I’m taking the diakonia class on Creeds and Confessions, taught by Pastor Marcus Felde. We’ve been asked to pick a favorite hymn and analyze the confession of faith we make with others when we sing it. And, to analyze how that hymn bespeaks my faith in Christ. I chose to reflect on ELW 796 – Will You Come and Follow Me (The Summons), with text written by John Bell and Graham Moule. The tune setting is Kelvingrove, a Scottish tune often used for the song The Shearing’s Nae for You. Continue reading
Devotion for the Japanese Marytrs
“The interpreter had placed before his feet a wooden plaque. On it was a copper plate on which a Japanese craftsman had engraved that man’s face. It was not a Christ whose face was filled with majesty anf glory; neither was it a face made beautiful by endurance of pain; nor was it a face filled with the strength of a will that has repelled temptation. The face of the man who then lay at his feet was sunken and utterly exhausted.”
“Many Japanese had already trodden on it, so that the wood surrounding the plaque was black with the print of their toes. And the face itself was concave, worn down with the constant treading. It was this concave face that had looked at the priest in sorrow. In sorrow it had gazed up at him as the eyes spoke appealingly: ‘Trample! Trample! It is to be trampled on you that I am here.'”
This passage from Silence, written by Japanese novelist Shusaku Endo, is the pivotal point of the entire novel for me. When I think of Japan, I think of technology, order, manners, and ancient traditions. Who thinks about Christ and Japan? I’d never thought about the word “apostatize”. What does it really mean? Continue reading
Art!
I’ve been doing counted cross-stitch since I was in high school. I guess I started because I thought it was pretty (I feel pretty right now, just typing that), and I like math and the whole grid aspect of cross-stitching. If you like geometry, you’ll like this.
 |
 |
I shared the 2 santa samplers with my diakonia class this morning. I gave a presentation about my calling, and I wanted to do something visual. But, I wanted to tie it together with everything else. So, I riffed. Here’s what I shared.
My Calling
I feel like I have to start with a story. Once upon a time, there was a real worship geek. Robes, candles, chanting, leading prayers, being annoyed at any little error in the bulletin. Self-importance. Hurrying to conscript acolytes and communion assistants. Pretending to listen to the sermon while obsessing over whether to give a chalice or tray to Communion Assistant X. He loved it and thought that was ministry. It worked for a while.
Seeking My Vocation
I recently wrote about learning my spiritual and personality types. Along the way, I gained some insight into how I perceive God, and how that begins to establish my identity in the Body of Christ. But, I’m seeking answers to larger questions. I perceive God calling me to commit my life to serving the church and this broken world. But, what does that mean for my engineering career? And “service” can mean so many different things. Just what is God calling me to do?
Discovering My Spiritual Type and the Myers-Briggs
Currently I’m taking the Practical Ministry I: Biblical Images course of the Diakonia Program. The course investigates the Lutheran concept of vocation, and introduces the concept of spiritual gifts having been bestowed upon each of us in diverse combinations. The “Biblical Images” part of the course is there too, but it’s an entire discussion for another day. It happens that I’ve been experiencing something of an identity crisis in recent years. I’ve been struggling with deep questions about my own sense of vocation and identity within the Body of Christ. Perhaps it’s more than coincidence that I find myself now being led through something of a more formal self-examination. Wily Holy Spirit indeed! Continue reading
Using Clonezilla
I recently had to rebuild our desktop system at the house, due to power supply and hard drive failures. I discovered that I’d conveniently neglected to ever back up the C: partition, where most of the interesting stuff was naturally stored. While rebuilding, I also developed a dependable process for me to back up the entire system, and documented it here. Continue reading
Devotion for Lars Olsen Skrefsrud
“It is the heathenism we want to get rid of, not the national character.”
Born in 1840, Lars became one of the best known Norwegian missionaries. He was born to a poor family in a small town north of Lillehammer, a home of the Winter Olympics. In his youth, he became a heavy drinker and wild young thing. With some buddies, he robbed a bank and was arrested. Refusing to reveal his accomplices, he was sent to prison for four years. Continue reading
Response to The Rapture Exposed
For one who has never given much thought to the Apocalypse, it can be easy to toss it into a mental trash bin labeled as “unimportant questions and stuff.” The Rapture Exposed introduces the cultural phenomenon of Left Behind and the pressing threat and popularity of dispensationalism. Barbara Rossing’s book captivates the reader with stories of emotional turmoil suffered by people raised in the culture of rapture belief. Rossing goes beyond discussing culture, to provide a thoughtful commentary on Revelation. Through the book, Rossing ties her insight to American foreign policy in the Middle East. This paper is a reflection on the impact of each of these themes. Continue reading
Devotion for William Tyndale
I defy the Pope and all his laws; and if God spares my life, ere many years, I will cause the boy that driveth the plow to know more of the Scriptures than thou dost.
These strong words were once uttered by William Tyndale, born around 1490 in Dursley, Gloucestershire. Tyndale is best known for being the first to translate the Scriptures from the original Hebrew and Greek, into a modern european language – English in his case. His translation was also the first to take advantage of the modern invention of printing, allowing it to be distributed widely, to the enlightenment of some, and anger of others. Continue reading
gracewerks 