RE:think

Dragoncon!!!

  Tomorrow, my brother, a friend, and myself will head to Atlanta for Dragoncon. What is Dragoncon? From their website:

Dragon*Con is America's largest, multi-media, popular arts convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film.

Mostly it's a chance for us to be geeks. But we are without a doubt some of the coolest geeks you'll find there. Some pics from previous cons to give you an idea...

 

Yes, that's me and Rowdy Roddy Piper...

On Leaving...

The past month has been filled with lots of things I've wanted to talk about here but could not. It's been a month of highs and lows, sleepless night and encouraging moments. Today, there was resolution to it all. And that made it one of the sadder days I've had in a while.

We're leaving our church.

I hate that word, leaving, and making that statement is very strange to me still. But it is exactly what we are doing. We aren't mad, angry or disappointed in the church we are leaving. We love those folks and they will always be family. But it became clear to me over the past year or so that we wouldn't always be there.

It has been tough, and today, making it official with a letter, brought it all home. We've shared many good and bad times with these fine folks. Leaving them is no easy thing. We will still have our friendships and will see one another from time to time, but I will greatly miss serving with them.

So where are we going? A few weeks back I met a guy who lives in Kingsport, reads many of the books I read, and talked the missional language that I am now familiar with. I happened to see his link on my sister in law's blog and click it. That is where I learned all of these things about him. The chances of meeting someone like this around here is very slim.

The most intriguing thing I learned from his blog is that he is planting a missional church right here in our area. I immediately fired off an email to get together, hang out, and talk. We've since been able to get together several times and found much in common. Yesterday, we worshipped with them for the first time and we were able to make a final decision. We will join in with they are doing and look forward to these early stages of planting a different kind of church here in our area.

I'm sure I will have things to share here and there as our journey moves along with Radius. I'll be sure to let you in on as much as I can.

But leaving friends is hard. So our excitement is tempered. We wish and expect the best for them as they continue on in the Lord.

Cool/Uncool and the Gospel

You should read this. It's good stuff. It's a reminder to me that any one of us can mess up royally when it comes to unity...

(HT: Michael Spencer)

"I've Found Jesus"

So, Michael Vick finally made a statement today. There were lots apologies and he did seem genuine to me. He admitted some things publicly that he didn't have to. Some of that is because he wants to play football again someday. I was glad that he mentioned the kids out there that looked up to him.

And we ended up getting what now seems obligatory in these cases:

"I've found Jesus."

I'm always surprised by how often Jesus seems to get lost.

(pause for giggles)

All kidding aside, what do you think about Vick's statement here? I am always a bit leery of these "post-trouble" conversions, but who am I to say? Do we have to believe him when he says that he's "turned his life over to God?" Do we wait to see the fruit?

It just stuck out as I watched his press conference and wondered what some of you think in these situations.

Static Cling

I pray that this devotional will bless, edify, and remind. Evette Wagner

 

John 1:12 "but as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God to those who believe in His name."

    There was some where I had to be one day, and in my rush I grabbed some clothes out of the dryer, put them on and left the house. It wasn't until later that day I discovered I had static cling and a sock had clung to the back of my shirt and it had been there all day long without me knowing it. Suddenly it occurred to me that our past is just like wearing clothes without the fabric softener.

The word static comes from the Greek word statikos, which means: showing little change, characterized by a lack of movement, animation, or progression, fixed on one place. For a long time I allowed my past to bother me and continually cling to me like that sock I had worn all day. I was holding on to something so tight that I was chocking the life out of myself. Instead of learning from my past, I had literally made my bed and slept in it everyday because I didn't know how to let it go. If given the chance many of us would turn back the hands of time to undo was has been done but that is impossible.

    We judge, convict, and sentence like no other; we are our own worst enemy. So how do we overcome the past and release ourselves from the sock riding on our backs? There is an answer and it has been there all along. His name is Jesus. He has been there all along saying give me all that you have and I will free you, but you have to let me. God will use you to show others how He moved the Mountains and streams out of your way and just made them stepping stones.

Let Jesus bring you the peace that you truly seek in your life. You don't have to carry that junk anymore. You have been forgiven. So the next time you find that sock riding your back, remember God is the softener that takes care of the static cling.

 

Prayer: You sent your son Jesus to heal the broken hearted and to proclaim freedom to those who are bound. There is no condemnation for those who are yours. My identity does not lie in who I was, but lies in Jesus Christ. Your mercy endures forever!

What Am I Reading???

I have been soooo far behind on my reading and am fairly late compared to others with a couple of books. I am moving to books to help add to and put some of my ministry philosophy to work. From what I understand, the two I have added to the stack should do nicely. 

 The Shaping of Things to Come by Frost and Hirsch

 

 The Forgotten Ways by Alan Hirsch

Thanks to my good friend Glen who owns a local bookstore and hooked me up! Go check him out online and grab a book or three yourself! I wanted actually post these to get links up to Glen since the Typepad list uses Amazon. Plus I am just excited about reading. I've been slacking but God has blessed me with a new friend who loves to read and talk about books so I have renewed vigor...

I hope to finally finish "The Secret Message of Jesus" today and dive into these other two this week.

My Theological Worldview

I took this a couple years ago and saw where Bro Maynard retook to see if he was shifting. I wanted to see as well. It seems it's nearly the same...

You scored as Emergent/Postmodern, You are Emergent/Postmodern in your theology. You feel alienated from older forms of church, you don't think they connect to modern culture very well. No one knows the whole truth about God, and we have much to learn from each other, and so learning takes place in dialogue. Evangelism should take place in relationships rather than through crusades and altar-calls. People are interested in spirituality and want to ask questions, so the church should help them to do this. Emergent/Postmodern 86% Neo orthodox 71% Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 61% Fundamentalist 54% Reformed Evangelical 46% Roman Catholic 43% Charismatic/Pentecostal 39% Classical Liberal 39% Modern Liberal 21% What's your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com

Moving on post-American Dream

There are dozens of "posts" in our current day and age. These include, but are surely not limited to, post-Christendom, post-modern, and post-colonial. I want to talk about another one though and how it relates to our mission as Christ's Body.

Growing up I was taught about the "American Dream". I never had a class that dealt with the term and never saw it in a text book, but I was taught it nonetheless. Basically, it was the idea that if I worked hard, was a good person, and was determined to be successful, I would be. This would bring me all the things that make life easier. Things like a good wife, a few kids, a nice house, a nice car, and all the handy things to put into that house to make life blissful. Maybe I'd even get a white picket fence. That's the dream. I know we could argue for hours on what the American Dream really is and what it consists of, but I think my description is a fair one as far as this post goes.

I was born in 1972. Kind a weird time for the American Dream. We were about to learn just how much we couldn't trust our government. We were about to see the divorce rate hop on a rocket and take off (my parents split up when I was 5). We were close to seeing our economy go on a virtually unending series of rises and falls. My generation was one of the first to see the American Dream for what it really was. A farce.

In many ways, I have achieved lots of the milestones associated with "the dream". I have also, many times, lived through the antitheses of "the dream". Most of the anti-dream stuff I have lived through was purely economic, but there are other issues out there that can all but obliterated "the dream". Divorce is a huge one. Absent parents has hurt. The emergence of an extremely individualistic society (one of the toys you try for while pursuing the dream) has done much harm.

This leaves many folks in our society in a weird kind of limbo. The generation before the Baby Boomers, "the Builders", still believes in "the dream". By and large they have lived it and still do.  Many Boomers I know still believe in it as well even if they haven't achieved it. My generation, the busters, or Gen-x, or whatever we are, have heard of it, been taught it, but by and large think it's not real. Then you have the Generation Y and Internet Generations who really don't know what it is and would laugh if you described it. Their world is much different than the Golden Age.

That's where the Church comes into the picture. We are called to be salt and light in the world. We live in a lost, hurting, and dying world. We say that all the time, but sometimes fail to define and describe what that means.

We live out amongst people who's lives flat out suck. They are on drugs or know someone close who is. They have AIDS. They live in a world where porn is easier to find than a clown at a circus. They're parents are not only split up, but neither of them care about them so now they don't know how love anyone. Those who's parents are together have watched them struggle to keep work, or have had a hard time finding or keeping work themselves and the only help they've received is from the government. In spite of medical advances they know someone close who has a cancer or some other terminal disease and know they will lose them to it and feel alone. They are mired in depression because of the ugly, violent world we live in. War and terrorism are words they are numb to now, but still haven't learned how to deal with.

What kind of Church do all of these people need to be reaching out to them? Do they need the churches full of folks who are taught to seek "the dream" and hold it up as God's favor? Do they need 10 steps to a better life? Do they need a church that preaches against them instead of wrapping it's arms around them? Think they'll respond to "good words and prayer" instead of action and love from a group of affluent believers who drive $50,000 dollar cars and live in houses too big for their families?

I don't mean to pick at other believers with those questions, but it's time that we, as a Church, once and for all put away this idea of the American Dream. We may not directly talk about it, but with our lives and actions, we are buying into it and functionally telling everyone that it's the pinnacle of living.

So I am going to go out and find these people. I am going to go and love them, and tell them about the real dream. I am going to go and let them know that there is indeed a God and not only does he love them, but he wants to redeem them and everything about their lives. He wants them to not only bring their lives to him, but their addictions, their broken relationships, their let downs, and all those things that get in the way of living life to the fullest. Because see, to be reconciled with God means that not only are they safe and redeemed for eternity and have a home with God in the future, but they have a relationship with the Almighty. That means that no matter what tries to move into their lives RIGHT NOW and make them miserable, he has already overcome it. That's a much better message that fire insurance. And he doesn't need to give them money and things and houses and cars to give them joy.

So let's go ahead and put out the smoldering pile that has been known as the "American Dream" and show people Jesus. He'll give them a new dream, a real dream, and live it with them.

(I have ranted a little. If I have offended, frustrated or aggravated, I apologize.)

My Visual DNA

 

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Wikiphobia

Here in the United States we live in a culture that places a high premium on education. It is important to us that things be correct. And in spite of post-modernism, we are still a truth seeking society.

Enter Wikipedia. The red headed step child of all encyclopedias. The most spat upon of all reference materials. And the reasons are good. I will admit that. This free, online encyclopedia is created, edited, and maintained by the largest group of authors ever. The public. For this reason, it is easy to find errors, exaggerations, and flat out lies in this online tome.

This scares people. Every time I see Wikipedia referenced on a site or blog that allows comments, you can count on 1/4 of all comments ripping the site and pointing out it's problems. I especially see this in the comments section of my local newspaper. We hillbillies here in East Tennessee just don't know about these new fangled wiki thangs. And most folsk here in the US aren't crazy about things that just anyone has the chance to contribute to when it comes to information. "Open Source" is just too frightening.

No, we want official sources. And nevermind that official sources from the government, to the church, to our schools (both public and private) have been known for helping spread misinformation over the years. Many people have taken the newspaper industry's word as gospel for decades, even centuries. Has that industry been perfect?

I personally like Wikipedia. Is it the final word for me when doing research? Not always, especially when it is something important but I have been helped time and time again by this tool and will continue to be. For personal research that will not be published, it is easy to use and has a surprising amount of information.

From Wikipedia itself, under the entry for Wiki (which is the term for collaborative websites):

Critics of open-source wiki systems argue that these systems could be easily tampered with; while proponents argue that the community of users can catch malicious content and correct it. Lars Aronsson, a data systems specialist, summarizes the controversy as follows:

“Most people, when they first learn about the wiki concept, assume that a website that can be edited by anybody would soon be rendered useless by destructive input. It sounds like offering free spray cans next to a grey concrete wall. The only likely outcome would be ugly graffiti and simple tagging, and many artistic efforts would not be long lived. Still, it seems to work very well.^"

And wikis, including Wikipedia, do work surprisingly well. I challenge you to pick 5 subjects of interest. Make sure they are things you know quite a bit about. Look them up at Wikipedia and see how accurate they are. And if you find an inaccuracy, heck, fix it!

Don't be afraid of this site. Be smart and careful with it but do not be frightened off. Oh, and if I cite it, please don't tell me about the problems and possibilities. I know. We'd be fools not to be careful with the dangers. We'd also be fools to dismiss something so valuable as well.

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