Christian Believer: Week One {Believing}

I've mentioned that Peyton is leading a study on Wednesday nights at church.  It's really interesting and pretty deep stuff.  Peyton is always really interested in doctrine and theology and stuff, so it's right up his alley.  He says his job is to "facilitate" not teach, though, and really we spent most of the first class discussing the key concepts of our readings this week. I think I may share a little overview of what I've read and what we discuss each week here on the blog.  These posts may be long and rambley and I know to some, super boring.  So feel free to skip if it's not your cup of tea!

First of all, I have to say I really like this study and the way it's making me dig.  I have read one of those "read the Bible in one year" Bibles over and over for several years now and I really needed something different.  In this study, there is a daily scripture reading and also an additional reading from one or more theologians/early Christian thinkers/Christian philosophers/ect. I like that the readings are relatively short and all fit around a certain theme for the week.  I *know* every verse of the Bible is important, but when I was doing my former Bible study, I would get so bogged down in Jewish purity laws and such and it just became wearisome.  Honestly, I hate that I waited so long to try something else! 

This week's topic was "Believing".  During our meeting we had so much interesting discussion and I wanted to breifly share:

We started out in Genesis and Exodus, talking about the faith of Abraham and Moses and their (eventual in the case of Moses) faith and willingness to follow God.We discussed the creeds we say at church, such as the Apostle's Creed and how they are "built strongly out of Scripture". I mentioned this quote that I happened to run across just today by Spurgeon- "If your creed and Scripture do not agree, cut your creed to pieces, but make it agree with this book". I think that's so important!

Then we came to one of the harder readings- an excerpt written by Thomas Aquanis.  Peyton said he really didn't get much out of it and kind of struggled to understand it.  Strangely, it happened to be my favorite reading!  That's unusual, because typically with theological stuff, Peyton is *way* smarter than me.  Anyway, the article talked about how when we are faced with a contradiction, we respond in different ways. Sometimes, there is a lack of evidence or equal evidence on both sides and in this case we find ourselves in a state of doubt.  Sometimes, we are more inclined to one side, but the evidence is not sufficient enough to make a clear cut proclamation, so in these times, our understanding is a state of opinion.  Other times, we are convinced one view is unequivocally right, because it conforms to "fundamental axioms", and in this case, we call it a state of knowledge.  Now, up until this point I believe this article could be talking about anything.  For me, I thought of it as it applied to the hot button parenting issues I've recently discussed on my blog.  I thought about Peyton and how it might relate to drug trials or something.  But then Aquanis makes it all about faith.  He says "Sometimes the understanding does not incline one way or the other, because neither view is obviously in conformity with fundamental axioms.  But the will chooses to assent to one view, definitively and positively, through some influences which can move the will, but not the intellect.  This influence is such that the will regards it as good and right to assent to one view.  This is the state of belief.  In particular we are moved to believe in certain  sayings when it seems that eternal life depends on belief."  I was just fascinated by this.  For some reason, I just love it when things are logical and this seemed very logical to me.  I really enjoy a three point sermon and I always do better with bullets than with paragraphs when learning.  I guess I'm more "left brain" than I thought I was!

Peyton's favorite reading ended up being one by John Wesley that was more about a subjective, even emotional faith experience.  Wesley contends that a personal faith and a live well lived for Christ are "the strongest evidence of the truth of Christiantity" and ends by saying "Do you suppose time will ever dry up this stream? Oh no! It shall never be cut off!".  Peyton said he really liked that line because, although traditional Armenean thought does not hold to the tenet of "perseverance of the saints" or in layman's terms "once saved, always saved", Wesley seems to make the case that, by in large, once we experience such  fullness of life in Christ, we would never want to turn away.

I thought it was super ironic that this was his favorite, because Peyton is typically the more logical one who has a hard time with emotional spirituality and personal experiences and enjoys the "thinking" part of his faith way more than I do.  I thought he would love the excerpt that I did and I, the more "God gave me this feeling about something"/"maybe this experience is symbolic"/"I love an object lesson more than a lecture" girl would like Wesley's better.  It was interesting to reverse roles a bit!

We also talked about the passage in Acts where Paul is speaking about an idol made to an "unknown god" and tries to explain that the unknown god is the one true God of Christianity.  We discussed talking to people of different faiths and even talked about the idols of our current culture, such as materialism.  We even delved into some parenting discussion on that one!

We hit on a couple of other big issues, including evolution and whether belief in the divinity Christ is a prerequisite for eternal live with Him. There was some discussion in our group, but I stated how important I feel the latter proclamation is- essential even- for one's salvation.  I'm not sure how either of those came up!  I also shared one of my favorite quotes- "In essential, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity".  It comes from St. Augustine, but was much loved by John Wesley.  I love it and it makes so much sense to me.  I think the truly exciting part of this study focusing on orthodox (little o) Christian doctrine is that it helps us understand exactly what the essentials are!

We wrapped it up with personal prayer and we also read a prayer by Augustine of Hippo.  One line stuck out to me particularly- "Do not let my weariness lessen my desire to find you, to see your face".  What a wonderful prayer for a mom of two young kiddos.  I want to write that in bold letters across my bathroom mirror and truly beseech the Lord to not allow my tired state on many days to turn into a cycle of apathy.

I am so thankful for this study and for Peyton's desire to bring it to our church.  I know it's growing me in countless ways.  There are other things working within me, pricking my conscious and convicting me, and together with this series, I can honestly say I haven't been in this good of a place with my faith in a long, long time!  I'm so excited for what is in store for the next twenty nine weeks of this study!

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On My Bookshelf

I though it would be fun to share with y'all some of what I've read lately, am reading, and am intending to  read in the near future.  I've always been a fan of reading multiple books at once, so I typically choose one book on faith, one book on parenting or marriage, and one other additional book.  Lately, I have been SO behind on reading (and everything else in life!).  I really want to make it a priority, because not only is it enjoyable, I know it is personally edifying for me and my family, and in the case of faith based books, probably helps me better serve others I come in contact with.

Recent Reads
Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal and Delight in Our Busy Lives by Wayne Muller
I started reading this book awhile back as it was a Bloom Book Club pick.  As the title implies, it's all about slowing down and learning to rest and enjoy the peace of God. It was good, but I never finished it. I kind of want to go back and reread it with Peyton, even though, I admit at times it did get repetitive.  It also caused some controversy on the Bloom site because the author quotes teachers of other religions and shares practices of different religions.  It's really not a book that has huge theological implications, though, so it didn't bother me.  I feel like we can learn from others in the way they practice their spirituality without compromising our faith at all. I give it 2.5 (out of four) stars.

Twelve Extradoniary Women: How God Shaped the Women of the Bible and What He Wants to Do With You by John McArthur
I did this study on Wednesday night as part of a women's group. I was kind of nervous about the study because John McArthur and I have some fundamental differences of opinion on a few issues ;)  I actually ended up loving it, but I never finished the last two chapters because we were finishing up right as I had Graves.  Anyway, it was a really good book because it a true character study of some really neat women in the Bible.  One thing I liked, and the title sort of makes it seem like this is not the case, but the author doesn't really spend too much time focusing on the practical applications.  He kind of leaves that for you to figure out.  I like that because so often I see authors kind of take liberties with the text of the Bible and really spend so much time making applications without spending time fully exploring and explaining it first.  In this book, you see a lot of the history and the background of these women's lives and that's really neat.  I came away learning a lot of things about the Bible that I never knew before! I give it four stars.

Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan
We read this a while back at church.  It was great for several reasons.  First of all, it's really challenging.  It forces you to really think about how you use your time and your money and if you are truly "sold out" for Christ.  I'm not at all saying we are perfect as far as our giving, but I was personally more convicted about how I use my time than how we use our money. The book gives several examples of "lukewarm" people (whom the author contends are not in fact legitimately Christians).  I went through and marked the ones I feel like Peyton and I struggle the most with and it was very convicting. One thing it really showed me was how big our God truly is and how sometimes I view Him as so small.   Another great thing about the study was that Peyton and I were part of a group that met on Sunday nights and was a larger cross section of our church than what we are accustomed to fellowship with (i.e. our mostly thirty somethings Sunday School class of young married couples with and without kids). It was so neat because we got really close and were able to be surprisingly vulnerable with a relatively large and pretty diverse group of people.  That was really an awesome experience for me!  I would say it's a three star.

Current Reads
Modern Parables: Living in the Kingdom of God by Thomas Purifoy
We've been doing this study on Sunday nights at church and I can't lie, it can be a little dry.  The basic premise of the study is that you watch a dramatic rendition of one of the parables Jesus taught set in the modern day United States.  For example, in the parable of the good Samaritan, a man is mugged in a urban setting and a pastor and youth minister ignore him, while an Arabic man steps up to help.  Sometimes the videos seem a little contrived and to be honest, I feel like at times they take a lot of creative license and make assumptions that sway a little too much from the Biblical text for my comfort.  To be fair, the reading that accompanies the video is usually pretty informative and, unlike Crazy Love, it's really more of a true "Bible Study", in that it explores the Scripture and what it means. I give it two stars.

Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God by David Platt
Peyton and I started this book and I really like it.  It's a lot like Crazy Love, but actually maybe a bit more intense.  I feel like David Platt uses Scripture more and like the book has a stronger theological component.  Peyton read Radical and he wanted to tackle this one together.  [Radical is basically about an individual faith walk; Radical Together has more applications for the collective church.]  So far, it's been stirring.  We've both really come to see how much of what goes on around us is a "cultural Christianity", especially living in the South.  We love our church so much, but there is SO much we could do better in.  I'm so thankful that we have found a Sunday School class and been able to see it grow.  There are so many people in our class that are truly on fire and want to make a difference for the Lord.  If it weren't for our class (which, a couple of years ago was us and two other people), I don't know if we'd still be at our church.  This book has me really thinking about how we can be more missional.  In the next few weeks and months, I'm really going to involve myself in serving others more.  I'll share more about that in a separate post later, but a lot of exciting things are hopefully about to happen! I love this book and what it does to me- four stars!

Christian Believer  by J. Ellsworth Kalas
This is the new study Peyton is leading on Wednesday nights at church and I'm really excited (and a little nervous0 about it.  It's a big time commitment and it's a pretty intensive study.  It's not intense in the Crazy Love/Radical sense, but more in that I think it will require a lot out of me mentally.  The study will encompass two and a half hours on Wednesday nights and a commitment to about forty five minutes of reading daily.  In addition, this is not light stuff.  The whole book is about doctrine, basically, and what our fundamental beliefs are.  I can't really rate it because I haven't really dug in yet!

Prospective Reads
What Women Fear: Walking in Faith That Transforms by Angie Smith
I ADORE Angie, her blog, her first book.....everything about her.  In this book, she discusses something that I'm very well acquainted with- a very real anxiety and the emotions that come with it and also the way she has allowed Jesus to redeem this issue. I remember her tweeting and asking her followers what their greatest fear was.  Without hesitation, I replied- "My greatest fear is having to live out the pages of your first book in my own life". The fear of loosing someone close to me is all encompassing at times and I know this will be a powerful resource for me.  I can't wait!

1000 Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp
Y'all know this- Ann Voskamp's is another blog I love.  I love her writing style and I can't wait to start this book.  The idea behind it- learning to live joyfully amidst sin and sorrow and suffering- is a simple one, but a profound one.  And one I need to put into practice more in my own life. 


In the next couple of weeks, I'm going to share some of my "family" reads and my "for fun" reads. As a side note, I've got so many children's books I'd like to share, I may have to get serious about resurrecting the old Won't You Read to Me? Wednesday!  But again, so many blog posts, so little time!

TBTB [TorchBearer TidBits]

A few tidbits for the month of January:

- We will be studying the Holy Spirit in Sunday School. Via Cat, "The UMC believes in the Holy Spirit. http://www.umc.org/site/c.lwL4KnN1LtH/b.2311269/".

- A few people to be praying for:

· Jeff Dunagin’s grandfather, ML Dunagin, continues to remain weak, and hospitalized. If the oncologist deems him unable to continue chemo, he may go home on hospice.

· Tara Howington’s dad, Joe Whatley, had an accident before Christmas where he cut off part of his thumb, it was re-attached, but an infection resulted and he spent a week after Christmas in the hospital fighting the infection.

· Karissa & Buzz’s girls are fighting flu & fever.

- Komen Central Mississippi Race for the Cure on April 16, 2011, Downtown Jackson Mississippi All funds from the Komen Race for the Cure go to research, education, screening and treatment programs. I think some of the girls are thinking about doing a group (?)

- The Crazy Love study led by the Deckards starts this Sunday (January 9th) Sunday nights 5-7. I'm super excited!

- Finally, the chili cookoff is this Wednesday.

We won second place last year and are hoping to beat our record. We need one more person to make some of famous "Coke Chili". Ashleigh will send you the recipe! Also, we need volunteers for bringing a cake, cornbread, or to help decorate!

I think that gets us caught up! Hope everyone is having a lovely 2011!