I came home from the hospital tonight to read this e-mail from Jason Evans:
My dear friend, hero and fellow church planter, Mark Palmer, has passed away. Mark was a beloved father to Micah - who turned 4 on Saturday, husband to beautiful Amy, son to Mr. and Mrs. Palmer, brother to C.J. and an encouraging friend to countless many. He planted a network of faith communities called, The Landing Place in Columbus, OH. He was a leader and friend amongst these communities up until he passed away this morning. Please pray for Amy, Micah, his parents, brother and the Landing Place community.
Mark's insurance rejected him about midway through his battle with cancer. Some have asked how they can help offset the overwhelming expenses for his care. I guess the best way would be to send checks to: Amy Palmer 64 King Ave Columbus, OH 43201
Brooke and I will be flying out to Columbus on Wed. night most likely. We will carry your prayers with us.
I miss my friend terribly bad right now. But I wrote this on my blog this morning: "... I refuse to be without hope. Even now, Palmer's steady, calm strength envigorates me and pushes me forward. What our enemy, Death, does not realize is that this has simply fueled our flame of chasing after Jesus' and his dream for this world even more passionately. Death will not win here, ultimately. Death's fate is already sealed. You will lose. Yahweh wins." Amen.
Jason
for the Collective
________________________________________________________
Earlier tonight I had written this:
Hey Friends!
Nadia Danae Buist arrived tonight at 6:34 p.m. (March 27) She weighs 6 lbs, 15 oz, and she is 19 inches long. Kathy & Nadia are resting peacefully after a good delivery.
Shalom,
Randy
_________________________________________________
As I weep, I wrote the following comment over at Palmer's blog:
This afternoon we celebrated the birth of our third child, Nadia Denae. Mom and baby are healthy. Tonight I came home to read about Mark's earthly journey coming to an end.
My wife, Kathy, met Mark several years ago. We've stayed up on your family since that time, and we've walked from a distance... all of this to say, I wasn't big on the name Nadia at first, but... it means 'to hope' or to be 'hopeful.' As I doubted the name and considered alternatives this afternoon, I kept thinking of Mark.
Yet, I had no idea of your pain this morning. In the midst of your pain, may you find hope. With more love than I can leave here.
Shalom,
randy buist
(for Kathy, Anna, Jaden, and Nadia too)
___________________________________________________
So, I think it's time to curl up on the couch and pray and cry and thank God and lament and cry and sleep -- hopefully in the arms of my God.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Global war on terror...
I have this perplexing question in my mind... how does one fight a 'global war on terror'?
My reason for asking is this: As a follower of Jesus, I believe that evil exists. I also beleive it exists within all of us. So, I've shown my hand on this matter. As a theologian, I am at least a partial Calvinist. I believe we are all sinful, broken, and potentiallly destructive people.
So, how does one fight a 'global war on terror'? It seems a war against poverty, an assult on the AIDS virus, providing shelter for those without, and creating schools to educate are ALL more attainable goals. Those are all biblical goals.
It seems, from the biblical text, that eradicting evil needs to be left to Jesus Christ, God himself.
You need to know that I am not trying to take a potshot here. I believe this war has created one more means by which we entirely mess up the gospel story, and it results in us interpreting the bibilcal account wrong for another generation to follow.
My reason for asking is this: As a follower of Jesus, I believe that evil exists. I also beleive it exists within all of us. So, I've shown my hand on this matter. As a theologian, I am at least a partial Calvinist. I believe we are all sinful, broken, and potentiallly destructive people.
So, how does one fight a 'global war on terror'? It seems a war against poverty, an assult on the AIDS virus, providing shelter for those without, and creating schools to educate are ALL more attainable goals. Those are all biblical goals.
It seems, from the biblical text, that eradicting evil needs to be left to Jesus Christ, God himself.
You need to know that I am not trying to take a potshot here. I believe this war has created one more means by which we entirely mess up the gospel story, and it results in us interpreting the bibilcal account wrong for another generation to follow.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Emerging what?
Over dinner tonight, a good friend asked me if I was yet tired of this emerging church conversation. (?) As we talked through the question, it became clear that he, or at least some of his congregants, want clear definition.
In other words, we prefer a simple gospel that is easily understood. We prefer black and white because it is much simpler. Hmmm. So how does that word 'simpler' look? Why not present a gospel that is easy to digest? Why not say one thing is unequivocally wrong and another thing is unequivocally correct? It makes life easy. It avoids thinking. After all, we're too tired after a hard day of work to think about faith. We're too tired to be thoughtful. Just tell us what to believe preacher man!
And then my mind returns to the gospel. You choose the location. Jesus sitting on the beach as the sun comes over the horizon in the morning or Jesus in the town square or Jesus in a boat... And we have parables that we are still trying to fully understand two thousand years later. Yes, 2000 years later.
I sense that we prefer a simple gospel that is easily read. We prefer believing that everyday Christians can fully understand the text. That's what we want to believe. YET.
Yet, we also foster the belief that seminary, Greek and Hebrew included, as well as good exegesis are important to understanding the biblical text. So, good theologicans are important for a good understanding of the text... but they are not too important.
Ultimately, it gets us in a bind. It's like wearing (excuse me ladies) boxers with a constant weggie. OR, it's like the reformers claiming the 'priesthood of all believers' and yet never giving the congregants (those from the congregation) a platform to speak about what the Spirit is proclaiming in thier lives.
Perhaps I am even a bit conflicted as I hope for a church in homogenious Hudsonville to be embracing of mixed Chrisitan traditions, Christian and public school supporters, lovers of sinners regardless if it happens to be heterosexual lust or homosexual lust. Perhaps I am hoping for a manifestation of the kingdom in a community that has chosen to be an upper middle class community.
Yet, I must continue to hope for a better understanding of the biblical text lived out even in this community. I must take the words of Paul seriously.... faith, hope, and love.
I must hope that at least a few faithful are willing to surrender their pre-conceived notions of right and wrong in order to live more fully into the biblical text. And perhaps that means living a life that is not filled with lots of answers for the congregants. Perhaps it means I learn to ask more faithful questions: How is your marriage really doing? How can I walk with you through this valley of death? (or perhaps even, "May I just walk with you?") May I be your friend even though you're gay and I am not? How can you help me break racial barriers for the sake of my children?
But I'm not sure we're really after faithfulness that requires thoughtfulness. I think we prefer knowing 'right and wrong' in simple form... but it seems to fall a long ways from the gospel of Jesus.
In other words, we prefer a simple gospel that is easily understood. We prefer black and white because it is much simpler. Hmmm. So how does that word 'simpler' look? Why not present a gospel that is easy to digest? Why not say one thing is unequivocally wrong and another thing is unequivocally correct? It makes life easy. It avoids thinking. After all, we're too tired after a hard day of work to think about faith. We're too tired to be thoughtful. Just tell us what to believe preacher man!
And then my mind returns to the gospel. You choose the location. Jesus sitting on the beach as the sun comes over the horizon in the morning or Jesus in the town square or Jesus in a boat... And we have parables that we are still trying to fully understand two thousand years later. Yes, 2000 years later.
I sense that we prefer a simple gospel that is easily read. We prefer believing that everyday Christians can fully understand the text. That's what we want to believe. YET.
Yet, we also foster the belief that seminary, Greek and Hebrew included, as well as good exegesis are important to understanding the biblical text. So, good theologicans are important for a good understanding of the text... but they are not too important.
Ultimately, it gets us in a bind. It's like wearing (excuse me ladies) boxers with a constant weggie. OR, it's like the reformers claiming the 'priesthood of all believers' and yet never giving the congregants (those from the congregation) a platform to speak about what the Spirit is proclaiming in thier lives.
Perhaps I am even a bit conflicted as I hope for a church in homogenious Hudsonville to be embracing of mixed Chrisitan traditions, Christian and public school supporters, lovers of sinners regardless if it happens to be heterosexual lust or homosexual lust. Perhaps I am hoping for a manifestation of the kingdom in a community that has chosen to be an upper middle class community.
Yet, I must continue to hope for a better understanding of the biblical text lived out even in this community. I must take the words of Paul seriously.... faith, hope, and love.
I must hope that at least a few faithful are willing to surrender their pre-conceived notions of right and wrong in order to live more fully into the biblical text. And perhaps that means living a life that is not filled with lots of answers for the congregants. Perhaps it means I learn to ask more faithful questions: How is your marriage really doing? How can I walk with you through this valley of death? (or perhaps even, "May I just walk with you?") May I be your friend even though you're gay and I am not? How can you help me break racial barriers for the sake of my children?
But I'm not sure we're really after faithfulness that requires thoughtfulness. I think we prefer knowing 'right and wrong' in simple form... but it seems to fall a long ways from the gospel of Jesus.
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