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Every since the beginning of time, humanity has been searching for the ultimate multi-tool – something small and compact, but able to be used in multiple situations.
The first of these “multi-tools” was the staff.
Yelp. You read that right. The staff was the first multi-tool. You could take it anywhere and it doubled as:
- walking stick
- club
- fighting weapon
- pole-vault
- snake protector
- fishing pole
- extra-long-arm for poking items (like semi-dead bears or skunks)
- sailing mast
- door lock
- split
- gurney (once combined with another staff – like a transformer!)
- flag pole
- pry-bar
- whack-a-banker device
However, humanity was not satisfied. They wanted pillars, knifes and cool shiny objects – so some smart folks got together and created the Leatherman and Gerber lines of multi-tools. Continue reading The Ultimate Multi-tool
 When asked most Christian believers will say that Jesus was both fully human and fully divine (or God) – which is good, concerning that that statement is the orthodox belief of Christology. However, in my experience, the tension of the above statement rarely stays intact once it enters the realm of practice. Instead, people tend to fall to one side of the coin or the other – depending on their background, presuppositions, or experience.
The sad part is that both of these reductions mar the beauty and mystery of the incarnate God.
Today we will look at the first and, in my experience, the most comment reduction (“Limiting the Humanity of Jesus”) while saving the second reduction (“Limiting the Divine Nature of Jesus”) for a future date.
Reduction #1: Limiting the Humanity of Jesus
It wasn’t very long after the death and resurrection of Jesus that people started saying that Jesus was not fully divine – instead, Jesus’ body was simply an illusion created by a divine being. This Gnostic view shot down fairly quickly by the church fathers as being false.
Unfortunately, this view did not quite disappear – instead it adapted and became a tad milder in its claims.
Namely, in modern times, when folks say that Jesus was fully human and fully divine, what they are really saying is that: Continue reading The Tension of Incarnate God
The Winter Olympics have thrown a wretch into my online TV show watching schedule – namely, the networks are not playing/uploading new episodes of “Castle” and “Burn Notice” (my two favorite shows).
So Em and I decided to do what any good Hulu watcher would do – we decided to watching something else!
[...]
 I can’t say that I’m an authority on babies – but I can that I really liked Harvey Karp’s book “The Happiest Baby on the Block: The New Way to Calm Crying And Help Your Newborn Baby Sleep Longer.”
Why?
Mainly because of the approach Karp takes in looking at colicky babies (i.e. babies who cry more then 3 hours for 3 days straight). Instead of just looking at ‘modern’ medical research, Karp goes out side of the USA and Western culture to see if other cultures have the same problems – to his surprise, most cultures outside the West do NOT have colicky babies.
From there, Karp start’s asking why: What is so different about the cultures in South America or Africa that keep babies from developing colic?
His answer: The fourth Trimester.
In other cultures, a newborn baby is wrapped up – or swaddled – and held pretty much 24-7 for the next three months. This constant interaction between the baby and their mother (and aunts – as usually the baby is past from one tribe member to another to help relieve the tension of trying to everything solo) helps to re-create a womb-like atmosphere – which in turn helps the baby relax while it adapts to the new world around them. Continue reading The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp, M.D.
It is here – the newest mystery novel by the famed New York Times Bestseller: Richard Castle!!
Drum roll please….
Annnnnnnddddd END!!!
That’s a wrap folks – let’s go home and grab a cold one because today’s work is done.
Ok, ok, – maybe that’s only funny to me…but what is real is that [...]
 Jayakumar Christian is the Associate Director of World Vision India who has a Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary as well as a few Masters degrees in Social Work, Missiology, and Divinity.
In a nutshell, when Jayakumar writes about “Poverty, Power and The Kingdom of God” (the book subtitle) – he knows what his talking about.
His book, “God Of The Empty-Handed”, is divided into three parts:
1) “Learning for History” is a look at the different ways people have defined ‘poverty’ and the underline assumptions that led to that definition. For example, are those who are poor, poor because of a lack of resources? Training? Maybe they are just backwards?
The best part about this selection is Jayakumar analysis of each view – the pros, cons and the real life results. He pulls no punches – tackling views from economists, politicians, relief workers, and theologians with equal vigor and intelligence. Continue reading God Of The Empty-Handed by Jayakumar Christian
 You know it is going to be a good book when the subtitle is “A Sinner’s Semester at America’s Holiest University.” 
Kevin Roose – a mentee of A.J. Jacobs – is a typical liberal, non-religious, secular Brown University student who realized that he had no clue about those on the other side of the “God divide.” Therefore, in an effort to get to know more about them, he decided to attend Liberty University for a semester – similar to how other college students spend a semester overseas.
As a college student who doubles as a journalist, what fascinated me most about Liberty was its student culture. I still have so many unanswered questions. Like what do Champions for Christ learn in class? Do they date? Do they use Facebook? What exactly do they believe? And are we really that different?
The result of his experiment is very telling and amazing.
I spent the entire book laughing, crying, or reading passages out-loud to everyone I could! Continue reading The Unlikely Disciple by Kevin Roose
When you first think about it, it sounds like a great idea – I mean, shoot – who wouldn’t want to wear a grass skirt?!
It is cool and breezy with plenty of cover (assuming you make it out of broad leaves or lots, lots, and lots of medium to small blades – but [...]
 Four years ago a friend gave me a book about a 24-7 (24 hours, 7 days a week) prayer movement among the youth of UK and Europe. In was truly an inspiring book – propelling me on the journey to join a church planting team as well as providing the foundation for the tattoo gracing my left shoulder.
The book was called “Red Moon Rising” by Pete Greig and Dave Roverts – and I just finished re-reading after all these years – and thousands of changes.
To be honest, I was a tad scared to re-read the book. What if it wasn’t as good as I thought it was? What if I disagree with authors? What if……..What if………
Too many “what ifs…”.
So I did what any sensible person would do – I re-read it.  Continue reading Red Moon Rising by P. Greig and D. Roberts
It was time.
Countless hours was spend over the last year or so reading and studying about the Eastern Orthodox Church. It was now time to visit a church and see how they do things – time to move from theology to practical application.
God also provided us with the perfect opportunity to visit such a church. Namely, we didn’t have any church responsibilities due to our son’s birth – yet, at the same time, he was taking his sweet time coming our of the womb.
So we had a “free” day in the Valley to visit the local Greek Orthodox Church.
First Impressions
We arrived at 10:30 am to the Divine Liturgy – a little timid and unsure about what to expect. Walking into the chapel, we slipped into the back pew and looked around. The first thing I noticed was the lack of people (only about 7 or 10 people – all in the back of the chapel).
The second thing was the chapel itself. In a word, it was beautiful! Full of wonderful icons and candles with a glorious wooden wall separating the congregation from the ‘holy’ stage – my words for the part of the chapel housing all the religious items used during the service (i.e. crosses, candles, bells, bread, wine, Bible, etc). Continue reading My Visit To A Greek Orthodox Church
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Who Writes This Mess? My name is Joshua Hopping and I am a Son of the Most High journeying through a foreign land following the Wild Goose (i.e. the Holy Spirit) one step at a time.
As I journey along the Way, I have the privilege of serving as the bi-vocational pastor of the Payette River Vineyard Christian Fellowship. I am also a voracious reader who loves studying church history, theology, and world missions.
This blog, "Requisite Danger", is a record of what God is teaching and showing me as I try to follow Him wherever He leads as well as occasional random thoughts. I pray that you will join me in this journey through online/offline interaction as this life is lived in community.
May His grace and peace be upon you.
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