Anyway, if anyone has, or knows anyone who has:

• winter clothes for a girl (size 10-12, favorite color pink)
• a winter coat for a girl (again, same size as above)
• winter boots for a girl (I don't know the size, I'll try to find out.)
• winter clothes for a boy (8 or medium, he's into superhero stuff)
• a winter coat for a boy (again, 8 or medium)

If anyone out there has anything, or knows where it can be got, let me know and I'll get you in touch with my friend!

So, I have this friend who recently had an appliance meltdown at her house.

She has six children and is a single mom, and last Wednesday her dryer and stove both took a dump.

So, if you know of an electric dryer or electric oven/stove that are available for very little moolah, let me know and I will pass the info on to her, or get the two of you in touch.

Later...

He recently posted his most recent album on his website free for the download!

Here is a link. Go check it out, it's great!

I constantly find myself coming up with new topics and series and ideas and getting started, and then never really finishing them. Or, sometimes, I get started, start a controversy, get into a big fight, and then spend weeks regretting the hurt I feel, and the hurt I caused. Other times, I just say some dumb stuff, and then I find myself needing to apologize.

So, you guessed it, time for another one of those introspective "analyze my life" moments...

I read a lot of blogs...A LOT of blogs. I won't tell you how many, exactly, because then you might make fun of me, but suffice it to say that I read a lot of blogs.

Now, one of the things that I see running through all of these blogs...well, most of them (interestingly, this problem doesn't appear to be in the non-Christian blogs, just the Christian ones)...is pride. The majority of the posts from the majority of the blogs I read seem to be driven by a need to bring me some wise new insight into scripture, or some grand new way to look at life, or how I can find Jesus in the mundane, ordinary happenings of my everyday life (I have no problem with this, but what's frustrating is the somewhat condescending tone it is usually done with!).

Another thing I find frustrating is how all of the pastors and leaders seem to be posting about how I can make my life better, and problems they see with the world, but they don't seem to be at all interested in sharing themselves with me. I'm looking for something real, something authentic. I'm looking to connect with people. And, the thing is, I think I can tell when someone is trying to sound really good and put on a front, and when someone is really being real and authentic...it's something about the tone. Anyway, that's a whole different topic, on with the show...

I'm realizing that no matter how hard I try, I'm constantly fitting into one of those categories that I'm trying to stay out of. For instance, I'm trying to stay humble, but then I get proud of my humility! And, I decide to blog about my humility...somehow that just doesn't add up.

So, I've made a decision: I've got nothing more to say. No more armchair theology, no more "humble moments", no more bicycle how-to's.

Now, you're probably thinking I'm going to close this big bad blog (henceforth, the "bbb") down. I'm not. But I am going to make some changes. I'm not going to blog about a bunch of stuff anymore. I'm going to make this blog an extension of my life. I'm going to share my life with you. Sometimes you may find a rambling, journal style entry of the thoughts going through my head, sometimes you might just see a picture of some silly thing that happened today, maybe there will be posts about something that hurts me deep down inside, maybe there will be posts about things I am excited about...I just don't know what it's going to look like. The longer I live, the more beautiful life gets (even in the rough moments), and I want to share that with you, my somewhat digital friends.

Now, I've got to make some changes to the system on the backside of this website, so that I can link it directly to my phone (Yeah, that's right, stream-of-consciousness, baby). I haven't decided if I'm going to keep all of the old content, or not...I don't know, we'll just have to wait and see.

Now, here's to the future, hopefully I'll see you around...

I really enjoy his company, even though we don't always see eye to eye on everything. The fact is that he has significantly more education than I do in theological matters (he's almost finished with a doctoral program!), but we are able to respect each others differences, and I know that our differences stretch me, and I hope they do the same for him.

Anyway, I've recently come to some conclusions concerning generosity...it's sort of like generosity on a radical level, and we talked about that a little bit over lunch. We talked about a variety of other things as well, and enjoyed some fantastic Bread Basket food (for those of you who don't live in Auburn Indiana...you are sorely missing out. They have the best sandwiches and soups.) and overall just had a good time.

When it came time to leave, I picked up the check and started to get up. My friend asked how much his part was, and I said, really without even thinking about it, "Don't worry about it."

He sat back down and looked at me kind of funny. Then, after a pause, he said, "I'm really glad you picked up the check." He went on to say that he has been listening to me talk about radical generosity and was wondering, all the way through lunch, if I was all talk, or if I was going to put some kind of action behind my proclaimed beliefs.

He stopped me cold in my tracks. I didn't know what to say. The fact is that I was humbled. It had not even occurred to me that picking up the check was an act of generosity. It just seemed like the natural thing to do, and I really wanted to do it...not for anything he could give me, or for any sort of a sense of fulfillment, or even to be able to say that I did it. It just...seemed natural.

Please don't think I am tooting my own horn, or even trying to do such a thing! I spent the rest of the day thinking about what true generosity is. How many times have I been generous without realizing it? How many times have I been selfish without realizing it? Furthermore, why was I expressing this generosity towards my friend? What were my motives and intentions? Was I glorifying God with my actions?

The fact is that this moment has caused me to step back and completely reevaluate my relationship with God, the creator. Is He oozing out of me? Do I love people because of my love for Him? Is my generosity an expression of His love, or just empty humanitarianism? Am I proud of the things I do, or am I humble?

is a very, very, bad idea.

In case you are wondering, that is a foot-long Subway sandwich in one of the drink holders on my bike.

Once again, this is a BAD idea...

I've been using a book by Phyllis Tickle, The Divine Hours, and I've been observing the morning and evening prayers, and, whenever possible, the midday prayers.

Let me tell you, it's amazing! I've noticed my entire life become significantly more focused on God. The best way I can think of to describe it, is to say that my life has gone from starting out in prayer and moving into the daily grind, to each day revolving around moments of prayer. My entire day has become bathed in prayer. I've found that, even though I am observing some specific moments of recited prayer, my spontaneous prayer life has become considerably more active and enriched.

Furthermore, I've had several opportunities to actually pray the offices with several of my fellow Christ-followers. These have become some of my most treasured moments! When I pray alone, I am amazed at how much I feel the presence of believers around the world praying together at the same time, saying the same thing. You can't even begin to imagine how much more profound this is when I'm actually able to take a few minutes at a coffee shop, or anywhere, and actually pray with other people, and we, in turn, are praying with others the world over! Talk about unity and togetherness...

Well, I've been doing a lot of thinking about this lately, and it suddenly occurred to me: What if we put the power of the internet behind this kind of prayer? What if there was a way for anyone who wanted to pray "with the church", as Scot McKnight puts it, to do so, in person, so to speak, even if they couldn't get out of the house, or couldn't get to a location where other believers are gathering?

Here's the thing: There is a way! I don't have it entirely figured out, yet, but we've got all kinds of tools available to us, like MSN and Skype, and a whole slew of other messaging and communication programs, and I intend to find a way to use those tools to let people connect and participate in prayer together, whether they are on a phone, or online, or even a cell phone.

Now, like I said, I don't have this figured out, yet. I'm still trying to find a simple solution that gives the broadest results. So, if anyone has any ideas of any tools I can look at, preferably fairly low cost, or even free/open source, let me know.

For those of you who would like to start participating, even though we can't talk to each other yet, check out Explore Faith. Simply scroll down, select your time zone, and then it will display the prayer for that time of day. I also highly recommend reading the notes to help you use the prayers in the left menu on the page.

Lesson number 1: Don't wear bicycling shoes when it's below 30 degrees!

Let me tell you a story.]]> Thu, 08 Nov 2007 18:58:26 -0800 http://virb.com/jeremiahotis/posts/text/313530 http://virb.com/jeremiahotis/posts/text/290706 OK, so I've briefly described the different kinds of bicycles. I mentioned that I didn't think that any of them meet the needs of what I like to call "lifestyle bicyclists".Here is the problem: None of these types of bikes make it easy to take a laptop between the office and home. None of them can carry a load of groceries very easily, at least, not without some serious planning. You need pannier bags, which are kind of like saddle bags for a bicycle, or a rack, which can't hold very much at all, or a trailer, which really requires quite a bit of planning to use on a daily basis. Or, you could use a backpack, but that's not good for your back, and you have a HUGE sweat mark on your back for twenty minutes after you get where you're going. And, about half the time, you find yourself riding with one hand, while holding the bag on with the other hand. It's not exactly safe, and it's a real pain, trust me.My dad is a bicycler as well. But, he is kind of in the middle. While I am looking to replace all of my personal transportation with a bicycle, he enjoys the races and the cross-state rides. But, he also enjoys commuting to work several days a week. He's kind of got his foot in the lifestyle camp, and the sports enthusiast camp...but I don't fault him for that Anyway, he found something called an XtraCycle. Let me tell you, these things are cool. They are designed for the commuter. They are designed to make bicycling a part of your everyday life, and not just something for the sport enthusiast or racer! You should check out their website. They have a really cool product.I've actually just ordered one, and I'll let you know how it goes. I'm pretty pumped. I think it's going to solve most of my commuter bike problems! Now, if I can just find a good solution for rain gear that works for the everyday commuter, not just the serious racer...

As far as some background info on bicycles for those that are uninitiated into the language, there are several types of bikes. Each type of bike is specifically designed to meet the specific needs for different types of bicycling. If you are thinking about getting a bicycle you should talk to someone who know bikes...like someone at your

Mountain bikes have really wide, knobby wheels and are designed to be ridden off road on the dirt. They are usually made out of a relatively heavy aluminum and are designed to take a serious beating. On the road, these bikes are slow and clunky, have high rolling resistance, and are terribly inefficient. (Trust me, you may think you have a wicked mountain bike that handles great on the road, but one ride on a bike designed for the road, and you'll never go back!) These include the bikes you buy at Wal-Mart for your kids, or that you see in BMX style sports. These bikes are off road bikes, and they are fantastic at it!

Road bikes are designed to go on the road. Don't take them off road or you'll have bent rims and flat tires. They just go on the road. But, they go on the road amazingly well! They are super efficient, require very little work for the distance traveled, and have amazingly low rolling resistance, which means they will roll seemingly forever. They are usually constructed out of super light carbon. (I've read about entire bikes, including the wheels, that weigh less than 3 pounds!) They usually have high pressure, super smooth, super thin tires...if you didn't know better, you'd think they were bald, but they're supposed to be that way, it decreases the rolling resistance. These are the bikes of racers, sports enthusiasts, tourists and long distance travelers.

Hybrid bikes are in the middle. They usually have medium width tires, with knobs on the edges and smooth middles. They are typically constructed out of lightweight aluminum. These bikes are designed to go under 10 miles, frequently. They are great for running to the store, and riding to work. They aren't as efficient as the road bikes, but they are much better on the road than a mountain bike. I currently own one of these bikes...namely, a Specialized Globe Sport.

These bikes are great, but they I don't think any of them meet the needs of riders like myself, people who are integrating bicycles into their lives.

Next, I'll explain why I think that. See ya then!

I've committed to riding a bicycle everywhere I can possibly do so, even in the face of inconvenience. Frankly, winter and rain have been my two biggest concerns. So, I've decided to blog my way through this winter on my bicycle. It will help me have a chance to look back and see whether it was really worth it or not. And, several people have expressed some concern or questioned whether it was possible, so this will be a chance to get something of an inside look at what it's really like.

I realize that riding around in the snow with cars on ice is potentially dangerous, but I've invested in steel-studded tires, and taken several other safety precautions, but more on that later. That's some of the stuff that I'm going to blog about...no need to spill the beans now, besides, I don't know for sure how well they will work, yet.

Tomorrow, I'll put up some basic info on the different kinds of bicycles and explain one of the biggest obstacles I have had to overcome so far.

See ya then!

I do appreciate the encouraging comments, and I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one that feels this way, sometimes.

I've decided that I'm going to try something. After doing a little bit of research I discovered that there is an ancient practice that goes throughout the history of Christianity...as a matter of fact, it's nearly as old a spiritual practice as the Eucharist.

Fixed-hour prayer.

I could go into a lot of details, but I'll spare you my boring diatribe, and recommend a fantastic book: Praying With The Church, by Scot Mcknight.

This book is an absolutely fantastic introduction to the ancient practice of fixed-hour prayer. The author does a fantastic job of discussing the importance of both fixed-hour corporate prayer, and personal private spontaneous prayer.

Here's a quote from the book that really stuck out to me:

Prayer is both small and private and quiet and alone (like the Portiuncola), and prayer is public and verbal and with others and in the open (like the basilica). Prayer is both private and public, both personal and communal. We may seek individual prayer, but the individual needs to be encompassed by the church in prayer. We need both the personal and the communal-both are good, both are spiritually formative.]]> Tue, 23 Oct 2007 04:34:26 -0700 http://virb.com/jeremiahotis/posts/text/285534 http://virb.com/jeremiahotis/posts/text/276950 You know what? My prayer life sucks.

The fact is that it's sucked for a long time. I just didn't realize it until recently.

I've tried many things to liven it up, but none of those things has worked, at least not for any length of time. I've tried going to prayer meetings at church, but that usually ends with me falling asleep, or worse, sitting in the back twiddling my thumbs wondering why I came in the first place. I've tried "praying in tongues." But, sometimes I just feel like I'm making up sounds so that I can talk to God. I've tried praying early in the morning before I start my day, but I usually don't think that clearly that early, and find that I really don't have anything to say, yet. I've tried praying before I go to bed, but again, I'm tired and not very coherent, and usually fall asleep half way through the prayer. Sometimes, I even fall asleep before I pray!

The biggest problem I have is simply that my prayers have been flat, selfish, and theologically weak. They have become "vain repetitions." I find myself praying the same basic prayer and simply plugging in today's information. My prayers lack meaning and passion. In the words of Keith Green:

My eyes are dry,
my faith is old,
my heart is hard,
my prayers are cold.
And I know how I ought to be,
alive to You and dead to me.

My prayers are cold! What has happened to me? I know how things ought to be...

Can anyone out there identify?

(The title of this post is an Anglican Church motto meaning, "as we pray, so we believe.")

]]> Wed, 17 Oct 2007 17:58:32 -0700 http://virb.com/jeremiahotis/posts/text/276950 http://virb.com/jeremiahotis/posts/text/264094

This is a clip from the TV show The West Wing. Check it out, Martin Sheen asks some very interesting questions.

How would you respond?

]]> Wed, 10 Oct 2007 10:11:46 -0700 http://virb.com/jeremiahotis/posts/text/264094 http://virb.com/jeremiahotis/posts/text/236211 Last November, we found out that Ted Haggard had possibly been involved in a homosexual relationship. As I was considering what this meant, I stumbled across a story by Brian McLaren on the homosexual issue. Several months later I saw a comment on Pastor Chet's blog about the same issue, a conversation which I took a small part in. Through all of this, I have been conversing with a friend, who has struggled with homosexuality in the past and is also a Christian, about the struggles they have had, and sometimes still have. As we talked, he expressed a desire to share his story, and some of his struggles and concerns, but didn't feel he had a safe avenue in which to do it. We came to the conclusion that he could use my blog to do so. He wrote a letter, and I helped him edit it to remove any trace of his identity. As I was getting ready to post this, I saw that Todd had linked to a Christianity Today article on homosexuality and change.

Now, before you read this letter, please note that you should not assume that either myself or the author of the letter believe something specific or hold a certain position unless it is EXPLICITLY STATED. Also, please remember that as you comment, you are commenting on a letter by a real live breathing human being who has feelings, and has been brave enough to stick his neck out.

Well, without any further ado...I present to you "Steve":

When I was in Junior High School, I saw Top Gun, the 1986 Tom Cruise movie, and I realized that something was wrong. I realized that I was attracted to Tom Cruise. In a moment of reflection, I began to realize that I had never really had any attraction for girls whatsoever, and that I had actually been attracted to several other guys. Had it not been for a news report about AIDS several evenings prior, and an ensuing conversation about what it was and where it came from amongst myself, my siblings and my father, I would never have given my attraction to Tom Cruise a second thought. Over the next year I came to the realization that I was more sexually attracted to guys than girls. The shock, fear and angst that came with this revelation scared meto death.

Growing up in an evangelical church didn't make things any easier. Trying to find someone with whom I could talk was out of the question. Admittedly, things are quite a bit different now than they were back then, but telling Christians you are "gay" immediately gets you branded. It didn't really matter that I was at church every Sunday and Wednesday, nor that I was the one person everyone could look to when a question about the Bible needed answered. Nor would it matter that I was considered one of the most faithful leaders of our church's small youth group. The few girlfriends I did have would always wonder whether I really liked them, or if I was just using them as cover, and most, if not all, of my guy friends would wonder if I had ulterior motives in my friendships with them.

The fact is, other than a pretty big problem with pornography, I have never put any action into this sexual attraction. While this certainly eases the blow, it comes with its own issues, such as people assuming that it isn't really a true struggle for me, or that it might just be a passing phase. Still, no matter what my other personality traits, interests or even life callings, I am still seen and treated as the one who "struggles with homosexuality".

It seems as though most of the conversations about homosexuality in the church are somewhat abstract. But the fact is that I'm a real person who has struggled through this mine-field looking for an answer. I certainly don't believe that God is for homosexuality, but what was I to do with these feelings? What are others who struggle in this way to do with these feelings?

Here are some of issues that I wrestled, and at times still wrestle with:

• Most Christians readily assume that homosexuality is wrong, and frankly, I agree with them. However, I can also think of Christians who lived in the South before abolition that were convinced that slavery, and other such injustices, were right, and even biblical. Will future Christians realize they were wrong about this issue too? Have I suffered for naught? I really don't think this is going to happen, but the question still lingers in my mind.
• More "progressive" evangelicals are placing more emphasis on orientation. For example, they understand that homosexual activity is sin, but the orientation is not a choice. While this is somewhat better than "Hate the sin, but not the sinner", it still fails to see how deeply rooted the orientation is in our personality. The attraction is as real and "natural" to us as heterosexual attraction to others. It isn't just about lust. It isn't just about sex. It is far more complex than that. The differentiation between orientation and action is helpful for basic understanding, but in reality-in our hearts & minds & bodies, we are one.
• Gay marriage has been the hot topic. While I believe that no law should require a Christian church (or any religion) to perform such unions, I am not sure I believe it is right to make them illegal. If the argument is based on God's design for marriage, sexuality, family and cultural responsibility-thus a Biblical, Christian world view-does this not, then also mean that we should stand against the understanding of marriage that undermines this? Shouldn't Islamic or Hindu marriages, where the role, position and (often) even the value of women is in direct contradiction to Judeo-Christians be fought against as well? Shouldn't common-law marriages receive the same press and emotion from the Christian community? I say all this, not to be political, but to demonstrate that the fierce commitment against these "evils" is not being honestly addressed.

-"Steve"

]]> Sat, 22 Sep 2007 07:39:42 -0700 http://virb.com/jeremiahotis/posts/text/236211 http://virb.com/jeremiahotis/posts/text/230630 So, several of us got together tonight and met to continue talking about some ways that we can be the hands and feet of Jesus in our community.

It was a small group, but we actually accomplished quite a bit!

Here are some of the opportunities we discovered:

1. We will be picking up trash at the Fair next week. This is going to be a very loosely structured system. Basically, all we are going to do is pick up trash while we are there. We won't be going as a big group, we won't be wearing t-shirts or anything else to identify ourselves, and we won't have a schedule. If you are interested in participating, all you have to do is pick up any trash you see on the ground and throw it in the nearest waste receptacle. You can do this while you are hanging out with friends. The primary point is relationships, the secondary goal is to help out those that have to clean up after the Fair, and the third goal is to become a little bit more responsible for the world God has given us. And, since we will be with friends while we do this, we might just become an inspiration to our friends to pick up some trash. If you plan on helping out, leave a comment. It would be great to see who all is interested!
2. The Auburn Presbyterian Church on 12th Street (big beautiful church right across from the library), has a soup kitchen on Monday's. It's called Friend's Table Mission, and they serve lunch from 11 am - 12:30 pm, Monday's only. They feed an average of 120 people every Monday. They could use some help, particularly during the winter, when some of their volunteers go to Florida. Also, if you have any dried goods, like diapers or such, they could certainly use them to hand out to those in need. I will be volunteering on most Monday's, starting Oct. 8. If you are interested in getting involved, shoot me an email at jeremiah@jeremiahotis.com and I will get you connected with the people you need to talk to, or just meet me at the Auburn Presbyterian Church on Oct. 8 at 10 am.
3. Newschannel 15 sponsors a winter coat drive every winter, and the drop-off/pick-up location in Auburn is RSVP, across from the Main Street YMCA. They are in desperate need of children's coats and 2XL, 3XL, 4XL and 5XL coats. If you have any of these sizes, or know anyone who has any of these sizes, and would be interested in donating them, you can email me at jeremiah@jeremiahotis.com and I will get you in touch with the right people. They also need help getting the coats out of storage, and then putting them into storage after winter.
4. The RSVP office in Auburn is also the home of the DeKalb County Food Bank. They need help unloading things throughout the week. The Walmart Distribution Center provides them with tons of food, but they have to pick it up and load it and unload it themselves. They get about an hours notice when food comes in, so they need help on fairly short notice, but if we can put together a call chain of people who are interested in helping, and might be available, that would be a huge help to them! Again, shoot me an email if you are interested, jeremiah@jeremiahotis.com.
5. The Food Bank is also in need of people to work with clients. However, if you would like to do that, you will need to fill out an application, and undergo a criminal history check with the police. This is for everyone's safety. They are open three days a week, and I will get the times posted shortly.
6. The Food Bank also needs help cleaning the facility. In the winter, they get a lot of tracked in mud and snow, and they need help mopping the floors. It's usually once a week, and if we take a crew of people, we should be able to get it knocked out in short order.

We have researching several other avenues where we hope to get involved, and as those doors open, I will put them online. If you are interested in helping in any of the above areas, feel free to leave a comment (this might encourage others to step out as well), or shoot me an email at jeremiah@jeremiahotis.com, and I'll get you more info! Also, if you know of any other opportunities in the Auburn area, let me know and we'll get the info out there for everyone!

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Comments

• September 19, 2007, Kelly schreibt: Joe, If folks really want to help out, and aren't sure how to get invoved, they can always contact their local United Way. (No, I'm not just saying that because I'm working for them) A quick spiel about what they do: The money that they raise with their campaign/donations goes to different agencies throughout the county. Agencies (in DeKalb County anyway) such as RSVP/Food bank, St. Martin's Health Clinic which offers free healthcare to low-income families, Big Brothers Big Sisters, several daycares, DeKalb County Council on Aging, and DeKalb Council on Pregnancy, just to name a few. There is a board of directors in place that decide where the funds will be sent, and all agencies are held to the highest accountability. There are a lot of good programs that United Way is not involved in, but if someone wants to know where they can volunteer and doesn't know how to begin, United Way is a good place to start. My two cents.
• September 19, 2007, joe schreibt: Kelly that's awesome! I know that United Way has been involved with several of the places we've talked to, but it never occurred to me to go to United Way and actually talk to them. I don't know what I was thinking! I will head over there and talk to them as soon as I can, which may be next week, and I'll post what I find out. Is there someone specific to ask for, or can we just stop in and talk to anyone in the office?
• September 19, 2007, Kelly schreibt: Marcy or Amanda either one can help you. They're actually the only 2 people that work for United Way of DeKalb County. (other than me, but I'm just here 'til November!) They would be more than happy to talk to you.
• September 19, 2007, Tara Lilly schreibt: Joe- Our family will be particpating in the trash pick-up effort whenever we are at the fair next week! I'm also looking to do some of the other things that you mentioned in this blog. I will contact you directly! Would love to have some ideas of some things that my kids can be involved in so they can see this process! Love ya-and miss you too!
• September 19, 2007, joe schreibt: Tara, Glad to know you're interested!!!! I've been getting together with several people, and the one thing we have in common is that we want to reach out to people, but we feel as though we are the only ones. By sharing our stories, and taking proactive steps, we are encouraging each other, and finding lots of other people who feel the same way! And, I'm SUPER EXCITED that you want to get your kids involved! Let me know what you have in mind (shoot me an email at jeremiah@jeremiahotis.com ) and we'll figure out how to make it happen. Just be warned, any ideas we come up with might just end up on this blog for the world to see, they might be an encouragement to someone else.

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Copyright © 2007 www.jeremiahotis.com (66.150.96.121) ]]> Wed, 19 Sep 2007 01:44:19 -0700 http://virb.com/jeremiahotis/posts/text/230630 http://virb.com/jeremiahotis/posts/text/217061 It's 480 B.C. and Xerxes army is attacking Greece. At this point, Greece isn't so much a nation as it is a group of loosely connected city-states. Leonidas, King of the Spartans, takes 300 (yes, it's a cool movie, even if it is a little bit historically inaccurate) of his bravest warriors to Thermopylae, and they fend off Xerxes army of thousands for quite some time. Unfortunately, they die. But they didn't fail. Their bravery inspires and encourages the Greek city-states to realize how much they need each other if they are going to have any hope of standing against Xerxes. So, they come together under one banner. Sparta is the obvious leader of the battle on land, and Athens is the obvious choice for directing the naval portion of the battle, but, for some undetermined reason, there is unrest in following Athens naval leadership.

Athens is faced with a decision: They can be a strong military leader on water, and risk civil war, or they can choose to not lead and follow Sparta's leadership on the water. They choose the latter. They realized that a civil war would do significantly more damage than Xerxes could ever hope to do. The result was two major victories, one in Salamis and the other in Plataea, and Xerxes was driven from Greece. (Derived from Herodotus' Histories 8.)

I think, sometimes, we as Christians find ourselves in a similar situation. We tend to focus on our difference, and we quarrel and have mini 'civil wars', while all around us the work of the Kingdom is needing done, the battle rages on around us, and against us. But, who's going to listen to us when we finally pick ourselves up off the ground covered in dust and each other's blood from our own fight? Where is the unity? How can we fight the enemy when we are busy fighting amongst ourselves?

James, one of the authors of the New Testament, puts it this way:

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. (James 4:1-3, ESV)

Titus tells us:

The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned. (Titus 3:8-11, ESV, emphasis mine)

And Paul encourages Timothy:

As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (1 Timothy 1:3-5, ESV, emphasis mine)

I really think that having discussions is ok. I also think that no matter what happens, we are all bound to have slightly different perspectives on our doctrine. Scripture is alive and it impacts all of us in different ways! There are very definite times when people cross a line and are in need of biblical correction. There are also other times where we need to agree to disagree and keep pursuing the work of the Kingdom. We each need to work out our own salvation. I also think there is a time for discussion and a time to keep it to ourselves.

I have said some things over the past few weeks that, regardless of whether they are right or wrong, have led to, what I believe to be, foolish controversies. I count myself as the worst offender. In an attempt to share my perspective, I became more wrapped up in discussion for the sake of discussion, rather than the work of the Kingdom. But, I think if we are honest with ourselves, we will find that, whether we have done it here or elsewhere, we have all been guilty of this. We haven't kept the most important thing the most important thing. (I don't know who said that "most important thing" bit, but I think it might have been C.S. Lewis.)

What's done is done, the best we can do is pick up and move forward. I see no reason to continue the discussion in a public forum. However, if you take serious issue with what I have said, please feel free to email me at concerns@jeremiahotis.com and I will be more than happy to hear your concerns in a more private forum. I also apologize for propagating this "quarrel about the law". It really is unprofitable. It's time to do something worth doing, rather than trying to be right!

I have turned the comments off on the posts, but I don't intend to delete the posts or the pre-existing comments. The publc discussion is now over on this topic, at this site. If anyone continues to comment regarding the closed posts, I will be forced to move you into moderation and review all of your comments prior to letting them go live. I really don't want to do this. I mean, I really really don't want to do this. But, if the unprofitable discussion continues, I will be left with no choice.

If you feel that I am in error, and you feel strongly enough about it, you are free to contact me at the above listed email address. I will be happy to listen to your concerns. I'm not perfect, and, as much as I like to think so, I really don't have it all figured out. But, I'm trying, and I don't intend to stop trying to grow and mature and develop. Together, we can all keep each other balanced.

So, let's get back out there and make disciples. Let's get back together in unity and stop arguing. Let's express both the imago dei and the missio dei.

Looking forward to the conversation and the work...

joe

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Copyright © 2007 www.jeremiahotis.com (66.150.96.121) ]]> Mon, 10 Sep 2007 20:12:47 -0700 http://virb.com/jeremiahotis/posts/text/217061 http://virb.com/jeremiahotis/posts/text/214500 Some of you may know that I have decided to pursue a vegetarian lifestyle, and, I've got to tell you that between my new dietary changes and my bicycling, my horrendous cholesterol has dropped to normal!

Today, I had some free time. So, I decided to make a cake.

A cake without eggs, milk or white sugar. Now, I'm certain that there is a way to make a good cake without the aforementioned ingredients...but I failed. I failed miserably. Now, I've made several breads without any of these ingredients, and they've turned out rather nicely.

Here is my recipe, so that those of you who are brave enough to try baking such a cake will know what to avoid!

1 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup of unprocessed raw cane sugar
1/2 cup of oil
1 cup of soy milk
1 teaspoon of baking powder
3 chunks of unsweetened baking chocolate

I melted the chocolate and mixed all the ingredients together. I looked really good, and the batter wasn't too bad either. Then I threw it in the oven for 30 minutes at about 350. It looked really good. It rose up, and has nice shape. It looked like it has nice texture. It smelled fantastic (baking chocolate always smells good). Then, I took it out of the oven and let it cool down for a moment. After a moment of cooling, I cut myself a nicely sized piece, took a seat on the couch and turned on the TV.

Finally, time for my first bite.

It wasn't bad. So, I took a second bite. Not bad at all! I was actually rather proud of myself. I took a third bite. And that's when I began to notice a strong, not-so-pleasant aftertaste. I took a fourth bite, and couldn't hardly swallow because the taste was so odd.

I decided to let the cake cool for a little bit before trying anymore (I had a rather large piece). It didn't help. This cake was bad. It was easily the worst thing I've ever baked. Even worse than the time I got the sugar and salt mixed up while baking cookies when I was ten! It was horrible! This was death by chocolate, but not the pleasant kind!

Needless to say, I threw the cake away! It's been several hours, and I can still taste the aftertaste.

I'm certainly not going to give up. There must be a way to make a good cake and still maintain my healthy/vegetarian lifestyle. I've actually had several pastry desserts made by serious vegetarians that were quite good. I guess I'll have to break down and email them for a recipe or two.

Well, all this to say: If I offer you cake sometime in the next little while, you might want to make sure that I've tried it myself, first!

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Copyright © 2007 www.jeremiahotis.com (66.150.96.121) ]]> Sat, 08 Sep 2007 23:03:35 -0700 http://virb.com/jeremiahotis/posts/text/214500 http://virb.com/jeremiahotis/posts/text/212685 As we continue on examining God's plan to rescue all the people on earth from their corruption by using the people of Israel to enact his plan, we've discovered that the Israelites are every bit as unabashedly human as all the other humans. We've also noticed a theme of exile and rescue throughout their history as a nation. However, there are a few more important themes we need to consider in order to fully understand God's plan to rescue the world through his covenant with Abraham.

The first theme we find is the king. It seems as though, of all the kings of Israel, none of them is truly able to rise to the challenge. 1 Samuel 8 shows us the warnings of the ways of earthly kings, and David lives, um, down to the description. So does Solomon. And those kings that followed Solomon were even worse! Even the good ones, like Hezekiah and Josiah (the kings that tried to point Israel back to God), were unable to prevent exile. Psalm 89 really presents the problem very well. On the one hand, God has made incredible promises to David. But, on the other hand, it doesn't seem to have amounted to anything. The psalm puts the question before God, as though to ask what he intends to do about it.

But Israel has the hope of a true king. We catch a glimpse of this king in Psalm 72:1-4:

Give the king your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to the royal son!
May he judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice!
Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness!
May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the children of the needy,
and crush the oppressor!

God is sending a new king. One who will, once and for all, set things right, restore true justice, and come to their final rescue!

The second theme we see is the temple. If you remember, the temple is the place where God's sphere and our sphere overlap and interact. Not only that, but David set a standard: It is the kings job to build and restore the temple. Unfortunately, the job just isn't being done. So, one of the identifying traits of this new king God was sending is that he would build or restore the temple.

As a matter of fact, Judas Maccabeus, in 164 B.C., and, later, Herod the Great both used their restoration of the temple as a claim to the throne, even though neither of them descended from David.

Now, where does that put us? A true king will arise, and part of what he does will be to bring about true justice and restore the temple. Now, on to the third theme...

The Torah. There are a lot of little taboos and customs that are built into the Torah. These things set Israel apart from all of the nations around them. These customs gave them a national identity. But, they went further than that. The Torah was about how people, under God, live together in harmony. It's about how they respond to him for his rescue operation. It's not something that earns his favor. It's about being the people of God.

The fourth, and last, theme that we find is the concept of new birth, new life, new creation. Consider Isaiah 2:2-4:

It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the LORD
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be lifted up above the hills;
and all the nations shall flow to it,
and many peoples shall come, and say:
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths."
For out of Zion shall go the law,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide disputes for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore.

This theme of a beautiful new creation is repeated throughout the book of Isaiah. Take a look at Isaiah 11:1-19; 55:1, 3-5, 12-13; 65:17-18, 25. These are just a few of the scriptures that look forward to God's final restoration of his corrupted creation.

All four of these themes come together in a seemingly shocking twist in Isaiah (42, 49, 50, and 52-53). Out of the chaos, God will send an anointed one (the Hebrew word "Messiah" and the Greek word "Christ" translate as "anointed one"). The servant will bring a message that God is king. Jerusalem can at last declare that peace has come, Israel is rescued and the entire creation is saved! (Consider Isaiah 52:7-12.) But, this servant will cast away, just as Israel has been exiled, and die in shame. Then he will come out on the other side, victorious! Other prophets that point to this anointed servant include Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Jeremiah speaks of a new covenant. Ezekiel shows Israel that God will cleanse them, renew them, and then rescue them and take them back to their land.

It's at this point that we find ourselves racing towards the convergence of many stories. God, Israel and the rest of the world are all about to converge! How is this amazing thing going to happen?

It takes the entire New Testament to truly answer that question, and that entire answer is embodied in one person: Jesus of Nazareth.

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Comments

• September 8, 2007, todd schreibt: JO, You need to be very careful with this line of reasoning. I know the books that this is coming from and I'm telling you that this is very dangerous. You are dealing with a narrative theology that leads to the denial of justification by faith in Christ alone. Narrative theology is one way to read scripture and it can be useful, but most scholars who use it without working through the historical/grammatical grid come to conclusions that are outside of evangelical protestant theology. Be careful. The themes that you speak of are there, but they are worked out in a covenantal framework that completely pointed to Christ alone. The line of reasoning you give walks a fine line of Jesus being a plan B because the people of Israel failed. This begins pointing you toward an open theology of God and turns justification into a term meaning "being a member of the people of God" instead of the imputation of righteousness because of Christ's atoning work. I know the author you are using and I've read most of his books and his books on Jesus are great, but you have to realize that is thoughts of Paul's theology are completely imbalanced and border on liberal heresy. Please use caution, I beg of you.
• September 8, 2007, joe schreibt: Todd, I don't think I'm communicating what I'm trying to say very clearly. I had intended to show, in the next post, how Jesus was God's plan all along, but the people of Israel couldn't have realized that, and frankly, still don't realize it! Maybe I should have hinted at it from the beginning, but frankly, writing just isn't my strong suit. :) What I'm trying to show, and I don't think I've done a good job of it, is simply that God intended for Jesus to be the salvation all along, but in order for the Israelites, and then the world, to see their need to be rescued, the Israelites had to go through a bunch of crap.They needed to see the injustice of earthly kings, even good ones like David. They needed to see how broken they were, and that the rescue ship that they were would never be capable of doing its job. Jesus is not a plan B, he's the original plan, finally unveiled. Having said all of this, I'm postponing the next post until at least Monday. It's easily the most important post, and is also the one most easily mis-interpreted. So, I'm going to set it aside and come back to it in a few days with fresh eyes to make certain that I'm communicating as clearly as possible.

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Copyright © 2007 www.jeremiahotis.com (66.150.96.121) ]]> Fri, 07 Sep 2007 14:29:45 -0700 http://virb.com/jeremiahotis/posts/text/212685