Yesterday, our family flew to North Carolina to enjoy the Christmas Holiday with my wife's parents and brother. It was an early morning drive to the airport and then off on the Southwest flight to Raleigh. I had been a little sick the last few weeks, but had pushed through to continue work and family responsibilities - being there for my kids etc. On the flight, I guess infected sinuses and changes in air pressure caused some intense extreme pain in my face. Although lasting only a minute or so, it was some of the craziest pain I have had in my life. Later last evening I developed somewhat of a sinus migraine and attempted to go to be early - real early for me...what would have been about 7pm CST. I laid in bed and realized the intense connection of soul and body - my body was in extreme discomfort and I contemplated the state of my life, my calling before God, and where our family was in its growth and development. In thinking about such things there was nothing but a dark cloud before me - a haze amidst the blessings of God. I knew that my heart was not apprehending reality due to my headaches, but it was quite a learning experience to be so affected in body that I could not see like with any sort of clarity. I laid in bed for a couple of hours before rising again to be with my inlaws (I love my inlaws so it was easy to get up to spend some time). After some sinus - knock your butt out to sleep medicine, I did get rest. Then this morning I was still feeling quite bad, so I took most of the day to read the Bible, a great biography of Jim Elliot and turn again my heart to the contemplation of my life before God. Well, with the headache gone, I did find a bit more to be thankful for, a bit more to rejoice in, and a bit more peace. Yet, I still am not at rest completely. I tend to bite off way too many duties in life -perhaps to feel adequate, perhaps a desire to be needed or to be important. Either way, I felt a great peace today reading about God's sovereign hand in the life of Job and in the life of Jim Elliot. I felt a great kinship to Elliot - a man who was wrestling with calling, desiring to be great (and confessing the sick pride involved with that), and just wanting his life to be used by his God.
I guess this past 24 hours have been good. I guess I still want to be used greatly for the Kingdom of Christ...I guess I still need God to trample on my pride...I guess I still don't know what to do in the next five years of my life...but Elliots words helped me today.
He gives enough to know what to do for today. Yes, enough...even with headaches.
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POC Blog
The random technotheolosophical blogging of Reid S. Monaghan
Words that are not cool or used very much in the 21st century that are now cool again
All these words are not used very much today: honor, affections, glory, truth, grace, mercy, joy (and rejoice), Jesus, and esv – I plan to use them all a lot and make them cool for those I know. Join the crowd, sign the petition, use the lingo
- By the grace of God I am what I am
- Show honor to one another, what a cool way to treat folk
- The Truth will set you free!
- Jesus have mercy on me a sinner
- Rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory
- Read the ESV – it is cool
- Give us blazing, white hot, affections for you God!
A Nauseating Blessing
I want to begin this post by saying that I am thankful for Christian bookstores. It is an unbelievable blessing to be able to purchase Bibles and good books with such ease and convienience. But then again, there is something that makes me a little nasueas when I walk into some of these places. Usually I am an online book buyer these days - but today, I needed two books of Christian biography. Usually I would guess that the bookstores would not carry much in the way of biography, theology, biblical studies, etc. But this person, Jim Elliot, is a big name so I took my chances at the local bookstore. Thankfully, they had the two books I needed - so again, I’m thankful for the Christian bookstore. But then…I was nauseated a bit. When I look at the stuff the Christians are reading today, it makes me want to bang my head into the wall. Such me centered stuff that says so little about God - his excellencies, his works, his beauty, his calling, the radical call to suffer and have hope in a great mission of making disciples, living in communities of depth and truth and compassion so that God is glorified in his church. Here are some of my observations:
- There was a Purpose Driven life book bound in leather, with gold pages, looking just like a Bible. Makes me wonder if some have actually made the switch
- There is so much junk out there in the name of Jesus. Did he say “Go forth and be consumers of Jesus Junk” - We are so American that I fear we all get drowned in all the stuff we buy - even in Jesus name.
- One of the top selling Bibles at this store was “The Message - Remix” - Praise God for Eugene Peterson and his labors, his works are a great gift to the church. Yet the Message is not even a translation of the Bible. It is a devotional paraphrase, not the word of God. I am thankful for such an uplifting paraphrase in our day - but nauseated that it is actually a best selling “Bible” - at least at this store it was.
- We seem to be addicted to Max Lucado (no offense to Max as his books have blessed many) while Jonathan Edwards or the works of Thomas Aquinas or Augustine or Bunyan or Spurgeon are scarecly found. I can’t say anymore about the light weight reading we do. We in American evangelicalism appear to be joined to easy, how to, self-improvement, just smile at Jesus, how much the universe is about me…literature. How can such a church suffer for great and precious promises and a mission amidst broken people?
- T-shirt section - Well let’s just say that I prefer not to even write about what I saw there.
So, I thank God for bookstores, the freedom we have and the ease of access of Christian Literature (even Jim Elliot biography)…but God help us that we would not be a consumeristic, trite, trivial, light weight, and silly people. Lost in such a morass is silence, solitude, meditation, prayer, study, thought, growth in virtues such as patience, longsuffering, self-control - and when these go - so goes our transformation, the reorientation of our desires, the joys unspeakable, and the hope of eternity. And the mission labors and sputters and chokes amidst our trivialities. …
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This is going around a bit - so why not
The Sevens are going around the blogsphere... Seven things to do before I die (in no particular order)
Plant a bunch of churches
Perform both my daughter's weddings to decent men
Stay married to my wife
Write a big thick book - I mean a really big, thick one - not a boring one, but one with some girth
Teach the gospel to some of my friends' kids
See Va Tech win a national title in football - and not fall into idolatry
Own a Harley
Seven things I cannot do
Speak Esperanto - but I know those who have attempted to learn
Bench 400lbs
Drink Coffee (unless Caramel Frappuccino counts)
Wear pants with a 32 inch waist
Travel through worm holes to other galaxies
Stop eating pizza
Seven things that attract me to my spouse
Her quiet wit
Her tenacity (in sports, in shopping for a good deal, in quietly matching me in an argument - man I love that - or do I hate it...no, I love it!)
How cute she is coaching soccer
She is smokin good lookin
She is kind to our girls when they are sick...and me too.
She has a sharp mind
She accepts my complexities
Seven things I say most often
Crud!
I'm a fat piece of $^^#%# (hang ups from my wrestling days when I was 4% body fat)
Using the word "Jacked" with 5 different meanings
Daddy loves you
Heavy sighs when I am burdened (well, not exactly words, but it counts)
Let me read you something
I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that
Seven books or series I love
Desiring God by John Piper
The Reason for God by Timothy Keller
Orthodoxy by GK Chesterton
The Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards
On Bullshit by Harry G. Frankfurt (a great piece of philosophy by a Princeton Prof)
Proslogion by Anselm of Cantebury
Seven movies I would watch over and over again (no particular order)
Lord of the Rings - any of em
Star Wars - any of em, even Attack of the Clones
The Sound of Music - yeah, but only because my Mom hooked me on it
My Big Fat Greek Wedding - in honor of my buddy Jim Krouscas
Seven people I want to join in too (most don't have blogs...)
John Hardie
Jim Krouscas
Jeff Schulte
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Daddy Fix it...Trains, Trust, and Inexpressible Joy
18For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Romans 8:18-25Though this present age is filled with pain...Daddy will fix it. This is our hope. That this world, that this life, that my own broken and sinful soul is being and will be redeemed. Daddy will fix all things. I need the trust of my four year old. I need the trust; I also need the joy.
Oh Father, grant us the eyes of faith to know that you will fix all things. Give us the blessed hope of the coming of your complete rule and reign so that joy will overflow to you with thanksgiving. Yes, Daddy, fix it...... --------
Mentors, Longings and Disappointments for Young Guys
There is an interesting discussion going on in the blogsphere about mentors and young Christian guys who want their lives to count. It started with a post by Tim Challies entitled A Desperate Jealousy where he humorously jokes about being jealous of Joshua Harris for having a sweet mentor in CJ Mahaney.
After having some fun about how examines all the new staff at the church he attends, he makes a very honest comment:
I am desperate for a mentor. I am absolutely desperate to have someone who will invest in me. I am desperate to find a person, or have a person find me, who will play Paul to this Timothy. ... So here I am. I'm not sure if I am writing this in the hopes that pastors and leaders will read it and it will help them understand that there are men in their churches who are just waiting and ready to be mentored. Maybe I'm writing it so even lay-people like myself will take a hard look at ourselves to find those men within our own churches who could be waiting for us to come to them. Or maybe this article is entirely selfish and I'm just putting my hand in the air and asking someone to notice me. I honestly don't know. As a bit of an introvert I don't think I would ever be that bold. What I do know is that I feel like I've come to a point in life where I not only want, but really need, someone to play a mentoring role in my life.Tim, I just have to say I totally track with you. Next I read Adrian Warnock's encouragement to Challies...basically telling him to go find a mentor, do what it takes, go wherever you can find it. To that, my friend from the other side of the pond, I say "touche!" Great advice...but it ain't even always that easy. I for one want to echo with these guys that this is about the Sovereignty of God. A little over a year ago I moved my whole family to find a mentor in another locale. A guy who had approached me, recruited me, and said to me "come on lets go." Is he my mentor today? No. But I have learned much from him. For some reason God's idea for me moving to my current zip code was to wrestle with Him, pause before his throne, be around someone whose life was so full that there was not an avalanche mentor time coming. So, here I sit again in the same dad gum chair. Wondering - maybe Jesus is my mentor, maybe that is more than enough. But somehow I think he wants me to find brotherhood here in middle earth as well as from his divine hand. The guy who was to mentor me, I love at a distance, pray for him quite a bit, but don't really know him very well. And to say it like a guy who has come right off of the leather sofa: "I'm OK with that now." So Tim, I feel you brother, and Adrian, thanks for the advice. We need to pursue others diligently and find slices of bread from many guys while not expecting the whole loaf from just one...Now that little ditty I did glean from my almost-mentor. And for that I am very thankful. ... --------
Greg Koukl - I'm Fighting for Joy
It is good to know what other brothers are soaking their souls in...Greg Koukl over at Stand to Reason has been chewing on John Piper's recent book When I Don't Desire God: How to Fight for Joy.
Koukl gives a peak into his own struggle to stay faithful to a life saturated with the Scriptures. Very encouraging.
I have this book on my table as a "must read soon" - but for now the Seminary pile awaits.
I'm fighting with you Greg, fighting to find my joy in God, that he would be my vision
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Halloween
"The truth is that I have several convictions regarding Halloween. I despise the pagan aspects of it. I am convicted that my children should not dress as little devils or ghosts or monsters. But I am also convicted that there could be no worse witness to the neighbours than having a dark house, especially in a neighbourhood like ours which is small and where every person and every home is highly-visible. We have nothing to fear from our neighbours or from their children. So my children will dress up (my son as a knight and my daughter as a princess) and we will visit each of our neighbours. Either my wife or I will remain at home, greeting people at our door with a smile and a handful of something tasty. If the kids are deemed too old to trick-or-treat, they'll be forced to sing a song to merit any handouts. Our door will be open and the light will be on. And we hope that the Light will shine brightly.". --------
Fear and Comfort in the Wind
The expansion of my lungs, I feel it…breath
Nothing, but yet something moves
Oh, I feel a presence, Oh, something real – NO, someone is here
Comfort, yes, it is with Him, but yet I stay here
The wind blows…it is rushing into my soul
Comfort, yes, it is with Him, yes, I shall come to Him
But no, what will that mean?
So that in the wind I might hear
Breath to Dust – I am alive again
-- Reid S. Monaghan - September 2005
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--------Truth - A Prayer
O Great and Holy God, who created a thousand billion stars, who set your people upon the earth, who you created in your image for worship – for our souls to be grasped by your holiness, for our minds to be enlightened by your Truth, for our imaginations to be purified by your beauty, for our hearts to be opened by your grace, so that we may take flight in a relationship with you – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. With joy, we surrender our wills to your great purposes, to love and serve and proclaim and mirror your Excellencies to a hurting people in a wandering world. Use us to glorify yourself and help us to enjoy you by seeing your Truth and your inescapable beauty, as you reveal yourself to us in your Word.
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This prayer reflects the essence of a great definition of worship given by William Temple Worship is the submission of all our nature to God. Quickening of conscience by his holiness, nourishment of mind by his truth, the purifying of imagination by his beauty, the opening of our hearts to his love, the surrender of will to his purpose…William Temple 1939, readings in
Beautiful Truth - A Poem
Oh Beauty pursuing hearts of the earth
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Quite un-mastered by minds of men
A mirror, a treasure, words pure and clear
Who ever is guiding through hazes within
Fogs become scattered, lives yet restored
Paths which are lighted again---and again
Unspeakable joy fly free in our souls
As Truth rushers over our sin
True grace come and conquer our sin
- Reid S. Monaghan - July 2005
The Blind Sheep and the Voiceless Shepherd
-- Reid Monaghan - July 2005
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Meet Darryl Tapp
In Louisville this week
This week I am in Louisville Kentucky taking a class at Southern Seminary. It has been a blessing to see all that is going on here on the campus. The school's facilities are quite impressive and the people are humble, professional and friendly. I am taking a course called "Intro to Christian Philosophy" which began today. I will be buried in classes from 9-5 every day and then studying at night. The blog will slow a bit...but I'll try to keep some cool stuff flowing that I find on the net.
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Peru - final update...
We are just returning from our trip into Peru...we could not have imagined how successful the trip would be before we departed.
Our first Apologetics Conference was a huge success and brought national attention in Peru. Over and over again we were told that the churches in Peru do not discuss the topics we were addressing during the conference.
- Intelligent Design and Evolution
- Postmodernism, Relativism and Pluralism
- Human persons? Abortion, cloning, and Euthanasia
These were the topics addressed during out week at the conference. We are know praying about two possible return trips in 06 - one for youth the other perhaps a national event.
Dale and I ended up two doing TV interviews surrounding the event and the president of the TV station is asking us to come back to do more in the area of Apologetics for the Peruvian people. It was an exciting week and we were shown so much love and kindness from the people of Peru. We pray that the churches of Peru would raise up leaders for society - in science, politics, and pastors. To change their culture and lead it into the 21st century. Thank you all for your prayers and the encouragement along the way. Out... --------Peru update III
The past several days have been a flurry with the team. The construction team continues to make progress priming and painting a metal skeleton which will become a future meeting place for a new church plant. The team working with the young school kids has shown a tremendous work ethic and creativity in engaging the kids.
The International Apologetics conference started and remains strong. Each night has drawn between 600-700 people - a packed house. Last night was day two of the conference where Dale Fincher opened the night with a message entitled "using the mind to grow our lives" - it was a passionate appeal about the power of ideas in shaping the soul and how it is the truth of God that sets us free. After Dale's talk I gave a seminar on "postmodernism, relativism, and pluralism" - I set forth a definition of what we mean by "truth" and then answered several philosophies which deny we have access to truth - be it moral truths (moral relativism) or religious truths (pluralism). I finished with a presentation of the unique claims of Jesus of Nazareth and how he is changing lives and changing people through his gospel across the globe in every nation. It was a great evening. We received word from two guests that their non-Christian friends who came had placed their trust in Christ by hearing the preaching about Jesus being the truth that sets free. Dale and I did not give any sort of "call to decision" - there were no long alter calls - simply, the Spirit using his words about the uniqueness of Christ - the Messiah of God, and his ever bold and eternal statment "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but through me."
Humbled and tired - but as our friend here Pastor Ricardo has said "it is a holy fatigue"
We have two more talks tonight - Mike Vogt will speak on "APologetics in Evangelism" and Dale will address "Valuable Human Persons, cloning, abortion, and euthanasia in the 21st century" - please pray for this.
In Christ
Reid
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Peru Update II
Hey guys,
The last two days have been pretty high pace. The hospitality here is overwhelming and warm – the love of Christ abounds. Our worship teams have done an awesome job leading the services here. Over Sat and Sunday I have preached 5 times – 15 came to Christ during the Sunday morning services! The church has a great follow up ministry which grabbed all the people who responded to the gospel. Many more indicated decisions on Sunday night but I am not sure of the number – many hands raised after my message and Pastor Richardo’s (Comas Church) invitation.
Today we did some work at a construction site – mainly scrubbing metal structure (a new church plant) to prepare for painting. Some of us had to climb up a good 20 feet and work up high J The young women on our team also did a great job serving and loving the children here at the school.
Tonight we have an evangelistic outreach at a public school showing a pro-life film and Jared and Mary Beth Dragoun are sharing a testimony as a young married couple (value of marriage).
Tomorrow we kick of the Apologetics conf with Plenary 1 – Intro to Apologetics (Reid) and Seminar 1 – Postmodernism, relativism, pluralism (Reid)…
Dale Fincher (RZIM) is doing a forum at the University that night before heading over here. On Wednesday and Thursday Dale and Mike Vogt (Fellowship Bible Church member) will handle plenaries 2 (Growing your faith through the life of the mind - Fincher) and 3 (Using Apologetics in Evangelism – Vogt) as well as two seminars (Creation and Evolution – Vogt and The Human Person in the 21st century - cloning, euthanasia, abortion – Fincher) This is a huge equipping opportunity which could spread into Lima in the future – I may need to study Spanish in the coming years J
Not sure what night the TV people are coming…Dale and I are supposed to interview as well…
We appreciate the prayers and know that God is bearing fruit here – people coming to faith in Christ!
Let the nations rejoice and be glad
Reid
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In Peru
Hey guys, we made it down just fine to Peru – go to the place we are staying at 2am – had to get up by 7am…I probably slept a total of 45 min last night – roosters crowing, dogs barking, etc. The people are AWESOME and the conference is being promoted on tv and radio. The brochures are top notch – I’ll show you when we get back. Team is doing very well, bonding nicely. Please pray that I sleep well tonight – speaking 4 times tomorrow. One of the guys has some ear plugs I can use!
Today we tour churches, plan the week, and have a joint celebration service this evening. Psalm 133 is the themes. Tomorrow night we have the large young adult outreach – we are preaching the gospel with invitation…pray the Spirit moves…Pray that I proclaim it clearly as I ought. Also, our worship and creative team has several music sets and a couple of dramas over the next couple of days.
The president of the local Christian TV station has really gotten behind the AP conference will be taping and broadcasting one of the plenaries, interviewing Dale and I and they are talking about a future conference with Business professionals in Lima – could be HUGE.
Apologies for the choppy sentences, but time is short on the computers.
Soli Deo Gloria
Reid
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Mists and Mornings at Sea
So often in our day, we miss so much of the natural beauty of the world God has made. This week I am surrounded by the ocean - an immensity of waters which cover two thirds of the globe. Oh what grandeur to be such a wee small speck floating in a boat upon such a vast sea. This morning I awoke to a sunrise of such brilliance that I had to wake up my wife to share (of which she delighted and then went back to sleep-smile). After the rising of the sun I spent time mulling two revelations - the Word and the Works of God. The Word took me to Psalm 8, 51 and the book of Romans - pondering the exalted state of humanity in nature, yet his fallen nature in such need of grace and redemption. God's works in view was the mists coming off the waves of the sea. In seeing such sprays of brilliance, I thought to myself - Why so many tiny acts of beauty, repeating again and again, but so many not seen by human eye. As I thanked God for the delight of looking at the seas (the same seas which wreak havoc in other seasons of life) I sensed that not one of these little crests and their sparkling mists are ever not seen. For indeed the watchful mind of He who rides upon the waves, strolls in the clouds, uncontained by the vastness of all the universe, yet deeply present with all - yes, He has seen, yes, he has delighted in the waves...and this morning he was gracious to share his pleasure.
For this I am grateful - for I have seen God in a place where eyes do not regularly peek.
Out...
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Artistic Expression, T-ruth, and MTV
Thinking about the arts in our world…Many things are appreciated by the contemporary world of artists. A few things I have noticed…respectible art, being real, and freedom of expression
Of all virtues of the world today…Being real or authenticity is something we as believers ought to stink of…but sometimes faith communities become stale and postured. However, I have found it strange though that many believers today think the “world” is more “authentic” or “real” than believers…this has not been my experience at all – and I came out of the unbelieving world!!! I think sometimes we learn what being “real” means by watching too much MTV…
Respectibilty in art in the modern world is a fickle concept – and follows trends that at times just go all over the place (from the truly aesthetic, to the macabre, to the bizarre, to the absurd.) Freedom of Expression in today’s world places the beauty of art in the expresser (the self) and not in the beauty of something/someone else. This indeed is a tension – the autonomous expressive self – with the gospel which calls for repentance, submission, etc. to God - who is transcendently other. Autonomous expression is an “absolute” in our day to many in the arts – unquestioned except by perhaps the expressions that do not draw crowds or do not bring in profit for “marketers of the arts” The art/skill that is needed to connect “absolutes” to “artistic idealists” is indeed itself an art. To know where someone’s emotional urges, or frustrations about the world connect to the actual gospel is very needed. Many times what happens today, is that ideas get exchanged once trust is gained, and a “dance” begins (There is actually a book entitled – Evangelism as Dance in the Postmodern Matrix) – I have observed a problem with such dances and those who are practitioners of such…Many times such dances do not contain some very important elements that are of utmost importance to the gospel. Like the utter sinfulness of human beings and the need for forgiveness and a call for a friend to repent and place faith in Christ. Now, I am not meaning a “rush to the point of decision” or “rush to the sinner’s prayer” – I don’t even flow that way myself. But the gospel story – God’s story – is that we must fall upon our faces before a holy God in utter dependence, that we are guilty of breaking his laws and that unless we repent – we perish. Many times these truths (call them the teeth of the gospel into the autonomous self) are left out of the dance. After all, a nice dance partner does not tell you that your current moves will dance you off an eternal cliff.
The good thing is this - A body – a church, a local community…who is living in authentic relationships, who cares about beauty in human expression (you know aesthetics was a branch of philosophy in the medieval church, the church which produced all this great art) because it cares and loves the objective beauty of God…who values human expression, yet an expression under a yoke of true goodness, AND holds out the T-ruth of the gospel, with both its teeth (severity) and open arms of grace (mercy), can be in itself a powerful witness to the people in the artistic world. What a terrible sentence…gee, I need some sleep. I pray that God would use his people to lead such a community of influence. Let us never loose the absolutes for the sake of a culture obsessed with looking at its own reflection in a mirror and may our dances ever have a direction – waltzing or moshing, to the foot of a rugged cross where God incarnate bled and died to purchase a people to be his very own…TRULY (transculturally, translinguistically, transtemporally) so.
Out...
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