on doorknobs, academic deans and asherah poles
during my sojourn at soybean bible college, tom tanner, the academic dean, had a battered do-not-disturb type of doorhanger on his office door that read "praying for interruptions." when i first saw that sign i thought it was nothing but pious tripe. however, as the years went by, and i got to know tom as more of a mentor than an administrator, i realized how clearly that sign reflected his character. tom didn't decide to be an academic dean because he wanted prestige or was in love with the work. rather, he chose to be dean because he believed that the job would provide him with opportunities to interact with and empower other members of Christ's body.
i really want to be more like tom. i'd love to tell you that i spend my early morning hour praying for interruptions and throughout the day i long for people to stop by my cube, connect with me via cell phone or force me out of one of my little safe spaces by stopping by the house. unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth.
instead of praying for interruptions, i spend my time carving, staining and zealously protecting the asherah pole of my "space." i love my space and i know that it has a place in my life. however, i also fear that the way i idolize space is keeping me from experiencing the fullness of the Kingdom in my interaction with family, friends and foes.
so tonight i am praying for interruptions. may the Spirit give me the strength to strike down my asherah pole, so that i can dwell more fully in the sacred space that is God's Kingdom and interact more willingly and lovingly with those i encounter along the way.
i'd also like to thank tom for his irreplaceable friendship as well as his many years of service to soybean bible college and seminary.
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7 comments:
I'm attracted to your honesty and your posts which, to me, says, "I don't always have the answers.
Keep it up.
Yep. Space at work is totally my idol. It's also an idol at other times...at times when it most definately should not be.
Tom Tanner is the epitome of a quiet example that all the loud world can learn from. He preached one of my all time favorite messages in chapel once. Do you remember the "Shema" sermon? "Shhhh--Shema. Hear O Israel." That one statement alone still gets me.
I went on two consecutive Week of E. trips because of Tom Tanner and his most geniune and sincere personality. He even wrote a special letter that was read at my ordination... He made quite the impact on me and my pursuit of the ministry.
I am such a doofus for not doing a thorough job of proof-reading my comments... I meant to say that I went on two back-to-back Week of E. trips with Tom Tanner and it's because of him that I wanted to go on these trips: my freshman year to Blessings Ranch in Colorado and then my sophomore year to Tijuana.
hey commenters, thanks for invading my space.
lowery, i don't remember dean's sermon on the Shema, but i do remember a sermon he preached in seminary chapel on Nahum. only rarely have i heard someone preach with so much unction on such an obscure part of the old testament. this unction - which poured out of him like the very breath of YHWH - which was so evident in the Nahum sermon was evident in the other messages i heard as well.
we heard some good preachin' during our time at soybean, didn't we? especially after they put a (relative) end to those info-mercial chapels.
Right on.
oh yeah, i remember "lists." that was such a classic sermon on romans 16.
the armenian hygienist is definitely not on my list.
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