Aaron tells me my blog posts are generally too long for most people to actually read. I tend to agree with him. The length of the posts also prevents me from doing them as often because they're such a time commitment. So rather than always writing an article with a more obvious analytical theological bent, I'd like to start including a few short blurbs as well.
One blurb for today is on the Albert Mohler Show. The Albert Mohler Show is a radio program that's been on air for the last 9 years, until this past week when it aired its final episode. Dr. Mohler, the host of the show, is President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. I started listening to the show a couple years ago online and since getting my iPod touch and finding podcasts I've been a subscriber on there as well.
The tagline of the show is "intelligent Christian conversation" and I can say that I have certainly had the privilege of listening in on much of that as I've listened to Dr. Mohler's show. I consider Dr. Mohler one of the leading theologians of our time, especially when it comes to developing a Biblical worldview. His analysis of current events and cultural commentary from a Biblical perspective have been instructive and edifying for me and many others. It is a true encouragement and challenge to me to see such an intelligent, public figure taking a stand for the gospel.
So here's to you Dr. Mohler! Thank you for your service to the body of Christ; I look forward to continuing to benefit from your teaching ministry through other mediums.
P.S.: you can listen to the final episode by clicking here. I'd also recommend Dr. Mohler's website
Showing posts with label Personal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Personal. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
"its place knows it no more"
This past weekend I was blessed to have a number of friends visit State College for Penn State's Blue/White game and a good friend's bachelor party. These friends make up some of the best friends in my life. They have been true brothers in Christ and I love them. Then today something terrible happened: they left.
As I got to see each of them off I found ways to comfort myself: "well at least I'm still in state college and still have some friends here." Then I realized I'm graduating in 2-3 weeks. The reality is this thing won't last. Such comfort isn't much comfort at all.
"Last things" are often hard for me (and no, I'm not referring to views of the millenium). I still have alot of memories of last things. I remember my last high school tennis match. I remember the last time I pulled out of my high school parking lot. I remember the last night I spent at home before moving to state college. I remember my last day working at GIANT food stores. I remember my last day working at the country club I spent three summers at. I remember the last day of the summer training program I was a part of two years ago. The list really does go on.
Now even as I type that it saddens me, and it saddens me even more to think about how many "last things" I have coming up. Such a feeling is strange to me; Myers-Briggs tells me I am a 19-1 Thinker vs. Feeler. I've often felt this way and wondered why. For much of my life I've just billed it up to nostalgia. But why I am nostalgic? Why is anyone? What about how God created us makes us like this?
It could just be because I really liked the things I was leaving, so leaving them hurt. But I don't think this is the case as I look back. I liked high school, but I liked college alot more. I definitely didn't really like my job at GIANT. There are others things I listed that I did like. But the degree to which I enjoyed those things doesn't seem to be the determining factor. So what is it?
I think I finally made steps towards an answer to this in recently listening to a Tim Keller sermon on Psalm 103. Specific to the question at hand were his comments on verses 15-17:
"As for man, his days are like grass;
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more." - Psalm 103:15-16 (ESV)
As Keller was speaking on this he paid special attention to the phrase "its place knows it no more." He specifically used the example of going back home after leaving a place and seeing all the different things and seeing how few people really know you anymore. He talked about why that seems to bother us so much. Basically we all want a place we can really call home. We want a place that will always know us. I may not like the school I'm at or the job I'm working, but after a while it starts to feel like home, and I like that. I like to feel like it's a constant in my life.
My friends make me feel at home. They make me feel welcome. I'm afraid when they leave that "my place will know me no more." So the first thing I do is try to fix that feeling: find something that will still make me feel like my place will know me. But I can't. This phrase in Psalm 103 isn't something we can change: it is a fact about man. We live for a time, then we die, and our place knows us no more.
Is it then wrong for this to bother me? I don't think so. The passage doesn't end there. The next verse isn't: "so deal with it!" No, the psalmist instead offers us a remedy. He offers us a true home:
"But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children's children," - Psalm 103:17 (ESV)
The steadfast love of the Lord is a true home for us who fear him! He'll never leave after a weekend. There will never be a "last time" I have with the Lord. His steadfast love is from everlasting to everlasting. This desire I have for a true home is let down every time I can't find that true home on earth. As a result, I'll continue to be sad every time I have to see my friends off. But I pray that I won't mourn as one who has no hope, but as one with an eternal home from "everlasting to everlasting" in the steadfast love of the Lord.
As I got to see each of them off I found ways to comfort myself: "well at least I'm still in state college and still have some friends here." Then I realized I'm graduating in 2-3 weeks. The reality is this thing won't last. Such comfort isn't much comfort at all.
"Last things" are often hard for me (and no, I'm not referring to views of the millenium). I still have alot of memories of last things. I remember my last high school tennis match. I remember the last time I pulled out of my high school parking lot. I remember the last night I spent at home before moving to state college. I remember my last day working at GIANT food stores. I remember my last day working at the country club I spent three summers at. I remember the last day of the summer training program I was a part of two years ago. The list really does go on.
Now even as I type that it saddens me, and it saddens me even more to think about how many "last things" I have coming up. Such a feeling is strange to me; Myers-Briggs tells me I am a 19-1 Thinker vs. Feeler. I've often felt this way and wondered why. For much of my life I've just billed it up to nostalgia. But why I am nostalgic? Why is anyone? What about how God created us makes us like this?
It could just be because I really liked the things I was leaving, so leaving them hurt. But I don't think this is the case as I look back. I liked high school, but I liked college alot more. I definitely didn't really like my job at GIANT. There are others things I listed that I did like. But the degree to which I enjoyed those things doesn't seem to be the determining factor. So what is it?
I think I finally made steps towards an answer to this in recently listening to a Tim Keller sermon on Psalm 103. Specific to the question at hand were his comments on verses 15-17:
"As for man, his days are like grass;
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more." - Psalm 103:15-16 (ESV)
As Keller was speaking on this he paid special attention to the phrase "its place knows it no more." He specifically used the example of going back home after leaving a place and seeing all the different things and seeing how few people really know you anymore. He talked about why that seems to bother us so much. Basically we all want a place we can really call home. We want a place that will always know us. I may not like the school I'm at or the job I'm working, but after a while it starts to feel like home, and I like that. I like to feel like it's a constant in my life.
My friends make me feel at home. They make me feel welcome. I'm afraid when they leave that "my place will know me no more." So the first thing I do is try to fix that feeling: find something that will still make me feel like my place will know me. But I can't. This phrase in Psalm 103 isn't something we can change: it is a fact about man. We live for a time, then we die, and our place knows us no more.
Is it then wrong for this to bother me? I don't think so. The passage doesn't end there. The next verse isn't: "so deal with it!" No, the psalmist instead offers us a remedy. He offers us a true home:
"But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children's children," - Psalm 103:17 (ESV)
The steadfast love of the Lord is a true home for us who fear him! He'll never leave after a weekend. There will never be a "last time" I have with the Lord. His steadfast love is from everlasting to everlasting. This desire I have for a true home is let down every time I can't find that true home on earth. As a result, I'll continue to be sad every time I have to see my friends off. But I pray that I won't mourn as one who has no hope, but as one with an eternal home from "everlasting to everlasting" in the steadfast love of the Lord.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Why blog?
So I haven't read enough pilot blog posts to know whether writing your first blog with the subject "why blog?" is cliche or not, but to me it makes sense.
There are probably alot of reasons people blog, but the most I could intelligently speak on are the reasons I sense in my own heart. That could include alot, so I'll discuss my motivations in two categories: me-centered and God-centered. The former is my natural setting, so I'm praying that He would move me to the latter (as you probably guessed, this applies to more than blogging).
Me-centered: I really think my ideas are great. I really think everyone with internet access needs to hear them. I don't mean like "maybe you'd be blessed by some of my thoughts," no I mean you need to hear them. I have things figured out, and you don't really, so you need to be corrected by me. Not only that, but the fact that you don't have things figured out makes me mad. So I also need a forum on which to vent about why everyone else being wrong makes me so angry.
Such is my temptation. It will come out in my posts; I ask your forgiveness in advance. But by God's grace I don't want to have a me-centered attitude like this, and by God's grace I don't think my blog has to have that as its motivation and driving force. I think God's also given me another motivation:
God-centered: God is glorious as He is, and so we bring glory to God as we show who He is and what He's done. I think blogging is basically an opportunity to share who God is and what God's done, is doing, and will do in the world and in my life. I am excited at this opportunity. I believe if the focus is on the greatness of God's words (Jer. 15:16, my "theme verse" for this blog) and not my own, God can be glorified and the readers of it (even if there are only 2, thanks Tim and Aaron) can be encouraged.
Lord, may we fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.
P.S. I stole my idea for the title with the verse below and format from Justin Towart, who is far more creative than I. He just updated his blog for the first time since 2008.
There are probably alot of reasons people blog, but the most I could intelligently speak on are the reasons I sense in my own heart. That could include alot, so I'll discuss my motivations in two categories: me-centered and God-centered. The former is my natural setting, so I'm praying that He would move me to the latter (as you probably guessed, this applies to more than blogging).
Me-centered: I really think my ideas are great. I really think everyone with internet access needs to hear them. I don't mean like "maybe you'd be blessed by some of my thoughts," no I mean you need to hear them. I have things figured out, and you don't really, so you need to be corrected by me. Not only that, but the fact that you don't have things figured out makes me mad. So I also need a forum on which to vent about why everyone else being wrong makes me so angry.
Such is my temptation. It will come out in my posts; I ask your forgiveness in advance. But by God's grace I don't want to have a me-centered attitude like this, and by God's grace I don't think my blog has to have that as its motivation and driving force. I think God's also given me another motivation:
God-centered: God is glorious as He is, and so we bring glory to God as we show who He is and what He's done. I think blogging is basically an opportunity to share who God is and what God's done, is doing, and will do in the world and in my life. I am excited at this opportunity. I believe if the focus is on the greatness of God's words (Jer. 15:16, my "theme verse" for this blog) and not my own, God can be glorified and the readers of it (even if there are only 2, thanks Tim and Aaron) can be encouraged.
Lord, may we fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.
P.S. I stole my idea for the title with the verse below and format from Justin Towart, who is far more creative than I. He just updated his blog for the first time since 2008.
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