Here I go again (not on my own)...

Evidently my whole “update once a week” thing was a total bust. But, in my defense, this past year has been a complete whirlwind of tasks, teaching, emotions, and just general busyness. For those who may not know, since March of 2013 I have been serving as the youth pastor of a small church in Middle Ga. At the end of July of 2014, I stepped down from that position because Sharon and I felt God leading us toward the seminary for further education.

During the past year, I believe we have both felt God molding us and giving us direction of where he wants us to focus our attention, especially me personally. The more I pray and ponder the direction in ministry that God may have for me, and the more I seek council from trusted friends/pastors/etc… the more that I feel led two very specific directions: pastoring on some level, and teaching on the collegiate/seminary level. I may not see both of those goals come to fruition, but I feel led to pursue an education as a means to that end.

Now, why the random update, name change, direction change after so many months of silence? Well, it’s simple: it’s my blog and I’ll do what I want. But seriously, let’s all be honest, most of my posts are in the field of theology or church history, or what I’m reading at the time, or if I’ve happened to preach/teach a message so why not? I still feel compelled to review good books and movies, which I will do from time to time. And if I can figure out a way to add pages on blogger, I’ll try and keep it as neat and clean as I can. If not, then I may need to seek another medium for this endeavor.

So, what are we going to do in the interim between now and seminary? Well, we’ve moved back to be closer to my full time job, and we’ve starting attending a local church here. I’ve applied to Southern in Louisville (and got my acceptance letter today!), but we did apply for next fall (2015) so it looks like we’ll be in Georgia for another year (to my dismay). However, this does afford Sharon and me the opportunity to seek out something that we’ve been missing since we moved from Jackson, TN: Community.

Not to knock our experience serving in the church, but we felt a little lonely in that we had no small group, no core group of our own, made up of people our own age (or close to it) that we could discuss life and family and the Scriptures. That’s not to say we didn’t experience any personal growth, because we did, or that we didn’t love our teenagers, because we did, or that we didn’t make friends while we were there, because we did. However, when you’ve been married for three and a half years, and the last time you really felt like you were growing in community was in the months prior to your wedding, it might be time to take a step back and re-evaluate. And that’s what we’ve decided to do with this next year, unless of course God has other plans and asks us to move sooner.

I do know that Sharon and I “yearn for the physical presence of other Christians…” as Bonhoeffer wrote in Life Together. We strongly desire to simply sit back and enjoy this blessing from God that is life with other believers.

From his chapter on Community in Life Together I am both encouraged and humbled by Bonhoeffer’s words: “It is easily forgotten," he writes, "that the fellowship of Christian brethren is a gift of grace, a gift of the Kingdom of God that any day may be taken from us, that the time that still separates us from utter loneliness may be brief indeed” but, “The believer feels no shame, as though he were still living too much in the flesh, when he yearns for the physical presence of other Christians. Man was created a body, the Son of God appeared on earth in the body, he was raised in the body, in the sacrament the believer receives the Lord Christ in the body, and the resurrection of the dead will bring about the perfected fellowship of God’s spiritual-physical creatures. The believer therefore lauds the Creator, the Redeemer, God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, for the bodily presence of a brother” (pages 20 and 19 respectively).

Again, don’t misunderstand me, we’ve lived among believers and have felt their love and care for the past 3 years, but we’ve also missed our deeper connection of community that we enjoyed and were blessed with in Jackson. Whether or not we ever move back there again, I pray that we find similar community before our time on earth is done.

With that all said, I do want to let you know (mostly to keep me accountable to continue posting) of a few things I’ll try to highlight over the next few posts. I will try and discuss our past year and a half serving the youth, but those posts may be spaced between other posts. I did have the opportunity to preach at the end of June and I want to discuss that some (and hopefully post the video footage). Regarding some fun stuff, Sharon and I went to our first con back in May! So I’ll touch on that as well. Also, the never ending, always fun book reviews. I’m currently reading about 4 books, but I just picked up Scott Hahn’s “Consuming the Word” that I’m looking forward to diving into.

So sit back, grab a cup of coffee, and pack your pipe with me as we, hopefully, move forward with more regular updates and discuss some fun topics, exchange ideas, and share life with one another here, on the Back Porch.

Grace and Peace to you,

Nick

A Time to Come Back: A Lenten Post

Lent is a glorious forty-day retreat.

A retreat is a time to stand back; to ask: "What have I been doing with my life? What has God been teaching me? Where have I succeeded in living life God's way? Where have I failed? What do I need to confess to God or to change?"

A Lenten retreat is a time to recognize our wanderings and to determine to heed God's call to come back:

"But now, now - it is the Lord who speaks - come back to me with all your heart... turn to the Lord your God again, for He is all tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in graciousness." Joel 2: 12,13

Like the young man in the story of the prodigal son, Lord Jesus, I make a calculated choice to come back to the Father:

"I will get up and go to my father and say, 'Father, I have sinned against God and against you. I am no longer fit to be called your son: treat me as one of your hired workers..."

Like the young man in this story, I marvel at Your response:

"He was still a long way from home when his father saw him; his heart was filled with pity, and he ran, threw his arm around his son, and kissed him... 'Hurry!' he said. 'Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet... Let us celebrate with a feast!'" Luke 15

You are tender, compassionate, gracious and slow to grow angry, O Lord. Thank you.


Morning Psalm:
Psalm 32, a Maskil of David

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. 

Selah 

I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. 

Selah 

Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him. You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance.

Selah

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

Teaching through Advent

Happy Boxing Day friends!

Traditionally, today has been known as the day where employers have given gifts to their employees, servants, etc... so, if you own your own business and have non-family employees, or if you're just crazy rich, be sure to give your employees something today!

Well, with that out of the way, I wanted to give you a quick update on the goings on as of late. Since March, I have been serving as the youth pastor at Dexter Baptist Church in Dexter, GA. This past November, the pastor and I discussed the possibility of me teaching through the season of Advent. The church itself had been lighting the Advent candles for a couple of years, but never had really discussed the ins and outs of the season itself.

So with that, I set out on December 1st to begin a 4 week study through the season of Advent. We spent each week discussing a characteristic of the season (What is Advent? Why observe Advent? The colors of Advent. The History of Advent) and then we had a short homily from the Scriptures for each week based on the particular candle that we lit. Then on Monday, December 23rd (since people were heading out to visit family for Christmas) we had our Christ Candle service and celebrated the Incarnation of God in the flesh, Jesus the Christ. I really enjoyed preparing these lessons, doing the research and study, and presenting them to the church. I know that doing so really enhanced my celebration of the Advent and now Christmas seasons. Here are a few pics of the Advent Wreath, sanctuary, and me teaching on the Fourth Sunday of Advent.





I pray you all had a wonderful Christmas and enjoy your season of Christmas!

Peace of Christ to all

~Nick

Return of the Married Man

I suppose it has been long enough now that I should probably post something, anything, simply to keep you, my readers, from forgetting about me all together. The thought of that seems a little vain, but I have recently started reading The Longing for Home by Frederick Buechner and (as is my habit when I begin reading a new author), I started pursuing the web to find out what book of his I should move on to next. This led me to a page of quotes, one of which best describes why I feel the need to blog more often (regardless if anyone really cares). He stated:  

"For as long as your remember me, I am never entirely lost. When I'm feeling most ghost-like, it's your remembering me that helps remind me that I actually exist. When I'm feeling sad, it's my consolation. When I'm feeling happy, it's part of why I feel that way.”

Now, I’m in no way saying that I NEED to blog, but I think it helps to remind you all that I do actually exist! ;)

Also, I have taken to reading little blurbs of “Today in Christian History” which I pass along to my youth from time to time via Facebook. One of today’s events comes from a few journal entries from Jim Elliot. As I read through the article, I was reminded how wonderful it is that we have the writings and journals from giants of the faith. Jim Elliot may not make the top ten list of giants of the faith (although I’m sure he would be on the list), but imagine what it would be like if we didn’t have the writings of the Fathers, or the Reformers, or the “Awakeners”. Imagine how much we would have wondered what led to the decisions at church councils if they were not written down. Imagine where we as believers would be if the Apostles had not felt compelled to write letters to the early church and to fellow believers.

My point is this, while my little blog may never amount to much more than the musings of a Christ lover, book lover, dog lover, pipe lover, science fiction lover with a strong desire to raise a family and a little garden (maybe some chickens), teach on the Scriptures, hike the AT, and possibly walk on the moon, I have felt convicted to journal more, to read more, to pray more. Hopefully my journaling will be a mixture of online and hand written, simply because I think handwritten journals are a treasure. It's also something that I’d love for my children and grandchildren to sit down and read long after I’ve gone to be with Christ.

That all being said, I’m back. Well, at least I plan on being back. I think to keep things simple I will try and update at least once a week, but I’m sure if I become more disciplined with there could be multiple updates a week. That’s the plan anyway, but I know that if I commit too much with everything else that Sharon and I have going on, the plans could go awry (the best laid plans of mice and men, right?). I have also started more of a website than what this is for reviewing books, authors, pipes and pipe tobacco. It’s pretty bare bones at the moment but you can check it out here: www.thepipeandthepage.weebly.com.

Grace and Peace,

Nick

Prayer Appointed for the Week (February 17 - 23)

The First Sunday of Lent

I saw this article posted earlier this week by a good friend and pastor of mine, Ross Guthrie, who is an elder at Christ Community Church in Jackson, TN. I think this article is worth a look if you are new to Lent and want a better understanding of the purpose of the season. Read the article here. Enjoy my friends!

Prayer for the Week:

"Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan; come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptation; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. "

Don't Panic!

Seriously, don't panic! You're not going crazy, this is a double wammy post. Yes, that's right! Two, count 'em two book reviews in one post!

First, if you haven't guessed by now, I just finished The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglass Adams. There's really not too much to say regarding the book other than it was fun, random, and completely ridiculous! The book itself make absolutely no sense, you have to be sure to read it with an open sense of humor and just enjoy it for what it is... a piece of science fiction. The adventure begins with Arthur Dent, and his alien friend Ford, hitching a ride on a space ship right after the Earth is destroyed to make way for an intergalactic highway. From there Arthur's adventures continue to get even more ridiculous as he is picked up by an Improbability Drive space ship by the President of the Galaxy. Then, taken to a planet building factory where he learns that mice are the most intelligent beings in the universe (dolphin's being the second), who actually ordered the Earth to be constructed to learn the Ultimate Question and purpose of life, only for it to be foiled five minutes before they were to have their answer when the Earth was blown up for a highway! See, I told you it was ridiculous! If you enjoy science fiction, or just a good laugh, I recommend this book as you will thoroughly enjoy it.

The second book, I actually read a couple of weeks ago and is called Last Hope - Book One: Onslaught by Drew Brown.Warning: Spoilers! (I hope you read that in the voice of Dr. River Song):

Ok, so this isn't always the case, but when you "buy" a free book, you get what you pay for. That being said, although this book was... interesting to say the least, it wasn't all that bad. The story itself is enough to keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next. However, it is fun (and slightly funny) to see how people stereotype others from other countries. We Americans have our opinions of our good friends across the pond and what they are like, but the stereotypes of the two Americans in this book are downright humorous. The main character, Budd, is a decent enough fellow except for his horrible ability to come up with crappy pet names for his love interest, Juliette, every time he addresses her. Every once in a while, sure, but every time? A bit overkill. The other American, a Californian, had a horrible knack of saying "dude" in every sentence. Having married a woman who grew up in Southern California, I can personally attest that not all Southern Californians say "dude" all the time. 

Now that is out of the way, the writing wasn't terrible. I've never written anything that has been published, so Mr. Brown, you have a one up on me here. As I said before, the story moves along quite well. The zombies are fun and terrifying... especially the ones who are dubbed "fast movers" who have the ability to run like crazed psychopaths trying to fulfill their blood lust. The other creepy thing was the zombie children that seemed to have the ability to still think on a somewhat cognitive level... but with a "Neo" type ability to anticipate and dodge bullets. I'm sure that this will be explained more in the second book, which I may pick up at some point. 

Over all, the book was okay. If you like zombies and a quick read, pick it up on Amazon for free for the kindle. 


So long, and thanks for all the fish!

Ash Wednesday Prayer

As a substitute for the Prayer for the Week I decided to wait until today to post the prayer for Ash Wednesday. Although the Lenten season is a time of fasting and reflection, it is also one of renewal. While it may be odd to say that one would love this season, Lent is one of the many reasons why I love the Calendar.   We spend so much of our time within the church focusing on how to be "better Christians." We pour through the letters of Paul and Epistles of Peter and John, and while these are great ways to continue our discipleship and obviously breathed out by the Holy Spirit, I think we miss sometimes that Jesus himself gave us a great example... fasting and praying. By observing the Lenten season we continue our journey with Christ through the wilderness, fasting and praying, remembering that from the dust we've come and to the dust we will return, and allowing our focus to once again be drawn to the Lord so that we might enter into worship. May the peace of our Lord Jesus be with you all.

"Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."

Grace and Peace to you. 

Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller

This was my first experience with Donald Miller. I know, it baffles the mind does it not? That I made it completely through college where Blue Like Jazz was passed around from student to student like a Hookah at a house party.

At any rate, the book itself was an easy-to-read attempt to break, not only the presentation of the Gospel into easy to understand terms, but also the way we (by we I mean the Church as a whole) perceive the Scriptures. (Have I bored you yet? I promise, the book itself is not as boring as I am making it out to be) While, for the most part, I can get behind what Miller is stating throughout the book, I do think taking the theological aspect out of our perception of Scripture is a dangerous road to walk down. In his defense, he does mention the necessity of theological study in his afterword, but nevertheless, he does seem to easily toss theology aside for a simplistic understanding of the Scriptures. Is this a bad thing? Not at all... for awhile. At some point, we can not ignore the deeper meanings and truths behind the Scriptures if we truly wish to move beyond the milk and toward the meat. Moses may not have known the deeper implications of the words the Spirit was directing him to write, but that does not mean they weren't there. (I only bring this up because Miller seems to dismiss certain truths that are being presented in the first 3 chapters of Genesis as us projecting these truths on the Scriptures and not seeing the relational aspect behind them).

Another thing that bothered me, (and I promise I'm not ranting against Miller, just pointing out parts that I think warrant further discussion) is the idea that we have broken down not only the Gospel, but spiritual life in general, into such formulaic rituals that we have long lost the meaning behind what the Scriptures are teaching. I will say that I agree that there are some that may become more dependent on their formulas or on their rituals and lose complete focus on Christ, but I do believe that these rituals can, for others, bring many into closer worship and communion with Christ. Not just through the taking of the Eucharist (or Lord's Supper), or baptism, but also through praying daily (whether that be praying the Hours or just pausing throughout the day to pray). Much like in marriage where we have certain "rituals" that we perform to bring our relationship closer (not just sex, but praying together, eating together, etc...) I feel that some things that believers do (mainly those I listed in the previous sentence) can and do bring us into deeper worship and relationship with the Lord. Or, at the very least, help us to focus our attention again on Christ.

All of that said, I have no problems recommending this book to someone, or for that matter even recommending it as a study for a group, but I do think some healthy discussion would benefit those that read it and I think it would benefit them well.

Prayer Appointed for the Week (February 3 - February 9, 2013)

Ah ha! See, I told you I would sit down this afternoon and actually post this before half of the week was over. And you didn't believe me... silly you. At any rate, I just finished reading Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller and I will be posting my review right here in a day or two. So there's something for you to look forward to! I don't know what I shall pick up next, I have about 10 books that I've started that I should probably finish, so it very well may be one of those.
Before I type the prayer for this week, I just realized that I gave you this week's for last week, SO, I'll just give you last week for this week... a little off from the Scriptures in the Lectionary, but still good stuff. Alright, without further adieu, the prayer for the week:

Grace and Peace to you.

Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Prayer Appointed for the Week (January 27 - February 2)

Okay, so once again I have waited until closer to the end of the week to post the prayer for this week, but I promise to try and sit down on Sunday afternoons and type this particular post. At any rate, I pray you all are well. May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

"Almighty and everlasting God, you govern all things both in heaven and on earth: Mercifully hear the supplications of your people and in our time grant us your peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen." 

Prayer Appointed for the Week (January 20 - 26)

Well, in keeping with the tradition of my blog, here again is the Prayer for the week. I know the week is pretty much over, but here it is nonetheless.

Peace of Christ to you all



Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ's glory, that he may be known, worshiped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and forever. Amen

One year later...

Since it has been a year since I last posted, I figured it may be a good time to bring back the ole blog and see if, permaybehaps, I might have better luck keeping up with everything. SO, I'm sure you've all been sitting on the edge of your seats wondering "What has been going on in Nick and Sharon's lives for the last 12 months?" Well wonder no more! Here is what has happened in bullet form:

- I turned 27 on March 8th 2012

- Sharon turned 29 on April 11th 2012

- Sharon and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary by taking a 7 day Eastern Caribbean Cruise with Royal Caribbean.

- We adopted our 2nd puppy, Bombadil! He actually peed on this couch about 5 minutes after this picture. Good thing we don't have that couch anymore!

- I spent a quick weekend over Memorial Day in Corinth and Jackson, TN to visit friends and family

- Sharon and I joined her folks as we celebrated Caroline's (my sister-in-law) birthday at Disney World. We enjoyed Epcot and Animal Kingdom as well as some tasty foods.

- We had 3, count them 3 trick-or-treaters for Halloween. In an Apt complex, with awesome Jack o' Lanterns on the deck, you'da thunk we would have had more!

- Got to see one of my closest friends, Shaun, marry this gal in Jackson! We also spent the weekend catching up with our Christ Community Church friends as well as one of my other best friends, Brandon and his family. Speaking of which, Brandon and Leah had their first child on my birthday. Coincidence? Nawp, and since their surname is Jones, that kid is totally being called Indiana, and he'll like it!

- We spent Thanksgiving with Sharon's family, Christmas with mine, New Years with hers and now we're starting all over.

Exciting? Meh, it had it's moments, but nothing too crazy and yet, I'm perfectly fine with that. Oh, yeah, and somewhere in there I took a few insurance tests (see, not exciting) and took a couple of seminary courses and we became GIANT Whovians! All in all though, it has been a good year and we're looking forward to a good 2013. There is some exciting news that I have (if it works out), but I will wait a few more weeks before divulging anything. Don't get too excited, it's not a baby, but who knows what this year may bring?

Until next time, Gadget.

Third Sunday after Epiphany / Prayer for the Week (January 22-28)

This week, as we continue through the Epiphany season, we see Christ calling some of his disciples from Mark's account of the Gospel:
"Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.' Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, 'Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.' And immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him." Mark 1:14-20

If there is any reason whatsoever to use the Lectionary, today's Sunday school class would be the prime example. Today, our class had to merge with another due to the teacher being out and the person who was to take her place was sick. That being said, our lesson today was from Hosea. The teacher of the class asked the simple question: "What makes God angry?" Simple enough, right? Simple enough that a simple (and overtly Sunday school answer) of sin would have sufficed, yes? Well, after 25 minutes of "God doesn't mind about the little sins," from one guy and "Well, I've been talking with some Muslims and we essentially have the same God because they also worship the God of Abraham," from a woman in the class, and "God doesn't get angry with us because he loves us," from another, Sharon and I had heard enough. Thankfully the teacher, nor the rest of the class, were supporting such heresy, but needless to say something needed to be said. Sharon spoke up and plainly stated: "God does get angry with us because of our sin, BUT BECAUSE OF CHRIST," I felt the need to capitalize that since apparently no one in the class was getting to the obvious answer throughout the morning lesson, "God is able to pour out his wrath on Christ's work on the cross and not on us." I'm obviously paraphrasing her comment, but still, it was quite frustrating to listen to the arguments people were trying to make and to rationalize God. "Reason is a whore, and the greatest enemy that faith has" Martin Luther once said. Therefore, is it safe to assume that trying to rationalize God might, in fact, be a sin? Anywho...

During lunch we had a pretty lengthy discussion over the lesson and realized how fortunate we both have been to have sat under great teaching (having gone to Union and have attended Christ Community [I'm sure she has others, but that one stands out for me more than any others]) and had wonderful opportunities for discipleship. To bring it all back to the Lectionary, Christ Community may not have used the Lectionary for Sunday school lessons, but thankfully the lessons were used for the building up of the bride. Also, IF (and I stress if) any crazy heresy happened to be spurted out in a lesson, it was quickly corrected lest someone leave believing things that simply weren't true.

Anyway, enough of that. I just thought I'd share our interesting... yes, interesting experience from this morning. Go in peace, brethren, be warm and filled.

Prayer for the Week:
Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Reuniting the Physical and the Spiritual

As I stated in Sunday's post, I am currently reading "Evangelical is Not Enough" by Thomas Howard. In this book, Howard is in no way condemning evangelicalism but is simply making the argument that, from his experience, growing up evangelical gave him a knowledge of Christ, redemption, prayer, etc... but left him wanting more. I have to say, I agree with him to a certain extent. It's one thing entirely to tell others of Jesus and his death, burial and resurrection, it's another thing to disciple them into what a life walking with Christ will be like (simply put, it's one thing to make converts, it's something totally different to make disciples). My experience right after I came to the Faith was "okay, you're a Christian, read your Bible and start acting like a Christian," without really any guidance toward what that meant. I am in no way condemning those who were in spiritual authority over me, only stating what my perspective was. Although the things that I heard and learned were sound as far as the Scriptures were concerned, left to my own devices, I was completely at a loss of where to start and what to do. But, enough about that, back to Thomas Howard (who actually touches on that point in a different chapter, but that is another post in and of itself).

In the second chapter of his book he begins discussing the Spirit and the Flesh. In this chapter he discusses how growing up evangelical he was instructed that there is a major difference in the spiritual man and the fleshly man. That ones worship is within, not without. That images, posture, tangible things were inappropriate when it came to worship and to things of God. In the section that shares its title with this post he states to assume these things is a misunderstanding of the Incarnation of Christ. He states, "The Incarnation took all that properly belongs to our humanity and delivered it back to us, redeemed. All of our inclinations, appetites, capacities, yearnings and proclivities are purified, gathered up and glorified by Christ. He did not come to thin out human life; He came to set it free! All the dancing, feasting, processing, singing, building, sculpting, baking and merrymaking that belong to us, and that were stolen away into the service of false gods, are returned to us in the Gospel."

He also argues that position of our bodies also belong in the act of worship. He states later on, "To restrict worship to sitting in pews and listening to words spoken is to narrow things down in a manner strange to the gospel. We are creatures who are made to bow, not just spiritually (angels can do that) but with kneebones and neck muscles." This statement comes after telling of his experience in an Anglican church while studying abroad in Britain and how the congregation would kneel every time they would pray during the service.

In regards to how tangible things relates to our spiritual life he says, "It is in the physical world that the intangible meets us. A kiss seals a courtship. The sexual act seals a marriage. A ring betokens the marriage. A diploma crowns years of schooling. A doctoral robe bespeaks intellectual achievement. A uniform and stripes announce a recruit's training. A crown girds the brow that rules England. This symbolism bespeaks the sort of creature we are. To excise all of this from piety and worship is to suggest that the Gospel beckons us away from our humanity into a disembodied realm. It is to turn the Incarnation into a mere doctrine."

Needless to say, Howard makes a compelling point about how the spiritual needs to be reunited with the physical. Obviously there is not one perfect way to worship the Lord, but for someone like Howard (and I have learned over the last few years, someone like me), although it may appear constricting and legalistic, it is actually very freeing to have these disciplines and outlooks and allows for a different perspective on worship. 

Second Sunday after Epiphany / Prayer for the Week (January 15 - 21)

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered him,“Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” John 1: 43-51 (ESV)

I will eventually begin to add some substantial commentary to these passages that I post, especially in regards to the current season of the calendar. At the moment, I am not only trying to establish the habit of blogging on a regular basis, but also establish the Sunday posts as one that references one of the selected passages from the Lectionary as well as gives the Prayer for the Week laid based on the Book of Common Prayer. Fun? Yes, I believe so.

As a little teaser, I am reading an interesting book that was referred to me by none other than good ole Ross Guthrie called "Evangelical is not Enough" by Thomas Howard. I just read a very intriguing section on the the Flesh and the Spirit that I will share with you later this week. So stay tuned for further developments. For now, toodles.

Prayer for the Week:

Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ's glory, that he may be known, worshiped, and obeyed to the ends of the Earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and forever. Amen.

First Sunday after Epiphany / Prayer for the Week (January 8 - 14)

"Battesimo di Cristo"

By El Greco, 1568

"John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. "And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. "Now John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. "And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 'I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.'
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, 'You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.'” Mark 1:4-11 (ESV)

Prayer Appointed for the Week:

Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit: Grant that all who are baptized into his Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly confess him as Lord and Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

Epiphany

Good Evening friends,

I know it has been awhile (a long while actually) since my last post. I'm sure many were beginning to wonder if I was actually going to post on "Musings of a Married Man" as an actual married man. Alas though, here is another attempt to begin blogging on a regular basis.

I thought that a good time to pick up this "habit" again would be on the day we observe the Epiphany. For those of you that read my blog (or happen to stumble upon it) that do not know about the season of Epiphany, it is simply the celebration of the coming of the Magi to worship the God-Man, the Word made flesh, Jesus the Christ.

Matthew records the account in the second chapter of his Gospel:
"Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way."

As I have mentioned before (I think), I love the liturgical calendar for many reasons but one is because we are allowed the opportunity to celebrate and study these different moments in the life of our Lord. It allows us a chance to look again at certain passages of Scripture and to also show how Christ's birth was predicted in the Old Testament. Isaiah writes:
"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip. Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult, because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the LORD." Isaiah 60:1-6

Another fun thing about this day is that it gives me an opportunity to plug a great website that a friend of mine operates. You may know what a wonderful resource his website is, but if not, I would like to direct your attention to some of the art on there. This piece is one of my favorites (as well as the song that accompanies it), I highly recommend it and the piece in question fits within our discussion. You can find it here.

There is quite a bit more that could be said about the beginning of this season in the Church, but I will need more content to post so you'll just have to wait until next year for a more in-depth discussion. As has been my custom on here, I will end this year's post on the Epiphany with the Evening Office:
"Oh God, who by the leading of a star did manifest your only begotten son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence where we may behold your glory face to face, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, on God, now and forever. Amen."

Prayer Appointed for the Week (June 19-25)

My apologies for this being two days late.

Lord, make me have perpetual love and reverence for your holy Name, for you never fail to help and govern those whom you have set upon the sure foundation of your loving-kindness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Relient K

Ok guys, so I have to admit, I LOVE Relient K. These guys are nothing short of musical geniuses. With each new album they release they continue to be better and better. With that said, I don't know if it is a good sign or a death omen for a band to be making a cover CD, but Relient K has an EP coming out this year called "Relient K is for Karaoke" and it is an album of cover songs. The video below is has short clips from each song throughout it, so check it out. All of them (oddly enough including the Beiber one) seem to have great potential.

Click HERE to enjoy Relient K awesomeness!

Prayer Appointed for the Week (June 12-18)

Keep, O Lord, your household the Church in your steadfast love, that through your grace each of us may proclaim your truth with boldness, and minister your justice with compassion; for the sake of our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, on God, now and forever. Amen