Greetings All,
Here is the audio file from Sunday's sermon. It is titled The Benefits of Slavery and the texts are Matthew 6:24-34 and Isaiah 49:8-16.
Your brother in Christ,
Faron
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Sermon: Sunday, February 20, 2011
Greetings All,
Here is the audio file from Sunday's sermon. It is titled Created in the Image of God and the texts are Matthew 5:38-48 and Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18.
Your brother in Christ,
Faron
Here is the audio file from Sunday's sermon. It is titled Created in the Image of God and the texts are Matthew 5:38-48 and Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18.
Your brother in Christ,
Faron
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Art Reflecting the Soul of the Artist
Greetings All,
I haven't mused theological in quite a while. Life has been consumed with laundry room remodeling and keeping up with the kids. I just finished reading Dark Night of the Soul by St. John of the Cross and decided to read something that did not involve quotes in Latin or language structure that was hundreds of years old. We all need to read Christian classics, but they can be a chore to read at times. My choice was to re-read, or more accurately start over and actually finish, My Struggle with Faith by Joseph Girzone, the author of my favorite book Joshua. It is a non-fiction book where he lays out the theological journey of his life. He admits to questions and struggles along the way as he came to the beliefs he holds today. Chapter three really struck me this morning and I just wanted to share this thought with each of you as it is a beautiful truth as we look out the window at the warmth and sunshine and color coming back into a white and dreary world.
Chapters one and two have him laying out his beliefs about God as creator and His creation. The conclusion that he comes to is that the world and universe is basically the canvas of God's artwork. Rather than look for scientific explanations, he chooses to look for beauty the same way one appreciates artwork. Instead of trying to understand how the eye and ear work in continuity and perfect synchronization, he chooses to marvel at the incredible nature of that very fact. To understand it is not to make it more amazing or more beautiful. It is in a word, "Art!" He then tells a story in chapter three of a friend of his from a national art organization who he invites to look at a number of pictures painted by a young man in Girzone's parish. In just a couple of minutes the man was able to look at fourteen different pictures and draw some amazing conclusions about the young man. The lesson of the story was simply this, "Art reflects the soul of the artist."
If art reflects the soul of the artist and if we view all of God's creation as art, what does creation tell us about the nature of God? For years I have been telling folks to view the Bible as a story about God rather than instructions for how to live life; to ask of the Bible, not, "what does this tell me about how to live," but to ask, "what does this tell me about the character of God?" Now Girzone is inspiring me to ask the same questions of creation. What does the changing of the seasons tell me about the character of God? What does the brilliance of color in nature tell me about the character of God? What does the inexplicable nature of the Platypus tell me about the character of God? What do mosquitoes tell me about the character of God? Okay, don't try to answer the last one, it may lead you to dark and dangerous places.
What a new lens to look at creation through! As we look out and see the hints of spring; smell the change of nature, feel the warmth of the sun on our skin and hear the sounds of the critter world coming back to life let us ask ourselves what does the beauty of all this tell us about the character of God? Enjoy the warm weather!
Your brother in Christ,
Faron
I haven't mused theological in quite a while. Life has been consumed with laundry room remodeling and keeping up with the kids. I just finished reading Dark Night of the Soul by St. John of the Cross and decided to read something that did not involve quotes in Latin or language structure that was hundreds of years old. We all need to read Christian classics, but they can be a chore to read at times. My choice was to re-read, or more accurately start over and actually finish, My Struggle with Faith by Joseph Girzone, the author of my favorite book Joshua. It is a non-fiction book where he lays out the theological journey of his life. He admits to questions and struggles along the way as he came to the beliefs he holds today. Chapter three really struck me this morning and I just wanted to share this thought with each of you as it is a beautiful truth as we look out the window at the warmth and sunshine and color coming back into a white and dreary world.
Chapters one and two have him laying out his beliefs about God as creator and His creation. The conclusion that he comes to is that the world and universe is basically the canvas of God's artwork. Rather than look for scientific explanations, he chooses to look for beauty the same way one appreciates artwork. Instead of trying to understand how the eye and ear work in continuity and perfect synchronization, he chooses to marvel at the incredible nature of that very fact. To understand it is not to make it more amazing or more beautiful. It is in a word, "Art!" He then tells a story in chapter three of a friend of his from a national art organization who he invites to look at a number of pictures painted by a young man in Girzone's parish. In just a couple of minutes the man was able to look at fourteen different pictures and draw some amazing conclusions about the young man. The lesson of the story was simply this, "Art reflects the soul of the artist."
If art reflects the soul of the artist and if we view all of God's creation as art, what does creation tell us about the nature of God? For years I have been telling folks to view the Bible as a story about God rather than instructions for how to live life; to ask of the Bible, not, "what does this tell me about how to live," but to ask, "what does this tell me about the character of God?" Now Girzone is inspiring me to ask the same questions of creation. What does the changing of the seasons tell me about the character of God? What does the brilliance of color in nature tell me about the character of God? What does the inexplicable nature of the Platypus tell me about the character of God? What do mosquitoes tell me about the character of God? Okay, don't try to answer the last one, it may lead you to dark and dangerous places.
What a new lens to look at creation through! As we look out and see the hints of spring; smell the change of nature, feel the warmth of the sun on our skin and hear the sounds of the critter world coming back to life let us ask ourselves what does the beauty of all this tell us about the character of God? Enjoy the warm weather!
Your brother in Christ,
Faron
Monday, February 14, 2011
Sermon: Sunday, February 13, 2011
Greetings All,
Here is the audio file from Sunday's sermon. It is titled Visible Distinction by Heart and the texts are Matthew 5:21-37 and Deuteronomy 30:15-20.
Your brother in Christ,
Faron
Here is the audio file from Sunday's sermon. It is titled Visible Distinction by Heart and the texts are Matthew 5:21-37 and Deuteronomy 30:15-20.
Your brother in Christ,
Faron
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Sermon: Sunday, February 6, 2011
Greetings All,
Here is the audio file from Sunday's sermon. It is titled Visibly Distinctive! and the texts are Matthew 5:13-20 and 1 Corinthians 2:1-12.
Your brother in Christ,
Faron
Here is the audio file from Sunday's sermon. It is titled Visibly Distinctive! and the texts are Matthew 5:13-20 and 1 Corinthians 2:1-12.
Your brother in Christ,
Faron
Friday, February 4, 2011
Book Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo by Stieg Larson
by Stieg Larson
translated from Swedish by Reg Keeland
Published in 2005 by Vintage Crime/Black Lizard
Summary: Mikael Blomkvist is a financial journalist of nation renown in Sweden who has recently suffered a major setback when he lost a libel lawsuit against him. Having lost his credibility as a journalist and preparing himself for a brief prison sentence he steps down from his magazine, but is approached by a wealthy business man with a proposition to both write a family history and to try and solve the mystery of Harriet Vanger, the man's niece who disappeared over forty years ago. As he follows some new clues, he enlists the help of a talented but socially awkward computer prodigy Lizbeth Salander. The two join forces to try and solve this decades old mystery only to begin to uncover some family secrets that are impacting the present.
Review: I have been seeing this book on end caps at Wal Mart and book stores for quite a while and have been intrigued by the title. While I was in Louisiana at Christmas time, my sister had just finished reading the book and loved it so my curiousity was peaked. She gave me the book and I started to read. Forty pages into the book I found myself not wanting to put it down. The character's were intriguing and conflicted, the plot line was complex but in a very catching kind of way that draws you from one scene to the next hungry to know what is coming and the style of Larson's writing keeps you drawn to the important parts of the story and not lost in the weeds of extraneous detail. With the exception of struggling with Swedish names, I loved the book.
Like his character, Larson was also a journalist but specializing in Nazi and fanatic groups. He wrote fiction for his personal pleasure. In fact he wrote all three books in this series just for the joy of writing, but someone convinced him to seek a publisher and he submitted all three manuscripts. Before they could be published he died of a massive heart attack, so all three books have been published posthumously. He was an incredibly gifted writer and story teller. He has not only mastered the use of language, pacing and character development as a writer, but he has also crafted and incredibly complex, yet believable and followable story line. American readers need to be aware that this book was originally published in Sweden and that all of our American sterotypes about Swedes and sex come true in this book. Equally the crime as it unravels is of a very graphic nature and the author is very matter of fact and at times quite detailed about presenting it. If sex and sex related crimes make you uncomfortable, this is not a book for you, but if you can look beyond these little details and enjoy a well written story, this is a great read!
Reading Recommendation: Yes, but be aware that this is a very graphic book dealing with a very delicate subject area.
Book Review: Maximum Ride: School's Out Forever by James Patterson
by James Patterson
Published in 2006 by Little, Brown and Company
Summary: Book two picks up right where book one left off with the flock headed towards Washington D.C. Not surprising, en route they encounter erasers, but these aren't just any ordinary erasers, they are flying erasers and the battle that ensues leaves Fang needing medical attention, as in from a hospital. In the hospital Max and the flock meet Anne Walker. An FBI agent who invites them to stay at her house while Fang heals and to give them a chance at not being on the run for a while. They reluctantly accept and soon find themselves in a private school, enjoying a "normal" life with friends and dinner and chores, but "normal" is only temporary when you have wings and mutated DNA.
Review: This was one of my Declan reads, as it is the second book in the Maximum Ride series, however he lost his copy at school and hasn't finished yet. Once again Patterson has written a page turner. The short chapters and quick dialogue make this an excellent read for kids with a short attention span. They can sit down and feel really good about reading five chapters, even though it has only been 12 or 15 pages, and truth be told the more they read the more they will want to read because one gets hooked on the pace and excitement of the book almost immediately. The characters have all the charms and quirks that we learned to love in the first book, but we begin to get a deeper look into each one. Max continues to be an inspiring leader, one that teenagers and pre-teens alike can both connect with and look up to. The plot line is well written, interesting and well paced. Overall a great, quick read!
Reading Recommendation: Yes, great read with your kids!
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