Hit the Back Button to Move Fwd by Gavin Richardson

on a mission from God

heading to asp as you read, specifically mcdowell county, west virginia. at this point i hope that all things are worked out. i hate the prep for a mission trip, but once you get on the road all things are good. we'll get there, finish some remodeling projects & roof some houses, cause, as elwood blues says "you' see, we're on a mission from God."

listening to God's whisper on the mountain

my gospel reading for today (matthew 15: 29-31) spoke to me about how Christ went up on the mountain before healing the people that seek him. it's been on my heart to respond to the open listening about homosexuality within the Christian faith. i've started composing a post but i am going to hold off and retreat to the mountain, to listen to God's voice some more. i think we call all agree that is more important to seek to The Lord and his timetable, than to adhere to our 'i need this done yesterday' cultural norm of want. i'm not sure what i'll find on this mountain, but i hope that it will be some healing for myself, and others. -shalom

bloggers sabbath retreat

i'd like to invite everyone out there to join me in a day of sabbath. i've reserved some space at penuel ridge, a contemplative retreat area outside of nashville, for a sabbath august 11th-12th for myself and a couple of others. it's a thursday through friday. i'm planning on going up thursday morning and staying till after noon friday. you can come whenever and leave whenever, i'm not leading a retreat, just going to spend some time apart, of which you are invited.

penuel ridge is pretty cool, it's just a couple of cabins, a pond, some walking trails, a bunch of sitting benches, campfire area, and 'the well' (a straw bail constructed chapel). if you are interested in joining me, just email or comment and i'll get you some more info.

what does this mean

I'm a Hufflepuff! which, i'm not sure what this means. but i'm disturbed as anything with 'puff' in it makes me sound like a wus.

alt worship seminar

the pacific northwest conference of the umc is putting on an alt worship seminar in the redmond, wa area. i don't know if anyone from the wa area reads ye'ole blog, but download the pdf and spread the word. it looks like it will be faithful to 'alt worship' and not constru it into something that is actually contemporary or blended. download alt_worship.pdf. thanks to bill for sending me this

cheat codes to beat the rapture

apparently the gaming world is expecting exponential growth in the Christian gaming market similar to the Christian music industry. i'm really excited about the potential of "left behind games." what teen or child @ heart adult can resist this premise.

"Left Behind: Eternal Forces" is a real-time strategy game set in New York during the End of Days, which will allow gamers to choose between the angelic Tribulation Forces and the demonic Global Community Peacekeepers in a multiplayer online mode.

i am confused to know how one is going to make a Christian first person shooter type game? will i be able to find 'cheat codes' to get past the rapture or around goliath? i hope so, it's the only way i am successful with video games these days. oh, i am sure if a peretti book is made the slaying of demons will do well for certain denominations, but not others. i already see the toy industry backing this up, "hey mom, i want the glowing sword to protect me from the demons in my older sister." i'm going to have to reconsider my ownership of a gaming system... um, maybe not. i'll continue to go without.

ps: if you are a gamer and want to contribute to the Christian gaming industry, then donate money to the "Christian game developers foundation."

bloggin milestone

okay so sometime today 'Hit the Back Button to Move Fwd' hit 10,000 visitors. who would have thought i'd have made so many friends and garnered some attention as a goofy monastic youth minister who has a book reading problem. thanks for sharing your lives with me everyone as i have shared my life with you. shalom, gav

ps: the approximate 10 thousandth visitor came from john's blog. anyone want to claim some lame prize that has yet to be determined?

chin deep in 'missions'

right now my life is consumed by our summer 'mission' trip. we are leaving for asp sunday morning and there has been little organized or set up to make it a trip that i feel is really beneficial to the life of this church & the youth ministry. as i've been working to recruit adults to drive and figure out the money aspects i continually come back to some of dixon's thoughts on deconstructing and reconstructing short term missions. i'm hoping that i can help to reconstruct something from this trip to make it a vital piece of the church ministry. right now though, i am thinking it just needs to be blown up. i hope i change my mind.

methodist blogger profile: john 'the methodist'

i thought i'd share the love & ask the famed john, from locusts and honey for his 'methodist blogger profile.' i personally love john's wit & he didn't disappoint. plus, i think this is an exclusive picture. yeah for top notch journalism.

intro: ‘John the Methodist’ is the pseudonym for a theologically conservative and politically libertarian United Methodist ministry candidate in the Jacksonville, Florida area.  He is a librarian at a public library system and will be a student at the Orlando Campus of Asbury Theological Seminary.  John holds a BA in history from Ohio Wesleyan University and a MLIS from Kent State University.  He is married to Katherine, another librarian.

Why do you blog?
I have to do something with my hands so that I don't...er, I mean...I do it for the chicks.  I swear, since I started blogging, I've had to fight them off with a stick.

What has been your best blogging experience?
Strolling down the beach with Jonathon Norman, hand in hand, under a full moon as the waves crashed against the shore (sigh).

Can you explain your love hate relationship with shane raynor?
He's my evil twin brother.  Wait..that's not right.  Oh, yeah.  I'm his evil twin brother.

What would be your main advice to a novice blogger?
Get on Jay Voorhees' good side.  No matter what, don't ever piss him off!

If you only had time to read three blogs a day, what would they be?
Instapundit, WesleyBlog, and IMAO

Who are your spiritual heroes?
My Mom and Dad, who have such a deep and abiding faith.  They were so patient with me and my long walk away from and back to God.  Also, Rev. Larry Saunders of the North Indiana Conference.  We went to college together, back in my atheist days.  He's had a profound spiritual impact on me, to say the least.

What are you reading at the moment?
The Bible.  That's not a flippant reply.  I read the whole Bible, cover to cover, every year, out loud.  It takes about 15 minutes a day.  I read little other than the Bible, although I have recently finished Fool's Gold by John McArthur.

What is your favorite hymn and why?
"Victory in Jesus", #370 in the UMC Hymnal.  It’s a marvelous and passionate statement about the saving grace and forgiveness purchased by Christ for all of us.

I heard an old, old story,
How a Savior came from glory,
How He gave His life on Calvary
To save a wretch like me;
I heard about His groaning,
Of His precious blood's atoning,
Then I repented of my sins
And won the victory.

O victory in Jesus,
My Savior, forever.
He sought me and bought me
With His redeeming blood;
He loved me ere I knew Him
And all my love is due Him,
He plunged me to victory,
Beneath the cleansing flood.

Can you name a major moral, political, or philosophical issue on which you've changed your mind?
I used to strongly support the death penalty.  But so many people are being exonerated from death row that I think that as a society, we should be willing to support the financial cost of life sentences instead of the moral cost of accidentally executing innocent people.

What philosophical thesis do you think is most important to combat?
Collectivism – the notion that people only have value as members of groups, rather than as individuals.  It is collectivism that has led to the worst evils the world has known: communism, fascism, and the Teletubbies.

Is there a correlation between librarians & libertarians?
As a profession, librarians trend liberal, but not even remotely as liberal as the American Library Association says they do.  Libertarian librarians are rare, but not unknown.

If you could affect one major change in the governing of your country, what would it be?
I would strictly enforce the 10th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

If you could affect one major policy change in the United Methodist Church, what would it be?
I would bring rogue conferences (such as California-Nevada) to heel.

What would be your most important piece of advice about life?
Always wear shoes in which you can run at full speed or fight, if necessary.  You never know what the day may bring.

What, if anything, do you worry about (other than jonathon norman)?
I don’t worry about Jonathon.  He and I are like, totally over.  I worry about paying the bills and getting through the candidacy process.

If you were to relive your life to this point, is there anything that you'd do differently?
The list would be a page long.  Yes, there are many things that I’d do differently.

Where would you most like to live (other than where you do now)?
Fort Payne, Alabama.  Nestled at the tail-end of the Appalachians and surrounded by thick forests divided by streams and waterfalls.  Now that’s God’s country.

*interviewer's note: it's extra special for you 'alabama' fans, it's home to 'june jam' or maybe that's mentone, al.

What do you like doing in your spare time?
What is this ‘spare time’ of which you speak?  Seriously, I work out five days a week.  If given the time and money, I’d try to become a competitive bodybuilder.  I used to play role-playing games a lot, but now I’m too old.

What is your most treasured possession?
An Iranian dagger that by grandfather brought back from WWII.  Besides being pretty, it’s as sharp as a razor and since I don’t own a gun, I keep it for home defense (better than nothing).

What talent would you most like to have?
The ability to go without sleep.  I could do so much more with that extra six hours a day.

If you could have three guests, past or present, to dinner, who would
they be?
Jesus, George Washington, and my late maternal grandfather (who gave me the dagger)

Do you have any other pets than your rabbit?
Yes. I have a one-year old Papillon named Sunny (named after King Louis XIV.)  We carefully selected a breed that was unlikely to try to kill the rabbits, and it’s turned out very well.  I brought the rabbits into the relationship, so I take care of them.  Katherine takes care of the dog.

it's not great, but it'll do

so, there's wireless at this hotel in the lobby across the street??.. not the best signal either. myself and one of my boys are currently out of our rooms past lights out checking out stuff. he's a hacker, so i'm wondering what he's up to at the moment.

thoughts on today. south carolina is really hot. reeaaalllly hot. erin and i have come out this way for some weddings (she went to usc for college) during the summer and i experienced it then, but it just never ceases to amaze me how hot. the elevators are like saunas, and the sun has been down since we arrived. i won't complain though, i know some have it hotter than here.

the drive was long, so i got quite a bit of reading done. i'm hoping to finish the four books i have right now before the ride home so i can start a new one (in the spirit of happiness, by the monks of new skete). i realized that i haven't posted on my book report readings in a couple weeks, oops.

tomorrow i bet will be some hours in the sun with youth trying to throw me in the water on varied occasions. i am enjoying getting to know the youth, so i expect tomorrow to have some good fun & hopefully a nap. &:~D

bloggin future a mystery

i'm not sure my bloggin future of the next few days. in like four hours i'm off to church, to take a crew of kids on a 'mystery trip' to myrtle beach, sc. oops, guess it's not a mystery now.. right, if there is one of my youth up this late and reading my blog, they deserve to know. as for blogging, i'll be posting stuff if i can get a wireless or network connection somewhere. being the wonderful youth minister that i am, i promised one of my linux geek kids that we'd go searching out coffee houses if our housing doesn't have it.

pope no longer the catholic authority.. in canada

well, not quite. with the gay marriage bill coming to a vote in canada and a retired professor is suggesting that the next step is to have the state take control over the practice of religion, specifically catholicism.

"Given the inertia of the Catholic Church, perhaps we could encourage reform by changing the environment in which all religions operate," Ferguson began his commentary on Monday. "Couldn't we insist that human rights, employment, and consumer legislation apply to them as it does other organizations? Then it would be illegal to require a particular marital status as a condition of employment or to exclude women from the priesthood. "

ferguson acknowledges that the vatican wouldn't be happy (duh). he thinks that they'd just have to come to terms with that being the way the catholic church will be in canada (uh, didn't they fight wars over that kinda stuff before?). not stopping with the catholics he feels though that all religions should be brought into line as well.

We could also help the general cause of religious freedom by introducing a code of moral practice for religions," he said. "They will never achieve unity so why not try for compatibility? Can't religious leaders agree to adjust doctrine so all religions can operate within the code?"

obviously he hasn't seen what's happening in the umc? we're can't even agree on one code at certain points and we're the same denomination.

his point for saying this is great, believing that we should preserve the church and state relationship. i thought though that is was the church that supports the state bringing a conscience, moral and ethical fabric. lord help us all if our state starts to define what morals and ethics let alone conscience for our church doctrine.. what, are they already doing that?

beam him up

star date: 07-20-05. captains log: james doohan died today. i wasn't a big trek'ie guy, but got into some of the characters and who hasn't quoted the fam phrase "beam me up, scotty." anyway, how cool, he's having his ashes taken into space. off to space goes the most lovable candian impersonator of a scotsman from this galaxy.

darfur: the next human catastophe & movie?

after the holocaust (schindler's list) & the civil war in rwanda (hotel rwanda) i wonder what the movie will be about when we look back at darfur? luckily there is some cautious optimism which might void any future movies.

for those of us who follow a sense of global justice we have probably been aware of the atrocities in darfur, sudan, for almost a year. i wonder when those people who can keep this from becoming the next 'oh my gosh' movie will take notice and do something. media? congress? president?

some voices i've been listening too have been sam and susie. both have been following and sharing thoughts on darfur. sam shares a weekly highlight, or lowlight, calling the faithful, is unity the answer, hotel darfur (he's not looking forward to the movie either). susie has been sharing thoughts as happens come about within the washington area, 'invisible women of darfur', 'worship is peace & justice'.  for more info check out; save darfur, sudan: passion of the present, umc news 'darfur: a human catastrophe', umcor news 'focuses direct aid on darfur', 'mission leaders call for peacekeeping to avoid ethnic cleansing', 'relief to sudan'.

the prodigal dog

this weekend my teenage daughter ran away. this is the second time that she has run away for more than a day. often though she will jump the fence and go and hang out with her friends in lower antioch, she always comes home though she will generally bring her friends over too. as my teenage daughter she's the one that complains to me often, bothers me when it's most inconvenient, she leaves without asking and begs for whatever she wants (complaining if she doesn't get it).

'crimson' that's her name, went out early saturday morning and disappeared. i don't worry for the first couple of hours, after the first 24 hours i was really worried and all those thoughts of if i'd see her again started to roam the mind. i would drive the neighborhood and adjoining neighborhoods to see if i can find her. i wonder if i'll turn down a street and see her in the street hit by a car. i quickly & easily think the worst.

deep down i know she is a really smart dog (takes after her dad) & is going to be okay. i know that she will come back & we will be reunited again.

the first time she ran away and was found i thought of the prodigal son. i thought of this because of wonderful joy and welcome that i gave to her. i was overjoyed by the phone call from the nice people who tracked me down and found her. when i went to pick her up my face, i assume cause they told me, was overjoyed to meet up with my teenage daughter. however, today, it's wasn't the most joyous reuniting. i was excited to get the phone call from the wilco animal shelter, but not like i was the first time. i greeted the little girl when i saw her at the shelter, but it wasn't so much that people took notice. when we finally got home i made her a dinner but it wasn't anything special.

i am thankful that i know a God who is far from human. One who never tires of giving me overwhelming welcome as i endlessly go on my own little excursions away from home.

 

jonathon norman 'hood theologian'

1. your pimp name is?
Deacon J. Flava

2. what is the greatest contribution of 'hood' theology to the spiritual community?
Probably, Ghetto-Mergent Jesus' Liberation Theology for The Neo-Urban Metro-Sexual

3. what does 'fo shizzle' mean?
The official urban dictionary definition is: for sure; derived from Snoop Dogg.  An example of this in a sentence is: "Dang dawg, that new Stan Hauerwas book is gonna be off the hizzle, fo shizzle."

4. tell us of your obsession with afro's.
I had an uncle who back in the 70's had this huge afro.  He'd come over to family gatherings and he was always the one who told the great stories and took things too far.  He'd get wasted and get real loud.  But to an 8 year old, he was sooo cool.  I loved him.  One day we were all in the back yard and he'd had some of my dad's homemade moonshine.  He became really loud with one of his stories and my mom tried to make him quiet down.  My uncle grabbed a spatchula from the grill that we were cooking on and tried to swat my mom.  When he did he slipped and his head got too close to the grill and his fro got burnt real bad.  He had to shave it in the end.  I'll never forget that day.  It stays with me.  Sometimes I have flashbacks about it at random moments.

5. is there 'hood theology' behind wearing the bow tie?
You know it.  Livin' large in the ghetto ain't easy, especially on the east side of nashville.  but the bow tie is actually the main sign for the gang that I'm in- "The Screamin' Milk Willies".  We're fierce- promoting our Ghetto-Mergent Jesus' Liberation Theology for The Neo-Urban Metro-Sexuals. There's only two of us right now but we're looking for recruits.

6. will you continue to live in ingle-hood?
I can't think of anywhere that I'd rather live.  It's a very multi-ethnic and multi-cultural neighborhood and community with good neighboors.  Just a few miles down the street is the "trendy" area where all the "cool" young emo couples are moving- so it's a wonderful breeding ground for fresh recruits for the "Screamin' Milk Willies".

7. who are your greatest 'hood theology' influences?
James Cone, Chuck D., Zac DeLa Rocha, J.J. "Dynomite" Norman (my 3year old son who was "corn-bred" in da hood of east nashville)

honestly, these are his words, i can't make this shi stuff up.

emerging church & pbs

vbs is over and i am catching up on what i've missed in blog world. dj updated me that the 2nd installment of the pbs article on the emerging church is online today. if you haven't seen the first episode, click here.

creating sacred spaces: in a fix edition

i find myself in a fix as today i was given a set of keys to the church. i went rampant opening doors that i previously couldn't get into. what i found was two more excellent rooms that are in need of cleaning house.

the youth rooms that i have inherited are in desperate need of updating. i want to help the kids set up the spaces to be more than just cool spaces, i want them to feel like they are sacred spaces. i already have ideas for the youth office being a place of prayer & discernment for the ministry. i even toy with the idea of calling it 'the daily office.' after that i'm at a loss, sorta. i have a huge main room which has a stage set up, plastic chairs, a few old couches (some on risers). there is a nice sized room at the top of the stairs before you walk into the large room. this room currently has a large window with natural light and a glass piece of art. i've got some generic sunday school rooms, one i am thinking of moving all the game stuff (ping-pong table, etc.) into to separate the crazy stuff from the sacred space. what i found today is a great storage room (it's a bit messy right now, but i can get that set up to where it can function) & a new finished room which had a bunch of books and some random tables and misc stuff. soooo

i want to come up with some ideas for transforming this entire space into something that is both an extension of and foundation for the churches youth ministry. problem is most folks talk 'coffee house' which is cool enough, but isn't there something else out there other than a cultural norm? plus, i'm kinda concerned about openly promoting/pushing coffee to kids. are there some cool ideas out there? i'm not sure what money i have to work with, but i'd like to not be limited by that detail. let's dream big and then go from there. got any big ideas?

homosexuality, sin, & whatever analogy we use under the sun: let's hear both sides

okay testing this idea of listening first and then talking. i want to listen to everyone on this subject of homosexuality in the church (specific view, but not limited too, the umc). the nature of sin involved with it. please post your comment. 1 rule, there is to be no arguing with others, state your case and be at peace. i will be listening and see if i can erase some lines in the sand. if you need some jumping off points go see shane or jonathon.

stay away from the petting zoo

it's a busy week with vbs, so i have little time to read through the news or pontificate anything of significance. i took some inspiration to share from the petting zoo we have at the church this week. from news of the weird

Goat-Fanciers

Goat-hoarding continues as an occasional obsession, with a woman in Saarburg, Germany, evicted in June for sharing her home with 43 goats, and a man in Aiken, S.C., charged with animal cruelty in May for cohabiting for seven years with 200 goats in a house whose walls were gnawed away and which contained 3-foot-high hay stacks saturated with manure and urine. And in June, Kentucky officials selected, as the test site for its terror-emergency procedures, the state's goat show in Erlanger. Said a state Homeland Security official, "We try to focus on what really matters to Kentucky." [Reuters, 6-7-05] [Augusta Chronicle, 5-20-05] [Kentucky Post, 6-22-05]

relationship with the bridegroom

"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
"At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'"Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.'
" 'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'
"But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
"Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!'
"But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.'
"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. Matthew 25: 1-14

in lew of the conversation this week our our cohort meeting on salvation this scripture being used in our sunday school class was particularly interesting. this is certainly a story speaking of the coming of Christ and speaks to those who have made a decision to follow Christ. however, much to one of the topics we talked about in the cohort meeting, this doesn't touch on if someone get's ready for Christ in a one time salvation experience. it's more of being ready for the coming of Christ. what i took from this scripture today in our talk was from the questions that were asked in sunday school class. one, a lady asked in a smaller discussion group "what does he mean by 'you don't know me?'" second, as the group there was discussion of why those who were prepared (with oil) didn't give any to the others who were not.

to the first lady (and of course i shared this with the class) that Christ doesn't just call for us to accept him but to know him in relationship. the best analogy, i see, is if i say that i am dating erin, but if i never talk to her then what do i really know about who she is. if i don't go on a date with her then i never physically show to others that she is a part of my life. this could be translated as prayer, mission, evangelism, conversation, etc. it's up to us with Christ to figure out the dynamics of our relationship.

so in the context of a relationship with Christ. as the virgins with little oil say 'give us some of that so that we can all go to the wedding' people might have said this to you (or you have said it to others) 'i wish i could have a relationship like that (or like yours/theirs).' the problem is, you can't give away a relationship, it can't be done. you can want to give something to them, introduce them, share how you got that relationship, but you can never give to them the relationship to where Christ would say "welcome old friend."

book taggin

tag i'm it thanks to daniel

1. How many books have I owned?
what kinda question is that? unsure, but i need a new book shelf as i am stacking books on top of shelved books

2. What was the last book you bought?
Sacred Bridges: Making Lasting Connection Between Older Youth and the Church by Mike Ratliff. it's part of my updating of youth ministry stuff

3. What was the last book you read?
The Benedictine Rule of Leadership: Classic Management Secrets you can Use Today by Craig Galbraith

4. What are FIVE books that have meant a lot to you?
Clowning in Rome by Henri Nouwen
In the Name of Jesus by Henri Nouwen
The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennen Manning
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (yes that's a children's book)
Heart Whispers by Elizabeth J. Canham (my first book on monastic spirituality)

5. Tag five people who haven't played yet.
Jenny Youngman
Cole Wakefield
Kara Lassen Oliver
Sam Davidson
Chris Morgan

6. Post a picture of your Book Abyss (i added this one)

nashville cohort on salvation

yesterday was our monthly nashville cohort meeting. sam has reflections on salvation.

12 step youth room

cleaning up the hard drive i ran across a series of photos i took of this youth room. in my old job i went into many different churches and would wander the hallways and try to check out their youth rooms. this one was funny to me because as i looked around the room i thought some of their posters were really weird. they just didn't seem to fit youth ministry. then i started reading some posters on 12 traditions and 12 steps. it took me a few more minutes but then i realized that this is where an aa (alcoholics anonymous) group meets. maybe not so weird now, but i still found it interesting all the aa stuff mixed in with the youth group pictures and posters.

a tale of two breads

so i am looking at these two loaves of bread in my house. both have been given to me in the past five days since starting my ministry with first umc of hendersonville. the first loaf was given to me by the baptist's. over the weekend the town had it's own fourth of july festival & the baptist church was handing out loaves of bread with some promotional materials (some stuff that helps you accept a relationship with Christ) & a frisbee which promotes their singles ministry and has some guidance for how to live a good life. i would have turned down the bread, but the kids in the youth group said it was really good. apparently they had already eaten two or three loaves themselves. the second loaf was given to me today by our newcomer coordinator at the church, janet. she says she likes to bake bread and does this as much as she can.

having all this bread reminded me of a story a minister told me of a lady in england who had her own little ministry of baking bread with people. basically people would come over for one reason or another. they would make the bread and then put it in the oven for baking. since it took time to bake the bread whomever was her guest would be treated to tea while they sat at the table sharing stories and gospel. i like this vision for ministry, it touches on the changes & experiences one has in the context of relationships with other Christians.

it is said that times are different now, where once you could be expected to know something about Christianity that you became a believer and then you joined a community. where now one becomes part of a community and through those people they decide if they believe or not and it's the community that shapes their beliefs & actions.

as i look over these two loaves only one can represent a ministry that in rooted in relationships and forms one as person. the bread that is given to me as part of the community that i put myself around is the one that nourishes me & feeds me. it will be the bread that will shape me in years to come. the bread that is handed to me without relationship can feed me for the short while, but it can't keep me going. it can't teach me anymore than the learning from that one moment in time. it can't give me any opportunity to give back.

i understand the evangelism & i understand the invitation, i do, the church needs to reach out. but when it comes to extending the body of Christ can we do evangelism more creatively that brings the community of Christ to the people. stop doing the short sighted malnourished shallow invitation.

water balloons and spiritual practice

tonight i think i was baptized by the youth group. being methodist we usually get sprinkled with holy water in our baptism. however, i got drenched with water balloons and chocolate pudding.. i guess that's just how they do it in hendersonville.

so tonight we had a special evening called 'mud-pie olympics' named after the book i assume. it was headed up by our intern for the summer. we planned a couple of decent games, one being a water balloon fight, two being some water gun game where the kids would have alcaseltzer strung to them which the kids were to shoot each others alcaseltzer enough for it to dissolve off, and some chocolate pudding concoction were the intent was to fish (face first of course) for some worms in said concoction. it was going to be pretty darn cool, and i even had a back-up game if we actually got done early. however, many of you know the drill. we got outside and kids started immediately throwing balloons @ each other and shooting each other. so, the 'leadership' (i include myself in this) gave into the moment. we got the alcaseltzer on the kids in time for the complete may lay of chaos. everything was game for getting someone as gross as you could get them. lots of laughs, smiling, giggling chases, and 'ews' ensued. we cleaned up and laughed at those who still had oreo cookie or pudding on them (again, me included).

once heading home i was telling erin about the events of the day and what we did for youth. her response was (and it was nice, i could tell she was smiling on the other side of the phone) "now what spiritual practice does this fall into?" see, she knows that i am big on having everything teach a spiritual practice. certainly we didn't teach this, but i can definitely say that we used the water balloons, supersoaker, & chocolate pudding to experience the practice of play.

you see, to me there is a real difference between activities and play. we planned some activities, but what happened was a spiritual play that takes over and brings everyone together. i like how the maybe community expresses their play

When we play we give ourselves to the moment. Deadlines and worries are forgotten, and we can find ourselves. Gasping for air we draw in lung-fulls of life itself. And so mayBe looks to be a community at play, enjoying God’s presence without any need to prove ourselves.

problem with this spiritual play is that people don't want to recognize it for it's benefit to their lives. the kids don't go home and say 'mom we totally made up what we were doing and our stress was gone, we enjoyed everyone even that kid that annoys me, and i laughed the whole time.' it looks more like 'mom, we just messed around.' the adult doesn't want to do something that makes them look silly, and they have a image to uphold ya know.

may we all be able to embrace those times that God gives us to play and stop trying to make everything an academic learning moment and taking ourselves so seriously.

mad monk andre

yeah! brother andre is back and he's bloggin. for those of you who did know, let me introduce you to brother andre. he's a brother @ Christ in the Desert out in new mexico. he has just returned from a lengthly stay in rome. he's bloggin about some of those things like mad now. for me i find his simple sincere humilty and honesty in is bloggin very refreshing. meet brother andre

skate or die!

thanks to matt & joel over @ rocketown & sixthavenue skatepark i got to see tony hawk and his 'boom boom huck jam' show. a collection of skaters, bmx'rs, & motocross guys doing their thing on some massive ramps & jumps. simply put it was fabulous, loved everything about it (i could have done without them asking if 'we're having fun' all the time to which we were supposed to scream, but that was it).. i was joined by dixon & jonathon with their 3 yr old boys. while the three year old boys played and jumped around to music we talked about our similar experiences of skating 'back in the day' with big boards & wheels and no place to go but public areas, which one would eventually get kicked out of by buisness owners or the police. oh those days of the late 80's and powell & peralta the bones brigade with the likes of tony hawk, mike mcgill, steve caballero, tommy guerrero, & (my fav) rodney mullen. rm was my fav because i used to do the whole skater thing on a freestyle board. i'm not sure why i thought that was a good idea with a freestyle board, but i did it. it's not a big deal now as most boards today look like a freestyle board, maybe i was just ahead of my time... haha!

thinking back to those days, me and my boys spent many nights watching 'the search for animal chin' (which was nothing more than bad acting by skaters as they cruised the land till they found some super ramp). then in the day it was out the door and skating around in a pack of six or so to 'the ditch' or some other referenced code name for a public place that had an alluring railslide, curb, ramp, or dropoff. oh, those were the days. skate or die dude!

template confusions

not sure why, but after the prior post my template went bullet point crazy. typepad was doing some maintenance so maybe it's not actually my fault.

emergent confession

jim sent me this email awhile back after one of our cohort meetings. reading this i found elements that i certainly can relate too. for those who are talking change among the church this is worth the read.

Intro:
What follows is an admission of unhealthy patterns I have developed as I have 'surfed the edge of chaos' toward a 'missional, continually converted, connecting, equipping, aqua church' that 'stands on the threshold of the future between gospel and culture,' practices a 'virtual, ancient-future faith' and 're-imagines spiritual formation,' embraces 'leadership on the other side,' and exerts 'irresistible influence' while becoming 'an unstoppable force' in the world. I have realized there is 'a future for truth' and entered 'the dance of change' and connected with others to 'generate hope' as 'a peculiar people.' I have become 'blue like jazz' while learning to 'let my life speak.' However, I am 'less ready than I realized' and not as 'generous' or 'orthodox' as I sometimes let on. I am better at deconstructing the present than 'shaping the things to come.' In fact, I have reached 'the tipping point' of true confession regarding the dark side of my emergent sensibilities.

1 I have used 'new' language to cover up 'old' behavior.

My sinful tendencies and patterns are not all that different from twenty years ago when I was into 'doing theology' and implementing church growth strategies. It's nice to think that I have a prophetic imagination in a de-centered culture, but really I'm consistently angry and pissed off about unmet expectations. It sounds great when I deconstruct the systems and strategies of a mechanistic worldview, but I am often nurturing a critical, judgmental attitude. I can speak of organic environments and missional patterns in a way that feeds my ego and supposedly keeps me at the cutting edge. I can describe the 'double-loop liminality' of those attached to the world of Christendom, but I, too, struggle with bouts of fear and anxiety. Perhaps I have gained some awareness of cultural transitions and emergent dynamics in recent years, but I still have to continually release the grip on my own baggage: anger, judgment, fear, and pride. If I donít, I bring pain to those with whom I serve and limit the possibilities of shared life and ministry.

2. I have allowed a big gap between my intentions and my behavior.

I can converse ad nauseum about the comprehensive nature of the gospel: the gospel is a way of life, the gospel bears witness to God's reign, the gospel embraces the practices of Jesus (and his early followers), the gospel challenges prevailing social and political systems, the gospel calls for the sharing of life and ministry with the poor, the gospel confronts self-protection and autonomy, etc., etc. I have consistently had good intentions about faithfully modeling and proclaiming this gospel. But, to be crass, how I spend my money, how I use my time, where I live, and who I hang out with say more about what I really believe than well-crafted words. There have been too many times where I have called people to the life I intended to live, not to the life I was actually living. It is only in recent years that I have made some of the lifestyle changes that bring a greater capacity for wholeness, generosity, love, and simplicity. Rather than passively benefiting from systems of injustice while declaring a radically inclusive gospel, I have taken small steps to live in a way that challenges these systems.

3. I have missed significant 'life signs' in traditional (i.e. 'modern') ministry systems and models.

I have spent so much energy reacting to and challenging hierarchical leadership, Sunday morning vendor events, programmatic ministry, centralized decision-making, personality-driven youth ministry, segmented ministry areas, project-oriented mission, etc., etc. that I am sometimes surprised that people are actually being transformed in this framework. I have dismissed most denominations as being totally irrelevant, yet my recent work as a congregational coach has opened my eyes to the informed theologies, historical practices, and culturally-engaged attitudes that are being creatively carried into the new world. There are some struggling denominational urban congregations that are far ahead of some 'growing' suburban, emergent churches when it comes to sustained, yet adaptive cultural engagement.

4. I have been drawn to innovative concepts, creative language, and imaginative interpretation and undervalued the immediate, particular, daily opportunities to simply love God and others.

I have gone through periods of time when Iíve been captured and consumed by 'big picture' issues and visionary possibilities. I have played out imaginative scenarios for missional engagement in a postmodern, post Christendom, post-Einstein, postÖwhatever world, but more often than I like to admit, I have not been fully present with my family, available to my neighbors, or responsive to the needs of my friends. Only recently have I begun to experience the deep joy of being firmly rooted in a particular place and time with a particular group of people. I have become more alert to a major myth of modernity: the 'clean slate.' When it comes to relationships, we donít have multiple 'do-overs.'

5. I have overestimated my role as a 'change agent.'

A subtle grandiosity can enter the hearts and minds of those who think they understand the cultural landscape and feel called to being a 'prophetic presence.' In their desire to have 'an impact' in a given context and be 'a catalyst' of transformation, they can fall into the trap of trying to convince others so that they 'get it.' I have fallen into this trap. I have used relational, organic, emergent language to bring about pre-determined outcomes and then wondered why there was so much resistance. I have been selectively 'authentic' so that the changes I wanted would become reality. As one who has become incredibly sensitive to the leveraging strategies of others, I still catch myself trying to 'make something happen.' This remains a 'dark side' area that continually needs the light of truth-telling friends.