Worst Christian Song Ever?

I actually was hesitant to put a question mark on the end of the title up there.  This...is...awful. 

No matter how poor the quality of worship may be at your place of worship today.  You can thank God that it will be something other than this.

And I don't believe I'm using hyperbole here.

Talking About AIDS Sunday

Hoping to get some help from Bruce Springsteen.

What's That Smell?

It's the smell of Fall.

Fall is a season that approaches with a scent all to its own.

There's the first fires in the wood stoves as the temperatures get cooler.

There's the pungent smell of the high bush cranberries. You can always tell, when out in the woods, when you've passed by a patch of them.

There the smell of the leaves turning and falling and blanketing the ground...woody...damp.

There's the smell of cold, crisp mornings and the heaters of cars warming up during the drive.

And, when out on the trails by streams there is the smell salmon...the dead ones. They've completed their journey and now will decay.

What's that smell?

It's Fall.

Winter's coming.

Change is in the air.

Accurate Translation of the Bible?

Image via Wikipedia

What constitutes an accurate translation?  It's a discussion I have at the start of every Bible study.  Do we translate word for word or do we translate ideas or both or what?  The fact that we keep coming up with new translations indicates that we're still working on this and trying to translate the Scriptures into our language.

So, it is with great interest that I read a post over at Koinoniablog.net by Bill Mounce who as worked on the ESV and the NIV.  It seems he's gaining an appreciation for more of a "dynamic" or "functional" or "idea" translation. 

So, what constitutes an accurate translation?

I think most of our gut reactions would be: "word for word." An accurate translation is one that is as least interpretive as possible, one that reflects the grammar of the Greek and Hebrew. The basis of this claim is structural. We have been trained to think that if we stick as close to the form of the foreign language as possible, then we are being more accurate.

But I have been wondering if accuracy is really a matter of structure. I have long held that accuracy mandates the distinction between dependent and independent constructions, and I still hold to that. But beyond that, I wonder if a "literal" translation that makes no real sense in English can accurately be called "literal," or even a translation that makes a biblical writer sound almost illiterate. We know this is not true in the case of idioms; we rarely translate the idiom "into the ages or ages" word for word. We translate the meaning as "forever." But what about other Greek and Hebrew constructions that when translated make no sense?

I am not talking about natural language, translating into the modern English idiom of our own subculture the way the NLT does. I am simply wondering if a "word of word" translation that makes no real sense can in any way be called "accurate."

In seminary I used the New Revised Standard Version.  That was my formal choice for study.  But now that Peterson's The Message transliteration is out and the New Living Translation, there's a lot of sources out there to help with understanding a passage.  I still pull out the NRSV or NIV when I want to do a more formal study.

My Heart Is Full...

Image by Zoriah via Flickr
My heart is full.  

I sit here at my desk at the church.  "Mumford & Sons" music blaring from the speakers.  I'm working on worship and thinking and reading about AIDS.  I'm looking at numbers.  I'm picturing faces.  I'm feeling helpless.  I'm feeling hopeful.  I struggle with worship because it's just such a short time and there's so much to share.

I'm overwhelmed.

I want the congregation to feel passion and compassion.  I want them be moved and I want them to move in the world to reach out to those who are hurt and hurting, those who are lost or are losing, those many persons forget.

I want it for me, too. 


I feel burdened by God.  It is a holy thing. It is a holy moment.  My fingers can't type as fast as my heart and my mind are moving. 

I can feel my emotions in my head and in my heart and in my arms and my feet.  When the Spirit moves in me it so visceral.  It is corporal.  It is outward and inward.  It is movement and action and energy. I feel it.

It is passion.

It is peace,

I am touched.

I am loved.

I must love.

I must pray.

I must breathe.

So, What is "A Christian Response to the Ground Zero Mosque"?

Image by Stijn Vogels via FlickrSarah Cunningham gives her answer in a post called "A Christian Response to the Ground Zero Mosque" over at Q Blog.  I have struggled with this issue, as have many (or all) persons of faith.  This response of Sarah's resonated with me. 

I’ve been encouraging Americans, particularly people of faith, to make a purposeful attempt to pump love and grace into our culture rather than to add to volatile or antagonistic attitudes that could fuel further violence as it escalates. Does this mean I am abandoning my spiritual or moral positions in favor of relativism? Absolutely not. I do not pretend that I see the Muslim faith and Christian faith as compatible and I do not rescind that I believe the best hope for healing in our communities is found solely in the way of Christ. Political correctness aside, I am not ashamed to say this.

(Thanks to DashHouse for this.)

I have always thought, along with, I think, Mother Teresa, that "There is no way to peace.  Peace is the way."  I think that phrase can be shifted to say, "There is no way to love.  Love is the way."  Or, "There is no way to grace.  Grace is the way."  When I am questioned about our food pantry and whether or not we are giving this or that family too much, my response is that "I would rather err on the side of giving too much than too little."

I DO NOT and WILL NOT diminish or lessen or make light of the loss of life on 9/11.  It was a horrible attack by a group of persons...killers.  Those killers were Muslim.  But that doesn't make all Muslims killers any more than Christians who kill abortion doctors making all Christians killers.
I'm actually not saying here that there should be a mosque near Ground Zero as is being planned at this time.  I'm merely saying that we need to approach this issue on a basis of what response from the Christian community brings grace and wholeness to the conversation while being honest about our characterizations (and mis-characterizations) of the Islamic faith and our own baggage that we bring to the table.  We can do so without abandoning our faith in the process.  More importantly, perhaps it is by doing so that we are most clearly embracing our faith.

Another Reason to Get an iPad -- It will make me a better Christian!!!!

Image via CrunchBase

The Blazing Center: Connecting God's Truth to Real Life (by Mark Altrogge) has a tongue-in-cheek post called "Does Using Apple Products Make You A Better Christian?"  It's wonderful for us apple users to be affirmed in this way.

So, how can using Apple products make you a better Christian?

1. Apple Products Don’t Tempt You to Anger and Despair (as PCs do)
2. Apple Products Are An Evangelism Tool (people are fascinated by them)
3. Apple Products Reflect God’s Creativity (HP laptops are "uglier than a wookie")
4. Apple Products Give You More Time For Prayer (don't have to reboot like the PCs, saving you time for God.)
5. Apple Products Are Biblical (Apple is "redeeming the apple" from the Fall)

Now, about that iPad....