Nathan Stam
Children/Communications Pastor
Recently, in our chronological Bible reading plan, we've been reading through the Book of Job. Just the other day I saw a video that totally brought to mind these verses where God is speaking to Job in Chapter 41:
Or can you pull in the sea beast, Leviathan, with a fly rod and stuff him in your creel?
Can you lasso him with a rope,
or snag him with an anchor?
Will he beg you over and over for mercy,
or flatter you with flowery speech?
Will he apply for a job with you
to run errands and serve you the rest of your life?
Will you play with him as if he were a pet goldfish?
Will you make him the mascot of the neighborhood children?
Will you put him on display in the market
and have shoppers haggle over the price?
Could you shoot him full of arrows like a pin cushion,
or drive harpoons into his huge head?
If you so much as lay a hand on him,
you won't live to tell the story.
What hope would you have with such a creature?
Why, one look at him would do you in!
If you can't hold your own against his glowering visage,
how, then, do you expect to stand up to me?
Who could confront me and get by with it?
I'm in charge of all this--I run this universe!
Here's the video if you haven't already seen it. Beautiful. Stunning. (Watch it in high-res if you can)
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
The Creek Church Interview (Part 1)
This is the first part of an interview done with Matt Rice, Lead Pastor, of the Creek Church in Cary, NC (an ABC Church Plant). In this installment, Matt shares where The Creek came from and where they are today. Check it out!
Stay tuned next week for Part Two of our interview!
Stay tuned next week for Part Two of our interview!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
But What Does It Mean?
Nathan Stam
Children/Communications Pastor
It always frustrates me when I wonder what a lyric to a particular song means and I try to search out the answer from the artist, generally somewhere on the internet. The typical answer is something like this: "It means whatever you want it to mean," or "I don't like to answer that question because I don't want to limit the song to a certain meaning. I want people to be able to interpret it however they like." This suggests that the artist would like their lyrics to speak to everyone and that the meaning changes based on the listener and their particular needs.
But that drives me crazy! I don't care what I think a lyric means, or that it means something different to everyone, I want to know what the musician intended. What was the context for the song? Why did they write it? There was obviously a reason!
(That's why I appreciate Sleeping at Last. They frequently write on where lyrics and ideas for their songs are born, and I am thankful! For example, the line "hold your breath and count to 28" isn't just random and means whatever I want it to mean as a listener. The line is referencing an elevator ride to the 28th floor that emphasizes how uncomfortable we are when we get on elevators with strangers and there is that awkward silence as we count down the floors till we get off.)
Taking this one step further the same principle applies to the Bible. Have you ever been in a Bible Study where you have read a passage and then gone around the circle sharing what the passage means to you? We have to be careful here because Scripture doesn't mean whatever we want it to mean, or whatever we're feeling at the time, as if it was written in order to meet our felt-needs.
The question we should be asking is what did the author of a particular passage, divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit, intend for his words to mean? There are a lot of factors involved in that discussion, but that is what we're after--what is the author's intention in his original context? With that being said, while there is one interpretation, there are many applications, and that's where we can do our best to apply the meaning of the text to our lives in 21st century America. But those applications should always flow naturally from the meaning of the text.
Children/Communications Pastor
It always frustrates me when I wonder what a lyric to a particular song means and I try to search out the answer from the artist, generally somewhere on the internet. The typical answer is something like this: "It means whatever you want it to mean," or "I don't like to answer that question because I don't want to limit the song to a certain meaning. I want people to be able to interpret it however they like." This suggests that the artist would like their lyrics to speak to everyone and that the meaning changes based on the listener and their particular needs.
But that drives me crazy! I don't care what I think a lyric means, or that it means something different to everyone, I want to know what the musician intended. What was the context for the song? Why did they write it? There was obviously a reason!
(That's why I appreciate Sleeping at Last. They frequently write on where lyrics and ideas for their songs are born, and I am thankful! For example, the line "hold your breath and count to 28" isn't just random and means whatever I want it to mean as a listener. The line is referencing an elevator ride to the 28th floor that emphasizes how uncomfortable we are when we get on elevators with strangers and there is that awkward silence as we count down the floors till we get off.)
Taking this one step further the same principle applies to the Bible. Have you ever been in a Bible Study where you have read a passage and then gone around the circle sharing what the passage means to you? We have to be careful here because Scripture doesn't mean whatever we want it to mean, or whatever we're feeling at the time, as if it was written in order to meet our felt-needs.
The question we should be asking is what did the author of a particular passage, divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit, intend for his words to mean? There are a lot of factors involved in that discussion, but that is what we're after--what is the author's intention in his original context? With that being said, while there is one interpretation, there are many applications, and that's where we can do our best to apply the meaning of the text to our lives in 21st century America. But those applications should always flow naturally from the meaning of the text.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Going Deeper Bible Reading Plan
Several of you have asked if we are doing another Bible Reading plan for 2011 and the answer is: YES! In 2011 we will be reading through the Bible chronologically, which I am extremely excited about! You can go to the Going Deeper page by clicking here to access a downloadable PDF that has all the readings for the next 365 days. (YouVersion also offers a great FREE app for your phone or mobile device that includes this chronological reading plan. It's very helpful because it helps you keep track of where you are and it also provides you with "Catch Up" days in case you miss a few readings. Check out the app here!)
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