canvas church irvine ca – Jesus @ 2 am blogs and podcast

Waiting is profoundly difficult; all the more so when you know the one you are waiting one is capable of acting immediately. Yet this is God’s call to exiled Israel – to wait upon the Lord for the day of salvation (in this case release from captivity).

But this waiting is not to be passive – to wait around, biding time… Rather, the people of God are called to make a home, indeed to work for the welfare of their captors (a profound foreshadowing of Jesus’ call to “love your enemies”). Israel is to be about her vocation of restoration, even while she herself suffers and in that suffering doubts the promises of God.

In this episode, guest preacher extraordinaire, Rev. Ian Farrell, gives simultaneously funny and poignant look at Israel’s captivity in a foreign land. And with it, he offers tremendous wisdom for waiting on God today.

Have a thought, question or response??? Would be wonderful to have you leave a comment here or on our Facebook page.

And if you like the podcast, you can subscribe here (and we are ALWAYS grateful for positive reviews on iTunes or wherever you listen to Jesus at 2AM!):

Honest answers to sincere questions are essential to the work of love. Indeed the lessons that have been most formative in my spiritual life have not come from books and lectures (important though they are!), but from the candid conversations that came at the cafe or in the parking lot after the formal lesson was over.

My hope is that these live Q&A events can offer something of that same experience in the digital age – thoughtful, candid answers to the questions that are weighing upon you.

The responses are unscripted (and therefore quite imperfect). And this first foray into the world of live theological conversation includes a mea culpa (and some edits) for an answer I wish had been more complete.

Topics include:

A very brief look at the biblical perspective on homosexuality,
A look at the Apostle Paul’s advice to avoid marriage if possible (and the idea that even the biblical perspective can evolve),
The two creations stories in Genesis and how to interpret them,
A discussion of how we think about the “authority of scripture” and its “accuracy,”
Canvas (the church where I am pastor in Irvine, CA) and what it means to be a part of the Fresh Expressions movement (what defines a “fresh expression” and how that differentiates us from “traditional church”),
The influence of American Christianity on the global church, and
How to interpret Genesis 6:1-4, that nearly indecipherable passage about the Nephilim (the favorite term paper topic of every Old Testament professor in the world).

The next Jesus at 7PM event is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013 (location TBD – hopefully a cool bar or pub in the OC!). Know a spot???? Let me know!

Tag: canvas church irvine ca

Understanding the Bible 12: God’s Promise of Restoration

Jesus at 7PM – Live Audience Q&A in Irvine, CA