Conspiratorial

Notes Upon Leaving Chicago

Random Notes

So I'm moving to Oklahoma City next month. Clearing out my office, I came across a pile of paper scraps that I've written random thoughts on over the years and wanted to think about more...now I need to throw them away or take them with me. I'll note their contents down here for future use by me, or immediate use by you, and make use of the wonders of this digital bulletin board!

I apologize that some of them may be a but obscure...but then, I know what they mean.  :-þ

- Might God only reveal truth in the context of relationship?

- The original, the first, the True Story

- Investing time in people: more than just fishing for problems to solve in tehir lives? (vs. spending time)

- Value in "normal" things? - Did God make them?

- Does true doctrine inevitably leave itself open to legitimate criticism?

- Seeing God would mean an increase in faith, since faith is the evidence of things not seen.

• the pure in heart will see God
• add to your faith virtue, to virtue, knowledge

- If they see a supernatural working, it will increase their faith

• but what brings the faith initially? A pure heart?
• they could see a supernatural working, but not see God in it
• on the other hand, with a (pure heart?), they could see the supernatural hand of God in many various events...

- Beliefs dictate actions

- The Greeks were the first civilization to adopt a more abstract, naturalistic cosmology. Did they do that because of the failure of their gods in the Trojan War and after? (Divine Right of Kings)

• The end of histroy and the last man, Fukuyama
• a history of ancient Egypt, Grimal

- Is the basic Christian purpose to Know God or to Make Him Known?

• can you have one without the other?
• Re-stated: Should the Christian feel that he is fulfilling this or that purpose?

- How do you win the heart?

• characters who's heart changed
• Scripture that speaks of the heart
• the heart is the seat of belief
• how do you change your beliefs?

- That the great balance in life is to balance experience and reason: experiential truth with abstract truth (it seems like we choose God, but it makes more sense that he would choose us)

- The One True Story, More Love, The Next Step: Maturity, The Next Step: Revalational Knowledge, Learn to be Childish

- Does God do things because he has to or because he wants to?

- Trusting other's sense of God's will in their lives

- When most people say "truth is absolute", what they actually have in mind is a particular set of truths that they think are absolute

- "Faith is the victory that overcomes the world" - Victory = faith in the midst of an imperfect world: one that has sin in it; even has your own sin in it.

Joinin' ATI Released!

Joinin' ATI Released!

Luke Kallberg, in conjunction with Rocky Farm Studios, is pleased to announce the release of their newest album, Joinin' ATI, a celebration of the Christian life and unique memories of life and work at IBLP.

Tracks include the immortal Bachelors 'Till the Rapture original live recording from the Headquarters valentine's banquet 2002, the classic thriller ATI Goddess, and the title track Joinin' ATI. Interspersed are original songs focusing on the trials and joys of following Jesus in every-day life. The crowd-pleaser Ghost Chickens in the Sky is, of course, an added bonus.

Retail price is $5, shipping $2. For more information, message doctorluke. Complete track listing:

1. Cafe De L'Amour
2. Troubled Bridge
3. Dr. Fred is Turning 50!
4. You Know it’s Mr. Gothard
5. You Had to Let it Fly
6. ATI Goddess
7. The White Queen
8. Just A Start
9. To the One I Love
10. I’m The Squanderer
11. Bill’s Story
12. Young Jack Daniel
13. Cowboy That’s in Love
14. Eighteen Years Old
15. The Master Plan
16. Another World
17. Bachelors ‘Till the Rapture
18. My HQ Bonnie
19. Wisdom I Can’t See
20. Lament of a Spensaphile
21. Take Me Down to the Warehouse
22. Joinin’ ATI
23. Ghost Chickens in the Sky!

A sample is available in my audio blog.

How To Become A Christian

"How To Become A Christian"

from various passages

Two authors started me on the road to questioning the modern Evangelical Reformed mechanism for salvation: C. S. Lewis and Donald Miller. The explanation currently popular is basically some combination of "Believe and Repent". However, as I think about the steps the Bible tells us to go through, or steps it shows Bible characters going through, I find that it's much more mysterious than that. Certainly, Believe and Repent are in there, as well as Accept and Receive. But check out this list:

Follow Jesus - Mt. 4:19

Believe in Jesus Christ - Acts 16:31

a). Receive him and b). Believe in his name - Jn. 1:12

a). Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and b). Believe in your heart that he resurrected - Rom 10:9

Repent - Acts 17:30/ 2 Cor. 7:10

Be baptized - Acts 8:36

Listen to someone preach about things Jesus did, then start speaking in tongues - Acts 10:44

a). Repent and b). Be baptized - Acts 2:37-38

Sell your posessions and follow Jesus - Lk. 18:22

Love God - 1 Cor. 2:9

Continue in Jesus' word - Jn. 8:30

a). Know Christ and b) Believe God's promises - 2 Pet. 1:2-4

Walk in the light - 1 Jn. 1:7

Open the door to Jesus - Rev. 3:20

Abide in love - 1 Jn. 4:16

In all, fifteen different mechanisms, some combining each other in different ways. In context, each of these are presented as the way to become a "Christian". I'm not coming to any definite conclusion at this point, but I do think it's apparent that many people in the modern Church have over-simplified the Gospel.

A Little Introspection from Taiwan

May I Indulge in a little Introspection?

(I just finshed writing the following for an IBLP newsletter: I don't know if they'll use it, but after spending all that time I might as well see if I can get someone else to think about it too! I dunno, I suppose I didn't talk enough about "ministry" stuff that I did. But as I thought about what God brought me through, this was the truth that I had to tell about it.)

  My sister Naomi and I planned ever since last February to be part of the CI trip to Taiwan/Hong Kong this year…mostly because of our amazing experiences during the first two trips we had joined. We’ve done a number of short-term missions trips with IBLP, and the expectation would be that we would get into a rut; that the work would become routine and expectable. But that was not the case.

  I think I have found that the greatest lesson I learn while on missions trips to Taiwan and elsewhere is valuing other people...because I value Christ. Projects will soon become routine: but people are always new, always challenge me to give myself up for them by giving myself up for Christ.

  In past years, there have been great opportunities to build lasting friendships with native Taiwanese people, and I looked forward to continuing those relationships and also making a connection with new friends. Yet as the four-week trip progressed, I found myself grasping and failing to find fulfillment and purpose in being there. The greatest sense of accomplishment and worth comes when I meet a challenge that is nearly too much, but I feel Christ hold me up in the midst of it. But this year, everything seemed familiar and cozy. Particularly teaching C.I. small groups, I felt like I was unable to reach students because I was doing all the same old things that I had done before.

  During the third week, in Taipei, God convicted me of my lack of love for others: students, fellow teachers, and friends in the area. I recognized just how much I was focusing on the process of teaching rather than reveling in the people God was bringing across my path.

  If becoming proficient in lesson-teaching was taking the challenge out of the C.I., it could only mean that my vision was limited to teaching lessons – rather than touching and changing the lives of students and co-workers! Ouch!

  I’d like to say that everything snapped into place from then on, but the truth is that it continued to be a struggle. God allowed me to feel increasing love and compassion for my precious young students, but I constantly was conscious of my apathy and lack of vision for being there. As I clung more desperately to Christ, reaching and pleading to see his hand in my life, I slowly began to have renewed motivation to inspire the same in others. And as I wanted it more, I realized how much I was lacking.

  As God worked on me in this area, I sometimes felt somewhat like an unregenerate Hippie, but, hey, that has it's fun times as well (In Hong Kong, Tim Chen asked a Role Call question that everyone had to give their answer to: "What would you like to accomplish in life?" All I could answer was "I want to love somebody.")

  I did finally begin to see God’s hand in unexpected blessings and impossibly timed coincidences; in the glowing thanks of parents whose children were already changing for the better at home. I continue to see it in the fruit being born in the lives of those I’m still keeping in touch with.

  But for me, the story of Taiwan/Hong Kong 2007 is one of becoming hungry and thirsty for righteousness, of counting all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ. The experiences of this trip brought me, more than ever, to desire God’s control in my life, rather than my own.