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why are we the way we are?

So it’s been a crazy long time since I’ve written. During my sabbatical I’ve transferred all my posts to my new blog at http://michaelsimpson.wordpress.com [so this will be the last post at the blogspot address]. Also, I’ve added Ada as a contributor…hopefully she’ll actually contribute ;-)

Anyways, I’ve got a new blog, a new blog entry, a new look, and my world has been rocked over the break.

I want to talk a little about that now.

Last Saturday I woke up before 5 a.m. in order to travel to Dallas for a youth convention with Ada’s church. I arrived around 8:30, and the convention started at 10:00. It was a great day of authentic praise and worship. There were two services, both in Spanish. I couldn’t understand a darn thing, but the Lord was there. In the morning service, the preacher brought a sermon about “running the race” that Paul speaks of in the New Testament. It was great. He hammered on the point that we’re not only called to run the race, but we’re called to finish it. He used the analogy of a marathon runner. In specificity, he used the analogy of a marathon runner that was sent to the Olympics for his country. He came in dead last, and was tired as he strolled in the last mile. When asked why he didn’t just quit, being last, his response was “my country didn’t send me to quit the race, they sent me to finish.”

Wow –if only we could have that attitude about this great race that we’re running.

The preacher went on to say how it’s only possible to run this race to completion with the proper training, equipment and whatnot…just like being a marathon runner. The training we receive comes from the word, and the equipment is the discipleship we receive by being in community with those around us.

The worship in this church is amazing. There is no choir nor are there any instruments. Now some of you are automatically saying “must be lame.” I tell you the truth: it is amazing. In a day in age that it’s so easy to get caught up in lyrics and instruments, it was a breath of fresh air to not be caught up in that. I sure wasn’t caught up in the words…as I had no idea what they were saying. There were no instruments to get caught up in. Everyone was singing (except me). They were shouting their praises to the Lord without regard to how good their voices sounded. It was great. It was great because we know our Lord hears our voice as beautiful worship to Him. It was truly amazing.

I loved the way the convention went. It was a convention in which youth groups were given the opportunity to make a presentation on a specific topic. Each group walked in together singing a song. The walked up on to the platform together, and each member of the group was given a short speech to make to the entire crowd. Topics were eschatology, lamentations, salvation, the power of God, the Bible, and more. Now, I didn’t understand these presentations, but it was great to see youth stepping up and showing leadership at young ages. I think that’s very important.

I am a youth pastor. Meaning…I’m supposed to be a leader. It’s my job. When I see youth step up into leadership and use this sort of “positive peer pressure” I am encouraged in ministry. The preacher from the first service was around 16 years old, I believe. Why was I (or anyone my age for that matter) never encouraged to preach or teach at that age? It seems to me that the American church isn’t concerned with developing leadership among its youth... Sad day.

+ms

Lord, please empower me to run this great race with endurance. Please give me the training and the equipment to finish the race strong. Please give the church a burden to develop youth leaders…the next generation of Church leaders. Thank you for the convention and the impact it had on my life. Thank you for showing me some true worship. Thank you for your grace and your mercy that you give so freely. Amen.

Glorious Biblical Profanity

So I’m sitting here in the Library at HBU, and I’m thinking how I haven’t written a blog in a very long time. Not “Angelo Gonzalez” long…but long nonetheless.

First I want to start out by addressing issues of a wild tongue. I am a youth pastor. I also curse on occasion. I realize that it can offend some people, therefore I am careful as to whom I curse around…(generally men whom I am comfortable around.) I especially try to not curse around ladies, especially my girlfriend, because I believe that it can be disrespectful. Also, I believe that directly and maliciously cursing another human, one created by YHWH, one I’m called to love, is a sin.

Matthew 5:22 (NASB):

But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire.

In the Greek, the literal term used for fool is raka, transliterated “raka.” It is a term of abuse. We can conclude that it is sin to maliciously verbally abuse one of YHWH’s creations.

However, aside from the fact that I’ve always imagined Christ running through the temple dropping “GTHOs” at the Pharisees, there is other biblical evidence that there is appropriate times to use such words that might be explicit enough in meaning to carry a certain shock value. Enter Paul. I will insert a verse from the third chapter of Paul’s letter to the Philippians. First, I’ll insert the English NASB version, then what the Greek New Testament says…for you biblical language scholars.

Philippians 3:8 (NASB)

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.

PROS PWMAIOUS 3:8

alla menounge kai hgoumai panta zhmain einai dia to uperecon thv gnwsewv Cristou~ Ihsou tou kuriou mou, di on tap anta ezhmiqhn, kai hgoumai skubala, ina Criston kerdhsw

[Feel free to notice and scoff at my lack of breathing marks and accents…that’s mainly because I haven’t figured out how to properly type them.]

I call your attention to the underlined word skoubala. This word, translated in most English texts is the word "rubbish." I tell you the truth, the word that is used in the original Greek carries a larger shock value than the word "rubbish" does in English. The correct English word used to translate would have been the word "shit."

Don't be mistaken. I am not saying that we are allowed to go around talking with filthy tongues. I am, however, saying that Christ and the apostles weren't the nice mannered, calm men that we are taught they were.

I heard a sermon one time that was on the character of Christ. Two contrasting video clips were used to portray Jesus. The first was of Mr. Rogers: nice old man with fun stories to tell, always in a chipper mood, always whistling an upbeat, inviting tune. The second was of Mel Gibson playing the role of William Wallace in Braveheart: wild leader of an army that is out to fight and overthrow the corrupt institution that was the English government, fighting for what is good, what is right.

Which one of these two would you say is more accurate?

God, I pray that we will see You for who you really are --a wild Lion that can't be tamed. You are not safe, but you are good. You are the king. Help us to live with the same grace you give to us so freely. Amen.