Bible study, anyone?

Soooo, I've been thinkin'....

This summer, on just about every Sunday morning and evening, I'll be speaking at a different church around the area in order to raise support for this coming year of teaching in Ukraine. Hence, I won't ever really be able to go to my home church's Sunday School group, even if I wasn't living at my dad's once the school year finished (that is of course pending employment near there). Plus, I won't be hearing sermons, as I will be sharing about Ukraine -- I am hesitant to use the term "preaching", but I suppose that IS what I'm doing. While I'm at my dad's, I want to get involved in GracePointe Community's (aka Marley Park's) young adult group that meets on Tuesday nights. If I'm lucky, I may have a Sunday or two off that I could go to their Spanish service or contemporary worship service.

I want to make sure I'm spiritually fed through the summer, and not just from listening to the remaining chapel messages from ENC and other schools that are on my iPod. So much of my time is or will be spent on the computer or reading "fun books" (not textbooks anymore, hallelujah!) that I need to have God's voice not drowned out by other media.

Here's my idea--let me know if you're up for it.

I want to read through the gospel of John through the month of June. My overly-ambitious idea was to read the entire thing each day, but my more realistic goal is to read it each week. That's right, to read the entire book (21 chapters) each week, averaging about 3 chapters a day. This way I can get the Word into my head and life even more (at least, the book of John, anyway).

Actually, I'm really not sure how that first idea lends itself easily to any sort of accountability group or discussion, so maybe we need a plan B. Perhaps a modified version of reading through John -- a chapter a day for within the small group? Where we just read it and then leave comments on a blog or a Facebook note? We could also pick some Christian book to read and discuss--I've got a few listed on here that I'm interested in reading.

Let me know if you're interested, by next Sunday, because I want to start this on June 1, and hopefully continue for the rest of the summer before I leave for Ukraine.

unity!

Remember "one in heart and mind"?

Let's live it.

(from my favorite Christmas song)
O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace.

I don't quite get how two people in ministry type positions can have such a falling-out that neither really cares for the other anymore. It doesn't seem to be right, to be a role model but not be striving for unity within the leadership group. It doesn't seem fair that if one of those we are leading is struggling with the same kind of friendship issue but wants things to turn out well, they would have to see a broken role model. Yet humans are broken and fallen people. I know that is what causes that, but it just doesn't seem right.

I am very much like Jane Bennet in Pride & Prejudice, who wants to believe only good of those she knows. (Elizabeth speaking to Jane) "Oh! you are a great deal too apt, you know, to like people in general. You never see a fault in anybody. All the world are good and agreeable in your eyes. I never heard you speak ill of a human being in your life."
I see the good in others for the most part, ignoring their negative qualities, and still treating them as a decent person. It's not till someone points out the negative qualities and what they mean that I notice flaws in others. At this point, I still treat the person the same, but possibly with a bit of skepticism/curiousity in my thoughts.

festival of life weekend!

This weekend was pretty much amazing, since it was Festival of Life and lots of people from my home district came to visit and do competition stuff.

I saw Erlene from Maine, but couldn't remember how I knew her at first. haha oh dear. That's what happens when all these people I know from different places invade campus at the same time.

I got to see Brian Hull, who's one of the major head people (how do you like that title?) of NYC '07. I talked to him some about YIM, and tried to put him in contact with Missa, who's going on the NYC team this summer. Plus I met Dave Curtiss, who was an excellent speaker. I liked the background into Judaism, and the way he talked about the kingdom of heaven reminded me of Brian McLaren's works. He talked about how Christ has saved us TO do something, not just FROM sin, and that we need to help mend a broken world.
"Jesus living isn't comfortable"
"Your good deeds are the very deeds that plant the trees of heaven."

Most of the high schoolers I didn't know, except for Kevin and Alex, and kind of a few others. So I felt like hanging out with the youth pastor types, especially since this year with quizzing I've basically been doing youth ministry. Someday I think it'd be cool to help coordinate stuff for something like FOL, behind the scenes.

Saturday I did a lot of hanging out with the Mosers since Melissa was coaching the (champion) math/sci quiz team....especially Maddox (age 3)
me: "Are you having fun, Maddox?"
him: (in a glum tone) "Yeah...."
I had him on my back during the worship service, and Melissa noticed that he was closing his eyes. Haha. Then when Dave C. got up to speak, and we were sitting down, Maddox wanted a piggyback ride again, but I told him no, not till after the service. He ended up going to his parents in the pew in front of us, with his lower lip in a pouty face. I guess I broke his heart or something. haha.

It was also super to have Leslie and Roger up too, since they're closer to my age. Leslie and I took the T into Boston on Saturday afternoon, and walked from Park Street to Quincy Market, and near the water a bit too. We bought sweatshirts that say "BOSTON" across the front, and wandered around a good bit, running into people from our district. We took random pictures too. :)

I got to talk to Pastor Kevin for a while, about what he thought about evolution vs. creation, and what he'd tell his kids, and some ENC/Olivet stuff. Mostly he was saying that we don't know what went on at the time of creation, and that God's still creating. He also likes Brian McLaren's synthesis of the Bible in The Story We Find Ourselves In. We talked about how my church is gung ho about missions abroad, but yet we don't do stuff in Chestertown. We shouldn't be thinking that the world is out to get us or whatever. It was really cool to hear that his kids learn about God from him and Joy, and that they have spiritual conversations about stuff. Like their 6 year old asking, "If God loves me so much, why do I have these allergies?" Also something that is cool is that he'll be the guest speaker at Regionals Quizzing! Hooray!

We got back from Boston just in time for me to run to the front of Wolly and help hand out medals. That was fun, and at one point, Brian Hancock just accumulated the extra medals around his neck, so I asked him, "Why do you have those?" Kevin answered, "What, you think he doesn't deserve them?" He gave them back later. :)

Saturday night after the service, I said goodbye to people, and then stood there a while with Jen S, Josh B, and Leslie. We figured out that I was the only one in the bunch not certified in First Aid/CPR, and Leslie was divvying up who would do which part of CPR to save me: "You do this, you do that, and I'll--I'm not doing mouth to mouth."

We ran into Bryan, with Coco the Furby. Oh man. That was crazy. Leslie, Josh, and I ended up hanging out with Sam, Roger, and Leif for quite a while (till about 1:30), as the guys played music (mostly Calibrett0 13 songs) and we took pictures and video for them. It was a LOT of fun.

Now, however, is crunch time, as I have a final project paper due next Wednesday, and I'm only about 20% of the way done. Not to mention, my research and plan took a crazy turn today.

Science & Religion class

The following is taken from an email that I sent my cousin, talking about my classes. This is what I wrote about Science & Religion. I'm essentially still trying to figure things out (if they CAN be figured out at all).

"It seeks to explore the science and religion debate over the years. I'm still working on figuring out what I believe about creation vs. evolution. Maybe it's NOT an either/or answer. Maybe it's both. Maybe God created the universe and got things going, and enabled creation to do what He did: create.

"Then again, maybe we will never know and it's one of those mysteries that requires us to simply say, "Wow, God made this, and there is a purpose in it that He has." Like some stories could simply be myths, and not in the sense they are fantasies, but they explain why things are the way they are. Genesis 1 could be a poem, that may not be intended to be read literally.

"(Before you decide to not go to ENC, and to call me a heretic, relax. It's not all ENC that has made me think about stuff.) Things are much broader than they seemed to me years ago (years ago meaning high school....gosh I feel old). One thing I am fairly sure of is that the Bible is not a science textbook. It gives us the essentials for following God, and basically we can figure other stuff out on our own."

"Body Piercing..." final quotes

Here it is, guys, the final installment. Maybe. I might have to split it again.

"'Darwin has had as big an impact on the evangelical church, maybe even more so than Jesus. Darwinism has set the tone and focus of the evangelical church in a way that's ludicrous.' By insisting that the Bible is an authoritative text on science, history, and the cosmos, Bazan said, the evangelical church has forced Christians to cultivate a faith that will "flounder" if the Bible's authority is challenged successfully." (132) Lately I've been learning that the Bible is not to be a science textbook or a history textbook. You can interpret historical events in the Bible in light of your textbook, but it's not to be a replacement. I almost feel like I have two timelines in my head--one that was taught in school and one from the Bible. The Bible one is linear, so that the Psalms happen AFTER the material in 1/2 Kings (or one of those history sections), as opposed to around the same time.

"Christians often complain that the mainstream media ignores Christian music, film, and art, and there very existence of their subculture presumes a need to set up an alternate universe with its own celebrities. The world outside this subculture is often portrayed as treacherous and best left alone." (155-6)

"[Contemporary worship music] is self-centered in a way that reflects evangelicalism's near-obsession with having a personal relationship with Christ. It's me Jesus died for. I just gotta praise the Lord." (159)

"The Jesus of worship music is a mentor, a buddy, a friend whose message is easily distilled to a simple command: praise me. Not 'feed the poor, clothe the naked, visit the prisoner.' Simply thank Him for His gift to you." (159)

"Now racism is viewed as much a personal failing, much like alcoholism, drug use, or any number of other moral shortcomings. That's been incredibly important in opening up the evangelicalchurch...allowing Christians to express disappointment at the moral blind spots of others while doing absolutely nothing further." (163) At my church at home, we have a few Japanese exchange students, little Michell (and occasionally her Nicaraguan mother and Puerto Rican dad), and that's about it. Very little diversity. I guess I can't say too much, cuz most of my friends from high school and church were white. Another thing I wonder at my church is the fact that within the past 8 years or so, we have had 3 couples get pregnant before they were married. What is lacking!?!? Where are we falling short as a church community? Just a side thought.

"[Casting Crowns'] lyrics challenge churches not to be so insular that they put off newcomers." (172)

"Christian people are taught to be ready to fight for their faith at a moment's notice. And to a certain degree, that is right. The Bible does say to be ready to defend the faith, but it's very clear that you're not supposed to sit around and nitpick at each other. It's one of the few clear things about the way you're supposed to treat your fellow brothers." (219-20)

"At the same time, I can't be worrying about every single little thing that's gonna offend somebody, because offending somebody and stumbling them are two totally different things." (222)

"College is the kind of place where, if you've grown up within the faith, you're gonna have to think through all this stuff and figure out what's yours and what was your folks' or the environment that you're coming from." (236-7, David Crowder) True story. I'm seeing that now...how my beliefs have shifted (honestly, to be a bit less conservative than I was before)...I'm seeing that morality and beliefs are not as clear-cut as I thought they once were.

"I think when Jesus was talking about the kingdom of heaven, he's speaking of the here and now, and we've got to make a difference in the way we treat people, the way we're responsible with the societies that we live within." (240--David Crowder)

"Somewhere in my heart is longing for something honest and eternal, and all I see is fads and corny T-shirts and young kids who were mostly raised and taught what they should think and haven't had a chance to question it." (263) This summer while I was home, I sat in on the teen Sunday school class, and it basically seemed that the teacher was teaching Creationism AT the class, with very little questioning.

"If I have two jackets, and this person doesn't have one jacket, I give them my extra one. That's just pure common sense. Our conscience tells us that, our Scripture tells us that, our reason tells us that. The only thing that doesn't tell us that is our greed, and the Devil, and the powers of this world who say, What's mine is mine." (263--Weiss) Lately (and not cuz it's Christmas), I'm trying to work through a lot of my stuff and try to live more minimally somehow. I'm not sure how it will ever work, since I'm a packrat. :)

"You know what Jesus called us to do is to come and die, suffer and sacrifice, lay down our lives for other people. Not try to live the most comfortable life we can or have a whole lot of fun or look a certain way." (264) Sometimes I feel like my youth group's activities are oriented around fun activities, meant to bring new people into the youth group. But yet the only discipleship things available are quizzing and Sunday school. Not a bad selection, but it just doesn't seem deep enough. I don't know.

"Body Piercing..." quotes part two

I have TONS of quotes to put up, and I don't want to force you to read them at once. So here's installment #2.

" 'The biggest category of God's word' in the Psalms, [Kaiser] says, 'has to do with pain, struggle suffering...God doesn't answer every one of our prayers; nor should He." (32) Reminds me of when Michael Card came to ENC and talked about laments.

a cliche: "Comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable."(49)

"Some people, they have a kind of narrow focus that usually widens later on. But I think Christians don't have a monopoly on truth. You can learn about truth from any other religion...pull truth from various sources." (52-DvP) The part about a narrow focus becoming wider is what has been happening to me since going to college, I think. But as far as the truth thing, you can find things that are true, you can also find things that reflect the Truth.

"In focusing on individual belief, evangelicals have necessarily focused on individuals....Poverty, hunger, abortion, drug abuse, and other such issues are approached as personal failings rather than social problems. Systemic elements simply aren't included in the equation" (65 from the book Apostles of Rock)

(Mark Driscoll) "In the Bible, we are told to be culturally relevant, love people who disagree with our Christian beliefs, and have friends and fun like Jesus did. Jesus was often invited to parties by scandalous people, was surrounded with large crowds who liked hanging with him, and was accused by stuffed shirt religious types of eating too much, drinking too much, and having the wronge kind of friends. But, Jesus never sinned. For example, he drank alcohol but did not get drunk, ate a lot but was not a glutton, and had some messed-up friends but never shagged any of the loose women who considered him a friend." (110) This is interesting considering one of my youth leaders once advised our teens to not hang out with their friends anymore if they started smoking or something. I've never been in that situation exactly, but I talk to friends that cuss and I don't cuss. Granted, maybe, in high school, I never let myself get close enough to people that I thought were too "out there" for my tastes, and maybe I could have, and not done the same things they did.

Ballmer about "dispensational premillenialism" (about end times): "this idea 'relieved evangelicals of the obligation to labor for the amelioration of social ills' and that they 'increasingly stood in judgement of culture and awaited its destruction, which would follow their translation into heaven.' In other words, all is not lost for unbelievers, but their salvation, much like their socioeconomic status, is their own responsibility." (122)
Sounds like they just sat there. And waited and twiddled their thumbs and waited some more. Interesting that the Nazarene denomination had such a great emphasis on helping the people on the streets (I think so anyway), and so much of the focus now is on international aid. Not a problem, mind you, but it seems at my church that if we just put some money in the offering plate we are making a REAL difference. Sometimes that's all we can do, but what if we took more of an interest in helping our neighbors....the ones that need help watching their kids, or need help learning to read, or to know English, or tutoring, or opening our homes to disconnected individuals? Instead of keeping in our own little Christian circles, and having people come to us, we should take the initiative and look in our own backyards.

"'As far as I'm aware, drink is mentioned in the Gospels three times,' Stockman replied--none of them having to do with prohibition. Social justice, on the other hand, is something Jesus talks about a lot." (135)