Figuring out Advent

I grew up in traditions that did not follow the Christian calendar, and so besides the weekly lighting of Advent candles each Sunday, I've never participated in any practices related to Advent. In addition, I've gone round and round in the last 6 or 7 years trying to understand Christmas - where it came from, how to celebrate it, or honestly, whether it's something the church should even celebrate at all. After a lot of prayer, reflection, and conversation, I'm finding that there is quite a bit of legitimacy and value in adherence to the season of Advent and the celebration of Christmas. On the other hand, I'm also bothered by what seems to be the normal celebration of Christmas in our culture. More importantly, I'm saddened by the ways in which the church conforms to culture and imports practices that actually seem to adulterate the entire season by "baptizing" and normalizing activities that run counter to the gospel. But that's another post for another day.

For now, I'm more focused on trying to figure out how to best engage Advent as we prepare for Christmas. Maria and I are having conversations about the sort of practices we should keep. The other night we put together an "Advent wreath" (sans wreath for now!), and on Sunday evenings we're reading Scripture and saying prayers as we light the Advent candles each Sunday evening. We're doing the same things in our life group, and we're looking for ways to share meaningful practices that focus our attention on the Lord's birth and the significance of the incarnation.

I've also been reading over the narrated events leading to Jesus' birth in the first couple chapters of Luke. I'd like to post some thoughts if I have any that I think are interesting!

Church Plant Update

Though there's nothing new to report on the job hunt, we do have some exciting church plant news. We joined Andre and Courtney a couple of weeks ago on a trip to Chula Vista to look at houses. Courtney's parents met us there, and after a day of looking, Courtney's folks made an offer on a house. Last week, the offer was accepted, and they're planning on moving into the house in a few weeks!

We're really excited about the new house because it's in a good location to begin reaching out to families in the area. It's also a great house to be able to host visitors (or long-term, "live-ins"), parties, small group gatherings, or even a larger gathering with a smaller crowd.

So Andre and Courtney will beat us down there, but we hope to join them soon!

Life: Back to Blogging (I hope)

Since my last blog post was in September, I suppose it's time for an update or two. We've been kind of trying to figure out the direction in which God is taking us, and I've not really wanted to write much lately. The last couple of months have been somewhat trying in different ways - looking for work with no luck, my aunt dying and feeling the need to be "pastor-like" in our family, lack of clarity about the church plant, ect.- and I think my posts would have consisted more of rants, complaints and confusion than anything interesting. But after some prayer/discernment, meaningful conversations and some evidence of God at work, I think I'm feeling a bit more oriented with regard to where we're headed. By the way, I'm not sure this was ever a struggle with Maria. I admire her confidence and trust in God. I also admire her patience with her husband who thinks and worries himself into a frenzy about things and circumstances that have not even happened yet!

So we're confidently looking to move to Chula Vista as soon as I can find some sort of work. A couple here named Andre and Courtney have committed to join us, and their vision for church is really similar to ours. In the meantime, I'm applying for jobs in the San Diego area. It's been frustrating to not have anything at all open up, but at the same time, I'm praying for the right kind of job in the right place. I need something that will work well with the other things we sense the Lord calling us to do. So in some sense, it's kind of exciting to imagine the possibilities. Meanwhile, Maria has been a rock star in her job! She recently got a promotion that will allow her to work 32 hrs. a week from Chula Vista once we move. I'm thankful beyond words for my wife and her constant support and encouragement.

So that's kind of where we are - I'm home with Zay, looking for work and praying/dreaming/talking about a church plant. I'm also trying to use the time to continue to build relationships with the people thinking about joining us. There is also the matter of another academic degree or two between Maria and me in the future, but that's probably the subject of another post. For now, we're praying and following the Lord with great expectations.

A Book we Should All be Excited About

Of all my professors (or friends or pastors for that matter) I've had at Fuller in the past three years, I can't think of one who I respect more than Old Testament scholar John Goldingay. And so naturally, I was interested when I was reading a post entitled, "Only Superlatives Will Do!" on a blog done by the editors at InverVarsity Press, and they mentioned that the third volume of his Old Testament Theology is going to print this week. They had posted some blurbs that will appear on the back cover, and I was more and more excited as I read each one. Christopher Wright's (the last one) was especially enthusiastic.

One of Wright's comments in particular really nailed not only the way Dr. Goldingay writes, but also the way he teaches:

Section after section makes you stop and think—challenged, enlightened, astonished, disturbed, sometimes provoked to disagreement, but thereby forced to go back to the text.

You can read the blurbs here.

Church Branding and Consumerism

I think I like this.

Questions

Sorry for the lack of blogging lately. After a whirlwind at finals week, graduation and the awkward-feeling summer schedule so far, I guess I just sort of took an unofficial break from blogging. I guess this is partly because I also haven't felt that I've had anything particularly interesting to say.

For the last month or so, as we look forward to our (hopeful) church plant, I've had tons of questions. But strangely, they've not been "church plant questions" per se. They've actually been some real questions and struggles over the ways in which we "do church." After three years at Fuller and a whole lot of reading on the Bible and theology, I guess I'm really hungry for more - not only for more learning, but more in the church. The kind of community and sharing and mission I see in the pages of Scripture has left me wondering how we can actually new realities embodied in the church. I've also wondered if sometimes the ways we "do church" might actually hinder us from achieving some of these ideals. But then, I'm not sure I have any answers either - only plaguing questions about what church should actually look like.

I've also been teaching this week at Oasis. I've been leading the interns through a three day study on the kingdom of God. This is a topic I have become really enthusiastic about, but after going back through a lot of literature and wrestling with some biblical texts, I'm left unsatisfied again. I keep thinking that everyone one I read is just not quite getting something, but then, I don't know what they're not getting either! Once again, I'm left with more questions than answers.

So here I am, nearing the end of my time at Fuller, and I'm wrestling with excruciating questions about church and the kingdom of God. Though it's frustrating, it's also a pretty exciting place to be - hoping that my questions and my searching will lead to discovery.

Carry Nation

I'm cramming for an American Church History final I have tomorrow, but I wanted to take a moment to mention a particular person I found to be...well...interesting.





Carry Nation - a woman on the forefront of the temperance movement around the turn of the 20th century. Her method? She "smashed" saloons! Direct quote:

"I threw as hard, and as fast as I could, smashing mirrors and bottles and glasses and it was astonishing how quickly this was done. These men seemed terrified, threw up their hands and backed up in the corner. My strength was that of a giant. I felt invincible. God was certainly with me."

Yikes! A little piece of advice for men and women thinking about going into ministry: hatchets, though persuasive, are not optimal "ministry tools."