Rick Nier...Woo!

Why Jesus? It sounds like a very callous question, especially written by a pastor. But there it is and I’ll ask it again. Why Jesus? After all, we live in a world that offers us many choices, especially for those of us who live in the U.S. And since we have so many freedoms, I have to ask...why Jesus? Why would someone choose to submit their lifestyle to a Jewish Rabbi from 2,000 years ago? Why would anyone decide that the teachings of Jesus make sense? This is the guy who said we should turn the other cheek if we are hit. This is the guy who said we should love those who hate and despise us. The same guy who said that less of me means more of Him also said my life should be lost. Why would anyone choose Jesus? Jesus, the same guy who claimed to be God, an absurd thought for the people He came to serve. This is the guy whose own generation didn't seem to get Him, whose own people group didn't really like Him. But what if referring to Jesus as 'some guy' is a dangerous a

Can you please just tell me what I want to hear? Puh-lease?!? I’ve already given at least 5 seconds of thought to this. Clearly I know what I’m doing. So when I ask for your opinion, you are supposed to understand that ‘your opinion’ is code for ‘just sign off on this.’ I do this mostly with my wife, Jennifer. After being married for almost 15 years, I figured she understood the code. (I say ‘almost 15’ even though we just celebrated 14 a month and a half ago. I think 15 sounds more impressive.) Despite our many years together, she doesn’t understand the code. She insists on giving me her true thoughts, much like Brainy Smurf reminding the other Smurfs of what Papa Smurf always said. But, much like the other Smurfs, I do what I want. This inevitably leads to any number of conversations that end with Jennifer saying, ‘I told you so.’ Supposedly she doesn’t find great thrill in that. I’m not so sure. Predictably she’ll remind me of when I originally asked for her opinion. Geesh! Some wom

I'm trying to figure out which kind of childhood star to tell you to imagine. Should I give you someone like Drew Barrymore who was first seen in E.T.? It seems like it would be more fun to poke fun at Danny Bonaduce. Not that the Partridge Family wasn't top-notch. Everything else has come back. Why not that family? But if we are to actually talk about this book, you're going to want to imagine Gary Coleman or Todd Bridges, you know, poster children for troubled childhood stars. Because that seems to be the mold that author C.B. Shiepe has gotten Clay Grant, childhood star from the fictional Little Guy Mike. Clay Grant is as troubled as they come. Used and abused by adults who should know better than to view a kid as a cash cow, Clay grows cynical. And why not? He doesn't know who he is or who he even wants to be. The description on the back was enough to intrigue me. In a world where entertainment has become our religion and religion our entertainment, Cliff Falls wre

So in the midst of the story that never ends, between hearing Job's friends accuse him and Job proclaim his innocence, a thought occurs to me. Job's friends weren't all wrong. This story is too often painted with a hero named Job and 3 guys who could have been better friends. Ok, maybe their theology was a little too simplistic and Job wasn't the mass murderer that they may have considered him to be. After all, God did tell Satan that Job was righteous. but God never did say Job was perfect. In Job 22, Eliphaz makes some good points. Are any of us actually innocent? In fact, Elihu, that young punk of a man, makes the best points when he accuses Job of placing his own self-righteousness above the righteousness of God. After all, if we aren't the ones in the wrong, then someone else must be. And in this story, who is left? Do you really want to blame God? Job took awfully great pains and many, many words to convince his friends he was blameless in all this. We often d

Why is the book of Job so long? Seriously. This is the book of Job in short form. God was chillin', ya know, doing what He does, when the angels and Satan show up. God: Check out Job. I like him so much better than you, Satan. Satan: You know I could put the hurt on him and he'd hate you. God: Try it. The Satan beat down on everything Job had, killing his animals and children. Job's Wife: Your life really stinks. Job: I love God. I'll deal with it. Job's Wife: Whatevs. Back up in Heaven, God and Satan raise the stakes. Satan: I've got this new beta-test of a disease I'd like to test out on Job. God: You're so full of yourself. Go for it, but prepare to be owned. So Satan makes Job actually regret the day he was born. Job: I regret the day I was born. Friend 1: You probably did something wrong to deserve this. Job: No I didn't. Friend 2: I'm with Friend 1. I think you're a sinner. Job: I'm telling you, I didn't do anything wrong. Frien

Sometimes what you expected and what you get are two different things. Take for instance, this book I got called Coffeehouse Theology; Reflecting on God in Everyday Life , by Ed Cyzewski. I know you can't judge a book by its' cover, but... On the cover is a cup of coffee and some napkins with doodles on them. On the back cover we read quotes like, 'Theology should breathe life and unity among God's people...' and 'Whether in a community, in a coffeehouse, or by e-mail, discussion and application of theology is essential. Joining the conversation is easy.' According to Ed, ummm....no it's not. Not unless 13-step processes are easy. What I expected was a discussion on pressing issues of our culture today and how different viewpoints can coexist. What I got was a very in-depth study on how to do contextual theology. Ed tells us, quite correctly, that none of us have a corner on truth. We can know and value truth, but we must acknowledge that we don't ha

So Reggie Bush gave back his Heisman Trophy. I don't want to get into the ins and outs of USC and how they did or didn't break the rules. But when giving it back, Reggie said that it wasn't an admission of guilt. It sounds to me like he got advice. 'Give it back and you keep people off of you either way.' I could be wrong. But I'm not sure what else makes you give back an award you won if you believe you won it fair and square. In Job 27:5-6, Job is speaking back against his good friends who keep telling him to admit he's a sinner. Job remains stubborn. 'I will not deny my integrity.' Good for you, Job! If you didn't do it, don't admit to it. I realize that the guilty people aren't prone to admit their faults either, but that proves nothing here. If someone says they didn't do it, we should at least acknowledge the possibility that they are saying that because...they didn't do it! I'm not a college football fan. I'm no fan

I could be a millionaire if only I took my nonsense thinking to the next level. Isn't that what's making people money these days? Take a stupid idea and see if you can get other people to emulate you and give you money to do so. Take these silly rubber band bracelets that have exploded in popularity. I have been wearing plain old rubber bands for years. People have always asked me why. By 'people' I mean my wife and by 'asked me why' I mean 'ridiculed me for wearing rubber bands. I was wearing old rubber bands long before the rubber bracelets to support Haiti, Lance Armstrong and my youth group ever came along. If only I had applied myself and discovered this market of small people. I really don't understand how this is supposed to work. My daughters both collect them. The youngest puts her entire collection on one arm. She remind me of a toddler version of Gem and the Holograms. Or maybe one of those dance videos with Cyndi Lauper. Either way, they spen

A love for the game has been born. I took my 7-year old son to a high school football game recently. Granted, high school football isn't always the most quality, but I'm not sure it mattered that a field goal was not going to be made...at all...ever. The boy was hooked. I think it was mostly the snack money his mom sent with him. But by the second half his cheers and jeers could be heard above all others in our section. He got excited at all the right times, and sadly for the home team, disappointed at all the disappointing times. This wasn't all that surprising. He watches sports with me at home. But the level of intensity that he maintained the whole game almost made me want to calm him down. (He screams really loud...and it's high-pitched too.) It kind of reminds me of when someone becomes a new Christian. Have you ever been around this person? As Lieutenant Dan explained to Forrest Gump, it's always, 'Jesus this and Jesus that.' They can't be stopped

I woke up very early this morning. I saw a sky full of beautiful stars. I love mornings like this. Less than two hours later, the stars had disappeared. But I didn't worry about where they went. Though I can't see them, I know they are still there. I do look forward to seeing them again. I can picture them in my mind. There is a Morning Star which I have seen. Though I cannot see Him now, I am not concerned. I know He is still there. I see evidence and can still picture visions of Him in my mind. I long for the day I can see Him again. Face to face. No more veils. He is the Morning Star (Revelation 22:16). He shines bright.

'What is going through your head?' That's what my parents said to me while I was growing up. Even without the question, the look on their face said I should have known better. So I probably should have listened when they warned me about possible dangers. The most vivid example I have is when I was 5. My parents were avid bowlers, complete with the checkered plaid and matching shirts. They would take me along. That's right. It has left a mark on my life. Whenever I enter a bowling alley, I instinctively crave Kool-Aid in a sippy cup. They would tell me not to jump on the seats. 'You could crack your head open', my mom would say. Nooooo, that couldn't happen to me. This couldn't possibly be foreshadowing. I wasn't even wearing those slick bowling shoes, but the next thing I knew, my head had met the corner of the scoring table. I saw blood. Lots and lots of blood. I'm sure I ruined my father's handicap that night as a trip to the ER does not he

If you've fallen asleep to my previous 2 posts, you know that I read and reviewed Colors of God by Randall peters, Dave Phillips and Quentin Steen. It's subtitle is Conversations about Being the Church . It is that topic which they spend the last 3 sections (out of 4) discussing. I appreciated that because while theology and philosophy can be intriguing, it will not make a difference what you say you believe unless it transfers to your daily life. I can talk machismo all I want about being able to stop an oncoming car, but you won't actually find me in the middle of street during rush hour. Likewise, what we believe about God has implications in how we live out our faith. For instance, they talk a lot about authenticity being a highly valued commodity at their church, so confession is a daily part of church life. In another section they discuss how they feel the word 'sin' no longer does what we as Christians wish it did. This alone will have extreme fundamentalist

Yesterday I gave an overview of a book I recently read, Colors of God" . Written by leaders of a church in Canada called neXus, it forced me to consider my beliefs yet again. I don't think this is a bad thing. Jeremiah, in the midst of all his whining..er...weeping, said, "Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD (Lamentations 3:40). So what the authors, Randall Peters, Dave Phillips & Quentin Steen, did was to write about the core beliefs that drove their actions. This first part was by far the largest section. But laying a foundation is the most important part of any building or project, right? The part that forced me to pay attention was in their explaining what kind of church they wanted to be. They were at a National Pastors Convention (always a rowdy party) and were listening to an exchange between 'someone from the floor' and Doug Pagitt, an Emerging Church pastor and author and also a presenter at the convention. Someone: Yo

OK, so the Church is broken, now what? If you're like me, you've read a lot of books containing theory as to the why and the what of church problems and solutions. But what if we had a collaborative effort of church theorist-practitioners who produce solid paradigms, but do so in the context of sharing and testing in a local congregation? We do: It's called The Colors of God. That's what the review for this book said, so how could I pass it up? After all, my church isn't perfect. And if someone has usable ideas, I would like to use them. Plus, I like colors. Lots of books propose to start a conversation. This book accomplished that, helped along by the fact that it was a conversation already. It was written as if the three authors sat down and talked about stuff and some poor fourth guy got the enviable job of writing it all down. This made the book easy-to-read as the authors did a good job of stopping each other when clarification was needed. They divided the book