a quick thought
last night i told a local minister, my wife and a close friend that my tradition often uses altar calls. in fact, in my childhood a church service wouldn't have been complete without one.
i also told the group, probably with more pride than i would like to admit, that i have never offered a traditional altar call, but i have offered opportunities for christians to react to the call of reconciliation, to bury their hatchets with their brothers and sisters and get on with the mission of Christ.
now that i think of it, i may have offered an altar call or to when i was doing supply preaching in little churches throughout central illinois. but i'm getting off point.
what i unexpectedly realized in the midst of this brief conversation with the aforementioned crew, is that if the altar call focuses solely on calling those outside the church to repent of their sin and come in, and if no corresponding imperative of equal or greater force is placed upon the confessional, cruciform community during the same service, then i think the altar call is a cowardly device that focuses attention on the perceived deficits of those outside of the community and so enables the community to ignore its own inability to walk in the way of Jesus.
that being said, i think that calls to action, altar calls and the like have a place within the confessing community. however, i think that most of these imperatives should be aimed at those of who have chosen to follow instead of those who dwell outside or on the margins of our community.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
epitaph: they went for this...political bullshit about narratives
although peggy noonan's comment was in response to the palin selection, the same could be said about joe the plumber. you'd think that mccain would have discarded this poorly researched, dang near catastrophic illustration by now. but no, he's still prattling on about the unlicensed, tax dodging, duplicitous plumber.
for such a smart man, mccain sure is running a stupid campaign.
although peggy noonan's comment was in response to the palin selection, the same could be said about joe the plumber. you'd think that mccain would have discarded this poorly researched, dang near catastrophic illustration by now. but no, he's still prattling on about the unlicensed, tax dodging, duplicitous plumber.
for such a smart man, mccain sure is running a stupid campaign.
Friday, October 17, 2008
set aside your anxiety by serving others
i'm starting to suspect that during this season of economic distress the best way to fight anxiety is to serve others.
i'm starting to suspect that during this season of economic distress the best way to fight anxiety is to serve others.one concrete way you can serve during this season is by dedicating a small portion of your food budget to a local food pantry. beverly bootstraps, our local food pantry, has seen demand increase exponentially over the past couple of months. bootstraps receives tons of community donations, but the volume of donations has not kept pace with local need. check out the figures below:
from january to june 2007 bootstraps purchased $7,339 worth of extra food in order to meet local demand.
from january to june 2008 bootstraps had to purchase $19,647 worth of extra food in order to meet local demand.
i suspect that 95% of you can dedicate at least $10 of your food budget to purchasing bread, cereal and non-perishable goods to your local food pantry. please don't miss this opportunity to fight anxiety by serving your neighbors.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
plagiarize this
at last night's cohort meeting we welcomed a pastor and first time attender named jeff. at some point in the evening he mentioned that during last sunday's sermon he told the congregation to take a moment and take a good, long look at the people around them because:
"the people you see are your social security. in times of economic hardship and strife our real dependence is not upon the government, but upon each other."
that really struck a cord with me. what a creative way to challenge people to set aside their fear in order to trust God and one another.
at last night's cohort meeting we welcomed a pastor and first time attender named jeff. at some point in the evening he mentioned that during last sunday's sermon he told the congregation to take a moment and take a good, long look at the people around them because:
"the people you see are your social security. in times of economic hardship and strife our real dependence is not upon the government, but upon each other."
that really struck a cord with me. what a creative way to challenge people to set aside their fear in order to trust God and one another.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Hijacked by Pixie
Last night it was suggested by a friend that Jeff bore a close enough resemblance to Matisyahu to shed his monk's robes and don a beard for Halloween.
What do you think?
Last night it was suggested by a friend that Jeff bore a close enough resemblance to Matisyahu to shed his monk's robes and don a beard for Halloween.
What do you think?
overheard
today's slate has an interesting article that explores signs of revitalization in catholic religious life. it's good to hear of new communities such as the clear creek monastery that are able to do more than geriatric care.
in related news, this weekend as i donned a pre-fab habit in order to call, entice and cajole people to attend death by chocolate i couldn't help but realize that i have become something i once denounced. namely, someone who embroiders his internal life on his sleeve.
i cannot tell you how many times i have ridiculed goths and punks for expressing their protest through costly fashion trends. now i eagerly wrap myself in the garb i would have liked to have lived, if marital privileges and mlb all access had been included with the bargain.
i hope that one of these days i can find a form of condemnation that does lead to retribution.
today's slate has an interesting article that explores signs of revitalization in catholic religious life. it's good to hear of new communities such as the clear creek monastery that are able to do more than geriatric care.
in related news, this weekend as i donned a pre-fab habit in order to call, entice and cajole people to attend death by chocolate i couldn't help but realize that i have become something i once denounced. namely, someone who embroiders his internal life on his sleeve.
i cannot tell you how many times i have ridiculed goths and punks for expressing their protest through costly fashion trends. now i eagerly wrap myself in the garb i would have liked to have lived, if marital privileges and mlb all access had been included with the bargain.
i hope that one of these days i can find a form of condemnation that does lead to retribution.
Monday, October 13, 2008
awesome*
david plotz muses on hollywood apocalyptic, n.r.a. overcompensation and the identity of latter day wolverines!
if red dawn plagued your dreams as a child or you just can't get enough of c. thomas howell chugging blood, be sure to check out today's slate.
* rick bennett also supports this message.
david plotz muses on hollywood apocalyptic, n.r.a. overcompensation and the identity of latter day wolverines!if red dawn plagued your dreams as a child or you just can't get enough of c. thomas howell chugging blood, be sure to check out today's slate.
* rick bennett also supports this message.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
so this weekend
i had the privilege of co-leading an event called "death by chocolate" at the salem gathering.
simply stated, the event gave people the opportunity to taste delicious, fair-trade chocolate and introduced our guests to the story of chaga, a young boy who was enslaved on the cocoa fields of the ivory coast.
after devouring the chocolate and listening to chaga's story, guests were offered information about the current slavery epidemic (studies suggest that 15% of cocoa field workers are child slaves and a terrifying large proportion of young girls engaged in the sex trade are enslaved as well) and were offered suggested steps for further action.
over 400 people attended the event and we're hoping it inspired a couple of dozen to start buying free trade products and incited a future abolitionist or two as well.
all and all, it was an amazing weekend! many thanks to anita coco and the not-for-sale boston crew for making this weekend happen. thank you for inviting me along for the ride!
i had the privilege of co-leading an event called "death by chocolate" at the salem gathering.simply stated, the event gave people the opportunity to taste delicious, fair-trade chocolate and introduced our guests to the story of chaga, a young boy who was enslaved on the cocoa fields of the ivory coast.
after devouring the chocolate and listening to chaga's story, guests were offered information about the current slavery epidemic (studies suggest that 15% of cocoa field workers are child slaves and a terrifying large proportion of young girls engaged in the sex trade are enslaved as well) and were offered suggested steps for further action.
over 400 people attended the event and we're hoping it inspired a couple of dozen to start buying free trade products and incited a future abolitionist or two as well.
all and all, it was an amazing weekend! many thanks to anita coco and the not-for-sale boston crew for making this weekend happen. thank you for inviting me along for the ride!
Friday, October 10, 2008
file under: sweeping generalizations
this evening, while reading the crunchy con blog, i ran across the following quote from peter suderman concerning "why the republicans are so bad at communicating."
"One of the major problems with the contemporary right, broadly speaking, is that when it comes to communication, it's good at manipulation, but it's not very good at conversation. That makes it fairly effective when it comes to TV ads and speeches, which are one-way broadcast mediums. That's great for telling people what to do, and the GOP, especially in the Rove era, has become masterful at figuring at ways -- usually involving fear, of change, of the other, of political enemies -- to tell people what to do in ways that will actually get them to follow instructions."
now read the quote again, but substitute the term "conservative evangelicalism" for "contemporary right" and "the GOP."
maybe it's just me, but i find the critique fits both the GOP and much of evangelicalism quite well. the second part of the critique, which i've posted below, seems to apply to both groups also:
"But it's borderline catastrophic when it comes to new media, which emphasizes networked interactivity -- which is where the left, online or off, seems to shine. Part of this is the way the right appeals to authority while the left appeals to community. The left's infrastructure has always (and unremarkably) emphasized communal action -- whether in 60s and 70s anti-war protests or in Alinsky-style community organizing . It also has a lot to do with modern conservatism's trouble with doubt: For decades, the right has had trouble with ambiguity (Postmodern Conservatism doesn't seem strange for no reason), and systems without authority and hierarchy -- systems like the web -- are inherently ambiguous."
i'm not trying to throw bombs here. i just think that suderman's critiques are worth considering.
ht: rod dreher
this evening, while reading the crunchy con blog, i ran across the following quote from peter suderman concerning "why the republicans are so bad at communicating."
"One of the major problems with the contemporary right, broadly speaking, is that when it comes to communication, it's good at manipulation, but it's not very good at conversation. That makes it fairly effective when it comes to TV ads and speeches, which are one-way broadcast mediums. That's great for telling people what to do, and the GOP, especially in the Rove era, has become masterful at figuring at ways -- usually involving fear, of change, of the other, of political enemies -- to tell people what to do in ways that will actually get them to follow instructions."
now read the quote again, but substitute the term "conservative evangelicalism" for "contemporary right" and "the GOP."
maybe it's just me, but i find the critique fits both the GOP and much of evangelicalism quite well. the second part of the critique, which i've posted below, seems to apply to both groups also:
"But it's borderline catastrophic when it comes to new media, which emphasizes networked interactivity -- which is where the left, online or off, seems to shine. Part of this is the way the right appeals to authority while the left appeals to community. The left's infrastructure has always (and unremarkably) emphasized communal action -- whether in 60s and 70s anti-war protests or in Alinsky-style community organizing . It also has a lot to do with modern conservatism's trouble with doubt: For decades, the right has had trouble with ambiguity (Postmodern Conservatism doesn't seem strange for no reason), and systems without authority and hierarchy -- systems like the web -- are inherently ambiguous."
i'm not trying to throw bombs here. i just think that suderman's critiques are worth considering.
ht: rod dreher
Thursday, October 09, 2008
musing...
i have always been particular about my pens. when i was in high school i preferred the uniball onyx micro in blue. everything from my indexed notes on the religious right to the d-quality homework for geometry class was scratched with the exacting point of the onyx pen.
shortly after entering college i developed a penchant for the uniball vision .7mm in black. this medium point, ink profusive pen enabled me to write boldly about my narcissistic struggles with identity, indifference concerning the early or late date of the exodus and my first simplistic, essay inspired sermons.
fortunately late in college, while on a bus bumbling through southern europe, trent seggelke introduced me to the black pilot g-2 .7mm pen. the g-2 produced a line almost as bold as the vision, but it also featured a refillable cartridge and a protective rubber grip. unfortunately the g-2 did not follow the vision by including a clear, plastic, color coded top that was easy to pop off, chew on and suction stick to my inner lip, but in general i considered it an exceptional tool. thus, as the g-2 graveyard in my desk attests, this pen received my unswerving allegiance for the past nine years. i have written completely forgettable exegesis papers and sermons with the g-2, stroked love notes to my former girlfriend and current, remarkably gracious and eternally forbearing, wife, and penned brilliant copy for the faith of george w. bush that produced thousands of dollars in sales for lightway.com.
throughout the years my signature pen has changed, but my penchant for ink has not. i can still remember professor johnson bemusedly remarking that i always completed my greek homework in pen as though i was certain my answers were correct.
i'm not so certain anymore.
in the past few weeks, i've set aside the pen and picked up a pencil, any pencil, that allows me to render my halting, half-believed sentences with an instrument that encourages revision and suggests impermanence. as i've grown a little older my confidence in my assertions, which i've always presented with more certainty than i ever felt, has waned and inking my shifting thoughts and unbelieving beliefs has started to seem a bit hypocritical and very impractical.*
all this is not to say that i am without hope or am ashamed of the gospel that i eagerly serve. i simply realize that life requires an eraser and little that i say is worthy of permanence.
i have always been particular about my pens. when i was in high school i preferred the uniball onyx micro in blue. everything from my indexed notes on the religious right to the d-quality homework for geometry class was scratched with the exacting point of the onyx pen.shortly after entering college i developed a penchant for the uniball vision .7mm in black. this medium point, ink profusive pen enabled me to write boldly about my narcissistic struggles with identity, indifference concerning the early or late date of the exodus and my first simplistic, essay inspired sermons.
fortunately late in college, while on a bus bumbling through southern europe, trent seggelke introduced me to the black pilot g-2 .7mm pen. the g-2 produced a line almost as bold as the vision, but it also featured a refillable cartridge and a protective rubber grip. unfortunately the g-2 did not follow the vision by including a clear, plastic, color coded top that was easy to pop off, chew on and suction stick to my inner lip, but in general i considered it an exceptional tool. thus, as the g-2 graveyard in my desk attests, this pen received my unswerving allegiance for the past nine years. i have written completely forgettable exegesis papers and sermons with the g-2, stroked love notes to my former girlfriend and current, remarkably gracious and eternally forbearing, wife, and penned brilliant copy for the faith of george w. bush that produced thousands of dollars in sales for lightway.com.
throughout the years my signature pen has changed, but my penchant for ink has not. i can still remember professor johnson bemusedly remarking that i always completed my greek homework in pen as though i was certain my answers were correct.
i'm not so certain anymore.
in the past few weeks, i've set aside the pen and picked up a pencil, any pencil, that allows me to render my halting, half-believed sentences with an instrument that encourages revision and suggests impermanence. as i've grown a little older my confidence in my assertions, which i've always presented with more certainty than i ever felt, has waned and inking my shifting thoughts and unbelieving beliefs has started to seem a bit hypocritical and very impractical.*
all this is not to say that i am without hope or am ashamed of the gospel that i eagerly serve. i simply realize that life requires an eraser and little that i say is worthy of permanence.
* as attested by the six pair of inked pants that are currently crammed into the corners of my closet
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
a good night*
the cubs are well on their way to a three and out and friday night lights finally returned to form after a miserable second season.
i won't say much about the cubs getting man-rammed since you can catch the highlights either on the tube or online.
however, as much as i am ashamed to admit it, i am as excited about fnl's revitalization as i was about the final season of the wire. week one featured a blessed return to culturally distressed, football-centric dillon, where quarterbacks lead the most plausible subversions of the status quo, family values fail to escape the election booth and the natural light flows like wine. after a year filled with licentious cna's, murdered lechers and the odd john irving references, the show has once again made a believer** out of me. god bless texas.
* please note: this post will only interest my three readers who watch fnl, have direct tv and/or love to hate the scrubs.
** and, admittedly, a little bit of a doubter as well. questions raised during week one: when is the revitalized oil industry going to revitalize dillion? i don't think that they're importing saudi's to man those derricks that are popping up from tulsa to abilene. billy should already have a job. how does a woman, in west texas, transition from guidance counselor to high school principal? i mean, has this ever happened in recorded history? ever!? where the hell is street and is his, probably not aborted, child as hideous as baby taylor? how did lyla set aside casting crowns and curb her focus on the family man? did she curb him american history x style under the portico at the mega-church? if so, i hope the church's security camera captured the footage. did the galoot graduate? if so, something tells me he didn't get into dillon tech. did applebee's cancel their sponsorship? i can't think of a better way to advertise a shitty american chain than by making it the hub of a shitty american town.
the cubs are well on their way to a three and out and friday night lights finally returned to form after a miserable second season.i won't say much about the cubs getting man-rammed since you can catch the highlights either on the tube or online.
however, as much as i am ashamed to admit it, i am as excited about fnl's revitalization as i was about the final season of the wire. week one featured a blessed return to culturally distressed, football-centric dillon, where quarterbacks lead the most plausible subversions of the status quo, family values fail to escape the election booth and the natural light flows like wine. after a year filled with licentious cna's, murdered lechers and the odd john irving references, the show has once again made a believer** out of me. god bless texas.
* please note: this post will only interest my three readers who watch fnl, have direct tv and/or love to hate the scrubs.
** and, admittedly, a little bit of a doubter as well. questions raised during week one: when is the revitalized oil industry going to revitalize dillion? i don't think that they're importing saudi's to man those derricks that are popping up from tulsa to abilene. billy should already have a job. how does a woman, in west texas, transition from guidance counselor to high school principal? i mean, has this ever happened in recorded history? ever!? where the hell is street and is his, probably not aborted, child as hideous as baby taylor? how did lyla set aside casting crowns and curb her focus on the family man? did she curb him american history x style under the portico at the mega-church? if so, i hope the church's security camera captured the footage. did the galoot graduate? if so, something tells me he didn't get into dillon tech. did applebee's cancel their sponsorship? i can't think of a better way to advertise a shitty american chain than by making it the hub of a shitty american town.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
musing...
"do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more." -luke 12:4
"prayer leads us to the knowledge that 'all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.'" - julian of norwich
last week i was living in the house of fear. every day it was a battle to keep my browser off of nytimes.com and to control my rising panic regarding the stock market. at present, i have precious little money in the market, but my development job is closely attuned to movements within the market. hence my fear.
on wednesday, in the middle of that dark week, i hurried onto an orange line train at wellington, captured one of the last remaining seats, dug out jesus for president and started to read.
or at least i meant to read.
almost immediately my attention was drawn to the black swiss army briefcase which abutted my leg. on top of the briefcase i noticed multi-colored cards, adorned with beautiful arabic script, that were were being pondered one at a time.
i wanted to focus on my book and harbor the illusion that i am without prejudice.
but i couldn't help myself.
eventually, after five long seconds of inner turmoil, i glanced at the keeper of the cards and noticed that he was middle eastern. i wish i could say that he was arabic, persian or egyptian, but i didn't want to stare.
sullivan square was coming up and i had a decision to make. should i trust that this man's intentions were as earnest as my own as i sat there reading jesus for president? or should i save myself from the minute possibility of being victimized by another madrid, another london?
i got off the train.
i sat in shame.
waiting for the next orange line train to forest hills.
in the days that followed i dug into the scriptures. i sought a fear of God that would strengthen me to serve. i confessed my idolatry of the dollar and my failure to love my brother, prayer partner, image bearer. i preached, with tears in my eyes, looking for the house of love.
"do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more." -luke 12:4
"prayer leads us to the knowledge that 'all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.'" - julian of norwich
last week i was living in the house of fear. every day it was a battle to keep my browser off of nytimes.com and to control my rising panic regarding the stock market. at present, i have precious little money in the market, but my development job is closely attuned to movements within the market. hence my fear.
on wednesday, in the middle of that dark week, i hurried onto an orange line train at wellington, captured one of the last remaining seats, dug out jesus for president and started to read.
or at least i meant to read.
almost immediately my attention was drawn to the black swiss army briefcase which abutted my leg. on top of the briefcase i noticed multi-colored cards, adorned with beautiful arabic script, that were were being pondered one at a time.
i wanted to focus on my book and harbor the illusion that i am without prejudice.
but i couldn't help myself.
eventually, after five long seconds of inner turmoil, i glanced at the keeper of the cards and noticed that he was middle eastern. i wish i could say that he was arabic, persian or egyptian, but i didn't want to stare.
sullivan square was coming up and i had a decision to make. should i trust that this man's intentions were as earnest as my own as i sat there reading jesus for president? or should i save myself from the minute possibility of being victimized by another madrid, another london?
i got off the train.
i sat in shame.
waiting for the next orange line train to forest hills.
in the days that followed i dug into the scriptures. i sought a fear of God that would strengthen me to serve. i confessed my idolatry of the dollar and my failure to love my brother, prayer partner, image bearer. i preached, with tears in my eyes, looking for the house of love.
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