The Pizza Resistance (My Old Blog)

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Thu, 01 May 2008 22:06:00 +0000

The End of the Resistance?

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 00:36:00 +0000

The Pizza Resistance is winding down. I don't think I'll be blogging here much anymore. It's tough to come up with new content regularly, and then when I don't blog for a week I feel about it, and then I don't blog at all for month, and then two months, and then it feels like such a sad little blog with a post every four months or so.

So I am now blogging with a small team of folks for the ooze over HERE. Less pressure and, hopefully, more content. If you'd like to join us as a contributor, send me an email.

Long time no blog

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 12:53:00 +0000

Sorry the blogging has been so sporadic. Three factors have been working against me. 1) My life is too busy to support daily blogging. 2) I get depressed when I see only a post a week, so I don’t blog at all for months. Which is even more depressing. All this leads to 3) I suck.

I really need to get into a team blog where there is less pressure to produce, and there is built in encouragement from having others post. Anyway, that’s not what I wanted to write about.

For the new year, I declared this the year of “fish or cut bait” for the house church idea. I was either time to stop bitching and do something else, or stop bitching and be part of the solution here. Because being the disgruntled prophet was taking a lot out of me. I admire Jeremiah’s fortitude, but I don’t think that is my calling.

So we are over halfway through the year. And here is the mid-year checkup.

1) I am not really any closer to starting a house church. I’ve certainly read a lot more about it. I still am infatuated with the idea. I still think it is a much better way of being church. But it does not seem that many in my community share the vision. It seems to me that the little bedroom community prefers to stay that way. Which is perfectly within their rights. It’s just a little sad for me.

2) I have stopped bitching. Not only that, I have reached a place of contentment. I have a sense of freedom. I no longer feel the need to tilt at windmills. I have found I can be constructive, and even a critic, without being harsh. Without feeling that someone else’s idea of community necessarily repudiates my own. That there are multiple kinds of community for all God’s children. “Red & yellow, black & white, they are precious in His sight.” “Different strokes for different folks.” It’s an idea I always espoused, really; it’s just that I finally believe it.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that I’ve given up on the house church idea. If the opportunity presents itself, I’m there. But if not...well, I’m okay with that too. :)

Venting

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Fri, 18 May 2007 10:55:00 +0000

I need to find a new job.

It’s not that the job I have right now is bad. I still like most of the people I work with. And though most of what I do is quite routine, none of it is really distasteful. It’s just that “certain people” I work “with” make things most unpleasant sometimes. And not just unpleasant for me. It’s unpleasant to watch and unpleasant to be around, even when it isn’t happening to you.

Don’t they teach you in manager’s school not to berate people in front of everyone?

And why is it so damn important who “fault” something is? I understand people need to held accountable, but why do “some people” seem to take such joy in pointing out the mistakes of others? And why does it seem that these same finger-pointing “people” have so much difficulty accepting responsibility for their own gaffes? Bottom line: everybody makes mistakes from time to time. So let’s focus a little more on making things right than on whose fault it is.

It must be the military background. Civilians with military backgrounds (especially as officers) tend to think they are better than the rest of us, I think. And that’s not really their fault. The military told them that for years, so of course they are going to believe it after awhile.

But I’m not in the military anymore. I got my birthday back fifteen years ago. I don’t have to take this crap.

So, like I said, I need to find a new job.

Roger Clemens and the End of the Yankees

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Tue, 08 May 2007 16:05:00 +0000

So Roger Clemens is a Yankee again. Just another case of the rich getting richer. By that, I mean that Roger is richer, not the Yankees.

The Rocket certainly will help their rotation, which has been a train wreck. But does he make them a better team? Does he up the odds that they win that elusive World Series? (What is it, eight years now? An eternity!)

It says here: nuh-uh.

This kind of thing should be bad for team chemistry. A guy just saunters in at mid-season and hops to the top of the rotation? For the third season in a row? I don’t care if you're the best right-handed since Walter Johnson, that ought to muck things up in the clubhouse. (Hey, did you see that run support he got in Houston last year?)

Of course, none of the Yankees seem to think so. And that is the real problem. This will not muck up the chemistry because there is no chemistry. The Yankees of the mid-to-late 1990s were a team. The Yankees since the turn of the millennium have been a collection of All-Stars. You may win a lot of games that way, but you don’t win championships very often. Clemens joining them should be a problem, one that might be overcome, but a problem nonetheless. That it apparently isn’t a problem, that’s a sign things are much worse than an aging and injury plagued starting rotation.

House Church Update

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 16:57:00 +0000

So I made a New Year’s resolution this year. I decided it was time to fish or cut bait on the simple church/organic church/house church thing. That is, either get out there and do it, or quit bitching about the situation at First UMC of Land O’Lakes.

And we are now almost a third of the way through the year. I’m still attending First UMC, still attending my Sunday school class, still active in the music ministry, and even done a bit of writing for a dramatic production (which I will also be acting in). And...I’ve stopped bitching. This is a very good first step.

But it doesn't mean I'm moving on from the house church idea. Been doing a lot of studying. I’ve finished about half my house church reading list. (Organic Church by Neil Cole was exceptional.) So the passion for something different hasn’t subsided. I think the summer might be a good time to give it a try.

The biggest obstacle will be in getting other people to try it with me. Because a house church with just me is not a church. It’s just me. Which means meeting people. And meeting people scares the pants off me. And starting a church with Sponge Bob No-Pants is not likely to generate a lot of interest in the community.

Well, actually it might. Just not the kind of interest I'm interested in. :)

And Now for Something Completely Different!

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 14:34:00 +0000

As my buddy Ted from work says, this intra-web-thingie is really gonna take off someday.

I tracked down an old friend from high school. (Hi, John!) He was actually in my wedding, but we lost touch somewhere along the way. (I think right after the reception…) We’ve traded a few emails, and I hope to continue. Hardest part is, where do you start in recapping 18 years worth of stuff? Anybody else out there is the blogosphere been through this?

In other news: the novella is finished. Now comes the fun part of trying to get it published. On the bright side, it has already been rejected by a dozen literary agents. And, yes, that really is the bright side. It means I’ve gotten up the gumption to send it out at all. Also on the bright side is the four agents I sent it to that haven’t yet rejected it. And the brightest side of all is, I have more time blogging.

Sympathy for the Devils

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 13:11:00 +0000

Hey, long time no blog! The flu, the Christmas season, my glacier-paced novel writing all seem to be conspiring against me. But something occurred to me as I was over at THEOOZE today, and it seemed worthy to blog about.

I’ve begun to feel some empathy for the Pharisees, the Priests, the Sadducees, all those power brokers back in the day. Because Jesus really mucked things up.

Imagine you’re a Pharisee. You have been given TORAH. It is God’s word to you, how you should live, how YAHWEH wants you to live. And then Jesus comes along. He is extremely frustrating to deal with. He’s saying all kinds of weird new stuff, or at least old stuff in weird ways, like he's some kinda rabbi, and that’s YOUR job. But he doesn't seem to be following the teachings of any rabbi you’ve ever heard of. At least, he's not consistent with it. Some people say he might be dangerous. And, by golly, some of the stuff he says does sound dangerous. So you want to nail him down a little. You just want to do your job, protect the kids, protect the faith. So ask him a simple question. “Should we pay taxes?” And he goes off on this rant about giving to Caesar what his and God what’s His, and you’re like, “Um, that doesn’t answer my question. Does that mean we should or shouldn’t pay taxes?” I mean, why can’t he answer a simple question? And so you ask him “Why don’t your disciples fast?” And he goes off into this STORY about old wine and new garments and wineskins. And you're like...uh, what? And this goes on and on, and you get more and more frustrated. Then there’s that crap about you being a whitewashed tomb. I mean, that is so over the line. Not only is he dangerous; he's disrespectful. Somebody's gotta do something.

Or you’re a Priest. The Temple is the thing, has been for a long time. And it’s your job to protect it, to intercede for the people. It’s what you were born to do. And this Jesus guy comes along, talking about tearing down the Temple! Talking like HE’S the Temple! And then, on top of that, he trashes the place! So you ask him, “Who the heck are you to talk like this? To act like this? Who gave you this authority? Who made you boss? WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE???” And not only doesn't he apologize, he doesn't even answer your questions! He starts sassing back, “First, tell me who gave John authority, then I’ll tell who gave me authority.” And you’re like, “There he goes again! We’re not telling him any such thing!” And so he says, “I’m not going to tell you where my authority comes from either.” And you are speechless at the gall of this man. Somebody’s gotta do something.

So you all get together. You decide, if it walks like a camel and talks like a camel, it’s a camel. He sounds like he has something to hide because, he really does have something to hide. You decide to something. For the children. For the Faith. To protect God's honor.

Do you see yourself in there anywhere? I know I see myself, in bold italics. So what does that mean?

Jesus; Pharisees; Temple

Peace on Earth?

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 12:45:00 +0000

What have we become? Is this what America is all about?

I'm going to have to comment at lenght later. For now, let me sum up: some people just need to get a life.

Christmas wreath; homeowners associations

Muslim Dialogue I

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 15:05:00 +0000

I say "Muslim Dialogue I" because I hope there will be more. I work with a guy who is a Syrian-born Muslim. By and large, he is a nice guy and I genuinely like him, even if I don't always understand him. So we talk sometimes.

The other day, we were talking about an atheist guy who talks to him from time to time. The atheist guy tries to show him "the error of his ways." He (the atheist) was pointing out all the violent passages in the Koran. And my friend told him that he misunderstood something about Islam. It is not a "turn the other cheek" religion. It may be a "religion of peace" as we are so often told, but it is not a passivist peace. It is a religion that defends the oppressed. It a faith that puts wrongs to right, sometime by force (if that's what it takes). He (my friend) says it is not a matter of defending Islam per se, that it doesn't matter if the oppressed person or people are Muslim or Christian or whatever. As a Muslim, he must defend those who are wronged.

This kind of crystalized a lot of what I have been thinking about American/Muslim (and Christian/Muslim) relations. We are using the same words (like "peace") but these words don't mean the same things. It also illustrated the major difference I see between Islam & Christianity. Jesus taught us to overlook offenses. To forgive. And this is something that Islam emphatically (according to my friend) does NOT teach.

It's also something I don't see taught in a lot of American Christianity. There is a lot of time spent defending ourselves. Defending our rights. Looking for new and different ways to be offended. (The War on Christmas, anybody?) And you know what? Those kind of things will always be there. Because people will always hurt us. Sometimes intentionally, sometimes (more often than not) unintentionally. Because people are broken. It's a sickness called sin, and we all have it. And there is only one way to combat it. And it's not by "standing up for our rights." It is by demonstrating true love. Forgiveness. Turning the other cheek. Doing unto other as we would have them do to us.

If we want to see the Muslim world changed (and this country, for that matter) it starts with living out these things Jesus taught. It will happen when we decide that praying for God to send His kingdom to earth as it is in heaven is not enough. It will happen when we decide to be agents that bring the kingdom of heaven here.

"Do not merely listen to the word, as so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." -James 1:22

Christianity/Islam

Updates: writing, football, Velvet Elvis & old friends

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 11:58:00 +0000

Long time no blog, I know. Been trying to dedicate myself to writing. Well, and football.

What's the news? The novella is not stalled; it is waiting...it is poised to strike...it is...it is lulling me into a false sense of security, and will spring to full-blown completion next time I sit down at the computer...

Okay, seriously now. I'm about four chapters from the end, I think. I still think I can finish the first draft by the end of the year, but we're going to have to hustle. Life is just really busy right now. You know, with football and everything...

And speaking of football, this just in: the Buccaneers suck. But the Italic Squirrels are on a seven game winning streak. So fantasy once again beats reality. No surprise there. Everybody who knows anything about anything knows that reality is for people who don't like sports. :)

Just finished reading Rob Bell's book Velvet Elvis. I will hopefully blog more on it later, so let me just say quickly that everybody should read this book. It is fantastic. It far exceeded my expectations. I was thinking it would be another light-hearted romp through the land of emergents, kinda like Don Miller (who I love, but, you know, he is what he is). Velvet Elvis was not like that. Despite being fairly short and a quick read, it was very thought provoking. Love the 1st century Jewish history lessons. Puts a new spin on lots of things Jesus said & did.

And I have been trading emails with an old friend, Walt Carter. He was a counselor at a summer camp I went to as a kid. Walt is a great guy, funny and deep, with a fantastic wife. (If you're reading this, Hi Terri!) They were big influences on me in my formative years. For whatever odd reason, he popped into my head the other day. So I goggled him, tracked him down, and we've swapped a few emails. Here's hoping we can do some catching up.

That's about it. Here's hoping it be months between updates next time.
football; Velvet Elvis; friends

I don't want a revival

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 12:34:00 +0000

Been reading a bit about some of the late-20th century revivals: Brownsville, Toronto Blessing, that sort of thing. While I wasn't involved in it on the big scale, I did attend several charasmatic churches in the late 80s & early 90s. My own church has (from time to time) bought into the big Purpose Driven thing. And I remember a time when I was very much on board with this sort of thing.

I wanted to reach the masses. I wanted to see 10s of 1000s of people come to Jesus. I wanted revival. I wanted to part of something that changed the world.

Now...not so much. I don't want a revival anymore. I'm just not very interested in reaching people I've never met. I only have so much time & energy, and there are too many people I HAVE met that could really use the love of Jesus in their lives. So I want to learn to love these people better, more completely.

I don't want to reach the masses. There are too many of them, and I am only me. Instead, I want to get to know two or three people lost in the masses. I want to share the love of Jesus with them.

I don't want to change the world anymore. At least, not all of it. It's too big for me. I just want to touch my little corner of it.

Of course, maybe that's what real revival looks like anyway...

revival

Urgent!

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 17:11:00 +0000

Our pastor is doing a series on being part of the family of God. He’s talked about the responsibilities we all have, and about the power of a changed life. All very good stuff. He also touched on the urgency believers should have in sharing the gospel/furthering the kingdom. I also agree with him here, for the most part, though I would like to refine it a bit.

He did make a point that he wasn’t talking about frantic action just for the sake of doing something. And I’d like to add that “urgent” doesn’t mean thumping people on the head with Scripture. I wonder if there is a better term than “urgent”?

A farmer doesn’t farm urgently. He is diligent. He is consistent. He tills the land when it’s to till, he fertilizes when it’s time for that, he harvests when it’s time for that. Sometimes great effort is exerted. Sometimes it looks like nothing is really happening. The farmer cannot force a good harvest. He can only do all the things farmers do, at the time they should be done, that yielded good crops before. Things that are good for the land, good for the corn, and good for the people that will be eating the corn.

A fisherman does not fish urgently. At least, most of his fishing time is not urgent. He casts. He sits. He waits. If there is bite, yes, there is a flurry of activity. But even then, a good fisherman will not just reel it straight in as fast as he can. That’s a good way to lose the fish!

So it is, I think, in the Christian life. Constancy is more important the activity. We stay at the task even when the big payoff isn’t apparent. We act when it is time to act. It's that simple, and that difficult.

evangelism

[RE]Understanding Prayer

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 15:51:00 +0000

I wrote a review of this book and published it on this blog several months ago. It was a pretty good read. It's by Kyle Lake. If you don't care to dig through the archives, theooze.com just published it this month. Go HERE.

review

My Vacation is Winding Down

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 14:47:00 +0000

Well, I am back to work tomorrow. It has been a nice week off. Lots of rest, lots of time to think, lots of time not thinking at all. Also, lots of writing.

I'm working on a story about "the other side." Normally, I am the king of chapter one, and then I get stuck. But I am quietly optimistic about this one. I'm about 10K words into it, and haven't hit a wall yet. I'm thinking in the end it will be less than a full-length novel, more of a novella, somewhere between 20K ot 40K words. So I'm somewhere between a quarter to halfway there. Other than the novel I actually finished (unpublished, but there's a link on the sidebar to read it on the web), this is the farther I've gotten into any larger work.

The tough part will be sticking at it once I get back to work. I'm going to try to keep pushing through a chapter a day, but that may turn out to be too optimistic. At the very least, I intend to do a chapter a day on the weekends. The goal is to have it done by Christmas.

So in the meantime, blogging might be even more sporatic than it has been. But don't worry, it's not because the Depression Monster got me. :)

vacation; writing

Happy Birthday to Me!

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 13:05:00 +0000

I am 38 today. I'm thinking about celebrating by taking a nap. wO0t!

Back in college at West Chester, I had to a project where you researched something that was going on the day you were born. For you young whipper-snappers, this was back in the day before the internets. I had to look at newspapers! On microfiche! It was hard work! But it was probably the most interesting assignment I ever did. Turns out that at the end of August 1968, the Democratic Nat'l Convention was going on in Chicago. Protesters. Riots. Cops. Tear gas. Fun fun fun. I used to think about how far we'ver progressed since then. Then I turn on the Daily Show. hmm...maybe not so much.

Now about that nap.

birthdays; politics; 1968; naps

Christians in the Workforce

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 00:06:00 +0000

My pastor is preaching a series on being a Christian in the marketplace. It's a good series so far. Today he was talking about being a Christian boss. He talked about having character. He talked about valuing people. About growing the people who work for you. Like I said, good stuff. Too often we turn off The Walk in the business world. We think it doesn't "work" there. And maybe it doesn't sometimes. But honestly, our goal should not be to make things "work." Our goal should always, always, always be to follow Jesus (whether it "works" or not).

One point kinda struck me as a little off though. Maybe it was b/c it was his first point. But he talked about purusing excellence. I don't know that I agree here. And I certainly wouldn't have made it the first point.

Now, don't get me wrong, just b/c we are Christians doesn't mean we can provide crap for a product or a service. I have seen plenty of people slap a fish on their business card, and they think you should buy from them just b/c we're "brothers" (regardless of how poor a service they provide). That's not what I'm talking about.

I'm talking about the overriding preoccupation with "excellence" in our culture. We say that if something is worth doing, it is worth doing well. But what if you are not capable of doing it well? Or at least not capable of doing it well right now? Does that mean you shouldn't do it all? And how do you get to the point where you do things with excellence if you are not free to learn? Face it, no one starts out "excellent." Don't we have to be free to fail sometimes, even in business? Sometimes if things are worth doing, they are worth doing badly. You know what I mean?

Anyway, I didn't want to go all negative here. It really is a good series. Looking forward to next week.

faith; excellence; work

Why bother?

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 11:36:00 +0000

I’m reading through Tom Wright’s commentary on I Corinthians (“Paul for Everyone”). I’m in chapter 15, where he is talking about the dispute about whether or not Jesus was raised from the dead. It reminds me of what annoys me most about “liberal” Christianity. And that is the tendency to leave Jesus death & resurrection out of the picture altogether. The tendency to turn this walk into just a moral code (“be nice to people b/c it’s the right thing to do”) without any real connection to what happened to a Jewish carpenter back in Palestine 2000 years ago. Bishop John Shelby Spong does this often, dismissing anything in the historical record that doesn’t make sense to him.

Not that I’m any kind of fundamentalist. I am really much more liberal than most of the people I worship and pray with. But if you are going to take Jesus out of the equation altogether...well, why bother being a Christian at all? Join the Optimist Club. Join the Sierra Club. Volunteer at a soup kitchen. Do whatever you think you should be doing to make the world a better place.

But don’t call yourself a Christian. Because without Jesus, you just aren’t.

Tom Wright; Liberal Christianity; Bishop Sprong

Slogging Through

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 23:39:00 +0000

Have you seen the drug commercial where they say that 70% of people being treated for depression suffer recurring symptoms? The one where they want you to ask your doctor about switching meds? Meds which the commercial just happens to be selling? I hate that commercial.

Do you know why "depressed" people get depressed sometimes? Because everybody gets depressed sometimes! Just because you're on Zoloft doesn't mean you won't get the blues. Part of dealing with depression is learning how to handle this fact of life.

Look, I've been on anti-depressants for several years now. The drugs are a God-send. I am the "me" I always wanted to be. That doesn't mean I don't get down every now and then.

This is one of those down times for me. That's why the blogging has been erratic lately. It is tough sledding right now, no question. But this patch is just depression, it's not depression. I'll push through, and then the blogging will be more regular.

On the bright side, my Fantasy Football draft is tommorow. wO0t!

depression

Fantasy Football Draft

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Sun, 13 Aug 2006 23:29:00 +0000

My fantasy football draft is next weekend. It's a twelve team, two-keeper league. This year I'm keeping Willis McGahee and Kevin Jones. And I'm not very excited about it. Thought long and hard about keeping Matt Hassellbeck, who is probably the best player I could have kept. But I think he (or another pretty good QB) will be available later in the draft. We will see.

I'm actually thinking about stocking up on WRs early, which is something I never do. But it looks like there should be some good available early in the draft. Again, we will see.

Fantasy Football

When is it time?

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 01:36:00 +0000

I've about had it with church.

So, when is it time to pack it in? To throw in the towel? To say to a group of people you have marched along beside, "no, I don't think I can do this anymore"? When is it time to admit you are moving in different directions, and the continued tension is no good for either of you?

It's not that they are wrong and I am right. I just that...I want to do something different. I NEED to do something different. And this different thing is incompatible with what they see. So, is it ever time to part ways? After how long?

And, no, I don't want to go to another church. I'm sure I would find the same problems there. (Probably b/c I brought some them with me.) Fact is, I don't want to go to ANY church. At least, no present form of Institutional Church. There is no joy in me right now.

So how much do you slog through? How long do you stay the course? What course?

What would YOU do?

I wish I had something shiny-happy to say. But I don't. This sucks.

leaving church

Sermon Stealing

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Sat, 05 Aug 2006 16:10:00 +0000

There is a good conversation over at Scot McKnight's Jesus Creed about pastors who plagiarize. Take a look.

preaching; plagiarism

Who Will Be Saved?

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Fri, 04 Aug 2006 17:28:00 +0000

Today I want to look at something that might get me in hot water among my more conservative (theologically speaking) friends. I want to talk about heaven, the afterlife, and who will be there.

Before we get into this, I know there are lots of scriptures about this subject. I won’t be using many here. Not because I don’t believe them, but because many of them (I think) don’t mean what we generally think they mean. And I don’t have the time right now to put together a comprehensive treatise about it. So this will just be some general ideas. I encourage all to dig in, to question, to comment, to pray and to seek.

First, I think we evangelicals have an unhealthy preoccupation with heaven and the afterlife. You may hear some emerging theologians say that being a Christian is not about going to heaven. I don’t know that I would go that far. I do think it is not the only thing about being a Christian. Probably not even the primary thing. I don’t believe we are saved just so we can go to heaven. We are saved (that is, adopted into God’s family) so we can be participants in His Kingdom, on earth and in heaven.

But it’s still an important question. So, who “gets in”? Who’s left out? This is going to sound patently obvious, and maybe like a bit of a cop-out. But those who “get in” are those God saves. No more, no less. God saves you, and you’re in. Congratulations!

Well, duh! But who does God save? No that’s a bit trickier, isn’t it?

Look, I believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior of the world. He said that he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. That no one comes to the Father except by him. And I take him at his word. I believe there are dire consequences to those who reject him.

But here is what I’ve been thinking: do people who go through a door have to know which door it is that they are going through?

I have always had a hard time with God condemning those who have never heard. I can’t see how a just God would do such a thing. So what if Jesus decides to let more through that door? What if he invited those who had never heard? What if he invited those who HAD heard, but only from screeching bigots?

What if Jesus decided to let in some of “those people” who make me uncomfortable? That's what he did when he came here the first time, isn’t it? Isn’t that one of the things that got him into trouble, this being a “friend of sinners”? And is it just a coincidence that the people Jesus warned most about hell were religious people? Those who "saddled people with heavy packs" to keep them from believing?

Now, for those who do reject Jesus, I do believe in a literal hell. But what if this hell is not a punishment for punishment’s sake? What if it is instead a place of purification? A place to burn off all the things that have been keeping people from God?

What if the punishment of hell doesn’t have to be forever? What if God decides to redeem whatever is redeemable? Would you be upset by this?
heaven; hell; salvation

Discovering Derek Webb

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 12:20:00 +0000

Derek Webb used to be in Caedmon's Call. He does solo work now. I've never listened to him much, either with Caedmon's Call or after. The style doesn't do anything for me.

But the lyrics are amazing. I came across a song called T-shirts, which is on 2004s "I See Things Upside Down." Tell me this doesn't rip your heart out.

T-Shirts (What We Should Be Known For)
words and music by derek webb

they'll know us by the t-shirts that we wear
they'll know us by the way we point and stare
at anyone whose sin looks worse than ours
who cannot hide the scars of this curse that we all bare

they’ll know us by our picket lines and signs
they’ll know us by the pride we hide behind
like anyone on earth is living right
and isn’t that why Jesus died
not to make us think we’re right

chorus
when love, love, love
is what we should be known for
love, love, love
it’s the how and it’s the why
we live and breathe and we die

He's actually re-releasing his latest (2005's Mockingbird) FOR FREE on the internet in September. The campaign is called Free Derek Webb. Take a look here.

Derek Webb

The Middle East

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 13:54:00 +0000

I don’t talk much about global politics here. It's not that I am not interested; it's that I feel 1) helpless to do anything, and b) unsure what the right thing to do is, even if it were within my power to accomplish it.

Here is what I know: Jesus don't like killin'. I understand that countries go to war for a myriad of reasons, some more justifiable, some less justifiable. But I don't think the Jesus I know would be convinced by those reasons. And I am certain the Jesus I know never takes joy in war. Even if that war wipes out “evil” people. Even if that war is a necessary precursor to Jesus' return, according to some (in my not-so-humble opinion) bad eschatology. Glorying in the killing of fellow Image-Bearers (and that is what we all are, isn't it?) is never a cause for celebration.

We go to war to defend ourselves. We go to war to defend others. We go to war to defend our interests. We go to war to take back what has been taken from us. We go to war because “we” are right and “they” are wrong.

That doesn't sound like the Jesus I know. The Jesus I have met speaks of giving someone your cloaks as well when they demand your shirt. He speaks of going the second mile when they demand you go the first. He speaks of turning the other cheek when someone strikes you. He speaks of laying down your rights instead of demanding them.

Consider: Jesus did not have much nice to say for the Roman oppressors of his day. But he did not advocate their overthrow either. He advocated his people becoming what they were called to be. Salt & light. A blessing to the nations. And when he was unjustly accused, he did not resist. He let them kill him.

And then he rose from the dead. How's that for sticking it to the man. :)

Jesus was revolutionary in his day, and still is in our day. And I think this “Jesus Way” is what is missing in the Middle East.

Warning: anecdotal generalization ahead!

I work with a Muslim, who is also naturalized Syrian. He is a good man. He speaks of a God of justice. He speaks of honor, both his own and his God's. I can't see him ever intentionally treating someone unfairly. It is just not in his makeup.

However, it also very difficult for him to overlook a wrong. His honor demands that he be defended. And I read about this a lot when I read about the Middle East (on all sides here, not just Muslim countries & groups). And when you have an entire region of people committed to defending honor instead of overlooking insult and injury, you have...

...Israel and Lebanon. Israel and Palestine. Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq.

Of course, it would be wrong of me to say that this is not prevalent in our culture also. That “I deserve better” is the grand human sickness, and it is everywhere. And frankly, we in America, if we are who we claim to be, should know better. A “Christian” nation should know a bit more about “doing unto others as you would have them do unto you” and a bit less about “an eye for an eye,” don’t you think?

That's all I have to say about that. Tomorrow in the space, we solve world hunger.

War; Israel; Lebanon; honor; Jesus