tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9312888.post1726640620150998005..comments2023-06-12T04:37:58.897-04:00Comments on Toothface: Reflections from todayLukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03734930079710820207noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9312888.post-78943392977404979992009-03-02T16:25:00.000-05:002009-03-02T16:25:00.000-05:00deserts are places of great beauty. this sermon so...deserts are places of great beauty. this sermon sorta touches on that saying that there are seeds lying within the soil that we don't see. they're lying in wait for just a little water to blossom.<BR/><BR/>maybe that water is our tears? i think Jason can testify to that, but i don't want to put words in his mouth.Lukehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03734930079710820207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9312888.post-83572486380540826522009-03-02T13:15:00.000-05:002009-03-02T13:15:00.000-05:00Our pastor preached on deserts Saturday night, and...Our pastor preached on deserts Saturday night, and it might be a bit of a different take. I like it. He contrasted what we usually think of Christ as he was tempted in the desert for 40 days, that he was barely alive and starving, with the idea that the desert was actually intentional preparation for his confrontation with Evil. He actually was strenghtened and sharper and heightened and more prepared to face what lied before him because of the desert. It was preparation in the desert, not exhaustion. I like that image so very much. In fact, I love it. And I love the actual desert.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9312888.post-4952092678704207872009-03-02T12:25:00.000-05:002009-03-02T12:25:00.000-05:00of course our faith functions in metaphor... becau...of course our faith functions in metaphor... because any naming of God in human vocabulary is inadequate.We can use all the metaphors and images yet all of these fail, as they are not completely accurate or encompassing.<BR/><BR/>so i would say that pastors need to be BOTH poets and shepards. poets when giving sermons, shepards when with the individual and his or her desert. <BR/><BR/>i'll paint a picture, you find yourself in it, and we'll talk about it. imagine if i got up and spoke directly about your desert and named your pain. i would run the risk of completely misnaming your experience! because your experience is not mine. such is the risk of giving sermons.<BR/><BR/>plus i had 40 minutes to prepare this... so not all the imagery was mine.. but my next sermon is on Ecc 3. i hope to speak more directly to this deal.<BR/><BR/>when are you going to Greece?! that'll be awesome! i hope you get a chance to head down to Egypt. I would suggest Luxor and Alexandria and THEN Cairo. Cairo is a tad overwhelming in terms of congestion and touristy stuff. but the pyramids and sphynx were pretty awesome. <BR/><BR/>thanks for your 2 cents, as always dude. i love getting your input! don't be a stranger ;-)Lukehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03734930079710820207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9312888.post-32239308037206938682009-03-02T11:18:00.000-05:002009-03-02T11:18:00.000-05:00Here is my one comment on this - make the messages...Here is my one comment on this - make the messages specific. I find our faith functions in the vagueness of scripture - in allegory - in allusions - in metaphors...etc. But what we miss is the obvious. My 2 cents. We need less poets and more sheperds. <BR/><BR/>That being said - I like the sermon about the desert - and maybe it's openness lets me decide what 'desert' I am in...and yes - I was really deep into one that burnt, stung, and bit. I speak of my recent struggles of hurt and now fixture. <BR/><BR/>That all made me realize one thing - faith is so much more deeper than most are letting on. God is so much more complex than most want to admit. Life is filled with choices - good and bad - but we are masters of our perspectives. Life is rich. <BR/><BR/>I have a chance to see Egypt - as I am going to Greece - maybe I will check out the Sphinx and Pyramids...the pics look cool.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com