Thanks to Dr. Leah Coulter, I’ve come to think this biblical worldview is quite important and enlightening.

In Dr. Coulter’s book, she argues that this worldview has multiple components to consider and apply in our lives, with seemingly two contradictory voices within the New Testament as to how and when we are to forgive:

• One voice commands, “Forgive anything against anyone” (Mark 11:25) and does not seem to require the repentance of the offender
• Another voice commands us to “go and rebuke…and if there is repentance, forgive” (Luke 17:3)
• When do we do either of these actions? How do we know when to forgive anything and how do we know when to seek repentance/ask repentance first? Only by the Holy Spirit can we be discerning enough in a situation to know how to respond.

The implications to living out a two-dimensional theology are as follows:

Jesus said that He did not come to abolish the Law nor the Prophets, but to fulfill them (Matt 5:17). The message of the Law and Prophets instructs us how to live at peace in both the horizontal and vertical dimensions.

When we sin against another, we incur a moral debt. These debts are cleared when we repent and ask to be forgiven–and are not cleared until we do.

Debts – debt language is used to describe our indebtedness to God (Matt 6:12; 18:23ff) and our indebtedness to others.

We are sinners and sinned-against by others, so we must live a lifestyle of repentance and confession of our sins to God with the confident assurance that we will receive his forgiveness and release/cleansing.

Repentance – God offers reconciliation but we must repent to receive this offer; “Brothers, what shall we do? Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.’ And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:37b-38)

Confession is necessary for God to forgive us our sins; “If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9)

Forgiveness is inseparably linked to my willingness to forgive.

Our God is a justice-making God; to avenge means to “give justice to someone who has been wronged”

“Vengeance is mine,” says the LORD (Dt 32:35; Rom 12:19).

Therefore, we must be ready to forgive when someone asks for forgiveness, and repentant when we’ve “sinned” against another.

A powerful and challenging feat, but one that has lasting freedom when it is followed.

What do you think? Do you see the two-dimensions changing how you live?

I’m currently completing a week long workshop and meeting schedule in Lebanon, with my final days now in Beirut. It has been a great time experiencing the famed Lebanese hospitality, much of which centers around food and drink.

However, language is another flavor of the Lebanese experience that adds to the joy of being here. My ear has attuned to hearing Arabic spoken most everywhere, with a mix of French thrown in for good measure. Language emphasizes one’s sense of the reality that I’m “not in Kansas anymore” (as Dorothy says)–or, for me, Los Angeles!

While I hear Spanish and a mix of other languages at home, staying in hotels, suffering from time zone changes, and eating varieties of food and drink, all make the reality shift obvious.

Am I complaining? Not at all!

I love the experiences and opportunities:  meeting new colleagues, learning new skills, and increasing my understanding of how deep the pool is of knowledgeable staff members,  all add up to a great opportunity for future collaboration.

Though I’m looking forward to going home,  I leave with a sense of hope and trust that the experiences we’ve had here in Lebanon will have increased the capacity our agency has to respond to emergencies around the globe.

Shokran, Lebanon!

Sanctification is the process of change in a Christian that occurs when someone becomes more like Jesus. It is said that we, as Christians, are “in the process of becoming.” That process of “becoming” is one of change from what we were to what we become–that is, more like Jesus.

The transformation does not happen overnight. It is a daily, ongoing change from the old to the new. There are things that still irritate and frustrate us even as we move towards change–but it is in these challenges that the Christian begins to show the beauty of a changed life. The old responses are changed as new–more honoring–responses are evidenced. Perhaps a metaphor would symbolize this process well.

An oyster is a mollusk. An article found in HowStuffWorks describes the development of the oyster and its protection mechanisms.

Foreign materials can sneak into the shell while the oyster is eating. These foreign materials are sealed off with the material used to expand the shell, called nacre. Layer upon layer of this nacre material coats the foreign object.

What is the result of this nacre-encrustation?

A pearl! But you may ask, what does the pearl have to do with sanctification or the Christian life?

Well, the Christian who is being transformed also experiences these irritations of life and as he or she is transformed his or her actions change from dishonoring to honoring behaviors. In other words, the Christian goes through this process of sanctification by separating out the irritants and becoming beautiful instead.

So, the metaphor of the pearl being like a Christian who also has become beautiful through trials and irritants seems to match up well.

Instead of sanctification, perhaps in this instance it should be called “pearlification,”—the process of becoming beautiful and honorable and transformed.

What do you think of this metaphor?

Why am I thinking (let alone writing) about that? Because it reminds me that all the descriptions and technical reasons for it still don’t answer the fact that it is there to begin with.

Historians and scientists previously recorded that the planets revolved around the flat earth. Now they say there’s stars and galaxies light years away from us–way further than we can almost imagine. It all happened because of a big explosion, they say.

Let me see…it was the smartest brainiacs of the past who said the earth was the center of the universe and/or the earth was flat…so why should we expect that the latest brainiacs have the answers correct?

I’m thinking…and I’m as right as the brainiacs! Just sayin’…

I’m here for a critical incident stress management training course (CISM) that continues my steps towards certification.

The course starts Monday, so I’m enjoying some coffee on this overcast Sunday at a local cafe with the Cypriots. Though Nicosia is an interesting location and historic city, being with my family would be my preference! But, here I am! So, I walked around this morning seeing things and getting exercise, and went to the hotel gym this afternoon to try to further tire myself so I will get a good night sleep.

Back to the cafe, though, I was surrounded by Cypriots talking and debating about many things of which I know nothing about–it’s all Greek to me! But they sure looked and acted like it was important, so I am assuming it must have been!

Anyway, it is a day of getting on this time zone and relaxing–so I’m doing that intentionally today and tonight…

I’m trusting that God is blessing your day as well. Make it be a great one!

A friend recently commented that we’re here for purposes ordained by God so it would be good to love like it! At least that is my paraphrase of what he said…

So, this is the year of living intentionally–in my relationships, work and leisure time.

Have a great “intentional” year ahead with me!

We celebrate the birth of Jesus today. It is okay to celebrate the Savior’s birth. It really is not about the “holidays” but about Jesus. So when someone says “Happy Holidays” remember that Jesus is what we are celebrating — first and foremost!

Have a great one!

The Skilled Pastor is a book written by Charles W. Taylor that is a practical training book that outlines specific skills necessary for effective and thorough pastoral care. Taylor integrates proper theological reflection with practice, while also including religious resources with counseling technique.

With the integration of the practical and theological, Taylor provides aspects of pastoral counseling that emphasize the importance of a pastor’s being present and engaged in the intervention process with his parishioners.

Taylor articulates his theory about counseling as the practice of theology through the model he calls the Metanoia Model. Metanoia in Greek means to “change one’s mind or attitude” (page 8). The model suggests that the best way for parishioners to deal with their problems is to help them recognize the necessary changes that need to be made that result in reduced feelings of distress and wrong behaviors. The model employs the pastoral skills of helping, theological assessment, and religious resources.

The helping skills encompass a three stage model of exploring, understanding and acting. Theological assessment enables the identification of underlying issues that cause the problem behaviors and beliefs. The religious resources include pastors, Scripture, tradition, contemporary theology and ethics, covenant communities prayer, and rites of particular church denominations (page 137).

Taylor’s model can be used in many different pastoral care settings from hallway conversations to more extended counseling sessions. The main difference in the way the model is used depends on the length of time and depth necessary to meet the needs of the parishioner. The stages are adjusted to be longer or shorter depending upon the type of conversations needed and sessions needed. The majority of pastoral counseling ranges from the short discussion to up to six weekly sessions (page 11).

The intention of the book is to share Taylor’s model. However, he is also clear that the model is a tool for pastors to have for meeting their parishioner’s needs. It is not a method to be followed in and of itself. Knowing techniques and methods alone won’t address alone the deeps needs people have. Rather, Taylor states that the pastor needs to have a proper understanding of the good news—the life-changing knowledge of Jesus and His life, death, and resurrection. The pastor’s toolbox needs to include the likes of these tools that Taylor shares along with the Manual of Life and the restoration power of the Holy Spirit to provide parishioners with access to the full range of options that quench the thirst of those truly seeking the higher things of life.

Taylor has provided a book that is rich in content and practical application for pastoral ministry. His model and the process of integrating it with theological application make for a good tool for pastors to utilize in their ministry.

• I agree with the sentiment that public discourse is shallow due to the likes of boorish opportunists on the right as you mention. But let’s not forget that there are equal amounts of rhetoric on the left–including Chris Matthews, Rachel Maddow, and Keith Olbermann, to name a few–who add little to public discourse either.Let’s recognize and be honest that public discourse is equally underserved when “journalists” in the arena skew the stories to their particular brand of truth that doesn’t honor either side faithfully.

  I enjoy reading Sojourners but I also like balanced discernment relating to people and purposes of God. Neither party or no party, for that matter, has a corner on the Truth. Don’t act like either does, please.