The Story We Find Ourselves In

There's a lot of talk today about "story." The emerging church has tried to capitalize on this as an inroad into reaching the postmodern generation. If by story they mean we need to see our lives a narrative, well, that's a great starting place. But let's go further. Let's challenge the assumption that there is not grand metanarrative to history. Let's challenge the notion that there is no real, absolute purpose to life. There is a story that we all find ourselves in and it is recorded in Scripture.
The new book, The Drama of Scripture, will capture your attention by drawing you into this story...God's unfolding story of Redemption. THIS is the story we all find our selves in:

Act One: God establishes His Kingdom: Creation
Act Two: Rebellion in the Kingdom: Fall
Act Three: The King Chooses Israel: Redemption Initiated
Scene 1: A people for the King
Scene 2: A Land for His people
Interlude: A Kingdom Story Waiting for an Ending: Inter-Testamental PeriodAct Four: The Coming of the King: Redemption Accomplished
Act Five: Spreading the News of the King: The Mission of the Church
Scene 1: From Jerusalem to Rome
Scene 2: And into All the World
Act Six: The Return of the King: Redemption Completed

The Drama of Scripture is case-in-point of why biblical theology is so important. We can talk about "story" all we want, but if we ignore the real story that unifies Scripture and the reality that we call "life", we are gonna settle for cheap substitute. Check out the book. Hey, the authors also have an oustanding website that has articles, outlines, syllabi, and even powerpoint slides. Huge amount of quality resources

Link:

The Drama of Scripture Website

My (almost) annual trek up Mount Washington

Since I was about 14, I've tried to hike Mount Washington or some part of the White Mountains annually. If you have not availed yourself to this spectaculare corner of God's creation...what can I say...you are so missing out on life. More often than not, I think about hiking and that's where it ends. But last week, the weather was perfect, and I had a few days off before I started at Windham Baptist so I off I went.

At 5:45AM, the first rays of sun were hitting Pinkham Notch and I set out. Just me, the cob webs, and about 50lbs of dew I quickly soaked up from the branches. I went solo 'cause I also wanted a day alone with God, to clear my mind and heart with all the new adventures staring me down.

Bootspur to Davis Path to Mt. Washington Summit and down Tuckerman's Ravine: my itinerary.

New Camelback backpack and old New Balance sneakers: my gear.

Exhausted body and renewed soul: my results.

Have fun looking at the pics!


First views off from Bootspur Trail


My favorite rock overlooking Tuckerman's


A cairn, looking towards Lake of the Clouds


At the Summit


Tuckerman's from the Hermit Shelter


Cascade Falls

Maine...the way life should be

Heidi and I are settling down here in the good ole' state of Maine. Still living with her wonderful parents in Sebago, but we are trying to figure out if we are going to rent or build this fall. For the meantime, we get to wake up to beautiful vistas of Sebago lake every morning.

Just recently, Windham Baptist Church voted unanimously to bring me on staff as their associate pastor. This a huge answer to prayer. God is so good to us! My primary responsibilities will be planning and leading corporate worship. In so many ways, I cannot imagine another a better place to serve. My responsibilities match my passions and gifts, I get to serve alongside one of my best friends, the congregation has a passion for the supremacy of God, and my wife doesn't mind living near her family again. Come up and visit us sometime. 10:15 AM every Sunday!

New England Bible College was also kind enough to invite me back to teach a class this fall, New Testament Survey. Not only that, but I will be co-leading a study tour in Egypt and Jordan this coming January.

As good as Maine is, Heidi and I miss our dear friends from Seminary. We hope you are all doing well. Stay in touch.

My last "Hurrah!"

Heidi and I will be officially moving off the "holy hill" of Gordon-Conwell, not June 30th, as originally planned, but around July 15. This is a huge relief to both of us. Mostly me, because I'm currently on sabbatical. Well, sort of. Actually, I'm attending what's called the Spurgeon Sabbatical. It's about 15 pastors and one token student (that's me) whose soul purpose the next 10 days is to exhaust our lives for Jesus together. So moving next Thursday would have been a nightmare! Check out the schedule:

8:00am-8:45 Breakfast
9:00-9:30 Community Worship
9:45-12:00pm Study of 1 Peter
12:00-2:00 Lunch and Pastoral Reflection
Free time (i.e. take a nap)
5:30-6:30 Supper and Pastoral Reflection
6:30-7:45 Theological Discussion
7:45-8:30 Community Worship

As you can see the days are quite jamm-packed! But this is one the best experiences of my life. I've been so encouraged and challenged by the love and witness of these dear brothers. Each day after lunch and supper one of us shares with the rest something about our ministry and/or lives and then we pray for that particular person. Yesterday I shared. That was so powerful, Spirit-led, hope-renewing.

Studying through 1 Peter is fantastic. Dr. Hafemann leads all of our study and discussions. He is an exegetical machine. It is truly a gift to be able to learn under him this one last time, just in the nik of time. Exaltation of the Exiles our study is called. Lot of talk about suffering and our hope in the promises of God. I'll probably write on some of that over the weekend.

Link:
Spurgeon Sabbatical

Store Wars

If you thought Revenge of the Sith was the conclusion to the Star Wars Saga, you thought wrong! Check out the short film by the Organic Trade Association: Grocery Store Wars.



Link:
Grocery Store Wars

I'm ready to blog again!

A lot has happened since April!!! Check out the pics below for some highlight of our Post-Seminary-Graduation Life.

First Congregational Church, Hamilton--our home church for the past 3 yrs

Heidi and I celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary at Periwinkles.

Fenway Park--Boston 5, Orioles 1

"WIning and dining" at Plymouth Plantation

Nobska Light at sunset in Falmouth

Eroding shoreline (and fence!) on the Cape

Sunset on Cape Cod

Why call them "hoods" if you don't wear them on your head? Brian and I thought the colors were much more spectacular this way.

Me, receiving my degree (holder). None of us actually recieved them on stage. Nope. We had to trek through a Nor' Easter to get the fine piece of paper.

See you on Friday

As of 4:00 PM EST, Friday, April 22 in the year of our Lord, 2005 I will officially be done all of my work at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and ready for graduation!! Until then, I have one paper that is looming over me. Needless to say, I won't be much fun or of any good use to anyone else. Sorry! Friday Night I plan on taking my wife out to eat somewhere NICE and watching comedian Brian Reagan on DVD. Then I think I'm going to try out Netflix and rent all three seasons of 24. That ought to start things off quite well I should say.

Beer in the New Heavens and New Earth?

Alcohol is big issue to a lot of Christians. The churches I attended while I was growing up all disapproved of it. It was lumped together with all of the "big" sins. You know...pre-marital sex, abortion, murder...and, of course drinking. There was seldom the distinction of "drunkeness" over "drinking." Needless to say I was very skeptical of the whole thing. Thankfully, my parents never held to this standard of making their convictions equal to Scripture; it just wasn't an issue to them. I don't have any great stories of reckless abuse of alcohol; I've never been drunk. Don't care to be.

What does the Bible say about beer and wine? Does it ever speak positively about it? First off, Scripture does not oppose alcoholic consumption. It does, however, condemn drunkenness and warns of the abuse of it. Unfortunately, many churches have taken a legalistic approach to dealing with an issue that requires discernment, not another extra-biblical tradition. An argument that is often posed to support abstinence is that Scripture, while not directly prohibiting all consumption, always speaks with great caution. I beg to differ. Yeah, we’ve all heard the Paul-Timothy argument where the apostle’s home-remedy includes the use of a little wine. It could be argued that this was merely a cultural accommodation since they didn’t have Pepto-Bismol back then. And of course Jesus made water into wine (and it was good). But I came across a passage that is quite worthy of reflection about the positive use of alcohol. Here it is:

On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. 7 And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. 8 He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. Isaiah 25:6-8

The context of this passage is the very consummation of history, the conclusion of the Day of YHWH, the return of Jesus Christ: note the swallowing up of Death (cf. 1 Cor 15:54). If there's ever a day to celebrate, it's this one. If there's a day when any presence of anything evil will not be tolerated, it's this one. Yet what we have here is a feast prepared by YHWH himself and he is not serving up lemonade. The NT parallel is the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. And what a feast it will apparently be! There will not only be wine, but well-aged wine…aged wine well refined! (So much for the thought that the wine approved of in Scripture had very little fermentation.) Granted, this is an poetic/apocalyptic description. The obvious meaning is that the feast will be bountiful and rich. Perhaps there will be no literal wine, and it is merely symbolic. But you have to admit that an allegedly "evil" symbol is being employed in the most "holy" of occasions! Furthermore, I believe that the re-creation of the new heavens and earth will be so complete that we will have a "real" meal, just like Jesus promised we would. Remember, at the Last Supper Jesus himself promised to not drink of the fruit of the vine until he drinks it again with us, his people, in his Father’s Kingdom. To this I say, “Maranatha!”

Upper-Register--New Link

My friend, Rick, recommended this site to me today. It's a great source for getting a grasp on Covenant theology and biblical theology. Lots of articles on or about Kline and Vos and even our beloved Hugenberger, to mention a few.

Link:
http://www.upper-register.com/

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

If you're lucky emough to be Irish, then you're lucky enough. Thanks to my great grandmother, Katherine O'Leary, I've got a wee bit of blarney coursing through my veins and the luck of the Irish to boot. I can honestly say that I think about my Irish heritage nearly every day, and always have. Never will I forget my visit to the homeland, in 1996. One week, all expenses paid to tour the Emerald Isle. Erin Go Bragh! I took 12 rolls of film and will no doubt revisit the album today to reminisce a little. Didn't make it to Dublin though, spent most of the time around Lake Killarney and the southern coast. Next time!

The History Channel has some great info about St. Patty's Day. Check it out!

Link:
History Channel

Controversial sermons

Hear ye...hear ye. We are now accepting suggestions/ideas for sermons that should be preached but never are because most pastors may have not thought about them or perhaps are too afraid of doing so. I don't mean topics that are crafted to be controversial just to be "hip" or trendy, but the ones that expose the desperate human condition and offer hope and healing in the name of Christ. Here's just a few too begin with.

1. Genocide: Who's my neighbor? (Seen Hotel Rwanda yet?!)
2. AIDS
3. Harry Potter and Tolkien
4. Finding truth in the lyrics of EMINEM
5. Was Jesus a Republican?
6. What is Grace? What is Faith?...Really!