The Central Point

Sunday, July 13, 2008

I Like Matt [Updated]

The story goes something like this: Matt worked for several years, saved up his money, quit, and then started traveling the world. Matt now has a corporate sponsor that helps out with his travels.

Where the H**l is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

UDDATE: I'm reminded of this verse from scripture:

David and all the house of Israel were dancing before the LORD with all their might, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. (2 Sam 6:5 NRSV)

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

A New Preaching Tool

Here's Wordle. Below is my Wordle-ized sermon from last Sunday, entitled "Inadvertent Evangelism" (based on Matthew 10:40-42 - click to enlarge):

Seems appropriately Jesus-focused.

How about the Larger Westminster Catechism (top 500 words)?

Anyone else? Feel free to contribute yours in the comments!

[HT - Anthony Sacramone]

Monday, June 30, 2008

And Now, A Word From Dietrich Bonhoeffer

A true prophetic voice speaks to us even today:

It is a theological error of the first magnitude to exploit the doctrine of Christ the Mediator so as to justify direct relationships with the things of the world. It is sometimes argued that if Christ is the Mediator he has borne all the sin which underlies our direct relationships with the world and that he has justified us in them. Jesus has reconciled the world to God; we can then, it is supposed, return to the world and enjoy our direct relation with it with a good conscience - although that world is the very world which crucified Christ! This is to equate the love of God with the love of the world. The breach with the things of the world is now branded as a legalistic misinterpretation of the grace of God, the purpose of which, we fondly suppose, is to spare us the necessity of this very breach. The saying of Christ about hating our immediate relationships is thus turned into a cheerful affirmation of the "God-given realities of the world." Once again the justification of the sinner has become the justification of sin.¹

¹Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. The Cost Of Discipleship. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1995, p. 97. ↩

Friday, June 27, 2008

Friday, June 20, 2008

Affluenza

The current fluctuations in our still-growing economy do not make for another Great Depression, by any means (via The Best of the Web by James Taranto):

No Starbucks in Hooverville

How dire is America's economy? The Associated Press reports on how our countrymen are suffering:

"For Michelle Hovis, that means refilling her husband's used soda container from a 2-liter bottle she buys on sale for 98 cents. She tweaked his daily habit of buying a 20-ounce bottle when the price crept up to $1.39."

For shame. And then there's this:

And this isn't the worst of it: "Taxis, mocha lattes and sports cable packages aren't even options for those who are suddenly out of a job."

They were not an option for me, either, in the days leading up to seminary. They aren't now either. In fact, they never really should have been. They are all "treats."

I don't deny that there are plenty of folks experiencing economic hardship. There always are, but having to cut back on $4 lattes is frankly just an exercise in self-control, which is character trait generally in short supply in an economy and culture like ours.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Called!

After months of prayer and discernment, I am excited to announced that God has called us to Jackson, Minnesota. It is there that I will be ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament and then installed as the pastor of First Presbyterian Church. The call was extended on June 8th, and I have not posted about it until now in order to give due notice to the congregation I currently serve in Portland, Texas. Our last day here will be July 31. After that, we'll be spending a couple of weeks moving, followed by a couple of weeks of rest and a visit to our new niece.

Jackson is a wonderful community of about 3,500 souls located in the southwest corner of Minnesota. As it turns out, the church is within my wife Sara's presbytery of Minnesota Valleys. We are happy to be moving to a beautiful town that is only an hour's drive east of Sara's parents, who live in nearby Luverne, Minnesota.

Here's a high-level map of the town:

View Larger Map
First Presbyterian Church is a small congregation of about 180+ members from all walks of life. Here's a picture of the congregation's building:

If you look carefully, you will see a bit of the two-story classroom building behind the church. The church office is there, as well as the primary conference room. The classroom building has a tremendous amount of potential. The rooms within are quite large can be easily customized as required for different events and activities. One of the rooms is devoted to food storage for a pantry mission program that operates throughout the week. The church also operates a community Clothes Closet for the in the same space.

Here's the sanctuary interior with its nifty curved pews:

A picture of Sara and me right after the congregational vote:

Over the next several days, I'm going to share with you how the Holy Spirit convinced us that this was God's call. I'll also speak more extensively about the lovely community of Jackson.

For all of you who have been along side me during this process, and who have prayed for God's will to be done, thank you. Your support and prayers have been a tremendous source of encouragement and strength for both of us. And a special word of gratitude is due to my amazing wife, Sara, who has prayed, cried, and searched with me. What a tremendous blessing it is, indeed, to be given such grace as I have received from God in my wife, my best friend for life.

Before all of that, however, all praise, honor, and glory be to Almighty God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - for setting me, a wretched sinner, apart for such a task as this, which can only be undertaken by virtue of His strength, power, and love.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Significant News Coming

Watch this space on Monday!