• Archive of "malone" Category

    Restoring Hope to the Church in Western Culture

    December 15, 2006 // 1 Comment »

    This is the title of my masters thesis.  The subtitle is, “Exploring the Relationship Between Culture, Theology, and the Church.”  It is divided into 3 main sections – the first with regard to the relationship between God’s people and the idea of culture, a second on narrative approaches to theology, and a third on missional understandings of the church.  In the conclusion I suggest how these three sections come to bear on the three church practices of preaching/teaching, baptism, and Holy Communion.

    In the paper I didn’t include any acknowledgments, so allow me to do so now.

    I have benefited greatly through my family – my parents, grandparents, brothers, and sister, my extended and blended family.  Thank you all for the role you have and continue to play in my life.

    Deep thanks and appreciation goes to the teachers, professors, pastors, and mentors who have taken a unique interest in me and shared their lives, experience, and giftedness with me – John Toth, PJ Meduri, Shane Minne, Andy Bennett, John Geib, and Steve Moroney, though not alone, come to mind.  Thanks to Malone College and Fuller Theological Seminary, two of the finest Christian schools I am aware of.

    To say that my community of friends has been a blessing in my life would be the largest understatement I have ever made.  I am who I am today because of the love, grace, forgiveness, humility, and commitment of the friends who have shared their lives with me for almost ten years now.  They have seen me at my best, and more importantly at my worst and yet they love me still.  These are the people that give me life.

    I must note the profound impact my girlfriend Maria Bjordal has had on me.  Everything I have written in this thesis is colored by the presence of Maria in my life.  Her constant encouragement and the conversations we return to time and time again have been invaluable.

    Though it sounds common to place it at the beginning, and perhaps foolish to place it at the end, the fact of the matter is that nothing is more important to me that God’s presence in the world, and consequently, in my life personally.  As one being saved by grace and learning anew each day that the Triune God is the beginning and end of all things, I am both humbled and thrilled.  Humbled by my weakness and inability in comparison – thrilled by the mere though of being included in His plan for the world and even within the very life of the Trinity.  To God be all praise forever and ever, Amen.

    To each and all – thank you for your part in the story which has been unveiled as my life.

    All that being said…

    You can get the entire thesis (375 pages, including appendices) here.

    You can get just the thesis (70 pages) here.

    Here is a zip file with all the appendices so you can pick which ones to read.

    I would love to hear any thoughts or remarks. I do not fear criticism, in fact, I encourage and welcome it. Actually, come to think of it, it is vital to the aim of my project, so let fly!

    Posted in church, community, culture, family, friends, Fuller Seminary, Jesus, kingdom, love, malone, maria, missional, modernity, narrative theology, postmodernity, stories, theology, western culture

    Malone Thanksgiving 2006

    November 20, 2006 // No Comments »

    Here’s a couple clips I took from our big pre-Thanksgiving Feast.  The first if after the annual football game and the second at the morning-after breakfast at Panera.  I will have more to post about our yearly gathering when I get some time (dang thesis).

    Posted in community, friends, funny, malone

    Malone Thanksgiving 2006

    November 16, 2006 // 2 Comments »


    I missed it the last two years, but refused to let it turn into three.

    Starting our freshman year of college, my friend Heather began inviting some friends back to her parents home for an early Thanksgiving Feast.  It has grown to include more and more people each year through marriages, babies, and extended networks of friends.  It is one of the most meaningful events of the year for me.  The day includes everybody bringing something to contribute to the meal, everyone cooking together, playing football in the back yard, sharing what we are thankful for, and watching the OSU vs. Michigan game.

    Last year I was stuck in California watching the game in a bar by myself and then went to write a paper after.  I tried every cell phone I knew, but no one answered.  All of a sudden, my friend Josh called me and had me on speaker phone.  He asked me to pray for the meal before everyone ate.  As I hung up the phone, I wiped a tear from my eye – it was just so incredibly meaningful to me.

    So, in just 2 short days I will have the chance to enjoy an entire day with some of my most favorite people in the world (minus one exceptionally important lady who is stuck in Norway) and watch OSU kick the crap out of Michigan.  It should be an incredible game between 2 unbeaten teams whose rivalry in unsurpassed in college football.

    Posted in community, friends, funny, malone, maria, stories

    Things I never thought

    May 1, 2006 // 4 Comments »

    Sometimes it can be crazy to think about the course or events of your life and how the most unexpected of things can wind up being the things that most shape and define you.

    I never thought I would go to a Christian college, but in so doing, I found myself a part of a community of friends who shaped the way I think, see, and dream.

    I never thought that when I graduated I would step into a youth ministry position at a megachurch, but these were three of the most formative years of my life.

    I never thought I would relocate to California to attend Seminary, but the time I have had to spend with my family out here, living in a culturally and ethnically diverse community, and the friendships I have made are all some of the most important things in the world to me.

    I didn’t plan for any of these things, they all sort of snuck up on me unexpectedly. In each instance, I ventured into stages of life that were both scary and held little intrinsic promise.

    Many people told me that going to a small, Christian college was a horrible decision. Everything inside of me told me that accepting the position at RiverTree was a bad idea because of how far in over my head I would be. Coming to Fuller tore against every fiber of my being – it made so little sense.

    What do all these things have in common then? They all share the common feature of being what I (and others) discerned to be the leading of God.

    Sometimes I think about where I’d be, what I’d be doing, and who I’d be if I had decided to do what made sense and what was comfortable rather than taking risks and doing be best to follow what seemed to be God’s leading. I feel like I know 2 things for sure…

    1) God would still be present, He would still love me, and He would steal work in and through me
    2) My experience of Him, His grace, His provision, and the excitement of what it means to follow after Christ would be incredibly lessened.

    I don’t think God’s promise to be with us is necessarily contingent on whether or not we take the risks and challenges he places before us, but like any good teacher, God can only give us what we are willing to receive. Once when I was completely stressing over a major decision I had to make, a good friend and mentor asked me, “JR, how many people do you know from Scripture that felt ready and equipped to do what God was asking of them.” None. There were none. Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, Mary & Joseph, the disciples, Paul, even Jesus himself, they all balked at, questioned, or otherwise demonstrated the insecurity they felt toward the task to which they were called. Why should we expect any less?

    Heaven forbid that I ever lack the courage to follow where God seems to be leading – that I trade the depths to which I might know and expereince God in all his fullness for the sake of doing that which makes sense, seems logical, and ensures safety and security.

    Posted in bible, church, decisions, family, friends, Fuller Seminary, Jesus, malone, Paul, prayer, school, stories

    Community, Seminary and the Church

    February 20, 2006 // 3 Comments »

    Community at seminary is something of a mixed bag. I was just commenting to my roommate Ryan the other day, “I finally figured out what the problem with seminary is. It’s not college.”

    In college relationships came first while school work and classes were a distant second. In college, if an unexpected nice day were to come around, attending classes would be quickly replaced by spontaneous games of football, basketball, angle ball, or any other activity that involved

    1) being together
    2) being outside
    3) having fun

    We really don’t have that luxury at seminary. For starters, the very nature of what we are doing is temporary and people default to being guarded about their time and levels of intimacy. Also, this ain’t cheap. Most of us have college loans and the reality of paying those off as well as the new ones incurred in grad. mandates that we take what we are doing pretty seriously.

    The upside is that I can relate to the people at seminary in a way that I have never (and probably will never) been able to relate to anyone else. We are all currently more focused on the importance of theological, cultural, and psychological dimensions of the Christian faith than we might ever be again. We can have deep and profound conversations – conversations that have the chance of changing us in a moment and the kinds of conversations that have the potential to change the entire trajectory of the church in the world. That sounds kind of dramatic, but the reality is, mainline denominations don’t hire pastors with out MDiv’s and most other church traditions (mine is an exception) always look more favorably on those with theological education and pastoral training. Not only that, try being a theological educator without a PhD! Like it or not, me and my peers at Fuller and other comparable seminaries around the globe (though mainly in the US) are indeed the future shapers and guardians of the Church. So maybe it’s not such a bad idea for us to take what we are doing seriously. I’m off point…

    Here’s my tension. I’m not at all convinced that the model of theological education that I am currently a part of is really the best way to get at it. In fact, I’m not even sure how biblically faithful it is. Wouldn’t it be better to integrate theological education and community/ministry involvement? Some seminaries (Fuller and Bethel for sure) have a couple degrees that you can complete w/o leaving your home context. You fly in periodically for intensives and do the rest of your stuff online and at home, but I’m not sure this is all together good either. Afterall, this education is still individually (not comunally) concerned and focused.

    Here’s where I am going. I am hoping for a future in which the church communities we are a part of take primary responsibility for theologically educating and equipping their congregations. I think there’s a name for that – oh yeah, discipleship. Sounds strikingly like an idea that some Jewish carpenter had about 2000 years ago, man was he ahead of his time.

    Back to the point. Community is important. Christian/Church community that much more so. Not only should people not have to leave the communities of which they are a part in order to receive quality theological education, I think the very idea is endemic to God’s vision for the Church.

    Here’s what I am saying – I want a rich and challenging expereince of Christian community and quality theological education and I think the Church is the answer. Let’s go!

    Posted in church, community, friends, Fuller Seminary, malone, school, theology

    And O So Many More!!!

    December 6, 2005 // 1 Comment »

    Lest you think I have provided you with an exaustive lift of those people who are most dear to me, think again. I wish I had time to tell you all about…

    Ben and Sarah who are one of the finest couples I know.
    Babs and Carrie who are perfect for each other and make my face light up every time I see them.
    Wess and Joel, the voices of Malone College radio and 2 of my most insiprational theological peers. (not to say anything of their incredible wives – Emily and Sarah!)
    Suzi, whose words have encouraged me and whose demeanor has humbled me for the last 8 years.
    Tammy, who live her life for the sake of other.
    Eric, who will still understand the way of life better than me even after I finish Seminary.
    Nick and Katie, the kind of married could that everyone else wants to be like – including me! (Picture would be way better with Katie in it -believe me!)
    Gerb, who has a sort of, “Come on, let’s get with the program” sort of attitude that I admire, respect, and would like to emulate.
    Levi, one of my most missed friends, who blesses everyone he comes in contact with.
    Johnny Ruhlin who, although he will be late to both his wedding and his funeral, I would trust with my life.
    Jared, who is always looking for the best in people, or his wife Andrea who enjoys helping to create good in people.
    Julie, whose presence is so warming that you never want her to leave (especially when she is your euchre partner)!
    Cone, who is excitement personified.
    Rachel Lantz, whose relentless pursuit of God is constantly motivational.
    Erin, who loves to be who God made her to be.
    Rachel Mcpheters, whose zest for life and love of people I always look forward to.
    Nate, who certainly doesn’t deserve his wife Jessie, but whose way with words and refusal to let people off the hook intellectually have forced me to grow.
    Branden, whose simplicity and genuineness is a constant reminder just how overcomplicated I tend to make things and life in general.
    And Scott, a friend now gone, but whose legacy of enjoying everything, taking risks, seizing the moment, and dreaming big dreams lives on in me and everyone else who knew him.

    This list remains incomplete for two reasons. First, there are many more people I know that I should talk about, but can’t right now. And second, because the list is growing all the time, not only on my end, but as all these people share their lives with others.

    Man do I love friends and relationships!

    Posted in friends, malone

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