Chris's Musings

I'm about to turn 29 again in a week.  I can't tell you how many times I've turned 29, but I can tell you that I'm turning 29 again in a week ;-) It seems to me that birthdays and New Years are good times to reflect on your life over the past year and assess where I am, where I want to be, and what I would like to change.  It also marks another year of growing into maturity and wisdom, which I hope that I can look back at the last 29 and say that I grew wiser and closer to Christ in the process. But I never want to "grow old."  I think that there's a difference there.  Growing up is maturing, learning how to make wiser choices, reflecting more of who God designed me to be.  Growing old is settling, thinking that I've learned it all, experienced it all, and have no more need to grow.  This is pretty undesirable for me... and honestly I can't imagine that it'd be very desirable for anyone. For starters, we are living in a world created by a...

Last Thursday, I was out at Taco Mac with a buddy of mine watching a little hoops action  It's the opening weekend of "the dance" as you know, and Thursday was a great day to see a slew of upsets.  Because it was a "school night," we didn't watch any of the late games, but made sure to see the end of Washington vs. Marquette. At the end of the game, the entire place erupted when the Huskies put in the game winning basket with less than 3 seconds left to play.  We were pumped.... and for most of us it wasn't likely even OUR team (I'm watching MY team play in a few hours). After getting my juices going from some great basketball action, this thought popped in my head... You know, this is what worship looks like. A few weeks ago, the kids in UpStreet learned about the story where David danced before the LORD when they brought the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem.  King David made a fool of himself, not a kingly thing, because in his heart h...

This week preparing for small group, I read something that Francis Chan said in his book "Crazy Love" which really got me thinking, in addition to some thoughts from my Theopraxis class a few weeks ago. The thought is this:  If I was trapped on a desert island, and all I had to feed my thinking and my knowledge of God and life was the Bible.  No commentaries, no other books, no teachers, no systems of theology.  All I had was what was written in that book... and I read it without anything anchoring my thoughts... what conclusions would I come up with? Add another thought:  If I read Paul's letters as if I was a citizen of Ephesus, Rome, Galatia, Phillipi, etc., and did not have a systematic theology to break apart what Paul was saying (it may not be too hard to get that idea... watching Spartacus or Gladiator may be enough to at least put your mind into that of the late 1st Century Roman world) and I didn't have the letter broken up into chapters & verses (be...

I just got my CDs from the Passion 2010 talks this last week - I have started to listen to a few of them and I am completely stuck on this one story that Francis Chan tells during his session talk... He tells this story about a time when his oldest daughter comes home having just gotten an "F" on a test in school.  Like in my growing up, bad grades were unacceptable for her and the news of failing a test would bring unfun consequences.  So after Francis gets home, she shows him the test and asks what is going to happen to her.  And during what was probably an ultimate in teachable moments in her life, her dad (who is recounting this story to us) says.... I'm going to take you out to dinner... Then we'll go out to a movie. Then I'll take you out for ice cream. Because I want you to experience... grace. Quite unexpected, huh?  Francis told us that when she got to school the next day that she told the story and her friends responded like any normal kid who ...

Had to share the song that we finished up at Buckhead Church on Sunday... good song & great message. Lyrics: Why are you striving these days Why are you trying to earn grace Why are you crying Let me lift up your face Just don't turn away Why are you looking for love Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough To where will you go child Tell me where will you run To where will you run And I'll be by your side Wherever you fall In the dead of night Whenever you call And please don't fight These hands that are holding you My hands are holding you Look at these hands and my side They swallowed the grave on that night When I drank the world's sin So I could carry you in And give you life I want to give you life ---------------- Cause I, I love you I want you to know That I, I love you I'll never let you go And I'll be by your side Wherever you fall In the dead of night Whenever you call And please don't fi...