The school year is well under way and I am a little more overloaded than I would like to be. Nevertheless, I am going back to posting regular blogs, because it makes me write my thoughts down (which is healthy), and it allows me to keep anyone who reads this in the loop.
In my studies I have struggled with the concept of being a slave to sin, then breaking free of those chains as a result of putting faith in Christ, but yet still stumbling into sin again and again. I had a hard time putting into words a distinction between the before and after of sins control in our lives.
Romans 6:6
"For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin"
I was life guarding the other day when my thought process led me to credit card debt. When someone has a massive amount of credit card debt (an impossible amount to repay), they become a slave to it. The interest raises the debt faster than they can pay it. It causes a downward spiral in their life. Their slavery causes them to continue to use the credit card to pay for stuff. Maybe, they even give up hope, so they continue to use the card knowing they would never be able to repay it anyway.
So lets relate the debt to sin. When we put our faith in Christ, his death payed the debt in full. gone. The downward spiral begins to stop. The money we were pumping into the interest payments can be used for food and rent (instead of using the credit card for all that). We are no longer bound to using the card, we have the choice of putting it away. Maybe sometimes we stumble and swipe the card here and there... but Christ's payment covered all future debts as well.
To make matters worse... it only takes one sin to accumulate this massive debt.
John 8:34
"Jesus answered them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin'."
Thank you Jesus for paying off my debt and breaking the chains of my enslavement!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
The moral: I don't matter.
Another season of camp comes to an end. For the past 4 summers this has probably been the hardest part of the year for me. I spend the first part of the summer building this beautiful picture of Christian community. Then the end of July comes around and it gets torn down. It's almost like I go through a period of grieving. I suppose that's a good way to describe it, because something that meant a lot to me is gone forever. There will never be that same community until the new earth.
A healthy part of the grieving process is holding on to the memories. So my favorite part of the rest of the year is getting together with camp friends and laughing about our memories from camp.
I am relieved to hear that, from the outside, people were saying how much better the staff seemed this year. That they were more united, and that they reflected the attitude of Christ. It was an encouraging thing to hear after finishing what might have been my hardest summer. It's hard to compare because the previous summers seem so long ago. Being in charge of the waterfront was something I wasn't looking forward to, but it turned out to be fine. Sometimes it felt like an escape for me from other parts of camp.
I struggled a lot with pride this summer. I would be helping with something and I would get frustrated because I wanted it done my way. If you were there this summer you might not have noticed, at least I hope you didn't. Whether it was the right thing to do or not, I began to do my best to avoid helping with things that would exacerbate this attitude. The waterfront was different, because it was in my job description for things to go my way there; so it was never a struggle. That's probably why it became my escape, in a way.
This struggle was not a surprise to me going into the summer, but it was a little harder than I thought it would be.
Before I finish up this update, I want to make sure that you don't think it was all gloomy for me this summer. It was an excellent summer! I had a great time. It actually doesn't matter if I had a good time or not. What does matter is that a very large number of kids and teens were eternally impacted for Christ. It was a very exciting summer of surrendered lives. Lots of parties in heaven going on. One counselor shared that 9 of his campers accepted Christ at one of their Bible studies. Praise God. I also appreciate your prayers regarding spiritual warfare. It was a very real thing, but Jesus came out victorious time and time again.
Philippians 2:
1If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
A healthy part of the grieving process is holding on to the memories. So my favorite part of the rest of the year is getting together with camp friends and laughing about our memories from camp.
I am relieved to hear that, from the outside, people were saying how much better the staff seemed this year. That they were more united, and that they reflected the attitude of Christ. It was an encouraging thing to hear after finishing what might have been my hardest summer. It's hard to compare because the previous summers seem so long ago. Being in charge of the waterfront was something I wasn't looking forward to, but it turned out to be fine. Sometimes it felt like an escape for me from other parts of camp.
I struggled a lot with pride this summer. I would be helping with something and I would get frustrated because I wanted it done my way. If you were there this summer you might not have noticed, at least I hope you didn't. Whether it was the right thing to do or not, I began to do my best to avoid helping with things that would exacerbate this attitude. The waterfront was different, because it was in my job description for things to go my way there; so it was never a struggle. That's probably why it became my escape, in a way.
This struggle was not a surprise to me going into the summer, but it was a little harder than I thought it would be.
Before I finish up this update, I want to make sure that you don't think it was all gloomy for me this summer. It was an excellent summer! I had a great time. It actually doesn't matter if I had a good time or not. What does matter is that a very large number of kids and teens were eternally impacted for Christ. It was a very exciting summer of surrendered lives. Lots of parties in heaven going on. One counselor shared that 9 of his campers accepted Christ at one of their Bible studies. Praise God. I also appreciate your prayers regarding spiritual warfare. It was a very real thing, but Jesus came out victorious time and time again.
Philippians 2:
1If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
A day off
So I'm sitting in the Shay Station (coffee shop) because today is my day off.
There is so much I could write about right now, since I haven't written anything in a long time. I suppose I will start with the two things that hold the biggest place in my heart.
Jessica's House has been really interesting in the past month and a half. The walk across Michigan was successful and I was able to raise $1000. This money got them caught up on all the expenses, so she was able to break even. More recently we learned that the owner of the warehouse was kicking them out because they didn't want the children around. Jessica had found a house that they could stay in for $200 a month, but they needed a deposit of $800 to move in. I was a little discouraged by this because I didn't know where it would come from. Nevertheless, I was trusting God to provide. I worked harder at selling the Jessica's House T-shirts and was able to come up with about $150. Then, my dad talked to me yesterday and told me that people from his church got together and came up with $800 to send over there. God bless them. I was blown away. I am so excited right now. The last I heard, Jessica was planning on moving the children into the house today!
We still have to come up with $200 a month for the rent, but I have complete faith that the Lord will provide. Please let me know if you are interesting in being a monthly blessing to this ministry.
The second piece of my heart is camp, of course. Camp is going very well. Kids and teenagers are being impacted for eternity! I get to witness life change taking place everyday. I really think I have the best job in the world.
If you are asking how you can pray for us, this is how. Most people see camp as a safe "Christian bubble", and in some ways it probably is. The reality is, we are on the front lines of a massive spiritual battle. The evil one is not at all happy about what takes place at camp. He does everything he can to prevent it from happening. So please pray that God would bind the evil one from interfering in the work of the Lord here at camp.
I get excited when strange things happen because I know I'm doing something right. Satan's usual tactics continue to fail at camp. He normally finds success in causing disunity, bitterness, and resentment among Christians. These things prevent the work of the Lord. Praise the Lord, rarely do these evil strategies work among our staff, so Satan gets desperate. That's when strange things happen. Sometimes frightening things. Sometimes just really really frustrating things. So pray that God would give us the perseverance to press on regardless of what comes our way.
There is so much I could write about right now, since I haven't written anything in a long time. I suppose I will start with the two things that hold the biggest place in my heart.
Jessica's House has been really interesting in the past month and a half. The walk across Michigan was successful and I was able to raise $1000. This money got them caught up on all the expenses, so she was able to break even. More recently we learned that the owner of the warehouse was kicking them out because they didn't want the children around. Jessica had found a house that they could stay in for $200 a month, but they needed a deposit of $800 to move in. I was a little discouraged by this because I didn't know where it would come from. Nevertheless, I was trusting God to provide. I worked harder at selling the Jessica's House T-shirts and was able to come up with about $150. Then, my dad talked to me yesterday and told me that people from his church got together and came up with $800 to send over there. God bless them. I was blown away. I am so excited right now. The last I heard, Jessica was planning on moving the children into the house today!
We still have to come up with $200 a month for the rent, but I have complete faith that the Lord will provide. Please let me know if you are interesting in being a monthly blessing to this ministry.
The second piece of my heart is camp, of course. Camp is going very well. Kids and teenagers are being impacted for eternity! I get to witness life change taking place everyday. I really think I have the best job in the world.
If you are asking how you can pray for us, this is how. Most people see camp as a safe "Christian bubble", and in some ways it probably is. The reality is, we are on the front lines of a massive spiritual battle. The evil one is not at all happy about what takes place at camp. He does everything he can to prevent it from happening. So please pray that God would bind the evil one from interfering in the work of the Lord here at camp.
I get excited when strange things happen because I know I'm doing something right. Satan's usual tactics continue to fail at camp. He normally finds success in causing disunity, bitterness, and resentment among Christians. These things prevent the work of the Lord. Praise the Lord, rarely do these evil strategies work among our staff, so Satan gets desperate. That's when strange things happen. Sometimes frightening things. Sometimes just really really frustrating things. So pray that God would give us the perseverance to press on regardless of what comes our way.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
walk update 2
Check out LiveTheJesusRevolution.blogspot.com for the rest of the walk updates. Thanks for your support!
Friday, May 8, 2009
Walk Across Michigan: Update 1
Hey all.
I wanted to post an update on here before I left, but I couldn't get online at the library in St Clair Shores.
Day 1
I have to say, I got a lot of strange looks walking through the outskirts of Detroit with my huge backpack on. Overall, it was a fairly uneventful day until I was about ready to call it a night. I walked into a neighborhood planning to go up to people's houses and ask if I could stay in my tent in their yard. A guy across the street yelled at me asking what I was doing (I get that a lot), so I told him. He invited me in for dinner and then let me sleep in his backyard. He was Philippino and had all kinds of stories from back home. When he was a teenager, the rebels came through his property and asked (at gunpoint) if he would cook up some food for them. The problem was that if the other soldiers came by and saw them, they would have accused him of harboring rebels. Yikes... It was a good evening with some quality conversation.
Day 2
Just before noon, my weather man (Mike Johnson) called me and let me know that there was a storm on the way. I had just enough time to find some shelter before the sky let loose. It lasted about an hour, and then I was on my way again. In the evening, I tried to find a yard to stay in, but no one would let me, so I kept walking. I finally came upon a park. It had a nice dark corner where no one went, so I laid my sleeping bag out and went to sleep.
Day 3
This brings me to today. Since I was sleeping in park, I woke up bright and early before people would use the park (6:00am). Waking up so early gave me enough time to get all the way to Novi before lunch. This is where I am now, and my parents have met me here so my dad can walk with me for a while.
I will bring you up to date the next time I happen across a library.
I wanted to post an update on here before I left, but I couldn't get online at the library in St Clair Shores.
Day 1
I have to say, I got a lot of strange looks walking through the outskirts of Detroit with my huge backpack on. Overall, it was a fairly uneventful day until I was about ready to call it a night. I walked into a neighborhood planning to go up to people's houses and ask if I could stay in my tent in their yard. A guy across the street yelled at me asking what I was doing (I get that a lot), so I told him. He invited me in for dinner and then let me sleep in his backyard. He was Philippino and had all kinds of stories from back home. When he was a teenager, the rebels came through his property and asked (at gunpoint) if he would cook up some food for them. The problem was that if the other soldiers came by and saw them, they would have accused him of harboring rebels. Yikes... It was a good evening with some quality conversation.
Day 2
Just before noon, my weather man (Mike Johnson) called me and let me know that there was a storm on the way. I had just enough time to find some shelter before the sky let loose. It lasted about an hour, and then I was on my way again. In the evening, I tried to find a yard to stay in, but no one would let me, so I kept walking. I finally came upon a park. It had a nice dark corner where no one went, so I laid my sleeping bag out and went to sleep.
Day 3
This brings me to today. Since I was sleeping in park, I woke up bright and early before people would use the park (6:00am). Waking up so early gave me enough time to get all the way to Novi before lunch. This is where I am now, and my parents have met me here so my dad can walk with me for a while.
I will bring you up to date the next time I happen across a library.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Crazy Life
Things are happening and life is flying by!
I am leading worship at Voice Of Hope Church in Wayland on May 24th to see if I would be a good fit to be their worship leader. Praise the Lord.
I am still planning on walking across Michigan in May... and that is coming up really quick... kinda crazy.
I have a lot of homework coming due and it's making me nervous that I wont get it done...
Happy Velociraptor Awareness Day!
Susan Boyle Rocks!
Paintball scenerio this weekend!
Peace out.
I am leading worship at Voice Of Hope Church in Wayland on May 24th to see if I would be a good fit to be their worship leader. Praise the Lord.
I am still planning on walking across Michigan in May... and that is coming up really quick... kinda crazy.
I have a lot of homework coming due and it's making me nervous that I wont get it done...
Happy Velociraptor Awareness Day!
Susan Boyle Rocks!
Paintball scenerio this weekend!
Peace out.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
A flood of emotions
I am in a very strange mood right now. I'm not really sure how to explain it. I am feeling so many conflicting emotions. Maybe it's just that I need sleep.
Part of me is excited, grateful, and happy. But at the same time I am sad, discouraged, angry, and broken.
-I am excited for camp. I have a great feeling about this summer, I know that God will do amazing works in people's lives and I am pumped about being a part of that.
-I am grateful that Jesus smashed my heart... and then sewed it back together to look more like His
-and I am happy (for lack of a more appropriate word) because I had a great talk with my Mormon missionary friends today (no, I am not Mormon, I just like to talk to the Mormons)
I am sad, discouraged, and angry because we live in a fallen world and it SUCKS. The devil and his schemes are powerful and tricky. He is always throwing his arrows at me and trying to get me to fall. It seems like something new everyday. I am thankful I have a greater weapon... I just wish I was diligent enough to practice with it more often so I don't look like a bumbling fool when I try and use it.
These emotions come and go... or like tonight, all come at the same time. Yet there is another emotion that I did not mention. I did not put it with the others because I don't think it is actually an emotion. As I have said before, joy is a mindset, it is a choice. Being an opposite of joy, bitterness is likewise a mindset and a choice.
Everyday I fight off the bitterness. It seems to be my default mindset.
I don't want to be bitter. Yet, every morning, I wake up with bitterness trying to fill my thoughts. Everyday I stop myself and say "no, there is a better way".
It's not that I'm bitter at one particular person; no, that would be too easy to solve. If you know me well enough, you could probably guess where my bitterness comes from. I just can't stand American Christians. I could go on and on, but you've probably heard it. Christians in this country are pansies. Sometimes when the bitterness takes control, I don't even want to call myself a Christian out of shame. Not because I'm ashamed of Jesus, no no... I would die for Him in a heart beat. But because I'm ashamed to be associated with Christians in America. Now you know the inner struggle of Nate Storvik.
It is a struggle because I know it's not right. We are not called to be bitter, we are called to love. There is hope yet for the church in America, I am not about to give up on it. Everyday when I wake up I have to choose peace, love, and joy; only with these can things be made right... bitterness will solve nothing. It is a scheme of the devil to inspire hate.
Part of me is excited, grateful, and happy. But at the same time I am sad, discouraged, angry, and broken.
-I am excited for camp. I have a great feeling about this summer, I know that God will do amazing works in people's lives and I am pumped about being a part of that.
-I am grateful that Jesus smashed my heart... and then sewed it back together to look more like His
-and I am happy (for lack of a more appropriate word) because I had a great talk with my Mormon missionary friends today (no, I am not Mormon, I just like to talk to the Mormons)
I am sad, discouraged, and angry because we live in a fallen world and it SUCKS. The devil and his schemes are powerful and tricky. He is always throwing his arrows at me and trying to get me to fall. It seems like something new everyday. I am thankful I have a greater weapon... I just wish I was diligent enough to practice with it more often so I don't look like a bumbling fool when I try and use it.
These emotions come and go... or like tonight, all come at the same time. Yet there is another emotion that I did not mention. I did not put it with the others because I don't think it is actually an emotion. As I have said before, joy is a mindset, it is a choice. Being an opposite of joy, bitterness is likewise a mindset and a choice.
Everyday I fight off the bitterness. It seems to be my default mindset.
I don't want to be bitter. Yet, every morning, I wake up with bitterness trying to fill my thoughts. Everyday I stop myself and say "no, there is a better way".
It's not that I'm bitter at one particular person; no, that would be too easy to solve. If you know me well enough, you could probably guess where my bitterness comes from. I just can't stand American Christians. I could go on and on, but you've probably heard it. Christians in this country are pansies. Sometimes when the bitterness takes control, I don't even want to call myself a Christian out of shame. Not because I'm ashamed of Jesus, no no... I would die for Him in a heart beat. But because I'm ashamed to be associated with Christians in America. Now you know the inner struggle of Nate Storvik.
It is a struggle because I know it's not right. We are not called to be bitter, we are called to love. There is hope yet for the church in America, I am not about to give up on it. Everyday when I wake up I have to choose peace, love, and joy; only with these can things be made right... bitterness will solve nothing. It is a scheme of the devil to inspire hate.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Shreddin the Gnar
I realize that the name of my blog is no longer accurate, as I do not post daily. My life is too busy for that, and even now I should be doing other things. Oh well...
I would like to start by saying that this weekend was a lot of fun. More importantly, though, it was challenging too. If you don't know, I had the privilege of being an adult chaperon/driver for the Temple Hill youth group for the Dare 2 Share conference in Chicago. I love the THBC youth group a lot and it was awesome to hang with them again. I am a fan of Dare 2 Share a lot more than Acquire The Fire. ATF is nice and all, but D2S is much more challenging. Not only is it challenging, but they equip you and then throw you into situations right then to practice evangelism... and it's amazingly awkward.
Anywho... it was a great re-charge and greatly encouraging to gather with so many other hard-core Jesus followers. One of the kids from another group told his story of leading a guy to Christ in the middle of a gas station Friday... because he was willing to share his faith everywhere he went. That's cool stuff.
I would appreciate your prayer for my health. I am scheduling a doctors appointment to get their opinion. I have lost most of my appetite for food. I am hungry like I should be, I can feel my stomach growling, and I force myself to eat, but food just lost it's appeal to me. I'm not really sure why this is.
I need to find ways to expand my circle of influence to non-Christians. One of the main things they talked about this weekend was to think of someone in your life that doesn't know Jesus that you can evangelize to... and I was like... um... shoot. I've effectively run out of non-Christian friends that are a regular part of my life. That needs to stop. So i guess you could pray about that too.
I pray like a sissy
thought I would throw that out there.
Another conviction of mine is facebook. Ok... I use it to communicate with people, but that is just my excuse for justifying an addiction. This weekend, Derwin said "maybe you spend more time on facebook than in the Word..." when he was talking about distractions in life. yikes... that was like a knife to the chest. I'm not going to quite using facebook, but I will start being conscious of my time on it, verses my time in the Word; not because I'm going to start being religious about the way I use my time, but because I have a desire to grow closer to God and facebook is not the best tool for that... the Bible and prayer are the best tools for that.
I need you guys to keep me accountable on that.
I'm shreddin the gnar (that would be surfer lingo for going all in... going big rather than going home).
I would like to start by saying that this weekend was a lot of fun. More importantly, though, it was challenging too. If you don't know, I had the privilege of being an adult chaperon/driver for the Temple Hill youth group for the Dare 2 Share conference in Chicago. I love the THBC youth group a lot and it was awesome to hang with them again. I am a fan of Dare 2 Share a lot more than Acquire The Fire. ATF is nice and all, but D2S is much more challenging. Not only is it challenging, but they equip you and then throw you into situations right then to practice evangelism... and it's amazingly awkward.
Anywho... it was a great re-charge and greatly encouraging to gather with so many other hard-core Jesus followers. One of the kids from another group told his story of leading a guy to Christ in the middle of a gas station Friday... because he was willing to share his faith everywhere he went. That's cool stuff.
I would appreciate your prayer for my health. I am scheduling a doctors appointment to get their opinion. I have lost most of my appetite for food. I am hungry like I should be, I can feel my stomach growling, and I force myself to eat, but food just lost it's appeal to me. I'm not really sure why this is.
I need to find ways to expand my circle of influence to non-Christians. One of the main things they talked about this weekend was to think of someone in your life that doesn't know Jesus that you can evangelize to... and I was like... um... shoot. I've effectively run out of non-Christian friends that are a regular part of my life. That needs to stop. So i guess you could pray about that too.
I pray like a sissy
thought I would throw that out there.
Another conviction of mine is facebook. Ok... I use it to communicate with people, but that is just my excuse for justifying an addiction. This weekend, Derwin said "maybe you spend more time on facebook than in the Word..." when he was talking about distractions in life. yikes... that was like a knife to the chest. I'm not going to quite using facebook, but I will start being conscious of my time on it, verses my time in the Word; not because I'm going to start being religious about the way I use my time, but because I have a desire to grow closer to God and facebook is not the best tool for that... the Bible and prayer are the best tools for that.
I need you guys to keep me accountable on that.
I'm shreddin the gnar (that would be surfer lingo for going all in... going big rather than going home).
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Focused on Jesus
I know I just posted a blog yesterday, but it wasn't all that interesting and I thought of something interesting to talk about (ok, well, I find it interesting).
I was reading an article on the church (no surprise there) and it really resonated with things that I've been thinking about. First of all, I would really recommend reading the article (especially if you don't know what modernism and postmodernism are... since then you may not understand what I'm talking about) and I put the link at the bottom for ya'll.
(for the purposes of this rant, I am referring to the philosophical worldview of postmodernism, not the cultural view of postmodernism)
I've always had a problem with postmodernism. It has some nice qualities to it, and I can really identify with a lot of its concepts. However, I really struggle with its foundation. One of the foundational building blocks of postmodernism is that there are no absolute truths. This is in response to modernism, where essentially everything is explainable by absolutes. Of course, modernism leaves the church in a pickle because it can't explain miracles and other unexplainable Biblical concepts. Yet, on the other side of the spectrum, postmodernism destroys the authority of the Bible. If there are no absolute truths, than how can we trust the validity of the Bible? This thought process leaves some churches with the mindset that we can simply pick and chose things out of the Bible that "feel true to us".
I hold strongly to the fact that the Bible is authoritative and eternally absolute.
I also hold that there are works of the Spirit that are simply not explainable by science (not to mention that the existence of God is not explainable by science).
Therefore, I do not have a modernistic or a postmodern worldview.
As a church, we ought to hold on to the worldview that is Jesus.
We shouldn't entirely focus on proving things through science
We shouldn't entirely focus on being "hip"
We shouldn't entirely focus on being intensely structured
and we shouldn't entirely focus on being "spiritual"
We SHOULD be entirely focused on Jesus and doing what He did.
I used the word "entirely" because I don't think that those things are necessarily wrong, as long as they come second to being focused on Jesus.
I would also like to point out that I rarely see those priorities in the right order in churches, but it does happen.
That is my rant on the church's worldview, thanks for reading... oh, and here's the link for the article that got my brain moving.
http://www.relevantmagazine.com/columns/church-today/348-stick-a-fork-in-it-postmodernism
I was reading an article on the church (no surprise there) and it really resonated with things that I've been thinking about. First of all, I would really recommend reading the article (especially if you don't know what modernism and postmodernism are... since then you may not understand what I'm talking about) and I put the link at the bottom for ya'll.
(for the purposes of this rant, I am referring to the philosophical worldview of postmodernism, not the cultural view of postmodernism)
I've always had a problem with postmodernism. It has some nice qualities to it, and I can really identify with a lot of its concepts. However, I really struggle with its foundation. One of the foundational building blocks of postmodernism is that there are no absolute truths. This is in response to modernism, where essentially everything is explainable by absolutes. Of course, modernism leaves the church in a pickle because it can't explain miracles and other unexplainable Biblical concepts. Yet, on the other side of the spectrum, postmodernism destroys the authority of the Bible. If there are no absolute truths, than how can we trust the validity of the Bible? This thought process leaves some churches with the mindset that we can simply pick and chose things out of the Bible that "feel true to us".
I hold strongly to the fact that the Bible is authoritative and eternally absolute.
I also hold that there are works of the Spirit that are simply not explainable by science (not to mention that the existence of God is not explainable by science).
Therefore, I do not have a modernistic or a postmodern worldview.
As a church, we ought to hold on to the worldview that is Jesus.
We shouldn't entirely focus on proving things through science
We shouldn't entirely focus on being "hip"
We shouldn't entirely focus on being intensely structured
and we shouldn't entirely focus on being "spiritual"
We SHOULD be entirely focused on Jesus and doing what He did.
I used the word "entirely" because I don't think that those things are necessarily wrong, as long as they come second to being focused on Jesus.
I would also like to point out that I rarely see those priorities in the right order in churches, but it does happen.
That is my rant on the church's worldview, thanks for reading... oh, and here's the link for the article that got my brain moving.
http://www.relevantmagazine.com/columns/church-today/348-stick-a-fork-in-it-postmodernism
Monday, March 9, 2009
community
With a few edits and touch-ups this morning, my term paper is finally complete. I really can't express how relieving that is. So now, I'm going to take a bit of time to write here before i get back to the rest of my homework.
If you read my last post (well... last two, since they were basically one) you can see that I've been a little discouraged. Ok, a lot. So, let me update everyone on this. Yesterday might have been the worst of it (didn't help that I had a splitting headache). There wasn't anything in particular that happened yesterday that would have worsened it, it was just cumulative I guess. Anyways, I just sort of vegged out in front of the TV last night and stopped caring about reality for a while. I will finish out this thought by saying that today is much better. The roller coaster is clearly going back up.
I'm pretty excited for March Madness... anyone else? GO STATE!
I'm tired of being in this state of not belonging anywhere. It's really bizarre, and I don't like it. I have friends all over the world, but I don't feel at home anywhere. Well, I feel at home at camp, but that only consumes 3 months of my life and then its back to being homeless. I see people having real community and I long for it, but it always seems just outside of my grasp. I don't even have a hometown to go back to and visit it seems. The actual place is still there, but practically none of the people i knew remain there.
Community... its just one of those things to add to the list of "later". It'll happen later in life when I'm established. really?
I get the feeling that its like tithing... in the sense that if I don't get in the habit of it NOW, it's delusional to think that I will later in life "when I'm established". like I'll ever be "established" anyway... lets face it.
I'm a little curious if my splitting headache yesterday was related to the fact that I didn't have any coffee all day... In which case I should probably detox
who knows... it could have been completely non-related.
If you read my last post (well... last two, since they were basically one) you can see that I've been a little discouraged. Ok, a lot. So, let me update everyone on this. Yesterday might have been the worst of it (didn't help that I had a splitting headache). There wasn't anything in particular that happened yesterday that would have worsened it, it was just cumulative I guess. Anyways, I just sort of vegged out in front of the TV last night and stopped caring about reality for a while. I will finish out this thought by saying that today is much better. The roller coaster is clearly going back up.
I'm pretty excited for March Madness... anyone else? GO STATE!
I'm tired of being in this state of not belonging anywhere. It's really bizarre, and I don't like it. I have friends all over the world, but I don't feel at home anywhere. Well, I feel at home at camp, but that only consumes 3 months of my life and then its back to being homeless. I see people having real community and I long for it, but it always seems just outside of my grasp. I don't even have a hometown to go back to and visit it seems. The actual place is still there, but practically none of the people i knew remain there.
Community... its just one of those things to add to the list of "later". It'll happen later in life when I'm established. really?
I get the feeling that its like tithing... in the sense that if I don't get in the habit of it NOW, it's delusional to think that I will later in life "when I'm established". like I'll ever be "established" anyway... lets face it.
I'm a little curious if my splitting headache yesterday was related to the fact that I didn't have any coffee all day... In which case I should probably detox
who knows... it could have been completely non-related.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
A Clarification
Let me clarify my previous blog post (so please read this in conjunction with the next one).
When I speak of passion, I am talking about my Africa passion. The actions, or lack there of, of the church have only made me more passionate about other things.
I very excited about what the future holds, and I know the church will do great things.
Recent experiences, such as serving at the boiler room, have been incredibly inspiring.
I want everyone to know that I am not giving up on "the church", but rather, I seek to help it where it has fallen.
My frustration yesterday comes from my Africa passion being sucked out of me by the apathy around me. I want to be passionate and on fire to help these people, but I've lost it and I need a jump start.
Peace and Love
When I speak of passion, I am talking about my Africa passion. The actions, or lack there of, of the church have only made me more passionate about other things.
I very excited about what the future holds, and I know the church will do great things.
Recent experiences, such as serving at the boiler room, have been incredibly inspiring.
I want everyone to know that I am not giving up on "the church", but rather, I seek to help it where it has fallen.
My frustration yesterday comes from my Africa passion being sucked out of me by the apathy around me. I want to be passionate and on fire to help these people, but I've lost it and I need a jump start.
Peace and Love
Friday, February 27, 2009
Fears Coming Alive
I'm having a hard time getting my mind to focus back on homework again after I had to take a break and go to an appointment. So, I figured I would do this for a bit.
What I have feared most about coming back to America is indeed happening. I knew it would, yet I tried and tried to fight it. I'm losing the passion. I find myself buried in a stack of school books as I watch the passion for my new love drain away. It's so easy, it seems, to ease back into that state of apathy from which I came.
I knew why it would happen too, and yet there was nothing I could do about it. You see, apathy is contagious. It's a nasty virus that runs rampant in America, and I knew that I would catch it when I got back.
I even knew where I would catch it. Most people avoid a place if they know it contains a disease, but lets face it, I can't avoid the church; and I shouldn't.
The church...
After reading about the church in the Bible, it's the last place I would expect to find such a disease, but sadly it triumphs uncontrolled in the American church.
I am so frustrated by the Bureaucracy of the churches I am trying to work with. I am growing increasingly impatient of the system. The system is where good ideas go to die. I still have hope, but realistically, I am quite aware that my passionate plans will likely not make it out alive.
Before you think that I hate the church let me clarify. I am frustrated with the church to be sure. Never-the-less, the church is my mother, and God is still moving through it. I love the church and without it I would not be here.
That is all for now.
What I have feared most about coming back to America is indeed happening. I knew it would, yet I tried and tried to fight it. I'm losing the passion. I find myself buried in a stack of school books as I watch the passion for my new love drain away. It's so easy, it seems, to ease back into that state of apathy from which I came.
I knew why it would happen too, and yet there was nothing I could do about it. You see, apathy is contagious. It's a nasty virus that runs rampant in America, and I knew that I would catch it when I got back.
I even knew where I would catch it. Most people avoid a place if they know it contains a disease, but lets face it, I can't avoid the church; and I shouldn't.
The church...
After reading about the church in the Bible, it's the last place I would expect to find such a disease, but sadly it triumphs uncontrolled in the American church.
I am so frustrated by the Bureaucracy of the churches I am trying to work with. I am growing increasingly impatient of the system. The system is where good ideas go to die. I still have hope, but realistically, I am quite aware that my passionate plans will likely not make it out alive.
Before you think that I hate the church let me clarify. I am frustrated with the church to be sure. Never-the-less, the church is my mother, and God is still moving through it. I love the church and without it I would not be here.
That is all for now.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
craziness and president bashing...
Its been a while since I've posted something so I figured it was time. Then I will go into my cave of homework ne'er to return. dun-dun-dun
I did not have an original topic in mind, so this is just free flowing thoughts.
I have been rather swamped this semester, its a little crazy. It has been nice to get some positive feedback on my work recently. At least I know I'm going in the right direction with my school work. It is sad to me though that I do not have time as of late to do things that are important to me. I haven't been able to spend as much time with my small group as I want. I also feel like there are friends that are slipping away further and further into oblivion, but I am too busy to do anything about it.
I have this problem where I constantly feel that school gets in the way of life. I want to be out there doing the things I am studying. I sit on my couch studying evangelism, but I'm not doing it. I study what a church should look like, but I'm just sitting on the sidelines and not getting my hands dirty in becoming what the church should look like. I get frustrated because I am an incredibly impatient person. I want it to happen now. but then I am constrained by the system, so it can't happen now. Nothing happens now, even if it needs to.
I get sick of waiting on the system. Doesn't anyone get a sense of urgency about anything anymore?
I have mentioned this before, but lets be real. Like him or not, don't bash the president. I myself am guilty of this from time to time, but insulting someone is clearly a sin (rebuking out of love is not a sin, but president bashing doesn't qualify here). On top of that, we are to respect our authority. We should even be praying for him. Honestly, I look around and see professing Christians outright insulting Obama left and right. It almost makes me sick to my stomach. My Jesus doesn't do that, so neither will I, and if I do I hope that you will rebuke me.
It is certainly OK to question authority... in fact, I encourage it. Blindly following authority is stupid. Question everything! but, questioning authority does not mean insulting authority.
I may get flack for this one, but, just because someone is pro-choice does not mean they are a baby-killer, nor does it give you the right to call them one.
I won't even go into the homosexual-marriage debate, lest I get burned at the stake.
and before I get burned at the stake anyway because of what I have implied... I'm not pro-abortion and I'm not pro-gay-marriage.
I do know though, that Jesus loves gay people, and he also loves doctors who perform abortions.
ok, I've strayed off my original topic, to recap... disagree with him if you want, but don't bash the prez.
Ok, I need sleep so I can get up and do homework :-)
I did not have an original topic in mind, so this is just free flowing thoughts.
I have been rather swamped this semester, its a little crazy. It has been nice to get some positive feedback on my work recently. At least I know I'm going in the right direction with my school work. It is sad to me though that I do not have time as of late to do things that are important to me. I haven't been able to spend as much time with my small group as I want. I also feel like there are friends that are slipping away further and further into oblivion, but I am too busy to do anything about it.
I have this problem where I constantly feel that school gets in the way of life. I want to be out there doing the things I am studying. I sit on my couch studying evangelism, but I'm not doing it. I study what a church should look like, but I'm just sitting on the sidelines and not getting my hands dirty in becoming what the church should look like. I get frustrated because I am an incredibly impatient person. I want it to happen now. but then I am constrained by the system, so it can't happen now. Nothing happens now, even if it needs to.
I get sick of waiting on the system. Doesn't anyone get a sense of urgency about anything anymore?
I have mentioned this before, but lets be real. Like him or not, don't bash the president. I myself am guilty of this from time to time, but insulting someone is clearly a sin (rebuking out of love is not a sin, but president bashing doesn't qualify here). On top of that, we are to respect our authority. We should even be praying for him. Honestly, I look around and see professing Christians outright insulting Obama left and right. It almost makes me sick to my stomach. My Jesus doesn't do that, so neither will I, and if I do I hope that you will rebuke me.
It is certainly OK to question authority... in fact, I encourage it. Blindly following authority is stupid. Question everything! but, questioning authority does not mean insulting authority.
I may get flack for this one, but, just because someone is pro-choice does not mean they are a baby-killer, nor does it give you the right to call them one.
I won't even go into the homosexual-marriage debate, lest I get burned at the stake.
and before I get burned at the stake anyway because of what I have implied... I'm not pro-abortion and I'm not pro-gay-marriage.
I do know though, that Jesus loves gay people, and he also loves doctors who perform abortions.
ok, I've strayed off my original topic, to recap... disagree with him if you want, but don't bash the prez.
Ok, I need sleep so I can get up and do homework :-)
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Looking behind the curtain...
And... we're back.
I'm sitting here in a coffee shop, wondering where I'm going.
Have you ever thought about why you exist?
I'm not talking about why "we" exist... as humans (I don't really like philosophy)
why do I exist as an individual? I believe that everyone exists for a reason. So, out of 6 billion reasons, what's mine?
I have come to terms with the fact that I may never know. But that doesn't mean that I stop wondering. I never stop wondering.
After coming back to America I find myself wondering, why was I blessed by being born in America? Why am I in that 5% of the worlds population? Why do they say I am blessed to live in America? Have we confused the difference between a blessing and a curse? I find myself a slave. I am a slave to the American dream. As much as I say I don't want the American dream, I can't take the chains off. Excuse my language, but the American dream sucks. It sucks the life out of you and it sucks the joy out of you.
I feel like a dog on a chain. Have you ever seen a dog take off after something forgetting that he was on a chain? Then you see the dog stop in mid-stride as he discovers he's tied up. I keep trying to run away from this way of life, but I try and then remember I can't. I have all of these contracts and obligations that keep me from the world outside my dog pen.
In the meantime, we do what we can to glorify God in our current circumstances. Someday I'll be free from my chain and I'll leave the dog pen, but as it turns out, there's plenty of things to do inside the pen for now. That doesn't mean, though, that I don't despise these chains.
I'm still trying to process my trip... and to be honest it's going to take a long time. Here are some random thoughts:
I will never understand how so much communication was possible between me and the street kids. Sometimes when I think about it, I forget that I didn't speak their language.
I saw joy in those kids that I rarely get the chance to witness. Someone jokingly said, "you mean they were joyful and they didn't have a Wii?!?". I can't say this more plainly, I witnessed joy in some of those boys that I have never witnessed in any child that owned a Wii. And yet, some people still have the mindset that joy is found in possessions.
Everyone should leave the country at least once in their life (sorry, Canada doesn't count). Actually, I think everyone should spend time in a 3rd world country at least once (ok, Mexico is acceptable and it's a 2nd world country... but going further away is cooler).
When I experience another culture again, I will plan to stay longer; like a semester, or a year.
So, I have thoughts about the inauguration, but this post is long enough, I'll save it.
-Peace
I'm sitting here in a coffee shop, wondering where I'm going.
Have you ever thought about why you exist?
I'm not talking about why "we" exist... as humans (I don't really like philosophy)
why do I exist as an individual? I believe that everyone exists for a reason. So, out of 6 billion reasons, what's mine?
I have come to terms with the fact that I may never know. But that doesn't mean that I stop wondering. I never stop wondering.
After coming back to America I find myself wondering, why was I blessed by being born in America? Why am I in that 5% of the worlds population? Why do they say I am blessed to live in America? Have we confused the difference between a blessing and a curse? I find myself a slave. I am a slave to the American dream. As much as I say I don't want the American dream, I can't take the chains off. Excuse my language, but the American dream sucks. It sucks the life out of you and it sucks the joy out of you.
I feel like a dog on a chain. Have you ever seen a dog take off after something forgetting that he was on a chain? Then you see the dog stop in mid-stride as he discovers he's tied up. I keep trying to run away from this way of life, but I try and then remember I can't. I have all of these contracts and obligations that keep me from the world outside my dog pen.
In the meantime, we do what we can to glorify God in our current circumstances. Someday I'll be free from my chain and I'll leave the dog pen, but as it turns out, there's plenty of things to do inside the pen for now. That doesn't mean, though, that I don't despise these chains.
I'm still trying to process my trip... and to be honest it's going to take a long time. Here are some random thoughts:
I will never understand how so much communication was possible between me and the street kids. Sometimes when I think about it, I forget that I didn't speak their language.
I saw joy in those kids that I rarely get the chance to witness. Someone jokingly said, "you mean they were joyful and they didn't have a Wii?!?". I can't say this more plainly, I witnessed joy in some of those boys that I have never witnessed in any child that owned a Wii. And yet, some people still have the mindset that joy is found in possessions.
Everyone should leave the country at least once in their life (sorry, Canada doesn't count). Actually, I think everyone should spend time in a 3rd world country at least once (ok, Mexico is acceptable and it's a 2nd world country... but going further away is cooler).
When I experience another culture again, I will plan to stay longer; like a semester, or a year.
So, I have thoughts about the inauguration, but this post is long enough, I'll save it.
-Peace
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