(re)set

its been over a year since my last update.  so many things have happened in my life and in our world in my absence from this blog; however, i won't bore you trying to recap all of those things in any depth, but here's a brief recap.

it was a great year though in a number of ways:
  -began dating my best friend (Brittany Watts) and eventually moved her back home to Louisiana where she belongs :) we've now been dating over 11 months!
  -volunteered in Joplin, MO cleaning up from the devastating tornados.. definitely a humbling experience.
  -participated in tons of events with the youth @ Live Oak (remix, vbs, camp fuego, guys retreat, q&a panel for girls' retreat, serve n ski)
  -graduated from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary on Dec. 17th, 2011, with a Master of Divinity.
  -starting Jan. 1st, 2012, i went on staff full-time at Live Oak United Methodist Church in Watson, LA as the Associate Minister/Worship Leader, leading worship for 4 services throughout the week (plus special services like Good Friday, etc.), assisting with the youth and helping with pastoral care/visitations as needed.  its definitely been a growing experience so far.

i could go into so much depth on all of those topics listed above, but i'll spare each of you the in-depth play-by-play details. if you'd like to know more about anything above, hit me up and i'd be glad to give ya the whole scoop.

obviously, i haven't done the best job (to say the least) at keeping this blog updated. it always proved difficult to find the time to update while i was in school/serving at the church, etc., then when i did have the time, i was so far behind in updating that there was so much to cover.. so we'll consider this a(nother) reset.

i've been reading a bunch of books lately, many of which i had been waiting to read for quite a while, so i'll post those book reviews soon.

to make sure this blog isn't just another boring recap, i'll fill y'all in on my current thoughts.  i'm really happy with where my life is currently.  i've got great friends and an amazing girlfriend who are all passionate about God and serving Him wherever He leads and whatever that means.  its exciting to see what God is doing in each of us and the ways in which He continually draws us to Him, while also giving us the opportunities to grow closer together as we serve Him.  even when we're just hanging out on the weekends or whatever, our conversations constantly shift back to talking about church, our youth, exciting ideas, etc.  clearly this is a passion God has placed in all of our hearts and lives.  it is super encouraging to see and helps keep me on track and motivated to continue doing His work.

i'll do a better job of updating this blog now that my schedule is more (or less) structured (as far as free time/time "off" goes). stay tuned for updates soon and very soon.

muchlove, trenticus.

We are here for You.

the banquet has now come and gone and oh what a blast it was! last year was my first year to actually play in the banquet, but I've been involved with helping with the youth for several years.. this year was by far the most fun & the most rewarding banquet experience I've had.. and from all the feedback we're getting, it seems everyone else agrees.  so many people have commented on the blessings they received from just being able to have a night away and enjoy themselves or how an event like this provided the opportunity for some of their lost friends to actually come to church finally..

this past sunday marked the 2 year anniversary of us being in the sanctuary.. Bro. Mark, during his offering "commercial" asked everyone who has become a member or started attending within the past 2 years to stand... it was overwhelming how many people in the congregation are pretty much new to the church.. it just goes to show that the church is growing by leaps and bounds.. but it also serves as a wake up call that we have an incredible task to ensure we are ministering to the needs of those in the community who are coming into our church seeking answers and seeking to connect with Jesus Christ.

God is doing a lot of great things in my life and in our church right now and I am definitely excited to see what else He has in store & see how everything plays itself out over time.  the primary focus of all of it though is that "we are here for YOU!".

I Am At Ease.

Last week, our college group from Live Oak took a trip to Gatlinburg, TN, with the intent on skiing; however, due to the massive snow storm that rolled through that weekend, we were snowed in, unable to leave our cabin for two days.  We finally got the bus down the mountain and had to hike down (0.7 miles) in order to go anywhere.  It made for quite an interesting experience, nothing like any of us had expected going into the trip.

It made it incredible though.. those are the life experiences you never forget.  Breaking out of the mold, out of the norm, and living life as it comes, without a care in the world, trusting God to meet your every need (we were in dire need of groceries, but God was able to provide).

The snow covered mountains were absolutely beautiful (click here for the Gatlinburg album or here for many of the same pictures, just with cool filters on them, in the Instagram album).  I've seen them in the snow before but this year they seemed to stand out even more than ever before.  Overall, it was definitely a great trip to get me refreshed before the start of the new semester, which starts in the morning.

Last semester, I got all A's, so after 47 hours of seminary courses, I have a 3.89 overall GPA which isn't too shabby, if I must say so myself =) This semester should be a really interesting one, but a couple courses are going to be a heavy workload.  I'm taking: Introductory Hebrew Grammar (one of the heavy workloads), Biblical Hermeneutics (the primary workload), New Testament Survey, American Denominations, and History of Christianity: Early-Medieval.  I'm excited about all of the courses though so it should be a fantastical semester.

Stay tuned. More to come later. Year in review is still waiting in the wing (the G-burg trip put a wedge in my resolution to update more frequently).

Love, Trenticus.

"Whosoever Will" - Allen & Lemke

My ethics professor last semester, Dr. Steve Lemke, and a colleague of his, David Allen, released a text in May on a biblical critique of five-point Calvinism.  I was interested in reading more on the subject, one to get a better understanding of the many intelligent, well thought out arguments against Calvinism, but also because comments Dr. Lemke made throughout the semester peaked my interest.

At the start of the summer, it was one of the many books I wanted to read by the end of the summer and, while I did, I didn't read it as quickly as I would have liked due to several reasons, mostly a busy life.  The topic of Calvinism came up more over the summer months than I think it ever has in my entire life.  In pretty much every circle of friends that I have, the topic came up at some point in some way, at least once over the summer (but generally much more frequently), without my ever bringing it up.  It was so incredibly ridiculous - I couldn't escape it for nothing.  People over-emphasizing the sovereignty of God, completely ignoring the fact of human free will, while also entirely disregarding the logical conclusions their points would lead to.

With one person in particular, as an example, during a debate I took his point to it's logical conclusion: God ordains sin.  I carefully laid it out and made sure he followed me step by step, so at this last point, he had either to affirm that God in fact ordains sin, or affirm that, at the very least, his argument had some flaws in it which needed to be looked into further.  Needless to say, I would have been fine with the latter; however, to my dismay, as well as others in the room, he affirmed the logical conclusion: God ordains sin!  All I can say is, wow.  At the end of the discussion, he stated something to the effect of, we can disagree on a lot of things but as long as we have all the foundational elements in place, that is all that matters.  While I do agree with that sentiment, debates over the nature of God cannot be any more foundational.  I cannot and will not ever believe in a God that ordains sin and then sends His one and only Son to die on the cross for those sins that God caused.  To me, that is immensely foundational.

Anyhow, I've gone way off track with this "book review" haha.  I felt as though Allen & Lemke's book did an alright job covering the issues.  The book was more scholarly in nature, not really intended for the average layperson.  In addition, most of the authors pulled quotes originally from Calvin himself, or his followers, to show that, for example, most of them did not affirm limited atonement.  Either way, the text was difficult to get through readability-wise.  Several sections became bogged down in definitions or lengthy quotes, followed by short explanations of said quotes.  Additionally, the book was written by Southern Baptists for Southern Baptists and therefore, the authors seemed to always be carefully choosing their words, so as not to cause divisions within churches or amongst their colleagues.  Other authors might be much more poignant about the language they use, which I would like to see.  Tell me how it is and how passionately you feel about the issue, not trying to dress up your arguments against Calvinism in their Sunday best so as not to offend any Calvinists.  Additionally, the authors come into the discussion completely rejecting the notion of any possibility of openness to God (also known as open theism, Molinism, middle knowledge, etc.), which many scholars affirm, or at least see as a plausibility.  This is seen throughout the text, where they make sure their arguments aren't misconstrued as flirting the line with what they see as such heresy.  It is important to keep a holistic view of Scripture in mind, however, especially when critiquing Calvinists for ignoring certain passages of Scripture because it doesn't fit into their methodology.  That is a whole 'nother discussion for a whole 'nother day though.

Overall, if you'd like to better understand some of the arguments against Calvinism, I'd suggest you find another book.  If you are wanting to read every text you can possibly find on the issue, well, by all means, go right ahead.  Enjoy, but don't expect it to be your favorite reading so far.  The text had a great deal of potential, but missed the mark in it's application.

pentatonic

my dad sent me this video in an email yesterday. he doesn't send me stuff like this very often so I figured it must be something worth watching/hearing.. i'm definitely glad he passed it along to me.. and so should you, because now I'm sharing it with you =)

this guy is a pretty great singer, but i'm posting it more for the introduction he gives the song.. anyhow, watch and enjoy. (oh don't read my post-video comments til after the video please.. dont want to ruin anything! haha.. actually i think i'll make sure to be vague enough for those of you who don't follow directions well :p

so i always knew John Newton was a slave owner and all that jazz.. but seeing this take on it added a whole new depth and level of inspiration to this incredible song! it only seems to get better every day haha! =) you can't watch this video and not be in awe of how amazing God is and the incredible divine providence He uses to make all things, even a song of sorrow on a slave ship, glorify Him in abundant ways.. God is so good!

How Now Shall We Worship?

i'm in the process of reading a book for my worship leadership class called, "Exploring the Worship Spectrum: 6 Views" and it has renowned leaders in each of their areas discussing their styles of worship (formal-liturgical, hymn-based, contemporary, charismatic, blended, and emerging) and then each responding to the other author's commentary.. its a great book and offers a great perspective on worship and a remembrance of why it is we worship, regardless of the preferred style..

anyhow, i just finished reading the chapter on contemporary worship by Joe Horness (worship leader at Willow Creek Community Church, which really spurred the contemporary worship movement back in the late-70s/early-80s).. he not only argued for contemporary worship which meets the community with a message they can understand, but also argued a strong reminder of why we worship, how we are called to worship, and to the greatness of God as the primary purpose for all worship.

the chapter was very well written and i wanted to share some of his commentary with y'all, not simply for sharing's sake, but also to get your responses back and maybe spur on some dialogue about "modern worship" - ways you perceive it as being relevant, ways it isn't, encounters you've had with various (anonymous) churches (both positively and negatively) and what the church could have done in those negative instances, and should do in the future, to help reach the lost/unchurched/disconnected people. please be brutally honest. i welcome all thoughts on the matter, whether i agree or disagree - disagreements fuel growth & reflecting on something helps to understand why/how we do anything in life & how/why we can & should do it better.

below are excerpts from Horness' chapter on contemporary worship. i've pulled out the parts i thought were extremely relevant and/or thought-provoking, while trying to maintain the context of his discussion. its a little long, but definitely well worth the read. i hope you enjoy.

"Above all, our God - the God of the Universe, the God who is above all gods, the God who is holy and powerful and wants our obedience - longs for a relationship with us. Can you imagine? God longs for something! The One who is above all and who created all still desires something. And that is to be our God. To be my God. To be in a relationship with all of us... He desires [our] worship, not to somehow meet the needs of his heavenly ego, but because it is an indication of the relationship he shares with the people he loves."

"[In Isaiah 29:13], God is not condemning huge sins or child sacrifices or debauchery. Something else is breaking the heart of God: dutiful worship, expressions of love that are not really expressions of love at all, tradition that becomes rote, going through the motions, lip service. Impossible as it seems, the people's hearts simply are not moved in any real way by the continued love and mercy and faithfulness of the God."

"If our worship is just about singing songs, getting people in the door before the announcements, or killing twenty minutes before the message, then do not bother. If we are reciting creeds simply because that is our tradition, knock is off. If we seek supernatural miracles simply for our benefit and for what we will receive, we have missed the point. If our hearts are not engaged in authentic expressions of love for him, if this is not about a relationship with our Creator and Redeemer, then God is not honored. 'We cannot honor God is our hearts are far from Him. Where feelings for God are dead, worship is dead' (John Piper)."

"I do not think God is overly concerned about whether we are singing a chorus or a hymn. And I do not think he really cares whether you are playing the organ or the drums. What I think God cares about is the disengaged heart. I do not think he is particularly interested in our theories or techniques of worship except as they are effective in genuinely drawing hearts to him. Worship that is not heartfelt and authentic simply does not interest him."

"The passion to see hearts fully engaged, to radically eliminate dutiful, going-through-the-motions song times, and to bring people into a powerful time of relationship with our living God is what is at the heart of the contemporary worship renewal. [It] endeavors to use modern instrumentation, contemporary musical styles, and freshly written or arranged songs in the language of this generation to lead people into authentic expressions of worship and a genuine experience of the presence of God."

"People of this generation are longing to experience the genuine presence of God. And God is longing to move in and among the hearts of his people. If we will learn to worship from hearts that are fully engaged, God will be glorified and set free to move in us and among us... [Growing up in a traditional church], I began to realize that singing about God was somehow not enough. I wanted to know him. I wanted to interact with him. I wanted to experience the things I was singing about and find them to be true. I began to understand that worship, as it is described so vividly in Scripture, was meant to be a dialogue, flowing from the outpouring of a relationship with God... Worship is more than one-way communication from us to God. It is a two-way communication between God and his people. We exalt God. He reveals his presence and changes our hearts. We pour out our hearts and remember his greatness. Refusing to be outdone, he meets our needs for intimacy and grace."

"To assist this generation with such an exchange, the contemporary worship movement has indeed made adjustments in how people approach God. For much of the post-Christian America in the 1970s, church music had become a stumbling block rather than an avenue for connecting with God... Bringing a nonchurched friend to church was like bringing them to Mars. The music was different and unfamiliar. The quality was often poor. Even the language we used made it difficult for them to understand the life-giving message we were trying to communicate. The whole experience was designed for the already convinced."

"If we reduce the contemporary worship movement to a definition of worship that uses guitars and drums, or if we define it to the exclusion of liturgy or hymns or charismatic movements of the Spirit, we miss the point. At the heart of the contemporary worship movement is the longing to connect with God... On the day when those instruments no longer serve us best, we'll lose them. If the congregation we are leading best connects with through liturgy, then that is the tool we will use. The instruments, and even the worship style, are only tools. They are not ends in themselves. There is no competition with other worship styles. Ours is no better than theirs. We simply use what will serve our people best and help them encounter God most readily. The end is to meet with Jesus, to know his presence, to fully engage our hearts in authentic expressions of love to him... Musical styles play an important part in helping each generation communicate with God in a way that is familiar and that frees their hearts to meet with him. But the goal is not style. The goal is to produce authentic worshippers of Jesus Christ."

"God desires that we worship in his presence so that he can move in our lives! God desires our worship - not just because he is worthy, but also because he knows that when we fully engage in worshipping him, it puts our hearts in a place where he can move and stir in us as at no other time... Even the sun, the moon, the stars, and the heavens are implored to worship the Lord. Worship is clearly one of the most important things God's people can do. It is their first and ultimate calling... When we do that, God will be there. Psalm 145:18 says that God will draw near to those who call upon him.... When we worship, we will develop nothing less than a yearning for God, joy, a passion for God's presence, an increased faith, a love for God's Word, comfort, an increased love for God, adoration, exaltation, celebration, thanksgiving, praise, unity, and repentance."

"[However], contemporary worship can also become a performance. We forget that worship rises or falls on our concept of God. We forget that one of our primary challenges is to paint for people a great picture of God to which their hearts can respond. We forget the power of Scripture. We forget the power of prayer... Our first priority is not to perform. Our primary purpose is to lead God's people to meet God. If the congregation is disengaged, we are simply back to where we started with a different cast of characters."

"The prophet Malachi writes that they have figured out that it costs a lot less to put a lame lamb on the altar than to offer the best of the flock. They know that offering the sick lamb that will die anyway makes more economic sense. But they have missed the heart of God that simply longs to be honored as their God. After all that God has done, is this the best the people could muster in return? A lamb that costs them nothing? An offering that is convenient? A dutiful, going-through-the-motuons expression of thanks? Tradition? Lip service?..."

"...We must know that the offering that we bring to God each week is of utmost importance. It is not enough to preserve the classic hymns. It is not enough to utter ancient phrases. It is not enough to play the latest praise songs with a really hot band. It is not even enough to speak in tongues. It must be our passion, and our calling, to lay upon the altar the very best offering that we can bring to God each week. Bringing God our best does not come without effort and sacrifice. It requires prayer and careful planning. It requires prayerfully listening to God about where and how he would like us to meet with him. It requires authentic, godly worshippers who will model to our churches what it means to love Jesus and to love being in his presence. And for our congregations it will involve their hearts, their minds, their souls, and their wills. Fully engaged. Emotional. Surrendered. Heartfelt. Pouring out authentic of love to the one who gave his life for us. The band, the choruses, and the worship leader are all secondary. They are the tools we use to help engage the hearts of our congregation in meeting with God."

"A final thought. Following the book of Malachi, God is silent for hundreds of years. No more prophets. No more visible activity. The people had brought the cheapest lambs they could find. Now they wondered, how would God respond? Would he respond? They waited... The very next thing they heard from God was this: 'An angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord'' (Luke 2:9-10). God brought his best Lamb. Let us do the same. Give him praise!"

submission is the key to success

one night in late january, i was laying in bed frustrated with the status of my job search. i was racking my brain trying to think of every possible place i could send resumes that would lead to getting my foot in the door somewhere in the realm of politics. i was thinking so much, as i often tend to do, that i couldn't clear my mind.. and thus, couldn't get to sleep. finally, i said enough with it, i'm going to sleep.. and then it hit me...

what does it matter if i pursue a career in politics? where will that lead me? even if, by some rare chance, it lead to a lofty position of elected office, once that was over and my life neared its end.. what did it all matter? what did i do with the time God gave me? i don't want to work at some meaningless job all my life and have a half-hearted devotion to the work that God calls us to do.. why not devote my life to God's work, to what He calls believers to do (glorify Him and further His kingdom), and start now what I will be doing for eternity.. praising God. just as Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes.. life is meaningless. so why chase after even more meaningless tangibles.. why not chase after God. glorifying Him, rather than myself, in all aspects of my life, including my job.

i prayed about it long and hard to be certain that this was God's calling on my life and not just a futile search for something positive.. soon after, we went to a collegiate conference in alexandria and God confirmed the calling while i was there. i knew it was what i needed to do and as soon as i got home i was going to talk to my parents about it and start down the path to applying to seminary.

then, the week we got home from the conference, i was offered an extremely lucrative position for a political consultant based out of chicago working on high-profile political campaigns. i couldn't pass it up. my eagerness got the best of me and i put all my eggs into that basket, chasing that position. obviously, it didn't work out (i never heard back from the guy actually), but that was enough of a distraction to steer me on the wrong path, again pursuing a political job and allowing that struggle to distract me from where i needed to be for a little over 2 months.

i had an interview with the clerk of the louisiana house of representatives a few weeks ago and after that interview, the culmination of all the failed attempts to find a job were weighing on me very heavily and i met my dad for lunch. during our conversation, he asked me if there was a calling on my life that i was ignoring (i had never actually spoke with him about what had happened before)..  and i was stunned.. how did he know? God.. what are you trying to say to me? but ultimately i blew it off and decided the best course of action was to start applying to grad schools for a masters in political science. other things happened that week that kept trying to get my attention to refocus on what God had in store for me, but it all came to fruition that friday. i dropped off my transcripts at the post office for my first batch of grad applications and on my way home, i got a call from the seminary asking how everything was going.. how much clearer can you get?

so i said all that to say this: i finally directed my attention back to God's will for my life and away from my own. i have applied to seminary in New Orleans and hope to start in the fall. i'm pursuing a Masters of Divinity in Christian Apologetics (if you don't know what it means, ask me.. i'll be happy to explain). one of the main questions everyone asks me is what ministry do you want to get involved in once you graduate? the best answer that i can give is that.. i don't want to restrict myself to one area, because it's ultimately in God's hands.. not mine.

so all that being said, i would greatly appreciate your prayers and support, over the next couple months before school starts with all of the logistics, and after that, with the course loads and just an overall support group helping to hold me up and keep me focused.

i'd love to talk with y'all one on one about it in more depth but i figured this would serve as a general announcement and to proceed from there.. if y'all have any questions, comments, prayer requests of your own, please let me know.. either on here, facebook, myspace, or just send me a text/phone call.. hehe it felt weird typing that.. who actually calls anyone anymore.. weird..

much love. trent.