Books 17 & 18

While my digestive system is recovering from some kind of 48-hour bug, I was able to extract some great solubles and migrating fines from these to books about coffee.

The "God in a Cup" title was a fascinating glimpse into the world of specialty coffee as the likes of Peter Giuliano (Counter Culture Coffee), Geoff Watts (Intelligentsia), and Duane Sorenson (Stumptown) all search & compete for the highest quality coffee imaginable. This book made me want to buy some coffee from Panama immediately! And go work on my latte art as well.

The second title is a more technical handbook of sorts for the espresso enthusiast. I learned a few good things about "stretching" milk, the science of extraction, and the chemistry of H2O. Speaking of H2O, another way to describe the process of preinfusion in an espresso machine would be "wetting your bed." That takes me back a few years!

Book #16: Salvation On The Small Screen

Nadia Bolz-Weber was a featured speaker at the conference in Memphis (The Great Emergence). A recently ordained Lutheran pastor in the Denver, Nadia is a recovering stand-up comic who has battled through a fundamentalist Christian upbringing as well as a bout with alcohol.

Her witty and raw reflections which opened and closed each main session were often read from this book. The "inspiration" behind Nadia's book was a request from the publisher that she watch 24 hours of non-stop TBN and reflect on the content. So she invited several friends who pop in for 1 or 2-hour segments and support her through the likes of Paula White, Creflo Dollar, Joel Osteen, John Hagee, etc ad infinitum!


As someone who can hardly stomach 30 consecutive minutes of anything on this ultra-'conservative' Evangelically fundamental Christian broadcast...I thoroughly enjoyed the pokes and jabs, but also found (as did Nadia) that there were glimpses of Christ and the Gospel that surprisingly shone through at times.


To learn some more about Nadia, click here.

Book #15: The Great Emergence

I posted a brief review on my Facebook page which you can see here.

In addition to those comments, I would also direct any of you who are Nazarenes to find the group "Emerging Nazarenes" on Facebook and join in the discussions there.

The kinds of transitions and conversations which are happening across all denominational lines within North American Christianity (especially) should suggest to many of us that it's time to re-think some things. It's actually past time...but better late than never, eh?

Book #14 for 2008

Here's the 'review' I posted on visual bookshelf from my Facebook page...

"This is probably one of those "must read" titles for Christian leaders and pastor types who want to re-think ecclesiology. One of Alan's great points here is that Christology should inform Theology which should then shape our Ecclesiology (how we DO church). His emphasis on the "Apostolic Genius" which provides the foundation for any Jesus movement...inspires you to dig into this 5-fold gift paradigm for ministry. Part of this core concept the author is presenting revolves around his term "mDNA" and these five elements: missional-incarnational impulse, apostolic environment, disciple making organic systems, and communitas. For me the great "take-aways" from the book would be: -pursuing ministry from an iincarnational-missional perspective rather than the typical attractional model -we have to overcome varying amounts of cultural distance to reach different groups of people. Most churches only reach out to people in the first category who are most like themselves -Differentiation between "community" and "communitas." Communitas is formed through a shared experience of ordeal or suffering which more deeply connects people to the mission."

How to Journey with your Spouse

For a new post regarding the Emergent thing and the question of authority, I will take another day or two to read and prepare.

In the meantime, I am curious about how the rest of you have navigated these grand questions and transitions within the context of your marriages or other close relationships (for those enjoying the gift of celibacy at the moment).

Perhaps the mistake I have made over the past few years has been NOT to invite Deb along for many of the conversations, experiences, and relationships which have been such a rich part of my journey. But I think Deb would be the first to admit that many of these conversations have not piqued her interest enough to assert herself in that direction.

But we now find ourselves at a crossroads of such which has significant repercussions for our marriage and our whole family. It's no longer just some little peripheral conversation in which I occasionally engage. So as we discussed this topic (post-Great Emergence conference) I suggested that we engage in a book together which will provide a frame of reference for her to engage the conversation a little more fully.

Any recommendations as to the particular book or books we should read together? (From those who have tried this approach)

Emergent Christianity and Holiness

I want to launch off a comment from my good friend Kimberly on that last post since it's a question I would expect from many in my tribe (the Church of the Nazarene). And since my parents, grandparents, and great grandparents would/did all call themselves Nazarenes...it causes me to approach this question respectfully and thoughtfully.

For those who may be joining this conversation from other traditions and streams of Christianity, I welcome your insights on holiness and hope for some great comments from you regarding the way in which sanctification is discussed in your traditions.

As most Nazarenes would understand and describe holiness...sanctification is a second experience of grace, following salvation (initial sanctification) at which point a person usually becomes aware of a continued tendency towards sin. Sanctification is often taught and preached as a point of full surrender in one's relationship with God. My assumption then, is that when Nazarenes look for the "holiness" component within emergent Christianity or some other tradition or Christian experience, they are looking for the urge towards a holy life as opposed to an approach that seems to tolerate certain kinds or amounts of sin. (Any Nazarenes feel free to add to or correction my perceptions here)

Here's a look at the article of faith which describes this experience from the Nazarene manual:

13. We believe that entire sanctification is that act of God, subsequent to regeneration, by which believers are made free from original sin, or depravity, and brought into a state of entire devotement to God, and the holy obedience of love made perfect.

It is wrought by the baptism with the Holy Spirit, and comprehends in one experience the cleansing of the heart from sin and the abiding, indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, empowering the believer for life and service.

Entire sanctification is provided by the blood of Jesus, is wrought instantaneously by faith, preceded by entire consecration; and to this work and state of grace the Holy Spirit bears witness.

This experience is also known by various terms representing its different phases, such as "Christian perfection," "perfect love," "heart purity," "the baptism with the Holy Spirit," "the fullness of the blessing," and "Christian holiness."

14. We believe that there is a marked distinction between a pure heart and a mature character. The former is obtained in an instant, the result of entire sanctification; the latter is the result of growth in grace.

We believe that the grace of entire sanctification includes the impulse to grow in grace. However, this impulse must be consciously nurtured, and careful attention given to the requisites and processes of spiritual development and improvement in Christlikeness of character and personality. Without such purposeful endeavor one’s witness may be impaired and the grace itself frustrated and ultimately lost.

Scriptural support for this doctrine of sanctification usually come out of Acts 2:1-4; Romans 12:1-2; Colossians 3:1-17; 1 Thess 4:7-8 along with many others...especially anything like "be holy" or "be sanctified"

Now this is not to be confused with being sancti-FRIED...as in love, peace, and chicken grease. That's totally different!

Sorry for the brief moment of linguistic levity. Back to our discussion of holiness and emerging Christianity...where is it? Does holy living and the doctrine of sanctification find amicable space within this movement?

My initial reaction to this question is that you will find holiness to the extent that you find Christ in emergent Christianity. And for those not tapped in to the voices and conversations of emerging Christians should be aware that the trajectory is indeed towards Christ. And to be honest, I see a greater emphasis on Christ within Emerging Christianity than I've seen in thirty years of Nazarene camps, bible quizzing, NYC's, and Nazarene colleges. That's not meant so much as an insult to my tradition as it is an affirmation of the grace I see at work within Emergent expressions. To be fair, Nazarene campuses are probably where I see a good bit of hope within our denomination because that is where ideas are most abundant in our denomination along with the places where those engaged in ministry to students are present.

The great struggle for Nazarenes as they encounter emergent Christianity in its various forms is going to center around external factors, questionable behaviors, legalistic perspectives, and a basic absence of "holiness." One of the healthy things I observed among emergents while in Memphis was an unencumbered sense of authenticity. When people who are passionately in love with God are also passionately honest...creative...real...and humble...the Gospel is incarnated in a potent way.

I respect the tradition of holiness from which I have emerged.

And I admire anyone who pursues holiness of heart and life while being vulnerably genuine in the process. I believe that God does call us to live holy lives...set apart and empowered by the Holy Spirit. I also happen to believe that someone caught up in a lifestyle of consumerism grieves the heart of God as much as someone in a homosexual relationship. The Christian who wields their tongue like a dagger against others is in much more spiritual jeopardy than someone who wets it with Warsteiner. And the fact that we even try to measure sin and behaviors like this reveals our inadequacy to even speak about holiness in terms of anything other than what God does and who God is.

This is an important conversation for sure...and would welcome anymore "Naz-mergents" out there to wade into the frigid waters.

My Great Emergence

Occasionally, it becomes necessary for us to spend some time trying to articulate and translate what seems to be happening within. This is just such a time. My hunch is that this will take several posts over the next few days and perhaps weeks. Instigating this attempt at sharing my story would most recently have to be my experience at The Great Emergence conference in Memphis this past weekend.
(click the image to the right to view a brief you tube video)

I traveled to the conference with a group of about ten friends from the Greater Cincinnati area along with a new friend from Louisville. We overnighted at the Gen X Inn just east of downtown Memphis. Although the name of the establishment was a bit peculiar, we found the accommodations more than adequate and I have no complaints except for the crunchy bananas (pictured behind my buddy, Aaron).

Enough about fruit texture...the conference was like a spiritual retreat for me. An emphasis on attending to "Divine Hours" created a spiritual rhythm to the schedule which provided, for me ,much needed interaction with God's Word, the Holy Spirit, and the shared experience of many Christians past and present. For those who aren't familiar with the concept, read this quick description. Along with the readings and prayers we shared some great times of corporate worship which stretched me in terms of style and liturgical approach.

Besides the spiritual refreshment which came my way over the weekend, a staggering amount of content, church history, and many other categories of information came flooding through the various presenters, conversations with peers, in addition to the main presentations from Phyllis. Perhaps the most cage-rattling component to this piece of the conference was the discussion of our basis for authority. During the time of the reformation in the early 16th century, the overriding sense of authority shifted from the papacy to the scriptures and the stage was set for sola scriptura. After about 500 years of viewing God, Christianity, and our world through this lens, it appears that the lens (or it least a filter) is changing.

I will hold off on discussing more of the actual content in future posts (such as the quadrant categories of Christianity, the Jerusalem-Antioch conversation, science-faith interplay, etc) and will shift now to some thoughts on personal application and "so what?" kinds of comments. These questions are the ones I most anticipate in the next few days and of course some of the most difficult statements to articulate. I want to discuss three points of application here and will begin with the most basic...personal impact...then to theological impact...and finally to ministerial or ecclesiastical impact.

Personal Impact: As I already mentioned, the personal impact of not just this conference, but the 3 to 4-year transition I've been experiencing in my spiritual life is quite a deep one. For several years now I have begun to discover and explore several problems in the ways in which I've been spiritually formed over the years and how I learned to relate to God. When you're raised in a conservative evangelical context (especially one which emphasizes behaviors and externals) I believe one of two things typically happens. As someone at the conference said, you either live in such a way as not to piss God off too much because of your humanity OR you perfect religious performance to a degree that certainly assures you of being one of God's favorites.

My guess is that I've erred on the side of being overly impressed with my own religious performance and building most of my relationship with God apart from being truly intimately connected with Him. In the past few years, I had to come to grips with the bankrupt nature of this kind of religion. As various struggles involving anger, depression, anxiety, addictions, etc have emerged, the necessary foundation of authentic trust and intimacy with God was not sufficiently in place.

[These statements should not lead anyone to believe that I am ungrateful for my spiritual/Christian heritage or for the positive influence of the Nazarene tradition. We are all shaped by various stories which are all, in and of themselves, insufficient compared to the grandest Story we hope to live, love, and journey towards.]

Another piece of the personal impact has to do with being okay in my own skin. As I shared from a panel of participants in front of the 300 or so conference attendees…the last three attempts of being on staff in ministry has felt like a continuous effort to pound a round peg into a square hole. And I continually wonder if God has a plan (or allowance) for me to engage in a form of ministry which perfectly matches an authentic expression of my passions and myself.

Theological Impact: This discussion is going to take some more time to sort out. For now I think it will suffice to say that if Phyllis is correct about the dismantling of sola scripture over that past 150 years…it fits with my own sense of where God is moving (an emphasis on Christ, i.e. solus Christus). Many will misinterpret my voice, as well as the voice of countless others within this “emergent” movement, but for too long the Scriptures have been used as a weapon or as some sort of divine trump card to manipulate, control, or otherwise abuse all the people God is so desperately trying to love back to himself.

Ecclesiastical Impact: So here’s the one I really have to be careful with since I find myself employed by the church. Although I don’t have a clear ‘next step’ in this area just yet, my heightened sense of disdain for the institutional church will ultimately lead me to a precipice of choice. When I reach this ledge of loyalty to my tribe or to the church as a local system of religious experience, I will indeed have to make a choice in terms of what shape life and ministry will take for my family and myself over the next few decades (God willing) of my life. When I reach a decision in these regards…I’ll let you know. ;-)

To wrap up this post for the time being, I better just make it clear for any who find themselves reading this for the wrong reasons. I am purposefully identifying and aligning myself with a vast group of other “emerging” Christians because I wholeheartedly believe that Christianity is certainly changing. The thought scares me that someone branded me as a “young Luther” while I was in Memphis. For starters, I have no visions of that kind of grandeur. I also don’t care for the Lutheresque implications of being hunted down for inquisition by religious leaders of the day. But I also don’t want to miss what God is doing because I’m too damn proud of the religious reputation I’ve built for myself over the past thirty years.

More Blogging: Queen/King of Spades

I mainly get my fix through microblogging on Twitter and Facebook these days, but there's something I miss about the discipline of blogging here.

One of the things I enjoyed posting on occasionally was my reading progress. I've finished a couple of books recently...


The one here by Peter Block on Community has been a great affirmation of the trajectory of my life and ministry. It is a very hopeful book which attempts to focus on the possibilities of community. Weaving some of Putnam's terminology and material on social capital in with a strong case for the power of the small group to transform, I believe this book is a must for anyone trying to build a sense of community in their organization or attempting to repair and restore a sense of community somewhere.


The other book is my introduction to the world of triathlons. Having finished my first marathon, I'm excited to expand my goals to a multi-sport approach. I 'm a little too A.D.D. to train for one thing all the time. Cycling was one of my first passions when I began pursuing endurance events...so now I just need to kick up the swim phase without having a "stroke."

I'm debating adding some ink to my aging carcass. Not sure why...just feels like a physically and spiritually motivated statement of determination and identification.

A Season of Post-lessness

For whatever reason...I'm going through a season of 'post-lessness.' I'm sure it has a lot to do with the time it takes to maintain so many different social spaces online.

There's also my new effort to leave a more formal and thoughtful set of writings about my life and journey the old-fashioned pen & paper.

Facebook is becoming the predominant place of posting...along with my microblogging attempts through Twitter.

So maybe I'll see you over there.

Keeping 9/11 in Perspective

It was one of those moments where you'll never forget where you were at...what you were doing...how you first heard the news.

I was in Houston at a leadership gathering for Nazarene youth workers.

We dismissed the session with a time of prayer and went to our rooms to watch the footage...over and over...and wait for the fate of the second tower.

As horrible as that tragedy was, it's interesting to compare it to others across the globe which have claimed the same number of lives many times over. Natural disasters such as the Tsunami...the earthquake in China...the disaster of Myanmar. Not to mention the more criminal and morally inane acts of war and terrorism which claim dozens of lives on a daily basis in some parts of the world. The genocidal violence which has wiped out hundreds of thousands in Africa over the past two decades.

But for those who continue to suffer from the loss of husband, wife, father, mother, brother, sister, or friend...we remember in prayer today especially.

Celebration of Discipline

I've read this book at least three times I think...and when a friend recently mentioned that he was digging into the chapter on meditation...I was prompted to open it up once again.

So I took Foster out on the kayak at Stonelick Lake yesterday along with a bottle of water and paddled out to the middle and propped myself on a tree that was reaching up out of the water.

As I re-read the chapter out loud, I was challenged by the basic assumption that Christian meditation leads to repentance...obedience...faithfulness. It is not an academic exercise or simply an effort to relieve stress. The many times that "mediatation" is used in the Scriptures...it is connected with transformation and obedience.

One reference that stands out is the admonition in Psalm 1 ...

1 Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.

Another idea that jumps out at me from this passage is that this individual yields fruit in season...and does not wither.

I am presently struggling a bit with my calling and my ministry context. My perception is that fruit is somewhat sparse at the moment. But do I understand the concept of "seasons?" Or do I really live according to 'chairos' (God's timing) rather than 'chronos' (our segmented version of time)? Am I just feeling a bit withered? Spiritual malnourishment?

Not sure...but I need to be more intentional with some time for meditation and prayer...not from a dutiful or obligatory sense...but because I'm passionately loving and being loved by God.

Book 11: Jack of Spades

Talk about a quick and engaging little book! I recently became aware of Francis Chan's ministry, writing, and online presence. I remember someone telling me about his Just Stop and Think video (which you can view here). At the time, I failed to track it down online or follow up on the recommendation at all. Then as I was reading this title yesterday, Chan encourages you early in the book to go to the website and view a few different things.

I thought it was really a great reading experience with the combined media resources online.

As he sums up the book, it's a call to a high view of God which results in a high-octane response to God...a Crazy Love. Any response less than that might be something we should classify as sub-Christian instead of settling for some anemic form of just-get-by Christianity.

His discussion of "Lukewarm Christians" (which he determines is oxymoronic) is especially challenging but necessary.

I read the book quite easily yesterday so it's not a difficult or long reading commitment. But it will certainly challenge you to evaluate your level of spiritual commitment. If you have the option, I would encourage you to use the online chapter introductions and other media resources along the way...quite excellent.

Loving the Beans

I just enjoy everything about coffee. The flavor. The aroma. The ambience. The story behind the bean.


And I think that story is one of the things that makes coffee such great tool for thinking missionally...globally...sustainably...responsibly.




Recently, I've been researching some of the non-profit cafes around the country who are providing a combined experience of coffee, community, music, art, culture, and in some cases...Christ.

This is a great one I'd love to visit in Seattle...the Qcafe...affiliated with Quest Church in Seattle.

Eugene Cho is the pastor of Quest Church there and has a great blog I've been reading lately too. You can check that out here. We've been playing phone tag like crazy too as I've been trying to talk to him about the cafe and how the dream/space developed.

One of the challenges I'm facing in life & ministry right now is determining what the greatest passion of my life is? What is the "sweet spot" of God's call on my life and what kind of adjustments would it take to get there? Sacrifice? Comfort? Risk?

Ten of Spades: The Insider

This book was given to me by a friend and neighbor (literal) as one of those “Read this and let me know what you think” deals.

Well, it took me a little while to get to it, but this is one of those books that really resonates with where the journey has been taking me lately. The basic premise is pretty simple…that the Kingdom of God and the Gospel has its most profound impact when it is lived within the context of everyday life and the existing relationships we have within our world.

Unfortunately, Christians are often encouraged directly or indirectly to pull away from their social context and become “outsiders” to those who need Christ the most. In an attempt to connect believers with a new set of relationships (supposedly for some discipleship which rarely happens) we sacrifice our identity as “insiders.”

Quoting from a chapter entitled “The Insider’s Role in Missions”…

“Insiders are at the heart of God’s pursuit of the nations. They are essential to what he wants to do. Yet, in many churches and missions efforts they face resistance and disapproval rather than support. They are made to feel they are somehow disloyal because of the time and space they give their unbelieving friends. What they need instead is affirmation, equipping, and resourcing—and lots of it.”

For those who may want to better understand how live ‘Kingdomly’ in your everyday world along with those who want to influence others to become ‘insiders’ Petersen and Shamy have some great practical chapters on how to do that…especially the idea of simply inviting someone to journey through Scripture with you.

Vacationing Well

This is one of those vacations that may actually result in the desired amount of rest and relaxation. Personally, I've found that most vacations can be exhausting because there's this compulsion to pack so much into the experience. That is yet another indication that our consumeristic lifestyles are so ingrained that we fail to even grasp the concepts of simplicity and rest.

Last night I was fishing off of this little point (where Jessica is journaling) as darkness settled over the lake. Then the clouds parted and the moon began to beam from my left. Since I wasn't catching ANY fish, I just laid back on the grass and stared up at the stars. It was one of those moments where you feel like you have God's attention and He might just say something out loud. Then I remembered something I heard Erwin McManus say recently in a podcast...something to this effect... "Asking God for a sign is a sign of spiritual immaturity."

Don't you love it when people, without any hesitation, step directly on your spiritual toes?! Yeah...Gideon was certainly showing spiritual immaturity when he kept throwing down the fleece trick. Erwin's point was that God wants to develop us into the kind of people He can trust to make the right decisions. He's not interested in just blurting out directions every time we approach some sort of crossroads in life. Obviously, that would be easier in the moment but when will I learn that God is more interested in my character than my contentment or comfort!

Interesting Images

I came across these two images as I was surfing one of my Treehugger RSS feeds.

This little guy has collected so much pollen he's packing onto every little millimeter.

The next image is curious because of the cohesive properties of the water. Something is keeping the tiny droplets (surface tension maybe) from consolidating.

The caption over the image to the right was "I Think I've Got Something In My Eye!"

Yeah, looking through water can often distort vision. Many times I've been diving for objects with my girls at the pool and often depend on colors and shapes to guide my eyes to the object because the water and chemicals blur the vision and burn the eyes.

This brings me to my ever-popular blog topic of clarity. I find myself transitioning from a fairly happy-go-lucky "life is good" phase to a more contemplative and confusing "life is vague" phase.

I just shared with a Facebook friend last night that I seem to be in a state of static...a time of life that exists between dreams...it's not so bad that you try to wake yourself...but it's not so good that you WILL the dream forward either.

The 9 of Spades

So here it is...July 29th...and I've read 9 books. This is the end of the 30th week of 2008 which means only 22 weeks to go. If I want to reach my goal of 52 books this year...I'll need to read about 2 books per week from here on out. That is obviously NOT going to happen.

I like to pace myself when it comes to reaching lofty goals. Who wants to be an over achiever, right (besides my good friend Rob Horton. The poor guy had to buy a whole new deck of cards to keep up with his reading list! :-)

Just a few comments on my most recent read though, Organic Discipleship. It's written by a father-daughter team at Xenos Christian Fellowship in Columbus, OH very near where Debbie and I spent about 8 years pastoring students. Getting a little more insight into their history, ministry development, and passions was very interesting considering the superficial knowledge we had from ministering nearby.

What I liked most about the book was the emphasis on intentional discipling relationships and the need to support that process with a great deal of prayer. Here at Lifespring, our current context for life, ministry, and family...we are convinced that it is going to take a very intentional process of modeling discipleship and inviting people to follow our example in order to really raise up a different kind of church, one that is more incarnation-relational-missional than attractional-program driven-doctrinal. We want to emphasize both belonging and believing...but we definitely agree with those who think that providing someone with a relationship in which to belong is more important and urgent than demanding the right beliefs.

Back to the book though...what I didn't like about the book was a sort of textbook approach towards the middle of the book. There was just a little too much "First you need to do this, this, and this...next you have to do this...etc" Now, I am becoming more and more aware that many people want and need this kind of detail and instruction. I just tend to enjoy the big picture more...the vision...the dream. Let's work out some details and execute the strategy...but there might be several approaches to that stage.

Overall, I think it was a helpful book for me and anyone else who is trying to be more intentional about discipling and coaching others to disciple.


As my Lifegroup discovered this past week in our discussion of John 15, to remain in Christ and bear fruit means that we will lay down our lives for others. For most of us, that will not mean physical death, it will more than likely mean...laying down our selfish plans for the evening and/or weekend and spending some intentional time discipling a friend, neighbor, family member, or whoever God sends across the street for conversation.

So look around...and see who's headed your way.

Resistance, Gravity, & Balance

The apostle Paul said it like this,

"For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do–this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it."
--Romans 7:18-20

I understand this concept very well from a sin perspective. The analogy I'm seeing in my life right now though is not so much a sin problem as a productivity problem. There are good things I want to accomplish and productive things with which I'd like to be engaged. (fitness, landscaping, study, reading, family time, etc) But I sense some type of force acting against me. Perhaps it's gravity. I like John Mayer's perspective on this force...

"Gravity...is working against me. Gravity...wants to keep me down."

When I saw him in concert here in Cincinnati with my good friend Jason Mossman, the song built up to a philosophical and aesthetic climax at the line... "Keep me where the light is." Everything in the auditorium darkened except for the most powerful and immense white light I've ever seen. It shone from behind John and penetrated the darkness from one side of US Bank arena to the other. It was one of those 'secular' moments which had profound spiritual effects.

But I feel as though there's a force of some sort which wants to keep me down. In physical, spiritual, emotional and even intellectual ways...there's a battle going on that isn't totally moral or spiritual but definitely has implications in those areas as well.

On the other hand, I do not mean to imply that productivity is or should be the goal. There's a healthy sense of balance and rhythm to our lives right now that has resulted from less effort to do and more effort to be. Although my past conditioning to produce and tendency to live a more driven lifestyle often disrupts this contentedness, I have no desire to return to such an approach.

Barnabas & Timothy

Good conversation is a gift.

As I sat down with a friend yesterday and discussed various things about discipleship, he reminded me of a model we have in the Apostle Paul. You could argue (quite easily I think) that Paul was spiritually mentored by Barnabas. And later in Paul's ministry, Timothy becomes one of Paul's main mentees as he invests himself in the spiritual development of another pastor-leader-planter.

Naming the "Timothy's" in my life has always been a simple recognition of various students, neighbors, co-workers, family members, and even peers into whom I have poured energy, time, conversation, and shared life (though not nearly enough prayer). Looking back on all those relationship however, I realize that the process was not nearly intentional enough.

The "Barnabas" factor has been much more elusive for me. Although I can point to many people along the way who have influenced, guided, and mentored me...I find that those relationships have been far to seasonal and sporadic. I have often prayed for someone like a spiritual guide or mentor and find myself currently without such a person.

As a certified personal trainer, there's no way I would expect (on average) someone to achieve the same fitness results and goals on their own as they would with some consistent and intense coaching in the gym. Why do we think spiritual fitness would be terribly different from that? So like the occasional exerciser who works out a few times a week but changes nothing else about their lifestlye or diet...we continue for years in the same pattern of activity with very little transformation or growth. And most Christians are satisfied with this approach.

A Plea for the Tithe

I was reading this article http://www.crosswalk.com/spirituallife/11578198/#discuss

and felt inclined to respond with this...

I appreciate the spirit in which this article is written...and the biblical principles of financial stewardship which would motivate someone to get out of debt and handle money in a biblical way. BUT, I'm exploring this concept of the tithe and wondering why we adhere so closely to a potentially obsolete old testament directive when the actual tithe is not mentioned by Jesus, Paul, or any other New Testament authors as a directive for followers of Christ.

In fact, the New Testament standard may at times be more rigorous than 10 percent (e.g. the rich young ruler).

One of my main concerns however is that our soap box sermons on tithing are quite self-serving when they come from an institution which spend 80 to 90% of monies raised (tithe etc) on staff salaries, facilities, and maintenance. A paltry amount of that hard-earned tithe ever makes its way past the grubby needy hands of the institution.

Maybe that's just the dozen or so churches I've attended or served as a pastor at?!

Where's everyone else at on this subject?

Little Miami Adventure

Had a fun little water adventure with Jess and one of her friends yesterday. The water is still a little high but we were able to avoid any spills in the rapids. There were about 4 sets of rough waves and girls loved it!

I used my kayak paddle from the back of the boat which worked out very well for steering.

As we came through Milford though, some kids were hiding in the trees throwing rocks at boats. One of their bombarding efforts struck my paddle blade just as I was pulling it out of the water. If the girls had not been with me, I probably would've scrambled up the tree-lined slope and offered a little thrashing.

The Tyranny of Time

Our clocks and calendars are an ever-present source of pressure in our lives. Often, that pressure can be a good thing...providing boundaries for those periods of time we don't enjoy or keeping us respectful of an appointment with someone. Many times I find that a sense of time exerts mostly negative pressure on me. Dictating deadlines, cutting short moments of rest, pushing us towards the next item on my outlook calendar.

We bumped into an old friend at Starbucks the other day and the whole tone of our conversation was a lament of time. Time has flown by and we've missed many significant moments in the lives of others. The kids are at vacation bible school, or dance class, or riding lessons, etc and ad infinitum! Then came the statement that haunts me... "That's life, isn't it?!"

Is it?

Really?

Is life about appointments, deadlines, hurrying and scurrying, missing moments because we're late for the next moment?

I have a feeling that we have CHOSEN 'chronos' over 'kairos.' We have chosen to be mastered by those falling granules of sand...those incessant ticks of the clock. A sense of God's time...resting in the moments...detecting the seasons of life...we've surrendered it for something more manageable and objective and predictable.

I think we've lost a great deal in that exchange.

Creation Museum Response

My response to this experience is still in process. Here's a photo of the place right before I was accosted by a security guard for standing on a wall to take the photo.

My first critique is a financial one. I feel pretty guilty, actually, about dropping over $100 for a few hours of conservative christian entertainment.

My second critique is in regard to the obvious mission of the museum to move people towards belief and decision based on information rather than on relationship. As you walk in, the slogan "Prepare to Believe" jumps out from strategically placed banners. I just think it perpetuates an attituden about Christianity that getting people to a place and to believe the right things are more important than connecting with people relationally and providing a sense of belonging.

I do have to say there were some things I was impressed with and hope that God does indeed use the facility to cultivate a greater hunger for the Word of God. That's probably the 'take-away' which was most positive for me.

But back to the financial issue, a few people are getting EXTREMELY wealthy from this vendor of christian entertainment through toys of biblical proportions and the plethora of resources which the doctrinally coached consumer can take home with them.

It wasn't a total waste or an outright adventure in heresy...but we certainly didn't buy a membership or leave with any plans to return. For any of our friends in the area who walked away with a totally different experience, I'd love to dialogue over our differences but certainly do not condemn or disapprove of anyone else's choice to visit the museum or sing its praises.

Cycling Saga

Odds are good that I'll never be involved in a crash quite like this one. But a hot shot on a motorcycle thought he would have a little fun with me last night and nearly ran me into a ditch.
The guy came up behind and hit his brakes causing his back tire to skid towards me. Just about the time I was going to bail out in the ditch, he released the brake and straightened out the bike...kicking his foot towards me as he passed by.
Once my heart stopped pounding, the aggression began to flow. I was so steamed for the last 5-6 miles back into old Milford, I couldn't think of anything except wacking that guy across the face with the frame of my bike. It's actually light enough to weild as a weapon perhaps.

After the emotions began to simmer and the heart rate dropped to normal cycling rhythms, I decided that our area of Clermont County just isn't a safe place to ride. I've been accosted several times like this since we've lived in Cincinnati. Although the bike trails are hardly ideal for a road cyclist like myself, I suppose I will have to dodge roller bladers, puppies, and tri-cycles to extend my riding career (and life) as long as possible.

Home In the Rain

Ah...after being away from my girls for the entire week, it was great to have some time this afternoon to enjoy a little game of "Trouble" with my girls. Nothing like spending a few minutes trying to 'pop' a 6 so I can get my little green man around the game board!

Then the rain hit quite intensely and scrubbed the air clean, cooled things off, and provided an anesthetizing soundtrack of white noise for our listening pleasure.


Well, it's Saturday night...and that requires my typical routine of finalizing details for our worship gathering on Sunday morning. I like to make sure I have all the music copied and ready along with the 'service script' which just gives a very basic idea of the overall flow and order of songs, scripture, prayer, teaching, etc.

And it's always interesting to anticipate a cancellation or some other type of snafu which occurs just about every Sunday. Is there a way to experience corporate worship without being so dependent on individual 'players?' Could we plan a worship gathering which wouldn't collapse if one, two, or even three key people didn't show on Sunday morning? One of these days, I'll be part of a worship gathering which is completely spontaneous, guided by the Holy Spirit, and effective whether it's attended by 3 or 3 hundred!

Shack Reaction

If bloggers, theologians, bible-mongers, and other self-appointed spiritual police put as much effort into living like Jesus as they did in protecting their 'right view' of Jesus and the Scriptures...we might actually have a version of Christianity which would bring hope to the world.

I'm responding to a recent comment which was added to one of my previous posts concerning William P. Young's book, The Shack. I certainly don't mind reading a variety of perspectives on that topic and wish to be cautious in my own support of such things. But there's still just something that bristles in me when I hear raw religious rhetoric of this sort.

Although the picture of God in Young's book is more reminiscent of the 'oracle' from the Matrix than the Father Jesus often refers to in Scripture...I don't see the need to place this work in the same category as a new age catechism or some other 'anti-Christian' publication.

Java In Roundtown

This little town in south central Ohio is known mostly for its festive celebration of the pumpkin every October. I found a quaint little cafe with wifi on main street and am enjoying their wares.

This week I have the privilege of being with some students at a youth camp being hosted by Ohio Christian University just outside of town (formerly Circleville Bible College).

I am reminded, as I step back into a somewhat conventional world of youth ministry, how oriented youth ministry is to activity, personalities, and hype. I don't know that these things are wrong in and of themselves. I just wonder how much long-term impact once can make on a middle or high school student in this setting. Obviously, with the help of the Spirit, I'm confident that significant transformation can occur.

Part of the benefit I receive from this experience is connecting with some old friends in youth ministry and also having some extended time to hear stories from students and youth workers.
It's also nice to hang out in a small town and just experience that for a bit.

Room With a View

I feel really blessed to have such a beautiful 'remote' office to work from.

Here's the view I typically have as I catch up on emails, plan worship services, connect with people by phone, update blogs, etc, etc...

Sure beats the view at Panera and the wi-fi connection is MUCH better! Plus I can slip out to the putting green for a few minutes between tasks.

What Are We Chasing?

According to Pastor Brett Rickey from FamilyChurch.tv in Tulsa...we're chasing 'cool.'

Although this is obviously a pastor-type trying his hand at authorship in very mediocre fashion, he does make some good points. I came across this book as I'm preparing to speak to a group of students at a youth camp next week in central Ohio and probably wouldn't have read it otherwise.

I think the logo for the camp I'm going to is much better than the cover design of the book as you can see.

The author suggests that most people are chasing some kind of 'it' factor...a notion of 'cool' which the surrounding culture exhibits as desirable yet constantly changes. The tendency towards consumerism and materialism is very closely linked to this misguided pursuit.

Here are a few good points made in the book:
--God cares much more about your character than your cool-ness
--The Christian life should be marked by passion
--Christians need to live in connected community and see each other as teammates rather than competitors
-- "Competition isolates but Community insulates"
--Sin is the kryptonite to our souls and we need to deal with it accordingly

I don't mean to be too hard on Brett and his cover artist. You can tell that he is probably an exceptional communicator there at FamilyChurch in Tulsa and has a great focus on chasing after Christ and God's simple mission for the church. I think we do have to be careful of trying to redefine 'cool' in a way that we create another false chasing after certain experiences or styles rather than chasing Christ himself.

A Day of Clarity

I know that I have spoken of 'moments of clarity' in the past and how much they are desired and appreciated although a bit infrequent.

Well, today could be described as a 'day of clarity' or at least a series of those moments.

First of all, I have been fortunate enough to enjoy a day which had absolutely no obligations attached to it. I slept in, made some coffee, and have been sitting on the back patio most of the morning with this view...

My daughter's butterfly net is lying here on the table and I can see a couple of these carefree creatures chasing one another across the yard right now. She would probably love to be chasing them.

Perhaps part of the reason I'm experiencing such clarity today and just a simple awareness of the Spirit with me, is because I 'pulled the trigger' on a tough decision yesterday. On Facebook, I uploaded this photo...

Last weekend, as I was leading a time of worship with some friends on a retreat...and listening to my friend (Joe Noonen) share some insight on the Scriptures...I became quite convicted regarding the way I was spending most of my leisure time. (For those who didn't know that I'm somewhat of a gamer...now you know!) Now I'm not one to think that all such games, books, movies, etc (in the warcraft genre) are spawned in the pit of hell...but I believe there is a plan of the enemy to distract us from relationships. And my relationship with God, with my wife, with my kids, and with my neighbors were all suffering due to the choices I have been making with my time.

So it was like one of those old-fashioned "come to Jesus" moments when I took my hedge clippers and sliced up each cd-rom and it's case...lol! It's ironic that I had warned someone else about the addictive nature of this game a couple of months ago and then promptly re-opened my account and began leveling a new character like crazy. I know...many of you are incredulous at the appeal of such things.

With extra hours (literally!) freed up...I turned my attention towards book 7 in my quest to read 52 titles this year.This is a book I've been hearing about for quite awhile now and wanted to read. I first learned of it through listening to The God Journey podcasts.

My wife Deb got to it first and was very intrigued by it which just made me more anxious to read it. I think it has already been compared (by Eugene Peterson) to the Pilgrim's Progress as an allegory for our time. I would have to agree with that assessment. It has rattled my view of God...in a good way...and caused me to long for a greater experience of relationship with God in the three personalities of Father, Son, and Spirit.

The story itself is quite intriguing and I highly recommend it.