Almost Heaven Blog

Ministry Partner Development

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 20:18:41 -0500

We are currently in the thick of ministry partner development. Below is a video from the 11:00 am service this morning when our senior pastor, Tom Nelson, presented us before the congregation (and even snuck in a baby dedication in his prayer).                     If anyone out there is looking to partner with us in ministry as we head to Memphis to work with DownLine, please contact us!

We don’t just say “ministry partner development” as a cute way to sidestep the term “support raising”... We REALLY view this as recruiting and gathering friends with whom we can share the fellowship of doing the Lord’s work. We’d love to have you on our team!

Practicing Righteousness

Fri, 9 Apr 2010 14:50:30 -0500

Time for a little “nugget” from my time in the Word this morning. I’m currently reading chronologically through all four Gospels by following a “Harmony of the Gospels” approach. It has been incredible.

I feel like I’ve been at this for a couple month (and maybe I HAVE been), but I’ve only made it to the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 -- 7 (with pieces of parallel text in Luke 6).

The observations I’m about to share are not earth-shattering, but were a good reminder and challenge to me this morning.

Matthew 6:1 (all references here are ESV) says, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” Jesus then provides a pretty clear outline, giving three examples where people can fall into the danger practicing righteousness before others:
Giving to the needy, 6:2-4 (note the “when you give to the needy” in v.2)
Prayer, 6:5-15 (note the “when you pray” beginning v. 5)
Fasting, 6:16-18 (note the “when you fast” beginning v.16)

In each of these three sections, Jesus discusses how to give/pray/fast in a bad way and how to do it in a way that honors God.

There is much that can be said about these verses (Lord’s prayer, storing up treasure in heaven vs. earth, teaching on forgiveness, etc), but what hit me this morning was the following thought:

It’s not wrong to practice righteousness.

The problem in this passage isn’t with practicing righteousness, but with the motive behind practicing righteousness. “Beware of practicing your righteousness IN ORDER TO BE SEEN...” Bad motives will then lead to no reward in heaven. IS there a reward for those who practice righteousness for bad motives? Sure, there is. The only problem is that it is an earthly reward (see vv.2, 5, and 16 -- “they have received their reward”) of little consequence that is nothing in comparison to the possible heavenly reward for true righteousness.

Jesus allows for a good practicing of righteousness. When you give, give like this... When you pray, pray like this... When you fast, fast like this...

Let us not flee from practicing righteousness because of our fear of legalism or of “works-righteousness”!!!

Practicing righteousness with good motives will lead to
Treasures in heaven, 6:19-24
Not worrying about the trivial things of this world, 6:25-34

So, the question I had to ask myself this morning was, “Am I practicing righteousness by (at the least) giving to the needy, praying, and fasting? Am I doing this AT ALL? And to the extent that I am doing this, am I doing it in a way that honors God?”

God's Sloppy Wet Kiss (?)

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:45:22 -0500

I shouldn’t even talk about this... because (1) this is an argument that really doesn’t amount to much in the “grand scheme of things”; (2) this is definitely not what I should be writing about in my first-blog-in-forever; (3) I could be discussing my Lost or my NCAA bracket or the Mountaineers first Big East championship...

...BUT I am currently sitting in a coffee shop that keeps playing this song and I needed to discuss it.

For starters, let me introduce you to how I first heard about this “controversy.” A couple weeks ago I was speaking at a discipleship retreat and the band played a song called “He Loves Us.” There were a couple funky things with the lyrics, but whatever. I just moved on since I probably need to relax and not be such a stickler sometimes.

Then, after one of the sessions, I heard a student say something along the lines of, “I’m glad we sang the David Crowder version of that song and not the original.” When they could tell I was confused (it was my first exposure to the song), they informed me that the line “heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss” that we sang was originally “heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss.”

After a belly-laugh, they insisted that this was a true story. I immediately Googled it on my phone and sure enough the original line, written by a guy named John Mark McMillan (see his version HERE), includes the lyrics “sloppy wet kiss.”

Hmm.

Before I go any further, let me go ahead and say that since this discipleship retreat I have read the touching back-story behind the writing of those lyrics by McMillan (I do not, however, need to like and/or agree with the song because of the sentiment behind it). I also know that Crowder personally talked with McMillan before changing the line for his version (see Crowder’s version HERE), which was respectable.

In the process of my Googling and reading, I have also discovered that apparently this whole ordeal has sparked a certain amount of debate about whether Crowder should have changed the words, whether we should be grossed out about the “sloppy wet kiss,” etc.

Though I definitely favor the Crowder version, I agree with a commenter somewhere who said that this whole song is a case study in the misuse of metaphor (God’s love as a hurricane, our experience of drowning in his grace, etc). I don’t want to split hairs, but when I think of hurricanes, I think of destruction and carnage, not a gently blowing breeze. Anyway... like I said above, I raised an eyebrow during the first line of the song the first time I heard it (before I was aware of the sloppy kiss).

One thing is for sure -- I’m definitely not a fan of the Kim Walker/Jesus Culture version of the song that this coffee shop keeps playing. ESPECIALLY when she starts stammering and screaming at me and spinning in circles around the 6:30 mark.

Anyway, sorry about the cynicism today.

I think I’ll just stick with Indelible Grace.

Tim Tebow’s “Controversial” Commercial

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:35:14 -0600

Technically, it’s not Tebow’s commercial... it is Focus on the Family’s. Regardless, CBS will be airing an ad during the Super Bowl that revolves around Pam Tebow’s decision to ignore medical advice that encouraged her to kill Tim while he was still in the womb.

This has set off a media firestorm that will only get more ferocious over the next 2 weeks. See the USA Today column HERE.

The USA Today article quotes Jehmu Greene, a representative for a coalition of women who oppose the Super Bowl ad, as saying, “An ad that uses sports to divide rather than to unite has no place in the biggest national sports event of the year.”

There are several things that annoy me about this whole ordeal:
It’s sad that Greene (and others who share the same opinion) cloak words like “murder” behind the ideal of “unity” and the desire to not be “divisive.”
It’s odd that with all the things being “shoved down our throats” by commercials in general (and Super Bowl commercials specifically), THIS message of a mother choosing to not kill her child is the one that many will choose to attack.
It’s amazing that so many in our culture will see the Tebow ad as being the only commercial with an agenda during the Super Bowl.
It’s amazing that so many in our culture will see the Tebow ad as being the only commercial with a PHILOSOPHICAL, RELIGIOUS, or THEOLOGICAL agenda during the Super Bowl.

I hope that CBS doesn’t give in to the many voices that will surely be whispering (and screaming!) in their ear over the next couple weeks. I pray that even if CBS does acquiesce, that God will use the surrounding hype and controversy to spread the Tebow’s message even further than if the opponents would have said nothing to begin with!

Tim Tebow isn’t Superman. He isn’t the Savior. He just seems to be a solid believer who desires to use his platform to explain the hope, peace, and joy that he has in Jesus Christ. Press on, brother!

Martin Luther King, Jr. and the OT Prophets

Sun, 17 Jan 2010 23:14:05 -0600

I wanted to share a couple things on this day when we remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. First, HERE is an article from Christian History that I just received via email today.

Second, below is a short paper I wrote a couple years ago on King’s use of the OT Prophets. Enjoy!

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
AND THE OLD TESTAMENT PROPHETS
When listening to any given public address by Martin Luther King, Jr., one can hardly tell whether he is standing behind a podium or a pulpit. His famous thundering speeches given at the end of marches and demonstrations sound very similar to his messages given in the context of a Sunday morning church service. Perhaps this is true because he felt that any chance to speak before people was a chance to speak the Word of God as in a sermon. On the other hand, maybe it was because he felt that the themes of freedom and justice must be brought to the fore at church just as if he were speaking for racial injustice. The reality is most likely a little of both, but it is certain that no matter where he was his eloquent words were always infused with the divinely inspired words of Scripture – specifically the writings of the Old Testament prophets.
After listening to a couple of King’s speeches,1 there are two themes relating to the Old Testament prophets that are impossible to miss. The first is that he viewed the black-American, or in King’s terminology, the “Negro”, as being in exile much like the Israelites to whom the Old Testament prophets were speaking. Second, whether King cited the specific prophet or not, his speeches were packed with language that should immediately remind the hearer of the words of the prophets.
Delayed Promises and Exile
It seems clear that King saw a parallel between the oppression that his people were suffering and the position that Israel was in while under Babylonian captivity. The main factor here is none other than a promise that had been made. Israel’s entire hope and identity was wrapped up in the promises they had received from Yahweh as He made a covenant with their nation. God had said to Abraham, “Go forth from your country… to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing… And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”2 Then, after God brought Israel out of Egypt, He said, “You shall be my own possession among all the peoples…you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”3 These promises were in stark contrast to Israel’s situation in exile. They were promised land, seed, and blessing, but they were out of the land, dying, and feeling more beat up than blessed.
The promises that Martin Luther King, Jr. felt short-changed on were the promises of the United States Constitution. Here is the depiction, in King’s words:
In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds.’4
When King uses the words “promise” and “sacred obligation” he seems to be viewing the black-Americans in the 1960s as a modern-day Israel; sitting bankrupt on promises that should have been cashed in already. God the Father had promised Israel land and they were in exile; the Founding Fathers had promised Americans liberty and they were being oppressed. King lamented that one hundred years prior to the speech he was given, Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation. However, King observes, “One hundred years later the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land.”5
Therefore, to instill hope in his people, King banked on the fact that the promises would one day be fulfilled. This is the same message of hope that we read in some of the prophets. Listen to the prophet Haggai, who also linked hope with promise as Israel was being called to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem: “‘I am with you,’ declares the Lord… ‘As for the promise which I made you when you came out of Egypt, My Spirit is abiding in your midst, do not fear!’”6 We also hear this message resound from God through Jeremiah: “‘They shall be My people and I will be their God… I will make an everlasting covenant with them… I will rejoice over them to do them good and will faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart and with all My soul… Just as I brought all this great disaster on this people, so I am going to bring on them all the good that I am promising them.”7
It was not just the fact of the Negro’s oppression that reminded King of the days of the Prophets, but it was also the nature of that oppression as well. He has many descriptions of the situation that are shared by the Old Testament Prophets. In both his speech in Washington and his speech in Detroit, King spoke of their lack of rights in the language of bondage and chains. In Washington, he spoke of “the long night of captivity” and the “chains of discrimination.” This is reminiscent of prophets, like Isaiah, who proclaimed freedom from the shackles of oppression: “The exile will soon be set free, and will not die in the dungeon…”8 King felt like the Negro was also in a dungeon, but it is important to not that even while in that dungeon, the way out was not to be a violent one. He said,
[Non-violent resistance] has a way of disarming the opponent. It exposes his moral defenses… If he doesn’t beat you, wonderful. If he beats you, you develop the quiet courage of accepting blows without retaliating. If he doesn’t put you in jail, wonderful. Nobody with any sense likes to go to jail. But if he puts you in jail, you go in that jail and transform it from a dungeon of shame to a haven of freedom and human dignity.9
One can hear the attitude of Jeremiah resounding through Martin Luther King, Jr.: “Thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles… ‘Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce… Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.’”10
The Prophetic Message
Not only did King see his circumstances as being similar to that of an exiled Israel, but he proclaimed the same prophetic message as did the prophets. In Washington, D.C. he saw justice coming through “whirlwinds of revolt,” which is very similar language to how we see God bringing justice and judgment in the Prophets.11
Most importantly, King seemed to be able to paint a picture of ultimate, glorious hope, just like the Prophets. In both D.C. and Detroit, he quoted Amos 5:24 as his vision of what would one day occur. Here are his words from Detroit on June 23, 1963:
Yes, I have a dream this afternoon that one day in this land the words of Amos will become real and ‘justice will roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.’ I have a dream this evening that one day we will recognize the words of Jefferson that ‘all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.’12
It was this quest for justice that drove King – it was his life’s work. In most of his speeches, social-justice was of primary concern. He had a desire for all God’s children to be seen as equal just as they really are and for no one to be enslaved and oppressed. Justice is mentioned over sixty-five times in the prophetic books of the Old Testament, and King’s words sound much like words of old: “Learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.”13
Another great prophetic passage that King quoted in both Washington and Detroit was Isaiah 40:3-5. He proclaimed, “I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together… This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.”14
It is precisely King’s knowledge of the Prophets and his fondness of quoting them that leads the listener familiar with Scripture to believe that he was not just speaking of earthly freedom, but also of an eschatological hope as well. The prophets often refer to “that day” or “in that day” when speaking of the end of days when the hope of Isaiah 40 will be fully realized. With King’s obvious familiarity with the prophets, it is no accident that he ends both of these speeches with the following language of eschatological hope:
In Detroit, he ended by saying,
With this faith, we will be able to achieve this new day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing with the Negroes in the spiritual of old: ‘Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty, we are free at last!’ (emphasis mine)
Similarly, he ended his speech in Washington, D.C. by saying,
When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, ‘Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!’ (emphasis mine)
King had a dream of justice, peace, and brotherhood. His values and worldview were obviously shaped by his exposure to the Word of God. Martin Luther King, Jr. was not just another preacher or social activist, he was a prophet proclaiming release to the captives and freedom to the oppressed.
------------------------
1 The two speeches I listened to were (1) his famous “I Have a Dream” speech that was delivered in Washington, D.C. on August 28, 1963 and (2) his “Speech at the Great March on Detroit” that was delivered on June 23, 1963, two months prior to his most well-known speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
2 Gen 12:1-3
3 Ex 19:4-6
4 Speech at Washington, DC. He also talked about promise in his speech in Detroit, saying that it was time to “make real the promises of democracy.”
5 Ibid.
6 Haggai 2:4-5, emphasis mine.
7 Jer 32:38-42, emphasis mine.
8 Is 51:14
9 Speech at Detriot.
10 Jer 29:4-7.
11 See Is 5:28, 29:6, 66:15; Jer 4:13; Hos 8:7; and Nah 1:3.
12 Speech at Detroit.
13 Is 1:17. For “justice” in the prophets, see also Is 42:1-4; 59:8-15; Ezek 18:5-27, 33:14-16; Hos 12:6; Amos 5:15; Mic 5:1, 6:8; Hab 1:4; Zeph 3:5; Zech 7:9; etc.
14 Speech at Washington, DC.

3 YouTube Videos

Mon, 4 Jan 2010 23:34:12 -0600

Here are 3 videos we’ve posted on YouTube:

Pre-Delivery:               

Post-Delivery: (There’s an inside joke here with Kim’s “PUSH KIM” toes. The Vietnamese ladies at the nail salon thought my name was Push. :) )       
         

First Bath and Other Maintenance:

Sydney Mei Seville

Sat, 2 Jan 2010 21:19:53 -0600

Sydney Mei Seville was born on December 31st at 4:56 pm. She weighed 8 lbs, 1 oz and measured 19 3/4”.

I woke up at 5:00 am on the 31st to the sounds of Kim dealing with some pretty heavy contractions. We started timing them and after a couple hours decided to go to the hospital (Presbyterian in Denton). We checked in around 8:00 am.

When we arrived, Kim was at 4 cm. We walked a lot and Kim bounced on a stability ball as well. At noon, we had our doctor come and break her water (or “bag of waters” as the medical community seems to favor).

That accelerated things quite a bit and her contractions got more and more intense. She started pushing around 3:30 or 4:00 and gave birth to Sydney at 4:56. Kim was able to deliver naturally without the use of any drugs.

It was the most incredible, yet most painful thing I’ve ever seen. The hardest part for me was to see Kim in so much pain and to not be able to do anything about it. I couldn’t ease the pain and I couldn’t help the delivery progress. All I could do was pray and encourage.

Childbirth is indeed a miracle. My dad told me after her birth that he has always said, “If I never see another miracle in my life, at least I can say I saw one.” True.

Below is a slideshow from Pixel Perfect Photography. You can also stay tuned to our YouTube channel for video updates (though I’ll probably post them here as well).             

Sonogram

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:07:09 -0600

I was only going to post this video as a test, but I was able to edit it down to Kim’s liking. :) Enjoy!

Baby Guesses

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 12:04:45 -0600

Below are some of the guesses made by friends and family. I think I went WAY too large... but we’ll see. Feel free to add your guesses in the comment section.

Kim: Dec 23rd @ 2:24 pm; 7 lb, 6 oz, 21”
Jason: Dec 29th @ 10:00 pm; 7 lb, 15 oz, 22”
Delores (Kim’s mom): Dec 30th @ 2:38 pm; 7 lb, 8 oz, 20.5”
Gary (Kim’s dad): Jan 9th @ 3:00 am; 7 lb, 2 oz, 21”
Teresa (Jason’s mom): Jan 5th @ 3:00 am; 7 lb, 3 oz, 19”
Larry (Jason’s dad): Dec 25th @ 3:17 am; 7.2 lb, 20 7/8”
Kelly (Kim’s sister): Dec 20th @ 8:15 pm; 6 lb, 7 oz, 18”
Mike Masters (Kim’s uncle): Dec 31st @ 10:00 pm; 7 lb, 8 oz, 20”
Michaela (Kim’s cousin): Dec 28th @ 3:00 pm; 7 lb, 11 oz, 18”
Mike Riggleman (Jason’s brother): Dec 31st @ 10:49 pm; 5 lb, 15 oz, 18.5”
Sarah Riggleman (Jason’s sis-in-law): Jan 1st @ 1:48 am; 6 lb, 2 oz, 19”
Nicki Pauley (Jason’ sister): Jan 3rd @ 6:28 am; 7 lb, 12 oz, 20”
Dan Pauley (Jason’s bro-in-law): Dec 23rd @ 4:00 pm; 7 lb, 8 oz, 20”
Braeden Pauley (nephew): Dec 31st @ 4:56 pm; 8 lb, 8 oz, 22”
Mason Pauley (nephew): Dec 29th @ 2:29 am; 6 lb, 8 oz, 20”
Carter Pauley (nephew): Dec 27th @ 7:00 pm; 6 lb, 4 oz, 19”

Here are some guesses from some folks in our LifeGroup:
Abe Lawless: Dec 28th @ 5:00 am; 6 lb, 10 oz, 18”
Jacki Lawless: Dec 21st @ 3:00 pm; 6 lb, 4 oz, 19”
Brandon Copling: Dec 26th @ 3:40 pm; 6 lb, 5 oz, 16”
Lauren Avery: Dec 31st @ 3:00 pm; 6 lb, 4 oz, 19”

Here are some awards for your guesses:

*WISHFUL THINKING Award: Kelly
GIGANTOR Award: Jason
TINY BABY Award: Brandon
WE CURSE YOUR NAME Award (the cursing is because these guesses most likely have us in the hospital in both 2009 and 2010, which would double our expenses!): Lauren, Mason, Braeden, Sarah, Mike R., Mike M., and Delores.
CREATIVE NUMBERS Award: Larry (runners-up: Braeden, Mason, Nicki, and Delores)
AWESOME NUMBERS Award: Braeden (my baseball # was 8 growing up and my football # was 22)
KIM’S BELLY WOULD EXPLODE Award: Gary

Abe suggested that the winner get to be the God-father of the baby. Probably not, but we’ll at least give you recognition in your very own blog-post.

Sorry - Blogging Hiatus

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:46:05 -0500

It’s been over TWO MONTHS since I last made a post on this blog...

I blame most of that on the busiest school semester that I’ve ever had. I am taking the following classes this semester:
Exegesis of Romans (the 5th and final Greek class required for ThM students. In this class, we translate the book of Romans twice... plus write 2 exegetical papers... plus a theology paper on sanctification... plus 8 translation quizzes.)
Principles of Discipleship (a Christian Education elective)
The Mission of God (this is an Independent Study I’m doing with a professor centered around Christopher J.H. Wright’s “The Mission of God”)
Seminar on John Owen (this is a Historical Theology class where we do nothing but read John Owen and discuss. Pure gold.)
Thesis on John Witherspoon.

I was talking with my brother today and he said he knew that my semester must be busy from the fact that I hadn’t blogged in months. He’s right. But, that’s not it, I don’t think. I’ve just lost interest in general. I’m starting to wonder if I started to blog because I like to write and needed an outlet for creativity... but not, I have PLENTY of writing “opportunities” so my blogging has taken a back-burner. Who knows.

Maybe I’ll get a creative jolt again that will lead me to get back on top of things... but for now, the posts will probably continue to be sporadic.