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Advent in our Lives

by Kyndra

I am settling in at my apartment in Euless, TX. Shaun is settling back into our home in Reno, NV. I am looking forward to many things now that I am back in DFW, and one of those things is re-joining the community at Church in the Cliff (CITC).

In all the buzz of moving and taking our first step on this unknown journey we have chosen for ourselves, I was reminded by CITC that this weekend begins the season of Advent. Courtney (CITC pastor) writes ...

"... But this is Christmas-time. As we prepare for Christ's birth why not focus on hope and celebrate all things sweetness and light? ... All I can say is that our tradition is smarter than that. The ancients knew that you could not fully celebrate light and life without first waiting in the darkness. And that darkness is not always tight and gloomy, but can instead be a place of God's deepest work. It is into this darkness that we step on Sunday, the first day of the Christian Liturgical Year. We step into the deep, deep blue of the night sky just before dawn. We step into the mystery-yearning to be taught again this year that it is somehow in the waiting that we encounter the mystery of God's presence. "

I am appreciating the side by side beginning of the Christian liturgical year and the beginning of Shaun's and my journey in separate physical locations. I don't expect our journey to be easy or happy all the time, but I don't expect it to be fully dark either. I expect both. And, for now, it brings me comfort to acknowledge that the dark before the dawn, the waiting, is also a time of heart work and an encounter with "the mystery of God's presence."

All is good.

Time to Breathe

by Shaun

Well, it surely feels like 2009 has been off to a quick start!  I guess it's just been busy.  The inauguration has to be part of that for me, and then also turning in a graduate school app on Feb. 1st and leading children's ministry sunday at the church this past weekend.  For some reason (or all of these reasons), I am more anxious and anticipant for the approaching lenten season than I've ever been.  (Well, yeah, I've only really even been "observing" lent for two years anyway.  Okay!)

And, so I'm glad to be part of a new "worship experience" for lent, hosted by Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd here in Reno.  I've been part of planning new worship gatherings before -- but it's been a while, and something about this plan has seemed more seasoned.  I've approached the idea as helping foster the kind of experience I was looking for when we arrived here and thought about community.  May be a bit self-serving, but what do I know but my own experience anyway?  (philosophical HT - dan hughes)

If you're in or around Reno and want to focus anew this lenten season, check out breathe if you will.  And check out the blog either way-

Spending my Days

by Shaun

Reading Dan Price today, he quotes Viktor Frankl:

"He who has a why to live can bear with almost any how."

I was expecting to live that quote out for a while, as I looked for employment and anything to get us by.  When we moved here for Kyndra's internships and my studies at UNR, we knew I'd have to land a job for a bit.  I really had no idea what kind of job that would be, and that unknowing was exciting.  I figured it would be something small and short-term, honestly. 

But the "belly-itcher", as he's tauntingly called, has decided to throw us a curve, perhaps trying to brush us back.  It's just that we're deadset on swinging away, and there's nothing that will change that now. 

(see baseball glossary)

I didn't see the job at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd coming ... and I don't know exactly where it's going.  It doesn't necessarily seem small or short-term...
I do know we've had some wonderful visits and I had a splendid first day as Children and Family Ministries Coordinator.  Now, I'm looking forward to this special (unexpected) work I can do while we are here. 

Explain God

At Ibc today, there were people telling their stories of recovery - from addictions, hurts, life.  Andy shared a message about Jesus beginning ministry among a "looked down upon" group in Israel - the Gentiles of Galilee.  Andy wondered - what does it mean that God would begin his saving work there, among the broken and "the least"?

"Good point" (I said to myself). 

And many times that I begin to think about the concepts of God and how he acts with us in this world, I'm turning back to the way Donald Miller writes.  He has encountered the relational side of God, and he puts it better than anyone I can think of right now.  So I thought I'd share a snipet of how he can put thoughts into words and articulate our feelings and interactions with this God we speak of.

From the chapter Spirituality - God is Fathering Us in To Own A Dragon:

It feels creepy to say God is fathering us -- creepy in an invasion-of-privacy sense.  I mentioned before that prayer comes easily to me, but I confess I like the distant God, the God who has a firm grasp of physics but isn't so swift at relational dynamics.  I see God this way most of the time, as a kind of foggy-minded scientist who never got married: too smart, really, to "get" people.  You don't picture God being good with women, do you, or sitting around at a baseball game smoking a cigar, talking about the time the ball went through Buckner's legs.

I've always thought of God in conceptual terms, the way Brian Greene thinks about superstrings.  Still, I find this sad.  God couldn't make it clearer He wants intimacy.  In Bible study once, John explained how strongly God communicates His desire for relationships.  He calls Himself a bridegroom, a friend, a lover, a shepherd.  An Old Testament book called Song of Songs is ripe with erotic imagery, and if you take it allegorically, it makes you wonder if  God doesn't want us to be, somehow, spiritually wooed.

But God lives in heaven, not down the street.  He can't play with us, as it were.  I confess I often think of God like "the boy in the bubble" trying to explain to the other kids that while they can't play basketball with Him, exactly, they can still talk on the phone about comic books or something.  I know I am trivializing God, and I don't mean to, but it does feel like His bigotry against our sin-germs affects His ability to bond.  He doesn't hug, for example. 

Hmm... so ... that just always fits for me.  If you will, what writing (or thing in general) communicates relationship to God in a unique way? 

Lately Listening - Emergent and other leaders

I've been bad at blogging recently.  sorry.  Pretty busy little season at work(s), and keeping a finger in a few different things going on.  This year has really flown by.

Recently, I've been to 3 different events - all "churchy," all encouraging, and all giving me hope for the future of American Christian leadership.
Event 1:
Emergence in Austin - a conference featuring Scot McKnight as moderator to a panel of church leaders - reflecting thoughts contributed in a recent Zondervan book - Listening to the Beliefs of Emerging Churches. 
The idea of the book was quite good, as each contributor got to write a chapter on a certain topic, and all other contributors offered a short reflection/rebuttal/extension of that topic thereafter.  I have flipped through it and I like the style.  There are definitely some opposing views on theology and praxis, but it's a good discussion for the most part. 
And that's what I'd say for this conference.  Scot McKnight led well.  The banter was both dense and funny, and McKnight is good at that.  John Burke had gracious answers (held at his church - Gateway), and Doug Pagitt was able to offer some new ideas and views, telling stories to connect the ideas along the way.  Doug was humble and positive towards other "demonstrations" of Christianity and I think that might have helped many listen harder (and offer more grace) as he expounded on the way his faith community lives out their theology as best they can.  I was encouraged to sense this perspective and grace from another Emergent leader.  I think that means a lot as the conversation goes forward.  (good review by Bob Carlton here)

Okay - speeding along --

Event 2:
A week ago Brian McLaren came to SMU as a Lecture speaker on Evangelism.   This was a day of some straightforward McLaren - therefore, I enjoyed it very much.  He also exudes a humility that simply draws me in to listen and learn.  I continuously feel challenged to think hard and live better when I listen to Brian.  And an especially neat part of this event was the way he wove in certain Methodist theological tendencies to what he presented.  Not being Methodist, I feel like I learned a lot while I got to see him validate the faith of so many in the room.  While "postmodernism" can seem so scary, he helped explain cultural shifts with the words and beliefs of John Wesley, and I felt that made a difference in the room. 
Brian took hard questions during a Q & A, but was gracious.  Some questions seemed like the same ones he's been hearing for years, while some were just plain challenging (perhaps a bit stubborn).  And I liked a key point Brian made, referring to Matthew 7, and citing - "Do not judge, lest you also be judged."  Brian posed, perhaps we could also phrase it - "Do not vilify, and you will not be vilified."  I admire Brian's desire to do theology and work against vilification at the same time.
I look forward to seeing Brian in DFW again in Feb. on the tour of his book - Everything Must Change.

Event 3:
Rob Bell @ Nokia Theatre - here's a pic I took -I know some people thought this sounded too showy, Bell "performing" at Nokia, and I know some people who just plain didn't go as to not support the "show."  But I gotta say it was a great experience.  Bell got up there and talked - teaching/monologue for a good hour and 1/2.  It felt sorta classical in that sense - sitting under a good orator - basically offering an "anthropology of religion."  That's an evening well spent.  There was nothing flashy about it - a stage with an ancient-style altar; it was a great mix of message and method.  While Nokia is a rather large stage (literally and symbolically), I like this format for theological oration and hope to see more going forward.

All in all, I'm glad to be listening to some of these leaders.  It has lately given me hope.  I hope you have some as well. 
Happy Thanksgiving!

Sunday messages, questioning consumption

I've heard some very good words today.
Earlier, driving home from some very nice camping with Reagan in San Marcos, I listened to some podcast messages by Rob Bell and the Mars Hill Bible Church.  The messages were themed - "God is Green" and are about our use and abuse of the earth, and the question of consumption.  The messages are very good.

And now, I'm sitting and listening to Barry Jones teach here at IBC about Luke 12, the parable of the "Rich Fool."  He's preaching interdependence, sustainability, and the gospel message in the lives of 21st century Christians.  He quoted Chris Jordan, from Orion Magazine earlier -

Talking to Americans about consumerism is like talking to someone with an alcohol problem. Our culture is in deep denial about what we are doing to our planet, to the people of other nations, and the people of the future. And maybe the biggest tragedy of all is that we are in denial about how our consumer lifestyle is sapping our own spirits.

It is a tragedy beyond belief, happening right here in our own country, under our own noses, to our own selves. I think Americans in the first decade of the twenty-first century will be looked back upon as some of the most spiritually lost people in the history of humankind.

These words are powerful ... and Barry's words are really authentic today.  (Thanks Barry)

It's been a good day of messages and a lot to think about, and hopefully change inside me. 

Wheaton/Emergent digestion

Here you see Richard Kearney (left), Jack Caputo (middle), and Tony Jones (right).  We had to drive through 13 states to make the trek an eventual success, but it was so great and glorious!

Okay - so it's only fair to follow up the tour/travel blogs with a post about how we made it back in one piece, and I've now officially dipped back into the regular swing of things here at home.  I'd say that particular "swing" is fine by me.  But I'd also say there are certain things about the swing's trajectory that are more off than I'd like them to be.  Oh well ... Lent is over and there's still work to do?!  What will I do? :)  Keep praying, I guess.

Prayer.  That's a theme that came from the conference tour I think.  Simple, huh?  See, it's the posture that we take in prayer, employing a hermeneutic of humility and love, that not only connects us to an ancient practice of faith, but opens us up to the new possibilities of faith to come. 
One presenter at the Wheaton Ancient Faith for the Church's Future Conference took about 45 minutes to go over this old form and example of liturgy, especially liturgical prayer.  He then talked about "preaching within a prayer form - making it also evocative, prayerful" - specifically, there is something to the FORM in which we do things that can identify what is essentially at their core. 
Thus, up sprang another word that actually also popped up at the Emergent Conversation (go figure!).  This Wheaton presenter mentioned that, in the same vein as doing things in a liturgical prayer-form, we could also do things within a sense of the "euchological." Yes, the euchological.  (Karen Ward also used this word at the conversation in Philly). 
As I let even the word Eucharist become more familiar to me ... I can also attempt to see things beyond bread and wine, as Euchological.  This was introduced in Wheaton but truly came fully circle in Philadelphia as Richard Kearney talked about a notion of transubstantiation.  He said, 

"we've attempted to realize that the bread and wine is truly the body of Christ.  But what if Christ meant a certain change to take place - what if Christ's body, after the Cross, was becoming bread and wine?  In a sense, what if, beyond Christ's sacrificial suffering on that cross, he NOW offered the world a chance to live within him while sharing meals, celebrating peace at last?"

At that time he was on the cross, but forevermore he is within our hospitality to each other.   That may help us  open up to sense the Euchological theme in things all around us everyday.
I'd love conversing about this, as I need to continue to process it.  Comment away.  More to come soon. 

peace and all good.       

 

Good Friday - upcoming plans

Last October, while in Glorietta NM for the Emergent Gathering, I met a lot of great people!  And, I was surprised to meet a certain contingent from the DFW area.  One group of people was from the The City Church in downtown Dallas.  We had a few nice conversations, nothing too crazy, but enough to get me interested in their community, especially so close to home.  They were open, honest, joyful, you know?  And they meet in an Art gallery and their "music minister" guy is a jazz virtuoso and their pastor took the kids at the conference and led a teaching time on "cooking as prayer."  So ... definitely cool.

Well, their worship gatherings are on Sunday mornings, so I haven't been able to do that.  But I did just notice that they are opening up a Good Friday Art Installation: Stations of the Cross - Open from 12noon to 12midnight on Friday April 6th.  I am going to try and make it that evening (prob. after the good friday service at IBC). 

Anyone wanna come with? 

I'm just glad to find a time to finally get to a City Church gathering.  It will be worthwhile, I'm sure.

Branding Faith

Some conferences you just really want to get to!  You feel like you could glean so much, and you can enjoy the community of great people assembled along with you.
This summer I hope to go to the Association for the Study of Literature and Environment's Bienniel conference.  If not, I could also try to make the Thoreau Society's Annual Gathering.
Either way, I WON'T be at the conference with this breakout session:

I kinda don't want to give the tired response to this crap - but I really wanna know,

Can You Believe This?? 

Wow.  There are so many things wrong with it.  But I'm not the type to diatribe about it all.  I just want to be part of a church where one of our leaders (I guess whoever owns it, since it's "your church") goes to this thing.  I want them to come back.  I want to sit down with them.  And I want to ask, "So Jimmy, how shall we now be transformed?" 

and they will know we are christians by our high-quality brand.

Lent, update, ohome status

Follow-up on Lent - going well.
TSK posted recently about the seeming impact the emerging church has had on promoting more modern protestant circles to practice Lent (and return to some other ancient traditions).  Interesting. 

At IBC, it's kinda common to hear people talking about Lent; and that's such a change, I think.  I hadn't heard ANYONE in my little "faith circles" mention observing Lent before 2 years ago... and today I stand in a circle of staff people and it's all the buzz.  (lord, help us keep it right before you)

In fact, my Lent has been a bit rough.  The radio thing has been harder than I thought ... but I guess good fuel for going through this journey and attempting to focus on God. 
And, the regular blog friends have helped me learn more and keep encouraged - willzhead is fasting from blogging, but has good preset updates that come up - thoughts for the Lenten journey.  Then, there is a Grace Lent Blog that updates with interactive, creative stories related to Lent.  That has really been great. 
As for Nouwen - I couldn't get the book I wanted (out of print) - and the other one I got is just okay.  I haven't kept up with it. 

And through the time, Kyndra is just studying her tail off - taking it to the OT grad school - midterms are going on right now and her Spring Break is next week!!  I wish I was coming through and reading more of what I have on the shelf, but time's just kinda been passing.  I need to be more disciplined with that, for sure.

But, discovering new little tech apps and using my old ones has been fun - potential of gmail (and google ready tweaks), delicious, twitter, newsgator, and flickr ...

Update:  Friends,  start using Twitter!  Let's hook up.  And, tonight I began using Twitterrific, for mac users!  Cool.

you're updated.
be good.
-s.o