emergentHouston...

You Doth Protest

2007-03-20T22:15:00.000-05:00

You know, no matter how you feel about the war in Iraq, surely we can all agree the government should get out of this man's ovaries!!

(Picture from the U.S. Out of Iraq Now, anti-war march in San Francisco over the weekend.)

Has anyone ever protested anything? (I mean actually marched.)

Free China

2007-03-15T20:58:00.000-05:00

Apparently, emergentHouston is not welcomed in China.

We failed the censor test. It is possible it is simply for technical reasons, but given what is discussed here, I doubt it.

Globalization and Christian Symposiam

2007-03-14T21:43:00.000-05:00

(Via Nate)

While American Christianity busies itself with its own culture wars, Christianity is growing by leaps and bounds in Africa, Asia, and the South Pacific. Turning the tables on Western colonialism, this religion has begun to send missionaries and priests to Europe and the United States. If its growth continues, this "globalized Christianity" will be the dominant force in institutional Christianity within a decade. Is the American church ready for this challenge? Are we?

It is predicted that in the next 5 years we will see more missionaries being sent into the United States then sent from the US. How do we make space for these new voices? Do theologians in Africa have as much to say to us as we do to them? What effect will the rise in communication that the Internet is driving have on the localisation of theologies, of church praxises? What effect does the deterritorialization of religion have on our ability to follow the way of Jesus?

Bering Academy will be hosting postmodern philosopher of religion and cultural critic Carl Raschke for a weekend symposium on globalized Christianity and American culture next weekend, March 16 th and 17th. On March 16th, Dr. Raschke will give a lecture and presentation on the subject from 7PM to 9PM. On Saturday morning from 9AM to noon, Dr. Raschke will host a workshop on the same subject during which we'll be able to cover the subject in depth. Both of these sessions will be held at Bering Memorial United Methodist Church ( 1440 Harold St, Houston, TX 77006 ).

On Saturday afternoon, a reception for Dr. Raschke will be held at the home of Gregg Farris. There is no charge for any of these events. For those who can afford it, a $25 donation requested to help cover the travel costs of Dr. Raschke.

Disfellowship

2007-03-08T14:00:00.000-06:00

Having practically grown up in a church building, I've heard plenty of 'war stories'. Everything from church splits to scandals to you name it. The one that always fascinates me the most is disfellowship. This is the point where a church says to a member, you can no longer come here and worship God with us. I would say it is the most serious action a congregation can take.

I've never known anyone personally this has happened to until recently.

I was wondering from those who are in conversation here, what are your thoughts on disfellowship/excommunication?

Stations of the Cross Exhibit

2007-03-02T08:05:00.000-06:00

From our good friends at Xnihilo:

The Artist reception for The Stations of the Cross installation will be this Saturday (3.3.7) 7-10pm. Direction and show info here.

To Commemorate Lent, Xnihilo Gallery Will Exhibit Art Based on Christ’s Journey to the Cross. The Stations of the Cross exhibit is a series of 15 devotional works of art, each representing one step in Christ’s journey to the cross. This mixed media show opened on Wednesday, February 21, 2007 and feature sculptures, paintings, photography, poetry, and videography by local artists. While the traditional Christian meditation based on Christ’s journey includes only 14 stations, concluding with Jesus being laid in the tomb, this exhibit will feature an additional resurrection piece to be unveiled on Easter morning, Sunday, April 8, 2007.

Andrea Rosselle, 2005 exhibit coordinator, says, “This exhibit is an extremely contemplative and personal experience. We really want to make the gallery a place people can come to meditate and enter into the story in a way they never have before. Even those who are familiar with the Christian faith will be surprised by the depth of their response to this unique depiction of a familiar story.”

Traveling Anne

2007-02-09T14:07:00.000-06:00

Anne Lamott is coming to town in April. (More here.)

If you are not familiar with her, pick up Traveling Mercies.

Tickets are $20 (and up) and they benefit a great ministry, Lord of the Streets.

"We All Want To Change The World"

2007-02-07T19:33:00.000-06:00

A new website named Change launched this morning. It was created to bring people and causes together.

One of the cool features lets you search for volunteer opportunities by zip code. It is under the Actions tab. However, when I entered mine (77581) and central Houston (77001)it is a bit sparse. As of this post there are three opportunities to save baby seals, wolves or stop the killing of whales. Not that those aren't worthy causes...but hopefully that will change soon. It is the first day, after all.

It definitely has potential.

More on Life After Death

2007-02-03T15:46:00.000-06:00

From Russell's Teapot...

(Click for Biggie Size!)

Jesus Loves Osama

2007-02-01T10:51:00.000-06:00

Have you heard about the church in Australia? Here is their church sign.

On the bottom of the sign is the verse Matthew 5:44

...Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you...

Try putting that on your sign.

I'm all for supporting our troops and offering prayers for their safety. But if we are followers of the Way, and our faith is more than lip service, why don't we pray for Osama, too? (Which, if that was all there was to it, might not be so difficult.)

How do we love him? How do we stretch out our lives beyond ourselves like Jesus did? I don't know. I'm not the best at loving fully those who love me, let alone those who do not.

I do know I have not heard one prayer (or myself - said one) for him.

Toward a Christian Understanding of Life after Death

2007-01-22T11:12:00.000-06:00

This blog was submitted by Billy Watson, associate minister at St. Peter's United Methodist Church
-----------------------------------------------------

I was recently asked to assist in a funeral at a church outside my own tradition. It was an interesting experience. Many things that were said and done gave me pause to think, but nothing caught my attention so much as the bold proclamation of the confident pastor: “The body in that box is not real. It’s just a shell. His spirit, his soul, that’s what’s real. That’s the real ‘him.’ That is what is forever, eternal, and it’s in heaven with God right now.”
I find this image of life after death, an image of disembodied spirits dwelling with God in heaven, to be a very popular understanding among many Christians, both in the pews and the pulpit. There’s one big problem, though: It isn’t biblical Christianity (despite its extreme popularity in circles who often make the loudest claims to be “biblical Christians”).

The image of life after death presented in the bible is clearly one of physical bodies resurrected from the dead to inhabit a renewed creation, a new heaven and a new earth. Far from this biblical image, what is touted by so many under the guise of Christianity is nothing more than a thinly veiled form of Gnosticism (N.T. Writght is very convincing on this issue). This gives rise to two questions on my part:

My first question: How did this happen? For centuries the Church fought Gnosticism at every turn, often forming clearer pictures of exactly what orthodox Christianity is by differentiating it from Gnostic distortions. Somewhere along the way Gnosticism seems to have abandoned frontal assaults for an apparently highly successful back door tactic. Where and when did this subversive tactic begin, and how has it been so effective as to practically dominate popular “Christian” thinking about life after death in our own day and time?

My second question: What can be done about it? I guess this question all boils down to how much are we willing to put up with a lie for the sake of the comfort it brings. Let’s face it: for many people it’s much more comforting to be told that Aunt Bettie’s spirit is in heaven making a big batch of her famous chocolate chip cookies, than to be told that Aunt Bettie is “asleep in Christ” for now, but that she will rise again at the resurrection when the fullness of the Kingdom comes. Does it really matter how much comfort something brings if it is a lie? Furthermore, are we willing to be branded heretics? For surely the Gnostic image of life after death is so thoroughly accepted by so many as genuinely “Christian” that any challenge to it will be met with furious resistance. Should it matter how much resistance we may face if we’re standing on the side of truth?
I don’t pretend to know the answers. I’m not so sure I’m the boat-rocking type. I do not relish upsetting Aunt Bettie’s loved ones, or incurring the wrath of the “righteous.” Besides, just who do I think I am anyway? All I know is that it’s gotten under my skin lately, and I’m a little concerned about what that might mean and where it might lead me.

Anybody out there have any thoughts?

The Business of Bibles

2006-12-05T23:48:00.000-06:00

The Wall Street Journal has a bit on Bibles and how they are being marketed. Apparently business is booming.

I'm sure you know of the many versions of God's Word like King James, NIV, NASB, NKJ, the Message and on and on.

Now there are Teen Bibles, Family Bibles, Firefighter Bibles and even a Hands on Bible. (Shouldn't they all be that?)

So, how many Bibles do you have and which do you prefer?

World Aids Day - Are You Buying It?

2006-12-01T01:00:00.000-06:00

Today is World Aids Day. This day is meant to raise awareness and financial support for the millions around the world living with HIV/AIDS. This year has a bit of a twist.

The RED campaign was created to help with raising awareness and money. Companies like American Express, Gap, Apple, Converse and others have special products for sale with part of the proceeds going to the Global Fund. Musicians and other entertainers are behind the campaign. Bono helped to created the project. (Clip here.)

Some folks complained that it feeds on our need to consume. The RED manifesto is clear when it says it is not a charity, but a business model. Others have said not enough is given from each product. The RED iPod Nano sells for $200. $10 is given to RED, leaving some to call for simply giving $10 directly and not spending the rest.

We have more than one iPod around our house and I find myself wanting the Red one too. I don't need it. I didn't need any of them. I don't need any of this stuff. And, I guess, that is the point. I just need to give.

But will I? Will you? Or do we have to get something in return?

Don't hear me saying that if you support the RED "business model" that is bad thing. I don't believe it is. What I'm saying is...I wish I had the same need to give as I do to get. I want, I want, I want...for myself. True RED(emption) turns that around.

By the way, if you want to just give, look here.

Or something closer to home.

Christian vs. Christ Follower

2006-11-26T21:43:00.000-06:00

I may have been the last person to see this video, but even so, it is great and I'm passing it on. Community Christian Church has produced some great parodies of the Mac vs. PC ads.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-11-23T09:03:00.000-06:00

To everyone, wherever you are, Happy Thanksgiving.

What are you thankful for this year?

Another Day

2006-11-06T22:54:00.000-06:00

There are some days in the life of an urban-dweller that defy simple definitions. They are the days that get catalogued into our minds to be recollected for a lifetime. It's on those days that we can't wait to get home to write, to debrief, to defragment our minds, to replay it again and again in our heads.

Sunday was one of those days.

As a musician, I find myself going through days and weeks of extremely diverse experiences. This past Sunday started early, waking up to the alarm clock before it was light and beginning to feel the stress of the upcoming day building inside my chest. I drove from my Montrose apartment to a Christian Science church in the Galleria area. I was hired to sing as a soloist for their weekly service. I had never been to a Christian Science church before, and the only things I knew about it were negative comments I had heard growing up. I found the whole experience to be thought-provoking, dull, creepy, odd, mundane, and just a little bit...off. I stood there in my crispy suit singing to a stately room full of privileged, high-society intellectuals. They greeted my singing with mute reverence and gushed praise upon me at the conclusion of the service.

I drove away in my Hyundai, jamming to Reggeton to cleanse my mind of formality and posterity, and raced back to my apartment to have lunch with my friend Danielle. She had just finished singing at her Episcopal service and we traded shop stories from the morning. While slurping chili and catching up, somehow it came out that Danielle had never been to the Rothko Chapel. I was shocked and slightly offended, so I whisked her out the door and down the street to the Chapel. While we were in the vicinity, we decided to visit the Byzantine Fresco Chapel, then capped off our chapel tour at the Chapel of St. Basil on the campus of the University of St. Thomas. We both were refreshed by the silence of these holy places, and even spent some time singing plainchant and hymns at St. Basil's.

We couldn't spend too long together because I had an afternoon commitment singing an Evensong service at St. Paul's United Methodist Church in the Museum District. I have frequently served as a musical guest there, and I have much respect for the meticulous preparation of their choir. The service was sparsely but enthusiastically attended by prayerful congregants. We sang and chanted the words of Mary's annunciation, Simeon's prayer of departing, and the liturgical prayers that have been hallowed by two thousand years of repetition. Because it was All-Saints Day, the service was also honoring the "faithful departed" who had passed away during the last year.

I once again raced home to change clothes and jumped back in the car make it just in time for the Sunday evening gathering at my church, Ecclesia. Standing amidst my pierced and painted friends and singing crunchy rock music was a welcome respite and stark contrast to the earlier activities of the day. I sank into my chair and enjoyed receiving a worship experience in which I did not have responsibility. Chris Seay played a video during his sermon talking about living life to the fullest; about looking at every life experience for what it can teach us and contribute to our understanding of the world. I realized the message was manifesting itself for me that very day.

After the Ecclesia service, I schmoozed and hugged and laughed and drank coffee and talked theology for a while, then finally my friend Ashley and I skipped over to the Hobbit Cafe for dinner with old and new church friends. I got to know some new people and dished out some Rice U judgment on some Longhorns, Aggies, and Cougars at the table. I relished the time to spend with like-minded spiritual seekers and fun-loving urbanites. My stomach full of hamburger and fries, I said goodnight and drove back to my apartment.

The day still had many hours to go, because Sunday is the night I meet with my friend Gail for street outreach. Emmaus Ministries is a ministry reaching male prostitutes, and once a week Gail and I go to the street corners and bars where these men plow their sex trade. We roamed the sidewalks for several hours and saw Andy, a longtime hustler, and we met James, who was dying to get some crack. Andy told me how he tries to separate his prostitution from the rest of his "normal life," because "otherwise I can't stop thinking about it." I tried to imagine what it would be like if everyone from my whole day were standing there with me right then. What would they think of this experience - the Christian Scientists, Danielle, the prayerful Methodists, the urban hipsters, the cafe waiters? Would they be repulsed? Would they be judgmental? Would they be overwhelmed by the brokenness?

Gail and I finally left the streets about 2:30am. We hugged goodnight and I dragged myself up the staircase and into my bedroom. I peeled my clothes off and collapsed onto my bed. With the lights out, I closed my eyes and I was bombarded with the day's images. It had been so full, so diverse, so complicated, so beautiful. I drifted into a heavy sleep, dreaming of the people and tasks of tomorrow. Another day. Another adventure.

Kiva

2006-11-02T20:20:00.000-06:00

Nancy lives in Kenya. She is 43 and married to a good man who supports her initiatives and they have 6 children. Two are in secondary school while the rest are in primary school.

She works hard to make sure that her children get a good education and the basic necessities of life. She sells milk and Napier grass. Milk sales contribute $28 and Napier grass contributes $ 71 per month. She would like to get an additional cow, which will provide her with more milk and her income will increase gradually.

She got started with a $75 loan from someone on the internet. She has yet to pay it back. But chances are excellent she will.

Her loan and many other loans for folks like her are made possible through the organziation, Kiva. Kiva means agreement or unity in Swahili. Not one loan has been defaulted on.

These microloans are processed through the website as lenders (everyday folks) decide to whom they will be given. Kiva connects the first world to the third world.

The stories are amazing.

In just over a year, over half a million dollars have been loaned out. The average loan requested is over $500. Average repayment time is 9 to 12 months. The typical amount loaned by each lender is $80.

Their site is temporarily 'down' because of a Frontline special that caused a tremendous amount of attention and has overloaded their servers.

Check in with them when you get a chance.

2006-11-02T19:34:00.000-06:00

Lord, please don't forsake me
In my Mercedes Benz

from the song, Strange Apparition by Beck. The new CD is great.

Communion

2006-10-30T00:55:00.000-06:00

Click to Play

I am a part of a new worship gathering called Communion. It is part worship/bible class, part mixer, and part AA meeting. Well, instead of AA it is more like SA.Sinners Anonymous.

Calling it Communion is really an attempt to steal back that word. I say steal back, because many associate communion only with the Lords Supper. But, communion is more than that.

Now, dont hear me saying the Lords Supper is not a big deal or a second rate part of our spiritual life.

Ideally, communion is the Lords Supper and it is our gathering together and sharing each others burdens, being in each others lives, connecting with each other and God and on and on. Communion is about give and take.

Rethinking communion has also caused me to rethink the Lords Supper.

Growing up, my tribe took the Lords Supper every week. The Bible verses read before the bread and cup were either from the Last Supper Jesus had with the apostles or from Pauls writings in Corinthians. Thats fine. There is good stuff there. The only thing beyond those two that was read dealt with Jesus on the cross. The focus was on His anguish and pain.

Im not trying to diminish any of that. It still amazes me what Jesus went through. But sometime I would love to hear about when they went to the tomb and it was empty. When the angel of the Lord said, He is risen! But, I guess that is just for Easter.

Or, read something like Acts 2:44-45.

All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.

I mean, if you can read that and it is true, then you know you are really taking Communion.

I dont like to explain too much of my videos. I like to let each one get whatever they might from it. I do want to point out a couple of things.

Koinonia is a Greek word meaning fellowship or participate.

The picture of the earth is meant to remind us that communion is not just with those in your church, your denomination, but all around the world.

Hallelujah

2006-10-25T17:10:00.000-05:00

Click to Play

I was thinking about the Psalms and started looking over them. At the beginning of many of the Psalms there are liner notes. They talk about things like who the Psalm is attributed to or what tune it is to be sung with or what instrument accompanies, etc.

Then it hit me, David loved music. I mean, I knew that, but then I understood it. He was a musician. He loved to jam. I then pictured David sitting around working out a tune on his harp while other musicians sat with him. Maybe Asaph or Korah's boys where there and they just jammed. How cool would that have been to listen in on those sessions?

I think we are quick to forget that the book of Psalms is incomplete to us. We don't know the tune. Yeah, we have the important stuff, but I think the music is right up there with it. It completes it. Yin-Yang.

Read these next words and try not to 'hear' the tune in your head...

Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. And many more!

I'm sure that will be stuck in you head now. Sorry.

The point is that music adds another dimension, another level of emotion. It is also easier to remember words when you know the tune.

Hallelujah is a tune written by Leonard Cohen and has been covered by several folks. Most recently K.D. Lang recorded it. This version is sung by Jeff Buckley. The words talk about David but slip to a Samson reference. I don't have a problem with it but some who listen to it do. Besides the obvious references to David, I thought, 'yeah...his life was a hallelujah.'

Membership Has Its Privileges

2006-10-09T21:57:00.000-05:00

Something I've been trying to get my mind around recently is the idea of Church Membership. What is that? What does it mean to be a member of a church. Not The Church...the Church Universal. I'm talking about the church on the corner, or down the street, or wherever.

Do you go to church somewhere that you have 'placed your membership' there? I do. I'm not sure why. (I mean, why we have membership, not why do I go there.)

I don't think it is inherently wrong. I do believe it can be problematic at best, and a wedge at worst.

I'm still looking for that scripture that talks about it. The one that encourages us to place our membership in a local congregation. I'm not saying don't participate with a group of believers...with a congregation of 'saints'.

(And just because it isn't in the scriptures doesn't mean it can't be done. Look at all the things we do that aren't validated by the Word of God...buildings, praise teams, youth pastors, flat-screens, and on and on.)

Is it that helpful for the work of the Lord? I realize if you are a group of any size, keeping up with who is there and who didn't show up is a way to seek out those who didn't make it and see what might be going on their lives and if there is anything that can be done to help them. But is that what we do? Or is it all about the numbers?

I guess the problem I have is, who decides which folks can join and how do they decide? Does it create a culture of us vs. them.

I know some denominations/congregations require you to have been baptized in 'their' faith (or being baptized at all, for that matter) before joining in communion.

The funny thing is, folks have left our church and placed membership elsewhere and I never hear of their membership being revoked at the old place. It is usually announced when someone does place membership, but why not when they leave? I guess they are moved to the inactive list...maybe injured/reserved, I don't know.

By now, you may be thinking, so what? I understand, so I'll tell you why.

What if someone wants to work with a local church, they want to place membership, but they confess a sin that is not socially accepted in most churches and are turned away, at the same time, the entire building is 'crawling' with sinners.

Who gets in?

A Few Thousand Links

2006-10-09T11:29:00.000-05:00

Some of you may already know about Sites Unseen, but if not, it is the definitive site for "Alternative Christian Links." I'm not kidding. Try 5000 plus links! It is a bit overwhelming at first, but well organized.

Also, the Gathering has begun in New Mexico and goes for the next few days.

Cold Water

2006-10-05T09:10:00.000-05:00

Click to Play

I think I've been burying my talents in the ground. Do you know that story...that parable? There are two versions; I'll direct you to the one in Matthew. A man gave his servants some money to look after and take care of while he is gone. The link can take you to the story so I wont go into too much detail...but I'm like the last guy who was afraid and "lazy", not doing much with what I've been given.

I've always like making God videos. You know, stuff that has a bit of meaning to it. I've neglected it for the past year. I'm working to change that. I'm also changing what I do with them. Before, I tried to sell them. Now I think I'll give them away. (I'm not saying there is anything wrong with other folks, companies who are in business selling God videos. I have no problem with that.)

I don't have anything new to offer yet, but I have something from a series I did called King David's Garage Band. This is a song from Damien Rice. Buy 'O' from which this song is taken. The song is Cold Water and it really is amazing. I framed it against one of the darkest Psalms...Psalm 88.

Growing up, I cannot remember ever hearing a sermon on Psalm 88. It was never talked about. All the other Psalms seem like they are made for TV. You know, they may start out bad, stay bad, but right at the very end there is the clause, but you are the LORD and I will trust in you...fade to black. Not this one. Not 88. It just ends, no explanation, just desperation, and a place in life where all of us have visited at some point in our lives.

Theology Breakfast

2006-09-28T15:24:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, my senior pastor invited me to have breakfast with him and some folks he thought I should meet. One of those gentelmen is a leader in Bering Academy, a group of people looking to bring formative theological education and training to the lay community. As such many of our conversations have been about the impact theology has had on our lives and the directions of theology we are currently exploring.

As the weeks have gone on we have had a number of people come through and bring gifts to our conversation. As we talked we realized we wanted to do a better job of inviting people in, so if you are free tomorrow morning (Friday the 29th of October) come down to Cafe Brazil (Westhimer and Dunlavy) and have breakfast with us. We start to gather around 7:45 and the conversation normally picks up around 8am.

Kaleo Houston

2006-09-21T11:54:00.000-05:00

The folks over at KaleoHouston have moved into their new digs...last week, I think. They have a video talking about what Kaleo means. What does it mean? Click over and watch the video.

God bless you and your work.

Get Up Off Your Knees

2006-09-15T00:35:00.000-05:00

Click to Play

Today's Friday's Frame is actually Friday's Frames. This is a short I made last year called the Great Commission. Even thought that scripture is not in it, I had it in my mind and I was trying to show it in a simple way.

The Amazing Faith of Texas

2006-09-12T22:44:00.000-05:00

God is too big to fit inside one religion.

There is a great, new book out exploring the "common ground on higher ground" in this great state of ours. The book shares stories of faith from around Texas. It also includes some great photography of church buildings and folks of all types.

There is a website as well.

In The Wake

2006-09-11T14:40:00.000-05:00

Last Friday night, there was an opening reception at Xnihilo Gallery for Beth Murray's, In The Wake. The exhibit continues thru October 15th.

The piece below was in New Orleans when Katrina hit. You can see the waterline across the top third.

This, from her show,

Although growing up in rural Texas influenced my visual vocabulary immensely, having lived in a city whose attitude is far less negative towards age and decay, the idea of beauty being found in things otherwise understood to be broken, decrepit, or derelict has become even more paramount in my work.

Jessica, Jeremy and everyone else (I know Nate helped, too.) with Xnihilo did a fantastic job putting it all together.

Friday's Frame

2006-09-08T09:54:00.000-05:00

A photo essay from a bedroom window of NYC and the World Trade Center.

Run It Up The "Poll"

2006-09-06T15:35:00.000-05:00

I'm conducting a very unscientific poll. I've been thinking about 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus in the New Testament a good bit recently. I've heard the talk about questioning the authorship of those letters and I was wondering what some of ya'll thought about it.

Do you think Paul wrote those letters or did someone write them using his name? (Pseudigraphically) If Paul didn't write the letters, does that mean anything? How does it effect your faith. Has anyone else heard of this?

Feel free to respond anonymously if you want.

In The Wake

2006-08-30T21:25:00.000-05:00

This week communities around our country pause to remember the devastation, confusion, and bond created by the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast. That bound is especially present between the communities of New Orleans and Houston; a bond that was strengthened when Hurricane Rita aimed for Houston a month after Katrina devastated New Orleans. Thousands of Gulf Coast residents have survival stories from wind, flood, and evacuations. Transplanted from New Orleans to Houston by Hurricane Katrina, Beth Murray invites us to the beautiful narrative of decay and age that her work explores in In The Wake.

Please join us for a reception on September 8, 2006 from 7-10 pm to remember, reflect and bring your own stories to this narrative. Be sure to bring your friends, you don't want to miss out on this exhibit.

September 8th- October 15th
Featuring New Orleans/Houston artist Beth Murray
Abstract Oil paintings exploring the beauty of decay
Opening reception September 8th, 7-10 pm
Xnihilo Gallery
www.2115Taft.org
2115 Taft Houston Texas 77006
713.522.3533

All the pieces in this show are available for purchase, please call or e-mail Jessica Martin-Weber to set an appointment to select the piece or pieces that would bring just the right touch to your home, office or as a unique gift. The gallery is open from M-TH, 9 am – 10 pm and F-S, 9 am – 10.30 pm for viewing and purchases can be made at the coffee shop counter during those times

(via email from Xnihilo)

Yesterday's Gathering

2006-08-30T10:52:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, the cohort met together for lunch. It was the first of what will be more regular gatherings, probably on a monthly basis. Anyone is welcome to come and join us. There are no fees, no contracts...just a place to go and not feel like you are the only crazy one out there!

We spoke about several things. We talked a little of where we are both physically (Pearland, Friendswood, Katy, Galleria) and Spiritually.

The main topic focused on what it is to be missional. Missional, or missional church is really making the rounds in coffee shops, blogs and books.

If you are not familiar with missional church, here is a good starting place.

(I should have some pictures up soon.)

Friday's Frame

2006-08-24T23:12:00.000-05:00

It has nearly been a year since Katrina.

Spike Lee has crafted an amazing documentary about New Orleans. You can see it all on Tuesday on HBO.

Our cohort will be gathering to break bread that day. Join us if you can. We will offer up a prayer for all those affected by Katrina.

Flashback: Here is a video I put together last year shortly after the levees broke. Feel free to use it if you want.

Friday's Frame

2006-08-18T14:49:00.000-05:00

It's a sign!

Reminder of our next cohort gathering on August 29th at Star Pizza (2111 Norfolk) in Houston. We will gather at 11:30 am for lunch, conversation and prayer.

Post-Modern Metaphors

2006-08-14T11:08:00.000-05:00

Question: What is a metaphor?
Answer: A place where cows graze.

That is the only thing I remember from my Sophomore English class. Well, not the only thing, but it was a favorite saying of my professor.

Yes, our words define us and shape us. Metaphors are no different.

In my never ending 'struggle' with modern church thinkers, I've come to realize one difference (and there are many) is in our metaphors.

(Written call waiting: I'm a mix of modern and postmodern thought, leaning a bit more postmodern. Resume.)

Modern religious folks acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Savior begins with the Bible and what it says to do. The Bible is accepted as the word of God and the key as to what to do to believe and be 'faithful'.

Postmodern folks (not always) aren't as quick to swallow the Bible whole. They don't believe simply because the Bible says so, there are other factors.

Moderns argue, how can you know about God and what to do if you don't have the Bible. You need some type of absolute.

A modern metaphor for this is a foundation. There are several scriptures that relate to having Jesus as the foundation, or having a firm foundation. We all know what happened to the foolish man who built his house upon the sand. (He had it coming, didn't he?! Splat!)

I like the foundation metaphor. I understand it. My house is built on one. I know living here in Houston my foundation will probably crack at some point in the future and I don't want that. I see the value in a strong foundation, so I get the whole Jesus is our rock, our foundation.

This metaphor, obvious in scripture, is linear and holds to the idea that you must start with an absolute to build upon. That's fine.

But, I'm also well served by God/Jesus as being what I call the 'gravity' metaphor.

The gravity metaphor is pretty much as it sounds.

Take the sun. The earth orbits around it. The earth doesn't rest upon the sun. It is balancing in an orbit around the sun. Gravity is acting upon the earth and holding it in place. There are planets closer, Mercury and Venus, and those much further away. Even Pluto, out there on the edge, is still affected by the sun and journeys around it.

I believe God is the same. His pull is strong, but it doesn't reach some like it does others. (This may sound like God doesn't have ultimate power, but in a way he doesn't. He doesn't because he gave it up when he gave us free will.)

We have all felt a pulling, or tug, upon our hearts, whether it is a from a brokenness or simply longing for something. We may have felt drawn to something greater. If you haven't yet, don't worry, you will.

In both cases God is the absolute, the foundation, but how we proceed from there seems to differ. The gravity metaphor places God at the 'center' but allows for others to be affected differently by it. The earth does not look down upon Uranus for 'following' the sun in a different way, on its side. They are on different paths. Mercury can't go the way of Mars. Pluto's orbit is a bit eccentric as well.

How do you approach/view others faith journey? Do you try to set them up with a foundation just like yours? Is your encouragement to establish God's word as the building block and everything falls else falls into place?

Or, do you observe someone's path and let them know what they feel tugging at them, what they are longing for, what they are trying to fill up with stuff, is just God tugging on the heart?

Tell them about God's gravity.

Remember, this is simply a metaphor and like all metaphors, they break down at some point. They are not perfect representations, but for a postmodern, that's okay. They don't need to be.

Friday's Frame

2006-08-11T12:34:00.000-05:00

The latest weapon of mass destruction...

I am blind, please help.

2006-08-09T19:48:00.000-05:00

There was a blind man sitting with a sign that read:

"I am blind, please help."

An advertising man was walking by and stopped. He saw that the blind man had only a few coins in his hat. He dropped in more coins and, without asking permission, took the sign and rewrote it. He returned the sign to the blind man and left.

That afternoon the ad man returned and noticed that the blind man's hat was full of bills and coins. The blind man recognized his footsteps and asked if it was he who had rewritten his sign and wanted to know what he had written on it.

The advertising man responded:

Nothing that was not true. I simply rewrote the message a little differently."

He smiled and then went on his way.

The new sign read: "Today is Spring and I cannot see it."

The things you can't see are the most important. They are the ideas.

That is copy from and ad for Academy of Art University

My first response was not, what great marketing or he must work for a large, successful ad firm. Rather, what do I miss? Whom do I miss? In some sense, I can be the one who is blind. Blind to those in need. Those in need, by the way, is everyone. Obviously, there are those with greater needs just like those who don't seem to need as much. But we miss them (needs) all the time in others.

What would your sign say?

Cohort Gathering

2006-08-07T10:44:00.000-05:00

Hello all, our next cohort gathering is scheduled for August 29 at Star Pizza (2111 Norfolk) in Houston. We will gather at 11:30 am for lunch, conversation and prayer. Looking forward to seeing you there.

Welcome Dallas/Ft.Worth Cohort

2006-08-04T17:09:00.000-05:00

DFW has a cohort going. Their site is now up. I've linked to them on the sidebar along with other Texas cohorts.

Also, green is the new black. If you haven't been by emergent village recently you should click over there. They've updated the site and have added some features. The blog mashup is a nice addition. It looks good on you EV!

Friday's Frame

2006-08-04T01:19:00.000-05:00

The Taft Street Coffee House.

Your Tribe

2006-07-31T12:23:00.000-05:00

We don't go into our different denominations too much here. I think that is good. I believe it is because we already realize we are from different backgrounds and our goal is not to win each other to 'our' side.

I'm gonna break with the just a bit, but for good reasons, I think.

I've grown up and still 'reside' in the Church of Christ tribe. Like any other denomination, there are good and bad things associated with our heritage. I stay, at least for now, because there are others like me in the CoC that don't want to leave 'immediate family' but would still like to encourage questions and conversations about all of the God stuff. Servants are needed everywhere.

One thing I embrace about our heritage is our affinity for a cappella music. In 'big church' we don't sing with any instrument, other than our voices. Yes, some in my group have held that up as the only way, the gold standard, but I have my issues, too. I love instrumental music, don't get me wrong, but a cappella music is in my DNA.

Anyway, all of that for this, last night several of us got together in one of our homes and sung some good old songs. Songs I remember singing as a kid. I loved it.

I realized Church of Christ folks aren't the only ones that do this, but it is something particular to us.

I started thinking about other folks and wondering what it is you do that might be more specific to your tribe's walk that you love.

What is it about your tradition that you love and embrace? We talk too much about what we don't like in our groups. What do you like? What is it in your gatherings that you really look forward to?

Friday's Frame

2006-07-28T00:57:00.000-05:00

"Why this? What does it mean?"

You tell me.

Friday's Frame

2006-07-21T00:10:00.000-05:00

This is what's left of the historic Bethel Baptist Church in Freedmen's Town. When slavery was finally abolished in USAmerica, it took two and a half years for that information to reach Galveston and eventually the rest of Texas.

Freed slaves settled on the edge of Houston in an area now just outside of downtown. It became known as Freedman's town and was Houston's Harlem, bustling with clubs and restaurants and more importantly to the residents, freed 'men'.

These former slaves built up the area. The tiny streets there, including this one, still have patches of the old brick that the original habitants placed so many years ago.

Throughout the years, as Houston grew and people moved further out, the area fell into decline. The city mostly ignored repairs to the area. Money and help mostly went to other neighborhoods. It became an area that attracted the homeless and dealers.

In the last five to ten years the property values have surged. Old shotgun houses were quickly torn down, folks were displaced as new townhomes came in.

Bethel Baptist Church, founded in 1896 by Rev. Jack Yates, moved eight years ago as their building deteriorated beyond use. Attempts were being made to raise funding for the restoration without much success. Last year a fire broke out and nearly destroyed the structure.

In the following days a bulldozer showed up to finish off what the fire couldn't, until folks quickly came to the rescue. Some suggested arson as a motive to replace the church building with a more tax generating structure.

The effort is under way to save the building and restore it. City inspectors say the four remaining walls are not safe.

It is sad what happened. How great it would be for it to be rebuilt. But, in the end, it is a building and not a church.

Acts 17:24 "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.

Really, Where Are The Christians?

2006-07-19T21:23:00.000-05:00

Have you heard about the war in the middle east? No, I'm being serious here. Apparently there is a war, battle, crisis, whatever they are calling it on the news, between Israel and Lebanon. Israel and everyone, for that matter.

You sure haven't heard much about it from Christian/emergent blogs, including this one.

Where are we on this? Why are we afraid of talking about this?

I know, let's talk about our next cohort meeting and the latest church planting book or debate using the word emerging over emergent and what we think is our identity.

I have never fought in a war. I don't want to. I love my many freedoms I have because I am a American. I did nothing to earn that except I was born at the right place at the right time. It's like the grace of God, but not near as good.

I appreciate those who have given their lives in war, including relatives of mine, so that I can sit in a Borders listening to my iPod and write whatever I want because someone sacrificed it all for me. And I mean all.

I hate that I have to qualify all of that to feel like I can now say something that might be perceived as negative.

I hate that it took Pat Buchanan asking me where I am to get me to write about this.

Did you see that yet? Check out the article.

Look, I know there are so many layers to this that it is difficult to get our collective head around it in 500 words or less.

I don't have any answers.

Is Israel justified in this? Is this retaliation the right thing to do?

At the risk of sounding like a bible banger I hesitate to throw this out there...but what would Jesus do? Seriously. We call ourselves Christians, that is, Christ-like. Are we serious about that? It is easy to profess, but hard to do. Would Christ go down this road?

What about that stuff about turning the other cheek? Being nice to your enemies? Yeah but this is different right?

If I walked out of the store and I saw a man holding a knife to a kid's throat I wouldn't just pray for the child's safety. I would want to do something about it. Then I would want to make sure the guy paid for what he did. A little retribution.

Take Israel's two kidnapped soldiers. This was the tipping point for unleashing an attack. If any of my kids were kidnapped, I would want everything possible done to get them back. If anything happened to them I would want that person to suffer horribly. I'm not proud of that. I just know myself.

See, we pretty much toss out all of Matthew chapter 5 when we come in contact with the world. Matt. 5 works great in a vacuum, like bible class/church.

So, what do we do?

Start talking. You don't need to have all or any of the answers.

If you are a pastor that drops by here from time to time, and I know there are a lot that do, then don't talk this Sunday about the amazing love and example of Jesus and the same time sweep all of this under the rug and ignore it.

Or how about praying. Try this..."God hear our prayer and end the fighting in the mid-east. End the violence. God, soften their hearts and keep them safe."

Over the 4th of July weekend, I heard a church leader proclaim his thankfulness for those willing to commit violence on our behalf. Part of me agrees and laments this statement at the same time.

Perhaps someone fighting in the war is thankful for those willing to pray for them on their behalf.

I don't know.

Start somewhere. Start now.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

I want a mohawk ...

2006-07-17T12:01:00.000-05:00

Ok, I have always chuckled at people who care deeply about fashion or body modification or anything like that. I just did not have anything worth saying. For me cloths were all about function, ease of use, and ease of care. This week that changed, I am not sure what I want ... what to do ... or how to do it ... but the call to publicly declair my opposition to the dominant systems is something I can't get past.

These are the thoughts I wrote at a mission trip / work camp last week

================================================

I want a piercing ... or a mohawk ... or really long hair ... I want to do something visible, concrete, and in your face to declare my rejection of Christendom. Something that makes baby bombing parents worried I am going to corrupt their kids ... because to be really honest I do. I want to corrupt their self-obsessed, ego-centric pursuit of feeling good by serving others. I am sick of it. I am sick of just preaching get happy sermons. I am tired of treating the devil only as the source of anything not fun in your life while ignoring the face of the devil when you shake the hand of a Wal-Mart greeter. I am tired of fixing someones home year after year, I want to be fixing the things that cause poverty or at least be working in my own life each week to help reduce it in my neighborhood. I am tired of empty promises ... just get right with God and you will have complete peace. Just get right with God and you will have your miracle or your victory ... just get right with God and you will be happy. All of these are not promises from God they are sales pitches ... marketing slogans ... buy tag body spray get women ... buy our church(Jesus) and get peace. No! A clear reading of the life of the saints, or the life of the disciples, of the life of Jesus is that they were often confused, lonely, frustrated, tired, in periods of dark and desperation, The way of the cross is not about happiness, religious experience, feeling high or good, none of that BS. The way of the cross is about changing things. It is a pronouncement of a new order, and new way of living, a new king and authority, new systems, new cultures.

I was told tonight that our camp leaders were philosophically opposed to doing something that might disturb people in worship. No offense to our leaders, who I really believe love their Jesus and want to be a blessing to others; but if you are not willing to disturb people in worship, you have gutted half the bible and abandoned your willingness to be a prophetic voice. If your central message to a room full of Christians on a mission trip is: you need to be saved ... you have lost your chance to speak like Elijah. Ezekiel, Jeremiah, James, or Paul, or Jesus. Do you think the church or Corinth, Ephesus, or Thesollanica enjoyed reading Paul's letters? Or did it disturb some of them? This is one area where I miss the courage of preachers in the Black tradition. There is a willingness to challenge and confront.

Perhaps Dreads are the answer ... I just want way to announce I am getting out of this corrupt generation ... to convey that I am not like that ... and I want to get into a community so I can live my life with that same conviction.

So any ideas or suggestions on what to do, or how to do it?

Time To Emerge

2006-07-17T10:00:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking of trying out a little experiment. You can do it to. It is rather easy.

The next time you take a trip, go away on vacation, or have a holiday...after you come back, get together with some friends and tell them about it. Except, just before you start to tell them your stories, hand them a piece of paper for them to take notes. Just remember to leave blanks at the appropriate places of your three points. Also, you may want to leave a little bit extra space for any thoughts your listeners come up with on their own. Don't forget to put a date on it, either.

Be clear to repeat you key words at the right time with emphasis. This will add to your story and truly make the listener feel as if they were there with you.

Don't let them interrupt or make any response (head nodding is okay) until the very end. (And only, only after you have requested them to do so.) Something like, "Meet me at the other side of the room and whisper or write down how the words affected you and I'll share them with everyone."

Crazy, huh?

That's what they would think. Hopefully you would, too.

The greatest story, the most incredible adventure ever told is relegated to this every Sunday morning.

How did the point of worship become a 30-45 minute lecture? Why did we buy into this? It is time to emerge!

I know, you might agree but add, how can 1000 people sit around and tell stories? I don't know. Maybe they can't. Maybe bigger isn't the point.

The point I'm trying to make, don't confuse the lecture/sermon as worship.

Jesus didn't list points. If anything, he just answered questions with more questions. Yes, he taught. He made declarative statements. However, it was more of a...well, a conversation.

Friday's Frame

2006-07-14T00:07:00.000-05:00

You speak of signs and wonders
I need something other
I would believe if I was able
But I’m waiting on the crumbs from your table

From U2's, Crumbs From Your Table.

Today's picture (click on for larger image) is of End Hunger Network's new headquarters off 1-45 near downtown. The building is brand new and jumps out of the landscape. It grabs your attention just like the idea that there are hungry people in this city.

Hunger seems like something that only happens a world away. But 800,000+ (men, women, children, and elderly) in the Houston area will go without food at some point during the year. Doesn't that seem amazing?

Their website offers several ways to help out if you are interested.

*Photoshop disclosure* They are still landscaping the grounds and I added the grass on the hill. I took the liberty after seeing the artist rendering on their website.

Unplayed Piano

2006-07-12T17:51:00.000-05:00

Please use your liberty to help promote ours.

That quote is attributed to Aung San Suu Kyi. Last week, as we in USAmerica celebrated the anniversary of our freedom, she continued to be denied hers. This is not to make any of us feel guilty for ours, but to motivate ourselves that we must promote liberty for others.

She has been under house arrest off and on for the last 17 years. Her dad negotiated independence for Burma from the U.K. in 1947. With a degree from Oxford, she worked for the United Nations. She returned to Myanmar to care for her ailing mother. The country experienced political/military upheaval.

A student of Ghandhi's non-violence ideas, she entered politics to help bring freedom to her people. She was first place under house arrest in 1989 and was offered freedom if she left the country. She refused.

After winning the Nobel Peace Prize years later, she used the 1.3 million prize money to establish a health and education trust for the Burmese people.

She has been under house arrest off an on during this time. The term was set to expire May 27, 2006, but the Burmese government extended it for another year. There have been reports that she was hospitalized on June 9 of this year for severe diarrhea and weakness. She turned 61 ten days later.

More quotes from her...

It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it.

The only real prison is fear, and the only real freedom is freedom from fear.

I think by now I have made it fairly clear that I am not very happy with the word "hope." I don't believe in people just hoping. We work for what we want. I always say that one has no right to hope without endeavor...

So what can we do?

Pray. Talk about it. Use your liberty to promote hers.

And go here for more information and how you can help.

Several years ago U2 wrote a song, Walk On, about her.

Recently, Damien Rice released a beautiful single with the proceeds going to the Burma Campaign. You can find the song at iTunes. They also have a different video. (Performance mixed with video of Aung San Suu Kyi.)

Is Christ Divided?

2006-07-10T12:40:00.000-05:00

Call emergent what you want, and it does have its' share of critics, (including myself sometimes) but I haven't seen anything else out there that bring folks from so many different denominations together.

Whether you are Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, Baptist, or on and on, that is not what is important to those of us in the conversation. Yeah, we each have our own thing that we are hung up on. We all have our preferences. So what?

I love to give MY translation of the bible and different verses in it. (Remember, you get what you pay for.)

1 Corinthians 1:11-13

My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow the Baptist"; another, "I follow Methodist"; another, "I follow Presbyterian"; still another, "I follow Christ."

Is Christ divided? Were the Baptist crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Lutheranism?

Of course, that's not how it goes. Yes, I know that isn't exactly what Paul meant. Here is the real one. Can I stretch it to that? I just did.

I hate to admit, but growing up, I bought into the idea that "everyone else is going to hell" except us. I confess my ignorance.

We have so much to learn from each other. Emergent is the classroom that brings us together. (Yes, Christ is the main reason, but we were all for Christ before and not doing much talking to each other until now.)

Don't buy into Emergent for the sake of buying into something.

Embrace it because it helps us to embrace each other and Christ at the same time.

"Everything is Sold Out" Tour

2006-07-10T11:02:00.000-05:00

Rob Bell is traveling around the country with his Everything is Spiritual tour. He makes his way to Houston on Wednesday, July 12.

If you don't already have tickets then you may not be able to make it. They are officially sold out, but the website says some may be available on day of show.

I'm not going but would like to. If anyone is going, please come back by here and let us know how it went.

The funny thing is he will be 'playing' at Numbers. It is not that odd, but Numbers is not the first place I think of when someone says a show about Jesus. Which makes it even better to have it there. It really is a good fit.

Who in this town hasn't been to Numbers? Clubs come and go, but they have been around for 28 years! I still remember the first show that I went to. I almost hate to admit it, but it was the Thompson Twins, 1984. What about you? Remember any of these?

If you are up for a road trip, Dallas still has tickets available for the following night.

Update: NYT review and from Gina who went to the Sacramento show.

Friday's Frame

2006-07-06T22:23:00.000-05:00

Photo Phriday is a big thing out there in blogland. You know, on Friday, folks break out a photo they have created and post it. Sometimes there is a story behind it, other times maybe not.

Being a photographer I love the idea. I'm gonna try it for a bit. I'll share some pictures of mine. Feel free to comment on them. If one reminds you of something completely different, throw it out there.

Except Photo Phriday is over-used, so I'm going with Friday's Frame.

With all the talk around here about the Spirit the last few days, I think I was quick to 'see' something that I normally wouldn't.

Do You Believe in Ghosts?

2006-07-03T11:34:00.000-05:00

I think I was born in a church. My parents tell me it was a hospital in downtown Houston, but I think otherwise. I say this because of the frequency that I was in a church building during my childhood.

I'm talking at least three times a week. Throw in pot-lucks, gospel meetings, VBS, and youth meetings and the church building was my home away from home. I'm grateful for this, don't misunderstand me.

My tradition isn't very charismatic to begin with, so it all became a familiar ritual early on.

I remember as a kid the arguments when the NIV was introduced. The King James was still "king" around these parts. The language appealed to me in a Shakespearian sort of way (even to this day I say, "verily, verily"), but I liked knowing what I was reading so I preferred the NIV.

What I miss is how I thought of the Holy Spirit. He was renamed, or better translated, in the NIV. The King James is different. Remember the Holy Ghost? Finally, some mystery to something that had become so concrete.

Every bible school teacher I had could tell me how to prove the existence of God and show the Bible verses to back it up. It was a formula for faith. It all fit. But the Holy Ghost didn't really fit. It was exciting when this unknown "thing" would make an appearance in all that is known. I would hear from the pastor, "God, blah, blah, blah and the Holy Ghost."

I would perk up. What? Ghost? What is this Ghost all about?

What was even more amazing to me was when I found out this Ghost got Mary pregnant!

No one had much of an answer for me. I should say, no one would really try to answer it for me. They didn't know either. I wanted to know. I love ghost stories!

I've been thinking what Daniel wrote about the Supernatural and I thought of the Holy Ghost again. I wondered once more, what is this Ghost all about and what has he been doing all this time? Have I lost the mystery, the supernatural of this Ghost, this Spirit?

Would I believe in God if I didn't have a Bible? Would I believe if I never heard all those stories? Would you?

We probably don't hear, "In the the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Bible." but it has become our mantra.

Has the Holy Bible replaced the Holy Spirit in your life. My answer would mostly be yes. I mean, if you want to know God's will, don't you just look it up in the answer book, uhh, Bible?

I know it seems hard to imagine? You think, every thing you know about God is because you've read or heard about it in the Bible.

But is that true?

The Supernatural

2006-06-29T17:27:00.000-05:00

I'm spending the summer in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I made an extended camping trip on the way to Santa Fe and also visited Sedona, Arizona.

Both Sedona and Santa Fe are meccas for a whole crowd of alternative types. Crystal readers, psychics, and many expressions of the occult are so present in these towns. In Sedona, people believe that the mountains are aligned with certain powers which align into several vortexes that hold healing and supernatual properties.

I met a woman yesterday here in Santa Fe yesterday who wore a black crystal around her neck. I'm new to this whole phenomenon, so I asked her what it was all about. She told me how crystals have changed her life and affect so many aspects of her health and well-being. I listened really carefully, hoping to seek a better understanding of this thing that has captured the minds of so many.

A friend of mine in Houston recently had her first experience with Theophostic Prayer. She was raised with a background of New Age and recently came to know Christ. Her first reaction to Theophostic was, "It was like New Age, only with Jesus thrown in." I responded, "Maybe New Age is like Christianity, only without Jesus."

I'm coming to realize that the Spirit is present in so many things. So many people seek to understand God through "supernatural" means like New Age, psychics, crystals, Zen, acupunture, or whatever. In truth, they are seeking what the Church has been lacking for decades: a sense of mystery, wonder, and spiritual power. We believe that God is all-powerful; we know that God works miracles; we even believe in a Holy SPIRIT. However, we seem to have lost the supernatural truths given to us through our Father.

---------------
This is the first time I've posted here, so I thought I would just say "hello!" and introduce myself. I've lived in Houston for 4 years and I work primarily as a musician. I also work for Emmaus Ministries, an organization dedicated to helping men involved in prostitution. And here is My Blog.

Lawn Theory or: How I learned to stop hurrying and "love thy neighbor."

2006-06-26T00:19:00.000-05:00

One of the first things I learned in graduate school is there is a theory for everything. Everything. Now, I contend, not everything needs a theory. Some things, sure. Relativity, most definitely. Every day common occurrences, no.

It made me giggle when I discovered this and professors don't like it when you giggle.

For instance, there is one called Expectancy Violation Theory.

Basically, we expect certain things when we talk and interact with other people. It assumes a sort of universal truth. If you are introduced to someone at a party and you stick out you hand to shake theirs, you expect them to reach for yours and shake with you. You do not expect them to take your hand and lick it.

If they do lick it or don't shake your hand, they have violated your expectations.

I learned all of this growing up.

But, I first learned what it was called from watching Seinfeld...The Close Talker. Remember? There was a boyfriend of Elaine that would stand way too close to people as he spoke with them. That was expectancy violation theory at its best.

Well, I would like to submit a new theory. This one is called Lawn Theory.

In the tropics of Houston, grass grows all the time. Well, except for two or three months out of the year, but even then it is threatening to grow. Summertime requires weekly mowing, especially in suburbia where the home-owners association police patrol daily.

I cut my own grass. I like doing it. I like the smell of it and so many other things about it. Many of my neighbors hire folks to do the trimming, but we don't.

I like to cut mine short enough to putt on it. Think of the 18th green at Augusta.

Even before I cut mine, it usually is shorter than my neighbor's lawn. My neighbor is a single mom of three kids. She would cut her grass and many times I couldn't tell much of a difference. I would think to myself, you should adjust you mower. It is too high.

At one point it was getting really tall. The sidewalk had not been trimmed. There were patches of blades so thick that you could lose a softball in. After cutting my grass I kept thinking, she really needs to cut it. When is she going to do it?

All week I kept waiting for the sounds of a struggling mower outside my window. I would come home in the evening and nothing changed.

Finally it was time for me to cut mine again. In the summer here, it is best to wait until the "cool" of the evening. I finished as the sun was setting.

I looked over at this increasing jungle and finally a veil was lifted from my heart. Something must be going on. What is she dealing with? Life must be harder than normal. What is wrong with me? Start cutting her grass. I did.

It was hard work. I had to raise the mower a couple of times just so it wouldn't die.

It was getting dark and I could barely see as I was finishing up. She drove up, got out of her car and was crying. She couldn't talk at first.

Her first words were, "I'm so embarrassed."

"Don't be. Please. I'm embarrassed for not helping sooner." I said.

"Thank you. Thank you, so much!" she said with tears coming down her face.

I won't go into all the things that had piled on her in the past month, but it was tremendous. I kept thinking, I didn't know. Why didn't I know?

I quickly confess my ignorance to the hurting of another and made it worse by questioning what I thought she should have been doing. Throw in pride and I was a pretty bad example of Christ.

Later I realized Lawn Theory. When things are going bad, despite the best efforts to cover it up, it can sometimes be seen in our yards. If the yard is looking bad, life is getting hard to keep up with. In short, tall grass...tall troubles.

If someone says everything is fine, take a look at their yard. It's just a theory.

Give 'till it Hurts

2006-06-21T13:22:00.000-05:00

I'll come clean, other than marriage, I'm not much of an institutional guy. That won't surprise too many who know me. Actually, those who know me would probably say I belong in an institution. But that is another story.

I'm not on staff at any church. I never have been. I don't have any problem with churches having staff. I attend a large congregation, 1000+ members if you asked the pastor. (Which means it is more like 700-750.) We have a nice, new building and some fantastic resources. I realize that all has to be paid for and that comes from the contribution given by the congregation. Our church also does some fantastic mission and benevolence work. I'm for that too.

What I have a problem with is how we (churches in general) view giving. When someone mentions giving it nearly always refers to money. When you hear "We need to increase our giving," that means shell out more dough.

My tradition takes communion weekly. The contribution is always taken just after it. Again, I don't have a problem with giving to the institution. I just feel funny about passing a plate around and associating that with giving. I know, it is a convenient time to collect money and an easy way to get it.

There is also the guilt factor that goes with it. The plate coming down the aisle and you sit there wondering who is watching, seeing who doesn't put something in. I know I'm not alone on this one! And the funny thing is we precede it with the verse of how God loves a cheerful giver! I keep thinking, I wonder if he loves a guilty one? I can't seem to locate that verse.

Some would say you are not giving to an institution, you are giving to God.

In our culture (and many others) money is power.

I heard of a pastor stating that if all of the congregation would just give a tithe (10%) of their income, they could do so many wonderful things. I have a problem with that.

I have a problem with that unless in the same breath you mention if only folks would tithe (or give 10%) of their time during the week.

What is there, 168 hours in a week? 10% would be 16.8 hours or two full work days. Let's start at something easier, 5% of 168 is just over 8 hours. What if everyone gave, dedicated themselves, to 8 hours a week serving others, whether it was at the church building or out there. What about taking food to shut-ins, visiting the sick, helping someone out, going to visit the jails, hospitals, homeless not just telling folks about Jesus, but showing that love...just serving. Talk about making a difference!

What would that church look like? What would the world look like?

Now imagine coming together on Sunday (or whenever) for worship time. And after communion they said, we are going to pass around the collection plate and we want you to fill out a questionnaire and put it in so we can see how many folks you told about Jesus this week. Did you reach the number you 'purposed' at the end of last year? Are you taking your telling others about Jesus to the next level? We just want to know and encourage you to give more. We will track it over the year and compare it with years previous. We will break down giving by families and so on. We need to increase our giving.

"Remember," they would say, "God loves a cheerful giver."

McLaren the Pathfinder

2006-06-07T23:31:00.000-05:00

This past Friday night, the Houston cohort got together and was treated with Brian McLaren as our guest. He was in town attending the Gathering of the Diocese and was kind enough to take time to speak and answer some questions. We gathered at 2115 Taft Street, home to Ecclesia.

Nelda and Wendy already wrote about the evening. About the only thing I can add are photos! Sorry it took so long.

Brian McLaren said many things that really hit me. He said things that inspired me, convicted me, and left me questioning my ideas. These are things that I'm still chewing on and no doubt will begin to surface here in the weeks and months to come.

But what I keep coming back to is his storytelling. He tells better stories.

Remember Nissan's campaign of "Tell Better Stories" for the Pathfinder? The commercials had some folks asking another couple what they did last weekend or whatever and they just went on and on about this incredible adventure. Their Pathfinder was able to take them somewhere that wouldn't have been possible otherwise.

Steve Portigal wrote about the campaign...

The product itself will let you tell better stories because the product is an experience, an experience that can be shared.

Brian is great at sharing experiences. He was telling stories about his recent travels around the world. Stories about new faith and renewed faith and, sadly, lack of faith. I kept thinking, "One more. Just tell me one more story."

People love a good story. I know I do. We've got to be better storytellers. We've got to tell better stories.

Stories like Jesus did.

"You wandered off? We miss ya and we're coming to get you and take care of ya and we want you to come home." Or, "I don't care what you were caught in the middle of, I'm not condemning you or tossing a stone your way."

Leave the lectures for someplace else. Tell me a story instead.

2006-06-04T22:06:00.000-05:00

Hey there...I'm Nelda Haney and I guess I should tell you a little about myself. Currently I teach elementary art and host a young adult discussion group at my home on Tuesday evenings. My husband Randy and I began the Harbour in Baytown about 4 years ago. You can check out that at www.theharbourbaytown.com. I have worked with young adults for about 20 years now. I also have mentored home educators over the years (I finished with my two children last year), and I have taught in various areas of special education in the public school system. I added my certification in art this year....that's all good, but I guess it was my two and a half years of graduate research in Christ's teachings and comparing Christian character curricula to what Christ taught that really made me analyse and look at what we were doing in main stream Christianity. Suddenly my eyes were opened and I have been on the most interesting journey ever since.
I so value the individuals that are in this conversation and are willing to ask the tough questions. Listening to Brian McLaren speak the other night about the opposition and hate that is often pointed his way struck home with me. We have also been in the news in that area and have received negative press...not any where near the level he has...but none the less, I have once again had to go through a healing process. You are valuable...if you are reading this, join the discussion...your words need to be heard.
I want to thank Wendy Bailey...what a sister she has become to me. Let's enjoy this road as Christ continues to reveal to us how to become part of the world around us and be His hands and feet.
Well...that's just a little about me. Thanks for the invite Bart...
n

An introduction and a few thoughts on last night

2006-06-03T15:59:00.000-05:00

Hi ... I've met a few of you already. I'm Wendy Bailey and I work on the judicatory level of the Presbyterian Church USA. I am responsible for Evangelism, Congregational Transformation and New Church Development throughout southeast Texas. I have been ordained since 1987 and I've served churches in Baytown, Michigan, and Ohio. In addition to that, I have been involved in an emergent church plant in the Baytown area, Faith Harbour, which has had a difficult but very interesting few years. My best memory from Faith Harbour was when they baptized two young adults in our pool, as we watched and prayed from the patio and the hot tub. (BTW that's also a prelude to an invitation sometime for an afternoon or evening around the pool.)

What else to say about me? Well, I'm married to Dwayne, and mother of Katie who is a recent HS graduate. You can read more about me on my website and blog.

I really enjoyed our time together last night. I love hearing Brian's stories of the Holy Spirit at work all over the world. I find it interesting that groups of like minded people are finding each other simultaneously in many different circles. That definitely says that God is up to something good.

There are a couple of things Brian said that made me really stop to think ... and that I'd like to keep discussing ...

1) Because I am so involved in transformational ministry the quote "new churches innovate and established churches immitate" has left me thinking. What do you all think about that? Is it true in your experience? If so, what kinds of things could a judicatory like mine do to help both the innovation and the immitation?

2) The other thing that touched me, personally, was the call for more progressive Christians to speak out on the justice issues facing us and our nation and world. Yes! I agree wholeheartedly. I have already taken a few bullets because of my unpopular opinions which are fully grounded in both Christ and the scripture as I understand it. It can be both risky and terrifying to speak up ... even when it's just among friends or at work ... let alone to take a public stand. But I agree that we have to encourage other Christian voices to be heard. Any ideas of how we might help that happen at least in the greater Houston area?

Tonight with McLaren

2006-06-02T14:01:00.000-05:00

David Cady and I just finished setting up chairs for the gathering tonight at Taft Street featuring Brian McLaren. So, your seat is ready and waiting for you!

Don't know anyone going? Don't let that stop you. When you show up, just start asking folks, "Are you Bart?" If they say no, then just say, "Oh, sorry. I'm ........." and then you can talk about what is their favorite coffee drink there or whatever and you will know someone. If it is me then you will know me and I'll chat with you. It may sound silly but don't let not knowing anyone keep you from going.

See you there.

McLaren Cohort Gathering

2006-05-24T14:19:00.000-05:00

Everything--well, nearly everything--is set for Brian McLaren's visit with the Houston cohort. We will gather, June 2 at 7:00pm at Taft Street Coffee House. Brian will be sharing thoughts on the church, Emergent and what is happening globally with Emergent.

In addition, there will be a brief book-signing for The Secret Message of Jesus after the cohort gathering.

We will be gathering downstairs in the art gallery/venue. There's plenty of room, so come on and bring a friend or two. There is no charge!

See ya there.

--Sean

McLaren On Your Computer

2006-05-23T15:52:00.000-05:00

The folks at Trinity Church in NYC asked us to pass along an upcoming webcast. On Thursday (the 25th) they will have a discussion which will include Brian McLaren, Alan Jones and Diana Butler Bass.

Other than what the website says, I really don't know much about it.

Now, if only they would webcast their Picnic and Hip-Hop Mass!

Brian McLaren Info

2006-05-22T23:04:00.000-05:00

Details are still being worked out for Brian McLaren's visit. Time and other info will be passed along soon.

It is open to everyone. Please come and bring someone!

From his book, A New Kind of Christian,

I would say to stop counting conversions, because our whole approach to conversions is so, I don't know, mechanistic and consumeristic and individualistic and controlling. Instead, I'd encourage us to count conversations, because conversation implies a real relationship, and if we make our goal to establish relationships and engage in authentic conversations, I know that conversions will happen. But if we keep trying to convert people, we'll simply drive them away. They're sick of our sales pitches and our formulas.

Does anyone else's church have a running total of baptisms/new members for the year?

Invitation

2006-05-15T12:19:00.000-05:00

If you are one who drops by here from time to time and would like to join the conversation, this is an open invitation. If you want to originate a post, then send me an email (me@bartroberts.com) and we will add you to the list.

You can post as often or little as you would like. You don't have to be an expert in anything.

Don't forget, Brian McLaren - June 2nd.

Cohort Meeting with Brian McLaren

2006-05-12T10:54:00.000-05:00

SAVE THE DATE! Our next cohort meeting will be at Ecclesia on Friday, June 2, with special guest, Brain McLaren. The time is yet to be determined, but Brian will share some of his thoughts on the emerging church and spend a good bit of time in conversation. At the end we will have a brief...a very brief...book signing for "The Secret Message of Jesus."

I need some help putting the evening together, so shoot me an email (see link to the right), if you think you can help out.

Sean

I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!

2006-05-10T00:01:00.000-05:00

Faith is not an easy thing.

Yeah, I know folks who seem to never have any problems in the area of faith. For them it is easy to say, "God said it, I believe it, and that settles that."

Not me.

I mean, I believe but I don't. Recently, it has been hard to believe.

Mark 9:14-29 is troubling and soothing at the same time. A father brings his son to Jesus for healing. The boy has an evil spirit in him. The spirit causes the boy to have what sounds like an epileptic having seizures. Except added to that the boy cannot speak because of the spirit. The disciples have already tried to drive it out but are not successful.

So the father tells Jesus, "..if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us."

Jesus says, "Everything is possible for him who believes."

The father responds, "I do believe: help me overcome my unbelief!"

Jesus then drives the spirit out.

The story is soothing to me because at my core I believe. Deep down there, wherever that is, I believe in God. But sometimes, many times, I don't. Something gets a hold of me and that certainty slips from me.

And that doubt, it usually starts so small I barely notice it. Before long it has snowballed into something big.

The story troubles me because of the evil spirit thing. I mean, does anyone else have a hard time believing in evil spirits? No? Just me?

I know some commentators say yes, it really was an evil spirit. Others say no, that was their limited understanding of epilepsy. And why couldn't the disciples make a dent? I don't know.

I read it. I believe it. I just need help with my unbelief.

I think faith, by definition, can never be 100%. I can never have total faith in God and this story without some doubt. It requires belief and unbelief at the same time. I don't really like that. I want to know it and prove it and check it off my list.

So what is the answer?

The end of that story has Jesus explaining why the disciples weren't effective.

Jesus tells them, "This kind can come out only by prayer."

My cynical nature responds with, "Yeah, right!" But then I think, what if there is something to that? Is that where the real power is? Can prayer do anything? Can it drive out my evil spirit of unbelief?

I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!

Last Gathering

2006-04-27T09:39:00.000-05:00

I missed the last gathering. I really wanted to make it there.

How did it go?

If you went, please post your thoughts. I'd love to hear about it.

Quick Reminder

2006-04-17T10:50:00.000-05:00

This Wednesday, April 19, we have a cohort gathering at 11:30 am at Taft Street Coffee House (2115 Taft, Houston). If you'd like to eat, grab lunch on your way, drinks are available at the coffee shop, of course. Chris Seay, founder and pastor of Ecclesia will be sharing the story of Ecclesia and what they envision for the future. We should be done NO LATER than 1:00 pm. See Ya There

He Is Coming ...

2006-03-30T18:57:00.000-06:00

So Brian McLaren updated his schedule. It looks like he is coming to Houston - June 1st-3rd. What do you think about trying to get some formal groups together and perhaps we will have enough of a group to host some kind of dinner or evening with the big Mc himself. Any ideas?

Are You Hopeful?

2006-03-23T05:19:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I engaged in an interesting discussion about women who are single and use sperm donation to become mothers. You can read some of the discussion on Po Bronson's blog. Po wrote a fascinating book called Why Do I Love These People. The book chronicles the challenges and triumphs of all things family.

In the middle of the debate, it occured to me that my worldview was kinda bleak. This idea bothered me when I went to bed last night. It was with me like the film on my teeth this morning. I brushed. It did not go away.

I am training myself to note when I have a overly emotional reactions. I have a habit of brooding over ideas for days often getting really angry. I used to own cat that helped me realize when I was in a funk. He would mock me for them. He would sit and stare at me. I knew in his little kitty soul he was questioning me. Okay, so maybe it was normal cat behavior!

Now that I do not have a cat, I try to examine myself when the mood hits. I usually find that the reason I am so annoyed is that there is some truth that I am missing.
So goes with the discussion of sperm donors.

I was angry at the women that would so easily toss a man out of the equation. I even posted about it on the blog and in so doing found myself writing about the evils of living in "our culture."

I know that it is proper Bibleez to speak of everyone not in our assembly as the "the world." Words have meaning. When we (followers of Christ) speak of others (non-followers) with this type language, it alienates us.

I am a sinner.
The downtown drunk is a sinner.
The church elder is a sinner.
The stripper is a sinner.
The happily married couple are sinners.

There isn't a me and a them. God loves us the same. We each have fallen short and it is only by his Grace that we can redeemed.

Okay, so having grace should fundamentally change the way I view people. I should have MORE compassion, not less. I should be MORE hopeful, not less. Isn't there a reason why they call it the Good News?

In this debate about women and sperm donors, I have not been the hopeful one. Where others saw promise for the mothers; I felt scorn.I should be full of hope for these mothers even if they choose to have children without husbands.

There is nothing more transforming than to have and raise a child. Parenthood can be the gateway for greater faith. Being a mom has helped me grasp forgiveness in a new way. My 2 year old recently tore the ALT key off my new laptop. Before being a mom, if a child had done that to my laptop, I would be writing you from a cell near Andrea Yates.

Being a mother has taught me to respect the soul of another human being. How many times have I been angry and spoken to my son with a not-too-nice voice? In that moment I see his broken spirit in his eyes and the quiver of his lip. It's those times that I fully understand my ability to mold a human being. It is humbling.

We are called to be the city on the hill. Our city should be Disneyland. It should be Disneyland, minus the long lines and $8 hamburgers. Our light that shines is one of joy, hope, and a confidence that YAWEH is in control.

A Place of Refuge

2006-03-10T11:53:00.000-06:00

I am writing from Texas Children's Hospital where I am spending the morning with my oldest daughter. She was due for a round of tests. Nothing traumatic really when compared to what some of the people are dealing with that are roaming these halls.

Our first stop was the waiting room where I immediately cozied up to the television. I don't know why but tv is always more interesting in waiting rooms and airports. There are plenty of other things to do. I brought a book and crayons and my laptop. Eavesdropping happens to be my favorite pasttime but somehow nothing could take my attention from the morning show.

A story was airing about Dana Reeves. In case you missed it, Dana Reeves is the wife of Christopher Reeves. She died the other day from lung cancer. The story was about their incredible love. She was devoted to him throughout all of his illness and completely loved him despite his diminished capabilities.

Its an amazing story. It would be so easy to take another path when you partner is completely changed. It made me wonder if her story is the exception or the rule. I know that when a child dies, frequently the marriage ends as well. But is that true for the illness of a spouse?

My neighbors are in this cycle. He has battled prostate cancer. They have traveled the country seeking the best care. They even lived in a motor home in Atlanta while he sought treatment. Amazing really.

We had a few minutes between tests and we decided to visit the Children's Chapel. As we stepped inside, I was immediately overwhelmed by the architectual details. At the front of the chapel was a skylight. Light poured down cascading over a waterlike backdrop of glass. The skylight represents God's light, love and blessings.

The ceiling was full of cascading lights reminiscent of something you might see in a planetarium. The lights were constantly changing. They were shooting meteoritete type lights that would come alive with brightness followed by a gentle fading. It would go dark for a brief moment then the cycle would repeat.

Despite being awestruck, I managed to get us seated directly behind two praying women. don't know what brought them to the hospital but I am certain it was not a battery of innocent tests like those that had brought my daughter and I there. One woman in a peach tee-shirt was pleading with God. I could not hear everything she said but my heart ached with her as I heard her say, You are the Resurrection. You are the Resurrection.

Feeling somewhat out of place, we got up to leave when I saw the Tree of Hope. The tree was a place where visitors could write their prayers and place them on the tree. I couldn't help myself from reading them. One read like this:

It's me, God
The doctors gave up on him last night.
Heal his lungs.
Make him a miracle

I wonder what happened to the 13mth old with cancer or the 14mth old that "was too young to be here." I felt a mixture of helplessness and gratitude for having been spared the pain of illness so far in my life. Would I have the strength and dignity of Dana Reeves or the faith of these praying women?

I pray God's blessings on all of those children. I pray for peace for the parents. I pray for healing. I pray for the medical bills to be paid. I thank you God for four healthy children. Be with these families that face unbelievable challenges. I hope somehow they find you and the peace that passes all understanding.

Putting Women in Their Place

2006-02-27T12:51:00.000-06:00

I came to a truce with God on Sunday.

It was elder ordination Sunday, the day that my rather conservative church body chose to introduce two newly appointed elders. The gang of ten are respectable men and looked the part in their blue and grey suits and ties. As I sat silently in my pew with my head covered, I couldn't help but wonder about their wives of these men appointed to be servants.

I don't mean to be disrepectful of the men. I do not know any of them. You could not even call them acquaintances of mine either, by no fault of either parties, unless you consider apathy a sin. We share only a passing recognition of each other. Our relationship does not extend past the experience of occupying the same legal property lines at least once a week. It is not unlike the relationship I have with fellow movie-goers.

As I am introduced to these men, their wives are what remain in my mind. Are they the Marthas or the Marys. I wonder about their marriages. Have they always been happily married? Did they ever struggle with their roles? How have they learned to be submissive?

We were told when Bill Clinton was elected that we got two leaders for the price of one. Regardless of your political stripes, these seems a plausible idea. When we ordain, whatever that means, leaders for the church are we not also elevating their wives? Or are we assuming that these submissive and silent wives have no influence on the ideas of their husbands?

I finally came to a truce with God. He agreed to continue to love me and I agreed to continue to seek answers to my questions about the role of women in faith communities.

I wanted to let you know about a conference on this topic. I don't know much about the main sponsoring organization other than what I have read on their site which you can access here.

Putting Women in Their Place: The Role of Women in Faith Communitites
11:30-3:00
March 8, 2006
Houston Room
University Center
University of Houston

Hope to see you there! Please email me if you would like the flyer of the event.

Broke Mac Mountain

2006-02-04T00:27:00.000-06:00

I think even non-Mac users can appreciate this.

Prayer - Just My Imagination

2006-01-30T20:17:00.000-06:00

Last week I was writing about my prayer life and how it wasn't flowing very well. It has been a bit better, but not great.

I read this post by Justin Baeder with his struggles on prayer. He talks about how he views prayer and I've been thinking of mine.

Early last year I read a book called, Seeing is Believing by Gregory A. Boyd. It is about prayer and how to turn it from an obligation into something you are passionate about. It turned me around and got me on track. Like I do with Jesus many times, when I'm feeling good (on top of the world) I start to rely more on myself and I left some of those suggestions from the book behind.

How do you imagine your prayers? Not, how do you say them? Not, how do you structure them? How do you imagine them?

Is it your voice in your head just going on to fill up the quiet? Your spiritual laundry list?

God, thank you for this and that and that other thing....

Or do you pray Hebrews 4:16:

Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

You say, that isn't really a prayer. I read it and it didn't really feel like a prayer. What has changed?

Stop. Wherever you are in your walk. No matter how bad you think you've messed up.

Close your eyes. (After you read this!) Think of a huge palace. Huge. Ornate. Subjects everywhere dressed to a 't'. Maybe some 'court' music is playing softly. Marble floors inlaid with pure gold and diamonds. At the center of the great room is the most amazing chair you have ever seen or could imagine seeing. It is the throne of grace.

You come in. Wrong clothes. No shoes. Wrong look. Wrong everything. It doesn't matter. Everyone notices and stands aside as you boldly walk up and approach the throne of grace. You know you are in the right place and going the right direction. You know once you make it to the throne, you know mercy and grace will be waiting for you at a time you so desperately need it.

That is the Hebrews 4:16 prayer and that is where I am trying to get back to.

The Brand Gap - Part 2 - No Stock Christians

2006-01-26T20:49:00.000-06:00

Roy's response to the last post got me thinking about 'stock Christians.' You know, stock photos of folks, good looking or full of character, used on mail-outs or other material promoting a church they (the stock people) have never been to, let alone heard of.

This is just the humble advice of one guy in Pearland, but, don't do it. Turn away from the dark side.

I'm not saying don't ever use stock photos of people. Just don't try and pass them off as your faithful members.

The other day I was driving here in P-land and I saw a new sign for a church. My first thought was, that looks cool. I didn't know that church was there. Those folks on the billboard look like they would be neat to hang out with. I would like to get to know them. I...oh. They aren't real people. Well, they are real people, but they aren't really at that church. It makes me wonder what else are they trying to pass off.

I attend a big church that does this. They put folks on our bulletin and it drives me crazy. I don't really understand why the bulletin, either. The sad thing is, at first they were all stock photos of white folks. At least they changed that.

Yes, these photos are usually high quality. They look slick. They are people you would like to get to know.

Don't be afraid of your people. They don't have to be real beautiful. Just real.

Of course, pets work too.

The Brand Gap

2006-01-25T22:58:00.000-06:00

I get a bit uneasy when I (and others) start talking about marketing church. It doesn't seem right. Just a feeling, because I know I can look at some scriptures that may support, at least, the spirit of marketing.

Paul wrote about becoming all things to all people. That verse in connection with the verse of taking the good news to all the world suggests knowing your audience and doing what is necessary to reach or speak to them.

But how far is too far? What about sending out fliers or CD mailers? Bumper-stickers? Commercials? Or focus groups to determine how to best present the message? What about cirumcision?

What? Circumcision? That's what Paul had Timothy do. That is some request. Not just that, what dedication (if that's the right word) by Timo.

I think I would have passed. That's radical. Who thinks like that anymore? What radical means are used today to bring some to Christ? Who is willing to say, I don't care what others think, I'm going through with it.

I admit, I always thought that was such a bizarre story. That one got ignored a good bit in my Sunday schooling!

The book, The Brand Gap, by Marty Neumeier got me thinking about all of this. I picked it up last night. It's great for those in business, which, let's face it, includes the church.

Neumeier has many great observations. One has been tumbling around in my mush of a brain today. That is, how the emphasis of marketing appeals has shifted over the years.

1900+ - Features - What it Has
1925+ - Benefits - What it Does
1950+ - Experience - What You'll Feel
2000+ - Identification - Who You Are

Even though features and benefits are still important to people, personal identity has become even more important. Nike is proof. As a weekend athlete, my two nagging doubts are that I might actually be congenitally lazy, and that I might have little actual ability. I'm not really worried about my shoes. But when the Nike folks say, "Just do it," they're peering into my soul. I begin to feel that, if they understand me that well, their shoes are probably pretty good. I'm willing to join the tribe of Nike.

So, what is the best way to peer into the souls of others?

How radical can you be?

Previous Engagement

2006-01-21T14:22:00.000-06:00

So I've been away for a bit. Not out of the country or anything. Just away. Not from the computer, but from posting on this site. From trying to engage myself and others in whatever this is. The conversation, I guess.

From some blogs I keep up with, others are doing some of the same. It takes energy. It takes effort.

For me anyway, I love challenging things, myself, others, but at times I grow weary.

I've been away from Jesus too. The prayers haven't been flowing so quickly. Some days seems like one constant prayer just picking up at different points during the day. Recently it has been more like, "Oh yeah, I should pray." Next thought, "I wonder what is on TV?"

Maybe it is holidays. Busy time of year. I don't know.

It is good to be in community.

I guess there is a time to withdrawal. The tough part is not staying there too long. I know folks have different personalities. Some need to be around people all the time.

I see the potential in what is set up here. emergentHouston can be a great place for folks to gather. Life can sometimes get weary. We can help each other.

I like to compare it to being in a boat. You may be tired and worn out. Just get in the boat. Let someone else row for a bit. Then when you feel better, when you feel like you can, pick up an oar. Just get in the boat and we will cross over to the other side.

So, consider this an open invitation to get in the boat. I know there are many folks who check in here. If you want to be part of the conversation, feel free. Katie does. She is the youth minister in New Orleans who replied to the last post.

I'm not much of an organizer. It doesn't mean I'm not interested. If anyone wants to pick a time and place to get together for coffee (or whatever) and conversation, throw it out there.

I'm not going to make an grand promises of posting everyday. I'm just going to promise to pray today.

Bart

Images from Darfur

2006-01-05T00:02:00.000-06:00

"Looking Over images from Darfur" is an exhibit opening Saturday, January 7th. It is a collection of work from Laura Jennings & Chris Crites. Xnihilo Gallery is hosting the event. (Xnihilo is located at 2115 Taft Street in Houston.)

Darfur is not mentioned in the news very much. There are many diverse faith-based, humanitarian, and human rights organizations attempting to raise public awareness.

The exhibit benefits Homeland International and runs through February 5th.

Happy New Day!

2006-01-01T21:53:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was Saturday. It was also the last day of 2005. But it was still Saturday. What has happened that is so magical that today isn't just another Sunday? Forget the calendar. Today is the day after yesterday.

But there are hopes. There are resolutions. A commitment to doing away with bad habits. An attempt to be better, to do better. We see it as a fresh start. The past doesn't matter, this is a new year, right?

Finally today it hits me...with grace, everyday is New Year's Day. We have so much too look for.

Grace. A fresh start. A chance to do better tomorrow. To leave it all behind us. Hope.

Happy New Day!

Thank God for grace!

Games Churches Play

2005-12-13T23:12:00.000-06:00

I was walking through Toys R Us with my boys today. They are 4 and 3 years old. Our trips there, until today, consisted of going to the Thomas the Tank Engine section and the Batman action figures. Today, however, the oldest wanted to go down a new aisle...the game aisle.

I was amazed to find games that I played over 20 years ago still taking center stage. Some of the packaging may have changed but there were plenty of familiar 'friends' there.

As I was looking over them and seeing names I had not thought of in years I began to think of one question:

If your church was a game, what would it be?

Don't Break the Ice - Could mean several things...(1) There is something going on that nobody wants to talk about or (2) It is not a friendly place. Cold.

Ants in the Pants - Worship gatherings with a groove.

Twister - How did you come to that conclusion from that scripture?

Monopoly - The church run by one or few and the rest are trying to get out of jail.

Hungry, Hungry Hippos - The first such church was the one in Corinth.

Perfection - At least, the attempt to appear so.

Operation - Dissect everything, just like the game...no credentials needed, but one wrong move and...annnnnnnhhhh!

Mouse Trap - Remember this one? You go around the board, collecting cheese pieces and building mousetraps, while avoiding them yourself.

Battleship - Plot your strategies, send out your torpedoes and hide in a corner hoping to sink their battleships!

Candy Land - Everyone likes candy but after a while you need some real food.

Chutes and Ladders - The whole power struggle thing.

Risk - The game was about world conquest. Church is nothing like that. Right? Right?

Sorry! - This one sounds like it would be a good one, but if you remember the game, the goal was to send each other's pieces back to the starting line as you moved around the board. When you did that you would give an insincere, "Sorry!"

Help me out. What else did I miss?

X-mas Plans

2005-12-08T12:25:00.000-06:00

I'm sure everybody by now knows that Christmas is on Sunday this year. Not a problem if you are Jewish. Nor, you may be quick to say, if you are Christian...just go to church.

Some churches are not meeting on Christmas Sunday. Some are meeting for 'big church' but are not having their bible classes meet. I don't get that one.

I go back and forth on the matter. I'd rather spend the morning opening gifts and watching my kids do the same at home. Part of me doesn't want to go. Then there is a small part that wants to be with others praising God. I don't know.

What are you doing the Xmas?

Update:

Senior minister from Southland Christian Church explains why Kentucky church is canceling their gathering.

Calling All Artists

2005-11-29T23:59:00.000-06:00

Travis Reed just wrote this under the Worship House Media post from about a month ago.

i'm intersted in connecting with houston area artists and chatting about worship arts, etc. i founded highway who creates content worship house media sells. also, i've started a new venture out of houston called the work of the poeple. so i'd really like to connect with folks and chat and possible collberate. just throwing that out there...

McLaren in S.A.

2005-11-29T21:46:00.000-06:00

Brian McLaren was in San Antonio last night. He was a guest of the local cohort. I was not able to go, but here is a link to what Paul Soupiset (of S.A. cohort) had to say about it.

If anyone else went(from Houston or elsewhere), feel free to add comments.

Nehemiah's Prayer

2005-11-22T15:15:00.000-06:00

Most of us are familiar with the Lord's prayer. You know, where Jesus tells the crowd how to pray. But what about Nehemiah's prayer. Can you quote that one?

It is pretty good. It had a purpose and was meant for a particular time and place, but imagine someone standing up one Sunday and saying some of it or try it yourself.

O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, let your ear be attentive an your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father's house, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you.

It goes on. It really is something. The book of Nehemiah is something. It is inspiring. Is is about renewal and recommitment and hope and joy.

It is also a book about curses. Nehemiah, who prayed that amazing prayer, was a product of the Law.

I rebuked them and called curses down on them. I beat some of the men and pulled out their hair.

That seems a bit harsh. Especially after his prayer. Nehemiah was a man of the Law, and there wasn't much grace under the Law.

I love Nehemiah's prayer. I love the story of renewal. But I am thankful for grace and the example Jesus showed us in his prayer.

So You Say You Want a Revolution?

2005-11-17T00:20:00.000-06:00

So I finished Barna's Revolution. Actually, I finished it last weekend. It is a self-proclaimed, 'quick read'. It is also meaningful.

If you aren't familiar with George Barna, he is a numbers guy. Well, more than that. But at heart, he is a pollster. Well respected, his clients run the gamut from Walt Disney and Ford to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. His research is dead on and dependable.

Usually he just gives the numbers and the facts. This book is that (numbers) and a sermon. However, it is one worth 'sitting' through.

This is not a meant to be a book review. I just wanted to echo some of his points.

Barna looks at the changes taking place in the 'church' thing. Chapter 7, A New Way of Doing Church, begins with a quote from Henry Ford...

People can have a Model T in any color they want - as long as it's black.

Barna compares that idea with "the view of many Americans regarding how people should pursue spiritual growth - through any means they want, as long as it is connected to the efforts of a local church."

I think about this a bunch. I've started to borrow a phrase from Kaleo and that is, "Stop Going To Church."

If that one or two hours on a Sunday morning in a church building is the only time we are near God and are spiritual, then when are in trouble.

I hear the term corporate worship and I cringe. Corporate worship? When did we incorporate?

So what is church?

Is it when the pastor is there? Does he make it official? Does taking communion? Three songs and a prayer?

Has anyone gone somewhere that has bible classes? Why is that in a bible class it isn't uncommon to doing something, talk about something that would never be attempted in corporate worship (or what I like to call - big church)?

Is bible class not church? Does God skip those?

Does anyone 'go to church' on Wednesday night? Saturday nights?

I keep thinking, why are we putting God in a box? (Which reminds me of a great series you should check out called, Jesus Outed in Megachurch. - But I digress.)

Is this church? This blog? Barna might say yes. He lists four macro-models of church and one is cyberchurch.

I know many identify with emergent. But whether you are emergent, missional, or whatever, it boils down to the fact we are tired of only getting church in black.

One more quote from page 106...

New leaders...will not be building new institutions to replace the old. Rather, it will be providing guidance in the construction of new hearts and minds that produce a thriving Church community...Whereas "Christian community" has generally been limited to the relationships facilitated within a congregation, the Revolution is bursting open the walls of the worldwide Church to birth a truly international network of relationships.

Jesus Girls

2005-11-09T22:13:00.000-06:00

If you haven't heard by now about the recent discovery of what might be the oldest church in Israel, I hope you will take a moment to read about this fascinating discovery.

The basics are that in Megiddo near biblical Armageddon, prisoners working on construction of a new prison wing, found tiles that have led some scholars to believe it was the site of church that was older than Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem or Nativity in Bethlehem.

The story is amazing really, and there is so much discussion about what the findings mean. I was most interested in the fact that the tiles that were found describe 4 Greek women that worshipped Jesus at this site. There was Frimilia, Kiriaka, Dorothea and Karasta. I don't know how much these tiles will be able to tell us about these women but the simple fact that we are suddenly hearing about WOMEN thrills me! Can you imagine how influential they must have been to have had their names inscribed in tile?

I would have really liked to have known the Akaptos who is described as "a lover of God who contributed the altar to the god Jesus Christos as a memorial." Was this the Oprah Winfrey of the 3rd century that had the money and the power to contribute the altar herself?

Can you imagine how different our view might be if for a second we allowed the idea that women were influential in ways other than cooking and changing diapers in the early church? Could it be that Jesus turned to these women in creating and forming his mission? Is it possible that they were at the table with the men? Can you imagine it?

I can and it makes me happier than I can tell you.

Off To San Antonio

2005-11-09T10:21:00.000-06:00

Hello All.

In a few weeks we have the opportunity to join in a regional gatering with the San Antonio cohort as they welcome Brian McLaren. The details are below. If you're interested in finding someone to ride with, just leave a comment with your e-mail address and we'll get back to you.

Brian McLaren, author of 'Generous Orthodoxy' & 'A New Kind of Christian', will be at Viva Bookstore on November 28th from 7:00pm to 8:30pm. Come join us as Brian shares his heart and about Emergent USA. There will be a short question and answer period following. Autographed books will be available.

Proposition 2 - What's Your Sign?

2005-11-08T00:36:00.000-06:00

Today is election day. There are several State propositions that are up for vote. One I can't get away from, however, is Prop 2, the Texas Marriage amendment.

I've had nearly a dozen recorded voice messages today urging me to 'return morals to this great state' and vote for Prop 2. Of course, same sex marriages in Texas were made illegal in 2003, but for some that isn't enough. More had to be done. At least, that is the argument. I guess the concern is Democrats might get back in control and loosen the rules or a judge might 'legislate' or some other 'back door' possibility could send us down that road.

Some have argued that the language is a bit vague and could cause problems with common-law marriages of heterosexuals, but most 'experts' seem to dismiss it as unlikely.

I have no doubt that this will pass overwhelmingly. They probably don't even have to count the votes.

One thing that I find interesting is how churches are reacting to this. Driving around Houston, it doesn't take long to see a reminder of the 'right' thing to do. Church signs urging everyone what needs to be done.

I think they should be more direct. They should just say what they really mean...if you are gay don't think of coming to this church. Whether it is you, someone in your family or just a friend...don't come or bring them either. We don't want you and we don't approve. We know it is already illegal here in Texas, but we want to spit on you some more and make sure you know we really think you are going to hell. Don't worry about all the other stuff...porn addiction, adultery, stealing, lying, we're okay with that. You can even say a closing prayer.

I'm not here trying to tell you that homosexuality is not a sin and I'm not here trying to tell you that it is a sin.

I'm saying, same sex marriage is already against the law in Texas.

I have friends who have committed adultery. I hesitated to even write that because I don't want to imply when I think of them that is how I identify them. I don't. I love them. I don't stand from the mountain top waving a flag saying adultery should be against the law and I whole heartedly support any law that would make it illegal. You may say adultery and homosexuality are two very different things. I say, if you see both as sin then they are both sin.

This is not a political blog. I'm not telling you how to vote. I don't care. But I am trying to remind you (and myself) how to love.

Slow Revolution

2005-11-07T23:06:00.000-06:00

I finally got my copy of George Barna's Revolution. I ordered it via his website because it was a bit cheaper and I thought it might be good for him. I ordered it before it was released but it just arrived today.

I saw it in my favorite Barnes and Noble one week ago. They had one copy. My friend got it. I nearly asked to borrow his.

I hope to start looking through it tomorrow.

Confession is Good for the Soul

2005-11-02T23:53:00.000-06:00

I read recently about the uses of blogs in our Christian walk. One of the suggestions was using the blog as a place for accountability. I have been intrigued by this idea since I read it.

I have always been jealous of the Catholic tradition of confession. One of my recurring jokes (it gets less funny each time I tell it ) is that if I were Catholic, they would undoubtedly set up a toll feeder in order to handle the traffic that I would bring to the confessional. You see, I am a sinner in the biggest kind of way.

No, I haven't committed murder. (yet) I haven't stolen anything since I swiped Pixie Sticks from my Sunday School classroom in the 2nd grade. The spanking must have worked. But I have committed just about every other sin and some of them I manage to commit daily.

You know the little sins. Gossip. Lust. Envy. Coveting my neighbor's new wood floors. Despite the tone, I am serious about my short-comings. I'm just not sure that I would want to fully disclose them here in this forum. It might take a while.

The funny thing about the Christian walk is despite all the talk about community, we fail to hold each other accountable for our actions and our words. I'm not suggesting that it is easy to look to your friend and point out their bad behavior, but could it be helpful?

It is easy to hide behind the plank in my eye argument, never reaching out to others for fear that we would look self-righteous and pompous. But are there times when we should poke in and say something?

I used to have a friend that did this for me. One time she told me that I was a terrible friend because I only called her when I wanted something. I was hurt at the accusation. I did not talk to her for weeks. I wished terrible things on her like a rash of shingles and a sudden case of alopecia. (see, I AM a sinner) But later, I was able to see through the comment to the truth. She had spoke to me in love and in truth. She was right and I am a better person for it.

If you agree that we are called to this more intimate relationship as siblings in Christ, then how can we use this great forum to advance the idea? We could set up a Name Your Sin Blog. If you must name it to claim it then is that one way to actively "work" at this whole Christian thing?

No answers here. Just questions.

God's Blogs

2005-10-27T15:08:00.000-05:00

That God. He sure is a busy Divinity! Now he is blogging. Well, He isn't blogging (not that I know of), but there is a book with that title.

God's Blogs, by Lanny Donoho, is a funny but also poignant collection of what God is thinking, or rather, is blogging. I guess this might lead to WWJB (What Would Jesus Blog) before too long.

Here is a bit from it,

Hey!

Kids!

My Kids!

There are a bunch of things that really aren't that big a deal to Me.

It doesn't matter much to Me whether you immerse or sprinkle.

I'm not concerned if you eat wafers or bread crumbs, or drink wine or grape juice.

You can wear jeans or shorts or a tux to church.

Not a big deal.

You can sing hymns or choruses or chant.

You can use King James or The Message or read from the original Hebrew if you want.

You can meet Sundays or any other day.

You don't impress Me any more by being a preacher than you do by being a plumber or a nurse or a cook or a guy who goes from house to house every day spraying for bugs.

I don't love you any less if you are divorced than I would if you had been married for fifty years.

If you have made a million mistakes and done things you think I would never forgive...

Not that big of a deal.

I'M your Dad!

I can't not love you.

Concert

2005-10-24T21:58:00.000-05:00

I met Ryan Sharp in New Mexico at the Emergent Gathering. I got to hear a him play a bit, and have checked out his myspace. He is touring the US as The Cobalt Season and coming to Houston for two shows this week:

Tuesday night - The Harbour Living Room, Baytown, TX (7pm-9pm)
Wednesday night - Taft Street Coffee House, Houston, TX (7pm-10.30pm)

Ryan is an awesome singer songwriter type, in the indie folk style like Pedro the Lion, Sufjan Stevens, and Damian Rice.

So come him them out, I am going on Wednesday and its going to be great.

Worship House Media

2005-10-24T16:23:00.000-05:00

There is a great, new website for media resources for your worship gatherings. It is Worship House Media. They just went live.

I've looked around the site a bit. Some of the companies that contribute products I recognize, and some I do not. They have some good stuff there and will probably become the place to go to get the latest creations. I haven't had a chance to buy and download anything, so I don't know how well that works yet. They seem to only offer downloadable videos in MPEG 1.

A place like Worship House Media is a long time coming and no doubt will become a huge part of the creative worship community.

Small Pieces Loosely Joined

2005-10-17T00:45:00.000-05:00

So here's what I want you to do. When you gather for worship, each one of you be prepared with something that will be useful for all: Sing a hymn, teach a lesson, tell a story, lead a prayer, provide an insight.

That's from our friend Paul. He wrote it in a letter to Jesus lovers in the Corinth area a few years back.

No he didn't say it quite like that. That is from The Message. No he didn't say it like it is written in the NIV or the King James Version. He said it, or wrote it in Greek. (Not the stuff the kids speak today.)

I've come to love that verse in the past few years. And I hate to pull one verse out of a much larger thought and make a point, but I'm gonna anyway and I'll hope you and the great apostle will forgive me.

That verse, 1 Corinthians 14:26, is part of a much larger thought on spiritual gifts. To me, 12, 13, and 14 all go together. Many of us are familiar with chapter 13, the love chapter. Love is kind, it does not boast, and on and on. Chapter 13 is like the meat of a three chapter sandwich. Chapters 12 and 14 are the pieces of bread. 13 is the good stuff, but you need 12 and 14 to make it complete.

Anyway, chapter 14, verse 26, is a great guide for worshiping the Divine.

"When you gather for worship..."

Whose worship gatherings look like that? Sure, their house churches didn't compare in numbers to some of today's gatherings. What if you go to a church with 800 folks there? How can everyone "be prepared with something that will be useful to all"?

I'm not against large groups getting together to praise Yahweh. I mean, does anyone consider heaven and how many folks will be getting together on that first Sunday? Talk about adding extra chairs!

The idea I keep returning to is everyone was to be prepared.

I'll confess, I'm not too crazy about one guy standing up there telling us how it is and we nod our heads, and another guy leading the singing and we leave 'filled with the Spirit' and go home.

Not to say there aren't great folks in those roles now, but we've sort of given up ownership of that. We've sold out. We hire people to teach us and lead us because we are too busy or just don't want the job.

Yeah, I know it isn't easy. We complain because it isn't done how we want it, then we are too lazy to get off our rear to do anything about it.

The other side of that coin is people who don't want to give up that control. They become the official spokesperson and it helps to keep challenging views out of the limelight.

Fortunately, there is a soft wind of change blowing. And much of it has to do with the web. We are becoming small pieces loosely joined.

David Wienberger wrote several years ago how the internet is changing our culture. We know it, but I don't think we realize just how much it is true. His approach is not of a religious view, but it is easy to see the spiritual connection.

The old model is about control: a team works on a document, is responsible for its content and format, and releases it to the public when it's been certified as done. Once it's published, no one can change it except the original publisher. The Web ditches that model, with all its advantages as well as its drawbacks, and says instead, "You have something to say? Say it. You want to respond to something that's been said? Say it and link to it. You think something is interesting? Link to it from your home page. And you never have to ask anyone's permission." Then it adds: And how long will it take to do this? I dunno. How fast do you type? By removing the central control points, the Web enabled a self-organizing, self-stimulated growth of contents and links on a scale the world has literally never before experienced.

...We are the true small pieces of the Web, and we are loosely joining ourselves in ways that we are still inventing.

And I say we are the true small pieces of God, and we are loosely joining ourselves in ways that we are still inventing.

Busy Tonight?

2005-10-14T12:17:00.000-05:00

A few us are getting together tonight to go eat dinner and then experience Doxology. This is not an official cohort meeting, but if anyone is interested in joining us, please feel free. I know this is very last minute, but it just sort of came together.

The plan is to meet at Chuy's (Westheimer near Kirby) at 7pm and then head over to 2115 Taft St.

Feel free to come to dinner, Doxology or both. If you don't know anyone going, don't let that hold you back. We don't bite!

As far as a cohort meeting, lets think about doing something soon. Perhaps the end of October. There should be something more definite in a few days.

Doxology - Three Chords and the Truth

2005-10-12T00:30:00.000-05:00

I've spent several days with Doxology flowing through my heart and dancing in my mind. I've thought about it in the quiet times. I've heard it whisper to me in the loud times. I'm beginning to understand that I don't really understand it.

I've held off writing about it until I could write something profound. Well, here it is...

Doxology.

That's it. It is what is profound.

At least, it has been for me. I know others I have spoken with feel the same. I've read comments from people I don't know echo those thoughts.

But what is it?

Yes, it is an art exhibit. You can go to Xnihilio gallery at 2115 Taft Street and see the exhibit. More importantly, if your looking, you can see yourself. And Jesus. And how others see themselves and Jesus.

You can go by yourself, but don't. I mean, maybe sometime, but not the first time. Take someone with you. Take many with you.

You see, Doxology is also about conversation. It is about community. It is what Jesus was about. Yeah, he took time to be alone, but his life was immersed in life.

An underlying theme of Doxology is truth.

So tell me the truth...how do you see truth? How do you know truth? Why do you believe what you believe? Is it a prescription? Did someone tell you to 'take this'.

Does experience play any part in the truth?

Rob Pepper challenged himself to see the truth. Maybe it just wasn't adding up. Maybe he was tired of being fed something that tasted a little bitter. He challenged God to show him the truth. I don't think God showed him the truth. I think God let him experience the truth (or glimpses of it) and in turn, Rob is hoping we can do the same.

Here is an example. This is his experience of the crucifixion.

Now, my photo of it doesn't do it justice. You need to stand in front of it and dive into it.

How many times have you sat in church, feeling bad for Jesus dying for us? What a painful thing to endure. Not just hanging on the tree with nails stuck through him. Not just the beatings he went through. Followers abandoning him. Friends abandoning him. It was all such a terrible thing. The truth is, I've felt pity for Jesus.

I have never thought of it as beautiful. That is, until now.

When I saw his vision, his experience of this same scene, it was breathtakingly beautiful. I don't ever remember hearing those words used to describe his death.

As I was looking at this spectacular moment, I could feel differently, but I wasn't grasping the words. But that is the best part. In that moment of weightlessness, that second or two, like when you are flying and just before the plane touches down on the runway and the pilot leaves you suspended there...sort of free from everything, I was standing there, just hovering above the ground. Not bound by laws of nature or laws of men. It was...spectacular. I was close to feeling like that moment at the Crucifixion. Free.

The words did come. Not mine, but those of Mark Fletcher, the vicar of Church on the Corner. He helped me to get a better feel. He wasn't telling me what the truth was, rather, he was sharing with me his experience of the truth, which helped to give words to my experience.

Here is some of what he experienced and wrote down...

There is insight here into a cosmic liberation. The earth shakes, the sun is eclipsed and Rob sees the joy of creation as it feels the chains of bondage loosen. The Mountains and the hills break out before us, and the trees of the field clap their hands. While the human onlookers reel in shock and grief, unable to comprehend it is creation itself which speaks of the wonder of this moment.

In the story, I've either focused on the suffering of Jesus, the miserable folks around the cross, or how the earth started shaking like it was all over. But nature, the earth, was rejoicing. Creation had waited patiently for this moment, had dreamed about this moment. Here is the birth of life and the demise of death.

The truth is...here is Glory!

Doxology Pictures

2005-10-09T22:56:00.000-05:00

Okay. I finally have some pictures from Doxology posted. If anyone wants them in a higher resolution, I would be happy to provide them to you.

I'll have some thoughts on the event soon.

Go see it. No, go experience it.

Doxology

2005-10-09T01:06:00.000-05:00

I have so much I want to tell you about Doxology. I will have much more soon. I'm still processing. I should have more reflections and pics up later today.

But forget what I have to say...just go!

Going to Synagogue

2005-10-06T22:32:00.000-05:00

If you are coming around these emergent parts, chances are good you have questioned from time to time what this whole church thing should look like. You know, why does anybody do what they do in their church services. (Does anyone else hate the word services?)

How did we get here? Why do so many churches put a lecture at the center of worshiping God?

Travel back in time, say nearly 2000 years ago, and the emerging first century church folk are pretty radical compared to what was in existence. Before the house churches the place to "go to church" was the Synagogue. Imagine the tension that existed.

But how did the Synagogue come to be?

Wade Hodges has more on this.

"One Time, In And Camp..."

2005-10-04T20:14:00.000-05:00

No, not band camp. And camp. You know, and camp. Or is it or camp. Which camp are you in? And camp or Or Camp.

Are you liberal or conservative? Protestant or Catholic? High church or low church? Sacred or secular?

Is it possible to be a bit of both.

Liberal and conservative? Sacred and secular? Make up your own.

Ian Mobsby has a piece over at emergingchurch that looks at all of this.

At present I can't tell you what his blog looks like. I am online at Panera and when I click on his blog link , I get blocked by their firewall that says.."Site Restricted. Reason for restriction: Forbidden Category "Cult/Occult"

Oh, I have one...cult or denomination?

Update:On the back cover of God's Politics, by Jim Wallis there is this quote from Bono:

The Left mocks the Right. The Right knows it's right. Two ugly traits. How far should we go to try to understand each other's point of view? Maybe the distance grace covered on the cross is a clue.

Cup of Community

2005-10-03T23:51:00.000-05:00

There is Starbucks and then there is Taft Street Coffee.

Don't get me wrong, you can find me happily in many of the Starbucks all around town, but when you get a chance to go to 2115 Taft street, do it.

It's not that the coffee or Chai Tea is better. (Even though it is.) And yeah, they have some great books you can get cozy with. Of course you can get online and listen to the usually perfect background music playing. There is a gallery, a recording studio, and Ecclesia meets there. It is a community center.

While I was there today standing at the counter, a guy starting chatting with me about my camera. His name is Ben and he is from Imago Dei. He and some other folks had just driven in from Portland to help out with the damage done by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. They will be in the area for a couple of weeks. You can follow their progress.

Ben was also kind enough to give me some camera tips and tricks. Thanks.

Good luck and God bless ya'll.

And it is here that Doxology will live for the next month.

Opening reception is Friday, October 7th. (6-10pm) All are invited.

Taken to Taft

2005-10-03T12:15:00.000-05:00

I'm off to 2115 Taft Street. Know the place? You should. Home to Ecclesia, great books, coffee and conversation and soon Doxology.

I'm going to pick up some promotional items for Doxology to distribute about this fine metropolis of ours. They probably wouldn't mind if you wanted to do the same. Don't forget, it is a few days away.

I'll put some pics up later tonight.