Sup erbody

I haven't posted (nor has anyone else) on here for awhile so this might be kind of long. Or it could be short. I haven't thought through what I'll actually type yet so who knows...

First, thanks for your prayers for my family. Things went exceedingly well down in Atlanta with the memorial service for my grandfather. It was a time that I think will affect everyone in our family for the rest of our lives because of the realization of how blessed we are by our grandfather/father/husband's example of a life lived loving God and loving others. Fortunately every single person on that side of the family was able to make it to Atlanta for the service which was amazing considering there are 30 of us total. The fact that my grandfather was a believer and that most of the family are believers changed the whole atmosphere considerably. It's hard for me to describe how drastically different it would have been if it weren't for the hope we have in Christ and also the joy and pride we have in seeing a life well lived. To give you an example of the kind of impact my grandfather had on those around him: we went to scatter his ashes at a golf course where he played gold 4 days a week for the last 20 years, and half of the maintenance crew (including a guy who no longer works there but came back just for this) was there to say a last goodbye. They were there because every day my grandfather played golf there, he would arrive an hour before his tee time and bring all the maintenance guys and cart guys a box or two of Krispy Kreme donuts and shoot the breeze with them before he went out to play his round. Another example: my mom was given the job of going to the grocery store where he shopped each week and telling the deli workers that he had passed away and when she did, they all stopped what they were doing and actually teared up out of sadness for our loss, again because he would go in and make sure he had enough time to sit and ask the workers there how their families were and what was going on in their lives. We heard so many stories like that while we were down there, and it was amazing to see the reality of how a godly example of marriage and respect for others has impacted our entire family, all the way down to the grandkids. We're a big family, and very diverse, but every time we all get together there's never any stress or drama. Everyone has a good time; everyone respects everyone else. And after hearing more and more about my granddad's life, I realize that we have him to thank for that.

Enough sappy stuff. Last night I got to go to a debate on our campus between Christopher Hitchens and Douglas Wilson. It was okay. Not great but not a waste of time. Here's a blog post that a friend wrote about the debate. I disagreed with some of his conclusions and so I posted a pretty lengthy comment that you can read to get my take on the debate.

What else...I'm dating someone, which is nice. She's from Richmond, VA. She went to William and Mary and then interned with RUF at Stanford for the past two years. She's at WTS to get an MDiv in counseling. It's been great so far. Really laid back but intentional at the same time. Low stress, which is great considering my previous relationship and also the amount of school-induced stress I've got going on right now.

Speaking of school, I still haven't heard back from Princeton, but I've made up my mind to stay here at Westminster either way. I've found a group of guys that are in the same place that I am theologically and I'm really enjoying learning and discussing what we're learning with them. I'm not sure that I would find as many people with theological similarities at Princeton as I have here considering the type of people the school seems to attract (very very liberal) so the idea of leaving this behind is tough. I've started to interact more with the profs here and that's been really fruitful as well. There's a lot we don't agree on, but one of the benefits of coming in right after the controversy of last year is that the whole faculty is on high alert for student dissatisfaction so they're all going out of their way to meet with students and discuss issues, which is great.

I miss you guys. We'll have to find sometime to get together when I'm back in SC over Christmas break (Dec 12-Jan 3). What are you guys up to now? Let's get a roll call here. Post what's going on in your life and give us an update. Not in the comments section of this post, but on your own post. It doesn't have to be long.

All of life is Repentance

This article came across my life yesterday. It's caused me to stop and ponder for a little while. I hope it blesses you. The letter from Whitfield near the end is mainly what has hit me...

“It is important to consider how the gospel affects and transforms the act of repentance. In ‘religion’ the purpose of repentance is basically to keep God happy so he will continue to bless you and answer your prayers. This means that ‘religous repentance’ is a) selfish, b) self-righteous, c) and bitter all the way to the bottom. But in the gospel the purpose of repentance is to repeatedly tap into the joy of our union in Christ in order to weaken our need to do anything contrary to God’s heart.”

Read the rest of the article by Tim Keller here

Prayer Request

Hey guys. My family needs prayer right now. My grandfather (dad's dad) died yesterday. It was pretty unexpected. He went in for knee replacement surgery last week and the pain medication they gave him afterward reacted poorly with his system and basically swelled his GI tract up and then shut it down. The doctors were able to stabilize him and he recovered mostly from that, but then they found some internal bleeding which they also fixed. He started to recover, then got worse, then recovered, then got worse and finally just told his wife and the family that he was too tired to fight it and died last evening around 5:oo pm. The whole family is just in shock. I mean, he was perfectly healthy and went in for knee replacement surgery expecting to be back on the golf course in a month or so, and now this. He was a Christian so he's in a much better place now. My grandmother is the one who really needs prayer. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's about 8 months ago, and even though there aren't really any symptoms right now, I know that besides being grief-stricken and heartbroken, she must be very scared of the thought of dealing with that disease without her husband. My dad said that he's pretty sure she's not a believer so please pray for her salvation and for God to comfort her through this. Fortunately two of my uncles live within 30 minutes of her and another is only an hour and a half away so they were with her in Atlanta all yesterday and last night. My family is driving down there today and I'm going to catch a flight down tomorrow. Westminster is very understanding about these kinds of situations so I've been able to get an extention on all of my work.

So, pray for:
--my grandmother's salvation and her emotional and physical well-being
--my dad and his three brothers and one sister, that they would comfort each other and their mother
--there are about seven Christians on that side of the family, so pray that we would represent the love, divinity, and humanity of Christ well while we're there

Thanks guys.

Stay-at-home Dads (SAHD)

What do you guys think about it? Here's a video from Mars Hill in Seattle where Mark Driscoll says that if a guy in his church were a SAHD, it would be an issue of church discipline:

http://theresurgence.com/should_husbands_be_stay_at_home_dads

And here's a couple of posts from a guy who is a complementarian and a SAHD asking whether or not it's a sin to be a SAHD:

Part 1
Part 2

Here are just a couple of my thoughts. I like Mark Driscoll. Sometimes I think he hits the nail right on the head. Other times, he seems to be more worried about being a foil for the girly-man culture that he sees in America than he cares about being careful with his words, gracious, and biblical. He and his wife's comments in that video made me sick just thinking about all of the young men he's influencing with those kinds of comments. Church discipline for being a SAHD?!? Are you kidding me? Maybe if a guy is just being lazy. Sure, I can see that it would be hard for a woman to respect a man who's not willing to provide, as Driscoll's wife says, but that's an interior issue, not an exterior one. If a guy isn't willing to provide that says something about his heart. But when we take a verse where, I think, Paul is trying to warn us against an inner condition by pointing out its outer consequences (the same as I think he is when he talks about how women dress and how men wear their hair) and then say "See, if you ever have these outer consequences, then you're not being a good Christian." Nevermind that we're living 2000 years later. Nevermind that we're living in a comletely different cultural context. Nevermind that, as the author of those posts points out, the Bible talks more about women's headcoverings than women staying at home.

There's my rant. I think I've got a sore spot for those kinds of teachings because I know that those are the types of "this is how a Christian has to act" shackles I used to put on guys I mentored, and I feel terrible about it. Praise God for his grace for those sins of mine and for his providence of other, wiser men to straighten out the rough edges I left some of those guys with.

Interview, etc.

Hey guys. I've gotten a couple messages asking me to update y'all on how the interview at Princeton went. It went well. I got up to the school around 8:30 am on Friday and went to a couple of classes. The classes were good, but honestly, not all that much better (as far as quality of teaching, not necessarily content) than the classes at WTS. After the two classes I went to chapel with a student host who they hooked me up with. Chapel was led by a Japanese student who gave a testimony of how God had provided for her over the course of her time at Princeton Seminary. The chapel service itself was great, very lively with everyone singing and clapping; it had way more 'soul' than the chapel services at WTS, which tend to be sparsely attended and boring as all get out. The student speaker, though, basically preached a name it claim it type of theology. "I couldn't get my visa b/c they kept telling me I didn't have all the forms filled out. So, I went home and I said, 'God I know you brought me here. Why aren't you giving me this visa?' and then I realized that I wasn't having enough faith in him and so I said, 'God, if you give me this visa, I will testify about it to everyone I see,' and when I went back to the embassy I got my visa!" Wacky.
After the chapel service I got a tour of the campus and had lunch with the host student. Campus is beautiful. Then came the interview. I was interviewed by a female pastor (PCUSA) who asked me pretty simple questions. What drew you to theological education? What took you to and what is taking you away from WTS? Why Princeton? Those questions gave me a lot of time to talk about my story, L'Abri, what my goals are, etc, and she loved that stuff. She asked me how I felt about the ordination of women, and I told her I don't have a problem with it. I explained that my stance on that wasn't necessarily one coming out of a developed theology but mainly a stance of conscience and just not being convinced by the arguments against it. She seemd fine with that. Those were the main things we talked about. It lasted about 40 minutes.
I'd say that it wasn't a good enough interview to make me absolutely sure that I'll get in, but there wasn't anything negative about the interview. I think I've got a better chance than most of the WTS guys of being accepted there mainly because of all of the life experiences I've had, and they're looking to bring people into that school who are coming from diverse backgrounds and experiences.

Having said all of that, going up to Princeton has made me question whether or not I'll actually transfer away from WTS. Don't get me wrong, I'm still dissappointed by the direction WTS is moving, but after talking to my advisor (Dr Bill Edgar, one of the leading voices against the actions of the board in firing Dr Enns last year) I'm not so sure that the outlook is as dark as some people are making it out to be. I still think that the administration and the board are on a crazy conservative kick, and they are liable to do something in the next year or so that would make me definitively want to leave this school, but I don't know if I can make that decision right now. I've calmed down a bit from my anger at the board and administration for basically changing the direction of the school overnight, and now I'm just trying to be as open-minded as I can with the situation. I'd say that right now, I'm right on top of the fence as to whether or not I'll transfer out at the end of the year. Princeton seemed great, but not great enough to make me want to leave all of my friends here to go somewhere where I'll probably be one of the most conservative people on the campus. I'm just not sure. So I could use some prayer on that.

Site you might wanna check out

Hey, check out:
http://biblicaltraining.org/index.php?page=speakers

Found it through Bill Mounce's Greek website. Bill Mounce is one of the most recognized scholars in Greek today and this is something he and several other top theologians have put together as a free training resource for anyone, for free.

Prayer for Jon

Men-
Some of you know my brother, others don't. He's an really fun guy and I wish I had more contact with him. I got word from my mom that he hurt his back (which is a big part of his job) He was in the ER with breathing problems but seems to be doing OK.

He's out of the hospital and back at work which is both a good and bad thing. He works as an archeologist excavating potential construction sites. So swinging a shovel is hard on his back all day. Plus his gear was stolen out of his car recently which put the company he works for through the roof.

I just know he's hit a rough patch. So please be in prayer for him. Both for his back, his job, his faith, and he's trying to get into grad school so that's some added stress. Thanks men.

Mull #1

* I moved your post to the official Mullet count post. So far you are tied with Martin at one each.

Remember me?

Hey guys, I hope everyone is doing well. I've been a bit slow getting involved here. I never was good as regularly posting...Anyway, I just read a review of Prophetic Untimeliness by Os Guinness that Randy sent over, and was hoping to get some suggestions for reading from the wise minds of the council. The author quotes C.S. Lewis as saying, “The only palliative is to keep the clean sea breeze of history blowing through our minds, and this can be done only by reading old books.” My inquiry to everyone here is what books would you consider in this category that are sound reading? I don't want to be so far removed from where the church has been, if I am at all involved in where it is going.

Thanks for any input you have, and I pray that you all have a blessed week.

Hunting Season opens Wed. the 8th.

Dear Men,
As I sit here on my back porch enjoying a tall glass of sweet tea I'm drawn to ponder the manly event of the hunt. Stalking ones prey, waiting for the opportune moment, discipline, patience, perseverance, under often unbearable conditions. Thrilling.

So might I inquire of the council to join me on a hunt of the most illusive game?

The Mullet.

As weather turns cooler the mullet seem to become much more vibrant and daring in their outings. They frequent the feeding grounds of waffle houses and wal-marts making their capture on almost effortless.

I caught this one earlier today...

Mullet Hunting Season Rules.

1. Must be a live mullet. No pictures taken out of hunting seasons or photo shop mullets. A Mullet is defined by hair that is noticeably longer in the back of the head than in the front.

2. Must be posted to this post with picture. We all should have access to edit posts. Not left as a comment. (can't leave pictures)

3. 1 point for one mullet. Multi mullet shots (MMS) or if you are able to be in the picture with the mullet extra points will be awarded.
- 1 extra point will be included if any of the following apply...

• The man is shirtless
• if there is beer in the picture
• if there is a visible farmers tan
• if there is any mention of NASCAR in the picture

-3 extra points will be included if you are touching the mullet.

4. Person with the most points will win dinner at the next council gathering.

5. Season runs for one month from Midnight Oct. 8th until Midnight Nov. 8th in case of a tie the between two people the contest will be decided by a battle between a claymore and samurai sword in Dan Eady's old living room.

6. These rules can be amended by a majority vote of the council.

Above all be careful the mullet is unpredictable. Happy hunting.


Chris Martin - it's the coach of the DeSales University field hockey team; went there to watch my cousin play. boo yah.



Joel-

Well I work at Lowes. I might as well be standing in the middle of a zoo hunting wild game. Here is Mull #1.










In Food Lion I found this Spanish Mullet notice the craftsmen ship and detail shown by it's length... Dave

The Idol of Relevance

I thought this blog post by C.J. Mahaney reviewing a book by Os Guinness was so insightful that I would just copy the whole post here. I would love to hear what you guys think about Guinness' point and how we can shape the church of our generation accordingly.

The Idol of Relevance
by C.J. Mahaney 10/3/2008 9:47:00 AM Since we’re talking about Os Guinness, I pulled my stack of well-worn copies of his books off my shelves. And one of the most dog-eared, check-mark-littered, and highlighted copies is the book Prophetic Untimeliness: A Challenge to the Idol of Relevance (Baker, 2003).

The book is a piercing critique of the church’s uncritical pursuit of relevance for the sake of relevance. His argument: “Never have Christians pursued relevance more strenuously; never have Christians been more irrelevant” (p. 12). Guinness explains it like this:

By our uncritical pursuit of relevance we have actually courted irrelevance; by our breathless chase after relevance without a matching commitment to faithfulness, we have become not only unfaithful but irrelevant; by our determined efforts to redefine ourselves in ways that are more compelling to the modern world than are faithful to Christ, we have lost not only our identity but our authority and our relevance. Our crying need is to be faithful as well as relevant. (p. 11)

This is because, as Guinness writes, faithfulness to eternal truth is the means to genuine cultural relevance. In every generation, our goal is centered on the proclamation and advance of the gospel of Jesus Christ through the local church. Only because of the gospel’s continued relevance is it rightfully called the “good news.”

The gospel is good news. In fact it is “the best news ever” because it addresses our human condition appropriately, pertinently, and effectively as nothing else has, does, or can—and in generation after generation, culture after culture, and life after life. Little wonder that the Christian faith is the world’s first truly universal religion and in many parts of the world the fastest growing faith, and that the Christian church is the most diverse society on planet earth, with followers on all continents, in all climates, and under all the conditions of life and development. Of course, Christians can make the gospel irrelevant by shrinking and distorting it in one way or another. But in itself the good news of Jesus is utterly relevant or it is not the good news it claims to be. (p. 13)

Escaping the Cultural Captivity

The strength of Guinness’s book is not only the insightful criticism, but the constructive vision he presents to the reader. Chapter six, “Escaping Cultural Captivity” (pp. 95–112), was especially helpful. Guinness writes,

Without God, our human knowledge is puny and perverse, limited on the one hand by finitude and distorted on the other by sin. That said, and that said humbly, three things can help us cultivate the independent spirit and thinking that are characteristic of God’s untimely people. In ascending order, they are developing an awareness of the unfashionable, cultivating an appreciation for the historical, and paying constant attention to the eternal. Each is crucial for effective resistance thinking. (p. 96)

Guinness then develops each of these points:

1. Awareness of the Unfashionable: Because the cross runs across the grain of human thinking, the faithful choice is often not the culturally popular choice. Guinness introduces the countercultural actions of Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Nazi Germany. While the Führer demanded complete allegiance, Bonhoeffer was stressing the cost of discipleship and allegiance to Christ alone. In all generations, the church needs to cultivate an awareness of the unfashionable to avoid being captured by the popular or “relevant.”

2. Appreciation for the Historical: Americans, Guinness writes, seem to know everything about what’s happened over the past 24 hours, but little about the past 600 or 60 years. “Essential for untimeliness is appreciation for the historical, for no human perspective gives us a better counterperspective on our own day” (p. 100).

Guinness continues,

Mere lip service to the importance of history will not do. We each have to build in a steady diet of the riches of the past into our reading and thinking. Only the wisdom of the past can free us from the bondage of our fixation with the present and the future. C. S. Lewis counseled, “It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between.” (p. 104)

On the next page, he quotes Lewis again: “The only palliative is to keep the clean sea breeze of history blowing through our minds, and this can be done only by reading old books” (p. 105).

3. Attention to the Eternal: “Essential for untimeliness is attention to the eternal, for only the eternal is eternally relevant” (p. 105). The way to remain relevant is to stay on the path of eternal truth. Guinness asks us to consider, if we are seeking to be relevant, why? To what end are we seeking relevance? “Nothing is finally relevant except in relation to the true and the eternal….Only the repeated touch of the timeless will keep us truly timely” (pp. 106, 112).

Yet again, it’s worth quoting him directly:

How then do we lift ourselves above the level of the finite and the mundane to gain an eternal perspective on what is true and relevant? The biblical answer is blunt in its candor. By ourselves we can’t. We can’t break out of Plato’s cave of the human, with all its smoke and flickering shadows on the wall. We can’t raise ourselves above the level of the timebound and the earthbound by such feeble bootstraps as reason. But where we are limited by our own unaided efforts, we have help. We have been rescued.…God has broken into our silence. He has spoken and has come down himself. And in his written and living Word we are given truth from outside our situation, truth that throws light on our little lives and our little world. (p. 107)

Conclusion

I highly recommend Prophetic Untimeliness, especially for pastors. We would do well to heed Guinness’s call to faithfulness: “It is time to challenge the idol of relevance, to work out what it means to be faithful as well as relevant, and so to become truly relevant without ever ending up as trendy, trivial, and unfaithful” (p. 15).

C.J. Mahaney's blog can be found here: http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/Blog/

Ministry Interviews

So I emailed the guy in the of the position I applied for at CIU recently and he told me that the board was meeting this weekend, and with their approval, he would begin conducting interviews next week.

This is somewhat good and somewhat bad news. Good that I will likely be having an interview soon for my dream job. Bad that the thought of sitting in a room being interviewed by this man is one of the most intimidating things I can think of. I have never interviewed for a ministry job before. This job is working with first-year students overseeing their spiritual, academic, and social growth in their transition to CIU.

Any ideas on how to prepare myself for what might be asked would be great from you wise pool of ministry experienced men.

Thanks.