All posts by Ben

Jesus Buddy

Eugene Peterson and Killing Cliche

I’m reading Eugene Perterson’s memoir “The Pastor” (Get it on Amazon.com).  Eugene Peterson is at times a controversial man. He is best known for writing “The Message” version of the Bible, but has also written several other books. Before all of that, however, he was just a pastor. In fact, he was planting churches long before it was cool to do so.

I at times disagree with him, especially in regards to the books and authors he often endorses.  It’s a shame that many pastors I know would never consider reading this book because of those disagreements. I think he’s worth listening to. His memoir has been like a cool drink of water on a hot day for me.  Amid the barrage of all the “get-stuff-done” pastor books in which I often drown, this book has been a life preserver tossed at just the right moment.
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413 days ago /  Tagged: , , , 0

We Are Hosea’s Wife

I used this video in a recent sermon on the covenant love of God.  One of the great examples of this is found in the prophetic marriage between Hosea and Gomer.

What I find challenging about Hosea is that clearly we are Hosea’s wife.  We are the unfaithful spouse.  Yet, with our dagger of betrayal still in His heart, He loves us and asks us to stay.

Micah 7:18-20 works well as our response:

[18] Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. [19] He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. [20] You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.

What sort of God is this that is faithful even when His faithfulness is met with betrayal?  And don’t we severely violate this love when we refuse to love others with this kind of reckless forgiveness?

469 days ago /  Tagged: , , 1
hands raised

Tozer on the Holiness of God

This is taken from A.W. Tozer’s book, The Attributes of God.  This is so powerfully written, I thought it worth sharing.

“When Leonardo DaVinci painted his famous Last Supper he had little difficulty with any of it except the faces. Then he painted the faces in without too much trouble except one. He did not feel himself worthy to paint the face of Jesus. He held off and kept holding off, unwilling to approach it but knowing he must. Then in the impulsive carelessness of despair, he just painted it quickly and let it go. “There is no use,” he said. “I can’t paint Him.” I feel very much the same way about explaining the holiness of God. I think that same sense of despair is on my heart. There isn’t any use for anybody to try to explain holiness. The greatest speakers on this subject can play their oratorical harps, but it sounds tinny and unreal, and when they are through you’ve listened to music but you haven’t seen God.”
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531 days ago /  Tagged: , , 2
light bulb over a head

Innovation: Learning From Facebook and Diaspora

Pete Cashmore of Mashable wrote an interesting column at CNN this week.  He talks about the new “Facebook killer” on the block, Diaspora.  Specifically, Cashmore says that Diaspora will be no threat to Facebook for one simple reason: it is foundationally an improved Facebook clone, not an innovation.  I think he is right, but even if you don’t care about such things, there is a huge lesson to be learned here for the Church.

The Christian Church has always been good at mimicry.  We can take just about any successful technology, idea, method, or style and create a Christianized version of it.  Ever hear of GodTube?  Yeah.  YouTube + Jesus.  Christian search engines? Wouldn’t want to come across any sinners, right?  The problem is that as long as we are mimicing and not innovating, the Church will be an obscure, parasitic sub-culture instead of becoming the transformative counterculture that Jesus called it to be.

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538 days ago /  Tagged: , , , 0

Abraham Lincoln on Thanksgiving

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things.  They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

This is an excerpt taken from Abraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation, (there was no annual Thanksgiving Day, but rather each president traditionally declared one each year).  I am thankful for many things, but what I am most grateful for is that God has extended me mercy beyond my wildest imaginations or expectations.

Happy Thanksgiving!

… now get off your computer and go talk to a human.

544 days ago 0
David Eugene Edwards picture

David Eugene Edwards – Music, Creativity, and Honesty

I have recently discovered David Eugene Edwards’ music.  He first came on the scene with his band 16 Horsepower.  They disbanded several years ago, but David continued on with a new band called Wovenhand.  Wovenhand is noteably different in style than 16 Horsepower, but still has that David Eugene Edwards vibe.  All of it is great music, in my opinion.

What initially drew me to his music is that I was fascinated that these are unfiltered Godward lyrics that the Christian music industry cannot find a place for, yet the non-religious world embraces it.  How is it that this musician (whom I had never even heard of) is touching these people?  The music is excellent, and certainly that is a big part of the attraction by his secular audience.  But I think it’s more than that.

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546 days ago /  Tagged: , , 1

Where Are the Miracles?

We have good doctrine.  We have modern, God centered worship.  We have a website and a twitter account.  We love Jesus and He loves us.

But where are the works of God that I see in this film?  I believe in miracles, but I do not see them like this.

Why is this not happening here?


Direct Link

[box]Let’s ask the hard questions. Saying that God simply doesn’t do these things anymore is a cop out, is it not? Clearly it’s happening. The hard question is why isn’t it happening in most of our churches. Is this really “normal” Christianity?[/box]

571 days ago /  Tagged: , , 2
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