I have a spiritual mother, and she punches me, a lot, and really, really hard.
I’ve heard a lot lately about spiritual mentors. Certainly it is gaining ground as a staple of true, intentional discipleship. And while I see this as an invaluable tool, I think there is one more opportunity that’s perhaps even more effective than spiritual mentors Continue Reading →
In my last post, I discussed the loss of a friend. If you haven’t read it yet, you can read about it here. I’ve wondered how to follow up such a serious and emotional post. I’m dry, witty, and sarcastic by nature, but unfortunately sometimes my humorous ways don’t feel all that appropriate. (Although, I often still try, much to my wife’s dread. Tune in next week for the return of sarcasm! See, I just did it right there.) I spent this whole week trying to help my friends in any way possible as they planned a major, city-wide funeral. And in the midst of that, we lost another friend, who’d been struggling with cancer for some time. We spent our entire day yesterday, (from 9-9) attending funerals. And amid all the death and tragedy, I realized, or was reminded of, how important relationships are. Continue Reading →
Some think I’m slightly insane. After reading the following, you may agree, and I’m perfectly okay with that.
Yesterday we spent some time with our nearest and dearest friends, Nate and Dawniel. They just lost their brother-in-law, a local police officer named Justin, while he was on duty. The entire town has quickly rallied to support his widow, Danielle, and their three young sons, all under age 6. We sat with our closest friends, and we talked, and we shared, and we cried. It was gut wrenching. Continue Reading →
Emotions are such sweet sorrow. Or are they such sweet joy? As a married man, that often depends on how my wife is feeling on a particular day.
I can never tell how my emotions are going to react to any given situation Continue Reading →
One of the things that bugs me most about theologians is, well, how theological they are, particularly when they try to explain things.
I was putting my 5-year-old daughters (yes, plural, I have identical twin girls) to bed recently and, after prayer time, Abby looked up and, out of the blue, asked, “Daddy, how can God know everything?”
WHOA, where did THAT come from?
How about a neon nightlight?
I tried to flip the neon sign of theology in my head to the on position, and began forming my response: “God’s omnipotence is directly related to his omniscience and omnipresence. The sovereignty of the Godhead over all creation comes from His foreknowledge….” Wait a minute, Darren, that’s not going to work with a five-year-old.
This one needed to be as simple as possible. I couldn’t use the neon light of theology, I needed more of a theological nightlight—simple and subtle. I would not be able to tell her about sovereignty, omniscience, and omnipotence. “Can’t possibly use those terms until at least six-years-old,” I thought to myself.
I fumbled for words.
“Well, baby, uhhh, I guess, he knows everything because… he made everything.”
I was über pleased with my simple but deeply theological response, but Abby was still staring at me blankly. I realized she needed more.
Then… all at once… it happened. The heavens parted and the Spirit descended on me like a dove of intelligence. I heard an angelic choir of a thousand children’s voices singing in perfect 12-part harmony as I relayed this theological nightlight.
“You know how when you draw me a picture, you can tell me every last detail of that picture?”
“uh huh”
“You can do that because you created that picture, and that means you know everything about it, down to the smallest detail. Right?”
“uh huh”
“That’s how God knows everything. He drew it all.”
As I finished speaking, the angelic choir of children’s voices faded into the distance, and then, as they faded, I’m sure I heard a still small voice say, “This is Darren, in whom I am well pleased.”
We seem to think theology is complicated and incomprehensible, but the truth is, we are all theologians, and we theologize (yup, just made that word up) every single day, even when we don’t know it. And when the opportunity presents itself, don’t avoid it; tackle it head on. God will help you.
Otherwise, you may hear that angelic choir singing in falsetto: “It’s too late to theologize, it’s too laaaaaaate.”
And as the picture below illustrates, we can be thankful that God drew it all, and I did not.
Thankfully, God drew it all and I did not.
What does that say? It’s pronounced “di-shipe-uhl-shmip.” I REALLY wanted to make that the name of this entire blog site, but everyone I pitched it to shot me down. I need more humorous friends. They just don’t get it. (If you’re my friend and you’re reading this, I’m NOT talking about you, just everybody else. You have a great sense of humor. I like you. We hate them.)
I think we have a discipleship problem in America, so I’ve decided to dub what we do “dischpleshmip.” At some points we’re close to true discipleship, and at other points, we’re a million miles away.
My seven-year-old son, Jake, has discovered video games. He regularly asks me to play with him, but I find myself sometimes refusing his request. Why? Because he plays without purpose. When I play, I want to achieve something. I want to win the race or complete the level. Jake has no such desire. He runs willy nilly through each level, jumping off cliffs as he yells “WEEEEEEEE” and fighting his own shadow, completely ignoring all game objectives.
I’ve recently been signed as an author with Passio, an imprint from Charisma House publishers. My book will be released October 1st. I’ve submitted the manuscript and we’re now in the editing process. I’m also still trying to collect endorsements. Here’s the synopsis:
Publisher:
Charisma House
Passio imprint
Release date:
Oct. 1, 2013
BOOK SUMMARY:
Do you ever really think about God and your faith?
Darren Schalk was raised in a pastor’s home. He heard all the teaching, all the Sunday morning Bible stories, and could recite more verses than he cared to count. But, as he grew, he actually started to think about what he’d been taught, and it raised a few questions. In Stuff I About God, Darren grapples with some of these questions in a poignant, but lighthearted, manner.
We are in the midst of a changing church, one that seems to be reevaluating nearly every belief it’s been taught for the past 100 years. This book is a step in that same direction, hopefully tapping into the thoughts of everyone who’s had anything to do with the church or Christianity over the past 50 years, as Darren considers what he’s been taught about God, applies it to personal narrative readers will relate to, and then filters it all through a modern, but biblical, worldview in an honest, witty, and delightfully sarcastic way.
In the end, the reader will come away feeling entertained, but also enlightened, understanding that it’s okay to interact with our faith, and our God, in a rational and thoughtful manner, and to think critically about church. We can no longer afford to be passive observers of all things Christian.
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE BOOK…
“From the title on, this book has a tongue-in-cheek style used to take on and tackle some of the more nagging questions we face as people wrestling with life and faith. In its down-to-earth manner this piece makes some pretty sobering questions relevant and even humorous to us all. Darren Schalk walks us toward greater faith and stronger witness using his irreligious style. Obviously this book can be used for the not-so-religious, to draw them into real conversations about life’s hard questions. But the learned believer will also find in these pages a new way to look at life and faith that can help us all communicate with a world that often no longer speaks our language. Enjoy!”
—R. E. Howard, General Overseer, Church of God of Prophecy
“I believe God welcomes our questions and our doubts. As with His disciple Thomas, he does not turn away from us, but rather He uses those moments to come closer. If you’ve ever questioned God, and you’re honest enough to admit it, read these pages and find Him closing in on you.”
—Warren Barfield, singer/songwriter/speaker, Dove nominated recording artist
“So many believers find themselves second-guessing God’s motives, but few of them do so with the wit and perspective of my friend Darren Schalk. In Stuff I Hate About God, Darren approaches the big questions of faith while maintaining a respectful tone, a grateful heart and a somewhat misguided desire to do standup comedy. God love him.”
—DeWayne Hamby, Managing Editor, The White Wing Messenger
Freelance Writer, Charisma, New Man, Christian Retailing
“Darren Schalk asks the question I have asked too many times, “Why can’t God do things my way?” If we are honest, we all want our way, but Schalk definitely shows why God’s way is better. The reader will feel this work is conversational and written in today’s language with true emotions felt by the masses. It’s refreshing to see a work that is biblically based, inspirational, and yet humorous. “Stuff I that about God” is that work.”
—Richie Hughes, former Executive Pastor with Jentezen Franklin at Free Chapel, Author of Start Here, Go Anywhere
“We find it amazing that often what we dislike about someone turns around and becomes what is most endearing about them to us… This book helps showcase that in the best light.”
—Jeremi and Amy Richardson, members of the CCM group, Avalon
“This is the best book ever written in the history of mankind, second only to the Bible. You should immediately buy ten and give it to all your friends.”
—Karin Schalk Watson, Darren’s Mom