First week of the Spring semester is over. I'm tired...

Still thinking about those theological big rocks (see blog at 1/10/03). Here's an update on the list.

The Bible can be trusted to tell us the truth.
It really is all about God.
Humans are both totally messed up and incredibly glorious.
The church is here to be salt and light; it's time to find out what that means and decide how we will be it.
Salvation is not a point in time, not a bit of fire insurance to ward off Hell, but the relational space experienced after God gives life. [this one still needs tweeking; any ideas?]

On the transit nightmare... today is the day I plead for assistance in Hebrew class...

Well, last night I experienced one of those periodic public transit nightmares. I had worked this whole thing out to the minute—my first mistake. Here’s the plan: I rush out of Hebrew class, walking to the bus stop as fast as my size 10s will carry me—that part worked—I arrived at the bus stop in plenty of time. One problem—a periodic fact which apparently escaped my memory when planning this adventure—the bus never came—at least not for me. Maybe it came early—urgh! I don’t know. Anyhow, as the initial part of the plan failed, my entire transit dance—N5, to the Greenline, to the MTA 210, to the T5—fell apart before my very eyes. Finally—40 minutes later—a bus came. By the time I arrived at the Greenline, all hope was lost for my original plan. I searched frantically through my bus schedules—is there any way to get where—or at least near—where I need to be? Only option left was the T2. It’d get there late, but not as late as everything else. It would also leave me stranded a couple miles from where I needed to be—not good. I had to run across the street—where they finally put a signal in (too many pressed pedestrians, I guess)—to catch my now leaving T2. Then the stuff really hits the fan. My cell phone, the one I needed to use to call someone to get me where I needed to be, was seriously low on energy. To top that off, both prospective good Samaritans had their cell phones turned off—urgh! God did a bailout with a phone call from one of those Good Samaritans—thanks Mike—and the Bible Study was good—a bit scattered, but good.

Conclusion: my delusional state is passed. I now remember that one cannot plan public transit commuting to the minute because too often that very public transit system fails to cooperate. Now on to the begging for assistance (something I’ve been doing for some weeks now, regarding this very thing—all to no avail). Anyhow, enough. I gotta go catch a bus.

Rant begins. A November 2002 Barna Research Report concludes that the so-called “Worship Wars” are a myth. According to the report, a mere 7% of Protestant churches have severe or somewhat severe music issues. What’s the real issue? A substantial difference of opinion as to the most important outcomes of worship. Senior pastors with congregants disagree on the importance of six of the ten outcomes. So, once again, the issue comes back to what God actually expects in worship. As far as I know, there is only one place to get this information. It’s not the opinions of senior pastors or the opinions of congregants. The only place to get information on what God expects is his Word. I’ve heard from some church leaders that “theology” and "exegesis" are not as important as having biblical principles (makes me wonder how they arrive at those biblical principles). Right! If we do not know the truth about God and what he expects, then who is it we worship? If a husband or wife claimed that it was not necessary for them to know their spouse or understand their spouse’s desires, friends and family would be shipping them off to the nearest marriage counselor. It is completely illogical to think that we can be in an intimate relationship with God and not know the truth about him and what he desires. Enough already with the myths and opinions . Get the straight skinny--the Word! Rant complete.

Well, today was the first day of the Spring semester. I start class tomorrow. On the list this semester are Hebrew II and Educational Administration. Yippee! Now begins the adventure--work fultime, go to school half-time, lead a ministry, and remain sane...err...healthy...err...relational...whatever