Belief in the face of disbelief
Her hacking cough woke him. He had fallen asleep at his daughter’s bedside. His cheeks were streaked from the rivers of tears he had shed. He was unsure how much longer his little girl would live. He was impotent to doing anything for her except comfort her and pour out his heart to God. When his strength wained, the vicious thoughts would flood in. “The judgment for my sins is being poured out on my daughter.” He would try his best to move those thoughts out of his mind. Her breathing became more shallow and her entire body trembled from fever. “Lord, please, I cannot bear the thought of losing my daughter. I remember the day she was born. And to lose her so soon. No, Lord, do not let this happen.”
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Technology and the Ministry of Reconciliation
I ended up writing my Systematic Theology paper on technology and how it has impacted Christianity in the past and how it will in the future. I’m including an excerpt of the paper from my discussion of GodTube Tangle.
Download Technology and the Ministry of Reconciliation(pdf). I would appreciate any feedback you could provide.
GodTube Tangle is a new video sharing site that is marketed to be a direct competitor to YouTube. Upon arriving at the site, you begin to understand that this is supposed to be YouTube for Christians. A look at the top 20 videos on the site confirms this assumption. The number one video is of a little girl reciting Psalm 23. It is a cute video with over four million views. A video called “Baby Got Book”, a parody of “Baby Got Back” from a decade ago is third on the list. There are also three parodies of the Mac vs. PC advertisements, that round out the top 20 videos on GodTube Tangle.
As the body of Christ why is it we must try to emulate or rip off the world’s ideas instead of coming up with our own. We are Christians, which means the God of the universe lives inside each believer. He created this world. He gave each of us minds to pursue thought. Why don’t we ask God for unique ideas that will reveal His glory to a lost world instead of trying to Christianize bad rap songs?
Leaving the discussion of the content, the question needs to be asked. What is the purpose of GodTube Tangle? According to an interview with CEO Chris Wyatt on ABC Nightline, the goal of GodTube Tangle is to reach the 2.1 billion Christians in the world and help them grow in their faith.
This I believe is the problem with many so-called Christian entities. They are inward focused. They take the words of John in his first epistle and use it for a proof text. “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world-the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-comes not from the Father but from the world.” Alternatively, they take the symbolism in Matthew 5:14-16 too far, that we are to be a city on a hill, shining our light that others would see our works and glorify God.
Dr. Daniel Morgan, Associate Professor of Missions and Director of Nehemiah Project at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, puts forth that the church has moved away from a fire base mentality. With a firebase, a soldier goes to reequip and rest after battle, but then he goes back out to the front line and re-engages in the battle. He states that many in the church have adopted a fortress mentality. They go inside their fortress and do not leave the security of the walls. They eat, sleep and fight from behind the walls.
There are those in the Christian church who have adopted this mindset. They believe that we are to separate ourselves and protect ourselves behind fortified walls. When the world attacks, we will defend ourselves and yearn for when the battle will be over. We will live pious lives so that we can fulfill Matthew 5:16. The world will be able to see our light through the arrow slits in the walls of our fortress.
To begin with, the fortress mentality goes against the Great Commission. Christ commands us to go into all the world. That cannot be accomplished from behind the walls of a fortress. The armor of God that Paul describes in Ephesians is one of an infantryman, not of a fortress guard. We see how we are to live in the world in 1 Peter 2:11-12. “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” We are to live among the world but not be conformed. By rubbing shoulders with the world every day and living lives set apart from the world, God will receive glory. Just a few sentences before Jesus talked about believers being the light of the world, he called believers salt of the earth. Not only are we to reflect God’s glory through our actions but we are to be change agents in our culture.
A better use of the time and resources of GodTube Tangle would be to infiltrate, for lack of a better word, YouTube. They should begin by not posting “Baby Got Book” or the little girl reciting the 23rd Psalm. They should pray and fast as they wait on God to teach them how they should go about redeeming YouTube. Then they create videos that clearly explain the Gospel and God’s work in humanity through preaching, story telling, music and even parables. Jason Moore was quoted in Jennifer Harris’s article about the use of metaphor. “We’ve gotten so far from the method Jesus gave us… Most sermons are informational, mostly removed from story and parable. Jesus gave us the model for a reason. If Jesus didn’t say anything without using metaphor, what does it mean that we don’t use it all?” Those at GodTube Tangle should heed that advice, put forth their very best effort, and create something that is original, culturally relevant, but above all eternally significant.
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We Are Not God’s Trophies…
What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
2 Corinthians 6:16
I started thinking about this. What does it mean to be a temple? According to the bible dictionaries I read, when Paul says temple, he is meaning the inner sanctuary of the temple. The place where the Holy of Holies was. The place where God resided. The last part of verse 16 continues that thought. God will dwell in us like He did in the Holy of Holies. Except now, He doesn’t confine himself to one location on Earth. God walks among us as He walks in each and every believer.
As I thought about this idea, I realized I saw myself more as God’s trophy. A trophy is something that might be shiny and pretty to look at, but it sits on a shelf and gathers dust. There is not that intimate connection that there is with God and His temple. A trophy is placed on a shelf and is admired at arm’s length. Then the newness fades, and the trophy is forgotten or packed into a box to make room for other things.
“Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
2 Corinthians 7:1
My motivation to perfect my holiness is not so that God would have a clean temple in which to reside. My motivation is to make a shinier trophy that people will stop and take notice of. This line of thinking really messes with your theology. One problem with this theology is that it is borderline deism. If I don’t see God as living within me but looking at me from afar then how personal of a God do I believe in. He does His thing and I do mine and hope He is proud of me.
This also places me in a performance and reward situation. If I’m good enough and impress God with how shiny I am, then He will love me more and not take me off the shelf. That is exactly what Jesus came to destroy through the cross. My good works are as filthy rags to the Lord. Nothing I can do will make God love me anymore. He just loves me. That is why He sacrificed His Son. That is why He called me to repent of my life of sin at the age of 16. That is why He has taken up residence in my heart as His temple.
I have to fight everyday to keep my frame of mind in line with Christ. The world is all about performance and what you can do to get ahead. Christ just stands in disbelief that I would continue to work for what He has already paid for. Christ does not desire to stand back and admire me. He dwells within me and desires to use me. 2 Corinthians 4 has the familiar passage speaking of all the things Paul had endured and the reason behind it. “We have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us.”(4:1) Later in the passage Paul continues, “For all this is because of you, so that grace, extended through more and more people, may cause thanksgiving to overflow to God’s glory”(2 Cor 4:15).
God uses His temples, clothed in flesh, to complete His work of extending grace to the world. As those without Christ place their faith and trust in Him, then the saints of God give thanks to God. All of this glorifies God. All that God is about, is for His glory. When I think of myself as a trophy and not His temple then I attempt to keep the glory that is rightly His.
Book Review: And the Word Came With Power
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, not so much because of the writing style or the exotic stories. I was enthralled at how God worked in miraculous ways among the Balangaos. This gave me a glimpse of how the Holy Spirit is still at work, just as He worked among the first century church. As the Bible Believer church grew, there were many parallels to the early church as they began to be mission minded.
Joanne Shetler devoted twenty years of her life to translating the Bible into Balangao. Even that ministry was sidetracked over the years as God decided to explain the Word in real-life ways. She dealt with cultural issues, death, evil spirits, and countless trials of faith. As she translated, she used deaths and other major events as teaching opportunities. She used her medical training to help women during pregnancy and others with basic medical needs. She translated and shared her life with these people, and as the Spirit moved her along, she acted.
One event that stands out to me was when she had an Elijah moment with the spirit mediums. The spirits were tormenting Benito’s son. Benito was a new believer and Joanne saw this event as an attack against him. The spirits had lost their hold on him and were fighting back in whatever ways they could. Joanne mentions many times that she did not like dealing with spirits but this one day I believe she had been empowered by the Holy Spirit to confront the powers of darkness. She grabbed Chalinggay, the medium and removed her from the house. Then with boldness and faith declared to everyone assembled, that God would prove himself more powerful than the spirits. However, this Elijah moment was not confined to this one experience. It continued for several days.
The next Sunday, Joanne went to apologize to Chalinggay for her rudeness. As she sat there, she was moved to confront Chalinggay about her empty life spent in service to the spirits. During this time, Joanne also spoke boldly to Forsan, another spirit medium. Both mediums were tormented physically for several days. However, with prayer and more teaching both women turned from the spirits to the Living God and were delivered both spiritually and physically. Through the supernatural work of God in those three lives, the Word began to move forth in power.
This book was humbling. It showed me how God can use one person who is willing to obey and persevere. The best part was that this did not occur 2000 years ago in Rome or Asia Minor. This occurred less than forty years ago in the Philippines. This shows me that God is still at work and wants to do this around the world.
I Was Thirsty
Based on the events of this weekend, I have decided to have a guest writer. His name is Jeff and this is his story.
Today began like any other day. I woke up with the sun and hunger pangs. I licked my lips a few times and noticed an overwhelming thirst beginning to well within me. Each day is spent trying to subdue these two beasts. The last few days have been worse with the temperature soaring above 100 degrees.
My morning searches were hit or miss. I found some food scraps behind the IHOP and I found some bottles at the Shell station that were half-full. As the afternoon began, I found myself walking through a park. I remember when I used to sit in a park just like this one. I enjoyed listening to the leaves rustle in the wind and the laughter of children as they played. Today was not so carefree. I was focused and single minded. I was thirsty.
While walking through the park, I spotted my prize. A trash can overflowing with take out bags and cups. As I drew closer, I noticed a truck sitting close by. Well, I noticed the truck at first but what caught my attention was the man inside. He was wearing some kind of uniform. He must have been on his lunch break. He was reading some book when he looked up slightly startled. I guess the crunch of leaves alerted him to my presence. I did not make eye contact. I feel no shame in my position but I have grown tired of the looks of trepidation or disgust at my presence.
I found the trash can bulging from the refuse inside. I rummaged around for a few moments. I came across a half-full lemonade bottle . People just waste too much. I could feel eyes on my back attempting to stare through me. They were full of disgust that I would drink from the trash. I didn’t have to turn around to see the look in his eyes. Years of experience had taught me this disappointing truth.
Not once did this man speak up. No offers for pocket change or to buy me something to drink. He didn’t try to shove one of those bible booklets in my face and tell me that his Jesus could fix all my problems. Nothing. He simply sat there staring and then went back to reading. I couldn’t find anything else salvageable so it was time to move on. As I walked back across that open field, I felt those eyes follow me. A question came to mind, “I wonder what was going on in his head?”
I was the man in the truck. There was no discourse between us. I simply sat there out of disbelief, fear, and passivity. I do not know Jeff’s real name. I do not know his story. I do not know why this encounter haunts me. The one thing I do know. He was thirsty.
Book Review: Joel on Software
Then my supervisor at my Fielder resigned. I became the entire web design department, and we were beginning redesign of the website. My new supervisor deferred to my judgment on how to proceed. I knew nothing about managing projects or relating to management.
That is when I came across Spolsky’s book. The book is composed of articles taken from his blog as well as some new material. Here are a few quotes from the introduction that express the feelings I had at the beginning of this project and now eight months later with the project still incomplete.
“You never asked to be a manager. Like most software developers I know, you would have been much, much happier if they would just let you sit and code quietly.”
“Managing software projects has nothing at all to do with programming. If all you’ve done so far is write code, you’re probably starting to discover that human beings are perhaps a smidgen less predictable than your garden-variety Intel CPU.”
“As a result, many software projects fail in some way or another, either overtly or covertly, because nobody on the team has any idea how a successful software project might be run. So too many teams never deliver their product, or take too long to deliver the product, or deliver a product that nobody wants.”
The Practice of Programming
One of the opening chapters discusses “The Joel Test.” It contains 12 simple questions, but it allows anyone involved in a software development project to determine the successfulness of the team. Our department got a 2 out 12.
Four chapters are devoted to writing functional specifications. “A functional specification describes how a product will work entirely from the user’s perspective. It doesn’t care how the thing is implemented. It talks about features. It specifies screens, menus, dialogs, and so on.”
I have to say that I geeked out after reading these chapters. I spent several days writing spec detailing how the new site would work. I even incorporated humor as Spolsky suggested to make the specs easier and more enjoyable to read. I showed them to our committee and they briefly flipped through them. They have sat on shelf for the last eight months.
To round out the first section, Spolsky covers how to create a simple project schedule in Excel, bug fixing, and Fire and Motion. This is borrowed from military tactics. Fire at the enemy [project issues] and move forward.
Managing Developers
One chapter is devoted to guerrilla interviewing. Any programmer interview should include an impossible question and a solvable programming question. These questions allow the interviewer to see the problem-solving process and the skills of the programmer. Do they use a naming convention for their variables? Do they plan before beginning to code?
Spolsky advises in the chapter entitled “Things You Should Never Do” that a developer should never scrap existing code and start from scratch. I faced this situation after coming on at Fielder. The decision was made to use a content management system (CMS) called DotNetNuke to develop the new website.
I spent several months beating my head against the wall trying to make it work. I finally convinced my new supervisor to permit me to write my own CMS for Fielder. In this instance, it worked out because I was able to tailor the CMS to the needs of Fielder and I wrote it in a language I am very familiar with. This ties in with the iceberg secret.
With software, the user interface, with all the graphics and fonts, composes 10 percent of the work while the programming is 90 percent of the work and goes unnoticed. So when a nonprogrammer sees a program where only 10 percent of the user interface is complete they assume that only 10 percent of the project is complete.
This happens every time I try to show off new functionality on the website. I might show them how I can switch translations of the site with a mouse click. Instead of oohs and aahs I get, “I don’t like the font color” or “Is that the picture we decided on?”
At the same time, most every page on the new site is devoid of copy. So every meeting, I get the question, “Where are we?” I have to remind them that my 90 percent of the programming is done. I just need copy from them. But since the site is empty the natural thought is that it’s a programming issue.
Being Joel: Random Thoughts on Not-So-Random Topics
In the final chapters, Spolsky discusses how to be successful when developing a software business. One chapter is simply titled, “Getting Things Done When You’re Only a Grunt.” Another chapter discusses how each company must either choose the organic growth model of Ben & Jerry’s or the “get big fast” model of Amazon.
Conclusion
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It wasn’t too heavy on the Computer Science (I’m a sociology major turned programmer). He provided a great deal of useful business advice in an entertaining way. I wish this book had been available when I tried my hand at self-employment. I would recommend this book to anyone in software, management or just wanting basic tech business principles.
The odyssey to the village
Yesterday, Doug and I were tasked with being ambassadors for “The Organization”. So we loaded up in the Pathfinder and headed out. After navigating through the busy Phnom Penh traffic we set out on the main highway heading toward a remote village. Along the way one of the many one lane bridges was under repair so we sat waiting to cross the bridge for about 20 minutes. We knew that we were also going to need to take a ferry to get to this village so we stopped for lunch before we proceeded.
When we got to the ferry station we found 2 fishing boats with a wood plank deck built on top. There was room for mopeds on one end, people on the other and 1 truck or van in the middle. Our truck covered the entire width of the ferry. After a leisurely crossing, we unloaded and within a few minutes we found our way to a fork in the road. Read more
How has seminary affected my faith and beliefs
A friend of mine presented me with this question last week and I put off answering. One reason is that I procrastinate but the other reason was that I have actually been dealing with a lot of things lately and that question was very timely. So in no particular order, here are some insights into seminary.
Seminary brings things into focus. When I worked in the business and education sectors, it was easy to compartmentalize my life. Sunday and Wednesday nights I went to church and the rest of the week I worked or played. I knew that God had called me to more than just to sitting on a pew. For that matter, He has called everyone of us to more than just that. However, in seminary the spiritual is always there. My professors read the Bible and pray in class. Coming from a public university, that seemed odd at first. Also during my first two semesters, I had to attend chapel three days a week. So I was bombarded with the Word of God.
My evangelism class has forced me to realize that the Gospel I believe is lacking from what is in scripture. I shy away from thinking about let alone talking about Hell and I forget about the resurrection which gives the Gospel its power. The death of Christ is wonderful but without the resurrection, Christ would just be another martyr. I am made aware daily of the people I come across in my daily routines. How many of these has God placed in my path to share the Gospel with and I simply walk around them to my next destination.
There appears to be this subconscious elevation of seminary students. I have been in small groups where it feels as though people are looking to me for the answers simply because I attend seminary. I read scripture and see the standard that Christ gives for those in leadership and I feel wholly inadequate. There are days that I question why someone would choose to put me in leadership.
Ultimately, seminary has shown me where I place my faith. All these things that I have struggled with and studied should drive me to my knees. However, I find myself trying to numb these feelings with work or entertainment. But as God has made clear even just this semester, He will not allow me to stay there. I continually reach the point where even work and entertainment are not satisfying and it drives me to the Lord.
Living in the shadow of the Castle – Part 1
I find myself in a daze. There is the acrid smell of burned timbers and the moans of the dying. It happened without warning. A raiding party from the kingdom across the Great Desolation Mountains swept in during the night and destroyed everything I held dear.
I should give some background information. I am a servant and soldier of the Great King and his Son. His crest and coat of armors hung above my mantle. It all started during a time similar to this. My family had been set upon by robbers and my father was killed during the altercation. I was taken from my family and sold into slavery.
One day when my master reached his limit with my incompetence, he beat me and threw me outside the city walls. I laid there on the side of road for what seemed like days. My will and spirit were as broken as my body.
At some point, I heard the roar of horse hooves in the distance. The sound grew in intensity till I thought my ears would burst. And then it ceased. I tried to look but I could not summon the strength to move my head. It was at this point that I felt hands under my arms lifting me to my feet. It was then I realized I was in the presence of royalty. There upon grand white stallions were the Great King and his Son. The King questioned me asking, “How did you come to be thrown out of the city like common garbage?”
I replied, “Oh, Majesty, my master became tired of my inadequacies, beat me and left me here to die.” Then words that I will never forget were spoken, “My child, today your ransom will be paid and you will become a child of the Great King. You will live in my city and eat at my table. You will serve me as an ambassador and as a soldier when needed.” He then turned to look at the Son, who drew reigns and galloped toward the castle. The King watched his Son ride into the distance and then returned his gaze upon me. “Let us return home this evening. Send a messenger ahead that we may celebrate with feasting a new member of my family.”
With that I was lifted upon a horse and we made our way across the open fields. We were headed toward the jagged peaks of the Great Desolation Mountains. Our journey became arduous at this point. The pass became narrow and the winds began to howl. We continued on paths that seemed to point to the skies. And then my gaze fell upon a sight that I still find hard to put into words. There was an ocean that was emerald green and shimmered like crystal. There were fields and vineyards overflowing with fruit that stretched as far as the eye could see.
I sat there in awe till I was brought back to reality. “Magnificent is it not?” asked the King. “Yes, Sire. Never in my life have I beheld a land of such beauty or abundance.”
Treading Water
I am treading water and my strength is ebbing away. Each time I slip under the waves I stay down a little longer. I fight to breathe once I break the surface and I steel myself for the next time.
In the meantime, I ignore the fire in my muscles that intensifies with each stroke. My mind tries to remember what it was like back on land, before I found myself here. No clear memories come to mind because I am so focused on trying to stay alive.
However, what begins to weigh on my mind is, I do not know how I got here. All I can remember is treading water. The pain in my muscles and the fear of never returning to the surface. Those are the only things in my mind. My dreams and goals. I am sure I used to have some but the only one I have now is to get out of the ocean.
