A Radosevich Project

The Switch

2008-12-15T08:50:00.002-06:00

I wanted to let the few people who followed this blog know that I've begun a new website/blog that I will be using more regularly. I haven't set everything up, so you can't subscribe by email yet or make comments.

aradosevichproject.com is the address

The format right now is smaller chunks than on this blog. I post links, quotes, and pictures. I also post thoughts in longer form occasionally. The smaller format allows me to post thoughts and other things I find interesting without taking a lot of time. I hope to write longer pieces in the future that wouldn't be a good fit on a blog. I'm planning other ways to post those.

See you guys at the other site. Thanks for reading.

I'm taking a break

2008-10-21T15:44:00.002-05:00

I'm taking a break from my blog for a few weeks. I've really enjoyed writing for it because it's given me a chance to write regularly for two years. I don't know that many people are reading it, but it's been nice nonetheless.

My break is to think about my writing and what I want to accomplish with it. I've been reading a lot and generating a lot of ideas, but I don't know if the short form of blogging is best for me right now.

So I'll post later to let you know what I'm doing and where my writing will be in the future. Thanks.

Do What You Can Do

2008-10-16T09:36:00.002-05:00

Pressure forces us to do what we can really do. It forces us to raise our performance.

Where there is no pressure--internal or external--performance suffers. An athlete pushes her muscles to go further than they are used to to build them up. My GRE score increases rapidly in the weeks leading up to the test. A student only studies the night before an exam.

The real task is putting pressure on before someone puts it on us.

Soup Tuesday-a little bit of everything

2008-10-14T14:54:00.003-05:00

We watched WALL-E for the first time yesterday. It is a great movie and a masterpiece of storytelling. It's got to be one of Pixar's best movies because of how much it moved me. Some of their earlier movies are more entertaining-The Incredibles and Monster's Inc. But WALL-E had me smiling, dreading, cheering, and having fun with the characters.
Emma and I read The City of Ember to each other last week. We were reading over each other's shoulders one night, so we just decided to read it aloud and stop competing. It's another great story.
I reread From the Ground Up: New Testament Foundations for the 21st Century Church. That's a great book because it corrects my thinking that the church is a building or meeting time.
My GRE score is going up. I've got less than two weeks to go and am studying hard. Emma rolled her eyes when I said, "I got one question wrong because I thought the antonym of dour was modish and not blithe." She has forbidden me to use the words I'm learning like tyro (it means amateur).
I picked up The Reason for God from the library. As soon as I finish with my GRE study, I'll begin this book while trying to finish Confessions.

Hitting the Wall: part 2

2008-10-10T06:00:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, I talked about two kinds of barriers and two strategies for those barriers. Part of wisdom is staying the course on barriers that don't fall easily. The other part of wisdom is quitting when the job is impossible.

One warning: Quitting before impossible barriers is wise and right only when the goal is inconsequential. If the cause is worth dying for, we should be fully prepared to keep going no matter the outcome.

William Wilberforce spent 46 years fighting slavery in the British Empire before it was abolished. He heard the news 3 days before his death. Many others died before seeing that success.

There are some causes bigger than sight.

Hitting the Wall

2008-10-09T09:09:00.003-05:00

I'm finding that there are two kinds of barriers.

Walls that we can break by working harder or longer.

Walls that will not come down no matter how hard or long we work.

Making it to the U.S. National Soccer Team included walls I could never get through no matter how hard or long I worked. But I could work through the barriers to becoming a good soccer player.

When you hit a wall you can do one of two things.

1) You can keep going until you get through
2) You can give up and go a different direction

Wisdom means discerning what kind of wall you're up against and responding appropriately.

The Best Section of the Library

2008-10-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

My favorite section of the library is the "young adult" section. That is the side filled with Mark Twain, Jules Verne, J.K. Rowling, Lois Lowry, Louis Sachar, C.S. Lewis, etc. Those are the books that kept (and still keep) me up at night because I can't put the book down. I like to browse the young adult sections of bookstores too because I know that some of them are classics waiting to be discovered.

I found a new one. It's called, The City of Ember, and Emma and I decided to read it aloud to each other instead of trading reading time.

*The movie version comes out tomorrow, and Walden Media, the company that made Ember and the movie versions of Narnia, picks some amazing books to turn into movies. So it's always a good idea to pick up whichever title they are working on. Your almost assured a great book.

The One Thing I'm Learning

2008-10-08T10:36:00.002-05:00

The one thing I'm learning is that the little things add up. My effort and work in the little increments is paying off.

My GRE study, hanging out with students, my reading project, push-up max's, etc. Daily effort leads to large improvements over time.

I'm learning this through experience and found Seth Godin posted on this here.

Tim Keller's New Book

2008-10-02T09:36:00.004-05:00

The Border's in The Domain is our favorite bookstore and place to read, so Emma and I went up there last night.

I picked up Timothy Keller's The Reason for God and was blown away. This looks like a must read.

From Publishers Weekly

In this apologia for Christian faith, Keller mines material from literary classics, philosophy, anthropology and a multitude of other disciplines to make an intellectually compelling case for God. Written for skeptics and the believers who love them, the book draws on the author's encounters as founding pastor of New York's booming Redeemer Presbyterian Church. One of Keller's most provocative arguments is that all doubts, however skeptical and cynical they may seem, are really a set of alternate beliefs.

Celebrate with a Walk

2008-10-02T09:24:00.003-05:00

Today is National Take-a-Walk-After-Dinner Day. I heard this on a radio show this morning.

Emma and I have been doing that a lot lately and love it. And here in Austin, there are so many places to walk--college campuses, parks, city blocks, etc.

So go for a walk tonight.

*It's also National Breastfeeding Week.

Why I'm Reading Old Books

2008-10-01T09:56:00.004-05:00

I'm reading Augustine's Confessions and rereading C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity. Confessions is difficult to read so I had to remind myself why I'm reading a 1500 year-old book. C.S. Lewis says it well in these two quotes from the same essay.

"It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between. If that is too much for you, you should at least read one old one to every three new ones.

Every age has its own outlook. It is specially good at seeing certain truths and specially liable to make certain mistakes. We all, therefore, need the books that will correct the characteristic mistakes of our own period. And that means the old books."

And

"keep the clean sea breeze of the centuries blowing through our minds, and this can be done only by reading old books. Not, of course, that there is any magic about the past. People were no cleverer then than they are now; they made as many mistakes as we. But not the same mistakes. They will not flatter us in the errors we are already committing; and their own errors, being now open and palpable, will not endanger us. Two heads are better than one, not because either is infallible, but because they are unlikely to go wrong in the same direction. To be sure, the books of the future would be just as good a corrective as the books of the past, but unfortunately we cannot get at them."

C.S. Lewis, Introduction to Athanasius, On The Incarnation.

photo by Lin Pernille ♥ Photography

Trouble Sleeping

2008-09-30T12:42:00.002-05:00

I had a little trouble sleeping last night. Emma wasn't asleep yet either so I told her what I was thinking. I was thinking of three things students need.

College students need (among other things)

To meet with God through reading his word and talking to him the way the Bible tells us to.
To sit under good preaching of the Bible. There are different styles, but they need to hear good preaching more than good musical worship.
To know godly adults who have real lives and care for them enough to help them grow.

Come to think of it, I need that too.

Friday Recap

2008-09-26T09:12:00.002-05:00

Finished True Spirituality. If you are going to read one book other than the Bible this year, read this one.
Finished Ancient Highway. Bret Lott is one of the best living writers. He's so good it's hard not to be envious.
Finishing our Philippians series. This has been good for me personally and skill-wise. I've worked out some kinks in my teaching and cemented some of my convictions of about the teaching-learning process.
Excited about the new series on Spiritual Disciplines-Bible reading and Prayer. This is about as foundational as I can get, and I'm sure we'll return here regularly. I found this week that out of all the books I'm reading (5 or so), my favorite is my duct tape-covered ESV Bible.
Writing a story scene for a friend to work with. He asked for something he could illustrate and turn into a story. I got the idea from last month's National Geographic.
Finished third week of my push-up challenge (Max Test this weekend). I'm excited about reaching a hundred. This discipline is really good for me along with riding my bike to work.
Matt Chandler asked this week, "What stirs your affections for Christ?" I've been making my own list of things that stir up and things that lessen my affections for Christ so that I can maximize the things that stir it up and remove the things that lessen it.

Quotes: #1

2008-09-18T09:15:00.002-05:00

“The single most important factor in the equipping of the disciples lies in the simple fact of them spending those years with Jesus”. -Unknown

"It is possible for me, as a Christian, to bring forth the child of someone else instead of my rightful lover, instead of my bridegroom." -Francis Schaeffer

"The Christian life is acting moment by moment on the same principle, and in the same way, as I acted at the moment of my justification." -Francis Schaeffer

"[In the cross] is where the worst that God ever ordained and the best that God ever ordained meet and become one." -John Piper

"In the latter days you will understand this." -Jeremiah 30:24 (ESV)

My Favorite Questions

2008-09-17T08:57:00.004-05:00

If you could relive your life, what would you do differently?
If you were to relive your life, what would you do exactly the same?
If you were starting over, what would you do first?
If you were me, what would you want to know?

How would you answer these questions? Post your answers as comments, or email them to me.
What are your favorite questions?

What should I do first?

2008-09-16T12:45:00.004-05:00

I met today with the regional coordinator for Campus Ministries for the state of Texas. He's the new interim pastor of our church. What a great blessing to sit down and ask, What should I be doing first?

He told me:

You're not the first college minister to be hired in August and asked to get a ministry up and running immediately. You'll make it.
Focus on building trust with the college students you have, developing leaders in the church, and building relationships with the two campuses around you so that the doors stay open to your ministry.

What is the Church?

2008-09-16T08:57:00.004-05:00

"We should conceive of the local church as it is, rather than as it ought to be. Therefore, we can say that the local church is composed of professing believers in Jesus Christ who have been baptized, practice the Lord's Supper, and organize to do God's will. Such a definition includes churches at Corinth, Galatia, Sardis, and Laodicea that were far from ideal." -J. Scott Horrell, From The Ground Up: New Testament Foundations for the 21st Century Church. p. 64

I find that remembering what the church is sharpens my thinking about our college ministry.

This is week four of my new ministry to and with college students. God has given us a lot of favor with the students and the campus down the street.

I'm feeling the need to set and repeat priorities right now because there are so many good things that we can be doing. But I want to do what is most important and best.

One thing I'm keeping in mind is what the church is and does because I want our ministry to be church ministry--strengthening, helping, challenging, and involving the church. Our students need the church, and our church needs these students.

*I can't recommend Horrell's book highly enough. I read it in one sitting, and it shook me up and energized me.

An Advent Conspiracy

2008-09-15T15:24:00.004-05:00

I'm getting ready for Christmas. Yes, and it's not even Autumn yet.

Christmas matters to me. It always has. I celebrate Advent every year (I even used candles in college).

This year, I want to leverage my influence with college students to make a more meaningful Christmas. Beyond simply retelling Luke 2, Christmas and Advent are about God's great story of rescue, redemption, and return.

I found Advent Conspiracy today. Watch the video on their front page (I had a lot of trouble loading it on here).

Our college ministry may partner with the rest of our church and some ministries outside the church this December to create and inspire a Christmas unlike any other.

100-50-25: Update

2008-09-11T09:09:00.002-05:00

My 100-50-25 Challenge is going really well. I haven't hit any walls yet, and I'm finding that the mix of physical, spiritual, and intellectual challenges is really refreshing.

The 100 push-up challenge is really fun. I collapse on the last set, but I've been ahead of the curve when I max out.
I found this morning that my bike ride to work is a great time to practice my memory verse.
I've been reading Francis Schaeffer's True Spirituality every morning after breakfast. I told Emma this morning that he makes the simplest truths hit like a jackhammer.

Challies on Heroes

2008-09-10T09:00:00.002-05:00

Tim Challies has been writing on the difference between heroes and celebrities this week.

Gregory Foster, a professor at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C, wrote on this subject recently. "Celebrities...are qualitatively quite different than heroes, markedly inferior to them in fact. The celebrity is nothing but a person of celebrity, well known for his well-knownness," he wrote. "Heroes, in contrast, are transcendent, mythic, seemingly superhuman figures who combine greatness with goodness. They may have charisma, presence, and 'gravitas'; they must demonstrate courage, vision, and character-selfless character. Heroes have stature, if not size."

I realized the importance of having heroes at the end of college. Two of my heroes who have "stature, if not size," are William Wilberforce and R. C. Chapman.

Morning Routine

2008-09-09T12:00:00.001-05:00

Wake-Up (2 1/2 hours before work)

Brew Coffee, Make Breakfast, Check Google Reader for news

Read my Bible, Pray, Meditate on Memory Verse for the Week

Do Yoga and meditational breathing exercises (just kidding)

Study for the GRE (30 mins)

Read for my Reading Project (15-30 mins)

Get ready for work, load up my bike, and ride 1/2 mile to work.

*I've also been making Emma's breakfast somewhere in there.

I love mornings, coffee, breakfast, and studying. So I make this my most productive part of the day. That means I can be helpful and attentive to Emma when I go home after work. Before I started this routine, I tried to wrangle free to go read and study in the evenings. I think she finds me more relaxed this way.

No Television?

2008-09-09T08:41:00.005-05:00

Emma and I don't have a TV.

There are a lot of reasons for that. They aren't particularly holy reasons. They have to do with time, priorities, money, lack of interest, the ways that it affects our attention spans, and my own concerns about the effects of rapid display of pictures on the mind (see Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death). We decided while we were dating that we wouldn't have cable, but we still haven't bought a TV.

We're not better than other people. We still watch movies on a laptop (it means we have to cuddle to watch the movie--I like that part). We waste time on the internet.

But we also spend evenings going for walks, riding our bikes, doing puzzles, playing games, reading, and talking. In this early season of our marriage, we're forcing ourselves to talk and play and interact.

It's not for everyone, but we like it. Here is a story on the 1-2% of people who live without TV's.

Weekend Update

2008-09-08T13:11:00.003-05:00

700+ people in attendence for the Concordia University Freshmen Induction. We played host to their first ceremony of the year.
250 Freshmen
200+ gifts put into their hands welcoming them to the area and our church.
We're excited about the relationships we're building with faculty and staff. I'm excited about the ministry relationships we'll have with the students and the partnerships we'll have with the school.
I'm excited about spending time with the theology faculty. One specializes in C.S. Lewis. He invited me to sit in on his classes anytime and to go to an upcoming Lewis forum.
Emma and I went for a walk across campus last night just for exercise and to see the campus (we live next door). A student stopped us, and we spent a while talking, touring the campus, and meeting other students. God has given us a lot of favor with that school.
In a dorm room, we caught the end of a mindless but hilarious show called, "Hole in the Wall." It was very funny and very stupid--men in silver suits contorting themselves through holes in the wall.

I May Be Listening to One of the Best Albums Ever

2008-09-05T13:21:00.003-05:00

I'm listening to an advanced copy of Andrew Peterson's new album Resurrection Letters, Vol. II online here. And I think it might be the best album I've heard.

Great writers write so perfectly that even the cadence of the words is perfect, matching the subject. For example, I'm reading Bret Lott's Ancient Highway right now. The sentences in the first chapter carry a choppy, stumbling cadence that fit the story as the boy tries to catch a ride on a moving train. The words are perfect because they sound like a rushing train.

Peterson's songwriting has struck the same perfect chord with me. I've loved his music for years, but I don't have good enough words for this new album.

A Fast Week

2008-09-04T13:19:00.002-05:00

This has been a fast week, so I haven't had a chance to post.

I'm reading Francis Schaeffer's True Spirituality, and it is amazing. Schaeffer said he wished he wrote this book first, so I'm glad that I'm reading it first.

We've got 300+ college students coming to our church on Saturday for a school ceremony that they couldn't hold on campus. That is more than we could have asked for. So we're working hard to make sure that they feel welcome and interested in coming back.

More next week.

The Most Useful Blogs I Read: part one

2008-09-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

I've noticed lately that my favorite blogs to read are not the same as the blog that I find most helpful and useful.

Tim Stevens writes Leading Smart, and I find that I save and return to his posts more than any other blog.

He writes on church leadership topics such as programming, the creative process, and the reasons behind his church's decisions.

I find his posts insightful, motivating, and helpful.

I've Got Everything I Want

2008-08-29T10:46:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, we were driving to the Church and a silver Mercedes convertible passed us on FM 620.

Emma asked me, "Do you ever get jealous of other men?"

"No, Why?" I asked because I didn't connect the car passing and her question.

She pointed at the Mercedes and said, "Do you ever get jealous of other guys who drive cars like that?"

"I really don't. If money were no object, I would still ride my bike to work and drive a Honda Accord. I've got everything I want."

I'm content and thankful for that.

My New Bio

2008-08-28T10:34:00.003-05:00

This is my staff bio for my church's website. Emma and I wrote it late one night. I've dreamed about writing a bio for a book, and I think this is what I would use if I had a book being published right now. They read this to introduce me to the church also. It fits me.

Born in OK, Joseph has since lived in 9 cities in 5 states. Now he has settled in Austin and plans to stick around.

He graduated with a B.A. in Biblical Studies from Bryan College and spent a year and a half at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary before moving to Austin. He ministers to college students and wants to get his Ph.D in Philosophy because he believes college students are making critical choices about God, themselves, and the world.

Joseph married Emma in June 2008. They love games, good food, logic puzzles, movies, air guitar, reading, and caffeine-free Dr. Pepper.

His major influences include C.S. Lewis, John Piper, St. Augustine, and Dr. Suess. From his dad he acquired a love of coffee, competition, and people-focused ministry. From his mom he gained a love of pancakes, writing, and good conversation. From his wife he learned how to stop and have fun and what grace looks like.

On Mission: part three

2008-08-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

I've resigned from my "in the world" job. I've spent two years with daily contact with the widest range of people I can imagine. Starbucks is where the city gathers.

I now know the city manager of the City of Austin, the director the Austin Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, and the artists at the tattoo shop down the street. I know college students, Taco Bell franchise owners, stay-at-home moms, and high school coaches. I know Dell Engineers and Dell assembly-line workers.

The hardest thing about leaving was my desire to be on mission with my neighbors. I don't want to insulate myself from unbelievers.

So I'm actively seeking with all my daily contact to love my neighbors and be on mission with what God wants to do in and through me.

Two steps I'm taking in my apartment so that people know we care and feel comfortable with us:

I clean up the stairwell to my apartment every time I walk past. Someone likes throwing cigarette butts, so I pick them to keep the building attractive and welcoming.
I greet the people I pass in the building. When I first moved in, people wouldn't look at me when I passed. Now, the kids love it when I say hello, and my neighbors are comfortable with us.

No one has come to Christ yet, but hopefully someday they will as our contact grows.

My Priorities for College Ministry (work in progress)

2008-08-26T11:31:00.004-05:00

My 4 priorities for The University at Canyon Creek (work in progress)

We want students to be come "book people." People who live, breathe, quote, know, and love God's Word.
We want students to go with God through spiritual disciplines. When students own their spiritual growth then the growth is stronger and deeper than when it is based on a teacher's influence and presence.
We want students to engage the questions, challenges, opportunities, and topics they face with biblical truth and with all their hearts.
We want students to go with God on the adventure he has for them no matter the risks or costs because he is worth it.

Is this too intellectual? Too knowledge-based?

Does the third priority define the need for students to not just know but to love and to do?

The Most Useful Blogs I Read: part two

2008-08-26T09:21:00.002-05:00

The second most useful blog I read is the Desiring God Blog.

Several people, John Piper included, write for this blog. They write from a very biblical perspective. Most posts are biblical and theological but also practical. They write on Christian leadership, Christian living, and church leadership topics. They give the reasons behind their beliefs and decisions.

I think that I read and save Desiring God posts more than many others because they give reasons and help me think about issues and decisions. I love blogs that make me think.

On Mission: part two

2008-08-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

I've wrestled to figure out what it means to be on mission at this time in this place, but now I'm gaining some clarity.

This from a blog post written by a missionary doctor working with Muslims in Asia. Here he asks what is the key to mission work?

There is no golden key. It's mostly just hard work—the stuff expected of everyday Christians.

Consistently show up at work on time and do a good job.
Express appropriate grief and mourning when there is a death in the neighborhood.
Build a reputation (and it can take years) of being a godly man, a holy man, with a god-fearing wife.
Drink a lot of tea (or coffee, etc.) with your friends. Many cups a day, day in and day out, for years.
Be known as a "Bible man." Memorize Scripture and quote it regularly to your non believing friends. Try to bring up Jesus or the Bible within two minutes in every conversation (time yourself if you must).
Bathe everything you do and say in prayer.

As a hero of mine has said, "Nothing works, therefore try everything." There is no "golden key" other than the Holy Spirit and hard work.

On Mission: part one

2008-08-25T10:01:00.005-05:00

I've been thinking a lot lately on what it means to live out my faith in Austin at the Alara Canyon Creek Apartments. What does it mean to be on mission with God in the place I live with my neighbors, coworkers, and restaurant servers?

I read several things lately that challenge and reflect my thinking on this. The first is from an interview with Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA. It's posted here.

What does it mean to “reach one’s community by living culturally accessible and biblically faithful lives”?
Our theme is that Christians need to function as missionaries. They need to imbed themselves in the culture, they need to love the people there, and they need to learn the culture, understand it and serve it. So our thinking is that when it comes to missions, missionaries are not people we send overseas. We need to keep sending them overseas, but we also need to send missionaries into American cities and neighborhoods as the cities are completely lost and don’t know Jesus.

Some people feel that living in the world, in the city, can be a corrupting influence, being in the world but not of it?

I think people are sinful whether they live in the country, the suburbs, or the city. Sinners are everywhere and the city tends to have more people so they tend to have more sin. But I think that means that it’s also a great opportunity for the Gospel because people there really need Jesus. And if we don’t reach the cities we’re not going to reach the young people, the universities, the politicians, the culture makers-as the cities get more and more secular the culture gets more and more secular.

Best Way to Manage Unimportant Requests?

2008-08-25T09:07:00.003-05:00

I'm now working two jobs out of one office. I will be spending most of my time on college ministry--brainstorming, planning, writing, studying, meeting with people.

But I also spend 15 hours a week taking care of facilities. The problem I'm facing is that I have people come by my office with urgent but unimportant requests while I'm studying and working on college ministry projects--things like coffee makers and locked doors.

So my question is What is the best way to manage requests and time so that I give most of my time and energy to my priorities? And not to requests to unlock a door at the back of the property.

New Years' Resolutions-Sept. to August

2008-08-21T08:47:00.002-05:00

I posted a couple of weeks ago on my life revolving around the school year. So this "new year" I've set some goals. The theme is 100-50-25

100--Do 100 Hundred Push-ups at one time without stopping
50--Memorize 50 verses
25--Read 25 books total from the writings of C.S. Lewis, Francis Schaeffer, and St. Augustine

These goals cover physical, spiritual, and intellectual areas.

The push-up goal was one of my goals in high school when I wanted to be a Navy Seal. I found this site and realized that with a plan I can reach my old high school goal.

I'm excited about digging into some books by C.S. Lewis and Augustine that I've never read. And I've never read anything by Schaeffer, so I'm even more excited about that.

Free Goose

2008-08-20T09:16:00.003-05:00

I've got an extra copy of Wild Goose Chase to give away. If you want it, let me know in a comment. First come, first served.

*This is posted here and on my Facebook profile, so whoever posts first no matter the place, gets it.

Central Texas Checklist

2008-08-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

Visit the Capital-check
Eat at County Line Barbecue-check
Eat at the Oasis-check
Watch the bats downtown
Go to a Round Rock Express baseball game
Go to an Austin Aztex soccer match
Watch Beauty and the Beast at the open-air theater in Zilker Park
Drive until there are no city lights at night
Explore the Riverwalk in San Antonio
Watch a movie at a Drive-In Movie Theater
Go to a Rodeo
Perfect my pancake recipe

More to come

Review: Wild Goose Chase

2008-08-19T07:16:00.004-05:00

I've read Mark Batterson's blog for about a year now, but I hadn't read his last book, “In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day.” So all I knew of his writing were short reflections and leadership lessons. I was curious about Wild Goose Chase because I have heard his name along with his first book more and more often. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about

Wild Goose Chase is about our need for something worthy of our lives. We need something that won't disappoint us because we found it not worth the pursuit. We need an adventure. Batterson says that if God is our goal, we should have no fear that we'll reach him one day to find him disappointing, not big enough.

He then describes six cages that keep us from following God and the adventure that he has for us. He names things like assumptions, fears, failures, guilt, and routine as things that hold us back from following God.

The book is not long and can be read in one sitting. My favorite chapters were on fears and unrealized dreams.

Batterson's writing is simple and to the point. He doesn't waste time. He says what he means.

One thing he does well is tell stories and include anecdotes to motivate and challenge. He doesn't use normal stories to make his points. He often uses scientific studies and facts to explain and support himself. That brings a freshness to the book because I had no idea where he was going next or what story he might tell. His love of brain science is especially obvious.

Like Rick Warren, he likes slogans and sayings. The book is filled with one-liners meant to distill the challenge to something memorable. Since most of his slogans are new, I didn't mind too much.

The biggest test that Wild Goose Chase passed was that the book's content has stuck in my brain and colors a lot of my thoughts. I've found myself challenging others to take risks, asking them to question the definitions of happiness that they embrace, and to go with God wherever that takes them. I've found myself more ready to stand by my choices because God has put passions in my heart and opportunities in front of me.

My favorite quotes:

"Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is just hang in there."

"When did we start believing that God wants to send us to safe places to do easy things? God wants to send us to dangerous places to do difficult things."

"What makes you cry or pound your fist on the table?"

Initially, I started reading Wild Goose Chase to give a good, balanced review. But I started writing and realized that other people can pick the book apart if they want. I really liked it.

It's a book I would recommend alongside Andy Stanley's The Best Question Ever and John Ortberg's The Life You Always Wanted as easy to read, helpful, and motivating on what it means to follow God. It's a book written for me and all the other regular people I know. One of my friends once said of Ortberg's book something that I think applies to Wild Goose Chase as well, “He makes me feel like I can do this, like following God is doable.”

*You can find out more at www.chasethegoose.com

One Year Anniversary of Sorts

2008-08-16T08:39:00.002-05:00

I met my wife a year ago today.

It's funny because my first thoughts were, "Lyndsy didn't tell me she was this pretty," and "Oh no, I'm still in my workout clothes."

I love our story and that we married quickly. Many people thought we were out of our minds. I know we are but wouldn't change a thing.

Sens de Vie

2008-08-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

This is a video of an illusionist that I went to school with. His name is BJ Harris. We took Western Civilization together freshman year.

He's dreaming some big dreams. I say, go for it.

13.6 Million

2008-08-14T08:26:00.002-05:00

Threads writes that there are 13.6 million college freshmen starting classes this month.

In and around Austin, there are roughly 250,000 college students.

College students are people group that I've been passionate about for a couple of years. And now I'm the College Minister at The Church at Canyon Creek.

I'm really excited about this chance. No more theory. No more "one day's."

Two Months Late and Other Thoughts

2008-08-11T10:32:00.003-05:00

Do you ever read something that strikes you as two months too late? The kind of thing that makes you think, "If only I'd read this _____ ago"? Something I read in Mark Batterson's Wild Goose Chase did that for me yesterday. I'll finish and review the book later this week.
I finished two books last week. John Piper's Let the Nations Be Glad and James Calvin Schaap's Romey's Place.
Unintentionally, I read a lot of Piper's writings this last year, so my thoughts are soaked in his teaching. I'm thankful for that and looking forward to soaking in a couple of different writers for the 08/09 year.
Romey's Place was so simply and deftly written that it's power surprised me. Schaap saved his best for last and blew me away in the last sentences of the last page. I'll try to review it later this week.

Finished Romey's Place

2008-08-07T07:53:00.002-05:00

This book was amazing. I now understand why people praise it so highly.

Romey's Place is the story of a boy growing up the summer before he started high school. It is a simple story. there is not thing showy or fancy about the story except that everything in it is perfect.

I'll review it more completely later, but for now, it was incredible.

Blog Tour

2008-08-06T14:20:00.004-05:00

I should be receiving Mark Batterson's new book soon. It's called Wild Goose Chase.

He's asked blog writers to read and review his latest book. Since I write about what I read, that fits my blog well.

New Year's Resolutions

2008-08-04T09:42:00.003-05:00

My life has revolved around school calendars. This is the first year that I won't begin classes in August or September, but I still will be working around the school year.

New Year's resolutions should be made in the early fall if the year begins in August and September.

So I wrote out my goals for the year on my flight to Atlanta this weekend. I'll post them later but the theme is 100-50-25.

One past resolution that I failed to reach was reading 52 books in a year. I gave up the goals in May when I was on track but not enjoying my reading. I still finished in the 40's.

ATL Recap

2008-08-04T09:07:00.003-05:00

I had a great weekend in Atlanta (flight delays and getting lost just added spice to the trip).

It was great to hang out with Tim and Brendon, play golf, play FIFA on the XBox and support Brendon and Kristi.

When Kristi started down the aisle towards us, I leaned over to Brendon and said, "Enjoy this."
Weddings (marriage too) are such a mystery. Something happens that is much deeper and richer than the words spoken.
Brendon's dad said of our friendships, "that's Kingdom stuff."

ATL

2008-07-31T11:50:00.002-05:00

I meant to write some things before I left town, but everyone had something for me before I left.

I'm headed to a best friend's wedding--I'm a huge fan of marriage now, so I'm excited.

But I hate leaving Emma, even for just a few days.

I plan on taking time to read and dream on the plane. A lot will be changing when I get back, so I want to be ready. I'll write some more on the changes when things are solid.

Always Read the Directions

2008-07-28T10:48:00.002-05:00

I took a diagnostic test for my GRE preparation this weekend, and my most glaring need for improvement was in reading and remembering the directions.

I read "antonym" and thought "opposite." But I proceeded to answer questions like they were synonyms.

I read the directions. The directions were simple. I understood. But somewhere along the line, I misplaced the directions.

How often do I forget the directions?

A New Day

2008-07-25T12:49:00.001-05:00

Emma just told me that I received a package today. I've been waiting for a GRE prep book for a week now. I love Kaplan's test preperation books and a lot is riding on my GRE scores. So Ph.D here we come.

Ancient Highway

2008-07-24T10:44:00.002-05:00

I'm looking forward to reading a new book I got in the mail yesterday.

Bret Lott is one of my favorite authors and just had to buy his latest novel for my birthday (I also bought a new hot pot for my coffee corner--I burned myself on it this morning but it's beautiful).

On "The Pixar Touch"

2008-07-18T09:55:00.002-05:00

Pixar director Andrew Stanton:
"My personal view is that if you go into things on a pulpit or with an agenda in the creative world, it can easily get in the way of your creativity and quality. . . . Be Christ-like in everything you do, no worrying about whether you're furthering the cause."

This is reminiscent of Flannery O'Connor's view of art and creativity in "Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose."

Pixar's success was no accident they worked hard and kept going when everything was going wrong.
Pixar's story reminded me that I must work hard on my own dreams especially the ones that have been dormant for a while. Ben Arment wrote on this topic recently.

A Favorite Birthday Present

2008-07-17T06:00:00.001-05:00

I would be celebrating my 17th birthday in Wales, so before I left, my family threw me a birthday party. This would be my first experience flying and we were going to fly over the Atlantic Ocean, so of course, my siblings gave me a life-jacket and said "good luck."

Island Library

2008-07-15T09:49:00.002-05:00

If you were stranded on an island for the rest of your life, what three books would you take?

*The Gideons already put a Bible on the island so that doesn't count.

My list:

The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien (I would want an epic, engaging story to read that would take up months of my time.)

The Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer ("What comes into our mind when we think about God is the most important thing about us," A.W. Tozer. That is still true on my island.)

The Scarlet Pimpernel, Emmuska Orczy. (I thought of so many books, but I wanted to choose a really fun book. This is the most enjoyable book I've ever read.)

What's on your list?

Review: Vantage Point

2008-07-12T08:48:00.004-05:00

We watched Vantage Point last night. I don't often pick a suspense movie without a recommendation but the trailer and the premise intrigued me.

Vantage Point shows a JFK-like assassination through the eyes and cameras of several different people involved. They showed the events leading up to the assassination from four perspectives before showing the whole event with everyone involved.

My heart pounded so hard that Emma could feel it when she touched my stomach. I wanted the good guys to win but I couldn't figure out if they even could. My t-shirt was damp with sweat when the movie was over.

On a technical level, I loved the movie. The plot was well-thought out, the acting believable, but it left me unsatisfied.

It didn't include the elements a story must have because it didn't conform to reality the way great stories must. This was an episode with no history and no resolution. We saw the story from every point of view but no point of view told us the truth of the story and no one character ever knew what was really happening.

The director was making a point about reality. His point was that everything is perspective and opinion. There is no metanarrative (philosophical word: A grand story that tells where everything came from and is going, all other stories fit into this greater story giving the universe a sense of completeness). His point was that in our complex world everyone is doing the best they can with the information that they have, but no one has all the information and so no one can tell anyone else what they should be doing or what is really happening because there is no big story we all fit into that makes sense of every event and perspective.

That's a nice idea, but it doesn't work in real life. Postmodernism's claim sounds nice, but it's skepticism breaks down in practice and against the possibility that there could be a metanarrative that is given to us.

"Truth does not come from facts; it comes from revelation."
-Richard Swenson

Married

2008-07-01T18:58:00.004-05:00

I am married. And I love it.

Emma is so good to me. I'm so glad we're together finally. We fit.

Thanks to everyone who made the wedding weekend so special. It was better than we imagined.

"A political storm flutters only a fringe of humanity. But an ordinary man and his ordinary wife and their ordinary children literally alter the destiny of nations."

-G.K. Chesterton

Wedding Week Update

2008-06-17T11:44:00.004-05:00

I get married this week.

*That sentence is passive as if something is happening to me instead of me doing something.

I marry Emily Christine Frost this week.

*That's better.

Random Details:

Monday and Tuesday have been 15 hour work days.
I fly up to Illinois on Wednesday and won't have to say goodbye to Emma again.
I've got the rings.
I'm really excited to hear my Dad's challenge to Emma and I during the ceremony and to go to breakfast with him on Saturday.
We've got a cabin in the Ozarks called "Bear Hollow" for the honeymoon.

Other Assorted Thoughts:

My Mom is very funny. Her stories crack me up. Her blog is called Feeding My Flock
I want to be wary of softening the gospel. Everything is acceptable in Austin, and I find it easy to soften the gospel. H. Richard Neibuhr defined liberal Christianity this way
A God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.

I've been very envious lately of how easy life seems to be for other people, specifically for other couples. But I wouldn't give up who I am, what I have, and what I do to get what others are, have, and do. I am pursuing my calling, have a good woman who loves me, and am caught up in God's great plan to make himself famous. I am spending my life the same way I would if money were no object.

Bumper Stickers

2008-06-11T16:59:00.005-05:00

I've found that Austinites (that's Austin inhabitants) have weird tastes in bumper stickers. What do you expect from a town that uses "Keep Austin Weird" as it's motto.

I'll post funny ones as I see them, but I'll mix in some of my all time favorites today for fun. (I saw these on actual cars)

Austin, TX

Dirty Old Women Need Love Too

Alabama:

Jesus Gets the Best; The Ladies Get the Rest. Consider Celibacy (I'm not kidding; it was on a jeep)

Fort Worth, TX

Prescription for a Good Marriage: No One Wears the Pants (The bumper sticker printed "the" very small so that you first read, "No One Wears Pants.")

An Austin Life. Finally.

2008-06-03T10:45:00.003-05:00

I feel like I have a life here in Austin. Finally.

I work two jobs and am finding a group of friends. And I'm finally finding a routine.

This morning I made an egg and toast with OJ and coffee for breakfast and read Prov. 15--I need to choose my words carefully and remember that a gentle response turns away wrath--a helpful challenge considering my track record.

And Emma will be here by the end of the month. Her being here will really make this feel like home.

With All My Mind

2008-04-08T19:13:00.003-05:00

I've had a nagging sense of dissatisfaction for the last year or so. I've stayed busy and never nailed down what bothered me so much. I figured it out this week.

I haven't grown intellectually in the last couple of years.

I learned many facts, grew emotionally and spiritually, and developed my gifts and talents. But I don't think clearer or understand the world better than I did when I left college. I've found myself relying on past learning.

My professors challenged and equipped me to face and engage postmodern philosophies, poor textual hermeneutics, and thorny ethical debates. They taught me the broad brush strokes of God's story in the Bible and how to study the jots and tittles of Scripture. They watched and listened as I discovered and asked hard questions about truth and the world and gave me the encouragement and conviction that there are answers. And that the answers matter.

I'm grateful to them for that, so I won't accept shrinking intellectual muscles.

'And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' Mark 12.30

The House of Joe

2008-04-02T07:49:00.003-05:00

I dreamed of having a coffee shop during my time in Fort Worth. I dreamed aloud. Friends and I came up with many drink names, standards, and quirky specifics for this place I dreamed of. Let me show you around.

Welcome to The House of Joe

Menu:

Sizes

A little
A moderate amount
A lot

We prefer that you bring your own cup or use ours “for here.” But we also have “to go” cups available if you need one.

Specialty Drinks

Something for My Sugar Daddy—White Chocolate and Maple with Our Hand-Crafted Espresso shots blended with perfectly steamed milk
The Yellow Rose of Texas—An interesting mixture of hot Dr. Pepper and espresso. Unusually good.
Depth Charge—Fresh Brewed Coffee with a shot of our perfect espresso.
Sweet Caroline—Vanilla, Carmel, and Espresso blended with creamy milk topped with velvety foam.
John Wayne—A many-sided drink. Hot, Lukewarm, and Cold. Sweet, Creamy, and Strong. Vanilla, Espresso, and Cream.
Vietnamese Iced Coffee—Coffee with Chicory hot brewed into sweetened condensed milk and poured over ice.
Dolche de Vida Leche—Roughly translated “The Sweet Milk of Life.” Caramel, Steamed Milk, Whipped Cream, and Caramel Drizzle.

Our house coffee is always ground and brewed when you order it. We use pour over drip cones with a gold cone filter. Pick any coffee from our menu.

Try our house coffee—Jacob the Bow-Legged Bandit's Texas Roast. It's sturdy and strong like the state it's named for.

We have a book of the month pick. They are handpicked by the owner every month and meant to enthrall, provoke, and sometimes infuriate. You just might find your next favorite book.

Each weekend we invite a local theater class or group to do a dramatic interpretation or reading for us. Every summer we listen as a local storyteller narrates the world's greatest epics.

Goodbye is the Hard Part

2008-04-01T11:25:00.001-05:00

I'm not mad at anyone. That's the hardest part of this move. I have good friends in Fort Worth. They made it hard to leave.

Favorite last memories:

Jacob's Mixtape—It is the soundtrack to my new life in Austin
Goodbyes at work—My work there wasn't wasted. It was more than coffee.
Soccer with Jarrod—The World's Sport was and is a part of our friendship. There is nothing like intelligent conversation about the Beautiful Game.
The prayers of friends—Both at 720 and over lunch my last day there.
My promise to Ayman—Not a hard promise to make or to keep.

Whatever journeys we take, Godspeed, friends.

The New Adventures of Joseph and Emma

2008-03-26T16:10:00.003-05:00

I rode a tornado the last two weeks.

The numbers:

3000 miles driven
50 hours worked
17 dozen eggs colored, hidden, and found
8 states visited-including towns like Moscow, Hope, and Mt. Pleasant
2 sermons preached
1 proposal of marriage
5 "yes's" to that proposal

Yes, I'm engaged now, and this is the start of a new adventure. Emma's my best friend. I love the times we talk about books, dreams, God, and stupid jokes that no one else would get or laugh at. We fit together. But we're learning that God isn't just making us happy through each other; he makes us holy through each other.

We spent a great weekend with my family in Alabama. We didn't want to go home because they are such fun and so supportive and loving. The Indian Poker games, wrestling matches on the trampoline, coffee conversations with my parents, and the massive egg hunt were such fun. And it's exciting to see my family starting a new and exciting adventure of their own.

And the adventures keep piling up. I'm moving this weekend to Austin and beginning a new job in a new city where I know only my real estate agent. It's pretty fun to make such big changes.

The story of this adventure is that God lasts and doesn't change no matter how often the scenery or circumstances change. He doesn't give up on us or leave us.

Jeremiah 31

My list of two

2008-03-05T19:43:00.003-06:00

I am captivated by these two truths:

Jesus saves.
God does not change.

Lives of Consequence and Inconsequence

2008-03-03T08:56:00.004-06:00

I just finished Devil in the White City.

In White City, Erik Larsen describes the Chicago World's Fair, it's creators, its dark side, and its influence, but he writes about more than good and evil (a big theme regardless). I think that he writes about lives and projects that matter. The projects that matter in this novel are larger than one man can accomplish, they exalt not just one man but cities, nations, and civilizations.

The men who live for themselves in this story fade like vapors. They are foils for the great men, men who believed there were more important goals than announcing themselves to the world.

Said of William Pretyman, "His genius was betrayed by lofty and indomitable traits of character which could not yield or compromise. And so his life was a tragedy of inconsequence."

The Fair's director and architect, Daniel H. Burnham, said, "Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood."

Clean: A New Series

2008-02-27T18:40:00.002-06:00

Clean: God, Guilt, and Us
a new series @720

I'm writing a new series for 720, the college and young adult worship and bible study at my church. We're going to be looking at forgiveness in the Bible, answering questions like, "What does God do with sin?" "Must I always feel guilty?" "Can I ever be clean?" "What does God want from me?"

One text at a time, we will be developing a biblical understanding of forgiveness. I will post a few extra references and some of my thoughts that don't fit in the lesson each week here on my blog.

When I teach, Satan attacks me at the weak point of my study. He reminds me of the past, throwing guilt and shame my way. His big lie is that if I can't forget, then God can't either. When you think of it, pray for me. I love to teach and feel this is one reason God made me, but it's not easy.

If you're in the area, please come. This will be my last series before moving to Austin.

Thursdays @7:20pm
Wedgwood Baptist Church
Fort Worth, TX

Mystery Solved

2008-02-26T13:08:00.000-06:00

I'm reading "Devil in the White City" right now. I posted about it a couple of weeks ago.

Nikola Tesla's name is mentioned several times in the book as if he were famous and influential. I'd only heard the name in the movie "The Prestige" and asked several people if they knew who he was. No one had heard his name.

The mystery is now solved, and he is my countryman.

He was a Serb born in Croatia just before the civil war here in the USA (since I was born in the States, my ancestors were his countrymen). Eventually, he came over here and became the most famous scientist and inventor of the late 1800's and early 1900's. He is most famous for his work on electrical currents and for inventing the radio. Long story short, his alternating current (AC) method was better than Thomas Edison's direct current (DC) method and now we use Tesla's AC to light our homes, power our laptops, etc.

He was pretty eccentric, having an obsession with pigeons, having a superstition with the number 3, and tearing up the contract with Westinghouse that would have made him the world's first billionaire.

He is sometimes called, "The man who invented the Twentieth Century."

Nikola Tesla, another random person to know.

Today's List

2008-02-15T11:04:00.003-06:00

I decided to enjoy this year. Last year was tough, and I felt beaten up. So I decided that I wanted to delight this year as my New Year's resolution.

So here's a list of things I'm enjoying this week.

10. French-pressed coffee--Komodo Dragon Blend
9. A good novel--The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
8. Night's with the guys to laugh, watch movies, play video games, and eat
7. Long conversations with Emma--they run the spectrum but are always reassuring and good
6. Dreaming about and working toward moving to Austin--it's an exciting and risky time
5. Gifts and words from friends to spur me on
4. A paint and body shop that keeps it's word to fix my car on time and is nice while doing it
3. Gorgeous weather--70's in February
2. Emma
1. "This I know, that God is for me."--Psalm 56:9b

Austin or Bust

2008-02-14T12:22:00.002-06:00

The deadline is April 1st.

I have nothing left to hold me in Fort Worth and every reason to move now. So I'm going for it.

I'm both excited and scared by this prospect. But there's no going back now.

If you think of it, pray for the logistics of this move. I need a place to live and jobs to work out.

Austin or Bust.

Take Up and Read

2008-02-12T10:44:00.000-06:00

I read several books this past summer with friends, and we found it oddly addicting. Others called it a book club; we called it “reading.”

The book club has a new selection, and you're invited to read it with us. It's called “Clifford Takes a Trip” by Norman Bridwell. You can buy it for $3.50 at Amazon.

Okay, just kidding. But I still recommend the Clifford books.

Instead, we're reading “Devil in the White City” by Erik Larson.

Here are a couple of descriptions of it.

The book blurb:

Bringing Chicago circa 1893 to vivid life, Erik Larson's spellbinding bestseller intertwines the true tale of two men--the brilliant architect behind the legendary 1893 World's Fair, striving to secure America’s place in the world; and the cunning serial killer who used the fair to lure his victims to their death. Combining meticulous research with nail-biting storytelling, Erik Larson has crafted a narrative with all the wonder of newly discovered history and the thrills of the best fiction.

From the Rabbit Room blog:

One part fascinating history of one of my favorite cities (Chicago) and one part murder mystery. I have worn the Captains Courageous out talking about this book. I’m a fan of creative nonfiction (books like The Perfect Storm, Into the Wild, Under the Banner of Heaven), and this is one of the best I’ve read. I just finished another Erik Larson book, Thunderstruck, which I also really liked.

You can find this book in most bookstores, at Amazon, and in most libraries.

Take up and read.

Happy Christmas Eve

2007-12-24T16:09:00.000-06:00

I've just finished teaching a series on Hope and Advent, and finished a three-week series of readings for Advent. It has been a rich couple of weeks. The new year starts soon, but I want to leave you with one thought for the season.

Matt Conner at The Rabbit Room posted this quote.

“If holiness and the awful power and majesty of God were present in this least auspicious of all events, this birth of a peasant’s child, then there is no place or time so lowly and earthbound but that holiness can be present there too. And this means that we are never safe, that there is no place where we can hide from God, no place where we are safe from his power to break in two and re-create the human heart because it is just where he seems most helpless that he is most strong, and just where we least expect him that he comes most fully.” -Frederick Buechner, The Hungering Dark

A Storm's Breaking: part 4

2007-11-22T17:08:00.001-06:00

I've also begun reading a series of sermons on the book of Ruth by John Piper.

Piper says that the book of Ruth is "for people who wonder where God is when there are no dreams or visions or prophets. It's for people who wonder where God is when one tragedy after another attacks their faith. It's a story for people who wonder whether a life of integrity in tough times is worth it. And it's a story for people who can't imagine that anything great could ever come of their ordinary lives of faith."

He says that from Ruth and Naomi's story we learn that "Not only does God reign in all the affairs of men, and not only is his providence sometimes hard, but in all his works his purposes are for the good and happiness of his people. If anything this summer has fallen in on you to make your future look hopeless, learn from Ruth that God is right now at work for you to give you a future and a hope. Trust him; wait patiently. The ominous clouds are big with mercy and will break with blessing on your head."

A Storm's Breaking: part 3

2007-11-22T17:06:00.000-06:00

Music this week helped me fill my mind with truth about longing, hope, and despair. It helped me to move beyond the lies to truth and helped me make truth part of my daily routine.

I'm writing a series on hope and advent for my church and to help my study I've been creating and listening to a playlist of music about the things that people hope for and it has been very helpful to fill my mind with good music about real longing. I was surprised to find so many singer-songwriters dealing with what I deal with.

I may post my playlist at a later date, but one album that deals with the longing, heaven, disappointment, and hope is "The Far Country" by Andrew Peterson. He is an independent singer-songerwriter that I have loved since middle school. It was encouraging for me to hear someone sing about my doubts, my fears, and stubborn faith.

"I can see in the strip malls and the phone calls

The flaming swords of Eden

In the fast cash and the news flash

And the horn blast of war

In the sin-fraught cities of the dying and the dead

Like steel-wrought graveyards where the wicked never rest

To the high and lonely mountain in the groaning wilderness

We ache for what is lost

As we wait for the holy God

Of Father Abraham

I was made to go there

Out of this far country

To my home, to my home"

The Far Country, Andrew Peterson

A Storm's Breaking: part 2

2007-11-22T17:05:00.000-06:00

Another thing that silenced the lies that drove me to despair and gave me hope again was recreating the one true big story that really tells me about God, myself, the world, and the future.

A friend of mine from college said in worship one night months ago that in worship we need to revisit the great story that silences all the noise we hear each day that tries to tell us who we are, where we came from, and where we're going. That noise is in the movies we watch, books we read, and gossip we overhear.

All those little stories are crushed by the weight of God's big story of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation. I hope you find the life in that story. When heard, sung, confessed, and wept over in worship, that story silences the lies that torture(d) me.

A Storm's Breaking: part 1

2007-11-22T16:56:00.000-06:00

The despair is gone; it left pretty quickly compared to other times that I dealt with it.

Some people describe it as despression but the label is not particularly important to me.

When I struggle with despair like I did last weekend, I was filled with lies--lies telling me that I was completely alone, that the future could never be good, that some things can never be redeemed, and that God will always be silent. I couldn't silence those lies with simple positive thinking because it was not just a few negative thoughts but an attack at my heart because it hit my hopes and loves.

I needed several things and knew it. I needed the attack to stop. I needed truth. And I needed hope.

Each day this week, I'll post one thing that God used to drive away my despair and give me hope.

The first thing that I needed, but didn't know was to hear my dad say that he was coming up. He didn't know what I was going through, he came up for another reason, but him coming destroyed the lie that I was completely alone.

In Habakkuk 3, Habakkuk asks for God to ride once more to the rescue of his people. There is a human need for someone bigger and stronger to come as a hero to our rescue. I was a little ashamed that I still needed my Dad to do that for me; I'm supposed to be a man now, right? But Dad came and he reminded me of God who has and does and will ride to the rescue of his people--riding across the universe and splitting the heavens.

Just wait. Hold on.

A Flood of Truth

2007-11-18T15:24:00.000-06:00

Destroy my hopes and you destroy me.

I've struggled with despair lately. I've been reminded of truth about the past and lied to about the future. I feel like my heart is crushed and my dreams dead.

So, if you think of it, pray for me. I'm preparing to teach a series on Christmas, Advent, Hope, and Reality. It's not chance that I struggle with despair while I prepare to teach on hope.

Pray that the great, true story will flood my mind and heart so that the the little stories drown, the lies that cause me to despair. That great, true story is God's, it is the gospel. It started before the universe and ends after it disappears.
Pray, not just for my teaching, but because I need to look up and see something and someone worth living for.

2007-11-09T16:26:00.000-06:00

Today, I was sitting at the bus stop. Yes, that's where I've been over the last two weeks when I have to go somewhere. My car died, poor thing. Riding the bus has been hard on my pride, but I sat there thinking about the last two weeks and the next few months.

I know this will end. I will not be car-less for much longer. I just can't be because I'm moving outside of bus-range.

But I resolved that I will not be happier when I have a car, when my work is rewarded, or when I have peace and rest.

Sitting at the bus stop, I resolved that my happiness will never be based on conditions. It will be based on a person.

Even if I starve to death, “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.”

Habakkuk 3:17-18

I couldn't learn this lesson when everything was going right. For that lesson and resolution, I'm thankful that these two weeks have been so hard and humiliating.

“We cannot explain why we must endure it all. But we know we do not endure it alone for God comes, as Habakkuk learned, and he suffers it all with us, as the Cross reveals, and he makes us more than conquerors. AND I WILL EXULT IN THE GOD OF MY SALVATION.” --Donald E. Gowan

Busy, but Learning

2007-10-18T20:08:00.000-05:00

I've been very busy lately and haven't posted anything in a while. I finished a sermon this week from 1 John 2:15-17, so it has been filtering through my head and heart lately. Here's what I learned, what I am learning, and the idea of the sermon:

When it is God we love and who makes us happy and yet at the same time we try to be happy without God the way the lost world of men does, we are inconsistent and foolish. So stop it.

A Language of Worship

2007-10-07T15:38:00.000-05:00

in-ef-fable adj. ineffabilis , in-, not + effabilis, utterable < effari, to speak out < ex-, out + fari, to speak: 1 too overwhelming to be expressed or described in words; inexpressible 2 too awesome or sacred to be spoken--ineffability n. or ineffableness --ineffably adv.

That God is for us is ineffable to me, so I dance instead.

Assignment One:

2007-10-01T22:47:00.000-05:00

If you aren't reading anything right now, take an afternoon, a weekend, or a week and read 1-2 Kings. Try and read it quickly because the book is supposed draw a reaction and it only seems to work when read as a whole.

It is actually one book, but was divided because it wouldn't fit on one scroll. Since it is one story, read it that way.

I don't want to give my answers away, so I'll wait a few days before making my comments and my next assignment (it is only a two-part assignment).

What is the scope of this story? Where does it begin and end?

If this story were a hiking trip, would it be the hike up or down the mountain? Why?

What feeling would you have if you only read this one book?

*That is the feeling this book is supposed to elict.

Scattered Quotes

2007-10-01T10:27:00.000-05:00

These quotes aren't themed like I usually post. But they caught my attention and make me think.

John Piper spoke at conference calling for Christians to never give up. Here are a couple of quotes that beg for a response, for movement:

"John 21:19. Jesus told Peter by what kind of death he was to glorify God. There are, evidently, different ways to die. But for Christians all of them are to be performed in a way that makes God look like our treasure, heaven our home, and the world worthless in comparison. We must treasure Christ, which is the essence of believing in him. If you don't want him to come back, then you don't believe in him (2 Timothy 4:7-8). And treasuring Christ manifests itself when we pour out our lives in love towards others."

"What does it mean to show Christ as glorious as we grow old in America? It means making a radical break with the rest of our generation, a generation that is dying from retirement. Retirement is the world's substitute for heaven, but we have a different Sabbath rest. Don't waste your last chapter. "

In a request for prayer for some upcoming conferences, Louie Giglio wrote,

Pray "that the story of Christ’s rescue will be well told in every place and students will see what it means to be connected forever to their Creator."

Some people mistake rescuing for the whole gospel. There are other beautiful aspects that we shouldn't neglect, but Jesus rescued us from the kingdom of darkness. That is good news.

Pray "for every Regional and World gathering that people will embrace Jesus, be stunned by His greatness and seek to reflect that majesty in every facet of life."

Hearing the gospel should stop our hearts and take away our breath. Be stunned by His greatness.

The Good Life: Part Two

2007-09-30T15:36:00.000-05:00

When I was asked "what is the good life?," money didn't occur to me until I asked some friends at work. As I listened to their answers, I realized that the question is supposed to be about money and defining financial peace. It's really a question asking, "How much is enough?"

Well, I screwed that question up. I'm actually embarrassed that I didn't think of money as if I either have enough or am too spiritual to care about money. Here is how I answered Brennan:

"I probably would answer on two levels. On one level, the good life is family and friends who walk through life with me--challenges, fun times, etc. It is movie nights with cake, ice cream, and a crowded sofa. It is road trips to the beach with high school friends. It is a long, hard conversation with someone I care about who is hurting. So I'd say that people and good relationships make the good life. On another level, I can't talk about the good life without Jesus who is life and brings dead people to life--real life with God. So I guess the good life for me is about relationships with people and with God through Jesus."

A life without family, friends, and Jesus would be poverty to me. I'm not embarrassed of that.

A Fascinating Last Lecture

2007-09-26T10:34:00.000-05:00

Below is a link to the 1st part of a video of Dr. Randy Pausch's last lecture. He was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University and has terminal pancreatic cancer. This is his look at his life and lessons he has learned. I haven't watched the entire 1 hr-25 min lecture yet, but it is fascinating because he is funny, passionate, and reflective.

I'll add two more links that contain the entire lecture. Streaming from ETC Google Video. The lecture is broken into ten minute segments on Youtube.

'Night' Quotes

2007-09-25T10:14:00.000-05:00

I have nothing to add to these quotes.

"One day, as we returned from work, we saw three gallows, three black ravens, erected on the Appelplatz. Roll call. The SS surrounding us, machine guns aimed at us: the usual ritual. Three prisoners in chains--and, among them, the little pipel, the sad-eyed angel.

The SS seemed more preoccupied, more worried, than usual. To hang a child in front of thousands of onlookers was not a small matter. The head of the camp read the verdict. All eyes were on the child. He was pale, almost calm, but he was biting his lips as he stood in the shadow of the gallows.

This time, the Lagerkapo refused to act as executioner. Three SS took his place.

The three condemned prisoners together stepped onto the chairs. In unison, the nooses were placed around their necks.

'Long live liberty!' shouted the two men.

But the boy was silent.

'Where is merciful God, where is He?' someone behind me was asking.

At the signal, the three chairs were tipped over.

Total silence in the camp. On the horizon, the sun was setting.

'Caps off!' screamed the Lageralteste. His voice quivered. As for the rest of us, we were weeping.

'Cover your heads!'

Then came the march past the victims. The two men were no longer alive. Their tongues were hanging out, swollen and bluish. But the third rope was still moving: the child, too light, was still breathing . . .

And so he remained for more than half an hour, lingering between life and death, writhing before our eyes. and we were forced to look at him at close range. He was still alive when I passed him. His tongue was still red, his eyes not yet extinguished.

Behind me, I heard the same man asking: 'For God's sake, where is God?'

And from within me, I heard a voice answer: 'Where He is? This is where--hanging here from this gallows . . .'

That night, the soup tasted of corpses." --Elie Wiesel, 64-65.

The following quote is from the forward to Night, written by Francios Mauriac.

"And I, who believe that God is love, what answer was there to give my young interlocutor whose dark eyes still held the reflection of the angelic sadness that had appeared one day on the face of a hanged child? What did I say to him? Did I speak to him of that other Jew, this crucified brother who perhaps resembled him and whose cross conquered the world? Did I explain to him that what had been a stumbling block for his faith had become a cornerstone for mine? And that the connection between the cross and human suffering remains, in my view, the key to the unfathomable mystery in which the faith of his childhood was lost? . . . . If the Almighty is the Almighty, the last word for each of us belongs to Him. That is what I should have said to the Jewish child. But all I could do was embrace him and weep." --Francios Mauriac

I'd Like Your Help

2007-09-21T14:31:00.001-05:00

I'm beginning to write a new series on hope, and I'd like your help in writing it. I will be teaching this series this fall.

What is hope? What are we talking about when we say "I hope?"

What do you hope for? What have you hoped for? How have those turned out?

How has hope, something 'out there' in the future, helped you live through monotony, hardship, and good times?

Do you have an example of hope?

Describe the biblical idea of hope? Passages? Themes?

I'm pretty excited about doing this and will probably give you updates about this as I write it.

The Good Life?

2007-09-16T16:56:00.000-05:00

A friend asked me, "What is the good life?"

I enjoyed answering her question. But I don't want to give away my two answers yet.

So what do you think? What is the good life?

If You Read Anything. . .

2007-09-15T15:35:00.001-05:00

If you read anything this weekend, read this essay by Andree Seu. I have loved her writing for years, and this floored me. She nails some things I'm thankfully experiencing-Delight is much better than duty.

*I hope this links works for you. Because it is a subscriber website, articles eventually close to the public.

Bill Murray and My 'Baby Steps'

2007-09-11T15:43:00.000-05:00

If you've seen Bill Murray in "What About Bob," then you remember that he was an obsessive-compulsive who as part of his therapy, repeated "baby steps" to himself to allow him to function.

This has been a baby steps week for me. I've had no peace for days, couldn't sleep, couldn't eat.

My great question is "Can I trust you?"

I wrote this to a friend earlier, but it came out before I realized what I was saying.

So pray for me that I will trust him whom I say I believe? I walk around repeating, "I trust You," hoping that the hurt will break and that the statement be true. I'm like a man on a falling platform, clutching the platform and hoping it will hold. I know I can't fault or question him and that he controls everything with perfect wisdom and love, but sleep comes hard and my worries choke me.

Just to get to sleep last night, I reminded myself of all the ways that the Psalmist says he's seen God's goodness. To get myself through this morning, my journal looked like this.

I trust You; I can trust You; I will trust You. You delivered us out of great storms, calmed the sea and routed enemies in battle, brought the dead to life and new life to barren wombs. I trust You. . . . You made axeheads float and supplied food by ravens, and turned water to wine, rivers to blood, fashioned everything from nothing. You are sovereign. I trust You.

Now, I say,

You made this blind man see, this dead man live, this enemy a son. I trust You.

The Mistake of 3rd Person Theology

2007-08-29T21:21:00.001-05:00

I hope this makes you pause as it did me.

"The man who studies theology. . . might watch carefully whether he increasingly does not think in the third rather than in the second person. You know what I mean by that. The transition from one to the other level of thought, from a personal relationship with God to a merely technical reference, usually is exactly synchronized with the moment I no longer can read the word of Holy Scripture as a word to me, but only as the object of exegetical endeavors. . . . Consider the first time someone spoke of God in the third person and therefore no longer with God but about God was the very moment when the question resounded, 'Did God really say?' (cf. Genesis 3:1). This fact ought to make us think."

Helmut Thielecke, A Little Exercise for Young Theologians. (Found in Effective Bible Teaching by Jim Wilhoit and Leland Ryken.)

Smug, Now Chastened

2007-08-29T20:56:00.000-05:00

School started this week. I wanted to look back at what I read this summer because I felt smugly proud of myself. But now I'm concerned about my reading. I'll post the list below, then follow it with two quotes. The first quote feeds my smugness. The second challenges me to think about my reading and choose carefully.

*I copied the books from my book list, so they are in the form from my list minus my comments. The stars are a rating from 1 to 5 with 5 as the best.

252. The Illiad, Homer. 5/13/07 * * * *
253. Rediscovering Expository Preaching, John MacArthur, Jr. and The Master's Seminary Faculty. 5/28/07 * * * *
254. Soccer Against the Enemy: How the Worlds Most Popular Sport Starts and Fuels Revolutions and Keeps Dictators in Power, Simon Kuper. 6/8/07 * * * *
255. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain. 6/11/07 * * * *
256. The Odyssey, Homer. 6/26/07 * * * * *
257. Through Gates of Splendor, Elisabeth Elliot. 6/28/07 * * * *
258. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling. 7/24/07 * * * * *
259. Moneyball, Michael Lewis. 8/8/07 * * * *
260. Inside Islam, John Miller and Aaron Kenedi eds. 8/11/07 * * * *
261. What You Need to Know about Islam and Muslims, George W. Braswell Jr. 8/15/07 * *
262. Unveiling Islam, Ergun Caner and Emir Caner. 8/16/07 *
263. The Giver, Lois Lowry. 8/24/07 * * * *
264. Gathering Blue, Lois Lowry. 8/26/07 * * * *
265. How Soccer Explains the World, Franklin Foer. 8/27/07 * * *

"Who would call a day spent reading a good day? But a life spent reading-that is a good life."-Annie Dillard

"O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called 'knowledge,' for by professing it some have swerved from the faith. Grace be with you." 1 Timothy 4:20-21

An Open Invitation

2007-08-21T22:34:00.000-05:00

Some friends and I are reading a series of books, and I thought I would post an open invitation.

If you are interested, we're reading a set of books by Lois Lowry. The trilogy has no name that we know of. They are three related stories that tie together in the last book. The books are:

The Giver

Gathering Blue
Messenger

You may have read the first in school. We picked them because they are interesting, rich, and thoughtful.

We don't meet to talk about them. We just talk about them when we're together. Consider yourself invited.

I wanted to write this for a while.

2007-08-20T21:12:00.000-05:00

"It was my luck to have a few good teachers in my youth, men and women who came into my dark head and lit a match." Yann Martel

I could tell stories about most of my professors in college, but three stand out, and three events define their influence on me.

1) At a weekend conference my last semester of college, I stood up and asked a question that made me feel the most foolish I've ever felt.

I said, "We're talking about what we are doing with the rest of our lives and how Christianity gives us meaning and purpose to build our lives on, but what are we saved to? I feel like I should know the answer, because I've studied the Bible and Theology here for four years, but I don't. What are we saved to?"

The room just looked at me, and the speaker gave some earnest but hasty answer. I sat down ashamed of my ignorance--I should have known better.

After the session was over, the speaker came up to me and pointed to one of my professors in the room. He said, "John Stonestreet was jumping out of his skin when you asked that question." John stepped up and said, "I was dying for someone to ask that question, because that is the right question."

John helped me begin finding the answer to my question--not simply standard phrases and vague ideas. He gave me permission to ask questions, the conviction that there answers, and the conviction that the answers matter.

2) My Freshman year, I had a large research paper to write in a Biblical Studies class and Dr. Dan Wilson walked me over to the library one day, pulled out all of the relevant research tools and walked me through the steps of researching and writing my paper. He showed me how each book or software worked and how it fit into my research project, then he said, "Now, you do it," and walked off.

Dr. Dan told me, showed me, and then challenged me to do it myself. He sent other students to me to do the same for them. I learned more about studying the Bible and about teaching that day in the library than I did at any moment in college.

3) I remember another professor (I'll keep his name anonymous for his privacy) for the golf games. We played once a week during my final semester of college. We'd wake up early to play a round before classes or head out after class before the sun set. I don't remember anything he said, but I remember watching him as his life fell apart.

I knew his marriage was rough and that the school wanted to fire him. He was too liberal for the conservative schools and too conservative for the liberal schools, so he was unwanted at his own school and unwanted anywhere else.

He'd taught us about Hebrew lament poetry in classes, but I saw him live those laments. I watched him sad and hurt. I feel like I watched him mourn. But I saw him trust God in spite of the circumstances.

Those three men (and several other men and women) are the reason I want to teach. I want to do for students unlike me--not on big scholarships to study theology, but normal kids studying education, literature, and business--what those men did for me.

When my students have questions, I want to walk with them towards the answers.

When my life falls apart and students ask, "Why don't you just curse God and die?," I want to be close enough that they know, "He who promised is faithful to finish what he started in me. Whatever happens, I won't quit."

"Mature teachers see teaching as a mission. They challenge students with new skills in order to change them, grow them, mature them. The mission is greater than reading and lecturing and answering questions-it is to stimulate a desire for excellence, first in the subject at hand, but beyond that, in life itself." William R. Yount

Wash

2007-08-20T12:15:00.000-05:00

Last night, we celebrated the communion at my church. Sunday evening worship and communion are my favorite times at my church. They combined last night to powerful effect.

Two ideas from the sermon reverberated into today.

1) I need to come before God in humble confession.

I hardly ever truly and humbly confess. I'm half-hearted when I do.

2) I need to confess before my brothers and sisters and hear them proclaim me forgiven.

I need to confess to my brothers because in doing so I expose my sin for being real and evil, I leave what I've done behind, and I open my life to examination. Their proclamation to me of what Jesus has done for me opens a truth that is deeper than my guilt and that releases me from shame.

"Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me." Psalm 51:2-3 (ESV)

"Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool." Isaiah 1:18 (ESV)

What I'm Listening To

2007-08-13T20:06:00.001-05:00

I usually write about what I'm reading. I'm still thinking, but this time my thoughts are reflected by the music I'm listening to. Here is a sampling (They are in the order of my playlist).

1) Dark Haired Darling, Josh Bales--Josh was a friend of mine early in college, and I found his music on iTunes recently. This is a very catchy song about a girl who is hard to hold onto. Even while happily single, I need love songs.

2) Only the Sinner, Josh Bales--This song says that only the sinners and never the good, Jesus saves.

3) A Hymn for All the World, Josh Bales--This is a prayer for our brothers and sisters around the world. All of Josh's songs are simple, eloquent, and singable.

4) From the Inside Out, Hillsong United--We sang this at MFuge in Canada. My time at Fuge every year fills me up with rich, intense, beautiful worship songs.

5) Tell the World, Hillsong United--This simple commitment to 'tell the world that Jesus lives' was the soundtrack to our time in Canada. I will always picture our last night. 300 people. Fists pumping. Jumping. Dancing. Committing.

6) Carried to the Table, Leeland--Grace carries us where we don't belong, at the table with Jesus.

7) Sunday, Bebo Norman--Another love song. 'It just feels right, kissing you on a Sunday.'

8) Bring Me to Life, Bebo Norman--This has an odd driving rhythm. It is a call of dependence. If I am to live, Yahweh, you must bring me to life.

Unfinished Business

2007-08-10T09:42:00.000-05:00

Anthony Bradley wrote a scathing but necessary piece here. He wrote it to Christians in Atlanta, GA concerning orphans, adoption, and James 1:27, but it stands for Christians everywhere.

In Canada last month, We spent a couple of weeks working with widows, neglected children, the families of prisoners, etc. I had two lessons I wanted my students to understand.

Lesson 1) We are saved by God's grace alone, through faith in Jesus Christ.

I told them, "Don't ever confuse lesson 2 for lesson 1."

Lesson 2) We are saved by God into live new lives characterized by a radical love for the people on the margins of our society--the prisoners, orphans, widows, homeless, sick, oppressed, refugees, etc. This is a non-negotiable change the Holy Spirit works in us (see 1 John and James).

At the end of the last week, I read Eph. 2:8-10 and asked my students a series of questions.

"For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them." Ephesians 2:8-10

I asked, "What is the name of the town closest to your home that has a prison? Name the town closest to you that has a home for widows and the elderly? Name the town closest to you that has neglected children?"

They laughed as they answered the first couple of questions because they named their hometown. Then I noticed their eyes narrow. They understood that they were called by God to love their neighbors--the prisoners, orphans, widows, homeless, sick, oppressed neighbors.

I said, "Then it sounds like your work isn't done."

I posted the link to Bradley's piece because he calls our attention to our unfinished business. We cannot make plans for our lives that don't include taking care of orphans.

I'm asked frequently if I want to have a big family. My answer is now pretty clear. There is no choice anymore. Between the possibility of biological children and the reality of orphans needing homes, I will have a big family.

"Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their misfortune and to keep oneself unstained by the world." John 1:27

Lucky 13

2007-08-07T13:04:00.001-05:00

The newest Radosevich arrived this morning. The stork dropped John Vincent Radosevich off between 8 and 9 am this morning. He is my brother, not my son.

The Rundown

21 (inches long)
13 (He is the thirteenth child)
7.7 (weight in lbs/oz)
7 (He is the seventh son)
2 (Number of weeks early he was born)

He is in ICU right now because his lungs need to develop, but there have been no serious problems.

Differences between John and I:

He was born 8420 days after me.
He is 122 cm smaller than I am
He weighs 78,073 grams less than I do.

"With more kids, love is not divided; It is multiplied."
Paul Radosevich

Welcome to the family, big guy.

No More Default

2007-08-04T16:03:00.000-05:00

Someone told me last month, "You're a single, 23 year-old guy. You should be living it up."

I don't think she quite meant all that it implied, but I started thinking about that option. I found that "living it up" is the default for me and my friends.

My job is my only real responsibility and my money and time go to my hobbies, clothes, and travel. For some of my friends, "living it up" is cars, drugs, and strip clubs.

I realized that default is living for myself, for ourselves. I found that it is expected and even rationalized as "enjoying what God gives us."

Then I found this.

I will let them explain.

"The Junky Car Club is a car club whose members are learning to live with less so we can give more. We're a bunch of happy drivers that are politely rebelling against consumerism by driving junky cars. We encourage our members to use their dough to support social justice causes instead of making fat car payments. Junky Car Club members sponsor kids who live in poverty through Compassion International and help other great organizations. We believe in environmental stewardship and hangin onto things a little longer."

"The Junky Car Club was established in the spring of 2006 when the president of our club Mike, decided to sell his fully loaded Infiniti G35 sports car to drive a junky 1993 Toyota Camry. In an act of rebellion against consumerism and the desire to give more to worthy causes, Mike began to enlist his friends and associates to join him in this experiment of driving with less and giving more. The Junky Car Club currently has members from the US, Australia, Singapore, England, and New Zealand."

That is not default. That is true living.

"You don’t need to know a lot of things to make a lasting difference in the world, but you do have to know the few, great, unchanging, and glorious things that matter and be willing to live and to die for them."
-John Piper

Piper's Response to the Minnesota Bridge Tragedy

2007-08-02T22:52:00.000-05:00

John Piper wrote an incredible response to the Minnesota Bridge collapse here. The piece ends with Psalm 71:20. "You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again."

He also wrote a poem titled "Waiting for My Husband After the Bridge Collapsed." He says, "I wrote this poem when I heard of a newlywed waiting for her husband after the bridge collapsed. "

Quotes: What Will My Life Be About?

2007-08-02T17:05:00.000-05:00

These are some quotes we used in worship in Canada. They frame my thoughts on our trip and challenge my notions of what my life is about.

"We talk of the Second Coming; Half the world has never heard of the First."
-Oswald J. Smith

"Lost people matter to God, and so they must matter to us."
-Keith Wright

"We are debtors to every man to give him the gospel in the same measure in which we have received it."
-P.F. Bresee

"Sympathy is no substitute for action."
-David Livingston

"Go, Send, or Disobey."
-John Piper

"The Gospel is only good news if it gets there in time."
-Carl F.H. Henry

Finding a Gem

2007-07-30T20:22:00.000-05:00

Tonight, while I was browsing in a bookstore, I saw a book, and my heart stopped.

I had combed my memory, files, and bookshelves this afternoon trying to find something I wanted to read. I went to a bookstore hoping I would stumble upon something interesting.

My heart stopped, because I had given up looking for novels by George MacDonald. After several years of searching in new and used bookstores, I learned that most of MacDonald's books are out of print and only appear in modern abridgments.

The book I found tonight is called, At the Back of the North Wind. I checked the copyright page twice to make sure that it was real.

I first learned MacDonald's name while reading C.S. Lewis in college. He (and I believe J.R.R. Tolkien as well) named MacDonald as a favorite writer. I intended to not like Lewis much. He was too trendy. But his clear thinking and simple writing captured me during college. Lewis named MacDonald as a favorite writer, and that began my search for MacDonald's novels.

My quest to read a favorite author of a favorite author is complete, sort of. I still need to read North Wind.

Best XI: Canada

2007-07-24T13:22:00.000-05:00

Here is a list of highlights from my time in Canada.

Best Canadian Food: Poutin. It is a dish made with French Fries, cheese, gravy, and seemingly anything else found behind the counter. It was surprisingly good.

Best Restaurant: Joe Dough's Pizza. The crust was perfect. Billy Joe (the owner) took good care of us, and we kept returning for more.

Best Coffee: Thai Iced Coffee at Mango's in Kingston. It was slightly sweet with a thickness that probably came from sweetened condensed milk.

Best Birthday Moment: My first birthday cake of the day. Two of my middle school students brought me a Hostess Cupcake with a two-tined fork and a three-tined fork in place of candles.

Best Day Off: July 22. We traveled from Kingston around Lake Ontario, staying in Toronto long enough to watch the U-20 World Cup Final, then stopped at Niagara Falls before crossing the border and staying in Buffalo, NY (We had a cool day trip to Montreal also).

Best Church Name: Church of the Good Thief. I could count the number of churches I passed in Kingston on one hand. Only one of them was evangelical (bible-believing, Jesus confessing). But the Roman Catholic Church down from where we lived had the best name.

Best Question: "Why are you here?" After we had established relationships, that question was sure to come, frequently followed by "Why Canada and not Romania?" or Why here instead of Mexico?"

Best Answer: "Jesus Christ has changed our lives; We're here to help and to introduce you to him." It takes a long time for Canadians to care about this answer. Some of our Kingston friends have watched the Christians with MFuge for 6 years and just now open up to our message. We had to be bold but patient.

Best Lesson: My students and my Canadian friends didn't need me to be cool or fun or passionate or convincing; they needed me to be real and to be open and to care deeply. Ultimately, they needed Jesus and I would do them harm if I didn't bring them to him and to his word.

Best Name: Jesus Christ, Yeshua, YHWH. In a country where everyone is familiar with comparative religions, the name "God" meant nothing because it could apply to any number of religions. These people needed to know such personal names, so that they would know exactly who we were serving and whose we were.

Best Quote: "The Gospel is only Good News if it gets there in time." --Carl F. H. Henry