Tagged???

Matt just sent a comment that said I had been tagged. I have no idea what that means in blogspeak. I don't even remember being darted and I have not been released into the wild

Smiley's People

Can we all just agree that John Le Carre is the best flipping spy novelist in the world??? What I enjoy most about him is that his writing does not insult you. Most other spy fiction treats the reader as if they were 15 years old. Not Le Carre. His books are smart, funny at times, a bit convoluted, but most of all, intelligent. Ther are really no shoot-em-ups, car chases or other overt violent acts. It's thinking. It's dialogue. It's not trying to kill the other guy but to out-think and out-maneuver them.

I can't always get through his novels. A couple of them have thrown in too many characters that are referenced 100 pages later. But 'Smiley's People' is the pinnacle. In the movies, Alec Guinness played George Smiley (absolutely perfect casting) and even Le Carre said that after that, he couldn't picture George Smiley without the image of Alec Guinness.

Sure, "Smiley's People' is a bit convoluted. It wouldn't work otherwise. Go read it. If necessary, get the BBC series from Netflix.

Regan's birthday party review

Controlled pandemonium is probably the best way to describe Regan's party. Probably 20 or so kids and about the same number of adults. It was a simple party, with a lot of games, cake, ice dream and other snacks with some coffee.

There was a movie with Tony Curtis in it (might be 'Some Like It Hot') where there is a bar fight going on and he is walking with a drink in each hand. As he waslks through this bar, bodies are flying and punches are being thrown all around him, but he miraculously makes it through the entire bar with a drop being spilled. That's how I felt at times during the party. Kids and balls flying everywhere and I;m just barely able to make it unscathed from one side of the room to the other.

Regan's birthday party

Today is Regan's first birthday party. ACtually, she won't be 1 until Monday, but the party is today. As we all know, a kid's first birthday party is not for the kid at all. It is for the parents who have survived the first year. Although Regan will get her own little birthday cake today to do with what she will.

We've probably got aobut 30 people coming. It's a simple affair. Cookies, coffe, cake and ice cream We're having it at in the big multi-purpose room at the church.

There will be an official review of the party tomorrow

Wild Mushroom Fettucine

Gotta try this recipe

You need

1 1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms soaked in 3 cups hot water for 30 min
3/4 stick of butter
5 garlic cloves
1 lb various mushrooms
parsley
fresh grated parmesan


Melt the butter and add the garlic for 3 min

Add the other mushrooms for 6 min

Add porcini for 2 min

Mix in parsley and serve over fettucine with parmesan.

Earthy and good!!

The One Constant

I'm realizing that my family and I are still in transition, even though I have landed a job. It has become clear to me, even after just a couple of weeks that this job is not much more than a 'port in the storm' rather than a long-term solution. So I'm still putting job feelers out there to see what is available. Plus the church positions that I am looking at. Plus some possible changes in my ministry description at Bay Hills. Plus the fact tht the ARM on our home will end in August and we will have to figure out what to do then.

But there is a constang that never changes, and that constant is God. Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow."

I take comfort in this, knowing that our transitions and seemingly lack of permanence right now are covered by the steadfastness of God. Things, people and situations may change for us, but God does not. His love, care, grace and mercy and constant and never-changing

Haricot Verts

No, this is not an obscure Swedish theologian.

These were the bomb (that's a good thing!) at dinner last night. I got a package of these at Trader Joe's (not cheap...$2.49 for an 8-oz pkg) and cooked them up for dinner...along with grilled chicken.

Here's all you do. Saute the beans in a little olive oil with a minced clove of garlic, a little oreganoand a squeeze of lemon juice. Bon Appetit!

William Gurnall

This next book that I am undertaking is promising to be quite a load. Porbably about 1000 pages total and mainly on Ephesians 6:10-18. It's called "The Christian in Complete Armor". Gurnall was a Puritan writer.

Becuae this work is so complicated, I am going to keep a running outline of it, but5 probvably not here. But I will share highlights. I think methodically keeping track of it is the best way to understand its value to my life

The Jesus Way

Although I'm no Art Garfunkel when it comes to reading, I do my fair share of it.

I just finished reading Eugene Peterson's book "The Jesus Way". In it, he contrasts the way of Jesus (love, sacrifice, humility, grace) with that of some of his contemporaries.

Herod is the one who is the great builder. the creator of spectacle. The bigger the better, and the noisier the better. Check out his palace at Herodium. Jesus completely ignored spectable in His earthly ministry.

Herod is contrasted with the Pharisees, those who would keep people under their thumb religiously by creating rules, laws and expectations which could never be kept. Religion was purely external and had very little to do with the heart.

Caiaphas is also brought up. Those who follow the way of Caiaphas used religion to another end, namely self. The religously powerful follow the way of Caiaphas.

Caiaphas is coontrasted with the Essenes, that Jewish religious offshoot which focused on leaving society behind and establishing their own commune. For them it was never about power but rather about escaping any type of perceived pollution to the soul.

What about Josephus? Normally we think of him as a great Jewish historian, but actually he was a Jewish traitor who sold out the Jews to the Romans in order to save his own life. Josephus was to the Jews what Benedict Arnold was to the American Revolution. Jesus said that whoever would save his life would lose it. That is the way of Josephus, self-preservation at all costs.

Josephus is contrasted with the Zealots, that faction who believed that the kingdom could come through the violent overthrow of Rome. Where Josephus would give up his Jewishness in a moment for Rome, the Zealots would not give up their identity for anything (witness Masada). But the Zealots believed that the kingdom would be inaugurated by human effort not by Spirit.

Good book. Highly recommended

Far left whacked-out nut jobs

Every so often I listen to KPFA just to see what the nut jobs are up to. KPFA is free speech radio out of Berkeley.

Every day on their 'free speech news', they have a commentary by Mumia Abu-Jamal.

Who is Mumia Abu-Jamal? Doing time in prison in Pennsylvania. You see, Mumia is a convicted cop killer. KPFA refers to him as a political prisoner.

Frustration with pastoral search

It's been a year now that I have been looking for a full-time pastoral position. I had another one fall through today which looked good at a church in Chowchilla. Virtually the same reason...not enough experience.

My frustratin level is beginning to increase. Am I doing something wrong? I know without a doubt that God called me to be a pastor, but it seems as if I am only running up against roadblocks. Even while prayng tonight, I was doing some venting towards God (it's okay to do that...ask Jeremiah).

So I wonder which direction to turn. Do I just redouble my efforts? But then again it isn't about me. Will someone just come along and hire me like my current job did? Just out of the blue? I hold on to that vision which God gave me almost 10 years ago, that He was calling me into full-time ministry. I know that is what I am called to do, ultimately.

Gotta tell this story

This is why McDonalds is the antichrist.

Christa and her friend Melissa went to McDonald's with the kids after 2nd service today. It was about 10:58 AM or so. Melissa is the first one in line and she wanted lunch. THey told her they could not serve her lunch because they were still serving breakfast.

Christa was in line RIGHT BEHIND HER! Christa ordered breakfast. They told her (I'm not making this up!!!) that it was now lunchtime and they were no longer serving breakfast.

Art Garfunkel

Besides having one of the most unusual names in music, Art Garfunkel is also a prolific reader. On his website (ArtGarfunkel.com) is a chronological list of every book he has read since 1968. Well over 1000 books are catalogued there, running the gamut from Shakespear to modern political science. They are categorized by year and also include author and year that it was written

First long week

This was my first full week at work. I haven't been used to working so much in a few months. I need a couple of weeks to get caught up on a schedule like this. Tired tonight. Time to curl up with a Bombay Sapphire Martini (thanks mom)

The direction in which I lean

Calvinism and its polar opposite, Arminianism, can both be at the extreme ends of theology. Extreme Calvinism teaches that man has absolutely no choice in anything and everything is up to the will of God, from who will be saved and who will not to what color socks I should wear today.

Extreme Arminianism teaches that it is man who holds the complete power of choice and God really has no dominion. It is God who must approach man with His hat in His hand and plead with us to know Jesus. We hold all the cards in this scenario.

On a continuum from Calvinism to Arminianism, I fall much more towards the Calvinist view of thing, but I am not all the way there by any stretch. There is a tension which must be maintained between God chooses and man is responsible. There are too many passages of Scripture (such as in Joshua) where we are the ones commanded to choose whether to follow God or not. You can't just underline those passages with a black highlighter

New book out

While I was at Barnes and Nobel today, I saw a new book by Paul Krugman. It was called "The Conscience of a Liberal". Kind of a short book, actually. More like a pamplet

Where ministry happens

Ministry often happens sideways. Not from the top (professional clergy) but from those in the trenches. Great example of this last night.

With my small group ministry at BayHills, we have a meeting once a quarter to go over what will be happening with small groups the following quarter. Last night was such a meeting. For this quarter, I've recruited about 5 new small groups. One of them will be co-led by a woman named Betty, whose sole qualification for being a small group leader is the fact that she loves people, and this is evident to all those around her. I'm not really looking for strong leaders for small groups, but rather those with a heart for oeple, who will come next to others and lift them up.

In the middle of the meeting last night, Betty said, "I've never led a small group before. How do I do it?" At that point, all I had to do is sit back and listen. It was not my place right then. I let the other leaders jump in and encourage her. See, being a pastor is not always about taking the lead, but rather creating conditions in which ministry can occur. The other leaders did a much better job than I could have, because they were coming from a parallel position (also leading groups) I believe Betty was greatly encourage by this ministerial outpouring. I'm looking forward to what God will do in her group.

My first exposure to Calvinism

The first time I was exposed to Calvinism was probably about 1991 or so. I was part of a singles group at Mariners church in Newport Beach. There ws a guy in this group who wanted to do a Bible study on Calvinism and predestination, so he invited myself and about 5 other people to his home for such a study.

I was a younger believer then and not as well trained in the world of theology and Biblical studies as I am today. Everything that was said in this study made perfect sense and I found myself completely in agreement with everything that this particular gentleman was teaching. It seemed I was a devout Calvinist through and through.

But later I decided that I had a rather large issue with his methodology(the same problem I have with most people who strongly espouse a Calvinist point of view). His methodology consisted of a theology which was already developed and then he found Scripture to support it. He did not begin with Scripture but rather with theology. This is the completely wrong way toi approach not only Calvinism but any particular theological viewpoint.

The beginning is not with a presupposition but rather with Scripture. Our theology is to begin with Scripture and then develop into theology, not to begin with our own theology and try to find Scripture to back it up. Even my own friends who are Calvinists take this theological perspective. Theology first and Scripture after. The absolute wrong way to do it.

Calvinism

My friend Matt has devoted part of his blog to Calvinism, so I'm going to do a couple of posts on Calvin (the theologian, not the comic strip character)

Several years ago, Matt and I were in Idaho visiting our friend Bryan. We were all invited to a dinner party at a friend's house. Since there was the offer of free food, we went. In this house, there was a candy bowl wiht mixed mints, etc. But on top was some type of chocolate mint. I saw it and I thought maybe I would grab it later.

After dinner, Matt and I are talking by the candy bowl when he picks up the chocllate mint and begins to unwrap it. I say to him, "I saw that and I was going to take it for later."

Matt pops the chocolate mint in his mouth and says, "You still don't get this predenstination thing, do you??"

This was one of the funniest things I had ever heard and I consider it to be a benchmark in my lifelong friendship with Matt.

Waiting for prayer life to take off

For the three months that I was out of a job, my prayer life was pretty limited. Most of my prayer focused on God as Provider and asking that He would provide me with a job. At times, it was tough to push beyond that in prayer. I was stuck on job and financial issues.

My friend Bob Gustafson referred me to Abraham Maslow's theory of the levels of hierarch (or something like that). I vaguely remember Maslow from college. But it could be tough to push beyond to one level if you are stuck at a previous one. That's where I was

Now I am expecting my prayer life to bust open. I've been spending the last few days really thanking od, not only for providing for us, but also for keeping my faith alive and well during this time of testing.

Tuscan Chicken

This is the best recipe for grilled chicken. You should probably used boneless breasts.

1/2 cup olive oil
Juice from 2 lemons
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 cup fresh rosemary
1/4 cup chopped parsley
salt/pepper

Marinate the chicken in this for about 3-4 hours and then grill. Keep brushing the sauce on while it is on the grill.