Missions on the Frontline
a ministry of WorldVenture
April 2009 International Ministry eLetter
…on the front burner…
“Black Parakeet Tipping”
As an “Ag” major in college, I take delight when I hear others talk of cow tipping (somewhat sketchy I know). Ever wonder if it’s true? The denizens of online human knowledge (Wikipedia and YouTube) churn the debate between urban legend and the truth claims of frat houses across the nation. Go stand next to a Holstein cow sometime and you will quickly realize that the same guy who thought up cow tipping also introduced its sequel called Snipe hunting.
So…Black Parakeet Tipping? That’s what happened when I read three books in close proximity to each other.
In The Black Swan, Nassim Taleb unpacks the art and science of predicting what he calls Black Swan events. They are events that share three common qualities: the events are so outside our regular experiences we cannot easily conceive of them, the events deeply impact us, and we rationalize the events after the fact so as to make them seem predictable and reasonable in hindsight. Imagine the watchmen’s snide remarks and jeering laughter from atop Jericho’s walls as Joshua and company finished their seventh trip around and started to shout…now that was a Black Swan event!
In The Blue Parakeet, Scot McKnight tackles the challenges we face when we come across those passages in Scripture that can leave us wondering why they are included in the Word. Let’s face it, at face value there are some strange things in the Bible. Those passages are like Blue Parakeets at the backyard bird feeder…yea, they are birds but they don’t seem to belong. McKnight calls us back to reading and understanding the One story of Scripture and in that context, Blue Parakeets find their roost.
In The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell helps us make sense of epidemics, particularly social epidemics and how ideas move across societies. He unpacks the mechanics of epidemics via their characteristics: one, contagiousness; two, the fact that little causes can have big effects; and three, that change happens not gradually but at one dramatic moment. The Tipping Point is the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point…the point of no return. The Resurrection of Jesus from the dead altered eternity but it wasn’t until Pentecost that the “epidemic” went viral.
So…Black Parakeet Tipping? A few weeks ago, we were listening to a Mexican pastor preach through John 5:1-15. I have to admit it, this has been a personal Blue Parakeet passage. What’s the deal with the first one in the pool after the water is stirred, allegedly by angels’ wings, gets healed from their sickness? Really?! Seriously, to our 21st century American ears doesn’t this sound like a myth that doesn’t quite belong in the Bible? Furthermore, the man paralyzed for 38 years has a Black Swan opportunity and instead of answering Jesus’ offer for healing he seems to whine about how he has no one to help him. So, in addition to being paralyzed, it seems that he’s blind too! Actually, maybe it me who’s blind. Maybe, Jesus’ question is more like, “If healed, you’ll have to find a new livelihood. No more lying around the pool. Are you ready for the new responsibilities that come with being healed?” Rather than picking the man up and putting him in the pool, Jesus tells him to stand up, pick up his mat, and walk…and he does! The Tipping Point of faith in Jesus.
So…Black Parakeet Tipping? Yes! The Bible is full of them! May our stories be full of them too. Like Abraham, may we too be people who believe God’s promise for as yet unseen descendents. Like Caleb, may we too be a people who walk by faith in the lands of giants. Like Jeremiah, may we too be a people who buy land for the day of return. Like Esther, may we too be a people who boldly speak the Truth without personal regard. And, like Mary and Joseph, may we too demonstrate our faith in God to readily embrace the difficult, the unbelievable, the “Black Swans” that He has for us, personally and collectively, in His story!
--Jeff Denlinger
…good to know...
Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels by Kenneth Bailey
Beginning with Jesus' birth, Ken Bailey leads you on a kaleidoscopic study of Jesus throughout the four Gospels. Bailey examines the life and ministry of Jesus with attention to the Lord's Prayer, the Beatitudes, Jesus' relationship to women and especially Jesus' parables. Through it all, Bailey employs his trademark expertise as a master of Middle Eastern culture to lead you into a deeper understanding of the person and significance of Jesus within his own cultural context. With a sure but gentle hand, Bailey lifts away the obscuring layers of modern Western interpretation to reveal Jesus in the light of his actual historical and cultural setting. This entirely new material from the pen of Ken Bailey is a must-have for any student of the New Testament. If you have benefited from Bailey's work over the years, this book will be a welcome and indispensable addition to your library. If you are unfamiliar with Bailey's work, this book will introduce you to a very old, yet entirely new way of understanding Jesus.
WorldVenture | 1501 W. Mineral Ave., Littleton, CO 80120-5612 | 720-283-2000 InternationalMinistry@WorldVenture.com
As an “Ag” major in college, I take delight when I hear others talk of cow tipping (somewhat sketchy I know). Ever wonder if it’s true? The denizens of online human knowledge (Wikipedia and YouTube) churn the debate between urban legend and the truth claims of frat houses across the nation. Go stand next to a Holstein cow sometime and you will quickly realize that the same guy who thought up cow tipping also introduced its sequel called Snipe hunting.
So…Black Parakeet Tipping? That’s what happened when I read three books in close proximity to each other.
In The Black Swan, Nassim Taleb unpacks the art and science of predicting what he calls Black Swan events. They are events that share three common qualities: the events are so outside our regular experiences we cannot easily conceive of them, the events deeply impact us, and we rationalize the events after the fact so as to make them seem predictable and reasonable in hindsight. Imagine the watchmen’s snide remarks and jeering laughter from atop Jericho’s walls as Joshua and company finished their seventh trip around and started to shout…now that was a Black Swan event!
In The Blue Parakeet, Scot McKnight tackles the challenges we face when we come across those passages in Scripture that can leave us wondering why they are included in the Word. Let’s face it, at face value there are some strange things in the Bible. Those passages are like Blue Parakeets at the backyard bird feeder…yea, they are birds but they don’t seem to belong. McKnight calls us back to reading and understanding the One story of Scripture and in that context, Blue Parakeets find their roost.
In The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell helps us make sense of epidemics, particularly social epidemics and how ideas move across societies. He unpacks the mechanics of epidemics via their characteristics: one, contagiousness; two, the fact that little causes can have big effects; and three, that change happens not gradually but at one dramatic moment. The Tipping Point is the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point…the point of no return. The Resurrection of Jesus from the dead altered eternity but it wasn’t until Pentecost that the “epidemic” went viral.
So…Black Parakeet Tipping? A few weeks ago, we were listening to a Mexican pastor preach through John 5:1-15. I have to admit it, this has been a personal Blue Parakeet passage. What’s the deal with the first one in the pool after the water is stirred, allegedly by angels’ wings, gets healed from their sickness? Really?! Seriously, to our 21st century American ears doesn’t this sound like a myth that doesn’t quite belong in the Bible? Furthermore, the man paralyzed for 38 years has a Black Swan opportunity and instead of answering Jesus’ offer for healing he seems to whine about how he has no one to help him. So, in addition to being paralyzed, it seems that he’s blind too! Actually, maybe it me who’s blind. Maybe, Jesus’ question is more like, “If healed, you’ll have to find a new livelihood. No more lying around the pool. Are you ready for the new responsibilities that come with being healed?” Rather than picking the man up and putting him in the pool, Jesus tells him to stand up, pick up his mat, and walk…and he does! The Tipping Point of faith in Jesus.
So…Black Parakeet Tipping? Yes! The Bible is full of them! May our stories be full of them too. Like Abraham, may we too be people who believe God’s promise for as yet unseen descendents. Like Caleb, may we too be a people who walk by faith in the lands of giants. Like Jeremiah, may we too be a people who buy land for the day of return. Like Esther, may we too be a people who boldly speak the Truth without personal regard. And, like Mary and Joseph, may we too demonstrate our faith in God to readily embrace the difficult, the unbelievable, the “Black Swans” that He has for us, personally and collectively, in His story!
--Jeff Denlinger
…good to know...
Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels by Kenneth Bailey
Beginning with Jesus' birth, Ken Bailey leads you on a kaleidoscopic study of Jesus throughout the four Gospels. Bailey examines the life and ministry of Jesus with attention to the Lord's Prayer, the Beatitudes, Jesus' relationship to women and especially Jesus' parables. Through it all, Bailey employs his trademark expertise as a master of Middle Eastern culture to lead you into a deeper understanding of the person and significance of Jesus within his own cultural context. With a sure but gentle hand, Bailey lifts away the obscuring layers of modern Western interpretation to reveal Jesus in the light of his actual historical and cultural setting. This entirely new material from the pen of Ken Bailey is a must-have for any student of the New Testament. If you have benefited from Bailey's work over the years, this book will be a welcome and indispensable addition to your library. If you are unfamiliar with Bailey's work, this book will introduce you to a very old, yet entirely new way of understanding Jesus.
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