Mark Calhoun

Rudy Rasmus and a Revolution of Love...

I first met Rudy about a year ago, in Nashville, at the School for Congregational Development... while his presence and nature are unforgettable, I will also never forget the glimpse we had of the size of his heart...

Here is a little video that Rudy shared with us on the closing day of our conference... Not sure why it came to my mind today, but here it is.

Understanding...

This week in worship we looked at the parable of the sower... Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23. I found myself gravitating toward verse 23 (But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it... ) as I studied this week and was struck by the word 'Understanding'. Obviously drawing a difference between just hearing something with a response or reaction, or actually coming to understand something. I suppose in the instances of theology and religion we think, often, about what we can come to understand about the Kingdom of God or even about the attributes and nature of God as we navigate the paths of our lives. The word, in this verse, for 'understand' is the Greek word suniemi {soon-ee'-ay-mee} meaning... to set or bring together, or to put the perception with the thing perceived, or to set or join together in the mind, or finally, as an idiom for a good and upright [person] having the knowledge of those things which pertain to salvation. I guess I like the image of the third entry the best...'to set or join together in the mind'. For some reason it seems to have more depth. Douglas Hare describes it this way... "Here [Matthew 13:23] 'understanding' refers not to intellectual awareness but to a moral commitment involving one's  inmost self. In this instance 'understand' implies acknowledgment of God's sovereignty." So, for us, I imagine that understanding is not a simple thing  but rather a complex exploration of a current, as well as future, reality. The challenge is to get into a rhythm of allowing ourselves to be transformed by a deeper understanding of the mysteries of faith. To me this seems to be more than a simple epistemological process... something deeper... something that is so profound that it shapes the core of who we are as a part of the created order... something that changes forever the way we think, feel, and act.

Thinking Theologically...

Here is a pretty good post from Dan Kimball about thinking theologically for ourselves and striving to be "self-feeders of scripture."