shame and the gospel?

So I've been reading through the New Testament, and I've just finished off the letters to the Thessalonians. The Thessalonians are not books I read very often, and so some statements in the text can come as a surprise. Like this passage... 2 Thessalonians 3:14. This is a passage found in a chapter focused on warning against idleness. The church in Thessalonica had a few individuals who were not too interested in following the teaching and guidance that Paul had provided... so this is what he had to say about these individuals.

And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good. Take special note of those who do not obey our instruction in this letter. Do not associate with them, in order that they may feel ashamed. Yet do not regard them as enemies, but warn them as fellow believers.

2 Thessalonians 3:13-15

So that they'll feel ashamed?! What the heck. This is not the Christianity I know and love. I thought that the gospel of Christ was one of love and grace. I know that Christ was pretty ticked with everyone who was trashing the temple, but isn't this a bit harsh? Typically on a Sunday morning, you don't hear the pastor say to the congregation "so what we need to do in order to see people come to Christ and to know true love and grace is to ignore them all and hope that they will feel a deep sense of shame. That's how we build the kingdom of God!" uhhh... not so much.

At a time when postmodern culture is infiltrating the church, people don't want to hear a message that is so harsh and definite like this one. An emerging church doesn't want to offend anyone, and so blurs the real picture. I think that the church needs a good kick in the pants every so often, seeing as it can be a bit fuzzy around the edges, but even so... a passage like this is tough to swallow. I'm just trying to figure this one out.

I know that there are passages in scripture that I struggle with, but can understand them in light of the culture and society the letter was being written in. But this verse can't really be put in that same category. Shame doesn't really sound like something our loving God desires for us. I know we need to be humbled before the Lord and know that He is all powerful, but to say that shame and abandonment are ordained by God... I have a hard time buying that. I appreciate how Paul at the end of this passage qualifies that these are people who are to be warned as fellow believers, but this doesn't really fit into the way I relate with my surrounding community. To say that I would not associate with a fellow believer because they strayed away a bit doesn't really seem like the way to bring them back.

Just a few thoughts on a tricky passage... Any other thoughts or input on such a passage would be helpful. Maybe try to figure this one out together! :)

back from the dead...

... well it feels like it.

I haven't blogged in a very long time... since nov. 07 to be exact... almost a year and a half! Well I am back. I've been thinking of re-joining the blogging world for a while now.

Procrastinating from writing my OT paper has re-birthed this blog, and has given it a new look :) Though writing about the Genesis creation account in comparison with other ancient near eastern creation accounts is interesting... I would rather do something else... I guess procrastinating is a good thing sometimes.

There are a few things I want to chat about... on conferences attended, cd's bought, and books read... but first, I must write my paper.

See you soon.. i promise!

Paul Potts

This man is absolutely wonderful! Beautiful voice. Who would have thought?!

At the Porn Show...

Once again, for the third time, I, along with Chris and Pat, went to see The New Pornographers live! It was simply wonderful.

Out of all of my times seeing them preform, this was, by far, my most favorite time. Here are my reasonings:

1. Neko Case. She had not previously been touring with The New Pornographers when we saw them before in Toronto. She added a whole new level to the show. Her voice is stunning. Though Chris gets annoyed at me for playing her solo albums on repeat, he also agreed that she was great.

2. Other members who don't always tour with them were there. Like this Dan guy. He only sang on select songs. When he did, in one hand was always a bottle of beer and looked a bit more wasted each time he returned to the stage... He added a bit of humorous entertainment to the night.

3. The opening act. Normally opening acts are nothing to rave about, but this girl, Emma Pollock, opened for them. I've never heard her before, but I thought that she was really good. You can hear some of her songs at her website.

4. Another aspect I enjoyed (or thought that was almost sort of strange) was that this time round, the crowd was an older one. The last two shows were made up of young high school kids... but this time it was quite the surprise to see that we were some of the younger people there. Weird.

But overall, it was a wonderfully fantastic show.

wait... be patient...

Maybe sometimes you just have to be patient. Wait for everything to just work itself out with time, experience, failures, triumphs, joys, and frustrations. What ever will be will be right? But with time added to that I guess. You can't force anything down the throats of those who don't want anything to do with what you're all about. When selfishness is met with newness and excitement... watch out! You as an outsider have no say in the situation at all. No matter how experienced in mind or deed you are on that very same issue, that person will not listen. Not until they get hurt. Not until they have had their fun and realize that the path they have chosen is not a glorious one. It is not holy... it is not righteous... it is not what they thought it would be.

If only we could stop people from going down a path that we know is not good. It is because of peoples pride and selfishness that they don't listen to us. It is so frustrating. And in the end, they aren't just hurting themselves, but they are hurting others around them. They are hurting the ones that they had originally intended to protect. So we, the originally intended, need to be patient in times like these. We need to show unending amounts of grace, love, support, and patience. No matter how hard it is, no matter how much we want to take the situation by the neck, no matter how much it hurts us on the other side, we have to extend the Lord's grace and patience. People will come around. With a lot of prayer and love and grace, healing can already begin in a situation that doesn't even know it needs healing yet.

adventures at opc

So I'm back from camp. What a four weeks it has been. Much has happened, much was learned. There were frustrations, there were joys. It's a little difficult to figure out where to start... so here are a few highlights of my time at camp.

Most memorable moment of our 4 day canoe trip to Lake Tomagami and Lake Obabaka:
- one of the LITs is a wonderful opera singer. and at one point we were paddling through a more narrow part of the river, so calm and peaceful, and this LIT began to sing opera as we paddled along. it was absolutely beautiful.

Most powerful moment in a FICS (faithfully improvising the Christian story) session:
- the combination of the song 'How Deep the Father's love for us' following Johnny Cash's video of 'Hurt' was an incredibly powerful . This was presented on Act 2: the fall. The Cash video is a powerful example of how broken and in need of Christ we all are. Feelings and knowledge of hope, forgiveness, and grace flooded the room.

Many other fun and exciting things happened during my time at camp. It was a wonderful time. Even though it was difficult at times, I wouldn't have traded this time for anything.

Peace.

camp tomorrow...

It's Saturday night. And I leave for camp tomorrow morning. I'm pretty excited. Can't wait to see old friends and make new ones. It's going to be a good break from working at the golf course. I was getting tired of doing meaningless work. Now I get to do the things I love! Working with youth... training them up to be leaders by empowering and challenging them.

It's going to be a hip happening good time.

So that's it. The Nyssa Dhillon update of July/August '07...

The end.

ugly fire in a beautiful community... let's help them out

Though this is already posted on Lewis' blog, I thought I would let people know as well. Last week the Simple Way community, a beautiful group of people in Philadelphia, were faced with a terrible seven-alarm fire of a neighbouring warehouse that destroyed surrounding homes, the Simple Way's community center, and more. If you want to learn more about the fire and what happened, click here.

It broke my heart when I watched this video. You see and hear of lots of devastating fires, but this one really hit me. These wonderful people have set up an intentional community and are doing great things for those around them and for the greater Kingdom, and now most of it is destroyed. But there is hope. They have big dreams and it's exciting to see how this community is going to being growing. If you want to donate and help these guys out in some way you can do so through Tony Campolo's site. They need to rebuild their homes and lives now, so if we can partner with and support them, let's do it!

Trinity and Community

In continuing in on a discussion and journey of figuring out community, tonight we will look at the Trinity in relation to the community, unity, and diversity of humanity. Tonight in Systematic Theology class we are talking about the doctrine of the Trinity. In our discussion time we moved onto discuss the Trinity in relation to community, so here are some points that we discussed.

Points to ponder:

- both unity and diversity are healthy and necessary when it comes to community. although many fight about their differences, and bring a great divide between each other, if handled rightly and lovingly, diversity is a beautiful thing. we see this through the Trinity. the three in one. all have their unique roles within the God-head, but all are in perfect unity with one another. our differences bring us together. our diversity creates a beautiful community.

- we as humans need to live in and act as a community for so many reasons. life would be boring and dull if we were all the same, or if we just hung out with people that are like us. men, women, young, old, black, white, business minds, and artists need to be in community with one another. when we are with those unlike ourselves, we are put into a place where we are not necessarily comfortable. but this is a good thing. it challenges us to live life in ways that are out of our comfort zone. it stretches us to do new things that we might have not understood before or were scared of. diversity is a good thing. it is a Godly thing.

- just as the Trinity is one, we too need to become one. we need to learn to understand and practice unity of the body.

- look at the Acts church. everyone shared everything. its not a what's mine is yours, whats yours is mine mentality, but it is a 'it's all God's and we get to share in that' mentality. it's not a greedy way of life, but is an others focused way of life. putting the Lord and others before ourselves at all times.

- if we look at the Trinity, God gave up his Son. there is a sacrifice that was made. we too need to make sacrifices in our lives for the sake of community.

What I realized through this class discussion time:

- people are scared to even talk about community and unity. they don't want to touch the issue because they don't want to face what they don't want to do.

- they are so fixed on living as individuals, and don't even want to discuss possible ways out of this way of life. they don't want to live in the way that God originally intended it to be.

- someone even said that they don't feel comfortable talking about the issue of community and unity because that means that some serious change needs to take place. they don't want to face it.

Right now I’m enjoying my Saturday evening by listening to some good music. Included in a long list of music I have been listening to this evening is U2. I probably haven’t listened to these guys in months. I used to list them first in my top favourite bands… and they still are my favourite… no one comes close. But I’ve been distracted these past few months with new music, new bands, new artists. These others are good, but they are truly no comparison to U2 in my opinion. When people have asked me in recent days about what kind of music I listen to, I don’t list U2 as my number one. I do mention them, but only after I have already mentioned the new and more relevant artists… trying to stay with the times. I don’t think that I am selling out by listening to these new bands (as some would say listening to U2 is selling out), but I’m not staying true to my ‘roots’. I’m missing out on something indescribable. Some might think I’m crazy, but when I listen to certain songs of theirs, it is as if I’m experiencing God… maybe I am. I forgot about my love for them by not listening to them, by not experiencing their music.

As I listen to where the streets have no name, I have made the connection between this and my relationship with God. When I am not actively experiencing the Lord through His Holy Spirit and when I am not actively pursuing Him, I begin to forget. I begin to forget about how incredible He is and His unfailing love and grace. When I am not fully focused on Him I begin to loose sight. I get distracted by the other exciting things happening around me. Not that these other things are bad in any way, but if I am not careful, they can become a distraction in the way of me seeing the Lord. When I am not fully focused on the Lord, I get disillusioned into thinking that He is not as great as He actually is. I begin to forget about His unfailing love and the incredible grace that He has poured out on us.

This forgetfulness can be reversed though. Through spending time with Him… through experiencing His presence we can be brought back to a place where we can be in true active communion with Him once again. We can continually be mindful of His presence and power. Just like how I was reminded of the greatness of U2 through experiencing their music once again, I have been reminded of God’s greatness and love through spending time with Him. Through experiencing His presence, I am excited about serving Him and living for Him once again. It might be a stretch to connect my love for U2 with my relationship with God, but these are simply my thoughts of the evening.

early morning ramblings

It's 6:03am, and I can't sleep. I've been awake since 4:45ish. I hate being sick. Im tired and just want to rest, but I can't. Though I'm tired, can't sleep, and can't breathe through my nose, it has been nice to watch the sun rise and hear the birds sing early this morning.

In addition to not being able to sleep due to my sickness, there are also a number of things on my mind right now which are not allowing me to be well rested.

1. I'm thinking that as of this coming Monday morning at this time, I will be at work already... yikes. I'm sort of nervous to start the new job. Its a little nerve wracking meeting new people who I will be spending the majority of my summer with.

2. In only about 3 hours from now, I have to tell the new RA team a 'nugget of wisdom'. What the heck am I supposed to say? 'It's a great experience that you should embrace and be thankful to be a part of'', when what I really want to tell them is 'run while you still can'? Am I supposed to tell them the truth, or just let them figure it out on their own? I guess only time will tell.

Well these have been my early morning thoughts for Thursday, April 26th. I'm going to try to sleep again now... even though the geese have now arrived for the day and have made their presence known loud and clear...

what's our purpose? are we living it?

Once again social justice is on my mind. Well actually, I don't think that it ever left my mind. I recently got the latest issue of Geez magazine in the mail, and it is full of articles surrounding the fact that we as humans need to work some major issues out. We are selfish and prideful individuals who have a hard time of thinking of others. We need to step out and follow the calling of our Lord to love and feed and clothe the poor and needy.

We need to get up off of our lazy North American asses. Stop consuming and start giving. Stop living only for ourselves, and start living for others and for the Lord. I have realized that we always talk about about doing good things for others. We have great ideas and great things to say about the issue. We talk about the change that needs to take place. We challenge others to step out in faith and serve others for the glory of the Lord. What we're really doing is making ourselves feel better by talking about, but not doing anything about these things we are talking about. We are all talk and no action. What the crap is up with that? We claim to be Christ's followers living to make a difference. Are we really? I think we're just messing the whole system up more than it already is.

Take politics for example. So many Christians are fighting against the gay rights movement and trying to stop gays from being able to marry one another. To top it off, the way in which we are doing it is in a hateful way. Satan is probably having a field day with this. Christians distracted by such issues which are fairly unimportant. I'm in no way for it, but I'm just saying that there are bigger issues in the world. Like starving people who have no where to live who are being treated completely unfairly. Environmental issues are a big one too. God called us to take care of this world, but all we're doing is fucking it up and watching it die as we help it die. These are bigger issues. Taking care of people who have no one to fight for them. We are being distracted by issues that are so minor in comparison to the real issues. We need to set our eyes on the truly important issues in this world once again.

Stop telling people that we hate them (or acting as if we hate them), and let's start showing the love of Christ to them. Even though we talk about doing this, we fear it. We don't want to be vulnerable like that. But this is what Christ called us to do. What he has asked us to do it something so small in comparison to what He went through for us.

On things that are great

So today Chris was telling me that my blogs were too long and that he didn't want to read something so long. So Chris, here is one specially for you... just cause I love you... and because you told me to.

Things that are great:

1. Chris Clements -> reason: because he apparently has "fresh and tasty breath" (not my words folks... his). This is not the only quality of his that makes him great though... there are many other reasons.

2. Almost being done school for the semester -> Only one more take home exam and I can pretty much write on what ever the heck I want.

3. Community -> a great thing to live in. Soon I'll be moving from the Tyndale community to the 11 Ruddington community. It will be a change, but looking forward to it!

4. Friends -> hung out at Christie's bridal shower tonight and there were lots of wonderful people there that I love.

5. My dorm -> they are beautiful and fun girls with lots of love for each other and the Lord. They put on a surprise dorm event bridal shower for me and Beth Gelyk. It was lots of fun and I was not expecting it at all because I was planning dorm event... and it wasn't supposed to be that.

6. Making fun of Ashley Saunders -> only because I love her. It's a very fun past time though...

7. Great music -> no particular reason... just like music.

This has been a random list of things that are great created because Chris told me to. I hope it wasn't too long for you to read Chris.

Peace.

ideas about social justice...

Today has been a jam-packed day of learning, work, being in community, and so much more. It all began with the alarm sounding at 5am this morning. After being disoriented and attempting to wake up at such a god-awful time, we began our journey to the Epiphaneia conference. Dan Young and myself were working for the admissions office at the conference, but we had the privilege of being able to sit in on most of the sessions. It was so much information to take in and process about social justice.

Shane Claiborne began his morning talk with a quote from Mother Teresa. It goes something like (or not exactly like) this:

It is fashionable to talk about helping the poor,
but it is not fashionable to talk to the poor.

In reflecting back on what I learned today, what I was reminded of, and what I was challenged by, this quote encompasses the essence of my feelings and fears and challenges. So many times we talk about social justice issues, and we feel good about ourselves for taking the time out to think about and ponder such ideas, but what do we do after those talks? We walk away stunned and confused as to how we are to incorporate such radical, yet necessary steps in our own lives. Questions arise in my mind such as: how extreme do we have to go? what does true Christianity look like? in what ways is the Lord calling us to use our gifts in social justice? are we truly being challenged and are we making real sacrifices for others? These questions and so many more arise when we talk about social justice. And they are questions that I am asking myself after coming out of such a conference.

These are questions to think about over a long period of time and to struggle over together. Once again, the Lord is teaching me more and more about community. We can't (and are not supposed to) figure this out and process it all on our own. It's about being in community and journeying together on this path called life.

There are so many other issues that came up today that I (and others) need to process. I can't write about it all now, or this would turn into a book. But as we struggle through these and other related issues in our own minds and hearts, don't forget to struggle through them together with others. In all likelihood others are asking the same questions as you, and it might be nice to bounce ideas off each other and to simply be in community as we figure this community thing out together. That is one thing I was reminded of today: that social justice in all it encompasses is about community in some form or another.

I will leave you on this last note. Think about and struggle together to better define and learn how to truly practice this verse: "to love your neighbour as yourself".

Fox Confessor Brings the Flood

I've never written a blog on an album, nor have I ever written a review on an album before, but today is the day of new beginnings.

Today I went shopping, and probably spent too much money, but in my frivolous spending I bought a new CD: Fox Confessor Brings the Flood by Neko Case. It's a beautiful and wonderful piece of art work in so many regards. From the album art, to the lyrics, to Case's strong and powerful, yet sweet voice, to the music itself, it is an admirable album of Case's. Unlike the super-pop sound of The New Pornographers, which is where I first heard of Case, her solo material is folky, country and musically and lyrically creative. It's something a little bit different to spice up the CD rack.

Each song is beautifully written and stunningly preformed. From what my ears have heard, there is not a weak track on the whole album. I originally bought the album because of the third track Hold On, Hold On, but quickly discovered that the whole CD is filled with great songs that I could listen to over and over again. Some notable tracks include the title track Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, John Saw that Number, and Maybe Sparrow. You can go to her website nekocase.com to listen to some of the tracks on her albums. I would say that it is worth the listen.

So that's my album review. Done and done.

Creativity

Creativity. It comes in all different shapes and sizes and colours. That is why it is creative.

God is the ultimate artist. Not only did he create the whole universe and the never ending details of the world, but He created you and me. He has a sense of humour in that artistic ability of His. You look around and see the eccentric individuals in the world and we say that they are so creative, but it was the Lord that created those crazy people! He was the one who originally came up with the idea. In thinking this, we are a reflection of God's creativity.

We need to be creative with our lives. We need to learn to live our lives the way the Lord created us to. We each have so many beautiful differences and quirks that we need to learn to embrace and share with others. And when we do this we need to do it for the love of the thing itself: whatever it might be. Music, art, photography, crafts, sewing, writing, the way we dress, the way we act, these are all ways of expressing who we are, and ultimately expressing who the Lord is. We are created in His image, so lets show the rest of the world what the Lord has done. We need to create and live for the sake of the 'art' itself. Not for the recognition, nor for the money or the prizes, or for any other reason. Just for the 'art' itself. I don't know if that is possible in our sinful nature, but its a good goal. Do things for the betterment of humanity, community and for the glory of God. Do it just because you want to. Don’t get boxed in by what society tells us to do. W are creative beings, so in whatever way you choose, show off that creativity and others might be inspired by you to do the same in their own unique way.

I think and write about these things due to some recent conversations had at Tyndale and due to the Burning Man Festival documentary that Chris told me about. But it was inspiring to see people live their lives doing things that they truly love to do. There is no holding them back. This can be applied to so many areas of our lives. Whatever it is you love to do, do it. Don’t be so stuck up and forget about doing the things you love to do. I know that so many times I get so busy with work and school and meetings, that I forget to do the things that I love to do. I believe that it is for the betterment of the individual, community, and brings glory to the Lord when we do the things that we love.

Two of my favorites...

Here are two of my favorite photos that I took in Bukoba, Tanzania this past summer. I miss being there.

Moving on...

So it hadn't hit me until last night at our little RA gathering to discuss next years RA team, that I am going to really miss being on Student Leadership. It has been part of who I am for the past three years. Its has shaped who I am and how I lead and how I live my life. I have been so wrapped up with moving out into an appartment, getting married, leaving residence for good, eating my own food, and simply moving on, but I have forgotten how much I think I might miss doing all of this. Mind you, I am done, with not a lot more to give, but it still is sad talking about next year when I know I won't be a part of it. Being on Student Leadership has transformed and shaped who I am. I have loved and respected the so many people who have poured into my life so that I can pour out onto others. I may not have turned out to be the same person if it hadn't been for being a part of this team for three years.
Even though I am excited to move on with the new opportunities life has ahead of me, I still am sad to leave such an incredible program and team. Lord bless those people who have poured all that they had into me so that I could grow and pour out onto others.

Thoughts on community...

“Then the LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.’” In the beginning God created us to be in community. He did not created us to be alone, but He created us to be in community with each other and with Him.

It might seem like a simple thing, but I think that so many of us forget this truth: that we are made for community. Especially here in the West, we live in such an individualistic society. We are selfish and self centered, thinking only of ourselves and what is good for ‘me’.

They might not admit it, but even in the church today, many have strayed away from the idea of community as a lifestyle. There are countless conferences, churches, books and people within the church screaming out to us that its just all about me and Jesus. It’s just about your personal relationship with Him and nothing else. That pisses me off. Its not! It’s about so much more than that. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that we don’t need a personal relationship with the Lord, because we do. All I’m saying is that it is about so much more that simply that. When Christ was talking with His disciples before He ascended into heaven, He told them to ‘go out’. Don’t keep what you know to yourselves, but share that with everyone you meet. We’ve got a mission, and keeping Christ for ourselves is not a part of that.

Something I was thinking about last night was how, because we are created to be in community, we need to live like it. Instead of struggling alone, how about struggling and working through things together. Instead of getting answers from God for yourself, how about sharing those answers with others. What about being more accountable to each other. We all struggle through the same things, so why don’t we work through those situations together. Life would be so much better. I think that the church specifically, has scared many Christians away from doing this. ‘It’s just all about me and Jesus’… Frig… its all about me, Jesus, and everyone else in the world. You can’t forget that. The church for years has told us that we can’t rely on others in terms of growth for your own personal relationship with the Lord. Not true. I realize that we are all human and we fail and will never be able to provide all the answers, but I do think that we are able to work together, along with God, to figure this life thing out.

It’s such a lonely idea… going through life alone. I know they say that if you have a great relationship with the Lord you won’t be lonely. But He knew from the very beginning that it wasn’t a good idea to be alone. I don’t think that it just relates to man and woman in a marital relationship. But I think it is much greater than that. There are so many people out there that the Lord has surrounded us with, each with their strengths, weaknesses, experiences and more. Take advantage of these other people. Work through life together. It gets lonely figuring it out by yourself. And you won’t figure it out by yourself. We need Christ, we need others. That’s the way God made us, don’t fight it.

It's a new year...

The new semester has begun. Mostly good classes. And I feel that I have more motivation for this new year in terms of school, work, RAing, and life in general. I now have a renewed vision and focus of where, potentially, my life is heading. There are a number of changes are taking place this new year. 1) A switch of majors and a potential add of a minor. 2) The planning of a wedding. (this one is already wearing me out... but is still fun!). 3) My last semester in residence! Praise the Lord! But lets make it a good one. 4) Additional other new random tasks: appartment hunting...
In addition to these many new changes that are a part of my life this new semester and year, I have been so bold to give my self those so called 'new years resolutions'. Yikes! Never done that before cause I knew I wouldn't accomplish them. So we'll see what happens this year...
Overall, I've had a good start to 2007. I have a renewed sense of purpose for my life, I have goals that I am trying to reach, exciting things to plan for, and more new changes just around the corner. Also, 2007 has begun with an overwhelming knowledge and feeling of the presence of the Lord surrounding and guiding myself and others. Uncovered this weekend was quite the reminder of this. The Lord made a guest appearance that evening and decided to work in a number of hearts that were in attendance. So we wait in expectation for what He will do next and how we will respond to His calling. Let's stop sitting around in our theology classes and church pews, and begin to walk and run with the incredible knowledge and passion that He has given us to work along side of Him... to be His vessels where ever He leads us. A startling thought I know, but a thrilling and exciting adventure it will be. Let's band together with the Lord on our side to life up to our calling and follow Him with all that we've got.
It's a new year. So let's do new things, partake in new adventures and live in a new way. Let's do this together, as a community, with the Lord as our motivation and guide.