Announcement / Riddle

5/4/08

Random Observations from Thanksgiving

The end of the semester is here, and my blogging may slow down just a little bit. The final 3 weeks are always quite busy for me.

And even though today will be busy enough, I can’t help but post some random observations and thoughts from my Thanksgiving Break.


For years, psychologists have differentiated between a person’s chronological age (how old you really are) and mental age (at what average age you are mentally functioning). In fact, that’s part of the basic formula for figuring IQ scores. I think there needs to be a third category of age: "fossil fuel age." I can’t for the life of me figure out why people get consumed with the cost of gas as they get older. If it weren’t for the deep respect I have for people that are older than me, I might have tried to intervene like this in several conversations I overheard – “You know what? Gas is expensive. But nobody is going to get rich or go broke based on whether you save 3 cents a gallon. If you fill up with 15 gallons, you'll save a whopping 45 cents. If you do this once a week for a whole year, you'll save about 23 bucks. You all can stress over gas prices every day if it suits you. I’ll skip a meal at Chili’s once a year and call it even.”


I asked my 5 year old son what he was Thankful for this year. He gave a pretty typical list:
- my brother
- my mommy and daddy
- grandma and grandpa
- my clothes
- food
- candy
- paper
- God
- heaven
- everybody
- everything

I do like the last two additions. I guess Parker wanted to cover all his bases.

Then I asked my 2 year old. Here’s his list:
- God
- daddy
- my arms
- pencils
- holes
- eyeballs and eyes
- daddy’s watch
- heaven
- books
- lamps
- toys
- mommy

He cracks me up.

Funny comments of the week include:

“Man, I wish we could say ‘dang’ in my family!” by Parker to his cousin, frustrated by a video game.

“And, you know, I really like that Mozart!” by my grandma seeing some connection between Meerkat Manor (a show with a meerkat of that name) and Man vs. Wild (the show the rest of us were discussing).


I love my family. I love Shanda’s family, too. Can’t wait to see them all again at Christmas.

Thanksgiving Psalm

I love my pastor at Conway’s First Baptist Church. He used Psalm 68:19-35 as the primary text for his Thanksgiving sermon this past Sunday. Here are a couple of excerpts.

Verses 19-20:
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,
who daily bears our burdens.

Our God is a God who saves;
from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death.

These words are nice aren’t they? Just perfect for this Thanksgiving season. God bears our burdens. He provides. He saves us. You get a nice warm feeling inside, don’t you?

Here come verses 21-23.
Surely God will crush the heads of his enemies,
the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins.

The Lord says, "I will bring them from Bashan;
I will bring them from the depths of the sea,
that you may plunge your feet in the blood of your foes,
while the tongues of your dogs have their share."

Whoa. God is in the business of crushing heads?? He wants to destroy our enemies so we can slosh around in their blood?? Man, that’s dark.

But our God is not just sweet – He is also fierce. And He wants to deliver us and show His strength through us. Another wonderful reason to be thankful, don’t you think?

Have a great Thanksgiving week!! (Just keep an eye on your dogs.)

WWKCD?

Mike Huckabee has disappointed me beyond words.

Read this:
http://www.nwanews.com/adg/National/207980/print/

Kenneth Copeland? You’ve GOT to be kidding me.


And even though I wrote “What Would Chuck Norris Do?” earlier, this video below does little to make me feel better.

The Professionalizing of Christian Ministry, II

Do you get what you pay for? It seems so - at least for many things. But what about ministers and Christian counselors? Are the best ones paid the most?

Reinhold Niebuhr was a pastor of a church in Detroit and later a professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York. He wasn’t a conservative evangelical theologian, but he wrote these words in 1924 that are worth considering (from his memoirs Leaves from the Notebook of a Tamed Cynic). I thought they related well to my previous post about the professionalizing of Christian ministry. Obviously, the hyperlinks to the Greek dudes are mine.

Had a letter today informing me that the First ----- church in ----- has called a new pastor. After trying futilely to find the right man, who was to have as much scholarship as his predecessor and more “punch,” they decided to raise the salary to $15,000. I don’t know whether that was the factor which finally solved their problem, but at any rate they have the man they want. I suppose it is not easy to get a combination of Aristotle and Demosthenes, and on the current market, that ought to be worth $15,000. Nevertheless there must be some limit to this matter of oversized salaries.

There ought to be some questioning, too, about the growing tendency of churches to build their congregations around pulpit eloquence. What kind of fundamental ethical question can a man be eloquent about when he draws that much cash, particularly since a Croesus or two usually has to supply an undue proportion of it? I don’t know anything about the prophet of the Lord who accepted this call, but I venture to prophesy that no sinner in that pagan city will quake in his boots in anticipation of his coming.

The idea of a professional good man is difficult enough for all of us who are professionally engaged as teachers of the moral ideal. Of course, “a man must live,” and it is promised that if we seek first the kingdom and its righteousness “all these things shall be added unto us.” But I doubt whether Jesus had a $15,000 salary in mind. If the things that are added become too numerous they distract your attention terribly. To try and keep your eye on the main purpose may only result in making you squint-eyed. I hope the new prophet won’t begin his pastorate with a sermon on the text, “I count all things but loss.”

If you want to know what a $15,000 salary in 1924 is worth today, click here.

And you can read more about Niebuhr here, here, and here.

The Professionalizing of Christian Ministry

Those who have read my blog in the past know I’ve taken issue with a couple of things that John Piper teaches. He’s great – I’m just not his biggest fan. But this quote is brilliant:

“We pastors are being killed by the professionalizing of the pastoral ministry. The mentality of the professional is not the mentality of the prophet. It is not the mentality of the slave of Christ. Professionalism has nothing to do with the essence and heart of the Christian ministry. The more professional we long to be, the more spiritual death we will leave in our wake. For there is no professional childlikeness; there is no professional tenderheartedness; there is no professional panting after God. But our first business is to weep over our sins. Is there professional weeping?”

I ripped off the quote from another website that has a corresponding blog post. I’d encourage you to read it when you have time.

My intention isn’t to post this as a criticism of pastors from the sidelines. I think that the quote could just as easily be about the “professionalism of Christian counseling” (my own field). I may tackle that particular idea more fully later. For now, let’s consider both pastoral ministry and counseling under the umbrella of Christian ministry. What are your thoughts and observations about the professionalizing of Christian ministry?

Great Commission Strategy

I don’t really know what to make of this clip, but it’s interesting and thought-provoking.

On a related note, CBC has a new Missions professor and a new Missions degree program. I am really excited about that.

Rules of Engagement

College campuses are great places to find debates – some of them important and productive, many of them silly and distracting.

The Minister’s Association on campus here has decided to host a series of coffee-house style discussions over various issues. I’m glad for that – as long as the students play nice. If discussions like these are full of grace and mercy, if they allow people to grow and mature, if they allow people to make mistakes, if they encourage people to speak the truth in love, then they are GREAT. If discussions like these devolve into attempts to demonstrate who knows more than whom, if they become divisive by pitting some students against others, if anger and frustration abound, then they are TERRIBLE. If students go with a willingness to listen, learn, and change their own position when necessary, that’s one thing. If students go only with the intention of persuading others, then that’s quite another.

I’ve been reading a fascinating book by Roger Olson lately. If I mentioned the name of the book here, the whole point of this post might be lost. So I’ll tell you about the book another day.

But he provides some “rules of engagement” for Christians who disagree. He is primarily addressing Christians who have significant theological differences, but I think these rules may also apply to a wider range of situations. Christians disagree a lot: over new church policies and procedures, over styles of worship services, over methods and philosophies of communicating the gospel in relevant ways, over the best way to do missions, over church building programs, and over theological viewpoints. And if those things aren’t enough for us to worry about, we’ll make something else up to argue about.

I found these rules of engagement worthy of paraphrasing and posting here for all of us who find ourselves in disagreement with other Christians.

(1) Before speaking about a viewpoint different from our own, we must be sure we are able to describe it as its own best representatives describe it. Before saying “I disagree” we must first be able to truly say “I understand.”

(2) When speaking about a viewpoint different from our own, we must be sure we are not attacking a straw man. Setting up a straw man usually involves misrepresenting a position by deliberating overstating it in a way that is easy to refute.

(3) We should be openly acknowledge the weakness of our own positions and viewpoints and not pretend that the other side alone contains tensions, apparent inconsistencies, or mysteries. This is a matter of avoiding double standards. If we point out apparent inconsistencies in someone else’s perspective, we should not pretend our own is free of such flaws.

(4) We should strictly avoid attributing beliefs to adherents of the other side that those adherents explicitly reject. We may believe that a certain position will lead to a certain logical conclusion. But we must not claim opponents believe these “logical conclusions” if they explicitly reject them. We should learn to say, “This is the logical consequence of their belief,” and follow up with, “but they don’t follow the logic there.”

I’m interested in your thoughts. Is there anything else you’d add to the list to promote fair and productive dialogue in the midst of disagreement?

I'm Failing All Calvinist Students

At least that appears to be the rumor lately.

Good grief. Either the grapevine has grown and wildly distorted a class discussion the other day, or some of my students weren’t paying a lick of attention to what I was really saying. Let’s set the record straight. Here’s a short summary of what I said in class…

When dealing with hurting people, counselors and ministers have to confront the issue of personal choices. There is an issue of volition (free will and choosing) that must be addressed. There are two positions that some Christian people-helpers take that are not particularly helpful.

Position #1 – All personal problems are the result of personal choice. People choose their problems. They need to choose differently. They need to stop what they are doing and choose to be obedient to God.

This approach overemphasizes the role of volition. Telling a depressed person to just choose different behaviors isn’t particularly helpful. Nor is telling the woman struggling with anorexia to “just eat something.” Nor is telling the man addicted to pornography to “just stop it.” We have to do more than that.

Position #2 – Choice is an illusion. People do not really make choices. God is sovereign and ordains (causes) everything that happens.

This approach rejects the role of volition. But neither will this approach suffice. It will not do to blame God for our bad decisions. This is a brand of hyper-Calvinism that may work for some in their academic offices, but is not effective in helping people overcome their problems.

To clarify the problem with this position, it was at this point I suggested that any student who holds this position (that choice is an illusion) could come by my office after class. I would immediately give them an “F” for the course. I went on to explain that I was sure they would feel unfairly treated and would quickly go to the Vice President to register a complaint. But here’s the problem…the person who holds this position has no right to complain about my “choice” as a professor. If they are unhappy with the “F” that seems arbitrary, their position insists that they actually see it as God-ordained and they should take up the issue with Him, not me.

Obviously I’m not really going to fail anyone just for being a Calvinist. Or an Arminian.

A dispensationalist? Maybe.

Accountability and Applications

Accountability is one of the least understood and used gifts God has given us. All too often we try to live our lives on our own, under our own willpower. Maybe in our better moments, we’ll recognize that God actually has to help us out. But we maintain the “it’s just me and God” thing. “I don’t need anyone else. Together, God and I can handle anything.”

We forget that God often works THROUGH other people in our lives. God often wants to grow me and hold me accountable THROUGH a relationship with someone else. Having an “accountability partner” can make all the difference in various areas of our lives – like our spiritual walk, dieting, or.... exercise. Our partners are lifelines for us. They help us grow into the people God wants us to be. Success or utter and miserable failure hangs in the balance.


And MY exercise partner didn’t show up for the FIRST day of our workouts this morning.


So I think I’m taking applications for a new exercise partner. If you are interested, answer these questions in triplicate and have them notarized.

(1) Will you bail out on our workout the very first day?

(2) Are you willing to lift lower weights than me to help boost my esteem?

(3) If I go into cardiac arrest, which of the following are you most likely to do?
(a) Stare in disbelief
(b) Take me to the nearest hospital
(c) Take the opportunity to pound me in the chest
(d) Walk away in embarrassment

(4) If I stop breathing, will you provide mouth to mouth resuscitation? Please explain your answer in a 1 page essay.

(5) When I am too sore to lift my arms after hitting the weights, will you drive me home and to work?

(6) Are you willing to lie to others (especially my wife) about how great I’m doing?

(7) Which of the following best describes your own philosophy of exercise?
(a) I workout to get huge and ripped
(b) I workout to improve my cardiovascular health
(c) I workout to lose weight
(d) I workout to torture myself and others
(e) I have no idea why I’m working out.

(8) Please provide three letters of reference and submit a $25 nonrefundable application fee.

Meet Henry Smiley

Meet Henry Smiley. He is the Chair of the Literature and Langage Arts Department at CBC. He has great taste in movies and TV shows, but his musical tastes are a bit disappointing. He is smart and funny and he has a goatee that his wife has made him promise to never shave.

(1) What part of your job is most rewarding? What part is most frustrating?

The most rewarding thing about my job is getting to interact with an amazing variety of people. I am constantly learning from the people around me, and I am getting paid to do so. How cool is that?

The most frustrating part of my job are the day-to-day responsibilities (some of which are self-inflicted) that keep me chained to my desk and sap my energy. I find as I get older that I have more difficulty maintaining an extroverted personality when some many people and tasks compete for my attention.

(2) What is something else (not related to your job) that you are passionate about?

Anyone who knows me knows that I am passionately interested in movies and music (sorry, Aaron, but John Denver does fit in that category). I’m also passionate about literature, which is why I do what I do. The Divorce Care program that my wife and I co-facilitate is a ministry I feel uniquely gifted and qualified to serve in.

(3) What is one good book you’ve read lately and what made it so?

“Blue Like Jazz” by Donald Miller and “An Arrow Pointing to Heaven” by Brennan Manning. I liked “Blue Like Jazz” for its decidedly non-doctrinaire insights on being a follower of Christ; I liked “Arrow” because it addressed the life of one of my favorite Christian artists, Rich Mullins, and his lifelong struggle to reconcile his Christianity with his broken, fallen humanity, a struggle that resonates deeply with me.

(4) What is something you know now that you wish you would have known when you were younger?

That other people cannot make you happy, and that ultimately, only God can change another person’s heart.

(5) Describe someone you know personally that most admire, and why?

My wife, Donna. I don’t know anyone with a bigger heart or a stronger work ethic. On top of that, she’s brilliant at what she does without being self-righteous or pretentious. She’s learned from the adversities in her life without falling into the trap of self-pity. I think she is an extraordinary person, and I’m blessed to be her husband.

(6) Describe something that has surprised you lately.

Other than the Rockies making it to the World Series? Seriously, I’m constantly surprised by my little boy, Cade—his intelligence, his fascination with things I take for granted, his endless questions about spiritual matters, his delight in playing “Chutes and Ladders” and “Candy Land” for HOURS. He is the surest antidote I’ve found to complacency and cynicism.

(7) Life is full of mysteries. Some of them are deep and profound; some of them are rather trivial. Name one or two questions you are curious to have answered once you arrive in heaven.

Trivial question: What is the purpose of mosquitoes? (I am from rice country in southeastern Arkansas.)

Profound question: Should I have done more to address the prevalence of human suffering in the world?

(8) If you could share any one “life lesson” with a college student today, what would it be?

Life goes by astonishingly quickly. I shouldn’t be in my mid-40’s yet, but I am. Learn to differentiate between what is cool and what is really important and between what is good and what is the best. Remember to love people and use things. Remember that you will leave a legacy—what kind depends on the choices and decisions you make.

Al Mohler on Reading Books

Books??? What are these “book” things you speak of?

Seems only a handful of folks were interested in the couple of posts on books this week. So after this post, I’ll move on to other topics.

Al Mohler is president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. He is an author, speaker, and host of his own radio show. Like all of us, he has his own flaws, but by most accounts he is a brilliant man. In an article last year, he described his reading habits, which are impressive. Then he offered some suggestions for improving reading habits. I appreciated them and thought they were worthy of posting here:

1. Maintain regular reading projects. I strategize my reading in six main categories: Theology, Biblical Studies, Church Life, History, Cultural Studies, and Literature. I have some project from each of these categories going at all times. I collect and gather books for each project, and read them over a determined period of time. This helps to discipline my reading, and also keeps me working across several disciplines.

2. Work through major sections of Scripture. I am just completing an expository series, preaching verse by verse through the book of Romans. I have preached and taught several books of the Bible in recent years, and I plan my reading to stay ahead. I am turning next to Matthew, so I am gathering and reading ahead -- not yet planning specific messages, but reading to gain as much as possible from worthy works on the first gospel. I am constantly reading works in biblical theology as well as exegetical studies.

3. Read all the titles written by some authors. Choose carefully here, but identify some authors whose books demand your attention. Read all they have written and watch their minds at work and their thought in development. No author can complete his thoughts in one book, no matter how large.

4. Get some big sets and read them through. Yes, invest in the works of Martin Luther, Jonathan Edwards, and others. Set a project for yourself to read through the entire set, and give yourself time. You will be surprised how far you will get in less time than you think.

5. Allow yourself some fun reading, and learn how to enjoy reading by reading enjoyable books. I like books across the fields of literature, but I really love to read historical biographies and historical works in general. In addition, I really enjoy quality fiction and worthy works of literature. As a boy, I probably discovered my love for reading in these categories of books. I allow some time each day, when possible, to such reading. It doesn't have to be much. Stay in touch with the thrill.

6. Write in your books; mark them up and make them yours. Books are to be read and used, not collected and coddled. [Make an exception here for those rare antiquarian books that are treasured for their antiquity. Mark not thy pen on the ancient page, and highlight not upon the manuscript.] Invent your own system or borrow from another, but learn to have a conversation with the book, pen in hand.

I would write more for this post, but I must go read. More later. For now: Tolle! Lege