and if you haven't seen Flight of the Conchords, or heard their song "Business Time", you have no idea what that means. Go to youtube and search the fake band's name, and then find that song. Priceless.
Anyway, I went on a book buying splurge. Here are the books I bought:
- When The Game Is Over, It All Goes Back In The Box by John Ortberg.
I love Ortberg's writing. This should be a good one.
- Secrets In The Dark: A Life In Sermons by Frederick Buechner.
I've always wanted to read his works. I've read through a few of the sermons, and even though they were written several years ago, they are pretty relevant to today's time. It has a recommendation by Rob Bell on the back, good enough for me!
- Hidden In Plain Sight: The Secret Of More by Mark Buchanan.
His book Your God Is Too Safe is one of my favorites, I read it every few months or so. I'm excited to read this one.
- Would You Rather? by Doug Fields.
This is a book for my student ministry, it has a ton of funny and poignant questions to ask students. If you've seen the board game Zobmondo, then it's similar to that.
- Eat This Book: A Conversation In The Art Of Spiritual Reading by Eugene Peterson.
Peterson did The Message bible translation. I have his trilogy on being a pastor, which is an awesome series. I started reading a little bit of this book, and it already got me intrigued.
- Night Watch, Day Watch and Twilight Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko.
I've always liked vampire stories, I don't know why. I also like Matrix type movies. I guess the two movies made from the first two novels of this series were amazing. It's a Russian author and Russian movies. Should be interesting.
- In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day: How to Survive and Thrive When Opportunity Roars by Mark Batterson.
Mark is a church planter, I'm a church planter. Mark's church meets in theaters, the church I helped plant meets in a theater. Mark's blog is awesome, mine is...well, never mind. This is the book I stated reading first out of all of these, because (1) the title is awesome, (2) I'm hoping that it will help me in my journey of this church plant (and it is helping so far), and (3) did I mention the title is awesome?
Well, that's it. It's time to get busy reading.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Statistics...
And these pictures are amazing. If you go to this website, you can see some amazing pictures by an artist who is attempting to help us visualize certain statistics about America. Most of them are about environmental concerns, although some are of other things.
Chris Jordan writes this introduction to his work:
This series looks at contemporary American culture through the austere lens of statistics. Each image portrays a specific quantity of something: fifteen million sheets of office paper (five minutes of paper use); 106,000 aluminum cans (thirty seconds of can consumption) and so on. My hope is that images representing these quantities might have a different effect than the raw numbers alone, such as we find daily in articles and books. Statistics can feel abstract and anesthetizing, making it difficult to connect with and make meaning of 3.6 million SUV sales in one year, for example, or 2.3 million Americans in prison, or 410,000 paper cups used every fifteen minutes. This project visually examines these vast and bizarre measures of our society, in large intricately detailed prints assembled from thousands of smaller photographs. The underlying desire is to emphasize the role of the individual in a society that is increasingly enormous, incomprehensible, and overwhelming.
My only caveat about this series is that the prints must be seen in person to be experienced the way they are intended. As with any large artwork, their scale carries a vital part of their substance which is lost in these little web images. Hopefully the JPEGs displayed here might be enough to arouse your curiosity to attend an exhibition, or to arrange one if you are in a position to do so. The series is a work in progress, and new images will be posted as they are completed, so please stay tuned.
~chris jordan, Seattle, 2007
Amazing.
Chris Jordan writes this introduction to his work:
This series looks at contemporary American culture through the austere lens of statistics. Each image portrays a specific quantity of something: fifteen million sheets of office paper (five minutes of paper use); 106,000 aluminum cans (thirty seconds of can consumption) and so on. My hope is that images representing these quantities might have a different effect than the raw numbers alone, such as we find daily in articles and books. Statistics can feel abstract and anesthetizing, making it difficult to connect with and make meaning of 3.6 million SUV sales in one year, for example, or 2.3 million Americans in prison, or 410,000 paper cups used every fifteen minutes. This project visually examines these vast and bizarre measures of our society, in large intricately detailed prints assembled from thousands of smaller photographs. The underlying desire is to emphasize the role of the individual in a society that is increasingly enormous, incomprehensible, and overwhelming.
My only caveat about this series is that the prints must be seen in person to be experienced the way they are intended. As with any large artwork, their scale carries a vital part of their substance which is lost in these little web images. Hopefully the JPEGs displayed here might be enough to arouse your curiosity to attend an exhibition, or to arrange one if you are in a position to do so. The series is a work in progress, and new images will be posted as they are completed, so please stay tuned.
~chris jordan, Seattle, 2007
Amazing.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
That explains the glazed look in my eyes all the time...
You Are a Glazed Donut |
 Okay, you know that you're plain - and you're cool with that. You prefer not to let anything distract from your sweetness. Your appeal is understated yet universal. Everyone dig you. And in a pinch, you'll probably get eaten. |
Oscar: Who Should Win and Who Will Win
The Academy Awards are on Sunday.
I have to admit I haven't seen every movie nominated for an Oscar. But I've heard a ton about most of them, and since I do have the spiritual gift of remembering people and plot of movies even though I haven't seen the movie, I'm sure it's okay.
Here's my list of who should win and who will win. Fun.
I haven't included all categories, just ones I care about.
My "Who Will Win and Who Should Win" List:
1. Best Picture: "Atonement," "Juno," "Michael Clayton," "No Country for Old Men," "There Will Be Blood."
Who will win: No Country For Old Men
Who should win: No Country For Old Men
2. Actor: George Clooney, "Michael Clayton"; Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood"; Johnny Depp, "Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street"; Tommy Lee Jones, "In the Valley of Elah"; Viggo Mortensen, "Eastern Promises."
Who will win: Daniel Day-Lewis
Who should win: Daniel Day-Lewis
3. Actress: Cate Blanchett, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"; Julie Christie, "Away From Her"; Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose"; Laura Linney, "The Savages"; Ellen Page, "Juno."
Who will win: Julie Christie.
Who should win: probably Julie Christie. But Laura Linney is a fantastic actress in her own boat.
4. Supporting Actor: Casey Affleck, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"; Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men"; Hal Holbrook, "Into the Wild"; Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Charlie Wilson's War"; Tom Wilkinson, "Michael Clayton."
Who will win: Hal Holbrook. Oscar loves never-nominated before old guys. But Bardem has a lot of momentum coming in.
Who should win: Javier Bardem.
5. Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett, "I'm Not There"; Ruby Dee, "American Gangster"; Saoirse Ronan, "Atonement"; Amy Ryan, "Gone Baby Gone"; Tilda Swinton, "Michael Clayton."
Who will win: Amy Ryan.
Who should win: There should be a tie between Amy Ryan, Cate Blanchett, and Tilda Swinton.
6. Director: Julian Schnabel, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"; Jason Reitman, "Juno"; Tony Gilroy, "Michael Clayton"; Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men"; Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood."
Who will win: No Country.
Who should win: No Country.
8. Adapted Screenplay: Christopher Hampton, "Atonement"; Sarah Polley, "Away from Her"; Ronald Harwood, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"; Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men"; Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood."
Who will win: Coen brothers.
Who should win: Coen brothers.
9. Original Screenplay: Diablo Cody, "Juno"; Nancy Oliver, "Lars and the Real Girl"; Tony Gilroy, "Michael Clayton"; Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava and Jim Capobianco, "Ratatouille"; Tamara Jenkins, "The Savages."
Who will win: Juno.
Who should win: Juno.
10. Animated Feature Film: "Persepolis"; "Ratatouille"; "Surf's Up."
Who will win: Ratatouille.
Who should win: Persepolis (haven't seen it, but have heard amazing things about it)
16. Original Song: "Falling Slowly" from "Once," Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova; "Happy Working Song" from "Enchanted," Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz; "Raise It Up" from "August Rush," Nominees to be determined; "So Close" from "Enchanted," Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz; "That's How You Know" from "Enchanted," Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz.
Who will win: one of the Enchanted songs.
Who should win: Falling Slowly.
Riley's First Goal
Had to share this: my friend Jim from Ohio has a son-in-law who plays for the Philadelphia Flyers. He's known best for fighting (which has endeared himself to Flyers fans), but this past week, Riley Cote scored his first NHL goal against the Canadiens.
Way to go Riley!
Way to go Riley!
Friday, February 15, 2008
Lent - Laying It Down
I thought this was a great article about Lent and Ash Wednesday. Courtesy of Next-Wave Online E-zine.
LENT - LAYING IT DOWN
by Bob Hyatt
For those of us who are trying to hear the voice of Christ, we need regular times of focusing on Christ's call to follow, to lay down our lives for one another. Lent is one of those times- a period of 40 days not including Sundays which are given to considering what we will lay down, what we will not. What our lives count for, or how they fail to count. We hear the call of Jesus and struggle all over again to die to ourselves and live for Christ and others. The journey of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Good Friday and Easter, showing us in sharp relief the exact cost of our sin, and the means by which God will restore all things.
Ash Wednesday begins Lent by reminding us that the journey towards the Cross is one every Christ follower must make- step by step, selfish impulse by selfish impulse. And Ash Wednesday also reminds us that the time is finite, limited... because it reminds us of our mortality.
So, this year, even if you missed Ash Wedneday, observe a Lent of self-examination and repentance; of prayer, and fasting, of saying "no" to self and "yes" to God and others; and of reading and meditating on God's Word, listening all over again for the call of Christ on your life.
In Gen 3:19 as God explains the consequences of their sin to Adam and Eve, He makes this statement: You are dust and to dust you shall return.
Has anyone ever told you that?
No?
Well, it's not something we often say to one another...
You are dust and to dust you shall return.
Why do you think God might have made that statement to Adam and Eve? What do you think He might have been trying to communicate?
Ash Wednesday is a day to remember that our days are numbered- that our lives, no matter how long we live, are short. That every day is a gift and with it we serve either God or ourselves. We spend it either binding ourselves tighter and tighter to the things of this world, or following more and more closely in the steps of Jesus. The problem is, we really can't do both. We're heading in either one direction or the other.
And even when we are heading in a generally God-ward direction, it's all too easy to pick up extraneous baggage- things which slow us down, things which hinder us in this race we are trying to run.
Hebrews says:
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin."
"Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up" While it should be an all day, every day kind of thing, the reality is- we forget. We forget to "throw off" the things that slow us down. We pick up attachments, we pick up weights, we pick up sin. And Lent is that intentional time in the Christian Calendar when we begin to think about putting things down again.
One of the most beautiful parts of this time of Lent is that it shows us just how deep the connections we have made throughout the year with this world go- how deep our need for self-soothing through sweets, food, alcohol, TV, whatever has become. How little we have relied on Jesus and how much we have relied on everything else... on things that will themselves ultimately become nothing more than ashes and dust.
I love the narrative of the Gospel of Luke. It's structured as one long walk by Jesus from the northern part of Israel, all the way down to Jerusalem. It shows us that His ministry- teaching people, healing people, forgiving people, feeding people- all of it came in the context of a journey towards the Cross. All of it was important, all of it mattered... but all of it served the larger plot of Jesus laying down His life for you and me.
Jesus calls us on that journey with Him. Following in His steps, taking up a cross...
Let this Lent be a step in that journey for you.
LENT - LAYING IT DOWN
by Bob Hyatt
For those of us who are trying to hear the voice of Christ, we need regular times of focusing on Christ's call to follow, to lay down our lives for one another. Lent is one of those times- a period of 40 days not including Sundays which are given to considering what we will lay down, what we will not. What our lives count for, or how they fail to count. We hear the call of Jesus and struggle all over again to die to ourselves and live for Christ and others. The journey of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Good Friday and Easter, showing us in sharp relief the exact cost of our sin, and the means by which God will restore all things.
Ash Wednesday begins Lent by reminding us that the journey towards the Cross is one every Christ follower must make- step by step, selfish impulse by selfish impulse. And Ash Wednesday also reminds us that the time is finite, limited... because it reminds us of our mortality.
So, this year, even if you missed Ash Wedneday, observe a Lent of self-examination and repentance; of prayer, and fasting, of saying "no" to self and "yes" to God and others; and of reading and meditating on God's Word, listening all over again for the call of Christ on your life.
In Gen 3:19 as God explains the consequences of their sin to Adam and Eve, He makes this statement: You are dust and to dust you shall return.
Has anyone ever told you that?
No?
Well, it's not something we often say to one another...
You are dust and to dust you shall return.
Why do you think God might have made that statement to Adam and Eve? What do you think He might have been trying to communicate?
Ash Wednesday is a day to remember that our days are numbered- that our lives, no matter how long we live, are short. That every day is a gift and with it we serve either God or ourselves. We spend it either binding ourselves tighter and tighter to the things of this world, or following more and more closely in the steps of Jesus. The problem is, we really can't do both. We're heading in either one direction or the other.
And even when we are heading in a generally God-ward direction, it's all too easy to pick up extraneous baggage- things which slow us down, things which hinder us in this race we are trying to run.
Hebrews says:
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin."
"Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up" While it should be an all day, every day kind of thing, the reality is- we forget. We forget to "throw off" the things that slow us down. We pick up attachments, we pick up weights, we pick up sin. And Lent is that intentional time in the Christian Calendar when we begin to think about putting things down again.
One of the most beautiful parts of this time of Lent is that it shows us just how deep the connections we have made throughout the year with this world go- how deep our need for self-soothing through sweets, food, alcohol, TV, whatever has become. How little we have relied on Jesus and how much we have relied on everything else... on things that will themselves ultimately become nothing more than ashes and dust.
I love the narrative of the Gospel of Luke. It's structured as one long walk by Jesus from the northern part of Israel, all the way down to Jerusalem. It shows us that His ministry- teaching people, healing people, forgiving people, feeding people- all of it came in the context of a journey towards the Cross. All of it was important, all of it mattered... but all of it served the larger plot of Jesus laying down His life for you and me.
Jesus calls us on that journey with Him. Following in His steps, taking up a cross...
Let this Lent be a step in that journey for you.
Once
All, I can really say is...wow.
Go rent this movie now. I watched it and immediately bought the soundtrack.
I had three top movies of 2007: Sunshine, No Country For Old Men, and There Will Be Blood. Once has leapfrogged over all of them. It's that amazing.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Passion - God Of This City
If you haven't picked up this CD yet (it came out last Tuesday), I would encourage you to do so. Even though a few of the songs can be found on other CDs, these version of those songs make it definitely worth it. Or you can do the iTunes thing and just purchase the new songs.
So far, the standout cuts for me are "Let God Arise" by Chris Tomlin (from his See The Morning CD), "God Of This City", "Hosanna" (from Hillsong United, but sung by the incredible Christy Nockels), "Beautiful Jesus" by my favorite worship leader Kristian Stanfill, and "Shine" by Matt Redman.
By far my favorite though is "God Of This City". I thought it was an original song by Chris Tomlin, but it's actually a song by a British worship band called Bluetree. Both versions of the song are amazing, you can go to iTunes and get Bluetree's version - which is more "brooding" than the Chris Tomlin version. Hopefully that makes sense, it probably will if you listen to the other version.
Here are the lyrics to God Of This City:
You're the God of this city, You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation, You are
You're the Light in this darkness, You're the Hope to the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless, You are
There is no one like our God, there is no one like our God
For greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in this city
Greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in this city
Greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done here
You’re the Lord of Creation , the Creator of all things
You’re the King above all Kings, You are
You’re the strength in our weakness, You’re the love to the broken
You’re the joy in the sadness , You are
Amazing lyrics and a great, great song.
When Clergy Lose Their Faith
There is a fascinating article in Psychology Today this month about the growing number of ministers and clergy who are losing their faith and are faced with a dilemma: continue preaching and living a lie of a life, or find a new career and be "true to themselves" (whatever that means).
I have to admit that there have been many times in my almost fifteen years of ministry when I've struggled with doubts, my calling, and my faith. However, there are some differences between my struggle and the struggles of some of these clergy who are leaving the pulpit.
One big difference is the reason behind my doubts and struggle. It seems like my struggles are more directly with the church itself rather than God. Even at times when I doubt who God is and if He exists, it has more to do with the lack of His activity (at least of what I can see) in the life of the church. I question sometimes why he would allow certain people - leaders, senior ministers, elders, etc. - to be in control of the church. In several churches I've been part of, those in leadership capacities are very controlling, domineering, and do not display at all the qualities of leadership that Jesus exhibited - serving others, putting others interests above their own, etc.
Sometimes I question the continued "success" of the juggernaut modern church. I don't understand why God would allow the "attractional, come to us" model of church philosophy to continue to work - where, in my opinion I guess, we find church after church that are a mile wide and an inch deep. Where success is judged based on church attendance and church giving (I call it the ABC's: attendance, buildings and cash).
I strongly believe in the missional model of the church, which is a reaction to three distinctions of the "Christendom church", as Alan HIrsch and Michael Frost call it. These three distinctions are: (1) an attractional mindset ("come to us"), (2) a dualistic nature of church (a division between the secular and the sacred), and (3) a hierarchical leadership structure (where senior ministers act more like CEOs of large corporations rather than act like Jesus). These distinctions deserve their own post, at some point, but if I really believe that the missional model of the church is the true biblical model, why does it seem that this philosophy isn't gaining ground faster?
Another reason why I doubt God sometimes is my perception of His activity in my own life. It seems that whether I'm growing in my relationship with Him, or if I'm stagnant in my relationship - His activity in my life remains about the same. Which then makes it easier for me to fake being super-spiritual, because I don't see anything different really happen.
I have many other reasons for my doubts - including the age-old struggle of many people as to why it seems that followers of God have more hardships than those who could care less about Him - but I won't go into them here. I just thought that it was interesting to read these stories of ministers who lose their faith.
I have to admit that there have been many times in my almost fifteen years of ministry when I've struggled with doubts, my calling, and my faith. However, there are some differences between my struggle and the struggles of some of these clergy who are leaving the pulpit.
One big difference is the reason behind my doubts and struggle. It seems like my struggles are more directly with the church itself rather than God. Even at times when I doubt who God is and if He exists, it has more to do with the lack of His activity (at least of what I can see) in the life of the church. I question sometimes why he would allow certain people - leaders, senior ministers, elders, etc. - to be in control of the church. In several churches I've been part of, those in leadership capacities are very controlling, domineering, and do not display at all the qualities of leadership that Jesus exhibited - serving others, putting others interests above their own, etc.
Sometimes I question the continued "success" of the juggernaut modern church. I don't understand why God would allow the "attractional, come to us" model of church philosophy to continue to work - where, in my opinion I guess, we find church after church that are a mile wide and an inch deep. Where success is judged based on church attendance and church giving (I call it the ABC's: attendance, buildings and cash).
I strongly believe in the missional model of the church, which is a reaction to three distinctions of the "Christendom church", as Alan HIrsch and Michael Frost call it. These three distinctions are: (1) an attractional mindset ("come to us"), (2) a dualistic nature of church (a division between the secular and the sacred), and (3) a hierarchical leadership structure (where senior ministers act more like CEOs of large corporations rather than act like Jesus). These distinctions deserve their own post, at some point, but if I really believe that the missional model of the church is the true biblical model, why does it seem that this philosophy isn't gaining ground faster?
Another reason why I doubt God sometimes is my perception of His activity in my own life. It seems that whether I'm growing in my relationship with Him, or if I'm stagnant in my relationship - His activity in my life remains about the same. Which then makes it easier for me to fake being super-spiritual, because I don't see anything different really happen.
I have many other reasons for my doubts - including the age-old struggle of many people as to why it seems that followers of God have more hardships than those who could care less about Him - but I won't go into them here. I just thought that it was interesting to read these stories of ministers who lose their faith.
Valentine's Day
I guess I can appreciate this holiday as much as the next person - but when I read this article about the fact that we will spend 17 billion dollars to remind our significant others that we love them (something we should do every day, why have a special day to do so), it makes me wonder if perhaps some of that money would be better suited to go somewhere else, like starving children or poverty in our cities. I have this little inkling of an idea popping up in my head for something to do next year when it comes to Valentine's Day. Hmmm.
And perhaps I'll think twice before buying jewelry for Valentine's Day or any other day - at least look into the source of where the jewelry comes from - due to this letter from Sojourners:
-----
Dear Adam,
With Valentine's Day approaching, we've all seen the barrage of television ads enticing and imploring us to buy diamond jewelry for our loved ones.
But did you know that the international diamond trade has supplied billions of dollars to rebel groups in Africa, fueling wars that have killed more than 4 million people?
This Valentine's Day, tell Wal-Mart to make sure jewelry purchases aren't destroying African lives.
The stories from these wars are harrowing.
Men, women, and children have been raped, tortured, maimed, and displaced by rebel groups who have been funded in part by the illegal sale of diamonds. Diamonds have also been used by al Qaeda and other terrorists to finance their activities and for money-laundering purposes, according to news reports.
As public outrage over conflict diamonds has grown, governments and industry leaders have taken some important steps to stem their trade. But the problem still isn't solved: For example, diamonds mined in rebel-held areas of the Ivory Coast are still being smuggled into the legitimate global market despite a U.N. embargo in place since 2005.
And while the World Diamond Council has spent millions on a global public-relations campaign, many companies have failed to match their rhetoric with action - including Wal-Mart, the nation's largest jewelry retailer, which has been particularly vague about its processes for ensuring that conflict diamonds are not sold in its stores.
If retailers and diamond companies are truly serious, they must implement comprehensive and independently verified processes to ensure that the diamonds they buy are conflict-free.
And as American consumers - who purchase half of all retail diamonds worldwide - we have an obligation to let the industry know we care about where they're getting their diamonds.
Click here to send a message to Wal-Mart and the World Diamond Council, calling for meaningful action to end the trade in conflict diamonds.
And as you consider how to celebrate Valentine's Day this year, remember these words from scripture:
"There is gold, and abundance of costly stones; but the lips informed by knowledge are a precious jewel." - Proverbs 20:15
Blessings,
Veronica, Matt, Michael, and the rest of the team at Sojourners
P.S. Please spread the word to your friends, family, and congregation members before Valentine's Day - we want our message to be heard at this important time of year.
----
Done.
And perhaps I'll think twice before buying jewelry for Valentine's Day or any other day - at least look into the source of where the jewelry comes from - due to this letter from Sojourners:
-----
Dear Adam,
With Valentine's Day approaching, we've all seen the barrage of television ads enticing and imploring us to buy diamond jewelry for our loved ones.
But did you know that the international diamond trade has supplied billions of dollars to rebel groups in Africa, fueling wars that have killed more than 4 million people?
This Valentine's Day, tell Wal-Mart to make sure jewelry purchases aren't destroying African lives.
The stories from these wars are harrowing.
Men, women, and children have been raped, tortured, maimed, and displaced by rebel groups who have been funded in part by the illegal sale of diamonds. Diamonds have also been used by al Qaeda and other terrorists to finance their activities and for money-laundering purposes, according to news reports.
As public outrage over conflict diamonds has grown, governments and industry leaders have taken some important steps to stem their trade. But the problem still isn't solved: For example, diamonds mined in rebel-held areas of the Ivory Coast are still being smuggled into the legitimate global market despite a U.N. embargo in place since 2005.
And while the World Diamond Council has spent millions on a global public-relations campaign, many companies have failed to match their rhetoric with action - including Wal-Mart, the nation's largest jewelry retailer, which has been particularly vague about its processes for ensuring that conflict diamonds are not sold in its stores.
If retailers and diamond companies are truly serious, they must implement comprehensive and independently verified processes to ensure that the diamonds they buy are conflict-free.
And as American consumers - who purchase half of all retail diamonds worldwide - we have an obligation to let the industry know we care about where they're getting their diamonds.
Click here to send a message to Wal-Mart and the World Diamond Council, calling for meaningful action to end the trade in conflict diamonds.
And as you consider how to celebrate Valentine's Day this year, remember these words from scripture:
"There is gold, and abundance of costly stones; but the lips informed by knowledge are a precious jewel." - Proverbs 20:15
Blessings,
Veronica, Matt, Michael, and the rest of the team at Sojourners
P.S. Please spread the word to your friends, family, and congregation members before Valentine's Day - we want our message to be heard at this important time of year.
----
Done.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Joel Osteen: America's Pastor?
Thankfully God is the Judge, and I am not - but I thought this blog post had some interesting thoughts to it.
I especially agree that just because Joel Osteen doesn't feel that explaining scripture isn't his "calling", he is a preacher and part of his responsibility is not only to help his people feel good, but to help his people understand what God's Word says, even the parts of the Bible that talk about suffering for the gospel and about sin.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Interesting Article About Being Pro-Life and Pro-Obama
Thanks to Zach's blog, I read a very interesting article by Frank Schaeffer. Frank is the son of Francis Schaeffer, who in the 1970's was possibly the most influential and key evangelical leader and writer.
I don't like to get into politics that much - although strangely when I put in my political views and ideological beliefs on some website, I matched up with Obama more than Huckabee - but Schaeffer makes some interesting remarks about our "pro-life" president and how his ideologies don't always match up with the actions and decisions of his presidency. Same with some of the evangelical leaders like James Dobson.
You can read the article here.
I don't like to get into politics that much - although strangely when I put in my political views and ideological beliefs on some website, I matched up with Obama more than Huckabee - but Schaeffer makes some interesting remarks about our "pro-life" president and how his ideologies don't always match up with the actions and decisions of his presidency. Same with some of the evangelical leaders like James Dobson.
You can read the article here.
Monday, February 11, 2008
I think this is kind of ridiculous...
and maybe I'm getting crotchety or cranky or something as I get older, but WorshipHouse Media (where I get most of my videos for Sunday morning) now has an Applause Meter application that you can use to "pump up" your worship crowd or some other church activity. Here is a quote from the information:
"Remember those old applause meters you would see on television that would gauge the sound level of the audience? "
Yeah, I do. But those were for television, for entertainment. To me, using this in a worship service (except for a zany youth activity or something?) would be one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. I consider myself pretty progressive when it comes to church and the "sanctity of the worship service" (in other words, I don't subscribe to the notion that we can't wear a baseball cap or we have to dress up or we have to be really quiet during the worship service, because it's "God's place". There should be no distinction between the "sacred" and the "secular" because God is everywhere and shows up everywhere, not just at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday.), but an applause meter is pretty silly.
Jon Foreman EP's...
Jon Foreman is the lead singer and guitarist of a band you may have heard of, called Switchfoot. One of my favorite albums is The Beautiful Letdown by Switchfoot, but after that I've kind of lost track of the band.
Jon is releasing over the next year four six-song EPs, each corresponding to a season. He's already released Fall and Winter. If you like acoustic music in the vein of Damien Rice, you would probably really like these EPs. (Although, I think he kind of sounds like Chris Martin on these CDs). You can find out more information about Jon and his EPs here.
N.T. Wright and Heaven
Time Magazine has a very interesting interview with N.T. Wright, bishop, pastor and author of several books that I have. In this interview, Wright explains the misconceptions most Christians have about heaven and what the Bible really says about heaven.
I liked this quote from the interview (Wright quotes someone else): "God will download our software onto his hardware until the time he gives us new hardware to run the software again for ourselves."
I liked this quote from the interview (Wright quotes someone else): "God will download our software onto his hardware until the time he gives us new hardware to run the software again for ourselves."
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Right Thinking Produces Right Behavior? Or The Other Way Around?
I'm becoming more and more convinced that the book The Forgotten Ways by Alan Hirsch is the quintessential book that you must read when it comes to the missional church. There are other books I like as well, including one Hirsch co-authored with Michael Frost called The Shaping Of Things To Come, but for some reason as I've been reading The Forgotten Ways for the fourth time, it's just been so helpful in developing in my mind a strategy for missional living.
Right now I'm on the second important aspect of what Hirsch calls mDNA - what the church needs built into it, like body DNA (but in this case missional DNA), in order to be a missional church. The first one is what he calls "Jesus Is Lord" - in other words, everything should revolve around this idea that Jesus is Lord. I'll go into that one in another post, because I thought it was fascinating and really hit me like a ton of bricks - but the second one is "discipleship". Hirsch really makes the case that discipleship is the key purpose of the church, and I'm beginning to agree with him. In this chapter on discipleship, Hirsch makes the point that we are way off base in our discipleship methods. One way that we are off base is that we have somehow caught on to the belief that the Hellenistic approach to discipleship will make disciples - he defines this approach as "right thinking produces right behavior." This is very obvious in all of our adaptations of the Purpose-Driven Church model of getting people around the bases. If we can get Christians to go to four different classes that teach different aspects of the Christian life - membership, discipleship, ministry and mission - they will automatically become disciples of Jesus and grow in their faith. Or will they? I have to admit, I've seen this done in churches for many many years. I'm not sure that this type of approach really makes disciples.
Hirsch counters this approach with the Hebraic way of discipleship. He points to the way of Jesus, how he hung out with his disciples, and his disciples inherited Jesus' DNA of discipleship through spending time with him, and him putting them in situations where they had to act first. In this approach, right behavior produces right thinking which produces right disciples. This is what Hirsch has to say:
"How have we moved so far from the ethos of discipleship passed on to us by our Lord? And how do we recover it again?
The answer to the first question is that Western Christendom was so deeply influenced by Greek or Hellenistic ideas of knowledge. By the fourth century AD the Platonic worldview had almost completely triumphed over the Hebraic one in the church. Later on it was Aristotle who became the predominant philosopher for the church. He too operated under a Hellenistic framework. Essentially, a Hellenistic view of knowledge is concerned with concept, ideas, the nature of being, types and forms. The Hebraic view, on the the other hand, is primarily concerned with issues of concrete existence, obedience, life-oriented wisdom, and the interrelationship of all things under God. It is quite clear that, as Jews, Jesus and the early church operated primarily out of a Hebraic understanding...
If our starting point is old thinking and old behavior in a person or church, and we see it as our task to change that situation, taking the Hellenistic approach will mean that we provide information through books and classrooms, to try and get the person/church to a new way of thinking, and hopefully from there to a new way of acting. The problem is that by merely addressing intellectual aspects of the person, we fail to be able to change behavior. The assumption in Hellenistic thinking is that if people get the right ideas, they will simply change their behavior. The Hellenistic approach therefore can be characterized as an attempt to think our way into a new way of acting. Both experience and history show the fallacy of such thinking. And it certainly does not make disciples. All we do is change the way a person thinks; the problem is that his or her behaviors remain largely unaffected. This can be a very frustrating exercise, because once a person is in any new paradigm of thinking, it is very hard for that person to deal with the situation from which he or she came."
This makes sense to me in the many years of seeing the "information" approach tried. It fails for the most part. Even in my own life, the times when I've actually grown in my discipleship is when I was pushed to go and do something, to get out of my comfort zone. I have never grown as a disciple of Jesus by taking a three or four hour class that informed me of the next steps for me to take.
What would this look like in the church today? I don't know. Perhaps older, more mature Christians would take ten or so newer Christians under their wing and disciple them through mentoring, through pushing them into situations that would challenge and stretch them. I don't know, but it's a fascinating thing to think about (but I should act on it first, right?)
Right now I'm on the second important aspect of what Hirsch calls mDNA - what the church needs built into it, like body DNA (but in this case missional DNA), in order to be a missional church. The first one is what he calls "Jesus Is Lord" - in other words, everything should revolve around this idea that Jesus is Lord. I'll go into that one in another post, because I thought it was fascinating and really hit me like a ton of bricks - but the second one is "discipleship". Hirsch really makes the case that discipleship is the key purpose of the church, and I'm beginning to agree with him. In this chapter on discipleship, Hirsch makes the point that we are way off base in our discipleship methods. One way that we are off base is that we have somehow caught on to the belief that the Hellenistic approach to discipleship will make disciples - he defines this approach as "right thinking produces right behavior." This is very obvious in all of our adaptations of the Purpose-Driven Church model of getting people around the bases. If we can get Christians to go to four different classes that teach different aspects of the Christian life - membership, discipleship, ministry and mission - they will automatically become disciples of Jesus and grow in their faith. Or will they? I have to admit, I've seen this done in churches for many many years. I'm not sure that this type of approach really makes disciples.
Hirsch counters this approach with the Hebraic way of discipleship. He points to the way of Jesus, how he hung out with his disciples, and his disciples inherited Jesus' DNA of discipleship through spending time with him, and him putting them in situations where they had to act first. In this approach, right behavior produces right thinking which produces right disciples. This is what Hirsch has to say:
"How have we moved so far from the ethos of discipleship passed on to us by our Lord? And how do we recover it again?
The answer to the first question is that Western Christendom was so deeply influenced by Greek or Hellenistic ideas of knowledge. By the fourth century AD the Platonic worldview had almost completely triumphed over the Hebraic one in the church. Later on it was Aristotle who became the predominant philosopher for the church. He too operated under a Hellenistic framework. Essentially, a Hellenistic view of knowledge is concerned with concept, ideas, the nature of being, types and forms. The Hebraic view, on the the other hand, is primarily concerned with issues of concrete existence, obedience, life-oriented wisdom, and the interrelationship of all things under God. It is quite clear that, as Jews, Jesus and the early church operated primarily out of a Hebraic understanding...
If our starting point is old thinking and old behavior in a person or church, and we see it as our task to change that situation, taking the Hellenistic approach will mean that we provide information through books and classrooms, to try and get the person/church to a new way of thinking, and hopefully from there to a new way of acting. The problem is that by merely addressing intellectual aspects of the person, we fail to be able to change behavior. The assumption in Hellenistic thinking is that if people get the right ideas, they will simply change their behavior. The Hellenistic approach therefore can be characterized as an attempt to think our way into a new way of acting. Both experience and history show the fallacy of such thinking. And it certainly does not make disciples. All we do is change the way a person thinks; the problem is that his or her behaviors remain largely unaffected. This can be a very frustrating exercise, because once a person is in any new paradigm of thinking, it is very hard for that person to deal with the situation from which he or she came."
This makes sense to me in the many years of seeing the "information" approach tried. It fails for the most part. Even in my own life, the times when I've actually grown in my discipleship is when I was pushed to go and do something, to get out of my comfort zone. I have never grown as a disciple of Jesus by taking a three or four hour class that informed me of the next steps for me to take.
What would this look like in the church today? I don't know. Perhaps older, more mature Christians would take ten or so newer Christians under their wing and disciple them through mentoring, through pushing them into situations that would challenge and stretch them. I don't know, but it's a fascinating thing to think about (but I should act on it first, right?)
Sarah and Johnny Macintosh
Sometimes, God works in mysterious ways, doesn't he? I was browsing through churches in my area to see what other youth ministries are doing - I've jumped back into student ministry after a six year hiatus, and I couldn't remember what Colorado offered in the way of activities - when I stumbled upon the Calvary Chapel Aurora website which told me that Sarah Macintosh was going to do a worship concert. Sweet.
For those of you who don't know she is, perhaps this might help, perhaps not - her name before she was married was Sarah Meeker, and she was the lead singer for a band she was in with her brother and sister called Chasing Furies. They only put out one CD, but I still listen to it to this day, it's amazing. She married a man by the name of Johnny Macintosh, who was the guitarist in a band called Reality Check - and then when that band disbanded was in a band called Luna Halo. Again, two great bands.
Anyway, they've been worship leaders in San Diego for awhile now, and Sarah just put out a new CD, you can check her Myspace page for more information. I bought the CD, it's really good so far. At the concert, Sarah and her husband did a couple of worship songs that were very familiar (Blessed Be Your Name, How Great Is Our God), then they did a few hymns, and then a few off of Sarah's new CD. Her songs are very good - very worshipful and interesting lyrics-wise.
Anyway, it was good to see them in concert tonight. I needed to be able to just step back and worship God freely.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Youtube Video Of The Week - 02.05.08
I haven't done one of these in awhile - and the Omazing Grace video could be considered as the Video of the Week - but I had to include this one as well.
I think I found some new choreography moves for my worship team singers. And a new outfit for me as the worship pastor.
I think I found some new choreography moves for my worship team singers. And a new outfit for me as the worship pastor.
Omazing Grace
And the Amazing Grace remakes keep coming. First came Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) by Chris Tomlin, and now and up and coming church singer puts his own slant on this classic hymn - I give you "Omazing Grace".
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