Fun Times

Today I had a root canal and a temporary crown put on my front tooth. It actually doesn't hurt as bad as I though it would. It did take almost two hours most of which I spent with my feet higher than my head so I have a headache that is worse than the tooth pain. So that is all that I have accomplished today as of 2:00. I am going to try to get some more work done. We'll see how the pain goes.

Dropping the pounds

I went to the doctor yesterday. Amongst other things he said I should try losing some weight. So my goal is to lose 10 pounds over the next six weeks. If I can do that my goal will be to lose thirty pounds over the next year. In order to do this I will have to actually (gulp) exercise. I will let you know how it goes.

Authenticity part 2

So holiness is not something that I speak about very often, at least not in those words. It should be though. My need for authenticity finds a remedy in the holiness of God. God in His holiness has nothing to hide. He is completely transparent and flawless. I am however, full of failures and flaws. Hebrews 10:10 tells me that by God’s will I am made holy through the death of Jesus Christ. Any lack of authenticity is a result then of my clinging to sin’s deceitfulness. In the cross I am made perfect even as I am being made holy (Hebrews 10:14).

Holiness then is the standard that you and I should seek. Too often being authentic means owning up to our sins as a means of justifying our failures. Instead of conceding that I will continually fall short of the mark, thereby lowering my aim, I should aim for perfection.

True authenticity, I think, is recognizing the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in my life. I have been declared to be perfect. I am being made holy. It is me, inviting you to join me on the journey. It is the open invitation to join the community of saints, who are trusting that, “He who began a good work in me will be faithful to carry on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).

Authentic Part 1

Authenticity is a buzz word today. As a pastor I read a lot of books about preaching, and church issues. I am constantly told to be authentic in my preaching. We want our churches to be authentic in their Christianity. I want to come across as real and honest when I preach, and when I am living my life amongst other people. I want to do more than appear to practice what I preach; I really want to do it. Transparency is another word that is often used to describe the approach a pastor should take to preaching. Allow people to see who you really are, that you have struggles just like everyone else.

As I was preparing my Sunday message last week I was thinking about some of these issues. I talked about the character of God. Something that I felt the Holy Spirit spoke into my spirit as I was praying before church has stuck with me. You never hear God described as transparent or authentic. Why? Because God is Holy! God also commands His people to be like Him. “Be Holy, because I am Holy” 1 Peter 1:16.

When I hear the word holiness I hear a word with two drastically different connotations. First I hear the many passages in the Bible that speak of God’s holiness. I often repeat those refrains in my prayers and in my worship. The second connotation is negative. I think of “holiness” churches. My own fellowship, the Assemblies of God, has roots in the holiness movements, but when I hear holiness as it pertains to man I too often think of self-righteous legalism. Self-righteousness is of course the opposite of holiness in many ways. It smacks of a lack of authenticity. (I’ll say more tomorrow.)

Finished

I finished the rough draft of my term paper for Composition II today! I have not blogged in a month mainly because every spare moment I had for writing went into this paper. Between research, funerals, ball games, church, and a wedding this has been the busiest period in my life in a very long time. I hope to get back to blogging this week. For all four or five of you who read this blog, now you have something to look forward to.