Troubling passage and a short story

It was kind of a meandering class today, but I wanted feedback on last week's youth-led worship, and I've found that sometimes it helps to let you all organize your thoughts by wandering around a bit. (Or maybe that's me that organizes my thoughts through chaos....)

The troubling passage I read you was 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. I am stuggling with this one, and I'll probably read the rest of 2 Thess again to see what I can learn. I'd love your thoughts. As I said, if you think you understand the totality of God's word, you're wrong, possibly crazy, and maybe even dangerous.

Finally, I don't know if you're familiar with it, but there's a really cool science fiction short story by Terry Bisson called They're Made Out of Meat. It is not specifically religious or Christian, but one of Christianity's central tenets is God's Incarnation, which literally means "God Become Meat."

{Note: On Bisson's website, there's a link to a very short movie based on the story. I like the movie, but there is an unfortunate use of a very strong profanity (not in the story) uttered by someone in the background.)

Oh, and one more thing: I started Dad's Cool Sites, another blog with links and stuff I find that I think my kids would like. If you're curious, well, it's a free internet. That is, for now. (Sorry for the off-topic political link, but I couldn't help myself.)

Feel free to post your thoughts or comments.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saint Ruby Yenkala

I have noticed that there are people in this world that seem to change everyone around them. It seems like merely speaking with them, or shaking their hand, is enough to transform you. I believe that this is what Paul meant by a "fruit of the Spirit." Saint Ruby Yenkala was not always sunshine and roses, not always happiness. Sometimes, she was frustrating and infuriating, but she changed us, and I think, she changed us for the better, and she changed us for good. She was a white woman of Jesse Helm's generation who thought nothing of worshiping with, embracing, and helping people regardless of their color. She was a woman who should, by all rights, been sitting in the back of the church, keeping her mouth shut except to responsively pray or sing. And yet, ever since she walked in the door of Northminster, she was standing in church, telling us what was needed in the community, giving us the good news and the bad news. Ruby was Christ's eyes and ears and hands and fee...
Read more

Love Not Fear

Well, I guess it's about time I took some time to describe what the title of the blog means. It's one of those cool phrases that change meaning depending on the punctuation, like "God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen". Love, Not Fear: With the comma, it gives a choice. "God is love" says the Bible. "Fear not," it also says in numerous places. I think the choice the Bible wants us to make is pretty clear. And it is a choice. Love and fear are both emotions, and you can't really help what you feel, but you can help what you do. Love and fear are also verbs. I don't believe that God wants you to be so concerned with your own survival that you jump at shadows. When Christ calls us to love our neighbor, I don't think he means for us to fear our other neighbors. Now, there are a lot of people who say that I should not tell this to you young people. I constantly see advice that young people need to be made afraid for their futures, either their et...
Read more

Peace: Noah and Job

Our lock-in theme this year was "Peace on Earth: Beyond the Bumper Stickers". As some preparation, I asked the youth the week before what Biblical references they thought of when they hear "Peace on Earth". Beyond the usual thoughts (the Nativity, e.g.), two rather unusual references came up: the story of Noah's Ark and the Book of Job. I want to take a minute and document what y'all meant by those, since I think their pretty amazing. I Noah's Ark and Peace At first, when 'Trumpet16' suggested Noah's ark as a story about peace, I wondered (briefly) if she hadn't been suckered in by the soft and fuzzy version of the story that gets told to very little kids. The nice boat ride with the cuddly zoo and the nice man with the long gray beard (who didn't allow card gambling -- he stood on the deck....). Of course, I know her too well to think that for long. Here's what she had in mind: The "peace" part of the story is at the en...
Read more