To Complete The Vow: A Meditation for Husbands and Wives

manalone.jpgThe Minister, receiving the Woman at her father’s or friend’s hands, shall cause the Man with his right hand to take the Woman by her right hand, and to say after him as followeth.

I, M. take thee, N. to my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God’s holy ordinance; and thereto I plight thee my troth. –Solemnization of Holy Matrimony, Book of Common Prayer

When I first came to OBI, we had two widowers on staff. We had several widows, but two widowers. Both were older men, teachers, who had come to our school with their wives, and never thought they would lose them to cancer while here.Continue reading “To Complete The Vow: A Meditation for Husbands and Wives”

Pilgrim Tracks Through The Stacks

banned.jpgI’m not like you. I’ve got a mongrel library.

I don’t like to be told what to read.

One of my characteristic behaviors in high school was to be constantly reading….reading something that was not my assignment. I moderated this a bit in college- an English degree generally comes with reading lists that can’t be totally ignored, and this in the day before the internet- but I still managed to spend the largest part of my time reading what I wanted to read, not what was on the reading list.

Call it an only child behavior. Call it my stubborn and resistant nature. Call it ADD or curiosity or a love of the library. Whatever it was, it continues to this day.

I don’t like to be told what to read. I like to read what I like to read. I make my choices myself. I am not trying to imitate the intellectual life of some hero, guru, preacher or professor. My reading is eclectic, independent, and all centered around my faith in the incarnate Word, Jesus Christ, as the key to all knowledge. (Colossians 2:1-3)Continue reading “Pilgrim Tracks Through The Stacks”

Don Whitney and The Recovery of Reformation Spirituality

donw.jpgAvoiding A Theology To Kill Your Devotional Life

I wrote about devotional resources that have proven meaningful to me in “An iMonkish Quiet Time.”

Don Whitney is an unusual person. Not to meet or hear him, but unusual in what he’s doing with his life. Whitney is a Founder’s Movement Calvinist, who has built a superb and respected ministry in the area of spiritual direction/formation and teaching classical spiritual disciplines. Dr. Whitney has authored books like Spiritual Disciplines In The Christian Life, Spiritual Disciplines In The Church and Simplify Your Spiritual Life.Continue reading “Don Whitney and The Recovery of Reformation Spirituality”

Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner?

tablecoffee.jpgI’ll be putting an essay in this space in a few days, but until then, check out Scot Mcknight’s blog, and especially the series of posts on “Jesus and Homosexuality.” Here are two quotes”

So, I begin right here: How would Jesus have “treated” homosexuals? The answer to that question is incredibly simple: he would have treated them as Eikons, as human beings made in God’s image who are designed to reflect God’s glory in this world by relating to God lovingly, to themselves lovingly, to others lovingly, and to the world lovingly. They would have been welcomed at the table of discussion, they would have been invited to listen to him, to interact with him, to follow him, and to fellowship with his followers. They would have been challenged to live before God as Jesus taught. In short, they would have been loved by Jesus. Not shunned; not humiliated; not ostracized; but given a seat for as long as they cared to be with him. He would have told everyone and anyone that there was a seat (or place; they didn’t use chairs) at the table for them…

If I may, I’d like to draw a significant conclusion at this point: the walls around Jesus were permeable. The walls of most churches are impermeable. Those in and those out are clear. I find the recent trend of many Christians, many of whom are “emerging” folk, to create environments where the walls are permeable to be one of the most significant features of the emerging movement and these environments have the capacity to unleash kingdom power. Jesus’ table fellowship, which is the heart of his mission, is more like coffee discussions at coffee shops or what a student calls “party evangelism” or “porch missions” than it is like “church” as we now know it and do it.

The implications of Jesus’ intentional creation of a level of community that included, rather than excluded, those outside the covenant boundaries, are significant and challenging.

Dying, We Live: Pat’s Story

heartt.jpgThis is the first post in a new IM category: “The Second Half of Life.”

I never knew Pat when he was healthy. I first heard his name in the aftermath of a massive heart attack that visited him one night and left him a weakened and depleted man compared to what he had been before.

Over the years, I caught a glimpse of the old Pat. He was a man’s man. Loud and opinionated, he didn’t mind dominating a conversation. He could be a bit arrogant and argumentative, but he also had a tender side that laughed, teared up and loved to hug. Pat had not always been a Christian. He’d been a drinker in his past life, but he became a converted man who loved to talk about how Jesus had taken away his addiction to alcohol.Continue reading “Dying, We Live: Pat’s Story”

An Emerging Critique Worth Reading

doggiepj.jpgUPDATE: Adrian Warnock comments on the “Phil and Monk” show. Worth reading.

The entire transcript of Phil Johnson’s Shepherd’s Conference seminar on the Emerging Church can be found here.

I’ve read the seminar twice, and here are my thoughts.

I think Phil has done a great job. A solid “A-.” Considering Phil’s position and commitments, there’s very little to complain about here and much to benefit from. I recommend this seminar to anyone interested in the Emerging Church, and especially to those interested in a fair critique. (I do not recommend the blog on which it appears. In fact, I apologize that I have to link to it.)Continue reading “An Emerging Critique Worth Reading”

Blue Like The Color Of My Face

dmiller.jpgChallenge to Critics of the Emerging Church: Don Miller makes frequent reference to Imago Dei Church. Here’s their sermon page. Have you listened to any EC preachers? Why not listen and see if the “no propositions/no truth” portrayal is true.

I know that Don Miller’s writing has the potential to provoke and irritate, but two recent reviews of Blue Like Jazz make me wonder why reformed critics are so upset that a guy like Miller is writing his thoughts/journey down for us to read.

Joe Thorn reported on Mark Coppenger’s recent analysis of Blue Like Jazz at Southern Seminary. You can read his post, listen to the lecture, and decide for yourself what you think of Coppenger’s take on Miller.

My interest was piqued when a lurker sent me this link to a much more personal take on Miller from a “reformed philosopher”. Here’s a thesis statement: “I just want to give a smattering of the anti-rational, anti-christian, and anti-substantive claims of Don Miller…” You’d think Miller was presenting a paper in philosophy colloquium and ended up renouncing the existence of God.

[Update: More Miller discussion at the same site here and here.Continue reading “Blue Like The Color Of My Face”

Here. There. This. That.

Living the Cross Centered Life : Keeping the Gospel the Main ThingA few notes on this and that.

C.J. Mahaney’s assistant, Carolyn McCulley, sent me two books by C.J., and I’m very grateful. One is a “combined” volume of C.J.’s book on The Cross Centered Life (which my church did for Lent two years ago) and Christ the Mediator. Now combined into one volume, called Living the Cross Centered Life, this is about as good as it gets. Christ-centered. Irenic. Positive. Practical. Helpful. The kind of solid devotional/practical teaching that so many Christians are starving for. I highly recommend all these books, and especially want to praise the new edition. (UPDATE: Why are some of you surprised that I like these books?)

It’s wonderful to read intense Christianity that knows sin is the enemy, not the church down the street.Continue reading “Here. There. This. That.”

The Monk Emerges

candlesthrere.jpgA few weeks ago, I was invited to speak at a Charismatic church in a neighboring community. (Take it to the comment threads, people.) I discovered that I was actually speaking at an “emerging” worship service designed for the younger adults in the community. As this was my first experience with an “emerging” service, I wanted to pay close attention, so I took extensive notes and have given some thought to the entire experience.Continue reading “The Monk Emerges”