Advent Conspiracy

A friend of a friend started this program a few years ago...

My Top Ten Books of 2009

I have done this the past several years and I liked it. It helps me remember all of the things I have learned and read this year. So here are a list of my favorite books from 2009. The popular level books have a link to them so you can click on the title and it will take to a website to find more information about them. They are split up into two categories: popular level and more academic. These are not necessarily books that came out in 2009, though some are, but books that were brought to my attention in 2009. Feel free to add your own in the comments!

Popular Level (in a particular order):

1. The Lost World of Genesis One by John Walton (2009). This is an excellent introduction for those who want a good biblically grounded view of Genesis One and how it relates to the Origins Debate rather than the scientifically grounded arguments we see in most popular-level books. I highly recommend it!

2. When the Church was a Family by Joseph Hellerman (2009). This book was written by a friend of Dave Detwiler's and will be the basis of our January series as we look a the idea of Church as a family we see in the Scriptures.

3. Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God's Will by Kevin DeYoung (2009). This is a small book but a good brief look on biblical based decision-making with a good dose of humor. The subtitle is: Or, How to make a decision without dreams, visions, fleeces, impressions, open doors, random Bible verses, casting lots, liver shivers, writing in the sky, etc.

4. "Myth of Sisyphus" by Albert Camus (originally mid-70s). This is an essay in a larger collection of the same name that was very influential in our study on Ecclesiastes over the summer. I think Camus and Qohelet would have lots of interesting discussions.

5. What are Spiritual Gifts? by Kenneth Berding (2006). This is a great introduction to spiritual gifts that really undoes a lot of what has been assumed about spiritual gifts. Berding goes through all of the texts in the New Testament that speak about spiritual gifts and provides a more contextual (and therefore more appropriate!) way of thinking about these "gifts."

Academic Level (in no particular order):

1. Reason For Being by Jacques Ellul (1990)

2. GloboChrist: The Great Commission Takes a Postmodern Turn by Carl Raschke (2008)

3. The Honeymoon is Over: Jonah's Argument with God by T.A. Perry (2006)

4. The Practice of Pastoral Care: a postmodern approach by Carrie Doehring (2006)

5. History of Sexuality volume 2 by Michel Foucault (1990) - Remember, these are academic. I wasn't going to write any commentary on these since most of you won't care but maybe I should on this one. Foucault is a certain kind of historian and this book looks back mostly at ancient Greek culture and how they viewed spouses and sexuality. It has great insights for how differently we see these topics today and it really helped me think about ways Christians should respond to the climate of modern America.

Some thoughts on my relationships...

I read this the other night reading Dostoevsky (of Crime & Punishment fame) in his little essay "The Dream of a Ridiculous Man." I have no idea why but the way he described this world that he visited (that was actually like Earth before the Fall he says) made me repent of my negative attitudes and how unsupportive I can be to my fellow humans, not just in what I say, but in what I don't say:

In the evening before going to sleep they liked singing in musical and harmonious chorus. In those songs they expressed all the sensations that the parting day had given them, sang its glories and and took leave of it. They sang the praises of nature, of the sea, of the woods. They liked making songs about one another, and praised each other like children; they were the simplest songs, but they sprang from their hearts and went to one's heart. And not only in their songs but in all their lives they seemed to do nothing but admire one another. It was like being in love with each other, but an all-embracing, universal feeling."


I pray that spend more time admiring other people and singing their praises and less time critiquing them or showering them with sarcasm.

Spin Me Right Round Jesus?

I am not sure what to think of this:

You Spin Me Right Round Jesus

Watch the first 2 minutes...

Here is the original in case you were wondering:

You Spin Me Right Round

Oh yeah, and there is a new Flo Rida version that was popular a few months ago but a little too graphic to post here...

Like I said, I am not sure what to think...

Readers Needed for Christmas Eve

This year at the 11pm Christmas Eve Communion Service we will walking through the story of Jesus as the Son of God. We need 2 readers to come out on stage 4 different times to read a Scripture each time. If anyone is willing to serve in this way please reply to this post or email/facebook me. This will also be in the Encounter Email today. I don't like to do business on the blog but this is important! Thanks!

Global Warming, Creation Care, and the Christian

Last week some emails were leaked and many skeptics of global warming took some things in those emails as signs that global warming is a global conspiracy. If you want to read more about it, I am sure you can just google it or click here. As the article I link to says, there has been a tremendous drop in Republicans who think that global warming is caused by humans.

But what has me really intrigued is that many Christians dismiss the mandate to care for creation based on global warming. It sounds rather self-centered and pragmatic to care for something only when it has the potential to affect you negatively. In fact, that sounds exactly like how the wider American culture usually responds to things.

My urgency for caring for the world God created is not wrapped up in global warming and its threat (or lack thereof) to humanity, it is guided by my theology that says humanity was created in part to care for creation and to rule over it. We are called as human beings to be good managers of creation. We are not given the right to exploit it and abuse it so long as it does not affect our way of life.

All that to say, whether it is global warming or just a global conspiracy might affect how I look at the scientific community but it will not affect my passion for taking care of God's creation as one who has been created in God's image and recreated in Christ's image.

What is your rhythm?

As we go through the Season of Advent it often reminds me about the rhythm of life. In the medieval world there was no obsession with clocks and time but there was a broad interest in the rhythms of life. This is of course, very ancient since for most of human history people depended on the seasons that brought rain, harvest, planting, etc.

But since most of us have gotten away from the church calendar, because it is "traditional" and evangelicals (unrightly in my mind) tend to shun everything "traditional" and since most of us are no longer farmers, what dictates our rhythm of life?

When I was growing up, my family's yearly rhythm was dictated by my sister and my sports seasons. We were always working towards the late fall when basketball and volleyball season was starting, then we were able to relax in the late spring, then gear up for summer basketball and volleyball.

And so many things were affected by that: what we did as a family during those times, where we had to be and what we had to do. I think many families can relate to this.

For others, maybe it is the professional sports season: you spend the year getting ready for football season or you love all sports and so your outfits and nightly schedule depends on which sports season you are in.

For me in my adult life, it has always been school. I still talk in "semesters" and things lead up to or lead away from the beginnings and ends of semesters.

What are others? Think about your own rhythms and seasons and what they are centered on.

That was part 1. But part 2 is this: which of these rhythms and seasons are healthy and which are unhealthy? And do any of your rhythms center on the calendar of the Christian faith?

I repent of my anti-traditionalism and say: bring on Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and other significant days in the Christian calendar. I hope that I can eventually start rhythm-ing my life around these rather than my own selfish goals, dreams, ambitions, and agendas. How can I creatively use these events in the life of the Church to re-arrange my life in significant ways and teach my kids to do the same? That is my task for this holiday season...or maybe it'll be a New Year's Resolution.

Advent Thoughts

No one can celebrate
a genuine Christmas
without being truly poor.
The self-sufficient, the proud,
those who, because they have
everything, look down on others,
those who have no need
even of God - for them there
will be no Christmas.
Only the poor, the hungry,
those who need someone
to come on their behalf,
will have that someone.
That someone is God.
Emmanuel. God-with-us.
Without poverty of spirit
there can be no abundance of God
-Oscar Romero

An Encounter Christmas

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is less than a week away. With that in mind, I wanted to let you know what is coming at Encounter. Our Christmas series will be called Immanuel. We will be going through Matthew's narrative of the birth of Christ but with an eye towards the incredible amount of Jewish background Matthew squeezes into three little chapters. We want to look and see how Jesus is truly Immanuel, meaning "God [is] with/among us."

November 28: Matthew 1:1-17 by Jared Byas

December 5: ENCOUNTER IS SERVING AT TIMELESS - No meeting in the main auditorium.

December 12: Matthew 1:18-25 by Jared Byas

December 19: Matthew 2:1-23 by Jared Byas

December 24: Encounter Communion Service @ 11pm by Dave Detwiler & Jared Byas

December 26: Matthew 3:1-17 by Jared Byas

America & Christians Part II

Well, since no one has spoken up I'll expand more on what I am thinking of when I am suspicious with the relationship between our faith and patriotism. I think these two have been conflated in the consciousness of many Americans, especially by brothers and sisters in the South - God & Country is the slogan.

• My first point is our relationship with Israel. I am not going to give my views on this but I am going to point out the bad logic I grew up with. On the one hand, it is believed by some that America is the "new Israel" - we are now God's chosen people as a country. This came from the early settlers in America giving justification for Manifest Destiny and other factors but today it is assumed by some groups of people. The bad logic is this: On the other hand, these same people believe that today's geographic Israel is still God's chosen country as well. Can it be both? Is Israel still God's chosen country and yet he has "adopted" another country as well - America? These folks seem to think so.
• My second point is our relationship to God. Is America a Christian nation? Insofar as America has the most Christian citizens compared to other Western countries - I suppose so. But please, let's not invoke 2 Chronicles 7:14 anymore to describe the American situation: "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." This is poor biblical interpretation as it applies to the geographic country of America (not found in the Scriptures at all) what is spoken to Israel - a theocratic nation before the coming of Christ. In the context of this passage, Israel had an explicit covenant with God that He would let them stay in the land if they obeyed his commands. America was under no such explicit covenant.

The reason I began thinking about these things again is that I had a profound experience this past Veteran's Day listening to the stories of people who serve in the military. And as a follower of Christ, I am to love them and care for them - not out of patriotism but out of my commitment to Christ and his Kingdom. But how do I parse out the two?

Thoughts? I am guessing this might rouse some discussion...

America & Christians

Guess what today is?

It's the anniversary of Kierkegaard's death - November 11, 1855.

Okay, okay, that is true. But that's probably not what you were thinking. It's Veteran's Day.

I was listening to NPR all day today and it made me want to ask this question:

What should a Christian's relationship be to the state?
Does Christianity and patriotism go hand-in-hand or are they opposed?
Is there a time when a person can be too loyal to country that it overshadows their loyalty to Christ? How do we know when we've crossed that line?

Any thoughts?

Replay: The Church & Our World

I was just going back through some of the posts we've made this year and I just couldn't help but post this one again - take a look at it if you missed it the first time around.



HT: Justin Taylor

Year One

Sarah & I watched the movie Year One last night and it really made me think about American culture and the Christian faith. Now, don't get me wrong - it's not a provocative movie, it's not even in a good movie. In fact, it's down right awful and I recommend for everyone NOT to see it.

But there is one scene that spoke to what was behind the entire movie. In the scene Abraham (yes, that Abraham - who is portrayed as an angry bigot) is telling the main characters all the reasons they should avoid Sodom and why God will destroy the city. And the punch line is the main characters basically saying "I am waiting for the bad part - all that you're saying sounds awesome!"

That scene (and the whole movie) really highlighted for me how opposite the values of the Christian community are from what is mainstream in our culture. And this post is not to point the finger at American culture - it is to ask, "Which will we choose?" And how do we relate to those in our lives that do not have the same value system we have?

Thanksgiving...

Well, it's now November and at the end of this month there is a holiday that starts the "Holiday Season". I want to talk about what Holiday's mean to us. What is the word holiday conjure up in your heart and soul and mind? Does it bring stress? Does it bring anxiety? Does it bring Joy?

I think for a lot of us stress and anxiety might be the answer and Joy may be the rare feeling. Even for me it's a mixed approach... Will we have the money to do all we want to do this year? How about the money to spend on gifts, not just for our children but for our extended family as well? How about the money and resources to travel to visit those that don't live close to us? Will all the arrangements with family members drive us up the wall just so we can spend time with them? Or how about spending time with family members that just drive you up a wall? (This brings me anxiety - Literally (just for you, Jared))

So, now at the beginning of November I want to take some time to think about Thankfulness. To really reflect on the blessings I have in my life and to focus on the One who gave me life to live. I am making a Blessings tree this year with my kids. We make the tree skeleton out of brown paper and hang it on the wall. Then we make and cut out leaves that we write on each day what we are thankful for. Then attach the leaves as we fill them out and put them on the tree. When November is over we should have a tree full of leaves on it.

Although in years past I have kept a Thanksgiving Journal or scrapbook. It may be good to have a written document of all the things in our lives we are thankful for. And it may be good to start early before all the "craziness" begins and you can't quite remember things like; how much you love your family or that God has blessed you with the resources to travel to see your parents this year. We can at the beginning of November be still and quiet and reflect on all the things in our lives we are thankful for.

And it may even help us form a habit of quiet so that during the craziness we can sit and be still amongst the storm of busyness brewing around us. This should help reduce a lot of the unnecessary stress that occurs. I'm not a doctor or professional by any means in the area of stress. I just know that my life can't handle any more stress than what occurs on an everyday level. So I'm making it a goal to get through the next two months calmly and with a lot of Thanksgiving.

What are your plans for remembering your blessings this year?

Monday Morning Church Stories

As we go through this series on the Monday Morning Church it would be nice to hear how your attempts at growing in this area have been progressing (or not!). Let us know if the concept of "Monday Morning Church" has changed your views on the Christian life and how it has specifically changed your day to day life.

For myself, the idea of being "open for business" has been a helpful reminder to me as I go throughout the day. In conversation the past few weeks I have been much more "present" and engaged in the conversation because of my desire to be Christlike in my relationships with others. How has this series affected you?

Mini-Series Teaching

Instead of having a mini-teaching series this Fall at Encounter we have decided to move the LifeSupport: Church as Family series to the beginning of the year as a full series. We will be looking at some provocative and helpful passages to help us understand what it means for Scripture to use family language to describe followers of Christ.

We Have a You Tube Channel

Encounter Online that Is....

And you can peruse the other video's uploaded here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/encounteronline

Jason (my hubby) is trying to make this a consistant upload, and event. There may be weeks we miss (due to our inability to attend) but for the most part we want the meat of what we get at Encounter to be heard by those who can't attend for whatever reason. The above video is a little shaky as we didn't have our tripod with us. But it's up and it's there for you to listen to and watch.

Enjoy!!!!!

Introduction of Jesus by Comedian Steve Harvey

Tov Kierkegaard Byas

I know many of you have seen him on Facebook but I wanted to post it on here so that everyone would know my excuse for neglecting the blog in the past week!

Christian Radio

Here is an important interview by two professors who spent 250 hours listening to Christian radio to see if the message of the music was the same as the message that the station was using to brand and market itself.

I am very glad to have found this because I was just telling my wife last week that I cringe every time I hear the Christian radio tag line "family friendly" or "positive and uplifting." It seems to create a distorted image of Christianity in order to get more listeners.

Anyway, take a listen to these two short interviews and let me know what you think.

Click here for the interviews