tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67243825087373726992024-03-16T21:14:48.970-04:00Häxprocessexegesis, short fiction, philosophy, music, ramblingsJustin Carltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862524102546516400noreply@blogger.comBlogger140125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6724382508737372699.post-46724579449211216432024-03-15T12:06:00.001-04:002024-03-15T12:06:10.393-04:00Parenting pride, frustrations, and just (?) causes for temper flares<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_YP6_rSKl8MnQZ3qiVg1JDlL35o1M8ZxFzQXy6KBCS3Swd0IqztE3P4E-yUvY3qqbKG3rC3DwSyO05d7_oBpZiDeyrmLbkEVoJzhxyrpiRDjl3ssgWYgMGrkDGGbPmCX6WeiHmsqCJoKlF6W_aTkTw7QGulvIVuYo4GxyJVV4ovI7A_gyoa4vp4N65ug/s2370/IMG_1951.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2370" data-original-width="1901" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_YP6_rSKl8MnQZ3qiVg1JDlL35o1M8ZxFzQXy6KBCS3Swd0IqztE3P4E-yUvY3qqbKG3rC3DwSyO05d7_oBpZiDeyrmLbkEVoJzhxyrpiRDjl3ssgWYgMGrkDGGbPmCX6WeiHmsqCJoKlF6W_aTkTw7QGulvIVuYo4GxyJVV4ovI7A_gyoa4vp4N65ug/s320/IMG_1951.jpg" width="257" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm so proud that my children are likeable. Unless people are routinely lying to my face, the general consensus seems to be that all three Carlton nuggets are smart, cute, kind, well-mannered, attentive, and fun. They seem to make friends easily, charm adults, and take super amazing pictures (evidence <--). </div><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;">So why is it that I so often find myself infuriated by these tiny, amazing, human beings?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Why do I get so quickly irritated with them? How many "last nerves" have they proverbially trampled to render me so easily frustrated?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Total transparency: bedtime is my least favorite time of the day, followed closely by time to leave for school and mealtimes that involve anything other than cereal, mac n cheese, hotdogs, or spaghetti. My oldest moves only at "Carlton" speed (Tara's little inside joke, maybe a subtle dig at yours truly's laid-back nature, not sure if I should be offended, probably irrelevant if you're still reading this parenthetical). My middle child moves only at lightning speed, with thunderous volume and passionate intensity, but also with a squirrel-like attention span. My 5-month-old is super pleasant and smiley and chatty... until it's time to sleep, and then she only wants to complain and be held, NOT be put down. <br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Why is it that, with any one of these three cherubs, my warm adoration can shrivel into cold irritability? Is it that my expectations haven't been met? Is it that my authority has been challenged, or simply ignored? Is it that I myself am constantly struggling not to be late and am frustrated with my own inability to be more effective with my time? Is it that I crave uninterrupted time with Tara and have a hard time surrendering my wants to disruptions? </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Yes, yes, yes, and yes.<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">My point in sharing this is not to rant or complain. I'm not typing in a furious type of catharsis. I actually don't want to write on this topic because it reveals far more about my heart than I'm honestly comfortable sharing.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The resounding theme: I want. James wisely pointed out that our desires are at the heart of all our conflicts (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%204%3A1%2D3&version=ESV">Jas 4.1</a>). I want. I want to be respected. I want my kids to say, "Yes, Papa!" I want them to stop what they're doing and answer when they hear my voice calling their names. I want them to respect my wishes and instructions -- even when I'm not watching. I want them to behave a certain way. I want their reputations to shine (which really means I want to be known as a great parent who has clearly done everything right). When I sit down to do some reading, to watch a movie with Tara, or try for the 36th time to finish a blog post and the interruptions begin... suddenly the children I love and adore become obstacles to what I really want.<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">These wants are all just symptoms of one singular, unhealthy craving in my heart for rule and dominion. It's the sinful core of my problem. My pride and self-interest tell me that I deserve to be
treated in a certain way, and that if I am not receiving recognition or my expectations are not being met, then I have every right to be grouchy. Tim Keller used to call pride "cosmic plagiarism." Being proud invariably means I am taking credit for something that rightly belongs only to the Maker, the Ruler, the King and Lord over all. All of my self-promotion and authority grabbing is just usurpation, insurrection, and failed coup de tat -- ultimately foolish, given the supremacy and of the one who is truly worthy of acclaim and adoration.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Me demanding my kids' respect is a little bit like a mote of dust drifting across the sun and being surprised it didn't generate a solar eclipse.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Me expecting uninterrupted time all to myself is a fatally flawed assumption that I deserve anything at all. </p><div style="text-align: justify;"><p>Maybe it's not wrong in itself to want respect or intentionally set aside time for your own purposes. But when those good things become ultimate things, the ugliness of our hearts is exposed. As parents, we must beware our tendencies or run the risk of seeing them rudely mirrored in little faces and voices. I don't think of myself as being a particularly demanding person, but -- just like everyone else -- when what I really want is denied or delayed, all of sudden my heart begins clamoring for fulfillment. Unchecked, that inevitably comes out in my attitude and language. If I find myself sensitive to the demanding natures of my kids, chances are it's because I recognize the sound of entitlement all too well.</p><p>Seeing these things in myself, I am trying to practice three things with my children. I
am terrible at all of them.<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>(1) I am trying to create intentional time with them.</b> <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+90%3A10-12&version=NIV">Psalm 90.12</a> reminds us to seek the Lord's eternal perspective, learning to "number
our days" by His kind instruction, so that we may gain a "heart of
wisdom." Time in general is fleeting, and time with young children is even more so. I distinctly remember thinking, when Zeke was approaching his first
birthday, that we still had four more long years of him at home until
we had to start figuring out the school thing. Well, it's 2024, and
he's halfway through his kindergarten year. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Intentionally
choosing time with my kids doesn't guarantee they won't still demand
more of it or automatically honor my schedule, but it does check some
important boxes for my heart.</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">It
forces me to remember that "my" time is not really mine anyway. I am
merely a steward of the minutes and hours God has kindly chosen to
allot for me. If I can surrender the audacious concept of "me time," I can be much more free in giving time away.<br /></li><li style="text-align: justify;">It
softens my heart toward my children. In fact, the more time I choose
to give them (before they even ask for it) makes me less inclined to be irritated with
them when they demand more.<br /></li><li style="text-align: justify;">It
provides me with some of the most important life-on-life, teachable
moments. I can lecture my kids in passing, on my way to do whatever seemingly more important thing I need to do... or I can choose to be fully present with them, modeling
behaviors and language that I want them to emulate, and just enjoying the little people that God has given me to love.<br /></li><li style="text-align: justify;">It helps me learn about my kids and understand them as unique image-bearers. Lingering is a learned skill in western culture. How can I appreciate the God-given personalities each of my children possess if I don't linger long enough to appreciate them?<br /></li><li style="text-align: justify;">It
causes me to be cognizant of what being "fully present" with them actually means. If I say I'm going to
play with them and then spend half of that
time on my phone, they will quickly let me know that they're "waiting
for me." Intentional time is different than halfhearted time.<br /></li></ul><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>(2) I am trying to be clear and firm in my instructions.</b>
As intelligent as my children are, I can't really be upset with them if
I've done a bad job communicating. I can't assume they should just
know intuitively what I expect of them, or go nonverbal when I'm frustrated (which I have a tendency to do). If I'm hoping
they will read my mind or pick up on my body language, I'm setting all
of us up for failure. "Clear and firm" doesn't imply domineering, condescending tones, nor does it excuse threatening language. I simply want to do better at patiently and directly communicating to my children God's priorities, Mama and Papa's rules, age-appropriate responsibilities, and the privileges we want to enjoy as a family.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Some might argue we're just setting the bar too high and bringing frustration upon ourselves. To the contrary, we've learned that giving small humans lanes
in which to run helps them to learn and flourish. It would not be loving them
well to tell them the world is their oyster and boundaries don't matter. By contrast, clear and firm instruction -- given humbly and compassionately -- creates a safe environment with no hidden expectations and standards that keep children AND parents accountable to one another.<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>(3) I am trying to be gracious and humble in both granting and asking forgiveness.</b>
I can't hold grudges against my children and still believe the best of them. Even where there are patterns of sin and disobedience, I can't just expect them to fail, and then let them know that I <i>knew </i>they were going to fail when they do. Granting forgiveness even to repeat-offender children truly means giving them a blank slate, partnered with the proactive and instructive wisdom of gently helping them learn where their potential pitfalls will be in the future. On the flip-side, if I'm not willing to ask forgiveness of my kids (or my wife) when I myself screw up, I
have no right to counsel them to do the same with one another, or to demonstrate remorse when I am correcting them. Can I demand repentance of them when they break the rules if I don't show them how to do it by my own example? And, frankly, if I
can't choose to overlook some wrongdoings on my children's part and give
second and third chances to get it right, have I myself really understood the
unfathomable grace of Jesus Christ? Showing and seeking grace are practices that help keep me soft in the face of disobedience and defiance.<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUIrSM87JyPlHY8ZDwQrLH7DClB9A9rFQaOu_sD5qw2XuVWLY8k-et3irOxnkvLzjfqBKFF3QT_ddHFspMcYxXif-58cfV4MOMc6_bGnTasUSsKy_WfmLXhGBmnG4PGVFYFeqcCmNM1RN-Qvyhr08pqoyig3yw6my-imm4SJEo8PB3Am3Ier9SY_MBRbE/s4032/IMG_0569.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUIrSM87JyPlHY8ZDwQrLH7DClB9A9rFQaOu_sD5qw2XuVWLY8k-et3irOxnkvLzjfqBKFF3QT_ddHFspMcYxXif-58cfV4MOMc6_bGnTasUSsKy_WfmLXhGBmnG4PGVFYFeqcCmNM1RN-Qvyhr08pqoyig3yw6my-imm4SJEo8PB3Am3Ier9SY_MBRbE/s320/IMG_0569.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>To be completely honest, I
don't know if these three things are making much difference in me at
present. But they are long-term areas of focus that, Lord willing, will
bear mature fruit in me and in my children as we continue to grow and change.<p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">To be clear on my title for this post, I don't have any just cause for being quick to anger. The Scripture clearly counsels me against that (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+1%3A19-20&version=ESV">Jas 1.19</a>), even when it feels natural and proportionate. My wrath does not bring about God's justice on my behalf, make my children behave any better, or impute to them any righteousness before God. Pride and frustration do make for effective but dangerous kindling, however. The faster I root them out and expose them for what they are, the more effective the cleansing waters of the Spirit's sanctification in dousing sin's potential conflagrations.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Besides, time's too short to stay angry with those nuggets. I know... they ARE pretty darn cute.<br /></p><p></p></div>Justin Carltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862524102546516400noreply@blogger.com2Swedesboro, NJ 08085, USA39.7476136 -75.3104654-15.447060667933606 -145.6229654 90 -4.9979653999999982tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6724382508737372699.post-73386277795243244292024-01-29T08:00:00.002-05:002024-01-29T08:00:00.161-05:00State of the Union... (Or a series of overdue updates)<p>Hi, there! In case we haven't been previously acquainted, my name is Justin and I am a sometimes writer whose creative juices ebb and flow, sometimes to the point where a certain blog languishes for more than two years without any updates. Major life events worth writing about sail by... and no posts. Suffice it to say that, for the last 24 months, life has been very full, and while I've had time now and again to sit down and do some intentional reflecting, my energy expenditures and resting rhythms are just different now than they were when I began Häxprocess back in 2011. Hopefully that's more reason than excuse, but either way I've lapsed and I'd like to get back to sharing more regular updates and ponderings.<br /></p><p>If you're still here reading this, then you must be interested! I'll start with the most recent talking points and work backward. <span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHq-6Htq8l8VeQTi9iPiW8os3STItsY73byAtaofvOJPtEZWLVjVo3HRfKFH0NVTdhykhyEIUTErSiiiY-P7KMHQWAz-Wi8SCouMG3RubdylUjUtlW7PdSWRg9XrjbkmQLyMx8fccFrffUTHueuA1hFgMyqgAXUJVE5ZH4dAUvMTCuzfELAvZBKjl0msw/s700/a3461696213_16.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHq-6Htq8l8VeQTi9iPiW8os3STItsY73byAtaofvOJPtEZWLVjVo3HRfKFH0NVTdhykhyEIUTErSiiiY-P7KMHQWAz-Wi8SCouMG3RubdylUjUtlW7PdSWRg9XrjbkmQLyMx8fccFrffUTHueuA1hFgMyqgAXUJVE5ZH4dAUvMTCuzfELAvZBKjl0msw/s320/a3461696213_16.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b>Music.</b> My last updates to Häxprocess were dedicated to The Twenty Committee's recording project. That band (not actually defunct!) finally, officially, enthusiastically released our sophomore album, <a href="https://thetwentycommittee.bandcamp.com/album/the-cycle-undone">The Cycle Undone</a>, on December 13th. 57 minutes and 8 tracks long, it's stylistically a blend of Gentle Giant, Steven Wilson, and Stephen Sondheim... if they collaborated with Isaac Asimov to write a space opera about robots. In brief, this piece of music is the result of a decade-long writing and recording project that happened in starts and fits. Two of the songs on this record were written within a year of our debut release <a href="https://thetwentycommittee.bandcamp.com/album/a-lifeblood-psalm">A Lifeblood Psalm</a>. Those were gigged as early as 2014 or 2015, and another finished tune, "Embers," became a staple of our setlists for shows in 2017-18. The rest were all composed, arranged, and re-arranged in Jeff Bishop's basement during a long season (including the pandemic) where we had stopped playing out to focus on completing the material for a second album. Cycle's thematic concept explores notions of human progress and hubris with regard to technological advancement, and questions the appropriate tensions between aesthetic and efficiency, common sense and individual revelation, and the dangers and benefits of dependence upon AI (something we didn't necessarily start writing about back in 2014, but which became prevalent in the last few years as we were wrapping up the recording process). Guest vocalist Annie Haslam of Renaissance makes a stunning appearance on the album's title track, and outside of our own guitarist, Jeff Bishop, we owe serious props to Brett Kull (Echolyn), Rave Tesar (Renaissance), Matt Thomas (The Genesis Show), and Larry Fast (Synergy; Peter Gabriel, Foreigner, Nektar, Tony Levin, etc) for "Cycle's" superb recording, production, and mastering. You can give the whole album a listen in the sidebar (via Bandcamp), on Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, and probably anywhere else streaming happens. You can also check out <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPgLXDQSlP0">our music video for "Embers" on YouTube</a>, which dropped this past Monday (12/22/24)! Physical copies of the record are available for purchase, but something wonky has been going on with Amazon since the release date, so send me a message if you'd like a disc!<br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghzjNEWuFS_3uDCSqOW0X-oAsTowzht3E0js5sQe1G2dRMSco7IKh6wvzUiLzLBwB2uUyEcZO38uBU8aB1_KmvflzaMsmvR5My4AcsK6xlf6sBw1-mlBPVZ6tQo3v3jPXs-wShu-1VesneBgZzqANVDFHg05lFH-jUklwwf2lKkFEvGy78vjUke-bfa2o/s4032/IMG_1957.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghzjNEWuFS_3uDCSqOW0X-oAsTowzht3E0js5sQe1G2dRMSco7IKh6wvzUiLzLBwB2uUyEcZO38uBU8aB1_KmvflzaMsmvR5My4AcsK6xlf6sBw1-mlBPVZ6tQo3v3jPXs-wShu-1VesneBgZzqANVDFHg05lFH-jUklwwf2lKkFEvGy78vjUke-bfa2o/s320/IMG_1957.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p><b>Children.</b> Obviously the music stuff is exciting, but how does it seriously compare to tiny, smiling faces? Tara and I welcomed a third child into our home on September 14th, 2023. Born about a week past her due date, Melody Potter delights us with her infectious grins and giggles, and she literally came into our lives as an answer to prayer (a whole story in and of itself). At four months, she coos and squeals and loves to bounce, and is most often surrounded by her adoring fan club (AKA big brother and sister). She is such an easy-going, happy little thing that it's difficult to be frustrated with her midnight chatters for long. After many rejected options, we chose her name based on two passages of Scripture, the former reminding us to worship the Lord fully and joyfully from our hearts, and the latter teaching us that God as sovereign Creator is the one who rightly shapes each individual as He desires them to be:</p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><p><b>Ephesians 5.18:</b> ...be filled with the Spirit, <b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">19</span></b> addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making <b>melody</b> to the Lord with your heart, <b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">20</span></b> giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ...</p><p><b>Isaiah 64.8: </b>But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our <b>potter</b>; we are all the work of your hand.</p></blockquote><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZjl2k3cHmyxerPNRuUVVoK3eRoCVoxwGW9cqHaelRfqfkvVzXRgDBNj-y3T9zrD3Y2naUI2pGSGSsmUPPmL6xqaX0-HZFPv-dY-ck8TqC8zoA8W19CIdw957G1GsLiUbnG112eQs_eDfBaDkARh0srMBdBHAykqenuveoHhYm_5PbBgq0pN-hsWY0JU/s4032/IMG_1858.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZjl2k3cHmyxerPNRuUVVoK3eRoCVoxwGW9cqHaelRfqfkvVzXRgDBNj-y3T9zrD3Y2naUI2pGSGSsmUPPmL6xqaX0-HZFPv-dY-ck8TqC8zoA8W19CIdw957G1GsLiUbnG112eQs_eDfBaDkARh0srMBdBHAykqenuveoHhYm_5PbBgq0pN-hsWY0JU/s320/IMG_1858.jpg" width="240" /></a>Also (breaking reverse chronology for a second, but still under the topic of children...), my first daughter Nora is doomed to be a typical middle child. Being the firstborn, Zeke got his own post <a href="https://hxprocessinprogress.blogspot.com/2018/07/ezekiel-joseph-carlton.html">here</a> when he entered the world in 2018. Now here I am taking paragraphs to talk about Melody. But Nora never even got special mention. So here are a few details about my favorite middle child... my passionate, explorative, spunky, willful, eager, knows-what-she-wants-all-the-time, 3-year-old. Nora loves music -- listening and playing, and preferably turned up to 11. She is constantly making up and belting out original or slightly plagiarized lyrics to her own made-up songs, which never seem to have any discernible tune or rhyme scheme, but feature repeated phrases like "HE WILL NEVER LET ME DOWN" and "YOU ARE MY GOD YOU SAVED MY SOUL" and sometimes "KNEES UP MOTHER BROWN." Nora never wants help doing anything... until she decides tragically that she can't do some normal, everyday thing that she has previously insisted on doing all by herself. Nora is creative, but doesn't prefer to color in the lines or follow instructions. She is impossible to ignore. She hates when we do anything to her hair, and would prefer it to be wild and unkempt all the time (until the static electricity drives her crazy). Nora is a charmer, but probably has no inkling that she is using her adorable qualities to her own advantage (dangerous). While her big brother is having a blast during his first year of Kindergarten, Nora is Mama's little helper and sometimes antagonist at home. She is adept at causing Melody to squeal -- both with delight and with frustration. Nora's middle name is Salome, who was one of the eyewitnesses to the resurrection (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=mark+16%3A1-8&version=ESV">Mark 16.1</a>). Nora is an observer, a dreamer, and a storyteller, delighting to tell you (and everyone) all of her stream-of-consciousness thoughts and imaginings -- exactly the kind of person who would have responded to Jesus rising from the grave by running and emphatically telling everyone. I honestly can't describe the deep emotions this little one inspires in me... or just how much she fills my heart... or just how completely and effortlessly she drives me bonkers.<br /></div><p></p><p><b>Ministry. </b>Also of significance! After serving for 11 years in youth ministry, I shifted out of the role of youth pastor at Fellowship Bible Church and into a role of worship pastor. This nebulous title simply means that I'm the pastor at the church who spends the most amount of time planning services and working with our worship band and tech team, and also strapping on various guitars for various occasions. My goal in this change was to simply work within the skill set God has given to me, to train our people to love to sing truthful words about Jesus, and to be more available for the whole church family. Youth ministry is an island -- a small church within a church -- and while I still love the students I've been connected to over the years, I'm so thankful I can be more connected with and available to the rest of the body God has assembled on the corner of Breakneck and Jackson roads.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO6v8LKKYmNDS_RpxW3rD_E80m2fjW6EbO9xBX7H46olbyIAjOQFFWP4-rwENbw8I-J6XDkeDT0m0MIorTRl3nDIeWu7h1OVAC7oD2enU-eWw4HpapukcjWAAnfMBGXeBIwmHB-VNdkVoQClt3wb6rwoDp1i7vKpXnQ61Uvkk70affg7Kz3vV66tPx52E/s4032/IMG_1765.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO6v8LKKYmNDS_RpxW3rD_E80m2fjW6EbO9xBX7H46olbyIAjOQFFWP4-rwENbw8I-J6XDkeDT0m0MIorTRl3nDIeWu7h1OVAC7oD2enU-eWw4HpapukcjWAAnfMBGXeBIwmHB-VNdkVoQClt3wb6rwoDp1i7vKpXnQ61Uvkk70affg7Kz3vV66tPx52E/s320/IMG_1765.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Tangential to this is Tara's shift away from any part-time work to focus full-time on our children. This change for her has been difficult, given her strong work ethic and upbringing, but (as all moms know) children are a curious labor of love that require deep reservoirs of emotional and mental energy, steeped in so much patience and grace that it's embarrassing for me to even consider how impatient and graceless I am -- as her spouse, and as a father. Tara is actively using her God-given gifts of hospitality and administration to make our home in Swedesboro a place where the gospel is promoted and practiced among our family unit, and where guests are welcomed -- hopefully to leave more refreshed than they were when they arrived. I can't begin to express how thankful I am for Tara, how proud I am of her, and how eager I am to see her feeling fulfilled in what she's doing. She continues to be the greatest partner, friend, companion,
bone-of-my-bone/flesh-of-my-flesh helpmeet any man could ever dream to
have. As we rapidly approach our 12th year married, we are excited to see what unique challenges and blessings the Lord has for us just over the horizon.<br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpFRXtRNLpzfX7yjKJAO7dRM3GCafJjJ53BxGD6347Rwo5iM1tBrzAf2j1RlrPTPQ-WY9Q9IKDiwqGp2vBNafKfuSHtIqsHL-LRn9bqJqiV2ZlHF3pt1gIqGDquNIywrMsukuD92RhY9PHMKCM8Q6HSABQWpjK0GNdRcWPxIfHFd9Y_5ZGc4_3PIg4S38/s4032/IMG_0055.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpFRXtRNLpzfX7yjKJAO7dRM3GCafJjJ53BxGD6347Rwo5iM1tBrzAf2j1RlrPTPQ-WY9Q9IKDiwqGp2vBNafKfuSHtIqsHL-LRn9bqJqiV2ZlHF3pt1gIqGDquNIywrMsukuD92RhY9PHMKCM8Q6HSABQWpjK0GNdRcWPxIfHFd9Y_5ZGc4_3PIg4S38/s320/IMG_0055.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><b>Writing.</b> Finally, way back in September of 2021, I worked up the nerve (after years of rewrites and coaxing by my agent, confidant, and voice of reason [Tara]) to self-publish a collection of short fiction pieces. Self-publishing is so easy it feels like cheating, but I don't have the time, money, or business acumen necessary to be my own publicist, marketing consultant, or cheerleader on a more traditional route. Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing makes it simple to finalize your work in a variety of formats that look and feel very professional. <i>They Never Truly Leave</i> is a bunch of stories almost all based on true events or the experiences of real-life people. Though there are no recurring characters, each of these stories is a study in loss, grief, or personal trauma, and the nature of faith and human relationship at points of crisis. As a pastor, it seems that the world is always so full of darkness and tragedy -- the obvious results of sin at work in the fabric of God's good creation. And yet, it is also at the heaviest moments that the light of hope is seen most clearly, whether it's the impossible conjunction of circumstances or the undiminished and unabashed resolve of just one person who never stopped believing, the perspective touched by the redeeming love of Jesus can't help but notice His hand at work even in grief. If you're interested, you can click on the image in the sidebar to see the book on Amazon, in both print and epub versions for e-readers.<span><!--more--></span><p></p><p>So there you have it, the most significant pieces of my life, going backward from now to the time I unceremoniously left this blog to languish. One of my goals for this new year has been to get back to more regular writing, and Tara has resolved to also help me get there, so I trust you'll have opportunity to check back in again as I get back to more regular posting form.</p><p>Thanks for reading!<br /></p>Justin Carltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862524102546516400noreply@blogger.com0Clermont, FL, USA28.5494447 -81.772854299999992-25.164762915592657 137.6021457 82.263652315592651 58.852145700000008tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6724382508737372699.post-3378439456687701842021-09-22T10:52:00.002-04:002021-09-26T14:28:59.138-04:00Album #2 Studio Updates<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><img border="0" data-original-height="774" data-original-width="1032" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvspywYQES8vvEX7vZ732tFWz56f2ZQJZUGh5ws6JPpZhNKlJx0ZdFEZ6BiPPDAFTkE5uzAJeUp6K4w_66rd6SXU7nQy8OIycJkR_UVWJZ0vGWX_9zkEUf0J0Orf7Oq_U-VQ16issB0k/w579-h434/Resized_20210605_103332.jpg" width="579" /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div>For those of you who have been looking for an update on our progress for the new Twenty Committee album, here are a few belated snapshots of our progress to date.</div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg68nGsFOYTCFqA-yYiaRAQd4_J0zjxDzeEVexKTBlaZOQ-AyAIjQWkqqHRnaAwhSg5lhYx0VW0hyphenhyphenT1Hnw9KYmsOgJFaDJr91JgU0doGexic3ARI11pMmpZNa2om2FzN1k6LyYSYrWlo8o//" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg68nGsFOYTCFqA-yYiaRAQd4_J0zjxDzeEVexKTBlaZOQ-AyAIjQWkqqHRnaAwhSg5lhYx0VW0hyphenhyphenT1Hnw9KYmsOgJFaDJr91JgU0doGexic3ARI11pMmpZNa2om2FzN1k6LyYSYrWlo8o/w467-h351/IMG_6627.jpeg" width="467" /></a></div>We came home from New York at the end of May with finished drum tracks and plenty of scratch material to build off of in order to track the other instruments. For a few weeks, we listened back to rough board mixes, getting our bearings and formulating the direction we wanted to go.<p></p><p>In mid-June, Richmond began re-tracking bass parts. The perfectionist in each musician always says, "Let me play it again -- I can do it better!" but there were also some really great bass tracks from our NY sessions that would have been difficult to top. Some of them we cut again anyway, in search of more pop or resonance, and the results sound great. However, some of what you'll hear on the final record is Richmond playing live at Rave's while we were also laying down the drum takes we wanted.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAw40pcrl9DsHrfC5sSDBAJ5HFS_OwmXU5eBFDa4L33rRcZ4CkjoItYzgtmipNkxs-Sf3KuxFG-jHCknuujgiuVa70UxGOt5RLVeU8uQJxm4TomQqk7K-zOd_hYpTt8tOWlPlkJzFMlew//" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAw40pcrl9DsHrfC5sSDBAJ5HFS_OwmXU5eBFDa4L33rRcZ4CkjoItYzgtmipNkxs-Sf3KuxFG-jHCknuujgiuVa70UxGOt5RLVeU8uQJxm4TomQqk7K-zOd_hYpTt8tOWlPlkJzFMlew/w369-h277/FC_20210813_0009.JPG" width="369" /></a></p><p></p>Through the rest of the summer, Geoff reworked his established keys. He also began addressing some introductory and postlude content, and introduced some new layered synth ideas to the mix. FYI, Record #2 is another concept album, so there will be recurring musical themes and sounds that we want to incorporate throughout its duration. Some of this we'll still have to wait for the final mixes to be complete, in order to properly layer the effects and ideas during post-production. But we can't really help ourselves from fooling around with ideas that we'll revisit later! Geoff and I have also been occasionally trading lyric ideas for the songs that were last written as we move steadily toward recording vocal parts. Some big themes the lyrical content of this album will address are as follows: human creativity and its purpose in relation to societal advancement, the ethics of conformity/nonconformity, true productivity, the relationship of individual parts to the whole, human pride and ambition, the quest for self-perfection...<div><br /></div><div>In short, the record will cover life, the universe, and everything.<br /><p></p><p>Joe's mostly been in an observing, cheerleading role, since he did the lion's share of the recording work in NY. His performance truly shines on this record -- there are so many cool rhythmic things he does that I can't wait to hear with the final mixes.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHfV9OY02-3jTeeCMuPhb1p93rQirw56uMXP2pQBl0hAvZj-NtdwGQETZTjDziroZABmocNPezOicxHS6841zEiH4TSh-k5IMcqUS0Uyv-hnAUSW1wq8cn5ObBiL_w2eBRGu1_TaXl4MA//" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 238); margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHfV9OY02-3jTeeCMuPhb1p93rQirw56uMXP2pQBl0hAvZj-NtdwGQETZTjDziroZABmocNPezOicxHS6841zEiH4TSh-k5IMcqUS0Uyv-hnAUSW1wq8cn5ObBiL_w2eBRGu1_TaXl4MA/w472-h353/IMG_6659.jpg" width="472" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">In the last few weeks -- since the end of August -- it's been my turn to plug in and tune up my guitars. Some of my parts I'd primarily worked out on the electric in the rehearsal space, but we'd always envisioned them on the acoustic. So I re-recorded some of the things I did at Rave's on the electric, this time using both regular 6-string tuning and also "high-stringing" a second acoustic guitar to create a more nuanced 12-string sound by blending the two together. While this method is less efficient than just playing a 12-string guitar, the approach creates dynamic sounds with far more voicing clarity than a traditional 12-string can provide. The strategy also gives us greater ability to mix and manipulate the final takes. I still have some more electric guitar work to do on a few of there complex passages of "Forevermore" and "Sparks in the Mind" as well, but other than that it's almost time for me to move on to my auxiliary keyboard sections.</div></span></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1u8duWth5Uozh_F8UpILFcuJ2_vIDXnOMrwz3hFSrtSgy24GTg6nIOOVtfKZEJ05yfpZ9s5gPLuWJlNxWorY5vDQrvKPaNrEFostIcvl2M1bOur8QmqQz-g7F1KwM5Z0brlq3RkhFi_g//" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1784" data-original-width="2048" height="403" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1u8duWth5Uozh_F8UpILFcuJ2_vIDXnOMrwz3hFSrtSgy24GTg6nIOOVtfKZEJ05yfpZ9s5gPLuWJlNxWorY5vDQrvKPaNrEFostIcvl2M1bOur8QmqQz-g7F1KwM5Z0brlq3RkhFi_g/w463-h403/FC_20210919_0013.jpeg" width="463" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Once we've completed all the instruments, it'll be time to move on to the vocals. We've (I've) gotten quite a few chuckles from the scratch vocals that Geoff put down to simply direct traffic while we were in NY. I might actually miss him saying, "Coming up on double chorus!" in the final mix... That said, I can't wait to start working the actual parts.<p></p><p>Yes, we're taking our time with this project -- in part because we can (I mean, it's been eight years since we released <i>A Lifeblood Psalm</i>, so why rush now?), and in part because all of us are insanely busy. I'm thankful for Jeff Bishop's expertise at the console, the modern technology that allows us to punch and splice takes without having to endlessly repeat the whole song until we get the perfect take, and for the amazing experience of writing and recording music.</p><p>Looking forward to the final product!</p><p></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4dDx31RYDG7bzmI-4mpA0S83l0W_MQQXBWMKcCRHzI55ewjUHvm7xa3cZ4dhmDnpCgVoHvArfdkeBrlhWRkdVtV6HvteqoA6qhqks57S-e1gf682zKt2mXIxrIRLA-AkW3K5jtECh_O4/s1032/Resized_20210605_103320.jpg" style="display: inline; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="774" data-original-width="1032" height="379" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4dDx31RYDG7bzmI-4mpA0S83l0W_MQQXBWMKcCRHzI55ewjUHvm7xa3cZ4dhmDnpCgVoHvArfdkeBrlhWRkdVtV6HvteqoA6qhqks57S-e1gf682zKt2mXIxrIRLA-AkW3K5jtECh_O4/w504-h379/Resized_20210605_103320.jpg" width="504" /></a></div><br /></div>Justin Carltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862524102546516400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6724382508737372699.post-1613098577320670452021-06-09T22:13:00.000-04:002021-06-09T22:13:13.671-04:00The three legs of faith-deconstruction stories<p style="text-align: justify;">A few months ago, I finished a little book by Shane Pruitt called <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Common-Lies-Christians-Believe-Infinitely/dp/0735291578">Nine Common Myths that Christians Believe (And Why God's Truth is Infinitely Better</a>). </i>It was short and conversational, certainly not exhaustive or scholarly, but still helpful to address fluffy Christian jargon that means well but misses the mark of theological accuracy. Because it was targeting the average church-goer's vernacular and not necessarily that of pastors/teachers, it was soft instead of indicting in its approach to these harmful ideas. Nevertheless, it had some great points to chew on, not the least of which is the one that I earmarked to write this post. Here it is:</p><p></p><blockquote style="text-align: justify;">Self-righteousness leaves a wake of people who are either so arrogant they don't need God anymore or so burned out they don't care about God anymore. And whether they realize it or not, it all started from a place of wanting God to like them. Self-righteousness becomes its own form of religion, and religions are built on what mankind can do for their god or gods.</blockquote><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The Christian theology of God's initiating love is so different from the concepts of other religions. Jesus condescended to meet us where we are. He willfully became something less than He was, a servant sacrificing His own righteous life for the undeserving beloved. He did something for <i>us</i>, not the other way around. That's the beautiful truth of the gospel.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">So why, then, the growing trend of "faith deconstruction" stories we hear today -- the testimonies of individuals, formerly self-identified as Christians, who are redefining themselves as "exvangelicals" or agnostics? Why would someone move away from the notion of undeserved, unmerited grace, payment in full for a debt they could never afford? These tales are complex, unique, and deeply personal. They also share many common themes of pain, disappointment, and disillusionment.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Before I unpack my thoughts, I understand that you may be reading this at a time in your life where you are questioning or redefining your faith. What I want to talk about here concerns your story, and I don't mean to imply by a summarizing approach that your experience is a cookie cutter, no different from anyone else's. You aren't so easily labeled. I want to humbly ask that you journey with me through the next few paragraphs and promise to help me better understand where you are if I've missed the mark on any of these things.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I also want to make it clear that I am not writing this to defend Christians keeping the "evangelical" label. Like the banner of "fundamentalism" before it -- which, prior to its pejorative use, stood for a positive theological movement seeking to preserve critical components of orthodoxy from encroaching liberalism -- the "evangelical" title has outlived its usefulness, especially if it carries a lot of baggage in the eyes of the unbelieving community. Many people assume that an "evangelical" is simply a right-wing, red-blooded, Christian Nationalist Trump-supporter. If that's the association the evangelical title holds, then it truly should be retired, because it is actually hindering gospel efforts! However, before we assume that we should all jump on the exvangelical bandwagon, let's differentiate between wanting to faithfully represent the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world and actively deconstructing our faith from a place of hurt, skepticism, or -- as Shane Pruitt argues -- self-righteousness.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG90gA3RMHeB1bUfc80Ws0_92v_mOlIFD3m7ahZSjxQZs-HMx2gvfufD2NIjO3Zz4-2qqNU4zWGW5Wqn3oi7jozReI9twovpz6EeBr0SeyhvFZF_HgKDQuGOINeu1_3yQVdkl6X6-fEBg/s1500/three-legged-stool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG90gA3RMHeB1bUfc80Ws0_92v_mOlIFD3m7ahZSjxQZs-HMx2gvfufD2NIjO3Zz4-2qqNU4zWGW5Wqn3oi7jozReI9twovpz6EeBr0SeyhvFZF_HgKDQuGOINeu1_3yQVdkl6X6-fEBg/s320/three-legged-stool.jpg" /></a></div>My working theory of the exvangelical movement is based on the image of a stool. The arguments of "faith graduates" stand on three legs. One leg is righteous anger against very real and very ugly hypocrisy in evangelical Christianity. This is the most powerful leg, because it it has a strong basis in truth and experience. The second leg is a greater alignment with modern textual criticism than with the inerrancy of Scripture. This is a position that casts doubt on the Bible's accuracy and ability to speak to a constantly evolving human race. The third and final leg is embracing lifestyle choices and theological positions that are irreconcilable with "evangelical morals."<p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Without all three legs, the individual is likely trending exvangelical but isn't fully ready to abandon everything he or she has grown up believing. However, once all three legs are firmly anchored, suddenly the decision to abandon or reinterpret Christianity makes a whole lot of sense, and the faith deconstruction truly begins.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Leg 1: Evangelical Hypocrisy</u></b>. As stated, many suggest that the "evangelical" label carries too much baggage to be useful any longer to Christians who are truly striving to live out their faith. That opinion doesn't just come from exvangelicals. They aren't the only ones seeking to distance themselves from cold religiosity or nationalistic faith. The sobering reality is that qualms with evangelicalism aren't unfounded. Historically, it isn't just the Catholic church that has hidden abuse scandals or turned a blind eye to clergy padding their pockets with donations. The most recent evangelical scandal involving RZIM ministries is an all-too-revealing example of how power and a lack of accountability can lead even a supposed "champion" of the faith to abuse the privileges afforded by his affluence and ultimately travel a lonely road of spiritual self-destruction. Many individuals who are moving away from evangelicalism have personal stories of pastors and church leaders who have committed similar egregious acts, unbecoming their role or the Savior they claim to worship.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Lest we think this is a modern <i>evangelical</i> issue, however, let's not forget the litany of prophetic diatribes against Israel's priests in the Old Testament. Isaiah railed against the entire congregation, likening them to a collective snake -- the "elder and honored man" being the head, and the lying prophets being "the tail" -- that was leading the people astray into all manner of oppression, violence, and immorality (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=isaiah+9%3A15-17&version=ESV">9.15-17</a>). Jeremiah lamented that, "from the least to the greatest, everyone is greedy for unjust gain; from prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely" (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=jeremiah+8%3A10&version=ESV">8.10b</a>). Ezekiel demanded judgment for the priests who "misled" God's people, and for the prophetesses who "hunt[ed] down souls" while keeping their own souls alive (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ezekiel+13%3A10-11%2C+17-18&version=ESV">13.10, 18</a>).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The point is this: at no point in the history of mankind have spiritual leaders been sinless messiahs who are above corruption. The religious institutions that commission and empower clergy of any denomination, at any point in human history, are likewise fallible.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">However, for every pastor or organization that has fallen, there are two others that have lived above reproach -- not perfect, but taking sin seriously enough to recognize the potential pitfalls of abuse and temptation, and building accountability into their leadership paradigm. The exvangelical solution to the abuse of power and scandal in the church is problematic because it is enmeshed in a cancel-culture mentality: if it's broken, scrap it. No second chances. The faulty assumption -- that because <i>some</i> churches are toxic, <i>all </i>churches are toxic -- is misguided and tragic. Churches and institutions that are willing to recognize the dangers that sin poses, not assuming they are above its influence, are able to handle error with grace, tact, and love in humility.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Maybe you -- or someone you know -- were a victim of church discipline that was cold, unbiblical, or incorrectly administered. If that was the case, I am deeply sorry for the pain to which you were subjected. However, let's be careful not to confuse biblical church discipline with gossip, judgment, or power tripping. The process outlined in <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew+18%3A15-20&version=ESV">Matthew 18</a> and <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+corinthians+5%3A1-5&version=ESV">1 Corinthians 5</a> is a stern but necessary practice for a) the protection of the Body, which suffers when unrepentant sin is left to fester, and b) the restoration of the sinning brother/sister, who is being subjected to the type of compassion prescribed in <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=galatians+6%3A1-5&version=ESV">Galatians 6.1-5</a>. It is intended to be a humble entreatment of a spiritually endangered individual to turn from what might destroy them. If you or someone you know was subjected to a process of church discipline that any of the following bullet points describe, then you were subjected to a <u>sinful</u> and <u>unbiblical</u> method, not in any way prescribed by Jesus:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li>an impersonal letter announcing the revoking of your membership without any personal meetings or discussion prior to your excommunication</li><li>a process that did not follow the clear and necessary steps of Matthew 18, and that did not err heavily on the side of grace and time</li><li>a proclamation of your sin that went beyond the privacy and safety of your church family</li><li>a process that was intended to shame you, rather than entreat the congregation to go to you personally, humbly, and in love</li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">What sin is worthy of church discipline? In a way-too-brief answer for this space... It's not about categories or tiers of sin. It's about a heart that is unrepentant. Do we all have sin? Yes. But what do we do when confronted with that sin? Do we harden our hearts and refuse to change, declaring that sin to be our personal choice and no one has the right to tell us how to live our lives? Or do we acknowledge that we were wrong and receive wise counsel on how to do better next time? The existence of sin in our lives is not grounds for church discipline. What we do when confronted with sin is another matter.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The reality is that church leaders who sin must be held to this same process! However, many churches have historically failed to remember the admonishment of <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+3%3A1-2&version=ESV">James 3.1</a>, that those who teach and lead will be held to a greater degree of accountability. If church leaders are above discipline, above accountability, or in any way considered holier than the congregation, you have the makings of a toxic church culture where sin will be hidden, abuse will be rampant, and people will leave (if they can escape!), disillusioned with the sham of "Christianity" they witnessed.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you've witnessed any of these types of things, you aren't wrong to be angry. God Himself is angry at the injustices, abuses, and sinful choices of people -- especially those perpetrated in His name. However, exvangelicals would do well to acknowledge the universal integrity of the Church, the global Body of Christ, as a mixture of wheat and tares (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+13%3A24-30&version=ESV">Matthew 13.24-30</a>). Even if some specific local churches have proven to be hypocritical or even cultish, the Invisible Church will prevail to the end of the age. If we neglect our responsibility to the Body, even because we are rightly angry at injustice and sin, we risk putting ourselves on a self-righteous pedestal above other Christians, or marooning ourselves on an island apart. By remaining committed to the Church, despite its imperfections, we leave room for God to be the Judge, and trust Him to finish the perfecting work that He began in each true follower of Christ.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If your church let you down, find another one -- albeit, not one that proclaims a different gospel, but one that more closely adheres to the truth and practice of God's Word. There will never be a perfect local church, unfortunately, but it is far better to labor alongside fellow imperfect believers than it is to languish in spiritual isolation and leave ourselves open to worldly vices and ideologies.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Leg 2: Textual Criticism</u></b>. There is no possible way that I can fully address this topic in a single post (if you're so inclined, I've written more on it <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/6724382508737372699/7777356206836615998">here</a> and <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/6724382508737372699/8902439503191855815">here</a> -- again not exhaustively). But let me make a few comments on why acknowledging the inerrancy of Scripture might not be as much blind faith as you think.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The concept is often rejected because it sounds naive. How could an ancient text written over centuries by different authors and translated from an ancient language be without error? Modern textual criticism has the weight of scholarly authority, intellectual giants who question the ascribed authorship of many Scriptural texts, the dates of writing, and authorial intent. The treatment of Scripture is highly skeptical, viewing theological paradoxes as contradictions, and attempting to contrast Pauline doctrine with Jesus' teachings rather than trace the symmetry between them. In all, when you begin from the position that an ancient text is a flawed, manmade document, then all the conclusions drawn will likely match the premise.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">On the other hand, inerrancy is simply the belief that the Holy Spirit accurately and organically led the original writers of Scripture to preserve God's own words in written form. It differentiates God's perfect and authoritative truth from the imperfect written form. It is believing that God sovereignly transmitted and sovereignly protected His writings, even through gross Latin mistranslations that fostered belief in penance (thank you, Jerome) and periods of time when the very words of Scripture were deemed too lofty for the eyes of common people to read and became twisted by high church tradition. Inerrancy fully acknowledges textual challenges of various types while still trusting in the power of God to accurately communicate to His people.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The assumption that the Bible is riddled with errors and contradictions is simply misplaced. Ancient Bible scholars across eras have been able to triangulate incredibly accurate translations from an overwhelming amount of source data. Belief in inerrancy doesn't (or shouldn't) deny the "errors" or differences of translation from ancient to modern languages, and it doesn't pretend that there aren't manuscript issues where copyists made mistakes or age has obscured certain pieces of text. In fact, the best Bible translations are those that make a point to show where original wording is difficult to translate, or is missing. However, the Swiss cheese picture that many people have of the Bible's composition, as well as the "whisper-down-the-lane" theory of oral biblical transmission, are simply the result of scholarly doubt unfairly cast upon the single most influential book in human history.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Many exvangelicals are diving deeply into Greek and Hebrew in order to uncover the "real" meaning of the texts, a meaning that they believe has been obscured by decades -- if not centuries -- of Christian mishandling (at best) or tampering (at worst). The problem with this is not the desire for deeper study, but the motive. Evangelicals aren't innocent of sometimes making the Bible say what they want it to say, rather than allowing the power of the text to speak for itself. But exvangelicals are only replicating the same error. Studying the original languages is an undeniably valuable pursuit, but the complexities of these ancient tongues means that zooming in too closely on individual words and phrases can be a little like missing the forest for the trees, or pixelating a picture because you're after individual specks of color and not the whole hi-res image. Context is everything!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">One of my fellow elders at Fellowship Bible Church has quoted his father's pastoral wisdom on more than one occasion: "If the first sense makes sense, take care lest you come to nonsense." While there are plenty of challenging passages in the Bible that we would do well to read far more carefully than traditional handling of the text has done, sometimes the plain meaning of the text is often not difficult to discern. In fact, the whole Reformation concept -- that everyone should have access to reading the Bible in their own language -- implies that the average layperson is capable of understanding the plain message of the gospel via the illumination of the Holy Spirit. It is not the clergy with advanced degrees in linguistics who have special access to unlock the real truth of God's Word. Plain and powerful truth can actually be obscured by drilling in too deeply without discretion, in search of the meaning you want to be there.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In sum, textual criticism is doomed to be a self-fulfilling prophecy, due to the preconceived notions that scholars and exvangelicals alike carry into their research. Belief in the inerrancy of Scripture doesn't mean using the Bible to proof text for your personal values -- which, to be fair, many evangelicals have likewise done. It means holding the Word of God in high esteem, and giving it the authority -- as the divine self-revelation of God Almighty -- to speak real truth into our modern lives. The alternative is to place myself above the truth of the Bible. This is what textual criticism does. Suddenly, when I move myself out from under the Bible's authority, I have the theological impetus to believe whatever I want.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Which leads us to...</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Leg 3: Lifestyle & Theology</u>.</b> Maybe you are having a hard time seeing how churches can justify maintaining a 501c3 status. Maybe you associate evangelical theology with racism. Maybe you can't stomach the idea of a wrathful God who judges sinners, and instead embrace the "love-wins" theology of Christian universalism. Maybe Christian counseling denied that your depression was a chemical imbalance and instead labeled it as a lack of faith. Maybe you are divorcing your wife, or deciding your sexuality is deviant from traditional evangelical norms. Maybe you simply see yourself as an Ally for someone else who is doing one of the above. Whatever your reason, the irreconcilable differences between personal choices and evangelical ethics often becomes the impetus for redefining one's faith.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Exvangelicals follow typical Western thinking that emphasizes the individual over community, and the self as actuating truth. If how I view myself is incompatible with another system of thinking, then I must be true to myself. Particularly with regard to sexual identity and interpersonal ethics, the modern American is unwilling to allow any tradition, norm, culture, or belief system to dictate his or her personal choices. As usual, the heart is king: what I feel, what I believe, and what I want are paramount.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">That logically means that an archaic text like the Bible, with its black and white treatment of human sexuality and gender, must be irrelevant. Dangerous, even.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">It's important to note that you can be an exvangelical and still claim to live by the Bible. This is done by embracing a different hermeneutic or interpretive principle than evangelicals. Of course, reading the Bible this way also makes a lot more sense if you're also leaning on the leg of textual criticism. While evangelicals interpret the Bible via a literal hermeneutic, whenever possible, exvangelicalism embraces symbolism and subjectivity. If much of the historical narrative (especially of the Old Testament) is allegory, then the commands therein are merely principles given to emerging communities of faith that no longer speak directly to the modern iteration of the Church. And if Jesus is really just a good teacher, then the entire gospel message can be summarized in one misappropriated and misdefined word: love.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">At the risk of making a sweeping generalization, here is what I have found to be the single common thread of those claiming to be exvangelicals: lifestyle choices -- especially pertaining to sexuality and gender -- that are unable to be justified in evangelical theology. Homosexuality. Physical boundaries for dating relationships. Cohabitation. Appropriate grounds for divorce. Gender roles in marriage. As our culture redefines and then redefines its own standards and definitions for these things, the evangelical crowd continues to hold the longstanding and prevailing positions on these issues, as defined literally by the Bible. To a world driven and tossed by the various winds of philosophy and theology (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+4%3A11-16&version=ESV">Eph 4.14</a>), a rock in the midst of the current is a danger, not a refuge.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">So. Those are the three legs of the faith deconstruction stool. Evangelical hypocrisy, textual criticism, and lifestyle choices/theological differences. Certainly, greater weight can be placed on any of the above. Sometimes individuals start with Leg 3 and then find the more or less sinful reactions from individuals at their home church to provide them the grounds for Leg 1, and then they are forced to establish an alternate view of the Bible (Leg 2) in order to defend their position. Others begin at Leg 2 because they have serious doubts about the harmony of the gospels, or they have embraced the evolutionary theory and can't rationalize it with Genesis 1-2. Not everyone's journey toward faith deconstruction will have all the exact same earmarks</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Maybe you're reading this and finding yourself growing increasingly disillusioned with Christianity, struggling to find reasons to recommit to a church and doubting the efficacy of prayer or the necessity of reading the Bible. Maybe you've wrestled with the problem of evil and found evangelical theology to be full of stale platitudes on the topic. Maybe someone or some organization has tragically let you down. Maybe you're reading this because you're chosen a walk of life that has led you to completely rejecting Christianity, and you are mildly amused by my attempts to define your faith journey.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If any of the above is you, here are a few pleas.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><u>Don't place your faith in people or in a system</u>. Place your faith in Jesus. Reaffirm your confidence not in fallible people, but in the infallible Christ. The entire narrative of the Bible is that people aren't good enough! No one person or institution can break the cycle of sin. When we allow people to become our access point to Jesus, we will always be disappointed. The author of Hebrews contrasts the Levitical priesthood with that of the Messiah, arriving at the conclusion that Christ's priesthood is superior, because He never has to offer sacrifices for His own sin (see <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+7%3A11-28&version=ESV">Heb 7.17-28</a>). Ultimately, clergy cannot make intercession. Only Christ opens the Holy Place to us once and for all.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><u>Don't abandon the Church</u>. <i>A </i>church can (and probably has) let you down. Maybe even multiple churches have. Maybe your parents, the figureheads of your faith, let you down. But THE Church has not. The <i>true </i>Body of Christ is a real and powerful entity that truly exists, even in a world where heinous groups of people calling themselves a church ruin everyone and everything within their reach. The individual components of the Church certainly have work to do, but the Bride of Christ prevails, because her Husband promises to present her blameless and without spot or wrinkle (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+5%3A25-30&version=ESV">Eph 5.27</a>).</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><u>Don't trust your heart</u>. It's deceitful and desperately wicked (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+17%3A9-10&version=ESV">Jer 17.9</a>), capable of all manner of wickedness and self-deception. Unless truth has a firm anchor outside of yourself, you will never stop oscillating in your beliefs, the same way your feelings about things change from day to day.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><u>Don't stop asking good, hard questions</u>. The problem is not doubt or your desire for answers. In fact, one of my favorite moments in the gospel records is when a father asks Jesus to heal his son of a demonic oppression that has lasted all of the boy's life. From a place of despair and hopelessness, he cries out, "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief." (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=mark+9%3A14-29&version=ESV">Mark 9.24</a>) This heart-rending moment shows us the necessary relationship between skepticism and faith. When everything our senses and reasoning are telling us screams that something is impossible, Jesus changes the equation. He is willing to meet each of us in our own places of doubt and uncertainty. I say again, the problem is not doubt. It's when doubt gives way to a cold, proud <i>certainty</i> that deems faith a meaningless, childish, perhaps even dangerous exercise, that you move to a hard-hearted place that becomes impervious to truth. Balance your skepticism, your experience, and your history with the necessary questions that faith prompts in each of our hearts.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you're in the process of deconstructing your faith, maybe the most critical thing is for you to ask yourself whether or not Jesus was ever <i>truly</i> the Lord of your life. Not just conceptually, but truly. He can't just be your friend. He IS the believer's friend, but He is also so much more. Does He love with an everlasting love and lay down His life for us? Yes, and amen! But He also is the eternal Son of God, the King of kings and Lord of lords to whom every knee must bow and every tongue must confess His right to rule. Far too many exvanelicals have never truly submitted their hearts to Christ, perhaps because of doubts, or perhaps because sin distorts our motives. Wholeheartedly receiving the free, radical gift of grace as the undeserved pardon for our personal sins means <i>we owe Him everything</i>. On some spiritual level, none of us whats to make that commitment -- we want to maintain our sense of personal autonomy. The only way we can embrace that reality is if we truly see the depths of our own depravity, acknowledge the grace of Jesus as the <i>only </i>thing that can atone for our problem, and wholeheartedly submit ourselves to Jesus' divine rule. Totally, completely His.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I started this post with the quote from Shane Pruitt's book. The repeated word in that paragraph is one that we most fervently deny when it is the most applicable to us: "self-righteousness." Like many other sins of the human heart, self-righteousness can manifest in a number of different ways. But the common thread is the simple notion that spiritually, intellectually, morally, I am <i>better. </i>Superior<i>. </i>It often germinates from a good seed -- for example, anger at hypocrisy in the church. Justification starts sound, but skews sinful: "The people of Christ should be better than this. Why aren't the people of Christ better than this? Why aren't the people of Christ seeing this problem like I am? Why aren't the people of Christ like me?"</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Here's my fear for individuals who are deconstructing their faith. One, they are pointing the finger of judgment at evangelicalism and missing their own self-righteousness in the process. Exvangelicals, hear me: <i>no one is arguing with you that the Church should be better</i>. The magnificent Pauline prescriptions of the Body are a far-cry from the sad reality presenting itself, especially in America. But the solution to this discrepancy is not to point fingers or to burn the whole Christian movement to the ground in order to start your own better, "more mature" version of faith. The solution is to humbly entreat, humbly teach, and humbly lead by example. When Frederick Douglass was vehemently attacking white southern preachers who used the Bible to defend the institution of slavery, he argued via a significant rhetorical question:</p><blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;">What do you do when you are told by the slaveholders of America that the Bible sanctions slavery? Do you go and throw your Bible into the fire? Do you sing out, 'No union with the Bible!' Do you declare that a thing is bad because it has been misused, abused, and made bad use of? Do you throw it away on that account? No! You press it to your bosom all the more closely; you read it all the more diligently; and prove from its pages that it is on the side of liberty -- and not on the side of slavery. <i>-- Frederick Douglass, "Baptists, Congregationalists, the Free Church, and Slavery: An Address Delivered in Belfast, Ireland, on 23 December 1845."</i></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;">If you are fed up with Christian hypocrisy, the solution is not to forsake Christianity, its theology, or its promises. The solution is to "press it to your bosom all the more closely" in order to prove faithful to the high calling of Christ -- even though every other man prove to be a liar (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans+3%3A3-4&version=ESV">Rom 3.4</a>).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Two, while exvangelicals may claim to be rediscovering God independently of the Church, the reality is that they are recreating God in their own image. While the Church may be guilty of failing to fully live up to the standard of identifying love to which Jesus called them, they have been the guardian of orthodox Christian theology since Pentecost. Shane's quote argued that self-righteous individuals (people too proud to need God or too burned out by their religious efforts) abandon the gospel of grace to worship or serve something else. The self-righteousness of exvangelicals has led them to serve their own ideals or personal values -- causes that can be wholeheartedly served, but which can do nothing to save the individual. The God of the Bible is not your crusade, social movement, perfect society, or accommodating divine grandparent. He is the immutable, holy, and transcendent God who sovereignly, graciously chose to draw near to weak and weary sinners, and who will one day judge all human beings, declaring to be justified only those who are covered by the freely given blood of His Son, and all the rest as condemned for their self-righteous rejection of so great a salvation (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+2%3A1-4&version=ESV">Heb 2.3</a>).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Three (and finally), in some part, we all wrestle with wanting God to like us for "who we are" -- that is, our own self-conception with all our quirks, beliefs, and preferences intact. That, as opposed to truly embracing the identity into which Jesus wants to transform each of us. One again, the beauty of the gospel is that we desperately need what God offers us through the person of Jesus Christ. There is no other name by which salvation may come (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+4%3A11-12&version=ESV">Acts 4.12</a>).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In our self-righteousness, we human beings are more inclined to deny that we have a need, to insist that we are fine the way we are. The very notion of needing something is denies me human agency, my right to choose, my self-worth, etc. But the gospel message is unwavering on the fact that it is only through death to our old self and spiritual transformation through Christ that we become people truly accepted by God. Jesus said we must be born again, through a radical faith in what He alone can achieve (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+3%3A1-21&version=ESV">John 3.3</a>). Paradoxically, the Bible holds both the lowest view of human depravity and also the highest hope for human potential -- far more radical extremes than any other faith or ideology in the world. It is not in ourselves that we find hope, however. It's not in defining our own identities. It's found in reclaiming the idea that we are made in God's image but broken by our own sin, and allowing Him to transform us into human beings fully realized, fully free, and fully satisfied. And it all hinges on losing our independence, becoming completely dependent on the person of Jesus Christ. Not on an institution. Not on a system of theology. We must be purely defined by the Jesus of the Bible.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Sadly, that is impossible for a heart that is "so arrogant [it doesn't] need God anymore or so burned out [it doesn't] care about God anymore."</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Let each of us carefully and humbly examine our own hearts so that this description of self-righteousness never defines us.</p>Justin Carltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862524102546516400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6724382508737372699.post-57665294510840308442021-05-23T22:49:00.003-04:002021-05-24T08:42:01.945-04:00Album #2 Recording, Day 3<div><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCcWHnl82IlHHS_fI_wWETjqxoUj-AWWGocnhIcq11gdgw_XBQIfxTWwIDcz-44rdMhFqL0XXU9tyZZ6rvhAno2eJR436Dei4pjscWh_0pL8cAWVQIGvG7iHgToYlWVEavdOHgWk_eISM/s2048/IMG_0292.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCcWHnl82IlHHS_fI_wWETjqxoUj-AWWGocnhIcq11gdgw_XBQIfxTWwIDcz-44rdMhFqL0XXU9tyZZ6rvhAno2eJR436Dei4pjscWh_0pL8cAWVQIGvG7iHgToYlWVEavdOHgWk_eISM/w400-h300/IMG_0292.JPG" width="400" /></a></p><div style="text-align: justify;">Today, with the drum work finalized, we listened back to all the work we'd done Friday and Saturday and spot-checked for errors in the bass and my guitar parts. Since replicating the sounds we were getting on those instruments with different mics and equipment back home would be particularly challenging, they became our final area to focus on here at Rave's. For most of the day, Richmond and I sat in the main recording area, listening back on headphones, in order to punch in fixes on the fly. Joe, Geoff, and Jeff sat in the control room with Rave to observe overall and take production notes.</div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The note detective process can be tedious and frustrating. In addition to having to zoom in on individual notes being played, you also have to manage a precarious balance between making necessary fixes and getting inside your own head. Live takes have such a distinct character to them, and you don't want to lose the human element in your record. You run the risk of lobotomizing your tracks if you make them too perfect. But, of course, the perfectionist in each of us wants every element of our individual parts to be completely professional and without error!<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">We started the day listening to the big epic numbers, since they contain some of the most complicated sections. Following that, we took a break to get some drum samples for later editing and production. Joe sampled each one of his drums (including each of the 5 total snare drums he used during different songs over the weekend) so that we can use them for any necessary edits later in the production process.<br /></p><p>After a minor heart attack where we thought we'd lost an entire song file (!!!), we packed Joe into his car to head home (he has an early start for work tomorrow), then dove back into the final tracks.</p><p>Not all of you will care, but what follows are notes I was taking for my own sake during the production work we did today. Instead of deleting them, here they are, preserved for posterity:</p><ul><li>"Timepiece Creator," Part 1 -- several minor bass correction</li><li>"Timepiece Creator," Part 2 -- bass correction on the final note to fix a crackle, cleaned up a transition lick, addressed a questionable note</li><li>"Timepiece Creator," Part 3a -- re-addressed some of the bass passages on the verses</li><li>"Timepiece Creator," Part 3b -- pure awesome, no changes needed</li><li>5/4 Monster ("The First Song") Part 1 -- spliced a couple of different takes to get the sustained forward momentum we wanted, and added a sweet bass slide</li><li>5/4 Monster Part 2 -- fixed one guitar chord, a few crackles in the bass, and re-tuned a couple notes</li><li>5/4 Monster Part 3 -- fixed a few bass notes, added a second sweet bass slide for symmetry</li><li>"Embers" -- reworked the first verse on the guitar, and eliminated one noisy crackle on the bass</li><li>"Forevermore" -- corrected the pitch on several slightly out-of-tune notes on the bass; lead part, chorus 2</li><li>"Robot Death" -- to be addressed later</li><li>"Sparks in the Mind (You Wasted Life)" -- bass: a few riff adjustments; guitar 2: first chorus hiccup; second chorus hiccup; bridge hiccup; intro/interlude riff</li><li>"Star in the Eye" -- guitar 2 parts will most likely be replaced with acoustic at home; bass is good to go</li></ul><p>With our edits completed, we packed the gear while Rave began exporting the files to take home. Homeward bound, we are listening to Kansas, breathing another sigh of relief that Rave found the WAV files for "Embers," and talking guitar tones.</p><p>We can't wait to get this album finished and into your hands!</p><p>Final quotables:</p><p><i>"Match that same level of depressiveness." - Rave</i></p><p><i>"Oh, no -- I'm drinking decaf." - Geoff</i></p><p><i>"Hooray for subtle mistakes." - Richmond</i></p><p><i>"A drum well-done." - Joe</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p></div><p><span style="text-align: center;">Scenes from our auditory escapades today:</span></p><p></p><p></p><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzUbkkxcWA8MaTqtTMFdDhsvPsKgntXcB_J2njErKe_91A4QjCW2uakJ4_Qxl89j1KoaA-8sjkbeJixdSIvdxVLV2AlJnHQJ1iNJjpLryqzFg2JuK2evqh80BfIb-J5sB0UUMVpCwWXxI/s2048/IMG_0288.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzUbkkxcWA8MaTqtTMFdDhsvPsKgntXcB_J2njErKe_91A4QjCW2uakJ4_Qxl89j1KoaA-8sjkbeJixdSIvdxVLV2AlJnHQJ1iNJjpLryqzFg2JuK2evqh80BfIb-J5sB0UUMVpCwWXxI/w640-h480/IMG_0288.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkV0516V8EQb2TRIUogaFuDz5UX3l63WOFeSBjQ21YH1GTy_ToMpAvQ3tLnnbGLyvWIrSBpVQv738Cksou0tKCghW_IEpBy91o8LHE-_FeAooMCUZilEyjmtTU3yqrz7KJ-Li-AvJgREQ/s2048/IMG_0290.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkV0516V8EQb2TRIUogaFuDz5UX3l63WOFeSBjQ21YH1GTy_ToMpAvQ3tLnnbGLyvWIrSBpVQv738Cksou0tKCghW_IEpBy91o8LHE-_FeAooMCUZilEyjmtTU3yqrz7KJ-Li-AvJgREQ/w640-h480/IMG_0290.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc97ps9x-cdk773UQdccL7whTKK6M26btxDfffsxMP2VJCr8XwstfD07ahjUtb7IoYr2kNahjEIHxuFNFv6e1ydvexn9gkK1EZYDoM0hwjHu8-GKRjg9fAecjwAWrhMvS9E2kwJwHkE6Q/s2048/IMG_0293.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc97ps9x-cdk773UQdccL7whTKK6M26btxDfffsxMP2VJCr8XwstfD07ahjUtb7IoYr2kNahjEIHxuFNFv6e1ydvexn9gkK1EZYDoM0hwjHu8-GKRjg9fAecjwAWrhMvS9E2kwJwHkE6Q/w480-h640/IMG_0293.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nigel, the note-taker</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx3cMReGQkkwPnDkDzM_Zc0feRXCie_c_1cVa-AWz7y5bVzXsxyHQlH65mQql6mkPKjoc0molL955yN_0SSyjrq4lLLJPTo2KI2IyTtShzJwJd_x2zET1VESqUaMovN8CcJ0n7rqDgi04/s2048/IMG_0291.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx3cMReGQkkwPnDkDzM_Zc0feRXCie_c_1cVa-AWz7y5bVzXsxyHQlH65mQql6mkPKjoc0molL955yN_0SSyjrq4lLLJPTo2KI2IyTtShzJwJd_x2zET1VESqUaMovN8CcJ0n7rqDgi04/w640-h480/IMG_0291.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLCmotg1QsmamAdf6Hm0YryXLtiAIv3c7VshW0zdDE0ghJwYmFo2E4V8uQpgyUM7mofGp6sR_e8exbSrIW0FfJhyphenhyphenxpKto7m8lRRFI6w-sg2YXCLDt2Xo_hyQ6elTLOeS0o0tiHQVTozck/s2048/IMG_0294.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLCmotg1QsmamAdf6Hm0YryXLtiAIv3c7VshW0zdDE0ghJwYmFo2E4V8uQpgyUM7mofGp6sR_e8exbSrIW0FfJhyphenhyphenxpKto7m8lRRFI6w-sg2YXCLDt2Xo_hyQ6elTLOeS0o0tiHQVTozck/w640-h480/IMG_0294.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirPfVROcl2DimGqTyt_6MsH5_avyVspY0SqiTw2V3dDXKh21t-2dm0eTHIAxJb81tXM8dyELAWi2mPNbDxWUNRKn-bd3M6KsYgdVAyLXOsW1JPehCEK7YaxqHphF6eVXIdQgOGiUD844w/s2048/IMG_0295.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirPfVROcl2DimGqTyt_6MsH5_avyVspY0SqiTw2V3dDXKh21t-2dm0eTHIAxJb81tXM8dyELAWi2mPNbDxWUNRKn-bd3M6KsYgdVAyLXOsW1JPehCEK7YaxqHphF6eVXIdQgOGiUD844w/w640-h480/IMG_0295.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDkng3t-3Iba8J93eEIFH1IbaWSoZ1bvTAsGjzAJkcPF5_H5VzIn6v74bYFiHm1iOpgx_5YYZq6u0uxYeL-qm3zZ7qUMSK3mjqzsm5auDAtXmHqSsNmY5nrxjEaOd0WwrBTWqsxgCiOqg/s2048/IMG_0296.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDkng3t-3Iba8J93eEIFH1IbaWSoZ1bvTAsGjzAJkcPF5_H5VzIn6v74bYFiHm1iOpgx_5YYZq6u0uxYeL-qm3zZ7qUMSK3mjqzsm5auDAtXmHqSsNmY5nrxjEaOd0WwrBTWqsxgCiOqg/w640-h480/IMG_0296.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmHuXLKpL1DxLrNwCfGieFIfZiuufBFS1Fy1HmEGrpV_k2RGG71hjl7B3dP4R6kfRqHN_LVIEHygzjLXOXOzTPKNkrzI87TYeo8baT0dNrsgT29aNBslYAxCh1zDsiW9mW_BCcbEwI72A/s2048/IMG_0297.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmHuXLKpL1DxLrNwCfGieFIfZiuufBFS1Fy1HmEGrpV_k2RGG71hjl7B3dP4R6kfRqHN_LVIEHygzjLXOXOzTPKNkrzI87TYeo8baT0dNrsgT29aNBslYAxCh1zDsiW9mW_BCcbEwI72A/w640-h480/IMG_0297.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLYr608rdeiLzJ1bKGjQBHN-akz54ZjxXU28MEZ6grZygqM42Jnxkt4i3ZC006PteL9Pvya4DXRhtOs4oo0AFzVYp4R8hucPwGr-99XBltHSW9JZktzCpREksNJEXwmx3p2Jyzt07y8JA/s2048/IMG_0298.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLYr608rdeiLzJ1bKGjQBHN-akz54ZjxXU28MEZ6grZygqM42Jnxkt4i3ZC006PteL9Pvya4DXRhtOs4oo0AFzVYp4R8hucPwGr-99XBltHSW9JZktzCpREksNJEXwmx3p2Jyzt07y8JA/w480-h640/IMG_0298.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drum sampling.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZbz4jHAD0uj_lfTvy7N8eLcVpuCrRTgnnZz4V_6lUexG1qcpik-qPCktdWHq8aluknZ-z-vvv_0zu0DLtzYRqsZQqRq6r3X3Je5OCBhj25YVzH3EF_hbjRa-qR_z33YZB2cZ_rAbhnE/s2048/IMG_0301.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZbz4jHAD0uj_lfTvy7N8eLcVpuCrRTgnnZz4V_6lUexG1qcpik-qPCktdWHq8aluknZ-z-vvv_0zu0DLtzYRqsZQqRq6r3X3Je5OCBhj25YVzH3EF_hbjRa-qR_z33YZB2cZ_rAbhnE/w480-h640/IMG_0301.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carlton bros in the office.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinfkn0-dKeP2kYp4groXJdWQJdANNIgffZyLLXNv5Z2JtH1Zt3LZpG8kUzldoEYDYT5xYxX2-pZ9NTHCAVmSWLB4BYBH7i1wR0zFTgSMKUN38UhqL96NxZIUhC0axBOp8-WvXYIuuoIxs/s2048/IMG_0299.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinfkn0-dKeP2kYp4groXJdWQJdANNIgffZyLLXNv5Z2JtH1Zt3LZpG8kUzldoEYDYT5xYxX2-pZ9NTHCAVmSWLB4BYBH7i1wR0zFTgSMKUN38UhqL96NxZIUhC0axBOp8-WvXYIuuoIxs/s2048/IMG_0299.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinfkn0-dKeP2kYp4groXJdWQJdANNIgffZyLLXNv5Z2JtH1Zt3LZpG8kUzldoEYDYT5xYxX2-pZ9NTHCAVmSWLB4BYBH7i1wR0zFTgSMKUN38UhqL96NxZIUhC0axBOp8-WvXYIuuoIxs/w640-h480/IMG_0299.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><p>Packing for home.</p></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p></div>Justin Carltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862524102546516400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6724382508737372699.post-85554590950921903792021-05-22T22:39:00.001-04:002021-05-22T22:39:41.634-04:00Album #2, Recording Day 2<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJSHNnBjSklaJaZFK_b0qZITbErxi8dUzAftnwXdUYwv3ZEqUFy8u1XspHtgAIkKms_KBnUQGawbHvcLhumYLxWR4cv4vf7l0yoekcBCFSNTNFHodnwDLd7sNF4lqUZojlJAQtzkDq0Cg/s2048/64340694887__5E70CF52-5630-42C4-B91E-46A939D8AA88.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJSHNnBjSklaJaZFK_b0qZITbErxi8dUzAftnwXdUYwv3ZEqUFy8u1XspHtgAIkKms_KBnUQGawbHvcLhumYLxWR4cv4vf7l0yoekcBCFSNTNFHodnwDLd7sNF4lqUZojlJAQtzkDq0Cg/s320/64340694887__5E70CF52-5630-42C4-B91E-46A939D8AA88.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We got back to Rave's at 9:00 this morning, reestablished our headphone mixes, and officially launched into the home stretch of the album around 10:00. The two epics we worked on today have a lot of cool pieces that interlock. Playing them live, we have the luxury of eye-contact and spontaneity, but for studio purposes, we had to record them in smaller chunks and will later stitch the segments together.</div><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;">Part one of the album opener (as yet unnamed) is a monster to navigate for recording. It's only 2 minutes and 21 seconds long, but the tempo and time changes galore meant listening very, very carefully to the click track. My parts for this section still need some fleshing out, so I took the opportunity as the rest of the guys were working to shoot some video (well, shoot some video, get interrupted by out-of-storage notifications, delete a bunch of stuff off of my phone to make room, keep filming, rinse, lather, repeat...) and also jot down these notes. It took us a significant number of attempts to get decent takes for part one -- probably 7 or 8 before we had enough quality material to work with.</div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Part two is a straightforward ballad that we nailed down in two takes. I love that piece for its simple but compelling melody, shared between Geoff's keys and Jeff's guitar. We only hiccuped once before going to tape, trying to remember how many passes through a solo section we should go around.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxoY83gfKJYBmIHN7dfae1dpPfWPOb2sNluDrqoJ4Xkyoq6Whdo-wUJowDmcbiqDMfz_HGgfzmN4ruINr6GXQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrtW5z8tQerhjk4H_lTP2lMNX_A9jxDse9fUJVEE7GMDqnumR04zHPTsWHnWnXG4IEMTmNO42HKzCtYEtzX1QQfBxY4PF-Vneol3gqUfNX5d2jOiV81kVwXForIKtalwE6nW1_WSRsngw/s2048/IMG_0282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrtW5z8tQerhjk4H_lTP2lMNX_A9jxDse9fUJVEE7GMDqnumR04zHPTsWHnWnXG4IEMTmNO42HKzCtYEtzX1QQfBxY4PF-Vneol3gqUfNX5d2jOiV81kVwXForIKtalwE6nW1_WSRsngw/s320/IMG_0282.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Because we worked out a confusing issue with the click track for the opening section, the third part of the monster -- a reprise of part one -- avoided one potential pitfall, but still had its challenges. We had to work through overthinking one segment and also blasting through another section that, in a live setting, we would likely play a little faster.</div><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;">We began part one of the final number, currently titled "Timepiece Creator," at 4:30. Richmond switched over to the 5-string bass, and I also got to set up the auxiliary keyboard. Because we prioritized drums and bass for the weekend, we omitted the other keyboard parts I typically play for overdubbing at home. The final section, however, has an integral Moog lead that anchors a very loose and ethereal section. We'll still need to address the strings pads I play in Part 2 (maybe tomorrow).</div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVQO8FS5BQSomkWBC1gS6tlhLFrSUBkUNzCgKvOmtNEzdhHTEavswm9r2DtVApxej49tWqhIoWkqFm3JAuQRFT0fMYLyTBTInxB7czOep6e-M1Ga8qZdJfNSQxMU8YYQn-pv8A_8MGwOc/s2048/IMG_0280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVQO8FS5BQSomkWBC1gS6tlhLFrSUBkUNzCgKvOmtNEzdhHTEavswm9r2DtVApxej49tWqhIoWkqFm3JAuQRFT0fMYLyTBTInxB7czOep6e-M1Ga8qZdJfNSQxMU8YYQn-pv8A_8MGwOc/s320/IMG_0280.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">By 8:00pm, we had locked in the final template for Part 3 of the finale. After that, a certain member of the crew worked for a little bit longer on a special section of the song that we simply can't wait to unveil to the public.... but won't spoil here.</div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Tomorrow: a 9:00 AM start time to listen back to all the takes in order to identify the keepers, spot-check things we like for minor edits, take notes on what we want to spend special time with in production, and then -- as time allows -- punch in to fix little things here and there that would make more sense to correct with Rave's setup than with ours. I'm looking forward to sitting in the control room and listening back with a critical ear. Even if we walk away with finished drum and bass tracks, there will still be tons of work we still need to do at home with guitars, keyboards, and vocals. But it's amazing how quality microphones and equipment, noise insulation, and experience at the console can create stellar demos that almost... <i>almost</i> sound finished.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzyrYFJQ7vryTM_LaG_15w-wNYUMKnClDl32Tgf-TwPD2sHO7jkLQ8g6GwY4tdqA8S-rIwcUR88epPYWgNANg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><p>Non-contextual quotables:</p><p><i>"You mean after I cradle them against my face?" </i><i>- Joe</i></p><p><i>"It was arguably the worst movie of all time, and that's what makes it great." - Rave</i></p><p><i>"We're just discussing our failures as humans." - Joe</i></p><p><i>"You've got your blmph. You got your space. You've got your click. And you've got your music. Or at least your song." - Rave</i></p><p><i>"The roof of your toe, or just your toe?" - Jeff</i></p><p><i>"There's this great sense of relief, and also this great sense of 'O gosh, what have I done?'" - Joe</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p>Justin Carltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862524102546516400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6724382508737372699.post-43449504878920809972021-05-21T23:52:00.004-04:002021-05-21T23:52:54.973-04:00Album #2, Recording Day 1<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT1VqhhZGPCVcFyHADJetQ7eHNYpIJcgijFA-Y1ldeC-f7amkIrzruz3YdV6FA4jXq5t5mTHrc4UPrX19myOiHTwvTDmW6Rj1iicc2dKXuB0M0GhutAHhQPVs57JRC92yE7HQ871cRzgc/s2048/IMG_0254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT1VqhhZGPCVcFyHADJetQ7eHNYpIJcgijFA-Y1ldeC-f7amkIrzruz3YdV6FA4jXq5t5mTHrc4UPrX19myOiHTwvTDmW6Rj1iicc2dKXuB0M0GhutAHhQPVs57JRC92yE7HQ871cRzgc/w640-h480/IMG_0254.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Eight years and 7 months ago, I set foot for the first time in a professional recording studio (that journey began <a href="https://hxprocessinprogress.blogspot.com/2012/10/observations-from-studio-day-1.html">here</a>). The Twenty Committee's first album, <i>A Lifeblood Psalm</i>, (check the sidebar) was recorded in the space of two weeks at <a href="http://www.radiantrecords.com/RadiantStudios/default.asp">Radiant Studios</a> in Nashville, and released in 2013. The drum work you hear on that album is almost entirely the result of one take, recorded live in the space of several hours on that first day as we were laying down scratch tracks. The other instruments, with the exception of Geoff's keyboards, were all recorded each in a 10-12 hour day. While we remain deeply proud of that first effort, we are looking forward to a more mature approach to fleshing out these tunes by building them properly, from the ground up, tracking the drums over several days, and then bringing the files home to overdub each instrument in turn.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyxIB536PoATHjZAXJLxyr8G-lhPNBMU5nB878wHip5cyFHFf8t_g2Zy1WPSB6GwFVFOpgXf--Z8GINMhmw-w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Today, we began the process, this time with <a href="http://www.ravetesar.com">Rave Tesar</a> of Renaissance at the helm. I think he was excited to start the process, since he told us the night we arrived that he was going to "stay up all night" to get Joe's drums mic-ed and ready for the first session. Jeff streamlined the process in advance by quantizing practice recordings of all the new tunes and setting them to click tracks (he may have aged several years in the process). I don't know how we could possibly have worked these complex tunes out with any degree of tempo consistency without that work done prior to rolling the tape. Even still, there were still some strange moments we needed to work out in the moment, or plan for overdubbing later.</div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">We spent half the day (from 10-3) getting set up. Anything with a speaker was set up and mic-ed in a separate room for sound insulation. Geoff's keyboard station was with Rave in the control room. Once all mics, DIs, and cables were checked, we sounded in each instrument and then established headphone mixes for monitoring purposes. We took our lunch break standing up, just before hitting record for the first time. The final take of the day wrapped up around 10:00.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxPsLew0oTWUWr-FynkM5VO_5PkkBYUIrDYPsEnn7-kf7RVzTbHRZBxHtrPdJRoClICK-kkTHZCXNP8gXLiVw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></p><p style="text-align: justify;">We recorded 5 tunes today in total, each with three takes apiece. The working titles are "Embers," "Robot Death," "Forevermore," "Star in the Eye," and "Sparks in the Mind (You Wasted Life)" -- all subject to change. Some of these songs we've been playing/working for years. Others, we literally were making changes to as of our last practice before this weekend. We have two monster tunes left to do tomorrow, each broken into 3 parts. These epics are the most complex numbers on the album in terms of arrangement, tempo variation, and nuance, so we anticipate putting another 12 hours into them -- again, with the primary intent being to walk away with drum mixes (and bass too, if possible).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Rave is a skilled musician and producer. We are deeply grateful for the expertise, equipment, time, and eagerness he is bringing to the project, not to mention his anecdotes between takes.</p><p>Exhausted, but pleased, I close this post by delivering to you these quotable moments of the day:</p><p><i>"We all know that all good music is based off of the kick drum." - Rave</i></p><p><i>"Are you playing guess the guitar sound?" - Geoff</i></p><p><i>"Rave, if I open this box labeled 'Rave Miscellaneous,' will there be internal organs?" - Geoff</i></p><p><i>"There's one thing you'll never hear a Russian say..." - Rave</i></p><p><i>"Drum plop!" - the band</i></p><p><i>"Follow the click, not the lick." - Joe</i></p><p><i>"That's the warmth of my sincerity." - Jeff</i></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBKuG8UnMAdUydAuFTKjulODVn6yTkC9VogibQmgQYwP1YUoqu1aKxpK0Bc1jKARTGKMJy8Nwk04Fz9lqAheLKIlZqOWwv5aEO-DG9E9jmVnK-W2UlEHSdHHJqJQyURM-8Fg3GUHStwDw/s2048/IMG_0270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBKuG8UnMAdUydAuFTKjulODVn6yTkC9VogibQmgQYwP1YUoqu1aKxpK0Bc1jKARTGKMJy8Nwk04Fz9lqAheLKIlZqOWwv5aEO-DG9E9jmVnK-W2UlEHSdHHJqJQyURM-8Fg3GUHStwDw/w480-h640/IMG_0270.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><i><br /></i><p></p>Justin Carltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862524102546516400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6724382508737372699.post-82921290917014307782021-02-25T10:59:00.001-05:002021-02-25T10:59:22.154-05:00Things we can't share (and are totally happy about it): AKA 9 Years of Wedded Bliss<p>Show of hands. How many of you, like me and Tara, have a running #thingswecan'tshareonFacebook list?</p><p>That list includes hilarious slip-ups, memorable comments, and intimate things that -- on one hand -- we immediately want to share when they happen for the inevitable reactions we know we'd get. But then we remember in the nick of time that we have reputations.</p><p>Filters are kind of important. We use them for drinking water, air purification, and for internet content. They protect us primarily from bad stuff getting in. But they can also protect us from overexposing, venting, or damaging our personal image.</p><p>As I was working on our 2020 Christmas letter to friends and family this past December, trying to whittle the year down to some of the major events worthy of recounting, I was reminded that there are so many precious moments that Tara and I share. So many inside jokes and silly memories -- things that still make us belly-laugh when we recall them, but things that only <i>we</i> would truly find funny, cute, or worthy of recounting. They also happen, in many cases, to be things that would also be deeply embarrassing if they actually made their way onto social media...</p><p>And all of them are things we wouldn't trade for anything.</p><p>We live in a world that abides by the creed, "Pics or it didn't happen." So we share everything for the validation. We overexpose because we live for the likes. All of our experiences feel more legitimate and exciting when they're <i>community</i> experiences. We video and share our kids' special and embarrassing moments, because we like to know that we're not alone in our parenting struggles. We broadcast our "failure to properly adult" to reassure ourselves that other people are lazy and irresponsible too. Every nook and cranny of our lives, no matter how ugly, can become spotlight avenues for exploring our sense of self-worth.</p><p>Thriving off of the opinions and reactions of others might fall into a Type A personality block in the sociologist's book, but in biblical terms it's actually called the fear of man (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+29%3A25&version=ESV">Prov 29.15</a>) and it can truly undermine our worship of God and our ability to properly love, value, and serve the people God has placed in our lives. After all, instead of using others to stroke our own egos, our primary objective as Christians is to model the missional mindset of Jesus, which is to serve (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+20%3A28%2CMark+10%3A45%2CJohn+13%3A1-17&version=ESV">Mark 10.45</a>).</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixX9js7qnk7J-xrMDTqzquQ49XDE6aze_tdaxIyLyXRZpldWWM4bXaUMcNfUz0_06Va0THtILPWg3TPJIEzWQOCkFClmjelpyjIpuP-4Xy_f0IxN78_LFbE0bIjOg4Ek-CKj85EjbIZCA/s548/75f.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="I find myself identifying with Captain America at the end of Avengers: Endgame when pressed on his relationship with June Carter." border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="509" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixX9js7qnk7J-xrMDTqzquQ49XDE6aze_tdaxIyLyXRZpldWWM4bXaUMcNfUz0_06Va0THtILPWg3TPJIEzWQOCkFClmjelpyjIpuP-4Xy_f0IxN78_LFbE0bIjOg4Ek-CKj85EjbIZCA/w297-h320/75f.jpg" width="297" /></a></div>This is just a short little post directed to husbands and wives, intended to think together with you about the benefits of protecting certain things and treasuring secret moments with your spouse. If you're married and reading this, remember that the #thingswecan'tshareonFacebook list is a special thing for you and your spouse. Not everything in your marriage needs to be proclaimed from the social media rooftops. There are so many private things between me and Tara, special things afforded to us by our marriage covenant, that are privileged moments. You and your spouse would be better served protecting those things by sharing them only between the two of you, than by giving other people windows into the special things that should stay between you.<div><br /></div><div>Today, Tara and I are celebrating our 9th wedding anniversary. Throughout the course of our decade-long relationship, we've been recording our memories and moments -- our road trips, house purchases, and coffee dates -- but it wasn't until 2018 when a certain little boy came into our lives, and then a little girl two years later, that our Photos libraries truly began exploding our cloud storage. We are certainly guilty of overexposing our kids on Facebook (I mean, who could blame us? Our kids are darn cute), but even in that realm, we would be wise to beware of how much we conflate real life and social media. Sometimes the precious moments we have are cheapened by sharing them; sometimes the value of a memory is found in the bounds of privacy.</div><div><div><div><p></p><p></p><div>Maybe at the heart of this post is a statement about maintaining an appropriate level of marital and familial transparency. On one hand, I believe that Christian marriages and families are called to a community of accountability. It's called the Church, and being part of it means surrendering my rights to my independence. It's critical that we are transparent with one another so that we don't fall into undiagnosed or unaddressed patterns of sin. But at the same time, there is also a sacredness to be preserved in our marriages, a privacy and protection warranted by having and holding none other from this day forward. Over-publicizing on a public platform is often the natural result of over-publicizing in smaller settings: how much of my marriage am I comfortable sharing with close friends? Family? Do I have a tendency to complain about my spouse, our children, the challenges we face as couples, etc -- all without my spouse knowing what I'm revealing, much less being comfortable with that level of detail? Are our divulgences TMI, or are they sensitive to the fact that our marriages are to be upheld in honor, mutual respect, humility, and propriety?</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>So here's a post on social media about the stuff you shouldn't post on social media. What a world we live in. Would you join me in striving to protect what is precious in your marriage by seeking to love and respect your spouse, preserving your special intimacy and allowing no outside influence or internal friction to damage your unity?</div><div><br /></div><div>Live together, laugh together, rejoice together, worship together. Share what's appropriate with others, ask for help when you are lost, and commit to having the same conversation again and again -- if that's what's necessary to persevere. Relish the things you can share with absolutely no one but your spouse. Remember the command of <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+13%3A4&version=ESV">Hebrews 13.4</a>, which demands the marital union and all the intimate things that go along with it should be protected and upheld.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>That's been my goal for the last 9 years. Lord willing, Tara and I will maintain that for the next 9 and beyond.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sweetheart, thanks for laughing at me and with me all this time. I love you.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOrn0eUMhLY1IKY1A1RK_cebd_ffjRH4G7u4F-uJO6PxiQDntbhI4WIyhSoEXvyHn5kajhfEleqVRybLCIBJoxFu95XoSB-1fT_9kgE1eYdOn3PKKxvh5iXZkJfX6S70vb9bTAugGRfPA/s2048/sC0212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1363" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOrn0eUMhLY1IKY1A1RK_cebd_ffjRH4G7u4F-uJO6PxiQDntbhI4WIyhSoEXvyHn5kajhfEleqVRybLCIBJoxFu95XoSB-1fT_9kgE1eYdOn3PKKxvh5iXZkJfX6S70vb9bTAugGRfPA/w266-h400/sC0212.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>February 25, 2012</i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div>Justin Carltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862524102546516400noreply@blogger.com1Swedesboro, NJ 08085, USA39.7491498 -75.32955713.095363283164609 -110.485807 66.4029363168354 -40.173306999999994tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6724382508737372699.post-5446745005121337972020-08-28T09:44:00.002-04:002020-08-28T09:44:29.527-04:00Three personal blessings in 2020<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Ze33E5MwpyDNVTCqlSYB-HlRHgu9sThEVWyVgZPuvnefDvCVMAw5ixr5uXobciKgl9SlMcC7dUUSrDbsDPi_k9hEzs_trbP-rk-AtdbZKTnrEgTRuHaZJsMs8vTSccUkwafAldrg2xQ/s2048/paul-mocan-IY0oy3SS6jw-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Ze33E5MwpyDNVTCqlSYB-HlRHgu9sThEVWyVgZPuvnefDvCVMAw5ixr5uXobciKgl9SlMcC7dUUSrDbsDPi_k9hEzs_trbP-rk-AtdbZKTnrEgTRuHaZJsMs8vTSccUkwafAldrg2xQ/w400-h267/paul-mocan-IY0oy3SS6jw-unsplash.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>2020 has claimed another casualty.</i></span> The other night, I had to retire my faithful French press after it slipped off the drying rack, hit the countertop, and cracked. I felt like playing "Taps" as I reverently laid it in the trash can. And then swept a bunch of veggie ends on top of it.</p><p>Believe it or not, this is something of a gratefulness post, because in the midst of the 2020 pandemic, a broken French press is just about the worst thing that has happened to me and my family. It is incredible to me when I pause to think about the innumerable and unspeakable hardships that have befallen our world: death and permanent health impairment from Covid-19, unemployment, debt, riots and looting, isolation, fear, loss. For me, things have remained fairly consistent, and that is an incredible mercy from the Father. Many people who I know have not had the same experience.</p><p>Each morning as I've walked the dog, my prayer time has started with simple gratitude to the Lord: "Father, thank you for the breath in my lungs today." As I've studied the Scriptures, I've been challenged that so much hinges on the Christian's ability to pursue and maintain a spirit of thanksgiving. Simple gratefulness is the enemy of a host of sins -- see <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ephesians+5%3A3-4&version=ESV">Ephesians 5.4</a>, where a simple spirit of thanksgiving is the antidote to "sexual immorality, impurity, covetousness... filthiness, foolish talk, and crude joking"; and <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Thessalonians+5%3A16-18&version=ESV">1 Thessalonians 5.18</a>, where giving thanks is connected to giving voice to (rather than "quenching") the Spirit. It's alarming the weeds of entitlement, bitterness, and arrogance that spring up in the hard, mineral-deprived soil of ingratitude.</p><p>Here are some things that I've chosen to be intentionally grateful for over the last few months. In truth, they were unexpected, positive "fallout" of the pandemic and quarantine experience, and I couldn't honestly ignore them.</p><p><b>My family. </b>Even through the hardships, discouragements, and uphill journeys, my greatest joy in life is being a husband and a father. My son turned two in June, and my wife is now 7 months pregnant with our first daughter. Working from home for the months of March through May, to be present for some amazing developmental moments in Zeke's young life, was such an unforeseen blessing. I've on-and-off been "that dad" -- the one who is constantly taking pictures of his kid (never thought I'd be "that dad," by the way) -- and looking back at many of the shots I snapped during the spring, it's amazing to me to see all those profound but subtle changes in his face, voice, and mannerisms. Those are precious moments for which I was able to be home, by God's grace. Were the world experiencing more "normal" circumstances, I might have only experienced those changes more indirectly.</p><p><b>My church. </b>The people who comprise Fellowship Bible Church have found ways to stay united through it all. Their love and support for our leadership has been such a blessing in a time where it has felt like our hands have all been collectively tied. Through extended online church and frustrating social distancing requirements upon reopening, our people have simply gathered to fellowship and worship. All of these circumstances have served to show that God's Great Commission purposes for His Body pervade even a scenario that ground the rest of the world to a halt. Even the gates of hell cannot prevail against the Church (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew+16%3A13-20&version=ESV">Matt 16.18</a>). The hardships reveal who is truly invested in spiritual growth and edification, and force us to be inventive in how we continue to do what we have always done. I'm thankful for a persevering church family, held unerringly by the One who is "able to keep you from stumbling" (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jude+24-25&version=ESV">Jude 24</a>).</p><p><b>The internet. </b>As a youth pastor, I find myself criticizing more than celebrating things like the internet, social media, and video games. However, the long period of separation from extended family, friends, and my students reminded me anew that all tools are only as good as what they're used for. In 2020, we have witnessed both the ills and the gains of media and technology: ugly conspiracy theories going viral, racism not being exposed for the purpose of change but filmed for the sake of outrage and backlash, media outlets functioning as judge and jury for events with absolutely no clear context, memes substituting for rational arguments, conversation undermined by accusation. But Zoom was truly a godsend for us in youth ministry, Facebook live was so beneficial for conducting online prayer times, and FaceTime became a means for me to continue direct and vital counseling. I praise God for the common grace in these tools that have enabled us to maintain the immense priority of meeting and fellowshipping together (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+10%3A24-25&version=ESV">Heb 10.25</a>).</p><p>These are just three things that have given me pause to celebrate in 2020.</p><p>To be honest, I've not always maintained this type of attitude. I've been prone to anxiety and quick to complain -- even <i>eager</i> to complain about restrictions and mandates that have been laid down from the powers that be. I've needed all the inconveniences of 2020 to help me realize my dependence upon things less than Christ. It's also an indictment of my heart that I've not <i>always</i> been this intentionally grateful, in 2019 and years past, prior to the world being turned upside down by a virus. As the year rolls on, it is my intent to further grow in this discipline, and in so doing allow the Lord more fertile, submissive soil in my heart in which to work.</p><p><br /></p>Justin Carltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862524102546516400noreply@blogger.com0Swedesboro, NJ 08085, USA39.7476136 -75.310465411.437379763821156 -110.4667154 68.057847436178847 -40.1542154tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6724382508737372699.post-64109740327037319132020-03-09T11:28:00.001-04:002020-03-09T11:28:17.395-04:00Some personal study notes on the Book of James<br />
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The quiet time regimen that I put together for our teens recently took us through the book of James. As I was reading, I was reminded that James is sometimes called the "Proverbs of the New Testament" because it contains lots of practical wisdom and can seem to jump from topic to topic. However, there are also some big, connecting themes that unites the epistle into more than just a loose string of pithy truths.</div>
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James' epistle is a text dedicated to wholeheartedness in the life of the believer: the total unity of body, mind, and heart -- of faith and works -- in comprehensive worship of the Lord. The antithesis of this is divided allegiance between God and the world (4.4), doubt (1.6), double-mindedness and instability (1.8), confusion (3.16), and lack of true saving faith (2.14). James writes to persecuted churches, dispersed from their homes, to remind them of their calling and to warn them of how easy it would be to allow their circumstances to dictate how they act and think, and what they believe. Most of these churches were comprised of Jewish Christians, which meant they carried a lot of cultural baggage with regard to how to properly understand and practice the Law in the light of the gospel, and so James spends a lot of time talking about how to properly apply what he calls the "Law of Liberty" -- not de-systematized freedom from religious obligation, but rather heart-felt obedience to the commands of Christ, done as a response to the free grace of salvation, not as a duty-bound means of obtaining it.</div>
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Recorded below are some observations I jotted down as I was reading.<br />
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<b>[<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+1%3A1-18&version=ESV">Jas 1.1-18</a>] </b>James addresses his epistle to the Jewish believers scattered by persecution from their fellow, non-believing Jews (see <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+8%3A1-3&version=ESV">Acts 8.1-3</a>). This opening section of his letter deals primarily with believers' appropriate responses to suffering, trials, and temptations, as well as helping them to understand the sovereign hand of God in these unfortunate circumstances. In fact, the believer is to see all trials as a means of perfecting faith, not cause to blame the Almighty for leading them astray. From the hand of God comes the Christian's eternal security, any blessings we might receive this side of heaven, and <i>also</i> the trials were experience, which serve the function of helping us change our perspectives on what truly matters. God's goodness is what gave us this existence to begin with. The believer, facing enormous difficulty, has only to petition the Lord for wisdom, asking in faith, and God will supply.</div>
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<b>[<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+1%3A19-27&version=ESV">1.19-27</a>]</b> James exhorts the believers to wait for the righteousness of God, even in persecution: man's wrath won't produce justice or settle the conflict, but God's measured wrath -- one day -- will settle all scores. Our calling is to meekly receive the truth of the gospel, which preserves our souls beyond the experience of suffering. In the meantime, what is required of those who would persevere toward the crown of life (1.12)? Answer: the exercise of self-control, sacrificial service, personal integrity (1.26-27). This type of lifestyle means putting the commands and priorities of God's Word into practice, moving beyond merely hearing and intellectually receiving its teaching, and actually exercising the faith and gifts we've received from the Holy Spirit Someone who does not live as the Word commands is self-deceived, because he thinks he is pleasing the Lord simply by hearing but not responding. Such might be the excuse of Christians experiencing hardships and trials, such as persecution, but this is James' call to faithfulness: true believers hear and obey God's Word by doing what it says, no matter the circumstances, because we have a joy that transcends our trials and orients us toward eternity.</div>
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<b>[<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+2%3A1-13&version=ESV">2.1-13</a>]</b> Speaking to Jewish believers in dispersion, James has an audience that could easily slip back into old ways of thinking -- obeying the Law not from a place of faith, but a place of obligation, preferring certain peoples over others, especially other Jews over Gentile believers, or expecting God to change their misfortunes as a result of their obedience. The Church is growing and expending and diversifying under persecution; there is no room for Christians within the Body to treat others with class distinctions in the way pagan communities might. There is to be no inequality of personhood in the Church -- hence the special care for orphans, widows, and the destitute (1.27). The Church is to vibrantly stand out against the culture by its radically different approach to serving one another, not abusing one another -- that's what the persecutors were doing to the Christians! The entirety of the Law was captured by Jesus: to love the Lord and to love your neighbor as yourself. This "law of liberty," and the constraints placed upon believers by the Apostles' teaching (via the Holy Spirit), are altogether the standard of holiness promoted by OT law, a standard which must be embraced in the heart in order for mercy (2.13) to truly be shown. One cannot hope to show mercy to others if one has not first received mercy from God.</div>
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<b>[<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+2%3A14-26&version=ESV">2.14-26</a>] </b>This conversation, which began with James' exhortation to be doers of the Word and not just hearers (1.22), is pressing toward this key theological understanding: obedience to the Law and obedience to the Word are the manifestation of true saving faith. James is clearly referencing <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+6%3A4-5&version=ESV">Deuteronomy 6.4-5</a>, the Shema, which Jewish believers would have quoted and known, but which may not have inspired active, wholehearted obedience to the commandments that follow. A faith that has no obedience is a dead and useless faith. This was the condition of ancient Israel, and the Church was already in danger of its members following the same pattern. Abraham and Rahab both demonstrated this principle: they believed, which justified them before God and counted (imputed) as righteousness for salvation, but that faith was also verified ("justified" or "vindicated" is the word James uses) before men by their works of obedience. Believers must -- <i>will</i> -- follow this example, because they are transformed (see <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+5%3A16-17&version=ESV">2 Cor 5.17</a>). Faith, when it is true and saving, produces in the believer a receptive and obedient heart. All Christians must therefore demonstrate a faith + works, <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+12%3A1-2&version=ESV">Romans 12.1-2</a> lifestyle, which is adherence to the Law of Liberty: freedom from sin, freedom to righteousness, both in status before God and in demonstrable conduct before men.</div>
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<b>[<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+3%3A1-12&version=ESV">3.1-12</a>]</b> In discussing the Christian's earthly goal (pure and undefiled religion before God -- 1.26-27), James foreshadowed a longer conversation regarding the necessity of self-control and reputation with regard to the tongue. After discussing the critical nature of works that prove/verify the Christian's faith, he connects this idea to the topic of edifying, gospel-centered speech. This comes with another warning: as we will be held accountable for our actions, so also we will be held accountable for our words and what they reveal of our hearts (see <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+12%3A33-37&version=ESV">Matt 12.36</a>). This standard is high for all Christians, but it is even higher for those who are teachers -- elders, leaders, mentors, influencers in the Church. This is because the tongue has incredible power to edify or demolish, to lead to truth or to deceive. Furthermore, the mark of maturity is found in self-control in our speech. How and what we communicate are representative of Christ and how we have been shaped by Him. How we speak to others should not usurp God's place of judgment (4.11). Wisdom is ultimately the discretion of knowing how to speak and act in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord and edifying to man (3.13). God is not pleased by a believer who talks out of both sides of his mouth, is culturally profane, unrestrained, or immature in speech. Speech is a defining quality, for it is out of the heart that the mouth speaks, and therefore acquits or condemns (1.26-27; 3.6; <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+15%3A10-20&version=ESV">Matt 15.18</a>).</div>
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<b>[<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+3%3A13-18&version=ESV">3.13-18</a>] </b> James is not interested <i>just</i> in actions and works: humans can be pharisaical, boasting of our piety and wisdom but harboring selfishness, pride, and bitterness inside. Our works should verify our faith in the "meekness of wisdom" -- that is, a humility of the heart demonstrating that truth has penetrated not just our heads, but also our hearts. All of our speech and conduct should be windows into our hearts. Wisdom is the right knowledge of how to speak and act in a God-honoring, man-edifying manner, and it comes from a place of internal transformation. The sign that this genuine change has happened is found in how the individual responds to criticism, hardships, and people: are we compassionate and merciful? Are we approachable and humble? Are we patient and gentle? Are we sincere? Do we only choose to listen to people who think like we do? Are we in the business of seeking and making peace? These are the characteristic pursuits of a heart transformed, manifesting faith via proper speech and conduct. The opposite will eventually be revealed for what it truly is: wanton selfishness, ambition, disorder, vile and demonic practices. But ultimately, the harvest -- at the end of the "season" -- is what will reveal the wheat and the chaff (see 5.7-8). True, God will judge our works (5.9), but first He judges our hearts to ensure they belong to Him.</div>
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<b>[<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+4%3A1-10&version=ESV">4.1-10</a>]</b> The types of disorder, vile practice, and selfish ambition that James referenced in 3.16 are the underlying source of conflict among the believers in 4.1ff. When we exercise the "meekness of wisdom" (3.13), we practice peacemaking selflessness; when we are motivated by self-centered arrogance, we are exercising friendship with the world, and trending down the progression of sin (see 1.14-15). The underlying issue is the motive: the heart wants, creates idols, and craves. This lifestyle is more becoming a child of the world than a child of God, for whom Christ paid the highest price. Perhaps the single most important factor in our relationship to God (and to others!) is a spirit of humility, which provides the necessary platform for the selfless type of love that does not seek its own way (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+13%3A4-7&version=ESV">1 Cor 13.5</a>). The Christian must submit himself to God, not to his own desires. This type of genuine humility brings great reward in God's kingdom.</div>
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<b>[<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+4%3A11-5%3A6&version=ESV">4.11-5.6</a>] </b>While arrogant and judgmental behavior is unbecoming a believer in any scenario, it is especially damaging when such behavior is directed toward another Christian. Christ has redeemed both individuals; how can you presume to act as the Lawgiver when there is only One who can adequately and justly fulfill this role? Whether or not a brother has wronged us, our role in conflict is still subordinate to the Law and its Lawgiver; none of us is the Judge, jury, and executioner of God's Law! James is shifting in this section to addressing presumptuous behaviors, which result from arrogance and are the enemy of the applications his epistle has been pressing. Overconfidence in presuming on time and financial security are both attitudes with an unwarranted sense of entitlement. Time is in the hands of the Maker and is only a gift to be used appropriately while it is here. We aren't guaranteed more of it. Money similarly is not a lasting commodity. James seems to allude to Jesus' teaching on where treasures <i>should</i> be "laid up" (see <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+6%3A19-21&version=ESV">Matt 6.16-21</a>), reminding the persecuted believers in dispersion that the pursuit of wealth and prestige did nothing to protect them when persecution came, and would ultimately fail again if that became their aim. Wealth should never be a means of exploitation or self-indulgence, but exclusively a means of increasing service. Furthermore, it is the brother of "low degree" (1.9) -- the humble, poor, persecuted believer -- not the comfortably rich land-owner who is in a better position to know everlasting wealth, because he pursues a crown of life that will not perish instead of earthly comfort (1.12).</div>
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<b>[<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+5%3A7-12&version=ESV">5.7-12</a>]</b> Here, James returns to his opening exhortation: believers should count it a unique opportunity for joy even when trials come. Suffering is just the waiting process for the inevitable harvest (5.7; 3.18). The Lord's coming is perhaps "slow" by human reckoning, but it is nevertheless imminent -- that is, it could happen at any moment. In order to persevere, we must remember the examples of faith and endurance set by our spiritual predecessors. They too lived through suffering and trials, keeping their eyes on the God of Heaven and the reward at the end. Even in examples of suffering like Job's, where the suffering seemed heavy and meaningless in the moment, God still proved Himself steadfast and compassionate. He operates the same way with his children today. Our confident expectations should be in Him and His promises, not in our abilities or words of oath. Our obedience is possible because He helps us, not because we swear to fulfill our end of the bargain. Ultimately, all our boasting must be in Christ (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+1%3A26-31&version=ESV">1 Cor 1.31</a>). The epistle's call for the believer to remain "steadfast" under trials (1.2-4, 12) is only possible because God Himself is steadfast (see <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+34%3A6-7&version=ESV">Ex 34.6-7</a>).</div>
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<b>[<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+5%3A13-20&version=ESV">5.13-20</a>]</b> As he concludes the epistle, James reminds the suffering believers of their recourses: prayer and community. Our prayerful worship can appropriately vary in tone with our current circumstances, but the common thread is a joy surpassing the mere emotions of the moment. In cases of serious illnesses, suffering believers may request the elders of their church family to pray for them, anointing with oil. This act is intended to remind the believer of his/her chosen, called, and sanctified status, set apart for the Lord's own purpose. The prayer of the Apostles and laying on of hands could work miracles of healing by the Spirit's power during the New Testament era; in our modern context, the prayer of the elders, symbolic anointing, and laying on of hands is all done to petition the Lord to act, not to indicate special apostolic power in the elders' authority. To the contrary, this concluding section of James' letter is driving home the power of prayer, which is intended to work first toward the spiritual healing of souls and the increasing of faith, and second to entrust physical healing to the Lord. This, of course, does not replace the necessary practical steps of seeking medical aid, nor does it rule out the possibility of the Holy Spirit to perform a spontaneous miracle of divine healing. As a poignant reminder, James points to Elijah, who was "like us" in faith, and saw God powerfully answer his prayers. We too serve this one true God, who can act in supernatural ways should He so choose. Ultimately, the Church community exists for rescue: to evangelize the lost, to encourage the suffering, and to confront and restore the wayward. James' final point is that steadfastness in all of these areas depends ultimately on prayerful reliance upon God, and that such exercise of prayer must be done completely in faith (1.6).<br />
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Justin Carltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862524102546516400noreply@blogger.com0Swedesboro, NJ 08085, USA39.7476136 -75.310465439.7231951 -75.3508059 39.772032100000004 -75.2701249tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6724382508737372699.post-79201479041788517022019-12-12T12:17:00.000-05:002019-12-12T12:17:17.687-05:00Genuine love in Romans 12<div>
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The diagram below is the product of many years' pondering the differences between what we typically hear about love in popular culture and what the Bible commands. I recently created it to use with my teens during our weekly Bible study, where we've been studying what it means to give one's life as a "living sacrifice," as per Romans 12.1-2. Here's the diagram, and I'll unpack it below.<br />
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As I've visualized it here, this definition of love generates from the realization that most misrepresentations we hear are not truly <i>wrong</i>, but rather reduced -- not completely off the mark, but improperly emphasized. For example, one common perspective on love is that it is a feeling of attraction between two people, involving commitment, warmth, and kind intent. This isn't <i>wrong.</i> It's just missing something. However, the typical Christian reaction against this definition of love is binary, over-emphasizing elements of choice and insisting that love is <i>not</i> what you feel but is rather a committed act of the will. Again, not <i>wrong</i>, but reductionistic -- missing something.<br />
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What I've tried to demonstrate with the above diagram is that there are multiple, vital facets to love that are interdependent. Love is not a simple see-saw between action and feeling. It is a more complex and nuanced thing. What I propose is that truly genuine, truly biblical love cannot be reduced from three distinct but closely related things: Heart, Action, and Will.<br />
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Will and Heart are challenging to differentiate from one another, and I'm reminded that only the Word of God is able to decipher such infinitesimal differences between soul and spirit (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=hebrews+4%3A12-13&version=ESV">Heb 4.12</a>). The Bible often uses the word "heart" to refer to the core, inmost being, and I'm not attempting to cut against that clear synecdoche or create confusion. However, what I'm seeking to distinguish here is the difference between our felt<i> </i>wants ("Heart") and understood values ("Will"). In this definition, Heart is visceral, psychological, and physiological; Will is what is felt and known at the level of beliefs that define our identity.<br />
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For example, I value my health and my body, and I know I should exercise to stay in shape, but I don't particularly <i>feel </i>like it. Such a breakdown results from a conflict between what I feel ("Heart") and what I value ("Will"), and ultimately results in a lack of Action, the third component of Genuine Love. Action is the distinct, external evidence of what is felt and understood within. It is the obedience of body, heart, and mind to the unity of felt wants/needs and internal values. In the exercising example I've used, the object of love is the self: if I truly value my own health and well-being, and know that maintaining them is important, I will take action despite the disconnect of my heart, and in so doing seek to bring my feelings properly in line with my values. In so doing, I express genuine love for myself by taking care of my body -- in some ways, despite what I feel.<br />
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All three of these components -- Heart, Will, and Action -- together make love genuine, full of integrity and wholeheartedness. Because <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+12%3A9-13&version=ESV">Romans 12.9</a> teaches that our love must be “genuine,” that is the operative word that I'm using. Genuine love means Christians can't camp in any of the off-center cross-sections of Sentimentalism, Obligation, or Idealism. We must gravitate toward the middle of the diagram, where all three elements of love are represented.<br />
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Let me unpack these ideas a little more, addressing each cross-section one at a time.<br />
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Genuine love, the central element, cannot be reduced to what I've termed Sentimentalism. That's what happens when our love only involves Heart and Action, without the commitment, sacrifice, and value of our Will. In other words, because dating, romance, and friendship all inspire strong emotions, there is a natural tendency to act according to those emotions, with or without the assent of our deeper values. Furthermore, those emotions are what we truly feel, so they have a ring of legitimacy, and the actions that flow from them feel natural. Loving others <i>because</i> we feel strongly isn’t wrong, but the Bible communicates that the true test of love is how we treat those for whom we <i>don't </i>have strong feelings, or those whose actions toward us cause strong feelings opposite of affection. And what about when the person for whom we have strong affections doesn't reciprocate? What happens when the emotions that I feel are strong irritation or even hatred? Genuine love responds differently in these scenarios than mere Sentimentalism does, because the third element of Will serves to keep our Hearts and our Actions from simply following the path of least resistance. This is because love is not <i>less</i> than feeling something, but is so much <i>more</i> than merely feeling something. Therefore, truly genuine love requires dedication beyond simply what we feel ("Heart") and what we do ("Action") as a result of those feelings.<br />
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Genuine love also cannot be reduced to mere duty or Obligation. I'm stealing this analogy from John Piper, but if I come home from work on a given night with flowers for my wife Tara, she would really appreciate that small act of thoughtful kindness. However, if I give them to her begrudgingly, and make it clear that I'm only doing it because my husbandly duty means I HAVE to show her affection, is she still likely to appreciate the gesture? This is the problem with the D.C. Talk theology of love: if love is truly just "a verb," it lacks the key component of "Heart," the emotional component that makes the Action of love truly genuine. The problem most Christians encounter, reacting to the Sentimentalism of the world, is that their duty-based love is not truly genuine either. Action alone is not proof of genuine love. Genuine love requires input from the necessary component of Heart.<br />
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Lastly, genuine love cannot be reduced to Idealism, a love that incorporates Heart and Will, but lacks Action. The greatest example of this is the "thoughts and prayers" epidemic on social media, often lambasted as a heartless, meaningless, and -- in some ways -- harmful. To many, it's an expression of false care in the face of tragedy. To be fair, expressing heartfelt sorrow to another who is hurting <i>is </i>an external act, and it is done in obedience to <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+12%3A14-21&version=ESV">Romans 12.15</a>, which commands us to weep alongside those who weep. But truly genuine love also incorporates <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+3%3A16-18&version=ESV">1 John 3.18</a>, which means that our love for others goes beyond just verbal expression to include real, immediate Action. Good intentions alone do not verify Idealism as genuine love. Why? Because a necessary component of genuine love necessarily is Action.</div>
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I can anticipate some objections to this model of love. To some degree, it is impossible to hit the "bulls-eye" of genuine love, because we are sinners and we live in a fallen world. Certainly knowing the grace and love of God empowers us to rise above these limitations, but we know the challenges. To properly apply this model, we must understand that the three components of genuine love are not equally represented in each scenario -- in other words, in order to genuinely love a given individual, it might not mean 33.3% Action invested alongside 33.3% Will and 33.3% Heart. For certain family members, more exertion of Will might be necessary than for others. For people I don't really know, a greater emphasis on Action or Heart might be pertinent. Different people and different scenarios require different responses, but all three elements must be present and involved, compensating for deficiencies in any area.<br />
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Further, there is a centripetal force exerted by these three elements in that they serve to police one another. Genuine love is best expressed when all three components of Heart, Will, and Action are in perfect harmony, but there are times when I am still genuinely loving someone when I do what I know to be right even if I don't feel like it. Provided that I'm not content with the condition of my heart in that instance, but am seeking to bring my feelings in line with my actions and my values, I can still honor the Lord and serve others with that effort. Typically, the problem is that I am far too self-motivated and need to surrender one felt need/want in order to replace it with the genuine need/want on behalf of another.<br />
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In some scenarios -- say, a teenager striving to love his parents by obeying them -- the tendency might be inclined toward Duty and Obligation. However, the conscious application of Will and Action serves to incorporate the Heart even if it does not come naturally. Often, doing what we know to be the right thing even when we don't <i>want </i>to ultimately produces a sense of satisfaction after the fact, which goes a long way toward replicating that response in the future. A rocky marriage often becomes a pendulum of Sentimentalism, oscillating between strong feelings of affection and strong feelings of fury, because the marriage has no backbone of Will to anchor it. Striving to incorporate what each spouse knows to be right, and valuing the needs of one another over self-interest will begin to incorporate the grounding element of Will to move that marriage toward more genuine expressions of love and out of feelings-based action. Sentimentalism, Idealism, and Duty are only problematic if they become our templates for love instead of our starting points toward the real thing. They must transition if we are to love genuinely.<br />
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<b>But what about the nature of relationships? Am I obligated to love <i>everyone</i> in this manner, incorporating Heart, Will, and Action in <i>every </i>relationship? How far should I go for the sake of people I don't know?</b> It's important to consider our circles of influence when we think about investing -- who is within my circle of influence, and who is outside my circle of influence? Some people we have greater responsibility to love because they are in close proximity to us. However, in any given interaction, Christians should be able to evaluate the output of Action against the input of Will and the driving fuel of Heart. I should be able to slow down and ask of myself, "Am I truly loving this individual? What do my actions say? What do I feel toward him/her? How am I engaging what I know to be right and true?" Even in minute interactions with strangers, there is great potential for us to exude a genuinely loving spirit by preferring others. The crucial component, however, is theological. If I'm striving to love Jesus every day, every minute, and every hour, I am actively seeking to align my Heart, Will, and Action into serving Him. Properly understood and applied, this puts me in the proper frame of mind and spirit to invest in others at the appropriate level.<br />
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<b>What about the extremes? What about the cases of abuse? The instances of betrayal? </b>Romans 12 anticipates this, because it includes in its conversation about genuine love those who persecute us (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+12%3A9-13&version=ESV">Rom 12.13</a>), and those whose actions against us might give us cause to seek vengeance (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+12%3A14-21&version=ESV">Rom 12.19</a>). While the specific expressions of Action and types of feelings in our Hearts may vary, the values of our Will remain the same, because they are grounded in the Scripture. Certainly there is room for caution, protection, and discretion in these types of scenarios. Sometimes loving an individual who has harmed us means showing mercy, if not grace; sometimes it means using the full expression of law to assist an individual in understanding the damage he or she has caused, and preventing him or her from harming others. Either way, my Heart, Actions, and Will toward that person factor in the reality of harm done as well as the sacrificial, exemplary, and effective actions of our Savior on our behalf. In loving these individuals, we surrender the consequences to the Lord, our Vindicator and Defender, and do what we know to be right.<br />
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<b>This is hard. How do I make change in my heart happen? Can I truly change what I <i>feel</i>? </b>This by itself is the subject for an entire book. However, it is an important consideration for this topic. We'd all acknowledge that our feelings change, but we'd perhaps differ on what actually <i>affects </i>the change. Is it circumstances? Relationships? Godly influence? Is it simply time? While our Heart is arguably the single hardest area of love to truly impact, I'd argue that Romans 12 gives us the necessary steps. Counter-intuitively, we change not by addressing the level of <i>feeling</i>, but rather the level of <i>value -- </i>we must choose to love and uphold what is good, but hate and ostracize what (not who!) is evil (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+12%3A9-13&version=ESV">Rom 12.9</a>). A failure to love manifests in different ways, but is ultimately related to poor values. If we seek godly values -- begun by studying the Word (see <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+119%3A9-16&version=ESV">Psalm 119.9</a>) and removing sinful influences, replacing them with good influences (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+13%3A11-14&version=ESV">Rom 13.12</a>) -- this gradually changes what I feel and begins the process of aligning those feelings with what I know to be biblically right and true.<br />
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The expression of genuine love is a learned experience. For the Christian, it is not a voyage of self-discovery in relation to other human beings, but rather being in receipt of Christ's genuine love for us. Remember, Paul is making this appeal to love others "by the mercies of God" (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+12%3A1-2&version=ESV">Rom 12.1</a>). In other words, he beseeches the believers in Rome, "Because you have personally experienced and understand the incredible mercies of God toward you, you must therefore respond in love for others." As Christians who know God's grace, we are living out toward others the very things we learned from God’s mercies toward us. If we believe in the love of God, we must be wholeheartedly loving toward others. Truly genuine, truly biblical love is the proper alignment of the feelings of my Heart with the values of my Will, expressed appropriately in Action. Each of these three elements is necessary, not optional. No other lesser expression of love quite adheres to the appeal in Roman 12.<br />
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Justin Carltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862524102546516400noreply@blogger.com0Swedesboro, NJ 08085, USA39.7476136 -75.310465439.7231951 -75.3508059 39.772032100000004 -75.2701249tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6724382508737372699.post-71564636187480157722019-07-04T09:38:00.000-04:002019-07-04T09:50:08.185-04:00Four reasons prayer sometimes "doesn't work"<br />
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I recently spent a few weeks reading 1 Peter in the mornings. It had been some time since I'd last studied this epistle, and I found myself engrossed in the text's vividness and its careful attention to specific themes. There are a ton of thoughts still percolating in my brain, but I decided to take a few minutes and record one thing that convicts me in particular.</div>
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<u><span style="color: orange;">Prayer</span></u>, as I use the word and understand its purpose, <u><span style="color: orange;">is a fellowship-based communication with the Almighty through the person of Jesus Christ</span></u>. In other words, it is an expression of my relationship with God, not a "long distance phone call" to heaven. As a Christian, I don't pray to get stuff, I pray to entrust my hardships to Him; to demonstrate my humble submission to, dependence upon, and adoration of my God; and to be shaped by my interaction with Him. So when I say that, in my reading of 1 Peter, I've found four reasons prayer "doesn't work" for Christians in the modern context, I'm talking about obstacles of our own fashioning that tend to obstruct our fellowship with our God.</div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Reason #1 prayer "doesn't work": lack of compassionate care for others</span></b></h3>
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<b>1 Peter 3.7: </b><i>Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, <span style="color: orange;"><b>so that your prayers may not be hindered.</b></span></i></div>
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In this verse, Peter draws a direct connection between prayers being hindered and a husband neglecting to care for his helpmeet in a compassionate, respecting, and honoring manner. The phrase "weaker vessel," as applied to a wife, is clearly not using "weakness" as a fault, but rather to illustrate the type of vulnerability inherent to precious things. Why else would Peter urge husbands to "show honor" (aponemontes timen) to their wives -- literally "assign value" to them? It's because Christian wives are joint-heirs with Christian husbands, both of whom have inherited the same grace from God. Therefore, living "in an understanding way" (kata gnosin -- literally "according to knowledge") is not compensating for feminine emotional instability, as English readers commonly assume, but rather based on the knowledge of God's lavish grace upon all His children, a grace uniquely shared in a marital relationship. Here's my paraphrase of the veres, tracking back a little further in the passage for some context: <i>Because you are travelers and not residents on the earth </i>(2.11)... <i>husbands must show compassion and respect to their wives as supremely valuable, because they share an eternal destiny</i> (3.7)<i>.</i> Failure to live according to this understanding, according to Peter, hinders a husband's ability to pray and spiritually lead his wife the way he was intended.</div>
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While this reason for prayer "not working" is primarily about the correlation between husbands failing in their marital duties and failing in their spiritual devotion, I think we can also tease out a parallel application that isn't just for husbands. A resounding theme across the New Testament is that those who have received mercy from God will show mercy to others. We are to love our neighbor as Christ loved us (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+13%3A34-35&version=ESV">John 13.34</a>). A failure to forgive others their sinful actions against us is a reflection of our lack of forgiveness from the Father (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+6%3A7-15&version=ESV">Matt 6.14-15</a>). Judgment is without mercy upon those who have shown no mercy to others (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+2%3A12-13&version=ESV">Jas 2.13</a>). In other words, only a heart that acknowledges the depth of its own need and receives grace from God is also capable of showing a God-pleasing level of compassion for others. How can Christians withhold forgiveness from others yet expect forgiveness from God for their own transgressions? If such is the case, there is a fatal error in that individual's understanding of grace.</div>
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My point is this: any Christian who fails to truly love and value other human relationships -- choosing instead to degrade or use other people in self-serving ways -- will find him- or herself in a position where prayers "won't work" -- not because God can't bless or operate in that scenario, but because that individual has hardened his or her heart toward God, a hardness reflected in his or her lack of love toward others. If you are experiencing the symptom of "prayer not working," your first check should be evaluating the level of compassion you show toward your wife, your kids, your coworkers, etc, and then to check your level of adoration for God as well. Somewhere in the chain, there is a disconnect.</div>
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Peter's focus is certainly on husbands. As a husband, it is my solemn and joyful duty to one day present my wife to Christ "without spot or wrinkle," "holy and without blemish," in the same way He will present the Church to the Father (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+5.25-30&version=ESV">Eph 5.27</a>). I can't fulfill that duty if I fail to show my wife compassion and understanding. To be in such a deplorable state both results from and also contributes to a disconnect in my fellowship with God. Husbands: Peter charges us to love our wives well, and so grow in our relationships with Jesus Christ. Because you and your wife are one flesh, and together one flesh with Christ, you can't neglect one without neglecting the other.</div>
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<span style="color: orange;"><b>Reason #2:</b> <b>Lack of moral integrity</b></span></h3>
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I'm fascinated by New Testament writers' usage of Old Testament passages. 1 Peter 3.12 is one of them. Here, Peter uses Psalm 34 to illustrate the blessing of righteous living, which is its own reward even in the midst of persecution. This is such an effective citation, because 1 Peter 3 and Psalm 34 both describe the life of righteous integrity that God's children pursue even in the midst of affliction.</div>
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<i>What man is there who desires life </i><i>and loves many days, that he may see good? </i><i>Keep your tongue from evil and your </i><i>lips from speaking deceit. </i><i>Turn away from evil and do good; </i><i>seek peace and pursue it. </i><i><b><span style="color: orange;">The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous </span></b></i><i><b><span style="color: orange;">and his ears toward their cry.</span> </b></i><i>The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, </i><i>to cut off the memory of them from the earth. </i><i>When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears </i><i>and delivers them out of all their troubles.</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+34&version=ESV">Psa 34.12-17</a>)</div>
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In the ESV Bible, the topic heading for Psalm 34 is the phrase from verse 8: "taste and see that the Lord is good." A life based on the pursuit of moral integrity could sound like a laborious drag if the reason behind doing so wasn't so <i>good</i>. The Christian pursues moral integrity because he or she has received the incredible gift of grace from a righteous and merciful God, who does not deal with us as our sin deserves. For this reason, we live the type of life that God commands because it means closeness to Him.</div>
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Any Christian who fails to exemplify moral virtue, according to the standards of God's holiness as described in the pages of Scripture, will unsurprisingly experience a disconnect in prayer. It is impossible for me to live however I see fit, with some type of "all things are lawful for me" mindset (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+corinthians+6%3A12-13&version=ESV">1 Cor 6.12</a>), and still attempt to maintain close fellowship with a holy God. My prayers will not "work" if I am my own moral authority in the place of God's own commands -- either because I live a life of hypocrisy (demonstrating good conduct in public, but living a secret life in private) or because I insist on my right to living however I want in the "freedom of grace." Paul said "may it never be," and Peter too draws the conclusion that personal integrity before God is a necessity -- not to earn something from Him, but because He has <i>given </i>us righteousness as a free gift, and His ear is inclined toward those who walk in His prescribed way. In order to be in proper fellowship with Him, we therefore should live accordingly.</div>
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<span style="color: orange;">Reason #3: Lack of proper thinking</span></h3>
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<i>The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded <b><span style="color: orange;">for the sake of your prayers.</span></b> </i>(1 Peter 4.7)</div>
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A lack of self-control connects back to our previous point, but sober-mindedness is something additional. Sober-mindedness means alertness, a head free from any kind of intoxicating influence, able to think free of any distraction. Riveted attention to God's redemptive program is what Peter admonishes the believer to possess -- that is, His saving work through Jesus Christ, effective in the Kingdom of Priests today, to be fully realized in the retrun of Christ. Living with this mental context brings sobriety and sharpening clarity, and directly impacts my manner of praying, because my fellowship with God takes on a new dimension: though I cannot yet see Him, one day soon I will, and all the things of this earth with its pursuits and pitfalls will be judged with fire, and renewed to the state in which God initially created them to be. So instead of praying merely for that promotion and the health of my neighbor, my sober-minded prayers focus far more on my own sanctification and that of others, the salvation of my neighbor, my opportunities to be a gospel witness despite persecution, and God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.</div>
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James takes up a similar refrain, because he addresses in his epistle the impossibility of being duplicitous -- that is, divided in our loyalties -- and states that a prayer of doubt (literally, lack of faith) is an obstacle to properly seeking wisdom from the Lord (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+1%3A5-8&version=ESV">Jas 1.5-8</a>). As Christians, we face the constant tension between living in this world, which is not to have our loyalty, and living for eternity with Christ. It is very easy for us to become distracted by "alternative priorities" -- the things that seem so meaningful right now, and sometimes cause us to doubt because they seem so tangible in contrast to the promises of God that often linger just out of sight. However, when we relegate earthly things to their proper context, eternity is properly magnified, and doubt is eclipsed by the incredible bedrock of faith.</div>
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If we maintain a spirit of sober-mindedness, we are keeping a proper perspective on the things that matter, and we are putting away the doubt that comes from magnifying our current existence. Practicing sober-minded faith will radically impact the effectiveness of my prayer discipline, because I will begin praying according to God's will. As a result, my own will begins to change to match His.</div>
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<span style="color: orange;">Reason #4: Lack of humility</span></h3>
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<i>Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for <b><span style="color: orange;">“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”</span></b> </i>(1 Peter 5.5)</div>
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In this final example, Peter doesn't make a direct correlation to prayer. However, given the rest of the epistle, and taking into consideration that James seems to also be alluding to the same passage (either <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+3%3A34&version=ESV">Prov 3.34</a> or <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+31%3A23&version=ESV">Psa 31.23</a> are both possible citations; both treat the Lord's staunch opposition to pride), it follows that a lack of humility is an enormous obstacle to effective prayer. It should be obvious, but the unfortunate reality of pride is that it is one of the most blinding sins at work in the heart.</div>
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Often, the biggest reason I fail to maintain an effective discipline of prayer is because I feel, on some level, like I don't <i>need</i> prayer -- or, as 1 Peter 5.5. implies, like I need to submit to my authorities, or be dependent upon other Christians. "I've got this!" I think, sometimes in actual words and sometimes just in my gut. It seems better to be a problem-solver, a crisis-manager, a diehard plan-ahead-er, and live in the power of my own abilities, rather than entrust my very steps to the Lord. This, however, is sinful, because it puts me in the driver's seat and relegates the Holy Spirit to a backseat driver, whose advice is only sometimes wanted and -- more often than not -- ignored.</div>
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A lack of humility will hamper any prayer, because not only does the <i>attitude</i> of our prayer shift away from reverence, dependence, adoration, and submissiveness, but the <i>object</i> of our prayer shifts as well. That's why James told those in the dispersion that, contrary to the promise of Christ, they "ask and do not receive," not because Jesus had lied to them, but rather because they "ask wrongly," intended to "spend" what they received on their "passions" (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+4%3A1-3&version=ESV">Jas 4.2-3</a>). This, James says, is the epitome of worldliness, and pridefulness is the root of it. In fact, pridefulness, if not addressed, will render any prayer ineffective -- even if I earnestly and endlessly repeat it. Suddenly (it seems), a tremendous chasm will have sprung up between me and the One to whom I am praying. Pridefulness will then -- if still not addressed -- find some way to blindly uphold my own sense of self-righteousness and seek to blame God for the chasm rather than acknowledge the sinful, pride-based desires of my own heart. Humility, on the other hand, is quick to acknowledge wrongdoing, and facilitates the fellowship of prayer, because it helps me properly see myself before God, and in submissive unity with other believers.</div>
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To conclude, these are just four observations. There are certainly more to be made. It would behoove each of us to re-evaluate what exactly it is that we consider prayer to <i>be</i>, and what exactly we expect prayer to <i>do</i>, because if the premises are wrong, then so is the conclusion.</div>
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If you're a Christian reading this and you're in a position where prayer doesn't seem to be "working," the good news is that, as a Christian, your relationship with God remains unbroken, even if there is a disruption in your fellowship with Him. Repentance begins with the humble recognition of wrongdoing, the realization of the depth of my sinfulness, and the appropriate renouncing of my own self-righteousness. In fact, a healthy discipline of prayer is restored <i>by </i>the discipline of prayer: repent and turn to the Father, who has not been deaf to your erroneous prayers (or total lack thereof), but has rather chosen in mercy to allow you to acutely feel the disconnect, in order to address your own hardness of heart and be restored to right fellowship with Him.</div>
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May God give to each of us the ability to call upon Him, the need to call upon Him often, and may we relish such an available opportunity to fellowship with Him.</div>
<br />Justin Carltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862524102546516400noreply@blogger.com0Villas, NJ, USA39.017252 -74.94163100000002938.9679035 -75.022312000000028 39.0666005 -74.860950000000031tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6724382508737372699.post-63914993225134656482019-06-10T17:41:00.000-04:002019-06-10T17:41:07.940-04:00Remembering David Powlison (1949-2019)<br />
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<a href="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/938d40cea6/images/da15f2df-6a1f-497d-8d4e-b88359ab1f87.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img align="center" alt="" border="0" class="mcnRetinaImage" height="266" src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/938d40cea6/images/da15f2df-6a1f-497d-8d4e-b88359ab1f87.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: inline !important; height: auto; max-width: 1000px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="400" /></a>Since my introduction to him in 2011, one of the most impactful teachers in my life has been Dr. David Powlison, the Executive Director of Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (<a href="https://www.ccef.org/">CCEF</a>). Back in October, David received the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and began keeping a log of his health journey. The posts and updates may still be viewed <a href="https://www.ccef.org/a-special-note-from-david-powlison/">here</a>, and while they bring tears to my eyes, they are a treasure trove of insight, tender care, and unshakeable faith in the God who provides. Through the ups and downs of good news, bad news, deceptively positive test results, and the debilitating side-effects of chemo, David maintained an incredible testimony of trust in the Lord, compassionate care for his wife and family, and devotion to his ministry. On Friday, June 7th, David went home to be with the Lord. Appropriately, the announcement from CCEF came with a citation of 2 Timothy 4.7: "He fought the good fight, he finished the race, he kept the faith."</div>
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Briefly, here are just a few of the more significant treasures of wisdom I've gleaned sitting under Dr. Powlison's teaching, whether it be at conferences, listening to podcasts, or simply reading any of his numerous published resources. I've added emphases, but the words are all Dr. Powlison's.</div>
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On the true nature of God's unconditional love (taken from the book <i>Seeing With New Eyes, </i>a 2003 publication):</div>
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<i>If you receive blanket acceptance, you need no repentance. You just accept it. It fills you without humbling you. It relaxes you without upsetting you about yourself -- or thrilling you about Christ. It lets you relax without reckoning with the anguish of Jesus on the cross. It is easy and undemanding. It does not insist on, or work at, changing you. It deceives you about both God and yourself. We can do better. <b>God does not accept me just as I am; he loves me <u>despite</u> how I am. He loves me just as <u>Jesus</u></b></i><b> <i>is; he loves me enough to devote my life to renewing me in the image of Jesus.</i></b></div>
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Addressing the way Christians may practically meet the needs of fallen people (from the 2011 conference on Psychiatric Disorders):</div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><i>We can always bring steady human kindness</i></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><i>We can always say something that is relevant; therefore, we must speak with clarity about hardships and realities</i></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><i>We can always speak to and about that Someone who is merciful and powerful -- <b>prayer is sanity</b></i></li>
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On learning to acknowledge our deep spiritual need (from the 2012 conference on Guilt & Shame):</div>
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<i><b>If you know your guilt, then you can be forgiven. </b> If you know your weakness, then you can be strengthened. If you know your brokenness, you can be made whole. If you don't know these things, then they cannot be corrected. Knowing is the first step to overcoming. The humility of knowing our need and asking for help is the necessary principle toward restoration.</i></div>
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On being rightly angry but loving well (from his 2016 book, <i>Good & Angry</i>)</div>
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<i>Charity does what the recipient doesn't deserve... you can fiercely disagree with a person and actively dislike what he or she is doing -- all the stuff of anger -- and yet you can still do genuine kindness. Anger grips tightly a wrong, points it out, prosecutes it, punishes it. Mercy acts generously toward a wrongdoer, rather than claiming your pound of flesh. Anger things this way: "I've been wronged, so I will deal out fair and just punishment to the malefactor." <b>But generosity, like patience and forgiveness is "unfair."</b> You treat with purposeful kindness someone who treated you or others badly.</i></div>
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On biblical sexuality (from his 2017 book, <i>Making All Things New</i>)</div>
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<i>Our culture asserts that any consenting object of desire is fair game for copulation. Individual will and personal choice are the supreme values. But Christ thinks differently, and he will get last say. That's important. "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience" (Eph 5.6). Each of the distortions makes sex too important (and makes the Maker, evaluator, and Redeemer of sex irrelevant). Sex becomes your identity, your right, your fulfillment, your need. <b>This is moral madness.</b></i></div>
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On a very personal note, learning to face your own mortality (from his Feburary 1, 2019 blog update)</div>
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<i><b>The more precarious life is, the more pertinent all that Christ is, does, and says.</b> One particular significant encouragement came from Psalm 138:3: “On the day I called you answered me, and you made me bold in my soul with strength.” That clarity, focus, purposefulness, and inner strength has been a sweet gift of God, and a reality for which I am very grateful. Before sleep one night, Nan and I read 2 Corinthians 4–5 slowly and aloud. We are looking death in the eye, while wanting to live, and live well. This passage is utterly candid about the most profound matters of life and death, of living a purposeful life, of how to face suffering honestly and hopefully. </i></div>
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My lasting impressions of David are of a man who deeply loved the Lord and who treasured the opportunity to help others love Jesus in the same way. I know from his testimony that David was rescued by faith from a cynical, secular worldview into a new perspective. He came to see men and women as people broken by sin but supremely loved by God, in need of rescue, in need of truth, and made biblical counseling his life's work. He was a faithful servant from the moment of his conversion, and remained a devoted husband and an exemplary follower of Jesus Christ to his homegoing.</div>
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It is my prayer that I may be to my wife and son, and to all those under my care, the type of committed, forthright, and spiritually wise man that David Powlison exemplified for me.</div>
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Justin Carltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862524102546516400noreply@blogger.com0Fellowship Bible Church39.7568965 -75.18417750000003339.756133500000004 -75.185438000000033 39.7576595 -75.182917000000032tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6724382508737372699.post-54918325752864134452019-03-08T19:16:00.002-05:002019-03-08T19:16:58.844-05:00Threads & Grace<br />
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I currently own just two pairs of jeans. Maybe that's absurd, I'm not sure. It also says something about just how long I tend to wear pants without washing them. Just this week, I managed to successfully rip new holes in <i>both</i> knees of one of those two precious pairs of denim. Which means a trip to a thrift store is in order.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ralphie and Randy will know better in just a few years.</i></td></tr>
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Going out to buy clothes is one of my least favorite chores. Consequently, it's one of Tara's favorites, which means the Lord is clearly working on our marriage. To be fair, my in-laws have been keeping my wardrobe stocked since 2012, which proves my theory that being an adult can be boiled down to one thing: actually being excited to receive clothing for your birthday or Christmas, primarily because it means you don't have to spend that money yourself (or go out shopping yourself).</div>
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The imagery of being "clothed in" something is biblical terminology. The passive voice in this often-repeated phrase is critical. The first man and woman, for example, were clothed <i>by God</i> with the skins of a slain animal to cover their shame in nakedness (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+3%3A8-13%2C+21&version=ESV">Gen 3.21</a>). The prodigal son in <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+15%3A20-24&version=ESV">Luke 15</a> is clothed in a new robe <i>by his father's servants</i>. Moses is commanded to clothe Aaron in the robes of a High Priest (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+8%3A5-13&version=ESV">Lev 8.7</a>), and the believers are similarly called to a priestly role in God's kingdom, having <i>received </i>mercy and special anointing from Christ (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+2%3A9-10&version=ESV">1 Pet 2.9</a>). The book of Revelation repeats the imagery in multiple locations: the Bride of Christ <i>is</i> <i>granted</i> the right to dress in white (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+19%3A6-8&version=ESV">19.8</a>); the martyrs are likewise <i>given</i> white robes as their consolation (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+6%3A9-11&version=ESV">6.11</a>), and those who "conquer" <i>are promised</i> similar vestments (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+3%3A5-6&version=ESV">3.5</a>). Job speaks of God <i>clothing</i> him with skin and flesh (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job+10%3A8-12&version=ESV">Job 10.11</a>). Jesus reminded the crowds that the Heavenly Father clothes the grass of the field, and likewise <i>provides</i> clothing and other necessities for His children (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+6%3A28-30&version=ESV">Matt 6.30</a>). Furthermore, in the Great Commission, Christ promised the disciples that they <i>would be clothed</i> with power that came from the Holy Spirit (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+24.44-49&version=ESV">Luke 24.49</a>). Isaiah, however, makes my favorite statement of them all: "My soul shall exult in my God, for <i>he has clothed me</i> with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness" (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+61%3A10-11&version=ESV">Isa 61.10</a>). This messianic statement is a direct contrast to the clothing of the self-righteous elsewhere in the book of Isaiah, which the prophet decries as "filthy rags" or "polluted garments" (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+64%3A4-7&version=ESV">64.6</a>).</div>
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Each of these instances communicates the reality of man's absolute dependence upon the Lord's provision: we can't clothe ourselves -- literally OR figuratively -- so God must do it for us. He is the great provider for all of our physical AND spiritual needs. That means we aren't truly in control of providing for ourselves -- regardless of the fact that I'm the one physically buying the pants from Goodwill. Likewise, I'm not the one securing my eternal destiny by my moralistic living. In fact, living like it's my inherent goodness that gains me heaven is what Isaiah explicitly calls revolting to a Holy God. It's not flippantly that Jesus reminds the Pharisees that "there is only one who is good," and that "one" is God alone (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+19%3A16-22&version=ESV">Matt 16.17</a>).</div>
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I've heard the sardonic expression, "I'm not impatient. I just don't like to wait." I sometimes make a similar quip: "I don't struggle with anxiety. I just don't like not being in control." The convicting reality is that ripped knees in my jeans are never a point of anxiety for me -- well, that is, until I check the bank account and see that there's no wiggle room in the budget for a new (or slightly used) pair. There's <i>never</i> any anxiety in my heart... that is, not until the car is breaking down and I know I'll have to swipe the credit card to cover the repairs until the next pay period. I don't struggle with worry until suddenly I have to pick and choose which bills get paid in full for the month.</div>
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I'm sick of the trite "God never gives you anything you can't handle" philosophy that Christians regurgitate to one another, giving themselves a paltry substitute for real reassurance. God gives us more than we can handle <i>all the time</i>, and the point is that He calls us to trust HIM, not in our wallets or our abilities. I must learn to trust Him and Him alone, or I make an idol out of one misplaced sense of security or another. That's the lesson on anxiety that Jesus gives in the Sermon on the Mount: our Heavenly Father not only cares for the realm of nature, He also cares for the specific needs of the saints. It's therefore our responsibility to surrender our illusions of control, and trust instead in His goodness.</div>
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God clothes me when it comes to matters of immediate necessity. But more importantly, He has clothed me in eternal security. The Christian is "clothed" in the very righteousness of the Messiah, <i>by </i>the Messiah, which makes us eternally acceptable before God the Father. So when our cups seem empty in this life, we still have the ability to see God's incredible blessing -- a gracious and incomparable provision that surpasses any immediate trial -- and see that our cups are actually <i>full</i> when viewed in an eternal context.</div>
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I might have holes in my jeans, but there are no holes in my righteousness. I might need to buy a new pair of threads every now and again, but I never need to replace the holy vestments given to me by my Savior.</div>
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I think it's appropriate to conclude this post with the words of the classic Christian doxology, because He alone DOES provide, and He alone is worthy of my worship.</div>
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<i><b>Praise God from whom all blessings flow</b></i></div>
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<i><b>Praise Him</b>, all creatures here below</i></div>
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<i><b>Praise Him</b> above, ye heavenly hosts</i></div>
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<i><b>Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost</b></i></div>
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<i>Amen</i></div>
<br />Justin Carltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862524102546516400noreply@blogger.com0Swedesboro, NJ 08085, USA39.7476136 -75.310465439.7231951 -75.3508059 39.772032100000004 -75.2701249tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6724382508737372699.post-53917103836457694532019-02-07T14:33:00.000-05:002019-02-07T14:33:00.563-05:00Psalm 37, Values, and G. I. Joes<div style="text-align: justify;">
In <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+37&version=ESV">Psalm 37</a>, David gives the reader five imperatives in order to endure the schemes, attacks, and triumphs of the wicked.</div>
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One, <b><u>t</u></b><b style="text-decoration: underline;">rust in Him</b>, because He will not forsake His saints (37.28), because He is a stronghold of salvation to the righteous (37.5), and because He will act (37.5).</div>
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Two, <b style="text-decoration: underline;">delight in Him</b>, for it is from Him that all worthy desires are fully realized (37.4). He is a generous giver (37.25-26), and His salvation is more precious than any earthly thing (37.18).</div>
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Three, <b style="text-decoration: underline;">commit your way to Him</b>, because the Lord establishes the righteous doings of His saints in dazzling display (37.6), and secures their footholds even in treacherous places (37.23-24, 31). Note that security in the way is found by keping the law of God in the heart (37.31).</div>
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Four, <b style="text-decoration: underline;">be still before Him</b>, because the self-serving malice of evildoers is not worth anxiety or fear (37.8), and it will be by GOD's actiions (not ours) that divine justice will be realized (37.34).</div>
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Five, <b style="text-decoration: underline;">refrain from anger/forsake wrath</b>, because His prescription of justice is far superior to ours (37.13, 28), and because the Lord will provide a peaceful future for a man who practices peace (37.11, 37).</div>
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Similarly, the psalm uses five descriptors to characterize the people committed to living according to these standards: <b><u>meek</u></b> (37.11), <b><u>blessed</u></b> (37.22), <b><u>righteous</u></b> (37.26), <b><u>patient</u></b> (37.9, 34), and <b><u>blameless</u></b> (37.37). These are qualities of men and women who place their absolute trust and confidence in the Lord. In contrast to the arrogance of the wicked, who will be humiliated (37.17, 35-36), the humility of the righteous will be exalted, upheld, and lifted up forever (37.17, 19, 24, 29, 34).</div>
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What is the ultimate reward for living in this manner? Written to the Israelite nation, Psalm 37 proclaims "the land" -- the promised inheritance for the descendants of Abraham -- as the prize for faithfulness. In Matthew 5, Jesus expands this very same promise, citing and modulating David's own words, stating that the meek and blessed shall inherit not "the land," but "the earth" (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+5%3A2-11&version=ESV">Matt 5.5</a>). Different scholars come away with various conclusions as to the purpose of this transition, but either outcome results in the dominion of God's people. Whether that is over a specific geographical location or over all the Kingdom when He ushers in a new heavens and a new earth, God will establish His faithful ones to co-reign with Jesus in glory (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Timothy+2%3A10-13&version=ESV">2 Tim 2.12</a>), as heirs adoped into God's family (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians+4%3A1-7&version=ESV">Gal 4.7</a>).</div>
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As I meditate on these things, I can't help but think that the challenge to embracing a Psalm 37 lifestyle is a question of our values. We must be convinced that what we are committing to is <i>worth it</i>, and then be wholeheartedly devoted to <i>pursuing it</i>.</div>
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I can remember a few times as a kid that I really fixated on something. One time in particular was when my brother and I decided we would save up quarters to buy GI Joe action figures. These, in particular, were special edition Civil War Joes, and we'd been immersed in Civil War history by our father, who was something of a scholar in that era of American history. Each Joe was $100, but we <i>wanted</i> them. So, for something like 12 months, we both saved up change in our sock drawers -- aided significantly by our grandmother, who lived upstairs and would find change when she'd walk her dog. Back then, she had eyes like a hawk and would frequently bring down the old coffee can full of spare change, enough each time for all three of us grandkids to net something like $25-30 apiece. When we finally had the money saved up, we had to submit the order form and do some more waiting, because 2-day shipping wasn't a thing back in 1997. But when those Joes arrived, it was like Christmas Day -- all the waiting and the saving completely paid off. And because we'd invested so heavily into those toys, we played with them regularly, for years. But we also took meticulous care of them, so that all the little accessories and pieces are still intact and saved to this day.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>In good condition, these babies are going for $160 apiece on e-bay!</i></td></tr>
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I find it so helpful to look back on childhood examples, because everything is so simple for a kid. As adults, our priorities become so skewed and divided. My brother and I saw these toys in a magazine, determined to ourselves that they were worth the singular pursuit, and we sacrificed time and energy to obtain them. We couldn't have afforded those toys AND anything else at the same time, although we were always into Legos and video games too, so these special toys came at the expense of other things we might have wanted.</div>
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Why can't I have that kind of unwavering focus for spiritual things?</div>
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It's a matter of values, of payoff. The immediacy of material things makes them attractive. But its the permanency of the rewards God offers that makes them truly valuable.</div>
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In order for us to take the imperatives in Psalm 37 to heart, we each must first determine that placing our trust, commitment, and security in God is worth it. And then we must remember, as we are committing our way to Him and seeking to be still before Him, that He is still worth it even when our circumstances are screaming the opposite to be true. And when our anger surges because the wicked prosper and prey upon us, we must seek to see people the way God sees them, and entrust justice to Him, because <i>He is worth it</i>.</div>
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God is our just, compassionate, promise-keeping Father. Those who find their singular treasure in Him will adopt the imperatives David leaves us in Psalm 37, and will ultimately know true, lasting reward.</div>
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Justin Carltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862524102546516400noreply@blogger.com0Sewell, Mantua Township, NJ 08080, USA39.7662167 -75.144192639.7418052 -75.1845331 39.7906282 -75.1038521tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6724382508737372699.post-87355626037452545192019-01-29T19:05:00.000-05:002019-01-29T19:06:44.230-05:00The insight of skinned knees<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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At the time I started writing this post, my seven-month-old son was crying on the floor. He is so very, very close to being able to roll over by himself. If he's on his back, he can -- with some coaxing -- successfully get to his belly. Going the other way is another matter. He just can't yet manage that final push. To be fair, we live in an old house with lots of uneven flooring, so some of his attempts at rolling over are literally uphill. Which is completely unfair. As is, I suppose, using your son's disadvantages as the impetus for a blog post. But he's the son of a pastor/writer, so that's just part of the contract.<br />
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Through this new lens of fatherhood, I am gaining unique insights into God's love for me that I naively thought I understood all along. For instance, in the midst of my undergrad, I wrote the following lyric for one of my band's songs:<br />
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<i>Failures are the lasting lessons</i><br />
<i>I’ve got so much left to learn</i><br />
<i>I’ll crawl so I can walk, skin my knees and my pride</i><br />
<i>But never forget to smile</i><br />
<i>Chewing on the trials</i><br />
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<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=112154147/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=e99708/track=748015360/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="http://synaesthesia.bandcamp.com/album/live-tracks">Live Tracks by Synaesthesia</a></iframe></center>
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The imagery I was after (nearly 10 years ago now) was exactly the phase of life my son is currently entering: the emerging independence of a human personality that is at once so confident and so determined, and yet so very incapable. Zeke, like all human beings, must learn by bumping his head, by taking those intrepid first steps and falling down. We learn by struggling. The progression from a diet of milk to one of solid food is necessarily gradual.<br />
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Watching it literally happen in front of me, I now have a much better context for understanding the care and perseverance of our Heavenly Father. God labors to teach us the way I labor to teach my son: He could very well step in and fix everything for us, yet He lovingly allows us the opportunity to struggle, to learn, and to worship Him all the more for it. Sometimes, Zeke needs me to step in and give him a push. Other times, it's better for me to wait, so he can push himself just a little harder. He doesn't always appreciate it when I opt for the latter.<br />
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But then again, neither do I when God does the same thing to me.<br />
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In the midst of each spiritual battle and God-ordained challenge, Christians face a choice: either embrace the opportunity the adversity represents in order to trust God more and grow in our faith, or instead adopt a shortsighted, embittered preoccupation with trying to eliminate as much difficulty in our lives as possible, complaining all the while. The sad thing is that, when we take the latter course of action, we miss the opportunity for true joy.<br />
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In our Wikipedia/YouTube culture -- where answers and solutions should never be more than one click away -- endurance is a concept that needs revisiting. Even for Christians, it's easy to become discouraged when facing the same sin struggle day after day, or having to forgive someone for the 489th time. We might be tempted to want the same type of immediate gratification our world craves. It is an immaturity -- not unlike my son whining with one arm tucked helplessly under his side -- that demands immediate solutions. On the other hand, it is absolutely NOT immaturity for us to cry out to the Father for help, provided we begin learning to ask the right things from the right heart attitude.<br />
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The Apostle Paul penned some pretty famous words in his epistle to the Philippians, words that are often stripped of their rich meaning. Speaking of his own challenges with regard to sharing the gospel, he wrote, "I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me." (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians+4%3A10-13&version=ESV">Phil 4.12-13</a>) And that, Paul says, is connected to the ability to know true joy -- to endure hardship and be closer to God for the struggle. The ability to "do all things" is not some promise of superpowers. The power that Paul speaks of is the power that God abundantly supplies in the gospel of Jesus Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit. It is a power that, ironically, requires us to be dependent upon God. It is a power that is only accessible via weakness.<br />
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The "secret" of facing plenty, hunger, abundance, and need is <i>through HIM.</i><br />
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That's why our skinned knees are so valuable. They shouldn't just teach us practical lessons about how to do it better next time. They should teach us to lean into a source of power that is beyond our limited abilities -- one that is best expressed in our weakness. If we are willing to focus on the One who never fails, who never changes, and who never requires us to do anything He won't lead us through, suddenly our spiritual growth is not an insurmountable mountain or a life of isolation and drudgery. It is a walk <i>with </i>God.<br />
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I love to walk with Zeke -- for the time being, with him in my arms, or in the stroller, or strapped to my chest. Sometimes with him upside-down over my shoulder. The type of delight I feel when he smiles or learns something new is a taste of the type of delight our Heavenly Father takes in my daily dependence on Him. And the reality is that, once Zeke masters this whole rolling over thing, there will be another challenge for him to face. And another one. Likewise, our spiritual growth isn't about one day or even one year. It is a lifelong process. My hope for Zeke is that, as he matures, he learns not to whine or complain, but to ask for help, and to trust in the wisdom and care his Mama and I can provide. An even greater thing is true of each Christian's walk with God, because God is not only worthy of our trust, He is worthy of our worship. The adoration we must give Him is not because He craves it or is incomplete without us: we give it because no other is worthy of receiving it.<br />
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We would therefore do well to stop relying on ourselves, cease our complaining spirits, and instead cry out to God daily for help with every challenge we face. Spiritual maturity is not (contrary to popular opinion) independence and theological intellect, but rather learning to more fully depend on the transforming grace that God abundantly supplies.<br />
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Justin Carltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862524102546516400noreply@blogger.com0Swedesboro, NJ 08085, USA39.7476136 -75.310465439.7231951 -75.3508059 39.772032100000004 -75.2701249tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6724382508737372699.post-313529854782784262018-12-19T09:45:00.000-05:002018-12-19T09:45:57.821-05:00The Ministry of Parenthood<div style="text-align: justify;">
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Ever since Tara and I started down the journey of parenthood, I've been especially moved by passages such as <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+78&version=ESV">Psalm 78</a> that emphasize externalizing our faith by passing it on to the next generation. As I study the Scriptures, I am convinced that a faith that is real is a self-replicating faith. As a youth pastor, seeking to instill faith in others is something I've been seeking to do for a number of years with teenage students who aren't really my children. However, with the advent of parenthood and the arrival of my son, Zeke, this purpose has gained an entirely new dimension.</div>
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Asaph writes the following purpose statement into his epic history of the Israelite nation in the wilderness in Psalm 78.5-8:</div>
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<i><span style="color: white;">[Yawhweh] established a testimony in Jacob<br /> and appointed a law in Israel,<br />which he commanded our fathers<br /> to teach to their children,<br />that the next generation might know them,<br /> the children yet unborn,<br />and arise and tell them to their children,<br /> so that they should set their hope in God<br />and not forget the works of God,<br /> but keep his commandments;<br />and that they should not be like their fathers,<br /> a stubborn and rebellious generation,<br />a generation whose heart was not steadfast,<br /> whose spirit was not faithful to God.</span></i></blockquote>
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There are three goals here for the next generation -- that they should <span style="color: white;"><b>"set their hope in God,"</b></span> that they would <b><span style="color: white;">"keep his commandments," </span></b>and, by contrast to their forefathers, that they would have a <b><span style="color: white;">"steadfast heart"</span> </b>with spirits<b><span style="color: white;"> "faithful to God."</span></b></div>
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It's not exactly formulaic to teach someone to "set their hope in God." No simple three-step solution. Each of us can probably think of individuals for whom we've been praying for years to receive the gospel, but no matter how often or how patiently we labor to make Jesus' love known to them, the adage about leading horses to water remains true. The best way to inspire hope, therefore, is to be hopeful yourself. Ultimately, change of heart is the work of the Holy Spirit, and so my goal as a parent can't be to <i>change</i> my children, but to <i>lead</i> my children by setting the example of clinging to Jesus with all my might. Paul repeatedly said to the Corinthians, "Be imitators of me, as I imitate Christ" (1 Cor 4.16; 11.1). That's how we inspire our children to "set their hope in God."</div>
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While parenting is so much more than just teaching your kids to keep rules, it certainly is not <i>less</i> than that. Asaph's second purpose in Psalm 78 is that the upcoming generation might "not forget the works of God, but <u>keep his commandments</u>." Even if we fancy ourselves progressive parents who lead more by positive than negative reinforcement, at some point we need to emphasize and enforce the importance of obeying God's Word. I'd argue that requires a strongly corrective element, because the Bible repeatedly states that the use of physical discipline in a young man's life brings correction and life, and is intrinsically connected to spiritual upbringing (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+13.24%3B+19.18%3B+22.15%3B+23.13-14%3B+29.15%3B+Ephesians+6.4&version=ESV">Prov 13.24; 19.18; 22.15; 23.13-14; 29.15; Eph 6.4</a>). I notice also that the "rod and staff" of the Lord -- the painful instruments of shepherd's instruments of herding, correcting, and steering away from death -- should be regarded as a comfort to the Christian's soul (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+23%3A4&version=ESV">Psa 23.4</a>). While it is certainly the prerogative of parents to make their own rules, the rules we primarily seek to enforce should be biblically based -- God's rules, not just ours. I always tell my teens that the arbitrary rules parents set may often seem unfair, but are not always unreasonable, and must still be honored. More important, however, are the truly biblical rules that Scripture commands, such as loving one another well, speaking kindly, practicing forgiveness, and being obedient from the heart to parents and authorities. Those are biblical "rules," and parents do well to enforce those kinds of standards in their children's lives. We are after training our kids to learn to "keep his commandments" from the heart, not just because we say so.</div>
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Lastly, there is a great call for parents to raise children who possess steadfast and faithful hearts. The contrast for Asaph in Psalm 78 is the first generation of Israelites coming out of Egypt, who moaned and complained in the desert, despite God's incredible faithfulness and generous provision. Kids are expert complainers, but they often learn from the best: mom and dad, who have expectations of one another, of the neighbors, of the government, of the township, etc that are not always met. Our goal as parents must be to inspire in our children gratitude and reliance upon God, the type of dependant faithfulness that always regards God as our gracious provider, despite what we might see in our present circumstances.</div>
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If you like me are still keeping track of your child's age in months rather than years, you know that you aren't really at the point yet that you can begin to have these types of conversations with your child. It's such a beautiful time for parents to simply show unconditional love to a young life, where the only thing he or she can express is dependence. But just because we're not necessarily able to teach verbally, we do have the ability to begin creating an atmosphere in our home that will facilitate later on the things that we intend to teach our children. Often, parents struggle to instill biblical values in their children because those kids grew up in an environment where the message didn't match the atmosphere. Even infants can sense tone, emotion, safety, and discomfort.</div>
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Imagine you have the good goal of teaching your kid these three purposes from Psalm 78, but he or she grows up in a house where the most common sounds are the TV and the nitpicking, the sometimes harsh tones of parents directed at one another (or at the dog). The atmosphere the child begins to grow up in is one of disconnectedness, frustration, and obligatory caregiving. What kinds of examples are being laid? Mom and Dad communicate by trying to one-up the other in how difficult their day was? Mom is the anxious type who worries about everything and irritates Dad, who is far too laid-back to be concerned about anything? </div>
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Maybe I didn't cover your area of weakness in those hypotheticals, but the point is this: in order for us to be good parents and achieve the objectives of Psalm 78, then we must be disciples of Jesus ourselves. Each of us must love, serve, and respect his or her spouse, be stewards of what God has given, demonstrate grace and compassion in the way we speak <i>to </i>and <i>of</i> others inside our home, and be personally disciplined in the ways we pray, study the Word, and put Scripture into practice in our everyday lives.</div>
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It's a tall order. But it's what is implied in Psalm 78 and Moses' plea in Deuteronomy to the new generation of Israelites on the plains of Moab. Instructing the next generation in the ways of the Lord cannot be done without firsthand belief and experience. We must be willing to do the hard work ourselves if we have any realistic expectations of our children doing the same.<br />
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Justin Carltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862524102546516400noreply@blogger.com0Swedesboro, NJ 08085, USA39.7476136 -75.310465439.7231951 -75.3508059 39.772032100000004 -75.2701249tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6724382508737372699.post-45508416514592969722018-08-09T11:52:00.001-04:002018-08-09T11:52:23.757-04:00Get Rid Of Slimy guidelineS: Faulty justification and sexual ethics<div style="text-align: justify;">
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I grew up doing lots of reading. One particular thing I read over and over was Bill Watterson's <i>Calvin & Hobbes</i>, which I still consider to be one of the most masterful uses of the comic art form (right up there with Larson's <i>The Far Side</i> and <i>Opus </i>by Berkeley Breathed). Spaceman Spiff, deranged mutant killer snowmen, and Calvinball were just a few of my favorite elements of the strip, but one recurring gag that also stands out to me is Calvin's ill-fated G.R.O.S.S. club -- that, of course, is an acronym for "Get Rid Of Slimy girlS." The club's singular mission: to irritate Susie Derkins, Calvin's neighbor and sometimes playmate. More often than not, however, Calvin's planned methods of pranking or harassing woefully backfire, largely due to Hobbes' partiality to Susie and his reluctance to be an accomplice to the dubious schemes.</div>
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On Monday, I was reading an online scientific journal (not something I make a practice of doing), but the striking excerpt grabbed my attention:<br />
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"Approximately 40 percent of men have experienced inexplicable feelings of tearfulness, sadness, or irritability after mutually consensual sex and 3-4 percent experience it regularly, according to a survey published in peer-reviewed journal."</blockquote>
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When I saw the post, I turned to my wife, read it aloud to her, and said, "Hmm, maybe all those Judeo-Christian ethics were on to something after all."</div>
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The paper, in its entirety, can be accessed <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0092623X.2018.1488326">here</a>, and is pretty technical. In short, the study utilized social media and online polling to research a psychological phenomenon called Postcoital Dysphoria (PCD), which psychologists attribute to any inexplicable, overwhelmingly negative emotional responses after sexual activity that, by all normal considerations, was consensual and fulfilling. Previously documented in women, PCD is being newly observed in men, and is suspected to perhaps be even more prevalent among members of that gender. The reason for this is not uniform, but the journal suggests strong connections between the dysphoria and a). childhood abuse, and b). cultural expectations surrounding the sexual activity of Western males -- that is, inflated and often self-imposed pressures to desire, be desired, and perform. If the latter component is true, then the "condition" is at least partly connected to simple disappointment.</div>
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However, the real cause seems to be much deeper than that. In their own words, men involved in the study described their experience of PCD as "a strong sense of self-loathing about myself," "a lot of shame," "negative feelings which are difficult to describe," and "hold[ing] in the sadness for hours until she leaves as we do not live together." "Weird," says culture. Because, under normal circumstances, 2 + 2 should -- from a logical perspective -- always = 4. Therefore, we must decipher why consensual sexual activity between healthy adults would ever result in anything other than euphoria. The unspoken presupposition is that dysphoria should only be connected with sexual coercion, abuse, trauma, or any variety of other factors, and is out of place anywhere else.</div>
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Calvin repeatedly enlisted Hobbes in an ill-fated and juvenile attempt to rid his immediate context of undesirables -- girls in general, but namely Susie Derkins. He created a structure for his unwavering presupposition (that girls are gross and intolerable), situated the base of operations in the tree fort (to represent its lofty, enlightened ideals), and operated with overtly aggressive parameters (e.g. water balloons, stuffed animal kidnapping, mud slinging, etc). Our culture has its own G.R.O.S.S. club in regard to this issue, one not targeting "slimy girls," but rather any form of morals, values, norms, or reasonings that embrace a worldview of personal accountability. In a society where pedophilia is gaining traction as a sexual preference (as opposed to a criminally punishable psychological disorder), is it really any surprise that we would eventually resort to a DSM classification of "Postcoital Dysphoria" to rename guilt and shame associated with sexuality? In an evolutionary cosmology, experiences of guilt and shame connected to coitus can only be artifacts of repressive religion or an unfortunate psychological dysfunction -- certainly not the result of "sin."</div>
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The point of this post is not to question the legitimacy of this study or the diagnosis, or even to accuse our society of being overly diagnosis-happy (which we are), but rather to point out the subtle/not-so-subtle ways our modern, "enlightened," pseudo-scientific minds are so ingrained with presuppositions that we will blindly create justifications for every type of sinful behavior under the sun. In other words, because we assume sexuality is natural, animalistic, instinctive, preferential, and any number of other dismissive modifiers, then obviously any negative side-effects experienced must be the result of psychological conditions, or the vestigial artifacts of archaic religious worldviews, or some other inexplicable phenomena -- because obviously God is not real and there are no ethical implications for sex, other than what we ourselves legally ascribe to the acknowledged (but modifiable) list of deviant behaviors.</div>
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To be fair, Postcoital Dysphoria is something that even married individuals reported experiencing. By God's Biblical standards, the legitimacy of their relationship is not in question, so marriage itself is not the only issue -- some other psychosomatic or biological factor can cause PCD. And the reality is that sin truly <i>does</i> affect the psyche (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+17%3A9-10&version=ESV">Jer 17.9</a>; <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+7%3A20-22&version=ESV">Mark 7.20</a>; <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+4%3A17-24&version=ESV">Eph 4.17</a>; <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+12%3A1-2&version=ESV">Rom 12.2</a>). For that reason, I'm sure there are absolutely legitimate cases of Postcoital Dysphoria where committed, sacrificial, otherwise happily married couples still experience some form it -- because sin has damaged everything. In fact, even if sexual activity in a marriage is not coerced, degrading, or harmful, other crucial elements of the marital relationship could be crying out against false normalcy: unconfessed sinfulness in other areas, unresolved conflict, distrust or disunity, and any number of other contributing factors could result in every symptom listed that characterize PCD in the study.</div>
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For that matter, PCD in cases where adults were abused as children seems to be a completely legitimate psychological challenge. However, when it comes to unmarried couples -- even the happiest, most committed partnerships -- the legitimacy of PCD as a psychological condition becomes obscured by the fact that sin is at the root of those feelings of guilt and shame. Why? Because their lifestyle flies in the face of God's intended design for the most intimate human relationship. Even the most exciting and mutually gratifying consensual sex is STILL SIN if it is done outside the confines of God's designated parameters. For that reason, a PCD diagnosis rapidly becomes a quagmire of faulty justification for a culture that wants sex with no strings attached. "Why do I feel bad after sex? Well, it's just my condition -- certainly not because I'm doing something <i>wrong</i>. <i>That </i>possibility doesn't fit my worldview."</div>
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While Calvin's plots were usually predictable -- and Susie proved again and again that girls are much smarter than boys -- the major downfall of the G.R.O.S.S. campaigns was Hobbes' non-commitment to the cause. Unfortunately, the cult of post-truth thinking in our society is comprised of many more dedicated members than simply one hyperactive boy and one stuffed tiger. Dismantling popular thinking is therefore a daunting task, but it is the mandate for Christians, given them by Jesus Himself:</div>
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[Jesus] said to them, “...you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and <b>you will be my witnesses</b> in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1.7-8)</blockquote>
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Being Christ's witnesses requires a unified identity that sets us apart from the world -- not only bearing a different message of hope, but also living differently. In other words, if we as Christians aren't practicing holiness in our relationships, how are we possibly being Christ's witnesses? It's not very effective to proclaim hope, peace, and holiness if we ourselves are harboring guilt and shame from sexual sin ourselves. </div>
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Christian, have you engaged in sinful sexual activity and found some way to justify it? Have you made sinful relationship choices, realized they were wrong, but gone on without any repentance or change? We can't expect gospel truth to really make a difference in people's lives if we ourselves have not been completely, radically changed by it. So let us carefully evaluate our own hearts in these matters so that we may more effectively step out in faith to accomplish God's gospel incentives.</div>
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Justin Carltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862524102546516400noreply@blogger.com0Swedesboro, NJ 08085, USA39.7476136 -75.310465439.7231951 -75.3508059 39.772032100000004 -75.2701249tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6724382508737372699.post-22394117257674275722018-07-05T16:22:00.003-04:002018-07-05T16:22:26.766-04:00Ezekiel Joseph Carlton<div style="text-align: justify;">
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I go through so many ups and downs when it comes to keeping a regular writing schedule. Deadlines were my friend in college -- not because they would motivate me to work harder and sooner, but because I was a good enough student that I couldn't miss one. I called myself a "pressure writer," because although I would start a paper as soon as it was assigned, and maybe touch on it here and there as the semester went on, I would -- in true procrastinator form -- invest heavily in the final days before the deadline to get the thing written.</div>
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"Because," I'd say, "that's when I do my best writing."</div>
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Truth or justification, I ended up graduating Magna Cum Laude with my bachelor's degree in 2012, but I've never fully gotten past that whole procrastination thing.</div>
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That's why, when my son missed his due date, I simply said that he, like all good Carlton men, was just taking his good old time.</div>
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Tara carried to her 41st week, a full seven days beyond our June 8th due date, and was induced on the 14th due to some sudden high blood pressure. Our son was born on Friday, June 15th at 11:07 in the morning. Ezekiel Joseph ("Zeke") came into the world crying, with good color, weighing 8 lbs, 1 oz, and stretching to 20.5 inches in length. After two recovery days in the hospital, we were able to take him home on Father's Day, Mama and baby boy both healthy and feeling great. Zeke regained (and surpassed) his birth weight by his 10-day checkup, is rapidly becoming a pro at sleeping most of the night, and is what I can only describe as the most chill baby I've ever met. He prefers to sleep in the powerlifting stance, remains unperturbed by Kaylee's incessant barking at the neighbors, and -- unlike his father -- is incredibly punctual about his eating schedule. He'll be three weeks old tomorrow, is already showing signs of smiling and laughing, and I'm trying really, really hard not to be THAT first-time social media dad. Never in my life have I been so quick to pull out my phone to take pictures (#whatishappeningtome?).</div>
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I've been asked about the name choice, which we somehow managed to keep a secret from everyone until Zeke was born (though many tried to bully or trick us into revealing ahead of time). <b>Ezekiel means "God will strengthen."</b> Our son's biblical namesake is also called the Watchman of Israel, and while many of his Spirit-inspired words contain harsh, ugly truth, his message of judgment is tempered by the tenderness of God's unfathomable love for his people. We pray that Zeke too will be a truth-teller, a man who won't refuse the messages, instructions, and tasks God sovereignly places on His life.</div>
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<b>Joseph means "God will increase."</b> In the Bible, Joseph is a man who experienced intense betrayal at the hands of his family, but also knew the steadfast love of the Lord, who intended good even in the evil Joseph experienced. Tara and I desire for our Ezekiel Joseph to know firsthand God's steadfast love and kindness, and to respond to every circumstance of his life with the knowledge that God is faithful, and has his best interests at heart.</div>
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In other words, his names are lessons and reminders.</div>
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<b>God will strengthen you, Zeke. Remember that. </b>Contrary to popular belief, He WILL give you more than you can handle -- so that you can learn to trust His strength above your own. The Scriptures resound with God's good, invigorating promises to His children. His Word and power do not fail.</div>
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<b>Remember: God will only increase His goodness to you, Zeke. </b>Again, contrary to popular belief, that won't mean you'll experience the rags-to-riches-American-dream kind of increase, or that you will live your "best life" now. But it <i>will</i> mean that God will give you more of Himself, lavishing grace upon grace on your life, and will continually prove Himself to be faithful.</div>
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Tara and I waited on the Lord for our first child, and in His good timing, He granted our request. We are so blessed to be parents that we can't stop thanking Him for the gift of little Zeke. To all those who were praying along with us, THANK YOU as well -- your prayers have been effective, and we've undeniably felt them at work.</div>
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Suffice it to say that God has both strengthened us and increased His goodness in our lives.</div>
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While procrastinating to write for a blog or to sketch out the next chapter in a novel is one thing, procrastinating to begin teaching my son is something else entirely. There truly is no time like the present. Lord willing, I'll start kicking my deadline habit once and for all -- if only to invest in my boy today. And tomorrow. And every day thereafter.</div>
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<br />Justin Carltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862524102546516400noreply@blogger.com0Swedesboro, NJ 08085, USA39.7476136 -75.310465439.7231951 -75.3508059 39.772032100000004 -75.2701249tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6724382508737372699.post-13473144389482428922018-02-05T13:23:00.002-05:002018-02-05T13:23:37.135-05:002017-2018 Philadelphia Eagles, Super Bowl LII Champions: "In all that he does, he prospers"<br />
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Bob Dylan's classic song, "With God on Our Side," resounds with cynicism. It's an anthem against religious justification for acts of violence, racial subjection, and blind obedience that supersedes rational thought and conscience. It exposes a sentiment that can be ultra-personal ("God won't judge me for this tiny infraction"), denominational ("Anabaptists deserve execution"), cultural ("God has called us to subject and educate the Native Americans"), or national ("The United States is the Promised Land"). Some of it takes the self-righteous positive stance, and some of it takes the damning negative stance against the other. People often speak of God as a celestial cheerleader who lends support to a cause or grants divine favor to a particular group or movement.</div>
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More accurate is the position of Romans 3.10: "As it is written: 'None is righteous, no, not one.'" Therefore, God's "position" is much more akin to the sentiment Treebeard expresses to the Hobbits in <i>The Two Towers</i>: “Side? I am on nobody's side, because nobody is on my side, little orc.”</div>
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All that said, as a battered but hopeful Eagles fan, who has been soaking in all the hype leading up to and surrounding this phenomenal Super Bowl LII victory, the season has been a fascinating insight into what God does when people seek to worship Him in their personal lives.</div>
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It would, of course, be poor theology to suggest that God is an Eagles fan (despite jasper stones around the heavenly throne, just sayin'), and just as ridiculous to impose that God's attentions are riveted to our modern-day gladiator competitions. But at the forefront of the 2017-2018 Eagles team are three incredible leaders (Pederson, Wentz, and Foles), surrounded by a united body of brothers in Christ, who have collectively gone out of their way to proclaim their love for and devotion to our Heavenly Father, giving Him the glory for their skills and their victories. That is something absolutely extraordinary -- not just within the NFL, but in all pro sports.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieGWkMoRlLPwz0r0rlufIXAljV9_AGWwmRxkKJt8ubu2Qq5J2O_UC4VcWVVbPY2kn83ZutGp2FMbkVnGEYz49MGxS_Bbexi88GvJpNDibjWtXLiKj30CAJi3GvRWO8s7v5Zh0BWVyux1U/s1600/eagles-faith-9-1024x597.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="1024" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieGWkMoRlLPwz0r0rlufIXAljV9_AGWwmRxkKJt8ubu2Qq5J2O_UC4VcWVVbPY2kn83ZutGp2FMbkVnGEYz49MGxS_Bbexi88GvJpNDibjWtXLiKj30CAJi3GvRWO8s7v5Zh0BWVyux1U/s320/eagles-faith-9-1024x597.jpg" width="320" /></a>It's one thing to have the stereotypical "I thank God and my family" media soundbites from your super-star. It's a rare but great thing to have a single, sold-out believer on your team who radically speaks to the media about his or her faith. But it's another thing entirely when you have a core group of player and coaches who -- in every single interview with the media -- unanimously credit Jesus Christ not only with gifting them with talents, but also with changing their lives and motivating them to humility, self-sacrifice, and servanthood. The Eagles are on a whole other level with this. The testimonies of Pederson, Wentz, and Foles have all received attention simply because they're the ones most often confronted with microphones, but there are so many others -- among them, Stefen Wisniewski, Jordan Hicks, Trey Burton, Chris Maragos, Torrey Smith, Marcus Johnson, Zach Ertz, and others. This is a team where players like Chris Long not only donate their paychecks to charity, but also do short-term missions work (Carson Wentz, Torrey Smith), and aspire to become pastors post-NFL (Nick Foles). This is a team where players not only attend team chapel (out of devotion rather than obligation), but also <i>preach </i>at team chapel. These are teammates who have held baptisms in their locker room, who have taken every opportunity after games to pray on the field with members of the opposing team, and who deflect media ego-stroking with humble recognition of God's sovereignty.</div>
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And there's plenty to brag about, of course. Their athleticism, team play, and individual stats -- setting franchise <i>and</i> league records -- all speak for themselves. In fact, if the Eagles were just a bunch of decent players surrounding a star quarterback, there is no way their season could have continued after Wentz's injury, much less secured a Super Bowl victory. Instead, they fought on, adapted, and continued to play their absolute best, having some incredible fun in the process, and proving that they truly had greatness. In the process of losing key players left and right all season long yet going on to defeat the greatest team in recent NFL history, there have been plenty of opportunities for self-pity and arrogance alike, but so many players' testimonies of faith -- though tested by fire -- have all proven strong.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYumvmT94buek0YVnFH5MdsVc-5QRIhSAsGmnsNjdQtNMUTXNpWiRCQWH6p5MWYUUMAUjIP9p76y7b8adrZlZkZ5TX150kIXwBZHwIJPCV6rOyCLoWL_WuJxQQoOhn3AvCyaDHCSuGLA8/s1600/mc-eagles-are-birds-of-pray-1001-20161001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYumvmT94buek0YVnFH5MdsVc-5QRIhSAsGmnsNjdQtNMUTXNpWiRCQWH6p5MWYUUMAUjIP9p76y7b8adrZlZkZ5TX150kIXwBZHwIJPCV6rOyCLoWL_WuJxQQoOhn3AvCyaDHCSuGLA8/s320/mc-eagles-are-birds-of-pray-1001-20161001.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQx0nJoYuKPcPEIYD5w4zLj1Op2WNw1r8EglCPIPq6a2T1DCVVPxYQP8UPTdq8G2LJoezHsilmx8ocWs97jpKe_fL3zrpcrKgBhflf8i3rHQwg_ABGhznIpcuI85dKehOBmli3mcBl_F0/s1600/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQx0nJoYuKPcPEIYD5w4zLj1Op2WNw1r8EglCPIPq6a2T1DCVVPxYQP8UPTdq8G2LJoezHsilmx8ocWs97jpKe_fL3zrpcrKgBhflf8i3rHQwg_ABGhznIpcuI85dKehOBmli3mcBl_F0/s320/maxresdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a>The implication of this is certainly not that God is an Eagles fan or that He's "on our side" simply because Eagles players repped Him in postgame interviews. But it is certainly a biblical principle that God blesses the work of the faithful. <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+1&version=ESV">Psalm 1.1-3</a> attests to this: <i>"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. <b>In all that he does, he prospers.</b>"</i> The beauty of this principle is that, in terms of God's kingdom, such prospering is both micro- and macroscopic. It works like this: God shows Himself to be faithful by honoring the work of a righteous man's hands (i.e. career choices, ministry involvement, and even skill development). As God shows Himself to be faithful, the righteous man gives God glory and worship and praise, not mistaking the tangible blessing as his ultimate reward, but as a small display of God's unfathomable grace. As he does so, others see and testify, and they too give God glory and worship and praise. And so the cycle continues. It's not about God blessing the temporal things we do on this earth, it's also about Him blessing our eternal investments into His Kingdom, which isn't primarily about the big stuff -- missions trips, social work, etc -- but about our every-day, <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+12%3A1-2&version=ESV">Romans 12:1-2</a> worship. Don't make the mistake of seeing this as the absolute nonsense of prosperity doctrine: God does NOT always make us wealthy and healthy just because we're obedient or have strong faith. He <i>does</i>, however, honor the righteous who aren't looking for an immediate reward, but who do their very best to worship God in everything, whatever the consequence, and keep their eyes on the REAL reward of eternity with Christ.</div>
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Nowhere is that principle more clearly illustrated than in our franchise quarterback. Since Carson's injury in Week 14 against LA, I've been telling friends and family that he has an even greater testimony to give from the sidelines than he does from the pocket. For a man whose love for Christ and joy in everything he does are so obvious to go out with a season-ending injury, but still maintain his demeanor and remain committed to being a coach, leader, and teammate from the sidelines -- and to rejoice with his backup as he assumes leadership and brings the team to a championship... This is a much more powerful statement to who Carson Wentz is as a follower of Christ, and how awesome is the God we serve! Interestingly enough, that's exactly the biblical model of discipleship: one leading and instructing while another watches and learns, then humbly stepping aside to allow the other to take the helm and become the leader. Sometimes circumstances demand that the transition happens sooner than expected, and the real test of a man's maturity is in how he responds when things don't go the way he planned.</div>
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Dylan was right to criticize sins justified by religion and race. The only one who can justify is God, and He didn't sweep our sins under the rug and pretend like they didn't happen. Instead, He came in the form of a man to pay for all of our misdeeds, and to graciously give us His own righteousness instead of the eternal death we deserved. The beauty of entering into new spiritual life with Christ is that He engages with us as we, by His Spirit, align ourselves to Him -- to be on HIS side. He blesses the work of our hands for His glory and for our good.</div>
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I believe that's what we witnessed with this Eagles team all season long: God's blessing for honest and visible faith on the field. While that doesn't guarantee a Philadelphia dynasty or even a repeat Superbowl run for 2018-2019, it <i>does</i> mean that God has always honored and <i>will</i> honor humble, righteous men for their love, devotion, and service to Him -- either in this world or in Heaven to come.</div>
<br />Justin Carltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862524102546516400noreply@blogger.com0Swedesboro, NJ, USA39.7476136 -75.310465439.7231951 -75.3508059 39.772032100000004 -75.2701249tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6724382508737372699.post-18826752503981148412018-01-04T13:13:00.001-05:002018-01-04T13:13:36.949-05:00Spirit-Mindedness and a New Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="color: white;">For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><b>- Romans 8.5-6</b></span></blockquote>
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It's easy to blame a lack of peace on our circumstances. If only I wasn't up against <i>this </i>issue<i>, </i>if only I didn't have to do <i>that </i>thing<i>,</i> if only I wasn't so (fill in the blank). We tend to deflect responsibility onto the things that are outside of our control rather than acknowledging the things that <u>are</u> inside our sphere of influence, because it's easier on our pride to be an innocent victim than it is to be guilty.</div>
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A big reason we struggle with ingratitude and anxiety throughout the year, and then feel communally guilty around the holiday season about not being more consistently thankful, is that we tend to set our minds on things of the flesh. We allow ourselves to buy into the frenetic pace of life and wonder why the chaos has crept from our color-coded, spreadsheet calendars into our hearts.<br />
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"If only I weren't so busy!" "If only I didn't have to get all of that stuff done!"<br />
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Poignantly, after encouraging believers to "set their minds on the things of the Spirit," Paul goes on in Romans 8 to say that minds set on the flesh instead are actually openly hostile toward God, because they submit only to their own laws and desires, not to His. Ultimately, in this idolatrous and distracted state of mind, we render ourselves incapable of pleasing Him.</div>
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The Greek word translated as "set their minds" is "phroneo," which means to possess a consistent attitude or a certain view. Therefore, if I'm "setting my mind" on the Spirit, it's something characteristic and ongoing, not an on-again/off-again thing. Note that we can do this either with the Spirit, or with the flesh, which means one way or the other is my consistent attitude or certain view.<br />
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Setting my mind on the flesh isn't merely a distracted thought life, it's a distraught thought life, and Paul warns that this practice is akin to spiritual death. That's a big deal, because we as Christians have been bought and justified through the blood of Jesus Christ and deemed eternally righteous before God the Father on the account of the Son. It's therefore a HUGE problem for us to go back to old ways of thinking, to characteristic types of feeling and operating we did while we were still spiritually dead, because <i>that's no longer who we are.</i><br />
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Do you, like me, sometimes lack peace of mind? Do you, like me, sometimes focus more on the negative circumstances and heavy demands of life on earth rather than orienting your heart on the character of God and His calling for your life? Do you, like me, wrestle with a spirit of ingratitude? If so, then here are three steps we both can take toward Spirit-mindedness in this new year.<br />
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<b><span style="color: white;">1. Maintain a proper focus: I can't control my circumstances, but I can control my attitude.</span></b></h3>
I might not always like what comes my way, but I can control the ways in which I speak of my circumstances, how much and in what manner I dwell on them, and altogether be proactive to manage my time and resources well. The struggle to maintain a spirit of gratitude is greatly augmented by a proper focus: God is good, He has blessed me abundantly through His Son, and He has a plan that I might not yet comprehend. To set my mind on the things of the Spirit is to focus not on how difficult things are, but to choose to see God's hand in everything and trust Him with the outcome.<br />
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<b><span style="color: white;">2. Maintain a proper thought life: I should be sober-minded, not absent-minded.</span></b></h3>
Eastern meditation practices are all about emptying the mind in order to find inner peace. This is where Biblical principles of meditation part ways with Zen culture: our goal as Christians is not to be absent-minded and thereby open ourselves to temptation and forgetfulness, or to relinquish control of our often sinful imaginations, but to do the exact opposite. <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+5%3A6-11&version=ESV">1 Peter 5.8</a> warns Christians to be vigilant and sober-minded because the battle to maintain Spirit-mindedness requires us to be cognizant, level-headed, and in control of our faculties as we face all manner of choices and temptations. If I don't strive to control my thoughts and my feelings, I will inevitably drift into self-centered patterns of thinking, giving myself over to a complaining spirit and any anxieties that might come my way. That's neither a recipe for knowing God's peace, nor is it even remotely what righteous living should look like.<br />
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<b><span style="color: white;">3. Maintain proper self-discipline: Prayer and the Word must be priorities.</span></b></h3>
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Lastly, it is virtually impossible for me to truly be Spirit-minded, knowing peace and gratitude, if my personal fellowship with God isn't truly a priority. In the same way that I can't maintain a healthy relationship with my wife if we spend all of our time together in front of the TV or focusing on our hobbies, I also can't have intimacy with God if I allow my schedule and my concerns to take precedence over my regular, focused prayer life and study time in His Word. These disciplines are just that -- practices that require time, work, and attentiveness -- but they are instrumental in maintaining Spirit-mindedness and orienting us away from our human tendency to focus only on the things of this world.</div>
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Each of these principles is but one step. If you think of them like stepping stones crossing a river, you know that it will take more than just three to make it safely to dry land: you must repeat those steps. Again. And again. A new year might represent a fresh calendar start, but all of those cares and concerns you had before the holidays began are already audaciously un-pausing themselves and leaping back into view, I'm sure. Maintaining Spirit-mindedness across each proverbial river is to take careful steps, navigating the inevitable circumstances of life with renewed focus, thought life, and self-discipline. Don't make the mistake of seeing yourself as a victim, no matter what's in your past: instead, proactively take responsibility to respond well to stress and challenge, no matter how unfair, by leaning into the grace and wisdom of God, both of which are readily available to us as we make each crossing.</div>
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Justin Carltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862524102546516400noreply@blogger.com0Swedesboro, NJ 08085, USA39.7476136 -75.310465439.7231951 -75.3508059 39.772032100000004 -75.2701249tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6724382508737372699.post-7253904851774971692017-12-20T10:21:00.000-05:002017-12-20T10:21:01.342-05:00Star Wars: State of the Union, Pt. 2<div style="text-align: justify;">
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In case there was any mystery about it (but probably not), I've loved everything Star Wars since before my age reached double digits. I grew up with the Original Trilogy, and then the first round of Special Edition releases on VHS -- the ones with those 30+ minute George Lucas documentaries that were, for some self-egrandizing reason, placed BEFORE the feature film. I've faithfully followed EU content since I found Michael Stackpole's <i>The Bacta War</i> (the fourth X-Wing novel) in 1997 while walking through a random book store with my dad, and my mind was completely blown that there were MORE STAR WARS STORIES than just what was on film. I suffered through the prequels when they were released with some enormous internal love/hate conflict, because a) MORE STAR WARS STORIES, but because b) bad acting and poor retconning. And the same could be said of my current predicament with Episodes VII and VIII: a) MORE STAR WARS STORIES, but b) not at all what I'd dared to hope for.</div>
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Those of us who come from decades of EU fandom are probably at a huge disadvantage compared to those who are new fans, or those who never delved into that treasury. Viewing these new movies with a more or less blank slate for post-ROTJ material is definitely a leg-up toward appreciating the new direction of the franchise. And even with my scruples, there's lots of stuff to like about these new movies. Granted, I had <a href="https://hxprocessinprogress.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-force-awakens-good-bad-and-lack-of.html">a lot less to complain about</a> with <i>The Force Awakens</i> than I have with <i>The Last Jedi</i>, but for the most part, I've ridden the wave of excitement surrounding all of the new and upcoming Star Wars films.</div>
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Why? Because I've loved everything Star Wars since before my age reached double digits.</div>
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That said, what I forgot is that -- in this day and age -- you're not allowed to hold a critical opinion or you're automatically intolerant and shortsighted (even if you love the very thing you criticize). And you're especially not allowed to be critical of anything touting itself as progressive, and TLJ makes no bones about its attempt to radically challenge the established "rules" and tropes of a 40-year-old franchise. I'm exceptionally critical of TLJ because I think it was radical simply for the sake of being radical (my thoughts on the movie itself <a href="https://hxprocessinprogress.blogspot.com/2017/12/star-wars-state-of-union.html"><span id="goog_2009503859"></span>here<span id="goog_2009503860"></span></a>). But I'm also exceptionally critical because I've loved everything Star Wars since before my age reached double digits, and when you love something, you truly want it to be the best it can possibly be. Unfortunately, the modern mindset can't comprehend how you can possibly say anything negative about anything deemed to be progress.</div>
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In that regard, this followup post really isn't about Star Wars movies. It's about Star Wars fandom. And I wouldn't feel the need to bring up the issue, except that media <i>everywhere </i>and even voices from within the franchise itself have backlashed against the backlash against TLJ (did you follow that sentence?). Fandom itself has been on trial in the weeks following the release of TLJ, because people no longer know how to disagree about things without drawing battle lines -- not even when it pertains to space operas about space wizards and laser swords. Joanna Robinson put it best in <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/12/star-wars-the-last-jedi-backlash-negative-fan-reactions-rotten-tomatoes-score">this great Vanity Fair article</a> about the same topic: "We are, these days, a culture of extremes." Therefore, it's become virtually impossible for any kind of disagreement to be cordial. That's why articles upon articles are being published, and even the Alt-Right has been brought into the conversation about maliciously impacting reviews. A strong variety of passive aggressive memes are right now being rampantly shared by official pages and fans alike, criticizing the fanbase for claiming <i>The Force Awakens</i> was too much like the original trilogy, and then claiming <i>The Last Jedi </i>wasn't like them enough. In other words, casting the filmmakers and writers as victims: "They've done what you wanted, what more do you want?"</div>
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There will never be a perfect conclusion to this trilogy. I don't say that because I'm a crotchety EU fanboy, but because there is realistically no way any filmmaker can touch any kind of original material by addding onto it or changing it in some way, and not expect somebody somewhere to have contrary opinions. Not with the amount of time that has passed between the release of ROTJ and today, a time period in which so many stories and theories and ideas have become entrenched, and not everyone is capable of letting their imagination go so easily.</div>
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And to retreat to my intial point, that SHOULD be okay. We should all be allowed to have our own opinions and disagree on which movie is the best in the Star Wars universe without being cast as ungrateful children. I'm not sure why the fanbase (or subsets of the fanbase) should be labeled fickle for disliking the direction a particular franchise film went, especially when -- by virtue of writing more stories -- you are narrowing the scope of the myth and the mystery surrounding a story by locking it into a defined narrative with defined events and defined results. If you write the followup story, you inveitably take away theories and possibilities and cast the older material in new light. That is inevitably going to irritate some people who feel as though well enough should have been left alone, while simultaneously catapulting other people with fewer preconceived notions into new heights of imagination. The novels did the same thing back in 1978 when Alan Dean Foster's <i>Splinter in the Mind's Eye </i>first hit the shelves; Lucas' prequel trilogy did it again with <i>The Phantom Menace </i>in 1999; the Disney franchise is treading the same lonely paths of mixed reviews with <i>The Force Awakens</i> and <i>The Last Jedi</i>.</div>
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When you love something, you want it to be the best it can be. As someone who's loved everything Star Wars since before his age reached double digits, and as someone who enjoyed TFA but particularly disliked TLJ (maybe -- <i>maybe</i> --<i> </i>almost as much as <i>Attack of the Clones</i>), I've also REALLY enjoyed discussing the particulars of this movie with both my friends who share my opinion and also those who completely disagreed with me. It's helped me to see things in a different light, to better articulate my qualms with the new brand of storytelling, and to talk about space wizards and laser swords with people who care as much about them as I do, albeit from different perspectives.</div>
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In sum, I'm not sure why the filmmakers and critics and media reps are so offended and disheartened that some fans strongly dislike their movie and not everyone is head-over-heels for it. I mean, there is that one idiot who started a petition to have <i>The Last Jedi</i> removed from the canon, so maybe it's all his fault? Furthermore, I really wish people who all love Star Wars could stop drawing lines in the sand of what constitutes "true fandom" and together embrace the pros and cons of the imperfect art that is storytelling. No franchise is flawless, and that's the beauty and integrity of what makes even space operas about wizards and laser swords ultimately about humanity.</div>
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Maybe <i>The Last Jedi </i>isn't the story I wanted, but it is the story I got. Perhaps Episode IX will collectively bring TFA and TLJ into a much stronger, much more cohesive focus. We won't know until we get there. And since I've loved everything Star Wars since before my age reached double digits, and because I want Star Wars to be the very best it can be... I'll wait with eager expectation.</div>
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Justin Carltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862524102546516400noreply@blogger.com0Swedesboro, NJ 08085, USA39.7476136 -75.310465439.7231951 -75.3508059 39.772032100000004 -75.2701249tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6724382508737372699.post-67886751169875866742017-12-15T13:07:00.000-05:002017-12-15T13:07:30.092-05:00Star Wars: State of the Union<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcAoudCgvVgrajUc-p0uMYueiVX7el0hIw30cycSr-CUvjRCH0zCCCIxOpH9Wc7kUsJEC75RKlcktak4OTXMShlrhFdBqpXgVRShuK4dIqs3zEObvWdT2YhTnnojjNOUnZb74KZG78svA/s1600/star_wars_the_last_jedi_2017_4k_8k-3840x2400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcAoudCgvVgrajUc-p0uMYueiVX7el0hIw30cycSr-CUvjRCH0zCCCIxOpH9Wc7kUsJEC75RKlcktak4OTXMShlrhFdBqpXgVRShuK4dIqs3zEObvWdT2YhTnnojjNOUnZb74KZG78svA/s640/star_wars_the_last_jedi_2017_4k_8k-3840x2400.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I didn't blog about <i>Rogue One</i> when it finally came out (<a href="https://hxprocessinprogress.blogspot.com/2015/03/rogue-one-looking-backward-to-look.html">although I did beforehand</a>). In my opinion, that's probably still the best new Star Wars movie to be released, although I certainly didn't love it. However, I've come to grips with where the franchise has gone, and while I've still been underwhelmed by the majority of the new content and direction, I just love Star Wars too much to stay away.</div>
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It should go without saying that there will be spoilers ahead, although I'll attempt to be as tactfully vague as possible. But seriously, if you're reading blogs about Star Wars so close to a movie premier without first seening it, I'm not really sure you have the right to be upset with anyone but yourself if anything is given away.</div>
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I'll start with things I liked about <i>The Last Jedi</i>, because I don't want to be a crotchety "old-Star-Wars-was-better, long-live-the-EU" patriot just for the sake of hating everything new.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Likes</span></b></div>
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A-Wings. I like the A-Wings. Finally, a decent -- if brief -- utilization of one of the coolest ships in the Star Wars universe. The <i>Rogue Squadron </i>and <i>X-Wing</i> simulators were some of my favorite games growing up, and the A-Wing was always a favorite of mine to fly. Of course, in its original concept, the A-Wing was primarily a lightly armed reconnaisance snubfighter, fast enough to go head-to-head with the Empire's TIE Interceptor but not really intended for dogfighting, so I suppose the tricky spot the Resistance finds itself in necessitates scrambling every available fighter for action... I'll take what I can get.</div>
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<i>Last Jedi </i>features some pretty cool Force techniques and effects. And blessedly, there is still no mention of Midichlorians anywhere in the new triliogy. I also appreciate <i>Last Jedi's</i> near direct citations of the Force according to Ben Kenobi, and the fact that it is described as its own entity, existing in the spaces between everything.</div>
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There's also a pretty cool lightsaber sequence with good choreography, believable pace, and symbolic parallelism that I really enjoyed. I won't say more. You know what I'm talking about.</div>
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This film takes a cue from George R. R. Martin and makes the bold decision to kill characters willy nilly. I like a story in which heroes and villians aren't untouchable and the audience can get a sense of their mortality. Unfortunately, I don't care enough about any of these characters to be more than passingly phased when each meets an untimely demise. Well, except for Admiral Ackbar, but <i>Force Awakens </i>and <i>Last Jedi</i> both so poorly utilized him that the scriptwriters felt it necessary to literally tell the audience that he'd died so they'd actually notice he was gone.</div>
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Lastly, I love Mark Hamill. I've got plenty of stuff I don't like about Luke Skywalker in this film, but Mark Hamill's portrayal of this iteration was great. He plays the role of reluctant mentor well, and delivers some of the movie's greatest lines. And frankly, it was just fanstastic to see Mark Hamill again wielding a lighstaber.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Dislikes</span></b></div>
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All of the bad guys in this trilogy are weak sauce -- maybe cool at a concept level, but flat in delivery. In particular, Snoke's character is a missed opportunity for a cool, mysterious villian, with a too-soon reveal, a stupid name, and stereotypical bad-guy shortsightedness. In turn, Kylo Ren is a child with powerful toys, surrounded by laughably ineffecient and unbelivable pawns. At least the grunts Vader choked out in the OT were militaristic, disciplined, and appropriately professional. In sum, there is no Vader or Palpatine equivalent to truly make this a saga of good versus evil, or even a conflict to really care about, and portrayal of The First Order is a joke compared to that of The Empire.</div>
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Rey's resistance to Kylo Ren's call to the dark side is a foregone conclusion. I mean, obviously. The good guys always win. But at least cause me to suspend my disbelief a <i>little</i>. At no point during the course of <i>Last Jedi</i> is there any real danger of Rey going to the dark side -- no legitimate temptation, no personal weaknesses. While she's the only character in this new Star Wars saga that I can really find any interesting qualities in, she's also a huge Mary Sue, because she makes all the right decisions all the time without failing. While I'm not entirely convinced we've been told her true parentage, I do appreciate the fact that the writers didn't (yet) shoehorn her into some OT genealogy, although their solution still somehow feels like a bit of a cop-out after all the anticipation surrounding the movie. I imagine the writers standing around literal drawing boards with furious ink splotches all over their faces, holding the following conversation: "Skywalker's out because that's too obvious." "Solos are out because seriously how is that even possible without them knowing?" "Kenobi's reaching." "Fett's just fan service." "She's got Qui Gon Jinn's hairstyle, is that enough?" "No, that's all stupid. Let's just play it safe instead."</div>
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Moving on.</div>
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Let's face it. Star Wars without Harrison Ford attempts to do humor and ultimately falls short. Sure, I chuckled at a handful of slapstick things in this movie, but there is no more purely Star-Wars-brand humor than Han Solo snarkiness juxtaposed with C-3P0's matter-of-factedness (who, by the way, was essentially a non-character in this film). Goofy Finn moments don't cut it any more than goofy prequel droids. Even OT Star Wars didn't shine when it tried on the Three Stooges act either (see: R2-D2 swallowed and spit out by a swamp monster; Ewok shenanigans; weird Special Edition edits to the Max Rebo band in <i>Return of the Jedi</i>).</div>
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There are only so many times a montage of weird background space aliens works for me. The prequels are notorious for their meaningless backdrops full of tentacled and strangely-dressed characters who only serve as texture. We get it. We're in space. There are aliens. You don't have to convince us anymore. <i>Rogue One</i> actually did this element well with Jedha City, and Maz's cantina in <i>The Force Awakens </i>likewise felt like it belonged because it was intentionally mirroring the Mos Eisley cantina in order to establish new Star Wars lore. But <i>Last Jedi's</i> take on Jabba's palace meets Casino Royale was forced at best, and ultimately detracted from the rest of the story that was transpiring.</div>
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I believe strongly in the "If you show the gun, you must use the gun" rule of writing -- otherwise, it's just lazy writing or lackluster fan-service. Luke's submerged T-65 X-Wing submerged was the thing in <i>Last Jedi</i> that truly got me excited, but it ultimately wasn't anything more than a symbolic set piece -- merely indicative of his abandonment of the Force and his history, and showing how he got to the island in the first place. There is nothing I would have loved more than to see Luke Skywalker use the Force to lift that classic X-Wing out of the water -- symbolizing a rebirth of his character, a "character flaw" of always coming to rescue his friends, and a new resolve to right past wrongs. He should have gotten into that X-Wing cockpit like he does in <i>every single other Star Wars movie featuring Luke Skywalker the pilot</i>. But because this new franchise is about Rey, and apparently only Poe is allowed to fly X-Wings and live in this saga, that simply couldn't happen.</div>
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In that regard, I dislike <i>everything</i> about this interpretation of Luke Skywalker's character (with the noteworthy exception of his incredible display of power at the conclusion). Hermit in exile? Sure. Crotchety and a little crazy like both of his deceased mentors? Okay. But fearful? Callous and uncaring? No reaction to Han's death or seeing Chewie again for the first time in decades? This is not the same Luke Skywalker who faced Darth Vader in ROTJ and redeemed him, whose belief in the Force motivated him to again and again face impossible odds and forsake his own training to rescue his friends, and who was so in touch with the Force that he was able to commune with the spirits of his mentors. It's even harder to accept this weak characterization coming from the EU as I do, where "Master Skywalker" is a title associated with a New Jedi Order and long-term heroism and fidelity. I get that he's hardened by his failure with Kylo Ren. And admittedly, this version of Luke could be so much more believable if I was sold on his post-ROTJ activities in the new canon, but so much lackluster backstory doesn't make Luke a tortured, tragic figure brooding on an isolated, Dagobah-esque island. It just makes him disappointing.</div>
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Lastly, my biggest complaint is the contrived plot in this film. Kasden & Kershner's script for <i>The Empire Strikes Back</i> did a fantastic job of making an extended chase sequence gripping and believable for the course of 124 minutes. <i>Last Jedi</i> attempts to emulate this, essentially taking the big plot points of <i>Empire</i> and mashing them with loose ideas from heist and action movies, and then regurgitating them into a sequence of events that play loosely with believable time lapse and ultimately drop flat or unrecognizable characters into a current of events, in which their decisions don't matter because the plot marches forward without any connection to their choices.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Conclusions</span></b></div>
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Bear in mind that I'm rating this movie on a couple of scales. My overall description of <i>The Last Jedi</i> as a standalone film devoid of context is "fun." It's entertaining, familiar, well-acted and well-produced. As the followup to <i>The Force Awakens</i>, this film is good plot development and will hopefully be a solid platform for a great conclusion to the trilogy. My big critiques come from an overall universe and writing perspective.</div>
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We should all be on the same page by now that the new Star Wars universe is a deliberate rehash of the original trilogy, rescripted and retooled for a new generation of fans. The last few times I've sat down to watch OT films with friends or students who had never seen them before, they've afterward wanted to know what the big deal was. The long and short of it is that OT Star Wars simply doesn't connect or resonate with sci-fi/fantasy fans raised in an era of J. J. Trek and high-budget blockbusters that rely more on effect than content. That's why <i>The Force Awakens </i>deliberately retold Episode IV, and <i>Last Jedi</i> borrows from <i>Empire</i> -- to bring the classic Star Wars experience to a new generation.</div>
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So while <i>The Last Jedi</i> by itself isn't so bad, this version of the Star Wars universe is just completely underwhelming to me. There's a way to do complex worldbuilding that tells/shows just enough to keep viewers intrigued about the background, yet supplies enough information to flesh out a believable context without forcing fans to go to extra-film sources unless they really want to. I'm also confident that some of the spaces have been intentionally left to be filled by further anthology films in the new Disney Canon. But by themselves, <i>The Force Awakens </i>and <i>The Last Jedi </i>lack any real concept of government (Republic, Resistance, and First Order are all just names in their film iterations with no sense of scale), believable command structures (neither as a Captain nor as a Commander would Poe Dameron have any say in any legitimate fleet chain of command), and any true understanding about the core roles each character in this saga should be playing (aside from stereotypical rogue, hero, and comic relief tropes). Ultimately, these movies are just flashy imitations hinting at the elements that made the original movies so great.</div>
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Frankly, I don't know how <i>Last Jedi </i>has been rated as highly as <i>Empire</i>. It has cool effects, cool ideas, and some exciting plot elements. But seriously? All it's done is capitalize on the hype generated by the revitalized franchise. And yet I've read far too many posts over the last few days stating that this film is moving the franchise in a "great direction," that it is possibly the greatest Star Wars film ever made, and that is simply astounding to me. What exactly <i>is </i>this "great direction?" Surprising twists and turns? Cool new space ships?</div>
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I have a sneaky suspicion that the people pushing these reviews for likes are those forward-thinking individuals who have been clamoring for the Star Wars universe to be made "more diverse" by populating it with more female and multi-ethnic characters -- casting choices that would be fantastic on their own, were they not done as such a deliberate social statement. I'm all for diversity and equal opportunity, and I love seeing different actors and actresses in new and exciting roles. But Star Wars films shouldn't be propaganda pieces for modern political ideologies -- that's Star Trek territory. Space opera can and should borrow from real life for its themes and characterizations (i.e. Lucas' Empire obviously paralleled Nazi facism), but until recent years, Star Wars has always bordered on the allegorical, not the social critique. Bottom-line, if the franchise is moving in a "great direction" according to Twitter champions, then it's likely got less to do with the storytelling and more to do with an agenda.</div>
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Forgive the rabbit trail -- I really just wanted to talk about Star Wars here. <i>Last Jedi </i>certainly didn't live up to the hype I was hearing, but I'm admittedly somewhat predisposed to be critical. Yet, despite my qualms, I'll still pay to see every Star Wars movie that Disney continues to put out, even if I am moved in my spirit to write disheartened blog posts about them afterward.</div>
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Hope springs eternal, of course, and X-Wings and lightsabers are just that fun.</div>
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Justin Carltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862524102546516400noreply@blogger.com0Swedesboro, NJ 08085, USA39.7476136 -75.310465439.7231951 -75.3508059 39.772032100000004 -75.2701249tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6724382508737372699.post-48584318559018656432017-11-03T09:28:00.001-04:002017-11-03T09:28:09.756-04:00Evaluating the health of your ministry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-1nnuDXKF-N9Ces5Vt1QOTYKFaUbivAOrc2GiwYAqHji6DHIElD22TUQm1zCLLpbnkY_Isz0pXfy3yF7l6fex2_3AgFdpbW3k16LI_waNncDxs8DzA59klrrw-in7z0JakBZR3iv4RfE/s1600/priest-offering-sacrifice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="640" height="548" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-1nnuDXKF-N9Ces5Vt1QOTYKFaUbivAOrc2GiwYAqHji6DHIElD22TUQm1zCLLpbnkY_Isz0pXfy3yF7l6fex2_3AgFdpbW3k16LI_waNncDxs8DzA59klrrw-in7z0JakBZR3iv4RfE/s640/priest-offering-sacrifice.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hand. </i>(Malachi 1.10)</blockquote>
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Post-exile and pre-Messiah, the prophet Malachi addressed these words to a religious but ultimately self-interested group of Israelites: the priests, the nation's spiritual leaders, who diluted the purity of Hebrew worship by offering blemished animals as sacrifices to the LORD rather than the perfect stock He required. More importantly, however, their hearts had no connection to the ceremonies they performed, which propped open the door for apathy and sinful practice to enter unregarded.<br />
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The church, of course, ministers within a different context, but we too would do well to heed the advice given in this text concerning the authenticity and efficacy of our ministries. If the Levitical Priesthood could grow so spiritually cold in their routine to earn such a harsh rebuke, chances are we can unfortunately do and earn the same. Briefly, here's three quick ideas I take from the text, applicable to pastors, ministry leaders and deacons, or lay staff.</div>
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<i><span style="color: white;">"<u>Shut the doors.</u>"</span></i> Whether you're the leader of your ministry or a volunteer, participants in the work of the Holy Spirit must know how to critically self-evaluate, both on a personal as well as on a corporate level. The ministries we lead and/or serve stagnate without careful and regular evaluation of their effectiveness, both in terms of their horizontal reach and also their vertical priority of glorifying God. To "shut the doors" doesn't mean to kill a struggling ministry, but rather to put it on pause or probation in order to practice repentance and perhaps even take the program back to the drawing board. Such is better than to allow an ineffective and possibly detrimental facet of your church family or nonprofit organization to further stagnate. Sometimes we have to pump the brakes a bit before we can accelerate to see growth.<br />
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If -- as was the case of the Priesthood in Malachi's Israel -- rampant sin is festering in the ranks, then it's especially time to perhaps literally close the doors and humbly sort out the persisting issues between or within personnel. Should we fail to do so, we risk not only an impotent ministry with a limited lifespan, but also the inevitable revelation by fire of a foundation loaded up with wood, hay, and straw (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+3%3A10-15&version=ESV">1 Cor 3.12-13</a>).<br />
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<i><span style="color: white;">"<u>Kindle acceptable fire.</u>"</span> </i>Early in the nation of Israel's history, Aaron's sons were executed by God Himself for kindling "strange" or "unauthorized" fire (Leviticus 10), which is likely the reference point for Malachi's choice words to the Priesthood centuries later. While it is difficult to grasp exactly what Nadab and Abihu did to incite the Lord's wrath, their actions arrogantly and probably intentionally violated the standards God had given to Moses for acceptable forms of worship within the tabernacle.<br />
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You and I must constantly ask ourselves whether we are humbly seeking to serve the Lord on HIS terms, or arrogantly insisting on our own. Often, we become far more concerned with being pragmatic, with evaluating the success of our ministries by the numbers they boast, or by how good the feedback is that we receive. I know how easy it is to pat myself on the back on the days my teens come to me after a lesson with questions or with thanks, and how easily frustrated I can become when the opposite is the case: criticism of the way I phrased something, misapplication of the point I was trying to make, or perhaps just indifferent silence.<br />
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"Acceptable fire" is what God commands. "Acceptable fire" is simply our duty as followers of Christ and ministers of His Kingdom. What might seem an ambiguous instruction is actually systematically identified across the scope of Scripture. Micah insisted on the Lord's priorities of mercy, justice, and humility (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Micah+6%3A6-8&version=ESV">6.8</a>); Jesus summarized acceptable worship as that which is done in spirit (wholeheartedness) and in truth (Scriptural accuracy) (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+4%3A21-24&version=ESV">John 4.23</a>); and James distilled true religion to careful self-control and attentive ministery to those in need (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+1%3A26-27&version=ESV">Jas 1.27</a>). The penultimate breakdown, of course, is the total worship of God and resulting servant-heartedness toward others (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+12%3A28-34&version=ESV">Mark 12.30-31</a>). Threfore, in order to kindle "acceptable fire" to the Lord, my priority as a pastor or ministry leader must first be the worship of God in my personal life, and -- second -- the edification and discipleship of those whom the ministry is intended to serve. Of course, that will look different for each ministry, which each has its own unique reach and function, but the supreme values of God's glorification and one-anothering must be central. Anything else is akin to unacceptable fire.<br />
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A few good evaluating questions on this point:<br />
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<li>Do I have a personal agenda, or am I doing the work of God? Which am I <i>actually</i> accomplishing?</li>
<li>Am I driven by the praise and opinions of others, or by the parameters of Scripture?</li>
<li>What do I consider to be "success" in this ministry?</li>
<li>How am I pursuing long-term goals rather than simple maintenance?</li>
<li>Who benefits from this ministry -- me, or the people it is intended to serve?</li>
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<i><span style="color: white;"><u>Take pleasure in Him.</u></span></i> At the core of Malachi's indictment is that the priests have allowed themselves to descend into careless routine, with hearts that take no delight in worship. In order for God to say, "I have no pleasure in you," we must have first reached the point where we have no invested interest in pleasing Him. So the question is, what kind of attitude do I bring to my ministerial responsibilities? What kinds of compromises -- for the sake of ease, time, reputation, or otherwise -- am I willing to make that could damage the ministry's integrity? How has the freshness of the gospel, with its uniquely renewed mercies, impacted my heart for the Kingdom work that I'm doing? Regardless of circumstances and difficult people, you and I will never lack for love of doing ministry if we never lack for love and adoration of God Himself.<br />
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On one hand, we cannot effectively minister if the work is a drag. On the other, we cannot effectively minister if we get pumped for programming but fail to engage our hearts in personal relationship with Jesus. If the former is true, our frustrations and weariness will inevitably and negatively impact what we are trying to accomplish. If the latter is true, our "ministry" is only going to spin its wheels on the road to spiritual maturity, because the kind of fellowship and growth you espouse will lack the genuine worship component of true relationship with the Savior. Either frame of mind is a failure to delight in the Lord and the work He has laid out for you to do.<br />
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Instead, "shut the doors" -- pause and invest in your own walk with Jesus. Offer "acceptable fire" by "taking pleasure in Him," and then see what He is able to accomplish through your willing hands.<br />
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Justin Carltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862524102546516400noreply@blogger.com0Woodstown, NJ 08098, USA39.651502699999988 -75.32824540000001439.62705119999999 -75.368585900000014 39.675954199999985 -75.287904900000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6724382508737372699.post-38612975917697348382017-09-23T10:54:00.003-04:002017-09-23T10:54:35.662-04:00The End is Near, 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQiWATM0g99ZDtvwppDfX9b4gfEpcueH3y8KCpqKM5GWz3cPMOFNGeHYYx3lgNPzYeLoICTpNyLuZibItih7zvVZOuPg07N3k7wvxnSmf8oRKg9HhhWwRZl-xs-PdyUGqLX34dDzHXzYA/s1600/Screen-Shot-2014-03-12-at-9.30.27-AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="489" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQiWATM0g99ZDtvwppDfX9b4gfEpcueH3y8KCpqKM5GWz3cPMOFNGeHYYx3lgNPzYeLoICTpNyLuZibItih7zvVZOuPg07N3k7wvxnSmf8oRKg9HhhWwRZl-xs-PdyUGqLX34dDzHXzYA/s320/Screen-Shot-2014-03-12-at-9.30.27-AM.png" width="280" /></a></div>
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The world was supposed to end today. Again.</div>
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Since it's still before noon Eastern Time, I suppose the apocalypse could always make a mid-afternoon appearance, though I'd imagine there would be more preliminary earthquakes, drastic temperature spikes, and maybe horns blasting in the heavens before that penultimate moment of final judgment. Or, if you're an atheist, nothingness.</div>
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We all have an idea of how the end will go down. Right now, Hollywood is infatuated with a zombie-related apocalypse. A few years ago, it was an apocalypse related to climate change and careless mistreatment of Mother Earth (<i>The Day After Tomorrow</i>, anyone?). Other runners-up remain post-nuclear war and vampires, but Planet X crashing into the earth is as good an option as any.</div>
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Jabs aside, pausing to actually consider the end -- realistically, death, as opposed to cataclysm or apocalypse -- should be a sobering practice. Not morbid, but focusing. When we consider the end of our lives, we reach for the things that are important to us. Nothing quite reveals our treasures like the threat of losing them, or the knowledge that we will soon leave them behind.</div>
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In that regard, for the Christian, predicting the end is less important than living with the end in mind. In other words, I don't want to set arbitrary (or hypothetically "informed") dates on the end of the world so much as I want to live like that date <i>could</i> be tomorrow. There's a difference. On one hand, I have a deadline, but on the other, I have a priority.</div>
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How many of us in younger years were given responsibilities by our parents before they left for the day or the evening, and we spent the hours doing what we wanted, only to scramble to accomplish the chore in the last fifteen minutes before Mom and Dad returned? Knowing the time of their return fostered laziness and irresponsibility, because we knew exactly how much time we had to get done what they wanted and yet still prioritize what <i>we</i> wanted. That's not truly living a life of obedience. </div>
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Better yet, remember cramming for a final because you didn't spend any time preparing in the weeks since receiving the syllabus? That isn't really learning the material -- it's merely memorizing for a deadline, and then regurgitating information that we will promptly forget, leaving no real or lasting impact. That's not truly being studious.</div>
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In the same regard, if we are to pursue the priorities of Christ and live as He did, we can't presume upon time to come any more than we can assume a final date. Rather, we should take Paul's advice to the Ephesians, which is to "make the best use" of the time we have, or to "redeem" it -- that is, to purchase it back and make it profitable (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ephesians+5%3A15-17&version=ESV">Eph 5.16</a>). In other words, in the same way that our lives were spiritually dead, cold, and ultimately fruitless before the Spirit called us out of that darkness and made us alive and fruitful, we should give the time that God has supplied the same treatment: not using it wastefully, spending it on ourselves, but using it productively for His Kingdom.</div>
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If, in His earthly ministry, the Son of Man Himself didn't know the hour of the final judgment, then how am I to possibly hang my hat on a calendar date of my own choosing? Furthermore, Jesus' advice regarding the end of all things isn't to become a mathematician and scientifically wager on the details of <i>when</i>. To the contrary, He speaks fervently of the priority of <i>readiness</i>, which isn't based on a knowledge of when the end will come, but on a wholehearted commitment to worship.</div>
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In other words, <i>be </i>a Christian. It's who you are. You can't just mechanically do the stuff a Christian is supposed to do on your own timeframe and assume that you're in the clear because you're making the deadline.</div>
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When the Master <i>does </i>finally<i> </i>come, may He find each of His children faithfully laboring on behalf of the orphan and widow, loving Him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. Living that way, with an eternal perspective, is an expression of a changed heart that truly knows the Savior and delights to live for Him.</div>
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Justin Carltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862524102546516400noreply@blogger.com0Woodstown, NJ 08098, USA39.651502699999988 -75.32824540000001439.62705119999999 -75.368585900000014 39.675954199999985 -75.287904900000015