like a fire

I have read this book recently and have been amazed by it. On the one hand, the pictures of the Trinity, our path of redemption and the amazing beauty portrayed in the book are overwhelming. On the other hand, the controversy surrounding it is baffling and maybe more interesting than the book itself.

I read the book without trying to break it down theologically. I just read it to experience it. It didn’t hit any of my alarms, which might be a miracle, sense I am pretty critical. Having reflected on it, there are things that I wonder about. For example, there is no mention of Satan. The idea of punishment leads me to believe that, if the book were true, that God never punishes. Yet we have examples all through the Bible, from the flood to God hardening Pharoah’s heart. So while I do see some things I question, I didn’t have any worries about recommending it to others (which I apparently don’t need to do since so many are already reading it).

What I wasn’t expecting was the adamant reaction of others to the book. I have heard claims tat it is anti-church, universalistic, anti-heirarchical, and monarchianistic. I really didn’t think that this book would shake so many trees.

So having thought through the book have decided to read it through again with my magnifier out. I can’t promise that I will see ay more in it than before, but I am going to give it a shot, just to dignify a response to some of the criticism.

I would say that I read the book first as a… book. That is to say, not the Bible or a theological treatise. I kind of hate to ruin it as a book because others want to try to make it something it doesn’t claim to be, but for unity’s sake, here I go.

So I have been blogging about this for a while. Christians are just annoying. They are rude, sometimes pedantic and occasionally stupid. So why not me. I mean, this mostly started with the word “missional”. What is missional? It’s a made up word that means following the mission of the church. What that mission is depends on who you talk to, btw.

So today I heard the response from the leader of the Episcopal Churchin America to the statement issued from GAFCON (Could there be a worse name for a meeting?). It is evasive and equivocating and just plain annoying. In other words, perfect for this post. Her response:

“Much of the Anglican world must be lamenting the latest emission from GAFCON. Anglicanism has always been broader than some find comfortable. This statement does not represent the end of Anglicanism, merely another chapter in a centuries-old struggle for dominance by those who consider themselves the only true believers. Anglicans will continue to worship God in their churches, serve the hungry and needy in their communities, and build missional relationships with others across the globe, despite the desire of a few leaders to narrow the influence of the gospel. We look forward to the opportunities of the Lambeth Conference for constructive conversation, inspired prayer, and relational encounters.”

That’s right, he refers to the statement as an “emission” which, since it doesn’t come from a car, can only mean flatulence. She does however throw in the word “missional”. Forget the thought that she thinks a “few leaders” is actually the majority of the leaders in the Anglican Communion, let’s focus on words.

Emission -

1 a: an act or instance of emitting : emanation barchaic : publication c: a putting into circulation2 a: something sent forth by emitting: as (1): electromagnetic radiation from an antenna or a celestial body (2)usually plural : substances discharged into the air (as by a smokestack or an automobile engine) b: effluvium

Missional -

adopting the posture, thinking, behaviors, and practices of a missionary in order to engage others with the gospel message.

So for the sake of me being annoying, I submit a new word for Christians.

Emissional -

Radiating the part of the gospel that is completely true and right, but offends some people who don’t want to hear the truth and in fact try to cover up the truth when it reveals things they don’t like to admit. This word will surely become very useful in the present church, especially in America, where the gospel has been corrupted by so many. Just look back a couple of posts to the Obama/Dobson debacle. Use it in a sentence - Obama, in an emissional statement about his faith in the role of government, clearly believes the the place of government is not to endorse any one faith.

I am really excited about the future of epistemology in the church.

I had a conversation with one of my youth the other day about cars. He is soon to be turning sixteen and his parents are having him pay for half of his car. This is a bit uncommon for his area and a friend of his just got the new Infiniti sports coupe from his grandparents. We were talking about what kind of cars we would get if we had about $50k to drop on one. He had a couple of ideas, but I was really stuck. I just could think of a single car I would drop that much on. I now have it.

This is the Tesla car. It goes 0-60 in 3.9 seconds and costs less than 2 cents per mile to drive. It’s not bad on the eyes either. This car screams “YOUTH MINISTRY”. Well not actually, but I hear they are announcing new lines of this car including sedans and vans. I really hope this is a hit and that the fearful gas dependent manufacturers are taking notice.

Today, I pick up Cathy at the airport and end my time as a solo Dad. I had a really great time and learned a lot. So here are my lessons learned.

1. Jane is a Pirate, Elizabeth is a ninja - We have said it before, but it was proven again this week. Little E can wreck a room in zero seconds, proving her ninja speed.

The scenario that played out was during a game of hide and seek. I am hiding and Jane and Ella come in to the room. I hear the sound of skin htting skin and hear E start to cry. Jane is hitting her, so I take her aside and am talking to her and correcting her. While this is happening, I put on a youtube video for E. After correcting Jane I come back into the room. Now this is more my fault than Elizabth’s because I left it out, but when I get back, she has turned a sketch that I have been working on more time than I care to admit into a piece of black paper.

2. Jane needs a Mommy, bad - Jane is a great little girl with high social needs. Sometimes, we just can’t get her to stop talking. The first day she was alright and didn’t notice Cathy’s abesence so much. The second day, her behavior and social needs started showing the absence of her mother. Last night, she just cried in frustration after having a night of attention seeking behavior. Jane just needs her mother sometimes.

3. I am ADD when I don’t get my social needs met - I generally think of myself as a fairly self-sustaining person. I dream, occassionally, of moving to Montana and living as a semi-hermit. Mid-day Saturday I was craving some adult face time. I had talked on the phone a couple of times with friends and Cathy, but I hadn’t had any relating in proximity with an adult for three days. I was going a little lot bonkers. I realized I have some pretty high social needs s well. Big tells for my needs are: low attention span (I couldn’t even make it through a movie without losing interest), manic conversations when I see an opportunity (I was more social than I have ever been at church Sunday morning just because I wanted conversation with someone older than 4), and a willingness to eat just about anything.

After all, it was a great week and I am really glad Cathy got some time to herself, but I am really ready to see her again. We pick her up today at 10:48. You can bet I won’t be late.

As a mother’s day gift, I encouraged Cathy to take some time and spend it with her friends and let me keep the girls. So, yesterday morning Cathy flew down to Orlando and my weekend with my two daughters began. What a bittersweet time.

I really love my wife and we affectionately call ourselves Team Martin. We really work together to make things happen, and, while we can defintely make do with half the team, it isn’t nearly as easy as it normally is. Having said that:

We had a really great day yesterday. After droping Cathy off at the airport (an adventure in itself for Jane), we did our normal Daddy daughters time - a Target run. I picked up some fun for Jane later and then it was time to get home for lunch. The girls had pizza but I had, of all things, a salad. Those of you who know, this is not my normal preferred meal, but my wife has been inspiring me to eat better, so…

After a short nap, Jane and I made pie. Well, we kind of made pie. We actually used premade crusts that were 3 inches in diameter and used the mixer to mix powder and milk to make Jello no-bake cheesecake. We then made a library run, movie run and grocery run. We got back, did some coloring and art (like Mommy) and then made some dinner (breakfast burritos and waffles for Ella). Then we got the big treat of mini-cheescake. For entertainment, we watched most of Dumbo, which Jane picked for her movie, baths and then bed time.It was actually a really great night.

I have no idea what we are doing today. I had planned on a trip to the grandparents, but they are going out of town. I then thought of the Zoo, but I think it is going to rain today. I miss Cathy right now. She usually has a couple of ideas at this point.