C3 and more

I know I said I would publish on Monday my reaction to C3 (Creative Church Conference) well we ran into some delays. Saturday morning we loaded up the fam and my dad took us to DFW airport to catch our 12:50 PM flight to BWI. It was windy. We get on the plane and the plane is rocking back and forth at the gate from the wind. We taxi out to the runway and the wind is horrible. I have seen wind storms in the 28 years that I lived in the DFW metroplex but this was fierce. I looked out the plane window to the west and all I saw was orange. This is a picture of what it looked like. You get the idea from this picture.
The pilot gets on the pa and says that the wind is over the limits of takeoff. I look at Michelle and say we are not taking off. Well, we sit for about 2 hrs on the runway and the pilot finally says we are headed back, the airport has been shut down. On the news that night an official at DFW said it was the worst day at the airport since 911. There is a long story that follows about tickets and luggage, but needless to say we spent three more days with my parents than we had intended.

We got back to wintry Frostburg late Tuesday evening. The funny thing is that Welsh canceled services on Sunday because of a snow storm that blew threw. So, I was not going to preach anyway. We got to go to church with my parents on Sunday and relax a little while longer. I realized today that between snow days and being away from this conference my daughter has missed more days of school in February than she has attended. Glad it is just kindergarten.

C3 was well worth it. I was challenged greatly by each of the speakers and more by some than others. I even enjoyed TD Jakes, who I was looking forward to less than the others. He did a fantastic job on the shepherd leading.

I probably enjoyed Craig Groeschel the most, followed by a close second of Mark Driscoll. Craig made us all realize we were idiots. Taking from Acts 4.13. The word "ordinary" can be translated idiots, though the NT meaning and the America meaning are two different meanings. But still, it can apply.

Mark Driscoll, did a great job of talking about two dangers to the gospel, idolatry and religion. Both create a functional savior to save us from our hell, but neither is the Gospel.

Ed Young Sr. challenged all of us to do more to minister towards kids and Ed Jr. challenged us on the theme of the conference, "Turning What if into what is." Basically he talked about the history of Fellowship and how they have not allowed themselves to feel like they have arrived and finished ministry. Ed Jr. also talked about the things he learned from his father.

Will I go again? Probably in a few years. Was it worth it? Definitely!!!!! I was renewed, challenged and paranoid at the same time.

C3

Well, today was the first day of the C3 conference. Only a few brief observations. I will write in more detail probably on Monday after I recover from the trip back.

First, is the big difference between Fellowship and Mars Hill Grand Rapids. I have been to Fellowship several times and knew what to expect. But after sitting through worship it was really apparent that Fellowship is a lot of show. The lights, decorations, band, props, and music is more Broadway. I enjoyed it and know that in the context of the Dallas area, since I am from here, that what Fellowship style works to reach people. Mars Hill Grand Rapids is minimalist in their approach. Very few lights, simple stage, and simple presentation.

They both work very well to reach people.

As I said I will post more thoughts on the conference on Monday. I am tired and I have to get my daughter to bed and watch the Mavs Heat game tonight. Plus, I have an anniversary date with my wife tomorrow. We have been married 7 years and I love her more than the day we met. She is the light of my life!!!!!! And I get to go out with her tomorrow.

Gleaning from Mark

So, I need to set this up. Every semester I get asked to speak for Intervarsity Christian Fellowship on campus at Frostburg State. I enjoy it in many ways because several of the students that attend come to our church and it gives the pleasure of speaking to about 30-50 college students. One of the things that has bothered me about it is that every semester they usually have a topic or passage they want you to speak on, though most semesters they have a few dates that are open to what ever God leads you to do. Well, when I was called by Mike, who is scheduling speakers and attends our church, he gives me a list of about four topics, all dealing with the book of Mark, to choose from. So, I pick "Jesus' Relationship with the Father in the Book of Mark."

Now, let me say, I have always had a hard time speaking on things that I am forced to speak on that I have not yet already prepared for or worked through. I really was not looking forward to it. Well, God started blowing my doors off.

I read through portions of Mark, read some introductions to Mark, and looked up the word Father in Mark, then started commentary and word study work. Here is what God spoke to me about.

First, the word Father is used 16 times in the NIV, but of those times 3 times it is used to refer to God. So, I am thinking that this is going to be boring. Of those three times Mark 11:25 says, "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." That doesn't give much insight into this idea that I am to be exploring. Another passage is Mark 13:32, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Both of these are awesome passages but they do not shine to much more light on the subject with which I am tasked with. The final passage that I look at relates well and that is 14:36, which I will unpack a little later.

The next thing I look at is the first interaction of Jesus with God in Mark 1:11 at the baptism of Jesus. This passages gives a lot of information about their relationship. Jesus' baptism is not a baptism of repentance as everyone else who was baptized by John. On the other hand it is a sign of obedience and openness to God's plan for His life, which gives a whole new light to believers baptism. The baptism also launches Jesus into the servant role of obedience that will eventually lead to His death. This shows that divine authority is linked to humble subjectivity. From the beginning of Jesus' ministry he is shown as the submissive Messiah. This idea of of the submissive Messiah, which was a foreign concept to the Jews of the day (an understanding the of the Jewish idea of the Messiah in NT times is needed), is pushed forward throughout the book of Mark. One of my all time favorite passages of scripture, Mark 10:45, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" speaks of Jesus' submissiveness. More to come on Mark 10 as it relates to Jesus' relationship to the Father.

Now back to Mark 14:36. The context of which is Jesus in the Garden before his death. Jesus goes to the Garden and asks them to sit and prayer. Then he takes his inner circle, Peter, James and John on further and tells them of his distress, asks them to pray and then goes further and prays. Verse 36 shows his prayer, "Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." Jesus lying on his face which is different from normal prayers that were done standing up with arms out stretched. Lying face down is a sign of distress. Many know that the word "Abba" is an Aramaic word that could be translated in to English as "Daddy." Jesus recognizes the power and authority of God and then makes his request to God, "Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." In the Garden there is no retreating from the obedience that Jesus displayed at His baptism. Jesus though is met with silence, no angels, and no doves at his request for deliverance from what He is about to go through. Ultimately, like all of us, Jesus is delivered through His death. As I read over it again I came to the question of, what does Jesus mean by "this cup? " I know the simple Sunday School explanation, I had formed that in my head many moons ago, that Jesus is asking God to remove what he was about to go through. But why use the term "this cup?"

As I dug deeper and deeper into this idea God started showing it clearer and clearer. First, I went back to Mark 10 and the verses preceding verse 45 I has sited earlier. This is the story of James and John asking if they could sit at the right hand of Jesus and says to them, "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked. They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory." "You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?" "We can," they answered. Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared." There is that word again, "cup." Well, you study the word in the Greek and you get, "to drink," or "a drinking vessel, a cup." The word is used metaphorically to describe someones lot in life or their portion that God presents to them to be drunk. It is also used in reference to God in His wrath that He causes the nations to drink.

Then I was led to Psalm 75:8, "In the hand of the LORD is a cup full of foaming wine mixed with spices; he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to its very dregs." Things go interesting when I looked up the word cup in this passage in the Hebrew. Astounded to find the word cup is the word kos which is feminine noun meaning a small drinking cup or goblet. It used to describe the judgment of God on the wicked in scriptures like Habakkuk 2:16, "You will be filled with shame instead of glory. Now it is your turn! Drink and be exposed! The cup from the LORD's right hand is coming around to you, and disgrace will cover your glory" or a cup of deliverance and salvation seen in Psalm 116:13, "I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD."

The word kos has another meaning in the Hebrew, it means a pelican or little owl. We see it in Leviticus 11:17, Deuteronomy 14:16 and Psalm 102:6. The first two refer to the owl being unclean in Jewish law to eat. The Psalm passage says, "I am like a desert owl, like an owl among the ruins." The owl symbolized a forsaken place in the Bible. We see the imagery used to describe the judgment of Edom in Isaiah 34:11, "The desert owl and screech owl will possess it; the great owl and the raven will nest there. God will stretch out over Edom the measuring line of chaos and the plumb line of desolation."

All this just brought new light to what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross. He was willing to become the forsaken one, so that we would not have to. He was willing to take the cup of judgment so we would not have to. He was willing to obey and do what is best for us, even though we don't always obey and do what is best for us.

Which brings me to an interesting progression I see in Mark

Mark 1:9-11 (Baptism)--shows the willingness of Jesus to do His Father's will
Mark 10:35-45 (James and John)--shows an understanding of the significance of doing His Father's will
Mark 14:35-36 (The Garden)--shows the acceptance of His Father's will
Mark 14:42 (Leaving the Garden)--shows the doing of His Father's will

The model that Jesus portrays and the model that I have always understood him to portray is an implicit trust of His Father and the will His Father had for His life. We find it hard to trust people and that makes it difficult to trust God as well, but to become more like Christ, we must be willing to lay our plans at God's feet, not aside, and ask how God desires to use us for His Kingdom work. We must trust as Christ trusted.

The Boys

Well, today I have to admit my confusion as to why the Dallas Cowboys decided to hire Wade Phillips. I have no problem with the son of Bum. He is an incredible defensive minded coach. I guess it came down to in Jerry Jones' mind, "How can I best help Jason Garrett?" I really think Jerry sees him as the next head coach of the Cowboys, but at this point and time he is too green to take the reigns of the team as the head coach. Let Garrett take a few years to develop as a coach and then move him into the head position.

Personally I think it is risky. What if Garrett is not the phenom that many in coaching think he is? What if he is snatched up by another team before Jerry is ready to crown him as the king?

There were probably safer picks, Norv Turner or Ron Rivera, but Phillips has a better record as a head coach and Rivera runs the 4-3 defense. The Cowboys are currently more geared to the 3-4 defense.

I will take a wait and see attitude on this. I am still a loyal Cowboys fan, though not a Jerry Jones or TO fan.

Things are Better than they seem

As you look at this picture you think, man that dude had a rough day. Crashed his pick-up through the guard rail, jumped the culvert and landed in a ditch.

Sometimes life is like this picture. You are having the worst day of your life and nothing seems to be going right. You try and try to do things you are suppose to and then you end up making a mistake or something happens that throws you totally off track and you wonder why?

Life is full of curve balls. You don't know what direction they are going to come and they come at you from various angles and places. The point and time you think you have it all figured out here comes one from an unexpected place.

I see this picture and think man that dude must have been mad about what happened to his truck. You know he might have had a very important appointment or any of a number of things that this wreck could have messed up.

The problem with our limited perspective on life is that we don't see the whole picture. We are limited in our human understanding to what is really going on around us. What we might think really sucks actually turns out to be a blessing. I mean consider this guy, when you finally see the bigger picture you realize how fortunate this guy was for just crashing through the guard rail, jumping the culvert, and landing in a ditch.

So, the next time you think that what has just happened to you is the end of the world or things couldn't get worse. Think about what God might really be saving you from. Look at the things going on in your life from God's perspective, though you will not fully see that perspective.

Don't narrow your focus so much that you don't see the big picture of what is really going on around you and how God is molding you for His will.

It's Cold

Wow, you want cold I will give you cold. Todays high 16 tomorrows high 8. The wind chill factor of about -12. My daughter has a two hour delay already for school in the morning. They should just cancel because by 10 AM it is suppose to be a high of 2 with a wind chill of -19. Personally I don't think there is much difference between 16 and 8, that's just plain cold. Either way it just bites right through you. I wish my trip to Texas was this week.

Personally I believe in a literal hell where there will be fire, but if it was me it would be cold. Lord, could my next pastorate be in Hawaii please?

Just to give an update this balmy Monday morning. The temp is -2 but it feels like -24 and Riley doesn't have school.

Excellent Posts

I was reading Marty Duren's blog the other day and found a link to the Founder's blog. I think Marty and Tom bring up a great question. Have we lost the gospel. Has our focus as believers (my own SBC) become about so many other things other than the Gospel? It is time that we get back to the heart of what it means to be Christ Followers.

God's Humor

So, I write about Renee Alston's book "Stumbling Toward Faith" this morning and mention that I never read it. Well, God must want me to read it because this afternoon I bought it. Why do I say God wants me to read it? Well, the store I found it in is a hit and miss thing.

If you are ever in the Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania region of the country you need to check out Ollies Bargain Outlet. This store gets seconds, discontinued and overstock stuff. Their motto is, "Good Stuff Cheap." Well, over the years I have stocked my library full of really good books from this place, usually 50 to 75% off retail. The thing is you never know what they are going to find and sometimes you go in and it is the same stuff week to week. Just to give you and idea of the savings I have found, I bought a copy of "The Message" for $14.99 that retails for $39.99. I purchased a "Zondervan NIV Exhaustive Concordance" there for $12.99 that retails for $39.99. I have bought "Blue Like Jazz" and "Searching for God Knows What" there and many other books. I have a small book budget and this store makes it go farther.

But I digress! I walk in this afternoon and sitting at the front of a row of books (usually a row of books contains 10 different books so you have to look through the whole row to see what is in there) is Renee Alston's book for $3.99. It is the only copy I saw in the whole store. So, I will begin to read it soon. Just skimming the book it looks really good.