Reading the Good Book

With the end of the year in sight, I have been reinvigorated to finish my "through the Bible in a year (or 3)" plan.

I started in Genesis in January 2006, and have been working my way from left to right, cover to cover, with the desire to read and understand the entirety of God's word in context.

I've taken breaks here and there to move around and study a topic in greater detail, or meditate on scriptures relating to life events, but I always come back to the silk ribbon and renew its progress.

The cover to cover method has been valuable for me to spend time in scripture passages that I may not have come across through a sermon or a devotional. I like knowing that I've read everything in the Bible (hmm, if only I could remember everything I've read!).

This will be the second time I've completed the reading from cover to cover. The first time through, I read the NIV Life Application commentary alongside the relevant scriptures, which also took me three years (I enjoyed the extra information, but ultimately found that the extra weight of the Bible discouraged me from taking it with me anywhere).

So, how shall I spend my daily quiet times in January 2009? I've got a couple different options in mind.

One is the "One Year Bible", which is based on the idea of (surprise) reading through the entire Bible in a year. What I like about this Bible, is that it automatically divies up the reading for each day, so that instead of reading a huge chunk in one place, you read a bit from the Old Testament, a bit from the new, and a Psalm (Hopefully this would keep me from getting bogged down in long passages of similar content).

Another option is a topical daily devotional. Yet another would be to do an in-depth study of Romans, and pick something else once I'm done with that. Ultimately, my goal is to continue learning about God's will in my life through His word, and to grow in obedience and maturity.

How do you choose your Bible devotional / study material? Do you follow some sort of a plan, or the pick and flip method?

Book Review: a Generous Orthodoxy

So, I've been curious to read this book since it came out four years ago. In various reviews, I've read a lot of backlash, and had mentally placed this book in the 'books I SHOULD read but am putting off until I've read everything else on my bookshelf first' category.

Well, I finally got around to reading the book and was amazed at how much I enjoyed it! I just couldn't put it down. For a girl from a mostly non-denominational Christian background, I found McLaren's descriptions of various streams of faith to be fascinating.

Critics accuse him of attempting to piece-meal a post-modern version of Christianity "with an eccentric mix of theological elements pieced together from main denominations and even many different religions", or that "he embraces relativism at the cost of clarity in matters of truth and intends to redefine Christianity for this new age, largely in terms of an eccentric mixture of elements he would take from virtually every theological position and variant."

Yet, I didn't come away feeling that McLaren was trying to impose a new, mish-mashed form of Christianity upon the rest of us. Rather, he holds to light the pearls of truth that were the impetus for each of many different Christian traditions (even while acknowledging how many have since lost sight of their honorable beginnings).

To better understand how other traditions are attempting to sincerely live out their faith, and to learn and draw from other's strengths can only help us be more loving and unified as the worldwide body of Christ, regardless of denomination. McLaren addresses the unity of the church this way, in my favorite passage of the book:

"We believe in one... church," the [Nicene] creed says, and that's no easy to swallow statement because we're surrounded by denominations, divisions, arguments, grand polemics, and petty squabbles. That's where the "we believe" part comes in: you can only know the unity of the church by believing it, not by seeing it. When you believe it, you can see through the surface dirt and cracks to the beauty and unity shining beneath. Generous orthodoxy presumes that the divisions, though tragic, are superficial compared to Christianity's deep, though often unappreciated, unity. Perhaps the more we believe in and perceive that unity, the easier it will be to grow beyond the disunity." p. 250

The church, not the building, but the family of God's adopted children, should indeed be radiantly beautiful. Let's spend a little less time taking sides and articulating our differences, and focus more on how amazing and merciful our loving God is to each of us. Sounds pretty generous to me.

On My Mind

So, this has turned out to be a month of not much blogging. There's been so much going on it's kind of taken back seat for a while. But not to fear, I haven't given up completely. Just to keep you in the loop, here's just a smidgen of what's been rolling around my mind:

- Hospitals and Doctors: Up until the past couple of months, I haven't spent too much time around them. Now that I am, as an advocate, I've been surprised and disappointed with my experiences. Care providers are happy to help with a symptom, but forget it if you want to discover and treat the cause. I believe I have some squeaky-wheeling in my future. Grr.


- The Shack: A work of fiction that has created such a buzz that I've tried to avoid it. Well, I wasn't able to, and now I am so glad that I finally gave in and read the thing. Once I started, I couldn't stop, and devoured the book in two days. The author creates such a fantastic word picture of a living, breathing relationship with God. I was amazed at what an encouragement I found this book to be. I'd definitely recommend it to anybody, Christian or not, especially those struggling to reconcile God's goodness with the problems and evil in the world. Excellent!


- New neighbors: Eric, the new worship leader at our church, and his wife Yvette, finally found a place of their own here in Concord. For the past six weeks, they've been living out of boxes and dealing with a lengthy commute while looking for the right place. Well, God has provided - they're moving into a house one street down from ours! It's literally a five minute walk from our front door. We are so excited to get to know one another better - what a blessing!

- Billy: I took my little doggy to the vet today for a routine vaccination and when I reviewed his records, realized that he is NINE years old! That came as a little bit of a shock to me, as we've really only spent three years with him. He wasn't a puppy when we adopted him, and we left him with my parents for a year when we went on the world race mission trip. But now, his right eye is getting cloudy, and the vet told me it's a sign of aging. What! Billy can't be getting old. No, no, no.

- The new school year: Yes, I'm excited. Nothing fires me up more than the possibilities in a new beginning. Yet, I sense that my role in youth ministry is going to have to be more defined and less all-encompassing than it has been in the past. I dread the moments when I am going to have to, at some point, say NO to myself, my students, and worst of all, to my husband. But I don't see a way around that if I'm going to keep myself and my marriage healthy for the long term.

I guess it's kind of like planting a garden - you're supposed to plant all the seeds, then uproot all but the strongest so they have room to grow. I'm gonna have to uproot some flowers in my life, and I don't like it. Nope, not one bit. I imagine you can expect many posts along this line as I try and sort things out. Along with related topics such as identity, purpose, calling, faithfulness, discernment, and the meaning of life. Argh. I suppose I thought these things would fall into place as I got older, but the more time goes by, the more complicated it seems.

I resemble that remark...

"...there aren't many pleasures I enjoy more than sleep. I sleep till I am done, normally, and haven't set an alarm in years. I'm not lazy, mind you, I just find it odd anybody would program a machine to wake them. God made the brain so it would wake on its own, and as a follower of Jesus, I am a strict adherent to His system. Call me a fundamentalist if you want."

- Donald Miller, To Own a Dragon

The Irresistible Revolution

A few months back, I bought a book by a guy called Shane Claiborne. As his quotes and ideas kept popping up among fellow youth pastor and missionary friends, I figured, I'd like to see what else he has to say.

(Shane also happens to be the young man who, as a speaker at the National Youth Workers Convention in Atlanta last fall, controversially devoted all of his speaking time to reading the Sermon on the Mount.)

Well, after letting the book sit on my shelf long enough, I've finally dusted it off and dug in. And, let me say, wow. Just, wow! This is a guy who yearns to live and love like Jesus did. And not in the 'feel spiritual in your Sunday clothes' kind of way, but the 'get down with the poor get your hands dirty' kind of way.

He has a lot to say about poverty, simplicity, and community; the fellowship of interdependence, the suburban isolation of the rich. It's challenging, for sure. But attractive in the sense that he appears to have found something I'm looking for.

I haven't even finished the book yet, but I'm already looking forward to re-reading it. Anybody out there wanna start a book club and discuss it with me?

The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical, by Shane Claiborne.

Book Review: Youth Ministry Edition

Seven years ago, when God saw fit to drop pre-teens on our doorstep, Gary and I didn't have a clue about youth ministry. Our first 'youth group' meeting literally consisted of an adult bible lesson with a treasure hunt slapped on the front (you know, to kid it up).

We've come a long way since then, mainly due to the grace of God, but I also give credit to the good training we've been given through books and conferences. The following are two youth ministry "must-haves" that I've recently read. Or re-read. If you're in youth ministry, and you haven't perused these yet, add these to your Christmas list:

hurt: inside the world of today's TEENAGERS, by Chap Clark


For this book, Chap Clark spent a year in a high school observing and interviewing students. What he came back with is an eye-opening look at the reality that today's teenagers are living in. With the explosion of technology, change in culture, expansion of adolescence and breakdown in families, it is a very different world today than when I was in high school fifteen years ago. I recommend this to all youth workers, teachers, and parents that want a deeper understanding of the lives of today's teenagers.

your first two years in youth ministry: a personal and practical guide to starting right, by Doug Fields


I was blessed to get my hands on this one as a volunteer early on. It is a treasure trove of advice from a seasoned youth worker, looking to help others learn from his mistakes. I credit Doug Fields for helping me develop a realistic picture of what healthy youth ministry looks like. I found it invaluable during my volunteer years, and have recently brought it out to read again from my new perspective of full-time youth pastor's wife. It still rules.

Fellow Youth Ministry Peeps: What are your ministry or culture "must-reads"? Drop me a comment!

Review: Cost of Discipleship

There is a stack of recently read books on my dining table that I intend to review for you. I've given up on the hope of reviewing them all at once - I don't have the time to write that much - you don't have the time to read it - so, I'll deal with them one at a time. I present to you my first book review.

The Cost of Discipleship - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

I chose this book as a devotional after noticing how often Christian authors quote Bonhoeffer... why not go to the source? I began reading it in September of last year, when we were in Kibera, Kenya, and finished it about a year later. This is a challenging, deep, thought-provoking book... it should go without saying that I loved it.

Bonhoeffer writes topically - Part One deals with "Grace & Discipleship", Two is a series of commentaries on the Sermon on the Mount, Three is "The Messengers" (the apostles), Four is "The Church of Jesus Christ and the Life of Discipleship".

I especially appreciated the first chapter, "Costly Grace". Here I read:

"Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods... it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.

Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it cost God the life of His son... it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us."

These words are indeed challenging, yet inspiring. I can't read this passage without getting chills. This is the relationship I want with Christ. To love Him so much I would go anywhere or pay any cost. To recognize that He paid a dear price in order to save me from my sin; to realize my gratitude every day.

I recommend this book to those who are willing to walk the narrow road. It's not a devotional collection of warm & fuzzy anecdotes, but a challenging call to a life of holiness. The title is apt: true discipleship comes with a cost, a truth for which Bonhoeffer lived and ultimately gave up his life.

New and Improved

We made a few improvements to the blog today (as you clever readers may or may not have noticed).

Firstly, if you take a moment to examine the green box on the right-hand side of the screen, you'll see a new feature - our current reading lists! Maybe you'll be inspired or intrigued enough to check out something you wouldn't have otherwise. Or, perhaps you'll just be amazed by how long it takes me to finish a book.

We've also added a few great links to the "Blogs We Read" section.

They include Bonnie's Cafe, which I already gave mad props to here, a forum for a refreshingly honest exploration of coffee, autism, and faith.

Also Dan Kimball's site, Vintage Faith. Dan Kimball is pastor of Vintage Faith church in Santa Cruz, CA and author of multiple books including his most recent They Like Jesus But Not the Church . He is a leading voice in the emergent discussion as well as the epitome of style. He has the coolest hair of any pastor I've ever met.

Finally, don't miss Don't Call Me Veronica. Seriously, visit the site just to find out the origin of the name. Very cool.

Enjoy!

Quote of the Day

"Worship is forgetting about what's wrong with you and remembering what's right with God."

-Mark Batterson; In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day

The Youth of a Nation

As part of what I consider “youth ministry research”, I just read an interesting article on the “Millennial” generation, looking at the 13-20 year old demographic in America. These youth are growing up in an extremely fast-paced, technologically based society, and researchers are finding that this environment is actually nurturing them to think and respond differently than previous generations.

With countless products, services, and rapid technological developments aimed directly at them, this generation expects interactivity and to have multiple choices at their fingertips. Generational differences are not limited to expectations, but are actually reflected in personality.

Millennials were found to differ significantly from Gen X medical students in 10 of 16 traits on a standard personality test. Millennials scored higher on warmth, abstract reasoning, emotional stability, rule-consciousness, social boldness, sensitivity, apprehension, openness to change and perfectionism. Gen X'ers scored higher on self-reliance.

It also seems there is a cultural rebound from the intensely career-driven, one-size-fits-all goal-focused lifestyle of the Gen X'ers.

"They [millennials] have no need to conform to a generational norm. They're very independent in their consumer habits." … "The trend is that there isn't a trend. This generation is all about choice -- being able to find something and make it your own."

With a world that is constantly shifting around them, how will this millennial generation respond to a God who never changes? Will they regard Him as stiff, archaic and irrelevant, or, will they choose to hold onto Him as a rock in the midst of the storm raging around them? My heart believes the latter, that today’s youth are eager to find solid truth, a consistency they can depend on, even as the world flies by.

Conflict(ed): Where Would Jesus Shop?

Have you seen the new product (red) campaign? Launched by Bono, the idea is for major companies to donate a portion of their sales of certain items for AIDS relief in Africa. A couple of nights ago, Gary and I were walking through the local mall and saw that the GAP had filled its windows with various red shirts included in the campaign.

I have to admit, I’m not sure what to make of it all. On the one hand, I appreciate that the AIDS crisis is being recognized so publicly, and that people are being encouraged to put their money where it can make a difference. I sincerely hope that this campaign will help hurting people. Plus, the shirts were pretty cool.

However, the commerciality of all this that leaves such a bad taste in my mouth… if we make supporting AIDS fashionable, what happens when the trends change? Does the fact that the new GAP shirts are (red), released just in time for Valentine’s day, mean that the campaign is timely, or exploitative?

My reading in Bonhoeffer this morning only served to stir the proverbial pot. “Take heed that ye do not your righteousness before men, to be seen of them: else ye have no reward with your Father which is in heaven.” Jesus says in Matt. 6:1. But then Jesus also says, “Let your light shine before men” in Matt. 5:16. Soooo… which category applies to shopping preferences???

I’m inclined to think that God would care most about our motives. If I wear a (red) shirt just to show the world what a great activist I am, look out! No heavenly reward for me! But if I do buy a GAP shirt with the intent to help fight AIDS in Africa, and encourage and remind others to get involved as well, that’s good, right? Right? Right?

True Love

Over the past few months, I’ve been going through The Cost of Discipleship, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, as somewhat of a personal devotional. Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran pastor in Germany at the time that Hitler came to power, and was martyred at the age of 39 for his active role in opposing the Nazi regime. I find his teachings to be extremely deep and challenging; they never leave me without something to ponder.

I just finished a chapter about the passage where Jesus talks about loving your enemies (Mat. 5:43-48). Though Jesus’ intentions are clear (to love), how to actually practically live this out is not so simple. I loved this passage:

‘Pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.’

“…Through the medium of prayer we go to our enemy, stand by his side, and plead for him to God. Jesus does not promise that when we bless our enemies and do good to them they will not despitefully use and persecute us. They certainly will. But not even that can hurt or overcome us, so long as we pray for them. For if we pray for them, we are taking their distress and poverty, their guilt and perdition upon ourselves, and pleading to God for them. We are doing vicariously for them what they cannot do for themselves. Every insult they utter only serves to bind us more closely to God and them. Their persecution of us only serves to bring them nearer to reconciliation with God and to further the triumphs of love.”

This concept of love isn’t some kind of warm and fuzzy infatuation, but an active pursuit of the best interest of another, even at the sacrifice of one’s own ‘rights’. What a beautiful and perfect picture of the love of Christ… appealing to the Lord on behalf of the unworthy.

Caught in the Middle

Part of doing any kind of ministry is to understand the culture you are ministering to. As a youth worker, I have been interested in familiarizing myself with the emergence of postmodernism in America: the reality is, the students I teach are growing up in a very different cultural environment than I did just fifteen years ago.

There is a growing movement, calling themselves ‘emergent’ or ‘the emerging church’ that is seeking to evaluate the changing culture, and examine how ‘church’ as we currently know it will relate and function in a postmodern world. Concepts such as absolute truth, identity, personal experience, and spirituality are being held up to the light and examined on all sides.

The emergent church describes itself as in pursuit of a conversation, not a theology; and though I don’t necessarily agree with all the answers, I appreciate the questions they are asking. I am currently reading a book, handed me by a fellow youth pastor, called “Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church”, by D.A. Carson. I loved this quote, as I found it an interesting summary of some of the differences between modernism and postmodernism:

Modernism is often pictured as pursuing truth, absolutism, linear thinking, rationalism, certainty, the cerebral as opposed to the affective – which in turn breeds arrogance, inflexibility, a lust to be right, the desire to control. Postmodernism, by contrast, recognizes how much of what we “know” is shaped by the culture in which we live, is controlled by emotions and aesthetics and heritage, and in fact can only be intelligently held as part of a common tradition, without overbearing claims to being true or right.

Modernism tries to find unquestioned foundations on which to build the edifice of knowledge and then proceeds with methodological rigor; postmodernism denies that such foundations exist (it is “antifoundational”) and insists that we come to “know” things in many ways, not a few of them lacking in rigor.

Modernism is hard-edged and, in the domain of religion, focuses on truth versus error, right belief, confessionalism; postmodernism is gentle and, in the domain of religion, focuses on relationships, love, shared tradition, integrity in discussion.

I really see myself in this passage as one of the ‘moderns’. I love the black and white, truth is truth, take it or leave it. But I see people around me, my age and younger, (especially those who did not grow up in the church) really resonating with the postmodern view. I see hunger for a spiritual experience, not just knowledge. And while yes, knowledge and truth are important, didn’t Jesus come to Earth so that we could have a relationship with God? This stuff challenges me, moves me from thinking about the importance of memorizing scripture to the necessity of living it. After all, what I know is not the sum of who I am.