momentum

more on beer

2011-10-06T16:30:00.000-05:00

beer.

Can be such an amazing thing when it is crafted with quality ingredients from caring and experienced brewmasters and connoisseurs. The flavors and sensations created by this amazing beverage are extremely difficult to successfully replicate in other areas of cuisine. It is a drink to be deeply appreciative of and respected, and the process of creating this classy libation has been developed and refined over centuries of innovation to become a true art form that speaks in chorus to the senses.

At least, it was that...

...until prohibition put a sudden stop to what was an incredibly diverse and regionally defined network of small artisan brewers. After prohibition was overturned and beer was again legalized, it became heavily monitored by federal regulations. Initially this seemed a great idea, but a part of this regulation forced breweries to sell their product through a distributer, and that is still how beer gets from brewery to retailer to consumer. Unfortunately this was seen as a money making opportunity which is why 95% of beer sold through distributers is a product of Anheuser Busch (budweiser) , Coors, and Miller.... leaving us flooded by beer sporting the artistic equivalent of an ape farting colored chalk into a napkin, and an extreme reduction in quality.

Advertising proved to strong in this case, and it has made a lasting impact on a decline in appreciation of beer and the responsibility that partners a healthy respect of a quality product.

Recently, however, there has been a overall decline in beer sales in the USA. Interestingly though, this has only impacted the big tyrants (Miller and Coors have since merged together in an attempt to combat Budweiser.. and Bud has been bought by Belgian company InBev) And in contrast to the decline there has been an increase of smaller artisan breweries... "microbreweries" such as dogfish head, New Belgium, Boston Brewing Co (Sam Adams), and several others... in addition to this is an increase of home-brewing by beer loving individuals longing for a return to quality products. There has also been a rise in pubs that cater to interesting and quality beers... Muddy Pig and Happy Gnome of St. Paul are just two of my favorite examples.

I have frequently voiced my opinion about what i would call "good beer".

We are in a good place to return to a time of appreciation and artistry regarding this amazing craft... I urge you to begin doing some research.. fork out a few extra bucks for the quality beers, and help bring beer back to the respected and artistic foundations from which it has so tragically fallen. Cheers.

stinky cheese, ice cream, and big cities

2011-09-22T11:28:00.002-05:00

I don't think it is unusual for us to think back on situations, locations, and experiences form our past and produce a kind of glorified alternative to reality in our mind. This is usually met with some kind of disappointment when the idealistic reproduction comes face to face with the real thing...

example: Nelsons ice cream in Stillwater. A place that amazes you when you are a kid, or when you go there for your very first time and see the outrageous amount of amazing ice cream they dish out for you and the wide variety of flavors you are permitted to select from. After going there my first time I was mentally hooked and the reality grew to a legend in my mind... it is still a place that exists, and they still serve up the same outlandish scoops of quality ice cream.. but now there is a part of me that ponders why a human would ever want to eat as much ice cream as they give you.. and how someone manages to do that without coating the entirety of their body with milky sugar goo... I would probably get their most moderate size if I were to return there.. just because it makes more sense to me...

and then there are the times when the reality perfectly matches what you remember.

example: Sap Sago cheese. What? you have never heard of it... not unusual.. all you need to know is that somehow in my childhood it became a common treat for my family to enjoy. The stuff stinks like skunk dander and has a mild green tint to it... it is a hard aged cheese that you eat it by finely shaving or grating it and placing a spoon full of it on a buttered cracker, or whatever else you want to be amazing.. often people will say that it makes their tongue or lips itch.. because it does. I had not had this treat in over a decade and was just treated to some again recently. It perfectly met my expectations of it in every way... many things have changed since then in my life but Sap Sago has remained consistent and amazing.

finally, we have those things that are even better than we remember...

example: About a year ago, my wife and I moved out of the city and live about 45 minutes away in the countryside... I often will think back to how great living in the city was, we are closer to friends, family, good beer and music, coffee shops, culture not involving wrangler jeans... and the list seems to continually grow. Because a trip back to the city means an hour and a half of driving, we tend to limit ourselves for special occasions. Recently, we had a reason to return, and it was glorious.. but somehow all the wonderful things I had in my mind about the city didn't meet the reality of it. It was somehow even better than I remembered...

I don't know why the mind glorifies, maintains, or diminishes our memories.. but the trip to the city was a bittersweet surprise.

seasons

2011-09-19T16:28:00.001-05:00

One of the many beautiful aspects of living in Minnesota is that I get to experience an extremely clear difference in everything when the seasons change. Each is distinct and we have just slipped into my personal favorite..

Autumn.

The crispness in the air, the way darker beer pipe tobacco seem to pique my attention, the changing of the trees from mundane greens to vibrant expressions of oranges and reds.. it is all quite lovely. I guess I am wired in a similar fashion... a little variety tends to keep me feeling fresh and energized. I also think that we have different "seasons" in our lives, and that as those seasons change they invite us to change with them.

I also think that how we react to a change of "seasons" is more important than the specificity of the "season" we are in...

So, if you have some dark beer, I invite you to raise your glass to being one who thrives in the midst of change and pursues growth in hardship rathe than retreat. I think this Autumn will be a good one, either way it is the only Autumn I have this year, so I'm gonna give it all I got.

grease brain fire

2011-07-12T23:07:00.003-05:00

Active minds are tough to turn off.

I'd imagine that in extreme cases it is like trying to put out a grease triggered oven fire. It is interesting to me how complicated the mind is and how intricately weaved together it must be. Equally as interesting is how such a complicated masterpiece can be so easily entertained and satisfied. Granted, this is possibly declining due to the barrage of sensory stimulation that is sweeping into society, but maybe it is not declining... maybe it is getting worse.

It is funny how the active and creative minds of few can produce gadgets and trends that will subdue the masses into zom-like lethargy.

So, I raise my glass to those minds still active. And bid you continue to stimulate that potential for greatness as you strive to learn, grow, create, and understand. And to the rest of you... you probably will never read this entry unless someone tweetbooks it to your facepod.

(ps- picture was first to pop into google image search when typing in "grease brain fire" apparently it is some kid named "Nate", he might read this blog, but probably not... idiot)

tanned leather and tire treads

2011-06-30T16:21:00.002-05:00

It is interesting to me how I can often times take something for granted for such an extended period of time and it is not until a sudden change jars my perception that I am able to remember why I was once truly appreciative of said thing.

On a hot and humid Minnesota day, I miss my sandals.

These good ol' reliable friends have traveled with me for years through continents and time in terrain ranging from red Kenyan earth to Argentinian cobblestone. Just a couple of days earlier did they take one step closer to retirement. They might still be salvaged, but optimism will wane over time. The curious part of my recent loss is that it is on a day when they would be most highly valued that their memory is most haunting. This is, of course, a normal reaction and something that we all deal with..... and it happens with something as minimal as footwear as well as something as indescribable as the longing to be with a loved one that has passed.

Our days bring us surprises and our memories will be awakened by experiences yet to be encountered.

We are a complicated and beautiful design.

peaches and dead kitties....

2011-06-24T11:07:00.000-05:00

As the crimson scales haunt a vacant wine glass after the opulent nectar has vanished into memory, so have my many excuses for failing to upkeep this posting source run dry.

Excuses are interesting little peaches.

Parasitic in their very nature, an excuse will cling onto the very heart of an idea and suck from it all life and potential in a very subtle and obvious manner.

Obvious, because we can rarely deceive ourselves with excuses... we know we are making them and allowing them to run our actions, albeit in small incremental portions.

Subtle, because they become the water in our fish bowl... our movement, or lack there of, is determined by all these little aquatic peaches being absorbed into our psyche.

let's taste the bittersweet familiarity of some of these peaches

"this is the last time"

"if only... then...."

"someday"

"I would... but..."

"Could've"

There are many other samples as well, but some of the culprits listed above are certainly a small portion of the dilemma.

The dilemma: Excuses curb creativity and movement. Progress loses to fear, the proverbial kitten of hope is drowned in the proverbial and peachy waters of complacency. You lose, I lose, we lose.

Solution: Stop drowning kittens in peach juice...

although, why not start tomorrow.. after all it's been a long day.

the lovers, the dreamers, and you

2010-06-09T12:53:00.000-05:00

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.

recycled culture: the sin of skinny jeans

2010-06-01T15:06:00.000-05:00

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.

spring cleaning: shaking off the dust

2010-05-19T14:55:00.000-05:00

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.

raindrops and metal: ride the spring showers

2010-05-18T16:54:00.003-05:00

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.

cartoons for adults: guest blog five

2010-05-14T15:00:00.000-05:00

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 200^th 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)

throwing logs: guest blog four

2010-05-11T19:03:00.002-05:00

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 )

my mom is my hero: guest blog three

2010-04-20T19:17:00.000-05:00

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 )

naked holy men: guest blog two

2010-04-15T17:23:00.001-05:00

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" )

curing excess: guest blog one

2010-04-12T23:24:00.000-05:00

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)

deal with this: guest bloggers

2010-04-07T12:18:00.000-05:00

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!

prayer shawls and sex toys

2010-03-31T14:18:00.000-05:00

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.

crapping the bed

2010-03-26T14:09:00.001-05:00

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...

thorns and blue birds

2010-03-19T12:11:00.000-05:00

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.

death and life: I see flowers

2010-03-12T12:03:00.000-06:00

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.

starve my pride: thoughts on fasting

2010-03-10T16:56:00.000-06:00

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,

dragon's milk and crude stereotypes

2010-03-08T19:35:00.009-06:00

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.

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

2010-03-01T19:04:00.155-06:00

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.

verify this

2010-02-24T18:24:00.002-06:00

67HG3CFXDPKK

Thanks Technorati!

God hates toast

2010-02-24T09:47:00.001-06:00

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.

lint
hand lotion
post-its
dead cats
fingernail clippings
plastic cups
eye boogers
macs
popcorn
bad coffee
clothing from the 1980's
candy corn
mechanical pencils
pudding
ironing boards
bananas
mayonnaise
light beer
feathers
toast

This might be my most insightful entry to date.

dangerous anthems

2010-02-23T16:24:00.014-06:00

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.

drink our filth

2010-02-12T10:26:00.013-06:00

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"

saturated by the smell of burnt rubber

2010-02-10T16:29:00.013-06:00

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.

awkward pants: fashion and community

2010-02-04T13:17:00.009-06:00

I was sitting in my office recently when I heard a conversation in the next room that caused my ears to perk. It was filled with a bunch of "exciting" buzz words like "community" and "discipleship" and "cluster" and "huddle". The whole purpose of the conversation seemed to be trying to find ways of recreating a feeling of intimacy within a church structure designed for anonymity. this is a big task.. and to hear the bits of conversation was humorous in an ironic sort of way.

The whole concept kind of reminds me of pre-worn fake-ripped cookie cutter-faded jeans.

Do you remember when you would go to the store and find a standard pair of jeans. You had some options... the right cut, color, brand, and size... you know, the basics.

Once you had the right pair of jeans it was up to you and life to determine how they would take on a unique look.

That small rip that you patched it up has a story behind it.... and you can tell it.

Why yes that is a paint stain, because I was painting in these jeans and some dripped... you might also appreciate the oil stain near it.

That mild discoloration in the denim? It is from dirt, sweat, and life...

The faded denim was a symbol of months, maybe years of commitment and bonding... If you had bought them that way it would have been awkward, but because they shaped to you, they are familiar... and you are dreading the point at which the knees bust apart, because you know that at a certain point... jeans are just done and you will have to start with a fresh pair and allow life to shape them uniquely.

Then one day... somebody decided to skip the important part and sell an imposter. The pre-worn fake-ripped cookie cutter faded-jeans entered the scene... the worst thing to happen to denim since the words "acid" and "washed" decided to join forces and asked the 80's for fashion advice.

There they hang... out of place. There is no unique history behind the alterations... the person who buys them has no commitment or past with them... and it is very apparent. They just look bad and wrong and terribly awkward on people.... and are stupid.

... and lame.

The real thing is much better, but takes time and commitment.

I think the same is true for intimacy within a small group of people. We can structure things efficiently, and use the right group-building resource pack, and be strategic in cultivating community through our advertising and terminology... some of that might guide things in a good direction. At the end of the day though, intimacy takes time, commitment, shared experiences, converstaion, etc... Building a community is not a clean and simple process... it is messy and it takes real sacrifice.

Your jeans won't fade or rip or get paint stains if you don't put them on and live life.

Your community will not take on a unique shape or grow in intimacy unless you are willing to do the work it takes to allow change to take place.

If true sacrifice and self-disclosure are not involved, the closest thing you will have to "community" is the pre-worn fake-ripped cookie cutter-faded jeans version of it... and that is just awkward.

authenticity is a good thing.

eastwestern christianity 101

2010-01-20T16:31:00.012-06:00

Well.. this entry will be putting an end to what has been my longest writing break for months now. I have been pretty busy though between getting engaged and traveling to India and back.

I am in MN again now and hopefully have some thoughts in my head that are worth sharing with you. I think that I had promised a part 3 to my previous posts... that might still come at some point.. but this is not that point. I'm going to talk a little bit about something else.

What if the "western" process of thinking and understanding is limiting our ability to truly live out a life of devotion to Jesus? That would be a pretty significant thing to find out, if you ask me. What if in our attempt to understand and methodically capture a concrete understanding of faith and God, we have saturated our perspective with an overly structured and limited approach to spirituality and have built ourselves into a cage that is essentially restricting a more complete understanding of the good news and it's intended holistic application?

I think one big issue that christian's in the United States of America face is that faith easily becomes a segmented part of life, and that piece of life has formed into it's own sub-culture. The majority of American christian's are able to clearly draw the line between what is their "faith life" and what is their "______" life. Which seems to go against the whole point of following Christ.

well... that's enough of an entry for me... kinda short. kinda sweet? maybe. I'll write again soon.

Peace.

a tiger and his six-year-old - Part II

2009-12-17T19:44:00.001-06:00

This series is inspired by a Calvin and Hobbes comic that touches on an important concept. If I remember correctly from my bathroom reading, the first picture is of Calvin having recently caught a butterfly in a glass jar. The second frame Hobbes somberly comments "If people could put rainbows in zoo's, they'd do it". The third frame is of Calvin looking contemplative, holding an empty glass jar high in the air and the butterfly fluttering away to freedom.

Last entry talked about the negative effects of replicating cheaper versions of beautiful creations such as art, food, and music.

This entry will deal with something far more serious.

orangutans

... not really. It will deal with faith and maybe love... and possibly we will touch into the primate realm, but don't get your hopes up.

I want to clarify something before I go any further in this post though. My argument is not that having wide spread access to beauty is a bad thing. It is an observation of the negative impact that this widespread availability can have when....

A: we lose our appreciation of the beauty because we have become numb to it.

B: we begin settling for cheap or false imitations of authentic beauty.

C: we can no longer differentiate between the authentic and the artificial.

If inspiration was found from somebody hearing Beethoven's 5th and it pushed them into a creative frenzy which led to yet another masterpiece being produced... that would not be a bad thing. It would be a bad thing if because you heard Beethoven's 5th your entire life, you never learned to appreciate what a beautiful piece of art it is. Make sense?

application:

So, most of you probably already see the connection to faith that exists with this concept.

Let's use the Gospel as an example.

Is it a bad thing that the Gospel is very widespread and available for many people to receive?

No, not a bad thing at all.

Is it a bad thing when a snot nosed kid goes through Sunday school, confirmation, all the bible camps, church retreats and mission trips, and eventually finds their way to a college campus and realizes that for the past eighteen years of their life they were simply being sent down a giant feel-good conveyor belt with a wwjd fish sticker slapped on it?

Yes, it is a bad thing.

and hey... guess what. this happens. a lot.

When I was in India last year one of the missionaries there made an interesting comment about the United States. He said something like "You are so clean you are making yourselves sick". This was referencing our lack of natural immunity because of our sterilized environments and how when we get out of those settings our bodies will often suffer more harm than they normally should because we never had an opportunity to allow our natural defenses to be built up.

Cleanliness is a good thing though? right?

I guess so, but when you realize that eventually you will find your way into a dirty environment you better be prepared to handle your surroundings appropriately.

Sometimes when we have exposure to something foreign or "bad" there is a change that takes place in us that allows us to survive. Physically you can see this happen when you get a flu shot... what makes the shot beneficial is that a small amount of the flu virus is placed in your body and it triggers your immune system and allows your body to become aware of a real potential threat and from this awakening of the flu as a threat, your body is now able to identify it and fight against it.

Another way to avoid getting the flu is to stay submerged in a bathtub filled with bleach and to use a filtered snorkel to help you maintain your breathing.

I think that many student ministries (parents included) use the bathtub of bleach approach to "discipleship" ( read-protecting) . They make sure their youth are constantly surrounded by the "right" friends, in the "right" school, listening to the "right" music... etc, and in most cases "right" can be roughly translated into "safe". Instead of holding hands with someone older and wiser and walking through a full spectrum of life, they only experience a very small and controlled glimpse of one specific picture of life. The result is that when they inevitably are forced to deal with opposition or danger, they are not prepared to stand on their own two legs and many times turn against the thing that has retarded their development... in this example, it is the church.

Jesus didn't do things like that. He made sure the disciples experienced the good, the bad, the rich, the poor, the joyful times, the times of mourning etc. As he walked his disciples through life, he was able to teach them and prepare them for a time when they would be on their own. Jesus did not use the bathtub of bleach technique... he gave his disciples a shot in the arm and said "this is real life, it doesn't feel good all the time and it is not going to. Remember that you are walking out my example, my love, my grace, and sharing my message to the lost and hurting with your words and actions. Now go out there and get your hands dirty because you know where to find me when you are bloodied and bruised and need to be bandaged up, and remember that through it all I will continue growing in my love for you" - (I think that is in "the message" version of Luke)

His life was set an example of true beauty, and demonstrated practically what the gospel looks like.

The majority of christians have settled for a cheaper more widespread version of the life we were called to live.

Bleach that.

translation:

A: we lose our appreciation of the beauty because we have become numb to it: The truth of salvation in Christ is absolutely beautiful. Our lives demonstrating freedom through Christ are just as beautiful and are a powerful testimony to who our God is. When we only see an environment that "celebrates" this or, at minimum claims it, we very quickly grow numb to the beautiful truth we are living in. This is even more the case if you have grown up within the system. This is an example of our faith changing from a belief to a sub-culture. We must be in "the world" in order to walk out our calling in obedience. It also reminds us of why the gospel really is good news.

B: we begin settling for cheap or false imitations of authentic beauty. When we simply begin protecting ourselves from the world instead of being a light in the midst of darkness, we are settling for a cheap imitation of our call. The Jesus of Suburbia talks about this concept. It argues that we have settled for a cheap and watered down imitation of Christ and in doing so we have settled for a cheap and watered down version of Christianity. I would agree.

C: we can no longer differentiate between the authentic and the artificial. The comfortably fear driven and gluttonous country club housewife who prays to Jabez for more Oil of Osteen and won't buy a cup of coffee from a "secular" store or give a dime toward a ministry that allows people with tattoos or minorities to do the work of the Lord, and is starting an anti-brothas to mothas team, can call herself a christian. The Apostle Paul is called a christian. Maybe that was a bad example? Basically, the cost of following Christ has lowered significantly since Jesus was walking the earth and demonstrating to us just what it meant to be his disciple, but we are still all put in the same category of "christian".

Ok... that is enough for now. we will approach "love" in part three perhaps?

Meanwhile, as usual, anyone who wants to give feedback is always invited...

... any bleach-babies out there?

a tiger and his six-year-old - Part I

2009-12-15T19:20:00.007-06:00

There is a Calvin and Hobbes comic that touches on an important concept. If I remember correctly from my bathroom reading, the first picture is of Calvin having recently caught a butterfly in a glass jar. The second frame Hobbes somberly comments "If people could put rainbows in zoo's, they'd do it". The third frame is of Calvin with a delightful smile, holding an empty glass jar high in the air and the butterfly fluttering away to freedom.

I have learned a few things from my times with this unlikely pair, but this is one of the most profound illustrations that has left an impression on me.

I think it is true that when we find a good thing we are often times tempted to duplicate it or contain it in hopes of preserving the beauty we experience with it. We certainly do this with physical things... we recreate cheaper versions of beautiful art in hopes of spreading it to a wider audience, we record and distribute beautiful pieces of music at ease, we go to a restaurant chain that serves the same spectrum of food whether you are in Nairobi, Panama City, or Minneapolis.

We duplicate and distribute beauty freely...

...but...

...in doing so, have we lost our true appreciation of what is beautiful?

There was a time where you could not hang the Mona Lisa on your wall.

There was a time where Beethoven's 5th could only be experienced in a packed music hall.

There was a time when Curry could not be found in Minnesota.

It is hard for me to believe that I have the same appreciation for these expressions of art and beauty that I would if they were not readily available to me. It is extremely easy for us to lose our respect and cheapen our experience because of our abundance.

It is not so much that we have put a rainbow in a zoo. Rather, we have decided to make artificial rainbows and have them available every minute of every day to whoever can afford them. We didn't put the butterfly in a jar... we just made a cheaper version of the butterfly and flooded our streets with an overabundance of them.

love.

If we did this with music, art, and food.. do you really think that we would limit ourselves to simply replicate and cheapen the physically beautiful pieces of life...

Have we decided not to do this with the heart of true beauty, but limited it only to the work of our hands?

I would argue that we have not limited it at all.

The physical manifestations of this idea are very apparent, but the emotional and spiritual impacts are just as real, and we will talk about those in my next blog.

bacon and karma

2009-12-03T14:34:00.006-06:00

bacon:

noun

Etymology: Germanic origin

meaning: The smoked or cured side of a pig.

karma:

noun

Etymology: Sanskrit

meaning: The force generated by a person's actions held in Hinduism and Buddhism to perpetuate transmigration and in its ethical consequences to determine the nature of the person's next existence.

I feel like I understand bacon pretty well. It is not a very complicated concept to grasp... and it is delicious. Because I understand bacon, I have no problem talking about bacon with other people or explaining what it is like to someone who still needs to be enlightened. Even if I did not like bacon, I feel like I am familiar enough with it that if someone else were to bring it up in conversation and told me how much they liked bacon I would be able to relate to them and understand why they feel the way they do about bacon. I have a pretty healthy understanding of bacon.

I am not an expert in this area, but karma seems to be a little more complicated than bacon. Also I would argue that, on a whole, karma has a greater influence in peoples theology than bacon does. I also think that people with religious beliefs that do not subscribe to the idea of karma are very quick to dismiss it without taking the time to understand why it is that other people embrace the idea. Things like this often times produce barriers rather than bridges... and I like to think that as a follower of Christ, I should be in the business of bridge building.

A friend of mine, Mark Herringshaw, seems to also care about this.

He recently wrote a book entitled

The Karma of Jesus

In this book, Mark looks at two normally separated areas in life: karma and grace.

The book is based off of a chance conversation that he had with a young man with a lot of questions. Karma and Christ are the focus of this conversation and as Mark recalls this event he draws some interesting conclusions of how the concept of karma interacts with the concept of grace. I read through this book last month and was interested to hear how grace and karma would fit together.

I feel as though I am able to better understand different ways of thinking after reading through his book and learning more about the history and application of karma. It definitely feels more like bacon than it did before.

Now, I have never done this before... but I am going to try something new...

Mark has offered to donate 2 copies of his book to readers of momentum, and I am going to make you work for them. so this is the deal...

The Deal

In the comment section beneath this blog, leave your most interesting, amusing, outrageous story dealing with Karma.

In one week I will pick two winners to receive a free copy of Mark's book based on the comment/stories that are left.

So... get going! leave some feedback! Win a free book!

Building bridges, eating bacon, understanding karma.

just that simple, just that easy.

Peace.

community mold, bonfires, and pianos.

2009-12-02T16:35:00.004-06:00

I haven't posted in a bit... Life just got busy and beautiful.

I have been thinking about many things, one of which is how individualistic our society is. I am currently living in a house with three other guys, it is a pretty great setup. We are all quite different, but we all get along well and have been living in this house for almost 2 years now... really?.... wow.

Living this way is a little more complicated, but it is also extremely valuable. I will happily have someone use my detergent if it means I can afford to live in a place that has a washer and dryer. I would much rather deal with doing other peoples dishes if it means that I get to enjoy bonfires in the backyard. I sometimes have to clear out mold specimens from the fridge, but I have a piano in my living room. Yes, there is compromise that goes into an arrangement like this, but it is also an awesome environment to be in.

We live this way for a few reasons... one is that we are all a bit short of cash... kind of poor (obviously not poor in a global perspective, but still). We are all educated and have jobs, but still we have found that it would be tough to get by on our own, and 4 "kind of poor people" can pool their resources together and live in a much nicer place than they could otherwise afford. We get to live in a house, we have a kitchen, a basement, an upstairs, our own rooms, a living room, dining room... and that is awesome.

Also, we have each other. Our "night out" is the current standard of life. whether we are enjoying a bonfire, having a pint at the blue door, watching a movie in the basement, playing music in the living room... we live with our friends in a community.

Also, we are 4 single guys, so this is just a "bachelor pad" and is seen as a socially acceptable living arrangement. People have done this before us and will continue to live this way.

I've been living this way to some extent for the past 6-7 years locally and internationally, and now the thought of being outside a community like this is rather unattractive and foreign.

Granted, 4 single guys living together is looked at differently than other gender and relational dynamics... but is it really all that different of a concept? To live in a community and share life with others in a better environment does not sound like a bad deal at all.. married, single, whatever. I understand that having our own space is important... but do you really need a three level house for just the two of you? Doesn't that feel empty? Wouldn't there be something special about having those empty rooms and quiet hallways filled with a bit more life, and to be able to share with one another and to learn how to live in harmony with each other?

When we learn the value of sharing resources and working through compromise, it has been my experience that we see something beautiful come as a result.

Well, those are just a few thoughts on the topic, this entry wasn't too in depth.. but as usual, I hope it has given you something to ponder. Peace.

parasitic water and toothless smiles

2009-11-18T16:56:00.005-06:00

Last night I got back from Mexico.

I went with a bud of mine named Josh. Josh is on staff at the same church I work at and oversees the middle school ministry. Josh will be bringing a group of soon-to-be-ninth-graders there this summer. Yikes. Please pray for him.

We went there and scoped things out. Since I have spent some time in Latin America, I also went with to make sure Josh was not left to be feasted on by the Chupacabra. I also had the opportunity to visit some missionaries that our church supports and to see the ministry they are a part of. It is called Esperanza Viva, it is located in Puebla, Mexico and it is quite amazing.

Puebla is about a two hour bus ride away from Mexico City and is surrounded by mountains, there is even an active volcano right close by... the journey there is amazing as long as you can avoid whatever movie is contaminating the environment. We were treated to "peaceful warrior" ... Kind of like the karate kid meets gymnastics.. which starred Nick Nolte as Mr. Miagi.

While Puebla is very beautiful... there is one underlying piece of it that complicates things... nobody drinks the water in Puebla. Not even the Chupacabra. Seriously... nobody can drink the water in Puebla. It is far too contaminated. It is not a matter of adjusting to be able to drink the water... Nobody drinks the water in Puebla.

In Puebla, bottled water is more expensive than Coca cola. When this is the case you can start to see how people are changed because of their surroundings. Given enough Coke and enough time your teeth will rot out of your mouth.

Did you know that you can use a Coke soaked cloth in order to loosen a rusty bolt?

It's also good for cleaning toilets.

So.. we've got a bunch of people pouring a tasty and wretched concoction into their mouths instead of something pure, clean, and rejuvenating. This troubles me.

I know I don't drink enough water. I have access to it, and maybe after writing this, I'll start drinking it more often.. but I am free to partake in something that is a basic human need, and although I have access to it, I don't really care about it, or think about it often, or drink it with the thanks that I should. I can get it for free and it is all around me, so why should I care?

When we remember what it is like to be without water... we begin to appreciate it.

After we have been out in the sun and our mouths are dried out... we care.

When we visit a mission and are allotted our 5 gallons to bathe with for the day... we care

when we are dehydrated from vomiting all day and slowly going insane in our concrete prison of a hostel, as we desperately search for just one little drop of water from the bone dry bottles on the floor... we care.. and we are willing to do nearly anything to get the water we need. We flip into survival mode... and we run out into the night looking for water. (some of you know it as the "both ends" story)

Most people reading this are in the same situation that I am right now. We have water and we often take it for granted. I am actually getting thirsty as I write this, so i am going to get some water right now.

refreshing.

I see some serious crossover with this concept though. I think we can take many things fro granted if we forget what it is like to be without them. This has spiritual implications as well. Maybe this is part of why it is so important for us to share our faith with others and invite them into the salvation that Christ offers. Not only is that something that is life giving for others, but it can remind us of what it is like to be "thirsty".

Now, I am not talking about "making christians" I am talking about living out what we believe. When we operate in the identity of Sons and Daughters of God we drink deep from the salvation that has been given to us. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control... these things are life giving and when we live these out we are sharing our faith.

We are given a choice in all of this. We can drink deep from the life giving water and share this with others.. or we can allow the acidic sweetness to stain our teeth and destroy our bodies.

We need to be intentional.

We need to remember what it means to be "thirsty", to be separated from God... and we need to live out our salvation by bringing water to those who thirst. In doing this we are reminded of what it means to thirst and we will desire to drink deep.

Mr. Reuss talks to children...

2009-11-10T12:02:00.015-06:00

In two and a half hours a co-worker and I will be talking to a group of 1st graders about what we do for work and how it helps the community. This has forced me to ask myself a good question.

How does my job help the community?

I feel like I could have easily answered that question in the last season of life I was in. When I was traveling around, getting my hands dirty for Jesus, building relationships with the marginalized and lost, spreading the hope and love of Jesus in very real ways. I now am part of a large church as the Outreach Ministry Coordinator for the Emerging Generation. I work with staff and volunteers in the Emerging Generation and encourage an outreach focus within the different specific areas of ministry: Children, Students, Young Adults. My job is to empower the staff and volunteers into having a healthy balance of loving God and loving others in their ministry. If I do my job well, I no longer have a job.

So, I guess you could say that my job is to help people help people?

later that same day

They called me Mr. Reuss (pronounced "royce" - it's German), that was kinda cute, but made me feel old.

we help people help people

In about twenty minutes... that's what we ended up explaining to them, although the topic of conversation also deviated to snowpants, siblings, and airplane-dogs in short but very necessary little outbursts. 1st graders crack me up. They are passionate. They also ask some amazing questions and have absolutely adorable comments that even my abstract mind stretched to connect to what had just been said.

We have a trip to India scheduled at the end of this year, so i showed the kids on a globe how far away India is from the United States. The amazement that audibly filled the colorful walls of their classroom was contagious. Even more precious was the chorus of bright eyed "ooohs" and "aaahs" that came after I said that someday they might even be able to go there and share about how much Jesus loves them. It was as though I just pulled a cuddly rabbit out of a top hat, and could honestly promise them one of their very own someday. Their own rabbit... not their own top hat.

As I am writing this I am starting to realize how important that experience was for me today. Twenty minutes with a 1st grade classroom of little ones who love Jesus. They see things the way I should. When I asked them for ways they can help others out, all their hands pointed up to the sky without hesitation.

without hesitation.

They didn't even consider whether they knew what to say or not... they cared even more than that. They just knew they wanted to help and figured they'd come up with something to say.

Their willingness to act went beyond their ability to articulate the appropriate response.

This is the opposite of what I am used to dealing with.

When it comes to outreach, I can hear the "appropriate response" from people but there is, more often than not, a lack of "willingness to act".

When did we learn to switch that around? Apparently sometime after 1st grade.

"I can share my toys with someone who doesn't have any"

"you can tell a joke to cheer someone up"

"I can bring a friend to church"

"I can walk over to my neighbors house and tell them Jesus loves them"

These were among the many answers represented by those enthusiastic hands in the air. The kids were squirming, just trying to be patient before we allowed them to share an answer. You know that If I would have given the kid an opportunity to actually do what they said, they would have done it in a heartbeat, without a question.

Toys would be shared.

Laughter would begin destroying the grumpies.

A little kid would go to church with his friend for the very first time.

A neighbor would have their heart completely melted away as a little girl in a pink dress and a bright smile said "Jesus loves you" .

I feel like I should make some valiant attempt at encouraging us to all act more like children in our approach to loving others. Honestly, I am not sure what good that would do. I have heard it said and urged hundreds of times before, by dozens of people. I don't think it is about convincing. The children seem to get it, and sadly enough.. the children will probably eventually join the ranks of their complacent role models in the mosaic generation. Maybe in 18 years they will be reminded of how loving and faithful young children are, and how it is a shame that they are not like that.

or...

We might be inspired by the raw and sincere hearts that these children display so freely. Their desire to share kindness and possessions in the name of Christ might actually spark something deep inside of us that resonates.. because it is right. Maybe their reminder to us will be a call to action that paves the way for their future and ours. The way we live our lives now is an example for those little children, and....

Our toys are bigger and we have more of them.

The "grumpies" we can destroy with our love are much more severe and widespread.

We have way more friends, and opportunities to bring them into healthy communities.

We aren't limited to just our next door neighbors, and it might take more than a pink dress and a smile to get the point across.

... but if we approach these things in faith and love and with the willingness of a child, I can't even begin to imagine the impact it could have and what a strong testimony of God's love that would be. God blessed me with that 20 minute glimpse into His kingdom and I am left thirsting for more. So, let's break these cycles and get our hands dirty for the sake of Christ.... if your still not convinced, go talk to a 1st grader and they'll put you in your place.

pain and a rainbow

2009-11-03T13:15:00.028-06:00

There it was...

I must have been in the perfect place at the perfect time... or maybe it was just a typical place at a regular time, with little perfection to be claimed... either way I saw one of the most beautiful acts of nature I have ever seen.

Have you ever had an experience you wished you could bottle up and carry with you... something so beautifully impacting that you wanted to remain in the midst of it... this was one of them for me.

...and, if you could remain in it, do you think it would retain it's beauty? Or is its rarity a critical part of what makes it so beautiful? Is the uniqueness of it what makes it stand out? Without the backdrop of familiarity would we really be able to appreciate these beautiful moments? Without some contrast we could not fully appreciate these experiences.

a rainbow.

The thing was so close that I felt like I could throw a stone and knock out the ornery gold hoarding leprechaun at the end of it. Vibrant colors filled the otherwise dim and unimpressive sky. I went to my car, preparing to grab my camera and take a picture of it... and then I made a wonderful decision.

The picture I intended on taking was never taken.

Instead of capturing an unsuitable glimpse of this experience, I decided to soak in the moment and remember it as it was... cherishing its beauty and creating a visual picture that would only improve with age, and knowing that part of what made it so special is it's uncontainable uniqueness. I realized that it was beautiful for a couple reasons... the bright spectrum of colors did stand out in the dim sky, which increased its beauty, and also I don't always have the opportunity to see a rainbow but when I do, it is special.

All this to say, beauty is emphasized and more deeply appreciated when there is contrast...

Rainbows stand out because the sky is normally void of them and we are aware of that.

Jumping into a pool of crisp refreshing water is amazing on a hot and humid Minnesota day because we have been sweating through our clothes and chewing on the thick air.

A little bit of salt makes sweet things taste even better because of the flavor contrast.

Fireworks suck in the daylight because there is no contrast.

Salvation is more beautiful if we understand there something to be saved from.

There it is.. you probably expected something like that to be said sooner than later.. we've got some spiritual implications with all this jazz. More on this later.

pain

Sunday was the close of the United Services at the church where I work. I don't want to comment on that overall experience in this entry, but I do want to point out something that took many of the young adults and I am sure several others in the congregation by surprise.

Jabez showed up.

The whole Jabez thing has been a running joke for at least a couple years in the young adult ministry at church. The word/name "Jabez" has become synonymous with "prosperity gospel" which many Christ followers, especially of the mosaic generation (those born between 1984 and 2002), are not very keen to.

This is the cheat sheet on what the "Prayer of Jabez" is...

It is used once in 1 Chronicles 4:10 and is a good example of an Old Testament blessing.

It is a prayer in four parts...

First, Jabez asks God to bless him.

Second, he asks God to enlarge his territory.

Third, he prays that God will be with him and stay close.

Fourth, he asks God to keep him from harm so he will be free from pain.

So... that is the "Prayer of Jabez" - If you hopped in a DeLorean, you could travel back to the distant year 2000 and find it at the local supermarket "impulse buy" section, near the register and next to the candy.

Great Scott!

So, this past Sunday... we had Jabez prayed over us to close the service and, in effect, our time of United Services. I know it was done out of good intentions, but there was one phrase I have heard brought up several times in conversation since then that has seemed to leave a sour residue behind.... the bit about pain.

While in the 1 Chronicles prayer there is a balance of cause and effect... being near to God and kept out of harm so that Jabez would not feel pain, the emphasis of the "blessing" on Sunday made it sound like the point was for God to give us grace so that we would not experience pain, almost for the sake of not experiencing pain.

The questions I have been hearing about this could be summarized with this...

Is feeling pain really a bad thing?

I once heard a story of a young girl with a medical condition that made her immune to pain .

Pain tells you that something is wrong. Pain is not in and of itself a bad thing... it is what notifies you that a bad thing is happening or just happened. Pain is a good thing.

Because this girl could not feel pain, there was nothing to stop her from allowing and in some cases causing her body to be destroyed. Her body would be damaged terribly, but was unable to tell her something was wrong or needed to stop. Apparently her baby teeth caused big issues... she would chew her lips bloody in her sleep, bite through her tongue while eating, and at one point put her finger in her mouth and stripped the tender flesh from it. It still damaged her, she was just unable to sense it. We should consider ourselves blessed that we do feel pain.. for feeling a little pain in order to prevent more serious injury is an example of grace.

So.. how is this stuff tied to salvation and rainbows?

One reason rainbows are so beautiful is because of their contrast with the rest of the sky... and pain is kind of like our annoying friend reminding us that there is something other than a rainbow up there.

In order for us to understand the significance of salvation it is important for us to recognize a need for it, but many times we rush our focus straight into the pretty colors of the christian rainbow without acknowledging the dark skies contrasting it.

When we experience the byproduct of sin in various forms... pain being one of them, we are exposed to these dark skies, and of our need for a Savior. Pain can be a reminder that something is wrong. Pain can be a warning that the decisions we are making are causing destruction. Pain is just one small reminder of our need for a Savior. When we look at the complete picture we are able to more fully appreciate the beauty in the midst of its surroundings.

rainbows and dim skies.... salvation and sin...

The bigger picture makes a lot more sense.

Let's take a good look at it.

German women, lost shepherds, and integrity.

2009-10-28T16:25:00.012-05:00

Music is a mysterious thing.

I have heard it said that music is unique in that it has the ability to speak to a persons soul without their permission. What a weird thought. Something so beautiful can violate our beings.

I think that it is true. Music has the ability to trigger emotions in us. It can provoke us like nothing else, it can mesmerize us, and inspire us.

It can make things seem very sincere or passionate, like in church when someone is praying or nearing the end of a message and the guitar and keys fade in and gently manipulate peoples feelings. A pet peeve of mine... for the record.

It can even strike fear in us.

If you have ever seen a scary movie you know what I mean... the music used creates stress and tension in the viewer... the screeching strings irritate your mind and increase slightly in volume in order to prime you just as the psychotic masked killer jumps out. boom. scared.

or maybe, the killer doesn't jump out and it was just a cat.

instant relief from anxiety.

not nearly the same without the music.

major keys feel different than minor keys, and key changes are emotionally charged and epic.

My gramma used to sing songs to me when I was a little kid. She would sing hymns to me (rarely were the emotionally charged or epic - that would have been amazing though) they were, however, very soothing. They were old Lutheran hymns, so it is very likely they were at one point drinking songs. I would argue that there are few things more soothing than a sweet old German woman singing you modified drinking songs as you are falling asleep. Not always the case, but this particular combination was angelic.

Now, we can use music for better or for worse, and I am sure there are many opinions about what makes music good or bad. People feel very strongly about music, don't we?

Yes... yes we do.

Maybe it is because when there is music we identify with we have actually allowed the music to become a small part of our identity. therefore, to challenge my style of music is to challenge a part of who I am. Seems to make sense. Let's say that is in fact the case.

I am honored to live in a house filled with music. Most of the music you have likely never heard before because it is still in the process of being created. All of my roommates are very talented, and in a variety of ways. One is particularly gifted as a musician and songwriter.

seriously, it is like he was born to make music... and his music reflects this.

There is deep meaning in every one of his songs... the lyrics are saturated with deep thought and symbolism. It is poetic.

He pairs that with amazing melodies and harmonies, presented creatively with just the right sounds, rhythm, and tones in order to weave the lyrics into an ocean of beautifully produced sonic waves.

The music is a piece of him.

In case you were wondering, his name is Eben and his band is Lost Shepherds .

Music is a mysterious thing indeed. There was a musician who was very influential in enriching my faith and challenging my preconceived ideas. His name is Derek Webb, and he has continued writing and recently produced an album called Stockholm Syndrome. Good music, good message.

I was listening to some of his earlier albums from 2004 and 2005.

I See Things Upside Down
&
Mockingbird

... and in doing so was reflecting on how this music had presented deep truths and in doing so challenged me and as a result... I grew.

As I said earlier, there is good music and bad music.... we all have opinions on this, but maybe one way we can classify the music is not necessarily by how it sounds.. but on what it does to us... or in us.. or for us.

Some music is neutral, some is beneficial, some is detrimental.... but it all has the power to speak to our souls. Which is why we shouldn't just listen passively to what is being communicated and we should actually focus on the message.

Now... the focus of this is not on listening to "secular music" vs "christian music"... which I could see as an assumed next wave of thought, but something I care very little about.

I want to talk on "worship music" for a bit. If you are a Christ follower and have not recently taken time to examine the words you are singing during worship, I would strongly urge you to do so and to think through what is being declared.

Many times hidden behind a veil of melodic distractions are terribly self-centered or insincere cliches just waiting to echo through the church walls...inside which, they will remain. It is not the beauty of our voice or the passion in which we project our songs, but the sincerity of our hearts that will be pleasing to the Lord. If we don't deeply consider the words we are singing, how can we sincerely mean it?

Worshiping through music and song is an incredible form of praise and adoration, and because music by it's very nature is so powerful, we must approach this behavior with wisdom and maturity, especially as we become more accustomed to it. To sing with your heart is to know every word that flows from your mouth and to mean them. Just because something sounds extremely passionate, flowery, or spiritual doesn't mean it is true worship... true worship is a matter of offering praise and adoration to God in honesty, integrity, and sincerity.

Music is a gift we have been given.

Let us use it wisely.

lingerie and gasoline

2009-10-23T12:19:00.008-05:00

In evangelical circles, there is something exciting and foreign about the Holy Spirit. There is a sense of adventure related to it, because we are somewhat unfamiliar with it, but we know that underneath that name there is a whole world of unexplored beauty and mystery waiting for us. It is intriguing and we are drawn towards it.

We know that beneath the title "Holy Spirit" there is something beautiful that we want to be made familiar with.

lingerie

Maybe not a perfect metaphor, but interesting to use in the title of this blog.

I have had conversations with others in the past where I have talked about how we have tried to make the church "sexy"

we use mood lighting, emotionally manipulating music and instruments, messages that are catered to congregational desires, cool graphics and videos, and attractive and well dressed people leading all of this in order to appeal to the culture.

Sexy.

I think we have done something similar with the Holy Spirit, but in doing so we have limited the Spirits ability to work in us and through us.

God is huge and unfathomable, and the way he works cannot be fully understood by man. By the power of His Spirit we receive gifts to use to his glory; prophecy, tongues, wisdom, words of knowledge, miraculous healing, signs and wonders. etc...

but...

We have romanticized this to the point it has become like a mystical fairytale, and in doing so we have limited the work of God in our lives and told ourselves that the Spirit only does these things for certain people. The "real spiritual" ones. This is a lie.

and...

in doing so we have forgotten what the significance of being a new creation in Christ and the implications and significance of this. We have forgotten our identity.

remember.. if you have accepted Christ as Savior, you have accepted everything that comes with that, including the Spirit He promised to you.

We have become enamored by the lingerie itself and it has become a barrier for us that we just cannot get past.

The lingerie is not as important as what's under it.

what is under it is for us.

man.. this is possibly the weirdest metaphor I have ever used... I'm going to keep writing though, I think it makes sense.

So... we should not hold at a distance the very Spirit that has been given to us. It is wonderful, it is beautiful, it is for all who accept Christ as Savior.

Get past the lingerie and accept what has been given to you.

gasoline

The other thing that I see happen with the Holy Spirit is that people will recognize it as important and ask for it without knowing why or what that means... which is ok

but

it is kind of like asking for gasoline because you know it is important and something to ask for. So you do.

Ok, you have gasoline... now what? It just sits in that nice red plastic waiting to be used.

What if I told you that you could put that gasoline into a car and it would allow the engine to run. Sweet!

but...

Simply knowing this information will not make the car run.. you must actually put the gasoline into the car, turn the key, and.. miracle of miracles.. it runs.

The Spirit of God being placed in us serves many purposes... but we must allow for those things to happen in our lives by taking steps of faith.

1 Corinthians 12 talks practically about a bunch of these things...

here is a summary...

The manifestations of the Spirit are all for the common good, but look different...

manifestations include

the message of wisdom, the message of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, miraculous powers, prophecy, distinguishing spirits, speaking in different kinds of tongues, interpreting tongues.. and all these pieces work together for the sake of Christ.

we know what the spirit can do... and that we have been given that spirit, let us take steps of faith in allowing the spirit to do the work of Christ in us and through us.

so... what are our steps forward?

Let us look past the lingerie, accept what has been given to us, use the gasoline, and step out in faith in order to bring glory to God.

peace.

blood, sin, and short-shorts...

2009-10-20T12:16:00.006-05:00

I think everyone could identify a piece of their past that they regret, if they search deep enough. There is probably a lil something that you'd not want to be connected to you. Something that you did, something that was done to you, a way you reacted, something you didn't say when you should have. There are normally things that haunt us and that we try to move on from and forget.

I think that is normally the case.

There is one piece of our past identity that we absolutely love to hold onto though. It is something that enables us and stops us from ever reach our full potential, but we embrace it... not in spite of it.. but because of it. It is the ultimate excuse and it makes us feel humble. It allows us to be part of the worlds largest self-help focused support group.

sinner

We love to be identified as this. It is our excuse.

This is a rather messed up concept.

I ran track in high school. I wasn't the best.. but thinking back, I was pretty good at what I did. Ok, I was one of the best.. at least in our conference. I ran hurdles in both the 110 high and 300 intermediate. I ended up going to state in the 300's. What was that noise you say? Oh, my horn just tooted a little, but there is a point to be found here.

Let me tell you about this event.

The 300 meter intermediate hurdles, which I would argue is the most difficult running event in track, is a dead sprint curving around 3/4 of the track with 8 obstacles reaching nearly three feet in height. You cannot just turn off your mind and run real fast. You need to run as fast as you possibly can while navigating turns, counting steps, and clearing obstacles... and you are surrounded and distracted by others doing the exact same thing with different timing. It is as mentally straining as it is physically challenging.

I still remember my first 300 race... it was brutal.

I was a freshman in high school and a pretty small guy. Not that I am a mammoth now, but freshman year of high school the high hurdle went up to my belly button, and if I remember correctly, the low hurdle was 3 inches shorter than that.

I had trained a little bit and the time had come for my first actual 300 intermediate race.

"On your marks"

So I go to the blocks and nervously take off my warmups. The track shorts were intimidating enough, now I had to run a race I had only trained for up to this point. I was on the blocks, waiting for an eternity to be released, so I could unleash my full athletic glory to the crowd of eager spectators. As soon as I thought the quietness would overtake me, I hear...

"Get set!"

I am set. I was born for this... right? With my butt up in the air, my heart beating like a timpani, and adrenaline saturating my veins.. I hear it.

!!BANG!!

I sprint like a madman. the first hurdle approaches, I calculate my steps... I clear it! Yes... continue sprinting.. I am a machine. I clear a few more hurdles and pay no attention to the other hurdlers.. I am in "the zone" There are just a a few more hurdles to go... but... wait... what there is something happening to my body. Did my alternator just putter out? All the energy in my 15 year old body vanished in seconds.. but somehow my legs kept moving. I managed to clear the next hurdle... my wobbly legs barely able to support my body, gasping for air as my heart tells my brain I am about to die, and my brain tells my legs that the race is not over. I keep running, if you could call it that.. at this point i was more like a toddler in a controlled fall. With all the energy I had left, I attempted to clear the next hurdle.

I didn't make it.

My body became entangled in the wood and metal structure, catching my legs and holding me awkwardly captive until my soft tissue grated against the ground staining the track with blood and pride.

I got up and somehow managed to pass over the final hurdle and finished the race dead last and disqualified, a little bit bloodied, a little more humble, and ready to train for the next race.

So... that happened to me, and I remember it very clearly. When I think back to my time as a hurdler, that painful event is not what I identify myself by. As my I matured as a hurdler my objective was never "not to fall". My objective was to clear the hurdles with grace and speed, and to do so faster than anyone else. I was a hurdler and I learned from the time I fell but did not base my identity on that time.

Is this making sense?

I had fallen - but my identity was not failure.

We have sinned - but our identity is not sinner.

As I mentioned.. we love this identity, and these are a few reasons why...

- False sense of humility
- Excuses our shortcomings
- Does not require effort or growth
- It is very comfortable
-
-
-

You can list others, I don't want to write any more of that.

This is the deal with being a sinner. If you have accepted the salvation offered by Christ, this title no longer applies to you, and for you to keep it cheapens the sacrifice he made and also implies that you're sins were not paid for.

Christ did not just die for our sins, He died AS our sins... trippy concept, huh?

That's right.

His blood paid the price of the new covenant God made with man it resembled the one God made with Abraham ... it was a blood covenant.

It was a bonding between God and Man where both sides of the pact share such a close relationship with each other that all they have or possess in this life is available to each upon demand. If this covenant was broken it it was at the cost of life. Can you guess which side didn't have what it took to carry this through? This is the reason man would sacrifice beasts to God and why Leviticus is filled with all the rules and regulations for how to do this. This was blood shed for our shortcomings of the blood covenant made between God and Man. It was the sin offering.

So, much failure and many years later, what happened?... a New Covenant.

with a very significant change.

This Covenant was between Jesus - Son of God and Son of Man.. and with God the Father.

Jesus represents Man in this new covenant...

Christs blood shed for us for the forgiveness of sins. Christ paid the price as our sins.

Bottom line.

Romans 6 talks all about this stuff. It says we are no longer slaves to sin...

So, let us stop acting as though we are still sinners if we have in fact been set free.

our identity is in Christ.

Blessed are the rich...

2009-10-14T16:12:00.011-05:00

... for it is harder for them to enter heaven than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.

When did we begin reclaiming the concept of "blessing" with "getting more stuff"?

Job Promotion=Blessing

Big House=Blessing

Yacht=Blessing

Lots o Cash=Blessing

Now, I am not saying that those aren't nice things or that God is not a gracious provider... consider the lilies of the field...

but, this is a very interesting concept for me to wrap my head around. What do we call someone who has received a blessing... I think we say they are blessed.

Now, when we look in the old testament we hear a concept of blessing that much resembles our modern day concept. Let us take the story of Job... The story of a man who had seven sons, three daughters, seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East. The man was considered blessed. Satan himself said to God that God had blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds were spread throughout the land.

blessed=increase of stuff

Jacob is another example of this concept of blessing. The whole flock increasing story is an example of this. Jacob points out to Laban that he caused Laban's livestock (possessions) to increase greatly because the Lord had blessed what Jacob had been overseeing.

blessed=increase of stuff

There is a pattern that emerges sooner or later, can you guess what it is?

blessed=increase of stuff

This sounds like a rather dandy deal.

Then Jesus arrived and stirred things up. A giant crowd from Galilee, the Decapolis (which made up ten cities), Jerusalem, Judea, and the region across the Jordan followed him. They would have been familiar with the old rule of blessing. When suddenly Jesus redefined what it meant to be blessed by saying...

Matthew 5

1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.

2
And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

3
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11
Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

He essentially said,
"what you thought about being blessed has changed, and this is what it has changed to... learn it, live it, and receive your heavenly reward... forget what you thought you knew about blessing"

This ushered in a new season...

So, what does this mean for us? Well, Jesus did lay it out clearly... we have the opportunity to be blessed by God. He tells us what to do and what the reward is.

We can continue asking God to bless us and hope that he might hear... but in essence when we pray to be blessed what we are really asking is to; be poor in spirit, to mourn, to be meek, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to be merciful, to be pure in heart, to be a peacemaker, to be insulted and persecuted because of righteousness for the sake of Christ.

So, with this new season we look at some of those we would consider blessed after the changeover...

The Disciples -
insulted, persecuted, crucified upside down, beheaded, flayed alive, stabbed, stoned, beaten, burned, speared, and sawn in half... all for the sake of Christ.

Paul -
(his words from 2 Corinthians)

"I am talking like a madman--with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches."

Where does this leave us?

I suppose we fall into the same category as Paul and the Disciples, and I think we should strive to be blessed by God. Jesus told us what that means and what to focus on and showed us what it meant to live that out. His followers did the same. I think it is our turn now.

getting fired

2009-10-08T22:39:00.006-05:00

I HAVE NOT BEEN FIRED...

....at least not at the time I sat down and wrote this entry.

I have talked a lot about different issues that I have with the church and the way christianity has been softened in the United States.

I have posted a number of entries that have presented some strong opinions and voiced concern particularly about the church I work at...

A few days ago I was faced with a decision.

It started like this... Last week my boss sent me an e-mail letting me know that my performance review was going to be conducted. At first I didn't really think anything of it. It is a fairly routine procedure.

The way our reviews work:

I am given a number of questions about my job and asked to answer them honestly.

My boss is given a number of categories describing my performance and asked to comment on them honestly.

I then send my answers to my boss and we sit together and discuss these things.

pretty easy, right?

Well... question "F" came up....

oh, question "F"... why did provoke me this way?

Question "F" was...

"Is there anything your supervisor or NHLC can do to enhance your job satisfaction, or help you do your job better?"

it was a moment of truth.

I work in Outreach, and my supervisor is great... but as I have hinted before... NHLC could give me a hand...

I responded....

"Love God and love others. The more we teach on the importance of this combination and have leaders that show lives that demonstrate it, the closer we will get to having outreach change from an event to a lifestyle. It seems outreach has become an area where it is culturally acceptable (in the church) to be hypocritical. We can promote it and not live it, and it seems that we are generally ok with that pairing. It would be extremely helpful if the heart of outreach were to be revealed and explained, and for this to be taught from the pulpit. It is equipping the congregation to recognize the Gospel as good news and respond to their salvation in ways that demonstrate Gods love and mercy to those who are hurting and in need; physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It would be helpful if, as a community of believers and individuals, we recognize how the world has gotten darker, and we take responsibility and acknowledge that it is largely due to an absence of light. We have been called to be that light but have been hiding and protecting ourselves, and for outreach focused lifestyles to flourish, this must change. We have become the barns that we ourselves have built bigger, and the numbers of those being saved is not daily increasing, because we have not made that a priority, and when these things are addressed, my job will become much easier. Also, a pay-scale increase would be nice."

So... that is what I wrote.

My performance review was yesterday.

My boss thanked me for taking the opportunity and being open and honest, and I received much positive feedback from here (I have talked with her about these things before)

This review will now make it's way up the chains of command...

but... this is the difference.

I was given a choice. I could keep expressing my thoughts on this blog and hope that some people become challenged, encouraged, and motivated to ask questions or take action.. and that could be it.

But I had the opportunity to share my opinions with those who can make a change, and I did.

When I have brought this up to others, I am asked things like...

So, did you get fired yet?

When is your last day?

Do you think you'll be getting fired then?

As you might have noted, there is a common theme in the responses. And though they are said in slight jest, I think it is important that I wrote what I did in the manner I did.

I also think it is important that you know I wrote what I did to who I did, because if I am going to continue to post things here, I need to be willing to stand behind my opinions when it counts and be bold enough to put things on the line in hopes of transformation.

So... I thank you for taking time to read this, and look forward to sharing more with you in a few days. Peace.

-Jreux

three things

2009-10-05T19:34:00.005-05:00

I recently heard about a church plant in Midway...

Midway is the area in Saint Paul that I live in... I remember my first impressions of this area from when I was younger. I grew up in Roseville, which is a city directly North of Saint Paul. There is a main street called Snelling that goes between the two cities, and it is a very interesting drive if you pay attention to the surroundings.

Anyhow..

When I was younger, one of my friends wanted to go to this neighborhood, I think it was to get a piercing. I was probably 15 years old at the time and he was a bit older than me. I remember the change in surroundings as we entered Midway. It was kind of intimidating. I didn't recognize any of the stores... which was unusual, since from a young age you are blasted with so much advertising that you can become more familiar with these corporations than you are with the majority of kids in your classroom. Everything was old and weathered... like they had payed their dues, even the people seemed to be cut form a different cloth. The cozy residential area morphed into a busy concrete jungle. and I kind of liked it.

Years later I found myself living in this area, very close to the tattoo parlor we visited years before. I lived in a slummy apartment behind Ax-man surplus and just a stones throw away from the Turf Club. Across the street from us was a JJ's Fish n Chicken. Our apartment was in the news the morning after a guy was shot in their parking lot.

I ended up moving to a house in the same area with a few of my friends and we have been in this place for a while now.

In all honesty though, this is a great place to live. It is a diverse and friendly area with fantastic people, food, drink, and music. It is On the Saint Paul side of the Twin City divide, 10 minutes away from anywhere you'd want to go, and 20 minutes away from anywhere you'd need to go. I live in a quiet neighborhood and have some amazing neighbors... one guy even asked if he could help us when we were moving a piano into our house. Midway is fantastic.

and a recent church plant thinks so too.

Bloom

That is the name of the church. Check them out.

They are only 4 weeks old and have intentionally planted in this area because there are not many churches doing what they are doing in this area.

They are trying to create a service that will explain the message of Christ to people who have not yet heard it.

Sounds simple, right?

Well, that is kind of the point. The pastors of this church have much experience with larger suburban churches and have been in staff and pastoral positions in the past.

They have "three things" - title that they are going to focus on.

1. Jesus - Understanding who Jesus is, what he did, what the gospel is, and what that means for people today.
2.People - Belong, believe, behave.... approaching people with an attitude of grace and love, regardless of there beliefs or background.
3.Community - Building friendships and networks of support inside the church and also having a positive impact on the community outside the church.

That's it.

But what about a really awesome choir? Or a a dramatized version of "the passion" complete with live camels, or a brothas to mothas ministry?

Well, I am sure that a focus on Jesus, People, and Community will begin manifesting itself in more specific ways.. but they have seen how complicated things can get and feel called to focus on these three things.

refreshing.

I will admit, I was kind of a skeptic the first time I went to the church, so the next Sunday I went back and listened and learned. They are presenting a series that is focusing on the Gospel.

It is called "The Gospel. Period."

You can listen to their podcast soon.

I also had a chance to hear from their pastors as they explained how Bloom started and what heir focus is. I am hopefully going to be able to sit down with them in a one-on-one setting to learn some more.

It has been encouraging.

Partly because it is such a young church and it is planted in my neighborhood and it starts making me dream a little bit, but also because it is so basic.

three things.

This seems like a more rational and sustainable concept than the one-stop super shop Saint Marks International Jesus House Community Church of Hope model...

It would make sense that different congregations would have different focuses that were more specific... It is probably tempting, however, to add things on over time.. even with good intentions. But when this happens, maybe it can end up distracting us from our initial calling or giftings...

While I am speaking about a church body, I think this is true for people as well.

It is very easy to add things on, especially in the United States, where we largely identify ourselves by our achievements or social status. When that is all stripped away though, their is something at our core. A doctor might be a dancer, a poet might be a mechanic, a Director of public relations might be a missionary to China.

Sometimes a musician is a musician though, and when that is the case.. beautiful music, that resonates from the soul, dances through the air to bless others.

What are you? When everything is stripped down and removed and you ask yourself that.. what do you find?

Big questions. It is a interesting society that makes simplifying life so amazingly complicated.

As long as we keep asking questions though, I think we are in a good place. Peace.

-Jreux

A Conversation with Shane Claiborne

2009-10-02T15:59:00.005-05:00

I was on the road with a friend of mine. We were heading down to a small university for christians, outside of the Twin Cities. Conversation was going well and we were anticipating our arrival as we raced the daylight down the asphalt ribbons interrupting the green open pastures.

Upon arriving at the university, my friend and I wandered around looking for where his friend, Shane, was going to be sharing. He had connected with Shane several times in the past and they had built a friendship based off of those times together. I had read his book "Irresistible Revolution" and was encouraged and motivated by it, so I was looking forward to being introduced as well..

We deciphered the wallpaper of advertisement on the hallway wall, and followed some signs to the room he was sharing in.

We walked in, and i could not help but laugh...

It was like being at a middle school dance. There were a bunch of starstruck, doe-eyed college students staring awkwardly in one direction and Shane Claiborne sitting by himself quietly on the other side of the room. It was amazing... as though he had just suffered defeat in a riveting game of red-rover. Apparently Shane was going to be speaking in a large chapel the next morning, and this was a smaller scale gathering of some university christian club... A setting like this is more intimate and allows for people to actually talk to the speaker... which added to the awkwardness of our middle school dance situation.

So, we enter... and I am captivated by this anomaly. I was probably looking at the students the same way the students were looking at Shane... just replace "starstruck" with "confused" and "doe-eyed" with handsome.

anyway... back to Shane.

My buddy immediately started talking with Shane and they were reconnecting and catching up... (I think this blew the minds of our spectators) and then I am introduced to him by my friend and the three of us talk briefly before Shane was called up to talk to this small gathering of anxious scholars.

So Shane talks, and it was good, and Shane sits back down next to me and we carry on a conversation.

I was in the middle of working with some other staff at my work turning a the idea of a community house into a reality (which it now is!)

So, I had some questions.. mainly about what the biggest challenges have been. I figure if you know how to come against the biggest challenges, you will experience firsthand the best results.

This is a summary of what he said...

paraphrased

" If at any time the community becomes exclusive or inward focused, it will die. The danger we see in community is just that. Our sights begin to focus on ourselves and how we can better who we are... and there is a certain amount of that which is needed, but if that is our only focus... the community dies. Also if at any point the community becomes exclusive, it will turn incestuous and slowly but surely rot away from the inside. A healthy community will be inclusive and outward focused"

Now... It has been a while since we talked.. and this is probably paired with my own thoughts.. but I think he offers some great insight, and not just for a community house.

The church is considered to be a community of believers. While Shane was talking specifically about his experience with community in Philly, I think there is some serious cross-over and insight about what has happened with the church at large.

That community seems to have erred on the side exclusivity and the focus also seems to be mainly directed inward. If this is the case, then the state of the church and it's health might be able to be better understood and hopefully counteracted.

Let me clarify... I am not trying to badmouth the church for the sake of complaining. That is pointless. I am willing to point out it's shortcomings in the hope that change occurs and awareness is raised. I know that many entries I have written have had a similar direction... I do not think that invalidates their relevance.

Increased knowledge equals increased responsibility, and while God requires obedience and not sacrifice, sometimes our obedience requires sacrifice. Peace.

-Jreux

Stuff Christians Like...

2009-09-30T17:24:00.006-05:00

There is a blog that I follow that is titled....

"Stuff Christians Like"

It has some very humorous entries and every once in a while there will be one that begins to reveal some deeper insight... There have been many entertaining commentaries on the christian sub-culture...

Once, there was a quiz to see how metrosexual your worship leader is...

this sight amazes me.

It is normally well written and pretty clever, but it is not the quality of content that amazes me... it is the quantity of content. The latest entry was #629

six hundred and twenty nine entries about the christian sub-culture, and the weird, quirky, and often unfortunate things that christians have become known for.

I was reading through some of the entries out loud to a couple of the guys at my house and one of them pointed out that the majority of what is written in these entries are only amusing if you are a "christian"... it is basically a site dedicated to inside jokes for christians and poking some fun at itself.... so far around 629 "funs" have been poked at itself...

this seems a little odd to me, and it could be that I just wasn't sure what to write about and this was the fist thing that came to mind.. but still...

it seems a little odd to me.

this is why...

when we pair a christian perspective of christians with an unchristian perspective of christians... at large, two very different observations would be made.

read Unchristian for more on that...

and while this site is obviously made for entertainment... it follows pretty close to the idea that "it's funny because it's true" and there is a part of me that wonders when it won't be funny any longer for the exact same reason... because it is true... time will tell, i suppose. it is kind of a gossip after all...

Just a few thoughts to ponder...

peace.

beer, dancing, fireworks

2009-09-28T17:38:00.004-05:00

Last year at some point I was talking with a friend of mine who works with college age students at a church. We actually work at the same church, but that isn't very important.

we began discussing what might make an interesting series to talk on.. and allo of a sudden a phrase shot out of my mouth.

"We like beer and dancing"

The whole concept was to talk about some different cultural traits and stereotypes that are often times embodied by the church.

the title has two components that symbolize larger components...

beer:

The topic of alcohol consumption can be a very touchy one inside a church. It is a crossing of faith with a dash of puritanical splendor, and culture. So this concept represents those topics that can cause extreme division... other such topics would be; tobacco use, politics, homosexuality, worship style,

... those things that cause division

dancing:

The topic of dancing can also be touchy, but is a less dividing area. Once again it crosses faith with culture, but it represents those topics that have been largely accepted by the church or that people choose not to be overly concerned with. Others would be; secular music, R rated movies, drinking wine, boys with long hair, girls wearing pants

... those things that cause division, but we can deal with

We have created two lists - those things we can deal with and those things that cause division

Here is the deal...

I don't really care about the specifics or behaviors and preferences that people have with these different topics. It is interesting to learn about what their preferences are, but if they cannot be discussed or if they become a higher priority than other more crucial aspects of faith... we gots us a problem.

When our primary focus in faith becomes behavior modification, we will find ourselves in a tough place. Our behaviors should be reactionary. This means they are to be caused by something. As christians, we tie our faith in God to His love and sacrifice for us. We make that claim all the time... but if that was true, I think things would look different...

about 3 and a half years ago I had an eye-opening realization.

I had been trying to follow Christ's teachings for several years, and had been raised up learning all the bible stories and listening to countless sermons.... I thought I knew a lot about Jesus and his teachings and life, and was rather comfortable with that... I had been working with youth at church, mentoring high school and college students in their faith, been doing intensive international mission work in Latin America, and was looking to work with a local ministry....

...and....

I realized I had no idea who Jesus was (this was very humbling)... and I began looking for answers...

my world was rocked... I started learning about who Jesus really was, the significance of his teachings in their proper context, the severity of dedication required to be his disciple, the lenths to which he was willing to go to bring people into new life in him. He was open and honest, loving, passionate... he would humiliate false religous leaders and directly oppose the corrupt religous orgnizations of the time.. turning tables, calling them sons of hell.... flannel graph that one.

(one book that helped a lot with this (both with questions and answers) was The Jesus of Suburbia by Mike Erre )

read it.

So.... how does all this tie together. I think that it does, so let me give it a shot...

If we are not reacting to a legitimate faith in Christ and desire to serve him, we will begin creating issues to be proactively interested in. This is legalism. We have done this. We have picked minor social issues and made it clear that if you follow Christ you will do this, this, and this... and you will not do that, that, or that.

The lines are made very clear and simple.

This is not the way of the cross.

When we are legitimately reacting to a faith in Christ (the real Christ) and we desire to serve him... these minor social issues are not the primary concern... issues of love, justice, mercy, and compassion become a primary focus. It is a reaction.

If you light off fireworks the flame will cause a reaction which will produce a brilliant response.

If there is no flame, there is no reaction.

the same is true for our faith... and we are farting around with sparklers while the big ooh ahh is jsut waiting to be set off.

if we aren't reacting to "the flame"... beer and dancing should be the least of our concerns.

Jesus doesn't like fat chicks...

2009-09-25T13:28:00.009-05:00

I debated whether or not to have this be the title of the blog... apparently I decided to go with it...

I was going to church at The Salvage Yard last Tuesday and there was a message given by a 55 year old man with dreds named David Pierce who gave a message about the work that he had been doing through Steiger International. There were many fantastic stories about the amazing and difficult adventures that they had experienced and the way that God was able to work through their obedience...

there was one thing that stood out more than anything else though...

it wasn't the near death experiences shared with us, not the riots swelling on the streets in the middle east, the extremists beginning to organize an attack.. none of that.

it was the fat chicks.

and the story goes something like this...

paraphrased...

" I was looking out my window one day when a peculiar sight caught my eye. I saw a nest with two little baby birds in it... or rather.. two incredibly plump and obese chicks (baby birds).

These two chicks were so fat and gelatinous that they were barely recognizable as chicks.

The mother bird was working frantically to continue feeding them and was constantly gathering worms to feed these two chicks. All along, the fat chicks were crying out "more, more, more!"

It was surprising that these two chicks had grown to the mass that they had... They barely fit in the nest, they were so overfed.

for several days I would walk by the window and see this scene replayed... the momma bird frantically struggling to feed the chicks, the chicks becoming more overstuffed and crying out for more, and so on.. and so on.

until...

one day I went to the window to check on the situation.

the nest was empty.

The mother bird had pushed the chicks out of the nest, because the time had come.

It was time to fly, or time to die"

David went on to explain how he felt that this was an accurate representation of the church. We have gotten comfortable in our nest and we continue calling out for more.. more... more.

We have become overly saturated with focusing on what God is doing for us.. what the ministries of the church are providing for us... our personal preference for what the music in the church sounds like.... where we think the altar in the church should be placed... more... more... more...

let me spell this out more clearly...

We "christians" have focused on ourselves and expected the "church" ( pastors, worship leaders, staff, ministries, etc...) to momma bird the fat chicks (the congregation) while the people attending continue to get more fat, and more comfortable, and whether we like it or not there will come a new season where it is "time to fly, or time to die"

we cannot fit in the nest any longer.

and...

if the entire focus of our faith is for self-improvement we are probably doing something wrong...

in other words...

If what we are doing within the four walls of the church has no effect on the streets we take to get there... we might be missing the point...

So, as I was processing through some of this with a friend, a simplified summary surfaced...

"Jesus doesn't like fat chicks"

It is time to fly

tambourine

2009-09-23T12:24:00.003-05:00

I went to a concert a few weeks back and one of the bands playing consisted of; drums, bass, electric guitars, electric piano, synth, vocals, and a tambourine.

It was a full band, and the instruments were amplified creating a lot of noise.. good noise, but a loud amount of it. is loud an amount? today it is.

There was one instrument that was not amplified however... unfortunately, the title of this blog kind of destroys any hope for suspense that would have surely otherwise overwhelmed you, as you desperately sought to discover what this one un-amped instrument might have been.

it was the electric guitar, the band sucked.

ok, it was really the tambourine...and there is a reason for this. The frequency of the tambourine is at a completely different level than the other instruments and can pierce through the swelling sea of sonic waves in an astounding way. The tambourine needed no amplification. The tambourine needs no amplification because that is how it has been designed... also the tambourine player was absolutely sick! ( in an amazing way) It was like a freaking humming bird was somehow harmonioulsy combined with the tin man and mentored by a muppet named Animal... and I don't say that about many people.

I think we can learn something from this... (as long as you discount the metallic muppet bird part)

I think there is something inside of all of us that is looking for amplification. we all have our own story, thoughts, song, poetry, pain, concerns, passions.. etc.

There is a desire for these things to be amplified and expressed.. for them to be physically manifested and, best case scenario, understood.

Cliche? yeah.. but let's keep going because there is some truth here... most things that are now "cliche" were once original and insightful

Ok... so this is where things get all mystical and deep... what if instead of us trying to simply amplify ourselves were formed into people who by our very nature are amplified... set apart... what if the way we looked, acted, sounded, and lived was at a different wave length than all the rest of the world?

What if we were transformed by the renewing of our minds so that we were able to walk out a holy and God-pleasing life an reality and not just theory... what if we were so drastically radical and made a different frequency than the standard so that people had to call us something else... isn't that what happened to the first "christians"? They manifested the teachings of Christ and deviated from the staus quo to the degree that they no longer looked like everything else... they looked like small Christs.

The word "christian" had a beautiful season and was extremely accurate for that time ,but has been watered down, whored out, and falsely self-embraced... I think we need a new generation of serious Christ followers, maybe we can call them something different like...."Christ Followers" ... or we could call them "tambourines" but that would be more confusing.

more important than a new name is a revisitation of the original call and cost of discipleship and dedication to Christ being lived out, someone else can pick the name. They'd have to.

- Jreux

Nearly kicked out of the church I work at...

2009-09-21T16:46:00.007-05:00

We have recently undergone some very big changes at the church I have been working at for the past two years. All of the services were combined into one service for an undetermined length of time. There are between 2500 and 3000 people attending various services every weekend, corralling that many people into one location was a feat in itself. Combine that with all the different personalities and worship preferences...

let me explain... because, we got it all,

.... you get the sword swinging flag wavers waiting for the schofar to blow, while the liturgically saturated hymn singers are thirsty for a wicked organ solo, and the culturally absorbed "hip Christians"wondering why the pastor isn't wearing a stylish untucked button up shirt and pre-ripped blue jeans or sitting on a stool and waiting for their three easy steps to a better family life... and everything else in between. This is a horse of a different color. So, why is this happening?

Well, the short answer is that we are entering into a season to try to build unity and seek God in order to figure out what exactly we are. Good stuff.

In the midst of this circus, not everyone is truly welcome...

I am going to tell a story...

Remember that story in the Bible about Jesus and the sermon on the mount? That part where Jesus says to a young man and his friend "Hey, aren't you those punks that disrupted things earlier on? Get out, you aren't welcomed here!" It turns out that the young man was Matthew, and he left, very confused.... then Jesus turned to the remaining 11 and said "now, go and do likewise" and Jesus continued on with the sermon...

what? you don't remember that story?... hmm... weird. Maybe this was just in "The Message" version...

Anyway, the story has a point... it honestly does.

Last week we had the first "United Service", and I invited one of my friends to come with. He is on staff with a ministry in Minneapolis... so we attend the service and immediately afterwards an elderly man approaches us and apologizes to us.

This was weird, since it was the first time I had ever talked to this man.

He goes on to explain that he and some others saw us enter the building and were looking for us in order to kick us out, because they had mistakenly profiled us...

I was nearly kicked out of the church that I work at. (title)

Fortunately he ran into one of the pastors and pointed over to us before doing the deed. It was then explained to him that I am on staff and they had the wrong people...

To be fair, we don't really look like we belong in a suburban mega church (this is a weird, kind of sad statement... yet true)

crisis averted, right? No blood, no foul?

Hmm.. what if it this would have happened to another person instead...? yikes.

What if Joe Shmo walked into the church and was tracked down and asked to leave just because of the way he looked? What kind of statement does that make? Where are our priorities as a church?

We looked like people that didn't belong in a church and would have been kicked out if I didn't work there....

It seems like we are more concerned about "protecting" the congregation than we are about reaching out to the lost and hurting... especially true if we won't even accept them in when they walk through our own doors.

well, maybe all this will get sorted out from our "United Service"season? I sure hope so.

-Jreux

2:10am

2009-09-18T02:10:00.003-05:00

I am still awake and didn't know what else to do, so I thought I would give this a whirl...

what to talk about?

I cut my finger today. It was very interesting though... the reason being that it was cut by a seemingly harmless object... which I guess is why this stands out to me.

It would be one thing if I cut myself with a knife, or scissors, or the corner of a table, or some other jagged piece of solid material, broken glass, a rusty nail, lawn mower blades, a chainsaw... something at least kind of menacing or intimidating.

I cut myself with a piece of string... something incredibly soft... something used to make blankets, comfortable clothing, and sock puppets. string.

It was even more than a cut, it was more like a slice, right along the soft flesh covering the joint dividing the tip of my middle finger from the rest of my hand. The tension, movement, and pressure of this innocent and soft thread turned a normally unimpressive object into a surprisingly strong and destructive tool. It would have kept going deeper if the pain had not startled me and caused me to quickly pull my hand away. Thinking back, I am not even sure how I did this to myself.. but that is not the point...

this is the point, or at least I think it is.. I didn't rally have a point when I started writing, remember?.. it was just late and I was trying to find something to do.. anyhow.. back to the point.

the point...

string is not very impressive.

I kind of feel like leaving that as the point, but I will add some more to it...

As you have heard it said before "string is not very impressive" but when the right pressure, movement, tension, manipulation, and combination with other tools is added to this unimpressive grouping of fibers amazing things can happen. there is potential.

I kind of feel like that string, and I am very glad that I am in the hands of a master artist who is able to look at me, call me good, see potential, and turn me into something more than just a piece of string. grace is beautiful.

-Jreux

Head and Heart

2009-09-15T17:46:00.003-05:00

That works for me too...

If you have read any of my past entries, you know that I frequently speak on the concept and practice of christian life as well as the north american church...

I was talking with a friend of mine today as we were eating some exquisite roast beef sandwiches at a little shop called Maverick's near Saint Paul. I ran an idea by him that I have been thinking about for a day or so and has sparked my curiosity... here it is.

What if...

I were to spend a year traveling across the United States of America and would completely depend on churches and their members to take me in, feed me, let me sleep at someones house, care for me, and send me on my way....

?

What if I spent a year doing that as I traveled all across this country? Do you think that the people in the church would really look out for me and offer me care and provision? My immediate suspicion is no, but I would like to think yes, I really would like to think yes.

This is the other part - I don't tell them that I am doing this as an experiment or test, I don't tell them that I had been on staff with a church or done international mission work, or any of that jazz... I come to them in brokenness and humility ( I am sure that I would n0t be faking this after the first month on the road) who loves the Lord and is expecting his people to show me His love.

If I were to document this experience, i wonder what we would find out... Would I be accepted? Would I be dismissed or cast out?

It struck me as a very interesting thing to consider... I am sure you would be interested to see this actually happen and to hear updates as the year goes on. Well.....

...maybe someday I'll be that person and give this a shot. I am sure I would learn a ton and be forever changed... but until then I would like to think that if the tables were turned I would be willing to take that person in, if just for a little while and show that person love and compassion.

Now that I have processed the idea a bit, the oddest part of the whole thing is that this concept of welcoming in a stranger is such a foreign idea.

I once met a man who did something similar to this. He was from France and began his travels in The united States. By the time we crossed paths he had made it all the way to the Darien Gap, and realized that nearly everyone who has crossed this guerrilla and cartel infested stretch of rain forest separating Colombia and Panama has written a book about their survival. He probably made a good call in turning around. He was a storyteller and performer and had spent close to a year travelling the Americas, refusing public transportation or paying for a place to sleep. he was kind of a modern day E.C. Frommens. He became dependant on mankind for his care and survival. In exchange, he would tell stories and perform, he would teach, sing, dance, juggle, and share pieces of culture that he had learned along the way. The mission that i was working with gave him food, shelter, friendship, and opportunities to share his stories and crafts for the time he was with us, and then he went along his way... I haven't thought much about him since until right now...

turn, turn, turn...

2009-09-11T14:47:00.006-05:00

Dear 14 readers ( I am accepting new subscribers as well),

I am so proud of you for making it this far, but I think I am going to attempt to lighten up these entries a little bit. This may or may not work, I'm not really a betting man but I feel safe leaving those as the two most likely options...

I also think that it might be nice to have some sort of new consistent theme or direction to these entries and to add a new entry every other day. Don't get me wrong, I have been writing a on a pretty consistent theme, but maybe it is time for a change of pace... as my entries should represent my style which could be described as "awesome" ... also I should be writing about things that are more interesting to make up for my rather bland and unexciting personality.

With that being the case I am not going to strive to be the best at writing blog entries that are engaging and entertaining. I will just try to be better than most at doing those things.

So consider this entry number one of our new experiment.. what would the 14+ of you be interested in hearing my perspective on? you have two days.

Complicated Simplicity

2009-09-10T16:02:00.000-05:00

I saw that this was an unfinished blog of mine from May of this year.. So I am going to attempt to pick up where it left off....wish me well.

originally
Somehow we manage to make this concept a reality. I think that we tend to over think things quite often, leaving us with nothing more but a set of plotted out statistics. I have been reading book in which the author confesses his addiction to purchasing books, a good number of them on the topic of simplifying life. He has come to realize that the more he has learned about methods and philosophies of simplification, the more complicated the pursuit of it has become.

additionally
So, why is it that we find ourselves making a mess out of something that should be natural? Of course this is only the case with abstract ideas, it is not as though we do actually do this in the real world. ( he said with mild sarcasm ) I think in that last thought progression there was a seed of truth that might explain the concept of complicated simplicity. I realize that the more I talk about this and begin criticizing it, the more hypocritical this entry becomes, so I better hurry up.

I think the seed of reality is that we have a deep desire for something authentic. We have realized though that it is much easier to produce something that looks authentic than to actually go through the sacrificially exposing work of being something authentic. Simplicity is one of those things. It looks and sounds good, but the natural evolution of a simplistic lifestyle comes at a great cost. It is much easier to; do these three things, or read that book, or dress this way, and appear to have a simplistic lifestyle than it is to actually search deep within and manifest a simple and peaceful beauty in our everyday lives.

This is not to say that advice from others or studying from peoples experiences is not helpful. It is helpful, as a matter of fact, I would say that the majority of what I believe and who I have become has been heavily influenced off of the blood and sweat (mostly figurative) of others. There needs to be a crossover though. There needs to be ownership and introspective archaeology... there is something hidden away inside of all of us that will be exposed. Something inside that has been forgotten. Something alive that is waiting to be unleashed. what a simplistic complication.

-Jreux

2009-08-28T13:55:00.003-05:00

This is a summary of what the blog is about.. the bigger the word, the more it is mentioned. I found this rather interesting... Make your own at http://www.wordle.net/

mostaza

2009-08-26T16:36:00.007-05:00

Wow...

disclaimer: This might offend some.

In reviewing my life over the past couple years and comparing it to the other 23... I feel pretty confident saying that this has been the most difficult season of my life. A very long season also. An ecclesiastical ass kicking. Some of you will remember that I was sent out of Costa Rica to be a missionary in the TwinCities... I knew I was going to somehow act as a bridge between the church and the city but I did not have any idea that I was going to be planted in the (sarcastically) plush and vibrant soil of a suburban mega church. ouch. I have been in this environment for almost 2 complete years now.. this is the longest I have been in one spot since 2005.. and what a spot to be in... the north american evangelical suburban mega church has become my mission field and I need your prayers.

While many of the words in "north american evangelical suburban mega church" are scary.. the section that has caused the most pain and deception is "north american"

This is not because we are being attacked by the paganistic culture of the north american seculars, it is because we ( the north american "church" at large) have become a product of the culture. We are just the religious flavor a of a consumeristic society.

One of my current favorite authors, Mike Erre, pastor of Rock Harbor church in Costa Mesa, CA. puts it this way in Death by Church.. and I agree.
"We are now realizing that the monster of consumerism in the church is the monster we helped create. We ( "christians" ) built the church on a consumerist model, which focused on comfort and convenience and attracted a middle-class audience that demanded safety and security. In effect, the people came to the services to be fed. the church became a feeding trough, and the members grew comfortable, fat, and lazy. this made embracing the need to focus outward and be missional a tough sell. Ironically, Jesus took just the opposite tack - following Him was dangerous and costly. he didn't always make His messages easy for everyone to grasp. He didn't make people comfortable, and He was often carving away followers rather than attracting new ones. Sadly, in today's church, the vast majority of the church's growth comes form "church hoppers" - people who move from one church to another based on comfort and preference. in other words, we're stealing sheep instead of going out and making new disciples."

I think there is wisdom for us to reevaluate our lives and the culture of our congregations and ask ourselves "Is this what the bride of Christ is meant to be?"

Worst case scenario.... we realize we have fallen far from what Jesus called us to as His followers and we can begin to repent and move toward His calling. We can lay out the cost of what it means to be a disciple and either commit to that life or turn away from it. There is no middle ground.

Best case scenario.... you realize that you are in fact walking out the mandate, and loving God with all your heart, soul, and might in a state of re-dedication to the Lord, and doing so in a corporate movement along with other Christ followers who are ushering the kingdom of God into this world and demonstrating His love in grace in unimaginable ways. Good job, I'd love to hear more.

What if the Jesus we have come to worship in the "north american evangelical suburban mega church" is an idol? what if we have softened our perception of Christ so drastically for the sake of "reaching others" and being "seeker sensitive" that we have muffled His true calling and the actual cost of being His disciple? What if we have forfeited the Jesus of Nazareth for the Jesus of Suburbia? (another good book)

well.. maybe I am just blowing off steam, but I hope that is not the case.. I hope that someone will read this, feel uncomfortable, ask questions, and start the dangerous task of following Christ.

...or I hope a revolutionary seeking Christ will read this and find comfort knowing that they are not alone or crazy in thinking that there is something more out there than the candy coated gospel of the caucasian christ.

peace and love.

-Jreux

questions...

2009-04-01T17:23:00.003-05:00

...they appear so innocent. It really does not take much thought process to ask a question. Little kids ask questions of other people all the time, and little kids are really not smart at all. If you were to pair them against great philosophers and theologians you could say they are rather stupid. Most times when the little kids ask a question they are not even thinking, they don't really want an explanation, they just want to ask a question. One of the most common questions asked is "why". This a a very innocent thing to ask. However, when this question is legitimately applied to perceptions and beliefs that have developed our worldviews and identities, it has the power to tear apart everything that we once stood on. What happens when we start asking ourselves "why"

the power is not as much in the question as it is in the answer.

We see that the challenge and stress is placed on the person who was asked the question. A certain amount of responsibility and personal investment must be acknowledged and accepted in order to truly answer the deeper questions that are asked. This means we must bypass assumptions and explore territory we thought we had already domesticated. This means we must step forth in humility, admitting that our perception might be inaccurate or incomplete.

this is different than doubt.

this is exploration.

The more we question and search, the more answers we will find, and the more certain of our answers we will be... eventually. If we question those things which have become foundational to our being, we will likely be uncomfortably shaken, and forced to reevaluate much of what we have assumed to be true for a large part of our lives.

This is where I am now. I have started asking "why" again... after a long time of assuming why.

Not necessarily out of doubt, but out of hunger and conviction and in this where i find myself; at a place of unsettled clarity. I feel messed up but it is in a good way.

I recommend trying it for yourself.

survival...

2009-03-10T16:31:00.003-05:00

...is such a funny word when paired with a religion claiming the only Living God. Yet quite recently I have heard the word "survival" used twice describing the Christian Church. I have heard these words.. "The survival of the church is dependent upon...". Pardon me, but this brings me to question some motives. Is the movement of Christianity in a state of panic or is the establishment of Christianity in a state of panic? Which one is worried about "survival". Survival is a word rarely paired with something healthy and vibrant. The movement of Christ will persevere. That terror of a mustard seed, which is the Kingdom of God, will press forward until it has devoured all opposition. The only thing that will survive the mustard plant is itself. It does not need to survive. Could it be that the establishment of Christianity is meeting opposition from the mustard seed? Has the hyped up production of the evangelical movement realized that the space in the garden is getting smaller, and it's roots are drying up? Has the mustard plant finally caught up to it?

This is not to say that the movement of the cross has not been without opposition. That would be foolishness to claim. This is also not to say that the establishment of Christianity has not been used to further the kingdom, for this is also foolishness.

Back to the catalyst of this thought process...

The two things I have heard said about the survival of the church (establishment)

1) It must intentionally work toward a multi-cultural body covering all demographics

2) It must go "underground" for at least 10 years.

I feel that I have already experienced this "Survived Church"

It is what grew from that mustard seed Christ spoke of. The movement that was never meant to get entrenched in an established machine of religion. It has continued to move and grow as this beast was built and refined. The unrefined free-flowing perpetuation of the Kingdom of Heaven has persevered.

first Chennai video

2009-03-07T10:35:00.002-06:00

Hey friends,

I arrived back from India on a Friday and had to put introductory video for church to be shown the next Sunday, which I had to start and finish in just a few days. While it was rather rushed, I think it ended up ok. This is what it ended up being.. Some of the sights of Chennai, India...

There will likely be some more videos down the road...

why do we "just" pray?

2009-02-25T14:58:00.003-06:00

When did this all begin? What happened to our communication with God that we have taken on such a foolish sounding standard? Why do we "Just" pray. If you have had exposure to the evangelical church and heard public prayer, then you probably know what I am talking about. For some reason the word "just" is a must have in communication with God.

"Lord, we just are so glad for the ways you are working, Lord. And we just desire, Lord, to be your Servants, Lord. And Lord, we just thank you, Lord, just... for all that you do, Lord."

When did we begin "just" praying? Who started this, and why did it become a standard? Most importantly, why do we continue to use this? What grammatical purpose does it serve?

Also, I understand the importance of this concept, and am learning more about there being power in the Name of Jesus, and declaring Christ as Lord, but why is it used so frequently in prayer? I seriously have a hard time that it is said out of reverence every time it is said. It is more like a conversational tick, similar when to a public speaker uses the word "like" or says "umm" a lot. I think it is good to remember that Lord's name does have power, and to recognize this when we use it... not to use it "in vain".

Speaking of "umm".. there is another interesting phenomena that occurs in prayer. The "agreement moan" or "grunt". This is done when someone says something that others agree with, and rather than articulating this agreement and voicing this.. there is an odd grunt or moan that squaks out. This is also done when something very "spiritual" is said... maybe using some big lofty church words that have been picked up along the way that demand a prayer groan.

I have been guilty of these cultural prayer afflictions and once I began recognizing them, I started to question them... "why do I do these things?" I really think they are part of a culture that has developed and are limiting our perception of prayer.

St. Augustine said "True whole prayer is nothing but love"

We pay very close attention to those things which we love.

I am a huge fan of prayer. I think that there is tremendous power in this practice, and I do believe we are communicating with God when we pray. I also think that if our cultural traits are limiting our communication with God or softening our value of prayer, we should consider changing some things. What if in questioning our current standard we cross a line into a new and better place where our words are heard and our connection with God is strengthened?

I once wrote a skit that was performed in a church, it was a comedy entitled "If people talked how they prayed". There was a lot of laughter as it was being presented, and after it was performed a number of people were honestly afraid to pray out loud in public. It was like swallowing down a razor blade in a spoon full of sugar. I think the point was received.

The Heights Skit

“If people talked how they prayed”

Cast List-

Jon

Dan

Greg

Bart

Elements of prayer to use:

repeated and synonymous title and name dropping.

The use of the word Just

The agreement grunt.. or nnnnn

Using “a hedge of” and other prayer jargon

( Dan and Greg are waiting for Jon because the three of them are going to go see a concert. Dan and Greg talk in prayer form and Jon is weirded out and eventually frustrated by this recent development.)

*throughout this feel free to interject the “agreement moan” when appropriate, which*

* is almost all the time*

Dan: Friend Greg, I just want to ask that you to just be with me today as we just go see the concert Greg. And friend Greg I just want to thank you sooo very much for just always being so present Greg and with me Greg and here right now, friend Greg.

Greg: Ohh, friend Dan who is with me right now, I just petition that you would just put a hedge of financial blessing on me Dan. And friend Dan that you would just help me to just find some way Dan to just go to the concert tonight friend Dan.

Dan: Friend Greg, I just want to echo what you just said Greg. I just want to admit that you do need those finances, and I do admit that Greg. Friend Greg, I just want to acknowledge your need for 5 bucks for the cover charge Greg. And Friend Greg, I just ask that I could just be a blessing to you Greg. (gives Greg the $5, and waits a beat) Friend Greg, I just ask that your will just be done Greg, with this 5 bucks that I just gave you friend

Greg.

(Jon enters, and reacts to Dan and Greg as any sane person would as the two of them proceed to prayer speak him)

Jon: Hey Guys, sorry I’m late.. I’ve been so much more popular and way busy since getting a cell phone…. (Crowd applauds and cheers wildly -inside joke) … So, what’s going on?

Greg: Friend Jon, We just want to ask you to just be with us today Jon Palmer as we just go see the concert Jon.

Dan: Jon Palmer, I just want to stand in agreement, and just acknowledge Jon, what my brother Greg said, Jon

Palmer. We do ask you to just be with us today Jon Palmer and just go with us Jon as we just enter into a time of fellowship tonight friend Jon Palmer.

Jon: Ok.. guys.. got to admit, your freakin me out a little bit here. Not gonna lie. I mean, seriously why are you guys talking so crazy… I mean seriously, it’s a little disturbing. You keep repeating my name and saying “just”…and what is that noise?

(The noise Jon references is the agreement moan which Dan and Greg have brought to a crescendo since Jon started talking)

Greg: Oh Friend Jon, what is it you ask of me Jon?

Jon: It’s like you guys were mooing at me or something... what is the deal? Ugh.. you’re doing it again! Stop.(they moan). stop.(they moan). *yells*Stop! (they wait a beat and then moan)

Dan: Dear Jon Palmer, our friend, We just received a message Jon, from Saint Marks Intl. Jesus House Community Church of Hope, friend Jon… (waits a second and starts up) And friend Jon Palmer

(This is where you simulate the awkward.. “who keeps praying?” thing that happens in community prayer when two people start at the same time)

Greg: Friend Jon…… (Greg won) Friend Jon, we just come before you today friend Jon, and Just, friend Jon, ask that you would have ears to hear, as we just bring forth our message Friend Jon.

Dan: (Continues what he was already going to say... after a hesitant pause) And friend Jon Palmer.. We just were encouraged by the message on prayer friend Jon Palmer. We were told to just be in a state of continuous prayer

Jon Palmer, and to pray without ceasing, and to always pray Jon Palmer.

Jon: Wait.. wait.. wait .. a second here. So that’s what this whole thing is about? That’s why you keep on repeating my name.. and grunting in agreement, and saying “just” every other word?.. Hey guys.. I think you took the message the wrong way…

*Dan and Greg look very confused and wait a beat*

Dan and Greg: *moan in confusion*

Jon: I’m just saying, I don’t think that’s how to be in constant prayer…

Dan and Greg: *deadpan expression, look toward each other*

Jon: *thinks for a second* Oh Greg and Dan.. I just want to say that I just urge you both to please just see the error of your ways Greg and Dan.. And to please just come to an understanding Greg and Dan, of how you just completely misunderstood the message Greg and Dan, and how you are just driving me just crazy Greg and

Dan.. Just.. just.. and how I’m just about to freak out on you Dan and Greg for just acting like a couple of crazies, Dan and Greg, and ask that your will would not be done, Dan and Greg!

(As Jon is ranting, Bart enters and watches Jon freaking out prayer-style)

Bart: Whoa, whoa,, what’s going on here guys?

Dan: I don’t know.. Jon just started freaking out…

Greg: Yeah, weird, huh?

( Dan and Greg walk off stage leaving a destroyed Jon Palmer in mild schock as he eventually makes his way off stage)

The End

flashes of light

2009-02-16T12:58:00.003-06:00

After returning from India, and through some deep and beautiful conversations, I have been able to think about the impact that time has had on my life. I understand that this can seem like a somewhat selfish perspective to take, but I think it is a worthwhile question that might require more intentional reflection than thinking about the tangible impact that our team had on the lovely people we crossed lives with in India. Connected to this, I was recently asked "what is the biggest question that you have been struggling through, the question you keep returning to"... I am still unpacking a number of heavily loaded questions and concepts and have been learning much through this time, but the question I keep coming back to is "Why can't I cry?" Life is filled with things that remind us of how tragic a fallen world is and the injustices that occur and it is also filled with those things that remind us of the potential of beauty that exists, and just how beautiful life can be. I have been realizing that my life experiences over the past few years have entrenched me in the reality of the current state of this fallen world, and because of that my heart has grown calloused. Not hard-hearted, mind you... but calloused. The same way that your hands must be calloused in order to withstand the vigorous work that can be required of them if you are a musician or a carpenter. Recently though, I have been reminded of the beauty of life, which has altered my perception on the tragedies of life. What I am seeing is that the truth of the severity of the tragedies of this world are most accurately viewed through a lens of beauty. When our eyes adjust to the dark, we are able to see shapes and movement that at first were lost to us. This is important if we are going to be spending lots of time in the dark... but we forget how dark things really are until a flash of light reminds us and our eyes need to adjust once more. There have been some "flashes of light" in my life recently, and while I am still in the early stages of processing all of this... I have been learning much. I hope that tears do fall once more, but I hope that they fall in the midst of beauty.

drinking deep

2009-01-13T19:00:00.004-06:00

In two days I will be on my way over to Chennai, India. This will be a first for me. Honestly, I have not had much time to think about the reality of all of this. seriously, is something wrong with me? Shouldn't I feel some sort of anxiety or a certain amount of disbelief? I am definitely looking forward to it, kind of like a quiet excitement. I have been in the United States for far too long now, it has been a year and several months since I have remained in this country. This is the longest I have stayed in one place for years now. I view this trip to India as an odd type of relief and renewal for myself. I will be going along with a small team of adults from North Heights (the church I work at) It is an absolutely solid team, I would not be surprised if we see miraculous healing or other signs and wonders. Seriously, there are some Christ Followers in this team. We will be working with several ywam ministries while in Chennai. Coming alongside these ministries we will be working with an AIDS hospice, a street kids ministry, counseling clinics, ministry in slums, doing some work in tsunami affected areas... a whole lot of stuff, all subject to change. I am anticipating some beautiful things during this time. I have been finding myself restless lately, asking myself deep questions and processing through whatever odd types of regurgitated mass surface as a result. I suppose this is justifiable. The questions I ask are ones that are rooted in the faith I claim. The difference between following Christ and labeling oneself "Christian". What is the "cost" of following Christ? More questions and feelings than I care to express here and now. Maybe India will straighten these questions up or maybe it will add more fuel to the fire, I am leaning toward the latter. If you desire to pray, please do. Intercede on our behalf and on behalf of those we will be displaying love to. Ask that Christ would be seen through us and that we could reveal His truth and beauty as we encounter it. Peace.

Networking... why do I like it?

2009-01-06T17:43:00.003-06:00

I have been trying to figure this out over the past month. Initially I find it odd that something such as networking would cause me the joy that it does. As I have thought it over more I am beginning to see some reasons why. Networking in ministry is a beautiful thing. It is tracking patterns and resources and seeing how they can fit together in order to benefit all parties involved. It is like solving a puzzle, but needing to hunt for the pieces first. What's more, is that it is looking at the most uniquely beautiful and complex pieces of God's creation. People. When everything is said and done, I get to work with people. People are miraculous. With every person you meet, you are able to experience a wonder of God's creative power. When you get to combine these masterpieces and they build unity, the result is brilliant. With every person I meet, I get to experience an aspect of God that I could have otherwise missed out on.

bold as

2008-12-31T08:30:00.007-06:00

love is complicated. It is as frail and fleeting as human emotion and at the same time it is strong as the grave. It has been fought over and it has brought unity. It's name is thrown around without regard to the severity of it's potential. How can we attempt to tame a word with so much power? How much blood has been shed under the twisted veil of a of this concept, and how many tears have fallen as we have began to approach the understanding of it? How do we manage to take such a deep and powerful miracle and tame it down to suit our own needs and preferences. Song of Songs 8:6 & 7 speak of something severe. Many waters cannot quench love in spite of the intense burning it produces. How do we return to this place? I think there is an answer. We must be rooted in the source of love. Untainted love. When we begin to label things love that are not rooted in the source, we begin to see corruption and we see how far an imitation of love will bring us, which ultimately leads to frustration and tragedy. If we believe that God is love, and that love is important, then we believe developing a deeper understanding of God is of value. Love is complicated, because it is bigger than us. How are we to understand it? This is the beautiful part; we are loved by God regardless of our perception or understanding of God and therefore Love. All we are to do is accept. Accepting is more important than understanding. Things no longer follow a logical predictable structure when it comes to Love. We can "feel" or "sense" love.. but we also see love as it manifests itself outwardly. Why is the first commandment to love God? Without this acceptance, we are unable to carry out the second commandment, which is just like it "to love others". Loving others is a reaction of accepting/loving God. To love God is to love others. God is Love. What an extreme concept. Love took on human form in Christ. Love was put to death on behalf of humankind. Love was resurrected and overcame death. Love is stronger than death. The Spirit of Love has been sent as a counselor and with this resurrected Spirit of Love we are able to do more than the incarnate form of Love that was sacrificed on our behalf. And all we need to do is accept.

Christian Movement

2008-11-24T14:52:00.005-06:00

The more I think of that pairing of words the more I become convinced that it has become an oxymoron. I strongly believe, however that this was not always the case. The term "Christian" has taken on collateral meaning over time. This is normal. What is abnormal about the term "Christian" is the amount of deviation that has occurred with this particular noun-turned-adjective. Something that began as a movement and stood for a new and better life with a focus around eternal salvation through Christ's sacrifice and the displaying of God's Kingdom and values in followers lives, has now come to mean an establishment of like-minded people bound together in a stationary posture by a set of positive moral ideals. Why did the movement stop moving? When did this change occur? Why has it persisted? More importantly, how can we move again? Forgetting the preliminary questions and moving to the latter, in order to create an identity based on action a movement must first have a unified and understood purpose, because action without purpose is chaos. The activity that forms the group’s identity must be based in something untainted, relevant, and sustainable. In the Christian Movement, this basis is the Gospel of Christ. Now if this is not interpreted and applied it will maintain its identity as a source of movement but will not be, on its own, a movement. Complicated? If you are still tracking with me at this point then carry on, if not... go back and read again.

So, how can we move again? The answer to this question cannot be stated simply. When are complicated predicaments ever solved that way? This is something that will take individual initiative throughout a corporate body. We (Followers of The Way) are all responsible for the perpetuation of the Gospel in practical terms. In order to understand our salvation we must understand more deeply our sin and our Saviour. Derek Webb says "If your sin is small your Saviour is small". What this implies, is that without a legitimate and deep conviction and acknowledgment of actual and specific sin in our lives we are unable to truly appreciate and therefore react to our deliverance from that sin. Our "salvation". The expression of faith is based on our acceptance of and need for our Saviour. This is a summary, of the deeper understanding of our sin. How can we have a life of freedom if we cannot name what we have been freed from?

Christianity is a reaction. I react to what my Saviour has done for me. I react to my freedom and the new life that has been given to me. I react to being reunited to my Heavenly Father and desire to show others a different way of life. The movement is a reaction. This implies that its roots are found apart from the action itself. It is a response. In order to move we must respond. In order to respond we must know what we are responding to. How we respond is very personal and specific and at the same time it is corporate. The response consists of many small seprate parts of a larger corporate body moving toward the same goal and reacting from the same source. That is a movement.

Same Church: Different Job

2008-11-19T16:54:00.004-06:00

Dear Reader,

After a long year of learning and growing in my new mission field I have been brought into a new refreshing season of life. I had been working in the Student Ministry Dept at North Heights, where I worked with students in 7th-12th grade. This is a rather large sized group, consisting of somewhere around 600 students. I had a transition within Student Ministry where I became the Missions and Events Coordinator, being placed in charge of all o f the retreats and camps as well as all local and international outreach experiences for students in 7th-12th grade. Long story short: my job has undergone another change and I now work in the Global Ministries Dept. at North Heights, where I am the Outreach Ministries Coordinator for the Emerging Generation. The "Emerging Generation" consists of the Children's Ministry Dept, Student Ministry Dept, and College Age Ministry Dept. So, basically, I get to help coordinate local and international outreach opportunities throughout the entire church, with a special focus in College age and younger. Pretty sweet deal. I work with two other great people in the Outreach Dept. and am excited about what is happening at North Heights in the area of outreach. Lately I have been busy trying to connect our Student Ministry and College Age ministry with a couple of different ministries in Minneapolis. Things have been going well with this and I am particualrly excited about the partnership between our College age ministry and SOURCE, in MPLS. So, a new page has been revealed and I am thrilled to see what happens as the story unfolds. Something seems very right about this change.

Update!

2008-08-01T11:28:00.003-05:00

Dear Reader,

It has been a little while since I last gave an update.

MissionTwinCities

MTC was a spectacular success. I believe that deep connections were made in the students hearts and minds. Watching the Holy Spirit tie everything together was a breathtaking ordeal. I have heard many positive comments from students and leaders. One leader said "This is the best missions experience I have had with North Heights".. and he had been on several to Mexico, Guatemala, India.. so I feel as though he knew what he was saying. Praise God. This was an extremely challenging week for students as well as leaders. I would argue that MissionTwinCities was the most demanding opportunity we have had for our adult leaders, and they did an amazing job. It was a week of information, service, worship, love and growth. I am excited to see how the students involved will continue to live out what hey have learned. Love God and Love others.

Summer Programs

We recently finished our big Summer programs. A week long summer camp for students in grades 7-9 and a weekend retreat for students in grades 10-12. They were both wonderful but in very different ways.
The Camp was a lot of fun.. so much fun in fact that I couldnt accurately describe it in a blog.. but trust me.. it was a blast. It was also a great opportunity for me to get to know some of the students who are new to our program since it is the first opportunity that 7th graders have to hang out with us. The week was filled with small group time, big games, teaching times, campfire services, skits, fun activities, sugar, and a lot of laughter. The whole week is designed to give the students a welcoming environment where they can learn more about what it means to follow Christ. It was certainly a great week.
The retreat was so beautiful. Many of the same students who went to MTC also went to this retreat. So it was awesome to keep on building relationships and hanging out with these great students. This was one of the smallest retreats we have had in years, with about 30 students attending. That is a great number for building community. Also with the students being in 10th -12th grade you are able to have some wonderful conversations and work through some deep issues. I loved this retreat. Those students are just amazing and I love getting to work with them. I was also able to teach one of the sessions. The theme for the retreat was "Open Spaces", where we talked about the importance of creating space in our lives for God. I was one of three speakers for the retreat and I talked about how when we create space in our lives for God we become part of a Holy Revolution, a drastic and far reaching change in our thoughts and actions. Something very near and dear to my heart. We also have big games, and a lot of funny during the weekend, but the highlights of this retreat were those things you cannot plan for.

Other Things

So, overall the Summer programs went wonderfully and you can see some pictures if you click the "pictures" link on my sidebar.. (once you get to the page the pics are in the "my current mission field" folder)

Things have slowed down just a little bit now, which is a nice change of pace, and we are preparing for our upcoming program year and all the changes we have planned for it. A few of those big changes... we haven't had a Coordinator for our Senior High Ministry since May and we just hired someone into that position. Her name is Kalley, and yes.. she is the Kalley you are thinking about. She will be starting up in the next couple weeks as we start getting the year rolling. This will put me as the only male youth staff member paired up with 5 ladies... pray for me. My job title has also undergone a change, I am now the Student Ministry Missions and Events Coordinator. Yes.. the word "Missions" is in my title.. it seems like a good direction :) It is a brand new position and it will be fun to figure out exactly what it looks like (so for my friends in other countries, I may see you soon!). Some other fun little chunks of my life include.. I have dreds in again! It was a long time coming but they are n again and looking pretty sweet, if I do say so... I am registered to take my last class for college, that's right! The Biology class will be completed this Fall, and then I will be a graduate!... I am also scheduled to get my Motorcycle license at the beginning of September, strictly to keep up my "bad boy" image... I am still living in Saint Paul and loving that, I have mastered the art of smoking babyback ribs (delicious)... I am writing and playing music for recreation, I got another ear piercing (bad boy.. remember?)... I am excited for this next year and I will keep you all updated as things move along! Love and Peace be with all of you! May God bless you and keep you, make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, may he look upon you with favor and Give you His peace.

-Andres

Love, love, love.

2008-05-22T11:08:00.005-05:00

MTC DETAILS

From June 15th through the 20th (Sunday through Friday) myself and about 45 participants (leaders included) from FirePower (our senior high youth group) will be living and working in Minneapolis (Minnesota). This week is designed to build relationships with our partner ministries in the city and also to give the students opportunities to grow in this act of worship through experience and through teachings. The group is split into three teams, each team assigned to one of three ministries for the week. The ministries are; Parakletos, The Fallout, and Union Gospel Mission. During the day the students will be working with and learning from their experience with the ministries. During the evenings we will have some teachings designed to educate the students with a biblical perspective on issues such as; Human Rights, Oppression, Social Justice, and Poverty. The purpose of this week is to serve God, bless our partner ministries, and create opportunities for our students to grow in compassion. Please pray for us!

$0.02

I have been learning about love. loving others, to be specific. A pretty important thing, being one of the greatest commandments with the other being to love God with the entirety of your being. So how have I been learning these things? Well I am glad you asked. You will be happy to hear that my life has become even more inconvenienced than it had been. I have been intentionally learning about human ecology, social justice and human rights - which just so happen to be directly tied to my belief in God and my belief that God cares about people and wants his people to be loved and restored. Knowledge is responsibility. Now I am stuck with this inconvenient knowledge and need to figure out how I am to respond to it, and the worst part is that I keep going back for more. That's right. I will have even more burdensome responsibility as I continue being informed. frick. Not only that, but I will be sharing this information with students who will then need to process the information and potentially have their lives messed up by having compassion take root in their hearts. frick. I mean seriously, peoples lives will be so disrupted by this venomous information, but the truth of it is.. it is a beautiful complication. I am learning more in order to act and to inform others. Change can happen but it needs to be something more than just wearing a trendy rubber bracelet around our wrist. It will happen when the hand attached to that wrist is willing to sacrifice for the love of God and for the sake of others. This is compassion. This is not convenient. This is loving others intentionally. You cannot do this on your own. This is not focused on personal gain. This is love. love. love. Love is all you need.

One-armed John and the trip to Ohio.

2008-03-20T10:30:00.009-05:00

I recently went on a mini road trip from Minnesota to Ohio. Laura from my DTS was getting married, so Miranda (also from my DTS) and I headed over to Ohio for the weekend! Road Trip! Ohio is a solid 12 hour drive from Minnesota, so we left at around 10pm on a Thursday night. the plan was to drive through the night arrive in Cleveland (where the wedding was) in the morning, stay with my Buddy Owen ( from college), get some rest and head to the rehearsal dinner Friday evening. Makes sense, right? I thought so to. Well sometimes you need to be flexible. The trip started out great, as most road trips do. Some wonderful conversation, good music, tasty treats. A good start. Well, I was not as well rested as I should have been for that late night drive and neither was Miranda. In spite of that, I ended up driving for around 10 hours without any real problems. We burned through Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and we were just 8 miles away from Ohio... when it happened. Yes... it. It happened. The legendary "it" that all road trips should happen. the "it" that changes a trip into an adventure.. a weekend into a memory... "it". As the sun was beginning to rise and we were ridiculously close to our destination state.. Safety Jeep (my vehicle) died... It began with the battery struggling to produce enough juice to keep my headlights bright, eventually my speedometer would stop functioning, this would lead to Safety Jeep stopped completely, on the side of the road, so close to Ohio and so far away. It was 7:30 am. We were stranded in the quaint town of Angola, Indiana. Thank God for AAA. A tow truck was sent to rescue us. Deek, the friendly tow truck driver picked us up. He not only hauled Safety, Miranda, and me to the service shop, he also was a comedian. At least he thought so. He would crack jokes and make commentary. He would laugh at his jokes, Miranda would smile uncomfortably, I would also laugh.. not at his jokes, but at the situation. We learned about Deeks childhood, the conspiracy theory of the firework shop owner, how to brighten a toll booth workers day, and everything else you would expect to learn from a guy named Deek in a situation like that. So it was a humorous start. We pulled into the shop and a handful of guys began immediately working on my car. I was encouraged by this, I though.. at this rate we should be out of here in no time.. How wrong I was. I don't know where everyone else went, but after a couple hours had passed and I had memorized the details of every picture and newspaper clipping on the waiting room wall, I decided to check on Safety Jeep myself. At this point there was a lone mechanic working on my car. His name was John. He had one arm. well, to be fair.. he had two arms- but only one of them was functional the other was more like decoration, so in reality.. he had one arm. Now, don't get me wrong. I think it is great that somebody would overcome the odds and do what John does. However, John was having a hard time. i don't think this was really the Cinderella story of a guy rising above the challenges placed before him and achieving a great feat of humankind. I think it was a one armed mechanic named John, with the mouth of a sailor and the determination of a brick, working on Safety Jeep for a long, long time. I actually had the privilege of working on Safety with John for a little bit, which is not always the case when you are paying to have the work done. It was educational. Well, after a new alternator, battery, belt, blackened lungs from secondhand smoke, broken minds from lack of sleep, new friends in Angola, and about 4 hours... we were on the road again. We made it to Ohio without any other problems! We met up with Owen an hour before the rehearsal dinner, had a great time. Went to the dinner, saw some friends I hadn't seen in a couple years, had a great time. Went rock climbing Saturday morning and then got some ice cream before going to the wedding, had a great time! Celebrated at the reception with wonderful food and amazing people while dancing the night away. It was an amazing weekend! We left on Sunday morning and made it back to Minnesota without any problems at all. It was a fun adventure of a weekend, and if you are ever in Angola, Indiana, make sure to stop by Gold Star Towing and tell our friends hi! And that, as they say, is that.

Homesick...

2008-03-11T12:50:00.002-05:00

As I sit in my big office in a mega-church wannabe of a building I feel exhausted and uncomfortable. there is no dirt under my fingernails, I have a belly full of food, a mini-fridge a foot away from me, I am parasite free, I have a steady income.. all that stuff. But I am uncomfortable and entirely too homesick. I miss my Latin American homeland and am looking forward very much to the time when I will be able to return there and be refreshed, surrounded by loved ones in that distant land that feels so much like home. It is rather funny that God would call me to serve where I am currently at. It makes sense though. I have been stretched in ways I would not have otherwise been... I am totally fine being called to travel South America with faith, prayers, and a shoestring, but call me to work in the suburbs at a big ol' church.. now that is a challenge. I don't mean to sound as though I am complaining. I don't think it is as much not being content with where I am at as it is anticipating being back with my loved ones in Latin America. I do have a deep peace that offsets any desire to just head back to Panama or Argentina, and I am seeing more clearly why God has called me to serve at this church. he has been faithful in providing me with all that I need here. I am surrounded by people who love me, my co-workers in the youth dept. are amazing and I am blessed by them daily, and I am definitely growing in all of this. I have also been able to pioneer the city outreach opportunites which had been given the title "Beyond Belief's".. We just had one this last weekend and another is scheduled for April 19th hopefully working with The Fallout.. a ministry started up in Minneapolis by a former Ywammer. So to those of you in those places I long for... I miss you and love you and pray that in God's timing our paths will cross again. Well.. thanks for reading this, and may the peace of God which goes far beyond our understanding maintain your hearts and your minds through faith in Christ Jesus.

-Andres

Abandonment

2007-12-17T16:25:00.000-06:00

So, I am reading this book about how messed up and broken the teens in the USA are and how it stems from this giant issue of abandonment that has swept the nation over the past decade. The book is called "Hurt" and the author is Chap Clark. This guy has some great insight into the sub-culture that exists in high schools around the USA, but don't take my word for it.... HURT.

Anyhow, I am about half way through the book and it has been incredibly helpful for me in understanding more about the students I have the honor of working with, as well as how some of my friends have been affected by this cultural abandonment that has impacted the current youth and my peers so fiercely. Certainly check it out and give it a whirl. Peace.

-Andres

Life: it happens, but just for a bit.

2007-12-06T14:19:00.000-06:00

Hey guys,

I attended a funeral the other day. It was quite likely the most beautiful funeral service I have ever been to. Which might sound strange, but, already at my young age of 23, I have been to more funerals than the average kid. Anyhow, what made the funeral so beautiful was the joy that was so evident in the midst of pain and mourning. A father had passed away unexpectedly and left here a wonderful family that will miss him and obvioulsy love him very deeply. His entire family spoke about the different characteristics of who this man was and what made him so precious. I never knew this man, but after hearing such beautiful words about him, I would have liked to sit down and have a nice rich cup of coffee with him, just to soak in what this guy embodied. I am not going to try to capture with words what was so special about this celebration of His passing into an eternal paradise. There was something there though. There was so much laughter throughout the service. It was a thing of beauty. This man was not perfect, but he shared the belief in his heart and allowed that to shape the conduct of his life. This did not leave any doubt, in those who knew him well, that when he passed into eternity he was brought into eternal salvation. What a beautiful thing. So much raw emotion... expressing joy and sorrow while confronting the mystery of death. It was a bit of a wake up for me. Something I will think about for, I'm sure, years... I wish you could have been there.

-Jreux

Not Dead = Me

2007-11-24T22:39:00.000-06:00

Well friends,

It has been far too long since my last update and I am sure that there have been assumptions of what I have been doing, so let me put to rest some of the more common rumors out there.....

1) I took over a South american travelling circus and managed it in such a way that I absorbed all competing circuses, leaving the entire South American circus community in a chaotic state... with hundreds of payasos jobless. (FALSE)

2) I went crazy in Colombia and ate all my dredlocks one night while howling at the moon, because of extreme heat stroke and a heroin overdose from receivng a tattoo in an alley from a shady character using an old syringe in hopes of sharing the love of God. It was a tattoo of Goldie Hawn riding a unicorn. (False) - although I did cut my dreds off in Colombia.

3) I went to the Twin Cities as a missionary sent out from Costa Rica after travelling all over Latin America and learning to knit from a Finnish girl while crossing the Andes, as well as dropping off a foot long parasite in Argentina that I likely picked up three months prior in Kenya, along with 8 months more of stories that eventually lead me to my current placement in life as a youth minister at a megachurch. (True)

4) I died. (False)

So almost three months ago I saw Gods provision for my missionary work in the Twin Cities. It came to me in the form of a full-time paid position working with 7th-12th graders and college students at a church in the (su)burbs of Saint Paul. God has a sense of humor alright. The bottom line is that I felt peace about this position that I was offered and have been learning a great deal as well as being stretched in some different ways. It is humbling and a blessing. The church I am working at has about 600 youth in 7th-12th grade and I get to work with an amaazing youth staff as we try to guide thses students and challenge them to follow Christ. There is a director for 7th - 9th and also one for 10th - 12th, and I am the Associate Director for 7th - 12th, So I am spread out between the two and have also been workign with the college age ministry. So.. what do I really do? Good question. I am involved in helping to develop lessons and talks as well as themes for retreats. I am the primary minister for male youth in 7th - 9th grade. I teach a topical lesson every Sunday to a group of about 40 7th - 9th graders. I have been a speaker at different retreats and large group teachings that we have had for students in 7th - 9th and 10th - 12th. I am the inner city missions coordinator for students in 7th-12th and their families, working with already existing inner city ministries. I will be helping to lead a mission trip to Colombia, Isla Bocachica this summer as well as be leading up a week long inner-city missions experience in Minneapolis or Saint Paul. So those are just a few things that I am doing.. Like I said, I am being stretched and growing in some new ways. For those of you who know me well, you know what I mean. I know I am where I am supposed to be and have peace with this season of my life as it is. So that is the update for now, and I will plan on producing more frequent updates from now on. Thank you for your prayers. Peace.

What just happened?

2007-09-07T18:16:00.000-05:00

Dear Loved Ones,

It has been a bit more than a month since my last update, and the reason for that I am now going to explain. After arriving in Minnesota, I was a bit unsure about what exactly was going to happen. I knew I was supposed to be in Minnesota and that there was some call to ministry for me there, but the details were still being pieced together. I was taken by surprise when I was offered "something to think about".. That something was a job working at North Heights Lutheran Church as the Associate Director of their youth dept. After reading through the job description and taking some time to pray about the whole situation and listen to God, it was made increasingly clear that this was the next step. We basically shotgunned through the whole hiring thing, and I am now finishing up my first week with the team. So a lot has happened in a short amount of time. I will fill you in on what I will actually be doing at some other point. I am excited about what God is going to do with this ministry and am stoked about the great youth staff that I get to work with at North Heights. I am also hoping that the relationship between YWAM and North Heights will continue to grow through this little surprise. Please be keeping me in prayer as I get into the swing of things.

The Oasis State...

2007-08-05T16:38:00.001-05:00

Dear Loved Ones,

I arrived safely in Minnesota last week. All travel went wonderfully and I am currently trying to get settled in to my new mission ground. It is interesting, because although I am actually from Minnesota, I do not really feel as though I am "returning". Rather, there is more of an awareness that this is the next mission location. Something new. Along that same wave, I was actually sent out from Costa Rica to be a missionary to the Twin Cities, funny how that works. Although I have only been back a few days, I am looking forward to seeing how things come together and stepping forward in faith and obedience in what I have been called to. Faith doesn't only exist overseas, and although the needs are different in The U.S., there is much work to be done. I am planning to meet with the director of YWAM, MN and talk with him more in depth on what the inner-city ministry is going to look like. There are many people I would love to catch up with, and it has been wonderful seeing friends and family after such a long amount of time away. I am expecting to be somewhat busy and hoping to meet up with many people I still have yet to see. Also, please feel free to be proactive in contacting me if you would like to get together. Also.. nto to be missed... if you have not looked at the sidebar to the right with the different links, I encourage you to check those out. They will be updated with prayer requests, photos, and financial needs. Worth checking out. Thank you again for all of your prayers and support, because they matter more than I think we understand. peace.

On my way....

2007-07-21T12:24:00.001-05:00

Dear Loved Ones,

I just returned to Panama after spending the past two weeks doing work at the mission on an island off the coast of Cartagena, Columbia. It was an incredible experience and opportunity for me to experience firsthand a ministry that is empowering and changing a community the way that Proyecto Libertad is doing on Isla Bocachica. Although I have been to many countries and seen many things during these past 8 months, being a part of the ministry at Isla Bocachica has been the highpoint of this journey that God has brought me through. It was tough to leave that ministry, but there is a time and place for everything. I am now in what seems to be the final stretch of this journey abroad. This will also very likely be my last entry before arriving in Minnesota on the 1st of August. Once again, I want to thank you all for your support during this amazing journey God has brought me through. Please continue to keep me in your prayers as I make my way back up to Costa Rica, and then August 1st, my land... Minnesota. Peace.

-=Andres=-

Some of the Beauty of Isla Bocachica... enjoy.

The Final Stretch....

2007-07-04T12:19:00.000-05:00

Dear Loved Ones,

This update has some pretty important information that might be worth looking over... To start with.... The parasite issue. I arrived in Panama last night and was able to get some medicine today which should get rid of anything else that is living inside of me.. I bought some extra just to be safe. So hopefully my travel buddies and I will be going our separate ways some time soon. Thank you for all of your cute comments and prayers about all that, a visual that I am sure has been burnt into my mind. Another big piece of news.... I am leaving for Cartagena, Columbia tomorrow afternoon and will be working with them until the 20th. I will be helping with ministry on an island near the coast, and it sounds like I will NOT have internet during my time there, so consider no news to be good news until I get back to Panama. It sounds like there are going to be many opportunities to serve there, I have heard that it is a place with a lot of needs. It has actually been called a "little Africa" by some people I have talked to who have helped there. I am expecting good things to happen during that time. One more big thing..... I am coming home to Minnesota on August 1st. So my time away is coming to an end, but my time in missions is still going on. I have already been in touch with David Clark, the Director of YWAM Minnesota, and the plan is that I will continue in mission work, but to the Twin Cities. We are going to be talking in more detail about the specifics of it all once I get back, but I have received much confirmation about this next step and am excited to see what happens through it all. The idea is basically to start a YWAM ministry in the Twin Cities which will create opportunity to allow others to live out their faith while at the same time making an impact in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. This also means that I need financial support in order to serve with YWAM, and unfortunately the cost of living is quite higher in Minnesota than it is in 2nd or 3rd world countries. The truth is... I will need monthly support in order to do this work. So I would appreciate it if you could please add that to your prayers as you continue to support me in this work. Although I have grown, and learned a lot during this time.. I am looking forward to when my travels here come to an end. Even more so, I am looking forward to getting back home and being with so many people who I love and miss. thank you again for all of your love and support, please keep me in your prayers as I continue in my travels. Peace.

-=Drew=-

God Is Faithful....

2007-06-11T22:13:00.000-05:00

Dear Loved Ones,

So much has happened since the last update that I sent out. It will be hard to keep it to just one entry with all the details, but I will do my best. I had been praying that God would have some more hands-on work to do in Argentina and it has been amazing to see him working during this time here. The third member of our¨"team", Gabriel, arrived safely on Friday... and we have been especially busy since that time. God is doing a lot in our lives as well as using us to touch the lives of many people in Mendoza. We also had the great opportunity to visit the YWAM base in Mendoza and worship and serve with them for the day, we plan on visiting them again this Wednesday to share more with them about what we have been up to in the City. We have a number of celebration stories about what God has been doing through us here but they are all connected to us being faithful and really living out what we believe and ready to serve God at any time. Now for some of the details.. We have been living in a hostel and doing ministry both inside and outside of where we are staying. One of the hostel workers is even considering doing a Discipleship Training School through YWAM and will be visiting the base in Mendoza with us this wednesday, he also came out with us as we did ministry one day and I think he is really starting to think more about what he believes. it is quite exciting, to say the least. We have made many good relationships with all sorts of people in Mendoza, really too many stories to share right now, but we have been doing ministry with th ehomeless, with shop owners, with youth, hippies, and even been able to share in fellowship with some people. Honestly, it is surprising how many people recognize us and how many deep conversations have occured as well as opportunities to share the hope of Christ and to demonstrate his love through our actions. One of these stories started like this..... As we were walking home one night, I really felt like God wanted me to give a specific amount of money to a lady who we had just walked past. So I stopped and said to Brian that I had to do something, so we went back and I gave her some money and told her that I really felt like God wanted to give that to her. She was very appreciative and shared that she too is a believer. So we chatted briefly and we said farewell to her for the night. I later realized that I was supposed to give her a bit more than I actually had, so I made it a point to track her down the again, which was pretty simple... you see, she makes her living selling things on the street corner, and does so nearly every day until 11:30 at night! So we eventually found her again and I gave her what more I was supposed to along with some food... Since then we have been visiting her frequently and sharing in conversation as often as we pass by. She is an incredible woman, her name is Emma and she is 58 yrs old and sugary sweet with an incredible faith in God. She later shared with us that after our first encounter she wasn´t quite sure if we were angels or men.. God is at work. She certainly has a special place in my heart... we are hopign to drink some tea with her tomorrow. There are just so many celebration stories that have come from this time... we have been handing out food the past couple days to people who are hungry and can´t afford it, also we took a former boxer now car cleaner living on the street out to eat at a pizza joint.. man he enjoyed that.. we have been running into him occasionally the past few days since then, his name is Juan Carlos and it is tough top understand a word he says, but we love him. He likes to greet us with hugs and a big smile. We also bought some food for Alberto, a brother living on the street. We made him a huge sandwich from some stuff at the grocery store, sat next to him and explained to him why we were doing these things. That is the case with all of our stories, because the truth of the matter is.. in my flesh, I am a greedy, sinful person and it is only in dying to myself and living for Christ that His love can shine through. We tell everyone we minster to that we do it not because we are good people but because we love God and because God loves them... Alberto was brought to tears because of us sharing the love of Our Father with him. There are so many more stories! Seriously, I can hardly believe all that God has done here in such a short amount of time. every day God seems to set up a bunch of things for us to do for his glory in order to share His message. God has been busy. There are probably about a dozen other stories of the work God has been doing here, it has been amazing to be His servant. Please be keeping us in prayer, although our team is small, God has united us for a noble purpose much bigger than ourselves. Thank you for all of your prayer and support, I will try to get some fotos up when I have a chance. Peace.

-=Andrew=-

Through The Andes....

2007-06-01T10:38:00.000-05:00

Dear Loved Ones,

This is my last day in Pichilemu, Chile. Tomorrow I head by bus through the Andes and into the border town of Mendoza, Argentina. I will be traveling with a small group of about 4 others. We are hoping to meet up with another guy, Gabriel, who just finished his DTS in Panama and recently returned from an outreach in China. From Mendoza, Myself, Gabriel, and Brian will be continuing on and eventually arriving in Buenos Aires. Some of the details still need to be worked out but we have contacted the YWAM bases in Mendoza and Buenos Aires and will hopefully be able to connect with them to join in already existing ministries. We are open to serving God in whatever way He asks us, we just need to seek Him and act in obedience. I am looking forward to the time in Argentina and hopefully will be able to give some interesting upates as time there passes along. Thank you all for your prayers and support. I am unsure of what my interent connection will be like in Argentina, but will update the site as often as is possible. peace.

-=Drew=-

The Skinny....

2007-05-15T09:59:00.000-05:00

Dear Loved Ones,

I just uploaded the latest video project online. You can check it out on this sight. It is just a little diddy I was asked to put together explaining more about the Discipleship Training School (DTS) in Pichilemu, Chile. Pretty soon here it will be bilingual spanish/english.. but for now you'll have to deal with the English only version. My next project here is to make a similar video for their Surf Camp. Things have been going well here in Pichilemu. I have enjoyed the luxury of Avocados that cost a mere 10 cents, I think I ate around 25 of them last week. It is getting a bit colder everyday, although it is still about the same as good ol' Minnesota Autumn. me and and some guys from North America had a dog roast over a campfire last night, which was basically perfect. The DTS just returned from a two week long mission trip to northern Chile, it seems like things went well with them. In other news.... Chris and Vanessa from the new ministry in Panama recently found out that they are pregnant! So I am going to be an uncle! They said I could. I also found out that my travel group going to Argentina now consists of around 4 of us, so that should be a jolly good time. We are still planning on taking the bus over the border early next month. Other than that, this is a small town with small town life and things have been pretty tranquil lately. I hope you enjoy the video, and I always appreciate e-mails from you guys! Peace.

Grandpa.

2007-05-04T13:18:00.000-05:00

Dear Loved Ones,

Thank you all so much for your prayers and thoughts during this time. I have received many very kind words and much support from many people. Thank you so much for all of your love and support. This is the letter I sent back to Minnesota that was read at Grandpa's ceremony.

Grandpa's Remembrance Letter

I am just going to be honest here; it is hard to, with just a few words pay tribute to or in some way fully expresses all that is going through my mind. No doubt I am going to miss grandpa like crazy, I'm just thinking now about being wrapped up in one of his big warm hugs. I have never grown too big for those, and every time I saw him I was always greeted with that loving embrace. Just that memory alone brings tears to my eyes. I know that there is something very special that is in that relationship between a grandson and a grandpa. I know that because it is something that Grandpa showed me. It was in the way he lived. I have a lot of great memories about Grandpa, but I want to share a bit about the last conversation I shared with him. I called Grandpa up on my birthday, said "hey Grandpa" and was greeted with a joyful, even surprising.. "Andreeeeeeeeeew!". It was just filled with love. After his traditional "Hey ma, get on the phone… it's Andrew" We talked for a good while. We talked for a bit about where I am at, which was Panama at the time, and what the plans were from there. I got the latest on how he was doing and how everything has been. It was such a energetic, refreshing and happy conversation. I remember Grandpa saying how proud he was of me for being in the mission field and serving God this way and how important this work is. His words were so genuine and just touched my heart deeply. To hear him say how proud he was of me gave me this sensation that is hard to express. It was like I began to understand how deeply important what I am doing was to him, and I was honored to be able to be his grandson and serve our God in this way. I was thinking how proud I am to be a "Reuss". Grandpa knew how important that salvation in Christ is, and he knew what it meant to live as a child of God. Now he is in the complete presence of the most holy God and rejoicing with all the company of Heaven. Like it says in 2 Timothy 4:7... "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." That is what Grandpa has done. He was created for something far better than this world, and he is now united with the Heavenly Father of Creation. He fought the fight on earth that tries to pull us away from our loving God; he finished the race that has lasted for so many wonderful years, and through all of it He has kept his Faith and by doing that found life in Christ. In Proverbs 16:31 it says " Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life".. Grandpa had a lot of Gray hair. A lot. Just ask my sister Adrienne, she always seemed to point it out. Anyway... Wisdom does come with age. Grandpa lived a good long life and was very wise because of it. A big part of that wisdom was his faith in Christ as Savior. Grandpa knew that he was going to see The King. He knew that life did not end in this world but it was just the beginning of a new life with Christ. So let us join in that knowledge. Let us celebrate the life that Grandpa had, but even more so celebrate the new life that he has in Heaven with our amazing Lord. Through Christ, Grandpa has conquered the grave. He is in a place free from pain, free from sadness, experiencing the glory of God firsthand. Let us rejoice in this victory together and celebrate the life that Grandpa has in Christ. I Corinthians 15:55 "Where, O death is your victory? Where O death, is your sting?". God has the victory, because he has brought another child home, and into His loving embrace.

Andrew David Reuss

South America... I dig it.

2007-04-26T14:01:00.000-05:00

Dear Loved Ones, (You think that's just a title... well I mean it every time)

I am safe and sound in Pichilemu, Chile. I am excited to be able to help out around the YWAM base here. I already feel right at home! I flew out from Panama Tuesday and arrived in Santiago yesterday at around 3am.. I then had to bus to the main terminal at 7am and take a 4 hour bus ride to Pichilemu at 8am and finlly arrived around noon... So once the dust settled yesterday, I took a nap. I also met a lot of the wonderful people at this base, and I am really looking forward to the time I will be spending here. I will be working a good deal with their communications dept. and maybe putting together a video for their Discipleship Training School. The weather here is refreshingly crisp.. like a nice refreshing Minnesota autumn.. I may need to be dragged out of this place... So, although I have only been here a short time I am very much encouraged, and looking forward to the many days I have left in Chile. On another note... because of the great internet connection here, I have been able to put some more videos online for the Panama ministry in Casco Viejo. The first features and introduction from Derek Webb. What's more, they are conveniently placed on this site! How sweet is that? So check out the videos while you're here and if you are interested in doing more with that ministry than just watching videos about it.. here is their webpage link.. THEIR WEBPAGE LINK or e-mail me and I can connect you with the right people. So, without further hesitation, I present to you the feature presentation/s. Peace.

Dustin' off the passport.

2007-04-21T10:13:00.000-05:00

Dear Loved Ones.

It has been a bit of time since the last update, a few things have happened since that time. For one, on April 17th I added one more number to my age and am now 23. Never done that before. I have continued to work with the inner-city minstry in Casco Viejo. I finished putting together another video for them and have continued building connections with different people around that area. A group of us are actually going there today to hand out our lunch to people who can't afford food on their own. I also have a update about travel plans. Due to various reasons, the journey through South America has taken on a different look from the original concept. I will be spending more time in fewer places and doing less travel than originally thought. I plan on arriving in Chile next week and spending about a month at the base in Pichilemu, about 3 hours southwest of Santiago. from there I will bus over to Argentina, very likely stopping in the border town Mendoza, Argentina, before continuing on to Buenos Aires. Right now it is seeming like the 4th of July is when I will return to Panama from Argentina. My return ticket back to "The Oasis State" (Minnesota) is still August 1st. There is a lot of time until then, and with the journey starting up again I hope that I might be put fresh in your thoughts and prayers. I could also use financial help as travelling around costs more than staying in one location. The travelling will cost around $1,000.00. I am able to pay this now, but my account will be severely lowered. If you would like to help out in that way, you can follow the link on the side of this site. Well, I am off to the City now. Please also feel free to e-mail me, as I always love hearing from you. Peace.

-=Drew=-

Responsible....

2007-04-08T13:32:00.000-05:00

Dear Loved Ones,

Below is a short video that I put together that shows a bit about the new ministry that is being started in Panama. It is a much needed ministry in the inner-city. About ten minutes away from what is now considered Panama City is the old, run-down, forgotten, and hurting area known as Casco Viejo. Ten minutes away. This new ministry needs a lot of help, and if you are interested in helping let me know and I can connect you with the right people. If nothing else, I hope this video urges you to consider what is ten minutes away from you, and what you are responsible for based on what you believe. Happy Easter. May we live out faith as Christ has called us to.

-=Andrew=-

Satanist Musicians...

2007-04-04T09:22:00.000-05:00

Dear Loved Ones,

I have been doing well in Panama. Working a lot with Chris Collins in some of the pioneering stages of the new ministry in Casco Viejo. I have been trying to do a lot of filming as we have been heading forward in this ministry. At this point we have been trying to do relationship building with some of the locals. During one of these meetings, we were in the home of one of our new friends chatting. During my time in Casco Viejo I have seen several Rastas, I like Rastas, so I asked if there was a part of town where more Rastafaris live. One thing lead to another and before long we found ourselves walking over to another... home? cave? shelter.... anyhow. There were three musicians in this dwelling, who after a few seconds of observation of their home decor, appeared to be satanists. Not Rastas. It was an interesting meeting. Before leaving we said we would try to make it to one of their concerts, oddly enough they said Sunday would be a good day to check it out. However, when we were walking out they did warn us not to bring any of that "God stuff" with us. At which point I turned around smiled and couldn't help but laugh a little. I mean seriously, why else would we come back if we didn't bring the "God stuff"? So things have been going well in Panama. Cartagena, Columbia is looking a bit more questionable, as they recently made a video of their ministry that they are now touring with. So... they might have that under control. I will keep working out the details and as I know more, you will too. Peace.

-=Andrew=-

In the business of Building Bridges....

2007-03-19T14:21:00.000-05:00

Dear Loved Ones,

I finally made it to a net cafe and can offer up a more proper update on my location and well-being. I arrived safely in Panama City, Panama ( Not Florida.. I just liked the post card... ) after an 18 hour bus ride from San Jose, Costa Rica. I was blessed to be randomly accompanied by a group of Christian students traveling together for a study abroad program, also in my company was a missionary family from Spain/Belgum that has been on the field for over 20 years now and were on their way to Columbia. So, what would have been a very long ride became a great blessing as I was able to share about what God had brought me through over the past few months and travel peacefully with some brothers and sisters in Christ. I completely surprised everyone at the YWAM base in Panama with my arrival. I was purposely keeping my visit out of their radar, and they were very surprised as I just walked right into a room filled with some good friends. What a great surprise! Now about building bridges. I plan on being able to connect different ministries with people who can support these minsitries. Making "bridges". To do this I will use video to try to capture the heart, vision, and history of ministries I come in contact with and then bring those needs back to the United States, in order to form connections. The first ministry I am working with is a new one in Panama City, through YWAM. I have been keeping busy with doing some filming of Panamas new inner-city ministry in Casco Viejo, the ministry has just begun and is in need of a lot of help. Besides the filming, I have also done some translating for a short-term team that came through from Texas. Along with those things I have been doing some work with the DTS staff and also been able to work with some of the indigenous students from the home. I hope to be able to get back to do more work in Casco Viejo later on in this week, I also plan on doing some prison ministry while I am down in Panama. Right now I think I will be at this base for a round a month. The plan from here is still to fly over to Cartegena, Columbia. I will keep this updated as I spend more time in Panama and as Columbia plans become more concrete. Thank you for all of your prayers and support, and if you have missed any of the past blogs, you can check them out in the blog history on this page. Peace and Blessings.

-=Drew=-