Tod Bolsinger

More Weekend Reading

My colleague, Pati Toole writes with courage about her battles with both the Big C and the Big D.  I think the link to this post should be copied and sent to every pastor and every Christian blogger...it's that important.

My friend, covenant brother and fellow pastor Craig Williams takes up where I left off in the series on lessons on hospitality learned from Danny Meyers' book, Setting the Table.

Fuller Theological Seminary President Richard Mouw weighs in on the words used to discuss evolution.

Malawi Marathon Update. There are now 14 runners registered for the SC Marathoners for Malawi.  Remember, we'll run so that all you have to do is give. Together, we'll build wells, finish a school and make sure that lots of kids get the assistance they need to deal with the impact of HIV/AIDS.  Join us.

Tomorrow..A wordless Sunday.

A New Blog from an Old Soul

Rev. Pati Toole is a fine pastor, a gifted communicator, a loving wife and mother.  She is also a courageous woman with a rare perspective on the beauty and fragility of life and this world.  Her life and ministry is about, as she says,"Embracing God's Beauty to enrich our every day lives."  It is my privilege to introduce her to the blog world.  I am her pastor and considerate a privilege to call her a friend. 

In 2004, just weeks after we had celebrated her call to and ordination at SCPC, Pati was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer.  With a husband, Jim, who is also a pastor, and two beautiful, energetic boys, Pati faced cancer like a mother bear protecting her young.  But she also allowed herself to be surrounded by, covered by, and cared for by the very people she had been called to pastor. For our congregation, Pati has become a source of wisdom, perspective, grit and passion for the life and mission of Christ in this world.   

After some considerable prodding, Pati, has started a blog "Pati Toole Unplugged."  I encourage you to read along with her raw, heartfelt reflections that come from a faithful "old" soul.

"Drop" by, read some selections and leave a comment encouraging her to keep going.  We need her voice in the church today. 

Two New blogs

Hat tips to my buddy Mark D. Roberts for telling me about two new blogs:
One is On Faith, a blog about faith and religion by Newsweek/Washington Post. 

The other is Mouw's Musings, a blog by Richard Mouw, the President of Fuller Theological Seminary (My alma mater...sing "Doxology"--our "fight song"--here).

Mark also offers a review of Don Williams book, Start Here: Kingdom Essentials for Christians. Which I am going to go order, right now.

Be back soon with the next post on my hospitality series.

Herod Plays Santa

Frequent visitors to this site (and the sites of several other Christian blogs) will undoubtedly know Derek.  Derek is a committed Christian, an ex-marine, a retired lawyer, a music lover, avid cyclist and rough-and-tumble blog commenter and member of SCPC who loves to cross key strokes in theological jousting with any and all in the name of helping the church be more faithful to its mission and its Lord.

If you have ever met Derek, then you know that he is a big guy (like 6 feet 6 inches tall or something) whose not afraid to throw on a hearty hug to any one who comes his way.  He has a deep (dare I say, "booming"?) voice and he will argue about just about anything of substance.  (Did I say that he was a lawyer?)

So, you won't probably be surprised when I tell you that for a few years, Derek was the obvious choice to be King Herod in the Christmas Eve family pageant at our church.  While by faith, Derek certainly would have preferred being Joseph or a Magi, he is committed to "telling it like it is" and as we all know the Christmas Story includes King Herod and his dastardly deeds.  So, in the name of accuracy and (with some fear of "typecasting) Derek not only agreed to be Herod, but brought his whole, big soul to the part. 

Again, if you think about it long enough, you are probably not surprised.

But this just might.   

Guess who dressed up in an "extra-tall" Santa suit for the children of the USMC 1st Combat Engineers Battalion Christmas gathering?  Yup.  That big ol' softy, Derek.   I know, it seems logical that the guy who keeps showing up on the blogs hankering for a good theological squabble might be willing to play Herod, but Santa? 

No kidding. That's Derek putting a smile on this little guy's face (whose own Dad is probably in Iraq right now)...and that's something you may not have expected.

Of course, if you ask the family who had all their furniture moved into a new apartment the day their baby arrived by Derek and a group of his friends, or the Marines at Camp Pendleton who are all welcomed home from deployment with one of Derek's hugs, or the people who Derek has visited in the hospital, or ask anyone at church about the guy who organized all of his biking buddies to serve cookies one Sunday on the patio (wearing Bike jerseys and shorts no less) about him, they'd tell you that Santa is closer to the real Derek than Herod and that some things just don't come across too well in cyberspace.

Another Article on Faith and Work

On Friday, I mentioned that I'll be speaking next weekend at Laity Lodge, outside of San Antonio, Texas.  Here is another introduction to an article that I wrote for the Lodge's online "sister" ministry about faith and work called The High Calling.

Standing with Others Prepares Us to Stand Alone

We tell our children about the people we hope they will become (and indeed hope we are): people of courage and conviction who stand for right even before powerful authorities able to make things awfully wrong. William Wallace refused to beg for mercy from a corrupt king (as immortalized in Mel Gibson’s film Braveheart). Sir Thomas More spoke out against King Henry VIII’s flagrant disregard of Christian teaching at the cost of his own neck. We admire the few willing to lose what is dear in this world to maintain a standard from another world.
We call them people of integrity. But how do we become like them?

Click here to read the rest of this essay at The High Calling.

Click here to read other High Calling Bible study/reflections
by Tod Bolsinger

Faith, Work, Integrity and Compromise

Next Friday I will travel to Laity Lodge (one of my favorite places) to speak at a conference for Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church of Austin. As I have written before Laity Lodge is part of the H. E. Butt Foundation Ministries that is passionate about the ministry of laity in everyday like and work settings.

Since I began my association with Laity Lodge, I have been asked to write for their website, The High Calling.  Below I have posted an intro and a link to one of my past articles.  I'll post another on Monday. 

For those of you who strive everyday to make a difference for Christ in the real world--the true "Showtime" Christians--I think you'll be strengthened and encouraged from the ministry of The High Calling.  (And if you ever have a chance to get to Laity Lodge, by all means, go.)

Dirty Words from a Preacher's Mouth

“Compromise” is a dirty word to preachers like me. A word search of all the sermons on my laptop computer reveals that not once—not once—have I ever used the word in a positive way from my pulpit. Instead, every single use of “compromise” in a sermon has been to offer a warning or express a woe...Christians should never compromise, we preachers preach. Then we pronounce the benediction and go eat cookies in fellowship hall.

Again, so far as we are talking about Christian convictions, this is good.

But there has been an unfortunate side effect...

Click here to read the rest of this essay at The High Calling.

Click here to read other High Calling Bible study/reflections
by Tod Bolsinger

Blogga Culpa

Okay, we got a new puppy, I went on a bike trip with some guys from the church, I am still adjusting to the excitement of being back at church...yada, yada...But I am back now.  Please tell your friends and neighbors.  The blog light is on and I'll be posting.

Thanks for your patience.

Tod

A World Connected

While in the Philippines this last week, I became very aware of how much (more?) connected through internet, email and cell phones and, especially text messaging, the Asian world is than even ultra "cutting edge" urban Southern California. 

But, at least in the Philippines, amongst Christian leaders, this technology is less about convenience than genuine connection.  Skype is used by virtually everyone to make inexpensive phone calls.  Emails are checked constantly and text messaging is the most popular mode of communication (indeed the churches post "Please don't text during the sermon" slides along with the ubiquitous "Please silent your cell phone" notices)--and not just among the young.  I was with a middle aged Filipino Bishop who communicated by text message with church leaders all over the countryside.

Part of this is Filipino culture.   These people LOVE to talk, they love to process, dialogue, converse (and sing Karaoke--but that's for another post!) They are friendly, affable and fun.  They love to learn and eat togethe, sing and pray together.  They are fueled by fellowship and that fellowship includes using technology.

At the Institute, I had a chance to talk about my blog.  That led two others to tell me about their blogs and another young guy to start one!  While I can be very hesistant to get "too connected", for Christians who often feel alone and disconnected across the hard travel miles and the 7100 islands, wireless are now the waves of the Spirit connecting them together.

If nothing else, I know it will be easier for me to keep up with my new friends.  (Now I just have to get Skype and start "texting"!)

P.S.  Some blogs to check out: 

http://netois.blogspot.com/  The blog of an up and coming Filipino leader.  You'll enjoy his sense of humor and passion for the mission of Christ. 

http://www.redbluechristian.com/?p=250  Rob Asghar has joined the discussion of the intersection of faith and politics at www.Redbluechristian.com

Showtime Review

The following was posted at Amazon.com about my book Showtime.  Frankly, it is all that one would hope for as an author.  I am truly grateful for the privilege to write and speak about our Lord, and I m used by God in anyway that moves others toward him.

THIS BOOK CHANGED MY LIFE:
Very few books can hold this acclaim for me. As soon as I finished this book - I "re"-read it with a highlighter in my hand. It was THAT inspirational.
Of course nothing rivals the writings of THE NEW TESTAMENT in regards to introducing a non-believer into a new way of thinking. Tod Bolsingers SHOWTIME took me beyond "thinking" as a new Christian - and into LIVING OUT THE FAITH.
I highly recommend this book to ANYONE who finds it difficult in their "new" walk with the Lord.

Ricky Ray Taylor, New York City.

Birthday Blog Break... but I'm baaack

I didn't blog at all last week. I was in more of an "experiencing" mood than "reflecting" one.

Partly, because last Wednesday I turned 42.  I am now very much middle aged.  I can't help but feel like I hit the "turnaround" on a marathon out and back and am heading for home.  The truth is that I love life, especially my life, and that I would be very happy with the thought of living to 142.  It's not that I fear death, indeed, I see death as the nap that readies us for the new life that will never end (Rev. 21).  But I just don't want to miss out on anything.

On Wednesday I taught my Bible study and then a great group of folks sang to me. Friends and family sent cards, calls and emails.  For gifts, I got more running and riding gear than I need, but they'll come in handy next Saturday when my friend Charlie and I "race"  (and I use that term VERY metaphorically) at the Ford California 70.3 Ironman.

At church we we have been finishing up our Y-Malawi child sponsorship drive with World Vision.  We only have a handful left of the 365 children we set out to sponsor.  Some folks from the church are taking meals to a Marine wife who just gave birth to a baby while her husband is in the field.  Another Marine friend, Jon Moran and his wife Sheryl are blogging about the challenges of when a spouse is deployed into the war zone.  (Jon's blog: http://jarhedjon.blogspot.com and Sheryl's blog, too http://www.2006marinewife.blogspot.com )

We are in the middle of a wonderful season of seeking to deepening our faith and share our faith by using Q.1 of the Heidelberg Catechism.  At the 11 AM service, our sweet children's choir led the opening worship set and I ended the service with one of my favorite quotes from C.S. Lewis. "Aim for heaven and get earth thrown in, aim for earth and get neither." 

Last night Beth, and the kids and I took off after church to go to Disneyland for an "end of the birthday week" celebration just to ride four rollercoasters, eat dinner at a good restaraunt and see fireworks.  We kept them out irresponsibly late for a school night.  But my face still hurts from smiling. 

So, now back to blogging about "Christian Community, the mission of Christ and the life God intended for all of us."  If nothing else, my birthday week reminded me, that in order to write well, I have to stop writing long enough to live well.