Postmortemism

Personal Criticism

David — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 01:40:03 +0000

This is my application of James 3:1-12. First, I had to interpret the culture of the passage and the passage itself. In this, I tried to step outside my own culture, interpret it, and then try to impose the principles in the passage onto my culture. I wrote it for a class.

My personal native culture places a strong emphasis on accomplishing personal success without sacrificing time to enjoy life’s pleasures. The people with whom I associate are generally at least middle class, have some political understanding, often share my religious beliefs, and have successful careers in a variety of professional arenas. Those who do not share my racial background often still share similar assimilation into American culture consisting of TV, sports, music, and movies while also maintaining firm views about which elements of this culture are best and worst. Most have fairly well-defined political views, too.

My culture enjoys a candid criticism of someone in politics, religion, society, or even family, who is bothersome or annoying.

In the case of James 3:1-12, James instructs Christians, both those who want to speak to the church and those who don’t, to reflect on the purity of their speech, particularly with reference to other people. Most of his instruction may seem agreeable to most people in my culture, but an outsider might notice a lot of incongruity between James’ commands and the speech patterns of many in my culture.

In my culture, a well-put complaint garners praise and agreement. On Facebook and in person, my friends and I often register our observations about other people. Now, most often, these are thankful, but sometimes, we bring up the mistakes of others in a critical or mocking way. These criticisms function as a type of ethical catharsis. We all feel like we have high standards and people’s mistakes that fall short should be reproved or at least announced. Doing this validates who we are, the choices we have made, and the goals we have for our future.

As long as the person we criticize isn’t a dear friend or associate of ours (or as long as we keep their name anonymous if they are), few in my culture would be personally shocked or offended by hearing or reading a rant against someone else (especially someone in the public realm). Moreover, if the person complaining did so humorously enough, others would praise and agree with him or her. The more profound and adept the complaint is, the more praise will follow. And the more successful a person is, the more likely people in my culture will readily accept the harsh critique of someone of whom the person does not approve.

James’ approach to speech would challenge this aspect of my culture. He does not tolerate a person blessing God and cursing people made in his image. While few of my friends and associates would go so far as to verbalize a desire to send someone to hell, the absence of any corresponding comments to moderate or balance their critique essentially defines the person by their flawed action. My culture often fails to admit that even seriously flawed people are made in God’s image. Moreover, they often ignore their own deep-seated personal shortcomings.

James’ admonition to examine everything one says as to whether it reflects back on one’s spiritual identity would lead to a great amount of verbal redaction if people in my culture were to fully obey it. If a person sees a flaw in someone else, the Christian response would more often entail a prayer on that person’s behalf or a private exhortation rather than a public rant.

Furthermore, if someone wants to be a church teacher, especially as a vocation, they must demonstrate a level of self-censorship not often practiced in my culture. It would serve a person well to elicit the views of other people, who could offer constructive criticism or advice to that person, on how well that person controls their tongue. It would also serve a congregation well to pay as much attention to a young person’s ability to control their speech as their ability to teach before commending that person to pursue a career in a church leadership position. It is not merely a person’s knowledge or ability to discern ideas that makes them spiritual, but their ability to know and discern their own motives, speech, and conduct.

One Mid-Term

David — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 22:54:24 +0000

Alright. I haven’t done any writing in my blog for a while for a couple reasons:

1) I have been much busier than I was in college.

2) I have had to learn and do a lot of stuff that takes up my creative imagination.

3) I got into car stuff.

Anyhow, I wanted to give a sample of what that is like. I apologize if you thought this would be anything other than what the title is. But I’m putting this on the blog because it shows what is on my mind these days, and it gives a sample of what seminary is like, for those of you who may be curious.

The following is my mid-term examination for my Old Testament Historical Narratives class. It’s a good class. The professor, Herman Austel, was on the translation team for the New American Standard Bible. He’s a very humble, interesting, and personable guy. I am blessed to have the chance to learn his perspective on a variety of Biblical issues.

My hope is that, if you read this, you are somehow edified spiritually. Maybe that you will consider something you haven’t, or be reminded of something you needed to remember.

David Robinson

October 15, 2010

Old Testament Historical Books

Dr. Herman Austel

Midterm Examination

1. Name ten problems with the Documentary Hypothesis (Why the five books of Moses weren’t written during a much later period by Jewish Scribes)

Scholarship usually accepts ancient texts as truth unless evidence proves otherwise. Mosaic authorship is treated as false without archeological or other historical evidence.

The D.H. is based on the assumptions which come from the Theory of Evolution of Religion, which has been disproven thoroughly.

Moses uses the masculine pronoun (our equivalent of “he”) for men and women, a trait not used in the rest of the Hebrew O.T.

For the writers (and/or compilers) of the Mosaic books to present teachings about truth, honesty, and testing and rejection of prophets who are false to completely lie about the authorship of the book they write/compile is completely counter-intuitive.

Moses uses the English equivalent of “-ward” (as in toward or homeward) far more often than the rest of the O.T. writers.

Moses uses many Egyptian names for things and refers to Canaan as a place which has yet to be seen, indicating his familiarity with Egypt.

The construction of the so-called Ten Commandments indicates a form which directly parallels the Hittite treaties contemporary with the 2^nd millennium and is significantly different than 7^th century Assyrian treaties, when critics propose the Mosaic books were written/compiled.

Other countries from Moses’ time had written books, why shouldn’t Israel? They were certainly at least as literate as other contemporary nations.

Skepticism about Mosaic authorship, leading to the JEDP theory, is based on a biased anti-supernaturalistic presupposition.

Many names used throughout the Pentateuch were obsolete in all the rest of the Old Testament, showing its age.

Extra: Many apocryphal and pseudepigraphical books were not accepted as either truthful or canonical by their contemporary Jewish audience due to skepticism or uncertainty about their authorship. If they were capable of discerning authorship fraud in those books, why would they have blindly and unanimously accepted Moses’ authorship without any dissent for 2500 years?

2. Show how the book of Genesis develops God’s redemptive program.

Genesis develops God’s redemptive program by presenting God’s sinless creation, man’s fall into sin, and God’s provision of redemption for his people.

When God creates all the heavens and earth, he describes it as “good”. He gives only one rule to Adam and Eve: do not eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve violate that rule, causing the entire human race to be born into sin. The serpent, the devil, led Adam and Eve into this sin. God condemns Adam, Eve, and the serpent individually for the part in this downfall. But during this condemnation, he says that the seed of the woman will crush the head of the serpent and the serpent will bruise the heal of the seed. The “seed” God refers to is Jesus Christ. He will crush the power of Satan’s to tempt permanently one day. As he does this, he will be hurt in the process, but will ultimately be victorious. Although Adam and Eve did not have a clear knowledge of who Jesus was, they had a promise from God that he would one day put an end to Satan and temptation through a sacrificial man. The seed, then, is the hope God gives to the newly fallen first couple, who they must trust in for their future redemption from sin. One day, this seed will return everything to its “good” state.

3. Discuss the importance and implementation of the Abrahamic covenant.

The Abrahamic covenant is important because when God made his covenant with Abraham, he laid the foundation of his special relationship with Israel. This covenant is unique in that it was made unilaterally, without conditions for Abraham to uphold. God simply declared:

^12:2I will make you into a great nation
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.

³ I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.

Due to this covenant, God has created the nation of Israel from Abraham’s line (through Sarah). This nation exists, as the passage states, for two specific purposes: God will bless it and he will bless all peoples on earth through it. Later, when God expands on this covenant, we read, “Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6) God promised to bless Abraham, Abraham believed him, and then did what God asked him to do. The Abrahamic covenant was then symbolized by circumcision.

Later on as a nation, God implemented his covenant to bless Israel by taking them out of slavery to Egypt, giving them their own land, and taught them about himself giving them specific laws through which they may be blessed if they obey it in the faith of their forefather. As Israel obeyed God, he blessed her; as she disobeyed, he punished her. But even though most of Abraham’s present day descendents do not believe (though they do have their land back), God’s unilateral covenant is still in place; God still has preserved them as a people and one day, when they collectively have faith in him, they will be permanently redeemed from sin.

The implementation of this covenant has one other aspect: Gentiles today who have the same relationship of faith in the God of Israel are grafted into this “tree” and accepted as heirs of the covenant without specifically becoming Jewish converts, as Paul describes in Romans 10. We can come to God through faith in Jesus and God credits righteousness to them in the same way he did to Abraham: by faith.

4. Discuss the importance of the book of Exodus

The book of Exodus is important because it shows how God redeems the Hebrew people from bondage to Egypt. Once he has done that, we see God reveal himself to them in the Sinai primarily through Moses, but at times, speaking directly to the people. Throughout their time in the Sinai, Moses teaches the people about God’s holy standard. We also see God’s power on display through his judgment on Pharoah and his wrathful response to idolatry and disobedience. By reading Exodus, we learn that God has a plan of redemption of which he is always in complete control. We see that we, as his people, must refrain from the impatience, discontent, and rebellion that Israel demonstrated at times. We must trust in his sovereign plan despite our temporary situation. And we see that, by trusting him and counting on his provision, we bring his blessing on ourselves.

5. a. Who were the Sons of God in Genesis 6?

Genesis 6:1

When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. Then the LORD said, ‘My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years.’ The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.

It is my view that these sons of God were men who were from the godly line of Seth. Throughout the Old Testament, God warns his people about the dangers of inter-marriage. Marrying strangers, people outside the covenant, leads to bad things. Since mothers have such an important role in the spiritual formation of children, one jeopardizes the opportunity to pass on the importance of knowing and believing in the true God if he marries a woman who does not know God.

When I say the “godly line of Seth”, it is because Seth’s line seems to be full of righteous people. We read that he was a son in Adam’s own image. Later on, his line produced Enoch, who walked with God. Lamech, who had retained a good memory of the fall, came later, and Noah, Lamech’s son was one of a few righteous people left by the time of the flood. This line of ancestors (most of whom were old enough to all be contemporaries) seem to be, at least, a family that preserved and taught the truth about God.

If the men of Seth’s line are the “sons of God”, it follows that the “daughters of man” are simply women who fall outside that realm of trusting in or even knowing about God. That creates a simple dichotomy that doesn’t push the meaning of the text as far as, perhaps, the idea that angels became men and had relations with women who bore semi-angelic sons. Consider also that this genealogy of Seth’s line leads us immediately into chapter 6 of Genesis, where we learn that God has quickly become fed up with humanity. Why?

These godly men produced children with attractive, exotic, albeit unbelieving, women. These children may have attained some knowledge of history, but were not taught to worship God. It doesn’t take much imagination to think that, soon enough, very few people would be left who were devoted to God at all. We then arrive at this state: “The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.” (Gen. 6:5)

To me, identifying the sons of God and daughters of man in this way is the most plausible way to understand the narrative of Genesis in a consistent, sensible way.

b. Give an overview of the book of Leviticus (closed Bible):

In the book of Leviticus, God shows Israel the extent of his demands for holiness. In the first seven chapters, he outlines the sacrificial system so that they know how to rightly respond to their personal sin. They learn that sin is atoned by sacrifice. Blood sacrifice was the most common form. This system symbolically set the stage for fulfillment by Christ’s death on the cross.

Next, God showed Israel his requirements for priests who were of the line of Levi. Priests act as intermediaries between God and man. They are the only ones allowed to perform sacrifices and work in the tabernacle (later the temple). This foreshadowed Christ’s intercessory work with the Father on behalf those who trust in him. (Chapters 8-11, I think)

God then presents his laws concerning purification (12-17, I think). These laws deal with everything including daily personal life, food preparation, and ritual purification. They show us that every aspect of life must take God into account. Ritual cleanliness was meant to reflect an inward condition of spiritual purity, which Christ perfectly demonstrated in his earthly sojourn.

In the last section of Leviticus, we read a series of exhortations pertaining to the holy standard which Israel must attain for right standing with God. Through this section and the ones prior to it, Israel would be reminded that God requires from humans a perfection they do not have. Thus, an unblemished substitute life must die in their stead as they seek to be in a proper relationship with a holy God.

h. Discuss and compare the Hittite and Aramaic/Assyrian treaty formats. Why is this distinction important?

Many scholars who subscribe to the JEDP theory of the five books of Moses believe it was composed primarily, if not exclusively during the 1^st millennium B.C., roughly from 850-620, its composition being finalized during the reign of Josiah. Among the many aforementioned reasons why this view is untenable, one of the best reasons is that the Mosaic covenant established between God and the Hebrews after leaving Egypt bears almost complete similarity with the basic form of the Hittite Suzerainty-Vassal Treaty, a treaty which earned its name from a nation that did not last the 13^th century B.C.

The Hittite treaty began with a naming of the Suzerain, or more powerful party. It continued with a historical prologue describing the relationship between the two parties up till the treaty. It then laid down a set of laws which both parties agreed to. Then, the treaty contained a deposition which required that it be read to all the people and posted so it would not be forgotten. Finally, it delineated a series of curses for those who disobeyed it and blessings for those who followed it. This basic treaty format parallels the format of the treaty God made with Israel (in the section containing the ten commandments) after leaving Egypt.

On the other hand, the Aramaic/Assyrian treaty, while similar in some areas, did not have a historical prologue, did not often follow the same order, and it did not commonly contain any blessings if the treaty was kept, though they did traditionally have curses listed.

By distinguishing between these two treaty formats, anyone can see that the five books of Moses are much more likely an authentic expression contemporary with the times the Bible says the Exodus happened, not a later product of scribes working to compile and write a hodge-podge of historical sounding stories.

Interview with Joy Whitlock

David — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 03:34:00 +0000

After reviewing her album, I had the opportunity to ask Joy some questions about her music. I was very intrigued by the responses and glad to share them with you.

If you could tour with one Christian musician, who would it be and what song(s) (of yours or theirs) would you like to perform with them?

Hands down…Jennifer Knapp. I think she would be awesome on Cost of Being Free and Testify. It would be a joy to sing any of her songs, but if I must choose….The Way I Am.

The song “Testify” seems to reflect glimmers of Jennifer Knapp. What do you appreciate about her music?

You can really tell by listening to her records that what you see is what you get. She was the most real writer, in my opinion. And still is. She put a voice to some of the things that were unspeakable in my heart.

If you could tour with one non-Christian musician, who would it be and what song(s) (of yours or theirs) would you like to perform with them?

I really like Ben Harper’s music. A cool song to sing would be Roses From My Friends.

The song “Your Face” is perhaps the most “acoustic” song on the album…would you enjoy doing an “unplugged” album or acoustic concert?

I think an unplugged album could be really cool. The majority of my shows are acoustic, so it wouldn’t really be anything out of the norm to actually record an acoustic album.

Spiritual Questions:

At the end of “Faith Don’t Fail”, you ask, “You’re faithful aren’t You?” How do spiritual doubts or questions affect your relationship with God?

A lot of the time doubts and questions hinder me, to be honest. I would love to give the spiritual answer and say, “Oh they make me so much stronger”, but I can’t. It is so hard for me to separate emotions from reality sometimes.

After a concert, what do you want people thinking about as they leave the building?

Eternity.

To what extent do you seek to evangelize during your concerts?

I hold nothing back when giving my testimony and sharing the gospel. I even use the words ‘sin’ and ‘hell’!

Music Industry Questions:

Have you ever been asked to change or tone down your lyrics? If so, why?

Only once has this happened, and it was completely harmless. In the chorus of Faith Don’t Fail, the line was originally “These memories are like hands around my throat”. When the record label decided to give this song a shot at radio, someone thought that “hands around my throat” might be misconstrued…too violent or something. So, I changed the words to “These memories won’t let me go”.

And it worked out really well. The melody kind of changed with the lyrics and I really liked it. I was given the option to have the original lyrics on the album, though. But I liked the new melody so much that I decided to let the change stay. I don’t think anything was lost by replacing those lyrics. Although they are more vivid.

What obstacles does a young, Christian, female musician face in the CCM world?

I’m not so young anymore. When I first started this journey, I was 24. Now I’m pushing 29. So, the age thing may be an obstacle. The obstacle I am quite familiar with is all about radio. Some new artists just can’t break into that box. It has been really tough to get one of the songs from the album to pass all the “tests”. I’m still trying to understand it myself.

Random:

What inspired you to ask a Rabbi to play the shofar on your song, “Day of the Lord”? Was the Rabbi a believer? If he wasn’t what was his response to your request and your song? I thought that was a very interesting touch.

Well, the shofar was my idea, but I didn’t know anyone who could actually play the thing. My producer’s wife knew a Rabbi who just happened to own a couple and could play them, as well. The Rabbi was not a believer in Jesus. I have to be honest, it was quite awkward. He was happy to oblige as far as pitching in on the song.

He came to the studio and we met and chatted about nothing for a few minutes. And then came the question I was fearing….”so what is this song about?”. I have a great respect and love for the Jewish people and I did not want to offend this man. Plus, who was I to engage in theology with a RABBI?! Just sounded silly to me. But I proceeded to tell him that it was about the day that Jesus Christ returns…in wrath…to judge a sinful world….as King of Kings. You could’ve heard a pin drop. At the end of it all, I think it went well. He asked to hear the song beforehand, and I watched him as he sat there nodding his head to the beat of the song with his eyes closed.

Truly, I am not sure what he thought. I know for a fact that he noticed all of the Old Testament terminology that I used. He had to…the song is full of it. So, maybe I connected with him in that area. But I don’t know. Maybe, just maybe, he will be one of the 144,000. I really hope so….

Thank you, Joy!

Music Review: God and a Girl

David — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 02:05:02 +0000

A few months ago, I was asked to review a CD. Doing a music review is something new for me; so I gladly accepted. The album is called “God and a Girl” and the artist is Joy Whitlock. She is a serious believer who brings considerable forethought into each of the fourteen songs that make up this album.

Throughout the album, Whitlock engages in an eclectic array of musical styles. In an interview, she was asked about her style and replied, “I would describe my style as a wide variety. ” At times she dabbles in acoustic sounds similar to Nickel Creek and at others, she sounds more like Evanescence. These sorts of changes can become a distraction for the listener primarily because one doesn’t get a sense of progress throughout the album, but one of experimentation. As Joy continues to produce, we’ll expect a slightly more homogeneous album. But any time you pack 14 songs onto a CD, you’d have to expect a bit more variation.

Whitlock has quite a bit of lyrical ability. Nearly all her songs seem to emphasize the struggle between flesh and faith. But she is not mired in self-pity and remorse. One of my concerns about Christian artists who complain about their sin a lot is that they need to focus equally on God’s grace; Joy certainly does that too.

“Don’t Look Down” is a good example of Whitlock’s best strength: deeply personal lyrics that are universal enough to be meaningful for unbeliever and, when seen through the Biblical verse she gives as its inspiration, Hebrews 12:1-3, it becomes even more understandable and meaningful for the believer:

“Tragedy is half the fight
Are you willing to lose your life
Come on let it bleed
There’s nothing you can hide from me.”

These lyrics are related to the passage:

“For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin” (Heb 12:3-4).

As you can tell, the lyrics are much less concrete than the passage upon which they are based; but ever since Jars of Clay, many Christian artists have been highly successful with this multi-layered approach to song-writing. Show everyone something that can make them think; and give Christians something they can really chew on for a while.

At times, it’s quite clear how much she’s been influenced by Jennifer Knapp. In many ways, this album is an homage to Knapp: she speaks freely about her struggles, engages Scripture in her lyrics, and stays musically grounded in folksy acoustic guitar rhythmic patterns. Whitlock has said she wants to play with Knapp one day, even.

As a fan of Knapp, I’m glad another artist has such a high view of her; but I hope Whitlock will continue to branch out in her influences: the eclecticism of this album shows she is still finding herself musically. As strong as this album is with 14 tracks, I believe a more closely refined and tightly linked 9-10 tracks could have packed even more punch. Right now her musical identity needs to catch up with her lyrical intensity. The more exposure she has to the roots of rock, the more she will distinguish herself as an original. Her next album will undoubtedly demonstrate a heightened sense of herself, her relationship with God, and her musical prowess.

“Holding on to Me” and “Beautiful” are my favorites. “Holding,” is especially compelling because her guest bass/drummer combo, Tony Lucido and Ben Phillips, heighten the rhythmic intensity beyond the rest of the songs. “Beautiful” is one of those songs that can get you tapping your foot, bobbing your head, and trying to learn the lyrics more quickly so you can sing along with it in your car. Yes, it is sugary sweet…but in such a serious album, this a welcome departure from the norm.

I am encouraged Whitlock has entered the CCM scene. She is a breath of fresh air for those of us who love to hear thought-provoking, spiritual songs of worship.

I’ll leave you with a great excerpt from one of her blogs. This kind of truth mixed with sincere devotion is what makes her a Christian musician worth paying attention to:

Christians are being fed a false hope. A hope that says Christ came to make life easier, to fulfill all our dreams, to give us a good life here on earth. A hope that says if we just turn our lives over to Christ, He will give us our best life now. But upon reading the Bible, one quickly discovers that misleading hope is found nowhere amongst the pages of Scripture. In fact, speaking of “this life now”, look at what 1 Cor. 15:19 says, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men”. Would you like to know what God says our hope is? This verse says it so clearly. There can be absolutely no dispute! Check it out…Titus 2:11-14. “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say NO to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed HOPE-the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good.”

I’d love it if in her next album, she takes this “God exists to fulfill all your dreams” deception to task.

We shall see.

Applied

David — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:42:31 +0000

Since I am currently a teacher, I just received a nice, healthy break during the holiday season. I am extremely grateful for that opportunity to recharge my batteries, go on a 2nd honeymoon, and see lots of friends. I feel I have some real momentum going into the rest of the year now.

But perhaps the most significant thing I did, next to the honeymoon, was apply to seminary.

Even before I thought about teaching High School, I had been thinking about being a Bible teacher. Yet, it’s not quite as simple to become a good Bible teacher as a school teacher.

For one, there is a spiritual qualification necessary to becoming a Bible teacher. I didn’t feel (and I know this sounds subjective) qualified spiritually, right out of college, to become a Bible teacher. There were elements to my own life that were too inexperienced and uncertain, as much as I knew I loved teaching the Bible. A good teacher-preacher has to be very spiritually secure in order to be consistently used by God on a weekly basis to preach and teach the Word.

Two, I didn’t want to be unmarried going into seminary. It is hard enough being a man who is young in a place of spiritual authority in a church; I didn’t want to have to do it all alone. Thank Providence I found such a wonderful woman who encourages me and helps me each day!

Three, I needed to know Biblical languages. For me, this is a daunting undertaking. I do not memorize things well. Even when I played piano, which I love, my teacher told me I was always the last one to memorize the pieces I was learning before a recital. Thankfully, I will have some time this summer in-between the time I finish teaching High School and (Lord willing) begin Seminary during which I will (a) still be receiving a paycheck and (b) will be able to spend a lot of time teaching myself some beginning languages.

So it is my prayer that God will open a door for me to serve him in this way. Ultimately, I don’t know if I would just stay in Washington and teach or perhaps God may send me to another country; but if he does either, I would be prepared to do his work after I complete my education. For those of you who are interested, I have applied only to Northwest Baptist Seminary (at this point). Please pray for me if you think about it. I know it is a a rigorous task to earn a Master of Divinity. I hope to do so in three years.

Recently Speaking

David — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 07:44:14 +0000

Teaching has dominated my life in the past few months. Apart from the work-load, the psychological demands of the job are far beyond anything I expected. Monitoring student morale, motivation, ability, concentration and maintaining positive (yet authoritative) relationships is almost as impossible as it sounds.

But I was married on December 6.

Natalie spent the week with her sister and closest friends preparing the church and multi-purpose room. She did such an amazing job. Not only was everything done carefully and precisely, they were done elegantly. I had very little to do with anything except the music; but I could not find a single thing that I didn’t love.

Natalie was the most elegant thing, though. I lost it a bit at a couple points, but she held it in until all was said and done. It was such a huge blessing to be able to stand at the front (under the chuppah) and listen to our pastor’s words, say our vows, and know that she had a completely God-focused mentality in everything she was doing.

Natalie and I enjoyed being able to spend this time with our closest family and friends. So many people were overjoyed for us, I was reminded that this marriage isn’t just about us, it’s about all the people who care about us who have prayed about this moment for years.

As of Saturday, it will have been 2 weeks. I’ve always heard the first year is the hardest. But frankly, this has been much easier than living on my own. I credit Natalie for this reality. She is much more of a support than I ever knew I would have. Marriage probably gets hard when people stop being selfless.

Romans 12:10 says, “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor”. It’s not easy to do this. It will be one of my biggest goals in the next few years to devlop in myself a pattern of obedience to this command. Natalie is an amazing example of that kind of love. Being with her and seeing how she responds to things makes certain biblical attitudes much clearer to me.

High and Low

David — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 01:55:06 +0000

You may be an ambassador to England or France,
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance,
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world,
You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed

-Bob Dylan

There seems to be a problem in Christianity. We know people want to lift God up. We know people want to see Jesus. We even know that people constantly recognize “It’s not about us”, it’s about Him.

But let’s make it about us, for a second.

What is our theology of man in contemporary Christian lyrics? Of course the most wonderful thing is saying how great our God is. But it’s not bad to at least discuss who we are as we praise God for who he is and what he has done for us, isn’t it?

I don’t think so. But I think the problem is whenever the topic shifts from “him” to “us”, we find that we want to lift ourselves up with God as well. We want him to be raised high and we want us to be raised high.

Now, in an eschatologizl (the modernized form of eschatological) sense, we are “called out”, sanctified, and we will be glorified with him. We will rule on this earth. We will be “high” on the totem pole through our inheritence of Christ’s perfect righteousness.

But we’re not quite there yet.

Even when we are, he will be much higher. And we will lower ourselves in his presence. The highest people in John’s heavenly vision, the 24 elders, “will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne.” Now, if the highest people in heaven are falling down, throwing their crowns away and worshiping him, how much do we have to lower ourselves right now?

Is it enough to the point of willingness to say he devoted his sacred head for such a worm as I? Willing to say he saved a wretch like me?

Interestingly, there is even an entry in Wikipedia for something called “Worm Theology“. It’s a “system of belief in Christian culture that a feeling and expression of low self worth means God is more likely to show mercy and compassion.”

Well, not quite. In fact, I would say that “more likely” is unnecessary. In fact, we read in the Psalms that God only shows mercy and compassion to those who have a low view of themselves.

For though the LORD is exalted,
Yet He regards the lowly,
But the haughty He knows from afar.

Psalm 138:6

Change

David — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 04:04:50 +0000

I do not often talk about politics here. But I can if I want to.

John McCain is not someone I’m planning on voting for. Since Washington will undoubtedly vote Democrat, I would (currently) rather spend my (futile) vote on someone I really think would govern as a (consistent, principled) conservative.

However, Barack Obama is beyond anything I would ever dream of voting for. Throughout the debates, I tired of his statements that would start like, “Yes, we would definitely have to look at (fill in the debate controversy du jour) and make some tough decisions.” Over and over I only heard extremely qualified yet broad generalisations meant to sound precise and thoughtful.

Stuff like this really bugs me: “Now, it is true, though, that I believe that we should have direct talks — not just with our friends, but also with our enemies — to deliver a tough, direct message to Iran that, if you don’t change your behavior, then there will be dire consequences.” Are you serious?

That’s from the 2nd debate.

Get this: Obama makes himself specific by using adjectives (descriptions). A good leader rarely needs adjectives because he or she uses verbs and nouns (actions and information).

Ok, I’m done. Good night!

Getting back here for a minute

David — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 02:28:06 +0000

It might have seemed to some that I decided to give up on this blog. I haven’t.

I usually write posts out of an overflow of ideas from my own study; usually my study of Scripture. But I haven’t had the “overflow” experience lately. In fact, I’ve felt woefully under-prepared for the last 2 months.

I’ve begun my first year of teaching. It would be difficult to convey how exactly I felt before my first day. I probably thought I was pretty ready to go. I think it’s safe to say that virtually no teachers are fully ready for their first real day of teaching. I thought I was the exception…I was mistaken.

I can say that, thus far, God has sustained me. I would appreciate it if you prayed for me, if you have time. Also, pray for my students. Some of them have personal problems that are unimaginable for 14 year-olds, in my opinion. Some of them are woefully inadequate for the educational expectation placed upon them. And some of them are just very lazy and unmotivated.

Thank you.

I would also add that my mom, dad, and especially my fiancee Natalie have all been unbelievably encouraging and helpful.

The young lions do lack and suffer hunger;
But they who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing.

Psalm 34:10

Summer Plans

David — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 07:03:10 +0000

Technically, this should go in the “The Latest” page of this blog. It will, but only after I post it here. I do this because few would actually re-check “The Latest” since I update it with such irregularity.

But for those of my friends who are curious about what’s going on in my life, I thought I’d write a few words.

A long time ago, when I only blogged on myspace, I shared that the one thing I needed was a secretary. I’m horrible with paperwork. I hate forms, applications, and various data I need to sign my name in compliance with. This summer I had to find a job. And becoming a teacher means doing a lot of what I’m worst at: doing paperwork.

Thankfully, Natalie eagerly helped me out. I imagine that if she hadn’t been there with me in the last 3-4 weeks, I might’ve completed 3-5 successful applications to various school districts. With her helping, I probably filled out and/or sent out about 15-20 total. Her focus and diligence was incredibly inspirational to me. She also collated, sorted, and edited like a pro, to make sure everything was just right.

So I got a job! I’m going to become a teacher at Kentlake High School in the fall. I had no expectation to be working in Kent over any other place in western Washington; but my education prepared me perfectly to work with that school. I am so thankful to God for putting me in this position. It was uncertain whether I’d even be able to work in Washington as an English teacher. This is a huge blessing.

In other events, I’ve had a blast playing softball on the men’s church softball team. Additionally, I’ve coached the co-ed singles team. Both have been fun. Three games a week is a blast. I will miss it when it’s over.

Futher, Natalie and I have had some great times walking, eating, bicycling, reading, and a bit of canoing when my boat is inflatable (once so far).

I’ve also been able to get a good amount of hours working at Gap.

Did I mention I’ve earned my Teaching Credential? It’s good to reach that goal.

I hope that God will use me the rest of this summer. I don’t approach a season with the intention of planning things to have fun. I want to be used. I hope God uses me more before the summer ends.