Forks! Bananas! Horray!
Archive for June, 2009
Good Quote
Just after coming across a quote from a professor at the Free University in Amsterdam, I came across this quote:
“Just as the church ceases to be church if it is not missionary, theology ceases to be theology if it loses its missionary character…We are in need of a missiological agenda for theology rather than just a theological agenda for mission; for theology, rightly understood, has no reason to exist other than critically to accompany the [mission of God]” (Total Church 156).
Re-read it a couple of times if you want to get the whole message. Heck, read the book if you want to get the WHOLE, whole message. As the subtitle points out, Chester and Timmis’ book Total Church is meant to be “A radical reshaping around the Gospel and Community”. Simple idea with some profound implications. Do I agree with all of them? No, but I have been encouraged to allow the Lord to re-form my thoughts about church in some ways I think will be very helpful for our context here in Holland. Only time (and more blog posts) will tell (you) how things turn out over here as we re-center ourselves on our calling. Pray for this process!
Make Sense of this For Me…
So, I was talking with a Dutch student today trying to understand yet another aspect of the Dutch paradox.
Imagine and try, if you can, to make sense of this: a Dutch high school over here just threw a party for the graduating class (imagine the drug/alcohol free parties most of us had). The cover charge is 20 euros (roughly $28). And what is said cover charge covering? Unlimited beer. Seriously, the school threw a party with unlimited beer. I still can believe that, but it gets better.
This same school is having a prom on Monday, including a four course meal and where a time when students will be invited to come out in their tuxes and dresses onto a grass field for the dance portion of the night. The strange thing this time: you aren’t aloud to bring a date. ”What? The school invites 17-18 year-olds to drink as much as they want (the legal drinking age is 16) in celebration of their graduation, and then, at their prom draws the line at bringing a date?”
How does this make sense?
UPDATE: The Dutch news just reported yesterday that male Dutch students on holiday without their parents average 17 glasses of alcohol (any type) per day–the second highest in Europe.
Renewed
The best thing that could ever happen to anyone in this room, the best thing, is that your sin would be literally exposed on the five o’clock news. Your deepest, darkest, most embarrassing sin. The one you work the hardest to hide would be broadcast on the five o’clock news. Best thing that could ever happen to you, best thing that could ever happen to me. -Derek Webb, The House Show 2004
I think I might be starting to believe this. For years now I feel like I just haven’t known what to do with this. ”Exposed? Known? Ugh. Isn’t that what small/accountability groups are for? So we can confine our shame to one small group?”
This past week I heard about a nine lesson small group study called The Gospel Centered Life from the people over at Coram Deo. Besides having my perception of Nebraska reshaped (“Can anything good come out of Omaha?”), I also discovered some great truths (with pictures!) that get to the heart of my resistance to Derek’s challenge above.
At conversion my perception of Christ was small. As I have grown in Christ the gulf between God and I has grown larger as I have come to know both my sinfulness and God’s greatness more deeply, leading me more deeply into my need for Christ’s work in me. Many times my response has been like the first picture.
During these times of life, when the sufficiency of Jesus’ work has failed to keep pace with my perception of my need for his work, I have found myself feeling as though I must seek something beyond Jesus to help bridge the rest of the gap. More Bible study, more white-knuckled behavior modification, more service, more masks, more politicking, more fig leaves, all at the expense of knowing a Christ who is sufficient for my justification.
Taking Jesus at his word, and really believing Jesus to be enough, I find that my growing understanding drives me to continual renewal and rediscovery of the Christ who is and will always continue to grow as I apprehend both myself and God in new and greater ways, again leading back to the original place of thankfully and joy that he has saved me! I don’t have to work, I don’t have to add on and there aren’t any more hidden depths beyond Christ. All the richness and fullness is already present in him! How refreshing!
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.-T.S. Elliot, “Little Gidding”
