The product description exclaims,

“Nothing radiates the endless love of Jesus like the shimmering light of nearly a half carat of full cut diamonds – perfectly set in solid 18k gold. Worn close to your heart, our uniquely elegant Pavè Tear boldly expresses your love and faith.”
Regular Price: $999.95
Special Offer: $849.95

What?! How does spending 850 bucks on a shiny necklace boldy express your faith? How does a diamond encrusted drop of gold radiate the endless love of Jesus more than anything else?

If we want to radiate Christ’s endless love let’s put away our selfish vain greed and actively love people.

How about using that money to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the sick, visit those in prison, and minister to widows and orphans?

James 2:14-17

Matthew 25:34-40

I know it’s just marketing, advertising, a way to sell stuff. But I’m tired of it. I’m tired of people thinking Christianity and unbridled consumerism somehow go hand in hand. Our culture sells us a lie, and the church continues to buy it… on credit. How much is the interest going to cost? How soon till we’re spiritually bankrupt?

Music Video: Shawn McDonald - Greed

Reading notes on:
Devotional Classics / Preparing for the Spiritual Life / Page 19

The third selection includes excerpts from Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758).

I enjoyed this selection so very much. I wish I could quote all of the excerpts chosen by the editors. I intend to read the rest of Religious Affections. Thankfully it’s available as a free download at CCEL.org. Edwards addresses more deeply the thoughts I shared earlier about casual Christianity.

“The kind of religion that God requires, and will accept, does not consist in weak, dull, and lifeless ‘wouldings’–those weak inclinations that lack convictions–that raise us but a little above indifference. God, in his word, greatly insists that we be in good earnest, fervent in spirit, and that our hearts be engaged vigorously in our religion: ‘Be fervent in spirit, serving the Lord’ (Rom. 12:11)” (19)

“If we are not earnest in our religion, and if our wills and inclinations are not strongly exercised, we are nothing. The importance of religion is so great that no halfhearted exercise will suffice. In nothing is the state of our heart so crucial as in religion, and in nothing is lukewarmness so odious.” (19, 20)

Edwards goes on to say in contrast that, “True religion is a powerful thing.”

Patti commented earlier this morning about the last paragraph of section two. Here it is:

“When we receive the Spirit of God, we receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost who is like “fire, ” and along with it the sanctifying and saving influences of God. When this happens, when grace is at work within us, it sometimes “burns” within us, as it was for Jesus’ disciples (Luke 24:32)” (20)

Edwards continues to discuss his ideas of true religion. He wrote, “A person who has a knowledge of doctrine and theology only–without religious affections–has never engaged in true religion.” (21)

What are these religious affections that “true religion” requires? Edwards writes of nine.

1. Holy Fear - “The fear of God is a great part of godliness.” (21)
2. Hope in God
3. Love
4. Holy Desire - “This holy thirst is spoken of as a condition of participation in the blessings of eternal life.” (22)
5. Joy
6. Religious Sorrow - A contrite heart. Psalm 51:17
7. Gratitude
8. Compassion
9. Zeal

Bible Selection: Deuteronomy 10:12-22

Suggested Exercise: “Use the list of nine holy affections, focusing on one in which you would like to see growth in your life. Notice that each affection is based on a scriptural foundation. Do a personal Bible Study on that particular affection, paying attention to the theology and doctrine that undergirds it.” (24)

Note: If you want to do the suggested exercise I quoted, let me know which affection you’re studying and I’ll send you that part of the reading.

Reading notes on:
Devotional Classics / Preparing for the Spiritual Life / Page 13

The second selection includes excerpts from The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives by Dallas Willard.

Willard’s views of discipleship and the lack thereof caught my attention yesterday. He wrote,

“Most problems in contemporary churches can be explained by the fact that members have not yet decided to follow Christ.

Little good results from insisting that Christ is also supposed to be Lord: to present his lordship as an option leaves it squarely in the category of the white-wall tires and stereo equipment for the new car. You can do without it. And it is–alas!–far from clear what you would do with it. Obedience and training in obedience form no intelligible doctrinal or practical unity with the salvation presented in recent versions of the gospel.”(14)

Willard explains the Great Commission and says the church has changed it. We’ve stopped making disciples [students of Christ] and teaching people to obey Christ… now we “Make converts and baptize them into church membership.” (14)

Willard says that “The disciple of Christ desires above all else to be like him… And if we intend to become like Christ, that will be obvious to every thoughtful person around us, as well as to ourselves.” (15, 16)

The selection concludes with an explanation of the cost of nondiscipleship.

“Nondiscipleship costs abiding peace, a life penetrated throughout by love, faith that sees everything in the light of God’s overriding governance for good, hopefulness that stands firm in the most discouraging of circumstances, power to do what is right and withstand the forces of evil. In short, it costs exactly that abundance of life Jesus said he came to bring.” (16)

I want to be like Christ. I want to be a student of his. I’m so very tired of casual Christianity. I want an abundant life full of love, faith, hope, and power. More and more, our culture values authenticity. People are turned off by nondisciples who call themselves Christians. They have no desire to become like them– people playing church but lacking true faith, love, hope and power. Why play church as if it were a social game or a get out of jail free card when Jesus has offered us the amazing opportunity to become his students? Why merely pretend to know the great teacher when He has invited you to follow him daily, hear his words, share meals, rub shoulders and take part in what he’s doing?

Bible Selection: Matthew 28:16-20

Reflection Question: “What would change about your life if you were to focus all your energies on becoming like Christ?”

I’ve blogged a lot more lately. Especially today. I’m not sure what reminded me of GentleWhisper.com… or what caused me to neglect it for so long. I think I was hurting… and I just didn’t want to talk about it. I know that sounds a bit silly since I used to write about little else.

Either way, things are getting a bit better. God has been showing himself so trustworthy… so personally involved in my life.

[I no longer capitalize personal pronouns referring to deity… it’s a grammatical decision please don’t be offended by it… I still love Jesus, believe in the Trinity and all that jazz.]

–

I’ve had a lot on my mind lately. There are a lot of theological questions floating around up there. It’s a danger that comes with being a seminarian… Yesterday I contemplated Calvinism, Eternal Security, Initial physical evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, two views of sanctification, Lordship Salvation, the inerrancy and canonization of scripture, the cost of truly following Christ… several military chaplaincy issues, some parenting concerns, marriage, the role of women in ministry, homiletics, Unitarian and Universalism heresies, humanism, neo-paganism … and what heavyweight punching bag I should purchase… that was all between dropping Sarah off at preschool and picking her up two and a half hours later.

–

I’ve been looking through my blue Sing His Praise Hymnal. I bought it at a used bookstore once because I wanted to look up a hymn I had read one day at church while not actually paying attention to the service. We sing a few hymns at Central but we very rarely use the hymnals. They just put the words on the screen.

I don’t actually know how to read a hymnal… I can look at the music and have absolutely NO IDEA how the song sounds. Rachel told me she can hook me up, that she’s grown up singing hymns and knows how they all sound… I highly doubt she knows the ones I was reading in the Assemblies of God hymnal. I was in the Pentecostal section of the book. I kind of doubt Independent Fundamental Baptists sing these hymns often. Actually after reading the lyrics, it seems a lot of the older Pentecostal hymns are preaching sanctification as the Church of God (Cleveland, TN) understands it, not as the Assemblies of God does. I wonder if anyone notices such doctrinal differences when they’re picking songs for the Sunday night service? I wonder if anyone AT ALL cares about this paragraph of my post.

Rachel just called and saved you all from more random, random rambling. Until next time…

Reading notes on:
Devotional Classics / Preparing for the Spiritual Life / Page 7

The first selection comes from Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis.

My favorite quote from this selection:

“When He said, “Be perfect,” He meant it. He meant that we must go in for the full treatment. It is hard; but the sort of compromise we are all hankering after is harder–in fact it is impossible. It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.” - pg 9.

I love this. We can’t just be a “good egg.” We have to fully surrender to Christ and give Him everything. Earlier in the reading, Lewis explains why anything less just doesn’t work.

The Scripture for this selection: Luke 14:25-33.

A Reflection Question:

“In Luke 14:25-33, Jesus encourages those who would follow him to “count the cost” of being one of his disciples. What has being a Christian cost you?” - pg 11.

Hello friends,

I’m preparing to write a paper on Unitarian Universalism. If you walk too closely to me in the library, sit by me in a hospital waiting room, or talk too long on the phone you’re destined to hear about this religious group.

Feel free to add your insight and suggested resources in the comments section. ESPECIALLY if you’re an Unitarian Universalism chaplain or minister. I’d like to add a section in the paper about how to provide religious support for UUs… I’d also like to know what UU Army Chaplains think about wearing the cross on their uniform.

P.S. Pestered friends, if you’re terribly tired of hearing about UUs… hold on. Next week I’m going to talk of nothing but Church history. [Which conveniently has a lot to do with this paper too…]

I have a pile of books I can’t wait to dive into this summer. They’re not exactly ‘light’ reading… but they cover counseling and theological topics that I can’t fit into my seminary schedule.

Here’s the list.

I’ll post a photo of my pile when Amazon ships the two I just ordered.

P.S. Fellow seminarians, I know I’m not the only geek.  Let’s see a list of your summer reading.  Chris, I know you’ve got a pile of book twice as high as mine.