Believe It or Not: A Telling Hermeneutic

"How can this strange story of God made flesh, of a crucified Savior, of resurrection and new creation become credible for those whose entire mental training has conditioned them to believe that the real world is the world which can be satisfactorily explained and managed without the hypothesis of God? I know of only one clue to the answering of that question, only one real hermeneutic of the gospel: a congregation which believes it." – Lesslie Newbigin

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A Needed Glimpse @ Nehemiah

For the Love of God , a daily devotional designed to walk a person through the Bible in a year, remains a helpful compliment to the M'Cheynne Reading plan. Sunday's commentary was particularly striking. Partly because of the pastoral context and needs in our community. Partly because of the tendency to drift that remains a resident lure in my own heart.

Reflect: A Swim Upstream Awaits

ONE OF THE MOST STRIKING EVIDENCES of sinful human nature lies in the universal propensity for downward drift. In other words, it takes thought, resolve, energy, and effort to bring about reform. In the grace of God, sometimes human beings display such virtues. But where such virtues are absent, the drift is invariably toward compromise, comfort, indiscipline, sliding disobedience, and decay that advances, sometimes at a crawl and sometimes at a gallop, across generations.

People do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.

Click here for the complete post. (D.A. Carson:For the Love of God: The Gospel Coalition)

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Hoppin' Who?

What are your New Year's day traditions? Growing up from southern roots, I can tell you mine. Lunch time New Years day sees the table set, the family gathered and HOPPIN' JOHN on the table. At least amongst coastal southerners, it's a South Carolina Low Country practice with African and Carribean beginnings that predates the mid 1800s.

Sadly, eating Hoppin' John was originally considered a symbol of good fortune and thought to bring good luck to everyone back in the day. (I really would prefer that the traditional meal not be rooted in superstition.) Nonetheless, it remains as a connection to a regional and agricultural coastal Carolina heritage.

So, just what is Hoppin' John? Well here's a recipe and a link to an article from the Seattle Times (originally from the Charlotte Observer) that will shed a little light on the matter. Plus, it sets the field peas and rice dish - served with collard greens- in a global context of other "for the sake of prosperity" meal choices from around the globe.

So, eat well, enjoy your meal, and put your confidence wholly in God.

Grace and Peace

-T


HOPPIN' JOHN

From "The Glory of Southern Cooking," by James Villas (Wiley, 2007).

¼ pound slab bacon, cut into ¼-inch cubes

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 pounds black-eyed peas, fresh or frozen

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Red pepper flakes to taste

Hot, cooked rice

3 large ripe tomatoes, chopped

1. Fry the bacon in a large saucepan over medium heat until crisp. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat. Add the onion, celery and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

2. Add the peas, salt and pepper, red pepper flakes and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the peas are tender but not mushy, about 1 hour. (It may take less time for frozen peas, so taste them after 30 minutes.)

3. Drain the peas, then serve over hot rice topped with chopped tomato.

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Tonight's the Night: Music and Friendship in the Village

Music and getting together with a small circle of friends are on the horizon this weekend. I'm kind of excited about it and here's why.

A few of us, predominately folk who comprise our village family, are gathering for a Music Night with Mr. Mason Johnson, A MOST EXCELLENT MUSICIAN. It is a chance to hang out and serve one another this Saturday evening (March 29^th, 2008) at 7:15 PM.

However, we are also inviting a few friends and neighbors to join in. It will likely prove to be a night of melody, rhythm, and “chillable” sounds rendered by a most amazing and talented 84 year old seasoned musician who says, “I’m honored to have the chance to sing for you folks”.

As an indicator of his diligence and commitment to a great evening, Mr. Johnson, as of Tuesday morning this week, had completed a dry run to the village to make certain he knew how to find us and had begun weaving together a program of tunes aimed at delighting our folks with a selection of sounds drawn from a deep well of experience- including tunes ranging from Post War (WW II) to present day, as well as, Classic Jazz.

Also, we are providing dessert and coffee to those who take part. And whilst, our family will make up most of the gathering, the evening will also give us the chance to serve a small circle of neighbors and friends whom we hope to encourage as we listen and share in a “service of sweets and most excellent java” provided with a smile.

We are "doing the place up" with jazz club tables, comfy seating, and quirky lighting to create an ambiance for relaxing as we bless, serve, and connect as friends. Borrowing a line from Bob Gaudio and The Four Seasons, we can say, “Oh, what a night”. This Saturday night: a point of blessing, friendship, and generosity. And, seeking to exercise a theology of generosity, the evening is offered free of charge with no strings attached to those who take part.

The evening begins at 7:15 PM. The music starts at 7:30 PM and wraps up around 9:30 PM. The venue is 1028 Second Street (the building where CCC meets as a "church gathered") in the village of Stone Mountain, GA 30083. Those lending a hand are gathering at the 6:00 PM to decorate at deliver the ambiance, prepare the goodies, and brew the coffee. Otherwise, the evening begins at 7:15 PM with a welcome and a simple invitation to hang out as friends.

It should be a fun night – a really good night. I'll let you know how it goes.

Grace and Peace,

T

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A Sojourner's Birthday

Today is a day of contemplation. Why? A good friend is turning 50.

We've been through a lot as brothers in our common village and church community and I really can't let the event pass without speaking gratitude into his life.

We've watched our kids grow up together. He and his wife were at the birth of each of our three boys and we have taken part in the lives of their kids, too. And against the consumeristic tide of our day, we have persevered to serve in a community called the church (the same local body) for more than 22 years.

He was there when I met my wife. He was there when we married. He was there when we struggled financially and with broken health. He was there in the ongoing process of restoration in Christ. Truly, he is a friend. You know, it may not take a village but it certainly is good to be a part of one- and even better to have a friend.

So, what follows is an excerpt from birthday wishes to him.

Dearest Brother, with the Psalmist, we can say, "I am a sojourner on the earth." And, this is increasingly recognizable as we progress, live, labor, and love. In fact, we’re getting older. We know this and it is a good thing.

God has crafted us for communion with Himself and to take our place in the progression of His story-His work of redeeming, restoring, and blessing His creation. We are, in fact, partakers at his invitation and at His expense, in the eternal fellowship of the Trinity. Wow!

As a fellow laborer, partaker of life in Christ, and friend, I have to tell you that you are blessing and great encouragement to me. Please know that I genuinely delight in knowing you – my brother.

From another sojourner with a place in God’s redemptive history, we read:

So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
and for as many years as we have seen evil.
Let your work be shown to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands upon us;
yes, establish the work of our hands! (Moses; Psalm 90: 12; 14-17; ESV)

Blessings and peace and ....

Happy Birthday.

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Joy in the Trenches (A Razz to the Self-Righteous)

OK. Time to check in before May hits the books. Two thoughts strike me.

First, the earlier pastoral challenges (as one elder amongst others who altogether are charged to lead, protect, and nurture) remain but there is encouragement in seeing the faithfulness of our folks. This is particularly true in the case of a young woman in our fellowship who, whilst in the midst of relational challenges with a key person in her life who is living markedly out of step with God’s Word and persisting in a destructive direction, is staying the course of obedience to Christ – amidst tough circumstances.

Seeing Christ increasingly formed in her is overwhelmingly a source of deep joy. Granted, I hurt (and we as a community hurt) for her (and the erring one, too); nonetheless, what would otherwise be a wholly terrible happening is being redeemed by her obedience to Jesus and the instruction of the Scriptures.

Christ is getting glory and the on-looking village sees a glimpse of Christ engendered courage and grace that somehow allows our sister to find the strength to love a stiff-necked loved one as Christ loves her rather than acting to destroy a things or run away. Humbled and exhorted I am. May her tribe increase?

Secondly, two village "brothers in Christ" made the marquis (actually the tavern events email reminder that goes out weekly into the community) at the local pub. How about that! I am absolutely tickled to bits. The note read, “A and B, of XYZ church, share their musical talents and acoustic styling this Thursday at the Tavern”. Wow. A church making the pub mailer- how sweet is that?

Seeking to be friends – and make friends- to our village neighbors, a number of our folks faithfully gather at the village restaurant and tavern and hang out most Thursdays. Moreover, we really love our neighbors and miss their company when a weekly meeting is thwarted for one reason or another. Likewise, we are grateful to the owners for providing a “third place” – really the only one in the village since our beloved coffee house closed- for our community and it is brimming with folks whom Christ loves. Therefore, we seek to know and love them, too.

Surprisingly, some “Christians" in the village –maybe moralists, legalists, or the self-righteous are better descriptors- view our presence there as a “bad witness”. Well, to tweak a comment from the gospels (tweaking it to shift the subject from the poor to the pompous), the “self-righteous” we will always have with us. So, let's get on with the mission and love as Christ loved. Certainly, we must practice loving respect for all; yet, in this matter the moralists can just get over it. Where our neighbors are – there we will be. So, let the criticisms continue. For me, I pick the publican over the Pharisee.

Anyway, I hope to write more often but working, loving my family, serving my neighbors, and doing the work of a co-laboring shepherd and participant in the Body of Christ do really compete for attention and time to write. And you know what- I’m glad it is so.

How I love the trenches. For, in them, I find the nurture of my Savior and joy in following His way for His glory, the good of His people, the blessing of others.

All the Best to you and yours,

Thom

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The Areopagus at Star Coffee

This week of work came to a close with a Saturday to spare before returning home. I’m looking forward to getting back but, with the day free, seizing the chance to hang out in Heidelberg is a good option.

It’s not the Areopagus at the invitation of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers, however, Star Coffee, in the Altstadt, seems like a good place to get a feel for the city.

Hanging out with the locals is a practice I cherish. It’s a good one, too – at least if you’re more into people than castles. Lingering to read, to chat, to people watch, and take in the relational and local context environs is a good way to check the pulse of most communities. Heidelberg is no exception. It is buzzing with folks meeting, engaging, gazing to listen, and smiling – for the most part – at least it is so today.

I think Paul would add Star Coffee as a point of contact - along with synagogues and the marketplace in his practice of initiating in the culture - if he were here in this slice of time. Who knows? He may have ordered a double espresso macchiato and enjoyed a chat with a few of the folks lingering here, heute?

I know it’s not exactly preaching or reasoning with the Jews in synagogue but I really don’t think café preaching is on the list of best praxis for “how to engage the people of Heidelberg at Star Coffee”; nonetheless, I suspect he’d hang out - maybe frequently-here anyway. And, I bet, if he’d keep at it long enough, he’d find numerous invitations to visit the Areopagus of numerous hearts here in Heidelberg.

Tschüß

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On Loving and Lying

“We believe in a God who restores the years the locusts have eaten, who counts every individual as of extreme worth, who loves us so deeply that He transforms our very inner being and definitely brings healing which we all need, who in sending Jesus identifies totally with us in every suffering possible yet can carry us through, who never gives up on us, and who is passionate about relationship. We all came away from the evening with a renewed commitment to our community's priority of reaching out beyond our own familiar and comfortable worlds." -JOANNA GILLUM of the Community of St Jude (London)

Reading the Community of St. Jude’s website is refreshing. As Christ is formed in His people, it is refreshing to see the fruit of that formation evidenced in the character, values, and behavior of those who comprise a community of believers and claim captivity by Christ and His ways. Believers can be worlds apart – even centuries apart- and yet see a common evidence of God’s handiwork in His people across the globe and the span of time. For me, this is an encouraging reality; yet, based on some encounters with folks professing Christ, I must ask if we, the Body of Christ, really believe in a God who restores, values, transforms, heals, identifies in our suffering, never gives up, and is passionate about relationship?

I pray we do believe and that, as His people, we will increasingly choose to live and love accordingly? Sadly, muddying the waters of our relationships in ways that cloud the reality of His relationship with others and us seems to be the preferred course of many. This should not be. Rather, may we be known as a people who, whilst peculiar yet contextual, are about the business of blessing others and living Christ-like lives and pursuing Christ-like pursuits? Our impact on the community and world should be notable – even if we present a stumbling block to some. At least, those who disagree should be aware that we are here, transformed by Christ, and following Him whilst growing in grace and engaging our world.

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matt 28:18-20; NIV) Clear enough but are we growing towards “obeying all He has commanded? If we are, our presence as His church will be markedly known, felt, and seen – to the glory of Jesus.

Before closing, two passages and quote from John Stott come to mind. One is a passage from Luke, actually a reference by Christ to Isaiah 61, and the other a passage in 1 John 4. The book quote I will mention later.

Passage 1:

He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." (Luke 4:16-21; NIV)

Passage 2:

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. (1 John 4:7-21; NIV)

Maybe “walking in a manner worthy of our calling” a tall order? Yet, is it not our aim? Moreover, do we not have a calling to follow, grow, and belong rather than an invitation to seek selfish aims and comfort?

Consider this,

“It is a great mistake to suppose that it (salvation) is merely a synonym for forgiveness. God is as much concerned with our present and future as with our past. His plan is first to reconcile us to himself, and then progressively liberate us from our self-centeredness and bring us into harmony with our fellow men. We owe our forgiveness and reconciliation chiefly to the death of Christ, but it is by his Spirit we can be set free from ourselves and in his church that we can be united in a fellowship of love.” (Stott, John RW, Basic Christianity, Grand Rapids, MI, Wm. B Eerdmans Publishing Co., p. 98)

So, in closing, may we opt for growth and may we do so together- to His glory and for the good of creation.

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