Me? Are you sure?

Ever get the feeling that you had been asked (called, prevailed upon, singled out, required) to do something you (1) didn't feel adequate to do, and/or (2) thought somebody else could do better? Yeah, me too.
Maybe, though, I am up to the task. Maybe I should get past that first-blush objection. Maybe I really do have the skill, the energy, the tenacity, the deep-down ability to do this thing! There are other things I have done that are something like what I'm being asked to do now...maybe I can recall how I accomplished those jobs and make some application here.
And, I have friends! Maybe I could call in a few or many of them to consult with me on what looms ahead. Maybe one or more of them could actually offer expert instruction. Or, maybe one of them could give me a really inspiring pep-talk about how I can do this thing...and do it well, in fact!
Maybe, come to find out, I am the only person who can do what is being asked of me. Maybe the work is so personal that I alone can accomplish it. Maybe God, or the Fates, or my family, or my community sees in me something worthy of this calling that has been foisted upon me.
Maybe its just you-n-me, God. Maybe its best if I just stop thinking about it, worrying about it, stalling around...and get to it! If I don't get to it now, who knows, lightning may not strike here again!

The Bible? What?

Interesting question from a webinar a friend participated in recently (question posed by Brian McLaren): "What do we mean when we say the Bible is authoritative?"
Yeah, what do we mean? First, I think it would be near impossible to get too many people to agree on a satisfactory answer to that question. Second, now we can probably tackle the question.
Does every word in the Bible have authority over my life? No way! Argue all you want about how the Hebrew Scriptures are to be considered relevant for today, but I'm not gonna stone anybody! I have no idea what to make of the stories about God actually killing or ordering the killing of human beings! Even though its forbidden, I am going to get the hair on my temples cut at Great Clips today! You get the point...there are some major chunks of the Bible that I do not consider authoritative in any way, shape, or form.
There are portions of the New Testament I do not consider relevant to life in my world today, either.
So, Brian McLaren, here is my answer to your really good question: I consider the best of the Bible to be authoritative. And for me, the best of the Bible is the life and teaching of Jesus.
I am a big fan of Jesus' graceful way of living and his sobering challenges to our thinking and acting. For me, the Bible gets us to Jesus and then leaves us alone to encounter him for the rest of our lives.

Probably many...certainly many, ideas that seemed good at the time have proven not to be good ideas for all times. We could compile a long list of such ideas. We would all be able to add to the list because we have all been the victims or the perpetrators of such ideas.

One such idea is this: that one religious format fits all people, in all places, and in all times. Cookie-cutter religion is sometimes laughable. It is sometimes dangerous. It is sometimes hurtful. My experience of Creator and Redeemer can never be your experience of Creator and Redeemer. And even if our experiences of Creator and Redeemer are similar, they cannot be expected to be every one's experiences.

It might seem like a good idea to reduce faith to a short list of simple rules but I would suggest that this does not allow for the personal experience of God (as Creator and Redeemer)by each man, woman, and child.

I hope that in my preaching and in my living I am leaving room for individual experiences of God that are similar to mine and different than mine. Probably, I do not do as good a job at this as I could. So it would be a good idea if I were to be more intentional about it.

That seems like a good idea.

In the Prime of Life

I'm not sure when the prime of my life was...or if it hasn't already been, then I'm not sure when it will be. I don't think I'm in it right now. I am in possession of a Medicare Card. I am not all that many years away from mandatory retirement. I cannot yet come close to shooting my age in golf. I recently suffered my first broken bone. That bone was broken in my first motorcycle accident in the 45 years that I have been riding. (It wasn't a bad accident at all, and I am going to recover just fine...and fully.)
I wonder when "the prime of life" comes for each of us. I wonder what it looks like. What it feels like. I wonder if I will know it when it arrives. Will my outlook on life be more positive when I'm in my prime? Will I be a better father? Will my faith deepen and maybe make a bit more sense? Will those closest to me be able to detect my prime and advise me of its arrival?
Maybe I will be in the prime of my life when I have more answers than I have questions. Could that be true, do you think?