tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65354125635338147032012-02-16T18:16:11.832-06:00Waiting for the day when I'll be the picker!Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.comBlogger701100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-56443506210293830482009-05-21T15:13:00.002-05:002009-05-21T15:37:45.958-05:00

I really am a little nervous about this post, but it's pretty important to me so I'll go on with it anyway.In my life, experience, and opinion, one of the hardest, if not THE hardest thing to do in Christian community is to fully accept someone. In Romans 15:7, we are commanded to receive/accept one another has Jesus has accepted us. In my NT professor's opinion, this verse is the climax of

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-64847961965302747452009-03-22T14:48:00.002-05:002009-03-22T15:05:02.668-05:00

One of my favorite comedy routines is Jim Gaffigan talking about Christianity. I think you can find the routine on youtube or his website or something. Just Google it, why should I do all your detective work?! Or just take my word for it, it's hilarious.In one of his bits, he talks about how things get immediately awkward whenever anyone brings up the topic of Jesus. Even the pope gets

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-16925104715928318852009-03-22T14:16:00.003-05:002009-03-22T14:40:51.671-05:00

Well, not "Hollywood" per se, but Kansas City doesn't have any exciting true stories of intrigue and suspense: that is, until now!!I want to depart from the theoretical rights and wrongs of Christianity and describe some of my experiences in real, true, gritty, raw format. Excited yet? I know I am.To begin, I confess that I am a horrible, horrible coward when it comes to talking about Jesus

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-11929039719975248302009-03-15T15:39:00.004-05:002009-03-15T16:06:43.537-05:00

Well, to be honest, this post does not have much to do with Leviticus, but laws from God in general, and I just liked the alliteration, so I stand by my title.Going through Matthew in our church, I am struck (probably purposefully by the author) by the competing philosophies of the Pharisees and Jesus. (sarcastically: "NNNOOOOOOOOO, REEEEAAAALLLY?!?!!?!).This difference is especially noticeable

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-40612019285697110512009-03-07T15:34:00.003-06:002009-03-07T16:48:33.797-06:00

Preaching has been coming into question over the past decade (more or less) with arguments like the shorter attention spans of the hearers, the inauthenticity of pretentious pastors, its inability to actually change lives, and various and sundry other arguments.Proponents of preaching, cite biblical references, historical precedent, and start screaming louder and louder to drown out opposition.

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-6871512103081658392009-03-06T16:28:00.003-06:002009-03-06T16:37:43.769-06:00

I don't usually like to blog about personal issues, but I suppose every rule has to have an exception. Today, my wife and I were preapproved for a mortgage, and have thus taken our first steps toward homeownership.I am really excited! I am looking forward to shopping around, and picking out a place that will finally be "ours," with no hassles about damage, no worries about the people downstairs

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-82925300348296259752009-02-22T22:46:00.003-06:002009-02-22T23:35:24.853-06:00

One of the most frustrating things about being interested in Christianity and especially in Greek and Hebrew is that I have to suffer through hearing other people butcher texts and run roughshod over them (What up Dr. T!!).This is ESPECIALLY true with the word "Worship."Some common definitions heard in pulpits (and behind music stands) are that it "literally" means to ascribe worth, and the Greek

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-30134421451404385452009-02-21T18:27:00.007-06:002009-02-21T19:56:05.882-06:00

I'm sure that the more refined readers will recognize the title as being stolen from Shakespeare (Sonnet CXVI to be precise).So what does an old love poem have to do with western culture's movement from modernism to postmoderism, Christian existentialism, and my life so far? Good question!"Modernism" can be grossly oversimplified as the search for foundations, and even THE foundation. Modernism

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-38877051141330193912009-02-01T22:49:00.002-06:002009-02-01T23:27:22.934-06:00

I am a guy who loves questions. I love to question everything and every process and every rule I encounter to see just how much scrutiny it holds up to. I especially love it when people ask me questions. I love being the answer man. Questions, questions, questions. It's how I learn and grow.I wonder now if God is the same as me in this regard. I know when Jesus was on earth He was the

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-58132813890500046722009-01-16T23:04:00.003-06:002009-01-16T23:35:26.870-06:00

I was listening to a favorite preacher of mine the other day (hoo-ray for podcasts!) and he was talking about needing to define what a church is before you start one.Sounds logical.I decided to try a little bit, so here goes:"Church" in the Greek is actually best defined as "Assembly." Much like the word "synagogue," it can refer to both the members (primary) and the place of assembly (secondary

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-80846343358219806532008-12-21T23:38:00.003-06:002008-12-22T00:10:35.821-06:00

In reading through Matthew with our church, we have seen that miracles were a very important part in confirming the truth of Jesus' messiah-ship.No problems there...Jesus did miracles. He was/is God. That's what gods do. How did they work? What were the mechanics of healings/feedings/exorcisms? I have no idea, but that's OK, because I'm not God.The problem springs up around chapter 10, where

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-40331366983874040622008-12-21T11:43:00.003-06:002008-12-21T11:51:56.915-06:00

I found this link doing some browsing on some alleged correspondance between Horus and Osiris and Jesus. As suspected, many Wikipedia-types are just making crap up with no basis at all.My favorite is how people claim both Horus and Jesus were baptized at age thirty, but the only story that comes close is when Horus is eaten by an alligator!! I have a hard time calling that a parallel.The link

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-13600595115141872672008-12-13T13:06:00.002-06:002008-12-13T13:28:31.040-06:00

I have been renting episodes of "My Name Is Earl" from Blockbuster Online, and I have absolutely fallen in love with the show. I know, it's no "Office," but they are two completely different types of comedy.Anyhow, the show's premise is all about Karma--do bad things, and bad things happen, and vice versa. The main character is trying to make up for all of the bad things he's done by helping

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-33049908731020811002008-12-13T12:28:00.004-06:002008-12-13T13:06:10.980-06:00

I was reading a book on Ancient mythology the other day, and I noticed something: there are a lot of ancient myths from the Near/Middle East that involve the death and resurrection of a god, usually celebrated in early spring (sound familiar?).I have heard of some of these before, such as Baal, Adonis, Osiris, Mithras, Hercules, but I found that the list goes on and on (Wikipedia listed about 30!

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-40097273500004449842008-11-09T12:37:00.002-06:002008-11-09T12:56:31.177-06:00

Was Jesus right-brained or left-brained? What a weird question to ask, but it's the thing that keeps me awake at nights. I think most preachers paint him as a left-brained, type-A, person, while music leaders, picture him as the opposite (of course their are exceptions).For myself, I wonder. Isn't it interesting how much of ourselves we constantly put into Jesus. Think of all those

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-57916946414128442202008-10-19T10:49:00.004-05:002008-10-21T23:22:17.542-05:00

Let me get this out of the way first: ideally, I'm a pacifist. I've never been in a fist fight. I've never been in an offensive military vehicle. I was in the Air Force for four years as a plane mechanic and I got out because I had a hard time being a part of an organization whose job it was to cause death and injury. It's not easy to live with that.Having said all that now, I have to say that I

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-7846613634259879222008-10-18T17:21:00.003-05:002008-10-18T17:57:36.638-05:00

While I alluded to this in my last post, I wanted to deal a little more fully with politics and economics from a Christian perspective. First point: God did not invent the free-market political system. It's not in the Bible, and there seem to be several things against this in the Bible.BUT--while the Bible seems to advocate a form of socialism, we must remember that it had God as its beginning,

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-59587678815706780532008-10-18T16:31:00.005-05:002008-10-18T17:21:27.930-05:00

As we're coming to the close of this oppressively long political season, I've been struggling to reconcile my religious views with my political ones. Certain religious thinkers, especially lately, have been espousing the idea that the purpose of Christianity is bring about God's Kingdom on earth, politically, environmentally, relationally, and so on.The problem is that Jesus didn't really

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-50615399026304008372008-09-27T18:23:00.002-05:002008-09-27T18:32:36.537-05:00

This is just kind of a passing fancy, just to see if I can do it, but I have been thinking about trying to just eat vegetarian for one week. I'm not sure I can even make it a day, but there will surely be no harm in trying it.I was originally thinking about going for one month, but that's kind of ridiculous. I'll probably keep dairy in there. I'm not going to go all vegan or anything.It's

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-19515622191088449762008-09-27T16:43:00.003-05:002008-09-27T18:11:50.737-05:00

What's on your "Sins Checklist"?I know it seems like an odd question, but the thing is, most of the behaviors we know as "sin" are not even covered in the Bible. And some that are, are not the things we make them. I'll give you some examples:1) Saying cuss words2) Smoking/dipping tobacco3) Drinking Alcohol (as in not to drunkenness and debauchery and belligerency)4) Listening to loud rock/rap

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-79320928178031624352008-08-20T00:18:00.002-05:002008-09-15T14:29:54.300-05:00

For most of you reading this, you know I really don't have a particular fondness for traditional styles of church. I have been gathering with a home-based church group for several months now and I have just fallen in love with it. I just wanted to take a little time to explain why I love it so much.1) Eating together every week. While this may sound trivial to some, my primary love language (

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-46738268410060624782008-08-13T11:32:00.003-05:002008-08-13T11:59:01.911-05:00

I just finished plowing my way through Mark for my "quiet time" ritual, and I thought I'd share some of that, since my last few posts have been just complaints (I'm practicing for Rush Limbaugh's job!).Clearly, one of Mark's distinctives is his emphasis on the path of discipleship. His gospel takes Jesus from baptism (the beginning of discipleship) through resurrection, and leaves the ending wide

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-26814443117439757762008-08-01T01:40:00.002-05:002008-08-01T02:04:07.923-05:00

Moving is no fun!So now the wife and me are in a new place with a little breathing room (finally!). Although, the living room is a stupid "L" shape that is impossible to design around with our furniture. Not only that, but the finished basement, while big, has narrow stairs that almost no furniture can go down, so our hands are really tied, decorationally speaking. Oh well.I don't know if

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-19611773139042315502008-07-20T08:09:00.003-05:002008-07-20T08:32:04.665-05:00

As some of you can imagine, I'm not really happy working at UPS. I've been looking for a supplemental job for awhile now, and I may have something here. Over the weekend, I interviewed for a job with T-Mobile. The great thing is, it sounds like this could be more than a supplemental income job, but a real job for awhile that could take the place of UPS and allow me to make a livable wage,

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-44380339798375128042008-07-13T16:00:00.002-05:002008-07-13T16:32:26.303-05:00

Because of anti-traditional diatribes of late, I have been questioned by several people vis-a-vis what happens when my anti-traditions become tradition.First, I want to make clear that none of my ideas are innovations. In fact, most of them even predate Jesus (e.g., Socratic method style teaching). Second, I have no love whatsoever for chasing fads, or the next new thing. Part of the problem

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-52908099912811733162008-06-30T23:06:00.002-05:002008-06-30T23:32:15.701-05:00

This past Sunday I preached a sermon at Set Free about "Life in the Desert," essentially explaining how to cope with times of difficulty and spiritual frustration and the feeling that God is very distant. If you've read my past few blogs, I'm sure you can see how appropriate that is for my season of life.So for those of you who feel like you're wandering around in circles, getting nowhere, and "

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-79307547818622503842008-06-24T12:35:00.001-05:002008-06-24T13:02:41.187-05:00

I wrote this awhile ago, but got too mad in the middle and had to delete it. I'll try this again, now, with a little self-restraint.Every now and then I search through the pastor search websites, just because I still need a job with a livable wage, and over and over I see that churches almost unanimously require five years of senior pastor experience.This is a problem for several reasons:1) most

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-67838433758607324152008-06-12T12:44:00.003-05:002008-06-12T13:11:22.412-05:00

I was just reading "Blue Like Jazz" by Donald Miller (again!) and there was something in there about letting things or people "name" you. That is, making your entire worth come from one person or something.It became clear to me that I have let my vision of the future "name" me. I had decided that I would have no value to anyone unless I planted a successful church in Northern Virginia. That's

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-45501274684597979822008-06-08T23:24:00.004-05:002008-06-09T00:30:44.650-05:00

It's amazing to me that much of my haranguing of the "traditional church" stems from petty jealousy. Why don't I have a big church (or A church) like those other idiots?Which idiots, you ask?--Joel Osteen has the largest church in America and you're lucky to hear a reference to the Bible (much less Jesus) in one of his sermons.--Then there was that guy in Colorado who had a mega church, was

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-61381779802140160602008-06-08T16:31:00.002-05:002008-06-08T17:02:25.566-05:00

There was a commercial a while ago about some company (maybe Nextel??) that allowed people to be flexible when the situation changed. And even though I don't remember exactly what the commercial was advertising, I remember that everybody in these commercials said "Change of plans" about 100 times. It got pretty irritating.Anyway, as I follow Jesus, that seems to be the theme of my life:Career

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-62922493151580616552008-05-25T22:05:00.003-05:002008-05-25T22:32:12.936-05:00

Just so I'm not misunderstood, here's my definition of "traditional" church:A church whose mission focus and front door is the Sunday Worship service, with the service's main focus being the sermon, and whose supplemental programs focus almost exclusively on classroom learning.According to this definition, most "contemporary" churches are the same as traditional ones, just with different

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-60125865978994883182008-05-25T21:41:00.003-05:002008-05-25T22:05:55.486-05:00

This post may go over some people's heads, but I'm OK with that.I'm really excited to be graduated so that now I can finally read all the books I've been wanting to read but couldn't because of the demands of school. I'm reading more about the "emergent" wing of the emerging church, frequently classified as those who reside in emergentvillage.com.One of their unifying traits (if any!) is the

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-66230472028928015072008-05-19T14:35:00.003-05:002008-05-19T14:46:56.105-05:00

I just finished reading The Present Future by Reggie McNeal. It was a graduation present and a good read. He said a lot of the same things that I've been writing about, except his was more thought out and a few years before me!Here's my deal. I want a church (group of people) to be different, not just for the sake of new, but for the sake of discipleship. As I've been saying we really need to

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-70737421098266699192008-05-16T16:32:00.002-05:002008-05-16T16:57:47.419-05:00

There is a Proverb from the book of Proverbs in the Bible that says, "iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." This verse is generally used for men's fellowships and whatnot, but I think the scope is a little more general. That is, the process of maturing happens on the forge of relationships, interactions, and communication.Spiritual maturity cannot happen as a monk, unless that monk

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-67846836295087665172008-05-12T12:28:00.002-05:002008-05-12T12:46:02.770-05:00

Well, I've got everything done (I think!) for graduation. The only thing left is to sign a few out-processing documents and walk the aisle in my festal garments.I've been thinking about the discipleship process and church and blah-dee-blah-da-blooblooo, and I think I've come up with something. I think it's kind of cool, so I won't reveal it just yet (although I bet someone else somewhere has

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-9525655409459179452008-04-24T23:40:00.004-05:002008-04-24T23:57:47.876-05:00

I stole the title from a famous old movie called "12 o'clock High" starring Gregory Peck. It's an amazing movie on leadership and stuff and everyone should watch it.Anyhow, this is not a commercial. There is a hot shot leader who thinks he is too good for everyone and doesn't respect Mr. Peck's authority. In response to this, the punk kid leader is put in charge of all the least-effective crew

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-20494112233027527562008-04-13T15:14:00.002-05:002008-04-13T15:55:45.851-05:00

As I have been in different Sunday school classes in my career as a church attender, it seems like the hardest thing to do is to get people to answer questions, discuss their life, or whatever. One thing I have found that can reverse the trend is a little transparency.The problem, however, is that inbred Christian churches (i.e., churches grow by the majority of transfer membership, and never

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-39250612958358838712008-04-08T10:33:00.002-05:002008-04-08T10:56:59.229-05:00

I have really been thinking hard (aka wasting time) about coming up with a new purpose of the church. Basically, what I have seen is that churches want everyone but the pastor and song leader to just listen to them.This is partially why I do so much music stuff in churches: A) I can't sit down or sit still long enough and B) I hate the music in most churches (but I already blogged about that!).

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-14358419157767818502008-03-26T11:09:00.003-05:002008-03-26T11:31:49.860-05:00

In speaking about all that's "wrong" with more traditional churches, I have had something playing in my mind over and over again. There is a very memorable scene in the movie Dumb and Dumber (I like the TV version so all the bad stuff is cut out) where Jim Carey's character is trying on a series of tuxedos. He comes out in all these amazing, expensive, and fancy tuxedos and has just a horrible,

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-38077033482385840972008-03-24T18:16:00.005-05:002008-03-26T11:40:55.238-05:00

I just finished "Why Men Hate Church" and I was in hearty agreement! Basically, church is for sissies, which is ironic, since almost all pastors and leaders are still "men." There is no challenge from the church (except to stop being mean and naughty?) and church is all about sitting still, being quiet, sharing emotions, and happy-clappy music (if you're LUCKY). Plus, the God of Christianity (

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-17904745733520571562008-03-18T12:36:00.004-05:002008-03-18T13:06:31.057-05:00

In quick response to my last posts, I want to propose a solution to the "problems." My main problem is that the older forms of churches are out of touch with culture, but not in the good way. While being irrelevant to the sinful elements of culture is absolutely what the church is called to do, we are not commanded to just be relevant to older cultures. Missionaries have learned this and work

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-10427960679280403432008-03-18T12:12:00.003-05:002008-03-18T12:36:04.838-05:00

Finally, in my scathing assessments of what everybody else is messing up, I want to say a word about Seeker/Purpose Driven/Vineyard/Contemporary churches.I find it a peculiar irony that these churches still call themselves "contemporary" when most of them are based on Baby Boomer sensibilities perfected in the 1960s-80s.These churches are now falling into the temptation to perpetuate a dying

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-82725016120704743232008-03-18T11:44:00.002-05:002008-03-18T12:12:32.181-05:00

Next in my series of "everybody's wrong but me" in church matters comes "What's wrong with traditional baptist-style churches.Traditional Southern Baptist or Independent Baptist churches do not really have the same problems as say the traditional Lutheran or Anglican/Episcopalian churches. But a similar weakness exists.They arose from 18th-19th century hillbilly and farming communities across

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-27089449156656550282008-03-18T11:24:00.004-05:002008-03-18T11:44:00.816-05:00

I was just asked by a Christian friend today, "what's wrong with traditional churches?" Seeing as that's kind of a loaded question, I'll try to tread lightly here.First of all, let me say that every church is different, and what I'm about to say does not apply to every church, so if it doesn't apply, don't be offended.The main problem I have with the traditional church is that it arose out of a

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-19360663359794691722008-03-17T14:42:00.003-05:002008-03-17T15:03:29.228-05:00

I think it's been about a month since I last posted. Here's a synopsis of what has happened.--Preaching class has taken a lot of my time. I generally have good content, but I'm having trouble with enthusiasm in delivery. I'm still working on it, though.--The youth pastor thing in TN did not work out. We had an interview over the phone, but I was not that excited about the area (too Bible-belt),

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-46600621660796166432008-02-15T22:46:00.003-06:002008-02-16T00:01:20.533-06:00

Normally, I hate to broadcast my shortcomings, but I also realize that I can't afford to broadcast only my victories. Hopefully, I'm not being too transparent.Here's the thing: I know I'm good at a lot of things. But on the flip side of that, I know I'm not the best at anything, and I never will be. The thing is, many times I just resent the people that are better than me.Let me rephrase that,

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-69620885610772080542008-02-10T22:55:00.000-06:002008-02-10T23:32:28.822-06:00

Well, I just finished paper number one this semester, and I'm off to my next project(s). Next Sunday I am preaching at North Point (where I'm helping out with music), and I am really looking forward to it. I'm preaching on Acts 13:47-48, and it's a very special passage to me. As I see it, this wraps up the mission of the church in a nice, neat little package.Basically, if I get the opportunity to

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-41458612265335249292008-02-02T20:49:00.000-06:002008-02-02T21:34:00.388-06:00

I'm taking Advanced Preaching this semester, and I'm finding more to love and more to hate about preparing sermons. One of the biggest things I love is doing the background work, and digging up new information, making new connections across Scripture, and seeing how God worked in the Bible and the possibilities of how He can still work today.Then comes the application. Not that I hate discovering

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-59942730334270717912008-01-26T20:18:00.000-06:002008-01-26T20:36:51.649-06:00

I just got an email from some old friends from my Wichita church. They moved to Tennessee about 5 years ago or so with the Air National Guard. As it happens, their church is sans Youth Pastor, and my old Sunday School Teachers thought of me.Hmmm. Me in Tennessee? Anyway, we'll see how things go. I told them to read this blog to get an accurate picture of my goals and beliefs. It may not go

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-87357040028120439012008-01-23T10:55:00.000-06:002008-01-23T11:35:40.664-06:00

Today was my first Bible study with Set Free. It went great. Some of the guys could really identify with the concept of suffering despite being right. There were around 12 guys there. Almost all of them come from a background of drugs and/or alcohol. But God has done an amazing work in their lives, and it is so obvious. Also, these guys are so refreshingly real. They have no pretensions

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-67079969410449544842008-01-21T23:32:00.000-06:002008-01-22T00:19:49.696-06:00

I thought that I'd take the time to share some of the things from the Bible Study I'm doing with the Set Free church. We'll be going through the book of 2 Corinthians, one of my absolute favorites!When Paul wrote the letter, the situation at Corinth was a mess. A small group of people were slandering Paul for "breaking promises" dealing with travel plans. They were saying that all his

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-82757458723798114372008-01-18T23:26:00.001-06:002008-01-18T23:56:16.561-06:00

This is one of those things that I don't think anyone would find profound but me, but I was thinking tonight about Jesus singing. I don't recall that I've ever heard anyone ever talk about Jesus singing. The more I thought about it though, I just wondered how weird it would be with all those Psalms about the Jewish Messiah. Would Jesus sing about himself?Surely he sang often. Jewish liturgy

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-7358950198781759892008-01-17T11:22:00.000-06:002008-01-17T12:01:41.070-06:00

As some of you may know, I do the music for Set Free ministry's weekly services. They are a church based out of Los Angeles that reaches out to the kind of people that most churches want nothing to do with: homeless, drug addicts, alcoholics, gang members, ex-cons, and so on. Two of the bigger churches are Set Free Skid Row, and Set Free Yucaipa.Their program is simple. They bring people off

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-84094683427202841072008-01-15T22:43:00.000-06:002008-01-19T00:00:50.083-06:00

Go ahead and call me dumb, but John Mayer's Waiting on the World to Change (I kinda like this churchified video) keeps playing in my head, over and over and over. I'm not really a fan of his, but I definitely identify with the sentiment. Is this really the best we can do as a state, as a country, as a world, as a church??My basic life goal is to make a measurable difference for the better. Thus

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-49059915044853559532008-01-14T14:58:00.000-06:002008-01-14T15:25:03.403-06:00

Let me just say, I'm the kind of person that doesn't get away with anything. While I haven't seen the earth swallow anyone, or fiery hailstones, or poisonous snakes, I can still see a direct correlation between certain willful sins that I do and external events.Don't get me wrong, I still like God. I don't see Him as some kind of "Soup-Nazi-esque" prison warden, waiting to smack me down whenever

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-50901890901198634842008-01-13T14:00:00.000-06:002008-01-13T14:28:19.880-06:00

With my imminent career in ministry as a pastor somewhere, I am increasingly convicted by my lack of vision, as far as big picture Christianity is concerned. I am struggling to find the "missing piece" of the puzzle, the "keystone," the "unified theory" that will put all this stuff that is swimming around in my head together. I feel like I'm at the eye doctor trying out lenses; he keeps asking

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-86087321503440815532008-01-05T12:38:00.000-06:002008-01-05T13:41:25.643-06:00

Last night I was watching Conan O'Brien after work, and one of his guests was Bill Maher, a political comedian with a show on HBO. As usual for political humor, his stuff was only funny to those with an intimate knowledge of current political events and the political process: so basically, four people in the US would find him funny.Anyway, he said some of the harshest words against Christians I

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-29662284807319692162007-12-30T22:26:00.000-06:002007-12-30T23:05:47.134-06:00

I once had a class by the same name as the title of this post. I'll just say this, I was disappointed. Since I have my feet in both camps (worship and pastorate), I thought I'd put down what I would like to see in a worship leader.I get frustrated with music/worship-types many times because they are often theologically shallow and performance/entertainment driven. My view is very opposite of

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-51402898896158081332007-12-23T17:01:00.000-06:002007-12-26T00:51:18.136-06:00

Well, another semester has ended and I got my grades back. Three A's and one A-. This puts me in a really good position to graduate seminary with honors (3.8 GPA or higher). This was a really tough semester since it was the first one after I became a supervisor at UPS, and I was also trying to study church planting, and I was building a website and blog. I'm pretty sure there was some divine

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-28750172987283018052007-12-23T15:32:00.000-06:002007-12-23T15:58:29.163-06:00

I am getting ready for the Christmas Eve service tomorrow night. I just had a couple of thoughts about the whole Christmas experience.--Christmas is too busy!! Between 12+ hour shifts at my "part-time" job, preparing for finals at school, shopping, digging out of the snow, and trying to think about Jesus, something's got to give. I, personally, cannot plan or participate in a big Christmas

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-5983777655382923002007-12-19T23:29:00.000-06:002007-12-20T15:24:12.152-06:00

I have been writing a lot about issues I feel passionately about, but I also wanted to use this blog to keep people up to date about what condition my condition is in.Work has been busy!! Sure, the overtime is nice, but it has been wearing me out! I worked 20 hours of overtime the same week as my finals. But things are finally winding down. I still haven't done any Christmas shopping yet, and I

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-47428659755136837002007-12-15T21:42:00.001-06:002007-12-20T00:07:45.386-06:00

If I were a betting man, I'd wager dollars to donuts that for the vast majority of Christians, evangelism is the hardest part of their personal walk with God. And I'm sure I'd win a lot of donuts. I know that this is something that I struggle with. In fact, almost all of my evangelistic encounters were to fulfill requirements from school. Why is it so hard??I've got several observations that I've

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-57712014043015709652007-12-14T23:22:00.000-06:002007-12-14T23:47:04.243-06:00

I feel like I came across almost anti-Bible for the previous post. For the record, I am not.I know some of you out there in Blog-land are going to hate this, but I am an inerrantist. I believe the Bible is completely true and accurate, and even more, the only objective authority in our life. Having said that, as my theology professor says, "The Bible is not the fourth person of the trinity." I

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-9212436822672077912007-12-14T00:03:00.000-06:002007-12-14T23:46:48.757-06:00

I may need to write more about this, but I was on a roll, and thinking about how I've seen many Sunday School/Small Group times done. I think a lot of it is not very beneficial.Before I begin, I just want to say that the main purpose of group time should NOT be merely getting through the lesson. Nor is it just about fellowship. But there should be priorities, and groups should be given as much

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-82519335275038858332007-12-13T23:30:00.000-06:002007-12-14T23:46:24.887-06:00

I was talking to a guy at work today about his life and he told me he "wasn't the best in school." Here's a guy who's a hard worker, easy to get along with, good at math, and other things, but because he had trouble with some reading skills, his school experience was negative.Obviously there are different kinds of smarts. Most public schools only test and reward book smarts, or even more

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-52044640407315408052007-12-11T22:39:00.000-06:002007-12-14T23:45:55.876-06:00

One of the main reasons I wanted to start blogging was to get my ideas and vision and whatnot for church planting out on the web for all to see ("all" meaning the 20 people who will read this). So two months into this thing, I guess it's about time.Purpose and Mission I see my personal purpose in life as reaching the next generation for Christ. Basically, I want to give people all the stuff I

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-42963204679559039252007-12-06T10:00:00.000-06:002007-12-09T12:30:57.057-06:00

In my conversations with people, I am amazed by all the reasons people have for following certain religions: "Jesus Christ will give you peace in your life," "Judaism meets my spiritual needs," "Meditation helped me be a better person," "Satanism is for people with brains," "I just try to follow my heart," and many more.One guy I talked to said, "I shouldn't matter if what we 'believe' is true or

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-23495642884283447702007-11-30T23:23:00.000-06:002007-12-23T17:33:21.499-06:00

As someone just asked me today, "what is your website for?" I guess I'm still struggling with that question. With all the garbage on the internet, what on earth do I think I have to offer anyone?I think I have an answer. I want a site where people can learn about me, where my friends and family can keep tabs on me, and where I can express myself creatively. Unfortunately, the internet community

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-68660705292495167232007-11-27T13:00:00.000-06:002007-12-09T12:32:46.112-06:00

Last night, something dumb happened to me at work.Apparently, a supervisor was sent to help keep track of all the extra volume that was coming in. He used to have my job so he thought he'd help me out. He gave me what I thought were suggestions on how to manage things. When I didn't do them, I got an enormous lecture on what a dirt bag supervisor I was. (Even though my area did pretty well

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6535412563533814703.post-41785525282600089572007-11-24T14:40:00.000-06:002007-12-09T12:33:47.247-06:00

No, I'm not talking about Star Trek. What I am talking about is the enormous population gap that churches are becoming more and more ineffective at retaining: 18-35 year olds. Why is that? There have been many suggestions. Postmodern worldview, worldly temptations, boring services, too early to get up, and on and on and on. We can come up with all kinds of excuses, but what if, what if, the

Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12018519297833313602noreply@blogger.com0