have been made painfully aware recently here at SEBTS).

In part, it is because of this teaching and adamant adherence to Scripture that I have been convicted by the Holy Spirit to share my thoughts on the issue of a seminary that actively endorses military involvement for its students. I personally feel that they should seek to discourage their students from taking up arms against their enemies, but I am aware that such a tremendous step would take the miraculous intervention of the Lord, not a silly blog by an obscure and overworked student. At the very least, however, I feel that the seminary has an obligation to at least remain consistent on this “gray area” by not inviting men in pressed green uniforms to stand up in the pulpit of our chapel where the Word of God is preached and tell the future ministers of this world to grab a gun and fall in line.

Furthermore, my primary problem is with the fundamentally inconsistent logic the administration engages in when on one hand there is the prohibition of the biblically sanctioned moderate use of alcohol while simultaneously endorsing military allegiance from its students. How deluded are we as a body of believers when the consumption of a beer is elevated to a higher priority level than the taking a human life? We have lost sight of what matters more (to intentionally allude to Derek Webb's recent album controversy) when the beverages we sip become more important than the blood we spill.

And, to be clear, despite my disagreement, I have adhered to the alcohol ban the entire time I have been in seminary, even when acting as the best man at my best friend’s wedding at a vineyard in Virginia last summer when I easily could have had a glass of champagne to toast his union to his wife without getting “caught” because I want to respect the authority of the seminary over me and submit to the covenant into which I have entered. I will not, however, submit in silence, when there are bigger issues at stake!

The good news out of all this controversy is that I now have some more time to sleep and do school work. The bad news is, as much as it grieves my spirit, I am no longer under the employ of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (not by my decision). That being said, here is a slightly edited version of the now notorious essay:

I know that not everyone feels the same way I do about the military and it's role in the world or in the life of a disciple of Jesus Christ (although, I do stand in good company, with the likes of Charles Spurgeon in my corner, a favorite Baptist preacher). I have tried to be open and listen to those who are proponents of "Just War" theories (I even attended a breakout session at the most recent 20/20 Conference with Dr. Heimbach who helped craft the Just War policy for the first President Bush during the Persian Gulf War). I was challenged by some of the Scriptures he used and how he applied them to the notion of war and peace, but, to be honest, I was left wholly unconvinced. At best there is an argument from silence that Christians are not prohibited, per se, from joining the military. Proponents of this point of view use verses such as Matthew 10:34 and 24:6, Luke 3:1, 14:31, and 22:36, Acts 10, and Romans 13:4 to defend their position. I do not think that Jesus’ acknowledging that wars and rumors of wars would always be with us is the same as saying we, as Christians, should participate in them or endorse them as a body. Jesus’ claim that He did not come to bring peace is because He was dispelling the misconception of being a political messiah instead of a spiritual messiah. This is not the same as saying that He does not desire peace on earth or that we should not be actively working towards bringing God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven (sound familiar?).

Also, the decision for someone already in the military to finish out his term of service after conversion cannot be twisted to say that people who are already Christians are allowed/encouraged/commanded to join the military. These are NOT the same! The early church clearly held that centurion converts ought to finish their military duties, but they did not want Christians to join the military (until Constantine).

Finally, about the passage in Romans, a favorite go-to proof-text for military involvement by Christians, I want to make two points. First of all, the passage is referring to civil and domestic power. You can use this to argue for the existence of police and the judicial system. Second of all, it tells us to submit to those authorities, not participate with them, especially when they engage in activities that could be contrary to God’s will, purpose, and demonstration of His love and mercy.

I cannot look at the life and teaching of Christ as a whole and walk away with the thought that He would desire us to voluntarily enlist in the armed forces. Over and over Jesus encouraged peace through love, not violence.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God" (Matthew 5:9)

"But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also...Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you..." (Matthew 5:39 - not "blow them up or point machine guns at them until they stop upsetting or threatening you"!)

"Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword." (Matthew 26:52).

There are a myriad of such examples – including the oft overlooked counterpart to the aforementioned Romans passage that is the context (hermeneutics 101) for their proof-text: Romans 12:9-21- Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (emphasis added)

Beyond the explicit teachings of Christ we have the example of His life, which we are implored to emulate, which was one of radical non-violence. Jesus did not retaliate when struck. Jesus did not choose to accomplish His will through overpowering others with military might. Jesus did not create a community with high walls and locked gates to keep “them” away from “us”. To quote an old hymn “…but He never said a mumblin’ word. Not a word, not a word, not a word, not a word. They all cried, “Crucify Him”… but He never said a mumblin’ word…”

Getting away from the aspect of non-violence in the personal Christian life, which I find to be almost overwhelming, let us talk about idolatry. I can also speak from the personal experience of having multiple family members in the military, having dated a Navy nurse for two years, and having close friends, fraternity brothers, and many acquaintances who are either in or preparing to enter the military and the detrimental effect that being a soldier had on their psyche and the lives of their (and my own) families. When one becomes a soldier they are broken down and rebuilt to have an allegiance to their country above all else. All else. When Jesus is teaching on finances during the Sermon on the Mount He tells us that, "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." (Matthew 6:24) While Jesus is obviously talking about money here, I think the principle of not having any masters above Him is throughout Scripture (cf. Luke 14:26 for another example of not holding anything or anyone in a place of more importance than Christ or the first of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:3). When someone becomes a soldier, they are forced to forsake their identity in order to adopt a new one that is one of submission to country and commanding officers above all else. There is a subculture that is incredibly strong that supersedes any sense of self; a Christian soldier is no longer an adopted child redeemed by the blood of the Lamb but an "Army of one." There is a former Marine I know who no longer says, "amen" or "Hallelujah" when he agrees with something said in the sermon but rather he exclaims, "Hoo-Rah!" like a dog dreaming he is catching the mailman. He is a Marine first and a Christian second. He has told me that when he dons his uniform he is first and foremost a soldier who must act in that capacity above all else. This is idolatry! “You cannot serve two masters...”

I say all this because I was struck by a thought recently when yet another military man made a plug for becoming a [Army, Navy, Marines, whatever] chaplain during our chapel service here at Southeastern. I was struck by the inconsistency in logic I find coming from an institution that forces its faculty, staff, and students to be teetotalers because of the potential for sin involved with the consumption of alcohol. When I first arrived at Southeastern Dr. Akin put out a series of articles regarding the "Gray Areas" of life and how to make wise decisions in those areas. His argument is that, despite the fact that Jesus' first miracle was turning water into wine (John 2:1-11), the fact that Jesus instituted the drinking of alcohol in remembrance of His voluntary salvific self-sacrifice and spilling of His blood for the remission of our sins (Matthew 26:27-29, Mark 14:23-25, Luke 22:17-18), that [in the Old Testament especially] the Jews viewed wine (but not drunkenness) as a sign of joy and God's blessing (Psalm 104:15; Proverbs 3:10), or that Paul tells Timothy to drink wine instead of water (1 Timothy 5:23), that, despite all these, it is most wise to abstain from all alcohol due to the potential for addiction or making a brother "stumble."

One of the arguments that Dr. Akin makes is that we ought to ask the question, "Will this action potentially enslave me?" I think this is a wise question when it comes to alcohol; alcoholism runs deep in my family and I have seen the slavery that it can bring. However, as I mentioned earlier, military allegiance also runs deep in my family tree, and I can tell you that, as far as enslaving decisions go, selling your soul to Uncle Sam by enlisting in the military is an equal commitment to being a slave for the rest of your life. Just like a recovering alcoholic still identifies themselves as an alcoholic, even if they have not had a drink in years, so a former soldier will carry the emotional scars and damage of that decision and will forever be a "soldier."

Other questions Dr. Akin encourages asking about alcohol I think ought to be equally applied to the military are:

Will this action encourage my brother or sister in Christ?

Will this help or hinder my gospel witness?

Is this action consistent with my life in Christ?

Will this action follow the pattern of the life of Jesus?

Will this action show love to others?

Will this action honor my body which belongs to God?
Will this action glorify God?

These are all great questions that we should ask about everything we do in our lives... including our allegiance to the military! Stop for one minute and try to think outside of the American Dream indoctrination with which you have likely been flooded. Think through these questions through the filter of the gospel, not the Constitution. Can we really answer any of these questions in the affirmative when it comes to joining the military? Does dedicating your life to death (even if you make it more palatable by labeling it "freedom" or "liberty" or "justice for all") really follow the pattern of the life of Jesus? Does learning how to disassemble and reassemble an automatic weapon to shoot brown or yellow people who disagree with you or threaten your way of life bring glory to God? Does dropping bombs on innocent men, women, and children in hopes of assassinating a few "bad guys" (who still bear the Imago Dei) show love to others? I cannot wrap my head around how that could be so.

In a perfect world there would be no war; there would be no Hitlers or Husseins or Stalins or Castros. But there are. I know that. This is a complicated issue that requires careful prayer and consideration. All I know is that I cannot justify committing my life and allegiance to Uncle Sam instead of Jesus. Nobody said the gospel would be easy. No one promised perfection to be an overnight acquisition. Loving our enemies isn’t easy or else everyone would do it. “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

What frustrates me in regards to Southeastern's policy is what I perceive to be inconsistent logic. Either let me enjoy a Guinness (which is more Christian than the Army by far!) with my supper because we are adult Christians who enjoy the freedom and liberty that Christ paid dearly to grant us or stop pushing the military on me because all gray areas that have the potential to enslave us or make others fall into sin ought to be prohibited by the administration. We need to commit to one or the other. (At the very least be balanced and invite a non-violence organization to come speak in chapel and talk about opportunities to serve the world for peace and justice in ways that don’t require the shedding of blood.)

I know this is controversial, and I'm ok with that. I would love to hear your thoughts and dialogue about this issue with you over coffee. I just ask that you really think/pray/meditate/challenge your preconceptions before doing so. I have taken time and sought God extensively before writing this. This is not an article I take lightly, but it is one that I feel I must share out of a conviction I believe to be from the Holy Spirit. At one time I actually planned on joining the military until the Lord convicted me about what truly being under the Lordship of Christ (not the Commander in Chief) meant.

Thank you for pushing yourself, even if you still disagree with me.

In love and seeking Truth,

Your brother.

Love & Respect (or how to make sense of the gender static)

2010-01-24T21:02:00.002-05:00

Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires; The Respect He Desperately Needs by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs

Love & Respect is rooted in (However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.) to find why it is that men and women often have trouble communicating in relationships with one another. The premise is that women desire to be shown they are loved whereas men are more focused on feeling respected. This is not to say that men do not desire love nor that women have no need for respect, but rather, that each gender has a different emphasis and, thus, there can be something “lost in the translation” when going from male to female and vice versa.

While I am as of yet unmarried, I have had girlfriends with whom there have been times where, despite earnest efforts on both our parts, there was a fundamental communication breakdown that left us both feel, well, crazy. Dr. Eggerichs aptly refers to this as the “Crazy Cycle” (without love she reacts without respect; without respect he reacts without love; without love… well, you get the idea!). Reading this book gave me great insight into how better to communicate with not only my girlfriend, but also women in my life in general. I realized why I misunderstood what women have tried to communicate to me in the past and how I can better express myself so as to ensure that what I intend to say is received correctly (so that the words that come out of my blue megaphone can be understood through her pink hearing aid without getting drowned out by gender static).

Grounded in biblical truth and psychological research, Dr. Eggerichs successfully conveys his message in an easy to read format that is as entertaining as it is insightful. I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever been in a failed relationship and hopes to someday be in one that works!

Haiti (or evil can bring out the good in people)

2010-01-19T16:51:00.003-05:00

I would love to write more about the phenomena of evil bringing out the best parts of humanity as it drives people together for the greater good and to sacrifice of themselves for those who are suffering, but I am stretched absurdly thin with four jobs and a J-term class (Baptist History condensed into two weeks...) so it will have to take the back burner for now (but I'll do my best to come back to it!).

In the meantime, please check out this Paste site to donate to Haitian relief and then receive over 250 previously unreleased songs for free!

Artists include: Ludacris, Hanson, Switchfoot, Kevin Barnes (from Of Montreal), Andrew Bird, Marco Benevento, Sarah Borges, Bruce Cockburn, Jason Isbell, Bill Mallonee, Mugison, Sila and the Afrofunk Experience, Wovenhand, Xiu Xiu, Arrested Development, Ben Folds, Bob Mould, Cee Lo Green, Cowboy Junkies, Emmylou Harris, Indigo Girls, Josh Ritter, Marc Broussard, Mark Kozelek, The Greencards, Matthew Sweet, Of Montreal, Passion Pit, Patterson Hood, She & Him, The Avett Brothers, Dan Dyer, The Decemberists, The Jayhawks, The Minus 5, The Low Anthem, Wovenhand, Willard Grant Conspiracy, Jill Andrews and The String Cheese Incident. (Note: Some of these songs are from the “Save Paste” campaign.)

Paste says, "We don’t think people should donate to the relief efforts in Haiti just to get a reward. But this gives Paste and artists a way to help, using the thing we’re most passionate about—music. If you've already donated elsewhere, we hope you'll tell us and take advantage of the free songs. We want to make a strong statement of concern and show the generosity of our readers and the music community in general. We also hope you'll continue giving as you are able."

Please donate!

Sovereignty, Omniscience, and Prayer (or why prayer probably doesn't work that way you think it does)

2009-12-08T14:39:00.012-05:00

I recently wrote a research paper for my theology class examining the relationship and interaction between God's sovereignty, omniscience, and prayer, or, more simply put, answering the question, "Why do we pray?".

I was first acutely confronted with articulating my thoughts on this issue while in India this past summer when I engaged in a great discussion with my friend Ashley, one of the woman on our team, about the nature and purpose of prayer. She, like many Christians, had a very simple understanding of prayer. I don't mean this as condescending, just as an observation and way to establish the starting point from which our exploration began. I have discovered that many Christians will create or accept a simple theological understanding of a complex issue without following through its implications to their logical conclusion. I have come to view every idea as a domino that will inevitably come into contact with other dominoes of ideas; if these dominoes all collapse, where will they end up? If that destination does not match Scripture, I must reevaluate where I have placed my domino.

In this example, the starting point is that God must answer prayers. This is fair enough, and, I would say, not inherently false given a proper understanding of what "to answer" means. The trouble is that people get as far as, "I pray and then God does what I ask Him to do because I asked Him" without following that through to see how it affects the idea of God's omniscience (foreknowledge) and sovereignty (control over all things). The trouble with God doing something just because we prayed about it implicitly implies that God did not know prior to our prayer what action He was going to carry out and we have just inadvertently destroyed omniscience and shrunk God into something much smaller and more impotent than a Scriptural understanding of God. This is loosely known as open theism, a borderline (if not outright) heretical theology that forces God into the box of linear history and accuses Him of being unable to know events that have yet to transpire (for us). They believe that our prayers affect God as much if not more than His own will does. The hubris of such a statement is mind boggling to me! The fundamental presupposition of this type of claim is tantamount to accusing God of, in some scenario, being less [loving, wise, insightful, interactive, etc.] than His creation (humans). Follow that thought through: God intends to carry out plan "X", yet this does not please [person] who prays fervently and faithfully for God to ameliorate His decision and acquiesce to plan "Y", which [person] has conceived to be the better option. God, in His humility, realizes the error of His ways, kicks Himself (anthropomorphically, of course) for not having thought of this far superior plan on His own, and changes His plan to fall into our wise[r] advice. Is there anything more absurd than this anthropocentric view of our relationship with God? Meanwhile, Copernicus is calling to remind us that we're still not the center of the universe!

Now we're stuck with the question, "If God already knows everything and what He's going to do, why bother praying?" This is a fair question and the impetus of my paper. We must learn to live in the dynamic tension that Scripture presents; the Bible clearly repeatedly commands us to pray (the word "pray" appears over 2,500 times in the Bible!). Jesus not only Himself prayed (Mark 1:35; John 17 - each example from Scripture will be one of the many rather than an exhaustive list of the pertinent verses and will focus on the New Testament, though my paper examines examples from the Old Testament as well) but taught us how to pray (Matthew 6:5-15); Paul speaks of his own prayer life (Philippians 1:3-5) as well as commanding us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17); James tells us the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working (James 5:16). So how do we understand these passages in relation to the teachings in Scripture that God foreordains events (Ephesians 1:3-6) while not falling into the trap of determinism that dismantles human free will and thus moral responsibility (Romans 1:28-32)?

I would agree with the wisdom of Bonhoeffer (among many other godly theologians who fall into the category known as classical theism) that prayer is designed to change us, not God. We pray because God has decided to gift us with the joy of taking part in His plan, His will, His presence... When we pray we enter into God's courts and slowly, through sanctification, become more like Him. As we become more like Him we pray within His established will (Matthew 26:39-42) as well as carry out His will on earth as it already is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

The doctrine of prayer is an intensely complex issue that deserves the time and effort to wrestle with Scripture and come to a proper understanding of what the nature and purpose of prayer is. If you would like my thoughts on the issue, here is my paper, and I am always open to dialogue on my conclusions and I love to explore in community so feel free to contact me with questions/comments/etc.!

I pray that you are blessed by my offering and that God may use the time and effort I put into this work to bring you closer to Him for His glory alone.

Exodus 3:1-12 (or why "Who am I?" is the wrong question)

2009-11-13T15:49:00.005-05:00

Today was my third and final sermon for my preaching class. You may notice that my Mark sermon never got posted. Due to some technical difficulties it was not recorded properly and thus was not uploaded. I am working on getting a copy to post, but for now here is my sermon on Exodus.

It is bittersweet to be finished with this class; I am glad to not have the pressure of writing any more sermons and so freeing up time to focus on the rest of my classes as the semester's end looms heavy on the horizon, but I will miss preaching and how it forced me deep into the Word. I am hopeful I will have other opportunities to preach in the future to utilize all that I've learned!

Here is my sermon on Exodus 3:1-12. I decided to preach extemporaneously without my manuscript, so you may notice some stark contrasts between my manuscript and the sermon itself, but I am proud of both.

Here is my sermon manuscript if you want to compare ;^)
I also would love to hear whatever feedback you may have. It may be too late to apply to the class, but never too late to improve how I bring God's Word to His people!

[Disclaimer: this sermon was prepared for and preached to seminary men. As such there is a level of assumed knowledge and background that may not be universal to non-seminarians. If you have questions, please feel free to ask!]

I realize I have been derelict in putting up anything close to regular posts, but this semester has been kicking my butt. I will try to get back on track here pretty soon, so keep on checking back!

Ephesians 4:11-16 (or what the pastor's role is in ministry)

2009-09-11T18:10:00.004-04:00

This is the sermon I preached today on Ephesians 4:11-16 in Appleby Chapel at Southeastern Seminary for my sermon delivery class. It's nice and short (we were given only 15 minutes to preach!). The sound quality is a little low so that I could get the file size small enough to upload it, but in case you wanted to hear what I had to say to a room full of potential pastors, here you go!

I hope you enjoy it and if you have any questions for me please feel free to ask 'em.

Here is the manuscript if you want to read along!

I am still working on getting my 2 Timothy sermon online, but since it was 35 minutes long the only way to get the file size small enough is to make the audio almost painfully terrible. I'm working on some other options, so hopefully that can get posted sometime, too.

Thank you for your love.

Fearless (or Max Lucado's theology of sovereignty)

2009-09-08T01:12:00.004-04:00

I am now a book reviewer for Thomas Nelson book publishers. To be perfectly honest I only signed up so that I could get an early copy of Donald Miller's new book, but that didn't work out since there were only 250 and they were snatched up in under a half hour! Despite my disappointment, I am thankful to be have been able to read Max Lucado's new book, Fearless, an unexpected blessing!

Max Lucado’s newest non-fiction release, Fearless, is an easily accessible and enjoyable look at God’s sovereignty. The main premise is that if God is in control of everything, how can we be afraid of anything? Through 14 concise and engaging chapters, Lucado addresses various fears such as not mattering, disappointing God, protecting your family, and even our own date with death. Filled with biblical truth and a strong theology of God’s sovereignty, Fearless tackles the most fundamental problem, our fear itself.
While this book is not a true theological exposition on the topic, Lucado does a great job of handling the material in such a way that people at any stage of spiritual maturity and understanding stand to benefit from the insightful witticisms and true to life anecdotes that help illustrate the truth behind his bold assertion that we have no need to fear.

Each chapter is written in such a way as to shine light onto different aspects of the shadow that is fear while avoiding the redundancy associated with writing on such a nebulous topic. Encouraging without ignoring the passages of Scripture that are challenging to understand and call us to change, Fearless is a great reminder that God has both the ability and the desire to take care of His children!

For more information listen to the author explain the book:

I will be reviewing more in the future, though it may be a little while since I have so much assigned reading for seminary right about now... which reminds me, I should go finish that theology assignment.

Go, Send, or Disobey (or why "Am I called to go" is the wrong question)

2009-08-19T08:02:00.006-04:00

My pastor, J.D. Greer, posted a blog today featuring a video that moved me so much I wanted to make it available on my blog as well (see below). The video features the song "Tears of the Saints" by Leeland as well as some moving quotes by (one of my favorite preachers/teachers/authors) John Piper. The impetus of the video is to demonstrate why a commitment to world missions is crucial for Christians.

One of the challenges I have received while attending Southeastern is to re-evaluate the question that many Christians, myself included, are inclined to ask when faced with the Great Commission. That question is generally posed as "Am I called to be a missionary? Am I called to go?" The short answer to this is "Yes!" You are. If you are a follower of Jesus, you are called to be a missionary. Jesus is clear that this is His desire for each of His disciples (Matthew 24:14, 28:19; Mark 13:10, 16:15; Luke 24:47,48; Acts 13:47, just to name a few). The question, rather, ought to be posed "Am I called to stay? Is God asking me not to go?"

This is a hard question to ask, don't misunderstand me! I know that life as a full time missionary to an unreached people group is fraught with peril and many, if not most, of the comforts of a private American life are absent. But what more important calling could you receive? What a blessing it is to be allowed by God to take part in His plan of redemption for His creation who have rejected Him?

In Paul outlines our purpose and role:

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

So, therefore, we are to go, to send, or to live in disobedience to God's Word. Please do not get me wrong, God will save those whom He has predestined to save (; ; ; ; ; again, just to name a few). We cannot derail God's plan! We can neither save anyone nor hinder salvation from reaching anyone. We are not that powerful. God is the sole author and decider of salvation. But what we can do is miss out on the blessing that God is offering us by allowing us to take part in His gift of grace through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus the Christ, who allowed for the remission of sins through the spilling of His sinless blood. Missions is not an obligation, but a gift. May we obey God's call to fulfill the Great Commission!

Summer in South India Part 2 (or how to say "I do" in Malayalam)

2009-08-18T12:22:00.007-04:00

After we landed in Kochin we had a multi-hour drive to Ranni, our first destination. This was a long and perilous journey that only served as a type for the many like it, an ominous foreshadowing of Indian travel. One of the hardest things to get used to in India, for me, was the terrible infrastructure and lack of enforcement of motor vehicle laws. The roads in India, when paved at all, are full of potwholes (like potholes, only they swallow your car whole) and drivers pay no mind to the apparently optional lane lines painted on the road. Roads twist and turn with no reason and the width varies by kilometer. Rather than turn signals and patience, flashing high beams and honking horns alert other vehicles to your presence and/or desire to go around them. People drive in between lanes, straddling dotted lines, weaving in between three wheeled motorized rickshaws and helmet-less motorcycle drivers in a race to be the first to the scene of the imminent accident. India is not for you if you are at all prone to motion sickness. One of our team members, One Shoe Osborne, spent most of every vehicle ride trying to keep the curry down. Add to that the painful fact that the car we were using would play a version of "It's a Small World" that sounded like what would happen if the car had run over the CPU then tried to run a DOS game featuring the MIDI tune. On more than one occasion the tune got stuck and stayed on for the duration of our hours long journey. I was not thinking very missionary-ey thoughts by the end of those trips.

Upon arriving in Ranni we stopped off at a hotel. Now, when I say hotel, I mean restaurant. Why, then, do I say hotel? Great question; I'm glad you asked. I have no idea. For some reason (well, that may not fair. I assume there is a reason, but that can pose to be a dangerous assumption in India) restaurants, irregardless of whether or not there are rooms for rent on a nightly basis, are called hotels. So, we stopped at a "hotel" for dinner. One of my favorite things about India was the food. I love Indian food (to the point that Susan, Andy's wife, is convinced I need to marry an Indian woman so I can eat it all the time... surprisingly tempting). I love spicy food, so a country that puts hot peppers in everything (including their donuts!) is all right with me! And food is cheap! We could go out and get more food than any of us could eat for nominally $4 each (including drinks and dessert).

South India is beautiful. I mean, stunning! To be honest, I was not expecting that at all. My only frame of reference for India was watching Slumdog Millionaire and Outsourced both of which take place in North India (imagine if you thought all of America looked like Manhattan and then you fly into the Redwood Forest of Northern California). We arrived during monsoon season which meant the heat was not too bad, but the humidity is always just below breaking point, exceeding it every few hours for a brief and unannounced downpour. When the rain comes the power goes and it is anyone's guess as to how long it will stay off. Although disconcerting at first I no longer even noticed it after a week or so.

One of the first things we did in Ranni was to go shopping as we recovered from our jet lag so as to have appropriate attire for the wedding we were to attend. This is a picture from the after-party event where we all visit the groom's home and the wife is "given over" to the new family. I looked like Aladdin.

The ceremony, in its entirety was beautiful. The wedding itself was (again) not what I expected. We started the day with a huge photo shoot at the bride's home (while the same event occurred simultaneously for the groom and his family at his home). It was odd being in the pictures since I did not really know anyone and I can imagine years from now their wedding album full of random white people that were there for only a week or so. But, they insisted. After the glamour shots were taken we were chauffeured to the church in the rain where we hobnobbed some more (being white in South India is like being a rockstar in Kansas; everyone wants a piece of the action and a picture with you).

The ceremony took ages to start, but once it did there was not so much as a pause. There was no down time from beginning to end (just shy of an hour). The photographers / videographers were present and active the entire time. They paced the isles with cameras rolling. Rather than the sporadic imposition of flash bulbs, however, they used ultra bright spotlights mounted atop their equipment that blinded us every time they turned our direction. I'm talking about construction site strength blinding halogen beams of red-eye. It became a game to time it just right to duck as the cameras spun our way. I'm sure there will be a lot of pictures of the tops and backs of our heads. I still see spots.

One of the most interesting things about the wedding was that the entire ceremony was sung by three alternating pastors and every once in a while a small choir would chime in. It was like watching a Malayalam version of Handel's Messiah. Unlike an American wedding, where you sit for the ceremony but stand for the bride's entrance and exit, we stood for the entire ceremony except for the bride's arrival and departure. This proved to be exhausting in the heat.

After the wedding we were served an amazing Indian food feast (which, I suppose, when in India, is just called a meal) where the priests and newlyweds ate on a stage for the guests to watch.

~~

Once again, stay tuned for another post about our trips to the actual orphanages (do you like how I have written two posts and still not covered the aspect of the trip that was the driving force behind going to India?)

Summer in South India Part 1 (or the miracle of arrival)

2009-07-31T12:15:00.001-04:00

The flight to India is long and crowded, the recycled air wafting the faint odor of stale curry and impatience. Fifteen hours of sitting in one place is enough to drive anyone mad, though some seem to get there sooner than others. The family next to me is from India but live in the United States now. Their daughter is in the seat adjacent to mine. She is maybe five years old and she is about the most adorable little girl I've ever seen (aside from my little sister, of course!). She loved to pretend to call people from the phone/remote in the arm rest between us. We watched Disney shows and she examined my Bible and books with great consternation.

Landing in New Delhi was a wave of surreal relief. Maybe I should backtrack some. Less than a week before I was meant to fly out for my month long excursion to India I received an email from Andy, the team leader, asking if I had my visa for India. The short answer was no, I did not. There had been an apparent breakdown in communication and I was not told I needed to get my visa in advance. It had not occurred to me that I would need to apply in advance. Every other country I have visited granted visas at customs, so, insofar as I had not been informed otherwise, I made the unfortunate assumption India was the same. I was wrong. So there I was, days from departure with no visa and no idea what to do. I spent two days scrambling to get everything I needed shipped off to Washington D.C. (including my passport!) to apply to the consulate for permission to enter their country. After being notified by email that they had received my application I was called to be informed that there was no possible way that the application would be reviewed and approved in time, despite my payment to have it expedited.

Many hours of prayer and frantic phone calls later I resigned myself to the fact that I probably was not going to be able to go to India after all. I felt very hopeless, but decided to turn it over to the Lord with the trust that if He is powerful enough to move mountains He is powerful enough to cut red tape, so, if He wanted me to go, He'd have to make it happen. He did. They approved my 10 year visa and overnighted it to me on Saturday so that I would be ready to fly on Monday.

So, when I touched down in Delhi, it was a miracle in my mind. I had no idea what to expect. I have traveled the world and the seven seas (because sweet dreams are made of these? ...now that song is stuck in your head, isn't it?) but knew that India would be an experience unto itself. I made it through customs with ease and Andy was there to meet us. We took an adrenaline filled taxi ride to a hotel (an actual hotel, not a restaurant, but more on that later) where I met JP, Andy's Indian best friend and then I slept hard. In the morning we awoke to Susan, Andy's wife, arriving with V.S. Uncle and Jessie Auntie. In India the term "uncle" and "auntie" are attached as a dyslexic term of respect and endearment, so everyone, our team included, is called as such. Indians have a hard time with the difference between the "d" and "t" sounds, so Andy was usually called "Auntie Uncle". When the children forgot my name I became "Jesus Uncle" due to my big beard and long(ish) hair. V.S. Thomas works for Emmanuel Ministries running one of the orphanages and he is with whom we stayed while in Ranni (or Ranny, depending on the sign). He is an amazing man of God who has been imprisoned for his unwavering faith in Jesus Christ and his willingness and determination to minister to the abandoned children of India. I have the utmost respect for this affable man and hope to someday be a man of God as he is.

We left our hotel to return to the airport so that we could fly to Kochin in Kerala (or Kochi, Cochin, Cochi... I really do not understand why they do not decide on a single spelling for cities and standardize it). Every time the taxi stopped there were emaciated brown hands reaching upward to our windows begging for Rupees so as to buy food, perhaps for the first time in days. The gaunt faces of hungry passers-by would stare longingly at my pale-skinned smile hoping that I would dole out financial assistance. I would have fed every one of them, if I could have. I never got used to the hollow eyes of infants desperately clutching their mothers as they were held up as props of poverty to break the hearts of tourists. I hope I never will.

During the flight to Kochin I finished reading The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. If you are a thinking Christian, and I pray that you are (after all, Jesus commanded it - c.f. Matthew 22:36,37), I could not recommend this book highly enough to you! It convicted my lifestyle and made my own "activism" seem like a farce, a child's sandcastle built on the beach of a moat guarding an ancient stone fortress. I desire to live with such abandon for Jesus. I want to sell all I have and give it to the poor. Yet I am afraid. I have little faith. The "real world" of student loans, car payments, and health insurance premiums beckon my already seemingly meager bank account balance. Despite this, although I am still drowsy from its grip, I have been shaken awake from the American Dream, forced to see it for what it is, or, more importantly, what it is not. I am no longer able to see how the American Dream is in any way reconcilable with the gospel. To me they appear as mutually exclusive forces, pulling in opposite directions and leaving me with a divided heart. I cannot serve two masters. I feel as though my limbs are being wretched from their sockets as my heart and soul are extricated from the grip of my wallet.

~~

Stay tuned for more posts about my month in India! Thank you for all your prayers and support. You all helped make my trip amazing! Blessings.

Time Lapse (or God in slow motion)

2009-06-16T15:01:00.005-04:00

This is an astounding video that Pilar showed me that a friend of her friend made by taking time lapse photos in Yosemite National Park. It is set to part of my favorite Sigur Rós song, Svefn-G-Englar. It displays the majesty of this creation that God has allowed us to enjoy.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. (For the HD version, go to the original Vimeo page!)

I am working on getting my sermon up here soon for any of you who are interested in hearing it!

Fresh Aesthetics (or making sure you don't forget me)

2009-06-02T11:17:00.002-04:00

I know it's been a little while since a "real" post and I promise I'm working on some, but for now I thought I'd just add this widget I found for the "I Heart Revolution" project Hillsong is working on.

The Story of Stuff (or economics 101)

2009-05-15T00:37:00.005-04:00

There is a great video circulating now called the Story of Stuff that outlines the production cycle. It explains the dangers of our consumerist mentality and how we can overcome it. I know you are busy, but take the 20 minutes to watch this video and then share it with someone that you know. As you have probably figured out, I'm very passionate about America overcoming our addiction to the functional savior "stuff." As Christians we are called to a higher standard than what the world accepts as the status quo (Romans 12:2). That means being educated and then acting on what you learn.

Educate yourself - Learn.

Educate your friends - Share.

Think before you act - Intention.

Love better, because that's what Jesus wants - Holistic.

Tattoo Day (or how loud actions can lead to soft words)

2009-05-10T14:05:00.001-04:00

Friday was tattoo day. I was a like a giddy child on Christmas morning. I've been wanting a new tattoo for ages now (and by ages I mean since my last one healed last September... but that's forever in tattoo years - similar to dog years only more painful) and my soon-to-leave brother in Christ Daryl decided he wanted to go with me to get his first tattoo, a momentous occasion in any young man's life. I woke up about a dozen times before my alarm went off with a surge of adrenaline and excitement, only to realize I had more sleepy time left and could roll over to venture back off into my crazy head full of dreams about the upcoming tattoo experience.

When it was finally time to get up I sprang out of bed like Tigger after a heaping bowl of Cocoa Puffs to get mentally and physically prepared for the blissful torture of getting inked. I decided to be proactive and shave the underside of my forearm, the future location of my newest permanent skin disfigurement. I showered, combed my hair, and even put on shoes (I told you, it's a big day!).

Anne Marie came over to ride with us and provide moral support and photographic skills for our outing. On the way to Raleigh I received a phone call from the studio that Steve, our artist, was running late and could we come in half an hour later. No problem, right? We just decided to stop off on the way and get some delicious cupcakes and flip through tattoo idea books while we waited for him to arrive. After about another 30 minutes or so of waiting (now an hour past appointment time...) the receptionist came over to us to explain that Steve's five year old daughter, Violet, was sick at school and they were unable to reach "his baby's momma." As such, Steve would be unable to come in and we would need to reschedule our appointment.

My heart sank.

I had been so excited and now I would have to wait... again! Also, and maybe even more so, I had already shaved my arm, so now I have a shaved arm and no healing tattoo to explain its presence. Daryl and I went over and rescheduled for two weeks later.

We totally understood that Steve needed to take care of his daughter and emphatically explained that we were not upset about the turn of events as the receptionist apologized profusely. We repeatedly assured them we were not angry. Lacie, one of the other artists, overhead the exchange and marveled as we were walking away how refreshing it was to have customers who were not total [jerks] (her expression was a little more colorful, but, seeing as this is a "Christian blog" I figured I would edit a little...). I was glad that she felt that way and prayed that maybe God could use this little act as another seed of the gospel.

I would be lying if I said I was not severely disappointed and a little confused as to why God would cancel our appointment. (Do you like how I tossed God in there? It's true, though. I believe strongly in the sovereignty of God and always assume that He has a reason for allowing and disallowing events to take place. Did God not want me to get tattooed? Was He displeased that I was dragging Daryl down with me? Do I just need to learn a little patience and the benefit of delayed gratification?) I had now wasted a morning and enough petrol to drive into Raleigh and back with nothing but a sad heart, naked forearm, and cupcake laden tummy to show for it.

Chris, a fellow Southeastern student, won a free luau party at Rum Runners and invited the three of us to attend and watch the dueling piano contest (they had a few rotating musicians, some more skilled than others. Daryl later stated, and I quote, "the really big pianist was my favorite." Maybe I'm just immature, but that's funny. I guess he just prefers a big pianist. Don't we all...) so we drove back out to Raleigh to eat some salt-lick ham slices, meatballs, and stale store-bought cookies while singing along to oldies butchered by drunk middle-aged patrons.

On the drive out to Raleigh the Holy Spirit laid on my heart that it might speak an extra loud word of grace if we stopped by a pharmacy and picked up a teddy bear and get well card for Steve's daughter and dropped it off for whenever he came in (the only reason I blame God is that I know I don't usually think of things like this, so it had to have been Him that created this desire in me; I am due no credit, but to God be the glory for His love!). That way, not only did we not throw a temper tantrum when our appointment got rescheduled last minute, but we came back to pour out extra love that surely did not come from us but would open the door for us to point back to God.

Phoenix Tattoo closes at 10 p.m. on Friday nights, so we decided to leave Rum Runners around nine to venture in search of a Kwik-e-Mart type shop. We followed Anne Marie's GPS on foot around a two block radius to no avail. It turns out that everything closes absurdly early, even on Fridays. We finally found one that was open, but five blocks away. To save us a futile trip, Anne Marie called ahead to see if they stocked any cards. "Cards... yes, we have cards," the man with a thick accent on the other end of the phone assured her. We decided to hike there through a "densly populated vastly rebuilding urban based affordable housing district" (or ghetto, for those of you not interested in being politically correct) where Daryl, Anne Marie, and I were now the minorties. After 15 minutes of assuring Anne Marie we were not going to die, we arrived at a glorified liquor store to discover the cards the man spoke of were phone cards, you know, for calling your parole officer from a pay phone.

Feeling defeated and pretty sure that I had lied to Anne Marie about not dying, we walked back towards my car parked in front of the bar. We found a Rite-Aid in the GPS that was a mile in the other direction and decided to just drive there, assuming it was a safer bet given that we now had only 30 minutes until closing time. We arrived and found the card isle. After reading a few lame ones we decided on a simple and understated card with a cartoon drawing and no overly cheesy poem hiding inside. Daryl found a stuffed frog with magnetic hands that held a card and we grabbed a smiley face sqeeze stress ball that looked cute and rang it up. We signed the card and drove over to Phoenix, praying they did not close early since it was now about 9:50.

We parked right in front and ran inside with our offering in hand. To our surprise Steve was sitting there with the receptionist that had been there that morning. He was in the middle of telling her how bad he felt for cancelling for us. When he saw what we had in our hands he almost teared up. He was truly moved that we thought of his daughter and came all the way back just to give him the card and stuffed animal. In an effort to reinforce God's grace, not ours, we just explained that we were praying for his daughter and wanted to hopefully cheer her up so she would feel better soon. We once again assured Steve that we were not upset and were just glad to hear his daughter was feeling better already.

As we were about to leave, Steve told us he was more than happy to stay late and do our tattoos right then, if we wanted! I could not see myself, but I was told that my excitment was palpable. After double checking to make sure he really didn't mind staying we gratefully accepted his offer and prepared for tattoo time.

Daryl went first and used every opportunity given to him to share why he was getting "Jesus is Lord" tattooed on him in Greek. He talked about moving to North Africa and how God had saved him from his sin. It was beautiful. When it was my turn Daryl continued to ask Steve spiritual questions and Steve was more than happy to respond. I mostly listened, adding little bits and pieces here and there, but mostly distracted by the needles invading my arm.

When I was done and Steve cleaned everything up Daryl asked if we could pray for him. After a moment of hesitation he agreed asking if we would be willing to also pray for his daughter. Daryl then led us in a very moving prayer for Steve and his daughter. It was very beautifully done, not too preachy, but still pointing to Jesus the Christ as Savior and Lord over all. Steve seemed deeply moved and, after the final amen, gave each of us a big bear hug and deep thanks.

I cannot help but believe that God orchestrate the change of appointment time. Steve even mentioned in passing that he was not sure why he was still there when we arrived but had, on a "whim," decided to just hang out after his last customer even though everyone else was leaving. I think God kept him there.

I do need to learn patience. But more than that, I think God wanted to give us the chance to show the love of Christ to a man that many Christians would probably write off or avoid out of misconception or even fear. We were able to be a blessing and preach the Word by our actions in a way that may have been less audible if we had just arrived and been tattooed as planned. I think our prayer for Steve penetrated his heart deeper than it otherwise may have.

Steve did not have a grand conversion experience then and there full of tears and pleas to God for forgivness, but I have not given up on him. I will be faithful to pray for him and even get a dozen more tattoos if that's what it takes for him to meet Jesus (I am full of humble sacrifice ;-) I am happy to be a gardener that plants the seeds and trust that the Son will shine down and make it grow.

So, soak it up. Look for God in everyday situations. Be willing to preach the Word, in season and out of season, even when it messes up your plans for the day; God isn't surprised when things "go wrong" and He isn't scrambling to figure out what to do about it. Just be open to His Spirit moving and go with God's flow.

Have you had any experiences of providential intervention that you clearly saw God move? I'd love to hear how God has used you in ways you did not expect!

In Defense of Music Snobbery (or why I judge you by your music)

2009-04-25T14:30:00.006-04:00

I submit that it is not actually shallow to ascertain a more complete picture of a person based on something seemingly superficial such as the music he or she listens to. Some will argue that you should not, speaking purely in hypotheticals, of course, break up with a girl over the fact that she listens to terrible music. I would disagree.

Musical taste is a fantastic glimpse at much deeper character indicators. I believe music is poetry that speaks to the soul in ways which we may not even be fully aware. The combination of verbal expression (lyrics) with the sonic ebb and flow (melody) creates a layered aural massage that can elicit emotional responses unique to that place and time, never to be repeated. If your soul is stirred by "Don't try to treat me like I ain't famous. My apologies, are you into astrology? Cause I'm, I'm tryin to make it to Uranus..." (Kanye West thinks he's the spokesperson of my generation... I pray to God he's wrong.) then I really don't want to have anything to do with you as a human being, much less move toward a lifelong commitment with a shared future. If what makes you happy is an overproduced recording of studio musicians fronted by a glorified prostitute, then, more power to you, but please step back so I don't accidentally catch any of your stupid.

Bad music is like gum you find under your seat at the cinema when you're looking for that Lemonhead you dropped and you pretend that you're just going to pick it up to be courteous to the custodian that has to come in and clean up after your hysterical but extremely crude movie finishes (the one you secretly love but will tell all your friends that it made you really uncomfortable so they don't judge you and put you on the "express train to Heck" list. That's right, my friends are so Holy they only darn me to heck so as not to risk being obscene.), but really you plan on blowing on it and subtly eating it when everyone has forgotten that you even dropped one because Paul Rudd and Jason Segal are serenading each other to Rush. You feel around for some lemony goodness but then get a fingerful of sticky-minty-germy goodness that, no matter how many times you lick your finger, will be too coated in old sugar to get anything out of your pocket without it looking like a lint version of Fun Dip. Bad music infects your auditory association cortex and then takes up residence there. Forever. It just keeps showing up, unannounced and uninvited, perhaps to play video games in your roommate's empty room instead of spending time with his wife and kids like a normal 30-odd year old man might... I mean, song... (lots of, uh, er, um, hypotheticals today...). You can try to replace it, but, to my knowledge they have not yet created a Handi Wipe for the brain.

There are some great resources for finding music that will not lower your IQ or decay your soul. I have been very pleased with a blog that Anne Marie showed me recently called The Blah Blah. It covers Christian music that maintains not only spiritual integrity but artistic integrity as well. Like many Jesus-loving audiophiles I am often dismayed by the rubbish I hear in the mainstream outlets. There is hope! I have recently been devouring Preson Phillips' album “The Observant and the Anawim”which you can download for free from his website (so there is nothing to lose in experimenting on some great worship tunes!). His record label, Come&Live is creating a fantastic model for disseminating music with purpose by creating

"a non-profit organization with the ambitious vision of challenging a generation to live simply so as to give more generously to the needs of others. We support, train, equip, and mentor artists with the goal of living as missionaries to a generation of desperate youth. Much was given to us, therefore much is required of us. The art we create and distribute is offered simply as a gift, with 100% of our profits being willingly and cheerfully given to the needs of others through-out the world. We are a ministry that preaches and teaches the Gospel of Jesus Christ as taught in the Holy Bible.The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Our very existence and every aspiration is to love the LORD our God with all our hearts, with all our souls, with all our minds, and with all our strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘We shall love our neighbor as ourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these. (Mark 12: 29-31)"

Another great group is Willowfair (their record "The Lie Within" can also be downloaded for free or as pay what you want). They are both haunting and comforting at once like a lone candle in a drafty cottage. NoiseTrade (where I discovered these guys) is a great resource for experiencing great bands with no risk since it is pay what you want or tell five friends. Plus it was started by Derek Webb... 'nuff said.

Finally, I love Paste Magazine because they are honest and give as much (if not more) space to the little guys as they do the big ones. I have learned of some amazing artists from the Paste Sampler (a free CD that comes with every issue). Worth the subscription cost!

Where do you hear about music? What are some bands that you've been rockin' out to recently that you think deserve some respect as artists rather than just marketing machines? Who would you recommend for top billing on my next mix CD?

Addendum
I meant to add this in the original post, but I forgot, so here it is now!

Another great resource for music in general and cheap music in particular is Amazon MP3. It is way better than iTunes. It's no secret that I'm a huge proponent of Apple, but I kinda hate the iTunes store. Their free weekly downloads are usually pretty terrible and they make it truly difficult to change your music library over when you get a new computer (I know they are trying to hamper music piracy, but I get so frustrated having to "authorize" my new computer for every song I've ever purchased...). Amazon MP3 does not have any restrictions on their MP3s. Once you download and pay for them, they are yours! And, Amazon offers over 500 songs for free (including full albums) all the time as well as tons of albums for especially cheap to help you fill in the gaps in your music library. Also, because Apple has physical presence with brick and mortar stores, in most states they have to charge tax on your downloads. Thus your $0.99 download turns into $1.06. not a lot of money, but it adds up over time. Amazon is solely online and, as such, do not have to charge you tax. There is also a daily album on sale for $1.99 (and good albums, too. I bought U2's newest album, No Line on the Horizon from them on the one day sale) and every week there are five eclectic albums chosen to be on sale for $5 each. When you download from them it is automatically added to your iTunes library, so you do not have to worry about not finding the music you've purchased. I'm a huge fan! I hope this helps you to keep on rockin' in the free world...

Information Overload (or you just have to know where to look)

2009-04-15T14:23:00.000-04:00

The Ethisphere Institute just released it's 2009 list of the most ethical companies. Companies submit applications and are narrowed down based on seven criteria until the final list is published. I was very surprised by some who made the list (such as Nike) due to past ethical indiscretions. I point them out if for no other reason than to give hope to people that, even though it may feel overwhelming, we, as consumers, can effect change. We can vote with our dollars and companies will respond! So, let us be intentional; let us be willing to support the companies who support the earth and it's inhabitants, not just the bottom line and their own wallets. Let's let logic, reason, and conscience dictate our spending rather than being programed by advertisers or peer-driven trends. There is a war going on for our minds... let us fight!

Reflections on Good Friday (or this might sting a little)

2009-04-10T14:00:00.007-04:00

Today is Good Friday (a name that always baffled me since I can't imagine Jesus thinking of it as terribly "good." I can imagine Easter as holding the title "good," but the day of crucifixion seems pretty awful to me. I know, I know, without it we would never get Easter's resurrection, but still... I think I'm going to call it "I'm-a-Schmuck-But-Jesus-Somehow-Loves-Me-Anyway-And-Willingly-Endured-Hell-So-That-I-May-Taste-The-Goodness-of-Heaven Friday" instead. No, that's too much. Maybe I can shorten it to Taste-The-Goodness Friday. Eh, still too long. Maybe just Good Friday. Wait... Now I get it.) and I cannot even imagine what today must have been like for the disciples of Christ. I can sit in remembrance of the events that took place on this day with the foreknowledge that Sunday is around the corner and that my Savior will rise again. How would it have been to be there when they slaughtered the Son of Man without knowing that this was only act one? The curtain fell in the eyes of the disciples and took two days before being torn to reveal the empty tomb.

I have been confronted recently with the task of developing a personal theology of suffering. On this Good Friday I am forced to confront the fact that I do not suffer for my faith the way that the Apostles did at the hand of Nero or the 171,000 (on average) Christians worldwide who are martyred for their faith every year. I do not know suffering. I am not rejected and shunned by my family when I proclaim the name of Jesus. I am not ostracized by my community for professing faith or being baptized a Christian. I am not beaten or murdered. I know not what it means to carry my cross.

What sickens me the most is that, even though I have it easy, I still do not appreciate my salvation, my redemption, my regeneration. I do not fully grasp what took place on that cross. I take it for granted at best, and think it cosmic child abuse at worst. I wonder why God would choose to go through with creation knowing full well where it would lead, the culminating moment of Jesus hanging on the cross quoting Psalm 22, forsaken by His Abba Father.

My Missions professor, Dr. George Robinson, pointed out during class that in Genesis 3, the protoevangelium, we read of God cursing the Serpent, then the woman, and finally the man. What we do not read, but is implicit in the text, is that in that moment He also willingly cursed Himself. He looked into the eyes of His children who had betrayed Him, and with anthropomorphic tears covenanted to do whatever it took, including murder at the hands of the very creatures He desired union with, to maintain relationship. The thought that I can dare blame God for Jesus' death makes me ill. I want desperately to grasp the depth of God's choice to sacrifice Himself for my sake. I want to weep over Isaiah 61 the way my Old Testament professor, Dr. Heath Thomas, did when we studied it. I want to know how great is the Father's love for me through His Son.

It is also in the face of this drastic act of self-sacrifice that I am filled with righteous anger over idiots who spread a message they title "Gospel" that promotes nothing but self-centered desires; the "health, wealth, and prosperity" Gospel. I think Piper sums it up very well when he addresses it:

On this Good Friday I hope that you have a chance to reflect on the greatest sacrifice ever made. God looked down on His fallen creation and chose to leave His throne to gain my presence in His Kingdom forevermore. For that I am eternally grateful. And, for not showing that gratitude with every thought, action, and word, for joining with the mob to yell "Crucify!", for my selfishness and my intellectual hubris that deludes me to into believing my reason and cognitive capacities can understand God or find fault with His plan, for all these things I repent!

Though they slay my Savior, I rest easy tonight knowing my Savior lives!

Blue Like Jazz (or how Donald Miller changed my life)

2009-03-30T17:54:00.009-04:00

I'm a huge fan of both Donald Miller and his book Blue Like Jazz. This fantastic series of vignettes tie together profound theology and everyday life that many of us have experienced. I was blessed to see Donald Miller speak in Nashville a few years ago (you like how I said "blessed"? I'm totally in seminary. "Lucky"? I don't think so. "Blessed providence"? That's more like it.). During this talk he ended with Derek Webb's heart wrenching, painfully beautiful song Wedding Dress and I was forever changed. Ok, maybe that's melodramatic, but I love his music and it changed the way I write songs and view lyrics. It turns out you can love God and still rebuke the church out of love.

All that is to say that the aforementioned book will soon be made into a movie and I am super stoked to see it. Below is an interview between Don and Steve Taylor, the director of the film. I laughed out loud several times and I hope you will enjoy a small endorphin rush like I did. Some may say it's even better than wine...