Week of Dec 28 - Jan 3

Sunday, December 28, 2008
Matthew 2:13-23
Exodus 1:8-22
Psalms 2,26,19,126
Isaiah 66

Monday, December 29, 2008
John 1:19-28
Hebrews 4:1-16
Psalms 18:1-20,18:21-50
Zephaniah 1

Tuesday, December 30, 2008
John 1:29-34
Hebrews 5:1-14
Psalms 20,21,23,27
Zephaniah 2

Wednesday, December 31, 2008
John 1:35-42
Hebrews 6:1-20
Psalms 46,48,90
Zephaniah 3

Thursday, January 01, 2009
John 1:43-51
Hebrews 7:1-10
Psalms 85,87,103,148
Genesis 1

Friday, January 02, 2009
Matthew 4:12-17
Hebrews 7:11-28
Psalms 34,33
Genesis 2

Saturday, January 03, 2009
Matthew 4:18-25
Hebrews 8:1-13
Psalms 68,136
Genesis 3

Week of Dec 21 - Dec 27

Sunday, December 21, 2008
Luke 1:57-66
John 14:1-7
Psalms 23,121,27
Isaiah 59

Monday, December 22, 2008
Luke 1:67-80
Revelation 21:15-27
Psalms 61,62,112,115
Isaiah 60

Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Matthew 1:1-17
Revelation 22:1-21
Psalms 66,67,116,117
Isaiah 61

Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Matthew 1:18-25
Hebrews 1:1-14
Psalms 72,89:1-29
Isaiah 62

Thursday, December 25, 2008
Luke 2:1-20
Hebrews 2:1-18
Psalms 2,85,110,132
Isaiah 63

Friday, December 26, 2008
Matthew 2:1-15
Acts 6:8-7:60
Psalms 28,30,118
Isaiah 64

Saturday, December 27, 2008
John 1:1-18
Hebrews 3:1-19
Psalms 97,98,145
Isaiah 65

Week of Dec 14-Dec 20

Sunday, December 14, 2008
Matthew 25:31-46
Revelation 18:1-10
Psalms 63, 98, 103
Isaiah 52

Monday, December 15, 2008
Luke 20:27-40
Revelation 18:11-24
Psalms 41,52,44
Isaiah 53

Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Luke 1:1-4
Revelation 19:1-10
Psalms 45, 47, 48
Isaiah 54

Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Luke 1:5-25
Revelation 19:11-21
Psalms 119:49-72, 49, 53
Isaiah 55

Thursday, December 18, 2008
Luke 1:26-38
Acts 13:13-26
Psalms 50, 59, 60
Isaiah 56

Friday, December 19, 2008
Luke 1:39-45
Revelation 20:1-15
Psalms 40,54,51
Isaiah 57

Saturday, December 20, 2008
Luke 1:46-56
Revelation 21:1-14
Psalms 55, 138, 139
Isaiah 58

Week of Dec 7- Dec 13

Sorry for the late posting, guys... My memory has been getting worse :)

Also we did not get to go to church today because Kane has a cold I have trouble now in big gathering of people and I pretty much close to pass out :) Pray that we can come next Sunday!

Also pls pray for our little family for God to keep everyone healthy (including the little one)

-Irina

Sunday, December 07, 2008
Luke 24:36-53
Revelation 12:1-17
Psalms 148,149,150,114,115
Isaiah 45

Monday, December 08, 2008
Matthew 24:1-14
Revelation 13:1-10
Psalms 25,9,15
Isaiah 46

Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Matthew 24:15-28
Revelation 13:11-18
Psalms 26,28,36,39
Isaiah 47

Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Matthew 24:29-35
Revelation 14:1-20
Psalms 38,119:25-48
Isaiah 48

Thursday, December 11, 2008
Matthew 24:36-51
Revelation 15:1-8
Psalms 37:1-18, 37:19-42
Isaiah 49

Friday, December 12, 2008
Matthew 25:1-13
Revelation 16:1-21
Psalms 31,35
Isaiah 50

Saturday, December 13, 2008
Matthew 25:14-30
Revelation 17:1-18
Psalms 30,32,42,43
Isaiah 51

Week of Nov 30-Dec 6

Sunday, November 30, 2008
John 1:35-42
John 12:20-22
Psalms 34,96,100
Isaiah 38

Monday, December 01, 2008
Luke 23:26-38
Revelation 8:1-13
Psalms 1,2,3,4,7
Isaiah 39

Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Luke 23:39-43
Revelation 9:1-12
Psalms 5,6,10,11
Isaiah 40

Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Luke 23:44-49
Revelation 9:13-21
Psalms 119:1-24, 12,13,14
Isaiah 41

Thursday, December 04, 2008
Luke 23:50-56
Revelation 10:1-11
Psalms 18:1-20,18:21-50
Isaiah 42

Friday, December 05, 2008
Luke 24:1-12
Revelation 11:1-10
Psalms 16,17,22
Isaiah 43

Saturday, December 06, 2008
Luke 24:13-35
Revelation 11:11-19
Psalms 20,21,110,116,117
Isaiah 44

Revelation 5 --- Linger there, please

Revelation 5 is part of our assigned reading for Wednesday, Nov. 26th. I urge that we each linger there, not worrying greatly about the symbols we might not understand, but sharing in the wonder of that which is clear.

John the Revelator's vision includes a scroll, "sealed up with seven seals" (v. 1). A strong angel can't himself open the scroll and can find no one who can.

(Sometime do a study of mighty things angels in Scripture do -- increasing the wonder of seeing here an angel who can't himself open the scroll and who can't find anyone "in heaven, or on the earth, or under the earth" -- v. 2 -- who can).

When John sees that no one can be found who is "worthy" to open the scroll he "weeps and weeps" (v. 4).

Twenty centuries of discourse has provided no firm agreement about what was written on the scroll or why John felt so overwhelmed with sadness that no one worthy to open it could be found.

Your humble correspondent thinks the scroll contained all the hopes and dreams, all the possibilities of man who has lived since Adam and Eve in a fallen world where hearts are irreparably broken by the separations caused by sin, including the "final" separation brought by death.

I think of the countless hordes of men and women, boys and girls who have, with all their great promise and the pure wonder of their humanity, failed in pursuit of their dreams, and who have been divorced from each other and even from themselves by sin and then death. As a minister I've often been called on to preside in the breakup of marriages, the dissipation of lives addicted to substances and, far too often I've presided at the gravesides of people whose passing left broken hearts and lives. Always I've wept.

The possibilities were always great, the hopes real, many times the dreams palpable. But the Great Sadness has been overwhelming.

The solution to the hopelessness is written on that closed scroll. So John wept and wept because he knew that -- and now he in a vision from God sees that no one can open it.

I WEEP WITH HIM.

But wait! One of the elders in heaven said to John, "Stop weeping and Look! Look!!" (v. 5). There is one who has overcome and who can break the seals and open the scroll to all our hopes, our dreams, to life, to holiness.

The elder pointed John the Revelator (and you and me) to a sacrificial lamb which had been slain.

John saw the Lamb take the scroll in hand and then followed a scene of such grandeur we weep again -- this time tears of the greatest joy.

1. Four living creatures (previously described in the Revelation) and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb, worshiping. Among that which they held in their hands as they lay prostrate before the Lamb was bowls of incense which "are the prayers of the saints" (yours? mine?).
Their song is in vv. 9, 10. I urge you to linger there, especially.

2. Then the chorus was joined by "myriads and myriads, and thousands and thousands" of angels. Their addition to the song is in v. 12. Linger again.

3. Finally, "every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them" joined the chorus. Their contribution is in v. 13. Again, linger.

The four creatures kept repeating, "Amen! Amen." And the elders who I suppose were now standing, beholding the wonder, fell down again and worshiped.

That scene will be played out. We anticipate it longingly as we deal with our disappointments, our brokenness. And in faith we join the chorus of praise even now -- praising him who alone is worthy.

Week of Nov 23-Nov 29

Sunday, November 23, 2008
Luke 22:47-53
Revelation 3:7-13
Psalms 118,145
Isaiah 31

Monday, November 24, 2008
Luke 22:54-62
Revelation 3:14-22
Psalms 106:1-18,106:19-48
Isaiah 32

Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Luke 22:63-71
Revelation 4:1-11
Psalms 120,121,122,123,124,125,126,127
Isaiah 33

Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Luke 23:1-5
Revelation 5:1-14
Psalms 119:145-176, 128, 129, 130
Isaiah 34

Thursday, November 27, 2008
Luke 17:11-19
2 Corinthians 1:3-11
Psalms 147, 145
Isaiah 35

Friday, November 28, 2008
Luke 23:6-12
Revelation 6:1-17
Psalms 140,142,141,143
Isaiah 36

Saturday, November 29, 2008
Luke 23:13-25
Revelation 7:1-17
Psalms 137,144,104
Isaiah 37

Week of Nov 16-Nov 22

Sunday, November 16, 2008
Luke 22:1-6
Revelation 1:1-8
Psalms 66,67,19,46
Isaiah 24

Monday, November 17, 2008
Luke 22:7-13
Revelation 1:9-20
Psalms 89:1-18,89:19-52
Isaiah 25

Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Luke 22:14-32
Revelation 2:1-7
Psalms 897,99,100,94,95
Isaiah 26

Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Luke 22:24-30
Revelation 2:8-11
Psalms 101,109,119:121-144
Isaiah 27

Thursday, November 20, 2008
Luke 22:31-34
Revelation 2:12-17
Psalms 105:1-22, 105:23-45
Isaiah 28

Friday, November 21, 2008
Luke 22:35-38
Revelation 2:18-29
Psalms 102,107:1-32
Isaiah 29

Saturday, November 22, 2008
Luke 22:39-46
Revelation 3:1-6
Psalms 107:33-43, 108:33
Isaiah 30

WEEK NINE PRESESSION NOTES -- PP. 227-240

EPILOGUE

1. Keller is hopeful that some readers will have read to this point in his book and are "ready to explore what it means to put ..... faith in Christ" (p. 227). He emphasizes to such readers that "motivations are always mixed" (p. 227). What is in context the importance of knowing that.
1. A person can't wait to seek God until his motives are wholly pure -- simply because they never are. One who is intrigued by the possibility of faith must begin at a real time and place, not an idealized time/place. 2. The appropriate motive for the Christian ultimately is (and will be as one grows in faith) to honor and serve God, not selfishly to have our needs met. But again, we start where we are -- with our own needs -- and grow to where we in time will be. Amazingly, wonderfully, when we do that our needs are infinitely more than met.


2. "The one thing we have no right to do is to respond to him (Jesus) mildly" (p. 230). Why? (Hint: The Bono interview on p. 229). Jesus has unquestionably changed the world and cannot be ignored. And his claims are so great that either he is God incarnate or a "nutcase." Either way, he must be encountered and dealt with as being very significant for everyman.

3. In talking about Flannery O'Connor and her view of Jesus, Keller asserts that there is "no use just saying you (believe) in Jesus unless you let that change your life and affect your view of everything" (p. 230). Relate that to the Bono interview just referenced and put its truth into your own words. (Hint: "Redemption is meaningless unless there is a cause for it in the acutal life we live ......... " (p. 230-231). Nominal Christianity (faith in name only) is dishonest. Again, the option to believe in him "mildly" is not an option. Yet that is what one does who says he believes in Jesus but whose life is unaffected by faith.

4. "Most important of all, remember that becoming a Christian is not simply a matter of ticking off a list of things to believe and do" (p. 232). What does he mean? What is the essential thing which transcends believing and doing? Christianity is finally a relationship with a living Redeemer. There are things one must do, but the defining element in Chrisitanity is knowing Jesus Christ.

5. To what question is Keller's answer, "I can't tell, and it doesn't matter." (p. 232)? Is someone who was raised in a Christian environment -- but who left it and is now returning to it -- becoming a Chrsitian or being restored as a Christian.

6. Why might even "diligent involvement in church and religion ..... need to be repented of ....." (p. 233)? If the motive for the involvement was to put God and others in our debt.

7. Explain the following statement: "Strong faith in a weak branch is fatally inferior to weak faith in a strong branch". (p. 234). To cling confidently to politics or money or anything which ultimately cannot sustain us is infinitely less valuable than clinging with weak faith to that whidh can sustain us in all things.

8. What relationship is there between Keller's assertion that "Hearts are unruly things" and his advice that we "join a body of believers" (p. 236)? Our lives are always a struggle. We battle ourselves trying to do the right and avoid the wrong. We do best when we are surrounded by others who are engaged in the same struggle.

9. It can actually be dangerous to urge someone to "seek out a church" to which to belong (p. 236-237) because (Keller believes) not all churches are faithful. But he does so urge because to him "there is no alternative" (p. 237). Why? We simply cannot live the Christian life without the encouragement of others. And the institution (not the best word) which provides the only environment where this can happen is the church.

10. What is meant by the phrase "the trauma of grace" (p. 237)? Grace understood creates a traumatic experience where we see our worth and our worthlessness in a single experience.

WEEK EIGHT POSTSESSION NOTES

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TWO ENTRIES FOR WEEK 8 PRESESSION NOTES

Week of Nov 9- Nov 15

Sunday, November 09, 2008
Luke 20:9-19
1 Thessalonians 4:9-18
Psalms 93,96,34
Isaiah 17

Monday, November 10, 2008
Luke 20:20-26
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Psalms 80,77,79
Isaiah 18

Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Luke 20:41-47
1 Thessalonians 5:12-28
Psalms 78:1-39, 78:40-72
Isaiah 19

Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Luke 21:1-6
2 Thessalonians 1:1-12
Psalms 119:97-120,81,82
Isaiah 20

Thursday, November 13, 2008
Luke 21:7-19
2 Thessalonians 2:1-12
Psalms 83,85,86
Isaiah 21

Friday, November 14, 2008
Luke 21:20-28
2 Thessalonians 2:13-3:5
Psalms 88,91,92
Isaiah 22

Saturday, November 15, 2008
Luke 21:29-38
2 Thessalonians 3:6-18
Psalms 87,90,136
Isaiah 23

WEEK EIGHT PRESESSION NOTES -- PP. 201-226

CHAPTER 13 -- THE REALITY OF THE RESURRECTION

1. It is usual to think that the burden of proving the reality of the resurrection of Christ is on believers. However, "The resurrection also puts a burden of proof on its nonbelievers" (p. 202). How so? (Hint: see the two paragraphs which begin at the bottom of p. 202 and continue to middle of p. 203). The birth of the church is one of the most startling of all historical occurrences. If it is not explained by the Resurrection of Christ there must be an "historically feasible alternate explanation." The cynic can't responsibly simply dismiss the resurrection as an explanation for the existence of the church without posing something that more reasonably explains it.

2. If the early church was attempting to fabricate a story to substantiate the truthfulness of the resurrection of Jesus "There was no possible advantage to the church to recount that all the first witnesses were women............ The only possible explanation for why women were depicted as meeting Jesus first is if they really had" (p. 205). How so? Their "low social status" made their testimony inadmissable and without weight.

3. What is "chronological snobbery" (p. 206)? How does it at times play into a denial of the resurrection? (Hint: "The very idea of an individual resurrection would have been as impossible to a Jew as to a Greek" -- p. 207). Our culture has its assumptions -- one being that resurrection is impossible -- and we believe the ancients had another (i.e. that resurrection is possible). Thus they were easily duped into believing that Jesus had been raised -- but not us!! We're snobs (guilty of what is also at times called "generational arrogance") who think we're brighter than the ancients.

4. What is the significance of the word "explosion" on p. 208ff? (Hint: It normally takes a (long) period of time filled with discussion and argument to cause a "massive shift" in the worldview of a group of people -- p. 209). The Christian view of the resurrection of Jesus sprang up full blown immediately after the death of Jesus. That is NOT the way worldview shifts usually happen.

5. What possible explanations are there for this "explosion"? That Jesus really was raised from the dead is one. Keller -- and you and I -- are awaiting another from the skeptics (see #1 above).

6. What is meant by Pascal's assertion, "I believe those witnesses that get their throats cut" (p. 210)? Therefore, what is a logical concusion to draw based on the knowledge that many of the early Christians suffered martydom? They truly believed that Jesus had been resurrected -- enough to die for their belief.

7. CHAPTER 14 -- THE DANCE OF GOD

1. "That creates a dynamic, pulsating dance of joy and love" (p. 215). What does? Who are the dancers? The idea of the Trinity means that God is himself (alone -- Father, Son and Holy Spirit) relational. He (They) are to a depth and a level unfathomable for us glorifying each other, dancing around each other, focused on each other.

2. The idea of the Trinity is unique to Christianity -- and essential. Without it there can be a concept of a sovereign God, but no adequate concept of love. WHY? (Hint: The wonder is expressed in the phrase which describes loving relationships as the "great fountain ..... at the center of reality" -- p. 216). Love is the essence of relationship with someone else. The great mystery of the Trinity is that God is One absolutely, but distinctly Three. "God is love" -- even without the creation. Without that concept it is possible to view God as powerful and sovereign, but with a belief in the Trinity comes an ability to believe that the essence of God is love.

3. We can never fully discover ourselves except in "self-giving, other-directed love" (p. 217). "Self-centeredness destroys the fabric of what God has made" (p. 217). Explain that in your own words. As God is in his Triune nature, we are because we're "in his image." God is love. Thus love is the fabric from which we come. When we are stationary, evaluating the world and others by how they revolve around and serve us, we're out of sync with the great reality of our best and truest nature. It's when we dance around others, seeking their joy and fulfillment, that we are like God.

4. If God is infinitely self-giving, why "does he ask us to obey him unconditionally, to glorify, praise and center our lives around him" (p. 218)? In his love for us he desires our joy -- a joy he knows can only exist for us in our loving him as we are loved. The Christ on the throne and the Christ on the Cross are the same. He didn't endure the cross so he could ascend to the throne. He did both for the same reason -- because his is relational and the entire basis of his relationship to us is love.

5. "We lost the dance. The dance of joyful, mutually self-giving relationships is impossible in a world in which everyone is stationary, ......." (p. 220). What does our being "stationary" have to do with it? We were made to dance (to constantly revolve around God and others for their joy and glory). When we don't, when we stand and evaluate all around us by ourselves (what's in it for me?), we lose everything that is at the heart of our truest nature.

6. "What was Jesus getting out of" dying for us? .......what benefit did he derive from the Cross (p. 220)? What's the answer. "Not a thing " (p. 220). So what was he thinking? He didn't go to Gethemane or Calvary asking what was in it for him. If there was a question on his mine, it was "What's in it for God, the Holy Spirit and the lost souls for whom I'll die?"

7. The story of the gospel explains everything. (p. 225). What does it explain that leads Christians to do "restorative and redistributive justice wherever they can"? (Moral obligation and justice). What does it explain that causes Christians to "do evangelism ...."? (Man's religiousness). What does it explain that causes Christians to "work sacrificially to strengthen human communities"? (Our profoundly relational nature). What does it explain that causes Christians to "become stewards of the material world"? Our delight in beauty.

Week of Nov 2-Nov 8

2-Nov
Luke 18:31-34
James 5:1-12
Psalms 24,29,8,84
Isaiah 10

3-Nov
Luke 18:35-43
James 5:13-20
Psalms 56,57,58, 64,65
Isaiah 11

4-Nov
Luke 19:1-10
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
Psalms 61,62,68
Isaiah 12

5-Nov
Luke 19:11-27
1 Thessalonians 2:1-12
Psalms 72,119:73-96
Isaiah 13

6-Nov
Luke 19:28-40
1 Thessalonians 2:13-20
Psalms 70,71,72,74
Isaiah 14

7-Nov
Luke 19:41-48
1 Thessalonians 3:1-13
Psalms 69,73
Isaiah 15

8-Nov
Luke 20:1-8
1 thessalonians 4:1-8
Psalms 75,76,23,27
Isaiah 16

ISAIAH 3 AND THE AMERICAN CULTURE

Israel (i.e. Southern Israel = Judah) was in trouble in Isaiah 3 ---- BIG TROUBLE!! But they didn't know it.

Their politicians and preachers had told them over and over that all was well. "Peace, peace" they had said.

The humble repentance that alone could have saved them from the encroaching horror of military defeat had become impossible. Arrogant, aloof, elitist they went on, on, on .......... to the edge and eventually over the precipice, unable because of their moral and spiritual dissipation to turn back. They stumbled as in a drunken stupor.

They would not realize the consequence of what they had become until they in exile hung their harps in the trees on the banks of the rivers of Babylon, their hearts too heavy for song (Psalm 137:1-4).

I urge you to read Isaiah 3. And read the short statement regarding it on the Fellowship of St. James website. ( http://merecomments.typepad.com/daily_reflections ). Then read Isaiah 3 again.

Then comment. Can we as Americans learn anything from Isaiah? Are there lessons specifically for us as Christians? Or is any comparison misguided?

Week of Oct 26-Nov 1

Dear All,

I apologize for late posting, I have been really sick and totally forgot... Love :)

Sunday, October 26, 2008
Luke 17:20-37
James 1:21-27
Psalms 63,98,103
Isaiah 3

Monday, October 27, 2008
Luke 18:1-8
James 2:1-13
Psalms 41,52,44
Isaiah 4

Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Luke 18:9-14
James 2:14-26
Psalms 119:49-72, 34,47,48
Isaiah 5

Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Luke 18:15-17
James 3:1-12
Psalms 45,111,112,148, 150
Isaiah 6

Thursday, October 30, 2008
Luke 18:18-23
James 3:13-4:7
Psalms 49,50,53,59,60
Isaiah 7

Friday, October 31, 2008
Luke 18:24-30
James 4:7-17
Psalms 40,54,51
Isaiah 8

Saturday, November 01, 2008
Matthew 5:1-12
Hebrews 11:32-12:2,18-24
Psalms 111,112,148,150
Isaiah 9

WEEK SEVEN PRESESSION NOTES -- PP. 174-200

CHAPTER 11 -- RELIGION AND THE GOSPEL

1. What does Keller mean when he says, "Jekyll becomes Hyde, not in spite of his goodness, but because of his goodness."? (p. 177). (Hint: "Why would Jekyll become Hyde without the potion?" -- p. 176). He was impressed with his own goodness to the point that his pride was a worse thing than the evil deeds done by Mr. Hyde.

2. What are two "forms" in which sin, evil (self-centeredness and pride) are expressed (p. 177)? 1. Riotous self-gratifying living. 2. Self-righteousness (Pharisaism).

3. How can being very, very good be a "rejection of the gospel of Jesus" (p. 177)? All have sinned, ..... perhaps, if we take the NT seriously (particularly the fact that as decadent as was the Roman Empire Jesus said virtually nothing about it but much about self-righteous religious people), none moreso than those who are Pharisaic. All need the Gospel, but those convinced of their own goodness reject it because they don't realize their need.

4. What does Keller mean in saying that religion and irreligion are ultimately spiritually identical (p. 177)? Both lead away from God. They are two opposite paths that lead to a common destination.

5. What has caused "millions of people" raised (in church) to be "inoculated against Christianity" (p. 179)? (Do you agree with this assertion)? Their experience with religious people has been with Pharisees.

6. "This leads to deep humility and deep confidence at the same time" (p. 181). What does? A recognition that we are so flawed that Jesus had to die (for us) and yet that we are so loved that he was glad to die (for us).

7. "Those words, however, can only be spoken on the outside of an experience of radical grace" (p. 182) What words? Why? "Because of grace, Christianity sounds very easy. So I think I'll become a Christian and then go do whatever I want." The true experience of grace is profound and it leads to disciplined living rather than licentiousness.

8. What is the "threat of grace" (pp. 182-185)? (Hint: What may be "the greatest paradox of all" -- p. 185)? Grace is free and yet it captures us and enslaves us. The great example Keller poses is that of Jean Valjean in Le Miserables. He received a great act of kindness which haunted and pursued him the rest of his life. The act both freed and enslaved him all at once.

9. In truth, there is only one thing to which grace is a threat (p. 185). What? The illusion that we are or could ever be free. We'll be enslaved either to our sin (again perhaps the worst of it being Pharisaism) or to the grace that frees us from it.

CHAPTER 12 -- THE (TRUE) STORY OF THE CROSS

1. The "first reason" Keller gives in answer to the question, "Why did Jesus have to die?" is that "real forgiveness is costly suffering" (p. 187). The cost is in part pain. "It hurts terribly. Many people would say it feels like a kind of death" (p. 189). Why? Whose pain? Where does it come from? Jesus (in the cross) frees us by willingly experiencing the pain for us. The human experience if it is to have meaning is necessarily painful. We experience the pain of our own sin. And we experience the pain of the offenses committed against us. And in a world created by a perfect God we experience the pain of forgiving those who offend us -- forgoing the consolation of revenge because there is no other way to have a relationship with God.

2. "Jesus's death was only a good example if it was more than an example ......." (p. 193). What else did it have to be? It had to be necessary. There is nothing exemplary about sacrificing a life unnecessarily.

3. This chapter speaks of the "Great Reversal" (p. 195ff). What does the phrase mean? (Hint: "On the Cross Christ wins through losing, triumphs through defeat, achieves power through weakness ............" (p. 196). Though he was in the form of God he didn't count equality with God something to be grasped. The implications for us are enormous. The way up is down. The way to be rich is to be poor. Etc.

Week of Oct 19-Oct 25

Sunday, October 19, 2008
Luke 15:8-10
Galatians 4:21-31
Psalms 148,149,150,114,115
Nehemiah 9

Monday, October 20, 2008
Luke 15:11-32
Galatians 5:1-15
Psalms 25,9,15
Nehemiah 10

Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Luke 16:1-13
Galatians 5:16-26
Psalms 26,28,36,39
Nehemiah 11

Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Luke 16:14-18
Galatians 6:1-10
Pslams 38,119:25-48
Nehemiah 12

Thursday, October 23, 2008
Luke 16:19-31
Galatians 6:11-18
Psalms 37:1-18, 37:19-42
Nehemiah 13

Friday, October 24, 2008
Luke 17:1-4
James 1:1-11
Psalms 31,35
Isaiah 1

Saturday, October 25, 2008
Luke 17:5-10
James 1:12-20
Psalms 30,32,42,43
Isaiah 2

WEEK SIX PRESESSION NOTES -- PP. 143-173

CHAPTER 9 -- THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD

1. "It's almost like their moral intuitions are free-floating in midair -- far off the ground" (p. 145). To whom/what does that statement refer. It refers to all who have adopted the moral values of the current Western culture. Because there is no sense of ultimate reality (for instance, God) which undergirds a sense of morality, the passion with which moral positions are promoted/ defended really don't make sense.

2. Some philosophers (such as poet Czeslaw Milosz -- p. 145) believe that people in earlier times believed in God and consequently in human dignity and that people now in the current (and future) scientific-technological world will discard religion as a basis for a concept of human dignity. So there will no longer be a belief in the dignity of human beings. Tim Keller disagrees and has a "radical thesis" (p. 145-146) which causes him to think we may yet encounter a future where there remains a sense of human dignity. What is his radical thesis? "I think people in our culture know unavoidably that there is a God, but they are repressing what they know." Surely this means that even as we deny (through our practices if not our language) human dignity by countenancing aboriton, euthanasia, etc. we'll not be able to avoid the nagging, haunting sense that we're doing something terribly wrong.

3. Moral relativism is a belief that "no one should impose their moral views on others, because everyone has the right to find truth inside him or herself" (p. 146). It's a commonly heard assertion. But ........ "Why is it impossible (in practice) for anyone to be a consistent moral relativist even when they claim that they are" (p. 146)? What's Keller's answer? How do you feel about it? It is impossible simply because we all have a code of conduct that we not only attempt live by ourselves, but also to impose on others. That is even true when we insist that a primary tenet in our morality is that everyone should be allowed to live by their own code of conduct, however different it may be from others.

4. What is "cultural relativism" (p. 149)? A view that all moral beliefs are culturally created -- we believe them because we are part of a community that gives them plausibility. There are no absolutes except those imposed by a community.

5. "There is no way to derive the concept of the dignity of every individual from the way things really work in nature" -- natural law (p. 151). Why? (Hint: "There is no basis for moral obligation unless we argue that nature is in some part unnatural. We can't know that nature is broken in some way unless there is some supernatural standard of normalcy ..." (p. 155). Nature thrives on violence and predation, not on a sense of the dignity of the individual. If one argues that what is meant is that "human nature" instills a certain moral code, the question then becomes where that code comes from.

6. "Without God (man) can't justify moral obligation, and yet he can't not know it exists" (p. 154-155). That statement summarizes the cultural/moral relativist conundrum. Think about it and restate it in street language. Back to Keller's "radical thesis" -- We know what we know -- that there is a God and that we are liable to him -- even when we deny that we know it.

7. What should you do with a premise which leads to a conclusion "you know isn't true" (p. 156)? What powerful point is Keller making? You must either change the premise or the conclusion. Or in this case, with no code of ethics rooted in something absolute (God) you cannot argue against the statement, "Napalming babies is culturally relevant." Your premise doesn't allow it.

8. What does the phrase "pointless litigation of existence before an empty bench" (p. 157) mean? Why is it another way of saying ...... "despair" (p. 157)? It's from playwright Arthur Miller's play, AFTER The FALL. The character, Quentin, as he gradually loses his faith in God arrives at a point of despair in which he can give no reason for living according to a code which can't really exist because there's no one (God) in the judge's chair.

9. When a person gets to the point of philosophical despair (as mentioned in the previous discussion point) he has "two options" (p. 157). What are they? 1. Just don't think about it. Eat, drink and be merry with no thought about consequences. But don't allow yourself any time when there's quietness and reflection or the despair will return. 2. Yield to that which you really do know, but which you've suppressed. Yield to God.

CHAPTER 10 -- THE PROBLEM OF SIN

1. Why is it "hard to avoid the conclusion that there is something fundamentally wrong with the world" (p. 159)? There is a pulsating sense that we are not what we are meant to be -- individually or corporately.

2. What did Keller mean in sayng to a distraught young man that "the good news was -- he was a sinner" (p. 160)? (Hint: "........ I achieved low self-esteem" -- p. 161. Further hint: "The Christian doctrine of sin, properly understood, can be a great source for human hope ...... -- p. 161). The realization that we are sinful is requisite to a change that can bring us to God who can redeem us. As long as we wallow in the pig pen, unaware of the reality of our condition, we'll have no sense that we need to turn to God.

3. Sin is not simply doing bad things. It's more profound than that. "It is seeking to establish a sense of self by making something else more central to your significance, purpose, and happiness than your relationship to God" ( p. 162). What does that mean to you?

4. "An identity not based on God also leads inevitably to deep forms of addiction" (p. 165). What does that mean? (Hint: "One has only the choice between God and idolatry ..... p. 166). We will live (controlled by) for something.

5. "A life not centered on God leads to emptiness. Building our lives on something besides God not only hurts us if we don't get the desires of our hearts, but also if we do" (p. 166). Elaborate on that thought. Nothing other than God can satisfy the deepest longings of the human heart. We are obviously disappointed when we don't get that which we desire. It's less obvious, but nonetheless true, that the things we desire and pursue other than God cannbot but disappoint if we do get them.

6. The wonderful Hebrew word "shalom" (peace) describes not the absence of conflict so much as the absolute presence of all that is good (the creation as God made it in Genesis). "The devastating loss of shalom through sin is described in Genesis 3" (p. 170). "Human beings are so integral to the fabric of things that when human beings turned from God the entire warp and woof of the world unraveled" (p. 170). How does this explain our broken, decaying world which is "in bondage to decay" and which is "subject to futility" (Romans 8)? Please share some things you've seen which illustrate this.

Week of Oct 12-Oct 18

Sunday, October 12, 2008
Luke, 13:22-30
Galatians, 1:11-24
Psalms 146,147,11,112,113
Nehemiah 2

Monday, October 13, 2008
Luke, 13:31-35
Galatians, 2:1-10
Psalms 1,2,3,4,7
Nehemiah 3

Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Luke 14:1-6
Galatians 2:11-21
Pslams 5,6,10,11
Nehemiah 4

Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Luke 14:7-14
Galatians 3:1-14
Pslams 119:1-24, 12,13,14
Nehemiah 5

Thursday, October 16, 2008
Luke 14:15-24
Galatians 3:15-29
Psalms 18:1-20, 18:21-50
Nehemiah 6

Friday, October 17, 2008
Luke 14:25-35
Galatians 4:1-11
Psalms 16,17,22
Nehemiah 7

Saturday, October 18, 2008
Luke 15:1-7
Galatians 4:12-20
Psalms 20,21,110,116,117
Nehemiah 8

BOOK CLUB PRESESSION NOTES -- WEEK 5 -- PP.115-142

INTERMISSION

1. How does Tim Keller answer the question, "What is Christianity?" (p. 116)? Why, in the context of a discussion about belief/unbelief (and its attacks on Christian faith), does he think this an important question? (How do fundamentalists answer the question)? Christianity is a "body of believers who assent to these great ecumenical creeds." Common beliefs such as God created the earth, Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, that he was crucified, and that he rose again after the third day bring us together. There are differences in worship styles that set us apart. The fundamentalist says that Christianity is what they say it is.

2. ".........we are all deeply interested in seeing the case for God go one way or the other" (p. 119). What factors cause us to care "deeply" whether or not God exists?

We will believe in one thing or another. The passion to believe in something brings us to take a closer look at God.
3. "The approach I will take in the rest of this volume is called 'critical rationality' (p. 120). He uses it to argue that belief in God may be a leap of faith, but it isn't a blind leap (CM's words). What is critical rationality? (additional question: What does the phrase "explanatory power" on p. 122 mean)?

Critical rationality "assumes that there are some arguements that many or even the most rational people will find convincing, even though there is no arguement that will be persuasive to everyone regardless of viewpoint." Explanatory power is the best explanation for the way things are.

4. What does ".....all arguments are rationally avoidable in the end" (p. 120) mean?

Some arguements are more rational than others. All arguements are rationally avoidable in the end.
CHAPTER 8 -- THE CLUES OF GOD

1. What are "divine fingerprints" (p. 127)? Why might it be a better idea to think of them as "clues" rather than "proofs" (p. 128)?

You can see God's imprint on everything around us. There is no way to prove it but the evidence is everywhere.

2. Assuming that the world(s) we know began with a Big Bang, what is the heart of Keller's argument that "Everything we know in this world is 'contingent,' has a cause outside of itself" (p. 129). What does the word "contingent" mean in this context?
That the Big bang may have happened but it was put into effect by God.

3. Francis Collins said, "When you look from the perspective of a scientist at the universe, it looks as if it knew we were coming" (p. 130). What line of reasoning would one use to argue from this to a belief in God (the "Fine-Tuning Argument")? (Why did the gamblers aim their six-shooters at the dealer in a game of poker)?

The fine tuning arguement is rationally avoidable. However, for the sake of aguement Keller talks about all of the things that line up to make a universe ready for us. Ready and fine tuned because a God that we serve has put it into motion. The gamblers aim their six shooters he has dealt himself twenty hands straight of four aces in the same poker game. Assuming that there has been cheating the arguement begins. When in reality the luck of the dealer could be real.
4. "As a proof for the existence of God, the regularity of nature is escapable. ............... As a clue for God, however, it is helpful" (p. 132). How so?

5. Beauty argues in behalf of the existence of God. ("Updike seems to be saying that regardless of the beliefs of our mind about the random meaninglessness of life, before the face of beauty we know better" -- p. 134). In this context, what are "innate desires" (p. 135) How does the innate human desire for beauty serve as a "major clue that God is there."

God has given us a yearning for beauty.

6. What do modern atheists pose as a "Clue Killer" -- that which would argue that "the clues are clues to nothing" (p. 136)? Keller deals lengthily with this argument, but in the end is dismissive of it in the paragraph on p. 139 which begins, "It comes down to this." Summarize his argument.
(Hint: " ...... if this argument proves anything at all it proves too much -- p. 140).