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Natesee
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Name: Nathan
Gender: Male
Interests: Transforming lives through interaction with the word of God...that gets me going
Expertise: Absolutly nothing...but I fool some people into thinking I do...sometimes
Occupation: Youth Pastor
Industry: Church
Message: message me
Member Since:
3/23/2004
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| I have insomnia...it comes and goes. I find myself unable to do anything productive so I look at pictures and listen to music and watch reruns of iron chef online. I have been reading some of my old posts...it has been a while and I am not sure whether I have grown up or gotten soft. Life looks different now but i am having a hard time putting my finger on it. It is like going back to a city that you used to live in. It is familiar but enough has changed to let you realize that you don't live there anymore.
Starting in January I am going to become an official Youth Pastor. I have been Director of Senior High ministries for a couple of years now and I stand to inherit the middle school and get bumped up on the ole' church hierarchy. I am also probably going to get ordained early next year. I am going to be ordained...in a southern baptist church...still sounds weird to me but that is ok. I am moving offices, apartements and job titles...a new start. In the same old place.
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| So...I have no idea if anybody is still around. I gave up on blogging for a while but I think I would like to give it another go. I have realized that I have very few authentic conversations during the day. The life of a minister is inappropriately geared away from authenticity. I have a few close friends that I can be honest with but at school I must make sure my comments are intelligent and at church I have to say spiritual and positive things. There are few places that let me just say...so maybe that is this blog.
Part of my brain knows that Christ is more precious to me than anything else. If I had to make a choice between God and happiness, God and security, God and money, God and etc...I would choose God. However, on a regular basis I make decisions to follow happiness, security, money etc...before I follow God. This disconnect in my life is burdensome. I feel that comfort (of which the united states is the capital) is a spiritual dampner. Comfort does not make it impossible to find God but it makes it harder. It turns down the signal, it deadens the vibrancy. The evangelistic message is reduced to..."like your life now? throw some God in there a kick it up a notch." God becomes a spiritual Mrs Dash instead of the main course. This puts me in a funny position. Do I seek discomfort? Is this a season of comfort? Do I simply continue to struggle for authenticity in the spiritual morass I live in? | | |
| Thank you for the posts. Some of what I said is hyperbole soley designed to illicit a response.
Here is a question for all you exegetes out there.
Mark 8:22
¶ They came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him.
Mark 8:23
He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village; and when he had put saliva on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Can you see anything?”
Mark 8:24
And the man looked up and said, “I can see people, but they look like trees, walking.”
Mark 8:25
Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he looked intently and his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.
Jesus essentially heals this guy twice. WHY? I am going to be doing a paper on this but so far I have done absolutely no research. Why would Jesus do this and why would Mark find it important enough to report it? What does it show?
love to hear your responses. | | |
| dI hit a new low...nobody posted on my last entry...very sad but given the quality of my recent offerings, who is to blame them?
What is up with youth today? Nobody in my youth group knows what they want to do when they grow up. But...they know what they want to own. My youth class is studying youth (good thing to do) we keep coming up with these adjectives for them. My problem is that the underlying assertion is that we should cater to how they are. What if how they are is stupid? I read youth journals about "god experience stations" where young people can see multimedia shows and interactive experiences to bring them closer to God. Just because Youth want a God experience, do we manufacture one for them? Does that fact that if I do not do it, they will go somewhere else change my mind? What is the role of a youth group anyway? Is it evangelistic or does it exist to encourage the discipleship of youth in the church?
New topic...
I just read about someone who is pursuing a Masters Degree in Philosophy so she can be more Godly. I am sick of Masters and Bachelor Degrees in Philosophy and Psychology. It is the same as having a Masters in medicine...it does nobody any good. The wonderful thing about Godliness is that you can be a simpleton and still achieve it. In fact, it might work to your advantage. Godliness is not about having your epistemological ducks in a row, it is about doing the right thing. Very few times in life is the right thing not obvious. I am dubious about the philosophy students at Talbot. I always ask, "what do you want to do with that?" Much of the time I get a vague answer or a selfish one. Selfish philosophy is perhaps one of the greatest acts of selfishness possible. Do these people know what a privilege it is to get a degree? Do they now how lucky they are to have a graduate degree? You MUST use that degree for the enrichment of the world in some way. If you need a degree in philosophy in order to live a right life, you are not reading the same Bible that I am.
My brother and several of my friends have or are getting degrees like that ones I have railed against. My caveat should be obvious. If you are intending to use the knowledge that you have been given the luxury of attaining for the betterment of the world then I salute you.
More stuff to get a comment or two:
Muslims are not tolerant at all and they do not seem to be expected to be. Why are Christians different?
The Dick Cheney shooting incident is not a big deal.
Bipartisan Politics stink, especially when the sides stop caring about the USA and focus mainly on making the other side look bad.
I am completely against hardline classical dispensational ism
The Atlanta Braves will win the division again this year
Fashion is a gigantic waste of time
It is 3 in the morning and I have to finish a paper by 8 so I should get going. Have a nice day! | | |
| Time to update...time to update...time to upDATE...it is really fun!
Well, the time has come for me again to preach in church. Thats right sports fans, April 2nd come and hear the amazing Nathan stumble over his words and take the vibrant, living word of God and turn it into an impenetrable morass that is a stumbling block for all...for a limited time only.
Any suggestions on fabulous segments of scripture or pericopes (per. ick. oh. pees.) that I can use would be fabulous.
OK. All you all are awesome!
Peace | | |
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