Two weeks ago I was visiting with some youth about the video games they were playing and I asked what they recommended. Jennifer and I recently purchased a Nintendo Wii using the store credit we had received from selling back a ton of old books, CDs, and DVDs. After listening to their recommendations, I told the youth that I had just rented "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed." I told them that I was enjoying it, but I didn't know if it had any redeeming value or if I was just fulfilling my lifelong dream to use a lightsaber (this is probably as close as I will ever get).
I grew up watching the Star Wars movies - in fact, whenever I was sick enough to stay home from school I would watch all three of the originals back to back to back. The story takes place during the time between the original three movies and the newer movies (which take place before the originals). You play as Darth Vader's apprentice. I must be honest and say that I didn't like the idea of beginning on the dark side. In some of the older computer games (Knights of the Old Republic) you could choose whether you would like to become a Jedi (good guy) or a Sith (bad guy). You begin by attacking Jedi as you try to prove to Darth Vader that you are ready to take on the emperor and rule the galaxy alongside your master. You are apparently betrayed by Darth Vader before he tells you to begin a rebellion so that you can distract the emperor. Then you are betrayed by Darth Vader as he captures those you have gathered for the rebellion - it appears that you have been used to bring the emperor's enemies out into the open. But as the game progresses the character makes progress as well. Ultimately you reject the dark side and save the leaders of the rebellion. In order to stay within the "canon" of the movies, your character must die (because the character is never mentioned in the movies). So you die while the rebel leaders escape. The rebellion adopts your family crest as the symbol for the rebellion against the evil empire.
The game does have some redeeming value as the character gives his life for the sake of his friends (John 15:13). While the character may have to die to remain within the Star Wars Canon, our Christian Canon (The Bible) tells us that Jesus had to die for our salvation. While the character in the Star Wars game gives his life for the sake of others, there is nothing he can do to make up for the lives he takes at the beginning of the game. You begin the game as someone who has been twisted by the dark side of the force. Each of us has been twisted by sin. While the game has some redeeming value, the Bible tells us that Jesus' death on the cross has the value of redemption. There is nothing we can do to earn salvation, because we can never make up for what we have done and we will never be good enough. But we can freely receive salvation through the gracious gift that comes through Jesus' death and resurrection.
This game gave me an opportunity to unleash the powers of the force and recognize the power of the gospel. It gave me an opportunity to use a lightsaber and reflect on The Light!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Company of New Pastors Conference (Nov 11-14)
The Company of New Pastors was formed to help seminary graduates stay in church ministry by instilling the importance of spiritual disciplines and theological reflection. It also serves as a support group by bringing together new pastors into groups led by a veteran pastor. In seminary our group met once a month to discuss our ordination vows. It was a wonderful group of twelve students and two mentors.
This past week the Company of New Pastors gathered together for a conference in the mountains of Colorado. Ten out of the twelve members of my group from Princeton were in attendance. We had morning, midday, and evening prayer throughout the conference (this includes multiple prayers, some singing, and scripture reading). We reflected on the doctrine of providence in small group discussions and through four sessions of guided journaling. We had two panel discussions with six seasoned pastors who willingly answered questions about serving as pastors.
At the conference we were divided into small groups (roughly) based on the region in which we live. I was in the Texas (and Oklahoma) Region with two friends from Princeton, four new friends from Austin Theological Seminary, and an experienced Pastor currently serving in Boulder, CO. I think this group will continue to be a source of encouragement and support as we have planned to stay in touch and have promised to pray for one another.
The guided journaling gave me an opportunity to reflect on my life. I was able to discover previously unrecognized sources of pain and comfort. I recognized my need to ask a loved one for forgiveness. Most of all, I was able to see that God was present with me even in the difficult times (especially in the difficult times). At the end of the experience I was able to count my blessings and thank God for all of the saints in my life.
This past week the Company of New Pastors gathered together for a conference in the mountains of Colorado. Ten out of the twelve members of my group from Princeton were in attendance. We had morning, midday, and evening prayer throughout the conference (this includes multiple prayers, some singing, and scripture reading). We reflected on the doctrine of providence in small group discussions and through four sessions of guided journaling. We had two panel discussions with six seasoned pastors who willingly answered questions about serving as pastors.
At the conference we were divided into small groups (roughly) based on the region in which we live. I was in the Texas (and Oklahoma) Region with two friends from Princeton, four new friends from Austin Theological Seminary, and an experienced Pastor currently serving in Boulder, CO. I think this group will continue to be a source of encouragement and support as we have planned to stay in touch and have promised to pray for one another.
The guided journaling gave me an opportunity to reflect on my life. I was able to discover previously unrecognized sources of pain and comfort. I recognized my need to ask a loved one for forgiveness. Most of all, I was able to see that God was present with me even in the difficult times (especially in the difficult times). At the end of the experience I was able to count my blessings and thank God for all of the saints in my life.
I was able to enjoy two hikes and a walk around a frozen lake in the Rocky Mountain National Park. My breath was taken away by the beauty of God’s creation (not to mention the altitude).The best part about the trip was being reunited with my friends from Princeton Theological Seminary. Ten out of the twelve folks in our group attended the conference. My best friend, Kevin, was my roommate. Our group shared our hopes and dreams as well as our concerns and doubts. We ate together, hiked together, laughed together, and prayed together.
There is a cliché that says, “Sometimes it is hard to see the trees because of the forest.” Sometimes you need to take a step back from what you are doing in order to see where you have been and where you would like to go. This week has given me an opportunity to reflect on my first five months of ministry at First Presbyterian Church in Pampa. There are some things that I think I have done well, but there are also things I know I would like to improve on. This week has helped me see how I can better use my gifts and equip those in the church to use theirs.
Here I am with the Princeton Crew that went to Rocky Mountain National Park.
Here I am with Jeremiah on top of a large rock on the side of a mountain that we hiked. Jessica was also with us (she is the one taking the picture). We had a great hike and they only had to stop for me to catch my breath three times - whew!
Monday, November 3, 2008
Something Old and Something New - How to Read the Bible Using Your Computer
Last year I became a member of the Company of New Pastors. One of the commitments this group makes is to pray and read the bible daily. This is such a simple and yet difficult task to accomplish, even for those of us who serve as pastors. I know the Bible is very important to Presbyterians, but I also know that many of us have trouble reading it on a regular basis. While I do not have a perfect track record, I have found that I truly enjoy praying and reading from the bible (almost) every day. And I thought I would suggest everyone who reads this blog do it as well. For those of you who aren't sure where to start or how to keep track, here are a few amazing resources (one ecumenical and the others technological).
"Lectioary Readings" (the ecumenical resource) provide a disciplined approach to reading the bible. There are two cycles: the "Daily Readings" and the "Sunday and Festival Readings." The Daily Readings provide a means for reading through the New Testament every year and the Old Testament every two years. The "Sunday and Festival Readings" provide a method that allows for the fullness of scripture to be presented in worship every three years.
One of the technological resources is your email account! Through the Presbyterian Church (USA) you can receive daily emails with the "Daily Readings" absolutely free!!! Just go to this link and sign up, http://www.pcusa.org/devotions/lectionary/index.htm. This will allow you to keep track of the days that you have read and perhaps the days that you have missed. The trick is, reading the email before you delete it. If you decide to give it a try, let me know how it goes. Theoretically we will be reading the same scripture passages every day, so if you have questions, feel free to call (or better yet), email me!
The other technological resource is our website. We have updated our links page to include a link to the readings of the day on our "Links" page, http://www.pampapcusa.org/links.php. Also on this page you will find a search engine for the bible. Type in the word you are looking for and it will give you a list of every time that word is used in the bible.
We are a people of the Book and our culture is increasingly becoming a people of the world wide web. These resources will allow us to use modern technology to practice an old spiritual discipline. Let's read the Bible - whether it's out of your old family bible with the worn-out binding or on your computer screen!
"Lectioary Readings" (the ecumenical resource) provide a disciplined approach to reading the bible. There are two cycles: the "Daily Readings" and the "Sunday and Festival Readings." The Daily Readings provide a means for reading through the New Testament every year and the Old Testament every two years. The "Sunday and Festival Readings" provide a method that allows for the fullness of scripture to be presented in worship every three years.
One of the technological resources is your email account! Through the Presbyterian Church (USA) you can receive daily emails with the "Daily Readings" absolutely free!!! Just go to this link and sign up, http://www.pcusa.org/devotions/lectionary/index.htm. This will allow you to keep track of the days that you have read and perhaps the days that you have missed. The trick is, reading the email before you delete it. If you decide to give it a try, let me know how it goes. Theoretically we will be reading the same scripture passages every day, so if you have questions, feel free to call (or better yet), email me!
The other technological resource is our website. We have updated our links page to include a link to the readings of the day on our "Links" page, http://www.pampapcusa.org/links.php. Also on this page you will find a search engine for the bible. Type in the word you are looking for and it will give you a list of every time that word is used in the bible.
We are a people of the Book and our culture is increasingly becoming a people of the world wide web. These resources will allow us to use modern technology to practice an old spiritual discipline. Let's read the Bible - whether it's out of your old family bible with the worn-out binding or on your computer screen!
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