Hey folks!

Recently, a young friend (who is a follower of Jesus) asked me the following question – “What does it mean by hearing the spirit/voice of God? How do you really hear?”  I thought it would be a great opportunity to get some insight and practical advice from our readers.  So, what do you think?  Any and all help is greatly appreciated. 

We look forward to your comments.

Sorry it’s been a while since our last post.  Hopefully, there are still a few folks who will drop in every now and again to read or share.

Dee is doing well.  Actually, she’s working on her dissertation today (meeting with her adviser this afternoon).  She’s making good progress in her studies and very much enjoys her class that she teaches each week (consisting of both graduate & undergraduate students).

I was thinking today of the impact of our communication with one another, especially as members of the faith family.  Do we consider much the influence our conversations bear upon those around us?  This seems to be an area where one can ever-so-easily drift, slowly but surely, from the shores of guarded words.  When does general conversation concerning someone else transition to being ‘gossip’?  How do we safeguard against going ‘too far’ concerning information, opinion, or ‘concern’ in talking of others?

Oftentimes, we celebrate those who speak well.  Those who can wow us oratorically tend to stand out from the crowds.  Yet, what of those who are silent well?  What of those who seem not to belittle others in order to make themselves look all the better?  How do we cultivate good conversation?  That conversation that exalts Christ and radiates his love toward others.

Just thinking… :happy:

Well, Dee has completed the written portions of her comprehensive exams.  She is relieved to say the least, even though she doesn’t know her score as of yet.  Overall, she feels pretty good about the tests.

Since we visited Georgia this past week, in order to be with Grandaddy who had a heart procedure, and given the fact that Dee’s exams pushed her into study overdrive, we are still in the process of unpacking, rearranging, etc. in the new house.  Things are coming along quite well; just taking a good bit of time.  And lil’ Oz (our Yorkie, of course) is adjusting.  I think he likes the new place much better.

I’ve tried to dig into quite a bit of reading here lately.  On the menu for the next several weeks is Justification (N.T. Wright), Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony (Richard Bauckham), and re-reading Theology of Hope (Jurgen Moltmann).  I’ve still got to finish People of Bread (Vondey) and Satan and the Problem of Evil (Boyd), but my teachings at the church have pushed me into the previously mentioned works at the moment (to finish the latter two in the not-too-distant future).

These last few weeks I have been pondering the call of God regarding ministry.  What does it mean to be “called to full-time ministry?”  Are all Christians called to such?  How has professionalization affected our understanding of the call of God to minister to others?  Is our ordination processes in accordance with the biblical witness?  How does one decide which organization (denomination) within which to serve?  How does the church safeguard brothers and sisters from venturing into areas of ministry that may not be a good fit?  Amongst others…

I recently spoke with a young man who is stepping into a new place of ministry.  He was explaining to me how he had so many differing opinions from folks in his life concerning his upcoming ministry move.  Yet, I could tell that his deep desire was to hear the voice of God amidst the many voices.  And it’s not to say that God doesn’t speak through others.  We referenced Proverbs 11.14 – “Where there is no guidance, a people falls,
but in an abundance of counselors there is safety” (ESV).  However, it is to wonder how God deals with certain people and reveals to them their purpose.  A shrub ignites for Moses; a theophanic vision engulfs Isaiah; a confrontation from Christ blinds the apostle Paul.  So many throughout the Scriptures seem to have overwhelming manifestations of God’s presence and direction.  Yet, what of today?  From time to time, we hear of momentous encounters with God experienced by our sisters and brothers.  But is there room for subtle, intensifying calls?  If so, how do we discern such?

Peace,

Shannon

Christian Greetings!

In conclusion to our survey of chapter one of Vondey’s, People of Bread: Rediscovering Ecclesiology, I have listed his six principles of using biblical images.  

Principles for the Use of Biblical Images:

1. Images must emerge from within the community of faith.
   
2. The images must emphasize the ecumenical unity of the Church.
   
3. The images must complement one another in depicting the reality of God, the Church, salvation, etc. (An example of this is by Augustine who speaks of the Church as “bride or the Body of Christ” when speaking of individual believer’s relationship with Christ; he uses the image of “mother” when speaking of the “self-sacrificing care of the Church for its children”; when speaking of the unity of the Church, he refers to the Church as “the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, as one body or one loaf.”)
   
4. Images are always dynamic, never static.  (This dynamism manifests in two ways: 1) an image may be replaced in the same context by another image without any transition and without change in meaning [e.g. 1 Cor 3. 6-17; where Paul uses "field" and "building" interchangeably]. 2) an image can evolve in its use by the same writer and take on a different emphasis or new meaning in another text or circumstance [e.g. Paul's use of 'temple' in referring to the local congregation (1 Cor 3.16-17), as well as of the body of each individual Christian (1 Cor. 6.19), as well as of the entire Church (Eph 2.21).])
   
5. All images are primarily theological instruments.  (As such, they point not only to the object, but to God and God’s activity in the world.)
   
6. All images used by the Church are rooted in the language and experience of Israel. (e.g. Paul calls the Christian communities “Abraham’s offspring” [cf. Gal 3.29 and Rom 4.16] and the “Israel of God” [Gal 6.16].)  *Importantly, the Christian experience of God as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit unifies and transforms all biblical images.
   

Vondey contends that “bread is an image of the primary experience of the Jewish and Christian communities” (p. 34).

Blessings,

Shannon

Recently, I read a thought-provoking article by John Ortberg called, “Your Hidden Curriculum,” found in the winter 2009 volume of Leadership Journal (a good journal I might add that can be found at Barnes & Noble). Below the title, Ortberg asks – “What do people learn from you about the Christian life?  Sometimes it’s what you never intended to teach.”  The author contends that if there ever is a contradiction between our “formal curriculum” (small group studies, sermons, lessons on prayer, etc.) and our “hidden curriculum,” folks always believe the “hidden curriculum.”  He describes the hidden curriculum of a church as

“Who gets fawned over, and who gets ignored?  How do the staff and leaders get along when they’re off the platform and think nobody’s looking?  How does a small group respond when someone shares a problem that is untidy and unresolved?  Do leaders respond with panic or irritation or confidence or gentleness when a problem strikes?  When there is a conflict, do people face it head on or go into avoidance mode?  Does the church staff run on fear?” (p. 50) 

A few months back, some dear friends of ours visited from Georgia. We were hanging out in the living room for some good ole’ conversation over coffee (or soda for some).  Knowing that the couple recently relocated, I asked if they had yet to find a local church.  The young lady shared with us how she and her husband visited several churches.  One particular congregation (of the same denomination of which they were part in their last locale) seemed to be very promising at first.  However, after the announcements were given before the congregation, our friend said that she was greatly dissatisfied with how inwardly-focused the church was.  

Now, if you took a sweeping glance in the bulletin, there seemed to be no way to arrive at such a conclusion.  There were all kinds of “ministry groups,” “community projects,” etc. that had the trappings of a “successful” church.  But our friends heard and observed something different than what was listed in the bulletin (or on the church website).  They observed folks talking about various fellowships, get-togethers, luncheons, trips, etc. that centered around the satisfaction of those attending.  What was missing was a missional message laced within the conversations and actions of those attending, particularly the leadership.  

Thankfully, our friends did in fact find a local assembly in which to participate; one whose body-life looked more like that of Jesus. However, this conversation, coupled with Ortberg’s article, sparked some questions in my own mind about the traditioning (discipleship) of the church.  What exactly are we passing on?  What legacy of love are our children learning?  If we slow down a bit and prayerfully observe our attitudes, actions, conversations and vision, are we leading people in the way that Jesus is the Way?  Eugene Peterson’s excellent work, The Jesus Way: A Conversation on the Ways that Jesus is the Way, highlights the ways by which Christ embodied the way of salvation.  It’s an interesting and helpful critique.  

• Do I affirm undying love for Jesus but treat others around me in an unChristlike manner?
• If I claim to love all persons, do I surround myself with friends who are only like me?
• Do I profess that all persons are important and then rush past everyone without slowing to hear their concerns?
• Do I preach reckless abandon in worship and then hoard my resources and satisfy my own impulses for stuff?
• Am I undermining God’s love for all by my negative conversations and snide remarks concerning others?
• Do I pray at home with my family or only at church when called upon?

Asking myself these questions and more,

Shannon

Continuing our exploration of chapter one of Vondey’s work, People of Bread: Rediscovering Ecclesiology…

Vondey explores three functions of images: imaginative, illustrative and instrumental.

Imaginative function of Images – Herein, images serve “as vehicles of emotions, associations, and feelings; they serve not only as an informative but also an expressive medium” (p. 18).  Meaning, they help to capture (or imagine) a greater reality which lies behind the image.  The fact is that our ability to describe certain realities is definitely limited by language.  There are some things (realities) which images can better capture than can literal descriptions.  Vondey notes, “Initially, it was not a rich theological vocabulary, concise definitions or propositional statements, but the world of images that allowed the disciples to express what they had experienced” (p. 18).  

Remember:

1. Peter encounters the image of a descending sheet filled with animals, reptiles, and birds (Acts 10.10-16) which greatly impacted his understanding of the Church’s mission to the Gentiles.
   
2. Paul had a vision of a man from Macedonia encouraging him to come to Europe (Acts 16. 9-10).  
   
3. Luke connects both visions with the work of God through the images (11.12; 16.10), which directly connects to the outpouring of the Spirit in Acts 2 (v. 17; see Joel 2.28-32).
   

In this way, “after the day of Pentecost, the Christian witness was nourished by a distinctively pneumatological imagination. (*pneuma = Greek word for “Spirit”)… In other words, the biblical images were inspired by the Holy Spirit, nourished by faith, and shaped by the experience of the faith community.”

Illustrative function of Images – Herein, Vondey says, “The goal of this function is to increase the image in clarity, strength, and dynamic of its overall theological argument.”  The illustrative function requires much discernment because, if not careful, images can be used to illustrate improper theological truths.  We must always be mindful of the limitation of images and carefully express such limitations when utilizing images to explain the greater realities of God, the Church, etc.  ”The illustrative function of images is therefore dictated by the goal of harmony and unity in the fellowship of believers.  Images that illustrate the truth at the cost of destroying the fellowship of the Church are to be rejected” (p. 23).

Instrumental function of Images – The instrumental function is regarding how images serve as “vehicles of the theological presuppositions invested in them” (p. 24).  In this way, images which the Church discerns as wholesome and true serve as tools of communal formation and edification.  They are “models.”  Now, the thing about “models” of this kind is that they are influenced by the social and cultural setting in which they are used.  Thus, if persons today can no longer understand the significance of the image used in NT times (e.g. the Temple), then the effectiveness of the image is impaired.  Today, in many ways, we are in a crisis of the theological imagination, namely because of rare utilization of biblical images as instruments to strengthen and form the community of faith.  Vondey contends, “A revival of the theological imagination calls the Church to an understanding of the fundamental principles operative behind the imaginative, illustrative, and instrumental function of images” (p. 26).

Blessings,

Shannon

Well, school is back in full swing for Dee.  In addition to her own classes and research, she was asked to teach a graduate level course.  She is very excited to do so, to say the least.  We went home for several days over Christmas break and enjoyed hanging out with family and friends (esp. Cranium night at the Jay’s Inn!).  And as always, time finds a way of eluding us.  For the most part, I was hidden away in an extra room finishing up my thesis (entitled – Hospitality in the Spirt: A Christlike Embrace of the Other).  

Reading back over the paper, the work seems more like a survey than a research paper.  The resources which I utilized are just so rich.  Take for example, Stephen Seamands book, Ministry in the Image of God: The Trinitarian Shape of Christian Service.  Wow.  Seamands offers insights as to how the biblical witness of God as Triune gives shape to what ministry should look like.  That the Church in her (Christlike) intra/inter-relations bears witness to God’s existence as Father, Son and Spirit.  And the read is very accessible.  Seamands is a pastoral theologian who clearly speaks to the relational needs of the local church. Another great resource is by Wolfgang Vondey, People of Bread: Rediscovering Ecclesiology. (ecclesiology = “study of the church”)  This one I am still working through; however, the section on hospitality is very insightful.  These are two examples of the various resources used.  I hope to continue reading and amending the work to reflect better my thoughts of the material.

For those who may be curious, here is a copy of my abstract for the paper:

The undercurrent of Western individualism tends to constrict our confessional reading of the Church of God Declaration of Faith here in the U.S.  By and large, our ecclesial structures tend to disclose a rather compartmentalized notion of spirituality and tendency to withdraw from our neighbors.  This study explores the grounding of the Declaration of Faith in the hospitality of God.  In so doing, this writer suggests that God’s relationality has significant implications concerning our confession of God’s providence, the nature of salvation and the agency of the Church.   

A Trinitarian framework informs our ecclesiological identity as a people of a transformed lens and Christlike embrace of the other.  The hospitality of God, therefore, should characterize the Body-life of the Church.  In this way, the missio ecclesiae mirrors the relationality in God and, therefore, grounds our confession of faith in compassionate solidarity with and Christlike love for our neighbor.

Anyhow, change is surely on the horizon.  The details of which are a bit fuzzy at the moment.  We do ask for everyone’s prayers during this season. We need wisdom and discernment concerning the post-grad transition.  Thanks.  All in all, God’s infinite wisdom and loving character give us confidence that he is working within our lives in order that our witness of him blazes.  

 Peace,

Shannon