Against Nothingness

Question:  What are the biggest questions you have regarding your relationship with God? Have they been answered? If yes, how have those answers helped you? If not, how do you feel about them not being answered and how has that impacted your life and your view of God? Usually the best deal you can get is a two-for-one.  Clearly the author of this question wanted to go one better, asking instead for a three-for-one!  I will try to oblige, but this is no easy question :)  To begin, I would like to link you this excellent interview with Stanley Hauerwas , which I was led to through this post by a friend . In it, Hauerwas (who is an evangelical Christian) says something shocking:  “The last thing in the world I'd want is a personal relationship with God.” Before you throw Hauerwas off the bus, or me for that matter, know that his remark makes sense in context. He is rejecting the idea that our relationship with God can be a private thing.  Instead, it mus...

Dick Staub,  About You: Fully Human, Fully Alive . Jossey-Bass, 2010. 194 pgs.  About You is, not surprisingly, about you.  It is about you in the sense that it is about all human beings.  Staub's thesis, a quote from Hans Rookmaaker, is on the cover: Jesus didn't come to make us Christian, Jesus came to make us fully human.  Staub, then, offers a theological anthropology of what it means to be fully human and that Jesus has called us to this.  He begins with several chapters exploring the idea that we all long for something better, that we know we were made to be more.  He then has three sections: one explores the fall of mankind and resulting death, the next the path to becoming alive, and the third how we can be made new. Lately there seems to have been a spate of new books published which attempt to redefine and re-explore the gospel.  I have reviewed several of them, and another is on the way.  Mostly, they are disappoi...

Question:  What is one book (besides the bible) that has had the greatest influence on your life?  Here we have another second choice question.  I think I need to give two answers though, and I will explain why.  The first book that comes to mind is The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. The book itself is great, however the reason I would count it as having the greatest influence in my life is because this was the first Christian Non-Fiction I read and it led me to read many others.  I can think of no greater influence than this, because it encompasses, in a way, many of the good books I have read since.  Most, if not all, of the best books I have ever read have had this effect: they lead me to other good books.   However, I have a feeling that this may not be quite what the question is getting at.  If I had to choose a single book that, as it stands and without considering how it has led me to other books, has had a great influence on my life...

Star Parker, Uncle Sam's Plantation: How Big Government Enslaves America's Poor and What We Can Do About It. Thomas Nelson, 2010. 241 pgs.  Disclosure: This book was given to me by Thomas Nelson to review.  The title really does say it all in this case.  Parker argues the US government has caused a lot of problem, keeping the poor enslaved to a liberal mindset which is preventing them from actually being helped. She claims that ever since the great depression, the USA has been headed down the wrong path: towards free-loading moral relativism, and away from the character, responsibility, and freedom that made the US great. She explores this effect in multiple areas of life: welfare, sexuality, education, and the family. She concludes by arguing that the answer is to hold up freedom as opposed to dependence. As I review this, I am acutely aware that I am Canadian and, therefore, am approaching this book with a somewhat unique perspective.  I am not a Republican n...

Question: If your life could be whatever you wanted it to be, what would you change? I don't really like this question.  As a Christian, I know that I am to be content with what the Lord has given me. Even that though, I am very grateful for all that the Lord has given me.  Kristina is amazing.  In fact, I would say that she is the best wife ever! We have two healthy children, cute and growing and so much fun.  I have a job that I feel called to and blessed in, I enjoy it and am surrounded by good people.  And I trust that God is giving me what I need.  So... what would I change? Well, there are all the obvious ones: having the complete bible memorized in multiple translations, including the original languages (which I would, of course, fully understand).  Having more money, both for my family and to give away.  Not having any debt, which goes along with that first one. Maybe I would have written and published a book or two by now.  ...

Leonard Sweet, Nudge: Awakening Each Other to the God Who's Already There. David C. Cook, 2010. 329 pgs.  Disclosure: This book was provided, for me to review, by The Ooze . Thanks a bunch! This is a book about evangelism.  As a book about evangelism, the subtitle kind of says it all.  Sweet argues for an approach that centers on the idea that God is already there and, because of this, people just need to be nudged into awareness.  As a result, this book is also about much more than evangelism.  Running through it are Sweet's own nudges to the reader to herself become more aware of the God who is already there.  With his typical fast paced mix of pop-culture, ancient wisdom, and interesting metaphor Sweet takes the reader on a journey through the senses.  Part 1 of his book explains the idea of nudge, focusing on paying attention, watching, witnessing, and bearing witness.  He then introduces what will be the focus of part 2, the 5 senses. ...

Question:  What would you most like people to remember you for after you die? What would you like written on your tombstone? Shortly after entering my undergrad, I did something I thought I would never do: I ordered something off of late night television.  It was a dual CD collection called " Classic Country: Great Story Songs ."  I have to say, I felt very wary as I repeated my credit card number over the phone, listening to the strangely distant women on the other end of the line assure me that I would have my CD's very soon.  On the album were such old-time hits as BJ the DJ , Big Bad John , and Ballad of the Green Berets .  I greatly enjoyed that album, being exposed for the first time to this music and lyric both creative and interesting.  Most of all I just like songs that have a story (more recently, I got free tickets to a concert featuring Mark Schultz.  I didn't really know much about him, but he started his set with the song " Walking He...

Question: If you could witness, or live through, one part of the bible, which would it be and why? (other than any part of Jesus life) Yeah, I suppose the obvious and common answer is the life of Jesus.  So, what would my 2nd choice be? I think I would choose the Acts church, starting in the upper room.  So many people try to use Acts as a church manual, which it clearly isn't, but I understand the impulse.  What was the first church like? How did it feel to be a part of that community? How is it possible that Luke could write of them that "all the believers were together and had everything in common" ?  It seems like it would be such an amazing community, and yet we know that they too had their problems.  I think that I would learn a lot from being there, seeing the things they struggled with and the things they didn't. Even more interesting, to me, would be the opportunity to speak with the 12 apostles! I could ask them all the weird questions about Jesus ...

Question: What if you knew you were going to live tomorrow? This question is a corollary of the 2 " what if you knew you were going to die? " posts I did last week.  What I think about when I ask this question is this: what if I knew I was a statistically average person (for me that means I will live to be 77.8 or so) with a full life expectancy ahead of me?  What would I do with that time?  The trouble for me is that I am living my answer.  I guess that is not really trouble, its a blessing, but makes for a fairly boring post.  Given an average lifespan, I would seek to grow daily in my faith, falling deeper in love with God and getting to know Jesus more and more with each passing moment.  I would want to use and develop the gifts God has given me, for His glory and the furtherance of His kingdom. I would want to grow in the love of Christ, and I would do this through my family, friends, and serving in ministry. I would seek wisdom, beginning in the f...

If you read my review, a few days ago, on Turning Controversy Into Church Ministry   you may have also read the analysis I posted about some of the statistics in that book, and questions/doubts I had regarding them.  Very shortly after publishing those posts, W.P. Campbell himself, the author of said book, commented and offered several clarifications on these issues.  Because I think some people will have read the post before those comments were added, I want to draw your attention back to them, in order to be fair to Campbell and his book.  Among other points, Campbell rightly noted that:  " the point being made in the book is quite tangential to its main arguments, and the actual point made is very relevant and not a distortion of the trends in our country (in this case related to marriage)." He also warned, again rightly, that (speaking of me):  " your references to “alarmist” usage of data can itself become “alarmist.” I believe the main theme and t...

Question: What's one of the most memorable times of your childhood? I have so many strong memories from childhood and not nearly enough space to share them all.  Writing them up has been a more emotional experience than I anticipated.  Anyway, here they are:  The Theme: Words to Live By I don't know how old I was, but my brother Shawn and I were having a fight.  Mom broke us up and did the motherly detective duty, trying to find out what was going on.  I also don't remember what was going on... I know, great story so far, right? What I do remember is this: each of us started to blame the other, and Shawn brought up something I had done sometime in the distant past.  I think my mom had had "just about enough" at that point (can you hear that motherly tone?), and so she responded by telling Shawn that if he held on to all the little things people did and thought about them for months that he would grow up to be a very bitter person.  At the time, I ...

W.P. Campbell . Turning Controversy Into Church Ministry: A Christlike Response to Homosexuality. Zondervan, 2010. 240pgs.  Another blog tour sponsored by  http://engagingchurchblog.com/ .  Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this.  I have to say that when the option to sign up to review this book arrived I was intrigued.  Read that title a couple of times; doesn't it sound interesting? As a pastor how could I not want to turn controversy into church ministry? So, I signed up with two hopes: that this book would offer helpful insight into the issue of homosexuality and into some more general applications for dealing with controversies in the broader sense.  Were my hopes met, or dashed against the rocks? Read on to find out! Campbell has divided this book into three parts.  In part one he invites the reader to analyze the current position and situation of his own church with three chapters focusing on three questions: Where do you stand in te...

Note: This post is meant too be an add-on to my blog tour review of Turning Controversy into Church Ministry .  If you are not reading this because you clicked to it from there, you may not understand what this is about. 2nd Note (Edit): These points are tangential in nature to the main point of the book itself.  The rest of the book does not stand or fall with these stats. Also, please note W.P. Campbell's clarifying comments on the full review post.   In the lead-up to this blog tour Engaging Church noted some staggering statistics listed in Campbell's book.  I did indeed find these statistics staggering.  He claims that 80% of pastors would find another job if they could and that 85% of pastors wives are depressed!   Really?  I found those so staggering as to be unbelievable... so I did some source research.   Frankly, I am really hoping that this is all the result of some type error or something, but here goes.  So far I ha...

Question: If you could experience one biblical truth in such a way that you always 'knew it', which one would you choose and why? My favorite prayer in the bible has long been Paul's prayer from Ephesians 3:14-21 For this reason I kneel  before the Father,  from whom every family  in heaven and on earth derives its name.  I pray that out of his glorious riches  he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,  so that Christ may dwell in your hearts  through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted  and established in love,  may have power, together with all the LORD's people,  to grasp how wide and long and high and deep  is the love of Christ,  and to know this love that surpasses knowledge --that you may be filled  to the measure of all the fullness of God.  Now to him who is able  to do immeasurably more than all we ask  or imagine, according to his power  that is at work ...

It has been one of those days.  You know, the kind where things just seem to go wrong? A day when the things that do go wrong seem to bother and annoy you disproportionately? Yeah... I have been fighting a cold for a while, and it seems to be getting worse. Last night was rough with Hannah, who now sleeps through the night, waking up several times and Ethan getting up earlier than normal.  I felt like I was up from 2-5 AM, even though I really was not.  This morning I took our car in to Kal-Tire.  One of our tires had a slow leak and I wanted to get it fixed.  Turns out there was a screw in the tire.  But the appointment, which was supposed to take 60-75 minutes took over 3 hours.  Normally I wouldn't mention the company name in something like this, but I have to say that they handled it very well, with gracious customer service and quality care.  I was impressed with Kal-Tire, but highly annoyed at having to spend 3 hours at the mall.  I ...

Question: What if you knew you were going to die in a month? This question was added in response to Q2 .  I think its interesting to think about this in contrast with dying tomorrow.  After all, if you are going to die tomorrow you don't really have much time.  But if you are going to die in a month, you have 30 days to consider.  Suddenly skipping sleep is no longer an option!  I also think this would be much harder to live through.  Having a day would be stressful enough, but I wouldn't have too much time to dwell on things.  Having a month...? In a month, then, I would want to do a few things.   First of all, the standard package: Visit family and friends around the country, spend quality time with family, go on some romantic dates with Kristina, read a good book or two, and enjoy the everyday.  Secondly, what I would consider something akin to a faith package: share the gospel, pray, preach a powerful sermon or two, encourage the tee...

Question: If you could ask God just one question, what would you ask? The assumption behind this question must, I think, be this: if you could ask God just one question, and receive an immediate and complete answer which you understood , what would you ask?   I clarify because I believe in prayer. Other than that I have a lot of trouble answering this question.  One part of me immediately fills up with all sorts of questions while another looks at each one of them and points out that they aren't important and that all I would want is God's presence and the experience of the fullness of His love.  Plus, if I was seeing God face to face while asking my question I am not sure I could actually vocalize it at all.  Walker Percy asked an interesting question in his book Lost in the Cosmos:  Why was Moses tongue-tied and nervous about speaking in front of his fellow Egyptians, but completely free and at ease speaking with God?  Anyway, I have to choose somethi...

Question 2:  What if you knew you were going to die tomorrow? (also: What would you do if the world was going to end tomorrow?  What if tomorrow was your last day on earth?) So many versions of that famous evangelism question: If you died tomorrow, where would you go?  It is different, however, to ask the question in this form.  I think the point is to reflect on what I am doing today in light of the possibility of tomorrow being the end.   One of my favorite answers to this is this quotation, falsely attributed to Martin Luther: "If I knew that tomorrow was the end of the world, I would plant an apple tree today." The reason I like this is because it reminds me that the actions we do and the lives we live are defined by more than simply the end results they bring.  I know, we live in a results driven society, and activities without tangible, measurable, immediate results are often devalued, but we can't actually judge our lives that way (at least, ...

Question 1: What are a few of your favorite things? I'm starting with this one because I just got back from Teen's Camp with our church (which was so good).  I am tired, and this question is fairly easy, so it works. But how many is 'a few'? :) Let's start with the obvious answers: God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  I know, churchy answers, but true nonetheless.  Next is, surprise surprise, my family: Kristina my wife, Hannah my daughter, and Ethan my son.  And after that would be the rest of my family: Mom, Dad, Grandparents, Uncles, Aunts, Cousins, In-laws, and so on.  In that vein, I would also include all of my friends.  But enough with people; after all, people are not 'things'! So, a few of my favorite things. Things I have: Books (the medium of my favorite hobby, see below).  My wolf blanket (a gift I received years ago, a fleece blanket with the picture of a wolf on it).  My computer (it does everything, how could it...

Have you ever played the question game? Your answer may depend on your relational status, as for me the question game was a dating/relationship game that has carried on into my marriage.  The rules are very simple: 1. You take turns asking each other questions.  2. The questions have to be reversible, that is the person you are playing with has to be able to ask you the same question and you have to answer. 3. You may ask derivative/follow-up questions, but they don't count as your turn.  4. You may, but do not have to, decide on a theme before you begin (e.g. "would you rather" or "favorites" or "childhood memories"). 5. Any person may refuse to answer a question, but if you do that question still counts as a turn.   Last week I asked you for questions, and I now feel like I am going to spend a couple of weeks on my blog playing the question game.  This is a little bit strange considering the context this game has held in my life to date.  Nonetheles...