Sometimes Scripture Messes With My Head

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When was the last time you read something in the Bible and it really messed with your head? It happened to me really bad on Saturday. What I mean by messed with my head is that I didn’t like what I read. Not even a little. I was reading from Judges 11 about Jephthah and his “Tragic Vow” (that’s an understated heading from the ESV). Here’s a rundown of what happend and the verses that really bugged be.

  • Jephtah’s dad, Gilead, had a wife and other kids, but Jephtah’s mom was a prostitute. Not the greatest start to life.
  • His brothers drove him away from the family to keep him from getting any inheritance. Being an outcast isn’t fun.
  • It’s noted that he was a “mighty warrior” and that Israel turned to him for help against an enemy.
  • He agreed to help them if they put him in charge once he came and destroyed their enemy.

Alright that sets up the part of the chapter that really, really bugged me:

Judges 11:30–39 (ESV)
And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD and said, “If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the LORD’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.” So Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them. . . . Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah. And behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances. She was his only child. . . . [Jephtah] tore his clothes and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you have become the cause of great trouble to me. For I have opened my mouth to the LORD, and I cannot take back my vow.” And she said to him, “My father, you have opened your mouth to the LORD; do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth. . . . And at the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow that he had made.

As a father of two young girls this chapter bugs me. In fact, it makes me nauseous. Why in the world would a dad do this to his daughter? Why would God allow this to happen? Why is this even in the Bible?

So I did some digging and some things started to rise to the surface. There are a couple takeaways I learned:

  1. Jephthah’s background was with foreign gods whose religions taught that child sacrifice was one of the only ways to appease them. This no doubt shaped the way he thought of Yahweh God.
  2. The major difference between this episode and Abraham’s near sacrifice is that God initiated the sacrifice, but here Jephthah was in a sense testing God. In fact, throughout this narrative God’s voice is never heard.
  3. Jephthah’s reaction to his daughter was selfish. He was more concerned about his own feelings of loss than his daughter.
  4. His daughter was completely accepting of the “fate” that was dealt to her. There’s no mention of God’s role here.

There’s quite a bit more that I could write about this because I have a lot more thoughts and feelings on the matter, but I want to know what you think. What does this passage teach you about God? About how people put God to a test? About the Bible as a whole?

I’ll share some more thoughts tomorrow, but share your thoughts today in the comments below!

UPDATE: Read more of my thoughts about Jephthah here.

Logos 4 Mac Official Release Coming October 1

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I’ve been a Logos Bible Software user for a long, long time (since the mid-90s), but I’ve just recently jumped into the Mac world last summer. One of the things that was keeping me from making the switch was Logos being Windows only. I knew I could do parallels, Boot Camp, or something similar, but I didn’t like the idea of not having full access to the computer resources to run the software (that’s showing my geek card right there).

But I took the jump last summer to Mac mainly because they announced a Mac version for their software. But the first attempt at the Mac version was a miss. So bad in fact I asked for a refund and they gave it to me. Logos has some of the best customer service I’ve ever dealt with. When they gave me the refund they told me they were working on a new version, which made me happy.

That new version made its appearance unofficially last fall in alpha/beta testing stages. I’ve been using these versions and I can tell you from experience that it’s incredible. They’ve added some incredibly useful tools to make it easier to study your Bible and take your study as deep as you want to go. It’s amazing what you can find out with just a couple mouse clicks.

Well, the official release of Logos 4 Mac is coming October 1 and they’re giving away some really nice prizes to celebrate. If you’re a Mac user and love the Bible you should really consider purchasing a copy of the software. A cool part of the software is that the license lets you use both the Mac and Windows versions of the software in addition to the cool Logos App for the iPhone/iPad.

Check out the info below from Logos.

Logos Bible Software is giving away thousands of dollars of prizes to celebrate the launch of Logos Bible Software 4 Mac on October 1. Prizes include an iMac, a MacBook Pro, an iPad, an iPod Touch, and more than 100 other prizes!

They’re also having a special limited-time sale on their Mac and PC base packages and upgrades. Check it out!

Awkward Handshakes

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Photo by Ashley Good

Today I had a moment with Frank, our Student Minister at BridgeWay, that I believe there isn’t a word for, but there should be: an awkward handshake. I could also call it an accidental handshake, but it felt more awkward than accidental.

Here’s what happened. We were rating Will, our Worship Minister, on how much of a metrosexual worship leader he is. When we were done I stood up and started to point at Frank to get Will’s final score and that’s how it got started. He thought I was reaching my hand out to offer a handshake (like we lived in the 1930s or something where I guess people shook hands every time they entered or exited a room), so he reached out and shook my hand.

I don’t know why it felt so awkward, but it did. To try to ease things up, Frank reached over to shake Will’s hand, but I didn’t follow suit. I just felt awkward then left the room.

There are other times that the awkward handshake shows up, especially in church:

  • Forced handshake during greeting time in worship. I’m considering going exclusively with hugs because I think that would be less awkward, right?
  • Missed grip. This happens to me when I’m keeping eye contact with the other person and end up not getting a full hand, just fingers. Not good. I always reboot and do it right.
  • Wet noodle. I don’t know what you call it, but that’s what I feel like I’m grabbing when the other person doesn’t do any grip at all in the handshake. It’s not just awkward it’s also a little oogy.
  • Fist bump. I’m not sure why this has become so popular, but it seems like some people think it’s a better alternative than the handshake. It’s not.
  • No free hands, so let’s pinky swear. When I’m holding my daughter and carrying my iPad (which has my Bible in it) I can’t even offer the lefty shake, so sometimes the other person feel obligated to do something, so we end up with some hybrid between a handshake and pinky swear. It makes me feel like somehow I’ve done some weird warp into middle school.

Those are just a few that I can think of. Do you have any moments in your world that the awkward handshake makes an appearance? Share in the comments.

Sunday Night Unfiltered

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I’m going to try something new this week that I might make a regular Sunday night practice. Tonight I’m going to just do a random fire of thoughts that come to me based on the stuff that happened today at church or throughout the week. It may be entertaining or completely useless.

Let me know what you think.

  • Bugs. Bugs everywhere!
  • I’m wondering if trying to do our own bug spraying is smart or if we should hire some professionals?
  • Asked someone new to do the lawn mowing at church. Old guys haven’t mowed for two weeks. I should probably let them know Monday their services are no longer needed.
  • First half of Cowboys game has been BORING…right up until the last play.
  • Switching the church to the new kiosk check-in system will be really, really good in the long run. Right now it’s kind of a pain. I’m glad we have some great volunteers to help out!!!
  • We got our connection group back together for the first time in months tonight! Had a great time, but I wish everyone could’ve been there. Looking forward to getting some momentum going.
  • Having a lobby/foyer that’s too small for your church is not great, but it’s awesome at the same time. It’s not great because there’s not enough room for people to hang out. It’s awesome because there is a TON of energy when the place is packed!
  • The barista at the Kroger Starbucks seemed bummed. Praying he finds some joy this week.
  • My wife is awesome at hospitality. She had a great idea for a snack that was super simple to make (I think, she made it) and added some nice personal touches to the house to make it feel more warm and welcoming.
  • Forgot to bring a snack for Emory for between services. Would’ve been bad if BridgeWay didn’t have an awesome, ready for anything Children’s Minister in Lisa Rowland!!! The church is blessed to have her.
  • It’s cool to see friends from our old church at our new church.
  • Christians should look at others with the eyes of a doctor, not a judge. Great challenge from Art tonight.

Okay. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. What did the day look like to you?

Accept the Blame, Give Away the Praise

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Photo by hobvias sudoneighm

During President Obama’s press conference yesterday, there seemed to be a recurring theme. It wasn’t the main point he was trying to make, I think, but I picked up on it nonetheless. Whenever he talked about an issue where he perceived there is a problem he said something along the lines of “the minority in the Senate is being stubborn,” which basically meant I heard him say “it’s not my fault, blame the Republicans.”

Whether or not it’s true that the Republicans in the Senate are just being stubborn and trying to drag things down is not what I’m most interested in. I’m not a huge fan of politics in general, but I am a fan of leadership and learning leadership lessons. And since the President is the most visible leader in our country, and possibly the world, I think we can learn significant leadership lessons from him.

What I saw him doing yesterday was blaming others for the country’s problems. I don’t think that’s good leadership. Again, it might be true that it’s someone else’s fault, but when you’re the leader and you blame someone else it comes across as immature to me.

In his book Good to Great, Jim Collins discussed this concept in what he calls the window and the mirror. According to his groups study, great leaders look in the mirror when there is a problem. They are the first to say “I was wrong” or “I could do a better job.” The reason for this is that ultimately the whole organization rises and falls on leadership on one level or another.

On the other hand, if there is praise to be given a leader should look out the window to the people in his organization. When people praise great leaders respond by saying things like “I’ve got a great team” or something similar. This shouldn’t be done with false humility, but it’s an honest assessment of the situation. Without a great team a great leader won’t accomplish much.

It was a good reminder to me that it’s easy to slip into the opposite attitude. When things aren’t going well we point the finger to blame someone else. We’ve been doing this as humans for a long time. But when things are going well our egos tend to puff up and we think more highly of ourselves than we ought to.

So, accept the blame but give the praise away. It’s the best way to lead others.

7 Links to Learn More About Me and My Blog [#7Links]

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As I mentioned yesterday, I’m trying to decide what direction I want to take my blog and I got some good feedback. Part of the process I’m going through is looking where I’ve been before, in terms of blogging, to give me a feel about what I’ve done well and enjoyed doing the most.

I’ve been blogging for five and a half years now, so I’ve done quite a few posts. I realize that some people I know are somewhat regular readers here, others jump in when I post something they’re interested in, and then there are the random visitors who find my blog on Google. Whoever you are, this post will hopefully help you get a better feel for what this blog has been all about. I was prompted to write it by the 7 Link Challenge over at ProBlogger.

  1. My first post: Backing Up DVDs
    What’s weird to me about piracy laws is that it’s perfectly legal to have a digital archive of movies you legitimately own, but it’s not legal to break the encryption on DVDs. You’d have to do it in real time using some sort of digital to analog converter, which would be a pain. That means that I was encouraging illegal activity on my blog. Great start, don’t you think?
  2. The post I enjoyed writing the most: Four Ways to Be More Consistent in Your Bible Reading
    There were a lot of things I really liked about writing this post, but I was especially happy with the end result. I could have also put is under most helpful post link, but I really enjoyed writing it a lot.
  3. The post which had a great discussion: Is God a Republican or Democrat
    I wrote this on the day of the the 2008 Presidential election and it got quite a few people to comment on it. I don’t blog much about politics, but I think this was one of my best posts and since it got so much discussion you might agree.
  4. A post on someone else’s blog that you wish you’d written: The Death of the Weekly Program/Bulletin/Newsletter
    Tim Schraeder wrote this post on his blog and it created a lot of buzz. Best quote from the post: “know the primary way your audience receives information and communicate to them that way.” It’s a move they’ve stuck with and made improvements to in the two years since they made the switch.
  5. My most helpful post: Motivation: Finding the desire to workout when I really don’t want to do it
    This was a reflection of how I stayed motivated to workout during the months after my first daughter was born. I think it was really helpful for most anyone who’s looking for tips on staying motivated in exercise.
  6. The post with a title that I am proud of: The Biggest Flaw in John Hollinger’s ESPN NBA Power Rankings
    I’ve never been a fan of Hollinger’s Power Rankings, probably because I am a Mavericks homer. But this post’s title sums up what I think is most wrong with the system and then I decided to elaborate for a few hundred words or so.
  7. The post that I wish more people had read: Delighting in God (OR a theology of worship taught by a seven month old)
    Having kids has definitely given me more perspective on life and what it means to have God as our Father. This post was a reflection on how all people should be more engaged in worship.

So, those are my 7 links. How about you? If you have a blog (that’s more than just a couple days old) why don’t you do this on your blog? Or are there some posts that I’ve done here that you think would fit better than what I listed above? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Image by jessica r

Thinking About My Blog’s Direction

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I’ve been doing quite a bit of thinking about the direction of my blog recently. I’ve kind of drifted around in what I’m writing about between tech, sports, church, religion, and my personal life. I don’t really feel like doing that anymore. I’d like to focus more on one or two topics, but I haven’t landed on what that would be yet.

So, I’d like to hear from you. If you’re a reader of my blog, the few of you out there, what do you think I should do? Let me know in the comments.

Image by Milind Alvares.

PolyTune: A Guitar Tuner That Will Make Your Brain Explode With its Awesomeness

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This is my third post in my Favorite iPhone Apps series.

I recently had the unfortunate displeasure of having my Larrivee Acoustic Guitar stolen out of my office at church. It’s never fun having something stolen from you, but the church has insurance so I was able to replace it with a new guitar. So it all worked out.

One of the things inside the case was my guitar tuner, so I had to replace it too. I had planned on just buying the same brand of tuner, but thankfully the clerk at Guitar Center suggested I check out the TC Electronic PolyTune stage tuner. I’ll never be the same. It was the most incredible tuner I had ever seen . . . until I realized they had an iPhone app that did the same thing at 1/10 the price.

I had no idea what a Poly-Chromatic tuner was (I can barely grasp the concept of what chromatic means), but the best description I can think of is it’s a tuner that will make your brain explode with its awesomeness. I can not even possibly explain how mind-blowing it is to me that a phone I carry around in my pocket can do this. Instead of trying to explain the technicalities of it, all you need to know is how to use it. It’s Simple. Strum all six strings at the same time and the tuner will show you which strings are out of tune. Seriously. That’s it. I never even dreamed that this was possible, but now I can do it with my phone.

Maybe the best way to understand it is through a video. Check out the little demonstration I put together below.

I’ll label this app as a MUST-HAVE for all guitar playing iPhone owners. It’s a little more expensive than most iPhone apps at $9.99, but it was a bargain compared to the stage tuner version of it than I bought (then returned when I found out about the app), or most any other tuner you’ll find out there.

Pick up your copy from the App Store.
PolyTune

Got any other guitar apps you like? Share them in the comments!