realmealministries.org

Last Updated Dec 1, 2007

Brian is available to speak at your church, conference, or retreat.

Brian is an expert in biblical interpretation and its intersection with contemporary culture. His enthusiasm is infectious and he will inspire and equip his audiences to live boldy for Christ. He is committed to serving the Christ following movement by inspiring and equipping leaders and communities of faith to adopt a missional focus in their ministries.

Some recent topics:
“Learning to Speak Human: Reaching the Not Yet Christian College Student”

“Awakening Your True Humanity: Becoming the Person of God’s Dreams”

“Mission, Holiness, and Community: Preaching to the Intrinsic Needs of All People”

“Dan Brown is Right (almost): The True Divine Conspiracy”

“A Missional Approach to Biblical Interpretation”

“Dangerous Leaders: Leadership Lessons from Biblical Characters”

“Learning to Read the Bible for Transformation”

“Suffering and the Christian Life”

“Preaching and Teaching from the Book of Exodus”

“Created For So Much More: Living the Life that God Intended”

“Tough Questions”

“Understanding the Biblical Story”

Brian will tailor a program to fit the needs of your group.

Contact:
brian@realmealministries.org

or post in the comments below

Updated as of May 4, 2007

Scholarly Resources for the Study of Scripture

Society of Biblical Literature This is the official site of the professional association for biblical scholars.

iTanakh
This site provides a wide array of links by subject to academic literature related to Old Testament interpretation.

www.ntgateway.org
Dr. Marc Goodacre of the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom has compiled an excellent site for NT research.

Text Week. This site is conceived of as a guide for lectionary preachers and teachers. It contains links to on-line resources that are accessible via a Scripture index. Among the bonuses on this site is an index to works of art related to various biblical texts. Great stuff.

Catalyst Catalyst is an evangelical periodical which offers original articles and review essays of current critical thinking. Very helpful.

Blogs by Biblical Scholars

Ben witherington III

BWIII is a prolific author and leading NT scholar. His blog offers commentary of movies, politics, and insights into biblical texts that he is currently working on. Ben teaches at Asbury Theological Seminary.

Lawson Stone Lawson teaches Old Testament on the Wilmore campus of Asbury Theological Seminary. He is my colleague, but during my own seminary days, Lawson was one of my favorite teachers. He is a brilliant mind and exegete.

Ken Schenck
Ken teaches NT at Indiana Wesleyan University. His blog is substantive and engages issues from biblical interpretation to Wesleyan-Arminian theology to contemporary politics. See also his writing page.

N.T. Wright
Bishop Wright is not only a leading figure in the Church of England, but he is also arguably the most influential NT scholar of his generation.

Cafe Apocalypsis This site is written by Alan Bandy, a graduate student writing a dissertation on the book of Revelation.

Better Bibles Blog This blog focuses on issues of Bible translation. Its essays are substantive and helpful.

Mark D. Roberts. Mark has a Ph.D. in New Testament and serves a church in California. His blog contains many excellent essays as well as key links and resources.

Claude Mariottini. Dr. Mariottini is professor of Old Testament at Northern Baptist Seminary. The purpose of his blog is to bring a biblical worldview to bear on contemporary issues, particularly ones related to the message of the Old Testament

Wesleyan Resources
Asbury Theological Seminary The official site for Asbury Theological Seminary.

Wesley Center for Applied Theology An amazing resource of all things Wesleyan — including the works of John Wesley, Charles Wesley, John Fletcher, and tons of writings from the American Holiness movement.

The Wesleyan Church The official site of the Wesleyan Church.

Bible Forum This site is maintained by a group of scholars and pastors in the Wesleyan tradition. It deals substantively with issues of biblical interpretation.

Favorite Ministry Sites
Brian Russell’s Xanga blog

Keith Drury’s Writing Page . Keith teaches at Indiana Wesleyan University and posts regularly on a variety of subjects.

David Drury’s Writing page David is a Wesleyan pastor and a gifted writer.

Asbury Blog This site offers links to various students, professors, and alumni who blog regularly.

Simply Bridges Simply Bridges is also the web designer of the Real Meal site. I recommend her to anyone seeking to establish a professional looking website.

Alex McManus Alex is an innovative church leader who directs the Origins Project and International Mentoring Network.

James Petticrew James is a Scottish pastor and church planter, who is currently enrolled in Asbury Beeson Pastor Program. He will be launching Mosaic Edinburgh in Summer 2006.

Octavio Martinez Octavio is a pastor of Sojourn in Los Angeles. He also is part of the International Mentoring Network.

Steve Watson

House Church blog. This blog focuses on resources for house churches. It includes many helpful links.

Matt Guthrie. Matt is a pastor in North Carolina. He was one of the first students that I ever taught at Asbury back in the mid-nineties when I was cutting my teeth as a Teaching Fellow in the biblical languages.

Kouya Chronicle. The website of Eddie and Sue Arthur. Good resource for missions and Bible translation.

Sites that have Linked to Real Meal Ministries (Not Included in above groupings)
Hugh Hewitt

Ron’s Random Ruminations

Firefly

David Wofford

Providence United Methodist Church This is a church served by one of my former students, Devin Schultz in Valdosta, Georgia.

Wesley Blog This blog discusses issues related to Methodism as well as maintains a large Methodist blogroll.

Maggie’s Farm This is a fun blog that deals with politics, culture, religion, and Bob Dylan! One of the bloggers at Maggie’s Farm, Bird Dog, is a Real Meal reader and provides links to my blogs from time to time.

Urban Army Gordon C. is a mission minded officer in the Salvation Army.

News for Christians This site offers links to other Christian sites as well as providing news stories related to Christianity.

Kelani’s Groove…Living to the beat of the big drum. The blog of Keith Whittingham.

Faster Unto Thee. The blog of Russell Veldman. Free Methodist pastor/theologian and a former student from my days as a Teaching Fellow on Asbury’s Wilmore campus (1994-96)

UK Salvationist. Blog of Salvationist serving in Latvia.

The Greatest Story Ever Told. Blog of Pastor Jim Morrow.

Kingdom Come. Blog of Wesleyan Pastor Rod Pickett.

Blogs by My Students
John the Methodist. An extraordinary Methodist blogger. Combines a review of serious issues within Church and Society with offbeat humor.
Judy Eurey
Rick Anderson
Jon Thornsbury
Stephen Kadwell
Nadine Richmond
Jim Rogers

Asbury Blog Roll

The Methodist Blog Roll

This is a list of Methodist bloggers of various theological stripes.  It is dominated by United Methodists but there are a few Wesleyans and Nazarenes as well.

 

 Auto Racing Sites
Yes, the rumors are true. I am an unrepentant lover of auto racing (NASCAR, IRL, and F-1).

Jayski’s Silly Season Site
That’s Racin’
The Official NASCAR Site

A couple of months ago, I blogged a series of reflections on Genesis 2 and 3. My original intention was to walk through all of Genesis 2-4. Most readers tend to stop with the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden. Yet, the author of Genesis explicitly intended for his readers to read 2:4-4:2 as one extended episode. In other words, we need to read the story of God’s creation of Eden, the fall of Adam and Eve, and the narrative of the next generation (Cain, Abel, and Seth) together.

If the garden temptation occurred in the midst of paradise, the story of Cain arises in radically different context. Sin has entered the world. Humanity has gained wisdom, but lost everything. Paradise is past history. Humanity now lives “east of Eden.” Life is hard. Men and women compete rather than work together. The goal is domination rather than cooperation. Humanity stands at odds with the environment. Most profoundly, humanity no longer enjoys perfect intimacy with God.

Sound familiar? Cain lived long ago, but he lived in the same world that you and I inhabit. We can identify with the temptation of Eve in the Garden because it seems to ring true with our own experiences of sin. But at the same time, we are far from Eve’s experience because none of us has ever lived in Paradise. This brings us to Cain. Cain was born into the same fallen world in which we find ourselves.

If you are familiar with the Old Testament, you have probably heard of Cain. You can read his story in Genesis 4:1-16. He is best known for killing his brother Abel because God accepted Abel’s sacrifice and rejected his own. What is striking about this story is the brief exhortation that God presents to Cain before Cain has laid a hand on his brother.

Listen again to the words of Genesis 4:6-7:

Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” (New International Version)

God’s graciousness is evident in the fact that he has not left Cain completely to his own devices. In contrast with the conversation between the serpent and Eve in Genesis 3, God intervenes before Cain makes the wrong choice. God reaches out with an offer of relationship to Cain and with a warning. Cain can do the right thing. If this happens, God’s words imply that Cain will be accepted. The alternative is to choose evil. In this case, verse seven portrays a personified “sin” crouching at Cain’s door. What does this “sin” want? It desires to have Cain. Careful readers of Genesis 2-4 may have noted the similarities between 4:7 and 3:16. In the original Hebrew the verses are almost identical. The word desire here and in 3:16 does not refer merely to affections, but to a longing to possess and dominate. Sin wants Cain, and it wants him bad. What should be Cain’s response?

The last clause in 4:7 has perplexed interpreters. John Steinbeck wrote his classic East of Eden around various meanings of the phrase. Here is a sample of the possible translations of 4:7 with the key clause in bold-

NIV Genesis 4:7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”

KJV Genesis 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

TNK Genesis 4:7 Surely, if you do right, There is uplift. But if you do not do right Sin couches at the door; Its urge is toward you, Yet you can be its master.”

NKJ Genesis 4:7 “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”

JPS Genesis 4:7 “‘If thou doest well, shall it not be lifted up? and if thou doest not well, sin coucheth at the door; and unto thee is its desire, but thou mayest rule over it.’”

All of these are indeed possible legitimate translations of the Hebrew verb form. The question then is God 1) Making a promise, i.e., some day you will overcome sin; 2) Establishing a Command, i.e., Cain is responsible for achieving victory over sin; or 3) Offering a possibility, i.e., Cain has a real choice in the matter?

A good case can be made for each of these possibilities. What is my understanding? God is telling Cain that his impending action is not inevitable. Cain does not have to sin. There is a choice. Cain can continue on his present course, or he can turn and follow God’s way.

This brings the story back to focus on our own lives. Like Cain, we are born into a corrupt world not of our own choosing. We inherit the baggage (good and bad) from our parents and grow up in Paradise Lost. But like Cain, we remain accountable for our actions.

At some point in your life, you are going to reach a cross roads similar to Cain. At that point, you will be standing in Cain’s shoes. Sin is creeping at your door. It desires to control you. What will you do?

Reflection:
Is sin always inevitable? Do we have to find ourselves constantly repeating the defeats of Genesis 3-4?
How much of a choice (if any) do we really have?
Do you relate with any of Cain’s story?

I will say more about this soon…Until next time. Peace.

© 2005 Brian D. Russell

Gary may be one of the country’s most ardent race fans. He spends his weekends watching the various stock car races on the television. He lives in Central Florida so each year he makes two pilgrimages to the Mecca of racing in the United States – Daytona International Speedway. Last July, Gary experienced every race fan’s dream – he had the opportunity to enter the restricted garage and pit areas in order to experience the racing action up close and personal. He had the opportunity to watch the crews diligently work to prepare the cars for the race. He shook hands with several of the team owners whom he knew only from seeing them on television. He was able to stand inside pit row and envision himself as part of the service crew for the car. Most significant of all, Gary met some of his heroes – the drivers whom he had been watching race for years. As you might expect, Gary’s face was beaming when he arrived home from the race. He eagerly and enthusiastically spent the next few days sharing his experiences with his friends. A funny thing happened though the following weekend. As usual Gary had marked off Sunday afternoon to watch the race. He had invited friends and family, and he had purchased snacks and beverages to enjoy during the broadcast. But as the race wore on, his friends noticed that Gary’s typical excitement was missing. During a commercial, one of them asked, “Gary, what’s the matter? Aren’t you enjoying the race?” Gary looked at her and sighed, “Last weekend, I made it to the mountaintop. It was awesome and incredible to be in the center of the action. Now I am back down in the valley and it’s just not the same…”

How often in our own lives with God do we long for mountain top experiences? Those times when we feel unusually close to the divine. Those times when we feel in touch with ultimate reality and when there is a clarity and purpose to life. When we realize that there is a truth and love and justice beyond ourselves. Yet in the aftermath of these special times, how often do we struggle with the reality of returning to our normal routines and struggles?

Mark 9:2-9 records a profoundly powerful encounter that Peter, James, and John experience when they follow Jesus to the top of a tall mountain. This remarkable episode, commonly known as the Transfiguration, can help us to discover that mountain top experiences are not the end all of our life with God, but a means of empowering us for following Jesus back down the mountain so that we can offer ourselves in service to the world.

Let us review this text:
NIV Mark 9:2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters– one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) 7 Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” 8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

Encountering Jesus Christ
Fundamentally, the transfiguration of Jesus serves as a declaration to Peter, James, and John of Jesus’ true identity. These disciples see Jesus in unveiled glory before their eyes, but there is more. Moses the great lawgiver and Elijah the powerful prophet, two giants of Old Testament faith, appear and converse with Jesus. But Jesus is not portrayed as merely a peer of Moses and Elijah. Lest the disciples misconstrue Jesus’ true identity God appears on the mountain. Just as on Mount Sinai in the book of Exodus, God is present within a cloud. The disciples hear God’s voice in words that echo Jesus’ baptism, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”(Mark 9:7, cf. 1:11 [Isa 42:1 and Ps 2:7]) Here unambiguously, the disciples learn from God that Jesus is indeed God’s Son, the long awaited one who will bring God’s salvation to the world.

In verse 9, as Jesus and his disciples descend from the mountain. He instructs them to tell no one about their experience until he has been raised from the dead. Why does Jesus say this? Doesn’t Jesus want others to know about his true identity?

Jesus does indeed want the world to know about his identity, but not until after he has died on the cross and been raised. Only then will his life be fully understood. Jesus is truly the Son of God and the source of salvation, but Jesus did not stay on the mountain. He had a mission to accomplish. He went on from the Transfiguration to journey to Jerusalem where he willingly embraced death on the cross so that others might live. Simply put: we cannot fully understand who Jesus is apart from his death on the cross. Immediately before our Scripture lesson, Jesus said, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”(Mark 8:34)

Challenge of Re-entry
The stories that follow the Transfiguration serve to focus our attention on the challenges of living as Jesus’ disciples in the world (Mark 9:2-9 is the opening section of the unit 9:2-10:52). Let us explore briefly three of the challenges that Jesus addresses after the descent from the mountain.

First, there is the challenge of unbelief. Life is difficult and filled with obstacles. Jesus’ disciples are not immune against the hardships of human existence. Disciples often face circumstances that they cannot overcome on their own. As soon as Jesus rejoins the larger group of disciples, he encounters a man whose son is demon-possessed. The other disciples had been unable to cast it out. Jesus dispatches it quickly and restores the boy to his father. Why couldn’t the disciples cast it out? Apparently, they attempted to exorcise the demon out of their own strength rather than through faith in God. Our trip to the mountaintop doesn’t mean that we can live the remainder of our lives out of our own abilities and resources apart from a moment by moment walk of faith in God. Our strength for living comes through faith in God.

Second, there is the challenge of wealth. Jesus encounters a wealthy man who desires to receive eternal life (Mark 10:17-31). He goes away sad because he values his possessions and wealth above his desire for a relationship with God. God promises riches to those who follow Christ, but these treasures are not rewards valued in our world. Jesus is not advocating an impoverished lifestyle but rather he is saying to those who have been to the mountaintop, “Don’t value your own personal comfort and security and affluence above the need to follow me in serving and loving the least among us.”

Last, there is the challenge of status. There remains the temptation for the disciples of Jesus to compete over status. It is common to transfer our acceptance by God into a privileged status in which we believe ourselves to be better than others or to be above certain tasks. The opposite is the case. Precisely because disciples have experienced God’s grace and acceptance we can now embrace servanthood as our vocation. Jesus reached out willingly and intentionally to the marginalized of his world. This stance is epitomized by his embrace of children (Mark 9:33-35 and 10:13-15 ). While his disciples argued about which of them was the greatest and James and John requested to sit at his right and left in the kingdom, Jesus declared, “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”(Mark 10:45)

Return to Ground Zero
Author and pastor Rick Warren begins his wildly popular book The Purpose Driven Life with a penetrating reminder: “It’s not about you.” Religious experiences can easily be reduced to self-indulgent exercises. When we come into contact with God on the mountain, these are moments of empowerment for service rather than invitations to withdraw from the world. Peter, James, and John saw Jesus in all of his glory and majesty. Yet, Jesus led his disciples back into the world for service and ministry. In Jesus’ case, his descent back into the valley was the beginning of his journey to the cross. The principle: all experiences of God’s grace are gifts to be shared with others.

When Micaela was four years old, she began to ask about Jesus. She wanted to know where he lived. She learned that Jesus lived with God, but that he would live in her heart if she believed and trusted him. This impacted the young child greatly and her family noticed a real difference in her. Her grandfather visited the family a couple of weeks later. Micaela rode in the car with her dad to meet her grandfather at the airport. As always, she greeted him with a smile and a big hug. The first words out of her mouth took everyone by surprise. She said to her grandfather, “Papa, Jesus lives in my heart now. Does he live in yours? He will if you trust him.”

At the age of four, Micaela figured it out. She had been to the mountain, but she didn’t stay there. She came back down to share the good news with all of the people whom she loved. This is our call as followers of Jesus. Have you been to the mountain? It is time for us to return to ground zero and share our discovery with others. It is time to put our trust in Jesus who can transform us and who leads the way for us. It is time to live unencumbered by our society’s call to consumerism and self-indulgence. It is time to embrace servanthood as the distinctive mark of the follower of Jesus. Let us live by faith, be known by love, and serve as a voice of hope to others. Amen.

© 2005 Brian D. Russell

A couple of weeks ago, I posted “Created for So Much More.” I raised the issue of the purpose of the Christian life. I want to reflect a bit more deeply on one of the most important passages in the Bible (and one of the most underappreciated).

Exodus 19:4-6 “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, 6 but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the Israelites.”

God delivered Israel from Egypt for a purpose. The God who created the heavens and earth brought Israel out of Egypt so that he could invite Israel into a deeper relationship with himself. God delivered Israel on purpose so that Israel could live authentically and fully for God. God gave his people freedom from slavery so that they could freely serve him. As Christians, we need to remember and rehearse what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. Through worship, individual testimonies, and reflection on God’s grace to us, we ground firmly our relationship with God. We will also become aware that God desires to draw even closer to us. But if we forget what God has done already or what he intends to do, we may simply return to our old patterns of living.

I attended Union Theological Seminary located in Richmond, Virginia for my graduate studies in Bible. While in Richmond, my wife and I acquired a tiny orange kitten, which we named “Lady.” Lady quickly outgrew her name through a voracious appetite and was renamed “Pumpkin.” For Pumpkin’s first full year, we lived on the upper story of an apartment complex. The apartment had unusual windows that were mounted quite high on the wall. This made it difficult for Pumpkin to see the wider world in which she lived. Her only exposure to the outside occurred during routine trips to the veterinarian. This all changed following a move to a ground floor apartment with a sliding glass door. This new window to the world became Pumpkin’s favorite place to be, and she became resolved to experience the world for herself. She bolted for the door every time that my wife or I opened it. We feared for her safety so we attempted to prevent her from escaping. But one day it happened…while grilling on the patio, I left the door cracked open. In an instant, Pumpkin made her move and she was free. In a comical turn of events, Pumpkin bolted through the door, crossed the three feet of cement patio, stepped into the grass, and stopped dead in her tracks. Her paws had never felt the texture of grass, her ears had never been filled with the sounds of people talking and roars of automobile engines, her body had never been exposed to the humidity of a sunny August afternoon in Virginia. In an instant, Pumpkin was transformed from a pilgrim on the way to the promised land into a terror-stricken feline. Her back arched instinctively and her long furry tail poofed out into what looked like a ceiling fan brush. Pumpkin’s excursion into her new life lasted all of ten seconds. She remains a strictly indoor cat to this day. She wasn’t ready for a new life.

As believers in Christ, there is always the temptation that Israel faced throughout her history – the lure of a return to the familiarity of Egypt. God wants more for us. Unlike Pumpkin, we need to be prepared for the next step in our life with God. Verse five reads “Now if you truly hear my voice and keep my covenant,…” The same God who has saved us through the death and resurrection of Jesus, has a purpose and a plan for our new life in Christ. God wants a deeper relationship with us. In fact, moving forward is not an option; it is a must do.

As verse six will remind us, we are on a holy mission as God’s priests who will model and show forth God’s character to the world! The key is to know where we are going lest we end up like Pumpkin…

© 2005 Brian D. Russell