Posts Tagged ‘Theology’

Which is the greater discipline:

Limiting oneself to one cup of coffee per day?

OR

Committing to drinking no coffee at all?

Click comments below to… well… comment on commitment, limitations, discipline, and coffee.

“Teaching Little Kyla…”
A series on Travis and Sarah’s journey of parental flubs, flaws, failures and accidental^ fortune.

When Kyla begins to pray she now touches her forehead, then her chest, then crosses her shoulders while saying, “In the name of the Fahver, in the name of the Son, and the Holwy Spiwint.” She proceeds to give thanks for the most simple things in life. Her genuine gratitude really shows and I’ll tell you more about that in my next post.

After seeing and hearing Kyla do the sign of the cross, someone asked her, “Are you catholic?” To which I replied, “Of course she’s catholic.” The word catholic means “one, universal.” The people of God are one church. There may be some organizational nomenclature that distinguishes one gathering of the church from another gathering of the church but ultimately there is only one church, the people of God.

Scott Peterson, University Chaplain at MVNU, asked last night if I have read the book “Who Will be Saved?” by William H. Willimon. I have yet to read it but am putting that as a priority on my reading list. Scott disclosed that the essential theme of the text recognizes the tension between “the narrow way” of Jesus and a universalist perspective that suggests all paths of religion or the unlimited grace of God allow all people access to God (I am not attempting fully or accurately describe universalism; that is a conversation for another day). If I recall the conversation with Scott correctly, he said that Willimon (in the previously mentioned text or another) suggests that those who will be saved must be a part of the church.

What does it mean to be a part of the church?

What does it mean to be identified by the sign of the cross?

Please comment.

^ There is someone(s) greater than me/us (a divine being and a community of people) that intercede with grace and giving.

“Teaching Little Kyla…”
A series on Travis and Sarah’s journey of parental flubs, flaws, failures and accidental^ fortune.

A couple of nights ago I was praying with Kyla and we prayed for all the children in Haiti – that God would protect them and be present with them. The next day while we were sitting at the table sharing a meal Kyla closed her eyes and said, “Dear God, thank you for the Haitis.”

“The Haitis” – or, the Haitians. Are we truly and genuinely thankful for all people in the world the make up all of humanity?

I am challenged by my 2-year old daughter every day.

Humility.

^ There is someone(s) greater than me/us (a divine being and a community of people) that intercede with grace and giving.

Unfortunatly, I don’t think Pat Robertson will ask for forgiveness or even admit any wrong-doing/speaking. He has a history of saying unloving and unkind things that highly misrepresent Christianity. I hope that anyone exposed to Robertson does not impose his words onto others who are genuinely trying to be formed into the image of God as defined in the person of Jesus.

Robertson commented that the people of Haiti “swore a pact with the devil” and that “since then they have been cursed.” He suggests that “we pray for a great turning to God” for the people of Haiti. I do hope that people of Haiti will turn to God as I’m sure many have been even prior to the earthquake of 2010. In his comment, Robertson is suggesting that the destruction in Haiti is due to a curse from some time ago. So, Pat, I have a few questions for you because that’s what we here at subversiveREFORMATION.com do – we ask questions:

Did God cause this earthquake in Haiti because of some type of pact that Haiti supposedly made with the devil?
Were the 45,000 Americans in Haiti at the time somehow in on this pact?
Is the earthquake God’s form of punishment for Haitian people?
If so, why are we all not being punished?
Have you ever been punished?
Have you ever been extended grace or have you ever offered grace to someone?
Are you more concerned about placing blame or about a compassionate response?

And a question for myself and my friends:

Can we forgive Pat Robertson?

Be present in today.

Our calendars tell us that one year has passed and another one is upon us. Do you become preoccupied with what you’ve done or didn’t do last year? Do you look forward to what might be ahead or dread the things that you know are coming?

Be present in today.

God is with us. Let us be with him.

I’m not suggesting that we shouldn’t reflect or have vision. I am just wondering how much our lives become consumed with that which is not now. How much do you think about the past? How much do you think about the future? How much do you think about now – your current existence? Live in it.

Be present in today.

A map connects me to other people. An app. distracts me from other people.

I appreciate those of you who commented on my mobile phone dilemma. I need to clarify that the problem with my current phone is not a battery issue. The charger simply does not connect correctly. A special thank you goes out to Josh Schluep for crafting a comment marked by humility and genius and to Beau Carlson for actually going to the Verizon store with me. After hearing your input in conversation and in comments, having LiveChatted with a helpful AT&T sales representative, having visited the Verizon store, I have determined that “there’s a map for that.” Though the iPhone boasts some 92,000 applications, the cost for AT&T is just as bad as its coverage area. The Google Android OS has 10,000 applications (which may be enough to start out) and is quite impressive. I didn’t like the Motorola Droid. It was too clumsy and complex of an interface. I couldn’t figure it out. The HTC Droid Eris on the other hand was quite impressive and only half the cost of the Motorola Droid. It is clean and simple and quite similar to the iPhone’s usability. I hope that HTC upgrades from Android 1.5 to 2.0 in order to include GPS.

Theological and sociological implications:

Use of a Smartphone will streamline my productivity and free up more time for relational interaction.
Fewer applications encourages fewer distractions that could deter me from the Christian life.
Monetary savings using Verizon rather than AT&T and HTC rather than Motorola for increased giving to others.
I am consuming.

What are other positive or negative implications are involved the purchase of an HTC Droid Eris.?

“Teaching Little Kyla…”
A series on Travis and Sarah’s journey of parental flubs, flaws, failures and accidental^ fortune.

The Invisible Children and Remember Nhu Clubs at MVNU are hosting an Art and Poetry awareness and fundraising event tonight (Wednesday) in the student union. Kyla will be presenting her piece of art that she and I composed this weekend. Her piece is called “Red and Yellow, Black and White” in reference to the song, “Jesus Loves the Little Children.” As we talked about “all the children of the world” and our need to show and express love to all, Kyla used her hands and fingers to paint red, yellow, and black around a cut-out of Africa that I drew, cut out, and taped to the canvas board making a white silhouette of the country where the dehumanization of children continues through militarization and exploitation. Though I cannot talk with Kyla yet about child soldiers and sexual trafficking, she can begin to understand that love and kindness for all of humanity. Eventually, she’ll hear their stories.

We are incapable to loving absent from relationship. We are incapable of relationship absent from the context of story. We have to learn about each other. We have to be aware of the formative life experiences that make us who we are both individually and as a collective group of people in a global community.

The world is our canvas. May we cover it with strokes of love.

^ There is someone(s) greater than me/us (a divine being and a community of people) that intercede with grace and giving.

I have read a number of articles about using a reader in order to keep up with blog content when wanting to read numerous blogs. Tyler Braun wrote about using Google Reader. I think if I were to use a reader it would be one from Google since they, in conjunction with Apple, do in fact run the universe (by which I mean, if Google and Apple didn’t exist there would be a cosmic implosion causing all things to move to a higher state of order which is simply unacceptable and perfectly acceptable in the postmodern era).^ I have elected, however, to avoid using a reader. Part of the blogging and blog reading experience extends well beyond the content hammered out on a keyboard. A reader delivers the content of individual posts but does not capture the fullness of a blog. Many bloggers spend hours designing layouts, color schemes, and headers (or is that just me) in order to 1) provide the reader with a pleasant and artistically engaged online experience; and 2) offer content and links that enhance the message of the written material. Unless Google’s Reader has a content feature that I have yet to explore I would suggest that one simply use the bookmarking and RSS features found in internet browsers in order to directly visit the sites about which you care. Appreciate the art. Appreciate the feel. Don’t just read it. Experience it.

^ For those needing explanation due to the sarcastic language concerning existentialism, postmodernism, and theology(ism), I may write another post with a more modernly-toned explanation.

God is not a man. Not a white man. Not an old man. Check out the video and comment your thoughts below. What made you chuckle and why? Ultimately is it because of not-love that you extend toward certain people for certain things? What is theologically good and what is theologically ridiculous?

“Teaching Little Kyla…”
A series on Travis and Sarah’s journey of parental flubs, flaws, failures and accidental^ fortune.

Kyla now begins all her prayers by saying, “God, thank you.” That’s it. “God, thank you.” When is the last time that has been your prayer? Are your prayers prayed out of worry? Selfishness? How about gratitude? Thankfulness for the activity of God amongst his people.

When Sarah and I purchased Kyla’s bed to transition her from crib to awesome Malm from Ikea, I finished putting it together and Kyla looked up at me from a little less than a meter high and said, “Sank you, daddy.” She had a bed. And she was thankful.

Since then there have been a number of times that Kyla has surprised me in her simple statements of “thank you.” For what are you thankful? To whom are you thankful? Are you satisfied with what has been provided for you or do you normally feel ripped off? Like you drew the short straw. Like things never go your way. Or… like you deserve more? What gives us that sense of entitlement? What makes us so centered on having more? What keeps us from being grateful?

Is Kyla’s gratitude actually something that exists due to what she receives or possesses? How has she learned to be grateful? How do you exemplify gratitude and for what are you grateful?

^ There is someone(s) greater than me/us (a divine being and a community of people) that intercede with grace and giving.