I’ve had lots on my plate this week.

• This includes Missional Conversations (which includes some ruminations I’m still processing following Al Roxburgh’s visit) as well as Wikiklesia & a Stack of Books plus other matters not mentioned. I’ll be regaining my equilibrium over the weekend (I hope!)
• I’ve had Alan Hirsch’s post, “Distilling the Message” open in my browser for over a week. It begins with the promise of, “It’s time to get back onto the trail of Apostoic Genius” and has 90 comments after Alan’s contribution. It’s still there and I still haven’t read it. One of my problems is that I want to read some of these things slowly, and there’s so many of them.
• Not that I’ve caught all of them lately… during a busy week, my open feed reader stopped updating — I made a couple repair attempts, but will need to dig deeper. Meanwhile, after last Saturday’s absence, Scot McKnight’s Weekly Meanderings have returned, pointing out some of what I missed.
• This means that in addition to Alan Hirsch’s unread post, I now have open Dan Kimball’s post, What to use for a metaphor of “core” or “non-core” beliefs — which I want to read slowly as well, but have not yet done so.
• Still on the subject of open browser windows I want to read slowly, I’ve also got The Person Formerly Known As Your Leader sitting there, part of the meme that never dies. He begins by quoting Bob Girard, which Robbymac will appreciate.
• Quote of the week: “everyone wants to save the world; no one wants to help mom with the dishes.” — PJ O’Rourke (via Bill Kinnon)
• Oh, my. Brad Bergfalk on The End of the “Attractionalâ€? Church — make that, “Oh, my—and yes. Just ‘yes’.”
• Maybe it ties in with The myth of the omni-competent leader, which is good stuff from Daryl Dash, but ends with a comment about living as a counter-cultural community that gives me pause. I think I’m no longer convinced we’re supposed to be counter-cultural… isn’t that the idea that we’re supposed to be apart, different, and not “mix-it-up” with the world? Maybe I’m not getting it, but might counter-cultural be in a way also counter-missional?
• Why Web 2.0 and Church 2.0 are related, according to Tim Berners-Lee. He doesn’t mention church, you have to fill that in — somewhere near the part that says, “that was what the Web was supposed to be all along.”
• Look out — the skirts have taken over the June issue of PDL. Well done… next month will restore gender-balance as Robbymac takes up editorial duties. Months ago I promised to write something for it… now I actually have to think about it.
• Enjoy the weekend — the wife and I are considering the promise of a mental break courtesy of Ocean’s 13… and looks like some good weather around here, but for now it’s out to breakfast with the wife — we’re kid-less for the day courtesy of Grandma and Grandpa.

Let me know what ignites from any of the sparks listed above — I’m particularly interested in anyone’s counter-cultural vs. counter-missional thoughts.