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I’v always been a the larger side. My mum used to say that it was just puppy fat but when I got married and hit my 30s I couldn’t use the puppy fat excuse any more.
Then about a year ago I was playing on the net and did one of the see how overweight chart things, a six foot guy who is 18st (252 pounds) = GROSSLY OBESE! I was less then a happy bunny.
Now the other thing to happen was listening to one of the most life changing talks I have ever listened to. It was a talk by Tim Keller called Doing Justice. The talk focused a lot on the idea of Shalom and its holistic transformation of committees and self, this he call; Shalom. Later I came across this quote from Plantinga:
‘The webbing together of God, humans, and all creation in justice, fulfilment, and delight is what the Hebrew prophet’s call shalom. We call it peace, but it means far more than mere peace of mind or a cease-fire between enemies. In the Bible shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight—as rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied and natural gifts are fruitfully employed, a state of affairs that inspires joyful wonder as its Creator and Saviour opens doors and welcomes the creatures in whom he delights. Shalom, in other words, is the way things ought to be.’ (Plantinga, N (1995). Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.)
The way things ought to be!
Now the idea of Shalom has greatly affected my theology over the last 2-3 years and from it I have started to ask the question… is this the way things ought to be, from a Kingdom/heaven point of view..should it really be like this? When you really start to look at things in this way it can really mess with your head. So on top of this I started to look at my gut my GROSSLY OBESE body and ask is this the way I should be? Well doh…no.
Read this from NetDoctor.co.uk
Common physical problems from being obese are:
- difficulties breathing
- difficulties walking or running
- increased sweating
- pain in the knees and back
- skin conditions such as acne
- gallstones.
The following medical conditions are also more common in obese people than in those of normal weight:
- high blood pressure
- high cholesterol
- diseases related to hardening of the arteries such as heart attack and stroke (cardiovascular disease).
- Type 2 diabetes
- some types of cancer.
Is that someone who is in shalom with themselves? Is it the way I should be?
So I took up running, at first I did the typical, run-like-hell-and-hope-to-survive thing, then my sister-in-law, who is a runner, put me onto the best was starting to run, the run-walk way. To try to keep a long story short, I now can run for about a hour were before I struggled with 1min. I am now starting to train for an 1/2 marathon in October. The best of all, I feel the most in Shalom with my myself then I have ever done in my life. I may actually live to see my grand kids, be better example to the young people I work with and I currently have lost 2 1/2 stone (37.8 pounds)
This is me after my first race, The Chagford 2 Hills:
Technorati Tags: diet, Fat, holistic, keller, Obese, Running, Shalom, Theology
Faithworks is a movement of thousands of individuals, churches and organisations motivated by their Christian faith to serve the needs of their local communities and positively influence society as a whole. Faithworks exists to resource, inspire and speak up for these vital initiatives.
I love what Faithworks is about, resource Christians be do professional, high quality community action. This magazine is great & every time I get it I feel very inspired with my work and get some hope for the Churches work with the community.
One tool that I think would be very helpful for any church or Christian organisation is the Ethos, effectiveness and excellence toolkit.
I am encouraging the organisation I work to us it.
Technorati Tags: , christian, Church, Community, Faithworks, resources, Tools
First an apology. This poor blog has been very neglected over the last few months. But, I do have 2 good excuses.
Firstly, I have been getting in all my work for my end of 2nd year degree. This has included 2 3000 word essays, one on Social and political context (not very exiting, but important), and one were I interviewed a ‘New Age’ person and reflected on it (quite interesting). On top of this was my fieldwork folder (about 10’000 words) that will hopefully lead to my JNC had to be in.
My second excuse, one that over shadowed all my college work, was the arrive of Isaac and Reuben Tilley. They were premature and so lead to lots of trips into the Exeter Hospital.
So I have decided that I try to be a little more dedicated to the blog and will start by sharing with you my sharing my summer reading.
I am currently reading Doug Pagitt’s book A Christianity Worth Believing. Its quite an interesting idea for a book, to sum it up I would say it Pagitts story of finding faith and the struggles he has had on his journey. Yet it is also the idea that we are in a new mission context then that of the past when theologies were developed and that we how have to develop appropriate theology for our current contact. he argues that we still still hold a Platonic Greco-Roman theology and subsequent world view that is inaproprate for our context.
You can download 3 free chapters of the book here.
Other readings:
NT Wight book Suprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church. I am also making my way through his John for Everyone
Shane Claiborne & Chris Haw’s book Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals
Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger: Moving from Affluence to Generosity by Ronald J. Sider
Technorati Tags: Books, Doug Pagitt, NT Wight, reading, Ronald J. Sider, Shane Claiborne
Just listened to yet another great podcast from The Nick and Josh Podcast with Dr. Timothy Paul Jones. Jones has got a book out called Misquoting Truth, its a response to Bart D. Ehrman book Misquoting Jesus. I’ve not heard of Ehrman before but the interview raised a lot of questions that I have wrestled with about Bible, like sections being added at much later dates (like the story of the woman caught in adultery, added much later…did it happen or not). Jones says is that the church needs to address these issues within our bibles.
- So what do we do with these problems as youth ministers/worker?
- Do we tell our young people that our bibles have got some very significant issues, miss translations and manipulated texts?
- Do we wrestle together with these issues?
- Or do we feel that we should protect young Christians from these problems and let them deal with them at a later date?
If we don’t, I feel, we will only set young people up for problem’s down the line, a little like parents that never talk to there children about sex, drugs rock and roll or drinking eventually these issues raise their head and have to be dealt with.
How Sweet!
This has been my case in regards to biblical infallibility and inerrancy and my biblical hermeneutic. I think that that is why so many people ‘fall away’ or have crisis of faith especially when studying theology for the first time because they may have grown up with the idea that the bible just came miraculously into existence and is infallible/inerrant. Yet if we tackle these issues in an intelligent way with young Christians now, they want be shocks to find that the bible we hold in our hands has got many problems.
Listen to the Podcast
Technorati Tags: Bart D. Ehrman, Bible, cannon, inerrancy, infallibility, Misquoting Jesus, scripture, Timothy Paul Jones, youth ministry, Youth Work/Ministry
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.”
A few nights ago as I was browsing the net I came across a very ‘interesting’ site called Apprising Ministries. I came across an article on the site regarding Rob Bell entitled Rob Bell and New Age Guru Marianne Williamson, I know I know you just know from the title and the ‘feel’ of the website this is not going to be a nice chirpy read! After reading it, I thought I’d check out the claim that Bell was quoting “New Age Guru’s” (see top of page quote). Turns out the quote was from Marianne Williamson (so called New Age Guru) yet Bell believed he was quoting Nelson Mandela. So me getting my knickers in a twist over this (like I’ve not nothing better to do) started to do a little investigating. Turns out, according to this article it is a Marianne Williamson quote, yet it is mistakenly commonly believed to be Nelson Mandela. So shock horror Bell is falable, he did, it would seem, quote a ‘New Age Guru’!
So me being the justice loving guy I am, and because I still seemingly having nothing better to do, I emailed Apprising Ministries (strangely Ken Silva site will not allow people to comment) in the hope of correcting miss information (or slur campaign as some may say). Here is the email:
In reference to your post: http://www.sliceoflaodicea.com/?p=433 it seems that it a common ‘urban myth’ that the words “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate…” were Mandela’s words in his 1994 inauguration speech. Therefore, Bell may well have indirectly quoted Williamson believing them to be the words of Mandela.
You may find this artical of interest: http://www.newsobserver.com/667/story/436158.html
Thanks
Paul Tilley“Pastor” Ken Silva quickly corrected my ignorance by stating that I had totally missed the point of their accusations of Bell. In fact it was the point that [supposedly] ‘Rob Bell agrees with the following lies: 1) “the glory of God that is within us” and 2) “glory that resides in every singe [sic] human being.”‘ My bad it would seem!
Here is the full email:
Hello Paul,
Thank you for contacting Apprising Ministries. Indeed, this is an “urban myth” and I covered the issue in more depth in a previous post:
EMERGENT CHURCH PASTOR ROB BELL RECITES THE MYSTIC MANTRA FOR THE NEW EVANGELICAL RELIGION OF MAN’S LOVE OF SELF http://www.apprising.org/archives/2007/04/emergent_church_9.html
You sent me the link to “Light from an unexpected source” http://www.newsobserver.com/667/story/436158.html
This piece talks about the quote in question being used in “Akeelah and the Bee.” FYI, I was aware of this. As a matter of fact, given Bell’s love of culture, I personally would have no doubt whatsoever that Rob probably first heard the quote in the movie and then lifted it from there.
However, I’m afraid that in your rush to defend Bell you completely missed the point of my article of which you speak. And that is: Rob Bell agrees with New Age Guru Marianne Williamson. I couldn’t care less that Bell thought he was agreeing with Nelson Mandela because that quote speaks of the spark of the divine allegedly within all mankind.
If what Williamson said is true then there is no reason for one, through the grace of God, to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit and personally place their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. The problem here is that Rob Bell agrees with the following lies: 1) “the glory of God that is within us” and 2) “glory that resides in every singe human being.”
However, the Bible teaches the exact opposite, which I have shown in a couple of pieces e.g. this one:
YOUR EVIL “TRUE SELF”
http://www.apprising.org/archives/2006/11/your_evil_atrue.html
That Williamson is speaking of universalism is clear when she says - “You are a child of God” - meaning all human beings. Bell himself teaches a quasi-universalism where all mankind was saved and forgiven at the Cross - redeemed along with the entire Kosmos - and then he says our job is to get people to “convert” i.e. accept the forgiveness they have already been given by God as we get them to “follow the way of God in Jesus.”
In fact, in “Light from an unexpected source”, the way Williamson herself explains what she’s means in that quote happens to directly contradict the Bible: “It’s an extraordinary concept,” she said of the idea — from “A Course in Miracles” — that people are afraid of the light in themselves, rather than the dark.”
But Jesus, our Creator, says in His Word - “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” (John 3:19-21)
Now please note that what Jesus has just told us is the polar opposite of what Williamson is saying in her quote, which Rob thinks/thought is/was Mandela. The Truth is, men aren’t afraid of the Light within them because He isn’t there prior to the new birth. Rather, in our unregenerate nature we hate the Light [God] because we love the darkness we think covers our sins from Him.
It is only after the Spirit of Jesus comes into someone to dwell that they have “the glory of God” within and then begin to live by the Truth. Christ is our Light so that people may see that our good deeds bring honor and glory to God - not to man - because what we do “has been done through God”, and not by ourselves.
As a Christian pastor it is Rob Bell’s job to work for the honor and glory of Christ, but it is very obvious to those of us who love Jesus that Bell’s ministry is instead centered on man. And so, if we assume Rob is sincere, then we will have to say that he is sincerely wrong.
Paul, I pray that this clears up your confusion, because if at YOUTH HACKS.NET http://www.youthhacks.net/ you are, “Helping youth workers, ministers and others who work with teenagers with news, ideas, theology and theory about working with young people“, then you should at least be telling them the Truth.
For Christ’s honor I labor,
“Pastor” Ken Silva
President
Apprising Ministries
http://apprising.org/
Ezekiel 3:7-14
General Editor
Christian Research Net
http://christianresearchnetwork.com/
2 Corinthians 11:12-15
I thought that the response was interesting but I didn’t wish to get into some big theological email debate and so wrote back saying:
Thank you for your response and I appreciate your offer of pray as always.
Paul Tilley
I thought that that was the end of the excitement when low and behold, I was looking at my website traffic (something I don’t do often) and found lots of traffic coming from…. Apprising Ministries. Turns out that they thought the email exchange was so cool that they posted it on their site stating that it was for ‘our edification’, its nice to think that I started the edification!
Anyway, I wrote back to them thanking them for the traffic and stating that I would also post the conversation so they too could get traffic.
Technorati Tags: Apprising Ministries, Emerging Church, imago dei, Ken Silva, Marianne Williamson, Nelson Mandela, new age, Rob Bell
I got back from a weekend away in St. Ives (possibly my favourite place in the UK) and found a box with Amazon printed on it… O how I love getting books in the post. It was Shane Claiborne & Chris Haw’s new book; Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals.
At the moment I have only just flicked through it, but it looks really interesting. The ‘feel’ and artwork (which is on every page) is very cool, almost more like a scrapbook of thoughts and ideas with accompanying images than a systematic book.
More importantly the book is part of my continuing journey in rethinking what it means for me to be a follower of Jesus. I am just finishing Brian McLaren’s The Secret Message of Jesus then I have his Everything Must Change to get through. Maybe then, I will be able to get onto getting Jesus for President!
Now if that lot want get me at least talking radical talk then nothing will. But that’s the danger isn’t it…just talking. The real test is if people like me who love to read books like these and can whitter on about ideas till the cows come home, can put the ideas into practice or praxis ["Theology without action (praxis) is the theology of demons." —Maximus the Confessor]. It makes me think of last week when I went to a skate park and everywhere I looked the anarchy sign was printed on helmets, shoes or t-shirts as a symbol/logo of that sub culture. Yet most of the young people who wear that logo [I would guess] would have little idea what it really represents, its just a pop icon of sorts. This is the danger of the branding and culture of the emerging church. We/I love to read the radical books, listen to the speakers, read the blogs, like wearing the anarchy sign, but do we/I really want to get our hands dirty when it counts, do we really want to be a new kind of christian when it may mean ‘everything must change’ the way we/I shop, think, talk, travel, spend, work, parent, spouse, entertain etc. These are the things that I have to think through if I truly want to be holistic in my faith and its getting a little uncomfortable…especially in my wallet!
Some Websites:
www.JesusForPresident.org
Jesus for President Facebook Group
Everything Must Change
Technorati Tags: Activism, book, Brian McLaren, Chris Haw, elections, Emerging Church, Jesus, Jesus for President, new, Politics, President, Radical, Shane Claiborne
Although I am not an American, I still take an interest in whats going on over the pond becouse whoever gets elected for the new U.S. President will affect my life along with most the world, just look at how George W. Bush has afected the lives of non-Americans.
So anyway, I thought that this voter’s Guide (2008) by Mark Van Steenwyk, the pastor of Missio Dei in Minneapolis, U.S. was very cool and thought provoking, I may try to do something like it at the UK elections in 2009!
Technorati Tags: christ, clinton, elections, George W. Bush, huckabee, Jesus, mccain, obama, Politics, President, romney, voters guide
