Pastor Brendan's Blog

Part 3: Washington State Gay Marriage Law vs. Religious Freedoms

2012-02-07T15:05:00.000-08:00

The Gay Marriage Bill in the state of Washington as it is written will have direct legal implications on New Life Fellowship (and every conservative church in the state) which may threaten our financial solvency

As it stands now, the legal right for gay couples to marry should be approved by the Washington State house of representatives sometime this week. It's likely that opponents to gay marriage will file a voter referendum stopping the measure until the people of Washington vote for or against it this coming November. Within this bill (soon to be law) are a number of measures seeking to protect religious freedoms of those whose religious beliefs do not agree with gay marriage. However, this law falls far short in protecting the rights of religious people.

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Part 2: Gay Rights vs. Religious Liberty

2012-02-07T12:05:00.000-08:00

In an ideal free society some could argue,

"Let the gay people who want to get married, get married. As for the religious people who are against it, let them be against it. It's not like the gay people are asking to get married in the conservative churches!"

This line of thinking would seem to support the American ideal of freedom of speech and freedom of religion. If you're in favor of gay marriage, fine. If you're against it, fine. We can all go to our separate corners and play nicely. But as we all know, this isn't how it is in our country.

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Part 1: Marriage, Love, Homosexuality, and Society

2012-02-03T14:44:00.000-08:00

There was a lively (to put it lightly) discussion on the merits for and against gay marriage on a recent Facebook post. Some people thought hard about their answers while others sounded like fools, including people whom I technically agree with. But through the discussion one individual ask a very good question.

"You say this is about the foundation of society. How is it going to effect society?"

Jesus = Religion

2012-01-16T14:06:00.000-08:00

So there's a video circling the web right now called "Jesus > Religion". There's a lot of good in that video but there's a TON of hypocrisy, one major false dichotomy, and an even more irony given in the video. Here below is the original video:

The hypocrisy of the video
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Eastern Edition: More music from Antiquity

2012-01-12T16:55:00.000-08:00

The Trisagion Hymn

The Trisagion Hymn (or Thrice Holy) is one of the most ancient prayers that is sung by the church. It's origin may date to the Apostolic era of the Church. The prayer in its full form is simply and is meant to be repeated.

"Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One have mercy on us. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit both now and forever and unto the ages of ages. Amen."

This prayer is pretty typical of the ancient prayers. It's not a laundry list of desires and "needs" asking God to "just_________". It's a simply prayer asking the God of the Universe to remember us and our small place in creation. It as simple as the Lord's prayer...protect us, and may our work feed us in your mercy. Done! I love it.

Many Churches of the Eastern tradition (Orthodox, Coptic, Syaric, etc., etc) include this prayer in their liturgies, and are either chanted or sung every Sunday. In the west it largely only exist as an alternative to the Kyrie in the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. However the first time I heard this song was on Fernando Ortega's new Album Come Down O' Love Divine. Much of that album is inspired by the Anglican Liturgy and I think its a must listen to those who think liturgy is dry and boring.

Here's Fernando Ortega's rendition of the Trisagion Hymn.

The first time I heard this song I noticed the haunting feeling of it. It seemed somber and maybe a bit depressed and I felt it would be an appropriate funeral hymn. So when it came time to construct the 10 year anniversary service for 9/11, Marna and I choose to feature this song prominently in the service. I have to admit, this song captured the mood of the service. In light of all that we lost, we sung a prayer for our God to restore us and heal us. I get chills still thinking about that song in that special context.

But since this post is titled Music from Antiquity, I would love share with you the musical journey of that prayer through the Church.

Here is a choral arrangement sung in English with a Russian flair.

Here's another choral arrangement that was sung in the back of a sanctuary during an Orthodox service

Here is another English version of the hymn sung by the congregation in an Orthodox Church during a worship service.

http://youtu.be/3zSe1Q-3UVI

Here's the hymn chanted in English. On this one you definitely get a Byzantine flavor of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Here's a Coptic (Egyptian) Church, singing in English but in the Egyptian way.

Here is Agios O Theos, the Greek version of this prayer. Tell me you don't seen sand dunes and camals in your mind when you here this song.

More Songs from Antiquity

2011-12-27T10:38:00.000-08:00

This Sunday's text is from Luke 2:22-40 when Mary and Joseph take the infant Christ to the temple for dedication. While there a man name Simeon scoops the child into his arms and prophesies concerning him. But a big part the prophecy sounds more like a prayer, where Simeon tells God something to the effect of "since I have now seen our savior, I can die in peace." Strange, odd, and morbid? Yes, but its made for some great music and prayers set to music.

Here is Simeon's prayer:

29 "Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel." 33 And the child's father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, "This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed 35 so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too."

This prayer inspired a song which in Latin is called Nunc Dimittis
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More Music From Antiquity

2011-12-19T11:15:00.001-08:00

Last Sunday was Mary's Sunday, a remembrance of the Angel Gabriel delivering the news that she will give birth to the Messiah. Her response is found in Luke 1:46-55

46And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
50His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers.”

Several songs throughout history

Music from Antiquity: "Guadete!"

2011-12-07T10:40:00.001-08:00

This Sunday is the 3rd Sunday of Advent also known as "Gaudete" Sunday. Gaudete is Latin for "Rejoice" and that theme is the focus of this weeks scripture readings, particularly 1 Thessalonians 5:16

Rejoice Always...

The spiritual focus for this Sunday is rejoicing because
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Part 4: Christian Music Shouldn't be an Oxymoron

2011-12-06T15:31:00.001-08:00

The original Latin Hymn "Veni, Veni Emanuel!" to which we get our familiar Advent (Christmas) Hymn "O Come, O Come Emanuel"

Enjoy

And a good British version as well

The Science of the Temper Tantrum

2011-12-05T10:40:00.001-08:00

NPR did a great piece on the science of the temper tantrum. Don't just read the transcript, you're going to want to pull up a chair and listen to the new piece.

What's Behind A Temper Tantrum - NPR

Advent Cheer?

2011-11-28T09:35:00.001-08:00

World English Dictionary

advent (ˈædvɛnt, -vənt)

— n

an arrival or coming, esp one which is awaited

While for most people Advent simply means pre-Christmas, the historical Advent was a time of waiting for the return of Christ. Christmas as the celebration of Christ's birth concludes Advent as a way to give hope that Christ will return by reminding us of his first Advent. Historically, the Advent season was one of fasting, prayer, and charity much like Lent. Advent was a time of purity so that one may be "blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." The quintessential parable for the season of Advent is the parable of the 10 virgins

The Parable of the Ten Virgins
1“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.2Five of them were foolish and five were wise.3The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.4The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.5The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7“Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.8The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
9“‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
10“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11“Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’
12“But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’
13“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

With this understanding from scripture the spiritual/devotional life of the Christian this time of year is best reflected in the thoughts of Thomas Merton (thanks to internetmonk.com for posting this).

The certainty of Christian hope lies beyond passion and beyond knowledge. Therefore we must sometimes expect our hope to come in conflict with darkness, desperation and ignorance. Therefore, too, we must remember that Christian optimism is not a perpetual sense of euphoria, an indefectible comfort in whose presence neither anguish nor tragedy can possibly exist. We must not strive to maintain a climate of optimism by the mere suppression of tragic realities. Christian optimism lies in a hope of victory that transcends all tragedy: a victory in which we pass beyond tragedy to glory with Christ crucified and risen.

It is important to remember the deep, in some ways anguished seriousness of Advent, when the mendacious celebrations of our marketing culture so easily harmonize with our tendency to regard Christmas, consciously or otherwise, as a return to our own innocence and our own infancy. Advent should remind us that the “King Who is to Come” is more than a charming infant smiling (or if you prefer a dolorous spirituality, weeping) in the straw. There is certainly nothing wrong with the traditional family joys of Christmas, nor need we be ashamed to find ourselves still able to anticipate them without too much ambivalence. After all, that in itself is no mean feat.

But the Church in preparing us for the birth of a “great prophet,” a Savior and a King of Peace, has more in mind than seasonal cheer. The Advent mystery focuses the light of faith upon the very meaning of life, of history, of man, of the world and of our own being. In Advent we celebrate the coming and indeed the presence of Christ in our world. We witness to His presence even in the midst of all its inscrutable problems and tragedies. Our Advent faith is not an escape from the world to a misty realm of slogans and comforts which declare our problems to be unreal, our tragedies inexistent.
from Seasons of Celebration: Meditations on the Cycle of Liturgical Feasts
by Thomas Merton

This takes quite a different heart and attitude than we are used to during "Christmas" time, but this doesn't mean we need to give up seasonal cheer. Rather seasonal cheer should always have its focus on the return of Christ who will come to establish peace on earth and goodwill towards men on whom God's favor rests.

Part 3: Chrisian Music Shouldn't be an Oxymoron

2011-11-17T13:08:00.001-08:00

If Mumford and Sons lead worship:

Mars Hill Downtown's Ghost Ship

Part 2: Christian Music Shouldn't be an Oxymoron

2011-11-15T16:17:00.001-08:00

The Forbidden Hymn:
Psalm 51 and the "Miserere"

As Western Europe emerged from the Dark Ages, the church enjoyed all the benefits of the Renaissance...especially in the arts. We see this in Cathedral architecture, religious paintings, and of course music. With its large bank roll, the Church became the greatest patron of the arts, and many works were dedicated to the Church and used by the Church.

One piece of musical art was considered so beautiful, it became illegal to copy it, use it, or imitate in any setting outside of the Holy Week services in the Vatican. This forbidden Hymn was known as "Miserere, Mi Dues"
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Part 1: Christian Music Shouldn't be an Oxymoron...but it is!

2011-11-08T15:11:00.000-08:00

RANT ALERT! Caution: Copious Amounts of Pessimism Ahead

I'm an audiophile, what can I say? I love good music, musicianship, intelligent instrumentation, and lyrical artistry... things often in SHORT supply with modern contemporary christian music (CCM for short). I often listen to our local CCM station (Praise 106.5) and think "WILL SOMEONE BUY THESE PEOPLE A STINKIN' THESAURUS?!?!" ...
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China: Largest Christian Nation?

2011-11-08T10:39:00.000-08:00

Due not only to population growth Christianity is on the rise in China. While Christianity is not the largest religion in China, soon China will have the largest population of Christians than any other nation on earth. The radio program "The Changing World" from Public Radio International covers this explosion of faith in their two part series God in China.

Part 1 Covers Muslims
Part 2 Covers the Church

http://www.thechangingworld.org/index.php

Fatherhood...Lutheran Style

2011-10-31T20:00:00.000-07:00

Apparently this is why Luther wrote his Small Catechism...lol

Who the devil stole Halloween...

2011-10-31T11:46:00.000-07:00

OOOOOOOO....the forbidden "holy"-day of Halloween. Whose scared of costumes and candy? Well most evangelical Christians, at least officially. We've all been lead to believe that participation in Halloween was participation in the Devil's work. A child who dresses up like a ladybug will one day worship Satan.

But apparently the Devil can be successfully defended against if instead of a "Halloween" event at your church, you call it a "Harvest Festival". Because we all know the Devil is a stickler for semantics. Like Rumpelstiltskin.

***Disclaimer*** I have personally presided over several Harvest festivals...and they were quite fun***

The bloggers over at internetmonk.com have a great take on this paranoia. "Annual Halloween Rant"

But what I find interesting is the story behind the "evangelist" who popularized the notion that Halloween was of the Devil. Mike Warnke, a self professed Satan worshiper turned Christian, warned the Church of the dangers of Halloween in the late 70's and early 80's. Turns out he was a complete fake, fake as in he was never a satanic priest, and fake as in he embezzled tons of money through his ministry, and fake as in thrice married yet still somehow an "evanglist". While you can't always trust everything on Wikipedia, you have got to read about his life as found there. Wiki article on Mike Warnke

The research and expose` on Warnke was turned into a book. Selling Satan: The Tragic History of Mike Warnke

Here is a boring video that's really informative about the scandal

This last Friday, my family attended Birchwood Presbyterian's Halloween trick or treat event in their building. Yes they said "Happy Halloween" when they gave out candy. Surprisingly Satan didn't show up and none of became possessed, unless you count Isaiah's sugar high.

Part 4: What you didn't know about the 10 Commandments

2011-10-18T16:03:00.000-07:00

Commandment IV - Remember the Sabbath and Keep it Holy

Not Just About A Day:

From a New Testament perspective the sabbath isn't a day so much as it is a concept. The concept behind the sabbath according the apostles is that of resting from "works" by placing our faith in God. The book of Hebrews puts it this way in chapter 4:

"For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. Now we who have believed enter that rest... There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest..."
Hebrews 4

The sabbath day of rest and holiness serves as an example to illustrate what our faith means to us in relation to God. Because the day is not stressed so much as the faith the day embodies, the Apostle Paul can say this:

"Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day."
Colossians 2:16

and this

"Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat."
Romans 14

Hence Christians have never sought to observe the Sabbath on Saturdays.

So why do Christians worship and observe a sabbath-like day on Sunday?
Short answer: Because that's when Christ rose from the dead
Long answer: Listen to sermon

Part 3: What you didn't know about the 10 Commandments

2011-10-03T16:08:00.000-07:00

Commandments III: You shall not take the LORD's name in vain

Several thoughts on "misusing" the name of the LORD

"...so help me God!"

Thought 1: "I swear... so help me God"

What does disgraced Gov. Rob Blagojevich (pictured left) have to do with the 3rd Commandment? Listen to my sermon on the 3rd Commandment.

In line with this interpretation, Jesus (who's sermon on the mount in Matthew 5, 6, & 7 speaks on the 10 Commandments) establishes an ethic that prevents temptation to break the 3rd (or 2nd?)... just be honest all the time, then you don't need to swear.

“Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black.Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
- Matthew 5:33-37

Part 2: What You Didn't Know about the 10 Commandments

2011-09-26T12:05:00.000-07:00

"Controversies About Graven Images"

"You shall not make for yourself an idol [graven images] in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them..."

The Ten Commandments - Exodus 20:4 (NIV)

This prohibition of worshiping at the foot of a man made idol makes perfect and clear sense given the context to which the commandment is given and to whom it is given: the nation of Israel upon leaving Egypt.

The Egyptians practiced a polytheistic religion (a religion with many difference gods), as did everyone else in the local region. Often times these gods were represented in hand made carvings and statues, and the gods were worshiped with these statues. Sometimes these statues/carvings were thought to posses the power of the gods and thus they were treated with the fear and respect that you and I would consider as superstition. Biblicaly this is considered idolatry. So when the LORD brought Israel out of Egypt, he prohibits idolatry with the desire that Israel would only have faith in one god to worship and honor. The LORD not only prohibits the worship of other gods but he also prohibits making an idol to represent Him.

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Part 1: What You Didn't Know About the 10 Commandments

2011-09-26T11:05:00.000-07:00

"Wait, was that the first commandment or the second commandment?"

As may come to a surprise to you, not everyone agrees on the ordering of the 10 Commandments. While everyone agrees on the text (and no one edits, removes, or adds anything) the text of the 10 Commandments doesn't actually tells which is the first, second, third etc., etc. In fact, the biblical text of the 10 Commandments doesn't even call them the "10 Commandments", nor does it designate 10 commands which make up the 10 Commandments. While the text of the 10 Commandments are found in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5, they aren't called the 10 Commandments until Exodus 34:28 and Deuteronomy 10:4 when the Lord is referring to the actual stone tablets they were carved on.

Contained within the so-called "10 Commandments" of Exodus 20 there are actually 14 imperatives preceded by a preamble:

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Part 2: The Story of a Great Idea that Failed

2011-09-21T13:20:00.000-07:00

Read part 1 first

Shaun King had vision and a real plan to create a church community that actually made a difference in the worst parts of Atlanta. Shaun King wanted to see men and women of God reaching out and changing their community with the love of Christ. And this wasn't just some emotional change or change in belief systems, he was shooting for the moon. He wanted neighborhoods to turn around and people to change by actual real relationships and assistance provided by the members of Courageous Church. He even called his church "Courageous" because he wanted to inspire action, he wanted to buck the trend and create a church of hard working disciples instead of gluttonous spectators. He wanted to be different. He wanted to make a difference.

What came to life in his church was exactly what he was trying to avoid, just another "cool" church that grew in numbers but not in impact.

So he crafted an idea to reduce the people's (co)dependency on the Sunday morning "experience", in hopes it would get his people involved in relationships and service. This radical idea was embraced by the church during its presentation, but ultimately rejected during its execution. After losing 85% of their Sunday morning attendance, he was being pressured to return to how things used to be. In light of his options and failures, he kept his integrity and decided to resign instead.

Him and his wife were ultimately crushed by the failure. They now await the next season of their life.

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The Story of a Great Idea the Failed

2011-09-20T19:00:00.000-07:00

Got a few minutes?

You're going to want to read this and follow all the posts!

...trust me.

Every would-be pastor that I know is filled with a dream. The dreams may appear different but their roots are basically the same. They're rooted in our vision of God and ideas of self. Each one of us in our best moments think we really could be like MLK, Ghandi, Jonathon Edwards, John Wesley, and anyone else we admire for changing the world. We may be humble enough to admit being like Christ is out of our reach but hey, if Peter could do it why can't we? We believe that God can work miracles and has called us to change the world.

And so we often strive to "do our part" to change the world and inspire others to do the same. We admire (dare I say, idolize?) other leaders who in this current world seem to make a difference. Shaun King is such a man to whom was worthy of admiration. I could tell you about him, his accolades and humanitarian awards, but I prefer you follow this link and read about him yourself.

This man had a vision for a church. Here is Shaun presenting it:

Fasting and the Concept of Enough

2011-09-19T12:16:00.000-07:00

Eugene Cho has written an excellent (short) article on the concept on "enough". From his personal story Eugene asks and answers the questions; What is enough to live on? When do we have enough stuff? and,What do I really need? Such questions and perspectives are expected from the founder and leader of One Day's Wages, a charity which seeks to alleviate the worst of global poverty, but it left me with questions of my own. My questions, however, don't revolve around "enough" but rather the spiritual training of the Church meant to disciple us.

In a weird marriage of anti-Roman Catholicism and the modern rat race of uber relevance, many ancient traditions of the Church have been thrown out. However, not all of these traditions were bad, in fact many were meant to teach us the way of Christ. Chief among these traditions (at least in my book) were the seasons of fasting. The ancient church set a schedule of when to fast and what to fast from for the purpose of promoting prayer and teaching spiritual discipline. Over the last 4 years I have seriously wrestled with this discipline and have both succeeded and failed to be disciplined. But through my own personal experience I have found fasting to be the best teacher of "enough".

How's Your Pastor?

2011-08-25T12:27:00.000-07:00

Read some great articles lately on the perils of the pastoral profession. Seems to be pastors like me are dropping like flies. We're more likely to be overweight, on anti-depressants, asthmatic, and suffer from heart disease than the average population. Why is that? Check out these articles:
Clergy Burnout a Continuing Problem

Clergy Members Suffer from Burnout, Poor Health

Research by Duke University on the Clergy Health Initiative

So how's your pastor?

Straight for the Devil's mouth

2011-08-16T13:12:00.000-07:00

The demon Screwtape writes to his nephew:

“Surely you know that if a man can’t be cured of churchgoing, the next best thing is to send him all over the neighbourhood looking for the church that ‘suits’ him until he becomes a taster or connoisseur of churches… The search for a ‘suitable’ church makes the man a critic where the Enemy wants him to be a pupil.”

Are we still looking for Sunday morning entertainment?

Dinosaurs, Biographies, and Life

2011-08-03T14:51:00.000-07:00

An interesting question was presented to me during my “Ask the Pastor” stint.

Since the bible covers a large area of time from starting at the time of creation, can u point out Anywhere [sic] it might talk about dinosaurs? There is clear evidence of dinosaurs, is it talked about in the bible?

A good question as it not only addresses a quandary, but also indirectly questions a common assumption about the Bible most Evangelical Christians hold wrongly. First to answer the stated question: No, there is no mention of dinosaurs in the Bible. Some people feel that the “Behemoth” and “Leviathan” mentioned in Job 40 & 41 could be referring to dinosaurs. The Behemoth sounds very much like an Apatosaurus (which was called a Brontosaurus when we were kids).

“Look at the behemoth,which I made along with you and which feeds on grass like an ox. What strength he has in his loins, what power in the muscles of his belly! His tail sways like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are close-knit. His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like rods of iron. He ranks first among the works of God, yet his Maker can approach him with his sword. The hills bring him their produce, and all the wild animals play nearby. Under the lotus plants he lies, hidden among the reeds in the marsh. The lotuses conceal him in their shadow; the poplars by the stream surround him. When the river rages, he is not alarmed; he is secure, though the Jordan should surge against his mouth. Can anyone capture him by the eyes, or trap him and pierce his nose?”

The “Leviathan” is often represented as a sea creature not unlike the Loch Ness Monster.

“Can you pull in the leviathan with a fishhook or tie down his tongue with a rope? Can you put a cord through his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook? Will he keep begging you for mercy? Will he speak to you with gentle words? Will he make an agreement with you for you to take him as your slave for life? Can you make a pet of him like a bird or put him on a leash for your girls? Will traders barter for him? Will they divide him up among the merchants? Can you fill his hide with harpoons or his head with fishing spears? If you lay a hand on him, you will remember the struggle and never do it again! Any hope of subduing him is false; the mere sight of him is overpowering. No one is fierce enough to rouse him. Who then is able to stand against me? Who has a claim against me that I must pay?

Everything under heaven belongs to me. “I will not fail to speak of his limbs, his strength and his graceful form. Who can strip off his outer coat? Who would approach him with a bridle? Who dares open the doors of his mouth, ringed about with his fearsome teeth? His back has rows of shields tightly sealed together; each is so close to the next that no air can pass between. They are joined fast to one another; they cling together and cannot be parted. His snorting throws out flashes of light; his eyes are like the rays of dawn. Firebrands stream from his mouth; sparks of fire shoot out. Smoke pours from his nostrils as from a boiling pot over a fire of reeds. His breath sets coals ablaze, and flames dart from his mouth. Strength resides in his neck; dismay goes before him. The folds of his flesh are tightly joined; they are firm and immovable. His chest is hard as rock, hard as a lower millstone. When he rises up, the mighty are terrified; they retreat before his thrashing. The sword that reaches him has no effect, nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin. Iron he treats like straw and bronze like rotten wood. Arrows do not make him flee; slingstones are like chaff to him. A club seems to him but a piece of straw; he laughs at the rattling of the lance. His undersides are jagged potsherds, leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge. He makes the depths churn like a boiling caldron and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment. Behind him he leaves a glistening wake; one would think the deep had white hair. Nothing on earth is his equal— a creature without fear. He looks down on all that are haughty; he is king over all that are proud.”

Indeed these sound like great creatures very large in size, but are they dinosaurs? As in, are these the reptilian giants that ruled the earth millions of years ago? Your guess is as good as mine. These two examples are the closest things to dinosaurs the Bible talks about. But a question I have is, why are we looking for dinos in the Bible? Why should we think the Bible would have an interest in talking about ancient creatures that no longer exist?

There is an underlying assumption in the Evangelical Church that the Bible is an exhaustive encyclopedia about everything God has done. We treat the Bible like God’s Wikipedia, if it ain’t in there then don’t exist. This is not what the Bible is intended to be. The Bible does not cover every subject about everything that you and I could possibly know or encounter. The Bible is not the end all be all of all we could possibly know. If it were then the Bible would need to be much larger than it currently is.

What is the Bible? Well, in a simplistic way the Bible contains everything we need to know in order to live this life in God’s grace. The few stories that are selected and written about were chosen because of their ability to teach us about our relationship with God and our relationship with others. For example, while Jesus lived 33 years on this earth we have relatively few stories about him in our Bible and most of these stories focus on the last year of his life. As the Apostle John writes at the very end of his gospel:

“Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” John 21:25

So how did John decide which stories about Jesus to include in his book? He choose the stories that would be most helpful to us in understanding who his good friend Jesus really was.

”Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”John 20:30-31

It would be nearly impossible to document someone’s entire life, but this biography chose stories that would be most helpful to the reader to understand who Jesus was. The rest of the Bible is written in a similar fashion.

We aren’t given the whole story.

We aren’t given every answer.

We can’t expect to know everything.

But we are told enough to know how to live everyday. And we are told who God is and how we are to relate to him. While we’re not told everything about Jesus, we are told that Jesus is everything our faith is about. We’re not told where this path will take us, but we are told that faith in Christ is the only path toward God.

I believe that because dinos are highly irrelevant to our daily life (unless you’re paleontologist) there is no need for the Bible to talk about them. What I need to know is who is God? Who am I? What does God say about being a husband? How should I act as a Father? What is right? What is wrong? What happens when we die? How should I best live this life? Etc. On these topics the Bible dwells at length. It was for these topics and others like them, that the Bible was passed down to us. Therefore we should not be surprised when matters of science are not addressed by the Bible. As one wise person once said:

“Science tells us how. Faith tells us why.”

Ask the Pastor: How Do I Forgive?

2011-07-27T14:24:00.000-07:00

The sermon from Sunday's "Ask the Pastor" is now available here

If this helps you realize your normal and its ok to have a hard time forgiving someone, your most welcome.

I'm sorry if you were looking to make this process easy and I offered little help.

And the winner is...

2011-07-23T12:30:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the input via email and Facebook. This week's sermon will be:

"How do I forgive?"

This is NOT "what does the Bible say about forgiveness" and I will not be preaching "10 steps to forgive".

Be prepared to not have a nice easy packaged lecture.

The Lord Made Me Do It

2011-07-22T14:33:00.000-07:00

Quit coming up with excuses and just be honest.

Ok, so you don't like your church anymore. You want to go somewhere less boring. You want to hear a different preacher. You want your kids in a different program. You don't like the music. Another church offered to pay you for what you're doing now as a volunteer. You want to be around people who are more like you. You want to be part of something cool. You want to go to a church like the one you grew up in. These are all real reasons why people leave one church to attend another. But the common reason stated:

"We feel the Lord is leading us in a different direction."

Bologna!

If you want to leave a church for your own personal reasons, then put on your big boy pants and own up to it. If you hate being bored on a Sunday morning but you don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, then say "we're leaving the church because we don't feel like this place is a fit for us."

But don't blame God.

P.S. No, our church hasn't lost any members recently who said they "felt the Lord was calling [them] somewhere else." I'm just hearing this happen at other places and I'm familiar with these situations. I sympathize for the churches where this happens.

A Fictional True Story You Must Read

2011-07-21T11:52:00.000-07:00

Over at the Christian Monist blog, JMJ has written a fictional story based on real events. The story is entitled "The Subtle Art of Spiritual Abuse" and it details the lives of three church leaders as two are crushed and one rises to the top by some not so pure means. The story is fictional in the sense that the characters aren't real, the church doesn't exist, and these events didn't occur to these people. However, the story is real in that all the events did happen to other people in other places with the exact same motives and consequences. As a person who has been in church leadership for roughly 10 years, I can assure you these types of things do happen.

This story is engaging not only for its sense of realism, but also for how well it is written. Set aside some time, pour yourself a drink, and dive into the world of Community Bible Church.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Footnote to the story
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11
Part 12
Conclusion

How to help

2011-03-13T15:55:00.000-07:00

Please visit the Salvation Army USA blog for information on how to help the earthquake and tsunami victims.

Lent, Feasts, Fasts, and Narnia

2011-03-12T09:11:00.000-08:00

Christianity today has put out a great article analyzing the balance between enjoying the pleasures of this world while being careful not to worship them. The article actually looks into this tension as it appears in the works of C.S. Lewis, particularly in the Chronicles of Narnia. A great read for the beginning of Lent.

My journey into Lent

2011-03-07T10:40:00.000-08:00

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. These are a few of Lent's favorite things.

The practice of Lent has had a huge impact on my spiritual development, and I find it hard to understand why the Protestant Church ever moved away from it. A solid biblical call to learn the scriptures, pray, repent, fast, and give charity coupled with the solid biblical results of learning patience and perseverance...while all focused on the passion of Christ. What's there not to like?

I led the Ash Wednesday service at New Life Fellowship last night, and I think it was awesome. But to be honest I actually kind of miss just going to church. I miss just singing songs, praying, listening to the scriptures, and then learning from someone else's sermon... one where I don't already know where it's going and what's coming next. I miss not having to analyze how things are going and to just be able to be "fed". But what I sometimes feel in me though, is that what I miss is being a consumer. And yet so often I feel as if I don't "produce" enough. Not that I need to do more but that I think I can do more, and would love to do more.

Somehow I simultaneously lament not getting a break from doing things for God and others, while having my deepest desire be to do things for God and others.

This can be the struggle with Lent. We are called to do. We fast, we pray, we give charity, we learn scripture, and we pursue holiness. Why? Not because we must produce but because we have received. Through the cross of Jesus Christ we have received life, and we didn't have to do anything for it. It was a gift. It is grace. And to those of us who have consumed this grace we are driven by desire to produce work for the one who gave grace and for those who need grace.

Show your gratitude. Make an impact. Make a difference. Produce. Work. Do.

Yet the surprising contradiction is the Passion of Christ doesn't call us to do anything. As a matter of fact the Gospel says you cannot work, and the apostle says if we try we are accursed (Gal. 1 & 3). Then Lent shouldn't be about what you do, but what Christ has done, is doing, and will do for you. So to be ridiculously cliche, how do we stop being Martha but still maintain our work ethic? How can I be Mary and still heed the call of James?

Hmmm, I think I better fast/pray/study about this. Maybe if I work hard enough I learn peace.

ha

Well until I figure it all out I'm going to listen to Grant's sermons and worship at St. Paul's whenever I've got a free moment during the week day.

Helpful? Yes. Biblical? Well...

2011-03-01T10:14:00.000-08:00

CHAZOWN! A big bold word which in Hebrew means "Vision". And that's exactly what this book wants you to discover, your own personal Chazown for your life. The book is based of the proverb, "Without a chazown (vision) the people perish." It is Craig Groeschel's belief that you and I are molded by God through our core values, past experiences, and spiritual gifts to have a set purpose in our life. Once we discover what we're made of (or rather what makes us) then we can choose to live life in a way that fulfills our purpose and thus fulfills our life. Craig Groeschel has not only written a book to these ends but has also developed an interactive website www.chazown.com that aids you in the process of discovery.

So, is the Chazown experience worth the time and the money? Well that depends on what you are looking for. The book and web experience is a good path toward self discovery. Many people who feel stuck in life, could use this tool to start afresh and begin living a more fulfilling life. Craig Groeschell seems to have a great understanding of what makes the human heart tick, and I have no doubt that this book can help revive a few hearts damaged through the years of life. Also the website is an incredibly helpful aid to the book as it forces you to deal with the concepts of the book. The book and the website together really deliver in helping you understand what a good vision for your life could be. In the best possible sense, Chazown is a great Christians self-help/motivational book and web experience. If you are looking to find a more passionate life then start here.

However...

Don't read this book if you are expecting to understand God more or draw closer to him. This book is primarily about you, not God and not even the Bible. It's not that this book is anti-God or against the Bible. This book makes no major glaring contradictions against the bible, it's just that God and His Word are not the focus. While there are many bible verses and stories throughout Chazown, they are all used to help you understand your purpose...which to be honest seems backwards to me. The Bible is about God's purposes and not ours. The Bible is about God's vision, His Chazown, and I think we are better served by first focusing on Him and then finding our own purposes. Again, its not as if this book contradicts that, nor that reading this book will somehow pull you away from scripture... it just doesn't lead you to it.

Overall I would recommend this book to anyone with one caveat, that they also continue to study scripture first to seek God and His kingdom. Then all these things (including your Chazown) will be added to you. Which I think Pastor Craig would agree with.

Blogging for Books

2011-01-20T16:34:00.000-08:00

I recently signed up for the "Blogging for Books" program where a publisher will send me a book for free if I publish a review on it. So I'm restarting this blog (as I've wanted to for sometime now) partly as a book review site. I'll be receiving some of the best soon to be released books, and you'll get a straight forward answer as to whether it is worth the read. Check back soon.

Death of a Mentor

2010-04-07T10:36:00.000-07:00

Occasionally I have been blessed with mentors, good mentors. Some of them I work closely with others I have more of a long distance relationship with. From them I learn a great deal which moves me forward in ministry and faith. As grateful as I am for them they all have one major flaw; they are removed from me far too early. I seem to only get a couple of years (max) with them before they move on. One such mentor was Michael Spencer, aka the Internet Monk.

Michael has largely shaped my ideas of gospel centered preaching. Michael taught me that the sermon is not a moral lesson that improves the lives of believers. The Gospel isn’t “Your Best Life Now”. The Gospel isn’t “10 Steps to a Happy Marriage”, “How to Live a Stress Free Life”, “3 Steps to Financial Freedom”, “From Good to Great”, or any numerous pep talks so popular in modern Evangelical preaching. The Gospel claims are quite contrary to the claims of many sermons. For true believers in biblical times faith lead to death and many trials, not health, wealth, and happy fuzzy feelings. But the Gospel is the power of salvation, the forgiveness or sins, and life with God here and forever. The Gospel is freedom from that which kills us.

In spite of his historic orthodoxy Michael was not a bible thumping fundamentalist. He very much embodied the spirit of the Apostle Paul where he saw himself as the chief sinner and the most insignificant of all teachers. Michael also had nothing but warmth for those around him and his harshest criticism was saved for the self righteous, not the lowly sinner. His Gospel teaching was that like of Jesus, out of love and compassion with the aim to heal. He was far kinder than even his favorite preachers, but he was just as honest.

Michael is also responsible for my movement back into liturgical worship and celebrating the Christian Year (or liturgical calendar). This year at my church we have celebrated Advent, Christmastide, and Lent as they were intended to be celebrated, which has made a huge impact on our worship and faith. Drawing from the ancient traditions our Sunday morning worship has been more focused on the work of God than at any other church I’ve been to. This has really reawakened the concept that Sunday morning worship should never be “The Sunday Morning Show with Pastor Brendan and the New Life Band”. With Michael’s emphasis on ancient liturgical worship I have a greater resource to teach the church that Sunday is about honoring God not trying to make people happy or win people to our church. We haven’t perfected our worship but it has been nice to reconnect with how Christians for thousands of years worshiped our Lord, and I have Michael to thank for that.

This last November I got a chance to connect with Michael via email. After chatting with him very briefly he agreed to review my sermons to determine if I was preaching the Gospel or Moralism. We both decided it might be best to do so after Christmas. However, sometime around Christmas Michael was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. He passed away this last Monday, the day after Easter…how very fitting.

Michael’s Blog is where I learned at his feet. It is currently be taken care of by his friend “Chaplain Mike”.

He also has a book coming out this fall titled Mere Churchianity which I highly suggest you pick up and read.

Christ had died
Christ is risen
Christ will come again…with his saints including Michael Spenser

Music and Worship

2010-04-02T17:49:00.000-07:00

I was in Laguna Beach for Palm Sunday and decided to attend the local Episcopal Church (St. Mary's)for worship. It wasn't until the service ended that I noticed something strange, we didn't sing a single song during the service! Judging by the fact that I didn't notice this until the end, showed me that I really didn't miss it. To be fair, as a pastor I get pretty burnt out on hearing people's complaints about church music. The hymn people want more hymns, the praise people want more praise songs, the younger people want more rock, and the older people hate drums. If there's one thing that people are going to fight over in a church, its music.

This isn't just about my church either. I know churches that split their services just to cater to people's musical tastes. I know some people prophecy the death of churches who refuse to switch to modern music, while others leave if there is too much change in the music. Let's not forget you can't have a successful church plant without a rockin' band. It seems to me Christians forget they aren't the audience on Sunday morning, God is. The songs aren't meant to please them, they're meant to please God. When we complain and demand our musical wants and desires we're like the child who sees his/her sibling opening up a birthday gift, while we demand we "help" them open it and play with it. Sunday's gift of music was never intended for our enjoyment.

So it was a great relief to go to a church where the whole service was focused on prayer, scripture, and communion. There was music at this service, once while a young girl gave an interpretive dance to "I can only imagine" and another time it was a soft instrumental behind a narrative reading of the Passion of Christ. Yet even in those two instances, I didn't feel like an audience member waiting to be entertained. It was clear that those two times, as well as the rest of the service, it was all about honoring God. My enjoyment of those actions were pretty meaningless to the flow of the service. I left relieved, feeling like my worship was unencumbered by squabbles and fights of what is often dubbed "the Modern Worship Wars." I left California with a complete lack of faith in music as a suitable tool of worship.

But then I went to my church's Maundy Thursday service, a worship experience virtually bathed in music. Not only did the dedication of the music team pay off, but the music itself unfolded the story of the last supper, the betrayal, the crucifixion, and meaning behind it all. That service would not have been nearly as effective at positioning our hearts on the cost of sin and the sacrifice of Christ without the music. The music acted both as the prayers of the people and the sermon. The songs reminded us the events and spurred us on toward holiness. But therein lies the crux, the music changed us but worship is not intended for our change but for God's glory. It would appear that last night the music was for us, even though we sought to make it for God.

There is a thin line between worship and entertainment. Need proof? What makes a worship service a "good service"? Is it that we honored God, or that we were entertained i.e. we "like it"? However, I don't believe the two are mutually exclusive, we can have a good time in a way that honors God. I believe our Maundy Thursday service was an example of this (though "entertained" isn't the right word for that service). We were moved by the music we made but the focus was entirely on God. I guess that is what I long for. I long for our hearts to be content in worship, not with how we are worshiping but who we are worshiping. Then let the best of our talents honor the best of our intentions. I long for beautiful melodies of music to express the songs of our heart.

A big thank you to the Elders, Deacons, Musicians, Vocalists, and technicians that made last nights service possible. May God bless you for seeking to honor him.

Finally Home

2010-01-13T18:37:00.000-08:00

Well we got pretty tired of the nurses prodding and poking Jenn and the Baby every three hours (or every time the baby just falls asleep) so we hatched and escape plan with the assistance of our doctors. So we're at home now. Joy!

Baby Isaiah Alert and Awake

2010-01-13T00:19:00.000-08:00

Don't forget folks, you can follow all of the videos at http://www.youtube.com/fullerstudent

Dr. Dickson Family Practitioner

2010-01-12T11:44:00.000-08:00

Ok, so not so much sleeping last night. Dr. Dickson (Mommy, daddy, and now baby Isaiah's doctor) came at 7am right when I was getting ready to go to bed. He let us know that sometimes Childbirth Center nurses are a little crazy, but when we get home it'll be easier. I like his policy of "you don't wake a sleeping baby" vs "feed him every three hours hungry or not."

My favorite real life doctor quote of all time:
"You wouldn't like it if at 3am someone woke you up and shoved a cheeseburger in your face." - Dr. Dickson Every time I see Dr. Dickson I'm reminded why my whole family goes there. Realism and sense of humor...while also being able to spot things other doctors miss.

BOGA Dr.

2010-01-12T11:42:00.000-08:00

Dr. Mallory with BOGA (Bellingham OB/GYN) says Jenn could go home today, but we're a little hesitant until baby Isaiah feeds better an the jaundice clears up. We'll see the dr. again and we'll ask him to reevaluate his opinion based on baby's current state.

2010-01-11T16:40:00.000-08:00

More Isaiah pics

2010-01-11T16:34:00.001-08:00

2010-01-11T09:55:00.000-08:00

2010-01-11T09:51:00.000-08:00

Baby Isaiah pics

2010-01-11T09:45:00.000-08:00

9pm

2010-01-10T21:00:00.000-08:00

Jenn is going to start pushing here in about 15 mins

Almost there

2010-01-10T19:52:00.001-08:00

7:52
Shivers and 9cm
It should be soon

Video update

2010-01-10T17:48:00.001-08:00

4:25 Update

2010-01-10T16:25:00.000-08:00

3-4 cm, finally active labor

Pitocin

2010-01-10T15:41:00.000-08:00

Pitocin on, trying to get the contractions back on track

11:18 am

2010-01-10T11:18:00.000-08:00

Still not much progress.

Her Water Broke

2010-01-10T09:03:00.001-08:00

Water Broke... on our way!

Hospital Update

2010-01-10T08:31:00.000-08:00

8:18 am Update

2010-01-10T08:18:00.000-08:00

Epidural is placed and Jenn is relaxing. Rayna got here about 20 mins ago and I think I'm going to pass out. We don't know how much longer it will take but some time today. Update soon.

9:12 Update

2010-01-09T21:12:00.000-08:00

Jenn's asleep or atleast trying to get to sleep. She's had lots of contractions yet her water hasn't broke. I'll probably head to bed soon too. Keep praying for us and check back here in the morning to see if we're in the hospital yet. Thanx for the prayers.

-Brendan

First Video Update

2010-01-09T21:00:00.000-08:00

Story of a Little Boy

2009-04-23T15:03:00.000-07:00

Occasionally when we here about someone who is in dire straights, we can sympathize for them. We feel bad when we here of their plight, and often we resolve to pray for them. However it becomes a whole other experience for us once we know them and have witnessed their condition. This is my experience with such a case.

Every Sunday we have time during our worship service we dedicate to pray as a congregation. It is at these times we may select someone from our congregation that needs prayer, usually some one who has made a trip to the hospital, and highlight their need for others to help them and pray for them throughout the week. Sometimes people approach us (Pastor Don and I) and ask us to pray for one of their family members, which we are happy to do.

I remember the first time when Janet asked me to pray for her grandson who developed a tumor in his spinal chord next to his brain stem. He was only 2 or 3 years old. Sad indeed, so we committed to pray for him. Through the course of more than a year we continued to pray for him on many Sunday mornings. Janet would also bring updates to us, sometimes good and sometimes terrible. The pity we had for this child and his parents was very sincere, but it was not so troubling that it consumed my thoughts on a daily basis. After all, I never met the child and couldn't remember meeting his parents.

This last Easter I was invited by Janet to their house for Easter dinner, and she asked me if I could lay hands on Jensen (her grandson) and pray for his healing. Sure, I thought, anything I could to help her out. After church we went to her house and re-introduced ourselves to her family (which is 35 people across 3 generations). Then about 30 mins after I arrived Jensen (now 5) came in carried by his father. He was clearly tired, but not sleepy. When his dad put him down Jensen stood with his head slung forward away from his shoulders, and he held this posture the entire day. He had the look of exhaustion mixed with pain. Once his dad sat down Jensen asked him to rub his back and neck. Apparently this helps to relieve the pain.

Jensen's father, Jeff, told us about their life the last couple of days. They went to California and where having a good time when Jensen's tumor swelled. The medicines they were giving him (which made him simultaneously drowsy and an insomniac) had quit working. Not only did the swelling resume but the pain was too much for the little guy to bear. Near the end of their trip he would stay awake all night screaming in pain. Also, due to the position of his tumor it was painful for Jensen to lay down and sleep, so he has to sit up in order to go to sleep. However when he falls asleep he starts to slip down the chair, putting him into a painful position that wakes him up screaming.

How cruel is it to be so tired and yet so afraid to sleep because of the pain it would cause.

On Easter they were looking to go into Children's hospital of Seattle by the next Friday so they could drain his tumor to relieve the pressure and the pain (which by the way he is on Oxycodone for). During the week after Easter the pain was so great that they pushed up the procedure to Thursday.

During the operation they noticed that Jensen's tumor was no long filled with liquid, but with solid mass. They could not help him, not in the way he needed it. What they decided to do was take out a couple of vertebrae from his spine to help relieve the pressure of the tumor, but this has now left Jensen a functional quadriplegic. He still has pain, and lots of it.

An adverse side effect of all the medication is that he becomes very constipated. In order to administer the drugs needed to fix that problem the doctors were forced to stick a tube through his nose into his stomach. Apparently Jensen cried for the entire procedure begging his parents to take it out. All they could do was watch.

The doctors are not able to operate on the tumor because it is next to the breathing center of the brain stem. Chances are that removing the tumor would kill him. How ironic is it that to remove what's killing him would kill him.

It's hard to comprehend that all this is happening to a 5 year old little boy.

It's at times like this I'm reminded of several passages in scripture. My first reaction is to draw near the despotic passages such as:

Psalm 6
O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am faint; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in anguish. How long, O LORD, how long? Turn, O LORD, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love. No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave? I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. My eyes grow weak with sorrow;

Ecclesiastes 4
Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun:
I saw the tears of the oppressed—
and they have no comforter;
power was on the side of their oppressors—
and they have no comforter.

2 And I declared that the dead,
who had already died,
are happier than the living,
who are still alive.

3 But better than both
is he who has not yet been,
who has not seen the evil
that is done under the sun.

I think, how long will God ignore the prayers of Jensen’s parents? How long must they “drench their couch with tears”? Would it not have been better for Jensen to have never been born, than to be born and suffer this much pain?

For this I have no answer. I grow weary of people insisting that God has a purpose in all this. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that “in all things God works for the good for those who love him and are called according to his purposes”(Romans 8), but that passage never says that God makes all things happen nor does it say that all things happen to us for a purpose. What I do believe is that God knows what it means to suffer, which is why heaven is a place where “he wipes away ever tear”.

While I have no answer for Jensen’s current situation it has shed light on who Jesus was when he was here on Earth. If Jesus is God made flesh, and the expression of God’s love to mankind then its no wonder he healed people. Its no wonder that his miracles focused on people who suffered, and he relieved their suffering. Even when Lazarus died, and his sister wept accusing Jesus of not coming fast enough to save their beloved brother, Jesus did not grow angry by their accusations but he wept for the sorrowness in his heart. And from his pain he decided to raise Lazarus back to life.

While on earth Jesus was accustomed to healing children, the paralyzed, the blind, and the sick. Its no wonder that those who walked with him lived their life for him after he left. Its no wonder that so many hurting people flocked to him and so many people who were socially estranged found friendship in him and his church. The LORD knows suffering and pain and is bringing about the day where this will end.

Until then pray for Jensen, that the Lord would have mercy on him and his parents and heal him.

“Though He slay me, yet I will hope in Him” – Job 13:15

WOW, these guys are really serious

2009-04-22T16:12:00.000-07:00

It's one thing to leave your faith or renounce it. But there are people around the world willing to buy an actual "de-baptism" certificate. Some people are going to great lengths to have the record of the their baptism to be removed. Still others are considering child baptism "child abuse." Read article here

Telling Stories That Matter

2009-04-06T10:39:00.000-07:00

The Eclectic Christian blog has a series called "Telling Stories That Matter", which focus on people martyred for their faith. The stories are a short read and are undoubtedly challenging. The last post highlights a priest executed during the unholy war in Ireland fought between the Protestants and the Catholics.

New Prayer Services

2009-04-03T16:24:00.000-07:00

At New Life Fellowship I have been experimenting with different types of participatory prayer experiences. Now I must confess, I did not entirely create this service on my own. Not only did I receive incredible input from others in the Church, I have also been inspired by the work of a few bloggers. I definitely encourage everyone to check out the blogs listed below as they contain a lot of helpful ways to pray, many of which aren't common in modern Christianity, many of which hundreds if not thousands of years old.

If you have enjoyed our Sunday night worship service of prayer then thank a youth group member. If it wasn't for them being the best guinea pigs ever, these services would have never come about. The Youth Group continues to be our proving grounds for worship and prayer ideas that I will hopefully share with the rest of the congregation soon.

-Brendan

Creative Prayer
Worship Tricks
Alternative Worship

Internet Monk

2009-04-03T10:34:00.002-07:00

I definitely recomend that you bookmark, http://www.internetmonk.com/ . This blog site is great for us walking in the "post-evangelical wilderness".

2007-07-18T14:13:00.002-07:00

Evangelism and Social Action

2005-06-29T16:21:00.002-07:00

I just found this great article that speaks about what evanglism should be. I have often struggled with the role of evangelism in acts of social justice and vis versa. I believe that this article describes a way for Christians to do both ethically. Check it out by clicking on the title of this message.

United Nations International Peace Day Invitation

2005-06-29T13:27:00.002-07:00

Wow, I just got invited to be a speaker at this years annual United Nations International Peace Day event here in Bellingham, WA. This event is sponsored by the Whatcom County Peace and Justice Center, a place that is focused on building bridges between people to work for the common goal of peace and justice. They invited me to come and speak as a representative of the Evangelical community. I'm not sure what I'll speak about but I've got plenty of time since it's not until September. Check out the center's website and email me about what you think.

A House Divided...

2005-06-23T15:28:00.002-07:00

...cannot stand! Words spoken by Christ and quoted by Abraham Lincoln. Two of my favorite historical figures, and their words ring true today! What shall become of the United States if we see no importance in uniting our house. It is time for people to have honest and open discussion about the values they hold dear, and to actually listen to people with different values. I'm so sick of the demonization of people with different views. Right or Left, NO ONE is without error! Our pride and arrogence we must surrender if we are not only to survive but also prosper.

The Multiplicity of the Christian’s Personality

2005-06-08T13:01:00.002-07:00

About three years ago I discovered that, which is probably already known to parents, almost all high school students suffer from Multiple Personality Disorder. Teenagers are very rarely if ever consistently consistent. Through out the course of a day a teenager may manifest several clearly distinct personalities. These personalities include but are not limited to; 1) Who they are at home, 2) who they are with friends, 3) who they are at school with their friends, 4) who they are at school separated from their friends, 5) who they are in the classroom, 6) who they are at church, 7) who they are with their friend’s parents, 8) who they are in public around peers, 9) who they are in public in the absence of peers, 10) who they are around extended family, and finally 11) who they are when they are able to be “themselves”. These personalities are so different that many parents are quite shocked when they get a chance to witness them all in action.

This multiplicity of personality can be spiritually damaging to the child, teaching them it’s ok to have an inconsistent character. And what’s worse is that our modern American society reinforces this behavior. The fact is that society (and the Church is a part of this society) rewards kids who are able to separate the different facets of their life. The kids are who they are with their friends so that they can be accepted and have fun. They are who they are with their family so that they can be accepted (or at least not get in trouble). They are who they are in public so they won’t be rejected and laughed at. And they are who they are at church so that God will still accept them and also not get in trouble. But the crux in all this is that they cannot be accepted in any one of these circles while playing by the rules of another circle. So thus they become multiple people so that they can succeed in their life. When these children become adults they ultimately realize the cliché, “you can’t fool all of the people all of the time,” and thus they settle on the behavioral trends that will help them succeed in life where they find most valuable, forsaking all others. But this does not solve the problem.

We as adults still suffer from the effects of modern society’s call to be double-minded or multi-personality’d, if you will. After all are we still not different people when it comes to work, home, and church? Many people have admitted that they would be ashamed of themselves if someone from church were to witness their behavior on a typical work day, and vise versa. This is a most disturbing trend, and not necessarily because of the character gap shown by the difference in behaviors. No, this is disturbing because we are quite comfortable relegating the teachings of Christ to a certain area of our life. It’s not that we don’t believe that the teachings are good and right, we just don’t believe it’s possible to always follow them. We have stated with our lives that Matthew 5-7 are great for a couple days a week, and for times of spiritual reflection. But we have refused to believe that they are precepts that we can follow at all times. We as adult Christians lack the faith to believe that we are really not suppose to worry about what we should eat, drink or wear (Matt. 6:25-34). We as adult Christians lack the faith necessary to believe that turning the other cheek will work (Matt. 5:38-42). We as adult Christians lack the faith necessary to see that we are at fault as often as the ones we blame (Matt. 7:1-6). We as adult Christians lack the faith necessary to believe that peacemakers will be anyone of impact on the world (Matt. 5:9). And we lack the faith necessary to see that God will provide us with all that we need (Matt. 7:7-12). Is it any wonder why our children are different people when it comes to being at church in being in the world.

The cure for this illness is simple yet difficult. When working with teenagers I take them to the Sermon on the Mount. Then I began to unravel the mystery on how these teachings can possibly be correct. We begin to see what Jesus teaches is the very key to life, all life. Jesus teaches us how to act without ever letting us tell him when his teachings are relevant and when they are not. For Christ is relevant no matter what our circumstances are. I then encourage the kids to try living the way Christ taught us in the Sermon on the Mount (and in the rest of the Gospels) in the different facets of life. For the kids who persevere in this, we begin to see a melding of the fractured personality. These kids begin to become one person in many circumstances instead of different people depending upon the circumstance. That which is true of those teenagers can also be true for us. For the same Spirit that empowers them to live a life that follows the Sermon on the Mount, will empower us to do the same…if we ask and persevere. It is a struggle, but it is the way God wishes to be honored. I pray that each one of us finds the strength to believe in Christ and his teachings, so that we may heal our fractured personalities.

What Happen's When We Are too Busy to Think?

2005-05-25T12:43:00.002-07:00

What happens when we are too busy to think? We let others do it for us. I understand as people living in today's world, many of us can spare a free minute to breath but what should become of us if we rely to heavily upon other people as our source of truth and information in this world? This I fear is not a new sickness but rather a cronic disease in the brain of humanity that will surely be the demise of our modern society. This disease spurs many dibiltating symptons like group think, mob mentality, inbread thought, and the infamous peer pressure. The destruction that these symptoms cause is readily evident in the anals of warfare and oppression by society.
When will we learn that we cannot and must not trust any side of any story until we find out the whole story? Whether a discussion it is about war, scandles, politics, news, or religion we must remember that most sources of information are flawed and are therefore possibly wrong. When will we admit the fact that we (ourselves) are flawed and therefore prone to error? In other words when will we admit that we are sometimes wrong? I believe we will do this when we learn to think for ourselves.

But that's just what I think, afterall I could be wrong!