Hebrew Translation

For the first installment of the Underwood Standard Version (USV), I present Gen. 22:1-3. I start this off jokingly because I have a much greater respect for the teams and committees who have worked hard to present faithful translations of the Scriptures. While I think I have done a great job on these three verses, please do not take my word as gospel (haha)... Enjoy my "final project" from my Hebrew class!

Now it was following these things God tested* Abraham and said to him, “Abraham.” And he said “Here I am!”

And he said, “Now, you take your son your only one, Isaac, whom you love and go to the land of Moriah and cause him to be led up there for a whole burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will tell you!”

Now Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his ass and took his two young men with him and his son Isaac and he split wood for the sacrifice and he stood and he went to the place which God said to him.

*According to my word study on "nasah" ("to test"), this verb carries a deeper meaning: to actively test the quality of someone’s faith [not "tempt with evil," not just "to examine closely," and not "to attempt or try something."]

link

Take some time today to make a bubble! This is a neat way to be connected with others around the world in prayer!

my own funeral

One of the group assignments for my Doctrine class is to make a short video about "The Destiny of the Unevangelized" (there are four different views that we must present creatively). Our group decided to create a cheesy soap-opera alled "Destiny," which centers around a dead guy. Somehow, I got volunteered for the fun role of being in the coffin. They actually closed it up on me and it's too small for me, my head kept it from closing all the way (I guess I do have a big head). So, what do you think is the fate of those who have never heard the name of Christ? Are they precluded from salvation?

(These pictures were taken with my new Motorolla Q9h.)

after easter quotes

"Death entered through one man's obedience

Life is restored through one man's obedience"



"Sin came through the temptation of a woman

Salvation came through one born of a woman"



"The enemy conquered humanity by tasting of a tree

Christ conquered the enemy by bearing suffering on a tree"

(Anselm, Cur Deus Homo)



"In short, since neither as God alone could he feel death, nor as man alone could he overcome it, he coupled human nature with divine that to atone for sin he might submit the weakness of the one to death; and that, wrestling with death by the power of the other nature, he might win victory for us" (Calvin, Institutes).

Is it I, Lord?

In a chapel service today, we saw a reenactment of the Last Supper. All the monologues ended with the question "Is it I, Lord?" in response to Jesus' statement that one of the 12 would betray him. We were left with the question of our role in the death of Jesus... and communion. As Jesus reached out with His own body and blood even to someone who might betray Him.
Many years ago, I wrote a song I (wisely, ingeniously) titled "Judas Iscariot" that was on this same theme. May it remind us on this Maundy Thursday of our role in the betrayal and death of Jesus.

betrayal, money in hand.
wonders why he allowed himself
to take on this fateful brand,
this despised name among men.
never to be used again.

just an innocent kiss on His face.
he had to see the hurt in His eye
when the soldiers took Jesus from His place
and peter, james, and john wonder why,
why did their friend make them cry?

i won't ever understand the reason
he gave up His savior for silver
or what mind set made this happen
i only feel pain and anger
and for him redemption will never occur

but do i have the right to blame this man
when i follow in his footsteps everyday?
because everytime that I sin
I am giving my savior away!

just an innocent kiss on his face.
i see the hurt in His eye
when My sin takes Jesus from His place
and angels, humans, and demons all wonder why,
why did I make Him cry?

responding to injury

For one of my classes (Basic Christian Doctrine), we were assigned to respond to fictional John and Mary Smith's doubts about God and His goodness because of their son's paralysis from a football injury. It's a little lengthy, and not written in dialogue style, like my friend Chris did (go read his - it's great), which would be a more natural form of interaction of this type for me. However, when I began writing, it just flowed out, so I left it the way it was rather than forcing dialogue for the sake of dialogue. What avenue would you approach this tough subject from? What are some things you would say?

*************************************************************************************
John, Mary – First, let me thank you for sharing this deep question with me. Most people have a hard time admitting doubts or questioning God’s character because of fear of God’s reaction. I assume that this thought isn’t brand new to you and that you have kept it inside for many reasons. I want you to know that God is not upset at You for having honest doubts or questions. In fact, there is a man in the Bible named Job who had many devastating things happen to him… His children died, his possessions were destroyed, he became deathly ill, and his wife even told him to just curse God and die. Job had several friends come and sit with him for days and they talked about why this was happening. His friends said it was because Job had sinned. Job denied this claiming his innocence before God and still clung to His faith in God. However, at times, he questioned God’s justice in this situation (Job 19:7-12) and cried out for explanation. After the discussion was almost complete, God spoke to all present and praised Job out of all of the people there for His faith in God and “speaking what is right” about Him (Job 42:8), even with Job’s questions. God is big enough to handle our doubts, hurts, and fears – and I think He’s glad that you brought it to Him so that He can show you His love for you and begin to bring peace and resolution to your situation. I won’t promise you that all your questions will be answered because God does not always give specific reasons why things happen. He never answered Job’s questions about the reasons for disaster, though He did reveal much about His care and concern for Job and us throughout
Scripture.

I think a beginning to our answer lies in the story of Adam and Eve. And no, I do not think that God uses devastation and personal injury as vindictive revenge for sin, however, I do think that part of the problem lies with sin in general. When God created Adam and Eve, He created them to live eternally and without pain, disease, or possible injury. He also made Adam and Eve like Him in that they had free will, they could follow God’s commands or disobey. By making humans with free will, a true relationship was also possible. As you know, Adam and Eve committed evil by eating the fruit of the tree God told them not to eat. God then removed Adam and Eve from the perfect and eternal state of living they were in (Gen. 3:22-24), otherwise they would live eternally in guilt, shame, and hope for any kind of restoration to the relationship with God. And as they were removed from Eden, death entered the picture, and it was not just the finality of life, but the frailty of the human body, such as what we’ve seen happen in Mark. While this doesn’t answer the question why Mark specifically was injured and how God let that one act happen, it does show us why the world works the way it does. God could override the laws of nature and this world, but that would infringe upon our freedom, the possibility of relationship with God, and possible full
restoration of all things.

Thankfully, God doesn’t end His interaction with humanity there. Because God is free and loves all His people, He made Himself a human. A human touched by the same death, and injuries, and frailties that we have. He became human so that He could restore humanity’s place in eternity and perfection. He experienced willing death at the hands of those He came to save and then conquered death by rising from the grave. He is now in Heaven, in His own words “preparing a place for you” (John 14:1-3). In the meantime, His plan for the world must continue and the world must work the way He set it up, even with the consequences of sin and death. But, it is not final. Heaven waits for those who place their faith and trust in Him. Every time I come across a situation with injury, disease, natural disaster, or anything I cannot understand, I am reminded of the story in Mark 9. A man had a son who was demon possessed and was violently hurting the son through fire and bashing into objects for most of the boy’s life. The father brings the son to Jesus hoping that He will heal him and in the process cries out to Jesus, “I believe, help my unbelief!” In the end, Jesus does heal the boy, and we will pray for Jesus to heal Mark also. However, I think you are asking something much deeper, as this father was. Can you trust in Jesus? Maybe, you would like to pray with me right now this simple prayer. It acknowledges the doubts, the questions, and the pain that are real and probably will not leave for a long time. Yet, it also acknowledges that God is in control, has a plan for you, Mary, and you, John, and even Mark. And He is going to restore all of us and this fallen world to eternity, to perfection, and to a full relationship with Him. It asks Jesus to help us even in our areas of unbelief. Will you pray with me?

the cups of Jesus

Usually, I celebrate the [Christian] season of Lent. However, this year it began sooner than I expected and I didn't think through how I wanted to observe this meaningful and special time of the Christian Year. So, instead of doing something half-cocked, I have been asking myself the following question each morning: "How do I need to die to myself today?" (Colossians 3:5) Adding to my thinking about my earthly/spiritual mortality are the passages in Matthew about the cups of Jesus (I just finished reading through this gospel).
I'm going to place them out of chronological order because this is the way they affected my thinking:


Matthew 26:27 - Drink this cup (communion). Most of us want a relationship with Jesus.
Matthew 26:39 - Father, take this cup from me... but not my will, Yours! Jesus though shows that the relationship is more than just a normal, good-feeling relationship. It is about sacrifice according to the will of our Heavenly Father.

• The following are two other verses that are worth exploring, but not my primary focus.


• Matthew 10:42 - give a cup of cold water to "little ones" and you will not lose reward


• Matthew 23:25-26 - Woe to those who clean the outside of the cup, but are greedy and indulgent on the inside. Clean the inside and the outside will be clean also.
  

Finally:

Matthew 20:22-23 - Jesus: Can you drink from the same cup I am about to drink (i.e. see all the above)? Disciples: Yes. Jesus: You are correct.


I think Jesus is asking me/us: Can you drink from the same cup as me? What will my answer be? I'm a little scared (what will this actually mean) to say yes, but I'm pressing forward.




So, how, if at all, are you observing lent?

a priest and a rabbi

Everyone should listen to this podcast:
Under iTunes, search for "Saint Benedict's Table" and then choose the episode titled "Priest and a Rabbi: How we read the Old Testament."

The audio quality isn't great, but the subject material is ten times over worth the minor frustrations of crackles and rustles. I don't know much about the background other than the host is an Anglican minister and the guest is a Jewish rabbi. They both go through a methodology of approaching Scripture from both religious backgrounds and how we are able to gain understanding and friendship with each other.

I'd love to hear any comments of others who have taken a listen.

hymn on the brain

“Hymn 109” by Isaac Watts (a.k.a. “I Boast No More” – Caedmon’s Call recently recorded this song) has been challenging me recently in many facets. As with so many classic hymns, it is very deep and personal – almost in contrast to the current Contemporary Christian genre. It seems Christian music fluctuates between solid lyrics and solid music, but it’s rare that there’s a good combination. But, I regress. Here’s the poem and then I’ll share some thoughts on it.

HYMN 109
The value of Christ, and his righteousness. Phil. 3:7-9.

No more, my God, I boast no more
Of all the duties I have done;
I quit the hopes I held before,
To trust the merits of thy Son.

Now, for the lost I bear his name,
What was my gain I count my loss;
My former pride I call my shame,
And nail my glory to his cross.

Yes, and I must and will esteem
All things but loss for Jesus' sake:
O may my soul be found in him,
And of his righteousness partake!

The best obedience of my hands
Dares not appear before thy throne;
But faith can answer thy demands
By pleading what my Lord has done.

How hard it is not to boast on the things I’ve done. Not that I have done anything great, but to me there are things that I want to lift up and make myself look great with. Isaac Watts pushes us to count all things but loss for Jesus’ sake. Why? Nothing we do will appear great in the presence of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit and the grace they have shown us in our lives.

Yet, we are called to bear Christ’s name to the lost- glorifying Him, telling of what He has done in our lives. How often do I seek to please myself rather than looking to others? Too often. So, this past week and for the foreseeable future, I am praying that God will give me a passion for the lost and opportunities to bear His name.

I’d love to hear what songs and/or Scripture has been affecting you lately.

Lyrics from: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/watts/psalmshymns.I.109.html

dust off those knees

It's the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church

prayer and time

Good post by Dan Kimball. Here's an excerpt:

If we aren't regular praying for specific people - bluntly, it probably means we
don't care about them and their salvation or we would at least take some time to
pray. Or we may not take time in our lives to build friendships with people. I
shared that I believe in heaven (yes, the Kingdom of heaven in this life and
after this life) and I also said that I believe in a hell. Which means people
will be spending eternity with God or without Him. We are going to be giving a
sermon on hell in about a month. But I know I cannot sometimes sleep at night,
thinking about people I care about and ponder their eternity. When we don't have
relationships with people outside the church - real relationships - it is easy
to sleep at night and get caught in our Christian bubble and not pray for them
or take time with them.

-Ouch! Am I showing my love through prayer and more intentional relationships?

A Blogger's Prayer and Some Music

while it made me laugh a little, it also made me wonder about my use of this blog. This is a true prayer:
A Blogger's Prayer

Also, check out some music from a college friend of mine & give her some love for her hard work and passion for Christ.

who is lost?

Today, our pastor talked about inviting and investing in the lives of "lost" people. It was a great sermon and has challenged me to think about my involvement in the larger community outside of the seminary & church, which is minimal at best right now. However, I was also reminded of a quote by Brian McLaren about who we should truly consider "lost":

"Sometimes I wonder if we would be wiser to apply the term ‘lost’ to ourselves. After all, if you send a letter to someone and it never arrives, you say the letter is lost. Similarly, God has sent us into the world as ambassadors and agents of God’s love, and yet many of us have never really arrived at our destination. So, in that light, who is lost – them or us?” (More Ready Than You Realize, McLaren, 58).

The point of this quote is not to accuse anyone of not being right, but to open our eyes to our role in God's Kingdom. Are you lost?

either funniest or worst title ever...

Why Al Qaeda Supports the Emergent Church
OK, so from my readings about the emergent church and direct writings of emergent pastors, I think this article is a little (read: a whole heck of a lot) wrong on the goals and beliefs. Bad conclusions.

But, I have noticed that many (most?) emergents are definitely not conservative (whether or not they call themselves anything at all) politically. Is this a fair observation? If so, is it hard-wired into the mind-set of emergent-type-thinking or just a coincidence?

As someone who is in seminary and learning about church history, thinking about the type of pastor I want to be, and where the universal church (and UM church) is heading in the future, these things have been on my mind lately...

your thoughts?

the director of evan almighty

from an article at Christianity Today with Director of "Evan Almighty" Tom Shadyac:
But are you afraid of being pigeonholed? Of people saying, "Oh, that Shadyac guy, he's that Christian director who makes movies for Christians."
Shadyac: Again, I don't like the label because of what the word Christian has become today, unfortunately—many people think it means "judgmental" and that it carries certain political ideas. I'm a Jesus freak. I respond to Jesus, the messages of the Sermon on the Mount, to this guy who talked about loving your neighbor and loving your enemy. I know what's moving me, and I know what I want to be true to in my work. And if people pigeonhole me for that, I don't really care.

What do you want people to walk away from Evan Almighty thinking about?
Shadyac: Hopefully they'll walk away entertained. But also, I think we all have this "idolatry of magnitude," thinking that if we don't do something huge for the world that we haven't done anything. We forget the story of the widow's mite. We have this idea we have to do something huge, when we don't take seriously enough the idea that it's just the way you say hello, the way you treat somebody, the way you conduct yourself at work or in your car, or how you treat the earth. I hope this idea sparks just a little different way of thinking of how we can all change the world.

I love both of these answers. He admits the truth that Christians are seen as judgmental which he doesn't want to be or think Christians should be, but yet still says he will follow Christ with his whole life. I also think this "idolatry of magnitude" is something overlooked by most people. We want to be the hero of whatever field we're in, but it's really in the small things that defines our impact on people. I watched the All Star Game earlier this week and was really blown away by an interview with Willie Mays before the game (he's one of the all time greats). At the end of the interview he was asked what he wanted to be remembered for. His reply was roughly (not a direct transcription by any means, watch it for yourself): "it wouldn't be baseball, it would be how I treated the guys and the game." And I think that's what people will remember him for. Sure, he made some spectacular plays and amazing stats in baseball, but watching the other players around him showed that the immense respect came from a deeper place than just feats- it was how he treated others and supports the game (his "business," if you will).

So, maybe even this seminary student (yes, we have dreams and desires on large proportions too, their just not normal- preach in front of 1000's, people getting saved in droves, etc.) can learn from these two successful (by all standards) men, and begin to have dreams, but not just any dream, small dreams of how I can change the world a person at a time through the small things.

ht: tallskinnykiwi

blog (not blob) tag

The old youth group game, blob tag, has taken on a whole new shape. I've been blog tagged, or just "tagged" as most proficient bloggers call it. Now, this sounds suspiciously like a chain letter/email that I detest, but I have decided that I will lay aside my vendetta on this annoying form of medium for two reasons:
1- there will actually be substance and hopefully gained understanding of me and others through this activity,
but more importantly... 2- I watched the last half of a Veggie Tales cartoon on tv and learned that I should love my enemies, so I will put that into practice (my enemy being chain mail, not mandy who tagged me.)

Here are the rules:

1. those tagged will share 5 things they dig about Jesus…

2. those tagged will post a comment here (the person's blog that tagged them) with their name and a link to their “dig” Jesus list... it's that EASY!

3. if you wish, tag 5 others... (I'll refrain from calling out others, but invite anyone to join in the fun.)

A. there is unconditional love from someone (Jesus) who doesn't have to give it to me... WOW!

2. Jesus declared that he would be with us always, through every situation in life, giving us strength, encouragement, and hope for the future.

III. Related to #2... While there is so much despair and hurt in this life, Jesus does not wish it away, or even prevent it completely (for then we would not be human, not able to feel at all)- He promises a brighter tomorrow where trusting in Him brings lasting joy and life.

4. In Christ, friendships are deeper than shared likes, but brothers and sisters with a connection through our Creator.

Five. Creativity (humor, music, writing, thinking, art) is a natural gene passed on to us "kids of God" from the one who created this universe and all that is in it. Thank God for these expressions of our heart and His.

"Geek"ing it up

Not only have I had fun cleaning this summer (see previous post), but I've also been taking Greek in an intensive format. I just finished part one and will begin part two in a few days. I have just begun to see fruits of all my labor. I'll share one tidbit with you:

I know we have all heard the "Lord's Prayer," in fact, why don't you recite it now (for good measure). What is the line that begins "deliver us ..."

I'll wait while you race to the end of the prayer to get it. (I'm humming "Surely God is With Us" by Rich Mullins while waiting- if you were wondering.)

If you are like me, you learned the prayer by saying "deliver us from evil," which sounds awesome, right??? (If not a little out of kilter with reality.) But, in Greek (the language the New Testament writers used), the words actually say, "deliver us from the evil one." Aaahhh... that takes on whole new meaning. Realistically, we meet evil head on every day in different forms (sometimes even within ourselves) and we know that God doesn't rescue us from all evil (or we'd never get sick, make our spouse clean up the mess we made, or experience hatred toward/from other people). But, what Scripture says is that God will rescue us from the "evil one," Satan. God will not let us be overcome by the "deceiver." God has already conquered evil through Jesus' death and resurrection and will in the future bring about this reality through our life after death. Of course, it seems that God also expects us to begin bringing about His kingdom on the earth now- and maybe we'd get a taste of what heaven is all about... but I'll leave that for another post. All of this reminds me of the promise in Romans 8:31-39. I'm thankful that we have a God who cares about each person and will not let anything, including the evil one, separate us from Him.

So, fight the twenty plus years of memorization and pray with me that God will deliver us from "the evil one."

discipline (of the spiritual kind)

Lately, I've been fasting on Thursdays, and today not being an exception, I skipped breakfast before heading off to my first accountability/prayer meeting with some friends (more about this later). However, because of the excitement of this new formation of community, getting to work 5 minutes late, and cleaning a guy's dorm which has been vacated for the summer, I forgot all about my fast and found some candy I stored away the previous day and started munching on it. After I'd eaten a few handfuls, I realized what I was doing and put away this food to restart/continue fasting. As I reflected on this (vacuuming and cleaning gives ample time for reflection), I realized that this was not just an oversight or mistake. It was actually a sign of a lack of discipline. One of the things I'm hoping fasting will create in me is a realization of things I am dependent on (food, tv, lust, or even the need for people to like me) that take the place of or a higher place than God in my life. With this realization comes the need for something like a fast from food, taking this misprioritized item and putting it much lower on the list. It's easy for me to get comfortable and not look deeply at my life and just exist on a surface level. But, I find that there is no satisfaction in this type of living. Instead, I find myself yearning for a life lived in devotion to the One who has changed my life (and no, I'm not talking about Homer Simpson - Kirk). To do this requires discipline and constant diligence to my life.

Thus reenters the accountability group I began with two other guys this morning. We joined together to focus on how we could love, respect, and honor our wives more; keep our thought lives pure; and honor God with our reading of His Word (Scripture) and time spent talking to Him among other things. With accountability comes extra reinforcement in the diligence area, and I hope that it will help me become less lazy, more attuned to the needs of others around me, and closer to a godly life.

So, as I work through this, share with me your understanding of fasting, discipline, and accountability. How can we help each other to live up to God's love and example for us?

"Not that I have already obtained all othis, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me... But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:12,13b-14).

Chocolate that's not so sweet...

In January, it came to my attention that children, women, and some men are being enslaved- specifically in the cocoa fields (which supplies our chocolate companies). This is not the only area, but definitely one that affects most of us. I've been praying about my part in this and checking out some to see if it was a valid claim. It is a complicated issue, but one I believe there are some clear cut issues on.

What can we do to right this wrong?

(See a video on this topic:)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rj9grEe_7uY

Check out the Stop the Traffik website, sign the Declaration which will be handed to the Secretary General of the UN in November 2007, don't eat any chocolate (or eat less) that isn't labeled as fair trade (which means there's a guarantee that no slave labor was involved), and write the major chocolate companies (Hershey, Mars, Nestle) to ask them to put into practice the labeling of chocolates that are not coming from slave labor.

From the little research that I've done, it seems that these companies are interested in making a difference (Hershey's even has a section on their website related to this) because they are all involved in the International Cocoa Initiative, which is working towards a solution to slavery among other abuses in the cocoa industry. But, none seem willing to step out and label their products as free of slavery... possibly because it's hard to track the produce to their company... possibly because they haven't been given a reason good enough to make that step.

We can help give that reason by stopping our eating of chocolates for a short time & letting these companies know why. Both are important. One without the other just won't send an effective message.

Hear me when I say I'm not calling these companies evil and that we should bad talk them. I don't think that is true or effective. I think they need to hear from their customers who see that a difference can be made to take this next step in their making a difference.

(Timely issue to bring up since the release of Amazing Grace was this past month!)

Lent Hymn

"Hymn to God, My God, in my sickness" by John Donne
We think that Paradise and Calvary
Christ's cross and Adam's tree, stood in one place;
Look Lord, and find both Adams met in me;
As the first Adam's sweat surrounds my face,
May the last Adam's blood my soul embrace.

This poem is in the introduction of our Spring 2007 Reader for Asbury Theological Seminary.
What wonderful thoughts as we begin this season of lent- preparing our hearts and lives for the celebration of Easter!!!