tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-175104442024-03-07T16:27:00.217-05:00shadowing godthe appendicies of my disappointments, reflections, and dreamsdavid mcdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17819341498291923921noreply@blogger.comBlogger985125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17510444.post-65150471501086687192013-10-22T13:02:00.001-04:002013-10-22T13:02:58.740-04:00All good things must come to an end...And so does my time blogging at Shadowing God.<br />
<br />
I will no longer be keeping up this website. Instead, I have started a new venture over at www.Fossores.com. There you will find 30 free-to-download full-length teaching atlases, as well as 12+ books for purchase. There are hundreds of articles available for your enjoyment, development, and purusal.<br />
<br />
Thanks a ton for all your views, visits, and comments over the years.<br />
<br />
And keep 'em coming at Fossores.com !david mcdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17819341498291923921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17510444.post-23782044966994478682013-08-27T08:56:00.000-04:002013-08-27T08:56:36.002-04:00101 Questions <div style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here
is a set of 101 of my favorite questions that I draw from, whether it’s
to shape my day, solve a problem, figure out next steps, or get “on
path.”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><ol>
<li>What’s the way forward?</li>
<li>What do you want your life to be about?</li>
<li>Who do you want to be and what experiences do you want to create?</li>
<li>How does that serve you in terms of who you are and who you want to be?</li>
<li>Are you giving your best where you have your best to give?</li>
<li>What do you want to accomplish?</li>
<li>What do you want to do more of each day? What do you want to spend your time doing more of?</li>
<li>What do you want to spend less time on?</li>
<li>If this situation were to never change, what’s the one quality I need to truly enjoy it?</li>
<li>If not now, when?</li>
<li>If not you, who?</li>
<li>What’s right with this picture? (if you always ask, “What’s wrong with this picture?” this is a nice switch)</li>
<li>How can you make the most of the situation? If there are no good options, what’s the best play I can make for this scenario?</li>
<li>Who else shares this problem? Who would solve this problem well? (a great way to find models and learn from the best)</li>
<li>What
would <famous interesting="" or="" person="" xyz=""> do?” How would I
respond if I were Bob Hope? Leonardo da Vinci? Guy Kawasaki? Seth
Godin? etc. (this is a great way to come up with new ideas or plays for your situation)</famous></li>
<li>What are you pointing your camera at? (a simple way to direct your day on a scene by scene basis)</li>
<li>What’s good enough for now?</li>
<li>What can you be the best at in the world?</li>
<li>What’s the most effective thing for me to focus on?</li>
<li>Are you asking the right question? Is that the right question?</li>
<li>How is that relevant?</li>
<li>What’s that based on?</li>
<li>What’s the goal? What are the goals?</li>
<li>What would success look like?</li>
<li>What do you need to be successful? What do you need to be successful in this situation?</li>
<li>Is it working? Is it effective?</li>
<li>What do you measure? What are the metrics?</li>
<li>What are the tests for success?</li>
<li>How do you know it’s working?</li>
<li>How do you know when you’re done?</li>
<li>What did you expect?</li>
<li>Are you creating the results you want?</li>
<li>Does it matter?</li>
<li>Will it matter in 100 years?</li>
<li>Is it worth the effort?</li>
<li>What actions have I taken? What steps have I tried? ( a great sanity check when you’re testing your ability to take action)</li>
<li>What’s next?</li>
<li>What do you want to do?</li>
<li>What’s best for you?</li>
<li>What’s the best thing for now?</li>
<li>What’s your next best thing to do?</li>
<li>Is that a good idea?</li>
<li>So what? Now what?</li>
<li>What’s the problem?</li>
<li>What’s the threat?</li>
<li>What’s the concern?</li>
<li>When do you want it by? You want what by when?</li>
<li>Who needs to do what when?</li>
<li>Who needs to do what differently?</li>
<li>Who should do what when?</li>
<li>What would you have them do differently?</li>
<li>What’s wearing you down?</li>
<li>What’s lifting you up?</li>
<li>Why do you get up in the morning and come to work?</li>
<li>What do you want to experience? What do you want to experience more of?</li>
<li>What are you trading? What are you trading up for?</li>
<li>What did you learn that you can use next time?</li>
<li>What would you do differently next time around?</li>
<li>Where’s the growth?</li>
<li>What would people pay you for?</li>
<li>Do you want to run towards or away from the problem?</li>
<li>How big is the pie, how big is your slice?</li>
<li>Does it make business sense?</li>
<li>Is it business critical?</li>
<li>What’s our capacity?</li>
<li>What’s our constraint?</li>
<li>What are the KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)?</li>
<li>What’s our core business?</li>
<li>What does the market want?</li>
<li>Is it push, pull or indifferent?</li>
<li>What’s the trend?</li>
<li>What to cut back on?</li>
<li>What does the pro know that you don’t? (this is a good way to figure out if knowledge or insight can make a difference)</li>
<li>Now what are you going to do about it?</li>
<li>Can you teach it to someone else?</li>
<li>How can I use this?</li>
<li>What do you want to say?</li>
<li>What’s the right thing to do?</li>
<li>Is now the right time?</li>
<li>Is this the right forum?</li>
<li>How much time do you have?</li>
<li>What are you making time for?</li>
<li>How much time should you make for it?</li>
<li>What can you do all day long?</li>
<li>What are you spending the bulk of your time on?</li>
<li>Does your schedule reflect your priorities?</li>
<li>If you had all the time in the world, how would you spend your time?</li>
<li>If you had all the money in the world, how would you spend it?</li>
<li>Where are we on the map?</li>
<li>What would make life more wonderful for you?</li>
<li>How can you chunk it down?</li>
<li>How fast can you do it?</li>
<li>What’s the impact?</li>
<li>What would you like to have happen? What would you like instead?</li>
<li>What’s the opposite of that?</li>
<li>How might that be true?</li>
<li>What are you seeing that I’m not?</li>
<li>What did you see, what did you hear?</li>
<li>What’s the writing on the wall?</li>
<li>What’s their story?</li>
<li>Who’s stopping you? What’s stopping you? What’s holding you back?</li>
</ol>
</span>david mcdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17819341498291923921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17510444.post-69421411933861677752013-08-20T10:35:00.000-04:002013-08-20T10:35:42.851-04:00The Bible Matters<div class="Pa3">
<span class="A1"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Excerpted from <i>Doxa: What You Believe Matters</i></span></span></div>
<div class="Pa3">
<span class="A1"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<div class="Pa3">
<span class="A1"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>There once
was a seven-year-old boy who liked to help his mom in the kitchen. He’d come
home after school, while she was baking, and he’d learn how to cook. His mom
would write down recipes and put them in a cookbook so he could remember them.
His mother had a knack for cooking, and because of his affection for her, the
boy always wanted to go back and read her notes on how to make a great meal. <o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="Pa3">
<span class="A1"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>Now, over
time the boy grew up and became a master chef. He became very confident in his
ability to create a great meal, and so he stopped reading this old cookbook. He
became more and more convinced of his ability to present something independent
of all his experiences with his mom. <o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="Pa3">
<span class="A1"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>After a
while, his enjoyment of cooking (even as a master chef) began to diminish. He
didn’t find that he liked his recipes as much any more. He noticed that he
wasn’t receiving the same number of compliments. He didn’t feel the same sense
of connection with his mother that he did when he was a little boy and used to
do these things. <o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="Pa3">
<span class="A1"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>Then, in the
middle of his career, this fellow walked away from cooking. He didn’t use the
cookbook anymore, and he didn’t really feel connected in the same way to his
mom. He stopped cooking entirely, finding that he no longer enjoyed being in
the kitchen or even remembering his childhood culinary adventures.</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="Pa3">
<br /></div>
<div class="Pa3">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="A1"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">This story was
relayed to me as a young boy, about the importance of learning and
internalizing the Bible. There were a few key points here – that the Bible is
meant to guide us, that it is a resource of instruction and history, etc – but
mostly what stuck with me was the sadness of losing that connection with God.
If for no other reason, we engage scripture primarily to stay connected with
our Creator.</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
david mcdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17819341498291923921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17510444.post-24873326545889734102013-08-07T14:57:00.001-04:002013-08-07T15:00:23.022-04:00Heroes<span style="font-family: inherit;">Excerpted from <i>The Supreme Tao of Jesus: A Commentary on Colossians</i></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=colossians%204.2-18&version=NLT" target="_blank">Colossians 4.2-18</a></b></span><br />
<br />
The names of the people at the end of <i>Colossians</i> are the names of heroes.</div>
<div>
<br />
Paul describes Tychicus as being much-loved and Onesimus (the escaped-slave turned Christ-follower about whom Paul’s letter to Philemon was written) as being faithful; Aristarchus, Mark, and Justus were great companions and the only Jewish coworkers Paul has in his ministry; Epaphras – the pastor of the Colossian church – is held up as an example of prayer and confident leadership; Luke and Demas are warmly included as members of the community; and Nympha is mentioned by name (a particular honor for females in that day and age) as someone with whom the Colossians are encouraged to cultivate a relationship and learn from all that she’s doing.</div>
<div>
<br />
If I were to write a letter to my former church back home, I might conclude that letter by telling everyone:<br />
that Jvo and the rest of the Westwinds’ staff send their greetings– and that he and Ben are the only Baptists who will still return my calls; I might thank them for loaning us Vince McLaren for a week to help us out with our podcasting ministry and teach Jay Cordova how to manage our tech set up; I might also pass along that Andy Ladwig and Brad Kimpell– who some of my friends have met over lunch or during a card game– say hi; and that they should be in prayer for our friend Kirk– who used to be in full time ministry but had a bad experience that may have left him out-of-play.</div>
<div>
<br />
Of course, what Paul does is a little more significant than that. He’s not merely re-introducing old friends, he’s also making some introductions for the very first time and thereby giving some credibility and honor to<br />
those named in the letter.</div>
<div>
<br />
The people Paul mentions are notable Christians who were instrumental in the spread of the Gospel. For instance: </div>
<div>
Aristarchus was thrown in jail for preaching about Jesus.</div>
<div>
Mark and Luke each wrote a Gospel (Mark’s Gospel is largely based on Peter’s stories and recollections of Jesus, so Mark was also important because he was personally connected to one of the original disciples).<br />
Mark, Aristarchus, and Justus were Jewish converts who had successfully managed to sidestep all the heresy and weirdness other Jewish converts were trying to push onto the church– so they were good examples of what it looks like to completely forsake your former religion for faith in Christ.<br />
Epaphras was the Colossians’ own pastor who had joined the big leagues of those traveling and preaching the Way of Jesus in new places.<br />
Nympha was a courageous heroine who risked her personal security to start and host a church.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
Heroes all.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
Perhaps because we’re afraid of putting people on a pedestal, we Christians don’t do a very good job of honoring those among us who have given much, or accomplished much, for Christ and his kingdom.</div>
<div>
We should remedy that.</div>
<div>
<br />
Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work.<br />
1 Thessalonians 5.12-13</div>
<div>
<br />
If you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.<br />
1 Peter 2.20</div>
<div>
<br />
My Dad has been a pastor for over 48 years. Given that the average time one serves as a pastor in North America is 2.2 years, Dad’s tenure is quite an accomplishment. He has pastored five churches, served on<br />
over a dozen international ministry boards, presided over two schools of ministry, still pastors a local church, still serves as the Bishop of his denomination, and still sits as the Chairman of the Board for a prestigious private school. Dad has preached in over thirty countries, delivered food and medical supplies to missions, and smuggled Bibles behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War. That’s quite a resume.</div>
<div>
<br />
To celebrate his 25th year as the Senior Pastor of Calvary Christian Church, friends and family put together a banquet dinner and a ceremony in honor of Dad and his achievements. It was all very nice, but Dad had sat through a few of those things for others over the years, and it didn’t seem to affect him emotionally.</div>
<div>
<br />
Until the end.<br />
<br />
The last presentation of the evening was from someone announcing that a Gordon A. McDonald scholarship fund had been set up to reward an outstanding academic student who showed moral fiber and aspired<br />
to ministry. Dad cried. That scholarship represents everything he’s tried to achieve in his life, everything he wants to be, and everything he’s ever hoped to replicate in others. He was truly honored.</div>
<div>
<br />
Seeing Dad affected in such a way has made me reflect on how rare those occasions are when we hold others up in high esteem and thank them for their contribution to the kingdom. But those who have gone before us– whether Aristarchus or Gordon A.– are worth remembering. They raise the bar, they set the standard, and they show us what it means to live lives wholly devoted to God. The very least we can do to honor them is to read their names at the end of Paul’s letters and reflect on who our heroes really are.</div>
david mcdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17819341498291923921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17510444.post-81417863365376073282013-08-01T16:00:00.001-04:002013-08-01T16:00:36.666-04:00On the metaphor of The Cue<div class="MsoNormal">
Our weekend gathering at Westwinds is called The
Cue.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In theatre, a CUE is a familiar term. Whether it’s a
warning, a standby, or a go, the CUE tells us what happens next.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In music theory, a CUE is a guideline for instrumentation.
It’s the “who plays what where” part of music. It can be a mark for
improvisation of a specific instrument.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the game of billiards, the CUE is what puts the game into
motion. It’s the cue stick and cue ball that guide each ball into the pocket. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In motion picture film prints, the CUE marks a point on the
reel when the film is ending and it is time to switch to a new reel to continue
the projection.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In personal fitness, a CUE is a message given by a group
fitness instructor to inform participants of upcoming sequences, such as a
change in stretching direction, etc.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In technology, a CUE or show control is the linking together
and operation of multiple systems in coordination with one another. An example
of CUE or show control would be linking a video segment with a number of
lighting cues, or having a sound track trigger animatronic movements -- or all
of these combined.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In computing, a CUE (cue sheet, or cue file) is a metadata
file which describes how the tracks of a CD or DVD are laid out. Cue sheets
have a ".cue" filename extension. For an audio CD, a cue sheet
specifies titles and performers for the disc and its tracks as well as the
names of one or more audio files to be used (MP3, WAV, etc.).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At Westwinds, The Cue is not unlike all these things. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At The Cue (in The Cue?) we talk about new things, what’s
next, where God is leading, and we fund dreams to shadow God in the redemption
of the world. We listen to God and his word and we ask Him, “What next?” When
we leave The Cue, we enter a world of possibilities. For the spiritually
curious, the religious disenfranchised, the artist, the intellectual, and
everyone in between—The Cue is a place to begin and a place to belong for your
entire spiritual quest.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At The Cue, we are encouraged to find our part. Our special
part. Sometimes, we play along as an orchestra, all parts scored. Sometimes,
it’s our turn to break out in the solo—still in perfect harmony with the score
but with our own feel, vibrato, style, and originality. As God made us—for His
purpose.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Cue is a place to go out from. In many ways, it sets
things in motion. We gather. We disperse. We love on the world. We love on each
other. We do something for the kingdom. It’s not just a place we go . . . to.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Cue is about change. Originality. Authenticity. New
life. Breath. Creation. Beauty. Seasons. We talk about where we’ve been and we
talk about what the new season looks like. It’s a marker for us. Through
series’, scripture, and seasons, one reel moves in to the next. We don’t just observe
the movie. We are the movie.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Cue is a place to check our spiritual health. To check
our pulse. To stretch. To nurture. To learn new moves and routines. To learn
how to create new healthy habits. To listen. To move. To tone. To feel the
burn.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Cue is about synchronization. The same page. Multi-sensory followership. Responding to God
in worship with all that we are—heart, mind, soul, emotions, will, intellect,
attitude, finances, body, habits. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And, The Cue is a place to be with everyone else who
contributes a track to the playlist. We are the soundtrack. You are the
soundtrack. The only difference is, these files are constantly being rewritten,
remixed, reproduced, fine tuned, and rearranged. It’s a living soundtrack.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Join us at The Cue.<o:p></o:p></div>
david mcdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17819341498291923921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17510444.post-71747992715361004152013-07-17T15:31:00.003-04:002013-07-17T15:31:42.047-04:00Mission<div class="MsoNormal">
Excerpted from <i>Seasons of
Christian Spirituality: Kingdomtide<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
I am the living
bread which came down from Heaven: if any man eat of this<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
bread, he shall
live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
give for the life
of the world.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
John 6.51<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
King Abgar Ouchama V of Edessa was one of the first Christian kings in
history. But his<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
conversion story is weird. Many Eastern Orthodox believers consider some
version of the story to be gospel truth. Many of the details have been
historically verified and all persons involved were actually alive and gave
testimony to the events. But I’m not yet ready to nominate this one for the
solid gold integrity award. For now, let’s continue to call it a fanciful
Christian legend, useful in illustrating a point.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Abgar lived and ruled in Syria during the public ministry of Jesus. He
had heard of Christ’s miraculous powers and his claims to divinity and was
quickly convinced of both, despite being separated from Jesus by several
hundred miles. Abgar got mysteriously ill about the time that Christ’s
persecution by the Jewish religious leaders was heating up and getting violent,
so the king wrote to the King of Kings and offered him political asylum in exchange
for a prayer of healing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Abgar had his court archivist, Hannan, visit Christ and deliver the
message in person. Jesus declined, but when Hannan returned to Edessa he
carried with him a portrait of<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jesus that he claimed was not made by human hands. According to Doctrine
of Addai (4<sup>th</sup> part two: how to lead a mission 717 century AD) this
portrait was crafted by God Himself, and when the archivist placed it in front
of King Abgar, it spoke these words:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Happy are those
who believe in me, but have not seen me…When I have ascended to my Father I
will send you one of My disciples. He will heal all your sufferings and your
city will be forever blessed because of your faith.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some time passed before anything else happened, and Abgar’s condition
continued to<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
worsen. After the ascension of Christ Thomas the Apostle sent Thaddeus
(one of the 70<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
followers of Christ, from Luke 10) to Abgar. Abgar was promised in a
vision that salvation was coming, and when Thaddeus entered into the royal
court Abgar fell on his knees and cried out, ”Are you really one of the
disciples of Christ?” To which Thomas replied, “All your desires will be fulfilled
if you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I have come to believe,” Abgar said, and was healed instantly.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After this, Thaddeus worked his way through Edessa putting his hands on
people, blessing and healing them in the name of Christ. Pagan temples and
brothels alike were closed or put out of business. And although no one was
forced to convert, many thousands accepted Christ that day and each day after.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s a cool story, and very old which, if nothing else, demonstrates
that the purpose of the church is to go out and actually make a difference in
the lives of real people. We have been called and commissioned to heal the
sick, to cure disease, to fight the power of evil, and to bring the good news
of the gospel into every corner of the world.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Somehow our contemporary church has overlooked all of that.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maybe it’s because we find the supernatural bits of the Bible difficult
to rationalize.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Or, maybe it’s because telling others about the gospel seems somehow
colonial,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
intolerant, or pushy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Or maybe it’s because we have no real control over the outcomes of the
kind of<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
encounters and that kind of risk is uncomfortable we have gotten away
from the<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
fact that the gospel works in two directions – Heaven later on, but also
Heaven-<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
on-earth now.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In this life, not just the next.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Abgar didn't call out to Christ to gain entrance into Heaven. He called
out to Christ<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
because he was sick and miserable and wanted life to be better and to
live well.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We need to reacquaint ourselves with the gospel priority of telling
others about<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jesus Christ and what he can do for them and through them and in them and
with them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I understand why we’re reluctant to promise healing, a better life, or
better circumstances.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We don’t want to pander to people’s base desires for material comforts
or sell the lie of<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
easy living. Neither do we want to mislead them into thinking that
everything will be<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
better once they become Christians. But to leave out the promise of the
gospel to make<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
a difference in real life – to fix our relationships, to empower us to
overcome adversity,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
to bolster us to withstand temptation and persecution and trial and
misery, to heal our<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
bodies and restore our flagging spirits – is to leave out the good news.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The church is an agency of healing, working to reconcile us to God, to
others, to our true selves, and to the world. Healing the world is comprised of
three key facets:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Charity – our service to the world, which is called <i>diakonia</i> in the Second Testament.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hospitality – our community in (but not of) the world, called <i>koinonia</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Storytelling – our proclamation to the world, called <i>kerygma</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I encourage you to take some time to confess<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
your reluctance to share the gospel<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
your insecurities about how people will respond<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
your fears about whether or not you’ll tell it well.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Come before God with a humble heart and repent for narrowing the scope
of the gospel to something purely about life after death, for narrowing the
scope of the gospel to something purely about the quality of earthly life.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
And then turn around and tell everyone you see the good news that God
isn't just trying to give you metaphysical fire insurance, but abundant life in
the here and now, that God isn't looking to punish you, but to reward you with
something better than what you've been able to provide for yourself, that God’s
plans aren't just limited to a few special people, but include the redemption
of the world, every culture, tribe, nation, language, city, country, and
ethnicity, that God’s plans are not merely His, but ours, too, as we
participate with Him in healing the world.<o:p></o:p></div>
david mcdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17819341498291923921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17510444.post-63997398601908141832013-06-20T09:46:00.001-04:002013-06-20T09:46:39.742-04:00Common Questions About Hell<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What about Purgatory?</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Purgatory is an “in-between” state in Catholic theology
meant to delineate the space between when we die and when we go to heaven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a condition in which the souls of
Christians are made ready for heaven.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Evangelical Christians find the doctrine of purgatory
suspicious for three reasons: [1] because it’s not found in the canon of the
Scriptures, only in the apocrypha (specifically 2 Maccabees 12.41-16); [2]
because the doctrine didn’t appear for almost 1100 years after Jesus left the earth;
and [3] because purgatory depends upon special “revelation” given to the
Catholic church during the Middle Ages. By appealing to the authority of the
church at a time when it was selling indulgences to release souls from torment,
this doctrine has no credible basis for belief among Protestants.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What about people who
have never heard about Jesus—do they go to Hell?</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Jesus said “no one comes to the Father except through me,”
meaning that there is only one way to escape Hell and enter Heaven: a relationship
with Jesus.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">However, just as Jesus is the only way to Heaven, we must
understand that there are many ways to find Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some find Jesus through intellectual belief,
some through dreams (like Pharoah), some through visions (like Balaam), or
prophesies or strange experiences.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We cannot overlook the creativity of God to get the gospel
out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God wants people to be saved and is
capable of revealing Himself to all in order for every single person to be
given a justifiable opportunity to embrace their Creator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What about
babies?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do they go to Hell?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is a disturbing question that’s asked a lot, especially
among people who grew up in very religious homes where there is a lot of anger
and hellfire and brimstone kind of talk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If they lose a child, they get terrified that the baby is going to end
up in hell.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Consider this, however: “Shall not the Judge of all the
Earth do what is Just?” (Genesis 18.25).</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Since we know God is good, and He is the Judge of all, we
can be confident that God will not unfairly damn any soul – especially
innocents or invalids – to eternal torment.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In 2 Samuel 12, we read about King David’s son dying as an
infant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a sad story, but in the
midst of that sadness we read about David’s assurance that he will see his
child in the next life. David has this unshakeable confidence that he will be
with his dead child in the presence of God.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Finally, we know that Jesus had a special concern for
children. Jesus gathers the children to himself and said: “Suffer not the
little children to come unto me” (Matthew 19.14).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you know someone who has lost a child and they’re worried
about this (God forbid that you would ever be in that situation or that they
would), you can give them all manner of comfort.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Is there a last
chance for redemption at the time of our death?</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">No. There is a spectacular responsibility on the way you
live right now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Live now the way you
want to live for eternity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If what you
want ultimately is to be with God then, then you must begin to be with God now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Is there anything
wrong with “Last Rites?”</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Not necessarily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
fact, I think the idea of giving your life to God and committing your soul into
His care with your dying breaths is a beautiful and sincere notion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some people, however, use the Last Rites as a
cop out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They plan to live like fools,
rejecting God in this life, and then quickly beg for forgiveness at the end to
sneak their way into God’s good graces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In a case like this, which – sadly – is surprisingly common, we must ask
ourselves how sincere our “last-minute” repentance truly is—if it is insincere,
we risk Hell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are you willing to risk an
eternity in torment on a gamble like that?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Do you believe
eternal positions are fixed at death forever more?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why or why not?</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The people who go to Hell are there because they don’t want
to be with God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Scriptures really
seem to indicate that once you are there in Hell, there is no way out.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I love God, but have
made mistakes and still prospered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Am I
going to Hell?</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">That’s such a sad, sad question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I, too, love God and I have made mistakes and
still prospered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I make mistakes all the
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I get mad at my kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I lose my cool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ben jokingly said that it’s never safe to
take me to a conference of church leaders because it’s like taking a Pit Bull
to a playground…you’re just waiting for an “incident” to occur.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I am riddled with sin and God has still prospered me. I feel
so gracious, so grateful and thankful to God for the life I have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think I’ve ever been happier. I don’t
think my family has ever been better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That’s what we call grace—God’s grace for me, loving me in spite of my
sin that while I was still a sinner, Christ died for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He died just because he loved me in all my
crap and all my garbage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He would die
again tomorrow for me, for the person I am now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whatever good things in this life I enjoy, I
enjoy because of his grace, his common grace poured out to all humanity.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The last question I
would separate from the previous statement.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“Am I going to Hell?”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I don’t know. I don’t even know who you are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even if I knew you, I wouldn’t know if you’re
going to Hell. The question is:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are you
right with Jesus?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you make mistakes,
do you repent?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you thank God for his
grace?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is your life oriented towards
Jesus, to make him Lord, to confess that he is Lord?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do your actions belie your belief that he is,
in fact, raised from the dead and God is, in fact, at work in you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What does it mean
that Christ descended into Hell?</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Jesus proved his love for us by descending into Hell – a
theological bit of pizzazz rarely talked about, though ultimately very
significant.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here it is in a nutshell:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We believe that Jesus died and descended into the depths of
Hades (Ephesians 4.8-10).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He did not
suffer, for his suffering was completed on the cross (John 19.30).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He preached to those tormented because of
their sin (1 Peter 3.18, 20; 4.4), spreading the fragrance of himself even into
Hell (2 Corinthians 2.14-16). He departed (Acts 2.27, 31), bearing the keys of
Hades (Revelation 1.18) and destroying Death itself (Hebrews 2.14).</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The doctrine of the descent into Hell is first and foremost
a doctrine about love, God’s love for us, and the power of that love to go to
all lengths, to descend to all depths and to go through virtually every barrier
in order to redeem a wounded, huddled, frightened, paranoid, alienated, and
unfree humanity.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Did God create Hell?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If so, why did He create something from which
we need saving?</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The most accurate theological answer is that Hell is not
necessarily a place that God created.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s a place from which God has withdrawn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the place where he is not, rather than
the place where everything is as he wants it to be.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, why did he need something from which we need
saving?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The question is maybe
misplaced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The question is:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will you live with him? That’s the real
question.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">If you’re a Christian
and you continually sin, is there ever a point where you can cross the line,
where you sin too much and are condemned to Hell?</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">No, you can’t sin too much for the grace of God to make up
the difference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is always grace
for you (cf 2 Corinthians 12.9).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Think
about when Jesus told his disciples to forgive not only seven times seven, but
seventy times seven (cf Matthew 18.22). </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When I worked for Campus Crusade, we used to say that
question is misplaced. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Imagine that in
order for you to get to heaven, figuratively speaking, you would have to live
on the moon and the only way you could get to the moon was to jump high enough
to arrive there under your own power. In other words, you had to be good enough
or athletic enough or whatever super power enough to jump from here to the
moon. Some of you might be able to jump only 6 inches and some of you might be
able to jump four feet, but nobody can ever jump all the way to the moon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, in effect, the question of our relative sinfulness is
moot, because nobody is sinless enough or not quite so sinful as to ever make
up the difference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God’s grace covers
for everybody, no matter how crappy you are, which I’m particularly happy
about. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The question as to whether there is ever a point where you
can cross the line or sin too much—the question refers to that scripture about
the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There’s a blasphemy of Holy Spirit—one sin which can never be forgiven
(Mark 3.29). Basically, if you do this one sin, you blaspheme the Holy Spirit
and automatically go to hell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whole
idea of the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is the ultimate rejection of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The only way you can blaspheme the Holy Spirit is to reject
God, reject God, reject God, reject God, and then die.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even if you were still alive and rejecting
God and rejecting God and rejecting God, there’s still grace. There’s still
grace for everybody.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s still space
for everybody, because Jesus, again, is standing there saying, “Come, come to
the banquet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s room for everyone.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, if you’re a Christian and continually sin, is there ever
a point where you can cross the line or sin too much?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, not if you keep fighting and trying to
live as God intends you to live, not if you keep repenting, not if you keep
inviting the Spirit to change you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just
don’t give up.</span></span></div>
david mcdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17819341498291923921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17510444.post-27539649203440417182013-06-16T11:30:00.000-04:002013-06-16T11:30:00.538-04:00The Weeds<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>excerpted from </i>Life and Times of Billy Ryman, First King of America </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The farm flourished and
the staff continued to increase alongside the profits. The north property was
purchased for a small fee, and construction began immediately on a new home for Billy and his growing family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During construction, a very old oak tree was felled to make
way for the back bedrooms, and Billy decided to use the wood. The tree had been
in that spot for generations, tall, thick, strong, and mighty. It only seemed
appropriate to honor the tree’s memory in the house that now stood in its
place. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Billy ordered the wood cut and set aside until the house was
complete. Then he got to work. He sawed and hammered, cut and drilled, sanded
and stained, until he had completed a coffee table of impressive size. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He brought Sarah and his workers to the barn where he had
constructed the table and had each of them carve their name into
the legs of the table. Then he helped his worker, George, move the heavy table into his office in the new house. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“This table will stand in my office as a reminder of the
great oak tree which once stood in this place, and as a reminder of all the
people who have loved and supported me in this new venture,” he told George as
they placed the table in the room. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Near the beginning of the harvest, George woke up especially
early one day and went outside. As was his custom, he began strolling the
fields and wondering at the good fortune of his friends. But there was
something troubling him as he inspected the long rows of tilled earth. He ran
back to the house to tell Billy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Flying through the heavy front door and bounding through the
kitchen and the den, he found the boss in his home office. Billy was seated
behind a larger-than-life wooden desk. It weighed about a thousand pounds, and
he had about a thousand pounds of paperwork spread around him in a great mess.
Panting from his run, George said, “There’s trouble with the field, Guv.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“What’s that, George? What kind of trouble?” Billy asked, pulling
the reading glasses off his face and fixing his eyes on his employee with concern.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Weeds.” There was an edge of defeat in George’s voice, but
Billy wasn’t one to react strongly before he knew the whole situation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“We always have weeds,” said Billy calmly. “What’s special
about these?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“There’s a lot of ‘em,” George replied. He led Billy into
the fields to see the truth of it. Everywhere there were heads of grain sprouting,
there were weeds mixed in and among them. They were so thick, it was difficult
to even see the grain in some spots. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Didn’t you use good seed?” Billy asked his English friend.
As he surveyed the damage to the fields, the sense of dread that had started in
the pit of his stomach grew. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Oh aye,” said George. “The best.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Then how has this happened?” asked Billy, fearing he
already knew the answer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“An enemy has done this,” George replied.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“What enemy?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I know not. But that doesn’t get so bad by its lonesome. Someone’s
been helping that, they have.” Billy considered this possibility, wondering at
his adversary. <i>Who would do such a thing
to him? To his wife? And why?</i> “But look Guv,” George continued, his face brightening as he jerked a thumb in the
direction of the troublesome fig tree. “Not everything’s a loss then, innit?”
And, miracle upon miracles, the barren fig tree on the property had not only bloomed recently,
but abundantly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I thought those bloom earlier in the year?” Billy asked. He
knew he should be excited at this news, but the problem of the enemy who had
sown the weeds gnawed at him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Soon as the leaves come you know summer’s here. But I
wasn’t looking.” George laughed to himself. “I was too busy with the fields.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Billy laughed, too, but he was forcing it. He was trying to
think of who he might have wronged or who might hold something against him
enough to damage his crops in this way. “Don’t pull up the weeds just yet,” he
told George.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“No?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“You
may uproot the wheat, too. Best let them both grow until we’re ready to
harvest, then we can get Claude to collect the weeds and burn them. He can
store the wheat in the barn.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The question of Billy’s enemy ate away at him, night and
day, for many months. Though he racked his brain, trying to figure out who may
have done this, he could not find anyone to blame. He was a fair and honest
man, and he was careful to treat every person with respect. Going through the
years in his mind, he remembered the uneasiness he had felt when arranging to
purchase the fields from the previous owner, Mr. MacIntyre, but shrugged the feeling off. He had no
reason to suspect the man. And yet, the uneasy feeling lingered. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That year, the farm suffered a painful loss due to the
weeds, and it was a difficult time for Billy, his wife, and all of their
employees. The enemy did not appear again; indeed, he would not reveal himself
for some time, but his work was ever on the mind of the new landowner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">--------------</span></div>
<div>
<div class="msocomtxt" id="_com_1" language="JavaScript">
<div class="MsoCommentText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>see: </i></span></div>
<div class="MsoCommentText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Matthew 24.32-36<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoCommentText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mark 13.28-32<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoCommentText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Luke 21.29-33<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div class="msocomtxt" id="_com_2" language="JavaScript">
<div class="MsoCommentText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and Matthew 13.24-30</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="msocomtxt" id="_com_2" language="JavaScript">
<!--[if !supportAnnotations]--></div>
<!--[endif]--></div>
</div>
david mcdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17819341498291923921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17510444.post-33083773131968524532013-06-15T11:26:00.000-04:002013-06-15T11:26:00.032-04:00Understanding Leadership Types<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Leaders fall into two main
categories: task-oriented and relationship-oriented.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Task-oriented leaders strive for
excellence and can push people away as a result.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Relationship-oriented leaders are
great with people but can end up disappointed.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNOA3pCs-wsBj7gelk_CcQ-unbAXzK78DxbnSKtL782yldTnbKSPXYEzcL_l4aF7SFCicZimCOaajsX1xuWatVf2uJlmkrhiX4GW25K1oPwVh9GI10RIHwHjI2ubnys92DkUIi/s1600/leaderpuzzle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNOA3pCs-wsBj7gelk_CcQ-unbAXzK78DxbnSKtL782yldTnbKSPXYEzcL_l4aF7SFCicZimCOaajsX1xuWatVf2uJlmkrhiX4GW25K1oPwVh9GI10RIHwHjI2ubnys92DkUIi/s320/leaderpuzzle.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">THE PROBLEM:</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Task-driven leaders alienate people
in pursuit of excellence.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Relationship-driven
leaders suffer from disappointment
and a sense of betrayal when their</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">endeavors
collapse. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OTHER PROPOSED SOLUTIONS:</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All
leaders must </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: left;">
</div>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Identify which type of leader they
are. This is </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">important
to identify early on, as it will affect the </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">kinds
of decisions the leader makes in the future.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Identify their strengths, weaknesses, </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">opportunities,
and threats. Doing this will guide </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">leaders into a wiser decision-making process.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Grow in competency in the other type
of </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">leadership.
To be most effective, leaders must </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">find
a balance between the two types.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Understand the following:</span></li>
</ol>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Vision,
passion, and commitment to excellence </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">are essential. No matter
what type of leader a </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">person is, these cannot
be compromised.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Ministry
requires visionary leadership from </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">the person in charge. Without
vision from the </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">person in charge, nothing
will move forward. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">We
all only see out of one eye. We must </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">remember our tendency to
only see a situation </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">from our own limited
perspective.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">We
don’t always play fair. At times, we will all </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">allow our personal
strengths and weaknesses </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">to get in the way.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">We
must connect tasks to vision. Doing so allows task-oriented leaders to keep the
vision at the forefront, and it allows relationship-oriented leaders to
remember why tasks matter.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Not
everyone is a leader. We should never try to force every person to fit into
these two leadership types.</span><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </b></li>
</ul>
<br />
david mcdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17819341498291923921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17510444.post-16054097042077867482013-06-14T11:17:00.000-04:002013-06-14T11:17:00.083-04:00How To Do Ministry: update<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif";"><i>I might actually give some real advice at some
point, just not yet.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><i>This is my story about how
hard it is to give advice I believe in.</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOxfhR8Vy7nRinkznAEU7GubZ4qcgTX7xchPVxQxIiEfSY27FnMK_lsqw2q6GMRFBDwC6nf7lnW03ld32O_SsjXNTbyJ4Q10J-kF9bhoXm091jwb6ogjSkfRmFyOneOqV1JNbQ/s1600/fossor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOxfhR8Vy7nRinkznAEU7GubZ4qcgTX7xchPVxQxIiEfSY27FnMK_lsqw2q6GMRFBDwC6nf7lnW03ld32O_SsjXNTbyJ4Q10J-kF9bhoXm091jwb6ogjSkfRmFyOneOqV1JNbQ/s320/fossor.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> THE PROBLEM:</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif";">I’m increasingly convinced of Mike’s idea
to simplify </span><span style="font-family: Corbel, sans-serif;">the meta-categories, while
complexifying the </span><span style="font-family: Corbel, sans-serif;">subcategories. This will keep it
simple and allow me to be </span><span style="font-family: Corbel, sans-serif;">as egghead-y as I want.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">OTHER PROPOSED SOLUTIONS:</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif";">When
Christianity was outlawed in Rome, many </span><span style="font-family: Corbel, sans-serif;">pastors took jobs as grave diggers, carving
out</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif";">catacombs,
then sneaking Christians into them for prayer </span><span style="font-family: Corbel, sans-serif;">and
the Lord’s Supper. The pastors would decorate the </span><span style="font-family: Corbel, sans-serif;">catacombs
with Christian symbols. The Romans </span><span style="font-family: Corbel, sans-serif;">nicknamed
them </span><i style="font-family: Corbel, sans-serif;">fossores</i><span style="font-family: Corbel, sans-serif;">, after ugly sand wasps.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif";">Fossores</span></i><span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif";"> dig holes in the ground, which they
decorate, </span><span style="font-family: Corbel, sans-serif;">and
in which they keep their children. I’m basing my </span><span style="font-family: Corbel, sans-serif;">model
for how to do ministry on these </span><i style="font-family: Corbel, sans-serif;">Fossores</i><span style="font-family: Corbel, sans-serif;">,
whose </span><span style="font-family: Corbel, sans-serif;">life,
art, and work intersected seamlessly.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif";">ART</span></b><span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif";">—Holy provocation, prophetic reorientation, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif";">sacred imagination.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif";">WORK</span></b><span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif";">—Change the church, heal the world, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif";">translate the Gospel. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif";">LIFE</span></b><span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif";">—Shadow God, spiritual formation, holy <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif";">vocation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif";">I want to use the Fossorian
model in 4 ways: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif";">a
redesign of shadowinggod.com<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif";">a
published compendium on visual leadership<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif";">ministerial
development classes at a local <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif";">university and at Westwinds<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif";">an
ongoing blog series exploring the catalog of <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Corbel, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> art, work, and life.</span><b><span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></b></div>
david mcdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17819341498291923921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17510444.post-40473145579158073952013-06-13T11:07:00.000-04:002013-06-13T11:07:00.874-04:00How To Do Ministry: update <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>A.K.A. a repeated attempt not to quit
my job and become a truck driver</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdXGfUmFzE19jkGJ-3A8uGIaqKwB2KqgxTl7NMvDHvX3nvULWH8Cb060cM3cg6u955ljLeRB_-jDPjTlanvqBwuw-AdqOveQQjwBBXtIzO92IrMvIC5wUB_EkD2JFnxY-EFC7/s1600/word+pic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdXGfUmFzE19jkGJ-3A8uGIaqKwB2KqgxTl7NMvDHvX3nvULWH8Cb060cM3cg6u955ljLeRB_-jDPjTlanvqBwuw-AdqOveQQjwBBXtIzO92IrMvIC5wUB_EkD2JFnxY-EFC7/s320/word+pic.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">THE PROBLEM:</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I want to make visual resources people can employ to
become better pastors. I also want them to feel as though
they own these resources, not like
they are borrowing
David’s stuff. But cataloging these resources
is tricky, especially when they’re visual. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OTHER PROPOSED
SOLUTIONS:</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mike
Cole suggested I’m thinking about this project
in the wrong way. He suggested I create a </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">series
of web offerings, since it’s easy to use multiple </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">tags
for projects online. Mike suggested I think of 3 </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">simple
categories. I was afraid that might over-</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">simplify
the components and thus render the model </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ineffective
for quickly finding relevant information. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But
Mike reminded me I can use tags for as many </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">subcategories
as I need. He’s right. I’ve been thinking </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">like
a Gutenberg-er. I have over-complexified the </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">model
and under-appreciated the sorting capabilities </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">of the web.</span><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </b></div>
david mcdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17819341498291923921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17510444.post-9234300211035717792013-06-12T11:04:00.000-04:002013-06-12T11:04:00.286-04:00How To Do Ministry: update<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My ongoing
quest to help people not suck at their jobs</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhteFdvUF65ov1E9hgmkvQi6s1t5uogAnygN_jZP9kx0RpKP4uqFATytSiMjkNj6wLc_twzuk6CcF5VBTBjk1EtstDH0YEu0jlqLd6Dri9sHSa2R7YJrtC-KRU_zKHyLruq1Ix3/s1600/4+way+venn.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhteFdvUF65ov1E9hgmkvQi6s1t5uogAnygN_jZP9kx0RpKP4uqFATytSiMjkNj6wLc_twzuk6CcF5VBTBjk1EtstDH0YEu0jlqLd6Dri9sHSa2R7YJrtC-KRU_zKHyLruq1Ix3/s320/4+way+venn.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> THE PROBLEM:</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I
want to create a repository of practical tools and </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">biblical
insights concerning the spiritual life of a </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">congregation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OTHER PROPOSED
SOLUTIONS:</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I
have to find a model that allows for the </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">hybridization
of what we do as pastors.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The
purpose of a model is to help others make sense </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">of
a huge amount of information. In order to do this, </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">you
have to have a framework for them to see inside </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">your
head. I’m currently working with 4 major </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">categories:
leadership, spirituality, communication, </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and
engagement. But each category has crossover </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">points.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The
orrery model for pastoral leadership was a total </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">bust.
Too complex. Only I could make sense of it. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It
was pretty, but dumb.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After
an orrery, I tried a 4-way Venn diagram. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This
also proved to be far too complex for anyone to </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">view and immediately understand.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
david mcdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17819341498291923921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17510444.post-59409781809659228562013-06-11T11:01:00.000-04:002013-06-11T11:01:03.648-04:00New Project: How To Do Ministry<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>A quest to help aspiring leaders
become effective faster</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhANW4yp47dw9F4S3wNPAca_hyNLypQrW8ghaQ0XrKHD0pwPYzgzbc2z_gkLvvXejRYNgLtYkJkdOu14S7En1soev3iNWtZVlFzL5-zIyyu6i84IURzlQgqvJS1qL0WdJd-GneN/s1600/orrery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhANW4yp47dw9F4S3wNPAca_hyNLypQrW8ghaQ0XrKHD0pwPYzgzbc2z_gkLvvXejRYNgLtYkJkdOu14S7En1soev3iNWtZVlFzL5-zIyyu6i84IURzlQgqvJS1qL0WdJd-GneN/s320/orrery.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">DESCRIPTION: </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pastors often employ business or athletic
models for ministerial leadership. Both require
heavy </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">adaptation, and neither is terribly
functional, so I’m searching for an alternative.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">WHY ARE WE DOING THIS:</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Church
leaders often request help doing holistic,
innovative ministry like Westwinds, so I've </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">begun
searching for a suitable model to teach the varied
components:</span></div>
<ul><ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Liturgics—why
we do the things we do.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Staffing—why
we hire the people we hire.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Budgets—how
we use the resources we have.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Relationships—How
we work with our people. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Mission—Staying
focused on the right things.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Spiritual
Formation—Teaching and growing.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Pastoral
Interiority—What goes on in our </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">hearts and minds.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Prophetic
Artistry—cultural provocation and </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">critique.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Post-Christian
Orthodoxy—How we follow </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">the Bible’s teachings
when it doesn't</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> feel like </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">anyone around us cares.</span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I
don’t want to over-simplify, but I do want to categorize
the material so it’s easily readable and usable.
Thus far, I have compiled nearly 700 diagrams & illustrations.
I’m going to employ the visual model of an
orrery—a 3D model of the solar system—and see
how far that gets me. </span></div>
david mcdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17819341498291923921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17510444.post-38643509669130128872013-06-04T16:17:00.001-04:002013-06-04T16:17:15.698-04:00Listening To ScriptureAn excerpt from <i>Shadowing God</i>.<br />
<br />
Reading the Bible should not be reduced to some kind of requirement for good standing with God or the church. On the contrary, our relationship with scripture is more romance than rote – it actually makes a<br />
difference in our lives, teaching, correcting, and training us how God wants us to live (see 2 Timothy 3.16-17). The Bible is pure, true, flawless, perfect, effective, precious, and powerful (Psalm 119.2). Nothing is to be taken from or added to it (see Deuteronomy 4.2), except (apparently) some maps.<br />
<br />
For everyone who claims to know and love Jesus, the Bible must be the standard against which we measure every impulse, decision, and desire. All efforts to shadow God must begin with a sound understanding of scripture. The Bible presents to us God’s will, purposes, and designs for this world and anything that contradicts the clear teaching of scripture can be immediately identified as spiritually erroneous.<br />
<br />
Don’t read the Bible for information,<br />
read it for transformation.<br />
<br />
That is, don’t pick up the Bible and flip through it looking for an answer to life’s particulars – should I marry this person, should I accept this new position at work, should I go on this adventure, etc. – because in all likelihood one of three bad things will happen:<br />
You will likely not find an answer to your particular problem in that moment and so you will despair of there being any answers, wisdom, or worth to be found in the scripture.<br />
You may find an answer, but it might not be a good answer. For example, you might find a scripture that seems to indicate you should marry this person instead of that person, only to discover later on that you don’t really love them and weren't really ready for marriage. In that moment, the natural human tendency would be to blame the Bible and blame God instead of acknowledging that there was something misguided about how you came to that answer in the first place.<br />
Finally, you may find an answer and it might be a good one, leading you to believe that any time you need such answers you should just open the scriptures and see what’s there which will – eventually, if not immediately – lead you back into either of the first two problems.<br />
<br />
I might remind us all at this point that the Bible is complex, written several thousand years ago by several dozen contributors under the inspiration of the Spirit; and, in order for us to find answers, we must take a more well-reasoned approach to looking for those answers--weighing in all the appropriate texts, reading commentary and studying context, etc.<br />
<br />
How, then, should we read the Bible?<br />
<br />
My favorite image for reading and studying the Bible comes from Columbia professor Walter Brueggemann, who suggests we treat the Bible as compost. In Brueggemann’s analogy we are asked to remember that the Bible is not the place of new spiritual insights. The Bible is thousands of years old and the canon of<br />
scripture has been “closed” for some time.<br />
<br />
Like a compost, the Bible is the repository of old growth, nutrients, and life. The best way for us to read the Bible is to mix it in to daily living by<br />
memorizing it,<br />
talking about it,<br />
telling the stories from within the scriptures to our children<br />
or our neighbors,<br />
paraphrasing,<br />
performing,<br />
and playing,<br />
so that the life of the scriptures fertilizes our everyday lives in an ongoing manner.<br />
<br />
There are, incidentally, two kinds of composting: active and passive. Active composting, in which the conditions are more highly controlled, rapidly produces basic fertilizer. To continue our metaphor of the Bible-as-compost, when we memorize scripture (or spend time regularly reading scripture) we quickly gain a working knowledge of the Bible and a good understanding of who God is and what he’s like.<br />
Passive composting lets nature take its course in a more leisurely manner, but often produces richer fertilizer. In spiritual terms, the more we let scripture pop up in our everyday lives, especially in storied ways –<br />
like rehearsing episodes of Daniel off the top of our heads, or paraphrasing the parables of Jesus to friends over coffee, discussing what he really meant – the more saturated we become with the grand Story of God and the World.<br />
<br />
For my part, I like to tease out complex theological problems with people who aren't Christians. I think of it as a good way to whet their appetite for the Story of God, and to get fresh perspective on whatever the issue happens to be.<br />
<br />
I also like to tell my kids Bible stories, connecting the dots for them between the prophets and Jesus, or between different Old Testament episodes that occur around the same time. It fires their imaginations, and it helps anchor our home in the reality that we are part of this same story. One night, my daughter kept waking up with these horrible nightmares and so, finally, I climbed into bed with her and began to tell her a story. I felt nudged to tell her the story of one famous dreamer in the Bible, Daniel, and about his dreams in the court of King Nebuchadnezzar. I asked her if she had ever heard of Daniel and she had – knowing the story of the lion’s den by heart – and so we prayed and sang and talked about the fact that the same God who controlled<br />
Daniel’s dreams was the same God who rescued Daniel from the lion’s den, and is also the same God to whom we now pray and believe that he is Lord over Anna’s dreams and will protect her like he protected Daniel. She laughed, snuggled, and fell fast asleep with no further interruptions from any monsters under the bed, glowing eyes in the woods, or creatures from the deep places of the earth.<br />
<br />
That’s what I mean by using the scripture as compost. Let it fertilize life. That, too, is how we shadow God. In that moment with my daughter, I knew, based on my understanding of the scripture, and my longevity as a Christ-follower, that what God wanted in that moment was to reintroduce himself to Anna in such a way so she would be affirmed and grow, that she would have confidence that he is watching over her, and that her daddy is there bathing her with prayers, blessings, thanksgiving, and faith. God wanted to be there for Anna, and so I was there for Anna, reminding her of God – like a shadow. She can’t see Christ, but she can see Christ-in-me.<br />
<br />
Don’t treat the Bible like a recipe book, a manual, or a self-help guide. Don’t read it like homework, or a contract, or legislation. Do read the Bible like a Grand Story, like an epic, an adventure, a romance. Do<br />
treat it reverently, but play with it, sing it, perform it, and keep bringing it up in all those magical moments throughout each day when a little fertilizer is needed.<br />
<br />
Let the scriptures marinate you. Let them penetrate you. Let them weave in and out of your thoughts and conversations. Once the Bible becomes a constant source of nutrition in your life, you will find that shadowing God comes more naturally. You’ll know the kinds of things God wants, just as you’ll know the kinds of things God does. You will be able to recognize godliness when you see it, just as you will be more willing to participate in godliness when you’re needed.david mcdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17819341498291923921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17510444.post-70681927130524112452013-05-24T13:00:00.000-04:002013-05-24T13:00:00.496-04:00What women actually did in the Bible <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Excerpted from the "Women In Ministry" document written for Westwinds Community Church. </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This is what was spoken by the
prophet Joel:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .75in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In the last days, God says,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .75in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I will pour out my Spirit on all people.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .75in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Your sons and daughters will prophesy,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .75in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">your young men will see visions,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .75in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">your old men will dream dreams.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .75in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Even on my servants, both men and women,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .75in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I will pour out my Spirit in those days,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .75in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">and they will prophesy.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>ACTS 2.16-18</b>, citing Joel 2.28-30<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The single most convincing argument that women should be
included in all levels of church leadership is that they were included in all
levels of church leadership in the Bible.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Given the numerous occasions on which women lead, taught (and taught
men), spoke publicly, evangelized, prophesied, and were listed among the elders
and deacons and apostles of the New Testament church it is impossible to
believe that Paul’s limiting passages (1 Corinthians 14 and 1 Timothy 2) were
meant to negate all that had already (in many cases by Paul himself) been put
into place.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Consider what women actually did in the Bible, the New Testament specifically:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Mary (not Joseph) is the first to
receive the message of Christ’s birth into the world. She is honored and blessed by angels. She is also the first to sing and prophesy
about the Christ child (cf. Luke 1).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The prophetess Anna receives
honorable mention as one who speaks of the Messiah to those who have waited for
Him (Luke 2.36-38).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Mary (the mother of Jesus)
obviously had a tremendous impact on the way in which her son fulfilled his
messianic purpose. Consider that many of
the themes present in Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1.46-55) appear in much the same
way in both Jesus’ teaching and James’ (Jesus’ half-brother) epistle (cf. Luke
4, James 1).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">During Christ’s earthly ministry, a
group that Luke calls <i>the Women</i> were
just as well known as <i>the Twelve</i>
(Luke 8.1-3, 23.49 + 55, 22.24). In fact, the twelve male disciples were a
rather pitiful bunch when compared to Christ’s female disciples, who abandon
Jesus in the Garden and are not rehabilitated until much later. Because of this
Tom Wright has light-heartedly referred to these women as “apostles to the
apostles.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Mary (not Jesus’ mother, but the
sister of Martha) caused near-scandal by avoiding her “women’s work” in the
kitchen and instead sitting at Jesus’ feet. In that world, at that time, to sit
at someone’s feet meant that you were a student and they were the teacher. Receiving this kind of instruction was
strictly the province of men.
Furthermore, you wouldn’t simply learn like this for your own personal
edification, but in order to become a rabbi or teacher yourself. This,
undoubtedly, is what really bothered Martha: her sister was neglecting her
female role and adopting, instead, a male role as a student and
apprentice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The woman who anointed Jesus’ feet
(traditionally, Mary Magdalene) was performing a priestly action – she was
preparing Jesus’ body for burial – and Jesus recognized the sacramental nature
of her offering (cf. Luke 7.36-50).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The Women were the last ones to
leave the Cross (cf. Luke 24) at Christ’s crucifixion and the first ones to
visit the Tomb after his burial (cf. Luke 24).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Priscilla and her husband, Aquila,
taught Apollos (a Greek scholar) the way of the Lord more fully (Acts 18.26).
This is significant, because in order for them to have taught a scholar,
Prisiclla and Aquilla must have been well-versed (to say the least) in both
Scripture and theology. Furthermore,
four out of the six times this couple is mentioned in the Bible Priscilla’s
name is listed first (Acts 18.18 + 26, Romans 16.3, 2 Timothy 4.19). This is ancient shorthand for signifying that
Priscilla was more spiritually prominent.
The fact that her name appears first when she and her husband instructed
Apollos indicates that she led in that exchange (Acts 18.26 NASB and NIV).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Philip the evangelist had four
daughters who were prophetesses (Acts 21.9).
This means they prophesied, which – in the first century – was always
done in and among the church.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In 1 Corinthians 11.4-5, Paul says
that women may both pray and prophesy when the church comes together (cf. 1
Corinthians 11.1-34). The context of
this passage means clear that Paul is referring to public meetings where both
men and women are present).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">When Paul wrote to the Christians
in Rome, he honored the following women for their services in the church:
Phoebe, Priscilla, Mary, Tryphena, Tryphosa, Persis, Julia, and the sister of
Nereus (cf. Romans 16). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In Romans 16.2, Paul refers to
Phoebe, a deacon (a lesser officer in the church, charged with visiting the
sick, taking care of the poor, and fiscal management of the church’s
resources), a <i>prostatis</i>, which means
“one who stands in front of, superintends, guards, and provides care for
others.” Historically, we know that
Phoebe was the courier for Paul’s letter to the church in Rome and was charged
with the task of explicating it so the Romans could understand the complex
theological reasoning. Clearly, Phoebe
was a minister of the Gospel message and had some authority over – not only
individuals, but entire congregations as a teacher and expositor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Paul commends Junia for being
outstanding among the apostles (cf. Romans 16.7). This shows that Junia (a woman) was [1] an
apostle, the highest officer in the early church; and [2] therefore obviously
met (at least) the qualifications for the office of elder, which was a lesser
office within the church. Along with her
husband, Andronicus, Junia was recognized as having gifts from God – “gifts”
meaning things like evangelizing, teaching, preaching, establishing leaders,
and leading churches.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In Philippians 4.2-3, Paul makes
special of Euodias and Syntyche who helped him in the Lord’s work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Paul reminds Titus that the older
women should be “teachers of good things.”
They should teach the younger women (Titus 2.3-5).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Paul commends Timothy’s mother and
grandmother. We can reasonable infer
that these two women taught Timothy the Scriptures since he was a child (2
Timothy 1.5, 3.15).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Clearly, women were active in the ministry of the
first-century church.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Because they were
recipients of the Holy Spirit, they were just as much a part of the believing
priesthood as were the men.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We find them
prophesying publicly, praying publicly, teaching publicly, leading alongside
Paul (as well as other men), and leading male Christians.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Given these facts, how can we reasonably assume that Paul
meant for us to completely silence women in the higher levels of ecclesial
leadership? Even if he did mean that
women shouldn’t become elders – which, again, I think we’ve established is not
what he meant – Paul obviously felt comfortable appointing and employing women
in the highest levels of leadership whenever he felt it was appropriate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">At best, Paul’s injunctions are flexible. Much more likely, Paul’s injunctions are
merely situational.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">He didn’t mean to keep women out of the highest offices of
leadership. He himself put women in
those offices and commended them for their high performance.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
david mcdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17819341498291923921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17510444.post-24336988798841450082013-05-16T10:12:00.000-04:002013-05-16T10:12:37.425-04:00POCKET GODS<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Matthetes smiled as he jingled his new gods, jumbling them in his
pockets like a</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">potpourri of coins and marbles.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">His Dad had given him his first god when he was thirteen – just a man.
His first god</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">was Ambition. Ambition had served him well, making him first in his
class and head</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">of school, landing him great job opportunities
and a bright future.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Over the years, he gave himself fully to the gods in his pocket but
worried that something was wrong.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">They didn’t work anymore.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Matthetes became disillusioned with his gods, then, and threw them all
away. All his</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">life he’d wanted, then got, then lost, then got, then been
disappointed by, his gods.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">And now they were gone.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">And he felt no differently.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">So he went to get the new God he’d heard about put
into his heart.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The surgery was invasive, but didn’t hurt as much as he’d anticipated.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The ritual was spooky, but it was the good‐spooky</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>(more mystical, less
haunting).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The alchemy was almost non‐existent, though everyone attending assured</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Matthetes that a transformation had – in fact –
taken place.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As he was completely emptied out of all his Ambition,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>his love for Flesh,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>his addiction to
Media,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>his fantasy of
Fitness and Diet and Novelty;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>as his
need for the pocket gods vanished Matthetes was left with only</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>one
certainty in all the world.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The God in his heart would always continue to grow.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">And from that central truth he took strength.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The God‐in‐his‐heart grew – and so would he.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">That was the turning point – working together with the God‐in‐his‐heart,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">cooperating with the God‐in‐his‐heart,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Matthetes began to learn about achievement without pride,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>love without lust,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>pleasure without
novelty,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>health without
anxiety,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>economy without
greed,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>friendship
without agenda…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">His whole life was different.</span></div>
david mcdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17819341498291923921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17510444.post-70752970352066555152013-03-29T15:54:00.002-04:002013-03-29T15:54:42.192-04:00Kung Fu Good Friday<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/gYvw68IneV4" width="420"></iframe>david mcdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17819341498291923921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17510444.post-20357427834159632842013-03-23T14:28:00.000-04:002013-03-23T14:28:47.343-04:00And then came man...<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FFOkLbe5498" width="560"></iframe>david mcdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17819341498291923921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17510444.post-92029222544447846412013-02-17T18:33:00.000-05:002013-02-17T18:33:21.436-05:00Photos of the Revelation of June Paul at the JSO...these are from our friends at Jacksonopolis.com, who sent a photographer out to the Jackson Symphony Orchestra performance on Friday, January 25th<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGvDOcluVwPs2S9GC4LfdlEp6gZ3hlfJ-OEnfm8MOI_fB_HnOeqPuMGHW6KuaoA9LEo3rsTEKzC47-SRELBKsXPQPJtp-6omRiubwf14jdczytUgIZg6-hna31-Xq_xDgwIqr/s1600/Mapes+June+Paul+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGvDOcluVwPs2S9GC4LfdlEp6gZ3hlfJ-OEnfm8MOI_fB_HnOeqPuMGHW6KuaoA9LEo3rsTEKzC47-SRELBKsXPQPJtp-6omRiubwf14jdczytUgIZg6-hna31-Xq_xDgwIqr/s320/Mapes+June+Paul+6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnhDVeqe8m3xDvw8YaaeQNZNBlM_1Os4Lo4f5_tSa2umHyNKzUKWd43E5t_jSCghtRI_wHh9c0Ys1tSoUgaBujV4a2aLnRkMDE2LqsWM6dlLXtztFDJpbP5Bawcijka9rOFYo5/s1600/Mapes+June+Paul+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnhDVeqe8m3xDvw8YaaeQNZNBlM_1Os4Lo4f5_tSa2umHyNKzUKWd43E5t_jSCghtRI_wHh9c0Ys1tSoUgaBujV4a2aLnRkMDE2LqsWM6dlLXtztFDJpbP5Bawcijka9rOFYo5/s320/Mapes+June+Paul+7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc0z4dh85iFfMQpOfxVaKyq9U6f7rJmeJXC-uJcJx9V8MoxEPmp6Seh9Hg2HtCdWV0_GHks_fCDuiTFpvjgU9gq7I0WI3pW6nbexsy5bUxFWI2XD6OzdTbDsWapLbHnpGzft0u/s1600/Mapes+June+Paul+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc0z4dh85iFfMQpOfxVaKyq9U6f7rJmeJXC-uJcJx9V8MoxEPmp6Seh9Hg2HtCdWV0_GHks_fCDuiTFpvjgU9gq7I0WI3pW6nbexsy5bUxFWI2XD6OzdTbDsWapLbHnpGzft0u/s320/Mapes+June+Paul+9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEsaZX5w-7ugSWgd5oy4HSptRW-JLVdkd8WE-F8scpwU_zyWoUKuigWboEFG7TjCX-Cl4LcHe1ZHb5u3qrktpGC2wLpkjT6-J9EfFokG92bMgpIQi80ok5HOFsRDCIoNhLVcH-/s1600/Mapes+June+Paul+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEsaZX5w-7ugSWgd5oy4HSptRW-JLVdkd8WE-F8scpwU_zyWoUKuigWboEFG7TjCX-Cl4LcHe1ZHb5u3qrktpGC2wLpkjT6-J9EfFokG92bMgpIQi80ok5HOFsRDCIoNhLVcH-/s320/Mapes+June+Paul+8.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />david mcdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17819341498291923921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17510444.post-41156621919121242962013-02-15T13:30:00.001-05:002013-02-15T13:30:23.468-05:00LOVE(s)Here are the graphics my friend Mel Evans (mel.evans@westwinds.org) created for a teaching I presented concerning the different kinds of loves. Please feel free to download them and use them as you wish, but don't forget to give props to Mel when you do :)<br />
<br />
The six loves referenced here are (from the Greek) Storge: affection, Ludus: playfulness, Mania: obsession, Phileo: friendship, Eros: passion, Agape: self-sacrifice.<br />
<br />
It is my contention that each of these loves has a positive side (shown in red ink, top left corner) and a negative side (shown in black ink, bottom right corner). For example, Passion can be safely understood as a servant of Love, but can also be misunderstood as Love's savior. So, healthy passion is that kind of love that realizes sex brings two people together and unifies them, securing and reinstating their covenantal obligation. But an unhealthy view of passion misleads people into thinking that great sex is a substitute for great love, or that more sex (or more varieties of sex, or more partners for sex) will guarantee the oneness and satisfaction that only covenantal love can provide.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Y4gZ3VD411wFZoZT1Fx999HpQpXUgJqUacmsLjxvfrpenRlX4A562hRcq7tAdzEg76DbextjsZwbtVL2A5rDLowDrUJLNUQZmUOKux4fRTqu5ic-h1ihHXZnGABoESVUwwMQ/s1600/Passion_kingofhearts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Y4gZ3VD411wFZoZT1Fx999HpQpXUgJqUacmsLjxvfrpenRlX4A562hRcq7tAdzEg76DbextjsZwbtVL2A5rDLowDrUJLNUQZmUOKux4fRTqu5ic-h1ihHXZnGABoESVUwwMQ/s320/Passion_kingofhearts.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRia127ALgy0UZAs8Z8H0qp2YnufAe4AdEZYQ51q_h58f6udyPnV5uFcRKTNwfMfre1eZDyOTWhQh1L8KjE3DS0-GqDdkrKRGCm0jUw-u9_2s9OQ64kiDVKZFL9Nh59AcOl7cg/s1600/Playfulness_Jackofhearts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRia127ALgy0UZAs8Z8H0qp2YnufAe4AdEZYQ51q_h58f6udyPnV5uFcRKTNwfMfre1eZDyOTWhQh1L8KjE3DS0-GqDdkrKRGCm0jUw-u9_2s9OQ64kiDVKZFL9Nh59AcOl7cg/s320/Playfulness_Jackofhearts.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPjjL29DHnQk4APw7o89D3ECwloeykKVUyafPqQF_BD4lEeBEJO5pSVwFCrM0zcPPr3ZncJWIK3618tVymiP_xKgXuBpc3AzwBBTu_LPth_uVOxNBjFOx5BmqsdC1Vg862PtO5/s1600/obsession_joker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPjjL29DHnQk4APw7o89D3ECwloeykKVUyafPqQF_BD4lEeBEJO5pSVwFCrM0zcPPr3ZncJWIK3618tVymiP_xKgXuBpc3AzwBBTu_LPth_uVOxNBjFOx5BmqsdC1Vg862PtO5/s320/obsession_joker.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpFoZ2xdTGs3AOA3f5gsuyV7QcdRAZ4b_n6YgDFdD0rvclcnKsQDNqz4vgcTjEcbkIeJIvaK4Nwi2zk8K7cvTozOiJjWdcy-1s4gl4uJSCenf0-o46Y2GIbivsj9DumqjQtk3/s1600/friendship_queenofhearts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpFoZ2xdTGs3AOA3f5gsuyV7QcdRAZ4b_n6YgDFdD0rvclcnKsQDNqz4vgcTjEcbkIeJIvaK4Nwi2zk8K7cvTozOiJjWdcy-1s4gl4uJSCenf0-o46Y2GIbivsj9DumqjQtk3/s320/friendship_queenofhearts.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IEuMb6HAF-MiG0larKKP1TwUk0zb7RuhZsromZt0E32t3sW-R-MXULMwDYvRQXE-5vujt6EGt9jWre5HEpeH95hxWubsBJcCC7SWhAeJwA63UlJLmMOMkWdKR2EG_xwQA9b4/s1600/selfsacrifice_joker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IEuMb6HAF-MiG0larKKP1TwUk0zb7RuhZsromZt0E32t3sW-R-MXULMwDYvRQXE-5vujt6EGt9jWre5HEpeH95hxWubsBJcCC7SWhAeJwA63UlJLmMOMkWdKR2EG_xwQA9b4/s320/selfsacrifice_joker.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCKLB2DhwJvlF21ftJtT3Gf4RQhe5Y-iE8DdK-dpM6GsBOG6LLKIjfKPvNqQ-DxMqPyGzk8hBCtpS5vjvw-DVG5LoD_wPmALgfmrzMCporqxJV71bTyQu-2KI8p2fS_FBCCecO/s1600/affection_joker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCKLB2DhwJvlF21ftJtT3Gf4RQhe5Y-iE8DdK-dpM6GsBOG6LLKIjfKPvNqQ-DxMqPyGzk8hBCtpS5vjvw-DVG5LoD_wPmALgfmrzMCporqxJV71bTyQu-2KI8p2fS_FBCCecO/s320/affection_joker.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />david mcdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17819341498291923921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17510444.post-65641005224495902352013-01-18T15:53:00.001-05:002013-01-18T15:53:26.481-05:00Kingdom ParadoxDave Currie was my ministerial hero when I was a kid, and he first introduced me to the idea of 'Kingdom Paradox' when I was 18. Yesterday I found Dave's sermon notes while digging through my old note books, and thought I'd reprint his basic outline.<br />
<br />
JOHN 12:23-26<br />
The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant will also be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.<br />
<br />
4 Kingdom Paradoxes<br />
<br />
1. Dying to produce life ("...unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies..."<br />
<br />
2. Losing to possess life ("...the man who loves his life will lose it...")<br />
<br />
3. Following to proclaim life ("...whoever serves me must follow me...")<br />
<br />
4. Serving to be promoted in life ("...my Father will honor the one who serves me...").david mcdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17819341498291923921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17510444.post-8645022936379554492013-01-18T13:19:00.000-05:002013-01-18T13:19:22.865-05:00Jesus Injection<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSlyX3DhkSsIfRRuTRQNm-RHSkCUYGn0OMJn7TpdNdxX0WLteMKcuXVWQ3U1w_YZEndcZFakFTB9nHHIuW-kqg0EC-Bc1Kv18_d4wy0sirN2y_DgM9fqHD19PpGGJ0aK0zuIzn/s1600/poster2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSlyX3DhkSsIfRRuTRQNm-RHSkCUYGn0OMJn7TpdNdxX0WLteMKcuXVWQ3U1w_YZEndcZFakFTB9nHHIuW-kqg0EC-Bc1Kv18_d4wy0sirN2y_DgM9fqHD19PpGGJ0aK0zuIzn/s320/poster2.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
...found this old unused prototype artwork last night on my home computer. wish we would've used it.david mcdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17819341498291923921noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17510444.post-10785247074652113442013-01-01T16:46:00.000-05:002013-01-01T16:46:00.257-05:00Pastor's Day Off: steampunk gunssometimes, on my days off, i build things<br />
like steampunk guns<br />
<br />
i made these from nerf guns, old binoculars, and ebay auto parts with clockworks for decoration<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMKsDfTHZFdtdWoTMJ68UMgd37C2DjoBxHx7zIZdsIUYyp211IWh-EBgCx77Tin1sF-g4YGdopiGCXmXN_NOU4Fq_re5fN434m_fltCQqDRlxvebzWjnXZkzPsNuGKtuJs7Hy0/s1600/photo-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMKsDfTHZFdtdWoTMJ68UMgd37C2DjoBxHx7zIZdsIUYyp211IWh-EBgCx77Tin1sF-g4YGdopiGCXmXN_NOU4Fq_re5fN434m_fltCQqDRlxvebzWjnXZkzPsNuGKtuJs7Hy0/s320/photo-1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlESX4WBdgXh39YS9L3RYCovdwU1NSpEOU0pAn5gjGjqwj3sF4mat2xmycuhyphenhyphenT3WkRgD-SSGgNwhj7tGlSGfratgFCbNs1Rrm-sCMPCMm2IrCZHtPJvT7QG8RUB0mHAMWttxCb/s1600/photo-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlESX4WBdgXh39YS9L3RYCovdwU1NSpEOU0pAn5gjGjqwj3sF4mat2xmycuhyphenhyphenT3WkRgD-SSGgNwhj7tGlSGfratgFCbNs1Rrm-sCMPCMm2IrCZHtPJvT7QG8RUB0mHAMWttxCb/s320/photo-2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgajl0B1pXH5B0bpHsby3QquJkEkhHzBfn3VwVhaZ3HExGZfoAfPlCxGYJXi8kf74Oj_EDMPQknqA5gkFDt6rN8oVnh5A4Adm54nI_jCTGFh3x3s_LI3xPtANq5mLYwfs7UQvXh/s1600/photo-3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgajl0B1pXH5B0bpHsby3QquJkEkhHzBfn3VwVhaZ3HExGZfoAfPlCxGYJXi8kf74Oj_EDMPQknqA5gkFDt6rN8oVnh5A4Adm54nI_jCTGFh3x3s_LI3xPtANq5mLYwfs7UQvXh/s320/photo-3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />david mcdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17819341498291923921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17510444.post-51504205241099993152012-12-29T14:46:00.000-05:002012-12-29T14:46:00.143-05:00Kingdom Paradox
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
God’s kingdom works backwards. His reasoning and promises
and ambitions for us are often counterintuitive. It’s one of the most difficult
truths to explain to people, yet also one of the most important. So I’ve
compiled a list, here, of kingdom paradoxes from Scripture—ways that seem
backward to us, but normative to God.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The humble are exalted. The exalted are humbled. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"Those who humble themselves will be exalted."
(Luke 14: 11)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lose your life to find it. Find your life and lose it. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"Those who find their life will lose it and those who
lose themselves for my sake will find it." (Matthew10:39)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Slavery leads to freedom. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"Having been freed from sin, you became slaves of
righteousness." (Rom. 6:18; cf. 1 Cor. 7:22)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The foolish are wise. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"If any one among you think that he is wise in this
age, let him become foolish that he may become wise." (1 Corinthians 3:18;
cf. 4:10)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The poor are rich. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"Listen, my beloved: did not God choose the poor of
this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom." (James 2:5)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The weak are strong. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"...for when I am weak, then I am strong." (2
Corinthians 12:10)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Die to live. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"...always carrying about in the body the dying of
Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body." (2
Corinthians 4:10)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Give to receive. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"It is more blessed to give than to receive."
(Acts 20:35)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first are last. The last, first. <br />
"The last shall be first, and the first last." (Matthew 20:16; Mark
9:35)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are other places in Scripture where this backwards
spirituality is neatly summarized, most notably The Sermon on the Mount, which
describes:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wealthy Paupers (Matthew 5:3)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Happy Mourners (Matthew 5:4)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Passive Victors (Matthew 5:5)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Zealous Gluttons (Matthew 5:6)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Self-Enriching Benefactors (Matthew 5:7)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Everyday Visionaries (Matthew 5:8)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Adopted Ambassadors (Matthew 5:9)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Winning Losers (Matthew 5:10-12)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Additionally, there are plenty of koans describing spiritual
development that, while not listed specifically in the Bible, are nevertheless
agreed upon universally by mature believers. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The paradox of spiritual growth—the more you mature spiritually,
the more you realize how much you still need maturing<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The paradox of spiritual enlightenment—the more enlightened
you become, the more childlike you will seem<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The paradox of knowing and mystery—the more you know God,
the more comfortable you are with all that you do not know about God<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The paradox of love—the more love you require, the more love
you give away<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->david mcdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17819341498291923921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17510444.post-27144101883735397012012-12-28T15:07:00.000-05:002012-12-28T15:07:00.275-05:00Heads & Tales: Resources
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you’re at all interested in learning more about Herod the
Great, here are the best resources I uncovered during the fall of 2012.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Josephus: the Antiquities of the Jews (also, Jewish Wars),
Flavius Josephus<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Jesus Discovery, DA Bradford<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Herod: King of the Jews and friend of the Romans, Peter
Richardson<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The History of the Jewish People in the Age of Jesus Christ,
Geza Vermes<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The New Testament and the People of God, NT Wright<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Catholic Encyclopedia<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Encyclopedia Britannica<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jewish Encyclopedia<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->david mcdonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17819341498291923921noreply@blogger.com0