For the past couple of weeks, I've been hearing in a couple of my classes that God changes His mind. This could be due to His intimate relationships with the prophets of the Old Testament or maybe the prayers of people who are suffering in various situations today. However, tonight as I was reading in Genesis, I read something I found rather interesting.
"The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the Lord said, 'I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth---men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air---for I am grieved that I have made them." - Genesis 6:6-7 - Life Application Study Bible, NIV.
Here's what the commentary says about these verses: "Does this mean that God regretted creating humanity? Was he admitting he made a mistake? No. God does not change his mind (1 Samuel 15:29). Instead, he was expressing sorrow for what the people had done to themselves, as a parent might express sorrow over a rebellious child. God was sorry that the people chose sin and death instead of a relationship with him."
I then went to read the verse in 1 Samuel, and here's what verses 28-29 say: Samuel said to (Saul), 'The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors---to one better than you. He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind.'" This text leads me to Numbers 23:19 which says: "God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?"
Malachi 3:6 says: "I the Lord do not change." James 1:17 says: "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."
This gives me reason to believe that God doesn't change His mind, but instead by calling us into a relationship with Him, gives us just a taste of what He's up to in the world and how He wants us to join Him in accomplishing His purpose in the lives of individuals and communities we come in contact with everyday.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
An Abraham type of call story
Three years ago, I was teaching band in Seymour, IA. When God started calling me to ministry, more specifically to Luther Seminary, I fought it. Maybe it's more accurate to say I didn't fight it because I'd fought it twice before. But I still thought the idea was nuts because at the time, I had no desire to come back to the Lutheran church. God made clear to me what Paul said in one of his letters to the Corinthians. He said, "who is Apollos? Who is Paul? Nothing, but servants through whom you came to believe. For it is Paul who planted, Apollos who watered, but God who gave the growth." So I decided to pray this out and see what God was up to.
Three years later, I'm at seminary. When I realized God was calling me here and wasn't going to let me run away from it this time, I had no clue what God was doing. I was just simply stepping out in faith. I was talking to someone about my candidacy committee's decision on my endorsement, which I'm 100% OK with. I had been asked by someone on my committee if I had ever thought about going to a Baptist seminary and pursuing ordained ministry within the Baptist denomination. I said I hadn't because when I began praying and asking God how He planned on carrying this out, He revealed Luther Seminary to me. So I decided to do the MDiv track which leads to ordained ministry, though I had no idea why I even decided to do that. Maybe I could have become a member of a Baptist church and gone through candidacy in the Baptist denomination but still have gone to Luther, but that's not exactly the way God paved for me. Somehow, He paved this way for me, and I have no idea why.
Back to the conversation with one of my classmates. I was telling her about this and she related my story to Abraham's story in Genesis. God called Abraham to simply go to the land He would show him. Abraham obeyed while not having any idea what God was up to. I have no idea what God is up to, but I believe God's in total control and will reveal what He's up to when I need to know. Right now, I'm just simply praying about a particular type of ministry that God is slowly giving me a desire for and doing some of my own research about that ministry. Even as I pray about that ministry, I still have no clue if that's why God called me to Luther to begin with. So I continue walking down this journey, trusting that God will bring to fruition what He has begun in me.
Three years later, I'm at seminary. When I realized God was calling me here and wasn't going to let me run away from it this time, I had no clue what God was doing. I was just simply stepping out in faith. I was talking to someone about my candidacy committee's decision on my endorsement, which I'm 100% OK with. I had been asked by someone on my committee if I had ever thought about going to a Baptist seminary and pursuing ordained ministry within the Baptist denomination. I said I hadn't because when I began praying and asking God how He planned on carrying this out, He revealed Luther Seminary to me. So I decided to do the MDiv track which leads to ordained ministry, though I had no idea why I even decided to do that. Maybe I could have become a member of a Baptist church and gone through candidacy in the Baptist denomination but still have gone to Luther, but that's not exactly the way God paved for me. Somehow, He paved this way for me, and I have no idea why.
Back to the conversation with one of my classmates. I was telling her about this and she related my story to Abraham's story in Genesis. God called Abraham to simply go to the land He would show him. Abraham obeyed while not having any idea what God was up to. I have no idea what God is up to, but I believe God's in total control and will reveal what He's up to when I need to know. Right now, I'm just simply praying about a particular type of ministry that God is slowly giving me a desire for and doing some of my own research about that ministry. Even as I pray about that ministry, I still have no clue if that's why God called me to Luther to begin with. So I continue walking down this journey, trusting that God will bring to fruition what He has begun in me.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
CPE and submitting to God's Will
Last week, I was offered a position to fulfill my CPE requirement at a nursing home in the spring. I spent some time thinking about it knowing I didn't really want to do it in the spring. Last Thursday, I had a conversation with God about it and less than 24 hours later, I got an email from the supervisor at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester, MN about scheduling an interview. I went down for an interview today and was offered a spot for the summer down there. My roommate had suggested a month ago that I send her an email letting her know of my interest, but I never felt like I was supposed to.
I've also discovered recently that when I lay things down at the foot of the cross, God gives me a peace about what I've prayed about. My experience this past week with CPE interviews are a good example about that.
Hopefully, tomorrow's entry is much more coherent.
I've also discovered recently that when I lay things down at the foot of the cross, God gives me a peace about what I've prayed about. My experience this past week with CPE interviews are a good example about that.
Hopefully, tomorrow's entry is much more coherent.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
God, Evil, Suffering, Spiritual Warfare
This semester I'm taking a class called God, Evil, and Suffering. I've been wondering for the last month when it would be a good time to bring up the idea of spiritual warfare. This week is the time. Here is my precept paper I wrote for this week.
This whole semester I’ve been wondering why we haven’t spent any time talking about where the devil might fit into the problem of evil. The whole idea of spiritual warfare is something that I believe to be real and therefore have wondered when it would be best to bring up that subject in precept. Our reading in Hall’s book, God and Human Suffering gave me a reason to bring up the subject of spiritual warfare.
In the section of the Theology of the Cross, Hall writes, “What adjective do we use for God more frequently (especially in our prayers) than ‘Almighty’? Jesus, in our hymns and liturgies, turns out again and again to be the Victor, the Conqueror, the Warrior-prince, the Captain of souls, the Slayer of foes. The church is ‘like a mighty army,’ a powerful and glorious movement, a crusade, waging battle (mission?) against all comers. The life of faith, accordingly, is a fight, a conflict with unbelievers, a struggle against the flesh, and so on.”[1] He goes on to say that this type of power betrays the more subtle “wisdom of the cross” in 1 Corinthians 1-2 and that the only power that can address suffering humanity is the power of love made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).
I don’t believe that type of power Hall talks about betrays the wisdom of the cross. What I do believe is that on the cross is where we find that power. It’s just not revealed to us until the resurrection occurs. I believe that within the suffering of Christ comes victory. According to 1 John 3:8, “The Son of God was revealed for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.” Hebrews 2:14 says that since the children of God share flesh and blood, Christ himself shared the same things, “so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil.” Paul also encourages people in his letter to the Ephesians. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”[2]
I believe that we are in the middle of spiritual warfare. In John 10:10, Jesus says the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but that He has come to bring abundant life. I believe there is a thief at work in the world, and in individual people as well. But then the question could be raised, “Did God decide to plant us within this spiritual warfare?” I would answer no. When I read Genesis, I read that God created humankind in his image. It was after He created humankind that we were tempted and gave into temptation. I believe it was, and is, our giving into temptation that gives the devil a foothold in this world.
[1] Hall, Douglas John, God and Human Suffering, pg. 106
[2] Ephesians 6:10-12
This whole semester I’ve been wondering why we haven’t spent any time talking about where the devil might fit into the problem of evil. The whole idea of spiritual warfare is something that I believe to be real and therefore have wondered when it would be best to bring up that subject in precept. Our reading in Hall’s book, God and Human Suffering gave me a reason to bring up the subject of spiritual warfare.
In the section of the Theology of the Cross, Hall writes, “What adjective do we use for God more frequently (especially in our prayers) than ‘Almighty’? Jesus, in our hymns and liturgies, turns out again and again to be the Victor, the Conqueror, the Warrior-prince, the Captain of souls, the Slayer of foes. The church is ‘like a mighty army,’ a powerful and glorious movement, a crusade, waging battle (mission?) against all comers. The life of faith, accordingly, is a fight, a conflict with unbelievers, a struggle against the flesh, and so on.”[1] He goes on to say that this type of power betrays the more subtle “wisdom of the cross” in 1 Corinthians 1-2 and that the only power that can address suffering humanity is the power of love made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).
I don’t believe that type of power Hall talks about betrays the wisdom of the cross. What I do believe is that on the cross is where we find that power. It’s just not revealed to us until the resurrection occurs. I believe that within the suffering of Christ comes victory. According to 1 John 3:8, “The Son of God was revealed for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.” Hebrews 2:14 says that since the children of God share flesh and blood, Christ himself shared the same things, “so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil.” Paul also encourages people in his letter to the Ephesians. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”[2]
I believe that we are in the middle of spiritual warfare. In John 10:10, Jesus says the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but that He has come to bring abundant life. I believe there is a thief at work in the world, and in individual people as well. But then the question could be raised, “Did God decide to plant us within this spiritual warfare?” I would answer no. When I read Genesis, I read that God created humankind in his image. It was after He created humankind that we were tempted and gave into temptation. I believe it was, and is, our giving into temptation that gives the devil a foothold in this world.
[1] Hall, Douglas John, God and Human Suffering, pg. 106
[2] Ephesians 6:10-12
Dismantling Racism
I'm learning not to take into much account the opinions of other people. My workshop tonight in preparation of a cross-cultural trip to Pine Ridge, SD was very eye-opening. Here's what the handout said.
Defining Racism
1. If we want to work on solutions to racism, we need a common definition and a common analysis of racism.
2. Racism is not the same thing as individual race prejudice, bias and bigotry. All people are racially prejudiced (regardless of racial/ethnic identity). It is part of the air we breathe. It is socialized into every person. But this does not mean that everyone is racist.
3. Racism is more than race prejudice. It is more than individual attitudes and actions. Racism is the collective actions of a dominant racial group.
4. Power turns race prejudice into racism. Racial prejudice becomes racism when one group's racial prejudices are enforced by the systems and institutions of a society, giving power and privilege based on racial identity to the group in power, and limiting the power and privilege of the racial groups that are not in power. Racism is, therefore, the misuse of systemic power.
Race prejudice + The power of systems and institutions = RACISM (the misuse of power by systems and institutions)
Our presenter closed with a passage from Isaiah 62:1, which says, "For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch." My question is, what does salvation look like, not only for white people, but for people of color regarding the issue of racism? When I got home from the workshop, I read some more of that chapter from Isaiah. Verses 2-5 shed some more light on the subject. "The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give. You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your builder marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you."
Defining Racism
1. If we want to work on solutions to racism, we need a common definition and a common analysis of racism.
2. Racism is not the same thing as individual race prejudice, bias and bigotry. All people are racially prejudiced (regardless of racial/ethnic identity). It is part of the air we breathe. It is socialized into every person. But this does not mean that everyone is racist.
3. Racism is more than race prejudice. It is more than individual attitudes and actions. Racism is the collective actions of a dominant racial group.
4. Power turns race prejudice into racism. Racial prejudice becomes racism when one group's racial prejudices are enforced by the systems and institutions of a society, giving power and privilege based on racial identity to the group in power, and limiting the power and privilege of the racial groups that are not in power. Racism is, therefore, the misuse of systemic power.
Race prejudice + The power of systems and institutions = RACISM (the misuse of power by systems and institutions)
Our presenter closed with a passage from Isaiah 62:1, which says, "For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch." My question is, what does salvation look like, not only for white people, but for people of color regarding the issue of racism? When I got home from the workshop, I read some more of that chapter from Isaiah. Verses 2-5 shed some more light on the subject. "The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give. You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your builder marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you."
Monday, November 5, 2007
Genesis 1-3
I heard something about Genesis 3 at Alpha last night that I thought was pretty interesting. Our pastor was talking about resisting the devil and talked about the serpent tempting Eve. He talked about this story as if it were happening today. God says to Eve, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you." God is punishing Eve by telling her she is going to experience raising kids who choose sin over obedience. God is also telling her she will desire her husband. In today's society, some women love their husbands even though their husbands beat them. God goes on to punish Adam in verses 17-19 by telling Adam he's going to be a workaholic. Adam's job was to till the ground, but now he will seek meaning in life by working constantly.
What's cool about this is that as soon as Adam and Eve ate the apple and discovered their shame and hid, God set in motion a plan redemption that would come to fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Praise God for that redemption from sin!
What's cool about this is that as soon as Adam and Eve ate the apple and discovered their shame and hid, God set in motion a plan redemption that would come to fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Praise God for that redemption from sin!
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Life at Seminary
I've decided to enter the world of blogging to let people know what's going on at seminary. It's been quite a journey the last year and a half and I still don't completely understand what God is doing in me. I also decided to try this method of journaling about my own quiet time with God.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
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