The Muzzled Muser

So, I’m reading through 1 Samuel and came across a familiar story with a few twists that really hit me. Right after Samuel anointed David, we are told that “an evil spirit from the Lord tormented” Saul (16:14 NET). Wait. An evil spirit sent from God? Yes, God sent an evil spirit to torment Saul. Did you hear that? Believe it or not, God can do that if he wants. I never heard that in Sunday School. Even if “harmful” is a better meaning (ESV), the gist is the same, God sent something harmful for Saul.

Ok, after that kind of bugged me out, I moved on to another interesting issue. Music. This is what I wanted to comment on for this post. What was it that comforted Saul? It was music. Specifically it was the lyre, which is a type of harp. Isn’t it crazy that only music soothed Saul in torment. Not only that, but Saul wanted “a man who plays well” (16:17). So it’s not just music, but good music. This got me thinking about the place of music in my own life. Gosh, I can’t do anything without music. Even as I type this, I have to have music playing. I drive to work with music. I work with music playing. I get put on hold to listen to music. I drive home to music. I walk my dog with my ipod. I workout with my ipod. I chill with my wife while music is playing. It’s all day, people! Music is so important to me. That’s why I have 80 gigs of music on my Mac. I’m sure you have even more. Music is therapy. Don’t deny it. Embrace it. I don’t even care if it’s secular. Musica es bueno. 

P.S. I grew up believing that certain music was wrong because it “appealed to the flesh.” It couldn’t have a beat, because that was “fleshly.” It’s amazing how we pick and choose what is “fleshly.” Then it dawned on me that everything appeals to the flesh. You eat what you want to eat because it appeals to the flesh. You wear what you wear because you think it looks good in your culture. FLESH! You drive the car you do because it appeals to the flesh. Any comfort you enjoy is “fleshly.” I feel like I’m taking crazy pills?! Don’t even get me started on “worldly.” My rant is this: Don’t tell me my music appeals to my “flesh” when you ask for extra mayo on your fatty burger.

So, as I’ve stated in a previous post that I wanted this summer to be different, more spiritually stimulating. I continued my quest as I decided to read Forgotten God. It’s not a theology of the Holy Spirit, but a challenge to embrace the Spirit. And a challenge it was, at least for me. I was super excited when I finished this book today. I have felt for a long time that I don’t “walk” by the Spirit. I don’t even really know what that means. Chan didn’t answer it, but he did slap me across the face with his rhetoric.

He makes an interesting observation that I never realized before. John 16:7 startled me when Jesus said, “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” It is for our advantage that he go away. Why? Because if he doesn’t the Helper won’t come. It is for our advantage. It is for our advantage? So if I had to choose between having a full day with the physical Jesus or the Spirit, it would be to my advantage to choose the Spirit? Chan explains it much better, but I just never realized that it is for my advantage that Jesus went away, and is still away. Go pick it up. Read it. Be changed.

What does that have to do with West Dallas? Well, I finished the book today. Immediately after putting the book down I drove to help my wife at her school. I walked into her room while she was in the middle of a conversation with one of the facility workers. I only needed to hear a few words to get the gist. He was giving his story about growing up in West Dallas, and all the chaos that ensues, and then his conversion. It was amazing. I sat there listening to him for 90 minutes. Throughout his story I noticed his continual references to the Spirit leading him. I was refreshed by his clarification that it was the Spirit who broke his heart. Our conversation ended and we went back to work.

Well, Katie and I moved to another part of the building to do more work in their teacher’s work room. It was only a few minutes into our work and the door opened. Another facility worker came strolling in. It was Mr. Jackson, and you’ve never met anyone like Mr. Jackson. I promise you. Long story short, I sat for another 60 minutes listening to Mr. Jackson give his story about growing up in West Dallas, the streets, the drugs, all the chaos that ensues, AND, his conversion. It was remarkable. As before, he also made constant mention of the Spirit leading him, and as before, I was refreshed.

As I sit here now, I’ve had time to think about this day. My spiritual life received a sobering reality check via Francis Chan (really, via the Spirit), but ended with a confirmation that the Spirit is powerfully working and moving in people.

There it was. Did you catch it? What was the advantage that Jesus was talking about? Isn’t is now clear. We have, at this very moment, the Spirit of God living within us. Say that one more time, but slowly. One more time.

Today, I saw and heard the advantage. 

Well, I finished reading The Great Emergence by Phyllis Tickle. I’m kind of bad at writing reviews, because I take a long time to process things, but It’s a decent book. I give it a 6.5 out of 10, but I will read it again, eventually.

Tickle gives a fair overview of the history of the church and its movements. According to her, we are currently in “the great emergence.” Where the church will land is yet to be known. As Tickle argues, every 500 years there is a new shift in Christendom, or as Tickle calls it, the “500 year rummage sale,” when the church replaces its old forms of spirituality with newer ones. The old forms are not wrong. They just become passe. The last “rummage sale” was the Reformation (1517). Before that was the Great Schism of the 11th century. Roughly 500 years before that was Constantine. So, I think Tickle is on to something. It will be interesting to see where our emergence is taking us. How will culture continue to shape the church as it did in the past? Regardless, the Spirit controls its direction.

As I sat in Prestonwood Baptist Church for the DTS graduation this year, I was distracted by an older man shuffling down the aisle looking for a seat. He was alone, and looked completely lost. Trailing behind him was an usher helping him find a seat, for the ceremony had already begun. I noticed that this man had a familiar step. He had a familiar look. But when he turned around to face my section, I knew instantly who this man was. No need for a double take, I was looking at the face of my theology professor from Tennessee Temple University. His name is Dr. Winget. Well, I was shocked, because I was under the misinformation that this man, now 80, was deceased as of 2008. As I later found out, it was his wife that passed away in 2008. He was in Dallas celebrating his DTS class graduation, some 50+ years previous. 

Well, the ceremony ended, FINALLY, then I shifted through the crowd to speak with Dr. Winget. He was still sitting, though everyone else was moving out of the aisles.

“Dr. Winget?”

“Yes,” he replied. “I’m David Winget.”

“Dr. Winget, I’m JD Lemming. I was a student of yours at TTU.”

At this point, his face lit up like a flourescent bulb.

He perked up. “Oh, really! Tell me your name again?”

“JD Lemming, sir.” 

“JD Lemming, heh?” He remarked confusedly. “I can’t recall that name.”

Unfortunately, he did not recognize me at first, but he later said he did. I spent the next 20 minutes catching up with the man. It was interesting, to say the least. Well, it was interesting for mainly 2 reasons. 1) The man was overly and abundantly excited to see me. It was strange how excited he was. 2) He wouldn’t stop touching me during our conversation. He would grab my knee and hold it awkwardly for several minutes as we talked. At the end of our conversation, when we were standing, he held on and rubbed my arm as we spoke. It was at the end of our conversation, standing in the middle of Prestonwood’s auditorium/stadium, that I was suddenly struck with sympathy for this man. Why? Because it hit me that he was absolutely and utterly alone. Alone. That’s why he kept touching me. He was alone amongst thousands of people in this church building. Alone in one of the largest cities in America. Alone in life and at home. I figure after you spend 50+ years with a spouse, and they die, you must feel completely lost. How can you live when half of you is missing? This man was craving attention. He was craving to be touched, and to touch someone else. He just wanted human connection. Don’t we all? 

I ended our reconnection by walking him to his rental car in the far distant parking lots of Prestonwood. He gave me a hug and a manilla envelope. In this envelope was a portion of an autobiography that he is currently writing, and a CD that contains audio of his life story and conversion. (Those contents might be a future Tumblr, but suffice it to say that I enjoyed it.)

Now, I disliked this man during school. I know that’s harsh, but I did. I was a stupid student. Yet, as I shut his car door and watched him drive off, my heart was warm and full of appreciation. Human life is a strange thing. We will only know our experiences. But I wanted to fully relay how I appreciated Dr. Winget, but I couldn’t. The moment was strange, but as I think about him now, hindsight being 20/20, I owe much to this man. I realized that spending time with him for 30 minutes was my greatest gift. Because for humans, connection is a very basic need.

After my friend, Seth, recommended What’s So Great About Christianity by Dinesh D’Souza, I was excited to get my hands on it. After all, Seth made D’Souza out to be the greatest American apologist today. Well, I’ve spent the last three weeks with Dinesh and at first I was a little nervous. The book started slowly and sounded slightly too conservative. However, by the end of the book, I was thoroughly impressed. This book is an apologetic as the title makes obvious. The main thrust of the book deals with the arguments and attacks of new atheism as presented by Dawkins, Dennett, Hitchens, etc. My only complaint is that Dinesh failed to answer a few of my own personal questions, but that’s ok. I plan on reading this book again. Next time around, I’m going to download the audio book for the road. So, if you need a summer read that is intellectual, quick, and interesting, read What’s So Great About Christianity by Dinesh D’Souza. 

Now I’m off to start reading another great apologetic book. Eclipse.

No, not a crib for a baby. I’m talking MTV Cribs. Why? As I’ve been translating through Mark, I couldn’t help but keep my attention on a certain question that has puzzled me over the last couple of weeks. Did Jesus own a home? I know it sounds counter to Matthew 8:20 & Luke 9:58, but Mark made a few comments that make we wonder. Just tonight I decided to go to my professor. No, not at DTS…Google. Google is my professor (thanks, will.I.am). What I found was a similar thought had by non other than, Mark Goodacre. The link to his blog post is http://ntweblog.blogspot.com/2006/03/did-jesus-have-house-in-capernaum.html. 

My thoughts came from two interesting verses. And before you read them and rebut, just know that I already know the opinions and have read the commentaries. However, ponder these verses (and their context) and ask yourself: Did Jesus have a house?

(Sorry no accents. I’m lazy.)

Mark 2:1 και εισελθων παλιν εις Καφαρνουμ δι ημερων ηκουσθη οτι εν οικω εστιν.

Mark 2:15a Και γινεται κατακεισθαι αυτον εν τη οικια αυτου…

Well, something interesting is in the air. I have a phone conversation to have tomorrow, and I’ll know whether or not I’m…

As I reflected on Pentecost this past week, I told my wife that I wanted this summer to be different and better than the last. No, I’m not referring to vacation time, or how many things I can learn or get done. I told her that I wanted to be spiritually awakened this summer. And to this pursuit I have dedicated my first week in a mediocre fashion. Well, it’s been more ups and downs than a flatline. By the way, I think that’s ok. You might ride the lightning, but eventually you hit the ground (Thanks James, Kirk, & Lars). So, if I have those lightning moments, great. If I have moments when I just hit the ground, then ok. My point is simply this: The forgotten promise of the Gospel is the new life for the believer in Christ through the very promise of Christ, namely, the giving of the Spirit who indwells believers (That was wordy, I know). Therefore, as I celebrate Christ’s promise of the Spirit at Pentecost tomorrow in church, I’m asking God to stir the waters in my own spirit/heart/soul/whatever. I simply want this summer to be different for me. I want my love for Christ to deepen. I want my spiritual life to be awakened. I want my faith to be set as stone. I pray that God will do it. 

Let’s talk about two recent changes in my life.

1) Though I fought it tooth and nail, I changed my hair. Yes, it’s true. I am now sporting a mild fohawk. This was just a test, but I have decided to go all out next time and make my new fohawk more pronounced. Perhaps I’ll even throw in a dash of mullet.

2) Today, I uttered 6 words to my wife that ought never be uttered by a man. “I need to go to Michaels.” Yes, Michaels. The reason for such a slap to my manhood was my new desire for calligraphy. Yes, more words that ought never be uttered by a man, but I did. I’m getting into calligraphy, inspired by those scribes who elegantly (and artistically) copied our ancient NT manuscripts one thousand years ago. Fine writing is a lost art, and I plan to bring it back.

There are more changes happening, but only these can you handle.