Thursday, June 29, 2006
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
I don't care who you are, this is funny...
I really want to do this to somebody. I have dreamed of filling someone's Escalade for months now.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
England moves on to the quarterfinals...
Whew! The British futballers squeaked by Ecuador today! I am extremely happy. The English side played poorly, as they have the whole Cup, but squeaked out with a win. England's defense is pretty tough, but does have holes in it. David Beckham has continued to make his golden foot useful for the English side. All cup long he has placed his corner kicks, and free kicks well. Today he placed one very well. Beckham bent one right by the Ecuadoran goal keeper, just inside the post. It is said that defense wins championships. But anyone who has ever won a championship will tell you, that it does not hurt to have the cards fall your way too. England has been that way. They have a good defense, and the cards are falling their way as well. Hopefully this will continue and the Golden Cup will live in London.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Why I am rooting for England in the World Cup...
In case you are wondering (and I know that you are not) I am a fan of the Three Lions side. I like England for many reasons. First, I have visited England and I loved my visit. The people were very nice, and the views gorgeous. Second, I love the fans of English soccer. They are the loudest and best. None of this relying on hot chicks to draw attention to your fans like those silly Brazilian do. (Besides, there are no hot chicks in England, except maybe Rosamund Pike & Keira Knightly . Bonnie please don't get upset.) I also like England's side because I love the grit of their footballers. David Beckham may be a nothing but a pretty face to us in the States, but he is a tough player. I like Wayne Rooney, who has the tenacity of an English Bulldog. I also like the way the Englanders don't give up. Toughness is big with me. Finally, I root for England because the Americans are wimps! The US soccer team was made up of a bunch of mamby pamby whinny babies with no heart. We came to the worlds biggest sporting event with no excitement about being there. The US side played lackadaisical soccer, and let their fans down. I saw it in the first match, that this American side was willing to lay down and accept defeat. It was at that moment that I decided not to invest myself in them. So there you have it, that is why I support the Three Lions club. Though they may not make it far into the World Cup, I can at least support their Lion hearts.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Thoughts running through the mind of a near graduate...
I have been thinking a lot about whether or not I have what it takes to be a pastor of a local congregation. I know so little of God's word, of man, of leadership, of business, of preaching, etc. I often think, how in the world can I do this. I know that it is not up to me to do great and mighty things, and that it is up to God to do so. But I still think about such things. I have been thinking lately about how little I know about how to treat the people whom I will be serving. I came across this article today, which offered me some answers to my questions.
When writing the post on Pastors as Protectors, I felt sure Luther has spoken to the issue and just this evening I came across this quote:
“A preacher must be a fighter and a shepherd. He must have teeth in his mouth. Teaching is a very difficult art. Paul contends (2 Tim 4:2; Titus 1:9), as does Peter (2 Peter 2), that sound doctrine must be urged and that those who contradict must be answered.”
However, the right sort of ‘protecting’ will be that sort that arises from deep affection for the people, not simply a hankering for conflict. This deep love, “mother love” (1 Thess 2:7) as Luther calls it, is one thing that seems so terribly lacking in ministries today. This quote is great!
“Men who hold the office of the ministry should have the heart of a mother toward the church; for if they have no such heart, they soon become lazy and disgusted, and suffering, in particular, will find them unwilling. … [Luther drawing from John 21 paraphrases the words of Jesus] Unless your heart toward the sheep is like that of a mother toward her children- a mother, who walks through fire to save her children- you will not be fit to be a preacher. Labor, work, unthankfulness, hatred, envy, and all kinds of sufferings will meet you in this office. If, then, the mother heart, the great love, is not there to drive the preachers, the sheep will be poorly served.”
Amen! And may the Lord grant a fresh baptism of this sort of love for the people of God. Then there will be a decrease in the treating of God’s people as merely steps on a ladder and more awareness of them as the people of God “which He obtained with His own blood” (Acts 20:28)."
This one was good as well: "men in general today do not think often enough about our role as protectors, so also there is a lack of consideration of the pastor’s role as protector. But, this is certainly a key aspect of our role. Paul’s description of the pastor in Titus 1 closes with:
holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that
he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who
contradict. (v9)
The reason for this qualification is seen immediately in 1:10f. Pastors need to be the sort of men who can refute false teachers because false teachers are around and they will cause trouble unless they are dealt with. This is also in view when Paul exhorted the Ephesians elders:
"Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears” (Acts 20:28-31)
You cannot serve the church as pastor if you are unwilling to confront error for the good of the church. Those who cower at danger or try to say these issues are not their concern show themselves hirelings and cowards. The true shepherd is willing to give his life for his flock. Surely here we are to imitate the pattern of the Chief Shepherd who said:
I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He
who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees
the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and
scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about
the sheep. (John 10:11-13)
The hireling mentality is too easily encouraged today. The hireling thinks more of his next move, of his reputation, his advancement. The shepherd loves his flock and is ready to die for them. This is not the creating of unnecessary conflict (as some take it). This is love in action, and can only really emerge as we establish close knit community where pastors are not CEO’s or simply hired guns but rather members of the community, the family, who have been called out for service. Brothers, let us protect the church."
I guess part of being a leader is to be strong and very courageous, but not for yourself, but rather for others; putting their best interest ahead of your own, yet being indebted to the cross, and the savior thereof; and not to man. Leading a local congregation will be a daunting task. I often do not relish the idea of it.
When writing the post on Pastors as Protectors, I felt sure Luther has spoken to the issue and just this evening I came across this quote:
“A preacher must be a fighter and a shepherd. He must have teeth in his mouth. Teaching is a very difficult art. Paul contends (2 Tim 4:2; Titus 1:9), as does Peter (2 Peter 2), that sound doctrine must be urged and that those who contradict must be answered.”
However, the right sort of ‘protecting’ will be that sort that arises from deep affection for the people, not simply a hankering for conflict. This deep love, “mother love” (1 Thess 2:7) as Luther calls it, is one thing that seems so terribly lacking in ministries today. This quote is great!
“Men who hold the office of the ministry should have the heart of a mother toward the church; for if they have no such heart, they soon become lazy and disgusted, and suffering, in particular, will find them unwilling. … [Luther drawing from John 21 paraphrases the words of Jesus] Unless your heart toward the sheep is like that of a mother toward her children- a mother, who walks through fire to save her children- you will not be fit to be a preacher. Labor, work, unthankfulness, hatred, envy, and all kinds of sufferings will meet you in this office. If, then, the mother heart, the great love, is not there to drive the preachers, the sheep will be poorly served.”
Amen! And may the Lord grant a fresh baptism of this sort of love for the people of God. Then there will be a decrease in the treating of God’s people as merely steps on a ladder and more awareness of them as the people of God “which He obtained with His own blood” (Acts 20:28)."
This one was good as well: "men in general today do not think often enough about our role as protectors, so also there is a lack of consideration of the pastor’s role as protector. But, this is certainly a key aspect of our role. Paul’s description of the pastor in Titus 1 closes with:
holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that
he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who
contradict. (v9)
The reason for this qualification is seen immediately in 1:10f. Pastors need to be the sort of men who can refute false teachers because false teachers are around and they will cause trouble unless they are dealt with. This is also in view when Paul exhorted the Ephesians elders:
"Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears” (Acts 20:28-31)
You cannot serve the church as pastor if you are unwilling to confront error for the good of the church. Those who cower at danger or try to say these issues are not their concern show themselves hirelings and cowards. The true shepherd is willing to give his life for his flock. Surely here we are to imitate the pattern of the Chief Shepherd who said:
I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He
who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees
the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and
scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about
the sheep. (John 10:11-13)
The hireling mentality is too easily encouraged today. The hireling thinks more of his next move, of his reputation, his advancement. The shepherd loves his flock and is ready to die for them. This is not the creating of unnecessary conflict (as some take it). This is love in action, and can only really emerge as we establish close knit community where pastors are not CEO’s or simply hired guns but rather members of the community, the family, who have been called out for service. Brothers, let us protect the church."
I guess part of being a leader is to be strong and very courageous, but not for yourself, but rather for others; putting their best interest ahead of your own, yet being indebted to the cross, and the savior thereof; and not to man. Leading a local congregation will be a daunting task. I often do not relish the idea of it.
Saturday, June 17, 2006
More soccer news
Week two of the World Cup was an exciting one. My own favorite team, England; won again. Albeit an ugly win, they won just the same. This assures them of moving on to the round of 16. Hopefully, the extra time will give Wayne Rooney time to heal, so that he can make an impact for the Three Lions.
Today, there were two great matches. Ghana upset the Czech Republic. This was huge because Ghana had never even scored a goal in the World Cup before today, much less win a match. And the US played a great match tying Italy. With this tie, the US needs to win against Ghana, and Italy to beat the Czech Rep. If both of those things happen, then the US will sqeak into the next round.
For those of you who don't like soccer, you should give it a try. It will play with your emotions! I don't know much about the game, but watching gets me on my ear. Every made goal is a rejoice, and every missed goal is equal to the loss of a kingdom. Children cheer and run wildly for every win, and grown men cry at losses. All over the world, millions of man-hours of work are being lost. Pubs all over Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, North and South America are filled to capacity. And people on every continent are finding themselves kissing perfect strangers because of what is happening on few grassy fields in Germany. It is wonderful!
Monday, June 12, 2006
The World Cup...
Well, I am somewhat happy with the first weekend of the World Cup. (I know most of you do not care, but it is my blog, and I will write about what I want to.) My favorite team, England; won their first match. However, I am disappointed that they only scored one goal, and they didn't even really score that one. In case you didn't get up at 8:00 am Saturday morning to watch, David Beckham drilled one on goal when a defender from Paraguay headed it in for him. They looked pretty anemic the rest of the match. The three lions really need for Wayne Rooney to come back and give them a spark.
I am still pulling for the Orange Elephants of Cote d'Ivoire. They are my hope for a team from Africa making it to the next round.
Friday, June 09, 2006
Calvinism and the BoSox...
Bart Giamatti did not grow up (as he had dreamed) to play second base for the Red Sox. He became a professor at Yale, and then, in time . . . president of the National Baseball League. He never lost his love for the Boston Red Sox. It was as a Red Sox fan, he later realized that human beings are fallen, and that life is filled with disappointment. The path to comprehending Calvinism in modern America, he decided, begins at Fenway Park.
I stole this from a comment on Lance's my space.
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