"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," we are told in Ecclesiastes. This, of course, is true. But the fear leading to wisdom is not fear to anxiety, but fear to awe. To be filled with awe is to know the one who you stand before, and to know acceptance. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom because fear of the Lord is simply the recognition that the Lord is God - the God of glory. Fear, in this proper sense, undermines our handholds and our footholds, leaving us with no ground on which to stand, argue or fight. Fear is the beginning of wisdom because this fear leaves us undone - calling out, "I believe, help me in my unbelief," as well as "Without you, I can do nothing" (John 15:5).
Friday, September 3
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Friday, September 3, 2010 at 9:41 am
The Fear of the Lord
Posted by Kyle Strobel | Comments (0) |
Complete article
Complete article
Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 9:26 pm
Prayer & Mission
Posted by Jamin Goggin | Comments (0) |
"Prayer is related to mission because it is to the extent that we have discovered who God is and how much a knowledge and love of God is constitutive of a comprehensive humanism and a full and complete existence that we suffer from, and are struck by, situations in which God is not known or loved. At the basis of the missionary attitude lies a certain scandal with respect to the reversal of values in which God holds such a small place in people's various preoccupations while other things hold such a large one."
"There is therefore no opposition between contemplation and mission. The notion that there would be, and that one would have to choose between them, is absurd. On the contrary, mission appears as the self-unfolding of contemplation."
-Jean Danielou, Prayer: The Mission of the Church
Complete article
"Prayer is related to mission because it is to the extent that we have discovered who God is and how much a knowledge and love of God is constitutive of a comprehensive humanism and a full and complete existence that we suffer from, and are struck by, situations in which God is not known or loved. At the basis of the missionary attitude lies a certain scandal with respect to the reversal of values in which God holds such a small place in people's various preoccupations while other things hold such a large one."
"There is therefore no opposition between contemplation and mission. The notion that there would be, and that one would have to choose between them, is absurd. On the contrary, mission appears as the self-unfolding of contemplation."
-Jean Danielou, Prayer: The Mission of the Church
Complete article
Thursday, August 26, 2010 at 11:59 am
Human Persons and Christian Formation
Posted by Kyle Strobel | Comments (0) |
I just finished reading a book on theological anthropology (you can read my somewhat "scathing" review here). Theological anthroplogy is simply the study of human persons theologically. In other words, how, as Christians, do we talk about the central defining features of human existence - freedom, sexuality, identity, etc. In this particular book, the author sought to use ancient sources from the Church Fathers, Desert Fathers and Mothers, etc. to help us recover an ancient understanding of personhood. Despite what you might think after reading my review, I did think the book had some good emphases. Her focus was on the inherent value of human persons - each and every one - and how the modern conception of human "nature" as inherent bad has misaligned our understanding of personhood. Fair enough. But what I found disconcerting about the volume was that formation was couched simply as fortitude.
Complete article
I just finished reading a book on theological anthropology (you can read my somewhat "scathing" review here). Theological anthroplogy is simply the study of human persons theologically. In other words, how, as Christians, do we talk about the central defining features of human existence - freedom, sexuality, identity, etc. In this particular book, the author sought to use ancient sources from the Church Fathers, Desert Fathers and Mothers, etc. to help us recover an ancient understanding of personhood. Despite what you might think after reading my review, I did think the book had some good emphases. Her focus was on the inherent value of human persons - each and every one - and how the modern conception of human "nature" as inherent bad has misaligned our understanding of personhood. Fair enough. But what I found disconcerting about the volume was that formation was couched simply as fortitude.
Complete article
Saturday, August 21, 2010 at 11:47 pm
What You Need
Posted by Jamin Goggin | Comments (0) |
I recently came across an interview with a pastor at an influential church in the United States talking about church planting. The two prongs of the discussion basically covered successes and failures in church planting. A large portion of the interview was focused on challenges in church planting and conversely what is needed to "succeed" in planting a church. The pastor gave a list of three things that are clearly needed for success-(1) charismatic leader, (2) leader who can communicate well, and (3) leader who is adept at strategic thinking.
What I first found interesting was the complete collapse of needs into the Senior Pastor. A gifted person is what is needed most. Of course, how one defines "success" plays a large role in these perceived needs. If we are defining success as gathering the most people as quickly as possible to the church then of course a more pragmatic turn is liable to be taken. Don't get me wrong I understand that if the pastor cannot communicate, is terribly awkward with people or is not a strategic thinker then the church will face challenges. My problem is not that the pragmatic is considered, but rather that is the sole concern.
Complete article
I recently came across an interview with a pastor at an influential church in the United States talking about church planting. The two prongs of the discussion basically covered successes and failures in church planting. A large portion of the interview was focused on challenges in church planting and conversely what is needed to "succeed" in planting a church. The pastor gave a list of three things that are clearly needed for success-(1) charismatic leader, (2) leader who can communicate well, and (3) leader who is adept at strategic thinking.
What I first found interesting was the complete collapse of needs into the Senior Pastor. A gifted person is what is needed most. Of course, how one defines "success" plays a large role in these perceived needs. If we are defining success as gathering the most people as quickly as possible to the church then of course a more pragmatic turn is liable to be taken. Don't get me wrong I understand that if the pastor cannot communicate, is terribly awkward with people or is not a strategic thinker then the church will face challenges. My problem is not that the pragmatic is considered, but rather that is the sole concern.
Complete article
Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 9:25 am
Being a "Generous" Evangelical
Posted by Kyle Strobel | Comments (0) |
The word "generous" has been thrown around a lot lately. For many, its use highlights a growing lack of doctrinal orthodoxy, which, in many cases, may very well be true. There are certainly many disconcerting things that happen under the label of "generosity." This highlights an interesting issue between members of the church. I can't help but notice that Paul and James, as two of the most obvious examples, spill a lot of ink over the issue of unity. So how are we to think about this?
I have come up with something of an arbitrary delineation of evangelicals, and while it may be highly simplistic, I think it does call attention to an important issue. As I see it, broadly, there are two types of evangelicals - generous and not-generous. The demarcation has nothing to do with doctrinal orthodoxy, but simply with how one conceives onself in relation to the gospel. The generous evangelicals primarily see themselves under judgment by the gospel, while those who are not generous primarily understand the gospel as something they possess. Therefore, by owning the gospel, as it were, other views and positions are seen to be dangerous rather than potentially prophetic. Furthermore, the temptation the non-generous types have given in to is to apply God's own attributes to themselves. God is sovereign, in other words, and they find themselves at his right hand.
Complete article
The word "generous" has been thrown around a lot lately. For many, its use highlights a growing lack of doctrinal orthodoxy, which, in many cases, may very well be true. There are certainly many disconcerting things that happen under the label of "generosity." This highlights an interesting issue between members of the church. I can't help but notice that Paul and James, as two of the most obvious examples, spill a lot of ink over the issue of unity. So how are we to think about this?
I have come up with something of an arbitrary delineation of evangelicals, and while it may be highly simplistic, I think it does call attention to an important issue. As I see it, broadly, there are two types of evangelicals - generous and not-generous. The demarcation has nothing to do with doctrinal orthodoxy, but simply with how one conceives onself in relation to the gospel. The generous evangelicals primarily see themselves under judgment by the gospel, while those who are not generous primarily understand the gospel as something they possess. Therefore, by owning the gospel, as it were, other views and positions are seen to be dangerous rather than potentially prophetic. Furthermore, the temptation the non-generous types have given in to is to apply God's own attributes to themselves. God is sovereign, in other words, and they find themselves at his right hand.
Complete article
Saturday, August 14, 2010 at 6:41 pm
Eat. Pray? Love. Love?
Posted by Cate MacDonald | Comments (0) |
One of my best friends is a film critic here in Los Angeles. A perk of this particular job is that she sees movies a few days early and sometimes takes me along (this really is more of a perk for me than it is for her). Such was the case with Eat Pray Love. Having never read the book, everything I knew about the movie I had learned from the ever-present print ads, meaning I knew that Julia Roberts played a woman who wanted to eat gelato, marvel at something, and needed a champion instead of a man.
Turns out that was a pretty comprehensive understanding of the film. I walked out of the theater feeling as if I had just experienced a metaphysical vacuum, noticeable only for what wasn’t there.
Complete article
One of my best friends is a film critic here in Los Angeles. A perk of this particular job is that she sees movies a few days early and sometimes takes me along (this really is more of a perk for me than it is for her). Such was the case with Eat Pray Love. Having never read the book, everything I knew about the movie I had learned from the ever-present print ads, meaning I knew that Julia Roberts played a woman who wanted to eat gelato, marvel at something, and needed a champion instead of a man.
Turns out that was a pretty comprehensive understanding of the film. I walked out of the theater feeling as if I had just experienced a metaphysical vacuum, noticeable only for what wasn’t there.
Complete article
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 at 11:49 pm
Following up the Harvest
Posted by Jamin Goggin | Comments (1) |
I attended Harvest Crusade in Orange County, CA this past week. For those of you who are not aware of Harvest Crusade it is a ministry started by Greg Laurie that hosts a yearly evangelistic outreach event. For the past twenty years Harvest Crusade has seen thousands of people come to Christ at the Angel's Stadium in Anaheim, CA. At the end of each night of the outreach event Laurie invites those who wish to put their faith in Jesus Christ to come down to the field in what is in effect a massive alter call. As a believer it is encouraging and beautiful to watch as droves of people make their way down on to the field to take their stand for Jesus.
This year I had the privilege of serving as a follow up liaison of sorts for our church. Once the event is over Harvest Crusade collects basic information from all of those who came down to the field. The information cards are then sorted and given to a representative of a church in the individuals residential area in order to make follow up contact. The idea being to intentionally connect these folks with local churches in their area as opposed to simply hoping they take the initiative to find a church themselves. It was encouraging to see Harvest Crusade's effort to fill a gap that is often prevalent in outreach events.
Complete article
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Thursday, August 12, 2010 at 10:35 am
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I attended Harvest Crusade in Orange County, CA this past week. For those of you who are not aware of Harvest Crusade it is a ministry started by Greg Laurie that hosts a yearly evangelistic outreach event. For the past twenty years Harvest Crusade has seen thousands of people come to Christ at the Angel's Stadium in Anaheim, CA. At the end of each night of the outreach event Laurie invites those who wish to put their faith in Jesus Christ to come down to the field in what is in effect a massive alter call. As a believer it is encouraging and beautiful to watch as droves of people make their way down on to the field to take their stand for Jesus.
This year I had the privilege of serving as a follow up liaison of sorts for our church. Once the event is over Harvest Crusade collects basic information from all of those who came down to the field. The information cards are then sorted and given to a representative of a church in the individuals residential area in order to make follow up contact. The idea being to intentionally connect these folks with local churches in their area as opposed to simply hoping they take the initiative to find a church themselves. It was encouraging to see Harvest Crusade's effort to fill a gap that is often prevalent in outreach events.
Complete article
Last commented:
Thursday, August 12, 2010 at 10:35 am
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Monday, August 9, 2010 at 10:56 am
Identity
Posted by Abbie Smith | Comments (0) |
Who am I? They often tell me
I stepped from my cell’s confinement
Calmly, cheerfully, firmly,
Like a squire from his country-house.
Who am I? They often tell me
I used to speak to my warders
Freely and friendly and clearly,
As though it were mine to command.
Who am I? They also tell me
I bore the days of misfortune
Equally, smilingly, proudly,
Like one accustomed to win.
Am I then really all that which other men tell of?
Or am I only what I myself know of myself?
Restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage,
Struggling for breath, as though hands were
compressing my throat,
Yearning for colors, for flowers, for the voices of birds,
Thirsting for words of kindness, for neighborliness,
Tossing in expectation of great events,
Powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance,
Weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making,
Faint, and ready to say farewell to it all?
Who am I? This or the other?
Am I one person today and tomorrow another?
Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,
And before myself a contemptibly woebegone weakling?
Or is something within me still like a beaten army,
Fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?
Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.
Whoever I am, Thou knowest, O God, I am Thine!
D. Bonhoeffer
March 4,1946
Complete article
Who am I? They often tell me
I stepped from my cell’s confinement
Calmly, cheerfully, firmly,
Like a squire from his country-house.
Who am I? They often tell me
I used to speak to my warders
Freely and friendly and clearly,
As though it were mine to command.
Who am I? They also tell me
I bore the days of misfortune
Equally, smilingly, proudly,
Like one accustomed to win.
Am I then really all that which other men tell of?
Or am I only what I myself know of myself?
Restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage,
Struggling for breath, as though hands were
compressing my throat,
Yearning for colors, for flowers, for the voices of birds,
Thirsting for words of kindness, for neighborliness,
Tossing in expectation of great events,
Powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance,
Weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making,
Faint, and ready to say farewell to it all?
Who am I? This or the other?
Am I one person today and tomorrow another?
Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,
And before myself a contemptibly woebegone weakling?
Or is something within me still like a beaten army,
Fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?
Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.
Whoever I am, Thou knowest, O God, I am Thine!
D. Bonhoeffer
March 4,1946