Wisdom and Youthful ambition

About the quote, bear with me. I felt it important to quote it before commenting (sorry there isn't the greatest context for the passage):

1 Timothy 4
"¹¹Command and teach these things. ¹²Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. ¹³Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. ¹⁴Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. ¹⁵Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. ¹⁶Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers."

I had a conversation with my friend today about churches that are falling by the wayside, and specifically she was talking about her Gran's church. She spoke of a young pastor who came into the church and set about changing everything. Many of the elder members of the congregation left, until it was just my friend's Gran remaining. And her only reason to stay was out of a sense of duty, in essence to be a reminder that the older members of the church needed to be pastored as well. The church community is suffering the loss badly.

And I had a think about that.
And I thought it was concerning and important to think about.
In my youthful ambition, I can have ideas, and they may be good ideas, but without proper spirit-filled wisdom, and bad timing, and most likely a feeling of self-importance, I can find myself hurting Christ's church.

Paul writes to Timothy to set an example to those that are older than he is, through the way he speaks, the way he acts, and the way he loves. But primarily, Paul reminds Timothy to preach the Gospel, and this example is what will come if he applies it (the gospel) to his own life too.

This passage is both an encouragement and a warning.
We may be young and passionate, and we shouldn't be held in contempt because of this, but we are also under the Gospel, the message we wish to preach, and it is just as relevant to us.
Let us be wise, with a wisdom that comes from the Holy Spirit, to teach the word setting an example through our actions, and our attitudes.
If our heart is on the Gospel, I would suggest that it wouldn't result in the migration of the older generation.

The Christian/Atheist debate

I am becoming increasingly tired of the Christian/Atheist debate.
Below I made mention of the Dawkins-Lennox debate, but I'm not just thinking of that, I'm thinking closer to home.
Recently I have been having a few discussions with Atheists via facebook. Mainly I have been acting as an arbiter, or simply discussing the Bible on it's own terms. I'm not into the Philosophy, and neither am I qualified to answer. Plus it can be a little dry.

But all this makes me wonder.
Is Christianity engaging the Atheistic community helping, or is it increasing the problem?
Are we simply giving tools of rejection to those who might otherwise accept the Gospel?
It seems the more we defend, the more voices that become educated in atheistic thought and come against us.

I'm also finding that in discussion, when coming back to the Bible, so much more gets discussed and considered. I don't think I'll become an apologist. I just want to preach the Gospel man.

"he will simpy be remembered as wrong"

I was having a conversation with my Dad today, about the Dawkins-Lennox debate. (Thanks Jolly) My Dad and I have a lot of interesting discussions, as he is a self titled Christian evolutionist, as he's a background in extensive but incomplete education in most areas of tertiary science and medicine. (I don't feel that puts him in a box) And I'm a Creationist as far as the bible takes me into the scientific discussion. (Neither, I feel does this put me in a box) and we differ on things that are not Gospel issues.

My Dad has a lot of Dawkins' books, and as I spoke to my Dad today, he was telling me that it is apparent to him that Dawkins wants to be remembered as much as Darwin:

"But I feel he will simply be remembered as wrong,"
He went on, after a pause that is so Characteristic of my Dad's conversation style,
"not in the Christian/Darwinism debate, but purely in evolutionary science."

Blogfast: partial failure.

I know, a week early.. I wasn't doing very well keeping away from the blogsphere. I found myself not only returning because you hear about what's going down in the blogsphere from people in the real world, but also because I would search the internet for things, and interestingly enough, most of the world is running their own blogs, not websites anymore! And people posted bloglinks on facebook.. I think next time both need to go, and not for as long a time.

But having made the (not so good) effort, I have noticed and learned a few things:

- It is unsettling that there are certain things that have become or are becoming designated blog discussion only, like talking about sexual issues, pornography and politics. I am glad it's being done, but is it easier done on blogs? And is it adequate?
Back in primary school, before blogs and the internet in fact, there were a lot of 'special books' and people brought in who didn't know you to discuss untouchable subjects. Why will it never be a personal thing?
-My current main source of written Theological influence is a blog. A corporate one, but a blog nonetheless. Is this a worry? Will books be better?
-The world is becoming segmented into bite sized pieces. I'm labelling it neither good nor bad, just interesting. But in light of this, what does this mean for educational blogs? Are we getting holistic information? Are we also adding to the simplifying of everything?
-We are spending our time talking more than ever, as everyone has an opinion, and will develop there own online opinion. Does this mean we listen less?

Just some thoughts and reflections.

I am going on a Blog fast..

I spend such a long time with my head in the blogsphere.
This isn't always a bad thing, but to a certain degree it distracts me.
I read I write I learn, but more often than not I just waste time, because I am reading opinions rather than hard facts.
So I am going on a blog fast, starting tomorrow, until November the 1st, and taking all that time I enjoy in the blogsphere, and making it extra time I spend in the bible.

The next challenge is to take on facebook. *gasp*
See you in a month.