2Theo 2

Pocket Guide to the Bible

2006-06-07T17:39:00.000-07:00

I recently signed up for and received a free copy of Jason Boyett's Pocket Guide to the Bible. I have read it and it reads pretty quick. It is a good overview, and I see it going into youth rooms and college ministries fairly soon.
Reading it made me want to re-read parts of the Bible that I tend to ignore. And reminded me of some church history I had forgot. It starts with a quick glossary of terms. It has two chapters on an alphabet of characters, some of them big names, others somewhat obscure. The quick snippets of the books of the Bible are easy to read and understandable. (It seems that Jason has a good appreciation for Ruth, as she has a very admirable review in the books of the Bible and comes up elsewhere as well.) Jason ends with a history of holy Writ. I enjoyed this part the most I think. It gave a nice broad narrative of the major happenings on way to today.
I recommend picking up this book if you buy for a library, for a youth group or college ministry. There is a lot of good information, and is easier to get into than a lot of similar books in scope. I think that is where this book belongs. But, this is not a book for the ages. I am not yet 30 and at times I felt old (really old) reading this book. Like someone over the proverbial hill reading posts of teenagers on Myspace I felt as if there were attempts at humor that I was not aware. And I feel that in 5-10 years this book will feel dated like the haircut in my brother's Senior picture. Pick this book up, read it, remember some of the Bible you forgot, and pass it along. A college sophomore will thank you for it.

The DaVinci Code

2006-05-21T05:47:00.000-07:00

Maybe I am a heretic. Maybe I am a fool. I spent my four bucks (yeah Saturday night and my wife and I get in for less that a $10 bill) and sat back and enjoyed the 150 minutes of the movie. Overall I would give it a average or just above average score. The pacing was slower than in the book, and parts that should have had more adreneline for some reason were flat. The acting was ok, but if you want a great love store with the heroine try Amelie. You should read the subtitles but it is worth it.
Now to the controversy. I do not think that the Catholic church, or a group of them, is killing innocent people on the street. I do not worry if Jesus had a family either born after he died or before. I do not think the Knights Templar were destroyed because of a living grail. But I know that many men and women have died in the name of Christ. It is fact that on October 13 that order of knights was summarily done away with. (I would even guess that Lucas borrowed the betrayal for Episode 3.) And if Jesus was truly human as well as devine, then having a family does not change that. If anything it gives it more texture. That is unless it is somehow a sin to marry and have children.
Go out if you have a place that is not too expensive and enjoy this movie for what it is. A summer blockbuster designed to entertain and take your money. And don't drink to much Coke, it is long.

It's all about the Benjamins

2006-05-02T19:16:00.000-07:00

I really do not understand what all the clamoring about immigration is about. I live in Texas in an area that could be considered a barrio. There are more taquerias and tortillerias than Taco Bells and bakeries. Instead of the Good Humor truck, there is a man walking around pushing a cart, ringing a bell. I am not hispanic, and I only speak as much Spanglish as growing up in small town Texas has taught me, but this is not an issue for me. And as far as I can tell, the politicians are trying to seem they are busy without doing anything.

Right now it is just too economically lucrative for people to come into the States. That is a good thing. It means we are making lots of money. And they do pay taxes. They get fake social security cards and pay into a system they will never use. My boss has had money put into his "account" by someone other than himself. The numbers may be made up for the fake ID, but the fake number might be a real person. They pay sales tax on the food they buy. They help pay for roads with the gas they put into vehicles. They stay in conditions that many of us would think is deplorable, live more communally than most of us could immagine, and try to save when most of us are ready to buy the newest album to add to our 100+ (maybe 500+) cd collection. (If we have not upgraded to the multi-thousand song iPod).

The people they work for love them because they are willing to work in places most won't. Cutting grass for 10 hours a day. Making plastic garbage bags for sale at Wal-Mart. Being a plumber for low-end apartments. Building buildings for 2/3 (or less) of what an American would be paid.

You see there is the rub. As I see it, if you want to close off our borders, you can't build fences, you must stop the milk and honey from flowing. Or make milk and honey flow more places. Either make it uneconomical for them to come, or make it economical for them to stay where they are. Personally I would say both. Force employers to pay stupidly high fines if illegal workers are found to be employeed. As long as they can find a job, they will take it. Make it where it is cheaper to pay Americans real wages rather than illegals poverty leveled ones.

The problem is while we will talk a big talk, and we will draft legislation to try to stop a wave, we are not willing to build a levee if it will come out of our pocket books. So until there is something that will actually change the hearts of people, I say let them come. Open the gates and allow those people in who want to come. Maybe I will forgo Spanglish for both English and Spanish. Or maybe I will just be one of the many who drown in the wave of life.

Thoughts from the weekend.

2006-05-01T20:03:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy week. We play softball on Mondays (we have an unblemished record, and we almost ruined it with a win tonight, but we lost in the end) and since last week it has been go go go for my wife and I. But this weekend was long. My sister-in-law was visiting and it was the best visit that we have had I think. We played broomball with our Sunday School class vs the College Class, but only three of them showed up so we divided up and played. It was a tie, and then on to TC after that. So a good 1:30-2:00 getting home. (And as a side note, anyone not from Texas, come on down and eat some good fast Tex-Mex in a pink building.)
On Saturday Reggie Bush did not get selected first in the draft and Vince Young was the first QB selected. I think both of those are interesting. Not taking Reggie Bush will never been seen as a good idea unless he is a bust, no matter how good the first pick was. And is Tennesee trying to get on Steve McNair's good side with that pick. I am a UT guy, and I think that Young is a gamble, but the pay-off is huge. Later that night we saw Inside Man (a Spike Lee Joint) at 10:30 so post mid-night getting home. It was better than I thought, and I am a Spike Lee fan overall.
Sunday was filled with Sunday School, taking my sister-in-law to the airport so she could fly home and helping some friends move into a new apartment. And we were out until 9:30.
All of this has made me tired, but not as much as I would think. It has also given me some idea that my lifestyle that seems to revolve around watching TV and being close to the computer may be making me more tired than actually living. Perhaps if we allow ourselves to not only be busy, but to be engaged with life (other people, activities, fun, laughter, a little pain maybe) we may be able to fit more into our lives than we do. And maybe in this time of more and more internet activity, I am somewhat of an old-fashioned guy. And writing that on a blog is near insanity.

Communication

2006-04-19T06:37:00.000-07:00

Ok, from my first post, you know that I am a member of a young adult (post college) Sunday School class. While there was not much to choose from, we chose a prayer study written by Bill Hybels. It has been good, and we are almost done with it. I still want ideas for things to do in the future.
My question now is, what is the best way to communicate with 25-32 year old people. How do you communicate? We have an email that goes out about once every two weeks. I know it should be more often, but it hasn't happened weekly too well yet. We have a weekly church newsletter, but I do not think many read that cover to cover. Do we try to get a page on the chuch website? Do we go out on our own and register our own? (If so, how much do we use the church's information?) Do we get a blog and allow anyone to use it? Do we go and get a myspace (or friendster if you are old school) page?
I guess this is also fairly important to me, because as of yet we do not have a classroom to call our own. We started in the library, but we outgrew the table in there. We now meet in a room that is somewhat akin to the parlors in most churches, but used more often than most. In neither room does it feel like we can leave materials, or calendars, or the random stuff that groups collect. So it seems like we need a place to coordinate all the information that would be in our class.

One for the money...

2006-04-11T19:17:00.000-07:00

With the NFL draft approaching, I have started to look at the lists we as a culture put together. SI and ESPN both have projected drafts. Baseball season has started and fantasy baseball is a list lovers paradise. Borders (and I assume B&N) has a book, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. There is even a website listing famous (or should be famous) Christians. I know this is just scratching the surface. VH1 has another list out every other week it seems. But what does all this gathering of information give us, other than something to read? Nada, zilch, zero.
Oh sure, the real draft will make the #1 pick very rich, and the difference between the first and second QB taken may be more than I will make in my lifetime, but the mock drafts don't change that at all. For baseball fans, I will be glad to see you in the Ballpark, but do not expect me to know what the centerfielder's average vs southpaws with men in scoring position with less than two outs is. You should be glad to know that someone cares enough to know that kind of thing. To say that all the music listed in a book will change my life more than 500, 1000, 1500 other albums is a bit extreme. My grandfathers, to be honest, are my Christian role models. It may be quaint, but true. If I cultivate the kind of lives they lead, and the time they took reading, praying, teaching and leading, I will be doing good. And if anyone is still watching VH1, try VH1 Classics and remember what music videos look like on TV.
You see reading quick lists may give you a sense of knowledge, but it is only trivial. What we should be searching for, and most are not I would guess, is wisdom. Wisdom takes investment, work, struggle, sacrifice. Amazingly faith takes the same stuff...

I may not be Spidey...

2006-03-14T16:45:00.000-08:00

I am looking for what you look for in a website.
1) What are some good websites?
2) What are some good church/religion websites?
3) Are there any that are in both catagories?

For me, Gmail, Slashdot, Woot!, IGN, and Penny Arcade are the websites (other than my new blog addiction) that I look at almost everyday. I also check out my.yahoo.com, but it is because I like the news.
I check out Youth Specialties some, MethodX but I want more from it, Ship of Fools is my secret site.
I don't know about joint winners. I really have not seen many.

Do This...

2006-03-13T18:55:00.000-08:00

I am a part of "This Holy Mystery" at my local church. I must say, so far I am impressed. I missed the first session, and we just had session three. (So I have been to two.) The discussion on Communion has been surprisingly open. From older members saying that they remember taking Communion and not really knowing why, to younger seekers saying that receiving the elements after the Invitation was one of the most powerful times of first knowing God. There have been some thought provoking ideas.
1) It seemed to be well known among the over 50 crowd that attendance went down on the first Sunday of the month so that some would not have to take or deal with Communion.
2) There are some that miss the more penitent attitude of the Communion service from before.
3) Very few seemed to enjoy the wafers/crackers of the past.
4) The attitudes felt at Communion, while similar, are amazingly personal.
5) Communion is a very real Means of Grace.
I know that for me, seeing my grandfather take Communion will always influence how I take it. He was a large man, almost larger-than-life, and his presence filled any space smaller than sanctuaries he would preach in. With his size, his knees were in bad shape for most of my memory, and were mostly useless late in life. But every time he had the opportunity, he would share in the Holy Meal. He truly believed that Confession and Pardon was an intregal part, but he was not held there. It was the cleansing that allowed him to fully be grateful and blessed during the Great Thanksgiving. No matter if it was before or after receiving the elements, he would always kneel at the Altar/Communion Rail. Sometimes it took several men to help him to his feet again, but he could do nothing else than fall in the presence of God. With an attitude like that, he helped forge my understanding. I will always thank him for that.

Stranger in a Strange Land

2006-03-09T17:21:00.000-08:00

You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. (Duet. 10:19)

One of the things we inherit from the Children of Abraham is that we are to care for the strangers. At this time we are in an amazing time of global immigration. Some are saying that Europe and or Australia will become Islamic relatively soon. The USA wants to close off the borders to our poorer neighbor to the south, and ironically Mexico wants to shut her borders to her poorer neighbors to the south. And while debate rages in legislatures, most of us know many more strangers than just immigrants, legal or otherwise.

There are many people that move to new lands, states, cities, or neighborhoods for many reasons. For a time all of these become strangers. My sister-in-law went with her new husband to Oklahoma. She was a stranger. My wife and I have met friends here in Fort Worth. He came to study at TCU and she is his new wife. They both are strangers. Every year thousands of new students come to TCU. Some have friends and family already here, but even those are strangers to most around them. How do we as a church reach out to these strangers? We hope that all find their place in their new land. But we know that at least some will not. A man on my hall my freshman year at college attempted to kill himself. My sister-in-law was all alone amongst plenty of people. One of our friends looks like they are further from people every day. God calls us to love these people. Love is not always pretty; it is rarely easy. Doing what God wants us to do is often like that. Maybe it is our sinful nature. Maybe it is our own fright. Maybe we are too much a stranger our self.

Thoughts from Sunday School

2006-03-06T18:18:00.000-08:00

My wife and I were trying to buy Sunday School materials for our Young Adult SS class. We went to Cokesbury (being good Methodists) and asked for the Young Adult section. I was first led to the Youth area. It was small enough, but when the sales person recognized that was not what we wanted he showed us one series (20/30) and said I think this is it. If you are interested here are adult studies by topic and over here by books of the Bible. We chose a couple from the series, and a few topical books and left. We are first going to go thru a study on Prayer, and then the Exodus study from 20/30.
The next day I went to cokesbury.com to find some other resources. There was not much more on the website than had been in the brick store. But here many were on 20% discount. It almost looks as if they are dropping the line.
Looking for resources on umc.org was almost pathetic.
After a couple of days of thinking on this, I think I have come up with something. If you are out of high school, and especially out of college, the UMC doesn't know what to do with you until you have kids. Then it is really only to bring them or help with Children's or Youth Ministries. If you want to stay involved without offspring of your own, you must adopt the Youth Group as your kids. I have been a youth director in the past, so I know the adoption push is there.

Now enough of my griping. There needs to be good SS stuff for people our age. Hopefully some people out there have some. If you know of some let me know. In the future I will be posting some ideas of my own. That is my pledge.