Saturday, January 31, 2004
Gideon rolls over in his grave
I have seen it all.
Today at work (I work in a church, mind you), I received an offer by way of snail-mail from Entertainment Weekly magazine. In fact, you can see a copy of it to the left.
It reads: "The Entertainment Bible" on the outside. On the inside it continues: "(Wouldn't you rather have this in your hotel room?)"
I couldn't believe it! They actually had the audacity to draw a connection between the Bible and their magazine. But it didn't stop there.
The fine print reads: "That's what the industry calls us. Maybe it's because of our flock of nine million devoted readers. Maybe it's our weekly revelations about what's happening in movies, TV, and music. Whatever the reason, we're a great read. Besides, you won't find reviews like this in Deuteronomy."
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We've reached a new low in society.
No longer is our open cynism toward the Bible and rebellion against God hidden away in the dark closets of our lives. It is now openly displayed, yes lauded, in open forum.
posted by Kevin at 1/31/2004 02:15:18 AM
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Saturday, January 24, 2004
The Passion of the Christ
The lights dimmed ... the film rolled ... and my eyes and emotions locked themselves onto the screen that would hold them captive for the next two hours.
Through the wonder of cinema I was catapulted 2 millennia into earth's history only to find myself present in a seemingly insignificant Jewish courtyard. Looks are deceiving though because there is nothing unimportant about this city, Jerusalem, and this courtyard couldn't be more well known... it's Gethsemani. But I've never really thought of it in this way: The place where begins one of the most horrific stories in human history.
Several years ago John MacArthur wrote a book titled The Murder of Jesus. It's name intrigued me so much that I immediately bought and read it. I had never before thought of Christ's crucifixion as a murder. I'd been raised to see His work on the cross as an act of love, sacrifice, and willing obedience... and it was... but it was SO much more.
Christ's final hours were filled with unimaginable pain, complete abandonment by all who ever followed him,disconnection from Father God, and the most painful and degrading destruction of human life known to man. This was his passion.
Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ was at the same time both nothing and everything like what I expected. Words cannot fully describe the experience. I am still in some state of shock from the experience. There were times when I found myself laughing, but mostly I found myself trying to stay focused on the movie through eyes full of tears.
To say the movie was 'graphic in nature' is a severe understatement. As the Pope said, "It is as it was." There were times when the violence was so intense that I had to turn my head away... There were times when the sounds of His beatings were so realistic that I wished I were brave enough to cover my ears...
Mostly though, the pain from my own guilt and shame pierced deeper than any brutal image the movie offered.
By the end of the movie I found myself confronted not with my own humanity but, instead, with the humanity of Christ. I cried because I knew that I, too, would have denied Him. I cried because I was pretty sure that I, too, would have abandoned him. And I cried because I knew that it was my own sin that had necessitated this homicide.
"The Passion of the Christ" was amazing. It is one of those movies that will leave you sitting in your seat long after the credits have rolled and will leave you utterly speechless long after you've left the theatre.
posted by Kevin at 1/24/2004 10:57:45 PM
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Sunday, January 18, 2004
Postcards from the Edge
I was able to write my Pastor this weekend.
By 'write' I mean write. I do not mean type or e-mail. I mean that I sat down with pen and paper in hand and physically wrote.
When it comes to personal communication, when did we decide that speed and quantity were preferable to content and quality? When did the phone become better than face-to-face and electronic mail more advisable than actual ink? ... but I digress.
I wrote my Pastor today. The man who will forever remain my most important mentor and ministry confidant. I also think he is my most vocal champion and source of strength and support in ministry. He has long since ceased to be my 'physical' Pastor, but will forever remain my spiritual one. I wrote him today... a letter... a long one, as I am prone to do from time to time.
Writing is cathartic. It centers and heals me like no other process. Research pains me; Preaching strains me; Fellowship drains me... yet writing sustains me.
I wish that I could say my writing was positive this time around. I wish that I could say the letter was one which told of my own greatness. I would like to make you believe that I told him of my successes and great victories in the face of danger.
But I would be lying were I to do so.
I wrote my Pastor today, and my letter was filled with grief and pain. It was smudged with blood leaked from battle scars both old and new. Its pages contain stories of my own shortcomings, failures, and struggles. It was a letter born of a wrought spirit. And it was cathartic.
You see, I can say these things to him. I can pen my innermost struggles and know that he both cares and understands a measure of my struggle. He has walked such roads before me and I know he is there to help show me the way. He is, to me, like the one whom Timothy clung so close to in his early years of ministry. He is my Paul.
And though I continue to walk through many personal valleys, it is a small comfort to know that I have been preceded by many great men. There are those whom have struggled with the same... and are there to listen, even when no other help is available.
I wrote my Pastor today and it broke my heart to have to say what I did... but even as I wrote I knew that God was in control and has a plan for me, a plan to give me a hope and future. And even though it all seems impossible (even for God), I cry out like Job and ask for God to intervene whether it be for mine help or chastening, it is no matter.
I wrote my Pastor today, and I am the better man for it.
posted by Kevin at 1/18/2004 09:42:28 PM
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Tuesday, January 06, 2004
Manifest
The word manifest has always intrigued me.
The Holy Spirit used it in the book of Hebrews while reminding us that "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight" (4:13), and Romans implores "That which may be known of God is manifest in them" (1:19).
Manifest: What is clear can be seen readily; what is obvious lies directly in our way, and necessarily arrests our attention; what is evident is seen so clearly as to remove doubt; what is manifest is very distinctly evident.
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The Lord has given us a gift... a final frontier for ministry. He has given us an opportunity which we must lay hold of.
The internet affords us the opportunity to make contacts and connections with people we would otherwise never be able to touch. A missionary overseas. An agnostic from Vermont. An old friend from college. A 20-something believer questioning his faith.
Technology is amoral. It has no inherent good or evil of its own. Its use defines its worth.
Instead of avoiding the unknown and living in a world that is protected and safe. I, along with my Father, step out from my comfort zone and hereby boldly re-manifest those connections.
The direction of this site has changed... yet the heartbeat remains the same. It is now solely a reflection of my personal journey with Christ and his church.
Realtime.
I ask only these things....
1. I ask to be held responsible for the things I say here. They are words that God has put on my heart. They define who I am and my walk with him. They do not represent the opinion of my friends, my family, my church, or my community. They are solely my own.
2. I ask that you remember this is my intellectual property. It is no less mine than were it published in a book (and someday, they may be). I hope that you will cite properly and comment appropriately.
3. I ask that you forgive me for posting few (if any) personal details of my life here. Those are reserved for those who know/ knew me. This site is not about me, its about what God is doing in and through me.
4. I ask that you understand and respect my decision not to post an archive here. If you want to keep up with my ramblings you will need to visit often or subscribe to the site. The archives are for my posterity only.
5. God Bless.
"I'm back, Baby, and I'm lovin' every minute of it!"
posted by Kevin at 1/06/2004 11:32:21 PM
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