dave

what if

2011-11-29T09:29:00.001-05:00

what if faith was simple and pure?
what if hope was was never lost?
what if love could be embedded within the horror of a cross?

what if God made the universe, that stars and all the planets?
What if God is right here among our songs, our liturgies and praise...our fights, our tears and all our hate?
what if our religion and the church of our invention are tools we use to please ourselves, to praise the things we crave?

what if the way is truly narrow and the few that find it don't look like me?
what if the ones who "know" the truth are the furthest ones from finding it?
what if knowledge superseded faith and made our Lord into systematic theology?

what if we drank the cup that we've been given?
what if death was not determined but the chosen route to resurrection?

love the sinner, hate the sin

2011-10-25T10:17:00.003-04:00

this dualism that we have established between ourselves and our actions is a falsehood that we must begin to extinguish from our thinking. is it not our actions that define us, not simply our beliefs? therefore, i believe it his high time we stopped working within this framework of love for sinner, but hatred for their sin.

the two are one and the same.

how does this inform the way we view God's great love for creation by becoming one of the created order? what it says to me is that there is a full embrace that blows the doors off any religious system or thought that has ever existed.

God, in Christ, dies for the sake of a fallen order. not despite it, but for it. the crazy thing is that God desires for us to do the very same thing.

that is unfathomable! isn't it? can God really expect us to love sex offenders, murderers, rapists, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, uncles, aunts, soccer coaches and angry boston drivers as they are, not as we wish them to be?

-dave-

the poor, the broken and the needy: a little rant

2011-09-25T20:39:00.001-04:00

am i the only one that is growing more and more uncomfortable with calling people who don't have a lot of money, possessions or means "the poor" "the needy" or "the broken"? i have begun to develop a strong distaste for terms that neatly place a group people into categories that are pretty demeaning if you think about them.

what i have found to be true is that whenever we feel as though we have arrived at a place where we can segment and label the people we “serve” we have just then lost our ability to serve with integrity and faithfulness.

the more we are able to objectify a person or people, the more likely it is that we, in some sense, believe ourselves to be above them. even in our well-intentioned efforts to serve others, we are often caught up in the labeling game. we say, “i serve the poor and needy” or “i care for unwed mothers” or “my church has a great ministry to the homeless.” but what we often forget is that it is not “we” who are the blessed, the heirs and the happy, "they" are.

the objectified and labeled are the ones who inherit the kingdom. we are their servants in the most humbling of senses.

so, do we love our neighbor, or do we place them in a category that will allow us some space to make ourselves superior to them?

in short, our service is rendered powerless, because we are far too powerful. to serve is to humble yourself, but it seems to me that we do a much better job of humbling those who have already been humbled by life than we do ourselves. in fact, we often praise ourselves for how much we have lowered ourselves! we give awards to humanitarians and social workers, because we have made ourselves the object of our service.

it's about you and it's about me. it's not REALLY about the people we "serve".

we (myself included) call these folks “the poor” “the hurting” “the broken” or “the needy.” but until we see them as princes and princesses in the kingdom of God, we will continue to fool ourselves into thinking that it is they who need us, when it may be more true that it is us who need “them.”

-dave-

power to stoop

2011-09-01T10:09:00.003-04:00

why is it so difficult for a rich person to find their place in the kingdom of heaven?

what does it mean that the poor are not only blessed but possessors of the kingdom?

most of the people i know in church are wealthy. it seems jesus must have been wrong about that whole camel through the eye of a needle thing...

i've been around folks who are homeless, or close to being without a place to live for a few years now. i can tell you with absolute certainty that there is nothing blessed about being homeless or dirt poor. there is no inherent beauty or quality to living a life that is without basic necessities, most especially love.

so what are we supposed to think about these teachings/blessings? other than the religious/political implications of these statements by jesus, what can we learn from what he is teaching us about kingdom values?

i think one of the most intriguing things about jesus, and the prophet that prepared the way for him, is that they were both homeless. both possessed far more power and authority than anyone around, but both chose to live a life of simplicity and apparent weakness.

i think it's because both jesus and his cousin understood that wealth and power count for nothing unless they are used to stoop. jesus, who could have just as easily presented his vision for the kingdom from the emperor's seat in rome, chose to live as a rabbi from the streets. it seems to me that this is what jesus continually taught anyone that would listen, and finally put this stooping power on display when he washed his disciple's feet (including his betrayer) and submitted to a brutal and torturous death.

so why is it hard for a rich man/woman to find themselves enjoying the blessedness of the kingdom? i think it's because they don't understand that their value is first and foremost derived from WHO they are, not what they've got. we've got way too much to lose, and that is to our detriment.

it seems that the poor are blessed because they don't have to stoop. they are already humbled, already beaten down, addicted and abused. they understand power from side of the powerless, and it seems clear that God is on the side of those who are the victims of power.

jesus invites his followers to stoop with him, get to know the powerless and serve the ones who will never be able to repay you. after all, they are our superiors in the kingdom, not simply objects of our charity.

-dave-

growing up christian (part dos)

2011-08-01T15:01:00.004-04:00

as a preface to the second part of my 'growing up christian' post i'd like to make it clear that i am in no way attempting to be negative or overly critical. i am simply interested in digging up my past in a way that will move me forward to being more Christ-like. if it ever comes of like i'm preaching, it's because i'm pleading with myself to keep going.

i got way off track in my first post and didn't bother to edit it, so i will try to be more focused in this one.

preface done.

so much of what we learn as evangelicals is that there are a specific set of core beliefs that one must affirm in order to be considered "in the fold," so to speak. this list includes the following doctrinal affirmations: God created the world in six days (literal or figurative), we are all sinners from birth, Jesus Christ was fully God and fully man, that he was crucified and was raised from the dead on the third day as an atonement for our sins. this is, of course, not an exhaustive list of evangelical affirmations, but i think you get the idea.

i should be clear that i am not denying any of these at the moment, simply making an observation.

one of the things i began to struggle with in my mid-20s was the concept that it was simply by believing in Jesus that i would be enabled to achieve eternal life. my reading of the scriptures was leading me more towards an understanding that faithfulness counts for more than superstition or intellectual affirmations, but everything i seemed to be hearing was that all God wanted or needed from me was belief in order to save me from my sins.

this is what i encountered when i noticed two men preaching across the street from where i serve at the faith covenant meal in quincy. they were sort of the classic "bullhorn men", with signs proclaiming the impending damnation that awaits those who do not "believe" in Jesus to save them from their sins. it's just that easy, isn't it? all you have to do is write something on poster board to convince people that all they need to do is believe in something so that they won't burn for eternity. that's what Jesus meant for us when he submitted to death for his enemies. i get it now!

Jesus did not come urging folks to establish a religion that might finally get things right, or plead with people to believe in him like they believe in fate or their horoscope. he arrived proclaiming good news to the poor and the release of those who are in captivity, and pleaded with us to join him.

it's so incredibly easy to believe or affirm something. it is much harder to live out what you believe. but that's exactly what he called his disciples to, and that is what he is calling us to now: proclaim good news to the poor. set the captives free.

love does not objectify or callously proclaim damnation via bullhorn and/or sign. love digs in and gets hurt alongside the hurting. that's what Jesus did, and that's what i want to do.

so should we believe? yes. because without believing in the risen Christ there is little that we offer folks who are in captivity. however, it is not a new belief system we are offering, but life. believing something will never set you free. it is in learning from and following Jesus, his life, death and resurrection, that we come to be free. as Jesus himself put it, "everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. and everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

if you don't feel free, it may be because you have heard and believed but have not done. take that step beyond belief into faithfulness and then you've got something real to offer people who need something real.

-dave-

morning prayer

2011-07-21T08:28:00.003-04:00

Father,

you are full of grace. i desire revenge.
your love is everlasting.
may my love not be as fleeting as the moments that i experience anger, deceit, lust and hatred.

you are my shepherd. i am the lost sheep.
your pursuit of me will never end.
may i pursue those who turn their back on me with an undying resolve.

you are just. i show partiality.
your judgments are always true and good.
may i treat all people with the knowledge that i am not their judge, but a friend on the journey towards our Maker.

-dave-

growing up christian (part uno)

2011-07-18T14:58:00.007-04:00

wow, it's been a while. i miss the blogosphere community that once was, and hope that it hasn't forgotten about me!

lately i have been thinking a lot about my life and the events/systems of thinking that have shaped the way i interact with God, people and nature. this current stream of thoughts has led me to remember the stumbling blocks that once stood in the way of embracing the Father of my Rabbi. i remembered the first of many questions that would jump start my inevitable crisis of faith, and recalled my inability to embrace the teaching that Jesus lived and died to forgive me of my sins and that his death opened up the pathway to go to heaven. i had some sense that these beliefs were a part of what Jesus was about, but was it everything?

this came during a time that i remember hearing the notion that if i were the only person on earth, Jesus would still have died for my sins. i remember being appalled by the ridiculousness of that thought, never mind the fact that it made absolutely no sense!

on top of that, i began to find that the promise of an after-life (which i could only attain by believing in Jesus) was not fulfilling in my pursuit of truth. it was no longer a comfort to me, and it didn't seem to have any impact on folks that i was having conversations with. they wanted peace now, not later. it just seemed to me that focusing on what happens after we live on earth was distracting us from living a life that mattered for something here and now. i just couldn't believe that God would create me as a human just to make me some ethereal being once i had expired.

what about people who never heard about Jesus? what happens to them?

i began to think about the people who are starving all over the world, watching helplessly as their children die from a lack of food or clean drinking water, while i was living free and easy with Jesus on my side. did God not care for them the way he did for me?

nothing of my experience and scripture reading seemed to be jiving with what i had been taught. as a result, the glaring issues with my individualistic version of the gospel of salvation from sin came tumbling down as quickly and easily as it was built up in my mind as a child in sunday school. what was most alarming to me was that it was the bible itself that seemed to be scraping away at the picture i had once held to be infallible truth. more specifically, it was in a random reading of the sermon on the mount that shattered all of my previously held notions of who God was and what it meant to be "saved".

i discovered the upside-down kingdom of God that Jesus came proclaiming. in this Kingdom the poor are blessed, the mourners are made happy, the beaten down are patched up and the weak are our superiors.

i found out that Jesus was about much more than forgiving us and giving us a free ticket to heaven if we just believe. it is most certainly true that he forgave us in his death, but i believe he was and is about showing us that the Kingdom is for the people we believe to be cursed. he taught us that our sin has created a world in which the powerful and the rich live as though they are in heaven now, that that there are those who have and those who never will, and that we will never know the Father until we see the world through the eyes of those who have not.

this set me on a journey that i continue to this day. i am learning more and more about the Way of our Master, and the truth that it is through painting a picture with the colors of the Kingdom of God that we will be set free here and now.

i am learning that, oftentimes, it is our neatly constructed theological systems that keep us from experiencing life in the Kingdom. i came out of this not throwing the belief in forgiveness and heaven out the window, but realizing that the gospel covers more than my sin and my ticket to heaven.

the gospel is good news to the poor. the captives are set free, and we no longer have to live in pursuit of the world. the Kingdom of God is among us!

have we been forgiven? yes. thank God.
is there heaven to gain? yes.
so what? what now?

i pray that we will not rest in our forgiveness and keep it to ourselves, but be ambassadors of the grace we have received. and may we not simply eat what is given to us, but first ask what the ingredients are that went into the meal.

-dave-

the wrong enemy

2011-05-02T07:33:00.004-04:00

did you hear??? osama bin laden is dead.

the news broke around 10:40 pm last night and i couldn't have been more shocked at the celebratory remarks being made by facebookers and tweeters alike. people were thrilled that "justice had finally been served" and that this man who had caused so much pain in the lives of american families had been caught and put to death.

my humble opinion...we are celebrating the wrong victory.

the real victory over evil was accomplished long ago by God himself in the person of jesus of nazareth. this same jesus that died for his enemies, battled the power that lies behind the evil that is manifested in this world on the cross. that power is the one we continue to do battle with today. it is the power of death.

the only way to defeat this power of death is by embracing the power of Christ's resurrection.

when christians forget that the war we wage is not against each other, but against the systemic evil that began with a rebellion against the Creator, our hunger for revenge grows stronger and stronger with each new terrorist.

now, it seems our appetite for blood is never-ending. in case we had forgotten, it was announced 66 years ago yesterday that adolf hitler was dead. there will always be a mass-murderer taking innocent life. in fact, genocide is still alive and well around the world as we speak and murder continues to run rampant in our own cities. what we celebrate today will resurrect tomorrow. for the evil that lies behind all the pain cannot be defeated with guns or bombs, but by the power of the cross.

may we remember revenge is not ours to take and that the blood that was shed for you and me was also shed for osama bin laden. may we love and pray for those who destroy our bodies that they too may come to know the life we have found in Christ.

ephesians 6:12 "we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."

hebrews 2:14-15 "since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery."

-dave-

who gets jesus?

2011-04-30T10:49:00.004-04:00

this year has been interesting to say the least. i have been going through a lot of change, personally and spiritually, and i am beginning to see how the struggles i have been through are teaching me what the grace of God is all about. these past 4 months have also been rife with contention in the evangelical world. rob bell has set off a firestorm among protestants throughout the country and it doesn't seem that the hype will be dying down anytime soon.

it has been this particular split in christian thought that has got me thinking more about who gets to claim jesus, and about who gets to absorb God's grace. there have been many on the blogosphere and in national magazines who are eager to make judgments, claims, accusations and have come to conclusions about who can retain ownership of jesus (as if he is yet another one of our consumer products), yet there are few who have stopped to realize the foolishness and futility of our passion for a good fight.

we all think we "get" (understand and own) jesus. the problem i see is that it seems many of us who claim to get him are actually against him at the moment.

heresy hunters were chomping at the bit on this one. there were premature tweets over bell's departure from orthodoxy (or salvation, depending on who you're talking to). people have been quoting paul's letters about condemnation for the judaizers as though it is right and proper to condemn bell and others in the same way. however, it is in paul's very words that the heresy hunters find condemnation for themselves. paul is admonishing the galatians, timothy and titus that they must be on guard against anyone that tries to narrow or confuse the gate that leads to salvation. the judaizers were doing just that. they took what jesus called narrow and made it nearly impossible to be saved. it is true that paul instructs timothy about times when he will have to "reprove, rebuke, and exhort," but that he is to do it with "complete patience and teaching (1 timothy 4:2)." it seems we prefer aggression and annihilation over "complete patience and teaching."

we must understand that paul was sending letters to churches that were facing more persecution and struggle than most of us have ever known. his letters were written to instruct and preserve the good and gracious news that jesus came to save the world. his passionate commands to teach sound doctrine and rebuke the false teacher were necessary and to the point, since there were many who were leading those who had once been shown grace down a path of burdensome works.

the people paul got most furious with were the same people jesus called a brood of vipers and sons of the devil. they were the religious leaders. the ones who got God. they held the keys to the kingdom and they were going to tell all the people who didn't know any better what to believe. jesus scolded these people harshly, and paul followed suit. but when jesus taught, healed and raised from the dead, i can't recall a single incident where he demanded that the person who had experienced the grace of God should go and learn the proper doctrines that would lead them to real salvation. he simply healed them and told them to stop sinning. this doesn't mean we neglect doctrine, teaching and preaching, but it means that we need to be careful not to make it burdensome and sectarian.

jesus was as inclusive as you can possibly be. by talking to a samaritan woman, eating with tax collectors and prostitutes, and pleading with his Father to forgive his murderers, jesus displayed the wide and beautiful grace of God that is available for all of us fools who don't deserve it. the "sinners" were attracted to jesus, but repelled by us. does anyone else see anything wrong with this picture?!!

beware of claiming jesus as your own before understanding that you are his. it is God who does the saving and God who will do the judging. may we never forget that.

do yourself a favor. read romans 12:9-21. paul is explicit about what it looks like to be someone who gets jesus.

-dave-

who cares?!

2011-03-25T09:41:00.004-04:00

i have heard some whispers that rob bell wrote a new book. throwing this fool's two cents into the multitude of opinions already out there would be useless. i care even less as i have recently returned home from haiti with a team of friends from a young adult bible study (yabs) led by tdags. let me explain...

i arrived in haiti on the heels of a couple famous reformed christians condemning rob bell as a heretic based on an introductory video to his then upcoming book. as soon as we stepped off the plane we were smacked in the face by a world in desperate need of the most basic necessities for human existence, never mind thriving. there was trash all over the place, sewage running through the streets and dirt everywhere.

at some point during that first evening i began to think about the utter meaninglessness of this heresy hunt. where do non-christians go when they die? what is the nature of heaven and hell? these are the questions rob bell was raising (and had not yet answered!) that just did not sit well with the self-proclaimed theologically orthodox.

i began to think about how absurd it is that children are living 5 and 1/2 hours away (via plane) from a country filled with the wealthiest christians in the world, while their hair was turning orange from malnutrition. i finally understood how foolish and self-deluded we are (myself included).

christians spend so much time arguing about matters of theology that have been debated since the time of Christ! all the while we are neglecting the naked, the lame and the starving all around us by wasting our time cutting our brothers and sisters down. the way i see it is that we are heretics seeking heretics. we have lost sight of our Christ who taught us that we will be judged harshly if we pass him by on the streets while he has no clothes to wear and no food to eat.

my advice, get our of you house. go somewhere that people are starving. look for opportunities to be uncomfortable and shocked out of our american sleep. it's the best thing jen and i have ever done. talking about theology should be seen as a privilege and used for building each other up. we are all in this one together and there are millions of people who don't have the luxury of calling each other heretics. they are too busy eating mud pies to stave off their hunger pains.

let's join them in their suffering and share the love of Christ with them. they don't want to know what heaven or hell will be like when they die. they are living in hell now. they want to know the Christ who prayed these now famous words:

your kingdom come
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven

-dave-

God's love and earthquakes

2011-03-24T15:45:00.003-04:00

why is it that only people who seek to espouse the love of God as paramount are condemned as heretics?

what about this guy?!?!

where are the heresy hunters when someone says that god unleashed an unholy fury on the people of japan?

who holds the keys to orthodoxy? there are many making claims right now. who should we trust?

-dave-

submit

2011-01-28T21:34:00.002-05:00

Jesus became one of us, even a lowly rabbi in the middle of one of the most powerful empires in human history (solidarity).

Jesus took on our curse and submitted to death by way of a torturous and bloody crucifixion (submission).

i have begun to realize something that should have been obvious to me long ago. that which is systemic and oppressive can only be truly defeated through solidarity and submission. if there's anything that the history of human poverty and war has proven to us is that we cannot combat such diseases with that which is easy or seemingly most effective (money or force). Jesus taught us a more narrow, more difficult, more life-giving way.

it is true that we will always speak of war and that "the poor will always be with us," but we are told that there was one who came to free us from both forms of oppression. he did this by becoming one of us and dying in our stead. we must be willing to do the same for those who are lost and forgotten around us.

i can't defend my comfortability anymore. i can't pretend that i'm ok with my riches. i'm actually the one who's losing. but it is precisely by following this narrow way of the Christ that will most beautifully and painfully personify the advancement of his Kingdom.

we must remain hopeful. we must remain faithful to Christ. if we do, we will most certainly see resurrection here and now.

-dave-

the fog

2010-09-30T10:09:00.000-04:00

fogs seem to go on forever. sometimes it’s nearly impossible to see one foot in front of you, and you certainly can’t see a destination on the horizon. that pretty much sums up where I have been over the last 2 weeks.

it seems that i have allowed responsibilities (failed and forthcoming) to overwhelm me.

this may come as a result of the fact that i am a (self-proclaimed) dreamer (jen would probably affirm this). i spend a lot of time with my head in the clouds, envisioning where we will be someday down the road, but it seems that I live my day to day life with zero visibility. i spend so much time thinking about how things should be or how I could help make things better, that i neglect the little things that would allow me to faithfully lead my family.

my prayer, as of late, has been that God will direct me to be more focused on what’s right in front of me here and now. i don’t want to have my head in the clouds. i want to be able to relate to people and to deal with issues that are in my line of sight, rather than how to solve climate change.

this revelation does not insinuate that i will no longer be thinking about the big picture. i don’t think i can help that. i've just come to realize that i can’t possibly be a light in the darkness to anyone else if i can’t see two feet in front of me.

-dave-

yoder quotes

2010-09-02T09:40:00.004-04:00

one of the books i read during my 40 day media fast was the original revolution by john howard yoder, a collection of essays discussing the topic of christian pacifism. **everyone must read this book**

i wrote down some of my favorite quotes and thought i'd share them with the blogosphere. enjoy...

"jesus will therefore be describing a morality of repentance or of conversion; not a prescription of what Every Man can and should do to be happy; not a meditation on how best to guide society, but a description of how a person behaves whose life has been transformed by meeting jesus."

"this (christian pacifism) is not a set of moral standards to be posed on everyone or on the unconvinced."

"the ethics of discipleship is not guided by the goals it seeks to reach, but by the Lord it seeks to reflect."

"what jesus meant by fulfillment was thus a quite literal filling full, a carrying on to full accomplishment of the intent of the earlier moral guides."

"nonresistance is right, in the deepest sense, not because it works, but because it anticipates the triumph of the lamb that was slain."

"here we must point out that this attitude, leaving evil free to be evil, leaving the sinner free to separate himself from God and sin against man, is a part of the nature of agape itself, as revealed already in creation."

"God's love begins right at the point where he permits sin against himself and against man, without crushing the rebel under his own rebellion."

regarding the new covenant..."once all men are seen as potential partakers of the covenant, then the outside can no longer be perceived as less than human or as an object for sacrificing."

read the book for yourself. it's brilliant.

-dave-

i'm back

2010-08-27T09:27:00.002-04:00

well, the 40 days of fasting from tv and the internet are over.

i must say, this past month has been one of the most freeing of my life. i spent more time in prayer, reading and conversation than i ever have and i can't help but feel i have grown as a person.

i never realized how significant and time consuming tv and internet are to my life. going forward i plan on tempering my media consumption in an effort to stay more connected to the real world rather than the plastic universe of tv and the world wide web.

one of the major nuggets of truth that my eyes have been opened to is that peace cannot come when we allow the noise to bombard our lives. the more we let in the more the voice of christ becomes a faint whisper. the more we consume the less we give. it's simple but true and profound for me.

there is so much more to share that i have learned over the past 40 days, but i fully plan on sharing those things on this blog-o-dave over time.

i missed you my friends.

-dave-

baptism

2010-07-18T13:13:00.002-04:00

hola friends,

this blog entry will be my last for at least 40 days. i have decided to, once again, be baptized. i say "once again" because i have already gone through the process of baptism when i was 11 years old.

this decision is not something i am taking lightly, in fact just the opposite is true. it is actually something i have been thinking about for quite some time now. i can't really say why it is now that i've decided to be baptized once again, but i believe there is no better time than the present.

god has been showing me new things over the past couple of years and i have come to a firm faith in the lordship of jesus over my life. i have come to discard the way of cheap grace and have embraced the path of discipleship.

i have come to take hold of a faith that is costly and life-changing. for these reasons i am repenting in the presence of friends and family of my former way of life. for these reasons i am proclaiming that i have embraced the other-worldly way of jesus the messiah and the kingdom he came to inaugurate.

immediately following my baptism i will be fasting from tv and the internet for 40 days. i am seeking to follow jesus in every way, and i believe that begins with his baptism and 40 days of fasting in the desert. therefore, i say farewell to mindless entertainment for a while to see what god will do with the empty space that will be left from all the noise pollution in my brain.

i know that no one will really even notice that i am gone from this blog-o-dave, but i hope that you will all keep me in your prayers.

for those of you who know my email address, i will continue to respond to emails, but that will be the extent of my internet usage.

peace

-dave-

time flies

2010-07-12T09:33:00.003-04:00

our little annabelle is officially 1 and her birthday bash was a success. thanks to everyone who came and showed love to our little family.

we are so unbelievably blessed to have friends and family (and friends who have become family) who care so deeply for our daughter. i am forever thankful that we have people around us who are willing and able to help us raise annabelle. it is something i will never take for granted.

so, i guess this is really a big THANK YOU! to all of the people that have impacted our lives in one way or another over the past year. we have memories that will last us a lifetime and can't wait for what lies ahead.

-dave-

know thyself

2010-07-09T09:45:00.003-04:00

hola.

i believe it was socrates (sow-craits) johnson from bill and ted's excellent adventure who once said, "know thyself." well socrates, i fully intend to.

i've come to a point in my life where i am not all that concerned with hearing about my negative traits. i've actually come to the point of wanting to know more of them and even embracing some of them. i want to know the things that other people think about me and just won't tell me. seriously, i can handle it!

over the past couple of months i have been involved in a group that has allowed me to open up about the things that i struggle with, and they in turn have told me what they believe to be my flaws as onlookers to my life. side note: they are real jerks about it. i'm thinking about leaving the group. joke. in fact, they have been just the opposite.

it's so rare to find people who will be honest with you, while at the same time showing grace and humility in the process. it's pretty fantastic.

on this path to knowing myself i am sure there will be painful realizations and many sessions of asking for forgiveness from those i have hurt, but i know that in the end the only way to deal with sins against god and others is to get them out in the open. i'm ready for that. i'm ready to take out the log in my own eye. i'm ready to know who i really am and to go another way.

-dave-

incarnation

2010-07-05T09:19:00.002-04:00

hey folks,

just caught this video from a post on twitter. it deals with the church being present in the city. check it out:

The Ideacamp at Exponential 2010 with Shane Claireborne, Neil Cole and Alan Hirsch from The Idea Camp on Vimeo.

-dave-

fuzzy lines

2010-06-18T09:30:00.005-04:00

hola friends,

i had a brief, but great, conversation with my friend jeremy yesterday when he visited my workplace. we were talking about the bible and some of its apparent contradictions. since jeremy is the pastor of his own community in hingham i will not speak to anything he said, but as you might assume, i am not too shy to let the world wide web know my current thoughts on the matter.

a little background to start...i have, for a few years now, come to embrace the teachings, life, death and resurrection of jesus as the benchmark for which my life should be patterned (of course i fail. of course i cannot do it on my own). this is certainly not anything groundbreaking, but when it first occurred to me that jesus actually meant for us to take his word seriously my whole life changed.

as one who grew up in the evangelical tradition, i received (not so much from my parents) this idea of a grace that covers all of my sins and that doesn't really require a whole lot of me.

**disclaimer** i must say that simply because i "received" this message does not mean that this teaching was necessarily preached everywhere.

it just seems to me that inherent in mainstream american evangelicalism is this overarching theme of cheap grace. 'jesus died so that i can have life, and live it however i want.'coming to the realization that this wasn't jesus' message was a life-changing event for me. thank you dietrich bonhoeffer!

background over.

today, i am constantly finding myself in conversations defending the view that we, as disciples, take our marching orders from jesus. there are things that he taught his followers that seem so clear to me that aren't necessarily as clear to others. as a result i have come to learn a much needed virtue...patience.

the most glaring issue for me (and one that seems most central to the life and teachings of our lord) is the teaching that we are to love and forgive our enemies, not only on a personal level but on a national level as well. i'm still not sure how people are able to separate these into two different realms. unless i'm mistaken, aren't all nations made up of individuals?

folks will often quote romans 13 or some obscure passage in the old testament (where god is destroying his enemies) in an effort to counter, what seems to me, to be the very clear teaching of jesus to not only love our enemies, but to pray for them and even serve them. many of these same people also seem to fear that i am guilty of a heresy for preferring the teachings of jesus over a verse, taken out of context, in the letters to the romans or the corinthians.

in these situations i am usually called a "red letter christian," meaning that i take the words of jesus as paramount over the rest of the bible. i just have to ask this one question. if i am guilty of being a red letter christian, what are the people who prefer romans 13 over matthew 5 to be called? black letter christians?

now i'm not sure that i can be accurately described as a red letter christian, since i hold the entirety of scripture as the revelation of god. but i do believe jesus to be the image of the invisible god. and i do believe he came to give us life and show us how to live it, not simply to forgive us so that we can live and think however we see fit.

i have learned to approach these apparent fuzzy lines with grace and respect for others who don't share the same views as i do. however, i am still convinced beyond doubt that jesus meant for his disciples to be of one mind on issues such as these. i don't think he took love lightly, and i don't think he intended for his followers to either.

though this debate will rage on until kingdom come, i think it is important in matters of apparent contradiction, that we find in the scriptures, to take seriously the things that jesus taught very plainly. he is not only our savior, he is our lord. he taught us to march to the beat of a different drum. just read matthew 5-7 if you don't believe me. we are the light of the world my friends. we far too often disappear in the darkness when we adopt eye of and eye as our method of response.

it's time for love and mercy to be the mark of his people once again.

-dave-

killing with integrity

2010-06-05T11:44:00.003-04:00

i saw this sign on a church yesterday: "do you remember them? do you remember jesus?"

at first, since i'm a little dense, i had no idea what the sign was saying. then, my lovely and brilliant wife explained to me that it must have something to do with memorial day.

the sign reminded me of a question that i was recently asked by a fellow peace-seeking friend of mine from school. he asked me if killing another human being could ever be done with integrity. what do you presume i said??? probably not what you think. i said, "sure it can. adhering to a sense of morality doesn't necessarily mean it's christian morality." he was thinking the same thing.

i believe it is most certainly honorable to fight and die for something you believe in with all of your heart. many people who have given their lives in the name of political or economic freedom throughout the centuries have done so for the sake of others, and we have certainly benefited from their sacrifice. however, is this the same morality that we have been called to as people carrying our crosses? in my opinion, the answer is an emphatic NO!

christian ethics have an entirely upside-down way about them. which is why following christ, oftentimes, seems strange and even wrong to folks who claim jesus as lord. think about it. when someone takes my jacket i should give them my pants? if someone pushes me around i should willingly offer them a clean shot at my face? this sounds ridiculous. but it is at the center of what it means to be a disciple of jesus christ.

can we really talk about the sacrifice of soldiers in the same breath as the sacrifice of christ? is wielding a weapon of war against an enemy in any way like christ's self-sacrificing death for his enemies on the cross? we may be able to affirm the integrity of a man or woman fighting and dying for a cause in a kingdom of this world sort of reality, but integrity and honor look quite the opposite in the kingdom of God reality.

one more gripe. i've often been called liberal or even cowardly for having these views. i hate to think that jesus was cowardly when he taught and lived this way, and would really like to know how taking jesus seriously and at his word lends itself to having a liberal view of scripture. just a thought.

-dave-

god hates us

2010-05-27T22:13:00.003-04:00

a small group of guys that i am a part of has been discussing the atonement as a result of watching this video featuring mark driscoll, pastor of mars hill in seattle, washington. i want to share some quotes with you all from this video:

"god hates all who do evil." "we sin, God hates us!" "we do what we are!"

interesting. how do we reconcile this with john 3:16, never mind a whole score of passages in scripture that speak of God's intense love for humanity, despite their wickedness? interesting that it doesn't say that god so hated the evildoers of the world that he sent his only son to redeem them.

this is not to say that it doesn't in fact say that God hates evildoers in psalm 5:5, but we must not take one verse and apply an emotion or characteristic to God that seems entirely inconsistent when compared to the revelation of Jesus Christ.

"there is a sense in which God loves us, to be sure."

ya don't say?! this comment is made as though it's an afterthought, or possibly even a secondary characteristic or emotion that God feels towards God's creation. what part of Christ's gospel of the in-breaking kingdom of God screams out that God won't love you until you love him back (which Driscoll believes God controls anyway - see doctrine of predestination)?! it is so unbelievably inconsistent that it genuinely scares me.

"we all want to receive mercy and give justice." i say amen to this one. we are all hypocrites.

now, i've made my opinion concerning driscoll's teachings known before, and i'm really not trying to ruffle any feathers, but i really do have some major concerns with some of the things he is preaching to thousands and thousands of people. check out some more of these quotes from a video about how pastor mark not only approves of mma (mixed martial arts) and ufc, but encourages it:

"i don't think there's anything purer than two guys in a cage...no balls, no sticks, no bats, no help, no team...and see which guy is better."

that's right, God calls on us to show we are better than our fellow man by beating the piss out of them...

"men are made for combat. men are made for conflict. men are made for dominion."

wouldn't he be more comfortable describing this attribute of men as our depraved state? i'm not saying we should be tiptoeing through the tulips, but i must say, the non-violent leadership and teaching of Jesus Christ is hardly a wimpy way to live. i believe he died as a result of NOT fighting back, and rebuked those who did. just a thought.

"let men be men, and do what men do, and let the other fat, lazy men criticize them while watching."

nice.

please forgive me. i just had to rant. i know it's a really easy target, but this kind of stuff just eats at me. i feel like this guy is representing an entirely different Jesus than the one i read about in scripture. please don't take my word for it. watch this quick video and come to your own conclusions.

peace

-dave-

gungor

2010-05-11T20:50:00.002-04:00

hola,

everyone must check out this band called gungor. they are good.

here's a sample of lyrics from their song "cannot keep you":

they could not keep you in a tent
they could not keep you in a temple
or any of their idols, to see and understand

we cannot keep you in a church
we cannot keep you in a bible
or it's just another idol to box you in

they could not keep you in their box
we cannot keep you in ours either
you are so much greater

who is like the Lord
the maker of the heavens
who dwells with the poor
and he lifts them from the ashes
and he makes them sit with princes
who is like the Lord

we've tried to keep you in our tents
we've tried to keep you in our temples
we've worshiped all our idols, we want all that to end
we will find you in the streets
we will find you in the prisons
and even in our bibles and churches

who is like the Lord
the maker of the heavens
lover of my soul
who takes me from the ashes
who heals me of my blindness
who is like the Lord

-dave=

mother's day

2010-05-06T22:35:00.003-04:00

i am so excited to wish my wife her very first mother's day. she is seriously an unbelievable mommy. she has taken incredible care of our little girl and i'd be lost wihout her mother's intuition. it comes so naturally to her.

i have learned a new and profound love for my wife that i had not known before. before our daughter was born i prayed to know a deeper love through her birth, and i believe i have been given that, but i have also grown in love from seeing jen's incredible love as a mother to annabelle. i married way up. there's no doubt about that.

i am also very thankful for my mother. she was an incredible witness of Christ's love in my life and i will always be thankful for her passion in raising me to follow Jesus.

finally, here is a poem written by julia ward howe during the civil war, written as the goal of the original "mother's peace day" in america:

arise then...women of this day!
arise, all women who have hearts!
whether your baptism be of water or of tears!
say firmly:
"we will not have questions answered by irrelevant agencies,
our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage,
for caresses and applause.
our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
we, the women of one country,
will be too tender of those of another country
to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."

from the bosum of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with
our own. It says: "Disarm! Disarm!
the sword of murder is not the balance of justice."
blood does not wipe our dishonor,
nor violence indicate possession.
as men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil at the summons of war,
let women now leave all that may be left of home
for a great and earnest day of counsel.
let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
whereby the great human family can live in peace...
each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
but of God -
in the name of womanhood and humanity, i earnestly ask
that a general congress of women without limit of nationality,
may be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient
and the earliest period consistent with its objects,
to promote the alliance of the different nationalities,
the amicable settlement of international questions,
the great and general interests of peace.

happy mother's day

-dave-

love that dirty water

2010-05-03T12:29:00.007-04:00

if you haven't turned on your tv or radio lately, you may not have heard that boston and its surrounding communities have been without clean drinking water since friday, and may be without it for a few more days. there was a major leak in the 10 foot pipe that brings water from western mass to the boston area, so there is no drinking water available from the tap, unless of course you boil it and stick it in the fridge for a while.

as you might expect, people are feeling slightly inconvenienced.

stores have been flooded for bottled water and they are running out quickly. many people from boston drove all the way to new hampshire just to buy bottled water!

one of the more interesting quotes i have heard during this predicament was from a woman on the radio who was a wee bit perturbed after going to the town of belmont to get some clean water. unfortunately, she was not able to get any water from them since she was not a resident of that town. her quote: "what do you mean i can't get water here?! this is america!"

apparently americans are supposed to be immune from the issues that the rest of the world deals with on a daily basis.

i think this was a bit of a wake up call for the people of boston.

simply because we live in america, we expect everything to be at our fingertips. we have been so spoiled that we actually believe we deserve everything we have available to us. it is time for us to realize that our privileges are made available to us at the cost of many around the world who have no concept of what clean drinking water even looks like.

i mean, just look at our supermarkets. we could feed a few hundred villages with all the food we throw away because it gets out of date before it is bought in the store!

as people of privilege, not only are we obligated to take care of people around the world who don't have the luxuries that we do at their doorstep, we should desire justice for them.

we have been given much and much is expected of us who know the way of Christ. whether in little or in plenty, we are called to feed those who can't feed themselves and to bring water to those who have none to drink. may we learn from this minor inconvenience of ours that there are millions who deal with this time 100 every day of their lives.

a great organization to check out if you are interested in more information is the bloodwater mission.

matthew 25:35: "for i was hungry and you gave me food, i was thirsty and you gave me drink, i was a stranger and you welcomed me..."

-dave-

peace at the fcm

2010-04-12T16:22:00.002-04:00

hola friends,

peace came rolling into the faith covenant meal today.

at around 12:45 a group of people doing a "peace walk", aimed at ending the production of nuclear weapons, strolled into the first parish church in quincy asking if they could share a meal with me. the walk began in vermont and is ending at the united nations, just in time to make their voice heard before a discussion takes place regarding a nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

this was a very cool experience for me, not only because i am a firm believer in non-violent resistance, but also because i found solidarity with folks from different faith traditions who hold to the same convictions that i do(they were 3 buddhist monks, a few unitarians and a couple christians).

seeing these people in action made me want to follow the way of Jesus even more closely. they were passionate and kind, and they cared deeply about humanity. i saw a love in these folks that you don't often get to witness in this world. as a matter of fact, i felt ashamed of myself in their presence, while at the same time feeling grateful that i had the opportunity to meet them. they are doing what i think and talk about all the time. they are putting into action the things they believe and i pray that they are successful in their efforts. whether they are or not, God has blessed me through their company.

i must admit that i am guilty of ignorance in regards the subject of nuclear non-proliferations, and even if i had been aware of the upcoming summit at the united nations. i am quite certain that i would have done nothing about it. this is a wake up call to me. i need to do much more than i speak. fewer words, more action.

i thank God that these people walked into my life today. i am better for meeting them.

peace

-dave-

hearing and doing

2010-04-06T09:46:00.002-04:00

matthew 7:24-27 - "everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. and everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against the house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."

over the month of january i read the sermon on the mount every day. it was a great discipline for me, and i learned many things about the gospel. one thing that continually stuck out to me was the way Jesus ends the sermon. 'if you hear and do the things i just said, you will not fall. if you hear, but don't do the things i just said, you will fall, and fall real hard.'

i must admit that i can see the truth of this in my own life. the times when i have hated, judged, called people fools or treated people like i would never want to be treated i have felt the weight of the world all over me.

the burden that Jesus came to take away by teaching us to love our enemies, walk the extra mile and give grace to those who we think don't deserve it is placed right back on us when we ignore the words we have heard him speak.

although i hate it, i drift closer and closer to cheap grace every day that i neglect the teachings of Christ. cheap grace is the faulty foundation. we know what he said, but believe we are ok because he died for us. we have heard, but we do not do.

Jesus didn't die so that we can live the way we want. he died to free us from the burden of judging ourselves and others, from hating our enemies and from taking the man's eye for the eye he plucked from me.

with those burdens no longer keeping us strapped to the way of the world, the storms will come, but we will stand. pray for me that i remember that as life goes by like a hurricane.

-dave-

alive in this old town

2010-04-04T20:05:00.003-04:00

a few weeks ago i was with my brother james in nashville, and we ended up writing a couple of songs. i wrote this one with easter on my mind. the very basic concept is that there is a way the world functions. that way is violent and self-serving. Jesus gives us a way to be alive in the overwhelming presence of death.

blood is calling from the ground. Christ came to breath life into that which was dead. those of us who know him are alive in this old town.

here you go:

everyone came out to fight
to save their land and protect their rights
they stole, they killed, they died
they took their brothers lives

but i'm alive in this old town
i'm alive in this old town

some were shown a different way
a way to build and not to break
they know the way of peace
by turning other cheeks

i'm alive in this old town

blood is calling from the ground
"you took my heart and cut me down"
but we got what we deserved
revenge has now been served

i'm alive in this old town

-dave-

good from bad

2010-04-02T09:58:00.002-04:00

happy good friday bloggeronis!

i was thinking this morning about good friday and how strange and painful it would have been for Jesus' family and disciples to hear someone call it a "good" day. however, from our current understanding of what went down that day, and the years leading up to it, we can now celebrate the horrific and violent death of Jesus Christ as the day that a perfect lamb was slain for the very people who brought about his death.

we must remember his life in light of his death. he went to that cross with love in his heart. i can hardly say i would do the same, but today reminds me that i have been saved so that i am able, and even commissioned to do so.

Jesus' death on the cross is the classic example of something good coming about as the result of something that is clearly evil. the crucifixion was not and will never be a "good" thing. it was torturous and oppressive to the point of death. that being said, what comes as the result of the crucifixion is without a doubt good.

it is impossible to see the positive results that can come out of a negative circumstance. but in sharing with the sufferings of Christ we are being made into his image. there is nothing better than that.

-dave-

possessed by truth

2010-03-30T20:20:00.001-04:00

here is an excerpt from an article jon foreman wrote on the huffington post about being possessed by truth. it's amazing, as usual:

"My thoughts drift to religion. These are the truths that people live by and hold dear. In many ways, these are the truths that inspire our best and worst moments. The truths that motivate Mother Theresa and start religious wars. How can this be? How can fresh water and salt water come from the same hose? Perhaps it has to do with this concept of possession. If I view the truth as my possession to keep safe, I might feel the need to protect my faith. But if I am possessed by the truth, perhaps this protection is no longer needed. Maybe I am set free from the need to defend the truth, rather the truth defends me.

The idea of defending an all-powerful deity feels a bit silly when it's put out in the wind like that. And yet, that sentiment seems to epitomize much of what religion has come to mean. After centuries of witch-hunts, inquisitions and holy wars, many are still fighting hard to defend their faith in an omnipotent God who has no need of our protection. Maybe we are still protecting our beliefs as though we were the owners of this truth.

If our faith is to be more than just a lit match in the powder-keg of differing beliefs, what role does religion play in our modern world? What would it mean to be possessed by truth rather than simply the proud owner of a particular denomination? Maybe we could start with the common ground that we all can call truth. In all of the major religions of the world I find the call to protect the less fortunate.

From the Torah:
"Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow."
Isaiah 1:17

From the Koran:
"Spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, for the ransom of slaves, to be steadfast in prayer and to practice regular charity."
83. Section 10

From the New Testament:
"Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you."
James 1:27

From Buddha:
"A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity."

The "truth" of loving those around me, the "truth" of seeking justice for the oppressed, the "truth" of a life of service -- these are truths to be possessed by: to be a slave in the service of the kingdom of the heavens, to be the servant of all. If the truths in this life have no owner then we are set free: free from the need to defend the truth, free to be possessed by this truth and simply live it out. Truth becomes much too large for me to possess; truth is the beauty and authenticity which possesses me.

Maybe the meaning of life is not something that I can control, but rather a reality which possesses me. Maybe there is no life guiding "fact" that I can put in my back pocket, as though I were the sole owner of the universe. Perhaps The-Meaning-of-Life-Himself is asking me the questions. When I look at a sunset, when I hear the songs of the ocean gulls, when I feel the warmth of family and friends, I am reminded of a story that is bigger than I am. Yes, this is my story but not mine alone. Truth was never mine alone. Truth is that which possesses me."

old and new

2010-03-25T12:16:00.004-04:00

genesis 4:3-11: "in the course of time cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, and abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. and the LORD had regard for abel and his offering, but for cain and his offering he had no regard. so cain was very angry, and his face fell. the LORD said to cain, "why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? if you do well, will you not be accepted? and if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. its desire is for you, but you must rule over it."
cain spoke to abel his brother. and when they were in the field, cain rose up against his brother abel and killed him. then the LORD said to cain, "where is abel your brother?" de said,"i do not know; am i my brother’s keeper?" and the LORD said, "what have you done? the voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. and now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand."

i am finally taking old testament survey at school. i have been trying to avoid it for quite a while, but it finally got me. as you would expect we started out in genesis, and i the story of cain and abel struck me in a way that it never did before.

i came to the realization that the first manifestation of humanity's fall was jealousy, resulting in murder. simple, i know. but, this realization made a lot of things click for me.it allowed to understand salvation on a much deeper level than i had before.

so, here's a quick idea of what i've been coming to understand...

the world the way we made it:

God creates everything good. we decide we can do as well, if not better without God. we bring death to a creation designed for life by choosing our own way.

violence and death runs rampant in the realm of humanity (and in the animal kingdom). humanity is bent on self-preservation. all we care about is ourselves and all we desire is our own happiness, no matter the cost to anyone else.

a now for something completely different:

enter Jesus. a new kingdom. a new way. a new death. a renewed life.

"you have heard that it has been said...but i tell you!"

in Jesus, God most powerfully displays for us his intentions for humanity. God blessings are now opened up to the whole world, and we are called to extend that blessing to everyone.

this new and completely different way, this salvation that we have come to know, is not just a rescue from a nebulous afterlife. it is a here and now life changer. it doesn't place a stamp of approval on the old way of doing things. it gives us new goals and new peace that we can't help but bring to others.we are new people, with new attitudes and a new heart bent on love instead of self-preservation.

this new and opposite way changes us into people who place others before ourselves (including our enemies). there is no hiding from those who love this new way. they are lovers to their death, even if their death is caused by those who know not this new way.

apart from Christ there is only the way of death. the way of self-preservation.with Christ there life. that's a kingdom i want to be a part of.

the rest is for the birds.

-dave-

our f word

2010-03-02T09:31:00.002-05:00

luke 23:34 - and Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

here, while Jesus is dying on the cross, he asks his father to forgive his killers for the ignorance of their actions.

haven't we always been taught that we have to ask for forgiveness from God before we can receive it? why then does Jesus ask his father to forgive his killers, despite the fact that they crucified him with no remorse?

through Christ, i've come to find that the most shocking and earth-shattering thing you can do to another person is what Jesus did. forgive them. whether they deserve it or not.

forgiveness is central to the life of a follower of Christ. it leads us to love neighbor and enemy alike, since we know that we are nowhere near being worthy of the forgiveness we continually receive.

imagine, if you will, that someone close to you has ripped you off, lied to you, told lies about you or turned their back on you. would it not be far more Christ-like to offer forgiveness to them (prior to them asking) than to seek revenge in-kind?

we are called to a revenge far more powerful than eye for an eye. forgiveness is our greatest act of revenge.

-dave-

guns and God

2010-03-01T09:47:00.002-05:00

check out this article, written by shane claiborne, that i found on sojourners. no commentary is necessary...

-dave-

blood water mission

2010-02-20T12:45:00.003-05:00

hola friends,

for lent i am participating in a campaign through the blood water mission that has challenged people to give up every drink but water for 40 days.

to find out more about the blood water mission or to support the campaign, visit my personal site here.

-dave-

mustard seed kingdom

2010-02-11T09:33:00.003-05:00

mark 4:30-32 30 "and he said, “with what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? it is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

everything in this world is done to the max. $500,000,000 movies, 110 story buildings, double-decker planes, mega-churches, etc. Jesus came announcing something totally different.

Jesus gave us a way out of the empire. he gave us a way to escape the onslaught of massive production and hype. the lowest of the low are exalted in this mustard seed kingdom. everyone who is seemingly meaningless and insignificant will be called great and mighty.

i love this upside-down kingdom that is the polar opposite of what we have been taught to be the way, the truth and the life.

the way is not the pursuit of happiness.
the truth is not whatever our "leaders" tell us.
the life is not the path to money, power and fame.

Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. his kingdom is one that teaches us to love in an extravagant and unrelenting way. it is one that teaches us to judge ourselves over others. and it is a kingdom that brings a peace that cannot be understood or explained.

this kingdom calls us to die so that we can live. to be small so that he can make us big. may we find that death and embrace the suffering that the messiah embraced for all of us...

be as small as you can be.

-dave-

hello february

2010-02-01T08:28:00.003-05:00

a new month. a new commitment to something other than the sermon on the mount. i haven't decided yet, but i think i will try to read through 1 Gospel per week.

i certainly don't feel much different than when i started the year, but the discipline of reading Christ's most famous sermon every day has been one that i know will only hollow me out more, so that i can be stop being like those hypocrites he is always slamming.

happy beginning of the shortest month of the year!

-dave-

reality

2010-01-31T22:42:00.002-05:00

which 'reality' do you live in?

option 1. there is the reality of the world that we live in each and every day. this is the natural world. a world where justice is a consumer product, where war is always at our doorstep and where peace is only found in fairy tales.

option 2. there is the reality we create for ourselves. a world that answers only to our own circumstances. in this world nothing outside of our own sphere of influence can truly affect us.

option 3. there is the reality of the world that Jesus taught us about. a world yet to come, but one hoped for and seen in moments and glimpses. a world where the meek are kings and queens. a world where the impoverished and starved are wealthy and well fed.

do we hold onto this coming reality, seeking to advance its truth here and now, or do we live and die for what we believe to be real and meaningful according to our current reality?

must we participate in this world's reality or are we called to a higher reality, here and now? must we be called dreamers or foolish if we seek to participate in the coming kingdom, despite living in this fallen reality?

in this world where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal...what is really worth holding on to?

-dave-

mlk day

2010-01-18T09:50:00.002-05:00

happy mlk day everyone!

today is a great opportunity for all of us who call ourselves followers of Jesus to celebrate the life of a man who, though flawed as we all are, led america in the right direction in terms of peace and equality.

he was a man who refused to return evil for evil and preached love for his enemies. he prayed for his oppressors and sought the way of shalom over the way of the sword.

here is a sermon by mlk about loving your enemies. it's a little long, but well worth the read.

on this day that we honor a man who knew that the will of God was for all people to be free in Jesus, may we seek that same peace for all people all across the world.

-dave-

legislate this

2010-01-09T15:38:00.004-05:00

John 8:2-11 (esv) - "Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

i have always loved this passage (as has every other person who has ever read it) but until recently, i had never thought of it in light of the culture we live in today.

as we all know the two hot-button issues of our time in america are abortion and gay marriage. i've heard argument after argument about why these two "issues" should either be allowed or banned according to the law of the land. it's gotten old quick.

however, i've found (in my own life) a solid reason to choose the way of Christ over the power of legislation...

aren't we all guilty of breaking at least one of the laws of our land, never mind God's law?!

have not all of us at one time or another gone over the speed limit?
have not all of us at one time or another lied?
have not all of us been angry with our brother or sister at one time or another (matthew 5:22)? have not all of us called someone else a fool?
have not most of us lusted after another woman or man despite our commitment to another to be faithful until death do us part?
have not all of us sought revenge?

we are all guilty of breaking the law, yet we continue to place other people's flaws and mistakes above our own. it's easy to legislate morality when you don't struggle with the moral issue being debated.

many times, when we legislate against girls who are considering abortion or gay people who are seeking to marry, we lose any chance at loving them the way Christ would have us love, and showing them mercy the way Christ would have us show mercy. we have become the accusers (like the scribes and pharisees who thought they were obeying the Law of Moses) rather than the liberators. the judge and jury rather than the defendant. i think it's time we got back to the cause of Christ, rather than the cause of the Law.

since we have been freed from condemnation because of God's love, how much more should we be showing that kind of kingdom mercy and grace to all those dirty lawbreakers in our own time and place?

we don't have stones anymore. they've been replaced with votes.

let him/her who is without sin among you cast the first vote.

-dave-

two hands

2010-01-07T09:14:00.003-05:00

hola bloggers and bloggeritas,

i have already been learning quite a bit this year. i'm excited about where God is leading, while at the same time feeling discouraged about things that have had a grip on me for a long time. another year with the same baggage.

i was listening to a song on pandor this morning by jars of clay called "two hands." it's a really great song that talks about how double-minded we can be. i can definitely relate.

one more thing i have been trying to do this new year is to read the sermon on the mount every day of the year. it's a discipline that i'm excited to enforce in my own life. i'll let you know how it goes.

i was reading "the new testament in modern english" by j.b. phillips this morning, and i love his translation of the beginning of the sermon on the mount. check it out.

"how happy are the humble-minded, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs!
how happy are those who know what sorrow means, for they will be given courage and comfort!
happy are those who are hungry and thirsty for goodness, for they will be fully satisfied!
happy are the merciful, for they will have mercy shown to them!
happy are those who are utterly sincere, or they will see God!
happy are those who make peace, for the will be known as sons of God!
happy are those who have suffered persecution for the cause of goodness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs!"

-dave-

11

2010-01-06T15:34:00.002-05:00

11 years ago today i made one of the best decisions of my life. i asked jen sifferd out on a date.

i should be commended for being smart enough to catch her when she was still in high school. yes, it is true, i married way up!

-dave-

u can't outrun God

2009-12-28T18:22:00.003-05:00

2 samuel 14:14 - "we each must die and disappear like water poured out on the ground. but God doesn't take our lives. instead, he figures out ways of bringing us back when we run away (contemporary english version)."

mercy is a beautiful thing.

-dave-

the didache

2009-12-05T18:45:00.003-05:00

what do you know, i have something write!

i was reading a blog today about a new book that tony jones has written, analyzing the didache (an early church document, possibly written prior to the time of many new testament books). you can read the entire text of the didache here. it's not very long at all.

i must admit that my first and only impression of the didache came from a professor at seminary who told our class that he thinks the didache is the reason for legalism in christianity.

i could not have come to a more different conclusion.

it looks more to me like a community looking to emulate and prolong the teachings of Christ, rather than fall into the way the World does things.

this could not have come at a better time for me. it is a time when i am trying to discover what it meant to be a member of The Church shortly after the time of Christ. it looks to me like we don't look a whole lot like that early community of people. check out some of these lines from the didache that echo the teachings of Christ. actually, the interesting thing is that the document begins with a kind of summary of the sermon on the mount. here are some excerpts that struck me.

3:7...be gentle, since the gentle will inherit the earth.
3:8 Be long-suffering and pitiful and guileless and gentle and good, and with trembling, treasure the words you have received.
3:9 Don't exalt yourself or open your heart to overconfidence. Don't be on intimate terms with mighty people, but with just and lowly ones.

be pitiful, guileless and gentle...?!?! seems slightly contrary to the way we are taught as good citizens nowadays...

-dave-

learning to listen

2009-12-03T20:57:00.003-05:00

hola friends,

i haven't written anything for quite some time, mostly because i realized that i was doing a lot more talking than listening in my life. i have been so ready to espouse my opinion for so long that i wasn't taking any time to shut up and listen to what God might be teaching me.

i'm a guy (an italian guy at that!), so by nature i like hearing myself speak. i really feel like God is trying to get me to spend more time in silence, listening to what he might be telling me, rather than spending the majority of my time telling God what's up and how things should work.

so, i apologize to anyone who actually cares that i haven't been saying anything lately, but i have to sit back and shut my mouth for a little while.

although i am still doing more talking than listening, there is a little more space in my airwaves than there once was.

-dave-

good stuff

2009-11-26T23:05:00.002-05:00

read this article by jon foreman.

also, jen and i just watched "the soloist." i highly recommend everyone watch it.

-dave-

the hardest way to live

2009-10-06T16:04:00.002-04:00

hey everyone,

thanks so much for all of your fantastic insight into this issue. i resonate with everything that was written and struggle with the implications of being a peacemaker in this world of violence. it is quite simply the most difficult way to live.

i have questioned, for quite some time, why it seems to be true that Christians (more than other people i speak with) have a hard time accepting that God asks us to love (and do good) to our enemies, to bless those who curse us and to turn the other cheek. not only does he ask us to live this way, but God himself lived this way through Jesus Christ.

why is it that we praise the martyrs of 1st and 2nd century christianity, but we are now baffled by those who would rather die and kill?

why do we continue to pluck out our brother's and sister's eyes for the wrongs they have committed against us?

why do we battle other christians, showing no love or compassion in our words, over trivial matters of theology?

why do we believe we can be pacifists by abstaining from physical violence, while neglecting to be peacemakers with our words?

the answer to all of these questions really is very simple...it's not easy. Christ showed us the beautiful and selfless way of the cross, but we will always prefer the quick and easy way of the sword.

we still desire that which is the easiest and least costly.

if only we really believed what our Savior did and said.

peace

-dave-

the God of peace

2009-09-25T09:07:00.002-04:00

"peace by way of war is like purity by way of fornication." - derek webb

"nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. it is a sword that heals." - martin luther king jr.

"eye for an eye leaves everyone blind." - gandhi

"do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." - paul the apostle

"love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who abuse you." - Jesus

faith covenant meal

2009-09-18T17:14:00.003-04:00

hey everyone,

jeremy asked in the comment section of my last blog if he could volunteer at the faith covenant meal (which is a meal program that serves lunch to about 80 people per day who are either homeless or in danger of becoming homeless), so i thought i would answer by saying that yes, we can most definitely use ANYONE who wants to volunteer.

email me if you are interested...

-dave-

patience and compassion

2009-09-11T20:15:00.004-04:00

when we are patient and compassionate, we are most closely and beautifully exhibiting the image in which we were made.

God's patience and compassion on a creation that constantly turns its back on the Creator challenges us not only to show compassion on those who turn their back on us, but to have patience on them, constantly reaching out to them with mercy and love, whether they return to us or not.

-dave-

resurrection

2009-08-13T08:57:00.002-04:00

hola friends and bloggers,

i was watching cnn last night, and what do you know, shane claiborne was on. he was talking about how he and his friends have been combatting the healthcare crisis in america. it was a brief, but very interesting spot on "the situation room" (which i had never seen before last night).

while the story about how they are tackling the issue of healthcare reform was interesting, i was most struck by one comment that he made to the reporter who was following him around. while walking through what used to be a crack house he said that he and his community "practice resurrection."

that's just cool to me. it made me realize that we are all in the resurrection business. we are in a constant state of dying to this world and to ourselves and being made alive in Christ, and we have been given the gift of sharing our resurrection lifestyle with those who are living broken and fragmented lives around us.

this means getting dirty. we have to be in real, life-giving community in order to see our own wounds and the wounds of those around us. the "isolated community" (as tdags calls it) found through facebook, twitter, myspace, blogging or even sunday morning church services will never be the answer to our cry for resurrection. we have to come together and speak the truth of Christ's resurrection into eachother's lives.

in this way, we will see our brokenness begin to fade away. we must live our lives together, without pretense, centered on the redemptive power of Christ's resurrection, or we will die in our disease.

-dave-

at the cross

2009-07-30T12:49:00.002-04:00

hello everyone,

tdags just wrote a really poignant and honest blog about questions concerning the cross of Christ.

we have been having a really positive conversation about this over the past week and i would like to see what other people think.

read it. now!

-dave-

if Jesus is not who he says he was...

2009-07-16T08:52:00.008-04:00

i will stand up for my own rights
i will fight for what i deserve
happiness and self-fulfillment will be my main pursuits
i will despise neighbor and enemy alike if they infringe upon my ability to seek happiness
i will destroy my brother for personal gain
i will die for the material
i will love and honor myself above all else

if Jesus is not who he says he was...

i will seek wealth
i will seek power
i will seek strength

i will repay evil for evil.

-dave-

could she be more perfect?

2009-07-09T10:18:00.003-04:00

annabelle katherine capozzi was born at 1:45 on 07/08/09! she was 7 lbs 4 ounces and 21 inches long. it was easily the most incredible day of my life.

-dave-

beginnings and endings

2009-06-26T17:49:00.003-04:00

hola friends,

today was my good friend john owens' last day on the job. it was a sad day in the life of the faith covenant meal, but it is a new day in john's life. check out the video and article that the patriot ledger did about john and the meal program!

john has had a profound impact on my life. his humility and compassion has left a permanent mark on my heart and i thank God for his mentoring and friendship. God has most definitely used this man to be a major force for the Kingdom.

**the only correction that needs to be made in the article is that it states that 30 people were fed. the actual amount of people fed that day was 120.

in other news, my baby is very close to breathing her first breath. please keep us in prayer as we enter into parenting!

-dave-

jesus manifesto

2009-06-22T22:00:00.003-04:00

hey everyone, i came across this manifesto on another blog site. it was written by leanord sweet and frank viola. let me know what you think...

A Magna Carta for Restoring the Supremacy of Jesus Christ

a.k.a.

A Jesus Manifesto for the 21st Century Church

by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola

Christians have made the gospel about so many things … things other than Christ.

Jesus Christ is the gravitational pull that brings everything together and gives them significance, reality, and meaning. Without him, all things lose their value. Without him, all things are but detached pieces floating around in space.

It is possible to emphasize a spiritual truth, value, virtue, or gift, yet miss Christ . . . who is the embodiment and incarnation of all spiritual truth, values, virtues, and gifts.

Seek a truth, a value, a virtue, or a spiritual gift, and you have obtained something dead.

Seek Christ, embrace Christ, know Christ, and you have touched him who is Life. And in him resides all Truth, Values, Virtues and Gifts in living color. Beauty has its meaning in the beauty of Christ, in whom is found all that makes us lovely and loveable.

What is Christianity? It is Christ. Nothing more. Nothing less. Christianity is not an ideology. Christianity is not a philosophy. Christianity is the “good news” that Beauty, Truth and Goodness are found in a person. Biblical community is founded and found on the connection to that person. Conversion is more than a change in direction; it’s a change in connection. Jesus’ use of the ancient Hebrew word shubh, or its Aramaic equivalent, to call for “repentance” implies not viewing God from a distance, but entering into a relationship where God is command central of the human connection.

In that regard, we feel a massive disconnection in the church today. Thus this manifesto.

We believe that the major disease of the church today is JDD: Jesus Deficit Disorder. The person of Jesus is increasingly politically incorrect, and is being replaced by the language of “justice,” “the kingdom of God,” “values,” and “leadership principles.”

In this hour, the testimony that we feel God has called us to bear centers on the primacy of the Lord Jesus Christ. Specifically . . .

1. The center and circumference of the Christian life is none other than the person of Christ. All other things, including things related to him and about him, are eclipsed by the sight of his peerless worth. Knowing Christ is Eternal Life. And knowing him profoundly, deeply, and in reality, as well as experiencing his unsearchable riches, is the chief pursuit of our lives, as it was for the first Christians. God is not so much about fixing things that have gone wrong in our lives as finding us in our brokenness and giving us Christ.

2. Jesus Christ cannot be separated from his teachings. Aristotle says to his disciples, “Follow my teachings.” Socrates says to his disciples, “Follow my teachings.” Buddha says to his disciples, “Follow my meditations.” Confucius says to his disciples, “Follow my sayings.” Muhammad says to his disciples, “Follow my noble pillars.” Jesus says to his disciples, “Follow me.” In all other religions, a follower can follow the teachings of its founder without having a relationship with that founder. Not so with Jesus Christ. The teachings of Jesus cannot be separated from Jesus himself. Jesus Christ is still alive and he embodies his teachings. It is a profound mistake, therefore, to treat Christ as simply the founder of a set of moral, ethical, or social teaching. The Lord Jesus and his teaching are one. The Medium and the Message are One. Christ is the incarnation of the Kingdom of God and the Sermon on the Mount.

3. God’s grand mission and eternal purpose in the earth and in heaven centers in Christ . . . both the individual Christ (the Head) and the corporate Christ (the Body). This universe is moving towards one final goal – the fullness of Christ where He shall fill all things with himself. To be truly missional, then, means constructing one’s life and ministry on Christ. He is both the heart and bloodstream of God’s plan. To miss this is to miss the plot; indeed, it is to miss everything.

4. Being a follower of Jesus does not involve imitation so much as it does implantation and impartation. Incarnation–the notion that God connects to us in baby form and human touch—is the most shocking doctrine of the Christian religion. The incarnation is both once-and-for-all and ongoing, as the One “who was and is to come” now is and lives his resurrection life in and through us. Incarnation doesn’t just apply to Jesus; it applies to every one of us. Of course, not in the same sacramental way. But close. We have been given God’s “Spirit” which makes Christ “real” in our lives. We have been made, as Peter puts it, “partakers of the divine nature.” How, then, in the face of so great a truth can we ask for toys and trinkets? How can we lust after lesser gifts and itch for religious and spiritual thingys? We’ve been touched from on high by the fires of the Almighty and given divine life. A life that has passed through death – the very resurrection life of the Son of God himself. How can we not be fired up?

To put it in a question: What was the engine, or the accelerator, of the Lord’s amazing life? What was the taproot or the headwaters of his outward behavior? It was this: Jesus lived by an indwelling Father. After his resurrection, the passage has now moved. What God the Father was to Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ is to you and to me. He’s our indwelling Presence, and we share in the life of Jesus’ own relationship with the Father. There is a vast ocean of difference between trying to compel Christians to imitate Jesus and learning how to impart an implanted Christ. The former only ends up in failure and frustration. The latter is the gateway to life and joy in our daying and our dying. We stand with Paul: “Christ lives in me.” Our life is Christ. In him do we live, breathe, and have our being. “What would Jesus do?” is not Christianity. Christianity asks: “What is Christ doing through me … through us? And how is Jesus doing it?” Following Jesus means “trust and obey” (respond), and living by his indwelling life through the power of the Spirit.

5. The “Jesus of history” cannot be disconnected from the “Christ of faith.” The Jesus who walked the shores of Galilee is the same person who indwells the church today. There is no disconnect between the Jesus of Mark’s Gospel and the incredible, all-inclusive, cosmic Christ of Paul’s letter to the Colossians. The Christ who lived in the first century has a pre-existence before time. He also has a post-existence after time. He is Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End, A and Z, all at the same time. He stands in the future and at the end of time at the same moment that He indwells every child of God. Failure to embrace these paradoxical truths has created monumental problems and has diminished the greatness of Christ in the eyes of God’s people.

6. It’s possible to confuse “the cause” of Christ with the person of Christ. When the early church said “Jesus is Lord,” they did not mean “Jesus is my core value.” Jesus isn’t a cause; he is a real and living person who can be known, loved, experienced, enthroned and embodied. Focusing on his cause or mission doesn’t equate focusing on or following him. It’s all too possible to serve “the god” of serving Jesus as opposed to serving him out of an enraptured heart that’s been captivated by his irresistible beauty and unfathomable love. Jesus led us to think of God differently, as relationship, as the God of all relationship.

7. Jesus Christ was not a social activist nor a moral philosopher. To pitch him that way is to drain his glory and dilute his excellence. Justice apart from Christ is a dead thing. The only battering ram that can storm the gates of hell is not the cry of Justice, but the name of Jesus. Jesus Christ is the embodiment of Justice, Peace, Holiness, Righteousness. He is the sum of all spiritual things, the “strange attractor” of the cosmos. When Jesus becomes an abstraction, faith loses its reproductive power. Jesus did not come to make bad people good. He came to make dead people live.

8. It is possible to confuse an academic knowledge or theology about Jesus with a personal knowledge of the living Christ himself. These two stand as far apart as do the hundred thousand million galaxies. The fullness of Christ can never be accessed through the frontal lobe alone. Christian faith claims to be rational, but also to reach out to touch ultimate mysteries. The cure for a big head is a big heart.

Jesus does not leave his disciples with CliffsNotes for a systematic theology. He leaves his disciples with breath and body.

Jesus does not leave his disciples with a coherent and clear belief system by which to love God and others. Jesus gives his disciples wounds to touch and hands to heal.

Jesus does not leave his disciples with intellectual belief or a “Christian worldview.” He leaves his disciples with a relational faith.

Christians don’t follow a book. Christians follow a person, and this library of divinely inspired books we call “The Holy Bible” best help us follow that person. The Written Word is a map that leads us to The Living Word. Or as Jesus himself put it, “All Scripture testifies of me.” The Bible is not the destination; it’s a compass that points to Christ, heaven’s North Star.

The Bible does not offer a plan or a blueprint for living. The “good news” was not a new set of laws, or a new set of ethical injunctions, or a new and better PLAN. The “good news” was the story of a person’s life, as reflected in The Apostle’s Creed. The Mystery of Faith proclaims this narrative: “Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again.” The meaning of Christianity does not come from allegiance to complex theological doctrines, but a passionate love for a way of living in the world that revolves around following Jesus, who taught that love is what makes life a success . . . not wealth or health or anything else: but love. And God is love.

9. Only Jesus can transfix and then transfigure the void at the heart of the church. Jesus Christ cannot be separated from his church. While Jesus is distinct from his Bride, he is not separate from her. She is in fact his very own Body in the earth. God has chosen to vest all of power, authority, and life in the living Christ. And God in Christ is only known fully in and through his church. (As Paul said, “The manifold wisdom of God – which is Christ – is known through the ekklesia.”)

The Christian life, therefore, is not an individual pursuit. It’s a corporate journey. Knowing Christ and making him known is not an individual prospect. Those who insist on flying life solo will be brought to earth, with a crash. Thus Christ and his church are intimately joined and connected. What God has joined together, let no person put asunder. We were made for life with God; our only happiness is found in life with God. And God’s own pleasure and delight is found therein as well.

10. In a world which sings, “Oh, who is this Jesus?” and a church which sings, “Oh, let’s all be like Jesus,” who will sing with lungs of leather, “Oh, how we love Jesus!”

If Jesus could rise from the dead, we can at least rise from our bed, get off our couches and pews, and respond to the Lord’s resurrection life within us, joining Jesus in what he’s up to in the world. We call on others to join us—not in removing ourselves from planet Earth, but to plant our feet more firmly on the Earth while our spirits soar in the heavens of God’s pleasure and purpose. We are not of this world, but we live in this world for the Lord’s rights and interests. We, collectively, as the ekklesia of God, are Christ in and to this world.

May God have a people on this earth who are a people of Christ, through Christ, and for Christ. A people of the cross. A people who are consumed with God’s eternal passion, which is to make his Son preeminent, supreme, and the head over all things visible and invisible. A people who have discovered the touch of the Almighty in the face of his glorious Son. A people who wish to know only Christ and him crucified, and to let everything else fall by the wayside. A people who are laying hold of his depths, discovering his riches, touching his life, and receiving his love, and making HIM in all of his unfathomable glory known to others.

The two of us may disagree about many things—be they ecclesiology, eschatology, soteriology, not to mention economics, globalism and politics.

But in our two most recent books—From Eternity to Here and So Beautiful—we have sounded forth a united trumpet. These books are the Manifests to this Manifesto. They each present the vision that has captured our hearts and that we wish to impart to the Body of Christ— “This ONE THING I know” (Jn.9:25) that is the ONE THING that unites us all:

Jesus the Christ.

Christians don’t follow Christianity; Christians follow Christ.

Christians don’t preach themselves; Christians proclaim Christ.

Christians don’t point people to core values; Christians point people to the cross.

Christians don’t preach about Christ: Christians preach Christ.

Over 300 years ago a German pastor wrote a hymn that built around the Name above all names:

Ask ye what great thing I know, that delights and stirs me so? What the high reward I win? Whose the name I glory in?

Jesus Christ, the crucified.

This is that great thing I know; this delights and stirs me so: faith in him who died to save, His who triumphed o’er the grave:

Jesus Christ, the crucified.

—

Jesus Christ – the crucified, resurrected, enthroned, triumphant, living Lord.

He is our Pursuit, our Passion, and our Life.

Amen.

quote of the day

2009-06-13T22:45:00.004-04:00

"here at the cross is the man who loves his enemies, the man whose righteousness is greater than that of the pharisees, who being rich became poor, who gives his robe to those who took his cloak, who prays for those who despitefully use him. the cross is not a detour or a hurdle on the way to the kingdom, nor is it even the way to the kingdom; it is the kingdom come."

-john howard yoder (the politics of jesus)

-dave-

do justice

2009-05-28T08:01:00.004-04:00

hola bloggers and bloggeritas,

every thursday morning i meet with 3 of my good friends for breakfast (6 am...way too early), and i look forward to it every week. it's been a great time to tackle our doubts, questions and whatever else is on our minds. we have just finished going through the book "simply christian" by n.t. wright. it's really good stuff...i heartily recommend it.

this morning, i couldn't shake the question of what our responsibility is as followers of Jesus in this screwed up world. we talked about it a little bit at the end, but i think i was a little too passionate about it for 6:30 in the morning.

as soon as i got home, i thought of the verse in micah 6:6-8..."with what shall i come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? shall i come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall i give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? he has told you, o man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"

this is a really common passage, but it took on new meaning for me this morning. i began to realize that it might just be preferable for us if God was pleased with our offerings and personal sacrifices (all except the one about the firstborn of course).

i always thought that it would be burdensome if we were required to make sacrifices to God like the israelites did, but i started to realize this morning that doing justice, loving kindness and walking humbly with God is far more difficult and foreign to us than observing ritualistic sacrifices and offerings.

it is far more difficult to fight for the cause of the widow or the orphan than it is to sacrifice a lamb, construct a burnt offering or even to give up our favorite possession.

doing justice, loving kindness and walking humbly with God requires selflessness. none of us naturally live a selfless/Christ-like life, but that is exactly what God requires of us.

peace

-dave-

fast darfur

2009-05-25T12:16:00.002-04:00

hey guys,

i hope everyone is enjoying a day off from the grind by attending bbq's with friends and families.

earlier today i found and interview on youtube dealing with the genocide that is going on in sudan. the interview led me to a site where a bunch of people are fasting for days at a time to create awareness about what is going on in darfur.

it got me thinking about our responsibility to uphold justice in this world. we are ambassadors of God's love, and as such, we are called to advance Christ's kingdom here and now. i believe that the Church has a responsibility to face down the massive injustice that is occurring in darfur in whatever way possible. fasting, praying or calling attention to this devastation may be all that we can do for now, but it has to start somewhere.

i'm nobody by myself, but i know that as a community of Christ followers we have the ability to change this world.

so pray for these people. there are more families dying needlessly every single day and we can be a part of that coming to an end.

peace

-dave-

community II

2009-05-05T20:07:00.003-04:00

hey everyone,

it's been a while, but i promised an answer to some of sam's questions!

this past sunday, while tdags was preaching, i started thinking about WHY it is so important for us to be in a life-sharing community with fellow Christ followers. the thought that kept entering my mind was: on my own i am content with who i am, but in a community i cannot help but be humbled and pushed to go further than i would ever go on my own.

i thought about how it is when i go to the gym. when i go by myself i find that i don't have the will to push myself to fight through that one last rep. i just give up at 9 rather than fighting for 10. but when i am with someone else who is constantly pushing me to go beyond what i think my limits are, growth (of my muscles of course) occurs 10 times faster.

so, how is it done? how do we create a community like this???

throw it out there. see if people are interested in sharing their life with you. explain to them why you feel that it is important. if people say that they aren't interested, then you have your answer, but if people say they are all in and that this is what they have been waiting for, that's when the hard part comes.

when you know people want to engage in a Christ-centered community, that's when you have to begin to be intentional about meeting, sharing, learning and praying together.

i say this not because i have done all of this and have seen it work, but because i haven't. i know what it takes (in theory) to sustain a community of Christ followers, and that is precisely why i haven't moved forward with it.

it takes giving up your life. your interests. you desires. your freedom to be whoever you want to be. it takes humility. brokenness. fragility. it takes each and every one of us putting others people's needs ahead of our own.

ok, so who wants in????

-dave-

the decline of christianity

2009-04-19T09:37:00.002-04:00

hi everyone,

i am going to follow up the community blog with some of my thoughts on Sam's questions, but i had to post this blog from Greg Boyd's site for a couple of reasons. 1) my friend T.C is mentioned in it 2) it speaks about Boston's "quiet revival," which is something that i have been learning about in my inner city ministry class at the Emanuel Gospel Center in Boston, and 3) it is a very exciting time to be a follower of Jesus, especially in Boston (according to this article)!

-dave-

community

2009-04-16T23:02:00.003-04:00

heyo,

i hope all is well in the blogging world.

i should tell everyone that i have recently found a new job and i could not be more excited! i will be starting off part-time as assistant coordinator of the faith covenant meal in quincy center, which serves lunch 5 days a week to the homeless or those in danger of becoming homeless. by the middle of the summer, it is planned that i will go full-time and become the director of the program. good stuff. thanks for all your prayers my friends.

this leads me to what i have been thinking about the most lately...the importance of community, most specifically, regarding a community of Jesus followers.

at our small group bible study last night we were talking about the times when it seems we are able to see the most significant growth in our discipleship. some said they grew through their own mistakes and others believed they could simply change through an ability to motivate themselves when they are not satisfied with the way they are living.

i have found neither to work for me.

understanding this about myself, i was once again drawn to the importance of having a community around me that would encourage me to fight through sorrow, pain and screw-ups. so often our sunday morning services, and even our small groups bible studies, take the form of a social club. we eat together. we laugh together. we read the bible. we talk about it. we go home.

don't get me wrong, this is all well and good. i absolutely love wednesday nights. i am simply seeking more out of our community. i want people to hold me accountable. i want people to know the crap that i deal with day in and day out. otherwise, i will continue to screw up. i will continue to make the same mistakes over and over again.

without the support of a Christ-centered community, we are missing the most significant aspect of the Christ-centered life. we are missing what it means to be the body of Christ.

through these communities we are forced into humility and a constant mindset of submission.

we become more like the one we are following through the understanding that this life and this Kingdom are far bigger than ourselves.

-dave-

wherever

2009-04-06T15:24:00.005-04:00

hey guys and gals,

i have been working on a project to create a new ministry proposal for my inner city ministry class this semester, and my idea was to create a missional cafe. it's an idea i've had brewing in my mind for years that i was finally forced to put on paper. it's been really interesting to see if it's even close to a viable option.

a couple of months back, i started reading a book called "the forgotten ways" by alan hirsch (you can check out his blog on my "blogs i frequent" list). come to find out, he started a missional cafe in melbourne, australia called "elevation cafe." i was amazed at how similar it was to my idea, except that it sounded much cooler and far more advanced than anything i had ever come up with!

unfortunately, the cafe did not survive. however, he explained that a few mistakes we made that, had he been given the chance at doing it all over again, he would love to try to implement.

so, i decided to email alan to see what advice he might have regarding sustainability and success for such a huge venture. he had great advice, and even decided to turn it into a post on one of his blogs. check it out!

-dave-

fate or free will

2009-04-02T08:30:00.004-04:00

last night there was a new guy at our bible study and he asked one of my favorite, mind-boggling question. we were talking about Jesus and his murder and, quite simply, he asked, "was it fate or free will for him to die?"

after bible study jen and i stick around with some friends to watch Lost (the best show on the planet). last night they continued a theme that has been repeated for the last couple of seasons: you can change the means but you cannot change the ultimate/inevitable end. now, i know that Lost incorporates the added element of time/dimension confusion, but the underlying question is very prevalent.

can everything be explained through fate or free will? or is it a mix of both? can we actually change what we have been told to be the inevitable ending? were Jesus' murderers free or were they a victim of time, fate and predestination? were they culpable for their actions of it was the result of predestination?

LOTS OF QUESTIONS!!! pick on and let me know what you think!

-dave-

church of the dropouts

2009-03-20T14:32:00.008-04:00

hola friends,

first of all, it is my wife's 27th birthday today!!! i can't help but be reminded of how incredibly blessed i am to be married to the most caring and sincere woman on this planet. not only that, but this girl is carrying my child! i am indeed a blessed man.

today i was listening to the "the beautiful letdown" by switchfoot. i haven't listened to this song in quite a while, and it really hit me on a much deeper level than it has before. here is a snippet of the lyrics that got me thinking today:

we are a beautiful let down
painfully uncool
the church of the dropouts
the losers the sinners the failures and the fools
oh what a beautiful let down
are we salt in the wound
let us sing one true tune

when the line "the church of the dropouts" hit me i was nearly brought to tears.God has been showing me that what makes us a part of his kingdom in the first place is that we are dropouts by this world's standards.

we are broken people and the church is filled with losers, sinners and failures of all kinds, and if the good news of the God's Kingdom that we proclaim isn't specifically attractive to the broken people in this world then we have to take a good look at which kingdom we are serving.

in a world that equates power with wealth, i'm finally finding that real strength can only come in the poverty of our soul.

this first day of spring is a great reminder to all of us that new life is a moment away and it looks nothing like the life that this world has to offer.

peace

-dave-

healing

2009-03-17T21:52:00.003-04:00

hey friends,

i've spent some time away from getting into my usual conflict laden theological arguments and it has been an amazing month so far. i've spent time looking at myself and have found much smaller pieces of wood in other people's eyes than my own.

most recently, my 28th birthday got me thinking about how i've spent my time during my young adult life. i have learned quite a bit about myself and have been freed from many of the things that kept me from following Christ. this is phenomenal for me, most especially because, many times, when i have found myself in a time of reflection, i tend to get deeply negative about myself and stay there without allowing God to push me into healing. good stuff.

i've also come to realize that all of the discussions i engage in mean absolutely nothing if the focal point is not finding and understanding the healing that comes through Christ for myself and those with whom i am talking. the faith we have is one that first and foremost deals with redemption and i am finally starting to really know what that means. i'm starting to really internalize the peace that we all talk so much about.

peace

-dave-

atonement

2009-02-26T08:45:00.003-05:00

hey everyone,

thanks for your thoughts on excess. we could continue that conversation forever, but my blog-browsing has brought me to a subject that i have been thinking about quite often lately. the atonement. what does it mean? what was accomplished?

i came across this post on zoecarnate. it's a thought-provoking blog that i like to check every once in a while. the author of this blog tackles the atonement and throws in his two cents about what he thinks was going on when Jesus was brutally murdered on the cross. let me know what you guys think...

-dave-

excess

2009-02-24T22:10:00.005-05:00

hola amigos!

for the most part, i have been enjoying my extended vacation from working full time. i am beginning to feel the need to work again, but not sitting in my cubicle for 2 months has been quite freeing.

last weekend, jen and i had an amazing visit with my brother james and his wife lauren in nashville. i love it down there. it is a completely different culture in the south, and it is nice to experience southern charm every once in a while.

one of the things that really struck me was the unavoidable presence of mega churches on every major intersection. i mean, these places are massive! seeing these huge buildings got me thinking again about the extraordinary excesses of the christian church as a whole. don't get me wrong, i definitely don't mean to single out nashville. i am fully aware that misuses of finances occurs in large and small churches all around the country.

buildings have been constructed since religion began to provide a place of worship for the faithful. today, millions upon millions of dollars are poured into buildings that are used on sundays, wednesdays and maybe even saturdays. does anyone else see anything wrong with this?

it scares me to think that we are wasting valuable kingdom resources to build and restore our church buildings. didn't the early church use whatever financial assets they had for basic necessities and giving to the poor? not just some of their money, all of it! how can we effectively proclaim good news to the poor when our church buildings are our self-made trophies of excess?

so, the inevitable question for me became: "dave, what are you doing with your resources?" the answer: "i'm a hypocrite."

what i realized is that before any of us can decry injustice, greed and the hoarding of wealth on the part of anyone else, we have to take a look at our own surroundings. it's funny how i became convicted about being a poor steward of my own resources by pointing the finger at others!

-dave-

something to think about

2009-02-19T09:09:00.002-05:00

hey friends!

i've been in a blogging funk lately and i'm finally getting out of it. God has been doing quite a bit of work in ripping me apart over the past few weeks and i'm starting to see some light at the end.

for those of you who don't already check out my friend nick's blog, please read his most recent post. nick is seeking ways to best serve his community in portland during this time of economic hardship, and this post really gives a picture of what they are going through out there. he brings up a great conversation.

i hope all is well with everyone.

-dave-

been a while

2009-02-10T17:27:00.002-05:00

hey everyone,

i haven't written anything since my job at ING ended. strange. i thought i would write more when i left.

i have kept busy by running errands and doing schoolwork. since i got laid off i decided to pick up another class, so that has been keeping me pretty busy.

other than that things are moving along normally. jen and the baby are doing great up to this point, and as of tomorrow jen will be halfway through the pregnancy!

there have been a lot of things that i have learned so far this semester, but have not yet written about. i've been feeling a bit disconnected from the blogging world, so i hope to get back in the saddle again soon. i plan on posting something that we were talking about in my inner city ministry class within the next couple of days.

i hope all is well with everyone.

-dave-

slumdog mafia

2009-01-27T21:35:00.004-05:00

hey there blogger nation,

i saw the movie slumdog millionaire during christmas time and recently i have been noticing that there is quite a bit of controversy following this film in india. i was perusing the internet the other day and came across this article.

this is a truly horrific story. for those of you with children or weak stomachs, this may not be something that you want to read. just know that there are some overtly evil things happening in the slums of India and i pray that we will find a way to see these things cease.

-dave-

fiction family

2009-01-25T22:36:00.003-05:00

our small group went on a field trip this past wednesday to go see jon foreman (switchfoot) and sean watkins (nickelcreek) perform songs from their own solo albums and their combined effort called fiction family. it was a great time for our group. i'm definitely realizing the importance of spending time together outside of our wednesday night routine.

so, as i do every time jon foreman comes out with something new, i am plugging the fiction family record. i got it last week and haven't been able to stop listening to it. the album is very different in comparison to foreman's solo stuff and it's a nice change of pace from what i normally listen to. you should definitely check it out.

-dave-

i always never do this

2009-01-21T17:01:00.001-05:00

i love absolute statements. they inevitably set the conveyer of the information up for scrutiny. i have recently been reading a series on the pulpit magazine's blog called "clarifying calvinism." one such statement has concluded this "clarification."

now, i'm sure most of you are sick of me beating this drum, but i think it's important so i will continue to do so until i tire of it. i should say that it may be possible that i find myself coming back to this subject often because i am surrounded by more people who embrace calvinism than i am by those who affirm a tradition close to my own. i am in a school that espouses calvin's teachings and it is constantly being fed to me. so, if this is not your interest, i apologize.

here is the quote from phil johnson:

"Nothing is more biblical than these doctrines that are commonly labeled Calvinism. In a way, it is a shame they have been given an extrabiblical name, because these truths are the very essence of what Scripture teaches. The very gist of Calvinism is nowhere more clearly stated than in the simple words of our verse: “We love Him, because He first loved us.”

it is impossible to disagree with the very last quote in this caption, and who would want to. the problem is that "we love him, because he first loved us" does not accurately encapsulate calvinism! calvin came up with a flowery system that he thought enveloped the entire plan of salvation. i applaud calvin for his accomplishments and sincere desire to see the gospel advanced, but i think his ideas about unconditional election, irresistible grace and so on are simply not biblical.

in my mind, something becomes un-biblical the moment it takes lines out of scripture to build a system that did not already exist at the time that scripture was being written. calvin created such a system. i am also bothered by the fact that we have so many of these neatly wrapped packages of doctrinal thought that bombard us prior to our reading of scripture. as a result, our lenses become foggier and foggier until all we see is what we came into our study with. i am thankful that there are people who are able to get beyond these foggy lenses to live out the gospel rather than trying to spend their time systematizing it.

i am thankful for people like nick and mandy (who are representing the kingdom in the most biblical of ways in portland), levi and katie (who give of the little time they have to share the gospel with high school kids), jeremy and meghan (who are shepherding a group of people in the way of the savior), tom and ruth (who have given their life in service to others), matt and beth (who are coming to boston to further the expansion of gospel here), angela and john (who have, like nick and mandy, entered into solidarity with people who are normally left to make it on their own), my parents (who sought God's strength rather than their own in raising 4 ridiculously awesome sons), and my wife (who shows the love of Christ to everyone she comes in contact with).

get ready because i am about to be a hypocrite and make an absolute statement! there is nothing more biblical than what all of these people are doing. what is biblical is not a way of thinking, but a way of moving. they move, therefore they give a better witness to the revelation of our Creator than any system could ever accomplish.

-dave-

the subversion of christianity

2009-01-20T21:28:00.002-05:00

hey everyone,

i hope 2009 is treating you all well. i have started reading my first book of 2009 called The Subversion of Christianity by Jacques Ellul. Ellul sums up the premise of this work with a question on the first page of chapter 1; "how has it become that the development of christianity and the church has given birth to a society, a civilization, a culture that are completely opposite to what we read in the Bible, to what is indisputably the text of the law, the prophets, Jesus and Paul?...there is not just a deviation but radical and essential contradiction, or real subversion." now tell us how you really feel Jacques!

so far, this book has had so many of these hard-hitting one liners that i thought i would share some of them with you guys. so here goes.

quote #1: "the real essence of the subversion (of christianity) is indicated by the very term "christianity," which gives to the matter the force of an "ism." a word ending "ism" denotes an ideological or doctrinal trend deriving from a philosophy. thus we have positivism, socialism, republicanism, spiritualism, idealism, materialism, etc. none of these words, however, denotes the philosophy itself. in fact, it might be directly opposed to it."

so, what do you guys think? do you believe that the religion we know as christianity is nothing more than another "ism?" is the belief system that so many of us cling to simply an ideological apple that has fallen far from the live-giving tree? do you see a difference between faith in Christ and Christianity?

by the way, it was a pretty incredible day in this world's history (in case you haven't heard). there's not much more to say that hasn't already been said, so i will simply say that it was very moving and heart-wrenching to think about how far our country has come.

-dave-

no more ing

2009-01-15T08:18:00.002-05:00

it seems like i have been the bearer of all sorts of news lately! lots goin on my friends. however, this news isn't quite as exciting as the last news post.

as of 2 days ago, i was laid off from my job.

ing let about 750 people go (i love that saying. they "let" them go? how nice of them!) around the country, and i was fortunate enough to be one of those people. there are tons of people in america (and throughout the rest of the world) who are being negatively impacted by this economy. we were just the next group to find ourselves jobless in this financial chaos.

i thank God that i was able to have such a great job for the last 5 years, but now it's time for us to move onto something new. while it may sound crazy, i am kind of excited about all the opportunities that are now available to jen and i.

i hope all is well with you guys.

-dave-

jesus the bully?

2009-01-12T20:36:00.004-05:00

check out this article in the ny time magazine.

talk about making God in OUR image! mark driscoll has made Jesus into an american indie rock artist who would rather pummel his enemies than die for them. however, i do see his point since apparently we have turned Jesus into a "limp-wristed queer." seriously?! i've never really thought that turning the other cheek, walking the extra mile or loving our enemies was "queer". actually it is just the opposite. it takes a much bigger and stronger person to do what Jesus taught than to live the way driscoll teaches.

while it's hard to say that driscoll's method has not changed many people's lives for the better, i can't help but think he is giving them a different Jesus than the one who is portrayed in the Gospels. in the long-term, there is a very real danger to believing in this militant Jesus. as katie ladd so beautifully stated in response to driscoll, "declaring Jesus a 'masculine dude' subverts the transformative message of the Gospel."

does anyone else see anything completely wrong with this picture? forget about my issues with calvinism, this guy has completely read Jesus into his cultural lens. talk about the pot calling the kettle black...

-dave-

what i do at work

2009-01-10T09:37:00.003-05:00

hey there friends! i wanted to share a conversation with you that i have been having with a good friend at work. let's call him southie. he has been asking me very sincere and honest questions about why i have faith in the God of the Christian faith. here is an excerpt from one of our many conversations that have taken place over the last 3 years. i have to say, it is one of the most civil and constructive on-going conversations about ANYTHING that i have ever had. this speaks volumes about my friend's character. he is gracious and understanding, even within his framework of skepticism...

so, here is part of the conversation. i'm sure my answers fall short on many levels, but the fact that this conversation continues to happen has forced me to grow in faith and knowledge of God. it's pretty awesome stuff. i would not be the person i am today without southie.

southie: here's a question of his (Jesus') ability to perform miracles. if he had the power of God, and he displayed this power before, why didn't he flex his muscle in regard to the Romans? why leave doubt? Why go through with the crucifixion?

me: awesome question.

we have learned, through Jesus, that God loves his enemies. God became submissive to death in order to show humanity God's love, and also to bring salvation to all people. wiping out the Romans would have given the Jews the messiah that they wanted, but it would not have been the messiah that God wanted. this earth needed a messiah that transcended oppression and national dominance. Jesus was the messiah for all people who are oppressed because of the fact that he went submissively and without a fight to his death. he didn't hold on to the cheap stuff this world has to offer and because of that, even in oppression, he and his people will always be free.

southie: but if he had the power, why did he go through with the trial and crucifixion?

me: he was meant to die. part of the whole plan was triumph over death. Jesus went to the cross with a love for the people killing him that no person has ever known. while he agonized over the fact that he had to die, he knew that it was necessary so that people like us would know him. had he not died and then risen, he would be nothing more than some mythic rabbi, ya know?

I think God was showing us so much in the trial and crucifixion. Jesus spoke to power in a way that no human had ever been able to. he respectfully said that Rome's power was a figment of their own imagination. It's a pretty insane scene.

end o' conversation

like i said my answers probably fall short quite often, but i'm human. if you think i could have answered one of these questions in a different way, let me know. i really appreciate the constructive feedback.

i wanted to share this with you guys because it excites me to see someone who cares about the pursuit for truth. i've never met anyone like southie, but i know there are so many more people out there who genuinely care to know about why we exist and what it all means.

-dave-

new year, same old story

2009-01-05T21:39:00.000-05:00

self-examination is the inevitable beginner to every new year (at least it is for me).

this year's reflection has left me weary. i've grown a bit tired of making the same mistakes over and over, only to come to that conclusion that i am completely powerless to change anything.

i want to be made new. i want the rebirth that Jesus spoke so plainly about to Nicodemus.

therefore, my new years resolution cannot be to simply remove this or that vice from my life, to start reading more or even to lose 10 pounds.

i want to lose it all.

i don't want to play this game every 365 days. every january 1st, rather than feeling like i've got a new start or a fresh outlook on life, i find myself depressed due to the realization that i have wasted even more time.

my prayer is that i will be useful to the Kingdom rather than a hindrance.

happy new year

-dave-

gaza

2008-12-29T17:38:00.001-05:00

hey everyone,

please be praying for the war zone in Gaza. while we are so fortunate to live in a country where there is relative peace, there are innocent people being killed daily in this region of the middle east.

-dave-

a few things

2008-12-22T19:23:00.006-05:00

first of all, i want to thank all of you so much for your kind words. jen and i could not be more excited and look forward to what lies ahead. we will be starting a new blog with pictures and updates as everything progresses.

secondly, if you haven't seen my brother james' most recent post, do yourself a favor and check it out.

lastly, my friend jeff forwarded me this article from the boston globe. the article is called "Jesus and the Promise of Christmas." i found it very interesting so i thought i would share it with you guys. enjoy.

-dave-

i'm gonna be a daddy

2008-12-19T16:40:00.006-05:00

well, i can finally tell everyone...jen is 12 weeks pregnant!!!

finally got the new ultrasound pics online. enjoy.

so there it is. major life changes ahead.

-dave-

night is coming

2008-12-14T12:21:00.002-05:00

John 9:1-5
as he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. his disciples asked him, "rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" "neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. as long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. night is coming, when no one can work. while I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

what do you guys think Jesus meant when he said, "night is coming when no one can work?"

-dave-

war is over

2008-12-04T22:14:00.006-05:00

so happy christmas
for weak and for strong
the rich and the poor ones
the road is so long
so happy Christmas
for black and for white
for yellow and red ones
let's stop all the fight

for as strange of a dude as he was, john lennon had a heart for peace and love. two kingdom qualities that we sometimes (unfortunately) need to be reminded of.

this time of year reminds me especially of God's great love for a hurting and broken people who have turned their backs on God time and time again. the story of God made Son of Man makes me realize how much love God truly has for Creation.

we, in turn, have been commissioned to share the love of Christ with those who hate us. to proclaim the end of war made possible only through the Way, Truth and Life.

right now i am finding myself thankful for those who have shared the love of God with me. from my parents to my wife, to every one of my "bloggin' peeps."

war is over if you want it. war is over now.

merry christmas

-dave-

where TULIP withers

2008-12-03T17:25:00.008-05:00

something that i have been thinking about as a result of my last post has to do with the theological systems that we have constructed to understand God and scripture. we have calvinism and arminianism as the two main systems of thought in the west, but there are also other systems that have been developed to understand God in the east. the truth is that they all fall short.

any endeavor to understand the mind of God is a failed endeavor. calvinism, as a system devised to understand the mind of God and God's plans, is a failure. the same logic applies to arminian thought.

the danger is that the more we think we know about how God does things, the more we dig ourselves a hole in our quest for Truth. every one of our attempts seems to create the same thing: a God in the image of humanity or easily understandable human philosophy. we make God fit into our system and when something in scripture or in our experience does not match up to that system, we have no choice but to dismiss it. don't hold so tightly to the TULIP that you can't see a rose when it's sitting right in front of you.

the way i see things, our God is deserving of so much more glory and worship than our theological and systematic constructs allow. the God who is able to gather all people unto him and to accomplish his purposes in this world despite the freedom of choice that God has granted us is the God that i am constantly in awe of. the fact that i cannot understand God's ability to pull everything together, despite this fallen world's attempts to destroy the work of Christ, makes God all the more worthy of worship.

we will never be able to grasp the love, mercy, grace and justice of God through calvin or arminian thought. never. i fully embrace this reality and am even thankful for it. like levi said in his comment on my last post, this is why we need grace to abound all the more.

-dave-

why does God allow Satan to live?

2008-11-28T14:28:00.005-05:00

this little excerpt is taken from John Piper's blog (you can read the rest here):

Why does God allow Satan to live?

...before I answer it, let's make sure that we agree that it is true that God could take Satan out anytime he chose. Because I think there are some who would say, "He really can't, because of some rights (or authority, independence, free will, etc.) that Satan has." But the reason I know God can take Satan out without turning me into an automaton or breaking any rules is because he is going to take him out. He is going to throw him in the lake of fire.

And the question is, "Why didn't he do it yesterday? If he had done it yesterday I wouldn't be tempted the way I am today. The Bible says, 'Lead me not into temptation.' Well, the best way not to be led into temptation is to take the Tempter away! Isn't it? Take him out! I've got sin in my life plenty enough to make me struggle. I don't need Satan on top of my sin making my life more miserable. So God, take him out! You have the right and the power to take him out. You're doing nobody wrong when you take him out. Take him out!"

here's my first problem (of many) with this article: "if he had done it yesterday i wouldn't be tempted the way i am today." while this is true in some respect, it puts on display that which Piper, an elite reformed theologian, places the most emphasis: his sin. is there something wrong with this picture or is it just me?

when i was reading this i thought he might say something like, "if he had done it yesterday pain would cease. there would be no more murder, no more hate, no more thievery, no more orphans and widows, no more poverty, no more deceit, no more tears, etc."

this is really bothersome to me. not only does this kind of thinking play directly into the hands of individualism, it is not representative of a holistic, Biblical model of redemption. it is not all about ME and MY SIN!

we are redeemed. we will most certainly continue to fall short, but that is the beauty of being in relationship with God through God's Son! since we are redeemed, we have been given the distinct privilege of sharing the greatness of the Gospel with those who are dying. God has freed us through the incarnation of God's Son, and through his submission to death. he freed the captives. therefore, we are already free from Satan's power on us so that we may have a hand in freeing others (through the power of the Holy Spirit of course).

Jesus Christ has already unhanded Satan and has endowed us with the power of God to extend the love of God's kingdom throughout this broken world.

so, my foremost concern is not that Satan would be destroyed because i fall from time to time, but that he would become powerless so that those who are broken inside and out will more swiftly and easily come to find life in Christ.

Piper goes on to explain why he believes God allows Satan to live and does so without use of scripture to support his claims. despite this fact, Piper claims that if we disagree that his reasoning is in fact the way God handles pain and suffering "we will reject God, we will reject the biblical testimony, and we will perish forever in Hell." strong words.

is it possible that not believing in God's ordination of suffering at the hands of Satan will result in our eternal demise," as Piper claims? does God really have a "long leash" on Satan (which insinuates God's hand is in every awful thing that happens in this world)? what do you think?

-dave-

quote of the day

2008-11-22T17:21:00.001-05:00

Instead of seeking to do something with the African and Asian peoples, we have too often sought only to do something for them. An expression of pity devoid of genuine sympathy, leads to a new form of paternalism which no self respecting person can accept.

MLK Jr.

inerrant or inspired: part two

2008-11-14T17:39:00.007-05:00

in early 2007 i started taking seminary classes at Gordon-Conwell's urban campus in Boston (CUME). since then, i began to engage in even stronger attacks on the credibility of my faith. i was introduced to theological debates that i had never known existed. no one knows this, but near the beginning of my time at CUME, i began to lose my faith (it felt like i was in EMES all over again). not because i wanted to, but simply because i couldn't convince myself that it was real anymore. i decided that wasn't good enough for me, so i did as much reading and praying as i could, and eventually fought through my toughest battle with doubt to date.

after this period of battling questions of God, science, faith and reason i have reached what i believe to be solid ground and it is found within the pages of scripture. it is that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Creator. he is our joy, our peace and our salvation. the risen Word of God. i have come to believe these truths from reading the Bible.

i believe that the scriptures are inspired by the Word of God, that the authors wrote down what was revealed to them in nature, experience and through the Holy Spirit, and that without Genesis through Revelation we would not know God. we would not know that God is love or how God rescued (and continues to rescue) his people out of bondage into peace, freedom and salvation. we would not have the encouragement of those who have failed and succeeded before us.

i believe that the canon, as far as scripture is concerned, is closed. there is nothing more that can be or needs to be added. Genesis through Revelation is sufficient for our understanding of the God's Gospel. however, we continue to learn more about God's creative work through scientific advancement.

i understand scripture as a tool that teaches us about who God is and what God's relationship is with creation. i also know, through the words of Jesus, that my foremost duty and privilege on this earth is to love God and love my neighbor as myself. Jesus embodies this Truth and commands us to follow his lead. beyond that, i am still learning.

however, i do not hold to the view of scriptural inerrancy, at least in the way the expression is used today.

from my experience, inerrancy is the belief that God essentially wrote the Bible with human help, but without any human element to it. i do not believe this to be true. there are many reasons why i have come to this conclusion, but i will only give a couple of examples to save time:

1) in I Corinthians 11 Paul finds himself boasting. in this mini-rant he writes, "in this self-confident boasting i am not talking as the Lord would, but as a fool..." and, "i am out of my mind to talk like this." these statements clearly indicate a human element in this letter written to the Corinthian church.

2) in John we learn that there was a race to Jesus' tomb and that John got there before Peter. it is not mentioned that John is even at the tomb in any of the other Gospels. however, it is mentioned that Peter, himself, ran to the tomb (Luke 24:12). while this is not necessarily proof that John was not there, it makes you wonder. was John just being the "son of thunder" that Jesus recognized to be? i actually think this version of the tomb story is fantastic because it shows John's character. he wanted recognition. he got it by being faster than Peter.

notice, it is not the outlandish or miraculous stories that i take issue with. i simply believe there is a human element to the books contained in the Bible.

does this mean that i have a poor or diminished view of scripture. definitely not! i value scripture more than any other literature available to us on this earth. we've been given a gift and i intend to use it for all it's worth. there is no more valuable text to learn from.

i will say that i can understand the concern of the inerrancy folks. it seems that many who hold to inspiration do not place a lot of emphasis on Biblical learning and teaching. i think this is a mistake.

so, this is where i am on my journey right now. for those of you who disagree, please feel free to explain why, but do so with the understanding that i fully embrace the possibility of being wrong. i do not approach this topic lightly or with absolutely certainty, only with the hunch that God might still be revealing himself to us even now. thanks for reading.

-dave-

inerrant or inspired: a little history

2008-11-13T17:32:00.006-05:00

all this inerrancy talk has got me thinking about my own spiritual journey, so i have decided to take a different route in answering the question.

let's go way back for a minute. and when i say way back, i mean WAAAAAAYYY back.

joe and ellen capozzi grew up in roman catholic homes. both attended catholic school and mass regularly and little joey was even an altar boy. they were shown a way of life that involved confession, praying the rosary and doing good deeds in order to attain God's favor. the bible was rarely, if ever, referenced.

joe and ellen were married in their early 20's (1973 to be exact) and found freedom from religion in their mid-20's, prior to giving birth to their 4 sons, 2 of whom are incredibly good looking and talented (sorry mike and james). since that time, mr and mrs capozzi reared their children in a wide array of protestant denominational traditions (pentecostal, assemblies of God, congregational, baptist, calvary chapel and nazarene).

the bible soon became their foundation, and all rules for living found their root between Genesis and Revelation.

for as long as i can remember i have been serious about my faith. during the first two years of my college experience i believed very strongly in the doctrines that i grew up with. it wasn't until my sophomore year, when i took philosophical quest with tom oord, that i began to seriously reconsider some of my presuppositions about God and the Bible. taking epic making events in science (EMES) during my junior year sealed the deal for me . it was then that i had my first experience with questioning my faith. karl giberson, you rocked my world with all that evolution heresy that you spew. thanks a lot.

from that point on, i have been on a journey towards knowing God through my own eyes, rather than through the lens of my upbringing (not that it was a bad or wrong upbringing. just the opposite is true. i could not ask for better, more godly parents). i began to question everything i once believed to be immovable truth. how did God really create the universe? was jonah really swallowed by a big fish? did a donkey really speak to a human? did Jesus really rise from the dead? did Jesus even exist?!

but underneath all of these questions was this; is the Bible true or is it just a collection of stories?

part two will come tomorrow. i hate writing long blogs, so i'm splitting it up. don't you love the suspense!!!!

-dave-

blog of the day

2008-11-10T17:30:00.001-05:00

it seems that i am posting a lot of advertisements for other people's blog nowadays!

here is one for my friend Chris.

his most recent blog is something that i most certainly would have written about if i could express it as well as he did. check it out.

dave

the good book

2008-11-04T22:47:00.002-05:00

hola friends,

this past month has been an interesting one for heavy and heartfelt conversations. it appears that elections give us the opportunity to talk about everything that is important to us.

one of the conversations that has been popping up within my group of friends has to do with the nature of scripture. inerrant or inspired? God's Word or man's interpretation of God? i'm really interested to see how my friends in the blogging world feel about this topic.

i will say that the one issue that has plagued me in my study of scripture is the apparent difference between God's character in the OT in comparison with the revelation of his Son in the NT. i've had a difficult time reconciling the two in the past, but i think i have reached some sense of understanding. i believe there is unity between the hebrew scriptures and the new testament. i also believe that without the OT we would have no way of identifying the Christ. that's pretty important, isn't it?

what are your thoughts? how do you deal with any apparent contradictions or differences in God's character between the OT and the NT?

i know how heated this conversation can become, but i think there needs to be open and honest dialogue if there is going to be growth and understanding.

-dave-

what's the difference?

2008-10-30T17:25:00.004-04:00

disclaimer: this will be my last blog on politics. while it's fun, all good things must come to an end.

i was listening to the radio this morning and it seems that there are a bunch of celebrities that have been mobilized to knock on doors and make phone calls to homes and radio stations in order to help get obama elected. they are asking for volunteers to spread his message of hope and change, and for monetary donations to be made to the campaign. this all sounds a lot like another western religion, doesn't it? so, i think the debate about whether politics and religion should mix is effectively over.

politics IS religion.

the candidate is our messiah.

his will be done.

if he doesn't get into office, everyone is doomed.

may he give us the change we so desperately need.

amen.

p.s. do yourself a favor and check out my friend jeremy's blog. he posted a couple great prayers.

-dave-

letter from 2012

2008-10-29T15:52:00.005-04:00

i was hesitent to post this "letter from a christian living in 2012" but i decided i just had to. the letter was written by someone at focus on the family. it is the religious right's last attempt at turning out angry voters who think that obama just might be the antichrist.

i believe we are seeing the end of the religious right's hold on political power. what do you think?

-dave-

all sins being equal?

2008-10-20T15:21:00.004-04:00

there has been a very stimulating conversation about homosexuality taking place on some blogs that are connected with mine (the austins, matt c). the discussion got me thinking about how we view sin in general. over the past few years it has become blatantly obvious to me that homosexuality is considered (by most religions) to be one of the greater sins of humanity. many who express this viewpoint often hide behind the 'no sin is greater than another' statement, but in truth, homosexuality often takes the cake in thought and practice.

with that in mind, i began to think about other sins that are tolerated and even glorified in our culture. some of you already know where i am going with this, so i might as well just say it...what about violence? murder? despising our enemies? revenge? these are all sins (according to the sermon on the mount and many other new testament passages) that are looked upon favorably in this nation of ours.

it is very clear through the teachings of Christ and his disciples that a heart bent on revenge and violence is one that is not centered on the kingdom of God. so, if all sins are created equal, why don't we ever acknowledge military violence as sinful in nature? Many seem to have no problem with saying homosexuality and those who engage in homosexual acts are sinful, but are we as christians decrying the violence perpetuated by the hands of our military? where are the conservative/Bible-believing christians on this one? i guess we can just gloss over all of those "peace" passages.

let me be clear...i do not and cannot condemn either the homosexual or the soldier. i am clearly not in a position to do so, and i am eternally thankful for that. i'm just saying that there is something wrong with the way we look at sin. when someone 'comes out' (no pun intended) in defense of homosexuality, claiming that the Bible is not clear concerning the subject, hoards of Bible-thumping christians come out against such defenders stating that they have a low/poor view of Scripture or that they are reading with a false/heretical lens. on the other hand, what if someone said, "hey, what about violence, revenge or hating our enemies?," pointing out that there are scores of passages that consider such acts and postures of the heart to be anti-Kingdom? would those same defenders of the Bible agree, or would they instead fight for the "freedom" that this country affords them?

i want to say in closing that i respect many people who go to battle with the thought that they are laying down their lives for others. this is very noble and even Christ-like, but i am concerned because it is not the way Christ went about dying for us. no violence ever met his hands. "he came to gather his people with no guns or money, but with his empty hands (lenny kravitz)."

-dave-

2008-10-16T07:42:00.003-04:00

hey everyone,

i have been having great conversations with many people about the topic of voting. to keep it going, my friend jeff wrote a blog about his view. i should warn you, it is not short, but it is well worth the read.

peace

-dave-

why i don't vote

2008-10-13T17:16:00.000-04:00

shockingly enough, my friends and i engaged in some conversations of the political variety this weekend. while it's not a shock to hear that people are having these kinds of conversations right now, it was a bit different for my group of friends because we rarely delve into the political arena, which would explain the blank stares i received when i said that i will not be voting in the election this year. all 4 of this blog's readers will not be surprised to hear this information, but for my friends who do not frequent this little slice of internet space it was a bit surprising.

so on to my reasoning, which is really quite simple. i am ashamed to say that four years ago i was so engrossed in the political arena that i would have gladly strapped on the gloves for my candidate. for me, politics with inextricably linked with faith and morality, so naturally, i HAD to vote for W. yup, it's embarrassing. oh well. it's the truth. i was young.

very soon after, i began to explore my faith and found absolutely no relationship between Christ and the nation that we live in (not just the USA, but any nation). i did not see his teachings as guidelines for who we should choose to govern us or what we should base our voting habits on. in fact, i found just the opposite. i found Christ's teachings and the writings of his early disciples informing me that we are actually foreigners within any land in which we live. i discovered that our allegiance was to be completely appropriated to the kingdom of God, that my hope cannot be placed in anything other than Christ, and that as one of his followers, i am called to a life of love and service to my neighbors and enemies.

there is no hope in policies. the only thing that lasts is Christ and his kingdom.

so there you have it. i don't have any faith in the possibility that government will bring real and lasting change to our lives. therefore, i don't have any desire to cast my vote for any politician.

there is obvious and real value in government, and while we are most certainly called to respect the authority of a JUST government, we are never called to do what i did four years ago. i was out of control and blinded by American culture wars. no more. thank God.

if we long for change in our lives and the lives of others, we should take it upon ourselves as a call to follow Christ in his love and service to others. nothing will ever change if we think that all we have to do is cast a vote and let the politicians deal with the problems we face.

-dave-

stop playing our song!

2008-10-10T07:19:00.002-04:00

john mccain has been using the song "my hero" at his campaign rallies, and upon finding out, the Foo Fighters asked that he no longer use that song because it was polluting its original meaning...

why don't christians say the same thing to politicians, churches or anyone else that uses the "song" of Christ in a way that it was not originally meant to be played? instead, we sing along with the new maestro (who/whatever it may be) and even offer our services to play in the band.

i think we should take our song back. thanks dave grohl.

-dave-

lee

2008-09-22T22:32:00.003-04:00

this past saturday jen, myself and a group of great friends went into the city to help out once again at the Boston Rescue Mission's saturday morning outreach program. basically what they/we do is prepare sandwiches, pastries, coffee, juice and soup for homeless folks every saturday morning. we have done this a few of times now and it has been a great time for us as friends and has allowed us to get a small glimpse of what is going on with people who have almost nothing to call their own.

this past saturday was especially moving for me. i spent the majority of the time listening to a man named Lee. Lee is HIV positive and he lost his wife to AIDS 16 years ago. he had 4 children, now 3 because his son was murdered 2 years ago. the rest of his daughters live in Virginia. A few weeks ago one of his granddaughters (3 years old) died from a huge amount of bee stings. she stepped into a yellow-jacket nest.

he also told me about how a group of college students from Gordon College funded his trip to Virginia so that he could make it to his granddaughter's funeral. he told me about how these students have been coming into Boston every saturday for the past 3 years to run a similar feeding program for the homeless, and that they had become some of Lee's best friends. in fact, the only time Lee began to tear up was when he spoke about his friends from Gordon. it's easy to see how they would latch on to Lee. he is an incredibly soft-hearted and compelling man with a ton of love in his heart despite many years of living destitute and alone.

Lee lived on the streets of Boston for 15 years, but now lives in an apartment in Southie. i don't completely understand the arrangements there, but i know that he doesn't have much. i also know that it is not his apartment, but a friend's who allows him to stay there so that he can watch her cats. apparently this friend is never home from thursday to sunday. Lee also works for his church in Boston as a sound/setup man. he is there every sunday and goes to every one of the 3 services.

i wanted to share this story, because for me, it gave a name and a face to an otherwise nameless, faceless and overlooked group of people. because of the BRM, my friends and i have been given a unique opportunity to learn from this often forgotten segment of the population. it's truly something that everyone should do at least once. there are so many organizations that do great work transforming the lives of the homeless, and the BRM is one of those amazing institutions that has been doing just that for over 100 years.

-dave-

2008-09-16T22:38:00.006-04:00

everyone (all 2 of you)!!!! you must read this blog right now. it was written by my pastor and friend tdags. it's very honest and encouraging. be prepared.

dave

wise words from karate kid II

2008-09-12T22:49:00.005-04:00

"a person with no forgiveness in heart live in worse punishment than death" - mr. miyagi

fear

2008-09-11T17:36:00.000-04:00

last night during our small group we were discussing how difficult it is to leave the things you once loved behind in order to find a much greater joy ahead in Christ. mostly, this conversation centered around the pain of losing friends who have been your safety net for a long time, but have ultimately been enabling a downward spiral in your discipleship. the conversation was very real and challenging to say the least.

i have to say that it was especially challenging to me. i feel like God has been encouraging me to give up more and more in order to trust in Him completely, yet to this day i have been unwilling to relinquish my hold on the structures that i have built up in order to keep myself safe. i have so many fears. i feel called to a life of solidarity with people in a context that is frighteningly foreign to me.

there are so many others who have gone before me with this same exact fear and i have heard about their triumphs and failures, yet still i am terrified. i'm not sure what to do other than to take a giant leap of faith.

prayer would help, so please, feel free.

p.s. while this could lead to another conversation about the necessity of giving up friends/music/movies/whatever, i don't want to go there. i got something much deeper and scarier out of this convo.

peace

dave

tmi

2008-09-05T15:23:00.005-04:00

Matthew 23:27-28 - "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness."

what do you do when you recognize yourself to be a hypocrite? i have found this to be true of myself in many instances and there is nothing that scares me more. i believe that i know what is true and i am very passionate about God's love and mercy, yet still, my heart is full of hate and judgment more often than not. i am full of dead man's bones.

too much information? sorry, but it's true.

we have all received encouragement to live by the Spirit, yet i am not quite sure how this is realized. i know in my heart when God is guiding me, but i have no idea how i have gotten to those moments of serenity. i do, however, find much comfort in Romans 7, where Paul laments over the fact that he sees two different "laws" at work in his being. the law of death is always warring against our desire to walk by the Spirit. i find this to be true every moment of the day. it is so true that we need Him every hour. perhaps it is more true that we need him every moment.

my prayer is that i am able to walk through this desert with confidence and full of the Spirit, just as Christ did before he was tempted. i'm gonna need some help though...

-dave-