I hope that I am not going to burst anyone’s bubble today, especially for those of you who think that I must put a great deal of thought into what I am going to blog about, but even though I admit that sometimes I actually do spend a great deal of time in contemplation, there are days like today that I have absolutely no idea what I am going to talk about, so I will have to wait until I am done before I can tell you for sure, but by then you will have finished reading this and then you will already know, so there wouldn’t be any reason for me to tell you then. Would there?
I read some of the blogs of people that I know, and I am so impressed how every blog is some sort of significant book review, or deep theological reflection on Sin, addiction, abuse, justice issues or any one of a thousand other deep and pressing topics of social importance. I, on the other hand, am willing to admit that my thought process is simply not that deep. (It would be my guess that this statement didn’t surprise you all that much.)
As I have advanced through seminary, I have discovered some striking similarities between my career as a Chiropractor and my career as a minister. Both seminary and chiropractic college has taught important issues relevant to the life and health of all people. Both career paths have also required the learning of an entirely new language. For instance, in Chiropractic college I would have learned that many health issues can be the result of an inherent defect of the pars interarticularis resulting in a posterior slippage of the vertebral body with accompanying compression of the neuro doki, which essentially means that a bone in the back has slipped backwards and is pinching on a nerve.
Seminary has given me a similar opportunity to learn the challenging languages of theology and academia. Actually, I think that the big words in a theological education are much worse than the ones I learned in my chiropractic education. But, be that as it may, I have always considered it my responsibility in 25 years of Chiropractic practice to take those large words and break them down so that people could understand what has happened to them, and why they were in pain and I feel the same calling in ministry to break down those deep multi syllable theological terms and concepts and make them understandable to the people that God has placed in my path.
Of course as I am writing this, I can hear the words of some of my colleagues saying, that we shouldn’t ever compromise, that we should be willing to use the language necessary and spend the time required to teach people what these words mean. Yeah right! These are also some of the same people who would take a paper that they wrote for Doctrine of Christ class and read it as their sermon on Sunday morning and wonder why no one liked it (or understood it)
As I think about this, I am reminded of the first question that I was asked when I was interviewed by the Board of Ordained Ministry a few weeks ago. “Tell us what the Bible is about and what it means to you." I could have spent hours talking about the ramifications of sin and creation, I could have discussed, in depth, the roll of Jesus as the long awaited Messiah of the Old Testament and the fulfillment of that role in the New Testament, especially contrasting the significance of how that roll was lived out in the Book of Matthew versus Luke, Mark and John. I could have talked at length about the immanent parousia as expressed by Paul or its implication in the Book of Revelation, but instead, I shared with the board members my thoughts on the Bible being a book of love and a book of salvation for all humankind.
During these long years of seminary, I have had the opportunity to take a long look at who I am, and I realize that there are things that I do well, and things that I don’t. I am very confident when I say that I will never be a real academic. My mind just doesn’t work that way, I am always looking for the simplest way of expressing myself, rather than the most complicated and I always try to use 4 and 5 syllable words as infrequently as possible. Not because I don’t know them, (I have been forced to learn a few of them) but because most people seem more impressed by how you treat them than by how many big words that you use.
Well, now you can see where I have ended up in my thoughts this morning, and when I started writing, I was planning on just telling you how much I enjoyed the movie “Madagascar” with the Grand kids last night:) Maybe next time!
Blessings
I read some of the blogs of people that I know, and I am so impressed how every blog is some sort of significant book review, or deep theological reflection on Sin, addiction, abuse, justice issues or any one of a thousand other deep and pressing topics of social importance. I, on the other hand, am willing to admit that my thought process is simply not that deep. (It would be my guess that this statement didn’t surprise you all that much.)
As I have advanced through seminary, I have discovered some striking similarities between my career as a Chiropractor and my career as a minister. Both seminary and chiropractic college has taught important issues relevant to the life and health of all people. Both career paths have also required the learning of an entirely new language. For instance, in Chiropractic college I would have learned that many health issues can be the result of an inherent defect of the pars interarticularis resulting in a posterior slippage of the vertebral body with accompanying compression of the neuro doki, which essentially means that a bone in the back has slipped backwards and is pinching on a nerve.
Seminary has given me a similar opportunity to learn the challenging languages of theology and academia. Actually, I think that the big words in a theological education are much worse than the ones I learned in my chiropractic education. But, be that as it may, I have always considered it my responsibility in 25 years of Chiropractic practice to take those large words and break them down so that people could understand what has happened to them, and why they were in pain and I feel the same calling in ministry to break down those deep multi syllable theological terms and concepts and make them understandable to the people that God has placed in my path.
Of course as I am writing this, I can hear the words of some of my colleagues saying, that we shouldn’t ever compromise, that we should be willing to use the language necessary and spend the time required to teach people what these words mean. Yeah right! These are also some of the same people who would take a paper that they wrote for Doctrine of Christ class and read it as their sermon on Sunday morning and wonder why no one liked it (or understood it)
As I think about this, I am reminded of the first question that I was asked when I was interviewed by the Board of Ordained Ministry a few weeks ago. “Tell us what the Bible is about and what it means to you." I could have spent hours talking about the ramifications of sin and creation, I could have discussed, in depth, the roll of Jesus as the long awaited Messiah of the Old Testament and the fulfillment of that role in the New Testament, especially contrasting the significance of how that roll was lived out in the Book of Matthew versus Luke, Mark and John. I could have talked at length about the immanent parousia as expressed by Paul or its implication in the Book of Revelation, but instead, I shared with the board members my thoughts on the Bible being a book of love and a book of salvation for all humankind.
During these long years of seminary, I have had the opportunity to take a long look at who I am, and I realize that there are things that I do well, and things that I don’t. I am very confident when I say that I will never be a real academic. My mind just doesn’t work that way, I am always looking for the simplest way of expressing myself, rather than the most complicated and I always try to use 4 and 5 syllable words as infrequently as possible. Not because I don’t know them, (I have been forced to learn a few of them) but because most people seem more impressed by how you treat them than by how many big words that you use.
Well, now you can see where I have ended up in my thoughts this morning, and when I started writing, I was planning on just telling you how much I enjoyed the movie “Madagascar” with the Grand kids last night:) Maybe next time!
Blessings
1 comment:
Hi Jim,
This post reminds me of the famous quote, "People don't care how much you know; they want to know how much you care." You are indeed a caring pastor who is able to communicate God's love for all of humanity. And in the end, that is really all that matters.
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