the one with only a week left

We only have one week left in Muncie…actually like 3 days… and really just two weeks left in the states… where did the time go?

As the time winds down, I wonder

1.     what happened to the time

and

2.     how can we maximize the time left

As well as, what do I absolutely NEED to do before we go… and there is a lot of that too… but a lot we can’t do

And so…  I’m trying to

1.     call everyone I know- we’re on the same time zone or close to it at least

2.     see people and get some closure with folks

3.     read the books in the bookstores

4.     eat the food I can’t later

(Except, I’m not doing that too much… a little, but not really)

A couple weeks ago our Pastor was preaching out of Ecclesiastics and it made me think… if I knew I only had one week left to live what would I do

1.     I’d want to make sure Soo & Halle knew how much I loved them

a.     I would be spending a lot of time with them

b.     Sharing with them how much I love them

c.      And writing notes they could read later

d.     And I’d make sure everything was in order for them

2.     I’d be spending time with my family

3.     I’d be seeing friends and calling them up on the phone

4.     I’d be spending time in prayer & worship

5.     I’d eat all my favorite food- it wouldn’t matter how unhealthy or how expensive

6.     I’d be sharing Christ with my friends and even strangers

7.     I’d be writing down all sorts of thoughts I want to share with the world for their edifcation and God’s glory

8.     I’d probably still watch Purdue play

9.     I probably wouldn’t sleep much- who could? and why bother?

We probably should live every day, every week, every month as if it were our last. Our last time we might see a person… or the last opportunity we have… or y’know, live with an eternal perspective… maybe as Kris Allen (ok the Script) sings “Live like we’re dying!”

But there is a bit of a problem with that…

1.     We wouldn’t sleep

2.     We wouldn’t be taking care of our bodies that much- who would exercise or eat well?

3.     We wouldn’t be working at the development stuff that takes time – like reading

But we would

1.     Take advantage of our time with people

2.     Seize more opportunities – especially with people

3.     Not fight over petty things & resolve conflicts & speak encouraging words

4.     Not waste as much time on meaningless things

5.     Be more courageous

The way I’d like to answer the question “If you only had a week to live, what would you do?”:

Nothing different.

(Unfortunately, I can’t).

I want to live my life in such a way that honors God, exalts His glory, builds His kingdom.

I want to love others well, bless them, encourage them, challenge them in their faith, and helps them feel encouraged & loved.

I want to prioritize my family and those who love me well. And put others before myself

I want to enjoy life and all that God gives

I want to be courageous & full of faith.

I want to praise God all the time.

I want to live in light of my purpose, mission, vision, values & priorities

I want to live in light of eternity.

I want to glorify God. I want love Him & love others.

How would you spend your last week in America?

How would you spend your last week in life?

How would your life be different if you lived with an eternal perspective.

My life recently

i haven't written a personal update on the blog in a long time... but i kinda feel like it... i mean our life is kinda crazy and kinda interesting... maybe...

We're in the stretch run, winding down our time in the states. We really could be leaving anytime now.
Tentatively we're planning for the end of this month... but we don't have tickets yet... because we don't have our visa yet... because we haven't got the forms we need yet.

i may be able to reserve tickets now... but i'm not sure if we can change dates or not (though i was informed a friend did it). i would just do it by faith( this is an expression, not an actual step of faith decision)... but we thought we would have had our visa by at least now... originally thinking we would have had it a month ago. We started the process in early January... it's a long complicated story.

Nonetheless, it would be really weird if we were leaving this week... leaving Muncie at the end of this week is hard enough... where did the time go?


Well, February FLEW by. Starting with giving 2 talks in 3 days, and 3 sermons on one day... then 2 weeks in California - which certainly wasn't enough for Soo's family... and a couple quick days in Houston - and the month was gone.

We came back and packed 3 big bags to send overseas with some friends who headed overseas last week. We actually packed one bag in California, that we never unpacked, just sent straight over. So we actually packed 4 suitcases already. The 4th we'll be sending with my parents when they hopefully come in May.

Babies are so SMALL. So, why do they need SO MUCH STUFF?
Seriously. 2 bags are pretty much all her clothes, another 1 is toys, and stuff for her... and we still have a ton for her... oh and a big bag of clothes we'll need when she turns 3...

So, 3 bags already sent, we get 4 more when we go + a big carry-on & our computers... then my parents will bring 2 or 3 more... and i'm not sure if that will be enough!

i hate packing. i hate traveling.
And yet this is what our life is.

some thoughts on packing

• one of the more interesting things is repacking a bag after being gone for a couple weeks. i see all the things we never used at all. i didn't need that extra pair of jeans or a few shirts... and when Soo's parents run a laundromat, we really didn't need much clothes at all
• Even more sad is seeing things we packed and didn't use for 6 months... oh well
• i always hurt my back when i pack
• i roll all the clothes...always... and pack and repack... but pretty much every bag hits right between 47-52lbs!
• i try to pack things together too. Sometimes things have to be split up because of size/weight... but if i can i put items together
• i always try to pack one bag with stuff i might possibly need to get stuff out of... and/or think thru the stuff i want to wear so i can pack it in a bag... when we went to Houston for 3 days we tried to pack one suitcase just for Houston, i thought that would be easy. i picked out the clothes i'd wear. Soo picked out 8 outfits for herself and 12+ for Halle... hm. girls & boys are different

We really do live out of a suitcase

It was also pretty weird to be packing clothes for Halle for when she'll be one... and two... and even three... wow! Will she be that big that soon?

As for life...

• i feel like i wish i woulda done more stuff here with people and taken more advantage of my time here... but also feel like there was not much more we coulda done
• i think i may be ready to go back to East Asia... but not really. i don't miss the food. i don't miss the language. i miss the work. i miss the routine. i miss being part of a team. i get excited about seeing people again and going certain places. But i don't really miss Asia
• Soo is doing a bit better... she just seems to go from one problem to the next. Bad Morning Sickness --> Labor-->Post-labor pain-->Terrible Stomach troubles --> bug bite on finger. She has been avoiding a lot of food, which means i don't eat it either...
• been trying to read and write a lot, as well as enjoy time with friends and get ready to go

i have several blogs now
http://mookball.blogspot.com
for sports
http://mookiesmooviesandmoosic.blogspot.com
for other entertainment stuff
i want to start one for books, called mook's books
and i may even update my devo site from time to time
xanga.com/mookieslildevo

i should update that one the most, but really, i'm just writing about sports all the time

Well, that is a snapshot.

i want a free book, so...


What story are you telling? from Rhetorik Creative on Vimeo.

http://www.amazon.com/Million-Miles-Thousand-Years-Learned/dp/1400202981/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299478768&sr=8-1

The thing about John Piper

John Piper has had incredible influence on my life.
i heard him speak at an Indy Christmas Conference as a junior in College and have read many of his books.
And while he essentially says the same thing every time, every time i read from one of his books, a flame is sparked in my heart, my spirit is convicted by my lack of zeal and my joy is triggered.

To be honest, i don't always enjoy John Piper. His sermons get long & tedious. His books are repetitive and i seem to be only able to read a few chapters before i have to put it down. He doesn't always seem to stay in the text he is preaching- but he never strays from the truth or God's Word.
He is passionate for God and for God's glory and it resounds in everything he preaches.


Here are some things to admire about John Piper

1. His humility

• 11+ years ago i was able to hear Piper give a short lecture and answer questions at TEDS. Someone asked him, what should those of us do who don't have great Bible teachers at our church.
  Without hesitation, Piper shot down the idea of himself as worthy of such accolade- not with false humility or false modesty, but in how he answered.
  He cited Corinthians and said he would never want someone to say they are of Paul or of Peter or of Piper.
  He exhorted that man and all of us to find a church we can be part of learn from leadership. He did say we could encourage our pastor and church to exalt Christ, but he didn't make himself out as great
  
• John Piper is bad.  He calls out his own sin. He acknowledges His need for a Savior
  
  
• This last year Piper took an extended leave of absence, not because he was caught in sin, but because he knew he was weak and needed to be renewed and refocused. He put aside his ministry for the sake of his growth

2. His focus & passion

• He has said all his books say the same thing: God is most glorified when i am most satisfied in Him. All his messages, all his books point to one thing: God's glory in the exaltation of Christ.
  
• He pursues and calls others to pursue God's glory above all things and in all things. Ministry, marriage, sex, eating, socializing, study...
  
• At the same session i mentioned above, when someone asked what the biggest problem facing the next generation was, he said simply: sin. While his passion & zeal is for God's glory, he also does not lose focus that our main problem is sin, nothing else.

3.  His pursuit of truth & correct Biblical teaching

4. Making resources accessible and available.
You can find many of his books, as well as sermons free here. Take advantage



i am thankful that God has given us John Piper and others like him to instruct us and shepherd us.
Let us not elevate him above God or God's Word. He is not infallible. He would never want to be considered such. But let us also show gratitude to God for his provision for us in Piper - and for the pastors and teachers who have helped shape us and build us up in Christ.

The thing about hell & Rob Bell

The Twitterverse was buzzing yesterday afternoon with thoughts on Rob Bell. Rob Bell was a Trending Topic... until the Oscars came on (and man was that awful! Social Network should have won more. Christian Bale forgot his wife's name, Anne Hathaway was terrible, they cut some people off after 15 seconds and let others ramble for 15 minutes and James Franco- quadruple F would be a generous grade... but i i digress...)

Justin Taylor wrote this post calling out Rob Bell.
Many people did not like it
Ironically, they judge others for judging.
Interestingly, some hide behind a veneer of humility, while arrogantly claiming their interpretation is correct and others are not.
i would say this post was done well. The blogger showed some gentleness and instruction.
Kevin DeYoung's post was pretty good... but i'm still gonna write


Theology is important. It is not petty. And it is not trivial.
And Doctrine is not a matter of mere opinion. It is something we should fight over - for it is what we believe about God.


i believe John Piper, Josh Haris, Justin Taylor, Kevin DeYoung and others - are standing up for truth. Their aim is to protect the flock.

When someone stands up for God, they will be put down- often by their own people.
When David stood up to Goliath, the fiercest opposition came from the people of Israel and his own brothers. David had faith God, stood up for the character of God, and got berated by people.


Still i agree that perhaps Justin Taylor could have waited for the book to come out or done a better job prefacing his statements on the blog.
Even if he says he will retract afterwards if he is found to be mistaken, that is not a good approach. Slander is not something can be recovered from very quickly.

He is critiquing the video and not the book. So, i think that is fair.

However, i don't think Bell's stance is as clear as he or Kevin DeYoung say it is.

After reading some of Bell's other works, i find that his actual belief and teaching is very unclear. He play devil's advocate. His approach is to get the reader/viewer to think for themselves.


Rob Bell if you read this, let me say this:

i appreciate your penetrating questions. i like how you make us think. However, as a pastor/teacher you have a responsibility. You have responsibility to make your teaching clear and to make your teaching accurate.
Your goal should not be to sell books or generate interest or create a buzz.
Your goal should not be to help people feel comfortable going to church.
Your goal should not be to make people feel good.
Your goal should be worship in spirit and truth. Your goal should be to exalt Christ and the Gospel.

i like that you examine faith.
but i also think you tread on dangerous waters and ride on a slippery slope.
While our understanding of God and His Word are ever expanding, there are truths that need to be foundational- for everyone.
The Gospel needs to be protected.

When i worked with college students at the University of Michigan, i always loved working with those who came from your church. They were leaders. They were active in ministry. They knew your Word and wanted to know it more.
i didn't care so much for your nooma videos, but others loved it. And honestly, the way you take every day things and relate it to our faith & walk is something i do all the time. So, i liked it.

When friends were reading  Velvet Elvis and raving about it, i took a look. i loved the first chapter... but it went downhill from there for me.

Are you a universilist or an inclusivist? i don't know. But i wouldn't be surprised.
You are an influential person and a leader. The Bible says you will face stricter judgment... so act accordingly.


i don't know where Bell's going with this, but i like some questions and thoughts he brings up
   
         Then there is the question behind the questions. The real question [is], “What is God like?”, because millions and millions of people were taught that the primary message, the center of the gospel of Jesus, is that God is going to send you to hell unless you believe in Jesus. And so what gets subtly sort of caught and taught is that Jesus rescues you from God. But would kind of God is that, that we would need to be rescued from this God? How could that God ever be good? How could that God ever be trusted? And how could that ever be good news?

Jesus rescues you from God
We need to make sure our teaching is clear. Jesus rescues us from the penalty of our sin. He does in certain terms rescue us from the wrath of God. We cannot diminish the wrath of God in any sort. However, we also should not view God as our enemy. Nor should we view Jesus as separate from God.

The truth is this:
1. Hell is spoken of often in the Bible, especially by Christ. Hell is going to be a terrible place
2. God is wrathful. We don't like to hear it, neither did the people like it when Jeremiah spoke for God. He is holy. He hates sin. He is wrathful.
3. We need a Savior. And Jesus is that Savior
4. Those who have Christ have eternal life. Those who don't have Christ will be thrown into the lake of fire.

To diminish any aspect of God's character is an insult and idolatry.
To diminish Christ's work & role in our salvation is wrong and not worship.


Further, some say hell is simply dogma or based on tradition.
These days in America (yes i emphasize America) what is new is considered best. What is novel is what should be followed. While tradition can be problematic, it is not a problem in itself. Only when the tradition gets elevated above God Himself. We are wise to heed the teachings of tradition. Certainly it is not infallible. Only God's Word is infallible, but it helps us in our understanding of Scripture.


i can wish no one goes to hell. but that doesn't stop me from warning people of it.

While John Piper and others are not perfect. i don't always agree with them. i am glad for people who stand up for truth. Who do the unpopular thing, but shepherd their flock.