Soon I'll be offering some interesting stuff I've read about in "Colossians Remixed: Subverting the Empire" by Brian Walsh and Sylvia Keesmaat, which is a book I've wanted to read for about a year now and couldn't find anywhere. So when I saw it at the Fuller bookstore, I grabbed it. But I am usually so busy reading school books, I've barely started. So instead, here is a quote from my favorite school book, "Postmodern Youth Ministry" by Tony Jones, which I think is actually quoting from Youthworker by Mike Yaconelli. It's all very confusing...
_________________________________________________
Jesus: I don't like crowds.
Me: You don't like crowds?!? What are you talking about?
Jesus: I don't like crowds. Go back and read my story. Yes, I had crowds from time to time, but most of the people in them just wanted more wine, food, and power. Then - when I didn't give them what they wanted - they killed me. Nope. I don't like crowds. Besides, my best work was done one on one. You know the woman at the well, the crazy guy, the blind man, the prostitute. That's when I did my best stuff.
Me: But... um... that isn't very efficient.
Jesus: I know. I don't believe in efficiency.
Me: What?!?
Jesus: Let me put it this way. I believe in making disciples one at a time. Very slow stuff.
_________________________________________________
If only Jesus had read 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, think what he might have accomplished...
Sorry, I couldn't resist it. I'm still working on my self discipline.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Some pictures...
So every Thursday a bunch of us gather together to watch the Office. This is us all pile onto the couch. We don't usually watch the Office on the same couch, cause that would be really awkward.
Please note the Chipotle cup, the Mill shirt, the DSI water bottle, and the Relevant magazines. I still represent CO. (Ok, Relevant has nothing to do with Colorado, but I had to mention that anyway.)
But needless to say, we are all big fans of the Office tv show. So I guess it isn't surprising when two of us show up to a Halloween party as Office characters. This picture of "Dwight", "Jim", and some special jello pretty much says it all. NOTE: in the event you should ever try to encase random office supplies in jello, use either yellow or green jello, not a dark color like red. And be sure to grease the bowl before you put the jello in. Apparently that helps a lot. Also be aware that once removed from the fridge, jello formations rapidly deteriorate into slimy little piles (Jordan, that one is for you) of goo.
Also, the northeastern part of our country, particularly the region known as "New England" is really testing my commitment to not hate anyone or anything. Although I sometimes wonder if Jesus would love the Red Sox and Patriots. I guess he would, because of the whole "Love your enemy" thing, but he would DEFINITELY NOT be a fan. Jesus always sides with the broken and forgotten, not the arrogant who like nothing better than to ground the weaker into the dust, or turf as it may be. So I guess he would be a Dolphin and Royal fan...
Please note the Chipotle cup, the Mill shirt, the DSI water bottle, and the Relevant magazines. I still represent CO. (Ok, Relevant has nothing to do with Colorado, but I had to mention that anyway.)
But needless to say, we are all big fans of the Office tv show. So I guess it isn't surprising when two of us show up to a Halloween party as Office characters. This picture of "Dwight", "Jim", and some special jello pretty much says it all. NOTE: in the event you should ever try to encase random office supplies in jello, use either yellow or green jello, not a dark color like red. And be sure to grease the bowl before you put the jello in. Apparently that helps a lot. Also be aware that once removed from the fridge, jello formations rapidly deteriorate into slimy little piles (Jordan, that one is for you) of goo.
Also, the northeastern part of our country, particularly the region known as "New England" is really testing my commitment to not hate anyone or anything. Although I sometimes wonder if Jesus would love the Red Sox and Patriots. I guess he would, because of the whole "Love your enemy" thing, but he would DEFINITELY NOT be a fan. Jesus always sides with the broken and forgotten, not the arrogant who like nothing better than to ground the weaker into the dust, or turf as it may be. So I guess he would be a Dolphin and Royal fan...
Sunday, October 28, 2007
The Most Interesting Man In The World
So I saw this commercial during the Charger game today. It's hilarious. I hope you enjoy:
If you go to staythirstymyfriends.com, it has more ridiculous stuff just like this... :)
If you go to staythirstymyfriends.com, it has more ridiculous stuff just like this... :)
Friday, October 26, 2007
fires
Oh, and for anyone who was worried, the wildfires didn't come anywhere close to Pasadena, so I haven't had any problems with that. Most of the trouble was in San Diego area. The closest thing to me was in Malibu, and that's about 40 miles west. It's been really smoky and hot, and the sun and moon have been orange the last week or so, but that's pretty much all. Hopefully nobody thought I was in danger and that's why I didn't update...
a new post cause i felt like i had to write something
I guess I haven't written anything in over a week now. There are a few factors in that. First, school has been busy and I had a midterm and paper that were taking large portions of my time. Second, there has been a lot on my mind, but its not coherent enough to write about. Yeah, I know that's never stopped me before. And third, I borrowed a friend's Nintendo Wii and started playing Zelda. But that really has nothing to do with it...
School is going well, but I'm a little frustrated that there is very little emphasis on application. We constantly have to read and I've learned a lot of interesting stuff. And so far that is really where it has stopped; we get lots of info. It seems the only point is to be able to wow your congregational with your incredible Bible Trivia abilities. Now I love random info (it's probably most of what I know!), but I really got the impression from everything Fuller said that they emphasized WHY this piece of info, was in fact, not random but important and helps to bring light to that other seemingly unconnected piece of info. There has been some of that, but it's mostly "Discuss all the evidence that leads to a likely dating of the Exodus, from the Bible, other written sources, and archaeological findings", and nothing about why the dating is important, what it means for Joe Randomdude, and how it affects the best way to understand other events in the Bible. It's like that "practical thing" doesn't really matter, when that's really ALL I care about.
In fairness, it is mid-term time, and who doesn't hate class when you are studying for a test or writing a paper. And I had the exact same complaint with UCCS when I got my Computer Science degree there. All theory, no practical. Maybe it's just the way I'm wired, but I don't really care to just think about stuff. I love thinking about stuff and learning new things, but I get stuck there and it doesn't change me or help me live differently, and what good is that? (This is actually a lot of what I have been wrestling with lately, cause I feel like I'm not really doing what I say I should be doing, cause I'm doing other stuff first, but is that what I should be doing, and does it even matter, and will I get there either way, and...) And it really has me frustrated when all I've learned is just what I can read in a book, for about 1% of the price...
So anyway. I hope to have something more interesting or exciting next time. Miss you all a lot. Hope you are enjoying the fall (for those of you who either like for or are experiencing fall). I'm sick of it being hot, smoky and fiery, and you mountain dwellers are mad cause it's already snowing...
School is going well, but I'm a little frustrated that there is very little emphasis on application. We constantly have to read and I've learned a lot of interesting stuff. And so far that is really where it has stopped; we get lots of info. It seems the only point is to be able to wow your congregational with your incredible Bible Trivia abilities. Now I love random info (it's probably most of what I know!), but I really got the impression from everything Fuller said that they emphasized WHY this piece of info, was in fact, not random but important and helps to bring light to that other seemingly unconnected piece of info. There has been some of that, but it's mostly "Discuss all the evidence that leads to a likely dating of the Exodus, from the Bible, other written sources, and archaeological findings", and nothing about why the dating is important, what it means for Joe Randomdude, and how it affects the best way to understand other events in the Bible. It's like that "practical thing" doesn't really matter, when that's really ALL I care about.
In fairness, it is mid-term time, and who doesn't hate class when you are studying for a test or writing a paper. And I had the exact same complaint with UCCS when I got my Computer Science degree there. All theory, no practical. Maybe it's just the way I'm wired, but I don't really care to just think about stuff. I love thinking about stuff and learning new things, but I get stuck there and it doesn't change me or help me live differently, and what good is that? (This is actually a lot of what I have been wrestling with lately, cause I feel like I'm not really doing what I say I should be doing, cause I'm doing other stuff first, but is that what I should be doing, and does it even matter, and will I get there either way, and...) And it really has me frustrated when all I've learned is just what I can read in a book, for about 1% of the price...
So anyway. I hope to have something more interesting or exciting next time. Miss you all a lot. Hope you are enjoying the fall (for those of you who either like for or are experiencing fall). I'm sick of it being hot, smoky and fiery, and you mountain dwellers are mad cause it's already snowing...
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Everything is Spiritual
Last year Rob Bell and his family went on tour and did speaking events all over the country. It was essentially 2 hours of him writing on a whiteboard talking about how all of life is spiritual. I didn't get to go because the Colorado Springs stop sold out, but I heard it was pretty cool. The sweet part is that they recorded a couple of the stops, and there is a DVD coming soon! You can pre-order it at www.everythingisspiritual.com. I've heard that if you pre-order Noomas, you usually gt them before the official release date, so consider that... And don't forget that Rob is going on tour this fall. I already got my ticket for that one. YAY!
my new church!
I've been visiting a few churches out here, trying to find a good fit. It's been tough. I really want to be a part of a community that values worship. I'm finding that often worship has been reduced to 3 happy songs where everyone stares blankly at the worship leader, and maybe sings. Everybody has the full band and sounds great, but passion, awe, humility and, er, worship, seem to be missing. That was really hard for me.
Then I visited a church called Origins on Sunday night. It is in Long Beach, which is about 40 minutes south of me. Ben is the one who pointed me in there direction, and after checking out their site I figured the church was aimed at 20-30 years old crowd who are looking for a more organic, community-focused expression of church. That is really exciting to me, but part of me is still a little skeptical about it as well. There are many people trying to wrestle with these ideas, and how they put it into practice can be drastically different (which is part of the point...). So you never know what to expect until you are there.
To say it simply, I absolutely loved it. Before I could get in the doors they welcomed me and connected me with a guy who is gonna be at Fuller next quarter. We talked for about 10 minutes, and I could see genuine humility and hunger to love God and people. Worship was simply an acoustic guitar and 2 singers, and we started the service with 10 minutes of quiet reflection on our week and allowing God to enter into those times, healing and refreshing us. The worship time was so simple and raw, it was so easy to connect with God and re-orient ourselves around Him.
AJ, the pastor, is a really great guy. He spent some time in the Sermon on the Mount, really digging into Jesus' teachings on anger. He took it a lot further than I'd heard before, asking hard questions and refusing to stop at superficial answers. Then we split up to talk about it in small groups. We immediately were talking about serious issues, like "People close to me are lying about me to discredit Christians. How can I not be angry with them?" As we opened up and shared, we all were able to help each other see a different point of view, to understand more about forgiveness, and how hard but necessary it can be to love others.
After, they invited me to Chipotle. It's a weekly tradition. How can you not love that? (BTW, I thought you should know that Chipotle is widely loved by everyone I meet from all over the country, and they ALL understand quite well that imitators like Qdoba fall far short. It saddens me that in Colorado, Chipotle's home state, there is far more disrespect for Chipotle's loving gift to us.) AJ spent the whole time talking with me. We had a great time sharing stories and backgrounds. I already feel like I'm part of the community!
So that's really great! I'm excited about it. The only downside is that it is a good distance from Pasadena, so it will be a little harder to build friendships. But I think that will take care of itself in time.
Then I visited a church called Origins on Sunday night. It is in Long Beach, which is about 40 minutes south of me. Ben is the one who pointed me in there direction, and after checking out their site I figured the church was aimed at 20-30 years old crowd who are looking for a more organic, community-focused expression of church. That is really exciting to me, but part of me is still a little skeptical about it as well. There are many people trying to wrestle with these ideas, and how they put it into practice can be drastically different (which is part of the point...). So you never know what to expect until you are there.
To say it simply, I absolutely loved it. Before I could get in the doors they welcomed me and connected me with a guy who is gonna be at Fuller next quarter. We talked for about 10 minutes, and I could see genuine humility and hunger to love God and people. Worship was simply an acoustic guitar and 2 singers, and we started the service with 10 minutes of quiet reflection on our week and allowing God to enter into those times, healing and refreshing us. The worship time was so simple and raw, it was so easy to connect with God and re-orient ourselves around Him.
AJ, the pastor, is a really great guy. He spent some time in the Sermon on the Mount, really digging into Jesus' teachings on anger. He took it a lot further than I'd heard before, asking hard questions and refusing to stop at superficial answers. Then we split up to talk about it in small groups. We immediately were talking about serious issues, like "People close to me are lying about me to discredit Christians. How can I not be angry with them?" As we opened up and shared, we all were able to help each other see a different point of view, to understand more about forgiveness, and how hard but necessary it can be to love others.
After, they invited me to Chipotle. It's a weekly tradition. How can you not love that? (BTW, I thought you should know that Chipotle is widely loved by everyone I meet from all over the country, and they ALL understand quite well that imitators like Qdoba fall far short. It saddens me that in Colorado, Chipotle's home state, there is far more disrespect for Chipotle's loving gift to us.) AJ spent the whole time talking with me. We had a great time sharing stories and backgrounds. I already feel like I'm part of the community!
So that's really great! I'm excited about it. The only downside is that it is a good distance from Pasadena, so it will be a little harder to build friendships. But I think that will take care of itself in time.
Friday, October 12, 2007
welcome
So I just passed this address along to a lot of new people, so if this is your first time here, please stand up, share your name, and tell us a little but about yourself...
But seriously, leave a comment so I can say hi. This is just sort of a way for my friends to stay up on my life and thoughts wile I'm in Pasadena. So sometimes I will post about what my classes are teaching, sometimes I'll write about my thoughts or ideas, sometimes I'll complain and/or cheer about the Chargers, and other times I will provide completely random and weird things like funny t-shirts (see below)...
But most of you know me well enough that you probably expect that!
i really just wanna stay in touch with you, and this is the best tool I know to help with that. If you wanna get an email whenever I post something new, just enter your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the top right hand side, or if that doesn't work send me an email and I'll take care of it for you.
But seriously, leave a comment so I can say hi. This is just sort of a way for my friends to stay up on my life and thoughts wile I'm in Pasadena. So sometimes I will post about what my classes are teaching, sometimes I'll write about my thoughts or ideas, sometimes I'll complain and/or cheer about the Chargers, and other times I will provide completely random and weird things like funny t-shirts (see below)...
But most of you know me well enough that you probably expect that!
i really just wanna stay in touch with you, and this is the best tool I know to help with that. If you wanna get an email whenever I post something new, just enter your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the top right hand side, or if that doesn't work send me an email and I'll take care of it for you.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
How I would waste a few hundred dollars...
I like t-shirts. Especially funny ones. I hope these designs make you laugh as much as they made me.
I love Oregon Trail
If the Dramatic Chipmunk ran for President, I might vote for him...
I know this is twisted and wrong...
Visit Cuba! Some restrictions apply!
B** B*rry B*nds
Juan on Juan tournament...
I love Oregon Trail
If the Dramatic Chipmunk ran for President, I might vote for him...
I know this is twisted and wrong...
Visit Cuba! Some restrictions apply!
B** B*rry B*nds
Juan on Juan tournament...
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
shwarma and fallafel
Every time I come across a story about Israel and Palestine (like this one) it reminds me of the Furnace trip. I pulled a map on Wikimapia and was looking at the area again, remembering different locations and events. I try to find our hostel in Tel Aviv, then follow the roads to find the bus station and the park where we did a lot of outreach to drug addicts and homeless folks. Then I track north to Galilee and the tour stops, baptisms, and Jesus Boats. I think something special happened on one of those boats...
Then I try to find the road that runs along the Jordan River back into Jerusalem that our bus followed. That is especially fun, because on Wikimapia users can tag locations on the map, and there are tags all over Jerusalem. So it is instant memories, as I can find the Mount of Olives, Temple Mount, and (what might be) Jesus' tomb. I think I even found the house where we stayed with our "guides", and now I'm looking for Cafe Aroma and Meat Burger. Yes, there's not much better than a chocolate croissant and an Iced Aroma. (Tela... VIV!) Interestingly, both of those last two, according to google, are located on Hilel St. At the time I didn't know who Hilel was, but now I do! (Thanks Rob!)
And really, I can thank (or blame...) this trip for why I'm in Pasadena typing this right now. It was standing on the Mount of Olives and looking down at Jerusalem that I thought "This is where everything happened". It came alive like never before, and seeing these places made we want to learn more and more. I can't remember if that was before or after Ryan and I rode on the camel, but I'm sure it was unrelated! :) Hahaha! Good times.
So to all of the Tel Aviv team for being so cool and stomping so well, to Ryan for keeping me company during the tours and the camel ride, to Ben for showing us how a camel really should be ridden (with an umbrella, for the record), to Frierson for not ditching us for the Ethiopians, to Joe for being my personal photographer, to Ron for singing, to B for buying IDF t-shirts with me, to Stefan for setting the bar impossibly high (and still taking time to hang out with us and not just his new fiance), and to Matt for the good debriefing talk just before we left, thanks for the memories. Love you all!
Then I try to find the road that runs along the Jordan River back into Jerusalem that our bus followed. That is especially fun, because on Wikimapia users can tag locations on the map, and there are tags all over Jerusalem. So it is instant memories, as I can find the Mount of Olives, Temple Mount, and (what might be) Jesus' tomb. I think I even found the house where we stayed with our "guides", and now I'm looking for Cafe Aroma and Meat Burger. Yes, there's not much better than a chocolate croissant and an Iced Aroma. (Tela... VIV!) Interestingly, both of those last two, according to google, are located on Hilel St. At the time I didn't know who Hilel was, but now I do! (Thanks Rob!)
And really, I can thank (or blame...) this trip for why I'm in Pasadena typing this right now. It was standing on the Mount of Olives and looking down at Jerusalem that I thought "This is where everything happened". It came alive like never before, and seeing these places made we want to learn more and more. I can't remember if that was before or after Ryan and I rode on the camel, but I'm sure it was unrelated! :) Hahaha! Good times.
So to all of the Tel Aviv team for being so cool and stomping so well, to Ryan for keeping me company during the tours and the camel ride, to Ben for showing us how a camel really should be ridden (with an umbrella, for the record), to Frierson for not ditching us for the Ethiopians, to Joe for being my personal photographer, to Ron for singing, to B for buying IDF t-shirts with me, to Stefan for setting the bar impossibly high (and still taking time to hang out with us and not just his new fiance), and to Matt for the good debriefing talk just before we left, thanks for the memories. Love you all!
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
the place just beyond words
Ok, I promised to explain a bit about my last rant and clear some things up. As I was reading a book for school just now, I came across a section that seemed to reinforce what I was trying to communicate. Each page I read had more and more. So I'm gonna quote a few lines and offer my thoughts... BTW, the book is Postmodern Youth Ministry by Tony Jones and this section is primarily addressing how important community is in our world today.
"We have to remember that most kids need an authentic relationship with us before they walk through the youth room doors. When they get up the courage to come, it's because they literally want to meet the God they've been sensing in our lives. Amazingly enough, that's what they assume church is about... connecting with God. If we make the mistake of equating technology with a high-impact, spiritual experience - if we forget that technology is a tool - we've missed the point. Concentrate on the "L" of worship... on going vertical (meeting with both the transcendent and imminent God) and horizontal (connecting with each other)."
Most of us grew up in entertainment-based youth ministries. Loud music, exciting videos, big budget, special effects. And it was the best show in town. Everyone wanted to be involved because it was exciting and presented Jesus as relevant. Some were more seeker sensitive, where you don't really talk about God, or you lure people in by saying it's one thing, and then try to sneak Jesus in at the last minute. And really, it worked., and there's nothing inherently wrong with it. But times are different now.
A church just can't compete with entertainment these days. No church I've ever heard of has a light show to compete with U2. A church worship band is just not as good at writing or playing music as the best artists in the world- sorry, but it's true. And even though the Thorn pushes the envelope in production and new ideas every year, and they do a fantastic job, they are still about 15 years behind Cirque du Soleil. So we have watered down entertainment that is 5 years behind the times and cheaper but hey it's Christian. And the message we are sending is that Jesus is just another filler to temporarily distract you from your hopeless 8-5 job, overwhelming house payment, and broken family.
Now I know you are thinking "But that isn't what Church s really about. Worship isn't just songs! Exactly! So why do we keep throwing all our effort into things that we openly admit are distractions?
And the truth is, a lot of people are sick of entertainment period. They want something real. Something lasting. Something that addresses the realities of a broken world. They want real relationships, not fake plastic smiles.
"I recently visited a huge youth ministry in another part of the country. The place, centered in a former warehouse, is amazing: a diner, video games, pool and foosball, skee ball, air hockey, and basketball... The dissonance occurred during the youth pastor's message to the 500 or so youth in attendance: "Do not be conformed to culture", he preached, "but be transformed by the renewing of your minds."...The whole first hour was rife with cultural influence - and then the students were chided for immersing themselves in secular culture. We must beware of these kinds of double standards."
And we might say that they shouldn't have video games and pool, or that the youth pastor shouldn't make such a big deal about culture. But the point of this quote is not to find the right formula, but to point out how easily double standards can sneak in. This is where my comments about clothing come in. I'm not saying that style is bad. I'm saying that we are sending mixed messages when we tell these students "All you need to belong and have identity is Christ", but the leadership is dressed in the latest fads. When we tell people that we need to give more to the poor (and we certainly do!), and then we try to sell them our cds, clothes, and books! Do you see the disconnect in that?
"Students - and I would suggest adults, too - want the church to deal with the issues that the church should deal with. They want to see religious, spiritual people who are useful in our world. 'Caring for orphans and widows in their distress and keeping oneself from being corrupted by the world.' "
If we agree that this is the heart of the gospel, then again, why spend our time, money, and energy on things we would all agree are NOT the heart of the gospel?
One value of the Baby Boom generation was relevance. Boomers thought the church had lost the ability to speak into day-to-day life (and sadly, many churches had), so churches were built to look like shopping malls and services were designed to be friendly and nonthreatening...But postmodern students want real more than relevant. The church needs to be what is is: a sacred community of persons who follow a mysterious and demanding Lord... The church is different.
This should make us ecstatic! Now we can be open and honest about our faith. We don't have to feel like freaks for saying we talk to God. This is what real Christianity looks like anyway. Jesus never let people get away with fitting him into a corner of their life. He demanded everything. He demanded that they lose their life for his sake. Maybe this is why Christianity always grows where people can't take it superficially...
The Charismatics, Pentecostals, and the Eastern Orthodox church have won... None of them do worship services - they do worship experiences. To these believers, worship is not an activity - it's an epic-tivity. It's both timely and timeless. They're experiential, participatory, image-based, and connective. Everybody else is rational, passive, word-based, and highly individual.
Again, this is fantastic. And that is part of what NLC does so well. Yes, there are lights and smoke and cameras, but they aren't the focus. The focus really is on experiencing the Living God. But as I've discovered while trying to find a good church here, it's rare. Postmoderns are hungry for experience, not for more rules or beliefs or thoughts. And being that we have a God who loves to be experienced, we have exactly what people want. Over and over and over, the Bible tells the story of a God who want to be with his people. And how they keep finding ways to disconnect and separate from him. But now, look at this! People are desperate for something spiritual! Check out Extreme Prophetic for examples of how some people are using this to reach out to newagers, mystics, and even people in the occult.
What a tragedy if we run away from postmodernism because we don't understand it and are afraid of new ideas. People are asking for an encounter with someone supernatural. This could be the greatest opportunity to reach the world that we've ever been given.
The trouble with writing about postmoderns is that they don't like to be categorized, explained, observed, limited, reduced, dumbed down, isolated, or put under a microscope. Postmoderns resent our obsession with definition. This generation is longing for relationship, mystery, experience, passion, wonder, creativity, and spontaneity. In other words, they want to go past where the "sidewalk ends." They long for the place just beyond words, the shore of mystery. In other words, they're looking for Jesus. What else do we need to know?
"We have to remember that most kids need an authentic relationship with us before they walk through the youth room doors. When they get up the courage to come, it's because they literally want to meet the God they've been sensing in our lives. Amazingly enough, that's what they assume church is about... connecting with God. If we make the mistake of equating technology with a high-impact, spiritual experience - if we forget that technology is a tool - we've missed the point. Concentrate on the "L" of worship... on going vertical (meeting with both the transcendent and imminent God) and horizontal (connecting with each other)."
Most of us grew up in entertainment-based youth ministries. Loud music, exciting videos, big budget, special effects. And it was the best show in town. Everyone wanted to be involved because it was exciting and presented Jesus as relevant. Some were more seeker sensitive, where you don't really talk about God, or you lure people in by saying it's one thing, and then try to sneak Jesus in at the last minute. And really, it worked., and there's nothing inherently wrong with it. But times are different now.
A church just can't compete with entertainment these days. No church I've ever heard of has a light show to compete with U2. A church worship band is just not as good at writing or playing music as the best artists in the world- sorry, but it's true. And even though the Thorn pushes the envelope in production and new ideas every year, and they do a fantastic job, they are still about 15 years behind Cirque du Soleil. So we have watered down entertainment that is 5 years behind the times and cheaper but hey it's Christian. And the message we are sending is that Jesus is just another filler to temporarily distract you from your hopeless 8-5 job, overwhelming house payment, and broken family.
Now I know you are thinking "But that isn't what Church s really about. Worship isn't just songs! Exactly! So why do we keep throwing all our effort into things that we openly admit are distractions?
And the truth is, a lot of people are sick of entertainment period. They want something real. Something lasting. Something that addresses the realities of a broken world. They want real relationships, not fake plastic smiles.
"I recently visited a huge youth ministry in another part of the country. The place, centered in a former warehouse, is amazing: a diner, video games, pool and foosball, skee ball, air hockey, and basketball... The dissonance occurred during the youth pastor's message to the 500 or so youth in attendance: "Do not be conformed to culture", he preached, "but be transformed by the renewing of your minds."...The whole first hour was rife with cultural influence - and then the students were chided for immersing themselves in secular culture. We must beware of these kinds of double standards."
And we might say that they shouldn't have video games and pool, or that the youth pastor shouldn't make such a big deal about culture. But the point of this quote is not to find the right formula, but to point out how easily double standards can sneak in. This is where my comments about clothing come in. I'm not saying that style is bad. I'm saying that we are sending mixed messages when we tell these students "All you need to belong and have identity is Christ", but the leadership is dressed in the latest fads. When we tell people that we need to give more to the poor (and we certainly do!), and then we try to sell them our cds, clothes, and books! Do you see the disconnect in that?
"Students - and I would suggest adults, too - want the church to deal with the issues that the church should deal with. They want to see religious, spiritual people who are useful in our world. 'Caring for orphans and widows in their distress and keeping oneself from being corrupted by the world.' "
If we agree that this is the heart of the gospel, then again, why spend our time, money, and energy on things we would all agree are NOT the heart of the gospel?
One value of the Baby Boom generation was relevance. Boomers thought the church had lost the ability to speak into day-to-day life (and sadly, many churches had), so churches were built to look like shopping malls and services were designed to be friendly and nonthreatening...But postmodern students want real more than relevant. The church needs to be what is is: a sacred community of persons who follow a mysterious and demanding Lord... The church is different.
This should make us ecstatic! Now we can be open and honest about our faith. We don't have to feel like freaks for saying we talk to God. This is what real Christianity looks like anyway. Jesus never let people get away with fitting him into a corner of their life. He demanded everything. He demanded that they lose their life for his sake. Maybe this is why Christianity always grows where people can't take it superficially...
The Charismatics, Pentecostals, and the Eastern Orthodox church have won... None of them do worship services - they do worship experiences. To these believers, worship is not an activity - it's an epic-tivity. It's both timely and timeless. They're experiential, participatory, image-based, and connective. Everybody else is rational, passive, word-based, and highly individual.
Again, this is fantastic. And that is part of what NLC does so well. Yes, there are lights and smoke and cameras, but they aren't the focus. The focus really is on experiencing the Living God. But as I've discovered while trying to find a good church here, it's rare. Postmoderns are hungry for experience, not for more rules or beliefs or thoughts. And being that we have a God who loves to be experienced, we have exactly what people want. Over and over and over, the Bible tells the story of a God who want to be with his people. And how they keep finding ways to disconnect and separate from him. But now, look at this! People are desperate for something spiritual! Check out Extreme Prophetic for examples of how some people are using this to reach out to newagers, mystics, and even people in the occult.
What a tragedy if we run away from postmodernism because we don't understand it and are afraid of new ideas. People are asking for an encounter with someone supernatural. This could be the greatest opportunity to reach the world that we've ever been given.
The trouble with writing about postmoderns is that they don't like to be categorized, explained, observed, limited, reduced, dumbed down, isolated, or put under a microscope. Postmoderns resent our obsession with definition. This generation is longing for relationship, mystery, experience, passion, wonder, creativity, and spontaneity. In other words, they want to go past where the "sidewalk ends." They long for the place just beyond words, the shore of mystery. In other words, they're looking for Jesus. What else do we need to know?
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Wake up, wake up!
underOATH was really great last night. There were 4 bands, and the total show was almost 3.5 hours long! As headliners, they got a full hour, which is the longest I've ever seen them play (as this time there were no random pipes bursting above our heads, flooding the floor with 3 inches of foul-smelling water and interrupting the show).
Their set list was, for anyone who cares (I think there might be one or two of you...) something like this...:
It was just a really cool time. The opening bands were pretty good (Poison the Well especially) and two of them are not Christians. I appreciate that underOATH always makes a point to let people know they are believers. Last night Spencer (the screamer) simply said something like "We are Christians and the reason we do all this is to honor Jesus and tell people that God loves them. We aren't better than any of you because we believe in God or because we are up on this stage, but I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for Jesus. My life used to be ruled by addictions and Christ set me free from all that. We don't want to push anything on you, but come talk with us after the show if you wanna know more about this."
They are so passionate that it's absolutely contagious. The crowd was united in these songs, moving and screaming and dancing with every ounce of strength they had. It's beautiful. The reason I love underOATH so much is that there is nothing fake or pretentious in their music. They don't try to pretend that life is easy even with Christ, but no matter how dark or hard, they always come back to hope. "I know the light is blinding to the naked eye, so why don't you take steps away from being alone. I swear it's not to late for you. It's all worth reaching for the hand to pull you out. Wake up!"
My bud Tyrel once talked about seeing POD play live, and how every time they play "Alive" he steps back from the pit and just worships God, and it's one of the most spiritual, real, intense moments. That's how underOATH is to me. Somehow every gut shaking kick of the drums, every dissonate, distorted guitar chord, every scream is worship. So leaving with a headache, aching body, ringing ears, and a hoarse throat doesn't even bother me cause it's like I left everything out there on the floor as a sacrifice. Maybe that's why I think there should be more screaming in worship songs... :)
\m/
Their set list was, for anyone who cares (I think there might be one or two of you...) something like this...:
- Salmarnir (Pretty cool to start a hardcore show in LA screaming Psalm 50 on top of an otherwise instrumental track)
- Returning Empty Handed
- In Regards to Myself
- It's Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door
- To Whom It May Concern
- You're Ever So Inviting
- Young and Aspiring
- Writing On Walls
- A Moment Suspended in Time
- Everyone Looks So Good From Here
- Casting Such a Thin Shadow
- Encore: A Boy Brushed Red Living in Black and White (they always close with this!)
It was just a really cool time. The opening bands were pretty good (Poison the Well especially) and two of them are not Christians. I appreciate that underOATH always makes a point to let people know they are believers. Last night Spencer (the screamer) simply said something like "We are Christians and the reason we do all this is to honor Jesus and tell people that God loves them. We aren't better than any of you because we believe in God or because we are up on this stage, but I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for Jesus. My life used to be ruled by addictions and Christ set me free from all that. We don't want to push anything on you, but come talk with us after the show if you wanna know more about this."
They are so passionate that it's absolutely contagious. The crowd was united in these songs, moving and screaming and dancing with every ounce of strength they had. It's beautiful. The reason I love underOATH so much is that there is nothing fake or pretentious in their music. They don't try to pretend that life is easy even with Christ, but no matter how dark or hard, they always come back to hope. "I know the light is blinding to the naked eye, so why don't you take steps away from being alone. I swear it's not to late for you. It's all worth reaching for the hand to pull you out. Wake up!"
My bud Tyrel once talked about seeing POD play live, and how every time they play "Alive" he steps back from the pit and just worships God, and it's one of the most spiritual, real, intense moments. That's how underOATH is to me. Somehow every gut shaking kick of the drums, every dissonate, distorted guitar chord, every scream is worship. So leaving with a headache, aching body, ringing ears, and a hoarse throat doesn't even bother me cause it's like I left everything out there on the floor as a sacrifice. Maybe that's why I think there should be more screaming in worship songs... :)
\m/
Friday, October 5, 2007
And God said, "Let there be rock." And there was underOATH
Tonight something amazing is happening. underOATH is playing in LA. I am going. I cannot write down how thrilled I am! The only sad part is that I won't get to enjoy them with my buds. This is the first time I'll see underOATH without Stefan in the pit with me. I hope I make it out alive, in one piece, and with both of my shoes...
Another cool bonus is that this is the same venue Rob Bell is coming to next month on his speaking tour "The Gods are not Angry". So I'll be able to scope it out and know where to park, when to leave, and be able to fully enjoy that event.
I'll come back and write some followup stuff to my last post on Saturday. A lot of the time I'm just throwing unprocessed ideas out at you, so I probably don't really understand what I'm saying or implying. I'm throwing ideas at the wall and seeing what sticks. It's kinda like throwing your mashed potatoes up against the wall... And I've never been to Boston in the fall. I don't think the Chargers have either...
Anyway... my goal in making some of these statements and asking some of these questions is just to get us to take a step back and examine what we can grow and improve on. I know the (handful of) people who read this and I know your hearts are all pure. Don't think I ever doubt motives. I just don't ever want to settle in pursuing the best way to reflect Christ to the world around us, and that means asking hard questions some times.
Another cool bonus is that this is the same venue Rob Bell is coming to next month on his speaking tour "The Gods are not Angry". So I'll be able to scope it out and know where to park, when to leave, and be able to fully enjoy that event.
I'll come back and write some followup stuff to my last post on Saturday. A lot of the time I'm just throwing unprocessed ideas out at you, so I probably don't really understand what I'm saying or implying. I'm throwing ideas at the wall and seeing what sticks. It's kinda like throwing your mashed potatoes up against the wall... And I've never been to Boston in the fall. I don't think the Chargers have either...
Anyway... my goal in making some of these statements and asking some of these questions is just to get us to take a step back and examine what we can grow and improve on. I know the (handful of) people who read this and I know your hearts are all pure. Don't think I ever doubt motives. I just don't ever want to settle in pursuing the best way to reflect Christ to the world around us, and that means asking hard questions some times.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Coming at ya like whirlwind
Sorry it's been a while. But now I have 2 weeks of Pentateuch and Postmodern Theology discussions and a white chocolate mocha as ammunition. The real question is where to start...
My classes are really great. That is easily the best part of being here. The profs are really intelligent and have tons of insight. It seems like everybody here thinks a lot like me and has the same questions and wrestles with the same thoughts. At least to some degree. We know something is not quite right with the Christian culture or attitude or.. whatever... in general. But we don't want to abandon this whole thing. Nobody says stuff like "hymns are not real passionate worship", "megachurches are all corrupt", "those people need to change this if they want to be saved" or "this is the only right way to do ______"... There is no identity caught up in "my way" of doing church or being a Christian. Instead people are trying to find out how to find identity in being a disciple of Jesus. Only.
So we talk about all kinds of stuff. In one class we watched Fight Club and then discussed what messages the writer and director are trying to convey. And it's a lot deeper than mindless violence and destruction... :) There is a driving theme in that movie that we have allowed stuff to brand us as human beings. We have become a completely consumeristic society. We are far more interested in the new flip flops that have a canteen in the sole, our favorite sports team, and who is the newest cool band than in the military oppression of Myanmar, the 1/3 of the world that lives on less that $2 a day, and the homeless guy sitting outside Chipotle. And when we do recognize these issues, we create a new clothing line with $40 t-shirts and $80 jeans to bring awareness to the issues...
I'm not trying to make anybody feel guilty. I'm just as deep in this as anybody. But see, that's the thing. We don't realize how deep this problem goes. We think it's just the way things have always been, so we try to find ways to fit good deeds into our lifestyle. But maybe the very way that we live is the real problem, and no amount of twisting and modifying will fix it.
Discretionary income has only existed since after World War 2. The men went off to war, so women had to work in order to keep the industry that fueled (food processing, weapon manufacturing, machinery) the war rolling. After the war, there was a huge influx of young men who had seen the world and didn't want to work on the farm anymore. But many were still young enough to live at home, so they worked in the city and found themselves with extra cash. Women started working and going to college, and advertisers saw an opportunity. War technologies, like the transistor radio, are adapted for public use. Now, for the first time, anybody can have their own music playing wherever they go. Bands like the Beatles are creating music that was unlike anything before, and all this combined to create this new culture.
Before the 50s, you wore pretty much what your parents wore, listened to what they listened to, lived the way they did. You didn't have a choice. Now, there is this split between the parents and their kids. There is a global awareness through tv and music and movies. And out of this emerge an idea of teenagers, who define themselves by being different. And how do you express that you are different? Well, you dress different and listen to different music and live different. All this costs money, because you have to buy the new clothes and music...
Fast forward 40 years and our total identity is found in how you dress and act and live and what you listen to. You can tell how someone wants to be identified just by one glance at their clothes or iPod playlist. And if you want, you can be someone different tomorrow. You can reinvent yourself anytime you want with some cash. And what do Christians do? We make our own clothing and music that copies everyone else. We say if you want to be part of this movement, just buy our new conference t-shirt and matching Nalgene... And we essentially say that no lifestyle changes are really important as long as you look like one of us... Is this really the message we want to send? No way, but this is what we are saying. Have we just gotten so used to it that we don't even recognize there is a problem with it?
And remember, I'm not pointing the finger at anybody. Half of my closet is Desperation shirts that I match to my tight, hole-filled jeans and 8 pairs of skater shoes so you can see that and my long hair and think that I'm a cool, laid back, fun guy who loves Jesus... Maybe the reason we don't see the results we want is because we are really just saying "Jesus is great but I'm really cool cause of the way I look". Maybe people want something different. Something original. Something that doesn't try to sell them, but still costs them everything.
My classes are really great. That is easily the best part of being here. The profs are really intelligent and have tons of insight. It seems like everybody here thinks a lot like me and has the same questions and wrestles with the same thoughts. At least to some degree. We know something is not quite right with the Christian culture or attitude or.. whatever... in general. But we don't want to abandon this whole thing. Nobody says stuff like "hymns are not real passionate worship", "megachurches are all corrupt", "those people need to change this if they want to be saved" or "this is the only right way to do ______"... There is no identity caught up in "my way" of doing church or being a Christian. Instead people are trying to find out how to find identity in being a disciple of Jesus. Only.
So we talk about all kinds of stuff. In one class we watched Fight Club and then discussed what messages the writer and director are trying to convey. And it's a lot deeper than mindless violence and destruction... :) There is a driving theme in that movie that we have allowed stuff to brand us as human beings. We have become a completely consumeristic society. We are far more interested in the new flip flops that have a canteen in the sole, our favorite sports team, and who is the newest cool band than in the military oppression of Myanmar, the 1/3 of the world that lives on less that $2 a day, and the homeless guy sitting outside Chipotle. And when we do recognize these issues, we create a new clothing line with $40 t-shirts and $80 jeans to bring awareness to the issues...
I'm not trying to make anybody feel guilty. I'm just as deep in this as anybody. But see, that's the thing. We don't realize how deep this problem goes. We think it's just the way things have always been, so we try to find ways to fit good deeds into our lifestyle. But maybe the very way that we live is the real problem, and no amount of twisting and modifying will fix it.
Discretionary income has only existed since after World War 2. The men went off to war, so women had to work in order to keep the industry that fueled (food processing, weapon manufacturing, machinery) the war rolling. After the war, there was a huge influx of young men who had seen the world and didn't want to work on the farm anymore. But many were still young enough to live at home, so they worked in the city and found themselves with extra cash. Women started working and going to college, and advertisers saw an opportunity. War technologies, like the transistor radio, are adapted for public use. Now, for the first time, anybody can have their own music playing wherever they go. Bands like the Beatles are creating music that was unlike anything before, and all this combined to create this new culture.
Before the 50s, you wore pretty much what your parents wore, listened to what they listened to, lived the way they did. You didn't have a choice. Now, there is this split between the parents and their kids. There is a global awareness through tv and music and movies. And out of this emerge an idea of teenagers, who define themselves by being different. And how do you express that you are different? Well, you dress different and listen to different music and live different. All this costs money, because you have to buy the new clothes and music...
Fast forward 40 years and our total identity is found in how you dress and act and live and what you listen to. You can tell how someone wants to be identified just by one glance at their clothes or iPod playlist. And if you want, you can be someone different tomorrow. You can reinvent yourself anytime you want with some cash. And what do Christians do? We make our own clothing and music that copies everyone else. We say if you want to be part of this movement, just buy our new conference t-shirt and matching Nalgene... And we essentially say that no lifestyle changes are really important as long as you look like one of us... Is this really the message we want to send? No way, but this is what we are saying. Have we just gotten so used to it that we don't even recognize there is a problem with it?
And remember, I'm not pointing the finger at anybody. Half of my closet is Desperation shirts that I match to my tight, hole-filled jeans and 8 pairs of skater shoes so you can see that and my long hair and think that I'm a cool, laid back, fun guy who loves Jesus... Maybe the reason we don't see the results we want is because we are really just saying "Jesus is great but I'm really cool cause of the way I look". Maybe people want something different. Something original. Something that doesn't try to sell them, but still costs them everything.
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