Why I Went to TEDS

Why did I choose to earn a Master of Divinity degree?

Upon graduation from Huntington College in 1996 with a BA double major in Bible & Religion/Educational Ministries, I enrolled in the Huntington College Graduate School of Christian Ministries. It was the quickest way to fulfill requirements for my ordination in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ denomination. My wife had found a teaching job in the area, we didn't have much money, so earning a Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry from a local school I was fond of made a lot of sense. However, my whole senior year I perused the information on graduate schools at Duke, Drew, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Fuller, and maybe one or two others. Those schools were really quite different than HCGSCM, and as it turned out, not all that realistic to attend at the time.

But the desire was there to go to a great school and get a great graduate degree that will help me grow spiritually, intellectually, vocationally, and personally. HCGSCM did that as well, but in its own way. And, interestingly, no pastor I knew at the time encouraged me to attend the larger seminaries, only HCGSCM. I was told I should pursue an education that emphasized practical ministry, since that is what directly changes churches and lives for God. Who was I to doubt them. And the practical ministry training I received was helpful for sure. It helped that the fall I entered my masters program in 1996, I also began ministry as associate pastor of North Summit Church. Brooks Fetters was the senior pastor of his church plant - and at the time we were meeting in a Holiday 6 movie theatres. Exciting times. It was really, really helpful to be part of this new and surging church while working my way through the masters program on practical ministry stuff like: worship, small groups, leadership, preaching, counseling, etc.

My ministry wrapped up at NSC in fall of 1997, mostly due to funding issues. I still had another year of my MA to wrap up - including an internship. I was hired on at Emmanuel Community Church in October of 1997 as the intern pastor, where I finished up my MA in Pastoral Ministries. What a great experience! I wouldn't trade my ministry experiences at the NSC church-plant or the ECC mega-church. And I really enjoyed earning my degree while doing real ministry that really mattered.

In spring of 1998 I graduated from HCGSCM. Also in that spring, an interesting ministry opportunity emerged: a local UB church in downtownish section of Fort Wayne needed an overhaul, maybe a restart - and ECC was considering taking the lead on it in partnership with the conference. Many of the conference leadership details are not privy to me, but at the local level, I was really excited that my church was willing to consider this exciting opportunity, and maybe I could be part of it in some way. By September it had been decided that I would be the lead pastor of this new church restart, Third Street UBC would become Anchor Community Church. Now I could put all my training and education to work in the real world in a new way. I was eager to implement my ideas, try my style of ministry, get to know the people of the community and make a difference for the kingdom.

Why did I choose to earn a Master of Divinity degree...I'm getting there, hang on!
After a couple years of pastoring at Anchor, I found myself becoming interested again in the MDiv. While I was increasing my competency in practical ministry areas of teaching, leading, administrating, counseling, worship, etc, I was also increasing my interest in theological and philosophical matters. I wanted to sharpen up my understanding of the Christian doctrines and thus the material from which I am preaching and teaching each week. My college education was good, but five years later I was hungering for more depth, more probing questions, and I was more ready for the answers. But, how to pursue a massive MDiv degree while pastoring full-time? Is it necessary? Is it worth it? Tara was finishing up her Master of Education from IPFW, so once she finished, did we really want to send me off to school again? I started checking out schools in 2001, and narrowed it down to schools I could drive to: Winebrenner, Grace, Trinity, Concordia. If I was going to do this, I wanted to go to the best I could afford and in the region: Trinity was my choice. But how to make the time? It was easy to not make a decision, 2001 flew by with many good things happening at Anchor - do I really need this degree?

Then Matt was killed Sunday morning, December 30, 2001.

Stunned. Numb. Very, very, very angry. Bewildered.

And then the week following the funeral I tore my right Achilles tendon, and had surgery two weeks after that, making me a grieving invalid who needed a ride to work and home each day. Now I'm angry and humbled.

Earlier that summer Tara and I had begun attempting to have our first child. Following Matt's death, we decided to wait awhile again, I was not ready to be a dad at that time in life. We had waited seven years following marriage to have children, now we were waiting again. And there was deep despair. Faith in crisis.

The desire to go to school began to remerge, but with a different reason: to find a faith I could embrace. I needed someplace to go where I could be guided in rigorous reading and critical analysis of thought-systems and beliefs.

2002 came and went with no decision to go to school, I was too consumed with grief amidst my ongoing work as a pastor. That fall I helped coach boys highschool soccer at Elmhurst with Steve Saddington - that was good for youth ministry and my soul. By then I knew that next year at that time I might be in school. But nothing was definite. We were pregnant with our first child at the time, and I knew that if I didn't go now, there is no way I could make the time once we were done having kids. If we thought our life was busy now...

Once Emma was born in March 2003, I knew that the coming fall had to be the beginning of my MDiv program. I applied that summer, was accepted, and August was the first day of class. It was a tough decision for Tara and I; we knew that it would be significant time and money commitment. But the primary reason for us deciding to do it was this: I needed to pursue this mode of education to help me keep a faith, to rebuild a faith, to explore the next one.

Anchor was supportive of me going, though they would have been happier if I had not gone. No one there thought I needed it to be a better pastor, I was doing just fine as it was. And in that sense, they were right. I didn't really need it to be a better pastor when it came to practical ministry. But if I was going to stay their pastor, I needed this degree in order to stay a pastor. Inevitably my energy level and focus diminished some towards Anchor. In 2001 I was very involved in Anchor, leading youth ministry, leading the church, teaching small groups, preaching sermons, leading stuff...in 2002 I felt like a spiritual zombie, and by 2003 I had a newborn baby in the house and MDiv homework on the kitchen table. But it is what I needed to do.

Were there other factors in my decision to earn my MDiv? Once I had decided to attend TEDS, I began to find out all these other pastors who had an MDiv and were thankful for the education. The argument against getting the degree, as I heard it, was that it didn't help pastors become better at growing churches, it actually hindered it. But I knew I wanted the degree, and I was meeting more pastors who were involved in thriving ministries, who had a MDiv, and who went to Trinity. Though I was going for the actual education, I knew that I also wanted the respectability that comes from having this professional degree.

And now I'm about done with my MDiv at Trinity. I've done plenty of reflecting of how my decision has impacted Anchor. That is another post for another day.

Topics to Study Someday...

Here is a list of topics I find fascinating, pieces of knowledge that I'd like to explore to gain more understanding.

Soren Kierkegaard: a theologian from 1850 who has become surprisingly relevant to the religious, cultural, and ideological issues of our post-modern life.

Predestination, Determinism, Foreknowledge and Freewill, Openness: I just haven't heard/read enough material that I "get". For me, this philosophical issue is a regular topic I ponder. Some people think about grocery lists, DVRing their next show, or planning out their summer vacation; I muddle through issues of how much God knows. Why? I don't know...

Conversion Theory: what happens in people that they have religious conversion experiences. Why do some children and youth convert, and others with similar experiences don't? What is it about adult conversions that makes them so different than that of kids? What sociological, psychological, and cultural issues shape spiritual conversion? Why are some people more effective at helping others convert than others?

Christ and Culture: Did Christ come to transform culture? Subvert it? Reclaim it? Abolish It? Would Jesus use Guns and Roses lyrics to reach out to alienated and angry youth? Would the Spirit speak to ancient Jews through the inspiring stories of gladiators? Would God care about the justice system of the Empire and seek His People to reform it?

Church Health and Community Revitalization: can a church be considered healthy apart from the conditions of the neighborhood or community of which it is apart? What role does the church have in participating in the health of the local region? Do the Kingdom Values of the church have potential impact for Neighborhood Improvements that really matter? What is the connection between discipleship and involvement in local economics, politics, agriculture, urban planning, and education?

What is the core beliefs of Christianity: with the mind-boggling plethora of denominations, cults, and divisions within Christianity, what is the beliefs/practices that tie us together? What then of those beliefs/practices that are not shared? Do they matter? How closely should we hold to them? If they are not true, what should be our attitude towards them?

The Way of Anchor and The Present Future - Part Three

New Reality Number Two: The Shift from Church Growth to Kingdom Growth

Quotes from the book; my comments begin with an *

The church growth movement was a missiological response to the initial warning signs that the church in North America had lost its mission.

Certain tenets of church growth methodology met a fair amount of resistance from church leaders. One was the principle of homogeneity espoused by McGavran, that people want to go to church with people who basically are like them. This flew in the face of the notion...that America is a melting pot. Now the most prevalent view is that it is a mosaic, where individual cultures maintain their identity while contributing to the overall design.

Another highly debated aspect of the church growth school centered around the whole notion of growth. Church growth advocates argued that growth was a sign of life and was anticipated and even expected by God.

There were a lot of things right about the church growth emphasis. It provided a wake-up call to the church, introducing a tension against the church's accepting decline as inevitable. It asserted cultural relevance as a key component of being obedient to the Great Commission.

There were several things wrong with the church growth movement. A lot of "growth" was merely the migration of Christians moving from one church to another.

...we have the best churches men can build, but are still waiting for the church that only God can get credit for.

Wrong Question: How Do We Grow the Church? (How Do We Get Them to Come to Us?)
In their quest to be attractive to potential congregants churches added staff, added programs, added buildings, all to improve their market position. And it worked! A Lilly study released in 2002 found that one-half of churchgoers attended churches in the top 10 percent of church size.

Keep in mind all of this has been done with what result? Diminishing returns!
* This is the conclusion that gets to me. Some polls reveal church-attendance dropping below thirty percent, some lower than that. And this in light of the rise of fantastically amazing churches in California, Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Texas, and even Indiana! Churches are bigger now than ever before! Yet less people are going to church.... In my ministry I'm meeting more and more people deeply wounded and disillusioned by The Church - big church, little church, any church. They thought they would get God's peace, that His joy would change their life, that they would have a new power to love the unlovable. Instead, the economy is tanking, their healthcare is more expensive, jobs are more draining and scarce, and their kids and spouse (if they have them still...) are a source of anxiety and disappointment. And the church didn't seem to help.

For those willing to take a fresh look at the demands for effective church ministry at the beginning of the third Christian millennium, a brand-new question now claims your attention.

Tough Question: How Do We Transform Our Community? (How Do We Hit the Streets with the Gospel?)
If they aren't going to come to us, then we've got to go to them. This is the crux of the issue. Churches that understand the realities of the present future are shifting the target of ministry efforts from church activity to community transformation.

The North American church culture is not spiritual enough to reach our culture.

The call to take the gospel to the streets is more than the call to think up some new evangelism or outreach program.

The church that wants to partner with God on his redemptive mission in the world has a very different target: the community.
* This conclusion also resonates with me deeply. At Anchor, from the beginning, we talked about how we wanted the neighborhood to be a better place to live because our church was part of the community. This desire drove a lot of our decisions: about renting the parsonage, developing a needy fund, starting and growing a youth center, tutoring, a kids meal program, outreach for troubled youth, drug prevention programs, attempts at a counseling center, home repairs, landscaping, trashpickup, community carnivals and barbecues, and maybe a couple of other activities. I love that we did this work. I think it was working, just very slowly. And now many of our leaders have migrated to other churches... hmmmm...what to do...

The consumer church sees resources plowed into community transformation as "diverted" from the church.

The mental model that many church members have for doing evangelism is for them to act like telemarketers.
* This is an accurate description of what evangelism seemed to be like for me, especially in college. Sometimes I think that my drive for knowledge of theology, philosophy, culture, ministry practices, etc was to help me develop another way to conceive of and do evangelism. I want so much - more than I know how to express in words - people to know God. It's just that the people I happen to know aren't open to telemarketers, gospel salesmen, churchevent promoters. But the people I know do have a desire to connect to God, they just need someone to help them along the way, not a salespitch. Though, ironically, it clearly works with some people...

This is what it's going to take to gain a hearing for the gospel in the streets of the twenty-first century - the smell of cleaning solution, dirty faces, obvious acts of servanthood.

Bottom line: we've got to take the gospel to the streets. This is the only appropriate missional response to the collapse of the church culture. We need to go where people are already hanging out and be prepared...
* My developing conception of Anchor is within this mindset of missional activity. That everyone who is part of Anchor - no matter where they are at in their trusting of Christ - would make missional choices in their everyday life. They would begin to look at people and circumstances with a missional attitude: what might Jesus want me to say or do that furthers His redemptive work in this world. Everybody can be a missional minister; it's not about professional training or credentials. It's about a man or woman looking around at the people they already know and wondering what God might want to do in and through them to further God's work in those people they already know. How hard is that? Everybody could do that...

Emma, Cleo & Dot

Emma has had fun trying on the fashionable clothes of the local Cleo & Dot designers. In the Spring she was part of a catalog shoot at Fun Spot Park. In the late Fall she was part of another shoot at the ice rink in Headwaters Park. Emma and another girl are supposed to be on the front cover - how exciting! Here's some neat pics that Tara snapped on that cold, sunny, wintry day.

Emma enjoying getting her hair all fancied up!

Ooooh...what white skates you have on! First time skater, watch out!

Emma and her new friend on the ice for the very first time ever...and they are supposed to look natural, do all sorts of interesting poses, all while not falling down or freezing to death. Modeling is hard work!


Time for a warm-up break, a couple fresh curls, and a change of outfit.

Emma picked up on skating quickly, now she's ready to go out again! Now Dad has to find his old hockey skates...

Enjoying the sunshine on a cold, windy, fun day!

The Way of Anchor and The Present Future - Part Two and a Half

New Reality Number One: The Collapse of the Church Culture

Quotes from the book; my comments are in italics...

Many congregations and church leaders, faced with the collapse of the church culture, have responded by adopting a refuge mentality. Those with a refuge mentality view the world outside the church as the enemy. Their answer is to live inside the bubble in a Christian subculture complete with its own entertainment industry. Evangelism in this worldview is about churching the unchurched, not connecting people to Jesus. It focuses on cleaning people up, changing their behavior so Christian (translation: church people) can be more comfortable around them.
I remember when I started using the phrase "unchurched" to describe non-Christians; when I started talking strategy that revolved around getting the unchurched churched. It was supposed to be just another way to talk about evangelism. But it ended up shifting to a focus on getting people - churched and unchurched - involved in the life of the church. This phrase "life of the church" tends to mean three things: Sunday morning worship, Evening Small Groups, Ministry Involvement. The idea was that if you did these three things in a church, you would grow closer to God, to other believers, and support the vision of the church would result in a changed community for Christ. It works enough churches that it is still a viable strategy. But it doesn't work in enough churches to warrant it as a solution that just needs to be implemented better.

The point is, all the effort to fix the church misses the point. You can build the perfect church - and they still won't come. People are not looking for a great church. They do no wake up every day wondering what church they can make successful. The age in which institutional religion holds appeal is passing away - and in a hurry.

Church leaders seem unable to grasp this simple implication of the new world - people outside the church think the church is for church people, not for them.
So how does a church go about being a church that is simultaneously for people who have been followers of Jesus for a long time and for those who are just beginning? How does a church stay welcoming to both? By not emphasizing who is churched and unchurched, but by encouraging everyone to keep taking their next step with Jesus. Churched and unchurched as categories are too definitive while also being unhelpful. Christianity is exchanged with Churchedness; once I get "in" to a church, I am good with God. But Jesus calls us to follow him, and that is more messy, open-ended, never completed. Thus everyone is on the same plane - it's not about who follows better, but about who is following at whatever point they are at in life.

In North America the invitation to become a Christian has become largely an invitation to convert to the church.
As I just wrote, I sensed this to be coming true at Anchor. We've just changed our emphasis. Our questions is: When is Anchor at its Best? It's not when we gather for worship, it's not when the singing rocks or the sermon convicts. Anchor is at its best when those of us who follow Jesus do so in the everyday events of life. That is what it means to be/become a Christian. Church is helpful to the degree that it helps you follow Jesus in everyday life, not what it does for me on Sunday.

Many church leaders confuse the downward statistics on church participation with a loss of spiritual interest in Americans.

We need to recapture the mission of the church. In both Old and New Testaments we encounter a God who is on a redemptive mission in the world.

When Jesus came on the scene he entered a world very similar to our own in terms of its spiritual landscape.

Jesus tapped into this widespread sentiment of disillusionment with religion but hunger for God with his teaching about the kingdom of God and how people could become part of it.

The movement Jesus initiated had power because it had at its core a personal life-transforming experience. They had grace and love.
Grace and Love just can't be underestimated as our means of being salt and light. Jesus comes as Truth, the revelation of what is most real in this world, and his means of communicating that truth about God/Ultimate Reality is through Generous Grace and Strong Love. Following Jesus is alot about communicating the truth of God's work and will through our works of grace and love in the name of Jesus. Which means that what we do in the name of Jesus is easily recognized as the kind of stuff Jesus did when he walked this earth amongst us.

The Way of Anchor and The Present Future - Part Two

New Reality Number One: The Collapse of the Church Culture

Quotes from the book; my comments are in italics...

The current church culture in North America is on life support. It is living off the work, money, and energy of previous generations form a previous world order.

The further down you go in the generational food chain, the lower the percentage each succeeding generation reports going to church.

A growing number of people are leaving the institutional church for a new reason. They are not leaving because they have lost faith. They are leaving the church to preserve their faith.
This rings true from my experience at Anchor. I continue to meet people who are interested in God and his will, but the church has been a huge obstacle to their faith. People are against the institutional church, and are pleasantly surprised to find a church that includes cynics and skeptics who still believe amidst their questions.

...the North American church culture unfortunately now reflects the materialism and secularism of the modern era. Not only do we not need God to explain the universe, we don't need God to operate the church. Many operate like giant machines, with church leaders serving as mechanics. God doesn't have to show up to get done what is getting done. The culture does not want the powerless God of the modern church.

Church activity is a poor substitute for genuine spiritual vitality.
I came to this conclusion awhile ago, but McNeal says it so well. We've never had alot of programs and ministries at Anchor, for a variety of reasons. Now we hardly have any "official" ministries; we have events on Sunday morning - that's it. And we fight the performance issues: the singing is not upbeat enough, the sermon is too long, the crowd is too small, etc. However, ministry is happening in very informal, personal ways - not on Sunday mornings, but in the developing relationships people have at church, as they begin to care more for who they worship with. Spiritual vitality is emerging at Anchor, not because of church activity (official programs/ministries), but because of their acts of love in the name of Jesus.

Many church members feel they have been sold a bill of goods.

The faithful, maybe silently or not so silently, wonder when their ticket is going to be punched, when they are going to experience the changed life they've been promised and expected to experience at church.

Resolutions for the New Year

I hearby resolve to do the following in the year 2008:

Eat plenty of cake and ice cream at every single birthday party I am invited to join.

Drive at least 100 miles in my 1966 Ford Mustang.

Play soccer with Emma, Levi and Isaac.

Give my wife Tara 50 hours of scrapbooking time.

Help Eli learn to swim.

Finish at least 12 of the thirty books I started to read in 2007.

Learn to tell jokes (I'm a terrible joke-teller, I can never remember the punchline correctly...even elephant jokes are a struggle!)

Bench-press 250 pounds.

Grow enough huckleberries to make 12 pies (one for each month following harvest-season).

Not yell at my kids so much, or my wife for that matter.

Graduate from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School with a Masters in Divinity.

Have another fun vacation this summer somewhere where there is plenty of sunshine, lots of water for swimming, a Starbucks close by, and restaurants with tasty appetizers and a zillion flavors of ice cream.

Celebrate thirteen good years of marriage to my beautiful wife Tara.

Teach Levi and Isaac how to catch a baseball.

Ride my bike with Emma alot.

Go for plenty of summer evening strolls with the whole family.

Merry New Year...

It is almost midnight, Tara and I are chillin' on the couch.

We're munching on chips and salsa..but it's not just any salsa, it's Jack's Special Salsa. Look for it in your local grocery store. It's delicious, one of the best salsas I've ever had. Second only to Dennis' salsa. His Venezulan salsa is Numero Uno. But I can only get his homemade concoction on rare occasions, so I must settle for the savory Jack' Special Salsa.

Anyway...

Highlights of 2007 for the Happy Hallman Home

Number One: Birth of Eli Martin Hallman. He was born on my brother Matt's Birthday, and we just dedicated him to the Lord on Matt's Deathday. A special year.

Number Two: The Family Vacation to Monterey, California. Fourteen Hallmans ventured across our beautiful America to visit the hometown of our Aunt Faye. We took a week to get there, spent a week there, and took a week to return home. The trip of a lifetime. In our Chevy Venture we had four children four and under, and they did pretty good, and Tara and I had fun.

Number Three: Celebrate Twelve Years of Marriage to my Beautiful Wife, Tara. 12 is a special number for us.
Our First Date: November 12, 1993
Our Engagement Date: December 12, 1994
Our Wedding Date: August 12, 1995
Found Out We Were Pregnant with Emma: July 12, 2002
Went Into Labor with Emma: March 12, 2003
Levi and Isaac were born on the Twelfth Day of Christmas: January 5, 2005

Some Anticipated Highlights of 2008:

Eli turns 1 on March 26!

I graduate from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School with a Masters of Divinity this Summer.

Emma starts Kindergarten in the Fall.

Levi and Isaac begin Preschool the Fall as well.

Anchor Community Church will celebrate its Tenth Anniversary in October.

Tara gets caught up on her eight scrapbooks...not including the California trip; all this by the end of the year!

Hope you have a Merry New Year in 2008...

Faith, Mercy, and Potential

It is so hard to believe because it is so hard to obey.
- Soren Kierkegaard

In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don't.
- Blaise Pascal

For many of us, the great danger is not that we will renounce our faith. It is that we will become so distracted and rushed and preoccupied that we will settle for a mediocre version of it.
- John Ortberg

When I was young, I used to admire intelligent people; as I grow older I admire kind people.
- Abraham J. Heschel

The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them but to be indifferent to them; that's the essence of inhumanity.
- George Bernard Shaw

Remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.
- Scott Adams

If you neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.
- Bishop Desmond Tutu

I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.
- Abraham Lincoln

Mercy, detached from justice, grows unmerciful.
- C.S. Lewis

A good book that Steve Dennie passed on to me, Contrariaian's Guide to Knowing God: Spirituality for the Rest of Us by Larry Osborne, contains a helpful chapter - The Potential Trap: Why Being All We Can Be Might Be a Dumb Idea. Not only do pastor's need to read this chapter, but anybody who strives to improve their lot in life. It's not that achieving one's potential is bad in and of itself, but often times what we do to achieve potential is bad for us, bad for others, and bad for God. The temptation to achieve one's potential can be lucrative and destructive.

He writes...

Actually, my disillusionment with the pursuit of fully realized potential began...with a little fruit inspecting.
I noticed that my friends and colleagues who considered fulfilling their personal potential as the best way to please God were NOT becoming more Christlike. They were becoming increasingly competitive, self-centered, and dissatisfied.
I also noticed that when it came time to make major life decisions, the compass called potential always pointed to the bigger platform, the more challenging task, and the greater rewards. It seldom pointed toward sustaining a long-term relationship, a slower pace, a lesser role, or an old-fashioned concept called loyalty.

Also...

Destination Sickness:
Another problem with the quest to use all our gifts and fulfill all our promise, no matter what, is that it sets us up for the heartache known as Destination Sickness.
There's nothing worse than arriving where you wanted to go, only to realize you don't want to be there. We've all experienced it at some level - having left something good for what we though was much better; only to find that the greener grass was painted concrete.
But perhaps the saddest part of the journey to bogus greener grass is that it almost always leaves behind broken relationship. Co-workers, family members, friends, and those who depend on us are devastated to discover that our deepest loyalty is not to them, but to ourselves and our potential.

Genuine Christianity

Genuine Christianity: Essentials for Living Your Faith by Ron Sider is a helpful guide for responding to James 2:16-17

If one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.


Sider is president of Evangelicals for Social Action (ESA), and in this book he fleshes out eleven characteristics of Genuine Christians, those who follow Jesus in faith and deed everyday.

To set up these characteristics he imagines a conversation between Jesus and the messenger angel Gabriel:
"You mean," Gabriel asks in amazement, "your whole plan to save the world depends on that ragtag bunch of fishermen, ex-prostitutes, and tax collectors?"
"That's right," Jesus replies.
"But what if they fail? Gabriel persists, with growing alarm. "What's your backup plan?"
"There is no back-up plan," Jesus says quietly.

Characteristics of Genuine Christians

1. Genuine Christians embrace both God's holiness and God's love.

2. Genuine Christians live like Jesus.

3. Genuine Christians keep their marriage covenants and put children before career.

4. Genuine Christians nurture daily spiritual renewal and live in the power of the Spirit.

5. Genuine Christians strive to make the church a little picture of what heaven will be like.

6. Genuine Christians love the whole person the way Jesus did.

7. Genuine Christians mourn church divisions and embrace all who confess Jesus as God and Savior.

8. Genuine Christians confess that Jesus is Lord of politics and economics.

9. Genuine Christians share God's special concern for the poor.

10. Genuine Christians treasure the creation and worship the Creator.

11. Genuine Christians embrace servanthood.

Sunday Sermon Notes - 12.30.07

James 2:14-26 (TNIV)

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if people claim to have faith but have no deeds? Can such faith save them?
Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, "Go in Peace: keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

You see that [Abraham's] faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.

You see that people are justified by what they do and not by faith alone.

As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

The context of this text is mercy: Mercy triumphs over judgment. James has been urging his fellow believers to not show favoritism towards the rich nor discrimination towards the poor, but instead - mercy. Apparently in James' world, there were those that claimed to follow Jesus, but also insisted on favoritism and discrimination. James points out that this claim to faith is hollow and empty, faith in Jesus produces footsteps of Jesus.

He is essentially pointing out the obvious: faith in God's mercy to forgive you on the Day of Judgment is only effective when I give mercy in God's name to those who need rescued, helped, cared for. Reminds me of what James said earlier about true religion: caring for the widow and orphan in their distress...

To be a Christian is to be one who believes that God desires to grant us mercy, to forgive us our sins on the Day of Judgment through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And this belief becomes alive in us and through us when we grant mercy to those around us, when we forgive the sins of others amongst us. Our belief is dead, our Christianity is dead, our religion is worthless if we do not give the mercy that we desire God to give us.

What would compel a Christian to only pronounce a blessing upon a hungry, cold person without actually getting some food and clothes to help out? Maybe too busy to do anything else but utter a quick blessing... Maybe too cynical: it's probably that hungry/cold person's own fault for their condition - if I help them out I am only enabling them in their poor choices. Maybe too naive about how God answers prayers - maybe they think that a miracle will be so much more effective than me going home and getting some hot food and warm clothes.

Too busy. Too cynical. Too naive. But we're a Christian. We deeply desire God's mercy now and at the Last Day. But too busy these days, too cynical, too naive to give out the mercy upon others that we crave from our Creator. But we're saved...

It seems like James is convincting us with this potent challenge, as well as inspiring us towards a greater faith: you can help the hungry, you can clothe the cold - that is something you and I could actually do. We know people who know people who need food and warmth, we could make a phone call or two and make a difference.

You want to be merciful, and you can be merciful. But don't be merciful for mercy's sake; be merciful for Christ's sake. Let Jesus be your motivation - if you want his mercy now and at the Day of Judgment, give mercy now and everyday. You can do it, you can do all things merciful in Christ you gives you strength.

Happy Christmas to You!

From the Hallman family to you, have a wonderful holiday season celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

May you find the hope, faith, and love that God has for you to enjoy and also give to others.

Oh, and feel no guilt over guzzling too much eggnog! I feel no guilt, just tighter pants and a slight stomach ache!

Hope you have fun with your family and friends...

Saint Nicholas, Santa Claus, and back again...

Charlie Brown's disillusion with the commercialization of Christmas resonates deep within me. But according to some of the links below, merchants have been using Santa to sell stuff at Christmas time for almost two-hundred years!

Listen to this NPR Story - The Slide from Saint Nicholas to Santa Claus.
Copy and paste this link: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5067257&sc=emaf

As a Christian, there is a need to do something with Santa Claus. I can't ignore him, he is intertwined with Christmas in America. As an American, as a Christian, how do I celebrate Christmas with Santa Claus?

One tactic has been to uncover the origins of Santa; but there are two origins. Santa as we know him originated around the 1700's, around the time of the Revolution; but the original inspiration for Santa was, as we all know by now, Saint Nicholas.

It's been alot of fun to uncover some interesting historical facts about the real life (and mythic) of Saint Nicholas. One theory is that the Protestants, in their effort to cleanse the communities of Catholic influence, increased the secular rise of Santa Claus - if people couldn't be religious about St. Nick, they'd keep the tradition without the religious sentiment that would get them in trouble. So here I am, as a Protestant, trying to discover the great heritage of this Saint Nicholas! Click here to uncover a great site with fascinating stuff: Who Is Saint Nicholas? http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=38

If you click on that link, you'll also find some more great articles, like: Saint Nicholas and the Origin of Santa Claus.

It's interesting to keep in mind that Santa Claus was created to sell toys, he is designed to drive the commerce of our nation forward. But, as classical Americans, we can make Santa Claus be anything we want!

It's the same with Saint Nicholas, he was born into savage times, was used by Jesus to save the weak and poor, and he demonstrated the generosity in God, and all the time directing people to their Father in Heaven, the true Father Christmas. But as all people do, Saint Nicholas was made into someone bigger than life, and yet behind all the mythic legends is this truth: he loved Jesus and loved others as Jesus, and that story just never gets old - it still inspires what is best about our American commercialized Christmas!

And if you want to remember what Charlie Brown and Linus have to say about Christmas, here you go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKk9rv2hUfA

Don't Touch That Ornament!

We must have uttered that command a hundred times on Christmas Decoration Weekend. The kids were just so excited about getting the tree, decorating it, putting up lights, and dancing to the music. But especially the ornaments; we had them all laid out on a table, and the three of them would just sit and look at them. There must have been a tractor-beam emitting from the ornaments, because inevitably a little finger would be gravitating towards one of the tree-decorations. "Put it down!" "Stop touching that!" "Let go, both of you!" "Hands off, you're going to drop it and break it, and then what will you do!"

All in all, it was a fun weekend. As Tara and I reflected back, there was a moment Friday night, after we had the tree in the stand, where we discussed just the two of us putting up the lights and ornaments. "No," I said, "It'll be fun to have the kids help." Ha! Should have listend to my wife...

Here we are at St. Joe Tree Farm, our traditional site for our REAL, LIVE, FRAGRANT Christmas Tree. We're glad to have Eli along for the ride this year!



Emma volunteered to pull the tree-wagon, Isaac wanted the saw, and Levi chose to help Mama pull Eli in the wagon - definitely a two-person task!

We found our tree right away. Maybe the biting cold wind helped us in our choice. However, it took us longer to put on pants, boots, extra shirt, hat, sweater, jacket, gloves for four kids than it did to walk a hundred yards to the first tree we liked. I wasn't about to end our venture there, so I made the family walk another ten minutes, looking for another tree. But, we ended up where we started, quite pleased with our discovery.

Emma was thrilled that she got to pull the tree back to the barn, she even let me help!

Tara and the kids posing with the fallen tree, all smiles, and why not, it's Christmas Time!

Isaac decided that he wanted to help drag the tree, he's such a good helper.

Since Mom and Dad ordered Starbucks on the way to the tree-hunt, the kids got homemade hot chocolate once we got home. Perfect...

Instead of hot-chocolate, Eli got cuddle time with his Mama, and only one layer of clothing!

Levi and Tara putting on his first ornament of the year.

Isaac letting Tara help him with his first ornament of the season.

Emma letting Tara watch her put on her first ornament of the holiday.

Levi's version of helping was to carry around the huge mound of lights from the hallway and throw them down on the front porch. Very helpful.

Isaac was delegated the job of strectching out the line-lights. He grabbed one end and then pulled to straighten it out; except he didn't stop pulling and he ended up walking backwards all the way over to the neighbors house. What a goofball!

Emma flitted around from job to job, she had way to much energy to help with one task for too long. She definitely knows how to spread the Christmas Joy!

Give Me Understanding That I May Live

Tsadhe

Eighteenth letter of the Hebrew AlephBeth

You are righteous, LORD,
and your laws are right.

Maybe one of the more obvious statements of this poet; he knows that what One is constitutes what one creates. Whether as a parent, as a leader, as a teacher, as a friend, as an artist, as a lawmaker - who you are becomes infused in what you do and make. Thankfully our God always does what is right and good, so he and his words/works are "fully trustworthy."

For me, this has become the central issue for belonging to God: is He and his words/works trustworthy? The poet goes on to note that the LORD and his words/works are everlasting and true. Those two ideas may inspire you, but for me, my soul wants to experience God's loyalty, faithfulness, and trustworthiness. Will he keep his promises? Will he abandon me? Will he live up to what He claims of himself? Can I see enough of his handiwork in this world to sustain the trustworthiness? With the hardships that I have intertwined into my life, can I still believe that God is trustworthy?

For this psalmist, following the instructions of the LORD, keeping the Torah is where trustworthiness is fleshed out; if I do what God requires, will I receive the benefits that He promised? Jesus is the new Torah, and so in Him trustworthiness is truly fleshed out; will we follow the Way of Jesus, do we trust that the Way of Jesus will "give me delight?"

The final benefit remembered by this songwriter is this: "Your statues are always righteous; [they] give me understanding that I may live." Going the Way of God in Jesus will help me see what is right, help me do what is right, and help me rightly understand this world that I am born into, a world created to be good, a world being redeemed from evil.

One of the great pains in my life is the overwhelming sense of misunderstanding I have about how the world works, why it is the way it is, and what is the next right thing to do in light of how messed up everything seems to be. What is the next right step to take, a step of rebellion against what is wrong in this world, and a righteous step that furthers God's reconciling and redemptive work for those that reach out and take His strong and extended hand.

Oh LORD, please give me understanding that I may live; the instruction of Jesus is always righteous and gives me delight.

The Way of Anchor and The Present Future - Part One

Six Tough Questions for the Church.

Reggie McNeal's book resonates deeply with me. Professor Ruth Ann Price of Huntington University recommended it; it's the book her class is reading - the class to which she invited me to speak this year and last. This year I picked up the book to review it prior to the class discussion. I was blown away by how bold and on target he was with his observations, questions and answers.

The six chapters of the book each orient around a New Reality that is emerging, a reality that churches had better recognize and enter into - or else they will slowly disappear into irrelevance and lukewarmness.

New Reality One: The Collapse of the Church Culture

New Reality Two: The Shift from Church Growth to Kingdom Growth

New Reality Three: A New Reformation - Releasing God's People

New Reality Four: The Return of Spiritual Formation

New Reality Five: The Shift from Planning to Preparation

New Reality Six: The Rise of Apostolic Leadership


It is refreshing to read an author who speaks with clarity the thoughts that have been stirring in my head and heart. He speaks into reality a future that I vaguely yet tenaciously wondered about, even yearned for. This book gives me great insight into what is next for Anchor, for what I am to do and be, and what Anchor can become in this new reality.

I'm going to post over the next few weeks/months on each chapter, writing out my answers to his tough questions. I know it will do me good, maybe it will inspire you as well.

Let No Sin Rule Over Me

Pe

Seventeenth Letter of the Hebrew AlephBeth

Your statutes are wonderful;
therefore I obey them.
The unfolding of your words gives light;
it gives understanding to the simple.
I open my mouth and pant,
longing for your commands.

It strikes me as odd, the manner in which this poet gushes over the Torah. I don't know of anybody who gushes over our Constitution in a similar way. Both documents are revered, but there is something divine about the Torah that draws out something beyond. This poet remarks astutely that the Torah gives light in a dark land, a place where other laws are suspect to bribery and tend to favor the wealthy or powerful. But for the simple, the hardworking laborer, the honest and plain citizen, there is a law which one can come under which will give wisdom and understanding. No one I know says that about our imperfect American law system. So what is it about God's Instructions to His People that elicits this kind of marvel, gratitude, and hunger?

Turn to me and have mercy on me,
as you always do to those who love your name.
Direct my footsteps according to your word;
let no sin rule over me.
Redeem me from human oppression,
that I may obey your precepts.

Ahhh...it would seem that what elicits this poet's response to God's Way is the condition of his soul. I doubt that the one who penned this song had serious sin issues...but it does seem that he had deep understanding of his own self, that he was seriously honest about what factors influenced his decisions and attitudes and beliefs. Maybe this author is so focused on this Law because by it he can find a freedom from something that other laws can't provide. Maybe because this author wants The Author of the Law to pay attention to him, to notice his plight, to regard his life, to bring mercy in response to his faithful and honest love.

The poet knows that letting God's Wisdom direct his steps will break the fetters of sin that shackle hands and heart; he also knows that the sins of others can hinder the coming of the wisdom. Note his prayer, the double effect he is seeking: God direct my steps; God remove the oppressors so I can choose to step in the paths you direct. What's his motivation for redemption from human oppression? So he can go the Way of God, so he can Love his Lord, so he can Follow His Instructions. There is something inherently good about getting out from under the rule of sin - both my own and the oppressive or lingering effects of others - and it is a result of God's ongoing direction of my daily steps throughout the week.

Make your face shine on your servant
and teach me your decrees.
Streams of tears flow from my eyes,
for your law is not obeyed.

Deep at the core of this poem is this desire: that God would smile at his chosen one; that God would notice me and be glad because of me. Why would God shine his face upon me? Because I am willing to let him teach me His Way, and I work hard at keeping his commands, letting him constantly help me. This writer so much wants God to be pleased with him that his human heart breaks when he finds himself unwilling or unable to do what God asked of him.

What a contrast to my heart, which tries to downplay my disobedience, or ignore the transgression. And what about my reaction to the sins of others? Does their disobedience elicit disgust and disdain for me, or tears? Does the downward trend of our culture make me angry, despondent, or indifferent? Or are there tears for the neighbors and fellow citizens who are oppressed and burdened under the rule of their sin and the sins of others?

When I let no sin rule over me, through me God is able to let no sin rule over you; and together God is able to let no sin rule over another.

God, please smile at me; draw out tears from my heart, through me bring redemption and wisdom.

Helping Put Up the Huntington Xmas Decorations

Happy Thanksgiving Part Deux

The festivities begin with the Simmons side; here we have Uncle Jamil teaching Alia and Emma how to stack markers. He's so smart. Amy, Allen, and Alia aren't as impressed.

Now that Uncle Jamil is finished teaching the girls how to stack markers, here he is teaching ummm...let's see now, I think that is...Levi...or is it Isaac...hmmmmm ah, I think it is Isaac because he has a dark t-shirt underneath. Oh, as I was writing, here Jamil is teaching Isaac how to read. What a guy!

There was alot of literacy training at our Thanksgiving party, here Grandma Karen is reading to a grinning granddaughter.

The turkey was too much for me, and the fun was too much for Eli. I do believe this is THE perfect way to spend a Thanksgiving afternoon. One of my favorite moments as a Dad...

The big sisters Emma and Alia are proud of their little bro and sis.







Here's the gang at Grandma Karen's home, we no longer require all the children to look at the camera when taking pictures...it's really quite a pointless endeavor.

Again, no real need to look at the camera, or sit still for that matter; so here we are at Aunt Shirley and Aunt Faye's home with Uncle Jerm, Aunt Maria, Eva and Lydia.

Scissors, The Dentist, and the Thanksgiving Indian Girl

This was quite the sight to behold; I walked in the door and there before me was a cascade of color littering the table and floor. The culprit? A serene, focused, and happy little boy with his scissors. Long after the other siblings had departed unto some other destructive venture, Isaac contentedly cut up his colored paper.

Lucky Levi travelled to the dentist for his first filling. Momma took the brave little boy. Though he was all smiles on the trip there, he was a tad doped up the on the way home. By the evening he was back to his normal self, at 100 mph!

Emma was part of her preschool's Thanksgiving program, can you find her? She enjoyed listening to the other kids sing the songs, she also likes looking around at people.

She made most of her costume herself, she was quite proud of it.

Don't they both have a beautiful smile?!