I’m going to give this a try. If you like The Master’s Table, follow this link to became a fan on Facebook. I’ve put this off for a long time out of a deep rooted fear that no one likes this site. I’m only half joking.
Category Archives: blogging
I’d Like to Give a Shoutout
It’s always a pleasure to make new friends. Amanda, author of Theologigal, left a comment yesterday and I was introduced to her site for the first time. The religious blogosphere is pretty much a man’s world, but she has just started blogging theology and is off to a fine start.
In Mere Churchianity (haven’t finished reading it yet) Michael Spencer makes a distinction between being a follower of Jesus and following a particular church. There is certainly a church culture, and it can be a distraction at times (or all the time) from what is really important. Daniel is the author of Non Religious Christian, a blog devoted to taking the “religion” out of following the Christ. I checked out his blog and found my button there. Thanks for the link love.
I think these blogs are worth a look into, and in the next couple of days I will take the time to add them to the blog roll. BTW, The Joy of Grace (thank you Sonny) has a Master’s Table button as well. Just wanted to acknowledge I noticed.
On the Lighter Side (4)
It’s been a while since we had a post on the lighter side; these are meant to give us a break from things that are too heavy. Enjoy the following comic from Non Sequitur. I think this is the true life story of Michael Spencer.
(click the pic to see full size in high quality)
To Ourselves and our Posterity
I’m going out on a limb here. Maybe it’s getting late and this will just be the Diet Pepsi talking, but I would like to share a thought.
I recently met a blogger named Joe Derbes, author of Everyone’s Entitled to Joe’s Opinion. I don’t know how much of an influence Michael Spencer was to him, but his blogroll credits Michael with being his new favorite Christian author. I have certainly said before that I blog because of Michael Spencer. I know that one student of Mr. Spencer says the same thing. How many others are there? The Internet was teeming with tributes to Michael in the days following his passing. How many people out there blog, or perhaps blog with a different message or purpose, as a direct result of the original Internet Monk?
I can’t write a new post without considering how Michael would evaluate that installment. I miss the constructive criticism; he made me a better writer. He helped shaped my current view of systematic theology. And tonight I can’t help but think of this: that’s kind of like Jesus. Jesus taught multitudes of people, and 12 in particular were privy to special teachings, prayers and examples. Jesus taught them, told them to follow in his footsteps, and then left them. Two of the disciples wrote Gospels (and perhaps Mark was dictated by Peter). Peter lead the others in starting the Christian church at Jerusalem. Paul did just about the same thing. He planted churches across Asia minor and southern Europe, training leaders and then moving on. His letters to Timothy still guide church leaders today.
That’s the Christian model. A teacher, a pastor, a blogger – in this case – not only does his job but teaches others to do the job as well. Even as Paul was ministering he was training others to be ministers. Even during his earthly ministry Jesus sent the Apostles out to preach and work miracles. When the human life is spent the work continues. The church grows. The gospel goes forth. We need to think now about the future generation of leaders that will be following our lead. Heaven and earth will pass away but the Word of the Lord endures forever.
Can a Homosexual be a Christian?
I’ve written before on Christians fighting the culture war. It is certainly going on, but to what degree are we expected to change this culture we live in versus walk circumspectly of it? Paul was certainly aware of what went on in the public bath houses as he planted churches across Greece, but we don’t find him standing outside those bath houses carrying signs in the first century. He went on planting churches and training pastors, and as far was we know never once made a sandwich board about God hating fags. (Google Fred Phelps if that doesn’t make sense).
Many Christians, evangelicals in particular, have done a questionable job dealing with cultural issues like homosexuality. Can a homosexual also be a Christian? Please don’t answer that question, at least not here. Check out the conversation going on over at Life in Mordor. The Fellowship has grown to three, and as far as I know the door has not been closed. Joe Derbes wasted no time, and jumped right in with both feet on this issue.
Memorial Service for Michael Spencer
UPDATE: Check out internetmonk.com for transcript/ audio of the memorial service.
Services were held this afternoon for the Internet Monk Michael Spencer. The Internet has abounded this week with articles of tribute and expressions of sympathy for the family. David Head and Bill Haynes both did excellent jobs. David has a remarkable understanding of how Spencer’s ministry reaches a worldwide audience through his blog, and Bill did exactly what Michael asked him to; he preached the Gospel. Continue reading
Bittersweet
My dad often says that his crayon box has only 8 colors. He was once told the color sample he was holding was pumpkin, not orange. (He came home from work and asked me what color pumpkins were, just to make his point.) Children do flavors one at a time. It starts with baby food – peas, carrots, apple sauce – then extends into not letting their foods touch each other on the plate. Children also have simple emotions; they like to feel one thing at a time and be able to identify it. At some point during adolescence, we become aware of mixed emotions. Sometimes things to be celebrated also make us sad. We cry at weddings, the birth of a child, and graduation. We also grieve after the death of a loved one, yet rejoice at the same time during the passing of a Christian. Continue reading
Life in Mordor
one does not simply blog into mordor
Life in Mordor, the Christian blog of Mike Frizzell, has been on my blogroll for a long time. He left WordPress for a while, went on hiatus, and has now come back home. Changing hosts (a couple of times) can have a negative impact on a blog, and Mike is in the process of working the kinks out.
Mike was looking for help, and I jumped at the chance. The offer still stands if anyone is interested in contributing. It could involve posting once, occasionally, or daily. Check out this page for more info. You could join The Fellowship (my wife asked if that makes me a troll). The archive page contains all of his posts listed by category, and also archived by month. That’s one of those features that gets lost in transition. The biggest need right now is for a little attention. Life in Mordor is a work in progress, but it’s progressing nicely.
What If…
My blog was a church?
New Blogroll Friends
His name is Glen, and he’s lovin’ the Lord and livin’ the Life. That’s actually the slogan of his new blog Men After God. Mostly what he does is asks pointy questions to get people stirred up and say what they are really thinking. I have a couple of times. He wants to start some discussions, so drop by and put in your two cents.
The Master's Table 