"That which happens in life is not as important as how you accept it. "

-Walter Brueggeman

Memories

"When you remember me, it means that you have carried something of who I am with you, that I have left some mark of who I am on who you are. It means that you can summon me back to your mind even though countless years and miles may stand between us. It means that if we meet again, you will know me. It means that even after I die, you can still see my face and hear my voice and speak to me in your heart. For as long as you remember me, I am never entirely lost. When I'm feeling most ghost-like, it is your remembering me that helps remind me that I actually exist. When I'm feeling sad, it's my consolation. When I'm feeling happy, it's part of why I feel that way. If you forget me, one of the ways I remember who I am will be gone. If you forget, part of who I am will be gone. "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." the good thief said from his cross (Luke 23:42). There are perhaps no more human words in all of Scripture, no prayer we can pray so well. "


-Fredrick Buechner

Sunday School names:

So I was walking down the hall of a church recently and saw the Sunday school class names posted outside the door.

"Storm Shelter" was the first name. I swear my initial thought was, "this must be were you run if there's a tornado" then I realized it's just a campy church group name.

Then the senario played in my head.

I can see the Headlines

"Hundreds of Church people die taking refuge in a fake Storm Shelter"

Then I saw another Sunday School class name.
"The Explorers" - I'm wondering how often they leave their medium sized khaki classroom with 3 tall skinny windows?

just some random thoughts.

All American Gospel:

In other words...
a Christian American Idol in the Church.
I'm reserving public comment.
Group, George Barna and CCN are working together on this.
I've written a letter to Thom and George.


link

Scott McKnight and F.F. Bruce

In the Spring of 1981, Kris and I and the kids were living in Nottingham England and I was doing research for my PhD at Nottingham University. I had a desk at home, and often studied there. Late in the morning we got a phone call, I picked it up, and at the other end of the line was F.F. Bruce — who introduced himself and kindly invited all of us up to his home in Buxton the next Saturday for tea (which is more than a drink). We gladly accepted and the next Saturday we got ourselves up there (bought a Bakewell tart, too). I gave to Professor Bruce a brand new copy of Leon Morris’ book Testaments of Love, which he appreciated, and we had a splendid time (apart from Lukas spilling a glass of “orange squash” [a drink] on his rug, which he said was the norm for his home).

The reason I bring this up is that I asked Professor Bruce, because I had an audience with him, about women and ministry. My question was a big one: “Professor Bruce, what do you think of women in the ministry and how texts like 1 Cor 14 and 1 Tim 2 apply to the issues at hand.” Here was his response, and I shall never forget it and I sum it up here.

“First, I think 1 Cor 14 is textually corrupt."

"Second, I think Paul would roll over in his grave if he thought we were turning his letters into a new Torah. "

"And third, as for what I think about women in ministry, I’m for whatever causes the freedom of the Spirit.”

What struck me most were answers 2 and 3.

In his words we find a paradigm for a new work of God in our midst.


Link

Farewell to the Rapture:
more N.T. Wright

The American obsession with the second coming of Jesus — especially with distorted interpretations of it — continues unabated. Seen from my side of the Atlantic, the phenomenal success of the Left Behind books appears puzzling, even bizarre[1]. Few in the U.K. hold the belief on which the popular series of novels is based: that there will be a literal “rapture” in which believers will be snatched up to heaven, leaving empty cars crashing on freeways and kids coming home from school only to find that their parents have been taken to be with Jesus while they have been “left behind.” This pseudo-theological version of Home Alone has reportedly frightened many children into some kind of (distorted) faith.


Link

Dallas:
I'm off to DFW tonight until Sunday afternoon. There is super slim chance I could get away one night late for coffee or beverage if anyone is interested in the DFW area. I'm actually going to be in Arlington most of the trip. But I'll likely get into Fort Worth as well.

OKC
I got some Thai food with Todd Littleton of Snowhill Church in Tuttle yesterday in OKC and then went to meet with Paul Cunningham at WCC. Paul recently hired a youth pastor named Ryan and we had a great conversation there.

If you don't know Todd or Paul and you live in the OKC Metro area, you need to know them. You'll be better for it.

Interesting conversation:

So I'm talking to a Pastor of a church in New Mexico. We are talking about The Riddle Group and the services we provide for churches and youth ministries. His church is looking for a youth pastor.
My second question to him was, "What are you looking for in a youth pastor?"

He responds, " We are looking for a youth pastor will lead everything and not delegate. The search team is very clear on this."

Me: "ok."

He continues: "We want a man who has a clear calling to teaching the word of God the sheep"

Me: "So. You are looking for a youth pastor who will do all the work and not delegate anything? Is that what you are saying?"

Pastor: "Yes. That's right."

Me: "Ok. Well. I don't think I can help you."

Pastor: "???? Why not?"

Me: "Let's just say I have philosophical differences with your approach."

Pastor: "??? Ok. Bye" Hangs up.

It's not all that surprising I suppose. I give him credit for being very clear with his expectations.

Pat... Pat... Pat...

Robertson calls for assassination of Chavez
If there was a way I could further distance myself from this man I would.
But I must deal with the fact that he calls himself "Christian".

I suppose Ehud did it.
But I don't see Jesus calling for the assassination of Csaesar.

I think Pat has been taking crazy pills.

Link

N.T.Wright on A New World

"When Jesus dies as a failed, bizarre, nonpolitical political Messiah, Pilate embodies for a moment the apparent triumph of Satan over Jesus. "This is your hour," says Jesus to the soldiers in the garden. "This is your hour, and the power of darkness." Satan had offered Jesus the kingdoms of the world on one condition, that he fall down and worship him. Jesus had refused to do so and the cross is the direct result of that refusal. The kingdoms of the world reject him, and kill him. And not only Rome, either. There was no room for Jesus not only in the Roman empire of his day, but also in the official Judaism of the day.

We must not imagine that when Jesus was put to death it was by second-rate religious nonsense and third-rate political ploys. It was Judaism and Rome that put Jesus on the Cross: the highest religion and the finest political and governmental system that the world of that time had ever seen.

That tells us something very important about God's verdict on the whole of human affairs. But, beyond that, we can see that the whole life and ministry of Jesus has indeed been a battle with demons. Not just with the evil spirits who possessed poor lunatic souls whom Jesus set free, though they were real enough in their own way. No: the battle has been with the rulers of the world, the power structures who have organized themselves and their authority so that there is no room for God in the world. Jesus, then, has come not to offer yet one more political alternative but to break the stranglehold that the powers have on the world. He offers a new world, a world in which God is God and human beings are set free to be human beings."

Link

The Vague Memory of Youth Pastors:

Youth Pastors have a vague memory of why they started into youth ministry in the first place.

I say it's vague because far to many youth pastors forget why they made the decision to work in a church. Do you remember why you did it?

Almost ever pastor I talk to when ask will say something to the effect of
"I want to make a difference in the lives of people/ teens."
"I want to live a faithful life and follow God no matter the consequences!"
"I want to reach teens with the good news."

Ask a youth pastor why they started. Write down their answer. Then watch them function as youth pastors.

Here's some Truth.

Few pastors are leading the ministry they thought they would lead when they started. Few are actually making a long term difference in the lives of teens. Few feel like they are being faithful at all cost. (They don't want to get fired) Few are reaching teens with the gospel.

Did I get your attention?

You might disagree with these statements. Call them generalizations. You may tell me I'm painting with a broad brush. You might even say I'm right, but not about you.

I think I'm more right than wrong.

Youth Pastor... why did you start?
How much of what you do every day actually has anything to do with those reasons?

Youth Ministry Intuition:

I had the priviledge to recently sit in on a group of youth pastors planning for a city wide event. There was a devotional that focused around a certain text. Then a very healthy dialogue about youth ministry and integrity. They never used the word integrity, but it's what they were talking about.
Instead they said things like, "If I could rearrange my time I'd .... spend more time with kids / do less programs/ get parents more involved / work at UPS and build relationships with people / be more available to people etc etc etc."

It's becoming the chorus over the past several years. It started with veteran youth workers and has worked it's way into minds and hearts of youth pastors who are just beginning youth work in the church. We've been talking about this for years.

But here's what's interesting. While there is a consensus for disolving youth ministry as we know it and a desire for a ministry to youth that actually impacts teens long term... there is little energy to try anything that is new or different.

Back to my recent meeting with youth workers. After their healthy discussion on all that is wrong with youth ministry and the church... they spent the remaining 4 hours discussing/ planning and organizing events and programs that completely contradicted their original thoughts. For example. They complained about being to busy planning events, but they spent a solid 30 minutes trying to add new events throughout the school year for them all to plan.

There are several reasons for this paradox.

These youth pastors are are sociologically intuitive geniuses. Youth pastors by and large feel their way through program building and ministry experiences depending largely on intuition. And it works. They can work a crowd. They can relate well to teens.

They are intuitive about many things. It is the exception to find a youth pastor who would go to church where he/she is employed, not the rule. Youth pastors are haunted by a dream of what they think or know church can be. But they rarely think about it. When they do think about it, it's generally brought on by a negative experience. A staff meeting. Weekly church services. Burnout.

Tulsa Conversation:

I'm looking to join/start a conversation here in Tulsa. The conversation would involve the sociological / philosophical / theological frameworks that we function with....

in other words... I'm looking for a conversation about how the world is changing, how the church is changing and how we understand God in the process.

It's a conversation deeply needed.
It's a conversation few make time for.

anyone interested?

Friedrich Schleiermacher:

Makers of the Modern Theological Mind -

I'm reading Schleiermacher's thoughts on theology.
I borrowed it from Kirk of the Hills library. (Leave it to the Presbyterians to have a freaking awesome theological library)
My friend Steve tells me Karl Barth called Schleiermacher "the great one"

I'm going to post some thoughts about him here.


"The Christian Doctrine of man must consider two aspects of the human situation, namely, (1) man's original righteousness by virtue of Creation and (2) his present situation as a result of the Fall. Failure to understand either will jeopardize the believer's awareness of redemption. But what can the doctrine of original righteousness mean, given the death of Adam? Certainly it cannot tell us about the natureal orgins of man as a part of the world"

Tulsa:

We made it.
we are here. Actually I'm in a small cafe oustide jenks and neil young is playing over the sound system.
rested mostly today.
looking for a house tomorrow so Zach can start school next week.

I'll be posting thoughts about my time in michigan over the coming months.

now i have to go... I'm late for dinner...
more to come.



"She was an unknown legend in her time." - Neil Young

today is the last day the riddle family will live in michigan.
we've sold our house. close on the 15th.
thanks to all of our amazing friends here in the GR area we have packed everything we own and put it into a 28 foot ABF trailer in 3 days.

thanks to John and Tammy; Ben and Laura; Brian and Elisha; Andy F; Mike and Joyce for all their hard work.
we love you very much.