Regent Summer School 2013

One of the most memorable experiences during my time at Regent College is the famous Summer School. Not only will there be well known professors flown in from all over the world, the selection of courses are both wide and deep. Some full-time students looking for maximum exposure, will try to squeeze in the maximum number of courses while fulfilling the minimum number of credits. For example, instead of working hard through a 3-credit course, students who want to learn from as many professors as possible will even choose three 1-credit courses to fulfill their credit requirements. While it will mean many more hours and time, it also means the satisfaction of having sat at the feet of such learned scholars and theologians. For some, it is a chance of a lifetime to listen to professors like J.I. Packer, James Houston, Bruce Waltke, Mark Noll, Scot McKnight, and many others. This year's offering is rich with variety. You can browse them here.

Other highlights include:

• Pastors' Conference (May 7-10, 2013)
• World Christianity Conference (July 19-20, 2013)
• Film Conference (July 26-28, 2013)
• Evening Public Lectures
• and many more.

One more thing, if you are bringing a friend to Regent this summer, check out this special offer. 

Just writing about this makes me want to go back and take the courses all over again. After all, just hanging around in the atrium, you can meet people from all over the world, and you get to smell one of the best coffee fragrances in Vancouver too. Plus, there's free WiFi!

conrade

Making Disciples

Here is a video that brings about a refreshing way to understand discipleship. Four active words describe the way discipleship ought to be like:

1. Love people, just like Jesus
2. Liberate people from being enslaved to systems, procedures, structural matters, programs, etc.
3. Lead through serving one another
4. Launch people into the world.

One reservation I have when watching such clips is that it is tempting to throw away the old just to make way for the new. The 'wow' factor that such videos creates can cause some people to throw away the proverbial baby with the bathwater. Programs are still important. Ensuring announcements, events, and all church activities are still essential in the daily life of any Church. Church buildings and structures still have its rightful place. The key thing is to note "less of" and "more of." Targeted at churches that have become mostly inward looking and little outreach, this video will be most effective when people are drawn to action, to move from passivity about the lost to seeking actively to share the gospel with others.


conrade

Midweek Meditation: "A Rule of Discernment"

We all want to seek God's will. The trouble for us in this world is that there are so many conflicting signals and messages that the world throws at us. The solution is not to get rid of the world or all messages but to discern them well. One of the greatest spiritual classics on spiritual discernment is St Ignatius of Loyola's Spiritual Exercises. Hear what Ignatius has to say with regards to the first step to take.

"The First Rule. In the case of persons who are going from one mortal sin to another, the enemy ordinarily proposes to them apparent pleasures. He makes them imagine delights and pleasures of the senses, in order to hold them fast and plunge them in their sins and vices. But with persons of this type the good spirit uses a contrary procedure. Through their habitual sound judgment on problems of morality he stings their consciences with remorse." (Ignatius of Loyola, Spiritual Exercises and Selected Works, Mahwah, NY: Paulist Press, 1991, p201)

Temptations work best not by direct confrontation but works its seductive charm in the background or by the side. This way, it catches the person unaware and hooks the unsuspecting. For anyone who has decided to turn to the light of truth, he immediately shows up as a blip on the enemy's radar screen. The way to turn them back to the dark side is to remind them "how good" the feeling was, or "how delicious" the taste had been. It follows up with a tempting, "Why not taste it again?" failing which it persuades by saying, "Just try it one, just once. It'll not hurt, I promise."

These and many more mortal delights are like spiritual narcotic. Once consumed, they are immediately addictive. Ignatius suggests we use a "contrary procedure." Fight against every temptation with a counter. Just like Jesus, who fights off each temptation not just by quoting Scripture, but by quoting Scripture correctly.

conrade

BookPastor >> "The Privilege of Persecution"

This book review was first published at "Panorama of a Book Saint" on April 11, 2011.

c

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TITLE: THE PRIVILEGE OF PERSECUTION (and other things the global church knows that we don't)
AUTHORS: Carl Moeller & David W. Hegg
PUBLISHER: Moody Press, 2011, (160 pages).

[This book is an advanced reader copy. The final copy released may be subject to change.]

Some books convey ideas. Other books try to convince readers to change. This book goes a step further to convict readers so much so that they will re-consider and re-align their lives back toward what it means to be salt and light of the world. This book does two things well:

1. It reveals a faith of the persecuted (global) church that grows stronger with determination in the midst of persecution and restriction/control of religious practices;
2. It admonishes the faith of a comfortable church that grows fatter with complacency in the midst of freedom.

In a hard-hitting rebuke at the modern Western Church, the authors compare and contrast the difference between the free church in the Western hemisphere, to the persecuted Church in the rest of the world. The key thesis of the book is that every church in the world is a persecuted church. The only difference lies in the TYPE of persecution.

"Like the church in the West, it (the global church) is composed of human believers who sin and struggle with their own personal and cultural baggage. It's just that our bags don't look alike." (17)

One then ought to see persecution as a privilege because it helps one affirm one's faith even more.

Faithlife Study Bible (Free until Apr 8th, 2013)

Here is an exciting new kid on the block in the field of software Bible apps. Created by Logos Bible Software, this app is called "Faithlife Study Bible" which is an app that comes with two English Bible translations, a Lexham Bible dictionary, and resources such as devotionals, infographics, photos, and videos. There is also a group reading plan and a way to connect with Bible readers in your neighbourhood. What is most cool about this app is that it is offering the NIV for free until Apr 8th, that is.

Designed for tablets and mobile devices, there are apps for the three big environments: IOS, Android, and the Kindle Fire. Click here for more.

It takes a bit of getting used to. Here are some tips on how to download it.

1. First choose the version you want.
2. Second, remember that the default Bible version is LEB (Lexham English Bible)
3. Third, if you want to default into the NIV, tap the top bar, followed by Settings, and choose from the "Preferred Bible" bar. (you may need to figure this out)
4. In order to download the NIV, you may need to swipe the left window which usually begins with a "Go" and some Bible references. Note that as you swipe the left window from right to left, you will be presented with other options like, "Resources," "Favourites," History," and "Search."
5. Be patient during the first time you are downloading stuff. It takes a while. Once it is all loaded up, the performance will be much faster.

Have fun!

conrade

Midweek Meditation: "Died to the Wrong Things?"

Christianity is not a killjoy faith. It does not mean we deny ourselves the good things in life. It just means we learn to deny ourselves things that prevent us from following Christ in the best possible way. Peter Scazzero makes this observation.

"Jesus does call us to die to ourselves. 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me' (Mark 8:34). The problem was that we had died to the wrong things. We mistakenly thought that dying to ourselves for the sake of the Gospel meant dying to self-care, to feelings of sadness, to anger, to grief, to doubt, to struggles, to our healthy dreams and desires, and to passions we had enjoyed before our marriage." (Peter Scazzero, The Emotionally Healthy Church, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003, p22)

There is a difference between living a humble life and a miserable life. The former willingly gives up earthly possessions. The latter unwillingly surrenders his things. The former looks forward to the joy. The latter looks back fondly to the things of old. The key is to look at Mark 8:34 more closely. It is not the dying, but the pursuit of Christ. Just think about courtship. For a guy who longs to spend time with the girl he likes, what is a nice dinner? He will even give up his own inconveniences for the sake of making it more convenient for his sweetheart. When his eyes are on the girl, everything else is not as important.

When our eyes are on the Lord, we will learn to appropriately deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Christ. Pray with an eye on seeking God more intently.
 
conrade

BookPastor >> "Messy Spirituality" (Mike Yaconelli)

This commentary and review was first published in March 16th, 2009. At the heart of the book is a plea for brothers and sisters in Christ, not to let the perfect ideal discourage us in our walk with God and one another. Life is messy. People are messy. In fact, anyone who desires to live a life in Christ will bound to experience a kind of spirituality that is downright messy. That is why we need grace from above and to extend the same to others.

conrade

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TITLE: Messy Spirituality
AUTHOR: Mike Yaconelli
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2007, (187 pages).

When One Feels Messy

• “My life is in a mess. There are so many things to do, and I simply do not have enough time.”
• “I try hard to be a good Christian, but I feel like I do not pray enough. Each time I sit down to pray, but things always distract me.”
• “I know Bible Study is important. So I sign up for classes in the Bible Study Fellowship. However, the timing clashes with important household chores. Now, I want to study the Bible more, but I can’t.”
• “I guess I am not as spiritual as I wanted to be.”
• “It is hard for me to share my faith, unlike some who had training before. Don’t depend on me to share the gospel. Let the pastor do it.”
• “I suppose you can simply call me an ordinary Christian. Anyway, how is it really possible to live a balanced life of prayer, worship, fellowship and Word?”

Not a Good Christian?
If you feel that some or all of them reflects how you feel, welcome to the club of struggling silent majority of the Christian world. Many of us live hectic lives. If one is not actively doing something, one feels unfulfilled, exacerbated by the sight of a world filled with people whose life personifies B.U.S.Y. Michael Yaconelli, the author of “Messy Spirituality” feels that people tend to have a wrong sense of what ‘spirituality’ means. It is plain unhelpful to expect people to live as if they can only be saved if they lived ‘rightly’ or giving their time to prayer, Bible and all other common spiritual disciplines taught. The first step is to recognize that Jesus came to save us as we are: sinners. Every other step stems from this very acceptance of our brokenness.

“Sadly, spirituality is most commonly used by Christians to describe people who pray all day long, read their Bibles constantly, never get angry or rattled, possess special powers, and have the inside track to God. Spirituality for most, has an outerworldly ring to it, calling to mind eccentric saints who have forsaken the world, taken vows of poverty, and isolated themselves in cloisters.” (Michael Yaconelli, Messy Spirituality, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002, p12)

‘Good’ People in the Bible
Is there any spirituality not reserved for monks or spiritual super-people, but for ordinary folks like you and I trying to eke out an honest living? Yaconelli replies in the affirmative.

“Spirituality is not a formula; it is not a test. It is a relationship. Spirituality is not about competency; it is about connection. The way of the spiritual life begins where we are now in the mess of our lives. Accepting the reality of our broken, flawed lives is the beginning of spirituality not because the spiritual life will remove our flaws but because we let go of seeking perfection and, instead seek God, the one who is present in the tangledness of our lives. Spirituality is not about being fixed; it is about God’s being present in the mess of our unfixedness.” (13)

If we were to recall the Scriptures, many biblical characters were not simply not perfect people. They do not have a clean-shaven spirituality. They come as they are, flaws and all.

• Noah, after a triumphant building of the Ark, after surviving the great flood, went on later to become‘drunk and naked.’ (Gen 9:20-21)
• Jacob was a cheat, (his name means ‘he deceives), but was still considered a biblical patriach. (Gen 25:26)
• Joseph, though he was a favoured son, foolishly boasted about his interpretation of the dream without considering how it would affect his other brothers. (Gen 37:9)
• King David committed adultery. (2 Sam 11)
• Peter the apostle, denied Christ not once but thrice!

Unfortunately, sometimes when we do character study of biblical persons, we tend to overemphasize their ‘rightness’ and make them so ‘perfect’ that we revere them. What is most left out is not what they did, but how God has been merciful and faithful to them DESPITE their weaknesses. Likewise, when we go to church, sometimes we over-exalt those people in our churches to an uncomfortable altar of ‘spiritual’ rightness.

- “The pastor must be correct. After all, he has years of theological training.”
- “I can never understand the Bible myself, unlike the theologians who are so skillful.”
- “How do you expect me to pray like how the elders prayed? That’s why I’m not an elder.”

Now, I am not saying that those in pastoral positions or areas of leadership influence are never right. Neither am I saying that it is ok for layperson to be always wrong. What I am saying is that we should not put people on an unrealistic high pedestal which can turn them into hyped up professional spiritualists. In fact, the main point is that for people who find it a struggle to live a Christian life, it is ok. God accepts you as you are. That does not preclude the need to live the life demonstrated by Christian disciplines. Messy spirituality is basically to encourage these tired, discouraged individuals who loved God. They want to make a difference for God in their lives, but felt weak and uninspired. They are what we call, honest to God people.

Messiness as Workshop of Authentic Spirituality
Yaconelli argues that ‘messy spirituality’ is actually the ‘workshop of authentic spirituality, the greenhouse of faith, the place where the real Jesus meets the real us.’ (15) He continues:

“Messy Spirituality is the scandalous assertion that following Christ is anything but tidy and neat, balanced and orderly. Far from it. Spirituality is complex, complicated and perplexing – the disorderly, sloppy, chaotic look of authentic faith in the real world. Spirituality is anything but a straight line; it is a mixed-up, topsy-turvy, helter-skelter godliness that turns our lives into an upside-down toboggan ride full of unexpected turns, surprise bumps, and bone-shattering crashes.” (17)

Some advantages of recognizing ‘messy spirituality:’

• It stops our pretense
• It reflects our imperfectness and lots of projects that will eventually remain ‘unfinished
• It reminds us that we are often not as competent as we had wanted.
• It tells us that all of us, can be driven to a point of desperation

One of the most profound things in ‘Messy Spirituality’ is the dispelling of the myth that God can only meet us when we have gotten everything right and worked out correctly. Like living correctly, living cleanly and staying righteous in all we do. Unfortunately, imperfect people cannot do that. Instead, until we confess we cannot save ourselves, to acknowledge we are already in a mess no matter how hard we try, God will not be pleased with us. We have to stop on our tracks upon seeking our own salvation through obedience to the law, but submitting ourselves to God’s grace even as we faithfully discharge our responsibilities and good works. In the New Testament, Jesus is constantly attracted to the outcasts, the undesired and the detested in society.

My Comments
I think it is important not to misinterpret Yaconelli’s ideas. As much as the book is to encourage people that it is ok, it is alright when we fail to do what we ought to be doing, it is necessary to point out the audience he is writing for. He is writing for people who are discouraged when they could not live a balanced life as a Christian. He writes to comfort people struggling endlessly with practicing Christianity while interacting with the world at large. He is NOT writing to tell people to continue doing mediocre jobs. He is NOT saying that it is always ok to give less than our best. He is above all, NOT saying that it is ok to continue living a life of sin. Such a book can be easily misinterpreted, and this point is the single most glaring weakness in the book. While it is true that all people struggle, some more than others, it is also true that people find strength to persevere in spite of their struggles. Paul the Apostle, while recognizing his weaknesses, chose to boast in the Lord’s strength. He is purposeful in what he does, making three great missionary trips. He tries his best, and practiced forgiveness and grace in his ministry. While Yaconelli may not be trying to promote mediocre spirituality, he is trying to console wounded believers trying honestly to live a honourable life for God. That put, it is an honourable task.

Is ‘Messy Spirituality’ then for us? My answer is simple: "Do we really have a choice?” The key to life is not whether one makes it through messily or squeaky clean. Avoid extreme nonchalant messiness which tend to shame rather than glorify God. Similarly, detest any tendency toward self-righteousness that puts people off, and bring dishonour to God. It is simply to recognize that at whatever state we are in, we live for the Lord. Live truthfully to oneself, to neighbour and to God. There is no other way.

“There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. ” (Romans 3:22b-24)

ks