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bishop nt wright : colbert report

last night many of you probably caught nt wright on the colbert report. for those that didn't, here's the fun. if you were not sure what exactly was said, go check in with jake, he transcribed the conversation.

my beautiful idol : my review

via the ooze i was given a copy of 'my beautiful idol' to read and give my review.

i threw out some excerpts from the book early in reading. at that point i really enjoyed reading and there was some anticipation of what was happening next. where does this journey go, etc. it is a memoir of faith trying to be lived out in actions and some of those actions would be considered nutty by some, noble by others. i really liked seeing into some of the 'noble' actions and their less noble feelings. especially the attempt to be like henri nouwen. but like the impact of stories of people like henri nouwen or shane claiborne doing counter cultural attempts to the standard move upward in the celebrity/corporate world. the heart of their story and motivations is not that we all follow in their footsteps to enact their exact same things. so you get failed attempts at being who you are not.. and this went over and over and over

as i closed the book i was let down. the first half of the book was riddled with some fun stories, leaps of faith, and honest self-examination. but 230-250 pages in i was pretty much over with the self-exam that moved into self-deprecation. it just got old for me. maybe i need some epiphany to feel good. maybe the self-actualizations were not that profound for me. maybe i have my idols that are not allowing me to see past my own self.. maybe..

was it a good book? if you like memoirs then sure. it is written well and moves quickly. it has some cool spots too. i know i was really intrigued reading his understanding of speaking in tongues. something i am not familiar with as spiritual practice. but memoirs haven't traditionally been my book. i like to be challenged in thinking and this didn't take me there in the end.

blake has a more favorable outlook on the book. search for other reviews to see if i am full of crap.

mark yaconelli : youthworker movement podcast

episode five of the youthworker movement podcast is up and going. subscribe via itunes

mark is the director of the youth ministry spirituality project and the author of "contemplative youth ministry" and "growing souls." i met up with mark to talk contemplative youth ministry approach & growing souls. how does a youth leader care for the soul of themselves and the youth in their charge. we also bring back some 80's music. interviewed at the national youth workers convention in atlanta, november of 2007.

contact me to get plugged in or ask questions on the podcast. i could use hearing from some friends.
email at: gavoweb(at)gmail.com or call: 615-357-3275

tuesday randomness : link love

a run down on semi-interesting things

• young adult ministry ideas
• five social networking sites of the wealthy via revcamp
• evangelical manifesto and covert colonialism
• the things i am playing around with on my mac now
• some results and next steps to the umc young clergy project
• for writers in the nashville area
• i have this problem too, glad i'm getting answers
• teens are buying less? really?
• fraggle rock on broadway
• the rich drink better but not more beer.. which is better? hmm
• how to reduce your church meetings
• what the church can learn from wikipedia
• are we methodists liked because we are too easy?
• greatest criminal to ever live? via jordon
• old article about online religion
• young girls are bound to suffer from depression
• 7 pleasurable ways to improve your reading
• 12 traits of successful bloggers
• needing to design a sunday school room
• christian hospitality gone wrong
• questions that spark fresh ideas
• seth on new standards for meetings
• pray for our enemies
• gen x & millennials meet boomers
• the lost art of meditation for the youth worker
• a most helpful chart for navigating movies
• throw dave a bone
• who are your mentors?
• play your instrument better via online
• review of gene robinson's book
• 20 questions to ask when contemplating stopping blogging

an evening with bishop nt wright : round up & audio

last night erin & i headed down to west end, along with quite a few hundred cross cultural types to hear from n.t. wright, the bishop of durham. he's on a book tour for "surprised by hope" which i am to read sometime this year. i was stoked to hear of his coming and by the turnout last night, quite a few others were as well. it was a nice evening out catching up with many friends. even erin had fun meeting up with the various friendships through blogging. being at the methodist church it was nice to see some metho-types in the audience as well. after-wards we went out for drinks at the broadway brewhouse, with the joneses for a new draft beer to town. the new beer, boulevard brew, out of kansas city. it is quite good, though it probably won't take over from my early 20's drink of choice back in nj.

back to last night. i am still processing. i don't know if i have knowledge and language command to navigate what i heard in teaching and not making it sound like some purgatory realm. one thing erin & i liked was nt's distinction that we are not building the kingdom but building for the kingdom. his analogy was a rock sculpture shape a rock, and that is what they do, but it is the architect who puts into its place where the true beauty shows.

many friends have already started to throw down their thoughts. so i give you a round-up of those conversations

• jared wilson - a long write up, but worth the time (i wanted to meet jared, but with the amount of folks random meeting just wasn't in the cards)
• thomas mckenzie - if you can impress thomas, then you have done something
• cameron conant - reflection from one of the more self-reflective people i know
• phil wilson - who has a mix of emotions, as his grandmother passed away last night as well
• fellow um'er gary - he found the article quote that nt used in highlighting the 'western' misunderstanding of heaven, brilliant
• sally chambers - in her poetic self
• pete wilson - via jared wilson
• matthew paul turner
• george stull
• stephen : rebelling
• the tennessean forums topic on this

another fun thing. i received an email from a older gentleman asking my response to his comments on the tennessean article i was quoted in. for the record, my church is "first" united methodist, not "faith" united methodist. common mistake.. not really, but oh well.

some of my conversations in the being interviewed were that. 1. this isn't such a hard concept to grasp as we have always had a teaching of holiness movement and means of grace that is intended to be kingdom building 2. it isn't so hard to imagine methodist's interested in anglican folks as we are only 300 years removed from those anglican traditions of church. not to mention, we are a revival movement from that church body, so any revival in that church is probably something we are going to be interested in. but as with any of my "news" spots, my one liners are lame or total bs.

i do take down some audio of the bishop's talk. the sound system was not in fine form. john, who was operating the system and a old family friend told me after-wards someone came in and messed it all up after he had it perfect. he was so mad. so the audio isn't the best volume quality, but if you can plug into some speakers you can hear just fine.

• N.T. Wright - Surprised By Hope Talk (around 50 mins, in m4a format, play in itunes, 25mgs)
• N.T. Wright - Surprised By Hope Talk (around 50 mins, in mp3 format, 60mgs)
• N.T. Wright - Surprised By Hope Q&A (around 25 mins, in m4a format, play in itunes, 12mgs)
• N.T. Wright - Surprised By Hope Q&A (around 25 mins, in mp3 format, 28mgs)

free ministry marketing ebooks

i'm flipping/clicking through the "ministry marketing coach's" new ebook facebook for pastors. it looks pretty comprehensive that i'm expecting to learn one or two new things. this is the 2nd of a free ebooks, the other one is 25 marketing tips, which are generally good practice for communicating about your ministry.

• download facebook-for-pastors-by-chris-forbes.pdf
• download 25FreeMarketingToolsEBook.pdf

road trip with the new christians

this is a really cool video of tony jones spending time with trucker frank. checking out the changing landscape from seeing town dynamics, talking community, and the message.. a lot is packed in here

my beautiful idol : reviewing

here are some excerpts from "my beautiful idol" by pete gall. i'm reviewing it, along with other bloggers, as part of the ooze's select bloggers reading list/group. so far, when i've had a chance to sit and read i've rolled through pages. these are some spots that i marked for further thought & sharing.

.. if i do my job well [advertising agent], I'll help derail the lives of kids who are no match for the power of my message and my thinly veiled invitation to foolish, sinful choices. Not everyone is offered such a clear-cut opportunity to choose the right path, and the clarity of it makes me think about the second half of my prayer that day on my way back to my dorm room after the accounting test - the part about "then you can have me." I know, deep down, that the truth of my success is that God let me walk with my idol until I could see it well enough to put it down and head the other direction.
...
.. I can see people watching TV at the corner bar noticing the news article about that one. They'd have to admit that for whatever else a person may say about the people of God, Christians do make a difference and do display acts of loving generosity. That's a "brand" people would join, would want to be associated with, would use to tell themselves and others the story of who they are. That would be a need worth creating, worth pointing out, worth creating a hunger for.

so far when i sit down to read i'm rolling through pages. much like a donald miller or shane claiborne writing of life experiences, the deep meaning is more hidden into story. which i can respect, it reaches different people in different ways. i am quite over some of the guy girl relationship stuff. i think what i like most so far.. the chapters are short. i like that a lot.

are we really that different : we are close

i know this stuff happens, but i was intrigued to see that the us & uk covers for "surprised by hope" are so very different. are we really that different that marketing takes on such a drastic change? honestly though, i would rather have the uk cover. i think i have the same book cover they are selling in the usa, except it is by max lucado.

don't forget. nt wright in nashville talking about the same book with two covers.

my recent book identity

You're Watership Down!
by Richard Adams

Though many think of you as a bit young, even childish, you're actually incredibly deep and complex. You show people the need to rethink their assumptions, and confront them on everything from how they think to where they build their houses. You might be one of the greatest people of all time. You'd be recognized as such if you weren't always talking about talking rabbits.

Take the Book Quiz.

n.t. wright in nashville

Cokesbury and West End United Methodist Church invite you to enjoy an evening of conversation and fellowship with N. T. Wright

Tuesday, April 22, 2008, 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

The Anglican Bishop of Durham, Church of England, Wright is called by many the world's leading New Testament scholar. He will discuss his latest book, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church

"Surprised by Hope is a bold and vigorous articulation of the 'blessed hope' of the Christian witness. Grappling with a vast array of controversial topics, this book is sure to surprise you and will, no doubt, fill you with hope."-Richard Foster, author of Celebration of Discipline

"Tom Wright gives us a powerful account of 'the hope that is within us.' Here, in Wright's masterful work, Christian hope is defended, explicated, and proclaimed with all the wit, wisdom, intellect, and grace. This is quite simply the best book we have on the substance of Christian hope."-Will Willimon, Bishop, The United Methodist Church, and author of Conversations with Barth on Preaching

"N. T. Wright brings his enormous erudition to a most urgent contemporary question, the cluster of issues around the future and hope and resurrection, and life in the kingdom. Wright makes clear that resurrection hope cannot be understood by reference to universal categories, but only by the particular narrative of Jesus. His book is an important interpretive contribution to an ongoing theological pastoral task."-Walter Brueggemann, Professor Emeritus of Old Testament, Columbia Theological Seminary

"This book is N. T. Wright at his finest: dismantling the tired old theologies of escapism and evacuation to help a whole generation of us more clearly grasp a Jesus revolution for here, now, today."-Rob Bell, author of Velvet Elvis

Tuesday, April 22, 2008
7:30-9:30 P.M.
West End United Methodist Church
2200 West End Avenue
615-749-6123

i am putting it on my calendar. anyone else in the nashville area care to join me?

if you are into this thing: you might be interested in this thriving church thing with tom bandy. i might go if the schedule permits. thrivingchurchbrochure.pdf

surely you don't mean me?

michael spencer @ internet monk has a fab post on why he doesn't read my blog.. this really hit home though michael.

3. Your level of knowledge regarding the subjects you write about is so low that a discussion isn’t moved forward by what you write. This is why I don’t blog very much on baseball- which I love. I don’t know enough to make it worth someone’s time to read what I write. Many bloggers aspire to be pundits, theologians and culture commentators, but they simply haven’t done their homework. They don’t know the subject, they haven’t read the books. They don’t have a freshman major’s level of understanding. If you don’t believe me, read 95% of what’s written about philosophical topics like “postmodernism.” The blind leading the blind, to much applause. Unlike what appears to be the case with some famous bloggers, most bloggers don’t have a staff paid for by denominational funds to do their research.

Even though I am a seminary grad with post grad hours and extensive reading, and even though I teach Bible professionally, I know the difference between myself and Ben Witherington III, which some bloggers clearly do not. Reading some rookie blogger tear into a guy with three Ph.d’s is, at the least, unlikely to yield any real insights.

dang, i claim my stupidity, all the time. you should see the email exchange i had with dr. aj levine on a part in her book "the misunderstood jew." her response to my question, or maybe more a clarification..

Thank you for your note.

I think the sentence to which you are referring is this:

" The occasional king who burns down a city or bridegroom who shuts the door in the face of five virgins who have run out of oil — that is, the parables in which the difficult readings cannot be swept away — tends not to get much sermon time, especially in liberal Christian settings. "

I'm sorry if I was unclear -- my pint is that is, parables of judgment tend not to be the focus of sermons in liberal settings, and by liberal I mean the type of church is which the focus is more on social justice, inclusivity, the condemnation of the ills of society, etc. (all splendid concerns, of course)  than on personal soteriology, divine judgment, eschatological punishment and reward, etc. (i.e.,  I am defining 'conservative' along the lines of Missouri Synod Lutheran, most of the leaders of the SBL, the PCA, Churches of Christ, etc., noting that there are exceptions to any label and that all generalities are inexact.

Does this make sense?

my response back

thanks dr. levine,

that is the sentence and no need for apologies. i think being the decently read, but not formally schooled lay/staff person i get myself in places where i have to interpret to my capabilities and something of what i thought just didn't jive. so i asked

thanks for the clarification. it is certainly different from the assumptions i was coming too, so i am glad i asked and grateful for your time in responding. i cannot honestly say, "sure it all makes sense".. but let me consult my harvey's theological terms book to remind myself of the "big words" that, i know i know but could never tell you exactly what they mean. does that make sense? 

&:~D 

again, thanks for your time
shalom

because she is cool like that!

smiling back at you ...

and never hesitate to ask questions.

oh, sorry for the tangent. i'd agree with michael and it is okay dude, you don't need to read my blog. i might have started it actually shape other peoples thoughts but quickly realized that was stupid, so it is me being me and what God has shaped me into. i figure there are a few people out there that would care for that.

 

linkage of all kinds of stuff

• put together your own green youth ministry or church retreat.
• using a blog for ministry
• bishop willimon on his blogging experiences
• how not to take photos
• corporate responsibility and the freegans
• building christian community online part 2, part 1
• jim wallis & diana butler bass on cnn
• hauerwas on bonhoeffer lying and truthful speech
• the rules for library management (i know a lot out there need this)
• tony jones interview from the non-emergent side
• revfife on the recent nt wright interview by abc news on heaven
• whiffle ball game leads to charges, watch out youth folks! tip mcb

thoughts of the day

• i am pondering what sort of relations do a postmodern model of youth ministry have with a methodist church and it's laity driven history.. and the trouble that brings about because it goes against just about every other model of youth ministry out there..??
• i am wondering what all i need to do to start doing a to-do-list to make sure i get stuff done during the rest of this week.
• i am thinking i want to get a new little tv for our bedroom, one that has a remote that works and the sound doesn't go funny when you have at a low volume.
• not sure what books i want to try to finish reading this week... it is a pretty open week work wise, so i've got some opportunities here.
• with some odd church activities tomorrow, we have no regular programming.. do i go and do some observations of other churches or just take the night off...??
• i am going to move into using the prayerbook from the iona community this week.. that is generally a month or two earlier than i have done in the past (usually start in summer)..

the problem with the Lord's prayer

The problem with the Lord's Prayer is neither its content nor its historicity, but its familiarity. Many congregants don't actually think of the meaning of the words or, if they do, find only comfort rather than a challenge. Little children still happily conclude that the deity's name is "Harold" fear that the major sin they might commit is trespassing on someone else's lawn, adn earnestly hope that they are never led "into Penn Station." When placed in a first-century Jewish context, the prayer recovers numerous connotations that make it both more profound and more political. It fosters belief, promotes justice, consoles with future hope, and recognizes that the world is not always how we would want it.

the Misunderstood Jew: the church and the scandal of the Jewish Jesus, by AJ Levine

how true.. and it made me giggle too

update: those crazy folks at church of the resurrection are talking up the Lord's Prayer as well.

a bummer of a day

  Originally uploaded by hfumcyouth

so my illness has continued into today. it hoped to shake it yesterday, but we ended up having our wednesday night programming so i was at the church through the day. no rest, but we did have a small, but good podcast.

i went to the doctor today. got me a steroid shot, which i asked if they wanted to administer it baseball style or in my arm.. the needle was apparently long, so they opted for my hip. i did get a chuckle from the doc with my comment.

directions from there, rest, drink lots of fluids and stay away from people. so what is a blogger person to do while they are napping away the day and not hanging with people? upload pictures of course.

so i've been uploading pictures from last weekends retreat. i posted yesterday the videos that we had created from the retreat.

i started reading "the misunderstood jew : the church and the scandal of the Jewish Jesus" by aj levine, which, so far, i really like.

devices of the entertaining church

Many of the mutations of, and manacles on, churches discussed below arise because pastors, congregational leaders, and denominations worry about declining membership numbers. The loss of members causes a panic, which tempts us to react with strategies conceived according to the device paradigm: What device should we institute in order to produce the commodity of higher numbers? We try various devices, including extreme changes in styles of worship, the initiation of multiple programs to attract the neighbors, marketing strategies, firing the present staff and hiring a more charismatic one, and so forth. Lametably, these devices mimc our culture's behavior and thereby change the identity of the congregation so that it becomes merely a mirror of the society instead of an icon of God.

What is especially tragic about these panicked moves is that leaders don't realize that churches' declining numbers are part of a larger societal pattern manifested by almost every major social group.

Unfettered Hope, by Marva Dawn

i got to thinking of this when reading into john's highlight of 'the entertainment driven church' which pulls from a post by michael patton & michael spencer. to speak to my quoted writing, michael patton speaks about one of his visits to another church.

I went to a church that was just the opposite. It was a popular non-denominational Evangelical associated church. It was much more alluring in its style, having a much more amplified voice with regards to recognizing newcomers. From the moment we got in the parking lot, there were signs welcoming us along with parking lot attendants waving. These guys were so enthusiastic you would think that they had been trained at Disney World. The signs pointed to valet parking for first time guests. I would have taken them up on the offer, but pride always rules (oh . . . and then there is that awkward feeling that you are supposed to give them some money even when they say they don’t take it).

which reminds me of this gem 'king of the hill' episode where the hills go church shopping.

note: is it odd that the only site i could find this video on, due to the removal from copyright infringement at most sites, is a claimed Christian site?

in the mail today

look what the mail brought me today. this was not the primary book i was looking for, but i got sucked into the free shipping deal that amazon gives you. so, figuring i would pick up this book at some point i thought i would go ahead and take the plunge. the actual book i was looking for came in the mail as well, but it has become an unintentional surprise for erin. so you will have to wait to hear what that one is.

funny was that we had some conversation about jim & sojourners yesterday at the cohort. we mentioned his recent appearance on the daily show. a few things from that conversation, don't try to be the funny man on the daily show, stick to your message, answer the question you want to answer not the one asked. that is how you play the game. &:~)

why eikon?

tonight we started "eikon" an arts initiative within & outside our youth community. eikon, we hope, will become small communities of artisans that help us to practice a medium as well as frame our art as spiritual practice. tonight we started our photography community with around 20 youth & adults. i was pretty stoked for the number, but mostly i was stoked for the people that showed interest. i thought i'd share some of the why behind "eikon" since it was apparently asked about around the gbod.

To be an Eikon means, first of all, to be in union with God as Eikons; second, it means to be in communion with other Eikons; and third, it means to participate with God in his creating, his ruling, his speaking, his naming, his ordering, his variety and beauty, his location, his partnering, and his resting, and to oblige God in his obligating of us. Thus, an Eikon is God-oriented, self-oriented, other-oriented, and cosmos-oriented. To be an Eikon is to be a missional being - one designed to love God, self, and others and to represent God by participating in God's rule in this world.
-a Community Called Atonement, by Scot McKnight

i thought this did a pretty good job of defining some group identity

i am pretty stoked to see what God does with this grouping

 

a strange meet up

this afternoon i am meeting up with my district superintendent and a group of other eclectic pastors, many i call friends. we were 'required' to be part of this group as we are teaching our ds about progressive ministry anythings. a learning group of sorts. however, when i said sure to the group (in honesty, i am laity and i don't see myself being required by my ds to do anything) i thought we'd be talking culture, technology, mission, monasticism, worship, etc... but instead we have been required to read this book together.. and we have to write a one page paper on a required chapter (mine is chapter 9). this is our 2nd meeting of this gathering and i am confused to know what to expect or think. i don't even know if i will enjoy it it.. though i probably will enjoy somewhat if some of my buddies are there. i even like our ds, he's a dreamer and i can appreciate that. might even be an ambitious slacker.

vaction reading : divine nobodies

over vacation one of the friends i took with me was jim palmer. i hadn't anticipated taking jim.. i just anticipated taking his first book "divine nobodies." i have known jim for almost three maybe four years now. we met for the first time at an early version of our nashville emergent cohort. i like to say we have been friends ever since, though we would both have to agree, we don't hang out enough.. like quite rarely as of late. which is just what it is for now.

in saying that i took him on vacation with us is sharing that an encounter with jim is an encounter into someone who has made themselves as transparent as one can be. i think i do a pretty good job on the blog of being transparent, but he's got me beat. with his transparent nature and honesty comes a reflection of humility in a person who has lead a life complete with fracture and triumph, misdirection and reorientation, pride and compassion, moving into that love that we all hope for in our own lives. the premise of the book can easily be figured out by pondering the title and subtitle "divine nobodies, shedding religion to find God and the unlikely people who help you." it is one mans journey down that "religion" path of linear steps and success markers. only to come to a place where life, that everyday life, comes through and makes all that painful to the soul. through that there are normal everyday people that come and go in life that reflect Christ to their fellow ordinary people, or "nobodies" as "the world" is concerned.

i feel like i know my friend so much more now than ever. he would tell stories of people, which generally revolved around the nashville area (but not all) and i'd wonder.. "is that my mechanic?" "which waffle house is that?" (i have a good guess on that one, jim actually lives nearby)

through this he challenges his upbringing of the "religion" steps and success (which made me think of this article over and over again) on what it means to be Christian plus who you & i can learn from. it made me think, when people talk about those "God" moments most are centered around children, nature, and music.. at least that is my viewpoint. no one ever looks for or will claim those learning moments talking to a server or gas station attendant.. why?.. why not?.. for this reason i would say that all should give some thought to the divine nobodies in their life or their role as a divine nobody in others lives. read the book if you are confused by that, you might need to experience jim pilgrimage down the path to this point to be able to see your own. i know i am better for having taken him on vacation.

it made me thank all the staff that served us a little more. pay attention to someone who was generally invisible to others. tipping a little better.. which makes me think of a point in the book i continue to ponder...

[speaking of wanda the waffle house server, after being tipped with a tract]... Wanda got me thinking about whether any theology can be "right" if it doesn't motivate you to treat people with love and respect. Let's just hope on Judgement Day that God doesn't leave it in the hands of the waitresses, cashiers, and all the other invisible people in our world who are on the receiving end of what's truly in our hearts. (pg41)

it helped me to discover as divine nobodies some fabulous new friends on our trip (they really were on the trip, not a book persona). same with just a conversation on the plane. both things i am not normally apt to do myself due to my underlying shyness.

the idea is not new. one can go back to what i have mentioned before as the role of porter in the monastery. they greet everyone as Christ is within each person and they try to reflect the same. i like the idea of claiming to be a nobody.. i often times try to pump up the stats on my resume when it just isn't necessary. i know, but i still do it.

one this is for sure, the world needs more divine nobodies.

the vacation reading

erin & i are heading out on saturday for a one week cruise. my reading for the trip, divine nobodies by jim palmer & a community called atonement by scott mcknight.

jim lives nearby and has been a friend that i get to keep up with through the cohort & of course, blogs. i am bad friend for just not getting to reading this, his first book. since divine nobodies has come out he's done quite a bit of the speaking circuit and continues to write.

scott, i read his blog, but this is my first introduction to the writings of his. though i have had Jesus creed on the shelf for some time now. i like this one, i have am a few chapters in, it is short, & i previewed some of it last year with the cohort.

what i might have to read, or get my staff to read, is what megan just finished up.

wizard swears

late night youtube tv i find funny..

a new kind of youth ministry

i recently finished reading "a new kind of youth ministry" a book by chris folmsbee. chris is the president of sonlife ministries, which is training group for youth & youth ministers. recently they partnered with youthfront camps which, i think, is a great partnership.

the book captured my interests and ilk at the same. i liked the wordings in the chapter (mostly the chapter subtitles). the name of the book was ilk as i wreaks of trying to share in emergent book buying and coat tails of "a new kind of Christian." the two books are obviously not the same, but yet the title insinuates a similarity. i will chalk it up to publishers biz practice. happy to say, once i got passed the title thing i was pleasantly surprised.

for me, the book content was not "wow" material. i enjoyed it, i agreed with many of the statements it made. the solutions or re-framing that chris would present always seemed something that i could get behind and agree with. some things are still contextual and are probably common for a mainline church context. some things are new which affirmed things we have done with our ministry at hfumc, some we have left behind. some of the issues of youth ministry presented were certainly bore out of an evangelical context so i could not really relate. this gets kinda old for me and i always feel like i am saying "duh" which i hate. i keep thinking that is elitist. overall, the questions raised and the conclusions he comes to are important for those in youth ministry today. probably the best part about it all, chris has some great wordings for many of the things you are probably feeling and trying to do.

since communication is, in my opinion, the key to getting stuff done in church (especially an established church). reading through how chris explains change will give you language to help express yourself. that is the greatest gift that "a new kind of youth ministry" brings to the world of youth min.

looking forward to 2008

i stopped doing resolution stuff years ago. i realized i sucked at them. so why devote energy that direction. i am however looking forward to a number of things in 2008. in no particular order. i look forward to...

• the first vacation of the year. erin & i are leaving on a cruise on saturday. just us on this trip, no family. this part of a larger group, so we will have some friends that we know, but they are not so close that one feels like they have to spend a significant amount of time with.
• finally training my dogs how to clean up after themselves & shutting the back door.
• "the great adventure" it is a 12 week exploration that our full church is going through. the curriculum written by our own community of believers and it is excellent. i am stoked to see & hear all that happens in the next 12 weeks.
• less quantity & more quality blogging. i am not sure what i mean by that, it is just a feeling i am having
  
• weddings weddings & more weddings. i love weddings, they are a lot of fun and erin does the stress work on getting the present. a few of the weddings for the year are part of erin's crew from south carolina whom are some of the finest people i've known.
• my future weight loss. currently i'm at my heaviest ever. we, erin & myself, did the join the gym thing a few months ago and are working together to walk or work out at least each day. i can still bang out impressive skills but i can no longer safely fit into my climbing harness. which, is upsetting.. not to mention expensive if i have to get a new one.
• hitting the woods more, camping/caving/climbing, did none if it (church trip doesn't count) this year, that is an all time low. climbing dependent on weight loss as i refuse to buy a new harness.
• our youth missions experiences this summer. this year i get to go to both our jr. high experience at camp lookout & then to asp with our senior high. i like the week trip with our youth and they are always such wonderful missionaries.
• i look forward to finishing some of these darned books that i started in 2007. my "multiple book disorder" took on a whole new level in 2007. i look forward to reclaiming my reading in 2008.
• family beach vacation over july 4th. it will either be wonderful or insanely stressful.
• those unexpected ministry things that seem to come up. maybe some more speaking gigs, maybe some more writing.. i know i'll be going to a few more training and retreat events this year. look forward to new friends with those efforts.
• podcasting more.. i like doing them, but i have yet to figure out a good schedule for making it happen. plus have one other podcast project in the works.
• some extending of my relationship with God.. i've been a bad friend these last few months.
• doing the kids thing. we said we wanted to wait at least a year before entertaining kids. this makes mother-in-law very happy
• the possibility of a 15 year high school reunion? reunion is unlikely, since have yet to have one, but there will probably be some trip to hang out with my hs friends who continue to be the best friends i have & will ever have. three new kids this year, so babies are a great excuse to travel & play.
• not buying the next, latest and greatest, big time technology gadget.. again. i have a solid record of this. heck, i finally got an ipod this summer. refurbed of course.
• the development of some new initiatives within the youth ministry structure. small group stuff, arts & theology stuff, and some more local missions and awareness things.
• picking back up the guitar again.. not sure why i stopped playing. with that, maybe i will start back with the piano some. this means less computer time. erin wouldn't mind that. haha!
• spending some days alone wandering & acting like i am some photographer
• a new season of university of alabama college football
• my second attempt at being a boat captain..
• family reunion in november

seems like 2008 will be a pretty good year. shalom, -gav

justice in the burbs

the other night i got myself in a little trouble doing some extended reading.

for the holidays i thought i would get a good shot at finishing "justice in the suburbs." i started the intro shortly after meeting up with will last month. the book then was relegated to the office desk for the last few weeks. life over family Christmas was a bit crazier than even i anticipated so i struggled through the first two chapters. too many distractions. what i did find that i could cruise through was the story of the couple that sets the tone and direction of the book.

note: as the book is set up, lisa samson, is a fiction writer and the storyline is her main contribution to the book. will samson, uses his gifts in teaching with writing the expansion of thoughts on seeking justice while in a context of the suburbs.

in talking with will some last month he had mentioned that the book could be read a few different ways, reading front to back, just reading the story, reading the teaching points, or even the meditations at the end of the chapters.

so, the other night, i found myself last night compelled by the story of "matt" & "christine." for the first five or six chapters their life seemed to be similar to mine & erin's in conversations, convictions, actions, etc. i had to see how it turned out. i was moved by the story to know, as this is very much will & lisa's story, that our conversations, our planning, our actions do not leave us alone in being weird by our contemporaries. i loved how the whole story comes to close in the final chapters. it would be my hope our life has some similar threads. for now, we are stuck in the middle chapters of the convictions that are just now turning into actions.

i wonder how our story of justice in the suburbs, or old hickory village, will take shape?

a postmodern apologetic

i was given a copy of the audio read of blue like jazz from a couple friend. they apparently think donald miller and i would get along. i think we would actually. so, over the last two trips to birmingham we listened to donald miller read. not the most dynamic read.. i have a number of audiobooks, sometimes the writers read the books with a nice flare, sometimes they don't (dallas willard cough! cough!). if you can get past that (they are writers, not voice personalities) i have found audiobooks to be a fun way for me to engage in thought while driving or doing brainless work at the office.

i am behind the times for avid readers on blue like jazz. so who cares about a book review now. as erin & i processed the book the grand idea that we sorta agreed on was that this book represented a postmodern apologetic.

the book wasn't what we expected. people had talked so highly of it i think we expected timeless jems at every sentence. however, it is one mans honest journey with some well written framework & perspective. there are those jems, nuggets of knowledge, but mostly it is a this walk & struggle with God. we have had nice stories like this before, why was this book so profound for so many people?

i think in some ways it was apologetic.. stating first off, i am no apologetics theologian, though i do make many apologies for the church & faith. we read heard the words of miller saying 'i participated in that & i was wrong in so many ways' along with 'i struggled too.' expanding on it were many tenets that perpetuated the lies.

the story that i think paramount in the over all story was when he and his Christian friends at university set up a confessional booth at a campus wide party. the confession was them to the non-Christian student, saying how they & the church have failed to love, follow Jesus, etc. the imagery of the whole concept is fabulous. the effect to me, seems wonderful. a step of faith, amazing. miller claims it as a profound moment in his life, which i am transferring as a profound theme to the book.

could this be a blueprint to a postmodern apologetic?

they like jesus but not the church

this is a nice capsule video of dan kimball's book, "they like Jesus but not the church." i've been reading through it. it's a good read, but is lost in my multiple book disorder at the moment. it a critical for those of us who find themselves so surrounded by the church walls and christian culture. the video is actually for a dvd study & practice as a group. tip to len