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.