Humanity of Christ
Mar 31, 2004 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
Hebrews 4:14-16 (MES)
Now that we know what we have–Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God–let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all–all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.
I was thinking through this verse and I was reflecting on all that Christ went through on Earth. I then was struck thinking about Jesus as a child. Then, I looked through images of my son Cole and thought about the fact that Jesus encountered all the emotions and feelings my son has felt, all of it–but without the sin. These are the pictures that struck me the most.
Oh, and a side note
Mar 31, 2004 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
I was reading that Deuteronomy passage yesterday in a Bible with a famous commentator’s notes. He didn’t say anything about the capital punishment portions or the capturing a woman and shaving her head and “humbling her” portion, or the “unloved wife and kids” portion, or the polygamy portion, or the stoning a disobedient son to death portion, or the mixing two kinds of fabric together portion, or the stoning a woman to death if she loses her virginity portion, or the marrying a woman you have raped portion. But when the verse came about that said:
“A woman shall not wear man’s clothing, nor shall a man put on a woman’s clothing; for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD your God. (Deuteronomy 22:5)
He comments on how this teaches us how the Bible is against transvestites. I was kinda shocked that this commentator saw this as the only verse worthy of commentary in the entire passage.
Struggles
Mar 31, 2004 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
{ MOOD: Decent | ITUNES: “Fields of Gold” – Sting }
I have to admit, there are times when I don’t like the Bible at all. There are passages that are confusing or downright upsetting. One such passage is this one I ran across yesterday: Deuteronomy 21-22
Sometimes, as a Pastor, I find it hard to say “I don’t like this” or “I don’t understand this.” There seems to be this expectation that I can understand (and fully embrace) everything in the Bible or that I never have doubts or fears or whatever. But, quite frankly, this passage makes my head spin (and not in a good way). It reminds me of two conversations I have had recently that touch on this.
The first was with a pastor who told me he doesn’t feel like he fits in with most pastors who seem to “have it all together.” That he feels like an outsider of sorts who still has questions and doubts and fears. Wow. That means one of two things to me:
1) Most pastors have it together better than I do or
2) A lot of pastors hide (even from each other) their questions and doubts, etc.
The second conversation was with a pastor who told me that he is learning to “sit in sadness.” I thought, “that’s weird.” But as I thought about it more, I realized that I brush quickly past “bad” emotions without ever dealing with them. Now sadness is not an emotion I encounter often, but there are others I encounter all the time. And I quickly joke my way past them or ignore them until they go away. But ever since this conversation with my friend, I have tried to stay in that emotional place for awhile and it has been interesting. Instead of experiencing these negative emotions in a superficial way, I have begun to really experience them. Then, I find I can dig into them a bit and examine my heart and what is really going on.
Dodgeball
Mar 30, 2004 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
{ MOOD: Tired, But Good | NOISE: Rescue Heroes Video }
Catching Up
Mar 29, 2004 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
{ MOOD: Migraine | Noise: None }
So I am continuing to read “Reliving the Passion” (or at least, I am starting to read it again). And as I try to catch up it seems like a chore, like a duty. So I am going to continue to read and to blog as things strike me, but I am not going to be worried about ending it on any particular day.
Day 10 & 11
“When is a mother more inclined to cuddle her children? When they’re a nasty, insolent brood, disobedient and disrespectful of her motherhood? Or when they are cuddly”
When will a father liklier give good gifts to his children? WHen they’ve just ruined the previous gift, by negligence or by downright wickedness? When they are sullen and self-absorbed? Or when they manifest genuine goodness and self-responsibility?
But the love of Jesus is utterly unaccountable–except that he is God and God is love…It takes my breath away.” – Walter Wangerin
This is something I intellectually believe. But I think that deep down I still think I have to prove something to God. Do something good for him or he will look down on me.
Sites
Mar 28, 2004 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
{ MOOD: Great | TIVO: Alias }
I have added more to the list of Friends and other sites to the left. Under the new sites category, I placed sites that I frequent when I get a chance to surf. To make the list it had to be a site that I hit on a semi-regular basis. Some are fun, some are serious, some are both. Happy surfing.
My friend Dave just called me with news that I am officially famous. His mom in law is a prof at LCC and students in her class were criticing public communicators and someone criticed me. Apparently I do OK, but tend to ramble or some crap like that. Yee ha.
AOL Translator
Mar 28, 2004 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
{ MOOD: Getting a lot of sorting of old bookmarks done | ITUNES:”83″ – John Mayer }
Ever want to post to your blog like a 12 year old? Well, now you can.
I ran my post from a few days ago through this buet and here’s what I got:
{ MOD TIERD | NOIES KIA COMARCIAL }
S2RY ONE
W3 HAD AN MAZNG LEAEDRSHIP RETR3AT THIS WEKEND1!!1 OMG LOL WA HAD NO IEDA HOW MANY P3OPL3 WUD COMA BUT WA HAD 13
PAUL!1!11!11 WTF AND STAV3 TAUGHT ON OUR PAST ON DA FIRST NIGHT AND IF WAS SO COL 2 H3AR AL OF THIS MAZNG STUF!1!11 OMG WTF IM STIL BLOWN AWAY WIT HOW MUCH HAS HAPENED IN OUR LITL3 CHURCHS HIS2RY!!!1!!1 WTF LOL I WIL UPLOAD AN MP3 L8R IF U CAER!!!1! LOL TH3N WA SPENT TIEM PRAYNG AND IT WAS SO COL 2 SE 13 LEAEDRS PRAYNG TAHT GOD WUD US3 TH3M AND TEH CHURCH IN OUR AERA11!!!111 LOL SO COL
THAN1!!11 OMG THIS MORNNG WE TOK3D ABOUT DA VISION FOR OUR FUTUR3 AND WE SPLIT UP IN2 GROUPS AND DISCUS3D OUR STRAETGEIS!!1!1!1! OMG LOL THEN WH3N WE PULAD BAK 2GATH3R I SAW SOM3THNG AEWSOM3!!1! OMG WTF I SAW THIS HUNDR3D OR SO PEOPL3 RAAL 3XCIETD ABOUT WUT GOD IS DONG1!!!1 LOL I WAS MAEZD AT THEYRE ENARGY AND THEYRE ZEAL 2 HAEV GOD US3 THEM!!1!1!! WTF STEVA HAD CHALENGED US AL 2 CONSIEDR WUT CUD GOD DO NOW 2DAY IF WE IMITAET THOSA WHO HAEV GONE BFOR3”???!!!? LOL AND I CUD SE IN THEYRE EYES TAHT TH3Y W3R3 READY 2 SE DA ANSWAR 2 TAHT QU3STION
S2RY11!!!11 OMG WTF LOL TWO
SO I MET THIS GUY AT RIEVRVEIW 2NIGHT!1!!1! OMG WTF LOL HE IS JUNIOR AT MSU AND HE WAS VISITNG US FOR TEH FIRST TIEM1!!!11!1 I TOKED WIT HIM BFOR3 TEH SARVIEC AVAN STARTED AND HA WAS ASKNG HOW 2 GET PLUG3D IN1!!1!! OMG WTF AND I DONT MAAN ASK I MAAN ASK1!1111 OMG WTF HA WAS SUPAR AAEGR!1!11!!! I ASKAD HIM HIS S2RY!!!!!!1 OMG WTF HE 2LD M3 TAHT LAST NIGHT HE WENT 2 DA PASION OF CHRIST AND HAS DECIEDD FOR TEH FIRST TIEM IN 8 Y3ARS H3 NED3D 2 GO BAK 2 CHURCH AND COMIT HIMSELF 2 CHRIST!!1!111 OMG LOL HA HAS A BAKGROUND IN A MANESTREM D3NOMINATION BUT DIDNT WANT 2 GO BAK THEIR!1!1 OMG WTF LOL H3 ASKED AROUND AND SOM3ONE RECOMENDAD RIEVRVEIW
I!!1!1! OMG WAS KINDA BLOWN AWAY!!!! OMG WTF THIS GUY HAD NEVAR EV3N BEN 2 ON3 OF OUR S3RVIECS YET BUT H3R3 HE WAS SO 3AEGR 2 GET INVOLVAD1!1!!! WTF I GAEV HIM A BUNCH OF STUF DESCRIBNG WHO WE R AND INTRODUC3D HIM 2 KIET AND JD AND HOPEFULY TH3Y WIL HALP HIM PLUG IN
TAHT!!11!1 MIGHT B DA SNGL3 BST RASPONS3 I HAEV SEN FROM TAHT MOVEI!!1!!1 WTF
Updated Friends List
Mar 28, 2004 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
{ MOOD: Refreshed | NOISE: Kids Playing Outside (finally) }
So I finally alphabetized my friends list. It has been driving me mad. I also killed links to sites that have gone kapoot. I am going to try to add more friends this afternoon if I can, but no promises since I hear my son waking up from his nap.
