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CH. 2 scattered thoughts...

Haha so I know that the blog thing is over but I am still chugging along… J Just finished chapter 2 and loving it. Here are some of my major reflections from Ch. 2: 2.1: Some are arrogantly affirming total freedom in sexual practice and Paul commands us to mourn that sentiment. I found this incredibly interesting that it is so similar to our society today and not only outside of the church (as that is always as it has been and as it will be) but this plague is very much so alive within church walls. But there is hope if we are willing to give some tough love and be strong in truth (kicking the man out of the church) (AND LOVE (love is my own addition, I think Paul mostly discusses truth in this section, but obviously love for church brothers and sisters is always implied, and very important to remember when we are approaching our arrogant and prideful selves and societies in this society, to have that perceptive ministry so that we can have the most success ...
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CHAPTER 6 - Bailey’s Advice for Serving Our Clients at Sonshine – “At the heart of it all [is] a sustained commitment to serve people beyond [yourselves!]”

Thanks everyone for partnering with us to read through Cultural Studies in 1 Corinthians.  When Bailey wrote on Paul’s management of his trips, donors, and messengers in this chapter I was reminded of the off season work we do of preparing trips, youth leaders, and campers for their summer experience.    This final chapter, for me, highlighted the importance of maintaining discipline and focus when implementing SOPS and protocol, while at the same time seasoning/surrounding all work and communication with the grace, love, and redemption of Christ.  To wrap up this final post I reviewed past posts and came up with one sentence summaries of my blog journey through the book. Thanks again for being a part of this study and blog! Peace!! Steve CHAPTER 1 -   Our discipleship journey together is more difficult and rewarding than we usually expect. "CONFLICT and THE NEED FOR LOVE" -- The Agony (Ecclesiological Stupdity Sabotaging Group Developmen...
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Final Thoughts

Thank you to everyone who partic-i-related in this fall / winter blog.  I for one, was encouraged and challenged through the readings and blogging. My final reflections and invitation to us all on Chapter 6..... "The Corinthians (us) need to be steadfast, immovable in their (our) commitments to Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  They (we) must stand firm in their (our) faith and be courageous and strong as they (we) exercise discipline in the community and as they (we) live out their (our) lives in a pagan environment.  They (we) should be watchful as they (we) await the trumpet sound." I was encouraged and convicted by that paragraph! I pray that in 2019, this would be our witness....... We would be steadfast, immovable in our commitments to Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  We would stand firm in our faith and be courageous and strong as we exercise discipline in our communities and as we live out our lives in a pagan environment.  We should be watchful a...
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DEEP THOUGHTS, by Ken Bailey

I told Steve there is no way to articulate what I want to write about without just straight copying Bailey!  Pages 429-436 are absolutely awesome. It has been a challenging mental gymnastic routine to meditate on the resurrection during the advent season... I suggest you try it! Some of my favorites from the chapter........  "Why did the early church, at this very early stage, conclude that the death of Jesus was different from the death of John the Baptist?"   N.T. Wright answers the question this way.... "Without the resurrection, there is no reason to suppose that Jesus' Crucifixion dealt with sins, or with sin.  But with the resurrection, the divine victory over sin(s), and hence over death, is assured."  "Herod surmised that Jesus was John, who had been raised from the dead, but he was mistaken, and no one saw John alive after his murder.  Jesus, however, appeared to the disciples after the cross, and that made all the difference.  The fa...
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Tradition & Discipline: The "Oh Cr*p Bars" for Breakneck Sociological Change -- CHAPTER 5

“The Corinthians were introducing various self-destructive ethical practices and identity-damaging theological stances that were not in harmony with that received tradition. He wanted to call them back to the fixed tradition that gave the church its identity, an identity that in the early fifties of the first century had already taken a recognizable able shape. Again, Paul did not start a movement, he joined one. His method was to compliment his readers for their steadfastness in remembering and keeping the tradition, and at the same time slowly present larger and larger sections of that tradition. In essay five, the tradition is the climactic center of the opening homily.” This paragraph from Bailey highlighted for me the idea that tradition can serve as a valuable filter when encountering ethical/sociological change. Paul’s anchoring (pun intended) new ideas and new ethics with the “received tradition” brought to mind for me our culture point of Discipline.  Our writing ...
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Be Loved, And It Will Change the Cosmos

At the cross the world discovered that you cannot beat brokenness. I do not wish to wait for hindsight to treasure and cherish the power and wisdom of God in broken scenes such as the nativity and the cross (often times in hindsight we are more apt to receive blessing. If only we were to receive it now!) Paul combats the prideful boasting of the Corinthian church. They have no seeming sense of humility, as observed about and written by Dio Chrysostom: “shouting and reviling one another...fighting with one another, many writers reading aloud their stupid works, many poets reciting their poems...jugglers showing their tricks...peddlers not a few peddling whatever they happen to have”. I can’t help but completely and utterly relate to the Corinthians. I have very recently realized how much I seek to boast in how I manipulate the way people view me, and I reflected back on what Bailey said about how the Corinthians were guilty of considerable boasting. In my initial nots on that co...
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CHAPTER 4 - HOLY INK DUMP -- DRAINED ANOTHER HIGHLIGHTER -- BAILEY UNLEASHED ON LEADERSHIP, LOVE'S POWER, RELATIONAL MINISTRY, EVANGELISM, INTIMACY, CHURCH WORK, CHURCH MISSION, PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY, AND GROUP DEVELOPMENT!!

I grew up in a setting where all folks, male and female, played prominent roles in leadership as deacons, elders, preachers, teachers etc.   The church where I grew up honored God and made a significant impact in our community with this approach to leadership. Since I experienced first hand during my formative years a church setting where God did big things regardless of gender I naturally (as you’d expect) enjoyed Bailey’s positioning of Paul, scripture, and the 1 st century church as seeking to create a setting/structure where all folks, gifted in leadership, play a prominent role as elders, preachers teachers, etc. My bias is that gifted folks should lead and Mr. Bailey (God bless him) communicates to my bias so, of course, I had great affinity for Chapter 4!!   -- Lot of Amens and Preach it brother!! I dumped a lot of ink on this chapter with highlights.   To spare you hours of reflections I’ve narrowed down dozens of highlights to just two…. Highlight ...
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