Catching Up

So it has been close to two weeks since i have last posted.  I have been busy lately, and it is only going to get worse.  Hopefully i can post twice a week minimum; only time will tell.  So i have some catching up to do with everyone who reads this. 

1.  I have recently been chosen to be a Youth Pastor at a church where i live.  I’m really excited about it, but also nervous.  I haven’t had a whole lot of “vocational ministry” experience, so i’m sure that this will be a fun and challenging time.  Also, i am eager to study and to have the challenge of making theology practical to a middle-schooler.  I believe that this is possible with work, and that is what doing theology should be anyway, hard work and practical.  I think CS LEWIS once said that if you can’t explain your theology to a 5 year-old it is not worth having.

In addition to Jr. High pastoral duties, i will be responsible for developing a worship program for the youth.  I’m excitexd about this b/c this is one of my passions and gifts, although i rarely talk about it here.  That will be changing soon however. 

2.  My beloved Jayhawks got beat up by the Bruins of UCLA.  I hate seeing my team fall short, but everyone with the possible exception of one player has already committed to returning next year, along with a great recruiting class.  So the future looks good.  The only problem with rooting for KU is that the future always looks good, but rarely is more than that.  Oh well.

So my life is changing a lot right now, i this blog will reflect that.  I’m not sure what it will look like eventually but it will be fun getting there!

Blogging from the Heart

Chris over at A Desperate Kind of Faithful recently had a great post regarding theology blogs.  Basically, his point was that if one’s theology blog is only in the intellectual domain and doesn’t connect with the writer’s life, then he isn’t really accomplishing a whole lot, other than trying to make himself look cool.

 I think that there is a fine line to walk in blogging.  I don’t want to be in an ivory thinktank, b/c i would hope that my blog would encourage others as well.  That being said, i think that if i begin to get too deep into my own life as it relates to my theological views, then i might lose people’s reading of my blog.  This isn’t merely a pride issue; if no one is reading my stuff b/c i’m too busy “airing out my dirty laundry,” then i have lost any chance to dialogue about theological issues.  I want to avoid this. 

However, i believe his point does need to be taken to heart on some level, in some way.  That being the case i will try to be a little more open in relating theology to my own life.  Also, i hope to use more questionnaires and polls b/c they elicit better dialogue.  I don’t want to simply pontificate, i want to see that this blog challenges and encourages people. 

Hopefully this blog can be more than an academic record, but a place where i love God with my mind and heart. 

[Incidentally, check out this blog if you want to see a great example of balancing scholarship and personal reflection.  I think that i might try to use him as an example.]

“It” Has Begun

It’s happened.  After a solid victory over Kentucky, the Jayhawks find themselves in the Sweet Sixteen.  This is great, but it has got me worried, because our great play as of late has led to “it” happening.

“It” is the ridiculous praise my team is now getting.  They are being called the hottest team in the tournament (which they probably are), and are all of the sudden being picked by a lot of announcers and fans to win it all.  Here is nationwide poll regarding my Hawks, and they have the most national votes to win the tournament.  Also, here is an article singing their praises. 

This adoration has me very worried.  While it is nice to see my team get some recognition (which was overdue in my humble opinion), KU teams handle accolades about as well as, well i can’t think of anything witty so let’s just say they don’t handle it well.  We are great at underachieving already, so i hope this doesn’t cause the Hawks to lose focus. 

I hope the hype doesn’t go to their head.  They have got a tough game coming up on thursday against Southern Illinois.  They are a perinnial top MVC team who play grinding, tough defense.  They are no one to look past, so i hope KU doesn’t make that mistake.

Keep rollin blue, keep rollin.

The 1st Step

Hi Everyone.  Just in case anybody doesn’t know, my Jayhawks finally did what they were supposed to: dominate an inferior oppenent.  I say this b/c we have been the victim of the “killer b’s,” mid major teams that we should have routed in the 1st round the last two years (the nickname comes from their school names, Bradley and Bucknell).

We dominated this game, and it was nice to see.  The only lame part was that i had to find out from my manager at work (who also loves the Hawks and can check on the company PC) who was checking the score.  I work again on Sunday, so the Hawks have to win on sunday for me to be able to watch them next week.  Anybody want to buy me Tivo?  Maybe it would be better if i missed it; the last two tourney games i’ve watched i ‘ve seen my team get “stung.”

If anyone wants to see some stats (and i bet you are all salivating at the thought) click here. 

Keep rollin blue, keep rollin.

A Vivid Illustration

Recently i have been in touch with a couple of the major thinkers from two different movements, the Barthian movement and the Open Theism movement.  I have been discussing with the proponents of each system whether or not there are similarities in the two systems.  I am hoping to do my master’s thesis on exploring the commonalities between th two schools of thought.

I need to get the scholar’s permission to blog about their views of the other system, but i wanted to point out an interesting point each person made.  Both the Barthian and the Open Theist accused the other system of being stuck in classical theism, particularly in classical metaphysics.

I find this fascinating.  Each person is sympathetic to the intentions of the other; in fact the Barthian thinks that Openness thinkers ask the right questions, but simply don’t go far enough to answer them.  Yet while sympathetic to the intentions of each other, each think the the other system doesn’t actually move the discussion past prior thinking, unless of course they are talking about their own thought!

I think that this is a vivid illustration regarding the need to define terms.  Each person i believe is right in their critique, so i would say that in a way they are both “guilty as charged.”  The problem is that metaphysics encompasses quite a bit of stuff (man that was precise verbage), so in some ways they are both stuck in the past, and yet they are many ways they are moving the discussion forward.  I think that we can take the best of both schools of thought and possibly build a hybrid.  I need to do a lot more work on this thought before i can be sure that it is possible.

I know that this post has been very vague, so my apologies.  However, i just want to make sure i have each person’s permission to post their thoughts.  As soon as i do, i will, and this post will make more sense.

Humor at Duke Divinity

So a recently came across a blog that has some what i consider to be hilarious quotes from Duke Profs.  Here are my initial favorites:

On history according to Catholics:
“The church was doing fine… okay so we had three popes at once but we got rid of two… okay so the pope had three kids even though he’s celibate, but they became bishops so it was good for the church… okay so the pope thought he was a renaissance knight… but basically the church was doing just fine and *bam!* out of nowhere comes these Protestants…”

On history according to Protestants:
“Someone turned off the lights in the middle ages.  Then, suddenly, Martin Luther descended from heaven on a beam of glory with a bible in one hand and a hymnal in the other.”

Church history can be funny; who would’ve guessed?  So no one is concerned, i strongly disagree with both assemssments, but the exaggeration and satire of each camp’s tendencies to view the other is hilarious to me. 

The Madness Begins

The best time of the year has finally arrived.  While many are in the midst of Lent, i feel like my Easter has finally come in a sense.

I wait through the winter not just to see warmer weather, but to see the greatest sporting event in the world (that’s a little bold i know): the NCAA men’s bball tournament.

As anyone who knows me is already aware, i bleed crimson and Jayhawk blue.  KU has been my team since i was sixish, when my grandpa (who i was quite frightened of until i was 20 something), would sit and bond over the one thing we could agree on: that KU was awesome.  Even after 5 years in Manhattan Ks i couldn’t be swayed away from my love of the Hawks.

This year we have earned a #1 seed, but UCLA is the #2 seed, which concerns me, as does Villanova.  I hope we don’t bow out early (again).

So there you go, a glimpse into my love affair with a school that i really have no affiliation with.  Doesn’t matter.  I’ll be rooting for them anyway.  I’m pumped b/c we have the talent to go the distance; hopefully we will.

So go outside and enjoy the warm weather.  Then go back inside and root for the Hawks to go all the way.

Go Hawks!

The Ascension Questionnaire

I want to blog about the ascension soon, but first i wanted to take a rather informal survey.  Here goes:

1.  Did Jesus have to ascend to heaven after the resurrection?  If so why?

2.  Is the ascension merely an event in the life of Christ, or is it a huge turning point in salvation history?

3.  What are the implications of the ascension for Christians today?

I look forward to hearing your responses!