Relational Theology

A few years ago I aspired to read 100 books in a year. I fell just short of the mark and if I remember correctly I read 92 books. This year I want to do more writing, but at the same time I want to be widely read. Therefore, I’m setting as my goal to read 50 books this year. To assist in both my writing and reading I’ve decided to dedicate my Monday blogs to reviews of a recently read books.

Last week I dug into Relational Theology: A Contemporary Introduction. I was already somewhat familiar with relational theology and wondered if this introductory book on the topic would simply be a refresher. It didn’t take me long to realize that although introductory in nature this book was a fresh mine of golden nuggets.

It is made up of 32 short (2-4 pages) essays by a variety of authors. I stormed through the book in a week, in retrospect that was way too fast. I have determined that the best way to read this book is to treat it as a devotional and read one chapter a day and then contemplate on what was read. I intend to reread it as such.

The greatest achievement of this book is the wide lens through which this topic is looked at. The authors range from members of the Church of the Nazarene to those with Catholic roots and Quaker backgrounds. The book has both men and women authors. Relational Theology is written by seminary deans, professors and pastors. This book is for everyone—the layman to the doctoral student—everyone will get something out of it.

I highly recommend it if you have the slightest interest in the way that God and humans are intricately involved in a relationship.

For further reading about this book from one of the editors follow this link Relational Theology

Voice of the Other

This blog post was born after reading Joe Skillen's blog (Joe is one of the smartest people I know) this morning. This is not a rebuttal to his blog, but a reminder that we need to consider the voice of the other. To get what I mean you might want to read his blog first. Here is the link: Skilly's Scribbles  

I saw a new Planet Fitness commercial the other day, this one contained a female bodybuilder. They portrayed her as ignorant and extremely masculine. I have really grown to hate the way Planet Fitness makes fun of bodybuilders. What makes it more frustrating is that Planet Fitness claims to be non-judgmental. After reading Joe's blog I thought about the connection between Planet Fitness' claims to be non-judgmental and the church's claims to be non-judgmental.

Both really try to accommodate the masses. However, in accommodating the masses and attempting to be non-judgmental to them they alienate the fringes of society. And, sadly, both have poked fun at the fringes in their attempt to show that they are not judgmental to those who look and act like the majority. Where does this leave those on the edges--how does it make them feel?

I would never step foot in a Planet Fitness, sadly this makes me understand why so many make the same claim about the church :-(

Miracle???

I am really skeptical and I hate that I am. When I hear about an amazing miracle I tilt my head and wonder whose leg is getting pulled. Don't get me wrong I totally believe in miracles, but sometimes I think we call a foothill a mountain just to strengthen our testimony. I say this as I contemplate what happened to me in the wee hours of Sunday morning...

I woke up at 2 am to the sound of Milo whining outside my door. He was either cold and wanted to cuddle or scared because the dishwasher had turned on. Either way I got up to let him in and as I made my way to the bedroom door I became aware of a pain in my right lower back. I let Milo in and went to the restroom where I experienced a burning sensation. The pain in my lower back was getting worse so I grabbed a handful of aspirin and swallowed them. I returned to the bedroom, pushed Milo over and crawled under the covers. I laid there for about 5 minutes wondering what this pain could be and why was it getting progressively worse. For the next 2 hours I repeatedly got up, laid down, got up, tried to use the restroom, walked around, cursed the pain and tried to lay down again. I pulled out my iPad and searched WebMD for possible reasons and solutions for the pain: muscle strain, urinary infection, kidney stone, gonorrhea, etc... It felt like the kidney stone I had a year ago so I self diagnosed it as such. The internet offered no quick fix or solution other than waiting for it to pass (this too shall pass). 

At 4 am I frantically searched the house for a better pain killer, but none was to be found. I wondered if the oxycodone dealer on the corner would still be working (I don't know if there is really a dealer, but I did wonder if I could find one). I grabbed a bottle of ibuprofen and downed a handful of them (I'm bigger then most people so the normal dosages don't apply). For the next hour I debated, usually in a hunched over position, if I should go to the emergency room. I worried if I didn't make it back in time who would teach my Sunday school class and who would preach the morning message. Finally the pain was more than I was willing to handle and I grabbed my car keys (Catherine volunteered to drive me, but I waved her away--after all my dad drove himself to the hospital after his first heart attack).

I got into my Focus and thought this is stupid, I should let Catherine drive me, but pulled out anyway. It was then that I realized I had spent the whole week preparing for a sermon on Hope in Jesus that I was going to preach that morning and I had not practiced it. I sought hope in a pill bottle, self-help, the internet, but had not even given it serious prayer. So I started praying for relief.

I got about a mile away when the pain started going away. Two miles away I turned around and came home because the pain was nearly gone.
Did all the pain meds finally kick in?
Did the stone stop moving?
Did the awkward position of sitting in the car help?
Was it the miracle of prayers answered? 

I don't know...all I know is before I prayed I was pretty sure I was dying and after I prayed I went home and all was better.