Lord Save Us From Your Followers

This was really good. It is worth watching.

It is an interesting documentary.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/177536/lord-save-us-from-your-followers

Simply Christian - Reflection 2

N. T. Wright's
Simply Christian
Why Christianity Makes Sense

“Christianity is all about the belief that the living God, in fulfillment of his promises and as the climax of the story of Israel, has accomplished all this - the finding, the saving, the giving of new life - in Jesus. He has done it. With Jesus, God’s rescue operation has been put into effect once and for all. A great door has swung open in the cosmos which can never be shut. It’s the door to the prison where we’ve been kept chained up. We are offered freedom: freedom to experience God’s rescue for ourselves, to go through the open door and explore the new world to which we now have access. In particular, we are invited - summoned, actually - to discover, through following Jesus, that this new world is indeed a place of justice, spirituality, relationship, and beauty, and that we are not only to enjoy it as such but to work at bringing it to birth on earth as in heaven. In listening to Jesus, we discover whose voice it is that has echoed around the hearts and minds of the human race all along.” a paragraph from Chapter 7.

It was very interesting right before this paragraph he points to a list of things that Christianity is not. Some of the things he lists I have at one point or another in my life had thought or even claimed out loud that Christianity was. One example was that Jesus’s main purpose was to be a great moral example, as if all we had to do was follow Jesus’s example of great devotion to God. He likened that to watching Tiger Woods playing golf. For some it may help improve their golf game, for others it would make them depressed, because there would be no hope of coming close to playing like Tiger. It isn’t that we can’t learn from the example Jesus lead, but this isn’t the chief end of Christianity and of why Jesus came. He didn’t come to simply be a moral example.

This book has been refreshing for me in his connecting Jesus to the story of Israel and the Jewish tradition, which I think I don’t keep connected sometimes.

This is the “new world” I desire to participate in. The rescue and restoration of creation. God rescuing and restoring me and using me to bring about the same in all of creation around me. Participating with God bringing justice putting things to rights, healing relationships, experiencing and creating beauty, and sharing in the spirituality of communion with God and the Body of Christ.

Outhouse nationals. Choudrant

Fun day with the boys watching outhouse races

Mount Magazine Pictures

This was a great trip! We spent the night in Russellville, Arkansas at a great hotel. The boys and I swam while Jill exercised. In the morning had Hotel Waffles! mmmm.... good. Then drove to the mountain. We hiked the North Rim Trail. Fun and beautiful. Lots of butterflies, and caterpillars. Ethan even found a large millipede. Caleb was a man and helped carry the back pack. Caleb and Jill raced to the top and then started cheering for Ethan and Daddy. After we climbed to the summit (using the word "climb" very loosely), we had an incredible lunch at the Lodge. We had to walk the 3 miles back to the van. Ethan was tired so he ended up on Dad's back.

It was a great family - Here are some Pictures

6th high point

Six high points down

Arkansas highest point

murphy adventure Arkansas highest point.

Simply Christian - Reflection 1

Book 1

N. T. Wright's

Simply Christian

Why Christianity Makes Sense

The first thing Wright discusses is the echo of a voice. It is the voice of God the creator "echoing off the crags, murmuring in the sunset." We hear this echo in four things: Justice, spirituality, relationship, and beauty.

-"...all people know, in cooler moments, that this strange thing we call justice, this longing for things to be put right, remains one of the great human goals and dreams." This chapter discusses this longing in all humans for things to be put to right is the echo of the voice of God. He goes on to say that the reason we hear that "echo of a voice, is that is someone speaking to us.... who cares very much about this present world and our present selves, and who has made us and the world for a purpose which will indeed involve justice." and all things being put to rights (ourselves included).

I have enjoyed that he has even commented on other major religions that have also tried to answer the similar question of where does this sense of justice come from. It feels like we are taking an honest look at Christianity doing this.

-Next he looks at spirituality and comments that it is bubbling up as a spring within human hearts and human societies. It is another "feature of Human life which, functions as the echo of a voice; a signpost pointing... toward the possibility that we humans were made for more than this."

-Relationships. "how is it that we ache for each other and yet find relationships so difficult?" the idea of being made for relationships is another echo of the voice of God.
-Beauty. From a sunset to music, to photo, painting or mountains. He wrestles with why things move us and again it is the echo of the voice of God the Creator of all.

That's all i have right now. On to sleep and then tomorrow more reading.

Book Reflections

Self imposed accountability with a global partner (the internet)

Let's just see how well this works....

I have a list of books I am trying to read, and I thought if I would commit to reflecting on them periodically on the blog/facebook it would provide an added incentive of not simply glazing over these books, but really processing them. I am not promising a spectacular book reviews or revolutionary insights that will change your future. I am just hoping to grow and mature, and writing these reflections should help these things I learn press deeper into me.

First up:

Simply Christian

Why Christianity Makes Sense

N. T. Wright

First day of school.

Creator's Art Video

Trinity held an art camp this week. The 3rd - 6th graders (including Caleb) participated in Music, painting, and video production. I lead the video production part. It made for a very busy week, but I am really proud of what the kids came up with.

I hope you enjoy the video. The kids wrote how they wanted to represent each day of creation. I just edited it together.