further up and further in

further up and further out

2009-02-02T22:13:00.003-05:00

I have decided to take my blogging to wordpress. If you are interested in continuing to read my thoughts you can find them at http://digginginohio.wordpress.com.

peace

David

Economics

2009-02-02T10:35:00.000-05:00

“America does not need jobs that depend on the extractive economy. We need a way to arrest consumerism. We need a different form of accounting so that both sufficiency and efficiency have standing in our minds.” Wes Jackson, Becoming Native to this Place

America’s economy is seemingly on the tip of everyone’s tongue these days. Talk of recession and possibly depression fill hours each day in the twenty-four hour news cycle. Thousands of jobs were lost just last week and Washington is scrambling to provide and answer. I believe our new president will do his very best to promote healthier solutions to the problem but from everything I’ve read and seen so far indicate that some fundamentals of our economy will not be challenged or changed.
A real healthy and lasting change must begin at the local level. Communities must begin to practice sustainable economic development. In the quote from Wes Jackson above, he mentions the possibility of a community considering sufficiency and efficiency as equal concerns rather than competing ideologies. A sustainable economy must be concerned with both.

In an essay entitled Sustainable Economic Development Henry E. Daly explains that two answers have been given to answer the question, “what is it that is supposed to be sustained in ‘sustainable’ economic development?” The first answer is that our quality of life should be sustained. The economic term for this is utility. This is the idea that the next generation should at the very least have the same economic advantages the current generation experiences. According to this belief, happiness should be sustained or broadened and transferred from one generation to the next.
Physical throughput is the alternate answer to utility. Throughput is, “the entropic physical flow from nature’s sources through the economy and back to nature’s sinks.” If we are to sustain our sources of food and energy we must not use more than nature’s ability to replenish itself. The goal here is to transfer a healthy natural environment from one generation to the next.

Utility has been the driving force in our country and likely the developed world for so long that we are beginning to see how such an unbalanced system can damage our environment. In this generation we must begin to redefine happiness and quality of life. Instead of unchecked recreation we need to begin to find joy in good work. Convenience must be questioned without reservation and as Wes Jackson says, “chemicals that have not evolved with us must be presumed guilty until proven innocent.” A redefining of utility and a strong examination of our physical throughput will at the very least put us on a path to transferring a more healthy world to the next generation.

Digging In

2009-01-29T11:35:00.003-05:00

In his book, Becoming Native to this Place, Wes Jackson writes, “The universities now offer only one serious major: upward mobility. Little attention is paid to educating the young to return home, or to go to some other place, and dig in. There is no such thing as a ‘homecoming’ major. But what if the universities were to ask seriously what it would mean to have as our national goal becoming native in this place, this continent?”

I have been thinking about education recently. First, in four years we will be helping our son make decisions about his educational future after high school and I would like to have a better opinion than simply, “you need to get an education son.” Second, my own education weighs heavily on me and has for some years now. I am disappointed with the advice I received from people I trusted. Looking back, family, guidance counselors, and advisors seem to have been pushing me further down the industrialized educational conveyor that promises a pot of gold when the product that you will become is completed.
Recently I heard someone say that the best and brightest students in the eighties and nineties pursued jobs in finance. Not everyone chose this route but it is obvious that there were more people trying to get rich than riches available. The generations of Americans before at least had a better balance of bright people choosing jobs that provided more than personal wealth. Jackson writes about the excesses of post Depression and war economics leading to a regression in the maturity of our country, but that is another post for another time. It looks as though more of the current generation of young people are choosing professions that add to the well-being of their communities. I believe universities, especially Christian universities have a great opportunity to direct these people to a place to dig in, preferably their homes. Although I am not convinced that these changes have to come from universities, and definitely not from the government, it would be nice to see young people trained for something more than upward mobility.

Finally, Jackson writes, ”We are unlikely to achieve anything close to sustainability in any area unless we work for the broader goal of becoming native to our places in a coherent community that is in turn embedded in the ecological realities of its surrounding landscape.”

2009-01-26T13:50:00.001-05:00

c’est la vie

2009-01-26T13:05:00.001-05:00

Every time we have had to cram our kids into the back seat of our Xterra in the past year Jenn and I have thought about getting a minivan. When stuffed into the back seat, Emma enjoys pulling Brooke’s hair, Brooke likes to be in Andrew’s business, and Andrew is a teenager who is subject to varying degrees of emotions. We have been car payment free for the last six years and were hesitant to spend money we don’t have on a vehicle not absolutely needed.

A couple of weeks ago a friend approached Jenn and asked if he could buy our SUV. We agreed on a price and the wheels were in motion. I found a used minivan in Columbus that fit our budget and went to pick it up on Tuesday. On my home from Columbus I received a call from Jenn that she was in the Jiffy Lube parking lot because our other car had overheated and apparently had a broken radiator hose. Unfortunately that was not the worst of our poor car’s problems. Our mechanic informed us that the motor had become so hot, due to the radiator hose breaking, that the headers had broken. The whole job would end up costing between three to five thousand dollars for a car that is worth about fifteen hundred dollars.

I have to keep telling myself that the two situations are completely separate but it is difficult to think that we went from two good vehicles one week to one used minivan the next.

I look forward to owning a horse drawn carriage one day.

uniform

2008-12-08T23:53:00.003-05:00

I started a job at the local mall a few weeks ago. They have extra work during Christmas so I am trying to earn extra cash for the expenses I anticipate will come with spring and a more extensive gardening (and possibly a few chickens) project. It has been amazing to see the amount of extravagancy (crystal race cars, rooster gravy boats, giant remote controls) coming into the store. Has anyone heard we are officially in a recession?

As I leave the store most days I have been thinking about the Bloc Party song "Uniform", which begins and ends, "There was a sense of disappointment as we left the mall. All the young people looked the same..."

There was a sense of disappointment as we left the mall
All the young people looked the same
Wearing their masks of cool and indifference
Commerce dressed up as rebellion

'cause we are so handsome and we are so bored
So entertain us, tell me a joke
Make it long, make it last
Make it cruel just make me laugh
We can't be hurt

Drink to forget your blues on the weekend
Think about more things to buy
The TV taught me how to sulk and love nothing
And how to grow my hair long

'cause we are so handsome and we are so bored
So entertain us, tell me a joke
Make it long, make it last
Make it cruel just make me laugh
We can't be hurt
We can't be hurt
We can't be hurt

So why do you go picking fights that you'll lose?
When you have entertainment, when have you things to pass the time
So why do you have to go thinking thoughts that are above you?
You can be happy, just play dumb
You can be happy, just play dumb
Well I was brave
And unique,
Intelligent,
A snowflake
I could have been a hero
No-one can be trusted over the age of 14
Tattoo our arms
Converse shoes
Cynical
But we still do it
We tell ourselves that we're different
I've gotten so good at lying to myself
All, all my pain and honour is used up
All, all, all
All my guns are rusted
So when you gonna to realise those are not your wrongs to right
Have another dumb line, have another drink

I am a martyr I just need a motive
I am a martyr I just need a cause
I'm a believer I just need a moment
I'm a believer I just need a cause
We're finding it hard to break the mould
We're finding it hard to be alone
We're finding it hard to have time by ourselves
We have nothing at all to say

Uniform
Uniform
Uniform

There was a sense of disappointment as we left the mall
All the young people looked the same

2008-10-29T10:38:00.001-05:00

Every time I hear someone who claims to have some inside scoop on why one candidate would be better than the other they just seem to be repeating the latest campaign slogan or commercial.
I guess I have been duped into voting for Obama even though he is a socialist, or was that just the last commercial I saw?
I guess I should be concerned about McCain's connection to the Keating Five, or was that the last website I stumbled upon?

How can we vote for people who think we are that stupid, or are we that stupid?
From what I see in the video above, yes we are.

2008-10-27T13:03:00.002-05:00

Real holiness doesn't feel like holiness; it just feels like you're dying.

-Richard Rohr

garden update

2008-09-02T17:14:00.005-05:00

We have been enjoying corn for about a month and tomatoes have been ripening with more regularity after sitting green on their vines for what seems like months (the second photo is an heirloom tomato variety easily confused for a pepper). I started peppers from seed back in may and they are now rewarding my patience growing larger than I thought they could. Weeds have continued to flourish, as you can see in the pictures, but I think I can hold them off for another month or two. After talking David H. not long ago I realized that I didn't give the credit due to our green beans for making a great comeback and providing us with enough to make several pots of beans and potatoes. We also have some fresh broccoli and the kale continues look great even though I haven't harvested any for about a month. A few weeks ago I planted some spinach and kale in hopes for some more late fall veggies. Thanks to all of you who continue to check up on the garden and ask how it's doing.

The Man Who Created Paradise

2008-09-02T09:12:00.003-05:00

Not long ago I wrote about Gene Logsdon and linked to his blog. I also mentioned his beautiful little book The Man Who
Created Paradise. Today OrganicToBe.org posted the book in its entirety. I would highly recommend taking the time to read it. When you do, let me know what you think

The Man Who Created Paradise

One Year

2008-08-15T21:16:00.003-05:00

A Cradle Song
by William Butler Yeats

The angels are stooping
Above your bed;
They weary of trooping
With the whimpering dead.

God's laughing in Heaven
To see you so good;
The Sailing Seven
Are gay with His mood.

I sigh that kiss you,
For I must own
That I shall miss you
When you have grown.

Vacation continued

2008-08-05T23:00:00.003-05:00

Emma and Grandma Mary...my favorite picture from our trip.

Emma enjoying the pool.

Emma and me riding the chair lift.

Brooke showing off her perfect rock-skipping form.

Aaron with the best catch on our night fishing.

Vacation

2008-08-05T22:24:00.003-05:00

Last week we traveled to Seven Springs, Pennsylvania for a week of vacation. Jenn's parents reserved a condo for the week and we filled it up with eleven people. We brought our five plus Andrew's friend Aaron, my nephew Colin, Mike and Pam and Mike's sister and brother-in-law. Sunday we traveled to Greensburg and met my aunt, uncle and grandma, who live in Pittsburgh, for dinner. Most days were spent at the pool, reading and enjoying some of the activities at the lodge. Tuesday we spent the whole day at the lodge riding the alpine slide, climbing the rock wall, jumping on the eurobungy, playing miniature golf, bowling and swimming.

Before we left on Friday we decided to take one last ride down the alpine slide. Brooke and I were racing Andrew, going a little too fast, when our sled banked a little too far and we fell out and began to slide down the cement on our knees and elbows. We managed to get back on the sled and managed a tie in our race. In the process I thought I had lost one of my shoes but it ended up riding down under our sled. Brooke and I had to go to the first aid station to get patched up because we both have spots of road rash. We have been showing Andrew our wounds this week and reminding him, "You still couldn't beat us!"

Andrew climbing the rock wall.

Brooke climbing the rock wall.

This is one of my favorite pictures from the week. Aaron, Andrew and Brooke in line for the eurobungy.

Andrew doing a back-flip.

Mike and Colin racing Aaron on the alpine slide.

bows rain in head radio

2008-08-02T22:05:00.004-05:00

Wednesday night I couldn't sleep. I read until my eyes hurt so I decided to close my eyes and listen to my iPod. I scrolled to In Rainbows because I had yet to listen to it through headphones. I listened to three or four songs before I was overwhelmed.

I try not to make quick judgments on albums. I want to see if they stick with me and continue to draw me back. I continue to find more levels and complexities as I listen.

Beautiful.

Gene Logsdon

2008-07-23T13:20:00.002-05:00

A couple of months ago I heard about Gene Logsdon through reading some essays by Wendell Berry. Logsdon lives and farms in Upper Sandusky, Ohio. Gene has a blog on organictobe.org that is full of great information and advice for anyone who is interested in gardening or what Gene calls garden farming. I recently read Logsdon's short story The Man Who Created Paradise about a man who recovers land that had been strip-mined in southeastern Ohio. I also purchased Logsdon's book The Contrary Farmer. It has been a difficult process, at times, accepting that I have a contrarian nature, so I expect to connect with the book. The book opens with a poem by Wendell Berry. Here are a few lines from that poem,

I am done with apologies. If contrariness is my inheritance
and destiny, so be it. If it is my mission
to go in at exits and come out at entrances, so be it.

Going against men, I have heard at times a deep harmony
thrumming in the mixture, and when they ask me what
I say I don't know. It is not the only or the easiest
way to come to truth. It is one way.

I look forward to reading more from Gene Logsdon and the other agrarian authors I am discovering. If you want to read more from Gene Logsdon visit his blog. His latest post is on making hotbeds for winter growing.

The Flood and The Storm

2008-06-29T12:49:00.005-05:00

Thursday morning I found half of our driveway coated with mud and debris, which lead me to believe that the severe thunderstorms that had passed through the previous night had caused a flash flood during the early morning hours. Thursday night we had more rain and the flooding returned. Around 11p.m. Jenn and I worked to get some things away from the walls in the basement and then ventured outside to see if the water was getting closer to our house. We were met by some of our neighbors who were gathering a perturbed posse of cul-de-sacites demanding that something be done about our problem, unbeknownst to me, that recurres annually. Last night I called my township trustee and left a message asking him if there was anything that could be done. Two neighbors had given me a tour of the water flow, or lack thereof, around our homes. It seems that we are the lowest area around and the developer of this neighborhood didn't take the necessary steps to ensure proper water-flow so our cul-de-sac ends up bearing the gallons of mismanaged water.
We don't live in a large development. There are maybe 30 homes in our little neighborhood, surrounded by farms, pastures and hills, but as I have been hearing the story of the neighborhood it is becoming clear that my neighbors are less concerned about the welfare of the community than they are disturbing their private property.
All of these events are being processed while reading a collection of agrarian essays by Wendell Berry called, The Art of the Commonplace. So I stand in the water with my neighbors and I have no regrets about where I am or decisions we've made. I stand in the water in peace and I am thankful that this is my place. I haven't been anxious or worried and I have been exploring solutions. This community has had too many selfish solutions so I will be patient and my neighbors will be consulted about any changes I intend to make. I don't curse the water, the developer or the former owners who neglected to mention the flooding. My eyes now see how our manipulation of the land has lead to our dis-ease and anxiety. My hope is that we are able to find the best solution for the land and for our community.

rabbit damage and demon dog, or hope abounds

2008-06-27T10:16:00.005-05:00

The garden continues to grow larger but it has yet to yield much in the way of nourishment. Kale has been the big early success and lettuce will be making its way into some salad bowls soon enough. We have also been able to pick a couple of strawberries out of the two hanging baskets. The local rabbits enjoyed a two-night feast of bean leaves which I thought would seriously infringe on my dreams of large pots of half-runners not to mention freezing some for winter. Surprisingly the beans seem to have fought through the attack and look to be producing the first of what I hope is a large amount of beans.

Rabbit Damage

Corn

Strawberries

The Garden

This is Baby Girl, our neighbor's dog. Baby Girl barks incessantly while I work in the garden but I have learned to ignore her. This picture captures the intense hate she harbors for our family.

Brooke's dance recital

2008-06-21T11:48:00.003-05:00

On the final Friday in May, all of Brooklynn's hard work in ballet and tap culminated in a recital at the Heath high school auditorium. She was great but the recital lasted about two and a half hours so by the end we were all suffering from dance recital fatigue.

2008-05-23T20:17:00.002-05:00

Pumpkin

2008-05-16T11:06:00.003-05:00

The garden received a surprise addition last night. Brendon asked if we had any room left for his pumpkin plant he grew at school and we were happy to oblige. Here are some pictures of the event.

2008-05-14T07:49:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was a brief but beautiful respite from the seemingly ubiquitous rain that is once again falling in the middle of Ohio. Six rows of corn, six hills of squash, one row of cucumbers, three rows of beans, two rows of cabbage and one row each of broccoli and cauliflower were all installed under a bright blue sky.

tools, resources, seeds and plans

Spring Treat corn seeds

cauliflower transplants

broccoli seeds

my helper (evidence of snacking on some delicious grass on her chin)

Growing in the Rain

2008-05-12T17:53:00.005-05:00

Kale, spinach, peas and lettuce are popping up. Carrots and onions are in too and most everything else should be in by the end of the week. The weeds are thriving as well.

White April

2008-04-29T06:52:00.003-05:00

growth

2008-04-28T18:15:00.005-05:00

After reading Wendell Berry's The Unsettling of America last summer I have been determined to regain a sense of connection with the earth and the food my family eats. The first step in the process is growing our own food. I have been hesitant to write much about the process here because I hate to let people see me fail and I have a large margin for at least some failure in this venture. I have been studying everything I could get my hands on and I have been using the great resources the internet has to offer. Unfortunately I have, for the most part, not connected with others who share a desire to grow food. This is purely my fault for not taking advantage of the wisdom others have to offer. I was able to talk to Eric, who pointed me to Fedco Seeds. I have cauliflower, tomatoes, onions and peppers started in my basement and peas, spinach, lettuce and kale are in the ground as of Saturday. I've added a picture of the garden being tilled and some cauliflower seedlings. My blog will probably begin to be more of a record of my garden as it continues, both my failures and successes.

I also wanted to include this video of our little Emma who is growing up so fast. She is laughing at her brother who is behind the camera.

Mom's Book

2008-04-23T10:16:00.003-05:00

I really think this is something you should own.

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Saturday Night's Alright (For Dining)

2008-04-21T13:51:00.004-05:00

First of all, I went to pay some bills today and got to check number 666 and found that it was missing. Anyone else ever stumble upon this little dose of superstition?
Saturday night my family was invited to have dinner with some friends in New Albany. This is probably the most unique couple we are friends with seeing that the husband is Jewish and the wife is an African-American Christian. After the first hour of pleasant conversation Jenn and I were ushered into what seems to be their continuous debate about theological issues. Last year the wife began attending the worship service that I led on Saturday nights at New Albany Nazarene. Due to the influence of N.T. Wright, and others, I stressed the necessity of understanding Jesus within the context of first-century Judaism. After we moved to Newark the wife began attending a Messianic Jewish congregation in Gahanna. In the past few months the husband has begun attending with her. He practices Reform Judaism as opposed to Orthodox Judaism or Conservative Judaism. Their banter was informing and at times very entertaining as the fulfilled some stereotypical behavior. We conversed about of tithing, hermeneutics, film, politics and a range of other topics. He is very much convinced that the Hebrew Scriptures are an exaggeration of the facts. This and many of his other opinions exasperated his wife who has a very high view of scripture and its authority. I agreed with him that scripture was written by man and is the result of oral tradition, which is renown for its tendency to exaggerate the facts. I agreed with her that the scriptures are inspired and I said that I think God was at work to retain the fundamental integrity of the story through oral tradition. It seemed that he was not willing to allow for God’s interaction with man within the development of scripture.
She is very encouraged because the husband has decided to attend a Seder this year for the first time in their marriage. He also wanted there to be a Seder plate on the table for our dinner as a symbolic gesture. We thought we were going to do an abbreviated Haggadah but he didn’t feel completely comfortable with it as the night progressed. All in all we had a wonderful time with our friends and enjoyed a delicious dinner and fascinating conversation.

2008-04-20T13:40:00.000-05:00

King Corn

2008-04-16T19:35:00.003-05:00

Independent Lens

All's Quiet on the God Front

2008-04-07T08:56:00.002-05:00

"I have come to love the darkness."

by Rose Marie Berger

As a child, I was terrified of Good Friday and Holy Saturday. I dreaded those hours of “time out of time” that stretched between 3 p.m. on Friday when Jesus officially died on the cross and Jesus’ resurrection, with a clap of alleluias, on Easter morning. It was in those in-between hours that God was dead—and we were alone in the world.
Suddenly, there was no spiritual safety net. Chaos ruled the world and we were defenseless against it. The isolation was nearly unbearable. As an adult, I learned theological mind-tricks to protect me from this fear of God’s ultimate abandonment. But I confess, sometimes when I wake at 3 a.m., all I hear in the universe is emptiness.

Recently, a priest friend said that in all his 70-plus years of prayerful discernment, he’s rarely had a heavenly answer. “God’s mostly silent,” he said. I don’t think he meant absent per se; just not prone to conversation or helpful hints on the best next step. God is just very, very quiet.

This is a man who’s given his whole life—every moment—to God for more than 50 years. He’s done tremendous work among the poor. He’s made genuine sacrifices in his personal life. He prays every morning and every night (unless there’s a baseball game on). How come God doesn’t talk to him? Why is God silent?

Mother Teresa, in her diaries released last year, also writes about God’s silence—more particularly God’s absence. In a letter to her archbishop, Teresa begs, “Please pray especially for me that I may not spoil [Jesus’] work and that Our Lord may show Himself—for there is such a terrible darkness within me, as if everything was dead.” This great emptiness started when she began her ministry with the destitute and dying in Calcutta.

In Mother Teresa’s earlier prayer life, she had experienced a feeling of great intimacy with God. God nudged, cajoled, demanded, disciplined, loved, and instructed her in each step. But when she took her real leap of faith into the slums of Calcutta, God seemed to recede from the edges of her soul like a great ebb tide disappearing over the horizon.

The early Christians described this experience of God’s absence or silence as the via negativa. The difficulty with describing the via negativa is that, by definition, it is beyond words. Rather than being convinced of God’s presence through affirmations, a feeling of spiritual closeness, and the richness of symbols, feelings, and images (this would be the via affirmativa), one “relates” to God as the Vast Emptiness, the Dark Night, the Endless Expanse, the “Absent One,” as Mother Teresa put it. There is no language to build a bridge of human relationship with this aspect of the Divine. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, at the time a Presbyterian church elder, came close when he looked from the moon at the Earth suspended in infinite darkness: “Magnificent desolation,” he uttered.

In January, on the sixth anniversary of the first transfer of prisoners to Guantánamo, I heard Filipino Orlando Tizon, a torture survivor imprisoned for four years under the Marcos regime, talk about being held in solitary confinement. The longest period was for three months. “Sometimes we hear that prolonged isolation does not constitute torture,” he said. “But let me tell you, even a week of not hearing another human being begins to do things to your mind.” With human torture we can hold someone responsible. But what of God?

It is one thing—hardly bearable—to be without human companionship. But to feel alone in the universe can fracture a soul. Mother Teresa wrote, “the agony of desolation is so great” and “[God] is destroying everything in me.” Until finally, after 16 years, something changed.

Mother Teresa took on a discipline of “smiling at God” in the emptiness. Later, she was able to write, “I have come to love the darkness.”

After reflecting on Lent, Holy Week and Easter, I realized that I relate to the the Lenten season and Good Friday more than the celebratory aspects of Easter. Yesterday I heard the story of the two men on the road to Emmaus who were joined by Jesus. The point that stood out to me was that as soon as they recognized him, through the Eucharist, he disappeared. Over the past five years I believe that I have finally recognized Jesus and to a great extent he seems to have disappeared.

justice revival

2008-03-18T21:08:00.002-05:00

Church Leaders Announce Justice Revival

BY KELLY LECKER

The Columbus Dispatch

Leaders of some of the area’s biggest churches plan to hold a three-day justice revival next month to get people out of the pews and into the city to work to reduce poverty and help people in need.
More than 30 church leaders are involved in the event, and expect up to 10,000 people to attend the revival. They hope people will then go out into the community and do everything from mentor students to paint houses.

“Scripture tells us when much is given, much is required,” said Bishop Timothy Clarke, senior pastor at First Church of God. “God loves this city. And we have the opportunity to improve this city.”

Clarke said the event, which will be April 16 to 18 at the Vineyard Church of Columbus in Westerville, will include song and fiery speeches, but leaders also will ask for a commitment to help the area’s needy.

Pastors will talk about the revival in their churches in the next few weeks, to get people focused on the service idea behind the event.

If it is successful, justice revivals will be held in other parts of the country, said Jim Wallis, founder of Sojourners, a Washington-based Christian social-justice group.

Wallis worked with Clarke and the Rev. Rich Nathan, senior pastor at Vineyard, to develop the idea of the revival. The event is being organized by a group representing many of the area’s evangelical and mainline churches, including the West Ohio United Methodist Conference, the United Church of Christ and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.

Church leaders hope to mobilize thousands of people on April 19, the day after the revival, to perform community-service projects ranging from painting houses to working in food pantries.

Nathan said the work will continue for months, and hopefully years, after the revival. Small group meetings are planned in many churches to talk about how Christians can help reduce poverty in Columbus, and they plan to work with food pantries, medical clinics and other organizations.

Capitalism!

2008-03-18T09:51:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I finished Oil! by Upton Sinclair. In January my friend Dave and I decided to try to read a book together and we chose this one in late February due to it being the basis for the movie There Will Be Blood. We were hoping to finish in time to see the movie in the theaters but it looks like we are too late.
I called Dave last night to talk about the book for a few minutes and we agreed that it didn’t seem to us that Sinclair executed what he intended to accomplish with the book. The first two-thirds of the book are focused and at times pedantic. The final third of the book becomes very broad, even in it’s setting, and becomes less about the oil industry and more an indictment of capitalism. I am not in opposition to indicting capitalism but I think that was being accomplished more subtly by continuing to focus on the oil industry and the exploitation of its workers.
Halfway through the book I was amazed by the relevancy of Sinclair’s writing. It doesn’t take much to imagine oil magnates buying the presidency! I also found his critique of the media insightful, which leads to my favorite quote from the book. Sinclair says this about the most recent delivery mode of information of his time:

“The radio is a one-sided institution; you can listen, but you cannot answer back. In that lies it’s enormous usefulness to the capitalist system. The householder sits at home and takes what is handed to him, like an infant being fed through a tube. It is a basis upon which to build the greatest slave empire in history.”

Just in case you didn’t already, substitute the word television for radio, and you find yourself a mere ninety years into the future (the book was written in 1927) at exactly the same place.

Finally, I recommend reading a book with someone else to experience the increased intellectual significance and life prescribed to a book read in community.

Running, Returning

2008-03-03T09:22:00.002-05:00

So many times over the past few months I have gone back and forth as to what I should do with this blog. Most of the time I want to just walk away from it but something keeps pulling me back. That something is the same something that makes me wish to abandon it. That something is conversation with others on the journey. I love to listen to other people’s stories and read about what they are thinking. The unfortunate thing is that I don’t value sitting down and reading your thoughts as much as I value sitting down and having a conversation with you in person. Over the past months Jenn and I have been having a multitude of guests come through our home and eat with us and enjoy good conversation. I have also been making time to visit friends that I don’t see often enough. I find sitting down at a meal with friends is much more rewarding and engaging than this medium. But I come back because this is the only way I communicate with some of you. So, on it goes. I am sure my bursts of post and long absences will continue and if you want to put up with it to read what I am thinking then I am impressed with your commitment to the blogosphere. Otherwise I understand if like me, you keep running and returning with no discernable flow or pattern.

Running, returning
On and on it goes
To a place
Where love begins to grow
And I am away
To where I've always been

Akron/Family, Running, Returning

Ash Wednesday

2008-02-06T08:03:00.000-05:00

We need to deny the powers that control us, turn our backs on them, and go in a new direction. Perhaps this new direction will come from the abandonment of a deep-seated habit that holds us in its grip. Perhaps there is a need to have a breakthrough in a relationship with a friend or with someone who is no longer a friend. Perhaps we need to forgive someone of a wrong done to us in the past. These are the kinds of sins that hold us back from the experience of a more complete newness. Once they are cared for, a rush of newness comes upon us because we have denied the power of sin over us and turned ourselves toward an obedience to Christ's will for our lives, which allows us to experience a freedom from sin that makes us feel we have a fresh start, a new birth.

Robert Webber

A Question

2008-02-01T10:18:00.000-05:00

Are you happy?

famous quakers

2008-01-31T10:27:00.000-05:00

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/01/28/famous.quakers/index.html?iref=newssearch

Tom's tree

2008-01-30T12:36:00.001-05:00

When I went out to start the car for Jenn this morning I found this huge branch from our neighbor's evergreen in our front yard.

a bad interview

2008-01-30T11:06:00.001-05:00

Monday night Rick Warren was interviewed by Stephen Colbert on the Colbert Report. I was kind of excited to see Warren on the show because I don’t know much about him and it was a good opportunity for a prominent Christian leader to represent himself in a positive light on a popular show. Overall the interview was a disappointment. I understand that The Daily Show and the Colbert Report are meant to be funny and often times the questions in the interviews reflect the humor. At the same time I think Colbert and Stewart are intentional about asking probing questions that allow the guest to give serious answers and express their point of view. Last week Jim Wallis was interviewed by Stewart and gave a wonderful interview. He was serious when he should have been and was also humorous when the time was right. I have also seen Tony Campolo interviewed and he came across very similarly to Wallis.

Warren was just too casual and it seemed like he had nothing important to say. At one point Colbert asked him if he believed in the inerrancy of scripture and Warren indicated that he did affirm that stance. Colbert then asked him if he believed that all homosexuals should be stoned to death and Warren just laughed him off. Although it was done in a joking manner Colbert had given him an opportunity to speak about a critical issue and he tried to dodge it. Warren also kept calling Colbert a "doofus", which seemed overly contrived.
I appreciate Warren’s advocacy of a Christian response to the AIDS crisis. I didn’t appreciate him trying to sell a couple more copies of his over-hyped, over-exposed book.

Emma's Favorite Toys

2008-01-17T23:39:00.000-05:00

In the past couple of weeks Emma has discovered all the fun she can have with her feet.

2008-01-17T11:57:00.000-05:00

For a couple of months now we have been attempting to assimilate some new families into our community. The most difficult aspect of this new arrangement is the number of small children present when we meet on Thursday evenings. I had the grand idea of doing a short study on the lectionary readings each week but soon found that to be a somewhat unreasonable expectation due to the activity and needs of the children. We had forgone our weekly meal together, when the new families started attending, to provide more time for the lesson and discussion. About a month ago, Jenn and I were fortunate to meet some new friends and they were gracious enough to allow us to process the situation and they provided measured and wise responses to our concerns. We came out of that discussion knowing that we needed to start eating together as a community, once again, and allow the process to develop from there.
As we continue, we are teaching our children a valuable lesson, through our weekly dinners. It is important to allow others access to your life. Although it is difficult, messy, and at times awkward, we are showing them, simply by continuing to show up at the appointed time (or close to it) each week, that community is necessary.

books, bikes and so on

2008-01-03T10:31:00.000-05:00

I saw this shelfari application on Travis' blog and thought it would be an easy way to show what I'm reading. After I put it up I remebered these lyrics from the Modest Mouse song Education.

Hardly education
All them books I didn't read
They just sat there on my shelf
Looking much smarter than me

Bickle had a good post today and I am in total agreement. Although I have been in progress it is time to step up the discipline to another level, especially physically. Thanks for the inspiration, dude.

As you can see I am reading The Brothers Karamazov and I am really enjoying it. It might be another month before I finish, it's quite the undertaking so I am just enjoying the ride rather than scanning the horizon for the finish line.

My bike shop days appear to be over. December and January aren't the best months for selling and repairing bikes. It was a great job and I learned some valuable skills as I plan to ride as much as I can in the new year. I was also able to build my brother a new bike for Christmas with my new bike knowledge, it was a fun experience. I talked to a farmer in Johnstown and it looks somewhat promising that I can start helping him in February with greenhouse planting and maple syrup collection.

As I am now unemployed, once again, I plan to post more and be more involved on your blogs too (when Emma gives me the opportunity).

2007-11-28T21:15:00.000-05:00

What Good Am I?

2007-11-28T21:12:00.000-05:00

by Bob Dylan

What good am I if I'm like all the rest,
If I just turned away, when I see how you're dressed,
If I shut myself off so I can't hear you cry,
What good am I?

What good am I if I know and don't do,
If I see and don't say, if I look right through you,
If I turn a deaf ear to the thunderin' sky,
What good am I?

What good am I while you softly weep
And I hear in my head what you say in your sleep,
And I freeze in the moment like the rest who don't try,
What good am I?

What good am I then to others and me
If I've had every chance and yet still fail to see

If my hands tied must I not wonder within
Who tied them and why and where must I have been

What good am I if I say foolish things
And I laugh in the face of what sorrow brings
And I just turn my back while you silently die,
What good am I?

Update

2007-11-09T11:06:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Brooklynn's sixth birthday in September. We had a cookout with family and friends and then Brooklynn and her friend had a campout in the backyard.

Andrew played soccer this year for the Newark middle school team. This is his first year of soccer. He had a great time and although between his soccer and Brooke's dance classes we were very busy, it was a great thing for Andrew's adjustment to a new school and to new friends.

Emma Grace is growing and doing new things all the time. She loves to be on her schedule and she rarely fusses or cries other than for food. She had a doctor's appointment last week and she now weighs in at 10lbs 15 oz. She is a tiny little thing but she is healthy and very alert, and very cute.

Here are some visuals.

2007-09-18T10:02:00.001-05:00

I just added Almie Designs and "twisted" to my links on the left of the page. You should check them out. Jenn's cousin Shannon, along with a friend, owns a yarn shop in Portland called "twisted". Check out the link to learn more about it. Also, Jenn's cousin Jessica is a clothing designer and has her products available on her website, Almie Designs. Hopefully soon I will have some picture of Brooklynn and Emma modeling some of her designs. If you are ever in Portland stop by and see Shannon also make sure you check out Jessica's site and buy some skirts.

midlake dawn grog

2007-09-17T22:07:00.000-05:00

Last Tuesday Jared, John and I traveled to Cleveland for the chance to see Midlake perform at the Grog Shop. We were all impressed by Dawn Landes who opened for them. This video (singing a familiar tune) is from one of her openings on tour with Midlake. Is that Myers behind the drums? No it's Ray Rizzo from the band Less, but that beard could have fooled me.

Midlake then came out and completely blew everyone away. It was well worth not getting back to Newark until almost 3 AM.

Check them out on YouTube, they have a whole series of videos from their "Van Occupanther" album.

progress

2007-09-05T20:22:00.001-05:00

This post has been a long time in the making and I thought now was the appropriate time to write about this subject. Over the past year I have been thinking more and more about living a simple life but I didn’t put much thought into the idea of progress. I can’t remember a time when anyone questioned the great idea of progress. Reading about the beginning of the United States you find that progress was the great motivation and has become the hallmark of our nation. Worshiping the, always elusive, idol “progress” has led to great innovations and even greater exploitations of people and our land.
I believe God wants us to progress in our thoughts and in technology. I believe he only wants that for us when it benefits our relationship to his creation. Creating new machines that put more people out of work for the sake of efficiency is not positive progress in my estimation. It seems as though progress has become completely interwoven with convenience.
A month ago I walked through three homes that were either built in the 1700’s or replicas thereof. For the first time in my life I did not think to myself, “How unfortunate they were not to have had (fill in the blank with any modern convenience)!” Rather I kept thinking how extravagant their homes were and that they had more space and possessions than anyone ever needed. Our idea of progress is not all it’s been made out to be. Our inventions, our machines have become our masters in so many instances. They tell us what we can eat and how we can entertain ourselves. Machines dictate our lives more than we realize.
How far will we allow progress to take us before we look back in horror at what we’ve lost?

Kindergarten

2007-09-04T22:47:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday was Brooke's big day!

arrested

2007-08-23T10:56:00.000-05:00

Several times during my reading of “The Unsettling of America” I have had to stop for days at a time. On vacation I had one of these experiences after reading this particular passage.

“And it is clear to anyone who looks carefully at any crowd that we are wasting our bodies exactly as we are wasting our land. Our bodies are fat, weak, joyless, sickly, ugly, the virtual prey of the manufacturers of medicine and cosmetics. Our bodies have become marginal; they are growing useless like our ‘marginal’ land because we have less and less use for them. After the games and idle flourishes of modern youth, we use them only as shipping cartons to transport our brains and our few employable muscles back and forth to work.
As for our spirits, they seem more and more to comfort themselves by buying things. No longer in need of the exalted drama of grief and joy, they feed now on little shocks of greed, scandal, and violence. For many of the churchly, the life of the spirit is reduced to a dull preoccupation with getting to Heaven. At best, the world is no more than an embarrassment and a trial to the spirit, which is otherwise radically separated from it. The true lover of God must not be burdened with any care or respect for His works. While the body goes about its business of destroying the earth, the soul is supposed to lie back and wait for Sunday, keeping itself free of earthly contaminants. While the body exploits other bodies, the soul stands aloof, free from sin, crying to the gawking bystanders: ‘I am not enjoying it!’ As far as this sort of ‘religion’ is concerned, the body is no more than the lusterless container of the soul, a mere ‘package,’ that will nevertheless light up in eternity, forever cool and shiny as a neon cross. This separation of the soul from the body and from the world is no disease of the fringe, no aberration, but a fracture that runs through the mentality of institutional religion like a geologic fault. And this rift in the mentality of religion continues to characterize the modern mind, no matter how secular or worldly it becomes.”

I think it is good to stop and take time for those prophetic words to form something new in me.

Another reason to stop and take some time...

Emma Grace

2007-08-17T10:46:00.000-05:00

Emma was born at 8:10 am on Wednesday. She weighed 6 lbs 5 oz and is 18 inches long.

Emma's name means "all-embracing grace", may it be so.

Tonight...

2007-08-14T20:01:00.000-05:00

Jenn, the kids and I enjoyed a beautiful Newark night in our backyard with Mike and Pam. Here are some pictures of what is growing in our yard.

Tomorrow morning we will meet our baby.

vacation

2007-08-12T18:51:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago we strolled through the streets of New Bern, North Carolina. We stayed there for the week thanks to Jenn’s parents who graciously allowed our family to spend a week of vacation with them. Since I started finding out what there is to do in New Bern I was looking forward to seeing Christ Episcopal Church. The church was built in 1715 and it still houses an active congregation today. Scattered over the yard of the church are gravestones and vaults of people who were buried in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. The churchyard also has a nice playground in one corner. I enjoyed seeing my children and my nephew play on the structure next to the church and the graves of the ancestors of our faith. Life and death connected in a very real way before my eyes. It would be good for the community of faith to connect theses two more often rather than to shun and ignore death.

Behind the first picture you can see the outdoor chapel on the grounds of the church. Scattered throughout the floor of the outdoor chapel area are small gravestones and large vaults. It is impossible to ignore the reality of death and the hope of our resurrection in that environment.

2007-08-07T08:29:00.000-05:00

"For except for some humans—with their sealed coffins and vaults, their pathological fear of the earth—the only way into the soil is through other bodies. Given only the health of the soil, nothing that dies is dead for very long. Within this powerful economy, it seems that death occurs only for the good of life. It is impossible to contemplate the life of the soil for very long without seeing it as analogous to the life of the spirit.
The soil is the great connector of lives, the source and destination of all. It is the healer and restorer and resurrector, by which disease passes into health, age into youth, death into life. Without proper care for it we can have no community, because without proper care for it we can have no life."
- WB "The Unsettling of America"

The more I become aware of how disconnected I am from the earth I begin to see what Berry refers to as our “pathological fear of the earth”. I notice my fears and the fears of others as we continue to distance ourselves from reality. To really live I must, we must, once again find our place in what Berry calls the “Wheel of Life”. Life, death, resurrection is the way of the kingdom.

downfall

2007-07-31T17:19:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time I was told that all great civilizations fall apart. That was cause for anxiety during one stretch of my life. I didn’t want this to end. I had a good thing going, shouldn’t I do everything possible to prevent that from falling apart? Over the past few years that anxiety has faded as I have discovered my identity within the kingdom that Jesus announced. With all of the things that could eventually lead to the demise of what is known as the United States of America, increasingly I believe that it’s downfall will be directly related to it’s relationship with the environment. It cannot be said that we don’t have a relationship with our environment, that would be impossible. It can be said that it is pathologically dysfunctional relationship. We consume and waste so much that this particular way of living will not be sustainable for the future. I know I am following in a long, long, line of people who have and are saying this same thing but I can’t help but say that it rings true the more I think about how we live and what effect our lifestyles have on our environment. I am writing this as I am on vacation in North Carolina. I love to travel, but on the way down I couldn’t help but look at the great mass of cars emitting unusable waste into our atmosphere and be concerned. Within the past year I have given up any aspiration to become someone who is known by many people. My goal and my focus is to be a prophetic voice for change in my family and in my community. If we can get enough people to recognize the benefits of changing our current lifestyles then maybe we can provide a healthier life for our children.

Check out tthe link below post to find some concrete ways to do this.

Seventeen Rules for a Sustainable Community

dirty hands

2007-07-28T22:03:00.000-05:00

Work at the bike shop has become more like work that I don’t really want to do and the forty-five minute commute doesn’t help. I am still reading Berry’s The Unsettling of America. This book resonates in me as much as any book I have read lately. It is difficult for me to read, not hard to understand, more like it’s difficult to place where all of the things he writes about is manifested the life of my community and my family. What it has made me think much more about is my relationship to my community, more specifically the town I in which I live. The last two years were difficult living in a town where I never wanted people to know I lived. I still bristle a little when people come into the bike shop and announce to me that they live in New Albany as though they should be given a special helping of respect because of what they have accomplished with their life. After a month, Newark feels more like home than New Albany ever did. I have already begun to imagine what it means to take an interest in being a voice for what is best for our community. One of the first steps will be to find employment in Newark. I have been giving serious thought to going back to school to get a master’s degree in education. If I don’t do that the only other thing I would like to do is work on a farm. One way or another it is time to get my hands dirty and find a way to cultivate a more kingdom minded approach to the way I live and work. Berry continues to teach me that those two should never be separate. Work, life, recreation can all be interconnected. They can become a seamless fabric that becomes one’s way of being. To live out the kingdom, this is my path.

independence day

2007-07-04T00:23:00.000-05:00

The Air of the Free

by Wendell Berry

TV, computers, and the Internet Democratize our sins, so that The smallest child may have a dirty mind, And this is progress for our kind, Enriching those who most deserve to be Enriched, leaving in poverty The ones who're most deserving to be poor. This way our art and literature Serve our God-given freedom to express Ourselves however we think best And be as uninhibited as hogs, Our electronic catalogs Conveying all our everlasting hopes While we glide down the frozen slopes Of the statistical analysis And the opinion poll.
Let this Be a sign unto us: the plug, once plugged, Cannot forever be unplugged. When shocked by our electrifying diet Of filth, inanity, and riot, Official violence and family quarrels, We pray to government to save our morals.

picnic favors

2007-07-03T22:29:00.000-05:00

We moved into our house two weekends ago. We are adjusting to our new home and our new town. We have quickly made connections in our neighborhood.

A couple of days ago I got to work and one of the young guys I work with came over to me to tell me what had happened to him earlier. He said some guy came to the store about twenty minutes before it opened and asked my coworker to do a bunch of annoying things that we consider "favors". Long story short, he saw that my coworker was getting frustrated and then gave him a business card and invited him to the Vineyard church in Westerville. My friend said, "If I ever did want to go to church I wouldn't go to that guy's church. Are these people a bunch of whackos?"

That same weekend my same Bike One friend and another guy we work with were at a park riding their bikes. A girl came up to them and asked them if they were hungry or thirsty. They walked over to a shelter house where her church had put out a huge spread and were inviting people to come eat with them. They then left the food for these young guys to take home with them.

I was embarrassed and I was encouraged.

I told my friend that I was sorry that the guy had done that to him and I told him that I was glad that he went to a church picnic.

I am reading a fantastic book by Wendell Berry entitled "The Unsettling of America". I think it will cause a radical shift in my understanding of our relationship with the land. Berry talks about us being exploiters or nurturers. I fluctuate between the two but I hope that I am consistently moving toward nurture in all my relationships.

Boy With A Coin

time, dust...an extended farewell

2007-06-07T00:26:00.000-05:00

Extra time has been precious and scarce lately and when recreation creeps up on me no thought has been given to visiting this site. I guess that’s a good thing but at the same time it’s somewhat depressing.
A few Sundays ago I went to a concert with friends thanks to my brother who bought me a ticket. He was going for Gillian Welch and I was going for Bright Eyes and all were blown away by David Rawlings. I just didn’t expect to be blown away by Rawlings because frankly I had never heard of him before that concert. Rawlings and Welch doing their version of Johnny and June’s “Jackson" was the highlight of the night for me. The Bright Eyes set was equally fantastic and I can’t stop singing “Clairaudients (Kill or Be Killed)” over and over in my head…
Corporate or Colonial
The Movement is unstoppable
Like the body of a centerfold it spreads
To the counter-culture copyright
Get your revolution at a lower price
Or make believe and throw the fight, play dead
It’s exploding bags, aerosol cans
Southbound buses, Peter Pan
They left it up to us again
I thought you knew the drill
It’s kill or be killed
Future Markets, Holy Wars
Been tried ten thousand times before
If you think that God is keeping score, Hooray!
For the freedom-fighting simulcast (Victory! A defeat! Victory!)
The imminent and the aftermath
Draw another bloody bath to drain
Like the polar icecaps centrifuge (Oh Allah! Oh Jesus please!)
First snowman built at the end of June
He slicks his hair for the interview, his fifteen-minute fame
Would you agree times have changed?

The Gathering is over in New Albany and now I spend most days at the bike shop selling people things they should use more but inevitably end up collecting dust in their garage like every other thing they needed yesterday.
In a couple of weeks we will be in our new home in Newark. We are ready for the transition to be over, our goodbye here has been extended far too long.

Robert E. Webber

2007-05-05T20:33:00.000-05:00

1933-2007

Robert Webber was one of those rare people who have made a profound impact on my life without my ever having met him. When we arrived in Olathe we began to hear his name because the founding pastor of Christ Community, Dave Pendleton, had modeled the worship of the church after the fourfold pattern of worship that Webber championed. We now use this same pattern in our worship gatherings. I thank God for people like Bob Webber who are aware enough to follow their passions and change many lives in return. I had expected to meet him in December at the "Call to an Ancient Evangelical Future" conference but his condition had become too severe for him to travel. I plan to attend the school that he founded beginning in January.

This is the press release from the Institute for Worship Studies in Orlando:

Noted theologian and author Dr. Robert E. Webber died Friday, April 27 in his home in Sawyer, Michigan, after an eight-month struggle with pancreatic cancer. He was 73 years old.

Dr. Webber was born in Congo of missionary parents, and was raised in the Philadelphia area. He earned the Th.D. from Concordia Theological Seminary. From 1968 to 2000 he served as Professor of Theology at Wheaton College, and was named Professor Emeritus upon his retirement in 2000. He was appointed William R. and Geraldine D. Myers Professor of Ministry and Director of the M.A. in Worship and Spirituality at Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in the fall of 2000.

Bob Webber founded The Institute for Worship Studies (now the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies) in 1998. The Institute for Worship Studies is a Masters and Doctorate level graduate school focused on the study of the theological, Biblical, historical, sociological and missiological foundations of Christian worship. The school is hosted by Grace Episcopal Church of Orange Park, Florida and combines distance learning with one-week on-campus intensive courses involving students, faculty and alumni from around the globe.

IWS Provost and President-Elect Dr. James R. Hart commented, "Bob Webber significantly influenced many in our generation with the understanding that worship is the key to the renewal of the church. We mourn the loss of our friend and mentor, but rejoice with him in worshiping the risen Christ."

Webber was noted for his numerous writings and workshops in worship and worship renewal. His books include such titles as Evangelicals on the Canterbury Trail, Worship Is a Verb, Worship Old and New, Ancient-Future Faith, Ancient-Future Time, Ancient-Future Evangelism, Journey to Jesus, The Younger Evangelicals, and The Divine Embrace. He served as editor of the seven-volume The Complete Library of Christian Worship (Hendrickson, 1993) and was a regular columnist in Worship Leader magazine.

Webber leaves behind a wife, Joanne, four children, John (Isabel), Alexandra (Jack), Stefany (Tom), and Jeremy (Susie), seven grandchildren, and a rich legacy of friends, colleagues and students.

A public memorial service will be held at Christ Church of Oak Brook, 31st and York Road in Oak Brook, IL (630-654-1882) on Wednesday, May 16 at 7:00 p.m., and at Grace Episcopal Church in Orange Park, FL on Friday, June 15 at 7:00 p.m. during the June session of the Institute for Worship Studies (800-282-2977).

In lieu of flowers the family has requested that donations be made to the Robert E. Webber Endowment Fund at the Institute for Worship Studies, 151 Kingsley Ave., Orange Park, FL 32073, or the Robert E. Webber Center for an Ancient Evangelical Future, c/o Northern Seminary, 660 E. Butterfield Rd., Lombard, IL 60148.

Grace and peace,
Jim Hart

after winter, must come spring

2007-04-29T22:04:00.000-05:00

These are pictures from this weekend. I was voluntarily displaced for a night to help raise awareness for the people of Uganda who live with constant war. We lived in a cardboard city outside of Soldier Field. Please check out Invisible Children and learn more about this important movement.

Sometimes it seems
We'll touch that dream
But things come slow or not at all
And the ones on top, won't make it stop
So convinced that they might fall
Let's love ourselves then we can't fail
To make a better situation
Tomorrow, our seeds will grow
All we need is dedication
Everything is everything
What is meant to be, will be
After winter, must come spring
Change, it comes eventually

middleman pt.2

2007-04-25T19:27:00.000-05:00

Two Sundays ago Jenn announced that she and I have resigned our staff positions at New Albany Nazarene. Jenn has accepted the position of children's pastor at Newark Nazarene and we hope to resume The Gathering in the fall in Newark. The past two years of ministry have been a time of great growth and struggle for us and we are grateful for the opportunity we have had to find great friends and be a part of a spiritual community that truly does life together. We are excited to continue to serve with our friends in a new setting.

I continue to feel as though I am somewhat out of place. I had begun to find myself once again becoming anxious and unsettled because my lack of vocational stability. The bike shop is fun and it is definitely helping pay the bills but it is not a long-term solution. I am beginning to think that there are no long-term solutions, thus the title of my last two posts and the song lyrics below. I continue to find my self standing firmly on middle ground most of the time these days. In my last post I hoped to convey that I am trying to find common ground (I have found little) between my Mormon co-workers and myself. I talk to them about the scriptures and about Jesus and try to avoid debate and instead focus on what we have in common.

I have read two books by Thich Nhat Hanh over the last month and he has imparted some practical ways that I can live with and embrace my anxiety and feeling about my vocation. Even though I have not had a paying pastoral position in the last year I have been able to move closer to living out the kingdom than ever before. With the Thay's wisdom I hope to practice mindfulness and peace with more focus and intention. Thay refers to the Buddhism he practices as "Engaged Buddhism". I think that would be good for followers of Christ to become more focused on practicing "Engaged Christianity".

If you have not read Thich Nhat Hanh's writings check out, "Creating True Peace: Ending Violence in Yourself. Your Family, Your Community, and the World".

I traveled though the atmosphere as a wall of feedback climbed
The pegs were gold, the band was old, they played in half time
Now every dream gets whittled down just like every fool gets wise
You will never reap of any seed deprived of sunlight

So I have become the Middleman
The gray areas are mine
The in-between, the absentee
Is a beautiful disguise

So I keep my footlights shining bright just like I keep my exits wide
'Cause I never know when it's time to go, it's too crowded now inside
The dead can hide beneath the ground and the birds can always fly
But the rest of us do what we must in constant compromise

So I have become the Middleman
The gray areas are fine
The "I don't know," the "maybe so"
Is the only real reply
It is the only true reply

Bright Eyes, Middleman

middleman

2007-04-11T16:40:00.000-05:00

I finished reading Jon Krakauer’s “Under the Banner of Heaven” (recommended by Dave A.). I’ve wanted to write about it since I started reading it about a week and a half ago. Mormon culture has always been fascinating to me and now that I work with a couple of Saints it is even more so. I’ve studied Mormonism in the past but I have never read anything that gets so close to the fabric of their culture. I have wanted to ask my co-workers some questions not only about the book but also about their decision to convert. I will go ahead and admit that I am biased against the LDS church. It amazes me that people join. I just wanted to state my bias and say up front that I know it is somewhat ridiculous to adhere to one faith tradition and look condescendingly upon another.
The book focuses on a family of fundamentalist Mormons who commit a hideous murder after receiving a “revelation”. Krakauer does a good job of finding the seeds that were sown more than a hundred years earlier that led to the religion’s short but violent history. His main focus is on the Latter Day Saints’ polygamous doctrines that were implemented by their founding leader, Joseph Smith, and then overturned when the government began to make forceful moves at putting an end to polygamy in Utah. I would like to ask a Mormon why polygamy is now frowned upon since it was practiced by the founding leaders (Smith, Brigham Young) and its practice is commanded in their scriptures. It is one thing to see evidence of polygamy being practiced in the Old Testament; it is another to have it as a tenet of your faith. I understand that Saints can get around this by saying that God revealed to a later prophet, Wilford Woodruff, but earlier Smith had received a revelation that God told him he would never revoke the plural marriage command. Revelation has always been a huge concern of mine concerning my own faith. As a follower of Jesus I can always go back to his words and actions to find a foundation. Where would a Mormon go? Their own scripture has been repealed. Again this is why I wish I could just sit down and talk with one of the guys at work but I am concerned that they will see it an attack and an opportunity to challenge my beliefs whereas I just want to have a discussion.

All of the history behind how this religion was started and who started it was fascinating and at times ridiculous and unbelievable (as is a story about someone rising from the dead). Joseph Smith almost comes across as a sympathetic figure, at times. I’ve never studied Smith’s successor Brigham Young much but from what I have heard and now read he fits the role of villain. Krakauer writes that Young once bragged, “We have the greatest and smoothest liars in the world.” They even have a name for it, “Lying for the Lord”. Whereas Smith is portrayed as both compassionate and monstrous Young usually only fits the latter category.
A Mormon owns the bike shop and he supplies bikes for missionaries all over the country. There are times when we build these bikes. So far I haven’t had to build a missionary bike but I have a hard time with the idea of contributing to what I think is a detrimental ideology being introduced into people’s lives by Mormons. I’ve talked to Jenn about it and I have asked other people their opinion as well but I haven’t yet been able to figure out how I should respond when the request is made. I want to live out peace but should that include helping a faith system I am opposed to?

friends and family

2007-04-08T20:37:00.000-05:00

Jenn and Maria deep in conversation after the Seder and practice for Good Friday.

Adam and Jenny came from NJ to visit.

Brooke, with poorly designed and executed pigtails courtesy of her dad, having her new earrings put in by her Papa.

Brooke (who lost her first tooth today), Alliya, Andrew and Zach at the end of a fun day in Heath.

a week of worship

2007-04-08T20:16:00.000-05:00

These are pictures from our Maundy Thursday Seder and one from the prayer walk on Saturday. On Good Friday we gathered for a Tenebrae service that was for the whole church, we were so overly involved that we forgot to take any pictures. Saturday's prayer walk took people on a 30-40 minute journey in silence through the life of Christ. Jenn and Kim did a great job of designing it and making it a multi-sensory experience. The picture from the prayer walk is of the cross, which was the final station.

Living Buddha, Living Christ

2007-03-27T20:38:00.000-05:00

I’ve been reading Thich Nhat Hanh’s "Living Buddha, Living Christ". About half way through I am amazed at Hanh’s depth of understanding and communicating who and what Jesus is. Jenn and I were talking about how many Christians, even clergy, have a very limited understanding of the Eucharist. There is an element of mystery in the Eucharist but some people we have come across seem uncomfortable with it all together and view it as a hassle, an inconvenience, and negative to attracting visitors.
Hanh writes, “The message of Jesus during the Seder that has become known as the Last Supper was clear. His disciples had been following Him. They had had the chance to look into His eyes and see Him in person, but it seems they had not yet come into real contact with the marvelous reality of his being. So when Jesus broke the bread and poured the wine, He said, This is My Body. This is My Blood. Drink it, eat it, and you will have life eternal. It was a drastic way to awaken His disciples from forgetfulness. We eat and drink all the time, but we usually ingest only our ideas, projects, worries, and anxieties. We do not really eat our bread or drink our beverage. If we allow ourselves to touch our bread deeply, we become reborn, because our bread is life itself. We touch life, and we touch the Kingdom of God.” I don’t know many Christians who understand the symbolism and mystery of the Eucharist or could communicate it in such a beautiful way.
If feel just a little uneasy when I read, “ I think it is important to look deeply into every act and every teaching of Jesus during His lifetime, and to use this as a model for our own practice. Jesus lived exactly as He taught, so studying the life of Jesus is crucial to understanding His teaching. For me, the life of Jesus is His most basic teaching, more important than even faith in the resurrection or faith in eternity.”
It’s that last sentence that concerns me. Please don’t misinterpret what I am trying to communicate. I just feel uneasy about the idea of placing one aspect of Jesus’ life above any other. I am always concerned about my Gnostic tendencies and Hanh’s book takes me to an uncomfortable place at times. I admire Buddhism and I think it is vitally important for Christians and Buddhists to continue to dialogue and connect with each other. When it comes down to it I am concerned that the eschatological reality of Judeo-Christian heritage does not translate to Buddhism.
I have enjoyed reading about how Hanh sees Buddha and Christ as his spiritual ancestors. If only more of us could be open to the idea of learning from other faith traditions rather than keeping a safe and supercilious distance from them. Above all, the importance of mindfulness stressed by Hanh is something all of us could benefit from, irrespective of our faith tradition.

A conversation with Don

2007-03-23T10:41:00.000-05:00

Co-Worker 1: This is a sweet bike.
Co-Worker 2: Yeah I got the guy a real good deal on it last year.
Me: I see that it has a leather saddle.
Co-Workers: Yeah, leather saddles are the best…blah blah blah spokes, axles, bearing, brakes, stem, gears, cassettes, chains, pins blah blah blah.
Don: Let me tell you something. One time I was down stairs where we kept all of our repairs. I smelled something really foul. I thought that someone had forgotten to flush their stool. I went into the restroom and there was no sign of any stool, so I continued my search for the foul smell. The smell was coming from a specific area and as I got closer I realized it was coming from a specific bike. I began to smell around and when I get to the leather saddle it stunk to high heaven. Well let me tell you what happened. While this man was riding his bike his back began to sweat. The sweat then dripped down his back and into his buttocks. He must have not kept his buttocks clean because it then was soaked up by the leather saddle, which smelled like stool. So this man should have either kept his buttocks cleaner or not had a leather saddle.
Me: Ha. That’s a crazy story Don.
Me (in my head): Hahahahahahahahahahaha. That’s a crazy story Don.
Don: Let me tell ya Dave. After that all the guys said that I went around smelling ladies saddles.
Me: Hm. What?
Me (in my head): Did this guy keep saying stool and buttocks throughout that whole story? I have got to remember this story. Really, I have got to remember this story. Please remember this story David. Stool…buttocks…leather saddle. Got it.

I thought I would relay the story in this way to honor Dave Eggers whose book I just finished. Thanks Dave for a great book.

the journey continues...

2007-03-06T21:26:00.000-05:00

I've nearly solidified my reputation as the stereotypical late twenties overeducated wanderer. I now work at a bike shop. I started on Monday. After filling out the necessary paperwork I enjoyed the next three hours riding bicycles. That's right, I got paid for riding bikes, albeit the most expensive bikes I've ever been on. I think the priciest one was a $2,400 road bike and it was really light and fast. I also rode some hybrids and some mountain bikes. Tomorrow I will get to try out a recumbent, I hope. I wish it was more of a full-time gig, but it will be nice to have the extra income for now.

Also, I am reading Dave Eggers' "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius". I started it right on the heels of finishing The Hobbit so it took me a couple of sittings to make that switchover but it has been well worth it. I am sure I will find some quotes to share soon.

William Wilberforce Freedom Ale

2007-02-26T11:10:00.000-05:00

The Westerham Brewery

M7

2007-02-21T12:47:00.000-05:00

I am in Kansas City at the M7 conference for the Church of the Nazarene. So far I have been disgusted and hopeful, sad and encouraged, engaged and bored. There is definitely an attempt being made to hear the voice of those who are concerned with social justice and calling people to authentic discipleship. There are good people here who are genuinely concerned about understanding the implications of following Jesus. There are also people here who clap when they hear one of the speakers dismantle some of their traditional ideas of church, and I think, "why are they clapping?" People hear what they want to hear. Maybe someday soon I will have a clearer understanding of what to do with this but now I just keep pushing ahead with the thought that there are some people here who have thought through this much more than me, and yet here they are.
It's too simple to ask why we can't just all stay and be a prophetic voice within this denomination. That just doesn't work for everyone who is trying to faithfully live out the kingdom.
I know I can't leave; yet I can't stay and say the "right things" anymore.

Luke 6:20-26

20 Then he looked up at his disciples and said:
‘Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
21‘Blessed are you who are hungry now,
for you will be filled.
‘Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.

22 ‘Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you* on account of the Son of Man. 23Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.
24‘But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
25‘Woe to you who are full now,
for you will be hungry.
‘Woe to you who are laughing now,
for you will mourn and weep.
26 ‘Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.

Last month...

2007-02-13T12:46:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Jenn's 30th birthday.
We saw an ultrasound of a healthy little baby due to arrive in August.

Brooklynn cleaned her room!

Freedom

2007-01-30T11:10:00.001-05:00

by Amos Lee

Don't wanna be a martyr in this war
Don't wanna hear the same excuses anymore
That everything's a threat
And it's only gonna get worse if we let it

Don't wanna blame the rich for what they got
Don't point a finger at the poor for what they have not
Though the politician and the priest
Live in the belly of the beast because we fed it

Freedom is seldom found
By beating someone to the ground
Telling them how everything is gonna be now, yeah

Now if the tables were turned tell me how you would feel
Somebody busted up into your house telling you to stay still
While the leaders will deny defeat
Innocents they testify by dying in the street

Freedom is seldom found
By beating someone to the ground
Telling them how everything is gonna be now

Freedom is seldom found
By beating someone to the ground
Telling them how everything is gonna be now

Justice Done in Love

2007-01-27T01:29:00.000-05:00

“No limit to love's forbearance.”

by John Kavanaugh, S. J. of Saint Louis University

The stirring anthem to love found in Corinthians is most often heard at weddings. Sometimes at wakes.

I typically see tears among parishioners as the litany rolls on. . . . Love is patient, kind, not envious or boastful, not rude. It does not insist on its own way. It is not self-seeking or prone to anger. It does not brood over injuries. It rejoices with the truth. There is no limit to its forbearance, to its trust, its hope, its power to endure. . . .

Perhaps the soul is stirred because we know how easily we fall short of its ideal in our relationships with those we propose to love and presume to mourn. But the tears are also consoling. Most of us have felt those wondrous moments when we tasted its truth; we have sensed the freedom of such love and felt its healing power.

The Corinthian passage is also personally consoling. For we know, no matter what our failings and insignificance, our God, who is love, the writings of John tell us, is ever kind and patient with us, endless in mercy, not prone to anger or resentful brooding.

A staggering thought, however, is that such love should mark the way we live as social beings. Christians must love others as God has loved us. And this, it seems, is a command of screaming impracticality.

There is much meanness in the world. There is much meanness in our culture. Is our faith germane to such a fact? Many say, "No. Keep your faith for pie in the sky, but keep it away from the 'real world' of class, race, nation, gender, and especially money." Love is so alien to our politics, one might seem a simpleton to suggest it has its proper place.

A case can be made that our economic and social way of life is not only joyless, but unkind, impatient, and rude. Arrogance, boasting, and pomposity blight media and marketing. The sheer of in-your-face athletics and television talk shows typifies political posturing.

Not love forbearing, but resentment is parlayed by sectarians who would have us blame the rich, blame the poor, blame the parents, blame the lawyers.

Not love delighting in truth, but a cult of deception marks our social discourse, our slimy videos and exposés, our courtrooms, our Congress, and White House. It is almost as if we presume that we are always being lied to.

Not love enduring, but the endless celebration of unfettered choice and unrestrained accumulation grounds the so-called moral discourse of modern times.

Imagine this. What if there were a politician who could somehow speak of love? What if there were a President who would not only talk of a kinder and gentler nation but refuse to drop bombs upon a city like Baghdad? What if a people's nobler hopes and dreams were addressed, their latent generosity and fairness, their willingness to share with the unfortunate?

What if there were a liberal politician who could spare as much love for human fetuses as he or she can muster for baby seals and trees? What if there were a conservative politician who realized that words of love apply to criminals and refugees as much as they do to unborn humans and middle-class Christians?

Such a politician would be a person whose professional life was informed by a faith and love that necessarily yields justice.

It would not be easy. Jesus himself, after he announced the good news to the poor, first amazed, then angered his audience. He was too ordinary and too close to give such prophetic utterance. It cannot be real. He cannot be real. Eventually they were filled with rage and wanted to cast him out. So it went when he began his ministry.

How goes it with Christians today?

Jesus in the synagogue

2007-01-26T22:37:00.000-05:00

Tonight as I was finishing my lesson for Saturday night I came across a statement that made me stop what I was doing and just sit for a while the impact of said statement made it way through my mind. I was reading from William Barclay's small but powerful thoughts on the Gospel of Luke, specifically Sunday lectionary reading Luke 4:21-30. Jesus is in the synagogue in Nazareth on the Sabbath reading form Isaiah. I don't have his exact word in front of me so I can't quote exactly what Barclay wrote. So I will give my version. Jesus had to be extremely frustrated by the hypocrisy and heresy that he heard will in the synagogue. Yet he still attended, according to the scripture, regularly. Can you imagine the sense of frustration he had to feel being a part of those gatherings? What does that tell us about our response to the local church and congregational worship? Should we abandon it because it is frustrating, at times maddening? Am I comparing apples and oranges? As time progresses I feel more and more that we can't abandon the church. It is necessary for orthodoxy and for community. As a community of believers grow, which should happen in a healthy community of faith, there comes a time when positive institutionalization must occur. I have been moving in that direction lately and Barclay's observation about Jesus confirmed it for me. We can't escape our identity as the Body of Christ and from the very beginning that meant being part of an institution. That doesn't mean that we must agree with the way the institution functions, rather we should be speaking truth into it and trying to reform it and help it reconcile unto itself at all times. Sorry this is choppy and not well thought out but I just needed to put it out there because it is consuming my thoughts.

As an aside, take time to read Luke 4:16-30. Think about the reasons the crowd from Nazareth wanted to throw Jesus off the cliff.
1. He identified himself as a prophet.
2. He recalled a time when God used the prophets to help non-Jews. God was interested in providing redemption to Gentiles.
This won't be a difficult lesson to teach, but it will be difficult to hear. I am basically asking the question, "How different would our reaction be, than that of the first century Jews, when they heard Jesus was going to be speaking the truth they didn’t want to hear and offering the Good News to people they knew were going to burn in hell?"

2007-01-21T20:00:00.000-05:00

So the body in Christianity is sacred and significant. That means in any doctrine of man that we must be concerned with man's physical well-being. It may be true that man cannot live by bread alone, but the mere fact that Jesus added the "alone" means that man cannot live without bread. Religion must never overlook this, and any religion that professes to be concerned about the souls of men and is not concerned about the economic conditions that damn the soul, the social conditions that corrupt men, and the city governments that cripple them, is a dry, dead, do-nothing religion in need of new blood. For it overlooks the basic fact that man is a biological being with a physical body. This must stand as a principle in any doctrine of man.

-Martin Luther King Jr.

I will be reading....

2007-01-15T10:32:00.000-05:00

through these two meditations today as we remember a prophet.

2007-01-07T20:03:00.001-05:00

The key to mission is always worship. You can only be reflecting the love of God into the world if you are worshiping the true God who creates the world out of overflowing self-giving love. The more you look at that God and celebrate that love, the more you have to be reflecting that overflowing self-giving love into the world.

-N.T. Wright

lucky for me i've got bob dylan to get me by

2007-01-05T12:02:00.000-05:00

In light of a article I read and a string of bloggers who have redefined, refocused or restarted their blogs, I wanted to take some time to restate, refocus and redefine the "logic" behind this mess of convoluted writing. I'm sure that in some earlier post I wrote that I think it's is imperative to redefine and redefine ad infinitum, I just don't feel like taking the time to find it.
A few nights ago I sat down with a neglected issue of Sojourners and made my way through three or four articles. I was captivated by a commentary written by Molly Marsh, "Words! Camera! Democracy? : Storytelling in the Digital Age". I was both disturbed and excited about Marsh's opinions. First I was thrilled that as I look back I have stayed fairly close to my original intent with this blog. I want to give people a glimpse into my life and thoughts. Marsh writes, "Sharing stories is enlarging—in any medium." She goes on to quote Ron Hansen as saying, "that the least of us are necessary to the great universal plot in ways we hadn’t imagined." I am very aware that my story finds a small audience but it is part of that "great universal plot" and it is important for us to hear each other’s stories. So there it is, I keep filling up some small corner of cyberspace with my thoughts because stories are important and mine is the story with which I am most familiar.

The disturbing part of the article is this, "Technology is democratizing the way we collect and share stories, as more people gain access to cheaper computers and recording devices. Writers and filmmakers don’t have to have, solicit, or spend millions to tell their stories. But this democracy is at least partly illusory: It’s also true that those with means—education, income, skills, and time—are the primary beneficiaries. This 'creative class,' as Bill Ivey and Steven Tepper write in The Chronicle of Higher Education, can explore, experiment, and consume at will. Those with fewer resources are more dependent on what comes from media and entertainment conglomerates, which operate with much narrower gates. 'Technology and economic change are conspiring to create a new cultural elite—and a new cultural underclass,' the authors warn. 'Can America prosper if its citizens experience such different and unequal cultural lives?' It’s an important question, particularly when we consider that most of the world’s population doesn’t have access to a computer."
Oh.....no! I've become part of the problem once again. I am now part of the creative class a fact that has been haunting me for some time before I read this article, I just didn't have a word for it. Even when I thought that I had found what is at worst harmless and at best helpful and inspiring outlet it all comes crashing down. Thanks Molly Marsh.

Listening to “Four Leaf Clover” Backseat Goodbye

American Orthodox

2006-12-22T13:06:00.000-05:00

AEF-Lauren Winner

2006-12-19T10:40:00.000-05:00

I haven't had much time since I've been back to finish posting about the specific speakers I heard at the AEF conference. This will be the last post specifically about the conference but I will continue to use this forum to work out some of the issues that were raised.

Saturday morning Lauren Winner was the keynote speaker and her session was entitled, "The Call and Recovering our Hebrew Roots". I was really looking forward to this presentation due to an increased interest in finding how we can connect to the faith of the first century.

Winner began by talking about the problem of supersessionism. This is the heretical idea that the Old Testament is no longer necessary because of Jesus. Winner stated that it is important for us as followers of Jesus to affirm the ongoing relationship between God and the Jews. This past week I needed to focus on the idea of Jesus being known as "Christ" or "Messiah". It occurred to me that these titles as much as anything else are the ties that bind the first and second testaments (I know this isn't a great revelation but it is something I've needed to help with my own bent toward the Marcion heresy).

Winner focused on two important aspects of Jewish culture that most of Christianity has unfortunately abandoned. We have, to our loss, forgotten the practices of Sabbath and bereavement. I have posted earlier on the fact that we as Christians need to rediscover the practice of a Sabbath rest and much of what Lauren presented is contained in that post. One thing that I thought was very important was that there are two basic commands of the Jewish Sabbath, no work and being joyful.

Lauren’s focus on the mourning process was very insightful. One of the observations she made was that death has been moved to the peripheries in our culture. The mourning process has been shortened so that the living do not have to dwell on the dead. One the other hand the Jews have a mourning calendar. At every step of the way the community is involved in the bereavement process. After a family member dies they begin a one week period of intense mourning where they do not leave the house and cover all the mirrors with black cloths. They also begin saying a short prayer that must be said with their community twice a day. After the first week the community arrives at the house and takes the mourner for a short walk to symbolize that normalcy is slowly creeping back into life. The mourner then takes another month where they attend no parties and listen to no music. They then take a year of recognized mourning. Lauren described this as a “communal choreography of mourning”. Instead of pushing people back into “normal” life this is much more natural and healthy process. Frederica Matthews-Green said that the Eastern Orthodox church has a similar mourning calendar. I think back on the mourning process Jenn went through when Lisa died and I see how our society has tried to do everything it can to avoid being faced with death. Just like everything else, we want to expedite a process that needs to take its time.

These two specific practices are great examples of how Western Christianity has adapted to culture rather than transformed culture. We have replaced the Sabbath with the weekend. We have replaced a “communal choreography of mourning” with individual suppression.

I couldn't help but notice the similarities, which I am assuming are intentional.

A Worthy Recipient

2006-12-11T23:01:00.000-05:00

Muhammad Yunus was named the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2006. This is a great example of living out the kingdom (whether intentional or not), not destroying the system but rather turning it on its head.

Muhammad Yunus' foundation

Muhammad Yunus' book

Introduction to Banker to the Poor

AEF-Martin Marty

2006-12-11T21:13:00.000-05:00

Friday night's keynote speaker was Martin Marty. This was easily the most difficult of the sessions for me to follow. Marty went line-by-line and talked about how The Call is facing the future of evangelicalism. The structure was good and the presentation was deep and very academic. It was a stretch for my mind to follow Dr. Marty.
Marty's lecture was entitled "The Call and the Future of Evangelicalism". I didn't take any notes becuase Marty had a very detailed outline. So anything that stood out to me is now dependent on my memory, which is usually not good when it comes to lectures.
The first part of his speech was dedicated to the point that we cannot predict the future but we can project the future. We can form a plan as to what we think could happen but there is no way of knowing what will occur. One of the most interesting things that he talked about was the idea of "billions of particulars" leading to a specific reaction. He used the example of asking some of his students why and how the felt a call to ministry. Some gave clear answers but most couldn't give a specific instance when the "knew". He explained to them that it were possibly billions of particular events that lead to their decision.
In the next section Marty discussed how we could begin to project the future as North American evangelicals. Probably the most discussed topic over the weekend was this idea of narratives and specifically a meta-narrative. The Call states that, "The pressing issue is: who gets to narrate the world?" If I was following I believe Marty said that North Americans would not be in control of the meta-narrative much longer. The global south and especially China will hold this distinction. As far as Christianity is concerned Pentecostalism would be a smart bet to take over the position as most influential and largest segment of Christianity.

Much of the rest of the presentation was very good but not reproducible by me. Marty did share an experiment to take back to congregations. I will take the liberty of shortening the story. He said at separate times take the American flag and the most visible cross in your sanctuary out while leaving the other in. He said then attempt to gauge the kind of response to both and see which one you get the most heat over and which one's absence is easier to explain. It's not hard to guess which one would cause more of and uproar in most evangelical congregations.
The following panel discussion was lively and very interesting. There was much more talk about the narrative issue and I will devote one post on that (narrative, meta-narrative, mega-narrative, redeeming-narrative) later.
The evening session was followed by a compline service. I don't know if I have mentioned it yet but the worship during the weekend was beautiful and this service was the highlight of the weekend for me. We chanted several songs and various other scripture reading, prayed, confessed and sang together. It was so focused and intentional and pure, beautiful.

AEF-Frederica Matthews-Green

2006-12-10T23:01:00.000-05:00

These are some thoughts from my notes on Frederica Matthews-Green’s presentation on Friday morning. Her presentation was entitled “The Call and Christian Spiritual Formation”.

Frederica used various icons throughout her presentation that were used to highlight the points she was making. She explained that one of the most important parts of early Christian art was to express a certain attitude displayed by the saints’ faces. Many early Christians could not read but they could gain a wealth of knowledge just by viewing the postures and faces of the great Christians who traveled the journey before them. She explained that experiments show that from birth we are designed to read faces and the early Christians were providing that opportunity for those who were illiterate.

Frederica briefly explained the Christian disciplines of prayer, fasting and alms giving. She explained that of the three, alms giving (charity, love for other) is the antidote for the sin of narcissism.

She also brought up the idea of viewing sin as infection rather than infraction. This later lead to a great comment by Brian McLaren who stated that all too often we as ministers of the Gospel offer a transaction for the infraction rather than healing for the infection. Good stuff.

Frederica showed us the picture of the Christ of Sinai. As soon as the image was displayed I was arrested by his eyes and couldn’t really focus on anything else in the picture. Luckily for me she drew attention to the eyes quickly and explained that she believe this painting is showing the dual nature of Christ as physician and healer. If you cover the left half of the picture you see a Christ who nearly looks through you and exposes the infection of sin within you. If you cover the right half of the picture you see a merciful Lord who heals and gives peace.

As you can see these thoughts are slowly making their way to my blog. During the six hour drive home today I spent probably four hours in silence thinking about what all of what I heard means for me and my involvement in the church. There is still much to unpack in mind and there will probably be many more posts about this conference and it’s impact. I look forward to sharing those thoughts, and what is put into practice, with all who read this.

I listened to Midlake’s “The Trials of Van Occupanther” several times during my travels and it just gets better every time I hear it. I also need to mention my untitled playlist that included: Bob Dylan’s “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan”, Damien Rice’s “O”, Iron & Wine’s “Live Session (iTunes exclusive), Rocky Votolato’s “Suicide Medicine” and Sufjan Steven’s “Seven Swans”. I don’t know why I picked these specific artists or albums but I needed to listen to them all during my journey to and from Chicago.

AEF- Brian McLaren

2006-12-08T22:37:00.000-05:00

These are some random thoughts about Brian McLaren’s topic, “Does the Emerging Church have an Ancient Future?”

One of the first things that Brian talked about was how we need to realize that we don’t all start with the same meaning for many of the words that we use. One in particular is the word “evangelical”. I mentioned this in my discussion with the anonymous commenter. Before we can begin the discussion we must first challenge our definitions, especially this one in particular.

Brian also mentioned the importance of the community of faith acknowledging the validity at all levels in the different expressions of the faith. I don’t see much middle ground here, you either know that all expressions of Christianity are working toward the same kingdom goals or you think that other expressions are foes to be conquered. God help us.

The final part of Brian’s presentation that stood out to me was a part that he mentioned briefly which is our temptation toward Christoencapsulation. This is that temptation to forget about the other two parts of the Trinity in our worship and theology. We must be followers of Christ with the understanding of how we then relate to the Father and Spirit. Without a relationship and communication with all three persons of the Trinity we are falling short in our attempts to be kingdom people.

Again these are my thoughts and do not represent McLaren’s opinions.

AEF

2006-12-08T18:30:00.000-05:00

I made it to Chicago yesterday with the “service engine soon” light on as my car makes its way to the 100,000 mile mark. Last night Brian McLaren spoke and this morning I heard Fredrica Matthews-Green. The speakers and the discussion that followed have been very good. The discussion is definitely for those who have been struggling with the questions for a while so for me it has been invigorating.
After listening and thinking for the past two days I am beginning to understand the frustration and anxiety that is felt by those like my anonymous friend who left me several comments about the AEF Call. Although I can’t see myself leaving the Church of the Nazarene anytime soon, I do need to take the time to think about why I have not thought about the reconciliation that would take place by returning to the Eastern Orthodox church.
Unfortunately Bob Webber was unable to attend the conference due to health issues.
I am off to hear Martin Marty’s presentation on the future of Evangelicalism so I am sure I will come back tonight with new questions.
For a more detailed look at what is happening at this important conference check out Paradoxology .

2006-11-26T01:28:00.000-05:00

Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His Gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His Name all oppression shall cease.

A Call To An Ancient Evangelical Future

2006-11-21T22:21:00.000-05:00

December 7-9 I will be attending a conference at Northern Seminary in Chicago called, A Call to an Ancient Evangelical Future. I am excited to see what the speakers have to say about gaining a better understanding of our position as evangelicals in the context of a movement that has been going on for thousands of years. I have leaned heavily on the work of Robert Webber and he one of the leaders of this movement. It is important to me to explore ways to remain connected to the larger body of believers and this is one way that I believe we can see reform begin to happen in our churches.

Read through "The Call" and think about how it could change the way you understand and experience life in community with other Christians, whatever form that might take.

Babel

2006-11-17T17:35:00.000-05:00

A global version of Crash. Lots of good messasges about how much we depend on each other and how messy and dirty that becomes. I don't care about giving an overall review becuase I don't know if I would recommend this film. You can follow the link in the title for lots of reviews, if you so desire.

there's a pressure to deliver here, your gonna get hurt if you don't play this game

2006-11-08T17:36:00.001-05:00

Last week I was able to do some traveling. Monday I went to Detroit to see the Hutsko family and stayed until Tuesday afternoon. Wednesday I spent most of the day in Findlay with the Smith family. James, Kelly and I parted ways after hearing Jim Wallis speak at Bluffton College on Wednesday evening. It was a good presentation by Wallis, most of it coming from his book, God’s Politics. Bluffton is a Mennonite school and one side of the gymnasium was close to full. Not to assume that everyone in attendance was in agreement but it was nice to know that there is a large contingent of people who want to think about how their faith impacts every part of their life. At one point Wallis stated that for too long the church has only wanted the edges of our lives. He made it clear that Jesus wants to use every part of our life for the kingdom. I was particularly interested in what he said about the difference between having a career and a vocation. During another time of transition in my life it was good to hear that I am not just fooling myself by thinking that I need to do something worthwhile and something I am passionate about. Wallis said the difference is that a career is something you make money doing and a vocation is that thing that drives you and you find yourself losing track of time when you are doing it. I at least have some leads on some stuff I can do right now to help pay the bills. So for now we don’t feel like we need to make a quick decision, which is good because I wasn’t about to make a big decision any time soon.
I attempted to ask Wallis a question but they never got the microphone close to me. Not long ago I read part of Tolstoy’s “The Kingdom of God is Within You”. From what I read I thought that Tolstoy was saying that the problem with a representative democracy is that when you, a Christian, cast a vote for a representative you are sending someone who will or could then vote to commission military action which will result in the destruction of human life. I know that Wallis believes that we need to remain involved in the system and become the new winds of change, a prophetic voice. How do we then deal with the fact that we might with our vote have a direct impact on the death of others when Christ makes it clear that his way is the way of peace? I didn’t get Wallis to hear my question but hopefully some of you will and maybe you have had time to think through this more than I have.

Reading—That Hideous Strength, C.S. Lewis

Hearing—Prison Is Private Property (A Life of Your Own), Rocky Votolato

Split Lip Rayfield

2006-10-25T15:27:00.001-05:00

I love creative people and you have to be creative to play a one string, gas tank bass guitar strung with weed whacker line. To add to this guys’ increasingly legendary status in my life, he is wearing a sweet Kansas (our once and some time in the distant future home) shirt in one of the pictures below (the band is from Wichita). At the end of the previous post I mentioned that I was listening to a song by this band. Scott saw them live and said they were pretty cool. You really can't place them comfortably in any musical genre but they could be called a punk bluegrass band. Unfortunately their guitarist has cancer and their final shows will be at the end of this year.

loving your HIV+ neighbor

2006-10-25T14:49:00.002-05:00

My understanding of the AIDS crisis is starting to become more fully realized. Campolo’s Aids Crisis 25 Years podcast was full of overwhelming information. I listened to it last Wednesday and then Saturday I had my final training session at Columbus AIDS Task Force. By the time Saturday night came around I was very ready to teach about the subject of loving your neighbor. Hopefully soon I will be assigned to a “buddy”, an HIV+ person, by the CATF. CATF’s “buddy program” places a volunteer with an individual client. It’s a good way to create relationships instead of acquaintances. We heard stories about volunteers learning how to garden with their buddy and some that go to movies. I’m guessing I will have a buddy who likes to smoke and watch soap operas, either way I’m looking forward to getting started after only being able to do things here and there over the last year. We had to do a group exercise where we answered some questions and share them with our group. I answered that I strongly agreed that in general people were losing respect for one another. I have noticed that people in these place tend to be socially optimistic, so I wasn’t surprised when my answer was challenged. It led to a good discussion.

Saturday night I felt like I was pretty blunt about Christ calling us to reach out to the poor, the sick and the oppressed. During a discussion time a person in our group asked about the idea of giving your tithe and trusting that the church will use it for noble purposes. I said that I think our current tithing system is an excuse to not serve. We hand over our money and we don’t have to get our hands dirty. Another guy in the group challenged that and said, essentially, that I was throwing the institution under the bus. I was so happy that he said that because it means that people are really thinking hard about what we are talking about and it is hitting some nerves. On a side note Campolo has another podcast dealing with the way Christians use money and our idea of what tithing means, I’ll save that for another time.
Back to the topic, that I strayed from, AIDS. After worship I was talking to a friend and he said that it is amazing that we still know so little about HIV/AIDS. For obvious reasons the disease still has a debilitating stigma that inhibits important information to be disseminated to everyone, because everyone needs to be informed. We watched a video about the disease on Saturday at CATF that chronicled the stories of several HIV+ people who contracted the disease at a young age, many in their early teens, through drug use, unprotected sex and blood transfusions. One of the men said that it seems like no one pays attention to the disease “until it bites you in the ass”. One of the women in the video said that since she contracted the disease no one she knows will touch her and another said that her family makes her use special plates, utensils, toiletries and bedding and I heard of yet another whose family followed her with a bottle of bleach disinfecting everything with which she came in contact.

We were all asked why we were volunteering at CATF. I said that in all honesty it was my faith that compels me to volunteer. I was also clear that I don’t view this as a venue to try to push my faith on anyone. I just hope that what I do will be for the kingdom whether I am educating people about HIV/AIDS or proclaiming the kingdom through service to my “buddy”.

hearing: Out of Time, Split Lip Rayfield (crack cocaine banjo, thanks to Scott)

Some get angry, some of them laugh

2006-10-25T14:30:00.000-05:00

Unemployment has a way of opening up more opportunities for reflection.
Listening to Tony Campolo’s podcast inspired the next few posts.
Gay marriage in the United States is really important every two years so I’ve been thinking about it again. Campolo expressed a point of view that I have been struggling with for a few years. It became more evident when I performed my first marriage ceremony about a month ago. When I finished the ceremony that was obviously a religious ceremony I then had to say “now by the power given to me by the state of Ohio.” What the hell did that ceremony have to do with the state of Ohio? It seems to me that marriage is an institution established by God, and affirmed by Jesus. It also seems clear that the rights and privileges associated with marriage have been established by the state. To the best of my knowledge legalized marriages are a pretty recent phenomenon in history. Campolo said that in some European countries couples go through the process of establishing a legal civil union before they then go to a church to be wed. It makes sense to me but I am sure there are difficulties and problems that come to the mind of many. Everyone would receive the same rights and privileges that civil unions afford but it would be up to the church to make decisions on the moral issues involved. I guess I just don’t understand how Christians can continue to fight to withhold rights from certain people when we have a long history of showing how disastrous that can be.

hearing: Van Occupanther, Midlake (thanks to Jared)

reading: That Hideous Strength, C.S. Lewis

smelling and tasting: coffee (Caribou Mocha Java)

prophetic

2006-10-16T15:31:00.000-05:00

"The brute fact remains that this country, which has produced more Protestant believers than any other, has also produced fewer powerful Protestant theologians and theological-social theorists than any other major Protestant country. The evangelical leaders are not equipped intellectually to think through the complex social issues of the times and offer genuinely new and promising solutions to them…Without a genuinely critical position resting on Christian foundations and directed by a coherent theological vision that can deal with modern science and technology and the reality of foreign cultures, it is likely that the evangelical voice in politics today will once again confuse the Christian faith with the American flag."

John Schaar wrote this thirty years ago.

2006-10-04T19:32:00.000-05:00

2006-10-04T18:34:00.000-05:00

I decided that we should study the Greatest Commandment and the Great Commission during the weeks before advent in our Saturday night worship gatherings. I don’t know if anyone else is getting much from the teachings but I have learned a lot through my studies leading up to teaching on each way that Jesus explains how to love God. The lesson about loving God with all our heart was particularly insightful in regard to the current attitudes, from Evangelical Protestants, towards evangelism. In The Message, the word heart is replaced by the word passion. I taught about how we love God through our passions and used 1 Timothy 2.22, which says, “Run away from anything that stimulates youthful lust. Follow anything that makes you want to do right. Pursue faith and love and peace…” In my preparation for this lesson I came across a list of “youthful lusts” in a commentary by William Barclay. He describes impatience, self-assertion, love of debate and love of novelty as youthful passions that distort our passions that can be used for the kingdom.
When looking at the two lists I couldn’t help but think of how Christians have fallen prey to allowing these youthful passion effect how we share the gospel of Jesus Christ. I specifically thought of my class on evangelism at NTS and how I sat through the class with the uneasy feeling that something was wrong, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Once I thought about the specific passions mentioned by Barclay that describe an immature disciple of Christ I realized that these are the downfall of contemporary evangelistic strategies. First we have been taught to be impatient. Reach as many as you can as fast as you can and let someone else worry about discipleship. Second, assert your beliefs on others with utter disregard for their beliefs and convictions. Third, if you can debate and win an intellectual victory your job is done and your opponent must admit defeat and adhere to your beliefs system. Fourth, if it’s new, it’s good. New books, new strategies new ways of marketing the gospel are bought and sold with doubts about the relevance of the gospel when it stands alone.
On the other hand, Timothy is being taught to flee to righteousness, faith, love and peace. This is a better list to work from to understand how we must approach others in sharing the gospel. Righteousness, doing the right thing and giving God and men their due. Faith, being loyal and reliable both of which come from trust in God. Love, the utter determination never to seek anything but the highest good of others, no matter what they do to us, letting go of all bitterness and all desire for vengeance and revenge. Peace, reconciled relationship of loving fellowship with God and men.
How many more people would be open to the transforming power of Jesus Christ in their lives if we followed this wise teaching accepted by the community of faith throughout many centuries, rather than the next evangelistic fad?

Preaching the Prosperity Gospel

2006-09-23T11:57:00.001-05:00

This artilce was sent to me by Dave A. via his wife Mindy. He wrote that the only thing she had written in her email was, "Scary, scary stuff". All I could could write back was, "disgusting" and "thanks for ruining my day". Maybe some of you have a different opinion, but I agree with Dave and Mindy that this is indeed scary stuff.

Preaching the Prosperity Gospel

2006-09-20T01:07:00.000-05:00

I had a meeting today with RK and told him that I had decided to resign. Last night I was commissioned by the child care board to fire one of the teachers. I was being sent into the situation under false pretenses and I told the pastor that I would be resigning because I think what the board is asking me to do is wrong. This job has become increasingly more like a business and I have no desire to run a business and I don’t have the skills to run a business that makes money. I can’t create relationships with families and then hound them for money I know they don’t have. It also became clear to me that the church needed an advocate in this position and that is not something I can provide. I do not and will not attend this church and I cannot with a clear conscience recommend this church to child care families. All these reasons have led me to once again begin the search for a job (that pays and offers insurance). I will stay here until they find a suitable replacement or until I can’t wait anymore. I don’t know where I will end up but I am hoping that I can find something that allows me to spend more time focusing on our Saturday night worship gathering and our community.

Grace and peace to all of you, my friends

2006-09-13T23:12:00.000-05:00

"The entire reason for our worship is that God deserves it. The churches’ worship provides opportunities for us to enjoy God’s presence in corporate ways that take us out of time and into the eternal purposes of God’s kingdom. As a result, we shall be changed—but not because of anything we do. God, on whom we are centered and to whom we submit, will transform us by his Revelation of himself.”

Marva Dawn, A Royal "Waste" of Time: The Splendor of Worshiping God and Being Church for the World

the gathering

2006-09-11T21:30:00.001-05:00

I have not posted this yet on this blog but it is becoming such a huge part of my life that I feel like I need to put it out there. About a year ago I began to find some like-minded people at our church and we began to discuss what it means to be community and what it means to worship together. We have become community and we have worshiped together through weekly meals and discussions. We are now going to begin a weekly worship gathering that will meet at New Albany Nazarene every Saturday evening. I am very excited and a bit anxious for this new phase of ministry in New Albany. I believe that what we are doing is right and that we have taken the necessary steps to bring about authentic worship. Our corporate worship is flowing out of a true sense of community and now we hope to offer our worship to God in a way that will in turn create authentic communities of faith.

I am very excited to take what we learned from Christ Community about worship and let others experience a very focused worship experience. We will be following the classic fourfold pattern of worship. It is depicted in the picture of the stain glass window.

Here is a brief explanation of the fourfold pattern;

We Enter to Worship - Here God awakens our whole being and begins to move us from the “scattered community” to the “gathered community.”

We Hear The Word - Having been prepared through Christ's Spirit in our Acts of Entrance we are now ready to receive what the Spirit has to say to us through God's Word.

We Give Our Thanks - Now we express our thanks to God for the gift of His Son by giving of our means and/or partaking of His holy meal, the Lord's Supper.

We Leave to Serve - We're now sent out as the "scattered community" once again to live and share what we have learned with a world who longs for a relationship with God.

To all of my friends who read this, your prayers are appreciated. I am sure a more liturgical, classical and convergent (although similar, not emergent) form of worship will not be accepted well by some people in the church even if they don't attend the gathering. I would also appreciate prayers for our community as we continue to live life together and proclaim the Kingdom.

Also, if you play guitar and would like to play on Saturdays we would love to have you.

Don't Know When but a Day Is Gonna Come

2006-09-07T14:24:00.000-05:00

return from rest

2006-08-31T15:41:00.000-05:00

We returned from a much-needed vacation on Saturday. Jenn’s parents were gracious enough to give us a week at a resort in Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. We arrived in Fairfield Glade on Friday evening and spent the next day at the pool, in our suite and exploring the Fairfield Glade and Crossville area. A chunk of Sunday was spent listening to the required “buy a time-share” pitch. They kept telling us that it was a good investment for our children and our grandchildren and we let them know that we are the children and grandchildren that have benefited from a time-share so I we are their sales pitch doesn’t really apply. Eventually they saw that we were a lost cause and sent us to get our fifty-dollars for wasting two and a half hours. We traveled to Knoxville on Monday and spent some time around the World’s Fair Park. The kids played on a huge wooden play structure called Fort Kid and then we went down to the actual park, which is really not worth going out of your way to see. I am sure my friend brad would argue that there is at least one redeemable quality but we didn’t find it. My great uncle Jack lives just north of Knoxville so we spent Monday evening at his house with my great aunt Anne. It was good to spend time with Jack, who is my grandpa Sherman’s brother. He is a storyteller and had many new tales for me and a couple that I heard when we were with each other last. Uncle Jack is very moderate politically, which makes me like him even more because I just expected him to be extremely conservative. He gave me some ridiculously hot peppers from his garden to take home and gave me some words of wisdom about how to care for my family and making the decision to love everyday. He is a good man and I love being around him because it makes me think that had circumstances been different I could have heard these things from my grandpa. Tuesday was another day at the pool and afternoon naps. Wednesday we traveled to Gatlinburg. The highlight of the day for all of us was our trip through Smokey Mountain National Park. It was the first time in a while that I had spent a considerable amount of time in a natural setting and I rediscovered my love for nature, hiking and the overarching sense of peace found away from all of our “comforts”. We relaxed at the pool and at or home away from home on Thursday and made our way home Friday and Saturday with a stopover in Jackson. It was wonderful week of rest and it has been hard to settle back into the busyness of our new school and work schedules. Andrew started middle school this week and Brooklynn moved up to the five year-old class at preschool and she started ballet classes. It only gets more hectic from here but we are going to try to make more time for short periods of relaxation and solitude as we continue or journey.

2006-08-31T15:32:00.000-05:00