Because theology is everybody's task
Showing posts with label Death. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Death. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Saturday, May 05, 2012
Be Faithful Until Death
Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. Revelation 2:10 (NASB) - Jesus Christ to the church at Smyrna
What if you received a letter from the Lord that said the same thing? Uh, things will pretty much suck for ten days, then you will die. But don't fear.
What would you do? Write your will? Eat as much of your favorite food as possible before it starts? Me? I'm sure that I wouldn't be perfectly calm, but if I knew this was directly from God, I could see how one could take this with an increase in faith. Here's where the rubber meets the road of faith.
I think many things in life are analogous to this. You learn or train for something, then you face it with much anticipation. Yet, when we are immersed in it and past the point of no return, we are quite able to handle the situation. Even when we face death.
What if you received a letter from the Lord that said the same thing? Uh, things will pretty much suck for ten days, then you will die. But don't fear.
What would you do? Write your will? Eat as much of your favorite food as possible before it starts? Me? I'm sure that I wouldn't be perfectly calm, but if I knew this was directly from God, I could see how one could take this with an increase in faith. Here's where the rubber meets the road of faith.
I think many things in life are analogous to this. You learn or train for something, then you face it with much anticipation. Yet, when we are immersed in it and past the point of no return, we are quite able to handle the situation. Even when we face death.
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
Michael Spencer, aka Internet Monk, 1956-2010
Michael Spencer, aka the Internet Monk, has passed away. I'm over a day late in hearing the news as yesterday was a busy day with no internet surfing. I never met Michael, though he's one for whom I would have made the attempt if I were travelling to or near Kentucky. Michael had one of the top read Christian sites on the internet. He was brutally honest about his ideas and feelings about many topics, and wasn't hesitant in the least about stirring the pot that contained the evangelical status quo. He was always an advocate for the marginalized within Christianity; the misunderstood, the neglected, the smoldering wick, the bruised reed.
My journey with him started several years ago as I stumbled across his blog. He was linked to by a few others that I read. At first, I only checked him out occasionally, and often didn't know how to think about him. Some things resonated with me, others were a turn off. Somehow, my connections to his blog from others' links increased, and I became a regular reader.
Not too long afterward, I started commenting on his blog. His comment sections were alive with a cross section of views and opinions. Much sparring and many threads started, Michael often being the one who stirred the comment pot. What I noticed about my comments is that they were rarely replied to by others, and almost never by Michael himself. I felt like a "comment failure" there.
But then one day about a year ago, completely out of the blue, I received an email from Michael. He said he had been reading my work for a while and was a fan of mine. He invited me to submit, if I wished, occasionally to his blog, and he would publish it. He wanted me to have a wider audience, thought I was a good writer, and thought we were on the same page about much of evangelicalism. I created an intro post which he published, but personal issues kept me from putting the finishing touches on a second one. A few months later, Michael was diagnosed with cancer. Then only a few [much too] short months later, he was gone.
Sympathies and prayers to his wife Denise, and his family. I'm hoping in the future to glean from his blog's archives, and I'm certainly planning on getting Michael's soon to be released book, Mere Churchianity. Getting his book would also include reading it and blogging about it. May God rest Michael's soul.
My journey with him started several years ago as I stumbled across his blog. He was linked to by a few others that I read. At first, I only checked him out occasionally, and often didn't know how to think about him. Some things resonated with me, others were a turn off. Somehow, my connections to his blog from others' links increased, and I became a regular reader.
Not too long afterward, I started commenting on his blog. His comment sections were alive with a cross section of views and opinions. Much sparring and many threads started, Michael often being the one who stirred the comment pot. What I noticed about my comments is that they were rarely replied to by others, and almost never by Michael himself. I felt like a "comment failure" there.
But then one day about a year ago, completely out of the blue, I received an email from Michael. He said he had been reading my work for a while and was a fan of mine. He invited me to submit, if I wished, occasionally to his blog, and he would publish it. He wanted me to have a wider audience, thought I was a good writer, and thought we were on the same page about much of evangelicalism. I created an intro post which he published, but personal issues kept me from putting the finishing touches on a second one. A few months later, Michael was diagnosed with cancer. Then only a few [much too] short months later, he was gone.
Sympathies and prayers to his wife Denise, and his family. I'm hoping in the future to glean from his blog's archives, and I'm certainly planning on getting Michael's soon to be released book, Mere Churchianity. Getting his book would also include reading it and blogging about it. May God rest Michael's soul.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Another iMonk Update; Dying And Knowing It
Michael Spencer, aka the Internet Monk, is discontinuing his chemotherapy and is now receiving help from a hospice. The family asks for prayer for Michael to pass with minimal pain and in peace.
We read or hear so often today about people who fight until the end, but not as often about people who accept death willingly, or even embracing it. Of course, there's nothing wrong with fighting for one's life and hoping for a miracle. But I have a good deal of respect - and even admiration - for the person who knows it's coming - soon - prepares for it, expects it, and can receive it. God bless you, Michael Spencer.
We read or hear so often today about people who fight until the end, but not as often about people who accept death willingly, or even embracing it. Of course, there's nothing wrong with fighting for one's life and hoping for a miracle. But I have a good deal of respect - and even admiration - for the person who knows it's coming - soon - prepares for it, expects it, and can receive it. God bless you, Michael Spencer.
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