daddy day care

this live blog is brought to you by a demanding mother. i'm not saying exactly which mother that is, but rest assured it is one who holds certain keys to the kingdom of the writer.

anyway, people in massachsetts, as noted previously, people in massachusetts are remarkably delusional about snow. for this reason, i am home with little p and he is in the process of destroying the house. those of you who know him need little proof of the latter assertion, those who don't can look at the picture below.



while preston is in the process of destroying the kitchen, daddy takes a moment to tackle another task. namely, cleaning diapers. daddy returns to find baby playing amidst the cleaning chemicals, but instead of redirecting baby, he resets the family wireless router so that he can post this violently compelled piece.



















,
daddy can't find a way to post to the left of the two latter pictures. that pisses daddy off.

in the brief moments that daddy has not been working, spending time with family, studying for his final seminary class and serving up the scraps to the church, he's been celebrating lent. in the midst of this important season of preparation for the resurrection, daddy has been repenting of his recent passion for speaking like rickey henderson and practicing little spiritual disciplines such as reading a devotional and participating in abbreviated prayer and fasting. daddy hopes that the Father is as pleased with these tiny offerings of devotion as the Son was with the widows mite.

while reading the bread and wine devotional during lent, he ran across the following quote:

"...Jesus was not brought down by atheism and anarchy. He was brought down by law and order allied with religion, which is always a deadly mix. Beware of those who claim to know the mind of God and who are prepared to use force, if necessary, to make others conform. Beware of those who cannot tell God's will from their own." ~ Barbara Brown Taylor in Truth to Tell

daddy thinks about how the previous quote throws bright light on so many christians from martin luther on, but baby is pissed about being ignored and daddy cannot finish his reflection.

daddy and preston make their way out to the library where daddy plans to renew his lease on the book of buechner - which is fantastic - and hopes to pick up season one, disc one of battlestar gallactica. daddy knows that the later series sounds like a geek's wet dream,* but he can't watch FNL anymore, does not have ready access to the fifth season of the wire and needs something new to watch while he irons.



when daddy and preston get to the library it is, quite predictably, closed. daddy thinks most librarians are weak sauce,** quick to skip and eager to bitch. on account of the proceeding factors, daddy shakes his fist in anger. since he can't pick up battlestar daddy calls uncle cade to see if he will loan out his netflix copy of michael clayton. uncle cade agrees and little p and daddy head down pond street.




on the way we check in on the pigeon man's "rollers." daddy is relieved that at least one local species adapts to snow quite easily.







little p and daddy arrive at uncle cade's only to find him in standard repose. note to aunt becky: uncle cade and bella are fairing quite well.*** daddy tells uncle cade that there will be spaghetti at the gentry house tonight, picks up the dvd and leaves.





on the way home little p decides to play in the street. he seems to enjoy himself...







until the plow pushes by.









after shaking off the snow and removing gear daddy plies preston with juice, a relatively rare treat, because daddy might feel guilty about kicking snow in preston's face and is eager to end this narcissistic picture post.






meanwhile, as daddy is exchanging quality time with his son in hopes of completing the post, preston crawls into the bathroom and has a little too much fun with the shit sprayer.






FINALLY daddy snaps this last shot,**** wonders whether he will ever slap up a post that is wholly devoid of sexual humor and we eagerly await mommy's impending return.

thank you for putting up with us.




* and by wet he means snow. get your head out of the gutter and get with this post's overarching theme.
** excepting librarians who are related to, friends with or attend church alongside of daddy. librarians who tee it up like that are probably pretty ok too.
*** though rumor has it that there is no longer ice cream in aunt becky's freezer.
**** note the rally cap. something tells me we're going sporting that look more often than not this season.

overheard: a plea for the revitalization of evangelical ethics*

reporter: andy, anyone who follows you and knows you realizes that you are a man of faith. can you talk about how your faith influenced your decision to use HGH and maybe how your faith has sustained you during this hard time?

pettitte: i felt like it was the right thing to do in my heart. that might be hard for some to understand...as far as my faith, i felt good about it when i started. but then i felt bad once i started it...as far as how my faith has sustained me through all this, i know in my heart why i did things. i've tried to live my life in a certain way and i know i'll have to stand before God some day.

reporter: andy, can you tell us how you felt using it a second time? you've explained how bad it made you feel the first time, so why did you take it a second?

pettitte: i felt stupid, and desperate.

* please note: the text above is a summary and should not be read as an exact quote. i tried to correctly record the question and response while the press conference was taking place. i apologize for any errors.

overheard: welcome to heritage u.s.a. II!

i just clicked over to stltoday.com to check in on the happenings in jupiter and was blessed to see that brother jim bakker is celebrating the dedication of heritage u.s.a. II! brother bakker has long since repented of his embrace of the prosperity gospel, but fortunately god has still seen fit to provide him with another sprawling ministry center which not only features affordable, god-breathed real estate, a beautiful enclosed shopping center that features "italianate store facades and condo balconies" and a magnificent chapel from which the word of god will be gloriously transmitted six times a week!

anybody interested in splitting a heritage u.s.a. II lifetime partnership with me? i've heard that for only $1,000.00 we can stay at one of the new italian style condos for up to four weeks a year!

seriously, i hope if/when the sulfur o' sodom falls, heritage u.s.a. II is ground zero. this wonderful new work of god makes me sick to my stomach and ashamed to be an evangelical christian. read some of the testimonies in stltoday's article of the former "lifetime partners" who lost $1,000.00 in forfeited "lifetime partnership" dues when heritage I collapsed, yet are all fired up and eager to invest in bakker's new work. i suppose one will never go broke underestimating the intelligence of bible belt christians. grrr...

on writer's block

blood from a stone
needle on bone
accessible yet so damn allusive

advocate, proclaim and preach
of things only abstractions can reach
mistake scribbles for substance

envy engineers, architects and tailors
who rely not upon words as savior
trading substance for sustenance

words, words, words
flimsy constructions
pointing to hope, promising destruction

musing...

throughout the lenten season i have not been able to escape images of the desert. throughout the past week, on inumerable occasions, my mind's eye has fixed upon mental pictures of the sand swept desert, Jesus wrestling with temptations, the ravaged red rock of sinai.

but, for all my musing, when the time came to enter into my own desert, i almost missed it.

on monday i was jostled out of my normal routine by a scheduled, yet completely forgotten, job coaching session at a you haul storage facility. the assignment was to simply to observe a client's work and report on her activities to the supervising manager.

yet, as i stumbled around in that unheated storage facility, interupted only by the scratch of a broom and the need to take an occasional note, my anxious breathing slowed, my feet froze and i was confronted by the silence i often take great pains to eschew.

in that silence, in the midst of my lenten fast, one of my temptations was revealed. namely, i am constantly tempted to ignore the service opportunities that constantly present themselves in order to fixate on the ideal context and perfect position wherein i can properly perform the accompanying, teaching and preaching that is at the heart of my calling. God forgive me for the times when my idolatrous dreams of being a resident theologian and preacher-teacher in a church obscures both the work and the people you have placed in my path.

if you are participating in a lenten fast and have wrestled with your own temptations in the midst, feel free to share your reflections below. for those of us who are fasting during this season, my prayer is that we can sustain the fast so that we can more fully keep the feast.

in celebration of pitchers and catchers...


i'd like to confess that i am currently sitting on a brick of 23 bleacher seats for the cardinals/cubs tilt on sunday, may 4th at 7:05 p.m.

so...if you have recently received a st. louis oriented "save the date," will solmenly swear to respect the game by refusing to bat beachballs/participate in the wave/display poor cell phone etiquette and you're willing to forward me $25 cash, submit your name for consideration..

judge not, lest ye...

she crushed the pop-top of a chevy conversion van in 1986

he never let her forget about it.

she continued to tangle with immobile objects in the years since.

he scoffed and suggested an assault on a moving target.

he tried to cram an 8"8 wheelchair van under a 7"6 clearance sign.

she has yet to hear the story.

he has finally realized that reciprocity is a son-of-a-bitch.

chuck smith, c.s.s.: the lost transcripts

chuck smith, c.s.s.: thank you for calling lightway, how can i serve you?

customer: i recently bought 45 copies of the purpose driven life for a fundraising event at my church and i'd like to return the unsold copies.

chuck smith, c.s.s.: i'm sorry ma'am, we don't accept returns that result from poor sales. we'd suggest selling the remaindered copies at a steep discount or distributing the copies to the homeless community in your area. lord knows the latter group could use a little purpose.

customer: but we sold these copies in order to support a short-term mission trip to the dominican republic. if have to eat the cost of these copies the money will come straight out of our mission budget. can't you make an exception in this case.

chuck smith, c.s.s.: sorry ma'am. our return policy is as immutable as the easily discernible election of God. allow me to commend you, however, for spending a few days of your summer serving the under-evangelized people of the dominican. i've heard that there are still a few barrios on the island that haven't had an opportunity to experience the veggietown vbs or be touched by a pantomimed re-enactment of the passion of Christ this year. thank you for doing your part.

customers thank you for supporting our mission. can we continue discussing the matter at hand?

chuck smith, c.s.s.: no need to do that ma'am. what is written is written. did your team spend your tourist days exploring haiti? last time i visited the cafes of port-au-prince, i was overwhelmed by the quality of service and incredibly low prices. say what you want about poverty, but it sure produces an affordable fine dining experience!
customer: chuck, i'm tired of you giving me the run-around and denigrating the significant sacrifices our team made to share the gospel. let me speak to your manager.

chuck smith, c.s.s.: my manager is going to give you the same story about the returns, but if it's caesar you want... please hold one moment.

hold music: "when i think about my God. i don't have to think about her bod. she might not have hindquarters of glory, but she calls out the name and she knows the story! when i think about..."

chuck smith, c.s.s.: cough, cough. this is mr. manager, how can i help you?

customer: mr. manager?

chuck smith, c.s.s.: yes, i mean, this is michael, customer service manager. how can i help you?

customer: thank you for taking my call. i would like to return 45 copies of the purpose driven life that our mission team has left over from last summer's fund-raiser.

chuck smith, c.s.s.: i'm sorry ma'am. we don't accept returns of remaindered copies, but just for calling us today we'd like to offer you free primary shipping on your next purchase of $35 or more. in addition, i'd like to take a minute to tell you just a little about our thursday morning specials. right now we have michael savages' new expose of the obama candidacy, wahhabi in the white house for just $7.99 and john eldredges' eager heart: positioning your wife for passionate rescue for just $5.49. which of these specials interests you today?

customer: no, i'm not interested in any specials and i can't believe your ridiculous return policy. i'm sure that amazon would allow me to return with no questions asked.

chuck smith, c.s.s.: well ma'am, if you want to do business with the money changers of the world, we're not going to stop you.

customer: this is the last time i will be purchasing from you.

chuck smith, c.s.s.: thank you for shopping in the light! we'll be sure to forward you the coupon for the free shipping and will look forward to serving you again soon.

overheard: evangelicals a liberal can love


in this morning's online edition of the nyt, op-ed columnist nicholas kristof calls for bleeding heart liberals to reach out and "build a common cause with bleeding heart conservatives." throughout the short piece kristof introduces the readers to the exponential influence evangelicals such as rick warren are having on global poverty initiatives and celebrates - along with so many of us - the long belated death of the religious right.

much like kristof, i am excited by the recent sea change in evangelical priorities and have been both encouraged and challenged by the great work organizations such as saddleback church and the international justice mission are doing throughout the world. however, as a churchman, i cannot help but fear that the leadership in many evangelical churches will utilize the current interest in social justice as merely a means to catalyze "growth" in their attraction oriented churches. if our churches passionately sound forth Christ's call for justice and liberation (see Lk. 4:16-21) but fail to challenge our congregants to realign their economic, social and spiritual lives so that they can act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with their God, then our sermons and lessons will simply be a sophisticated example of oratory intended to tickle our people's ears.

by God's grace, because of Christ and through the power of the Holy Spirit, may the evangelical church not only lift up the call for justice, but live as a people of justice in a profoundly unjust world.

read more of kristof's article here

irony

words of wisdom, quotable quotes*

"Be regular and ordinary in your habits, like a petit bourgeois, so you may be violent and original in your work."
-gustave flaubert

"I'm not saying I'm like Jesus, but I do follow him. Maybe when your master is a polarizing figure, you end up that way yourself."
-joe boyd

"Es is aus. This culture, in my opinion is over. But that's ok, because God doesn't redeem cultures, but he does redeem individuals all the time."
-prof. n, as spoken in old testament exegesis on 2.1.08

* tip-of-the-cap to the young robert de niro who recently brought this quote to my attention.

stuff that has been making me laugh

for one, the picture above. if the caption beneath read "sounding forth from the center of the real economy," i'd laugh even harder.

i've also been laughing at reggie white's exposition of the crucifixion as recorded by the saint pete times. money quote below:

"Reggie White turned interviews into sermons, questions into homilies and the Super Bowl into a pulpit. He was a good man with a good heart. That said, it was suggested that, sometimes, Reggie's Bible had chapters the rest of us didn't have. White would give you an impassioned speech about how it was God, not money, who led him to Green Bay. The defensive end once said that he came back for one last season because of divine intervention. He said he was healed by faith, not by the trainer.

snip

it's hard to forget media day, when White suggested that Jesus Christ was crucified 'because he was affecting the economy." Huh? "He was healing the sick, and the doctors got mad,' White said. 'He was raising the dead, and all the funeral home directors got mad.'"

finally, i've been laughing for three weeks at the following joke: "what's the hardest thing about rollerblading?"

could i have been anyone other than me?

recently i've been complaining to my nerdy neighbors* at television without pity about the complete catastrophe that is friday night lights season II. my specific gripe about the current season is that it lacks a compelling, overarching metanarrative** such as the "win state" theme that dominated the first season. on account of the missing meta, the stories of the players, families and townies that once converged so beautifully have devolved into trite stories that add little if anything to the Story of the town and its team.

i mention this because i've been musing about my personal meta lately.

for the first quarter century of my life baseball was not merely a my consuming passion, but it provided the narrative framework by which i understood, evaluated and envisioned my life. although i rarely, if ever, mention it here as a kid i played a lot of baseball and played most of it poorly. i think that if i had not understood the fundamentals of hitting or been able to break off a nasty curve, the story of baseball wouldn't have held much sway. but, alas, at twelve years of age i could explain the fundamentals of rod carew's swing, was learning to i set up the heat with the circle change and yet had still found a way to fail my way through almost every level of little league and competitive ball. i had a beautiful swing, but couldn't stay in the box for fear of the ball. likewise, my fastball had plenty of heat and not a little hop, but i could never control my mechanics or my raging temper, long enough to pitch with anything approaching consistency. i loved baseball more than any of my peers, but by the age of thirteen i realized i was a van poppel-esque pitcher whose stuff would never pan out. for this reason, i internalized the story of the failed prospect, found myself umpiring games while friends starred on varsity and doubted that i would ever excel at something that i loved.

fortunately, over the past five years, i've finally started to accept a new meta for my life. now, instead of considering myself a failed prospect who will never be able to turn tools*** into results, i've received a new meta, that of a servant, and have begun to suspect that i have the ability to successfully live this story out.

don't get me wrong, far more often than i would like to admit i still fixate on the few moments when my deuce was dropping for strikes, i had enough emotional control to sustain my mechanics and standing on a twelve inch mound felt like straddling olympus. in those moments, i grieve for my inability to succeed at the game i love so much and still feel like the prospect who will always find a way to fuck things up.

but, thanks be to the God, most days i am focused on the new meta that stretches before me and i somehow find the strength to scribble my way forward.


* and pretty much anyone else who will listen.
** or, as the cool kids at twop call it, a "meta."
*** be they of a baseball, academic or pastoral nature.

linkage

welcome to the fatosphere where, presumably, the biggest losers have far less to talk about.

wal-mart chief offers a social manifesto. wouldn't it be amazing if wal-mart is able to utilize their market share, dominion over suppliers and international influence in order to provoke positive environmental practices and serve its customers in a more holistic manner? if wal-mart continues to achieve some level of success in these initiatives they might just win over one more customer.

nick hornby, one of the contemporary kings of the common reader, interviews david simon, a television producer who is a little less enamored with the average reader. one poo dollar will be awarded to the first person to identify both of the television shows simon has created.

finally, i'm really excited about this hbo miniseries. i really enjoyed the book* the series is based on and think that hbo last military miniseries was pretty damn good.

* tip-o-the-hat to josh brown.

nine month vitals

height: 30"
weight: 19 lbs., 10 oz.
mobility: crawlking
super power: liberating laptop keys
keywords: hi!,* mama and da
watching: the wire, season 3
singing: "milkshake"** by kelis
forbidden fruit: duracell batteries

* a greeting he only offers himself, while glancing in a mirror.
** as seen here.

reader/response

in the midst of the forgotten ways alan hirsch argues that the church would be more effective at developing committed disciples and transformational leaders if christians encouraged one another to "act our way into a new way of thinking" rather than trying to "think our way into a new way of acting."*

as one who has long tried, and often failed, to think my way into a new way of acting, i found hirsch's suggestion intriguing. i have long thought that i learned more about pastoral ministry by serving the core members of l'arche and have connected with God much more naturally when i have intentionally entered into silence and set aside the prefabricated, a.c.t.s.** model of prayer.

if christian leaders were to follow hirsch's suggestion by seeking to shape Christ followers more in the context of action than a context of abstraction,*** we would need to constantly encourage experiences, practices and settings that would empower young believers who are seeking to effectively love God, love people and contribute to their communities.

so i'm wondering, what experiences, practices and/or settings have helped you learn how to love God and/or other people more passionately and proficiently?****

please take a moment to help this brother out. if i'm ever going to exchange a ministry of abstraction for one of applied wisdom, i'm going to need your help!

* emphasis his. pg. 122.
** for the (fortunately) uninitiated, a.c.t.s. is an acrostic that reminds young prayer warriors to adore God, confess sin, thank God before inserting one's supplications into God's sanctified in-bow.
*** read: classroom.
**** please note: i do not for one moment think that Christ followers have cornered the market on love. people of all, and no, religions are more than welcome to contribute to the conversation.

too funny


on a more cereal note, in today's edition of the nyt online, sarah vowell pens a beautiful op-ed about the legacy of MLK, her own evangelical history and her hope that our next president follows in at least a few of MLK's steps. if you have a moment, please take the time to read radical love gets a holiday. i think it is one of the best short pieces i've read in years.

four seasons of the wire in four minutes*



* obviously, spoilers are included.

cha.ris.ma!





words fail me.*







* well, at least words that i'm willing to post in this space.

overheard: edgy church breaks old rules, insists on new ones

ROCHESTER, Minn. — At The Circle, a young, innovative church which meets in a renovated bus depot, there is no pulpit, platform or pastor, as such. The congregation rejects the labels "Christian" and "congregation," preferring "followers of Jesus" and "friendship community."
There are no ushers, but rather "helpers."
There is no worship team, but rather "God artists."
And woe to anyone who affixes traditional church labels to any of it.
"God's doing a new thing here," says Mitch Townsend, the leader of the church. He shuns the "pastor" label and insists people call him, "Hey, man," or simply "Dude." If someone slips and calls him "pastor," he bristles and gently rebukes them.
"We got rid of all those old labels," he says. "There's no going back."

continue reading

musing...

in a archived interview on hbo.com david simon, the creator of the wire, mentioned that omar little is the only character on the show that does not curse. simon suggested that omar's inoffensive language is a reflection of the fact that he has not submitted himself to an institution that has failed him and so produced the "debased language of those who are subject to the caprices and indifferences of the institutions they serve." in sum, omar does not curse because he has not capitulated to cynicism that rules the hearts of the other characters.

i was struck by simon's exposition of omar's character, since, by all accounts, omar is one of the most ruthless, violent residents of simon's blighted baltimore. omar is a child of the projects who robs drug dealers of their product for a living, will not hesitate to shoot a hopper who refuses to hand over the product and yet still finds time to find his "church crowned" granny to church once a month. omar piles up as many bodies as anyone, yet he will not deviate from his code by killing civilians, working for hire or distributing his spoils to his neighbors.

obviously, i am not interested in living by omar's particular code, but i am interested in relentlessly upholding the code or calling that Christ has imprinted upon my life. as i reflect upon omar's oddly inspiring life, i wish that my awareness of God's Kingdom, belief in holistic reconciliation and commitment to compassionate incarnation was so overwhelming that i felt compelled to exchange the cynical, despairing words that often proceed from my lips for words that more adequately reflect the beauty, truth and goodness of the God i serve. here's to living a life and utilizing language that is, in its own way, as focused, integrous and committed as omar little's.

overheard

"it was david bosch who rightly noted that 'discipleship is determined by relation to Christ himself not by mere conformity to impersonal commands. the context of this is not in the classroom (where 'teaching' normally takes place), or even in the church, but in the world.* to be true, evangelical thinking reverberates with this idea. we emphasize the primacy of our relationship with Jesus and not to mere ideas about him, and we claim that this is an all-of-life phenomenon, but it is our lifestyle practices and not our thinking that constantly let us down in this matter." - alan hirsch, the forgotten ways, pg. 113

Christ does not call us to visit prisoners, feed the poor and clothe the naked so that we can develop a virtuous life. rather, Christ calls us to visit prisoners, feed the poor and clothe the naked because it is within such groups of people that He most fully dwells.

historically, i have been more concerned with my failure to maintain consistent quiet times, keep up with contemporary theology and fully invest in my pastoral "profession," than i have been concerned with loving my enemies, listening to the broken and breaking bread with the bedraggled. reading the statement above reminded me that unless i serve and sacrifice myself on behalf of the least, biblical knowledge and personal piety are of little or no value. for this reason, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, i hope to refocus my life on moving towards the center of all things and trusting that in the process of doing so the theological and spiritual details will work themselves out.

i think this personal movement from a "bounded set" view of christianity to a more "centered set" perspective is as important for the community of God as it is for this little disciple. i would like to spend a few moments explicating the latter movement but am going to spend a few more moments serving Christ instead.

* d. bosch, transforming mission (maryknoll, ny: orbis, 1991), 67.

snow day!

mid-morning time waster: theological threads


today, due to 6 - 12 inches of snow in the hub, i am off of work. so i'm spending the day with little p, continuing to prep for my hebrew course and thinking up ideas for inappropriate christian t-shirts.

the shirt that's pictured above is currently available from lark news for $17.99. i'd love to pick it up for the pix, but, seeing as i'm broke, in lieu of such purchases i am going to produce my own christian t's instead. so, here are a few slogans i'm currently considering. i am entrusting cade with the task of visual design, but where i have ideas, i've offered them.

1. "seduced by sunday school"*
2. "if you're looking to homer, i'm your gomer"
3. "MK and Awkward"
4. i'm the s _ _ _ solomon warned you about**
5. this shirt wouldn't have a slogan, but would feature an open Bible on the front and a smoking bowl*** on the back****

as always, your submissions are welcome.

* this text would be super imposed on one of those trashy lady silhouettes that adorn truck stops and are featured on these threads.
**
*** of course, the bowl i'm talking about here would come from a "tobacco pipe."
****i think the .09% of the population who would understand this shirt would absolutely love it.

Who Knew that Cloth Diapering is Good for the Faith?
Submitted by the Pixie*


Kathy, Preston’s day sitter, has suggested that we expand his BumGenius diapers to the third snap because diapers are supposed to go all the way up to the belly button. Now this may not seem like a big thing, but I’m not sure that I’m ready to have him wearing the fully expanded diapers at 9 months. I know our kid is looong but the diapers are supposed to last through potty training – what am I supposed to go to next if he outgrows the largest fitting?!! Thus began an in depth search of cottonbabies.com to see exactly how Preston’s cloth diapers are supposed to fit. I still haven’t found the answer to my question but I did find this:

Introducing Diaper Grants for Missionaries

How cool is that? Our diapers are made by Christians!! So we’re not crazy, crunchy, liberal, environmentally crazed New Englanders - we’re supporting the spread of Gospel...and preventing the spread of the super poo.

* with linkage by g13.

doulos


trees are burning
children laughing
silence the self-critique

down sequestered roads
where sanitation goes
laurel and hardy await the meet

rant

"you'll never go broke underestimating the intelligence of the american public." ~p.t. barnum

homiletical musing...

throughout the christmas season the pix and i had an opportunity to attend three separate services at my home church in tulsa, ok. throughout each of these services, as well as the service we attended at kellie's parents' church in amarillo, tx in october, i was surprised by the individualistic aims of the sermons. for instance, a sermon on Christ's birth was thematically focused on "God's gift for you*" and a sermon on paul's fascinating "house table" of community ethics in colossians 3 was transformed into "your extreme personal makeover." if memory serves, one of the first principles of homiletics I is audience analysis. thus, one would suspect that educated preachers would address communal texts to the community of Christ instead of transforming communal texts into paeans to personal growth.

of course, as i review my recent sermons and rifle through cringe worthy sermons of old, i am well aware that i have been guilty of error on far too many occasions.** however, i think it is worthwhile for those of us who worship the God of community and regularly attempt to deliver God's Word to His community, to remember that God's focus has always been upon, Christ our Lord came to save, the Holy Spirit chooses to indwell and we are called to sacrificially serve a community. here's to hoping that our future sermons will more adequately reflect our values.


* i'm assuming that the preacher was focused on the 2nd person singular form of the personal pronoun in this instance. since we were in oklahoma, if he had wanted to say y'all, he darn sure would have said y'all.
** examples (mercifully) omitted.

reader/response

on account of barnes and noble gift cards and additional eagerly received gifts, i am currently engaging in a media orgy. one of the most fascinating books i am currently reading is the forgotten ways by alan hirsch.

early on in the book, hirsch persuasively argues that the western church will not be able to effectively participate in Christ's ongoing mission of redemption if we do not reconsider and re-envision our ecclesiology. drawing on an i.t. analogy, hirsch suggests that the church needs to quit focusing on software such as church growth techniques so that we can focus on fully redesigning our hardware, which - i think - he would define as our functional ecclesiology. in sum, hirsch is suggesting that the church will not operate effectively and efficiently unless the objectives and aims of the church are carefully redesigned and comprehensively embraced by the community of Christ.

i'm still working through hirsch's argument at this point, but i think his assessment of the western church's malnourished ecclesiology and his call to ecclesiological revitalization is prescient. moreover, since hirsch is a progeny of the Church of Christ/Disciples of Christ/Independent* Christian Church, Church of Christ, a movement that is deeply rooted in missional pragmatism and almost completely free of creedal or institutional impediments, i think he is well situated to explore creative ways to incarnate Christ and participate in his mission in the postmodern world.

since i, and not a few of my readers, share hirsch's campellite roots, i think we should listen carefully to his argument and consider ourselves blessed to participate in a tradition that is, ideologically at least, open to innovation. i know that there are a number of self-ordained "big men" in the campbellite tradition who either hesitant to embrace ecclesiological innovation or eager to condemn it outright. however, since our "big men" are bereft of institutional and theological authority, emerging leaders are completely free to carefully rethink our understanding of the Church and pursue Christ's mission as we please.

i am grateful for this freedom and more convinced than ever that we should follow in the footsteps of our innovative forbears by participating in Christ's mission in new, meaningful and powerful ways.

if you're interested in this discussion at all, i would love to hear what you have to say.

* i have long thought that the phrase "independent christian church" is a rather ridiculous oxymoron and my opinion on this matter is not likely to change.

rant...


brothers and sisters, as much as it pains me to say it, i am convinced that we have an ass crack epidemic on our hands.

in years past, i'd occasionally have an unrequited and (usually) wholly unappealing glimpse of a fat crack and five dollar thong, but lately i can't look to my right or left without being accosted by crack.

just on this trip alone, pix and i were subjected to a full-on glimpse of a wide crack ass that was not only half unsheathed, but sprouting black hairs. later, on one of our unfortunate trips to a commerce carnival, we saw a young woman who wore stylish black slacks that were quickly creeping towards the lower rims of her ass. even worse, she was toting along her young son and daughter who were sporting low-slung pampers and proudly displaying finely powdered and (as of yet) completely undimpled ass.

now i'm not calling anyone out here and will let all offenders remain anonymous. but if you are not a plumber, subjected to prison blues or being solicited for a vanity fair photo shoot, i would ask that when in public you properly sheathe your rapidly degenerating ass. proper coverage will not only please God but will secure my appetite and will help teenagers conserve water.

that is all. more meaningful posts to follow.

a place for a manger

throughout the christmas season, the boston globe has been featuring a series of stories on Ma Siss' Place and the Quincy Street Missional Church in dorchester, massachusetts. through city on a hill and my friendship with aaron graham, i have had the opportunity to worship, serve and eat with the good folks at quincy street on a couple of occasions. if Christ's first Advent had taken place today, i think Ma Siss' former chop shop would be a fitting substitute for bethlehem's stable.

when you get a moment, please take a moment to peruse michael paulson's excellent series on Ma Siss' redemptive community.

part one: birth - from a dorchester chop shop, a place to pray
part two: mission - a call to serve, and to lead
part three: crisis - a crisis year, and a christmas comeback
part four: future - and who, now, will lead them?

may Christ's shalom be with you and yours throughout this holiest of holiday seasons.

maranatha

i came, i saw, i scrawled
searching for significance
by clustering consonants and arranging vowels

your words, my words
less a lens than a house of straw
the huff and puff of anxiety a threat to it all

still i work
less out of expectation
than an attempt to avoid waiting

the wolf at the door
the baby cries awake
scratching is the sound i make

rant


when i first moved to new england i assumed that i would be surrounded by thick skinned winter warriors who knew how to drive on ice, maintain the status quo in a foot of snow and laugh in the face of southerners who quake at the mere sight of a snowflake.

after seven years in the region i can confidently conclude that i couldn't have been more wrong.

the greater boston area is expecting 3 to 8 inches of snow today and a single flake has yet to fall, but schools are already closing early, offices (such as my own) are shuttering at noon and the state is already paying new hampshire profiteers to clear uncluttered streets and roads.

when it comes to snow, new englanders are remarkably infantile and pathetic. back home, we would routinely drive through horizontal rain and maintain our composure in the midst of tornadoes. but here in new england, only local heroes will walk through a snow storm to secure a much needed gallon of milk. like i said, pathetic.

recently consumed

a couple of weeks ago i perused the nyt's 100 notable books of 2007 and decided to knock of a couple of the top fiction pics while i was recovering from sinus surgery. i meant to get a little more reading accomplished during my five days "off," but i only knocked back the books listed below.


then we came to the end, by joshua ferris
since this novel about a failing advertising agency has often been compared to the office, i thought it would be filled with snarky characters and riddled with cutting dialog. however, the tone of the book was quite different than that of the t.v. show. then we came to the end is not a comedy so much as it is a corporate character study on the way we - and i use that pronoun quite literally since most of the sentences have a 1st person plural subject - often loathe, sometimes love and always rely on our work. while reading the novel i did not laugh often, but i was often struck by ferris' insight into corporate politics and colleague relations. if you think you're interested, i'd recommend picking it up in the library when you get a chance. it's not a book that i would shell out money for, but i suspect ferris will pen purchase worthy tales in the future.


the abstinence teacher, by tom perotta
this is the story of a middle-aged, progressive sex-ed teacher who opens her mouth to discuss oral sex only to have a true love waits curriculum shoved down her throat, and a smoked out, divorced deadhead whose been captured by Jesus and called to keep his promises.* within the context of the affluent northeastern suburb in which they live, these two characters somehow stumble into the midst of the so called culture wars and unexpectedly find their lives intertwined in more ways than one. although i thought perotta's portrait of evangelicalism was a tad simplistic, especially in regards to the variety of evangelical we grow up here in the godforsaken cesspool of liberalism, i was overwhelmed by his ability to portray the transformation that takes place when partisans truly receive the other. the abstinence teacher is a moving book that i heartily recommend to one and all.

what's up next?

i'm going to try and finish krakauer's under the banner of heaven because i've come too far to quit and i have heard too many good things about alan hirsch's the forgotten ways to ignore the complimentary copy dr. james so graciously provided for much longer. i'm also thinking about continuing my nyt trend by diving into dennis johnson's tree of smoke and have been itching to taste a little berry lately, so i'll probably give nathan coulter a go sooner or later.

is there anything you've recently consumed and would recommend? if so, do tell.

* is that a tortured sentence or what? its a wonder i ever passed comp II.

protect your test-o-clees*



* hat tip to buster olney @ espn.com.

captivated by a clown

note to self: avoid all future seminars on cocaine and the mystical christ

for the record...

the blank page doesn't fear me.

for the rest of us



if jim halpert was the acting manager at rectangle, he'd probably approach holidays in much the same way that he approached birthdays. thus instead of throwing a half-a-dozen, relatively meaningless, rather expensive and wholly unproductive celebrations throughout the year he'd probably establish one previously inconsequential day as festivus and would throw a vending machine catered and tastefully, florescent lit party for one and all.

i don't know if i would do what jim would do, but i think such an action would make sense.

further, if jim was acting manager at rectangle, he either wouldn't participate in stupid gift exchanges with his co-workers or would abolish secret santas, white elephant or other such ignorant schemes altogether. although he is generally a congenial guy, jim wouldn't be roped into buying a gift for his superiors when his minimal yearly commission would make it financially unreasonable to purchase a little something for pam.

i can neither confirm nor deny whether i would support such plans, but i can clearly comprehend jim's logic.

finally, if jim was acting manager at rectangle, he'd undoubtedly be his funny, engaging self, ever eager to pull a prank on andy or catch up with toby over a coffee. however, he would not be desperate enough to make work the social center of his little life and would probably skip out of the festivus party in midstream in order to share a romantic drink with pam on the roof or play a little uninterrupted game of ping pong with darrell.

in regards to the latter, i cannot say i would follow in his steps exactly, but my path would be roughly parallel.

of course, jim isn't the acting manager at rectangle, so the reasonable folk who work there will in no way be rescued from the ignorant, annoying and inefficient schemes of the party planning committee. gee whiz...let the fun begin!

overheard: the nyt shares tales of jewish emergence



i am really exhausted and would rather sleep than summarize this article completely, but tonight i stumbled across the new york times* front page and was surprised to find a fascinating story about emergent forms of jewish worship.

apparently a number of young jews throughout the country are starting lay led, gender inclusive "independent prayer groups, or minyanim" where people of the faith are gathering to read the Torah, sing songs of the faith and search for a "sense of sacred community." how cool is that? i hope that the good folks at jewcy are involved.

if you know more about this emerging form of jewish worship, feel free to drop a comment below. i'd love to learn more about this developing movement.

* cnn.com you are dead to me. since you're so dead set on snorting cocaine off of britney's ass, i'm switching my allegiance to the nyt. salut.

unsolicited opinions...

mc lovin'

1. my son: as if you didn't already know that.
2. the pix's pecan pie: 2,000 calories of crunchy, molasses sweet, septic shock inducing glory.
3. seth rogen: partnering up with kevin smith to shoot zack and miri shoot a phono.
4. dr. james as john proctor: dude damn near knocked my knickers off. seriously.
5. free money: thank you family foundations and keep it coming. baby needs a new pair of shoes!

eh...

1. the boston celtics and the nba: love the free tickets, hate the sloppy play and the simultaneously demeaning and demanding scoreboard. i'll clap my hands when i am gosh darn good and ready!
2. jon krakauer's under the banner of heaven: hey, i hate the polygamists too, but some of the simplistic faith vs. reason theologising really bugs.
3. nick hornby's slam: sure, i devoured it in two days, but about a boy and high fidelity it is not.
4. band of brothers: intriguing story and quality cast, but the narrative arcs are not definitively sketched and the dirge like tone gets a little old. take a lesson from your allies easy by learning to always look on the bright side of life. i think a revision is in order. that episode about pvt. blithe just about killed me. wow.
5. christmas: hate the music, hate consumerism, hate obligatory gifts, hate claymation but afraid to offend fred claus.

hatin'

1. fnl: i'm glad the writers went on strike since scabs could surely do better. memo to mr. berg: win state is a legitimate, season long metanarrative. wfw (or who f'd who) is not.
2. micromana...uh, hate feeling the freedom to holler the things i hate. once bitten, twice shy i suppose.
3. dizzy dean: the dog who submitted to the sodium pentothol i always threatened. that is one irony i could live without.
4. extreme home makeover: dying of a terrible disease? taking care of your eighteen nieces and nephews? tractor tore your testicles clean off? here's what you need? the american dream! once you increase that carbon footprint, turn on that plasma screen and soak in your hot tub for twenty, you'll feel all better!
5. my taste in movies: even with all scruples considered, i will not be able to dis zack and miri on opening weekend. i know, i know. indefensable.

consider yourself solicited.