Brad Titus

Story of My Life

I don't really have anything profound or thoughtful to say, but I enjoy blogging.

Life is busy. I somehow, foolishly, thought that when I finished school and got married and only had a job to worry about, I'd have more free time. Anyone who has done those things knows how crazy that is. And so it is for me. Granted, things at work are especially busy lately - my average work week is 6 days, 55 hours or so - but I don't feel like I have any time to do the things I really want to do. My time is totally consumed by working so that I can afford to do the things I want to do that I don't have time to do the things I want to do.

It's sad - I studied something at school that I love to go work in a job that I don't particularly enjoy. I'd rather be back in school!

I don't like to focus on that. I have a great wife, wonderful friends and family, and so much to do at church. But I feel like my job takes up so much of my time. And if I must have a job that requires so much of my time, is it too much to ask that it be a job that is interesting and intellectually stimulating? There's nothing new about the job - it's the same thing, day in and day out. I'm thankful to have it, but I wish I were doing something where it seemed as though I were contributing to the human experience in some way, as opposed to the same scripted, "What cashbox? What date? How much was the teller out?"

Of course, the only reason I work so much is because I made bad financial decisions earlier. If it weren't for the debt, I wouldn't need all the overtime. And if it weren't for the overtime, I'd have more time to spend at home with my wife, reading, working on writing, and doing the things I love.

But moving on, things at church are great. I really feel like I'm being given a lot of opportunities to learn from the leadership at Calvary, both through access to the ministers and by beginning to play a leadership role in some capacities. It's a neat opportunity, and I like being able to go to my mentors and ask questions, and then hear not just what they decide, but for them to explain to me why. For me, that is the most valuable part of it all. I'm learning how to apply good, biblical principles to basic, everyday life issues. This might be some of the best ministry training available.

As the holidays approach, there's a lot more going on. I no longer play in the orchestra at church, as I've gotten involed in other areas. But, as a favor to my dad, my brother and I are sort of "rejoining" to play in the Christmas concert. Also, as is tradition, Dad and I practice and prepare and we go Christmas caroling to some friends' homes and at church the Sunday before Christmas. This year, we have a couple more people to be involved, so hopefully we can work up a couple of cool songs - I'm hoping to do a version of "Carol of the Bells." Also, some family from Michigan is coming down for Thanksgiving, so the annual Titus family football game will be even grander than usual.

I'm looking forward to the next few weeks. It will be a great time with family and friends.

GenerationMe: The Pressure of NonConformity

I've been reading a book that I picked up from an former prof before I graduated titled GenerationMe: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled - and More Miserable Than Ever Before by Jean Twenge, Ph.D. Other than having an incredibly unwieldy title, I think Ms. Twenge stumbled onto a very profound statement, even in her title - "Why today's young Americans are ... more miserable than ever before."

The first chapter of the book deals with non-conformity as a hallmark of this generation, which is an influence of postmodernism that influences art, architecture, and philosophy. And, ultimately, I think postmodernism is at the root of this desire to become a nonconformist. What's ironic, to me, is that this generation seems to express their nonconformity in the same way. The Gothic trend of the late 90's and the Emo phase of today are all examples of this phenomenon that young people can express their nonconformity by, essentially, conforming. Thank goodness this new generation of independent thinkers has new-vintage, mass-produced-unique finds at the local revolutionary store that confronts American capitalist aggression ... like Urban Outfitters and H&M.

This pressure to fit in by nonconformity is laughable. Our countercultural institutions are multi-billion dollar conglomorates. I'm a Mac guy, but even the anti-establishment Mac image is run by a guy who is two years older than my dad.The entire nonconformity bit is a farce, and the people getting played the most are the ones trying to rebel. They're unique, just like everyone else.

Why I Love Wikipedia

I can look into one thing on Wikipedia and then oh shiny another topic with a link that I can click and a whole world of information that links to another idea a question I have and something else popped into my head and I can enter the search and oh shiny more information look a link about chewbacca and his weapon and then a search on military weapons inspired by Star Wars HEY Star Wars was a failed a missile defense shield by Ronald Reagen and here's a link to Ronald Reagen and the GOP and the history of the GOP and the new Republicans and the 1980s and a link to the 1980s and the music and musicians from the 80s and Elton John was big in the 80s and here are the top hits of Elton John and a list of movies that had Elton John music and oh look Bennie and the Jets was used in a movie with Kate Whats-Her-Name and she was in a movie with Dane Cook and Dane Cook is a comedian and a list of comedians in America and the history of comedy and ... and ... and ....

It's good for people with ADD.

Blog Move (Again)

I like it ... kinda. Posterous is neat and has potential, but Wordpress has more options. Check out http://bradtitus.wordpress.com and http://jude03.wordpress.com. 

The "No"bel Peace Prize

President Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize today, nine months after he took office, for ... I'm not sure what, but it has been very impressive. He was nominated for the award a mere 12 days after taking office. Seriously. He hadn't chosen the first mutt yet in 12 days. Hence, the "No"bel Prize.

Everyone else is saying it, so I'm not adding much to it - I'm aware of that. Some interesting quotes, though.

In an article at IndyStar.com:
"Remember that the Nobel prize has a long history of being awarded more for the committee's aspirations than for others' accomplishments -- for Mideast peace or a better South Africa, for instance.

In those cases, the prize is awarded to encourage those who receive it to see the effort through, sometimes at critical moments."

So, the award is for those who talk about what the committee wants to hear? For a million dollars, I'll say whatever they want.

Some quotes from Politico.com

"Well, apparently I didn't recognize that gesture to bring the white cop and the black professor together for a beer for the stunning breakthrough that it was." - James Gimpel - Professor of Political Science, Maryland

 

"In related news, LeBron James was today awarded next year’s NBA Championship. Although the season has not yet officially begun, basketball experts agree that LeBron’s extraordinary skills, his work ethic and commitment to winning, and his successful efforts to bring Shaquille O’Neal as his new teammate this past summer justify the breaking of precedent and presented him with the 2009-2010 title based on their hopes for his success in this year’s league play." - Dan Schnur, USC

 

"Of course, the Peace Prize is and always has been a way to honor people who embody the political views/aspirations of the committee that bestows it. But anyone who criticizes giving the award to Obama should realize that those politics are rather expansive.

Sure Rigoberta Menchu and Al Gore and Nelson Mandela have won it but so have Henry Kissinger, Lech Walesa, and F.W. De Klerk. And the last sitting president to win the prize jailed thousands of Americans for peacefully opposing World War I and was unable to get the Senate to ratify the peace treaty he had largely drafted. So the Peace Prize is often given more for intentions than results. And Obama's intentions are certainly as peaceful and praiseworthy as those of many past recipients." - Michael Kazin, Professor of History, Georgetown

 

"A (liberal) friend wrote: 'And this is only after one year in office. (Heck), it took Christ 33 years to get the job done....' " - Bill Bishop, Editor and author

 

"What's surprising -- and puzzling -- about the award is the absence of peace somewhere that can be traced to President Obama, including among congressional Democrats. Perhaps making nice with Hillary counts." - Thomas Fiedler, Dean, Boston University College of Communication

 

"Critics may say, "he hasn't done anything!", but they miss the point. He has. His election, itself, has sent a powerful message to the world, restoring belief in America's promise." - James Zogby, President, American Arab Institute

 

"The vote is clearly an international referendum on the Bush presidency. I do hope that President Obama lives up to this honor." - Timothy Stoltzfus Jost, Law Professor at the Washington and Lee University

There are more, and they're worth reading, but two things seems clear:

1. The award is for what he's talked about doing, not what he's actually done.
2. The award is more about him being NotBush, and not for being Obama.

Mostly, it's a disappoitment. The "No"bel prize really means nothing anymore.

The Cessationist

I have a friend whose father is a cessationist. Ever since she received the Holy Ghost, he has reminded her that those supernatural experiences are fake, because they don't happen anymore.

He's not a bad person - he loves God and studies the Scripture and lives a good life. But he is wrong.

Recently, his daughter and her husband have had some serious battles with illness. In the emergency room with them both one night, we all prayed that God would perform a miracle in their lives.

He's not much of a cessationist, after all.

Avoid PC Headaches

I received an email today from a company wanting to sell me Windows Registry Tuner to fix "chronic computer errors, restarts, freezes, and other frustrations ...."

I already fixed it. I bought a Mac.

The Heat of the Moment

Often, what people say in the "heat of the moment" is a testimony to what they really believe.

I trust very deeply what people say in the "heat of the moment."

What Blackberry Does Better than iPhone - Vol. 1

A running joke between me and my friends is that I change phones more often than my underwear (this is disconcerting on so many levels). But I'm a techie dork and I love gadgets, and I'm ADD, so one phone gets old and I switch to another.

I've had both an iPhone (original and 3G) and a BlackBerry (Pearl, 83xx, 88xx), and there are some things about the iPhone that I LOVE, such as threaded chats and the full web browser, as well as the basic iPod functionality. I love the BlackBerry because, despite the proven ruggedness of the iPhone, I feel like I'm less likely to break it when (not if) I drop it. Plus, the BlackBerry is insurable, and as of my cancelled service on the iPhone, it was not.

But, what I love about the BlackBerry is twofold - the integrated apps (such as Facebook and Pandora) and the ability to run multiple programs at a time.

The item that attracted my attention today is that I can listen to Pandora on BlackBerry and still do other things on my phone as well. iPhone owners can only dream.

Ministerial Restoration - My Views

At the UPCI General Conference this year (2009), there was a resolution up for vote - the restoration of ministers fallen in, essentially, fornication and adultery. I'm writing from memory based on one reading of the resolution, but essentially, it stated that a licensed minister who commits moral, sexual sin shall lose licensure. Those who have committed homosexual acts or criminal acts (read: pedophilia) can never be relicensed, but those who have committed heterosexual acts of fornication or adultery may be reinstated under certain conditions. These conditions include a period of time (I believe three years) spent out of ministry for the sake of healing and repentance, and multiple meetings with the licensing board, they may be eligible for reinstatement to a local license only. They may not hold a general license, nor are they eligible to hold office within the UPCI. Essentially, as I understand the limits of licensing, they can only be an assistant minister in a church. They can't pastor, they can't hold office, etc. The local license is a very limited license.

I oppose the measure. It's probably moot for me, as I'm not a licensed minister (yet) in the organization, but as a member of the UPCI and as someone who intends to be involved in ministry in the UPCI, I do have a view and a desire to make a statement on the issue. It is worth mentioning that this issue neither succeeded nor was defeated, but was sent back for study and will be voted on next year, due to a procedural error. I have friends who I trust and respect who disagree with me and support the measure, but here are my reasons for opposing this particular measure:

• A Higher Standard
  Anyone who knows me must know how strongly I feel about unlimited grace and atoning power of God. But, as James says, "Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness." (Jas 3:1 ESV) There's room in that verse to justify my argument that ministers should be held to a higher standard. Furthermore, Paul gives qualifications of a pastor/deacon in 1 Timothy 3:1-13, which include being above reproach and disciplined (v. 2), and of good reputation by both the church and nonbelievers (v. 7). In Titus, the instructions are similar - above reproach (v. 7, 8), a one-woman man (v. 6), and self-controlled, upright, and disciplined. (v. 8) For this reason, if an overseer (pastor, minister, shepherd, whichever title you like) is unable to discipline himself to guard against this sort of sin and temptation, I don't feel that they should be reinstated to that office. They've not proven themselves trustworthy or reliable.
  
• A Gateway Issue
  The issue of restoration is not, to me, the ultimate issue, but rather the liberalizing of the requirements for ministry. As I've outlined above, I feel like the requirements should be strict and stringent. I think the Bible calls for such. And while the CURRENT proposal doesn't give much latitude to the person being reinstated, I don't believe this issue will rest at this point. I think the next step is to allow for a general license, then ordination, and then holding high office in the organization. Does this seem a bit reactionary? Perhaps. But I fear that it is a sign of an increase of worldly tolerance of sin within the movement.
  
• Personal Experience
  I've seen, firsthand, how deeply a moral sin of a pastor can divide a church and a community. I know of churches that were once thriving, but the fall of the pastor broke the congregation, and 20 years later, the church and the city still haven't recovered. The church was split, the family divided, and a congregation that once ran nearly 200 people is now a shadow of a mere 30 saints, with an average age of about 70. For me, the cost of such failure is so high that the risk of a second chance is too high.

Let me be clear at this point - I completely and totally believe in, teach, preach, and even live as an example of the restorative grace of God. I personally have benefitted from a congregation that restored me "with a spirit of meekness" and love. I'm not saying that a minister that falls can't be restored to the body of Christ, and that they can't be involved in the work of the church, whether it be teaching Bible studies or Sunday School or whatever the leadership of the church decides is appropriate. I'm not saying these individuals can't be saved. But I don't think that someone who has made the series of bad decisions that are required to reach the point of adultery should be placed in a position of leadership again.  

What are your thoughts? Post your opinions below. I'm interested in hearing other views on this issue.