Just a Thought

2009-07-01T14:34:00.001-04:00

Summer Goal Update

Two more things off the honey-do list. Goal 1 for curriculum development done. Steady as she goes!

MGSF, Season 3 Episode 3

2009-06-24T00:24:00.003-04:00

What if you could have whatever you wanted? That's the question which leads to a life of crime for three women and their families in the movie Mad Money. What does that have to do with this season's theme of Matt Guthrie, Suburban Farmer - Reclaiming the Garden? Everything. It was that very same question that got us kicked out of the Garden.

Adam and Eve succumbed to the temptation to have what they wanted under their own terms. They believed the lies told by the serpent. What did they want? The Bible tells us that the fruit looked good and the idea of gaining wisdom appealed to the first couple. But is that all they really wanted? Was some juicy, tasty fruit and some knowledge the real motivation? Or was it the desire to be like God himself without trusting his judgement?

We have already been created in his image, although now it is flawed because of sin. Because of that fatal decision, God has put another plan in place so that effects of that moment can be reversed. That's what reclaiming the Garden is all about. God holds the deed and gives us the Holy Spirit as a deposit guaranteeing our claim. In the process, we are remade into his image.

What IF you could have whatever you wanted? How much do you want to be like him?

How much is enough?

2009-06-17T11:28:00.002-04:00

"Kamens said on his blog that the airline offered him a $75 refund."

says this article about two young girls who were placed on the wrong flights earlier this week. Considering the situation, I would have considered $75 to be a greater wrong than the mistake itself. How much would the airline have to offer for me to feel properly compensated for the wrong they had done to me and my child?

This begs an important question regarding our faith journey. How much is enough for our relationships with God to be restored so that we move from enemy to friend? outcast to family member? death to life? It's through faith in the death of Jesus as the only payment big enough to pay for our sins. After reading this article, I wondered how God feels about our feeble efforts to make our own way.

Real Self-Sacrifice

2009-06-16T09:37:00.005-04:00

Last night we watched Seven Pounds starring Wil Smith. The premise of the movie is that "Ben" Thomas, Smith's character, has dedicated his life to changing the lives of seven other people before committing suicide. If this is a movie you plan on watching, you may want to stop reading now and come back later. The climax and the "I can't believe it ends like this" moment comes when Thomas actually takes his life for the sole purpose of providing a heart transplant for a woman with a rare blood type. The twist is that Thomas has indavertently fallen in love with her.

During the scene that shows the surgeons removing the heart from Thomas' body and simultaneously prepping the woman's body, I could not help but think of the parallels to the mission of Jesus, the Son of God. He came to earth for the sole purpose of giving his life as the only sufficient atonement for our sins and possibility of eternal life. Watching the anguish on Thomas' face as he cheats himself of love with this young woman caused to think of Christ's anguish in a different way. Ultimately, he knew he would not be cheated of time spent with the people he loved, but how much pain did his love cause himself in those regards?

"Ben" Thomas' acts provide contrasts to Christ's actions as well. Christ was perfect. His action's were prompted by perfect love for others. His act of self-sacrifice provided for the atonement of the world. Thomas' mission was provoked by a desire to seek atonement for himself. Seven lives, including his wife's, were ended because of a fatal mistake he made on the highway. His acts were an attempt to find redemption for himself by punishing himself.

As we live out our faith journeys, what will motivate our actions? Will we embrace the grace that provides for our salvation or will we try to work off our guilt? Will we allow our lives to be molded by the love of Christ so that we live sacrificially for the sake of others? Just a thought.

2009-06-15T11:29:00.002-04:00

1st day of summer break & 1st goal met. Crawled out of bed @ 10:40. Will plan for the rest of my goals after lunch w/a friend. It's gonna be a great summer.

Note: I did make it to my small group at 6 this morning, but came home and went back to bed :-D

Goal Update

2009-06-10T17:41:00.002-04:00

As soon as I published my summer goals I realized I needed to update them. I'm not going to be able to stay in bed until 10am on Monday. I am part of a men's small group that meets at 6:00am every Monday. So, I guess I'll have to change the goal to come home and go back to bed until at least 10:00.

That's the thing about goals. Sometimes they are impossible. Sometimes they are just unrealistic. Or sometimes they just need to be modified to better fit the situation or what is really needed.

Summer Goals

2009-06-07T19:56:00.004-04:00

In one week my "summer break" officially begins. I have set the following goals to accomplish before I return to school in two months:
- lose 20 of the 35 pounds I need to lose. Twenty will satisfy my doctor when I go for my annual physical in August. Thirty-five will satisfy me.
- Resume (begin?) running. I'd like to be back up to at least 3 miles a day when I return to work.
- read Twilight and find out what has all my female students so captivated that many of them have read the entire series several times this year alone.
- develop an integrated math and science curriculum for a class that will begin in the 2011-2012 school year.
- develop a men's discipleship curriculum with my pastor that will kick off this fall with at least three small groups.
- develop a better physical conditioning program for my volleyball team before tryouts begin this fall. Also develop a broader set of skill development drills.
- catch up on all the episodes of Heroes I missed this year
- begin watching season 1 of Lost to see what everyone else is so excited about
- finish the first draft of my juvenile fantasy novel. I'd like my boys to be able to read and enjoy it before they outgrow it.
- go fishing AT LEAST once a week.
- come home with a cooler full of trout after our camping vacation in Cherokee, NC
- complete the honey-do list
- do an in-depth study of the book of Hebrews

My first and easiest goal will be accomplished on June 15. I WILL not get out of bed that morning before 10:00 am. The rest of the goals are fairly attainable, but will require lots of discipline. Discipline is a key component in our faith journeys. "Discipline" and "Disciple" have the same root. The Holy Spirit begins, continues, and will complete changes in our lives, but we must also be disciplined in our faithful obedience to God. What goals do you have for your faith journey? What discipline will be required?

MGSF, Season 3 Episode 2 - Real Work

2009-05-18T20:53:00.007-04:00

(Matt Guthrie, Suburban Farmer)

This season is all about reclaiming the Garden. Over a month ago when I was doing the back breaking work of hoeing up my garden plot, I began to appreciate the whole concept of work. I'm not a desk jockey, but as a math teacher, I do very little physical work throughout the course of the day. It felt good to use all those neglected muscles, especially when I thought about having my own farm. My dream of perfect, romantic farm life where everything goes on without a hitch rolled continuously through my mind as I drove my mental tractor through the fields and collected the eggs of my yet-to-exist chickens.

I began to appreciate once again our original purpose when we were created. Contrary to popular belief, Adam was not put in the Garden to eat bon bons all day. He was put there to work. Adam's job was to tend to the Garden and all of Creation. That doesn't mean that if we are not doing hard physical labor that we are falling short of God's design. It doesn't matter what type of work it is, as long as we do it. One of the reasons we feel so fulfilled after a hard day's work is that we are fulfilling part of our purpose.

We were made in God's image, imago dei. He wanted us to continue his work. That includes his creative work in the Garden. We were called upon to multiply across the face of the earth. That creativity is not limited to procreation. Take a good look at the art, technology, and philosophy around you. They are all products of the ability to create placed in us by God.

The continuation of God's work includes telling everyone about him. Abraham was given a promise. Part of that promise was to be the forefather of the one who would provide salvation to all. Abraham was also told to be a blessing to all he encountered. As God formed his chosen people, their purpose was to show the world who God was. Before Jesus returned to his Father's side, he gave us the commission to go out and tell everyone about him, making them his disciples. This is the most important work we could do.

How's your garden going?

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T13:41:00.000-04:00

This Mother's Day I am reminded of how mothers so easily embody the self-sacrificing ideals of Christ. In church this morning we sang several songs that highlighted the price the Son of God paid to willingly be our savior. He gave up his throne in heaven. He took on human flesh and its limitations, even death. He gave himself to take on our sin when we were so undeserving. All this was motivated by love.

My own mother sacrificed so much for the sake of us kids. She worked hard. She put herself last when we need clothes. She shopped all day with us kids in tow and then came home to unload it all while at the same time preparing supper. Even now that we are all grown, she still gives sacrificially to us. And all because of love. Thanks. Happy Mothers Day.

Meet Nutty

2009-05-07T21:46:00.003-04:00

I'd like to introduce you to my new friend, Nutty. Nutty is my new Webkinz. He's a squirrel with an old fashioned country bedroom. I'm trying to pass on my love of baseball to him by building him a baseball themed playroom. The floor looks like a playing field. The walls are decorated like a stadium. Slowly I'm buying furniture and appliances for the room that look like baseball equipment.

Nutty was another one of those special birthday gifts. Each of my sons has a couple of Webkinz. Joshua really enjoys the online world. I don't think there is anything about it he does not know. He talks about it all the time. Joshua thought I would enjoy it as well, so he bought Nutty for me. Once I opened the gift, he could not wait to help me get registered, help me furnish my room, and show me where all the cool stuff in Webkinz World is located. You might say he moved with a certain evangelistic zeal.

Joshua's fervor brought to mind how we should view our faith journeys. Are our journeys so meaningful to us that we think everyone should have one? Are we willing to help novices navigate through the often uncertain waters? Are we willing to befriend them and interact with them in their world so they will be more comfortable?

Just a thought. BTW, if you're ever in Webkinz World, send a note to gutmajohar. I'll show you Nutty's playroom and then we can go to the arcade together.

Birthday Surprise!

2009-05-07T21:41:00.003-04:00

I turned the big 4-0 a few weeks ago. Life has been so hectic that I haven't had the opportunity to talk about the cool surprises I've received. The biggest surprise came last Friday. My wife planned an outing to see the Carolina Mudcats play. I had no idea where we were going until we got there. When we arrived at the ball park, we met up with two other families, again a surprise. They even wished me a happy birthday on the giant screen.

I really love baseball, so this was a cool gift. What made it really cool was the presence of these two families. The husbands are two of my best friends, fellow pastors I have known for twenty years. When I was pastoring, we would meet once a month to support and encourage each other. Since leaving the pulpit, I've not had the opportunity to hang with these guys. I was touched they would come because they each had to drive 2 to 2 1/2 hours to get to the ballpark. One family even broke down on the way home that night.

I was really blessed this birthday to re-experience the value of relationships and community in my faith journey. What about you?

2009-05-04T22:22:00.001-04:00

Fathers - why is it that every Hollywood movie that involves the fulfillment of a dream also involves an unsupportive and atagonistic father?

2009-04-26T19:40:00.001-04:00

Blogging from my phone-if u only had 160 characters what would u say about God & your journey if u wanted the reader to begin following Christ themselves?

Matt Guthrie, Suburban Farmer - Season 3 episode 1

2009-04-14T08:54:00.008-04:00

This week began another season of Matt Guthrie, Suburban Farmer (MGSF). The last two years we had straw bale gardens. I was determined to have a much larger, more traditional in-the-ground garden. I picked out the perfect spot in our yard with plenty of sun, etc. I mentally marked off a plot about twenty feet square. There was one last piece of critical info - I needed to verify the location of our septic drain lines. And wouldn't you know it? Our drain lines run right through all the best places on our property for a garden. On to plan B.

After much shadow watching, soil checking, etc. we finally determined the next best place. To make a long story short, I accepted plan C after beginning the process of preparing the ground the old fashioned way by hand. I went to AgriSupply yesterday and bought ten bales of wheat straw. I'll do another straw bale garden over the spot where I want my "real" garden next year. Over the winter I'll till and prepare the ground for next spring.

This season the theme of MGSF will be "Reclaiming the Garden After The Fall". While doing all that hoeing by hand on Saturday, thoughts of Adam working the Garden of Eden before the forbidden fruit incident kept coming to mind. It has been said that all of salvation history is about God trying to get humankind back into the Garden. Think about your faith journey in those terms. Stay tuned for more episodes of MGSF as we flesh out those thoughts and more.

Artful worship?

2009-04-13T22:55:00.001-04:00

Here's a different statue of Jesus

He is risen!

2009-04-12T10:03:00.002-04:00

He is risen indeed

Psalm 34:8

2009-04-10T01:00:00.000-04:00

Bitterness, a taste I thought forgotten

Words are salt on my blistered lips

Anger sears my tongue

Burning, I choke it down

Why is it so fresh today?

Friends set a table

I dined with enemies

The fruit of betrayal was the main course

Why must I eat of this today?

A cup of suffering for a Son forsaken

Filled with my sins, willingly consumed

Death and darkness give way to light and life

The Savior sets a table

I dine with the lover of my soul

The fruit of love fills my plate

Grace serves a meal undeserving

The cup, filled with forgiveness

Wine soothes my wounded spirit

Comfort gently cools my heart

I swallow its healing for my soul

A fresh taste everyday

(Not) Just another Thursday

2009-04-09T08:02:00.004-04:00

Today is the day that all my colleagues have been waiting for - the last day before Spring Break! Spring Break is always an important time for public school teachers. February and March are usually long stretches where there are no holidays or workdays. The kids are tired of school and wishing it would end. Eventually we tachers all get tired of fighting the battle and we begin to long for break to arrive. Hope and excitement are in the air today because we all know that tomorrow begins Spring Break - 1 week away from school to recharge and hopefully come back to finish strong.

Today is an special day for more important reasons. It's Maundy Thursday. Tonight is the night that Jesus celebrated his last Passover with the Disciples. It's the night that Judas betrayed him with a kiss and the guards arrested him. It began the countdown of the final stages of his earthly ministry - his crucifixion and death that paid for our sins and his resurrection that gives us the promise of eternal life. There is hope and excitement in the air because we are on the backside of the resurrection event. We can say with assurance that no matter how bad it gets, we can hold onto the promise of eternal life in heaven.

What a great day this is gonna be . . .

That's not my job (anymore)

2009-04-04T17:42:00.007-04:00

A disturbing realization came upon me this morning. I have become complacent, ineffective, and inactive in the sharing of my faith. Sure, I get up every morning and go to work, Scout meetings, and ball games, living the Christian life. People still call me "pastor" even though I'm not one anymore. I get called upon to pray at all the usual gatherings. I post occassionally on this blog. But I realized that I am not pro-actively sharing my faith, living it out in tangible ways, serving the world around me in ways that exhibit a missional lifestyle that leads non-believers to begin their own faith journeys.

While I considered all these thoughts, I wondered if I have become a victim of the believers version of being a couch potato. Have I stopped because "it's not my job anymore"? Or have I just gotten lazy?

Just a thought, and not a comforting one . . .

NCCAT Reflections 2

2009-03-29T21:09:00.002-04:00

One of the themes that was reiterated continually during my workshop on web 2.0 resources for the classroom was "Use it for yourself before you try to implement these in the classroom." It can be very daunting to try and implement some of these tools. You might even get worse results by trying to use them before you're ready. Read here for some thoughts I've posted for teachers in these regards.

During my time at this workshop, I began to think about this in terms of our spiritual lives. I phrased that theme this way - "learn, use, apply". When we begin our faith journeys, our entire lives should be affected and changed. Granted, that takes time to see the full effects, but it should happen. The Holy Spirit enters our lives, begins to fill us, helps us learn what it means to be a follower of Christ, and we are hopefully using and applying them to our everyday lives, not just our church lives.

I can't help but think how many of us are like the teachers I reference in the above post, trying to apply or live something out that we don't really use. I want Christ's influence on my life to be THE factor in all I do, not just some second nature. Learn, use, & apply - that's a faith journey.

NCCAT Reflections 1.1

2009-03-19T17:29:00.005-04:00

"It's so easy to use these things." That's what I said in my previous post. I think most churches don't employ these things because they don't use them. If we had the demographics of the churches that use web 2.0 resources, my bet is that they already use them in their regular life. Those who are afraid to use them or feel threatened by them are the ones who don't ever use them.

That's the real key to how you live out your faith journey. You do what you already do, just with a different perspective on life and with a different motivation. Of course, certain activities need to cease once you begin a faith journey, things that are obviously contrary to the Gospel. Web 2.0 resources are do not fall into that category.

Are these things being used for evil? Yep, they sure are. Does that make them inherently evil? Nope. Ever since the first sin in the Garden, humankind has been using that which God created for good for some other selfishly gratifying and sinful purpose.

If we want people to truly live out their faith, why don't we spend more time helping them use their lives for the glory of God. God gave us the creativity and intellect that has developed all that we know and have. Why not give these innovations back to him, a way of living out Romans 12:1-2.

NCCAT Reflections 1.0

2009-03-19T13:00:00.000-04:00

This week I've had the privilege of attending a workshop at the NC Center for the Advancement of Teaching. We have been talking about web 2.0 resources. The eventual goal for all of us is to move from knowledge to personal use to application in the classroom. The number of thoughts that are running through my mind are endless.

One of the things we experienced was Skype. We video conferenced with someone who explained how he used it for Bible Study! He is part of a group that meets weekly using this tool. There are all kinds of other applications that are being under utilized to help people on their faith journeys - wikis, blogs . . . Imagine being able to continue the conversation throughout the week on what you heard on Sunday or in small group or something that happened to you today.

These thoughts are not new. Plenty of others have published more in depth thoughts about this. But it's just so easy to use these things. Next chance I get I'm going to revisit that thought - it's just so easy to use these things - and develop this some more.

Shadows

2009-02-28T19:36:00.002-05:00

We are fortunate enough to have plenty of beautiful hardwoods in our yard. For a few days each fall, we are blessed with a vibrant display of reds, yellows, oranges, even purples and pinks. It also means that our yard is dotted with tall gray poles that have nary a leaf all winter. Some well placed shadows joined hands with those trees to play a nice little trick on me the other day.

I was sitting on the loveseat, looking out the back door. There was a birdhopping along the trunk of a tree, giving the occasionally peck as he traversed the length of the trunk, going up and down. Interestingly, there was another bird on an adjacent mirroring his actions. I've seen two males act this way before, fighting over territory or a female. There was a larger tree behind the two these birds were occupying. Suddenly, one bird flew to the larger tree and the other bird joined him. The birds were face to face. For several seconds they stayed in this posture then returned to their original trees.

After witnessing this "dance" a few more times, my amazement died. I realized that the second bird and its tree were only the shadow of the first, being cast onto the trunk of the much larger tree.

Shadows have a way of concealing reality from us. Things which rather not be discovered hide in shadows. Our vision can be hampered by shadows, hiding the real truth from us. That's why it is so important to walk in the light of Christ when on a faith journey. Darkness will try to hide his face. Darkness will strive to lead us astray. The shadows can even begin to look appealing if we let them. To quote DC Talk, I'm gonna choose to walk in the light.

What's up with your blog?

2009-02-28T10:12:00.003-05:00

To the 4 people who read my blog with semi-semi-semi-regularity, you have probably noticed that my posts lately have been coming with even less regularity. Lots of factors are involved, lack of time being the main. The activities that have been taking up most of my time have also given me reason to consider the purpose of this blog. Or at least its original purpose. I don't know what will happen to Just a Thought, but my gut tells me it will morph more into an online journal of my own faith journey. That's of course assuming I can carve out time to actually post.

Just in case you're curious, here's one of the things that has been occupying my time - the Kenan Fellowship. I've made it to the interview round of the process. My interview is Tuesday afternoon. We'll see how it turns out.

Acting on Instinct

2009-02-10T20:17:00.003-05:00

Season 8 of American Idol is in full swing. The finalists will be picked this week and next week we, the viewers, begin our part of the process of voting on the next American Idol. One contestant is completely blind. A clip of him playing the keyboard while he was singing was shown tonight. I found it interesting that as he was playing, he instinctively "looked" down at his hands and the keys at various times throughout his performance.

I don't know his story. I don't know if he was born blind or lost his sight later in life. Whatever the case, something within him cause him to act in a manner that was consistent with the function and purpose of eyes.

There are aspects of our lives that seem to happen by instinct. Mothers have it, 'cept they call it "intuition." Some of us have personalities that drive us to make decisions by what our guts tell us. When frightened or placed in otherwise stressful situations, the "fight or flight" instinct kicks in.

As people on a faith journey following Christ, we sometimes find ourselves in a battle of warring instincts. There is the sinful nature that taints our soul that tries to lead us into actions that seek to only satisfy self and ignore the needs of others or the will of God. Then there is the Holy Spirit that dwells within us, leading us to imitate the self-sacrificing attitude of Christ, changing us to take on his character.

Which instinct is strongest in you? Which purpose and function are you fulfilling?