Subversive Influence .::. Active Blogroll

Don't just take my word for it — here's what people are saying elsewhere...

May 28, 2007

Phil Baker .::. blog (group)

Dr Lee Camp in Perth (by Haydn Nelson)

Jarrod McKenna from Scripture Union in WA has been able to arrange a visit to Perth by his teacher and mentor Dr Lee Camp. Some may know Lee from his book "Mere Discipleship" and he has kindly agreed to take part in a couple of presentation/discussions while he is here. There is an evening session on "Atonement that does Jesus Justice? Violence and the Scandal of the Cross" - details here. The other is an afternoon seminar/discussion on "Howard, Rudd and Jesus? Not Compromising the Cross in a World of Politics" - details here. Should be interesting, so mark your diaries and don't forget to register!

Posted May 28, 2007 07:46 PM by

Phil Baker .::. blog (group)

Johannesburg and Ian Woods. (by Phil Baker)

In South Africa this weekend speaking at the Rivers church. In Perth though we have the famed, loved and wise Ian Woods. Last time his 'dance of the naked nymph' story brought the house down. His humourous down to earth style makes learning easy and unchurched people relaxed....It is going to be a wonderful weekend.

Posted May 28, 2007 07:46 PM by

Phil Baker .::. blog (group)

READING PLAN - READ>THINK>PRAY>LIVE (by Matthew Edland)

Malachi 2, James 4, 3John 1

Posted May 28, 2007 07:46 PM by

Phil Baker .::. blog (group)

On Speeches (by Phil Baker)

"......I've attended more than 30 graduations as a member of a faculty, and so I've heard quite a range of speeches (and given several myself). In too many cases, I can't recall who gave the speeches, which cannot be a good thing. A forgettable speech is by definition a poor one. One can recite the bare outline, as it rarely varies: How nice to see you on this important and beautiful day. Here is a little joke my uncle told me when I graduated. The future lies ahead of you. You should take note of how accomplished I am, which may inspire you to become accomplished yourself. Go forward, not backward. Congratulations to you all. You look so happy and handsome. Do I really have to stay to lunch? Is the plane on the runway? Where is my next stop?........."

The worst and the best.....Jay Parini reflects in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Posted May 28, 2007 07:46 PM by

Charlie Wear .::. Charlie Wear's Notes

Shimmering ripples

I was sitting in the shade while Ben and Loretta were in the clubhouse swimming pool this afternoon. The clubhouse sits on higher ground in our complex and looks out over a lake at the golf course. With the clouds in the blue sky, the pool and the golf course ...

Posted May 28, 2007 07:46 PM by

Len Hjalmarson .::. Next Reformation

developmental faith

LeRon Shults asks "whether you think the experience of spiritual formation practiced by or promoted in your Emergent communities takes sufficient account of the need for "purgation," for what the mystics called the Dark Night of the Soul." It's probably important to relate that concept to another one: compunction - the ...

Posted May 28, 2007 07:44 PM by

Sonja .::. Calacirian

Relief

Ahhhh … I could use a beer right now. Or something cold and delicious. Or something chocolate. Or really anything rewarding. We’ve had another successful year of homeschooling. Coach came today and evaluated the LightChildren and our homeschool (Osgiliath Classical School). We passed with flying colors. In fact, he said, “I wish I could bring other [...]

Posted May 28, 2007 07:43 PM by

Jamie Howison .::. St. Benedict’s Table

Odyssey of a Photographer

Over the last couple of years I have had a growing desire to make a difference in...

Posted May 28, 2007 07:41 PM by

AKMA .::. Random Thoughts

Whew!

Mustering my tattered energies, I put together a very short contribution to a project in which Blogaria’s own Mark Goodacre is involved: a textbook on methods of New Testament interpretation, with examples of each approach. My assignment was to describe “the history and theory of Theological interpretations of the New Testament” – in 700-800 words. The brevity was, of course, an attraction and an impediment at the same time. I managed to say most of what I wanted to, but goodness gracious, what gross oversimplification!

Now, to finish grading, produce three overdue lectionary essays, three overdue book reviews, and close out the academic year. (Mini-essay after the jump)

Posted May 28, 2007 07:34 PM by

M2 .::. Martha, Martha

Merton.

CASPAR DAVID FRIEDRICH

THE MONK BY THE SEA, 1809/10 ( Berlin Nationalgalerie)

. . . . .

from my email:

"Lady, when on that night I left the Island that was once your England, your love went with me, although I could not know it, and could not make myself aware of it. It was your love, your intercession for me before God that was preparing the seas before my ship, laying open the way for me to another country. I was not sure where I was going and I could not see what I would do when I got to New York. But you saw further and clearer than I and you opened the seas before my ship whose track led me across the waters to a place I had never dreamed of, and which you were even then preparing for me to be my rescue and my shelter and my home. And when I thought there was no God and no love and no mercy, you were leading me all the while into the midst of His love and His mercy and taking me, without my knowing anything about it, to the house that would hide me in the secret of His Face."

Thomas Merton. The Seven Storey Mountain. New York: Harcourt, Brace: 129-130.

Posted May 28, 2007 06:22 PM by

Andre .::. Emergent Mosaic

doing church missionally what others are doing

Wayne Squires congregation coach over at Volunteers in Service had been blogging about his work ECN with helping some church in my neck of the woods to tart thinking and working together missionally. Her are a couple clips from his blog

What might change if we designed worship for the sake of others?
?
What might change if we taught the Bible for the sake of others?
?
What might change if we thought of discipleship as for the sake of others?
?
What might change if we created fellowship for the sake of others?
?
What might change if we used our gifts and resources for the sake of others?
?
What might change if we established budgets for the sake of others?
?
What might change if we considered vocation as a call for the sake of others?
?

Yes what if we look at all our practices and ministry from a missional perspective how would they change?

The church is not so much a rescue station for the lost as it is a demonstration of God’s saving purposes in Christ. She is a servant of the Gospel, chosen to bless the whole world and be a sign of God’s past, present, and future activity. This implies followers of Jesus are not called to go on a mission for God, they are called to join God in his ongoing mission.

This is exactly what I tried to communicate to the seminary students in the class I taught

On learning to be incarnational and do ministry with the community instead of to or for

It is not good for the church to be alone. Like Adam, who needed a partner to fully appreciate his identity and calling, the church has been designed for relational engagement with its immediate cultural context. Its sense of purpose (i.e. mission) is directly tied to this engagement.
>

God really is at work in the world bringing restoration and hope and invites his friends (his people) in particular neighborhoods and communities to join him. This means that partnership with God leads to appropriate partnership with others, and when local congregations try to conduct ministries on their own, in relative isolation from their communities, they are operating outside of their God-given design.

Check out Wayne’s blog and the VIS website

Technorati : ECN, VIS, missional church

conversations

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Posted May 28, 2007 05:50 PM by

Father Jake .::. Father Jake Stops the World

Sara Miles: A Radical Conversion"

I am currently reading Take This Bread by Sara Miles. Here's Sara's description of the book, from the Prologue:

...Mine is a personal story of an unexpected and terribly inconvenient Christian conversion, told by a very unlikely convert: a blue-state, secular intellectual; a lesbian, a left-wing journalist with a habit of skepticism. I'm not the person my reporter colleagues ever expected to see exchanging blessings with street-corner evangelists. I'm hardly the person George Bush had in mind to be running a “faith-based charity.” My own family never imagined that I'd wind up preaching the Word of God and serving communion to a hymn-singing flock.

But as well as an intimate memoir of personal conversion, mine is a political story. At a moment when right-wing American Christianity is ascendant, when religion worldwide is rife with fundamentalism and exclusionary ideological crusades, I stumbled into a radically inclusive faith centered on sacraments and action. What I found wasn't about angels, or going to church, or trying to be “good” in a pious, idealized way. It wasn't about arguing a doctrine--the Virgin birth, predestination, the sinfulness of homosexuality and divorce––or pledging blind allegiance to a denomination. I was, as the prophet said, hungering and thirsting for righteousness. I found it at the eternal and material core of Christianity: body, blood, bread, wine poured out freely, shared by all. I discovered a religion rooted in the most ordinary yet subversive practice: a dinner table where everyone is welcome, where the poor, the despised and the outcasts are honored.

And so I became a Christian, claiming a faith that many of my fellow believers want to exclude me from; following a God my unbelieving friends see as archaic superstition. At a time when Christianity in America is popularly represented by ecstatic teen crusaders in suburban megachurches, slick preachers proclaiming the “gospel” of prosperity, and shrewd political organizers who rail against evolution, gay marriage and stem-cell research, it's crucial to understand what faith actually means in the lives of people very different from one another. Why would any thinking person become a Christian? How can anyone reconcile the hateful politics of much contemporary Christianity with Jesus' imperative to love? What are the deepest ideas of this contested religion, and what do they mean in real life?

In this book I look at the Gospel that moved me, the bread that changed me and the work that saved me, to begin a spiritual and an actual communion across the divides...

I'm only half-way through this book, but have already been so deeply touched that it was necessary to put it down for awhile. There is so much that is worth commenting on already that I know I cannot contain it all in one post. From the first half alone, I can already identify three separate topics that call for further reflection; conversion, liturgy and service. In this first post I'll be focusing on conversion.

After many years as a cook and then a journalist covering wars and revolutions in Central America, Sara found herself walking past a church in San Francisco. Here is what happened next:

...Early one winter morning, when Katie was sleeping at her father's house, I walked into St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco. I had no earthly reason to be there. I'd never heard a Gospel reading, never said the Lord's Prayer. I was certainly not interested in becoming a Christian -- or, as I thought of it rather less politely, a religious nut. But on other long walks I'd passed the beautiful wooden building, with its shingled steeples and plain windows, and this time I went in, on an impulse, with no more than a reporter's habitual curiosity.

The rotunda was flooded with slanted morning light. A table in the center of the open, empty space was ringed high above by a huge neo-Byzantine mural of unlikely saint figures with gold halos, dancing; outside, in the back, water trickled from a huge slab of rock set against the hillside. Past the rotunda, and a forest of standing silver crosses, there was a spare, spacious area without pews, where about twenty people were sitting...

...I walked in, took a chair and tried not to catch anyone's eye. There were windows looking out on a hillside covered in geraniums, and I could hear birds squabbling outside. Then a man and a woman in long tie-dyed robes stood and began chanting in harmony. There was no organ, no choir, no pulpit: just the unadorned voices of the people, and long silences framed by the ringing of deep Tibetan bowls. I sang too. It crossed my mind that this was ridiculous.

We sat down and stood up, sang and sat down, waited and listened and stood up and sang, and it was all pretty peaceful and sort of interesting. "Jesus invites everyone to his table," the woman announced, and we started moving up in a stately dance to the table in the rotunda. It had some dishes on it, and a pottery goblet.

And then we gathered around that table. And there was more singing and standing, and someone was putting a piece of fresh, crumbly bread in my hands, saying, "the body of Christ," and handing me the goblet of sweet wine saying "the blood of Christ," and then something outrageous and terrifying happened. Jesus happened to me.

I still can't explain my first communion. It made no sense. I was in tears and physically unbalanced: I felt as if I had just stepped off a curb, or been knocked over, painlessly, from behind. The disconnect between what I thought was happening – I was eating a piece of bread; what I heard someone else say was happening - the piece of bread was the "body" of "Christ," a patently untrue, or at best metaphorical statement; and what I knew was happening -- God, named "Christ" or "Jesus," was real, and in my mouth – utterly short-circuited my ability to do anything but cry...
(Take This Bread, pp. 57-59)

If you read the beginning of Sara's story, this "Aha!" moment can almost be anticipated. It may seem unusual for the act of receiving communion to initiate a conversion of heart, but, if you think about it, isn't that exactly what the Eucharist is intended to do?

I think one big factor in this moment of conversion for Sara was the setting; St. Gregory of Nyssa in San Francisco. It was the right place at the right time. We'll talk about that in another post.

Some of us may not recall a particularly ecstatic moment of conversion. Others may have such experiences regularly, even daily. I think that difference has more to do with our personalities than anything else. What I hope we can all acknowledge is that God is madly, head over heals in love with each and every one of us, and is constantly wooing us into being. Sometimes, when the veil is thrown back, and we glimpse the depth of this love, "something outrageous and terrifying" happens...Jesus happens.

Those of you who, like me, were raised with a Baptist/Pentecostal understanding of conversion might need to be reminded of two more things about conversion that we may not have learned in our formative years; first, that "conversion" is not simply about my personal relationship with God, and second, that it is not a one time experience.

Regarding the first, some time after that winter morning, Sara was asked to serve the Sacrament to others. Here is how she described that experience:

...What happened once I started distributing communion was the truly disturbing, dreadful realization about Christianity: You can't be a Christian by yourself...

...Just like the strangers who'd fed me in El Salvador or South Africa, I was going to have to see and understand the hunger of other, different men and women, and make a gesture of welcome, and eat with them. And just as I hadn't "deserved" any of what was given to me - the fish, the biscuits, the tea so abundantly poured out back in those years - I didn't deserve communion myself now. I wasn't getting it because I was good. I wasn't getting it because I was special. I certainly didn't get to pick who else was good enough, holy enough, deserving enough to receive it. It wasn't a private meal. The bread on that Table had to be shared with everyone in order for me to really taste it.

And sharing it meant I was going to be touching Christ's body at St. Gregory's, through Donald and Rick and the angry older deacon with the clenched jaw. Looking into Christ's eyes outside of church, through the cheery atheist yuppie with the sports car and the veiled Muslim clerk at Walgreens. Listening to Christ's voice in other churches, through the middle-aged woman with the annoying nasal whine, and the self-righteous homophobic radio evangelist, and the conservative African bishop. I was not going to get to sit by myself and think loftily about how much Jesus loved me in particular. I was not going to get to have dinner, eternally, with people just like me. I was going to get communion, whether I wanted it or not, with people I didn't necessarily like. People I didn't choose. People such as my parents or the strangers who fed me: the people God chose for me.

I ate the bread...
(Take This Bread, pp. 96-97)

The summary of the law is love God and love your neighbor. Sharing Holy Communion is never a form of personal piety. It forces us to stretch our understanding of the household of God to embrace all people, including those who we may feel like strangling at the moment.

And finally, Sara makes the important point that conversion is not a one-time experience:

...Conversion isn't, after all, a moment. It's a process, and it keeps happening, with cycles of acceptance and resistance, epiphany and doubt. As I struggled with bread and wine and belief over the following year at St. Gregory's, it stayed hard. I began to understand why so many people chose to be "born again" and follow strict rules that would tell them what to do, once and for all. It was tempting to rely on a formula-"accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and savior," for example-that became itself a form of idolatry and kept you from experiencing God in your flesh, in the complicated flesh of others. It was tempting to proclaim yourself "saved" and go back to sleep.

The faith I was finding was jagged and more difficult. It wasn't about abstract theological debates: Does God exist? Are sin and salvation predestined? Or even about political/ideological ones: Is capital punishment a sin? Is there a scriptural foundation for accepting homosexuality?

It was about action. Taste and see, the Bible said, and I did. I was tasting a connection between communion and food-between my burgeoning religion and my real life. My first questioning year at church ended with a question whose urgency would propel me into work I'd never imagined. Now that you've taken the bread, what are you going to do?
<Take This Bread, p. 97)

I don't know about you, but I'm converted to becoming a follower of Jesus Christ every morning. Usually after my first cup of coffee.

Conversion is an ongoing process. It is from that perspective that we can remain open to the Spirit of the living God breathing new life into us each day, refreshing us and empowering us to work with God in the act of creation, in the work of making all things new.

Next time we'll talk about liturgy, the "work of the people," specifically as it is explored by Sara Miles at St. Gregory of Nyssa in San Francisco.

J.

Posted May 28, 2007 05:25 PM by

Adam Cleaveland .::. Pomomusings

One Year

Wedding Shot

It doesn’t really feel like it. One year. One year ago they were calling me “Bridezilla” while my fiancée was drinking orange juice and champagne before the ceremony. One year ago we were surrounded by friends and family, hearing words from two up-and-coming homileticians, being blessed by Jen and enjoying so many great memories (including the limo driver getting lost on the way to the ceremony and my wife’s cell phone going off during the ceremony). One year ago we were dancing to our first dance as Mrs. & Mr. Walker Cleaveland.

It’s been a great year. We’ve laughed, watched an insane amount of movies, played Cribbage, Mastermind, Rummy, Skip-Bo, packed, moved, unpacked, packed, moved and unpacked again…we’re constantly learning new things about each other and continuing to grow closer. It would be silly to say it hasn’t been without its challenges - as we figure out whose way is the right way to do money, fold sheets, clean the house and pack for vacations. But that stuff is normal.

So, here’s to my wife, my bride of one year, Sarah, on our one-year anniversary.

Posted May 28, 2007 05:00 PM by

Technorati Search: "emerging church" Tags

Hienz 57 Spirituality - Part VIII

Personal and Ministry Assessment The remainder of this series if assessing myself and our community in how we are doing in various areas of spiritual...

Posted May 28, 2007 04:48 PM by

Technorati Search: "emerging church" Tags

Derek Webb’s Prayer of Jabez

We featured Derek Webb earlier in A New Law and here he comments on the adulterous nature of the church and our fascination with the vending machine...

Posted May 28, 2007 04:48 PM by

"God Girl" (Cathleen Falsani) .::. The Dude Abides

MUST READ DU JOUR: "Evan Almighty: Makers of Come...

MUST READ DU JOUR:
"Evan Almighty: Makers of Comedy Film Aim for Religious Audience"

More important than the lesson Mel Gibson taught Hollywood about drunken anti-Semitic tirades (that they’re bad for publicity) is the one gleaned from his 2004 film “The Passion of the Christ.” The movie demonstrated just how many evangelical moviegoers there are and how much money can be made from them.

Mindful of that market, Universal Pictures has teamed up with Grace Hill Media, a public relations firm that reaches out to religious groups, to publicize the mainstream film “Evan Almighty.” Scheduled for wide release on June 22, it stars Steve Carell as a politician who abandons Congress in order to build an ark, taking off on the story of Noah.

“Forty-three percent of this country is in church; that’s a big chunk of folks,” said Jonathan Bock, the president of Grace Hill Media. “You get into the once-a-month — that’s two-thirds of the country. That’s not a little niche audience.”

Mr. Bock was approached last year by Universal executives to help with publicity for “Evan Almighty,” the sequel to the director Tom Shadyac’s 2003 movie “Bruce Almighty,” which starred Jim Carrey.

One result of the effort isArkAlmighty.com, a Web site that promotes good deeds. It suggests acts of random kindness and helps participating congregations create online bulletin boards to post requests for help and offers of service among members.

In addition, Universal has held several screenings of “Evan Almighty” with religious leaders, hoping that they will recommend the film — with a PG rating and a protagonist who heeds a call to change the world — to their congregations.
FOR THE FULL STORY (NEW YORK TIMES) CLICK HERE

As regular readers of this space already know, "Bruce Almighty" is one of our favorite films — both because of its message ("Be the miracle") and for Morgan Freeman's brilliant portrayal of God. So "Evan Almighty" looks really promising — both funny and profound. We love the tag line: "When it comes to saving the world, some assembly may be required." Fabulous!

Here's the trailer for the "Evan Almighty":

Posted May 28, 2007 04:36 PM by

Mark Oestreicher .::. YSMarko

analogies and metaphors from high school essays

these are priceless: analogies and metaphors from high school essays. i don’t have any assurance they’re real, but they still cracked me up. here are a few of my favorites:

She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.

Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.

The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn’t.

He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame, maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.

(ht to bob c, via facebook)

Posted May 28, 2007 04:31 PM by

Andre .::. Emergent Mosaic

A ministry first

Yesterday my wife Lissa and I did a tag team message in worship on following through. She has preached/talked during worship before at other churches I pastored by this was the first time we did it together, It followed three weeks of messages about eh connecting between money and spirituality and focused on how we follow through with our commitments to join God in mission in the world.

I have to say she did a fantastic job. Which is not surprising after all she is a college professor but she was nervous about it since she had never done it before. She talked about remembering who we are so we can remember to follow through with God vision for our lives and the church. She played of the scene in Lion King when Rafiki told Simba “you don’t even know who you are.”

It was an awesome privilege to have her participate in the ministry of our church plant in this way. I loved sharing this with her and I’d like to do this again real soon but she is going to busy with her doctoral work so it may need to wait for a while.

Technorati : first, ministry, wife

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Posted May 28, 2007 04:30 PM by

Mark J Berry .::. Way Out West

2 Teams - 2 Play Off Finals - 2 Wins - 2 Promotions

Derby County & AFC Telford Utd - What more can I say!

YEEEEEESSSSSSS!

Technorati Tags: Football

Posted May 28, 2007 04:20 PM by

Adam Feldman .::. Blog

good week

This is going to be a good week:

It started off with a wonderful Memorial Day weekend cookout @ our house for Metanoia folks.
My family was in town (always a nice experience), but headed home this morning.
Kim and I find out the gender of our baby later this week (20th week ultrasound for those of you who know what the heck I'm talking about).
metanoiachurch.org v2.o went up and is podcasting.
We begin our summer long preaching series through Ecclesiastes with Metanoia this weekend.

Gonna be a good week...

Posted May 28, 2007 04:11 PM by

Bob Hyatt .::. bob.blog

dreams...

All I dream about is church.

Our church, our people... occasionally, my kids and more often my wife, but most of my dream energy seems to go towards church. Generally I'm interacting with some folks from evergreen, trying to work something out, at a community dinner, a Sunday gathering, something. And often, I'm just totally blowing it, or watching events unfold in a negative direction and feeling powerless to stop them.

I understand the importance of dreams and how we process in our sleep, untangle certain knots, deal with certain fears and insecurities... and that's exactly why this bothers me. I guess I'm just a typical male in that the majority of my identity (and thus my insecurities) revolve around my work. And so, I honestly long for the day when the majority of my dreams are about something else. I'm not sure how that will happen, but...

It just feels so... total. As though there's no part of me, even this hidden, deep down part that isn't completely given over to my vocation. It hasn't been a single conscious choice, but maybe the result of hundreds of small conscious and unconscious decisions along the way.

The good news is, I haven't yet started to dream about blogging. I'll let you know when that happens :)

Posted May 28, 2007 04:04 PM by

Andre .::. Emergent Mosaic

things I learned while teaching a class on the missional church

As the some says “Its been a long while” since I’ve been blogging anyway. Besides leading my young church plant I had the privilege to teach a class on the missional church at a local seminary Missional Church GRTS MIN567. Still humbling asking why me? Teaching students at a seminary in intimidating enough but teaching about the missional church which I’m still developing and growing in my understanding was truly a great responsibility.

As I reflect on the experience there are some things I discovered along the way that I want to share here.

Many people think of the emerging church and the missional church as the same thing.
Mission is still seen as a program of the church rather than the function of the church
Mission is often discussed separate from the mission dei as if the mission is something the church develops rather than being some thing that God is doing that we join in.
There is a tendency to try to separate being missional from being incarnational and contextual
It is major paradigm shift for many of us raised in the church to begin to think missionally about the church, the scriptures and our lives

Well that’s a start on my observations I’ll probably have more in the future

BTW required reading for the class was

The Mission of God:Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative - Christopher J. H. Wright
The Shaping of things to Come - Frost and Hirsch
The Missional Church: A vision for the Sending of the Church in NA - Darrel Guder
Shaped by God’s Heart: The Passion ans Practices of Missional Churches - Milfred Minatrea

Technorati : contextual ministry, emerging church, incarnational minstry, missio dei, mission, missional church

conversations, emerging church

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Posted May 28, 2007 04:01 PM by

"God Girl" (Cathleen Falsani) .::. The Dude Abides

R.I.P.: CHARLES NELSON REILLY Charles Nelson Reil...

R.I.P.: CHARLES NELSON REILLY

Charles Nelson Reilly, the Tony Award winner who later became known for his ribald appearances on the "Tonight Show" and various game shows, has died. He was 76.

Reilly died Sunday in Los Angeles of complications from pneumonia, his partner, Patrick Hughes, told the New York Times.

Reilly began his career in New York City, taking acting classes at a studio with Steve McQueen, Geraldine Page and Hal Holbrook. In 1962, he appeared on Broadway as Bud Frump in the original Broadway production of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." The role won Reilly a Tony Award.

He was nominated for a Tony again for playing Cornelius in "Hello, Dolly!" In 1997 he received another nomination for directing Julie Harris and Charles Durning in a revival of "The Gin Game."

After moving to Hollywood in 1960s he appeared as the nervous Claymore Gregg on TV's "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir" and as a featured guest on "The Dean Martin Show."

He gained fame by becoming what he described as a "game-show fixture" in the 1970s and '80s. He was a regular on programs like "Match Game" and "Hollywood Squares," often wearing giant glasses and colorful suits with ascots.

His larger-than-life persona and affinity for double-entendres also landed him on the "Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson more than 95 times.

Reilly ruefully admitted his wild game-show appearances adversely affected his acting career. "You can't do anything else once you do game shows," he told The Advocate, the national gay magazine, in 2001. "You have no career."

His final work was an autobiographical one-man show, "Save It for the Stage: The Life of Reilly," about his family life growing up in the Bronx. The title grew out of the fact that when he would act out as a child, his mother would often admonish him to "save it for the stage."

The stage show was made into the 2006 feature film called "The Life of Reilly."

Reilly's openly gay television persona was ahead of its time, and sometimes stood in his way. He recalled a network executive telling him, "They don't let queers on television."

Hughes, his only immediate survivor, said Reilly had been ill for more than a year.

No memorial plans had been announced.

SOURCE: The Associated Press VIA CNN.COM

CLASSIC CHARLES

Laughter is carbonated holiness. Thank you for blessing us, Charles.

Posted May 28, 2007 03:59 PM by

Eddie Gibbs & Kurt Fredrickson .::. The Church Then and Now

Reflections on the Mission of Jesus: New, but the Same—John 16:12-15

Margaret Wheatley in her book Leadership and the New Science writes about the one rule that guides a self-organizing system (as opposed to a mechanistic, hierarchical system): it must remain consistent with itself and its past. In this discourse on the edge of his death and resurrection, Jesus gives ...

Posted May 28, 2007 03:53 PM by

Google Blog Search .::. "Emerging Church" or Missional

Rediscovering the Missional Center of Scripture

The Scriptures are the narrative of God’s missional engagement with the world that He created. Mission stands at the center of the Old and New Testaments. As the Church in the West attempts to navigate its current 21st century context, ...

Posted May 28, 2007 03:51 PM by

Michael Spencer .::. Internet Monk

What About the Flag in the Sanctuary? (Or How To Get Fired Really Fast.)

Sometime when I was in seminary, I first heard the term “civil religion” and started to understand that some people had a problem with the American flag in a church sanctuary. The flag- and its companion, the “Christian” flag- have been in every church sanctuary I’ve ever been in, and both flags are in the chapel where I lead worship today.

Where I live today, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if there are churches with the Confederate flag in the sanctuary.

In the culture where I live, a pastor of a typical church who removed the flag would be fired. A pastor who started a process aimed at removing the flag would be starting a process to find another job. Removing the flag would be seen as something like a declaration of atheism or endorsing Al-Queda. Or both. Multiplied. By 10.

One of the reasons I like Shakespeare is that he had the ability to see all points of view with some kind of sympathy. I think I’m a bit like that, for better or worse, and if applied to the flag-in-church issue, it comes out something like this in the minds of those who want the flag displayed in church sanctuaries.

1) We’re grateful for the right to worship freely in this country, so we display the flag as a way to say we’re appreciative of that right.

2) We don’t worship the flag, and it’s rare that you would see any reference to our salute/pledge at all. You could come to 99% of the worship services in any church and the flag would receive absolutely no attention.

3) If the government is wrong on an issue like abortion or if it attempted to restrict our ability to speak out against homosexuality, we would quickly say the state is wrong and the Kingdom of God is right. In other words, the presence of the flag doesn’t assume that the state holds a higher authority for us than the Bible.

4) Nor does the flag’s presence assume we all support the policies of the government. There are many churches that display the flag, but many of the members believe the war in Iraq is wrong.

5) Don’t assume that the flag means we see ourselves as citizens of the nation rather than as citizens of the Kingdom. This may be confusing to someone from another culture, but it wouldn’t be if they asked for an explanation. We are clear on this.

6) The Bible tells us to be good citizens and to show proper respect to government, and that is all the presence of the flag does. Tha’s good, especially for children.

Because this is the usual approach to the flag issue among the Christians I know, I don’t suffer under a great need to see the flag removed. It could be a lot worse, and it probably is in some minds, but of all the hills a pastor has to die on, I wouldn’t recommend this one.

But there are times that I have problems.

For example, at some public ceremonies in church or the chapel, the flags lead in a procession. This would include things like graduations and Vacation Bible School If you don’t know what that is, I don’t think I can help you.

When the American flag is brought in leading that procession, with the Christian flag behind it, there is a problem. At a church I recently spoke at,the flagpole in front of the church had both flags flying, with the American flag on top. Problem, at least in terms of what the symbols are saying.

Flag etiquette is clear that this is proper, but for Christians, it is symbolically blasphemous. In fact, when the flag is used in any way other than as a passive part of sanctuary decoration, symbolic contradictions almost always emerge. Pledges, salutes and so forth are close to acts of “veneration.” (Those who criticize Catholics for bowing, etc. to statues might want to take pause and thing about the parallels.)

Another problem arises with the fact that, even when simply passively present, the flag identifies the congregation with the nation of America in a way that, at least visually, takes clear precedence over other loyalties. My Chinese friends, who understand patriotic symbolism very well from their culture, would never look at the flag and assume that its presence means Jesus is Lord and America is not. It will appear to them that the claims made in the church all happen under the permission and watchful eye of the state.

That’s the wrong message.

In actual fact, there are so many abuses of the flag by “God and Country” zealots, that ordinary Christians who don’t share those fanatical sympathies look as if they agree with all the inflamed rhetoric of the flag wavers.

In good conscience, leaders of churches should at least move the flags out of the main worship space. They can be respectfully be displayed in other places in a church facility if members of the congregation feel it is important to show proper respect and gratitude. The use of the flag in symbolic superiority to the “Christian” flag and the Bible should never happen. (In fact, what is the “Christian flag” anyway?” Get rid of it as well.)

As I said, in most rural American cultures, this is a deep generational issues that goes all kinds of emotional and sub-rational places no one really wants to visit. But it is an adventure in evangelical symbolism, and it can provide an important moment to say that symbols convey a message. Our message should always be Jesus Christ: King and Lord, with no competition from any other loyalty.

Posted May 28, 2007 03:48 PM by

Mark Van Steenwyk .::. The Jesus Manifesto

Happy Memorial Day…

Okay, after you watch that, read an excellent post by one of my favorite bloggers here about Memorial Day and the religious syncretism of the state. I think it is funny that Memorial Day and Pentecost shared the same weekend this year. I suspect that, ...

Posted May 28, 2007 03:47 PM by

Matthew M. Thomas .::. M Squared T

Liturgical Notes: Pentecost Season

Yesterday was Pentecost. Because of the movement of Easter and the fixity of Christmas, the season after Pentecost (like the season after Epiphany) has some scheduled flexibility built in.

That makes this week Pentecost Proper 3, with next Sunday being Trinity Sunday.

June 3 - 9, 2007 is Proper 4, and

June 10, 2007 is labelled the Second Sunday after Pentecost (2 Pentecost) Proper 5.

The reason for the complication is that Easter may fall as early as 22 March and as late as 25 April in any given year. The lectionary cycles of readings must account for this flexibility. Therefore, Pentecost may fall as early as 10 May and as late as 13 June.

To add even more complexity, Advent is always fixed as the four Sunday mornings prior to Christmas Eve. Thus, because the day upon which 25 December falls varies through the week, Advent may start as early as 27 November and as late as 3 December. Advent is the next season after Pentecost.

Therefore, this year:

10 June 2007: 2 Pentecost Proper 5

17 June 2007: 3 Pentecost Proper 6

24 June 2007: 4 Pentecost Proper 7

and so on, through

25 November 2007: Christ The King (Reign of Christ) 26 Pentecost Proper 29.

Clear as mud?

Posted May 28, 2007 03:20 PM by

(Group Blog) .::. Emerging Women

This sickness will not be unto death

Dear friends, I'd just like to thank you for your prayers for me and my family at this time. We have felt so supported.

You can go here to read the speech I gave at my mother's funeral on Saturday.

Blessings
Miz Melly

Posted May 28, 2007 03:00 PM by

Google Blog Search .::. "Emerging Church" or Missional

Five Streams of the Emerging Church

Key elements of the most controversial and misunderstood movement in the church today. '(Christianity Today)'

Posted May 28, 2007 02:50 PM by

John La Grou .::. Microclesia

Book Burning

Welcome to the digital age. A Missouri bookseller is burning his printed books: "wanting to thin out his collection, he found he couldn't even give away books to libraries or thrift shops, which said they were full. So on Sunday, Wayne began burning his books to protest what he sees as ...

Posted May 28, 2007 02:48 PM by

Emerging Grace .::. blog

Monday Morning Thoughts

One of the things that I like about Graham is that his message is always so simple - basic, down-to-earth, no hype or pretense. Yet, when you hear him, you realize that if you were to truly get it, this is all you really need to know.

As usual, interwoven throughout his teaching was his revelation of the goodness and kindness of God. At times, I wanted to smack my forehead wondering, "why do I forget?" I know these things. At what point do my thoughts get twisted around and mired in things that don't really matter?

That is what the body is for though, isn't it, to remind one another of who we are and who God is to us.

He spoke quite a bit about the present/future aspect of our lives, that while we have a present reality, our future is already a present reality to God. I appreciated how this gives a more organic understanding of the nature of prophecy than the gifts-focused emphasis that prophecy has had in the church.

With a present/future understanding we can co-labor with one another and with God, moving towards His vision for our future, both corporately and individually.

One area of this that Graham highlighted was accountability. He said - What if accountability wasn't about judgment and correction? What if it was about having friends who know and understand the dreams that God has for you? And what if they care about you enough to remind you of those dreams and promises when you need to be encouraged? Therefore rather than looking for areas of failure in your life, they are instead looking for opportunities to hold you up and support you.

For me personally, I didn't take away anything specifically earth-shaking. I was encouraged, especially to trust in regard to our future, that God can bring about the things that He wants to accomplish in us. I was also encouraged that an understanding of the goodness of God can minister reconciliation and redemption in very ordinary circumstances. I was reminded of what an incredible love we ambassador to those around us.

As Graham would say, "That is flippin' good news!"

Posted May 28, 2007 02:14 PM by

Rodney Olsen .::. The Journey

Why do you blog?

Hazelblackberry of A Bex and a Good Lie Down has tagged me. Well, she actually tagged me some days ago and I did promise to post that day but it didn't happen. Sorry.

It's now up to me to give you five reasons as to why I blog. Hmmm.

1. I enjoy writing.

2. I enjoy the sense of community blogging creates.

3. I love the fact that I've met so many interesting people, both online and in person, through blogging.

4. Writing helps me to formulate, shape and distill my own thoughts.

5. Being a naturally shy person, putting my thoughts out into cyberspace takes me out of my comfort zone.

I could come up with several more reasons but the meme asks for five and five you have.

Hazelblackberry tagged five people and Carol, who tagged her, only nominated one person. I suppose that means it's open to me to decide how to proceed.

I think I'll open it up to everyone. If you're a blogger, please take a few moments to consider why you blog. You may have answered the question some time ago but can I encourage you to look at it again and see if you're still blogging for the same reasons?

Jot down five reasons that you blog, either in the comments section of this post or on your own blog.

If you're a blog reader, but you've chosen not to publish your own blog, I'd love to get your perspective on this one. Would you take the time to write five reasons that you don't blog in the comments section of this post?

I look forward to some answers from bloggers and non-bloggers.

Posted by Rodney Olsen

Technorati Tags: Blogging - Meme - Blogs

Posted May 28, 2007 01:50 PM by

Mark Van Steenwyk .::. The Jesus Manifesto

Christarchy :: June 2nd :: 8pm

We have another Christarchy meeting coming up on June 2nd! The first Christarchy meeting went well--good turnout and good discussion. About 15 of us gathered in my living room to explore what it "looks like" to live out the Gospel. The conversation tended towards the abstract--but it was definitely ...

Posted May 28, 2007 01:47 PM by

Kay .::. Songs of Unforgetting

Still Thinking

I have been tagged yet again for a thinking blogger award. This time the tag comes from Jenavira at Essais. I’m really happy that I’ve been tagged again, because it gives me a chance to nominate bloggers that I couldn’t last time (even though I cheated and went over by one).

First on my list is Mahud at Between Old and New Moons. His was the blog that I stumbled across when I first started looking into Jesus as being another example of the myth of the dying and resurrecting god/man. “I blog about Mythology, Religion, and Spirituality. My central theme focuses upon mythological traditions concerning the dying and rising god, or as Wikipedia terms it, a Life-death-rebirth deity, also refered to as a Pagan Godman, or Pagan Christ. I usually use the term Mythological Victim, because often he is not presented as a god, on occasion is actually female, doesn’t always rise from the dead, and is Pre-Christian.”

Next on my list is Laurie at Just Another Day. She doesn’t blog very often, but when she does, her writing is fantastic. Keep writing Laurie! Once a week is all I ask. “On my better days I can trust, I can hope, that there is more and that the love I’ve shared here on earth continues on in God.”

Next on my list is Serenity at Serenity’s Tide. She writes about the things I wish I could, she does it with “light and love,” and she does it well. “I wonder how much we are all missing out on, what beauty could be created, what genius could be inspired, what heights we could reach if we all embraced our uniqueness, nourished our creativity and loved each other unconditionally for it.”

Next on my list is Brother Jeremy from Summer Harvest (formerly Fantastic Planet). It was his rant against “The Secret” that prompted me to write a similar post and it was his rant for which I had “rant envy.” His writing is sharp witted and eminently entertaining. “Gnosticism, Forteana, fun and more from a modern Gnostic Minister. Formerly “Fantastic Planet.”

And finally, wrapping up my five nominees is James at The Buddhist Blog. His writing is honest and open. I learn so much about Buddhism when I visit there. He inspires me to become a vegetarian. “I follow in the tradition of Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh but I would consider myself an “Independent Buddhist.” I am greatly influenced by Taoist thought as well and Mysticism in general … I am by no means an expert on Buddhism rather I am simply a student who is following the path like anyone else.”

Posted May 28, 2007 01:39 PM by

Kyle Potter (Captain Sacrament) .::. Vindicated

Memorial Day Edition: Sacrificing the Sacrifices of War

Most people who know me know precisely what I think about patriotism in the Church - it's bad, m'kay? I struggle to consider myself a Christian brother to and a fellow traveler with those Christians and churches that want to "save America" by bringing it back to the 1950s or the 1790s or any other arbitrary social golden age this nation was said to enjoy.

I have a will to love and care for the people in the time and place called America, but believing in America the way it wants to be believed in is another matter all together.

It's easier to talk about this around the 4th of July, when jingoistic churches start placing American flags over their crosses and having patriotic rallies. It's probably happening today in many churches - America's All Saints Day, as Roger calls it - but I'm going to ignore it. It's tricker on Memorial Day, when the nation commemorates those who died in its wars, some of which are pretty easy for folks to get behind and "believe in."

... so I'll let Hauerwas do it. His lecture, "Sacrificing the Sacrifices of War," was his attempt to show respect to America's soldiers. He does by talking about the ways in which they suffer that the media doesn't profile and people don't usually think about. He also explains why, in terms of a Christian vocabulary, the word "sacrifice" is a completely inappropriate way of discussing death in war.

Go here for the mp3 download.

You must also read Iafrate's splendid essay at Catholic Anarchy, "Memorial Day and the religous syncretism of the state."

Posted May 28, 2007 12:49 PM by

Ted Gossard .::. The Jesus Community

prayer for the departed

Eternal Lord God, you hold all souls in life: Give to your whole Church in paradise and on earth your light and your peace; and grant that we, following the good examples of those who have served you here and are now at rest, may at the last enter with them into your unending joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

from The Book of Common Prayer

Posted May 28, 2007 12:33 PM by

Google Blog Search .::. "Emerging Church" or Missional

Why Missional Community is More Difficult

Back in April David Fitch placed a post on his blog entitled "IT IS MORE DIFFICULT: WHY MISSIONAL COMMUNITY IS MORE DIFFICULT AND WHY I LOVE IT " It is really, really, good. Here is an excerpt: It is more difficult to take 10 people and ...

Posted May 28, 2007 12:22 PM by

Brad Bergfalk .::. nakedreligion

The Mystery of God’s Call…

Our church is in the middle of a search process for a Youth Director. We began by developing a job description (that incidentally becomes obsolete the moment the pastor arrives), talk about expectations (the search committee’s expectations seldom match the congregations), and develop some kind of criteria for sorting through a pile of resumes for [...]

Posted May 28, 2007 12:01 PM by

Andrew Jones .::. TallSkinnyKiwi

Is there real crystal in heaven?

Posted May 28, 2007 11:42 AM by

MW Kruse .::. Kruse Kronicle

Instructor Who Took Cell Phone Cleared

RedOrbits: Instructor Who Took Cell Phone Cleared

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A special prosecutor could not have had worse timing for telling a judge he'd cleared him of theft for taking a college student's ringing cell phone during a class.

Special prosecutor Rob Ives had just delivered his report Friday in Tippecanoe Superior Judge Les Meade's crowded courtroom when his own cell phone began ringing.

Ives quickly left the courtroom, which has a posted sign instructing those entering to turn off their cell phones. Other attorneys waited nervously to see Meade's reaction.

As it turned out, the judge liked Ives' ring tone - the song, "I Fought the Law (and the Law Won)."

"It was the perfect ending to this little annoyance," Meade said....

Posted May 28, 2007 11:33 AM by

Will Samson .::. Willzhead

Interview in New Wineskins

Fred Peatross has interviewed me for New Wineskins Magazine: Conversation with Will Samson

Posted May 28, 2007 11:29 AM by

Will Samson .::. Willzhead

Mountain Justice Summer

This past week I had the privilege of spending three days camping in a field with a bunch of people learning about the issue of mountaintop removal. It was a fairly diverse group. There were college students who were just waking up to the issue. There were people in their 20's and early 30's that had been shocked by the death of Jeremy Davidson, the three-year old boy killed in 2004 when a boulder weighing several tons was dislodged by a bulldozer constructing an illegal haul road to a strip mine. And, there were area residents incensed by the loss of life, the loss of jobs, the loss of clean drinking water and the devastation to the Appalachian ecosystem brought about by the practice of mountaintop removal.

I don't fit the personality of an activist. Even in politics my work was behind the scenes. But I came away from Mountain Justice summer far more deeply engaged in this issue, and this is mostly because of the people I met. What I expected to find were a bunch of radicals. What I found were a group of people deeply in love with the mountains and the residents of Appalachia.

Posted May 28, 2007 11:22 AM by

Jim Martin .::. A Place For the God-Hungry

Cheering Others On

On Friday afternoon, we drove to Dallas-Fort Worth Airport to pick up Jamie (our younger daughter) as she returned from Ghana. (She also spent a wonderful week in Scotland on her return.) She spent three weeks working in the Village of Hope. Picture hundreds of children in this place having the opportunity for [...]

Posted May 28, 2007 11:13 AM by

Jim Martin .::. A Place For the God-Hungry

Response: Planning Messages (Part 2)

About a week ago, I posted some reflections on planning messages for Sunday AM. I usually do this during the months of June and July of each year. The first post is here. (I suspect that the following will only make sense if you have read the first post.) 6. Planning for [...]

Posted May 28, 2007 11:13 AM by

Bob Hyatt .::. bob.blog

Ingrid and Doug...

A number of people have asked me what I think of the interview between Doug Pagitt and Ingrid Schleuter, she of the newly re-imagined Slice of Laodicea website, sworn enemy of all things emerging church.

First, I know Ingrid isn't hiding her position on the Emerging Church at all...

Postmodernism’s war against the meaning of words came through loud and clear today. Yet ironically, the emergents use words to undermine the Word. They are inconsistent. If words can’t mean anything authoritatively, why are these guys writing so many books? Why do words mean something when Pagitt or McLaren undermines basic biblical doctrine, but not when a Bible-believing Christian shares the fact that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”? At bottom, the emergents believe very much in the power of words. Without them, they could not do the work of destroying confidence in the Word of God. With their endless questionings of basic teachings like original sin, a literal hell, etc. they chip, chip, chip away at the faith and beliefs of Christian young people. They use “great swelling words” of wisdom, as the Book of Jude describes, but are clouds without rain.

and I am amazed that Doug doesn't seem to have known who this top-ten emerging church enemy is (though in some ways, that's actually kind of nice, if you think about it...), but at minimum a Google search previous to appearing on the program probably would have been wise... and probably would have provided enough info to at least suggest that this isn't the nice, book-plugging interview that Ingrid wanted Doug to think it was. Yeah- I think Ingrid was a bit tricky with this one- calling Doug's book "fascinating" in the beginning of the interview and not at least giving him the courtesy of a bit of back story of her involvement in harshly critiquing both him and the emerging church in general. I may be wrong, but it seems this was an ambush. I think Ingrid's questioning showed her true colors as the interview went on, but still...

To let Doug speak without knowing that he would be not only critiqued but mocked afterwards was dirty pool. Doug deserved to know to whom he was speaking, I think...

But, the last time I was with Doug, I told him something that had been on my mind for awhile...

I saw a quote awhile ago by John Updike that said something along the lines of "In a family, even exaggerations are understood."

That really resonated with me. See, I get Doug. Not that I understand everything he says, or even agree with everything he says. But man, I love the guy and time after time I find that when I hear something out of his mouth that at first blush makes me say "Whaaa???", if I give it a moment, run it through the grid of other things I know Doug thinks/believe, I find that I get what he's saying, and generally like it.
In other words, I give Doug the benefit of the doubt.

Problem is, not everyone does. And one of the biggest problems (if you can call it that) with guys as smart/sharp as Doug, or Brian McLaren, is that they are very hesitant to tell people what they don't believe. I think it probably seems like a waste of time and a potentially endless endeavor to start talking about what I DON'T believe.

But when you take the huge smartness of these guys, combine it with a desire not to waste time talking about what they don't think AND THEN add on a very irenic spirit, I see where some people might come away with some misconceptions about what these guys think. Personally, I think descriptions of Doug or Brian as "squishy" and relativistic are completely bogus. I understand (somewhat) where people who say things like that are coming from, but I think they're not listening hard enough.
For example, I hear in this interview Doug specifically responding to the idea that all religions basically boil down to the "shades of the same color" and saying he disagrees with that thought. The problem is, he's trying to be as nice as he can in saying so, and so gets tagged as "jello" and "confused" by people like Ingrid.

And if there's anything Doug is not, it's jello... or "confused." But... you have to be smart enough to know how people are going to use (and MIS-use) your words, intuit where you might be misunderstood, and speak to it- say things like "Now, what I DON'T mean by that is..."

I sense a great unwillingness to do that at times.

I would love, love, LOVE to see Doug and others speak apophatically, that is, to spend a bit more time with negative constructions, speaking about what the implications of their thoughts are not.
Because honestly, most of the time when I hear people critiquing the emerging church, they aren't even criticizing something that was actually said, but rather some inferences from something that was actually said (Phil Johnson's latest broadside on Dan Kimball being a great example), inferences which the speaker most likely never meant to imply.

So, all that being said, I liked what Doug had to say.

I hear him stating a basically CS Lewisian view that some truth is found everywhere, even other religions. Doug denies, however that all religions are the same and equally true. He also affirms the uniqueness of Christ with his definition of the Gospel, which I loved, by the way. I love his "5 word, 50 word and 500 word " idea ... I think this is born out ALL OVER scripture... you see many formulations of the Gospel, some extremely short "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved" or "Repent for the Kingdom is at hand" and some much longer and much more detailed (like 1 Cor 15 or the entire Book of Romans).

The formulation I use for my "5 word" Gospel (even though it's a bit longer...and ripped off from Tim Keller) is "The Gospel is the Good News that God Himself has come to rescue and renew all of creation through the work of Jesus Christ on our behalf."

Doug's 5 word version is: "God's invitation, through Jesus, for people to participate in what God is doing in the world." I think that is fantastic FOR A 5 WORD VERSION. It contains the same basic concept as mine, but even shorter. No, there's nothing in there about sin, repentance of forgiveness. But let me remind you, neither are those exact words contained in "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will saved."

But see, if you are looking to nail Doug and find fault with his theology, you'll definitely have a problem with that statement (as Ingrid does). And if you actually understand what he's saying about 5 word, 50 word and 500 word Gospels, you'll get it too- but not if you expect that 5 word formulation to do all the work of a 500 word, and that's exactly what Ingrid and Co. do.

I plan on interacting with the book more soon... I do have some concerns. In the meantime, see Dustin's review on Next Wave.

Posted May 28, 2007 10:11 AM by

Google Blog Search .::. "Emerging Church" or Missional

Missional vs. Evangelical (S. Michael Craven)

Missional vs. Evangelical Wed, May. 23, 2007 Posted: 12:23:42 PM EST While surveying the news recently, I came across a small but disturbing story that grabbed my attention. A California pediatrician reportedly refused to treat a baby ...

Posted May 28, 2007 09:51 AM by

Trevin Wax .::. Kingdom People

A Look at Augustine’s Confessions

Perhaps no other author or theologian has more profoundly shaped Western civilization and the Christian church than Saint Augustine (354-430). His contributions to Christian theology have helped shaped the present day view of the Trinity, while his conception of societas - a community held together and identified by its love ...

Posted May 28, 2007 09:47 AM by

Jonny Baker .::. Blog

flip flop

flip flop, originally uploaded by jonnybaker.

Posted May 28, 2007 09:26 AM by

Maggi Dawn .::. blog

tents in the wilderness

We've put a few things up in Chapel this week aimed at de-stressing. There's a little exercise in perspective, which involve footprints on the floor. There's a chill-out meditation corner in the side chapel, ably constructed by one of the student groups.

And in the main chapel I have put up a tent full of cushions and

fairy lights. The aim is to give anyone who wants it - regardless of their faith background - a space to re-group and drop the stress. There are various calming thoughts pasted inside the walls, some of which are drawn from the Christian tradition.

While I was constructing it I thought of Tracey Emin as well as Mother Julian...

Someone once said that the purpose of art is to make you see the world in new ways. My tent is hardly a work of art, but from inside it you do see the the Chapel in a new perspective...

More than one person has called me a Dippy Hippy. But I can live with that.

Posted May 28, 2007 09:12 AM by

Andrew Jones .::. TallSkinnyKiwi

Frankfurt Hostel

The Frankfurt Hostel was great. and we would totally stay there again. Free wifi and free breakfast. And great people from all over the world . . . like . .

Herr Müller from the North, Kiwis Steve and Damien, and the Polish guy who gave us a free tour of Frankfurt.

Posted May 28, 2007 09:07 AM by

Mike DeVries .::. _awakening

Tournament Wrap-up.

Well. the journey didn't end up quite as we wanted, but it was an amazing ride, nonetheless.

We played the other three teams in Pool C on Friday night, Saturday morning, and Saturday night. All three teams were little league all-star teams, two from the Tustin area and the other from Irvine. The games were pretty much blow outs, as we mercied all three teams. We won Friday night 11-1. Saturday morning 10-0, and Saturday night 13-1. That left us in first place in our pool, matched up with the second place winner from Pool D - the Saddleback Valley Thunder, a local travel ball team.

The game was set for tonight at 7:40 pm. They started with their #1 pitcher, a right hander who threw really hard, with a nice two-seam fastball. We countered with one of our better pitchers, a left-hander with a really nice curveball. We jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second on a nice amount of small ball, they came back in the fourth with a three run homerun off our starter. We came back in the fifth to tie it up on a solo homerun. We added a few more runs in the next inning to lead 6-3. Going into the bottom of the seventh inning, we were leading 6-3, then the rally began. They scored two runs on a few really hard hit balls up the middle. They added a few more base runners on a few infield hits. They were down to their last out, when their lead off hitter hit a walk-off three run homerun to right field. Final score 8-6.

What a way to end a game... it was pretty amazing. The players and parents from both teams mixed together after the game and talked about how great the game was, and we wished them well as they head on to the semi-finals.

As we drove home from the game, Josh tells me, "Dad, the tournament was the most fun I've ever had playing baseball." When I asked him why, his response was great. "Our team was really good. The guys were a lot of fun. And I really enjoyed the intensity. It was cool."

As for Josh, he played first base the entire game Friday night, played first for three innings of the game on Saturday morning, and played first for four innings tonight. Due to our team carrying fifteen players, some of the kids had to sit for various games. He sat on Saturday night's game. He didn't get a chance to pitch, which he was okay with it. As for hitting, he put the ball in play every at bat, going 1 for 5, with a single and was hit by a pitch. He also stole a base and scored a run.

So now that we've been eliminated... it's off to the old traditional Memorial Day BBQ tomorrow. [Ah... I'm relaxing just thinking about it!]

[Photo courtesy of the Dana Point Youth Baseball website. Josh is the fifth player from the left in the back row.]

Posted May 28, 2007 06:23 AM by

Scot McKnight .::. Jesus Creed

Venice 2!

Sunday morning we got up, had our breakfast, and then headed for Venice — so we could attend a Gregorian chant service on Pentecost Sunday at San Giorgio Maggiore (church). The nice thing — the church is on an island a short distance from Venice. So, we boarded the vaporetto and headed over … 5 minutes later we were on land again in front of a church that was originally designed by Palladium (a famous local architect).

When we got into the church, an elderly, joyous aged priest greeted us. We didn’t know his name [I wanted to call him Simeon], but he walked constantly with his hands in the “I bless you” position and during the service seemed ready to break into sudden chorus of praise all alone. The officiating priest, a picture stolen from a stereotypical priest — the convent here is Benedictine — with bald head and nice monk’s brim, shone with a face of happiness. The service included the blessing of a couple for their 50th anniversay — but I failed to hear the Lord’s Prayer in the entire service. We followed along as best we could the Italian service sheet.

Now some pictures:

San Giorgio Maggiore Church in the background as I sit in the vaporetto and the church itself:

A typical restaurant and a typical couple on a typical bridge over a typical canal:

Monday morning we drive from Venice around Padua and Bologna to Florence (Firenze to the natives).

Posted May 28, 2007 06:15 AM by

Scot McKnight .::. Jesus Creed

The Pope’s Jesus 1

Books about Jesus attract me, but when the Pope (Benedict XVI) writes a book on Jesus, I’m doubly interested. So, I’ll do a series — and it is really nice to kick it off while we are in Italy.

Big ideas first.

“It goes without saying that this book is in no way an exercise of the magisterium, but is solely an expression of my personal search ‘for the face of the Lord’ (cf. Ps 27:8). Everyone is free, then, to contradict me. I would only ask my readers for that initial goodwill without which there can be no understanding” (xxiii-xxiv).

We’ve had many authors whose books we have reviewed enter into the conversation. So, if you know the Holy Father personally, send him our way!

The Pope sets his book into the conversation of historical Jesus scholars, and his foreword gives a sketch — a nice one — of that discussion. His interlocutors are dated (Schnackenburg, Bultmann, et al) but he is clearly aware of what is going on. His sparring partners, however, are clearly Roman Catholic and European; I’m not sure he’s in touch with the explosion of scholarship of the Third Quest — and here one thinks of EP Sanders, G Vermes (who wrote a tough review of this book), Dom Crossan, M Borg, and NT Wright. (This harms the book, but not fatally.)

Benedict’s method is lucid and much needed: it is canonical (he routinely sweeps through the Bible to illustrate the meaning of something in the Gospels) and it is theological. And there are four dimensions to how the Pope proceeds, and each is needed and each sheds light — even if most historical Jesus scholars would deem his points “non-historical Jesus”.

1. The book is theological — it is not simply historical; it does not subject any evidence to any kind of critical test. Instead, he reflects and contemplates on the theological significance of a given event or teaching of Jesus.

2. The book is densely christological — instead of sticking to no more than can be known of a human figure who was Galilean, 1st Century, Jewish, and charismatic, this book explores the dense christology that a given event or teaching reveals. What began again afresh in the days of Ben Meyer’s brilliant The Aims of Jesus is taken to a higher level in the Pope’s book.

3. The book is (no surprise here) ecclesiological — this book unpacks everything in an ecclesial direction. Jesus established the Church, and the kingdom is unfolded in the direction of the Church. Along this line, Benedict regularly inserts an insight — theological, pastoral — from the Fathers of the Church.

4. The book is cruci-centric — baptism, temptations, Beatitudes — from beginning to end, Benedict’s interpretation leads him directly to the Cross. In fact, the Cross casts its shadow back onto every event in the life of Jesus and every teaching because, as he puts it, you can’t understand any of it until you understand it from the Cross.

Posted May 28, 2007 06:10 AM by

Jazztheologian .::. Reflections of a Jazz Theologian

Colfax

Colfax--The longest street in America.

The Denver Post produced an informative and interactive guide to this historic stretch of asphalt: The Colfax Story

Posted May 28, 2007 05:23 AM by

Rodney Olsen .::. The Journey

Grumpy Old Women

I know that they don't look very grumpy ... but they are.

One of the things I love about my job is the range of people that I get to talk to. This morning I had the opportunity to chat to Linda Robson and Jenny Éclair who are currently in Perth for Grumpy Old Women Live.

We chatted about the hit BBC television programme that launched the show and I asked them what makes them grumpy about Australia.

They were very complimentary about our land down under and couldn't find too much to complain about here ..... until Jenny remembered seeing some of our morning television.

She doesn't mind the programmes but she found it a bit odd when it came to a very long advertisement about a ladder. I suggested that it's a very good ladder but she wasn't convinced.

Jenny Éclair is a comedian, actress, novelist and radio presenter. Although I'd never seen any of her work before the Grumpy Old Women TV show, I immediately warmed to her in that programme and so I was thrilled that she was able to drop in to our studios.

Linda Robson will celebrate 40 years in show business in January next year and is perhaps best known for her role as Tracey Stubbs in the BBC series Birds of a Feather. Pauline and I were big fans of Birds of a Feather so it was a real honour to meet Linda.

If you'd like to hear what the Grumpy Old Women had to say just click here or right click here if you'd like to save the mp3 and listen later.

Posted by Rodney Olsen

Technorati Tags: Grumpy Old Women - Linda Robson - Jenny Éclair

Posted May 28, 2007 04:49 AM by

Kay .::. Songs of Unforgetting

For My New Truck

Mudflap Man

What do you think? Jealous? Makes you want to tailgate me, eh?

Posted May 28, 2007 04:11 AM by

Google Blog Search .::. "Emerging Church" or Missional

dr jim holsinger for surgeon general

I was delighted to see a headline this evening announcing that President Bush has nominated Dr James Holsinger to become the next surgeon general of the United States. I'm not much of a Bush fan admittedly, but there are a handful of ...

Posted May 28, 2007 04:11 AM by

(Group Blog) .::. Pyromaniacs

In Memoriam

Your weekly dose of Spurgeon
posted by Phil Johnson

The PyroManiacs devote some space each weekend to highlights from The Spurgeon Archive.

The following excerpt is taken from the fast-day service held at the Crystal Palace on October 7, 1857, after the
"Indian Mutiny," (or "First War of Independence," depending on one's perspective). The rebellion resulted in large-scale losses for the British army and began the process that ended the Raj.

England's official response to the catastrophe was to declare "a Solemn Fast, Humiliation, and Prayer before Almighty God: in order to obtain Pardon of our Sins, and for imploring His Blessing and Assistance on our Arms for the Restoration of Tranquillity in India."

Spurgeon was asked to preach at a public commemoration, held at the massive Crystal Palace. That solemn occasion drew more than 20,000 Victorians. It was the largest single audience Spurgeon ever addressed. The excerpt below is his prayer just before the sermon. It contrasts starkly with the tone and flavor of most of today's Memorial Day celebrations, and contains some lessons for us.

On the one hand, Britain's response to a national disaster like this—with public expressions of repentance, a plea for forgiveness, and a call for a national fast—is the kind of thing that was fairly common in the Puritan era, less common in Victorian times, but almost totally unheard of today. That is to our shame.

On the other hand, Spurgeon's belief that God Himself was on Britain's side was certainly not a safe assumption. Spurgeon probably underestimated the speed with which modernism, rationalism, and secularism were beginning to dominate Victorian society.

And yet that society, spiritually disintegrating though it was, was not yet so degenerate as to flinch from a call to public repentance. The remorseless and stiff-necked attitude of our culture makes a frightening contrast.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of Spurgeon's Crystal Palace message, and this seemed a fitting entry for Memorial Day weekend. Selah.

UR Father, which art in heaven," we will be brief, but we will be earnest if Thou wilt help us. We have a case to spread before Thee this day. We will tell out our story, and we will pray that Thou wouldst forgive the weakness of the words in which it shall be delivered, and hear us, for Jesus' sake.

O Father, Thou hast smitten this our land, not in itself, but in one of its dependencies. Thou hast allowed a mutinous spirit to break out in our armies, and Thou hast suffered men who know not Thee, who fear neither God nor man, to do deeds for which earth may well blush, and for which we, as men, desire to cover our faces before Thee. O Lord God, Thou couldst not bear the sin of Sodom; we are sure Thou canst not endure the sin which has been committed in India. Thou didst rain hell out of heaven upon the cities of the plain. The cities of Inde are not less vile than they, for they have committed lust and cruelty, and have much sinned against the Lord. Remember this, O God of Heaven.

But, O Lord our God, we are not here to be the accusers of our fellow-man; we are here to pray that Thou wouldst remove the scourge which this great wickedness has brought upon us. Look down from heaven, O God, and behold this day the slaughtered thousands of our countrymen. Behold the wives, the daughters of Britain, violated, defiled! Behold her sons, cut in pieces and tormented in a manner which earth hath not beheld before. O God, free us, we beseech Thee, from this awful scourge! Give strength to our soldiers to execute upon the criminals the sentence which justice dictates; and then, by Thy strong arm, and by Thy terrible might, do Thou prevent a repetition of so fearful an outrage.

We pray Thee, remember this day the widow and the fatherless children; think Thou of those who are this day distressed even to the uttermost. Guide the hearts of this great multitude, that they may liberally give and this day bestow of their substance to their poor destitute brethren. Remember especially our soldiers, now fighting in that land. God shield them! Be Thou a covert from the heat! Wilt Thou be pleased to mitigate all the rigours of the climate for them! Lead them on to battle; cheer their hearts; bid them remember that they are not warriors merely, but executioners; and may they go with steady tramp to the battle, believing that God wills it that they should utterly destroy the enemy, who have not only defied Britain, but thus defiled themselves amongst men.

But, O Lord, it is ours this day to humble ourselves before Thee. We are a sinful nation; we confess the sins of our governors and our own particular iniquities. For all our rebellions and transgressions, O God have mercy upon us! We plead the blood of Jesus. Help every one of us to repent of sin, to fly to Christ for refuge and grant that each one of us may thus hide ourselves in the rock, till the calamity be overpass, knowing that God will not desert them that put their trust in Jesus. Thy servant is overwhelmed this day; his heart is melted like wax in the midst of him; he knoweth not how to pray.

Yet Lord, if Thou canst hear a groaning heart which cannot utter itself in words, thou hearest his strong impassioned cry, in which the people join. Lord save us! Lord arise and bless us; and let the might of Thine arm and the majesty of Thy strength be now revealed in the midst of this land, and throughout those countries which are in our dominion God save the Queen! A thousand blessings on her much-loved head! God preserve our country! May every movement that promotes liberty and progress be accelerated, and may everything be done in our midst, which can shield us from the discontent of the masses, and can protect the masses from the oppression of the few.

Bless England, O our God. "Shine, mighty God, on Britain shine;" and make her still glorious Britain, "beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth." Lord accept our confessions; hear our prayers, and answer us by Thy Holy Spirit! Help Thy servant to preach to us; and all the glory shall be unto Thee, O Father, to Thee, O Son, and Thee, O Holy Spirit; world without end. Amen and Amen.

Posted May 28, 2007 04:00 AM by

Michael Spencer .::. Internet Monk

The Wrong Song For the People of God

[Check out the previous IM post, “With God On Our Side.”]

One of the results of working with international students, and especially of having them in worship services you’re leading, is a new appreciation of how some commonly accepted elements of American Christian culture sound to those who aren’t Americans.

Take, for example, those patriotic songs at the back of your average American hymnal. They sound somewhat unusual when you look out into dozens of African and Asian faces.

This morning, the worship service I attended featured a very tasteful remembrance of those who had given their lives in the service of their country. We also sang this song, a song I’ve known since I was a small child, and a song that I’ve never really considered very much until I realized students from other countries were being asked to sing it with us in the context of worship.

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self the country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

There’s a lot I have always liked about this song. It has a recognition that we live in a blessed country and a flawed country. I can imagine someone like Martin Luther King, Jr. saying we should strive to live out what this song is about. If you can connect your own belief in God with your belief that every nation has received some blessings and opportunities from God, then this song has some meaning you can always affirm.

The song invites God to refine, shed grace and mend our country. I believe many Americans who are Christians could, within their own beliefs, sincerely add these requests to their prayers, and even invite those of other nations who happen to be with us to do the same.

At the same time, there are some aspects of the song that now stand out to me. They’ve always been there, but I now see them in a much clearer way as I think about the song appearing in so many Christian worship services.

1. The song is addressed to America. The prayers in this song are in the context of addressing America in a personified way. In the context of worship, this is indirect at best and idolatrous at worst. None of us believe that “America” is an entity we can or should address in anything other than a poetic and secular manner.

2. Who is the God being addressed in this song? There is nothing in the song that distinctively addresses the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Dealing with a generic deity in Christian worship is always problematic, but inviting non-Christians and internationals to do so is simply wrong. It is the kind of “God as you think of him/her” rhetoric you would expect to hear in a Unitarian/Universalist gathering.

3. The theology of the song has many problems. Examples:

God shed his grace on thee, And crown thy good with brotherhood, From sea to shining sea! God’s common grace doesn’t come in response to our good. It’s incredibly misleading to glibly sing this, leaving the impression that we’re really doing pretty well, and with God’s help, we can do better.

A similar sentiment in the next verse.

May God thy gold refine, Till all success be nobleness, And every gain divine!

Thankfully, the best line in the song provides some some balance.

America! America!, God mend thine every flaw, Confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law!

4. The song has a utopian and Ameri-centric vision of the future.

O beautiful for patriot dream, That sees beyond the years.
Thine alabaster cities gleam, Undimmed by human tears!

Unless you are a particular kind of postmillenial theocrat, I’m not sure there is any way a Christian can believe that we can, even with God’s help, bring “alabaster cities” without human tears into existence. The reference to the City of God, where God wipes away every tear and banishes pain, is unmistakable. The song promotes a kind of American eschatology that we can’t Biblically promote.

Someone could suggest that any nation might take the essence of this song and transfer its message to any culture. In some ways this is true, but if you look at all the verses to this song (available here) it’s easy to see that this song celebrates God’s past, present and future dealings with our country as unique. In many ways, the song is an example of the American belief that our nation is the new people of God, subduing the wilderness and bringing about the promised land. As one commenter has pointed out, the “freedom” celebrated in this song comes at the expense of the freedom of native peoples and by some very specific sins on the part of Christians. Do we acknowledge those aspects of the story?

Perhaps the reason a song like “America the Beautiful” persists in worship among evangelicals is a simple, but deeply rooted problem: We- the church- don’t know who we are. We have lost our identity, and in the world in which we live, it is always easier to take hold of national identity than to live out the identity of God’s people.

God’s people come from every nation, tribe and people. We do not place our hope in any nation, but in Jesus Christ alone. We are a people in the midst of the nations. Our identity comes from our redemption through the blood of the lamb. We are called to live out our continuing identity found in the Word, the waters of baptism and the table of the Lord. This is not our home, and it is not our hope, even with religion added in.

Among many evangelicals, however, there is only the thinnest of memories left of what it means to be the people of God in the midst of America. It is much easier to equate being an American with being the people of God, and that is a significant loss.

Posted May 28, 2007 03:10 AM by

Jay Vorhees .::. Only Wonder Understands

Goodbye Sandy

I received word tonight that the body of our good friend Sandy Hodge finally succumbed to the cancer that was running through her body.

Although Sandy was a mentor to Kay in her early days of ministry, Sandy (like I) was later to the role of ordained minister, and we came through the process around the same time. She had been a gift to the church prior to her ordination, serving as both a lay employee of the United Methodist Church, as a community organizer and urban ministry specialist, and as a hospital chaplain. But, as I think the folks she served would have told you, she shined in the pastorate, whether serving in rural Northern Middle Tennessee, or in the urban grime of Inglewood. She was a gifted preacher, teacher, and most importantly, a pastor. When we learned that she had cancer, we were all shocked, but were convinced that she could make it to the other side.

Many of us regret that we failed in keeping up with Sandy during her illness. Some of this was through her own desire to focus fully on fighting the illness, and fearing that she would be overwhelmed with those who wanted to love on her. Those early desires led into patterns of disconnection, and many were unaware that her illness had progressed to the point of death.

And yet, as she told one friend who confessed their lack of presence to her, we are all still friends. She knew, I think, that friendship was a matter of the heart. She never demanded anything from her ministry friends for, I believe, she knew that they were already pushed to the limit in caring for their flocks. So she leaned on her family, and a close circle of intimate friends who had been family together for a long time.

Now she’s gone. My theology is such that I know that she lives on with Christ, probably telling St. Peter a thing or two about how the place could be better run. But her spirit and energy are no longer with us, and we grieve our loss of a dear friend.

Give ‘em heck Sandy, and enjoy experiencing the justice that you have always longed for.

Posted May 28, 2007 02:44 AM by

Bob .::. (blog)

Church By Accident

Posted May 28, 2007 02:27 AM by

Rodney Olsen .::. The Journey

Thank you

I mentioned last week that the National Day of Thanksgiving was set down for last Saturday in Australia. It was a day to say thank you to those who have made our lives and our communities better.

When Life Skills Trainer, Jill Bonanno, joined me on 98.5 Sonshine FM for our regular Friday morning radio segment, Simply Living, we gave listeners the opportunity to call in and express their thanks for various people. We also talked about the benefits of being thankful rather than looking at the negatives of life all the time.

You can hear our discussion by clicking here.

I wonder why you're thankful today?

I'm incredibly thankful for my wife Pauline. She is beautiful in so many ways. I'm constantly amazed and humbled by the fact that such a wonderful person would choose to spend their life with me.

Having kids like Emily and James would be enough to make anyone thankful. They truly are an amazing blessing and they constantly teach me so much about life.

I'm very thankful for our extended family. It's wonderful to have people on both sides of our family that we know we can depend upon. Our church family is also rock solid and dependable.

Turning up for work each day is an amazing privilege. I'm extremely thankful for my job. There are seasons in life, and I may not be here forever, but at the moment I couldn't imagine working anywhere else.

There's so much more to be thankful for, not the least of which is my friendship with the creator of the universe.

What about you? Are you able to name the things in your life that cause you to be thankful? I'd love to hear about the things that create a sense of gratitude in your life. Please note a few of them in the comments section of this post or write a post for your own blog.

Posted by Rodney Olsen

Technorati Tags: Thankfulness - Gratitude - Radio

Posted May 28, 2007 01:57 AM by

Father Jake .::. Father Jake Stops the World

Pentecost

And I have felt
A presence that disturbs me with the joy
Of elevated thoughts; a sense sublime
Of something far more deeply interfused,
Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns,
And the round ocean and the living air,
And the blue sky, and in the mind of man;
A motion and a spirit, that impels
All thinking things, all objects of all thought,
And rolls through all things.

- Wm. Wordsworth

J.

Posted May 28, 2007 01:00 AM by

Kay .::. Songs of Unforgetting

Forget the Cheerleader, Save the Bees

There have been many well written articles in the blogosphere about the plight of the honeybees. It really is alarming. I work in a grocery store and have personal contact with bee farmers and honey producers. The death of so many honeybees (twenty-five percent!) is not something that is happening “over there.” It’s happening right here (and “over there” too).

Excerpted below is part of an article from CNN:

Unless someone or something stops it soon, the mysterious killer that is wiping out many of America’s honeybees could have a devastating effect on the country’s dinner plate, perhaps even reducing its people to a glorified bread-and-water diet.

Honeybees do not just make honey; they pollinate more than 90 of the tastiest flowering crops the country has.

Among them: apples, nuts, avocados, soybeans, asparagus, broccoli, celery, squash and cucumbers. And lots of the really sweet and tart stuff, too, including citrus fruit, peaches, kiwi, cherries, blueberries, cranberries, strawberries, cantaloupe and other melons.

In fact, about one-third of the human diet comes from insect-pollinated plants, and the honeybee is responsible for 80 percent of that pollination, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Even cattle, which feed on alfalfa, depend on bees. So if the collapse worsens, Americans could end up being “stuck with grains and water,” said Kevin Hackett, the national program leader for USDA’s bee and pollination program.

“This is the biggest general threat to our food supply,” Hackett said.

While not all scientists foresee a food crisis, noting that large-scale bee die-offs have happened before, this one seems particularly baffling and alarming.

U.S. beekeepers in the past few months have lost one-quarter of their colonies — or about five times the normal winter losses — because of what scientists have dubbed Colony Collapse Disorder.

The problem started in November and seems to have spread to 27 states, with similar collapses reported in Brazil, Canada and parts of Europe.

Scientists are struggling to figure out what is killing the honeybees, and early results of a key study this week point to some kind of disease or parasite.

Even before this disorder struck, America’s honeybees were in trouble. Their numbers were steadily shrinking, because their genes do not equip them to fight poisons and disease very well, and because their gregarious nature exposes them to ailments that afflict thousands of their close cousins.

“Quite frankly, the question is whether the bees can weather this perfect storm,” Hackett said. “Do they have the resilience to bounce back? We’ll know probably by the end of the summer.”

Experts from Brazil and Europe have joined in the detective work at USDA’s bee lab in suburban Washington. In recent weeks, Hackett briefed Vice President Dick Cheney’s office on the problem. Congress has held hearings on the matter.

“This crisis threatens to wipe out production of crops dependent on bees for pollination,” Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said in a statement.

Read the rest of the article HERE.

Posted May 28, 2007 12:30 AM by

Alan Hirsch .::. The Forgotten Ways

Distilling the Message

It’s time to get back onto the trail of Apostoic Genius…onto the mDNA of “Jesus is Lord.” Most people when asked about how they think the early Christians movement (and the Chinese underground churches) grew so remarkably answer that it was largely because they were true believers—that there was a real and abiding authenticity to their faith and they therefore accessed the power of the Spirit that was available to them. Presumably if one is willing to die for the faith, one has gone beyond easy believism into the realms of genuine faith and love for God. And such an assessment is right. Any study of the lives of these people cannot fail to inspire. Persecution drives the persecuted to live very close to their message—they simply cling to the Gospel of Jesus and thus unlock its liberating power.

(more…)

Posted May 28, 2007 12:12 AM by

May 27, 2007

AKMA .::. Random Thoughts

Pentecost 2007

St. Luke’s celebrated a wonderful Feast of the Pentecost, whereat we welcomed a couple of beautiful new souls to the Body of Christ.

And Lily made her first Communion. Yay, Lily!

Posted May 27, 2007 11:51 PM by

Bill Kinnon .::. Achievable Ends

Home

The flight that was to arrive at 8:40 last night, finally disgorged us into the Toronto atmosphere at 10pm. Problems with Air Traffic Control over the Atlantic (how comforting) had delayed our talk-off. It gave me more time to experience the presence of a six foot six giant of a man sitting beside me. He had the middle seat. I got to experience the air in the aisle as I leaned away from him. I'm always puzzled how an airline is incapable of seating people based on their height. Why didn't this fellow automatically get the exit row? Instead, it was occupied by below average in height folk. Go figure.

The No-Jet-lag pills seemed to have worked. I'm tired but not yet ready for bed. This time tomorrow I'll be 90 minutes into my five hour flight to Vancouver. Hopefully, the No-Jet-lag pills will continue to work.

I'll write about the people we met in England when I have a chance. Right now, I'm getting two videos and the next Roxburgh Journal audio netcast ready for June 1 on the Allelon site. One video is Al Roxburgh's conversation with Eddie Gibbs on What is Missional Church? The other video is John Franke talking about Missional Church. We've been allowed to repackage a Biblical Seminary video - which we much appreciate. The Roxburgh Journal features Al in conversation with Andrew Jones aka Tally Skinny Kiwi. As I mentioned elsewhere, the June 15th Allelon Netcast Roxburgh Journal will be Al's conversation with TSK friend, Jonny Baker.

Posted May 27, 2007 11:35 PM by

Phil and Dan McCredden .::. Signposts

To beard or not to beard II

I DID IT!

I walked into Word Bookstore … I picked up some tacky merchandise … I walked up to the counter … I said to the attendant behind the counter “I’ve been told that people with beards can’t work here. Is that true because being a person with a beard I’d like to be served by someone that had a beard too?” … the attendant looked at me puzzled for a moment … then put her hand to her chin and said “I didn’t think she had a problem with facial hair yet but could I serve you anyway?”

Hmmm maybe that didn’t go so well. So I wait for the guy behind the counter to be available and I ask him.

“I’ve been told that people with beard can’t work here is that true?”

“Like many retail businesses we have a policy that people can’t grow beards while working here. You can have a beard or be clean shaven, but not be growing one.” (This isn’t exactly what Urbanmonk reported - but maybe it reflects on his ability to produce a full face of manly hair.)

“I thought it was funny because I wondered if Jesus could get a job here or not.”

“Would he want a job here?”

Well that is an interesting question on several levels but as the conversation continued I think my helpful Word shopkeeper was indicting he appreciated Jesus’ ministry as it already was, sans retail traineeship. Besides wasn’t Jesus better suited to the building trades? And then came the punchline.

“We could have a book signing. We would sell a lot”

Ahh the entrepreneurial spirit at work. That is why they own a national retail chain and I don’t.

(PS The clean shaven staff helped me find a Sons of Korah DVD that I bought and love)

Posted May 27, 2007 11:31 PM by

Joe Thorn .::. Words of Grace

Alt. Sunday

Today was the first day in five years that Grace has not met on the Lord’s Day. As Grace and FBC have come to an end to begin Redeemer there is no gathering at the old FBC campus this morning. We decided to do this to create a break between what we were doing and the new work God has given birth to. So our people are scattered and worshiping elsewhere this Sunday. Some went Congregational, I encouraged others to check out the solid Presbyterian churches in our area, others went non-denom and Bible Church, and at least two families tried another SBC church (The Walkes and my family). We took the opportunity to worship with Steve McCoy and friends at Calvary Baptist Church. I heard a great song I was unfamiliar with, met some very nice people, and Steve preached through Daniel 10-12 emphasizing the sovereign, redemptive plan of God throughout the ages and our own lives. Good stuff. Afterward the two fams from Redeemer spent time at Steve’s eating his food and playing with his kids.

Posted May 27, 2007 11:31 PM by

Len Hjalmarson .::. Next Reformation

Pentecost Sunday

We attended a local gathering this morning and listened to "preach by wire" on the big screen.. I think this is my third experience with it now. This is not growing on me, and if it keeps up I may become a preacher as a protest. Worse.. I heard a ...

Posted May 27, 2007 10:49 PM by

Kay .::. Songs of Unforgetting

At This Point

I’m returning to the original vision I had for this blog - comparative religion, mythology, spirituality and my personal journey. That means that things are going to (continue to) be rather eclectic. I hope you stick around for dialog, but if you don’t, then that’s ok too. I’ll miss you, but I understand.

Posted May 27, 2007 10:42 PM by

Chris Monroe (Desert Pastor) .::. Paradoxology

Which Did You Commemorate in Church Today?

Holy_spirit_1_sm Istock_000003002984xsmall_sm

Which did you commemorate today? Pentecost? Memorial Day? Both? Neither?

Why?

(Those living in countries other than the U.S., how does your place of worship respond to such choices, if at all?)

Photo credit: © iStockphoto.com

Posted May 27, 2007 09:45 PM by

Mark J Berry .::. Way Out West

OK... now I'm starting to get nervous!

BBC Sport Come on Derby!

Derbylong

Technorati Tags: Football

Posted May 27, 2007 09:42 PM by

Brian Russell .::. Real Meal Ministries

June Series at Awaken Orlando

Awaken Orlando invites you to a series of question and answer sessions. Each week there will be a panel of experts to discuss the deep questions of life, God, and the universe. Our panel will take questions from the floor or you can e-mail them in advance to awakenorlando@gmail.com. All are welcome.

Full Disclosure 8x11 front

Full Disclosure 8x11 back

Posted May 27, 2007 08:59 PM by

Phil Baker .::. blog (group)

Sport - Break Your Limits - Topic 1 (by Raymond Lampard)

Weight Loss – is Cardio or Strength the most important.

Long has been the debate of whether Cardiovascular exercise is better than Strength Training exercises to lose weight.

If you were to ask a runner what the best way to lose weight was, 99.9% of the time he would say cardiovascular exercise definitely. If you were to ask the same question to a body builder 99.9% of the time he would say strength training.

Why is this? Because they purely concentrate on what works for them.

Health and Research into the area of Weight Loss have discovered that using both forms of these exercises can actually play a large role in the amount of weight an individual will lose.

Benefits of Cardiovascular Exercise
Training for the Heart and Lungs
Decreased resting heart rate and blood pressure
An increased ability to oxidize and release fats

Benefits of Resistance Training / Strength Exercise
Working out with weights will increase your lean body mass, which in turn raises your resting metabolic rate. The faster your metabolism is, the more fat you will burn. (More muscles = more calories burned)
Density of your bones will increase with the proper weight program
Only weight training can build muscle to any significant degree beyond the initial lean muscle built from the early stage training of cardiovascular exercise.
Decrease the risk of osteoporosis - Prevent injuries resulting from weak muscles
Develop coordination and balance

In both of these areas of Strength and Cardiovascular Training it is important to remember that neither of these are better than the other. Both are equally as important as each other.

All this information is quite useful, but where do you go from here. A great place to start is to get out and start doing something. A 30 minute walk 3 times a week will set you off into your cardiovascular exercise and throw in a gym session or resistant training exercise (walking up flights of stairs) and you are well on your way to a healthier lifestyle.

A further note to look at is a fat loss diet must be low in calories. Regardless of how much you workout, if the number of calories you take in is greater than the amount you burn, you will still increase your fat percentages. Eat a variety of foods that are all natural, low in fat and low in sugar.

Sources

www.traineo.com

www.medicineworld.org

http://www.nestacertified.com/

http://www.ohiohealth.com

http://www.coolrunning.com

Posted May 27, 2007 07:49 PM by

Phil Baker .::. blog (group)

Sport - Health and Wellbeing (by Raymond Lampard)

Hello and welcome to a new blog entry by Break Your Limits Personal Training. I will endeavour to provide a regular Health and Wellbeing update based around Fitness and Healthy Lifestyles. Please find some details as to what I\\\'m about and what I do.

Break Your Limits Personal Training was setup in 2006 as an official business venture of Raymond Lampard. (Me). I came from a work background of IT & Project Management for a period of 11 years and thought there must be more to life than the mundane task of dealing with computers everyday.

I have always enjoyed a high level of fitness and personal challenges. Whether that be umpiring as a boundary umpire (Western Australia Football League) or Running in Perth\\\'s major races or Triathlon events. The triathlon and running being my biggest enjoyment. Major achievements have included, Ironman Australia, Ironman Malaysia, Phuket International Triathlon, Sri Chimnoy Melbourne 15K and various Perth championships including the 50K Ultramarathon.

Whilst still working within the IT management role, I undertook the desire to start training people on an amateur level and then decided to undertake the formal qualifications needed to be recognised by governing bodies. The qualifications being, Certificate III in Fitness, Certificate IV in Fitness and Master Trainer.

Having been coached by professional trainers and athletes before I understand the necessity to offer my clients the value they deserve in each and every training session they attend.

In a nutshell I live my life everyday performing the role I love with a passion, the ability to see people change through living a healthy and lively lifestyle!

So, here we go on an adventure exploring the what the human body is capable of the different limits it can be pushed to!

If you have any questions or topics you would like to be discussed or answered, you can write to raymond@breakyourlimits.com.

Posted May 27, 2007 07:49 PM by

Google Blog Search .::. "Emerging Church" or Missional

Re: Spritiual Gifts, the Miraculous and the Emerging Church

I think the emerging church theology and way of thinking has a lot to offer people like myself. The main thing is re-emphasising the missional way of living for God and His plan to redeem all His creation. If people like myself, ...

Posted May 27, 2007 07:48 PM by

Matthew M. Thomas .::. M Squared T

Everything You Ever Wanted

Everything You Ever Wanted - Hawk Nelson

I walk the line
Leave it all behind
I’ve been waiting forever
Let’s go back in time
When I could read your mind
Still I’ve been waitin’
It took a season’s going by
To know it’s not my fault

I try to be perfect,
Try to be honest,
Try to be everything that you ever wanted.
I try to be stronger,
Try to be smarter,
Try to be everything but you…

It’s been so long
Since you’ve been home
I used to wait up forever.
Used to say a prayer
Wishing you were there.
And I’m still waiting…

You told me once
You’d show up,
But I fell for that before
I fell to pieces

Then I woke up to no one
Just a picture of Jesus
And a house left in pieces
And it took a season’s going by
To know it’s not my fault.

I try to be perfect,
Try to be honest,
Try to be everything that you ever wanted.
I try to be stronger,
Try to be smarter,
Try to be everything but you…

I want you
I need you
I want to believe you
I want you
I need you
I want to believe you

I tried be perfect
Tried to be honest
Tried to be everything but you…

I try to be perfect,
Try to be honest,
Try to be everything that you ever wanted.
I try to be stronger,
Try to be smarter,
Try to be everything but you…
I try to be perfect,
Try to be honest,
Try to be everything that you ever wanted.
I try to be stronger,
Try to be smarter,
Try to be everything but you…

Posted May 27, 2007 07:29 PM by

Michael Lee : Aly Hawkins : Ash : Chad .::. Addison Road

Fightin’ Fundies, Part 2: Evolutionary Fundamentalists

Posts in the Fightin' Fundies series

Fightin’ Fundies, Part 1: Narrow My God to Thee
Fightin’ Fundies, Part 2: Evolutionary Fundamentalists

At the conclusion of our last exciting episode, I noted that not all fundamentalism relates to deities and the dogmas surrounding them, and that I wanted to propose for membership in the Fightin’ Fundie Club a vocal group (not the Four Seasons) that claims no religious affiliation whatsoever. My nominees are (drum roll) the implacable proponents of naturalistic evolution, true believers in the fullest sense of the word. I’m not going to offer a systematic footnoted literature review here, but rather a personal meditation on the way the (non)discussion of the origin of life has been playing out recently in the mainstream media.

By way of introduction: I am a family physician focused on the daily care of people with various health issues and not an bioscience academician, but as such I have some degree of understanding of animal (though far less of plant) biology. I would submit that even the most casual study of any type of biological system – animal, plant, microbe – at any level – macro, micro, biochemical – and from any angle – structural, functional, dissected or integrated – reveals a level of complexity that is, in a word, staggering. Pick a topic – how the eye works, how blood clots, how nutrients are absorbed, how glucose enters cells, how white cells destroy microbial invaders, how viruses hijack cell nuclei to replicate themselves, how sound is converted into electrical impulses, how nerves communicate with each other, how cells divide – whatever the subject, study it in any detail: if you don’t experience awe and wonder, administer a good enema and try again. And we’re not even addressing the intricate play of astronomy, geophysics and climate that are finely tuned to allow these events to proceed.

Call me naive, but it has repeatedly struck me that the most intuitive and rational response to this information is that it seems incredibly unlikely that these systems would assemble themselves at random, no matter how much time one might give them to do so. If you make the random-assembly-over-billions-of-years assumption, there’s a whole lot of faith involved in the process, and a lot of ‘splainin’ to do in order to address how so many features of the above-noted complexity came to be. In recent years books such as Darwin’s Black Box have raised some reasonable questions about what the naturalistic evolutionists (NEs) are willing to accept on faith as they move from point A to point ZZZ despite the gaping uncertainties in between – a process that we used to call “hand waving” in math class.

Instead of responding reasonably and thoughtfully to these questions, however, I continue to hear (in the general public media, anyway) the NEs planting their flags and defending their position with startling, numbing ferocity, including routine rants about separation of church and state, political innuendo of all sorts and lots of ad hominem attacks (i.e., characterizing people who question the NE position are all Bible-wielding, IQ-impaired sub-hominids who want to take over the government and stamp out free speech). More than once in the past few weeks I have heard, with a clear rhetorical snort, references to the fact that X number of Republican presidential nominees don’t believe the naturalistic evolution gospel, as if that meant they also believe in Santa Claus and child sacrifice.

Yet what continues to leak through all of the rhetorical smoke, in my humble opinion, is that NE remains a philosophical assumption, a bottom line that was made the starting point and now has become iron-clad dogma, with no questions to be entertained, not even for a second. If the Scopes trial were held today, it would be the NEs who would be singing “Gimme that old time religion” and prosecuting the science teacher who had the temerity to ask students to think critically about NE’s assumptions. In other words, they’re acting like good old-fashioned Fightin’ Fundies.

Over the past decade some of the more nuanced and thoughtful questioning of NE has come from what is called the “Intelligent Design” camp, including authors such as Michael Behe (author of the above noted Darwin’s Black Box) and William Dembski. NE zealots routinely vilify these guys, and have seemed bent on avoiding at all cost an intelligent public dialogue about intelligent design. When I read op-ed pieces on this subject in the LA Times or even commentaries in medical journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, I repeatedly sense the following subtext:

Naturalistic evolutionist (NE): Life assembled itself over billions of years from primordial elements.

Inquirer (I): How do you know?

NE: It just did!!

I: But how do you explai—

NE: DON’T INJECT YOUR RELIGIOUS DOGMA INTO A SCIENTIFIC DISCUSSION!

I: But I was just wondering—

NE: “Religious fundamentalism is on the rise around the world, and our own virulent domestic version of it, under the rubric of ‘intelligent design,’ by elbowing its way into the classroom abrogates the divide between church and state that has served this country so well for so long.” [Robert Lee Hotz, “Laws of Nature,” LA Times Book Review, July 30, 2006.]

I: But could we just talk a little about the idea of “irreducible complexity”—

NE: Shut up! This has all been settled! Go back to your pews!

Okay, I’m exaggerating a little, but see if you don’t notice a little of this venom in the op-ed pages of the Times and other media outlets in the coming weeks. There will be, I’m sorry to report, a spectacular opportunity for NE pundits to vent their spleens – beginning tomorrow (May 28).

And what will be the occasion that will cause a major setback for intelligent conversation about the origin of life? Stay tuned for tomorrow’s exciting installment!

Sponsor: Free iTunes download

<-- Previous in series

Posted May 27, 2007 06:57 PM by

Phil Baker .::. blog (group)

The Creation Museum Opens. (by Phil Baker)

I know Allan will probably have a different opinion on this but I am uneasy.

Probably because I hold a different view than those who believe the world is only 6000 yrs old. Yet there is something else.....Faith has its basis in the work of Christ not on one's view of eschatology or origins. The Creation Science movement, at least when I have heard them, makes one's interpretation of Genesis 1 the beginning of everything and thus you become either highly suspect or a true believer depending on your position......Like I say it all makes me uneasy.

Posted May 27, 2007 06:52 PM by

Phil Baker .::. blog (group)

READING PLAN - READ>THINK>PRAY>LIVE (by Matthew Edland)

1John 3, James 3, 2John 1

Posted May 27, 2007 06:52 PM by

Dave King .::. Idea Joy

400 km Cows!

Passed a herd of cows as I made the 400 km mark yesterday. Didn't plan on hitting that till today, but my planed 14 km trail ride turned into 10 km of trail and 23 km of highway riding. The trails we muddy and slow, plus I missed the turn off at about the 7 km mark. It was faster to ride the 23 km on the road than to retrace the 10 km of trail.

- Peace

Posted May 27, 2007 06:51 PM by

Leighton Tebay .::. The Heresy

So you don't want to go to church anymore">(Leighton Tebay)

So you don't want to go to church anymore

I discovered a freely downloadable book by Wayne Jacobsen and Dave Coleman written under the name Jake Colsen. I read "So you don't want to go to church anymore" in a couple of days. It is nice being able to read and review a book that I really enjoyed and it wasn't sent to me by a publisher.

I was challenged by this book because it takes a completely different track than the typical emerging church fare I've absorbed in the last few years. The central theme is less about church and more about our relationship with Jesus. Most of the book is written as conversation between two people, not unlike MacLaren's "A new kind of Christian." I've always enjoyed this style of writing as it puts theology in a real world context and it presents more than one point of view at the same time.

I believe the authors make several good points in this book. They do a good job revealing how seemingly innocuous practices can manipulate people in to religious performance. These methods mould us in to performance driven people pleasers. We get subtly deceived in to playing a game rather than building God's kingdom.

Every time we use an external system to motivate people towards a spiritual end we run the risk of obscuring the spiritual reality. For many spiritual growth isn't much more than establishing positive habits based on biblical principles. We use awards and social approval to reward these good habits. Unfortunately when we do this people end up serving the ideals of a sub-culture when they think we are serving Jesus. When circumstances become difficult or the influence of that sub-culture is removed the whole framework comes down like a house of cards. Given this pattern it is easy to see how a church culture can become hypersensitive about certain kinds of sin but completely complacent about others.

The book keeps pulling the reader towards a more sincere and substantial relationship with Jesus.

The authors view church organization as a huge culprit in distracting people from a real life giving relationship with Jesus and others. They even deconstruct some of the unhealthy motives behind the house church movement. While I enjoyed the book I see a disconnect between the picture of church they paint with that I see in scripture. There does seem to be a little more organization in the New Testament than the completely relationship based fellowship they present in the book.

The challenges I've taken from the book are found in the following to questions: When I structure things am I facilitating sincere devotion to Christ or am I steering people to perform religious exercises to meet others expectations? Will people come out of this with a sincere devotion to Christ and a pure love for others or will they be motivated by guilt or fear?

I recommend that people read the book. I enjoyed the freshness of the perspective. They keep bringing things back to Jesus and I really appreciated that. It can be downloaded for free from here. One of the authors can be heard regularly at "The God Journey" podcast.

Posted May 27, 2007 06:48 PM by

"God Girl" (Cathleen Falsani) .::. The Dude Abides

AN OLDIE BUT A GOODY: HOLLYWOOD NUNS Last August,...

AN OLDIE BUT A GOODY: HOLLYWOOD NUNS

Last August, Charlie LeDuff of the New York Times published a great report — written and on video — about the Monastery of the Angels in Hollywood, home to the cloistered Dominican nuns. It's a lovely story and the accompanying video is well worth taking the time to watch.

American Album:
For 56 Years, Battling Evils of Hollywood With Prayer
By CHARLIE LeDUFF
Published: August 28, 2006

HOLLYWOOD — Sister Mary Pia, wearing a threadbare habit, spoke from behind the bars of her gated parlor about the boundless power of prayer.

“Hollywood is the Babylon of the U.S.A.,” she said. “For people who need prayers, we have to be here.”

Just two long blocks from her monastery, you are in the thick of the electric lights of Hollywood Boulevard: among the dopers, the runaways, the surgically augmented, the homeless, the sex salesmen.

Sister Mary Pia, as pale and innocent as an uncooked loaf, prays for all of them, while knowing virtually nothing about them. There is nothing ironic about this, she believes: “One doesn’t need to be of it to know of it.”

Indeed, in her 56 years at the Monastery of the Angels, she has ventured out no more than a few dozen times to attend religious retreats or make preparations for dying loved ones. Rarely has she set a shoe onto the stained sidewalks of Hollywood Boulevard.

Yet the signs of iniquity are everywhere. Police helicopters routinely hover over the cloister. There is the dull roar of the Hollywood Freeway. The head of the monastery’s statue of St. Martin de Porres has been stolen twice. Neighbors recently complained so loudly about the belfry’s morning chimes to prayer that the authorities forced the peals silent.

“I think we pricked their conscience,” she said of the neighbors. “Is 7 o’clock too early to get up?”

Sister Mary Pia is one of 21 Dominican nuns cloistered in this walled complex of stucco and steel. From a distance, the place looks more like a loading dock than a religious retreat.

They do no missionary work here, canvass no alleys, cook in no soup kitchen. Prayer is the occupation. Until recently there were 23 nuns, but Sister Mary the Pure Heart and Sister Mary Rose were sent to a convalescent home because there were not enough youthful and vigorous nuns to care for them.

The sisterhood is a dying way of life in America. Forty years ago, the United States had about 180,000 nuns. Today there are perhaps 70,000. Fewer than 6,000 are younger than 50. There are estimated to be about 5,000 cloistered, contemplative nuns, a piece of women’s history that may be on the way out.

Reasons for the collapse can be traced to the mid-1960’s: the flowering of the women’s movement, which broadened opportunities beyond secretary, housewife, nurse, teacher and nun. But the Roman Catholic Church unintentionally inflicted damage on itself when it ratified the Second Vatican Council.

“Basically it said that religious women were no more holy than lay women,” said Sister Patricia Wittberg, an associate professor of sociology at Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis. “It was devastating.”

Still, the sisters of the Angels, frail and birdlike, go on with a vocation to which they sacrificed their youth: perhaps never to have known a man, never to have rowed the banks of the Seine, never to have taken a moonlight drive. High heels and self-adornment were given up after high school graduation.
FOR THE FULL STORY (NEW YORK TIMES) CLICK HERE
TO WATCH A REALLY COOL VIDEO REPORT OF THE NUNS AT THE MONASTERY OF THE ANGELS, CLICK HERE

Posted May 27, 2007 05:48 PM by

Mark Oestreicher .::. YSMarko

birthday swag

i’m a gift guy. no question: it’s my love language. and, boy-howdy, did i feel loved on my birthday this past week. the loveliness i received:
- a cool ipod back-up battery (my ipod regularly runs out of battery power on long flights)
- a $25 gift card to our local theater chain
- an intoxicating “gifted” album, via itunes (more on this later)
- a $30 gift cert for amazon. i ordered a book recommended by a friend (the yiddish policeman’s union), and a cd recommended by amazon based on my previous purchase of “th’ legendary shack shakers” (those poor bastards: hellfire hymns)
- a very fancy bottle of wine, along with a hideous “last supper” fake lace tablecloth
- a sweet university of michigan pull-over jacket
- a cool modern art painting by my daughter (including the shell of a flower she brought home from our trip to new zealand), and a beautifully performed viola solo of edelweiss (the lullaby i sang to her every night for the first 5 years of her life)
- a new shower squeegie (yes, i’m a bit obsessive about wiping down the shower so the glass isn’t all spotty, and the old one broke)
- a rocky patel olde world reserve cigar (a very nice stick)
- and, the coup de gras, a sweet portable gps system, which will be so stinkin’ wonderful to have on my trips.

my wonderful family also lead me on a friday night and all day saturday scavenger hunt, which included fun food stops, and two movies (i love movies: we saw pirates 3 and shrek 3). good friends took us out for dinner last night to an amazing little italian joint.

no, seriously, for 44, i scored. i’m truly feelin’ the love.

Posted May 27, 2007 05:44 PM by

Dave King .::. Idea Joy

SpiderMan 3

Saw it last weekend, I think I enjoyed it more than Jordon, but that's not saying much. Tried to tackle way too much in one movie, trying to wrap up plot lines from movies I & II while introducing Black Spidey/Venom. It really needed to be a TV season like Heroes to pull off what they were trying to do.

In both I & II you got to see inside the mind of the Goblin and Doc Oc as they went mad. If black Spidey was going to work as well, we needed to get the same insight.

- Peace

Posted May 27, 2007 05:16 PM by

Phil Baker .::. blog (group)

Todays Joke (by James Macpherson)

Morris and his wife Esther went to the state fair every year, and every year Morris would say, "Esther, I'd like to ride in that helicopter". Esther always replied, "I know Morris, but that helicopter ride is 50 dollars - and 50 dollars is 50 dollars".
>

One year Esther and Morris went to the fair, and Morris said, "Esther, I'm 85 years old. If I don't ride that helicopter, I might never get another chance."
>

Esther replied, "Morris that helicopter is 50 dollars - and 50 dollars is 50 dollars".
>

The pilot overheard the couple and said, "Folks I'll make you a deal. I'll take the both of you for a ride. If you can stay quiet for the entire ride and not say a word I won't charge you! But if you say one word, it's 50 dollars."
>

Morris and Esther agreed and up they went.
>

The pilot did all kinds of fancy maneuvers, but not a word was heard. He did his daredevil tricks over and over again, but still not a word. When they landed, the pilot turned to Morris and said, "By golly, I did everything I could to get you to yell out, but you didn't. I'm impressed!"
>

Morris replied, "Well, to tell you the truth, I almost said something when Esther fell out, but you know - 50 dollars is 50 dollars."

Posted May 27, 2007 04:49 PM by

John La Grou .::. Microclesia

Knowledge or Acknowledgment?

"Once you uncover that which lies behind the mask, it is only to discover another mask. The literal aspect of the disguise (the facade, the street) indicates other systems of knowledge, other ways to read the city: formal masks hide socioeconomic ones, while literal masks hide metaphorical ones. Each system ...

Posted May 27, 2007 04:47 PM by

"God Girl" (Cathleen Falsani) .::. The Dude Abides

TODAY IN GOD: RELIGION NEWS BITES FOR YOUR SNACKI...

TODAY IN GOD:
RELIGION NEWS BITES FOR YOUR SNACKING PLEASURE
____________________________________________________________________________________
The Gospel of Dobson

James Dobson is the Christian right’s most powerful leader. While the Moral Majority and the Christian Coalition have crumbled, Dobson’s organization, Focus on the Family, has prospered. His multimillion-dollar-a-year media empire includes a daily radio show, with him as the host, that reaches millions of listeners, as well as a rapid-response telephone and letter-writing operation.

This empire is based at an 88-acre campus in Colorado Springs, with some 1,300 employees and a 75,000-square-foot warehouse filled with DVDs, CDs, pamphlets and books that disseminate Dobson’s advice on matters like how to stop bed-wetting or confront a teenager about drug use, not to mention admonitions against gay rights and judicial activism. And while other leaders of the religious right, like Ralph Reed and Ted Haggard, have been tainted by scandal, Dobson’s own family exemplifies his gospel: his daughter, Danae, has displayed remarkable literary fecundity, producing more than 20 books aimed at Christian children; his son, Ryan, who leads a skateboarding ministry, is a co-author of “Be Intolerant,” a broadside against moral relativism written for young adults.

In “The Jesus Machine: How James Dobson, Focus on the Family, and Evangelical America Are Winning the Culture War,” Dan Gilgoff, a senior editor at U.S. News & World Report, chronicles Dobson’s extraordinary rise. In 2004, Gilgoff made his first trip to the headquarters of Focus on the Family, where he met with numerous staff members and moseyed around the campus for several days before finally landing a rare interview with Dobson himself. Dobson, who apparently distrusts any media he doesn’t control, hit it off with Gilgoff, but the author’s unusual access ended abruptly a year ago when Dobson and his associates learned the title of this book. They need hardly have worried. An astute observer, Gilgoff presents his material in a dispassionate fashion, although he might have attempted to draw broader conclusions from it.

According to Gilgoff, Dobson’s ancestors were charter members of the Church of the Nazarene, a small Christian denomination established at the outset of the 20th century. For almost two decades, however, Dobson, who was born in 1936, focused on a career as a medical researcher and as a professor of pediatrics at the University of Southern California School of Medicine. Then the 1960s arrived, and Dobson was radicalized. In 1970, he wrote “Dare to Discipline,” a countermanifesto to the child-rearing techniques espoused by Benjamin Spock; it defended, among other things, spanking with a belt or a switch. A 1981 one-hour television special called “Where’s Dad?” made Dobson a household name among evangelicals.

The radio show took off in the early ’80s. “Dobson’s avuncular manner,” Gilgoff writes, “and his capacity for letting grown men break down with the tape rolling were a sharp break with Christian radio’s customary fire-and-brimstone sermons.” While Dobson did not shrink from pronouncing uncompromising judgments about topics like premarital sex, he also stressed that it was never too late to achieve redemption by reversing course and becoming a “secondary virgin.”
FOR THE FULL REVIEW (of my buddy Dan Gilgoff's new book in the NEW YORK TIMES) CLICK HERE

Health activists look to religion to make the case against female genital mutilation
NAIROBI, Kenya — Trying to stop a bloody ritual undergone by millions of Muslim women in sub-Saharan Africa and the Arab world, health activists are trying a new appeal — they're citing the Quran.

"The guiding factor is always Islam," says 34-year-old Maryam Sheikh Abdi, who grew up in a region of northeast Kenya where 98 percent of girls are believed to undergo the procedure, a genital mutilation sometimes called female circumcision. Women believe "the pain, the problems, the bleeding — they are all God's will."

Health activists, finding that focusing on women's rights isn't working to persuade Muslims to stop performing the ritual, are increasingly using theology to make the case that "the cut" has nothing to do with religion. Abdi, who speaks about female genital mutilation on behalf of the U.S.-based Population Council, said invoking Islam penetrates years of cultural indoctrination.

"Women don't have to torture themselves. Islam does not require them to do it," said Abdi, who underwent the procedure when she was 6 and was a college student by the time she realized it was not necessary from a religious viewpoint.

With age-old cultural roots, female genital mutilation is practiced today in parts of sub-Saharan Africa and Egypt and other parts of the Arab world such as Yemen and Oman. In the rest of the Islamic world — the Middle East, North Africa, southeast Asia — it's nearly nonexistent.

In the most extreme form, the clitoris and parts of the labia are removed and the labia that remain are stitched together. Those who practice it believe it tames a girl's sexual desires and increases her marriage chances.

Knives, razors or even sharp stones are used during ceremonies usually performed by elder women in the bush with no medical supervision. The tools are frequently not sterilized, and often, many girls are cut at the same ceremony, creating the chance for serious infection.

Late last year, the top cleric in Egypt — where the practice is pervasive and many believe it is required by Islam — spoke out against it, saying circumcision was not mentioned in the Quran, the Muslim holy book, or in the Sunna, the sayings and deeds of Muhammad — the two main sources of Islamic practice.
FOR THE FULL STORY (AP VIA INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE) CLICK HERE

Muslim taxi drivers draw ire for refusing customers with booze
Some Muslim taxi drivers in Minnesota have drawn the ire of airport authorities for refusing to pick up customers carrying alcohol.

The cabbies, many of them Somali, have shut their doors to more than 5,200 customers who landed at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport since 2002.

They've also refused a number of customers in the city who want to bring a bottle of wine or liquor home with their groceries.

Most were able to get another taxi, but scores were left standing at the curb or unceremoniously dumped on city streets when the cabbies found out, mid-ride, that there was booze in their baggage.

With nearly 50,000 Somali immigrants, Minnesota is fast becoming a testing ground for such assimilation issues, including flare-ups involving Muslim store cashiers who don't want to scan pork at the check-out counter.

The large percentage of taxi drivers who are Somali has made the industry a lightning rod for cultural differences.

Steve Wareham, director of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, said the influx of Somalis since the 1990s, most of whom are Muslim, has led to uncharted territory for airport authorities.

"It's unique in that we haven't found a problem like this in any other airport or city in the world," Wareham said.
FOR THE FULL STORY (AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE VIA YAHOO NEWS) CLICK HERE

Radio station refuses ads about female pastor
Mars Hill, a local Christian radio network, won’t accept paid advertising for an upcoming Christian crusade in Syracuse because a female pastor is participating.

“We can’t comfortably promote women in the role of pastor,” said Wayne Taylor, the general manager.

Mars Hill’s nine-member, all-male board of directors voted unanimously Tuesday to accept an interpretation of Scriptural passages that prohibit women from serving as church elders or pastors. That means the Syracuse-based network of four stations will not advertise or promote the two-day City Wide Crusade, which features a June 8 appearance by televangelist Pastor Paula White.

“It’s a doctrinal issue,” Taylor said. “It’s not about women preaching. It has to do with a woman taking on a pastor’s role.” Some Christians say literal interpretations of the Bible describe specific roles for men and women. “We know it’s not going to be popular,” Taylor said of the board’s decision. “The word of God is what we’re taught.”

Bishop Robert Jones, founder of Syracuse’s Apostolic Church of Christ, the church whose 1970s neighborhood revival developed into the City Wide Crusade, disagrees with Taylor’s interpretation.

“I have no problem with women pastors,” Jones said.

William R. Clark, president of City Wide Crusade and son of a pastor in Erie, Pa., said the organization had planned to pay the Mars Hill Network $250 for 25, 30-second ads about the June 7 and 8 event.

“I don’t know how you can discriminate against female pastors,” he said. “You should not sit in the judgment seat to determine who God will use to deliver the word.”

He said the crusade is paying for ads on WSIV-AM 1540, a Gospel station in Syracuse, and stations in Rome, Rochester and Buffalo.

Jones is the father of entertainer Grace Jones and Bishop Noel Jones, pastor of City of Refuge Church near Los Angeles.

Noel Jones and White preached at the 2004 City Wide Crusade at Syracuse’s Oncenter. White and her husband, Randy White, are co-pastors of Without Walls Church in Tampa, Fla.

Neither White nor her publicist was available for comment Tuesday.

The issue was not on the agenda of the regularly planned monthly board meeting, said board President Clayton Roberts, of Syracuse. But the directors discussed it for about 45 minutes, Taylor said. Mars Hill began broadcasting WMHR-FM Radio 102.9 in 1969. It is a nonprofit corporation. “Mars Hill” is a reference to the location where the apostle Paul is said to have preached outside Athens, Greece.

Taylor andRoberts said the Bible is clear on the issue of female pastors.

“We want to follow the Scriptures as much as we can,” Roberts said. The two cited a reference from the New Testament, an account of St. Paul’s letter to Timothy: “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.”
FOR THE FULL STORY (RENEE GADOUA IN THE SYRACUSE POST-STANDARD) CLICK HERE

The Church Ladies
AFTER holy communion had been celebrated and the parishioners were back in their pews, a children’s choir began to sing in Spanish. As their voices filled the ornate Roman Catholic church, Mary Help of Christians on East 12th Street, a white-haired congregant named Josephine Ruta strode with purpose toward the altar. With a wave of her hand, she summoned the pastor, the Rev. Mark Hyde, and informed him that she wanted to sing a song.

“As long as you don’t cry,” Father Hyde whispered. He had reason to worry. This service, on May 20, was the church’s final Sunday Mass as an independent parish.

With her back to the crowd of nearly 900 people, Ms. Ruta stretched her hands outward and — without crying — sang “Maria Ausiliatrice” (“Mary Help of Christians”) a cappella in Italian. When she finished, the congregation burst into applause and she returned to her pew, where her sister, Margaret, 84, wept silently, her bright blue eyes hidden in a tissue.

The hymn has long been sung in this church by generations of Italian immigrants and their children, like Ms. Ruta and her sister. “I still remember the words like it was yesterday,” Ms. Ruta said proudly. “And I’m going to be 88 in July.”

Age and tradition have been major topics of discussion on East 12th Street since January, when the Archdiocese of New York announced that Mary Help of Christians Church would be among the 21 parishes to be closed as part of its realignment plan. While this East Village church will continue to have two Sunday Masses for the immediate future, they will be overseen by a different church, Immaculate Conception on 14th Street and First Avenue. The rich, 109-year history of Mary Help of Christians will be over.

The church was originally built for Italian immigrants who, like the Ruta sisters’ Sicilian parents and my Sicilian grandparents, flooded the East Village at the turn of the last century. My mother lived a few doors down from the Ruta sisters and has been lifelong friends with them. Like the sisters, she belonged to Mary Help of Christians and attended Mass there, and in June 1960 she married my father there.

The difference is that after marrying, my parents, like so many others, moved away, while the Ruta sisters stayed put in this ever-changing East Village neighborhood. They have lived in the same tenement building for more than 80 years; Mary Help of Christians is the only church they have known.
FOR THE FULL REPORT (NEW YORK TIMES) CLICK HERE

Thailand set to make Buddhism the state religion
BANGKOK — In a step that could sharpen divisions in its increasingly violent, largely Muslim southern provinces, Thailand appears ready for the first time to make Buddhism the state religion in a new constitution.

Under pressure from masses of orange-robed monks who have rallied in the streets and distracted by other political challenges, the country’s military-backed government is going along with a notion that has made little headway in the past.

The movement comes at a time of increased divisions and political tension in Thailand as the government seeks to pass a constitution, hold a parliamentary election and return the country to democracy by the end of the year.

The junta seized power in a nonviolent coup Sept. 19, ousting then-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra while he was abroad.

At the moment, the political focus is on a court ruling scheduled for Wednesday on whether to disband Thailand’s two major political parties on charges of electoral fraud a year ago.

Such a ruling could touch off a backlash, and the military is preparing for possible street demonstrations including a plan by backers of Thaksin to march 99 elephants into Bangkok.

More than 90 percent of Thais are Buddhist, and Thailand is already, in effect, a Buddhist state, its rituals, monarchy and national identity closely tied to the religion. It also has a reputation for tolerance and inclusiveness, qualities that have become strained under the pressure of political crisis.

The constitutional provision would be largely symbolic, without legal weight or substantive effect on religious practices in Thailand. But analysts said it would be dangerously divisive at a moment when Buddhists and Muslims are confronting each other in the south more directly and violently than ever.
FOR THE FULL REPORT (INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE) CLICK HERE

The Offbeat Is Helping Some Jews Reconnect:
Chabad Rabbis' Modern Outreach Methods Are Controversial but Forge Ties
With ice cream sundaes, iPod giveaways, spa days and yoga classes, a group of Orthodox rabbis in the Washington area is employing decidedly unorthodox methods to address a growing problem: the fading involvement of Jews in local Jewish life.

Although the region has one of the largest and youngest Jewish communities in the country, recent studies have found that a shrinking proportion of Jews-- as elsewhere in the country -- is joining synagogues, community centers, Jewish schools and other centers of Jewish life.

However, Chabad-Lubavitch, a controversial 250-year-old branch of Judaism with mystic roots, has significantly increased its presence in the area in the past five years. During that time, five gathering places -- called Chabad Houses -- have opened: two in Northern Virginia, two in northern Montgomery County and one in Annapolis. Rabbi Shmuel Kaplan, regional director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Maryland, said the movement expects further expansion.

"People ask me who our target audience is," he said. "It's every single Jew in metropolitan Washington."

With their black hats, thick beards and long, black coats, male "Chabadniks" look like throwbacks to Old Europe. They are part of the movement called Hasidism, whose members -- men and women -- ordinarily live apart from mainstream society to shelter their beliefs and practice.

Not the followers of Chabad (pronounced similarly to 'kah-BAHD'). The Brooklyn-based group emphasizes outreach to practicing and non-practicing Jews.

But the group has also engendered deep resentment from many mainstream Jews, who regard them as hovering on the far fringes of the faith.

Although Chabad-Lubavitch practitioners do not seek to convert non-Jews, mainstream Jews regard their outreach as evangelizing, a practice frowned upon. Critics also dismiss Chabad's outreach as superficial and say its leaders are too quick to claim success.

"They're offering a motel Judaism, not a home Judaism," said Jacob Neusner, a professor and senior fellow at Bard College's Institute of Advanced Theology in New York. "They rely on intense experiences which last for a little bit of time and don't really have a permanent effect."

Another source of controversy, inside and outside the movement, has been the belief on the part of some followers of Chabad that a revered leader, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, who died in 1994, will return as the Messiah.
FOR THE FULL STORY (WASHINGTON POST) CLICK HERE

Drug addicts vomit out their ills in Thai monastery
THAM KRABOK, Thailand - An obscure Buddhist monastery in central Thailand that advocates a secret herbal potion and ritual vomiting for drug addicts has become a final source of hope for thousands of Thais and Westerners.

Since its foundation in 1959, Wat Tham Krabok, 140 km (85 miles) north of Bangkok, has put nearly 100,000 addicts through its "cold turkey" detox programme and given them a grounding in meditation to help them keep on the straight and narrow. The treatment -- a far cry from the picture postcard beaches, jungle trekking and wild nightlife that draw millions of visitors to Thailand each year -- is not for the faint-hearted.

Dressed in red hospital-style overalls, patients have to stay for a minimum of 10 days, during which they are subject to a strict regimen of leaf-sweeping, steam baths, herbal medication and group vomiting.

"Invariably, the people who end up here come as a last resort," said Phra Hans, a Swiss psychologist who became a Buddhist monk -- with the title "Phra" -- after visiting Tham Krabok seven years ago.

"Everybody who comes here must come as a warrior, ready to fight for their life."

Sitting in the shadow of an imposing limestone crag, the monastery was founded in the late 1950s by a group of monks who decided to renounce all earthly pleasures and live out the rest of their days in a cave.

However, the military rulers of the day, keen to rid the capital of its opium dens, encouraged them to accept a large plot of land in return for taking care of the drug addicts the army was booting out of Bangkok.

Using a complex herbal medicine whose ingredients were revealed to the aunt of one of the monks in a dream, the monastery started treating its first opium addicts in 1959.

To this day, the 100-odd ingredients of the thick, dark potion that lies at the centre of the detox programme remain a secret known only to Tham Krabok's abbot and medicine monk.

"I've no idea what's in it. There must be some sort of active ingredient, but the only thing I know for sure is it's disgusting," said Patrick, a British health worker who has spent three months at the wat overcoming alcohol and cocaine addiction.

According to Phra Hans, the potion draws toxins out of the patient's body and into the stomach. The quickest way to get the toxins out of the stomach is for the patient to drink large quantities of water and then vomit.

In what is now a well-choreographed ceremony, patients sit cross legged and side-by-side in front of a long open drain. Accompanied by drums and chanting they then try to drink a bucket of water before sticking their fingers down their throats.
FOR THE FULL STORY (REUTERS) CLICK HERE

MANILA (AFP) - A 10-year legal fight over a "tawdry" wedding cake has ended after a Philippines couple lost their claim for damages for the humiliation and sleepless nights they said it caused them.
(Advertisement)

An appeal court ruling made public Tuesday rejected a claim seeking 50,000 pesos (1,053 dollars) in moral and other damages from a Manila pastry shop.

Edgardo Abenina and his wife Stephanie filed suit shortly after their June 21, 1997 wedding reception at a Manila hotel, alleging the five-tiered orange chiffon fondant cake did not meet specifications.

They alleged it leaned to one side, had a "tawdry-orange" colour and caused them embarrassment, humiliation, mental anguish, serious anxiety and sleepless nights.

However the court threw out the case, agreeing with a lower court that the pastry shop had had no intention to cause distress.

The court noted that the wedding pictures showed the pastry in good order, and the bride and groom smiled while cutting it. It was also partly eaten.

The shop was, however, ordered to reimburse the couple the full 4,775 pesos cost of the cake.
SOURCE: AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE VIA YAHOO NEWS

Posted May 27, 2007 04:03 PM by

Sonja .::. Calacirian

Borderlands

I read somewhere, recently and I can’t remember where, that we exist mostly in the borderlands between chaos and order. We live in that tension between the two. If our world were to slip into complete chaos, well, everything would fall out of place and fly around. But, alternatively, if we lived [...]

Posted May 27, 2007 03:48 PM by

Len Hjalmarson .::. Next Reformation

leadership as differance

For the last few weeks a couple of images and ideas have been in my gaze. As I have been reflecting on leadership as listening I've been wondering, "what makes the difference?" Why are some more inclined to listen.. and to what are they tuned? Why the difference? And notice.. to ...

Posted May 27, 2007 02:49 PM by

Maggi Dawn .::. blog

"there are two religions in the Church of England..."

from a Radio feature on the row over Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. To hear for yourself, go here and wind forward to 34 minutes 20 seconds

Posted May 27, 2007 02:44 PM by

Steve McCoy .::. reformmissionary

Gospel Coalition Foundational Documents

I got this from Justin Taylor, and I understand it to be the final version of the Gospel Coalition's Foundational Documents. I have made it into a pdf file and hosted it on my blog. I have compared it to other copies that have been online for a couple of days and there are some changes, though they appear minor.

Posted May 27, 2007 02:28 PM by

(Group Blog) .::. Mere Mission

The Mission of the Church in the Face of Globalization - Part Two

As indicated previously, this two-part essay hopes to establish a connection between the thought of Lesslie Newbigin and William Cavanaugh in their shared concern for the phenomenon of globalization as a problem for the church. Thus far, an argument has been made that this is actually the case. Therefore, the ...

Posted May 27, 2007 01:49 PM by

Kyle Potter (Captain Sacrament) .::. Vindicated

Today

Pentecost

Blessed Pentecost, folks. May the fire of God burn out all of our impurities.

Some past essays:

Superpowers
Anger with God

Posted May 27, 2007 01:09 PM by

Matthew M. Thomas .::. M Squared T

Sermon 27 May 2007

As we’ve already mentioned, today is the Day of Pentecost, the 50th day after Easter. On this day we commemorate the Holy Spirit’s coming upon the disciples gathered in the upper room, which brought the life of God’s Kingdom to bear in the lives of ordinary people after Jesus had risen from the dead and ascended into heaven.

For many Christians, Pentecost is the third most significant holiday on the Christian calendar, after Easter and Christmas. Other Christians don’t quite see the point of commemorating Pentecost. Some even cringe that it might set aside celebration of other holidays that arrive on or around the same calendar date.

Pentecost has great significance for the People of God known as the church. Once again, we’re talking about the church as the people, not as any building the people happen to gather in. Without Pentecost, the Holy Spirit would not be at work in the church. In that case, the church would be just another civic or philanthropic organization dedicated to a certain moral code with certain traditions, rituals and politics. Without the Holy Spirit, the church would have no more ability to change the world or influence society than other organizations like Kiwanis, the Elks or the local Bar association. (Yes, lawyers, not taverns!)

In other words, without the Holy Spirit, the church is reduced to a members-only club, like the one positioned between Golf drive and Fairway just north of here, and has probably comparable long-term significance. Without the Holy Spirit, the church upholds its moral code through judgmentalism, anger, and political maneuvering, all the while trying to attract members to its cause.

However, with the Holy Spirit, the landscape is potentially very different. With the Holy Spirit, which came upon the disciples at Pentecost, the church becomes an living organism, infused with the life of God himself. It becomes a hybrid of human organization and God’s actions in the world. Moreover, it lives under the otherwise absurd notion that the life of God himself is available to ordinary human beings, because God himself lives in them. This idea applies both to the transformed character of the fruit of the Spirit (love joy peace patience kindness faithfulness gentleness and self-control), as well as to the miraculous gifts of the Spirit (the miraculous stuff).

With this in mind, Pentecost allows the church to make the audacious claim that it is not an organization like any other - governmental, family, educational, business or civic organization. Instead, the church can claim that the life, power, and lifestyle of heaven itself is at work among us and within our everyday lives. Beyond that, it can claim that no other organization can do this. The life of Jesus himself - with all that means - is at work in God’s people, the church.

Therefore we hear from the Apostle Paul in Romans 8, speaking to the disciples: You are not of the flesh (that is, of the everyday world as we know it); you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. (ouch) But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. (In other words, though through natural, normal processes that we might exert in family, work, school or government, we are powerless to change our circumstances, the Spirit of God working in us makes us alive to a whole new reality that can change everything.)

He continues: “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.” In other words, we get new life AND renewal of the original life - we don’t just chuck the old life. “Therefore,” he says, “we are debtors not to the original life, to live according to its patterns” (once again, the normal, problematic patterns of everyday life). As he says, “For if you live according to those patterns you will die; (no ifs, ands or buts here - these patterns bring death and destruction, though usually not immediately or as direct consequence) but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, then you will live. (In other words, declaring an end to the old patterns of life and inviting God to direct you into new patterns of life.) And now we arrive at the passage you have in front of you:

“As many as are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” In other words, when we put God in charge of our lives, we become his children. There is significance to this, which we’re getting to. Paul argues here that originally we are enslaved to patterns of this world, and by the Spirit we are freed - not to be slaves again, who live in fear, but to be sons, adopted into God’s family.

But some of us might say, “I’m not enslaved to anything. I’m my own person, I do my own things.” Others of us say, “well, yes, I’m pretty much stuck in (fill in the blank).” How many times do we hear someone blaming a situation on either their genetics or their environment of family and friends? While for normal humanity this is true -that we are bound to our heredity and childhood trauma - the Spirit frees us from those things and invites us into new life that moves beyond those things. Let me say that again. While normally humans are bound by their genetics and the good, bad and the ugly of their home lives as children, the Spirit transcends that and can break that and bring new life.

This is why we are made children of God; no one can have a childhood traumatic experience with God as their father. Yes, somewhat tongue in cheek, but true, nonetheless.

Being children of God we must therefore submit to God’s authority and discipline - which unlike our experience, is always appropriate. But this passage doesn’t really speak to that issue; it assumes it. Instead, it speaks to the incredible life of God that is powerful to act in our lives. When we say that God is, in the term Paul uses here, our “Dad,” when we worship and say “our father who is in heaven,” Paul says that the Spirit confirms in us that we are God’s kids.

Now here’s the significant thing Paul wants us to hear: if we are God’s children, then like Jesus, the only Son of God, we receive the inheritance God gives Jesus. Jesus is the natural son of God; we are adopted children of God. In fact, in one place in this passage Paul calls both men and women “sons of God” because he wants to emphasize that we are all eligible for inheritance, something women weren’t eligible for long ago.

What is this inheritance? It is what we call the Kingdom of God. We’ve talked about this Kingdom thing before. For now, think of the life and the lifestyle of God forever, along with leading, governing, or administering a portion of God’s world. Therefore, the power of God to experience his transformation is what we get just as his children - we inherit it, we don’t have to work for it -

Provided, he says, we are willing to go through that process, painful though it is, of putting off the old self and putting on the new, sharing in the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the process we call discipleship, and it will hurt as we set aside old patterns of life.

So for today, without Penetecost, we would be just another civic organization, dedicated to some cause that everyone will forget about eventually and whose significance in the long run will be minimal. But because of Pentecost, we can participate in the very life of God and receive his transforming power to be and to do all that God has for us. We receive this through choosing to follow Jesus and put God in charge of our lives, willingly going through a potentially painful process of deep life change we call discipleship.

[Invitation]

Posted May 27, 2007 12:52 PM by

Ted Gossard .::. The Jesus Community

prayer of the Holy Spirit

Almighty and most merciful God, grant that by the indwelling of your Holy Spirit we may be enlightened and strengthened for your service; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

from The Book of Common Prayer

Posted May 27, 2007 11:30 AM by

Jonny Baker .::. Blog

london mind body spirit festival 2007

well we're having fun running the dekhomai stand at the 2007 london mind body spirit festival talking with people, massaging feet and hands, making prayer beads, using the jesus deck and praying for healing. i'll be there this afternoon and tomorrow. i have added a photo album from this year's festival to the dekhomai pages. i'll pick some of my favourite shots out and add them to flickr in the next day or so as well. i'll right some thoughts/reflections next week.

Posted May 27, 2007 11:04 AM by

M2 .::. Martha, Martha

anger management

I've been feeling a lot of pressure from different areas and yesterday, just when things were erupting at work, I also erupted. Lost my temper. Big time. As in "I have NEVER heard you say things like that before!!" big time.

There was a lot behind my words, there were specific underlying details that would make anyone say to me, "I don't blame you!" but I am not the victim here; I am the perpetrator.

I attempted several times to apologize to the one I offended, to no avail. I finally pulled her aside, we talked about it, she understood, forgave me in word, but the balance of my day was spent in near silence with her.

I also apologized to all around me, or at least who were in earshot. It was unnecessary and it added to the pressure of the day. I was told I was being "very adult." Honestly, I felt like that gigantic swine that was slain somewhere in Alabama that was on the news yesterday. No words of reassurance made me feel any better.

This morning, however, I realize that the forgiveness I sought (and "received") may not translate into a restoration of a friendship with my co-worker. I have given this a great deal of thought since last night -- I was sincere when I apologized; I was in the wrong, no matter how many things I had going on in me that were seemingly mounting up, and although she said "no problem, we're cool," I in my heart of hearts we are not because I know from past events involving this girl, she holds a grudge, and that saddens me.

I don't believe there is anything more I can do today other than be myself. However, there is a bigger lesson in this for me . I recognize there are consequences when you sin -- and I believe undue ire is a sin -- after you have been forgiven. I just pray that my 12-hour day with her today will be, at the very least, manageable.

Lord, help me deal with the fall-out. Amen.

Posted May 27, 2007 10:00 AM by

Steve Taylor .::. e~mergent kiwi

come holy spirit

renew your church, for the sake of the world. Our Pentecost 07 festival, the third Festival we've done at Opawa, is over (info on our Norwest festival 05 is here, and Spirit of Life festival 06 is here). In...

Posted May 27, 2007 09:49 AM by

Trevin Wax .::. Kingdom People

A Prayer for the Day of Resurrection

O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you: I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure. You have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat; for ...

Posted May 27, 2007 08:47 AM by

"Mary" .::. One Thing Is Needed

Acronym Challenged

OK, I'm new here, and I need some help. You see, I'm acronym challenged. I've been reading quite a few blogs for a couple of months, and I've run across several acronyms that seem to be commonly used and understood. Is there some sort of blogging tutorial for all of these acronyms? I'm not much of an instant messenger, so I'm really behind the game.

I've compiled a list of acronyms I've seen used with my understanding of what they stand for. Help me out. Tell me if I'm right, correct me if I'm wrong, and fill me in on the ones that I've missed.

CLB = church left behind (I actually thought this was short for "club" the first time I saw it)
IC = institutional church
IMO = in my opinion
IMHO = in my humble opinion
HT = ?
FWIW = for what it's worth
LOL = laughing out loud
BTW = by the way

Those are the ones I can remember off the top of my head. Thanks and TTFN!

Posted May 27, 2007 08:12 AM by

Scot McKnight .::. Jesus Creed

Venice!

We spent today in Venice, a one-of-a-kind “island that tells the world it is a city.” First impression — no cars. None at all. It is an island of streets and passageways and shops and trattoria and gelato shops and cafes. Perhaps our highlight — seeing Chiesa dei Frari where we saw some famous art by Donatello, Bellini and Titian. Here are some pictures:

Here is our hotel, just outside of Venice in Mestre:

The famous Rialto bridge; a picture taken by a kind young woman from Seattle who saw my struggling with arm’s reach to take our own photo:

A typical Venetian canal:

Kris and I horsing around feeding the pigeons at San Marco square, clear evidence that we are non Italians:

And here is a picture of San Marco Church:

Posted May 27, 2007 06:18 AM by

Scot McKnight .::. Jesus Creed

Prayer for the Week

Pentecost Sunday

Almighty God, on this day you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. +

Posted May 27, 2007 06:10 AM by

Jason Clark .::. Emergent UK

Out of Office

I’m away from my blog for a few days, but some friends will be posting here to cover me.

Posted May 27, 2007 05:45 AM by

Eddie Gibbs & Kurt Fredrickson .::. The Church Then and Now

Low Grade Fever

There is a low-grade fever affecting many pastors and churches. Most of the time, we don’t acknowledge it. In fact we often just try to ignore it. It is simply a low-grade fever. But it is a persistent fever. And it won’t go away. The fever is this underlying ...

Posted May 27, 2007 04:51 AM by

Len Hjalmarson .::. Next Reformation

Leader as listener VI

Discernment and Identity Recently I attended a Catholic service, and I was struck by the extended reading of Scripture. It suddenly seemed to me that Scripture had a voice of its own. Most of my last twenty years has been spent in evangelical and charismatic circles: I have rarely heard Scripture ...

Posted May 27, 2007 04:49 AM by

Adam Feldman .::. Blog

metanoia website v2.0

metanoiachurch.org got a major overhaul today. It has much more dynamic text capabilities, more photos and... yes... even podcasts. Check it out!

Posted May 27, 2007 03:08 AM by

Bob .::. (blog)

The Same But Never Again

Posted May 27, 2007 02:40 AM by

Rodney Olsen .::. The Journey

Losing a shared experience

Television programming is a curious thing. There are nights when there's nothing worth watching and others where all the good stuff's on at the same time.

We refuse to watch the best of a bad selection. We'd rather just turn the television off.

Of course that's where video recording works its magic. (That's right. Video. We haven't moved into hard drive recording yet.) On the really good nights we can watch one show and record another. That gives us some good programming for the dud nights.

This raises problems of its own. Do you ever watch a programme you videoed some time back and want to talk about it the next day?

If we've taped a show and then finally get to see it weeks or even months later it's hard to remember that not everyone watched it at the same time. We get so used to saying, "Did you see such and such last night?" that you almost forget that you were watching an old programme that everyone else saw three months ago. It's almost like some kind of weird time travel.

It's a problem that will only get bigger. More and more people are downloading programming to watch whenever they choose, or watching DVDs. Our viewing habits are changing forever.

Is talking about last night's viewing over the office water cooler becoming a thing of the past? Are we on the verge of losing a shared experience? Does that mean we'll have to start talking about things that really matter when we get to work in the morning?

Posted by Rodney Olsen

Technorati Tags: Television - Video - Shared Experiences

Posted May 27, 2007 01:15 AM by

John O'Keefe .::. Punk Monkey

the scam of evangelism

Posted May 27, 2007 12:48 AM by

May 26, 2007

Adam Cleaveland .::. Pomomusings

All Moved In

Living Room More photos of our finished apartment here.

We’re done. The move is complete. Finished. Got everything hung on the walls today, boxes downstairs (thank God for the storage unit in the basement) and celebrated with a Whiskey Sour. It feels good. We’ll enjoy the day tomorrow, just relaxing, celebrate our first anniversary on Monday and then I need to catch the 7.30am train to New Brunswick for CPE on Tuesday morning. And the summer begins…

Posted May 26, 2007 11:18 PM by

Matt Rupert .::. From the Morning

A Reformed Catholic View of Reformation

I'm not saying I agree, but there are some very good points made in this post. So in that way, there are some things here and there that make you say, "Hmm... Really good point."

It's kinda wordy theological stuff, so, you know, it get's a little 'scholarly' sometimes, and I generally struggle with that. Sometimes the quasi-intellectual rambling makes it feel as though all the God stuff is little more than a hobby.

Update: I have been informed that this site is not "in-unity" with the Catholic Church, and therefore probably not a true representation of it.

[Reformed Catholicism: Reformation is Sin]

Posted May 26, 2007 09:49 PM by

Jamie Arpin-Ricci .::. Emergent Voyageurs

Missionary Support 2 - Indigenous Missionaries

Previous Post - Out Of Town & Topic Question

Last week I pointed to and commented on Mary's post on missionary support. She has come out with a second post on this topic, looking at supporting indigenous missionaries rather than investing so much into sending Western missionaries. This has raised some excellent questions, again with great dialogue in the comment section. I really want to weigh in on this one. Before I begin, I want to say that I am in agreement with Mary that there is a great need for more indigenous leadership within the global missional movement. We do need to rethink who and how we send people from the West into non-Western missions contexts. That being said, there is much more to the issue that must be explored.

First, K.P. Yohannan's book "Revolution In World Missions" is a well known example of strongly calling for indigenous missionaries (supported by the West) and fewer Western missionaries being sent, cited by Mary and some commenters. It has some very good truths in it. However, I am not convinced that Yohannan's organization has always accomplished this task appropriately. This doesn't undermine the merits of the principles of the book, but it does demonstrate that application is far more challenging.

Further, there is the concern of producing ethnocentric faith communities. Ironically, the response to this issue within Western Christianity (that is, as we realize our own ethnocentric Christian expressions) is to push for indigenously lead faith communities abroad. While this intention is good, it can unintentionally produce different cultural versions of the very problem it seeks to overcome- that is, churches that are too narrowly defined by their singular culture. After all, Scripture clearly shows us that God's Church is a diverse one. To that end, cross-cultural missions offers that benefit, both for the sending and receiving cultures.

Neither can we deny that we have sown the seeds of colonialism throughout the world, where deep roots have taken hold. We consistently find ourselves in cultures that, despite our best attempts to change things, still buy into these lies. Most recently our team was in Uganda where many still embrace the mythology that Western Christianity (including broader Western culture) is the ideal to pursue (and look to their own culture as "inferior"). The reality is that we will have to play a role to undo much of this damage (albeit a supporting role), even as they play a role in undoing the same damage here in our contexts.

Connected to the previous point is the need for Western Christians and churches to have their eyes opened to the global reality they live in. They need to see the complexity of God's people and Creation, recognizing how the simplest of our choices in our local context can have devastating or positive impact half the planet away. Our own Christian worldview is too narrow, therefore cross-cultural relationships are crucial.

Despite the many mistakes and failures of Western Christianity, we must humbly acknowledge our strengths as well. We have a rich history of religious practice and freedom (though often fraught with problems), which means we have a great deal to offer other cultures. I want to be careful not to suggest we have more to offer, but to recognize that, especially given our massive wealth and freedom (often enjoyed at the expense of the very people we are sending missionaries to), we do have a great deal of repsonsibility. Where much is given, much is required. Our methods and stance need to change drastically, but indigenous missions is not a sufficient model on its own without addressing these and other specifics.

Finally, while not underestimating the importance and power of financial resources in the context of world missions, nor wanting to understate the embarrassment of our excessive wealth in the West, we must recognize that money is but one aspect to this issue. I fully affirm the need for better stewardship and greater generosity, all of which (in my opinion) demands that we live simpler lives as Christians, counter-culturally I might add.

However, God is our provider and His calling to us may not always be the most financially efficient approach. This is not as excuse for irresponsibility or excess, but through the fear of God and sensitivity to His Spirit, we must recognize that the financial merits of our models are not enough to really inform the change that needs to take place.

Again, check out Mary's blog and join the discussion. Also, let me know what you think here.

Emerging Church, Missional

Posted May 26, 2007 09:48 PM by

Kay .::. Songs of Unforgetting

Movie Day

Today is a lazy movie day for me and my husband.

First up: Charlotte’s Web

We just finished watching the remake of Charlotte’s Web. I was prepared to hate it because of the reviews it got, but I actually quite liked it. I especially appreciated the way the story brought out the underlying theme of life being a miracle that we tend to take for granted because it is staring us in the face. Life is an “ordinary miracle.”

Next up: Pan’s Labyrinth.

Just finished Pan’s Labyrinth. Visually stunning. Incredibly violent. Self sacrifice and redemption themed. There many reviews out there, so I’m not going to write one here other than to say I’m glad I saw it, and probably will never see it again.

Next up: The Fountain

Just finished The Fountain. I really liked it. It confused the hell out of me in spots (which was sort of the intention, according to the writers), but I liked it nonetheless. I was particularly captivated by the recurring tree imagery. I will definitely watch it again, probably more than once.

Posted May 26, 2007 09:28 PM by

(Group Blog) .::. Generous Orthodoxy Thinktank

Emergent Spirituality

I was recently in Lesbos, Greece, at a conference on sociology of religion, where I gave a presentation on "Emergent" Spirituality as it relates to other forms of religious expression in the west.

For those who might be interested, we are having a conversation about it at The Church and Postmodern Culture.

Posted May 26, 2007 09:11 PM by

Michael Lee : Aly Hawkins : Ash : Chad .::. Addison Road

Fightin’ Fundies, Part 1: Narrow My God to Thee

Posts in the Fightin' Fundies series

Fightin’ Fundies, Part 1: Narrow My God to Thee
Fightin’ Fundies, Part 2: Evolutionary Fundamentalists

This is my first official Addison Road blog, and because it has been percolating in my brain for some time I feel a little like the youth pastor who gets the “big church” pulpit only once a year and feels the need to give a 36-point sermon. I’ve decided to divide my musings into three daily installments, sort of a serial without cliffhanger endings but perhaps a concluding teaser or two. I’ll strive for brevity in the future, but don’t count on it.

———

Last summer, while I was checking a reference for a Chuck Swindoll quote for a writing project, my friend Mr. Google led me to what I would have to nominate as the most fiercely fightin’ Christian fundamentalist website. I was surprised to find that the creator of the site lambasted Swindoll as a “full-fledged advocate of the gospel of religious humanism.” With a mix of curiosity and amazement I followed links to dozens of other pages within the site assailing the doctrinal integrity of every evangelical leader on the planet:

James Dobson – “…did not believe that the Scriptures were sufficient to communicate God’s will concerning families.”
Charles Colson – “A Catholic sympathizer… His blindness is incredible.”
R.C. Sproul – “…guilty of psychoheresy.”
Tony Campolo – a “pantheistic new-ager.”
Jack Hayford – “Evidence abounds of Hayford’s hyper-charismatic, ecumenical, and occultic tendencies…”
Billy Graham – guilty of “ecumenism” and “conforming to the world.”

I began to wonder… Is there anyone who meets this person’s criteria for doctrinal purity? What about John MacArthur? Surely he would pass the test. No way… “His teachings border on heresy, if not blasphemy… One only has to browse around the Grace Church campus and/or listen to tapes or read the various publications emanating from The Master’s Fellowship complex of ministries to come to the conclusion that spiritual discernment there is a commodity in extremely short supply.”

Whoa…

The big surprise, though, was to find that Bob Jones University, the place I would consider the most unassailable bastion of fundamental viewpoints and theology, did not get the stamp of approval from this site. It turns out that one of the descendents of the first Mr. Jones (Bob IV) had attended (horror of horrors) Notre Dame. Also, BJU has a strong drama department, and the site’s author contends that plays cannot be used by God because the actors playing the various roles are lying. (Don’t ask). Worse, the University has an art collection containing some classical specimens that might be construed as expressing Catholic thinking or beliefs. “Can it please our Lord that any BJU student would be directed by Dr. Bob to learn how to be ‘cultured’ and ‘enrich’ his life through the appreciation and study of Catholic art depicting false Catholic doctrine?” (Emphasis in the original. Interestingly, a friend of mine who attended Bob Jones for a couple of years says that the art gallery was his one refuge of sanity on campus.)

The whole sad site, whose name and address I won’t even bother to identify, is epitomized in a diatribe against BJU’s 1996 affiliation with the Dominion Satellite Network:

But shouldn’t Christians also be concerned about the other so-called ‘Christian’ programming coming into their homes via the Dominion system? Who would want anyone in their family nurtured on the teachings of John Osteen, Jack Hayford, Pat Robertson, John Hagee, Kenneth & Gloria Copeland, Oral & Richard Roberts, Dwight Thompson, Tim LaHaye, Charles Stanley, Chuck Swindoll, David Jeremiah, Chuck Smith, Jerry Falwell, Tony Evans, Marilyn Hickey, Kay Arthur, James Robison, Fred K.C. Price, Bill Bright, Robert Schuller, John & Ann Gimenez, David Mains, Josh McDowell, Steve Arterburn, Frank Minirth & Paul Meier, James Dobson, Tony Campolo, Jack Van Impe, J.R. Church, Luis Palau, Greg Laurie, and a host of other DBS program providers? Or how about the “melodies” of Carman, Bill Gaither, ZMUSIC (Youth-Contemporary), THE BEAT (CCM), and SOLID ROCK V.D.O. (”Christian” rock-n-roll Music Videos)? To top it all off, Dominion allocated several programming time slots to two Catholic priests and a Catholic nun!

Obviously, this website is haunted by an infinitesimally limited number of people who have painted themselves into a very tight doctrinal corner. It reminds me of a verse in a satirical ditty sung by the Chad Mitchell Trio, back in the good old 60s, about the Communist-obsessed John Birch Society.

We’ll teach you how to spot ‘em in the cities or the sticks,
For even Jasper Junction is just full of Bolsheviks!
The CIA’s subversive and so’s the FCC –
There’s no one left but thee and we, and we’re not sure of thee!

This stuff is funny, and sad, and cautionary all at once. Among those we know (or don’t) in Christendom, we’ve all got our own “naughty and nice” lists, whether based on doctrinal or political stances, cultural attunement or cluelessness, vocal or musical cadences, or any number of other variables. If the opening chapters of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians – with its pointed rebuke of some early “Jesus camps” — is any clue, it would appear that the Founder of our faith isn’t terribly impressed with all of our various subgroups, especially when they engage in sniping at each other.

That being said, I would hasten to point out that fightin’ fundamentalism isn’t unique to zealots carrying their sputtering torches in the name of religious traditions, whether Christian, Islamic, Hindu or NASCAR. I would now like to nominate another vocal contingent, one that disingenuously claims a lack of any particular faith, for membership in the fundamentalist elite, with all of the rights and privileges appertaining thereto.

Who could that be? Stay tuned for tomorrow’s action-packed installment!

Next in series -->

Posted May 26, 2007 08:59 PM by

Bob .::. (blog)

I Am Wind

Posted May 26, 2007 08:06 PM by

Phil Baker .::. blog (group)

READING PLAN - READ>THINK>PRAY>LIVE (by Matthew Edland)

Malachi 1, Zephaniah 2, Jonah 3&4

Posted May 26, 2007 06:50 PM by

Phil Baker .::. blog (group)

Cool Photos 7 (by Phil Baker)

Posted May 26, 2007 06:50 PM by

"God Girl" (Cathleen Falsani) .::. The Dude Abides

APROPOS OF NOTHING: "'You can call me Iggy.' ... '...

APROPOS OF NOTHING:
"'You can call me Iggy.' ... 'Sorry I'm late, Jim.'"

Iggy Pop and Tom Waits in our favorite scene from Jim Jarmusch's "Coffee and Cigarettes."

Posted May 26, 2007 06:47 PM by

Maggi Dawn .::. blog

Pentecost Worship: don't despise your body

Come and join us for worship. I'm presenting the Daily Service tomorrow (Tuesday 29th May). 9.45 a.m. on Radio 4 LW.

We're in the week of Pentecost, and our theme is on the experience of life with the Holy Spirit. Tomorrow's service is about flesh and spirit. The reading (which I didn't choose!) comes from Romans. I never preach/speak on Romans unless the lectionary dictates. It's complicated and not something I naturally gravitate to. But it's one of the things I like about the discipline of lectionaries and thematic plans that you are forced to engage with parts of the Bible, and the Faith, that you might otherwise leave on the back burner...

To "listen again" on the website go here after the service is over and scroll through the page to find the link to Tuesday's service:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/programmes/dailyservice/index.shtml

Posted May 26, 2007 06:44 PM by

Kay .::. Songs of Unforgetting

Mmmmm

They come in CHOCOLATE too?

God truly IS good.

Posted May 26, 2007 05:41 PM by

Dan Wilt .::. DanWilt.com

Introducing: Larry Wright, Street Drummer

Ah, the joy of stomp in the street, sticks in the stairwell, sting in the station. Fellow percussionists, enjoy the ride.

I don’t know much about this fellow human being, but I thought this little subway clip was worth a show.

Art is bustling all around us, all within us, all bright leaps of glory jumping from our souls like solar flares, touching and setting on fire those who come close enough to be fired by the lick of our unique flame. Ah, Creator, thank you for rhythm.

Enjoy.

Posted May 26, 2007 05:38 PM by

Bob .::. (blog)

Pentecost Prep

Posted May 26, 2007 05:19 PM by

Michael Spencer .::. Internet Monk

iMonk 101: Pentecost- The Third Great Day.

This is a reprint of an essay I did last year on Pentecost. Since I’ll be hearing nothing about Pentecost in church tomorrow, but about Memorial Day instead, I want to be sure and mark it at home and here on the blog. For a great essay on Pentecost full of material for preaching, visit Journey With Jesus.

Act 2:1-8 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. (2) And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. (3) And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. (4) And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. (5) Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. (6) And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. (7) And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? (8) And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language?

We had our Pentecost worship gathering at soli deo this week, and I once again was amazed at what bad press the Feast of Pentecost usually gets among most evangelical Christians. How did such an important part of the Christian story become so lost and muddled?

For example, if you read the Gospels, you are bound to notice that no matter what happens, Jesus never tells his disciples, “OK…that’s all there is. Time to get to work.” There is always something more to come.

The disciples not only saw some incredible demonstrations of power, they experienced some of that power working through themselves on the two occasions when Jesus sent them out on missions “two by two.” I’m sure that after seeing the miracles of Jesus, the disciples would have said, “the Spirit of God is here. What are we waiting for?” Jesus said things about the presence of the Holy Spirit in his ministry that sounded like the age of the Spirit had arrived. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…” What more could anyone ask for?

Of course, that was exactly the point. There WAS more to come. The Spirit that the disciples experienced in Jesus was coming to everyone in the people of God in fullness. In John 14 and 16, Jesus said that it would actually be better for him to go away so that the Spirit could come to all of his disciples in an intimate, advocating, comforting and consoling way. The Holy Spirit was coming upon the church in a way that had been predicted in the prophetic scriptures and previewed in the ministry of Jesus.

Even after the resurrection, the disciples are being prepared for the coming of the Holy Spirit. The resurrection does not do for the church what the coming of the Holy Spirit does for the church. Imagine setting around with Jesus for those 40 days after Easter, being told, “Wait. Not yet. The Spirit hasn’t yet come.” If we put the overlap of the book of Acts onto the end of the Gospels, then the disciples believe the Kingdom simply needs to be announced by Jesus, but he is saying, “Wait until the Holy Spirit comes. Then you will be my witnesses everywhere.”

In other words, the entire Bible is waiting for the day of Pentecost to arrive, for all the work of Jesus to be completed and the church to be born. What an incredible event! It is the church’s “Third Great Day.”

It seems odd that non-liturgical churches marking the birth of Jesus and the resurrection of Jesus often lose Pentecost completely. The coming of the Spirit is a major event in the New Testament; a defining event in the history and identity of God’s people. For Christians, the first great act of the ascended, reigning Christ was to pour out the Holy Spirit on the church. The gathered disciples are really not the ekklesia of Jesus Christ- the New Covenant people of God- until the Holy Spirit comes. It is the birth of the church.

How unfortunate then that evangelicals either lost Pentecost or put the focus entirely on the wrong aspects. For example, I recall being in a large church where the pastor- with a seminary doctorate- was preaching that the point of Pentecost was….to draw a crowd. Yes, Pentecost was a way for God to create some fireworks and get a crowd together for the first big church event. It’s almost comedic to think of Pentecost being an attendance stunt. While Acts tells us that the crowd in the temple that heard the first Christian sermon was amazed at what they heard, how did the emphasis ever fall on Acts 2 as a lesson on justifying whatever we need to do to get a lot of people in the building?

Of course, the recent Azusa Street Revival Anniversary celebrations remind me that there are millions of Christians who see Pentecost primarily in terms of the arrival of power for the operation of the Gifts of the Spirit. The increasing influence of “Pentecostal” evangelicalism brings with it many positive contributions in worship, body life and evangelism, but the over-emphasis on spiritual gifts makes the letters to the Corinthians more pertinent than ever.

While the Holy Spirit is the author and giver of gifts, the place of spiritual gifts in the church seems to be one of the most distracting, misunderstood issues among Christians. I believe the New Testament compels us to be open to all the giftings and operations of the Spirit that God may send to his people as they witness, minister and serve. At the same time, the Holy Spirit does not give gifts as a way to divide the church into the “spiritual” and the “unspiritual.” Incredibly, some of those evangelicals who most loudly proclaim the heritage of Azusa Street seem determined to view the Holy Spirit in terms remarkably similar to the divisiveness and immaturity of the Corinthians.

The Holy Spirit did not come to divide the church, but to birth it, equip it and unite it. In I Corinthians 12, Paul says that the one thing all members of the body have in common is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is a clear reference to Pentecost, and the promise that the same “Pentecostal blessing” that came on the Apostles will come on all who believe. (Acts 2:38-39) Pentecost itself is repeated in Samaria, in the home of Cornelius and in the case of disciples of John the Baptist, not to teach a universal experience of tongues, but to show the apostles that the same Holy Spirit that came from Jesus to them was given to all peoples, just as the old covenant had promised.

The clear purpose of Pentecost was to bring into birth a new people of God, the beneficiaries of the ministry of the one mediator between God and man and all that he accomplishes in his life, death, resurrection, ascension and session. Pentecost is not a show or the dividing of the church into a spiritual competition between those with spiritual gifts and those not yet blessed. Pentecost is the creation of the people of God that scripture has always looked toward, from the covenant with Abraham until the consummation in the Kingdom.

The celebration of Pentecost should be among the church’s most important days because everything that it means to be the church- election, inheritance, salvation, empowering, community, mission, hope- all comes in the Holy Spirit that is poured out on Pentecost. Let’s reclaim the meaning and significance of this day, and make it a day that belongs to all Christians as our joyful, common birthday.

Posted May 26, 2007 05:01 PM by

Sonja .::. Calacirian

Amazing Grace

Here is a video from the Estes Park Highland Festival in Estes Park, Colorado. LightHusband and I have both performed at this in the past with our respective fife & drum corps. I just want you to know that there is nothing in this world quite like hearing massed pipes playing “Amazing Grace” 15 feet [...]

Posted May 26, 2007 03:47 PM by

Sonja .::. Calacirian

Lord of the Rings

… even better than what Star Wars character is what LOTR character am I? oooohhhhh … I could hardly wait to find out. I’m a much bigger fan of LOTR than of Star Wars. Thanks to Lyn/Frodo who led the way. What LoTR Character Are You? You are most like Gandalf. You are very [...]

Posted May 26, 2007 03:47 PM by

Bill Kinnon .::. Achievable Ends

I Live for Terrible Puns

Just ask my kids. (Who've even been subjected to this one.) From the Rut, This cartoon is about pests...and mice.

BTW. These aren't missional mice. Missional mice would have the wine and cheese with them.

Technorati Tags: humor

Posted May 26, 2007 03:04 PM by

AKMA .::. Random Thoughts

Gentle Suggestion (Or Opportunity to Relieve My Ignorance)

I was running through my group of Pippa’s images on Flickr, taking advantage of the option for flagging images as “Art/Illus” (as distinct from photographs, the originating premise of Flickr — a distinction that aroused some controversy). In the course of adding the “Art” flag where appropriate, I spotted a number of images that people had requested for particular Flickr groups. (This has happened to me, too; I stopped joining them after I joined “Bunny Lovers,” no I’m not kidding, so they could share the photo. But really, do I want to belong to a group called “Bunny Lovers”? I do not.)

Why can’t I share Pippa’s Lloyd Dobler poster with the “Johnny Everywhere” group without joining the group? I don’t mind if they look at it; I just am not that fascinated with pictures of people pretending to be John Cusack. Why can’t I share Pip’s sketch of the Nativity with the “creche” group without joining?

By the way, speaking of Pippa, she got her hair cut for the first time ever yesterday (I mean, cut as opposed to trimmed). I’ll try to elicit a picture of her as soon as I can.

Posted May 26, 2007 02:49 PM by

Bob Hyatt .::. bob.blog

and speaking of crazy...

You have got to kidding me...

Posted May 26, 2007 02:48 PM by

Bill Kinnon .::. Achievable Ends

Sitting in Starbucks @ Heathrow Terminal 4 / ranting on writing

Bob Marley is blasting from the reasonably good quality Starbucks sound system. (Exodus) I've just scarfed down an interesting Starbucks sandwich and an iced mocha. I've got WiFi access via BTOpenZone (as I did at the Hotel). After getting through bag drop-off and the heavy security - I've now managed to use up 45 minutes of time. Only another two hours 'til I board my flight. Imbi would be going out of her mind, being here this early. I do like to be early, but certainly not this early. (I've just used "early" three times in the last two sentences. My writing needs work.)

let me rant for a moment if you will. in spite of content that might suggest otherwise, I'm actually trained as a writer. and certain formatting issues of bloggers and blog commenters drives me a little crazy. one of the things that should occur on blogs (where humanly possible) is clarity of communication. the idea is to make your point(s) as comprehensible as possible. it's about communicating, right? but it would seem many folk in the blog world are dealing with broken computers. and that broken gear is affecting how they communicate. what seems to be broken, you ask? well, it appears their shift key doesn't work. capitalized words at the beginning of sentences and on proper nouns are non-existent.

now. the broken shift key problem would appear to be endemic. particularly amongst the cool bloggers. i wonder what's caused this. as the little finger is the primary digit used for this key, it shouldn't be an issue of the key being hit too hard. or perhaps it's just that the cool bloggers have weak little fingers. that must be it. cool bloggers suffer from acute digitus minimus manus strength-loss syndrome. (ADMMS-LS, er, sorry, make that admms-ls). it isn't that their computers are broken. it's just that they don't have the strength to push the shift key down. how very sad.

perhaps we could begin to pray for the cool bloggers. then, as they develop strength in their little fingers, they might even begin to be able to push the Shift key down. Wouldn't that be great. Suddenly they would be more comprehensible. No need to scan everything twice when we read their posts or comments. Their writing would be easy to chunk, as it were. Their thoughts would appear to be more comprehensible (even if they aren't necessarily).

Please pray this prayer with me.
Dear Lord, please heal the cool bloggers suffering from admms-ls. We'd love to be able to understand them better, to easily read what they write. And Lord, if they don't actually suffer from admms-ls, would you please just give them a quick Whack on the Side of the Head. Perhaps then they will use the Shift key.
Amen.

Technorati Tags: humor, shift key

Posted May 26, 2007 02:31 PM by

Ted Gossard .::. The Jesus Community

Thinking Blogger Award

Thanks to Every Square Inch, I'm the recipient of a Thinking Blog Award. Thanks, ESI for your gracious and kind words about this blog. It's a simple gift I have to share that really probably ends up being more for my own benefit than for anyone else's. Though I certainly hope and pray the Lord will use it since we're blessed to be a blessing, of course.

Here are five blogs I tap for the award:
1. Jesus Creed: Scot McKnight, writer extraordinaire, New Testament scholar and professor really is the one who got my interest going on blogging. And one can receive a theological education by working on his blog. Read his posts and if you are able, follow the threads. He is weekly working through a book, and works exegetically through Scripture as well as on some (often hot button) theological issue of our time.

2. Allan R. Bevere: Allan is a pastor and professor who keeps up well on the times and knows what "Israel" ought to do. There is helpful insight for us all from this brother.

3. Vanguard Church: When Bob Robinson is blogging he helpfully challenges our thinking theologically both in our understanding and practice of the faith with reference to the kingdom of God come in Jesus. Bob is the CCO Area Director of Northern Ohio, a campus ministry.

4. Wide Open Spaces: Charity Singleton has a thoughtful and warm way of blogging. She challenges us in thinking through how we might better live out our faith. And nice photos as well.

5. Faith Dance: Dan Brennan challenges us with a paradigm in Christ for cross-gender relationships. This is a blog that would do us all good to read and think through with him from Scripture, from his own thoughts and experience as well as from the books of others.

There are a number of others who really deserve to be put on my five. ESI would fit right in. And others like Alan Knox, Jamie-Arpin Ricci, L.L. Barkat, Michael Kruse, Jazz Theologian, John Frye and Susan Arnold. Really all the blogs I have linked on the side are worthy of this reward (besides others I run into). There are a number of blogs on my site worth special mention for mind-stretching; just to name three: LeRon Shults, Mark Galli and Mark Roberts. And I'm excited about John Michael Talbot joining the blog world.

Here are the rules as originally laid out to be passed on:

The participation rules are simple:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote.

Posted May 26, 2007 02:16 PM by

Kyle Potter (Captain Sacrament) .::. Vindicated

Bishop Duncan Interview

Eastertide

+Duncan of Pittsburgh is the moderator of the Anglican Communion Network, a group of dioceses within the Episcopal Church that dissent from the teaching of that denomination overall and maintain relationships with the wider Anglican Communion.

Our Sunday Visitor: How do you respond when people accuse you of dividing the church?

Bishop Robert Duncan: It’s rather like a father in a family who confronts a teenager who’s acting out. And what the other members of the family say is, “Dad, don’t be so hard, you’re dividing our family.” It’s a bizarre argument, but it appeals to the modern heart and mind because it gives the modern heart and mind precisely what it wants.

That is to say, “We ought to be able to do what we want to do.” And the modern Church has no doctrine of sin and no sense of boundaries. So, I divide the church by simply saying: “Well, sin is what human beings are wired to do and from which they’ve been delivered, and the father actually has boundaries, rules and a way he wants us to live because he’s designed and called us to live that way. It’s what’s best for us.”

The rest is here (HT: The new TitusOneNine).

Posted May 26, 2007 02:06 PM by

Missional Jerry .::. Becoming Missional

Missional - Missional Ministry and the Technology challenge

Found this article the other day:

Report: 48% of Leisure Time is Spent Online

MarketingVOX: A report from Media-Screen finds that broadband users spend an average of 48 percent of their free time online in a typical weekday, reports the Center for Media Research. The percentage measures out to about one hour and 40 minutes.

On average, online broadband users devote 27 percent of their time online to leisure/entertainment, 27 percent for communication, 9 percent on information searches, 15 percent on personal productivity, and 12 percent on shopping.

Among younger users, 48 percent report they learn about new entertainment mainly through peer-powered sites like social networks, review and video sites, and blogs.

Two media activities - sending email and visiting sites for personal reasons - are more popular than watching TV.

You can find the original article here.

I think this has real significance for those individuals and churches seeking to be missional.

More young people surf the web than watch TV!

So part of the problem resides in the fact that we want to bring pre-believers into an atmosphere where in most churches we are technology challenged. The first thing these folks think is that suddenly they are beng asked to be part of a group who doesnt understand them.

What do we need to do? What can be done?

We need to not be affraid of Blogs, MySpace, Social Networking, emailing prayer reports and Bible study resources. Create ebooks and other resources.

It doesnt take much to record services as MP3's or video files anymore and put them online. Free services like YouTube and others host all this content free.

People are looking for an ongoing conversation. One that doesnt end when the service ends. But one that is a continuation. How can we do creative things to extend that conversation?

But the first step in tradtional churches who long to move missionally must be able to integrate technology in a seamless way that allows for new people to see thought, planning and consideration going into how technology is being used. And not just in the presentation during the service but in the use during the week and thepromotion of that ongoing conversation.

How can we use the powerful tool of modern communication to increase the scope, reach and quality of our conversations with those who are in our congregations?

Any Ideas?

Posted May 26, 2007 02:00 PM by

Cindy Bryan .::. Run With It

Amahoro Africa

I recently asked Claude Nikondeha for his reflections on the Amahoro Africa gathering. Claude's perspective is unique, and one that we'd do well to note. My heart tells me to pay close attention to what he is doing and saying regarding Africa. Plus, he's a really nice guy!

I love Africa

"‘You can take the man out of Africa but you can’t take Africa out of the man’, I love Africa but it wasn’t always this way! When I first left Africa back in 1992, I was few months shy of being 18 years old; I saw my departure as an opportunity to exit poverty, despair and confusion. At that time I promised my parents that I would never return to Africa - they were proud of me. They believed (and I did too) that this was my way out of extreme poverty. Their hope was that I would leave Africa so I could make money to send home and help the family. I just wanted to get out and leave this hopeless place behind me.
It took me traveling to France to meet Jesus. When I did meet Jesus, I came to understand that transformation is integral to who He is and what it means to follow Him. I learned that He did care about what was happening in Burundi… and that changed everything for me! He loved the poor, cared about the sick and longed for peace between tribes. His compassion was extended to me, my family and my countrymen. Jesus grew a new love for Africa and my family in my heart and for the first time, I loved Africa.

"The Amahoro Africa Gathering was a direct result of this new love and commitment that I have for Africa and its people. God loves Africa and so do I. The Gathering was a time to have a serious conversation among others who share my love for this vast continent.

"The Gathering was more than what I dreamed! It wasn’t perfect by any stretch of imagination, but it was the beginning of a journey for 200 leaders from around the world. This journey will take those who can muster a little bit of courage to a place they never dreamed of before.

"For many years now in the West, thousands of people have been part of a conversation about what it means to follow Jesus in today’s world. In many ways, that conversation has been trying to paint a picture of what it may look like and I have been captivated by the brushstrokes. The picture that emerges is also a constant challenge to me and other young leaders. I am continually encouraged by what I read, hear and experience with my ‘emergent’ friends. But then the rich young ruler comes to mind. He, too, had many good questions about how to best follow Jesus. But the picture Jesus painted was shocking. It was a hard word to hear, so he walked away saddened, as many western believers do. We are frightened to hear the hard words and take some action steps.

"In Africa on the other hand, there is a lot of action and very little talking. In my judgment, this might be worse! Every single leader from Africa who attended The Gathering is doing some radical transformation in his or her community. They are involved in caring for the orphans and widows, they are engaged in the economic empowerment of their communities, doing community development in the worst slums on earth etc…but when you ask them why they do what they do; their theology is very disconnected from their actions. They don’t have the theological base that explains what they do and why they do it. Some of this maybe related to who we are as Africans, as we are raised with the very idea of community symbolized by the concept of UBUNTU. “I am only good (single) when we are good (plural) - in the collective. I am who I am because of who you all are, I can’t do it alone and every member of the community is important.” Maybe they just do it because someone has to do it, which is good. But the danger of not having deep theological roots about what you practice is that you become like the people Paul referred to; who were pushed around by all kinds of doctrines.

"The prosperity Gospel, Benny Hinn, Creflo Dollar and TBN are now the prominent influences across Africa. Our friends are being pushed around by such nonsense, non biblical, non-Jesus messages and they don’t know what to do, what to take and what not to take. Observing them Monday through Saturday, you wish God would give you half of their faith and courage! Then on Sunday when you observe them turn into Joyce Meyers and Kenneth Copeland, you wonder what happened during the night. There is a disconnect somewhere.

"The Amahoro Africa Gathering was a conversation on the Church that is emerging in a Post Colonial Africa. It was a place where the westerns saw what it looks like to follow Jesus. It was a place where Africans began building a solid theological foundation about what it means to follow Jesus and build Kingdom Communities. We challenged one another, inspired one another and learned together as we focused on Jesus. Something beautiful emerged!

"This time as I boarded the plane that would take me from Africa, the sensation was different. I love Africa and I know I will return soon. I will return to friends scattered across East Africa to be encouraged and challenged by their tireless Gospel actions. I will return, bringing friends, in the hope that they will fall in love with Africa too. I love Africa, and I know Jesus does as well. As our conversation continues, may our love for Africa continue to deepen!"

Amahoro,

Claude Nikondeha

Posted May 26, 2007 01:47 PM by

Brian Russell .::. Real Meal Ministries

Organizing Genius: The Secrets of Creative Collaboration

I just finished an excellent business/management book by Warren Bennis and Patricia Ward Biederman. It is called Organizing Genius: The Secrets of Creative Collaboration. It is a study of the art of collaboration which focuses on some of the greatest groups of the last century: Disney animation, PARC and Apple, Clinton’s 1992 Election team, Skunk Works, Black Mountain College, and the Manhattan Project. Anecdotes from other projects are also interspersed into the chapters.

Bennis and Biederman open with a chapter “The End of the Great Man” in which they argue for the crucial role that great teams play in the realm of leadership. On p. 3, they write, “Instead we need to recognize a new paradigm: not great leaders alone, but great leaders who exist in a fertile relationship with a Great Group. In these creative alliances, the leader and the team are able to achieve something together that neither could achieve alone. The leader finds greatness in the group. And he or she helps the members find it in themselves.” Most of us intuitively resonate with this, but our authors point out that a mythology of the great leader continues to dominate our thinking about leadership. Collaboration has always been a key to success. This is true even in the world of art. For example, Michaelangelo is credited with painting the Sistine Chapel, but he actually deployed a team of 13 other artists to help him complete the work. French Impressionism is associated with Monet, Renoir, Degas, and Manet. Monet and Renoir often painted next to one another. There was a time when there paintings were almost indistinguishable save the signature. Great teams inspire and accomplish great things.

The next six chapters are essentially case studies of “great groups” who have impacted the world in powerful ways. Bennis/Biederman narrate the inner workings of these groups and draw insightful observations that will impact the way that you shape the organizational structure of the teams that you lead.

The concluding chapter offers the following takeaways:

1) Greatness starts with superb people.

2) Great groups and great leaders create each other.

3) Every Great Group has a strong leader.

4) The leaders of Great Groups love talent and know where to find it.

5) Great Groups are full of talented people who can work together.

6) Great Groups think that they are on a mission from God.

7) Every Great Group is an island—but an island with a bridge to the mainland.

8) Great groups see themselves as winning underdogs.

9) Great Groups always have an enemy.

10) People in Great Groups have blinders on.

11) Great Groups are optimistic, not realistic.

12) In Great Groups the right person has the right job.

13) The leaders of Great groups give them what they need and free them from the rest.

14) Great Groups ship.

15) Great work is its own reward.

Each of these conclusions is generously illustrated and described throughout the text.

This book is time well spent. It is written in a clear and engaging style. Each chapter is full of powerful stories about-history making teams as well as tremendous insight into the nature of leadership and teams. I found myself continuously comparing/contrasting the teams of which I am a part with those in Organizing Genius. For me, the biggest takeaways were these:

1) The necessity of a leader of a great group to offer a compelling vision that unleashes each member of the group to engage fully the mission with all of his or her gifts;

2) The role of a leader in protecting the individuals of the group from outside interference with their work.

3) The absolute necessity of attracting and unleashing the most gifted persons available.

This book is a keeper. I recommend it enthusiastically.

Posted May 26, 2007 12:05 PM by

Bill Kinnon .::. Achievable Ends

Miscellaneous Links

Before I head out to Heathrow, here are a few miscellaneous links:

John La Grou of Microclesia on Dekker Gets Naked.
Doc Searls talks about Cluetrain and Johnson and Johnson - Beyond Fort Business
John von Oech on John Maeda @ Stanford - Maeda wrote The Laws of Simplicity. von Oech wrote the Jonny Baker favourite, A Whack on the Side of the Head
Terry Heaton unpacks the Passing of Jerry Falwell
Ryan Bell reports on Chris Hedges vs Sam Harris in Chris Hedges: I don't Believe in Atheists

And now I need to turn the computer off, do a once around the room for things not to be left behind, and then check out of this hotel.

Technorati Tags: random links

Posted May 26, 2007 11:42 AM by

Adam Cleaveland .::. Pomomusings

Timbuk2 Advertising

Timbuk2 Ad

Now I’m no prude. And there are certainly issues with sex education that only promote abstinence (it just doesn’t work) - and I know sex is everywhere in our culture. And even though I love the Timbuk2 bag I have, I found this ad a little…well, interesting.

What does this ad say to you about sexuality and our culture?

Posted May 26, 2007 11:00 AM by

Bill Kinnon .::. Achievable Ends

Getting Ready to Leave the UK

It's Saturday morning in London. My flight doesn't leave for another eight and a half hours but I'm getting ready to go. I arrived here with two Sony HVR-Z1U HDV cameras as carry-on baggage. The British Airport Authority only allows one piece of hand baggage which means one camera needs to be packed in my suitcase. I'm not thrilled about this and hope the camera makes it back to Canada...in one piece. (I once had two cameras stolen in Zimbabwe when they had been packed in luggage. They were taken somewhere between Zim and New York, when in the bags of the team administrator.)

It has been a busy, productive and tiring week. I'm drained and as much as I love the UK, I'm looking forward to being home. Even if it is only for 48 hours before I head off to Vancouver for three days of meetings. I truly hope the Kiwi produced, No-Jet Lag works on the trip. (If I only remember to take it.)

I'll try to effectively collect my thoughts on what I've seen and heard on this trip. Much of the story will be told through the Allelon videos Alan and I shot. I will leave the country excited by what God is doing here - and with fresh hope for my own country. More on that later.

Here's a map of the four main areas of our excursions - Birmingham, Liverpool, Lincolnshire and London.

Englandtrip

Posted May 26, 2007 10:46 AM by

Mark Oestreicher .::. YSMarko

bollywood superman

oh, man, this is just fantastic. once again, i say, this is what youtube was made for.

(ht to ian at ys)

Posted May 26, 2007 10:02 AM by

John Smulo .::. SmuloSpace

Blogging Boundaries

Steve Recher and I were talking earlier today about what's appropriate to discuss about one's life in a blogging environment and what's not. I find this a frustrating topic.

On the one hand, I think it's important to have transparency and personal updates from blog authors. On the other hand, I believe its necessary to use discretion in such a public forum, not only about one's own life, but particularly about others.

This doesn't give us an excuse not to have people in our non-virtual world who we share personally with. Though even here we need wisdom.

So when it comes to blogging:

How much transparency do you show?
Are there things you wouldn't ever blog about?
Have you ever blogged about something you wish you could take back?

Posted May 26, 2007 09:51 AM by

Trevin Wax .::. Kingdom People

How to Read the Word

"Never read the Word so you can appear more knowledgeable or wiser. Study it to learn of your sins and how to discipline yourself, for this will benefit you more than knowing the answers to many difficult questions." - Thomas a Kempis, The Imitation of Christ

Posted May 26, 2007 09:47 AM by

Scot McKnight .::. Jesus Creed

Verona!

Kris and I had a nice flight, landed in Milano, got our car and headed for Verona — the Milanese greeted us with a massive traffic jam but we weathered it in our sleepy condition and found our way to Verona. What a wonderful city!

Verona has a massive arena, more like Rome’s colosseum than anything else, and it is a 1st Century construction. Incredibly large and still in great condition. It still is used for opera.

By the way, our Torcolo hotel was something else to find: we were driving and driving in circles, we stopped to ask a man with a kind face, he got to talking in Italian and then realized we hadn’t a clue of what he was saying, so he hopped in the back seat and directed us to within close range of the hotel. Grazie!

A lovely walk between piazza Bra and piazza Erbe, and then beyond Erbe over the Roman bridge on the River Adige.

Here are three pics: one of the irresistible gelato and the others of piazza Bra and the river Adige.

Posted May 26, 2007 09:26 AM by

Andrew Jones .::. TallSkinnyKiwi

Song for Madeleine

Countless children are taken all the time but sometimes one catches our attention. Like Madeleine McCann who was taken in Portugal earlier this month. My friend Paul Vieira (author of Jesus has Left the Building) wrote a song today for Madeleine and uploaded it to YouTube. When you listen, ask the just and righteous God to do something today.

Technorati Tags: madeleine, youtube

Paul's email:

"Peace,

I'm sure you must know about Madeleine McCann, a three year old little girl who disappeared from a resort in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on 3 May.

My wife and I have been thinking and talking about little Madeleine all week. We look at our twin toddler girls and can not help but think about how terrible it is that someone would abduct a child. The evil in this world is very discouraging to me. However, I feel hope about Madeleine. The whole world wants to find her. Today, I wrote a song for her. I decided to video record it and post it on youtube. "

Posted May 26, 2007 08:17 AM by

Scot McKnight .::. Jesus Creed

Weekly Meanderings

We’re over here in Italy this week — with my mom and dad faithfully attending to our senior citizen Bichon Frise, Webster — and when I get back a speaking event: the Spiritual Formation Forum.

Brilliant piece by Will Samson on the passing of Falwell and the passing of an era. An echo of Will’s piece can be found in the NY Times — are evangelicals shifting? You bet they are, and they are showing signs of capturing more of the 19th Century vision of evangelicalism.

Buying books?

Anyone know anything about this new blog by the editors of Today’s Christian Woman?

Ah, there’s just something about Maria.

I hope Steve McCoy has figured out how to use his Phriday is for Photos in his sermons. One night I spent over an hour in his photo album wondering, most of the time, how he gets such good pictures.

Good words about promises from John Frye.

One of North Park’s finest is featured: Jeff Nelson.

My theory: rarely work from 6-10pm, and take off weekends. Why? It’s the way God made us. Check out this article; read slowly and think about it.

What would the Apostle Paul say about this?

1. Trevin Wax: letters with a Roman Catholic.
2. Florida’s decision to require physical education — make it physical, make it educational — is a good decision. I hope more States join in.
3. Professor websites.
4. What emerges, buzzes for just a little while, and then goes away? Cicadas.
5. Love this one by Don Johnson — church cooperation. (I won’t get into the homeschooling-emergent analogy he makes in the post before this one.)
6. Michael Krahn is exploring whether not this is the age of atheism.
7. Weigh in on this one if you can at Kathy Khang’s blog.
8. iMonk interview.
9. No doubt about it: The Left Behind Chronicles.
10. The Young Christian man named Domain.
11. Let us not forget this reminder by Allan Bevere.
12. Shane Claiborne interview that spurs us to think. (HT: Ted Gossard)

Sports:

Will it be the Yanks vs. the Cubs in the Big Bopper on the night of the Big Dance? (HT: Scott Austin)

I knew Chicago was destined to win something this summer, I just didn’t know it would be this.

Posted May 26, 2007 07:20 AM by

Andrew Jones .::. TallSkinnyKiwi

Life is Beautiful - Leben ist Schön

Leben

Out of all the cards Kerstin showed me, this one with five gummy bears stuck out. There is no English version but Kerstin has a translation of what it says on the back:

"The ones that show four colorful standing jelly bears and one pale one that is knocked out. On the back they say...

"Life is beautiful: Breathing, laughing, loving, fighting, dancing...life is beautiful. Since 1975 in Germany 8 Million kids had no chance to live. Even before they could take their first breath they were aborted. Life is beautiful."

These are given out for free...and people put them in pubs, clubs, wherever... And we created a web page that contains a lot of info and offers of help for women / couples who are pregnant and are looking for help."

Posted May 26, 2007 07:08 AM by

Mike Clawson .::. Emerging Pensees

Star Wars' 30th Birthday

In honor of Star Wars' 30th birthday yesterday, here's a hilarious video of the "true" story behind Lucas' inspiration for the movies. (via Brother Maynard)

Posted May 26, 2007 05:34 AM by

(Group Blog) .::. Pyromaniacs

Help!

posted by Phil Johnson

I'm at Dodger Stadium tonight,where it's the top of the second and the Cubs are already losing the game.

Ah. Memories of a better day Bad day all around. I managed to fry my hard disk on the main desktop computer—so badly that I can't even boot the computer with a system disk.

So as I watch the Cubs lose again (we drove to San Diego to watch the Padres beat them Wednesday night) all I can think about is that I need a new computer ASAP, and I'll be spending the first half of next week (including Memorial Day) installing software.

Bummer.

Now, I still use a DOS command line for a lot of file management functions, and I still think WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS is the finest word processing software ever made for serious writers who care more about their text than about page formatting. So I'm locked into Windows, although I dislike Microsoft as much as the next person.

On the other hand, I don't care for Apple's smugness in the current Mac/PC ad campaign.

And yet—I love the look of the computers at the Apple store. And if I decided to make the switch to Mac, now would be the best time to do it. So I've decided to ask for feedback: Mac or PC? I'm asking Pyro readers to help me decide.

PS: I'm writing and posting this with my phone. Ignore the typos.