What do you want to be when you grow up?

The first time I ever felt called to any form of "ministry" was at the end of my seventh grade year when one of our FCA leaders began asking for a Bible Study leader for the following fall. I cannot remember my logic at the time (or if I knew what logic was) but I am sure it most likely had more to do with my respect for my current leader and an extreme desire to receive any similar form of respect from my piers.

In the year to follow I found myself in a constant struggle with God's calling on my life and in September 2001 I "surrendered to the ministry" during a fall retreat. From that tiny tabernacle in the hills of Northeast Arkansas to our apartment today in South Fort Worth God has continually developed his call on my life.

I have been encourage in the gifts God has developed in my life to care for his people and teach his word and constantly receive challenges to serve the Church no matter the price or pain. Bailey and myself understand our broader calling within the body of Christ and specific roles we have been given. We know that God has developed us and brought us together in marriage to serve his people, his Church and his will.

Even though I have had years to work out and understand this calling I am just now able to put my largest struggle into words. My constant craving is not to simply receive a calling but to see our destination. With the gifts, passions, and educational opportunities God has given me, I know that during my life I will be teaching and shepherding the people of God, but I have been struggling for years to discern where, when and how I will be working out this calling. I have recently realized that our lives are not called to a destination that we will fully understand or arrive at anytime during this life or this world. To live every day in hope of reaching some worldly destination is nothing more than a waste of a life.

But we praise God for the destination of his kingdom and the second coming of his son, and until then we ask for continual guidance as we seek to serve His coming kingdom.

The NOT so Whole Theology of the Holy Spirit

Growing up, I was almost always leading my Sunday School class in attendance percentage. I thought I knew all of the answers and for the most part, I did. I learned very quickly what type of questions my teacher would ask, and most of them, stereotypical involved Jesus or God.

I received a Bachelor of Arts from Ouachita Baptist University and during my studies I quickly learned that my theology of the Holy Spirit was almost entirely absent. Anytime discussion of our great helper the Holy Spirit would come up, my friends and I immediately found ourselves doggy-paddling in the deep end. My professors and mentors graciously guided me into the richness of the text and challenged me (and my biased understanding) with their lives and conversations.

Most often, (among Bible Belt Believers) conversation of the Holy Spirit ends with a downward looking view concerning speaking in tongues, or simply with sweaty palms and extreme anxiety.

I understand the concern that stems from a counterfeit experience and most people within this "Christian culture" have rarely (if ever) experienced authentic outpouring work of the Holy Spirit.

But do we desire it? Do we plead for the Holy Spirit to pour into our lives and churches like the fire that broke into the moment of worship in Acts 2? Do we truly believe that our context deems us capable of surviving this fallen world without the Spirit of God?

So, first off, I challenge a careful reading through the book of Acts, which speaks of the Holy Spirit twice as much as any other book in our Holy Bible.. For so long this book has been called "The Acts of the Apostles" and rightly so, but if you focus on the agency of the action I hope and believe your heart and head will be challenged with the constant requirement of the great helper.

Second, I pray for the day (for myself, for you, and for the Church) that we truly worship the Trinity in fear of the perfect will of God, and not in fear of gibberish coming out of your mouth. Do not take part in speech as debate, but challenge one another and seek the truth of our sacred text.

Ephesians 1:13

"In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, 

and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee 

of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory."

The Holy Spirit is God and if you are saved by Christ Jesus you have received this beautiful promise. Do not run from this truth, but run to our helper, and pray to be filled by Him as we wait for the great return of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Extra-biblical Theology

When was the last time you came across a puzzling piece of theological pie? What was your reaction? How do you study theology? Where do you find your support? What is your foundation?

One of the most valuable theological lessons I learned during my undergraduate work was in an introductory philosophy class. I may or may not have been the ignorant front row baptist who opened his mouth far too often. I found myself arguing with my professor (and the rest of the class for that matter) concerning the simple question, "Can God create a squircle (a square-circle)?" The idea comes from the philosophical law of non-contradiction which states "that something cannot be both true and not true at the same time when dealing with the same context" (Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry - carm.org). One of the simplest and most common discussions within this law involve questions like, "can God create a rock so heavy that he can't lift it?"

At the time I had a very shallow theology and as much as a puddle of thought for philosophy, but I simply could not accept any phrase that involved "God cannot".

After much embarrassment and confusion I came to one conclusion, which has never been refuted, the idea is as follows: Theology is the study of God, and we do know things about God, but the very moment we begin to define God with human words and definitions, we immediately begin to limit him. Back to the original debate; I understand that the idea of a squircle is impossible, but it is defined as impossible through our definitions of both a circle and a square. For God to create a square with no corners and a circle that has no diameter, couldn't he accomplish it outside of human standards (as is his very nature)?

So many books, pastors and teachers alike, all too often remain firmly rooted in their theological bunker as they fire contradicting ideas at one another. All the while forgetting that their view is trapped (for the time being) in a state of worldly definitions. The very word "theology" is never found in the scriptures as is the case with so many of our definitions of God himself.

Where are your theological roots grounded? Do you find power and answers solely through human words (whether they are yours or your favorite theologians)? The only words we can fully trust are those which were breathed out by God himself, and it is in His Holy Scriptures that we must find our firm foundation.  

John 1:14

"And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, 

glory as of the only Son from the father, full of grace and truth."

Supporting the Opposition

Many bible-belters ate mor chikin today...

What was the cause? What were the results? 

Those who shared chicken sandwiches today would tell you they were supporting an "appreciation day", declared by Mike Huckabee who declared this day on August 1st in support of Dan Cathy's statement for biblical marriage. I praise God for these leaders and hope to understand biblical marriage more every day as I seek to lead my wife.

But what was the real cause today? Were the supporters standing for biblical marriage or against gays.

What was the true result today? Please don't tell me you were concerned about Chic-Fil-A not having enough business. Perhaps a clearer angle to understand today's news is not how your Sunday school class cheered you on for enjoying an extra shake, but more so how a growing group of people were treated today. Homosexuality is sinful, but so is debt, sexually-immorality, and idleness, all of which are growing in our world and in our Christian homes even faster than a confused sexual orientation. Have Christians given up on reaching the world and decided it would be better to chase them off and assure that they stay far far away? Christians have not been simply opposing the sin of homosexuality but opposing and even disowning the human caught in the struggle.

In no way am I against a stand for biblical marriage. But I will always oppose anyone who hates humans and denies God the opportunity to show them love. The question is: did you stand for biblical marriage today or against a human being? Did you respond to a passion in your heart or simply follow the herd that was trampling souls? Christians must stop making political statements and begin serving the Kingdom of God.

John 13:35

"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."