Another sunny day

Once again the day’s forecasts and reality are polar opposites. All the forecast call for showers and rain, but so far this morning it is rather sunny.

		Whale Observatory - March 28, 2011 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Some Definitions from Romans

Our church group is working through the epistle to the Romans. We are making effort to set aside definitions and concepts that have been handed down to us and see what Paul really meant when he employs words that form part of the Christian vocabulary. As one commentary points out, we must not let nearly 2,000 years of Christian history and tradition obscure what Paul has written.

This is a post that will be updated during our time in Romans.

Here are the terms and some working definitions associated with them.

(All texts from the New English Translation unless otherwise indicated.)

Gospel

The dictionary definition of gospel as it is commonly used today is that it is mainly about the teachings, i.e., doctrine. However, Paul defines gospel as follows:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel  from faith to faith,  just as it is written, “The righteous by faith will live.” Romans 1:16-17

For Paul then, gospel is primarily about the power of God to save people because God is righteous. Gospel is not simply a body of knowledge and teachings, but rather gospel is the acts undertaken by God in relation to humans.

Righteousness (and Unrighteousness)

The dictionary definition of righteous (righteousness is the state of being righteous) gives the impression that righteousness has primarily to do with virtue and moral quality. Paul does not directly give a definition for righteousness in the first chapter, he does define its opposite, unrighteousness:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness, because what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, because they are understood through what has been made. So people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts were darkened. Romans 1:18-21

Unrighteousness is not acknowledging or not honoring God. Therefore righteousness must be acknowledging and honoring God, giving thanks to him. Righteousness is not virtue, but a positive relationship with God.

Wrath

The dictionary definition of wrath most commonly assumed is the vengeance and punishment aspect associated with intense anger. Paul defines wrath in chapter 1 as follows:

Therefore God gave them over… Romans 1:24

For this reason God gave them over… Romans 1:26

And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over… Romans 1:28

For Paul in Romans, wrath is God giving people up to the natural and logical consequences of unrighteousness (as defined above). All of the immorality and depravity, the evil attitudes that are catalogued in the last part of chapter 1 is not unrighteousness itself but its results. Just as the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 is singular, for Paul the fruit of unrighteousness is singular (c.f., Romans 2:1 where Paul writes that anyone who judges is guilty of all the evils mentioned just prior).

Judgment

The dictionary definition of judgment is mostly accurate in terms of usage in Romans. What appears to have happened is that Christianity has overloaded and expanded the definition of judgment beyond its proper use. In Christianity judgment has the added connotations of condemnation and punishment, where properly used it simply means a decision. Paul defines judgment as follows:

… On the day when God will judge  the secrets of human hearts, according to my gospel through Christ Jesus. Romans 2:16

For Paul, judgment is simply God confirming the decision that each person has made because God knows a person through and through. God does not need to condemn or punish because each person’s sentence is a natural consequence of their decision in relation to God. Psalm 139 could be read as a judgment psalm in which the psalmist is requesting God to examine his (the psalmist’s) life and to point out anything that might be wrong in their relationship.

Sin

Sin is where the dictionary definition truly falls away from what Paul intends in Romans. Like righteousness, sin is defined in moral and behavioral terms. As was already discussed, morality or immorality is the result of how one relates to God.

Then what about the “definition” of sin often heard in Christian circles? What about the following text?

“Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4 (KJV)

It is an unfortunate translation choice. What it really says (and is found in all modern translations) is “sin is lawlessness,” i.e., sin is living without knowledge of the law and/or living as if there is no law. Paul writes in Romans 4:15,

For the law brings wrath, because where there is no law there is no transgression either.

However, Paul has already shown (in chapters 1-3) that sin and unrighteousness exist apart from the law (c.f., Romans 2:12); therefore, sin cannot be the transgression of the law. Again, transgression of the law is a fruit of unrighteousness.

The first use of sin in Romans is found in Romans 3:9.

What then? Are we better off? Certainly not, for we have already charged that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin…

Paul’s definition of sin is not that of immorality, or deeds, or behaviors but in regards to power. Sin is the power that enslaves people so that they have no choice but to bear the fruit of unrighteousness. Sin is the power that is exerted over people who choose to not acknowledge God, not honor him, and not give thanks to him.

It was mentioned earlier in this post that the gospel is the power of God to save.

With that we able to determine the central thesis of Paul in Romans: There are two powers present in this world – the power of the gospel and the power of sin. Each person is under one or the other; no one can remain independent. Everyone enters the world under the power of sin. The power of sin is so pervasive that it confuses the thinking of everyone so that wrong seems right and vice versa. If human thinking is that confused, how can God break through with his power to overcome sin if people don’t even recognize it as good news? That is where grace and law come in. Grace is present so that everyone has some recognition of God in the power present in the universe, in the created order; the beauty that still remains in the world; in the love that is still found among people. Law provides another aid to help people see that their thinking is confused – law identifies fruit of unrighteousness and also identifies responsibilities of the righteous. But the law must not be confused with the gospel –

For no one is declared righteous before him by the works of the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. Romans 3:20

The opposite of sin is not virtue, but faith. Then the definition of sin must be faithlessness:

But the man who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not do so from faith, and whatever is not from faith is sin. Romans 14:23

Spring Day

Today was definitely a spring day. The temperature soared to 54 degrees – summer like compared to the freezing temperatures not just too long ago. I was able to go out onto the beach in just short sleeves. I saw an iceberg floating by with gulls perched atop. Now that I once again have a computer that can work with photos, I can post albums again.

Iceberg VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Sermon: Treasure in Heaven

It has been quite a while, hasn’t it? I was asked in to fill in at the Presbyterian Church today. I also gave a slightly shorter version of this at the Lighthouse Church youth group this past Thursday evening.

Scripture passage is Mark 10:17-31.

MP3 Audio (15.8MB)

Here in Petersburg it looks like winter might be losing its grip. We’ve had a few sunny and warm days, although nights still fall below the freezing point because there is no cloud cover.

Christmas and cold days

Our Christmas was a fairly quiet affair. We opened our gifts in the morning and then went to church. Following church we spent the afternoon with friends before returning home.



We got some snow overnight between Sunday and Monday. There was enough to require expending substantial effort clearing out the driveway. A bit more snow fell through Monday but the skies cleared up and the temperatures dropped on Tuesday and continued cold through today.

This set was taken during a bike ride around the airport loop. The roads were mostly icy but there were spots of loose snow. Loose snow is like cycling through sand. The wheels don't grab well and they tend to want to slide sideways. Winter cycling is great for improving bike handling and balance.



This next set is from today. It was taken from South Harbor and facing east.

Open House and Dessert Party

We had our party this evening and just finished putting things away and cleaning up. We had a number of friends and some neighbors over.

Here are photos of the results of all the work I've been doing this week. The pies were purchased and the brownies were made from a mix. Elise made the little chocolate mice.

From bottom right going clockwise: plate of cookies from a neighbor; triple ginger cookies; carrots and mini-dill pickles; egg salad, tomato and Swiss, and avocado roast beef sandwiches; mixed... nuts and craisins; double chocolate peppermint crunch cookies; cheeses; crackers; pumpkin pie; cherry pie; strawberry cream sponge cake; dark chocolate brownies; apple upside-down cake; macadamia white chocolate cranberry cookies


Macadamia, white chocolate, and cranberry cookies.


No, I didn't make the crackers and cheese. A few chocolate mice trying to sneak off with some cheese.


Double chocolate peppermint crunch cookies

Various December Happenings

Quite a few things have happened since the last post.

While at the Holiday Literary on December 4, I was asked if I was available to sing with the Oxford Carolers this Christmas season. In past years their practice was Saturday mornings making it rather impossible for me to join, but this year the practices were held on Tuesday evenings. I said yes and gave it a go. There were quite a number of tunes and songs new to me which necessitated "cramming" practice each day for the next five days to the performance at the Museum Open House.

I did get the music learned and joined with the carolers at the museum. (I'm hiding in the back corner in the photos.)


That evening we went to a Christmas potluck held by the Presbyterian Church. After a bountiful meal we headed into the sanctuary for a Christmas play. Amy was drafted into the cast to play a part of the shepherd - no speaking, just standing up front.


Meanwhile Shelley was over in Wrangell during this time. The basketball team went there to play a tournament and the cheer squad went over as well. Originally they had planned to take smaller boats on Friday but the weather turned snowy and windy on Thursday. The plans changed to take the ferry on Thursday afternoon. That gave everyone involved with basketball and cheer only a couple of hours to pack and board. It was a mad scramble during the afternoon.

The basketball tournaments were in Petersburg this past weekend. We went to a few of the games and watched the players and the cheer squad perform. I spent a great deal of the days leading up to it baking cookies (11 dozen) and brownies (about 30) to be sold at the game concession stand as fundraisers. I took 3 dozen of the cookies to a cookie exchange held on Tuesday at the Long Term Care facility.


Yesterday afternoon as the sun was setting, I was driving home and saw the most perfect photo opportunity, but alas, I had no camera with me. It was the moon rising large behind Devil's Thumb with the mountains all aglow in pink. It was one of those kinds of scenes that I may not experience again.

Later, last night, while I was baking cookies I got a text message from a friend asking if I was photographing the lunar eclipse. I was not and hadn't planned to do so. I had gone out a few times with binoculars to view the eclipse, but thought bringing out the tripod and setting up the camera with long telephoto lens and all would be too much hassle. But the text message got me motivated to grab the equipment and spend some time photographing the eclipse. In retrospect I am glad I did so.


Elise, Amy, and I went down to the Long Term Care facility this afternoon for their Christmas party. We sang some songs and then a couple of girls (of which one was Amy) read poetry and a story. There were some finger foods and dessert which we enjoyed.


Finally I am again baking dozens of cookies and brownies in preparation for an open house and dessert party that we are hosting at our home this Thursday. I also plan to bake a couple of cakes. I purchased some frozen pies (I have not yet been brave enough to try making my own pie crusts). There will also be some finger sandwiches, cheese and crackers.

December Morning

According to the weather forecast at the start of this week we were supposed to have gotten quite a bit of snow. It is Friday now and all we actually got was some rain and a dusting a couple of nights ago. The temperature has gone down and the ground is frozen now. The skies have cleared also.

I was driving our girls to school this morning (8 a.m.) when I noticed that the sun was just coming up over the eastern hills and projecting colors on the western hills. I also noticed that the there were thin layers of clouds all across the sky, amplifying the colors. After dropping off the girls I quickly returned home and picked up a camera and drove down to the water, about a quarter of a mile. I snapped a few photos before the sun rose higher and the colors washed away.

Thanksgiving Dinner

It's only Tuesday, two days before Thanksgiving, but we had our Thanksgiving dinner this evening. Since Tuesday is normally the day we have people over anyway and because most people had other plans for Thursday, today was more convenient for getting together. We weren't the earliest Thanksgiving dinner - the Presbyterian (to which we went) and the Baptist churches had their Thanksgiving potlucks on Sunday. We will be joining the Lutheran church-hosted dinner on Thursday.

The menu for this evening was as pictured: Grilled turkey; wild rice stuffing with pine nuts; green beans with sundried tomatoes, olives, garlic, and almonds; roasted carrots; cranberry-orange chutney with cumin, fennel, and mustard seeds; mashed sweet potatoes (yams) with cumin and oranges; apple crisp; roasted brussel sprouts (covered container); dinner rolls (in basket); mashed potatoes (not pictured); pumpkin pie (not pictured).



(Oh, it snowed today. Other than a few isolated flakes a few days back, this is the first real snow in Petersburg this fall.)

Recipe: Mushroom and Potato Gratin

I came up with this dish this past Tuesday. It was well received so I am going ahead and putting it together again for the Thanksgiving potluck we'll be going to this evening at the Presbyterian church.

Mushroom Mixture

• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
  
• 1 large onion, cut pole to pole, then sliced across thin
• Pinch crushed red chili pepper
  
• salt and pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
• 1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
• 2 or 3 portabella mushrooms (or equivalent amount of brown creminis), trimmed and sliced
• 1/2 cup white wine
  

In a large skillet heat oil on medium heat. Add onions, chili pepper, sprinkle salt and pepper and fry until onions are soft and translucent. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute. Add thyme and mushrooms, saute until soft. Add wine and deglaze pan. Remove from heat and set aside.

Gratin

• 5-6 medium russet potatoes, peeled
  
• Mushroom mixture (above)
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 cup cream
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. salt
• Black pepper

Preheat over to 450F.

In a food processor fitted with slicing disc, slice potatoes (should be 1/8-inch slices). Place sliced potatoes in a bowl of cold water to prevent browning. Rinse and drain.

In a 13x9 baking dish, create a single overlapping layer of potatoes. Distribute 1/3 of mushroom mixture on top of potatoes. Sprinkle 1/3 of Parmesan over the mushroom mixture. Repeat two more times with potatoes, mushrooms, and Parmesan. Finish with one more layer of potatoes.

In a small bowl combine cream, cayenne, salt and pepper. Pour mixture over the potatoes. Cover with foil and bake for 35-40 minutes until bubbling and potatoes are soft. Uncover, distribute topping (see below, or alternatively some shredded cheddar) over top, return to oven and bake until topping is browned.

Topping

• Panko (Japanese breading mix)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan

Combine panko and Parmesan in a small bowl until well mixed. Set aside.

City-wide Youth Rally

The Ministerial Association had talked about holding a city-wide youth rally for some time now. The impetus that finally kicked it into reality was the realization of how bad alcohol and drugs were becoming among middle and high school kids. We wanted to contribute to efforts by Petersburg Mental Health to prevent and combat substance abuse.

Close to four weeks ago we began making concrete plans, setting dates, etc. to make this youth rally a reality. A couple of Mondays ago there was a Town Hall meeting during which the community was made aware of the problems right under our noses. The newspaper printed a front page article on the Town Hall meeting. A small lead-in guest editorial was placed on the front page, continuing on the second, with the editorial ending right next to an ad for our youth rally.

We weren't sure how all the pieces could fall place in such short notice, but God worked to bring businesses, organizations, and individuals together to be able to put together an event that was both fun and spiritual. Our guest musician and speaker was Nathan Lopez, now living in Wasilla, but born and raised right here in Petersburg.

We had plenty of games and prizes. Petersburg Indian Association lent us the use of couple of their games: padded sumo wrestling suits and a bungee run game. During the middle of the event we were able to hold a $250 half-court basketball shot challenge through a generous donation from the Elks. Many other businesses and organizations donated large and small. We gave away coffee gift certificates and coins, a small TV set, a portable DVD player, and the final big drawing was for a iPod Touch. Pizzas and drinks were provided for reduced cost, and cookies were provided by the various churches.

Nathan spoke on pursuing one's dream, no matter what others may say. He connected it to finding one's ultimate purpose in a life devoted to Christ. We handed out nearly one-hundred New Testaments to the youth present. The count of the door-prize ticket stubs after the event showed that there were probably around one-hundred twenty kids at this event.

Album: PSG Youth Rally Nov 2010

Mid-November

Now that we've been in Petersburg for four years, the sights and sounds really aren't that new anymore. Thus the lack of much updates on this blog.

There is a bit of difference this autumn, however. It's been warmer and the mountains around us don't have much in the way of snow. What little snow has fallen on the tops have mostly gone away. This doesn't bode well for future salmon runs.

Today was another mostly sunny day and I forced myself to go walk outside with a camera. Up this far north, even at 2 p.m. the angle of the sun is quite shallow and the shadows are long.

October and Fall is Here

If September was unusually warm and sunny, October makes up for it. Fall is definitely here and with it plenty of rain and wind. There have been quite a few stormy days with heavy rains and strong winds. There have been occasional breaks and some drying -- enough for me to go out on the bike for an hour or so.

Our church group completed our study of the book of Acts and we are now into the Epistle to the Galatians. This is my third time through this epistle in about as many years and I feel like I am finally starting to understand it. It is a short letter but I suspect we will be in it for quite some time.

Yesterday I baked my first Meringue pie - a Lime Meringue Pie - for the Pie Social at the Medical Center's Long-Term Care. Prior to the pies being consumed by residents, staff, and visitors, voting was held for "The Prettiest Pie." When the votes were tallied it turned out that my pie had won! You can view the pie below...

I'll be doing more cooking later this week for a potluck gathering of the ministers and their families.