Rant of the Exiles

At the gospel coalition conference, someone made a comment that even white people (compared to black people) can be outwardly responsive to preaching. I think this comment arose because in the African-American contexts I've observed, the listeners practice "call and response". It is truly an interactive experience. The preacher makes a statement - usually a truth or moral teaching ("the call") and the audience echoes back their sentiment through enthusiastic nodding, a verbal "amen", standing up or some other kind of encouragement, verbal or otherwise ("the response"). Have you ever seen a gospel choir sing? You don't just hear them, you experience them. They are rocking back and forth, clapping their hands or raising them in the air, smiling broadly and swaying in rhythm . It is so awesome. I love this kind of interaction. I dream about preaching in a black church. I crave that level of audience connectedness. It can be ve...

I went to the Gospel Coalition National Conference in Chicago. It was awesome. The speakers, workshops, and panels were off the chain. The best part though was hanging with two brothers from the bay - pastors Travis Marsh and SooSang Park . Travis and I flew and roomed together and he's just a really cool laid-back guy who is getting ready to plant a church. He's built an amazing youth ministry that has emerging leaders fighting to serve in. He also has a poignant story of how grace transformed his life. I misjudged SooSang. I thought he would be intelligent, arrogant, and brutal. SooSang is one of the smartest people I've ever met yet not self-righteous and far more gentle than I expected. In separate conversation with each of them, we discussed reformed theology, church life, and ministry. Most memorable of all, we shared stories of how Jesus ran us down and wrecked us for good.

I'm not crazy about David Brooks (I don't agree with some beliefs he's expressed) but the guy is a baller writer and thinker and his latest article is a good one. Its about how we see life through metaphor in a much deeper and pervasive way than we realize. As a preacher, I'm always searching for the perfect metaphor to convey a spiritual concept. What Brooks helped me realize is perhaps the metaphor is not just a secondary means but the primary means by which we understand the spiritual realm. Jesus' miracles were all metaphors pointing to a greater spiritual reality. Brooks writes "If much of our thinking is shaped and driven by metaphor, then the skilled thinker will be able to recognize patterns, blend patterns, apprehend the relationships and pursue unexpected likenesses." LORD, help me grow that skill. May you open our eyes to the thousands of lenses that refract grace into our lives.

My friend Scott Chiang wrote an excellent paper about whether the Ten Commandments are a necessary supplement to the New Covenant. They are not. I hope he posts it sometime to share with everyone. In any case, he uses a wonderful metaphor concerning the law: The law is like training wheels. They help you learn how to ride a bike but they limit your freedom, you can't go as far or as fast as you were meant to, and most of all, they were meant to come off. I shared that metaphor on Sunday when I preached on the Sabbath commandment. The Sabbath is a faith endeavor. Israel rested to remember God's work of creation. As Christians, we rest to remember Christ's work of redemption and our new creation as his children. I emphasized Jesus, as Lord of the Sabbath, is less interested in how we celebrate the Sabbath (what day and and what our rest looks like) than our attitude towards the Sabbath (faith and freedom from the factory mentality). After the service, I asked a ...

I am a slave to Christ today. Even if I sometimes go back to my old prison. I love repetitive, catchy teeny-bopper music. It awakens the child in me.

I have nothing to blog about today. But well, stuff happened. But some things are better kept private or at least privater than the worldwide web. There are some other unrelated things I want to write about but I'm too tired to do it. I get in those moods a lot. The worst is when there's a couple idea I have running around that are very important but I haven't figured out how to say them just right so I think they're better unsaid (or unwritten). I write best in the morning and its not morning so I should quit while I'm ahead. Nothing to blog about today.

I really need something RIGHT NOW. I want to feel good at this VERY MOMENT. I am going to go crazy unless I experience some kind of RELEASE or ESCAPE. You do need something Fred, and you deserve much better than an instant fix. You want the feeling of negativity and inadequacy to disappear instantly but you know it doesn’t work like that. You need lasting gratification more than the instant stuff. Lasting gratification is not guaranteed – its risky but its so worth pursuing. To really connect with someone else and connect with yourself. Your feeling of despair is not the most important thing. Now is not the only thing. The now will pass. Connection is risky but it is worth the cost and worth the wait.