Here and Now

So I spent the last two days helping to replace a hundred feet of sidewalk for a parishioner. Man, concrete work is really demanding (I was going to say "Concrete is hard work" but, well, the pun...you know...) and my back and knees and...frankly, every part of me hurts right now... (okay, that's not a picture of the actual sidewalk replaced...I forgot my camera, okay?) But, that's not the important thing. We tried several times to get guys from the church to come out, but the homeowner really wanted it done on weekdays - otherwise there was a pretty steep additional charge for the concrete (most of which she was getting for free from the city as part of what they call the "pridewalk" program) - so that limited the number of people who could help. Most of the women from the church who were able, schedule-wise, to help, didn't feel they could do the work physically... So... that left me and Stan from the church on Monday (Stan is an EMT and all-around gre...

I broke the rules, but I didn't do anything wrong. So, why do I feel kinda guilty? Here's the thing. We have this municipal parking lot where you get a ticket when you go in and then when you leave you stop at a little booth to pay your fee. The first half hour is free and then it goes up in quarter increments (okay, this isn't the biggest town in Western PA, okay?). So, I'm only in there like 20 minutes but when I stop at the little booth, it's locked up. Now what do I do with my little ticket? The RULES say I have to turn it in...but, I don't owe anything...um... So, it was a really little moment in my otherwise fascinating and exciting life - but as I was pulling away clutching the ticket I felt...weird. You know, I didn't do anything wrong...but I broke the rules... And I wonder if Jesus ever felt that way when he healed on the Sabbath. Okay, maybe that's a bad example because Jesus is...well...GOD. So, how about Peter and John. Do you think those gu...

So we were talking about chaos theory and the butterfly effect yesterday in my youth class (heh, probably not your standard youth fare...but it applied) and I remembered a quote from An Unstoppable Force (the book I'm teaching in our adult Sunday School class right now) by Erwin McManus that ties into this new line of thinking that God is leading me on - our deep interconnectedness. Okay, this is kinda long, so bear with me: "When God creates, he creates with relational integrity. Everything is connected and fits together. This is true not only in the physical realm, but even more so in the spiritual. The Bible tells us that when man sinned, all creation groaned. "Those who study science have told us that a butterfly fluttering its wings in South America could, in some sense, be the primary cause of an avalanche in Antarctica. This level of complexity strikes us as new and innovative, and yet the Scriptures have advocated this kind of interconnection for thousands of y...

As a tie-in to the last post: I just saw a group of daycare kids walking down the street "attached" to a bright, lime-green rope. I don't know how common this "chain gang" daycare travel method is, but everytime I see it I smile (you have an adult at the front and one in the rear - and then this long line of kids holding on to a rope - sometimes with straps over their wrists "attaching" them to the rope). Of course, there's nothing like a bunch of little kids to make me smile. And then I thought, "Sandpeople travel in single file to hide their numbers..." Man, I am a geek. But... Here's what also struck me. Last week's Gospel reading in the lectionary was the parable of the lost sheep and the parable of the lost coin and on the GBOD website Taylor Burton Edwards asked some pretty pointed questions: So who has gotten lost where the people of your congregation live and work? How do people in your congregation treat these people? ...

Well, it's not snowy season yet, but I was thinking about snow the other day. Now, once the weather gets cold enough around here that cars need to "defrost," I usually get up early with Lori and clear her car off for her (heh - which usually just involves starting it and letting it idle with the heat on - but sometimes I actually have to brush the snow off the car, too...). Anyway, when it's snowy and I make fresh prints in the snow, invariably I think of this scene from Star Wars: A New Hope (that would be Episode 4 - of course we all just knew it as Star Wars...but I digress): So when I make tracks in the snow, I always walk back in the very same tracks (heh, I guess "to hide th[e] numbers..."). I don't know why I do it - maybe I'm just a little bit neurotic, I don't know, or maybe I'm just the uber-geek that people think I am... But what I have come to realize is that I hold on to stuff from movies in my head for a long time. Scenes, i...

So I discovered this video this morning and, well, it was my youth... Now, if you don't get it - or if you just think it was "cute" or something - then you probably won't like Dork Tower either... (and if you DID get it...or, um, lived it...check out the Dork Tower archives - of course, if you lived it, you've already read the DT archives...) Ah, youth...wasted on the...thoughts of whether Spidey could take the Hulk... Oh, he could, definitely...

So we're trying to get Scott Phillips to come to The Crossing *** for opening night - that would be New Year's Eve - so I've been listening to his stuff a lot lately . I had two albums (the first self-titled and the newest one, Next Stop Willoughby which is, by the way, an amazing album) and I've purchased the other two (man, itunes is an addiction - I need to join IA or something). *** sorry - right now it's just a link to the survey - go ahead and take it, though. I'll wait. Really. Go ahead... Anyway, I've been in a pretty deep funk for a week or so - it's all stuff that I've brought on myself (if you must know, my defense mechanism for stress is avoidance - so when there's something I don't want to do - or something that's causing me stress - I procrastinate - and I can do that in a HUGE way - in fact, if it were an Olympic event, I'd be a world champion). So, I've dug a hole - more of a pit - no, how about gaping chasm... A...

Through a series of links (you know how the web works - I'm reading this blog, which links to this one, which links to this site, and on and on...) I came across this site with nominations for America's Most Innovative Churches (with Outreach Magazine) and I checked out the form for "nominating a church" and one of the questions asked was, "What makes a church innovative?" So, what DOES make a church innovative? Is it a cool website or having a Starbucks in the parking lot - so the folk waiting for the shuttlebus to the sanctuary can be refreshed before they are brought into the carefully designed for traffic flow entry/lobby where they can get another latte and even a muffin to take into the "worship space" to watch the "pre-show" entertain...uh, ministry and, perhaps, chat with one of the carefully selected Official Greeters (tm)... Sorry if I sound a little sarcastic... It's not that there's anything inherently wrong with all ...

Double Post Wednesday.... Read somewhere the other day something about evangelism. The core of the message was: we've been too busy trying to get people saved FROM hell, when we ought to be busy getting people saved INTO the Kingdom of God. It's a huge difference, and one that I really hadn't given a lot of thought to. But think about this: if all the emphasis is placed on getting people to "say the sinner's prayer" or whatever, once a person gets to that point - let's call it repentance and acceptance of Jesus as their Lord and Savior - what's left? If your goal is to "get them saved" - well, you've done it. So, drop 'em like hot spuds and look for the next sinner to grab by the collar and get all "Jesus in their face" til they repent. OR... We could welcome people INTO something. The sad truth is that too many churches don't have any "something" going on, so they can only offer saving people from hell and...

Well, two things have come together again and my mind is spinning. First, the article on Mother Teresa and the very, very...um, VERY long dark night of her soul that Time Magazine reported on not long ago. It seems time and again that Teresa complained that God was distant - even so distant as to seem to not exist (though she only makes THAT complaint once). Still, I get it. I've been going through that kind of struggle, though not to the depth or length of Teresa's... Then I read a quote in a sermon from William Stringfellow, "Prayer is being so alone that God is the only witness to your existence." I need that place right now. I suspect that Teresa found that place often enough, but she never could shake the feeling that God wasn't witnessing her existence. I wonder if God wasn't closer than ever - so close that she couldn't sense Him becasue God was overwhelming her. I wonder sometimes if we could dive so deeply into Christ that we wouldn't see...

Well, I'm part of an accountabilty group and we go through a list of quesitons (I know I've mentioned it before). I was thinking last night about the questions that Wesley had his group go through (the whole list is here - scroll down and you'll find them). So, I thought I'd deal with the questions as an exercise in blogging...or, um, something. Anyway, here goes.... Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I really am? In other words, am I a hypocrite? I've done it. I know I have. I remember the days when I wanted to impress people. As much as I get away from that attitude, I still find myself doing it. Politicians call it spin. When I was a kid, I'd try to minimize my apparent involvement in the bad stuff I'd do. You know, it's not really my fault, after all... As an adult I may be even better at it. So, in some ways I create "the impression that I am better than I really am" by minimizing my own failur...

Rachel had allergy testing on Tuesday. It was hell for me - and worse for her. "Lay down on your tummy - I'm going to write on your back." "Daddy, are they going to use the needles?" "Yes, honey, they are." "I don't want the needles." "I know, but they have to." As the first round of tests - twenty four pokes in her tiny back - proceed, she is very strong at first, but after about a dozen it just hurts too much and she breaks down. "Make them stop, Daddy." But I can't. I want to, but I have to watch my little girl hurt and cry and I can't do a thing about it. In fact, I brought her here for this. And thank God it went quickly, though it seemed forever. And she can't scratch her back ("But it itches soooo badly") and she has to just sit there for fifteen minutes. And those 24 didn't show any allergies. "Hold very still or these next ones will hurt." Next ones? And ten more - stronger,...

I missed it, but the story is going all around the staff...Lori has been telling it...so, here goes... I guess my girls have been rehearsing the crucifixion scene. They've heard it so many times, I probably shouldn't be surprised. Rachel very seriously and carefully tells Elie about Jesus' death for our sins. And they...act it out. Now, I don't know if I'm the proudest dad in Warren, or the most horrified... Rachel laid Elie on the floor, stretched her arms out and pretended (with Elie's toy hammer) to nail her hands to the imaginary cross. They were very reverent and, actually, I guess Rachel did a pretty good job in explaining it. So, the other day, Lori is doing dishes and Elie comes out into the kitchen and lays down on the floor and spreads her arms and says, "Nail me down, Mommy! Nail my hands and my feet." "Now, honey, that's a very serious and important story..." "I know it is, Mommy. Jesus died for our sins. He was nailed do...

I am, it seems, a "frequent contributor" over at http://www.crummychurchsigns.blogspot.com/ (though I think I've probably only submitted a dozen or so...and only had four or five actually make the cut - 'cause most of what I've seen around here is soooo yesterday). So, I've decided that I'll only submit crummy church sign photos - and I have my first sighting here . I'll stand by my review, but I wish I had thought of this: Exodus 3:13-14 (NIV) 13 Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" 14 God said to Moses, "Um...no, don't tell them who sent you. In fact, just forget we ever had this conversation..."

So I just read a moderate response to immigration over on Keith McIlwain's blog McIlWeb and I guess I'm now understanding Michael's ambivalence toward a moderate position. I mean, basically I agree with much of what Keith is saying, but in the end I felt like saying, "So what? Is there a position here?" Keith, I know that's not fair - and really, it's me, not you... Because I'm that kind of moderate. I pretty much weigh the pros and the cons and find the common ground and here's my position - as non-threating as jello... What do I think about immigration? Find a way to encourage legal immigraion and stop illegal immigration - without too much suffering on the part of those who hav chosen the illegal route...yet just...sigh...really, what am I even saying? Jesus - the ulitmate radical...moderate? Hmmm, maybe not so much... Elie can't wait to have her first soccer practice. Truth be told, I can't wait for it, either. She's four, s...

I read an interesting article online the other day (I'm still wrestling with this whole "Emergent" "Postmodern" thing...where do I fall in all this theologically?) Anyway, it's a sort of "anti-postmodern rant" but one part really struck me: I'm fully prepared to admit that when we boomers were young, we faddishly embraced church-growth ratios and sociological analysis; we praised these modern tools as the salvation of the church. So it's poetic justice for us now to sit in the back of the room, the balding and befuddled, as the next generation praises the postmodern matrix as the salvation of the church. But we're both wrong. We've already got a salvation for the church, and he will not share his glory with any current cultural form, no matter how valuable or necessary it may be. If the church uncritically embraced modern culture, the solution is not to uncritically embrace postmodern culture. Every extreme in position is wrong - it...

Well, I was reading something about Rob Bell (a friend of mine was ranting about what a heretic he is so, of course, I had to check him out). Short of buying Velvet Jesus (um...not sure I'm quite ready to do that and never mind Sex God ...) I thought I'd do a little online research. It seems that I probably won't agree with Rob in a number of areas. But I happened on this critique of Bell's theology here where the guy goes off on Bell's interpretation of the Trinity. Here's the quote of Bell on Trinity: This doctrine is central to historic, orthodox Christian faith. While there is only one God, God is somehow present everywhere. People began to call this presence, this power of God, his 'Spirit'. So there is God, the then there is God's Spirit. And then Jesus comes among us and has this oneness with God that has people saying things like God has visited us in the flesh (John 1:14). So God is one, but God has also revealed himself to us as Spirit...

I recently had a conversation with someone about the emergent church. He's super critical of anything labeled "emergent" - as if, somehow, it's a monolithic movement and not just a whole bunch of people trying to figure out life and faith... Here's a bunch of anti-emergent posters to whet your appetite (okay, they really are funny...heh) http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/posters.htm And here's my favorite. Thing is - this poster can be applied to EVERY "group" of believers. Listen to the very liberal interpretations of the Bible and the very conservative and you're still probably hearing people make the Bible say what they want it to say. We ALL do that to a degree. I have heard more sermons that dissect single words in Greek and Hebrew to tell us "what it really says" - ignoring the context as a whole, of course. And I've done it, I know... But - this isn't really about that. This is about my problem with the whole "emergent m...

I have the best kids in the world. I know a lot of parents say that (how I wish EVERY parent would say that, but that's fodder for another post) - and they're all right, too... But here's my story: Rachel and Lori were shopping a while back and they were in the snack aisle when Rachel said something like "I want Cheetos." Now, I happen to think that Cheetos are possibly the world's most perfect food (well, perfect might be stretching it a bit...but mmmmmmmmm....), so I was hanging on every word of this story when Lori was telling me about it. So, Rachel wants Cheetos. She tosses them in the cart (with mom's permission, of course) and then they move on when Rachel holds up a bag of chips. "Look mom. Snyder's. We should get this and help Murray out." Murray is our good friend who is the Wise snacks salesman in our area. Lori looks at the bag. "Honey, those are Snyder's of Berlin. Murray sells Snyder's of Hannover." (Don't...

Here's a picture of the girls from yesterday. They amaze me at how fast they are growing - Elie grew FOUR INCHES between her third and fourth birthday - she's darn near as tall as her "big" sister. Last night we had friends over 'til late and Elie snuggled up between two of them and fell asleep - it was adoreable. Carried her upstairs and tucked her into bed...another one of those parent moments that come and go too quickly. Oh - and we got a puppy - Lacey. Someday I might get a picture posted... And, for the record, I DID appologize to my family here and everything is okay... Been a crazy week. Spent way more time than I thought I would have to on the new Coffehouse ministry that is starting. The website isn't up yet, but it will be soon. Check out http://www.thecrossingwarren.com/