May 16th, 2008 by iMonk
UPDATE: Thanks for all the kind comments. I promise to use whatever gifts I have in this medium to continue encouraging all of you on the same journey, even if not the same way.
Dear Internet Monk Readers,
Over the next few weeks, while I am on sabbatical, I will be deciding the future of this web site. Continue Reading »
May 15th, 2008 by iMonk
Job 10:1 “I loathe my life; I will give free utterance to my complaint;
I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
2 I will say to God, Do not condemn me;
let me know why you contend against me.
3 Does it seem good to you to oppress,
to despise the work of your hands
and favor the designs of the wicked?
4 Have you eyes of flesh?
Do you see as man sees?
5 Are your days as the days of man,
or your years as a man’s years, Continue Reading »
May 14th, 2008 by iMonk
UPDATE: Winner so far: Thinkling Jared. Esp for saying whom he copied from.
I think we need to open a window at this little stop on the web. It’s been a bit stuffy in here lately.
Here’s a question that’s right at the heart of all kinds of important things going on in my life right now, and maybe yours, too.
What is the relationship (or distinction) between the Church (visible) and the Kingdom of God?
Keep your answers/discussion on topic and please don’t copy and paste large excerpts of other sources. Link them.
May 13th, 2008 by iMonk
***sigh***
When someone says I’ve written something I shouldn’t have written, you can be almost certain that I’ve written something using the language of lament. L-A-M-E-N-T.
All of you that just said “huh?” please step into the side room. If you came in a bus, they’ll wait. It’s time for a lesson on some of the most important parts of the Bible that you won’t be hearing in church.
Lament is a form of language used THROUGHOUT THE BIBLE (excuse the shouting) when human beings respond to their experience of God seeming to not keep his covenant promises to them. Lament is “Where are you Lord? What are you doing? Why are you against me? How could you let this happen? I did what you commanded, and now this? My life is miserable. Where is God?” If you’re like most Christians, you know this stuff is in the Bible, but your pastor never gets near it at the risk of a deacons meeting to ask why he’s lost his faith. Continue Reading »
May 12th, 2008 by iMonk
I was sitting in a middle school classroom today and noticed a poster on the wall. It said, in a highly decorative way, “Integrity: Hold On To Your Beliefs!”
Public and private schools are full of this sort of thing these days. There are catalogs of this kind of rhetoric for schools, touting various values like integrity, respect, hard work, tolerance, excellence and so forth. They look nice.
While being commendable, I’m not so sure how some of them fit in with being a follower of Jesus.
“Integrity: Hold On To Your Beliefs,” for example seems to carry some presuppositions. Continue Reading »
May 12th, 2008 by iMonk
Jason Boyett is an outstanding author of helpful, practical, humorous books, several of which have been published by Relevant books. He’s a regular writer at Relevant Magazine, a guest blogger at the BHT and a friend of this web site. He’s got a great deal for those of you who could use his well-written, informative and very fun to read Pocket Guide To The Bible. Really, if you have a youth group or young adult group doing intro to the Bible type stuff, take a look at this. It’s great counterpoint to the overly academic, bore-you-to-tears approach.
Here’s Jason: Continue Reading »
May 11th, 2008 by iMonk
Sabbatical begins a week from tomorrow. Here are some of my goals. (Goals will vary from week to week depending on where I am. Some weeks- like my week at Wheaton- most of my time is scheduled.)
1. Prayer from Celebrating Common Prayer in the morning and the evening.
2. Extended Scripture reading with meditation and notes, probably on Matthew.
3. Reading on my reading list (Jesus books mostly.)
4. Daily Exercise
5. Discipline my eating regiment at breakfast and lunch.
6. Reading poetry each day: Dante, Charles Wright, Wendell Berry. Continue Reading »
May 10th, 2008 by iMonk
Two questions that are crucial to anyone studying and teaching scripture in a Jesus-shaped, Jesus centered way:
What would I have thought if I were there when Jesus taught, did miracles, engaged in conversations, meals, etc.?
What do the same events and words mean now that I have the entire Bible to bring all of scripture to bear on the same words and events? Continue Reading »
May 9th, 2008 by iMonk
Sabbatical begins in 9 days. I’ll be spending May 19-23 in Louisville (and some more time later in the summer.)
I know most of Louisville pretty well, but I’m always looking for something new and different to do.
Do you know of anything unusual in Louisville I should check out? Coffee shops (with or without wireless)? Good eateries (not too expensive)? Used book stores? Churches with worship during the weekdays? Interesting places? Shops? Libraries? Local baseball games? (The Bats aren’t in town.)
I’ll be staying at Southern Seminary, and I’m open for any breakfast/lunch suggestions. I plan to work in the mornings and early afternoon, then kick back a bit. I have plans most evenings.
Experts on Louisville, speak up!
May 9th, 2008 by iMonk
Here’s my latest interview on Steve Brown, Etc. I really enjoyed doing the program. Thanks to Steve and Eric for the opportunity to talk about a very difficult issue.
You can subscribe to SBE (and several other Steve Brown projects) at iTunes.
I’m no longer on The Catholic Guy program, btw. Gotta update that bio.
May 8th, 2008 by iMonk
Who is the most Christlike person you know?
I live and work in a Christian community with approximately 150 other staff members who serve in our ministry. We live close together and see each other almost every day. Even with occasional breaks and vacations, we still spend far more time together than the Christians in the average church. As a result, we observe one another’s lives closely.
In the 16 years I’ve lived in this community, I’ve known some incredibly “Jesus shaped” people. They worked and ministered in the kindness and compassion of Jesus with only modest compensation. They’ve continued to serve through illness, loss, suffering, rejection and difficulty. Some have gone the extra mile so many times that it’s not unusual to do so. Some have given generously in ways that weren’t required or expected.
In my mind, I have known some incredibly Christ-like people in my time ministering here. Of course, that sentence assumes that I know what Jesus Christ was like. In that regard, I’m pretty typical. Continue Reading »
May 7th, 2008 by iMonk
Podcast 41 A letter from a Muslim student.
The podcast website is Coffee Cup Apologetics.
All the episodes of Coffee Cup Apologetics are now on iTunes. Go to iTunes and search for “Apologetics.”
May 7th, 2008 by iMonk
Mark 3:20 Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. 21 And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”….Mark 3:31 And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. 32 And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers* are outside, seeking you.” 33 And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”
Most Christians aren’t like Jesus.
Should we even try to be? Isn’t that impossible?
None of us can be like Jesus perfectly, but the Gospel of the Kingdom calls Jesus’ disciples to hear his call and set the goal and direction of their lives to be like him. For a follower of Jesus, Paul’s words of “follow me as I follow Christ,” are translated simply, “follow Christ in every way possible.” Continue Reading »
May 7th, 2008 by iMonk
Podcast 40 Is Richard Dawkins the best atheism can do? (A review of “The God Delusion Debate” DVD.)
May 6th, 2008 by iMonk
It’s time for audience participation.
At the school where I work, we have two weekend worship gatherings. These used to be led by a local church, and so we called them “church.” We have daily “chapel” in the same worship space.
These two worship gatherings need a cool, hip, emerging name. Like “Element.” 
Gathering #1 is 9:15 a.m. Traditional worship with very light liturgy. Structured, and the kids are usually pretty quiet. 2-3 familiar songs alternating piano and guitar every other week. Will have some creative ministries stuff next year. Have a preaching team of 4 men, followed by small groups. We do basic topical/catechetical teaching. Cover Ten Commandments, Apostle’s Creed, Lord’s Prayer, various short Biblical series.
Gathering #2 is 7:00 p.m. Contemporary band that really kicks. Two of us preaching evangelisitically and in rotation. Very informal and active service. Kids love it.
We are a boarding school for grades 6-12. The gatherings are for the students, but some adults and visitors do attend.
OK. I need some name suggestions. Help me out. I’m thinking logos and t-shirts here.
By the way…”Law” and “Gospel” won’t be considered.
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