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)
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
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.
Monday, May 22, 2006
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.
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.
Monday, April 24, 2006
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.
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.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
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.
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.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
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