Thoughts

1. It's been way too long since I last did one of these

2. I preach in Peachland, NC last Sunday. I had an ominous feeling when my barber - who is 75ish & lived in NC his whole life - said, "Never heard of Peachland." 

3. Foggy mornings are the best. So much adventure, and dinosaurs.

4. Started a new blog to keep things I've written for seminary, in readable post o-course

5. Andrew Peterson's, "Light for the Lost Boy," album is killer good.

6. Semester starts next Tuesday. This is like the weekend of the deep breath before the plunge. #LOTRreference.

7. I have to read "Knowing God," for class. This is the worst possible thing ever (sarcasm).

8. Working my way through Harry Potter... again.

9. After living in a new place for almost 9 months, it's starting to feel more home-like.

10. Fun fact: In Eph 1:6 the word "blessed" in the ESV is the same word in Greek as in Luke 1:28 when Mary is described as "highly favored." The word means: to grace; i.e. indue with special honor; - make acceptable, be highly favored." So, Eph 1:6 literally reads, "To the praise of his glorious grace with which he has made us highly favored, imbued with special honor, made acceptable in the Beloved. 

Re-defining Good

A while back in one of those “thoughts” posts I wrote the following: “The goodness of God draws us to repentance. I think our definition of 'good' is too small, too shallow, too flimsy.” I want to think that through a little more.

It’s easy to look at goodness and only think of lovely things, of happy times. Those times when we’re feeling freest and strongest. When things seem to be going swimmingly and all is ‘right’ in the world.

Let me get to the point more directly. We need to re-define ‘good.’

We need to re-define it because we know the goodness of God draws us to repentance. We know he is the director of the orchestra of life and therefore the beautiful highs and the terrible lows are all part of the symphony of the plan of God.

I look to the death of a good friend and cannot help but think, “That was the goodness of God drawing my heart to repentance.” I look at the struggles of my own heart and mind and must admit, “These are the goodness of God drawing me to repentance.” I look at the wonder of my nephew and must confess, “This is the goodness of God drawing me to repentance.” I look at the Big Dipper in the night sky and know, "There is the goodness of God drawing me to repentance." 

Repentance: the turning away from sin to Jesus.

Goodness: the actions of God to give me (us) God.

There’s more redefining to do. All our words must be re-understood. For God is God and we are not, therefore we are feebly weak in our grasping at vocabulary. ‘Cause good might not always feel 'good'; and love won’t always feel like 'loving'; and hope won’t always feel like flying.

(Picture from Steve Coleman)

Thoughts Again

1) There's two of these 'thoughts' deals this week. Am I lazy? ... So.

2) Check out 'The What Nots' page to see what's on its way.

3) I'm a sinner, Jesus is my Savior.

4) Tonight I will see Brave. #determined

5) After two months of planning and five years of writing, I'm ready.

6) Editors. Yes, plural.

7) Kansas, hot as hell and cool as... Well... Kansas, hot as hell.

8) It's going to be in the low 90's on Monday. I'mma need a jacket.

9) When I wear a hat I feel 12x cooler than I look.

10) Communication Masters or Theology Masters? I suppose that's a question.

Rumored Thoughts (Pt. 1)

Mission is never clean; never is mission simple; never is mission easy.

Recently I’ve been confronted by the fact I don’t look like most pastors (neither do the ones I work with). I’m glad for it.

Sure there’s the preconceived notions of what pastors should look like, the way we ought to dress, the jargon we ought to use, and the places and people we ought to hang out at and with.

My thoughts on this began a while ago, but they were solidified with a rumor I heard about me (I guess being plugged into the Wichita grapevine has an advantage). It wasn’t a nasty rumor, not at all, and it was absurd enough to let it slide off my back, but it has also made me ask some questions. And the answers I’m coming up with aren’t too flattering, to myself or to other pastors.

You see mission is dirty. We’re called to go and to be within the crowd, to get to know ‘tax-collectors and sinners’ and love them in such a way so as to show Jesus to them. I don’t think there’s a way to do this and remain clean.

There’s no way to get to know a drunk unless you go to the bar. There’s no way to love the homeless guy unless you sit with them and listen. There’s no way to befriend the artists unless you go to their exhibit…

There’s going to be a few posts in this, because this is something I need to learn. Hopefully you can learn with me.

(Read all of these posts: Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6)

Vacation Time

... O wait I'm not going to Meads, I'm going to Nashville. Stop. Turn around.

Deep V's are for comfort - and scaring people in Arkansas.

O that deer/hawk/turtle/raccoon/opossum/armadillo is real dead.

Once again, left Kansas & no one understands sarcasm... Great.

Stupid change-only tolls.

65mph feels like crawling.

Every black trash bag by the side of the road I instantly think contains a body.

The only time you can eat junk food for lunch and still feel okay about yourself afterward is on a road trip.

What's a Muskogee?

If I ignore the speed limit signs, like purposefully look away, is it the same as not seeing it?

I'll assume Toad Suck Park is aptly named - cause it's more fun that way.

Drivers in Arkansas should really learn the 'slower drivers stay to the right' rule.

Memphis has a giant pyramid. Can Wichita get one too?

Tennessee driving rule #1: don't use your speedometer or cruse control and ignore the speed limit signs.

One word: Gorgeous

10 Finals Thoughts

1) Wait. What? Where am I?

2) Brain = Fried

3) Since when were we studying the weather on other planets? Thanks meteorology class.

4) 3 papers over 10 pages. I have no words. Profreading? Watch this.

5) My heartrate is through the roof. Stress

6) College Algebra. *Sigh* 3rd times a charm?

7) Can I just give a persuasive speech in Algebra telling them why I don't need algebra? Point 1: COMMUNCATION MAJOR

8) On Monday The Three Muskeeters started getting really interesting... Today, I'll pick it back up.

9) Coffee.

10) I wrote a paper like a story & had to talk myself out of putting it on here.

The Thinker's Thoughts on Thinking

I sometimes wonder if I had more patience when I was younger. It’s probably nothing more than the romanticization of youth, but still, in some areas I think it’s true. Also, I used to not think much. That’s probably why I had more, “patience,” cause I had no idea what was going on and was fine with it.

But I think about crap so dang much. The meanings of words, the gestures of friends, the possibilities for anything, wondering if I could or should say or do or not say or not do or passively be nothing. It’s a constant wonder and process of decisions.

Is it fine to covet the ignorance of some? To crave to not wonder, or to not be a, “thinker?”

And yet, I seek my thoughts out. I desire time in them. To be swamped by the feelings and the view of lofty thinking – I think this is a sin for me. Being much to absorbed in my thoughts… and yet here I sit writing in my thoughts.

Indeed this is a gift, but it feels so much like a curse. But is it that a musician is only thinking about music when he is playing, surely not. Surely the melody of some distant tune is floating amongst his imagination and around his frontal lobe.

So here it stands, the discipline of thought. It seems quite reasonable to discipline oneself to not think just as much to discipline oneself to think. To be indifferent to the outside stimuli, to simply be, surely this must be true, for there is a time for everything.

Perhaps this is true, truer than I’ve thought possible. Perhaps there are times and areas of life where the constant thought is to be released for the simple beauty of our dearest friend which is Trust.

To merely – yes, merely – trust what will be to be and accept the simple facts of God-created reality.