Single Malt Scotch

Here are some nice quotes about Scotch Whisky that I ran across.

“Too much of anything is bad, but too much of good whiskey is barely enough.”
(Mark Twain)

“Friendship is like whisky, the older, the better.”
(Anon.)

“We borrowed golf from Scotland as we borrowed whiskey. Not because it is Scottish, but because it is good.”
( Horace Hutchinson)

“What butter and whiskey won’t cure, there is no cure for.”
(Irish Saying)

“The water was not fit to drink. To make it palatable, we had to add whisky. By diligent effort, I learnt to like it.”
(Sir Winston Churchill)

The life part…

This is unrelated to all things emerging…most likely…

Anyway, I was in the Elizabeth neighborhood of Charlotte for bible study today and had about 30 minutes to kill so I walked down the street a little bit an stumbled upon a little local deli. I was hungry so I went in an ordered a wrap. Since I have been trying to eat healthy I ordered the Health Wrap. Now you’re probably thinking that sounds gross. In fact, it was the best wrap I have ever had. It was grilled chicken and grilled veggies with honey mustard in a whole wheat wrap. So good…I’ll have to get another one next week.

I guess this is the “life as it happens part” of my blog.

But since I am a theologian everything can relate to something about church and theology – I guess it’s this – just because the name of something turns you off, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t experience it – maybe, just maybe, it will be the best thing you have ever known.

Reviews and theological thoughts coming the rest of the week…

Morrissey – I Have Forgiven Jesus

I bet he is speaking for lots of people in our culture…

Bono

This is a little old, but well worth watching…especially if you are a pastor or part of a church plant figuring out how to do mission.

Ed on Church

Ed Stetzer has some good thoughts on growing a church plant

Witherington on the Jesus Tomb Documentary

Ben Witherington offers us some helpful thoughts on the Jesus Tomb documentary that aired last night on the Discovery Channel.

You can see my running notes from the documentary in the previous post.

About the Critical look afterwards hosted by Ted Koppel. It wasn’t too exciting. The best part was when Dr. Reed, an archaeologist who is refuting the film’s conclusions called it “archeo-porn.” What was most frustrating what that Koppel kept bringing up quotes from the many of the researchers who appeared in the film and were now trying to distance themselves from the conclusions and Simcha Jacobovici kept refusing to hear it; Jacobovici seemed to be annoying everyone on the panel, including Dr. Tabor and Ted Koppel.

I believe that in the end this theory will in the end go the way of the rest of the the “Season of Lent” Jesus heresies.

A cartoon about icons

This is cool. It’s a cartoon about icons in the Orthodox Church.

Pulling against the leash

If you have ever had a dog you have experienced times when she pulls against the leash. You want to take her on a walk, but she digs her feet in and won’t move – she tries to pull backwards, even to the point of sitting down. As I was praying tonight God put this picture in my head. I’m not sure yet how I am supposed to interpret it. But I started thinking about why the dog pulls like this – well, it’s because their owner is trying to take them somewhere they don’t want to go.

Why don’t they want to go? Because they are stubborn – and they are comfortable where they are – the feel safe at home. And they don’t trust us. We want to take them on a walk or to the vet because these things are good for them, or we want to take them to the park, a place we know they would love maybe even more than where they are now, but they just don’t know it.

I think we are often like this with God – he wants to lead us somewhere and we dig our feet and and pull against the leash.

They used to like the church

I am now reading They Like Jesus But Not the Church by Dan Kimball; I will blog on it once I get done, but anyway – every Sunday night a group of us gather to worship God, study the Bible, and focus on the mission Dei. One of the passages we discussed tonight was Acts 2. The last couple verses (46-47) really caught my eye.

They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.

We know from the beginning of the section that the early church devoted themselves to the apostles teaching, to fellowship, to breaking of the bread, and to prayers; or as Tim Keller says to learning, to loving, and to liturgy. But it is the verses above that raised a question in my mind. What is it that caused their gathering to be attractive to people – and even more important, that caused people to join them?

It doesn’t seem like they were doing street evangelism or shoving their beliefs onto people. They were just hanging out in a public area together, worshiping God, and then loving people. It was an organic fellowship. And people wanted to join them. People liked what they were doing. And it seems pretty sweet to me.

Now, as Dan Kimball shows us, people don’t like the church. They think Jesus is cool, but the church is evil.

What’s changed?

Just a quick thought…or maybe a question

This year I am reading through the Bible in chronological order. On a side note, it’s a really cool way to read the Bible. Anyway, when I was reading Leviticus early this week (yes, if you look at the read schedule I am a little behind) I noticed something I had never noticed before. In Leviticus 19 God is giving Moses laws regarding holiness and in the midst of this he gives laws about planting trees:

“When you come into the land and plant any kind of tree for food, then you shall regard its fruit as forbidden. Three years it shall be forbidden to you; it must not be eaten. And in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, an offering of praise to the LORD. But in the fifth year you may eat of its fruit, to increase its yield for you: I am the LORD your God.

Anyway, as soon as I read this my thoughts went to the Garden of Eden. I wonder if its possible that this law was established in part to remind people of the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden and the sin of their first parents.

Any thoughts?