Has it been that long?

I can't believe it has been since the beginning of November that I last posted! I have to blame the holidays, work, not working, stress from not working, etc. Anyhoo, I have been reading one book as often as I have had time, The Heart of Christianity by Marcus Borg. I have really enjoyed it. It is a book that was recommended by Barbara Brown Taylor at the end of her memoir, Leaving Church.
After all this time, I really don't have a great deal to say but I did see something pretty funny that I would like to share it with you. This is a clip of one of my favorite comedians, Jim Gaffigan (its a windows media file).
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Ain't It The Truth

Things that make you go, "Ummmmm".

Leaving Church by Barbara Brown Taylor

Just got finished reading one of the most important books I have read in a while. It's really hard to explain to someone that has not been through a similar experience what you're talking about when you say "Leaving (rather Left) Church". Because I can relate so well to what Barbara is saying in the book, it really impacted me. You ever read a book like that? There is an epithical moment when you feel like someone has invaded your thoughts and like a good reporter, taken good notes. There were some parts that really grabbed me. Like when she talks about a pool party. She has just recently resigned her post of priest and is invited to a pool party. After talking to members of the church that she only knew in passing (which she comments that she wished she would have gotten to know them better), people start pushing others into the pool. After a short while she begins to wish that others would not view her as "waterproof" and push her in. Her wish is fulfilled and someone pushes her in. At that moment she begins to feel like an equal instead of a superior and she is refreshed.
If you check this book out, be aware that the first part is a little slow but important to the second half of the book. She takes you from the beginning of her "call" to being ordained to being one of the first women priest to leaving church.
I wish that I could meet and have coffee with her. I would love to hear her speak the words audibly about the journey and in that moment feel my soul resonate with each word. Thanks Barbara for your courage.

A Penny For Your Thoughts

Just got finished watching The Big Kahuna starring Kevin Spacey(Larry),Danny Devito(Phil), and Peter Facinelli (Bob)in which they are salesmen at an industrial lubricant convention. I wanted to watch the show after watching the end and reading some quotes from the movie. If you haven't seen it, watch it. It is not for the weak. There is plenty of language in it, so be prepared.
There is a section of dialogue between Phil and Bob,who is a born again Christian, which sums up for me what I have really been feeling for a long time. The two characters are talking about honesty. Phil says that he can trust Larry because he is honest, blunt, but most importantly he is honest. The section of dialogue that I really likes is as follows:
Phil (asking Bob a question about honesty):"Has it touched the whole of my life?"
Bob:What does that mean?
Phil: That means that you preaching Jesus is no different than Larry or anybody else preaching lubricants. It doesn't matter whether you're selling Jesus or Buddha or civil rights or how to make money in real estate with no money down. That doesn't make you a human being. It makes you a marketing rep. If you want to talk to someone honestly,as a human being, ask him about his kids. Find out what his dreams are, just to find out. For no other reason. Because as soon as you lay your hands on a conversation,to steer it,it's not a conversation anymore.It's a pitch, and you're not a human being. You're a marketing rep (emphasis mine).
Isn't that powerful! I mean if you were to ask me to tell you how evangelism is to be done two or three years ago and you stipulated that I couldn't steer a conversation with a "lost" person, I would not have been able to. What is evangelism to the Southern Baptist mind but an opportunity to sell wares? I speak of my own mind and am not classifying all Southern Baptist thought.
Recently, while talking to my friend at Words Less Spoken, I confided in him that I do not wish to hold conversations with anybody with an agenda of steering the conversation to Jesus, religion, etc. If the topics come up by the other party, fine, and even then I will not be pressing. I only desire to be honest with people and having relationships with people on the sole idea that you are seeking a convert to a religion is in my opinion very dishonest.
Your thoughts?

Continued....

Still reading Sweet's book and I have gotten to the chapter that fires up my soul, "Our relationship with those outside the faith and with those who are different". Leonard talks my language when he talks about what evangelism is supposed to be. And I quote, "The key to evangelism is to be receivers of others--ushers to the Other, not users of others. In receiving others, we enter into their world of abundant otherness--their experiences, their thought patterns, their stories. In using others, we treat people as objects and hope to get something out of them (a conversion, a donation, their acquiescence to our argument). One can receive others and celebrate their stories without buying into their every perspective. This is how the early Christians dealt with the multiplicity of faiths in the ancient world. They did not blast away at other religions. They simply made the ultimate claim for Jesus as the Son of God with everything that was in them."
Later in the chapter, Sweet makes the claim that evangelism is being in relationship with the others and that relationship is best described as "having a meal" with them. Sitting with someone to a meal is very spiritual, very...relational. I had to think about the people that I eat meals with, my wife and two boys and my friend Lyndon(when we are working in the same area). With that in mind, who are the closest people to me at this point of my life? My wife and boys and friend. This then begs the question, how then do I enter into relationships with the others? By sitting down to a meal with them regularly. How is this done? By my being intentional about entering into relationships with others. Maybe that is vague and I do not wish it to be, but that is all that I can say. Be intentional. Be aware of my surroundings and especially those that are in them. Being led by God's Spirit in my daily wonderings, as I go.
I want to end with a very refreshing statement Sweet quotes from The Hobbit. "In the journeys of Bilbo Baggins through forest and dale, Bilbo and his companions came to rest in the house of Elrond. '[Elrond's house] was perfect, whether you liked food, or sleep, or work or story-telling, or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all...All of them, the ponies as well, grew refreshed and strong in a few days there. Their clothes were mended as well as their bruises, their tempers and their hopes'". Don't you want to be at Elrond's house? Can't you smell the green grass? Are you enraptured with peace and tranquility? I can actually feel warmth of the sun on my face as well as the gentle breeze across by body. Isn't this not only what we want but what we should want for the others? Thy Kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Out of the Question, Into the Mystery

I am reading Len Sweet's book and he makes a pretty good assessment of the "post-modern" movement. He says, "The postmodern quest has been misunderstood as an abandonment of the quest for truth. It is far from an abandonment, but is rather a rerouting of the quest for truth along more relational and less rational paths. The question at the heart of Christianity is not a philosophical one or a political one or a liturgical one. The question at the heart of Christianity is a relational one: 'Who do you say that I am?' Who we say Jesus is says who we are." I believe that is the postmodern question's answer for me. It is all about relationship. My relationship with God and my relationship with my neighbor. You can't have one without the other. Jesus answered the postmodern question long before it was pre-modern. Who is Jesus to me? Beyond all the fluff, Jesus is still mysterious. He is hard to pin down and understand fully. All I can truthfully say is that He is more real today than in days past. I will confess to you, I used to rely on the encounters others had with Jesus to justify my faith. Until recently, my experiences with Jesus where "out of body", now they are more personal, more relational.
Maybe, and I am just spiff-balling here, in order for one's relationship with I Am to progress one must stop the insanity that is modern Christianity and say, "I am not going to 'go with the flow' any longer without understanding how this all relates to me. I will no longer accept hand-me-down answers to the questions that are central to my relationship with the Almighty. I am going to ask some questions and I am not going to stop until I find the answers."
I don't believe that I will find all the answers but I do believe that I will never stop asking and seeking.
Len quotes L. Robert Keck, "It is better to have a heart that makes love than a mind that makes sense." And that pretty much sums it up for me.

Sim Cp

Our Endangered Values

I am listening to the audiobook of Jimmy Carter's "Our Endangered Values". When the book came out, I didn't think that I would like it. So far it is good. He seems very down to earth and easy to understand.
He made a comment that I thought was quite interesting. He was talking about religious fundamentalism and how he defined the attitude of those adhereing to it. The attitude of the fundamentalist is "I am right. Anyone the disagrees with me is inherently wrong" which leads to, "because you are wrong, you cannot be considered on the same level of existence as I am" which leads to "you must be sub-human" to finally, "your life really isn't worth anything". Now this may at first glance seem extreme, but isn't that what some of our history teaches us. Once I have an idea that I believe is without reproach, and I will no longer listen to what others have to say about there beliefs, the slide down to "death to the infidel" begins. Hasn't this been proved in our world and country histories? The question in my mind then,using association, is "Isn't this where right wing fundamentalist headed?" Has the invasion already begun? The blue states verses the red states. No longer is platforms or political ideas used to decide who is best suited for presidency of the US, but what theological beliefs one posseses or rather "exudes". Are we at the beginning of a new era in our country? When the seperation of church and state is nothing but a very blurred line? I think I'll put my lot in with the secular humanist, which Jimmy Carter was accused of being, even though he still considers himself an evangelical Christian. I know that in the truest sense of the word, he is, but the words seem to now carry a stigma. Just like the word Christianity. Everybody is a Christian now because it is socially excepted. That is why those that are really Christian have started using the term "Christ-follower". It sort of shocks the senses a little and causes some to ask quesitons, which I guess is the point. Sorry about the rabbit trail I was just on. Well to close I would like to say we all need to be shocked back into reality and take a step back and see what is happening all around us. When will the cycle be broken? I hope soon.

Sim CP

Good Idea!

I have been visiting a church trying to find a community to join. This morning the preacher said that he wanted all the "lifestyle referees" to put up their uniforms, give up the whistles, and close the locker room door. In other words, STOP JUDGING PEOPLE!! He said that we need to be concerned with the inside of a person and not their outside, which I know to be true, but I need to be reminded. This week I will spend more time focusing on the inside of a person instead of judging them for their lifestyle or shortcomings. Lord, help me to see your creation as You do.

Sim CP

Vader & Earl Voice Over Fun


You have to be a fan of James Earl Jones movies and Star Wars to appreciate this. If you are, this will hurt your sides.

How Star Wars Should had ended


Because I am a Star Wars fan, I don't spend a lot of time of plot holes, but this one is pretty funny. Check out the creators website: www.howitshouldhaveended.com, especially if you are a movie fan. Very well done sketches.

Morality

I liked Don Miller's book "Blue like Jazz" so much, that I found and read another of his books, "Searching for God Knows What". He uses a metaphor nearly through out the entire book, off and on, about being in a lifeboat. It came from a class he was in. His teacher asked them if one person in a lifeboat had to been thrown out, who would be? Each person in the lifeboat was from different classes, ethnicities, ages, etc. The class had to choose someone to throw out and give reasons for their choice. He discovered that not only was the lifeboat "project" very difficult if not impossible, but that Jesus came and said, "Don't worry about being thrown out of the lifeboat, there is no lifeboat." In fact, Don says that His saying there was no lifeboat is what got Him into the most trouble with the affluent people. Jesus challenged the social structure of His day and paid the ultimate price, death. Miller said, "...one group, the moral group, is at odds with another group, the immoral group, and the fight is about dominance in a fallen system rather than rescue from a fallen system." That statement stayed with me for nearly an entire day.
Later,Don Miller referred to Paul and his pre and post Damascus Road experiences. Paul was convinced he was doing the right thing by waging war against those he had perceived were in the "wrong" and deserved to be thrown out of the lifeboat. He really thought He was doing God a favor, doing God's will. On Mars Hill, Paul doesn't label the Athenians as pagan and attack, he actually compliments them as "spiritual" and quotes some of there own literature. How refreshingly different from the "moral guard" of today's America. I'll end with a C.S.Lewis quote, "Most of us are not really approaching the subject in order to find out what Christianity says: We are approaching it in the hope of finding support from Christianity for the views of our party. We are looking for an ally where we are offered either a Master or -- a Judge." How true that is.

Sim CP

Blue Like Jazz

Just got finished reading "Blue Like Jazz" by Donald Miller. Very good book. There is something in the writing that really resonates with me. The writer being from Houston, and me so close by in Louisiana, helps that connection I suppose. I told my wife last night that I didn't want to sound egotistical, but that I felt that I could have wrote this book. Not because I am talented, I am not a writer, more like a quick sketch artist maybe, but not a writer. I guess what I meant was, if I were a talented writer like Don Miller, that I think I could have wrote this book. Mainly because it was like listening to my story, my spiritual journey in words. He is not like me in lots of ways, he isn't married (or so he isn't at the publication of this book), doesn't live near hear anymore, Portland, goes to a pretty emergent sounding church, but we have shared some of the same things. He started life in institutional church and learned all the Sunday School stories. Led youth for a time. But something happened. I light came on at some point, and the questions haven't stopped. I really understand exactly what that is like. It's really hard to explain in words, but if you have experienced it, there is no doubt you understand what that means. John Ortberg's endorsement says, "Its hard to find people who write about God from a position of commitment but still sound as if they are being human and honest...". I guess that's why I liked it so much. It's raw, funny, real. I definitely recommend this book to anyone.

SIM CP

Forgiveness

Recently my mom was taking a class on letting go of the past or something similar to that and she felt led to do some visiting and settling of the past to make the future more livable. What is forgiveness but letting yourself move on past the offense. Anyway, it seems that the first visit to my sister-in-law went well. I know that being apart of a family is difficult. There are ups and downs. Different personalities clashing. Similar ones wrestling for stage time. The most rewarding and yet most vulnerable people group on the planet. If we can all learn that we are on the same team, on each others side through it all, we will be much better off. All in all, I think if they will be open and honest with each other in all situations, the healing will begin and that is a beautiful thing.
The second visit to my pawpaw's house was not so good though. To save you the awful details, the short story is little communication has taken place between he and our immediate family over a 14 year period. To be fair, my mom has sent him letters, cards, etc. My brother has visited and sent pictures and letters. I have done none of the above. Several years ago, I felt that it was time to visit and if nothing else give forgiveness a try. My mom and I had decided that we would go, but when she called, he told us not to bother he would not be there and that we were dead to him. I guess I could have tried a bit harder to go, but I know that I have forgiven him. To get back to the visit, my mom said that he was asking her to leave, that she wasn't welcome there, from the moment she got there. His wife, not my grandmother who passed away in '89, has from the beginning pitted him against him own family. She and he are so caughtup in unforgiveness, they have not moved ahead in life for 14 years. All they could do was bring up the past, in detail, another sign of immovability from the past.
The two visits had different results. One hopefully will heal quickly and the other in all probably will never heal. That is what happens when we become transparent and invite others to join us in forgiveness.

Right? Left? Middle?

I am reading Dallas Willard's The Divine Conspiracy. It is a lengthy book and even though I consider myself an accomplished reader, have not been able to get through 60 pages in a week. It is slam full of information, so much so, that I find myself re-reading several things just to try and get some of it. One thing that I did read today was worth noting here in the ol' blog.
He has been discussing Christian right and left theologies. Right wingers focus heavily on life after death and lefties on social action. Willard points out rightly that both come up short. The closest he finds to the Gospel is kingdom life now.
He sites that the "system is perfectly designed to yield the result [we] are getting". He even goes as far as to say that it would be foolishness to expect anything different than what we have got based on the basic message of the church as it is heard today.
Again he says, "We who profess Christianity will believe what is constantly presented to us a gospel. If gospels of sin management (I really like that phrase as a definition of the Christian message of today) are preached, they are what Christians will believe. And those in the wider world who reject those gospels will believe that what they have rejected is the gospel of Jesus Christ himself--when, in fact, they haven't yet heard it."
He says that the result is human souls left to shrivel and die because they have not been given the message central to the New Testament, the kingdom of eternal life, now.
What is the answer? A return to learning, teaching, preaching, the Kingdom of God by the church to its followers. As I remember it, Jesus said that if we would seek the Kingdom of God first, all other things, life after death and social action included, will be added at there appropriate places.
"...return to your first love" said Jesus to the church at Ephesus.

Sim CP

M.O.C.

I haven't gotten back to the previously discussed matter of Michael and his boyfriend. I have been again visiting this hot button of today's Christianity, and again I am at a crossroads. I am not a advocate of same sex relationships. I don't see a time when I will participate in a rally for homosexuals. With that being said, I do see people with same sex partners as human beings with just as many rights as you and I have. They are not the same as some of us may be when it comes to likes and dislikes of spouses, intimate "friends", etc., but does that make them wrong? The biggest problem for me is that most people who call themselves Christians don't represent Christ at all when it comes to homosexuals or on a broader stroke, people different from themselves. Why is it that I, as a male, don't find other males attractive in a "sexual" sense? Is it because I am wired the "right" way and those others are wired "wrong"? If that is the question, why is God wiring people wrong? Is it that they are just rebellious towards God? Aren't we all? (I told you I am at a crossroads). As I said earlier, my biggest problem is with Christian heterosexuals who, in the name of Jesus, belittle and vilify homosexuals. I believe it was Jesus who said that people who had not found life in Him would recognize those that had by their...what is it again?....oh, yeah, LOVE.

Does Sin Seperate Us From God?

Sitting at Emmanuel Baptist Church this morning, during children's church no less (I always seem to understand that more), the leader made a statement that today seemed to jump out to me. The statement was "sin seperates us from God". I began to think about that statement as I never have before. If I understand Jesus' statement that He was in fact God in the flesh, then the statement of seperation from Him because of sin doesn't have a place. Jesus hung out with people of ill-repute more than any other people group. If my sin seperates me from God, how could Jesus be so connected to...anybody. Are we not all sinners? When are we "sinless" enough to commune with God? IF what I understand God as I think I do, He is not seperated from us because of sin, He loves us all the more. As far as God turning His face from Jesus at His crucifixion because of the sins of the world being on Him, bulloney! God had sent Jesus to do just what He was doing. He couldn't have been more proud of His Son. Maybe the reason was it hurt God to see His Son in such agony and pain. I know if that was happening to my son, I would not want to watch it either. Could you?
Something else that I heard this morning during the Old Testament reading was in II Corinthians, the 7th chapter. The all to used verse of scripture that says that we are to follow X,Y, and Z conditions, then God hears us and helps. That reading of that scripture really bothered me today. I no longer see God as a tit-for-tat God. He doesn't have a sin-o-meter , like Spencer Burke form The Ooze calls it, keeping track of all our short-comings. Maybe we are the scorekeepers or our...er...other's sins.

Sim CP

M.O.C. continued...

Father Capon gave what he calls a three "booby-trap" problem with trying to put someone back on "the right track". Someone contemplating suicide, having an abortion, or like our example, Helen, continuing an adulterous relationship, the principle job of the minister would seem to place them on the theoretical right track so he/she can become a non-sinner. First booby trap, that is not what the Gospel promotes. The Gospel says that Jesus came to save the sinners not remove the sin. The New Testament says that we are saved by grace through faith, not by frightening people into getting their act together. The second is, this approach puts all people who can't, won't, or don't get their lives together (and that includes all of us in one department or another at some time or another)outside of the forgiveness of God through Christ--a forgiveness that is offered sin notwithstanding, while we were still sinners. The last and probably the most lethal of the booby traps is our theology is based on systematic thought about what we believe. It is only as good as the system you invent to do your thinking with.
Tomorrow we will meet Michael. Michael has a problem in the romance department and visits Father Capon for some advice. The problem that most will have is who the romance is between. Michael and his boyfriend.

Sim CP

The Mystery of Christ

I am a day late on getting back to you on the question posted in my original post on the Mystery of Christ. Have you decided on what you would tell the adulterous women? It seemed a pretty obvious priestly answer to tell the women that she in fact is living in sin and should dissolve the relationship with the man that is not her husband. In fact, it was what she thought Father Capon would have said. Instead...
Father Capon asked her what she wanted to do about it. His reason? It really boiled down to what she wanted to do and there wasn't anything that he could say that would change that. Essentially, when we ask people questions, we are not looking for additional information. We are trying to find out who thinks like we do. If we get a response to a question that does not match up with our way of thinking, we simply disregard the information. Yeah, we may nod our heads and say quaint things like "I see your point" or "I hear what you are saying" but we are really just being polite. Really, we are looking for people who think exactly as we do already. Unique is the person that asks questions who really just wants answers, not alliances.
Getting back to Helen, she is of course bewildered by in all and even asks,"Aren't you supposed to tell me to quit sinning?". The answer is no. Who on this green earth is going to stop sinning? No one. It is impossible to quit sinning. Who are we kidding when we try? God is not fooled, and we shouldn't be either. Jesus did not come to remove sin. He came, in His words, to find and save the sinners. He knew that sin wasn't going anywhere, but He brought us the Gospel, the Good News. Do you know what the Good News is? It's not just forgiveness of debt, it's much more. It is the Mystery of Christ.
The Old Testament or Covenant if you wish, paints a rather unhealthy view of God. He is blood-thirsty, angry, malicious, killer of women and children, and if these characteristics were in any other "person", we would call them evil. Because I believe the bible is a evolving revelation of who God really is, this does not offend me. Jesus shows up at halftime and says to us, "Hey, man, if you can see me, and you'd have to be blind not to, you have seen the Father". Wait a minute, God is not going to kill me if I don't give the right sacrifice at the temple today? You mean God is not going to strike be with a lightening bolt if I sin? What are you saying Jesus? Are you crazy? You are hanging around with gluttons, sluts, cheaters, swindlers. You are a drunk, party goer with no conscience. Are we to believe that God is this way? Yes, He says to us. That is exactly who God is. A friend of the sinner. A forgiver and forgetter. He is saying to all of you, I don't care about this "transactional" relationship we have going on. This tit-for-tat stuff has got to go. I love you as you are!! I made you this way, why are you trying to be something else. I realize that you are sinful and will continue to sin, but I don't care! I still love you!
Helen, as well as anyone who is living in "transactional" religion, is dumbfounded by this news. It sounds to good to be true. It can't be that simple. But that dear reader is exactly what it is, Good News.
Tomorrow I will try to be a little clearer on this subject to the Mystery of Christ, but in the mean time don't discount what has been said here just yet. If you unconvinced, please continue to read.

Till then,
SIM CP

Superman Returns

Went to see the movie tonight and because I don't want to spoil it for anybody, I have but a few words to say (and so that I don't offend anybody, I will use the official KJV)....DAMNETH that was awesometh!!

Sim CP

The Mystery of Christ...& why we don't get it by Robert Farrar Capon

I have begun to read the book mentioned in the title after I saw it mentioned in the afterwards of Rob Bell's book Velvet Elvis.
So far, it has been a great book. Robert Capon is an Episcopal priest and a very good author. He has laid out his book this way. The odd number chapters are real life counseling sessions he has had through his ministry (names and places changed of course). The even numbered chapters are a "conversation" between the reader and himself as he ventures to answer questions that he thinks will be raised from the previous chapter.
The first two chapter "session" deals with his counsel of a women having an affair. She comes close to loosing her daughter and makes an "agreement" with God that if He'd let her daughter make it through she would stop having the affair. The question to the minister is since her daughter has made it through the ordeal, does she have to keep her "agreement" with God about the affair.
What would you say to her?
His response tomorrow.

SIM CP

What Star Trek character are you? I'm...

Your results:
You are Spock

Spock 64% James T. Kirk (Captain) 55% Worf 55% Deanna Troi 55% Uhura 50% Jean-Luc Picard 50% Will Riker 50% Leonard McCoy (Bones) 45% Mr. Scott 45% Chekov 45% Data 44% Beverly Crusher 40% Geordi LaForge 40% An Expendable Character (Redshirt) 40% Mr. Sulu 35%

You are skilled in knowledge and logic. You believe that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

Click here to take the Star Trek Personality Test

Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell

Because my friend over at Words Less Spoken thought it was a pretty good book, I picked it up and read it. A very good book indeed. The idea started with his velvet Elvis painting's artist "signature", R. Rob Bell wondered if R. would have said to all the other painters in his era, "put all your paint brushes down, I have painted the greatest painting ever. There is no more need to paint ever again", what a tragedy! In like mind, what if we stop "seeking" after God. What if we say, "Hey, we don't need to look any further, we completely understand God and everyone else's understanding of God from this point on is going to come up short"? What an even greater tragedy! His book goes on to chronicle that we are to forever challenge, seek, question, until the day that we are known as we are known. One of his examples of this is the life of Martin Luther. Luther at some point in his life realized that something was...amiss?wrong? I am not sure what the word is, but I completely understand what he was going through. I have been on a similar quest. There is something...confused?blurred? Still not sure of the word.
This book really resonated with me on several levels. One in particular, which is, it's okay to challenge the status quo of spirituality. I think Jesus said it best (as He always does), "Keep knocking, Keep looking, Keep seeking, you will find what you are looking for" (my interp.) And as always, He is right.

Sim CP

Star Trek Cribs!

Without a doubt, one of the funniest things I have ever seen. I have watched this video clip probably 50 times while I am chillin, relaxing, or chillaxing. This is funny to me on several levels of which my kids,who also think this is hilarious, don't get. They like the end when Spock is dancing to "Gasolina". Here are a few reasons...One, I am a Star Trek fan. Two, I am familiar with MTV's Cribs enough to see the parody. Third, these dolls, uh excuse me, "action figures", really have great action and expressions. Knowing that Spock's character on Star Trek was so...logical makes this even funnier to me. There are more clips G4 did to market their Star Trek 2.0 series. There is one at a coffee shop and Spock is having trouble getting a WiFi connection on his laptop. Funny. There is one by the pool side with Capt. Kirk putting lotion on Aurora and Spock asking him to put some on his back. The only other one I saw has the crew at a karaoke bar and Spock is singing Bobby Brown's "Perogative". Spock is too groovy. All around,these clips are a great way to spend 60 seconds, or 3,000 depending on your funny bone density.
Scottie, Bring the Power!!

Is It Too Soon?

I love movies. I mean I really love movies. Because of that, I am always looking for what is coming up in the movie world. One of my favorite sites to visit is Coming Soon . There I can find out what is on the horizon, read storylines, and best of all, watch trailers for upcoming movies. Several months ago, I saw a trailer for United 93 . The trailer depicts a fictional, but probable exchange between the passengers and terrorists. I found it very hard to watch. The movie has been out at theaters, but I really didn't want to watch it. I thought it would be too hard.
Recently, I was looking around at new trailers and came across the trailer for World Trade Center . The movie is directed by Oliver Stone and stars Nicholas Cage. This trailer was even harder to watch. I could visualize what was going through the minds of the people working in and around the North and South towers. The emergency personnel who were first on the scene and would soon be. I tried to think, what would I have done? I really don't know. I would like to think that I would do something heroic, but who knows?
The problem for me is this, isn't it too soon? Has there been enough time between the actual events and now that we will be able to watch it on the big screen. Is it just me, or we rushing into this? I know that it has been five years, but is that enough time. We are still at war in the Middle East over this "spark" that started it all. Have we the courage to revisit this black moment in human events?
When I watched Schindler's List several months ago, I found that gut wrenching. How could this have happened on this planet? A few months after that I watched Hotel Rwanda. A very good movie, but equally gut wrenching. How could human beings do this to other human beings? The Holocaust took place before my life time. The slaughter of a million Tutsis by Hutu militia took place in 1994, and the movie came out ten years later.
I guess for me, because this atrocity took place in my own country, five years doesn't seem long enough. It seems to me waiting another ten years would seem a better time, to me anyway.

Mistaken

Warren Barfield wrote a song called "Mistaken" which was on his self-titled CD. I heard it for the first time at a Third Day concert in Monroe a couple of years ago where Warren opened for them. He was out on the stage, just him and his guitar. I was instantly hooked. I don't know another song that speaks to the calling of humanity as does this song. In case you haven't heard it, here are the lyrics:

I shouldn’t have to tell you who I am
Cause who I am should be speaking for itself
Cause if I am who I want to be
Then who you see won’t even be me
Oh the more and more I disappear
The more and more He becomes clear

[CHORUS]:
‘ Til everyone I talk to hears His voice
And everything I touch feels the warmth of His hand
‘ Til everyone I meet
Sees Jesus in me
This is all I wanna be
I wanna be mistaken
For Jesus
Oh I wanna be mistaken

Do they only see who we are
But who we are should be pointing them to Christ
Cause we are who He chose to use
To spread the news
Of the way the truth and the life
Oh I want all I am to die
So all He is can come alive

‘ Til everyone I talk to hears His voice
And everything I touch feels the warmth of His hand
‘ Til everyone I meet
Sees Jesus in me
This is all I wanna be
I wanna be mistaken
For Jesus
Oh I wanna be
Oh I need to be mistaken
For you
Oh I wanna be mistaken

[BRIDGE]:
May He touch with my hands
See through my eyes
May He speak through my lips
Live through my life
I want Him to
I want Him to live

It is my desire to be mistaken for Jesus.

SIM CP

Da Vinci Code: The Movie

I made it to "The Da Vinci Code" movie yesterday. I was bracing for the protest , but not much of one (about 8 people with two signs at the marquee).
The movie was good. Because I has already read the book, I was "informed" as to what was going to happen, so the shock factor wasn't there. The coolest thing was seeing the places talked about in the book. I am a Tom Hanks and Ron Howard fan, and I liked Tom's performance and Ron's direction. There was a bit more visual to the self mortification of the albino monk than I think was necessary, but what you gonna do. All in all, a good action/thriller.

Somethings I Have Learned From My Kids

I, as I have been for some time, am reading several books (Currently, "The Importance of Being Foolish, How to Think Like" Jesus by Brennen Manning and 1st to Die by James Patterson). I have mentioned in earlier posts that I feel the more I read the less I understand, which still holds true. One thing that I am really trying to learn right now is what Jesus' thoughts were and what He really focused on. To me, when someone talks enough about a subject, it would seem that they are passionate about that subject. I guess there are people in the world that talk about things that don't really matter to them, but I would venture a guess that the numbers are few. In regard to Jesus, He really cared about the "poor". Your guess is as good as mine, but my thoughts have changed on what Jesus means by "poor". Used to, I would understand that to mean, lacking in financial means, now it seems to me to mean much more. For instance (and I will not bore you with exact biblical references, things I myself usually read over when someone else does), when asked about kingdom greatness, Jesus uses a child to illustrate. I have recently learned that a child in ancient Israel was not as esteemed as children in modern America are, and sometimes, even looked upon with disdain. A child was considered of little or no importance until such time that he (girls/women's place in society never changed)was old enough to be considered an adult, around adolescence. Knowing that, Jesus used an object of "poor" reputation in society to illustrate His point, those that are of little or no importance by the world's standards are "poor". He said to His disciples, who were wondering how to get the best seats in Jesus' Kingdom, that to enter God's Kingdom (God's Kingdom? Here, now, later? Not sure on that), one had to become like a child.
I have wrestled with that statement for several days. Jesus talked very highly of children, going so far as to ridicule His disciples who were trying to prevent children from approaching Jesus. He was a little angry about that. Again proving His esteem for children.
That being said (boy, that took awhile to say) and if you are still reading, here is where I am with "being like a child". Those of you that have kids, have you ever sat down and observed your kids without them noticing. Of course, you may see more than you want to see, but there have been times when God has really taught me a valuable lesson simply by observing my kids. For example, kids play with anybody that is around. They don't care about what their skin color is (mine simply say they were playing with, "that boy" or "that girl", rarely is color mentioned and when it is, it doesn't mean anything, they are just communicating to me who they were playing with), they don't care if they are dirty, poor, well off, tall, short, etc. They just play. Another thing I have learned about God through my kids is, I like to watch them sleep. I know that sounds weird or freaky, but in some profound way, it gives me great peace to see my kids sleeping. I think that God gets pleasure watching us sleep (which, not to change the subject {but I will anyway}, I think this goes a long way to disprove that I have to do something to please God).
Lastly, an important thing that I have learned is, God loves me as I am, no matter what I do. My kids will always be my kids and I will always love them. When I have said this in the past to people, they quickly challenge me with questions like, "What if one of your boys grows up and "becomes" (not quite sure how this happens) homosexual?" or "What if one of your boys marries a girl of ethnicity?" or "What if one of your boys kills someone?" My answer is the same. I will love them as I have always loved them. Granted, none of these things have happened, but I really feel deep down in my gut, that I will still love them the same. This gives me great comfort. I believe that God loves me just as I am. Lazy, depressed, fat, selfish, any other trait that would, by the world's standard, be considered unflattering, God loves me. I don't wish to be these things, and I am not this way all the time, but I am from time to time, unappealing. But through it all, God still loves me more than I could ever imagine. He forgives my short-comings everyday. Its as if everyday, God has completely forgotten those things which hurt His heart just hours before. To prove my point, think about Jesus' attitude towards His disciples after the resurrection. He greets them in the upper room with, "Peace to you. Do not be afraid". No, "Well, if it isn't the scardy cats..." or any other sarcastic statement. Even when He visits with them, after they have spent the night fishing, He doesn't even bring it up! What does He do, cooks them some fish! It's as though it never happened. This is God as I understand Him to this point and frankly, He will not be the One changing.

Help me God to understand You more and more. It is my dream for my life. Thank you for loving me in spite of all the crap in my life. I know that I don't deserve Your love, but You give it anyway. Its hard for me to say most times, but I love You.

The Beloved,
SIM CP

For everything else....there's childhood.

Garden hose----------$10
Water sprinkler------$5
To be a kid again----Priceless

Even More on Dan's Diabolical Treatise...

At Barna.org there is an interesting article from the Barna research group about "The Da Vinci Code". The whole article is good and focuses on the fact that overall this book has not effected most, 95%, of people who have read the book "cover to cover".
As a side note, The Town Talk (local newspaper), in the opinion section today, a group of people will be having a PPP, peaceful, prayerful protest outside of the Grand Theatre May 19th. There reason is because they want to "honor our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ and to console him and make reparation for insults to his sacredness". WHAT!?! Console Jesus? Insults to His sacredness!?! What does this book/movie do to people who are probably somewhat normal otherwise? Do we have to defend the Lord? Is He not God? Does He need mortal humans to defend His honor? I think not! He is God! Regardless of what a book or movie says. Jesus Christ is the unique Son of God and He certainly doesn't need me or anyone else to "make reparation for insults to his sacredness". Come on, give me a break!

SIM CP

More on "The Code"

"Christianity, Christian ideas and ideals have for good reason withstood so many challenges that a 'Da Vinci Code' whodunit in no way presents a threat," director Ron Howard recently reassured the German press.

I was reading the Drudge Report and came across an article which tells how "The Da Vinci Code" is being reacted to by different religious groups presented by the media on a global level. Ron Howards quote sums it up for me. What is Christianity if it cannot withstand a "whodunit" fiction book? Christianity, or the following of Christ, has nothing to fear. What are we if a book of fiction is shaking the foundation of our belief system? I believe what the bible says about Jesus. He was/is God's Son, wholly man, wholly divine. He was without sin. The bible doesn't say specifically that Jesus never married, but I understand that to be true, on faith. It has never been an issue for me. When I was reading the book, the only thing that kept me turning the pages, was finding out the different codes and their solutions. The book's facts about Jesus and Mary were not even on the radar for me. It was a page turner because it took enough fact and blended in a lot of fiction, and the result was great. Once I got to the halfway point, I didn't put it back down. I stayed up till 2:30am to finish it. I wasn't let down. After that, I got all of Dan Brown's books and they are very similar in style, meaning they use a small amount of fact and mix in great amounts of fiction and...Viola! a great book. Not all of them are excellent, but all are good.
My hope is that when all of this hoopla is settled, we can get back to enjoying a good tale of "whodunit".

SIM Church Planter

The Dogs Playing Poker Code

Without a doubt one of the funniest things that I have ever read. Go here to read this hilarious take on "The Da Vinci Code". While your there, cruise around this great satire magazine on religion.

SIM Church Planter

The DaVinci Code

I have to write an entry on this. It is so apparent that the world is on the fundamentalism bandwagon. If it is not Harry Potter corrupting all the children of the world with his "magic", it's Dan Brown's DaVinci Code making life for the modern-day Pharisee's down right unbearable. I have to admit, I just don't get it. When I was growing up, I didn't think that people had fairy godparents that would grant them any wish. I didn't think that taking a bedknob and turning it three quarter turns clockwise would make the bed, on which it was on, travel to the bottom of Naboomboo lagoon. I didn't think that, despite the fact that he wore a cool cape, Superman could really fly and stop bullets with his chest and jump over skyscrapers. It's called fiction. I am really getting tired of all the hype surrounding fictional characters and storylines. If you have nothing else to do but protest fiction, well then you really do have too much time on your hands. Fiction is by definition NOT REAL. I will admit that there are probably some poor souls out there that believe Harry Potter can cast magic spells or that Jesus was married and had children, but these people are also the ones that propitiate things like conspiracy theories, UFOs, and crop circles. I don't buy for a moment that sane, mature, clear thinking adults will believe the DaVinci Code or Harry Potter are things based on reality. They, as I, have seen these things for what they are, fiction (again not real). The other thing that bothers me is the people making the most noise about it are usually the people that have never watched a single minute of the Harry Potter movies or read The DaVinci Code. That really makes me ill. How can someone make a judgment call on someone else's opinion. I challenge anyone reading this blog, to read the DaVinci Code or watch an episode of the Harry Potter series. The catch is watching or reading without a presupposed opinion, that'll be the tricky part.
The bottom line is fiction is just that, fiction. It is not supposed to be reality. I really enjoy fiction for that reason. Reading or watching a movie/book of fiction allows me to go places I'll probably never go. See (in my mind) things I'll never see. It is an outlet from reality. It is a break from what is going on around me that I can't change. It's freedom, for a time, from the hecticness of life.
As a closer, I'll close with a quote from Jesus (my interp.),"The way you are judged is in direct proportion to how you judge".
SIM CP

A Glimpse of Jesus

I am reading another of Brennan Mannings books, "A Glimpse of Jesus: The Stranger to Self-Hatred" and so far it is not a let down. I read the "Ragamuffin Gospel" not long ago and it oozed with grace and so does this work. This morning, I was reading and I came across a story Brennan tells about a vision he had while on a spiritual retreat. I would like to transcribe it here for you to read. The context of this story is it follows the question, "But who do you say that I am?"(Matt. 16:15). This answers that question for me.
"Praying over the passage of the washing of the feet, I was suddenly transported in faith into the Upper Room, where I took Judas' place among the Twelve. The Servant, who had tied a towel round his waist, poured water from a pitcher into a copper basin and reached out to wash my feet. Involuntarily I pulled my foot back. I couldn't look at him. I had betrayed the vision, been unfaithful to my dream(and thus unfaithful to his plan for my life).
Sensing my dismay, he placed his hand on my knee and said, "Brennan, do you know what these years together have meant to me? You were being held even when you didn't believe I was holding you. I love you, my friend."
Tears rolled down my cheeks. "But Lord, my sins, my repeated failures, my weaknesses...."
"I understand. Brennan, I expected more failure from you than you expected from yourself." He smiled. "And you always came back. Nothing pleases me as much as when you trust me, when you allow that my compassion is bigger than your sinfulness."
"But Jesus, what about my irritating character defects-the boasting, the inflating of the truth, the pretense of being an intellectual, the impatience with people, and all the times I drank to excess?"
"What you are saying is true. But your love for me has never wavered: your heart has remained pure. What's more, even in darkness and confusion, you've always done something that overshadowed all the rest. You were kind to sinners. Now I'll go. I've washed your feet. Do the same for others. Serve my people humbly and lovingly. You will find happiness if you do. Peace, my friend."
After reading that, I had to re-read it. What a revelation of grace! What a beautiful answer to the question of who Jesus is to me. It's not what others have said Jesus is. Not the eloquent writers of scripture. It's not what the preacher said. It's not what the teacher said. It's not what any author has penned. It's a very personal answer that only we as individuals can answer. For me, Jesus is Grace.

...Film at 11.

I have tried and tried to "get into the news", but so far I have been unsuccessful. I have tried the local, national, and world news, but to no avail. I have tried different medias, ie. TV, newspaper, etc., no dice. I don't know why this is when people who are my age seem to keep up regularly with it. I just don't have the motovation. The newspaper to me is good for comics, sales papers (for my wife), and crossword puzzles. The news is of little concern for me. Watching local news at night usually becomes a long commercial as I wait for the late shows to come on. I realize that there have been important things that I have missed, nothing life or death...yet. All I have to say to all the people out there that stay informed on a regular basis, keep me informed!

Good Night and Good Luck,
SIM CP

Superman Returns 6-30-06

One of the coolest lines in a film is in this trailer for the much anticipated Superman Returns (select player at bottom of screen). In case you miss it, here is the line from Jor-EL (Superman's dad) to Superman (Kal-EL): "Even though you have been raised as a human being, you are not one of them. They can be a great people, Kal-EL, they wish to be...They only lack the light to show the way...For this reason above all, their capacity to do good, I've sent them you, my only son. Does this not ooze spiritual overtones!?! The story of Jesus Christ, the original Super(Son of)Man, is paralleled with an awesome soundtrack for added emotion (if the little hairs on the back of your neck don't stand up when you see the Kent's mailbox in the forefront of the Kansas sunrise with John Williams' theme playing, you might not be a fan of Superman). Just thought this was really cool.
SIM CP

Churches and Hospitals

I would like you guys to read my friend's blog entitled All You Need To Know here before reading this one, it's sort of a opener. I'll wait here...
Wow, that was quick. You must have made all A's in reading! Just kidding. ANYhoo, here is some of my thoughts on The Pensacola Project.
The place is indeed crawling with churches on every corner, street, road, and edifice you can imagine, but hospitals/medical offices are seemingly on every corner as well. I spoke to a marketing person with Baptist Memorial and she said to me, "Pensacola has lots of hospitals and with that, a lot of medically related professions, its a large part of our economy". I of course agreed with her having rode around Pensacola and some of its surrounding communities. The two thoughts of churches and hospitals being everywhere sort of rolled around in my mind. What is this observation trying to tell me. Here is what I concluded (keep in mind that this a spiritual observation about something physical). The church is supposed to be a hospital too, right? The difference is physical and spiritual of course but the resemblance is there. That being the case, the people should be very "healthy" physically and spiritually, right? But they are just like any other town. They have all the same issues. The same problems as most other towns. They are a resort town and I'm sure rely heavily on tourism. But the tourists I know that go there don't come back with more "health" as they do with more sand on their feet. So what you ask? The point that I am trying to make is the same point that my friend makes in his blog, "Have you told us everything we need to know?" I don't think so. The answer is not more churches with their own specialties but rather churches with healing mentalities. We have cultivated an idea that more churches (in the traditional sense)=more genuine spirituality. However, the result is the same, more churches =the same or less spirituality. Why is there so many not seeing this?!? I am not specifically picking on Pensacola, but rather in a general sense (or nonsense). When will we wake up and realize that having a church more accessible to the already churched is crazy talk. We should be non-traditional in our approach to "doing church". Church in this post-modern world of which we are a part of (like it or not) is not beginning a change its already changed and setting up for newer changes. No matter if you offer a new wrapper on the same pack of underwear, it's still just underwear. Changing the wrapper isn't enough, the contents have to change in order to be effective. Endnote: I am not saying that we should change the message of the gospel to make it more appealing (which I personally appall). I AM saying however if we don't change how we PRESENT the message we are going to lose the battle of communication. Let's check our Christianese at the door and build a relationship with someone purely to have a relationship with them. If something becomes of that relationship and they join the Way, glory! If not, we have no less reason to be their friend. Jesus called us His friends. Sinners (of which I am the president of the local chapter) were Jesus' friends. How can I do or be better than that?
SIM CP

The Oval Office

While recently in Pensacola on business, my buddy and I went to eat at a hole in the wall place called The Oval Office. We went there because of the advertisement we saw in the hotel's local eatery guide. It said that we would receive a 10% discount if we showed our room keys and they boasted the best burger of Myrtle Beach. Well we got there and the place was more of a bar than an eating establishment, but what the heck, we decided to stay and eat a burger. At the close of our meal, I showed our waitress our room key and asked about the 10% discount. She seemed at first confused but then realized what it was we were asking about and said that she would get that done for us, but had never really done it before (should have been a hint to what is to come in this story). My back was to the bar and my buddy was facing it when he said that we were in trouble. He went on to describe the scene. Our waitress had put her reading glasses on and had gotten a calculator out...to figure 10 PERCENT. Now I know that I am being harsh, but isn't that one of the easiest things to figure? Anyway, to make matters even funnier, she brings us the ticket and tells us that she made sure it was right because she had used her calculator. Holding back a gut-laugh, we thanked her, and left the eating establishment. This one event stayed with us and we laughed about it many times while away. So thanks Oval Office waitress for making our trip enjoyable.
SIM CP

Amazing Grace

The book entitled "What is so amazing about grace" by Phillip Yancey is a must read for any fundamentalist. I for some time had grappled with the apparent lack of grace offered by that faction. I was a proponent for most of my life, but the lack of grace seemed evident. There seemed to always be a "but" at the end of a grace statement. For example, "The homosexuals are part of the world and God loves them and died for them, BUT they are living a life of sin". Yes, I will consent to the fact that in deed they are living in a life of sin, BUT so am I! I live in sin everyday. How does this make me better loved by an all-loving God? It doesn't. I guess the chapter in Yancey's book about his friend Mel (who is homosexual) was followed by the chapter on cheap grace for a reason. There is a fine line where grace is concerned. If we are not careful though , we will hold to one side of the law/grace fence and one will ultimately be missing the "balancer".
I was talking to my friend the other day and asked him what he thought the balancer of grace is. I thought about it and I kept coming back to just "ungrace" which seemed a surface answer. Something was missing. The statement he made came from the same book by Yancey in which Phillip states that grace is cheap when in advance we conspire to sin knowing that God will forgive us in the end. He also used an example of me (who is married) going out and cheating on my wife. Now according to grace, God will forgive my sin, but the consequence of that sin is that I will have broken up my marriage and family. At best, I will have only put her trust in me in peril. Without trust, our relationship will be set back years possibly decades. The bottom line is why do I not cheat on my wife. The answer is love for God and love for my wife and family. I do not do that because I love God and want to follow His commandments and love my wife and family too much to chance losing them.
I guess what I am trying to say is grace, though the coolest thing God arranged for us, has the greatest amount of room for error on our part. Let's be careful not to go overboard on either side, too much law or too much "cheap" grace will only harm us and those around us.
Uncle Ben said to Peter Parker, "With great power comes great responsibility" and that is how we should treat the grace of God.
Graciously,
SIM Church Planter

It's Been Awhile

I just realized that it's been ten days since I've put down some thoughts. Time sure does fly when...well you understand. Anyway, I would like to let you all know that there have been some up times and some down times since last we met, but that is life. The cool thing is that God never lets me get too low before He shows up with some really cool stuff. For instance, last week I was able to hook up with some guys from Sling 'n Stone who are doing the same stuff we are in Natchez, MS area. It was so uplifting to talk to these guys. You know how when you feel all alone in your little world and people show up and let you know that your world isn't very small after all. That is what happened last Thursday night at Fire Mountain. It's in those much needed times that an encouraging takes place and you can go on with the vision before you. You realize that all the question marks are actually exclamation points that you see in the rear view mirror on the bill boards of life's road. They'll probably never know how much just talking to them about their trials and tribulations along side our struggles made me feel that night. So here's to the guys at Sling 'n Stone, may you continue to do what God says to do when and where God says to do it. The world is changing and you are it's agents. Godspeed on your journey.
Do you hear that Mr. Anderson? It's the sound of inevitability.
-Agent Smith in The Matrix
SIM CP

You Haven't Played Yahtzee?!

I was traveling to Monroe, LA with my good friend/co-worker/future business partner/fellow church planter from Words Less Spoken and we were just talking about life in general when the topic went to games. I love games. Board games, card games, table games, computer games, any game really. I was telling him the games we play when we are at my ma-maw's house, which include progressive rummy, scrabble, dominos, and Yahtzee. After a few minutes of my rattling on and on about the fun we have, he confesses to me, "I've never played Yahtzee." Of course I'm glad I wasn't driving or I may have driven off the road in dis-belief. This was like an alien was speaking to me. Once I regained consciousness, I looked over at him and said, "Are you serious?" like he had just admitted stealing from the pope. You must understand, he and I are so similar. Similar backgrounds, similar likes and dislikes, similar...lots of things, so to here this come out of his mouth, well let's just say I was shocked.
Why in the world did I just tell you the story? It made me think of some things the next day (remember, I received quite a shock and had pondered the idea of someone close to my age never having played Yahtzee). What it made me think of was: 1. No matter how similar people are to us, they are still different or, better yet, unique and 2. Just because something is so loved by us doesn't mean that others will find those things even enjoyable. Let me explore these two things further.
Similarities are the things that bring individuals together, also referred to as "common ground". We assume lots of times that similarities are enough, and for starters they are enough, but as time passes we will learn more and more about others and the un-similarities. At this point, we have decisions to make, either call it quits or work through the differences. The example about Yahtzee is not a big deal, easily overcome, but what about those harder issues. What if we find someone that is similar to us and we find out in time that they have no problem with something that you have a big problem with, say abortion. I think that abortion is hideous, and I am passionate about that, and at this point in the conversation your similar buddy says to you, "Hey man its no big deal", what is your response. My response to that has changed in the past few years and this has been the progression thus far, five years ago, intense hatred, three years ago, pity, last year or so, inquisitiveness, now, acceptance. I still think that abortion is hideous, and my buddy's response doesn't change that, we can still be buddies. He has an opinion and so do I, that doesn't change, what has changed in my life is the simple realization that everyone is different/unique just as God made them. The point expressed by Jesus, "love your neighbors as yourself" doesn't mean just when they agree with you on all points but all the times they don't too. Can't we all just get along?
Secondly, those things that we hold so dear in our hearts are sometimes not all that important to others. I would like to insert here beliefs. I believe one way(which I am finding is being refined constantly) and someone I know doesn't even care about those beliefs, how do I react to that? History tells us that beliefs were so sacred that if you didn't believe the same way, you were killed off. Christians, Muslims, Hindus, it doesn't matter. Look at the history of these "causes". Violence, greed, hatred was what provoked "crusades" to take place in order to remove the "heathens" from existence. This is, sadly, not only in the past. In today's world, we are still seeing violence, greed, and hatred when it comes to those that don't believe the same as others. Is it our job to wipe someone out when they believe differently than us? Are we always right? I know I am seldom right and this is not a false humility, I really don't know the answers to a lot of questions. I thought it was my responsibility to love everyone unconditionally as Jesus loves me. I am to go to the poor and wretched and the different and love them without prejudice. I think I've read that somewhere before. This whole entry boils down to this, love is the answer to those "toughest of all" things we deal with everyday. Out love your neighbor and see if what a difference your life makes now and forever.
Love,
SIM Church Planter

Eureka!!

I have had a revelation. This morning. During my four book "read-a-thon". Particularly in two of the books. First, revelation had to do with fasting. I am trying to develop spiritual disciplines in my life and have found a book entitled, "Spiritual Classics: Selected Readings for Individuals and Groups on the Twelve Spiritual Disciplines", edited by Richard J. Foster. This book is good for me because it gives small "snipets" of other's works on the disciplines which makes "digestion" easier. This mornings reading is from Catherine Marshall, wife of Peter Marshall(known for his chaplaincy in the US Senate), who was embattled with criticism of others. In obedience to Lord, she fasted a whole day from any criticism. She states that she wasn't sure what the Lord could be trying to teach her through this exercise but when the day was complete, well, hindsight, 20/20, we get the picture. She discovered that she was more gracious to others. Thoughts of peace and harmony were on her mind. Creativeness flowed. She discovered that criticism was a heavy weight to carry around. I can almost hear the, "Duh" on your mind but I am a slow learner. The point is this, fasting is a much needed spiritual discipline and it has nothing to do with the absence of food but rather with the absence of a needed discipline.
The second moment this morning that really caught my attention was from Philip Yancy's book,"The Jesus I Never Knew". I have to say here that I have never read any of Yancy's work, but after reading this one I will be reading more of it. He is a remarkable writer that really touches on the uncertainties in his own life making his dialogue... "real"? I guess real is the word I'm searching for, maybe "tangible"? Hopefully you get what I am saying. This morning I am reading the chapter on the Ascension. Yancy states that this part of the Gospels is the most difficult for him to understand and I on the other hand, have not even given it much thought. As he begins to map out his problems with the Ascension, I begin to see his point, and a good point it is, why did Jesus leave? The Good News would have seemed to have flourished at even greater speed if Jesus could have showed up at the next Sabbath at the Temple. Or even better than that, the next Sanhedrin business meeting. Can you imagine the faces on those stuffy-shirt fundamentalists(I use the term not as a jest, but rather in its truest sense)? It would seem to me that the message of hope and love would have taken off like a rocket. But as it has been my understanding of things, God never chooses the easy path. In His infinite wisdom, He chose rather to put the keys to the kingdom in the hands of a bunch of undisciplined, scared, ignorant men. What was He thinking?! The part I missed, Yancy makes. The men to whom He entrusted this great task had something no one to that point in history had, Jesus in them. Yancy uses the illustration of dandelion seeds being blown off of the stem. Jesus left Himself in the disciples in Spirit, more to the point, the Holy Spirit. Jesus Himself said that He had to leave in order to send the Comforter, so He did knowing that this was the better way, exponentially. Little Jesus' all over the place and eventually all over time. God is, as my pa-paw used to say about those he saw as intelligent, "A pretty smart feller."
One last point. In the same chapter Yancy makes a statement that is something that will be with me today and probably many days to come. The statement has to do with the parable that Jesus tells His disciples about the sheep and the goats, where the sheep and goats are separated and judged according to the action or no action taken in regards to the poor, naked, hungry, thirsty, imprisoned people. Jesus says that we are to be about the business of ministering to these people because we are in essence doing it for Him, or as He said, to Him, Jesus in disguise as Mother Teresa put it. The statement Yancy makes is the reason we are not ministering to these folks, and the statement is this, "we are looking in the wrong places". These people are not typically in the institutional church. They are not usually welcome. I know what some will say, "They are welcome", but the truth is they will not stay long if they even come in because they are not like "us". We have created in the institutional church the mentality that we are the mold to which all must fit. "If you are not like us, there is obviously something wrong with you", is what we will never say, but our actions prove the point. The mandate Jesus gave is this, go to where they are. Go to the alleyways and byways. Go to the places that no self-respecting church goer will dare go. And minister to them as though they are Jesus Himself. What an example Jesus gave. What a life we are to follow. Seems all to obvious now. Till next time...
SIM Church Planter

Someone back home is saying, "Why don't he write?"

I have been reading so much stuff lately (currently four books at a time) just to learn what it is that is the splinter in my mind. I am literally unlearning as fast as I am learning if that is even possible. I want to share with you that there is so much more out there than I first perceived. I have been falling down the rabbit hole for about a year now, and there is still no ground in sight. I wish that I could tell you that this has been an easy journey, but it has been anything but. I have faced many crossroads and have come to many dead ends, but there are good days. There are the days when I seem to be getting a hold of what is in my brain, and there is alot there to grasp. Not because I have a huge intellect, but I am feeding it alot of information. Once put into my brain consciously,sub-consciously things sort of roll around up there and the things that are produced are sometimes a shock to me. The questions go from being answered, to unanswered again, to....what was the question again? While this may be confusing and down right asinine to most, this is where I find the most comfort. The questions don't bother me near as much as the logical answers do. There was a time in my life when I thought I had a pretty good grip on spiritual matters, heavenly things, but alas I have no clue. If you are there now, let me leave you with a bit of advise. When traveling down the rabbit hole, don't try to see the end. Don't try to grasp the sides to slow the fall. Try to rest in the faith that you are right where God would have you to be. The controls are not in your hands any longer. The law of gravity is pulling you toward a profound foundation that will be unshakable. Trust in the Unseen One, He has made you indestructible until He is finished with you here and takes you to Himself.

SIM Church planter

Me at Christmas

Playing cards, drinking egg nog, listening to Alan Jackson Christmas music.

Grace and Peace Be Unto You

I am still not ready to return to my Pagan Christianity critique, so I will instead give you a something a little on the lighter end. I was traveling in town the other day and saw a bumper sticker I had never seen before. It said, "It is better to be hated for who you are than loved for who you are not". I also noticed some of the other bumper stickers on the car and its occupants and understood the heart in which this bumper sticker was displayed. The riders were without question living an alternative lifestyle and this made the bumper sticker seem more angry than soulful as I had first read it. The reason that I say that is because most of the homosexual people that I know are deep down angry. I don't know a lot of homosexuals, but the one's that I know are this way. They seem to be angry at the lack of grace shone them by those who swear to be bringers of grace. I have been struggling with the concept of grace. How deep is mine? How deep is God's? My understanding of scripture tells me that I will be given grace in the measure by which it has been extended from me to others. In other words, if I am not willing to give grace, I will not be given grace from God. I am not building a defense for homosexuality nor do I wish to encourage it. I am simply saying that we as "Christ imitators" need to do just that, imitate Christ. When He was present here on earth, He was very clear on the supremacy of loving God and loving each other. He also said that people who don't know Him will know us as His when we obey Him. More to the point, when we obey Him, live as He lived, we are either going to be loved or hated. Liked or disliked. Befriended or shunned. This brings me full circle with the bumper sticker. Those of us who are Jesus' disciples have a decision to make. Will we choose to be loved for what we are not? Or will we choose to be hated for what we are?Let us not hide the facts. Lets be willing to give grace to those who need it, regardless of what they choose to do with their life. Let us love one another and let God bring salvation to them in His way in His time.
The SIM church planter

Taking a break from Pagan Christianity...

I have been reviewing the book by Frank Viola and am now going to take a small break. I would like to begin by saying the new year feels...new. There is something to all the hype about the beginnings of things. There seems to be a slate cleaning that takes place. Here we are at the beginning of January and I feel like last year is so...last year, like everything is refreshed. This is good for me mentally and emotionally. I feel that all my 2005 "sins" have been forgiven (please understand, reader, that I understand that my sins are forgiven each time I ask God for forgiveness, I meant the point to be more metaphorical) and that there is a huge burden of guilt lifted off of my shoulders. I have felt increasingly better about things in my life and that is always a good thing. I hope that it is been such a uplifting time for everyone as '05 was concluded and '06 begins.
As a side note, I will posting more "church" related topics at here, come check it out. Feel free to leave your mark (comment) if you so desire.
Until next time, Happy New Slate Cleaning.
SIM church planter