often times the seemingly mundane can provide a great deal of insight

6.09.2010

the lovers, the dreamers, and you


People read this stuff...

It has been funny, but on several occasions I will run into somebody or receive a random comment about this blog from a person that I have not seen or heard from in a long time.  And when this happens I almost always feel the same sensation.. It is a combination of intrigue, surprise, humility, and some element of value.

Kind of like...

"yeah I baked that cake and put it out for everyone to taste, but I didn't even know you were coming to the party..."

It could be argued that truly great writers would continue writing even if there was nobody to read their work.. although I would argue that the value of a writers work comes not by the mere combination of ink to paper but when these symbols take meaning and are processed by the outside observers, the readers.

I wouldn't consider myself to be a great writer, just somebody with a few thoughts that might be worth sharing about my perspectives and ponderings.  Also, I would probably keep on writing even if nobody was reading this stuff, but the fact that I know people do read it encourages me to continue writing, and to be more intentional about keeping my writings fresh and hopefully interesting, if not bizarre enough to at least draw a smile out from the reader.

Of what value is your expression if there is nobody to interpret it?  How great is it to bake the best cookies in the world but to dare not share them with anyone else for fear they will be criticized, or to write a song that will never be heard?


Could it be that when we produce out of selflessness, in whatever our gifting, we actually contribute more to the greater community by allowing ourselves to be vulnerable?  loaded question, but I think so.

I don't thing that this blog is any great creation, but I have found it to be a healthy place for me to process my thoughts and present them to a community that might also be challenged in some form and hopefully responds with thoughts and opinions of their own.

I'll bet that some of you have talents far greater than any of mine and you have held them close to yourself for fear of criticism, rejection, or something else,  and that they are being suffocated by these hesitations.

They need to breathe.  The longer they have been without breath the more those talents will need to be developed. but they are there... and they are waiting.

6.01.2010

recycled culture: the sin of skinny jeans


I am not sure how this happened. but it did.

At some point it seems that instead of continuing to create and develop a unique and original culture we just decided to take the things that "worked" in the past and reuse them in a modern day setting.... while I approve of some of this cultural carry-over, there is an extensive list of things that have become zombified only to attach itself to the youth of the day like some kind of flesh eating virus.

Some things withstand the test of time....

- classical music
- classic rock
- most fashion from the 1960's
- good food and drink
- motorcycles
- three piece suits
-  etc, etc, etc

and the list continues..

Then there is Recycled Culture which includes things were at some point dead and then raised from what should have been their eternal slumber...

- skinny jeans
- most fashion from the 1980's and early 90's

and more importantly, there is a sub-category of recycled culture that includes:

- movie re-makes
- books made into movies
- the 3-5 part movie series
- cover songs
- chain restaurants & coffee shops

basically anything that has become an acceptable substitute for originality and innovation, not in and of themselves bad.. until they begin defining the culture they are in.

This is the main difference between things that have persisted and things that have been recycled.  The things that have persisted stand on their own as great pieces of our culture.  They need no modification in order to remain beautiful and innovative... the Mona Lisa does not need a boob job.

Recycled culture declares Mona Lisa not relevant enough and instead of creating a new piece of art to represent the times, she is instead photoshopped and airbrushed until deemed appropriate.  Or else she is declared good as is, and cheap copies of her are made and circulated to the masses taking away from her uniqueness and beauty... but at such an affordable price!

boy bands were created, Starbucks and Caribous arrived on ever corner, the karate kid is now instructed by Jackie Chan, skinny jeans are worshiped by kids born in 1997, and we already know how the story ends long before the credits are rolling....

Why is this important?  We are becoming a culture.. a generation...  that is being defined by cheap remakes of original beauty.  We are limiting our potential by remaining entrenched in a recycled culture, and if this remains satisfactory it will likely become a cycle that is even more difficult to break free from in the future.  We embrace familiarity through cheap imitation and call it something new and in doing so convince ourselves that we are moving and creating when, really, we are feeding our laziness and comfort.  Why get up and move when we can pay to have the world move around us?

... or at least appear as though it is.

5.19.2010

spring cleaning: shaking off the dust


I have not been writing for a little while.  I wanted to give an opportunity to some of my friends who had some thoughts to share and it has been a refreshing time for me in one regard... So, thank you to all of you who participated as guest bloggers, I deeply enjoyed your entries.

I have also seen that in an absence of writing i feel a little stale... It is almost as if my thoughts have been blocked up and it might take a little bit of time for the wheels to start turning again.  I should have kept writing, at least keeping a back-log of entries or maybe writing things using those primitive hand tools that mark paper that seem increasingly rare to stumble across.  Will kids in twenty years even know how to create basic characters using a pen and paper?

just a thought.

here is another...

I want to believe that there are things that each of us have that when we continue to pour time and energy into, they will somehow fill us with a greater sense of joy, accomplishment, satisfaction, fulfillment in life.  Maybe these things are linked to deep desires that we find inside of ourselves.. maybe it is a piece of who you are that is so essential to your being, that once you stumble across it, or pull it out of you, or have someone else stumble across it and pull it out of you... you will continue to crawl back to it, even when exhausted and empty, and surprise yourself with how valuable it is to you... not just because you "like it".. but because your health and balance.. your stability is dependent upon it.

I think the specific manifestations of these core desires are not as important as what is at the center of it.. like a spectrum of color breaking uniquely from a single source of light, we will find different representations of those deep longings inside of us.  Why are we compelled to move forward?  Why do we continue to create art and music?  Why do we still find our breath leave us as we witness the sunset over the ocean, or flowers breaking through the dirt, or a heart piercing string ensemble, or as we look deeply into our lovers eyes?

I feel like my wheels are spinning but I don't feel like I can control where they lead me... or maybe I just don't want to.  I feel a need to move, to live, to create, to experience, to share in my discoveries and to challenge others to do the same.

Could it be that we are compelled to pursue these longings because after we have come to the end of the road a hundred times over we will continue to come to the same conclusions but that they give us life?  Will the pursuit of our hearts really bring us to one final answer to our longings?

it might.  but my experience has been that once you arrive at the ends of these various roads you reach the source of true life, love, joy, and inspiration... more roads... and they send you even deeper into the desires of your heart.


I find it sad that we are willing to give up what brings us to life for what we feel we need in order to survive... don't allow your violin to cover with a shroud of dust or for your callouses to go soft... continue to rediscover who you were created to be and run after that until your heart explodes.

5.18.2010

raindrops and metal: ride the spring showers



Before writing this, I had just got done driving a motorcycle through the rain.

This is something that you typically try to avoid doing, especially if you aren't wearing any rain gear...

As I walked outside and saw the ground covered in water and the small collected pools rippling as rain drops met them I briefly reconsidered driving the motorcycle and just waiting an hour or so until the rain went away...After all, I am sure that the rest of the day will be covered with beautiful rays of sunshine and the air filled with birds singing.

I had never really ridden through the rain though.. I mean, I've had a few drops come down on me.. but nothing like what I was about to experience.

What pushed me more than anything was looking off in the distance and seeing some blue sky breaking through the storm in the direction I was about to travel... I had this picture in my head of driving through a short amount of harsh weather and into the bright and warm paradise awaiting me.

So I rode....

The raindrops turned to razors trying to tear the flesh from my face as I picked up speed... Visibility decreased as the fine mist from the road was picked up by less than cautious drivers... I could feel the collected raindrops filling up my boots as the drops collected together and marched to the rhythm of gravity's tune.... and I rode.

The clouds did not part... the rain did not cease... the sun did not break through.. but still off in the distance remained the blue sky and it's promise of serenity.

I eventually found myself at my destination... rain still falling and blue sky a vague memory.

I did feel pretty BA after arriving.. although I also felt drenched....

Looking back, the ride was worth it in spite of the lack of a blue sky arrival.. or maybe because of it...

You see, often times we have a vision, dream, hope, or blue sky that is off in the distance.. and often times we say that going through the trouble, sacrifice, hard work, or rain is worth it IF it means we end up obtaining this goal... although, often times we fail.

5.14.2010

cartoons for adults: guest blog five




I wasn’t allowed to watch “The Simpsons” growing up. Not being “allowed” to watch the cartoon was a bit redundant being that my small hometown in southern Minnesota didn’t have FOX as a broadcast network and we never had cable. It wasn’t that my parents were very conservative and objected to the social and religious content of the show; my mother (a single parent) objected to Bart being a brat. In her mind bratty kids are among the greatest scourges on the face of the earth, on par with the Black Plague and tapeworm.
I never saw the ban on Homer and Marge’s family as any great loss. Sure, there were socially awkward moments as friends shared inside jokes referencing the show and I didn’t get it, but when compared to the rest of the gauntlet that is adolescents, it was minor.
Now, from time to time I do enjoy The Simpsons and their genre of cartoons for adults, I’ve even caught a few episodes of South Park in syndication (still no cable). I recently found myself following the dust-up around their 200th episode in which they depicted Mohammed, in a bear suit.
My supervisor at the parcel delivery service where I work part-time is Muslim. We have conversations pretty frequently but rarely about anything of substance or consequence, until I asked him how he felt about this particular South Park episode. He was offended by it, which surprised me. His fondness for porn and the timeless conversation starter, “who would you rather…” lead me to believe he wasn’t particularly devote to any religious practice. (By the way, I’ve discovered a number of fun and creative methods for escaping these conversations if you’re interested.)
While he wasn’t particularly concerned with the specific religious prohibition on depicting Mohammed, he was offended by satire directed at religious beliefs from those outside the religion. I disagreed. I contended that the satire offered by those outside our communities of faith have the potential to give us perspective on the ways we have wrongly communicated or misrepresented our faith.
It was easily the most substantive and meaningful conversation I’ve had with this co-worker and has provided a framework for us to have subsequent conversations about the convictions, expectations, and historical contexts of our respective faiths.
Thank you South Park for starting conversations.

(written by Isaiah Allen)

5.11.2010

throwing logs: guest blog four



I once heard a story about Elvis Presley. When he was young he was a part of a church. He wanted to sing gospel music, and he wanted to do it in new and creative ways. He wanted to bring a new style to worship music. But the church said no. The church said we don’t do it that way. The church said it went against tradition.

So Elvis left, and took his music elsewhere.

That breaks my heart. I won’t speculate about his life and what could be different. But it makes me think. Why does the church so often stomp on the new creative ideas people have? For the sake of tradition, what are we missing out on?

We are made in the image of a creator. That means we are supposed to be creative. Yet somehow creativity and new thinking has been frowned upon in the church. We don’t do it that way. That’s different, we don’t want to change. We’re comfortable with the way things are. New things fly in the face of what we believe to be the right way to worship God, the right way to represent God, or the right way to express spirituality. But really, how much are we missing with that kind of thinking?

We think to please God, we have to eradicate all of self. We must get rid of who we are, and that is what God wants. But God created us to be who we are, he placed things within us. We pray “None of me, All of You, God.” But is that really how God wants it?

I think the church, in an attempt at devotion to Christ, has taken away people’s God-given gifts, talents, and desires. Frankly it makes church boring.

Living in Christ should never be boring. We are made to be creative beings, and to use that creativity to meet the needs of the world. Yet because we’ve adopted a wrong line of thinking about what it means to be a Christian, and what God expects of us, we’ve muted our creativity and tied down our ability to bring the goodness and love of God to the world.

Bill Johnson, the author of Dreaming With God writes, “When unbelievers lead the way in inventions and artistic expression, it is because the church has embraced a false kind of spirituality. It is not living in a true Kingdom mentality, which is the renewed mind. The renewed mind understands that the King’s dominion must be realized in all levels of society for an effective witness to take place.”

God has been teaching me a lot over the last few months. One of the big things I’m learning is how much God loves new creative things, and how he wants me to be someone who encourages the people around me. I spent a week in Romania recently, and the big thing I heard God speaking to me that week is that I need to be someone who throws logs not water onto the fires of people’s dreams and ideas.

What if the whole church did that? What if we all encouraged each other’s creative new ideas? What if when Elvis approached his church they put logs on his fire, instead of throwing water and turning him out?

Awesome things happen when people are released into their God-given abilities and dreams. That’s something I want to support in every way I can, cause I want to see the world changed.


(written by Bethany Nagan )

4.20.2010

my mom is my hero: guest blog three




I sat in the waiting room remembering the last time she fought this battle...

She was my hero. She battled hard against that cancer, and the whole time held her head up high in a way that allowed her to serve others who were in her view. She conquered cancer! Beat it! Destroyed it! While she killed the beast she was giving hope to others around her and loving others patiently.

My mom is my hero. While I watched her selflessly loving others while she was going through pain and discomfort, I sat around feeling self pity. I wondered...

Why would God do this to my mom?

What did I do to deserve this happening to my mom?

What happens if God takes my mom from me?

etc., etc., etc.

Even though I was a miserable, whiny, selfish jerk, God decided to cure my mom!

We celebrated! Man, did we celebrate! I even promised God that I would never be so selfish again. I promised God that I would show hope and love to others even if I feel I am in some sort of pain or discomfort.

Well, the time has come. On April 8th, 2010 I found out that my mom has an inoperable cancerous tumor. Round 2, similar to the last time except this time it is inoperable.

I sat in the waiting room remembering the last time she found this battle...

The same questions pop into my head, just elevated and less trusting towards God. Is it ok for me to be angry with God? Why the hell do truly evil people get away with rich, enjoyable lives, while my mom (I'm biased, but ask almost anybody who knows her, and they'll agree) who is one of the nicest, selfless people on the planet suffers not once, but twice?

Then I see my mom, her face clearly saddened and filled with questions, but shining with the hope and love of Jesus...



My mom is my hero.

(This blog was written by Dallas Verity )

4.15.2010

naked holy men: guest blog two





I’ve been on a search for spirituality in India. You must be thinking, “Oh, that’s so awesome! India is such a spiritual place!”

Let me tell you, it is, but far from the way you are thinking. I think the Orientalist view that many Westerners have of India, of yogis on mountaintops and of the Beatles staying at an ashram isn’t quite what the reality is. Currently in Haridwar, a city on the Ganga not far from where I live, the Maha Kumbh mela is going on. This is a massive once-every-four-years Hindu festival that attracts pilgrims and sight-seers from all over the world. There are mass dips in the river and the Naga sadhus (naked holy men) come out of the woodwork to hang out (so to speak). Foreigners also arrive en masse to catch a glimpse of the bizarre, the mystical, the spiritual. Room rates are quadrupled.

I got to travel around India this past winter, traveling from unfortunate tourist spot to unfortunate tourist spot. One place after another I saw signs catering to another sacred cow of India- the cash cow- the spiritual seeker. Ayurvedic medicine treatments, spiritual tutorship for cash schemes, and yoga classes abounded. I should say I have yet to see an Indian doing yoga after 1.5 years in the country. Almost every foreigner I met and talked to was enthralled by what they saw as Indian spirituality.

As a Christian, I see spirituality differently. To me, spirituality is not found in the bizarre and mystical cosmic forces of the Universe, but in the knowable nature of the infinite God. While many foreigners willfully ignore the trash, the poverty and the suffering to go catch a glimpse of the Dalai Lama or do yoga on the beach, I find a spirituality rooted in the hope that there is a New Jerusalem coming; these problems so far beyond my ability to fix are not beyond the abilities of God.

While many come here to find the most secluded shrine, the holiest cave, or the highest mountaintop ashram, I have found spiritual food at the colonial-era, centrally located building owned by the Church of North India. A whopping twenty-five people showed up for Easter Sunday, the preaching involves folksy stories prepared with as much care as if the homily was being given to a thousand, and the hymns are so old, Calvin might have grown up with them.

I find spiritual food in the ordinary interactions with my coworkers and students (I teach at a school in the Himalayas). When we gather around our old, quirky houses to share each others’ altitude-induced baking failures and funny stories from the week, I am spiritually fed. When I have cafeteria-fed students over to my house for pancakes and hashed browns and we share a meal, I am fed. And when a few of us talk shop over an aloo paratha after church, I am fed. You can tell I eat a lot…

Something so typical of Jesus’ sayings and actions in the Bible are that they go against normal earthly patterns of thinking. The Messiah should come from a powerful city like Rome, not some backwater like Bethlehem. If the Messiah is going to come and deliver us, he should go straight to Pilate’s house and kick him out. Instead, Jesus went to the Temple and started turning over tables. Not exactly what they were expecting. In the same way, earthly thinking says that India is full of the mystical, the magical, and the marvelous. People come here all the time to find some connection to something bigger than themselves. Maybe it is here, maybe it isn't. But I’d bet it’s not somewhere they’d expect…

(Greg Miller wrote this post, find out more about this blogger at "many miles to go" )

4.12.2010

curing excess: guest blog one


I find myself, after many years, living in a completely western society.
I also find myself running into a familiar foe. I’ve seen him before and I haven’t always been able to deal with him properly nor have I always wanted to. Call him what you will but he’s commonly known as excess. You know, “I’ve got to have two of those”, when one or none is ok. Super size it and the American dream of getting everything we want and more with no responsibility or consequence. A dream, I might add, that we consistently sell to the world and thereby create an illusion of life in this country that causes people to despise their own. Christians are hardly immune either. Don’t get me wrong. It’s ok to have things but there is a line that we too often cross. We stop giving because the “economy” is bad but we really just want to save for ourselves. We become so bloated with stuff in our lives that giving becomes a chore and we reach a point where we don’t care about anything or anyone except getting what we “need” and have a “right” to have. We become the opposite of followers of Christ.
I was reading over the story of the rich ruler that Jesus encounters in the Gospel of Luke. Some translations say rich, some young, some just ruler, but they all point out that he was a man of standing and was surely well to do. I'm sure he had his areas of excess. Not only that, but he was pretty religious as well. He kept the Law. So this guy had it made and to top it off he wanted to add eternal life to his list of accolades. So naturally Jesus is the guy to ask. At least he knows where to look, right?
Jesus responded to this guy by telling him to sell everything he owned and distribute it to the poor and the guy got sad and walked off because it's hard for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom. Now we could leave it there and say, “I’ve heard the story”, “I’m not rich, I’ve got nothing to sell”, but I think Jesus is looking deeper. Maybe sell everything really means, well, everything. Maybe Jesus wasn’t just talking about stuff, but his very self. The poor in the Greek version of this passage also refers to people who are not only economically poor and physically afflicted but also spiritually destitute. Maybe this guy didn’t get it. Maybe we don’t get it. Our cure for excess is Christ, obviously, but it’s also selling ourselves to Him and giving ourselves to the poor, in every sense of the word. In the Kingdom things happen backwards for us. Giving somehow equals gain. Death is life. Poor is rich. It’s a weird place. The simple truth is this: if we give ourselves to the poor, (you decide what that means for you), we’ll cure our problem with excess and we might just find Jesus there and eternal life as well. As westerners we have become accustomed to having life on demand and are usually unwilling to settle for less. Hence our current economic situation. So when Jesus invites us into the Kingdom our interests begin to clash and that is very uncomfortable. Take time to slow down, read this story for yourself, draw your own conclusion and meditate on how your interests clash with the Kingdom. I recommend www.blueletterbible.org for studying. I've been challenged lately to really look at who Jesus is really and what he asks of us and therefore find myself in light of that. Then pour out into the world.

(the following was submitted by Chris Collins, you can read more of his stuff at his blog)

4.07.2010

deal with this: guest bloggers



So, this is the deal....

I have asked a few of my friends to contribute some thoughts to momentum.. and so over the next month or so we will have some guest bloggers in the momentum community.

I will not be monitoring content in the guest blog entries and have also given the contributors the option to maintain anonymity if they desire... which is my quick lil way of saying, I have no idea what will be written, but I ain't gonna stop it... If offense is caused... leave comments on the posting.. if you love what was written, leave comments on the posting.  It's an open forum to state your opinions and a safe place to dialogue.

There were very wide parameters for what could be written, so I will be just as surprised as you.

So, without further adeu.. let this great experiment of communal banter begin!

3.31.2010

prayer shawls and sex toys


I just had an interesting scenario placed in my mind...

A friend of mine was telling me about a dilemma that has come into existence at her husband's congregation.  As it turns out,  there is a small group of women from a small church in Minnesota that meet together to make small talk and prayer shawls.  The majority of these women are rather conservative in their views and are also in the later years of their lives, although there are a few who are younger in age (in their thirties) or newer to the christian sub-culture.

(disclaimer: I have never been invited to a prayer shawl meeting and am only speculating on what it might have been like to be in this setting. I apologize in advance for any misinformation that might be presented in my attempt to describe such a gathering)

My initial thoughts when it comes to "prayer shawl meeting" are of tea and some sort of phyiscal representation of the word "pleasant"  so... here we go...

As the prayer shawl meeting began and the nice christian women made themselves comfortable while possibly enjoying some type of warm beverage, they likely began thinking of pleasant things to discuss or readied themselves to listen to other delightful pieces of information that the other nice ladies in the room were going to share.  The meeting was going splendidly as Gertrude mentioned the nice tea cookies that Lilith had made.  Conversation and prayer shawling eventually lead to a fun discussion of pleasant and nice current events.

when all of this was interrupted unexpectedly....

...and by something that was so foreign and perceived as un-pleasant.

You see, one of the young women who was newer to the group had been trying to come up with a way of making extra income to provide some more financial stability for her family. Her pursuit had lead her to a solution.

sex toys.

She could sell sex toys the same way that some people sell can-cutting knives or plastic storage containers that burp.

I imagine that there was quite a change in atmosphere after this foreign concept entered the room and "dirtied" the ears of the pleasant christian ladies...

Anyhow, the meeting eventually carried on and ended.  Later that night the husband of the prayer shawl gathering leader ended up hearing about the "incident" and calling the head pastor, asking if he could meet for breakfast the following morning.  Breakfast was had, a story was told, a story was retold, and now that story is being written...

This leaves the pastor in a predicament that he will have to, through discernment, sort out...

On the one hand, he does not want to offend or drive away the shawl ladies who were so thrown off by the "incident".. on the other hand, he does not want to offend or drive away the young lady who brought up her entrepreneurial endeavor... and his view is that the topic in and of itself is not necessarily a black and white one.

Anyhow, I am glad it isn't me that has to sort through this mess....   there are some lessons I learn about it though.

Sex toys and prayer shawls aside, one aspect of what we have here is a cross-cultural misunderstanding.

On one side, we have a group of christians with a very conservative mindset who have likely been a part of this church subculture for many.. many.. many years.

On one side, we have the newer christian who is not as familiar with the cultural norms of the older ladies, and also likely has a different perspective on sex and what is culturally appropriate to discuss in a prayer shawl gathering.

Neither group was prepared to handle the situation that they found themselves in...

One side was unprepared to discuss something that was out of their comfort zone, and the other side was unaware that such a topic would be seen as out of place or offensive to the other side.

I think that this is seen in a much inflated degree and has bigger implications as it reaches different spheres of cultures and subcultures.

I think it boils down to this...

The more willing we are to communicate on cultural and social issues in ways that are clear and respectful, the less we will be startled by a cultural curve-ball in an otherwise t-ball focused sub-culture.

I think many christians are prepared to regurgitate answers to common questions within the church... it is like t-ball... you know where the ball is, it isn't going to move, it isn't going to change, all you have to do is hit it and that is good enough.. you don't even need to hit it hard.. just, bump it forward...

.. but then all of a sudden some kid shows up who doesn't play t-ball and throws a fast ball, or a curve ball, or a knuckle puck, or a toaster.... and if we would have done our research, we would have known how to handle these things coming at us.. but all along we were way too focused on just playing t-ball... the fact is that culture will continue to change and develop.

It is the job of the church to continue to look at the culture around it and communicate the Gospel through words and actions in a ways that can be understood... let's face it... we now live in a world of prayer shawls and sex toys and if we don't start paying attention we are going to get blasted in the face by a toaster.


Peace.

3.26.2010

crapping the bed



 Story

Years ago, when I was in high school, I was a member of one of the school choirs.

One of the perks of being a member of the choir was the amazing adventure that was commonly referred to as "choir tour".  I remember that I cared very little about what we sang or when we sang it, but thought a lot about how much fun it would be to spend a week or so with a bunch of classmates as we took a tour bus on an amazing journey.

Our destination that year was Colorado.

Being a snowboarder and living a the land of 10,000 lakes but ZERO mountains... the Colorado thing sounded like a pretty good deal.

And it was... I had a lot of fun with the other students, we had a day at the mountain, we sang in some lovely places, and I am sure had some very pleasant memories made.... but none of those memories immediately come to mind for me when I think back to the trip.

...as a matter of fact, my immediate connection with what would have been a whimsical and light-hearted-song-filled adventure is something completely different...

you see, I got really sick.

No..... you don't understand.... I got really... really sick.

The worst part of it happened over the course of a full day, where I threw up over 25 times (I think when it comes to vomiting... numbers mean nothing after 15.. you just stop counting, but I was fortunate enough to have others keep a running tally for me ) ...and this wasn't counting the times where my body struggled to push my torn-up-barbed-wire-filled intestines through my dry-as-cotton mouth... and failed, over, and over, and over... but not without leaving my mangled and helpless body sprawled out next to the porcelain thrones in any number of public bathrooms... yes, dry heaves are what I speak of.

In the midst of this fantastic display of semi-digested projectile was what should have been an incredibly embarrassing moment for me if it wasn't so pathetic... though at the time, I think it was a balance of the two.

As my body fought to remove whatever illness was plaguing me between my marathon of vomit spells, I woke up in the middle of the night... freezing cold, sweat drenched, and lying in a watery lukewarm puddle of my own feces.

Awful.

Fortunately there were some loving chaperons along for the tour, who did a fantastic job of caring for me and helping me to get cleaned up while maintaining for me some sense of dignity... I still wonder what happened to those sheets though...

So, I got cleaned up... threw up a bunch more... eventually recovered before the tour ended, and I made it back home in one piece.

That whole terrible mess is what I think of when the choir tour comes to mind... it was not good... but it was memorable. 


Application

Well... I suppose  a lot could be taken from this.. and I am not quite sure what to focus on.

We could tie it to how if we focus on the negative aspects of life it can take away from the positive pieces and the beauty of the adventure we are on...

We could talk about how important it is to go through a process of removing filth (sin ) from our lives, even if it leaves us tired, beat up, embarrassed, and weak.. because it is not until the mess is out of us and out in the open that we can truly begin to clean ourselves and recover.

We could talk about the need to persevere in the midst of trials and circumstances and the beauty that comes in the form of fellowship when we allow others to help us and expose our vulnerability in a loving environment.

But, instead, I think i will just mention those things briefly and allow for you to draw your own connection and application from this story...

3.19.2010

thorns and blue birds


I have written two posts this past week but not published either of them yet...

I am not sure why.. I think they are interesting enough and all that jazz... I am not too worried about their content... but maybe there is just going to be a better time for them to be published.... I really am not sure why I have not posted them.  I will though.  At some point.

Anyway... That lead me to write this post, which currently exists for the sole purpose of letting you (whoever you are) know that I have still been writing, just not publishing.  I am sure that all you momentum addicts out there have been going into withdrawal... so hopefully this will give you enough of a taste to get you through the cold sweats.

I am torn to write about either things that are either light hearted and simple to comment on.. or things that are quite deep.  The conflict comes because my mind has been circling around the latter, but I know it would be much more relaxing to write on the former.

I think that there are many times in our lives that we are forced to make similar decisions... we have to chose between the more difficult and emotionally consuming route, or the one that we could skip along without a care in the world.  The thing is... they very rarely will lead you to the same place.. they might lead you toward the same place, but they often times will bring you to a different destination, insight, conclusion, revelation... what have you.

When we come to these forks it is wise to assess what it is you should do... sometimes the sun stained path with flowers and blue birds is where you should frolic... At other times you need to enter into the dark crimson thorn filled wilderness and fight for every small step you struggle to take.

I think a serious problem comes when we don't take time to choose our path wisely.  If we only take the simple path we will likely not grow or develop into the dynamic person we could become... and if we only fight through the thorns, we will eventually become so wounded and bitter that the potential growth that we could have benefited from is never realized and our mangled body will likely die in the wilderness.  We need a balance.  We need discernement.

We also need community, but I am not going to elaborate on that in this post.

So.. let us examine the challenges before us and walk them out appropriately, in wisdom and with the support of others.

3.12.2010

death and life: I see flowers


Winter is beginning to die.

This seems to happen at least once a year in Minnesota... There is this season that is both beautifully serene but unforgivably brutal, but if you can survive Winter in Minnesota, you will feel as though you have just escaped death itself... but just barely.  As the snow melts away and you begin to see the signs of beauty and new life that accompany Spring and there is an actual internal transformation that parallels this changing of seasons.  Joy and hope begin to sprout inside of the Minnesotan survivors.. as snow changes from sleet to rain.. and temperatures creep to above freezing.

I used to dislike spring.. and it still might be my least favorite season... though winter is a beast...  but I have learned to appreciate spring greatly.. although it is only after experiencing  a bitter winter that I can truly say I appreciate this season of new life.

I have spent many years in Minnesota and have learned a lot about life by the distinct changing of seasons that exists in this wonderful state.  We honestly have every season as it was intended to be... nothing is held back when it comes to Minnesota seasons.

I think our lives also have seasons, though they are, more often than not, based on situations rather than time.

A funny thing occurs when your season of life mirrors an actual season... I think that a deep understanding can be developed by studying what occurs in nature and drawing connections to what occurs in life. flowers beginning to bloom, grass becoming green again, dirt being washed away.. etc.

I don't really feel like going into details about my life season right now other than I had been in a winter for what seemed like about 2 years, and I am ok being a little vague for the time being... but looking back over the past few months I will say this with a smile and a seed of hope that has taken root.

My winter has been in the process of dying and my spring is on the horizon.

3.10.2010

starve my pride: thoughts on fasting

  
This was an intended response to a post on fasting by Jon Acuff on Stuff Christians Like. Due to a network error I was unable to post this on his site, so I thought I'd put it on momentum and send him a link.


SCL Article Link
 
#722: Telling someone they shouldn't tell you about their fast.


Response:


There was a season that I felt called to a rhythm of  fasting...

This lasted for several months and consisted of one day each week where I would only drink water.  It was paired with some other times of intentionally focusing on God, and much good stuff came out of it, but something came out of it that I did not expect.  Due to the nature of this ongoing weekly interruption, and the fact that at the time I had an extremely busy social calender, which often times meant going out to eat or at minimum drinking some good beer... It was inevitable that over time this would be something that caught my friends attention. 

... and it did.

What resulted was a great series of conversations about the spiritual discipline of fasting.. reasons for it, ways to do it, biblical examples of it.. etc. etc.  What made this even more interesting was that it was a completely new topic for some of my friends.  So anyhow, a while after that season had passed and fasting was nowhere in my mind because quite a bit of time had gone on.. I met up with some of my friends.. which, as I sad earlier.. often times means food and drink.  as we were enjoying the night I noticed that one of my friends didn't order, when I asked if she wasn't hungry, she responded "This is one of the days I am fasting".. which made me smile and think for a second. 

I think that we are intentionally living our lives to honor God, there will be things that happen that impact the lives of others around us.  If these are things that bring glory to God, it would be a shame for them to be hidden or not addressed for some false sense of  "spiritual preservation" or "humility".  If the reason you don't share you are fasting is to appear humble.. guess what.. that is pride.  Your focus has gone straight to yourself, which is the same thing that is addressed when scripture says not to draw attention to your appearance when you fast.. so you have simply slapped a different coat of paint to the same core issue... 

... which is attention being directed to man rather than God.

If God chooses to use your gifts, practices, or life to draw attention back to Himself so he receives Glory, we shouldn't be stopping this because of our own pride or our fear that people will view us as not being "humble".  When we walk out our call to Christ in boldness and humility, intentionally keeping our eyes focused on the Lord and our paths straight, we will impact our lives and the lives of others... and it is only fair that God receives the glory that He deserves for the life He has brought you into.

Summary:

So... my response...

If you revealing your fast brings God glory, use discernment and share about it if it is appropriate.

If you are not sharing about your fast for a false sense of "humility", reconsider who your focus is on, because it is likely that your are putting yourself and your public "christian" image before God.

If you are sharing about your fast for selfish reasons.. Congratulations!  You just figured out something more to struggle through during you fast, and it is very likely that if you surrender your pride, God will fill you with humility and boldness over time.

Peace,

3.08.2010

dragon's milk and crude stereotypes

  
Story:

I was at The Happy Gnome last night... which is one of my favorite places in Saint Paul to enjoy good company and great beer.

While I was enjoying the evening with a couple of my buds we noticed that there was a bit of commotion at the bar.  Apparently the bartender had left a tap running and had to leave the bar for some unknown reason.

So there it sat...  A glass beginning to overflow with an adequately delicious stout called Dragon's Milk.  At first the dark liquid began spilling over the side of the glass and forming a pool at it's base.  The tap was only slightly open which added a dramatic note to this entire experience.  The pool began to swell as the light from the bar shimmered against the darkness of the beer and becamed framed by the deep burgundy wood of the bar.  It was both beautiful and tragic as the darkness began to cascade from the bar and spilled onto the floor.

As this took place, a number of observers began lamenting the tragic waste and felt helpless in their ability to intervene.  Patrons began squirming in their seats as agony and confusion began seeping in... until one man made the move.  A savior began his bold journey to a place where he did not belong, but does respect greatly.  As this man found himself behind the bar at The Happy Gnome he reached out and with one precisely coordinated gesture he caused the cascade of stout to recede. When my buddy made his way back to our booth, he was admired by all those who had witnessed the tragedy of the overflow and the heroic efforts of the one who would put an end to that tragedy.

The bartender, having seen the final moments of this heroic feat, even bought a drink for this man of greatness, and the night continued on as we sat together, enjoying good company and great beer.

Application:

Too often we remain merely the spectators... fully capable of making a difference but lacking the willingness to do so.  Arguably, those who pride themselves with the greatest moral values should also be the ones leading the way in physical acts of compassion, equality, and redemption.. yet, too often this is not the case.  We seem to either point out the problems and remain seated or ignore the problems because we are too focused on ourselves or those within our immediate circle.  Sadly, the large amount of cultural segregation between christian and unchristian often implies that those within the immediate circle of christian influence are christian.  We have become a very comfortable, incestuous, and self-centered product, for a movement based on a mandate to go and make disciples of all nations.

Here are some categories christians can fall into.

the ignorant christian:  Unaware of their surroundings, the ignorant christian has not been exposed to the needs that exist in the world.  They may be physically, mentally, or emotionally removed from such startling realities, but the fact remains they are ignorant to them.  Their lack of knowledge is likely do to a poor job of shepherding by their spiritual leader... these people are not necessarily in fault, for they know no better.. but if they do become aware of their call to follow Christ.. they can no longer claim ignorance as their guard.

the complacent christian: Unlike the ignorant christian, the complacent christian has become aware of the responsibilities included in following Christ.  They are now responsible to obey their mandate to administer love in tangible ways and to bring the truth of Christ to those who are still unchristian.  It is also quite likely they have become aware of the injustice that exists in this world.  The complacent christian chooses to not respond to these needs though.  Possibly because they feel overwhelmed, possibly because it is not a part of the christian sub-culture, possibly because they are not being shepherded in it.. regardless... they are aware and uninvolved.. they are responsible to act, and lack of their lack of action could be classify them as guilty of refusing their call.

the responsible christian: There is a thin line between the complacent christian and the responsible christian.  The responsible christian is the same as the complacent christian insofar as they are aware of their call to respond to the needs of the world and to be salt and light in the midst of a hurt and dying world.  The difference is that the responsible christian will provide lip service to the needs in the world and become an advocate for action.  They will speak of the importance of being outreached focused and even be able to tell you about the latest cool justice oriented ministry featured in Relevant Magazine. They have seen "Invisible Children" 8 times, and thought "Call and Response" was way cool and insightful.  They will voice their frustrations with the church and it's lack of movement... of which they are equally responsible.  You see, the responsible christian has taken on the guilt of the broken world and manifested it into a voice.. but nothing more than a voice.  They feel responsible, and to speak up is how their guilt is relieved.. they will still not take any physical steps forward in actually pursuing a lifestyle of justice and compassion, as that would inconvenience them.  They will claim that "outreach" is a specific gift... when in actuality it is the call of anyone who would claim to follow Christ.  They are responsible not because of their actions but because they feel responsible to do something.. and while that does raise awareness.. it only provides lip service and never moves beyond that to action.


the Christ following christian: Like the responsible christian, the Christ following christian is aware of the call of Jesus and the darkness in the world.  They are also advocates for taking action and are likely well connected with the same NGO's that the responsible christian is.  Unlike the responsible christian, the majority of raised awarenss comes not from the Christ followers words, but from their lifetstyles and their actions.  They are intentionally living out the call of Christ and have decided to follow the footsteps of the one the claim as Lord of their lives and the hope of their salvation.  They worship God with their actions and because of this they are willing to sacrifice for the cause of Christ.  "Outreach" might not even be a word in their vocabulary, for there is no clear distinction between when the are intentionally piercing into the heart of darkness and when they are living life.  They will still share about the importance of intentionally loving the broken and lost and displaying compassion while pursuing justice, but it is a natural result of the life they have decided to live and the God they have decided to serve.  The Christ following christian is arguably, but likely, the rarest of the four crude stereotypes, but these are the ones that are demonstrating a physical example of what it looks like to follow Christ.

There might be other categories, but I think this pretty well sums things up.

We need more people willing to take action, and most of us won't even work up the boldness to shut off a tap.

3.01.2010

duck, duck, gray duck: V2.0 - 3 sites reviewed

I don't normally do this, but thanks to an insightful reader I decided to rewrite this entry to clarify my initial reason for posting it. So, this is Version 2.0.

DUCK

I recently had a conversation with some friends of mine.

During this conversation a particular website was brought up.. at which point I shook my head, covered my face, and laughed due to mild disbelief and shock.

I had completely forgotten about this site and have not visited this site in a long time, but apparently it still exists.

The basic concept of the site is to ensure that sheltered christians remain as innocent as doves while being as "plugged in" as a fetus.  If you didn't catch it, I just referenced the website.... "Plugged In Online" created by "Focus on the Family""

Their mission statement is summarized as "shining a light on the world of popular entertainment"

for simplicity's sake, I will focus on the movie review portion of their site.

PROS

This site is meant to review media and it's content, allowing for people to be aware of what you might be viewing should you see a particular movie.  The site will typically begin with a quick synopsis of the movie and then move into a content description with categories such as; "Positive elements, spiritual content, sexual content, violent content, crude or profane language, and drug and alcohol content"  The review will typically end with the critics overall opinion of the film.

CONS
 
Nearly every movie review over a "G" rating can be summarized the same way... something like this,

"Would have been and amazing movie if it didn't have that worldly influence... what a shame... what a dirty, dirty shame... skip this one"

Ok, maybe that's not entirely accurate...some of the "G" rated movies are reviewed this way too. (that was a joke... take it easy)

Really though, this is what I think are the negative aspects of this online tool.  I am not opposed to having movie and music reviews done from a christian perspective and there is some great potential in this whole thing... the problem comes when it perpetuates the ever increasing physical and cultural separation between those who follow Christ, and those who don't.  Though christians have been called to a different standard of living we have also been engage with those outsideof the walls of the church... even if it means we hear a swear word or two.

This website seems to focus on a specific demographic, I might be wrong but it is probably used mainly by conservative christians, or conservative christians with children they would like to protect and likely have a fear of engaging with "the world".

 I am not super conservative and I don't have children, so I might perceive this site differently than it's intended audience... but, this is what i see as a potential shortcoming of the site...

We live in a story-telling culture.  One of the main ways that we now tell stories is through media... whether books, music, or film... it is now how we express our beliefs and values as a people. If what this tool does is mainly keep people from hearing others stories because their content causes fear, than I argue that we are disengaging from hearing the stories of the very people, as christians, we have been called to connect with.


 DUCK

 If you like YouTube but fear sinners, then you'll love...

GodTube

PROS

free online videos intended to offer a positive message.

CONS 

I see this site as the "testamints" of the internet.

It is nearly a comical parody of YouTube , and I am not sure it is necesary to slap a "jesus fish" on an already existing website.  Many, if not all of the videos presented on GodTube are also available on YouTube.  It disengages from the culture at large...   A bright light doesn't make much of an impact in an illuminated room but watch what happens in the midst of darkness, in the same way, I think a better use of the time and energy of people who care about GodTube would be to focus their energy in the YouTube world and share their videos and opinions there.  One of the YouTube features that draws attention and and allows for dialogue is the "comments" section, and I think that would be a better place to respectfully share opinions.

Pretty self explanatory, but once again... an example of what I think is an unnecessary segregation between the christian sub-culture and the culture it is supposed to be influencing.


GRAY DUCK

 Our third example looks a little different than the last two.

Musician Derek Webb is the founder of an online music site called noisetrade.

It is a revolutionary tool where fans can listen to and download good music for free... legally.

PROS

Although Derek is a Christian, the website is not limited to only christian artists!  Oh my!  Instead, it is a venue where artists are able to get their name and music spread to people who appreciate it and will likely support and promote them in the future.  It used to allow you to choose either telling 5 friends about the artist or paying what you want, but recently changed to download for free or pay what you'd like as a tip.

A christian artist founded a website that is beneficial to the music community while at the same time progressive.. and it does not go against christian values.  weird.

CONS

There are not enough christian influenced sites like this...



This is something I would like to see more of.  It is an example of christians providing a new way of doing things.. using our creativity and gifts to benefit others, being leaders in the arts and using our passions to show a different way.  I think that we have for too long limited ourselves to the DUCK approach... which is basically doing the same things as everyone else, just not as good and in a sheltered environment.  we need more GRAY DUCK ways of thinking... where we look different but it is good because we are the ones moving ahead and making a difference.

So, I recommend that you check all three of these sites out, I am admittedly quite critical, and there are probably some good things about all three if you are looking to find them.... but still i look forward to the time where there are more GRAY DUCKS out there... know of any others?


I know my initial review of the sites was pretty harsh, if you had the chance to read them, and some of it was intentionally over the top, and I am not trying to bash christians for standing up in their beliefs. 
I am trying to get the candles out of the fully illuminated rooms and into the darkness where they make a difference, and trying to encourage the salt to come out of the ocean. The more that talented christians use their gifts in the larger society, which is a culture consisting of an unchristian majority,  the more potential there is to have a positive influence and to actually shine lights in dark places. The first two sites, while very similar to other online sites, are an example of a christian site that is hoping to reach a majority christian audience... this in and of itself is not a bad thing.. It becomes a bad thing when the majority of sites by christians are aimed at christians, which is what has in fact happened... even my blog, momentum, falls into this category. The third site is aimed at a larger majority but still has christian influence and in the long run has a greater potential to reach people who are not proclaimed christians. This is what I think we need more of if we are to be effective in ministry.

2.24.2010

verify this

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Thanks Technorati!

God hates toast

If you are an amazing Canadian man, you might recognize this title.

I have a buddy named Dallas.

Dallas is Canadian... and amazing, even by Canadian rule, which is far more strict in recognizing someone as awesome.

Well, he has a foto album entitled "God hates toast" and I have always found that title amusing so i thought i would try to construct an entry off of it.

Maybe a top ten list would suffice.... So, with toast as a standard,  I hereby submit the top 20 inanimate objects that God might hate.


The top 20 inanimate objects that God might hate.
  1. lint
  2. hand lotion
  3. post-its
  4. dead cats
  5. fingernail clippings
  6. plastic cups
  7. eye boogers
  8. macs
  9. popcorn
  10. bad coffee
  11. clothing from the 1980's
  12. candy corn
  13. mechanical pencils
  14. pudding
  15. ironing boards
  16. bananas
  17. mayonnaise
  18. light beer
  19. feathers
  20. toast
This might be my most insightful entry to date.

2.23.2010

dangerous anthems



When we hear a talented musician play something amazing and fresh we do not say that music is doing a "new thing".

Music is interesting in that while it is experienced by physical senses, it somehow crosses between the natural and supernatural. Some argue that music is discovered rather than created... all the sounds and rhythms are out there, but we need to find them and piece them together. Music would exist without people, but it is through people that we realize music exists.

When we hear a talented musician play something amazing and fresh we say that the musician is doing a new thing... and we can describe what it is they are doing.

Quite a while ago I had a conversation with a pastor of a local congregation. During our time together I was describing to him something that I had been processing and had some concerns about. During this conversation I ended up using the phrase "dangerous anthems" to describe what I had been witnessing.

To give a brief description...


dangerous anthem: [deyn-jer-uhs - an-thuhm] -noun

1. A blanket statement with biblical truth used to justify an individuals actions, often times overriding question and accountability.

Just to give an example, I will pick one such anthem that causes me alarm...

"God is doing a new thing"

This statement in itself is not entirely inaccurate. I think that God inspires and moves people to begin new works quite frequently.

It becomes a dangerous anthem when paired with other symptoms.

It is not as though the eternal and everlasting Creator of the universe just realized one day that what He had started out doing was no longer right. Like He had made a mistake and decided that His initial trajectory was miscalculated and he had to change what He was doing in order to start "a new thing".

He didn't just say "oops. sorry. let me try that again.... "

but... sometimes it seems that people believe that has happened and will justify actions based on the dangerous anthem. UnGodly changes can be made because of a small nugget of truth used inappropriately.

To some degree, I think that music operates in a similar fashion to how God does. God is unchanging although unpredictable. In theory, we are supposed come to understand more about God through the people who claim to follow Him. Sadly this is not often the case, but in theory... it's how it is supposed to work.

Apparently we have a lot of bad musicians and equally impressive christians.

anyhow,

Sometimes a little nugget of truth will be stumbled upon, used out of context, and cause hurt and confusion.

That is a dangerous anthem.

Dangerous anthems also are dangerous because of how vague they tend to be.

The lack of specifics is a cause for alarm.

"God is doing a new thing" could mean anything, and justify any changes that are made... for better or worse.

A more accurate statement would be "we are doing a new thing and feel God is behind it" Although that doesn't quite have the same tribal ring to it when paired up with some djembes and acoustic guitars in a emotionally lit room.

or better yet " We are now doing _______________ and feel God is behind it because ___________"

I know... crazy concept. Actually describe what the new thing is and your reasoning behind it, turning it from a concept blindly shouted out and into a reality, and taking responsibility for your actions... not very romantic, but much healthier and appropriate.

So beware of dangerous anthems, bad music, and change your undies frequently... cause you never know when you will get in a car crash.

Peace.

2.12.2010

drink our filth



I just thought of this title, thought it was catchy and has potential to develop into a good entry, so I am going to write based on that. We'll see where it goes... could be a fun ride.

Yesterday I attended an alliance meeting for mission professionals in the Twin Cities. There was a speaker there who was a good communicator with some life experience, and he presented a few thoughts that were healthy reminders, if nothing else.

Darrow Miller

I had never heard of a person having this first name... Let's look it up.

done.

The boy's name Darrow \d(ar)-row\ is of Old English origin, and its meaning is "spear".

(the name meaning is not really relevant to this entry.. consider it an added bonus)

So... as the story unfolds, Darrow had three main points that have stayed with me.

1- The Great Commission is about making disciples of the nations. The main stress being of the nations. Encouraging discipleship to happen at every level of society, not just "in the hearts" of individuals.

2- The entire Bible needs to be explained for the significance of "Christ as Savior" to be understood within the appropriate culture and setting.

3- The church has not done a good job of telling the whole story. We often times take only the good news and try to insert it in the story of another culture... and it produces an odd bi-product.

Let's talk a bit more on 1 and 2.

try to follow along with this...

Let's say we have two books...

Book A

The Bible is telling the story of a specific culture, time, people etc. It is a historical and factual piece of literature. In this great work exists the great masterpiece of God sending his only son, Jesus Christ as an everlasting atonement for the sins of mankind, in order to create a new and lasting covenant between God and Man. The story begins before the events of the cross and ends after the events of the cross.

Book B

The historical and factual story of a different culture or sub-culture, whether they be Maasai, Argentinian, Rainbow Family, Canadian, etc.. etc... This culture has a history as well. The actions of the people are created from their past. They have specific ways of doing things and understanding things. Within these cultures exist subcultures that are just as unique. This book tells the deep and complex story of who these people are and what they believe.


So, what happens is the "Jesus part" of Book A gets inserted right in the middle of Book B. Ignoring the fact that it does not really have an appropriate context, the story of "sin and Jesus saving us from it" gets thrown into this culture. Someone at some point decided that was all that was needed. boom: disciple made.

Darrow went on to describe how this has happened in the United States...

What is the bi-product of placing the Jesus Story in the midst of a individualistic, materialistic, atheistic, convenience and performance based society?

Well, let's make a list of just a few things...

we have...
  • the prosperity gospel
  • apathetic "followers" who are christian by association
  • mega churches that focus on numbers and anonymity
  • performance based sensationalism in worship
  • disproportional focus inside of the church, compared to focus on surrounding community
  • lack of authentic community and intimacy inside of the church
  • alarming statistics from The Barna Group
Obviously, there are many other attributes of the USA church, both positive and negative... but that's not what my focus is in this entry.

This is my focus.

Because the United States of America has been a dominant and influential world power, the version of christianity that has grown in it has been widely spread to other parts of the world. Unfortunately, it is an often times tainted expression of the faith and we end up teaching the bad with the good... or just forcing the bad with the good, or just forcing the bad...

Throughout Matthew 23, Jesus had some strong words to say...

read through it

He is basically calling out the religious leaders for the way they have become tainted, and one illustration Jesus uses is that of a cup.

The outside of the cup is clean. The inside is dirty... tainted... filthy.

He stresses that you must clean the inside of the cup and not just the outside, otherwise the cup will still be dirty. What a shocker.

If I was washing dishes and someone felt they had to remind me to also wash the inside of the cups, it would be absolutely insulting...

unless...

I was only washing the outside of the cup. Moronic as that would be of me... a reminder would be absolutely appropriate.

We have become very good at cleaning the outside of the cup. A performance based culture is good at looking good and justifying our shortcomings.

The inside of the cup must be cleaned.

This begins by re-examining all of Book A. Seriously considering the significance of Jesus, considering the cost of following Christ, and taking the appropriate steps of obedience to that call and applying it to all of our Book B.

When we do this, we will be drinking from and able to present the water of life from a clean cup.. and no longer needing to tell others to...

"drink our filth"

2.10.2010

saturated by the smell of burnt rubber



I find myself saturated by the smell of burnt rubber.

In Minnesota we have this thing called "winter"

... or rather...

In the heart of winter you will find this concept that we have learned to call "Minnesota"

Recently, as my cousin phrased it.. "Jack Frost has decided to leave his excrement everywhere" meaning.. we have gotten a ton of snow... also, it has been pretty cold. Jack Frost has a case of Ganga Gut and has showered us with his fluffy and whimsical waste.

When the temp stays below a certain number and the sun decides to take a vacation, that snow will continue to pile up. Occasionally it will warm up just enough to melt the snow so that it can coll again and turn into some kind of super-material that is both a ridiculously strong adhesive and a freakishly slick surface.

Occasionally a car will be left unattended during one of these cycles, and it creates a bit of a nuisance to get unstuck. after a couple of these cycles it becomes a NASA sized problem. Three or more cycles.... the snow, the ice, and the car are no longer separate... an unholy and supernatural bond is formed that is nearly impossible to break.

My fiancée's car found itself deep into one of these unholy unions. She has been away from Minnesota, while her car remained in this frozen wasteland... and after about a month and a half.. this unidentifiable chunk of metal and ice was disturbed from it's deathly slumber only to find itself being attacked by a team of loyal winter warriors and a terrible battle ensued.

Not to draw out this ridiculously long and embellished story any more... but after a good hour of hard work and engineering... involving digging the car out of it's crystal grave, jumping the "Dirty Gurdy" (car name), trying to pull the beast out with "the black beauty" aka "the black pearl" (jeep name), melting the 6 inches of snow beneath the jeeps tires til I became saturated by the smell of burnt rubber, and eventually pulling some more manpower into the ordeal... did we finally release the ice princess from the arctic-cold iron grasp of Ol' Jack Frost.

what did we learn?

well, if I ever have grand kids I will probably fill them up with so many tall tales that "fluffy and whimsical waste" will be dripping out from their ears.

and

I think life is full of metaphors if we take the time to learn from simple things.

I think that we have negative things build up in our lives if we are not being active by either taking steps forward or being mindful of our surroundings and protecting ourselves from "the elements".

Too much of either one can be dangerous. if you are driving all the time you will probably not get frozen into the driveway.. but if you don't take a break you will eventually fall asleep at the wheel and crash into a ditch or another car, etc, etc...

However

If you never take your car out to drive you will end up getting snowed in and stuck... When the time comes where you are forced to move it will be painful, awkward, difficult, something might crawl into it and die... and there is a chance your battery will have lost it's charge somewhere along the way...

I think in regard to faith it is very easy to fall into one of these two categories.

Always moving

or
Always waiting

There are benefits to both moving and waiting, and finding a harmonious balance between the two is very important.

If we find ourselves always moving, we do run the risk of burning out, being too heavily goal or task oriented, losing track of why we are moving, comparing ourselves to others.. to name a few.

If we find ourselves always waiting it is easy to grow complacent, it becomes more difficult to take steps forward, we can focus too much on ourselves and seemingly "personal growth", we can lose accountability and fellowship, etc...

Now if we keep a balance of moving and waiting we can begin a harmonious rhythm that is sustainable and allows for true growth. We need to take steps forward and be active as followers of Christ while at the same time recognizing the need for a sabbath and for rest and meditation on God.

It kind of boils down to this...

Love God: Waiting on God and resting in Him. Taking time to increase in understanding of our call to follow Christ and growing in intimacy with God. Taking time to be realigned in understanding the cost of following Christ.

Love Others: Moving with God. Actually demonstrating your beliefs in tangible ways that have an actual impact outside of the community of believers. Hiding it under a bushel... no.


So... let's learn from the little things in life and continue to walk this thing out.