Change is upon us...

I spent the better part of the 2006-2007 ministry year trying to evaluate our student ministry. The result was what looks like a major overhaul to the way we do things. Tonight we're hosting an Info Night for parents and students who want to hear more about the changes. So far the responses that I have heard have been encouraging and unless I completely have my head in the sand, everyone seems very excited about what we're going to do.

I am a little nervous though. I'm sure there will be speed bumps. I'm sure we'll have to adapt things on the fly. And I wish I had more leaders. But it's definitely the perfect time for this change. So I'll wait and see what happens tonight and then we'll wait for the official launching/kick-off that happens next Wednesday.

Oh, and lest you think we've only given parents a one week heads up, we've already been promoting this for weeks. Tonight just gives everyone a chance to get the finer details of what a Wednesday night will typically look like from this point in.

Remedy is coming...

I don't know about you, but I'm super excited about this:

Long weekend find...

I haven't posted about food in a while...or ever.

I'm not one to try out new foods or restaurants. I have allergies and I use that as my excuse a fair bit of the time. But I also know that I just tend to get stuck in a rut eating the same things over and over again.

But on our family trip to Seattle over the long weekend, at Erin's suggestion, we decided to try a new restaurant that was literally in the same parking lot of our hotel. So we walked over to the Azteca, thumbed through the menu, munched on tortilla chips and salsa, and then proceeded to stuff our faces with what I would say was one of the best burritos I have ever eaten.

Our next trip will no doubt include swinging by for a burrito.

Cussed out...

Here's an interesting fact...I think I've almost been cussed out more as a pastor than I have been in all my soccer playing years. And keep in mind that I used to have a reputation on the pitch of being an instigator, so to speak. Ask my wife...she'll explain.

But recently I had another one of those rare opportunities that found a homeless man looking for some food. The short story is that after he heard my response to his request for a gift card he "laughed" while giving me mocking applause and cussing me out. Why? Because I didn't give him that free gift card for the grocery store and instead asked him if he would be able to come back in later so I could find him some food.

Never once did I tell this man that I didn't care. Not once did I tell him "sorry I can't help." Not once did I ask him to leave, even when he became belligerent and started using non-creative language with me. Instead, I sat down beside him and asked questions and tried to engage in conversation.

But even little questions like "how long have you been on the street?" were met with harsh words and an attitude like I was stupid for inquiring. Like somehow I should have known his life story.

May I be so bold to say that I know why some people choose not to interact with the homeless. I can see why someone who has experienced a situation like that would choose not to get into a similar predicament. It's not fun or easy.

I know I'm called to look after the poor, the homeless, the fatherless, the widows, the orphans, and the list goes on. But can I be honest with you? It's hard sometimes. When my phone rings on a Wednesday to tell me there's another person at the front asking for a handout, my first response is not always pretty. Nor is it always Christ-like. And for that I am ashamed.

I'll keep trying though. And I'll keep asking God to help me love each person who walks through that door. But I doubt this will ever get any easier, will it?

Open letter...

This next post shall be extremely personal and maybe even a bit revealing of who I am and how I act. It's not pretty. You have been warned. You might be asking "why is this is public?" and let me assure you that there is a good reason. I acted like a jackass in public and therefore owe my wife a public apology.

Erin, I commend you on the fact that you didn't murder me while slept. I am grateful for another day in which I can utter those three simple words, "I am sorry".

I am sorry that I am a selfish and stubborn man who often times gets more caught up in his own world that he completely fails to see the impact that his decisions make on the lives of those he loves. I am sorry that I throw 2 year old hissy fits when I don't get my way. I am sorry that I am a bad example to our children (and to other random people walking through a crowded mall) of what it means act with dignity and respect.

I am sorry that I am lazy and thoughtless. I am sorry that I fail to see the big picture more often. I am sorry that you must continually put up with my apologies and my faults and my constant failures. I am sorry that my marital communication skills have not been an area that I have been willing to work on. I am sorry that I have taken you for granted time and time again.

You are the glue that holds are family together and I am grateful for that. However, that is not an excuse for me not to do my part. I am sorry that I don't pitch in more. I am sorry for assuming that you'll do things when I don't feel like doing them. I'm sorry for not noticing things that I could do to help out just because I've been too lazy to look for opportunities.

I'm sorry that I haven't had a more humble spirit and a more gracious demeanor with you. I'm sorry for the words that have come from my mouth. I'm also sorry that the right words have failed to come from my mouth.

I ask you now for your forgiveness, but I also commit myself to working on my attitude.

I will work on learning the basic math skills necessary to participate in balancing the books. I will pitch in more regularly around the house. I will find jobs that I can undertake without prompting. I will get involved. I will engage. I will communicate. And I will do so with compassion, love, patience and humility.

I bring this to you in front of others so I can remain accountable. I ask anyone who reads this to kick me in the tukas (that means "rear" in our home) when I'm not holding up my end of the bargain. I ask that you please be friends that can challenge me to be the husband that I am called to be. Send me a copy of this post via email from time to time. Phone me and tell me that I'm an idiot and should treat my wife better. Whatever it may take, please help me.

Erin, I'm sorry. You are a woman who deserves far more than I have to offer. I feel badly that you're stuck with me. I love you. I'm just sorry that my words and actions don't always prove it. I am willing to work on it. I will work on it.

Pardon the proof texting here:

"Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all" - Proverbs 31:29

I love you Erin.

Fell off the planet...

While it may have seemed like did, I assure you I am here. I believe I caught a case of the non-blogging-itis. I hear it's going around.

This was a tough week as the footballing world was shaken to its core by the confirmation of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's retirement. Apparently those knee injuries finally caught up to him.

The "baby face assassin" who was also known as Manchester United's "supersub" is probably best known for scoring the winning goal in the May 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich.

While I'm the first to admit that I'm still a relatively new United fan I will say that Solskjaer became one of my personal favorites on the team. In fact, my wife surprised me last year with this little gem, which will always be worn with great pride.

Friends...

I have some great friends. And today I would like to acknowledge one of those friends. After a recent video of me surfaced on his blog I became aware of just how much his friendship means to me. And so I would just like to ask all my regular readers to pay tribute to my friend, Bryce.

Not only have I had the privilege to work alongside this man, but I have also had the pleasure to play in a band with him, watch movies with him, and even sleep in his yard. He has given me many wise words of advice over the year and I have enjoyed our conversations. I also believe him to be one of the more creative people I know.

So, I'd like to introduce you to my friend. This was the only photo I had:

myTunes...

I've been having trouble with my blog template lately and it doesn't seem to want to update my reading/listening lists properly, so I've instead opted for a post dedicated entirely to what's been playing on the car stereo lately.

The Cobalt Season
"In Search of a Unified Theory"
I've loved the honest lyrics but I'll admit that at times the songs are a bit depressing. It's kind of a folksy-acoustic-guitar-with-some-piano type of sound that definitely puts me in a pondering type of mood. Depressing yet peaceful...does that even go together?
Notable: Unified Theory, Begin Again

Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds
"Live at Radio City"
You probably know of my unashamed love for all things Dave Matthews, but this collaboration with Tim Reynolds is a great follow up to their last release "Live at Luther College". Two acoustics and some very experimental Reynolds-ish sounds combined with Dave's typical style gives you some very cool guitar moments. The only bummer is that Dave talks a bit too much and he's not the most eloquent speaker. But if you love acoustic guitar, you'll enjoy listening to this one.
Notable: Save Me, #41

Dustin Kensrue
"Please Come Home"
He's the lead singer of Thrice, but don't expect a rocking album. Lots of acoustic and great lyrics and some Johnny Cash-ish type moments. This album has definitely been the most played lately for me.
Notable: Please Come Home, Consider the Ravens, I Believe

Relient K
"Five Score and Seven Years Ago"
I wasn't a big fan of these guys until I saw them live last year. They are by far one of the most entertaining shows I've seen. Catchy tunes, deeper lyrics, and just plain old fun. Good driving tunes.
Notable: Up and Up, Devastation and Reborn, Come Right Out and Say It

Erik Mongrain
"Fates"
This guy is an absolutely amazing musician. There's no lyrics, so I find this is great background music when I'm in the office.
Notable: Air Tap!

In the Margins...

I picked up Jesus In the Margins after I had read Rick McKinley's second book This Beautiful Mess. This book identifies with me based on this phrase alone that is found on the cover:

"Welcome to the crowded margins of life. It's a place where normal people don't feel normal."

This book is for those who have felt like an outsider; for those who feel like they don't fit or won't fit; for those who don't connect or can't connect; for those who know they don't have it all together; for those who feel like they are the only one.

It's an easy read. It's not overly profound. If you've grown up "in the church" you've probably heard most of this before. But it's an encouraging reminder to meet Jesus as we are rather than hiding in the margins until we get our life together.

The official word...

As of 3:23 this afternoon my brain has crapped out on me.

I just thought you'd like to know.

Listening to the Beliefs...

Back in June I attended a mini-conference (or should we call it a "conversation"?) called Emergence that brought together 4 emerging leaders and gave them an opportunity to interact with one another (and with the audience in attendance). The basis for the conference/conversation was a book called"Listening to the Beliefs of Emerging Churches". I got the book as a freebie for attending Emergence and I am proud to say that I finally got around to finishing it.

Isn't it a good day when you finish a book?

The book basically takes 5 different emerging leaders and gives them each an entire chapter to write about their theology. After an author has given their summarization, the other 4 authors each take an opportunity to respond to what has been presented.

This leads to lots of "I know this person" and "I like this person, but...". It's obvious that most of these people genuinely like each other but it's also quite apparent that they all have different opinions about different aspects of faith and theology.

My only advise is that you don't go into this expecting a handbook of "This is What the Emerging Church Believes". It's a good read to get a little bit more of the picture, but I don't believe it's the whole picture. It would probably not be "emerging" if it was the whole picture.

Days in review...

I worked on a few blog posts this past week about a variety of experiences that have taken place lately. And while I usually operate on the belief that I should "think it, write it, post it", this time I have apparently decided to add the phrase "sit on it".

In lieu of that, here's some randomness:

• Celebrated 9 years of marriage to this lovely woman...no, not the blog, but the woman who writes the blog
  
• This is the coolest looking Joker pic ever...but it's a fake
• Watched my first live MLB game...don't tell anyone, but I actually enjoyed watching a ballgame
• Got cussed out by a homeless man because I wouldn't just give him a coupon for the grocery store and instead offered to get him some food...there's a blog post simmering on this one
  
• Found out I get a free month of Setanta via my satellite provider...but after that I'm out $15 a month to keep it
• I'm on night 2 of a three night marathon of youth events
• Stumbled on this site about NHL logos which keeps track of all the changes teams are making this year...go here to design your own jersey
  
• My team hasn't won a game...but the Manchester derby is tomorrow
• Took part Thursday in my first official soccer practice in over 2 years...too bad there were only 5 guys
  

Death by Minsitry (still continued)...

Ok, here's some more from Mark Driscoll about burnout in ministry. You can see the rest of the list here and here. I'm not all the way through this series, but I've found some of the info very fascinating. It's a great heads up as to how stress works in our lives and the impact it can have on our ministry and our families.

And if you think you're above burnout and that it could never happen to you, so you have no need to know this stuff...you're an idiot and it's likely you'll be the next poster child for burnout. (Wow...maybe that was too harsh. But at least you can sense the severity of the topic, right?)

• Part 8
• blog post
• video link
  
• Part 9
• blog post
• video link
  
• Part 10
• blog post
• video link
  
• Part 11
• blog post
• video link
  

Who's Afraid...

My SP gave me this book (Who's Afraid of Postmodernism?: Taking Derrida, Lyotard and Foucault to Church) a few months ago to read and I've been slowly plugging away at it over that time. It's all about post-modernism and the connections with some of the recent trends within the church that have hints of some "old school" philosophical lines of thought (and even practice).

James KA Smith uses a few films to describe links between some thinkers like Derrida, Lyotard, and Foucault and then compares them with the church. At times the comparisons are intriguing, yet at other times they are simply mind-boggling. There are so many uses of various "isms" that I usually needed to have a dictionary open while I read.

It's definitely one of the more challenging (intellectually) books that I've read in a while, but I hesitate when it comes to practicality. If you're at all familiar with the names associated with the book or with concepts like deconstructionism or metanarratives, this will probably be an good read for you. If not...make sure you have a dictionary and be patient as you read. You'll feel smarter when you're done...or at least that's what I keep trying to tell myself.

Footballing again...

This weekend was the beginning of a new footballing season in more ways than one. On the one hand the English premier League kicked off, and while I'm a little disappointed that my beloved team was unable to get on the score sheet at home against Reading, it is only the first game of a long season. We'll have to see what May 2008 has in store.

Sunday also brought about the re-beginning/continuation/revival of my somewhat non-existent footballing "career". Most of you are well aware of my knee problems over the past few years. Knee problems that have seen me under the knife on 3 separate occasions, 2 of which were for major ACL reconstruction. (You can read more about all of these here.)

I'll admit that I've had days when I wondered if I would ever be able to play again. After the first ACL surgery I worked hard to get fit and back into the game only to tear the ACL again in the opening 30 minutes of my first competitive game back. Now it's been almost a year since my last ACL surgery and the mental preparation for this return has been even harder. Will this ACL hold? Can I handle another major knee injury? Will I keep my sanity if I never play soccer again?

Well, on Sunday I made it out to play an 90+ minute scrimmage. Wow, I missed playing. I think this return is good for me, not only physically but mentally and emotionally. I'll be the first to admit that I was only playing at about 70%, but it felt good. A little sore and a little tentative, but it was somewhat familiar territory as I made my way around the pitch.

And lest I feel like I've lost any ability to play the game I received an invite from one of the players to join their team for the upcoming season. This came after only playing about 30 minutes of soccer. I'm leaning towards giving it a go. Some connections outside the church will be nice and an outlet like soccer is a necessity for me. The question will be whether or not I can stay fit and keep the ACL intact.

I'm sure if you keep wandering back here from time to time you'll find out whether the second ACL reconstruction will hold up. Come to think of it, someone could make a reality show out of this.

To the Summit...

Around this time every year a pile of people plop down in a church sanctuary with a pile of other people who call themselves leaders in order to listen to famous people who are called leaders talk about what it means to be a leader. It's Willow Creek's Leadership Summit.

I'm not knocking it, because you can definitely get some good stuff out of it. And I have gotten some stuff out of it...none of which I'm actually going to blog about. I think it's for my head and my journal right now and for our staff round table discussions, but it's not ready for consumption by the blogging world. It's too much to handle.

I think I just laughed at myself...

Anyway, I will share with you the high point of the Summit so far (punny, eh?): Erik Mongrain. I blogged about this guy before (see here) and I nearly jumped out of my seat when they introduced him. He played 2 songs and it was cooler than watching him on YouTube. If you haven't seen him or listened, do me a favor and watch a video. Your mind will be blown. If it isn't I will refund your money.

I do believe I may be one of the only Summit bloggers to not write a single blog post about anything any of the speakers said.

Somebody give me an award.

I'm bored...

My wife is out with some of our youth girls. I'm home with my kids. I'm currently eating a freezie and watching Ultimate Fighting. I also spent some time with the guitars. But I can't seem to focus long enough to write anything.

I'm not a great song writer. I try, but I can't ever seem to finish anything. I'm in awe of people who have a way with words and music that seems to come so simply. I'm impressed by the variety of sounds that some people can come up with. I feel like all my songs sound the same.

I've only ever played 2 of my own songs in public. One was a Christmas song I played at my last church and the other was a song based on part of Job's life for a sermon my friend Bryce preached. That was also in my last church.

A group of my current students and I have come up with a little song during our worship practice, but I hesitate to call it a song because I don't know if anyone actually likes it.

Well...there you have some completely random thoughts from a Wednesday night.

More guitarisms...

Is that even a word?

Saw this video on another blog this week and I think it ranks up there with some of the other guitarists I've included on this blog from time to time (like this guy, this guy and this guy). I just can't believe people can play the guitar this way. I am in awe.



(h/t to Mark Brewer)

Finished vacating...

The van pulled into the driveway last night after almost 25 hours of driving, and now it feels like we're trying to settle into normal life. Come to think of it, I think I'm going to refuse normal life. Yeah, that sounds like a better plan...

Anyways, I know that you all missed my randomness and profound blogabilities, so I won't taunt you anymore. Here's the long-weekend-Monday haps:

• Read too many blogs today...and I'm still nowhere close to caught up.
  
• Watched Manchester United defeat Chelsea in PKs to take the FA Community Shield...now bring on the regular season with next weekend's kick-off against Redding.
• I bought a shirt that my wife doesn't like.
• I was introduced to a new band called The Cobalt Season (review shall be forthcoming).
• We are currently behind in our regular summer TV viewing of Big Brother.
• I have to go back to work tomorrow?

One day and counting...

We're neck deep in getting prepared to take a pile of our students to Creation Festival. Sure, we can talk about the Christian subculture bubble until we're blue in the face, but I'll gladly cave on my feelings in exchange for the relational time that comes out of a week like this.

We've got an interesting group too. Middle school, high school, regulars, newbies...the mix is all over the map for this one.

But consider this:

• 4 grads that came on last year's trip have worked with our student ministry over the last year
• 3 of those former-grads-that are-now-leaders are coming on this trip
• We have a student to leader ratio of 2:1
• A regular driving tradition of playing the first 30 seconds of "Bullet the Blue Sky" by U2 (which we affectionately referred to as "track 4") began last year and has continued on every trip so far (one van listened to that 30 second clip for over an hour straight)
• We had 10 tickets donated to our group for this trip
  
• I was removed from food prep detail after a fiasco last year involving spam, chili and mac & cheese
• I had 4 dozen hot dog confiscated at the border on the last trip
• One of our leaders fell asleep with his feet on our remaining hot dog buns (and there were toe marks evident in some of the buns come dinner time)
  
• 4am Wednesday will come WAY too early
  

Death by Ministry (continued)...

A while ago I posted about some video clips and notes that had been showing up on Mark Driscoll's blog that deals specifically with the area of burnout in ministry. Here are a few more of the additions:

• Part 4:
• blog post
• video link
  
• Part 5:
• blog post
• video link
  
• Part 6:
• blog post
• video link
  
• Part 7
• blog post
• video link
  

Gotta catch up...

Here's 2 books that I was able to finish up over the vacation time.

Obsessed by Ted Dekker was my latest foray into the world of fiction. All in all, I don't think fiction is my thing. Or maybe I just keep choosing the wrong books. After reading Lamb a few months ago I thought I'd try this book that my wife had lying around. And I'm left with the feeling that it was the author's attempt to be rated R in a PG setting. Does that make sense?

I felt that the book for the most part was just missing that next bit that would have made it a really good book. And other parts were completely cheesy with random "super spiritual" moments that focused on being obsessed. It was just too much of a stretch. So I'm looking for suggestions as to what could be my final attempt at fiction. Any ideas?

This next book by Dan Kimball was very typical of the whole "emerging" line of thought. Today's generation likes Jesus but they don't necessarily care for what Christians have turned the church into. Unless you live in the stone ages, this book probably won't hold any new revelations for you. But still it's an ok read. I found some of it fairly repetitive but it's reinforcing stuff I've already been witnessing or experiencing.

The big question is what are our churches going to do with this information? And that part has me more intrigued, curious, excited, hopeful and confused than anything else.

Above all else in the book I was hit smack in the face with the reminder that I need to start spending more time with people outside of the church. I've got a few ideas, but I'm not entirely sure what this will end up looking like.

Your thoughts...
So, what do you do to stay connected to people who don't know Jesus?

Tagged again...

Oh what fun. I got tagged by Adam and Patti on this one. Here it goes...

Rules to play:

1. players start with 8 random facts about themselves.
2. those who are tagged should post these rules and their 8 random facts.
3. players should tag 8 other people and notify them they have been tagged.

And now for the randomness...

1. My first car was a 1982 Honda Civic. It was a stick and cost me $250.
2. I don't profess to any "man crushes" but I will admit to have taking a liking to Miss Jennifer Love Hewitt at one time in my life.
3. I once went to a Crash Test Dummies concert.
4. I love Disneyland. In fact, for our honeymoon we had the chance to go almost anywhere in the world and we chose Anaheim so we could visit Mickey & Co.
5. I got my first guitar as a gift for graduating from high school.
6. I bought a new Bible last week.
7. I just started watching UFC and am immensely enjoying it.
8. I almost pass out...for most anything that requires being stuck with a needle.

And now I'm tagging these 8 people:
1. Jon K
2. Jon and/or Angie
3. Erin
4. Bryce
5. Steve & Bonnie
6. Mike
7. Nick
8. and YOU, the random passerby that just took the time to read all of this.

Another random vacation post...

I know you're excited about this. Another post from vacation without pictures. You'll have to trust me that I really am on vacation and not just hiding in our basement.

Bryce and I are currently killing time before we head out for another stellar movie. We have a habit of picking out some of the strangest and worst movies ever created. I contemplated creating a a blog post of all the terrible movies we've seen, but then I knew that many of you would lose what little respect you still have for me.

And to those of you who are allowing us to eat your food, sit in front of your fan and sleep in your back yard, we are thankful.

Random Friday...

A few random things for your viewing/reading pleasure (don't expect too much):

• Indiana Jones is alive
  
• Souray trades in Montreal for Edmonton?
• This movie was good
• Want to buy Jack's jeans?
• Reunion starts tonight...I'm currently ambivalent
• What does ambivalent mean?
  

Vacation continues...

Yeah, I had high hopes of getting a wireless signal somewhere and doing some diligent blogging over this vacation. So far I've had to settle for using the internet at my folks place. I've done some reading, listened to some podcasts, hunted wild butterflies with my new airsoft gun, and even got a little sleep.

I know it doesn't sound like much, but that's what is so great about vacation. But tomorrow that may change as we get ready to head into the big school reunion weekend. Maybe if you all behave I'll post some pictures eventually of what's going on.

I know my wife has a picture of the welt I got after she shot me in the back with the airsoft gun. You may want to stay tuned...

Policy for vacation...

I'm officially on vacation. I have a pile of books to read. Am I allowed to read them if they mention Jesus or the Church? Or is that classified as work?

Tagged...

I was tagged by Adam and I wouldn't want to be the one who doesn't respond to a tag. I hear it's bad. So, without cheating, here are the next 10 songs that ended up in iTunes shuffle:

1. "Funky Tonight" by John Butler Trio
2. "Fred Jones Pt 2" by Ben Folds
3. "Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan
4. "Landed" by Ben Folds
5. "Dear Slim Pt 2" by KJ-52
6. "The Maker" by Dave Matthews Band
7. "Atmosphere" by TobyMac
8. "Sunny Days" by Jars of Clay
9. "Wandering" by Ben Folds
10. "Stuck On Rewind" by Thrift Store Romance

I'm a little amazed by the Ben Folds favoritism. I didn't even know I had that Dylan song. And no playlist is complete without Dave Matthews.

And now I shall tag Erin, Bryce, Nick, Mike and Tammy & Blaine. Pick the next 10 songs on random/shuffle and then post them. But don't cheat!

Brewing...

It's not the coffee...

I sit in my office on a Wednesday morning and brew. I'm trying not too as I'm only 2 work days away from a vacation. I need a break. It's been a while since I've had more than 2 days off in a row. I think the last time was February when I took 4 days off for a wedding and spent 2 of those days driving.

I don't do this to pat myself on the back or somehow show how good of a worker I am. I'm an idiot. It's a wonder I'm still sane.

My eye started twitching yesterday. That can't be normal.

Christian Subculture...

The Christian subculture of which I am very much a part of, and currently trying to figure out how to escape, makes my head hurt sometimes.

My latest debacle had me picking up a magazine from my church mailbox. Someone in the congregation was nice enough to give me a free subscription to a Bible College's monthly publication, so I tend to flip through a couple pages before filing it in the little box next to my desk that magically disappears every evening. (Incidentally, I'm told it is also called a trash bin.)

Anyways, all I read today were the "Letters to the Editor" and words are currently escaping me. Or at least the words that are blog worthy are currently escaping me.

Rebecca St. James appeared on a recent cover and here are pieces of comments that were printed (you can read them all on page 3 here):

• One woman (Alicia) makes a comment about Rebecca's attire, "...I used a permanent black marker to draw her jacket for her. (For my sake, yes, and my husband and 2 teen boys.) I would suggest discreet cropping in the future"

• Another woman (Alice) says "...Rebecca St. James' comments about modesty and inner beauty are weakened by her tight clothing in the accompanying article"

I am dumbfounded. My initial response is to ask the first woman if she also draws in clothing on the models when the Victoria's Secret catalog comes. And I hope you don't have cable or the internet. And I hope you don't let your boys look at girls in public.

Seriously? This is what we've become?

High school...

Do you remember you high school days? Were they a pleasant time in your formative adolescent years? Or did you just shudder at the sheer mention of high school as it brought back the countless hours of therapy that you have had to endure because of that dreaded time in life? Maybe the therapy is still continuing...

Anyways, I'm a few weeks away from a school reunion. It's a 20 year anniversary for the little K-12 school that I went to and my family has agreed to make the journey back to my old stomping grounds. Now, keep in mind that this was a "Christian school" and I've been asked to lead worship during the Sunday morning service as well as participate in some sort of interview during the morning.

I share all that to say this: Christian schools crack me up. I've recently discovered an online community (of sorts) dedicated to the School Drinking Team. Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's not a school sanctioned activity, but nonetheless it exists.

Am I dismayed or shocked? Not really. Maybe I should be. But instead I find it a little bit funny while also saying a great deal about real life. But I'll let you jump to your own conclusions.

Yeah, it's Monday...

I was going to post some random stuff that's been happening or will be happening this week, but then I got bored with that.

Instead I will say that I had the chance to "preach" during the service yesterday. I use that term loosely because in reality I was only asked to prepare 5 minutes. I was bringing the voice of a generation that is currently missing from our congregation.

Like many churches across North America (and even the world to some extent), there are large numbers of people between the ages of 18-35 that just aren't attending what we might call the "traditional evangelical church". And like many churches, ours has gone through the ups and downs of music "discussions" over the last year.

This talk on Sunday was all about perspective, and the question was "what are we focusing on?". It was designed to bring a year of discussion about "worship through music" to a close. And my SP had asked me over lunch a couple of weeks ago to add my insight to the morning.

So I did. And wow...was I nervous. I've never been as stressed about a 5 minute time frame as I was this past weekend as I prepared and waited for the moment to arrive. It also turns out that my comments were the closing of the message portion.

But, rather than take the last word for myself, I quoted one of my students who just a week ago said this, "Aren't we all here for God, not music? We're one church, shouldn't we act like it?"

But that was not the real closing. Our church was then able to witness first hand what public repentance looked like as one man took to the stage to apologize.

I cannot help but wonder what things would look like if we did more repenting on Sunday morning than singing.

YouTube generation...

We took our students paintballing last night and when all was said and done we invited some of our leaders over for pizza. As we stuffed our faces and pounded back the Cherry Coke and Mountain Dew we watched YouTube videos.

I am still completely amazed by the fact that we spent the better part of 2 hours laughing, giggling and questioning our sanity courtesy of YouTube.

To share in that, please watch this:

No snakes...

Well, Indy's back. Read it here.

All I can say is...Woohoo!

Reading list...

Well, the list shrunk a bit, but then it started growing again as a box showed up at the office again this week. Here's what I've been able to finish in the last week:

I'd heard from a few people that this book (Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal) by Christopher Moore was completely irreverent yet hysterical. Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. I found myself laughing out loud at some portions but then shaking my head in others. Don't read if you get offended easily. And if you try not to take it too seriously you may just enjoy a laugh or two.



I have a friend who has a self-admitted "man crush" on Andy Stanley. What that has to do with my reading list, I have no idea. But it's a good intro. Either way, this (The Next Generation Leader) was just a plain good book. I always find that you get the straight goods with Stanley's stuff. Great wisdom about being a leader and what you need to be thinking about if you want to be a leader in today's day and age that really makes a difference. Quick and easy read.

Fire in Philly...

A fire ripped through the The Simple Way community (home of Shane Claiborne and company) yesterday. You can see some pictures and video here. It made my heart sink. There's some ways for people to help out, so check the bottom of the page.

I'll be honest...

I'm one of the world's biggest procrastinators. Seriously, I'm beginning to recognize that I may need professional help. Here's one main goal/task/problem/adventure/nuisance/dream/dilemma/obstacle that is beckoning for my attention:

Student Ministry Model

We haven't changed much about the student ministry since I came on staff, but one of my goals for the year was to evaluate our current ministry model and try to determine if there was a more effective way of running some aspects of our ministry. So, I've asked the questions, hosted the meetings, collected the surveys and put all the results on paper.

We looked at four potential models (midweek split, small group focused, weekend service, midweek combined) and then had the parents add a fifth which was really a combo of 2 or 3 of the first four.

As you can well imagine, everyone has an opinion and none of them are the same.

But now I'm stuck. I've reached that inevitable leadership conundrum where a decisions just needs to be made. The problem is that as a world-class procrastinator (and I don't take that position lightly) I'm ignoring the file that is calling at me from the mess on my desk.

I can't take an easy way out as a leader this time and just go with the majority. I can't hope for a consensus on behalf of everyone else. I can't ignore it and hope it goes away. I will not settle for status quo. I guess that's what makes me a leader.

But that means I may have to get off my butt in the very near future. I'm sure it will be good for me and for all involved.

In the meantime...look, there's a book I've got to read.

Death by Ministry...

Allow me, in advance to apologize for my proliferation of Driscoll-esque material over that last little while. And while I was hoping to fly under the radar with some unimportant posts like the current state of the bat suit, I feel like I can't pass this one by.

If you know someone who has been eaten alive, swallowed whole or just beaten to a pulp by ministry, you may want to look at some of these resources. There's a good chance that most people in ministry have felt this way at one time or another so you'll likely get something practical out of it. If you don't get something practical, at least you'll be more informed when it eventually happens to you.

I was sent a link to the original blog post sometime last year. You can find it on Mark's blog here.

And just last week Mark started posting some video clips of a talk he gave by the same title at a recent conference. The nice part is that it's split up into small portions and a new clip is posted every couple of days.

Here's where you can find it:

• Part 1:
• blog post
  
• video link
  
• Part 2:
• blog post
• video link
  
• Part 3:
• blog post
• video link
  

It's Friday...

Since I have nothing more profound I'll opt for solidifying my case for "Dork of the Year". My humble opinion is that the best Batman ever is of course the newest one with Christian Bale. This morning I came across an image of the newest batsuit which is going to appear in The Dark Knight. So here's a quick recap on the evolution of the batsuit.

Adam West:

Michael Keaton:

Michael Keaton:

Val Kilmer:

Val Kilmer:

George Clooney:

Christian Bale:

And here's the most recent one for Christian Bale:

Emergent vs. Emerging...

I read a doctoral dissertation this week that had some pretty critical things to say about the emerging movement, even though the paper itself was not about the emerging church. Maybe I'll post more about the paper later. One of the biggest pet peeves was constantly seeing the author refer to the whole emerging movement as "emergent", and at one point even referring to the whole movement as a denomination.

So, what's the difference? I think Driscoll does a good job summing it up:

Well...

I don't have anything profound to ask or state. I just found this today and I thought it was blog worthy because I haven't had a comic posted in a while...if ever.

Lazy blogger...

I have a confession to make. I'm a lazy blogger.

A couple of weeks ago I finally decided to give this whole RSS thing a closer look. So I signed up to Google Reader and the rest is history. However, it means I've become a little lazy. I find that I'm reading more blogs but I'm not taking the time to comment as often or to follow up on other comments made on some posts.

Does this RSS thing make you lazy too?

Cartoons...

Ever heard of Albert the 5th Musketeer?

I remember catching a few episodes of this show (you can read a bit more about it here) back when I was in college and it always seemed to crack me up. I'm not sure that it's quite as funny as I remember it, but I did get a little flashback when I found this clip on YouTube.



Am I the only one that has seen this show?

Students...

Last week we were talking about Matthew 25 with our High School students and we were trying to find out what it means to actually look after "the least of these". So, we sent the students out with this simple homework: look for an opportunity to show love.

Last night we wrote those ideas down and tried to pick a few that we could focus on as a group. But then came the interesting part. I thought it was important that the students be mobilized and that they do the leg work on getting this stuff up and running, so I threw it at them. I sent around a piece of paper and told them if they would like to be part of the team that would put the plans in motion, that they should sign up.

I thought I'd be working with 3 or 4 at the most. I'm now left with a list of 11 students. A bunch more committed themselves to helping out whenever we got something off the ground.

I heard someone say a few weeks ago that they believe the younger generations are a more selfish generation than in the past. I didn't buy it then and I definitely don't buy it now.

Division...

Not long division, but destructive division. You know, the type that breaks apart churches and destroys friendships and families. The non-pretty kind.

I've been doing a lot of reading lately (my wife seriously asked me "when did we switch places?" as she is typically the one with a book in her hand) and my head is absolutely left spinning as to the sheer number of times I've heard someone completely call another person's faith in Jesus (and even their salvation) into question based on what they have heard or what they assume of another person.

I've heard more strong opinions lately than I would normally care to hear in one lifetime, but I can't help but wonder what drives this stuff. He/she said "this" so they must believe "this" which makes them Satan. And that's not even an exaggeration.

This tends to be an argument/accusation that is primarily floating around blogs and books dealing with the emerging church its leaders. People are being so quick to jump to a conclusion based on what they hear from one or two individuals, who may not even necessarily be representative of a larger group. But then what happens? Anyone who decides to agree with even a portion of what those original two said gets clumped into the category of "heretic" as well.

Today I was reading Paul's letter to the Corinthians. His words, not mine:

Now let's talk about food that has been sacrificed to idols. You think that everyone should agree with your perfect knowledge. While knowledge may make us feel important, it is love that really builds up the church. Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn't really know very much. But the person who loves God is the one God knows and cares for. (1 Corinthians 8:1-3)

I think that sums it up so nicely. So many of these conversations end with accusations and labels and there's no sign of love anywhere in them. It's usually a case of one person deciding they know it all and therefore they should let it rip at the person who obviously doesn't know it all.

I don't care if the person beside you is the biggest bonehead on the face of the planet and is completely out of touch with 90% of reality, you are still called to love them. Sure they may need some outside input, but where are we told that we have the right to do that without love?

If people in general could just stop their yapping for a minute and ponder the fact that they just might not know it all, I think the silence would be deafening.

I don't have my faith all figured out. I've got a long journey ahead of me. But if I for one second become one of the people that claims to have all the answers, or I begin to act like I do, can one of you please give me a punch in the head?

One of those days...

Ever have those days when you feel like you're kicking things into high gear? They're rare for me so when it happens I tend to soak it up, just like today. I've been involved in some very heartfelt discussion about church, faith and all things emerging while also being able to carve out some time to interact with the Word and process the thoughts of some other smart people who wrote words in some books.

But at long last, my brain feels like it may explode. Corrine Bailey Rae is playing in the background. Half the family is feeling a little under the weather. The sun disappeared again. And there's no House to watch tonight.

Another guitarist...

I stumbled across this guy, Marcus Eaton, the other day. Now I'll admit that his studio stuff isn't really the greatest and nothing much stands out, but you'll have have to watch some video of him playing live. He uses a lot of loops and I've even seen some video of him and Tim Reynolds playing together. Not the most amazing lyricist, but his guitar skills are worth checking out.

To fully appreciate this, you should watch the last 2-3 minutes of the song.

Brain rush...

I spent 31 hours in the state of Washington and got lost more times than I care to remember, but I did have the joy of sitting in on Emergence 2007 which is a conversation about the emerging church.

I'll admit that I was hoping for a bit more verbal sparring and maybe even a bit more passion at times. It occasionally felt like the moderator (who I completely can't recall a name for right now, but let's call her "radio lady") was completely taking the steam out of things. Come on, I paid good money (and traveled a good distance) and wouldn't mind a heated debate between Mark Driscoll and Doug Pagitt about the innerancy of Scripture. (Wow...I never thought I'd say something like that. I nearly bored myself to sleep writing an ordination paper on the subject of innerancy. I'm rambling...)

With all that said, this was a fascinating event to eavesdrop on. I wish I could summarize it into one blog post, but I have about 8 pages of my own notes (sheesh, when did I become such a nerd?). But I think anyone who has issues or questions about the emerging church should sit in on one of these.

I know a good deal of people with some serious baggage about the emerging church movement that should have sat in on this too so it could break down some of their misconceptions. Misconceptions that they probably share with a lot of other people who raise their eyebrows at the very mention of the word "emerging".

At the end of the day I'm convinced that these four people (Driscoll, Pagitt, Karen Ward & Dan Kimball) are just trying to figure out what it means to follow Jesus. Are they confused and off base on some stuff? No more than the rest of us. Let's be honest, who really has this whole Jesus following thing figured out?

Anyway...if you have the chance, pay your $49 and go sit in on one of these things.

Not soon enough...

I'm wandering through cyberspace and discover that there will be a CD and DVD release of the Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds show from Radio City Music Hall back on Sunday, April 22, 2007.

The last CD these two released was Live at Luther College and it was what officially got me hooked on all things Dave Matthews. This will be good.

Now if only I could see these two live.

Dork-am-I...

I'm the kind of guy who goes to movies by himself. And no, it's not because I have no friends. But I've been known to sit in the odd movie theater by myself from time to time. And you know what...it's not that bad. It's not like you go to a movie to talk anyways.

But one of the things I've never been good at is doing things on my own. I'm not even attending a youth worker appreciation lunch tomorrow because I don't really know anyone that'll be there. And that's a lame excuse because I have met a few people...anyways, back to the topic.

On Friday I head to Seattle by myself for a day. I'm attending Emergence 2007 which is a conversation about the emerging church. After my wife declined due to childcare issues I tried to arm twist a few people into joining me (actually it was only one, but I don't want that one person to feel bad). But I've now settled on being alone with my thoughts...yeah...scary stuff.

But I'm contemplating taking my dork factor to another factor as I consider purchasing tickets for a Saturday evening concert (bonus points if you can guess who and where). I guess I should probably say "a ticket". Singular. Solitary. Uno.

A concert alone? Is that normal? I am trying to tell myself it's just like going to a movie alone but I don't know if I'm even buying that line of thought.

Funny kid...

My kids have been known to occasionally crack me up. The latest situation saw me driving my son to school after lunch today. I turned on the radio and opted for 89.9FM (The Effect) which is a station that plays "alternative Christian music" (let's try to avoid the conversation on how exactly a music can gain its salvation for another day).

I haven't listened to the station in a while but I guess Monday at noon they play "The Way of the Master" radio program. My common sense cut out and a I left it on for the drive because it's kind of like watching a train wreck. Either way, I'll save my commentary on their specific manner of evangelism for now but if you'd like to see them in action, just do a YouTube search for "way of the master".

Anyways, back to the point...my son listened for a bit and we made some small talk before this came out of his mouth:

"Hey dad...you know the guy who is talking? He sounds just like Pa Grape."

Yeah...funny kid. I'll take credit for that.

Irresistible...

I doubt that my writing about Shane Claiborne or just quoting portions of his book will be all that inspiring or life-transforming for you, so on this one you'll just have to go out buy the book.

As you read you'll probably be scratching your head while you contemplate selling everything you own and moving out of North America. And yes you'll more than likely be wondering what would happen if we all started living like this...but it'll be a fun little conversation going on inside your head. And that alone is worth the $17.99 CAN.

I'll include some of the random thoughts and reactions I had while thumbing through the pages.

• "So...are you a hippie, or what?"
• "Huh?!?!"
• "Mother Teresa was a smart lady."
• "You're an idiot."
• "I'm an idiot."
• "____________ is an idiot."
• "Where's my Calcutta?"
• "What little thing can I do with great love?"
• "Is this dream even practical?"

I could say more, but it would ruin the book. And it would take me more time to craft the words and I'm not feeling eloquent today.

Happy birthday...

1977 was a good year, but I'm biased on 2 levels. Today is the 30th birthday of Star Wars. In honour of that, here's a tribute.

Dorkville Population: 1 (that's me!)

Ritual lament...

Philip Yancey described "ritual lament" at a past NYWC. It's stuck as a bit of a coin phrase in our household. And it's the only phrase that describes my head space for the past week (or maybe weeks). I'm not sure what's going on...so if anyone has a clinical psychology degree, I'd more than welcome your opinions and suggestions.

Until then I'll keep on putting one foot in front of the other while I try to be honest with those closest to me and those random people that read this blog.

Maybe this I'll just blame this all on United losing to Chelsea last Saturday.

Relevant Church...

This book was a collection of short essays written by pastors about what they were doing to create environments where people can passionately pursue Jesus and live out their faith in the midst of others.

If you're familiar with any of the individuals who contributed to the book you will constantly feel like it was all taking place 3-4 years ago. Nonetheless it does a good job of showing a multitude of different ways that church can be lived out.

While I'd like to say "I'd go to some of these churches", I know there is something seriously wrong with that statement. But I think you get the point.