Passing-Thought

two-age website now two-age.biblicaltheology.org

2010-11-28T01:18:00.002-06:00

Before my wife and I jet off to Tanzania in January, I thought I'd spend a little time to get the site contents of (formerly) two-age.org back online for anyone interested.

http://two-age.biblicaltheology.org/
"Biblical Theology and Redemptive Historical Hermeneutics" (for fans of Geerhardus Vos, Gaffin, Ridderbos, etc.)

The website content hasn't been updated since 2006, so it is not very NPP or FV aware. Despite its age and shortcomings, I've heard it still has one of most comprehensive recommended reading lists available for Biblical Theology. So I hope it remains useful for you.

http://two-age.biblicaltheology.org/recommended_reading.htm
http://two-age.biblicaltheology.org/recommended_works/commentaries.htm

In Christ,
Eric Pyle
http://ericlovesallison.org/Wycliffe/

wedding & work update, change of address

2008-11-17T12:14:00.008-06:00

Twelve Days to go!
Wow, only twelve days until Allison and I get married! We invite all of our friends to join us in "counting down the days" by visiting our wedding webpage. There you can read a little bit about each of us and how God brought us together.(http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/AllisonBryant&EricPyle)We'd love for you to sign our Guestbook and RSVP if you're planning to come celebrate in Norman, OK. There is also information on the time, directions, and gift registries on the Details for Our Guests page.

Where has the time gone? Here have been some of the things occupying our time in the final weeks before our marriage: marriage counseling sessions and homework, engagement photos, gathering addresses for invitations, bridal showers, ordering my suit and having the pants hemmed, finding ties for the men to match the bridesmaid gowns, organizing the wedding music, ceremony and vows, picking out wedding bands, opening gifts, and writing thank-you notes. We still need to take care of many other details! Please keep us in your prayers!

Honeymoon Plans
Many of you have been curious about our honeymoon. We're going to Greece! Three nights in Santorini and three nights in Athens. Allison has already been trying to learn modern Greek through audio lessons. She really does have a knack for picking up languages. I'm impressed (and glad she'll be tagging along with me)!

My New Address: Eric Pyle, 602 Madison Ct, Duncanville, TX 75137-2537. Our first few months we will be house-sitting close to where I work. This is a tremendous blessing for us as we start our new life together financially and try to figure out a budget that will work for us in the upcoming year. I'm now in the process of moving. Allison has already found a roommate to take her place where she's renting. We covet your prayers for our new life together!

My Office Space
Our next corporate release of Fieldworks is expected to be available at the beginning of 2009. Our software development has moved from bug fixing to allowing some final improvements. Most programmers enjoy making improvements because you get the opportunity to make software do something that has never been done before. Wycliffe Bible Translators provide direct feedback for how we can make their work more effective and efficient. It's exciting to empower missionaries to do things with their knowledge of languages that they've never been able to do before with computers!

We recently heard the news that Fieldworks Language Explorer (FLEx), our Dictionary & Grammar tool, is now being employed for at least 24 language projects in Western Africa. Would you believe those 24 languages account for around 5 million people who have Scripture needs?

FLEx astounds some old friends. Kim and Tony, friends of mine from high school, are now Southern Baptist missionaries in Southeast Asia. Listen to Kim's response when she recently encountered our software: "I just saw your FieldWorks Language Explorer in action!! There is an SIL guy that is going to be moving [here] soon, and he is looking for a house. He just turned on his computer to show us how it works. It is amazing! [My husband] Tony is even getting ready to download it now. It was so neat to hear him talk about the program and then realize that it is the program you have been working on!!" -- Kim

Company Matching Gifts Program Now Available! Many of you may be able to obtain forms from your employer for matching your donations to charitable organizations. If you're interested in submitting a form to match your contribution to my ministry, please contact me for more information!

Yours eternally in Christ,
Eric D. Pyle

Webpage : http://www.opcNorman.org/Wycliffe/EricPyle/
Personal Address : 602 Madison Ct, Duncanville, TX 75137 (469-222-2865)
Wycliffe Bible Translators : P.O. Box 628200, Orlando, Florida 32862-8200

the big day is coming!

2008-08-04T12:36:00.012-05:00

A Match Made Under Heaven, July 5 2008, San Antonio, TX
Tonight, Allison and I sat down beside the Riverwalk. The stars had emerged to watch us from beneath the evening clouds after a calm summer shower. Allison, in the dark, only saw their usual twinkling performance. The stars, however, were winking at me knowingly. “I am so thankful God has brought us together. I think we would serve well together for His kingdom. I don’t want to imagine a future where that is not so.” Then I knelt. Taking her hand, I kissed it. “I love you.” With a gaze and a smile, Allison echoed the sentiment. It was our first exchange of these words. Reaching into my pocket, I retrieved for her the star I had chosen for her. “Allison Haley Bryant, will you marry me?”

Can you believe I'm getting married!? Thank you all for your perseverance in prayer for me all these years. God in the wisdom of His timing and love is wonderfully answering your prayers, far beyond what I ever imagined to think and ask for. Please pray for the planning and provisions for our wedding and future life together. If you’d like a wedding invitation, please let me know, especially if you’re out of town. The wedding will be in Norman, OK on Saturday, Nov 29. Stay tuned for further details!

Allison and I both recently
graduated with Master’s degrees

incredible

2008-07-25T10:57:00.002-05:00

[new rankings on imdb.com]

[rank, rating, title(year), votes]
1. 9.4 The Dark Knight (2008) 115,340
2. 9.1 The Godfather (1972) 293,920
3. 9.1The Shawshank Redemption (1994) 344,106
4. 9.0 The Godfather: Part II (1974) 167,872
5. 8.9 Buono, il brutto, il cattivo., Il (1966) 98,403
6. 8.9 Pulp Fiction (1994)295,321

"if you had thirty-two dollars..."

2008-06-02T15:25:00.006-05:00

You've heard people ask, "What would you do if you had a million dollars?" Us missionaries apparently have our own "all too true" version of that question. Last week at a fiesta dinner for Ben Mikesell's thirty-second birthday someone posed the question, "If you had $32, what would you buy Ben for his birthday?"

One thoughtfully suggested he'd mail-order a Russian bride. (I wondered if that would cover the cost of shipping.) I imagined the book, Calvinism for Dummies. Ben actually seemed interested. Some said, "Forget Ben...I'd buy myself groceries" or "I'd buy some gas to drive back home."

I am graduating!

2008-05-12T16:03:00.002-05:00

Dear friends,

Graduation announcement
I am happy to announce that I will be flying to Philadelphia to graduate on Thursday, May 22 from Westminster Theological Seminary with a Master of Arts in Religion (General Studies). Commencement details are online: http://www.wts.edu/stayinformed/view.html?id=79 . Many of you know that I have been taking seminary classes part-time in Dallas since the summer of '99. It's hard to believe I've been a graduate student for nine years! "So, what's next?" My seminary education fits well with my current "career track" of assisting others with Bible translation efforts, even by software development. I don't have any major changes planned for the near future, but I am now at a point where I can consider furthering my education in linguistics in hopes to be of greater assistance. Stay tuned and in prayer!

Tool promises to yield more natural sounding Bible translations
This year I helped to implement a promising new discourse charting tool for translators. "The discourse charting tool will have a massive impact on the way we analyze texts. It's easy to use and it quickly shows us what we need to see. It will give us greater access to understanding what constitutes naturalness in a given language and that knowledge will have direct benefits in the smoothness and naturalness of our Bible translations." -- Danny Foster, Uganda-Tanzania Branch Training Coordinator (http://www.thetask.net)

New partners in Bible translation
Since the beginning of the year, I've been blessed to receive six new partners who are coming alongside me. In addition to the new partners, I've received a number of one-time gifts. Both are an encouragement as I continue to pray for God to provide the remaining $1000/mo for my monthly support quota so I may devote full time to writing software that assists Bible translation projects worldwide. The software I help develop is already making impact around the world, but there's still plenty of work to be done! Would you join with us in our hope to see the Bible written for millions of people that need it? http://www.wycliffe.org/Donate/MissionaryMinistries.aspx

Yours in His faithfulness,
Eric D. Pyle

ps. Did you know? Shopping at Kroger can help train future Wycliffe missionaries in linguistics! Follow the link below and print off the bar code for the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics so it may be scanned and registered with your Kroger Plus card: http://www.krogerneighbortoneighbor.com/pdf/10000080506.pdf (Only valid for stores in Texas and Louisiana.)

Webpage: http://www.opcNorman.org/Wycliffe/EricPyle/
Personal Address: 1520 Bradford St, Irving, TX 75061 (469-222-2865)
Wycliffe Bible Translators: P.O. Box 628200, Orlando, Florida 32862-8200

The Sabbath was made for Man (Isaiah 56)

2008-02-28T22:55:00.025-06:00

Yahweh promises blessing to the man who keeps justice and does righteousness. Here, as in Mark 8:1-6, keeping justice and doing righteousness takes a surprising Sabbath-keeping shape. It shouldn't have been all that surprising. Deut 5:12-15 prescribes the Sabbath as being also for the foreigners among Israel. The shalom of the land was to be a catholic experience. Remembering the Sabbath meant rehearsing Israel's own outcast identity, and God's redemptive exodus activity: "you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm." So, the primary public holiness sign for God's elect priesthood for the nations leaves the transgression of partiality without excuse.

When the Pharisees read Isaiah's, "blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil," they saw this as a divine right to cross their hands against anyone not sitting on their hands, especially when it came to touching someone with an unclean hand. The holiness laws maintaining ceremonial cleanness were read to promote partiality on a liberal basis, a virtue of zealousness for Yahweh.

Both Isaiah and Jesus overturn the table-manners of that brand of Sabbath keeping, especially on the dawn of the new creation. Keeping one's hand from doing just acts of covenant mercy effectively breaks the Spirit of "keeping his hand from doing any evil"...this partiality and mercy-forgetting has ironic murderous (not to mention Sabbath-breaking) consequences for Israel. Thus not only would the hard-heartedness of authorities lead to the oversighted death of just, covenantally-merciful men (Is 57:1), in the fullness of time, it would lead to the Pharisees' purposeful plot to kill God's son, Jesus, Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 3:6, cf. James 2:1-12). (The Apostle Paul, in Romans 2, makes much the same argument with respect to what it means to be truly circumcised in the new creation: law-keeping was intended from the beginning to take a catholic-circumcision shape, signalling God's future inclusion of Gentiles via the fulfillment of the Abrahamic promise in Christ. To zealously apply 'circumcision' in ignorance of the universal communal implications of the promise of Christ to address the universal problem of sin was to effectively render oneself uncircumsized. Rom 2.23-29)

In contrast to their elitist table manners, Yahweh promises a special place in his house and sets his Sabbath-feast table for the outcasts (vss 3-7). He demands a liberal application of full acceptance to all Sabbath-keepers, those tempted to feel the inevitability of a loss of covenant communion, especially in the face of an overwhelming deluge of wrath to come. Isaiah exhorts Israel to speak Yahweh's justice for outcasts in Israel, comforting such ones that Yahweh will provide room in His house for covenant-keeping foreigners and eunuchs. To those who were considered (even to themselves) to be less than human, fated to be cut off from among his people, to them Yahweh promises "blessed is the man." (cf. Matthew 5:3ff).

In stubborn ignorance to such a suprising vision of welcome and impending wrath, Israel's leaders had prepared their own table to celebrate a counterfeit Sabbath feast (vss 56.10-12). They counterfeit Sabbath rest with their "love of slumber." Their love of wine likewise counterfeits the Sabbath sign of the enjoyment of the completion of havest labors from a blessed land. Their laborless loss of distinction between today and tomorrow profanes the holiness of the Sabbath, separated from the other six days, which signified that the eternal Sabbath rest was yet to come for God's people.

In effort to preserve their own names and territories, the leaders of Israel, appointed as shepherds, rendered themselves to be less than human. Isaiah likens them to barkless dogs, blind to the coming judgment upon the land because of their Sabbath-breaking injustices and foolishness. Israel, who had been called to be the "blessed man," God's image, ruling over and on behalf of the nations is going to be given over to the ravaging of power-hungry nations, whom they now resemble; their countfeit Sabbath feast only renders them fit food for the beasts (vs. 9).

one corinthians thirteen

2008-02-28T00:14:00.006-06:00

though i must suffer, i believe
though it will hurt, i hope
Love, though it kills you

2007 Annual Report

2008-02-27T19:27:00.004-06:00

Dear friends,

Thank you for all your prayers and support in 2007! My Annual Report for 2007 is now ready for your review. Please take a moment to read how God has used your help last year and how He is calling me to further serve churches this coming year and depend upon His help.

http://www.opcnorman.org/Wycliffe/EricPyle/newsletters/heart_lang_exp_feb08.pdf
(also downloadable from my webpage)
http://www.opcnorman.org/Wycliffe/EricPyle/#Communications

Fieldworks 5.0 has been released!
Appreciation from our President
Pledges met for 2007
Important partnership needs for 2008
Plans and prayer requests

Yours in His Kingdom,
Eric D. Pyle

ps. If you're interested in more frequent casual interaction, I'd love to have you as a friend on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/people/Eric_Pyle/730925814

Webpage : http://www.opcNorman.org/Wycliffe/EricPyle/
Personal Address : 1520 Bradford St, Irving, TX 75061 (469-222-2865)
Wycliffe Bible Translators : P.O. Box 628200, Orlando, Florida 32862-8200

purple hearts

2008-02-13T18:57:00.010-06:00

Cupid points, arrows spent
men pour lemminglike o'er the cliff as a waterfall
whilst Ivory Towers peer over gates shut
like a babe refusing bottled milk.
Adam slept. Jesus wept. We must step
headlong dashed upon the Rock.
Rib breaks. Spirit spake. Last Adam wakes.
Thus, we all shall new flesh take.

Sooner omnipresence

2007-12-01T15:24:00.000-06:00

As I look forward to the Sooners beating Missouri tonight for the Big 12 Championship, I realize this season has been different from all other seasons for me as a fan. I've typically only watched OU games in the past, but this year, due to the ranking system, I've realized that the Sooners have been playing "in spirit" in every game, even when/where they are not taking the field. As a result, I've watched many more college games this year, routing for "our" team, in matches like Texas A&M vs Texas, and Kansas vs. LSU.

Thanksgiving newsletter

2007-11-22T19:19:00.000-06:00

Beloved,

I have much to be thankful for this year. My Thanksgiving newsletter highlights just a few of them:

http://www.opcnorman.org/Wycliffe/EricPyle/newsletters/heart_lang_exp_nov07.pdf
(also downloadable here)
http://www.opcnorman.org/Wycliffe/EricPyle/#Communications

Fieldworks Thanksgiving
Book Ends (seminary)
Check IT Out in Hudson Valley, NY
Important new partership opportunity (financial need)
Prayer requests

Thankfully yours in Him,

Eric D. Pyle

ps. If you're using Acrobat Reader 7.0, clicking on my email "eric_pyle@wycliffe.org" at the bottom of the pdf seems to result in "pyle@wycliffe.org" which is incorrect. Please use "eric_pyle@wycliffe.org".

Webpage : http://www.opcNorman.org/Wycliffe/EricPyle/
Personal Address : 1520 Bradford St, Irving, TX 75061 (469-222-2865)
Wycliffe Bible Translators : P.O. Box 628200, Orlando, Florida 32862-8200

[PTC 301-Ed Welch] What are five distinctive features of biblical counseling? (final exam study guide)

2007-09-29T18:27:00.000-05:00

1. What are the distinctive features of biblical counseling?
**Make one of those features its approach to secular literature.

1) Coram Deo - Regardless of circumstances, we live all of life before God (and His word).
· God has spoken, not in every detail of life, but to the heart of every human problem.
§ **Open to reading all secular literature, but Scripture as foundation/standard over all.
§ We don’t live in a bifurcated world Or a tripart body.
People’s actions/attitudes towards others say something about their relationship to God.
God speaks profoundly on these issues and accessibly.
2) Christ and Him crucified is the answer to all counseling problems.
· The deepest human problem is sin, not suffering.
· Suffering has become the solution for becoming truly human in a world of sin
3) All people are essentially the same, and struggle with the same basic problems.
Mystifying cases have some root connection to these basic human problems.
4) Our approach is profound and highly accessible. A child can do it.
5) Active heart. Battlefield for worship. Progressive sanctification.

[PTC 301-Ed Welch] ANOREXIA: final exam study guide - outline

2007-09-29T18:13:00.000-05:00

5) Anorexia

a) Brief Description
• Anorexia is an expression of the heart to refuse to be in need, and a desire to be in control.

b) The Most important Question/Feature/Issue to consider
Control. A person uses food to find a system how to do life apart from God and apart from others. It’s a secret world where a person is their own god.

c) Issues you need to be particularly alert to in your relationship with the counselee
• Perfectionism/Legalism. They are burdened by expectations and laws of other people. They want a world where they can set their own laws.
• Privacy. They want a world under their control apart from others. Eating has a public social dimension with its own customs/expectations.

d) One significant biblical text relevant to the problem area, why the text is relevant.
• Galatians 2: withdrawal from table fellowship.

e) A biblical conceptualization (Causes? Roots?)
• Attention.
• Sexlessness. I want to get rid of my feminity.
• A means to be in control. Victim to being overly-controlled.
• Guilt – self-punishment.

f) Two homework assignments showing awareness of uniqueness of the problem.
1) Asking them to pray publically acknowledging their need for Jesus.
2) Set small goals to gradually increase food eating and eating with others.

g) Your basic method of approach

1) Have they been victimized? How does has life been treating you?
2) Talk about God – offer a path/vision to come along side.
His sovereignty/sufficiency vs. autonomy/legalisms.
They don’t need laws/structure.
They need Jesus.
His grace in establishing righteousness vs. perfectionism.
His beauty vs. beauty is only physical.

revised chiastic structure for Sermon on the Mount

2007-09-29T17:34:00.000-05:00

Here is my revised chiastic structure for the Sermon on the Mount. I'm not sure it's possible to be satisfied with one, since there seems to be multiple overlapping parallels.

[4:23-25] <Narrative> Great crowds follow Jesus for healing.
A. [5.01-02] <Narrative> - He ascends to catechize his disciples.

B. [5:03-10] Final blessing-mercy-peace for persecuted bearers of God's rule in Christ
C. [5:11-16] New covenant prophets/priests/kings to yield God's glory among men
D. [5:17- 48] Christ came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets in us.
E. [6:01-18] Give, Pray, Fast in secret towards our Father.
E. [6:19-34] Store-up treasure in heaven / Seek first His Kingdom.
D. [7:01-12] Do unto others...for this is the Law and the Prophets.
C. [7:13-20] Beware of false prophets known by their fruits
B. [7:21-27] Final destruction for those who turn away from Christ's word

A. [7:28-29] <Narrative> - The crowds marvel at Jesus' authority.
[8:01] <Narrative> - Great crowds follow him for healing after he descends.

Another viable chiastic structure I've heard is to take the first eight beatitudes (5:3-10) as an outline for the entire sermon on the mount. Thus, the rest of the sermon on the mount as an exposition of each of those points in reverse order.

[PTC 301-Ed Welch] FEAR: final exam study guide - outline

2007-09-29T17:20:00.000-05:00

4) Fear
a) Brief Description
Fear is the result of threatening circumstances in which it doesn’t seem like God’s presence matters, He doesn’t care or He is powerless to deliver. Thus, fear provides opportunity to trust in God to be with us to deliver from danger, or to deliver us through it.

b) The Most important Question/Feature/Issue to consider
Idolatry.
• Cause: People who trust in something that cannot provide eternal power/security will live in fear of losing it.
• Effect: People who are afraid of being in danger or feel threatened will often seek security in something other than God (e.g. medication).

c) Issues you need to be particularly alert to in your relationship with the counselee

• Idolatry. Trusting anything in the world to protect/deliver/gain-success.
• Fear flees, forgetting God. Fear wants to run, it doesn’t pause to remember God’s character and promises.
• Self-protection. A fearful person will be tempted to protect something he loves, even if means harming others or neglecting to help others.

d) One significant biblical text relevant to the problem area, why the text is relevant.
Matthew 5-7. (Sermon on the Mount)
Allegiance to Christ will result in persecution/loss of status/property. The sermon provides a host of reasons why we can trust our Father with our obedience to Christ in all circumstances, namely favor with God provides a kingdom that can never be lost.

e) A biblical conceptualization (Causes? Roots?)
1) fear of enemies, real & perceived.
2) death and its associates.
It feels like God is far away, like he is not protecting me.
3) trusting in Idols
Something I depended upon let me down.
4) the past being repeated.
I’ve been hurt before, and don’t trust you.
5) being alone.

f) Two homework assignments showing awareness of uniqueness of the problem.
1) Journal seeing the evidence of God in your life.
2) Study “I will be with you” passages.

g) Your basic method of approach
• First, I would determine the prominent cause of fear, if possible.
• Then I would re-imagine about what it would look like to trust and obey God when that occasion arises and grace is needed for that moment, looking for the Spirit’s progressive sanctification.
• Then, I would establish a study for focusing upon what it means for God to promise to “be with you” in the midst of the situation, and the response that entails for the person.

x) God gives grace for today. Don’t worry about not being able to face fears tomorrow.

[PTC 301-Ed Welch] ANGER: final exam study guide - outline

2007-09-29T17:17:00.000-05:00

3) Anger
a) Brief Description
Anger exposes the heart’s allegiance to what a person considers is right and wrong. It says that your allegiance is primarily for your own welfare and pleasure. Usually anger against others reveals anger against God. Anger says, “God is not good/just” or “God does not give me what I want, when I want it.” God’s anger is not comparable with human experience: slow, loving, directed towards Jesus.

b) The Most important Question/Feature/Issue to consider
Anger illustrates the noetic effects of sin: Anger makes people foolish.
Anger blinds. Angry people often don’t know they are angry.

c) Issues you need to be particularly alert to in your relationship with the counselee

• Humility/Love. Angry people will tend to make you angry or cower.
• Thermometer. Anger has different degrees: hot (overt) anger; cold (covert) anger.
• Righteous indignation tends to be short-lived.
• Self-righteousness. Anger is usually saying more about what a person wants to bring about for himself.

d) One significant biblical text relevant to the problem area, why the text is relevant.

• Anger against a brother can feel right, or indifferent to your relationship with God, but actually reveals your relationship to God.

• 1 John 2:9 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness…
• 1 John 2:11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

e) A biblical conceptualization (Causes? Roots?)

What is anger saying?
A. (Victim) I am afraid, I have been hurt, I feel alone, powerless.
B. Expressing a moral judgment, I am right, you are wrong.
C. … and I am authorized to punish you.
D. I am jealous: I deserve it, you don’t.
E. I am guilty.
F. I want to treat others how I’ve been treated.
G. Leave me alone. I am tired.

f) Two homework assignments showing awareness of uniqueness of the problem.
1) Ask others “how have I been angry today?”
2) In anger, ask how you can still love the person.

g) Your basic method of approach

1) First, I would determine what anger is saying. Why are they angry? This would help determine whether anger is the root problem.
2) Then, I would invite them to understand how their anger affects other people around them, since they probably don’t see the damage they are doing.
3) Then, I would have them focus on their relationship to God; remind them of God’s character: his goodness, love, righteousness, graciousness, humility in Christ. What is God’s anger like? What is Christ like?
4) Then, I would look for little ways in which that Christ-likeness can make a change in how he relates to others over time, and point out the work of the Spirit in these areas.

[PTC 301-Ed Welch] SUFFERING: final exam study guide - outline

2007-09-29T17:11:00.000-05:00

2) Suffering
a) Brief Description
Suffering tests our heart to trust God’s presence in purposing good and God’s faithfulness to show mercy. God has revealed Himself particularly through human suffering. The Son fully experiences suffering to bring about salvation. God uses suffering to make us more like Christ and to give us the hope of a new creation.

b) The Most important Question/Feature/Issue to consider
• Practical Deism. In suffering God may seem like He is hiding or doesn’t care about mercy and compassion.
• Can I trust Him?
• Who is this God?

c) Issues you need to be particularly alert to in your relationship with the counselee

• Compassion: Be compassionate, regardless of cause of suffering. Be careful not to ignore/minimize it.
• Judgmentalism. Resist the temptation to be quick in making definitive connection between a person’s suffering and personal sin, unless it’s obvious to everyone.
• Sin. Suffering will always seem to eclipse the problem of sin. Forgiveness/cleansing of sins runs a bit deeper than the alleviation of suffering.
• Christ suffered. A person’s suffering will seem to eclipse the suffering of Christ. Christ’s suffering is greater than our own. He draws near to sufferers.

d) One significant biblical text relevant to the problem area, why the text is relevant.

• Hebrews 2:10 – “In bringing many sons to glory it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.”

• Jesus’ obedience as a Son was perfected through suffering so that He might know how to minister to us in our sufferings and temptations. Suffering is a sanctifying agent.

e) A biblical conceptualization (Causes? Roots?)
a) There are multiple causes for each grief.
A prominent cause is not always known.
b) God, Satan, other people, Adam’s curse/disease, human heart.

f) Two homework assignments showing awareness of uniqueness of the problem.
1) use Psalms to direct our faith in suffering to God who hears.
2) Study “suffering” passages in relationship to hope/joy for future.
g) Your basic method of approach

1) First, I would towards the person in love/compassion, to mourn, pray, encourage, help.
2) Then, I would try to determine a prominent cause for a place to start in counseling.
3) Then, I would encourage a person to speak their suffering to God (esp. through the psalms.)
4) Then, I would encourage a person to recognize Jesus’ experience of suffering as representing/fulfilling human suffering so that the ministry of His Spirit might change human suffering into a means of life/hope/glory.

of men and angels

2007-09-27T07:31:00.000-05:00

forgiveness separates the men from the angels. sometimes i think it is well worth the fall.

culture shock: a new jersey farewell

2007-09-26T08:05:00.000-05:00

On my way back to Philly from a Check-IT-Out conference in Hudson Valley, NY on Sunday, Jim Moore and I stopped at a full-service gas station to fill our rental vehicle up. I was confused, since I had thought we had planned to come down I-95, and I had planned to rendezvous with a friend on the north side of Philly. Jim had made alternate plans, but we hadn't discussed it. So I asked Jim to ask our attendant where we were on the map, just to make sure we were as far south as he thought we were. The attendant shook his head saying, "Ah, Jeez. Look, go down the road to exit 3 and ask someone there where you are in the map."

Quite a different response from what I've been accustomed to in Texas and Oklahoma. If you're lost you ask people at gas-stations. That's just common sense. And people who do full service are typically very friendly and helpful, tip-worthy service. I later discovered that NJ enforces full-service pumps by law. So, I guess the guy's just "doing his job."

grace and glory

2007-09-26T00:37:00.000-05:00

Trying to find a relationship is like stepping in front of a train and praying that God will bless you with transportation and not annihilation. Marriage must be trying to change the tires on the highway while steering the car. The more you mature, the more you realize you're never ready or worthy for such things. But such is grace and glory.

pokerface love

2007-09-04T22:08:00.000-05:00

what are we
thinking too much
silence is safety
sound the trumpet's
King trumps
the suited hearts
dual'n cards

(Chorus) Blue Canary's self-interpretation of "Birdhouse in your Soul" by They Might Be Giants

2007-08-19T01:26:00.000-05:00

If the first verse is something of riddle concerning my identity, it is in the chorus of "Birdhouse in your soul" that I bring you to the top of the mountain, so to speak, of my self-disclosure, and your relationship to me. Who am I? I am...

Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch

who watches over you

Make a little birdhouse in your soul

Not to put too fine a point on it

Say I'm the only bee in your bonnet

Make a little birdhouse in your soul

First off, I find my existence situated in a trinitarian relationship:
1) Blue Canary
2) in the Outlet
3) by the Light Switch

The Outlet corresponds to the Holy Spirit in a biblical schema. From it I receive power and thus light. But this outlet is not situated close to the floor, like typical outlets. I am seated, as it were, in the Outlet, up by the Light Switch (the Father in the biblical schema), whose will/counsel controls the existence of light or darkness in the room environment. The Son sits on the throne next to his Father in the biblical schema.

I have a triple association with HEAVEN. First, I am blue (yellow is the natural canary color). Blue is the color of the sky, which is day-heaven. Second, I am a bird. Birds inhabit heaven in flight. Third, I glow in the dark like the stars in night-heaven. This triple association emphasizes the completeness of my association with the realm of heaven. The altitude of my seat helps me to better "watch over you" (v.2).

This heaven association is seconded by the idiom "bee in your bonnet". Like birds, bees also inhabit the realm of heaven during flight. The bonnet is worn on top of the head, which is typically the closest part of a person to heaven. Metaphysically, the idiom "bee in your bonnet" means "a fanciful or impractical idea that will not go away." Ideas,especially, fanciful or impractical ones, are again associate one's head with being up in the clouds.

My identity is emphatically CHILD-SAFE, in an otherwise DANGEROUS environment. Outlets are generally dangerous to children, as they have the potential to shock little fingers. I inhabit an outlet that is at an adult altitude, out of child's reach. Plus, I provide a safe covering for the outlet and mediate its power in a benevolent manner. So also in the biblical schema, the Holy Spirit can pose a threat to human flesh-existence, especially when sin has poluted the relationship between God and man, and therefore God provides special coverings (veils, blood, clothes), to either protect flesh from the Spirit, or make flesh more fit for the presence of the Spirit.

Of birds, canaries are a good choice for a domestic pet. They are smaller than most birds. Eagles, hawks, vultures, even geese are not appropriate for children. Children are small, and so a canary is a child-sized bird. Canaries are also extra sensitive to toxins in the air, and are so used to detect when harmful gases are in the air or if there is a shortage in oxygen. Canaries can thus serve to warn of dangerous breathing conditions.

Just because I'm a domestic canary in form doesn't mean that you have the power to domesticate me. I've chosen that form in order to be child-safe, not because I am naturally weak and defenseless. On the contrary, think of me also as a "bee in your bonnet." Bees also are typically dangerous because they have poisonous stingers. That's why I say "not to put too fine point on it." Don't let my stinger frighten you. I demand to be your topmost thought, but not because you're affraid of the (fine point) tip of my stinger. Friendships cannot be based upon dread. I simply want you to confess to being your best friend in a way that doesn't allow other thoughts to take my place, and I'll constantly bug you when I think someone or something else is occupying your mind in a manner that damages that relationship.

I'm not merely a friend. If I were, you may think I'm being overly controlling. My power and position are proportionate to the PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITY I have over your life. You are in a very dark room. I am the one who watches over you in the dark. Your parents sleep in another room during the night and that's of little comfort to you. Without me, you'd have much to be affraid of. Your room is full of things that can do you harm without my presence. My blue glow brings day-heaven into an otherwise pitch-black night.

My responsiblity over you also carries the authority of parental command. There are two basic commands for you to respond to under my care. Both are for your well being:

1) Make a little birdhouse in your soul (v.3,6)
2) Say I'm the only bee in your bonnet (v.5)

My responsibility over you has implications for your life with respect to me. In the biblical schema, this is what's called a covenant-relationship. God takes responsibility over men, and they must respond and respect his responsibility in a manner that makes the world more like heaven, God's dwelling place, so God and men might dwell together. In the Bible, it is the responsibility of his king to make a home for God on earth (e.g. Moses, Solomon, Cyrus, Jesus). The king is endowed with knowledge and wisdom to design a temple on earth according to the pattern of God's home in heaven (though neither a home on earth or his home in heaven can "contain" him).

The vault of your room is my temple, but I also desire to have a home-temple in your soul as well. I not only have power to watch over your well being from the outside, but can also serve the same for in the inner-room of your soul. Your soul is a dark room, like the dark room you sleep in, full of evil and foolish thoughts that can bring harm to yourself and others. My responsibility is for a complete watchfulness of your soul, inside and out. Light to comfort you from the enemies without, and a light inside to guide your thoughts.

I call upon you, my child-king, not only to build me a little birdhouse for your child-sized soul, but secondly, to speak as a prophet, confessing me to be your ONLY SOURCE OF REVELATION: "Say I'm the only bee in your bonnet." (See above for discussion of this idiom and its association with heaven.)

By the way, did you know that the word "canary" is also slang for "an informer"? Someone who is able to listen into the secrets and share them without their permission? While I do not give you permission to let someone else be a source for revelation, don't think for a minute I don't know your secrets when you let someone or something else take authority over your mind. That said, what is more important, is not your secrets but mine. And I have a secret to tell in the next verse of my song...

with no further ado...

2007-07-14T02:50:00.000-05:00

Beloved friends,

What a busy year! I hope your summer is being filled
with God-glorifying and God-enjoying work and relationships, and that you're
staying out of the heat and/or rain!

My July newsletter highlights a few of the things that
have been occupying my time.

http://www.opcnorman.org/Wycliffe/EricPyle/newsletters/heart_lang_exp_jul07.pdf
Here are the headlines:

Engaged in Holy War (devotional)
Fieldworks Language Explorer (FLEx) continues
to impress missionaries
My annual thousand-dollar oil change (finances)
Personal Files (dating, seminary, godparenting)

In His Spirit,

Eric D. Pyle

ps. If you're using Acrobat Reader 7.0, clicking on my email "eric_pyle@wycliffe.org" at the bottom of the pdf seems to result in "pyle@wycliffe.org" which is incorrect. Please use "eric_pyle@wycliffe.org", or better yet, reply to this email!

Webpage : http://www.opcNorman.org/Wycliffe/EricPyle/

Personal Address : 1520 Bradford St, Irving, TX 75061
(469-222-2865)

Wycliffe Bible Translators : P.O. Box 628200,
Orlando, Florida 32862-8200

Book Review of The Passion of the Western Mind by Richard Tarnas

2007-07-09T19:05:00.000-05:00

Church History 323, Dr. Hannah
April 17, 2007

Richard Tarnas’s The Passion of the Western Mind is an account of Western thought that is both comprehensive and penetratingly insightful to understanding the historical origins and development of our civilization’s “world view.” The book, by his own admission, is as much a philosophy of history as it is a history of Western philosophy. It is as much Tarnas’s passion for the Western mind as much as it is his account of the passion of the Western mind. Not only is his interest bound to capture the reader’s own, readers will undoubtedly feel the weight and value of reflecting upon and comparing their own beliefs about the nature of reality, and thinking critically about whether and to what extent their own relationship to Western thought can viably address the social and intellectual emergencies of our day.

Tarnas’s book divides Western history into the three traditional eras, Classical (Greek), Medieval (Christian), and Modern. Each era is followed by an age of “transformation” offering explanations for how a once dominant paradigm begins to wane in its creative energy and power over culture to sustain a civilization’s view of the world. Tarnas does a surprising job explaining each era’s convictions upon its own grounds. Such is his pathos for each period that each transition carries with it a kind of epochal conversion experience, through which the author’s own convictions about the natural of the world evolves. Thus, he does well in executing his purpose stated in the preface: “my goal in these pages has been to give voice to each perspective mastered by the Western mind in the course of its evolution, and to take each on its own terms. I have assumed no special priority for any particular conception of reality…I have approached each world view in the same spirit that I would approach an exceptional work of art—seeking to understand and appreciate, to experience its human consequences, to let its meaning unfold.”

Tarnas begins with the origins of the Western mind with the Greeks. There he sets forth the didactic strategy that will characterize the rest of the book: a presentation of a paradigm of thought in its historical development (e.g. “The Evolution of the Greek Mind from Homer to Plato”), its reason for being and a statement of its governing ideas (e.g. “The Philosopher’s Quest and the Universal Mind”), tensions that fuel further research, discussion, and debate, whether empirical (e.g. “The Problem of the Planets”) or logical (e.g. “Aristotle and the Greek Balance” and “The Dual Legacy”). Tarnas seems to argue that the power in the mind of Plato and Aristotle for Greek culture was found in its ability to provide a comprehensive system for understanding the nature of the whole universe, yet in a way that left room for ancient Homeric mythology and addressed a diversity of Greek philosophical traditions. For example, Aristotle’s transposition from Plato’s transcendant Ideas to vital immanence in material phenomena brought a synthesis to both Plato (universal) and materialistic (particular) philosophies. Tarnas repeatedly unpacks how each era’s paradigm gains cultural currency through its ability to synthesize diverse and competing ideas and bring new order to new human concerns, while providing a vision for growth in that knowledge.

In the historical development of the Classical mind, Tarnas establishes the social, political, religious and philosophical climate out of which arise the key figures of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, who form an enduring philosophical triumvirate for the Western mind. Socrates earns the status of archetypal philosopher, whose life and death embodied his persistent skepticism and lifelong quest for truth, and laid the existential and intellectual foundation for the works of Plato and Aristotle. Socrates’ life and Plato’s “religious romanticism” in discovering universal Ideas, are no doubt exemplary of the passion that Tarnas attributes as a psychogenetic character trait to the Western mind. For Tarnas, a philosopher is literally, “lover of wisdom” and “approaches his intellectual task as a romantic quest of universal significance.”

During the transformation period, the governance of an established paradigm loses its original power and energy to stimulate new creative ideas that can address the exigencies of society and peoples’ lives. Thus, Tarnas offers many reasons why the Classical Greek Mind declined due to external and internal pressures. Some key reasons include a critical individualism that deteriorated its own social order, external political wars that undermined confidence in individual self-determination, and cultural upheavals that overloaded Helenistic thinkers with a barrage of foreign ideas and influences. Perhaps most important was a resulting sense of loss of meaning and purpose for life, reinforced by an impersonal rationalism that undermined ancient mythologies. It is into this lost, fragmented world that the Christian Church and its universal saving vision for humanity under one Triune God through the divine Logos made flesh arose to take command of the Western mind.

Tarnas’s treatment of the Christian worldview is quite extraordinary. If one felt that in Classical Era, Tarnas seemed sympathetic to Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, when one comes to the Medieval Era, one certainly feels that Tarnas’s allegiances must reside in some respect with Christianity. His presentation of New Testament theology is so close to Westminster Theological Seminary’s tradition that I could easily imagine at times Tarnas to be a member in good standing with our tradition. This is especially true in his developing the relationship between the already-present victorious reality of the kingdom of God come in Christ, in tension (and yet in vital league) with a hope and longing for the full glory of that world to come in a final and ultimately cosmic sin-and-death-ending and worship rendering way. Thus, he appeals to an apostolic already/not yet scheme of eschatology in order to explain the development of two traditions within the Church, “exultant Christianity” (already) and “dualistic Christianity” (not yet).

Tarnas is able to maintain a level of confidence in evaluating the development of the Church and its traditions with respect to its founding scriptural sources. “[The Old and New Testament canon] effectively determined the parameters of the evolving Christian world view. These writings will therefore serve as the basis for our present study of the Christian phenomenon.” This conviction gives Tarnas a bit of a “Sola Scriptura” Protestant-edge. Even when at times it seems Tarnas begins to blur the distinction between Christianity and the pagan culture it seeks to subject to Christ, this always leads into underscoring crucial antithetical distinctives. For example, following Christianity’s ability to “assimilate” the pagan (often allegorically conceived) mythologies into an analogous yet absolutely literal and historical “Christian pantheon,” he declares, “unlike the mystery religions, Christianity was proclaimed and recognized as the exclusively authentic source of salvation, superceding all previous mysteries and religions, alone bestowing the true knowledge of the universe and a true basis for ethics” and “in contrast to the Greeks’ philosophical program of independent intellectual self-development, Christian approach centered on the revelation of one person, and thus the devout Christian sought enlightenment by reading the Holy Scriptures…hence faith was the primary means, and reason a distant second for comprehending the deeper meaning of things.” Tarnas is certainly helpful in exploring such comparisons and contrasts and their historical relationships.

It seems almost inconceivable that such deep understanding and appreciation of our faith could come from anyone but a believer. It is clear, however, in his introduction the Christian worldview that Tarnas only grants Scripture an authority historically derived from and limited to the Church. The Church essentially established the divinity of the canon, and thereby established its own divine authority. Such a circular (and ultimately historically qualified) view of authority is probably the result of or influenced by his historical skepticism of the possibility of knowing the historical Jesus. His preface to the part of the book covering “The Christian Worldview” is largely concerned with qualifying and separating the authors of Scripture from the historical Jesus: “Precisely what the historical Jesus of Nazareth said, did, or believed himself to be cannot now be ascertained.” Thus, Paul and John are most commonly cited as responsible for the teachings of Christianity; Jesus, is barely cited, if ever. In comparison, much more space is granted to the life and teachings of Socrates, whom is only known through Plato. (We wonder if the fear of modern academic respectability has become an editorial factor here.) Without accepting a trustworthy connection between the faith of the authors and a historical Jesus, the Christian faith can easily be conceived as a human invention subsumed under the authority of a larger evolutionary process.

By the end of the book, the reader comes to realize that Tarnas’s hope and vision for the future of Western civilization ultimately lies, not in a transcendent Trinity’s self-revelation to mankind in Jesus Christ, but in our participating in creation’s own historical self-revelation through the Western mind: “…the human mind is ultimately the organ of the world’s own process of self-revelation…nature’s unfolding truth emerges only with the active participation of the human mind…[nature’s reality] is something that comes into being through the very act of human cognition. Nature becomes intelligible to itself through the human mind.” Thus, Tarnas constructs a synthesis of Hegel’s philosophy of history, Kuhn’s philosophy of science, and Jung’s psychology of collective consciousness to remythologize Western history in a way he hopes will fund for a new vision, hope, and future. In this light, the Medieval Church age was nothing more than a womb out of which Modern history would be given birth, the Copernican revolution being its birthday. Nature through our understanding has evolved since Christ, and has come to realize through us that Jesus is no longer (and never truly was) its Lord. In reality, the human mind is Mother Nature’s only-begotten Son. The Jesus of the Church’s faith, ultimately, came mainly from the resources of its own mind and imagination. Salvation comes from the passion of our mind, not the passion of Jesus.

Reading from the end of the book, one can especially see how the book aimed from the beginning to answer one pressing question: how can we participate intelligently in an age where the conception of reality is “multiple and in profound flux”? His answer to that question perhaps is more than simply helping us review history so we may be more “historically informed.” His answer is that our social and intellectual survival largely depends upon reconstructing our history in a way that provides us with meaning and purpose; that is only possible if truth is not simply imposed upon nature by our own minds (as conceived by Kant). Our history telling must lead us into a new faith in Mother Nature and the Human Mind. It must be metaphysical, leading us into a new way of unifying the entire cosmos. In effect, it must lead us into a new religion of knowledge. Thus, he suggests that the Great Commission of our age is largely epistemological: we must be willing to accept the consequences of adopting a more thoroughly personal and feminine view of nature (the modern epistemological and social delimas are ultimately rooted in an over masculization of our world).

Tarnas’s remythologization of Western history as creation’s self-revelation is unfortunately a groping after God in the darkness. Creation and humanity can never, and will never grow out of or evolve over Jesus and the mind of his Spirit, since he is God’s archetype and telos for mankind for the redemption of creation. The epistemological crisis of our day remains the same as it has always been: how can our faith-knowledge remain or else be scripturally reformed faithful to him amidst the changing circumstances of the world he gives us?

Conservative reactions to Tarnas are warranted, but should not be self-defensive. The Church still has room for reform, and should be in constant concern for self-examination in how her thinking over time has conformed more to a ‘Western’ mind than the mind of Christ. Tarnas’s stress upon the need for us to ‘participate’ in creation, for example, could be heard in terms of a more creation-accepting and Christ-embracing view of Church sacraments, its implications for the Church’s embodiment of true humanity and its representational, communal mission for the world (cf. Schmemann’s For the Life of the World). Tarnas’ feminine imperative, also finds biblical precedence. If all of human history is scheduled to culminate in Christ’s wedding ceremony with his purified Bride the Church, we should not be surprised that this architectonic movement from Man to Woman should be issuing forth cultural shock waves among the nations as history moves towards that end. So let us continue to remember his death until he comes; so let us put on the mind of Christ,

who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross

Gotta love evolutionists

2007-03-03T19:45:00.000-06:00

Today, I was reading the chapter "Falling in Love" in a book called The Five Love Languages. In it Chapman quotes Dr. M. Scott Peck to support his thesis that "falling in love" is not true love:

[falling in love] is a genetically determined instinctual component of mating behavior. In other words, the temporary collapse of ego boundaries that constitutes falling in love is a stereotypic response of human beings to a configuration of internal sexual drives and external sexual stimuli, which serves to increase the probability of sexual pairing and bonding so as to enhance the survival of the species.

The irony of social vs. scientific discourse. Talk like that is a sure way to reduce a man's probability of "sexual pairing and bonding," and consequently the survival of evolutionist species.

[PTC 301-Ed Welch] GUILT: final exam study guide - outline

2006-12-09T21:11:00.000-06:00

1) Guilt
a) Brief Description
God’s unshakeable presence in our lives exposes the human heart to the universal problem of guilt when we have sinned or been shamefully sinned against. The shame or guilt we feel (or should feel) before God will shape our attitudes and actions to do our best to cover/hide/cleanse the shame. God’s good news is that Christ’s sacrifice has sufficiently dealt with human guilt so that we can be fully and enthusiastically accepted by Him, thus freed to live with a clear conscience and open hearts in a public way to the glory of God.

b) The Most important Question/Feature/Issue to consider:
• Legalism to deal with guilt of sin and uncleanness.
a) Why do you not believe God’s forgiveness in Christ is sufficient?
b) Why has God’s beautiful forgiveness become unattractive to you?

c) Issues you need to be particularly alert to in your relationship with the counselee:
• Privacy. A guilty person typically does not approach you with their guilt. They are ashamed to talk about it. Ask them to describe how they feel (e.g. depressed) in other words. Ask them to ask for forgiveness and trust He forgives according to His promise.
• Pride. Guilty people are struggling with some form of legalism.
• Purity. Sometimes guilt comes from being victimized, made shamefully unclean.
• Concience. Sometimes people don’t feel guilty about things they should be.

d) One significant biblical text relevant to the problem area, why the text is relevant.
A guilty person needs fresh appreciation of God’s surprising, incomparable forgiveness.
• Story of the Running Father (Luke 15) – a.k.a. The Prodigal Son.
• Gal 3, Gen 15 : The promise came before the law
(Unilateral covenant is humiliating.)
• Hosea & Gomer. “I am the one who pursues you in the midst of adultery.”
• Jesus touches/touched by the unclean (Mark 5:25). Great exchange. Jesus becomes unclean so that we might be healed.

e) Its biblical conceptualization (Causes? Roots?)
• Currently in unrepentant sin.
• Need to confess a past sin to God
• Consequences of the past
• Victim of sin.

Guilt is evidence that someone hasn’t come to terms with God’s complete, supreme forgiveness and cleansing in Christ. Guilty people inevitably try to manage their uncleanness, sin problem, or sin’s consequences apart from God’s covenant provision and promises. Legalism perpetuates guilt because it doesn’t have the power to remove guilt. It seeks to make atonement, to hide/cover shame, based upon our own man-made religion.

f) Two homework assignments showing awareness of uniqueness of the problem.
1) Ask someone to forgive you. Whom should you forgive?
2) Ask God to forgive you for trying to manage sin apart from Him.

g) Your basic method of approach
• First I would ask why a person feels guilty, to explain how guilt makes them feel. This will help determine whether guilt is the core issue or what form the guilt takes.
• Then I would try to discern any legalistic behaviors or attitudes that might be diminishing the glory of the gospel of forgiveness.
• Then I would want to encourage the person to recognize how God the Father has enthusiastically run to us in a “shameful” manner to accept us in His Son, so that they can move, in repentance and confession, from guilt to joy in God.

Ministry 101 Catch-22

2006-12-09T21:00:00.000-06:00

How can I begin to minister to others when I need constant reminding of the gospel in its two glorious dimensions: accessible to infants and more profound than any human work of art, poetry, and philosophy?

final exam study nugget - on guilt

2006-12-09T18:43:00.000-06:00

"Joy is the serious business of heaven." -- C.S. Lewis

Under the topic of guilt, Prof Ed Welch reminds us that confessing our sins should lead to joy. If it doesn't, we are legalistic, refusing to take to heart the attractive beauty of knowing and trusting God's forgiveness. For some crazy reason, we still cling on to being the judge of when/how/whether our sins shall be forgiven, rather than abandoning this to God's complete, surprising, and incomparable justice in Christ. We think there is something still we must do to earn His favor. Joy says to the world, "We get His ineffably enthusiatic forgiveness!"

PS3 and gospel economy

2006-11-18T11:38:00.000-06:00

Jayson and I were strolling passed the local Target after our dinner at Thai Bangkok Orchid on Thursday, when we noticed a gang of guys playing video games outside the front entrance.
"What are they doing?" Jayson asked. I walked over to the first set of guys bundled in coats.
"Are these your systems or Target's?" The guy said the systems were theirs. You could see his breath.
"Do you guys typically hang out here playing video games here at night or weekends?" I asked in amazement.
"We always camp out for the latest console."
"Which one is coming out?"
"The PS3."

A handful of souls, playing video games all night outside Target so they can be the first ones in the doors hoping not to miss out on the limited supply. Now those are devout worshippers! They probably wonder what strange world I live in that I hadn't heard the gospel of the coming kingdom of PS3. Would they have any interest in a new world that can't possibly run out of supply? That economic strategy is bound to disappoint any supply-and-demand based worldview of value.

why i am still single :-)

2006-11-18T11:24:00.000-06:00

Unable to Match You at This Time

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You can still receive your free Personality Profile by clicking here.

morning devotional for my software team

2006-10-24T18:19:00.000-05:00

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable
are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

As we take a closer look today at all that we've been doing, all that we've accomplished, and how we can improve for the future, let's give thanks to God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Deism is a constant temptation for us, as we walk in the good works that God has prepared beforehand for us to walk in each day. Though we probably don't imagine God booting up his laptop at 8am every work day, sipping some coffee, and clicking on a shortcut on his desktop so that He can hit the beach for the rest of the day, doesn't our lack of daily thanksgiving suggest that we sometimes do? We easily forget that God is the Extreme Programmer. The Spirit is always faithful to pair with us. Not one line of code is written, compiled, or executed apart from the Father's decree. The Son will not even let one single appointed whitespace or comment pass away until all is accomplished. Think about all the things we can give thanks for, when we realize He is with us in all of this, for from him and through him and to him are all things .

But what about all those things that seem to get in our way for doing all the good works we've planned? Surely, God is out to lunch when those happen! Those twenty emails that arrived after I just caught up. Those jira issues that seem to come in faster than we can fix them.

Our God is not just Lord of the finished product in all its glory, but over the entire process, however frustrating or time consuming it may seem sometimes. We want all that is glorious now, all at once, apart from inconveniences, apart from pain. Our Creator is not only interested in our software passing all the tests, but our very hearts. When push comes to shove, it is our attitudes and character that God gives priority in his heavenly triage. We need constant debugging. He has taken ownership over our development, even when He isn't to blame for the bugs we'd rather call "features" in our hearts, for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.

He is much more patient with us than we are with Him. He is a God who pleases to take His time. He took six days to call all things good, savoring the last day as best. He delighted in the development process, when He could have just clicked on a shortcut. His Spirit took over a thousand years to inscripturate the Holy Scripture. He endured thousands of years of rebellion until time was appointed to labor in birth with His promised Son. The Son learned the obedience of an eternal priest for us through the things he suffered. And it pleased His Father to take time to crush the Son on our behalf.

Look at the bigger picture now. The whole creation still groans with childbirth pains for our glorification. We are participants in that new creation, the regeneration of all things. Christ is the firstborn and His church is the center of that new cosmos to come. We are the temple from which His glory will fill the earth. Every day, new stones are being made alive, sons of Abraham, crying out, declaring His glory.

Programming should be for us an act of faith that God is using to build His church. We are not just IT support. We are Holy Temple support. Not only is our software development an act of mercy for missionaries, it is an act of war. As technology has developed, so has the sophisticated tactics and defenses of our enemy. True, we are not on the front lines, but our tools are being employed for front line usage. Wherever there is development of literacy in the world, Scripture will continue to gain ground through the gates of Hell in hearts that hear.

Can't you hear the Lamb in heaven breaking the seals of His scroll across the globe, shaking all that remains to be shaken? (Rev 5:9) Countless peoples are worshipping God in their own tongue. Praise the Lord!

I am loved

2006-10-02T18:35:00.000-05:00

Every so often my friend, Phil asks, "So when are you coming? It's time for you to visit us again." The last time I visited was last year right after Katrina hit. I watched his family mobilize others in the church to house huricane refugees. I was due for another visit.

Phil helped me carry my bags and clothes into the guest room. When we opened the door, it appeared that several items were still on the bed. My initial thought was, "Oh, is this not where I'm staying?" Phil asked his wife Amy. She explained that she had not yet taken the time to cleanup the room after their son's birthday party. I thought it was funny that she had not cleared off the bed in expectation of my coming. I told her it made me feel like I was part of their family that she didn't feel anxious about making everything look all perfect just for me. Sometimes you know you're loved when you don't receive special treatment. I'd much rather people feel they can be "at home" around me than running a hotel in their home.

I am sad.

2006-09-24T20:49:00.000-05:00

During Ed Welch’s lectures in Dallas this past weekend, I just heard for the first time that one of my favorite professors Al Groves is in the latter stages of melanoma cancer. I’m not sure how I missed the news. Even when our new professor Adrian Smith prayed with boldness for Al’s health during our Convocation ceremony, I guess I just wanted to believe it was a special prayer for Al’s chronic fatigue.

Dr. Welch spoke of Al most gloriously during his lectures on Suffering. How everyone who visits him goes to encourage and to bless, and leaves surprisingly encouraged and blessed by Christ in him.

My brief conversations and times with Prof Groves seem especially heightened in significance for me. I had the honor providing transportation for him after one of his lecture visits in Dallas. We talked about Sailhamer and movies like Magnolia. I think it was Al who introduced me to Magnolia, which continues to be a redemptive treasure full of treasures.

I’ve been bragging ever since about his Deutoronomic history class. Definitely one of my favorite OT courses. If the Lord ever calls me to be a professor some day, I would cite Al as a chief influence and role model. I am ever thankful that His love for the Lord and intimate knowledge of the Scriptures has overflowed the banks of Philly and spilled down to us in Dallas, as annointing oil trickles down from the head and onto a man’s beard.

Solomon & Solomon - the wisdom of forgiveness in Magnolia

2006-08-15T21:59:00.000-05:00

The last time I watched Magnolia, I noticed something else I had not previously noticed: the furniture store Solomon & Solomon represents riches and wisdom. At the beginning of the movie, it's money from his employer that the "stupid" Donnie Smith feels he needs most of all to win the object of his misdirected love. At the end, it's outside Solomon & Solomon that the Quiz Kid adult confesses he lacks wisdom in love: "I have lots of love to give, I just just don't know where to put it."

It's outside Solomon & Solomon that Jim the Cop demonstrates the wisdom of forgiveness in helping Donnie return his stolen money. For the first time in the movie, Jim sits and fully listens to a someone without judging them. "Some people you need to forgive. Some people you need to put in jail. That's the tough part of the job. Who can we forgive?" Governing and executing the Law with wisdom, is not simply a matter of putting people in prison or shooting them.

The movie begins with a kind of angelic merciless justice. The narrated series of "coincidences" at the beginning involve divine judgments all ending in death or imprisonment. The cop's monologue at the beginning of the movie focuses upon man's need to "be good to each other" setting the standard by which the rest of the character's lives are judged or being judged. The cop represents God's Law. But the movie ends, not with simply fatal judgments, but with a dying wish fulfilled, second chances, reconciliation. Redemption. Thus, Jim's character moves from "strict justice" to the wisdom of forgiveness. If Jim can learn the wisdom of forgiveness and not being too quick to judge, than his budding relationship with Claudia (the sinner drug-addict) has hope. And if their relationship can work, the whole world has hope.

Wisdom is one of the main themes of the movie. This becomes most overt when all the characters join in the movie's climatic music video "It's not going to stop, till you wise up". The game show "What do kids know?" play upon the competing relationship between knowledge of adults vs. kids in the context of authority structures. Kids and their knowledge are held hostage to the abuse of adult authorities. Authority asks questions and makes imperatives, kids answer trivia for the sake of cheap adult entertainment (or, in the case of parents, exploiting children for lucrative gain). In the end, Stanley wises-up and realizes that there is an authority that is higher than the oppressive uses of adult authority and education. He begins to ask adults questions. "It's not a dangerous thing to confuse children with angels." After "getting" the divine revelation at the end, Stanley functions as an angelic messenger to warn his father against abusing his authority: "Father, you need to be good to me." Will his father wise-up and see that it is wrong to use his child for fame and fortune? Will he realize that he is not the ultimate authority in his and his son's life? In the end, divine judgment remains penal, but this serves to "Let my people go."

solipsism

2006-07-08T12:15:00.000-05:00

to body and
to Body and
to BODY
the mouth and mind of a babe cleaves and cries for strength until
"He silences foes and avengers with perfected praise."

from BODY and
from Body and
from body,
the leprous mind and mouth severs from self until
"it passes through waterless places, seeking rest,
but does not find it."

studying for biblical counseling final exam

2006-05-04T22:20:00.000-05:00

Since I'll be devoting the next week or so preparing (coram deo) for my Theology and Secular Psychology final exam, I thought I'd leave you with a couple more papers I submitted to that class this semester: An eye opening movie with some pizza food for thought. Behold and bon appetite.

Next on Seinfeld: Mailmen are closet mailbox critics

2006-04-15T14:05:00.000-05:00

Our mailman knocked on our door today since he had a package for me. I answered the door to receive the package and the mailman paid a compliment to our new mailbox:

"I like your new mailbox. It is much nicer looking than that old one."

"Yeah, it's a little smaller than the other one. I hope that works."

"Well, you don't receive a lot of mail. But there are heavy mail days and the smaller boxes just can't handle it."

"I went for the cheapest box." Pointing to the old box on the ground next to some bird droppings and a broken egg, I continued, "The birds were making a nest out of that one. I just wanted to get one that could close its lid." (Not to mention had the same bolt configuration. I didn't want to drill new holes in the wall to accomodate a different shaped box.)

"I suppose you get what you pay for. Next time when this one wears out, you should consider getting the longer box, instead of the deeper box model."

So, that's how it ended. He began with a compliment and ended with a critique of our new mailbox! He must have a lot to say about mailboxes. I bet that mailman walks around the neighborhood evaluating homes by their mailboxes: "Egads. Get a new mailbox, bud." or "Now this is a man who knows his mailbox." or "Hey, Fred, on the Bradford route, what did you think of the Johnsons' mailbox? Don't ya just wanna stand on their porch all day, taking mail out and putting mail in. Smooth, huh?"

the diplomacy of silence

2006-04-01T10:52:00.000-06:00

The dreadful sign language of silence is deafening.
My ears look for justice;
they grope in darkness for truth spoken through love.
I whispered in her ear. At first, a wishing well.
Then with time, a room crowded with "Hello?"
A deep, rocky chasm that only answers in Echo,
returning my whisper as desparate shouts. vomit.
Its darkness swells as does the womb of Sheol with the dead.
forever they kick against its uterus.
Teach me, St. Job, your wisdom, your patience.
Or should I not let silence take so long to say "so long"?

O my soul, His silence is but a breath between His words.
He is patient with your banter, courteous not to interrupt.
Father, forgive the foolish words I've multiplied, so full of me.
Yes, my words return to haunt me, because they seek me and my glory.
I shut my mouth now; I listen for You with silence.

Dallas worships the Stars

2006-03-25T09:38:00.000-06:00

Last night, I went out with a handful of guys to see the Dallas Stars play hockey at the American Airlines Center. I'm not big on huge, loud pro sports events (OU college football is a completely different matter), but I thought it would be good to go out with the guys who work or study at the International Linguistics Center. I discovered it was "Christian" night at the hockey game which, as far as I could tell, means they have a Christian band play during intermissions and several church groups come. (I wonder if they consider that evangelistic outreach?)

A few phenomena ('fanomena', henceforth) struck me as a bit peculiar. One is that they'd have such a thing as "Christian" night for an event where the crowd gets most excited over the fights. Secondly, I saw several 30+/40+ men wearing Stars jerseys with some player's name and number on the back. Wearing a sports jersey as a symbol of allegiance is one thing; having a favorite player on the back just seems more appropriate for adolescents or teenagers who are clearly younger than those whom they admire. Furthermore, wearing an individual player's name seems to communicate intra-fan competition: "My favorite player is better than yours!" Thirdly, during the national anthem, the crowd liturgically shouts "Stars" whenever the word occurs in the lyrics. Now, I for one will admit that ever since becoming a Christian, I have struggled with how to sing the national anthem from the heart, because it so resembles the corporate sentiment of a worship/hymn. Perhaps for that precise reason, I found the sports cheer intrusions to be distasteful, a breaking of national corporate sanctity, for the sake of a local entertainment event. I wonder if such a thing could only occur in a culture that has so watered down church worship, that even lesser 'holy' realms of life are sacrificed to the alters of our local entertainment deities.

That said, I did have fun with the guys and the game was suspenseful, though no one lost their teeth or got a black eye. The Dallas Stars won over the Chicago Blackhawks in sudden death overtime, 3-2, winning the spoils of free Taco Bueno tacos for all the fans. Yeah, Stars! :)

V-day : the aftermath

2006-02-18T17:31:00.000-06:00

Do couples have an exclusive right to Valentines Day? I think not. Romantic interests aside (but certainly not forgotten), upon my heart was to send something to a few of my friends, I've known over the years. In the past, Valentines Day to me, has been a time to remember friends that for one reason or another I feel obligated to send some token of love to. Sometimes to seek reconcilliation and forgiveness; sometimes to say, "Hey, I still remember you, sorry for not keeping in better touch."

This past Valentine's Day, I remembered my mother, who had sent me a card the previous week. In the morning on my way to work, I called my trusted friend Bill, 200 miles away, to see if he had time to get something for her for me. No sooner had my request left my mouth, Bill was out the door to do the good work. That's how he is, yet it never ceases to surprise me how quick, almost spontaneous his love is. My love for my mother was the goal, and yet I felt unexpectedly blessed by my friend's quick willingness to help out. That's just one instance in which v-day "backfired" on me, throwing love back into my face, even before my mom could thank me for the "three beautiful roses."

There were other such instances, a poem given here, a box of chocolates there, a number of e-cards here and there. Anxieties in the aftermath over how people would respond to these gestures. But, by the end of the week, all that has returned to me has left me surprisingly loved.

he longs for her jealously

2006-02-14T20:31:00.000-06:00

He longs for her jealously,
his for hers.
Empty it gropes, in fulness it finds,
hers for his, she for him.
Arise from your torched wax museum,
O concubine of *s*t*a*r*s*,
O circumcised stone, fear no more
Remembering, etch-a-flesh open love letter,
all he promised her and all he commands.
Templed treasure-chest of hope,
virtue of virtues throne room,
bedspread cleansed for her master
monarch.

weapons of war

2005-10-27T05:33:00.001-05:00

Jesus said faith can cast a mountain into the sea.
Satan says, "Silence sends souls to sheol."

the cricket

2005-04-15T00:55:00.000-05:00

Crickets sing in the night;

Their violins carol or dirge rather,
A chorus to accompany an awkward pause,
To cheer or rather to mock

My reading of her silence
Upon a canvas blackened of my sins.

(Verse 1) Blue Canary's self-interpretation of "Birdhouse in your Soul" by They Might Be Giants

2004-07-16T00:22:00.000-05:00

"Birdhouse in Your Soul" is my favorite tune by They Might Be Giants. It's not my only favorite, but it's at least a favorite. To be honest, I'm not sure if I really like it at all, but what it is, has been, and always will be...

My name is Blue Canary (I'll tell you how to spell that later). This pet project has been a bee in my bonnet for quite some time. Please bear with me as I exposit my song for you. It is quite puzzling lyrically speaking, but like a good nursery rhyme, you can enjoy it without understanding it. It can comfort you when you lie down at night and when you wake up in the morning. In fact, perhaps you'll sleep better if I didn't try to shed some lite on this well kept secret. But I insist you listen, even if it takes some time.

First things first. My lyrics are in the form of DIRECT-REVELATION from ME to YOU. Who am I? Good question. That might depend upon who you think YOU are. In anycase, I want you to trust me; that's the only way I can truly be your friend; that's the only way you can understand me.

My song begins as a RIDDLE:

[Verse 1]

1) a\ I'm your only friend
2) b/ I'm not your only friend
3) a\ But I'm a little glowing friend (c)
4) b/ But really I'm not actually your friend
5) ab= But I am (c)

The first thing you should know about me is how I (in each line) relate to being (i.e. 'am') your FRIEND (in the first 4 consecutive lines). Each line qualifies the preceeding line, beginning with a statement of friendship (a-thesis) followed by how I'm not such a friend (b-antithesis). This creates a paradoxical tension that begs to be resolved by the next statement (c-synthesis). But such a resolution may have its own problems begging to be resolved, ad infinitum. Furthermore, the particular tension or synthesis created with each passing line serves as a kind of index for the issues which will be elaborated in the rest of my song.

(Line Pair 1-2)
I define our social relationship in Lines 1 & 2 as a FRIENDSHIP considered first EXCLUSIVELY (a-thesis) and then INCLUSIVELY (b-antithesis). Line pair 1-2 forms a contrasting parallelism with the lexical pattern of "I'm [+/-] your only FRIEND". This is a contradiction on the surface, but rhetorically it gives occassion for phonetic emphasis upon the word "only" in "I'm not your only friend." Thus, in one sense our friendship is defined exclusively and in another sense it is inclusive. Socialogically this tension makes most sense if you consider my assertion in Line 1 as a jealous, possessive claim: "I'm the only one who deserves to be called your friend." Line 2 qualifies: "but you only consider me as one other friend." This implies a COMPETITION for the status of exclusive friendship. The condition of our relationship is really kind of depressing, but I'll do my best to persuade you to make a relatively more exclusive place for me in your life.

(Line 3) What kind of friend am I that warrants such exclusive attention? Confused by the abstract dialogue in Lines 1 & 2? Let me offer a concrete solution (c-sythesis). My VISUAL FORM will help you understand where I am coming from and reaffirm my friendly character (a-thesis). My form is so central to my self-disclosure, I've made it the centerpiece of my riddle: 1-2-(3)-4-5. The adjectives give you a visual clue: "I'm a little glowing FRIEND." Expecting something bigger and brighter? something with more glitter and glamour? You might find my image childish compared to your other friends, but I hope you're not too shocked. It is important for you to know that I am physically safe, even CHILD-SAFE. The form of my SIZE and LUMINOSITY is the really safest thing for you in your environment.

(Line 4) Safety first, but why should safety be so important for you? "But really, I'm not actually your FRIEND." To tell you the truth, in a fundamental sense, I'm actually not safe or friendly at all (b-antithesis). I speak in terms of "really" and "actually" because if our relationship is to be real it must be based upon the TRUTH about me, however uncomfortable that may be to you at first. The truth is that you will not properly respect and appreciate how SAFE I am, unless you also know how DANGEROUS I am. I am quite possessive; trust me, my safety precautions are for your good.

(Line 5 ) To sum everything up: "I am" (c-synthesis). Okay, well to be honest, Line 5 is actually an ambiguous junction serving both to complete the thought of lines 1-4, while at the same time introducing the chorus (I am...Blue Canary). However, its first function is to abruptly and unexpectedly finish the paragraph of thought. Notice the shift from the "I'm" contraction (in Lines 1-4) to its more emphatic form "I am". Secondly, notice that by dropping "FRIEND" it breaks the syntax structure of lines 1-4 ("I'm + (modifiers) + FRIEND"). Shifting from the conjunction form while dropping "friend" serves to affirm both the thesis (I am) and antithesis (not your friend), respectfully, by deliberately refusing to continue that dialogue syntactically.

The 8 beat musical pause before the chorus also supports a closure in thought as does the movement in melody. Both the chord of line 5 and tone "am" in line 5 returns to the tonic of line 1 after falling through lines 2-4.

Prospectively, the shorteness of line 5 is intended to be especially jarring given that each line from 1-4 grows in length. This shortness, plus the intonation-inflection from "I" to "am" expects the resolution of the chorus. It leaves you "hanging".

While this final "I am..." serves as a good introduction for my name "Blue Canary" in the chorus, it also serves as my NAME. Thus extending the thought of line 4: "I'm not actually your friend, but I am (who I am)." If you remember the Bible, "I AM" is the primary covenant name of God. (While you're at it, keep your Bible handy.) At a crucial point of self-disclosure in Exodus, God reveals his name to Moses to be a four-letter word YHWH, "I AM (who I AM)" or "I will be (who I will be)". Signifying both God's holy self-subsistence or aseity(ie. his nature is foreign to this creation and he depends only on himself) and his faithfulness to his covenant promises to his people (i.e. that he will remain with them for their welfare, security, and future). So, if my SIMPLE name leaves you hanging, it is because it carries INFINITE and ETERNAL significance. My name says it all.

Thus, my riddle can be seen as an allegory echoing the paradox of God's own self-revelation:

1) a\ God alone deserves to be called your friend (Lord & Savior)
2) b/ However, you consider him as one among other friends (idolatry)
3) a\ But His visual form is safe indeed (incarnation)
4) b/ But God is dangerous (holiness)
5) ab= He is one. there is none like Him (holy and faithful)

(To be continued...in the chorus)

"the exile" (Jan 2002)

2004-06-01T00:23:00.001-05:00

Who would've thought we'd see such a dawn, the blind of the scorch from the west?
What screeching sorrow muffles to the ear, a song in the silence of its rest,
When clenched mouth doth sour, and tongue the driest pallet doth taste,
Where all touch is lost and all pain is felt, no hand to hold, no hand.
Why, my Father, endure this stench of time? -- your Spirit knows.
How long will you hide your face?

Psalm 5 - purpose and method of study

2004-03-18T13:54:00.000-06:00

Pastor Scott asked me to lead the devotions for our men's prayer breakfast April 10th. We've been going through the Psalter and have reached Psalm 5. I intend to use this blog to trace my preparation for the devotional.

Study Procedure

First, I will spend time familiarizing myself with the psalm in the English. It will be important to refresh my memory on what a "psalm" is as a literary genre, and try to answer the question "what kind of psalm is this?" I will then proceed to analyze the Hebrew grammar noting any significant textual variants, and compare how various translations interpret the original (e.g. English translations, but also the Septuagint (LXX)). I will proceed to determine the poetic structure of the psalm, rhetorically and thematically. I will move into broader contextual issues that help me understand the meaning of the psalm in its canonical context (e.g. thematic or theological connections to adjacent psalms, how the psalm relates to the history of God's salvation, does it quote or allude to other Scriptures?) Then I will reflect upon how the psalm may speak to Christians, respecting how subsequent authors in Scripture use (or dialogue with) its text or theology to help us understand God's salvation in Christ, the identity of His people, and how we are to be faithful to His revelation.

To begin, here is the text of Psalm 5 (English Standard Version).

TEXT: Psalm 5:1-12 ESV
Psalm 5:1 TO THE CHOIRMASTER: FOR THE FLUTES. A PSALM OF DAVID. Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning.
2 Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray.
3 O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.
4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you.
5 The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.
6 You destroy those who speak lies; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
7 But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you.
8 Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me.
9 For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue.
10 Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you.
11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you.
12 For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a shield.

Sight Under Construction

2004-03-10T15:16:00.000-06:00

Now then, let's begin.
If you've come expecting answers here, why not be patient?
If you're still looking for a final draft, it's right there.

_r_o_w_ (.e.d.pyle.)

2003-12-05T18:26:00.000-06:00

_r_o_w_

(( [ur-BoaT] ))

( d )

( o )

( w )

( n )

(s (t (r (e) @) @)m )

:) :) :) :)

w@@@ter

f :o

l :0

s :O

@r @

@@@@@@@h! \\XX//

(see also pdf format)

love is a messy room

2002-02-14T16:05:00.000-06:00

Sometimes love is a messy room missing all its pretty flowers,

a fairy tale frozen from its first kiss,

a conversation never spoken...