Recent Kaylaisms

while on Bernal Hill playing in the dirt...

"This dirt is dirty."

seeing a man jog up the hill...

"Hey, it's a man! Hey, slow down!"

as a couple walks up the hill...

"This is my dirt, Kayla's dirt!"

as she begins to walk away...

"Daddy, you stay right there. Look at city."

Picture Share

It's good to have a baby boy around this time of the year...

Quote of the week

"Another world is not only possible, she's on her way. On a quiet day, if I listen very carefully, I can hear her breathing."

from Another World is Possible

Update: Ryan informs me that the quote is actually a quote from Arundhati Roy...from her book, The Checkbook and the Cruise Missile.

Reminding myself of the gratitude inside me

The last 3 weeks have been a sort of blur or haze. We have a two year old and a newborn sharing the house with my wife and I these days. We've had family visiting on and off. We've stared out the windows at the cold and rain. We put up our Christmas tree and decorated it (well, mostly Andrea did after Kayla and I proved ourselves to not be up to the task...). I drove around Northern California with Mark for three days speaking about living lives of compassion as a part of a class put on by the U.S. Center for World Missions. We all got some sort of weird stomach flu, and then we all got a nasty cold. So, that pretty much took the wind out of the rest of life. We've been tired and cranky, and we're sick of being tired, and we're sick of being sick. Kayla is going crazy running around the house in circles, while Andrea and myself can both get a little stir crazy when we are stuck at home.

Yet, I remind myself that we are so blessed. Our baby Chase is, in the grand scheme of things, a healthy, wonderful and beautiful little boy. Kayla absolutely loves him and loves the big sister role. "Chase, don't cry! It's okay...I got you!" She pats him on the belly with a big smile on her face. Andrea and I have to keep reminding ourselves that through the sleep deprived nights and achy backs and puke on the ground and on people's clothes, something good is happening here. We have been given the family we have always wanted. We are reminded that these children are our most precious gifts, gifts that not everyone ever receives, and we choose to seek to love each other another day (and hope that January is a little easier...I have the Counting Crows in my head...it's been a long December...)

Quote of the Week

"When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a Communist." - Hélder Câmara

Thanks to Will for the quote

Here's Chase

Family of Four...

with the addition of Chase Daniel Millheim, weighing in at 8 pounds 1 ounce on November 16, 2006 at 10:05 AM, after a valiant effort by his Mom without the utilization of pain medication.

Looks like the boy is coming...

Andrea woke me up at 3:45 and then told me to go to sleep and wait and then woke me up and now we are heading to the hospital. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers...may not update on the web for a while though...

Waiting...

Andrea is officially due to give birth tomorrow. I'm pulling for tonight and hoping she's not a week late like she was with Kayla. It just feels weird to wait...I'm going to take a few days off when we have the baby boy, and I'm not feeling motivated to do anything else but get ready to have a family of four.
We are also still working on a name for the boy. If anyone has an idea, feel free to reply to this post. Actually, I'm sick of people telling me in person, so please do post here if you have an idea. Ideally, it should have meaning and sound cool (even with Millheim after it)

The Cobalt Season in early December

Poem for Middle Schoolers

I tried to write a really simple little poem about Jesus as Teacher for Life for middle schoolers we're hosting this weekend...I think it's a little cheesy but I wanted to make it at a 7th grade level...


Jesus, Jesus, Jesus

We like to use his name
But is it just a game

Bumper stickers and T-shirts
But will we follow when it hurts?

We watch the movie that Mel made
But what about after it’s played

A necklace with a cross
But are you ready for a loss

Give your stuff to the poor and follow me
But I’m afraid that might not make me happy

We like to pray that prayer and sing those songs
But MySpace is where my time belongs

All that stuff He said about love
That’s harder than me becoming a dove

But I tell you there is a better way
A way to live above the fray

The power that Jesus has thrown out to us
Power that can overturn the bus

The bus that heads to selfishness and fear
The bus that makes you call someone queer

When they need your love and care
But you don’t know if you can bear

But I say that you can
You can live by the Jesus plan

You can live in the way of the Son of Man
You can, You can, You can

The love revolution has begun
And I’ll tell you it’s a lot more fun

Than you may think
So let’s rethink

Reimagine our lives
How we love our brothers, sisters and wives

Love the homeless man in the gutter
And the weird boy who tends to stutter

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
More than a name or a game
More than a way to gain fame

A way to live and move and breathe
The only way to weave

Weave our fractured lives and make them whole
Yes we all have a special role

Today it is about more than fun
May your Kingdom come your will be done

I think I've become the Dad who is convinced his daughter is so adorable everyone on earth should look at a picture of her every day...

THE BUSINESS OF GOD: MINI CONFERENCE

THE BUSINESS OF GOD: Mini Conference

The Business of God
A mini-conference to explore emerging thinking on the role of business in the Kingdom of God with Brian McLaren, Nathan George, David Batstone .

Ever wondered how your faith connects directly to your skills in business? What has the ability to read a balance sheet, design a marketing campaign, or craft a legal operating agreement got to do manifesting the reign of Christ on earth? Are you really only in your secular job to act ethically and be a good witness? Could there be a bigger picture that God has – a role created for you that uses your skills?

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to come and hear both theory and practice of how God is using business to bring good news to the poor and release to the captives.

First Presbyterian Church, Burlingame, California
13th November 13, 2006 from 7:30 – 11:00 am
Cost is $5 at the door (to cover light breakfast)
Schedule
7.30am Business and Transformation – the role of business in the Kingdom
9:00 am Break (everyone is invited to both sessions but there will be a 30-minute break for those who need to leave)
9.30am The Church and Business – Explore the theology and practice of integrating mission with business

Speakers:
Brian McLaren (www.brianmclaren.net ) is a leading author of the subject of the emerging church, author of The Secret Message of Jesus, and the Board Chairman of Sojourners/Call to Renewal.
David Batstone (www.davidbatstone.com ) is the author of Saving the Corporate Soul, the editor-at-large of Sojourners, a founding editor of Business 2.0 magazine, and founder of Right Reality.
Nathan George (www.ambata.org ) is the founder of Ambata, a business focused on using consumer spending to create jobs for people freed from human trafficking and poverty.

Event Sponsors:
Sojourners/Call to Renewal , Ambata.org, First Presbyterian Church, Burlingame

More pics to share

Picture Share - the Trip

Father, let me think your thoughts and feel your feelings for the people I see

My thoughts
Sometimes they get all messed up, they get all jacked up, they get all tripped up

I see the tough guy with the wife beater under the double x t shirt
Gold chains hanging down and a scowl on the brow
And I feel threatened, I feel offended, I feel defensive

I see the hipster with the precocious smirk, listening to some band he’s proud to know because other people don’t
The t shirt with the cute little graphic
New Balance shoes, Cool tattoos, the funky hat
The Ritual coffee cup and the road bike that makes him peg his right pant leg
On his oh so tight jeans

My thoughts get all messed up in my head
I’d like to love but I’d rather not
My own insecurities and my own peculiarities are calling

The little boys hop the fence into the half way fixed up park
Pipes and rocks are used instead of the baseball bats and balls that never came on Christmas morning
Rocks are whizzing past my baby girl’s head. Anger rises in my veins like a wave at Mavericks.

What feelings am I feeling now? What thoughts race through my tired brain?

When the man at the park scolds me, shaking his head, for not bringing him a bicycle
While my family sits the drunken man knocks on the window of my car and complains that we will not give him food. He shakes his head in anger and disgust, scaring my two lovely ladies

What now? Thoughts, feelings, thoughts, feelings, thoughts, feelings

I need to breathe. I need to stop. I need to rest.

My God says He loves, He cares, He sympathizes, He wishes well
He created…………In HIS IMAGE

He grieves when He sees the heroine needles
He cries when He sees the lonely child

Jesus spoke of a life abundant
A life He came for us to have

Echoes from my Sunday school childhood ring in my ear…

Change my heart oh God, Make it ever true
Change my heart oh God, May I be like you

Let me be so in tune, like a head bopping to a Jay Z tune
My thoughts full of your thoughts

May my brain be full of good thoughts, full of generosity
May my heart be filled with a compassion it has never known
May my feelings find direction and inspiration from my Creator

May all of us and all of them become simply all of us

And may we all feel His love,
ALL OF US
Swim around through it
Run in it without getting tired
Rest in it without getting bored
Float in it forever and ever and ever
May His love ooze out of our pores
And make us new

Barrio Libre!

I've heard rumors that some people really dig these posters that are all over the Mission District and want to meet whoever it is that is behind them.
Thanks to Ryan and Holly for designing these...

Greyhound

A friend told me he has been seeing commercials for Greyhound Buses full of smiling, happy people enjoying their deluxe trip on the bus. I feel like I should have taken actual footage last weekend and put it up on YouTube.

We (Adam, Mark, Josh and I) were dropped off by Lisa at the Greyhound station in San Francisco. After walking by several homeless men sleeping in the walkways and a few people screaming at each other, we made it to the ticket counter. We asked Ryan, the man behind the counter, if he had any tips for our long trip to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Ryan said that we need to remember not to drink alcohol or smoke anything on the bus, but that if we saw any ladies we could feel free to take them to the back of the bus and have a little fun. "If the bus driver looks at you funny, it's just because he's jealous." Okay, thanks for the tip. Ryan then informed us that it was our lucky day. Not only would we be riding on an Express Bus (the first of several times we heard of these mythic super buses), but there were going to be some strippers on our bus!! Could it get any better??

The only thing I cared about was getting some sleep on the first leg of our trip which started at 10 PM on Saturday (San Francisco to Los Angeles). Alas, the story started off a different way. A woman sat behind Adam and myself and asked us not to recline our seats. She then spoke in a very loud voice the entire drive. As I drifted in and out of consciousness, never really sleeping, I heard lots of talk of praying and pastors. The ironic thing is that I don't think I saw one other cell phone amongst the hundreds of other Greyhound riders I came across during the trip.

We stopped in Oakland, Coalinga and Glendale on the way to Los Angeles. At Coalinga most of the other passengers grabbed some quality food at McDonald's. Having read Fast Food Nation a couple weeks ago, I definitely passed and thought about standing at the entrance and begging people to not eat the stuff, but instead I stood in the parking lot and stretched.

Upon our arrival in Los Angeles, we took a look at the waiting room full of metal chairs and interesting smells and decided to take a walk downtown. As soon as we reached the sidewalk we were offered bikes for $10 each by some local businessmen on the corner. We thought about it but continued to walk. We passed an organization I had heard of called Midnight Mission with around a hundred people in the courtyard (this was around 5 in the morning). On the surrounding streets were dozens of tents and makeshift homes of cardboard and shopping carts. Trash filled the streets along with boxes of clothes that had apparently been donated to the people of the street. We wondered aloud how much good was being done by this type of rescue mission. The presence of the mission seemed to have created a dense ghetto that chased away the rest of civilization. A heavy spirit filled the air and the complexities of helping the American poor rushed to my thoughts.

We returned to the station for the 7 AM to Phoenix and were about to board when a woman yelled to stop. There was no more room on the bus. The crowd quickly accepted the bad news. I was puzzled...no one would complain? We asked the woman, all the while suspecting that the bus was full of people who had tickets for the 9 AM trip to Phoenix. She gave us some meal vouchers for the food area and promised that the 9 AM bus was an "Express Bus" that would get us there right on time. Sure...
After choking down some free food and wondering where the bacon and eggs originated, I found Mark and Adam sleeping on the floors on opposite sides of the room. I tried to make my old Ipod mini work, but since the batteries have been on the fritz for a year or so, that didn't quite work.

Finally on the way to Phoenix!! We stopped in San Bernadino for 10 minutes, and I hopped off the bus to enjoy the sun and call my wife. After listening to a voicemail that Ryan and Holly Sharp had a new beautiful baby named Paxton, a young man, probably 18 or so, suddenly yelled at me that I could not stand there. "On the bus or in waiting area!!" was his command. A part of me wanted to yell back and inform the young man that 1. No one talks to me like that 2. Ever heard of a thing called customer service? 3. Since when is it illegal to step outside? After the 5 second burst of anger rolled through my veins, I smiled and nodded and slowly walked back into the bus, feeling like a part of a herd of cattle. I later chuckled when Adam recounted Mark being called "boy" when an agent demanded his ticket.

We needed to arrive in Phoenix in time to get on the 4:25 bus headed for Albuquerque, but we took several stops that were a bit too long and got there at 4:45 or so. We were told that there was another bus coming in 10 minutes so we had better hop in line. After waiting in line for half an hour we sent Mark to the ticket counter. Before long we finally were informed that the next bus wouldn't depart until 11 PM, but we could have some free meal tickets :) We met a woman with her son that told us there was a bus at 5:30. Suspecting she had been lied to we talked with her for a while and advised her to head to the ticket counter and make sure she got the scoop. After we took a walk in the rain in Phoenix and turned down some Rolex watches, we were finally on our way to Albuquerque, and we were scheduled to arrive at 10 AM Monday morning. The problem is that I had booked a hotel on Priceline that we had planned to enter at 3 AM. We realized that you can't make firm plans when riding Greyhound and wondered what it was like to live like that. On top of that no one had cell phones, so it added up to some serious waiting around and never knowing when you would arrive.

The crazy thing about the experience is that our tickets cost $79 and my return flight from Albuquerque cost $94. Add in food at McDonald's and the Greyhound stations (we didn't see anyone else get meal tickets) and not only have you thrashed your body but you've also spent another 15-30 dollars. Factor in having a job that pays by the hour and does not include vacation time, and Greyhound is a seriously bum deal. I suspect that many of the people on our buses do not know how to find cheap tickets on the Internet and may not factor in the total cost of the entire trip. You also don't need a credit card as you would to book a cheap flight ahead of time. I think our bags were checked once the entire trip, and our ID was never checked. We saw many prison tattoos. What really got me was the single Moms with their kids. Little humans being yelled at by their mothers for not being willing to hold more things in their laps. I heard whispers of former husbands and boyfriends and lives of frustration and desperation.

Someone had an interesting thought: is there any company that is geared to serve poor people that is run well? If anyone has a thought I would love to hear it.

As for me, I am committed to carving out some time to calling and writing a letter to Greyhound to complain about some of their practices and how they treat people and take advantage of them. It feels so luxurious to ride in a car these days...

Bus to Glorietta...oh yeah

So four of us decided to ride the bus to New Mexico for the Emergent Gathering.
If you've never heard of the Gathering you should check it out...it's a wonderful time.
This year will be a bit different. I'll be co-leading some conversations and somehow I become the point person for hospitality, making sure people connect and feel welcome and all that. All of a sudden it feels like an old home with old friends...a family gatheringo of sorts. It was just two years ago I attended for the first time, my airfare paid for by Creekside Community Church. I knew no one. I was a little freaked out.
Anyone out there that has ridden Greyhound across a couple states? I think it's twenty four hours or so. We figured if we're always talking about walking in the ways of Jesus and we think Jesus would ride the bus...well, maybe we should actually take the bus. My only experience with buses has been dropping off my brother a couple times, and in that limited experience I know that it will be a fascinating trip. My only thing is that I really hope I can sleep during the night...I'm a wuss about not getting enough sleep.

Picture Share

A brief moment of happiness on the "Big Girl Bed" before the last few nights of torture with Kayla demanding that me or Andrea sleep with her. When she falls asleep we slip out of the room, and then she wakes up at 2 or 3 AM and remembers that she doesn't like to be in the "Big Girl Bed" alone, at which point she screams for Mommy and Daddy and we start the process all over again. I think I'm losing my mind. She has an uncanny ability to sense when I am about to make my move out the door, and she suddenly becomes fully awake and screams in horror that I am not with her...I've been reading that this phase can last for 6 months or so...I'm not sure I can make it. Perhaps God is getting us back into parental shape for the boy coming in November, or perhaps He is punishing me for owning too many pairs of shoes...

My little one

2

two
two women
two women with black hair
two women with black hair turning grey

i could see them out of the corners of my eyes
one to my left and one to my right
two
two women

A slow and stubborn gait
Weathered hands and faces
Blank stares marching forward
Marching towards my lime green seat in front of the laundromat

Suddenly, in unison four eyes open up
two heads rise and two smiles form
two weathered and beautiful faces
four hands move upwards and point towards the others

The legs have new life
Springing forward as if they were still young
two hands meet two hands and hold each other
now two full bodies embrace

quiet words are spoken
i cannor hear
a language i cannot understand
but i do understand

and i feel joy
like the joy at a happy ending of a movie
only this is real
this is simple life

as the two part one passes me
still smiling and I cannot help but smile myself
my hello is met with a blush and a chuckle
realizing i have seen the meeting of these two

a minute or two passes
the two have moved on
another woman, dark skin, black hair turning grey,
a slow gait, weathered hands and face,

but no one on the other side
at least no one who cares
or at least no one who knows
there is one

the legs never gain speed
the eyes never light up
the smile does not come
one

surely she has comanions on another street
surely she has someone who makes her smile
who gives her life
does she

Wisdom from Jay Z

I've been going back to my early teenage years and listening to hip hop lately...perhaps it's my quarter life crisis...as I was working on my computer at Progressive Grounds and pondering the Sermon on the Mount I heard Jay Z say through my headphones "If you shoot my dog I'm gonna kill yo' cat"...hmmmm

Barrio Libre

A little birdie just told me about the Barrio Libre website...

If anyone wants to help pay for supplies (printing costs for posters/flyers, paint, etc.) I know where to send you...

Barrio Libre - how we are fleshing out Service in the Jesus Dojo

PROJECT BARRIO LIBRE! —NEIGHBORHOOD FREEDOM!

WHY? To apply the vow of service and advocacy to current issues in our city.

This summer marked a dramatic return of violence to the Mission District and Portrero Hill with night time gunfire, thefts & assaults and weekly homicides. In the Mission District violence and hopelessness have become ways of life. People are shot and killed in broad daylight, and nothing is done about it. We will be advocates for this neighborhood. We will educate citizens. We will challenge the status quo. We work for a Barrio Libre (Neighborhood Freedom).

Our young people are dying, but we can stand up and work together to end the violence. Small acts matter. Clean the streets. Call when you see suspicious activity. Your involvement can save lives. Have courage. Take the freedom to walk the streets without trash, without fear, without violence. Together we can make our neighborhood safe, a place of faith, hope and love.

WHERE? Mission to Bryant and Cesar Chavez to 21st Street



PROJECT TEAMS:

Research & networking
Finding all murder sites
Statistics on violence
Best practices we can promote – phone numbers, etc.

Propaganda crew
Public service announcements (flyers, posters, etc.)
Web site

Art team
Mural project/Graffiti project
Day of the Dead

WEEKLY TUESDAY EVENING PRACTICES:

Neighborhood Beautification Project with Area Team
1. Pick up trash, clean, etc.
2. Patrol and advocacy
3. Meet neighbors and store workers/owners whenever possible
4. Paint over graffiti or contact city officials to paint


WEEKLY READINGS & REFLECTIONS
Each participant will read a selected Scripture passage and complete a half page reflection to be turned in at the Dojo Meeting and discussed.

Of Sheep and Goats and the Drunk Man on the Corner

My attitudes and ideas about poverty and homelessness seem to be continually evolving, from a naive and overly simple outlook to a more educated and experienced perspective, but the wrestling and conflicting ideas inside my head just seem to get louder and louder.

I read the story Jesus told about sheep and goats and try to see Jesus in the eyes of every person I see. I read the story of the Good Samaritan that Jesus told in response to a question about "who is my neighbor?" The neighbor is the one who helps...the neighbor should and could be everyone.

So I yearn for love and compassion to ooze out of my eyes and vocal cords and body language and wallet...but what is love for each person?

I walk with the homeless man who tells me of his daily panhandling at Safeway to buy more beer. He walks with me to a community center where he would be cared for, but he falls asleep on the couch in a stupor. When he awakens he immediately heads out to get more change and more beer.

I give food to a homeless Latin man on the sidewalk and hear his story. He claims the divorce was all his wife's fault. He left his little girls with no father, but it was all his wife's fault. After all, she knew he was an alcoholic when she married him...it's her fault. It's her fault.

I talk with another homeless man and realize my gift of lunch enabled him to spend his money on marijuana instead of lunch.

We run into our transgender friend from the community center in the Tenderloin, dealing drugs. Why? It's George Bush's fault. He wants the black man to be enslaved by drugs. But aren't you a black person selling drugs to black people? Please help me understand...really, I want to better understand.

The couple in the park want me to get a thousand dollars from my church to give to them so that they can put a down payment on an apartment. But the apartment is over priced. The woman sends her man to the corner to get money to buy more cigarettes. Their insistence on keeping the dog cuts down on housing possibilities. But they demand help from the church to get into the place to live. What is love? Is love to give money? My mind tells me they need to stop spending so much money on cigarettes and get rid of the dog and let me lay out a budget for them. If they both start work in a few days, I know an apartment is entirely possible on their own. But they don't want my advice...don't want to be told how to live. They want my money.

Is it love to approach the young men from the projects, the ones who almost hit my wife and daughter with a large rock? Is it love to go and talk to them, after hearing rumors of young men who flash their guns to those who confront them? Is it love to call the police and let them handle it?

Somehow compassion and love must often take the form of difficult words and conversations that people do not want to hear. Love must take the form of guidance, of holding a mirror up to help someone see themselves and what they are saying. But we must have love behind all of our actions. I just pray that as boldness and clarity develop begin to flow from my mouth that the love and compassion would only grow with the boldness...

May His Kingdom come, and may I remind myself to care for Jesus in every person on every corner...thanks blogger for letting my ramble out my thoughts

SERVICE & ADVOCACY

I've been a blogging slacker...there's plenty happening and plenty I've meant to blog about, so I'll start laying it out there piece by piece...here is an introduction to the idea of Service & Advocacy we are going through in our current season of the Jesus Dojo...more to follow



THE VOW OF SERVICE

As apprentices of Jesus, we are given the privilege and responsibility of becoming agents of healing. We work for the restoration of Creation on in cooperation with the agenda of the Creator. We give our bodies and minds, our whole selves, to a life of service.

We are told that Jesus emptied himself. He humbled himself. He gave himself away in order to serve. Beyond teaching this way, He modeled it. His patterns of living,
and eventually the cross, remind us of the sacrifice of a servant, one who gave up his life for the benefit of others. Jesus is the ultimate picture of unselfishness. He is the Suffering Servant, the Great Advocate for all mankind. We seek to pattern our lives after His by serving in the ways that make sense in our times and places.

With healing hands, Jesus embraced people rejected or forgotten by society. As a sign of the kingdom of love Jesus touched those shunned because of infectious diseases. He put his hands on the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf to heal them. He welcomed and held little children in his arms, even while his disciples looked on disapprovingly. He also made himself vulnerable to people in the streets, allowing them to touch him-- like one woman who had been bleeding for many years who reached for his clothes and was cured, or another woman who worked as a prostitute who, weeping, touched his feet, washing them with her tears. He invited the poor and oppressed into a community of hope.

We love God by loving the people around us. We enter into the struggle of those who are hungry, thirsty, lonely, naked or in prison. Through these acts we serve Jesus himself. Day by day, minute by minute, we make the decision to welcome Jesus instead of turning him away.

While we will enter into specific projects or acts of service, we remind ourselves that our whole lives are to be full of love that fills the holes of despair around us. We seek to first be healers within our families and our communities. We begin the struggle first as sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, friends, neighbors and co-workers, and we continue this work to the ends of the earth.



THE PRACTICE OF ADVOCACY

Jesus modeled the ancient command and practice of advocacy: “Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. (Isaiah 1:17) He recognized that human suffering is related to systems of power and inequity and thus advocated on behalf of the weak. He confronted the dominance of civil and religious authorities and their oppressive control over the poor and simple. And he taught his followers to live subversively under foreign occupation—paying taxes and carrying the packs of Roman soldiers, but honoring another kingdom and king. And Jesus warned adults that they would be held responsible if their choices lead children into sin. The struggle for justice ultimately led to his persecution and death. Through his example Jesus invites us to be healers through the practice of advocacy.

Immigrants and poor people struggle to make ends meet and often don’t have the language, skills or confidence to advocate for themselves. The wealthy and educated advocate freely on their own behalf, even hiring lawyers and politicians to preserve their status and safety. For instance, the affluent neighborhoods in San Francisco have disproportionately more services and police presence that the poorest neighborhoods with greater needs. Our neighbors need us to speak for them so their voice can be heard.

Living in a time of increasing mobility and international trade, the call to justice is both local and global. A friend who works with Latin gang members in our neighborhood discovered that the young men dealing heroin on our street corners are from a city in Honduras where a U.S. company opened a factory that tainted their water supply and destroyed the local economy. What appeared to be a neighborhood problem was related to corporate power and greed. Our friend works to help these young men discover a better way of life, but also meets with government officials to address corporate responsibility.

Covenant Eyes

An old friend of mine, Eric Carpenter (who got me to move to the Bay Area several years ago) is hooking up with Covenant Eyes to do something to help men who are caught up in internet pornography. As I hear story after story of wonderful guys who have their lives derailed by this issue, it seems the importance of doing something can't be overstated. Covenant Eyes offers software so that friends get an email with questionable sites you have visited recently, and it has some functions that make it more helpful than other similar software. Check it out.

quote from book

from Shane Claiborne...
"God didn't mess up and make too many people and not enough stuff."

Yertle the Turtle

My daughter has a new favorite story by Dr. Suess, and I would love to write down all kinds of musings and interpretations with it, but I will resist and just copy it down. It is fairly long as Andrea just pointed out, but if you do read the whole thing please feel free to leave a comment about how the story hits you...


On the far-away Island of Sala-ma-Sond,
Yertle the Turtle was king of the pond.
A nice little pond. It was clean. It was neat.
The water was warm. There was plenty to eat.
The turtles had everything turtles might need.
And they were all happy. Quite happy indeed.

They were...until Yertle, the king of them all,
Decided the kingdom he ruled was too small.
"I'm ruler," said Yertle, "of all that I see.
But I don't see enough. That's the trouble with me.
With this stone for a throne, I look down on my pond
But I cannot look down on the places beyond.
This throne that I sit on is too, too low down.
It ought to be higher!" he said with a frown.
"If I could sit high, how much greater I'd be!
What a king! I'd be ruler of all I could see!"

So Yertle, the Turtle King, lifted his hand
And Yertle, the Turtle King, gave a command.
He ordered nine turtles to swim to his stone
And, using these turtles, he built a new throne.
He made each turtle stand on another one's back
And he piled them all up in a nine-turtle stack.
And then Yertle climped up. He sat down on the pile.
What a wonderful view! He could see 'most a mile!

"All mine!" Yertle cried. "Oh, the things I now rule!"
I'm king of a cow! And I'm king of a mule!
I'm king of a house! And what's more, beyond that,
I'm king of a blueberry bush and a cat!
I'm Yertle the Turtle! Oh, marvelous me!
For I am the ruler of all that I see!"

And all through that morning, he sat there up high
Saying over and over, "A great king am I!"
Until 'long about noon. Then he heard a faint sigh.
"What's that?" snapped the king
And he looked down the stack.
And he saw, at the bottom, a turtle named Mack.
Just a part of his throne. And this plain little turtle
Looked up and he said, "Beg your pardon, King Yertle.
I've pains in my back and my shoulders and knees.
How long mmust we stand here, Your Majest, please?"

"SILENCE!" the King of the Turtles barked back.
"I'm king, and you're only a turtle named Mack."
"You stay in your place while I sit here and rule.
I'm king of a house! And a bush! And a cat!
But that isn't all. I'll do better than that!
My throne shall be higher! his royal voice thundered,
"So pile up more turles! I want 'bout two hundred!"

"Turtles! More turtles!" he bellowed and brayed
And the turtles 'way down in the pond were afraid.
They trembled. They shook. But they came. They obeyed.
From all over the pond, they came swimming by dozens.
Whole families of turtles, with uncles and cousins.
And all of them stepped on the head of poor Mack.
One after another, they climbed up the stack.

They Yertle the Turtle was perched up so high,
He could see forty miles from his throne in the sky!
"Hooray!" shouted Yertle. "I'm king of the trees!fk
I'm king of the birds! And I'm king of the bees!
I'm king of the butterfles! King of the air!
Ah, me! What a throne! What a wonderful chair!
I'm Yertle the Turtle! Oh, marvelous me!
For I am the ruler of all that I see!"

Then again, from below, in the great heavy stack,
Came a groan from the plain little turtle named Mack.
"Your majesty, please...I don't like to complain,
But down ehre below, we are feeling great pain.
I know, up on top you are seeing great sights,
But down at the bottom, we, too, should have rights.
We turtles can't stand it. Our shells will all crack!
Besides, we need food. We are starving! groaned Mack.

"You hush up your mouth!" howled the mighty King Yertle
"You've no right to talk to the world's highest turtle.
I rule from the clouds! Over land! Over sea!
There's nothing, no NOTHING, that's higher than me!"

But, while he was shouting, he saw with surprise
That the moon of the evening was starting to rise
Up over his head in the darkening skies
"What's THAT?" snorted Yertle. "Say, what IS that thing
That dares to be higher than Yertle the KKing?
I shall now allow it! I'll go higher still!
I'll build my throne higher! I can and I will!
I'll call some more turtles. I'll stack 'em to heaven!
I need 'bout five thousand, six hundred and seven!"

But as Yertle, the Turtle King, lifted his hand
And started to order and give the command,
That plain little turtle below in the stack,
That plain little turtle whose name was just Mack,
Decided he's taken enough. And he had.
And that plan little lad got a little bit mad
And that plain little Mackk did a plain little thing.
He burped!
And his burp shook the throne of the king!

And Yertle the Turtle, the king of the trees,
The king of the air and the birds and the bees,
The king of a house and a cow and a mule...
Well, that was the end of the Turtle King's rule!
For Yertle, the King of all Sale-ma-Song,
Fell off the high throne and fell Plunk! in the pond!

And today the great Yertle, that Marvelous he,
Is King of the Mud. That is all he can see.
And the turtles, of course...all the turtles are free
As turtles and, maybe, all creatures should be.

from Bernal Hill in SF

This photo was taken just a few feet away from our new place in Bernal area of San Francisco...but I'm really only posting it to use the picture in My Profile...

UHaul

Our UHaul had some problems...here it is on my new street

I love this place

Wow, I'm sitting at Progressive Grounds on Courtland Street just down from my house. Across the street is a sweet little independent bookstore. Wow...it just hit me that I live in San Francisco. Crazy!

What also hit me the other day is that I have some wonderful friends in my life. The owner of our new flat, Jay, who also lives above us, was amazed that several guys showed up and unloaded the UHaul. (The UHaul story is worthy of a separate post later in the week). The way he said it made me think. A few friends from San Francisco came and unloaded, joining my two buddies who drove down all the way from Redding the night before and my brother Noah. These guys packed the UHaul better than I could have, drove the UHaul better than I could have, and pretty much made it a wonderful day. I promised them that moving would be easier than our last day together when we hiked Mt. Shasta, and I think we had just as much fun. Hopefully Paul's stomach will recover from our food that wasn't quite as healthful as his normal stuff. We did have organic range free eggs for breakfast though...

The crazy thing was that a ton of other people from Danville to San Francisco offered to help and really wanted to. My buddy Jeremy in Danville, whose wife had a baby two days ago, called and offered to take care of any final details at our old house at Concord. Dude, you just had a baby! (If you know Jeremy you probably have similar stories of his amazing generosity).

So today, it feels good to be here, and it feels good to be loved. Now, if I can just figure out what to do with all our kitchen stuff in our new kitchen that is about a quarter of the size of the old one...maybe a fifth or a sixth as big...

622 Peralta Avenue in San Francisco

We have a place to live in Bernal Heights in San Francisco!!!! We are finally moving this weekend. Thank you Father for your provision.

Of Bicycles...

For many of my friends who spent their days at Baldwin Park in Concord, having a bicycle is a big deal. These guys don't have cars, and public transit in Contra Costa County is not the best. A number of these guys could really use a bike to get around town. So, if you live in the Bay Area and read this and have an extra bike, toss me an email...or maybe you know someone else who has a bike laying in their garage collecting dust. I would really love to hook a few of these guys up with bikes before I move to San Francisco and can't see them as frequently. Thanks.

St. Francis

St. Francis

"Lord, make me and instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon,
Where there is doubt, faith,
Where there is despair, hope,
Where there is darkness, light and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive -
It is pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life."

A place to live?

I've been looking for a suitable place to live in San Francisco for a while now. I've gone to some open houses and driven by places and walked by places. I'm getting a little tired of it and a little frustrated at how hard it is...trying to trust that God really will provide for all our needs.
I've fallen in love with Bernal Heights along with my friends Ryan and Holly, and for the moment it feels like it would be a wonderful place for our family.
There is one place in particular that I really want that just popped up on craigslist. I'm praying that God would provide in the best way, and if this is a good place for us that we would be able to rent it.

Kayla is 2

Walking the streets...

I get to spend the whole week in the City with a group from Riverside participating in a week long Jesus Dojo. It is going to be a great week because the leaders, Damien and Jen O'Farrell, are people I've been getting to know over the past couple years and truly enjoy. I hope these high schoolers appreciate Damien and Jen and the care and teaching they receive from them.

We did some serious walking today and met some wonderful people. A woman named Bree stopped us and thanked us for smiling. We paused our walk and spent a few minutes with her, and she explained that she just appreciates seeing young men who appear to have to be happy and kind. We had an interesting conversation in which she invited us into her group of actors she is getting together. An hour or so later an elderly woman in the UN Plaza said hello as we walked by. I was surprised to see a woman of her age sitting down in the middle of the plaza by herself. She just wanted some people to talk to for a little while, and we enjoyed her company. She told us about the crummy motel she has to live in these days and her hopes that her social worker will return from vacation so she can get into a new place, but she was also encouraging... "It's a beautiful day! I finally see how beautiful it is. I recently quit drinking and smoking, and I just feel wonderful!" "Yes, God is good, isn't He? He has given us a beautiful day." Suddenly she asked us to pray for her, which was interesting since we had given no indication we were Christians or were in the habit of praying. We prayed for her housing situation and thanked God that He has delivered her from alcohol. We said goodbye as she called out to us to take care of ourselves. The three of us continued our walk through the Tenderloin in awe of the frail old lady sitting in the middle of the UN Plaza, soaking up the sun.

I can only hope and pray the week is full of moments like these. I'm stoked about this group. Tomorrow we enter the beautiful mess of Page Street Community Center.

love

Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth

It's a boy

Today we found out that our unborn baby is a boy. I would still have been stoked if it was a girl, but deep down I am excited for a boy. The Millheim house will be brought into gender balance...hopefully less pink.

Mount Shasta

I thought it would be a good idea to climb Mt. Shasta on Monday with two of my old college buddies. When my buddy Paul met a triathlete who said that the hike was by far the most intense physical thing he had ever done, I should have realized what was about to happen. For some reason I didn't really understand the gravity of the situation until I was about halfway up and realized that climbing Mt. Shasta is a big deal. Today I read online that beginner climber/hikers should always do the hike in two days instead of trying to do it in one day. After leaving at midnight and returning at 4 PM the next day (16 hours later), I can vouch that one should not try to hike the mountain in one day under any circumstances unless you have some strange desire for long periods of intense physical anguish. Also, if you ever go don't forget to put suntan lotion on the bottom of your nose. I currently have blisters on the bottom of my nose and on my lip just below my nose from the sun shining off the snow.
Oh and one more thing...pooping into a bag on the side of a snowy mountain as people hike by you is difficult, very difficult.

Connections

Yesterday in the midst struggling to get a million things done and feeling like I was making little progress on any front, something beautiful happened. I've been trying to develop friendships with the homeless crew that hangs out at the park close to my house in Concord. I bring small groups from the church I used to work at to share a picnic with them in the hopes of broadening horizons and building friendships across normal boundaries, but I love to just cruise by and see what is happening.
I was trying to get some work done on my computer while I spent time with Kayla while my wife was working while I tried to clean out my garage and get my house ready to rent while I checked craigslist every few minutes for a place to rent in the City while I tried to figure out how to get people to this "Walking in the Ways of the Kingdom" experience we are doing July 8 while I stressed about not training to hike Mt. Shasta this weekend. Meanwhile Kayla felt neglected and I was getting little accomplished. I decided to take Kayla with me to the park and jog there with her in the stroller and see if we could connect with some folks in the park. I saw Patrick, who is always full of energy. After he spent some time making Kayla smile he told me how bummed he was about his bike that was just stolen. Just then I remembered that I was going to see if anyone needed a bike in the park. One thing I need to get out of my garage is a bicycle that is in a couple pieces and I have no idea how to work on, but I had a hunch it could be useful for someone. I told Patrick about it and he got just a bit excited. Kayla and I jogged home and as soon as my brother got home he watched Kayla while I put the bike in my car and drove it back to Patrick. My brother had an extra tube he pitched in to help out, and Patrick was ecstatic. I was also ecstatic to have the bike out of my garage. Simple but beautiful.
So often it seems the beautiful things are in no way from my own planning but just happen when I give up and let myself be available to whatever. Little things add up to remind me that the Kingdom is happening, the Kingdom is advancing, God is at work in this messy world behind all the scenes...

ONENESS

In our Jesus Dojo we are focusing on Community for 7 weeks, and each week we will look at one aspect of what Scripture tells us about community. Last night we discussed oneness or unity. I enjoyed our discussion as we shared our similar but unique struggles with loving others within the Body of Christ and truly being willing to even try to be one with other people. In our pursuit of oneness the group decided upon a couple of commitments for the following week:

Spend time with someone who claims to follow Jesus but really rubs you the wrong
way. (For some of us this is the Mega Church people. For others it's the evangelists on the street corners in San Francisco. For other it is wealthy suburban dwellers. For others it's the radically right wing Republicans.)

Reading the same chapter of the Bible each day. (starting with 1 Corinthians 7 last night, since some of us have been doing this for a while)

Pray the same prayer at 3 times during the day, morning, noon and night. (We are using Ephesians 3:14-21 as our prayer for this week)

Picture Share

NBC Tonight

Check out NBC Nightly News tonight...Brian Williams will be in Africa with Bono

Misplaced Attention?

My friend Damien has an interesting post about all the attention churches are giving to the DaVinci Code. The other day I saw an advertisement for several different Christian books that "broke" the code or brought the "danger" to light. When I was a youth pastor I spoke to teenagers who were convinced the book was entirely true, and it scared me for them and their intellectual abilities and critical thinking skills more than made me defensive about defending Jesus or something like that. Thanks to Ryan for the link.

Pics from Student Group ReIMAGINE hosted in SF for a week

Crazy Talk

One of my favorite phrases used to be "crazy talk", and lately I've heard two random people use these two words together to describe events in this crazy world. It's gotten me to think of "crazy talk"...

It's crazy that I can love spending a week with middle schoolers from a nearby huge church in the suburbs while we put them through a week long Jesus Dojo in San Francisco while at the same time they drive me insane and their lives thoroughly convince me that there is little hope for the future of America...But I still think it was an amazing week and want to do it again...what the crap?

It's crazy that I was a part of the leader/speaker meeting for a conference about doing church the other day...sitting at the big kid table...fielding questions about this little non-profit called ReIMAGINE that for some reason intrigued everyone at the table.

It's crazy that I enjoyed listening to Donald Miller speak at this conference, while I was slightly disgusted at how excited everyone was to listen to Donald Miller and buy his latest books.

It's crazy that the more I try to give away my CD's and books and clothes while not buying more I am given more CD's and books and clothes every day, most of them better than the stuff I had before.

It's crazy we're going to have a second child in a few months and we are talking about moving into San Francisco just before that point.

It's crazy that thinking about the poor and oppressed of the world is the new "hip" thing to do as conservative evangelicals. It's also crazy that while some things are being done mostly there are more people who just like to read Bono quotes and read the Sojourners email newsletter.

It's crazy how easy it is for me to say I'm over deconstruction and negativity but slip into sarcastic and mean comments directed towards those I disagree with.

It's crazy that I can go to the neighborhood BBQ and try to get to know people, but we spend almost the entire time talking about each other's houses and how big/small they are and what improvements we are doing...I'm talking hours and hours of talk here.

It's crazy I have no idea how much of my salary will be supported by the local church that supported 1/3 of it this past year, and I haven't even spent 10 minutes thinking about it. Either I really trust God or I'm an idiot or both.

It's crazy that rent in the Mission District of San Francisco is so high.

It's crazy how excited I am about the season finale of 24 and how sad I am that it is the last episode while I have these lofty ideals about how time wasting and/or destructive television watching is to our culture.

It's crazy that we keep making decisions that appear to be very financially crazy but we are just fine and even own a home that has appreciated a couple hundred thousand dollars over the last couple years.

of Apologies

On Saturday I spent some time at a park eating lunch with some people I'm getting to know who happen to be homeless. I'm always impressed at the crowd at this particular park, because everyone is always very polite and appreciative about any food that we bring to share. People help me carry the cooler and the bags of chips and cookies and sandwiches. No one sits around expecting a hand out from the "church people".
On this particular Saturday a young man caught my eye. He was well groomed and looked just looked a little healthier and more vibrant than most of his friends. He looked me straight in the eye and I could tell he was about to tell me something. He told me that he wanted to apologize because he had a sip of beer in front of me as I approached his group. He was upset and remorseful about this, because he felt that it was inappropriate and disrespectful to be drinking alcohol as I was sharing food with people who had none. He then tried to justify the fact that he had spent his money on alcohol. He said they had all pitched in a little money they had to buy some beer to share.
I wonder if my presence truly made him think twice about whether he should be spending his money on beer at all or if he just felt bad about doing it in front of me. I don't know this guy very well and have spent a little more time with his friends than I have with him.
On one hand the discussion reminded me of the thoughts I've been having the past few weeks about the Scripture's emphasis on "orphans and widows"...those who cannot help themselves. I have had conversations with friends lately about what it would look like to focus energy on those who cannot help themselves versus young able bodied men who choose to be homeless and spend their money on more beer.
On the other hand, I was struck by something in the young man's eyes. I believe he truly was sorry. He was ashamed. He wanted to show his appreciation. He wanted to connect with me on some deeper level. He realized how his life looked to someone else, and it bothered him. He was sorry. I guess one question is whether or not he will let that state of being "sorry" lead him to a state of turning from one way to another. I also question what it would look like for someone to help this guy move from living in shame to stepping into grace. What does it look like to be his friend? What does it look like to love someone in the midst of poor choices.

#2

PEER LEARNING COMMUNITY

PEER LEARNING COMMUNITY

SIX MONTH PEER LEARNING COMMUNITY
ORGANIZING MEETING
FRIDAY APRIL 28. 12-3 P.M.
MEDJOOL RESTAURANT ROOFTOP
2622 Mission Street, San Francisco (at 21st)
http://www.medjoolsf.com/

During the Fall of 2005 and the Winter of 2006 ReIMAGINE sponsored a series
of regional gatherings for faith leaders and seekers exploring the way of
Jesus in emerging contexts. Approximately 100 people attended these events
which ranged from casual networking meals to facilitated topical
discussions. In feedback we received from regular participants they
suggested a more covenanted opportunity to connect with others on a
consistent basis.

A group of us would like to explore connecting through what I would describe
as a peer-learning community. This would be a group primarily composed of
leaders (thought leaders, those exploring spiritual leadership, and people
leading with their lives in various vocations-- business, social
entrepreneurship and the arts. It seems as if faith leaders in the present
future will be multidisciplinarians-- people who exercise leadership in a
particular life domain in addition to guiding others spiritually.

We think that this kind of peer-learning group might be helpful to people who are:

Captivated by what it might mean to be seekers of the kingdom of God in our
time with a holistic, integrative and relational perspective.

Fascinated by Jesus as a teacher and source of energy for life

Exploring intentional communal formation

Seeking to address their spiritual hunger with optimism, creativity, and
Risk-taking.

Navigating life with a global, multicultural and ecological awareness.

This peer-learning group would be an advanced conversation with a practical
orientation and might involve a group project at the end of a six month
contract to meet monthly as a group for 4-6 hours. Participants would
encourage one another to take their courageous "next steps" as life leaders.
We hope that this covenant community can offer solidarity and encouragement
to life leaders who are trying to cut a new groove for what it means to be
followers of God in our world.

If you are interested in participating in this peer learning community, we
would like to invite you to meet with us on Friday April 28. At this meeting
we hope develop more specific goals and expectations for a group that would
meet monthly for the next 6 months. We think it might be best to limit the
group size to 10-12 participants.

Please R.S.V.P. To info@reimagine.org. If you are not able to make the
meeting on April 28, but would like to stay abreast of how you can be
involved, please also indicate this in your response.

ReIMAGINE will periodically continue to offer more general opportunities to
connect in conversation about faith in emerging contexts through Emmaus
Road.

Picture Share

one day

My wife's cousin Michael came to visit on Monday of this week, and I took him around the Bay with me. I had a great time really getting to know him and talking a lot about ReIMAGINE and just how it is I spend my days. At around 9:00 PM we arrived back at my house in Concord, and I was exhausted. In the morning we drove to the Mission District and checked out the local spots where I normally hang out and meet with my friends to plan, scheme and dream new dreams for how we can be a part of the Kingdom breaking into San Francisco. We drove to the Lower Haight and spent the day at Page Street Community Center with a wonderful mess of people: white and black, short and tall, coherent and confused, happy and depressed, gay and straight, with homes and without. Michael got to spend some time with a man named Twilight. We spent several hours making new friends, and I spent some time with many people who are now old friends. I realized that in the few months I've been around the neighborhood I'm actually getting to know people. People are beginning to trust me and open up to me, but it wasn't an overnight type of thing. Part of the process is me learning how to love and how to communicate. We worked hard, sorting through produce, stacking boxes, organizing the food for the crowd that was about to arrive. I reminded Eric that I'm bringing a group of middle school students by in a couple weeks...that will surely be interesting...and wonderful. As the day drew to a close we got back into my car and drove to a Country Club in Danville. Now surrounded by 50 something very upperclass white people who attend a suburban church, it took me a few minutes to get used to my surroundings. I appreciated the group's welcoming and open spirit. I spent about a half an hour of this small group's time, speaking about the radical Jesus of the Gospels and what it looks like to truly love our neighbors in the Bay Area. As our time ended we walked back to my car and drove, finally, back to Concord. Kayla was already in bed but my brother, who is now living with us, and Andrea were glad to see us. As I sat in the chair, still unable to fight off this cold that is driving me crazy, I realized that I had a long and slightly weird day. I encountered incredibly different cultures and tried to let God use me to make some impact, to teach, to bless, to help, to love. I realized that sometimes I'm not quite sure what to make of these days. Which world do I belong to? How do I fit? Where do I have the most impact? WHY IS IT STILL RAINING? Today as I sit in this coffee shop in Concord and catch up on my email and the book I'm writing and my voicemails, I wonder if I should try to rest and get over this cold. Or should I go and talk to find the homeless folks I was looking for this morning? I have some things to talk to them about, but with the rain I'm not sure where they are right now. Hmmmm...I wonder if anyone will read this rambling post...

Walking in the Ways of the Kingdom

This past Friday I was able to help facilitate a day long experience for a group of high school studens from the Dublin area. After an hour and a half orientation including teaching on prayers from Scripture, we took them out for a walk through San Francisco in groups of 4 or 5. We encountered the Mission, the Castro, Market Street and the Tenderloin. The students encountered things they had never seen before and thought about things they had never thought about before. Hopefully, the experience will help all of us to learn to walk in the ways of the Kingdom, to follow Jesus as we encounter new situations and people in every day of our lives.

My particular group was able to sit down with Phil of the legendary Philz Coffee and chat about the poems we were writing as we sought to express our feelings about the city. We also took our new friend George out to lunch. George has lived in San Francisco on the streets for over 30 years and had some stories to tell over lunch. It was a beautiful day, and I was particularly proud of the teenagers for seeing the beauty of the day in the midst of cold and rainy weather.

April Fools Benefit Concert/Party

It's a fools party.

This Saturday April 1st, 7pm, there will be a benefit concert raising money for Iglesia Biblia in Mexicali Mexico. The church runs an addiction program and is in need of a van for transportation. We'll hear music from Daniel Dixon, Rachell Shaffer, Mick Leonardy, and Shannon Larsen. There may even be a few poets on hand. It's all going down in the Mission in San Francisco at 3170 23rd St.

Spread the word - look forward to seeing you there.

For more information contact Adam Klein at aklein@gmail.com

Behind the Scenes at the Party in the Haight

Making some food for our party...

ReIMAGINE happenings...

Jesus Dojos

Currently groups are meeting in San Francisco and the East Bay to focus on silence, prayer and solitude. A new season begins every two months, so please contact us if you are interested.



Friday, April 7 Walking in the Ways of the Kingdom
10:30 AM – 6:00 PM

Valley Christian of Dublin (a closed event)

DESCRIPTION: The day will consist of an orientation and teaching on prayers from Scripture, a casual walk through three neighborhoods, (including maps and directions) with opportunities to explore and connect with people, and dinner and reflection at an International Restaurant.

ReIMAGINE has been leading groups on these experiences for years because we have found it a good way to help people develop a fresh perspective on the Bay Area. San Francisco is, in some senses, a microcosm of the diversity of the Bay Area. We hope that by participating in this exercise your heart will be expanded in terms of having a desire to see your community in new ways and reimagine how you can walk in the way of love in your community.



May 5-7 Tabernacle

Festival/Community/Feast/Conversation/Imagination/Inspiration

To awaken imagination and empower young adults
to apply and act upon the teachings of Christ in every dimension
of life through conversation and action together.

More details coming soon…



May 7-13 Jesus Dojo

Golden Hills Community Church of Brentwood

A middle school group will join ReIMAGINE for a week of following the way of Jesus in San Francisco.



COMMON SABBATH...in pursuit of a COMMON LIFE
Saturday night - Sunday afternoon
Rotating locations

* March 4
* April 8-9
* May 6-7
* June 3-4

Every party needs music

Picture Share

From our party in the lower Haight...

Picture Share

Book Swaps are good

My friend Brad had a wonderful idea recently. Both of us love to read well-written books, and both of us live on a budget, and both of us believe that materialism and consumerism are traits we want to see shrink in our lives. So we want good books to read, but we don't think buying brand new books is always wise. We also realize that we and many of our friends have good books that we have read and no longer need to keep on our shelves. Some of us have decent books that for whatever reason we just aren't ever going to read. Therefore, we are having a book swap to recycle our literary treasures...
I'm actually quite excited about this, because if you know me I seriously like books but seriously don't dig giving Amazon all my money I don't have...

From Brad's blog...

I've got a growing pile of books that I don't plan on ever reading again. Some are just poorly written or theologically flawed, but some are great and I'm just getting tired of looking at them. I know there are others like me, who have unwanted books but fear the shrinking of their young libraries (Nate, Tim), so I'd like to host a book swap (one man's trash is another man's treasure).

Monday, April 17th, 7pm.
The Hooey's House
1865 Lacassie Ave. #7, Walnut Creek (Right Next to Walnut Creek Pres., Two minute walk from WC Bart)
Bring books that you no longer want for trade, the more books the better! Everyone is welcome!

Come, bring novels, poetry, theology, or anything else that you want to get rid of.

HERE AM I

HERE AM I

Tumbling, Bumbling, Stumbling
Here am I
Weaving, Heaving, Cleaving
Here am I

In the shadow of His beauty
I seek to find my rest
But with storms of endlesss fears and dreams
My head keeps moving
Though my body is still
So many thoughts, endless ideas
Too many for me to count

But I know, I just know
That inside me there is a rhythm that is good
Deep inside I trust my Adonai
Deep inside I fear no man
Deep inside I fly

So I cry out
Sometimes with my lungs but today in silence
In my head and in my heart
I cry out

You say You love me
You say You are here
You say I am your beloved
Your chosen one

Today I claim the promises
I choose to believe them to be true
You love me with a deeper love than I can fathom
you protect me from my enemies and from myself

You have plans for me
A destiny I have heard you whisper
A future with You, for You
Healing in your wings
Healing in your breath

Here am I
Tumbling, Bumbling, Stumbling
Into You
Into Your Way
Into Your Love
Into You

LOVE STARTS HERE

LOVE STARTS HERE


Jesus just wouldn’t stop telling stories and showing people how to love each other. The Scriptures are just full of talk about loving our spouses and families and enemies and our neighbors. Jesus gave some serious details about living in this way of love in the Sermon on the Mount. There are plenty of things we can debate about within Christianity: how the Holy Spirit works and the five points of Calvinism and how a church should be organized…but one thing is undeniable. We are made to love.
I have met people throughout the United States who are desperate to see the Christian Church in America become known for love. We want a new reputation, an identity that the world cannot refute. We want to be known for our love. It’s really a very Biblical yearning.
I have friends that dream of living in third world countries and friends that spend their time raising awareness about issues of global injustice. Many have been moved by what has happened in our own country with hurricanes and are desperate to help in some way, shape or form. I believe that these are worthwhile causes that Jesus cares about deeply.
I also believe that when Jesus spoke of love He meant that we are to start right here, right now. It’s easy to care about the village in Africa but not love your neighbor whose tree drops branches on your house. It’s easy to buy free trade coffee but not take the time to invite your lonely and socially awkward co-worker out to lunch.
What if we let God transform us into the kinds of people who love the people we bump into every day? What if we start there? What if instead of getting worked up over evangelism techniques and tracks we simply grappled with loving our neighbors? What if God can empower us and enable us to truly care about them? He can.
I propose that each of us begins to pray for our neighbors and co-workers, not as a scheme or marketing technique, but out of love. Pray that they would be safe. Pray that they would find peace. Pray that addictions would be overcome and marriages strengthened. Pray that teenagers would be okay.
Pray that God would teach us how to love them. Pray that God would enable us to care. Pray that God would be our fuel to love them in real and practical ways. Pray that God would open doors to love in practical ways like babysitting and looking after dogs and mowing lawns and being there when her husband leaves her.
Then, at some point, when we really do care, we may be led to ask these people how we can better pray for them. It wouldn’t be fake or forced. It would be real. We would be asking in love.
We are a church who believes in the power of prayer and the power of love. May God continue to transform us into the kinds of people who truly do love our neighbors. May the world be forever changed. May His Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven.

Party in the Haight!

On Sunday March 12 a group of us will be hosting a party at Page Street
Center in the Lower-Haight District. The inspiration for this party comes
from two sources: a venue for sharing our art-making, story-telling, and
poetry work from the Jesus Dojo, and the story Yeshua told about the kind of
feasts where everyone is invited.

So... On Sunday we will be meeting at 690 Page Street @ Steiner from 1-5
P.M. To cook great food, play music, display and make art and share stories
and poetry along with residents of the lower Haight who utilize Page Street
Center as a community gathering place.

Adam and I went to Page Street on Monday to say "Hello," make an
announcement and pass out flyers. There was a lot of enthusiasm for the
Feast on Sunday-- and people really seemed excited about sharing their
creative skills and cooking together.

A few thoughts on our feast day at Page Street:

1. Feel free to bring a sample of music, instruments, poetry, story or
artwork to display or share-- with some sensitivity to the diversity of life
experiences that will be represented. We are invited anyone from the
community to participate.

2. Page Street Center is a Community Center that provides groceries and
assistance to San Francisco residents as well as a drop-in program for
homeless youth. Our friend Eric directs the center, which operates on an
incarnational, power-to-the-people approach to community and assistance.
Expect creative chaos. Things are run at Page street existentially based on
the energy and vibe of the moment. Food will be served when it is ready. We
will start the open mic or mural making when appropriate energy surfaces.
You are invited to enter the swirl of people and activities.

3. There will be a lot of different kinds of people and life styles
represented at the feast. It will be great to connect across lines of
culture and life experiences. This is not a meal for hungry people. It is a
feast for human people.

Looking forward to a great time on Sunday!

I'm impressed, and I'm hard to impress

I just need to communicate to someone that I have been very impressed with the Creekside Community Church Community Life Groups (Small Groups) that have been spending time at Baldwin Park in Concord on Saturday's. A couple days ago another group joined me in making some new friends with people who didn't have anywhere else to eat lunch. Most are homeless for one reason or another. I am just so encouraged at how the groups have actually interacted with people. We haven't just scooped some food to do our good deed for the day. We have been making friends, listening, caring...learning to love. We are learning to live in the way that Jesus teaches us. No, we are not perfect. No, we have not saved the world or ended homelessness in Concord, but I am encouraged by what I have seen. Small acts of love and friendship are helping form people from both ends of the economic spectrum, and it is fun to be a part of it.

Unglamorous Spiritual Formation

Last night I'm sitting in our "Jesus Dojo" listening to friends share hopes and dreams...hopes and dreams for a life lived in the Kingdom of God as followers of Jesus. We all have slightly different points of pain and weakness, and different ideas make our hearts soar and come to life. Together we hope to see our lives transformed as our lives move forward, transformed to be more like the Jesus we follow. As we talked about steps we each desire to take to make our lives open to God's transormation, it occurred to me that spiritual transformation is not always glamorous or sexy. Committing to go see a counselor about your past is not glamorous. Deciding to limit your time surfing the Internet is not flashy. Working on being a better mother and husband is not sexy. But such is life. We have tiny decisions every day that group together to make us who we are. We are shaped by the day in, day out little things.

Now I have nothing against incredible moments of inspiration, and I happen to believe that we should be filled with emotion with we realize how God loves us and cares for us and believes in us. I've enjoyed singing songs to Jesus at the top of my lungs with hundreds of other people. I've enjoyed the rush of speaking to a group of people and feeling excitement in the air. I also know that life isn't a continual adrenaline rush. It's too easy to depend on the crazy flashy highs and public events and let the simple daily lives, our real lives, the lives we really live every second, decay and rot.

I'll stop rambling now, but I just hope I never give people the impression that following Jesus is always a crazy roller coaster of fame and happiness and dramatic tear filled evenings. It is that, but it is also waking up at the time I need to wake up and honoring God with how I spend my money today and whether I choose to check my email again or play with my daughter and whether I choose to stop and pray and listen instead of blaring Wilco on my IPod and whether I go to bed on time instead of watching Sports Center.

Spiritual Formation Retreat March 17-19

ENTER/SPACE: A SPIRITUAL FORMATION RETREAT
An initiative of THE JESUS DOJO sponsored by ReIMAGINE!

DATES: The weekend of March 17-19

LOCATION: Capitola, California (a coastal village just South of Santa Cruz)

COST: Sliding scale donation of $60-$130

ENTER/SPACE is a retreat experience designed around understanding and
practicing spiritual disciplines. Jesus, the teacher, is our example. He
often withdrew to lonely places to pursue connection and centeredness in the
energy and presence of God. Silence, solitude and prayer provide the space
for insight, healing, transformation and renewed vision to occur in our
lives--essential rhythms in the lives of those who pursue apprenticeship to
Jesus.

The weekend will be facilitated by a team of spiritual formation
practitioners and will include extended exercises in prayer, silence and
solitude. Participants will be encouraged to wander beaches and find a
lonely place to listen to the voice of God. Our understanding is that the
goal of spiritual formation practices is to reengage with greater clarity,
focus and energy to serve others in love.

Eight weeks of cohort meetings in various Bay Area locations provide a
further opportunity to explore spiritual formation through weekly exercises
and group interaction.

SCHEDULE FOR ENTER/SPACE WEEKEND:

SESSION 1 Overview of Spiritual Formation/ Lectio Divina
Friday P.M.

SESSION 2 Rest, awareness and presence/ Journaling Exercise
Saturday A.M.

SESSION 3 Wilderness Seduction/ Examin and contemplative practice
Saturday Noon

SESSION 4 Your new name/ Wrestling with God
Saturday P.M.

SESSION 5 Vision and Rhythm/ Creating a personal Rule of Life.
Sunday A.M.

SESSION 6 Reflection and celebration.

THURSDAY OPTION: Those who desire a more intensive period of silence and
solitude may choose to arrive on Thursday evening or Friday morninng-- and
spend the day on Friday in silence and solitude.

MEALS AND LODGING:

LODGING: There is room for 25 people to stay in the coastal home where we
will have meals and group time. These are rustic accommodations. Plan on
bringing a sleeping bag and mattress pad. Camping is also available at a
nearby state park. Our goal is to make the weekend as simple and affordable
as possible in a beautiful location.

MEALS: Simple healthy meals will be provided for participants Friday evening
through Sunday lunch.

REGISTRATION: E-mail nate@reimagine.org

ENTER/SPACE is an initiative of THE JESUS DOJO, a yea- long formation
process that explores six dimensions in the life of Jesus: imagination,
prayer, integrity, generosity, healing and community.

Tell me she's not adorable

Bono at Prayer Breakfast

Check out this video

Emmaus Road: Bay Area Emergent Cohort

EMMAUS ROAD: A BAY AREA EMERGENT COHORT...

* Dinner & Discussion: Monday February 20, 6:30-9:30 PM
(Burnett home – 185 Kimberlin Heights Drive, Oakland)

Last month many of us gathered at the Scandrette home for dinner and conversation, and we continue our rhythm of meeting together for a potluck meal and facilitated discussions at rotating locations throughout the Bay Area.

If you would like to attend please RSVP to nate@reimagine.org by February 15th. Please also think about how you would like to contribute to the meal and to the conversation. Let us know what food you would like to bring for the potluck and if there is a certain topic you would like to see discussed.

If you are so inclined please make use of the website (www.emmausroadcohort.blogspot.com) to discuss Emmaus Road gatherings and anything from the food to theological questions.

EMMAUS ROAD

On the road to Emmaus two friends walked together, discussing the life and teachings of Jesus and struggling to make sense of their world. During that conversation they were met by the Teacher.

Emmaus Road is a casual monthly gathering for people seeking generative friendships and conversation around pursuing the way of Jesus amidst the complexities of the Bay Area.

Our hope is that “Emmaus Road” can be a permission giving place where a diverse group of people, leaders and seekers can encourage and teach one another as together we learn to follow the ways of the Master in our local contexts.

Map to Casa Burnett (185 Kimberlin Heights Drive, Oakland):
http://maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?addr=185+Kimberlin+Heights+Drive&csz=Oakland%2C+CA+94619&country=us&new=1

Matthew 8:28-34

I need to write about this passage a little to get the juices flowing as I pray about how God wants me to teach this passage...

So the disciples are with Jesus on the North edge of the Sea of Galilee, in an area familiar to them, filled with committed and faithful Jews much like them. I wonder if they enjoyed seeing old friends and family. I wonder if they went fishing.

Jesus hops into a boat and the disciples follow him. They are heading across the lake toward the Decapolis, toward the pagans. As the storm hits and the disciples remember their fears of the powers and the evils of the sea, Jesus stops the storm. He "rebuked" the winds and the waves. I find it fascinating that after all Jesus has done to this point the disciples are so blown away by this miracle. Perhaps it points to a culture which had an awe and fear of the power of the sea and what lied beneath. Still, they've seen him heal people and throw out demons and feed thousands with a couple baskets. But this still blows them away!! Jesus shows them that He is more powerful than the Sea, greater than the spirits of the water. He has authority.

As they near the region of the Gadarenes, I wonder what they were thinking. This was pagan land. I wonder if they had ever been there. I wonder what stories they had heard of these evil people. I wonder what their parents told them about the pagans just around the bend. It really isn't that far. You can see this place from the Northern edge where they just were. You can see it from the hill where the great Sermon was told.

I wonder if they were scared, or maybe they were excited about a little adventure. Was a part of these young men feeling like they just shouldn't be there? Surely their culture had told them this place was unclean. For goodness sake, there was a HUGE herd of pigs right there. As the crazy bloody demon possessed guys ran out to greet them, were their fears realized? Did they want to go back to Bethsaida or Capernaum? Did they want to get back in the boat and into the scary sea? Or were they starting to realize that Jesus was the One...He could do it...He would take care of it...and they got to be a part of it all.

As the demons clearly communicate that they are seriously freaked out about Jesus being there, did the disciples think, "Hmmm, these demons seem to think Jesus is seriously powerful."? As Jesus heals the poor man, as He restores this human being, as He brings healing, were they ready to charge into the pagan land yet?

But here's the kicker for me. The people beg Jesus to leave their town. They are freaked. Is it because the pigs are dead? Did he mess up the economy? Were the pigs a part of some sort of pagan worship that now needed some new sacrifices? Did they need some new meat to eat with their eggs in the morning? I wonder if a few of the people in the town really did rejoice over the men who were now in their right mind, the men who had been running around for years, scaring away visitors, scaring their children. What about the men's families? Surely they thanked Jesus. Surely they were a little appreciative. Surely they were stoked to see their sons or brothers back from crazy town?

I love that Jesus gets in the mess of a pagan land. I love that He doesn't stay in Capernaum or Jerusalem. He jumps into the craziness. He isn't scared of the pagan land. He isn't scared of some demon possessed naked bloody guys running around the hills. He isn't afraid to get his hands dirty int he mess of humanity. He showed his disciples that His power is over everything, everyone. His message and His hope, His Kingdom is for everyone, and everyone has a chance to enter His Kingdom, to enter a new way of life.

Maybe this is a quaint oversimplification, but this story reminds me that Christians shouldn't run away from crazy situations in crazy places. We shouldn't shy away from the ghettos. We shouldn't shy away from the Satan worshipers or the murderers or the rapists. We shouldn't just sit around and wait for God to push San Francisco and all those evil perverts into the ocean with a big earthquake. We are called, as followers of Jesus, to enter into the mess. We are called to be agents of healing and restoration. We are called to offer hope and a better way. We are called to humbly love and serve, and at the same time to be a conduit of the authority and power of Jesus.

let us not be afraid.