Lofbomm.com

Maybe….

What’s on the minds of these kids, anyway?I wonder just how different their world is from my world at that age? I was was amazed to learn that the internet was still in its infancy my freshman year. I saw a couple of images a couple of weeks ago from Yahoo! and Amazon circa 1993, and there were scarcely any images at all. Anyway, the internet has got to be a huge influence on their mindset, even moreso than my own. It is surely forming them as much as it is informing them. What’s it like to have a mind molded amidst hypertext? Well, hyper, no doubt. And insatiable. There are, after all, no ends, no finales, no finishes, no THE ENDs to speak of out there in cyberspace. By neccessity it is organic, shifting, flowing, ebbing, utterly interconnected and interdependent. But, I believe it is wired into our nature to come to the end of it from time to time. We are made craving finality, closure, accomplishment- the periodic end of the cycle that gives us an opportunity to reflect, process, digest. But how could they be digesting when the meal has no discernible final course in sight? And, like the metabolism adjusts its processing power in response to plenty or want, in an information-rich environment the mind adapts and even becomes dependent. Info-noise and data gluttony become the default state. So, in such an environment, one cannot help but know a lot and understand very little about all of it. So, back to the important question- just what will I find is running through these students’ minds and what then is the best way to go about equipping thm to love and serve Our Lord? Maybe I’ll Google that question or something…

—Adam

I came across a mention of the mystery of Christ, and the words really hit me like never before. As I was in that moment of understanding, the following theme sort of erupted out of my mind:

None in the Body shold merely repeat ‘the mystery of Christ.’ All should be led to the mera-rationality of Christ reasonably. Each believer should be led, step-by-step, through what about Christ makes sense rationally (his historicity, his accuracy in describing the human condition, the efficacy of the Gospel in human transformation, etc.) and up to the points at which rationale is utterly powerless to pin Him down. Then, we can stand in authentic awe and proclaim the mystery of Christ, not by rote or repetition, but in all confidence and power.

Mind you, this admonition is directed primarily at me. I hunger for that sort of thorough grasp and understanding of who and what He is, to truly apprehend him with mind and soul.

—Adam

Indiana is wierd.

Our_Jetta
Originally uploaded by lofbomm.

We just drove this beauty off the lot tonight here in Illinois. We totally love Jessica’s new car! It’s a 1997 GLS model and we got it for a sweet 3800 smackeroos. How about that? Now we get to take her on a road trip back to Tennessee tomorrow.

Excited
Originally uploaded by lofbomm.

Yes indeedy, it’s working, it’s working!

July_4_cropped1
Originally uploaded by lofbomm.

I am trying out his program called Flikr. I’ve been having loads of problems getting Hello from Picasa to work, though it is such a slick looking little app. Maybe this will do it right…

It’s a beautiful morning once again, and although I am a little frustrated with my lack of technological savvy at the moment, life is wonderful nonetheless. Today I am acutely aware of the fact that I have been given the world and more.

Today is my Mom’s birthday and yesterday was my dear friend Daniel’s- two of my very favorite people in the world, and I’d like to wish them both a very happy birthday and many blessings on this next year- may it be the very best year of their lives.

Jessica and I had a great time last night worshipping with the youth at The Edge. Jessica actually led the singing and it worked out really well. The whole night was such a refreshing and redeemed experience. We had both gotten all stupid and stressed out just before we began, because there were a lot of loose ends and it was our first time helping to lead the program- we just lost sight of the big picture and totally forgot to trust that God was actually running the show. Once everyone was assembled and began to sing, the tension just dissolved. Even though we didn’t have the PowerPoint lyrics, and even though we didn’t have the regular guitar player, and even though nothing was as polished as could be we still survived, even thrived. It seemed to me that more were singing this week than other weeks where everything was in place.

Then Landon Dowden , who is a brilliant man and dear brother from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, got up and delivered a thoroughly effective message to all of us. Landon had told me the day before that he was writing his doctoral dissertation on the topic of Spirit and the preaching of the Word, and I am convinced that he is very worthy to write on the subject- his message was so powerful, and loving, and challenging and true. I was deeply affected by the tour that we took through II Corinthians 5.

In particular, Landon highlighted Paul’s challenge that, “we regard no one from a wordly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.” (v. 16) When we go about our daily business, we do so in a world of immortals, not the small, mechanistic and meaningless world of the prevailing, reductionistic, materialism. Humanists invent human worth out of the air, but the Christian need only look toward eternity to find the meaning and worth of each person they meet. The redeemed mind, the redeemed eyes are to be totally transformed. Our categories, our perspectives, our expectations of reality are to be totally transformed in the light of The Logos Made Flesh. It echoed the following passage from C.S. Lewis that has been bouncing around inside my brain a lot lately:

“It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ‘ordinary’ people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilisations — these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whome we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit — immortal horrors or everlasting splendours.”
-The Weight of Glory

As an aside, Landon talked about being in the Will of God as an aspect of this transformation. He told the story of a young, married couple that spent their one year anniversary on the mission field in Iraq. The husband was eventually killed in a roadside bombing. At the funeral his wife spoke of the goodness of God and shared that her husband’s perspective, when asked about the danger of going, had been, “We could die in a carwreck in Raleigh- the safest place to be is in the center of God’s will.” That is what it looks like to “regard no one,” not even ourselves, “from a wordly point of view.”

“If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind it is for you. For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.” (v. 13-14) This mindset Paul describes is truly countercultural, truly radical. I had to ask myself, just how well am I “out of my mind” for God or “in my right mind” for others? So often I put God in a little, rational, wordly box and find myself “out of my mind,” seeing others according to selfish and petty paradigms. Further, am I compelled by Christ’s love or am I compelled by fear? Fear of condemnation, fear of failure, fear of humiliation, fear of lonliness? I can see clearly now that to grow as a believer is to be increasingly animated by Christ’s love, increasingly oblivious to the compulsions of fear.

Lastly, I was challenged by our call to be “Christ’s ambassadors” (v. 20) We are citizens of another country, visiting this world as representatives. Our message to this foreign nation is this, at its heart: “We implore you on Christ’s behalf: be reconciled to God…now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation. ” (v. 5:20-6:2)

We wrapped up this fantastic evening of worship with a visit from Terry and June Neu. it was so wonderful to see them again. Terry and June work for the US Center for World Mission, and were the facilitators for the Perspectives on The World Christian Movement course Jessica and I took last fall. They are going to be doing a 13 week course on reaching Islam for Christ here at First Baptist Nashville this fall, and I asked them to stop by our youth worship so we could talk about using some of their resources for our youth missions training this spring. They are both such authentic people and totally committed to giving all they have to the cause of completing the Great Commission. There is a special bond between people that are called to missionary work, and the four of us spent more than an hour catching up, comparing notes and basking in the divine lunacy that we share. Terry and June have a vision and a fervent prayer that God will redeem all of the Mormons and Muslims this year. They are not kidding either- they are simply living in the understanding that God is much bigger than our puny expectations of Him. Redeemed, transformed minds dream dreams that are madness to the rest of the world.

—Adam

This is the very first experimental test in setting up a blog at lofbomm.com. I certainly hope it works, because I am ready to start sharing our thoughts with the world!