Christianity Rediscovered Chapter 3

So, here is the place you can put your thoughts for chapter 3.

Donovan carefully explores culture and Paul's missionary strategy...definitely some fodder for discussion.

You guys are great!

Christianity Rediscovered Chapter 2

And we come to the second chapter of the book.

Here Donovan goes into the history of the Masai people, talking about their circumcision and cattle habits.

I'm looking forward to your thoughts on this chapter.

(If you weren't able to comment on the last chapter, feel free to follow up there.)

P.S. If you ever wondered, all cattle belongs to the Masai people and all goats belong to the Kleinfeld people.

I just checked out a great article by Dan Kimball who pastors at Vintage Faith Church.

Click to read it here.

It does a great job showing the difference between the "emerging church" and Emergent. (Hint, the first is more about methods, the second is more about theology)

Christianity Rediscovered Chapter 1

Wow, we've had great discussions so far. And it's only the beginning.

Thank you all for contributing, and thanks for keeping these things above board and in the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit that binds us and brings peace.

The first chapter gives Vincent's summary of the history of missionary work in Africa.

I'm interested in finding out everybody's take on what he has to say.

Reading Lord of the Rings again

I decided to dive back into the world of middle-earth. it's great to be surrounded by elves and dwarves and hobbits, those things we only find in our imagination.

a couple quotes i liked:

"Always after a defeat and a respite, the Shadow takes another shape and grows again."
Gandalf

"Don't adventures ever have an end? I suppose not. Someone else always has to carry on the story."
Bilbo

Spring is Breaking!

Well, I love the weather right now.

I love the cool mornings, requiring a light jacket, but permitting shorts.

I love the warm afternoon with the cool breeze from the morning.

I love the cool evenings, bringing back the jacket.

My friend Dave came and visited on Friday. That was really cool. He brought his guitar and played for my family (aubrey's family was visiting too). There is something about live music in your house that makes you come alive. I wish I could have him there all the time.

And even before the music, we had a great time catching up at Borders. There are people in this world that you can go for a long time without talking and when you finally do talk it's as if no time has passed. Dave is one of those people.

Christianity Rediscovered Intro!

Alright, friends, tomorrow marks the beginning of our adventures through the waters of Christianity Rediscovered.

Since the chapters are not that difficult to wade through, we'll be reading a new chapter every Tuesday and Friday.

So tomorrow we will start with thoughts and questions on the introduction.

This should be lots of fun!

Da Vinci Code

Some good thoughts on the upcoming movie and book by Dan Brown. While I enjoyed the book as fiction (really entertaining, actually), there is quite a bit of unfortunate theological implications. This site deals with some of those well.

Way of the Cross

So our teens put up the Way of the Cross for our church this week. A lot of work went into it and I'm super proud of all they've done. They created some great works of art and the atmosphere in the room is just great.

I've taken pictures of the different stations and put the devotions that go with them here on the site, so if you want to go through it yourself via the web, you can.

People have already started using the stations and are really getting a lot from it. Glad that the teens can serve in this way!

Way of the Cross: Station 1-Jesus is Condemned

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Jesus is Condemned
Scene from “The Passion of the Christ”

Prop
Basin of water

Scripture

The chief priests accused him of many things. So again Pilate asked him, "Aren't you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of."

But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.

Mark 15:3-5

"What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?" Pilate asked.
They all answered, "Crucify him!"

“Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!"

When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. "I am innocent of this man's blood," he said. "It is your responsibility!"

Matthew 27:22-24

Reflections

The only innocent one in this scene is Jesus. The truth is, we are all guilty. No one is innocent. Christ is accused and condemned unjustly for things he wasn’t guilty of.

Pilate tried to wash away his guilt, tried to overlook his part in the death of Jesus. We all have sins in our lives that we try to overlook.

The Basin

Wash your hands with the water from the basin. Think about the sins in your life that you have tried to wash away on your own.

What would Jesus have you do with those sins?

As you wash your hands, ask Jesus to wash your heart with his love.

Prayer

Jesus, you were unjustly condemned and scorned. Pilate handed you over to be crucified, when the whole time you were innocent. Sometimes I try to escape my own sins. Sometimes I try to not take ownership for things that I should own. Forgive me. Wash me with your purity.

Way of the Cross: Station 2-Jesus Takes up His Cross

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Jesus Bearing Cross
by Josh, 11th Grade Student

Prop
Cross

Scripture

Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha.)

John 19:16b-17

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross…

Hebrews 12:2

Reflections

What were Jesus’ thoughts as he walked through the busy streets? As he made eye contact with those he passed by?

After being beaten close to death, Jesus is made to carry the beams he would die on. How heavy that weight must have been.

In beginning this road with the cross, Jesus becomes one with everyone who has ever bled or been scorned or been unfairly punished. He becomes one with you and me. The very creator of the universe experiences the ultimate suffering.

Yet, somewhere in the middle of the pain there was joy. The joy was that he was bringing salvation to the entire the world.

The Cross

If you want, try to lift the cross. Feel the weight of it. Imagine having to carry this after being flogged almost to the point of death. This is what Christ did for you.

Prayer

Jesus, I don’t know how alone you felt as you carried the cross through the busy streets. I do know that it took a lot of courage and humility to bear that cross for the whole world. Thank you for your grace.

Jesus, as you experienced joy in the middle of pain, you give me hope in my suffering. Grant that I may know your joy which goes beyond the temporary and rests on the eternal.

Way of the Cross: Station 3-Simon Bears Jesus' Cross

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Simon Carrying Cross for Jesus

Sam-10th Grade Student

Scripture

As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross.

Matthew 27:32

Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

Luke 9:23

Reflections

Simon might have thought that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but the truth is, he was exactly where Christ needed him.

It’s easy to think that Jesus could take care of everything by himself, but he needed Simon.

Just as Jesus allowed Simon to carry his cross, Jesus allows us to carry his cross. Jesus could clothe orphans, feed the hungry, build homes for the homeless by himself—but he doesn’t. He allows us to enter into the revolution of his kingdom by giving us the ability and guts to continue his way of love and peace and giving.


Question

Think through your own life of what crosses Christ might want you to bear for him.

Is there someone you know who needs encouragement or to accept Jesus into her life? Pray for them.

Prayer

Jesus, you were so physically weak that you needed Simon’s help to carry your cross. Open my eyes so that I may see what crosses you have put in my life.

Way of the Cross: Station 4-Jesus Meets Women of Israel

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Weeping Women of Israel

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Basin of Tears

Scripture

A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. Jesus turned and said to them, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. For the time will come when you will say, 'Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!'

Luke 23:27-29

Reflections

The women were mourning for what Jesus was going through.

Jesus asks the women to redirect their mourning. He asks them to weep for themselves and their children, because the world is still broken with sin.

Jesus’ heart breaks over the sin in the world. For the ignored, for those who have lost their way, for the weary, for the orphans, for the forgotten.

Jesus desires that our hearts break over the things that his heart breaks for.

When our heart breaks like Jesus’ heart breaks, we are willing to go to any length to bring healing to the world

Basin of Tears

Rinse your face with the water in the basin. As the water runs down your face ask Jesus to show you his heart for the world. Ask him to change your heart so that what moves him moves you.

Prayer

Jesus, you told the women to weep for themselves and their children. Change my heart to weep for the things that you weep over. Cause me to weep for my sins and the sins of my family and friends. I pray this, because I want to participate with you in the changing of the world.

Way of the Cross: Station 5-Jesus is Stripped of his Garments

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Garments and Dice

Scripture

Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left.

Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One."

The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself."

There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Luke 23:32-28

Reflection

Humility and grace are the trademarks of Jesus, and they are so evident in this section of his story. If there was ever a time to return an insult, this was it. Totally unwarranted insults, thick as sludge, were poured on him.

What Jesus did was priceless. But the guards, rebels, those passing by and the leaders of Israel failed to appreciate the greatness right in front of them.

The one who had the most serious message for the world was treated as a triviality, as a toy. He was stripped and ridiculed as the people he was dying for heaped abuse on him.

Dice

Roll the dice. Think about areas in your own life where you may not react with the same grace that Jesus reacted. Think about how you take for granted the priceless gift Christ has given you.

Prayer

Jesus, the message and hope that you bring is for my entire life. But often I treat what you have done as somewhat of a triviality, I don’t take you serious enough. I am like the soldiers sometimes. Jesus, help me take you seriously in my whole life.

Jesus, when you were abused, you did not return insult for insult. That’s not easy for me to do. Help me to react with the same grace that you do. Plant your grace in me, and may it grow out in how I react to the people you have put around me.

Way of the Cross: Station 6-Jesus is Nailed to the Cross

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Nail in Hand Surrounded by Names
Nick-11th Grader

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Bucket of Nails

Scripture

When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there…
Luke 23:33a

Bucket of Nails

Grab a nail from the basket. Hold on to it as you think about the pain Jesus went through for you.

Reflections

Huge, sharp spikes are hammered through Jesus’ writes and feet—he almost loses consciousness with each swing of the hammer. Now he is raised up and the cross drops with a thud into a hold in the ground. Jesus’ weight hands on those spikes, and to breathe he has to pull himself up on the nails. A sponge with vinegar is stuck in his mouth, and soldiers below him gamble for his clothes, even as the blood, breath, and life drain from his body.

Prayer

O Jesus, dear Jesus, though you never sinned, you hang there on the cross. I should be there, not you. You hang there in my place. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

(Reflection and Prayer taken from Soul Shaper by Tony Jones)

Way of the Cross: Station 7-Jesus Dies on the Cross

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Pictures of those Jesus loves

Scripture
At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah."

One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down," he said.

With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"

Mark 15:33-39

Reflections:

Jesus’ death was for the forgiveness for all people. Jesus was forsaken so that no one else would have to be. No one, absolutely no one, is outside the shadow of the cross.

But often it is easy to live as if God’s love is only extended to certain people. It easy to exclude people because of what they have done or because they are different from me. But Jesus’ death was for all.

No one can do anything to deserve forgiveness. But to Christ, everyone is worth it.

If Jesus offers forgiveness and new life to all the people in these pictures, that shows the bigness of his forgiveness.

Questions

Have I held back forgiveness from anybody?

Have I kept myself from forgiving others because I think they are unforgivable?

Have I embraced the greatness of his forgiveness for me?

Prayer

Jesus, your forgiveness goes beyond any normal forgiveness. What can I compare your grace to? All I know is that sometimes I don’t live like I am forgiven. Help me to forgive like you. Help me to live as a person with a future written by forgiveness.

Way of the Cross: Station 8-Jesus is Buried

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“It is finished” painting-Jess, 11th grader

Scripture

As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

Matthew 27:57-61

Reflections

At the very moment that Jesus was closest to his eternal glory, he seemed to be farthest from it. His body was placed in a stone-cold tomb, sealed with a massive rock, guarded by Roman soldiers.

Death is so very final.

Many of us have experienced the pain of death, or losing something or someone who has had a significant role in our lives.

Prayer

Give me the trust, O Christ, that your plans are higher than mine. For even when all seems lost, you’re still at work. Death is not the final word for you, Son of Life. We adore you, O Christ, we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

CR Book Discussion Begins April 18

We will officially start the conversation on Christianity Rediscovered on April 18...Some people are still waitin for their books to come to them in the mail, so we've been kind enough to wait for them.

So, here's how we're thinking of doing it. I'll create a post titled "Introduction Thoughts" or "Chapter One Thoughts" (all based on whatever section we're reading) and then we'll have a running commentary in the comments section.

Just make basic observations about the chapter and offer your interpretation...normal book reading stuff.

I'm looking forward to this...

Paradise Now

Aubrey and I went to see this movie with our friends Jeremy and Amy. Wow, what a great perspective. Two palestinian guys are recruited for a suicide bombing, but struggle with the idea, wondering if it is the best way for final peace. First movie I've seen that shows the Palestinian side of things, how they feel trapped by the Israeli's, how they feel like the victims with no power and how they want liberation.

Miroslav Volf writes: "the categories of oppression and liberation provide combat gear, not a pin-striped suit or dinner dress; they are good for fighting, but not for negotiating or celebrating--at least not until the oppressors have been conquered and the prisoners set free." (103 Exclusion and Embrace)

The Hotwheel for the Hulls

I found the sweetest van for my friend Brian and his family.

Check it out at the matchbox site.

It's a VW Micro-Bus.

The One Hotwheel Nobody Wanted

Seriously. Can there be an uglier vehicle?

I just searched the hotwheel site and found that they don't even sell these. I also searched the matchbox site and didn't find any there either.

I wonder if they designed 'em like this so nobody would be tempted to steal them?

Eclipse-NY Times Special

March 29, 2006
Eclipse Offers 3 Minutes of Astronomical Wonder
By DENNIS OVERBYE
KASTELLORIZO, Greece, March 29 — The shadow of the Moon swept across the globe today and blotted the Sun from the sky in a swath from the tip of Brazil to northern Asia.
In this postcard fishing village in easternmost Greece, about halfway along the track of the eclipse, the alignment of the worlds — Sun, Moon and a rocky island only about four miles across at its widest — was brief, only three minutes.

But that was enough to play out a primordial pageant of death and rebirth of light, and afford a few hundred amateur and professional astronomers (and some 3,000 day trippers who swarmed off cruise ships all morning) one of the rarest and most scientifically valuable sights in nature: the delicate pearly light of the Sun's corona, streaming like an eagle's pale wings out into space.

The reappearance of the Sun from behind the Moon, an effect called the "diamond ring" through smoky whorls of rapidly encroaching clouds, drew cries of "Bravo, bravo!" from the spectators. In the harbor, ships blasted their horns.

Within minutes, delighted astronomers were calling up digital images recorded through their telescopes and oohing and ahhing and hugging. A 3-year-old girl was seen dancing in the reborn light.

"I'm elated," said Jay Pasachoff of Williams College in Massachusetts, leader of a multinational team of some three dozen astronomers who set up their telescopes on a hotel terrace overlooking the blue harbor here.

John Seiradakis, a radio astronomer at Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, who organized the astronomical activities here, pronounced himself "exhilarated." This was his first eclipse. "I had students who came to thank me for bringing them to the eclipse," he said. "I wanted to thank them."

Kastellorizo, some 72 miles from Rhodes but only a mile and a half from Turkey, is so far east that it does not even show on many maps of Greece. Once a prosperous trading and fishing center with a population of 15,000, it has remained stoutly Greek in the face of numerous invasions and occupation. In World War II it was bombed by the allies, and its population dispersed to places like Australia. Today it is home to just 300 people.

Next to the ruins of the 14th-century castle that gave the island its name, Greek soldiers man machine guns , on a promontory overlooking the harbor, maintaining a vigilance over the narrow gulf separating them from Turkey. Today they were joined on the castle top by a friendly invasion of eclipse viewers.

Expeditions to view solar eclipses in remote and romantic locations are part of astronomical lore and are still necessary, even in this day of space astronomy, Dr. Pasachoff said.

The corona, an envelope of super hot gas that streams far into space, is one of the Sun's most exotic but bashful features. Its pearly light is less than a millionth as bright as the Sun's disk and thus is visible only during those rare and often geographically difficult instances in which the Moon completely covers the Sun.

Among other things, astronomers would like to know why and how the corona gets so hot — more than a million degrees while the Sun's surface itself is only about 12,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

Dr. Pasachoff, a veteran of 42 eclipses, has spent much of his professional career seeking clues to this mystery. Today, he said, armed with new digital cameras financed by a NASA grant, his team, which included six Williams undergraduates, had gotten their best data ever.

"This was the most successful of the 42," he said.

New Book Conversation Invitation

Alright, I've got friends who want to read a book together and comment on it and grow through it together and I want to put the invite out to anybody who wants to join, to join.

We'll be reading Christianity Rediscovered by Vincent Donovan.

You can buy it here.

I really hope to have as many as possible reading this together...(that would be about 3-5 of you)...

24

So Aubrey and I only watch one show regularly, and that's 24. It's on Fox and it rocks.

But the issue is this: Aubrey doesn't get home until 10ish. So we have to tape it.

So I taped it last night, and Aubrey and I get all excited about watching it and right at the climax of the show, the tape cuts off. With 15 minutes left, our tape had run out of room. Agh! So we missed everything that the show had been building up to...

But it got me thinking about the whole "to be continued" thing...

God has started something in our lives and he wants us to continue it. We are the last 15 minutes.

God has started a way of love and peace: may we continue it.

The Woes

I was reading through Luke the other day and was reading about Jesus' woes he gave to the cities and to the teachers of his day. It got me thinking.

I wonder what the woes would be today. I wonder what Jesus would speak out against here. I think we might be surprised to find ourselves somewhere on the list.

I thought of a couple woes...I might be wrong, because I don't have the big picture like Him, but I'll take a stab at it...If you have any thoughts, I'd love to hear them. If you think I'm wrong, or you have some woes you'd like to give, i'd like to hear that too. And since all is not lost I think we might have a list of beautitudes coming up too.

Woe to you conservatives who make the gospel of Christ so exclusive that people have to clean up before they can enter the fellowship.

Woe to you liberals who are so willing to open the gates of heaven that you don't speak truth that changes people.

Woe to you people in the middle of the road who don't take a stand for anything. You'll be blown over when you're finally put to the test.

Woe to you church for making the small things the big things, and for missing the point of Christ's life: redemption for all people from sin.

Congratulations to Doug and Elizabeth

Well, my good friend Doug is taking the plunge. Last night he officially asked his former girlfriend (now fiance) to marry him. And she said "yes"!

So congratulations Doug. As our friend Jon says, "the boy is becoming a man".

Can you say "ouch"?

Got this from a friend. What a pain in the butt this would be.

God of the "outsider"

Reading through Matthew with some students in our ministry. Just passed through chapters 21 and 22 and was struck by two of the parables.

The first is the parable of the vineyard workers, where the owner of the vineyard hires day workers throughout the day and pays them all the same at the end of the day no matter the amount of time worked. God's grace system is nothing like ours (think about Jesus' forgiveness pattern in 18:22-forgive your brother 70 times 7).

The second is the parable of the king's banquet, where the king invites specific people who don't come, and then just pulls anybody off the streets to party with him. Everybody's invited to God's party, not just the people who are expected to be there...but come to party ready to celebrate or get kicked out (22:11-13).

What does this look like for us? What does it look like to live a life of forgiveness, to extend welcome to all? If God is the God of the "outsider", is it possible to be the church of the "outsider"?

Quick Trip to VA

Well, Aubrey has Spring Break this week, so to celebrate before we head off to Festival of Life, we went down to VA for a couple days. And what fun it was.

We couldn't have asked for better weather. We even came back with sunburn!

But we got to go to our friend's service at Southside Nazarene. Their service is called Ephesus and it was great to be there with them. It's cool to see my high school friends leading others in a revolution to be followers of Christ.

We were able to go to some places where we had gone on dates (Maymont Park) and were able to hang with our families (my parents are in town for a while). That was really great! And I got to help my brother in law with his English project (a hilarious video comedy of the Odyssey). All in the span of two days. What fun.

So, tomorrow we'll head to Boston with our teens for Festival of Life. Should be nice to connect with our teens in a concentrated manner...but crazy no sleep...also should be cool, because the good friend, Brian Hull will be up there too!

Lectio Diviniwhat?

So, I am in Gel right now while our middle school students meet with their leaders. Great times...

These past couple weeks we have been trying to do various spiritual exercises, giving the students practical experiences of what they can do at home to experience God. Well, tonight we tried Lectio Divina, a sacred way of reading scriptures. We read through it three times total. The first time we read through it, we just meditated on the words. The second time we read through it, we picked a word from the passage and dwelled on it and then shared it with the group. The third time we read through it, we picked a phrase from the passage and shared it.

Well, it was a great idea and might work if we try it again, but...the kids couldn't get the timing down for when they were supposed to say their word. So we had kids saying their words while the scripture was still being read. And then when we stopped and asked the kids to say their words they all shouted their words at the same time, creating a cacophony of middle school voices...

I had to laugh. And I did. And I still am.

Trying to get them in a serious mood...setting it up really well...and blam, something weird happens...that's what happens in middle school ministry. Just gotta go with the flow, laugh it off and be glad for the kids.

Forgiveness

Forgiveness lifts me above the battle, disentagles me from the mangled mess of anger, vengeance, trustlessness. In the heat of the battle, I am brought out so that when the dust settles and all that remains are ears ringing and carnage my "opponent" discovers I was never in the fight anyway. His words of deceit aimed at inciting me have landed softly without impaling.

Forgiveness brings us into another realm; a realm of understanding, love and patience. Understanding that all of us have stories that drive our character; love for all the people in their stories-love that existed before their story was written; and patience/hope that all will someday enter that realm.

Repentance

To repent means to resist the seductiveness of the sinful values and practices and to let the new order of God’s reign be established in one’s heart. For a victim to repent means not to allow the oppressors to determine the terms under which social conflict is carried out, the values around which the conflict is raging, and the means by which it is fought. Repentance thus empowers victims and disempowers the oppressors. It “humanizes” the victims precisely by protecting them from either mimicking or dehumanizing the oppressors. Far from being a sign of acquiescence to the dominant order, repentance creates a haven of God’s new world in the midst of the old and so makes the transformation of the old possible.

Miroslav Volf, Exclusion and Embrace, 116

Teaching Moments

Well, I read somewhere or heard somewhere that the preferred method of teaching by a Rabbi is through daily life experiences. So, they would be with people just doing normal things and then a teaching moment would come up and the Rabbi would point that out. Sounds great to me.

And I've had the pleasure of actually being able to do this a couple times in the past couple weeks.

I've been hanging with two of my students at Borders every other Thursday, with the intention of sharing life with them and helping them become more like our Master Jesus. And the past two times we have been there we've had incredible teaching moments.

1st time when we were on our way into Borders we were caught by a gentleman who appeared to be some type of official person. I actually thought he was an owner of Borders or something of that sort. He greeted us by saying, "Hey gentlemen, you here for coffee or to peruse the books?" We told him we were there for both. He seemed so genuine and interested. And then he bantered on a bit about the joy of the freedom to do such things and then started telling us about a program he is involved with that would provide us with more freedom and more money. As he spoke to us we began to get uncomfortable, but there was no easy escape. We were in the mezzanine trapped between a row of books, a wall and him and his buddy (whose name was too mafia-like for me...Boris). Geez it was uncomfortable...and when we finally got in my friends were so frustrated and felt used. What made it so great was that I was able to capture their feelings and ask them how people who aren't in the Way of Christ might feel when Christians come and push their stuff on them...really able to understand the need to be totally authentic with people and not have any agenda except to love others. If someone wants to join in, the invitation is always there, but it is never pushed on them...

The second teaching moment actually happened at Borders too. I was telling these two guys how important it is to listen to people of other faiths, not to change faiths, but to learn what they know and become friends. And what do you know, a Jewish teen sits on the end of our couch with his friends. He didn't talk to us until I was trying to explain something about the Old Testament/Tanak...then he was like, "um, can I say something here?" And he shared with us his perspectives. And then we chatted for a bit longer. A great teaching moment...for all of us.

This further supports the idea that we need to be with our teens in real life situations, hanging with them in places where we can learn together what God is doing in life and how we can change.

Music Videos Online

Relevant TV

Relevant Magazine has some good stuff. But they don't have all the videos that Yahoo Music Videos does.

I hope they do sometime. I think it's great that a group run by Christians are trying to find a middle way, playing the best music out there, using discretion at the same time.

Goodbye and Hello

I worked through some stuff this weekend regarding my stance on postmodernism and modernism and the weird tension between the two. usually I am labeled and lumped with the postmodern group, because I have a questioning mind and am willing to try new stuff. but that's gotten kinda annoying. And i'm not sure that I want to be labeled anything, except one thing. A Christ follower.

So I'm saying goodbye to gray, the ambiguity that is embraced by postmoderns. Hello to the clarity of the gospel: love for all.

Goodbye to black and white, the idea that there is a clear cut answer for anything (embraced by moderns). Hello to the ambiguity of grace: God's love for all.

And in the same breath, I welcome "grayness" and "black and whiteness", but only as they help me understand who Jesus is and help me convey his love to others.

Unshakeable

So, Nate and Sam and I went on a sweet retreat this past weekend. We went to North Bend State Park in WVA, and were super blessed to have great weather for our time away.

How cool it was to be with long time friends. And to...

...constantly build fires...
...drink coffee non-stop...
...fart incessantly...
...encourage each other...
...hike through the valleys...
...skip stones on the creek...
...build a dam (small, and not efficient, but still fun to make)...
...play sequence all night...
...consume vast quanities of chips and salsa...
...make creative concoctions with Bisquik...
...challenge each other...

it was great. each of us shared a little of how we felt God was leading us and it was cool, because Sam led the way on thursday night talking about being men who hold on to the unshakable kingdom. And that pretty much took the rest of the conversations from there on out...good stuff.

another thing I noticed when I went out and about quietly and laid on a rock, is that trees reaching into the sky kind of look like veins stretching through the blue.

FOL Pictures

So we had a big weekend this weekend. Festival of life. A weekend for kids to try out their talents in sports, arts and music and stuff. Good time for kids to connect to each other too...find out what they're good at...and what they're not good at. Anyway, here are three pictures that were sent to me.
This is scary. Somebody in a helmet.
And Volleyball. A sweet action shot. Look at the motion on the ball. This was my favorite guy. The bass player for the winning band. He wore a tux all day. Hilarious.

Retreating

Well, I'm getting ready to go to WVA with my good friends Nate and Sam. We'll be retreating to the hills, if you will, hopefully to find some peace in being together and encouragement.

I'm really looking forward to this. We get together on the phone about every week, but haven't been together as a group in a little over a year. It'll be good to be together. There's something in the community...

Pray for us as we're there, that it'd be an encouraging and refreshing time for each of us. That we'd be spurned forward into doing more and living more in the way of Christ.

Who am I?

Reading Exclusion and Embrace by Miroslav Volf. Inspired a story…a choose your own adventure of sorts.

I am the first born. I have a good life. My name even means that I’m great. My parents love me. I’ve got a great trade and am actually pretty successful at it. I think God must really think I’m special.

I’ve also got a brother. He was born after me. Funny, though, because mom and dad decided to name him something that basically implies “afterthought”. Poor guy has to tend to sheep, something that mostly girls do. But oh well.

Something weird happened the other day, though. You see, we were both making offerings to our Creator. I brought some of the stuff from my fields, because I’m a farmer. And my brother brought some of his sheep. And wouldn’t you know, God was more pleased with his offering, not mine.

Choose your destination:

1. I choose to learn from my brother, to accept him and recognize what God sees in him, and maybe become a little like him. Maybe I have some things to adjust in my own life, maybe I need to create space for my brother to be honored by God. I think I’ll do that. And so I do. I talk to my brother about what he offered to our Creator. I find out that he gave the best portions of his flock. You see, that’s where we had been different. I had just grabbed some stuff that was closest, but had kept the best, because I wanted to have a nice dinner later. So now I am trying to be a little like my brother. I carefully select the best of my farm and bring it to our Creator.

2. I choose to be upset about what happened. I mean, I am the firstborn, obviously God thinks much of me. But if my brother gets more honor than I do, oh, that can’t be. I only have one option, I must get rid of him. I mean, if I do, then that will put me back in my place. I’ll be the one with honor, because I’ll be the only one. Oh, he makes me so angry. Who does he think he is anyway? And what’s God thinking? Argh. Well, here’s what I’ll do. I’ll take him out to a field, that way I can be away from everybody else who might object, and I’ll kill him. Yeah, he is my brother, but he’s stealing my honor. I’m the firstborn. I’m supposed to be more favored, because that’s the way it’s always been.

Who am I? I am you and I am Cain.

Jones Soda

Well, I took the advice of one of my students and submitted one of the pictures from my vacation on the Jones Soda website. I've always thought it was cool how they put normal pictures on their bottles and cans. So grass roots, and we all know how much I like grass...err, I mean roots.

Anyway, go to this site (Jones Soda) and vote for my picture. If I get enough votes, then it might get on a bottle. That'd be flippin sweet...

Funny...

there's a lot of talk about original sin: the idea that all men are under some type of curse that causes them to sin. it seems obvious that there is something out there causing us to do things contrary to goodness, because all of us are guilty of something.

but i also think it's interesting that sin is never original. it's always unoriginal. it always plays off of the most original and tries to create an alternative which will never measure up.

unoriginal sin.

Venice: St. Mark's and the Birds

Here I am in the St. Mark's Square. I like to call this church the "church of thieves" because there is so much stolen stuff in the church and it's known as a haven for pickpockets. They actually stole the remains of St. Mark to put in there.

In the square, they have all these birds. Seriously, tons of birds. My favorite part of Venice right here. You buy a bag of corn and corn pieces (the corn kernels were too big for the sparrows, so you had to give them the little pieces or they'd choke).

Aubrey didn't like the birds too much. But they did like her...

Scarecrow Josh, that's what I like to call myself. And this is my friend, Dirtnasty. He pooped on me.

A cool thing to do with the birds: throw a piece of corn and watch all the birds fly to it. The birds go crazy over it.

Even cooler thing to do with the birds: throw a piece of corn in front of an unsuspecting tourist and watch all the birds fly toward the tourist. The tourists freak out.

Parents in Town

So my parents came into town on Friday and are here until Thursday. It's been great to catch up on their time in SE Asia and to share with them about our time here in York. What a joy it was to worship with them and to hear them talk about how God has been active in their lives and to hear their encouragement to our church.

Today we're going to visit my grandmother and uncle (dad's side) in Allentown, which should be great.

Venice: City of bridges, alleys and canals (and sometimes slighly smelly water)

Ah Venice. The city of bridges, alleys and canals (and sometimes slightly smelly water).
Here's a gondola ride (which we never took, seeing that they were pretty exhorbitant in cost). We actually saw somebody getting a ride with a singer and accordian player.
The bridge behind Aubrey is the Bridge of Sighs, where prisoners would get their last glimpse of freedom (and sigh) before arriving in the prison the the right side.
This is the Tre Arche Bridge right outside our hotel (named Tre Arche Hotel). We stayed on the Carneggio Canal, on the Jewish Ghetto side. Apparently Venice was one of the first cities to limit Jews to a certain place in their city. They would lock up the bridges at night and only allow the Jewish doctors to get out when they were needed (Sounds like what youth ministry is sometimes...locked up until it's needed).
That's the Rialto Bridge behind me. They've got shops and stuff on the bridge. it's one of three that span the Grand Canal.

Everything is by boat here. We even saw a UPS boat. It had the UPS symbol on the rutter.

One of the saddest parts of our trip was seeing a funeral procession. They take the casket on a boat to the cemetery, but the family doesn't get to go with the boat. A woman had just lost someone and was weeping so loudly that it echoed through the square and down the alleys and canals.

In Venice there were signs directing us to Rialto and San Marco Square. often just pointing one direction, when eventually we would find another sign directing us where we wanted to go. But sometimes if we didn't see a sign for a while we would start to worry, but then we would see another sign. And it would direct us where to go. I think this is sometimes how it is with our walk with our Maker. We sometimes are directed to do something and go in that direction...but there is a period in time when we don't know exactly how we going to get where we need to.

These signs were everywhere in Venice. So that wherever you were, you would eventually find a sign directing you to the main sights.

Rome Pictures 6: The Pantheon

So, to wrap up our Rome picturess, here is the pantheon. Apparently it was the largest dome in europe (and it's big) until the St. Peter's Dome (I think) and now it's a church. But......it has a hole in the ceiling. Not sure what it's like to worship if the rain is dropping in.
But Aubrey and I still liked it and smiled.
I tried to bring one of the pillars with me...not so much...they're pretty big.

My favorite part of the pantheon was the violin player outside on the first night that we saw it. He was playing a tune that bordered on mournful, yet tip-toed with playfulness. It was one of those moments when I had to sit down and just soak it in...soak it in...I can still hear it and feel the crisp air and cold cement wall where we were sitting as if we were there again.

Good conversation on Brian's Blog

Hey, there's a good conversation about Driscoll and homosexuality on my friend Brian's blog.

Check it out at Brian's Blog.

Rome 5: Other Great Stuff

Here's Aubrey in front of the Borghese Gallery. What an amazing art gallery. It had one of my favorite pieces of work; a relief of a horse and rider falling. The horse was originally made by an unknown artist during the Roman empire and the horse was added during the Renaissance by Petro Benini (the dad). I love the idea that a work isn't finished and can be added to. Kinda like life...we're not done, we can build on to what was created before us.This is Aubrey eating a gelati, our 3rd of 5th night eating them. We had them every night except one. It's the italian version of ice cream. We figured with walking like 5 miles a day, we could indulge in such delicacies. And if you've had Rita's gelati's, they're nothing like the real thing baby.
And this is where we got our gelati's one night. What's crazy is that in Italy, many of their Cafe's and Bars, you have to pay a cover charge to use their tables. And lots of their seating is outside on the sidewalk (like you see in this picture). And it was cold when we were there. People were eating in the cold.
And for some strange reason, there are lots of cats in Rome. This is one in flight, landing on the ground. I'm not a cat lover, but since there's tons of them in Rome, I figured I'd put it on my blog.
And they've got water fountains everywhere. Not like our water fountains. These are constantly running and sometimes have cool designs like this one that Aubrey is using.

Miroslav Volf: Exclusion and Embrace

So, I picked up a book the other day, supposed to be good reading. And it is, but half the time when I'm reading, I'm like, "Whoa, I think what he said there is really significant, but I'm not really sure how because he uses seriously different language to describe reality."

It seems that the projection of the book is Volf's attempt to show how it is possible to openly embrace through the cross all people based on the sole fact that they are part of the creation. I think I like the direction, but will have to see if I can actually wade through the waters and actually come out able to explain it on the other side.