Mail Archive of the old Santa Clara Valley Lutheran Parish

I adjure you by the Lord that this letter be read to all the brethren. (Thessalonians 5:27)
Subject: Devotions by Jim Clark-Moore
Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:42:40 -0800
From: "Bea Chun" <pastorchun@cgslc.org>
Received-SPF: pass (google.com: domain of pastorchun@cgslc.org designates 216.239.128.26 as permitted sender) client-ip=216.239.128.26;
From: "Bea Chun" <pastorchun@cgslc.org>
To: "SCVLP Pastors' Group" <scvlp@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Devotions by Jim Clark-Moore
Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:42:40 -0800
Message-ID: <CCEA68419E20463095CCBD2257BB86F0@CGSPASTOR>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
	boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0095_01C97730.49676C20"
Thread-Index: Acl3c1VNf6basM0kSAOTcgn0qmczKA==

------=_NextPart_000_0095_01C97730.49676C20
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Several years ago, The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs was given to
me as a Christmas present. Once put on the shelf, it became one of the many
projects on the "to do" list that never got crossed off, until about four
months ago. Four months ago I had a rather animated conversation with a
friend of mine about the interpretation of scripture. He approaches the text
from the law and I from the gospel. It was this conversation that prompted
me to put The Year of Living Biblically at the top of the list and read it. 

What Jacobs attempts to do, is to follow the Bible as literally as possible
for a year.  He tackles this, one passage at a time. Everything: He
practices being thankful; he blows a rams horn on the first of the month (Ps
81:3), he tries to find an unblemished heifer (Nm 19:2); he discovers
Sojourners magazine (Lk 6:20); he visits snake handlers ((Mk 16:18); he
sends a female pigeon away so he can take her egg (Dt 22:6); he even tries
to stone someone (using pebbles and dropping them on their feet). He
crisscrosses the country trying to do this. Along the way some interesting
things happen. 

There are several personal transformations that occur. The most monumental
is that A.J goes from being an atheist to being an agnostic. He also
discovers that he enjoys prayer. He finds that being grateful is healthy and
keeps him rejoicing. He overcomes a fear of people of faith as well.  He
discovers the phrase, "Cafeteria Christianity." This is a derisive term used
by some fundamentalist to describe the moderate Christians. Moderates move
along the serving line of theology and take what fits their life style. He
states that this view exists within the Jewish community as well. 

And while these discoveries of his were interesting to me, I found one of
his conclusions to be most interesting. What A.J. concludes is that we are
all in the "cafeteria," one-way or another. He discovers that even the
strictest of the fundamentalist can't keep all of the laws; that we all pick
and choose, and that's ok. What is important is not that we are choosing,
but rather what we choose. Do we choose compassion? Do we choose to love our
neighbor? While I found that this was refreshing, it did not remove all of
my concerns with my buddy's view of the law. Then I got a phone call. 

A friend called whom, though a man of faith had really strayed. He has been
slowly slipping over the last five years. Working less, becoming more
depressed, leading a more deviant lifestyle, and when he called, was on the
verge of homelessness.  And yet he was joyous! He had started attending a
Bible study at a very conservative church and loves it. He quotes verses. He
no longer worries about what was going to happen to him because he told me
that the worst thing that could happen is death, and then he'd be in heaven.
What an amazing change! 

In the middle of him telling me this I almost interrupted him to point out
that following all of these rules that he had gotten from his study
(memorizing so many verses, attending so many hours etc.) was not necessary,
when I realized that for him, it was. He needs the structure. He needs the
"manual" to guide him. And I realized that that's ok. I realized that some
of us need the structure found in scripture and some of us need the freedom
found in scripture. And so, I listened, celebrated with him, and thanked
God. 

 


------=_NextPart_000_0095_01C97730.49676C20
Content-Type: text/html;
	charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<html xmlns:o=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w=3D"urn:sc=
hemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns=3D"http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">

<head>
<META HTTP-EQUIV=3D"Content-Type" CONTENT=3D"text/html; charset=3Dus-ascii"=
>
<meta name=3DGenerator content=3D"Microsoft Word 11 (filtered medium)">
<style>
<!--
 /* Style Definitions */
 p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
=09{margin:0in;
=09margin-bottom:.0001pt;
=09font-size:12.0pt;
=09font-family:"Times New Roman";}
p.MsoBodyTextIndent, li.MsoBodyTextIndent, div.MsoBodyTextIndent
=09{margin:0in;
=09margin-bottom:.0001pt;
=09text-indent:.5in;
=09line-height:150%;
=09font-size:12.0pt;
=09font-family:"Times New Roman";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
=09{color:blue;
=09text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
=09{color:purple;
=09text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
=09{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
=09font-family:Arial;
=09color:windowtext;}
@page Section1
=09{size:8.5in 11.0in;
=09margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;}
div.Section1
=09{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>

</head>

<body lang=3DEN-US link=3Dblue vlink=3Dpurple>

<div class=3DSection1>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-indent:.5in;line-height:150%'><font size=
=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%'>=
Several
years ago, <i><u><span style=3D'font-style:italic'>The Year of Living Bibli=
cally</span></u></i>
by A.J. Jacobs was given to me as a Christmas present. Once put on the shel=
f,
it became one of the many projects on the &#8220;to do&#8221; list that nev=
er
got crossed off, until about four months ago. Four months ago I had a rathe=
r
animated conversation with a friend of mine about the interpretation of
scripture. He approaches the text from the law and I from the gospel. It wa=
s
this conversation that prompted me to put <i><span style=3D'font-style:ital=
ic'>The
Year of Living Biblically</span></i> at the top of the list and read it. <o=
:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-indent:.5in;line-height:150%'><font size=
=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%'>=
What
Jacobs attempts to do, is to follow the Bible as literally as possible for =
a
year.&nbsp; He tackles this, one passage at a time. Everything: He practice=
s being
thankful; he blows a rams horn on the first of the month (Ps 81:3), he trie=
s to
find an unblemished heifer (Nm 19:2); he discovers <i><span style=3D'font-s=
tyle:
italic'>Sojourners</span></i> magazine (Lk 6:20); he visits snake handlers =
((Mk
16:18); he sends a female pigeon away so he can take her egg (Dt 22:6); he =
even
tries to stone someone (using pebbles and dropping them on their feet). He
crisscrosses the country trying to do this. Along the way some interesting
things happen. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoBodyTextIndent><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%'>There are several personal
transformations that occur. The most monumental is that A.J goes from being=
 an
atheist to being an agnostic. He also discovers that he enjoys prayer. He f=
inds
that being grateful is healthy and keeps him rejoicing. He overcomes a fear=
 of
people of faith as well.&nbsp; He discovers the phrase, &#8220;Cafeteria
Christianity.&#8221; This is a derisive term used by some fundamentalist to
describe the moderate Christians. Moderates move along the serving line of
theology and take what fits their life style. He states that this view exis=
ts
within the Jewish community as well. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoBodyTextIndent><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%'>And while these discoveries of =
his
were interesting to me, I found one of his conclusions to be most interesti=
ng.
What A.J. concludes is that we are all in the &#8220;cafeteria,&#8221; one-=
way
or another. He discovers that even the strictest of the fundamentalist
can&#8217;t keep all of the laws; that we all pick and choose, and that&#82=
17;s
ok. What is important is not that we <i><span style=3D'font-style:italic'>a=
re</span></i>
choosing, but rather <i><span style=3D'font-style:italic'>what</span></i> w=
e
choose. Do we choose compassion? Do we choose to love our neighbor? While I
found that this was refreshing, it did not remove all of my concerns with m=
y
buddy&#8217;s view of the law. Then I got a phone call. <o:p></o:p></span><=
/font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-indent:.5in;line-height:150%'><font size=
=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%'>=
A friend
called whom, though a man of faith had really strayed. He has been slowly
slipping over the last five years. Working less, becoming more depressed,
leading a more deviant lifestyle, and when he called, was on the verge of
homelessness.&nbsp; And yet he was joyous! He had started attending a Bible=
 study at
a very conservative church and loves it. He quotes verses. He no longer wor=
ries
about what was going to happen to him because he told me that the worst thi=
ng
that could happen is death, and then he&#8217;d be in heaven. What an amazi=
ng
change! <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-indent:.5in;line-height:150%'><font size=
=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%'>=
In the
middle of him telling me this I almost interrupted him to point out that
following all of these rules that he had gotten from his study (memorizing =
so
many verses, attending so many hours etc.) was not necessary, when I realiz=
ed
that for him, it was. He needs the structure. He needs the &#8220;manual&#8=
221;
to guide him. And I realized that that&#8217;s ok. I realized that some of =
us
need the structure found in scripture and some of us need the freedom found=
 in
scripture. And so, I listened, celebrated with him, and thanked God. <o:p><=
/o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span style=3D'font-size:1=
0.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>

</div>

</body>

</html>

------=_NextPart_000_0095_01C97730.49676C20--
Information...

Last updated 2025-09-18 13:29:00 by Webmaster
Mail Archive of the old Santa Clara Valley Lutheran Parish

Message Archive Navigation

Information...
